Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for interface dual modular redundancy

US6002970A · kind A · utility

11Cited by
6References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 15, 1997
Grant dateDec 14, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 15, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG05B9/03
  • WIPO fieldControl
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Controller triple modular redundancy is substantially achieved and reliability improved in a system having duplicate controllers that serve peripheral units. Both controllers detect suspected faults in itself and in the other controller. A peripheral unit that suspects a faulty active controller requests a switch of the active controller. A voting circuit processes votes from the controllers and the active controller switch signal from the peripheral units to select the active controller. The signaling paths between the controllers used to convey votes and active controller information are duplicated. The signals on these signaling paths convey information by using oscillating signals of different frequencies.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.