US 2019/0146461 A1Published application

Method and Computer System to Consistently Control a Set of Actuators

AssigneeTttech Computertechnik AG

InventorsGeorg Niedrist, Eric Schmidt, Stefan Traxler, Wilfried Steiner

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Abstract

A method for transmitting control commands in a computer system, which includes components at least in the form of nodes, actuators and communication systems, wherein the control commands are communicated over the communication systems from the nodes to the actuators, and wherein one or more of the components may fail to operate according their specification. For consistently accepting control commands at the actuators, the nodes and their control commands are assigned priorities, wherein a node and its control commands have the same priority, wherein at least two priorities are used, wherein a high priority node produces high priority control commands and a low priority node produces low priority control commands, and wherein a high priority node is configured to communicate its control commands over at least two communication systems to the actuators and a low priority node is configured to communicate its low priority control commands over at least one communication system to the actuators. An actuator accepts the high priority control commands from the high priority node as long as it receives said high priority control commands on any one of the communication systems, and in this first case, it discards the low priority control commands, and stops to accept said high priority control commands in case said actuator does not receive said high priority control commands from any of the communication systems for a configurable duration, and in the second case, the actuator starts to accept low priority control commands.

A method for transmitting control commands (F-A100, F-A200) in a computer system, wherein said computer system comprises components at least in form of nodes (A100, A200), actuators (ACT1, ACT2, ACT3) and communication systems (COM1, COM2), wherein said control commands (F-A100, F-A200) are communicated over said communication systems (COM1, COM2) from said nodes (A100, A200) to said actuators (ACT1, ACT2, ACT3), and wherein one, two, or more components (A100, A200, IF100, IF200, COM1, COM2, IF11, IF12, IF13, IF21, IF22, IF23, ACT1, ACT2, AT3) of the computer system may fail to operate according their specification, the method comprising:

consistently accepting control commands (F-A100, F-A200) at said actuators (ACT1, ACT2, ACT3) by:
assigning priorities to nodes (A100, A200) and their control commands (F-A100, F-A200), wherein a node and its control commands have the same priority, wherein at least two priorities (HIGH, LOW) are used, wherein a high priority node (A100) produces high priority control commands (F-A100) and a low priority node (A200) produces low priority control commands (F-A200), wherein:
a high priority node (A100) is configured to communicate its control commands (F-A100) over at least two communication systems (COM1, COM2) to the actuators (ACT1, ACT2, ACT3) and a low priority node (A200) is configured to communicate its low priority control commands (F-A200) over at least one communication system (COM2) to the actuators (ACT1, ACT2, ACT3), and
an actuator (ACT1, ACT2, ACT3) accepts the high priority control commands (F-A100) from the high priority node (A100) as long as it receives said high priority control commands (F-A100) on any one of the at least two communication systems (COM1, COM2) and in this first case discards the low priority control commands (F-A200), and stops to accept said high priority control commands (F-A100) in case said actuator (ACT1, ACT2, ACT3) does not receive said high priority control commands (F-A100) from any communication system (COM1, COM2) of the at least two communication systems (COM1, COM2) for a configurable duration, and in which second case the actuator (ACT1, ACT2, ACT3) starts to accept low priority control commands (F-A200).

1 more element

Facts

Application

16/186,909Filed 12 Nov 2018

Priority

EP 17201657.814 Nov 2017

Published

16 May 2019

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G05B 19/4155
Numerical control [NC], i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to…
G05B 9/03
Electric: with multiple-channel loop, i.e. redundant control systems
G05B 2219/24175
Pc safety: redundant communication channel, if one fails use the other
G05B 2219/2637
Pc applications: vehicle, car, auto, wheelchair

Abstract

Claims13