TSN Socket Interface for Industrial Network Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies fail to seamlessly integrate Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) with socket-based communication methods, such as UDP, due to differences in API complexity and configuration requirements, making it difficult for applications to utilize TSN and IP stack communication simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A new communication class, SOCK_TS_STREAM, and address family, AF_INET_TS, are introduced within the IP environment to map TSN streams to UDP socket connections, allowing for the establishment of TSN streams using socket programming, with configuration and production modes managed by the TSN driver.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If TSN streams are implemented using separate TSN APIs, then TSN quality of service and transmission reliability are guaranteed, but application complexity and difficulty of integration increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a TSN driver as an intermediary layer between the application socket interface and the TSN network infrastructure. This driver handles the complex TSN stream establishment, configuration, and management automatically, while presenting a simple socket-based interface to applications. The driver translates socket operations into TSN stream operations, shielding applications from TSN complexity while ensuring reliable transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal socket interface (SOCK_TS_STREAM) that can handle both traditional IP-based communication and TSN stream-based communication through a single API. This multi-functional socket type can operate in different modes (configuration and production) and automatically adapt to the underlying communication protocol, eliminating the need for separate TSN API implementations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate communication paths for TSN and IP are implemented, then both protocols can be supported independently, but code duplication and maintenance burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges TSN stream communication and IP socket communication into a unified socket interface. The SOCK_TS_STREAM socket type combines both communication paths, allowing applications to use a single socket API for both TSN and IP protocols. The TSN driver internally manages both communication paths, eliminating code duplication while maintaining protocol-specific features.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified socket interface serves multiple functions: it can operate as a traditional UDP/TCP socket for IP-based communication or as a TSN stream socket for time-sensitive communication. The same socket API and application code can seamlessly switch between or simultaneously use both communication modes, providing versatility without requiring separate implementation paths.
3Manufacturing precision
If TSN stream configuration is performed manually through TSN APIs, then precise stream properties can be set, but configuration time and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a configuration mode where TSN stream properties (TSpec parameters) are pre-configured through the socket interface before actual data transmission begins. The TSN driver performs all necessary stream establishment, reservation, and configuration actions in advance, allowing applications to simply bind sockets and start transmitting data without manual TSN API calls for each configuration parameter.
Solution Approach 2:
The TSN driver automatically manages stream configuration, establishment, and maintenance based on socket operations. When an application creates and binds a SOCK_TS_STREAM socket, the driver self-configures the TSN stream with appropriate parameters, handles stream establishment with the network, and manages the transition from configuration mode to production mode without requiring detailed manual intervention.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method is provided which enables industrial communication via the TSN protocol by means of sockets. Owing to the described method, the possibility of communicating with the socket programming known to the programmer via TSN streams is provided. As a result, simple use of the new TSN quality for simple Internet (IP) programming is possible. Existing applications can easily be expanded for TSN and can therefore benefit from the robustness of TSN in a simple manner. In addition, parallel operation is possible; the same mechanism is always used.