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Process control system including a method and apparatus for automatically sensing the connection of devices to a network    

Custom CD of patents similar to US6098116 : Process control system including a method and apparatus for automatically sensing the connection of devices to a network - $19.95
United States Patent6098116   
Link to this pagehttp://www.wikipatents.com/6098116.html
Inventor(s)Nixon; Mark (Round Rock, TX); Krivoshein; Ken D. (Elgin, TX); Shepard; John R. (Austin, TX); Christensen; Dan D. (Austin, TX); Schleiss; Duncan (Austin, TX)
AbstractA digital control system automatically senses when a new controller is attached to a network and determines the number and types of I/O Ports that are attached to the new controller. The digital control system formats and displays the I/O Port information upon request by a user. The digital control system program also includes an automatic configuration program that responds to sensing of a new controller by automatically configuring the input/output (I/O) subsystem. The user adds a new controller without setting any physical switches or nodes. A user optionally supplies configuration information for a device into a database, prior to connection of a device. Upon connection of the device, the device is automatically sensed and configured using the database configuration information, without setting of physical switches or node address information on the devices.
   














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Drawing from US Patent 6098116
Process control system including a method and apparatus for

     automatically sensing the connection of devices to a network - US Patent 6098116 Drawing
Process control system including a method and apparatus for automatically sensing the connection of devices to a network
Inventor     Nixon; Mark (Round Rock, TX); Krivoshein; Ken D. (Elgin, TX); Shepard; John R. (Austin, TX); Christensen; Dan D. (Austin, TX); Schleiss; Duncan (Austin, TX)
Owner/Assignee     Fisher-Rosemont Systems, Inc. (Austin, TX)
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Publication Date     August 1, 2000
Application Number     08/631,519
PAIR File History     Application Data   Transaction History
Image File Wrapper   Patent Term   Fees
Litigation
Filing Date     April 12, 1996
US Classification    
Int'l Classification    
Examiner     Lee; Thomas C.
Assistant Examiner     Perveen; Rehana
Attorney/Law Firm     Koestner; Ken J. Skjerven, Morrill, MacPherson, Franklin & Friell, LLP.
Address
Parent Case     CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is related to application by Nixon et al., entitled "A Process Control System Using Standard Protocol Control of Standard Devices and Nonstandard Devices", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,828,851, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, including any appendices and references thereto. This application is related to copending application by Nixon et al., entitled "A Process Control System for Versatile Control of Multiple Process Devices of Various Device Types", Ser. No. 08/631,521, filed on Apr. 12, 1996, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, including any appendices and references thereto. This application is related to copending application by Nixon et al., entitled "Process Control System for Monitoring and Displaying Diagnostic Information of Multiple Distributed Devices" Ser. No. 08/631,557, filed on Apr. 12, 1996, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, including any appendices and references thereto. This application is related to application by Nixon et al., entitled "A Process Control System User Interface Including Selection of Multiple Control Languages", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,942, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, including any appendices and references thereto. This application is related to application by Dove, entitled "System for Assisting Configuring a Process Control Environment", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,940,294, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, including any appendices and references thereto. This application is related to application by Nixon et al., entitled "Process Control System Using a Control Strategy Implemented in a Layered Hierarchy of Control Modules", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,052, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, including any appendices and references thereto. This application is related to application by Dove et al., entitled "System for Configuring a Process Control Environment", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,563, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, including any appendices and references thereto. This application is related to application by Nixon et al., entitled "A Process Control System Using a Process Control Strategy Distributed Among Multiple Control Elements" now U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,368, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, including any appendices and references thereto. This application is related to copending provisional application by Nixon et al., entitled "Improved Process System", Serial No. 60/017,700, filed Apr. 12, 1996, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, including any appendices and references thereto.
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Patent Tags     control including for automatically sensing connection devices network
   
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What is claimed is:

