A large capacity communication management apparatus and a configuration method

Abstract

The application discloses a large-capacity communication management device and a configuration method, and relates to the technical field of power energy sources.The device comprises a core card component group, an expansion card component group and a special backboard.The core card component group is composed of a main CPU card component, a man-machine interactive interface (MMI) card component and a power management (Power) card component.The expansion card component group comprises at least one hot-pluggable expansion sub-card component, and the expansion sub-card component comprises a network interface CPU card component, a serial interface CPU card component and / or a CAN bus CPU card component.The special backboard is used for the physical connection and data transmission of the core card component group and the expansion card component group.The main CPU card component and each expansion sub-card component run independent operating systems and publish-subscribe message buses, and data interaction is carried out through the message buses.The application constructs a communication management device with large capacity, high reliability, easy expansibility and convenient operation and maintenance, so as to improve the overall performance and engineering applicability of a power communication system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of power energy technology, and in particular to a high-capacity communication management device and configuration method. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of power communication technology, the number and types of devices waiting to be connected have increased dramatically. The master station system faces many challenges, such as protocol incompatibility, insufficient capacity for multiple device access, and urgent need for network isolation. To effectively address these challenges, communication management devices are widely used in the field, mainly undertaking key functions such as multi-protocol conversion, data aggregation and filtering, multi-path forwarding, and network isolation.

[0003] Currently, existing communication management devices rely on a single hardware unit for data access, which is insufficient to meet the data acquisition needs of multiple devices and full measurement points. They lack hot-swappable expansion units, requiring hardware downtime and modification when adding or changing device interface types. Furthermore, the lack of a unified high-speed backplane to support efficient communication between expansion units and the core unit hinders flexible adaptation to changing business scenarios. Simultaneously, the lack of standardized configuration tools necessitates manual configuration by professionals, resulting in low configuration efficiency and susceptibility to data interaction failures due to configuration errors. In addition, the absence of a status monitoring interface necessitates troubleshooting hardware and software one by one in the event of a communication failure, severely impacting operational efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the problems of insufficient high-capacity access capability, poor hardware and functional scalability, low configuration efficiency and susceptibility to errors, and low operation and maintenance efficiency in existing communication management devices, this invention proposes a high-capacity communication management device and configuration method. The aim is to construct a communication management device with high capacity, high reliability, easy scalability and convenient operation and maintenance, so as to improve the overall performance and engineering applicability of power communication systems.

[0005] The present invention achieves the above objectives through the following technical solutions:

[0006] A high-capacity communication management device, the device comprising:

[0007] The core card group consists of the main CPU card, the human-machine interface (MMI) card, and the power management card.

[0008] An expansion card group includes at least one hot-swappable expansion sub-card; the expansion sub-card is a network interface CPU card, and / or a serial interface CPU card, and / or a CAN bus CPU card.

[0009] A dedicated backplane is used for the physical connection and data transmission between the core card group and the expansion card group;

[0010] The main CPU card and each expansion sub-card run independent operating systems and publish-subscribe message buses, and interact with each other through these message buses.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dedicated backplane supports hot-swapping and parallel communication; the power management card adopts a dual-power redundant hot-standby design.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the publish-subscribe message bus running on the main CPU card is used to collect and forward data published by each extended sub-card; the extended sub-card runs an independent network programming interface and creates an independent thread or process for each external device accessed or forwarded.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the expansion sub-cards is provided with an independent network debugging interface, which is used for external computers to access and monitor the message data, operating status parameters and performance indicators of the expansion sub-card in real time.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the data stream operation mode of the device is as follows:

[0015] As an extension sub-card of the data access card, it publishes the parsed valid data that conforms to the preset data format and verification rules to the publish-subscribe message bus, and subscribes to the overall operating status information of the device published by the main CPU card;

[0016] As an extension sub-card of the data forwarding card, it subscribes to the data to be forwarded and the overall operating status information of the device published by the main CPU card;

[0017] The main CPU card subscribes to valid data published by each access card and publishes overall device operating status information and data to be forwarded.

[0018] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main CPU card automatically assigns a unique logical identifier and IP address to each expansion sub-card according to the physical slot location of each expansion sub-card; the logical identifier corresponds one-to-one with the physical slot location.

[0019] A configuration method for a high-capacity communication management device, the configuration method comprising:

[0020] Configuration information is generated through a configuration tool; the configuration tool provides configuration views divided by sub-modules, and each configuration view displays the configurable parameters of that sub-module.

[0021] If the configuration information is configured through the main CPU module in the configuration tool, the configuration information will be sent to each expansion sub-card via the main CPU card. After each expansion sub-card is loaded, it will feed back the loading status to the main CPU card.

[0022] If the configuration information is configured through the modules of each expansion sub-card in the configuration tool, the configuration information will be directly sent to each corresponding expansion sub-card. After each expansion sub-card is loaded, the configuration information and loading status will be synchronized to the main CPU card.

[0023] The configuration information includes device interface configuration and data mapping configuration; the device interface configuration is the interface parameters and data parsing rules corresponding to each expansion sub-card; the data mapping configuration defines the correspondence between data points in the source expansion sub-card and virtual mapping addresses in the destination expansion sub-card.

[0024] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the data mapping configuration is a global data mapping configuration; the step of distributing the configuration information to each extended sub-card via the main CPU card, and each extended sub-card feeding back its loading status to the main CPU card after loading includes:

[0025] Download the configuration information to the main CPU card;

[0026] The main CPU card receives and parses the configuration information to obtain the device interface configuration and global data mapping configuration.

