System and method for a high available and survivable communication system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for providing redundant underground communications comprising the acts of:
- receiving a status request message from an aboveground control unit;
broadcasting the status request message to a plurality of below ground communication hubs over a plurality of communication systems;
detecting that a current communication system is unavailable for a communication hub of the plurality of belowground communication hubs;
transmitting a switch over command to the communication hub to use an available communication system of the plurality of communication systems;
receiving, in response to the switch over command, a switch over response from the communication hub over the available communication system;
designating the available communication system as an active communication system for the communication hub in response to receiving the switch over response; and
receiving a response to the status request message from the plurality of below ground communication hubs over each of the plurality of communication systems that is available.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A network architecture for underground communication using redundant interconnected communication systems utilizes an aboveground master control station to send a status request message to a belowground gateway. The gateway may then, in turn, broadcast a status request message to a plurality of communication hubs located throughout an underground region using each of a plurality of potentially available communication systems. In the event that one of the communication hubs fails to respond over the then-current communication system, the master control station may switch the current communication system being used to a truly available system.
37 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method for providing redundant underground communications comprising the acts of:
-
receiving a status request message from an aboveground control unit; broadcasting the status request message to a plurality of below ground communication hubs over a plurality of communication systems; detecting that a current communication system is unavailable for a communication hub of the plurality of belowground communication hubs; transmitting a switch over command to the communication hub to use an available communication system of the plurality of communication systems; receiving, in response to the switch over command, a switch over response from the communication hub over the available communication system; designating the available communication system as an active communication system for the communication hub in response to receiving the switch over response; and receiving a response to the status request message from the plurality of below ground communication hubs over each of the plurality of communication systems that is available. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A system for providing redundant underground communications comprising:
-
a receiver configured to receive a status request message from an aboveground control unit; a transmitter for broadcasting the status request message to a plurality of belowground communication hubs over a plurality of communication systems; and a processor electrically connected to the receiver and the transmitter, the processor configured to; detect that a current communication system is unavailable for a communication hub of the plurality of below ground communication hubs, send, using the transmitter, a switch over command to the communication hub to use an available communication system of the plurality of communication systems, receive, in response to the switch over command, a switch over response from the communication hub over the available communication system, designate the available communication system as an active communication system for the communication hub in response to the switch over response, and receive a response to the status request message from the plurality of below ground communication hubs over each of the plurality of communication systems that is available. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A computer program product, comprising:
-
a non-transitory processor readable medium having processor executable code embodied therein for providing redundant underground communications, the processor readable medium having; processor executable program code to receive a status request message from an aboveground control unit; processor executable program code to broadcast the status request message to a plurality of below ground communication hubs over a plurality of communication systems; processor executable program code to detect that a current communication system is unavailable for a communication hub of the plurality of below ground communication hubs; processor executable program code to transmit a switch over command to the communication hub to use an available communication system of the plurality of communication systems; processor executable program code to receive, in response to the switch over command, a switch over response from the communication hub over the available communication system; processor executable program code to designate the available communication system as an active communication system for the communication hub in response to receiving the switch over response, and processor executable program code to receive a response to the status request message from each of the plurality of communication systems that is available. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification