Multipoint network system and network device

Abstract

The present invention provides a multi-point network system, which includes N network devices, the N network devices include a master device and a plurality of slave devices, each of the N network devices has an identification code as the identity identification information in the multi-point network system, the N network devices have a total of N identification codes, the N network devices sequentially obtain transmission opportunities in the multi-point network system according to the N identification codes in each round of data transmission, and each of the N network devices performs a counting operation to generate a current counting value. When the identification code of a Kth device of the N network devices is the same as the current counting value, the Kth device obtains a transmission opportunity; when the Kth device obtains the transmission opportunity, the Kth device determines whether there is a queue-jumping signal from another network device during a first period of a preset time slot, and then decides whether to give up or postpone the right to start transmission during a second period of the preset time slot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a network system and a network device, and in particular to a multi-point network system and a network device in the multi-point network system. Background Art

[0002] A U.S. patent publication (publication number: US 2019 / 0230705 A1) discloses a method for avoiding packet collisions on an Ethernet multidrop network. In this method, the number of nodes supported by a multidrop network needs to be planned in advance, and new nodes cannot be dynamically added to the multidrop network. In addition, in this method, all nodes in a multidrop network transmit in turn, and nodes with real-time information transmission needs cannot jump the queue to transmit in advance; more specifically, each node can only start transmission in its own time slot when it obtains a transmission opportunity, and cannot transmit in advance when it does not obtain a transmission opportunity, so it cannot support time-sensitive packet transmission. Summary of the invention

[0003] One of the purposes of the present invention is to provide a multi-point network system and a network device to improve the prior art.

[0004] An embodiment of the multipoint network system of the present invention includes N network devices, where N is an integer greater than or equal to two. The N network devices include a master device and a plurality of slave devices. Each of the N network devices has an identification code as identity identification information in the multipoint network system, and the N network devices have a total of N identification codes. The N network devices sequentially obtain a transmission opportunity in the multipoint network system according to the N identification codes in each round of data transmission. Each of the N network devices performs a counting operation to generate a current count value. When the identification code of a Kth device of the N network devices is the same as the current count value, the Kth device obtains a transmission opportunity, where K is a positive integer not greater than N. When the Kth device obtains the transmission opportunity, the Kth device determines whether there is a cut-in signal from another network device during a first period of a preset time slot, and then decides whether to give up or postpone the right to start transmission during a second period of the preset time slot according to the presence or absence of the cut-in signal.

[0005] An embodiment of the network device in the present invention is one of N network devices in a multi-point network system, where N is an integer greater than or equal to two. The N network devices sequentially obtain transmission opportunities in the multi-point network system. The N network devices include a master control device and multiple slave devices. Each of the N network devices has an identification code as identity identification information in the multi-point network system. Each of the N network devices performs a preset operation to generate a current value. When the identification code of the network device is the same as the current value, the network device obtains a transmission opportunity. In the case where the network device obtains the transmission opportunity, the network device determines whether there is a queue-jumping signal from another network device during a front period of a preset time slot, and then decides whether to give up or postpone the right to start transmission during a rear period of the preset time slot based on the presence or absence of the queue-jumping signal.

[0006] The features, implementation and efficacy of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings for preferred embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 An embodiment of a multipoint network system according to the present invention is shown; and

[0008] Figure 2 According to the present invention, Figure 1 An embodiment of a preset time slot for any network device in. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] The present invention includes a multidrop network system and a network device in the multidrop network system, which can support instant message transmission and new node joining. Background knowledge of the multidrop network system can be found in the IEEE 802.3 standard specification and the US patent publication (publication number: US 2019 / 0230705 A1).

[0010] Figure 1 The invention is an embodiment of a multi-point network system. Figure 1The architecture of the multipoint network system 100 is based on the IEEE 802.3 standard specification, which includes N network devices (i.e., N nodes), where N is an integer greater than or equal to two. The N network devices exchange data through a physical transmission medium 102 (e.g., a twisted pair cable or an optical cable), and include a master device 110 and a plurality of slave devices 120. Each of the N network devices has an identification code (IDC) as identity identification information in the multipoint network system 100, so the N network devices have a total of N identification codes (e.g., 0, 1, 2, ..., (N-2), (N-1)); however, the present invention is not limited thereto. The N network devices sequentially obtain transmission opportunities in the multipoint network system according to the N identification codes in each round of data transmission.

