US 12,068,970 B2
Multipoint ethernet bus
Maxime Sobocinski, Cagnes sur Mer (FR); Philippe Wilhelm, Biot (FR); Patrice Jaraudias, Le Cannet (FR); and Assane Sarr, Villeneuve Loubet (FR)
Assigned to Schneider Electric Industries SAS, Rueil Malmaison (FR)
Filed by Schneider Electric Industries SAS, Rueil Malmaison (FR)
Filed on Nov. 30, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/537,583.
Claims priority of application No. 20306563 (EP), filed on Dec. 15, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0191150 A1, Jun. 16, 2022
Int. Cl. H04L 47/56 (2022.01); G06F 13/40 (2006.01); H04L 12/40 (2006.01); H04L 49/351 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 47/56 (2013.01) [G06F 13/4022 (2013.01); H04L 12/40 (2013.01); H04L 49/351 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An industrial system for controlling backplane communication in an industrial automation/control system, comprising:
a cluster manager linked to Input/Output modules via a multipoint low voltage differential signaling, MLVDS, bus through passive base plates,
wherein the MLVDS bus contains a transmission line and a reception line for the cluster manager,
wherein the transmission line of the MLVDS bus is shared by the Input/Output modules for receiving data transmitted by the cluster manager,
wherein the reception line of the MLVDS bus is shared by the Input/Output modules for transmitting data to the cluster manager,
wherein the Input/Output modules are synchronized in time with the cluster manager and configured to send data on the reception line of the MLVDS bus at respective scheduled time windows,
wherein the cluster manager and each of the Input/Output modules comprise respective MAC drivers to control access to the MLVDS bus for the cluster manager and each of the Input/Output modules, the respective MAC drivers configured to control which ports send or receive data for the cluster manager and each of the Input/Output modules, as well as which frames are sent at the scheduled time windows.