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

Claims

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