Method of diagnosing an operations systems

1. A method of diagnosing a distributed operational system, said operational system including a field device, a field processing module coupled to the field device, a bitbus, a fieldbus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the bitbus and the fieldbus, the method comprising:

generating a field operating characteristic at the field device;

processing the field operating characteristic at the field processing module;

generating field operating data including a field diagnostic parameter as a function of the field operating characteristic;

communicating the field operating data including the field diagnostic parameter over the bitbus from the field processing module to the auxiliary processing module;

generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of the received field operating data; and

communicating the auxiliary field data over the fieldbus; and

wherein communicating field operating data over the bitbus is communicating in a format that is less than or equal to 8 bits and wherein communicating the auxiliary field data over the fieldbus is communicating in a format greater than 8 bits.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the field processing module is a first field processing module and the distributed operational system further includes a second field processing module in communication with the bitbus, further comprising communicating second field operating data from the second processing module to the first field processing module over the bitbus.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the field device is a first field device and the field processing module is a first field processing module, the distributed operational system further having a second field device and a second field processing module in communication with the bitbus, said second field processing module coupled to the second field device, further comprising:

generating a second field operating characteristic at the second field device;

processing the second field operating characteristic at the second field processing module;

generating second field operating data including a second field diagnostic parameter as a function of the second field operating characteristic; and

communicating from the second field processing module to the first field processing module over the bitbus at least one of a second administrative parameter, the second field operating data, the second field diagnostic parameter, and the second field operating characteristic.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the field device is a first field device and the field processing module is a first field processing module and wherein the distributed operational system further includes a second field device and a second field processing module in communication with the bitbus,

generating a second field operating characteristic at the second field device;

processing the second field operating characteristic at the second field processing module;

generating second field operating data including a second field diagnostic parameter as a function of the second field operating characteristic; and

receiving the second field operating data at the auxiliary field processing module;

generating supervisory data at the auxiliary field processing module as a function of the first field operating data and the second field operating data; and

communicating the supervisory data over the fieldbus.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the field device is a first field device, the bitbus is a first bitbus, and the field processing module is a first field processing module, said system further including a second field device, a second field processing module coupled to the second field device, and a second bitbus in communication with the second field processing module, further comprising:

generating a second field operating characteristic at the second field device;

generating second field operating data including a second field diagnostic parameter as a function of the second field operating characteristic, said generating being at the second field processing module; and

communicating to the first field processing module at least one of a second administrative parameter, the second field operating data, the second field diagnostic parameter, the second field operating characteristic, and a field administrative parameter.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the field device is a first field device and wherein the distributed operational system further includes a second field device coupled to the field processing module, further comprising;

generating a second operating characteristic at the second field device, and

communicating the second operating characteristic from the second field device to the first field device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the communicating the field operating data is communicating a bitbus protocol over the bitbus.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein communicating the auxiliary field data includes communicating the auxiliary field data over the fieldbus to a field operations management system coupled to the fieldbus.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

receiving at the field operations management system the auxiliary field data; and

generating a field device control instruction as a function of the received auxiliary field data.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising performing at the field operations management system an operational function for at least one of the field device and the system, said operational function being selected from the group consisting of a diagnostics, a trouble shooting method, a statistical process control (SPC) computed parameter, a fault detection, a fault isolation, a root cause, a setting, a limit, a threshold, a calibration, a failure prediction, a maintenance procedure, a validation, a verification, a traceability, an auto-configuration, an architecture alignment, a fingerprint, an identification, a biometric identification, a theoretical modeling, a self-administration, a self-tuning rule, an operational device control.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising communicating an auxiliary administrative parameter from the auxiliary processing module to the field processing module over the bitbus.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the generating the auxiliary administrative parameter is responsive to an auxiliary administrative event.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the generating the auxiliary administrative parameter is responsive to an administrative instruction received over the fieldbus.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising generating the administrative instruction at a field operations management system coupled to the field bus.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the auxiliary processing module is a first auxiliary processing module and the distributed operational system further includes a second auxiliary processing module coupled to the fieldbus, further comprising:

generating the administrative instruction at the second auxiliary processing module; and

communicating the administrative instruction over the fieldbus from the second auxiliary processing module to the first auxiliary processing module.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the field device is a first field device, the bitbus is a first bitbus, the field processing module is a first field processing module, and the auxiliary processing module is a first auxiliary processing module, and wherein the distributed operational system further includes a second field device, a second field processing module coupled to the second field device, a second bitbus in communication with the second field processing module, a second auxiliary processing module in communication with the second bitbus and the fieldbus, further comprising:

generating a second field operating characteristic at the second field device;

generating second field operating data including a second field diagnostic parameter as a function of the second field operating characteristic; and

communicating from the second field processing module to the first field processing module via the second bitbus, the second auxiliary processing module, the fieldbus, the first auxiliary processing module, and the first bitbus.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein communicating from the second field processing module includes communicating at least one of a second administrative parameter, the second field operating data, the second field diagnostic parameter, and the second field operating characteristic.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the distributed operational system further includes a heater coupled to a heater power circuit and receiving heating power from a power supply, the heater power circuit having a first interface, a second interface, and an intermediate portion between the first interface and the second interface and a power controller coupled about the intermediate portion of the heater power circuit, the power controller having at least two states, a first state providing at least a portion of the power to the heater and a second state terminating power to the heater, said power controller including the field device and the field processing module.

19. A method of diagnosing a distributed operational system, said operational system including a field device, a field processing module coupled to the field device, a bitbus, a fieldbus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the bitbus and the fieldbus, the method comprising:

generating a field operating characteristic at the field device;

processing the field operating characteristic at the field processing module;

generating field operating data including a field diagnostic parameter as a function of the field operating characteristic;

communicating the field operating data including the field diagnostic parameter over the bitbus from the field processing module to the auxiliary processing module;

generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of the received field operating data; and

communicating the auxiliary field data over the fieldbus; and

wherein the field processing module and the auxiliary processing module interoperate to perform an operational function for the field device, field processing module, auxiliary processing module, bitbus, and system, said at least one operational function being selected from the group consisting of a diagnostics, a trouble shooting method, a statistical process control (SPC) computed parameter, a fault detection, a fault isolation, a root cause, a setting, a limit, a threshold, a calibration, a failure prediction, a maintenance procedure, a validation, a verification, a traceability, an auto-configuration, an architecture alignment, a fingerprint, an identification, a biometric identification, a theoretical modeling, a self-administration, a self-tuning rule, an operational device control.

20. A method of diagnosing a distributed operational system, said operational system including a field device, a field processing module coupled to the field device, a bitbus, a fieldbus, and an auxiliary processing module communicating with the bitbus and the fieldbus, the method comprising:

generating a field operating characteristic at the field device;

processing the field operating characteristic at the field processing module;

generating field operating data including a field diagnostic parameter as a function of the field operating characteristic;

communicating the field operating data including the field diagnostic parameter over the bitbus from the field processing module to the auxiliary processing module;

generating at the auxiliary processing module auxiliary field data as a function of the received field operating data; and

communicating the auxiliary field data over the fieldbus; and

wherein the distributed operational system is selected from the group consisting of a fabrication system, a packaging system, a building control system, an energy management system, a manufacturing system, an assembly system, a processing system, and an operational control system.