US 11,747,798 B2
Virtualized real-time I/O in process control systems
Mark J. Nixon, Thorndale, TX (US); Anthony Amaro, Jr., Round Rock, TX (US); Noel Howard Bell, Austin, TX (US); John M. Caldwell, Austin, TX (US); and Gary K. Law, Georgetown, TX (US)
Assigned to FISHER-ROSEMOUNT SYSTEMS, INC., Round Rock, TX (US)
Filed by FISHER-ROSEMOUNT SYSTEMS, INC., Round Rock, TX (US)
Filed on Aug. 1, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/878,402.
Application 17/878,402 is a continuation of application No. 16/874,106, filed on May 14, 2020, granted, now 11,422,543.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/859,508, filed on Jun. 10, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0365522 A1, Nov. 17, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G05B 19/418 (2006.01); G06F 13/40 (2006.01); H04L 67/12 (2022.01); G05B 17/00 (2006.01)
CPC G05B 19/41885 (2013.01) [G05B 19/4183 (2013.01); G05B 19/4185 (2013.01); G05B 19/41845 (2013.01); G05B 19/41865 (2013.01); G06F 13/4022 (2013.01); H04L 67/12 (2013.01); G05B 17/00 (2013.01); G05B 2219/13125 (2013.01); G05B 2219/13185 (2013.01); G05B 2219/31231 (2013.01); G05B 2219/32301 (2013.01); G05B 2219/32343 (2013.01); G05B 2219/32355 (2013.01); G05B 2219/32407 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An input/output (I/O) switch communicatively coupling nodes of a process control system of an industrial process plant, the I/O switch comprising:
one or more memories storing a set of records indicating sending nodes that publish information and recipient nodes that are respective receivers of the information,
the I/O switch being a subscriber to publications, of the sending nodes, that include the information and the I/O switch being a publisher of the information included in the publications of the sending nodes,
the information included in the publications of the sending nodes including an indication of a control signal generated by a controller, and
the recipient nodes including a particular recipient node corresponding to a field device disposed in a field environment of the industrial process plant, the field device configured to operate in response to the control signal generated by the controller to thereby control at least a portion of an industrial process; and
computer-executable instructions stored on the one or more memories and executable by one or more processors of the I/O switch to, based on the set of records:
obtain, via a corresponding subscription of the I/O switch, a first publication including the indication of the control signal generated by the controller; and
publish, based on the set of records, a second publication that indicates the control signal and that is subscribed to by the particular recipient node, thereby causing the field device to obtain the control signal and responsively operate to control the at least the portion of the industrial process.