Event signaling between peripheral modules and a processing unit

• US 20080005428A1
• Filed: 06/12/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Zenger, Hermann, Ziemann, Wolfgang, Maul, Jurgen, Tretter, Albert
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,672 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/62
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/426 using an embedded synchronisation, e.g. Firewire bus, Fibre Channel bus, SSA bus

Abstract

There is described a method, a bus protocol, a peripheral module, a processing unit, a hub and also to a system consisting of said components, for event signaling between at least one peripheral module and a processing unit by means of a system bus. In this case the data to be transmitted data is encoded into a larger symbol space, from which a standard idle symbol is used in telegram pauses for synchronizing a connection between transmitter and receiver. A message present at the peripheral modules is enabled to be signaled to the processing unit independently of the telegram traffic initiated by the processing unit. This is achieved by a peripheral module wishing to signal an event to the processing unit sending to the processing unit in a telegram pause, instead of the standard idle character, a signaling sequence consisting of an alarm idle symbol and an alarm identifier which contain information about the relevant event as well as the module address of the peripheral module at which the event is present, with the information about the event also being transcoded into the larger symbol space.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A method for event signaling between at least one peripheral module and a processing unit via a system bus, comprising:

operating the system bus based upon a system bus master, wherein the system bus master reads data from the peripheral modules or sends data to the peripheral modules;

using individual symbols for the data in a symbol space;

transcoding the data into a larger symbol space by an encoder, wherein the data are transmitted in a bit transmission layer via a transmitter;

using a telegram method for the transmission based upon a request/response paradigm, wherein specific symbols from the larger symbol space are used to identify a start and an end of a telegram, and wherein a standard idle symbol is used in telegram pauses to synchronize a connection between the transmitter and the receiver;

converting back the data via a decoder at a receiver; and

sending a signaling sequence by the peripheral module to the processing unit in a telegram pause instead of a standard idle symbol, to signal an event to the processing unit, wherein the signaling sequence has an alarm idle symbol and an alarm identifier, wherein the alarm identifier contains information about the event and a module address of the peripheral module with the event, and wherein the information about the event is transcoded into the larger symbol space.

32. The method as claimed in claim 31, wherein the signaling sequence is interrupted at any given point in a symbol string of the signaling sequence, if a request or a response telegram is sent.

33. The method as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processing unit is used as the system bus master.

34. The method as claimed in claim 31, wherein an interface module is used as the system bus master, wherein the interface module establishes a link between the peripheral modules and the processing unit via a field bus.

35. The method as claimed in claim 31, wherein the signaling sequence is sent by the peripheral module until the processing unit signals by a corresponding telegram to the peripheral module that the signaling sequence has arrived at the processing unit.

36. The method as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processing unit and the peripheral modules are connected based upon a daisy-chain structure.

37. The method as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processing unit and the peripheral modules are connected based upon a backplane structure.

38. The method as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processing unit is a Programmable Logic Controller.

39. A peripheral module for communication with a processing unit over a system bus, comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting data to a system bus master, wherein the data are transcoded for transmission in a bit transmission layer at the transmitter by an encoder into a larger symbol space;

a receiver to receive data from the system bus master, wherein the data are converted in a smaller symbol space at the receiver by a decoder;

a telegram method based on a request/response paradigm used for data transmission, wherein specific symbols from the larger symbol space are used to identify a start and an end of a telegram, and wherein a standard idle symbol is used in telegram pauses for synchronizing a connection between a transmitter and a receiver;

a signaling sequence for event signaling to be send to the processing unit instead of a standard idle symbol, wherein the signaling sequence has an alarm idle symbol and an alarm identifier, wherein the alarm identifier contains information about the relevant event as well as the module address of the peripheral module.

41. The peripheral module as claimed in claim 39, wherein the peripheral module has a sample stage to store a signaling sequence to be sent.

42. The peripheral module as claimed in claim 39, wherein the peripheral module has at least one further transmitter and at least one further receiver for connecting further peripheral modules.

43. The peripheral module as claimed in claim 42, wherein the peripheral module has a hold stage to store signaling sequences from the further peripheral modules.

44. The peripheral module as claimed in claim 43, wherein the peripheral module has a priority stage to evaluate the own signaling sequence and to evaluate the signaling sequence of further peripheral modules.

45. The peripheral module as claimed in claim 44, wherein a forwarding of the signaling sequence with a highest priority is based upon the a priority stage.

46. The peripheral module as claimed in claim 44, wherein signaling sequences with the same priority are forwarded based upon a priority scheme applicable on the system bus.

47. A processing unit for communication with at least one peripheral module over a system bus, comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting data to the peripheral modules, wherein the data are transcoded for transmission in a bit transmission layer at the transmitter by an encoder into a larger symbol space;

a receiver to receive data from the peripheral modules, wherein the data are converted in a smaller symbol space at the receiver by a decoder;

a telegram method based on a request/response paradigm used for data transmission, wherein specific symbols from the larger symbol space are used to identify a start and an end of a telegram, and wherein a standard idle symbol is used in telegram pauses for synchronizing a connection between a transmitter and a receiver;

a signaling sequence for event signaling to be send to the peripheral module instead of a standard idle symbol, wherein the signaling sequence has an alarm idle symbol and an alarm identifier, wherein the alarm identifier contains information about the relevant event as well as the module address of the peripheral module.

48. The processing unit as claimed in claim 47, wherein the processing unit is a system bus master.

49. The processing unit as claimed in claim 47, wherein the processing unit has at least one further transmitter and at least one further receiver for connecting further peripheral modules.

50. The processing unit as claimed in claim 47, wherein the processing unit has a hold stage per receiver for storing signaling sequences of the peripheral modules.