High speed switching system in a radio-communication system including a plurality of main communication systems and a plurality of stand-by communication systems

• US 4,985,904 A
• Filed: 05/17/1990
• Issued: 01/15/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ogawara, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Safourek, Benedict V.
• Application Number:
  US07/524,714
• Time in Patent Office: 243 Days
• Field of Search: 455/8, 455/17, 455/52, 455/59, 455/101, 455/133, 455/134, 455/135, 375/38, 375/40, 375/100, 340/825.01, 371/8.1, 371/8.2, 371/68, 333/1, 333/3, 333/101
• US Class Current: 375/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/74 for increasing reliability, e.g. using redundant or spare channels or apparatus replacing by standby devices for amplifiers H03F1/52, H03F1/542
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition

Abstract

A switching system in a digital radio-communication system including a plurality of main radio-communication systems and a plurality of stand-by radio-communication systems provided for backing-up the main radio-communication systems. The switching system includes a plurality of switches independently operable from one another, the number of which is equal to the number of the stand-by radio-communication systems. Each switch switches between a stand-by radio-communication system defined in connection with the switch and a failed main radio-communication system, in a predetermined time.

Claims

1. A digital radio-communication system comprising:

a plurality of main radio-communication systems, each including a main data transmission circuit means provided at a first side, a main space data transmission line, and a main data reception circuit means provided at a second side and operatively connected to said main data transmission circuit means through said main space data transmission line;

a plurality of stand-by radio-communication systems provided for backing-up said main radio-communication systems, each including a stand-by data transmission circuit means provided at said first side, a stand-by data transmission line, and a stand-by data reception circuit means provided at said second side and operatively connected to said stand-by data transmission circuit means through said stand-by data transmission line;

a first switching circuit means provided among said main and stand-by radio-communication systems at said first side, and including a plurality of first switching circuits for switching between said main and stand-by radio-communication systems at said first side;

a second switching circuit means provided among said main and stand-by radio-communication systems at said second side, and including a plurality of second switching circuits for switching between said main and stand-by radio-communication systems at said second side; and

channel switching means including a plurality of pairs of switching means, the number thereof being equal to the number of said stand-by radio-communication systems, and said plurality of pairs of switching means being independently operable from one another, each pair of said switching means including a plurality of first switching means provided at said first side to activate said first switching circuits, and a plurality of second switching means provided at said second side to activate said second switching circuits and cooperating with said plurality of first switching means,

each of said second switching means monitoring statuses of a plurality of said main radio-communication systems, and sending a switching command to said corresponding first switching means when a failure in a main radio-communication system is detected,

said corresponding first switching means activating a first switching circuit in said first switching circuit means to transmit transmission data, which are equivalent to those data transmitted through the failed main radio-communication system, through a stand-by radio-communication system which is defined in connection with said first and second switching means, in response to said switching command sent from said second switching means, and

said second switching means activating a second switching circuit in said switching circuit means to receive said data transmitted through said stand-by radio-communication system, at said second side, in response to said switching at said corresponding first switching means,

wherein said second switching means monitors only said failed main radio-communication system backed-up by said stand-by radio-communication system to detect a restoration of said failed main radio-communication system, and restores said failed main radio-communication system to a normal mode in which it is not backed-up by said stand-by radio-communication system when said failed main radio-communication system is returned to a normal state,

wherein said plurality of main radio-communication systems is divided into a plurality of monitoring groups, the number thereof being equal to the number of the second switching means,

wherein each of said second switching means monitors a plurality of main radio-communication systems in a corresponding monitoring group in a normal condition,

wherein, when at least one of said second switching means detects a failed main radio-communication system and monitors said failed main radio-communication system to restore said failed main radio-communication system when returned to normal, the other second switching means monitors said main radio-communication systems in a corresponding monitoring group, and further, monitors said main radio-communication systems in the monitoring group monitored by said failure detecting second switching means in the normal condition, except for said failed main radio-communication system and carries out back-up operation by using stand-by radio-communication systems defined by said other second switching means together with the corresponding first switching means when detecting a failure in said further monitoring main radio-communication systems.

