US4514846A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Control fault detection for machine recovery and diagnostics prior to malfunction
Assignee: Xerox Corp
•
Filing: 1982-09-21
•
Granted: 1985-04-30
•
Expires: 2002-09-21
Abstract
Abstract The present invention is monitoring the control, in particular, software crashes in a multiprocessor machine control system to prevent machine malfunctions. Benchmarks or key operations tracked include, for example, monitoring that the number of tasks to be completed by the control is not beyond the capacity of the control to respond. These recorded benchmarks enable one or both of two paths of progressively more complex analysis. In particular, there is a diagnostic path that leads first to the isolation of a particular control element in a multi-element control that contains a fault and then to a more comprehensive recording of the fault history for each individual control element. There is also a path for maintaining machine operation. In this path, a first level of response is to merely reset the various control elements. Progressively more comprehensive responses include isolating a fault in an individual control element to maintain machine operation and the full recovery of the job in progress after a software crash.
Inventors
- 👤 Anthony M. Federico
- 👤 Ernest L. Legg
- 👤 Tuan A. Nguyen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 14:01
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/36; G06F11/362; G06F11/366; G06F11/07; G06F11/0703; G06F11/0706; G06F11/0721; G06F11/0724; G06F11/0733; G06F11/0748; G06F11/0751; G06F11/079; G06F11/3636
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
124 words
In an electronic control having a plurality of control elements for controlling a printing machine having a plurality of operating components including a photoreceptor cooperating with one another to produce images on support material, the electronic control including a hardware portion, a software portion, and suitable memory, the control being subject to software faults, said faults capable of causing machine misoperation, said control element connected to the operating components, a method of software fault detection prior to machine misoperation comprising the steps of: categorizing the conditions that cause software faults, storing said conditions in memory, monitoring the conditions that result in software faults, recognizing the occurrence of one of the conditions, and relating said one of the conditions to one of the operating components.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
124 words
In an electronic control having a plurality of control elements for controlling a printing machine having a plurality of operating components including a photoreceptor cooperating with one another to produce images on support material, the electronic control including a hardware portion, a software portion, and suitable memory, the control being subject to software faults, said faults capable of causing machine misoperation, said control element connected to the operating components, a method of software fault detection prior to machine misoperation comprising the steps of: categorizing the conditions that cause software faults, storing said conditions in memory, monitoring the conditions that result in software faults, recognizing the occurrence of one of the conditions, and relating said one of the conditions to one of the operating components.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 including the step of displaying said one of the conditions.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 2 including the steps of displaying the identification of a particular operating component producing said one of the conditions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 3 including the step of displaying an indication of the cause of said operating component producing said one of the conditions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
153 words
In machine control having a plurality of processors including a plurality of tasks to be executed, each processor including a hardware component, a software component and a memory for controlling a machine having a plurality of operating components, said operating components cooperating with one another to produce a result, said control monitoring a plurality of software conditions, said conditions providing a record related to an evaluation of machine performance and providing an indication related to continued machine operation, the method of monitoring machine operation by storing in memory both the evaluation conditions and continued machine operation conditions including the steps of: detecting one of said software conditions, deciding whether or not said condition is related to an evaluation of machine performance, continued machine operation, or both, storing an indication of the condition in memory, providing a first response for an evaluation condition, and providing a second response for a continued machine operation condition.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
153 words
In machine control having a plurality of processors including a plurality of tasks to be executed, each processor including a hardware component, a software component and a memory for controlling a machine having a plurality of operating components, said operating components cooperating with one another to produce a result, said control monitoring a plurality of software conditions, said conditions providing a record related to an evaluation of machine performance and providing an indication related to continued machine operation, the method of monitoring machine operation by storing in memory both the evaluation conditions and continued machine operation conditions including the steps of: detecting one of said software conditions, deciding whether or not said condition is related to an evaluation of machine performance, continued machine operation, or both, storing an indication of the condition in memory, providing a first response for an evaluation condition, and providing a second response for a continued machine operation condition.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 including the step of monitoring the number of active tasks to be executed.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 5 wherein the control is interconnected to a communication line and including the step of monitoring the number of retransmissions on the communication line.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 5 including the steps of determining that said software condition is related to the evaluation of machine performance and providing a first response to said condition.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 5 including the step of isolating one of the processors causing said software condition.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 5 including the steps of recording the software condition history of each of said processors.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 5 including the step of determining that said software condition is related to continued machine operation and providing a second response to said condition.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 11 including the step of resetting all of the processors.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 11 including the step of selectively resetting of the processors.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 11 including the steps of (1) recognizing the failure of one of the processors to reset, and (2) ignoring said processor and maintaining said machine operation.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
144 words
In an electronic control having a memory, a display and plurality of control processors for controlling a machine having a plurality of operating components, each of the processors associated with at least a portion of the operating components, the electronic control responsive to software and hardware malfunctions, a software malfunction being a fault in the control software, the software malfunctions being related to malfunctions of said processors and said operating components, a method of software malfunction detection prior to misoperation of said operating components comprising the steps of identifying conditions causing software malfunctions, storing said conditions in the memory, monitoring said conditions for indications of a software malfunction, displaying said conditions on the control display, and relating the conditions on the display to one of the operating components and processors whereby the cause of said condition can be determined to prevent a machine misoperation.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
144 words
In an electronic control having a memory, a display and plurality of control processors for controlling a machine having a plurality of operating components, each of the processors associated with at least a portion of the operating components, the electronic control responsive to software and hardware malfunctions, a software malfunction being a fault in the control software, the software malfunctions being related to malfunctions of said processors and said operating components, a method of software malfunction detection prior to misoperation of said operating components comprising the steps of identifying conditions causing software malfunctions, storing said conditions in the memory, monitoring said conditions for indications of a software malfunction, displaying said conditions on the control display, and relating the conditions on the display to one of the operating components and processors whereby the cause of said condition can be determined to prevent a machine misoperation.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3614742A
Cited
US3983539A
Cited
US3983541A
Cited
US3699529A
Cited
US4123795A
Cited
US3760365A
Cited
US3787816A
Cited
US3812469A
Cited
US3805247A
Cited
US4227245A
Cited
US3916383A
Cited
US4084228A
Cited
US4123794A
Cited
US3978452A
Cited
US3939453A
Cited
US3937938A
Cited
US4099252A
Cited
US3928830A
Cited
US4044334A
Cited
US4219873A
Cited
US4162536A
Cited
US4224664A
Cited
US4064395A
Cited
US4063311A
Cited
US4170791A
Cited
US4186299A
Cited
US4199811A
Cited
US4138718A
Cited
US4215395A
Cited
US4229790A
Cited
US4228495A
Cited
US4253145A
Cited
US4410938A
Cited
US4453210A
Cited
US4327993A
Cited
US4304001A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1988-04-29 | 1988-10-29 | 1989-04-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1992-04-29 | 1992-10-29 | 1993-04-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1996-04-29 | 1996-10-29 | 1997-04-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |