Distributed data handling and processing resources system

• US 7,337,255 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2002
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Kinstler, Gary A.
• Primary Examiner(s): DHARIA, RUPAL
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dennison; J. Bret
• Application Number:
  US10/167,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20030233398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,085 Days
• Field of Search: 710/300
• US Class Current: 710/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5016 the resource being the memory
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The distributed data handling and processing resources system of the present invention includes a) a number of data handling and processing resource nodes that collectively perform a desired data handling and processing function, each data handling and processing resource node for providing a data handling/processing subfunction; and, b) a low latency, shared bandwidth databus for interconnecting the data handling and processing resource nodes. In the least, among the data handling and processing resource nodes, is a processing unit (PU) node for providing a control and data handling/processing subfunction; and, an input/output (I/O) node for providing a data handling/processing subfunction for data collection/distribution to an external environment. The present invention preferably uses the IEEE-1394b databus due to its unique and specialized low latency, shared bandwidth characteristics.

Claims

1. A distributed data handling and processing resources system, comprising:

a) a plurality of remotely located and directly interconnected data handling and processing resource nodes, each of said nodes directly connected to at least one other of said nodes, said nodes collectively perform a desired data handling and processing function, each of said nodes providing only one data handling/processing subfunction, said plurality of nodes, comprising, at least;

i) a processing unit (PU) node for providing a control and data handling/processing subfunction; and

,

ii) an input/output (I/O) node for providing a data handling/processing subfunction for data collection/distribution to an external environment;

b) a low latency, shared bandwidth databus for interconnecting said data handling and processing resource nodes; and

c) a passive cooling interface assembly interconnecting said plurality of remotely located data handling and processing resource nodes.

2. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus comprises an IEEE-1394b databus.

3. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus has a latency of less than 100 microseconds.

4. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus has a latency of between 0.5 and 10 microseconds.

5. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of data handling and processing resource nodes comprises a memory node for providing a memory subfunction.

6. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 5 wherein said memory node comprises a non-volatile memory node.

7. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 5 wherein said memory node comprises a volatile memory node.

8. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus interconnects said data handling and processing resource nodes utilizing a scalable coherent interface standard.

9. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 8 wherein said scalable coherent interface standard comprises the Scalable Coherent Interface Standard IEEE-1596.

10. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said passive cooling interface assembly is configured for connection to a passive cooling system.

11. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of data handling and processing resource nodes receive their operating power from power cables that are commingled with said low latency, shared bandwidth databus.

12. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said PU node comprises a variable power microprocessor.

13. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said PU node comprises a low power microprocessor.

14. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said PU node comprises a microprocessor that uses voltage and clock frequency scaling to achieve variable power characteristics.

15. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of data handling and processing resource nodes employ high power conversion efficiencies from respective power sources associated therewith.

16. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 15 wherein said high power conversion efficiencies are in a range of from 85 percent to 95 percent.

17. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus provides low message packet sizes to achieve low latency.

18. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus provides low message packet sizes in a range of 0.5 to 5.0 microseconds to achieve low latency.

19. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 further comprising an application program interface (API) interposed between said low latency, shared bandwidth databus and a user for segmenting large messages into smaller pieces.

20. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus includes a large, directly addressable, non-overlapping address space serving said plurality of data handling and processing resource nodes.

21. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus includes a large, directly addressable, non-overlapping address space serving said plurality of data handling and processing resource nodes, said address space being greater than 1 terabyte.

22. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus includes a protocol with priority features for providing low latency access for messages requiring low latency in the presence of other, lower priority messages waiting to be transmitted.

23. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of data handling and processing resource nodes comprises an avionics core processing system.

24. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of data handling and processing resource nodes comprises an avionics peripheral processing system.

25. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus is implemented as a dual-redundant databus, comprising two IEEE-1394b databuses.

26. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus is implemented as a dual-redundant databus, comprising a single IEEE-1394b databus configured as a dynamically reconfigurable loop to achieve fail-and-still-operate capability.

38. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said passive cooling interface assembly comprises at least one of heat pipes having phase change liquid mechanisms therein and thermal conduction paths fabricated from one or more of metallic cables and thermal materials.

39. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of data handling and processing resource nodes each comprise an enclosure, said passive cooling interface assembly interfaced to said enclosures.

27. A distributed data handling and processing resources system, comprising:

a) a plurality of remotely located and directly interconnected data handling and processing resource nodes, each of said nodes directly connected to at least one other of said nodes, said nodes collectively perform a desired data handling and processing function, each of said nodes providing only one data handling/processing subfunction, said plurality of nodes, comprising, at least;

i) a processing unit (PU) node for providing a control and data handling/processing subfunction;

ii) an input/output (I/O) node for providing a data handling/processing subfunction for data collection/distribution to an external environment; and

,

iii) a memory node for providing a memory subfunction; and

,

b) a low latency, shared bandwidth databus for interconnecting said data handling and processing resource nodes, said low latency, shared bandwidth databus comprising an IEEE-1394b databus.

28. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 27 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus has a latency of less than 100 microseconds.

29. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 27 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus has a latency of between 0.5 and 10 microseconds.

30. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 27 wherein said memory node comprises a non-volatile memory node.

31. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 27 wherein said memory node comprises a volatile memory node.

32. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 27 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus interconnects said data handling and processing resource nodes utilizing a scalable coherent interface standard.

33. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 32 wherein said scalable coherent interface standard comprises the Scalable Coherent Interface Standard IEEE-1596.

34. The distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 27 further comprising a passive cooling interface assembly for connection to a passive cooling system.

35. A passively-cooled distributed data handling and processing resources system for an avionics processing system, comprising:

a) a plurality of remotely located and directly interconnected data handling and processing resource nodes, each of said nodes directly connected to at least one other of said nodes, said nodes collectively perform a desired data handling and processing function for an avionics, each of said nodes providing only one data handling/processing subfunction, said plurality of nodes, comprising, at least;

i) a processing unit (PU) node for providing a control and data handling/processing subfunction;

ii) an input/output (I/O) node for providing a data handling/processing subfunction for data collection/distribution to an external environment; and

,

b) a low latency, shared bandwidth databus for interconnecting said data handling and processing resource nodes; and

,

c) a passive cooling interface assembly in heat transfer relationship with said plurality of remotely located data handling and processing resource nodes for transferring heat from said plurality of remotely located data handling and processing resource nodes.

36. The passively-cooled distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 35 wherein said low latency, shared bandwidth databus comprises an IEEE-1394b databus.

37. The passively-cooled distributed data handling and processing resources system of claim 35 wherein said plurality of data handling and processing resource nodes comprises a memory node for providing a memory subfunction.