Real-time distributed network module, real-time distributed network and method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9674032-B2
Application number	US-201114348254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2011
Priority date	Nov 4, 2011
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

A real-time distributed network module arranged to provide an interface between at least one master application and at least one real-time distributed network. The real-time distributed network module comprises a first communications component arranged to transmit and receive real-time distributed network data over at least a first real-time distributed network connection, at least one further communications component arranged to transmit and receive real-time distributed network data over at least one further real-time distributed network connection at least one master application interface component arranged to provide an interface to the at least one master application, and at least one configuration component arranged to perform mapping of communication channels between the first communications component, the at least one further communications component and the at least one master application interface component. The at least one configuration component is further arranged to perform dynamic remapping of the communication channels between the first communications component, the at least one further communications component and the at least one master application interface, upon detection of a link failure within the real-time distributed network.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A real-time distributed network module arranged to provide an interface between a master application and a real-time distributed network; the real-time distributed network module comprising:
a first communications component arranged to transmit and receive real-time distributed network data over at least a first real-time distributed network connection;
a first further communications component arranged to transmit and receive real-time distributed network data over a further real-time distributed network connection;
a master application interface component arranged to provide an interface to the master application; and
a configuration component arranged to perform mapping of communication channels between the first communications component, the first further communications component and the master application interface component;
wherein the configuration component is further arranged to determine whether propagation delays have been measured for all communication components, to set an open network configuration if the propagation delays for all of the communication components have not been measured, to set a favored network configuration if the propagation delays for all of the communication components have not been measured, to perform dynamic remapping of the communication channels between the first communications component, the first further communications component and the master application interface, upon detection of a link failure in between the first further communications component and a second further communications component within the real-time distributed network, wherein the first communications component and the first further communications component are selectively configurable to process data frames in a transmit direction and a receive direction,
the first further communications component further arranged to loop back a first data frame to the first communications component in response to the link failure, and further arranged to set a re-circulate bit within the first data frame, wherein the dynamic remapping of the communication channels is performed in response to the configuration component detected that the re-circulate bit is set.

2. The real-time distributed network module of claim 1 configurable to operate in a first, redundant mode, wherein the configuration component is arranged to:
configure the first communications component to comprise an open configuration wherein a transmit communication channel and a receive communication channel of the first communications component are mapped to respective communication channels of the master application interface component; and
configure the first further communications component to comprise a closed configuration wherein a transmit communication channel of the first further communications component is mapped to a receive communication channel of the first further communications component.

3. The real-time distributed network module of claim 1 configurable to operate in a further, failed link mode, wherein the configuration component is arranged to, upon detection of a link failure within the real-time distributed network:
remap the receive communication channel of the first communications component to the transmit communication channel of the first further communications component; and
remap the receive communication channel of the first further communications component to the respective communication channel of the master application interface component.

4. The real-time distributed network module of claim 1 arranged to cause the configuration component to perform dynamic remapping of the communication channels from a first, redundant mode configuration to a further, failed link mode configuration, upon detection of a link failure within the real-time distributed network.

5. The real-time distributed network module of claim 1 arranged to cause the configuration component to perform dynamic remapping from a first, redundant mode configuration to a further, failed link mode configuration, upon receipt of a command received via the master application interface.

6. The real-time distributed network module of claim 1 arranged to cause the configuration component to perform dynamic remapping from a first, redundant mode configuration to a further, failed link mode configuration, upon receipt of an indication within a real-time distributed network data frame.

7. The real-time distributed network module of claim 1 wherein one of the first communications component and the first further communications component is/are selectively configurable to perform cut-through forwarding of data received at a receive communication channel thereof.

8. The real-time distributed network module of claim 1 wherein the real-time distributed network module comprises a high resolution timing source, and the first and first further communications components are capable of providing a clock reference for use within a distributed clock synchronization mechanism.

9. The real-time distributed network module of claim 1 wherein the real-time distributed network module is arranged to provide an interface between the master application and an EtherCAT network, and the first and first further communications components are arranged to transmit and receive Ethernet data frames over the respective real-time distributed network connections.

10. The real-time distributed network module of claim 9 wherein the first and first further communications components are arranged to support at least a subset of EtherCAT processing functionality.

11. The real-time distributed network module of claim 9 wherein the first and first further communications components are arranged to support local proprietary commands contained within metadata and/or descriptors supplied by a master application.

12. A real-time distributed network module as claimed in claim 1 , implemented as an integrated circuit.

13. A real-time distributed network comprising a real-time distributed network module according to claim 12 .

14. A method of configuring at least part of a real-time distributed network; the method comprising, at a real-time distributed network module arranged to provide an interface between a master application and a real-time distributed network:
determining whether propagation delays have been measured for all communication components;
if the propagation delays for all of the communication components have not been measured, setting an open network configuration;
if the propagation delays for all of the communication components have not been measured, setting a favored network configuration;
in response to the favored network configuration, configuring a first communications component to comprise an open configuration wherein a transmit communication channel and a receive communication channel of the first communications component are mapped to respective communication channels of the master application interface component, and selectively configuring the first communications component to process data frames in a transmit direction and a receive direction;
in response to the favored network configuration, configuring a first further communications component to comprise a closed configuration wherein a transmit communication channel of the first further communications component is mapped to a receive communication channel of the first further communications component;
looping back, by the first further communications component, a first data frame to the first communications component in response to a link failure; and
setting a re-circulate bit within the first data frame to indicate t

Assignees

• Edmiston Graham
• Rahamim Hezi
• Nxp Usa Inc

Inventors

• Edmiston Graham
• Rahamim Hezi

Classifications

• H04L12/4035

  in which slots of a TDMA packet structure are assigned based on a contention resolution carried out at a master unit (TDM/TDMA multiplex systems per se H04J3/1694; hybrid switching systems H04L12/64) · CPC title

• H04L12/437

  Ring fault isolation or reconfiguration {(for SDH/SONET ring networks H04J3/085)} · CPC title

• H04L12/40019 Primary

  Details regarding a bus master · CPC title

• H04L41/0668 Primary

  by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure · CPC title

• H04L12/40189

  by using a plurality of bus systems · CPC title