Method for operating a field device of process measurement technology and filling system with which the method is carried out

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12346281-B2
Application number	US-202418421650-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2024
Priority date	Jan 24, 2023
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

A method for operating a field device for process measurement technology includes: capturing and storing fieldbus messages in a learning mode; in a plurality of capture steps, at least partially storing the captured and stored fieldbus messages as a learning data set in each case if a status rule of the field device is fulfilled, so that a plurality of learning data sets are captured; in an evaluation step, evaluating a plurality of learning data sets to derive a message rule dependent on at least one fieldbus message for changing from normal mode of the field device to diagnostic mode of the field device; and applying, by the field device, the message rule for changing from the normal mode of the field device to the diagnostic mode of the field device instead of or in addition to the status rule.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a field device for process measurement technology, wherein the field device is in communication with at least one other bus subscriber via a field bus for transmitting field bus messages, wherein at least one status rule is specified to the field device for changing from a normal mode of the field device to a diagnostic mode of the field device when the status rule is fulfilled, wherein the status rule depends on at least one status variable of the field device known to the field device, the method comprising:
capturing and storing at least some of the fieldbus messages in a learning mode;
in a plurality of capture steps, at least partially storing the captured and stored fieldbus messages as a learning data set in each case if the status rule is fulfilled, so that a plurality of learning data sets are captured;
in an evaluation step, evaluating a plurality of learning data sets to derive a message rule dependent on at least one fieldbus message for changing from normal mode of the field device to diagnostic mode of the field device; and
applying, by the field device, the message rule for changing from the normal mode of the field device to the diagnostic mode of the field device instead of or in addition to the status rule.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the learning mode the fieldbus messages are captured by the field device and the plurality of capture steps and the evaluation step are performed on the field device.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in learning mode the field bus messages are captured by a service bus subscriber and the plurality of capture steps and the evaluation step are performed on the service bus subscriber; and
wherein the field device evaluates the status rule and communicates the fulfilment of the status rule to the service bus subscriber, by means of a field bus message.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the service bus subscriber transmits the message rule to the field device and the message rule is applied at the field device.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the message rule is derived in the evaluation step from the learning data sets on the basis of a regression analysis, with the various bus messages as independent variables and the fulfilment of the status rule as the dependent variable.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the bus messages with a smallest partial correlation in the fulfilment of the status rule are sequentially excluded until only a predetermined number of independent variables are still part of the message rule.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in the evaluation step, the message rule is derived from the learning data sets on the basis of training an artificial neural network, with at least some of the bus messages of the learning data sets as input variables and the fulfillment of the status rule as output variable; and
wherein the relative time of the occurrence of the respective bus message is also used at least partially as input variable.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in the plurality of capture steps, such field bus messages are stored in a learning data set which were not addressed to the field device itself.

9. A filling system, comprising:
a first filling point; and
at least one second filling point;
wherein the first filling point has at least one first filling valve, at least one first flow or fill level sensor and at least one first control and evaluation unit for controlling and monitoring the filling process of the first filling point; and
wherein the second filling point has at least one second filling valve, at least one second flow or fill level sensor and at least one second control and evaluation unit for controlling and monitoring the filling process of the second filling point;
wherein the first filling valve, the first flow or fill level sensor, the second filling valve and the second flow or fill level sensor are in communication with each other via a field bus;
wherein at least the first control and evaluation unit is provided a status rule for changing from a normal mode of the first flow or fill level sensor to a diagnostic mode of the first flow or fill level sensor when the status rule is fulfilled;
wherein the status rule depends on at least one status variable of the first flow or fill level sensor known to the first flow or fill level sensor;
wherein the control and evaluation unit of at least the first filling point is designed in such a way that during operation the control and evaluation unit performs a method including the following steps:
capturing and storing at least some of the fieldbus messages in a learning mode;
in a plurality of capture steps, at least partially storing the captured and stored fieldbus messages as a learning data set in each case if the status rule is fulfilled, so that a plurality of learning data sets are captured;
in an evaluation step, evaluating a plurality of learning data sets to derive a message rule dependent on at least one fieldbus message for changing from normal mode of the field device to diagnostic mode of the field device; and
applying, by the field device, the message rule for changing from the normal mode of the field device to the diagnostic mode of the field device instead of or in addition to the status rule.

10. A filling system, comprising:
a first filling point; and
at least one second filling point;
wherein the first filling point has at least one first filling valve, at least one first flow or fill level sensor and at least one first control and evaluation unit for controlling and monitoring the filling process of the first filling point; and
wherein the second filling point has at least one second filling valve, at least one second flow or fill level sensor and at least one second control and evaluation unit for controlling and monitoring the filling process of the second filling point;
wherein the first filling valve, the first flow or fill level sensor, the second filling valve and the second flow or fill level sensor are in communication with each other via a field bus;
wherein at least the first control and evaluation unit is provided a status rule for changing from a normal mode of the first flow or fill level sensor to a diagnostic mode of the first flow or fill level sensor when the status rule is fulfilled;
wherein the status rule depends on at least one status variable of the first flow or fill level sensor known to the first flow or fill level sensor; and
wherein a service bus subscriber is connected to the first filling valve and the first flow or fill level sensor of the first filling point and to the second filling valve and the second flow or fill level sensor of the second filling point via the field bus.

11. The filling system of claim 10 , wherein the filling system is configured to perform a method including the steps of:
capturing and storing at least some of the fieldbus messages in a learning mode;
in a plurality of capture steps, at least partially storing the captured and stored fieldbus messages as a learning data set in each case if the status rule is fulfilled, so that a plurality of learning data sets are captured;
in an evaluation step, evaluating a plurality of learning data sets to derive a message rule dependent on at least one fieldbus message for changing from normal mode of the field device to diagnostic mode of the field device; and
applying, by the field device, the message rule for changing from the normal mode of the field device to the diagnostic mode of the field device instead of or in addition to the status rule.

12. The filli

Assignees

• Krohne Messtechnik Gmbh

Inventors

• Walbrecker Sven
• Kuschnerus Dirk
• Mucke Hansjörg
• Krawczyk-Becker Martin

Classifications

• G06N3/091

  Active learning · CPC title

• G06N5/025

  Extracting rules from data · CPC title

• G06N3/09

  Supervised learning · CPC title

• G06N20/00

  Machine learning · CPC title

• G05B2219/25428

  Field device · CPC title