US4183461A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Fault-diagnosing method for an electronic computer
Assignee: Toshiba Corp
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Filing: 1978-03-14
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Granted: 1980-01-15
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Expires: 1998-03-14
Abstract
Abstract A fault-diagnosing apparatus and method for an electronic computer designed to diagnose a fault occurring in constituent circuits formed of a plurality of packages according to a signal denoting the status of a sequential circuit in the selected one of the packages, which comprises a fault-diagnosing unit for diagnosing a fault occurring in any of the sequential circuits; an exclusively fault-diagnosing circuit provided in the respective packages; and a common exclusively fault-diagnosing bus to which the output terminals of said exclusively fault-diagnosing circuits are jointly connected, and wherein the exclusively fault-diagnosing circuit sends forth to the exclusively fault-diagnosing bus signals denoting the interior status of the sequential circuit included in the package selected by the fault-diagnosing unit; and the fault-diagnosing unit diagnoses a fault occurring in any of said sequential circuits from the signal received through the bus.
Inventors
- 👤 Fumitaka Sato
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 13:49
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/22; G06F11/2205; G06F11/2236; G06F11/25; G06F11/2294
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
125 words
A fault-diagnosing method for an electronic computer system having a central processing unit including a plurality of packages each having sequential circuits which comprises the steps of diagnosing a fault in any of the sequential circuits by using the fault-diagnosing circuits provided in the respective packages; providing a common exclusive fault-diagnosing bus to which the output terminals of the fault-diagnosing circuits are connected; and supplying the fault-diagnosing bus with signals denoting the state of the sequential circuits which have been selected by a fault-diagnosing unit, wherein the fault-diagnosing unit receives the signals denoting the state of the sequential circuits in the selected one of the packages through the exclusive fault-diagnosing bus so as to diagnose a fault which happens to occur in said selected package.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
125 words
A fault-diagnosing method for an electronic computer system having a central processing unit including a plurality of packages each having sequential circuits which comprises the steps of diagnosing a fault in any of the sequential circuits by using the fault-diagnosing circuits provided in the respective packages; providing a common exclusive fault-diagnosing bus to which the output terminals of the fault-diagnosing circuits are connected; and supplying the fault-diagnosing bus with signals denoting the state of the sequential circuits which have been selected by a fault-diagnosing unit, wherein the fault-diagnosing unit receives the signals denoting the state of the sequential circuits in the selected one of the packages through the exclusive fault-diagnosing bus so as to diagnose a fault which happens to occur in said selected package.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
72 words
The fault-diagnosing method according to claim 1, wherein the fault-diagnosing circuits of the respective packages comprise corresponding selectors; and the method comprises the steps of supplying from the fault-diagnosing unit to the respective selectors with an enable signal and common selection control signal to allow a particular signal denoting the state of a sequential circuit in any of the packages to be sent forth from an enabled selector to the fault-diagnosing bus.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The fault-diagnosing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of throwing the fault-diagnosing bus out of use while the central processing unit makes its normal operation.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The fault-diagnosing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of supplying to the fault-diagnosing unit a clock pulse at a longer interval than that in the central processing unit.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
59 words
The fault-diagnosing method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of indicating the occurrence of a faulty behavior on a console when the fault diagnosing bus itself is found to have the faulty behavior; and undertaking the loading of a microprogram in the central processing unit independently of the discovery of the faulty behavior of said fault-diagnosing bus.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The fault-diagnosing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of examining the behavior of the fault-diagnosing bus each time power supply is initiated to the central processing unit.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
45 words
The fault-diagnosing method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of connecting the central processing unit including the fault-diagnosing unit and a console together by an exclusive interface; and indicating the failure of the fault-diagnosing bus itself on the console through the exclusive interface.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
The fault-diagnosing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of effecting a test of the behavior of the diagnosis bus each time an initialization of the system is performed.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
The fault-diagnosing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of testing the behavior of the fault-diagnosing bus each time a microprogram is loaded in the control storage of the central processing unit.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
45 words
The fault-diagnosing method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of connecting the central processing unit including the fault-diagnosing unit and a console together by an exclusive interface; and indicating the failure of the fault-diagnosing bus itself on the console through the exclusive interface.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3904860A
Cited
US3999053A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1983-01-14 | 1983-07-16 | 1984-01-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1987-01-14 | 1987-07-16 | 1988-01-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1991-01-14 | 1991-07-16 | 1992-01-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |