Method, system, and gateway for linking time- sensitive fieldbuses

A system for networking at least two time-sensitive field buses, the system comprising:

• a first time-sensitive field bus, which comprises a first subscriber device and a first dedicated time domain;
• a second time-sensitive field bus, which comprises a second subscriber device and a second dedicated time domain, the first time domain and the second time domain being frequency-synchronized;
• a gateway, which connects the first and second field buses to each other, the gateway comprising:
• at least one memory for storing a first subscriber device identifier, the first subscriber device identifier identifying a virtual copy of the first subscriber device of the first field bus and for storing a second subscriber device identifier in the gateway, the second subscriber device identifier identifying a virtual copy of the second subscriber device of the second field bus;
• at least one processor to determine, at a reference time, a first cycle duration of the first time domain of the first field bus that contains a first time slot for a transmission of time-sensitive data and a second cycle duration of the second time domain of the second field bus that contains a second time slot for a transmission of time-sensitive data and to determine a time offset between the first time domain and the second time domain at the reference time.

A gateway for networking a first time-sensitive field bus with a second time-sensitive field bus, the first time-sensitive field bus comprising a first subscriber device and having a first dedicated time domain, and the second time-sensitive field bus comprising a second subscriber device and having a second dedicated time domain, the first time domain and the second time domain being frequency-synchronized, the gateway comprising:

• a connector to connect the first time-sensitive field bus and the second time sensitive field bus to the gateway;
• at least one memory to store a first subscriber device identifier, the first subscriber device identifier identifying a virtual copy of the first subscriber device of the first field bus, and to store a second subscriber device identifier, the second subscriber device identifier identifying a virtual copy of the second subscriber device of the second field bus;
• a processor to determine, at a reference time, a first cycle duration of the first time domain of the first field bus that contains a first time slot for a transmission of time-sensitive data and a second cycle duration of the second time domain of the second field bus that contains a second time slot for a transmission of time-sensitive data;
• and
• the processor determining a time off set between the first time domain and the second time domain at the reference time.