Monitoring system with multi-point backplane dispatcher

Abstract

The present invention discloses systems, methods and devices for monitoring the operation of industrial equipment. In one embodiment, a monitoring system is provided, which includes a passive backplane and one or more functional circuits that can be coupled to the backplane. Each of the functional circuits coupled to the backplane can access all data delivered to the backplane. Therefore, resources (e.g., computing power or other functions) from each functional circuit can be shared by all active functional circuits coupled to the backplane. Because resources from each of the functional circuits can be shared, and because the functional circuits can be detachably coupled to the backplane, the performance of the monitoring system can be adjusted for specific applications. For example, processing power can be increased by coupling additional processing circuits to the backplane.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is an international patent application claiming the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. patent application No. 15 / 947,721, filed on April 6, 2018, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] Many industries, such as hydrocarbon refining and power generation, can rely heavily on the operation of machinery, and in some cases, on the continued operation of machinery. In these environments, the failure of one or more machines can incur significant costs due to repair expenses as well as production losses and potential injuries to workers. In view of these risks, it may be common to monitor certain operating parameters of one or more machine components. Measurement of operating parameters can provide an indication of the mechanical condition of the machine components, thereby allowing preventive maintenance (e.g., repair, replacement, etc.) to be performed on the machine components before failure. This monitoring can provide one or more long-term benefits, such as lower production costs, reduced equipment downtime, improved reliability, and enhanced safety. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides systems, devices and methods for monitoring the operating conditions of a machine. In one embodiment, a monitoring system is provided, the monitoring system comprising a bus having a plurality of coupling elements in electronic communication with at least one data channel. The monitoring system may also include at least one slave circuit, the at least one slave circuit may be detachably coupled to at least one coupling element of the plurality of coupling elements. The at least one slave circuit may be configured to deliver data to at least one data channel. The slave circuit may have at least one first gate, the at least one first gate being configured to enable electronic communication between the slave circuit and the at least one data channel. The at least one first gate may be configured to operate in a first operating mode and a second operating mode. The at least one first gate may be configured to allow data to be transmitted from the slave circuit to the at least one data channel when in the first operating mode, and the at least one first gate may be configured to prevent data from being transmitted from the slave circuit to the at least one data channel when in the second operating mode. The monitoring system may also include a master circuit, the master circuit may be detachably coupled to at least one coupling element of the plurality of coupling elements. The master circuit may be configured to deliver data to at least one data channel. The master circuit may have a first scheduling controller, the first scheduling controller being configured to generate a first schedule and deliver data representing the first schedule to at least one data channel. The first schedule may specify when the at least one first gate is in the first operating mode and when the at least one first gate is in the second operating mode.

[0005] The monitoring system can be varied in a variety of ways. One or more of the following features can be included in any feasible combination. For example, in one embodiment, the at least one slave circuit can include at least one first gate controller in electronic communication with at least one first gate. The at least one first gate controller can be configured to receive data representing the first schedule and control the operation of the at least one first gate based on the data representing the first schedule.

[0006] In some embodiments, at least one slave circuit may include a second scheduling controller, which may be configured to assume arbitration responsibility, thereby enabling the second scheduling controller to generate a second schedule, which defines when at least one first gate is in the first operating mode and when at least one first gate is in the second operating mode.

[0007] In some embodiments, the main circuit may include at least one second gate, and the at least one second gate may be configured to enable electronic communication between the main circuit and at least one data channel. The at least one second gate may be configured to operate in a third operating mode and a fourth operating mode. The at least one second gate may be configured to allow data to be transmitted from the main circuit to the at least one data channel when in the third operating mode, and the at least one second gate may be configured to prevent data from being transmitted from the main circuit to the at least one data channel when in the fourth operating mode. The main circuit may also include at least one second gate controller in electronic communication with the first scheduling controller and the at least one second gate. The at least one second gate controller may be configured to receive data representing the first scheduling and control the operation of the at least one second gate based on the first scheduling.

[0008] In some embodiments, the at least one slave circuit may include a plurality of slave circuits. Each of the plurality of slave circuits may be configured to receive data from at least one data channel of the bus.

[0009] In some embodiments, the monitoring system may include a sensor electrically coupleable to at least one slave circuit. The sensor may be configured to measure an operating parameter of the machine and deliver data representative of the measured operating parameter to the at least one slave circuit.

[0010] In some embodiments, the monitoring system may include a sensor in electronic communication with the main circuit. The sensor may be configured to measure an operating parameter of the machine and deliver an analog sensor signal to the main circuit. The analog sensor signal may represent the measured operating parameter of the machine.

[0011] In some embodiments, the slave circuit may be configured to receive a discrete signal from at least one sensor measuring an operating parameter of the machine, generate a digital signal based on the discrete signal, and deliver the digital signal to at least one data channel.

[0012] In some embodiments, the primary circuit may include an analog-to-digital converter configured to receive an analog sensor signal and convert the analog sensor signal to a digital sensor signal.

[0013] In some embodiments, at least one data channel may include multiple parallel data channels.

[0014] In some embodiments, the at least one first gate can include a 16-channel bidirectional differential transceiver.

[0015] In some embodiments, the at least one second gate can include a 16-channel bidirectional differential transceiver.

[0016] In some embodiments, the at least one data channel may include 16 data channels. Each of the 16 data channels may be a low voltage signaling pair.

[0017] In another aspect, a method is provided, the method comprising generating a first schedule for a first frame, the first frame comprising at least one first time slice. The first schedule may identify at least one first time slice and at least one slave circuit to which the at least one first time slice is assigned. The at least one slave circuit may be configured to provide a data packet to a bus of a monitoring system during the at least one first time slice. The method may also include generating a first beacon packet comprising the first schedule, delivering the first beacon packet to the bus of the monitoring system, and receiving the first beacon packet at the at least one slave circuit. The method may also include generating a first set of instructions for controlling the operation of at least one gate of the at least one slave circuit based on the at least one first time slice assigned to the at least one slave circuit. The at least one gate may be configured to operate in a first operating mode and a second operating mode. The at least one gate may be configured to allow data to be transmitted from the at least one slave circuit to the bus when in the first operating mode, and the at least one gate may be configured to prevent data from being transmitted from the at least one slave circuit to the bus when in the second operating mode. The method may also include providing a first set of instructions to a gate controller of the at least one slave circuit, thereby configuring the gate controller to operate the at least one gate in the first operating mode during the at least one first time slice.

[0018] The method may be varied in a variety of ways. One or more of the following features may be included in any feasible combination. For example, in some embodiments, the first schedule may be generated by a schedule controller of a master circuit coupled to the bus.

[0019] In some embodiments, a method may include providing a data packet from at least one slave circuit to a bus during at least one first time slice.

[0020] In some embodiments, the method may also include determining that at least one slave circuit failed to provide a data packet to the bus during at least one first time slice.

[0021] In some embodiments, the method may further include generating a beacon response packet based on a first schedule received with the first beacon packet. The beacon response packet may include a request to allocate at least one second time slice to at least one slave circuit during a second frame. The method may further include delivering the beacon response packet to a bus of the monitoring system and receiving the beacon response packet at a master circuit, the master circuit being configured to generate a second schedule for a second frame.

[0022] In some embodiments, the method may include generating a second schedule for a second frame based on the beacon response packet. The second frame may include at least one second time slice. The second schedule may identify at least one second time slice and at least one slave circuit to which the at least one second time slice is assigned.

[0023] In some embodiments, the method may include generating a second beacon packet including a second schedule. The method may also include delivering the second beacon packet to a bus of the monitoring system, receiving the second beacon packet from the bus of the monitoring system, and generating a second set of instructions for controlling the operation of at least one gate of the slave circuit based on at least one second time slice allocated to the slave circuit.

[0024] In some embodiments, the method may include delivering a second set of instructions to a gate controller of the slave circuit, thereby configuring the gate controller to operate at least one gate in the first operating mode during at least one second time slice.

[0025] In one embodiment, a system may include a bus and a master circuit removably coupled to the bus. The master circuit may include a manager bus node configured to interact with a first data channel of the bus. The system may also include a plurality of slave circuits removably coupled to the bus. A first slave circuit of the plurality of slave circuits may include a first slave bus node configured to interact with the first data channel. The master circuit may be configured to broadcast a first beacon packet to the bus during a first time slice of a first plurality of time slices. The first beacon packet may include a first system frame schedule indicating that a first plurality of time slices of a first system frame are allocated to one or more slave circuits of a plurality of slave circuits. The first plurality of time slices may be arranged in time relative to a first system frame reference time. The master circuit may also be configured to receive one or more beacon response packets from one or more slave circuits of the plurality of slave circuits during a second time slice of the first plurality of time slices. The first time slice may be adjacent in time to the first system frame reference time, and the second time slice may be adjacent in time to the first time slice.

[0026] In one embodiment, the first slave circuit may be configured to receive the first beacon packet and configure the first slave bus node to transmit the data packet to the first data channel during a third time slice of the first plurality of time slices. The first system frame schedule may indicate that the third time slice is allocated to the first slave circuit.

[0027] In one embodiment, the master circuit may be further configured to determine a set of valid beacon response packets from one or more beacon response packets received during the second time slice. The master circuit may also be configured to generate a second beacon packet including a second system frame schedule indicating that a second plurality of time slices of the second system frame are allocated to one or more slave circuits of the plurality of slave circuits. The allocation of the second plurality of time slices may be based on the time slice requests in the set of valid beacon response packets.

[0028] In one embodiment, the determination of a set of valid beacon response packets may be based on a transmission conflict of one or more beacon response packets in a first data channel of the bus. In another embodiment, the second plurality of time slices may be arranged in time relative to a second system frame reference time. In yet another embodiment, the first slave bus node may include a first node controller, a first gate controller, and a first plurality of gates. The first gate controller may configure one or more gates of the first plurality of gates to transmit data packets from the first node controller to the first data channel.

[0029] In one embodiment, the master circuit may allocate a fourth time slice in the second plurality of time slices to a second slave circuit in the plurality of slave circuits based on a unique identifier of the second slave circuit in a second beacon response packet broadcasted by the second slave circuit on the first data channel. In another embodiment, the master circuit may be further configured to cancel the allocation of the fourth time slice to the second slave circuit based on inactivity of the second slave circuit during one or more time slices allocated to the second slave circuit.

[0030] In one embodiment, the second beacon packet may be generated at an application layer executed in a slave circuit controller in the second slave circuit. In another embodiment, the second slave circuit may include a second slave circuit clock, and the second slave circuit may be configured to synchronize the second slave circuit clock based on one or both of the first system frame reference time and the second system frame reference time. In another embodiment, the first slave bus node may be further configured to maintain a copy of the first beacon packet. In another embodiment, the first time slice may include a dead zone and an available time slice period.

[0031] In one embodiment, the master circuit may be configured to broadcast a first beacon packet during an available time slice period, and is configured to prevent broadcasting a first data packet during a dead zone. In another embodiment, the first plurality of time slices may include one or both of an unallocated time slice and a best effort time slice. The master circuit may be configured to discard data packets broadcast by one or more of the plurality of slave circuits during the unallocated time. One or more of the plurality of slave circuits may broadcast asynchronous application layer events during a best effort time slice.

[0032] In one embodiment, a method may include broadcasting a first beacon packet to a first data channel of a bus during a first time slice of a first plurality of time slices of a first system frame. The first beacon packet may include a first system frame schedule indicating that the first plurality of time slices are allocated to one or more slave circuits of a plurality of slave circuits coupled to the bus. The first plurality of time slices may be arranged in time relative to a first system frame reference time. The method may also include receiving one or more beacon response packets from one or more slave circuits of the plurality of slave circuits during a second time slice of the first plurality of time slices. The first time slice may be adjacent in time to the first system frame reference time, and the second time slice may be adjacent in time to the first time slice. The method may also include generating a second beacon packet, the second beacon packet including a second system frame schedule indicating that a second plurality of time slices of a second system frame are allocated to one or more slave circuits of the plurality of slave circuits. The method may also include providing a second beacon packet to one or more slave circuits of the plurality of slave circuits. The broadcasting, receiving, generating, and providing may be performed by a master circuit detachably coupled to the bus, the master circuit may include a manager bus node configured to interact with the first data channel of the bus.

[0033] In one embodiment, the method may further include determining a set of valid beacon response packets from one or more beacon response packets received during the second time slice. The allocation of the second plurality of time slices may be based on time slice requests in a set of valid beacon response packets. In another embodiment, the determination of a set of valid beacon response packets may be based on a transmission conflict of one or more beacon response packets in the first data channel of the bus. In yet another embodiment, the second plurality of time slices may be arranged in time relative to the second system frame reference time.

[0034] In one embodiment, the method may further include receiving a first beacon packet by a first slave circuit in a plurality of slave circuits. The first slave circuit may include a first slave bus node configured to interact with a first data channel. The method may further include configuring the first slave bus node to transmit data packets to the first data channel during a third time slice in the first plurality of time slices. The first system frame scheduling may include allocating the third time slice to the first slave circuit. In another embodiment, the first slave bus node may include a first node controller, a first gate controller, and a first plurality of gates. In yet another embodiment, configuring the first slave bus node to transmit data packets may include configuring one or more gates in the first plurality of gates by the first gate controller to transmit data packets from the node controller to the first data channel.

[0035] In one embodiment, the method may further include allocating a fourth time slice of the second plurality of time slices to a second slave circuit of the plurality of slave circuits based on a unique identifier of the second slave circuit in a beacon response packet received from the second slave circuit. In one embodiment, the method may further include canceling the allocation of the fourth time slice to the second slave circuit based on inactivity of the second slave circuit during one or more time slices allocated to the second slave circuit.

[0036] In one embodiment, a monitoring system may include a first backplane having at least one first data channel. The monitoring system may also include at least one second data channel in parallel with the at least one first data channel. The monitoring system may also include at least one first port in electronic communication with the at least one first data channel and the at least one second data channel. The monitoring system may also include at least one second port in electronic communication with the at least one first data channel and the at least one second data channel. The monitoring system may also include a first functional circuit detachably coupled to the at least one first port. The first functional circuit may be configured to receive a sensor signal from a sensor. The sensor signal may represent a measured operating parameter of a machine. The functional circuit may be configured to generate a first digital signal based on the sensor signal and deliver the first digital signal to the at least one first data channel. The monitoring system may also include a second functional circuit detachably coupled to the at least one second port. The second functional circuit may be configured to receive the first digital signal from the at least one first data channel. The second functional circuit may also be configured to determine the operating state of the machine based on the received first digital signal and a predetermined operating threshold. The second functional circuit may also be configured to generate a second digital signal based on the first digital signal and the predetermined operating threshold. The second digital signal represents the operating state of the machine and delivers the second digital signal to the at least one second data channel.

[0037] In one embodiment, the monitoring system may include at least one third data channel in parallel with the at least one first data channel and the at least one second data channel. The monitoring system may also include at least one third port in electronic communication with the at least one first data channel, the at least one second data channel, and the at least one third data channel. The monitoring system may also include a third functional circuit removably coupled to the at least one third port. The third functional circuit may be configured to receive a second digital signal from the at least one second data channel and actuate a relay based on an operating state of the machine.

[0038] In one embodiment, the first functional circuit is not in electronic communication with the at least one second data channel. In another embodiment, the at least one first data channel may be a dedicated data channel and may be configured to receive data only from the first functional circuit. In yet another embodiment, the second functional circuit may not be in electronic communication with the at least one first data channel.

[0039] In one embodiment, at least one second data channel may be a dedicated data channel and may be configured to receive data only from the second functional circuit. In another embodiment, the first functional circuit may include a first unidirectional gate configured to allow the first functional circuit to deliver a first digital signal to the at least one first data channel. In yet another embodiment, the first functional circuit may include a gate pair, the gate pair may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter may be configured to deliver a third digital signal from at least one third data channel, and the receiver may be configured to receive a fourth digital signal from the at least one third data channel.

[0040] In one embodiment, the second functional circuit may include a gate pair, the gate pair includes a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter may be configured to deliver the third digital signal to at least one third data channel, and the receiver may be configured to receive a fourth digital signal from the at least one third data channel. In another embodiment, the second functional circuit may include a second unidirectional gate, the second unidirectional gate configured to allow the second functional circuit to receive the first digital signal from the at least one first data channel. In yet another embodiment, the at least one third data channel may be a bidirectional serial data channel.

[0041] In one embodiment, at least one first data channel may be a unidirectional serial data channel. In another embodiment, at least one second data channel may be a unidirectional serial data channel. In yet another embodiment, at least one first data channel includes a plurality of first data channels.

[0042] In one embodiment, the at least one second data channel includes a plurality of second data channels. In another embodiment, the at least one first port may be electrically decoupled from the at least one second data channel, thereby preventing electronic communication between the first functional circuit and the at least one second data channel. In yet another embodiment, the monitoring system may further include at least one fourth port in electronic communication with the at least one third data channel and a fourth functional circuit coupled to the at least one fourth port. The fourth functional circuit may be configured to deliver a third digital signal to the second functional circuit via the at least one third data channel. The third signal may characterize an updated operating threshold.

[0043] In one embodiment, the at least one fourth port may be electrically decoupled from the at least one first data channel, thereby preventing electronic communication between the fourth functional circuit and the at least one first data channel. In another embodiment, the fourth functional circuit may include a schedule controller configured to generate the first schedule.

[0044] In one embodiment, a method may include delivering a first digital signal from a first functional circuit of a monitoring system to a first data channel of a backplane of the monitoring system. The first digital signal may represent a measured operating parameter of a machine. The method may include receiving the first digital signal from the first data channel at a second functional circuit of the monitoring system. The method may also include determining an operating state of the machine based on the received first digital signal and a predetermined operating threshold. The method may also include generating a second digital signal based on the first digital signal and the predetermined operating threshold, the second digital signal representing the operating state of the machine. The method may also include delivering the second digital signal to a second data channel of the backplane, receiving the second digital signal from the second data channel at a third functional circuit, and actuating a relay based on the operating state of the machine.

[0045] In one embodiment, the method may include receiving an analog signal from a sensor at a first functional circuit, the analog signal representing a measured operating parameter of the machine. The method may also include converting the analog signal to a first digital signal. In another embodiment, the method may include generating a third digital signal representing an updated operating threshold, and delivering the third digital signal to a third data channel of the backplane. The third signal may represent the updated operating threshold.

[0046] In one embodiment, the analog signal can be converted to a first digital signal at a fixed rate. In another embodiment, the method may further include filtering the analog signal. In yet another embodiment, the method may further include delivering a signal to a control system to stop operation of the machine upon actuation of the relay.

[0047] The present invention provides systems, devices and methods for monitoring the operating conditions of a machine. In one embodiment, a monitoring system is provided, the monitoring system comprising a first base plate having a first set of data channels and a first set of ports. Each port in the first set of ports can be electronically communicated with at least one data channel in the first set of data channels. The monitoring system may include a second base plate having a second set of data channels and a second set of ports. Each port in the second set of ports can be electronically communicated with at least one data channel in the second set of data channels. The monitoring system may also include a first bridge circuit that can be removably coupled to at least one port in the first set of ports, and a second bridge circuit that can be removably coupled to at least one port in the second set of ports. The second bridge circuit can be electronically communicated with the first bridge circuit. The first bridge circuit can be configured to receive a first set of data from the first set of data channels, convert the first set of data into a first serial data stream, and deliver the first serial data stream to the second bridge circuit, thereby delivering the first set of data to the second base plate. The second bridge circuit may be configured to receive the second set of data from the second set of data channels, convert the second set of data into a second serial data stream, and deliver the second serial data stream to the first bridge circuit to deliver the second set of data to the first backplane.

[0048] The monitoring system can be varied in a variety of ways. One or more of the following features can be included in any feasible combination. For example, in some embodiments, the first bridge circuit may include at least one first gate configured to facilitate electronic communication between the first bridge circuit and at least one data channel in the first set of data channels. The at least one first gate can be configured to operate in a first operating mode and a second operating mode. The at least one first gate can be configured to allow data to be transmitted from the first bridge circuit to at least one data channel in the first set of data channels when in the first operating mode. The at least one first gate can be configured to prevent data from being transmitted from the first bridge circuit to at least one data channel in the first set of data channels when in the second operating mode. The monitoring system may also include at least one first gate controller in electronic communication with the at least one first gate. The at least one first gate controller can be configured to control the operation of the at least one first gate.

[0049] In some embodiments, the second bridge circuit may include at least one second gate, the at least one second gate being configured to facilitate electronic communication between the second bridge circuit and at least one data channel in the second set of data channels. The at least one second gate may be configured to operate in a third operating mode and a fourth operating mode. The at least one second gate may be configured to allow data to be transmitted from the second bridge circuit to at least one channel in the second set of data channels when in the third operating mode. The at least one second gate may be configured to prevent data from being transmitted from the second bridge circuit to at least one channel in the second set of data channels when in the fourth operating mode. The second bridge circuit may also include at least one second gate controller in electronic communication with the at least one second gate and the at least one first gate controller. The at least one second gate controller may be configured to control the operation of the at least one second gate.

[0050] In some embodiments, the monitoring system may also include a first group of functional circuits. Each functional circuit in the first group of functional circuits may be detachably coupled to at least one port in the first group of ports. The first group of functional circuits may be configured to deliver a first group of data to a first base plate, and selectively receive any data delivered to the first base plate. The monitoring system may also include a second group of functional circuits. Each functional circuit in the second group of functional circuits may be detachably coupled to at least one port in the second group of ports. The second group of functional circuits may be configured to deliver a second group of data to a second base plate, and selectively receive any data delivered to the second base plate.

[0051] In some embodiments, the first group of functional circuits may include at least one first functional circuit. The first functional circuit may include at least one second gate, and the at least one second gate is configured to facilitate electronic communication between the at least one first functional circuit and at least one data channel in the first group of data channels. The at least one second gate may be configured to operate in a first operating mode and a second operating mode. The at least one second gate may be configured to allow data to be transmitted from the at least one first functional circuit to at least one channel in the first group of data channels when in the first operating mode. The at least one second gate may be configured to prevent data from being transmitted from the at least one first functional circuit to at least one channel in the first group of data channels when in the second operating mode.

[0052] In some embodiments, the first set of data channels may include a plurality of data channels.

[0053] In some embodiments, the second set of data channels may include a plurality of data channels.

[0054] In some embodiments, the monitoring sensor may include a sensor in electronic communication with a functional circuit of at least one of the first set of functional circuits and the second set of functional circuits. The sensor may be configured to measure an operating parameter of the machine and deliver data representative of the measured operating parameter to the functional circuit.

[0055] In some embodiments, the first set of functional circuits may include a plurality of functional circuits. Each functional circuit in the plurality of functional circuits may be configured to receive data from at least one data channel in the first set of data channels.

[0056] In some embodiments, the first backplane and the second backplane may be passive backplanes that do not include active switches.

[0057] In another aspect, a method is provided, the method including receiving first identification data at a first bridge circuit coupled to a first backplane of a first monitoring subsystem. The first identification data may represent information identifying hardware of a second monitoring subsystem. The method may also include receiving second identification data at a second bridge circuit coupled to a second backplane of the second monitoring subsystem. The second identification data may represent information identifying hardware of the first monitoring subsystem. The method may also include determining that the first monitoring subsystem is compatible with the second monitoring subsystem using the first identification data and the second identification data. The method may also include receiving a first schedule at the second bridge circuit. The first schedule may represent a first communication schedule of a first group of functional circuits in electronic communication with the first backplane. The method may also include receiving a second schedule at the first bridge circuit. The second schedule may represent a second communication schedule of a second group of functional circuits in electronic communication with the second backplane. The method may also include comparing the first communication schedule with the second communication schedule, and determining that the first schedule is compatible with the second schedule. The method may also include providing a first signal to at least one first gate of the first bridge circuit and providing a second signal to at least one second gate of the second bridge circuit, thereby activating the at least one first gate and the at least one second gate, and facilitating electronic communication between the first backplane and the second backplane.

[0058] The method may be varied in a variety of ways. One or more of the following features may be included in any feasible combination. For example, the method may include delivering a first group of parallel data streams from a first group of functional circuits to a first group of parallel data channels of a first backplane. The method may also include receiving the first group of parallel data streams from a first group of parallel data channels of a first backplane at a first bridge circuit, converting the first group of parallel data streams into a first serial data stream, and delivering the first serial data stream to a second bridge circuit. The method may also include expanding the first serial data stream into a second group of parallel data streams, and delivering the second group of parallel data streams to a second group of parallel data channels.

[0059] In some implementations, the method may include amplifying the power of the first serial data stream based on a distance between the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit.

[0060] In some embodiments, the method may include delivering a third set of parallel data streams from the second set of functional circuits to a second set of parallel data lanes of the second backplane.

[0061] In some embodiments, the method may include receiving a third group of parallel data streams from a second group of parallel data channels of a second backplane at a second bridge circuit, converting the third group of parallel data streams into a second serial data stream, and delivering the second serial data stream to the first bridge circuit. The method may also include expanding the second serial data stream into a fourth group of parallel data streams, and delivering the fourth group of parallel data streams to the first group of parallel data channels.

[0062] In some embodiments, the method may include generating a third schedule using at least one functional circuit in the first group of functional circuits. The third schedule may include data that determines when each functional circuit in the first group of functional circuits delivers data to the first group of parallel data lanes and when each functional circuit in the second group of functional circuits delivers data to the second group of parallel data lanes.

[0063] In some embodiments, the third set of parallel data streams may include sensor data representing measured operating values ​​of the machine. The sensor data may be measured by sensors coupled to the machine.

[0064] In some implementations, the method may include amplifying the power of the second serial data stream based on a distance between the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit.

[0065] In some embodiments, the method may include determining an estimated delay time, which may characterize an estimated amount of time required to transmit data between the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit. The method may also include determining a dead time period based on at least one of the first communication schedule and the second communication schedule. The dead time may characterize a total amount of time available to absorb communication delays between one or more backplanes. The method may also include determining an available amount of dead time based on at least one of the first communication schedule and the second communication schedule, and comparing the estimated delay time to the available amount of dead time.

