Method and system for handling data based on the acknowledgement and extraction of data packets

• US 8,050,258 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Schäfer, Philipp
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh; Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsiung; Hai-Chang
• Application Number:
  US10/570,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20070041394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,615 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for handling, namely forwarding and extracting, data, especially messages, in a system comprising at least one data source and a plurality of data receivers. The invention also relates to a corresponding system comprising at least one data source and at least one data receiver. At least one set of data, especially a message, is forwarded to a plurality of data receivers from a data source. According to the invention, when a set of data forwarded from the data source is acknowledged by one of the data receivers, said acknowledged data is preferably automatically extracted from the data source for the rest of the data receivers.

Claims

1. A method for handling messages in an automation system comprising programmable logic controllers (PLCs), the method comprising:

connecting a plurality of PLC automation devices to form the automation system, wherein at least one of the PLC automation devices of the automation system serves as a data source, and wherein at least some of the PLC automation devices of the automation system serve as a plurality of data receivers;

forwarding a message from the data source to the plurality of data receivers, wherein the message from the data source contains information representing an error report or a warning message of the automation system, the message to be processed by at least one of the automation devices serving as the plurality of data receivers, wherein, when the message containing the information representing the error report or warning message of the automation system is processed by said at least one of the plurality of data receivers, said information is no longer valid with respect to the automation devices serving as the plurality of data receivers other than said at least one data receiver;

acknowledging the forwarded message by the at least one data receiver of the plurality of data receivers, wherein the acknowledging of the forwarded message by the at least one data receiver comprises an active confirmation by the at least one data receiver indicative of performing a processing of the message containing the information representing the error report or warning message of the automation system forwarded by the data source;

withdrawing the forwarded message from the automation devices serving as the plurality of data receivers other than the at least one data receiver upon said acknowledging of the processing of the forwarded message by the at least one data receiver, wherein the withdrawing of the forwarded message from the automation devices serving as the plurality of data receivers other than the at least one data receiver is performed automatically by the automation device serving as the data source; and

displaying a message on the respective automation devices serving as data receivers from which the forwarded message was withdrawn, the displayed message indicative that the forwarded message was previously processed by the at least one data receiver.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each data receiver confirms receipt of the forwarded message by transmitting a receipt confirmation message to the data source.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the receipt confirmation message includes a message ID for unambiguously identifying the forwarded message and the respective data receiver.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the receipt confirmation message is stored by the data source.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

processing the forwarded message by the at least one data receiver; and

acknowledging the processing of the forwarded message by transmitting a processing . confirmation message to the data source by the at least one data receiver, wherein the data source withdraws the forwarded message from the plurality of data receivers other than the at least one data receiver based on the processing confirmation message.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising indicating the processing of the forwarded message by the at least one data receiver to the plurality of data receivers other than the at least one data receiver.

7. A device for handling messages in an automation system comprising programmable logic controllers (PLCs), comprising:

a plurality of PLC automated devices,

wherein at least one of the PLC automated devices serves as a data source, and wherein at least some of the PLC automated devices serve as a plurality of data receivers, said at least one data source being configured to forward a message to the plurality of data receivers,

wherein the message from the data source contains information representing an error report or a warning message of the automation system, the message to be processed by at least one of the automation devices serving as the plurality of data receivers,

wherein, when the message containing the information representing the error report or warning message of the automation system is processed by said at least one of the plurality of data receivers, said information is no longer valid with respect to the automation devices serving as the plurality of data receivers other than said at least one data receiver,

wherein the at least one data receiver of the plurality of data receivers acknowledges the forwarded message, wherein the acknowledgment of the forwarded message by the at least one data receiver comprises an active confirmation by the at least one data receiver indicative of performing a processing of the message containing the information representing the error report or warning message of the automation system forwarded by the data source,

wherein the forwarded message is withdrawn from the automation devices serving as the plurality of data receivers other than the at least one data receiver upon acknowledging of the processing of the forwarded message by the at least one data receiver, and

further wherein the automation device serving as the data source is configured to automatically withdraw the forwarded message from the automation devices serving as the plurality of data receivers other than the at least one data receiver; and

a graphical user interface configured to display a message on each respective automation device serving as data receiver from which the forwarded message was withdrawn, the displayed message indicative that the forwarded message was previously processed by the at least one data receiver.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein each data receiver confirms receipt of the forwarded message by transmitting a receipt confirmation message to the data source, the receipt confirmation message including a message ID for unambiguously identifying the forwarded message and the respective data receiver.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein the forwarded message is processed by the at least one data receiver and the processing of the forwarded message is acknowledged by transmitting a processing confirmation message to the data source by the at least one data receiver, the data source withdrawing the forwarded message from the plurality of data receivers other than the at least one data receiver based on the processing confirmation message.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein the processing of the forwarded message by the at least one data receiver is indicated to the plurality of data receivers other than the at least one data receiver.

11. A programmable logic controller (PLC) automation system, comprising a plurality of PLC automation devices configured to exchange messages, wherein

at least one of the PLC automation devices is configured as a data source for forwarding messages to the other automation devices, the other automation devices configured as data receivers,

a message is forwarded from the data source to the plurality of data receivers, wherein the message from the data source contains information representing an error report or a warning message of the automation system, the message to be processed by at least one of the PLC automation devices configured as the plurality of data receivers, wherein, when the message containing the information representing the error report or warning message of the automation system is processed by said at least one of the plurality of data receivers, said information is no longer valid with respect to the automation devices configured as the plurality of data receivers other than said at least one data receiver,

the forwarded message is acknowledged by the at least one data receiver of the automation devices configured as the plurality of data receivers, wherein the acknowledgement of the forwarded message by the at least one data receiver comprises an active confirmation of performing a processing of the message containing the information representing the error report or warning message of the automation system forwarded by the data source,

the forwarded message is withdrawn from the automation devices configured as the plurality of data receivers other than the at least one data receiver upon acknowledging of the processing of the forwarded message by the at least one data receiver, and further wherein the automation device configured as the data source is configured to automatically withdraw the forwarded message from the automation devices configured as the plurality of data receivers other than the at least one data receiver, and

a message is displayed on the automation devices configured as the respective data receivers from which the forwarded message was withdrawn, the displayed message indicative that the forwarded message was previously processed by the at least one data receiver.

12. The automation system according to claim 11, wherein each data receiver confirms receipt of the forwarded message by transmitting a receipt confirmation message to the data source, the receipt confirmation message including a message ID for unambiguously identifying the forwarded message and the respective data receiver.

13. The automation system according to claim 11, wherein the forwarded message is processed by the at least one data receiver and the processing of the forwarded message is acknowledged by transmitting a processing confirmation message to the data source by the at least one data receiver, the data source withdrawing the forwarded message from the plurality of data receivers other than the at least one data receiver based on the processing confirmation message.

14. The automation system according to claim 11, wherein the processing of the forwarded message by the at least one data receiver is indicated to the plurality of data receivers other than the at least one data receiver.