System and method for automated loop checking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12346229-B2
Application number	US-202017024317-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2020
Priority date	Sep 23, 2019
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

A system and method for the automated checking of I/O loops of a process automation system is disclosed that includes a dongle configured to be installed on a terminal block and make an electrical connection to at least one I/O loop. Operating software communicates with the dongle and to a database of I/O loop data. The operating software constructs an I/O loop check file using the database of I/O loop data and downloads the I/O loop check file to the dongle, where the dongle uses the I/O loop check file to test the I/O loop.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a field terminal block including a terminal block that includes a plurality of terminal sockets connected to a plurality of I/O loops;
a dongle configured to be installed on the field terminal block and configured to make an electrical connection to at least one input/output (I/O) loop;
a mobile hand-held device including an operating software in communication with the dongle and to a database of I/O loop data, wherein:
the operating software is configured to use the database of I/O loop data to construct an I/O loop check file; and
the dongle is configured to download the I/O loop check file, for execution and testing of the at least one I/O loop based on a personality information of each I/O loop of the plurality of I/O loops,
wherein the dongle includes:
an electronics section configured to receive and run the I/O loop check file for each of the plurality of I/O loops; and
a terminal section electrically connected to the electronics section and comprising a plurality of electrical connectors, the terminal section including a plurality of pins arranged to be received by, and make electrical connections to, the plurality of terminal sockets of the terminal block and the plurality of I/O loops, wherein the plurality of electrical connectors engage with other connectors on the electronics section that passes electrical signals between the plurality of pins and the electronic section of the dongle; and
a holder for retaining the dongle to the terminal block, the holder having first hooks and a movable clip arm having second hooks, wherein the dongle is retained to the terminal block by engaging the first hooks of the holder to a first edge of the terminal block and moving the clip arm to allow the second hooks to grab a second edge of terminal block, wherein the terminal section of the dongle is configured to be arranged between the holder and the terminal block, and wherein the holder is configured to be arranged between the terminal section of the dongle and the electronic section of the dongle.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dongle is further configured to connect an individual I/O loop check file sequentially to an individual I/O loop of the plurality of I/O loops through a specific set of terminal pins to test each of the plurality of I/O loops.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operating software is configured to be executed in the mobile hand-held device, the mobile hand-held device communicating to the dongle and to the database of the I/O loop data wirelessly.

4. The system of claim 3 , further comprising:
an engineering workstation; and
a wireless access point, wherein:
the database of I/O loop data is contained in an engineering database, the engineering database located in the engineering workstation; and
the mobile hand-held device is wirelessly connected to the wireless access point associated with the engineering workstation and to the engineering database.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising a cloud, wherein:
the database of I/O loop data is contained in the engineering database, the engineering database hosted in the cloud; and
the mobile hand-held device is wirelessly connected to the cloud and to the engineering database.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the mobile hand-held device, the dongle, the wireless access point and the cloud communicate bi-directionally with each other wirelessly using WI-FI signaling.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the mobile hand-held device, the dongle, the wireless access point and the cloud communicate bi-directionally with each other wirelessly using BLUETOOTH signaling.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the field terminal block is located in a marshalling cabinet or a field termination assembly associated with the system.

9. A method comprising:
installing a dongle on a field terminal block to make an electrical connection with at least one input/output (I/O) loop;
connecting a plurality of I/O loops to a plurality of terminal sockets on the field terminal block;
generating an I/O loop check file using an operating software in a mobile hand-held device that communicates with the dongle and with a database of I/O loop data, the operating software configured to use the database of I/O loop data to generate the I/O loop check file;
receiving the I/O loop check file for each of the plurality of I/O loops by an electronic section of the dongle;
establishing an electrical connection between a terminal section of the dongle and the electronic section, the terminal section including a plurality of electrical connectors and a plurality of pins arranged to be received by, and make electrical connections to the plurality of terminal sockets and the plurality of I/O loops, wherein the plurality of electrical connectors engage with other connectors on the electronics section that passes electrical signals between the plurality of pins and the electronic section of the dongle;
downloading the I/O loop check file to the dongle, wherein the dongle is configured to execute and test the at least one I/O loop based on a personality information of each I/O loop of the plurality of I/O loops;
running the I/O loop check file for the execution and testing of the I/O loop; and
a holder for retaining the dongle to the terminal block through a holder, the holder having first hooks and a movable clip arm having second hooks, wherein the dongle is retained to the terminal block by engaging the first hooks the holder to a first edge of the terminal block and moving the clip arm to allow the second hooks to grab a second edge of terminal block, wherein the terminal section of the dongle is configured to be arranged between the holder and the terminal block, and wherein the holder is configured to be arranged between the terminal section of the dongle and the electronic section of the dongle.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
downloading an individual I/O loop check file for each of the plurality of I/O loops to execute and test each of the plurality of I/O loops.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
executing the operating software on the mobile hand-held device, the mobile hand-held device communicating with the dongle and the database of I/O loop data wirelessly.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
providing in an engineering workstation an engineering database containing the database of the I/O loop data; and
connecting the mobile hand-held device to the engineering workstation and the engineering database through a wireless access point communicatively connected to the engineering workstation.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
providing an engineering database in a cloud, the engineering database containing the database of I/O loop data; and
wirelessly connecting the mobile hand-held device to the cloud and the engineering database.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
providing the field terminal block in a marshalling cabinet or a field termination assembly.

15. A system comprising:
a field terminal block having a plurality of terminal sockets, the terminal sockets connected to at least one input/output (I/O) loop;
a dongle having an electronic section and a terminal section communicatively connected with each other, the terminal section including a plurality of electrical connectors and a plurality of pins arranged to be received by and make electrical connections to, the terminal sockets of the terminal block; and
a mobile hand-held device configured to run an operating software that wirelessly communicates wit

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Rao Chetan Prahlada
• Maleppagari Nagaraju
• Venkatachalam Sathesh
• De Rahul
• H Ananda
• Prabhakar Varun
• Pakimo Dawa Ongpo
• Mani Sathya Muthu

Classifications

• G01R31/67 Primary

  Testing the correctness of wire connections in electric apparatus or circuits · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• G06F11/221

  to test buses, lines or interfaces, e.g. stuck-at or open line faults · CPC title

• G05B2219/42058

  General predictive controller GPC · CPC title

• G05B19/41885

  characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system · CPC title