# US 10,484,520 B2 · Method for operating a communication network, communication network and controller > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,484,520 B2 - Document ID: US10484520B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/983,722 - Filed: 2018-05-18 - Published: 2018-09-20 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2015-11-23 - Assignees: Beckhoff Automation GmbH - Applicants: Beckhoff Automation GmbH - Inventors: Thorsten Bunte; Holger Büttner; Erik Vonnahme; Dirk Janssen; Thomas Rettig; Hans Beckhoff - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10484520B2 ## CPC - H04L 69/28: Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols - H04L 12/40013: {Details regarding a bus controller} - H04L 69/22: Parsing or analysis of headers - H04L 69/26: {Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures (network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12)} - H04L 2012/4026: {Bus for use in automation systems} - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A first participant transmits a clocked data sequence to a second participant of a communication network, wherein one data unit of the data sequence is transmitted per clock cycle by the first participant and wherein the data sequence contains a datagram as a write datagram which contains a header, an intermediate field following the header and a data field following the intermediate header, wherein the header, the intermediate field and the data field in each case have one or more data units. The second participant reads the header of the datagram, defines input data depending on the content of the header within a response time, and records the input data in the datagram while the data sequence passes through the second participant. The length of the intermediate field of the datagram is matched to the clock frequency of the data sequence and the response time of the second participant. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for operating a communication network, comprising: transmitting a clocked data sequence from a first participant to a second participant of the communication network, wherein one data unit of the data sequence is transmitted per clock cycle by the first participant and wherein the data sequence contains a datagram as a write datagram which contains a header, an intermediate field following the header and a data field following the intermediate header, wherein the header, the intermediate field and the data field in each case have one or more data units; reading of the header by the second participant; defining of input data by the second participant depending on the content of the header within a response time of the second participant; and recording of the input data in the datagram by the second participant while the data sequence passes through the second participant, wherein a length of the intermediate field is matched to a clock frequency of the data sequence and the response time of the second participant. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein an input and an output of the second participant are interconnected via a shift register which is clocked at the clock frequency and is passed through by the data sequence, wherein a length of the shift register and the length of the intermediate field are matched to one another. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate field of the datagram contains at least one empty element. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate field of the datagram contains at least one unaddressed data unit which is read by the second participant. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one data unit which is held ready in advance or permanently by the second participant is read by the second participant into the intermediate field. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the data sequence contains a plurality of write datagrams, wherein each of these write datagrams in each case contains a header, an intermediate field following the header and a data field following the intermediate field, wherein the length of the intermediate field is matched in each case to the clock frequency of the data sequence and to a response time of at least one of the participants. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, wherein the length of the intermediate field of the datagram is the same for each of the write datagrams. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, wherein the length of the intermediate field of the datagram is matched to the response time of the participant with the longest response time in the communication network. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the length of the intermediate field of the datagram and the clock frequency are matched to one another. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the second participant sets its transit time (or duration for one bit) on the basis of the length of the intermediate field of the datagram and the clock frequency. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the second participant indicates the response time of the second participant to the first participant. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first participant indicates the length of the intermediate field of the datagram to the second participant. ### Claim 13 A communication network comprising a first participant and a second participant, wherein the first participant transmits a clocked data sequence to the second participant, wherein the data sequence contains a datagram as a write datagram which contains a header, an intermediate field following the header and a data field following the intermediate header, wherein the header, the intermediate field and the data field in each case have one or more data units, and wherein a length of the intermediate field is matched to a clock frequency of the data sequence and a response time of the second participant, and wherein the second participant reads the header of the datagram, defines input data depending on the content of the header and records the input data in the datagram while the data sequence passes through the second participant. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The communication network according to claim 13, wherein second participant comprise a shift register interconnecting an input and an output of the second participant, the shift register being clocked, wherein a length of the shift register and the length of the intermediate field of the datagram are matched to one another. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The communication network according to claim 13, comprising a plurality of second participants, wherein the length of the intermediate field of the datagram is matched to the response time of the participant of the plurality of second participants with the longest response time. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The communication network according to claim 13, wherein the second participant sets its transit time (or duration for one bit) on the basis of the length of the intermediate field of the datagram and the clock frequency. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The communication network according to claim 13, wherein the second participant indicates the response time of the second participant to the first participant. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The communication network according to claim 13, wherein the first participant indicates the length of the intermediate field of the datagram to the second participant. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The communication network according to claim 13, wherein the communication network is a fieldbus system. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The communication network according to claim 13, wherein the communication network is an EtherCAT network. ### Claim 21 A controller for a communication network, the communication network having a participant, wherein the controller generates a clocked data sequence and forwards the clocked data sequence to the participant of the communication network, the data sequence containing a write datagram which contains a header, an intermediate field following the header and a data field following the intermediate field, wherein the header, the intermediate field and the data field comprise one or more data units, and wherein a length of the intermediate field is matched to a clock frequency of the data sequence and a response time of the participant.