METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INITIALIZING A CONTROLLER MODULE

• US 20200136916A1
• Filed: 10/30/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Aviation Systems Limited (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: GE Aviation Systems Limited (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Elliott, David Alan, Elder, James Angelo, Handy, Peter James, Weale, Denis Vaughan
• Granted Patent: US 10,826,782 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method of initializing a set of controllable units in an electrical system. The method comprises: A) obtaining, by a controllable unit controller module in a sequence of the controllable units, a discovery message on a non-addressable data pathway; B) broadcasting on an addressable data bus, by the controllable unit controller module, an identity of the functional unit; C) transmitting the discovery message to another controllable unit controller module in the sequence of the controllable units by way of the non-addressable data pathway; and D) recording, by the system controller module, the broadcasted identity of the controllable unit.

Claims

1. A method of initializing a set of controllable units in an electrical system, the method comprising:

A) obtaining, by a controllable unit controller module in a sequence of the controllable units, a discovery message on a non-addressable data pathway;

B) broadcasting on an addressable data bus, by the controllable unit controller module, an identity of the functional unit;

C) transmitting the discovery message to another controllable unit controller module in the sequence of the controllable units by way of the non-addressable data pathway; and

D) recording, by the system controller module, the broadcasted identity of the controllable unit.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-addressable data pathway is a linearly arranged sequence of connections.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating steps A)-D for each controllable unit in the sequence of controllable units.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising broadcasting, on the addressable communications bus, further identifying information based on the recorded identities of the set of controllable units.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is repeated after modification of the set of controllable units.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is repeated during a reinitialization of the set of controllable units.

7. A method of initializing a set of controllable units in an electrical system, the method comprising:

A) transmitting, by a system controller module, a discovery message on a non-addressable and sequentially arranged data pathway, to the set of controllable units;

B) obtaining, by a controllable unit in the data pathway sequence, the discovery message;

C) broadcasting on an addressable data bus, by the controllable unit controller module, an identity of the functional unit, the addressable data bus is connected with the system controller module and the set of controllable units;

D) transmitting, by the controllable unit, the discovery message to the next functional unit in the data pathway sequence; and

E) recording, by the system controller module, the broadcasted identity of the controllable unit.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the non-addressable and sequentially arranged data pathway is a linearly arranged sequence of connections between the set of controllable units.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising repeating steps B)-E) for each controllable unit in the sequentially arranged set of controllable units.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising broadcasting, on the addressable communications bus, further identifying information based on the recorded identities of the set of controllable units.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the method is repeated after modification of the set of controllable units.

12. A control module circuit comprising:

a circuit communication input port and a circuit communication output port;

a first controllable unit having a first controller module, the first controller module having a first communication input port connected with the circuit communication input port and a first communication output port;

a second controllable unit having a second controller module, the second controller module having a second communication input port connected with the first communication output port and a second communication output port connected with the circuit communication output port;

wherein the first and second controllable units are adapted to broadcast identifying information on a broadcast-type communication bus, different from the first and second communication input and output ports, in response to a discovery message.

13. The control module circuit of claim 12, further comprising a set of controllable units having a corresponding set of communication input ports and communication output ports, and wherein set of controllable units are sequentially arranged by connecting a respective communication output port of a controllable unit to a respective communication input port of an adjacent controllable unit.

14. The control module circuit of claim 13 wherein the communication output port of the last of the set of sequentially arranged controllable units is connected with the circuit communication output port.

15. The control module circuit of claim 13 wherein the set of controllable units are sequentially arranged in a daisy chain.

16. The control module circuit of claim 12 wherein at least one of the first controllable unit or the second controllable unit includes a functional unit configured to operate a functional task in response to communication from the respective first or second controller module.

17. The control module circuit of claim 12 wherein the broadcast-type communication bus is connected with the first and second controllable unit, and the first and second controllable units are adapted to receive a circuit instruction signal via the broadcast-type communication bus.

18. The control module circuit of claim 17 wherein the first and second controllable units are addressable via instruction signal by way of the identifying information.

19. The control module circuit of claim 12 wherein the first controllable unit further comprises a third communication input port connected with the second communication output port and a third communication output port connected with the circuit communication output port.

20. The control module circuit of claim 19 wherein the set of communication ports are arranged such that the transmittable signal receivable at the circuit communication input port is sequentially received by the first controllable unit, second controllable unit, and then returned to the first controllable unit, whereby it is transmittable to the circuit communication output port.