Bus Subscriber Address Verification via Mathematical Test Values
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for assigning subscriber addresses in bus systems, particularly those used for safety-critical applications, are not fail-safe and are inefficient when dealing with a large number of bus users, as they either require physical position verification or are too time-consuming for multiple subscribers.
Innovation Solution
A method where bus subscribers use a defined mathematical operation to calculate a common test value, which is compared with a second test value at the central station to verify assigned logical subscriber addresses, allowing for quick and reliable verification of any number of addresses without relying on physical structure or position, using a communication medium to facilitate this process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If address assignment is based on physical position verification (as in DE 199 34 514 C1), then address assignment can be verified reliably, but the method is not transferable to other bus systems without special properties and requires special structural features
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical position-based verification system with a mathematical calculation system. Instead of relying on physical bus position and signal propagation time, the invention uses mathematical operations (addition, multiplication, modulo) on address values to generate and verify test values. This substitution makes the verification method applicable to any bus system regardless of physical topology or transmission characteristics.
2Reliability
If addresses are assigned sequentially one by one (as in DE 197 33 906 A1), then verification can be performed, but the process is too time-consuming for systems with many bus participants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual address verification operations into a single collective verification process. Instead of verifying each address separately through individual test value exchanges, the invention allows bus participants to collectively calculate a single common test value that encompasses all assigned addresses. This consolidation reduces the number of communication cycles from proportional to the number of addresses to a constant number of cycles, dramatically improving verification speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous parallel calculation of test values by all bus participants simultaneously. While traditional methods require sequential verification, this invention enables all participants to perform mathematical operations on their assigned addresses in parallel, continuously contributing to the common test value calculation. This parallel continuous action eliminates idle time and maximizes verification throughput.
3Ease of operation
If address assignment methods are simplified for ease of use, then configuration becomes easier, but fail-safe requirements for safety-critical applications cannot be met
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service verification mechanism where bus participants automatically verify their own addresses and collectively verify all addresses without requiring external intervention. Each participant independently calculates its contribution to the common test value using its assigned address, and the collective result is automatically compared against the centrally calculated value. This self-verification approach maintains operational simplicity while ensuring fail-safe reliability through mathematical certainty.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a bus-based control system comprising a plurality of bus subscribers (14, 16, 18, 20), which are connected to each other via a communication medium (26). Logic subscriber addresses (48) are assigned to the bus subscribers. Subsequently, the assigned subscriber addresses (48) are verified. For this purpose, the bus subscribers (14, 16, 18, 20) calculate a common first test value (IVn+1), which is compared (90) to a second test value (CV), with the aid of a defined mathematical operation (78-86). The mathematical operation begins with a defined start value (68) and contains a number of operation steps (78, 82), which use a number of defined operands. Each of the subscriber addresses (48) to be verified forms a different operand and each bus subscriber (14, 16, 18, 20) carries out at least one operation step.