Multi-probe measurement instrument for real-time ethernet networks
Alessandro Depari, Paolo Ferrari, Alessandra Flammini, D. Marioli, A. Taroni · 2006
Real-time industrial automation based on Ethernet is becoming a leading technology. Real-Time Ethernet (RTE) systems can achieve very high performance (cycle time down to tens of μs and jitter less than 1 μs), so new measuring instruments are required. In this paper the realization of a new low-cost multi-probe measurement instrument to evaluate network related characteristics of a RTE system, is presented. The proposed instrument can be used to diagnose synchronization issues among RTE nodes by means of a distributed and synchronized logging, overcoming limitations of common Network & Protocol Analyzers. A full overview of the instrument architecture and a detailed description of probes and of the PC-based “Monitor Station” are given. Probes are implemented with a FPGA improving compactness and extensive industrial use.