[0027] The main CPU card distributes the device interface configuration to each corresponding expansion sub-card; at the same time, the main CPU card extracts the local mapping configuration related to each expansion sub-card from the global data mapping configuration and distributes it to each corresponding expansion sub-card for storage.

[0028] Each expansion sub-card loads its own device interface configuration and local mapping configuration, completes initialization, and feeds back the loading status to the main CPU card.

[0029] After confirming that all extended sub-cards have been loaded, the main CPU card establishes and maintains global data mapping logic based on the global data mapping configuration.

[0030] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the data mapping configuration is a local mapping configuration corresponding to each expansion sub-card; the step of directly sending the configuration information to each corresponding expansion sub-card, and synchronizing the configuration information and loading status to the main CPU card after each expansion sub-card is loaded includes:

[0031] The configuration information is directly sent to each corresponding expansion sub-card;

[0032] Each expansion sub-card receives and stores its own device interface configuration and local mapping configuration, and synchronizes its own device interface configuration and local mapping configuration to the main CPU card;

[0033] Each expansion sub-card loads its own device interface configuration and local mapping configuration, completes initialization, and feeds back the loading status to the main CPU card.

[0034] The main CPU card receives local mapping configurations from each extended sub-card and integrates them to form a global data mapping configuration;

[0035] After confirming that all extended sub-cards have been loaded, the main CPU card establishes and maintains global data mapping logic based on the global data mapping configuration.

[0036] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a configuration method for a high-capacity communication management device further includes a redundancy fault-tolerant mechanism:

[0037] When the main CPU card malfunctions, each extended sub-card, based on its local storage mapping configuration, directly publishes and subscribes data to other extended sub-cards via the publish-subscribe message bus, autonomously completing data interaction.

[0038] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: By using multiple expansion daughter cards to operate in parallel and a publish-subscribe message bus, it supports simultaneous access for various types of devices, including network, serial, and CAN bus devices. Each expansion daughter card creates an independent thread and process for the external device, enabling the full acquisition and forwarding of large-scale measurement point data, effectively solving the problem of insufficient capacity in existing devices. Hot-swappable expansion daughter cards, in conjunction with a dedicated high-speed backplane, allow for adding or changing device interface types without system downtime, and support for adding or removing expansion cards as needed, flexibly adapting to device access requirements in different scenarios and improving device scalability. The configuration tool provides a visual configuration view divided by sub-modules, supporting modular settings of interface parameters, data parsing rules, and other parameters, making operation intuitive and easy to use. Simultaneously, it integrates automatic addressing and one-click download functions; configuration information is uniformly distributed from the main CPU to the corresponding expansion daughter cards, eliminating the need for manual configuration by professionals, improving configuration efficiency, and reducing reliance on professional skills. It also supports independent configuration of each expansion daughter card, providing a flexible configuration method. Each expansion daughter card is equipped with an independent network debugging interface, allowing external computers to monitor message data, operating status parameters, and performance indicators in real time, enabling rapid fault location. The Human-Machine Interface (MMI) card provides a graphical user interface that intuitively displays the overall operating status, reducing the workload of on-site maintenance personnel, significantly shortening fault location time, and lowering overall maintenance costs. The Power management card employs a dual-power redundant hot standby design to prevent system downtime due to a single power supply failure. When the main CPU card malfunctions, each expansion daughter card can directly publish and subscribe to data via a publish-subscribe message bus based on locally stored local mapping relationships, ensuring uninterrupted data communication and improving device availability. The entire station's network environment is purified through both physical isolation and logical filtering, achieving isolation between the network of devices to be connected and the main station network. A data mapping configuration mechanism is also introduced to precisely define the reference paths for data items that need to be exchanged between different expansion daughter cards, enabling refined management of data flow, avoiding invalid data transmission, and ensuring efficient and accurate data forwarding. Attached Figure Description

[0039] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the following description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0040] in:

[0041] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a hardware module for a high-capacity communication management device provided by the present invention;

[0042] Figure 2This is a flowchart of the hot-insertion initialization process of the expansion sub-card in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating the interaction between the distributed message bus and data flow in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a configuration method for a high-capacity communication management device based on centralized configuration of a main CPU card, provided by the present invention.

[0045] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a configuration method for a high-capacity communication management device based on independent configuration of each expansion sub-card, as provided by the present invention.

[0046] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the specific implementation process of the redundancy fault tolerance mechanism when the main CPU card malfunctions in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0047] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the described embodiments of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] Existing communication management devices rely on a single hardware unit for data access, making it difficult to meet the needs of collecting full-scale measurement data from multiple devices. They lack hot-swappable expansion units, requiring system downtime and hardware modifications when adding or changing device interface types. Furthermore, the lack of a unified high-speed backplane supports efficient communication between expansion units and the core unit, hindering flexible adaptation to changing business scenarios. Simultaneously, the absence of standardized configuration tools necessitates manual configuration by professionals, resulting in low efficiency and susceptibility to data interaction failures due to configuration errors. Moreover, the lack of a status monitoring interface necessitates troubleshooting hardware and software individually during communication failures, severely impacting operational efficiency. To address these issues, this invention proposes a high-capacity communication management device and configuration method. This device supports simultaneous access from multiple types of devices, including network, serial, and CAN bus devices, through parallel operation of multiple expansion daughter cards and a publish-subscribe message bus. Each expansion daughter card creates an independent thread and process for external devices, enabling full collection and forwarding of large-scale measurement data. The hot-swappable expansion daughter cards, combined with a dedicated high-speed backplane, allow for adding or changing device interface types without system downtime, flexibly adapting to device access requirements and improving device scalability. The configuration tool provides a visual configuration view divided by submodules, making operation more intuitive. It also integrates automatic addressing and one-click download functions, with the main CPU uniformly distributing configuration information to the expansion daughter cards, improving configuration efficiency and reducing reliance on specialized skills. Each expansion daughter card has an independent network debugging interface, enabling rapid fault location. The Human-Machine Interface (MMI) card provides a graphical interface displaying the overall machine operating status, reducing maintenance and troubleshooting workload and lowering maintenance costs. The Power management card adopts a dual-power redundant hot standby design to prevent system downtime due to a single power supply failure. When the main CPU card malfunctions, each expansion daughter card can interact with data through the publish-subscribe message bus, ensuring uninterrupted communication and improving device availability. Physical isolation and logical filtering purify the network environment, isolating the devices to be connected from the main station network. A data mapping configuration mechanism is introduced to precisely define the reference paths of interactive data items, ensuring efficient and accurate data forwarding.