[0011] See also Figure 1 In this embodiment, each of the N network devices performs a preset operation (e.g., an incrementing operation from 0 to (N-1), or a decrementing operation from (N-1) to 0, or a known / self-developed polling operation) to generate a current value, and the current values ​​of the N network devices are the same; when the identification code of a Kth device of the N network devices is the same as the current value, the Kth device obtains a transmission opportunity; K is a positive integer not greater than N. For ease of understanding, it is assumed that the preset operation is an incrementing operation and the current value is a current count value. When the Kth device obtains a transmission opportunity, there are the following situations:

[0012] (1) If the Kth device has no transmission requirement, then the Kth device remains silent during a preset time slot; if there is no cut-in signal during a previous period of the preset time slot, then after the preset time slot elapses, the current count value of each network device is increased by one (or reset when the current count value is already the maximum count value) to update the current count value; if the updated current count value is equal to the identification code of a (K+1)th device (or a first device whose identification code is equal to the reset current count value), then the (K+1)th device (or the first device) obtains a transmission opportunity.

[0013] The duration of the preset time slot depends on the implementation requirements. The duration of the preset time slot is not specified in the IEEE 802.3cg standard (eg, the length of the preset time slot is longer than the length of the preset time slot specified in the IEEE 802.3cg standard), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0014] (2) If the Kth device has no transmission requirement, and there is a queue-jumping signal from another network device during the first period of the preset time slot, then after the other network device finishes transmission, the current count value of each network device is increased by one (or reset) to update the current count value; if the updated current count value is equal to the identification code of the (K+1)th device (or the first device), then the (K+1)th device (or the first device) obtains the transmission opportunity. It is worth noting that the transmission time of the other network device is determined by the requirements of the other network device and / or the specifications of the multipoint network system 100, and is not limited to the preset time slot.

[0015] The other network device may be one of the N network devices (for example: Figure 1 ), or a device intended to join the multipoint network system 100 (e.g.: Figure 1 The front period is, for example, the front (1 / X) of the preset time slot, where X is a positive number greater than one (for example, X=2 or X=3).

[0016] It is worth noting that if multiple devices among the N network devices want to jump the queue, then the multiple devices can determine who can jump the queue first according to the order of their identification codes and / or other preset orders (e.g., the priority of the data to be transmitted). Once a device jumps the queue during the preset time slot of the Kth device, other devices must wait until the preset time slot of the (K+1)th device before they have the opportunity to jump the queue. During the transmission period of any device among the N network devices, other network devices cannot transmit data to avoid packet collision.

[0017] According to implementation requirements, the front period of the preset time slot can be further divided into multiple parts, including a first front period, a second front period, etc. (for example: Figure 2 During the first period, the network device with the highest transmission priority (or the highest transmission demand) can jump in line; if no network device jumps in line during the first period, then during the second period, the network device with the second highest transmission priority (or the second highest transmission demand) can jump in line; and so on.

[0018] (3) If the Kth device has a transmission requirement and the Kth device does not receive any queue-jumping signal during the first period of the preset time slot, the Kth device starts the transmission operation after the first period ends; after the Kth device finishes the transmission, the current count value of each network device is increased by one (or reset) to update the current count value; if the updated current count value is equal to the identification code of the (K+1)th device (or the first device), the (K+1)th device (or the first device) obtains the transmission opportunity. It is worth noting that the transmission time of the Kth device is determined by the requirements of the Kth device and / or the specifications of the multipoint network system 100, and is not limited to the preset time slot.

[0019] (4) If the Kth device has a transmission demand and the Kth device receives a queue-jumping signal from another network device during the first period of the preset time slot, the Kth device abandons or postpones the transmission during a second period of the preset time slot (for example: Figure 2 In one embodiment, the Kth device gives up its right to transmit after receiving the queue-jumping signal; after the other network device finishes transmitting, the current count value of each network device is increased by one (or reset) to update the current count value; if the updated current count value is equal to the identification code of the (K+1)th device (or the first device), then the (K+1)th device (or the first device) obtains the transmission opportunity. In one embodiment, the queue-jumping signal is a specific signal and can be recognized by the N network devices; the devices (including the Kth device) that receive the queue-jumping signal all suspend counting to allow the other network device to transmit; after the other network device finishes transmitting, the multiple devices that have suspended counting resume counting, so that the Kth device still retains its right to transmit.

