Microcontroller Port Emergency Stop for Selective Fault Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current microcontroller systems face challenges in efficiently managing emergency shutdowns of ports due to the all-or-nothing approach, which can lead to unnecessary system disruptions and inefficiencies, as the entire port system is shut down in response to unsafe conditions, rather than isolating the affected ports.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a microcontroller unit with multiple safety fault management units, system control units, and port circuitries that allow for selective emergency stop functionality, enabling individual ports to be shut down while maintaining operation of other components by generating and outputting a port emergency stop signal based on alarm signals, thereby isolating faulty ports and preventing system-wide disruptions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all ports are shut down in response to unsafe conditions, then safety is ensured, but system efficiency and productivity deteriorate due to unnecessary shutdowns of non-faulty ports
Solution Approach 1:
The port system is segmented into individual independently controllable ports. Each port has its own shutdown capability through dedicated circuitry that can be controlled independently from other ports. This allows only the specific faulty port to be shut down while other ports continue operating, resolving the contradiction between safety and productivity.
2Productivity
If individual port shutdown capability is implemented, then system efficiency is improved by maintaining operation of non-faulty ports, but device complexity increases due to additional control circuitry
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple port control functions are merged into a unified control structure where a single control signal can selectively affect individual ports through shared control circuitry. The system combines individual port control capabilities with centralized safety management, allowing efficient control without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A microcontroller unit includes at least one core, a plurality of safety fault management units, with each safety fault management unit including circuitry to detect one or more safety faults and to output an alarm signal in response to detection of one or more safety faults. The microcontroller further includes system control units operating in parallel to the at least one core. Each of the plurality of system control units can be coupled to at least one of the safety fault management units and can include hardware circuitry to generate and output a port emergency stop (PES) signal based on the alarm signals obtained from a safety fault management unit. The microcontroller includes port circuitries coupled to ports and to the system control units. The port circuitries can selectively cause a respectively connected port to enter a non-operational electronic state in response to receiving a PES signal.