Function connection unit

• US 10,445,256 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Ozturk, Ozkan
• Primary Examiner(s): Misiura, Brian T
• Application Number:
  US15/675,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20180046589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 700 3
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0423 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25204 Translate between different communication protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/364 using independent requests or grants, e.g. using separated request and grant lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/404 with address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a function connection unit for connecting at least one parameterizable functional module, including at least one functional module connection configured to connect to the at least one parameterizable functional module; a communication interface that is configured to receive first parameter data records, the first parameter data records including parameter data for parameterizing the at least one parameterizable functional module and first parameter indices that index a memory area for the parameter data; and a processor configured to convert the first parameter indices into second parameter indices to obtain second parameter data records, the second parameter indices indexing a predetermined memory area of the at least one parameterizable functional module for storing the parameter data in the at least one parameterizable functional module.

Claims

1. A function connection unit for connecting at least one parameterizable functional module, comprising:

at least one functional module connection configured to connect to the at least one parameterizable functional module;

a communication interface configured to receive first parameter data records, the first parameter data records comprising parameter data for parameterizing the at least one parameterizable functional module and first parameter indices that index a memory area for the parameter data;

a parameter data memory, the parameter data memory storing a conversion rule that indicates the conversion of the first parameter indices into the second parameter indices; and

a processor configured to read the conversion rule from the memory and convert the first parameter indices into second parameter indices according to the conversion rule to obtain second parameter data records, the second parameter indices indexing a predetermined memory area of the at least one parameterizable functional module for storing the parameter data in the at least one parameterizable functional module.

2. The function connection unit according to claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to receive the second parameter indices from a control server during the activation of the function connection unit.

3. The function connection unit according to claim 1, wherein the function connection unit is a master according to the Single-Drop Digital Communication Interface for Small Sensors and Actuators (SDCI) protocol.

4. The function connection unit according to claim 1, wherein the second parameter indices being or indexing at least one memory address of the at least one parameterizable functional module.

5. The function connection unit according to claim 1, wherein the first parameter data records or the second parameter data records comprise an activation field that indicates activation or deactivation of the parameter data.

6. The function connection unit according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to change the arrangement of the parameter data by changing an order of the first parameter indices to obtain the second parameter data records.

7. The function connection unit according to claim 1, wherein the first parameter data comprises:

a first parameter representation; and

the processor further configured to convert the first parameter representation into a second parameter representation to obtain the second parameter data records.

8. The function connection unit according to claim 1, wherein the first parameter data comprises:

a first numerical value; and

the processor further configured to convert the first numerical value into a second numerical value that is interpreted by the at least one parameterizable functional module or that is in a number range of the at least one parameterizable functional module to obtain the second parameter data records.

9. The function connection unit according to claim 1, wherein the first parameter data records and the second parameter data records comprise a parameter length of the parameter data, a parameter value of the parameter data, or both.

10. The function connection unit according to claim 1, wherein the communication interface comprises an input interface for manually inputting the first parameter data records.

11. The function connection unit according to claim 1, wherein the communication interfaces configured to transmit data according to a communication protocol.

12. The function connection unit according to claim 1, wherein sensors and actuators are configured to connect as parameterizable functional modules.

13. The function connection unit according to claim 3, wherein the function connection unit is an I/O link master.

14. The function connection unit according to claim 10, wherein the communication interface comprises a graphical user interface or a keyboard for manually inputting the first parameter data records.

15. The function connection unit according to claim 11, wherein the communication interface is configured to transmit data according to a USB protocol.

16. A method for parameterizing a parameterizable functional module using a function connection unit configured to connect to the parameterizable functional module via a functional module connection, comprising:

receiving first parameter data records for parameterizing the parameterizable functional module, the first parameter data records comprising parameter data for parameterizing the parameterizable functional module and first parameter indices that index a memory area for the parameter data;

storing a conversion rule that indicates the conversion of the first parameter indices into the second parameter indices;

converting the first parameter indices into second parameter indices according to the stored conversion rule to obtain second parameter data records, the second parameter indices indexing a predetermined memory area of the parameterizable functional module for storing the parameter data in the parameterizable functional module; and

transmitting the second parameter data records to the parameterizable functional module with the function connection unit to parameterize the parameterizable functional module.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the method occurs during activation of the function connection unit.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

receiving the second parameter indices from a control server during the activation of the function connection unit.