Traffic scheduling method for EPL-TSN heterogeneous convergence network and TSN controller, and TSN controller
By setting macro scheduling period and packet scheduling period in the EPL-TSN network, the data packets are ensured to have an immediate scheduling opportunity in the TSN network, which solves the latency jitter problem caused by EPL network jitter and achieves deterministic transmission and resource saving.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511851362.6
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-13
AI Technical Summary
In the convergence of EPL and TSN networks, the transmission jitter of the EPL network causes the arrival time of data packets in the TSN network to be uncertain, which may cause the transmission time slot to be missed, resulting in a delay jitter of up to one scheduling cycle. Existing technologies are unable to accurately estimate the worst-case delay and meet the end-to-end delay requirements of traffic.
The macro scheduling cycle of the Internet gateway is set by the TSN controller, the macro transmission time slots are divided, and the data packet transmission time slots are set in the data packet scheduling cycle. This ensures that the Internet gateway sends polling response data packets in the next nearest time slot and waits at the access TSN switch for a set time. The sum of the waiting time and the data packet dwell time is the length of the data packet scheduling cycle.
It achieves fast and end-to-end deterministic transmission of EPL traffic, reduces latency jitter, eliminates the problem of data packets waiting for the next cycle due to missing the current time slot, and breaks through the deterministic bottleneck of EPL network.
Smart Images
Figure CN121664741A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of deterministic transmission technology for heterogeneous networks, specifically to a traffic scheduling method for an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network and a TSN controller, as well as the TSN controller itself. Background Technology
[0002] The convergence of EPL (Ethernet Powerlink) and TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking) is a crucial path to achieving deterministic communication and deep integration of heterogeneous networks in the Industrial Internet. EPL networks, built on top of standard Ethernet, utilize centralized scheduling and polling mechanisms at the application layer to construct core capabilities for hard real-time communication. TSN networks, originating from the IEEE 802.1 standard at the data link layer, rely on a time-aware shaper-based scheduling mechanism and network-wide synchronization to provide end-to-end deterministic latency guarantees for critical data traffic.
[0003] Under ideal conditions, consider a data packet sent from an EPL network to a TSN domain: it occupies a fixed transmission slot during the EPL network's polling cycle and is similarly scheduled within a dedicated time window of the TSN network's scheduling cycle. When the clocks of both networks are perfectly synchronized and there is no jitter within the EPL network, the end-to-end transmission delay of this data packet is deterministic.
[0004] However, the current EPL-TSN network traffic has the following problems in actual transmission: due to the transmission jitter of EPL network nodes, the time when EPL data packets arrive at the TSN network for transmission is uncertain. If the transmission time slot allocated to it by the TSN network is missed, it can only wait for the next transmission time slot, which causes a delay jitter of up to one scheduling cycle.
[0005] In the existing traffic scheduling of EPL and TSN converged networks, the common practice is to estimate the worst-case latency of traffic in the EPL network, reserve transmission resources in the TSN network according to the worst-case latency of the EPL network, and then access the TSN network according to the worst-case latency. This approach has the following two problems: (1) the worst-case latency is difficult to estimate; (2) it may be difficult to meet the end-to-end latency requirements of traffic based on the worst-case latency. Therefore, it is urgent to design a new cross-domain traffic scheduling mechanism that can effectively solve the latency jitter in the TSN domain caused by the access of the EPL network, while also meeting the end-to-end latency requirements of traffic. Summary of the Invention
[0006] To address the problems in the related technologies, this disclosure provides a traffic scheduling method for an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network and a TSN controller, as well as a TSN controller.
[0007] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides a traffic scheduling method for an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network. The EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network includes an EPL network and a TSN network connected via an Internet gateway. The EPL network includes a master communication node and multiple controlled communication nodes controlled by the master communication node. The TSN network includes a TSN controller and at least one access TSN switch. The Internet gateway connects the master communication node and the access TSN switch. The method includes: The TSN controller sets the macro scheduling period of the Internet gateway, and sets macro transmission time slots for transmitting multiple polling response data packets within the macro scheduling period. The multiple polling response data packets are data packets that the multiple controlled communication nodes sequentially return after receiving the polling signal sent by the master control communication node according to the corresponding polling time. The macro transmission time slots are divided to obtain multiple data packet scheduling periods. Data packet transmission time slots for transmitting the polling response data packets are set within the data packet scheduling period. For each polling response packet, after receiving the polling response packet, the Internet gateway sends the polling response packet to the corresponding access TSN switch in the next nearest packet transmission time slot; After receiving the polling response data packet, the corresponding access TSN switch controls the polling response data packet to wait for a set waiting time before sending it; wherein, the sum of the set waiting time and the residence time of the polling response data packet in the Internet gateway is the length of the data packet scheduling period.
[0008] According to embodiments of this disclosure, for each controlled communication node, after receiving a polling signal sent by the master control communication node, the controlled communication node sends a polling response data packet back to the master control communication node; the master control communication node then sends the received polling response data packet to the Internet gateway.
[0009] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes: achieving time synchronization between the TSN network and the master communication node through the Internet gateway, including: A TSN time base is established in the TSN network based on the gPTP protocol; The Internet gateway acts as a gPTP slave clock of the TSN network, and achieves time synchronization with the TSN network based on the TSN time base; The Internet gateway acts as the PTP master clock of the EPL network, synchronizing time with the master control communication node.
