Modular Automation Appliance Backplane Router
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation systems face issues with repeated service requests due to communication link interruptions, leading to increased workload and potential system faults, especially with signaling traffic containing numerous short messages, which can result in production failures and costly outages.
Innovation Solution
A modular industrial automation appliance with a backplane bus system that includes functional modules with communication protocol stacks and a router module, where only the router module has routing functions, eliminating the need for explicit IP subnetworks and reducing management complexity, and utilizing MAC bridges with message filters to minimize unnecessary message traffic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If each IP-compatible module has a dedicated IP stack and the backplane bus system is operated as a dedicated subnetwork, then IP-based message transmission between subnetworks is enabled, but device complexity and management complexity increase due to separate IP addresses and routing functions for each module
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges all routing functions into a single router module that acts as an IP gateway for the entire automation appliance. Instead of each functional module having its own IP stack and routing capabilities, the router module consolidates these functions, providing centralized IP routing while functional modules communicate via the backplane bus system using simplified protocols. This reduces device complexity and management overhead while maintaining adaptability for IP-based communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The router module serves as an intermediary between the backplane bus system and external IP networks. It mediates all IP-related communication, translating between the internal backplane bus protocol and external IP protocols. This intermediary approach allows functional modules to remain simple without dedicated IP stacks, while still enabling IP-based message transmission between subnetworks through the router's gateway functionality.
2Reliability
If communication link interruptions occur in industrial automation systems, then service requests may be repeated, but this leads to increased workload on communication links and potential system faults
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the router module monitors communication link status and tracks service request transmission states. When link interruptions are detected, the router can identify which service requests were affected and prevent their repetition. This feedback loop maintains communication reliability by detecting failures while preserving system efficiency by avoiding redundant transmission of already-sent or unsuccessfully-sent service requests.
3Speed
If signaling traffic contains a relatively large number of short messages, then communication frequency increases, but this intensifies communication link workload and can lead to system faults
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments high-volume signaling traffic by implementing a hierarchical communication architecture. The backplane bus system handles internal module communication with optimized protocols for short messages, while the router module manages external IP network communication. This segmentation allows rapid processing of numerous short messages within the appliance without overwhelming external communication links, maintaining transmission speed while reducing overall communication link workload.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular industrial automation appliance having a backplane bus system, a plurality of functional modules connected to the backplane bus system that each include a communication network adapter, a functional unit for implementing a communication protocol stack and a bridge element linked to the communication network adapter, wherein a router module connected to the backplane bus system is provided that includes a communication network adapter, a functional unit for implementing a router communication protocol stack, where the functional unit is linked to the communication network adapter, and for each functional module a respective link element, and where in such a link element links the functional unit for implementing the router communication protocol stack to the bridge element of the respective functional module via the backplane bus system such that only the communication protocol stack of the router module includes routing functions.