Patent ID: 8073991

Claim:
A circuit, comprising: a highway addressable remote transfer (HART) channel having at least one pair of terminals configured to connect with a HART device via a current loop; an input/output component coupled to the HART channel that is configured to support HART protocol signals for communications with the HART device, wherein the input/output component is configurable to programmably assign each pair of terminals of the HART channel as a current loop input or a current loop output, the current loop input and the current loop output each having bi-directional interaction with the HART protocol signals for communications with the HART device; and a programmable logic device coupled to the input/output component that is configured to perform HART-based signal processing operations associated with modulating and demodulating HART protocol signals for communications with the HART device, the programmable logic device further configured to control the programmable assignment of each pair of terminals of the HART channel as a current loop input or a current loop output by the input/output component.