[0066] In some embodiments, the method may include receiving first network identification data at a first bridge circuit. The first network identification data may characterize a first network configuration. The method may also include receiving second network identification data at a second bridge circuit. The second network identification data may characterize a second network configuration. The method may also include comparing the first network identification data to the second network identification data. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0067] These and other features will be more readily understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0068] Figure 1A is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of an operating environment including an existing monitoring system;

[0069] Figure 1B It is shown Figure 1A A block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a backplane of a monitoring system;

[0070] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of an operating environment including a flexible monitoring system configured to monitor a machine;

[0071] Figure 3 It shows that Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a series of various types of functional circuits used in conjunction with the expandable monitoring system shown;

[0072] Figure 4 is a block diagram of a portion of an exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system;

[0073] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a functional circuit including two nodes;

[0074] Figure 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of functional circuitry that does not include a transmitter;

[0075] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing components of a system frame;

[0076] Figure 8 is an exemplary data structure of a beacon packet;

[0077] Fig. 9 is an exemplary structure of a system frame schedule;

[0078] Fig.10 is an exemplary data structure of a beacon response packet;

[0079] Fig.11 is an exemplary communication protocol between a master circuit and a slave circuit;

[0080] Fig.12 is an exemplary structure of a data packet that may be delivered to a backplane of a monitoring system during operation;

[0081] Fig.13 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary initialization process;

[0082] Fig.14 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of generating a schedule based on communication requests from a slave circuit;

[0083] Fig.15 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of processing a time slice request from a beacon response packet and generating an array of schedule entries;

[0084] Fig.16 is a flow chart of an exemplary flow monitoring process that may be used to recover unused time slices;

[0085] Fig.17 An exemplary schedule entry array including a time slice array, an allocation array, a length array, and a counter array is shown;

[0086] Fig.18 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary operation of a node of a slave circuit of a monitoring system;

[0087] Fig.19 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a bridge circuit that may be configured to facilitate electronic communications between backplanes of a monitoring system;

[0088] Fig. 20 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system including two monitoring subsystems coupled using a bridge circuit;

[0089] Fig.21 yes Fig. 20 an enlarged view of a block diagram of the monitoring system shown;

[0090] Fig. 22 It is shown Fig. 20 A data flow diagram of exemplary communications between the various components of the monitoring system shown;

[0091] Fig.23 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of determining compatibility of a backplane;

[0092] Fig.24 is a block diagram of another exemplary monitoring system including two monitoring subsystems coupled using a bridge circuit;

[0093] Fig.25 is a block diagram of another exemplary monitoring system including two monitoring subsystems coupled using a bridge circuit;

[0094] Fig.26 is a block diagram of an exemplary monitoring system that utilizes a Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) Ethernet protocol to facilitate communications between functional circuits of the monitoring system;

[0095] Fig. 27 yes Fig. 27 A detailed view of a portion of the monitoring system is shown;

[0096] Fig.28is a block diagram of another exemplary monitoring system utilizing the TSN Ethernet protocol to facilitate communications between functional circuits of the monitoring system;

[0097] Fig.29 is a block diagram of a portion of an exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system that utilizes a dedicated data channel to facilitate communications between functional circuits;

[0098] Fig.30 yes Fig.30 An enlarged view of the input circuit of the monitoring system is shown;

[0099] Fig.31 yes Fig.29 An enlarged view of the system interface circuitry of the monitoring system is shown;

[0100] Fig.32 yes Fig.29 An enlarged view of the protection circuit of the monitoring system is shown;

[0101] Fig.33 yes Fig.30 An enlarged view of the relay circuit of the monitoring system is shown;

[0102] Fig.34 yes Fig.29 An enlarged view of the gateway circuitry of the monitoring system is shown;

[0103] Fig.35 yes Fig.29 An enlarged view of the 4-20 output circuit of the monitoring system is shown;

[0104] Fig.36 yes Fig.29 A block diagram of an exemplary backplane of the monitoring system shown;

[0105] Fig.37 It is shown Fig.29 A data flow diagram of exemplary communications between the various components of the monitoring system shown;

[0106] Fig.38 is a block diagram of another exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system utilizing a dedicated data channel;

[0107] Fig.39 Shows Fig.38 An enlarged view of the input circuitry and system interface circuitry of the monitoring system is shown;

[0108] Fig.40 yes Fig.38 An enlarged view of the protection circuit of the monitoring system is shown;

[0109] Fig.41 yes Fig.38an enlarged view of the relay circuit, 4-20 output circuit, and condition monitoring circuit of the monitoring system shown; and

[0110] Fig.42 yes Fig.38 A block diagram of an exemplary backplane of a monitoring system is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0111] Certain exemplary embodiments will now be described to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure, function, manufacture, and use of the systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein.One or more examples of these embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0112] Industrial monitoring systems such as wind turbines can be used to monitor the operating conditions of industrial systems. Although industrial monitoring systems can provide users with useful information about the operation of industrial systems, some monitoring systems may be limited in flexibility and / or scalability. In addition, the cost and complexity of installation may cause significant entry barriers to some users who want to monitor low-cost and / or low-priority components / systems. Systems, methods and devices that improve the flexibility and scalability of monitoring systems are provided. In one embodiment, a monitoring system is provided, which includes a passive backplane and one or more functional circuits that can be coupled to the backplane. Each of the functional circuits can access all data delivered to the backplane. Therefore, resources (e.g., computing power) from each functional circuit can be shared by all active functional circuits coupled to the backplane. Because resources from each functional circuit can be shared, and because the functional circuit can be detachably coupled to the backplane, the performance of the monitoring system can be adjusted and / or expanded to suit individual monitoring needs. For example, processing power can be increased by coupling additional processing circuits to the backplane. Shared data and detachable functional circuits also allow multiple backplanes to be coupled using a bridge. Bridging allows multiple backplanes to share common resources, which can provide flexibility when designing and installing monitoring systems. For example, a monitoring subsystem can be installed remotely near industrial equipment so that functional circuits can receive sensor data, while other monitoring subsystems can be installed at another location that may be more convenient, easier to access, or more cost-effective.

[0113] Embodiments of systems and corresponding methods for monitoring industrial machines are discussed herein. However, embodiments of the present disclosure may be used with other machines without limitation.

[0114] An operating environment 100 including an existing monitoring system is shown in Figure 1. The operating environment 100 may include a target 102, at least one sensor 104, and a monitoring system 106 in communication with the sensor 104, an internal network 110a, and an external network 110b.

[0115] Object 102 may be any component of any machine. Examples of objects 102 may include gears, bearings, shafts, etc. Examples of machines may include turbomachines, turbines (eg, water, wind, etc.), generators, and reciprocating compressors.

[0116] The sensor 104 may be configured to sense an operating parameter of the target 102 to generate at least one sensor signal 104S representing the measured operating parameter, and transmit the sensor signal 104S to the monitoring system 106 (e.g., via field wiring). For example, the sensor 104 may include a probe, a transducer, and a signal conditioning circuit (not shown). The probe may interact with the target 102 to measure the operating parameter. The transducer may convert the measured value of the operating parameter into an electrical signal (e.g., a voltage). The signal conditioning circuit may condition and / or amplify the electrical signal to generate the sensor signal 104S (e.g., a voltage within a range between a minimum value and a maximum value). Therefore, in one aspect, the sensor signal 104S may include a direct or raw measurement made by the sensor transducer. The sensor signal 104S may be an analog signal or a digital signal.

[0117] In another aspect, in addition to direct measurements of operating parameters, the sensor signal 104S may also include an enhanced data set. The enhanced data set may contain multiple measured variables, depending on the type of operating parameter being measured. For example, the target 102 may be a rotating component, such as a shaft, and radial vibration may be a variable measured by the sensor 104 in the form of a proximity sensor. In these cases, the enhanced data set may include one or more of gap voltage, 1x filtered amplitude, 2x filtered amplitude, 1x filtered phase, 2x filtered phase, non-1x amplitude, and maximum shaft displacement (Smax). The gap voltage is the voltage output by the probe and represents the physical distance between the target 102 and the end of the probe. 1x amplitude is a vibration amplitude with the same frequency as the shaft rotation, while 2x amplitude is a vibration amplitude with twice the frequency of the shaft rotation. For example, a rotational speed of 1480 rpm corresponds to a rotational speed of 1480 rpm. The frequency of the sensor 104 is in cycles per second (Hz). Phase is the time delay between vibrations measured at a predetermined measurement location relative to a reference location. Thus, 1x phase refers to a vibration phase having the same frequency as the shaft rotation, and 2x phase refers to a vibration phase having a frequency that is twice the frequency of the shaft rotation. Non-1x amplitude refers to all amplitudes except 1x amplitude. In other embodiments, the enhanced data set may include metadata about one or more components of the sensor 104, such as a transducer. Examples of metadata may include one or more of a serial number, a version number, an operating temperature, and a health status.

[0118] The number and type of sensors 104 may be determined by one or more operating parameters intended to be measured. In one aspect, the sensors 104 may take the form of one or more proximity probes for measuring vibration, position, velocity, direction of motion, and eccentricity. In another aspect, the sensors 104 may take the form of one or more accelerometers for measuring seismic vibration and acceleration. In another aspect, the sensors 104 may take the form of one or more temperature probes or pressure probes for measuring temperature and pressure, respectively. It should be understood that the sensor types and corresponding operating parameters listed above are not exhaustive, and embodiments of the sensors 104 may include any sensor or combination of sensors suitable for measuring the operating parameters of interest.

[0119] In use, the monitoring system 106 may be configured to process the received sensor signal 104S and output monitoring signals 106S, 108S. For example, the monitoring system 106 may be configured to determine a value representative of a measurement of an operating parameter. The monitoring system 106 may also compare the determined value and / or any measured variable of the enhanced data set to one or more corresponding predetermined alarm conditions in real time and determine an alarm state (e.g., normal, abnormal, warning, danger, etc.). For example, when the target 102 is a rotating shaft and the measured operating parameter is radial vibration of the shaft, the sensor signal 104s may include a measurement of the displacement of the shaft as a function of time. Based on the sensor signal 104S, the monitoring system 106 may determine an amplitude value of the peak-to-peak displacement.

[0120] The monitoring system 106 may also be configured to output monitoring signals 106S, 108S to the internal network 110A and / or the external network 110B. The output monitoring signals 106S, 108S may include one or more of the measured variables, determined values, and determined states of the enhanced data set. Alarm states such as alarms and dangers may be communicated by the monitoring signals 106s, 108s via physical relays on the monitoring system 106 or to the external system 110. In another aspect, the monitoring system 106 may additionally or alternatively store the sensor signals 104S for later processing.

[0121] The internal network 110a may be a network of devices in communication with a machine control system 112. The machine control system 112 may be configured to provide commands to a machine operable to control one or more operating parameters of the target 102. The internal network 110a may also communicate with other systems, such as a computing device executing configuration software (not shown), a human machine interface (HMI) 114, and / or a customer history repository 116. The configuration software may be used to provide configuration information, such as a predetermined alarm state, to the monitoring system 106. The HMI 114 may be one or more computing devices in communication with a user interface device (e.g., a display), thereby allowing an operator of the machine to view measured operating parameters and / or provide instructions to the machine control system 112.

[0122] Thus configured, the monitoring system 106 can be used to protect the machine containing the target 102. For example, in response to notification of an alarm condition, the machine control system 112 can be used to control the operation of the target 102 (e.g., automatically according to programming logic or manually using the HMI 114) so ​​that the measured operating parameters change and move out of the alarm state. In extreme cases, the machine control system 112 can be used to shut down the operation of the machine to protect the target 102 from damage and / or workers from injury. The historian 116 can store any data contained in the monitoring signals 106s.

[0123] The external network 110B may be a business network that communicates with the diagnostic system 120. The diagnostic system 120 may analyze any data contained in the monitoring signal 108s received from the monitoring system 106 to diagnose improper operation of the target 102 and / or predict improper operation of the target 102 before the improper operation occurs. Thus, by providing the monitoring signal 108S to the external network 110B, the monitoring system 106 may facilitate condition monitoring of the target 102.

[0124] Monitoring system 106 Figure 1B 150. As shown in more detail in the figure, the monitoring system 106 includes a backplane 150, which can be configured to allow communication between different components coupled thereto. The components can include a measurement processing circuit 152a, a relay output circuit 154a, a measurement output circuit 156a, a configuration and diagnostic circuit 160a, and corresponding interface circuits 152b, 154b, 156b, 160b. The interface circuits 152b, 154b, 156b, 160b can provide a hardware interface for communicating with their corresponding circuits 152a, 154a, 156a, 160a. Each circuit 152a, 154a, 156a, 160a can transmit selected information on the backplane 150 using a protocol running on a bus formed by passive traces extending across the backplane 150.

[0125] In one aspect, the measurement processing circuit 152a may be coupled to the interface circuit 152b so that the sensor signal 104s received by the interface circuit 152b is directly transmitted to the measurement processing circuit 152a. That is, the sensor signal 104s is not transmitted to the base plate 150. The sensor signal 104s can be accessed by the operator through the output port 162. A plurality of measurement processing circuits 152a and interface circuits 152b can exist in a one-to-one manner for receiving the sensor signal 104s. As above, the measurement processing circuit 152a can be configured to determine one or more values ​​of the operating parameter measurement contained in the received sensor signal 104s. The measurement processing circuit 152a can also compare the determined value and / or the variable of the measured enhanced data with a predetermined alarm condition in real time, and determine the state of the target 102. The measurement processing circuit 152a can also output a signal representing the variable of the measured enhanced data, the determined value, and the determined state to the base plate 150.

[0126] The measurement processing circuit 152a may also format the process variable (e.g., the determined value, the measured variable of the enhanced data set, the annunciated alarm, etc.) for output to the machine control system 112. For example, the format may be a current ranging between about 4 mA and about 20 mA (also referred to as 4-20) and proportional to the determined value and / or the measured variable compared to a corresponding scale. The machine control system 112 may utilize the process variable to perform process control on the target 102.

[0127] The state determined by the measurement processing circuit 152a can be retrieved from the backplane 150 by the relay processing circuit 154a. The relay processing circuit 154a may include a relay that is programmed to actuate based on the received alarm state to notify the alarm. In one example, the relay can be actuated based on a single state. In another example, the relay can be actuated based on a Boolean expression (e.g., and / or voting) combining two or more states. The relay processing circuit 154a can also output a signal representing the alarm being notified directly to the machine control system 112 to perform process control on the target 102. For example, the machine control system 112 can shut down the operation of the target 102 when an alarm notification is received. The notified alarm can also be used to provide an indication and / or drive to the digital input of the machine control system 112, HMI 114 or history library 116.

[0128] The measurement output circuit 156a can retrieve data (such as determined values, measured variables of enhanced data, determined states, and annunciated alarms) from the backplane 150 for transmission to the internal network 110a. Upon receipt, the retrieved data can be stored by the historian 116 and / or viewed by an operator using the HMI 114.

[0129] The configuration and diagnostic circuit 160a may receive a first configuration command from the internal network 110a and transmit the first configuration command to the backplane 150 for use by the circuits 152a, 154a, 156a, 160a. The first configuration command may provide one or more set points for the measurement processing circuit 152a to use to determine a state. The first configuration command may also provide logic instructions and identify a state to be used by the relay output circuit 154a for alarm annunciation. The first configuration command may also identify data to be retrieved from the backplane 150 and transmitted to the internal network 110a by the measurement output circuit 156a, such as a determined value, a variable of the enhanced data measured, a determined state, and / or an annunciated alarm.

[0130] Configuration and diagnostic circuitry 160a may also receive a second configuration command from internal network 110a. The second configuration command may identify data to be retrieved from backplane 150 and transmitted to external network 110b for use by diagnostic system 120, such as determined values, measured variables of enhanced data, determined states, and annunciated alarms.

[0131] While being able to facilitate protection monitoring and condition monitoring of the target 102, in some cases, the architecture of monitoring systems such as the monitoring system 106 may lack flexibility. In one aspect, placing the configuration and diagnostic circuit 160a in communication with both the internal network 110a and the external network 110b may cause delays in updating the second configuration command. When diagnosing a machine problem, it may be desirable to change the data received by the diagnostic system 120. However, transmissions to or from components that communicate with the internal network 110a may be strictly regulated in order to protect the machine control system 112 from unauthorized access. The regulation may include allowing the configuration and diagnostic circuit 160a to transmit data to the external network 110b for condition monitoring, but prohibiting changes to the second command from being transmitted from the external network 110b to the configuration and diagnostic circuit 160a. Instead, an authorized operator of the machine control system 112 may be required to approve any changes to the second configuration command and transmit the updated second adjustment command from the internal network 110a to the configuration and diagnostic circuit 160a.

[0132] On the other hand, coupling the interface circuit 152b that receives the sensor signal 104s directly to the measurement processing circuit 152a can limit access of the sensor signal 104s to only the measurement processing circuit 152a. As a result, the other circuits 154a, 156a, 160a of the monitoring system 106 and the diagnostic system 120 cannot utilize the original operating parameter measurement transmitted by the sensor signal 104s. In addition, if a second measurement processing circuit (not shown) is added to the monitoring system to receive an additional sensor signal from another sensor, each measurement processing circuit can utilize the operating parameter measurement it receives, but cannot utilize the operating parameter received by another measurement processing circuit.

[0133] In another aspect, the process variables output by the measurement processing circuit 152a to the machine control system 112 may be limited. Generally speaking, for each sensor signal 104s received by the measurement processing circuit 152a, there may be a plurality of possible process variables (e.g., determined values ​​and / or measured variables of the enhanced data set). For example, there may be eight possible process variables (vibration amplitude, gap voltage, 1x filtered amplitude, 2x filtered amplitude, 1x filtered phase, 2x filtered phase, non-1x amplitude, and Smax) determined by the measurement processing circuit 152a from the sensor signal 104s measuring radial vibration. However, the measurement processing circuit 152a may have the capability to output a single process variable for each sensor 104 from which the measurement processing circuit receives the sensor signal 104s.

[0134] One or more of these limitations may be addressed by embodiments of the flexible monitoring system of the present disclosure. Figure 2 An exemplary embodiment of an operating environment 200 including a flexible monitoring system 202 is shown. The operating environment 200 may be similar to the operating environment 100, except that the monitoring system 106 is replaced by the flexible monitoring system 202. The flexible monitoring system 202 may include a base 204 including a backplane 206 and one or more circuits 210. The backplane 206 may be configured to be communicatively coupled to two or more circuits 210 and receive data from at least one circuit 210 coupled thereto. As described herein, the data transmitted to the backplane 206 may be referred to as monitoring data. In one aspect, the monitoring data may include information contained in the sensor signal 104S, such as the measured operating parameters of the target 102 and the measured variables of the enhanced data set. The monitoring data may also include any value, state, and / or notification alarm determined based on the measured operating parameters of the target 102 and / or the measured variables of the enhanced data set. The circuit 210 coupled to the backplane 206 may retrieve the monitoring data from the backplane 206. In certain embodiments, the target 206 may be non-magnetized. The passive backplane may contain substantially no or no logic circuitry to perform computing functions.The required arbitration logic may be placed on a daughter card (eg, one or more of circuits 210) that is inserted into or otherwise communicatively coupled to the passive backplane.

[0135] Compared to the circuits 152a, 154a, 156a, 160a of the monitoring system 106, the circuit 210 may be designed with a common architecture that is programmable to perform different predetermined functions of the flexible monitoring system 202. The sensor signals 104S received by one or more of the circuits 210 may be transmitted to the backplane 206, and the monitoring data represented by the sensor signals 104S may be accessed by any of the circuits 210. In addition, the flexible monitoring system 202 may communicatively couple multiple pedestals in a manner such that a common backplane 206′ is formed by separate backplanes 206 (e.g., logic backplanes) of each pedestal 204. Thus, the circuits 210 may retrieve monitoring data from any backplane 206 that forms the common backplane 206′, rather than only from the backplane 206 to which they are physically coupled.

[0136] In certain embodiments, the circuit 210 of the flexible monitoring system 202 can be configured to provide functionality at least similar to the circuits 152a, 154a, 156a, 160a of the monitoring system 106. An exemplary embodiment of the circuit 210 is shown in FIG. Figures 2 to 3 204 and discussed in detail below. For example, the circuit 210 may include an input circuit 210i, a processing circuit 210p, an output circuit 210o, and an infrastructure circuit 210n. However, it should be understood that the circuit 210 may be programmed to perform other functions. Therefore, the flexible monitoring system 202 may be configured to receive the sensor signal 104S and output the monitoring signals 206S, 208S to the internal network 110A and the external network 110B, respectively. As discussed in detail below, an embodiment of the flexible monitoring system 202 may receive command signals 209s, 211s from the internal network 110a and the external network 110b, respectively, without compromising the safety of the machine control system 112. Therefore, the flexible monitoring system 202 may be a suitable replacement for existing deployments of the monitoring system 106 while providing improved flexibility and functionality.

[0137] Using this architecture, the circuits 210 can be combined in various ways on one or more backplanes 206 to form different implementations of the flexible monitoring system 202. The number of bases 204, input circuits 210i, processing circuits 210p, output circuits 210o, and infrastructure circuits 210n included in a given implementation of the flexible monitoring system 202 can also vary independently of each other. In some implementations, the flexible monitoring system 202 can be in the form of a single base 204 that includes circuits 210 configured to provide signal input, signal output, protection monitoring, condition monitoring, and combinations thereof. In other implementations, the flexible monitoring system 202 can be in the form of at least two bases 204, and the circuits 210 configured to perform any combination of signal input, signal output, protection monitoring, and condition monitoring can be distributed between the at least two bases 204. In this way, the input, processing, and output capabilities of the flexible monitoring system 202 and the physical locations of the different circuits 210 of the flexible monitoring system 202 can be customized for a specific monitoring application.

[0138] Furthermore, after initial deployment, the implementation of the flexible monitoring system 202 may be modified to modify the circuits 210 coupled to a given pedestal 204 in anticipation of changes in monitoring applications. Given their common architecture, circuits 210 may be easily added to pedestals 204 that have the capacity to couple to the new circuits 210. Alternatively, one or more new pedestals 204 may be communicatively coupled to existing pedestals 204, thereby allowing the one or more new circuits 210 to couple to one or more corresponding backplanes 206 of the one or more new pedestals 204 and expand the monitoring capabilities of the flexible monitoring system 202. In some cases, it may be beneficial that a circuit 210 removed from one pedestal 204 of the flexible monitoring system 202 may be stored as a component in a reserve form or redeployed to another pedestal 204 of the same or different implementation of the flexible monitoring system 202.

[0139] In certain embodiments, the input circuit 210i may be configured to receive the sensor signal 104s, perform signal conditioning on the sensor signal 104s, and output the conditioned sensor signal 104s to the backplane 206. Figure 1A to Figure 1B Compared to the flexible monitoring system 106 , the input circuits 210 i may be decoupled from the processing circuits 210 p , thereby allowing the number of input circuits 210 i of the flexible monitoring system 202 to vary independently of the number of processing circuits 210 p .

[0140] The sensor signals 104s may be received from a variety of different types of sensors 104. Examples of sensor types may include, but are not limited to, vibration sensors, temperature sensors (eg, resistance temperature detectors or RTDs), position sensors, and pressure sensors.

[0141] Embodiments of the flexible monitoring system 202 may include one or more input circuits 210i. Figure 2 As shown, the flexible monitoring system 202 includes two input circuits 210i. Each of the input circuits 210i can communicate with a corresponding sensor 104 to receive a corresponding sensor signal 104s. For example, one sensor signal 104s can represent first monitoring data (acquired by a first sensor) including a measurement result of a first operating parameter of a first machine component. The other sensor signal 104s can represent second monitoring data, which includes a measurement result of a second operating parameter of a second machine component (e.g., collected by a second sensor different from the first sensor). In some embodiments, the first machine component and the second machine component can be the same (e.g., target 102). In other embodiments, the first and second machine components can be different (e.g., target 102 and a different target [not shown]). Similarly, in some embodiments, the first operating parameter and the second operating parameter can be the same operating parameter. In one aspect, this configuration can provide redundancy in the event of a failure of one of the sensors 104. In another aspect, such a configuration can be utilized in which the desired measurement (e.g., shaft rotation speed) is derived from two sensor measurements coordinated in time (phase). In another embodiment, the first operating parameter and the second operating parameter can be different. Although two input circuits 210i have been shown and discussed, other embodiments of the monitoring system may include more or fewer input circuits.

[0142] Different types of sensors 104 may generate sensor signals 104s in different formats, and the input circuitry 210i may be programmed to perform signal conditioning appropriate for the different sensor signals 104s before transmitting the conditioned sensor signals to the backplane 206. Examples of various types of inputs are described in Figure 3 . In one example, the sensor signal 104s received from the position sensor may be received by the position input circuit 250. In another example, the sensor signal 104s received from the vibration sensor may be received by the vibration input circuit 252. In an additional example, the sensor signal 104s received from the temperature sensor may be received by the temperature input circuit 254. In an additional example, the sensor signal 104s received from the pressure sensor may be received by the pressure input circuit 256.

[0143] In other embodiments, the input circuit 210i may be in the form of a discrete contact circuit 260. The discrete contact circuit 260 may include a pair of contacts that may be closed by an external switch or relay. The pair of contacts may be closed by the machine control system 112 or by an operator of the machine control system 112 closing a switch. The discrete contact circuit 260 may be used to change the behavior of the flexible monitoring system 202. Examples of changes in behavior may include, but are not limited to, different machine operating modes, causing the flexible monitoring system 202 to suppress alarm determinations, and resetting alarm states.

[0144] Although the monitoring system 106 may include discrete contacts, it may lack specificity. For example, a change implemented by closing a discrete contact in the measurement system 106 may be implemented on all alarms generated by the measurement system 106. In contrast, because the discrete contact circuit 260 of the flexible monitoring system 202 may be separate from the protection processing circuit 264, the discrete contact circuit 260 may be configured to implement only selected alarm determinations and / or reset alarm states, or to implement all alarms.

[0145] In other embodiments, the input circuit 210i may be in the form of a digital data stream input circuit 262. For example, the digital data stream input circuit 262 may be configured to receive a digital data stream from the sensor 104, the machine control system 112, and / or a trusted third-party system, rather than an analog data stream (e.g., from the sensor 104).

[0146] Processing circuit 210P may be configured to retrieve any data from backplane 206, analyze the retrieved operating parameters, and output the results of such analysis. Figure 3 As shown, certain embodiments of the processing circuit 210p may be configured to perform protection functions and may be referred to herein as protection processing circuit 264. In other embodiments, the processing circuit 210p may be configured to retrieve selected data from the backplane 206 and transmit the retrieved information to the diagnostic system 120 for performing diagnostic and / or prognostic functions (e.g., condition monitoring) and may be referred to herein as condition processing circuit 266.

[0147] The number of processing circuits 210p and input circuits 210i included in a given implementation of the flexible monitoring system 202 can vary independently of one another. In certain embodiments, processing circuits 210p can be added to or removed from the backplane 206 to customize the amount of computing resources available for protection monitoring and / or condition monitoring. In other embodiments, a given processing circuit 210p can be replaced by another processing circuit 210p having greater or less computing power.

[0148] Any of these scenarios may be beneficial in certain circumstances, thereby providing computational flexibility to the flexible monitoring system 202, which may be customized to a given application and / or modified as needed. In one scenario, a machine of relatively low importance may have higher cost pressures and lower processing requirements. In this case, a specific implementation of the flexible monitoring system 202 may include a processing circuit 210P having processing resources customized for cost. In another scenario, a particular monitoring application may require high processing requirements (e.g., for determining values ​​characterizing a measured parameter, for outputting monitoring data, etc.). In this case, a specific implementation of the flexible monitoring system 202 may include a processing circuit 210P having processing resources customized for processing resources. Thus, the architecture of the flexible monitoring system 202 may allow for adaptation to different use cases, depending on the priority of the intended monitoring application.

