Industrial Ethernet Topology Discovery for Distributed Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial Ethernet systems face challenges in identifying network equipment topology, achieving flexible topological connections, and balancing controller loads, leading to difficulties in high-precision reconfigurable synchronous control, especially in industrial control and multimedia applications.
Innovation Solution
A method and device where a master node transmits a predetermined packet through a series of slave nodes, which rewrite and relay it back to the master, allowing the master to parse the packet and uncover the network topology, enabling distributed control and centralized management, and improving security and reliability by categorizing nodes into functional groups and establishing a physical logical mapping table.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional industrial Ethernet systems are used, then basic control functions are available, but topology identification capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The master node proactively sends detection packets to slave nodes before control operations to pre-establish topology information. This preliminary action allows the system to identify the network topology in advance, enabling informed control decisions and improving overall network management capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Slave nodes return detection packets to the master node after receiving them, creating a feedback loop. The master node analyzes these returned packets to identify the network topology. This feedback mechanism ensures continuous topology awareness without requiring additional dedicated hardware.
2Adaptability or versatility
If fixed topological connections are used, then system structure is simple, but flexible topological connection is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts to different network topologies by using detection packets to identify the actual connection structure. Rather than requiring a fixed predetermined topology, the master node learns the network configuration through packet exchange and adjusts control strategies accordingly, enabling flexibility without increasing hardware complexity.
3Ease of operation
If centralized control is implemented, then management is simplified, but controller load becomes unbalanced
Solution Approach 1:
The control function is segmented into two parts: topology identification and control execution. The master node handles topology identification through packet detection and analysis, while actual control operations are distributed to slave nodes based on the identified topology. This segmentation balances the load by preventing the master node from bearing all control responsibilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A control method and device (100) based on an industrial Ethernet relate to the technical field of Ethernet. The industrial Ethernet involves a master node and a plurality of slave nodes. The master node transmits a predetermined packet to a first slave node (S140). The first slave node transmits the predetermined packet having been rewritten by the first slave node to a succeeding slave node linked to the first slave node until a last slave node in the plurality of the slave nodes receives the predetermined packet having been rewritten by all preceding slave nodes in the plurality of the slave nodes; and the last slave node transmits the predetermined packet back to the master node (S150). The master node then parses the predetermined packet, which has been rewritten by each of the plurality of the slave nodes, to uncover a topology of the slave nodes (S160). The master node informed by the topology transmits a command packet to one of the plurality of the slave nodes to be controlled (S180). As is shown, the predetermined packet transmitted by the master node is sequentially rewritten by the plurality of the slave nodes so that the master node can be informed of the topology of the slave nodes, thereby realizing distributed control and centralized management and improve security and reliability.