2. A digital radio-communication system according to claim 1, wherein said second switching means sends a restore switching command to said corresponding first switching means when said failed main radio-communication system is restored,

wherein said corresponding first switching means activates said first switching circuit in said first switching circuit means to cut an application of said transmission data, which are equivalent to those data transmitted through the restored main radio-communication system, through said stand-by radio-communication system, in response to said restore switching command sent from said second switching means, and,

wherein said second switching means activates said second switching circuit in said second switching circuit means to cut data transmitted through said stand-by radio-communication system at said second side, in response to said switching at said corresponding first switching means.

3. A digital radio-communication system according to claim 1, wherein a next second switching means carries out said further monitoring of said main radio-communication systems in the monitoring group monitored by said failure detecting second switching means in the normal condition, except for said failed main radio-communication system.

4. A digital radio-communication system according to claim 1, wherein said other second switching means carry out said further monitoring of a plurality of main radio-communication systems approximately equivalently divided from said main radio-communication systems in the monitoring group monitored by said failure detecting second switching means in the normal condition.

5. A digital radio-communication system according to claim 1, wherein a communication of which main radio-communication system is failed and backed-up from the second switching means detecting the failed main radio-communication system to other second switching means, is carried out by indicating the number of the failed main radio-communication system, and another communication of which main radio-communication system is restored from the second switching means detecting the restored main radio-communication system to said other second switching means is carried out by indicating a special datum.

6. A digital radio-communication system according to claim 1, wherein each second switching means comprises a single micro computer operating independently from other microcomputers, and having a data transmission and reception means for performing said communication, and

wherein each first switching means comprises a single micro computer operating independently from said other microcomputers.

7. A digital radio-communication system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of second switching means is formed by a single computer which performs multi-tasks for said monitoring and switching in parallel in real time, and

wherein said plurality of first switching means is formed by another single computer which performs multi-tasks for said switching in parallel in real time.

8. A digital radio-communication system according to claim 1, wherein each of said main data transmission circuit means comprises a main modulator, a main transmitter, and a main antenna, and each of said main data reception means comprises another main antenna, a main receiver, and a main demodulator,

wherein each of said stand-by data transmission circuit means comprises a stand-by modulator equivalent to said main modulator, a stand-by transmitter equivalent to said main transmitter, and a stand-by antenna, and each of said stand-by data reception means comprises another stand-by antenna, a stand-by receiver equal to said main receiver, and a stand-by demodulator equal to said main demodulator, and

wherein said first switching circuits in said first switching circuit means are operatively connected to said plurality of main modulators and said plurality of stand-by modulators, and said second switching circuits in said second switching circuit means are operatively connected to said plurality of main demodulators and said plurality of stand-by demodulators.

9. A digital radio-communication system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of second main radio-communication systems, each including a second main data transmission circuit means provided at said second side and having a same circuit configuration as that of said main data transmission circuit, a main second space data transmission line, and a second main data reception circuit means provided at said first side, having a same circuit as that of said main data reception circuit means, and operatively connected to said main data transmission circuit means through data main space data transmission line;

a plurality of second stand-by radio-communication systems provided for backing-up said second main radio-communication systems, each including a second stand-by data transmission circuit means provided at said second side and having a same circuit as that of said stand-by data transmission circuit means, a second stand-by space data transmission line, and a second stand-by data reception circuit means provided at said first side, having a same circuit as that of said stand-by data reception circuit means, and operatively connected to said second stand-by data transmission circuit means through said second stand-by space data transmission line;

a third switching circuit means provided among said second main and second stand-by radio-communication systems and at said second side, and including a plurality of third switching circuits for switching between said second main and second stand-by radio-communication systems at said second side, each third switching circuit having a circuit configuration similar to that of said first switching circuit;

a fourth switching circuit means provided among said second main and second stand-by radio-communication systems and at said first side, and including a plurality of fourth switching circuits for switching between said second main and second stand-by radio-communication systems at said first side, each fourth switching circuit having a circuit configuration similar to that of said second switching circuit;

said auxiliary radio-communication system being one of said second main radio-communication systems; and

second channel switching means including a plurality of pairs of switching means, the number thereof being equal to the number of said second stand-by radio-communication systems, and said plurality of switching means being independently operable from one another, each pair of said switching means including a third switching means having a same circuit configuration as that of said first switching means and provided at said second side to activate said third switching circuits, and a fourth switching means having a same circuit configuration as that of said second switching means and provided at said first side to activate said fourth switching circuits and cooperating with said third switching means through said one of said main radio-communication systems, as the auxiliary radio-communication system.