Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery – Data processing system error or fault handling – Reliability and availability
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-29
2001-11-27
Beausoleil, Robert (Department: 2785)
Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery
Data processing system error or fault handling
Reliability and availability
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324658
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to an apparatus for the diagnosis of sporadic faults in a serial transmission system network which connects a number of subscribers together to a central diagnosis apparatus.
In the course of increasing decentralisation in the automation of the most widely varying kinds of tasks such as speech, video and data transmission, remote control and regulation and the like by way of networks which are extended in spatial terms with a large number of network subscribers connected thereto, self-diagnosis of a transmission system is an aspect of ever increasing significance. For that reason, apparatuses and processes have already been provided, for implementing self-diagnosis in such apparatuses which are already differentiated in such a way that they automatically notify the network operator of the causes of weaknesses in his system, without in that respect requiring the otherwise normal use of external aids. The basic principle of those systems is that of including all subscribers connected to the network, in the system diagnosis.
Most of the known diagnostic processes and apparatuses are based on central monitoring of the data traffic, in which case the apparatus which controls the monitoring procedure also records the data traffic and attempts to obtain conclusions from such data in regard to the nature and location of a fault which has occurred.
As illustrated in
FIG. 1
showing such a known arrangement of a transmission network UN to which all subscribers Tln
1
to Tlnn are connected in parallel by means of connecting circuits ASl to ASn, the diagnosis apparatus DE is provided as a central element for monitoring the data traffic and evaluation of the faults detected, and is also connected to the transmission network UN by way of its connecting circuit AS.
As
FIG. 1
shows, there is a problem here if a sporadic fault F occurs at the location S
2
, that is to say on the portion of the transmission network UN which connects the subscribers Tln
1
and Tln
2
together. Sporadic faults such as for example stochastic break-ins of noise or interference signals or discharges of electrostatic overvoltages in the transmission networks have the unpleasant characteristic that they generally occur only for a brief period of time and in that case also completely asynchronously. That means that it is admittedly possible for the diagnosis apparatus DE to detect the fault, but it is not possible to locate the position at which it occurs between the subscriber Tln
1
and the subscriber Tln
2
.
For that reason another system has also been developed, the principle of which is shown in FIG.
2
and which avoids the disadvantage just set out above. This involves a so-called master/slave system. In a master/slave system, after a fault F is detected, the master implements a diagnosis run in order to locate the position of the fault. In that procedure, the fault location S
2
of a sporadic fault, in contrast to a hard fault, can however be ascertained only when it is still active during the diagnosis run. If the fault has disappeared before that, then this procedure no longer affords any possible way of determining the location of the fault. Presumably also the information about the nature of the fault can also no longer be obtained.
Although systems with active subscriber coupling, as in
FIG. 2
, afford the best requisites for differentiated fault diagnosis, the disturbances and the location at which they occur can no longer be located if they fall into a dead zone which begins where the network update time (NUT) is no longer to be maintained (t
NUT
) due to the influence of the fault, and terminates at the time which is necessary for a diagnosis run. This means that all faults which, from the point of view of their fault-action time, fall into that dead zone, can no longer be located, due to the principle involved.
FIG. 3
shows the band width B of a non-locatable fault which falls into the dead zone with the above-mentioned time limits.
As even processes and apparatuses which are based on the above-discussed principle do not permit the location of sporadic faults or disturbances in all cases, the use thereof in diagnosis apparatuses which with absolute reliability are required to recognise all sporadic faults that occur, because specific uses require that, is not appropriate for uses of that kind.
Therefore the object of the present invention is to provide a diagnosis apparatus which can detect and locate all disturbances that occur and is thus suitable for uses involving the highest levels of demand in terms of quality in regard to safeguard against faults.
That object is attained by the features recited in claim
1
. Further advantageous configurations and developments of the subject-matter of the invention are to be found in the appendant claims.
That affords the possibility of implementing gap-less and continuous fault diagnosis in transmission networks even for sporadic faults.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5357611 (1994-10-01), Kaneshima
patent: 5432715 (1995-07-01), Shigematsu et al.
patent: 5500944 (1996-03-01), Yoshida
patent: 5535192 (1996-07-01), Trubey et al.
patent: 5748880 (1998-05-01), Ito et al.
patent: 406236298A (1994-08-01), None
patent: 401036190A (1989-02-01), None
Jasperneite Jürgen
Kuschke Detlev
Schmidt Joachim
Schnönherr Dietmar
Baderman Scott T.
Beausoleil Robert
Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co.
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