Node for a bus network, a bus network and a method for configuration of the network

• US 20060088044A1
• Filed: 10/19/2005
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jungheinrich AG
• Original Assignee: Jungheinrich AG
• Inventors: Hammerl, Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/254,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20060088044A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/402
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0661 and decentralised selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4135 using bit-wise arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]

Abstract

Inter alia, the invention provides a node (16) for a bus network, which has a bus controller (30) having a receiving and transmitting circuit arrangement (32) and having a bus connection for transmitting and receiving messages via the bus (14), and has a node identification set device (34, 30) for setting a node identification, on the basis of which the node (16) can respond via the bus (14) and/or the node can be identified in the network and/or on the basis of which messages sent from the node and/or message contents can be identified and/or on the basis of which messages which are relevant for the node and/or message contents can be identified. The invention provides that the node (16) has at least one set input connection (42) which is associated with the node identification set device and is separate from the bus connection, and that the node identification set device (34, 30) can be activated by application of a set signal to the set input connection (42) to receive a nominal node identification via the set input connection and/or the bus connection, and to set this nominal node identification as the node identification.

Claims

1. Node for a bus network, which has a bus controller having a receiving and transmitting circuit arrangement and having a bus connection for transmitting and receiving messages via the bus, and has a node identification set device for setting a node identification, on the basis of which the node can respond via the bus and/or the node can be identified in the network and/or on the basis of which messages sent from the node and/or message contents can be identified and/or on the basis of which messages which are relevant for the node and/or message contents can be identified, wherein the node has at least one set input connection which is associated with the node identification set device and is separate from the bus connection, and in that the node identification set device can be activated by application of a set signal (S₂) to the set input connection to receive a nominal node identification via the set input connection and/or the bus connection, and to set this nominal node identification as the node identification.

2. Node according to claim 1, wherein the node identification set device can be activated by application of the set signal (S₂) to the set input connection to set a nominal node identification, which is contained in a set message received via the bus connection, as the node identification.

3. Node according to claim 2, wherein the node is designed to respond to the set message on the basis of the set signal (S₂) independently of a currently set or currently not set node identification, and to set the nominal node identification contained in the received set message as the node identification.

4. Node according to claim 1, wherein the node has at least one set output connection, which is associated with a set signal output device and is separate from the bus connection, and in that the set signal output device can be activated to emit a set signal (S₂), which is predefined or corresponds to the set signal received at the set input, via the set output connection.

5. Node according to claim 4, wherein the set signal output device is designed to monitor the set input connection for the end of a set signal (S₂) applied to it, and to emit the set signal (S₂) in reaction to the end at the set output connection.

6. Node according to claim 5, wherein the node is designed to monitor the bus for the occurrence of a next node set message when the set signal (S₂) is emitted at the set output connection, and to end the emission of the set signal (S₂) at the set output connection in reaction to the occurrence of the next node set message.

7. Node according to claim 6, wherein the node is designed to respond to the next node set message on the basis of the existing output of the set signal (S₂) at the set output connection, independently of addressing of the next node set message at the node on the basis of the node identification, and to end the emission of the set signal (S₂) at the set output connection.

8. Node according to claim 4, wherein the node is designed to monitor the bus for the occurrence of a next node set message which is addressed to the node on the basis of the node identification, and to emit the set signal in reaction to the occurrence of the next node set message at the set output connection.

9. Node according to claim 4, wherein the node is designed to monitor the bus for the occurrence of a next node set complete message addressed to the node on the basis of the node identification, and to end the emission of the set signal at the set output connection in reaction to the occurrence of the next node set complete message.

10. Node according to claim 1, wherein the node is designed to send an acknowledgement message via the bus in reaction to the reception of the set signal at the set input connection and/or in reaction to a message received via the bus, and/or in reaction to at least one other defined event, with this acknowledgement message containing a component identification which is permanently associated with the node, and the current node identification.

11. Node according to claim 1, the node is designed to send a confirmation message or a/the acknowledgement message via the bus in conjunction with the setting of the node identification, which acknowledgement message contains a/the component identification which is permanently associated with the node, and the set node identification.

12. Node according to claim 1, wherein the node identification set device can be activated by application of a preset set signal (S₃), which is not the same as the set signal (S₂), at the set input connection to set a preset node identification, which is stored in the node, as the node identification.

13. Node for a bus network having a plurality of nodes according to claim 1, which has a bus controller with a receiving and transmitting circuit arrangement and a bus connection for transmitting and receiving messages via the bus, and which is designed to configure other nodes in the network, characterized in that the node has a network configuration device with at least one set output connection which is associated with a set signal output device and is separate from the bus connection, in that the set signal output device can be activated by the network configuration device to emit a predefined set signal (S₂) via the set output connection, and in that the network configuration device is designed to send a set message via the bus connection by means of the set signal output device via the set output connection or—

by means of the bus controller, which set message contains a nominal node identification associated with a node in the network.

14. Node according to claim 13, wherein the node is designed to send an acknowledgement request message via the bus connection by means of the bus controller.

15. Node according to claim 13, wherein the node is designed to send a next node set message and, possibly, a next node set complete message via the bus connection by means of the bus controller.