[0149] The protection processing circuit 264 and the condition processing circuit 266 are discussed below with reference to different functions. However, the protection processing circuit 264 can be programmed to perform any of the functions of the condition processing circuit 266. The condition processing circuit 266 can be programmed to perform the functions of the protection processing circuit 264 in addition to transmitting data to the backplane 206 and providing local storage. Inhibiting the ability of the condition processing circuit 266 to transmit data to the backplane 206 can inhibit unauthorized intrusion and facilitate protecting the internal network 110a and the machine control system 112.

[0150] The protection processing circuit 264 may be configured to retrieve selected monitoring data from the backplane 206 in response to receiving a protection command. For example, one or more protection commands may be transmitted to the protection processing circuit 264 in the form of a protection command signal 209s received from the internal network 110a (e.g., from an operator of the machine control system 112). The selected monitoring data may include at least a portion of the monitoring data transmitted to the backplane 206. The monitoring data transmitted to the backplane may be received from the input circuit 210i or another protection processing circuit 264. The protection processing circuit 264 may also be configured to determine a value characterizing the selected monitoring data and transmit the determined value to the backplane 206 as additional monitoring data.

[0151] The protection processing circuit 264 may be configured to determine the state of the selected monitoring data based on the comparison of the determined value, another determined value retrieved from the backplane 206 (e.g., from another protection processing circuit 264), and their combination with one or more predetermined set points. The predetermined set point may correspond to a corresponding alarm state (e.g., an alert state, a Danger state, etc.). Continuing with the above example, in the case where the determined value is the amplitude of the radial vibration, the one or more set points may include an alert set point, a Danger set point greater than the alert set point, and a combination thereof. In certain embodiments, a single set point may be employed. Assuming that the alert and metric set points are used, if the radial amplitude value is less than the alert set point, the state of the radial amplitude may be determined to be "OK". If the radial amplitude value is greater than or equal to the alert set point, the state of the radial amplitude may be determined to be "Alert". If the radial amplitude value is greater than the Danger set point, the state of the operating parameter may be determined to be "Danger". After determining the state of the selected monitoring data in this manner, the protection processing circuit 264 may transmit the determined state to the backplane 206. The condition processing circuit 266 may be configured to retrieve the selected monitoring data from the backplane 206 and provide the retrieved monitoring data to the external network 110B for use by the diagnostic system 120. In certain embodiments, in response to receiving an adjustment command, the condition processing circuit 266 may retrieve the selected monitoring data. For example, one or more adjustment commands may be transmitted to the condition processing circuit 266 in the form of an adjustment command signal 211S, which may be received from the external network 110B. (e.g., from an operator of the diagnostic system 120). Subsequently, the diagnostic system 120 may utilize the retrieved monitoring data to determine the cause of the state and / or alarm condition. Alternatively or in addition thereto, the diagnostic system 120 may also employ the retrieved monitoring data to predict the development of the state and / or alarm state before the state and / or alarm state occurs. In other embodiments, the diagnostic system 120 may store the retrieved monitoring data for subsequent analysis. In other embodiments, the diagnostic system 120 may transmit the retrieved monitoring data to another computing device for analysis.

[0152] In another embodiment, the condition processing circuit 266 can retrieve selected monitoring data from the backplane 206 based on the detection of a predetermined state. For example, the condition processing circuit 266 can retrieve and view the state generated by the protection processing circuit 264 to identify a state that matches the predetermined state. The identified state can also include a state time that characterizes the time when the state is determined. When a match is identified, the condition processing circuit 266 can retrieve selected monitoring data, which includes operating parameter measurements corresponding to a predetermined duration state before and / or after the state time. In this way, the diagnostic system 120 can be provided with operating parameter information related to the cause of the determined state. The predetermined state and the selected monitoring data can be included in one or more adjustment commands.

[0153] The number of condition processing circuits 266 present in the flexible monitoring system 202 may vary independently of the number of input circuits 210i. In certain embodiments, condition processing circuits 266 may be added to increase the ability of the flexible monitoring system 202 to output monitoring data. For example, when two or more condition processing circuits 266 are present in the flexible monitoring system 202, each condition processing circuit may be responsible for outputting a different measured operating parameter. In another example, two or more condition processing circuits 266 may output the same measured operating parameter in order to provide redundancy. Each may be beneficial in certain circumstances, thereby providing computational flexibility to the flexible monitoring system 202. In another example, condition processing circuits 266 may be added to implement custom analysis without interfering with standard operation (e.g., when beta testing a new analysis).

[0154] The output circuit 210o may be configured to obtain any monitoring data contained on the backplane 206 in response to receiving an output command (e.g., contained in one or more protection command signals 209s received from the internal network 110A). The output circuit 210o may also output the retrieved monitoring data to the internal network 110a in the form of an output monitoring signal 206s. Examples of monitoring data retrieved by the output circuit 210o may include, but are not limited to, operating parameter measurements, determined values, variables of enhanced data sets, states, and alarms.

[0155] Continue to refer Figure 3, an embodiment of the output circuit 210o may be in the form of a proportional output circuit 270. The proportional output circuit 270 may be configured to output the monitoring signal 206s in the form of a process control signal (not shown). The process control signal may be proportional to a process variable such as a direct measurement or a variable of an enhanced data set compared to a predetermined scale. For example, the current output may be a 4-20 mA output. The process control signal may be provided to the machine control system 112 directly or via the internal network 110a to facilitate controlling an operating parameter of the target 102. The process variable included in the process control signal may be specified by the protection command signal 209s.

[0156] In other embodiments, the output circuit 210o can be in the form of one or more relay circuits 272, which are configured to retrieve selected state data from the backplane 206 and actuate based on the received alarm state to announce the alarm. The announced alarm can be output in the form of an alarm signal (not shown). In one example, the relay can be actuated based on a single state. In another example, the relay can be actuated based on a predetermined Boolean expression (e.g., and / or voting) combining two or more states. The alarm signal can be provided to the machine control system 112 via the internal network 110a or directly to the machine control system 112 to control the operating parameters of the target 102. For example, the machine control system 112 can shut down the operation of the target 102 in response to receiving the alarm signal. The selected state data and logic for actuating the relay can be specified by the protection command signal 209s.

[0157] In other embodiments, the output circuit 210o may be in the form of at least one communication interface circuit 274. The communication interface circuit 274 may be configured to retrieve selected monitoring data from the backplane 206 in response to receiving the protection command signal 209s. The selected monitoring data may include one or more of measured operating parameters, measured variables of the enhanced data set, determined states, and determined alarms. The retrieved data may be transmitted to the internal network 110a in one or more output monitoring signals 206s for use by the machine control system 212 (e.g., for process control), the HMI 114 (e.g., for display to an operator), and / or stored by the historian 116.

[0158] The infrastructure circuitry 210n may be configured to perform the functions required for the operation of the flexible monitoring system 202. Figure 3As shown, an embodiment of the infrastructure circuit 210n may take the form of a system interface circuit 276. The system interface circuit 276 may be used as an access point for transmitting the protection command signal 209s from the internal network 110a to the monitoring system 220, thereby facilitating the configuration of circuits related to protection monitoring (e.g., the protection processing circuit 264, the output circuit 210i). The protection command signal 209s may include one or more signals, the one or more signals including any of the following in any combination: identifying the selected monitoring data of each of the protection processing circuit 264 and the output circuit 210i for retrieval and / or output, the alarm set point of the protection processing circuit 264, and the logic for notifying the relay through the relay output circuit 272.

[0159] It should be appreciated that, in contrast to the monitoring system 106, embodiments of the flexible monitoring system 202 may separate the circuits 210 that configure the protection monitoring functionality (e.g., the system interface circuit 276) and the condition monitoring functionality (e.g., the condition processing circuit 266). Thus, the protection monitoring configuration may be performed entirely on the internal network 110A, while the condition monitoring configuration may be performed entirely on the external network 110B. That is, the internal network 110A is not communicatively coupled to the external network 110B. Thus, the adjustment command signal 211S may be provided to the condition processing circuit 266 without obtaining approval from an authorized operator of the machine control system 112.

[0160] In order to understand the inherent cyber security risks when allowing the condition processing circuit 266 to communicate with the external network 110B and the backplane 206, the condition processing circuit 266 can be limited to unidirectional communication with the backplane 206 for data retrieval only. Such unidirectional communication can be established through any combination of hardware (e.g., data diodes), firmware, and / or software. In certain embodiments, the unidirectional communication is provided at least through hardware. Therefore, the flexible monitoring system 202 can remain secure from malicious actors while facilitating rapid configuration of the condition processing circuit 266.

[0161] In another aspect, the infrastructure circuit 210n can take the form of a power input circuit 280. The power input circuit 280 can provide the ability to connect one or more power sources to the flexible monitoring system 202.

[0162] In another aspect, the infrastructure circuit 210n may take the form of a bridge circuit 282. The bridge circuit 282 may provide the ability to connect the backplanes 206 of two or more bases 204 together and form a common backplane 206' for communication between the two.

[0163] So configured, embodiments of circuitry 210 may be distributed in any combination of arrangements among one or more bases 204 to form a specific implementation of a flexible monitoring system having desired monitoring capabilities (eg, inputs, processing, outputs, etc.).

[0164] Figure 4 A detailed block diagram of a portion of an exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system 300 is shown, which can be configured to monitor operating parameters of industrial equipment. The monitoring system 300 may include any number of functional circuits 310, which can be removably coupled to the backplane 306 via the port 308 of the backplane 306. The backplane 306 can be a physical bus, include a physical bus, or form a part of a physical bus. In some embodiments, the backplane 306 may have a unique ID that can be used to identify the backplane 306. The backplane 306 can be a passive backplane 306, which is configured to facilitate multi-point asynchronous electronic communication between the functional circuits 310 coupled to the backplane 306. Therefore, all data delivered to the backplane 306 can be received by all functional circuits 310 coupled to the backplane 306. In the illustrated example, the backplane 306 includes a plurality of data channels 312 that communicate electronically with the ports 308, which are configured to receive the functional circuits 310. Each port 308 is configured to facilitate electronic communication between the functional circuitry 310 coupled to the port 308 and all of the data channels 312 of the backplane 306 .

[0165] like Figure 4 As shown, each data channel may include a transmission portion 314 and a receiving portion 316. The ends of the transmission portion and the receiving portion may be coupled to a resistor 318 extending between the transmission portion 314 and the receiving portion 316. The resistor 318 may be used to prevent or mitigate signal reflections that may be caused by unused energy associated with the pulsed signal delivered to the data channel 312 and / or noise caused by inductive and capacitive effects associated with the data channel 312. The transmission portion 314 and the receiving portion 316 of each data channel 312 may be coupled to each port 308 to facilitate electronic communication between the functional circuit 310 and the data channel 312. Therefore, each port 308 facilitates the delivery of data (e.g., data packets) to all data channels 312 and the retrieval of data from all data channels 312.

[0166] There are many different types of functional circuits 310 that can be coupled to the backplane 306. For example, one or more of the functional circuits 310 can be input circuits, processing circuits, output circuits, and / or infrastructure circuits, such as those described with respect to FIG. Figures 2 to 3As described. In some embodiments, each functional circuit 310 may have a unique ID (e.g., a MAC address) that can be used to identify the functional circuit 310. The monitoring system 300 provides a high degree of flexibility and scalability by allowing the user to adjust the performance of the monitoring system by attaching different functional circuits 310 to the backplane. For example, processing power can be increased by coupling additional processing circuits to the backplane 306. As another example, the monitoring system 300 can be expanded by coupling additional input circuits to the backplane 306 so that the monitoring system 300 can receive and process sensor data from additional sensors (e.g., sensor 104) used to monitor industrial equipment.

[0167] As shown in the illustrated example, each functional circuit 310 may include a circuit controller 320 and a node 322 configured to facilitate and control electronic communications between the circuit controller 320 and the backplane 306. For example, the node 322 may control the delivery of data from the circuit controller 320 to the data channel 312 of the backplane 306. The node 322 may also control which data is delivered from the data channel 312 to the circuit controller 320 of the functional circuit 310.

[0168] Circuit controller 320 may include memory, at least one data processor, and / or other circuitry configured to facilitate operations as described herein. Circuit controller 320 may be configured to perform specific operations corresponding to the desired functions of functional circuit 310. In some embodiments, circuit controller 320 may be configured to receive data from an external source (e.g., a sensor or user device), process the data, and provide the data to node 322. For example, if a given functional circuit is an input circuit, as described herein with respect to Figures 2 to 3 As described above, the circuit controller 320 may include an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter that may be configured to receive an analog signal from the sensor and convert the analog signal into a digital signal. Each of the circuit controllers may be configured to receive data from all data channels of the backplane (e.g., via node 322) and process the data.

[0169] In some embodiments, the circuit controller 320 of the functional circuit 310, such as the protection circuit, may be configured to retrieve any data packets (e.g., data packets corresponding to sensor measurements) from the data channel 312 of the backplane 306 (e.g., via a node), analyze the retrieved data packets, and provide the results of such analysis to the data channel 312 of the backplane 306 (e.g., via a node). For example, the circuit controller 320 of the protection circuit may also be configured to compare the data received from the backplane with predetermined alarm conditions in real time, and determine the state (e.g., normal, alarm, danger, etc.) of any measured operating parameters or variables, either individually or in combination. The determined state may then be output to the data channel 312 of the backplane 306. The circuit controller 320 of the condition monitoring circuit may generally function similarly to the circuit controller of the protection circuit. However, the node of the condition monitoring circuit may prevent the circuit controller 320 of the condition monitoring circuit from delivering data to the data channel 312 of the backplane 306, as described in more detail below.

[0170] In some embodiments, the circuit controller 320 of the output circuit (e.g., output circuit 210o) may be configured to obtain any data packet delivered to the data channel 312 of the backplane 306, and output the monitoring signal (e.g., monitoring signal 106s) to any external system (e.g., external system 110). Examples may include, but are not limited to, direct measurements, variables and states of enhanced data sets, 4-20mA recorder outputs, voltages of direct measurements, as described herein with respect to output circuit 210i. In some embodiments, the circuit controller 320 of an output circuit such as a relay may be configured to retrieve state data (e.g., via a node) from the data channel 312 of the backplane 306, and actuate based on the received data characterizing the alarm state. In one example, the circuit controller 320 of the relay circuit may actuate based on a single state. In another example, the relay circuit may actuate based on a Boolean expression (e.g., and / or voting) combining two or more states. In some embodiments, when actuated, the relay circuit may be configured to deliver the monitoring signal (e.g., monitoring signal 106s) to a control system (e.g., customer control system 212). The control system can then stop operation of the monitored equipment to prevent damage or failure.

[0171] The circuit controller 320 of the infrastructure circuit (e.g., infrastructure circuit 210n) can be configured to perform operations required for the monitoring system to function. For example, the circuit controller 320 of the system interface circuit can be used as an access point for configuring any functional circuit, alarm conditions for protecting industrial equipment, and conditions for actuating relay circuits. In some embodiments, the circuit controller 320 of the system interface circuit can be coupled to a control system and / or an HMI (e.g., HMI 220). A trusted user such as an equipment operator can provide configuration data to the circuit controller 320 of the system interface circuit via the control system and / or HMI, and the system interface circuit can provide data packets representing the configuration data to the data channel 312 of the backplane 306.

[0172] As described herein, the circuit controller 320 may be configured to provide data to the node 322, but the circuit controller does not directly control the data delivery to the data channel 312. The node 322 of the functional circuit 310 may control the data flow between the circuit controller 320 and the data channel 312. Each node 322 may include an array of node controllers 324, gate controllers 326, and gate pairs 328. The gate pairs 328 may be configured to facilitate electronic communication between the functional circuit 310 and the data channel 312 of the backplane 306. Each gate controller 326 may be configured to control the operation of the transmitter 330 and the receiver 332 of the corresponding functional circuit 310, thereby controlling the data flow between the functional circuit 310 and the data channel 312 of the backplane 306. The transmitter 330 and the receiver 332 may be referred to as a gate. The transmitter 330 and the receiver 332 are described in more detail below.

[0173] The node controller 324 may include a memory, at least one data processor, and / or other circuits configured to facilitate operation as described herein. Each node controller 324 may be in electronic communication with the circuit controller 320 and the gate controller 326 of the corresponding functional circuit 310. The node controller 324 may be used as an interface between the circuit controller 320 and the gate controller 326 and / or the transmitter 330 and the receiver 332. For example, the node controller 324 may be configured to control which data is transmitted from the data channel 312 to the circuit controller 320 using, for example, packet filtering techniques. For example, the circuit controller 320 of the functional circuit 310, such as the protection circuit, may send a signal to the node controller 324 to instruct the node controller to provide specific data from the backplane 306. The node controller 324 may monitor the data channel 312 of the backplane 306, identify the desired data packet, and deliver the data packet and / or the data corresponding to the data packet to the circuit controller 320 for processing. In some embodiments, the node controller 324 may use information provided with the data packet delivered to the backplane to identify relevant data to provide to the circuit controller 320. For example, the node controller may use an IP address, a MAC address, a TCP / IP header, a UDP / IP header, a message header, an object header, source information, destination information, and / or the contents of the data packet to identify relevant data packets to provide to the circuit controller 320. In some embodiments, the node controller 324 may be configured to receive a signal from the circuit controller 320, encode the signal into bits, and deliver a signal (e.g., a data packet) corresponding to the encoded bits to the gate controller 326 for delivery of the data to the data channel 312 of the backplane 306. The node controller 324 may also store a copy of the schedule that can be used to control the operation of the transmitter 330 and the receiver 332.

[0174] The gate controller 326 may include a memory, at least one data processor, and / or other circuits configured to facilitate operation as described herein. Each gate controller 326 may be in electronic communication with a transmitter 330, a receiver 332, and a node controller 324 of a corresponding functional circuit 310. Each gate controller 326 may be configured to control the operation of the transmitter 330 and the receiver 332 of the corresponding functional circuit 310, thereby controlling the data flow between the functional circuit 310 and the data channel 312 of the backplane 306. For example, the gate controller 326 may control the operation mode of the gate pair 328. In some embodiments, the gate controller 326 may be configured to control the operation mode of the transmitter 330 and the receiver 332 based on a predetermined schedule and / or instruction provided by the node controller 324. For example, the gate controller 326 may be configured to receive data from the node controller 324 at a scheduled time, store the data, and deliver it to the data channel 312. In some embodiments, the gate controller 326 may receive a schedule from the node controller 324. The scheduling and operation mode of the transmitter 330 and the receiver 332 are described in more detail below. In some embodiments, each data lane 312 may have a corresponding schedule that defines when the various functional circuits 310 may deliver data packets to that particular data lane 312 .

[0175] As shown in the illustrated example, the gate pairs 328 can be electrically coupled to the respective data channels 312 via the port 308. In some embodiments, each gate pair 328 can be a half-duplex transceiver including a transmitter 330 and a receiver 332. The transmitter and the receiver can be referred to as a gate. Each transmitter and receiver of each gate pair 328 can be electrically coupled to the receiving portion 316 and the transmitting portion 314 of the corresponding data channel 312, respectively. In some embodiments, the node controller 324, the gate controller 326, the transmitter 330 and / or the receiver 332 can be a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0176] The transmitter may be configured to facilitate the delivery of a signal corresponding to a data packet to a data channel of the backplane. Each transmitter may have a first operating mode and a second operating mode. When in the first operating mode, the transmitter is configured to allow data (e.g., a data packet) to be transmitted from the functional circuit 310 to the data channel 312 of the backplane 306. In some embodiments, the gate controller 326 may deliver a control signal to the transmitter to set it to operate in the first operating mode. For example, the control signal may be an electrical signal delivered to the transmitter. As another example, the control signal may be a voltage and / or current change of the electrical signal delivered to the transmitter. When in the second operating mode, the transmitter is configured to prevent data (e.g., a data packet) from being transmitted from the functional circuit 310 to the data channel 312 of the backplane 306. For example, when in the second operating mode, the transmitter may be logically disconnected from the port 308 and the corresponding data channel 312 of the backplane 306. When in the second operating mode, the transmitter may have a high impedance to prevent the signal from being delivered to the data channel 312 of the backplane 306. For example, the gate controller 326 may deliver a control signal to the transmitter so that the transmitter has a high impedance, thereby preventing the transmitter from delivering data packets to the data channel 312. For another example, the gate controller 326 may stop delivering electrical signals to the transmitter 330, thereby placing the transmitter 330 in a high impedance state. The operating mode of each transmitter can be independently controlled by the gate controller 326 of the functional circuit 310.

[0177] The receiver may facilitate receiving signals corresponding to data packets from data channel 312 of backplane 306. In some embodiments, the receiver may be configured to modify and / or control signals delivered from the backplane to circuit controller 320. For example, the receiver may receive signals from data channel 312 of backplane 306, amplify the signals, and provide the signals to circuit controller 320 (e.g., via gate controller 326 and / or node controller 324).

[0178] In some embodiments, the receiver may also have a first operating mode and a second operating mode. When in the first operating mode, the receiver may be configured to allow data (e.g., data packets) to be transmitted from the attached data channel 312 to the node controller 324 and / or the circuit controller 320. When in the second operating mode, the receiver may be configured to prevent data (e.g., data packets) from being transmitted from the attached data channel 312 to the node controller 324 and / or the circuit controller 320. For example, if the gate pair 328 is a half-duplex transceiver, when the transmitter is in the first operating mode, the receiver is in the second operating mode. In some embodiments, when the transmitter switches to the first operating mode, the transmitter may deliver a control signal to the receiver to switch the receiver to the second operating mode. On the contrary, when the transmitter is in the second operating mode, the receiver is in the first operating mode. For example, when the transmitter switches to the second operating mode, the transmitter may stop delivering the control signal to the receiver, thereby switching the receiver to the first operating mode.

[0179] In some embodiments, the operating mode of the receiver can be controlled independently of the corresponding transmitter of the gate pair 328. For example, the gate controller 326 can deliver a control signal to the receiver to place the receiver in the second operating mode. Periodically, at a predetermined time, the gate controller 326 can stop delivering the control signal to the receiver, thereby switching the receiver to switch to the first operating mode.

[0180] In order to effectively manage the communication between each of the functional circuits 310, a communication schedule can be created and allocated between the functional circuits 310. In an exemplary embodiment, at least one node 322 of a functional circuit in the functional circuits 310 may include a schedule controller 334, which may be part of the node controller 324 and / or electronically communicate with the node controller. The schedule controller 334 may include a memory, at least one data processor, and / or other circuits configured to facilitate operation as described herein. The schedule controller may be configured to generate a schedule that can define when each of the transmitter and / or receiver is in a first operating mode or a second operating mode. Therefore, the schedule determines when each functional circuit 310 can deliver data to each data channel 312 of the backplane 306. Controlling the operating mode of the transmitter 330 and the receiver 332 may be referred to as gating. Each schedule may include a frame corresponding to a predetermined amount of time. The frame may be divided into a plurality of time slices. Each time slice may be assigned to a given functional circuit 310, thereby allowing the functional circuit 310 to deliver data to the data channel 312 during the assigned time slice. Schedule generation may also be referred to as arbitration. Functional circuits 310 capable of generating a schedule and delivering the schedule to data lanes 312 may be referred to as functional circuits capable of arbitration. Functional circuits 310 that control the generation of a schedule may be referred to as master circuits. Nodes 322 of the master circuit may be referred to as master nodes or manager nodes. Other functional circuits 310 coupled to the backplane 306 may be referred to as slave circuits. The master circuit may be in a master / slave relationship with all other functional circuits (e.g., slave circuits) coupled to the backplane 306. Nodes 322 of the slave circuit may be referred to as slave nodes.

[0181] In some embodiments, gating may be autonomously arbitrated between functional circuits 310 of monitoring system 300. For example, at initial system startup, functional circuit 310 may wait for a predetermined period of time to receive a beacon packet indicating the presence of a master circuit. If functional circuit 310 does not receive a beacon packet after the predetermined period of time, arbitration capable functional circuit 310 may deliver a beacon packet to data lane 312 to indicate that it (arbitration capable functional circuit 310) has assumed arbitration responsibility, thereby becoming the master circuit.

[0182] To generate the schedule, the schedule controller 334 of the master circuit may start the schedule record in the memory. The schedule controller 334 may then provide a signal to the node controller 324 to deliver the beacon packet to the data channel 312 of the backplane 306. The beacon packet may contain information about the monitoring system 300 (e.g., unique ID) schedule for the current frame. The beacon packet may also include time synchronization information, which each slave circuit in the slave circuit may use to synchronize the internal clock with the internal clock of the master circuit. Time synchronization may allow the functional circuit 310 to communicate effectively on the shared data channel 312 at a predetermined predetermined schedule time. The beacon signal may also trigger the slave circuit to request a time slice within the next frame. Each slave circuit may deliver a beacon response packet to the data channel 312 to request certain time slices to deliver data to the backplane 306. For example, the node controller 324 may generate a beacon packet based on a request received from the circuit controller 320 to request a time slice.

[0183] The schedule controller 334 of the master circuit may receive the request and may allocate time slices to various nodes 322 and / or functional circuits 310, thereby generating a schedule. The schedule controller 334 may deliver the schedule to the node controller 324, which may provide the schedule to the gate controller 326. The gate controller 326 may deliver the schedule to the data channel 312 of the backplane 306 via the transmitter at a predetermined time slice (which may be referred to as a beacon time slice). Each slave circuit may receive the schedule from the backplane 306 and implement the schedule. For example, the gate controller 326 of each functional circuit 310 may receive the schedule and may enforce the schedule by controlling the operating mode of the transmitter 330 and the receiver 332 based on the content defined in the schedule.

[0184] In some embodiments, the gate controller 326 of each node 322 can logically disconnect the transmitter from the data lane 312 during time slices that are not assigned to that particular node 322. In this way, the circuit controller 320 of the slave circuit can request certain time slices within the schedule, but the circuit controller 320 does not directly control the transmitter 330 and receiver 332 of the functional circuit 310. Therefore, the circuit controller 320 does not directly control when data can be delivered to the data lane 312. Therefore, if a functional circuit is sending invalid data (e.g., due to accidental or intentional corruption), the functional circuit 310 only corrupts the time slices that have been scheduled for that particular functional circuit 310.

[0185] During normal operation, the gate controller 326 of a given functional circuit 310 may operate all transmitters 330 in the first operating mode during the time slice assigned to the particular functional circuit 310. During the assigned time slice, the gate controller 326 may provide data to all data channels simultaneously. For example, if the backplane 306 includes 16 data channels, the gate controller 326 may transmit 2 bytes of information by transmitting 1 bit of information to each data channel simultaneously via the transmitter 330.

[0186] In some embodiments, if the master circuit is disabled or removed from the backplane, one or more of the slave circuits may be configured to assume arbitration responsibility. For example, if the slave circuit does not receive a beacon signal at the beginning of a frame, the arbitration-capable slave circuit may wait for a period of time before delivering a beacon packet to the data channel 312 to indicate that it (the arbitration-capable slave circuit) has assumed arbitration responsibility, thereby becoming the master circuit. The method of generating a schedule and communication between a master circuit and a slave circuit is discussed in more detail below.

