1. A method, comprising:
storing a device commissioning process associated with a first field device by:
recording, at a first process controller of a process control system, first and second configuration data transmitted between a configuration system of the process control system and the first field device during commissioning of the first field device;
recording, at the first process controller, an amount of time elapsed between recording of the first configuration data and recording of the second configuration data;
detecting, at a second process controller of the process control system, replacement of the first field device with a second field device; and
playing back the stored device commissioning process to commission the second field device based on the recorded amount of time by:
sending the first recorded configuration data from the second process controller to the second field device; and
after the recorded amount of time has passed since the sending of the first recorded configuration data, sending the second recorded configuration data from the second process controller to the second field device.
2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, at the second process controller of the process control system, first response data from the second field device; and
comparing the first response data to second response data recorded during commissioning of the first field device to verify the commissioning of the second field device.
3. A method as defined in claim 2, further comprising, when the first and second response data do not match, generating a notification that the configuration system was unable to properly commission the second field device.
4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first process controller is different from the second process controller.
5. A method as defined in claim 4, further comprising sending a query from the second process controller to the first process controller to obtain the first and second recorded configuration data.
6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein recording the amount of time comprises storing the amount of time in a data entry corresponding to the second recorded configuration data.
7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:
starting recordation of the first configuration data when a first command is received from the configuration system; and
stopping recordation of the first configuration data when a second command is received from the configuration system.
8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein a user configures the configuration system to commission the first field device.
9. A process controller of a process control system, comprising:
a recorder to record first and second configuration data exchanged between a first field device and a configuration system of the process control system during a commissioning of the first field device, the recorder to record an amount of time elapsed between the recordation of the first configuration data and the recordation of the second configuration data during the commissioning of the first field device;
a logical device to detect replacement of the first field device with a second field device; and
a replacement manager to send the first and second recorded configuration data to the second field device when the replacement is detected to commission the second field device, wherein the replacement manager is to separate the sending of the second recorded configuration data and the sending of the first configuration data by the recorded amount of time elapsed between the recordation of the first configuration data and the recordation of the second configuration data.
10. A process controller as defined in claim 9, wherein the first configuration data comprises first response data sent by the first field device to the configuration system during the commissioning of the first field device, and the replacement manager is to compare the first response data to second response data received from the second field device during the commissioning of the second field device.
11. A process controller as defined in claim 9, wherein the replacement manager is to store the amount of time in a data entry corresponding to the second recorded configuration data.
12. A process controller as defined in claim 9, wherein the recorder is to start recordation of the first configuration data when a first command is received from the configuration system and stop recordation of the first configuration data when a second command is received from the configuration system.
13. A process controller as defined in claim 9, further comprising at least one of a memory, a memory device, or a storage device to store the recorded configuration data.
14. A process controller as defined in claim 9, further comprising a control module to implement a process control routine for the first field device.
15. A process controller as defined in claim 9, further comprising an inputoutput module to communicatively couple the process controller to the first and second field devices.
16. A processor controller as defined in claim 9, wherein the first configuration data comprises a first instruction sent by the configuration system to the first field device, and the second configuration data comprises a second instruction sent by the configuration system to the first field device.
17. A tangible computer-readable memory comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a process controller of a process control system to at least:
record first and second configuration data sent to a first field device by a configuration system of a process control system during commissioning of the first field device;
record an amount of time elapsed between a first time at which the first configuration data was recorded and a second time at which the second configuration data was recorded;
detect replacement of the first field device with a second field device;
send the first recorded configuration data to the second field device when the replacement is detected to commission the second field device; and
send the second recorded configuration data to the second field device after the amount of time elapses from the sending of the first recorded configuration data.
18. A computer-readable memory as defined in claim 17, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the process controller to compare a first response received from the first field device during the commissioning of the first field device to a second response received during commissioning of the second field device to verify proper commissioning of the second field device.
