Dynamic power consumption adjusting method for airborne FC switch
By incorporating a temperature detection circuit and management unit into the FC switch and dynamically controlling the port switch using the ELS frame protocol, the problem of high power consumption of the FC switch in high-temperature environments is solved. This achieves power reduction without affecting communication and improves the environmental adaptability of the equipment.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- XIAN AVIATION COMPUTING TECH RES INST OF AVIATION IND CORP OF CHINA
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-17
AI Technical Summary
FC switches consume a lot of power in high-temperature environments, which can easily lead to failures and affect communication stability. Existing technologies make it difficult to reduce power consumption without affecting network communication.
By incorporating a built-in temperature detection circuit and management unit in the FC switch, the internal temperature is dynamically monitored. The ELS frame protocol between the network manager and the switch is used to generate port open or close commands to control the opening and closing of ports and regulate power consumption.
Without affecting network communication, the power consumption of the FC switch is dynamically adjusted, which improves its stability and adaptability in high-temperature environments and reduces the risk of equipment failure.
Smart Images
Figure CN121887646A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of airborne network communication technology, and more specifically to a method for dynamically adjusting the power consumption of an airborne FC switch. Background Technology
[0002] As avionics systems become increasingly integrated, the data transmission rates required for airborne electronic equipment are also rising. Fibre Channel (FC) networks have become the backbone network for next-generation aircraft avionics systems. FC switches are core devices in FC networks, responsible for providing high-speed data exchange and routing. FC switches have complex structures and high power consumption, often leading to malfunctions due to overheating in high-temperature environments, thus affecting the entire FC network communication. Therefore, a method is needed to reduce the power consumption of FC switches without affecting normal FC network communication, enabling them to operate stably in high-temperature environments.
[0003] When designing FC switches, some ports are usually reserved for future network adjustments and expansions. Furthermore, depending on the mission level, some network nodes only need to be turned on during specific moments of flight; disabling these ports can effectively reduce the power consumption of the FC switch. Based on this idea, this invention proposes a design method for dynamically adjusting the power consumption of an FC switch in an airborne environment. Summary of the Invention
[0004] In view of this, this application provides a method for dynamically adjusting the power consumption of an airborne FC switch based on the design characteristics of FC networks, so as to reduce the power consumption of the FC switch and improve its environmental adaptability.
[0005] This application provides the following technical solution: a method for dynamically adjusting the power consumption of an airborne FC switch, wherein the FC switch is connected to a network manager, and the FC switch internally includes a temperature detection circuit and a management unit; the method includes: The internal temperature of the FC switch is detected in real time by the temperature detection circuit. The management unit periodically reads the internal temperature and generates status information based on the internal temperature and the status of each port controlled by the FC switch, and reports the status message to the network manager. The network manager parses the status message and compares the obtained internal temperature with the preset opening threshold and the preset closing threshold respectively. Based on the comparison results and the status of each port, it generates the corresponding port opening command or port closing command and sends the command message to the FC switch. The management unit receives and parses the command messages sent by the network manager to open or close a specified port.
[0006] According to one embodiment of this application, the obtained internal temperature is compared with a preset opening threshold and a preset closing threshold, respectively, including: If the internal temperature does not exceed the preset opening threshold, a port opening command is generated; if the internal temperature is not less than the preset closing threshold, a port closing command is generated.
[0007] According to one embodiment of this application, the FC switch and the network manager exchange information via Extended Link Service (ELS) frames in the FC protocol.
[0008] According to one embodiment of this application, the types of information interaction include status messages, command messages, and response messages. The status information includes the internal temperature of the FC switch and the status of each port. The command messages include port open commands and port close commands. The response messages include port open results or port close results.
[0009] According to one embodiment of this application, the message parameters of the port open command and port close command include command message type, port information, and response requirements.
[0010] According to one embodiment of this application, the method further includes: detecting the transmission queue status of any port before closing it; and performing the operation of closing the port only when the transmission queue of the port is empty or the current data frame has been sent.
[0011] According to one embodiment of this application, the FC switch opens or closes a port by operating an independent power control register corresponding to each port.
[0012] According to one embodiment of this application, the FC switch further includes a port control unit, which is connected to the management unit to perform operations to open or close a specified port based on the command message parsing result of the management unit.
[0013] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects that the above-mentioned at least one technical solution adopted in the embodiments of this specification can achieve include at least the following: the embodiments of the present invention can be dynamically implemented in the operation of the FC network without affecting network transmission. Only a temperature detection circuit needs to be added to the hardware. The interaction protocol is implemented using ELS frames, which are widely supported by FC devices. The implementation cost is low and the versatility is high. Without affecting the normal communication of the FC network, the power consumption of the FC switch is reduced, enabling it to operate stably in high-temperature environments, and effectively improving the environmental adaptability of the FC switch. Attached Figure Description
[0014] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0015] Figure 1 This is a functional block diagram of the device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the FC switch power consumption dynamic adjustment state machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the message format according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0016] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0017] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this application. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this application from the content disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. This application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this application. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0018] This invention provides a method for dynamically adjusting the power consumption of an airborne FC switch. The FC switch is connected to a network manager and internally includes a temperature detection circuit, a management unit, and a port control unit. The method includes: The internal temperature of the FC switch is detected in real time by the temperature detection circuit. The management unit periodically reads the internal temperature and generates status information based on the internal temperature and the status of each port controlled by the FC switch, and reports the status message to the network manager. The network manager parses the status message and compares the obtained internal temperature with the preset opening threshold and the preset closing threshold respectively. Based on the comparison results and the status of each port, it generates the corresponding port opening command or port closing command and sends the command message to the FC switch. The management unit receives and parses the command messages sent by the network manager, and the port control unit performs the operation of opening or closing a specified port based on the parsing result of the command messages from the management unit.
[0019] The FC network device involved in this invention includes an FC switch and a network controller, connected by optical fiber, as shown in the schematic diagram. Figure 1 As shown. FC switches contain components such as management units, port control units, and temperature detection units.
[0020] The temperature detection unit is implemented using the FPGA's built-in ADC component to detect the chip's current temperature in real time and write it to the temperature register. The port control unit is implemented using the power management interface in the FPGA's high-speed I / O and provides control registers corresponding to the ports. The management unit reads the current temperature from the temperature register, reports it via status messages, and operates the port control register to open / close the port according to received command messages.
[0021] The interaction protocol between the FC switch and the network manager is implemented using ELS frames, which include status messages, command messages, and response messages. Status information includes the module's internal temperature, the status of each port, etc. Command messages contain port open and port close commands. Response messages contain the port open / close results.
[0022] In specific implementation, the obtained internal temperature is compared with a preset opening threshold and a preset closing threshold, including: if the internal temperature does not exceed the preset opening threshold, a port opening command is generated; if the internal temperature is not less than the preset closing threshold, a port closing command is generated.
[0023] When the FC switch is detected to have reached a high temperature threshold, the specified port is shut down according to the network controller command without affecting FC network communication, thereby reducing the power consumption of the FC switch. When the FC switch is detected to have reached a low temperature threshold, the shut-down port is restored. This can be dynamically implemented during FC network operation without affecting network transmission. Only a temperature detection circuit needs to be added to the hardware. The interaction protocol is implemented using ELS frames, which are widely supported by FC devices. This results in low implementation cost, high versatility, and can effectively improve the environmental adaptability of the FC switch.
[0024] In this embodiment, the FC switch and the network manager exchange information via Extended Link Service (ELS) frames in the FC protocol. The types of information exchange include status messages, command messages, and response messages. The FC switch sends its own status messages to the network controller via ELS frames, the status information including the FC switch's internal temperature and the status of each port. The network controller sends command messages to the FC switch based on the status messages, the command messages including port open commands and port close commands; after completing the operation, the FC switch replies to the network controller with response messages, the response messages containing the port open / close result.
[0025] In this embodiment, each port of the FC switch is designed with an independent power control register. By reading and writing the register, the power output of the corresponding port can be enabled / disabled, thereby regulating the power consumption of the switch. Timing detection is required before closing a port. The port is closed only after there are no data frames in the transmission queue or after the current data frame has been transmitted, ensuring that the port closure operation does not affect normal communication in the FC network.
[0026] In specific implementation, the method further includes: detecting the transmission queue status of any port before closing it; and only performing the operation to close the port when the transmission queue of the port is empty or the current data frame has been sent.
[0027] In one specific embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the dynamic power consumption adjustment process of the FC switch is as follows: (1) FC switch state transition a. Initialization: The FC switch completes its own initialization process and jumps to b; b. Temperature monitoring: The FC switch starts temperature monitoring, obtains the real-time temperature, and then jumps to c; c. Sending status messages: The FC switch periodically sends status messages. If a command message is received, it jumps to d; otherwise, it jumps to b. d. Parse command messages: The FC switch parses command messages. If it is a port close command, jump to e; if it is a port open command, jump to f. e. Close port: Close the specified port according to the command, then jump to g; f. Close port: Open the specified port according to the command, then jump to g; g. Send Response: After completing the command, send a response and jump to b.
[0028] (2) Network Manager State Transition a. Initialization: The network manager completes its own initialization process and then proceeds to b; b. Waiting for status messages: The network manager waits for status messages sent by the FC switch. After obtaining the status message, it jumps to c; otherwise, it jumps to b. c. Parse status messages: The network manager parses status messages. If the FC switch temperature is greater than the shutdown threshold, jump to d1; if the FC switch temperature is less than the opening threshold, jump to d2; otherwise, jump to b. d1. Read Port Records: Read the FC switch port shutdown records. If the port is closed, proceed to b; otherwise, proceed to e. d2. Read Port Records: Read the FC switch port open records. If the port is already open, jump to b; otherwise, jump to f. e. Send a shutdown command message: Send a port shutdown command to the FC switch, and jump to g after sending is complete; e. Send open command message: Send a port open command to the FC switch, and jump to g after sending is complete; g. Waiting for a response message: Waiting for a response message from the FC switch; upon receiving the message, proceed to step h. h. Record port status: Based on the FC switch response message, record the port status and jump to b.
[0029] Parse the command message; if it is a port close command, jump to 'e'; if it is a port open command, jump to 'f'. e. Close port: Close the specified port according to the command, then jump to g; f. Close port: Open the specified port according to the command, then jump to g; g. Send Response: After completing the command, send a response and jump to b.
[0030] This invention designs an interaction protocol based on the ELS frame in the FC protocol, including status messages, command messages, and response messages, with the data format as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the parameter definitions are shown in Table 1: Status messages are messages that FC switches periodically send to the network manager. The status message parameters include message type, its own temperature, and port status information.
[0031] Command messages are messages sent by the network manager that request FC switches to open / close ports. Message parameters include message type, port information, and response requirements. The response message is the result of the operation sent by the FC switch to the network manager after opening / closing a port. The message parameters include message type and port information.
[0032] Table 1 Message Parameter Definitions
[0033] This invention proposes a design method for dynamically adjusting the power consumption of an airborne FC switch in an airborne environment. When the internal temperature of the FC switch reaches a high temperature threshold due to environmental factors, the FC switch closes a specified port to reduce power consumption without affecting FC network communication, according to the network manager command. When the temperature of the FC switch drops to a low temperature threshold, the closed port is restored, thereby improving the environmental adaptability of the FC switch.
[0034] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A method for dynamically adjusting the power consumption of an airborne FC switch, characterized in that, The FC switch is connected to a network manager, and the FC switch internally includes a temperature detection circuit and a management unit; the method includes: The internal temperature of the FC switch is detected in real time by the temperature detection circuit. The management unit periodically reads the internal temperature and generates status information based on the internal temperature and the status of each port controlled by the FC switch, and reports the status message to the network manager. The network manager parses the status message and compares the obtained internal temperature with the preset opening threshold and the preset closing threshold respectively. Based on the comparison results and the status of each port, it generates the corresponding port opening command or port closing command and sends the command message to the FC switch. The management unit receives and parses the command messages sent by the network manager to open or close a specified port.
2. The power consumption dynamic adjustment method for an airborne FC switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The obtained internal temperature is compared with preset opening thresholds and preset closing thresholds, including: If the internal temperature does not exceed the preset opening threshold, a port opening command is generated; if the internal temperature is not less than the preset closing threshold, a port closing command is generated.
3. The power consumption dynamic adjustment method for an airborne FC switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The FC switch and the network manager exchange information via Extended Link Service (ELS) frames in the FC protocol.
4. The power consumption dynamic adjustment method for an airborne FC switch according to claim 3, characterized in that, The types of information interaction include status messages, command messages, and response messages. The status information includes the internal temperature of the FC switch and the status of each port. The command message includes a port open command and a port close command; the response message includes the port open result or the port close result.
5. The power consumption dynamic adjustment method for an airborne FC switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The message parameters for the port open command and port close command include the command message type, port information, and response requirements.
6. The power consumption dynamic adjustment method for an airborne FC switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Before closing any port, check the transmit queue status of that port; only if the transmit queue of that port is empty or the current data frame has been transmitted will the operation of closing the port be performed.
7. The power consumption dynamic adjustment method for an airborne FC switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The FC switch opens or closes ports by operating an independent power control register corresponding to each port.
8. The power consumption dynamic adjustment method for an airborne FC switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The FC switch also includes a port control unit, which is connected to the management unit to perform operations to open or close a specified port based on the command message parsing result of the management unit.