ADDITIONAL MODULE FOR A PROCESSING AND/OR AUTOMATION FIELD DEVICE

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an additional module for a processing and/or automation field device, at least including a module housing, an optical receiving unit which is arranged at least partly within the module housing, an electronic module unit, and a display/transmission unit. The optical receiving unit is designed to wirelessly receive at least one first optical signal from the field device and to convert the at least one first optical signal into at least one first electric signal, and the electronic module unit is electrically connected to the receiving unit and to the display/transmission unit. The electronic module unit is designed to extract at least one piece of field device information from the at least one first electric signal and to transmit the at least one piece of field information to the display/transmission unit, and the display/transmission unit is designed to display the at least one piece of information and/or to transmit the at least one piece of information to at least one external unit.

Claims

1. An additional module for an automation field device, comprising: a module housing; an optical receiving unit disposed at least partially within the module housing and embodied to wirelessly receive a first optical signal from the field device and to convert the first optical signal into a first electrical signal; a display/transmission unit; and an electronics module unit electrically connected to the optical receiving unit and to the display/transmission unit, wherein the electronics module unit is configured to extract at least one piece of field device information from the first electrical signal and to transmit the at least one piece of field device information to the display/transmission unit, and wherein the display/transmission unit is embodied to display the at least one piece of field device information and/or to transmit the at least one piece of field device information to at least one external unit.

2. The additional module of claim 1, wherein the module housing includes a plug-in connection unit by which the additional module is releasably attached on or in the field device.

3. The additional module of claim 1, wherein the optical receiving unit includes a photodetector embodied to receive the first optical signal from the field device and to convert the first optical signal into the first electrical signal.

4. The additional module of claim 1, wherein the display/transmission unit includes an LED, an RGB LED, or a display.

5. The additional module of claim 1, wherein the display/transmission unit includes a Bluetooth or wireless interface.

6. The additional module of claim 1, wherein the electronics module unit includes at least one arithmetic unit.

7. The additional module of claim 6, wherein the at least one arithmetic unit is configured to execute a communication protocol to extract the at least one piece of field device information from the first electrical signal.

8. The additional module of claim 7, wherein the communication protocol is an IrDA or a UART encoded protocol.

9. The additional module of claim 1, wherein the additional module is embodied for bi-directional communication with the field device.

10. The additional module of claim 1, further comprising an optical transmission unit embodied to transmit a second optical signal to the field device.

11. An automation field device, comprising: a field device housing; at least one sensor module; a field device electronics; an optical display unit; and an additional module, the additional module comprising: a module housing, an optical receiving unit disposed at least partially within the module housing and embodied to wirelessly receive a first optical signal from the automated field device and to convert the first optical signal into a first electrical signal, a display/transmission unit, and an electronics module unit electrically connected to the optical receiving unit and to the display/transmission unit, wherein the electronics module unit is configured to extract at least one piece of field device information from the first electrical signal and to transmit the at least one piece of field device information to the display/transmission unit, and wherein the display/transmission unit is embodied to display the at least one piece of field device information and/or to transmit the at least one piece of field device information to at least one external unit, wherein the field device electronics are embodied to apply a second electrical signal to the optical display unit, the second electrical signal containing the at least one piece of field device information, wherein the optical display unit is embodied to transmit a first optical signal containing the at least one piece of field device information, and wherein the additional module is arranged such that the optical receiving unit faces the optical display unit.

12. The automation field device of claim 11, wherein the optical display unit is further embodied to modulate the at least one piece of field device information onto the first optical signal.

13. The automation field device of claim 11, wherein the additional module is releasably attached within the field device housing proximate to the optical display unit.

14. The automation field device of claim 11, wherein the field device housing includes a window, and wherein the display/transmission unit is arranged facing the window.

15. The automation field device of claim 11, wherein the field device housing enables the use of the field device in a potentially explosive environment.

16. The automation field device of claim 11, wherein the optical display unit includes at least one light-emitting optical display unit configured to display at least one light signal.

17. The automation field device of claim 16, wherein the optical display unit is configured to display at least one of the following: a switching state; an operating state; a fault; and a malfunction of the field device, by the at least one light signal.

18. The automation field device of claim 16 wherein the at least one light-emitting optical display unit is configured to display at least one colored light signal.

19. The automation field device of claims 11, the additional module further comprising an optical transmission unit embodied to transmit a second optical signal to the field device, the field device further comprising an optical receiving unit embodied to receive the second optical signal from the additional module.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The present disclosure, as well as a number of advantageous embodiments, will be further explained below with reference to FIG. 1 through FIG. 6. In the drawings:

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a fill-level-measuring device including an optical di splay element,

[0038] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an additional module according to the present disclosure,

[0039] FIG. 3 shows the arrangement of an additional module according to the present disclosure within a field device,

[0040] FIG. 4 shows a typical transmission signal that is evaluated by means of a suitable electronics module unit,

[0041] FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a receiving unit in the form of a photodetector, and

[0042] FIG. 6 shows the arrangement of an additional module according to the present disclosure within a field device which is suitable for bi-directional communication.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a field device 1. It is, for example, a vibronic fill-level-measuring device, or a limit level switch. The sensor unit 2 includes a mechanically resonant unit 3 in the form of a vibrating fork. The resonant unit in a generic field device can, however, also be a single rod or a membrane. The sensor unit 2 is electrically connected via a neck tube 3a to field device electronics 4 arranged in an encapsulated field device housing 5. A central control unit 6 is responsible for measured value processing and controlling the field device 1. By means of a second electrical signal 8, said unit also controls an optical display unit 9, within which three light-emitting optical display elements 9a are arranged in the form of LED's. Moreover, the field device electronics 4 in the example addressed here have an output unit 7 that, for example, can be used for parameterizing the field device 1. The output unit is, however, an optional component.

