Network device, time-sensitive network system, and automatic configuration method thereof

Abstract

To provide a network device, a time-sensitive network system, and an auto-configuration method thereof that determine the configuration in time-sensitive networking (TSN) offline.SOLUTION: A method includes obtaining, by a first OPC UA client module, a TSN configuration of a stream; transmitting, by the first OPC UA client module, the TSN configuration to an OPC UA server module of a centralized user configuration (CUC), in the TSN system; obtaining, by the CUC, a routing information and scheduling of the stream according to the TSN configuration and a network topology; sending, by the first OPC UA client module, a request to the OPC UA server module to obtain the routing information and scheduling of the stream; configuring the routing information and scheduling of the stream to a plurality of end stations in the TSN system: and deploying the configuration to a TSN bridge.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a network device, a time-sensitive network system, and an automatic configuration method thereof, and more particularly to a network device, a time-sensitive network system, and an automatic configuration method thereof that can determine the configuration of a time-sensitive network system offline.

Background Art

[0002] In industrial fields, some applications have strict timing requirements that must be guaranteed by end-to-end latency. Time-critical application streams need to be scheduled and routed in a network that may include best-effort traffic and other traffic with different quality-of-service (QoS) requirements. Today, time-sensitive networking (TSN) technology is an important solution to meet this important requirement. However, how to configure end stations and network devices to meet the deterministic latency requirements in a TSN network is a complex and time-consuming task.

[0003] In a fully centralized model of a TSN network, the routing and scheduling of TSN data streams are generally based on TSN-related parameters stored in end stations. However, the TSN standard does not specifically define how a centralized user configuration (CUC) obtains these TSN-related parameters. In the prior art, a well-known client / server architecture of protocols such as NETCONF is used to implement how a CUC obtains relevant parameters from an end station. PTCC (PubSub TSN Centralized Configuration) has also been proposed in the proposal of the OPC UA Companion Specification, which defines a configuration interface between a CUC and an OPC UA PubSub end station. However, the methods of the prior art are only applicable when the end station is in an online state, and therefore cannot meet the requirements in an offline state such as the planning, design, or commissioning stage of a configuration workflow.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the present invention provides a network device, a time-sensitive network system, and an automatic configuration method thereof that can determine the configuration in TSN offline during the planning, design, and commissioning stages of a configuration workflow.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] Embodiments of the present invention disclose an automatic configuration method used in a Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) system. The automatic configuration method includes steps of: obtaining the TSN configuration of a stream by a first OPC UA client module; transmitting the TSN configuration to an OPC UA server module of a Centralized User Configuration (CUC) in the TSN system by the first OPC UA client module; obtaining the routing information and scheduling of the stream according to the TSN configuration and the network topology by the CUC; transmitting a request for obtaining the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the OPC UA server by the first OPC UA client module; and configuring the routing information and scheduling of the stream for a plurality of end stations in the TSN system.

[0006] Embodiments of the present invention disclose a Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) system for an automatic configuration method. The TSN system includes a first OPC UA client module, a Centralized User Configuration (CUC) having an OPC UA server module, and a plurality of end stations. The automatic configuration method includes steps of: obtaining the TSN configuration of a stream by the first OPC UA client module; transmitting the TSN configuration to the OPC UA server module of the CUC by the first OPC UA client module; obtaining the routing information and scheduling of the stream according to the TSN configuration and the network topology by the CUC; transmitting a request for obtaining the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the OPC UA server by the first OPC UA client module; and configuring the routing information and scheduling of the stream for the plurality of end stations.

[0007] Embodiments of the present invention further disclose a network device within a Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) system configured to have a first OPC UA client module. The network device includes a processing unit and a storage unit. The processing unit is configured to execute program code. The storage unit is coupled to the processing unit and configured to store program code for instructing the processing unit to execute an automatic configuration method. The automatic configuration method includes steps of obtaining a TSN configuration of a stream by the first OPC UA client module, transmitting the TSN configuration to an OPC UA server module of a Centralized User Configuration (CUC) within the TSN system by the first OPC UA client module, transmitting a request for obtaining routing information and scheduling of the stream to the OPC UA server by the first OPC UA client module, and configuring routing information and scheduling of the stream for a plurality of end stations within the TSN system.

