1. A method for controlling a process using a wireless communications network, the method comprising:
receiving, at a field node of the process, field data from at least one field device of the process;
transmitting the field data wirelessly from the field node to a base node of the process using a first wireless communication protocol;
converting the field data from the first wireless communication protocol to a different wireless communication protocol;
transmitting the field data to a routing node of the process using the different wireless communication protocol;
determining at the routing node an object device of the process for receiving the field data of the different wireless communication protocol;
sending the field data to the object device using the different wireless communication protocol; and
using the field data of the different wireless communication protocol sent to the object device to implement a function within the process.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the field data using the first wireless communication protocol comprises transmitting the field data using a process control communication protocol associated with the at least one field device, and wherein converting the field data from the first wireless communication protocol to the different wireless communication protocol is performed by a conversion node of the process.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the field node, the base node and the routing node form a mesh wireless communications network.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the field node, the base node and the routing node form a point-to-point wireless communications network.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one field device is a HART protocol device.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one field device is a Fieldbus protocol device.
7. The method of claim 2, wherein the conversion node is integrated within the base node.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing node sends the field data of the different wireless communication protocol through one or more repeaters to the object device.
9. The method of claim 2, wherein the process control communication protocol associated with the at least one field device is a combined analog and digital protocol.
10. The method of claim 2, wherein the process control communication protocol associated with the at least one field device is a bus-based digital protocol.
11. The method of claim 2, wherein the different wireless communication protocol is a low-power wireless networking protocol.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the low-power wireless networking protocol is the EMBER communication protocol.
13. A method of using a wireless communication network in a process control system, the method comprising:
receiving process control data wirelessly at a first communication node of the wireless communication network using a first protocol;
converting the wirelessly received process control data from the first protocol to a different protocol at the first communication node;
determining a second communication node of the wireless communication network for receiving the process control data of the different protocol;
sending the process control data wirelessly to the second communication node using the different protocol; and
using the process control data sent wirelessly to the second communication node using the different protocol to implement a function within the process control system.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the process control data wirelessly at the first communication node using the first protocol includes receiving the process control data of the first protocol from a field device communicatively coupled to an additional communication node of the wireless communication network, wherein the field device performs a process control or measurement action within the process control system.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the process control data wirelessly at the first communication node using the first protocol includes wirelessly receiving data of the first protocol from a measuring device communicatively coupled to an additional communication node of the wireless communication network, wherein the measuring device measures one or more parameters which may affect the quality of the wireless communications within the wireless communication network, and wherein the data of the first protocol wirelessly received from the measuring device includes an indication of the one or more measured parameters.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein converting the wirelessly received process control data from the first protocol to the different protocol includes converting the wirelessly received process control data of the first protocol to a data packet of the different protocol, wherein the data packet of the different protocol includes:
the process control data of the different protocol; and
an indication of the second communication node.
17. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the second communication node for receiving the process control data of the different protocol is performed using a routing node of the wireless communication network, and wherein sending the process control data wirelessly to the second communication node using the different protocol includes sending the process control data wirelessly from the routing node to the second communication node using the different protocol.
18. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the process control data wirelessly at the first communication node using the first protocol includes wirelessly receiving process control or measurement data from a field device within the process control system that communicates using the first protocol.
19. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving the process control data wirelessly at the first communication node using the first protocol further includes wirelessly receiving process control or measurement data of the first protocol from a field device within the process control system.
20. A method for controlling a process using a wireless communications network, the method comprising:
receiving field data from at least one field device;
transmitting the field data wirelessly from a field node to a base node using a first wireless communication protocol;
converting the field data from the first wireless communication protocol to a different wireless communication protocol;
transmitting the field data to a routing node using the different wireless communication protocol;
determining at the routing node an object device for receiving the field data of the different wireless communication protocol; and
sending the field data to the object device using the different wireless communication protocol,
wherein the first wireless communication protocol is the HART communication protocol, wherein the field data is transmitted wirelessly using the HART communication protocol, and wherein the field data is converted from the HART communication protocol to the different wireless communication protocol by a conversion node.
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 telecommunication system having at least one first entity and at least one second entity configured to transmit data on at least one physical channel, said physical channel transmitting a transport channel composite and having a maximum physical bit rate, said transport channel composite comprising data of a plurality of transport channels, said system comprising:
means for determining a first parameter controlling a rate matching ratio for said transport channel;
means for transmitting said first parameter to at least one of said first entity and said second entity;
means for transforming a number of symbols before rate matching into a number of symbols after said rate matching for said transport channel;
means for determining a maximum value of rate estimators by calculating said rate estimator of respective one of a plurality of said transport channel composites, said rate estimator being calculated by multiplying said first parameter by the number of symbols before said rate matching per radio frame of each of said transport channels;
means for calculating a ratio of said maximum physical bit rate to said maximum value of said rate estimators; and
means for determining a variation between the number of symbols after said rate matching and the number of symbols before said rate matching based on said first parameter and said ratio of said maximum physical bit rate to said maximum value of said rate estimators.
2. The telecommunication system according to claim 1, wherein said variation is calculated by multiplying said first parameter by said number of symbols before said rate matching and said ratio of said maximum physical bit rate to said maximum value of said rate estimators.
3. A communication method of a telecommunication system including a plurality of entities and transmitting data on at least one physical channel, said physical channel transmitting a transport composite and having a maximum physical bit rate, said transport channel composite including data of a plurality of transport channels, said method comprising the steps of:
determining a first parameter controlling a rate matching ratio for said transport channel in said telecommunication system;
transmitting said first parameter to at least one of said entities in said telecommunication system;
transforming a number of symbols before rate matching into a number of symbols after rate matching for each of said transport channels in said telecommunication system;
calculating rate estimators in said telecommunication system, each of said rate estimators corresponding to each of said transport channel composites and being calculated by multiplying said first parameter by the number of symbols before said rate matching per radio frame of each of said transport channels;
determining a maximum value of said rate estimators among values of said rate estimators calculated at said calculating step in said telecommunication system;
calculating a ratio of said maximum physical bit rate to said maximum value of said rate estimators in said telecommunication system; and
determining a variation between the number of symbols after said rate matching and the number of before said rate matching based on said first parameter and said ratio of said maximum physical bit rate to said maximum value of said rate estimators in said telecommunication system.
4. A communication apparatus for transmitting or receiving data on at least one physical channel, said at least one physical channel transmitting a transport channel composite and having a maximum physical bit rate, said transport channel composite including data of plurality of transport channels, each of said transport channels being processed by a separate and distinct processing procedure, said communication apparatus comprising:
means for transforming a number of symbols before rate matching into a number of symbols after said rate matching for each of said transport channels;
means for determining a maximum value of rate estimators by calculating said rate estimator of respective one of a plurality of said transport channel composites, said rate estimator being calculated by multiplying a first parameter by the number of symbols before said rate matching per radio frame of each of said transport channels, said first parameter controlling a rate matching ratio for said transport channel;
means for calculating a ratio of said maximum physical bit rate to said maximum value of said rate estimators; and
means for determining a variation between the number of symbols after said rate matching and the number of symbols before said rate matching based on said first parameter and said ratio of said maximum physical bit rate to said maximum value of said rate estimators.
5. A communication method of a communication apparatus and for transmitting or receiving data on at least one physical channel, said at least one physical channel transmitting a transport channel composite and having a maximum physical bit rate, said transport channel composite including data of plurality of transport channels, each of said transport channels being processed by a separate and distinct processing procedure, said method comprising the steps of:
transforming a number of symbols before rate matching into a number of symbols after said rate matching for each of said transport channels in said communication apparatus;
calculating rate estimators in said communication apparatus, each of said rate estimators corresponding to each of said transport channel composites and being calculated by multiplying a first parameter by the number of symbols before said rate matching per radio frame of each of said transport channels, said first parameter controlling a rate matching ratio for said transport channel;
determining a maximum value of said rate estimators among values of said rate estimators calculated at said calculating step in said communication apparatus;
calculating a ratio of said maximum physical bit rate to said maximum value of said rate estimators in said communication apparatus; and
determining a variation between the number of symbols after said rate matching and the number of symbols before said rate matching based on said first parameter and said ratio of said maximum physical bit rate to said maximum value of said rate estimators in said communication apparatus, wherein said transforming step is implemented based on said variation.
6. A communication apparatus used in a telecommunication system, said telecommunication system including a plurality of entities and transmitting data on at least one physical channel, said at least one physical channel transmitting a transport channel composite and having a maximum physical bit rate, said transport channel composite including data of plurality of transport channels, each of said transport channels being processed by a separate and distinct processing procedure, at least one of said entities transforming a number of symbols before rate matching into a number of symbols after said rate matching for each of said transport channels, said communication apparatus comprising:
means for receiving a first parameter controlling a rate matching ratio for said transport channel;
means for determining a maximum value of rate estimators by calculating said rate estimator of respective one of a plurality of said transport channel composites, said rate estimator being calculated by multiplying said first parameter by the number of symbols before said rate matching per radio frame of each of said transport channels;
means for calculating a ratio of said maximum physical bit rate to said maximum value of said rate estimators; and
means for determining a variation between the number of symbols after said rate matching and the number of symbols before said rate matching based on said first parameter and said ratio of said maximum physical bit rate to said maximum value of said rate estimators.