Volatile Diagnostic Buffer Controller for Fault Context Preservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fault detection systems in integrated circuits, particularly in safety-critical applications like vehicles, are designed to transition systems to a safe state to prevent hazards but lack the capability to diagnose or debug the cause of faults, limiting the ability to determine whether faults stem from random hardware failures, systematic issues, or improper usage.
Innovation Solution
A diagnostic apparatus comprising a diagnostic data buffer, a non-volatile memory, a data buffer controller, and a data transfer controller that monitors and records diagnostic data, protecting it during safety events and transferring it to non-volatile memory for analysis, allowing for post-mortem examination of faults and their context.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the system enters safe state to prevent hazardous situations, then safety is improved, but debug and diagnostic capabilities are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into two operational modes: safe state with limited functionality and diagnostic mode with full debug capabilities. The segmentation allows the system to maintain safety during normal operation while enabling comprehensive diagnostics when needed, resolving the contradiction between safety and debug capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by capturing and storing diagnostic data in a buffer before entering safe state. This preliminary data capture ensures that diagnostic information is preserved even when the system transitions to safe state with limited capabilities, allowing post-event analysis without compromising safety.
2Ease of operation
If diagnostic data is continuously recorded in volatile memory, then diagnostic capability is improved, but data loss occurs during power failure or reset
Solution Approach 1:
A non-volatile memory buffer is introduced as an intermediary between the volatile diagnostic data buffer and the final storage destination. This intermediary buffer preserves diagnostic data during power failures or resets, preventing data loss while maintaining full diagnostic capability during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares for potential power failures or resets by continuously maintaining a copy of diagnostic data in non-volatile memory. This beforehand cushioning ensures that diagnostic information is protected against data loss scenarios, preserving reliability while enabling ongoing diagnostics.
3Measurement precision
If detailed diagnostic data is captured and stored, then fault analysis capability is improved, but memory requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential diagnostic data needed for fault analysis and stores it in a dedicated buffer. By taking out only the relevant information rather than storing all possible data, the system achieves comprehensive fault analysis capability while minimizing memory requirements and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements partial action by capturing diagnostic data at specific trigger points (fault events) rather than continuously recording all system states. This approach provides sufficient fault analysis capability while avoiding the excessive memory requirements that would result from continuous comprehensive logging.
Data Source
AI summary
A diagnostic apparatus comprises a diagnostic data buffer constituting a volatile memory, and a non-volatile memory capable of receiving data from the buffer. A data buffer controller is also provided and is operably coupled to the buffer and has an event alert input and a data channel monitoring input for receiving diagnostic data. The buffer receives, when the state of a buffer status memory indicates that the buffer is in an unprotected state, at least part of the diagnostic data received by the controller via the data channel monitoring input to the buffer and the controller sets the state of the buffer status memory to indicate the protected state in response to receipt of an event alert received via the event alert input. A controller monitors the buffer status memory and copies a portion of the buffer to the non-volatile memory in response to the buffer status memory being set to be indicative of the protected state.