[0044] To use an additional module 10 according to the present disclosure, the respective field device 1 must be available through an optical display element 9, and the field device electronics 4 must be designed to control this optical display unit 9. For one embodiment of the present disclosure, they should, for example, be able to modulate at least one piece of field device information onto the optical display unit 9.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a schematic sketch of an additional module 10 according to the present disclosure. A first optical signal 12 arrives at a receiving unit 13 of the additional module, which can, for example, be a photodetector. The receiving unit 13, together with an electronics module unit 15 and a display/transmission unit 17, is arranged in a housing. The at least one first optical signal 12 is converted by means of the receiving unit 13 into at least one first electrical signal 14 and forwarded to the at least one arithmetic unit 16 of the electronics module unit 15. There, the at least one first electric signal is evaluated, and the at least one piece of field device information is extracted and transmitted to the display/transmission unit. Depending upon the design, the display/transmission unit 17 can display the at least one piece of field device information, or transmit said information to an external unit 18.

[0046] In an embodiment, the additional module 10 can be integrated into existing field device electronics 4, as shown in FIG. 3. Of course, the housing dimensions of the field device housing 5 then must be correspondingly adapted. It is, moreover, useful to design the cover 19 of the field device housing 5 to be transparent, i.e., in particular, containing a window. This window should be designed so that it is transparent to the wavelength of the at least one first optical signal 12 and possibly also to the wavelength of the at least one second optical signal 35 (see FIG. 6).

[0047] The sensor unit 2 of the field device 1 transmits a signal representing a measured value to the field device electronics 4 that perform a measured value evaluation 20 in a first step. Frequently, the determined measured value is evaluated using a unit for measured value evaluation 21, in order to determine, for example, how to undertake a regulation of the transmission signal by means of a switching unit for controlling the measuring device 23. Moreover, the field device electronics 4 communicate with an optical display unit 9 in order to display at least one piece of field device information by means of at least one optical display element. According to the present disclosure, either just that information is displayed which is otherwise displayed by the optical display element 9, or at least one additional piece of field device information is applied to the optical display element, which information is contained in the at least one first optical signal 12 of the optical display element 9 of the field device. The at least one first optical signal 12 is then received by the additional module 10 arranged upstream from the field device electronics 4, but within the field device housing 5, and processed further as explained in FIG. 2.

[0048] FIG. 4 depicts, for example, a transmission frame for transmitting the at least one piece of device information 24. An identifier 26 follows a start bit 25, and, optionally, (box framed by a dashed line) the information of a command and the length. Then follows the transmission of the respective data 29, i.e., the corresponding field device information.

[0049] The receiving unit 13 of the additional module 10 can, for example, include a photodetector 30. FIG. 5 depicts, for example, a block diagram of a possible receiving unit 13 in the form of a photodetector. In selecting the photodetector, consideration should be given to the luminous intensity of the optical display element 9a of the field device, such as an LED, the speed of communication between the additional module 10 and field device 1, as well as the distance between the receiving unit 12 and the optical display element 9a. The at least one first optical signal 12 arrives at a photodetector 30. Before it is forwarded to the electronics module unit 15, the at least one optical signal 12 detected, which is converted into at least one first electrical signal by means of the photodetector 30, is amplified by an amplifier 31, and also passes through a comparator 32.

[0050] Phototransistors or photodiodes which are sensitive to the wavelength of the at least one first optical signal are, for example, suitable as photodetectors 30. The amplifier 31 and comparator 32 can either be individually integrated and harmonized, or combined variants in which both components are already optimized for each other are also conceivable, as indicated by the box framed by a dashed line.

[0051] Another embodiment of the present disclosure is the subject matter of FIG. 6. As in FIG. 3, an arrangement is shown of an additional module 10 according to the present disclosure within a field device 1. In contrast to the embodiment according to FIG. 3, the version shown in FIG. 6 is, however, suitable for bi-directional communication between the field device 1 and the additional module 10. Reference signs that have already been addressed will not be considered below. The differences consist, on the one hand, in the integration of an optical field device receiving unit 33. This can, for example, contain a photoreceiver just like the receiving unit 13 of the additional module 10. Furthermore, the additional module 10 must have an optical transmission unit 34 in this case, which contains at least one second optical signal 35 containing at least one piece of information such as a set of field device parameters or the like. Accordingly, the field device 1 can also be parameterized using the additional module 10. Of course, in the event of bi-directional communication wherein the central control unit 6 of the field device 1 is for this purpose designed, a protocol in particular, an IrDA or UART-encoded protocol is to be executed, in order to extract the at least one piece of information from the at least one second optical signal 35 of the field device 1.