[0008] These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art without any doubt after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments shown in various figures and drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 3B

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Figure 8A

Figure 8B

Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Certain terms are used throughout this specification and the following claims to refer to particular components. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, hardware manufacturers may refer to components by different names. This specification is not intended to distinguish components that have different names but the same functions. In the following description and claims, the terms "include" and "comprise" are used in an open-ended fashion and should thus be interpreted to mean "including but not limited to." Also, the term "coupled" is intended to mean either an indirect electrical connection or a direct electrical connection. Thus, when one device is coupled to another device, that connection can be through a direct electrical connection or through an indirect electrical connection via other devices and connections.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a TSN system 10. The TSN system 10 complies with the standard of a fully centralized model of TSN and can be simply composed of a centralized user configuration (CUC) 110, a centralized network configuration (CNC) 120, two end stations 130, 132, and two TSN bridges 140, 142. The end stations 130, 132 and the TSN bridges 140, 142 may be connected by physical links, and the end stations 130, 132 may execute time-aware applications that require deterministic communication.

[0012] In FIG. 1, the CUC 110, the CNC 120, the end stations 130, 132, and the TSN bridges 140, 142 are merely used to show the architecture of the TSN system 10. In reality, the end stations 130, 132 may be robots, sensors, programmable logic controllers, etc., and are not limited thereto, and may execute end-to-end communication with other end stations. In other words, the end stations 130, 132 may be the source node (talker) or the destination node (listener) of a stream defined by a plurality of TSN parameters such as size, period, priority, offset / type, deadline, etc. Note that the end stations 130, 132 are the listener of one stream and the talker of another stream, and different QoS requirements of different streams in TSN should be satisfied in end-to-end communication. Generally, various QoS requirements of a stream may be stored in the end stations 130, 132 as a basis for stream scheduling and routing.

[0013] The CUC110 can communicate with the CNC120 and the end stations 130, 132 to obtain the QoS requirements of the streams from the end stations 130, 132 and the scheduling and routing configuration from the CNC120. Generally, the CUC110 can collect QoS requirements (TSN QoS parameters) from the end stations 130, 132, perform topology discovery to obtain the network topology of the TSN system 10, and thereby request the scheduling and routing configuration from the CNC120. However, this procedure is only available when the entire TSN system 10 is running online with current technology.

[0014] The CNC120 is a centralized component that calculates network routing and scheduling and configures network resources. The CNC120 can communicate with the CUC110 and the TSN bridges 140, 142 to obtain the QoS requirements of the streams from the CUC110 and configure the TSN bridges 140, 142. In other words, the CNC120 performs stream scheduling and routing calculations according to the QoS requirements and network topology obtained from the CUC, and then applies the calculation results to the TSN bridges 140, 142 to configure end-to-end communication.

[0015] The TSN bridges 140, 142 may be network switches that transfer streams from one terminal device to another according to the scheduling configured by the CNC120. That is, according to the configuration configured by the CNC120, the TSN bridges 140, 142 realize deterministic communication in the TSN system 10.

[0016] The TSN standard defines a completely centralized model that is executed as described above, but the data exchange related to the QoS requirements between the CUC110 and the end stations 130, 132 is not specifically defined. Currently, the related methods proposed in the prior art focus on obtaining QoS requirements in an online state, that is, the end stations to be configured should be online, otherwise, the QoS requirements cannot be obtained by the CUC. In this regard, the present invention incorporates engineering tools and adopts the Open Platform Communication Unified Architecture (OPC UA) to provide an effective and unified configuration model for the required TSN QoS configuration, that is, a centralized general-purpose TSN QoS configuration model.

[0017] Continue to refer to FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the TSN system 10 further includes engineering tools 100 that configure the end stations 130 and 132 and the communication relationship between them during an offline engineering stage such as the planning, design, or commissioning stage of the configuration workflow. The engineering tool 100 may be a stand-alone network device or may be executed on one of the end stations 130, 132. Specifically, configuration data including TSN QoS parameters can be imported into the engineering tool 100. The configuration data may be an OPC UA configuration descriptor (defined in OPC UA Part 83: UAFX Offline Engineering) or an IEC / IEEE 60802 digital data sheet file so that the engineering tool 100 can configure the end stations 130, 132. It should be noted that other industrial protocol import mechanisms may also be adopted in the embodiments of the present application. In the present invention, the engineering tool 100 not only configures the end stations 130, 132 but also facilitates the acquisition of the TSN QoS parameters of the streams by the CUC110.

