Communication procedures
The communication method in mechatronic systems optimizes network resources and reduces traffic by using summary frame telegrams with a configurable routing structure, addressing inefficiencies in complex systems with flexible configurations and ensuring real-time data transmission.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- DE · DE
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2019-06-14
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-12
AI Technical Summary
Existing communication methods in mechatronic systems become inefficient as the number of field devices increases, leading to suboptimal utilization of network resources and increased network traffic, especially in systems with flexible and complex configurations.
A communication method utilizing summary frame telegrams with a configurable routing structure that adapts to the network topology, allowing for optimized communication route planning and efficient distribution of user data through sub-routes, ensuring deterministic and real-time data transmission.
This approach enhances network resource utilization, reduces network traffic, and enables flexible system configurations to meet demanding real-time requirements, even with limited resources, by optimizing communication routes and ensuring deterministic data delivery.
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Abstract
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a communication method between participants of a network which comprises several components of a mechatronic system, in particular controllers and drive controllers of an industrial automation network, wherein user data is communicated between the participants via the network by means of telegrams, and logical and / or physical communication links exist between participants of the network, via which the telegrams are transmitted, and user data of several participants is summarized in a summary frame telegram and sent to participants of the network.
[0002] Such a method is known in the prior art, for example, from patent application DE 10 2017 002 805 A1. This method provides, for instance, to transmit the data to be transferred from a control unit to field devices in a single summary frame subdivided into data fields, and the data to be transferred from a multitude of field devices to a control unit also in only one common summary frame subdivided into data fields. Similar methods are also described in DE 10 2008 018 633 A1 and DE 10 2005 025 582 A1.
[0003] As the number of field devices increases, the total values inevitably become larger, making the process increasingly inefficient.
[0004] AT 517 777 A1 describes a method in which some participants are grouped into a summary frame group, within which data is cyclically sent to one or more participants of the group at defined times. EP 2 466 406 A1 discloses a method for the automatic generation of dynamic frame pack groups.
[0005] It is therefore an object of the invention to make the method more efficient overall, in particular to utilize network resources more efficiently and / or to ensure leaner network traffic. Specifically, the invention is intended to enable the network infrastructure to handle demanding tasks for the control and regulation of a mechatronic system, especially one with a flexible number or a multitude of components. Finally, the invention is intended to contribute in particular to the flexible mapping of a required system configuration of a mechatronic system onto a communication architecture for user data.
[0006] These tasks are each partially or completely solved by a method according to claim 1, by a telegram data structure according to claim 11, by a mechatronic system according to claim 12, by a machine control according to claim 13 and by a computer program product according to claim 14.
[0007] The invention offers the advantage of making the aforementioned communication method significantly more efficient. It improves the utilization of existing network resources and ensures considerably less network traffic. With regard to a mechatronic system, an existing network infrastructure, which is not necessarily intended for automation tasks or exclusively for automation tasks, is nevertheless enabled to use user data communication for the control and / or regulation of a mechatronic system. Such a mechatronic system is characterized in particular by the fact that the control and drive components are flexibly configurable and, in particular, can be combined in large numbers and with great variability. Such control and drive components can then also be controlled in real time.This is regulated, which in turn places higher demands on the quality of service of the communication. The invention ensures that a system configuration of the aforementioned mechatronic system can be flexibly implemented by means of a communication architecture for user data, so that the highest requirements – up to and including the real-time requirements of an industrial automation system – can be met even and especially with limited network resources.
[0008] The invention achieves these and a number of further advantages by using the concept of a summary frame for network telegrams, known from industrial communication, for example in fieldbuses, and by significantly improving it by enabling the use of a configurable routing structure and telegrams optimized according to the routing structure; this corresponds to optimized communication route planning. The resulting topology or routing structure is used to adapt the summary frame of the summary frame telegrams so that the structure and / or content of summary frame telegrams reflect the topology or routing structure of the network configuration used.
[0009] Specifically, summary frame sub-telegrams are constructed that already take into account the network topology and / or the network routes used or configured for these summary frame sub-telegrams.
[0010] A routing structure is configured based on a communication topology or network topology of participants, particularly one that is predefined or known. A routing structure can contain routes to one or more participants, along which the network telegrams intended for these participants are routed. The invention solves the aforementioned problems by routing the telegrams via the configurable routing structure, and by providing that this routing structure contains at least one sub-route, and in particular several sub-routes. A sub-route covers only a portion of the network participants; this can mean that not all, but only a (true) subset of the network participants is reached via this sub-route.A further insight of the invention is that the efficiency of network communication can be significantly improved if a telegram, referred to here as a summary frame sub-telegram, is defined / configured / constructed for such a sub-route. This summary frame sub-telegram contains user data, in particular only user data, from participants of this sub-route. This can include the possibility of flexibly providing a time slot (slot) within the relevant summary frame for at least one, for some, in particular selected, or indeed for every participant of this sub-route.
[0011] If the relevant summary frame sub-telegram is routed via this sub-route, the aforementioned participants of this sub-route can therefore extract the payload intended for them from the summary frame sub-telegram and / or write their payload into the summary frame sub-telegram (especially in the case of bidirectional communication or - analogous to a fieldbus architecture - to provide a dedicated return channel).
[0012] The invention uses a summation frame method (usually a transmission method for fieldbuses, but not limited to fieldbuses in the context of the invention). In this summation frame method, the participants are connected to each other in a specific logical topology (for fieldbuses, for example, a ring topology). According to the invention, it can also be important that the topology is deterministic and suitable for routing or the construction of the summation frame telegrams.
[0013] The summary frame sub-telegrams are known. The topology can also be flexibly configurable and is then preferably defined in the respective configuration such that the routing and / or the structure of the summary frame sub-telegrams can be carried out deterministically. The data is preferably distributed sequentially from participant to participant along the intended route or sub-route. With respect to a summary frame sub-telegram, the contained data block has the data for participants (preferably all participants) along the assigned sub-route. This makes the process highly available and deterministic. Optionally, a loopback can be provided, which ensures that feedback (e.g., via the aforementioned return channel) has been received regarding the transfer / receipt of participant data to / from the correct participant(s) of the sub-route.
[0014] A summary frame telegram can be structured as a single network telegram (data packet) that is individually designed and routed – for example, according to the OSI model (Open Systems Interconnection Model) – and contains the user data of multiple participants summarized and structured within its data area. Such a summary frame telegram or summary frame sub-telegram therefore allows selective access, as needed, to the user data of individual or all participants within its data area. Despite this, it remains a single telegram, so summary frame sub-telegrams can be created for dedicated network paths or sub-routes that serve multiple participants simultaneously and only need to be sent or routed once.
