Redundant system and method of operating a redundant system
AssigneeRohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG
InventorLothar Schenk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A redundant system for processing at least one signal is described wherein the redundant system has N+1 devices include N operational devices and one reserve device. The N operational devices and the reserve device are interconnected with each other. The redundant system includes a system control integrated within one of the devices of the redundant system. The redundant system further includes switches that are associated with the operational devices. In case of a failure of a respective operational device, the system control is configured to cause at least one of the devices to operate the switch associated with the respective operational device having the failure. Further, a method of operating a redundant system for processing at least one signal is described.
Claims16
A redundant system having N+1 devices that comprise N operational devices and one reserve device, wherein the N operational devices and the reserve device are interconnected with each other, the redundant system comprising:
- a system control integrated within one of the devices of the redundant system;
- and
- input switches that are located between the operational devices and respective inputs as well as output switches that are located between the operational devices and respective outputs such that two switches are associated with each operational device, wherein the respective input switch is associated with an input side and the respective output switch is associated with an output side of the respective operational device,
- wherein each switch has four ports that are associated with two different switching positions of the respective switch,
- wherein, in case of a failure of a respective operational device, the system control is capable of controlling at least one of the devices to operate the input switch and the output switch which are associated with the respective operational device having the failure,
- wherein the at least one of the devices, which operates the input switch and the output switch which are associated with the respective operational device having the failure, is an adjacent device of the respective operational device having the failure,
- wherein a control chain is established between all of the devices such that the devices are only capable of controlling a switching operation at the input switch and the output switch associated with their respective adjacent device, and
- wherein the respective input switch associated with the input side and the respective output switch associated with the output side are operated simultaneously.
A method of operating a redundant system, the redundant system having N+1 devices that comprise N operational devices and one reserve device that are interconnected with each other, the method comprising:
- detecting an occurring failure in a respective operational device by a system control integrated within one of the devices of the redundant system, and
- causing at least one of the devices to operate an input switch associated with an input side of the respective operational device having the failure as well as to operate an output switch associated with an output side of the respective operational device having the failure,
- wherein the at least one of the devices, which operates the switches associated with the respective operational device having the failure, is an adjacent device of the respective operational device having the failure, and
- wherein a control chain is established between all of the devices such that the devices are only capable of controlling a switching operation at the input switch and the output switch associated with their respective adjacent device, and wherein the respective input switch associated with the input side and the respective output switch associated with the output side are operated simultaneously.
A redundant system for processing at least one signal, comprising:
- N+1 devices that comprise N operational devices and one reserve device, wherein the N operational devices and the one reserve device are interconnected with each other;
- a system control integrated within at least one of the devices of the redundant system;
- switches that are associated with the N operational devices, and
- wherein, in case of a failure of a respective operational device, the system control is capable to control at least one of the devices to operate the switch associated with the respective operational device having the failure, wherein at least two of the devices have a system control functionality such that one of the at least two devices having the system control functionality is capable of standing in when a failure of the other of the at least two devices occurs that initially provides the system control,
- wherein the N+1 devices are interconnected with each other by a communication link that comprises a control bus such that the system control is capable of forwarding control signals to the N+1 devices, and wherein the communication link between the N+1 devices is bidirectional such that the N+1 devices are also enabled to forward monitoring information to the system control, thereby enabling the system control to verify whether one of the operational devices has a failure or not, and
- wherein, besides the communication link, all but one of operational devices as well as the reserve device are connected with a control line that ends at the switches associated with an adjacent operational device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.