1. A process control system comprising:

a control process;

a plurality of controllers coupled to the process, the controllers implementing a process control functionality in a plurality of field devices in the control process;

a workstation coupled to the plurality of controllers and including a user interface; and

a software system including a network operating system and implementing a routine for automatically sensing a connection of a controller to a network and incorporating the controller into the network operating system, the routine for automatically sensing a connection of a controller to a network and incorporating the controller into a network operating system including:

means for connecting a controller to the network;

means operative in the connected controller for sending a request to confirm a network address assignment, the request being accompanied by the

controller media access control (MAC) address;

a network configuration service including:

means for receiving the request to confirm;

means for searching a table of configured field devices for a matching MAC address;

means operative when the MAC address matches for generating field device and network information including a network address from a device table;

means operative when the MAC address does not match for generating field device and network information including a network address from MAC address-based default information and adding the default information to the device table; and

means operative when the MAC address does not match for assigning the connected controller under user control either as a new field device added to the device table or as a field device configuration previously existing in the device table.

2. A process control system according to claim 1 wherein the software system further comprises:

a software routine responsive to automatic sensing of a connection of a controller to the network for automatically configuring an input/output (I/O) subsystem in a control system.

3. A method of automatically sensing a connection of a controller to a network and incorporating the controller into a network operating system including:

connecting a controller to the network, the controller implementing a process control functionality in a field device in the control process;

sending, by the connected controller, a request to confirm a network address assignment, the request being accompanied by the controller media access control (MAC) address;

receiving, by a network configuration service, the request to confirm and responding by performing the operations of:

searching a table of configured field devices for a matching MAC address;

when the MAC address matches, generating field device and network information including a network address from a device table;

when the MAC address does not match, generating field device and network information including a network address from MAC address-based default information and adding the default information to the device table; and

when the MAC address does not match, assigning the connected controller under user control either as a new field device added to the device table or as a field device configuration previously existing in the device table.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the network configuration service operates from a master configuration workstation in the network.

5. A method according to claim 3 wherein the connected controller is assigned under user control either as a new field device added to the device table or as a field device configuration previously existing in the device table via an Explorer.TM. user interface by a drag-and-drop technique.

6. A method according to claim 3 wherein the controller is added to the device table as a new device by a method including the steps of:

selecting, by the user, an ACN Segment for connecting the controller;

setting, by the user, a device type, a device name and a comment field;

assigning a device ID; and

generating a device name based on the device ID.

7. A method according to claim 3 wherein assigning the connected controller comprises:

automatically assigning a next sequential device ID;

automatically assigning network addresses and subnet masks associated to the device ID.

8. A method according to claim 3 wherein assigning the connected controller comprises:

automatically assigning a next sequential device ID; and

user-interactively setting network addresses and subnet masks.

9. A method according to claim 3, wherein when the connected controller is assigned as a field device configuration previously existing in the device table, the previously existing field device configuration is a controller-type field device having an unassigned MAC address.

10. A method of automatically configuring an input/output (I/O) subsystem in a control system comprising:

interrogating an I/O Card at a user-specified card position to determine a Card Type and a number of I/O Ports in the I/O Card, the I/O Card capable of being connected to a controller, the controller implementing a control process control functionality in a plurality of field devices in the control process;

determining whether the interrogated I/O Card is previously defined in an engineering database;

if the I/O Card is not previously defined in the engineering database, defining an I/O Card of a suitable type and I/O Ports of a suitable number, the suitable type and number being predetermined for the card position;

interrogating the I/O Ports of an I/O Card in accordance with the Card Type to determine a Port Type and a number of I/O Devices on the I/O Port;

if the I/O Port is not previously defined in the engineering database for the port address, defining an I/O Port of a suitable type and I/O Devices of a suitable number, the suitable type and number being predefined;

interrogating the I/O Devices in accordance with the Port Type to determine a Device Type;

if the I/O Device is not previously defined in the engineering database for the device address, defining an I/O Device of a suitable type, the suitable type being predefined; and

creating instrument signal tags (ISTs) for primary signal sources on the I/O Ports and the I/O Devices.

11. A method according to claim 10 further comprising:

initiating the method of automatically configuring the I/O subsystem in response to an "auto-configure" command by a user.

12. A method according to claim 10 further comprising:

initiating the method of automatically configuring the I/O subsystem in response to automatic sensing of a connection of a controller to a network.

13. A method according to claim 10 further