[0015] According to the invention, the mechatronic system has, in particular, at least one controller. Furthermore, the mechatronic system comprises, on the one hand, mechatronic components, meaning, for example, electrical, electronic, hydraulic, mechanical, pneumatic, or combinations of these principles, or other components, which are integrated into a system and function as such as a single, integrated mechatronic unit or mechatronic machine. This could, for example, be a machine tool in which several electric motors form the axes of the machine tool. Components of the mechatronic system are preferably coordinated, optionally synchronized, and controlled as a system by one or more (machine) controllers.Machine control can be, for example, a logic controller, such as a programmable logic controller (PLC), a motion controller, such as a CNC (computer numerical control), or—more generally—a higher-level system controller, which can also be composed of several different control platforms and architectures. The machine control can be an integrated machine control system that also integrates a real-time component, in software or hardware, and a higher-level logic controller, process controller, or general controller in a single unit, preferably in one housing.
[0016] Such a machine control system can be separate and dedicated hardware, such as an electronic component of the mechatronic system designed as a physical machine controller. However, it can also be an embedded controller or a virtual controller, for example, emulated or virtualized on an industrial PC. Finally, a controller can also be implemented as a software application on an (industrial) PC.
[0017] The invention extends the summation frame method by dividing a more complex routing structure into subroutes, to which corresponding summation frame sub-telegrams are assigned. This enables a large number of even complex topologies (corresponding to highly complex mechatronic systems, for example, a large number of machine controls) to be deterministically, and above all quickly and flexibly, used for industrial communication – especially real-time communication – of user data.
[0018] The core of the invention also includes the provision that, especially in more complex real-time network systems such as TSN topology structures, there are specifications for how the sub-telegrams are optimally combined – particularly with regard to the network topology. This optimization is transmitted to all network participants as a communication configuration. This will be discussed in more detail below.
[0019] The deterministic and simultaneously streamlined communication method according to the invention is particularly suitable for enabling a network-based mechatronic system to perform network-wide real-time tasks. It is proposed that the payload data comprise real-time data relating to the mechatronic system. In particular, this includes control and / or regulation data, such as setpoint values, measured values, sensor parameters or data, but also data reported via a return channel according to the invention, such as instantaneous actual values. Such real-time data is communicated between designated participants in real time. In particular, the communication of the control data takes place in real time via the TSN standard of a real-time capable Ethernet (preferably according to IEEE 802.1Q). Specifically, the control data is transmitted in real time according to real-time classes 0 (Best Effort), 1 (Background), or 2 (Excellent Effort) from IEEE 802.1Q.1Q communicates for demanding manufacturing tasks as well as for motion control or machine tool controls, also according to real-time class 3 (Critical Applications).
[0020] With regard to the aforementioned TSN architecture, the use of a publish / subscribe communication model according to OPC UA is preferred. A characteristic of such a publish / subscribe architecture is that the publisher does not address the subscriber(s) individually and therefore does not necessarily "know" them. In the multicast implementation, a network message comprising a summary frame sub-telegram according to the invention is intended for a plurality or even a large number of participants on the assigned sub-route. In a unicast implementation, a network message is intended for only one or more specific participants. This also applies accordingly to the corresponding network messages constructed according to the summary frame sub-telegrams.
[0021] The communication architecture can also correspond to a fieldbus architecture, in particular a master / slave architecture, especially SERCOS IEC 61491. In this case, a line or ring topology is preferably used. Particularly in the case of fieldbuses, a more complex topology can be composed of such line or ring topologies.
[0022] In relation to the invention, real-time means, in particular, that real-time tasks are processed and communicated using a deterministic clock cycle. In a machine tool, this can mean, for example, that the machine control or motion control sends or receives setpoints for a controlled tool and moves to it using an integrated interpolator. This interpolator generates position values for a tool's movement path from the CNC program's setpoints in an interpolator cycle and transmits these as current setpoint specifications to connected drive controllers for moving to the corresponding interpolator position of the resulting movement path. The response time of the corresponding application is specific to the application. For machine tool controls, response times of 1 to 1000 µs, and especially 1 to 100 µs, are typical.For less time-sensitive applications—such as packaging machines—response times of 1 ms to 100 ms can be used. The same applies to the associated cycle times of the communication clock cycle. The invention includes, on the one hand, hard real-time, which does not permit exceeding the response time. This means that, particularly with hard real-time, an increase in the communication clock time can be critical. The invention addresses this by providing a flexible routing structure—specifically tailored to the characteristic real-time requirements—and permissible parameters for constructing summary frame sub-telegrams, such as a maximum possible total length or a maximum number of data slots corresponding to the number of possible devices communicating with each other. Furthermore, soft real-time and fixed real-time are also possible.In all these real-time applications, the invention ensures the communication of the user data within the framework of the characteristic requirements, so that the overall performance of the real-time tasks and, in particular, the network-wide integrity of the real-time are maintained.
[0023] The entire network, or a physically or logically separated network segment, can already represent or correspond to a mechatronic system. To achieve a flexible and streamlined communication structure, the entire network or the predetermined network segment is covered by multiple subroutes of the routing structure. The associated summary frame sub-telegrams of all subroutes, taken together, can represent the user data of the participants in the entire network or network segment. The subroutes are defined or delimited, in particular, logically and / or physically (for example, by network infrastructure components such as switches). This allows communication—especially at the infrastructure components—to be structured particularly simply and inherently, as dictated by the network topology.
[0024] A hierarchically structured, clear, and simple communication infrastructure is achieved by using a telegram sender that generates the sub-telegrams of the summary frame and addresses and sends them to the participants via their respective sub-routes. Such a telegram sender can be, for example, a hardware or software module, or a component of a controller or industrial PC. Specifically, a publisher according to the publish / subscribe communication model, a master in a master / slave fieldbus architecture, or a server in established client-server connections can function as such a telegram sender. All sub-telegrams of the summary frame, or only those of adjacent sub-routes, are then assembled there and sent along their respective sub-routes.For this purpose, the routing structure and communication-relevant data of the participants in question are preferably known in the telegram sender. The participants can also be variably configurable, so that a participant (for example, a controller) can be configured as both a telegram sender and a recipient.
[0025] There are numerous possibilities for the implementation, composition, and routing of the summary frame sub-telegrams according to the invention. Without limiting the generality of the invention, two preferred variants are described below.
