System and method for providing simultaneous connectivity between devices in an industrial control and automation or other system

• US 20090109889A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Budampati, Ramakrishna S., Kolavennu, Soumitri N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,681,676 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5069 for group communication, multicast communication or broadcast communication

Abstract

A system, apparatuses, and methods support simultaneous connectivity between devices in an industrial control and automation or other system. For example, a data publisher can publish or provide data to multiple data subscribers. This can be done using a multicast group associated with the multiple data subscribers. The data publisher transmits a data message using a network address associated with the multicast group. Each data subscriber associated with the multicast group receives a copy of the data message. As a particular example, the data publisher could represent a wireless sensor or wireless actuator in the industrial control and automation or other system. Also, the data subscribers could represent multiple controllers or actuators in the industrial control and automation or other system. In this way, the multicasting functionality allows for simpler connectivity or interaction between devices in the industrial control and automation or other system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a multicast network address associated with a multicast group, the multicast group associated with multiple data subscribers; and

transmitting a data message from a data publisher using the multicast network address, the data message traversing a path through a wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the data publisher comprises one of;

a wireless sensor and a wireless actuator; and

the data subscribers comprise at least one of;

one or more controllers coupled to a wired network and one or more actuators.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transporting multiple copies of the data message through the wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying at least one route for the data message through the wireless network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein identifying the at least one route comprises identifying multiple routes through the wireless network such that a common number of hops along the multiple routes between the data publisher and the data subscribers is maximized.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subscribing to a second multicast network address associated with a second multicast group; and

receiving a second data message from a second data publisher using the second multicast network address.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

identifying a second multicast network address associated with a second multicast group; and

transmitting a second data message using the second multicast network address to multiple data subscribers.

7. A method comprising:

subscribing to a multicast group, the multicast group having a multicast network address and associated with a data publisher; and

receiving a data message from the data publisher using the multicast network address, the data message traversing a path through a wireless network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the data publisher comprises one of;

a wireless sensor and a wireless actuator; and

the subscribing and receiving occur at a controller coupled to a wired network, the controller comprising one of multiple data subscribers receiving the data message.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying multiple routes through the wireless network such that a common number of hops along the multiple routes between the data publisher and multiple data subscribers is maximized.

11. A system comprising:

a data publisher configured to identify a multicast network address associated with a multicast group and to transmit a data message using the multicast network address;

a wireless network configured to transport the data message; and

multiple data subscribers configured to receive the data message from the data publisher, the data publisher making a single transmission of the data message to the multicast network address.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the data publisher comprises one of;

a wireless sensor and a wireless actuator; and

the data subscribers comprise at least one of;

one or more controllers coupled to a wired network and one or more actuators.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a directory server configured to maintain multiple multicast network addresses for multiple multicast groups.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a route manager configured to identify at least one route for the data message through the wireless network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the route manager is configured to identify multiple routes through the wireless network such that a common number of hops along the multiple routes between the data publisher and the data subscribers is maximized.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to identify a multicast network address associated with a multicast group, the multicast group associated with multiple data subscribers; and

a transceiver configured to transmit a data message through a wireless network using the multicast network address.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the apparatus comprises one of;

a wireless sensor and a wireless actuator; and

the data subscribers comprise at least one of;

one or more controllers coupled to a wired network and one or more actuators.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to identify at least one route for the data message through the wireless network.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to identify multiple routes through the wireless network such that a common number of hops along the multiple routes between the apparatus and the data subscribers is maximized.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the controller is further configured to subscribe to a second multicast network address associated with a second multicast group; and

the transceiver is further configured to receive a second data message from a data publisher using the second multicast network address.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to subscribe to a multicast group, the multicast group having a multicast network address and associated with a data publisher; and

an interface configured to receive a data message from the data publisher using the multicast network address, the data message traversing a path through a wireless network.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein:

the data publisher comprises one of;

a wireless sensor and a wireless actuator; and

the apparatus comprises a controller coupled to a wired network, the controller comprising one of multiple data subscribers receiving the data message.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the controller is further configured to identify at least one route through the wireless network.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the controller is configured to identify multiple routes through the wireless network such that a common number of hops along the multiple routes between the data publisher and multiple data subscribers is maximized, the multiple data subscribers including the apparatus.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein:

the controller is further configured to identify a second multicast network address associated with a second multicast group; and

the interface is further configured to transmit a second data message using the second multicast network address to multiple data subscribers.