Method for operating an automation system
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorPeter Jänicke
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for operating an automation system with a plurality of communication users linked for communication purposes via a serial connection, of which at least one functions as sender and at least one as a receiver, includes determining at a sender an offset value between an occurrence of a synchronous signal and a communication clock cycle, transmitting the determined offset value in a data transmission to the at least one receiver, waiting at the at least one receiver until a time period commensurate with the offset value has elapsed, and generating at the at least one receiver an output signal after the time period has elapsed.
Claims12
A method for operating an automation system with a plurality of automation devices controlling a technical process of the automation system and linked via a serial connection for communication, with at least one automation device operating as a sender and at least one automation device operating as a receiver, said sender and receiver operating with a common communication clock cycle, the method comprising the steps of:
- the at least one sender receiving a synchronizing signal from the technical process and determining with a local counter of the at least one sender an offset value between the synchronizing signal and an occurrence of the communication clock cycle, wherein a clock cycle of the local counter is shorter than the common communication clock cycle,
- the at least one sender transmitting the determined offset value as a value of the local counter of the at least one sender in a telegram to the at least one receiver,
- the at least one receiver receiving the telegram with the offset value from the at least one sender and waiting, after the occurrence of the common communication clock cycle, until a local counter of the at least one receiver having a clock cycle identical to the clock cycle of the local counter of the at least one sender indicates that a time period has elapsed, wherein the time period is equal to the offset value, and
- the at least one receiver generating an output signal for controlling the technical process after the time period has elapsed.
A computer program having program code instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the program code instructions, when loaded into a memory of a processing unit of an automation device having a plurality of automation devices controlling a technical process of the automation system and linked for communication purposes via a serial connection, of which at least one automation device functions as sender and at least one automation device functions as a receiver, said sender and receiver operating with a common communication clock cycle, and executed by the processing unit, cause the automation system to:
- receive at the at least one sender a synchronizing signal from the technical process and determine with a local counter of the at least one sender an offset value between the synchronizing signal and an occurrence of the communication clock cycle, wherein a clock cycle of the local counter is shorter than the common communication clock cycle,
- transmit the determined offset value as a value of the local counter of the at least one sender in a telegram from the at least one sender to the at least one receiver,
- receive at the at least one receiver the telegram with the offset value from the at least one sender and wait, after the occurrence of the common communication clock cycle, until a local counter of the at least one receiver having a clock cycle identical to the clock cycle of the local counter of the at least one sender indicates that a time period has elapsed, wherein the time period is equal to the offset value, and
- generate at the at least one receiver an output signal for controlling the technical process after the time period has elapsed.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising program code instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the program code instructions, when loaded into a memory of a processing unit of an automation device having a plurality of automation devices controlling a technical process of the automation system and linked for communication purposes via a serial connection, of which at least one automation device functions as sender and at least one automation device functions as a receiver, said sender and receiver operating with a common communication clock cycle, and executed by the processing unit, cause the automation system to:
- receive at the at least one sender a synchronizing signal from the technical process and determine with a local counter of the at least one sender an offset value between the synchronizing signal and an occurrence of the communication clock cycle, wherein a clock cycle of the local counter is shorter than the common communication clock cycle,
- transmit the determined offset value as a value of the local counter of the at least one sender in a telegram from the at least one sender to the at least one receiver,
- receive at the at least one receiver the telegram with the offset value from the at least one sender and wait, after the occurrence of the common communication clock cycle, until a local counter of the at least one receiver having a clock cycle identical to the clock cycle of the local counter of the at least one sender indicates that a time period has elapsed, wherein the time period is equal to the offset value, and
- generate at the at least one receiver an output signal for controlling the technical process after the time period has elapsed.
An automation device with a plurality of automation devices controlling a technical process of the automation system and linked for communication purposes via a serial connection, of which at least one automation device functions as sender and at least one automation device functions as a receiver, said sender and receiver operating with a common communication clock cycle, the automation device comprising a processing unit and a memory, with a computer program having program code instructions being loaded into the memory from a non-transitory medium and executed by the processing unit, wherein the automation system is configured to:
- receive at the at least one sender a synchronizing signal from the technical process and determine with a local counter of the at least one sender an offset value between the synchronizing signal and an occurrence of the communication clock cycle, wherein a clock cycle of the local counter is shorter than the common communication clock cycle,
- transmit the determined offset value as a value of the local counter of the at least one sender in a telegram from the at least one sender to the at least one receiver,
- receive at the at least one receiver the telegram with the offset value from the at least one sender and wait, after the occurrence of the common communication clock cycle, until a local counter of the at least one receiver having a clock cycle identical to the clock cycle of the local counter of the at least one sender indicates that a time period has elapsed, wherein the time period is equal to the offset value, and
- generate at the at least one receiver an output signal for controlling the technical process after the time period has elapsed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.