Extracting ETHERCAT datagrams from ETHERCAT frames

Abstract

The invention relates to an extraction of an ETHERCAT datagram from an ETHERCAT frame. An apparatus, method, and system for extracting an EtherCAT datagram from an EtherCAT frame are disclosed. A method (1100) includes receiving (1102) an EtherCAT frame. The method (1100) includes determining (1104) a first EtherCAT datagram in the EtherCAT frame for the first device and determining a second EtherCAT datagram in the EtherCAT frame for the second device. The method (1100) includes extracting (1106) a first EtherCAT datagram from the EtherCAT frame to produce an extracted first EtherCAT datagram and extracting (1106) a second EtherCAT datagram from the EtherCAT frame to produce an extracted second EtherCAT datagram. The method (1100) includes directly transmitting (1108) the extracted first EtherCAT datagram to the first device. The method (1100) includes directly transmitting (1110) the extracted second EtherCAT datagram to a second device.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of an application which entered the Chinese national phase on September 16, 2021, with PCT application number PCT / IB2019 / 000307, ​​international application date March 26, 2019, Chinese application number 201980094267.2, and invention name “Extracting ETHERCAT Datagrams from ETHERCAT Frames”. Technical Field

[0002] The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to extracting EtherCAT datagrams from EtherCAT frames. Background Art

[0003] The following abbreviations are defined herein, at least some of which are referenced in the following description: 3rd Generation Partnership Project (“3GPP”), 5th Generation System (“5GS”), positive acknowledgement (“ACK”), access and mobility management function (“AMF”), access network (“AN”), application function (“AF”), access point (“AP”), application programming interface (“API”), access point name (“APN”), aggregated MBR (“AMBR”), automatic repeat request (“ARQ”), application server (“AS”), base station (“BS”), bandwidth part (“BWP”), connection management (“CM”), core network (“CN”), communication mode (“CP”), control plane / user plane (“CP / UP”), Cyclic Redundancy Check (“CRC”), Circuit Switched (“CS”), Downlink Control Information (“DCI”), Discontinuous Reception (“DRX”), Downlink (“DL”), Data Network Access Identifier (“DNAI”), Data Network (“DN”), Data Network Name (“DNN”), Domain Name System (“DNS”), Data Radio Bearer (“DRB”), Exchange Data Rates for GSM Evolution (“EDGE”), Enhanced Discontinuous Reception (“eDRX”), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (“eMBB”), Evolved Node B (“eNB”), Evolved Packet System (“EPS”), Ethernet Control Automation Technology (“EtherCAT”), T”), Frame Check Sequence (“FCS”), 5G Node B (“gNB”), Home Public Land Mobile Network (“HPLMN”), Home Subscriber Server (“HSS”), Identity or Identifier or Identity (“ID”), IP Multimedia Subsystem (“IMS”), International Mobile Subscriber Identity (“IMSI”), Internet of Things (“IoT”), Internet Protocol (“IP”), Listen Before Talk (“LBT”), Long Term Evolution (“LTE”), Multiple Access (“MA”), Medium Access Control (“MAC”), Maximum Bit Rate (“MBR”), Modulation and Coding Scheme (“MCS”), Mobile Country Code (“MCC”), Mobility Management (“MM”), Mobility Management Entity (“ MME”), Mobile Network Code (“MNC”), Mobile Network Operator (“MNO”), Machine Type Communication (“MTC”), Master Information Block (“MIB”), Mobile Originated Connections Only (“MICO”), Mobility Management (“MM”), Mobile Switching Center (“MSC”), Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (“MSISDN”), Multiplexer (“MUX”), Control Plane Interface between AN and 5GS (“N2 Interface”), Non-3GPP Interworking Function (“N3IWF”), Non-Access Stratum (“NAS”), Narrowband (“NB”), Northbound Interface (“NBI”), Network Parameter Configuration (“NC”), Negative Acknowledgement (“NACK”) or (“NAK”),Network Open Function ("NEF"), Next Generation ("NG"), New Radio ("NR"), Next Generation Node B ("gNB"), Operating System ("OS"), Policy Control Function ("PCF"), Physical Downlink Control Channel ("PDCCH"), Packet Data Convergence Protocol ("PDCP"), Protocol Data Unit ("PDU"), PDN Gateway ("PGW"), Physical Layer ("PHY"), Public Land Mobile Network ("PLMN"), Packet Switched ("PS"), Physical Random Access Channel ("PRACH"), Physical Resource Block ("PRB"), Physical Uplink Shared Channel ("PUS") ), Radio Access Network (“RAN”), Radio Access Technology (“RAT”), Radio Link Control (“RLC”), Radio Network Temporary Identity (“RNTI”), Radio Resource Control (“RRC”), Reception (“RX”), Serving Access Point (“SAP”), Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (“SC-FDMA”), Service Capability Exposure Function (“SCEF”), Sidelink Control Information (“SCI”), Subcarrier Spacing (“SCS”), Service Data Application Protocol (“SDAP”), Serving GPRS Support Subscriber Management (“SM”), Subscriber Management Function (“SMF”), Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (“S-NSSAI”), Subscriber Identity Module (“SIM”), System Information Block (“SIB”), Short Message Service (“SMS”), Signaling Radio Bearers (“SRBs”), Single Radio Voice Call Continuity (“SRVCC”), Session and Service Continuity (“SSC”), Subscription Hidden Identifier (“SUCI”), Subscription Permanent Identifier (“SUPI”), Transmit (“TX”), Unified Data Management (“UDM”), User Datagram Protocol (“UDP”), User Data Repository (“UDR”), User Entity / Equipment (Mobile Terminal) (“UE”), Universal Integrated Circuit Card (“UICC”), Uplink (“UL”), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (“UMTS”), User Plane (“UP”), User Plane Function (“UPF”), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (“UTRA”), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (“UTRAN”), Universally Unique Identifier (“UUID”), Visited Public Land Mobile Network (“VPLMN”), WiFi Local Area Network (“WLAN”).

[0004] In some wireless communication networks, EtherCAT can be used to transmit information. Summary of the invention

[0005] A method for extracting an EtherCAT datagram from an EtherCAT frame is disclosed. The apparatus and system also perform the functions of the apparatus. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving an Ethernet control automation technology frame. In various embodiments, the method includes determining a first Ethernet control automation technology datagram in the Ethernet control automation technology frame for a first device, and determining a second Ethernet control automation technology datagram in the Ethernet control automation technology frame for a second device. In certain embodiments, the method includes extracting the first Ethernet control automation technology datagram from the Ethernet control automation technology frame to produce an extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram, and extracting the second Ethernet control automation technology datagram from the Ethernet control automation technology frame to produce an extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram. In some embodiments, the method includes transmitting the extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram directly to the first device. In various embodiments, the method includes transmitting the extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram directly to the second device.

[0006] In one embodiment, an apparatus for extracting an EtherCAT datagram from an EtherCAT frame includes a receiver that receives an Ethernet control automation technology frame. In each of these embodiments, the apparatus includes a processor that: determines a first Ethernet control automation technology datagram in the Ethernet control automation technology frame for a first device, and determines a second Ethernet control automation technology datagram in the Ethernet control automation technology frame for a second device; and extracts the first Ethernet control automation technology datagram from the Ethernet control automation technology frame to produce an extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram, and extracts the second Ethernet control automation technology datagram from the Ethernet control automation technology frame to produce an extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a transmitter that: transmits the extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram directly to the first device; and transmits the extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram directly to the second device.

[0007] A method for forming an EtherCAT frame from an EtherCAT datagram includes receiving an Ethernet control automation technology datagram. In some embodiments, the method includes receiving common header information corresponding to the Ethernet control automation technology datagram. In some embodiments, the method includes forming an Ethernet control automation technology frame based on the Ethernet control automation technology datagram.

[0008] In one embodiment, an apparatus for forming an EtherCAT frame from an EtherCAT datagram includes a receiver that: receives an Ethernet control automation technology datagram; and receives common header information corresponding to the Ethernet control automation technology datagram. In various embodiments, the apparatus includes a processor that forms an Ethernet control automation technology frame based on the Ethernet control automation technology datagram. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] A more particular description of the embodiments briefly described above will be presented by reference to specific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only some embodiments and are not therefore to be considered limiting of scope, the embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a wireless communication system for extracting EtherCAT datagrams from EtherCAT frames;

[0011] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of an apparatus that may be used to form an EtherCAT frame from an EtherCAT datagram;

[0012] Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of an apparatus that may be used to extract EtherCAT datagrams from an EtherCAT frame;

[0013] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a system that may use EtherCAT frames;

[0014] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of an EtherCAT frame;

[0015] Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of an EtherCAT message;

[0016] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a secure container;

[0017] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of communications in a system using EtherCAT frames;

[0018] Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of mapping between EtherCAT frames and radio bearers;

[0019] Fig.10is a schematic flow chart illustrating one embodiment of a method of extracting an EtherCAT datagram from an EtherCAT frame;

[0020] Fig.11 is a schematic flow chart illustrating another embodiment of a method of extracting an EtherCAT datagram from an EtherCAT frame; and

[0021] Fig.12 is a schematic flow chart illustrating one embodiment of a method for forming an EtherCAT frame from EtherCAT datagrams. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, aspects of the embodiments may be embodied as systems, devices, methods or program products. Therefore, the embodiments may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.) or a combination of software and hardware aspects, which may be generally referred to herein as "circuit", "module" or "system". In addition, the embodiments may take the form of a program product embodied in one or more computer-readable storage devices stored in machine-readable code, computer-readable code and / or program code, hereinafter referred to as code. The storage device may be tangible, non-temporary and / or non-transmitting. The storage device may not embody a signal. In a certain embodiment, the storage device only employs a signal for accessing the code.

[0023] Certain functional units described in this specification may be labeled as modules in order to more particularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, a module may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising a custom very large scale integration ("VLSI") circuit or gate array, off-the-shelf semiconductor such as a logic chip, transistors, or other discrete components. A module may also be implemented in a programmable hardware device such as a field programmable gate array, programmable array logic, a programmable logic device, or the like.

[0024] Modules can also be implemented in code and / or software to be executed by various types of processors. The identified code modules can, for example, include one or more physical or logical blocks of executable code, which can, for example, be organized as objects, processes or functions. However, the executable files of the identified modules do not need to be physically located together, but can include irrelevant instructions stored in different locations, which, when logically combined together, include the module and achieve the described purpose of the module.

[0025] In fact, a code module can be a single instruction or many instructions, and can even be distributed on several different code segments, in different programs and across several memory devices. Similarly, herein, operational data can be identified and illustrated in a module, and can be embodied in any appropriate form and organized in a data structure of any appropriate type. Operational data can be collected as a single data set, or can be distributed in different locations, including on different computer-readable storage devices. When a module or part of a module is implemented in software, the software portion is stored on one or more computer-readable storage devices.

[0026] Any combination of one or more computer readable media may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium may be a storage device storing code. The storage device may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, holographic, micromechanical or semiconductor system, apparatus or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0027] More specific examples of storage devices (a non-exhaustive list) would include the following: an electrical connection with one or more cables, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory ("RAM"), a read-only memory ("ROM"), an erasable programmable read-only memory ("EPROM" or flash memory), a portable compact disk read-only memory ("CD-ROM"), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0028] The code for performing the operations of the embodiments may be any number of lines and may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages ​​including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Python, Ruby, Java, Smalltalk, C++, and the like, and traditional procedural programming languages ​​such as the "C" programming language, and / or machine languages ​​such as assembly languages. The code may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a separate software package, partially on the user's computer, partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer via any type of network including a local area network ("LAN") or a wide area network ("WAN"), or a connection may be established to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0029] References to "one embodiment," "embodiment," or similar language in this specification mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, unless otherwise expressly stated, throughout the specification, the occurrences of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," and similar language may, but not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, and mean "one or more but not all embodiments." Unless otherwise expressly stated, the terms "include," "comprises," "has," and their variations mean "including but not limited to." Unless otherwise expressly stated, a list of enumerated items does not indicate that any or all items are mutually exclusive. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the terms "one," "an," and "the" also refer to "one or more."

[0030] In addition, the features, structures or characteristics of the described embodiments may be combined in any appropriate manner. In the following description, many specific details are provided, such as examples of programming, software modules, user selections, network transactions, database queries, database structures, hardware modules, hardware circuits, hardware chips, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or using other methods, components, materials, etc. In other cases, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid blurring some aspects of the embodiments.

[0031] Aspects of the embodiments are described below with reference to schematic flow charts and / or schematic block diagrams of the methods, devices, systems, and program products according to the embodiments. It will be understood that each frame of the schematic flow charts and / or schematic block diagrams and the combination of frames in the schematic flow charts and / or schematic block diagrams can be implemented by code. The code can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device create a means for implementing the functions / operations specified in the schematic flow charts and / or schematic block diagram frames or multiple frames.

[0032] The code may also be stored in a storage device that is capable of instructing a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to operate in a specific manner so that the instructions stored in the storage device produce an article of manufacture including instructions that implement the functions / operations specified in the schematic flowchart and / or schematic block diagram box or multiple boxes.

[0033] The code may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device so that a series of operational steps are performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the code executed on the computer or other programmable apparatus provides a process for implementing the functions / operations specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram box or multiple boxes.

[0034] The schematic flow charts and / or schematic block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate possible implementation architectures, functions, and operations of devices, systems, methods, and program products according to different embodiments. In this regard, each box in the schematic flow charts and / or schematic block diagrams may represent a module, a fragment, or a portion of a code, which includes one or more executable instructions of a code for implementing a specified logical function.

[0035] It should also be noted that in some alternative embodiments, the functions marked in the blocks may not occur in the order marked in the drawings. For example, two blocks shown in succession may actually be executed substantially simultaneously, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It is conceivable that other steps and methods are equivalent in function, logic or effect to one or more blocks or portions thereof of the illustrated drawings.

[0036] Although various arrow types and line types may be used in flow charts and / or block diagrams, they are understood not to limit the scope of the corresponding embodiments. In fact, some arrows or other connectors may only be used to indicate the logical flow of the depicted embodiments. For example, an arrow may indicate a waiting or monitoring period of unspecified duration between the steps of the enumeration of the depicted embodiments. It will also be noted that each frame of the block diagram and / or flow chart and the combination of frames in the block diagram and / or flow chart can be implemented by a system based on dedicated hardware that performs a specific function or operation, or by a combination of dedicated hardware and code.

[0037] The description of an element in each figure may refer to an element of the previous figure. The same numerals refer to the same elements in all figures, including alternative embodiments of the same elements.

[0038] Figure 1 An embodiment of a wireless communication system 100 for extracting EtherCAT datagrams from EtherCAT frames is depicted. In one embodiment, the wireless communication system 100 includes a remote unit 102 and a network unit 104. Although Figure 1 A particular number of remote units 102 and network units 104 are depicted in FIG. 1 , but one skilled in the art will recognize that any number of remote units 102 and network units 104 may be included in the wireless communication system 100.

[0039] In one embodiment, the remote unit 102 may include a computing device such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), a tablet computer, a smart phone, a smart TV (e.g., a TV connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a game console, a security system (including a surveillance camera), a vehicle-mounted computer, a network device (e.g., a router, a switch, a modem), an IoT device, etc. In some embodiments, the remote unit 102 includes a wearable device such as a smart watch, a fitness band, an optical head-mounted display, etc. In addition, the remote unit 102 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile device, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a UE, a user terminal, a device, or other terms used in the art. The remote unit 102 can communicate directly with one or more network units 104 via UL communication signals. In addition, the remote unit 102 can communicate directly with other remote units 102 via SL communication.

[0040] The network elements 104 may be distributed over a geographic area. In some embodiments, the network elements 104 may also be referred to as access points, access terminals, base stations, base stations, node-Bs, eNBs, gNBs, home node-Bs, relay nodes, devices, network devices, or any other terminology used in the art. The network element 104 is typically part of a radio access network that includes one or more controllers that are communicatively coupled to one or more corresponding network elements 104. The radio access network is typically communicatively coupled to one or more core networks, which may be coupled to other networks, such as the Internet and public switched telephone networks among other networks. These and other elements of the radio access and core networks are not illustrated, but are generally well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, the network element 104 may include one or more of the following network components: gNB, NG-RAN node, RAN node, core network, MME, HSS, SCEF, AMF, SMF, NEF, PCF, UDR, UPF, and / or UDM.

[0041] In one embodiment, the wireless communication system 100 complies with LTE in the 3GPP protocol, wherein the network unit 104 transmits using an OFDM modulation scheme on the DL, and the remote unit 102 transmits using an SC-FDMA scheme or an OFDM scheme on the UL. However, more generally, the wireless communication system 100 may implement some other open or proprietary communication protocols, such as WiMAX among other protocols. The present disclosure is not intended to be limited to implementations of any particular wireless communication system architecture or protocol.

[0042] The network unit 104 can serve multiple remote units 102 within a service area, such as a cell or cell sector, via wireless communication links. The network unit 104 transmits DL communication signals to serve the remote units 102 in the time, frequency, and / or spatial domains.

[0043] In some embodiments, the remote unit 102 may receive an Ethernet control automation technology datagram. In some embodiments, the remote unit 102 may receive common header information corresponding to the Ethernet control automation technology datagram. In some embodiments, the remote unit 102 may form an Ethernet control automation technology frame based on the Ethernet control automation technology datagram. Thus, the remote unit 102 may be used to form an EtherCAT frame from an EtherCAT datagram.

[0044] In various embodiments, the network unit 104 may receive an Ethernet control automation technology frame. In various embodiments, the network unit 104 may determine a first Ethernet control automation technology datagram in the Ethernet control automation technology frame for a first device, and determine a second Ethernet control automation technology datagram in the Ethernet control automation technology frame for a second device. In certain embodiments, the network unit 104 may extract the first Ethernet control automation technology datagram from the Ethernet control automation technology frame to produce an extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram, and extract the second Ethernet control automation technology datagram from the Ethernet control automation technology frame to produce an extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram. In some embodiments, the network unit 104 may transmit the extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram directly to the first device. In various embodiments, the network unit 104 may transmit the extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram directly to the second device. Thus, the network unit 104 may be used to extract EtherCAT datagrams from EtherCAT frames.

[0045] Figure 2 An embodiment of an apparatus 200 that can be used to form an EtherCAT frame from an EtherCAT datagram is depicted. The apparatus 200 includes an embodiment of a remote unit 102. In addition, the remote unit 102 may include a processor 202, a memory 204, an input device 206, a display 208, a transmitter 210, and a receiver 212. In some embodiments, the input device 206 and the display 208 are combined into a single device, such as a touch screen. In some embodiments, the remote unit 102 may not include any input device 206 and / or display 208. In various embodiments, the remote unit 102 may include one or more of the processor 202, the memory 204, the transmitter 210, and the receiver 212, and may not include the input device 206 and / or the display 208.

