Automatic Address Allocation for Measuring System Participants
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Solution Overview
Problem
In measuring systems, manual allocation of participant-specific communication addresses is error-prone, costly, and requires additional hardware, leading to potential malfunctions and hardware damage during servicing or exchange of components.
Innovation Solution
Participants in the communication system automatically allocate unique addresses through a collision avoidance method, where each device monitors messages on the bus and adjusts its address to prevent collisions, eliminating the need for external address configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual address allocation is used, then communication addresses can be assigned, but errors and hardware damage occur during servicing or component exchange
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic address allocation where the communication system itself assigns addresses to participants without manual intervention. The control device automatically detects new participants on the bus and assigns them unique addresses, eliminating the need for manual DIP switch configuration and preventing address allocation errors.
2Reliability
If external address allocation hardware is used, then addresses can be assigned, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the external address allocation hardware (such as DIP switches and coding plugs) from the system. The address allocation function is extracted from manual hardware configuration and integrated into the software-controlled automatic allocation process within the control device and participants.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical address allocation system (physical DIP switches and coding plugs) with an electronic/software-based automatic allocation system. The control device uses electronic communication over the bus to automatically detect and assign addresses, eliminating mechanical components.
3Adaptability or versatility
If participants are exchanged during operation, then system adaptability improves, but communication structure changes require reconfiguration
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic address allocation that automatically adapts when participants are added or removed from the communication bus. The control device continuously monitors the bus and automatically assigns addresses to new participants without requiring system reconfiguration or manual intervention, enabling hot-swapping of components.
4Ease of manufacture
If serial bus structure is used, then cabling costs are reduced, but address collision problems occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where participants monitor the communication bus for address collisions. When a collision is detected (multiple participants responding to the same address), the system automatically detects the conflict and reassigns unique addresses through the control device, ensuring address uniqueness while maintaining the cost-effective serial bus structure.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for allocating participant-specific communication addresses for participants in a measuring system such as, for example, a position measuring system of a coordinate measuring device with measuring sensors as participants. In the measuring system, the participants communicate via a bus system using messages with at least one communication address and message content. The messages transmitted by one participant are received by each of the other participants. The participant-dedicated communication addresses are ascertained as part of a calibrating or referencing process in which the participants monitor the messages on the bus system. If a collision by a communication address of a received message is detected, wherein the address matches the participant-dedicated communication address, a participant-dedicated communication address, which has been changed and has not collided with the received message, of the participant is allocated to said participant as a result of the collision.