Patents by Inventor Frank Volkmann

Frank Volkmann has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11622015
    Abstract: A method for configuring at least one OPC UA PubSub subscriber in an in particular industrial network, in which a) a virtual address space is provided for the at least one subscriber on a configuration module that is separate from the at least one subscriber, b) a configuration for the at least one subscriber is performed and/or a configuration already existing for the at least one subscriber is changed in the virtual address space of the at least one subscriber, c) the configuration module converts the configuration and/or configuration change into at least one PubSub message, d) the at least one PubSub message is transmitted to the at least one subscriber, and e) the at least one subscriber is configured according to the at least one PubSub message. In addition, the invention relates to an automation system, a computer program and a computer-readable medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Sven Kerschbaum, Stephan Home, Frank Volkmann
  • Publication number: 20230034951
    Abstract: A system for data transmission between a client device, a server device and a plurality of automation devices, wherein the server device includes a descriptive representation of each of the plurality of automation devices, wherein the server device includes a server instance, which server instance is configured to load one of the descriptive representations based on a hostname identifying one of the plurality of automation devices, and wherein the server instance is configured to transmit data from the automation device to a client application on the client device based on the loaded descriptive representation of the automation device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Inventors: Thomas Talanis, Harald Albrecht, Stephan Höme, Frank Volkmann
  • Publication number: 20220417335
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for configuring an industrial real-time-capable communications network for the cyclical transmitting of messages (NWM), each comprising one or more data sets (DS1, . . . , DS4). The communications network (1) comprises a message source (10) for generating and cyclically sending the messages (NWM), at least one message sink (16, 17, 18) for receiving and processing the messages (NWM), as well as at least one network component (12, 14) which forwards messages (NWM) from the message source to the message sinks. The configuring comprises determining (S1) a network topology of the communications network (1) for the transmitting of a data stream to be sent from the message source (10) in the future, in which the messages (NWM) are each cyclically sent with all data sets. It is determined (S2) which of the data sets in the data stream a respective one of the message sinks wants to receive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2019
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Inventors: Thomas Fischer, Stephan Höme, Konstantin Jung, Sven Kerschbaum, Marcel Kießling, Frank Volkmann
  • Publication number: 20220353342
    Abstract: A method for configuring at least one OPC UA PubSub subscriber in an in particular industrial network, in which a) a virtual address space is provided for the at least one subscriber on a configuration module that is separate from the at least one subscriber, b) a configuration for the at least one subscriber is performed and/or a configuration already existing for the at least one subscriber is changed in the virtual address space of the at least one subscriber, c) the configuration module converts the configuration and/or configuration change into at least one PubSub message, d) the at least one PubSub message is transmitted to the at least one subscriber, and e) the at least one subscriber is configured according to the at least one PubSub message. In addition, the invention relates to an automation system, a computer program and a computer-readable medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventors: Sven KERSCHBAUM, Stephan HÖME, Frank VOLKMANN
  • Patent number: 11477107
    Abstract: A control method, device, computer program and a computer-readable medium and method for data communication in an industrial network, wherein a stream is created between at least two stream subscribers, where resources are reserved on at least one node point, particularly bridges and/or switches between the at least two stream subscribers, and subsequently data is transmitted between the at least two stream subscribers, via the stream, and at least one subscriber of the stream interrupts the emittance and/or reception of data via the stream and resources that are reserved on at least one node point for the at least one subscriber of the stream are released for use for a data transmission that is lower priority than the data transmission via the stream, and where the reservation of the resources being maintained for the at least one subscriber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Thomas Fischer, Stephan Höme, Konstantin Jung, Sven Kerschbaum, Marcel Kießling, Frank Volkmann
  • Patent number: 11394653
    Abstract: The invention describes a transmission device having a (TCP/IP) protocol stack (S, S?), which is designed for the transmission of data (D) in a time-sensitive network (TSN). The transmission device comprises at least one TSN-compliant virtual Ethernet interface (2.2, 2.2?) and an associated TSN control unit (3.1, 3.1?). The at least one TSN-compliant virtual Ethernet interface (2.2, 2.2?) is designed to send and/or receive a TSN-compliant data stream (2.1, 2.1?) in a physical layer (1) of the TCP/IP protocol stack (S, S?). The TSN-compliant data stream (2.1, 2.1?) can be configured and/or parameterised by means of the associated TSN control unit (3.1, 3.1?).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stephan Höme, Marcel Kiessling, An Ninh Nguyen, Jürgen Schmitt, Frank Volkmann
  • Patent number: 11153416
