Industrial Automation Network Partitioning for Latency Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems face challenges in reliably guaranteeing a defined time window for transmitting control commands within cycle-based control processes, as existing solutions primarily focus on bandwidth guarantees rather than latency and jitter requirements.
Innovation Solution
A control unit is assigned to communication devices to configure time-based access control for transmit queues, classifying partitions based on access time periods and repetition cycles, and determining potential partitions for path reservation requests to ensure sufficient system resources are available, thereby allowing flexible adaptation to cycle times and preventing mutual influence between partitions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If bandwidth guarantees are provided for control commands, then data transmission capacity is improved, but latency and jitter requirements are not met
Solution Approach 1:
The communication network is segmented into multiple partitions, each dedicated to specific cycle times. This segmentation allows separate optimization of bandwidth and timing characteristics for different control commands, ensuring that latency-critical traffic receives guaranteed time windows while bandwidth-intensive traffic utilizes available capacity without interfering with timing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically assigns control commands to partitions based on their cycle time requirements. By evaluating the repetition cycle of each command and routing it to the appropriate partition, the system adapts to varying timing needs while maintaining overall network efficiency and meeting both bandwidth and latency requirements.
2Ease of operation
If manual configuration of network hardware is used, then system control is simplified, but configuration complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit automatically configures network partitions and assigns control commands based on predefined criteria and cycle time requirements. This self-service approach eliminates manual configuration of network hardware, reducing configuration complexity and time consumption while maintaining simplified system control through automated decision-making algorithms.
3Productivity
If network resources are shared without partitioning, then resource utilization is maximized, but mutual interference between different control processes occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The network resources are segmented into logical partitions that are assigned to specific cycle time ranges. This segmentation prevents mutual interference between control processes with different timing requirements while maintaining high resource utilization through systematic allocation. Each partition operates independently with guaranteed time windows, ensuring control process independence.
Solution Approach 2:
The partitioning mechanism provides universal resource allocation across multiple control processes with different cycle time requirements. By creating a multi-functional framework that handles various timing scenarios through standardized partition assignment, the system achieves both resource efficiency and process independence simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
Method for operating an industrial automation system communication network that includes a plurality of communication devices, and control unit, wherein at least one control unit controls functions of a plurality of assigned communication devices and is assigned to at least one partition of the communication network in order to operate an industrial automation system communication network comprising a plurality of communication devices, where partitions each include predefinable parts of communication devices assigned to system resources for predefinable resource periods of use, access periods and repetition cycles for transmit queues are set by the control unit according to the resource periods of use for the partitions in the assigned communication devices, where possible partitions are determined for the path reservation requests based on matching classifications of access periods and repetition cycles, and where the particular path reservation request is assigned to a determined partition when sufficient system resources exist.