[0187] Because arbitration may be performed by multiple functional circuits 310 and gating may be managed by nodes 322 of each functional circuit 310 rather than by a centralized source on backplane 306, monitoring system 300 provides robust communication between functional circuits 310 without a single point of failure. Methods of arbitration are discussed in more detail below.

[0188] Functional circuits 310 may vary in a variety of ways. For example, in some embodiments, one or more functional circuits may include multiple redundant nodes. Figure 5 shows that it can usually be similar to Figure 4 The functional circuit 310 shown in FIG. 1 but includes an example of a functional circuit 310a of a primary node 322 and a secondary node 323. The functional circuit 310a may include a circuit controller 320 that may electronically communicate with a node controller 324 of the nodes 322, 323. The primary node 322 and the secondary node 323 may include a node controller 324, a scheduling controller 334, a gate controller 326, and a gate pair 328 that may include a transmitter 330 and a receiver 332, which may be a transmitter and a receiver, respectively. The functional circuit 310a may be coupled to a port (e.g., port 308) of a backplane (e.g., backplane 306) and may be configured as described above with respect to FIG. Figure 4The functional circuit 310a shown in FIG. 1 functions as described above. However, in this case, during operation, one of the primary node 322 and the secondary node 323 may be disabled, while the other of the primary node 322 and the secondary node 323 is operational. If an operational node 322, 323 fails, the other node 322, 323 may be activated to ensure that the functional circuit 310a can send data to and receive data from the data channel of the backplane. In some embodiments, the port of the backplane may couple the corresponding gate pair 328 of each node to the same data channel of the backplane, thereby allowing a seamless transition to the secondary node 323 in the event of a failure of the primary node 322.

[0189] In some embodiments, the monitoring system may include a functional circuit that can be blocked from delivering data to a data channel of the backplane. For example, a functional circuit such as a condition monitoring circuit may be configured to receive data from a data channel of the backplane, but may also be blocked from delivering data to the data channel of the backplane. Figure 6 An example of a functional circuit 310b is shown, which is configured to receive signals from the data channel of the backplane, but is blocked from delivering signals to the data channel of the backplane. As shown in the illustrated example, the functional circuit includes a circuit controller 320 and a node 325, which is configured to facilitate communication between the circuit controller 320 and the data channel of the backplane. Node 325 includes a node controller 324, a gate controller 326, a receiver 332, so that it can receive signals from the data channel of the backplane, but does not include a transmitter 330, thereby preventing the functional circuit 310b from delivering signals to the data channel of the backplane.

[0190] In some embodiments, the functional circuit 310b may allow an untrusted or external user to view information from the backplane and interact with the circuit controller 320. Examples of such users may be, for example, remote maintenance engineers. For example, a user may deliver data to the circuit controller 320 to request specific information (e.g., sensor data) from a data channel for troubleshooting purposes. The circuit controller 320 may deliver the request to the node controller 324, which may allow the required data to be delivered to the circuit controller 320 from the data channel. The user may view the data and assist the device operator in troubleshooting, but may not deliver any data to the data channel of the backplane. Therefore, the user may not make any changes to the monitoring system using the functional circuit 310b. The user may only relay information to the device operator, and the plant operator, as a trusted user, may make changes to the monitoring system.

[0191] Controlling when each circuit module can communicate can provide a high degree of synchronization and determinism, which can facilitate communication between functional circuits without the need for centralized switching within the bus. By utilizing functional circuits that can generate a communication schedule, combined with one or more buses that allow each of the functional circuits to communicate information to each other, the monitoring system 300 provides a modular, flexible, and scalable solution for monitoring industrial equipment.

[0192] Conventional monitoring systems may be limited in flexibility and scalability. In addition, the cost and complexity of installation may create a significant barrier to entry for users who want to monitor low-cost and / or low-priority components / systems. By utilizing functional circuits that can be removably coupled to a backplane, the performance of the monitoring system described herein can be adjusted and / or expanded to suit individual monitoring needs. For example, processing power can be increased by coupling additional processing circuits to the backplane. As another example, the monitoring system can be expanded by coupling additional input circuits to the backplane so that the monitoring system can receive and process sensor data from additional sensors. In addition, by generating a schedule at the master circuit and gating communications at the slave circuit, the monitoring system can provide robust communications and / or eliminate centralized failure points associated with systems that use centralized switching for communication.

[0193] Since a functional circuit can send and receive signals via one or more data lanes in a bus, it may be desirable to configure a functional circuit (e.g., functional circuit 310) to broadcast data based on a schedule. Doing so can prevent multiple functional circuits from broadcasting at the same time, thereby reducing conflicts between data packets broadcast by different functional circuits. Fig.11 An exemplary time sequencing of communications between functional circuits of a monitoring system is shown.Monitoring system time may be divided into system frames during which functional circuit communications may be performed based on a system frame schedule.

[0194] like Figure 7As shown, the system time 402 can be divided into system frames 404A-N. The system frame 404A can extend over a period of time (e.g., between a start time 406 and an end time 408). The system frame can be divided into a plurality of time slices 410A-410N that can be continuous in time. The first time slice 410A can start at the start time 406, which can be used as a reference time for the system frame. The second time slice 410B can be adjacent to the first time slice 410A in time. The first time slice 410A can be referred to as a beacon time slice. The second time slice 410B can be referred to as a beacon response time slice. The time slices 410A and 410B together can constitute an arbitration period 411, during which the master circuit can interact with the slave circuit to allocate a time slice for data communication on the data channel of the bus. The remaining time slices 410C-410N can constitute a data communication period, during which the slave circuit can broadcast data packets on the data channel of the bus.

[0195] During the first time slice 410A of the arbitration period 411, the master circuit may broadcast a beacon packet on a data channel of a bus to which the master circuit is communicatively coupled. The beacon packet may be received by a slave circuit (e.g., a node controller of the slave circuit) communicatively coupled to the data channel. The beacon packet may include a system frame schedule for a system frame 404A that allocates time slices (e.g., time slices 410C-410N) of a data communication period to a slave circuit of the monitoring system. A system frame may also be referred to as a frame.

[0196] During the second time slice 410B of the arbitration period 411, one or more slave circuits may broadcast a beacon response packet on the data channel of the bus. For example, a node controller (e.g., node controller 324) may generate a beacon response packet and deliver the beacon response packet to the data channel via a transmitter (e.g., transmitter 330). The master circuit may receive the beacon response packet from the slave circuit. The beacon response packet may include a request for a time slice allocation. The master circuit may generate a schedule for future system frames (e.g., system frames 404B-N), which may include a time slice allocation based on the request in the beacon response packet from the slave circuit.

[0197] During the data communication period (e.g., 410C-410N), the slave circuit may broadcast data packets on the data channel of the bus. The slave circuit may receive the beacon packet broadcast by the master circuit during the arbitration period 411, and may broadcast the data packet during the time slice allocated to the slave circuit in the system frame schedule of the beacon packet.

[0198] For example, a gate controller in a slave circuit may configure a slave bus node to transmit a data packet during a time slice allocated to the slave circuit. This may be accomplished by operating one or more transmitters in the slave bus node in a first operating mode in which the transmitter allows data packets to be transmitted from the slave circuit to one or more data channels in the bus.

[0199] As shown in the expanded view of time slice 410G, each time slice 410A-410N may include an available time slice period 420 that is located in time before the dead time period 424. The slave circuit may be configured to transmit data packets during the available time slice period of the allocated time slice. For example, the available time slice period 420 may be used to transmit data packets including a preamble 426, a header 428, 430, 432, a data payload 434, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) 436, and an inter-packet gap 438. For example, the header 428, 430, 432 may be an Ethernet header, an IP header, and a UDP header, respectively. In some embodiments, the preamble 426 may be 8 bytes, the data payload 434 may be 1476 bytes, the CRC 436 may be 4 bytes, and the inter-packet gap 438 may be 12 bytes. In addition, in some embodiments, the headers 428, 430, 432 may be 14, 20, and 4 bytes, respectively. The information corresponding to the size of the preamble 126, the data payload 134, the CRC 436 and the inter-packet gap 438 and the headers 428, 430, 432 may be distributed in the schedule provided with the beacon packet. The size of the various parts of the data packet that can be transmitted during the available time slice period can vary. Similarly, the duration of the available time slice period 420 can vary. For example, the duration of the available time slice period 420 can be determined based on the maximum allowed data packet that can be broadcasted from the circuit and / or the rate at which data can be transmitted from the functional circuit. The duration of the available time slice period 420 can be at least as long as the amount of time required to transmit the data packet to the backplane. For example, the data packet can be in the range of about 56 bytes to 65535 bytes. As another example, the time slice has a duration in the range of about 2500 nanoseconds (ns) to 13496 nanoseconds.

[0200] The slave circuit may not transmit any data packets during the dead time period 424. The dead time period 424 at the end of each time slice 410A-410N can facilitate a seamless transition between data delivery from the functional circuits in the communication data channel of the backplane (e.g., backplane 306). For example, the dead time period 424 can be used to mitigate data transmission timing errors caused by inaccuracies in time synchronization between functional circuits, and minimize signal conflicts caused by delays associated with data transmission between bridging backplanes. For example, time synchronization errors may occur due to signal propagation delays along the data channel, propagation delays between bridging backplanes, time synchronization errors between functional circuits, bit error rates, etc. The bridging backplane is described in more detail below.

[0201] In some embodiments, the duration of the deadband period 424 may be determined based on the data communication protocol employed in the monitoring system. For example, an Ethernet communication protocol (e.g., TCP / IP, UDP / IP) may require that the deadband period 424 may allow for the communication of 12-byte data packets. In some implementations, the duration of the deadband period 424 may be determined based on expected and / or known time synchronization errors.

[0202] Figure 8 An exemplary data structure of a beacon packet 500 broadcast by a master circuit during an arbitration period is shown. The beacon packet may include a preamble field 501, which may be used as a reference signal. The slave circuit of the monitoring system uses the preamble field 501 to identify the beginning of the data in the beacon packet. The beacon packet may also include data fields such as a type field 502, a current time field 504, a network identification number (ID) field 505, a channel number field 507, a baud rate field 506, a scheduling header 522, and a scheduling entry array 524, etc. The type field 502 may indicate that the data packet is a beacon packet 500. In some embodiments, the functional circuit coupled to the backplane may use the preamble field 501 and the type field 502 to identify the data delivered to the backplane. For example, the preamble field 501 may include a data transmission clock, which the functional circuit coupled to the backplane may use to identify the data transmitted from a given functional circuit.

[0203] The current time field 504 can be used as a reference time to synchronize the clock of the slave circuit. The current time field 504 can be, for example, one or more of the transmission time of the beacon packet, the start time 406, the end time 408, etc. The network ID field can identify a network formed by one or more backplanes and the functional circuits coupled thereto. In some embodiments, the network ID can be generated and / or assigned to the monitoring system at startup. The network ID can be used to characterize the hardware (e.g., the unique ID of the functional circuit and / or backplane, the number of data channels on the backplane, etc.) and operating parameters (such as communication scheduling, baud rate, etc.) of the monitoring system. In some embodiments, the network ID can provide a means of identifying and / or separating independent networks that are not intentionally connected. The baud rate field 506 may include data characterizing the communication speed on each data channel of the backplane.

[0204] The beacon packet may also include a system frame schedule 520. The system frame schedule 520 may include a schedule header 522 and a schedule entry array 524. The schedule header 522 may include self-describing information about the schedule. For example, the schedule header 522 may include data characterizing the number of time slices included in the schedule, the duration of each time slice, the duration of the dead zone within the time slice, and identification data that may be used by a node controller of a functional circuit to resolve the allocation of time slices within the schedule.

[0205] Fig. 9 An exemplary structure of a system frame schedule 520 is shown. The system frame schedule includes a schedule header 522 and a schedule entry array 524. The schedule entry array 524 may include time slice allocations for time slices in a system frame (e.g., system frame 404a). The data matrix of the schedule entry array 524 may include a time slice array 602 and an allocation array 604. A field of the time slice array may identify a time slice, and a field of the allocation array may include allocation data for the time slice array. For example, an allocation field of a time slice that has been allocated to a slave circuit may include a unique identification (ID) of the slave circuit. For example, a unique ID may be, for example, a MAC address. In some embodiments, the schedule entry array 524 may include time slices that are not allocated to a slave circuit. The schedule entry array 524 may also include a plurality of best effort time slices in which a slave circuit may broadcast a data packet. The allocation field of an unallocated time slice may have a first predetermined value (e.g., 00-00-00-00-00-00). The allocation field of the best effort time slice may include a second predetermined value (e.g., FF-FF-FF-FF-FF-FF or 0xAA-AA-AA-AA-AA-AA).

[0206] In some embodiments, the main circuit may discard any data packets broadcasted by the slave monitoring node during the unallocated time slice. During the best-effort service time slice, any functional circuit coupled to the backplane of the monitoring system may broadcast data packets. For example, the best-effort service time slice can be used to transmit low-priority traffic, asynchronous application layer events (e.g., events that are difficult to schedule). Because multiple functional circuits broadcast during the best-effort service time slice, data packet conflicts may occur. These conflicts can be resolved using, for example, the CSMA / CD algorithm. In some embodiments, each functional circuit can monitor the data channel of the backplane to determine whether a conflict has occurred. For example, during the period when the functional circuit transmits data to the data channel of the backplane, the node controller and / or the gate controller of the functional circuit can monitor the data channel to determine whether the data present on the backplane is the same as the transmitted data. If the data on the backplane is different from the transmitted data, the node controller and / or the gate controller can determine that a conflict has occurred.

[0207] Fig.10 An exemplary data structure of a beacon response packet 700 that may be provided by a slave circuit to a backplane during a second time slice (e.g., 410B) of an arbitration period 411 is shown. The beacon response packet 700 may include a type field array 701, and a value array 703 may include a corresponding array 703 of values. The field array 701 may include a data field 702 that indicates that the beacon response packet 700 represents data of a beacon response packet. The field array 701 may also include a slave time field 704 that may include data characterizing an internal time of the slave circuit. The field array 701 may include a unique identification (ID) field 706 that may include data characterizing a unique identification corresponding to the slave circuit. The field array 701 may also include a time slice request field 708 that may include data characterizing the number of time slices required for the slave circuit to broadcast its data packets.

[0208] Fig.11 An exemplary communication protocol 800 between a master circuit 801 and a slave circuit 803 is shown. The master circuit 801 may include a data receiver 804A and a data transmitter 806A. The slave circuit 803 may include a data receiver 804B and a data transmitter 806B. During a time synchronization period 812, the nodes of the master circuit 801 and the slave circuit 803 may synchronize their time. For example, the master circuit 801 may include a reference time (e.g., reference time 504) in a beacon packet and transmit it to the slave circuit 803 during an arbitration period (e.g., the first time slice of a system frame) of one or more system frames. The slave circuit may maintain a standby mode and receive beacon packets in multiple system frames. The slave monitoring node may synchronize its internal time with the reference time of the received beacon packet.

[0209] During the arbitration period 814 of the system frame, the master circuit may transmit a beacon packet to the slave monitoring node (e.g., during the first time slice 410a), and may receive a beacon response packet from the slave monitoring node (e.g., during the second time slice 410B). During the data communication period 816, the slave circuit may transmit a data packet to the master circuit based on the system schedule transmitted in the beacon packet.

[0210] Fig.12 An exemplary structure of a data packet 900 that may be delivered to a backplane (e.g., backplane 306) of a monitoring system (e.g., monitoring system 300) during operation is shown. As shown in the illustrated example, data packet 900 may include a packet header 902, a communication header 904, a protocol header 906, a packetized message header 908, an object message header 910, an object header 912, and an object body 914. In some embodiments, a node controller (e.g., node controller 324) and / or a gate controller (e.g., gate controller 926) of a functional circuit may use data within packet header 902 and communication header 904 to characterize and / or identify data packet 900. Protocol header 906, packetized message header 908, object message header 910, object header 912, and object body 914 may include data corresponding to the payload of data packet 900. In some embodiments, a circuit controller (eg, circuit controller 320 ) may use data within protocol header 906 , packetized message header 908 , object message header 910 , and / or object header 912 to characterize and / or identify data within data packet 900 .

[0211] The packet header 902 may include a packet preamble field 916, a type field 918, a packet number field 920, a length field 922, and a packet CRC field 924. The preamble field 916 may include a data transmission clock that the functional circuits coupled to the backplane may use to identify the data packet 900. The type field 918 may include data describing the type of data transmitted within the data packet 900. For example, if the data packet is transmitted by an input circuit, the type field may indicate that the data packet includes sensor data. The packet number field 920 may include data characterizing information used to deliver the data packet. For example, the packet number field 920 may include data characterizing source information and / or destination information. The length field 922 may include data describing the length of the data packet 900 (e.g., in bytes). The packet CRC field 924 may include error checking information that may be used by other functional circuits to detect unintentional changes to the original data of the packet header 902.

[0212] The communication header 904 may include an Ethernet header 926, an IP header 928, and a TCP / UDP header 930. The Ethernet header 926 may include data characterizing a MAC address of a functional circuit and / or a backplane. The IP header 928 may include data describing a source IP address and / or a destination IP address. For example, the IP header 928 may include an IP address of a functional circuit that delivers the data packet 900 and an IP address of a functional circuit that is intended to receive the data packet 900. The TCP / UDP header 930 may include data describing a source port and a destination port. For example, the TCP / UDP header 930 may include a port number identifying a port to which the functional circuit that delivers the data packet 900 is coupled. The TCP / UDP header 930 may also include a port number identifying a port corresponding to a functional circuit that is intended to receive the data packet 900.

[0213] The protocol header 906 may include a message type field 932, a message length field 934, and a message CRC field 936. The message type field 932 may include data describing the type of data transmitted within the data packet 900. In some embodiments, a circuit controller (e.g., circuit controller 320) of a functional circuit receiving the data packet may use the data within the message type field 932 to identify the type of data within the data packet 900. The message length field 934 may include data describing the length (e.g., in bytes) of the message within the data packet 900. The message CRC field 936 may include error checking information that may be used by other circuit controllers of the functional circuit to detect unintentional changes to the original data of the message.

[0214] The packetized message header 908 may include a packet length field 938, a packet number field 940, and a packet CRC field 942. The data packet length field 938 may include data describing the length (e.g., in bytes) of the data packet 900. The packet number field 940 may include data characterizing information used to deliver the data packet 900. The packet CRC field 942 may include error checking information that may be used by a circuit controller receiving the data packet 900 to detect unintentional changes to the original data of the packet header 902.

[0215] The object message header 910 may include an object number field 944. The packet number field 940 may include data describing the number of objects within the data packet 900.

[0216] The object header 912 may include an object ID field 946, an object type field 948, an object length field 950, a timestamp field 952, a status field 954, a configuration sequence number field 956, and an object CRC field 958. The object ID field 946 may include data identifying the object field 960 of the object body 914. The object type field 948 may include data describing the type of object transmitted within the data packet 900. The object length field 950 may include data describing the length (e.g., in bytes) of the object within the data packet 900. The timestamp field 952 may include data characterizing the time corresponding to the delivery of the data packet 900 to the backplane. The status field 954 may include data describing the status of the object within the data packet 900. The configuration sequence number field 956 may include data describing the configuration of the data within the data packet 900. The object CRC field 958 may include error checking information that may be used by a circuit controller receiving the data packet 900 to detect unintentional changes to the original data of the object within the data packet 900.

[0217] Object body 914 may include object field 960. Object field 960 may include a portion of a payload corresponding to an object transmitted within data packet 900. For example, the object field may include data from a sensor.

[0218] Initially, when the functional circuits of the monitoring system are powered on, the functional circuits (eg, node controllers) may perform an initialization process to determine if a master circuit exists and / or assume arbitration responsibility to become a master circuit. Fig.13 An exemplary flow chart 1100 illustrating an initialization process that may occur when a functional circuit is powered on is shown. At step 1102, the functional circuit may be powered on. For example, when the monitoring system is powered on, the functional circuit may be powered on. As another example, when the functional circuit is coupled to an active monitoring system (e.g., via hot plugging), the functional circuit may be powered on. The functional circuit may wait for a period of time to detect a beacon signal and / or receive a schedule.

[0219] After a period of time, at step 1104, the functional circuit may determine that no beacon is detected, no scheduling is available, and the monitoring system does not include a main circuit. The functional circuit may also be in a link state. The link state may describe the connection state to the backplane. If the link state indicates that there is no link, then at step 1106, the functional circuit may start the node (e.g., node 322) of the monitoring state to generate a positive link state. For example, the card controller of the functional circuit may deliver a signal to the node controller to start the node. In some embodiments, the node controller and / or the gate controller may identify the link state. If there is no link, the node controller and / or the gate controller may start the node. If the node is linked to the backplane, then at step 1108, the functional circuit may perform a self-assessment to determine whether it can arbitrate. For example, the node controller of the functional circuit may determine whether it includes or is coupled to a scheduling controller. If the functional circuit is not able to arbitrate, it may stop the initialization process at step 1110.

[0220] If the functional circuit is able to arbitrate, the scheduling controller of the functional circuit may generate a beacon packet and provide a beacon signal to the data channel of the backplane (e.g., via the node controller and the transmitter). If the node controller detects a conflict, or if the node controller detects a beacon signal from a different functional circuit, the scheduling controller and / or the node controller may enter a random backoff state at step 1112. At step 1112, the scheduling controller and / or the node controller may wait for a period of time to receive a beacon signal from another functional circuit.

[0221] In some embodiments, the arbitration-capable functional circuits may each be configured to wait a random amount of time during step 1112. Waiting the random amount of time may reduce the probability of multiple consecutive conflicts, thereby allowing the functional circuit to assume arbitration capability more quickly. During step 1112, if the functional circuit receives a valid beacon packet, the node may stop the initialization process. At any time during operation, if a frame (e.g., Figure 7 If the frame in question does not include a beacon packet, the functional circuit may restart the initialization process and attempt to become the master circuit. If every frame includes a beacon packet, the initialization process may remain stopped indefinitely.

[0222] If the functional circuit does not detect a beacon signal, the functional circuit may assume arbitration responsibility, thereby becoming a master circuit, at step 1114. After the functional circuit becomes a master circuit, the master circuit may generate, distribute, and maintain a schedule that defines when each slave circuit of the monitoring system may communicate.

[0223] Fig.14A flowchart 1200 illustrating a method for generating a schedule based on a communication request from a slave circuit is shown. As shown in the illustrated example, the master circuit may assume arbitration capabilities at step 1202. At step 1204, a scheduling controller of the master circuit may generate a schedule and allocate beacon time slices and beacon response time slices (e.g., time slices 410A, 410B). The scheduling controller may also store the schedule in a memory. At this point, except for the beacon time slice (e.g., time slice 410A) and the beacon response time slice (e.g., time slice 410B), each time slice within the schedule may be unallocated. For another example, time slices may be allocated based on a previously available schedule. Alternatively, if the functional circuit is in a continuous operating state from a previous frame, the method may move directly to step 1206.

[0224] At step 1206, the master circuit may transmit a beacon packet during a first time slice (e.g., time slice 110A). If the master circuit detects that there is a conflict, then at step 1207, the master circuit may enter a random backoff state, in which the master circuit will wait for a period of time and then attempt to transmit another beacon packet with an updated data transmission clock or timer, which can be used for time synchronization across various functional circuits coupled to the backplane.

[0225] If no conflict is detected, the master's scheduling controller and / or node controller may wait for a beacon response packet from one or more slaves at step 1208. If there is no beacon response packet, or if the beacon response packet is invalid, the master may determine at step 1210 that a scheduling update is not required.

[0226] At step 1212, if the master circuit receives a valid beacon response packet from the slave circuit, the scheduling controller of the master circuit may process the time slice request from the beacon response packet. If there is no time slice available for allocation, the scheduling controller may generate an error signal at step 1214. In some embodiments, the scheduling controller may pass the error signal to the device operator via the gateway circuit. For example, the scheduling controller may deliver the error signal to the backplane via the node controller of the master circuit and the transmitter and receiver. The gateway circuit may receive the error signal from the data channel and deliver the error signal to the user device to notify the user that the backplane has been oversupplied. In some embodiments, the user may replace the backplane with a backplane including more data channels, thereby facilitating a higher volume of data traffic. As another example, the user may replace the backplane with a backplane configured to transmit data at a higher rate.

[0227] If the time slice is available for scheduling, then at step 1216, the scheduling controller may update the schedule to accommodate the communication requested in the beacon response packet. The scheduling controller may deliver another beacon packet containing the updated schedule to the backplane. The slave circuits may receive the beacon packets from the backplane and update their schedules.

[0228] At step 1218, the scheduling controller and / or node controller of the master circuit may transition to a flow monitoring or "garbage collection" phase, as described in more detail below. In some embodiments, the flow monitoring phase may occur simultaneously with all scheduling and arbitration functions performed by the master circuit.

[0229] As described above with respect to step 1212, if the scheduling controller of the master circuit receives a valid beacon response from the slave circuit, the scheduling controller of the master circuit may process the time slice request from the beacon response packet. Fig.15 A flowchart 1300 illustrating an exemplary method of processing a time slice request from a beacon response packet and generating a schedule entry array (eg, schedule entry array 524) is shown; at step 1302, a scheduling controller of a master circuit may receive a beacon response packet and begin processing a time slice request.

[0230] At step 1304, the scheduling controller may allocate memory for a variable N and set a value for the variable in the memory. The scheduling controller may determine the number of time slices requested from the beacon response packet. For example, the scheduling controller may evaluate a value corresponding to a time slice request field (e.g., time slice request field 708) (e.g., a value provided together with the number of requested time slices field 708) to determine the number of requested time slices. The scheduling controller may then set the value of the variable N to be equal to the number of requested time slices. If the value of N is zero, then at step 1306, the scheduling controller may determine that there is no pending time slice request. The scheduling controller may then terminate processing of the time slice request at step 1308.

[0231] At step 1310, the scheduling controller may allocate memory for a scheduling array (e.g., schedule entry array 524), which may include a time slice array (e.g., time slice array 602) and an allocation array (e.g., allocation array 604). The sizes of the time slice array and the allocation array may correspond to a predetermined number of time slices within a frame. For example, if there are 100 time slices per frame, the time slice array and the allocation array may each have 100 elements. The scheduling controller may also allocate memory for an index variable M and set the value of M to 0.

[0232] At step 1312, the scheduling controller may check the value of the allocation array at index M, which corresponds to the time slice at index M of the time slice array. If the value of the allocation array at index M indicates that the corresponding time slice is not allocated, then at step 1314, the scheduling controller may set the value of the allocation array at index M to be equal to the value of the unique ID (e.g., unique identification (ID) field 706) from the beacon response packet (e.g., beacon response packet 700).

