Wireless Link Redundancy Control for Industrial Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In industrial automation environments, wireless communication networks face challenges with efficient data transmission due to scarce radio resources and interference, leading to increased latency and reliability issues, particularly in cyclic communication patterns where deadline violations can impact safety and accuracy.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method where devices on both the source and destination sides of a wireless link identify and remove redundant payload from data traffic, optimizing data transmission by forwarding only necessary data and reconstructing omitted parts, thereby reducing overall data throughput and latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wireless communication is used to provide flexibility and facilitate installation, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to interference and variable radio channel conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of data representation by encoding redundant information in a compressed format. The redundancy information indicates which payload parts are redundant and can be reconstructed, transforming the transmission from sending complete duplicate data to sending compact reconstruction instructions, thereby improving reliability without sacrificing ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by transmitting redundancy information that enables the receiving device to reconstruct original payload parts. Instead of transmitting actual duplicate data, the system transmits information that allows the receiver to create accurate copies of the original data through reconstruction processes
2Loss of energy
If radio resources are utilized efficiently, then loss of energy is reduced, but loss of time increases due to increased latency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential non-redundant parts of the payload for transmission over the wireless link. By removing redundant payload parts before transmission and transmitting only the necessary data along with compact redundancy information, the system reduces the total data volume transmitted, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining acceptable latency through efficient resource utilization
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the payload into redundant and non-redundant parts, transmitting only the non-redundant segments over the wireless link. This segmentation allows the system to optimize radio resource usage by transmitting minimal necessary data while reconstructing the complete payload at the receiving end, thereby reducing both energy loss and transmission time
3Productivity
If redundant payload is removed from data traffic, then productivity is improved by reducing data throughput, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the receiving device to autonomously reconstruct the original payload using the transmitted redundancy information. The receiving device performs the reconstruction process itself without requiring additional transmission resources or complex coordination, thereby improving productivity while managing device complexity through distributed intelligence
4Device complexity
If multiple industrial automation devices share the same radio resources, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to resource contention and interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple devices' communication requirements by implementing a unified redundancy removal and reconstruction mechanism that works across all devices sharing the same radio resources. This approach allows efficient resource sharing while maintaining reliability through standardized processing of redundant payload information across the network
Data Source
AI summary
A device (150) is arranged on a source side of a wireless link (50) and receives data traffic from one or more source devices (201, 202, 203). The device (150) forwards the data traffic via the wireless link (50) and via a further device (11), which is arranged on a destination side of the wireless link (50), towards one or more destination devices (21, 22, 23, 24). The device (150) receives redundancy information from the further device (11). The redundancy information indicates redundant payload which is common to multiple data frames in the data traffic forwarded by the device (150). Based on the redundancy information, the device (150) removes the indicated redundant payload from at least a part of the data traffic to be forwarded by the device (150).