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a TSN system 10 having an OPC UA server / client model according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the CUC 110 has an OPC UA server module 210 and a TSN QoS configuration information model 212. The TSN QoS configuration information model 212 is defined by a separate OPC UA companion specification 214 that defines detailed TSN QoS configuration information models, ObjectTypes, DataTypes, Objects, and Methods used to implement the TSN QoS offline configuration. According to the TSN QoS configuration information model 212, the OPC UA server module 210 sets up an address space for configuration data and provides various methods for an OPC UA client to create and retrieve these data sets. In addition to the TSN QoS parameters, the CUC 110 can also obtain the network topology of the TSN system 10 via the OPC UA server module 210. Referring to Figures 3A and 3B, a simplified TSN QoS configuration information model 30 of the present invention is shown. The TSN QoS configuration information model 30 defines TSN QoS and topology instances within the address space of the OPC UA server module 210. TSN stream QoS data sets and network topology resources are created by the OPC UA server module 210 by the OPC UA client via the methods defined in the TSN QoS configuration information model 30.

[0019] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, at least one OPC UA client module 200 can exist within the TSN system 10. The OPC UA client module 200 can be deployed within the engineering tool 100 or within one of the end stations 130, 132. The OPC UA client module 200 can obtain the network topology of the TSN system 10 or the TSN QoS parameters, and then transmit them to the OPC UA server module 210 of the CUC110 according to the API defined by the TSN QoS configuration information model 212. Therefore, through the OPC UA server / client model, the CUC110 can obtain the relevant information of the stream from the engineering tool 100 or the end stations 130, 132. Furthermore, through the unified interface provided by the TSN QoS configuration information model 212, whether it is an online configuration or an offline configuration, the differences caused by vendor-specific or other different industrial automation protocol configuration methods can be overcome.

[0020] The automatic configuration method of the present invention can be summarized in the automatic configuration process 40 of FIG. 4. The automatic configuration process 40 includes the following steps.

[0021] Step 400: Start.

[0022] Step 402: The first OPC UA client module obtains the TSN configuration of the stream.

[0023] Step 404: The first OPC UA client module transmits the TSN configuration to the OPC UA server module of the CUC within the TSN system.

[0024] Step 406: The CUC transmits the TSN configuration and the network topology to the CNC.

[0025] Step 408: The CNC returns the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the CUC.

[0026] Step 410: The first OPC UA client module sends a request to the OPC UA server to obtain the routing information and scheduling of the stream.

[0027] Step 412: Configure the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the end station.

[0028] Step 414: The CNC deploys the configuration regarding the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the TSN bridge.

[0029] Step 416: End.

[0030] According to the automatic configuration process 40, the first OPC UA client module obtains the TSN configuration of the stream (step 402), and the TSN configuration includes the relevant TSN QoS parameters of the stream. Then, the first OPC UA client module transmits the obtained TSN configuration of the stream to the OPC UA server module of the CUC via the API provided by the TSN QoS configuration information model in the CUC (step 404). After receiving the TSN configuration via the OPC UA server module, the CUC passes the TSN configuration and the network topology of the TSN system to the CNC for routing and scheduling calculations (step 406). After completing the calculations, the CNC returns the calculation results of the routing and scheduling to the CUC (step 408), and then the first OPC UA client module may send a request to the OPC UA server of the CUC to obtain the routing information and scheduling of the stream (step 410). Finally, based on the obtained routing information and scheduling calculation results of the stream, the end station and the TSN bridge are arranged (steps 412 - 414). Thus, the automatic setting of the TSN system is completed.

[0031] Specifically, in step 402, the first OPC UA client module acquires the TSN configuration of the stream. The TSN configuration can be acquired via an engineering tool or via an end station having information of other end stations. The TSN configuration includes the TSN QoS parameters required by the TSN system to ensure deterministic communication of the stream. The TSN configuration should be converted into the TSN configuration available to the first OPC UA client module in this step. Note that the conversion is vendor-specific and may vary for different industrial protocols.

[0032] In step 404, the first OPC UA client module transmits the acquired TSN configuration of the stream to the OPC UA server module of the CUC via the API provided by the TSN QoS configuration information model in the CUC. This step should be executed after the client / server connection is established. The first OPC UA client module can call methods such as addTalkerStream and addListenerStream defined in the TSN QoS configuration information model to add the TSN QoS and related parameters of the time-sensitive stream to the OPC UA server module, whereby the CUC can acquire the related parameters.

