Sum Frame Group Bandwidth Optimization in Real-Time Ethernet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Real-time capable Ethernet data networks face inefficiencies in bandwidth utilization due to short data packets, leading to increased cycle times and wasted bandwidth, as existing sum frame methods require dedicated components and are complex to implement.
Innovation Solution
Combining multiple slaves into a sum frame group, where one slave acts as the initiator to transmit a sum frame data packet to others, which then modify and forward it to the master, reducing overhead and allowing direct cross-traffic between slaves, thus optimizing bandwidth usage and cycle times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple short data packets are transmitted individually from each slave to the master, then each slave can communicate independently, but bandwidth utilization decreases and cycle time increases due to repeated overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual data packets from different slaves into a single sum frame data packet. The master creates a sum frame containing data from multiple slaves, transmits it once over the network, and each slave extracts its relevant data. This merging eliminates repeated overhead transmission and reduces total cycle time while improving bandwidth utilization.
2Productivity
If sum frame methods are implemented to reduce overhead, then bandwidth utilization improves, but device complexity increases due to requirement of dedicated components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables standard Ethernet network interface cards to perform sum frame processing through software implementation. The master's network interface card and CPU create and process sum frames using standard Ethernet protocols, eliminating the need for dedicated hardware components. This universal approach allows existing network infrastructure to achieve improved bandwidth utilization without increasing device complexity.
3Productivity
If sum frame data packets are transmitted to all slaves, then overhead is reduced, but implementation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sum frame data packet into individual data portions that can be independently extracted by each slave. Each slave identifies and extracts only its relevant data from the sum frame, while ignoring other slaves' data. This segmentation approach simplifies implementation by allowing slaves to process only their required information rather than handling complete sum frames, reducing implementation complexity while maintaining overhead reduction benefits.
Data Source
AI summary
In order for a real-time capable Ethernet data network protocol to shorten the cycle time of the transmission cycles in a real-time capable Ethernet data network it is provided that a plurality of slaves (S1, S2, S3, S4) is combined into a sum frame group (SG) and one of these slaves (S1, S4) serves as initiator slave of the sum frame group (SG) and transmits a sum frame data packet (DPSR) to the other slaves (S1, S2, S3, S4) of the sum frame group (SG), so that these other slaves (S1, S2, S3, S4) of the sum frame group (SG) receive the sum frame data packet (DPSR) in sequence, each of these slaves (S1, S2, S3, S4) writes its data (D1, D2, D3, D4) into the sum frame data packet (DPSR) and the last slave (S4, S1) of the sequence transmits the sum frame data packet (DPSR) to the master (M).