Vehicle Fail-Safe Data Ring Topology for Redundant Ethernet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing navigation networks in vehicles, particularly military ships and submarines, face reliability issues due to 'single points of failure' in Ethernet-based star networks, which can lead to data transmission disruptions and system failures when the network is damaged or severed, necessitating a solution that enhances reliability and reduces wiring complexity.
Innovation Solution
A fail-safe data transmission network with a ring cabling topology that covers a minimum area greater than 20% of the vehicle's cross-sectional area, utilizing High Availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR) and Parallel Redundant Protocol (PRP) for Ethernet-based communication, ensuring continuous data flow even if the network is severed, and incorporating power-supplying ring cabling for network participants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a star network with network switches is used, then the network setup is simple, but single points of failure limit reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The network is segmented into multiple independent paths forming a ring topology, where each node connects to two neighbors. This segmentation eliminates single points of failure by providing alternative routes if one segment fails, while maintaining relatively simple node-level connections similar to star network interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements excessive redundancy by creating a closed ring where data can travel in both directions around the loop. This ensures that even if one connection fails, data can still reach its destination through the alternative path, providing reliability beyond what is minimally required for basic connectivity.
2Reliability
If a second parallel network is used to eliminate single points of failure, then reliability improves, but cabling effort and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the data transmission paths into a single ring structure where two directional paths coexist in one physical topology. Instead of requiring completely separate parallel networks, the ring topology combines redundancy into a unified structure that uses the same cabling infrastructure for both primary and backup paths.
Solution Approach 2:
Each node in the ring serves multiple functions: it acts as both a data source and relay station, and each physical connection serves dual purposes as both a forward and backward path for data transmission. This multi-functionality reduces the need for dedicated separate pathways that would increase cabling complexity.
3Reliability
If messages are duplicated and sent over parallel networks, then fault tolerance improves, but network traffic and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ring topology provides natural feedback mechanisms where each node can monitor the status of its connections and dynamically switch transmission directions. If a failure is detected in one direction, the system automatically routes data through the opposite direction, providing fault tolerance through adaptive feedback rather than blind duplication.
Solution Approach 2:
The network dynamically adapts its data flow direction based on detected failures. Instead of statically duplicating all messages in both directions regardless of network state, the system actively monitors and adjusts transmission paths, sending data only through functional pathways to avoid unnecessary processing overhead.
Data Source
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Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle (10) having fail-safe internal data transfer. The vehicle comprises a vehicle body (100) and a wired data transfer network (200) provided on the vehicle body (100). Furthermore, network subscribers (210) are provided on the vehicle body (100), which network subscribers are connected to each other via respective network nodes (220) of the data transfer network (200). The data transfer network (200) has a data-transferring ring wiring (230).