Controller Socket Segmentation for Real-Time LAN Reliability

Solution Overview

Problem

Industrial controllers face challenges in managing real-time communication over local area networks (LANs) as the number of devices increases, particularly when nodes with different communication procedures share the same LAN, leading to potential delays and failures in real-time communication.

Innovation Solution

The controller employs a socket management unit to restrict communication between an application communication unit and external nodes, using a separate socket for real-time communication and another for non-real-time communication, ensuring that real-time communication is not disrupted by non-real-time communication processes, and managing socket usage to prevent delays.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If nodes performing communication in different communication procedures share the same LAN, then cost required for laying the network and the number of devices for connection can be reduced, but real-time communication may be delayed or failed due to interference from non-real-time communication processes

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveLAN sharing capabilityVSAvoidreal-time communication reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The communication unit is segmented into a real-time communication unit and a non-real-time communication unit. The real-time communication unit handles time-critical communications with guaranteed timing, while the non-real-time communication unit handles other communications. This segmentation allows different communication procedures to share the same physical LAN while maintaining isolation in the communication processing path, thus preserving real-time communication reliability while enabling LAN sharing versatility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If a dedicated LAN is used for real-time communication, then real-time communication reliability is improved, but cost required for laying the network and number of devices for connection increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereal-time communication reliabilityVSAvoidLAN sharing capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The communication unit is segmented into a real-time communication unit and a non-real-time communication unit. The real-time communication unit handles time-critical communications with guaranteed timing, while the non-real-time communication unit handles other communications. This segmentation allows different communication procedures to share the same physical LAN while maintaining isolation in the communication processing path, thus preserving real-time communication reliability while enabling LAN sharing versatility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Device complexity

If multiple communication procedures share the same communication unit, then device complexity is reduced, but real-time communication may be delayed due to resource contention

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication unit structureVSAvoidreal-time communication timing

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The communication unit is segmented into a real-time communication unit and a non-real-time communication unit. The real-time communication unit handles time-critical communications with guaranteed timing, while the non-real-time communication unit handles other communications. This segmentation allows different communication procedures to share the same physical LAN while maintaining isolation in the communication processing path, thus preserving real-time communication reliability while enabling LAN sharing versatility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different quality levels of service are provided to different communication procedures within the same physical network infrastructure. Real-time communication receives prioritized handling with guaranteed timing characteristics, while non-real-time communication operates with standard service quality. This local quality differentiation ensures that time-critical communications are not delayed by other traffic while still allowing resource sharing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS11489880B2Controller to determine a transmission right and control a timing of communication between nodes

Publication Date: 2022.11.01 KK TOSHIBA

AI summary

A controller includes a real-time communication unit, an application communication unit, and a socket management unit. The real-time communication unit communicates with an external node by using a first socket on a basis of a transmission right map indicating a node possessing a transmission right out of multiple nodes. The application communication unit communicates, not on a basis of the transmission right map, with the external node by using a second socket differing from the first socket. The socket management unit restricts at least one of transmission of information by the application communication unit to the external node and reception of information by the application communication unit from the external node.