Majority Voter Circuit With Error Detection and Cold-Sparing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Integrated circuits used in harsh environments or high-reliability applications face challenges in achieving high reliability and radiation tolerance due to ionizing radiation effects, which can cause permanent and transient errors, and existing redundancy techniques do not adequately address leakage current issues during cold-sparing.
Innovation Solution
The development of a digital majority voter integrated circuit with error detection and internal triple modular redundancy, featuring disjunctive error logic and cold-sparable output stages to minimize leakage currents and enhance radiation tolerance, along with electrostatic discharge protection circuits to ensure reliable operation in both powered and unpowered states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If multiple duplicate circuits are maintained with cold-sparing to reduce power consumption, then power consumption is reduced, but leakage current from inputs and outputs increases when connected to powered duplicate circuits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful leakage current paths from the cold-spared duplicate circuits by implementing special circuit designs that isolate the inputs and outputs of unused duplicates from the powered duplicate circuits, thereby eliminating the leakage current while maintaining the power-saving cold-sparing configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary circuit elements and special circuit designs between the cold-spared duplicate circuits and the powered duplicate circuits that act as mediators to block leakage current paths while allowing the cold-sparing configuration to function, thus resolving the contradiction between power saving and leakage current reduction
2Reliability
If gate-level redundancy is used to mitigate single-event effects by replicating functional modules, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the redundant circuit functionality into modular votee circuits and voter circuits, where multiple simple votee circuits can be combined with a voter circuit to achieve majority voting functionality. This segmentation allows reliability improvement through redundancy while keeping individual circuit modules simple and manageable
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universal voter circuits and error detection circuits that can handle multiple input signals and perform both majority voting and error detection functions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated circuits for each function, thereby improving reliability through redundancy while controlling overall device complexity
3Reliability
If specialized integrated circuit fabrication processes are used to produce radiation-hardened circuits, then radiation tolerance is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves radiation hardening primarily through circuit design techniques rather than specialized fabrication processes. By changing the operational parameters and logic design of the circuits (implementing majority voting, error detection, and cold-sparing with leakage current minimization), the patent attains radiation tolerance using standard or near-standard fabrication processes, thereby improving radiation tolerance while minimizing manufacturing complexity and cost
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated circuit for use in high-reliability electronic systems contains one or more digital majority voters with corresponding disagreement detectors connected to the same input signals producing a majority value output and an error signal that is active when not all input signals agree. Internal error signals from multiple majority voter/disagreement detectors as well as external error inputs may be combined using disjunctive error logic to produce an “error detected” output indication. Cold-sparing and hot-plugging are supported by providing cold-sparable electrostatic discharge protection circuits and power-on reset circuitry controlling cold-sparable output stages. Internal modular redundancy provides immunity to single-event transients as well as enhanced reliability. Redundant electronic systems using the majority voter with error detection are also provided, as are fault notification systems that use the disjunctive error logic and external error input feedthrough capabilities of serially-connected integrated circuits to produce an error indication for a plurality of subsystems.