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, this is an embodiment of the present invention, which provides a high-capacity communication management device, which includes a core card group, an expansion card group, and a dedicated backplane.

[0050] The core card group consists of the main CPU card, the human-machine interface (MMI) card, and the power management card.

[0051] Furthermore, the Human-Machine Interface (MMI) card, responsible for the MMI display, is deployed on the front panel of the device. This card displays the real-time operating status of each extended sub-card, the real-time values ​​of access and forwarding measurement points, and the real-time communication link status between the communication management device and the access and forwarding devices.

[0052] The power management card provides power to the device, which features a dual power slot design and supports dual power redundancy hot standby, thereby ensuring high availability and security of the power system.

[0053] An expansion card group includes at least one hot-swappable expansion sub-card; the expansion sub-card is a network interface CPU card, and / or a serial interface CPU card, and / or a CAN bus CPU card.

[0054] Furthermore, the network interface CPU card is configured to independently handle access and forwarding communication tasks based on Ethernet interface devices. The serial interface CPU card is configured to handle access and forwarding communication tasks based on serial interface devices, using serial protocols such as RS232, RS485, and RS422. The CAN bus CPU card is configured to independently handle access and forwarding communication tasks based on CAN bus interface devices. When the access or forwarding capacity of a single expansion sub-card reaches its limit, the overall data processing capacity of the device can be linearly increased by adding similar expansion sub-cards.

[0055] A dedicated backplane is used for the physical connection and data transmission between the core card group and the expansion card group;

[0056] Furthermore, each slot on the dedicated backplate employs a three-level contact gold finger structure. Among these,

[0057] The first stage is the longest gold finger and requires a 3.3V / 5V isolated power supply. This power supply is provided by a dual-redundant power management card and supports a soft-start function when the card is hot-plugged. This function can be implemented through the LM5069 hot-swappable controller, with a current limit of no more than 2A.

[0058] The second level is the access control bus. After each expansion sub-card is inserted, it communicates with the main CPU card through this bus, reporting the card type, physical card slot location, and hardware ID of the inserted expansion sub-card. The card type includes network port, serial port, etc.

[0059] The third level is the data bus, and it is the shortest gold finger. It only conducts after the power supply is stable and the card identification is completed, in order to avoid data interference during insertion and removal.

[0060] In some embodiments, the dedicated backplane PCB is made of FR-4 material to support an operating temperature range of -40 degrees to 85 degrees; in addition, the gold finger plating thickness needs to be greater than 30 microinches.

[0061] A dedicated backplane efficiently manages multi-card communication through a time-division multiplexing mechanism, with the main CPU card precisely allocating a 1ms time slice to each expansion sub-card. In some embodiments, network CPU card 1, located in physical card slot Slot 2, transmits data during the 0-1ms time slot, while network CPU card 2, located in physical card slot Slot 3, transmits data during the 1-2ms time slot, and so on. For urgent data, such as fault alarms, a priority preemption mechanism is triggered via the bus priority pin INT# to ensure a rapid response within 100 microseconds.

[0062] This dedicated backplane integrates all the network interfaces and power lines required by each expansion daughter card, ensuring that each expansion daughter card can achieve stable hot-swapping operation.

[0063] The main CPU card and each expansion sub-card run independent operating systems, which enables a high degree of decoupling between hardware and software, ensuring that they do not interfere with each other.

[0064] The main CPU card and each expansion sub-card are independently deployed with a publish-subscribe message bus, and the main CPU card and each expansion sub-card communicate with each other through this message bus. Specifically, the publish-subscribe message bus running on the main CPU card is responsible for collecting the data published by each expansion sub-card and pushing the data to other expansion sub-cards that have subscribed to the data.

[0065] Each expansion sub-card runs an independent network programming interface, creating an independent thread or process for each external device connection that is accessed or forwarded, thereby achieving high-concurrency data processing capabilities.

[0066] Furthermore, each expansion sub-card is configured independently of other expansion sub-cards, and supports interface types including Socket and Netlink.

[0067] Each expansion sub-card is equipped with an independent network debugging interface, which is accessible to an external computer to monitor the message data, operating status parameters and performance indicators of the expansion sub-card in real time.

[0068] Furthermore, real-time is defined as a data detection latency of no more than 100 microseconds. Performance metrics include data throughput, data forwarding latency, and packet loss rate.

[0069] Based on distributed processing capabilities, each extended sub-card can independently and in real time record complete communication process messages while performing communication tasks. The recorded message data is stored in a rolling manner according to a preset storage duration.

[0070] The main CPU card automatically assigns a unique logical identifier and IP address to each expansion sub-card based on its physical slot location within the large-capacity communication management device chassis; the logical identifier corresponds one-to-one with the physical slot location. In this way, each expansion sub-card can automatically communicate with the main CPU card and other cards based on its assigned IP address.

