Method for controlling packet-oriented data forwarding via a coupling field

1. A method for controlling packet-oriented data forwarding via a coupling field, which comprises:

connecting each of a plurality of subscriber devices, via a respective logical point-to-point connection, to a common interface of a coupling field;

setting an individual-connection total bandwidth and an individual-connection partial line bandwidth for real-time-oriented data forwarding to each of the respective logical point-to-point connections;

ascertaining in a context of making a connection for the real-time-oriented data forwarding between an originating subscriber device and a destination subscriber device, a sum of connection bandwidths of connections currently executed and connections in a process of being made for the real-time-oriented data forwarding via the respective logical point-to-point connection of the destination subscriber device; and

setting up the connection only if the sum of the connection bandwidths is less than or equal to a predeterminable limit value.

2. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises connecting each of further subscriber devices, via a further respective logical point-to-point connection, to a further interface common to the further subscriber devices of the coupling field.

3. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises setting the predeterminable limit value equal to the individual-connection partial line bandwidth of the respective logical point-to-point connection connecting the destination subscriber device to the coupling field.

4. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises effecting the setting of the individual-connection partial line bandwidth of the respective logical point-to-point connection such that a sum of individual-connection partial line bandwidths of the respective logical point-to-point connections does not exceed a predeterminable further limit value.

5. The method according to claim 4 , which comprises setting the predeterminable further limit value equal to a bandwidth from the common interface of the coupling field for a data transfer from subscriber devices to the coupling field.

6. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises limiting a number of the logical point-to-point connections by the fact that a sum of individual-connection total bandwidths of the logical point-to-point connections is allowed to be greater, by only a predeterminable value, than a bandwidth made available by the common interface of the coupling field for a data transfer from subscriber devices to the coupling field.

7. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises:

providing the coupling field with at least one input scanner and at least one output scanner; and

setting up, via the at least one input scanner and the at least one output scanner, the logical point-to-point connections such that data forwarding between the coupling field and the destination subscriber device is effected by the setting of the individual-connection total bandwidth.

8. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises:

providing an individual-subscriber-device first-in-first-out (FIFO) memory in the coupling field for each addressable subscriber device that is subdivided into a fixed number of partial memories; and

storing data to be forwarded from the originating subscriber device to the destination subscriber device in a partial memory of the individual-subscriber-device FIFO memory associated with the destination subscriber device.

9. The method according to claim 8 , which comprises effecting a buffer storage in the partial memory in dependence on a terminal device connection class agreed upon between the originating subscriber device and the destination subscriber device.

10. The method according to claim 8 , which comprises setting different priorities for the partial memories of the individual-subscriber-device FIFO memory in that a higher priority is set for the partial memories intended for storing data in the context of real-time-oriented data forwarding than for the partial memories intended for storing of data in the context of non-real-time-oriented data forwarding.