[0026] Efficient routing, especially under relatively low network resource load, minimal network-side equipment overhead, and a simple network structure and / or comparatively short individual telegrams are achieved by ensuring that the transmitted summary frame sub-telegrams pass through the routing structure unchanged to the addressed subscriber(s). In this case, a sender (for example, a master, a primary station, or a publisher as defined above) preferably generates complete summary frame sub-telegrams specifically for each sub-route. Since the network or network segment consists of multiple sub-routes (which in turn may contain sub-sub-routes), individual summary frame sub-telegrams are generated for dedicated sub-routes.Since these summary frame sub-telegrams for dedicated, individual sub-routes contain only the payload data of the participants on the intended, individual sub-routes, the telegrams or data packets are generally relatively small. In this case, too, summary frame sub-telegrams of an intended sub-route can be routed via one or more other routes or sub-routes, or via several or other participants in the network, for whom the respective summary frame sub-telegram of the intended sub-route contains no payload data. It is routed solely to reach the intended (final) sub-route via the aforementioned routes, sub-routes, or network participants. Furthermore, since the generated summary frame sub-telegrams pass through the routing structure unchanged, no overhead is incurred for processing the telegrams during network transit.If the optimization is to be carried out in such a way that the master already generates and sends all necessary telegrams, a telegram structure like the one in results. Fig. 5B is shown (see below).
[0027] The number of summary frame sub-telegrams to be generated by a sender is reduced, thus conserving the sender's resources, if the summary frame sub-telegrams are restructured according to the sub-routes and the restructured summary frame sub-telegrams, containing the payload, are forwarded to the addressed participants. For example, a sender can then generate summary frame sub-telegrams that already contain the payload of several or even all sub-routes—especially those sub-routes corresponding to a network branch or segment to which the respective summary frame sub-telegram is sent. This allows—particularly at network infrastructure components of the routing structure—the corresponding summary frame sub-telegrams to be decomposed according to the payload of the addressed participants they contain, and further summary frame sub-telegrams derived from these can be generated for subsequent sub-routes.Similarly, summary frame sub-telegrams can also be fragmented and / or recombined according to the above. The summary frame sub-telegrams are forwarded, particularly using the store-and-forward method, along with the payload data to the addressed participants. For this purpose, the network infrastructure components (or the other components performing the restructuring) possess the necessary network functionality and analysis capabilities, storage and computing capacity, and the required interfaces to structure the summary frame sub-telegrams and route them as described above. These network infrastructure components can be, in particular, controllers (e.g., master controllers), industrial PCs, or even simple switches. Overall, in the proposed configuration—especially within infrastructure components—telegrams are forwarded using the store-and-forward method.During forwarding, the telegrams are regrouped / divided differently in terms of content, but the user data to be transmitted remains unchanged.
[0028] The routing structure and / or the subroutes and / or the associated configuration of the respective summary frame sub-telegrams are preferably predefined or specified by the user; they can also be determined automatically via known network mechanisms and corresponding functionalities, for example, of a controller or an industrial PC. The routing structure and / or the subroutes with the configuration of the respective associated summary frame sub-telegrams are transmitted to—in particular, all—participants in the network and used there for routing and / or extracting and / or writing the user data. In this process, a—or—All participants are aware, in particular, of which partial route or combination of partial routes another participant can be reached via; at the same time, the structure of the summary frame sub-telegrams is also known, so that the participant in question can both deterministically send user data to other participants using the mechanism according to the invention and deterministically locate, write, or read their own (e.g., addressed to them) user data in a summary frame sub-telegram containing this user data. This mechanism also works in reverse, so that, in general, the participant or each participant has all the information necessary to extract their own user data and / or to deterministically address and send user data to any other participant.In particular, the configuration also includes the configuration for the contained payload data, which is differentiated according to addressed participants, so that the arrangement of the payload data in a summary frame sub-telegram is deterministic and known overall.
[0029] Such a known routing structure and / or such known subroutes can be communicated network-wide or network segment-wide, particularly by means of a module, for example, a network configuration module (which is contained, for example, in a controller or an industrial PC). Such a configuration module can also perform a dual or multiple function. This facilitates a flexible network or network component design, or the flexible applicability of the invention to different network topologies, because a network configuration module uses the routing structure to determine, and in particular automatically determines, the configuration of the summary frame sub-telegrams, especially their structure and / or their transmission times. The known or automatically determined routing structure specifies the configuration, structure, and / or transmission times of the required summary frame sub-telegrams.In particular, the structure and / or transmission times of the various summation frame sub-telegrams are determined by specifying the routing structure together with the routing structure method (for example, according to the method according to 5 or alternatively according to claim 6). Specifically, in infrastructure components (switches) or also in (other) participants, telegrams containing data for multiple participants are "split" or, conversely, "summarized" and forwarded in such a way that an optimization of the sub-telegrams in summation frames is achieved for the respective topology strands. The configuration (telegram structure, telegram transmission times) of the data telegrams is transferred from the configurator (configuration module) to the individual slaves. The configurator can be an offline tool or—as is very specifically possible with Sercos—an online code running in the master or in a slave.
[0030] The routing structure can be configured differently for one and the same network structure or network topology. Particularly high variability is ensured by allowing the routing structure to be defined by the user. The invention becomes especially easy to handle, and in extreme cases even configurable via plug & play, because the structure is determined at least partially automatically, particularly at runtime; for this purpose, subscriber neighborhood detection according to LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol) can be used. This is a vendor-independent OSI Layer 2 protocol defined in the IEEE 802.1 AB standard, which allows information to be exchanged between adjacent network participants and thus automatically determines the structure and topology of the network – for example, during initialization or automated commissioning.When using this or any other protocol that allows the network structure to be determined automatically, it is preferred that network participants - especially all network participants - support the corresponding protocol.
[0031] The routing structure—or network or network segment—consists of several sub-routes, each of which can have different topologies or layouts. For example, sub-routes can be configured as line segments or in a star topology. This allows the network to be structured flexibly and according to requirements, while still remaining capable of automation tasks thanks to the invention. It is proposed that the routing structure includes at least one line segment with a line end participant and / or a line start participant, in which participants are arranged sequentially. This means that the participants of a line segment communicate sequentially with each other in the direction of the line. According to the invention, for example, summary frame sub-telegrams are generated that traverse a line segment unchanged. Such summary frame sub-telegrams then contain the payload data, e.g.,all network participants belonging to the line segment.
[0032] Furthermore, alternatively or additionally, one or more star segments can be provided, wherein in a star segment, star branches with participants are connected to a node in a star configuration. This can mean that several participants are connected to a node in a star configuration. A star branch can also form a line segment in the sense described above. A node is implemented in particular by means of a network infrastructure component and / or by means of a publisher according to the publish / subscribe communication model and / or by means of a master of a master / slave fieldbus architecture and / or by means of a server of established client-server connections. The routing structure can have a combination of one or more line segments and one or more star branches. This results in a high degree of structural flexibility of the network topology according to the invention.
