Provision of information regarding additional functionalities of field bus components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10783099-B2
Application number	US-201716347218-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2017
Priority date	Nov 3, 2016
Publication date	Sep 22, 2020
Grant date	Sep 22, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a framework application for device access software. The framework application can be installed on a host. At least one driver can be integrated into the framework application, said driver being designed for access to an associated field bus component of a field bus network. For each integrated driver, the framework application has a standard interface, via which data can be exchanged between the driver and the framework application. For at least some of the integrated drivers, the framework application has one or more proprietary interfaces in addition to the standard interface, via which proprietary interfaces data can be exchanged between the respective drivers and the framework application. Information regarding additional functionalities that are supported by the driver or by an associated field bus component can be transferred from the driver to the framework application via at least one of the proprietary interfaces.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A framework application for device access software, wherein the framework application can be installed on a host, comprising:
at least one driver configured for access to an associated fieldbus component of a fieldbus network integrated into the framework application;
a standard interface for each integrated driver, via which interface data is exchanged between the driver and the framework application; and
one or more proprietary interfaces different than the standard interface via which a data exchange takes place between the respective driver and the framework application, wherein information regarding additional functionalities that are supported by the driver or an associated fieldbus component are transmitted from the driver to the framework application via at least one of the proprietary interfaces;
wherein at least one driver includes both a standard interface and a proprietary interface for transferring data between the driver and the framework application.

2. The framework application of claim 1 , wherein the framework application merges the information regarding additional functionalities.

3. The framework application of claim 1 , wherein the framework application is configured to process the information regarding additional functionalities according to at least one of the following: presenting the information at least in part on a graphical user interface, storing the information at least in part in a data structure within the framework application, and uploading the information at least in part to a cloud.

4. The framework application of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the following:
the framework application has at least one container component for integration of drivers, wherein a respective driver can be installed in a container component for access to an associated fieldbus component;
a respective standard interface via which data can be exchanged between the container component and the driver is provided between a container component and a driver installed in the container component; and
at least one proprietary interface via which data can be exchanged between the container component and the driver is, in each case, additionally provided between the container component and the driver installed in the container component.

5. The framework application of claim 1 , wherein in the framework application an associated data structure in which information regarding additional functionalities supported by the fieldbus component or the associated driver can be stored is provided to a fieldbus component of the fieldbus network.

6. The framework application of claim 1 , wherein data structures associated with a container component of the framework application of the container component, or belonging to the container component, are provided that are configured to store information regarding additional functionalities of the driver installed in the container component and regarding the associated fieldbus component.

7. The framework application of claim 1 , wherein information regarding an activation status of the additional functionalities can be transmitted from a driver to the framework application via at least one of the proprietary interfaces.

8. The framework application of claim 1 , wherein device specifications of the respective fieldbus component can be transmitted from the driver to the framework application via the standard interface.

9. The framework application of claim 1 , wherein the additional functionalities include at least one of the following:
an additional functionality corresponding to a certain grade of the safety integrity level of the respective fieldbus component;
an additional functionality for performing device function checks;
an additional functionality for printing out documentation regarding the respective fieldbus component by means of a click;
an additional functionality for evaluating measurement signals regarding runtime measurement by means of an envelope;
an additional functionality relating to connectivity to a cloud; and
an additional functionality relating to a native-translated language version for user guidance.

10. The framework application of claim 1 , wherein the framework application comprises a central component that is designed to read out and merge information about the additional functionalities.

11. The framework application of claim 1 , further including at least one of the following:
the framework application is designed to merge information about additional functionalities and to present it in an overview presentation of the fieldbus network on a graphical user interface;
information regarding an activation status of the additional functionalities can be transmitted from a driver to the framework application via at least one of the proprietary interfaces, wherein the framework application is designed to present information about additional functionalities supported by the fieldbus components, together with the activation status of these additional functionalities;
the framework application is designed to present the additional functionalities supported by the fieldbus components and their activation status in the form of a matrix presentation on a graphical user interface; and
the framework application is designed to upload information about the additional functionalities supported by the fieldbus components into a cloud.

12. The framework application of claim 1 , including at least one of the following:
the framework application is designed to generate an activation command, to transmit the activation command to a fieldbus component via one of the proprietary interfaces and a driver integrated into the framework application, and to activate at least one additional functionality supported by the fieldbus component; and
the framework application is designed to receive an activation command from a cloud, to transmit the activation command to a fieldbus component via one of the proprietary interfaces and a driver integrated into the framework application, and to activate at least one additional functionality supported by the fieldbus component.

13. The framework application of claim 1 , wherein the at least one proprietary interface comprises a meta-interface which provides information regarding the number and design of the further proprietary interfaces to the framework application.

14. The framework application of claim 1 , further including at least one of the following:
information regarding a functional scope of the framework application can be transmitted from the framework application to a driver via at least one of the proprietary interfaces; and
the framework application is designed to perform an adjustment of the functionalities between framework application, drivers, and fieldbus components via one or more of the proprietary interfaces.

15. The framework application of claim 1 , further including at least one of the following:
the framework application is an FDT framework application;
the standard interface is the FDT standard interface;
the drivers are DTM's;
at least one of following fieldbus standards is used within the fieldbus network: Profibus, Foundation Fieldbus, HART, Industrial Ethernet;
the drivers correspond to at least one of the following standards: DD, EDD, EDS, DTM, FDI Device Packages; and
the respective fieldbus component is a field device, a gateway device, or an access device.

16. A device access software, comprising:
the device access software including a framework application;
wherein the framework application includes:
at least one driver confi

Assignees

• Endress Hauser Process Solutions Ag
• Endress Hause Process Solutions Ag

Inventors

• Sotriffer Ingomar
• Mayer Michael
• Pflug Jan

Classifications

• G05B2219/32144

  Define device description using dd files · CPC title

• G05B2219/25428

  Field device · CPC title

• Y02P90/02

  Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] · CPC title

• H04L41/22

  comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI] · CPC title

• G05B19/0426 Primary

  Programming the control sequence · CPC title