[0010] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: the master control communication node generating an EPL polling schedule table based on the TSN time base, wherein the EPL polling schedule table includes a polling start time, a polling period, and a polling time for each controlled communication node; The master communication node controls the multiple controlled communication nodes based on the EPL polling schedule table.
[0011] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the master communication node controls the plurality of controlled communication nodes based on the EPL polling schedule table, including: The master control communication node broadcasts a period start signal at the polling start time, and the period start signal carries a frame transmission timestamp; each of the plurality of controlled communication nodes adjusts its local clock according to the frame arrival timestamp and the frame transmission timestamp of the received period start signal to achieve time synchronization with the master control communication node; The master control communication node sends a polling signal to the corresponding controlled communication node at the polling time; after receiving the corresponding polling signal, the controlled communication node sends back the corresponding polling response data packet.
[0012] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes: The master control communication node broadcasts a polling signal to the plurality of controlled communication nodes at the polling time, and the polling signal carries the destination MAC address; the plurality of controlled communication nodes identify the destination MAC address and compare the identified destination MAC address with their own MAC address; the controlled communication node with the matching MAC address sends back a polling response data packet; or The master control communication node directly sends a polling signal to the corresponding controlled communication node at the polling time; after receiving the polling signal, the corresponding controlled communication node sends back a polling response data packet.
[0013] According to embodiments of this disclosure: The start time of the macro transmission time slot is the estimated arrival time of the period start signal sent by the master communication node to the Internet gateway; The end time of the macro transmission time slot is the closing time of the nearest data packet transmission time slot that sends the specified polling response data packet; the specified polling response data packet is the polling response data packet returned by the controlled communication node corresponding to the last polling time.
[0014] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, setting the macro scheduling period of the Internet gateway includes: the TSN controller setting the macro scheduling period according to the polling period, wherein the length of the macro scheduling period is a first predetermined time interval between the arrival of the start signal of the adjacent period at the corresponding access TSN switch.
[0015] According to embodiments of this disclosure, dividing the macro transmission time slot includes: The TSN controller divides the macro transmission time slots according to a set time period to obtain the multiple data packet scheduling periods; the length of the data packet scheduling period is less than a second set time interval between adjacent polling response data packets arriving at the Internet gateway.
[0016] Secondly, this disclosure provides a traffic scheduling method for a TSN controller. The TSN network where the TSN controller resides is located in an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network. The EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network further includes an EPL network connected to the TSN network via an Internet gateway. The EPL network includes a master control communication node and multiple controlled communication nodes controlled by the master control communication node. The TSN network further includes at least one access TSN switch. The Internet gateway connects the master control communication node and the access TSN switch. The method includes: The macro scheduling period of the Internet gateway is set, and a macro transmission time slot for transmitting multiple polling response data packets is set in the macro scheduling period; the macro transmission time slot is divided to obtain multiple data packet scheduling periods, and a data packet transmission time slot for transmitting the polling response data packets is set in the data packet scheduling period; wherein, the multiple polling response data packets are data packets that the multiple controlled communication nodes sequentially return after receiving the polling signal sent by the master control communication node according to the corresponding polling time; After receiving the polling response data packet, the Internet gateway sends the polling response data packet to the corresponding access TSN switch in the next nearest data packet transmission time slot; after receiving the polling response data packet, the corresponding access TSN switch controls the polling response data packet to wait for a set waiting time before sending it; the sum of the set waiting time and the residence time of the polling response data packet in the Internet gateway is the length of the data packet scheduling period.
[0017] According to embodiments of this disclosure, dividing the macro transmission time slot includes: The macro transmission time slots are divided according to a set time period to obtain the multiple data packet scheduling periods; the length of the data packet scheduling period is less than the estimated time interval between two adjacent polling response data packets arriving at the Internet gateway.
[0018] According to embodiments of this disclosure: The start time of the macro transmission time slot is the estimated arrival time of the period start signal sent by the master communication node to the Internet gateway; The end time of the macro transmission time slot is the closing time of the nearest data packet transmission time slot that sends the specified polling response data packet; the specified polling response data packet is the polling response data packet returned by the controlled communication node corresponding to the last polling time.
[0019] Thirdly, this disclosure provides a TSN controller, wherein the TSN network in which the TSN controller resides is set in an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network. The EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network further includes an EPL network connected to the TSN network via an Internet gateway. The EPL network includes a master control communication node and multiple controlled communication nodes controlled by the master control communication node. The TSN network further includes at least one access TSN switch. The Internet gateway connects the master control communication node and the access TSN switch. The TSN controller includes: The setting module is configured to set the macro scheduling period of the Internet gateway, and in the macro scheduling period, set the macro transmission time slot for transmitting multiple polling response data packets; The partitioning module is configured to partition the macro transmission time slots to obtain multiple data packet scheduling periods, and to set data packet transmission time slots for transmitting the polling response data packets in the data packet scheduling periods; wherein, the multiple polling response data packets are data packets that the multiple controlled communication nodes sequentially transmit back after receiving the polling signal sent by the master control communication node according to the corresponding polling time. After receiving the polling response data packet, the Internet gateway sends the polling response data packet to the corresponding access TSN switch in the next nearest data packet transmission time slot; after receiving the polling response data packet, the corresponding access TSN switch controls the polling response data packet to wait for a set waiting time before sending it; the sum of the set waiting time and the residence time of the polling response data packet in the Internet gateway is the length of the data packet scheduling period.
