Isochronous Ethernet Cycle Segmentation for Bandwidth Utilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Real-time capable Ethernet data networks face inefficiencies in bandwidth utilization due to uniform cycle time requirements, leading to bandwidth being blocked by nodes with lower demands, limiting flexibility and data rate, especially in large networks with diverse communication needs.
Innovation Solution
Combining multiple transmission cycles into slow or high-speed cycles, allowing specific network nodes to communicate at different times within these cycles, enabling flexible data communication and optimizing bandwidth usage by allowing slower or faster data exchange between nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a uniform cycle time is specified for all network nodes in real-time Ethernet communication, then real-time capability is ensured, but bandwidth utilization deteriorates due to nodes with lower demands blocking the bandwidth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the uniform cycle time into multiple sub-cycles or time slots within each cycle. Network nodes can be assigned different numbers of sub-cycles based on their communication demands, allowing high-demand nodes to utilize more bandwidth while low-demand nodes use fewer sub-cycles, thus improving overall bandwidth utilization while maintaining real-time capability through the structured time division.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic cycle time adjustment where the effective cycle time for each network node can vary based on its communication requirements. Instead of a rigid uniform cycle time, the system dynamically allocates time resources, allowing nodes with lower demands to effectively operate with shorter cycles while high-demand nodes maintain longer cycles, resolving the contradiction between real-time reliability and bandwidth productivity.
2Productivity
If the cycle time is increased to accommodate nodes with lower communication demands, then bandwidth blocking is reduced, but the data rate for nodes requiring faster communication deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the communication cycle into multiple sub-cycles, allowing nodes with different speed requirements to operate at different granularities. Fast-communication nodes can utilize multiple sub-cycles within a longer overall cycle, effectively achieving high data rates, while slow nodes use fewer sub-cycles, preventing bandwidth blocking. This segmentation resolves the contradiction between bandwidth productivity and communication speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different time slot configurations to different network nodes based on their specific communication characteristics. Nodes requiring fast data rates are allocated more frequent or longer time slots, while nodes with lower demands receive fewer or shorter slots. This localized optimization allows the system to achieve both high bandwidth utilization and high data rates for critical nodes simultaneously.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple transmission cycles are combined to create slow cycles for flexibility, then adaptability to diverse network demands improves, but the complexity of cycle management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex cycle management into hierarchical levels: a master cycle structure that provides the overall framework, and subordinate sub-cycles that handle specific node communications. This segmentation allows flexible adaptation to diverse network demands at the sub-cycle level while maintaining manageable complexity at the master cycle level, as the master structure remains relatively simple and repetitive.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring the cycle structure and time slot allocations based on predicted or measured network demands. The master cycle template is established in advance with predefined sub-cycle patterns, allowing the system to adapt to diverse demands without real-time complex calculations. This preliminary structuring reduces operational complexity while maintaining high adaptability.
Data Source
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AI summary
To better and more flexibly utilize the available isochronous bandwidth of a real-time Ethernet network protocol, it is proposed that a number (k) of transmit cycles (Z1, ..., Zk) are combined into a slow transmit cycle (ZL) and that two network nodes (M, S1, ..., Sn) communicate with each other in this slow transmit cycle (ZL) by providing data communication between these two network nodes (M, S1, ..., Sn) in every k-th transmit cycle (Z), and/or that a transmit cycle (Z) is divided into a plurality (j) of fast transmit cycles (ZS) and that two network nodes (M, S1, ..., Sn) communicate with each other in this fast transmit cycle (ZS) by providing data communication between these two network nodes (M, S1, ..., Sn) j times in each transmit cycle (ZS).