System and method for transmitting real-time-critical and non-real-time-critical data in a distributed, industrial automation system
First Claim
1. A control system for a distributed, industrial automation system, comprising:
- a plurality of Ethernet switching units in a switched data network operating via a common synchronous time base among the Ethernet switching units, each Ethernet switching unit comprising a processor and an associated memory and being connected to a user device or a plurality of user devices or another Ethernet switching unit in a distributed, industrial automation system,wherein a communication between the user devices is effected in transmission cycles via data packets forwarded across the switched data network, wherein each transmission cycle is subdivided into a first section for transmission of real-time-critical data over the switched data network and a second section for transmission of non-real-time-critical data over the switched data network,wherein the Ethernet switching units are configured to have a length of the transmission cycle before a time of data transmission, including a length of the transmission cycle comprising the first section intended for transmission of the real-time critical data and a remaining length of the transmission cycle comprising the second section intended for transmission of the non-real-time-critical data; and
wherein non-real-time-critical data occurring during the first section of the transmission cycle is temporarily stored in the memory and later forwarded across the switched data network during the second section of a current or subsequent transmission cycle.
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Abstract
A system and a method provides both for a real-time-critical communication and a non-real-time-critical communication in a switched data network consisting of users and switching units, for example a distributed automation system, by means of a cyclic operation. In a so-called transmission cycle (12), there exists for all users and switching units of the switched data network in each case at least one section (13) for transmitting real-time-critical data and at least one section (14) for transmitting non-real-time-critical data, as a result of which the real-time-critical communication is separated from the non-real-time-critical communication. Since all users and switching units are always synchronized to a common time base, the respective sections for transmitting data in each case take place at the same time for all users and switching units, i.e. the real-time-critical communication takes place independently in time from the non-real-time-critical communication and is, therefore, not influenced by the latter.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A control system for a distributed, industrial automation system, comprising:
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a plurality of Ethernet switching units in a switched data network operating via a common synchronous time base among the Ethernet switching units, each Ethernet switching unit comprising a processor and an associated memory and being connected to a user device or a plurality of user devices or another Ethernet switching unit in a distributed, industrial automation system, wherein a communication between the user devices is effected in transmission cycles via data packets forwarded across the switched data network, wherein each transmission cycle is subdivided into a first section for transmission of real-time-critical data over the switched data network and a second section for transmission of non-real-time-critical data over the switched data network, wherein the Ethernet switching units are configured to have a length of the transmission cycle before a time of data transmission, including a length of the transmission cycle comprising the first section intended for transmission of the real-time critical data and a remaining length of the transmission cycle comprising the second section intended for transmission of the non-real-time-critical data; and wherein non-real-time-critical data occurring during the first section of the transmission cycle is temporarily stored in the memory and later forwarded across the switched data network during the second section of a current or subsequent transmission cycle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A control system for a distributed, industrial automation system, comprising:
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a plurality of Ethernet switching units in a switched data network operating via a common synchronous time base among the Ethernet switching units, each Ethernet switching unit comprising a processor and an associated memory and being connected to a user device or a plurality of user devices or another Ethernet switching unit, wherein connections between the Ethernet switching units are point-to-point connections and a communication between the user devices is effected in transmission cycles via data packets forwarded across the switched data network, wherein timing of real-time-critical data is planned in advance; wherein each transmission cycle is subdivided into a first section for transmission of real-time-critical data over the switched data network and a second section for transmission of non-real-time-critical data over the switched data network, wherein the Ethernet switching units are configured to have a length of the transmission cycle before a time of data transmission, including a length of the transmission cycle comprising the first section intended for transmission of the real-time critical data and a remaining length of the transmission cycle comprising the second section intended for transmission of the non-real-time-critical data, wherein at least one Ethernet switching unit is configured to receive non-real-time-critical data from an additional user device without an Ethernet switching unit connected to the switched data network via a direct Ethernet connection at an arbitrary time and to schedule communication of the non-real-time-critical data on the switched data network without disturbing transmission of the real-time-critical data. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification