Control node, a network of control nodes and a network configurator
First Claim
1. A control node for a network of control nodes, data transmission between the control nodes in the network taking place in the form of data packets, the control node comprising:
- a transmitter module configured to manage the data to be sent in an output process image, to convert the output process image into a data packet and to output the data packet onto the network at a predetermined point in time,a receiver module configured to log on to the data packets of one or of a plurality of transmitter modules of further control nodes and to convert a received data packet into an input process image,a device specification stored in a memory area of the control node as a file, the device specification illustrating any of a hardware of the control node, a function of the control node and an interface of the control node to the outside, anda machine model imaging properties, the machine model being divided up into an organizing unit and a functional unit, the organizing unit determining operating states of the control node, the operating states of the control node indicating any of a manual operating mode, a semi-automatic operating mode and an automatic operating mode, and any of an initializing mode and a machine-operation mode, the functional unit comprising application programmes associated with the respective operating states, wherein the device specification is associated with the machine model.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A control node for a network of control nodes includes a transmitter module configured to manage the data to be sent in an output process image, to convert the output process image into a data packet and to output the data packet onto the network at a predetermined point in time. The control node further includes a receiver module configured to log on to the data packets of one or of a plurality of transmitter modules of further control nodes and to convert a received data packet into an input process image. The data transmission between the control nodes in the network takes place in the form of data packets.
21 Citations
33 Claims
-
1. A control node for a network of control nodes, data transmission between the control nodes in the network taking place in the form of data packets, the control node comprising:
-
a transmitter module configured to manage the data to be sent in an output process image, to convert the output process image into a data packet and to output the data packet onto the network at a predetermined point in time, a receiver module configured to log on to the data packets of one or of a plurality of transmitter modules of further control nodes and to convert a received data packet into an input process image, a device specification stored in a memory area of the control node as a file, the device specification illustrating any of a hardware of the control node, a function of the control node and an interface of the control node to the outside, and a machine model imaging properties, the machine model being divided up into an organizing unit and a functional unit, the organizing unit determining operating states of the control node, the operating states of the control node indicating any of a manual operating mode, a semi-automatic operating mode and an automatic operating mode, and any of an initializing mode and a machine-operation mode, the functional unit comprising application programmes associated with the respective operating states, wherein the device specification is associated with the machine model. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A system comprising a network of control nodes and a network configurator, data transmission between the control nodes in the network taking place in the form of data packets,
at least one control node being subdivided into subscribers, the subdivision of the control node into subscribers being freely configurable, each subscriber individually and in a self-sustained manner defining an accessible functionality of the control node, each control node comprising a transmitter module configured to manage the data to be sent in an output process image, to convert the output process image into a data packet and to output the data packet onto the network at a previously determined point in time, each control node comprising a receiver module configured to convert a received data packet into an input process image, the network configurator comprising a recording module in order to determine the control nodes connected to the network, a configuration module for determining the communication relations of the transmitter and receiver modules of the determining control nodes, the communication relations being determined on the basis of the number of control nodes determined by the recording module and on the basis of properties associated with the control nodes determined by the recording module, the communication relations defining which control node is to log on to which other control node by means of its receiver module to receive data from its transmitter module, as well as a programming module for transmitting the communication relations determined by the configuration module between the control nodes in the network to the control nodes, the receiver module of the control node being configured to log on for the data packets of one or of a plurality of transmitter modules of further control nodes on the basis of the communication relations determined by the configuration module, wherein the network configurator is configured to determine the communication relations between the control nodes and between the subscribers in the at least one control node, and wherein in an operation mode the network configurator is switched off or takes over a monitoring function and data transmission between the control nodes in the network is directly carried out from a transmitter module of a transmitting control node to at least a receiver module of a receiving control node in a point-to-point connection without any assistance of the network configurator.
-
18. A network comprising control nodes and a network configurator, data transmission between the control nodes in the network taking place in the form of data packets,
each control node comprising a transmitter module configured to manage the data to be sent in an output process image, to convert the output process image into a data packet and to output the data packet onto the network at a previously determined point in time, each control node comprising a receiver module configured to convert a received data packet into an input process image, the network configurator comprising a recording module in order to determine the control nodes connected to the network, a configuration module for determining the communication relations of the transmitter and receiver modules of the determining control nodes, the communication relations being determined on the basis of the number of control nodes determined by the recording module and on the basis of properties associated with the control nodes determined by the recording module, the communication relations defining which control node is to log on to which other control node by means of its receiver module to receive data from its transmitter module, as well as a programming module for transmitting the communication relations determined by the configuration module between the control nodes in the network to the control nodes, the receiver module of the control node being configured to log on for the data packets of one or of a plurality of transmitter modules of further control nodes on the basis of the communication relations determined by the configuration module, wherein in an operation mode the network configurator is switched off or takes over a monitoring function and the data transmission between the control nodes in the network is directly carried out from the transmitter module of a transmitting control node to at least the receiver module of a receiving control node in a point-to-point connection without any assistance of the network configurator.
Specification