Diagnosis of redundant signal output channels connected in parallel
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorNorbert Brousek
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a device and a method for testing for wire breakage with a redundant signal output. To ensure the most fail-safe output in particular of a digital signal, whilst at the same time supplying a diagnosis function, it is proposed that two digital output modules should be connected in parallel, in particular with a diode integrated in each channel. The diagnosis function is enabled by a driver, which, in the event of a target value for the digital signal of logical “1”, connects the channel with a logical “1”, while setting a channel connected parallel thereto briefly to logical “0” and at the same time carrying out an interrupt test on the channel with logical “1”.
Claims18
-24. (canceled)
A processing unit for executing an interrupt test regarding a redundant channel having at least a first and a second channel for supplying electrical signals, the second channel connected to the first channel in parallel to form the redundant channel, the processing unit comprising a driver for providing the electrical signals, wherein
- the driver is configured to generate a temporary first signal fed to the first channel,
- the first channel is switched to a zero-current state triggered by the temporary first signal, and
- the processing unit is configured to execute the interrupt test on the second channel while the first channel is switched to the zero-current state.
A method for executing an interrupt test regarding a redundant channel having at least a first and a second channel for supplying electrical signals, the second channel connected to the first channel in parallel to form the redundant channel, and a driver provided for generating the electrical signals, the method comprising:
- generating a temporary first signal by the driver;
- feeding the temporary first signal to the first channel;
- switching the first channel to a zero-current state triggered by the temporary first signal;
- and
- executing the interrupt test on the second channel while the first channel is switched to the zero-current state, by a processing unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.