US 11,848,673 B1 · Majority voter with error detection

Abstract

An integrated circuit for use in high-reliability electronic systems contains one or more digital majority voters with corresponding disagreement detectors connected to the same input signals producing a majority value output and an error signal that is active when not all input signals agree. Internal error signals from multiple majority voter/disagreement detectors as well as external error inputs may be combined using disjunctive error logic to produce an “error detected” output indication. Cold-sparing and hot-plugging are supported by providing cold-sparable electrostatic discharge protection circuits and power-on reset circuitry controlling cold-sparable output stages. Internal modular redundancy provides immunity to single-event transients as well as enhanced reliability. Redundant electronic systems using the majority voter with error detection are also provided, as are fault notification systems that use the disjunctive error logic and external error input feedthrough capabilities of serially-connected integrated circuits to produce an error indication for a plurality of subsystems.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An integrated circuit for use in logic systems employing modular redundancy, comprising:

a power supply terminal;
a ground terminal;
a plurality of logic signal inputs and outputs connected to I/O pads;
a number M equal to one or more digital majority voters, each majority voter having an odd number of three or more voter inputs separately connected to a corresponding number of the logic signal inputs, each majority voter configured to produce at a voter output a logic signal having a value equal to a logical value of a majority of the voter inputs;
M disagreement detectors, one corresponding respectively to each majority voter, each disagreement detector having the same number of detector inputs as its respective voter has voter inputs, each input of a disagreement detector connected to a logic signal input corresponding to a voter input on its respective voter, wherein each disagreement detector is configured to produce an error signal at a detector output that is active when not all of its detector inputs agree;
an external error input;
an error output;
and
disjunctive error logic having inputs respectively connected to the detector outputs and to the external error input and configured to generate a signal at the error output that is active when at least one of the detector outputs is producing an active error signal or the external error input is receiving an active error signal.

6 more elements

A fault notification electronic system comprising:

a plurality of subsystems enumerated from a first subsystem to a last subsystem, each subsystem having three or more subsystem outputs and configured to generate substantially identical signals at all its subsystem outputs when operating correctly and in the absence of radiation;
and
a plurality of error detectors, one associated with each subsystem and interconnected from a first error detector to a last error detector in a detector chain, each error detector having an error output, detector inputs connected to the outputs of its associated subsystem, and an external error input connected to the error output of a previous detector in the detector chain, each error detector configured to produce an error signal at its error output that is active when not all of the subsystem output signals at its detector inputs agree or when its external error input is receiving an active error signal,
whereby the error output of the last detector is active when any of the subsystems produces subsystem output signals that do not all agree.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Majority voter with error detection

Life of this patent

Majority voter with error detection

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20