[0071] Furthermore, the physical slot locations are identified by slot numbers Slot1-SlotN on a dedicated backplane.

[0072] The main CPU card assigns unique logical identifiers and IP addresses to each expansion daughter card in the following two ways:

[0073] 1. Static Allocation. A unique logical identifier and IP address are assigned to each expansion sub-card using a pre-defined address mapping table. This pre-defined address mapping table clearly defines the fixed correspondence between physical slot numbers, IP addresses, and logical identifiers; see Table 1 for details.

[0074] Table 1 Preset Address Mapping Table

[0075] Slot1 AI001 192.168.10.1 / 24 Slot2 DI003 192.168.10.2 / 24 Slot3 AI005 192.168.10.3 / 24 Slot4 BI002 192.168.10.4 / 24 ... ... ... SlotN CI001 192.168.10.N / 24

[0076] As can be seen from Table 1, the main CPU card can determine the assigned IP address and corresponding logical identifier by identifying the physical slot number and querying the table.

[0077] 2. Dynamic allocation. Based on preset rules, each expansion sub-card is dynamically assigned a unique logical identifier and IP address.

[0078] In some embodiments, the IP address is formed by adding the network segment base address and the physical slot number. For example, if the network segment base address is 192.168.1.10 and the physical slot number is Slot1, then the corresponding IP address is 192.168.1.11. The logical identifier is formed by combining the device type prefix and the physical slot number. The main CPU first performs a brief communication with the expansion daughter card to obtain its device type code. Assuming that the device type code read from the expansion daughter card with physical slot number Slot1 is 0x0A and the prefix is ​​configured as AI, then the logical identifier assigned to it will be AI001.

[0079] When an expansion card is inserted or removed, the dedicated backplane triggers the main CPU to execute a hot-plug processing procedure via a hardware interrupt mechanism. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the hot-insertion initialization process for the extended sub-card proposed in this invention specifically includes:

[0080] S21, smoothly insert the expansion sub-card into the empty slot of the dedicated backplate;

[0081] S22, the main CPU detects the insertion of an expansion sub-card through the access control bus of the dedicated backplane, and identifies its physical card slot location, card type and hardware ID;

[0082] S23, the main CPU allocates basic hardware resources, such as PCIe space configuration and memory mapping area, to the detected expansion sub-cards;

[0083] S24, power on the configured expansion sub-card, load the pre-configured operating system image, and start running; wherein, the pre-configured operating system image is downloaded from its local storage or from the network via the main CPU card;

[0084] S25, after the operating system starts, the main CPU card automatically assigns a unique logical identifier and IP address to the extended sub-cards;

[0085] S26, Start the publish-subscribe message bus service of the extended sub-card and subscribe to its dedicated configuration topic or channel from the main CPU card;

[0086] S27, the main CPU card publishes the configuration information corresponding to the extended sub-card to the message bus;

[0087] S28, the extended sub-card receives and loads the configuration information, initializes its application logic, and feeds back the loading status to the main CPU card;

[0088] S29. If the configuration information is loaded successfully, the running status indicator light of the expansion sub-card will be set to a solid green light; if the configuration information fails to load, the running status indicator light of the expansion sub-card will be set to flashing red.

[0089] The device's data flow operates based on a publish-subscribe message bus as follows:

[0090] As an extension sub-card of the data access card, it is configured to publish valid data that conforms to the preset data format and verification rules to the publish-subscribe message bus, and subscribe to the real-time status information of the whole machine published by the main CPU card;

[0091] Furthermore, the preset data format and validation rules are not fixed but can be flexibly configured to adapt to the diverse needs of different application scenarios. Specifically, the preset data format and validation rules can be configured in the following two ways:

[0092] 1. Factory Pre-configured. A common data format and verification algorithm combination is pre-set at the factory, such as JSON data format and CRC32 algorithm. This combination ensures data readability and basic transmission reliability, allowing users to use the device out of the box.

[0093] 2. Flexible customization via dedicated configuration tools. The configuration tool provides an intuitive graphical interface, allowing users to select the desired data format (such as XML, JSON, or a custom binary structure) and corresponding verification algorithms (such as CRC32, MD5, SHA-1) from drop-down menus in the configuration view of the corresponding card. After configuration, the configuration tool automatically generates configuration information and sends it to the corresponding extension sub-card. Once loaded, the extension sub-card will process the data according to the new rules.

[0094] As an extension sub-card of the data forwarding card, it is configured to subscribe to the real-time data to be forwarded published by the main CPU card, and to subscribe to the real-time status information of the whole machine published by the main CPU card.

[0095] The main CPU card is configured to subscribe to valid data published by each access card, and to publish overall machine status information and data to be forwarded.

[0096] In some embodiments, firstly, the network interface CPU card acquires a raw binary data stream from the connected sensor through its service port. The Modbus TCP protocol stack running on the network interface CPU card parses the function code, register address, and data value from the data frame according to Modbus protocol rules. Subsequently, the processing program within the network interface CPU card encapsulates the parsed register address 40001 and the data value 25.6 according to the currently effective preset data format, generating a string. For example, the JSON format string is: {"dev_id":"sensor-001","reg":40001,"value":25.6,"timestamp":1634567890000}. Next, the currently effective MD5 checksum algorithm is invoked to calculate the hash value of the JSON string. Finally, the network interface CPU card publishes the JSON string and the MD5 hash value as a message payload to a specified topic on the publish-subscribe message bus, such as " / data / sensor-001". Since the main CPU card subscribes to the " / data / +" topic, it will receive this message. Before processing, the main CPU card will first use the same MD5 algorithm to calculate the received JSON string and compare the result with the checksum in the message. If they match, the JSON string is considered complete and error-free during transmission, and subsequent mapping and routing processing will proceed; if they do not match, the JSON string will be discarded and an error log will be logged, thus ensuring the reliability of the processed data. Simultaneously, another CAN bus CPU card, which acts as a data forwarding card, also subscribes to the " / data / sensor-001" topic and will also receive this message. Before sending the temperature value of 25.6 to external devices via the CAN bus CPU card, it also needs to perform a verification operation to ensure the accuracy of the data transmission.

[0097] like Figure 3 As shown, this invention proposes a specific implementation scheme for a large-capacity communication management device. This scheme adopts a distributed message bus architecture based on the publish-subscribe pattern, which realizes efficient and decoupled data interaction between the core card and the extended sub-card.

[0098] The high-capacity communication management device adopts a modular design, mainly consisting of a main CPU card and multiple hot-swappable expansion sub-cards. These expansion sub-cards include CAN bus CPU cards, serial interface CPU cards, and network interface CPU cards. Each card runs an independent operating system and has a built-in complete publish-subscribe engine and publish-subscribe message bus, thereby constructing a distributed communication network. All cards interact efficiently with each other through the message bus. The main CPU card no longer undertakes all data relay tasks but acts as the "brain" of the system, focusing on global management, routing control, and providing higher-level services.

[0099] Taking the network interface CPU card as an example, the protocol container running within it is responsible for communicating with external network devices. This protocol container has multiple built-in protocol stacks, such as Modbus TCP and IEC 104. After parsing and converting the collected raw data into valid data, the network interface CPU card does not send it directly to the main CPU card. Instead, it uses its local publish-subscribe engine to publish the valid data as a message on its own publish-subscribe message bus, labeled with a specific topic.

[0100] Similarly, serial interface CPU cards communicate with external devices via serial port protocols, while CAN bus CPU cards are responsible for sending, receiving, and processing messages on the CAN network. These cards all act as independent data producers or consumers, publishing data or subscribing to control commands from the main CPU card via the local message bus.

[0101] The message bus on each expansion card is connected to the message bus of the main CPU card via a dedicated backplane, enabling cross-card message distribution. This design makes adding or changing the communication interface type extremely simple; just insert the corresponding expansion card and configure its subscription relationship, truly achieving "plug and play" and flexible expansion.

[0102] The main CPU card is the core of system management. Its internal mapping processor is responsible for loading and maintaining a global data mapping table, which defines the mapping relationship between the physical addresses and internal virtual addresses of all data points. The routing instruction controller generates routing policies based on these mapping relationships. For example, it might instruct the network interface CPU card to publish some data it has collected to the topic / data / temperature / 1, while simultaneously instructing the CAN bus CPU card to subscribe to that topic. These instructions are then distributed to the various expansion cards through the main CPU's publish-subscribe engine.

[0103] The ZeroMQ core, as a concrete implementation of a high-performance communication library, provides robust underlying support for the message bus. Its Quality of Service (QoS) three-level priority mechanism is crucial, allowing the system to assign different priorities to different types of messages. This ensures that critical control commands can be transmitted with minimal latency and maximum reliability, thus meeting the stringent real-time and reliability requirements of industrial communication.

[0104] The data upload process specifically includes: After a serial interface CPU card collects data, it publishes it through the local message bus. The main CPU card, having subscribed to all data topics, receives this data. The main CPU card's mapping processor processes it and, depending on routing rules, may need to forward it to another topic. The network interface CPU card, having subscribed to this forwarding topic, obtains the data and sends it to external devices through its network port.

[0105] The control delivery process specifically includes: an external device sending a control command through the network interface CPU card. This command is received by the network interface CPU card and published to the message bus. Both the master CPU card and the destination CPU card are subscribed to the control command topic, thus enabling them to receive and process the command simultaneously, achieving rapid response.

[0106] When the main CPU card experiences a brief malfunction, each extended sub-card can still continue to communicate directly through the message bus according to the local mapping configuration of the local storage, ensuring that some critical data exchanges are not interrupted.

[0107] This invention proposes a configuration method for a high-capacity communication management device. This method allows for centralized configuration via a main CPU card or independent configuration via various expansion sub-cards. The configuration tool employs a configuration utility that provides configuration views divided by sub-modules, with each view displaying the configurable parameters of the corresponding sub-module. The sub-modules include a core card group module and expansion card group modules. The core card group module includes a main CPU card module, a human-machine interface (MMI) card module, and a power management card module; the expansion card group module includes a network interface CPU card module, a serial interface CPU card module, and a CAN bus CPU card module.

[0108] The configuration information includes device interface configuration and data mapping configuration. Device interface configuration includes the interface parameters and data parsing rules for each expansion sub-card. The interface parameters for each expansion sub-card include baud rate, IP address, and port number. Data mapping rules define the correspondence between data points in the source expansion sub-card and the virtual mapping addresses in the destination expansion sub-card. Here, a data point refers to a unique logical identifier automatically assigned by the main CPU card based on the physical slot location of each expansion sub-card.

[0109] like Figure 4 As shown, another embodiment of the present invention provides a configuration method for a high-capacity communication management device. This configuration method employs a centralized configuration approach based on the main CPU card, and the specific steps include:

[0110] S41, configuration information is generated through the main CPU module in the configuration tool;

[0111] Furthermore, users can view the overall configuration data of the device in the configuration view of each submodule. When it is necessary to reference data from other expansion sub-cards, only a data mapping relationship needs to be established, without the need to migrate or merge the data itself, thus strictly maintaining the independence of the data of each expansion sub-card.

