Local area network for distributing data communication, sensing and control signals

• US 20060209847A1
• Filed: 05/23/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Original Assignee: SercoNet Limited (Yehuda Binder, MBA)
• Inventors: Binder, Yehuda
• Granted Patent: US 8,121,132 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21039 Slaves, modules in daisy chain, each handles control data, transmits to next
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25181 Repeater
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40019 Details regarding a bus master
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/42 Loop networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0836 to enhance reliability, e.g. reduce downtime
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/40 Constructional details, e.g. power supply, mechanical construction or backplane

Abstract

A network for carrying out control, sensing and data communications, comprising a plurality of nodes. Each node may be connected to a payload, which comprises sensors, actuators and DTE'"'"'s. The network is formed using a plurality of independent communication links, each based on electrically-conducting communication media comprising at least two conductors and interconnecting two nodes, in a point-to-point configuration. During network operation, nodes can be dynamically configured as either data-generating nodes, wherein data is generated and transmitted into the network, or as receiver/repeater/router nodes, wherein received data is repeated from a receiver port to all output ports. During normal network operation, the network shifts from state to state. Each state is characterized by assigning a single node as the data-generating node, and configuring all other nodes in the network as repeaters and receivers. The network can be configured in linear or circular topology, or any mixture of both. The nodes and the payloads can each be powered by local power supply or via the network wiring. In the latter case, dedicated wires can be used, or the same conductors may be employed for both power distribution and communication. Network control can be performed external to the network, or by using the network itself as transport for control messages. Shifting from state to state can be done by selecting sequential nodes to be the data-generating node, or by selecting arbitrary nodes to be the data-generating node.

Claims

1. A control network in a building for wired coupling of at least one analog device to a data unit, the network comprising:

first, second and third nodes; and

first and second wiring segments, each wiring segment comprising at least two conductors, wherein

said first wiring segment connects said first and second nodes together in a point-to-point connection, and said second wiring segment connects said second and third nodes together in a point-to-point connection,

said first and second nodes effect bi-directional communication of serial digital data over said first wiring segment and said second and third nodes nodes effect bi-directional communication of serial digital data over said second wiring segment,

at least one of said nodes is connectable to a data unit for coupling the serial digital data carried over at least one of said wiring segments to the data unit,

at least one of said nodes is connectable to the analog device for coupling the serial digital data carried over said at least one of said wiring segments to the analog device,

the analog device is a sensor or an actuator, and each of said nodes is addressable in said network.

2. The network according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said wiring segments comprises a twisted wire pair or a coaxial cable.

3. The network according to claim 1, wherein the serial digital data is packet-based.

4. The network according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said wiring segments concurrently carries a direct current (DC) power signal, and at least one of said nodes is at least in part powered by the power signal.

5. The network according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said nodes is connectable to a direct current (DC) power source supplying a DC power signal, and at least one of said wiring segments concurrently carries the power signal.

6. The network according to claim 1 further comprising a third wiring segment connected to two of said nodes in a manner to cause each of said nodes to be connected to exactly two other nodes to form a ring topology.

7. The network according to claim 6, wherein said nodes are operative to reroute serial digital data in the event of failure of one of said wiring segments.

8. The network according to claim 1, wherein each of said nodes has a manually assigned address.

9. The network according to claim 1, wherein each of said nodes has an automatically assigned address.

10. The network according to claim 1, wherein each of said nodes has an address assigned by a data unit connected to said node.

11. The network according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said nodes is operative to power a device connected thereto.

12. The network according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said nodes is operative to power the analog device.

13. The network according to claim 1, wherein the at least one analog device includes a first analog device in the form of a sensor to which a first one of said nodes is connectable and a second analog device in the form of an actuator to a which a second one of said nodes is connectable, and wherein operation of the actuator is dependent upon the sensor output.

14. The network according to claim 1, wherein the at least one analog device is an analog sensor, to which one of said nodes is connectable, for measuring a physical phenomenon, and said one of said nodes further comprises an analog to digital converter for converting analog signals from the analog sensor into serial digital data.

15. The network according to claim 1, wherein the at least one analog device is an analog actuator, to which one of said nodes is connectable, for producing a physical phenomenon, and said one of said nodes further comprises a digital to analog converter for converting serial digital data into analog signals for the analog actuator.

16. The network according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said nodes is operative to repeat at least part of the serial digital data received from one wiring segment connected to said at least one node to the other wiring segment connected to said at least one node.

17. The network according to claim 1, wherein all the communication links are operative to communicate in half duplex mode.

18. The network according to claim 1, wherein all the communication links are operative to communicate in full duplex mode.

19. The network according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the wiring segments is operative to carry a video or voice signal.