[0046] In one embodiment, processor 202 may include any known controller capable of executing computer-readable instructions and / or capable of performing logical operations. For example, processor 202 may be a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a central processing unit ("CPU"), a graphics processing unit ("GPU"), an auxiliary processing unit, a field programmable gate array ("FPGA"), or a similar programmable controller. In some embodiments, processor 202 executes instructions stored in memory 204 to perform the methods and routines described herein. In certain embodiments, processor 202 may form an EtherCAT frame based on an EtherCAT datagram. Processor 202 is communicatively coupled to memory 204, input device 206, display 208, transmitter 210, and receiver 212.

[0047] In one embodiment, memory 204 is a computer-readable storage medium. In some embodiments, memory 204 includes volatile computer storage media. For example, memory 204 may include RAM, including dynamic RAM ("DRAM"), synchronous dynamic RAM ("SDRAM"), and / or static RAM ("SRAM"). In some embodiments, memory 204 includes non-volatile computer storage media. For example, memory 204 may include a hard drive, flash memory, or any other suitable non-volatile computer storage device. In some embodiments, memory 204 includes both volatile and non-volatile computer storage media. In some embodiments, memory 204 stores data related to network registration. In some embodiments, memory 204 also stores program code and related data, such as an operating system and other controller algorithms operating on remote unit 102.

[0048] In one embodiment, input device 206 may include any known computer input device, including a touchpad, button, keyboard, stylus, microphone, etc. In some embodiments, input device 206 may be integrated with display 208, for example, as a touch screen or similar touch-sensitive display. In some embodiments, input device 206 includes a touch screen so that text can be entered using a virtual keyboard displayed on the touch screen and / or by handwriting on the touch screen. In some embodiments, input device 206 includes two or more different devices such as a keyboard and a touch panel.

[0049] In one embodiment, display 208 may include any known electronically controllable display or display device. Display 208 may be designed to output visual, auditory and / or tactile signals. In some embodiments, display 208 includes an electronic display capable of outputting visual data to a user. For example, display 208 may include, but is not limited to, an LCD display, an LED display, an OLED display, a projector, or a similar display device capable of outputting images, text, etc. to a user. As another non-limiting example, display 208 may include a wearable display such as a smart watch, smart glasses, a head-up display, etc. In addition, display 208 may be a component of a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a television, a desktop computer, a notebook (laptop) computer, a personal computer, a vehicle dashboard, etc.

[0050] In some embodiments, the display 208 includes one or more speakers for generating sounds. For example, the display 208 can generate an audible alarm or notification (e.g., a beep or chime). In some embodiments, the display 208 includes one or more tactile devices for generating vibration, motion, or other tactile feedback. In some embodiments, all or part of the display 208 can be integrated with the input device 206. For example, the input device 206 and the display 208 can form a touch screen or similar touch-sensitive display. In other embodiments, the display 208 can be located near the input device 206.

[0051] The transmitter 210 is used to provide UL communication signals to the network unit 104, and the receiver 212 is used to receive DL communication signals from the network unit 104. In one embodiment, the receiver 212 can: receive EtherCAT datagrams; and receive common header information corresponding to the EtherCAT datagrams. Although only one transmitter 210 and one receiver 212 are illustrated, the remote unit 102 can have any suitable number of transmitters 210 and receivers 212. The transmitter 210 and receiver 212 can be any suitable type of transmitter and receiver. In one embodiment, the transmitter 210 and receiver 212 can be part of a transceiver.

[0052] Figure 3One embodiment of an apparatus 300 that can be used to extract EtherCAT datagrams from EtherCAT frames is depicted. The apparatus 300 includes one embodiment of the network unit 104. In addition, the network unit 104 can include a processor 302, a memory 304, an input device 306, a display 308, a transmitter 310, and a receiver 312. It is understood that the processor 302, the memory 304, the input device 306, the display 308, the transmitter 310, and the receiver 312 can be substantially similar to the processor 202, the memory 204, the input device 206, the display 208, the transmitter 210, and the receiver 212 of the remote unit 102, respectively.

[0053] In various embodiments, the receiver 312 receives an EtherCAT frame. In various embodiments, the processor 302: determines a first EtherCAT datagram in the EtherCAT frame for a first device, and determines a second EtherCAT datagram in the EtherCAT frame for a second device; and extracts the first EtherCAT datagram from the EtherCAT frame to produce an extracted first EtherCAT datagram, and extracts the second EtherCAT datagram from the EtherCAT frame to produce an extracted second EtherCAT datagram. In some embodiments, the transmitter 310: transmits the extracted first EtherCAT datagram directly to the first device; and transmits the extracted second EtherCAT datagram directly to the second device.

[0054] Although only one transmitter 310 and one receiver 312 are illustrated, the network unit 104 may have any suitable number of transmitters 310 and receivers 312. The transmitter 310 and receiver 312 may be any suitable type of transmitter and receiver. In one embodiment, the transmitter 310 and receiver 312 may be part of a transceiver.

[0055] In some embodiments, the Ethernet fieldbus can use the fieldbus master to send Ethernet packets to each fieldbus slave device, or the fieldbus master can broadcast to a group of fieldbus slave devices. In such embodiments, the Ethernet packet can be encapsulated in the form of a fieldbus packet encapsulated in an IP packet such as UDP. The fieldbus master can wait for the fieldbus slave device to process the received data and respond to the fieldbus master via a response packet.

[0056] In various embodiments, in an EtherCAT fieldbus system, Ethernet packets may be delayed by only a few nanoseconds by each fieldbus slave in the chain because the fieldbus slave reads and writes the encapsulated datagram each time it receives it. Therefore, Ethernet packets are "processed on the fly." In such an embodiment, if the EtherCAT master sends a frame, each fieldbus extracts its own data packet from the Ethernet datagram specifically for it while forwarding the frame to the next device in the chain. Similarly, as an Ethernet frame passes through a device, data to be returned to the EtherCAT master is inserted on the fly as the fieldbus slave processes the data packet.

