Selective disruption of data transmission to sub-networks within a processing unit network

• US 8,131,878 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2005
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Staiger, Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ashok
• Assistant Examiner(s): GAZDA, JOSEPH P
• Application Number:
  US11/908,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20080183900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,423 Days
• Field of Search: 709/249, 709238-244, 710/316, 701 29- 35, 701/24
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17375 One dimensional, e.g. linear array, ring

Abstract

A network of processing units having at least one switch that allows disruption of the network between a first and a second processing units is provided. Disruption of the network by means of the switch effectively disconnects the first processing unit from the network and couples the first processing unit to a controller of the network. The controller is adapted to exchange data with the disconnected processing unit and thereby allows selective and direct data exchange with a selected processing unit. In particular, in the framework of heterogeneous and hierarchical networks of processing units, the switch techniques provide direct access to processing units and sub-networks and allow for an efficient and fast performance of diagnostic and maintenance procedures of sub-networks and their corresponding processing units, such as performing a flashing procedure.

Claims

1. A network of processing units comprising:

a first processing unit sub-network;

a second processing unit sub-network;

a bus coupled with each processing unit of the first processing unit sub-network and of the second processing unit sub-network;

a first switch adapted to disrupt communication to the first processing unit sub-network via the bus and adapted to allow communication to the first processing unit sub-network from a controller via the first switch while communication to the first processing unit sub-network via the bus is disrupted;

a second switch adapted to disrupt communication to the second processing unit sub-network via the bus and adapted to allow communication to the second processing unit sub-network from the controller via the second switch while communication to the second processing unit sub-network via the bus is disrupted; and

the controller coupled with the first and the second switches and adapted to dynamically restructure the network of processing units and to control the first and the second switches to disrupt communication via the bus in accordance with dynamically restructuring the network of processing units, the controller adapted for data exchange with the first processing unit sub-network via the first switch and with the second processing unit sub-network via the second switch.

2. The network according to claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to control any of the processing units of the first processing unit sub-network and the second processing unit sub-network.

3. The network according to claim 1, wherein the first switch comprises at least one switching element coupled with two conductors, a first of the two conductors adapted to drive a switching signal to the switching element to disrupt communication to the first processing unit sub-network via the bus and the second of the two conductors adapted to carry data to the first processing unit sub-network from the controller while communication to the first processing unit sub-network is disrupted via the bus.

4. The network according to claim 1, wherein the first switch comprises a first transmission gate and a second transmission gate, the first transmission gate being adapted to disrupt communication to the first processing unit sub-network via the bus and the second transmission gate being adapted to allow communication between the controller and the first processing unit sub-network while the first transmission gate disrupts communication to the first processing unit sub-network via the bus.

5. The network of claim 4, wherein the first switch further comprises an inverter coupled with either the first transmission gate or the second transmission gate.

6. The network according to claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to flash the processing units of the first and the second processing unit sub-networks simultaneously or to flash said processing units within partially overlapping time intervals.

7. The network according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second processing unit sub-networks use different communication bus protocols.

8. The network according to claim 1, wherein the processing units comprise electronic control units of a vehicle.

9. The network according to claim 1, wherein the first and second processing unit sub-networks comprise different network topologies.

10. The network of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a switch control module adapted to generate a switching signal and electronically coupled with the first and the second switches; and

a flashing and diagnostic module electronically coupled to the first and second switches, the flashing and diagnostic module adapted to communicate with the first and the second processing unit sub-networks via the first and second switches respectively for flashing or running diagnostics.

11. The network of claim 10, wherein the switch control module is electronically coupled with the first switch by a first conductor and is electronically coupled with the second switch by a second conductor, and wherein the flashing and diagnostic module is electronically coupled with the first switch by a third conductor and with the second switch by a fourth conductor.

12. The network of claim 1 further comprising:

a third switch coupled with a third processing unit sub-network, the third switch adapted to disrupts communication via the bus to the third processing unit sub-network, wherein the second processing unit sub-network comprises the third processing unit sub-network and wherein the second switch is adapted to disrupt communication via the bus to the third processing unit sub-network when the second switch disrupts communication via the bus to the second processing unit sub-network.

13. A method comprising:

a controller sending a switching signal to a first switch of a plurality of switches in a network of processing units;

the first switch, responsive to the switching signal, preventing data transmission via a bus to a first processing unit sub-network of the network of processing units while allowing data transmission from the controller to the first processing unit sub-network via the switch, wherein each processing unit of the network of processing units is coupled with the bus; and

the controller transmitting data to the first processing unit sub-network via the first switch while data transmission via the bus to the first processing unit sub-network is prevented and while a second processing unit sub-network of the network of processing units remains capable of data transmission via the bus, and the controller sending a second switching signal to a second switch of the plurality of switches to dynamically reconfigure topology of the second processing unit sub-network, wherein the data transmitted from the controller to the first processing unit sub-network corresponds to one of a diagnostic operation and a flashing operation that does not involve the second processing unit sub-network.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the controller receiving data from the first processing unit sub-network via the first switch while data transmission via the bus to the first processing unit sub-network is prevented by the first switch.

15. A set of one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media comprising:

executable program code configured to,

control a plurality of switches throughout a network of processing units to prevent data exchange with a first processing unit sub-network of the network of processing units via a bus and control a first switch of the plurality of switches to allow data transmission to the first processing unit sub-network via the first switch while data exchange via the bus to the first processing unit sub-network is prevented,

transmit data to the first processing unit sub-network via the first switch while the data exchange to the first processing unit sub-network via the bus is prevented, and

control the plurality of switches throughout the network of processing units to dynamically reconfigure a second processing unit sub-network from a first network topology to a second network topology.

16. The machine-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the executable program code being configured to control the plurality of switches throughout the network of processing units to prevent data exchange with the first processing unit sub-network of the network of processing units via the bus and control the first switch of the plurality of switches to allow data transmission to the first processing unit sub-network via the first switch while data exchange via the bus to the first processing unit sub-network is prevented comprises the executable program code being configured to generate a switching signal on a first conductor to the first switch, wherein the switching signal causes the first switch to disrupt a connection from the bus to the first processing unit sub-network and to create a connection from a second conductor to the first processing unit sub-network.