Logic based simplex/dual/tmr driver for control outputs
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorDaniel Milton Alley
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Abstract
The exemplified methods and systems support shared output drivers or shared control setting drivers across separate control devices for a redundant system of 1, 2, 3, or more control devices in simplex, dual, triple redundancy, and etc. Digital communication links between the control devices are implemented to facilitate sensing, from other control devices, of operation states (e.g., amount of contribution by the control devices to the shared output) and on-line/health status of other control devices in the redundant network.
Claims20
A method of operating a plurality of controllable devices, collectively, forming a redundant control system, the method comprising:
- transmitting, at each controllable cycle over one or more links for a given controllable device of the plurality of controllable devices, a binary-framed pattern of a set of pre-defined binary-framed patterns to each of one or more other devices of the plurality of controllable devices, wherein each pre-defined binary-framed pattern corresponds to one of a pre-defined output state of a set of pre-defined output states of the controllable device;
- and
- upon receiving, at the given controllable device during a current controllable cycle over the one or more links, a binary-framed pattern from each of the one or more other devices of the plurality of controllable devices, generating, at an output of the given controllable device for the current controllable cycle, an output value corresponding to one of the set of pre-defined output states based on logic states determined according to a first pre-defined output state associated with the transmitted binary-framed pattern and a second one or more pre-defined output states associated with the received binary-framed pattern.
An apparatus that collectively forms a redundant control system with one or more other apparatuses, the apparatus comprising:
- a logic-based circuit configured to, upon receiving during a current controllable cycle over one or more links, a binary-framed pattern from each of one or more other apparatuses, generate, at an output for the current controllable cycle, an output value corresponding to one of a set of pre-defined output states based on logic states determined according to a first pre-defined output state associated with the transmitted binary-framed pattern and a second one or more pre-defined output states associated with the received binary-framed pattern,
- wherein each apparatus and one or more other apparatuses, collectively forming the redundant control system, is configured to transmit, over the one or more links, a binary-framed pattern of a set of pre-defined binary-framed patterns to each of one or more other apparatuses, and wherein each pre-defined binary-framed pattern corresponds to one of a pre-defined output state, of the set of pre-defined output states.
A redundant control system comprising:
- a plurality of controllable devices, wherein each of the controllable devices comprises:
- a logic-based circuit configured to, upon receiving during a current controllable cycle over one or more links, a binary-framed pattern from each of one or more other controllable devices, transmit, at an output for the current controllable cycle, an output value corresponding to one of a set of pre-defined output states based on logic states determined according to a first pre-defined output state associated with the transmitted binary-framed pattern and a second one or more pre-defined output states associated with the received binary-framed pattern,
- wherein each controllable device, of the plurality of controllable devices collectively forming the redundant control system, is configured to transmit, over the one or more links, a binary-framed pattern of a set of pre-defined binary-framed patterns to each of one or more other controllable devices, wherein each pre-defined binary-framed pattern corresponds to one of a pre-defined output state of the set of pre-defined output states.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.