[0057] Figure 4 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a system 400 that can use EtherCAT frames. The system 400 is a wireless system. The system 400 includes an EtherCAT master 402 (e.g., a network unit 104), a first UE 404 (e.g., a first remote unit 102), a second UE 406 (e.g., a second remote unit 102), and a third UE 408 (e.g., a third remote unit 102). The EtherCAT master 402 transmits 410 an EtherCAT frame to the first UE 404. The first UE 404 processes the EtherCAT frame to extract an EtherCAT datagram corresponding to the first UE 404, and then inserts data to be returned to the EtherCAT master 402 into the EtherCAT datagram corresponding to the EtherCAT frame of the first UE 404.

[0058] The first UE 404 then transmits 412 the revised EtherCAT frame to the second UE 406. The second UE 406 processes the revised EtherCAT frame to extract the EtherCAT datagram corresponding to the second UE 406 and then inserts the EtherCAT datagram into the EtherCAT frame to be returned to the second UE 406.

[0059] The second UE 406 then transmits 414 the revised EtherCAT frame to the third UE 408. The third UE 408 processes the revised EtherCAT frame to extract the EtherCAT datagram corresponding to the third UE 408, and then inserts the data to be returned to the EtherCAT master 402 into the EtherCAT datagram of the EtherCAT frame corresponding to the third UE 408. The third UE 408 then transmits 416 the revised EtherCAT frame to the EtherCAT master 402. It can be appreciated that latency can be increased by the processing done by each of the first UE 404, the second UE 406, and the third UE 408. This can result in high latency and inefficient use of resources (e.g., under-utilization of the overall EtherCAT bandwidth transmitted to each of the first UE 404, the second UE 406, and the third UE 408).

[0060] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of an EtherCAT frame 500. The EtherCAT frame 500 includes an Ethernet header 502, an EtherCAT header 504, an EtherCAT message 506, and an FCS 508.

[0061] Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of an EtherCAT message 506 .

[0062] The EtherCAT message 506 includes a first datagram 602, a second datagram 604, a security container

[0063] 606, a third datagram 608, and an nth datagram 610. It is understood that the EtherCAT message 506 may not include the safety container 606 and / or the EtherCAT message 506 may include fewer or more datagrams than shown. In one embodiment, the EtherCAT message 506 may include up to 15 datagrams. Each datagram may include a header, data to be read and / or written, and / or a work counter.

[0064] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a secure container 606. As illustrated, the secure container 606 may include a command 702 (“CMD”), first security data 704, a first CRC 706 corresponding to the first security data 704, second security data 708, a second CRC 710 corresponding to the second security data 708, and a connection ID 712 (“Conn ID”). It will be appreciated that the secure container 606 may include any suitable amount of security data and CRCs corresponding to the security data.

[0065] Figure 8 800 in a system using EtherCAT frames. The communication 800 is illustrated between a master 802 (e.g., an EtherCAT master), a CN 804 (e.g., a UPF), a RAN 806 (e.g., an eNB, a gNB, a BS, an AP, a NR, etc.), and a UE 808 (e.g., a plurality of UEs, a plurality of remote units 102, etc.). It will be appreciated that the individual communications described herein may include one or more messages.

[0066] In one embodiment, in a first communication 810 transmitted from the master device 802 to the CN 804, the master device 802 transmits an EtherCAT frame. In some embodiments, the CN 804 (e.g., UPF) marks the incoming EtherCAT frame from the master device 802 with an Ethernet type identifier ("Ethertype ID") and adds the EtherCAT frame to the QoS flow. The EthertypeID can be used to indicate that the EtherCAT frame received from the master device 802 is an EtherCAT frame. In some embodiments, the supported and / or configured topologies of slave device connections such as line, ring, star, etc. can be indicated to the RAN 806 using the QoS flow or as part of the N2 interface (e.g., via a bit field).

[0067] In various embodiments, in a second communication 814 transmitted from CN 804 to RAN 806, CN 804 transmits an EtherCAT frame with an Ethernet type ID to RAN 806 as part of a QoS flow. In some embodiments, RAN 806 (e.g., an SDAP entity in the RAN 806TX path) reads 816 the Ethernet type ID (e.g., and topology information) in the QoS flow and identifies the incoming Ethernet packet as an EtherCAT frame. In certain embodiments, RAN 806 sets 818 an Ethernet profile and context information corresponding to the EtherCAT frame to parse the EtherCAT message of the EtherCAT frame. This enables RAN 806 to read, extract and / or process information in the EtherCAT message.

[0068] In various embodiments, the RAN 806 may read the EtherCAT message and segment the EtherCAT message into multiple datagrams (e.g., of SDAP PDUs). The RAN 806 may map the datagrams to different radio bearers. The RAN 806 may schedule datagrams (which include a node-specific header and data) for unicast transmission to be transmitted to the corresponding UE 808. In addition, the RAN 806 may schedule the required common header information (e.g., EtherCAT header 504) for all UEs 808 (e.g., nodes) for multicast transmission.

[0069] In some embodiments, the RAN 806 extracts the Ethernet type ID (e.g., and topology) from the QoS flow, reads the Ethernet type ID (e.g., and topology), determines whether the Ethernet type ID matches an ID corresponding to an EtherCAT frame structure (or any fieldbus protocol that dynamically processes Ethernet frames), loads relevant profile information of the frame structure corresponding to the Ethertype ID, and parses the Ethernet packet according to the profile information. In such embodiments, parsing the Ethernet packet includes reading, extracting and / or processing information from the EtherCAT frame header. In addition, in some embodiments, the RAN 806 extracts relevant details about the node (e.g., UEs), such as the address of the node, from each datagram header and the data size in the datagram. In various embodiments, the 'M' field in the datagram header can indicate that there are more datagrams belonging to different slave devices in the EtherCAT frame (e.g., the number of datagrams can be counted). It can be understood that the total size of the EtherCAT message can be determined from the EtherCAT header, and the size of each datagram can be determined from the corresponding datagram header.

[0070] In some embodiments, using the information obtained by the RAN 806, the RAN 806 (e.g., the SDAP entity) can segment the EtherCAT message of the EtherCAT frame into multiple SDAP PDUs, where each PDU is mapped to a radio bearer (e.g., a different radio bearer). In some embodiments, the RAN 806 maps datagrams belonging to different destination addresses and / or different priorities to different radio bearer IDs and / or priorities.

