A portable field maintenance tool may perform one or more tasks, such as communicating with a field device, powering a field device, diagnosing a field device, or diagnosing a communication link in a plant environment to which a field device is connected. The portable field maintenance tool may interact with field devices configured according to a number of different communication protocols, such as the HART protocol and the Fieldbus protocol. The portable field maintenance tool may be energy limited and fault tolerant, and may operate in compliance with Intrinsic Safety standards, enabling use of the portable field maintenance tool in hazardous areas.

A network interface controller for a communication network of a substrate processing system includes a data collection module configured to monitor a communication bus to retrieve and store data frames transmitted between components of the substrate processing system. A user interface is configured to receive inputs for configuring extraction of data from the data frames. A data processing module is configured to store, based on a network configuration file, a map correlating data within the data frames to of the components of the substrate processing system, extract data from the data frames in accordance with the inputs received by the user interface and the map, and provide, to the user interface, the data as extracted from the data frames. The user interface is further configured to display the data as extracted from the data frames in accordance with the inputs received by the user interface.

According to an embodiment there is provided a building automation system control apparatus comprising building automation system control logic configured to receive signaling from entities connected to a building automation system and to cause transmission of control signaling to the entities connected to the building automation system, wherein the building automation system control logic comprises elevator control logic as an integral part to directly control an elevator system comprising one or more elevators, the building automation system control logic being configured to take into account signaling received from the entities connected to the building automation system when determining control signaling for the elevator system; and the building automation system control logic being configured to take into account signaling received from the elevator system when determining control signaling for the entities connected to the building automation system.

An automation system for process automation including at least one automation device which has at least one fieldbus interface for connection to a bus for transmitting process data, an arithmetic unit, a digital data memory and a data interface for transmitting program-flow-related event data; and an analysis device connected to the at least one automation device. The automation device is set up to run one or more computer programs with the aid of the arithmetic unit and to capture program flow events occurring during the running of the at least one computer program and to store them together with current time information as program-flow-related event data in the digital data memory, and wherein the arithmetic unit of the automation device is set up to continuously send the program-flow-related event data stored in the digital data memory to the analysis device connected via the data interface.

A valve control device, which is designed as a valve control head and/or as a valve position regulator head, for controlling a valve drive and/or a fitting. The valve control device includes a control unit for interacting with a functional unit, which is designed as an actuator unit, sensor unit, signal unit and/or communication unit, wherein the control unit has a device driver for interacting with the functional unit, wherein the device driver provides a software interface, which can be addressed by an application program which can be run on the control unit and/or a remote procedure call, in order to effect an interaction with the functional unit.

A safety-oriented automation system in which additional point-to-point-communications links are installed in addition to the field bus so as to increase functional safety in an automation system.

An input/output unit for data acquisition in a field bus system includes a microcontroller that has at least one integrated synchronous serial bus interface and a control device for direct memory access. A signal source for a digital signal is connectable to a digital data input master input, slave output (MISO) of the at least one synchronous serial bus interface. The first synchronous serial interface reads in the digital signal present at the data input MISO at a first clock rate that corresponds to a data transmission rate of the at least one synchronous serial bus interface. The control device for direct memory access forwards the read-in data words to a buffer memory, and periodically fetches the read-in data words from the buffer memory and forwards the read-in data words to a second synchronous serial bus interface or to another bus interface.

A circuit for coupling a field bus and a local bus. A field bus controller is equipped to send and receive process data over the field bus. A local bus controller is equipped to send and receive the process data over the local bus. A data management unit is connected to the field bus controller and the local bus controller. The data management unit is equipped to transfer the process data between field bus controller and local bus controller. A memory area connected to the data management unit for copying and storing the process data. A processor connected to the data management unit and connected to the memory area. The processor is equipped to set up the data management unit to copy the process data into the memory area and the processor is equipped to read out the process data copied in the memory area.

A portable field maintenance tool may perform one or more tasks, such as communicating with a field device, powering a field device, diagnosing a field device, or diagnosing a communication link in a plant environment to which a field device is connected. The portable field maintenance tool may interact with field devices configured according to a number of different communication protocols, such as the HART protocol and the Fieldbus protocol. The portable field maintenance tool may be energy limited and fault tolerant, and may operate in compliance with Intrinsic Safety standards, enabling use of the portable field maintenance tool in hazardous areas.

A method is provided for managing power for a wireless communication device. The method includes receiving a loop current at an insertion voltage at an initial input, the loop current being generated by a power supply. The method further includes comparing a reference voltage to the insertion voltage and generating a feedback signal based at least upon the comparison of the reference voltage to the insertion voltage. The method still further includes regulating the insertion voltage based at least upon the feedback signal, delivering charging power to an electrical storage element, wherein the charging power is a function of the insertion voltage and the loop current, and storing the charging power in the electrical storage element.