US RE40,817 E1
Process control system including automatic sensing and automatic configuration of devices
Ken D. Krivoshein, Elgin, Tex. (US); and Dan D. Christensen, Austin, Tex. (US)
Assigned to Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc., Austin, Tex. (US)
Filed on Nov. 09, 2001, as Appl. No. 10/37,019.
Application 10/037019 is a reissue of application No. 08/799966, filed on Feb. 14, 1997, now 5,980,078, filed on Nov. 09, 1999.
Int. Cl. G06N 5/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 700—1  [706/45] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process control system comprising:
a process;
a plurality of devices coupled to the process;
a communication network coupled to the devices;
a workstation coupled to the plurality of devices via the network and including a user interface; and
a software system executable on the network and implementing a routine for automatically sensing a connection of a device to a network and placing the connected device in an accessible [ a standby ] state for communicating with a user via the user interface [ prior to commissioning the connected device into a predefined control configuration ] including:
a routine for configuring the connected device in a network control configuration of the plurality of devices, wherein the routine for configuring the connected device further includes:
a user-interactive routine for determining a device type of the connected device;
a user-interactive routine for determining a role of the connected device with respect to the process control system;
a user-interactive routine for assigning a physical device tag the determined role; and
a user-interactive routine for verifying connection of the device to the network.