Patent ID: 8341256
Filing Date: 2012-12-25
Classification: G05B,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A multi-generation distributed control system (MS-DCS) comprising: a first generation (FG) DCS, comprising hardware, connected to a local control network (LCN) comprising a plurality of FG client nodes; a second generation (SG) DCS connected to a non-LCN data highway including a server node including a server and a plurality of SG client nodes, wherein said server node is connected between said LCN and said non-LCN data highway and includes a LCN processor (LCNP) board, and LCNP emulator software including a server LCNP emulator software component at said server node and a client LCNP emulator software component at each of said plurality of SG client nodes, wherein said server LCNP emulator software component (i) translates between said LCN data and data highway protocol data for communications between said FG DCS and said SG DCS and (ii) adds one of a plurality of LCN address slots that each correspond to one of said plurality of SG client nodes to communications received from said LCN for delivery to said server node or said plurality of SG client nodes in said SG DCS; wherein each of said client LCNP emulator software components provides one of said plurality of LCN address slots at its respective one of said plurality SG client nodes.