[0033] In step 406, the CUC passes the TSN configuration and network topology of the TSN system to the CNC for routing and scheduling calculations. The TSN configuration and network topology can be transmitted according to IEEE 802.1Qdj, REST (representational state transfer), or vendor-specific APIs, but are not limited thereto.

[0034] Before calculating the scheduling and routing of the stream, it should be noted that the TSN control layer (such as CUC, CNC, etc.) needs to obtain the network topology of the TSN system with the QoS capabilities of the end stations. The process of obtaining the network topology can be achieved by importing a topology description file or manually creating it by a topology generation entity (TGE) or tool. The TGE may be used to create the same static topology dataset (such as station name, port name, link name, etc.) as the topology dataset created by the topology discovery entity (TDE) for online network discovery. Furthermore, the TGE can also convert the OPC UA network topology object into a topology dataset. The CUC can use the topology dataset to configure the routing and scheduling of the stream. In the present invention, the network topology may be obtained by the TGE and then transmitted to the OPC UA server module of the CUC via a second OPC UA client module, but is not limited thereto. For example, the second OPC UA client module can call methods such as addTsnBridge defined in the TSN QoS configuration information model to create a TSN bridge object, methods such as addTsnEndStation to create an end station object, or methods such as addTsnLink to create a link between two TSN bridges, between two end stations, or between a TSN bridge and an end station. It should be noted that the second OPC UA client module may be the same as the first OPC UA client module or may be deployed on a different network device (such as an engineering tool or an end station) from the first OPC UA client module.

[0035] In step 408, the CNC returns the stream routing information and scheduling to the CUC. The stream routing information and scheduling are transmitted by, but not limited to, IEEE 802.1Qdj, REST (representational state transfer), or vendor-specific APIs. In addition to returning the stream routing information and scheduling to the CUC, the CNC further updates the return status to the OPC UA server module of the CUC.

[0036] In step 410, the first OPC UA client module sends a request to the OPC UA server to obtain the stream routing information and scheduling. The first OPC UA client module checks the "program status" of the "program control method" that can be updated in step 408, and then calls methods such as getComputedResult defined in the TSN QoS configuration information model to extract revised stream parameters such as TimeAwareOffset or AccumulatedLatency. Therefore, the first OPC UA client module obtains the stream routing information and scheduling.

[0037] In step 412, based on the obtained stream routing information and the calculation result of the scheduling, the end station is arranged. The first OPC UA client module can first check the return status of the calculation or configuration. If the return status is in a successful state, the end station can be configured according to the stream routing information and scheduling when the end station is online.

[0038] In step 414, when the TSN bridge is online, the CNC deploys the routing information of the stream to the TSN bridge and the configuration related to scheduling. Therefore, the configuration of the TSN system is determined in the offline engineering stage and can be deployed to the device immediately after the device goes online.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a TSN system 10 configured via an engineering tool according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the engineering tool 100 has an OPC UA client module operating therein. According to the automatic configuration process 40, in step 402, the OPC UA client module 200 of the engineering tool 100 acquires the TSN configuration of the stream. Specifically, in this step, the configuration data 520 can first be imported into the engineering tool 101. The configuration data 520 includes TSN QoS parameters and may be an OPC UA configuration descriptor or an IEC / IEEE 60802 digital data sheet, but is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the engineering tool 100 may adopt other import mechanisms to import the configuration data 520. For example, vendor-specific methods or protocols such as PROFINET, EtherNet / Industrial Automation, EtherCAT, CC-Link IE TSN, PowerLink, etc. can also be applied. After importing the configuration data 520 including the TSN QoS parameters, the engineering tool 100 can convert the TSN QoS parameters into a TSN configuration available to the OPC UA client module 200. Further, the TSN system 10 includes a TGE500 having an OPC UA client module 510. The TGE500 creates a network topology and then transmits it to the CUC110 via the OPC UA client module 510. Thereafter, the TSN QoS parameters and the network topology are used to acquire routing information and schedule streams in steps 404 to 410 as described above. After the CNC120 properly allocates resources for the stream, the engineering tool 100 configures the end stations 130 and 132 in step 412 based on the acquired routing information and the scheduling of the stream.Engineering tool 100 can configure end stations 130, 132 through the OPC UA server / client mechanism between them, as well as through vendor-specific or other industrial automation protocols such as PROFINET, EtherNet (registered trademark) / Ip, EtherCAT, CC-Link IE TSN, PowerLink, Sercos. Therefore, TSN system 10 can be automatically configured offline via engineering tool 100. Furthermore, engineering tool 100 can know the TSN configuration of the stream before end stations 130 and 132 go online. Thus, CNC 120 can determine the routing path and stream scheduling while end stations 130 and 132 are offline.

