Method and system for recording, synchronizing and analysing data by means of analysis devices which are spatially distributed in a communication network

• US 9,031,055 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Automation GmbH (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric Automation GmbH (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Kaemmerer, Ulrich, Hortig, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, BRENDA H
• Application Number:
  US13/824,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20140003454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 370/324, 370/350, 370/503, 370/509, 370/510, 370/512
• US Class Current: 370/350
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0644 External master-clock
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/417 with deterministic access, e.g. token passing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0079 Receiver details

Abstract

A method and a system for recording, synchronizing and analyzing data transmitted between spatially distributed devices of a communication network using spatially distributed analysis devices, wherein the data are received by at least two analysis devices looped into the communication network, and wherein the received data are marked by means of a synchronization signal which is simultaneously received by the analysis devices. In order to simplify the recording, synchronization and analysis of data by means of spatially distributed analysis devices, provision is made for the analysis devices to store data frames of the received data in data files, wherein each received data frame is marked with a time stamp of a local time of the receiving analysis device, and wherein time synchronization events are produced by means of the received synchronization signal in each of the analysis devices.

Claims

1. A method for recording, synchronizing and analyzing data transmitted between spatially dispersed devices within a communications network including a real-time Ethernet network, by means of spatially dispersed analysis units, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the data by at least two analysis units looped into the communications network,

marking the received data using a synchronization signal received simultaneously by the analysis units,

storing data frames of the received data in data files,

marking each of the data frames with a time stamp of a local time of the analysis units,

generating time synchronization events simultaneously using the received synchronization data in each of the analysis units, during recording of the data files in each of the analysis units, as pseudo frames between the data frames for later synchronization,

coordinating the local time stamp contained in the data frames in reference to the inserted time synchronization events,

encoding specific information on the analysis units as additional information in each data frame, and

compiling the individual data files received during measurement of the individual analysis units in reference to the simultaneous time synchronization events, so that the data frames recorded by the analysis units are in the correct temporal sequence.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a publicly available time signal is used as the synchronization signal.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the time synchronization events are inserted each second into the data files.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the time synchronization events are inserted synchronously and/or simultaneously into the data files.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the time signal is a time signal transmitter signal or a Global Positioning System signal.

6. A system for recording, synchronizing and analyzing data transmitted between spatially dispersed devices of a communications network, including a real-time Ethernet network, the system comprising:

spatially dispersed analysis units, wherein the analysis units in the communications network connect the devices and are looped for recording the data,

a receiver for simultaneously receiving a synchronization signal in each of the analysis units, and

means for marking the received data on the basis of the synchronization signal,

wherein the analysis units comprise;

means for marking recorded data frames with a local time stamp of the receiving analysis units,

means for storing the data frames in a data file,

means for generating time synchronization events on the basis of the synchronization signal, and

means for inserting the time synchronization events as pseudo frames between the data frames of a data file, and

wherein the analysis units are configured to coordinate the local time stamp contained in the data frames in reference to the inserted time synchronization events, to encode specific information on the analysis units as additional information in each of the data frames, and to compile the data file received by the individual analysis units during measurement in reference to the simultaneous time synchronization events,

wherein the data frames recorded by the analysis units are in a correct temporal sequence.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the analysis units are embodied as an analysis personal computer with a plug-in analysis card.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the receiver is connected to a trigger signal input of the analysis units or to the plug-in analysis card.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein the receiver is embodied as a radio receiver, via which a locally or publicly available time signal is received.

10. The system according to claim 6, wherein the communications network is a wired or wireless communications network.

11. The system according to claim 9,

wherein the time signal is a time signal transmitter signal or a Global Positioning System signal.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the wired or wireless communications network is a real-time Ethernet network.