    Abstract: A method is provided which enables industrial communication via the TSN protocol by means of sockets. Owing to the described method, the possibility of communicating with the socket programming known to the programmer via TSN streams is provided. As a result, simple use of the new TSN quality for simple Internet (IP) programming is possible. Existing applications can easily be expanded for TSN and can therefore benefit from the robustness of TSN in a simple manner. In addition, parallel operation is possible; the same mechanism is always used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Franz-Josef Götz, Jürgen Schmitt, Thomas Talanis, Frank Volkmann
  • Patent number: 11073822
    Abstract: A method for operating a server device in a system is disclosed. The server device determines a current process value of at least one process parameter of a process controlled by the system and transmits the determined current process values to a plurality of client devices in the system for each process parameter or a subset thereof via a data network. According to the invention, the server device forms a variable group for at least one process parameter which is to be transmitted to more than one of the client devices. The server device then combines in each case the current process values of the at least one process parameter in the variable group at the different transmission times to form a single multi-target message and at the different transmission times to form a single multi-target message and transmits the multi-target message to a group address in the data network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Karl-Heinz Deiretsbacher, Markus Erlmann, Sven Kerschbaum, Frank Volkmann
  • Publication number: 20210152482
    Abstract: The invention describes a transmission device having a (TCP/IP) protocol stack (S, S?), which is designed for the transmission of data (D) in a time-sensitive network (TSN). The transmission device comprises at least one TSN-compliant virtual Ethernet interface (2.2, 2.2?) and an associated TSN control unit (3.1, 3.1?). The at least one TSN-compliant virtual Ethernet interface (2.2, 2.2) is designed to send and/or receive a TSN-compliant data stream (2.1, 2.1) in a physical layer (1) of the TCP/IP protocol stack (S, S). The TSN-compliant data stream (2.1, 2.1?) can be configured and/or parameterised by means of the associated TSN control unit (3.1, 3.1?).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2019
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Inventors: Stephan Höme, Marcel Kiessling, An Ninh Nguyen, Jürgen Schmitt, Frank Volkmann
  • Publication number: 20210120065
    Abstract: A control method, device, computer program and a computer-readable medium and method for data communication in an industrial network, wherein a stream is created between at least two stream subscribers, where resources are reserved on at least one node point, particularly bridges and/or switches between the at least two stream subscribers, and subsequently data is transmitted between the at least two stream subscribers, via the stream, and at least one subscriber of the stream interrupts the emittance and/or reception of data via the stream and resources that are reserved on at least one node point for the at least one subscriber of the stream are released for use for a data transmission that is lower priority than the data transmission via the stream, and where the reservation of the resources being maintained for the at least one subscriber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Inventors: Thomas FISCHER, Stephan HÖME, Konstantin JUNG, Sven KERSCHBAUM, Marcel KIEßLING, Frank VOLKMANN
  • Publication number: 20200322461
    Abstract: A method is provided which enables industrial communication via the TSN protocol by means of sockets. Owing to the described method, the possibility of communicating with the socket programming known to the programmer via TSN streams is provided. As a result, simple use of the new TSN quality for simple Internet (IP) programming is possible. Existing applications can easily be expanded for TSN and can therefore benefit from the robustness of TSN in a simple manner. In addition, parallel operation is possible; the same mechanism is always used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Applicant: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Franz-Josef Götz, Jürgen Schmitt, Thomas Talanis, Frank Volkmann
  • Patent number: 10530897
    Abstract: In automation-engineering installations, there is a need to exchange process information between different devices. For this, OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) from OPC Foundation has become established as a standard protocol. However, rather than transmit requested OPC-UA subscriptions via the conventional OPC-UA session channel, the invention sets up a separate TSN data communication by means of which that subscription information is transmitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Franz-Josef Götz, Christian Hock, Jürgen Schmitt, Frank Volkmann
  • Patent number: 10455060
    Abstract: An OPC UA session is interpreted as a single transaction according to the invention. In this case, a transaction means that all service calls, apart from the abovementioned calls, are initially only simulated and are not executed and the execution of the service calls is shifted to the termination of the transaction. Each operation inside a session is formally checked and then simulated. The simulated result or the result of the formal check is immediately sent to the client. The client therefore receives a preview of the result of the operations. If the client determines that one of the operations carried out would not lead to the desired result, the client can reject the operations. If the client wants the set operation to be carried out, the client terminates the current session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Karl-Heinz Deiretsbacher, Markus Erlmann, Sven Kerschbaum, Frank Volkmann
  • Patent number: 10230807
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for energy-optimized data transmission by OPC UA protocol in radio networks is disclosed. When OPC UA communication is operated in a mobile device, e.g. as mobile access to part of a plant for maintenance, monitoring, parameterization, transmission is frequently implemented by the OPC UA's own request-response based communication behavior. Since the device is rarely able to switch off the transmitter, the battery of the device is very quickly discharged. This poses a problem, particularly in the case of devices that are intended to respond promptly to infrequent warnings or events. However, when a client device is intended to provide notification in relation to one event only, the previous polling, i.e. the periodic interrogation is dispensed with and an alternative notification through means inherent in the mobile network is used. This method uses, for example, a mobile push service supplied by the network provider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Karl-Heinz Deiretsbacher, Christian Hock, Gerald Kaefer, Frank Volkmann
  • Publication number: 20180248980
    Abstract: In automation-engineering installations, there is a need to exchange process information between different devices. For this, OPC Unified Automation (OPC UA) from OPC Foundation has become established as a standard protocol. However, rather than transmit requested OPC-UA subscriptions via the conventional OPC-UA session channel, the invention sets up a separate TSN data communication by means of which that subscription information is transmitted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: FRANZ-JOSEF GÖTZ, CHRISTAN HOCK, JÜRGEN SCHMITT, FRANK VOLKMANN
  • Patent number: 9854027
    Abstract: A method for providing clients with access to a service of a server in a network using an OPC-UA, the server service making available varying values of at least one variable to the clients, wherein a client registers for the server service by sending a subscription request for the server service to the server which sets up a subscription structure including a unique subscription ID as well as a TCP/IP multicast group associated with the subscription structure and including a unique multicast address, and there server communicates the multicast address and the subscription ID to every client submitting a subscription request to register for the server service, the server additionally sends each change in value of each variable of the server service to the multicast address over a network via a multicast message so that all clients registered for the server service receive the same multicast message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Frank Volkmann, Markus Erlmann, Christian Hock
  • Patent number: 9838470
    Abstract: A method for optimizing repeated write access by a client to at least one variable in a server via OPC UA, wherein a call method for repeated write access is provided on the server, the call method includes notification of an access time interval and at least one variable for the repeated write access, the client calls the call method on the server, the server is notified of an access time interval and the at least one variable for the repeated write access in the process, where the server creates a data structure for the repeated write access and maintains said data structure during the access time interval, values of the at least one variable which are to be written are transmitted to the server by the client during the access time interval, and the server allocates each value transmitted by the client to the associated variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Markus Erlmann, Christian Hock, Frank Volkmann
  • Publication number: 20170300043
    Abstract: A method for operating a server device in a system is disclosed. The server device determines a current process value of at least one process parameter of a process controlled by the system and transmits the determined current process values to a plurality of client devices in the system for each process parameter or a subset thereof via a data network. According to the invention, the server device forms a variable group for at least one process parameter which is to be transmitted to more than one of the client devices. The server device then combines in each case the current process values of the at least one process parameter in the variable group at the different transmission times to form a single multi-target message and at the different transmission times to form a single multi-target message and transmits the multi-target message to a group address in the data network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Applicant: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: KARL-HEINZ DEIRETSBACHER, MARKUS ERLMANN, SVEN KERSCHBAUM, FRANK VOLKMANN
  • Publication number: 20170208550
    Abstract: An OPC UA client that consolidates transmission and reception times so as to extend the antenna amplifier pause times is disclosed. Thus, without requiring a change to the OPC UA protocol, data is sent exclusively at defined focusing times. No sending is meant to be necessary between these times. A set of requests is sent to the server at a particular time. The client then enters reception mode. The server handles the received requests periodically over time. When almost all requests have been handled, a new set of requests is made to the server again. Between these focusing times, the transmitter of the client/mobile device can be switched off completely and hence save power. The method disclosed is totally compatible at all levels of communication, both TCP stack, WLAN for instance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2014
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Applicant: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Karl-Heinz Deiretsbacher, CHRISTIAN HOCK, GERALD KAEFER, FRANK VOLKMANN
  • Publication number: 20170161122
    Abstract: In the OPC UA request header, there exists the field “TimeoutHint”, by means of which the client can indicate the point in time from which the client is no longer interested in the result of an operation. When this time has expired, the server sends a response that the execution of the operation has been terminated. According to the invention, the semantics of the field “TimeoutHint” in the OPC UA request header are used differently. The meaning of the “TimeoutHint” is changed in such a way that the “TimeoutHint” no longer indicates the latest point in time at which an operation should be executed, but rather the earliest point in time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2014
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Applicant: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: KARL-HEINZ DEIRETSBACHER, MARKUS ERLMAN, SVEN KERSCHBAUM, FRANK VOLKMANN