Efficient addressing in wireless hart protocol

Abstract

A method of providing a wireless extension to a wired protocol for transferring data to and from a field device operating in a process control environment via a wired connection, wherein the wired protocol and the wireless extension to the wired protocol have at least one protocol layer in common includes associating a unique address consistent with an addressing scheme of the wired protocol with each of a plurality of wireless devices operating in the process control environment and forming a wireless network, such that a data packet is routed between two of the plurality of wireless devices based on the unique address; associating a network identifier with the plurality of wireless devices; forming, for each of the plurality of wireless devices, a global address including the respective unique address and the network identifier in accordance with a second addressing scheme; and providing access to an external host operating outside the wireless network to each of the plurality of wireless devices based on the global address associated with the wireless device specified at the external host.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of forming a combined wired and wireless network operating in a process control environment by extending a wired network having a plurality of wired field devices that communicate using a wired protocol for transferring process control data generated by a respective physical process control function performed by at least one of the plurality of wired field devices, the method comprising:
 connecting a wireless gateway to the wired network via a first wired connection;   adding a first wireless device to the combined wired and wireless network, including:
 wirelessly connecting the first wireless device to the wireless gateway, and forming a wireless network having the first wireless device and the wireless gateway, 
 the wireless network using a wireless protocol for transferring process control data generated by a respective physical process control function performed by at least one wireless field device included in the wireless network, 
 the wireless protocol comprising a network layer and a session layer added to the wired protocol, and 
 the wireless protocol and the wireless protocol sharing a common application layer including command oriented, predefined data types and application procedures corresponding to the plurality of wired field devices and to the at least one wireless field device; 
   adding a first one of the plurality of wired field devices to the wireless network, including:
 connecting the first one of the plurality of wired field devices to a wireless adapter via a second wired connection, and 
 connecting the wireless adapter to the wireless network via a wireless connection; and 
   identifying each of the first wireless device, the at least one wireless field device, and the wireless adapter by a respective unique wireless address of a wireless addressing scheme of the wireless protocol, wherein a wired addressing scheme of the wired protocol is included in the wireless addressing scheme of the wireless protocol.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein adding the first one of the plurality of wired field devices to the wireless network includes leaving an original wired connection of the first one of the plurality of wired field devices intact. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein connecting the wireless gateway to the wired network via the first wired connection includes connecting the wireless gateway to a Distributed Control System (DCS). 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising adding a second one of the plurality of wired field devices to the wireless network, including connecting the second one of the plurality of field devices to the wireless adapter. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein adding the first one of the plurality of wired field devices and the second one of the plurality of wired field devices to the wireless network includes tunneling data between the wired network and each of the first one of the plurality of wired field devices and the second one of the plurality of wired field devices via the wireless gateway. 
     
     
         6 . A method of forming a combined wired and wireless network operating in a process control environment by extending a wired network having a plurality of wired field devices that communicate using a wired protocol for transferring process control data generated by a respective physical process control function performed by at least one of the plurality of wired field devices, the method comprising:
 connecting each wireless network access point included in a plurality of wireless network access points to the wired network via a respective wired connection;   adding a plurality of wireless devices to the combined wired and wireless network, including:
 wirelessly connecting each wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices to at least one wireless network access point included in the plurality of wireless network access points, and 
 forming a wireless network including the plurality of wireless devices and the plurality of wireless network access points,
 the wireless network using a wireless protocol for transferring process control data generated by a respective physical process control function performed by at least one wireless field device included in the wireless network, 
 the wireless protocol comprising a network layer and a session layer added to the wired protocol, and 
 the wireless protocol and the wireless protocol sharing a common application layer including command oriented, predefined data types and application procedures corresponding to the plurality of wired field devices and to the at least one wireless field device; 
 
   identifying each of the plurality of wireless devices by a respective unique wireless address of a wireless addressing scheme of the wireless protocol, wherein a wired addressing scheme of the wired protocol is included in the wireless addressing scheme of the wireless protocol; and   connecting each of the plurality of wireless network access points to a virtual gateway operating outside the wireless network and outside the wired network; wherein the virtual gateway is a software module running on a processor.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein wirelessly connecting each of the plurality of wireless devices to at least one of the wireless plurality of wireless network access points includes automatically reconnecting each of the plurality of wireless devices previously connected to a first one of the plurality of wireless network access points to a second one of the plurality of wireless network access points in response to detecting a failure of the first one of the plurality of wireless network access points. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 adding a first one of the plurality of wired field devices to the wireless network, including:
 connecting the first one of the plurality of wired field devices to a wireless adapter via a second wired connection; and 
 connecting the wireless adapter to the wireless network via a wireless connection; and 
   identifying the wireless adapter by a respective unique wireless address of the wireless addressing scheme of the wireless protocol.