Ring Bus Addressing via Self-Service Telegrams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Setting subscriber addresses in industrial automation networks is complex and error-prone, particularly in safety-relevant systems, where incorrect addressing can pose risks to human safety and environmental safety due to the potential for program errors and transmission errors.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a sequence of initialization telegrams is used in a ring-bus communication network where each subscriber checks for vacant identification fields and enters its identification, with subsequent verification to ensure accurate and reliable address transmission, utilizing a serial identification that is globally unambiguous and automatically allocated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If subscriber addresses are set manually using address-selecting switches, then addresses can be configured, but the process is complicated and error-prone with high organizational effort required
Solution Approach 1:
Each subscriber automatically determines its own address by detecting whether an address field is occupied or vacant as telegrams circulate through the ring. This self-addressing mechanism eliminates manual configuration and reduces organizational effort while maintaining reliability through automatic error detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares address fields in advance within circulating telegrams before subscribers need to be addressed. By pre-allocating address fields and having them circulate through the network, the system enables automatic address acquisition without manual intervention during operation.
2Ease of operation
If software-based automatic addressing is used where subscribers allocate addresses themselves, then addressing is simplified, but program errors can propagate wrong addresses throughout the entire automation network
Solution Approach 1:
Subscribers verify address allocation by detecting whether their assigned address field is vacant or already occupied. This feedback mechanism prevents duplicate addresses and ensures each subscriber receives a unique, correct address automatically, eliminating the propagation of wrong addresses while maintaining automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prevents wrong address allocation by checking in advance whether address fields are vacant before assigning addresses. This preliminary verification counteracts potential program errors by ensuring address uniqueness before propagation can occur.
3Reliability
If transmission errors occur during address setting, then incorrect addresses are reported, but verification mechanisms are needed which complicate the process
Solution Approach 1:
The circulating telegram provides continuous feedback to subscribers about address field status. Each subscriber can verify whether its address was correctly transmitted by checking if the address field contains its expected identification, enabling error detection without complex additional verification systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A method retrieves subscriber identifications in a communication network having multiple sub-scribers which are connected to a ring-shaped transmission path. A first telegram is outputted onto the ring-shaped transmission path which comprises a sequence of telegram fields, wherein each subscriber is allocated a telegram field for entering its subscriber identification and each subscriber checks during the passing-through of the first telegram if the subscriber identification field allocated to the subscriber is vacant, and upon detecting a vacant subscriber identification field enters its subscriber identification.