EP0381334A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Apparatus for management, comparison, and correction of redundant digital data
Assignee: Boeing North American Inc
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Filing: 1990-01-17
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2010-01-17
Abstract
Abstract In a fault tolerant, fail-active computer system a Redundancy Management Unit (RMU) (40) has a plurality of Dual-Port Message Buffers (DPBs) (30) connecting each of a corresponding plurality of communication channels to the RMU (40). Each DPB (30) includes a message channel interface (36), a dual-port RAM (31), a word counter (33), a page FIFO (32), a message header FIFO (34), and a message buffer control circuit (35). The RMU (40) includes word comparators (43), 3-state gates (44), a message comparison control circuit (41), and a voted message FIFO (45). Under software control, the RMU (40) and DPBs (30) perform the functions of management of asynchronous redundant digital messages, sorting of redundant messages received in arbitrary order, synchronization of distribution computing elements, comparison of data words of arbitrary bit length, and configuration control of active channels and communication path redundancy. The dual-port RAMs (31) of the DPBs (30) store incoming words from the respective message channels in an ordered way, and correspondingly addressed words in the dual port RAMs (31) are subsequently synchronously read out from the RAMs (31) under the control of the message comparison control (41) to the word comparators (43) each one of which compares one word from one RMB (30) with one word from another RMB (30) and indicates to the message comparison control (41) whether or not the words are equal. One word is allowed through a 3-state gate (44) to the voted message FIFO (45) on the basis of the word comparator signals to the message comparison control (41).
Inventors
- 👤 David W. Best
- 👤 Kevin L. Mcgahee
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 09:11
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/07; G06F11/16; G06F11/18; G06F11/183; G06F11/184; G05; G05B; G05B9/00; G05B9/02; G05B9/03
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
53 words
A redundancy management unit, comprising: means for receiving asynchronous redundant digital messages; means connected to said receiving means for comparing said redundant digital messages; means connected to said comparing means for voting to select a correct message from said redundant messages; and means connected to said voting means for storing said correct message.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
53 words
A redundancy management unit, comprising: means for receiving asynchronous redundant digital messages; means connected to said receiving means for comparing said redundant digital messages; means connected to said comparing means for voting to select a correct message from said redundant messages; and means connected to said voting means for storing said correct message.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The redundancy management unit of Claim 1, wherein said receiving means comprises a plurality of dual-port message buffers connected to receive said redundant messages on a corresponding plurality of independent communication channels.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The redundancy management unit of Claim 2, wherein each of said dual-port buffers comprises a dual-port random access memory (RAM) for storing data words of said message.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
The redundancy management unit of Claim 3, wherein each of said dual-port buffers further comprises a page FIFO connected to said RAM for storing addresses of message storage areas within said RAM.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
The redundancy management unit of Claim 4, wherein each of said dual-art buffers further comprises a message header FIFO connected to said RAM for storing message header information associated with the data words stored in said RAM.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
The redundancy management unit of Claim 5, wherein each of said dual-port buffers further comprises a message buffer control connected to said RAM, said page FlFO, and said message header FIFO for providing control and timing signals thereto.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
The redundancy management unit of Claim 2, wherein said comparing means comprises a plurality of word comparator circuits.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
The redundancy management unit of Claim 7, wherein each of said word comparators receives data words from two of said communication channels and produces an equivalence signal indicating whether or not the two data words are equal.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
The redundancy management unit of Claim 8, wherein said voting means comprises a message comparison control connected to said word comparators.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The redundancy management unit of Claim 9, wherein said storing means comprises a voted message FIFO connected to said message comparison control for storing a single correct copy of said redundant message.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
55 words
A redundancy management unit for managing asynchronous redundant digital messages, comprising: a plurality of dual-port message buffers connected to receive the asynchronous redundant messages on a corresponding plurality of independent communication channels; and means connected to said dual-port buffers for comparing the redundant messages and voting to select a correct message from the redundant messages.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
55 words
A redundancy management unit for managing asynchronous redundant digital messages, comprising: a plurality of dual-port message buffers connected to receive the asynchronous redundant messages on a corresponding plurality of independent communication channels; and means connected to said dual-port buffers for comparing the redundant messages and voting to select a correct message from the redundant messages.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
46 words
The redundancy management unit of Claim 11, wherein said comparing means comprises a plurality of word comparators, each of said word comparators receiving data words from two of said communication channels and producing an equivalence signal indicating whether or not the two data words are equal.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
42 words
The redundancy management unit of Claim 12, wherein said voting means comprises a message comparison control connected to said word comparators and a voted message FIFO connected to said message comparison control for storing a single correct copy of the redundant message.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
46 words
The redundancy management unit of Claim 13, wherein each of said dual-port message buffers comprises a dual-port random access memory (RAM) for storing data words of the message and a page FIFO connected to said RAM for storing addresses of message storage areas within said RAM.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
38 words
The redundancy management unit of Claim 14, wherein each of said dual-port buffers further comprises a message buffer control connected to said RAM, said page FIFO, ano said message header FIFO for providing control and timing signals thereto.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
56 words
Apparatus for managing redundant digital data, comprising: a plurality of dual-port message buffers connected to receive asynchronous redundant digital messages on a corresponding plurality of independent communication channels; and a redundancy management unit connected to said dual-port buffers for comparing said redundant digital messages and for voting to select a correct message from said redundant messages.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
56 words
Apparatus for managing redundant digital data, comprising: a plurality of dual-port message buffers connected to receive asynchronous redundant digital messages on a corresponding plurality of independent communication channels; and a redundancy management unit connected to said dual-port buffers for comparing said redundant digital messages and for voting to select a correct message from said redundant messages.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
89 words
The apparatus of Claim 16, wherein each of said dual-port message buffers comprises: a dual-port random access memory (RAM) for storing data words of the message; a page FIFO connected to said RAM for storing addresses of message storage areas within said RAM; a message header FIFO connected to said RAM for storing message header information associated with the data words stored in said RAM; and a message buffer control connected to said RAM, said page FIFO, and said message header FIFO for providing control and timing signals thereto.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
45 words
The apparatus of Claim 17, wherein said redundancy management unit comprises a plurality of word comparators, each of said word comparators receiving data words from two of said communication channels and producing an equivalence signal indicating whether or not the two data words are equal.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
42 words
The apparatus of Claim 18, wherein said redundancy management unit further comprises a message comparison control connected to said word comparators and a voted message FIFO connected to said message comparison control for storing a single correct copy of the redundant message.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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