Many modern industrial plants have communication and control networks that link processing equipment throughout the facility. These networks are used to transfer information between the production environment and other functional areas such as inventory control and to allow centralized process control across multiple pieces of equipment. One common type of network used in the industrial setting is an Ethernet.
A device configuring method locates devices connected to a network that do not have a network address assigned to them. The device configuring method sends a broadcast message that is independent of network addresses to all devices connected to the network. The broadcast message requests device identification information from each device. The devices on the network, including any devices that do not have a network address, send a broadcast message in response that includes the device identification information. Once the device identification information has been received by the method, a network address can be assigned to the device.
A device finding system includes a finder message broadcast module that broadcasts a finder message that is independent of network address, a response receiver module that receives a response message from each device on the network, an address module that assigns a network address to an un-mapped device, and a configuration message broadcast module that broadcasts a configuration message that communicates the network address to the un-mapped device.
A set of welding control device finding signals configured for transmission over the Ethernet include four signals. A first signal includes a broadcast destination network address that will be received by all welding control devices in the network independent of network address and a request that each device provide a device specific identifier in response to the message. A second signal includes a broadcast destination network address that will be received by all welding control devices in the network independent of network address and a device specific identifier assigned to the responding welding control device. A third signal includes a broadcast destination network address that will be received by all welding control devices in the network independent of network address and a network address to be assigned to an un-mapped device that does not have a network address mapped to it. A fourth signal includes a broadcast destination network address that will be received by all welding control devices in the network independent of network address, an identifier that identifies the un-mapped device by device specific identifier, and the network address that is assigned to the un-mapped device.
a-1c is a block diagram outlining a series of communication steps between devices on a network to locate and configure new devices according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Every device that includes an Ethernet board is assigned a unique, 48 bit, MAC (Media Access Control) address. The MAC address is used to identify a particular piece of hardware. In a network setting, each device is assigned a network address, such as an IP address, which is used to identify the device's connection within the network. In order for a piece of equipment to made accessible to other devices on the Ethernet, the equipment must be assigned an IP address. Because new equipment installed in the plant may not have an IP address assigned to it yet, initialization is often performed by a method that doesn't rely on the Ethernet, such as a serial RS232 connection. During this initialization, the equipment is assigned an IP address and other configuration parameters such as a subnet mask and default gateway. Once the equipment has its IP address and is properly configured, it can function as part of the plant's Ethernet.
a-1c illustrate schematically a network 10, such as an Ethernet, in which several host devices M-S are connected to a device finder 25 that may be part of a client computer application 20 that assigns IP addresses. In an industrial setting, the client can be a server or programmable logic controller and the host devices may be fabrication machines such as welders. The network shown in
As follows, the new device can be located and assigned an IP address using the Ethernet, thereby eliminating the need for an initial device configuration that is preformed outside the Ethernet. The device finder 25 which may, for example, be included in a client application that maps devices in the network to an IP address according the MAC identifier. The device finder locates un-mapped devices on the network that do not have an IP address assigned to them. The device finder can be invoked automatically on a periodic basis or manually by a user interacting with one or more interface screens, such as, for example selecting the “Find Machines” button in the screen shown in
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Having described the invention in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, given the present disclosure, modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit of the inventive concept herein described. Therefore, it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific and preferred embodiments illustrations as described. Rather, it is intended that the scope of the invention be determined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the preceding description is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined only by the appended claims and their equivalents.