[0040] Although TGE500 is shown as a stand-alone network device in FIG. 5, it should be noted that TGE500 may be implemented as an embedded software module running on CUC110, or may run on engineering tool 100 or end stations 130, 132 and communicate with CUC110 via OPC UA client module 510.

[0041] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a TSN system 10 configured via a master controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, an OPC UA client module 200 is arranged in an end station 132. In this embodiment, the end station 132 is a master controller having an OPC UAFX connection manager 600 capable of acquiring information of other slave devices and configuring the slave devices, and the end station 130 is a slave device configured by the OPC UAFX connection manager 600. According to the automatic configuration process 40, in step 402, the OPC UA client module 200 of the end station 132 acquires the TSN configuration of the stream. Specifically, in this step, the configuration data 520 may be imported into the end station 133. In this embodiment, the end station 132 can import the configuration data 520 via a vendor-specific method or protocol such as PROFINET, EtherNet / Industrial Automation, EtherCAT, CC-Link IE TSN, PowerLink. After importing the configuration data 520, the end station 132 can extract the TSN QoS parameters from the OPC UAFX connection manager 600. In addition, the TSN QoS parameters can also be collected by the end device 132 from the QoS information of the end station 130 (i.e., the slave device corresponding to the master controller) via the OPC UAFX connection manager 600. Therefore, the end station 132 can convert the TSN QoS parameters into a TSN configuration available to the OPC UA client module 200. Thereafter, the TSN QoS parameters and the network topology are used to obtain routing information and schedule the stream in steps 404 to 410 as described above.After the CNC 120 has successfully allocated resources for the stream, the master controller (i.e., end station 132) configures the slave device (i.e., end station 130) in step 412 based on the routing information obtained from the OPC UA client module 200 through the OPC UAFX connection manager 600 and the scheduling of the stream. Therefore, the TSN system 10 can be automatically configured via end station 132 (as the master controller).

[0042] In addition to obtaining the TSN configuration of the stream from the slave device (end station 130) while the slave device is online, it should be noted that the master controller (end station 132) can obtain the TSN configuration by importing the configuration data 520 while the slave device is offline. Therefore, the CNC 120 can determine the routing path and stream scheduling before all end stations go online. Therefore, after the slave device goes online, the routing information and scheduling of the stream can be immediately deployed there.

[0043] It should be noted that in actual applications, both scenarios shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 usually exist simultaneously. In other words, in the TSN system, some end stations may be configured via engineering tools, while other end stations may be configured via the master controller (i.e., the connection manager). Furthermore, there may be two or more engineering tools operating according to different industrial automation protocols, and there may be two or more master controllers operating simultaneously to configure different groups of slave devices. In the present invention, the TSN system 10 is compatible with the above situations simultaneously, and the TSN QoS configuration information model 212 provides a unified interface (API) suitable for various configuration methods.