[0033] If summary frame sub-telegrams traversing a line segment are routed unchanged through every line participant, this has the advantage of faster network communication. Alternatively or additionally, if summary frame sub-telegrams are routed to nodes, they are either routed unchanged to a star branch or (particularly according to claim 6) restructured and then routed to a star branch. For example, in a simple configuration, two star branches can radiate from a node, both leading to a line segment. The summary frame sub-telegram routed from these nodes can then be split at the node into one summary frame sub-telegram containing all the payload data of one line segment and another containing all the payload data of the other line segment.
[0034] Some or all of the tasks mentioned above are solved—at least partially—by a telegram data structure of a network, by means of which user data is communicated between participants of the network along a preconfigurable route assigned to the telegram data structure. The communication takes place, in particular, according to a method according to any one of claims 1-11. The network comprises several components of a mechatronic system, in particular controllers and / or drives of an industrial automation system. The telegram data structure has a configurable user data section (corresponding to a time slot of the intended telegram structure) that contains user data only from participants of the assigned route.The telegram data structure is specifically designed for an industrial automation system, where the user data can be control data and / or drive data, such as sensor actual values or drive setpoints, which are generated and communicated by a controller in real time.
[0035] The aforementioned problems are at least partially solved by a mechatronic system, in particular an industrial automation system with controllers and drive controllers, within which user data relating to the electronic system and, in particular, originating from components of the mechatronic system, are communicated by means of a method according to any one of claims 1-11, in particular using a telegram data structure according to claim 12. Such a mechatronic system is, for example, a combination of drives and controllers that communicate via a mechanism according to the invention – preferably in real time. Such a mechatronic system can be a control and drive system of a machine, such as a printing press, a packaging machine, a machine tool, or a machine tool combination.
[0036] Furthermore, the aforementioned tasks are at least partially solved by a machine control system of a mechatronic system, in particular an industrial automation system with controllers and drive controllers, which executes a communication method according to one of claims 1-11 – in particular using a telegram data structure according to claim 12. The machine control system provides, in particular, for the configuration or at least partially automated determination of the routing structure and / or receives such a configuration or partial configuration from the network and / or communicates or distributes such a configuration within the network. This enables, on the one hand, deterministic communication using summary frame sub-telegrams structured according to the invention and, on the other hand, simplifies the updating and distribution of the configuration.
[0037] Finally, the invention relates to a computer program product for a computer device, in particular for a machine control, especially according to claim 14, which, when executed on a computer device, performs a method according to one of claims 1-11, in particular using a telegram data structure according to claim 12.
[0038] The invention is explained schematically with reference to exemplary embodiments and drawings. In the drawings, identical or functionally equivalent features are designated with the same reference numerals unless otherwise specified in the description. The technical features shown in a figure are applicable to every variant of the invention, even independently of other features that may be included and / or described in that figure, unless explicitly stated otherwise with regard to that figure or feature. The figures show: Fig. 1A a mechatronic system with a controller and three axes driven by means of drive controllers, Fig. 1B a mechatronic system in a roughly schematic representation with five network participants and a star structure, as well as roughly schematically simplified network telegrams, Fig. 2A another, roughly schematically represented, mechatronic system with only one line segment and the associated telegram or the associated, schematically represented telegram structure with corresponding routing point, Fig. 2B a mechatronic system with a combination of a star section with one node and several line sections, wherein the routing points are specified with the correspondingly constructed sum frame sub-telegrams, Fig. 3 a complex, mechatronic system with a combination of several star segments and several line segments in a block overview representation, Fig. 4 a mechatronic system with multiple star sections and line sections, wherein the network participants are represented as industrial automation controllers, drives and switches, Fig. 5A a representation of the mechatronic system accordingly Fig. 3 with routing points at the corresponding junctions and a highlighting of partial routes existing according to the invention, Fig. 5B the routing points from Fig. 5A with specification of the respective associated telegram structure, whereby the routed summary frame sub-telegrams pass through the routing structure unchanged, Fig. 5C the routing points from Fig. 5A with specification of the respective corresponding telegram structure of the summary frame sub-telegrams, whereby these are restructured, Fig. 6 a telegram data structure, based on an Ethernet telegram structure according to IEEE 802.1 or according to the OSI model.
[0039] Referring to Fig. Figure 1A is a schematic representation of a mechatronic system 10, which includes a controller 100, physical communication links 102 (e.g., Ethernet network cables), and three drive controllers 11, 12, 13 connected to a network 101. In the following, the abstract term "participant" is used interchangeably with the components representing the participant, such as a controller, an industrial PC, a drive controller, or a network switch. The controller 100 has an integrated logic controller 119 (e.g., a programmable logic controller [PLC]), an integrated path controller 120 (e.g., a CNC machine tool controller [CNC], computer numeric control), integrated mass storage 118 (e.g., a hard drive, an SSD), and / or a connection for a mobile storage device, such as a USB flash drive. Furthermore, the controller 101 has a display 121, which may be a touchscreen.
[0040] In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 100 can be configured as the head controller or master (primary device) of an automation network, which can be used for the automation or operation of an industrial application, such as a machine tool. Drive controllers 11, 12, 13 (slaves or secondary devices) are provided for driving the axes, with drive controller 13 potentially having an integrated control unit, symbolized by a rectangle integrated into the drive controller 13. The drive controllers 11, 12, 13 each drive a corresponding electric motor 117, 122, via a three-phase line. The electric motor 117 is designed as a servo motor 117, which provides feedback 116 to the drive controller 11, reporting its rotational speed, angular position, or generally its rotor position as an actual value.
[0041] Fig. Figure 1B shows a somewhat abstracted version of a slight modification of the mechatronic system 10. Fig. 1A in block diagram, with a controller 100, three drive controllers 11, 12, 13 (where the axes or electric motors are omitted in the block diagram for clarity), and additionally a network switch 90 as a network infrastructure component, connected to the controller 100 and all three drive controllers 11, 12, 13 via the communication link 102. The network switch 90 represents a star point of this relatively simple mechatronic system 10. For clarity, branch points 1, 2, 3 are shown at the branch points, and below the diagram of the mechatronic system 10, the telegrams 1, 2, 3 routed at branch points 1, 2, 3 with their payload data D11, D12, D13 are shown. According to the invention, the payload data D11, D12, D13 are communicated or routed by means of telegrams along branch points 1, 2, 3.In this embodiment, each telegram contains only the payload data D11, D12, D13 relating to a subscriber 11, 12, 13. In the . Fig. For the sake of simplicity, the payload data D11, D12, D13 are shown in Figure 1B for telegrams 1, 2, 3; however, these data are inserted into the respective network telegram at a time slot section explicitly designated for this payload data D11, D12, D13.
[0042] Fig. Figure 2A shows another, schematically represented, mechatronic system 10 with only one line segment. Three participants 11, 12, 13 connect to the controller 100 along the line direction, forming the network 101 and, as in the other embodiments, are interconnected via communication links 102. The controller 100 generates summary frame telegrams 1, which, at the junction point where the line structure connects, establish the structure as shown in the Fig. 2A below. The payload section of a summary frame telegram or a summary frame sub-telegram 1 contains the payload data D11, D12, D13.
[0043] Fig. Figure 2B shows a mechatronic system 10 with a combination of a star topology, formed by a node 90 in the form of a network switch, and three line segments that connect several devices to the controller 100 via node 90. Specifically, the controller 100 (which can also be considered the fourth line segment with only one device, namely the controller 100) is directly connected to the switch 90, through which three further devices 11, 21, and 31 are connected, each forming a line segment R1, R2, and R3 of the network structure. Simultaneously, device 21 can also be considered a node that connects node 90 and devices 11, 22, and 31 in a star topology.
[0044] From the Fig. Figure 2B shows that at branch points 1, 2, 3, summary frame sub-telegrams 1, 2, 3 are routed through the network structure, with each summary frame sub-telegram 1, 2, 3 summing the payload data D11, D12, D13, D14; D21, D22, D23; D31 from several participants 11, 12, 13, 14; 21, 22, 23; 31. A corresponding routing structure is shown, through which the telegrams 1, 2, 3 are routed. The routing structure is configurable and, in the illustrated embodiment, is structured such that it contains three linear sub-routes R1, R2, R3. Each of the sub-routes R1, R2, R3 covers only a portion of the participants 11, 12, 13, 14; 21, 22, 23; 31.Specifically, summary frame sub-telegram 1 covers the payload data D11, D12, D13, D14 of the corresponding participants 11, 12, 13, 14 of sub-route R1; summary frame sub-telegram 2 covers the payload data D21, D22, D23 of participants 21, 22, 23 of sub-route R2; and summary frame sub-telegram 3 covers only the payload data D31 of participant 31 of sub-route R3. In the illustrated embodiment, summary frame sub-telegram 1 is routed via sub-route R1, summary frame sub-telegram 2 via sub-route R2, and summary frame sub-telegram 3 via sub-route R3. For this purpose, the corresponding sub-telegrams are structured as summary frame sub-telegrams 1, 2, 3 using the controller 100 and contain only the payload data of the participants of the respective sub-route.Participants 11, 12, 13, 14; 21, 22, 23; 31 of the respective sub-route R1, R2, R3 can extract their payload data D11, D12, D13, D14; D21, D22, D23; D31 from the respective summary frame sub-telegram 1, 2, 3 and / or write their payload data D11, D12, D13, D14; D21, D22, D23; D31 into the summary frame sub-telegram 1, 2, 3.
[0045] The routing structure for the exemplary implementation of the Fig. 2B thus has several sub-routes R1, R2, R3. These sub-routes R1, R2, R3 cover virtually the entire network 101 – corresponding to the entire mechatronic system 10. Not shown, but encompassed by the invention, is the possibility that the controller 100 is part of each of the sub-routes R1, R2, R3, or part of one or more of the sub-routes R1, R2, R3. Also not shown is that the user data D11, D12, D13, D14; D21, D22, D23; D31 may also include user data from the controller 100 that is not explicitly specified; this user data may be any data from the controller 100, such as setpoints, actual values, or sensor data, which are communicated to one or more participants 11, 12, 13, 14; 21, 22, 23; 31.The user data of controller 100 and / or the user data D11, D12, D13, D14; D21, D22, D23; D31 of the participants may also be return channel data that is communicated in the return direction, such as actual values of participants that can be used for control and / or regulation and / or feedforward control of participants 11, 12, 13, 14; 21, 22, 23; 31. In total, the sum frame sub-telegrams 1, 2, 3 shown, which refer to the respective sub-route R1, R2, R3, can together represent the payload data D11, D12, D13, D14; D21, D22, D23; D31 of all participants 11, 12, 13, 14; 21, 22, 23; 31 of the entire network 101 or of the entire mechatronic system 10.
[0046] In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 100 acts as a telegram sender and can, for example, be a publisher according to the publish / subscribe communication model or a master in a master / slave fieldbus architecture. The controller 100 generates summary frame sub-telegrams 1, 2, 3 and sends them via their respective sub-routes R1, R2, R3 to the addressed participants 11, 12, 13, 14; 21, 22, 23; 31. The summary frame sub-telegrams 1, 2, 3 traverse the routing structure unchanged until they reach their respective addressed participants 11, 12, 13, 14; 21, 22, 23; 31. Conversely, it is also conceivable that the controller 100, acting as a telegram sender, generates a telegram for all participants 11, 12, 13, 14; 21, 22, 23; 31 with all payload data D11, D12, D13, D14; D21, D22, D23; D31, communicates via the network connection to the switch 90, and there restructures, splits, or fragments the telegram into the summary frame sub-telegrams 1, 2, 3 - as shown and as described above.According to the invention, the summary frame sub-telegrams are structured according to the sub-routes R1, R2, R3. In particular, in the illustrated embodiment, a telegram (which can formally also be seen as a summary frame sub-telegram, but which contains all payload data D11, D12, D13, D14; D21, D22, D23; D31 of all participants 11, 12, 13, 14; 21, 22, 23; 31) is sent and restructured according to the sub-routes R1, R2, R3, and the restructured summary frame sub-telegrams 1, 2, 3 with the respective payload data D11, D12, D13, D14; D21, D22, D23; D31 are forwarded to the respective participants 11, 12, 13, 14; 21, 22, 23; 31 addressed therein.
[0047] The routing structure shown has at least three line segments R1, R2, R3, whose participants are arranged sequentially. Line segment R1 has a line start participant 11 and a line end participant 14, line segment R2 has a line start participant 21 and a line end participant 23, and line segment R3 consists of only one participant 31 (who then simultaneously forms line end participant 31 and line start participant 31). The summary frame sub-telegrams 1, 2, 3 assigned to the respective routes R1, R2, R3 traverse the respective line segment R1, R2, R3 unchanged and are routed unchanged by each line participant 11, 12, 13, 14; 21, 22, 23; 31.
[0048] The Fig. Figure 3 shows an abstract, schematic representation of a mechatronic system 10 in block diagram, which has a complex network topology with several star sections and several line sections. The star sections are formed by two switches 90 and 91. As is always the case with a complex network topology, there are several to numerous possibilities for dividing the routing structure into subroutes. In addition to the components already mentioned, the mechatronic system has the following participants 11, 12, 13, 14; 21; 31, 32, 33; 41; 51; 61; 71, 72; 81, 82. Assuming that the controller 100 is the sender of any telegrams or sub-telegrams of the summed frame, then—in order to cover the entire network 101—a sub-telegram of the summed frame must be sent to each directly adjacent participant 11 and 21. This will be discussed in more detail below.The controller 100 can form a node that represents a star section with the two star branches in the direction of participant 11 and participant 21 and possibly other participants not shown here, if it has integrated, for example, as is possible with any other participant, a corresponding network infrastructure component, such as a network switch.
[0049] Referring to Fig. 5A sends the controller 100 its generated summary frame sub-telegrams 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 via the corresponding branch points 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, depending on the selected method for generating the summary frame sub-telegrams 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. This will be discussed in more detail below. In this text, the reference symbols 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 1', 2', 3', 4', 5', 6', 7', 8' are used interchangeably for telegrams and branch points, with the reference being clear from the context. In case of doubt, both branch points and summary frame sub-telegrams or telegrams are included. However, it should be noted that, depending on the communication model (in particular according to the design of the method according to claim 5 or claim 6), a different configuration of summary frame sub-telegrams may result at one and the same branching point.
[0050] The invention uses, in its embodiment, the Fig. 5A is a configurable routing structure through which telegrams 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are routed. The configurable routing structure is flexible and, in the embodiment shown, contains the eight sub-routes R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, and R8. These eight sub-routes R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, and R8 cover the entire network 101, in the sense that each participant 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 31, 32, 33, 41, 51, 61, 71, 72, 81, and 82, optionally including participant 100, is a participant in at least one of the eight sub-routes R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, and R8. Specifically, the sub-route R1 covers a line section which includes participant 11 as the line start participant, participant 14 as the line end participant, and participants 12 and 13 in between.In general, closed topologies, especially ring topologies, are of course also encompassed by the invention; such a closed ring topology would result in the illustrated embodiment if the line end participant 14 had a direct network connection to the controller 100. Such embodiments are generally included. Subroute R2 consists of participant 21, subroute R3 of a line segment with participants 31, 32, and 33, subroute R4 consists solely of participant 41, and subroute R5 of participant 51 (which, however, is also shown to be connected to participant 41 via a physical network connection and can communicate directly with this participant). Subroute R6 comprises only participant 61, subroute R7 a line segment consisting of participants 71 and 72, and finally, subroute R8 also comprises a line segment consisting of participants 81 and 82.
[0051] The following description is given with simultaneous reference to the Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B; Fig. Figure 5B shows the structure of the summary frame sub-telegrams 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 assigned to the respective sub-routes R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, assuming that the respective summary frame sub-telegrams 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 are routed unchanged or forwarded by the participants within network 101. Then, the controller 100, as the telegram sender, sends the summary frame sub-telegram 1 via branch point 1, which (see Fig. 5B) contains the payload data D11, D12, D13, D14 of participants 11, 12, 13, 14. This summary frame sub-telegram 1 is structured according to the sub-route R1 and contains only the aforementioned payload data D11, D12, D13, D14. It is therefore routed via sub-route R1, and participants 100, 11, 12, 13, 14 of sub-route R1 can each extract their payload data D11, D12, D13, D14 from this summary frame sub-telegram 1 and / or write their payload data D11, D12, D13, D14 into the summary frame sub-telegram 1. In the communication model to which it refers Fig. 5B receives the control unit 100 via branch point 2 and thus via participant 21 the summary frame sub-telegrams 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. The summary frame sub-telegram 2 contains only the payload data D21 of participant 21. Summary frame sub-telegram 3 contains only the payload data D31, D32, D33 of participants 31, 32, 33; summary frame sub-telegram 4 contains only the payload data D41 of participant 41; summary frame sub-telegram 5 contains only the payload data D51 of participant 51; summary frame sub-telegram 6 contains only the payload data D61 of participant 61; summary frame sub-telegram 7 contains only the payload data D71, D72 of participants 71, 72; and finally, summary frame sub-telegram 8 contains only the payload data D81, D82 of participants 81, 82.
[0052] The aforementioned summary frame sub-telegrams 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 are routed as follows (hereafter, the term sub-telegram will be used temporarily instead of summary frame sub-telegram): sub-telegram 1 directly from controller 100 via subscriber 11 to destination route R1, sub-telegram 2 directly from controller 100 via subscriber 21 to destination route R2, sub-telegram 3 via sub-route R2 and network switch 90 to destination sub-route R3, sub-telegram 4 via sub-route R2 and network switch 90 to destination sub-route R4, sub-telegram 5 via sub-route R2 and network switch 90 to destination sub-route R5, sub-telegram 6 via sub-route R2, network switch 90, sub-route R4 and network switch 91 to destination sub-route R6 with the only one participant 61, sub-telegram 7 via sub-route R2, the network switch 90,Subroute R4 and network switch 91 to the destination subroute R7 and finally sub-telegram 8 via subroute R2, network switch 90, subroute R4 and network switch 91 to the destination subroute R8.
[0053] The following description is given with simultaneous reference to the Fig. 5A and Fig. 5C, assuming that summary frame sub-telegrams 1' to 8' are restructured at the network infrastructure components 90, 91 of the routing structure (in particular according to claim 6). The controller 100 or the telegram sender constructs the summary frame sub-telegram 1' based on the destination sub-route R1 with the payload data D11, D12, D13, D14 of the subscribers 11, 12, 13, 14 and sends it via the connection to the line start subscriber 11 of the line segment of sub-route R1 to the destination sub-route R1 (in Fig. For ease of reading, branch points 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are shown without a single quote (') in section 5A. Therefore, in the following, the summary frame sub-telegrams / branching points 1', 2', 3', 4', 5', 6', 7', and 8' refer to the summary frame sub-telegrams / branching points 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 shown there, unless otherwise stated below or implied by the context. Since the sub-route R1 has no nodes or other branches beyond its linear structure, the corresponding summary frame sub-telegram 1' is not further fragmented.