16. Node according to claim 13, wherein the node is designed to receive by means of the bus controller at least one acknowledgement message or confirmation message, which is sent in response to the transmitted acknowledgement request and/or in response to the emission of the set signal via the bus and/or in response to the transmitted next node set message, and to compare the content of this acknowledgement message or confirmation message, which contains a node identification and a component identification, with predetermined network configuration data.

17. Node according to claim 16, wherein the node is designed to send or not to send the set message as a function of the content of the acknowledgement message and/or as a function of the comparison, and/or to send the set message with a nominal node identification which is dependent on the comparison and is defined on the basis of the network configuration data.

18. Node according to claim 1, wherein the node is provided for a CAN-bus network, with the bus controller being designed as a CAN-bus controller with a CAN receiving and transmitting circuit arrangement and with a CAN-bus connection for transmitting and receiving messages via the CAN-bus.

19. Node according to claim 18, wherein the node is designed for data communication and network control via the CAN-bus in accordance with a CAN protocol, in particular in accordance with a CAN protocol which provides message-related addressing which identifies the content of the message.

20. Node according to claim 18, wherein the node is designed for data communication and network control via the CAN-bus in accordance with a protocol which is based on the/a CAN protocol and provides communication and network control in accordance with the master/client principle, preferably on the basis of the CAN open protocol.

21. Node according to claim 20, configured as a client node for the protocol which provides the communication and network control on the basis of the master/client principle.

22. Node according to claim 20, configured as a master node for the protocol which provides the communication and network control in accordance with the master/client principle.

23. Node according to claim 1, wherein the node is designed to provide at least one of an analogue input, analogue output, digital input, digital output, sensor system, and actuator system.

24. Node according to claim 1, wherein a processor arrangement, on the basis of which at least one device or functionality of the node is provided.

25. Network, comprising a plurality of nodes according to claim 1, in particular at least one master node and a plurality of client nodes, and having a line arrangement which connects the nodes at their bus connections, in which case line arrangement segments which extend between the nodes are connected between the bus connections or are at least connected to one another with respect to signals which are transmitted via the line arrangement, or are designed to be continuous from one line arrangement segment to another line arrangement segment in such a way that the line arrangement forms a preferably linear and/or serial network bus, which provides mutually parallel, mutually independent reception of messages transmitted via the bus by a plurality of nodes.

26. Network according to claim 25, wherein a plurality of the nodes form a chain of nodes which are connected by means of set line arrangements at their set input connections and set output connections, with the set line arrangements extending in pairs between the nodes and not being continuous from one set line arrangement to another set line arrangement.

27. Network according to claim 25, wherein at least in the case of one of the nodes, preferably in the case of all of the nodes, the bus connection and the set output connection and, when provided, the set input connection have a common bus connection connector.

28. Network according to claim 25, wherein the network is in the form of a CAN-bus network, with the nodes being designed to transmit and receive messages via the bus, which forms a CAN-bus.

29. Network according to claim 28, wherein the nodes can be designed for data communication and network control via the CAN-bus on the basis of a CAN protocol, in particular on the basis of a CAN protocol which provides message-related addressing identifying the content of the message.

30. Network according to claim 28, wherein the nodes are designed for data communication and network control via the CAN-bus on the basis of a protocol which is based on the/a CAN protocol and provides communication and network control in accordance with the master/client principle but preferably in accordance with the CAN open protocol, in which case one node, preferably the master node, is designed, is configured or can be configured as the master node for the protocol which provides the communication and network control in accordance with the master/client principle, and the other nodes are designed, are configured or can be configured as client nodes for the protocol which provides the communication and network control in accordance with the master/client principle.

31. Method for configuration of a network according to claim 25, in which at least one master node configures a plurality of client nodes, in that the master node successively sends at least one set message by means of the bus controller via the bus for each client node to be configured, which set message contains a nominal node identification associated with the respective client node, in which case the nodes to be configured are activated successively by application of a set signal (S₂) to their set input connection to set a nominal node identification, which is associated with them and is contained in a set message received via the bus connection, as the node identification.

32. Method according to claim 31, wherein the master node also sends next node set messages between the set messages and/or ends the emission of the set signal at its set output connection in order that an already configured node emits at its set output connection the set signal which a node that has not yet been configured receives at its set input connection.

33. Method according to claim 31, wherein the master node sends at least one acknowledgement request message via the bus connection in order to determine an instantaneous configuration state of the network.

34. Method according to claim 31, wherein the master node receives at least one acknowledgement message or confirmation message, which has been sent in response to the transmitted acknowledgement request and/or in response to the emission of the set signal (S₂) via the bus and/or in response to the transmitted next node set message and/or in response to the transmitted node set message, from a respective client node or the client nodes, and compares its content, which contains a node identification and a component identification, with predetermined network configuration data.

35. Method according to claim 34, wherein the master node sends or does not send the set message as a function of the content of the acknowledgement message and/or as a function of the comparison, and/or sends the set message with a nominal node identification which is dependent on the comparison and is defined on the basis of the network configuration data.