A method for communicating with at least one field device via an interface device, wherein each field device is connected to a channel of the interface device, where the method includes receiving a first command associated with a first field device, from an industrial device, communicating with the first field device over a first communication channel for executing the received first command, receiving at least one command associated with the at least one field device, from the industrial device, the at least one commands including at least one command associated with a second field device from the at least one field device, and caching the at least one command in a memory module prior to the execution of the first command.

To obtain a plant-monitoring autonomous control system which performs autonomous distributed control without using an advanced calculation processing unit such as a CPU. A plant-monitoring autonomous control system is provided with a control network which mutually connects: input nodes for receiving an input signal from a control target apparatus and transmitting the input signal to the control network; a calculation node having calculation circuits, and for transmitting, to the control network, a result obtained by performing calculation processing on data received from the input node; and an output node for outputting, to the control target apparatus, data received from the calculation node.

A long-haul process control plant includes a process control system which controls industrial processes running within the plant, and a safety instrumented system, servicing the process control system, which detects safety-related problems within the plant and communicates safety messages within and between portions of the process plant, e.g., to effect a trip or other mitigating action. To transmit safety messages between remotely located portions of the process plant via a low-bandwidth long-haul link, a safety data concentrator combines individual safety messages generated by the safety logic solvers disposed at one portion of the plant into a concentrated safety message, and transmits the concentrated safety message to a safety data de-concentrator in the remote portion of the plant. The safety data de-concentrator recovers the individual safety messages from the concentrated safety message and communicates the recovered safety messages to recipient safety logic solvers disposed at the remote portion of the plant.

An industrial controller that controls operation of an industrial system. The industrial controller comprises a processor and a memory storing instruction, wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform certain functions. In particular, the instructions cause the processor to communicate high speed data in a first industrial protocol between the industrial controller and a high speed device during a first frame section but not during a second frame section of a controller frame of the industrial controller and communicate linking device data in a second industrial protocol between the industrial controller and a linking device during the second frame section but not during the first frame section or during the third frame section of the controller frame.

A method for communicating with at least one field device via an interface device, wherein each field device is connected to a channel of the interface device, where the method includes receiving a first command associated with a first field device, from an industrial device, communicating with the first field device over a first communication channel for executing the received first command, receiving at least one command associated with the at least one field device, from the industrial device, the at least one commands including at least one command associated with a second field device from the at least one field device, and caching the at least one command in a memory module prior to the execution of the first command.

To obtain a plant-monitoring autonomous control system which performs autonomous distributed control without using an advanced calculation processing unit such as a CPU. A plant-monitoring autonomous control system is provided with a control network which mutually connects: input nodes for receiving an input signal from a control target apparatus and transmitting the input signal to the control network; a calculation node having calculation circuits, and for transmitting, to the control network, a result obtained by performing calculation processing on data received from the input node; and an output node for outputting, to the control target apparatus, data received from the calculation node.

A long-haul process control plant includes a process control system which controls industrial processes running within the plant, and a safety instrumented system, servicing the process control system, which detects safety-related problems within the plant and communicates safety messages within and between portions of the process plant, e.g., to effect a trip or other mitigating action. To transmit safety messages between remotely located portions of the process plant via a low-bandwidth long-haul link, a safety data concentrator combines individual safety messages generated by the safety logic solvers disposed at one portion of the plant into a concentrated safety message, and transmits the concentrated safety message to a safety data de-concentrator in the remote portion of the plant. The safety data de-concentrator recovers the individual safety messages from the concentrated safety message and communicates the recovered safety messages to recipient safety logic solvers disposed at the remote portion of the plant.

An industrial controller that controls operation of an industrial system. The industrial controller comprises a processor and a memory storing instruction, wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform certain functions. In particular, the instructions cause the processor to communicate high speed data in a first industrial protocol between the industrial controller and a high speed device during a first frame section but not during a second frame section of a controller frame of the industrial controller and communicate linking device data in a second industrial protocol between the industrial controller and a linking device during the second frame section but not during the first frame section or during the third frame section of the controller frame.