TSN Ethernet Switch Deterministic Data Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial Ethernet systems, such as PROFINET IRT, require specialized hardware and complex offline engineering to achieve high determinism and low latency, limiting flexibility and increasing engineering effort.
Innovation Solution
A method and device for high-performance data transmission in industrial networks using standard Ethernet switching elements, incorporating time-clocked data transmission and stream reservation concepts to ensure determinism and guaranteed maximum latency, while reducing engineering complexity and supporting dynamic configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If specialized hardware and complex offline engineering are used to achieve high determinism and low latency, then real-time performance is improved, but device complexity and engineering effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces specialized industrial Ethernet hardware with standard Ethernet switching elements. Instead of using dedicated real-time hardware with complex offline engineering tools, the invention uses commodity Ethernet switches combined with a time-clocked transmission method and stream reservation protocol to achieve deterministic data transmission. This substitution eliminates the need for specialized hardware while maintaining real-time performance requirements.
2Loss of time
If time-clocked data transmission and stream reservation are implemented, then determinism and latency control are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements time-clocked data transmission where data transmission occurs in periodic time slots assigned to different streams. Each stream is allocated specific time windows for transmission, creating a periodic structure that guarantees deterministic latency. This periodic time-division approach ensures that critical data receives predictable transmission timing without requiring complex per-packet scheduling decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The stream reservation protocol performs preliminary configuration of time slots and bandwidth allocation before actual data transmission begins. By pre-reserving resources and establishing transmission schedules in advance, the system eliminates the need for complex real-time resource allocation decisions, simplifying the switching logic while maintaining deterministic performance.
3Device complexity
If standard Ethernet switching elements are used instead of specialized hardware, then device complexity is reduced, but real-time performance may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes standard Ethernet switching elements universal by enabling them to handle both time-critical and non-time-critical traffic through the stream reservation mechanism. The same commodity hardware that handles best-effort Ethernet traffic is enhanced with time-clocked transmission capabilities, allowing a single device type to serve multiple functions including deterministic real-time communication without requiring specialized hardware.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method and to a device that describe a real-time network plan for industrial control and monitoring applications, wherein standard Ethernet switching elements are used for the communication network, in particular on the basis of the new mechanisms according to the IEEE 802.1 TSN Task Group. The sequence plan combines clocked data transfer with the stream reservation concept and thus provides determinism with guaranteed maximum latency and access controls at runtime.