[0233] At step 1316, the scheduling controller may decrement or reduce the value N by one. If the value of N is equal to zero after step 1316, then at step 1306, the scheduling controller may determine that there are no pending time slice requests. If there are no more pending time slice requests, the process may move to step 1320, which is described in more detail below. If the value of N is not equal to zero after step 1316, then the scheduling controller may increment or increase the value of M by one at step 1320.

[0234] If the value of index M of the allocation array indicates that the corresponding time slice is not unallocated or is a best-effort time slice, the scheduling controller may determine that the time slice at index M of the time slice array has been allocated at step 1318. The scheduling controller may then increment or increase the value of M by one at step 1320.

[0235] At step 1320, the scheduling controller may increment or increase the value of M by 1. If the value of M is less than the number of time slices within the frame minus one, the process may return to step 1312. If the value of M is greater than the number of time slices within the frame, the scheduling controller may determine that a scheduling request failure has occurred at step 1322. The scheduling controller may then terminate processing the time slice request at step 1308.

[0236] During operation, the master circuit may monitor traffic on the data channel of the backplane to verify that data transmission is occurring during the allocated time slice. If there is no data transmission during the allocated time slice, the master circuit may determine that the time slice has been abandoned. The master circuit may release or cancel the scheduling time slice and may reallocate the time slice based on a request received during a subsequent beacon response time slice (e.g., beacon response time slice 410B).

[0237] Fig.16A flow chart 1400 of an exemplary traffic monitoring or "garbage collection" process that can be used to recover unused time slices so that they can be reallocated is shown. At step 1402, the scheduling controller of the master can begin an iteration of the traffic monitoring process. At step 1404, the scheduling controller can allocate memory for an index variable X and set a value for the variable in the memory. For example, the value of the index variable can be set equal to the number of beacon time slices plus one. For example, if an allocation array (e.g., allocation array 604) includes a beacon time slice at index 0 and a beacon response time slice at index 1, the value of the index variable can be set to 2, which corresponds to the index of the first time slice that may have been allocated to the slave circuit.

[0238] At step 1404, the scheduling controller may also allocate memory for the counter array. The counter array may have the same size as the allocation array. The values ​​of the elements of the counter array may be set to a predetermined idle slice limit. The idle slice limit may describe the acceptable number of consecutive delivery opportunities that the slave circuit can remain idle (i.e., not transmitting data). The delivery opportunity may be a time slice that has been allocated to the slave circuit. For example, if each slave circuit can remain idle for two consecutive delivery opportunities, the value of each element of the counter array may be set to 2. In some embodiments, if the counter array already exists in the previous frame, the scheduling controller may reference the existing counter array. Fig.17 An example of a schedule entry array 1500 including a time slice array 1502 , an allocation array 1504 , a length array 1506 , and a counter array 1508 is shown.

[0239] At step 1406 , the scheduling controller may determine a value of index X of the allocation array. If the value of index X of the allocation array indicates that the corresponding time slice has not been allocated, the scheduling controller may increment or increase the value of X by one at step 1408 .

[0240] If the value of index X of the allocation array indicates that the corresponding time slice has been allocated, then at step 1410, the scheduling controller may monitor one or more data channels of the backplane to obtain a signal from a slave circuit that has been allocated a time slice corresponding to index X of the time slice array. If the master circuit does not detect a signal from a slave circuit that has been allocated a time slice, then at step 1412, the scheduling controller may decrement or reduce the value of index X of the counter array by one. If index X of the counter array is equal to zero, then at step 1414, the scheduling controller may unschedule the slave circuit from the time slot. The scheduling controller may then increase the value of X by one at step 1408.

[0241] After step 1412, if the value of index X of the counter array is greater than zero, the scheduling controller may increase the value of X by one at step 1408. If the master circuit detects a signal from a slave circuit that has been allocated a time slice at step 1410, the scheduling controller of the master circuit may set the value of index X of the counter array to an idle slice limit value (e.g., one) at step 1418. The scheduling controller may then increase the value of M by one at step 1408.

[0242] After step 1408, if the value of X is less than the number of time slices in the frame, the process may then return to step 1408. If the value of X is equal to the number of time slices in the frame, then at step 1416, the scheduling controller may terminate the traffic monitoring process for the current frame.

[0243] By monitoring traffic on the data channels of the backplane, the master circuit can maximize resource (e.g., time slice) utilization efficiency by identifying time slices in which the assigned slave circuits cannot communicate, descheduling the assigned slave circuits, and reallocating time slices based on communication requests received in beacon response packets.

[0244] Fig.18 A flowchart 1600 illustrating exemplary operation of a node of a slave circuit of an example monitoring system (eg, monitoring system 300) is shown. The slave circuit may be generally similar to the one described above with respect to Figure 4 The functional circuit 310 is described. However, in some embodiments, the slave circuit may not include a scheduling controller, or the scheduling controller may be inactive.

[0245] At step 1602, the slave circuit may be powered up. At step 1604, the node controller may check to determine whether a circuit controller of the slave circuit has provided a request to deliver data to a data channel of a backplane to which the slave circuit is coupled.

[0246] If the node controller determines that the circuit controller has not provided any additional request to deliver data to the backplane, then at step 1606, the node controller may wait to receive a beacon packet from the master circuit. After a period of time, if the node controller does not receive the beacon packet, the process may return to step 1604, and the node controller may check to determine whether the circuit controller has provided a request for a data channel to deliver data to the backplane. If the node controller receives a beacon packet during step 1606, the node controller may update and / or generate an internal copy of the schedule stored in the memory based on the schedule provided with the beacon packet at step 1608. The node controller may also provide the updated / generated schedule to the gate controller of the slave circuit so that the gate controller can control the operation of the transmitter and / or receiver of the slave circuit to enforce the schedule. The process may then return to step 1604, and the node controller may check to determine whether the circuit controller has provided a request for a data channel to deliver data to the backplane.

[0247] If the node controller detects that the circuit controller has requested that data be delivered to the backplane, then at step 1610, the node controller may prepare a beacon response packet to request a time slice for communication based on a request from the circuit controller. For example, the circuit controller may provide one or more communication packets to the node controller for delivery to the backplane. The node controller may determine the total size (e.g., in bytes) and may calculate the number of time slices required to transmit the communication packets based on the baud rate of the monitoring system. The node controller may generate a beacon response packet requesting the number of calculated time slices. For example, in some embodiments, the circuit controller delivers a signal to the node controller to request a certain amount of bandwidth (e.g., in bytes / second) to deliver the required payload that can be provided with the communication packets.

[0248] In some embodiments, at step 1612, the node controller may enter a hold-off state in which the node controller waits for a period of time. For example, the node controller may enter a hold-off state to reduce the simultaneous delivery of data to the backplane, thereby reducing the risk of collisions between beacon response packets from different functional circuits. At step 1614, the node controller may wait to receive a beacon packet. After the node controller receives the beacon packet from the main circuit, at step 1616, the node controller may provide the beacon response packet to the data channel of the backplane.

[0249] If the node controller detects that a collision has occurred with the beacon response packet, the node controller may enter a stall state at step 1612. After a period of time, the node controller may wait for a beacon packet (e.g., in a subsequent frame) at step 1614. After the node controller receives the beacon packet, at step 1616, the node controller may provide the beacon response packet to the data channel of the backplane.

[0250] After the beacon packet is transmitted to the data channel, the node controller may wait to receive the beacon packet at step 1618. The node controller may then receive the beacon packet from the master circuit.

[0251] At step 1620, the node controller may check the schedule provided with the beacon packet to determine whether the requested time is granted. If the slave node is not assigned the time slice requested in the beacon response packet, the node controller may enter a stalling state at step 1612. The process may then proceed to steps 1614, 1616, 1618. If the slave node is assigned the time slice requested in the beacon response packet, at step 1622, the node controller may provide the gate controller with a schedule and / or instruction for the assigned time slice. The gate controller may control the operation of the transmitter and / or receiver based on the schedule and / or instruction. For example, the gate controller may switch the transmitter to a first operating mode during the assigned time slice. The gate controller may switch the transmitter to a second operating mode during the time slice when the slave circuit is not assigned to communicate.

[0252] At step 1624, the node controller may determine the link status of the node of the slave circuit. If the link status indicates that the node is coupled to the backplane, the process may then proceed to step 1606, where the node controller may wait to receive a beacon packet from the master circuit. The process may proceed from step 1606 as described above.

[0253] By generating a communication schedule at the master circuit, distributing the schedule to the slave circuits, and enforcing communications at the slave circuits, the monitoring system provides robust communications and eliminates centralized points of failure associated with systems that use centralized switching for communications. Scheduled communications prevent multiple functional circuits from broadcasting simultaneously, which can mitigate or eliminate conflicts between data packets broadcast by different functional circuits.

[0254] Exemplary technical effects of the subject matter described herein may include the ability to schedule communications between multiple functional circuits so that the functional circuits can communicate efficiently on a shared data channel. Other exemplary technical effects include the ability to maximize the utilization of a limited number of data channels and adapt to physical and / or operational changes in the monitoring system. For example, by monitoring the traffic on the data channels of the backplane, the master circuit can adapt to physical and / or operational changes in the monitoring system and maximize resource (e.g., time slice) utilization efficiency by identifying time slices in which the assigned slave circuits cannot communicate, canceling the scheduling of the assigned slave circuits, and reallocating time slices based on communication requests received in beacon response packets.

[0255] In some embodiments, a bridge module may be used to couple multiple backplanes. The coupled backplanes may form an extended logic bus so that all data is transmitted between the backplanes. This allows a monitoring system to span multiple locations while retaining all the functionality available when using a monitoring system that includes a single backplane.

[0256] Fig.19 An example of a bridge circuit 1710 that can be configured to facilitate electronic communication between backplanes of a monitoring system is shown. The bridge circuit 1710 can include a bridge controller 1703 in electronic communication with a range extension element 1705 and a node 322. The node 322 can be configured to facilitate and control electronic communication between the bridge controller 1703 and a first backplane of a first monitoring system. For example, the node 322 can control the delivery of data from the bridge controller 1703 to a data channel of the first backplane.

[0257] Node 322 may include a scheduling controller 334, a node controller 324, a gate controller 326, and a gate array including a gate pair 328. Node controller 324 may include a memory, at least one data processor, and / or other circuits configured to facilitate operation as described herein. Node controller may be used as an interface between bridge controller 1703 and gate controller 326, transmitter 330 and / or receiver 332 of gate pair 328. For example, in some embodiments, node controller 324 may be configured to receive a signal from bridge controller 1703, encode the signal into a bit, and deliver the signal corresponding to the encoded bit to gate controller 326 to deliver the data to the data channel of the first backplane. Node controller 324 may also store a copy of the scheduling that can be used to control the operation of transmitter 330 and receiver 332. Transmitter 330, receiver 332, and gate controller 326 are described in more detail below.

[0258] The gate controller 326 may include a memory, at least one data processor, and / or other circuits configured to facilitate operation as described herein. The gate controller 326 may be in electronic communication with the transmitter 330, the receiver 332, and the node controller 324 of the bridge circuit 1710. The gate controller 326 may be configured to control the operation of the transmitter 330 and the receiver 332 of the bridge circuit 1710, thereby controlling the data flow between the bridge circuit 1710 and the data channel of the first backplane. For example, the gate controller 326 may control the operation mode of the gate pair 328. In some embodiments, the gate controller 326 may be configured to control the operation mode of the transmitter 330 and the receiver 332 based on a predetermined schedule and / or instruction provided by the node controller 324. For example, the gate controller 326 may be configured to receive data from the node controller 324 at a scheduled time, store the data, and deliver it to the data channel. In some embodiments, the gate controller 326 may receive a schedule from the node controller 324.

[0259] Each transmitter 330 and receiver 332 of each gate pair 328 may be electrically coupled to a receiving portion and a transmitting portion of a corresponding data channel, respectively. In some embodiments, the node controller 324, the gate controller 326, the transmitter 330, and / or the receiver 332 may be a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The transmitter 330 and the receiver 332 may have a first operating mode and a second operating mode, as described above with respect to Figure 4 The transmitter and receiver are shown as described above.

[0260] In some embodiments, the bridge circuit 1710 may include a scheduling controller 334, so that the bridge circuit 1710 can arbitrate. The scheduling controller 334 may allow the bridge circuit 1710 to assume arbitration responsibilities and become the master circuit of the monitoring system. The scheduling controller 334 may include a memory, at least one data processor, and / or other circuits configured to facilitate operations as described herein. The scheduling controller 334 may be configured to generate a schedule that can define when each of the transmitters and / or receivers of the functional circuits and / or bridge circuits 1710 of the monitoring system is in a first operating mode or a second operating mode. As described herein, the schedule identifies when each functional circuit and / or bridge circuit can deliver data to each data channel of the first backplane.

[0261] As shown in the illustrated example, the bridge controller 1703 may be electrically coupled to the range extension element 1705 and the node controller 324 of the node. The bridge controller 1703 may include a memory, at least one data processor and / or other circuits configured to facilitate operation as described herein. In some embodiments, the bridge controller 1703 may be or may include an FPGA. The bridge controller 1703 may be configured to receive data (e.g., via a node) from a first base plate, process the data, and provide the data to another bridge circuit coupled to a second base plate. For example, the bridge controller 1703 may convert or compress the parallel data stream of the data channel from the first base plate into a serial data stream to be delivered to the bridge circuit 1710 coupled to the second base plate via the range extension element. For another example, the bridge controller 1703 may be configured to receive a serial data stream from the bridge circuit 1710 coupled to the second base plate, and convert the serial data stream into a parallel data stream to deliver to the data channel (e.g., via a node) of the first base plate.

[0262] In some embodiments, the bridge controller 1703 and / or the node controller 324 of the bridge circuit 1710 may be configured to store information about the monitoring system in a memory. For example, the bridge controller 1703 may store hardware data, scheduling, network IDs, etc. For example, the hardware data may be or may include a unique ID (e.g., MAC address) of the first backplane and / or the functional circuit coupled thereto. For another example, the hardware data may include data describing the number of data channels included in the backplane. In some embodiments, the bridge controller 1703 may receive data describing the number of data channels (e.g., the number of channels field 207) from the beacon packet.

[0263] The range extension element 1705 may be or may include, for example, a signal amplifier and / or attenuator. The range extension element 1705 may be configured to facilitate communication between bridge circuits 1710 separated by a range of distances. For example, the range extension element 1705 may be configured to receive a signal from the bridge controller 1703, amplify the signal, and provide the amplified signal to another bridge circuit 1710. In some embodiments, the range extension element 1705 may be configured to amplify an output signal (e.g., a signal delivered to another bridge circuit 1710) based on a known distance between the bridge circuits 1710. In addition, the range extension element 1705 may be configured to receive an amplified signal from another bridge circuit 1710, attenuate the signal, thereby reducing the voltage and / or current of the signal, and provide the attenuated signal to the bridge controller 1703. For example, the range extension element 1705 may attenuate an input signal (e.g., a signal received from another bridge circuit) based on a predetermined maximum voltage threshold and / or current threshold of the signal that the bridge controller 1703 is configured to receive.

[0264] In some embodiments, the bridge circuit 1703 can be configured to verify that the monitoring system being bridged is compatible. For example, the bridge circuit 1703 can use hardware data, unique IDs, and schedules to determine that the monitoring system is compatible. Once the bridge controller 1703 of the bridge circuit 1710 determines that the monitoring system is compatible, the bridge controller 1703 can allow the monitoring system to connect, thereby facilitating communication between the backplanes of the monitoring system. The bridge circuit 1710 is described in more detail below.

[0265] Fig. 20 A block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system 1800 is shown including two monitoring subsystems 1801a, 1801b coupled using bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b. The bridge circuits can be the same as bridge circuit 1710 as described herein. Monitoring system 1800 can be configured to monitor operating parameters of industrial equipment.

[0266] Monitoring subsystems 1801a, 1801b may generally be similar to those described above with respect to Figure 4 The monitoring system 1800 described above, but each of the monitoring subsystems 1801a, 1801b may include a bridge circuit configured to facilitate communication between the backplanes of the monitoring subsystems 1801a, 1801b. Each monitoring subsystem may include any number of functional circuits 310a, 310b and bridge circuits that may be removably coupled to the backplanes 306a, 306b via ports 308a, 308b of the backplanes 306a, 306b. The functional circuits 310a, 310b may be the same as the functional circuit 310.

[0267] The backplanes 306a, 306b may be, include, or form part of a physical bus. The backplanes 306a, 306b may be passive backplanes 306a, 306b that may be configured to facilitate multi-point asynchronous electronic communications between functional circuits 310a, 310b and / or bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b coupled to the backplanes 306a, 306b. Thus, all data delivered to the backplanes 306a, 306b may be received by all functional circuits 310a, 310b and / or bridge circuits 1710 coupled to the backplanes. The backplane 306a may include data channels 1812a, 1812b, 1812c, 1812d-1812n, and the backplane 306b may include data channels 1812a, 1813b, 1813c, 1813d-1813n, as shown in FIG. Fig.21 See Figure 20 to Figure 21 , the data channels 1812a-1812n, 1813a-1813n are in electronic communication with a plurality of ports 308a, 308b on the respective backplanes 306a, 306b. The ports 308a, 308b may be configured to receive the functional circuits 310a, 310b and / or the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b. Each port 308a, 308b is configured to enable electronic communication between the functional circuits 310a, 310b or the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b coupled to the port and all the data channels 1812a-1812n, 1813a of the respective backplanes 306a, 306b.

[0268] There are a variety of different types of functional circuits that can be coupled to the ports of the backplane 306a, 306b. For example, one or more of the functional circuits can be an input circuit (e.g., input circuit 210i), an output circuit (e.g., output circuit 210o), a processing circuit (e.g., processing circuit 210p) and / or an infrastructure circuit (e.g., infrastructure circuit 210n). As shown in the illustrated example, each functional circuit 310a, 310b may include a circuit controller 320a, 320b and nodes 322a, 322b, which are configured to facilitate and control electronic communication between the circuit controller 320a, 320b and the backplane 306a, 306b. As described herein, the node 322a, 322b can control the delivery of data from the circuit controller 320a, 320b to the data channel 312a, 312b of the backplane 306a, 306b. The nodes 322a, 322b may also control which data is delivered from the data channels 312a, 312b to the circuit controllers 320a, 320b of the functional circuits 310a, 310b.

[0269] As shown in the illustrated example, the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b can be detachably coupled to the ports 308a, 308b of the bottom plates 306a, 306b. The bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b can be electrically coupled via a coupling element 1807 that can be located between the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b. The ends of the coupling element 1807 can be attached to the range extension elements 1705a, 1705b of the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b. The coupling element 1807 can be, for example, a cable and / or a fiber optic cable. In some embodiments, the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b can communicate wirelessly. For example, the bridge circuit may include a transceiver for communicating via a Bluetooth protocol, a cellular protocol, a WI-FI protocol, a near field communication (NFC) and / or a radio frequency identification (RFID) protocol.

[0270] In the illustrated example, the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b may include bridge controllers 1703a, 1703b in electronic communication with the range extension elements 1705a, 1705b and nodes 322a, 322b of the corresponding bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b. The nodes 322a, 322b of the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b may generally be similar to those described above with respect to Figure 4Node 322 of the functional circuit 310. Nodes 322a, 322b can be configured to facilitate and control electronic communication between bridge controllers 1703a, 1703b and base plates 306a, 306b. For example, nodes 322a, 322b can control the delivery of data from bridge controllers 1703a, 1703b to data channels 1812a-1812n, 1813a-1813n of base plates 306a, 306b. Nodes 322a, 322b may include scheduling controllers 334a, 334b, node controllers 324a, 324b, gate controllers 326a, 326b, and gate pairs 328a, 328b.

[0271] As described above, bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b can be configured to facilitate electronic communication between the backplanes 306a, 306b of the monitoring subsystem. For example, bridge circuit 1710a can be configured to receive all data delivered to data channels 1812a-1812n of backplane 306a, and provide data to bridge circuit 1710b. Bridge circuit 1710b can receive data and can be distributed between data channels 1813a-1813n of backplane 306b corresponding to data channels 1812a-1812n of backplane 306a. For example, all data provided to data channels 1812a, 1812b, 1812c from functional circuit 310a can be provided to corresponding data channels 1813a, 1813b, 1813c via bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b. Thus, the backplanes 306a, 306b form an extended logic bus, and the functional circuits 310a, 310b can function as if they were coupled to a single backplane.

[0272] As described herein, a schedule that may be generated by a master circuit is used to control communications from functional circuits and / or bridge circuits. Since all data packets are shared between the backplanes 306a, 306b, the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b and the functional circuits 310a, 310b may share a schedule. A single master circuit may be used to generate the schedule, which may be one of the functional circuits 310a, 310b coupled to either of the backplanes 306a, 306b. The master circuit may generally be used to generate and distribute the schedule, and monitor communications across the data channels 1812a-1812n, 1813a-1813n, as described herein with respect to Figures 7 to 18 described.

[0273] Fig. 22A data flow diagram 1900 illustrating communication between various components of the monitoring system 1800 during an arbitration period (e.g., arbitration period 411) is shown. For example, the master circuit may be one of the functional circuits 310a coupled to the backplane 306a. At step 1902, the master circuit may deliver a beacon packet including a schedule for the current time frame to the data channels 1812a-1812n of the backplane 306a.

[0274] At step 1904, the functional circuit 310a coupled to the backplane 306a can receive the beacon packet from the backplane 306a. At step 1906, the node controller 324a of the bridge circuit 1710a can receive the beacon packet and store a copy of the schedule in a memory. The node controller 324a can provide the schedule and / or instruction of the allocated time slice with the current frame to the gate controller 326a. The gate controller 326a can use the schedule and / or instruction to control the operation of the transmitter 330a and the receiver 332a, as described in more detail below. The node controller 324a can also provide the beacon packet to the bridge controller 1703a. The bridge controller 1703a can receive the beacon packet and provide the beacon packet to the range extension element 1705a that can amplify the signal of the beacon packet.

[0275] At step 1908, bridge circuit 1710a may deliver the beacon packet to bridge circuit 1710A. Range extension element 1705b of bridge circuit 1710b may receive the beacon packet and provide the beacon packet to node controller 324b, which may store a copy of the schedule in memory.

[0276] At step 1910, node controller 324b may provide beacon packets to data channels 1813a-1813n of backplane 306b via gate controller 326b and the transmitter of gate pair 328b. At step 1912, functional circuit 310b may receive beacon packets from backplane 306b. Node controller 324b of functional circuit 310b may store a copy of the schedule corresponding to the current frame, and check the schedule to determine whether its previous communication request is a schedule. Node controller 324b may also provide the schedule and / or instruction with the allocated time slice to gate controller 326b. Grid controller 326b may use the schedule and / or instruction to control the operation of transmitter 330b and receiver 332b, as described in more detail below.

[0277] At step 1914, the functional circuit may provide the beacon response packet to the data channel 1813a-1813b. At step 1916, the bridge controller 1703b of the bridge circuit 1710b may receive the beacon response packet from each of the data channels 1813a-1813n via the receiver 332b, the gate controller 326b and the node controller 324b. Since the data channels 1813a-1813n are parallel, the bridge controller 1703b receives a parallel data stream including or characterizing the beacon response packet. The bridge controller 1703b may convert or compress the parallel data stream into a serial data stream, and provide the serial data stream to the range extension element 1705b. The range extension element may amplify the power (e.g., voltage and / or current) of the serial data stream.

[0278] At step 1918, the bridge circuit 1710b provides the serial data stream to the bridge circuit 1710a via the range extension element 1705b. The range extension element 1705a may receive the serial data stream, attenuate the power (e.g., voltage and / or current) of the serial data stream, and provide the serial data stream to the bridge controller 1703a. The bridge controller 1703a may receive the serial data stream, expand the serial data stream into parallel data streams.

[0279] At step 1920, the bridge controller 1703a may provide the parallel data streams to the data lanes 1812a-1812n of the backplane 306a via the node 322a. At step 1922, the functional circuit 310a may deliver the beacon response packet to the data lanes 1812a-1812n of the backplane 306a. At step 1924, the master circuit may receive the beacon response packet from the functional circuits 310a, 310b and generate a schedule for the next frame.

[0280] During normal operation (e.g., during time slices 410C-410N), the functional circuits 310a, 310b may communicate via the data channels 1812a-1812n, 1813a-1813n of the backplanes 306a, 306b. For example, the functional circuits 310a, 310b may deliver data packets to the data channels 1812a-1812n of the backplane 306a. The bridge controller 1703a of the bridge circuit 1710a may receive the data packets in the parallel data stream, convert or compress the parallel data stream into a serial data stream, and provide the serial data stream to the range extension element 1705a. The range extension element 1705a may amplify the power (e.g., voltage and / or current) of the serial data stream and provide the serial data stream to the bridge circuit 1710b. The range extension element 1705b can receive the serial data stream, attenuate the power (e.g., voltage and / or current) of the serial data stream, and provide the serial data stream to the bridge controller 1703b. The bridge controller 1703b can receive the serial data stream, expand the serial data stream into parallel data streams, and provide the parallel data streams to the data channels 1813a-1813n via the node 322b.

[0281] Similarly, functional circuit 310b can deliver data packets to data channels 1813a-1813n of backplane 306a. Bridge controller 1703b of bridge circuit 1710b can receive data packets in parallel data streams, convert or compress the parallel data streams into serial data streams, and provide the serial data streams to range extension element 1705b. Range extension element 1705b can amplify the power (e.g., voltage and / or current) of the serial data stream and provide the serial data stream to bridge circuit 1710a. Range extension element 1705a can receive the serial data stream, attenuate the power (e.g., voltage and / or current) of the serial data stream and provide the serial data stream to bridge controller 1703a. Bridge controller 1703a can receive the serial data stream, expand the serial data stream into parallel data streams, and provide the parallel data streams to data channels 1812a-1812n via node 322a. During operation, the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b are transparent to all functional circuits 310a, 310b coupled to the backplanes 306a, 306b of the monitoring system. Thus, the monitoring system 1800 functions as if the signals / data are all coming from the same base.

[0282] As above, the gate controllers 326a, 326b of the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b can use scheduling and / or instructions to control the operation of the transmitters 330a, 330b and the receivers 332a, 332b. For example, the gate controller 326b can set the transmitter 330b to operate in a first operating mode during a time slice when the functional circuit 310a attached to the base plate 306a is scheduled to deliver data to the base plate 306a, so that the data can be delivered to the base plate 306b via the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b. The gate controller 326b of the bridge circuit 1710b can set the transmitter 330b to operate in a second operating mode during a time slice when the functional circuit 310a is not scheduled to deliver data to the base plate 306a. Similarly, the gate controller 326a of the bridge circuit 1710a may set the transmitter 330a to operate in the first operating mode during a time slice when the functional circuit 310b attached to the backplane 306b is scheduled to deliver data to the backplane 306a, so that data can be delivered to the backplane 306a via the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b. The gate controller 326a may set the transmitter 330a of the bridge circuit 1710a to operate in the second operating mode during a time slice when the functional circuit 310b is not scheduled to deliver data to the backplane 306b.

