Process control communication architecture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10375162-B2
Application number	US-201615217112-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2016
Priority date	Jul 22, 2016
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

A platform-to-platform communication architecture for a process control messaging service in a process control system or other industrial setting allows stationary and portable industrial computing units to communicate with each other, in one-to-one and one-to-many communications, and across networks, including isolated networks inside the process control system or industrial setting and external networks. A requesting industrial computing device platform generates a message for a destination, or responding, industrial computing device in the communication protocol of the destination platform, and wraps the message in a communication protocol of the process control messaging service. The communication architecture decodes the wrapped message into the communication protocol of the destination industrial computing device and forwards the decoded wrapped message to the destination. The communication architecture allows for a variety of communication services, including, but not limited to, instant/real-time peer-to-peer messaging, time synchronization, automatic data transfer with an asset management system, communication with field devices via an asset management system and large data transfers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A platform-to-platform method of communication between industrial computing devices in a process control system comprising:
enrolling a requesting industrial computing device platform in a process control messaging service in response to a request for enrollment from the requesting industrial computing device platform, the requesting industrial computing device platform and the process control messaging service each having a framework of a communication protocol of a destination industrial computing device platform layered above a communication protocol of the process control messaging service, and the protocol of the process control messaging service layered above a network communications protocol;
receiving a wrapped message from the requesting industrial computing device platform via a communication transport type associated with the networking communications protocol, wherein the message is generated by the requesting industrial computing device platform in the communication protocol of the destination industrial computing device platform and wrapped in the communication protocol of the process control messaging service having a header comprising the identification of a destination industrial computing device platform and the communication protocol of the destination industrial computing device platform;
decoding the wrapped message into the communication protocol of the destination industrial computing device platform; and
forwarding the decoded wrapped message to the destination industrial computing device platform.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein enrolling the industrial computing device platform comprises:
receiving the request for enrollment from the requesting industrial computing device platform at an enrollment server on a process control messaging network, the request comprising identification of the requesting industrial computing device platform and identification of the enrollment server, the process control messaging network being logically independent of a digital process control network for controlling field devices within the process control system;
verifying registration of the requesting industrial computing device platform with the process control messaging service;
granting participation of the requesting industrial computing device platform with the process control messaging service if the requesting industrial computing device platform was previously registered with the process control messaging service; and
notifying other industrial computing device platforms enrolled in the process control messaging service that the requesting industrial computing device platform is enrolled based on a subscription status of the requesting industrial computing device, the subscription status identifying those industrial computing device platforms permitted to communicate with the requesting industrial computing device.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising registering the requesting industrial computing device platform with the process control messaging service prior to enrolling the requesting industrial computing device, wherein registering comprises:
assigning a unique identifier with the requesting industrial computing device, the unique identifier uniquely identifying the requesting industrial computing device among other industrial computing devices registered with the process control messaging service;
defining restrictions and/or authorizations to the requesting industrial computing device; and
notifying the requesting industrial computing device of a network address of the enrollment server.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein registration of the requesting industrial computing device platform comprises temporary access to the process control messaging service.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein registration of the requesting industrial computing device platform comprises permanent access to the process control messaging service.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein registration of the requesting industrial computing device platform comprises access to particular ones of services offered by the process control messaging service.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein services offered by the process control messaging service comprise: a messaging service to allow a plurality of industrial computing device platforms to communicate with each other, and a data file transfer service to allow a plurality of industrial computing device platforms to transfer data files with each other.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein enrolling the industrial computing device platform comprises automatically enrolling the industrial computing device platform upon connection of the industrial computing device platform to the process control messaging network.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the connection of the industrial computing device platform to the process control messaging network is a wireless connection via a wireless communication channel to a network access point of the process control messaging network.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the connection of the industrial computing device platform to the process control messaging network is a wired connection via a wired communication channel to a network access point of the process control messaging network.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein enrolling the industrial computing device platform comprises enrolling the industrial computing device platform upon receipt of a routing of the request for enrollment from a personal computing platform hardwired to the requesting industrial computing device platform, wherein the personal computing platform forwards the request for enrollment from the requesting industrial computing device platform upon hardwire connection of the requesting industrial computing device platform to the personal computing platform.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the requesting industrial computing device platform is hardwired via Universal Serial Bus (USB) to the personal computing platform.

13. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving from the requesting industrial computing device platform, a request to transfer one or more data files from the requesting industrial computing device platform to the destination industrial computing device platform; and
activating a transfer of the one or more data files from the requesting industrial computing device platform to the destination industrial computing device platform.

14. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving from the destination industrial computing device platform, a request to transfer one or more data files from the destination industrial computing device platform to the requesting industrial computing device platform; and
activating a transfer of the one or more data files from the destination industrial computing device platform to the requesting industrial computing device platform.

15. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving from the requesting industrial computing device platform, a request for real-time, peer-to-peer messaging with another industrial computing device platform;
providing to the requesting industrial computing device platform a list of other industrial computing device platforms enrolled in the process control messaging service; and
activating a transmission of a real-time message from the requesting industrial computing device platform to one or more other industrial computing device platforms.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the destination industrial computing device platform comprises one or more industrial computing device platforms, and whe

Assignees

• Fisher Rosemount Systems Inc

Inventors

• Toepke Todd M
• Logerquist James R
• Fisher Joseph D

Classifications

• H04L69/08

  Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion · CPC title

• H04L51/38

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L69/321

  Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers · CPC title

• H04L69/22

  Parsing or analysis of headers · CPC title

• G05B19/4185

  characterised by the network communication · CPC title