[0054] The summary frame sub-telegram 2' contains, in the present communication mode, payload data D21;D31,D32,D33;D41;D51;D61;D71,D72;D81,D82 of all participants 21;31,32,33;41;51;61;71,72;81,82 of the right network segment of the Fig. 5A opens and is restructured according to the branches or nodes 90, 91 as described below. As a result, in the illustrated embodiment, the controller 100 must be placed in the right-hand network segment of the Fig. 5A sends only a single summary frame sub-telegram 2' for each cycle, containing the payload data D21;D31,D32,D33;D41;D51;D61;D71,D72;D81,D82 from participants 21;31,32,33;41;51;61;71,72;81,82. This summary frame sub-telegram 2' is routed via participant 21 and sub-route R2 to network switch 90; participant 21 then either receives or writes its payload data D21. At network switch 90, summary frame sub-telegram 3' is formed from summary frame sub-telegram 2' and routed via participant 31 to sub-route R3. This summary frame sub-telegram 3' contains only the payload data D31,D32,D33, and is formed by decomposition from the summary frame sub-telegram 2'.In network switch 90, either the summary frame sub-telegrams 4', 5', 6', 7', 8' can be generated directly, or only the summary frame sub-telegram 5' for the subscriber 51 directly connected to network switch 90 and a separate, summary summary frame sub-telegram 4' can be generated. This latter sub-telegram can then contain the payload data D41; D61; D71, D72; D81, D82 for the subscribers 41; 61; 71, 72; 81, 82, which can then be further decomposed into the corresponding summary frame sub-telegrams 6', 7', 8' in network switch 91. Generally, the summary frame sub-telegrams with the payload data for the subscribers can be structured and generated at an infrastructure component, such as a network switch. According to the exemplary embodiment, the summary frame sub-telegram 4' contains... Fig. 5A in conjunction with Fig. 5C receives the payload data D41, D61, D71, D72, D81, D82. Subscriber 41 of subroute R4 retrieves / writes its payload data D41. The aforementioned summary frame sub-telegram 4' then passes through network switch 91, where it is further restructured / divided into the individual summary frame sub-telegrams 6', 7', 8' for the final destination subscribers 61, 71, 72, 81, 82, after which no further network segments or network infrastructure components connect. Summary frame sub-telegram 6' contains the payload data D61 for the intended end subscriber 61 of subroute R6; summary frame sub-telegram 7' contains the payload data D71, D72 for the intended line segment subscribers 71, 72 of subroute R7. Finally, the summary frame sub-telegram 8' contains the payload data D81,D82 for the addressed line section participants 81,82 of the sub-route R8.In this way, using the second routing method proposed according to the invention, all user data D11,D12,D13,D14;D21;D31,D32,D33;D41;D51;D61;D71,D72;D81,D82 are efficiently and deterministically routed to the addressed participants 11,12,13,14;21;31,32,33;41;51;61;71,72;81,82.
[0055] Fig. Figure 4 shows a somewhat more complex mechatronic system with several star and line segments, wherein the network participants are represented as industrial automation controllers, drives, and (partially integrated) switches. The controller 100 can, for example, be a head controller that simultaneously functions as a switch and connects the network participant 11 and the network switch 90 via the communication link 102. The network participant 11 is configured as a controller according to the invention, which directly actuates a drive 41 with an integrated control component and a connected servo motor 117 with feedback 116. The controller 11 can have an integrated network switch (not shown) and also integrate the controller 12 into the network 101 by means of this network switch. The controller 12 actuates a total of four drive controllers 61, 81, 82, 83, each of which drives an electric motor / servo motor.As a particularly flexible configuration option, readily encompassed by the invention, it is shown that the drive controller 61 and the drive controller 81 are directly connected to the control unit 12. The drive controller 81 acts as the controller and then supplies it with the forwarded summary frame sub-telegram intended for it (in the . Fig. (4 not explicitly shown) the further, cascaded drives 82, 83. On the other side of the network, via the network switch 90, there is a controller 21 with three connected drive controllers 31, 32, 33, each with a controlled electric motor, and on the other side, a drive controller 51 with integrated controller and connected electric motor, directly connected to the network switch 90. All embodiments, operating principles, methods, and method components described herein are fully applicable and transferable to this industrial automation system 10. In particular, the user data (not explicitly shown in the Fig. Figure 4 shows real-time data relating to the industrial automation system, in particular control and / or regulation data. This control and / or regulation data is communicated between participants 100, 11, 41, 12, 61, 81, 82, 83, 90, 21, 31, 32, and 33. The communication architecture can be based on a fieldbus architecture or a TSN architecture according to IEEE 802.1, in particular using a publish / subscribe communication model according to OPC UA.
[0056] Finally, it shows Fig. 6. The structure of a telegram data structure 103 is shown as an example, which is represented in temporal resolution as a time-slot telegram in the longitudinal direction. Using this telegram data structure 103, payload data D11, D12, D13, D14 is communicated between participants 11, 12, 13, 14 of a network 101 along a preconfigurable route R1 assigned to the telegram data structure 103 (see, for example, Figure 6). Fig. 5A in conjunction with Fig. 5B). Communication takes place using a method according to the invention described herein, and the network 101 comprises several components of a mechatronic system. The telegram data structure 103 shown has a configurable payload section 104, which transmits the payload data D11, D12, D13, D14 only to participants 100, 11, 12, 13, 14 of the assigned route R1 (see again Fig. 5A in conjunction with Fig. 5B). As from Fig.As can be seen in Figure 6, the payload data is located in a dedicated, configurable payload section 104, which is fixed and deterministically positioned within the telegram data structure 103 (this corresponds to an assigned timeslot for the payload data D11, D12, D3, D14 and other payload data). The configurable payload section 104 is large enough (not shown to scale) to accommodate a large number of payload data in a single telegram (data packet). An example of this is an empty payload subsection 113, which adjoins an area containing already written payload data D11, D12, D13, D14 and together they form the entire configurable payload section 104. The payload data D11, D12, D13, D14 are deterministically and randomly positioned in the assigned timeslot 104, allowing them to be written and read at any time.A fixed length for a D11 data point is also preferred, which can be configured or adjusted online, for example.