[0071] In various embodiments, context information extracted from the data header, such as a slave address (e.g., a destination address), may be mapped to a radio bearer ID and / or RNTI, and the context information may be stored in a memory (e.g., in a stored table) to be used for incoming EtherCAT frames. In some embodiments, the stored table may include information about a destination address belonging to a slave device mapped to a radio bearer ID.

[0072] In some embodiments, information such as read, write and / or read / write and the corresponding size extracted from the datagram header can be passed to lower layers for scheduling decisions. In such embodiments, if the datagram header includes a write option and a corresponding datagram size for transmission from a device to a master device, the scheduler can generate a corresponding uplink scheduling grant, and the datagram header can be transmitted without an empty data field. In embodiments where the datagram contains both read and write options, downlink and uplink grants can be generated.

[0073] In certain embodiments, in a third communication 820 transmitted from the RAN 806 to the UE 808 , the RAN 806 transmits a datagram and common header information to the UE 808 .

[0074] In various embodiments, UE 808 reconstructs 822 and reassembles EtherCAT frames using one or more corresponding EtherCAT datagrams based on EtherCAT message structure and EtherCAT frame structure. Therefore, EtherCAT header, one or more EtherCAT datagram headers and their corresponding data are placed in EtherCAT frames. In addition, due to the lack of datagrams corresponding to other nodes (e.g., other UE 808), fillers or fill bits can be added to match the size of the EtherCAT message mentioned in the length field of the EtherCAT header. UE 808 can transmit the reassembled EtherCAT frame to the corresponding EtherCAT node. In addition, UE 808 can receive EtherCAT frames from the corresponding EtherCAT node. UE 808 can separate EtherCAT datagrams and / or header information from the EtherCAT frames received from the self-EtherCAT nodes and / or from the EtherCAT frames received from the self-EtherCAT nodes.

[0075] In some embodiments, in a fourth communication 824 transmitted from the UE 808 to the RAN 806 , the UE 808 transmits an EtherCAT datagram and / or header information to the RAN 806 .

[0076] In various embodiments, the RAN 806 reconstructs 826 and reassembles the datagrams received from the UE 808 in the same order as the EtherCAT messages were originally received from the master device 802. The RAN 806 reconstructs the EtherCAT messages to include a common header. In addition, the RAN 806 may add padding bits and / or the datagram header may include information notifying the master device 802 of any missing datagrams from the UE 808.

[0077] In some embodiments involving security over EtherCAT, the RAN 806 may extract the security message from the corresponding datagram (e.g., multiple security messages from one or more corresponding datagrams). In some embodiments, the RAN 806 may multicast one or more security datagrams to different UEs 808.

[0078] In certain embodiments, information such as the order in which the slave nodes (e.g., nodes connected to UE 808) are connected in the topology can be used for scheduling purposes. Therefore, the connection order of the nodes can be stored and passed to the lower layers for scheduling purposes. In one example, the node connection order n1-n2-n3-n4 can be used to generate a downlink and / or uplink grant order, resource mapping and / or time slot scheduling via time and frequency resources for the slave device. In another embodiment, the QoS flow or as part of the N2 interface can be used to indicate to the RAN 806 the support and / or configuration topology of the slave device connection, such as line, ring, star, etc.

[0079] In various embodiments, in a fifth communication 828 transmitted from the RAN 806 to the CN 804, the RAN 806 transmits the reconstructed EtherCAT frame to the CN 804. In some embodiments, in a sixth communication 830 transmitted from the CN 804 to the master device 802, the CN 804 transmits the reconstructed EtherCAT frame to the master device 802.

[0080] As can be appreciated, although the RAN 806 is described herein as segmenting and / or reconstructing EtherCAT frames, in some embodiments, the master device 802 may be directly connected to one or more UEs 808. In such embodiments, the one or more UEs 808 may perform the functions described herein in relation to the RAN 806. Thus, the one or more UEs 808 may segment the PDUs to different radio bearers and transmit the segmented PDUs to the RAN 806 over Uu and / or directly to other slave devices over a side link.

[0081] Fig. 9 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a mapping 900 between an EtherCAT frame and a radio bearer. The mapping 900 includes an SDAP-SAP 902, which includes an SDAP entity 904. In addition, the SDAP entity 904 includes an EtherCAT frame 500. After the SDAP entity 904 parses the EtherCAT frame 500, the SDAP entity 904 transmits a datagram (e.g., a radio bearer) of an Ethernet header 502, an EtherCAT header 504, and an EtherCAT message 506 corresponding to a PDCP-SAP 906. It is understood that each PDCP-SAP (e.g., a radio bearer) in the system can receive an Ethernet header 502, an EtherCAT header 504, and a datagram of an EtherCAT message 506 corresponding to a corresponding PDCP-SAP.

[0082] In some embodiments, a PDCP entity (e.g., PDCP-SAP 906) may be notified of PDCP Ethernet header compression for radio bearers carrying EtherCAT headers, Ethernet headers, node-specific headers, and / or data. In one embodiment, RRC signaling may notify the PDCP entity of a compression profile ID, context information indicating static fields in the header and their values, and the like. In another embodiment, a PDCP control PDU may be used to notify the PDCP entity of compression-related information. In various embodiments, the compression ratio and / or fields in the header selected for compression may be dynamically adapted based on channel conditions, decompression feedback information, and / or available resources. In another embodiment, compression profile IDs and / or context information may be independently selected for downlinks, uplinks, and / or sidelinks.

[0083] Fig.10 1 is a schematic flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method 1000 for extracting an EtherCAT datagram from an EtherCAT frame. The method 1000 in the illustrated embodiment uses SDAP 1002, PDCP 1004, RLC 1006, MAC 1008 and PHY 1010. As shown, SDAP 1002 can identify the Ethernet type from the QoS stream and perform segmentation. In addition, PDCP 1004 can perform header compression and perform datagram header compression. In addition, RLC 1006 can transmit ARQ in response to receiving a compressed header. MAC 1008 can include a MUX that receives a compressed header. In addition, PHY 1010 can perform encoding, resource mapping and / or transmission.

[0084] Fig.11 1 is a schematic flow chart illustrating another embodiment of a method 1100 for extracting an EtherCAT datagram from an EtherCAT frame. In some embodiments, the method 1100 is performed by a device, such as the network unit 104. In some embodiments, the method 1100 may be performed by a processor executing program code, such as a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a CPU, a GPU, an auxiliary processing unit, an FPGA, etc.

