Apparatus and method for integrating wireless or other field devices in a process control system

An apparatus, comprising:

• at least one memory operable to store mapping information defining mappings between a first field device protocol and a second field device protocol;
• and
• at least one processor operable to:
• receive a first command associated with the first field device protocol from a configuration tool, the configuration tool operable to receive input from a user and to configure, commission, or monitor a field device in a process control system;
• convert the first command into a second command associated with the second field device protocol using at least some of the mapping information;
• and
• communicate the second command to the field device in the process control system;
• wherein the second field device protocol comprises a Wireless Network for Secure Industrial Application (WNSIA) protocol;
• wherein, under the WNSIA protocol, an object is associated with the field device and one or more objects are associated with one or more transducers of the field device, each transducer associated with a process or output variable, each object comprising one or more parameters describing the associated device or transducer;
• and
• wherein the at least one processor is operable to communicate the second command to the field device using a device address associated with the field device, an object identifier identifying one of the objects associated with the identified field device, and a parameter identifier identifying one of the parameters associated with the identified object.

A tangible computer readable medium embodying a computer program, the computer program comprising computer readable program code for:

• receiving first information from a source in a process control system, the first information associated with a first field device protocol, the source comprising a configuration tool operable to receive input from a user and to configure, commission, or monitor a target in the process control system;
• converting the first information associated with the first field device protocol into second information associated with a wireless second field device protocol;
• and
• communicating the second information to the target in the process control system;
• wherein the second field device protocol comprises a Wireless Network for Secure Industrial Application (WNSIA) protocol:
• wherein, under the WNSIA protocol, an object is associated with the target and one or more objects are associated with one or more transducers of the target, each transducer associated with a process or output variable, each object comprising one or more parameters describing the associated target or transducer;
• and
• wherein the computer readable program code for communicating the second information to the target uses a device address associated with the target, an object identifier identifying one of the objects associated with the identified field device, and a parameter identifier identifying one of the parameters associated with the identified object.