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US 8,001,293 B2Granted
Data relay apparatus for communication module
AssigneeLS Industrial Systems Co., Ltd.
InventorsSoo Gang Lee, Dae Hyun Kwon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A data relay apparatus for communication module is disclosed, whereby a plurality of normally operative communication modules can perform data communication thereamong by allowing a data relay unit to relay data received by an input/output (I/O) port of an inoperative communication module in a case there is available an inoperative communication module among the plurality of communication modules, in a network configured by connecting the plurality of communication modules having two I/O Ethernet communication ports connected via a line topology.
Claims7
A data relay apparatus, comprising:
- a communication module comprising a first input/output (I/O) port and a second I/O port, each of the first I/O port and the second I/O port configured for receiving and transmitting data, the communication module configured for processing data received via the first I/O port and outputting and relaying the data to the second I/O port, and processing data received via the second I/O port and outputting and relaying the data to the first I/O port;
- and
- a data relay unit configured for determining whether the communication module operates and for allowing the communication module to process and relay the data received via the first I/O port and the second I/O port, or for allowing outputting and relaying the data received via the first I/O port to the second I/O port and outputting and relaying the data received via the second I/O port to the first I/O port, the data relay unit comprising:
- an operation determination unit configured for performing the determination of whether the communication module operates;
- a switching controller configured for generating a switching signal in response to an output signal from the operation determination unit;
- and
- a plurality of switching elements configured for switching in response to the switching signal from the switching controller for allowing the data received via the first I/O port and the second I/O port to be relayed via the communication module, or for allowing the data received via the first I/O port to be output and relayed to the second I/O port and for allowing the data received via the second I/O port to be output and relayed to the first I/O port.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.