[0057] In detail, the telegram data structure 103 (according to the Ethernet telegram standard (stack)) has the following components according to the invention: the data structure 103 typically begins with a preamble 105, which contains general information about the synchronization and detection of the telegram start according to the invention. This is followed by a start detection as telegram start 106, then the MAC address 107 of the receiver and the MAC address 108 of the sender. According to the invention, the routing of the summary frame sub-telegram, whose telegram data structure 103 is shown here, is determined by this. Optionally, a VLAN or 802.1Q tag 109 is provided, which is used for the use of virtual networks (VLANs) and into which any existing switches can insert a VLAN tag according to the IEEE 802.1Q standard. This is followed by an Ether-Type 110 timeslot which specifies the service access point as type information.Finally, before the configurable payload section 104, the TCP header 112, containing the TCP data at OSI layer 4, follows. This is followed by checksum 114 and packet spacing 115; checksum 114, as a sub-telegram checksum, ensures the integrity and authenticity of, among other things, the contained payload data D11, D12, D13, and D14. Reference symbol list 1 telegram / junction 2 Telegram / Junction Point 3 Telegram / Junction Point 4 Telegram / Junction Point 5 Telegram / Junction Point 6 Telegram / Junction Point 7 Telegram / Junction Point 8 Telegram / Junction Point 1' Telegram / Junction Point 2' Telegram / Junction Point 3' Telegram / Junction Point 4' Telegram / Junction Point 5' Telegram / Junction Point 6' Telegram / Junction Point 7' Telegram / Junction Point 8' Telegram / Junction Point 10 mechatronic system 11 participants 12 participants 13 participants 14 participants 21 participants 22 participants 23 participants 31 participants 32 participants 33 participants 41 participants 51 participants 61 participants 71 participants 72 participants 81 participants 82 participants 83 participants 90 subscribers / network switch 91 subscribers / network switch 100 participants / control 101 Network 102 Communication link 103 Ethernet telegram (packet) / Telegram data structure 104 configurable user data sections 105 Preamble 106 Telegram start 107 MAC address recipient 108 MAC address sender 109 802.1Q tag (optional) 110 Ether-Type 111 IP header 112 TCP Header 113 User data subsection 114 Checksum 115 package spacing 116 Feedback / Givers 117 Servomotor 118 Mass storage devices (hard drive / SSD / USB flash drive) 119 integrated logic controller 120 integrated path control 121 Display 122 Electric motor Dnn user data R1-R8 sub-route
Claims
[1] Communication method between participants (100,11,12,13,14) of a network (101) which has several components (100,11,12,13,14) of a mechatronic system, wherein user data (D11,D12,D13,D14) are communicated between the participants (100,11,12,13,14) via the network (101) by means of telegrams, wherein logical and / or physical communication links (102) exist between participants (100,11,12,13,14) of the network (101) through which the telegrams (103) are transmitted, where user data (D11,D12,D13,D14) of several participants (100,11,12,13,14) are summarized in a summary frame telegram (1-8,1'-8') and the summary frame telegram (1-8,1'-8') is sent to participants (100,11,12,13,14) of the network (101), using a configurable routing structure through which the telegrams (103) are routed, wherein the configurable routing structure contains at least one sub-route (R1) that covers only a part of the participants (100,11,12,13,14) of the network (101), wherein at least one sub-telegram (1,1') is constructed for this sub-route (R1), which as a summary frame sub-telegram (1,1') contains only payload data (D11,D12,D13,D14) from participants (100,11,12,13,14) of this sub-route (R1), where the summary frame sub-telegram (1,1') is routed via this sub-route (R1), where participants (100,11,12,13,14) of the sub-route (R1) can each extract their payload data (D11,D12,D13,D14) from the summary frame sub-telegram (1,1') and / or write their payload data (D11,D12,D13,D14) into the summary frame sub-telegram (1,1'), where a network configuration module (101) automatically determines the configuration of the summary frame sub-telegram (1-8,1'-8') based on the routing structure, wherein at least one subroute (R1-R8) with the configuration of the associated summary frame sub-telegram (1-8,1'-8') is transmitted to the participants (100,11,12,13,14) of the subroute (R1) and is used there for routing and / or extracting and / or writing the payload data (Dnn). [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein the user data (D11,D12,D13,D14) comprise real-time data relating to the mechatronic system. [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the routing structure has several sub-routes (R1-R8) covering the entire network (101) or a predetermined network segment, wherein the respective sum frame sub-telegrams (1-8,1'-8') of all sub-routes (R1-R8) taken together can represent user data (Dnn) of the participants (100,11,12,13,14+) of the entire network (101) or of the predetermined network segment. [4] Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a telegram sender or a publisher according to the publish / subscribe communication model or a master (100) of a master / slave fieldbus architecture or a server of established client-server connections generates the sum frame sub-telegrams (1-8,1'-8') and sends them via the respective associated sub-routes (R1-R8) to the addressed participants (100,11,12,13,14). [5] Method according to claim 4, wherein the sent summary frame sub-telegrams (1-8) pass through the routing structure unchanged until reaching the addressed subscriber(s) (100,11,12,13,14). [6] Method according to claim 4, wherein the sum frame sub-telegrams (1'-8') are restructured at network infrastructure components (90,91) of the routing structure according to the sub-routes (R1-R8), wherein the restructured sum frame sub-telegrams (1'-8') with the payload data (Dnn) are forwarded to the subscribers (100,11,12,13,14) addressed therein. [7] Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the configuration of the sum frame sub-telegrams (1-8,1'-8') includes their structure and / or their transmission times. [8] Method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the routing structure is specified by the user and / or is determined at least partially automatically at runtime. [9] Method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the routing structure has at least one line segment (R3) with a line end participant (33) and / or a line start participant (31) in which participants (31, 32, 33) are arranged sequentially one after the other, and / or has at least one star segment (R2, R3, R4, R5) in which star branches with participants (21, 31, 41, 51) are connected in a star configuration to a node (90), wherein the node (90) is implemented by means of a network infrastructure component (90) and / or by means of a publisher according to the publish / subscribe communication model and / or by means of a master (100) of a master / slave fieldbus architecture and / or by means of a server of established client-server connections. [10] Method according to claim 9, wherein summation frame sub-telegrams (3) passing through a line segment (R3) are routed unchanged through each line participant (31, 32, 33), and that summation frame sub-telegrams (2, 3, 4, 5, 2', 3', 4', 5') at nodes (90) are either routed unchanged to a star branch or restructured according to claim 6 and routed to a star branch. [11] Telegram data structure (103) by means of which payload data (D11,D12,D13,D14) can be communicated between participants (100,11,12,13,14) of a network (101) along a preconfigurable route (R1) assigned to the telegram data structure (103) according to a method according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the network (101) comprises several components of a mechatronic system, wherein the telegram data structure (103) comprises a configurable payload section (104) which contains payload data (D11,D12,D13,D14) only from participants (100,11,12,13,14) of the assigned route (R1). [12] Mechatronic system within which user data (Dnn) relating to the mechatronic system are communicated by means of a method according to any one of claims 1 to 10. [13] Machine control (100,11,12,13,14) of a mechatronic system which executes a communication method according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the machine control (100,11,12,13,14) provides for a configuration or at least partially automated determination of the routing structure and / or receives such a configuration from the network (101) and / or communicates or distributes such a configuration in the network (101). [14] Computer program product for a computer system which, when executed on a computer system, performs a method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
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