Interface for industrial controller network card

• US 6,412,032 B1
• Filed: 09/30/1999
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Allen-Bradley Company LLC (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bradford, Jonathan, Neet, Kyle E., Griffin, Marcus E., Lantzy, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, HAROLD J
• Application Number:
  US09/408,697
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 710/52, 710/7, 710/20, 710/21, 710/53, 710/55
• US Class Current: 710/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/128 for dedicated transfers to a network for protocol converters G06F13/387

Abstract

An interface between a network communication card and an industrial controller allows rapid asynchronous buffering using two buffers and two associated registers for each data direction. A reading of the buffers is proceeded by an attempt to copy from the write designation register to the read designation register checking the equality of the register values and then reading from the buffer designated by their common value. Conclusion of the reading sets the write destination register to zero. Writing of the buffers is proceeded by a checking of the read designation register for zero value and then writing to other than the last buffer indicated by the write designation register. If the read designation register is non-zero, then the writing occurs to the opposite buffer of that in the read designation register. The write designation register is then updated to indicate the buffer written to.

Claims

1. An interface for a network card that is replaceably attached to an industrial controller to transmit messages sent from the industrial controller to a network and to receive messages from the network for the industrial controller, the interface comprising:

a first and second buffer;

a valid buffer register holding a value indicating the first or second buffer;

a consumer access register holding a value indicating the first or second buffer, or when cleared neither of the first nor second buffers;

an electronic computer executing a stored program to;

(a) prior to reading one of the first and second buffers;

(i) copy a value of the valid buffer register to the consumer access register;

(ii) confirm that the value of the consumer access register equals the value of the valid buffer register;

(b) upon confirmation, read a buffer indicated by the consumer access register; and

(c) upon completion of the reading, clear the consumer access register.

2. The interface of claim 1 wherein the electronic computer further copies for a second time a value of the valid buffer register to the consumer access register when the value of the consumer access register cannot be confirmed to equal the value of the valid buffer register.

3. The interface of claim 1 wherein the valid buffer register, the consumer access register and the first and second buffers are designated portions of a dual port memory.

4. The interface of claim 3 wherein the dual port memory is contained in the network card.

5. The interface of claim 1 wherein the clearing of the consumer access resister writes a value of zero to the consumer access register.

9. The interface for a network card of claim 2 wherein the electronic computer further executes the stored program to:

(d) prior to reading one of the first and second buffers;

(i) copying a value of the valid buffer register to the consumer access register;

(ii) confirming that the value of the consumer access register equals the value of the valid buffer register;

(e) reading a buffer indicated by the consumer access register; and

(f) upon completion of the reading, clearing the consumer access register.

6. A interface for a network card that is replaceably attached to an industrial controller to transmit messages sent from the industrial controller to the network and to receive messages from the network for the industrial controller, the interface comprising:

a first and second buffer;

a valid buffer register holding a value indicating the first or second buffer;

a consumer access register holding a value indicating the first or second buffer, or when cleared, neither of the first nor second buffers;

an electronic computer executing a stored program to;

(a) prior to a writing to one of the first and second buffers, read the consumer access register;

(b) when the consumer access register indicates a reading of one of the first and second buffers;

(i) write the value of the consumer access register to the valid buffer register

(ii) write to a buffer that is not indicated by the consumer access register;

(iii) write the value of the written buffer in the valid buffer register upon completion of writing;

(c) when the consumer access register indicates neither of the first and second buffers,

(i) read the valid buffer register;

(ii) write to a buffer that is not indicated by the valid buffer register; and

(iii) write a value of the written buffer in the valid buffer register upon completion of the writing.

7. The interface of claim 6 wherein the valid buffer register, the consumer access register and the first and second buffers are designated portions of a dual port memory.

8. The interface of claim 7 wherein the dual port memory is contained in the network Card.

10. A method of interfacing a network card to a host industrial controller, the interface communicating messages sent from the industrial controller to the network and receiving messages from the network for the industrial controller, the interface further including:

a first and second buffer;

a valid buffer register holding a value indicating the first or second buffer;

a consumer access register holding a value indicating the first or second buffer, or when cleared neither of the first nor second buffers, and

an electronic computer communicating with the first and second;

the method comprising operating the electronic computer to perform the steps of

(a) prior to reading one of the first and second buffers;

(i) copy a value of the valid buffer register to the consumer access register;

(ii) confirm that the value of the consumer access register equals the value of the valid buffer register;

(b) read a buffer indicated by the consumer access register; and

(c) upon completion of the reading, clear the consumer access register;

(d) prior to a writing to one of the first and second buffers read the consumer access register;

(e) when the consumer access register indicates one of the first and second buffers;

(i) write the value of the consumer access register to the valid buffer register

(ii) write to a buffer that is not indicated by the consumer access register;

(iii) write the value of the written buffer in the valid buffer register;

(f) when the consumer access register indicates neither of the first and second buffers,

(i) read the valid buffer register;

(ii) write to a buffer that is not indicated by the valid buffer register; and

(iii) write a value of the written buffer in the valid buffer register.

11. The method of claim 10 further including operating the electronic computer to perform the steps of:

(d) prior to reading one of the first and second buffers;

(i) copying a value of the valid buffer register to the consumer access register;

(ii) confirming that the value of the consumer access register equals the value of the valid buffer register;

(e) reading a buffer indicated by the consumer access register; and

(f) upon completion of the reading, clearing the consumer access register.