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US 8,266,602 B2Granted
Apparatus and method for converting between device description languages in a process control system
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorsWilliam R. Hodson, Prasad Samudrala
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device description language (DDL) converter is provided for converting a first DDL file into one or more second DDL files. The DDL files may be associated with wireless field devices that are or could be used in a process control system, such as wireless sensors or wireless actuators. The DDL files may contain information associated with parameters of the field devices, such as tunings, performance statistics, statuses, measurements, and other data of interest. The first DDL file could be associated with a non-standard DDL. The one or more second DDL files could be associated with standard DDLS, such as HART, Foundation Fieldbus, and Profibus DDLs.
Claims21
A method, comprising:
- receiving first information describing characteristics of one or more parameters of a field device, the field device operable to operate in a process control system, the characteristics described in the first information using a first device description language, the first information associated with a first communication protocol, the first information comprising a first device description language source file;
- converting the first information into second information describing the characteristics of the one or more parameters of the field device, the characteristics described in the second information using a second device description language, the second information associated with a second communication protocol;
- and
- providing the second information to facilitate interaction with the field device;
- wherein converting the first information into the second information comprises:
- parsing the first device description language source file into individual first components;
- mapping each first component from the first device description language source file to a corresponding second component of a target file that is compliant with the second device description language;
- and
- generating the target file using the component mappings by (i) taking each first component, (ii) extracting data from that first component, and (iii) generating the corresponding second component using the extracted data, wherein each second component is compliant with the second device description language.
6 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- at least one memory operable to store a first device description language source file associated with a field device, the field device operable to operate in a process control system, the first device description language source file describing characteristics of one or more parameters of the field device using a first device description language;
- and
- at least one processor operable to:
- convert the first device description language source file into a second device description language source file, the first and second device description language source files associated with different device description languages, the second device description language source file describing the characteristics of the one or more parameters of the field device using a second device description language;
- and
- store the second device description language source file in the at least one memory;
- wherein the at least one processor is operable to convert the first information into the second information by:
- parsing the first device description language source file into individual first components;
- mapping each first component from the first device description language source file to a corresponding second component of a target file that is compliant with the second device description language;
- and
- generating the target file using the component mappings by (i) taking each first component, (ii) extracting data from that first component, and (iii) generating the corresponding second component using the extracted data, wherein each second component is compliant with the second device description language;
- and
- wherein the first device description language source file is associated with a first communication protocol and the second device description language source file is associated with a second communication protocol.
10 more elements
A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program, the computer program comprising computer readable program code for:
- receiving first information describing characteristics of one or more parameters of a field device, the field device operable to operate in a process control system, the characteristics described using a first device description language, the first information comprising a first device description language source file;
- generating second information describing the characteristics of the one or more parameters of the field device using a second device description language, the second information generated using the first information;
- and
- outputting the second information to facilitate interaction with the field device;
- wherein the first information is associated with a first communication protocol and the second information is associated with a second communication protocol;
- and
- wherein generating the second information comprises:
- parsing the first device description language source file into individual first components;
- mapping each first component from the first device description language source file to a corresponding second component of a target file that is compliant with the second device description language;
- and
- generating the target file using the component mappings by (i) taking each first component, (ii) extracting data from that first component, and (iii) generating the corresponding second component using the extracted data, wherein each second component is compliant with the second device description language.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.