[0112] S42 downloads the configuration information to the main CPU card;

[0113] Furthermore, the data mapping configuration here is set to a global data mapping configuration, including the local data mapping configurations of all extended sub-cards.

[0114] S43, the main CPU card receives and parses the configuration information to obtain the device interface configuration and global data mapping configuration;

[0115] S44, the main CPU card sends the device interface configuration to each corresponding expansion sub-card; at the same time, the main CPU card extracts the local mapping configuration related to each expansion sub-card from the global data mapping configuration and sends it to each corresponding expansion sub-card for storage.

[0116] Furthermore, "related" is defined as the mapping configuration of this extension sub-card as a data source or data destination.

[0117] S45, each expansion sub-card loads its own device interface configuration and local mapping configuration, completes initialization, and feeds back the loading status to the main CPU card;

[0118] Furthermore, the loading status includes successful loading and loading failure.

[0119] S46: After confirming that all extended sub-cards have been loaded, the main CPU card establishes and maintains global data mapping logic based on the global data mapping configuration.

[0120] like Figure 5 As shown, another embodiment of the present invention provides a configuration method for a high-capacity communication management device. This configuration method adopts an independent configuration approach based on each expansion sub-card, and the specific steps include:

[0121] S51, configuration information is generated by configuring each extended sub-card module in the configuration tool;

[0122] S52 directly sends configuration information to each corresponding expansion sub-card;

[0123] Furthermore, the data mapping configuration here specifically corresponds to the local data mapping configuration of each extension sub-card.

[0124] S53, each expansion sub-card receives and stores its own device interface configuration and local mapping configuration, and synchronizes its own device interface configuration and local mapping configuration to the main CPU card;

[0125] S54, each expansion sub-card loads its own device interface configuration and local mapping configuration, completes initialization, and feeds back the loading status to the main CPU card;

[0126] S55: The main CPU card receives local mapping configurations from each extended sub-card and integrates them to form a global data mapping configuration.

[0127] S56: After confirming that all extended sub-cards have been loaded, the main CPU card establishes and maintains global data mapping logic based on the global data mapping configuration.

[0128] In some embodiments, the high-capacity communication management device is equipped with a main CPU card (model MC-8000), a human-machine interface (MMI) card (model MI-2000), a power management card (model MP-3000), two network port CPU cards (model EC-ETH-4000), three serial port CPU cards (model EC-RS485-2000), and a dedicated backplane (model BP-1000). This dedicated backplane has eight physical slots, numbered sequentially from Slot1 to Slot8, and features parallel communication and hot-swapping capabilities.

[0129] The main CPU card runs VxWorks 7. The Ethernet CPU card runs Linux RTOS with kernel version 5.10 and integrates the Preempt-RT Patch to ensure thread scheduling latency does not exceed 100 microseconds. The serial CPU card runs FreeRTOS version 10.4.3 with LWIP protocol stack version 2.1.3, supporting lightweight network communication.

[0130] When any expansion sub-card is inserted into slots 1 through 8 of the dedicated backplane, the dedicated backplane triggers the card to execute the initialization script: / opt / psx / auto_ip.sh via a hardware interrupt signal.

[0131] The main CPU card reads the physical slot number of the expansion sub-card via a dedicated backplane bus and dynamically assigns an IP address and a unique logical identifier to the expansion sub-card according to preset rules. The allocation results are shown in Table 2.

[0132] Table 2 shows the dynamic allocation results based on preset rules.

[0133] Slot1 AI001 192.168.10.1 / 24 Main CPU card Slot2 DI003 192.168.10.2 / 24 Network port CPU card 1 Slot3 AI005 192.168.10.3 / 24 Network port CPU card 2 Slot4 BI002 192.168.10.4 / 24 Serial port CPU card 1

[0134] ZeroMQ is used to implement distributed message interaction, and the specific deployment is as follows:

[0135] To start the proxy service with QoS guarantees, use the command: . / zmq_proxy-front tcp: / / *:5555-back tcp: / / *:5556-qos 2.

[0136] The network interface CPU card starts a subscription node and listens for control commands pushed by the main CPU card. The command is: zmq_sub-connect tcp: / / 192.168.10.1:5555-topic"PUB / ETH*".

[0137] The serial interface CPU card starts the publishing node and pushes serial port data to the message bus. The command is: zmq_pub-bind tcp: / / *:7777-topic"SUB / RS485".

[0138] The network interface CPU card receives raw data from external devices via Ethernet, parses it, and then publishes it to port 5555 of the main CPU card via zmq_pub. The command is: zmq_pub-connect tcp: / / 192.168.10.1:5555-topic"PUB / ETH / AI001"-data"23.5℃".

[0139] The main CPU card receives raw data via zmq_sub, performs data transformation according to the data mapping configuration generated by the configuration tool, and then pushes it to the target forwarding card via zmq_pub. The command is: zmq_pub-connect tcp: / / 192.168.10.1:5556-topic"PUB / RS485 / 0x1002"-data"23.5". The data mapping configuration is detailed in Table 3.

[0140] Table 3 Data Mapping Configuration

[0141]

[0142]

[0143] After the configuration information is generated, two synchronization paths are supported:

[0144] Centralized synchronization of main CPU cards:

[0145] Download the configuration information to the main CPU card with IP address 192.168.10.1;

[0146] After the main CPU card is parsed, the configuration information of the expansion sub-card is sent to the expansion sub-card with the corresponding IP address according to the physical slot number;

[0147] After the expansion sub-card is loaded, it sends an "OK" or "FAIL" loading status to the main CPU card.

