Communication control system and method for supervising a failure
AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.
InventorsYuichi Kuramochi, Toshio Manaka, Hiroyuki Saito, Tatsuya Yoshida
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Abstract
A communication control system has a plurality of control units that are connected via a communication bus to provide bidirectional communication. A control unit detects a failure when it occurs. Upon failure detection, the control unit generates a failure detection signal which operates a communication signal cutoff means to cut off the communication signal transmission from the control unit. In accordance with the communication signal reception state in a control unit other than the control unit in which the failure is detected, the former control unit identifies a failure occurrence in the latter faulty control unit.
Claims20
A communication control system used for distributed control, comprising a plurality of control units which are connected via a communication bus to provide bidirectional communication,
- wherein each of said control units includes a main CPU, a power supply IC configured to detect a constant-voltage failure in a power supply providing a constant voltage output and a constant-voltage failure output signal, which is generated when failure is detected in the power supply, and
- a failure detection means for detecting a failure in the main CPU when failure occurs and for generating a failure detection signal, and
- a communication signal cutoff means which operates according to said failure detection signal generated by said failure detection means or the constant-voltage failure output signal from the power supply IC, and cuts off the transmission of a communication signal from the control unit detecting the failure in the main CPU or in the power supply.
A method for supervising a failure in a communication control system used for distributed control, comprising a plurality of control units which are connected via a communication bus to provide bidirectional communication, comprising:
- detecting one of a main CPU failure in one of the control units by a failure detection means and generating a failure detection signal and a power supply IC failure in said one of the control units by detecting with a power supply IC, a constant-voltage failure in a power supply providing a constant-voltage output and then generating a constant-voltage failure output signal;
- and
- cutting off, upon failure detection in the main CPU or in the power supply via the failure detection signal or the constant-voltage failure output signal, the transmission of a communication signal from the control unit in which the failure is detected.
A communication control system, comprising a plurality of control units which are connected via a communication bus to provide bidirectional communication,
- wherein each of said control units includes a main CPU, a power supply IC for said main CPU, a first failure detection means for detecting a failure in said main CPU when failure occurs and for generating a failure detection signal, said power supply IC detecting a constant-voltage failure in a power supply and generates a constant-voltage failure output signal, and a communication signal cutoff means which operates according to the failure detection signal generated by said first failure detection means or said constant-voltage failure output signal from the power supply IC to cut off the transmission of a communication signal from said main CPU having the failure, and
- wherein said first failure detection means, power supply IC, and said communication signal cutoff means are constructed independent from the main CPU.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.