Protection switching of interface cards in communication system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A communication system comprising:
- a switch circuit;
a primary interface card couplable to a communication medium connection via the switch circuit;
a secondary interface card coupled to the switch circuit, wherein the secondary interface card controls the switch circuit to decouple the primary interface card from the communication medium connection and couple the secondary interface card to the communication medium connection via the switch circuit, and wherein the switch circuit is external to the primary interface card; and
a management card coupled to the primary and secondary interface cards, wherein the management card monitors the current loads of the primary and secondary cards to identify the cards;
wherein the primary card is coupled to illuminate a light emitting diode (LED) when the primary card is operational, wherein the illuminated LED determines a current load of the primary card; and
wherein the secondary card is coupled to illuminate a light emitting diode and activate a relay when the secondary card is operational, wherein the illuminated LED and activated relay determine a current load of the secondary card.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A communication system includes primary and secondary interface cards. A switching circuit allows both of the interface cards to selectively communicate over a medium without inducing reflection. Further, an automatic detection system is provided to allow a management circuit to identify which interface card is coupled as the primary or secondary card.
11 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A communication system comprising:
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a switch circuit; a primary interface card couplable to a communication medium connection via the switch circuit; a secondary interface card coupled to the switch circuit, wherein the secondary interface card controls the switch circuit to decouple the primary interface card from the communication medium connection and couple the secondary interface card to the communication medium connection via the switch circuit, and wherein the switch circuit is external to the primary interface card; and a management card coupled to the primary and secondary interface cards, wherein the management card monitors the current loads of the primary and secondary cards to identify the cards; wherein the primary card is coupled to illuminate a light emitting diode (LED) when the primary card is operational, wherein the illuminated LED determines a current load of the primary card; and wherein the secondary card is coupled to illuminate a light emitting diode and activate a relay when the secondary card is operational, wherein the illuminated LED and activated relay determine a current load of the secondary card. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A communication system comprising:
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a communication medium; a switch circuit including a relay; a first interface card coupled to the communication medium via the switch circuit; a second interface card coupled to the relay and switch circuit, wherein the second interface card controls the relay to decouple the first interface card from the communication medium and couple the second interface card to the communication medium via the switch circuit; a management circuit coupled to the first and second interface cards, wherein the management circuit selectively activates either the first or second interface card and determines if the first or second interface is coupled to the relay, wherein the management circuit monitors a current load of the first and second interface card to determine if the first or second interface card is coupled to the relay. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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6. A communication system comprising:
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a switch circuit including a light emitting diode (LED) and a relay; an interface card coupled to the switch circuit, the interface card comprising, a relay control circuit coupled to selectively activate the relay, the relay control circuit is further coupled to illuminate the LED, and a feedback circuit to monitor a current loud of the relay control circuit and provide output signals; and a management circuit coupled to the interface card, wherein the management circuit selectively activates the relay control circuit and monitors the output signal of the feedback circuit. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A method of operating a communication system comprising:
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selectively activating a primary interface card using a management card; monitoring a current load of the activated primary interface card; identifying an interface card as either the activated primary interface card or a secondary interface card based upon the monitored current load; and storing the identification information. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of identifying an interface card comprising:
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activating the interface card; comparing a current load of the interface card to first and second references; identifying the interface card as either a primary card or a secondary card based upon the comparison; and storing data indicating the result of the identification. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. A method of operating a communication system comprising:
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coupling a primary interface card to a communication medium via a medium control switch, wherein the medium control switch is external to the primary interface card; detecting an operational error of the primary card; decoupling the primary interface card from the communication medium; coupling a secondary interface card to the communication medium via the medium control switch; monitoring a current load of the primary interface card; identifying the interface cards as either the primary interface card or the secondary interface card based upon the monitored current load; and storing the identification information. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A communication interface card comprising:
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a relay control circuitry to provide an output signal to a communication switch circuit; and a feedback circuit coupled to the communication switch circuit to monitor a load current of the communication interface card through the communication switch circuit, wherein the feedback circuit includes; a current sensor resistor coupled to an input node; a first comparator to compare a voltage drop across the current sensor resistor with a first reference voltage; and a second comparator to compare the voltage drop across the current sensor resistor with a second reference voltage. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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Specification