[0148] Independent synchronization of extended sub-cards: Directly send configuration information to the specified extended sub-card, such as network interface CPU card 2 with IP address 192.168.10.3;

[0149] After the extended sub-card is loaded, its configuration information and loading status will be automatically synchronized to the main CPU card.

[0150] The main CPU card integrates the configuration information of all extended sub-cards and updates the global data mapping configuration.

[0151] A configuration method for a high-capacity communication management device also includes a redundancy fault-tolerant mechanism:

[0152] When the main CPU card malfunctions, each extended sub-card, based on its local storage mapping configuration, directly publishes and subscribes data to other extended sub-cards via the publish-subscribe message bus, autonomously completing data interaction.

[0153] like Figure 6 The diagram illustrates the specific implementation steps of the redundancy fault-tolerance mechanism in this embodiment of the invention, including:

[0154] S61, each expansion sub-card monitors the heartbeat signal of the main CPU card in real time;

[0155] Furthermore, after each expansion sub-card starts up, it listens in real time to the heartbeat signal periodically sent by the main CPU card through the underlying communication channel of the dedicated backplane. At the same time, each expansion sub-card maintains a heartbeat signal receiving buffer locally, recording the timestamp of each received heartbeat signal. This heartbeat signal is a fixed-format status frame, containing the main CPU card's running status code and data processing progress. Its sending cycle can be configured through the configuration tool, with a default value of 1 second / cycle.

[0156] S62, if the main CPU card heartbeat is normal, each expansion sub-card continues to work collaboratively through the main CPU card; if the main CPU card heartbeat signal loss exceeds a preset threshold, the main CPU card is determined to be abnormal.

[0157] Furthermore, the preset threshold needs to be configured according to the on-site reliability requirements. In a typical embodiment, the preset threshold is 3 cycles.

[0158] S63, when any expansion sub-card determines that the main CPU card is abnormal, it broadcasts the message "main CPU card is abnormal" to other expansion sub-cards through the publish-subscribe message bus;

[0159] S64: When other extended sub-cards receive this message, they initiate data publishing and subscription directly through the publish-subscribe message bus according to the local mapping relationship stored locally.

[0160] Furthermore, the local mapping relationship is pre-deployed by the main CPU card when it is functioning normally or downloaded directly from the configuration tool, and includes the virtual mapping address of the source expansion sub-card data point and the destination expansion sub-card.

[0161] In some embodiments, the expansion daughter card pushes anomaly information from the main CPU to the human-machine interface (MMI) card of the core card group via a dedicated backplane. Upon receiving the information, the MMI card displays the fault information through the human-machine interface in the form of audible and visual alarms and text pop-ups, and records an alarm log to notify maintenance personnel to promptly investigate the anomaly of the main CPU card. The anomaly information of the main CPU card includes the anomaly determination time, trigger threshold, and the current operating mode of the expansion daughter card. The human-machine interface device connected to the MMI can be a local display screen or a remote web interface. The alarm log contains a traceable timestamp and anomaly code.

[0162] In summary, this invention constructs a communication management device integrating high capacity, high reliability, scalability, and convenient operation and maintenance, improving the overall performance and engineering applicability of power communication systems. Specifically, in terms of hardware architecture, a distributed design with multiple expansion daughter cards operating in parallel is adopted, providing independent access channels for external devices with different interface types. Each expansion daughter card creates an independent thread and process for the external device, realizing full acquisition and efficient forwarding of large-scale measurement point data, fundamentally solving the problem of insufficient access capacity in traditional communication management devices. In addition, the hot-swappable expansion daughter cards, in conjunction with a dedicated high-speed backplane, allow for the addition or replacement of device interface types without system downtime, and support the addition or reduction of the number of expansion cards as needed, flexibly adapting to the device access requirements in different scenarios, thereby improving the device's functional scalability. In terms of configuration and operation and maintenance, this invention provides modular configuration tools, supporting centralized setting of parameters such as interface parameters and data parsing rules. The operation is intuitive and easy to use. Combined with automatic addressing and one-click download functions, configuration information can be automatically distributed from the main CPU to each expansion daughter card, eliminating the need for manual configuration of each card, improving engineering efficiency, and reducing reliance on professional skills. Simultaneously, it supports independent configuration of each expansion sub-card, providing flexible configuration methods. Each expansion sub-card is equipped with an independent network debugging interface, allowing maintenance personnel to monitor message data, device operating status parameters, and performance indicators in real time, enabling rapid fault location. The Human-Machine Interface (MMI) card provides a graphical interface, comprehensively displaying the overall machine operating status, reducing on-site troubleshooting workload, shortening fault repair time, and lowering maintenance costs. Regarding system reliability, the Power management card adopts a dual-power redundant hot standby design to avoid system interruption due to single-power failure. When the main CPU card malfunctions, each expansion sub-card can autonomously interact with cross-card data through a publish-subscribe message bus based on locally stored local mapping relationships, ensuring uninterrupted critical data communication and improving device availability. Furthermore, this invention combines physical isolation with logical filtering to purify the network environment within the station, achieving effective isolation between the network of the device to be connected and the main station network. Through a data mapping configuration mechanism, it precisely defines cross-card data reference paths, achieving refined management and efficient forwarding of data flows, avoiding invalid data transmission, and ensuring the accuracy and real-time performance of communication.