[0020] It should be noted that the latter period of the preset time slot may be subsequent to the former period of the preset time slot, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0021] (5) If the Kth device has a transmission demand, and the transmission demand is an immediate transmission demand, then the Kth device may directly start transmission during the first period of the preset time slot, or decide whether to start transmission during the first period of the preset time slot according to the order of the N identification codes and / or other preset orders (for example: the priority of the data to be transmitted); after the Kth device finishes transmission, the current count value of each network device is increased by one (or reset) to update the current count value; if the updated current count value is equal to the identification code of the (K+1)th device (or the first device), then the (K+1)th device (or the first device) obtains the transmission opportunity.

[0022] A person skilled in the art with ordinary knowledge can deduce other situations under the preset operation (eg, the count-down operation) according to the above description. The count-up operation mentioned above can be implemented by known or self-developed technology (eg, counter / timer).

[0023] See also Figure 1 As described above. The Kth device is the master device 110, or one of the multiple slave devices 120. The queue-jumping signal is a data signal or a request signal for the other network device to join the multipoint network system 100. When the queue-jumping signal is a data signal, the other network device is one of the N network devices, which can be the master device 110 or a slave device 120 (for example: Figure 2 The slave device 120 of the queue-jumping device indicated in the figure has an identification code of M, where M is a positive integer not greater than N and not equal to K). When the queue-jumping signal is the request signal, the other network device is a new device (for example: Figure 2 The new device 130 in the example, whose identification code is to be determined (i.e.: Figure 2 ) and the new device is not any of the N network devices; after the new device joins the multipoint network system 100, the new device acts as a slave device.

[0024] As mentioned above, when the queue-jumping signal is the request signal, the count range of the current count value mentioned above needs to be adjusted in order to allow another network device to join. The count range can be determined by the difference between a minimum count value (e.g., 0) and a maximum count value (e.g., (N-1)). The difference is, for example, the number of valid nodes in the multi-point network system 100 (i.e., the number of network devices that can sequentially obtain transmission opportunities in the multi-point network system 100); however, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the N devices receive the request signal in a first round of data transmission, the master control device 110 adjusts the count range of the current count value (e.g., by adding one to the maximum count value) after the first round of data transmission ends (i.e., when / before the second round of data transmission begins). For another example, if the N devices receive the request signal in the first round of data transmission, then the multiple slave devices 120 remain silent after receiving the request signal, and the master control device 110 adjusts the counting range of the current counting value (for example, immediately increases the maximum counting value by one) before the end of the first round of data transmission after receiving the request signal, and then sends a beacon to start the next round of data transmission.

[0025] exist Figure 1In the embodiment of the present invention, the identification code of the master device 110 is the minimum count value, and when the current count value reaches the maximum count value, in order to start the next round of data transmission, each of the N network devices will reset the current count value to the minimum count value, but the present invention is not limited to this. More specifically, as long as the N devices in the multipoint network system 100 adopt the same preset operation (e.g., a known or self-developed polling operation) to take turns to obtain transmission opportunities, the present invention can function through the planning and utilization of the aforementioned preset time slots.

[0026] See also Figure 1 The duration of each round of data transmission among the N network devices is determined by two successive beacons. Therefore, the other network device can determine the value of N based on the duration of the preset time slot and the transmission status of the N network devices between the two successive beacons, and then determine a new identification code (for example: N) as the identity identification information of the other network device in the multi-point network system based on the value of N, wherein the new identification code is different from the identification code of each of the N network devices. For example, if no network device transmits between the two successive beacons, then each of the N network devices only occupies the duration of the preset time slot, and the other network device can estimate the value of N based on (duration between the two successive beacons / duration of the preset time slot). For another example, if there is an Mth network device transmitting between the two consecutive beacons (e.g., a first beacon and a second beacon), and the other (N-1) network devices are not transmitting, the other network device can know the start and end of the transmission of the Mth network device based on the transmission data / status of the Mth network device. Therefore, the other network device can estimate the value of N based on ((the time point of the first beacon-the time point when the Mth network device starts transmitting) / the duration of the preset time slot+1+(the time point when the Mth network device ends transmitting-the time point of the second beacon) / the duration of the preset time slot). Other examples of estimating the value of N can be deduced from the above description.

[0027] It is worth noting that the new identification code of the other network device can also be obtained by other means without estimating the value of N. For example, when a physical layer (not shown) of the master control device 110 receives the request signal of the other network device, the physical layer can forward the information of the request signal to an upper layer (e.g., application layer) (not shown) of the master control device 110, and the upper layer determines the new identification code accordingly, and provides the new identification code to the other network device through the physical layer, and adjusts the counting range of the current counting value in the master control device 110 at the same time.