[0020] According to embodiments of this disclosure, dividing the macro transmission time slot includes: The macro transmission time slots are divided according to a set time period to obtain the multiple data packet scheduling periods; the length of the data packet scheduling period is less than the estimated time interval between two adjacent polling response data packets arriving at the Internet gateway.
[0021] According to embodiments of this disclosure: The start time of the macro transmission time slot is the estimated arrival time of the period start signal sent by the master communication node to the Internet gateway; The end time of the macro transmission time slot is the closing time of the nearest data packet transmission time slot that sends the specified polling response data packet; the specified polling response data packet is the polling response data packet returned by the controlled communication node corresponding to the last polling time.
[0022] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, characterized in that the computer instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the method as described in any of the second aspects.
[0023] Fifthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer program product including computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method as described in any of the second aspects.
[0024] According to the technical solution of this disclosure, a macro scheduling period for the Internet gateway is set using a TSN controller. Within this macro scheduling period, a macro transmission time slot is set, and the macro transmission time slot is further divided to obtain multiple data packet scheduling periods. Within each data packet scheduling period, a data packet transmission time slot is set. After the Internet gateway receives a polling response data packet, it sends it to the corresponding access TSN switch in the next nearest data packet transmission time slot. Upon receiving the polling response data packet, the access TSN switch controls the polling response data packet to wait for a set waiting time before sending it. The sum of the set waiting time and the dwell time of the polling response data packet in the Internet gateway is the length of the data packet scheduling period.
[0025] This disclosure, based on the macro scheduling period obtained from the first partitioning, performs a second time slot division on the macro transmission time slot, that is, divides the macro transmission time slot in the macro scheduling period into multiple data packet scheduling periods. This allows data packets in the EPL network to be transmitted using data packet transmission time slots with smaller time slots, thereby expanding the transmission opportunity from the existing fixed transmission window to a dense sequence of time windows. This allows data packets to be sent out in a shorter time after arrival, and while ensuring end-to-end deterministic transmission, it significantly reduces latency jitter, solving the problem of EPL data packets being forced to wait for the next time slot due to missing the current transmission time slot. This eliminates the latency jitter of up to one polling cycle, breaking through the existing deterministic bottleneck of the EPL network.
[0026] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description
[0027] Other features, objects, and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1A flowchart illustrating a traffic scheduling method for an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 This diagram illustrates the structure of an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network used in the traffic scheduling method of this embodiment. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of another EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network structure is shown for the traffic scheduling method of this embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a timing diagram of the traffic scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network. Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a traffic scheduling method for a TSN controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 6 A structural diagram of a TSN controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation
[0028] In the following, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings to enable those skilled in the art to readily implement them. Furthermore, for clarity, portions unrelated to the description of exemplary embodiments have been omitted from the drawings.
[0029] In this disclosure, it should be understood that terms such as “comprising” or “having” are intended to indicate the presence of features, figures, steps, behaviors, components, parts or combinations thereof disclosed in this specification, and are not intended to exclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, figures, steps, behaviors, components, parts or combinations thereof.
[0030] It should also be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this disclosure can be combined with each other. This disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.
[0031] In this disclosure, any operation involving the acquisition of user information or user data, or the display of user information or user data to others, is an operation authorized or confirmed by the user, or actively selected by the user.
[0032] As mentioned earlier, the convergence of EPL and TSN networks is a key path to promoting the deep integration of deterministic communication and heterogeneous networks in the Industrial Internet. Their "time-triggered" design philosophy is highly compatible, laying a solid foundation for cross-domain collaboration. By treating the EPL network as a logical whole and mapping its periodic real-time traffic to specific time gating in the TSN Qbv scheduler, seamless integration and collaborative traffic scheduling between the EPL and TSN domains can be achieved. Based on this, a unified network infrastructure can be built that retains the high-performance advantages of EPL in motion control while also possessing the large-scale heterogeneous network interoperability capabilities of TSN, thus providing higher deterministic and scalable communication support for industrial scenarios.
[0033] The inventors noted that the converged network of EPL and TSN includes traffic in two directions. For traffic from TSN to EPL, since the EPL network is a master-slave scheduling system, it is only valid within its own network domain. Its determinism lies in its periodic polling behavior, rather than the absolute time when the data packet enters the network. Therefore, traffic transmitted from the TSN network can be transmitted using the EPL network's polling mechanism after it arrives, without encountering the limitation of time-triggered transmission.
[0034] Therefore, the main challenge facing EPL networks when integrating with TSN networks lies in the fact that traffic from the EPL network to the TSN network relies on a polling scheduler for time-triggered transmission. This causes transmission jitter in the master communication node and even all communication devices (such as hubs or switches) along the transmission path. This uncertainty originating from within the EPL network makes it impossible for EPL traffic to meet the stringent time accuracy requirements of the TSN network, resulting in cross-network transmission failures or latency jitter issues of up to one polling cycle.