[0044] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a TSN system 70 having a plurality of engineering tools according to an embodiment of the present invention. In actual applications, different field devices or controllers may need to be configured by different engineering tools as shown in FIG. 7. The TSN system 70 includes a CUC 700, a CNC 710, a plurality of TNS bridges 720, a plurality of engineering tools 730_1 to 730_3, and a plurality of areas 740_1 to 740_3 including a plurality of end stations. The engineering tool 730_1 is responsible for configuring the end stations within the area 740_1, the engineering tool 730_2 is for the end stations within the area 740_2, and the engineering tool 730_3 is for the end stations within the area 740_3. Each of the OPC UA client modules of the engineering tools 730_1 to 730_3 should provide different streams of information to the end stations. For example, the OPC UA client module of the engineering tool 730_1 must provide the TSN QoS parameters of streams 1 to 10, the engineering tool 730_2 must provide the TSN QoS parameters of streams 11 to 20, and the engineering tool 730_3 must provide the TSN QoS parameters of streams 21 to 30.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 7, CUC700 has an OPC UA server module which may be the same as the OPC UA server module 210. Further, each of the engineering tools 730_1 to 730_3 has an OPC UA client module and a PLC configuration module. The OPC UA client module may be the same as the OPC UA client module 200 or 510, and may communicate with the OPC UA server module of CUC700 to exchange TSN QoS parameters, routing information, and stream scheduling. The PLC configuration module imports configuration data including TSN QoS parameters and can be used to configure end stations via OPC UA or other industrial protocols such as PROFINET, EtherNet / IP, EtherCAT, CC-Link IE TSN, PowerLink. In the present invention, the communication between the OPC UA server module of CUC700 and the OPC UA client modules of the engineering tools 730_1 to 730_3 is realized via an API defined by the above-described TSN QoS configuration information model (not shown in FIG. 7).

[0046] According to the automatic configuration process 40, the OPC UA client modules of the engineering tools 730_1 to 730_3 each obtain the TSN configuration of the stream via the PLC configuration module in step 402, and then, in step 404, send the TSN configuration to the OPC UA server module of the CUC700 respectively. The CUC700 sends the TSN configuration and the network topology to the CNC710 in step 406 in order to calculate the routing information and scheduling of the stream in step 406, and then the CNC710 returns the calculated routing information and scheduling to the CUC700 in step 408. The OPC UA client modules of the engineering tools 730_1 to 730_3 can send requests to the OPC UA server of the CUC710 in step 410 to obtain the routing information and scheduling of the stream, and then the engineering tools 730_1 to 730_3 can configure the end stations in the areas 740_1 to 740_3 via the PLC configuration module respectively in step 412. Finally, the CNC710 deploys the configuration regarding the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the plurality of TNS bridges 720.

[0047] In the TSN system 70, in order to realize the interoperability of the OPC UA client modules of the engineering tools 730_1 to 730_3, a role-based access control (RBAC) security policy for access control to the role-based management area can be adopted. One of the OPC UA client modules of the engineering tools 730_1 to 730_3 can be determined as an administrator who can access and execute all the methods defined by the TSN QoS configuration information model 212. FIGS. 8A and 8B are flowcharts of the TSN system that executes the automatic configuration process 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the OPC UA client module of the engineering tool 730_1 is an administrator that manages the procedures for the automatic configuration process. In step 404, the OPC UA client module of the engineering tool 730_1 is responsible for first connecting to the OPC UA server module of the CUC700, creating a project for the TSN QoS configuration, and creating the network topology of the TSN system 70. After the administrator's task is completed, the OPC UA client module of the engineering tool 730_1 can add the TSN QoS parameters of streams 1 to 10. Next, the OPC UA client modules of the engineering tools 730_2 and 730_3 connect to the OPC UA server module, browse the address space, and add the TSN QoS parameters of streams 11 to 20 and 21 to 30 to the OPC UA server of the CUC700, respectively. In steps 406-408, the administrator (i.e., the OPC UA client module of the engineering tool 730_1) calls the method "compute" and sends a request to the TSN control layer to calculate the routing information and schedule of the stream. In step 410, the OPC UA client modules of the engineering tools 730_1 to 730_3 call the method "GetComputedResult" to send a request to obtain the routing information and schedule of the stream. Finally, in step 414, the administrator calls the method "Deploy" and sends a request for the TSN control layer to deploy the configuration related to the routing information and scheduling of the stream to multiple TSN bridges 720, and the engineering tools 730_1 to 730_3 respectively deploy the obtained routing information and scheduling to the end stations in the areas 740_1 to 740_3 via their respective PLC configuration modules.

[0049] Therefore, one of the OPC UA client modules can be an administrator for managing the automatic configuration process for scenarios with multiple OPC UA client modules, i.e., for multiple engineering tools. It should be noted that the engineering tools in the present invention may be replaced by a master controller in the TSN system to execute the same procedures. Further, steps 402 to 410 may be executed during an offline state such as the planning, design, or commissioning stage of the configuration workflow, but steps 412 to 414 for deploying the routing information and scheduling of the stream should be executed only when the TSN bridge and the end stations are online.