[0283] In some embodiments, the separation distance between the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b may introduce a non-negligible propagation delay in the data packet transmission between the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b. The propagation delay may cause a time synchronization error between the functional circuits 310a, 310b of each monitoring subsystem 1801a, 1801b. For example, when the main circuit (e.g., one of the functional circuits 310a) sends a beacon packet, the functional circuit 310a coupled to the backplane 306a may receive the beacon packet before the functional circuit 310b coupled to the backplane 306b. Therefore, the time synchronization of the functional circuit 310b may be delayed compared to the time synchronization of the functional circuit 310a. In addition, in some cases, the propagation delay may cause the data packet transmission to extend over multiple time slices, which may cause conflicts. For example, if a data packet transmitted from functional circuit 310b coupled to backplane 306b requires more time than allocated in an available time slice period (e.g., available time slice period 420) to be transmitted to backplane 306a, the data packet may still be transmitted during a subsequent time slice. In this case, the data packet may conflict with another data packet transmitted during a subsequent time slice.

[0284] Dead band periods (e.g., dead band period 424) may be built into the time slice to absorb communication delays between functional circuits coupled to a single backplane and communication delays caused by the bridge backplane. The dead band period may be used to mitigate data transmission timing errors caused by inaccuracies in time synchronization between functional circuits and to minimize signal conflicts that may be caused by delays associated with data transmission between bridged backplanes.

[0285] To ensure that the time slice includes a sufficiently large dead time period, the bridge controller 1703a, 1703b and / or the node controller 324a, 324b of the bridge circuit 1710a, 1710b may estimate a delay time that may characterize the estimated amount of time required to transmit a data packet between the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b. The bridge circuit 1710a, 1710b may then determine, identify, or calculate the currently allocated dead time period based on the information available in the schedule. The bridge circuit 1710a, 1710b may compare the estimated delay time with the allocated dead time period. In some embodiments, if the dead time period is insufficient, the bridge circuit 1710a, 1710b may deliver the data packet to the master circuit to request an adjustment of the dead time period and / or an adjustment of the size of the time slice in the subsequent frame.

[0286] In some embodiments, when the monitoring subsystems 1801a, 1801b are powered on, the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b may be configured to prevent data transmission between the backplanes 306a, 306b until the hardware and operating parameters (e.g., communication schedule, baud rate, etc.) of the monitoring subsystems (e.g., monitoring subsystems 1801a, 1801b) are determined to be compatible. For example, the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b may be configured to receive data from the backplanes 306a, 306b, but may be prevented from delivering data to the backplanes 306a, 306b. In some embodiments, the transmitters 330a, 330b may be set to a second operating mode so that they prevent data from being delivered to the data channels 1812a-1812n, 1813a-1813n. In some embodiments, the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b may determine whether the hardware of the monitoring subsystems is compatible. The bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b may also determine whether any pre-existing schedules of the monitoring subsystems 1801a, 1801b are compatible. For example, the operating parameters may include schedules, baud rates, etc.

[0287] At startup, the bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b may determine whether they include system data stored in the memory of the node controllers 324a, 324b and / or the bridge controllers 1703a, 1703b. For example, the system data may be or may include a unique ID (e.g., a MAC address) corresponding to a component of the monitoring subsystem, information describing how many data channels each backplane includes, a network ID, etc. Fig.23 A flowchart 2000 illustrating an exemplary method of determining whether hardware and operating parameters of monitoring subsystems (eg, monitoring subsystems 1801a, 1801b) are compatible is shown.

[0288] At step 2002, the method may include receiving first identification data at a first bridge circuit (e.g., bridge circuit 1710a) of a first backplane (e.g., backplane 306a) coupled to a first monitoring subsystem (e.g., monitoring subsystem 1801a). The first identification data may characterize information identifying hardware of a second monitoring subsystem (e.g., monitoring subsystem 1801b). For example, the first identification data may be or may include a unique ID (e.g., a MAC address) of the second backplane (e.g., backplane 306b) and / or the functional circuit 310b coupled thereto. As another example, the first identification data may be or may include data describing the number of data channels included in the second backplane, and a network ID corresponding to the second monitoring subsystem. In some embodiments, the first bridge circuit may receive the unique ID of the functional circuit in a data packet delivered to the first backplane from the second monitoring subsystem during operation. As another example, the first bridge controller may receive data describing the number of data channels (e.g., channel number field 507) from a beacon packet. The bridge controller and / or the node controller (e.g., bridge controller 1703a and node controller 324a) of the first bridge circuit may store the first identification data in the memory during operation. The first identification data may be retained in the memory during system shutdown and may be used to confirm that the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem are compatible during subsequent system startup, as described herein.

[0289] At step 2004, the method may include receiving second identification data at a second bridge circuit (e.g., bridge circuit 1710b) coupled to a second backplane (e.g., backplane 306b) of the second monitoring subsystem. The second identification data may characterize information identifying the hardware of the first monitoring subsystem. For example, the second identification data may be or may include a unique ID (e.g., MAC address) of the first backplane and / or the functional circuit coupled thereto. As another example, the second identification data may be or may include data describing the number of data channels included in the first backplane, and a network ID corresponding to the first monitoring subsystem. In some embodiments, the second bridge circuit may receive a unique ID of the functional circuit from a beacon packet or other data packet delivered to the second backplane from the first monitoring subsystem during operation. As another example, the second bridge controller may receive data describing the number of data channels (e.g., channel number field 507) from the beacon packet. The bridge controller and / or node controller (e.g., node controller 324b and bridge controller 1703b) of the second bridge circuit may store the second identification data in a memory during operation. The second identification data may be retained in memory during system shutdown and may be used to confirm that the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem are compatible during a subsequent system startup, as described herein.

[0290] In some embodiments, the second identification data may be stored in a memory of a node controller and / or a bridge controller of the first bridge circuit, and the first bridge circuit may provide the second identification data to the second bridge circuit. Similarly, the first identification data may be stored in a memory of a node controller and / or a bridge controller of the second bridge circuit, and the second bridge circuit may provide the first identification data to the first bridge circuit. For another example, the first identification data and the second identification data may be stored in a memory of a node controller and / or a bridge controller of the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit.

[0291] At step 2006, the first identification data and the second identification data may be used to determine that the first monitoring subsystem is compatible with the second monitoring subsystem. For example, a bridge controller and / or a node controller of the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit may confirm that the first backplane and the second backplane have the same number of data channels. As another example, the bridge controller and / or the node controller may use the unique IDs of the functional circuits and / or backplanes of the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem to determine that the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem are compatible. The bridge controller and / or the node controller may also compare the network ID provided with the first identification data and the second identification data to determine that the first monitoring system and the second monitoring system are compatible. For example, if the network IDs are the same, the monitoring systems may be determined to be compatible.

[0292] At step 2008, the method may include receiving a first schedule at the second bridge circuit. The first schedule may represent a first communication schedule of a first group of functional circuits in electronic communication with the first backplane. In some embodiments, the first schedule may be stored in a memory of a node controller and / or a bridge controller of the first bridge circuit, and the first bridge circuit may provide the first schedule to the second bridge circuit. As another example, the bridge controller and / or the node controller of the second bridge circuit receives the first schedule in a beacon packet during operation. The bridge controller and / or the node controller of the second bridge circuit may store the first schedule in a memory. The first schedule may be retained in the memory during system shutdown and may be used for subsequent system startup, as described herein.

[0293] At step 2010, the method may include receiving a second schedule at the first bridge circuit. The second schedule may characterize a second communication schedule for a second group of functional circuits in electronic communication with the second backplane. In some embodiments, the second schedule may be stored in a memory of a node controller and / or a bridge controller of the second bridge circuit, and the second bridge circuit may provide the second schedule to the first bridge circuit. As another example, the bridge controller and / or the node controller of the first bridge circuit receives the second schedule in a beacon packet during operation. The bridge controller and / or the node controller of the first bridge circuit may store the second schedule in a memory. The first schedule may be retained in the memory during system shutdown and may be used for subsequent system startup, as described herein.

[0294] At step 2012, the first communication schedule may be compared to the second communication schedule. For example, the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit may compare the first schedule and the second schedule to ensure that the functional circuit of the first monitoring subsystem is not scheduled to deliver data to the corresponding data channel of the first backplane while the functional circuit of the second monitoring subsystem is scheduled to deliver data to the data channel of the second backplane.

[0295] At step 2014, the method may include determining that the first schedule is compatible with the second schedule. For example, if the comparison indicates that the functional circuit of the first monitoring subsystem is not scheduled to deliver data to the corresponding data lane of the first backplane while the functional circuit of the second monitoring subsystem is scheduled to deliver data to the data lane of the second backplane, the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit may determine that the first schedule is compatible with the second schedule.

[0296] At step 2016, the method may include providing a first signal to at least one first gate (e.g., transmitter 330a) of the first bridge circuit and providing a second signal to at least one second gate (e.g., transmitter 330b) of the second bridge circuit, thereby activating the at least one first gate and the at least one second gate and facilitating electronic communication between the first backplane and the second backplane. For example, the node controllers of the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit may provide data to the gate controllers of the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit to confirm that the scheduling of the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem is compatible. The gate controllers may activate the gates (e.g., transmitters 330a, 330b) of the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit by delivering signals to the gates to set the gates to operate in a first operating mode, thereby allowing data to be transmitted from the bridge circuits and allowing data to be transmitted between the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem.

[0297] In some embodiments, the network IDs of the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem may be used to determine whether the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem are compatible. The network IDs may also be used to determine whether the first schedule and the second schedule are compatible.

[0298] For example, the first bridge circuit may provide the second bridge circuit with a first network ID that characterizes the configuration of the first monitoring subsystem. The second bridge circuit may provide the first bridge circuit with a second network ID that characterizes the configuration of the second monitoring subsystem. The first network ID and the second network ID may include data corresponding to the hardware of the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem (such as a unique ID of a functional circuit and / or a baseboard, the number of data channels on the baseboard, etc.), and data corresponding to operating parameters of the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem (such as communication scheduling, baud rate, etc.). The bridge controller and / or the node controller of the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit may compare the first network ID with the second network ID to determine whether the hardware and operating parameters of the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem are compatible. If the network ID indicates that the hardware and operating parameters of the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem are compatible, the node controllers of the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit may provide data to the gate controllers of the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit to confirm the compatibility of the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem. The gate controller can activate the gates of the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit (e.g., transmitters 330a, 330b) by delivering signals to the gates to set the gates to operate in a first operating mode, thereby allowing data to be transmitted from the bridge circuits and allowing data to be transmitted between the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem.

[0299] After the gates of the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit are set to operate in the first operating mode, the functional circuits of the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem may then perform an initialization process to select a master node, as described above with respect to Fig.13 The master circuit may generate and distribute the third schedule and monitor the data delivered to the backplane, as described above with respect to Figures 14 to 17 .

[0300] In some embodiments, when the monitoring subsystem is powered on, the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit may not have access to pre-existing data (e.g., identification data, network ID, schedule, etc.) that can be used to determine whether the hardware and operating parameters of the first subsystem and the second subsystem are compatible. In this case, the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit can use data from the beacon packet to determine whether the hardware and operating parameters of the first subsystem and the second subsystem are compatible.

[0301] Initially, at system startup, one or more functional circuits coupled to each of the first and second backplanes (e.g., backplanes 306a, 306b) may begin an initialization process to assume arbitration responsibility and become a master circuit, as described above with respect to Fig.13 At the end of the initialization process, the first monitoring subsystem (eg, monitoring subsystem 1801a) may include a first main circuit, and the second monitoring subsystem (eg, monitoring subsystem 1801b) may include a second main circuit.

[0302] The first master circuit and the second master circuit can deliver the first beacon packet and the second beacon packet to the data channel of the first backplane and the second backplane respectively. The beacon packet can generally be similar to Figure 8 The beacon packet 500 may include a preamble, a type, a current time, a number of channels, a baud rate, a schedule header, and a schedule entry field.

[0303] The bridge controller of the first bridge circuit (e.g., bridge controller 1703a) may receive the first beacon packet, and the bridge controller of the second bridge circuit (e.g., bridge controller 1703b) may receive the second beacon packet. The bridge controller and / or the node controller of the first bridge circuit may store data corresponding to the field of the first beacon packet in a memory. The bridge controller and / or the node controller of the second bridge circuit may store data corresponding to the field of the second beacon packet in a memory.

[0304] The bridge controller of the first bridge circuit may deliver the first beacon packet to a range extension element (e.g., range extension element 1705a) of the first bridge circuit. The range extension element may amplify the power (e.g., voltage and / or current) of the signal corresponding to the first beacon packet, and may provide the first beacon packet to the bridge controller and / or node controller of the second bridge circuit. The bridge controller of the second bridge circuit may deliver the second beacon packet to the range extension element (e.g., range extension element 1705b) of the second bridge circuit. The range extension element may amplify the power (e.g., voltage and / or current) of the signal corresponding to the second beacon packet, and may provide the second beacon packet to the bridge controller and / or node controller of the first bridge circuit.

[0305] The bridge controllers and / or node controllers of the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit may compare data corresponding to fields provided within the first beacon packet and the second beacon packet (e.g., preamble, type, current time, number of channels, baud rate, scheduling header, and scheduling entry fields) to determine whether the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem are compatible.

[0306] If the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem are determined to be compatible, the node controllers of the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit may provide data to the gate controllers of the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit to confirm that the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem are compatible. The gate controller may activate the gates (e.g., transmitters) of the first bridge circuit and the second bridge circuit by delivering a signal to the gate to set the gate to operate in the first operating mode, thereby allowing data to be transmitted from the bridge circuit and allowing data to be transmitted between the first monitoring subsystem and the second monitoring subsystem.

[0307] After the monitoring subsystem electronically communicates, one of the master circuits may relinquish arbitration capabilities so that only one master circuit is shared between the first backplane and the second backplane. For example, if one of the master circuits detects a beacon packet, the master circuit may enter a random backoff state, as described above with respect to Fig.13 In some embodiments, the previous master circuit may remain in the random backoff state and act as a slave node until it does not receive a beacon packet during a beacon time slice (e.g., beacon time slice 410a). If the previous master circuit does not receive a beacon packet during the beacon time slice, the previous master circuit may assume arbitration responsibility and thus become the master circuit, as described in relation to Fig.13 Step 1114 is shown.

[0308] A bridge circuit can be used to electrically couple the backplanes to form an extended logic bus so that all data is transmitted between the backplanes. This allows the monitoring system to span between multiple locations while retaining all the functionality available when using a monitoring system that includes a single backplane. In addition, since all data is shared between the bridged backplanes, the bridge allows resources (e.g., functional circuits) to be allocated between the backplanes as needed.

[0309] Fig.24 A block diagram of another exemplary monitoring system 2100 is shown. As shown in the illustrated example, the monitoring system includes monitoring subsystems 2101a, 2101b that can be electrically coupled using bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b. Coupling element 1807 can electrically couple bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b. First monitoring subsystem 2101a and second monitoring subsystem 2101b can include baseplates 2106a, 2106b that can be generally similar to baseplates 306a, 306b.

[0310] The monitoring subsystems 2101a, 2101b may include various functional circuits that may be coupled to ports of the backplanes 2106a, 2106b. The backplanes 2106a, 2106b may be, include, or form part of a physical bus. The backplanes 2106a, 2106b may generally be similar to those described above with respect to Figure 4 , Fig. 20 The bottom plates 306a, 306b.

[0311] The first monitoring subsystem 2101a includes a condition monitoring circuit 2102a, a gateway circuit 2104a, a system interface circuit 2108a, a power input circuit 2110a, a discrete input circuit 2112a, a protection circuit 2114a, a 4-20 output circuit 2116a, a relay circuit 2118a, and a bridge circuit 1710a. The second monitoring subsystem 2101b may include a dynamic input circuit 2120b, a static input circuit 2122b, a relay circuit 2118b, and a PIM circuit 2110b. As shown in the illustrated example, for redundancy purposes, the monitoring subsystems 2101a, 2101b may be coupled via multiple bridge circuits 1710a, 1710b. If one of the bridge circuits fails, another pair of bridge circuits may be used to bridge the communication between the backplanes 2106a, 2106b.

[0312] As shown in the illustrated example, the monitoring subsystem 2101b can be primarily used to receive analog sensor data, digitize the sensor data, and provide data packets corresponding to the sensor data to the data channel of the backplane 2106b using various input circuits. The monitoring subsystem 2101a can be primarily used to provide updates to the monitoring system (e.g., via the system interface circuit 2108a), process the sensor data (e.g., using the protection circuit 2114a), and provide the processed data to the user (e.g., via the gateway circuit 2104a, the condition monitoring circuit 2102a).

[0313] Bridging can allow monitoring subsystems to share common resources (e.g., functional circuits), which can provide flexibility when designing and installing monitoring systems. For example, monitoring subsystem 2101b can be installed remotely near industrial equipment so that the input circuit can receive sensor data, while monitoring subsystem 2101a can be installed at another location that is more convenient or easier to access. Installing the monitoring subsystem near the industrial equipment to be monitored can also reduce the cost of running cables from the sensor to the input circuit, and can improve the quality of the signal delivered from the sensor to the input circuit by reducing exposure to noise and ground loops. For example, a ground loop is described as interference generated by parts of a circuit that are at different ground reference voltages rather than the same ground reference voltage. Ground loops can cause unwanted signal degradation and / or noise to be generated within the signal. The monitoring subsystem 2101b can utilize the resources installed on the monitoring subsystem 2101a (e.g., condition monitoring circuit 2102a, gateway circuit 2104a, system interface circuit 2108a, PIM circuit 2110a, discrete input circuit 2112a, protection circuit 2114a, 4-20 output circuit 2116a, relay circuit 2118a).

[0314] Fig.25 A block diagram of another exemplary monitoring system 2200 is shown. As shown in the illustrated example, the monitoring system 2200 includes monitoring subsystems 2201a, 2201b, 2201c that can be electrically coupled via bridge circuits 1701a, 1701b, 1701c. The monitoring subsystems 2201a, 2201b, 2201c can include backplanes 2206a, 2206b, 2206c that can be coupled via bridge circuits 1701a, 1701b, 1701c. The backplanes 2206a, 2206b, 2206c can be generally similar to the backplanes 2106a, 2106b. The coupled backplanes 2206a, 2206b, 2206c form an extended logic bus.

[0315] The monitoring subsystems 2201a, 2201b, 2201c may include various monitoring circuits that may be coupled to the respective backplanes. The monitoring subsystem 2201a may include a condition monitoring circuit 2102a, a gateway circuit 2104a, a system interface circuit 2108a, a discrete input circuit 2112a, a relay circuit 2118a, a PIM circuit 2110a, and a bridge circuit 1710a. The monitoring subsystem 2201b may include a protection circuit 2114b, a dynamic input circuit 2120b, a 4-20 output circuit 2116b, a relay circuit 2118b, a power input circuit 2110b, and a bridge circuit 1710b. The monitoring subsystem 2201c may include a dynamic input circuit 2120c, a PIM circuit 2110c, a relay circuit 2118c, and a bridge circuit 1710c.

[0316] In some embodiments, the monitoring subsystem 2201b can be used as the main monitoring subsystem. For example, the monitoring subsystem 2201b can be locally located near the key components of the industrial equipment. The 4-20 output circuit 2116b can be configured to output analog sensor data, which can allow local users to perform fault diagnosis on the operation of the dynamic input circuit and / or the sensor coupled to the dynamic input circuit of the monitoring subsystem 2201b to ensure that the monitoring subsystem 2201b is operating normally. In some embodiments, the monitoring subsystem 2201c can be installed remotely near another industrial system. The monitoring subsystem 2201a can be mainly used to provide updates to the monitoring system (for example, via the system interface circuit 2108a), and provide processed data to the user (for example, via the gateway circuit 2104a and the condition monitoring circuit 2102a). For example, the gateway circuit 2104a can be used to provide data to a trusted user (for example, a device operator) and receive data from a trusted user (for example, a device operator). Condition monitoring circuits that are unable to deliver data packets to the backplane 2206a may be used to provide data characterizing the operation of the industrial system to an untrusted user (eg, a remote technical support operator).

[0317] Bridging can allow monitoring subsystems to share common resources, which can provide flexibility when designing and installing monitoring systems. For example, a monitoring subsystem (e.g., monitoring subsystem 2201c) can be installed remotely near industrial equipment so that input circuits can receive sensor data, while other monitoring subsystems (e.g., monitoring subsystem 2201b) can be installed at another location that is more convenient or easier to access or has a system that is more critical to monitoring. Installing the monitoring subsystem near the industrial equipment to be monitored can also reduce the cost of running cables from the sensor to the input circuit, and can improve the quality of the signal delivered from the sensor to the input circuit by reducing exposure to noise and ground loops. . Since monitoring systems can share common resources, bridging can also allow monitoring systems to expand more cost-effectively. For example, a monitoring subsystem (e.g., monitoring subsystem XC) can be added to a monitoring system to monitor operations of industrial equipment that may not be critical or may have been too costly to monitor.

[0318] In some embodiments, an Ethernet network may be used to facilitate communications between functional circuits rather than using a passive backplane (e.g., backplanes 306a, 306b, 2106a, 2106b, etc.) to facilitate communications between functional circuits of the monitoring system. In some embodiments, Ethernet protocols such as TCP / IP and / or TSN may be used to facilitate and control communications between functional circuits.

[0319] Fig.26 A block diagram of another exemplary monitoring system 2300 is shown that utilizes the TSN Ethernet protocol to facilitate communication between functional circuits of the monitoring system 2300. As shown in the illustrated example, the monitoring system 2300 includes a sensor input subsystem 2302, a wiring cabinet 2304, and an instrument cabinet 2306. The sensor input subsystem 2302 can be configured to receive signals from sensors 2308, which are configured to measure operating parameters of the industrial system 2310, and provide digital signals representing the sensor measurements to the wiring cabinet 2304. The wiring cabinet 2304 can be configured to provide alarms / alarms to the control system (e.g., the customer control system 212) and facilitate communication between the instrument cabinet 2306 and the sensor input subsystem 2302. The instrument cabinet 2306 can be configured to process sensor data, receive updates and distribute updates to the monitoring system 2300, and provide data representing the operation of the industrial system 2310 to the user.

[0320] like Fig.26As shown, the sensor input subsystem 2302 may include a junction box 2312 configured to receive sensor signals and a conduit 2314 that may accommodate a coupling element 2316 (e.g., an Ethernet cable) extending between the junction boxes 2312 and to the marshalling cabinet 2304. The junction box 2312 may be configured to receive signals from the sensors, condition the signals, and provide digital signals representing sensor measurements to the marshalling cabinet 2304. In some embodiments, the sensor 2308 may be configured to provide an analog signal, a discrete signal, and / or a digital signal stream.

[0321] Fig. 27 A detailed view of the components within the junction box 2312 is shown. Fig. 27 As shown, the terminal block 2312 may include a plurality of signal conditioners 2318 that may be in electronic communication with the sensors 2308 and the input circuits 2320. The terminal block 2312 may also include a power supply 2319 that may be electrically coupled to the signal conditioners 2318 and the input circuits 2320. The power supply 2319 may be configured to provide power to the signal conditioners 2318 and the input circuits 2320. The signal conditioners 2318 may be configured to receive signals from the sensors 2308, adjust the voltage and / or current of the signals, and provide the adjusted signals to the input circuits 2320.

[0322] Depending on the type of signal provided by the sensor 2308, the input circuit 2320 can be configured to receive a conditioned signal from the signal conditioner 2318, convert the signal into a digital signal, regulate the voltage and / or current of the discrete signal, regulate the current and / or voltage of the digital signal stream, and provide the conditioned digital signal to the junction box 2304 via a coupling element.

[0323] As shown in the illustrated example, the wiring cabinet may include a relay circuit 2322, a power supply 2324, a signal barrier 2326, and a cable coupling 2328a. The power supply 2324 may be electrically coupled to the relay circuit 2322. The power supply 2324 may be configured to provide power to the relay circuit 2322a. The signal barrier 2326 may be used to prevent potentially dangerous signals from being transmitted to the sensor input system 2302. For example, if the sensor input subsystem 2302 is positioned within an environment containing flammable gases, the signal barrier 2326 may be configured to prevent signals exceeding a predetermined voltage and / or current from being delivered to the sensor input subsystem 2302. The relay circuit 2322a may be electrically coupled to the sensor input subsystem 2302 via the coupling element 2327a and the signal barrier 2316. The relay circuit 2322a may also be electrically coupled to the cable coupling 2328a so that it is in electronic communication with the functional circuit within the instrument cabinet 2306.

[0324] The instrument cabinet 2306 may include protection circuits 2330a, 2330b, relay circuits 2322b, 4-20 output circuits 2332, system interface circuits 2334, gateway circuits 2336, and cable couplings 2328b. The power supply 2324 may also provide power to the protection circuits 2330a, 2330b, relay circuits 2322b, 4-20 output circuits 2332, system interface circuits 2334, and gateway circuits 2336 within the instrument cabinet 2306. The functions of the protection circuits 2330a, 2330b, relay circuits 2322b, 4-20 output circuits 2332, system interface circuits 2334, and gateway circuits 2336 may generally be similar to other protection circuits, relay circuits, 4-20 output circuits, system interface circuits, and gateway circuits as described herein. The coupling element 2327b may extend from the cable coupling 2328b to the protection circuits 2330a and gateway circuits 2336. The coupling element 2327b may also extend between the protection circuit 2330a, 2330b, the relay circuit 2322b, the 4-20 output circuit 2332, the system interface circuit 2334 and the gateway circuit 2336, so that the protection circuit 2330a, 2330b, the relay circuit 2322b, the 4-20 output circuit 2332, the system interface circuit 2334 and the gateway circuit 2336 may be electrically coupled between the cable coupling member 2328b.

[0325] The instrument cabinet 2306 can be electrically coupled to the marshalling cabinet 2304 via a coupling element 2338. In some embodiments, the coupling element 2338 can be a fiber optic cable that can extend between cable couplings 2328a, 2328b of the marshalling cabinet 2304 and the instrument cabinet 2306. The cable couplings 2328a, 2328b can be configured to serve as an interface between coupling elements 2327a, 2327b within the marshalling cabinet 2304 and the instrument cabinet 2306 and the coupling element 2338 extending between the marshalling cabinet 2304 and the instrument cabinet 2306.

[0326] In operation, the sensor input subsystem 2302 may provide a digital signal representing the sensor measurement to the marshalling cabinet 2304. The digital signal may travel to the relay circuit 2322 via the coupling element 2327 within the marshalling cabinet 2304. The digital signal may also be provided to the instrument cabinet 2306 via the cable couplings 2328a, 2328a and the coupling element 2338 extending therebetween. Within the instrument cabinet 2306, the digital signal may be provided to the protection circuit 2330, the relay circuit 2322b, the 4-20 output circuit 2332, the system interface circuit 2334, and the gateway circuit 2336.