20. A local area network comprising:

a first node including a first data port for coupling to a first component, a second node including a second data port for coupling to a second component and a third node including a third data port for coupling to a third component;

a first wiring segment having two ends and comprising only two conductors, said first wiring segment connecting only said first and second nodes in a point-to-point connection for a first half-duplex data communication of serial digital data over said first wiring segment between said first and second nodes; and

a second wiring segment having two ends and comprising only two conductors, said second wiring segment connecting only said first and third nodes in a point-to-point connection for a second half-duplex data communication of serial digital data over said second wiring segment between said first and third nodes, wherein;

said network is operative to be in at least a selected one of first and second states;

in the first state, said network is operative to conduct data from said second data port over said first wiring segment from said second node to said first node, repeat the data at said first node to said second wiring segment, and conduct the repeated data over said second wiring segment from said first node to said third node; and

in the second state, said network is operative to conduct data from said third data port over said second wiring segment from said third node to said first node, repeat the data at said first node to said first wiring segment, and conduct the repeated data over said first wiring segment from said first node to said second node.

21. The network according to claim 20, further comprising a network controller coupled to all of said nodes in said network for controlling said network to establish a selected one of said first and second states.

22. The network according to claim 21, wherein said network controller is coupled to said nodes by said wiring segments to transmit signals to said nodes.

23. The network according to claim 20, wherein said network periodically sequentially shifts between the first and second states.

24. The network according to claim 20 wherein each of said nodes is addressable in said network.

25. The network according to claim 20, further comprising a third wiring segment connecting said second and third nodes to impart a ring topology to said network.

26. The network according to claim 25, wherein said network is further operative to reroute digital data in the event of failure of one of said wiring segments.

27. The network according to claim 20 further comprising a third wiring segment having two ends and comprising only two conductors, said third wiring segment being connected to said first node, and wherein in the first state, said first node is operative to repeat data from said first wiring segment to the third wiring segment, and in said second state said first node is operative to repeat data from said second wiring segment to said third wiring segment.

28. The network according to claim 20, wherein at least one of said wiring segments concurrently carries a power signal over said two conductors substantially without interfering with data communication over said at least one wiring segment, and at least part of at least one of said nodes is powered from the power signal.

29. The network according to claim 20, wherein at least one of said wiring segments concurrently carries a power signal over the two conductors substantially without interfering with the data communication, and at least one component is powered from the power signal carried over a wiring segment connected to the respective node.

30. The network according to claim 20, wherein said two conductors of at least one of said wiring segments concurrently carry a power signal over substantially without interfering with the data communication, and at least one of said nodes is connectable to a power source for coupling the power signal to the power source.

31. The network according to claim 20, wherein at least one out of said first and second wiring segments is one of a twisted wire pair or a coaxial cable.

32. The network according to claim 20, wherein said network is further operative for analog sensing and control, wherein said network further comprises an analog port and a converter for converting between analog and digital signals coupled between said analog port and said port of one of said nodes, and said analog port is couplable to an analog sensor or to an analog actuator constituting one of the components.

33. The network according to claim 32, wherein said network is further operative to carry video or voice signals.

34. The network according to claim 20 wherein at least one of said nodes is enclosed in a single enclosure together within a respective connected component.

35. The network according to claim 20, wherein said network is further operative to be in a third state in which data received from the first component via said first data port is repeated to both said first and second wiring segments.

36. A local area network for carrying power and digital data, said network comprising:

a first node including a first data port for coupling to a first data unit, a second node including a second data port for coupling to a second data unit and a third node including a third data port for coupling to a third data unit;

a first wiring segment having two ends and comprising a first coaxial cable or at least one first twisted wire pair, wherein each end of said first wiring segment is terminated in a connector, said first wiring segment connects only said first and second nodes in a point-to-point connection for a first full-duplex data communication of serial digital data over said first wiring segment between the first and second data units, and said first wiring segment concurrently carries a first power signal substantially without interfering with the first communication of serial digital data; and

a second wiring segment having two ends and comprising a second coaxial cable or at least one second twisted wire pair, wherein each end of said second wiring segment is terminated in a connector, said second wiring segment connects only said first and third nodes in a point-to-point connection for a second full-duplex communication of serial digital data over said second wiring segment between the first and third data units, and said second wiring segment concurrently carries a second power signal substantially without interfering with the second communication of serial digital data, wherein;

said first node is connectable to a power supply to be powered from the power supply, and the first and second power signals are provided by the power supply,

said second node is at least in part powered by the first power signal,

said third node is at least in part powered by the second power signal, each of said nodes is addressable in said network.

37. The network according to claim 36, wherein:

said network is further operative to be in a selected one of at least first and second states;

in the first state, data received from said second data port is carried over said first wiring segment from said second node to said first node, repeated by the first node to said second wiring segment, and carried over said second wiring segment from said first node to said third node; and

in the second state, data received from said third data port is carried over said second wiring segment from said third node to said first node, repeated by said first node to said first wiring segment, and carried over said first wiring segment from said first node to said second node.