[0050] Furthermore, please refer to FIG. 9 which is a schematic diagram of the network device 90 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The network device 90 may be used to implement an engineering tool (such as engineering tool 100 and engineering tools 730_1 to 730_3) or a master controller (such as end station 130). As shown in FIG. 9, the network device 90 may include a processing unit 900 and a storage unit 910. The processing unit 900 may be a microprocessor or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The storage unit 910 may be any type of data storage device for storing the program code 912, and the program code 912 is read and executed by the processing unit 900. For example, the storage unit 910 may be, but is not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk, an optical data storage device, a non-volatile storage unit, etc.

[0051] The network device 90 is used to represent the necessary components required to implement the embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can make various modifications and adjustments accordingly, and are not limited thereto. For example, when the network device 90 is applied to implement the engineering tool 100, the automatic configuration process 40 for the engineering tool can be compiled into the program code 912, stored in the storage unit 910, and executed by the processing unit 900. Also, the storage unit 910 is also used to store the data necessary to execute the automatic configuration method of the TSN system, and is not limited thereto.

[0052] In the prior art, different configuration methods of the TSN system have been proposed for the online state, and the OPC UA server / client model can also be adopted in the prior art. However, the prior art generally deploys an OPC UA client in the CUC and an OPC UA server in the end station. In this situation, the TSN control layer only needs to configure the TSN system while the end station is ready and in the online state. In this regard, the present invention, instead, deploys the OPC UA server in the CUC and deploys the OPC UA client in the end station or the engineering tool. Therefore, the relevant TSN QoS parameters may be collected and transmitted to the CUC via the devices having the information, which is a method for the automatic configuration when not all devices are online.

[0053] In summary, the present invention provides a method, device, and architecture / system for automatic configuration, and the TSN QoS configuration information model provides a unified interface for information exchange. Therefore, various configuration methods or industrial automation protocols are compatible in the same TSN system, and the development and integration of the TSN system can be facilitated. Further, the routing path and scheduling of TSN streams may be determined offline according to the TSN configuration during the planning, design, and commissioning stages of the configuration workflow, improving the prior art.

[0054] Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that numerous modifications and changes can be made to the apparatus and method while retaining the teachings of the present invention. Accordingly, the foregoing disclosure should be construed as being limited only by the boundaries of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automatic configuration method used in a Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) system, the automatic configuration method comprising: a first OPC UA client module obtaining a TSN configuration of a stream; the first OPC UA client module sending the TSN configuration to an OPC UA server module of a Centralized User Configuration (CUC) in the TSN system; the CUC obtaining routing information and scheduling of the stream according to the TSN configuration and network topology; the first OPC UA client module sending a request for obtaining the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the OPC UA server; only an engineering tool configuring the routing information and scheduling of the stream for a plurality of end stations in the TSN system, wherein the first OPC UA client module is included only within the engineering tool, the automatic configuration method.

2. The automatic configuration method according to claim 1, wherein after the plurality of end stations go online, the routing information and scheduling of the stream are obtained offline and executed to configure the routing information and scheduling of the stream for the plurality of end stations.

3. The automatic configuration method according to claim 1, further comprising a second OPC UA client module sending the network topology to the OPC UA server module of the CUC in the TSN system.

4. The automatic configuration method according to claim 3, wherein the network topology is constructed by a topology generation entity tool.

5. The step in which the first OPC UA client module obtains the TSN configuration of the stream is the engineering tool importing configuration data including an OPC UA configuration descriptor or an IEC / IEEE 60802 digital data sheet The step in which the engineering tool converts the configuration data into the TSN configuration available to the first OPC UA client, the automatic configuration method according to claim 1, comprising the step. **Claim 6**: The automatic configuration method according to claim 5, wherein the engineering tool configures the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the plurality of end stations via each protocol including PROFINET, EtherNet / IP, EtherCAT, CC-Link IE, PowerLink, SERCOS, or OPC UA. **Claim 7** The step in which the CUC obtains the routing information and scheduling of the stream based on the TSN configuration and the network topology is The step in which the CUC transmits the TSN configuration and the network topology to the CNC (centralized network configuration) in the TSN system according to IEEE 802.1Qdj, REST (representational state transfer), or a vendor-specific API, and The step in which the CNC transmits the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the CUC according to IEEE 802.1Qdj, REST (representational state transfer), or the vendor-specific API, the automatic configuration method according to claim 1, comprising the step. **Claim 8** The automatic configuration method according to claim 7, further comprising the step in which, after a plurality of TSN bridges in the TSN system are online, the CNC deploys a configuration regarding the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the TSN bridge. **Claim 9** A time-sensitive networking (TSN) system for an automatic configuration method, the TSN system comprising A first OPC UA client module; A centralized user configuration (CUC) having an OPC UA server module; A plurality of end stations, and The automatic configuration method comprising The step in which the first OPC UA client module obtains the TSN configuration of the stream. The step in which the first OPC UA client module transmits the TSN configuration to the OPC UA server module of the CUC; The step in which the CUC obtains the routing information and scheduling of the stream according to the TSN configuration and the network topology; The step in which the first OPC UA client module transmits a request for obtaining the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the OPC UA server; Including the step in which only the engineering tool configures the routing information and scheduling of the stream for the plurality of end stations; The first OPC UA client module is a TSN system included only within the engineering tool.