[0035] This disclosure provides a traffic scheduling method for an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network. The EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network includes an EPL network and a TSN network connected by an Internet gateway. The EPL network includes a master communication node and multiple controlled communication nodes controlled by the master communication node. The TSN network includes a TSN controller and at least one access TSN switch. The Internet gateway connects the master communication node and the access TSN switch. The method includes: The TSN controller sets a macro scheduling period for the Internet gateway, and sets macro transmission time slots for transmitting multiple polling response data packets within the macro scheduling period. These multiple polling response data packets are data packets sequentially returned by the multiple controlled communication nodes after receiving polling signals sent by the master control communication node according to their respective polling times. The macro transmission time slots are divided to obtain multiple data packet scheduling periods. Data packet transmission time slots for transmitting the polling response data packets are set within each data packet scheduling period. For each polling response data packet, after receiving it, the Internet gateway sends the polling response data packet to the corresponding access TSN switch in the next nearest data packet transmission time slot. After receiving the polling response data packet, the corresponding access TSN switch controls the polling response data packet to wait for a set waiting time before sending it. The sum of the set waiting time and the dwell time of the polling response data packet in the Internet gateway is the length of the data packet scheduling period.
[0036] This disclosure not only enables fast transmission of EPL traffic, but also effectively overcomes the problem in EPL networks where data packets must wait for the next cycle due to missing the current transmission slot, while ensuring end-to-end deterministic transmission. By guaranteeing that data packets always have an immediate scheduling opportunity upon arrival, deterministic transmission is ensured, and the upper limit of latency jitter is reduced from a full polling cycle to a low level.
[0037] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a traffic scheduling method for an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the method includes steps S101 to S103: In this disclosure, the EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network includes an EPL network and a TSN network connected by an Internet gateway. The EPL network includes a master communication node and multiple controlled communication nodes controlled by the master communication node. The TSN network includes a TSN controller and at least one access TSN switch. The Internet gateway connects the master communication node and the access TSN switch.
[0038] The Internet gateway, serving as the physical interface connecting the EPL network segment and the TSN network segment, is a time-triggered EPL-TSN converged gateway. For example, it could be a TSN gateway that supports the EPL protocol.
[0039] Specifically, achieving time synchronization between the TSN network and the master communication node through the Internet gateway includes: establishing a TSN time base based on the gPTP protocol in the TSN network; the Internet gateway acting as a gPTP slave clock of the TSN network, achieving time synchronization with the TSN network based on the TSN time base; and the Internet gateway acting as a PTP master clock of the EPL network, achieving time synchronization with the master communication node.
[0040] In one specific embodiment, all TSN devices (TSN switches, TSN servers, TSN terminals, etc.) in the TSN network run the gPTP protocol and select one TSN device as the TSN reference clock source. The TSN reference clock source periodically sends Sync and Follow_Up messages (containing precise timestamps). After receiving these two messages, each TSN device adjusts its own time to synchronize with the upstream clock source, and then forwards the received messages to downstream devices to realize the transmission of synchronization information, thereby establishing a unified TSN time reference in the TSN network.
[0041] The Internet gateway acts as a gPTP slave clock of the TSN network, achieving time synchronization with the TSN network based on the gPTP protocol, that is, achieving time synchronization with the TSN reference clock source. At the same time, the Internet gateway acts as a PTP master clock of the EPL network, sending clock synchronization messages to the master control communication node. The master control communication node corrects its own time according to the received clock synchronization messages, thereby achieving time synchronization with the Internet gateway.
[0042] Multiple controlled communication nodes, under the control of the master communication node, achieve time synchronization with the master communication node. Ultimately, this achieves network-wide time synchronization in the EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network.
[0043] The following is combined Figure 2 and Figure 3 The EPL-TSN heterogeneous fusion network is explained as follows: Figure 2 This diagram illustrates the structure of an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network used in the traffic scheduling method of this embodiment. Figure 3 This diagram illustrates the structure of another EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network used in the traffic scheduling method of this embodiment; those skilled in the art should understand that... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The examples shown are merely two specific implementations of the application scenarios of this disclosure and should not be used as technical means to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. This disclosure can also be applied to EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged networks with other structures.
[0044] exist Figure 2In the example shown, the EPL network includes a master communication node and controlled communication nodes 1 to N. The master communication node is connected to the controlled communication nodes 1 to N through hubs 1 to N respectively. The TSN network includes a TSN controller, access TSN switches, TSN switch 1, TSN switch 2, TSN server, and TSN terminals. The master communication node and access TSN switches are connected through an Internet gateway to realize the convergence of heterogeneous networks. The TSN controller controls the Internet gateway, access TSN switches, TSN switch 1, and TSN switch 2 to realize the control of deterministic transmission.
[0045] exist Figure 3 In the example shown, the EPL network includes a master communication node and controlled communication nodes 1 to N. The master communication node is connected to the controlled communication nodes 1 to N through an Ethernet switch. The TSN network includes a TSN controller, access TSN switch 1, access TSN switch 2, a TSN switch, a TSN server, and a TSN terminal. The master communication node and access TSN switches 1 and 2 are connected through an Internet gateway to achieve the convergence of heterogeneous networks. The TSN controller controls the Internet gateway, access TSN switch 1, access TSN switch 2, and the TSN switch to achieve deterministic transmission control.
[0046] In step S101, the TSN controller sets the macro scheduling period of the Internet gateway, and sets macro transmission time slots for transmitting multiple polling response data packets within the macro scheduling period. The multiple polling response data packets are data packets that the multiple controlled communication nodes sequentially return after receiving the polling signal sent by the master control communication node according to the corresponding polling time. The macro transmission time slots are divided to obtain multiple data packet scheduling periods. Data packet transmission time slots for transmitting the polling response data packets are set within the data packet scheduling period.
[0047] Specifically, for each controlled communication node, after receiving the polling signal sent by the master control communication node, the controlled communication node sends back a polling response data packet to the master control communication node; the master control communication node then sends the received polling response data packet to the Internet gateway.
[0048] That is, the polling response data packets received by the Internet gateway are obtained by forwarding the polling response data packets returned by the controlled communication nodes after the master control communication node receives them.
[0049] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the master control communication node generates an EPL polling schedule based on the TSN time base. The EPL polling schedule includes a polling start time, a polling period, and a polling time for each controlled communication node. The master control communication node controls the plurality of controlled communication nodes based on the EPL polling schedule.
[0050] In detail, after the master communication node achieves time synchronization with the TSN network (TSN reference clock source), it generates an EPL polling schedule based on the synchronized time. It is known that the EPL polling schedule is the core mechanism for achieving deterministic real-time communication in the EPL network. Essentially, it is a time-triggered communication schedule maintained and executed by the master communication node, specifying the polling period (communication period) and, within a polling period (communication period), at what time the master communication node triggers access to the controlled communication node.
[0051] For example, if an EPL network includes a master communication node and two controlled communication nodes, then the EPL polling schedule table includes the polling start time, the polling period, and the polling time of the first controlled communication node and the polling time of the second controlled communication node.
[0052] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the master control communication node controls the plurality of controlled communication nodes based on the EPL polling schedule table, including: the master control communication node broadcasting a period start signal at the polling start time, the period start signal carrying a frame transmission timestamp; each of the plurality of controlled communication nodes adjusting its local clock according to the frame arrival timestamp and the frame transmission timestamp of the received period start signal to achieve time synchronization with the master control communication node; the master control communication node sending a polling signal to the corresponding controlled communication node at the polling time; and the controlled communication node sending back a corresponding polling response data packet after receiving the corresponding polling signal.
[0053] That is, at the start of the polling, the master communication node broadcasts a cycle start signal (SoC frame) to each controlled communication node and carries a transmission timestamp in the cycle start signal, so that the controlled communication node can adjust its own time according to the timestamp carried in the cycle start signal, thereby achieving time synchronization with the master communication node.
[0054] At the polling time of each controlled communication node, the master communication node sends a polling signal (PReq frame) to the corresponding controlled communication node, that is, "calls out" the controlled communication node; after receiving it, the corresponding controlled communication node replies with a polling response data packet (Pres frame), which is forwarded to the Internet gateway by the master communication node, and deterministic transmission is achieved in the TSN network based on the Internet gateway.
[0055] In this disclosure, the master communication node sends polling signals (PReq frames) to the corresponding controlled communication nodes in the following two ways: In the first method, the master control communication node broadcasts a polling signal to the plurality of controlled communication nodes at the polling time, and the polling signal carries a destination MAC address; the plurality of controlled communication nodes identify the destination MAC address and compare the identified destination MAC address with their own MAC address; the controlled communication node with the matching MAC address sends back a polling response data packet.
[0056] In the second method, the master control communication node directly sends a polling signal to the corresponding controlled communication node at the polling time; after receiving the polling signal, the corresponding controlled communication node sends back a polling response data packet.
[0057] For example, in the EPL network, if the master communication node is connected to the corresponding controlled communication node via a hub, then the first method can be used to send a corresponding polling signal to each controlled communication node; if in the EPL network, the master communication node is connected to the corresponding controlled communication node via an Ethernet switch, then the second method can be used to send a corresponding polling signal to each controlled communication node. This disclosure does not impose any limitations in this regard.
[0058] In step S102, for each polling response data packet, after receiving the polling response data packet, the Internet gateway sends the polling response data packet to the corresponding access TSN switch in the next nearest data packet transmission time slot.
[0059] Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a timing diagram of the traffic scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network.
[0060] like Figure 4 As shown, in this EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network, the EPL network includes a master communication node and two controlled communication nodes, and the TSN network includes an access TSN switch; t1 is the polling start time of a polling cycle, t2 is the polling time of controlled communication node 1 within this polling cycle, t3 is the polling time of controlled communication node 2 within this polling cycle, and in the Internet gateway, each T i The interval between these intervals constitutes one data packet scheduling cycle; Furthermore, assuming that in the Internet gateway, the down arrow represents the opening time and the up arrow represents the closing time (such that adjacent up and down arrows form a closing time slot, and adjacent down and up arrows form an opening time slot), and that after the controlled communication node 1 receives the polling signal sent by the master communication node, the returned polling response data packet 1 arrives at the Internet gateway at time t4, then the next nearest data packet transmission time slot for this polling response data packet is T4-t5; after the controlled communication node 2 receives the polling signal sent by the master communication node, the returned polling response data packet 1 arrives at the Internet gateway at time t5, then the next nearest data packet transmission time slot for this polling response data packet is T5-t6.
[0061] In step S103, after receiving the polling response data packet, the corresponding access TSN switch controls the polling response data packet to wait for a set waiting time before sending it; wherein, the sum of the set waiting time and the dwell time of the polling response data packet in the Internet gateway is the length of the data packet scheduling period.
[0062] Again Figure 4 The example shown illustrates this. Assume that the data packet scheduling period between each Ti is m. The polling response data packet 1 sent back by the controlled communication node 1 arrives at the Internet gateway at time t4, and waits at the Internet gateway until time T4 before being sent to the corresponding access TSN switch. Then, the set waiting time for the polling response data packet 1 at the access TSN switch is m-(T4-t4). That is, the delay of the polling response data packet 1 at the Internet gateway is T4-t4, and the delay at the access TSN switch is m-(T4-t4), so that the delay of the polling response data packet 1 in this heterogeneous converged network is a fixed value m.
[0063] Similarly, assuming that the polling response data packet 2 sent back by the controlled communication node 2 arrives at the Internet gateway at time t5, and waits at the Internet gateway until time T5 before being sent to the corresponding access TSN switch, then the set waiting time for the polling response data packet 2 at the access TSN switch is m-(T5-t5). That is, the delay of the polling response data packet 2 at the Internet gateway is T5-t5, and the delay at the access TSN switch is m-(T5-t5), so that the delay of the polling response data packet 2 in the heterogeneous converged network is a fixed value m.
[0064] Compared to setting the data packet transmission time slot to a fixed value in the gateway, this disclosure not only enables fast transmission of EPL traffic, but also ensures that the latency of the data packet after arriving at the TSN network is deterministic, greatly reducing latency jitter and solving the problem that EPL data packets are forced to wait for the next time slot due to missing the current transmission time slot, thereby eliminating the latency jitter of up to one polling cycle.
[0065] This disclosure also saves significant TSN resources because, in each packet scheduling cycle, the remaining time slots besides the packet transmission time slots can be released to transmit other resources, including the closing time slots within each packet transmission time slot and the remaining time slots besides the macro transmission time slots in the macro scheduling cycle, thereby saving bandwidth resources at the Internet gateway. Similarly, the corresponding bandwidth resources in the access TSN switches can also be released, allowing the saved bandwidth resources to be used to transmit Best-Effort traffic.
[0066] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the start time of the macro transmission time slot is the estimated arrival time when the Internet gateway receives the period start signal sent by the master control communication node; the end time of the macro transmission time slot is the closing time of the most recent data packet transmission time slot that sends the specified polling response data packet; the specified polling response data packet is the polling response data packet returned by the controlled communication node corresponding to the last polling time.
[0067] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, setting the macro scheduling period of the Internet gateway includes: the TSN controller setting the macro scheduling period according to the polling period, wherein the length of the macro scheduling period is a first predetermined time interval between the arrival of the start signal of the adjacent period at the corresponding access TSN switch.
[0068] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, dividing the macro transmission time slot includes: the TSN controller dividing the macro transmission time slot according to a set time period to obtain the plurality of data packet scheduling periods; the length of the data packet scheduling period is less than a second set time interval between adjacent polling response data packets arriving at the Internet gateway.
[0069] like Figure 4As shown, the time interval between the estimated arrival times (adjacent times T1) of the Internet gateway receiving adjacent cycle start signals from the master control communication node is the macro scheduling cycle. A macro transmission time slot is set in each macro scheduling cycle, with a start time of T1 and an end time of t6. Here, t6 is the closing time of the data packet transmission time slot set by the polling response data packet returned by the last polled controlled communication node in the EPL polling schedule table within the Internet gateway. After t6 and before the start of the next macro scheduling cycle, the Internet gateway can release bandwidth resources to transmit BE traffic.
[0070] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a traffic scheduling method for a TSN controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
[0071] In this disclosure, the TSN network where the TSN controller is located is set in an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network. The EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network also includes an EPL network connected to the TSN network via an Internet gateway. The EPL network includes a master control communication node and multiple controlled communication nodes controlled by the master control communication node. The TSN network also includes at least one access TSN switch. The Internet gateway connects the master control communication node and the access TSN switch.
[0072] like Figure 5 As shown, the method includes step S501.
[0073] In step S501, a macro scheduling period of the Internet gateway is set, and a macro transmission time slot for transmitting multiple polling response data packets is set in the macro scheduling period; the macro transmission time slot is divided to obtain multiple data packet scheduling periods, and a data packet transmission time slot for transmitting the polling response data packets is set in the data packet scheduling period; wherein, the multiple polling response data packets are data packets that the multiple controlled communication nodes sequentially return after receiving the polling signal sent by the master control communication node according to the corresponding polling time.
[0074] After receiving the polling response data packet, the Internet gateway sends the polling response data packet to the corresponding access TSN switch in the next nearest data packet transmission time slot; after receiving the polling response data packet, the corresponding access TSN switch controls the polling response data packet to wait for a set waiting time before sending it; the sum of the set waiting time and the residence time of the polling response data packet in the Internet gateway is the length of the data packet scheduling period.
[0075] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the macro transmission time slots are divided according to a set time period to obtain the plurality of data packet scheduling periods; the length of the data packet scheduling period is less than the estimated time interval between two adjacent polling response data packets arriving at the Internet gateway.
[0076] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the start time of the macro transmission time slot is the estimated arrival time when the Internet gateway receives the period start signal sent by the master control communication node; the end time of the macro transmission time slot is the closing time of the most recent data packet transmission time slot that sends the specified polling response data packet; the specified polling response data packet is the polling response data packet returned by the controlled communication node corresponding to the last polling time.
[0077] Figure 6 A structural diagram of a TSN controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
[0078] In this disclosure, the TSN network where the TSN controller is located is set in an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network. The EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network also includes an EPL network connected to the TSN network via an Internet gateway. The EPL network includes a master control communication node and multiple controlled communication nodes controlled by the master control communication node. The TSN network also includes at least one access TSN switch. The Internet gateway connects the master control communication node and the access TSN switch.
[0079] like Figure 6 As shown, the TSN controller 600 includes a setting module 610 and a partitioning module 620.
