Ring Bus Signal Failure Detection via Shutdown Flag Propagation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ring bus systems face failures where identifying and handling a faulty node is complex, especially when the controller or other hardware cannot be monitored, leading to network downtime and difficulty in fault localization.
Innovation Solution
A communication port in the bus node continuously monitors the signal status and detects 'signal off' conditions, setting a shutdown flag to propagate through the network, allowing each node to shut down safely and record its status, enabling easy identification of the faulty node upon restart.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a ring bus system is used for network communication, then network connectivity and data transmission are enabled, but failure of a single node causes failure of the whole network
Solution Approach 1:
The network failure detection is segmented into individual node responsibilities. Each node independently monitors its own incoming and outgoing signals, dividing the centralized monitoring function into distributed autonomous units. This segmentation allows the system to identify specific failed nodes without collapsing the entire network monitoring function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by having each node continuously monitor its signal status before failures propagate. The shutdown flag mechanism is prepared in advance at each node, allowing immediate detection and notification when a signal interruption occurs, rather than waiting for system-wide failure manifestation.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the controller monitors hardware failures, then fault identification is possible, but the controller itself or unmonitored hardware cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
Each communication port performs self-monitoring of its own signal status. The port detects signal interruptions on its incoming line and autonomously sets the shutdown flag without requiring external controller intervention. This self-service approach enables detection of failures in the port itself or in unmonitored hardware components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by having each node monitor its own signal status and propagate shutdown flags through the ring bus when failures are detected. This feedback mechanism allows the network to automatically identify and isolate failed nodes through the sequential propagation of status information.
3Ease of repair
If a shutdown flag is propagated through all nodes, then safe shutdown and fault localization are achieved, but network downtime increases during the propagation process
Solution Approach 1:
The shutdown flag mechanism is prepared in advance at each node, allowing immediate propagation when a failure occurs. Each node continuously monitors for the flag condition, so no detection or processing delay occurs during propagation. This preliminary preparation minimizes the time loss during actual failure events.
Solution Approach 2:
The failure detection and shutdown process is segmented into discrete node-by-node propagation steps. Each node independently processes the shutdown flag and notifies its successor, allowing parallel processing across the ring bus and preventing system-wide delays. This segmentation enables efficient fault localization without requiring sequential system-wide shutdown.
Data Source
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AI summary
A communication system, network, interface, and port architecture are provided for transporting of data across a ring network. If a network node detects lack of its input signal, it configures itself as timing master and communicates a shutdown command to the other network nodes. In addition, an internal flag signaling this "signal off" event is set. All other network nodes which receive the shutdown flag do not set this internal status. Accordingly, it can be easily determined where the loss of signal occurred.