Transparent handover for mobile components of an automation system

• US 8,086,260 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Biehler, Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US12/286,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20090117934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 455/525, 455423-425, 455/422.1, 455/403, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455/432.1, 455/432.2, 455/432.3, 455436-445, 455/514, 455/515, 455/500, 455/517, 455/508, 455/63.1, 455/67.11, 370/241, 370/244, 370/245, 370/248, 370/251, 370/252, 370/310, 370/328, 370/329, 370/331, 370/332, 370/338, 370/343
• US Class Current: 455/525
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31162 Wireless lan
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31165 Control handover in wireless automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for transferring data between a mobile component and a controller of an automation system with a link for linking the component to the controller. The component is assigned a memory area in the memory of the controller, in which data to be transferred to the component is stored and copied into memory areas assigned to all links, so that all links provided for communication with the component have the current data available to them, and into which current data is copied by the component out of the memory area of the link in the radio cell of which the component is currently located. For a user application running on the controller of the automation system a handover of the component between different radio cells is transparent, since the application merely accesses the always up-to-date component data in the memory area assigned to the component.

Claims

1. A method for transferring data between a component and a controller of an automation system by a link for linking the component to the controller, comprising:

creating a diagnostic message when the component enters and leaves a radio coverage area of the link;

transferring the diagnostic message by a network protocol to the controller;

determining the link in the radio coverage area by the controller based on the diagnostic messages;

assigning a first memory area in a memory of the controller to the link;

assigning a second memory area in the memory of the controller to the component;

transferring data between the component and the controller by the link; and

copying the data between the first memory area and the second memory area.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the component is assigned a parameterization.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the automation system comprises a set of links and a subset of the links connects the component to the controller.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an alarm signal is generated by the controller based on the diagnostic messages if the link cannot be determined within an alarm time.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an engineering system assigns the second memory area, a parameterization to the component, a configuration of the link, or a setting of an alarm time.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the link comprises a communication connection to the controller and a radio interface for establishing a wireless connection to the component.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein data to be transferred from the controller to the component is read out from the first memory area and sent to the component by the radio interface.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein data to be transferred from the component to the controller is received by the radio interface and written into the first memory area.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein data to be transferred from the controller to the component is stored in the second memory area and copied from the second memory area into the first memory area.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein data to be transferred from the component to the controller is copied from the first memory area into the second memory area.

11. An automation system, comprising:

a component;

a controller comprising a memory with a first memory area and a second memory area; and

a link comprising a communication connection to the controller and a radio interface for establishing a wireless connection to the component,

wherein the first memory area is configured to be assigned to the link and the second memory area is configured to be assigned to the component,

wherein the controller is configured to determine the link when the component enters and leaves a radio coverage area of the link, and

wherein the link is configured to transfer data between the component and the controller and the data is copied between the first memory area and the second memory area.

12. The automation system as claimed in claim 11, wherein a diagnostic message is generated when the component enters and leaves the radio coverage area of the link and transferred to the controller for determining the link.

13. The automation system as claimed in claim 11, wherein data to be transferred from the controller to the component is read out of the first memory area and sent by the radio interface to the component.

14. The automation system as claimed in claim 11, wherein data to be transferred from the component to the controller is received by the radio interface and written into the first memory area.

15. The automation system as claimed in claim 11, wherein data to be transferred from the controller to the component is stored in the second memory area and copied from the second memory area into the first memory area.

16. The automation system as claimed in claim 11, wherein data to be transferred from the component to the controller is copied from the first memory area into the second memory area.

17. The automation system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the component is assigned a parameterization.

18. The automation system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a set of links and a subset of the links connects the component to the controller.

19. The automation system as claimed in claim 11, wherein an alarm signal is generated by the controller based on the diagnostic messages if the link cannot be determined within an alarm time.

20. The automation system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising an engineering system that assigns the second memory area, a parameterization to the component, a configuration of the link, or a setting of an alarm time.