Method and device for data transfer in telecommunication system

• US 7,706,396 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2004
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: Abb Oy (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Salo, Kaj
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefcheck; Gregory B
• Application Number:
  US10/853,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20040218619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,162 Days
• Field of Search: 370/459, 370/460
• US Class Current: 370/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4135 using bit-wise arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/417 with deterministic access, e.g. token passing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/43 with synchronous transmission, e.g. time division multiplex [TDM], slotted rings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and a device for transferring data in a telecommunication system comprising a data transfer path (8) and devices (21, 22, 1) using the data transfer path for data transfer, data being transferred cyclically in messages (4) between the devices according to at least one cycle having a cycle time, whereby the device (1) is configured to monitor the cyclic communication on the data transfer path; determine, on the basis of the monitoring and the cycle time of said at least one cycle of the cyclic communication, at least one expected occurrence time slot of the cyclic communication; and transmit a message not belonging to the cyclic communication to the data transfer path on the basis of at least one determined occurrence time slot such that it does not collide with one or more messages of the cyclic communication occurring in the determined at least one occurrence time slot.

Claims

1. A method of transferring data in a telecommunication system comprising a data transfer path and devices using the data transfer path for data transfer, data being transferred on the data transfer path cyclically in messages between the devices according to at least one cycle having a cycle time remaining substantially constant, wherein the cycle time of a cycle is a time between starting moments of transmissions, by the same transmitter, of two successive messages belonging to the cycle, the method comprising:

monitoring the cyclic communication on the data transfer path of the telecommunication system;

determining, on the basis of the monitoring and the cycle time of said at least one cycle of the cyclic communication, at least one expected occurrence time slot of the cyclic communication, wherein said determining comprises;

detecting, on the basis of the monitoring, one or more messages belonging to a particular cycle of the cyclic communication;

determining a realized occurrence moment of the detected one or more messages; and

determining, on the basis of the realized occurrence moment of the detected one or more messages and the cycle time of that particular cycle, an occurrence time slot, which is expected at a predetermined probability, of at least one next message belonging to that particular cycle; and

transmitting a message not belonging to the cyclic communication to the data transfer path on the basis of at least one determined occurrence time slot of the cyclic communication such that it does not collide with one or more messages of the cyclic communication occurring in the determined at least one occurrence time slot.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message not belonging to the cyclic communication is transmitted to the data transfer path such that the transfer of the message on the data transfer path ends before the start of the next determined coming occurrence time slot of the cyclic communication.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the occurrence time slot determined for the next message of the cyclic communication is changed into non-active after the next message has passed on the data transfer path, the message not belonging to the cyclic communication being transmitted to the data transfer path such that the transmission of the message not belonging to the cyclic communication does not start before the current occurrence time slot of the cyclic communication becomes non-active.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the occurrence time slots of the cyclic communication are determined for each cycle.

5. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the method further comprises:

determining, on the basis of the monitoring, the cycle time of said at least one cycle of the cyclic communication on the data transfer path of the telecommunication system prior to determining the occurrence time slots of the cyclic communication.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the cycle time of the cycle is determined on the basis of the times between occurrence time slots of two or more detected messages belonging to the cycle.

7. A device for transferring data in a telecommunication system comprising a data transfer path and devices using the data transfer path for data transfer, data being transferred on the data transfer path cyclically in messages between the devices according to at least one cycle having a cycle time remaining substantially constant, wherein the cycle time of a cycle is a time between starting moments of transmissions, by the same transmitter, of two successive messages belonging to the cycle, the device comprising:

means for monitoring the cyclic communication on the data transfer path of the telecommunication system;

means for determining, on the basis of the monitoring and the cycle time of said at least one cycle of the cyclic communication, at least one expected occurrence time slot of the cyclic communication, said means for determining comprising;

means for detecting, on the basis of the monitoring, one or more messages belonging to a particular cycle of the cyclic communication;

means for determining a realized occurrence moment of the detected one or more messages; and

means for determining, on the basis of the realized occurrence moment of detected one or more messages and the cycle time of that particular cycle, an occurrence time slot, which is expected at a predetermined probability, of at least one next message belonging to that particular cycle; and

means for transmitting a message not belonging to the cyclic communication to the data transfer path on the basis of at least one determined occurrence time slot of the cyclic communication such that it does not collide with one or more messages of the cyclic communication occurring in the determined at least one occurrence time slot.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the means for transmitting are configured to transmit the message not belonging to the cyclic communication to the data transfer path such that the transfer of the message on the data transfer path ends before the start of the next determined coming occurrence time slot of the cyclic communication.

9. The device of claim 7 or 8, wherein the occurrence time slot determined for the next message of the cyclic communication changes into non-active after the next message has passed on the data transfer path, and wherein the means for transmitting are configured to transmit the message not belonging to the cyclic communication to the data transfer path such that the transmission of the message not belonging to the cyclic communication does not start before the current occurrence time slot of the cyclic communication changes into non-active.

10. The device of claim 7 or 8, wherein the means for determining at least one expected occurrence time slot of the cyclic communication are further configured to determine the occurrence time slots of the cyclic communication for each cycle.

11. The device of claim 7 or 8, wherein the means for determining at least one expected occurrence time slot of the cyclic communication are further configured to determine, on the basis of the monitoring, the cycle time of said at least one cycle of the cyclic communication on the data transfer path of the telecommunication system prior to determining the occurrence time slots of the cyclic communication.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the means for determining at least one expected occurrence time slot of the cyclic communication are further configured to determine the cycle time of the cycle on the basis of the times between occurrence time slots of two or more detected messages belonging to the cycle.

13. The device of claim 7 or 8, wherein the device is a router.

14. The device of claim 7 or 8, wherein the device is a switch.

15. The device of claim 7 or 8, wherein the data transfer path is a radio path and the device is a transceiver.