[0163] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various variations or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application, and these should all be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A high-capacity communication management device, characterized in that, The device includes: The core card group consists of the main CPU card, the human-machine interface (MMI) card, and the power management card. An expansion card group includes at least one hot-swappable expansion sub-card; the expansion sub-card is a network interface CPU card, and / or a serial interface CPU card, and / or a CAN bus CPU card. A dedicated backplane is used for the physical connection and data transmission between the core card group and the expansion card group. Each slot on the dedicated backplane adopts a three-level contact gold finger structure. The first level is the longest gold finger, which needs to be connected to a 3.3V / 5V isolated power supply. The second level is connected to the control bus. The third level is connected to the data bus. The third level is only connected to the data bus after the power supply is stable and the card identification is completed. The main CPU card and each expansion sub-card run independent operating systems, and each expansion sub-card independently deploys a publish-subscribe message bus. The message bus on each expansion sub-card is connected to the message bus of the main CPU card through a dedicated backplane. The publish-subscribe message bus running on the main CPU card is used to collect and forward the data published by each expansion sub-card. Each of the extended sub-cards is configured such that when the main CPU card malfunctions, each extended sub-card, based on its local storage mapping configuration, directly publishes and subscribes data to other extended sub-cards via the publish-subscribe message bus, autonomously completing data interaction.

2. The high-capacity communication management device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dedicated backplane supports hot-swapping and parallel communication; the power management card adopts a dual-power redundant hot-standby design.

3. The high-capacity communication management device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The extended sub-card runs an independent network programming interface and creates an independent thread or process for each external device that is accessed or forwarded.

4. The high-capacity communication management device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the expansion sub-cards is equipped with an independent network debugging interface, which allows external computers to access and monitor the message data, operating status parameters, and performance indicators of the expansion sub-card in real time.

5. A high-capacity communication management device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The data stream operation mode of the device is as follows: As an extension sub-card of the data access card, it publishes the parsed valid data that conforms to the preset data format and verification rules to the publish-subscribe message bus, and subscribes to the overall operating status information of the device published by the main CPU card; As an extension sub-card of the data forwarding card, it subscribes to the data to be forwarded and the overall operating status information of the device published by the main CPU card; the main CPU card subscribes to the valid data published by each access card, and publishes the overall operating status information of the device and the data to be forwarded.

6. A high-capacity communication management device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main CPU card automatically assigns a unique logical identifier and IP address to each expansion sub-card based on the physical slot location of each expansion sub-card; the logical identifier corresponds one-to-one with the physical slot location.

7. A configuration method for a high-capacity communication management device as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The configuration method includes: Configuration information is generated through a configuration tool; the configuration tool provides configuration views divided by sub-modules, and each configuration view displays the configurable parameters of that sub-module; the configuration information includes device interface configuration and data mapping configuration; the device interface configuration is the interface parameters and data parsing rules corresponding to each expansion sub-card; the data mapping configuration defines the correspondence between data points in the source expansion sub-card and the virtual mapping addresses in the destination expansion sub-card; If the configuration information is configured through the main CPU module in the configuration tool, the configuration information will be sent to each expansion sub-card via the main CPU card. After each expansion sub-card is loaded, it will feed back the loading status to the main CPU card. The data mapping configuration is a global data mapping configuration; the step of sending the configuration information to each extended sub-card via the main CPU card, and each extended sub-card feeding back its loading status to the main CPU card after loading, includes: Download the configuration information to the main CPU card; The main CPU card receives and parses the configuration information to obtain the device interface configuration and global data mapping configuration. The main CPU card distributes the device interface configuration to each corresponding expansion sub-card; at the same time, the main CPU card extracts the local mapping configuration related to each expansion sub-card from the global data mapping configuration and distributes it to each corresponding expansion sub-card for storage; each expansion sub-card loads its own device interface configuration and local mapping configuration, completes initialization, and feeds back the loading status to the main CPU card; If the configuration information is configured through the modules of each expansion sub-card in the configuration tool, the configuration information will be directly sent to each corresponding expansion sub-card. After each expansion sub-card is loaded, the configuration information and loading status will be synchronized to the main CPU card. The data mapping configuration is a local mapping configuration corresponding to each expansion sub-card; the step of directly sending the configuration information to each corresponding expansion sub-card, and synchronizing the configuration information and loading status to the main CPU card after each expansion sub-card is loaded includes: The configuration information is directly sent to each corresponding expansion sub-card; Each expansion sub-card receives and stores its own device interface configuration and local mapping configuration, and synchronizes its own device interface configuration and local mapping configuration to the main CPU card; Each expansion sub-card loads its own device interface configuration and local mapping configuration, completes initialization, and feeds back the loading status to the main CPU card. The main CPU card receives local mapping configurations from each extended sub-card and integrates them to form a global data mapping configuration; After confirming that all extended sub-cards have been loaded, the main CPU card establishes and maintains global data mapping logic based on the global data mapping configuration.

8. The configuration method of a large-capacity communication management device according to claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes redundancy and fault tolerance mechanisms: When the main CPU card malfunctions, each extended sub-card, based on its local storage mapping configuration, directly publishes and subscribes data to other extended sub-cards via the publish-subscribe message bus, autonomously completing data interaction. The specific implementation steps of the redundancy fault tolerance mechanism include: Each expansion sub-card monitors the heartbeat signal of the main CPU card in real time. If the main CPU card heartbeat is normal, each expansion sub-card continues to work collaboratively through the main CPU card; if the main CPU card heartbeat signal loss exceeds a preset threshold, the main CPU card is determined to be abnormal. When any expansion sub-card determines that the main CPU card is abnormal, it broadcasts the message "main CPU card is abnormal" to other expansion sub-cards through the publish-subscribe message bus; When other extended sub-cards receive the message, they initiate data publishing and subscription directly through the publish-subscribe message bus based on the local mapping relationship stored locally.

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