Arrangement and method for connecting a processing node in a distribution system

• US 20060274790A1
• Filed: 08/03/2004
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Temple, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,818,613 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/498
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

An arrangement and method for interconnecting fail-uncontrolled processor nodes in a dependable distributed system. A node has a bus guardian with input switches which act in combination with a logic element as an input multiplexer under the control of a control unit. This provides the advantage of transferring the problem of fault containment from the output interface of a potentially faulty processing node to the input interface of fault-free processing nodes. By doing so, problems encountered by spatial proximity faults or functional dependencies within a faulty processing node that may jeopardize fault containment at its output interface are mitigated.

Claims

1. An arrangement for connecting a node in a distributed system containing fail-uncontrolled nodes, the arrangement comprising:

receiver means for receiving signals from another node of the system, and

node guardian means coupled to the receiver means for controlling reception of signals thereat so as to reduce reception of uncontrolled transmission from another node of the system.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the node guardian means comprises:

switch means for receiving a plurality of input signals,

logic means coupled to the switch means for combining the plurality of received signals according to a predetermined logic function, and

control means coupled to the switch means for controlling application of the plurality of received signals to the logic means.

3. The arrangement of claim 2 wherein the predetermined logic function comprises an OR logic function.

4. The arrangement of claim 2 wherein the control means is arranged to control the switch means according to a predetermined TDMA schedule.

5. A distributed system comprising the arrangement according to claim 1.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising at least one node having bus guardian means.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the system is one of A-B:

A a TTP/C system,

B a FlexRay™

system.

7-9. -9. (canceled)

11. A method of operating a node in a fail-uncontrolled distributed system, the method comprising:

providing receiver means receiving signals from another node of the system, and

providing node guardian means coupled to the receiver means and controlling reception of signals thereat so as to reduce reception of uncontrolled transmission from another node of the system.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the node guardian means comprises:

switch means receiving a plurality of input signals,

logic means coupled to the switch means and combining the plurality of received signals according to a predetermined logic function, and

control means coupled to the switch means and controlling application of the plurality of received signals to the logic means.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the predetermined logic function comprises an OR logic function.

14. The node of claim 12 wherein the control means controls the switch means according to a predetermined TDMA schedule.

15. A method of operating a distributed system comprising the method of operating a node according to claim 11.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising providing at least one node having bus guardian means.

17. The method of claim 16 comprising:

operating a first node according to claim 11,

operating a second node according to claim 11,

providing a first group of nodes having bus guardian means, and

providing a second group of nodes having bus guardian means,

wherein the first group is coupled to the first and second nodes via a first common channel, and the second group is coupled to the first and second nodes via a second common channel, the first group and the first node forming a first error containment region, and the second group and the second node forming a second error containment region.

18. The method of claim 17, the first group further being coupled to the first and second nodes via a third common channel, and the second group further being coupled to the first and second nodes via a fourth common channel.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

operating a third node according to claim 11, and

operating a fourth node according to claim 11,

wherein the third node is coupled to the first common channel, the fourth node is coupled to the second common channel, and the first, second, third and fourth nodes are cross-coupled, the third node being in the first error containment region, and the fourth node being in the second error containment region.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the system is one of A-B:

A a TTP system,

B a FlexRay™

system.

21-24. -24. (canceled)