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2-out-of-3 Selecting facility in a 3-computer system

  • US 4,616,312 A
  • Filed: 02/28/1983
  • Issued: 10/07/1986
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1982
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. 2-out-of-3 selecting facility for a 3-computer system in which all computers process the same information in parallel, and in which a result is delivered for further processing only if at least two of the computers have arrived at this result, said facility comprising an output port (A1 . . . A3) in each of the computers and a comparison data input port (E1 . . . E3) in each of the computers which is connected to the output ports of the other two computers for the transfer of the results produced by these computers, and comprising comparison circuitry in each of the computers for comparing the result produced by it with the results produced by the neighboring computers and providing a corresponding comparison indication, to a majority voting circuit (MS), connected to receive said comparison indication depending on the comparison indications from all computers, and comprising two separate transfer switches (U1, U2) which are controlled by the majority voting circuit, said computers having outlet ports and said facility having two separate data output channels whereby said majority voting circuit controls said two separate transfer switches to connect the output ports to said two separate data channels wherein the output port (A1) of one of the computers (R1) is permanently connected to one of the transfer switches (U1), while the output port (A3) of another computer (R3) is permanently connected to the other transfer switch (U2), and that the output port of the third computer (R2) is connected to both transfer switches and, in response to a control instruction from the majority voting circuit (MS), can be connected to the first data output channel (AK1) by said one of the transfer switches (U1) or to the second data channel (AK2) by the other transfer switch (U2,) the output port of the computer previously permanently connected to the respective transfer switch being disconnected from the associated data output channel and wherein with ports (A1, A3) permanently connected to the transfer switches (U1, U2,) the results produced by the associated computers (R1, R3) appear in nonequivalent form, and that at the output port (A2) of the third computer (R2) the result produced by the latter appears in uninverted or inverted form depending on a control instruction (JNV) from the majority voting circuit (MS) and wherein the two data output channels (AK1, AK2) have parallel-serial converters (PS1, PS2) connected thereto whose outputs are connected to the inputs of a serial nonequivalence check circuit (AP), and that the output ports of the computers and the computers themselves can be disconnected in response to the output signal (APS) from the nonequivalence check circuit.

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