Automation system having a subscriber structure, distributor and method for telegram transmission

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12316474-B2
Application number	US-202318186649-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2023
Priority date	Oct 22, 2020
Publication date	May 27, 2025
Grant date	May 27, 2025

Abstract

An automation system has a plurality of subscribers including a first primary unit, first distributor, second primary unit, second distributor, and at least another subscriber unit. First and second transmitting/receiving devices of the first and second distributor are connected via a ring-shaped data bus. In a first mode, the first distributor forwards telegrams received from the first primary unit to the first transmitting/receiving device, and forwards telegrams received by the second transmitting/receiving device to the first primary unit. The second distributor also forwards first telegrams received by the first transmitting/receiving device to the second transmitting/receiving device. In a second mode, the second distributor forwards telegrams received by the second primary unit to the second transmitting/receiving device, and the second distributor forwards telegrams received by the first transmitting/receiving device to the second primary unit. The first distributor also forwards telegrams received by the second transmitting/receiving device to the first transmitting/receiving device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automation system comprising:
a plurality of subscribers; and
a ring-shaped data bus;
wherein the subscribers comprise a first primary unit, a first distributor, a second primary unit, a second distributor and at least a slave secondary unit;
wherein the first primary unit and the second primary unit each comprises a controller configured to generate telegrams, the telegrams each comprising a control data block having an individual identifier and a user data block;
a switching device, a first transmitting/receiving device and a second transmitting/receiving device of the first distributor, wherein the switching device is connected to the controller of the first primary unit and the first and second transmitting/receiving devices to transmit the telegrams between the controller of the first primary unit, the first transmitting/receiving device and the second transmitting/receiving device, after evaluating individual identifiers contained in the telegrams on the basis of a first switching control set defined in the switching device;
wherein the second distributor comprises a switching device, a first transmitting/receiving device and a second transmitting/receiving device of the second distributor, the switching device being connected to the controller of the second primary unit and the first and second transmitting/receiving device to transmit the telegrams between the controller of the second primary unit, the first transmitting/receiving device and the second transmitting/receiving device, after evaluating individual identifiers contained in the telegrams on the basis of the second switching control set defined in the switching device;
wherein the first transmitting/receiving device of the first distributor and the second distributor are connected via the ring-shaped data bus to transmit the telegrams between the first transmitting/receiving devices of the first distributor and of the second distributor;
wherein the second transmitting/receiving devices of the first distributor and of the second distributor are connected via the ring-shaped data bus in order to transmit the telegrams between the second transmitting/receiving device of the first distributor and of the second distributor; and
a processing device, a first transmitting/receiving device and a second transmitting/receiving device of the secondary unit, wherein the processing device is connected to the first transmitting/receiving device and the second transmitting/receiving device and is configured to process said telegrams exchanged between the first transmitting/receiving device and the second transmitting/receiving device;
wherein the first transmitting/receiving device of the secondary unit is connected to the data bus to exchange the telegrams on the data bus with the first transmitting/receiving device of the first distributor, and wherein the second transmitting/receiving device of the secondary unit is connected to the data bus in order to exchange the telegrams on the data bus with the first transmitting/receiving device of the second distributor;
and further wherein, in a first operating mode;
the first switching control set defined in the switching device of the first distributor is configured to forward said telegrams received from the first primary unit to the first transmitting/receiving device and to forward the telegrams received by the second transmitting/receiving device to the first primary unit, and
the second switching control set defined in the switching device of the second distributor is configured to forward first telegrams received by the first transmitting/receiving device to the second transmitting/receiving device; and

in a second operating mode:
the second switching control set defined in the switching device of the second distributor is configured to forward said telegrams received by the second primary unit to the second transmitting/receiving device, and to forward the telegrams received by the first transmitting/receiving device to the second primary unit, and
the first switching control set defined in the switching device of the first distributor is configured to forward the telegrams received by the second transmitting/receiving device to the first transmitting/receiving device.

2. The automation system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the data bus comprises a first communication path and a second communication path;
the first transmitting/receiving device of the first distributor and the second distributor are respectively connected to the first communication path and the second communication path of the data bus to transmit said telegrams on the first communication path and the second communication path of the data bus;
wherein the first transmitting/receiving device of the secondary unit are connected to the first communication path and the second communication path of the data bus to exchange the telegrams on the first communication path and the second communication path of the data bus with the first transmitting/receiving device of the first distributor, and
wherein the second transmitting/receiving device of the secondary unit is connected to the first communication path and the second communication path of the data bus in order to exchange the telegrams on the first communication path and the second communication path of the data bus with the first transmitting/receiving device of the second distributor;
and further wherein, in the first operating mode:
the controller of the first primary unit is configured to generate first telegrams having a first identifier and second telegrams having a second identifier, which comprise an identical user data block,
the first switching control set defined in the switching device of the first distributor is configured to forward said first telegrams received from the first primary unit to the first transmitting/receiving device and said second telegrams received from the first primary unit to the second transmitting/receiving device, and to forward the second telegrams received by the first transmitting/receiving device and the first telegrams received by the second transmitting/receiving device to the first primary unit, and
the second switching control set defined in the switching device of the second distributor is configured to forward the second telegrams received by the second transmitting/receiving device to the first transmitting/receiving device, and to forward the first telegrams received by the first transmitting/receiving device to the second transmitting/receiving device; and

wherein, in the second operating mode:
the controller of the second primary unit generates third telegrams having a third identifier and fourth telegrams having a fourth identifier which comprise an identical user data block,
the second switching control set defined in the switching device of the second distributor is configured to forward said third telegrams received from the second primary unit to the second transmitting/receiving device and said fourth telegrams received from the second primary unit to the first transmitting/receiving device, and to forward the third telegrams received by the first transmitting/receiving device and the fourth telegrams received by the second transmitting/receiving device to the second primary unit, and
the first switching control set defined in the switching device of the first distributor is configured to forward the third telegrams received by the second transmitting/receiving device to the first transmitting/receiving device, and to forward the fourth telegrams received by the first transmitting/receiving device to the second transmitting/receiving device.

3. The automation system according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a coupling device of the secondary unit, wherein the coupling device is configured, when an error occurs while transmitti

Assignees

• Beckhoff Automation Gmbh

Inventors

• Büttner Holger
• Janssen Dirk
• Vonnahme Erik
• Bunte Thorsten
• Rettig Thomas

Classifications

• H04L2012/421

  Interconnected ring systems · CPC title

• H04L12/40202 Primary

  by using a plurality of master stations · CPC title

• H04L12/40195

  by using a plurality of nodes · CPC title

• H04L69/40

  for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection (management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06) · CPC title

• H04L2012/4026

  Bus for use in automation systems · CPC title