Automation device and method for reducing jitter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9677920-B2
Application number	US-201414779299-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2014
Priority date	Apr 5, 2013
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

An automation device is provided, which comprises an operating system having a first system clock and a communication system having a second system clock. The first system clock is intended to control a system time cycle of the operating system, and the second system clock is intended to control a system time cycle of the communication system. Furthermore, the first system clock and the second system clock are synchronized in time.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An automation device, comprising:
an operating system having a first system clock for controlling a system time cycle of the operating system;
a communication system having a second system clock for controlling a system time cycle of the communication system;
wherein a first interrupt and a second interrupt are generated from the second system clock of the communication system;
wherein the first interrupt is provided for an application and the second interrupt is provided for the operating system; and
wherein the first system clock and the second system clock are synchronized in time.

2. The automation device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the operating system is a real-time operating system.

3. The automation device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first system clock and the second system clock are derivable from the communication system.

4. The automation device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first interrupt can be used to start the application.

5. The automation device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein an interrupt can be provided by an application to the operating system.

6. The automation device as claimed in 2 , wherein the timing of an interrupt is freely selectable in the entire communication cycle.

7. The automation device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first system clock and the second system clock are derivable from the communication system.

8. The automation device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the second interrupt can be used to start a scheduler at the operating system.

9. The automation device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein an interrupt can be provided by an application to the operating system.

10. The automation device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the timing of an interrupt is freely selectable in the entire communication cycle.

11. The automation device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first interrupt can be used to start the application.

12. The automation device as claimed in claim 11 , wherein an interrupt can be provided by an application to the operating system.

13. The automation device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second interrupt can be used to start a scheduler at the operating system.

14. The automation device as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the application is a motion control or PLC control application.

15. The automation device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the timing of an interrupt is freely selectable in the entire communication cycle.

16. The automation device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the synchronization includes a reduction with respect to the second system clock relative to the first system clock.

17. The automation device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the automation device comprises a plurality of communication systems, each of which has a second system clock, and wherein each of the second system clocks is synchronized with the first system clock of a common operating system, so that each of the second system clocks is synchronized with the first system clock.

18. The automation device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the automation device comprises a hardware timer which can be employed for synchronizing the first system clock and the second system clock.

19. The automation device as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the hardware timer is operable in single shot mode and/or wherein the hardware timer is started in a first third of the time period of the application.

20. A method of operating an automation device which comprises an operating system and a communication system, the method comprising:
providing a first system clock which defines an operating cycle of the operating system;
providing a second system clock which defines an operating cycle of the communication system;
generating a first interrupt and a second interrupt by the second system clock of the communication system;
providing the first interrupt for an application and providing the second interrupt for the operating system; and
synchronizing the first system clock and the second system clock.

Assignees

• Phoenix Contact Gmbh & Co
• Phoenix Contact Gmbh & Co

Inventors

• Detert Volker
• Rotter Christoph

Classifications

• G05B19/05 Primary

  Programmable logic controllers, e.g. simulating logic interconnections of signals according to ladder diagrams or function charts · CPC title

• G06F1/14

  Time supervision arrangements, e.g. real time clock · CPC title

• H04W56/001

  Synchronization between nodes · CPC title

• H04L67/1097

  for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• G06F9/4812

  by interrupt, e.g. masked · CPC title