[0085] The method 1100 may include receiving 1102 an Ethernet control automation technology frame. In various embodiments, the method 1100 includes determining 1104 a first Ethernet control automation technology datagram in the Ethernet control automation technology frame for a first device (e.g., the first remote unit 102), and determining a second Ethernet control automation technology datagram in the Ethernet control automation technology frame for a second device (e.g., the second remote unit 102). In certain embodiments, the method 1100 includes extracting 1106 the first Ethernet control automation technology datagram from the Ethernet control automation technology frame to produce an extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram, and extracting the second Ethernet control automation technology datagram from the Ethernet control automation technology frame to produce an extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram. In some embodiments, the method 1100 includes transmitting 1108 the extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram directly to the first device. In various embodiments, the method 1100 includes transmitting 1110 the extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram directly to the second device.

[0086] In some embodiments, the method 1100 further includes transmitting common header information corresponding to the Ethernet control automation technology frame to the first device and the second device. In some embodiments, the common header information is scheduled for multicast transmission and is therefore mapped to a multicast logical data channel and / or a multicast radio bearer. In various embodiments, the extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram and the extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram are scheduled for unicast transmission and are therefore mapped to a unicast logical data channel and / or a unicast radio bearer.

[0087] In one embodiment, the method 1100 further includes receiving an identifier that indicates the incoming packet as an Ethernet control automation technology frame. In some embodiments, the method further includes parsing the Ethernet control automation technology frame based on the identified frame profile. In some embodiments, extracting the first Ethernet control automation technology datagram and the second Ethernet control automation technology datagram includes: segmenting the Ethernet control automation technology frame into a plurality of service data application protocol protocol data units; and mapping each of the plurality of service data application protocol protocol data units to a corresponding radio bearer.

[0088] In various embodiments, each service data application protocol protocol data unit includes a priority, a destination address, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the method 1100 further includes: receiving a first response from the first device, wherein the first response corresponds to the first Ethernet control automation technology datagram; receiving a second response from the second device, wherein the first response corresponds to the first Ethernet control automation technology datagram; and forming an Ethernet control automation technology reply frame based on the first response and the second response. In some embodiments, the method 1100 further includes transmitting the Ethernet control automation technology reply frame.

[0089] Fig.12 1 is a schematic flow chart illustrating one embodiment of a method 1200 for forming an EtherCAT frame from an EtherCAT datagram. In some embodiments, the method 1200 is performed by a device such as the remote unit 102. In certain embodiments, the method 1200 may be performed by a processor executing program code, such as a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a CPU, a GPU, an auxiliary processing unit, an FPGA, etc.

[0090] The method 1200 may include receiving 1202 an Ethernet control automation technology datagram. In some embodiments, the method 1200 includes receiving 1204 common header information corresponding to the Ethernet control automation technology datagram. In some embodiments, the method 1200 includes forming 1206 an Ethernet control automation technology frame based on the Ethernet control automation technology datagram.

[0091] In some embodiments, the method 1200 further includes transmitting an Ethernet control automation technology frame to the device. In some embodiments, the common header information is received from a multicast transmission. In various embodiments, the Ethernet control automation technology datagram is received from a unicast transmission.

[0092] In one embodiment, the method 1200 further includes receiving an identifier that indicates the incoming packet is an Ethernet control automation technology datagram. In some embodiments, the method 1200 further includes: receiving an Ethernet control automation technology response frame from the device, wherein the Ethernet control automation technology response frame corresponds to the Ethernet control automation technology frame; and forming a response to the Ethernet control automation technology datagram based on extracting information from the Ethernet control automation technology response frame. In some embodiments, the method 1200 further includes transmitting a response to the Ethernet control automation technology datagram.

[0093] In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving an Ethernet control automation technology frame; determining a first Ethernet control automation technology datagram in the Ethernet control automation technology frame for a first device, and determining a second Ethernet control automation technology datagram in the Ethernet control automation technology frame for a second device; extracting the first Ethernet control automation technology datagram from the Ethernet control automation technology frame to produce an extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram, and extracting the second Ethernet control automation technology datagram from the Ethernet control automation technology frame to produce an extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram; transmitting the extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram directly to the first device; and transmitting the extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram directly to the second device.

[0094] In certain embodiments, the method further includes transmitting common header information corresponding to the Ethernet control automation technology frame to the first device and the second device.

[0095] In some embodiments, common header information is scheduled for multicast transmission.

[0096] In various embodiments, the extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram and the extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram are scheduled for unicast transmission.

[0097] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving an identifier indicating the incoming packet as an Ethernet control automation technology frame.

[0098] In certain embodiments, the method further includes parsing the Ethernet control automation technology frame based on the identified frame profile.

[0099] In some embodiments, extracting the first Ethernet control automation technology datagram and the second Ethernet control automation technology datagram includes: segmenting the Ethernet control automation technology frame into a plurality of service data application protocol protocol data units; mapping each of the plurality of service data application protocol protocol data units to a corresponding radio bearer.

[0100] In various embodiments, each service-data application protocol protocol data unit includes a priority, a destination address, or a combination thereof.

[0101] In one embodiment, the method further includes: receiving a first response from a first device, wherein the first response corresponds to a first Ethernet control automation technology datagram; receiving a second response from a second device, wherein the first response corresponds to the first Ethernet control automation technology datagram; and forming an Ethernet control automation technology reply frame based on the first response and the second response.

[0102] In certain embodiments, the method further includes transmitting an Ethernet control automation technology reply frame.

[0103] In one embodiment, an apparatus includes: a receiver that receives an Ethernet control automation technology frame; a processor that: determines a first Ethernet control automation technology datagram in the Ethernet control automation technology frame for a first device, and determines a second Ethernet control automation technology datagram in the Ethernet control automation technology frame for a second device; and extracts the first Ethernet control automation technology datagram from the Ethernet control automation technology frame to produce an extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram, and extracts the second Ethernet control automation technology datagram from the Ethernet control automation technology frame to produce an extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram; and a transmitter that: transmits the extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram directly to the first device; and transmits the extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram directly to the second device.

[0104] In some embodiments, the transmitter transmits common header information corresponding to an Ethernet control automation technology frame to the first device and the second device.

[0105] In some embodiments, common header information is scheduled for multicast transmission.

[0106] In various embodiments, the extracted first Ethernet control automation technology datagram and the extracted second Ethernet control automation technology datagram are scheduled for unicast transmission.