19. A computer-readable memory as defined in claim 17, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the process controller to:
start recording the first configuration data when a first command is received from the configuration system; and
stop recording the first configuration data when a second command is received from the configuration system.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A slide mechanism, comprising:
a rack gear;
a bracket;
a cam assembly rotatably mounted on the bracket, the cam assembly including a pinion gear and a holder, the pinion gear gear-coupled to the rack gear, the holder defining an elliptical peripheral groove in an outer circumferential surface portion thereof; and
an elastic member secured on the bracket for providing an elastic force to the pinion gear, the elastic member including two spaced elastic arms located at two opposite sides of the holder and engagingly received in the elliptical peripheral groove of the holder.
2. The slide mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the holder is non-rotatable relative to the pinion gear.
3. The slide mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a torsion spring.
4. The slide mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein the holder is an elliptical cylinder integrally forming the pinion gear.
5. The slide mechanism as claimed in claim 3, wherein the bracket comprises a mounting plate, a protruding post extending from the mounting plate, and a support extending from the mounting plate, the protruding post being spaced apart from the support.
6. The slide mechanism as claimed in claim 5, wherein the elastic member further comprises a coil portion interferingly surrounds the protruding post of the bracket, the elastic arms extending from two distal ends of the coil portion along a radial direction.
7. The slide mechanism as claimed in claim 5, wherein the support comprises a fixing pole, and the cam defines a step hole running through the holder and the pinion gear, the step hole rotatably receiving the fixing pole.
8. The slide mechanism as claimed in claim 7, wherein the support further comprises a plurality of supporting legs symmetrically arranged around an outer circumferential of the fixing pole and extending vertically from the first surface of the mounting plate, the supporting legs being configured for supporting the cam assembly.
9. The slide mechanism as claimed in claim 7, wherein the cam assembly further comprises a fixing member fixed to the fixing pole.
10. The slide mechanism as claimed in claim 9, wherein the fixing member is a screw.
11. A slide mechanism, comprising:
a rack gear;
a bracket;
a cam rotatably mounted on the bracket, the cam including an elliptically-shaped holder and a pinion gear rotating with the holder, the pinion gear engaging with the rack gear; and
an elastic member secured on the bracket, the elastic member including two elastic arms elastically abutting two opposite sides of the elliptical holder, wherein the holder defines an elliptical peripheral groove in an outer circumferential surface portion thereof, the elastic arms located at two opposite sides of the holder and engagingly received in the elliptical peripheral groove of the holder.
12. The slide mechanism as claimed in claim 11, wherein the bracket comprises a mounting plate, and protruding post extending from the mounting plate, and the elastic member further comprises a coil portion interferingly surrounding the protruding post of the bracket, the elastic arms extending from two distal ends of the coil portion along a radial direction.
13. The slide mechanism as claimed in claim 11, wherein the bracket comprises a mounting plate, and protruding post extending from the mounting plate, and the elastic member is a substantially U-shaped spring, and includes an arcuate portion interferingly surrounding the protruding post of the bracket, the two elastic arms extending from two distal ends of the arcuate portion along a radial direction.
14. The slide mechanism as claimed in claim 11, wherein the bracket comprises a mounting plate, and a fixing pole extending from the mounting plate, and the cam defining a hole extending through the holder and the pinion gear, the hole rotatably receiving the fixing pole.
15. A slide-type portable terminal device, comprising:
a first housing;
a second housing slidably installed on the first housing; and
a slide mechanism installed between the first housing and the second housing for guiding a sliding motion of the second housing in relation to the first housing, comprising:
a rack gear having a plurality of securing portions for fixing the rack gear to one of the first housing and the second housing;
a bracket having a plurality of securing portion for fixing the rack gear to other one of the first housing and the second housing;
a cam rotatably mounted on the bracket, the cam including an elliptically-shaped holder and a pinion gear rotating with the holder, the pinion gear engaging with the rack gear; and
an elastic member secured on the bracket, the elastic member including two elastic arms elastically abutting two opposite sides of the elliptical holder wherein the holder defines an elliptical peripheral groove in an outer circumferential surface portion thereof, the elastic arms being located at two opposite sides of the holder and abuttingly received in the elliptical peripheral groove of the holder.
16. The slide-type portable terminal device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the holder is an elliptical cylinder integrally formed with the pinion gear.