[0080] The setting module 610 is configured to set the macro scheduling period of the Internet gateway, and in the macro scheduling period, set a macro transmission time slot for transmitting multiple polling response data packets.
[0081] The partitioning module 620 is configured to partition the macro transmission time slots to obtain multiple data packet scheduling cycles, and to set data packet transmission time slots for transmitting the polling response data packets in the data packet scheduling cycles; wherein, the multiple polling response data packets are data packets that the multiple controlled communication nodes sequentially transmit back after receiving the polling signal sent by the master control communication node according to the corresponding polling time.
[0082] After receiving the polling response data packet, the Internet gateway sends the polling response data packet to the corresponding access TSN switch in the next nearest data packet transmission time slot; after receiving the polling response data packet, the corresponding access TSN switch controls the polling response data packet to wait for a set waiting time before sending it; the sum of the set waiting time and the residence time of the polling response data packet in the Internet gateway is the length of the data packet scheduling period.
[0083] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, dividing the macro transmission time slot includes: dividing the macro transmission time slot according to a set time period to obtain the plurality of data packet scheduling periods; the length of the data packet scheduling period is less than the estimated time interval between two adjacent polling response data packets arriving at the Internet gateway.
[0084] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the start time of the macro transmission time slot is the estimated arrival time when the Internet gateway receives the period start signal sent by the master control communication node; the end time of the macro transmission time slot is the closing time of the most recent data packet transmission time slot that sends the specified polling response data packet; the specified polling response data packet is the polling response data packet returned by the controlled communication node corresponding to the last polling time.
[0085] In particular, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the methods described above can be implemented as computer software programs. For example, embodiments of this disclosure include a computer program product comprising a computer program tangibly embodied on a machine-readable medium, the computer program containing program code for performing the methods described above. In such embodiments, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network via a communication component, and / or installed from a removable medium.
[0086] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of this disclosure. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may occur in a different order than those indicated in the drawings. For example, two consecutively indicated blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.
[0087] The units or modules described in the embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in software or programmable hardware. The described units or modules can also be located in a processor, and the names of these units or modules do not necessarily constitute a limitation on the unit or module itself.
[0088] In another aspect, this disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which may be a computer-readable storage medium included in the electronic device or computer system described above; or it may be a standalone computer-readable storage medium not assembled into a device. The computer-readable storage medium stores one or more programs, which are used by one or more processors to perform the methods described in this disclosure.
[0089] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this disclosure and an explanation of the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of the invention involved in this disclosure is not limited to technical solutions formed by specific combinations of the above-described technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by arbitrary combinations of the above-described technical features or their equivalents without departing from the inventive concept. For example, technical solutions formed by substituting the above-described features with (but not limited to) technical features disclosed in this disclosure that have similar functions.
Claims
1. A traffic scheduling method for EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged networks, characterized in that, The EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network includes an EPL network and a TSN network connected via an Internet gateway. The EPL network includes a master communication node and multiple controlled communication nodes controlled by the master communication node. The TSN network includes a TSN controller and at least one access TSN switch. The Internet gateway connects the master communication node and the access TSN switch. The method includes: The TSN controller sets the macro scheduling period of the Internet gateway, and sets macro transmission time slots for transmitting multiple polling response data packets within the macro scheduling period. The multiple polling response data packets are data packets that the multiple controlled communication nodes sequentially return after receiving the polling signal sent by the master control communication node according to the corresponding polling time. The macro transmission time slots are divided to obtain multiple data packet scheduling periods. Data packet transmission time slots for transmitting the polling response data packets are set within the data packet scheduling period. For each polling response packet, after receiving the polling response packet, the Internet gateway sends the polling response packet to the corresponding access TSN switch in the next nearest packet transmission time slot; After receiving the polling response data packet, the corresponding access TSN switch controls the polling response data packet to wait for a set waiting time before sending it; wherein, the sum of the set waiting time and the residence time of the polling response data packet in the Internet gateway is the length of the data packet scheduling period.
2. The traffic scheduling method according to claim 1, characterized in that, For each controlled communication node, after receiving the polling signal sent by the master control communication node, the controlled communication node sends back a polling response data packet to the master control communication node; the master control communication node then sends the received polling response data packet to the Internet gateway.
3. The traffic scheduling method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: achieving time synchronization between the TSN network and the master communication node through the Internet gateway, including: A TSN time base is established in the TSN network based on the gPTP protocol; The Internet gateway acts as a gPTP slave clock of the TSN network, and achieves time synchronization with the TSN network based on the TSN time base; The Internet gateway acts as the PTP master clock of the EPL network, synchronizing time with the master control communication node.
4. The traffic scheduling method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: the master control communication node generating an EPL polling schedule table based on the TSN time base, wherein the EPL polling schedule table includes a polling start time, a polling period, and a polling time for each controlled communication node; The master communication node controls the multiple controlled communication nodes based on the EPL polling schedule table.
5. The traffic scheduling method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The master communication node controls the plurality of controlled communication nodes based on the EPL polling schedule table, including: The master control communication node broadcasts a period start signal at the polling start time, and the period start signal carries a frame transmission timestamp; each of the plurality of controlled communication nodes adjusts its local clock according to the frame arrival timestamp and the frame transmission timestamp of the received period start signal to achieve time synchronization with the master control communication node; The master control communication node sends a polling signal to the corresponding controlled communication node at the polling time; after receiving the corresponding polling signal, the controlled communication node sends back the corresponding polling response data packet.
6. The traffic scheduling method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: The master control communication node broadcasts a polling signal to the plurality of controlled communication nodes at the polling time, and the polling signal carries the destination MAC address; the plurality of controlled communication nodes identify the destination MAC address and compare the identified destination MAC address with their own MAC address; the controlled communication node with the matching MAC address sends back a polling response data packet; or The master control communication node directly sends a polling signal to the corresponding controlled communication node at the polling time; after receiving the polling signal, the corresponding controlled communication node sends back a polling response data packet.
7. The traffic scheduling method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The start time of the macro transmission time slot is the estimated arrival time of the period start signal sent by the master communication node to the Internet gateway; The end time of the macro transmission time slot is the closing time of the nearest data packet transmission time slot that sends the specified polling response data packet; the specified polling response data packet is the polling response data packet returned by the controlled communication node corresponding to the last polling time.
8. The traffic scheduling method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The macro scheduling period for setting the Internet gateway includes: the TSN controller sets the macro scheduling period according to the polling period, and the length of the macro scheduling period is the first set time interval between the arrival of the start signal of the adjacent period to the corresponding access TSN switch.
9. The traffic scheduling method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The division of the macro transmission time slot includes: The TSN controller divides the macro transmission time slots according to a set time period to obtain the multiple data packet scheduling periods; the length of the data packet scheduling period is less than a second set time interval between adjacent polling response data packets arriving at the Internet gateway.
10. A traffic scheduling method for a TSN controller, characterized in that, The TSN controller is located in a TSN network situated within an EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network. The EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network further includes an EPL network connected to the TSN network via an Internet gateway. The EPL network includes a master control communication node and multiple controlled communication nodes controlled by the master control communication node. The TSN network also includes at least one access TSN switch. The Internet gateway connects the master control communication node and the access TSN switch. The method includes: The macro scheduling period of the Internet gateway is set, and a macro transmission time slot for transmitting multiple polling response data packets is set in the macro scheduling period; the macro transmission time slot is divided to obtain multiple data packet scheduling periods, and a data packet transmission time slot for transmitting the polling response data packets is set in the data packet scheduling period; wherein, the multiple polling response data packets are data packets that the multiple controlled communication nodes sequentially return after receiving the polling signal sent by the master control communication node according to the corresponding polling time; After receiving the polling response data packet, the Internet gateway sends the polling response data packet to the corresponding access TSN switch in the next nearest data packet transmission time slot; after receiving the polling response data packet, the corresponding access TSN switch controls the polling response data packet to wait for a set waiting time before sending it; the sum of the set waiting time and the residence time of the polling response data packet in the Internet gateway is the length of the data packet scheduling period.
11. The traffic scheduling method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The division of the macro transmission time slot includes: The macro transmission time slots are divided according to a set time period to obtain the multiple data packet scheduling periods; the length of the data packet scheduling period is less than the estimated time interval between two adjacent polling response data packets arriving at the Internet gateway.
12. The traffic scheduling method according to claim 10, characterized in that: The start time of the macro transmission time slot is the estimated arrival time of the period start signal sent by the master communication node to the Internet gateway; The end time of the macro transmission time slot is the closing time of the nearest data packet transmission time slot that sends the specified polling response data packet; the specified polling response data packet is the polling response data packet returned by the controlled communication node corresponding to the last polling time.
13. A TSN controller, characterized in that, The TSN network where the TSN controller is located is set in the EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network. The EPL-TSN heterogeneous converged network also includes an EPL network connected to the TSN network via an Internet gateway. The EPL network includes a master control communication node and multiple controlled communication nodes controlled by the master control communication node. The TSN network also includes at least one access TSN switch. The Internet gateway connects the master control communication node and the access TSN switch. The TSN controller includes: The setting module is configured to set the macro scheduling period of the Internet gateway, and in the macro scheduling period, set the macro transmission time slot for transmitting multiple polling response data packets; The partitioning module is configured to partition the macro transmission time slots to obtain multiple data packet scheduling periods, and to set data packet transmission time slots for transmitting the polling response data packets in the data packet scheduling periods; wherein, the multiple polling response data packets are data packets that the multiple controlled communication nodes sequentially transmit back after receiving the polling signal sent by the master control communication node according to the corresponding polling time. After receiving the polling response data packet, the Internet gateway sends the polling response data packet to the corresponding access TSN switch in the next nearest data packet transmission time slot; after receiving the polling response data packet, the corresponding access TSN switch controls the polling response data packet to wait for a set waiting time before sending it; the sum of the set waiting time and the residence time of the polling response data packet in the Internet gateway is the length of the data packet scheduling period.
14. The TSN controller according to claim 13, characterized in that, The division of the macro transmission time slot includes: The macro transmission time slots are divided according to a set time period to obtain the multiple data packet scheduling periods; the length of the data packet scheduling period is less than the estimated time interval between two adjacent polling response data packets arriving at the Internet gateway.
15. The TSN controller according to claim 13, characterized in that: The start time of the macro transmission time slot is the estimated arrival time of the period start signal sent by the master communication node to the Internet gateway; The end time of the macro transmission time slot is the closing time of the nearest data packet transmission time slot that sends the specified polling response data packet; the specified polling response data packet is the polling response data packet returned by the controlled communication node corresponding to the last polling time.
16. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions thereon, characterized in that, When executed by a processor, the computer instructions implement the method described in any one of claims 10 to 12.
17. A computer program product comprising computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method of any one of claims 10-12.