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US 10,872,044 B1Granted
Distributed processing via open ring bus structure
AssigneeRockwell Automation Technolgies, Inc.
InventorAlan J. Campbell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments of this present disclosure may include a system that include multiple processing devices and an open ring communication bus communicatively coupled to each of the processing devices. Each processing device may use a control application to perform an operation on an industrial automation system. The control application of each processing device may output data related to the operation of the open ring communication bus during a respective timing interval used for communication via the open ring communication bus.
Claims18
A system, comprising:
- a plurality of processing devices, wherein each processing device of the plurality of processing devices comprises a control application configured to perform an operation on a respective industrial automation component, and wherein the plurality of processing devices comprises a master processing device configured to generate an interrupt command interpretable by each of the plurality of processing devices;
- and
- an open ring communication bus communicatively coupled to each of the plurality of processing devices, wherein each processing device of the plurality of processing devices track a respective timing interval of a plurality of time intervals, wherein the control application of each processing device is configured to communicate data related to the operation of the respective industrial automation component during the respective timing interval via the open ring communication bus, and wherein the interrupt command is received by a respective processing device of the plurality of processing devices before the respective timing interval.
A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of a processing device comprising an input/output block, cause the processor to:
- transmit a first control signal configured to cause the input/output block to operate in a transmission operational mode for at least a portion of a first transmission interval;
- generate a first dataset according to a first data type, wherein the first transmission interval comprises a fast acquisition time period configured to communicate a second dataset having the first data type between a plurality of processing devices;
- transmit, via the input/output block, the first dataset to an open ring communication bus while the input/output block is operating in the transmission operational mode, wherein the open ring communication bus is communicatively coupled to the plurality of processing devices, and wherein each processing device of the plurality of processing devices comprises a respective input/output block of a plurality of input/output blocks such that the plurality of processing devices receives the first dataset via the respective input/output block;
- transmit a second control signal configured to cause the input/output block to operate in a receive operational mode for at least a portion of a second transmission interval;
- generate a third dataset according to a second data type, wherein the second transmission interval comprises a general acquisition time period configured to communicate a fourth dataset having the second data type between the plurality of processing devices;
- receive, via the input/output block, the third dataset from the open ring communication bus to the input/output block while the input/output block is operating in the receive operational mode;
- and
- transmit a synchronizing pulse to each of the plurality of processing devices via the open ring communication bus, wherein the synchronizing pulse is configured to cause each of the plurality of processing devices to restart the first transmission interval.
5 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a plurality of processing devices comprising a first processing device and a second processing device, wherein the plurality of processing devices intercommunicate based at least in part on fixed addressing operations, clocked bit addressing, direct addressing, or any combination thereof, and wherein the first processing device comprises:
- input/output circuitry;
- and
- a control application configured to perform an operation on at least a portion of an industrial automation system;
- and
- an open ring communication bus communicatively coupled to the first processing device via the input/output circuitry, wherein the first processing device tracks a respective timing interval of a plurality of time intervals, wherein the control application is configured to output data to the open ring communication bus related to the operation on the at least a portion of the industrial automation system during the respective time interval, wherein the first processing device comprises an identification terminal directly coupled to each of the plurality of processing devices, and wherein the first processing device is configured to receive an identifier for an ongoing data transmission associated with the open ring communication bus via the identification terminal.
3 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a plurality of processing devices, wherein each processing device of the plurality of processing devices comprises a control application configured to perform an operation on a respective industrial automation component;
- and
- an open ring communication bus communicatively coupled to each of the plurality of processing devices, wherein each processing device of the plurality of processing devices track a respective timing interval of a plurality of time intervals, and wherein the control application of each processing device is configured to communicate data related to the operation of the respective industrial automation component during the respective timing interval via the open ring communication bus, wherein a first processing device of the plurality of processing devices is coupled to the open ring communication bus via a driver, and wherein the driver is configured to convert additional data from a first type into a second type transmittable via the open ring communication bus, wherein the first processing device of the plurality of processing devices operates in a transmission operational mode during a first respective timing interval of the plurality of time intervals, wherein a second processing device of the plurality of processing devices operates in a receive operational mode during the first respective timing interval, and wherein the first processing device transmits additional data to the second processing device through the open ring communication bus via the driver.
A system, comprising:
- a plurality of processing devices, wherein each processing device of the plurality of processing devices comprises a control application configured to perform an operation on a respective industrial automation component;
- and
- an open ring communication bus communicatively coupled to each of the plurality of processing devices, wherein each processing device of the plurality of processing devices track a respective timing interval of a plurality of time intervals, and wherein the control application of each processing device is configured to communicate data related to the operation of the respective industrial automation component during the respective timing interval via the open ring communication bus, wherein the plurality of timing intervals are apportioned into a fast acquisition time period and a general transfer time period, and wherein a first set of data categorized as a having a higher priority relative to other sets of data generated by a respective processing device of the plurality of processing devices is transmitted during the fast acquisition time period, and a remaining portion of first set of data is transmitted during the general transfer time period.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.