Patent ID: 8159804

Claim:
An energy-limiting module for industrial controller, comprising: first and second signal lines disposed to provide a voltage to a field transducer, the field transducer being associated with a process parameter; a temperature-dependent limiter coupled between a supply voltage and the first signal line, the temperature-dependent limiter being configured to limit thermal energy in the module to a temperature below the flash temperature of any gaseous component of an operating environment the industrial controller is configured to operate in, in the event of a fault; a voltage limiter coupled to the first signal line so as to limit the voltage provided to the field transducer; and a current to voltage translator coupled to the second signal line, wherein the current to voltage translator is configured with a resistor coupled between the field transducer and a V-reference terminal so as to generate an output voltage signal proportional to a field current provided from the field transducer.