SDAA324 April   2026 AM62L

 

  1.   1
  2.   Abstract
  3.   Trademarks
  4. 1Introduction
  5. 2Overview of Industrial Communication Protocols
    1. 2.1 Components of Industrial Communication Systems
    2. 2.2 Evolution from Serial Fieldbus to Industrial Ethernet
  6. 3Market Trends and Multi-Protocol Requirements
    1. 3.1 Market Scale of Industrial Ethernet
    2. 3.2 Reality of Multi-Protocol Coexistence
    3. 3.3 Necessity of Unified Platforms
    4. 3.4 Core Value of TI's Multi-Protocol Design
  7. 4Technical Introduction of Mainstream Industrial Protocols
    1. 4.1 EtherCAT (Ethernet for Control Automation Technology)
    2. 4.2 PROFINET RT/IRT (Real-Time Industrial Ethernet)
    3. 4.3 EtherNet/IP (Common Industrial Protocol)
  8. 5TI Processors' Multi-Protocol Support Design
    1. 5.1 Key Technology: PRU-ICSS Subsystem
    2. 5.2 Multi-Protocol Architecture Multi-Protocol
    3. 5.3 Processor Selection Matrix
    4. 5.4 Industrial Protocol Support Matrix
    5. 5.5 Software Development Engagement Models
  9. 6Summary
  10. 7References

5.2 Multi-Protocol Architecture Multi-Protocol

TI's multi-protocol implementation uses a unified hardware design, supporting different protocols through different firmware images.

Protocol Selection Mechanism

  • Boot-Time Selection: Determine protocol at boot time through hardware switches or software parameters
  • Automatic Detection: Device automatically listens to network and selects protocol based on received frame types
  • Firmware Independence: Different protocols use independent firmware images without interference
Multi-Protocol approach on AM64/AM243 Figure 5-1 Multi-Protocol approach on AM64/AM243

Protocol Stack Structure (Example Ethercat on AM335)

TI's EtherCAT software stack comprises three main layers:

  1. Layer 2 (Data Link Layer): PRU Firmware
      • PRU cores handle EtherCAT telegram transmission and reception
      • Implements FMMU and Sync Managers
      • Distributed clock processing
  2. Layer 7 (Application Layer): EtherCAT Slave Protocol Stack
      • Runs on Arm core
      • Supports Beckhoff native stack or third-party stacks
      • Communicates with PRU through interrupts
  3. Application Layer: User Industrial Application
    • Implements device-specific logic (I/O processing, sensor drivers, etc.)
Software Architecture for EtherCAT Slave Figure 5-2 Software Architecture for EtherCAT Slave

Advantages of Single Hardware Platform

  • No need for multiple development boards and reference designs
  • Same schematic and PCB layout
  • Shared power supply and EMI design
  • Significantly lower BOM cost and time-to-market