[0107] In one embodiment, the receiver receives an identifier that indicates the incoming packet is an Ethernet control automation technology frame.

[0108] In certain embodiments, the processor parses the Ethernet control automation technology frame based on the identified frame profile.

[0109] In some embodiments, a processor that extracts a first Ethernet control automation technology datagram and a second Ethernet control automation technology datagram includes the processor: segmenting an Ethernet control automation technology frame into a plurality of service data application protocol protocol data units; and mapping each of the plurality of service data application protocol protocol data units to a corresponding radio bearer.

[0110] In various embodiments, each service-data application protocol protocol data unit includes a priority, a destination address, or a combination thereof.

[0111] In one embodiment, the receiver: receives a first response from a first device, wherein the first response corresponds to a first Ethernet control automation technology datagram; and receives a second response from a second device, wherein the first response corresponds to the first Ethernet control automation technology datagram; and the processor forms an Ethernet control automation technology reply frame based on the first response and the second response.

[0112] In certain embodiments, the transmitter transmits an Ethernet control automation technology reply frame.

[0113] In one embodiment, a method includes receiving an Ethernet control automation technology datagram; receiving common header information corresponding to the Ethernet control automation technology datagram; and forming an Ethernet control automation technology frame based on the Ethernet control automation technology datagram.

[0114] In certain embodiments, the method further includes transmitting an Ethernet control automation technology frame to the device.

[0115] In some embodiments, the common header information is received from a multicast transmission.

[0116] In various embodiments, the Ethernet control automation technology datagram is received from a unicast transmission.

[0117] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving an identifier indicating the incoming packet as an Ethernet control automation technology datagram.

[0118] In certain embodiments, the method further includes: receiving an Ethernet control automation technology response frame from the device, wherein the Ethernet control automation technology response frame corresponds to the Ethernet control automation technology frame; and forming a response to the Ethernet control automation technology datagram based on extracting information from the Ethernet control automation technology response frame.

[0119] In some embodiments, the method further comprises transmitting a response to the Ethernet control automation technology datagram.

[0120] In one embodiment, an apparatus includes: a receiver that receives an Ethernet control automation technology datagram; and receives common header information corresponding to the Ethernet control automation technology datagram; and a processor that forms an Ethernet control automation technology frame based on the Ethernet control automation technology datagram.

[0121] In certain embodiments, the apparatus further includes a transmitter that transmits an Ethernet control automation technology frame to the device.

[0122] In some embodiments, the common header information is received from a multicast transmission.

[0123] In various embodiments, the Ethernet control automation technology datagram is received from a unicast transmission.

[0124] In one embodiment, the receiver receives an identifier that indicates the incoming packet is an Ethernet control automation technology datagram.

[0125] In certain embodiments: the receiver receives an Ethernet control automation technology response frame from the device, wherein the Ethernet control automation technology response frame corresponds to an Ethernet control automation technology frame; and the processor forms a response to the Ethernet control automation technology datagram based on extracting information from the Ethernet control automation technology response frame.

[0126] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a transmitter that transmits a response to the Ethernet control automation technology datagram.

[0127] Embodiments may be practiced in other specific forms. The described embodiments are considered in all respects to be illustrative only and not restrictive. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than the preceding description. All changes within the meaning and equivalent range of the claims are included within their scope.

Claims

1. A device comprising: processor; as well as a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: Receive Ethernet packets; determining an EtherCAT packet based on an Ethernet type identifier within the Ethernet packet; Parsing the EtherCAT packet according to the EtherCAT configuration file information; and The EtherCAT packet including a datagram for each node is extracted from an EtherCAT frame associated with the EtherType identifier.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The Ethernet type identifier identifying the EtherCAT frame is extracted from a Quality of Service (QoS) flow of the received Ethernet packet.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The EtherCAT packet parsing includes extracting an EtherCAT header, and the EtherCAT header includes information indicating a size of the EtherCAT packet.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: EtherCAT packet parsing includes extracting a plurality of datagrams containing packets for a plurality of nodes, each of the plurality of datagrams including a datagram header, and the datagram header including a node address, a size of the datagram, an indication of any additional datagrams having the same node address, and a data packet for each node.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein: The instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: generate an uplink scheduling grant for a datagram of the plurality of datagrams in response to the datagram header including a write indication for slave to master transmission and a datagram size.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein: The instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: in response to the datagram header including a write indication and a read indication, generate an uplink scheduling grant and a downlink scheduling grant for a datagram in the plurality of datagrams.

7. The device according to claim 3, wherein: The instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: extract a security message from at least one datagram of a plurality of datagrams, and multicast the at least one datagram to a plurality of nodes.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: segment the EtherCAT packet into a plurality of Service Data Application Protocol (SDAP) Protocol Data Units (PDUs).

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein: Each SDAP PDU of the plurality of SDAP PDUs is mapped to a different radio bearer including a different priority and a different destination address.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receive compression information associated with the EtherCAT packet for performing Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) header compression, and the compression information indicates a compression profile, a compression identifier, or a combination thereof.

11. An apparatus comprising: processor; as well as a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: determining an Ethernet type identifier; determining an EtherCAT frame structure associated with the Ethernet type identifier; receiving datagrams from a plurality of user equipments (UEs); as well as According to the EtherCAT frame structure, EtherCAT packets are constructed using the datagrams from the plurality of UEs.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein The apparatus includes a UE or a Radio Access Network (RAN).

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein: The EtherCAT packet is constructed using the datagrams from the plurality of UEs based on the time when the datagrams are received.

14. The device according to claim 11, wherein: The order in which the nodes are connected is used for scheduling.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein: Information corresponding to the order in which the nodes are connected is stored and passed with lower layers.

16. The device according to claim 14, wherein: The order in which the nodes are connected is used to generate downlink grants, uplink grants, resource mapping, time slot scheduling, or a combination thereof.

17. The device according to claim 11, wherein: The instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receive compression information associated with the EtherCAT packet for performing Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) header compression, and the compression information indicates a compression profile, a compression identifier, or a combination thereof.

18. The device according to claim 11, wherein The instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the device to: compress the EtherCAT packets.

19. The device according to claim 11, wherein: The instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: map segmented protocol data units (PDUs) to different radio bearers.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein The segmented PDUs are sent to a radio access network (RAN) or other equipment.

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