Ethernet Powerlink

Ethernet Powerlink connects nodes using general-purpose Ethernet. Transmission is fast enough to support Gigabit Ethernet, allowing for communication with fixed cycles as short as 200 μs and data synchronization jitter of 1 μs or less.

In an Ethernet Powerlink network, the managing node manages communication in a fixed cycle. The network uses the producer/consumer method. A node sends data to another node or other nodes at its own transmission timing and nodes that received data process data with IDs related to them in the order of reception.

The node that manages timing sends a message called Start of Cycle (SoC) to all devices whose timing is synchronized, in a specified cycle. The managing node then sends a command to one node and waits for a response from that node. After completing this command-response communication sequence with all nodes, the managing node sends the next command.

This communication method sends a message that asynchronous communication can be started when required data communication is completed in a cycle time, allowing asynchronous data transmission and reception (message communication) to be executed. After the message is sent, the communication process enters a waiting mode until the next cycle.

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November 2015