Methods and apparatus for communicating alert notifications using discrete input channels

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for communicating alert notifications using discrete input channels are described. An apparatus includes a field device to control a process of a process plant. The field device has a digital valve controller including a process parameter monitor to monitor a process parameter of the field device and an alarm determiner to detect an error condition associated with the process parameter. The alarm determiner generates an alarm notification associated with the error condition of the process parameter. The digital valve controller includes an alarm status assignor to assign a status notification for equipment associated with the process parameter detected by the alarm determiner to be in the error condition and a discrete output channel. The apparatus includes a host device having a discrete input channel directly coupled to the discrete output channel to receive the alarm notification and the status notification from the digital valve controller. The host device is to be communicatively coupled to a control room of a process plant.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.