Patent ID: 8271773

Claim:
A configurable field device for process automation technology for determining a process variable, comprising: a probe; a control unit; an analog sensor circuit, which is connectable with said probe for registering the process variable and which outputs an analog measurement signal dependent on a registered process variable; a converter unit connected after said sensor circuit for changing the analog measurement signal into a digital measurement signal; a processing unit connected with said converter unit, in which function modules are provided, which serve for evaluating said digital measurement signal, for generating an output value for the process variable and for control of the field device; and an analog communication circuit connected with said processing unit which serves for forwarding the output value to an external unit, wherein: said processing unit comprises a partially dynamically reconfigurable logic chip, in which function modules are configured on request of a control program running in said control unit; configuration of said function modules occurs by means of a configuration bit stream, which is loaded into said reconfigurable logic chip; and said processing unit has a dynamic region and a static region, wherein, in the static region, said control unit, which is preferably a microcontroller, is permanently configured.