[0028] Figure 1Each network device in the multipoint network system 100 can be implemented independently. Since a technician with ordinary knowledge in the field can refer to Figure 1 The description of the multipoint network system 100 in the present invention is used to understand the implementation details and variations of each network device in the multipoint network system 100, so repeated and redundant descriptions are omitted here. It is worth noting that each valid node in the multipoint network system 100 should support the present invention to operate normally under the same protocol.

[0029] Please note that, under the premise of feasibility of implementation, a technician with ordinary knowledge in this technical field may selectively implement part or all of the technical features in any of the aforementioned embodiments, or selectively implement a combination of part or all of the technical features in the aforementioned multiple embodiments, so as to increase the flexibility of the implementation of the present invention in this way.

[0030] In summary, the present invention can support instant message transmission and new node joining without significantly changing the system architecture.

[0031] Although the embodiments of the present invention are described above, these embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention. A technician with ordinary knowledge in the technical field may make changes to the technical features of the present invention based on the explicit or implicit contents of the present invention. These changes may fall within the scope of patent protection required by the present invention. In other words, the scope of patent protection of the present invention shall be based on the definition of the claims of the present invention.

[0032] Description of reference numerals:

[0033] 100: Multipoint network system

[0034] 102: Physical transmission medium

[0035] 110: Main control device

[0036] 120: Slave device

[0037] 130: New Device

[0038] IDC: Identification Code

[0039] 200: Preset time slot

[0040] 210: The first period of the preset time slot

[0041] 220: The latter part of the preset time slot

Claims

1. A multipoint network system, comprising N network devices, wherein the N network devices include a master device and a plurality of slave devices, each of the N network devices has an identification code as identity identification information in the multipoint network system, and the N network devices have a total of N identification codes. The N network devices sequentially obtain transmission opportunities in the multipoint network system according to the N identification codes in each round of data transmission, and each of the N network devices performs a counting operation to generate a current count value, wherein: Said N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; When an identification code of a Kth device among the N network devices is the same as the current count value, the Kth device obtains a transmission opportunity, where K is a positive integer not greater than N; as well as When the Kth device obtains the transmission opportunity, the Kth device determines whether there is a queue-jumping signal from another network device during a front period of a preset time slot, and then decides whether to give up or postpone the right to start transmission during a rear period of the preset time slot based on the presence or absence of the queue-jumping signal.

2. The multipoint network system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The Kth device is the master device or one of the multiple slave devices; the queue-jumping signal is a data signal, or a request signal for the other network device to join the multi-point network system; and after receiving the queue-jumping signal, the Kth device gives up or postpones the right to start transmission during the latter period of the preset time slot.

3. The multipoint network system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The queue-jumping signal is the data signal, and the other network device is one of the N network devices, but not the Kth device.

4. The multipoint network system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The queue-interrupting signal is the request signal, and the another network device is not any of the N network devices.

5. The multipoint network system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The duration of each round of data transmission of the N network devices is determined by two consecutive beacons, and the other network device determines the value of N based on the duration of the preset time slot and the transmission status of the N network devices between the two consecutive beacons, and then determines a new identification code as the identity identification information of the other network device in the multi-point network system based on the value of N, wherein the new identification code is different from the identification code of each of the N network devices.

6. A network device, the network device being one of N network devices in a multi-point network system, the N network devices sequentially obtaining transmission opportunities in the multi-point network system, the N network devices comprising a master control device and a plurality of slave devices, each of the N network devices having an identification code as identity identification information in the multi-point network system, each of the N network devices performing a preset operation to generate a current value, wherein: Said N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; When the identification code of the network device is the same as the current value, the network device obtains a transmission opportunity; as well as When the network device obtains the transmission opportunity, the network device determines whether there is a queue-jumping signal from another network device during a front period of a preset time slot, and then decides whether to give up or postpone the right to start transmission during a rear period of the preset time slot based on the presence or absence of the queue-jumping signal.

7. The network device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The network device is the master device or one of the plurality of slave devices; the queue-jumping signal is a data signal, or a request signal for another network device to request to join the multipoint network system; And after receiving the queue-jumping signal, the network device abandons or postpones the right to start transmission during the latter period of the preset time slot.

8. The network device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The queue-jumping signal is the data signal, and the other network device is one of the N network devices but not the network device.

9. The network device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The queue-interrupting signal is the request signal, and the another network device is not any of the N network devices.

10. The network device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The network device is the master control device, receives the request signal in a round of data transmission, and adjusts a counting range of the current value after the round of data transmission ends.

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