Patent ID: 9673995
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A method for redundant message transmission in an industrial communication network, in which at least one communication device comprises at least a first and a second transmitter/receiver that each have an interface for a network connection of the industrial communication network and are connected to a coupling element of the communication device, the first and second transmitter/receivers have an associated signal processor of the at least one communication device that sends messages that are to be sent in redundant form by the communication device in duplicated form from the first and second transmitter/receivers and detects messages received in redundant form from the first and second transmitter/receivers of the communication device, and in which messages that are redundant with respect to one another are denoted by a common duplicate identifier, the method comprising: ascertaining mutually independent paths for a communication link that is redundant at least in sections between two network nodes within the industrial communication network, the mutually independent paths comprising separate network modes of a single communication network; and interchanging messages with duplicate identifiers between the first and second transmitter/receivers of the communication device in accordance with forwarding rules that correspond to the ascertained paths; wherein the industrial communication network has a meshed network topology; wherein a respective virtual local area network is set up for the ascertained mutually independent paths; and wherein the ascertained mutually independent paths are identified from an identity for their associated virtual local area network.