US 12,140,933 B2
System and method of communicating data over high availability industrial control systems
Sivaram Balasubramanian, Solon, OH (US); Kendal R. Harris, Mayfield Heights, OH (US); Mark A. Flood, Mayfield Heights, OH (US); Kyle E. Neet, Mayfield Heights, OH (US); Scott A. Pierce, Mayfield Heights, OH (US); Anthony G. Gibart, Milwaukee, WI (US); Raymond R. Husted, Mayfield Heights, OH (US); David M. Fort, Mayfield Heights, OH (US); Chandresh R. Chaudhari, Mayfield Heights, OH (US); and Jonathan D. Bradford, Mayfield Heights, OH (US)
Assigned to Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc., Mayfield Heights, OH (US)
Filed by Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc., Mayfield Heights, OH (US)
Filed on Dec. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/557,944.
Application 17/557,944 is a continuation of application No. 16/277,285, filed on Feb. 15, 2019, granted, now 11,221,612.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/703,986, filed on Jul. 27, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0113707 A1, Apr. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. G06F 11/00 (2006.01); G05B 19/418 (2006.01); G06F 11/07 (2006.01); H04L 49/552 (2022.01); G06F 11/30 (2006.01)
CPC G05B 19/4186 (2013.01) [G05B 19/41855 (2013.01); G06F 11/0709 (2013.01); H04L 49/552 (2013.01); G06F 11/3024 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of communicating data over an industrial control network, the method comprising the steps of:
generating at least one data packet with at least one producer, wherein the at least one data packet includes a per hop connection list defining a plurality of connection paths for a concurrent connection and wherein the per hop connection list defines at least one pair of redundant intermediate nodes;
transmitting the at least one data packet from the at least one producer to the at least one pair of redundant intermediate nodes via the plurality of connection paths defined in the per hop connection list;
receiving the at least one data packet at the at least one pair of redundant intermediate nodes, wherein the at least one pair of redundant intermediate nodes includes at least a first intermediate node and a second intermediate node; and
transmitting the at least one data packet from the at least one pair of redundant intermediate nodes either to another redundant intermediate node or to at least one consumer, wherein:
each of the other redundant intermediate nodes includes at least a first intermediate node and a second intermediate node,
the at least one data packet is repeatedly transmitted from the at least one pair of redundant intermediate nodes or the other redundant intermediate node until the at least one data packet reaches the at least one consumer, and
when the at least one data packet is received at either the other redundant intermediate node or the at least one consumer:
a first data packet is received from the first intermediate node and a second data packet is received from the second intermediate node corresponding to an immediately prior hop,
data is extracted from either the first data packet or the second data packet according to which is received first, and
either the first data packet or the second data packet is discarded according to which is received second.