10. The TSN system according to claim 9, wherein after the plurality of end stations go online, the routing information and scheduling of the stream are obtained offline, and the routing information and scheduling of the stream are configured for the plurality of end stations.

11. The TSN system according to claim 9, further including the step in which a second OPC UA client module transmits the network topology to the OPC UA server module of the CUC.

12. The TSN system according to claim 11, wherein the network topology is constructed by a topology generation entity tool.

13. The TSN system according to claim 9, further including a network device configured as the engineering tool.

14. The step in which the first OPC UA client module obtains the TSN configuration of the stream is The step in which the engineering tool imports configuration data including an OPC UA configuration descriptor or an IEC / IEEE 60802 digital data sheet; and The step in which the engineering tool converts the configuration data into the TSN configuration available to the first OPC UA client. The TSN system according to claim 13.

15. The TSN system according to claim 13, wherein the engineering tool configures the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the plurality of end stations via respective protocols including PROFINET, EtherNet / IP, EtherCAT, CC-Link IE, PowerLink, SERCOS, or OPC UA.

16. further comprising a centralized network configuration (CNC), wherein the step of the CUC obtaining the routing information and scheduling of the stream based on the TSN configuration and the network topology includes: the CUC transmitting the TSN configuration and the network topology to the CNC according to IEEE 802.1Qdj, REST (Representational State Transfer), or a vendor-specific API; and the CNC transmitting the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the CUC according to IEEE 802.1Qdj, REST (Representational State Transfer), or the vendor-specific API, the TSN system according to claim 9.

17. further comprising a plurality of TSN bridges, wherein the automatic configuration method further includes the step of the CNC deploying a configuration regarding the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the TSN bridges after the plurality of TSN bridges go online, the TSN system according to claim 16.

18. A network device in a time-sensitive networking (TSN) system, the network device comprising a processing unit configured to execute program code, and a program code stored in a manner coupled to the processing unit and configured to instruct the processing unit to execute an automatic configuration method, wherein the automatic configuration method includes: a first OPC UA client module obtaining a TSN configuration of a stream; and the first OPC UA client module transmitting the TSN configuration to an OPC UA server module of a centralized user configuration (CUC) in the TSN system. The step in which the first OPC UA client module transmits a request to the OPC UA server to obtain the routing information and scheduling of the stream; including the step in which only the engineering tool configures the routing information and scheduling of the stream for a plurality of end stations in the TSN system; the network device is configured as the engineering tool; the first OPC UA client module is a network device that is only included in the engineering tool.

19. The network device according to claim 18, wherein after the plurality of end stations go online, the routing information and scheduling of the stream are obtained offline, and the automatic configuration method is executed to configure the routing information and scheduling of the stream for the plurality of end stations.

20. The step in which the first OPC UA client module obtains the TSN configuration of the stream is the step in which the engineering tool imports configuration data including an OPC UA configuration descriptor or an IEC / IEEE 60802 digital data sheet; and the step in which the engineering tool converts the configuration data into the TSN configuration available to the first OPC UA client. The network device according to claim 18 includes these steps.

21. The network device according to claim 18, wherein the engineering tool configures the routing information and scheduling of the stream to the plurality of end stations via each protocol including PROFINET, Ethernet / IP, EtherCAT, CC-Link IE, PowerLink, SERCOS, or OPC UA.

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