38. The network according to claim 36, further comprising a third wiring segment connecting said second and third nodes to impart a ring topology to said network.

39. The network according to claim 38, wherein said network is further operative to reroute digital data in the event of failure of one of said wiring segments.

40. The network according to claim 36, wherein said network is further operative for analog sensing and control, wherein said network further comprises an analog port and a converter for converting between analog and digital signals coupled between said analog port and said data port of one of the nodes, and said analog port is couplable to an analog sensor or to an analog actuator constituting one of the components.

41. The network according to claim 40, wherein said network is further operative to carry video or voice signals.

42. The network according to claim 36, further comprising a single enclosure housing at least one of said nodes together with a respective connected data unit.

43. The network according to claim 36, wherein said network is further operative to be in a third state in which data received from the first data unit via said first data port is repeated to both said first and second wiring segments.

44. The network according to claim 36 wherein at least one of the connected data units is at least in part powered by a power signal carried over one of said wiring segments.

45. The network according to claim 36, wherein at least one of said wiring segments comprises dedicated power conductors carrying only a respective power signal and data conductors carrying distinct from the power conductors and carrying respective serial digital data.

46. The network according to claim 36, wherein at least one of said wiring segments carries a respective power signal and data over the same conductors.

47. The network according to claim 36 wherein at least one of said nodes is housed together with a connected data unit.

48. A control network comprising:

a master node including a first data port for coupling to a first component, a first slave node including a second data port for coupling to a second component, and a second slave node including a third data port for coupling to a third component;

a first twisted wire pair having two ends and comprising only two conductors, said first twisted wire pair connecting only said master node to said first slave node in a point-to-point connection for a first unidirectional data communication of serial digital data over said first twisted wire pair from said master node to said first slave node;

a second-twisted wire pair having two ends and comprising only two conductors, said second twisted wire pair connecting only said first slave node to said second slave node in a point-to-point connection for a second unidirectional data communication of serial digital data over said second twisted wire pair from said first slave node to said second slave node; and

a third twisted wire pair having two ends and comprising only two conductors, said third twisted wire pair connecting only said second slave node to said master node in a point-to-point connection for a third unidirectional data communication of serial digital data over said third twisted wire pair from said second slave node to said master node,

whereby, said first, second and third twisted wire pairs connected said master node and said first and second slave nodes in a ring topology, and

wherein;

said master node and said first and second slave nodes are addressable in said control network;

said first slave node is operative to pas at least part of the data from said first twisted wire pair to said second twisted wire pair; and

said second slave node is operative to pas at least part of the data from said second twisted wire pair to said third twisted wire pair.

49. The network according to claim 48, wherein said master node is operative to compare and check data received from said third wire pair versus data transmitted to said first twisted wire pair for identifying an error-free data path through said network.

50. The network according to claim 48, wherein said first and second slave nodes are further operative to check the CRC of incoming data from a respective twisted wire pair and to generate CRC for outgoing data to a respective twisted wire pair.

51. The network according to claim 48, wherein said first and second slave nodes are further operative to repeat without format change at least part of the data.

52. The network according to claim 48, wherein said network is further operative for carrying network control messages over at least of said twisted wire pairs.

53. The network according to claim 48, wherein at least one of said twisted wire pairs is connected to concurrently carry a power signal over the two conductors of said at least one of said twisted wire pairs substantially without interfering with data communication, and wherein at least part of at least one of said nodes is powered from the power signal carried over one of said twisted wire pairs connected to said at least one of said nodes.

54. The network according to claim 48, wherein at least one of said twisted wire pairs concurrently carries a power signal over the two conductors of said one of said twisted wire pairs substantially without interfering with the data communication, and wherein at least one of the components is powered from the power signal carried over said one of said twisted wire pairs connected to the respective one of said nodes that is to be coupled to the at least one of the components.

55. The network according to claim 48, wherein at least one of said twisted wire pairs concurrently carries a power signal over the two conductors of said one of said twisted wire pairs substantially without interfering with the data communication, and wherein at least one of said nodes is connectable to a power source for coupling the power source to the power signal.

56. The network according to claim 48, wherein said network is further operative for analog sensing and control and further comprises an analog port and a converter for converting between analog and digital signals coupled between said analog port and said data port of one of said nodes, and wherein said analog port is couplable to an analog sensor or to an analog actuator.

57. The network according to claim 56 further operative to carry video or voice signals.

58. The network according to claim 48 in combination with a single enclosure disposed within a component that is to be coupled to one of nodes, wherein said device is housed in said enclosure.

59. The network according to claim 48, wherein said network is further operative to carry data from said master node to said second slave node and from said second slave node to said first slave node.

60. The network according to claim 48 wherein said first data port is a standard DTE interface.

61. The network according to claim 60 wherein said standard DTE interface is Ethernet based.