Software and Wireless Technology: Wireless Device Configuration Made Easy Using FDT Technology

Author

Amit Ajmeri, Yokogawa Wireless and Field Networks Manager

Industrial automation facilities today are not what they were 10 or 15 years ago. This industry, which typically lags behind with technology advancement, has accepted the need for intervention to maintain competitive and grow. Not only have users adapted to newer fieldbus communication protocols and integration technologies, they also are becoming comfortable and feel secure with wireless capabilities. Overall, this intervention has improved the functionality of a facilities lifecycle—installation, configuration, commissioning and operations—making facilities much easier to maintain.

Now that we have facilities full of "smart" equipment based using all this new technology, how is this equipment integrated? This is where FDT technology fits in! FDT technology is an open IEC 62453/ISA103 standard that standardizes the communication interface between field devices and host systems independent of the communication protocol and supplier, providing faster engineering and maintenance work. FDT enables open access to device intelligence.

This article provides a brief overview of how FDT technology is used to integrate an YTA Yokogawa wireless temperature transmitter based on ISA100 wireless technology. The outline below provides the easy "how to" steps to configure a wireless device within Yokogawa FieldMate, an FDT-enabled frame application.

FieldMate fully embraces FDT technology to assure integration of intelligent devices, regardless of communication protocol, including new wireless technology such as ISA100.11a. FieldMate can configure an ISA100.11a wireless transmitter in two different ways; first by connecting via an infrared port, or second, over the air using the communication DTM of the ISA100.11a wireless gateway. In either case, the graphical user interface using the device DTM will be identical, regardless of the mode of communication to the wireless transmitter.

A device DTM allows the user to interact with device information in a logical way via the graphical user interface defined by FDT technology. Per the Style Guide defined by the FDT Group, users can access critical device information on the device header at the top, and the selection on the navigation panel on the left will display the content on the right side.To configure the ISA100.11a wireless temperature transmitter, users can launch the device DTM and expand options available on the navigation panel under "Device Configuration." After selecting the option of "Configure/Setup," under the A1 Temp Function Block, the content associated displays on right pane window. From here, users can access different sets of information under each tab on the content panel. All necessary information to configure the wireless temperature transmitter is displayed in a single window using the device DTM. For example, the Block Mode target can be set on "out of service" to apply parameters before any configuration change: scaling information in engineering units, filter or damping time for process value, sensor type and sensor connection in number of wires, bias in process value if necessary, and reference junction selection for thermocouples and process value type, etc. As shown in the example below, the user has access to all necessary configuration parameters on a single page and after selecting proper values for all parameters, information can be downloaded to the wireless transmitter by selecting the "Apply Parameters" button on the bottom of the content panel.

When the user selects the “Others” tab on the content panel, the sensor serial number, sensor range and calibration wizard is available to complete the device calibration, so the device is ready to be commissioned in the process application. The device DTM provides ease in device setup and calibration so the end user can quickly and efficiently finish the task in a short period of time.The "Device Configuration" option under the navigation panel will have all the blocks within the device available for configuration and setup. The "Diagnostic" option under the navigation panel will have the device health and status related information, which will be very helpful for quick troubleshooting and maintenance work. The "Process Variable" option under the navigation panel will provide live process variable data available from the device.

Simplify your smart device integration and maintenance needs. Configure, calibrate and troubleshoot with FDT-enabled frame applications using intelligent field device DTMs. With the adoption of newer technologies, FDT is the solution to open access to device intelligence.

Review other articles to learn more about the benefits of FDT Technology.

For more information on FDT Technology visit www.fdtgroup.org.

For more information on Yokogawa FieldMate, please visit our website http://www.yokogawa.com/fld/fieldmate/fld-fieldmate-01en.htm.