IED Integrated Switch Redundant Automation Network
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automation data communications networks face high costs due to the need for multiple expensive industrial Ethernet switches to achieve redundancy, as a single switch can only connect a limited number of devices in a redundant configuration.
Innovation Solution
Integrating a 2-port switch within Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) and using the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) or Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) to create redundant connections between IEDs and a control and data acquisition device, eliminating the need for separate Ethernet switches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate Ethernet switches are used to connect IEDs in a redundant network configuration, then network redundancy and reliability are improved, but the number of switches required doubles compared to a star arrangement, causing substantial extra costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the functions of multiple separate Ethernet switches into a single switch device. This single switch is configured with multiple VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks) and uses VLAN routing to provide redundant network paths. By merging the switching functions and using VLAN-based logical segmentation, the system achieves the same redundancy that would otherwise require multiple physical switches, thereby reducing device complexity and cost while maintaining reliability.
2Device complexity
If a star arrangement is used to connect IEDs, then the number of switches required is minimized, but network redundancy is lost as failure of a single switch breaks connection to all subordinate devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network into multiple VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks) within a single switch. Each VLAN represents a separate logical network segment, and the switch is configured with VLAN routing to enable communication between segments. This segmentation allows the creation of redundant paths through different VLANs, so that if one path fails, traffic can be routed through alternative VLAN segments, providing network redundancy without requiring multiple physical switches.
3Reliability
If each IED is connected to two separate switches for redundancy, then IED-level redundancy is achieved, but the number of bay switches required doubles at worst
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes a single Ethernet switch multi-functional by configuring it to perform the roles of multiple switches through VLAN routing. The single switch is configured with multiple VLAN interfaces and routing tables that enable it to provide redundant network paths to multiple IEDs simultaneously. This universal approach allows one switch to replace what would otherwise require multiple specialized switches, reducing the quantity of hardware needed while maintaining IED-level redundancy.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The object of the invention is an automation data communications network (3-1 , 4-1) comprising a control and data acquisition device (3-2, 4-2), said device supporting a protocol for controlling communications within said network (3-1 , 4-1), and one or more IEDs (4-8 ... 4- 16), said device supporting a protocol for controlling communications within said network (3-1 , 4-1 ) and including a switch (4-8a) with at least two ports arranged in a functional connection with the device. The invention is characterized in that an element (4-6) with at least two ports is arranged in a functional connection with the control and data acquisition device (3-2, 4-2) and that a first loop is arranged between the IEDs (4-8 ... 4-16) and a second loop is arranged between the IEDs (4-8 ... 4-16) and the control and data acquisition device (3-2, 4-2).