[0327] In some embodiments, the input circuit may be located within a marshalling cabinet of a monitoring system that utilizes the TSN Ethernet protocol to facilitate communications between functional circuits of the monitoring system. Fig.28 FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another exemplary monitoring system 2400 that utilizes the TSN Ethernet protocol to facilitate communication between functional circuits of the monitoring system. The monitoring system 2400 may generally be similar to Fig.26 The monitoring system 2300 is shown, but may include input circuits positioned within a junction box 2404 .

[0328] As shown in the illustrated example, the monitoring system 2400 includes a sensor input subsystem 2402, a docking cabinet 2404, and an instrument cabinet 2406. The sensor input subsystem 2402 can be configured to receive signals from sensors 2308 configured to measure operating parameters of the industrial system 2310, condition the sensor signals, and provide the conditioned sensor signals representing the sensor measurements to the docking cabinet 2404. The docking cabinet 2404 can be configured to receive the conditioned sensor signals and provide digital signals representing the sensor measurements to the instrument cabinet 2406. The docking cabinet 2404 can also be configured to provide alarms / alarms to a control system (e.g., the customer control system 212) and facilitate communication between the instrument cabinet 2306 and the sensor input subsystem 2302. The instrument cabinet 2406 can be configured to process sensor data, receive updates and distribute the updates to the monitoring system 24000, and provide data representing the operation of the industrial system 2310 to a user.

[0329] The sensor input subsystem 2402 may include a junction box 2412 that may be configured to receive sensor signals and a conduit 2414 that may accommodate a coupling element 2416 (e.g., an Ethernet cable) extending between the junction boxes 2412 and to the marshalling cabinet 2404. The junction box 2412 may be generally similar to the junction box 2312, but does not include input circuitry. The junction box 2412 may be configured to receive a signal from the sensor 2308, condition the sensor signal, and provide the conditioned sensor signal representing the sensor measurement to the marshalling cabinet 2404 via the coupling element 2416. In some embodiments, the coupling element 2416 may be a simulated field wire.

[0330] The wiring cabinet 2404 may include an input circuit 2320, a power supply 2324, a relay circuit 2322, a signal barrier 2326, and a cable coupling 2328a. The power supply 2324 may be electrically coupled to the input circuit 2320, the relay circuit 2322a, and other functional circuits within the instrument cabinet 2406. The signal barrier 2326 may be coupled to a coupling element 2416. The input circuit 2320 may be coupled to the junction box 2412 via a coupling element 2417 extending between each of the input circuits 2320 and the signal barrier 2326. The input circuit 2320 and the relay circuit 2322a may be electrically coupled via a coupling element 2327a extending between each of the input circuits 2320a, the relay circuit 2322a, and the cable coupling 2328a.

[0331] The instrument cabinet 2406 may include protection circuits 2330a, 2330b, relay circuits 2322b, 4-20 output circuits 2332, system interface circuits 2334, gateway circuits 2336, and cable couplings 2328b. The power supply 2324 may provide power to the protection circuits 2330a, 2330b, relay circuits 2322b, 4-20 output circuits 2332, system interface circuits 2334, and gateway circuits 2336 within the instrument cabinet 2306. The coupling element 2327b may extend from the cable coupling 2328b to the protection circuits 2330a and the gateway circuits 2336. The coupling element 2327b may also extend between the protection circuit 2330a, 2330b, the relay circuit 2322b, the 4-20 output circuit 2332, the system interface circuit 2334 and the gateway circuit 2336 so that the protection circuit 2330a, 2330b, the relay circuit 2322b, the 4-20 output circuit 2332, the system interface circuit 2334 and the gateway circuit 2336 can be electrically coupled.

[0332] The instrument cabinet 2406 may be electrically coupled to the marshalling cabinet 2404 via a coupling element 2438. In some embodiments, the coupling element 2338 may be a fiber optic cable that may extend between cable couplings 2328a, 2328b of the marshalling cabinet 2404 and the instrument cabinet 2406. The cable couplings 2328a, 2328b may be configured to serve as an interface between coupling elements 2327a, 2327b within the marshalling cabinet 2404 and the instrument cabinet 2406 and the coupling element 2438 extending between the marshalling cabinet 2404 and the instrument cabinet 2406.

[0333] In operation, the sensor input subsystem 2402 may provide a conditioned signal representing the sensor measurement result to the wiring cabinet 2304. The input circuit 2320 may receive the conditioned signal. The input circuit 2320 may generate a digital signal based on the conditioned signal and provide the digital signal to the relay circuit 2322a and the instrument cabinet 2406 via the cable couplings 2328a, 2328a and the coupling element 2438 extending therebetween. Within the instrument cabinet 2306, the digital signal may be provided to the protection circuit 2330, the relay circuit 2322b, the 4-20 output circuit 2332, the system interface circuit 2334, and the gateway circuit 2336.

[0334] Conventional monitoring systems may be limited in flexibility and scalability. In addition, the cost and complexity of installation may cause significant entry barriers to users who want to monitor low-cost and / or low-priority components / systems. By utilizing functional circuits that can be detachably coupled to the backplane, the performance of the monitoring system herein can be adjusted and / or expanded to suit individual monitoring needs. For example, processing power can be increased by coupling additional processing circuits to the backplane. In addition, facilitating communication between multiple backplanes using bridge circuits can allow monitoring subsystems of the monitoring system to share common resources, which can provide flexibility when designing and installing the monitoring system. For example, a monitoring subsystem (e.g., monitoring subsystem 2101b) can be remotely installed near industrial equipment so that the input circuit can receive sensor data, while other monitoring subsystems (e.g., monitoring subsystem 2101a) can be installed at another location that is more convenient or more accessible. Installing the monitoring subsystem near the industrial equipment to be monitored can also reduce the cost of running cables from the sensor to the input circuit, and can improve the quality of the signal delivered from the sensor to the input circuit by reducing exposure to noise and ground loops. Since the monitoring system can share common resources, bridging can also allow the monitoring system to be expanded more cost-effectively. For example, a monitoring subsystem (eg, monitoring subsystem 2201c) may be added to a monitoring system to monitor operations of industrial equipment that may not be critical or that may otherwise be too costly to monitor.

[0335] An exemplary technical effect of the subject matter of this article may include the ability to bridge multiple backplanes of a monitoring system to create an extended logical bus. The extended logical bus allows the monitoring system to span between multiple locations while retaining all the functionality available when using a monitoring system that includes a single backplane. In addition, since all data is shared between the bridged backplanes, the bridge allows resources (e.g., monitoring circuits) to be allocated between the backplanes as needed. For example, a monitoring subsystem may be remotely mounted near industrial equipment so that the input circuit may receive sensor data, while other monitoring subsystems may be mounted at another location that may be more convenient or more accessible. Mounting the monitoring subsystem near the industrial equipment to be monitored may also reduce the cost of running cables from the sensor to the input circuit, and may improve the quality of the signal delivered from the sensor to the input circuit by reducing exposure to noise and ground loops.

[0336] In some embodiments, the monitoring system may utilize a backplane with dedicated data channels that receive data from only one input circuit. Thus, if a data channel fails during operation, the impact of the failure may be limited to a single monitoring circuit that is configured to deliver data to that particular data channel. Fig.29 A block diagram of a portion of an exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system 2500 utilizing a dedicated data channel to facilitate communications between monitoring circuits 2510 is shown.

[0337] The monitoring system 2500 may include any number of monitoring circuits 2510, which may be removably coupled to the backplane 2506 via the port 2508 of the backplane 2506. As shown in the illustrated example, the monitoring system includes an input circuit 2550, a protection circuit 2552, a system interface circuit 2554, a condition monitoring circuit 2556, a 4-20 output circuit 2561, a relay circuit 2558, and a gateway circuit 2559. In some embodiments, the input circuit 2550 may be, for example, a dynamic input circuit. The backplane may be a physical bus, include a physical bus, or form a part of a physical bus. In some embodiments, the backplane may have a unique ID that can be used to identify the backplane. The backplane may be a passive backplane that is configured to facilitate multi-point asynchronous electronic communication between the functional circuits coupled to the backplane. Therefore, all data delivered to the backplane may be received by all functional circuits 2510 coupled to the backplane 2506.

[0338] In the illustrated example, the backplane includes a group of input data channels 2512a, a group of protection data channels 2512b and at least one system data channel 2512c. The protection data channel 2512b and the input data channel 2512a can be unidirectional serial communication channels. Each input data channel in the input data channel 2512a can be configured to receive data packets from an input circuit 2550 coupled to a port, and the port can be configured to facilitate data delivery to a corresponding monitoring channel. As shown in the illustrated example, each input data channel 2512a can receive data packets from a single input circuit 2550. Each input data channel 2512a can communicate electronically with a port 2508, which is configured to receive an input circuit 2550, a protection circuit 2552, a system interface circuit 2554, a condition monitoring circuit 2556, a 4-20 output circuit 2561, a relay circuit 2558, and a gateway circuit 2559.

[0339] In some embodiments, all input, protection, and system data channels 2512a, 2512b, 2512c may be electrically coupled to each of the ports. However, for clarity, the Figures 29 to 34 Unused connections between port 2508 and input, protection and system data channels 2512a, 2512b, 2512c are omitted.

[0340] The protection data channels 2512b may be used to provide alarms and / or other data characterizing the operation of the monitored industrial equipment to a trusted system / user. As shown in the illustrated example, each of the protection data channels 2512b may be in electronic communication with a port configured to be coupled to a protection circuit such that the protection data channel is configured to receive data packets from the protection circuit. All protection data channels 2512b may be in electronic communication with ports configured to receive relay circuits 2558 such that alarm signals provided by the protection circuit may be provided to a trusted system (e.g., customer control system 212).

[0341] Each of the input data channel 2512a and the protection data channel 2512b may be a dedicated data channel such that each of the input data channel 2512a and the protection data channel 2512b is configured to receive data from one input circuit 2550 and one protection circuit 2552, respectively.

[0342] System data channel 2512c can be a bidirectional serial communication channel. System data channel 2512c can be used as a communication channel of a system interface circuit to perform an update operating parameter, an operating threshold or a configuration of any functional circuit in the functional circuit. System data channel 2512c can also allow the system interface circuit to adjust or set the alarm condition of the protection circuit and the actuation condition of the relay circuit 2558. System data channel 2512c can communicate electronically with all ports of the base plate so that the functional circuit coupled to each port can deliver data packets to system data channel 2512c and receive data packets from the system data channel. In some embodiments, system data channel 2512c can be a command / response channel that can be controlled by system interface circuit 2554, as described in more detail below.

[0343] Each input circuit 2550 can be in electronic communication with one of the input data channels 2512a and with the system data channel 2512c. The input circuit 2550 can be configured to receive a sensor signal, perform signal conditioning on the sensor signal, and output the conditioned sensor signal to the input data channel 2512a of the backplane. The input circuit 2550 can also be configured to receive data packets from the system data channel 2512c and provide data packets to the system data channel 2512c when commanded. In some embodiments, the input circuit can provide various coupling interfaces for different sensors supported by the monitoring system.

[0344] Fig.30 An enlarged view of the input circuit 2550 is shown. As shown in the illustrated example, the input circuit 2550 may include a circuit controller 2520a and a node 2522a, which is configured to facilitate and control electronic communication between the circuit controller and the backplane. The circuit controller 2520a may generally be similar to the circuit controller 320. The circuit controller 2520a may be configured to receive an analog sensor signal from a sensor and convert the analog sensor signal into a digital signal at a fixed rate. The circuit controller 2520a may also be configured to normalize the digital signal and provide the normalized digital signal to the corresponding input data channel on the backplane (e.g., via node 2522a). In some embodiments, the circuit controller 2520 may be configured to filter the analog sensor signal to provide aliasing protection for the output rate of the digitized sensor signal. The circuit controller 2520a may also communicate with a smart sensor (e.g., a transducer) to receive asset data and issue commands to the transducer. In some embodiments, the input circuit may also provide power to the sensor.

[0345] Each node 2522a of the input circuit 2550 may include a scheduling controller 2534, a node controller 2524, a gate controller 2526, a gate pair 2528, and a transmitter 2530. The scheduling controller 2534, the node controller 2524, the gate controller 2526, the gate pair 2528, and the transmitter 2530 may generally be similar to the scheduling controller 334, the node controller 324, the gate controller 326, the gate pair 328, and the transmitter 330. The gate pair 2528 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The node controller 2524 may serve as an interface between the circuit controller 2520a and the gate controller 2526, the transmitter 330, and / or the receiver 332. For example, the node controller 2524 may be configured to control which data is transmitted from the system data channel 2512c to the circuit controller 2520a using, for example, packet filtering techniques. In some embodiments, the node controller 2524 may be configured to receive a signal from the circuit controller 2520a, encode the signal into bits, and deliver a signal corresponding to the encoded bits (e.g., a data packet) to the gate controller 2526 to deliver the data to the input data channel 2512a of the backplane 2506.

[0346] In some embodiments, the scheduling controller 2534 can be configured to manage the timing of communications from the input circuit 2550 to the input data channel 2512a and / or the serial data channel. For example, in some embodiments, the data packets can be delivered to the input data channel 2512a using time division multiplexing. The scheduling controller 2534 can generate a schedule and / or algorithm that can be managed by the node controller 2524 and / or the gate controller 2526 to achieve successful delivery of the data packets. The scheduling can generally be similar to the above description of Figure 4 , Figures 7 to 9 Utilizing time division multiplexing may allow multiple input circuits 2550 to deliver data to a single input data channel 2512a while eliminating or mitigating conflicts between data packets.

[0347] The gate pair 2528 can be configured to facilitate electronic communication between the input circuit 2550 and the system data channel 2512c of the backplane 306. In some embodiments, the gate pair 2528 can be a half-duplex transceiver or a full-duplex transceiver. Each gate controller 2526 can be configured to control the operation of the transmitter 2530 and the transmitter and receiver of the gate pair 2528.

[0348] Fig.31An enlarged view of the system interface circuit 2554 is shown. The system interface circuit 2554 can communicate electronically with one of the input data channels 2512a and with the system data channel 2512c. The system interface circuit 2554 can be configured to be able to adjust the operating parameters of the functional circuit coupled to the backplane. As shown in the illustrated example, the system interface circuit 2554 may include a circuit controller 2520b and a node 2522b, which is configured to enable and control the electronic communication between the circuit controller 2520b and the system data channel 2512c of the backplane. The circuit controller 2520b of the system interface circuit can be used to enable the configuration of any functional circuit in the functional circuit, the alarm condition for protecting industrial equipment, and the condition for actuating the relay circuit 2558. In some embodiments, the circuit controller 2520b of the system interface circuit 2554 can be coupled to a control system and / or an HMI (e.g., HMI220). A trusted user such as a device operator may provide configuration data to the circuit controller 2520b of the system interface circuit 2554 via the control system and / or HMI, and the system interface circuit 2554 may provide data packets representing the configuration data to the system data channel 2512c of the backplane 2506 .

[0349] The node 2522b of the system interface circuit 2554 may include a scheduling controller 2534, a node controller 2524, a gate controller 2526, and a gate pair 2528. The scheduling controller 2534, the node controller 2524, the gate controller 2526, the gate pair 2528, and the transmitter 2530 may generally be similar to the scheduling controller 334, the node controller 324, the gate controller 326, the gate pair 328. The gate pair 2528 may include a transmitter and a receiver. In some embodiments, the gate pair 2528 may be a half-duplex transceiver or a full-duplex transceiver. The node controller 2524 may be used as an interface between the circuit controller 2520b and the gate controller 2526 and / or the gate pair 2528. In some embodiments, the node controller 2525 may be configured to receive signals from the circuit controller 2520b, encode the signals into bits, and deliver signals corresponding to the encoded bits (e.g., data packets) to the gate controller 2526 to deliver the data to the system data channel 2512c of the backplane 2506.

[0350] The gate pairs 2528 can be configured to facilitate electronic communication between the system interface circuit and the system data channel 2512c of the backplane. Each gate controller 2526 can be configured to control the operation of the transmitter and the transmitter and receiver of the gate pair 2528.

[0351] In some embodiments, the system interface circuit 2554 can be in a master / slave relationship with other monitoring circuits 2510 that are in electronic communication with the system data channel 2512c. Thus, the system interface circuit 2554 can deliver commands to the input circuit 2550, the protection circuit 2552, the relay circuit 2558, the gateway circuit 2559, and the 4-20 output circuit 2561, thereby commanding responses from the input circuit 2550, the protection circuit 2552, the relay circuit 2558, the gateway circuit 2559, and the 4-20 output circuit 2561. The input circuit 2550, the protection circuit 2552, the relay circuit 2558, the gateway circuit 2559, and the 4-20 output circuit 2561 can receive the commands and deliver data to the system data channel 2512c based on the responses. As another example, in some embodiments, if the input data channel 2512a and / or the protection data channel 2512b are configured to each receive data from more than one input circuit 2550 and protection circuit 2552, respectively, the scheduling controller 2534 can be configured to generate a communication schedule that determines when each of the input circuit 2550 and / or protection circuit 2552 can deliver data to the system data channel 2512c. The schedule can generally be similar to the above description of Figure 4 , Figures 7 to 9 The schedule controller 2534 may generate the schedule and deliver the schedule to the system data channel 2512c via the node controller 2524 and / or the gate controller 2526. The monitoring circuit 2510 in electronic communication with the system data channel 2512c may receive the schedule and deliver data packets to the system data channel 2512c based on their allocated time slices.

[0352] In some embodiments, if multiple monitoring circuits communicate on a single data channel (eg, using time division multiplexing), the system interface circuit 2554 may be configured to monitor all data channels.

[0353] Fig.32 An enlarged view of the protection circuit 2552 is shown. The protection circuit can be configured to monitor sensor data provided to the input data channel 2512a. The protection monitoring system can also be configured to determine the state (e.g., normal, alarm, danger, etc.) of the industrial equipment being monitored based on the sensor data. As shown in the illustrated example, the protection circuit 2552 may include a circuit controller 2520c and a node 2522c, which is configured to facilitate and control electronic communication between the circuit controller 2520c and the system data channel 2512c, the protection data channel, and the input data channel 2512a of the backplane 2506.

[0354] The circuit controller 2520c may be configured to retrieve any data packets (e.g., data packets corresponding to sensor measurements) from the input data channel 2512a of the backplane 2506 (e.g., via node 2522c), analyze the retrieved data packets, and provide the results of such analysis to one of the protection data channels 2512b of the backplane 2506 (e.g., via node 2522c). For example, the circuit controller 2520c of the protection circuit 2552 may also be configured to compare the data received from the backplane 2506 with predetermined alarm conditions in real time, and determine the state (e.g., normal, alarm, danger, etc.) of any measured operating parameters or variables, either individually or in combination. The determined state may then be output to one or more of the protection data channels 2512b of the backplane 2506. The protection circuit 2552 may also be configured to receive data packets from the system data channel 2512c, and provide data packets to the system data channel 2512c when commanded (e.g., when scheduled for communication).

[0355] Each node 2522c of the protection circuit may include a scheduling controller 2534, a node controller 2524, a gate controller 2526, and a gate pair 2528, a transmitter 2530, and a receiver 2532. The scheduling controller 2534, the node controller 2524, the gate controller 2526, the gate pair 2528, the transmitter 2530, and the receiver 2532 may generally be similar to the scheduling controller 334, the node controller 324, the gate controller 326, the gate pair 328, the transmitter 330, and the receiver 332. The gate pair 2532 may include a transmitter and a receiver. In some embodiments, the gate pair 2528 may be a half-duplex transceiver or a full-duplex transceiver. The node controller 2524 may be used as an interface between the circuit controller 2520c and the gate controller 2526 and / or the gate and the gate pair. For example, the node controller 2524 may be configured to control which data is transmitted from the input data channel 2512a to the circuit controller 2520c using, for example, a packet filtering technique. In some embodiments, the node controller 2524 may be configured to receive signals from the circuit controller 2520c, encode the signals into bits, and deliver signals corresponding to the encoded bits (e.g., data packets) to the gate controller 2526 to deliver the data to the system data channel 2512c of the backplane 2506.

[0356] The gate pair 2528 can be configured to facilitate electronic communication between the protection circuit 2552 and the system data channel 2512c. The receiver 2532 can be configured to facilitate communication between the protection circuit 2552 and the input data channel 2512a. The transmitter 2530 can be configured to facilitate the delivery of data packets (e.g., corresponding to an alarm) to one or more of the protection data channels 2512b. Each gate controller 2526 can be configured to control the operation of the transmitter 2530, the receiver 2532, and the gate pair 2528.

[0357] like Fig.29 , Fig.30 and Fig.32 As shown, each input circuit 2550 is configured to deliver data to a different input data channel 2512a, and each protection circuit 2552 is configured to deliver data to a different protection data channel 2512b. Therefore, each of the input data channel 2512a and the protection data channel 2512b is dedicated to a single input circuit 2550 and protection circuit 2552, respectively.

[0358] Fig.33 An enlarged view of relay circuit 2558 is shown. Relay circuit 2558 can be configured to receive status data (e.g., data provided by the protection circuit) from protection data channel 2512b and deliver a signal to a trusted system (e.g., customer control system 212) to alert the device operator of a potential problem associated with the operation of the industrial system and / or trigger a shutdown of the industrial system. In some embodiments, one or more of relay circuits 2558 can be a protection fault relay and will also provide an alarm or indication when a user has placed the system in an operating mode that compromises protection.

[0359] As shown in the illustrated example, the relay circuit 2558 may include a circuit controller 2520d and a node 2522d, which is configured to promote and control the electronic communication between the circuit controller 2520d and each of the system data channels 2512c and the protection data channel 2512b. The circuit controller 2520d of the relay circuit 2558 may be configured to retrieve state data (e.g., data delivered by the protection circuit) from the protection data channel 2512b of the backplane 2506 (e.g., via node 2522d) and actuate based on the system state. In one example, the circuit controller 2520d of the relay circuit 2558 may actuate based on a single state. In another example, the relay circuit 2558 may actuate based on a Boolean expression (e.g., and / or voting) combining two or more states. In some embodiments, when actuated, the relay circuit 2558 may be configured to deliver a monitoring signal (e.g., monitoring signal 106s) to a control system (e.g., customer control system 212). The control system can then stop operation of the monitored equipment to prevent damage or failure.

[0360] Each node 2522d of the relay circuit 2558 may include a scheduling controller 2534, a node controller 2524, a gate controller 2526, and a gate pair, a transmitter 2530, and a receiver 2532. The scheduling controller 2534, the node controller 2524, the gate controller 2526, the gate pair 2528, the transmitter 2530, and the receiver 2532 may generally be similar to the scheduling controller 334, the node controller 324, the gate controller 326, the gate pair 328, the transmitter 330, and the receiver 332. In some embodiments, the gate pair 2528 may be a half-duplex transceiver or a full-duplex transceiver. The node controller 2524 may be used as an interface between the circuit controller 2520d and the gate controller 2526, the transmitter 2530, the receiver 2532, and / or the gate pair 2528. For example, the node controller 2524 may be configured to control which data is delivered from the protection data channel 2512b to the circuit controller 2520d using, for example, packet filtering techniques. In some embodiments, the node controller 2524 may be configured to receive signals from the circuit controller 2520d, encode the signals into bits, and deliver signals corresponding to the encoded bits (e.g., data packets) to the gate controller 2526 to deliver the data to the system data channel 2512c of the backplane 2506.

[0361] Fig.34An enlarged view of the gateway circuit 2559 is shown. As shown in the illustrated example, the gateway circuit 2559 may include a circuit controller 2520e and a node 2522e configured to enable and control electronic communication between the circuit controller 2520e and each of the system data channel 2512c and the protection data channel 2512b. The gateway circuit 2559 may enable communication between the flexible monitoring system 202 and trusted systems such as the HMI 220, the customer history library 216, and the customer control system 212. For example, the protection circuit 2552 may deliver data characterizing the operation of a machine (e.g., the machine 102) to the gateway circuit 2559. The gateway circuit 2559 may provide the data to a trusted user and / or system (e.g., the HMI 220, the customer history library 216, and the customer control system 212). In some embodiments, the gateway circuit 2559 may also function as an input circuit. For example, a trusted user and / or system (such as HMI 220, customer historian 216, and customer control system 212) can provide data to the gateway circuit, and the gateway circuit 2559 can deliver the data to the backplane 2506 so that the data can be used by other functional circuits. For example, a trusted user can deliver data to the gateway circuit 2559 to request that the protection circuit 2552 perform certain analysis on the sensor data. In some embodiments, if the gateway circuit 2559 can include a transmitter, the gateway circuit can receive the request and deliver data representative of the request to the backplane 2506.

[0362] Each node 2522e of the gateway circuit 2559 may include a scheduling controller 2534, a node controller 2524, a gate controller 2526, a gate pair 2528, and a receiver 2532. The scheduling controller 2534, the node controller 2524, the gate controller 2526, the gate pair 2528, the transmitter 2530, and the receiver 2532 may generally be similar to the scheduling controller 334, the node controller 324, the gate controller 326, the gate pair 328, the transmitter 2530, and the receiver 2532. The gate pair 2528 may include a transmitter and a receiver. In some embodiments, the gate pair may be a half-duplex transceiver or a full-duplex transceiver. The node controller 2524 may be used as an interface between the circuit controller 2520e and the gate controller 2526, the receiver 2532, and / or the gate pair 2528. For example, the node controller 2524 may be configured to control which data is delivered to the circuit controller 2520e from the protection data channel 2512b using, for example, packet filtering techniques. In some embodiments, the node controller 2524 may be configured to receive signals from the circuit controller 2520e, encode the signals into bits, and deliver signals corresponding to the encoded bits (e.g., data packets) to the gate controller 2526 to deliver the data to the system data channel 2512c of the backplane 2506.

[0363] Fig.35 An enlarged view of the condition monitoring circuit 2556 and the 4-20 output circuit 2561 is shown, both of which can be configured to output a 4-20mA recorder output. The condition monitoring circuit 2556 and the 4-20 output circuit 2561 can be configured to output the monitoring signal as a 4-20mA recorder output. The condition monitoring circuit 2556 can be configured to receive all data delivered to the input data channel 2512a, the protection data channel 2512b, and the system data channel 2512c.

[0364] As shown in the illustrated example, the condition monitoring circuit 2556 may include a circuit controller 2520f and a node 2522f, which is configured to enable and control electronic communication between the circuit controller 2520f and each of the input data channels of the system data channel 2512c and the input data channel 2512a. The node 2522f of the condition monitoring circuit 2556 may include a node controller 2524, a gate controller 2526, and a receiver 2532. However, the node 2522f of the condition monitoring circuit 2556 does not include a transmitter. Due to the lack of a transmitter, the node 2522 of the 4-20 functional circuit 2556 may not be able to deliver data to the input data channel 2512a, the protection data channel 2512b, and the system data channel 2512c.

[0365] The 4-20 output circuit 2561 may be configured to receive all data delivered to the protection data channel 2512b and the system data channel 2512c. As shown in the illustrated example, the 4-20 output circuit 2561 may include a circuit controller 2520g and a node 2522g, which is configured to enable and control electronic communication between the circuit controller 2520g and each of the system data channel 2512c and the protection data channel 2512b. The node 2522g of the 4-20 output circuit 2561 may include a node controller 2524, a gate controller 2526, and a receiver 2532. The node controller 2524, the gate controller 2526, and the receiver 2532 may generally be similar to the node controller 324, the gate controller 326, and the receiver 332.

[0366] like Figures 29 to 34As shown, the transmitter 2530 of each input circuit in the input circuit 2550 is electrically coupled to a different input data channel 2512a. Therefore, each input circuit in the input circuit 2550 delivers a data packet to an input data channel 2512a different from other input circuits 2550. Similarly, the transmitter 2530 of the protection circuit 2552 is electrically coupled to a different protection data channel 2512b. Therefore, each protection circuit in the protection circuit 2552 delivers a data packet to a protection data channel 2512b different from other input circuits 2550. By coupling different input data channels 2512a and protection data channels 2512b to each input circuit 2550 and protection circuit 2552, respectively, there is no risk of conflict when delivering data to the backplane 2506. Since the input data channel 2512a and the protection data channel 2512b do not receive inputs from multiple input circuits 2550 and protection circuits 2552, respectively, the communication protocol for controlling data delivery to the backplane 2506 can be simplified. For example, in some embodiments, communications from input circuit 2550 and protection circuit 2552 do not need to be scheduled.

[0367] In some embodiments, the data channel for receiving data packets from the input circuit 2550 and the protection circuit 2552 may be determined by the port 2508 of the backplane 2506 . Fig.36 A top view of the backplane 2506 of the monitoring system 2500 is shown. As shown in the illustrated example, each port includes a first input link 2562 and a second input link 2564. Each of the input links 2562 can be in electronic communication with an input data channel 2512a that is different from the other input links 2562. Each port can also include a first set of output links 2566 and a second set of output links 2568 and a system link 2570. Fig.36 , a first set of output links 2566 and a second set of output links 2568 are shown along the input data channel 2512a and the protection data channel 2512b, respectively. Each of the output links 2566, 2568 can be in electronic communication with the corresponding input data channel 2512a and the protection data channel 2512b, respectively. Therefore, all functional circuits 2510 coupled to the port 2508 can receive data from all data channels 2512a, 2518b, 2512c. The system link 2570 can be in electronic communication with the system data channel 2512c and can be configured to facilitate bidirectional serial communication with the system data channel 2512c.

[0368] See also Figures 29 to 36In the illustrated example, input circuit 2512 is coupled to port 2508a, protection circuit 2552 is coupled to port 2508b, relay circuit 2558, gateway circuit 2559 and 4-20 output circuit are coupled to port 2508c, condition monitoring circuit 2556 is coupled to port 2508d, and system interface circuit is coupled to port 2508e. However, since each port 2508 includes input links 2562, 2564, output links 2566, 2568 and system link 2570, functional circuit 2510 can be coupled to any given port 2508 of backplane 2506. Figures 29 to 36 , the transmitter 2530 of the input circuit 2550 may be electrically coupled to the input link 2562 of the port 2508a, and the transmitter 2530 of the protection circuit 2552 may be electrically coupled to the input link 2564 of the port 2508b.

[0369] Fig.37 A data flow diagram 2600 illustrating exemplary communications between various components of the monitoring system 2500 is shown. At step 2602, the input circuitry may deliver a data packet representing a sensor measurement to a corresponding input data channel 2512a (e.g., via the first input link 2562 of port 2508a). At step 2604, the protection circuitry 2552 may receive the data packet from the input data channel 2512a. At step 2606, the condition monitoring circuitry 2556 may receive the data packet from the input data channel 2512a.

[0370] The protection circuit 2552 may analyze and process data from the input data channel. For example, the protection circuit 2552 may determine the operating state of the machine based on the sensor measurement results. At step 2608, the protection circuit 2552 may provide the results of such analysis to the protection data channel 2512b (e.g., via the second input link 2564 of port 2508b). At steps 2610, 2612, 2614, 2616, 2618, the relay circuit 2558, the gateway circuit 2559, the 4-20 output circuit 2561, and the condition monitoring circuit 2556 may receive data from the protection data channel 2512b, respectively.

[0371] Based on the state of the machine, the relay circuit 2558 can deliver a signal to the control system (e.g., the customer control system 212). The control system can then stop the operation of the monitored device to prevent damage or failure. In some embodiments, the condition monitoring circuit 2556 can perform further analysis on the data received from the input data channel 2512a and the protection data channel 2512b. The condition monitoring circuit 2556 can provide data from the input data channel 2512a and the protection data channel 2512b to an untrusted user or system (e.g., a remote technical support operator and a condition monitoring system 214). The gateway circuit 2559 can provide data from the protection data channel 2512b to a trusted system, such as the HMI 220, the customer history library 216, and the customer control system 212. The 4-20 output circuit can provide data from the protection data channel 2512b to a trusted user (e.g., an equipment operator). During operation, the system interface circuit 2554 may deliver data packets to the system data channel 2512c to adjust operating parameters of the functional circuits 2510 coupled to the backplane and / or request status updates from each of the other functional circuits 2510 coupled to the backplane 2506. A trusted user such as a device operator may provide configuration data to the circuit controller 2520b of the system interface circuit 2554 via the control system and / or HMI, and the system interface circuit 2554 may provide data packets representing the configuration data to the system data channel 2512c of the backplane 2506. The input circuit 2550, the protection circuit 2552, the relay circuit 2558, the gateway circuit 2559, the 4-20 output circuit 2561, and the condition monitoring circuit 2556 may receive data from the system data channel 2512c, update operating parameters based on the received data, and / or provide status responses to the system data channel 2512c if requested.

[0372] Periodically, each functional circuit 2510 of the monitoring system 2500 may perform a self-test to evaluate the state of the internal processor, memory, and / or other circuits. The functional circuit may also determine the current operating state. Each of the functional circuits may deliver the results of the self-test to the system data channel 2512c to provide a state that will be sent on the system data channel 2512c and may be sent on various data channels. The system interface circuit 2554 may also provide an additional level of analysis at the system level. This includes health analysis using telemetry data (system temperature, usage time, supply voltage), configuration changes, and network performance information. The system interface circuit 2554 may deliver data representing the results of the health analysis to the system data channel 2512c so that each functional circuit may receive the data.

[0373] In some embodiments, the monitoring system can be configured to deliver data to a local display so that the data can be displayed to the device operator. In other embodiments, the data can be transmitted using an industrial protocol so that the data can be used for presentation on an HMI. The data may include current values, states, and / or trends of measured values.

[0374] In some embodiments, the system interface circuit 2554, the gateway circuit 2559, and / or the condition monitoring circuit 2556 may include a short-range wireless communication component so that each of the system interface circuit 2554, the communication gateway, and / or the condition monitoring circuit 2556 may be configured to communicate wirelessly with a user device. In some embodiments, the system interface circuit 2554, the communication gateway, and / or the condition monitoring circuit may provide health information to a user device such as a tablet, laptop, smart phone, etc. In some embodiments, the system may include a 4-20mA recorder output.

[0375] By utilizing different input data channels 2512a and protection data channels 2512b to receive data from each input circuit 2550 and protection circuit 2552, respectively, there is no risk of conflict when delivering data to the backplane 2506. Since the input data channels 2512a and protection data channels 2512b do not receive inputs from multiple input circuits 2550 and protection circuits 2552, respectively, the communication protocol that controls the delivery of data to the backplane 2506 can be simplified. For example, in some embodiments, there is no need to schedule communications from the input circuit 2550 and the protection circuit 2552. In addition, by separating the functions of the input data channels 2512a and the protection data channels 2512b, the circuit of the node 2522 of each functional circuit 2510 can be simplified, so that the circuit can be designed and constructed more efficiently.

[0376] In some embodiments, a backplane of a monitoring system may include dedicated data channels that are not separated by function but are still configured to receive data input from a single monitoring circuit. Fig.38 A block diagram of a portion of another exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system 2700 is shown.

[0377] The monitoring system 2700 may include any number of functional circuits 2710 that may be removably coupled to the backplane 2706 via ports 2708 of the backplane 2706. As shown in the illustrated example, the monitoring system 2700 includes an input circuit 2750, a protection circuit 2752, a system interface circuit 2754, a relay circuit 2758, a 4-20 output circuit 2761, and a condition monitoring circuit 2756. The input circuit 2750, the protection circuit 2752, the system interface circuit 2754, the relay circuit 2758, the 4-20 output circuit 2761, and the condition monitoring circuit 2756 may generally be similar to those described herein with respect to Figures 29 to 36 The protection circuit 2552, system interface circuit 2554, relay circuit 2558, 4-20 output circuit 2561 and condition monitoring circuit 2556 are described in more detail below, except for some slight differences between the nodes of each.

[0378] In the illustrated example, the backplane includes a set of data channels 2712a and at least one system data channel 2712c. The data channels 2712a may play the same role as the input data channels 2512a and the protection data channels 2512b. The functions of the system data channels 2712c may generally be similar to the system data channels 2512c. Each of the input data channels 2712a may be configured to receive data packets from an input circuit 2750 coupled to a port 2708, which may be configured to facilitate delivery of data to the corresponding data channel 2712a. As shown in the illustrated example, each data channel 2712a may receive data packets from a single input circuit 2550 or a single protection circuit 2752. All data channels 2712a and system data channels 2712c may be electrically coupled to each of the ports 2708. However, for clarity, the system data channels 2712a and 2712c may be electrically coupled to each of the ports 2708. Figures 38 to 42 Unused connections between port 2708 and data channel 2712a and / or system data channel 2712c are omitted.

[0379] Backplane 2706 can be a passive backplane configured to facilitate multi-point asynchronous electronic communication between functional circuits coupled to the backplane. Therefore, all data delivered to backplane 2706 can be received by all functional circuits 2710 coupled to backplane 2706.

[0380] Fig.39 An enlarged view of the input circuit 2750 and the system interface circuit 2754 is shown. As shown in the illustrated example, the input circuit 2750 may include a circuit controller 2720a and a node 2722a, which is configured to facilitate and control electronic communication between the circuit controller and the backplane 2706. The circuit controller 2720a may generally be similar to the circuit controller 2520a. Each node 2722a of the input circuit 2750 may include a scheduling controller 2534, a node controller 2524, a gate controller 2526, a gate pair 2528, and a transmitter 2530. Each of the transmitters 2530 of the input circuit 2750 may be in electronic communication with one data channel 2712a. The transmitter 2530 may be configured to deliver data to a corresponding data channel 2712a. Each gate pair 2528 of the input circuit 2750 may be in electronic communication with a system data channel 2712c.

[0381] The system interface circuit 2754 may include a circuit controller 2720b and a node 2722b configured to facilitate and control electronic communication between the circuit controller and the backplane 2706. The circuit controller 2720b may be generally similar to the circuit controller 2520b. The node 2722b of the system interface circuit 2754 may include a scheduling controller 2734, a node controller 2724, a gate controller 2726, and a gate pair 2728. The gate pair 2528 of the system interface circuit 2754 may be in electronic communication with the system data channel 2712c.

[0382] Fig.40 An enlarged view of the protection circuit 2752 is shown. As shown in the illustrated example, the protection circuit 2752 may include a circuit controller 2720c and a node 2722c, which is configured to facilitate and control electronic communication between the circuit controller 2720c and the backplane 2706. The circuit controller 2720c may generally be similar to the circuit controller 2520c. Each node 2722c of the protection circuit 2752 may include a scheduling controller 2534, a node controller 2524, a gate controller 2526, a gate pair 2528, a transmitter 2530, and a receiver 2532. Each of the transmitters 2530 of the protection circuit 2752 may be in electronic communication with one data channel 2712a. The transmitter 2530 may be configured to deliver data to a corresponding data channel 2712a. Each gate pair 2528 of the input circuit 2750 may be in electronic communication with the system data channel 2712c. The receiver 2532 may be in electronic communication with the data channel 2712a and may be configured to receive data from the data channel 2712a. The protection circuit 2752 may include a sufficient number of receivers 2532 to be able to receive data from all of the data channels 2712a.

[0383] Fig.41An enlarged view of the relay circuit 2758, the 4-20 output circuit 2761, and the condition monitoring circuit 2756 is shown. The relay circuit 2758, the 4-20 output circuit 2761, and the condition monitoring circuit 2756 may include circuit controllers 2720d, 2720g, 2720f and nodes 2722d, 2722g, 2722f. The nodes 2722d, 2722g, 2722f may be configured to facilitate and control electronic communication between the circuit controllers 2720d, 2720g, 2720f and the backplane 2706. The circuit controllers 2720d, 2720g, 2720f may be generally similar to the circuit controllers 2520d, 2520g, 2520f. Each of the nodes 2722d, 2722g, 2722f may include a scheduling controller 2534, a node controller 2524, a gate controller 2526, a gate pair 2528, and a receiver 2532. The relay circuit 2758, the 4-20 output circuit 2761, and the gate pair 2528 of the condition monitoring circuit 2756 may be in electronic communication with the system data channel 2712c. The receiver 2532 may be in electronic communication with the data channel 2712a and may be configured to receive data from the data channel 2712a. The relay circuit 2758, the 4-20 output circuit 2761, and the condition monitoring circuit 2756 may each include a sufficient number of receivers 2532 to be able to receive data from all data channels 2712a.

[0384] In some embodiments, the data lane 2712a that receives data packets from the input circuit 2750 and the protection circuit 2752 may be determined by the port 2708 of the backplane 2706 . Fig.42 A top view of a backplane 2706 of a monitoring system 2700 is shown. As shown in the illustrated example, each port 2706 includes an input link 2762. Each of the input links 2762 can be in electronic communication with a different data channel 2712a than the other input links 2762. Each port 2706 can also include a set of output links 2766 and a system link 2570. Fig.42 27, output links 2766 are shown along data lane 2712a. Each of the output links 2766 can be in electronic communication with a corresponding data lane 2712a. Thus, all functional circuits 2710 coupled to port 2708 can receive data from all data lanes 2712a. System link 2770 can be in electronic communication with system data lane 2712c and can be configured to facilitate bidirectional serial communication with system data lane 2512c.

[0385] See also Figures 38 to 42In the illustrated example, input circuit 2750 is coupled to port 2708a, protection circuit 2752 is coupled to port 2708b, relay circuit 2758, 4-20 output circuit 2761 and condition monitoring circuit 2756 are coupled to port 2708c, and system interface circuit is coupled to port 2708e. However, since each port 2708 includes input link 2762, output link 2766 and system link 2770, functional circuit 2710 can be coupled to any given port 2708 of backplane 2706. Figures 38 to 42 , the transmitter 2730 of the input circuit 2750 and the protection circuit 2752 can be electrically coupled to the input link 2762 of the ports 2708a, 2708b. Any receiver of the functional circuit 2710 can be coupled to the output link 2766.

[0386] Conventional monitoring systems may be limited in flexibility and scalability. In addition, the cost and complexity of installation may create a significant barrier to entry for users who want to monitor low-cost and / or low-priority components / systems. By utilizing functional circuits that can be removably coupled to a backplane, the performance of the monitoring system herein can be adjusted and / or expanded to suit individual monitoring needs. For example, processing power can be increased by coupling additional processing circuits to the backplane. As another example, the monitoring system can be expanded by coupling additional input circuits to the backplane so that the monitoring system can receive and process sensor data from additional sensors.

[0387] Exemplary technical effects of the subject matter of this article may include the ability to customize and adjust the monitoring system by selecting and applying various different types of functional circuits as described herein. Another exemplary technical effect includes the ability to share all data delivered to the backplane of the monitoring system, thereby allowing resources (e.g., functional circuits) to be allocated between the backplanes as needed. For example, the monitoring subsystem may be remotely installed near the industrial equipment so that the input circuit can receive sensor data, while other monitoring subsystems may be installed at another location that is more convenient or easier to access. Installing the monitoring subsystem near the industrial equipment to be monitored can also reduce the cost of running cables from the sensor to the input circuit, and can improve the quality of the signal delivered from the sensor to the input circuit by reducing exposure to noise and ground loops. In addition, the use of a backplane with a dedicated data channel can minimize the interruptions associated with hardware failures while maintaining the flexibility and scalability of the monitoring system.

[0388] Based on the above-described embodiments, those skilled in the art will know the other features and advantages of the themes described herein. Therefore, the present application is not subject to the specific limitations of the contents specifically shown and described. All publications and references cited herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0389] Other embodiments are within the scope and spirit of the disclosed subject matter. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the systems, devices, and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary embodiments, and that the scope of the invention is limited only by the claims. Features shown or described in conjunction with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

[0390] In addition, in the present disclosure, similarly named components of the embodiments generally have similar features, and therefore, within a specific embodiment, it is not necessary to fully set forth every feature of each similarly named component. In addition, to the extent that linear or circular dimensions are used in the description of the disclosed systems, devices, and methods, such dimensions are not intended to limit the types of shapes that can be used in conjunction with such systems, devices, and methods. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the equivalent forms of such linear and circular dimensions can be readily determined for any geometric shape.

[0391] In the above description and claims, phrases such as "at least one" or "one or more" may appear after the list of combined elements of an element or feature. The term "and / or" may also appear in a list of two or more elements or features. Unless otherwise implied in the context in which the phrase is used or explicitly contradicted with the context, such phrases are intended to represent any one of the elements or features listed individually or any one of the listed elements or features with any one of the elements or features listed otherwise. For example, the phrases "at least one of A and B", "one or more of A and B" and "A and / or B" are each intended to represent "A alone, B alone or A and B together". Similar explanations are also intended to be used for lists including three or more items. For example, the phrases "at least one of A, B and C", "one or more of A, B and C" and "A, B and / or C" are each intended to represent "A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A and B and C together". Furthermore, the term “based on” as used above and in the claims is intended to mean “based at least in part on” such that features or elements not recited are also allowable.

[0392] The subject matter described herein may be implemented in digital electronic circuits and / or computer software, firmware or hardware (including the structural devices disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents) or a combination thereof. The subject matter described herein may be implemented as one or more computer program products, such as tangibly embodied in an information carrier (e.g., embodied in a machine-readable storage device), or embodied in a propagated signal, for one or more computer programs for executing or controlling the operation of a data processing device (e.g., a programmable processor, a computer or multiple computers). A computer program (also referred to as a program, software, software application or code) may be written in any form of programming language (including compiled or interpreted languages), and it may be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file. A program may be stored in a portion of a file that stores other programs or data, in a single file dedicated to the program under consideration, or in multiple collaborative files (e.g., files storing portions of one or more modules, subroutines or codes). A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

[0393] The processes and logic flows described in this specification, including the method steps of the subject matter described herein, can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform the functions of the subject matter described herein by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by special purpose logic circuits (such as FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays) or ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits)), and the apparatus of the subject matter described herein can be implemented as special purpose logic circuits (such as FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays) or ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits)).

[0394] By way of example, processors suitable for executing computer programs include both general-purpose microprocessors and special-purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. In general, the processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The basic elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. In general, a computer will also include one or more mass storage devices (e.g., magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks) for storing data, or be operatively coupled to receive data from one or more mass storage devices (e.g., magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks) for storing data or / and transfer data to one or more mass storage devices (e.g., magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks) for storing data. Information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including (by way of example) semiconductor memory devices (e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices); magnetic disks (e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks); magneto-optical disks; and optical disks (e.g., CD and DVD disks). The processor and memory may be supplemented by or incorporated into a dedicated logic circuit.

[0395] To provide interaction with a user, the subject matter herein may be implemented on a computer having a display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user, as well as a keyboard and pointing device (e.g., a mouse or trackball) through which the user can provide input to the computer. Other types of devices may also be used to provide interaction with the user. For example, the feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback), and input from the user may be received in any form, including sound, voice, or tactile input.

[0396] The technology described herein can be implemented using one or more modules. As used herein, the term "module" refers to computing software, firmware, hardware and / or various combinations thereof. However, at a minimum, a module should not be interpreted as software that is not implemented on hardware, firmware or recorded on a non-transient processor-readable storage medium (i.e., the module itself is not software). In fact, a "module" will be interpreted as always including at least some physical non-transient hardware, such as a part of a processor or a computer. Two different modules can share the same physical hardware (for example, two different modules can use the same processor and network interface). The modules described herein can be combined, integrated, separated and / or copied to support various applications. In addition, instead of the function performed at a specific module or in addition to the function performed at a specific module, the function described herein as being performed at a specific module can be performed at one or more other modules and / or by one or more other devices. In addition, a module can be implemented locally or remotely across multiple devices and / or other components relative to each other. In addition, a module can be moved from one device and added to another device, and / or can be included in two devices.

[0397] The subject matter described herein may be implemented in a computing system that includes back-end components (e.g., a data server), middleware components (e.g., an application server), or front-end components (e.g., a client computer with a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described herein), or any combination of such back-end components, middleware components, and front-end components. The components of the system may be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include local area networks ("LANs") and wide area networks ("WANs"), such as the Internet.

[0398] As used herein throughout the specification and claims, approximate language may be used to modify any quantitative representation that may vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is associated. Therefore, a value modified by one or more terms such as "about" and "substantially" should not be limited to the exact value specified. In at least some cases, approximate language may correspond to the precision of the instrument used to measure the value. Here and throughout the specification and claims, range limitations may be combined and / or interchanged, and unless the context or language indicates otherwise, such ranges are identified and include all subranges contained therein.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring an operating condition of a machine, the system comprising: bus; a master circuit removably coupled to the bus, the master circuit comprising a manager bus node configured to interact with a first data channel of the bus; and a plurality of slave circuits, the plurality of slave circuits being detachably coupled to the bus, a first slave circuit of the plurality of slave circuits comprising a first slave bus node, the first slave bus node being configured to interact with the first data channel, wherein the first slave bus node comprises a first node controller, a first gate controller, and a first plurality of gates; The main circuit is configured as follows: broadcasting a first beacon packet to the bus during a first time slice of a first plurality of time slices, wherein the first beacon packet includes a first system frame schedule indicating allocation of the first plurality of time slices of a first system frame to one or more slave circuits of the plurality of slave circuits, the first plurality of time slices being arranged in time relative to a first system frame reference time, and One or more beacon response packets are received from one or more slave circuits of the plurality of slave circuits during a second time slice of the first plurality of time slices, wherein the first time slice is temporally adjacent to the first system frame reference time and the second time slice is temporally adjacent to the first time slice.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first slave circuit is configured to: receiving the first beacon packet; and The first slave bus node is configured to transmit a data packet to the first data channel during a third time slice of the first plurality of time slices, wherein the first system frame schedule indicates that the third time slice is allocated to the first slave circuit.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the main circuit is further configured to: determining a set of valid beacon response packets from the one or more beacon response packets received during the second time slice; as well as generating a second beacon packet, the second beacon packet including a second system frame schedule indicating allocation of a second plurality of time slices of a second system frame to one or more slave circuits of the plurality of slave circuits; The allocation of the second plurality of time slices is based on time slice requests in the set of valid beacon response packets.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the determination of the set of valid beacon response packets is based on a transmission collision of the one or more beacon response packets in the first data lane of the bus.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the second plurality of time slices are arranged in time relative to a second system frame reference time.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first gate controller configures one or more gates of the first plurality of gates to transmit data packets from the first node controller to the first data channel.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein allocating a fourth time slice of the second plurality of time slices to a second slave circuit of the plurality of slave circuits is based on a unique identification of the second slave circuit in a second beacon response packet broadcast by the second slave circuit on the first data channel.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the master circuit is further configured to de-allocate the fourth time slice to the second slave circuit based on inactivity of the second slave circuit during one or more time slices allocated to the second slave circuit.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the second beacon packet is generated at an application layer executed in a slave circuit controller in the second slave circuit.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the second slave circuit comprises a second slave circuit clock, and the second slave circuit is configured to synchronize the second slave circuit clock based on one or both of the first system frame reference time and the second system frame reference time.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first slave bus node is further configured to maintain a copy of the first beacon packet.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first time slice comprises a dead zone and an available time slice period.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the master circuit is configured to broadcast the first beacon packet during the available time slice period, and is configured to prevent broadcasting of the first beacon packet during the dead time slice period.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of time slices comprises at least one of: an unallocated time slice, wherein the master circuit is configured to discard data packets broadcast by one or more of the plurality of slave circuits during the unallocated time; and A best-effort time slice is provided in which one or more slave circuits of the plurality of slave circuits broadcast asynchronous application layer events.

15. A method for monitoring an operating condition of a machine, the method comprising: broadcasting a first beacon packet to a first data channel of a bus during a first time slice of a first plurality of time slices of a first system frame, wherein the first beacon packet includes a first system frame schedule indicating allocation of the first plurality of time slices to one or more slave circuits of a plurality of slave circuits coupled to the bus, the first plurality of time slices being arranged in time relative to a first system frame reference time; receiving the first beacon packet by a first slave circuit of the plurality of slave circuits, wherein the first slave circuit comprises a first slave bus node, the first slave bus node being configured to interact with the first data channel, wherein the first slave bus node comprises a first node controller, a first gate controller, and a first plurality of gates; receiving one or more beacon response packets from one or more slave circuits of the plurality of slave circuits during a second time slice of the first plurality of time slices, wherein the first time slice is temporally adjacent to the first system frame reference time and the second time slice is temporally adjacent to the first time slice; generating a second beacon packet, the second beacon packet including a second system frame schedule indicating allocation of a second plurality of time slices of a second system frame to one or more slave circuits of the plurality of slave circuits; as well as The second beacon packet is provided to one or more of the plurality of slave circuits, wherein the broadcasting, the receiving, the generating and the providing are performed by a master circuit that is detachably coupled to the bus, the master circuit comprising a manager bus node, the manager bus node being configured to interact with the first data channel of the bus.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining a set of valid beacon response packets from the one or more beacon response packets received during the second time slice, wherein allocation of the second plurality of time slices is based on time slice requests in the set of valid beacon response packets.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the determination of the set of valid beacon response packets is based on a transmission collision of the one or more beacon response packets in the first data lane of the bus.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second plurality of time slices are arranged in time relative to a second system frame reference time.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising: The first slave bus node is configured to transmit a data packet to the first data channel during a third time slice of the first plurality of time slices, wherein the first system frame schedule includes allocating the third time slice to the first slave circuit.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein configuring the first slave bus node to transmit data packets comprises configuring, by the first gate controller, one or more gates of the first plurality of gates to transmit the data packets from the node controller to the first data channel.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein assigning a fourth time slice of the second plurality of time slices to a second slave circuit of the plurality of slave circuits is based on a unique identification of the second slave circuit in a beacon response packet received from the second slave circuit.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising de-allocating the fourth time slice to the second slave circuit based on inactivity of the second slave circuit during one or more time slices allocated to the second slave circuit.

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