Portable Field Maintenance Tool Configured for Multiple Process Control Communication Protocols
AssigneeFisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc.
InventorsRoger Benson, Anthony D. Ferguson, Todd M. Toepke
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A portable field maintenance tool may perform one or more tasks, such as communicating with a field device, powering a field device, diagnosing a field device, or diagnosing a communication link in a plant environment to which a field device is connected. The portable field maintenance tool may interact with field devices configured according to a number of different communication protocols, such as the HART protocol and the Fieldbus protocol. The portable field maintenance tool may be energy limited and fault tolerant, and may operate in compliance with Intrinsic Safety standards, enabling use of the portable field maintenance tool in hazardous areas.
Claims25
A portable field maintenance tool comprising:
- (A) a housing;
- (B) a communication interface disposed through the housing, the communication interface including an internal portion accessible within the housing;
- (C) one or more communication circuits disposed within the housing and electrically connected to the internal portion of the communication interface, the one or more communication circuits configured to communicate according to a first protocol and to communicate according to a second protocol;
- and
- (D) one or more power supplies disposed within the housing and electrically connected to the internal portion of the communication interface, the one or more power supplies configured to supply power according to the first protocol and to supply power according to the second protocol;
- and
- wherein the communication interface further includes one or more terminals that are:
- (i) connectable to a first field device so that the first field device receives a first composite signal configured, according to the first protocol, to supply power from the one or more power supplies to the first field device and to communicatively connect the first field device to the one or more communication circuits;
- and
- (ii) connectable to a second field device so that the second field device receives a second composite signal configured, according to the second protocol, to supply power from the one or more power supplies to the second field device and to communicatively connect the second field device to the one or more communication circuits.
A method for communicating with a field device, the method including:
- communicatively connecting a portable field maintenance tool to a first field device configured according to a first protocol;
- transmitting by the portable field maintenance tool a first composite signal configured according to the first protocol, the first composite signal including:
- (i) a first power signal to power the first field device, and (ii) a first communication signal to communicate with the first field device;
- communicatively connecting a portable field maintenance tool to a second field device configured according to a second protocol;
- and
- transmitting by the portable field maintenance tool a second composite signal configured according to the second protocol, the second composite signal including:
- (i) a second power signal to power the second field device, and (ii) a second communication signal to communicate with the second field device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.