History

A word on Refreshment, Promptness and Significance

General

Refreshment is a status bit sent by the Producer (as last byte of a variable) telling that the Producer got new data within the set maximum production period time. E.g. the user logic wrote nicely regularly in time new data to the Producer who in turn sends it to the network.

Promptness is elaborated by the Consumer. The Consumer basically restarts a timer whenever it receives the variable. When it doesn't receive this variable again within the maximum consumption period, it will tell that this variable is not prompt.

See also FIP Network General Introduction for some clarifying images.

Significance is another status bit stating that the variable is valid, i.e. has been written at least once. This bit is coming from the MPS application layer, but the only place where I could find some description is in MICROFIP HANDLER Software Release 1 User Reference Manual, ALS 50202: sections 1.3.4.1 and 1.3.4.2.

MicroFIP implementation

Refreshment

  • Standalone mode
    • Production: Refreshment is True when the Meaning (meaning Significance) Status is true. These are always set to True if the MicroFIP has started up correctly. Indeed, it cannot know that new data is available, as the chip reads itself the input pins (no write clock or so available).
    • Consumption: received variables with Refreshment set False place the outputs in their inactive state or keep them in the previous state (depending on settings).
  • Microprocessor controlled mode
    • Production: the refreshment time is settable to either 250 ms or infinite. It knows when a new variable is written to the memory.
    • Consumption: a variable is ignored when the refreshment and significance is not 'valid'.

Promptness

  • Standalone mode
    • Promptness time is settable to 50 ms, 250 ms, 1 s, or 5s, but not to infinite.
    • When promptness becomes not 'valid', it will place the outputs in their inactive state or keep them in the previous state (depending on settings).
  • Microprocessor controlled mode
    • Promptness time is settable to 50 ms, 250 ms, 1 s, or 5s, but not to infinite.
    • Consumption: a variable is ignored when the promptness is not 'valid'.

E.Van der Bij, June 2009