Patent ID: 7984199
Filing Date: 2011-07-19
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of installing and configuring field devices on an industrial process control network, the method comprising: configuring the field devices with a configuration tool, wherein the configuration tool provides configuration data to each of the field devices through a sequence of messages, each message including individual configuration parameters for one of the field devices, the configuration data used to configure various function blocks and transducer blocks of each of the field devices, wherein configuration data received through the sequence of messages is stored in a configuration domain of the field device as a block of configuration data; connecting an automatic configuration device (ACD) to the network; removing the configuration tool from the network; uploading to the ACD from each of the plurality of field devices the block of configuration data stored in the configuration domain of each field device, representing an entire configuration for each field device; storing the blocks of configuration data uploaded from each of the field devices in a network configuration domain of the ACD; and downloading from the ACD to a new field device on the network one of the stored configurations if the new device is of a same field device type as one of the plurality of field device configurations stored by the ACD.