Extending industrial control system communications capabilities
First Claim
1. An industrial automation and communications system, comprising:
- a communications component that employs a first industrial protocol as a payload protocol to transport one or more unrelated industrial protocols, where the payload protocol and the one or more unrelated industrial protocols subscribe to an open industry standard; and
a controller component that communicates to a network in accordance with the first industrial protocol and to at least one device in accordance with the one or more unrelated industrial protocols.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods are provided for communications across multiple networks in a substantially transparent and seamless manner. In one aspect, an industrial automation system is provided. The system includes a communications component to facilitate communications in an industrial controller network, where the communications component can include a protocol encapsulation component, a network services interface, or a protocol converter to process multiple network protocols. A controller component employs at least one network protocol to communicate with at least one other network protocol via the communications component. Also, the communications component can include multiple communications stacks to facilitate communications with the multiple network protocols.
93 Citations
33 Claims
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1. An industrial automation and communications system, comprising:
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a communications component that employs a first industrial protocol as a payload protocol to transport one or more unrelated industrial protocols, where the payload protocol and the one or more unrelated industrial protocols subscribe to an open industry standard; and
a controller component that communicates to a network in accordance with the first industrial protocol and to at least one device in accordance with the one or more unrelated industrial protocols. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A computer readable medium having a data structure stored thereon to process a plurality of network protocols, comprising:
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a first data field to specify a first industrial payload protocol;
a second data field to specify a second industrial protocol, the first industrial payload protocol and the second industrial protocol specified to disassociated industry standards; and
a third data field to specify at least one network controller component to receive the first industrial payload protocol and the second industrial protocol. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. An industrial control communications method, comprising:
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defining an industrial payload protocol;
defining an industrial control protocol which is disassociated from the industrial payload protocol;
transporting the industrial control protocol within the industrial payload protocol; and
communicating across a network with the industrial payload protocol to at least one device that employs the industrial control protocol. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. An industrial control communications systems, comprising:
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means for encapsulating data having a first industrial protocol within a payload associated with at least a second industrial protocol in a control system, the first industrial protocol and the second industrial protocol are specified to different industry standards;
means for converting the data in the control system;
means for interfacing to a protocol stack in the control system; and
means for communicating across a backplane in the control system.
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Specification