Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery – Data processing system error or fault handling – Reliability and availability
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-12
2002-04-16
Baderman, Scott T. (Department: 2184)
Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery
Data processing system error or fault handling
Reliability and availability
Reexamination Certificate
active
06374373
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for commissioning a bus system which comprises at least one voltage supply line by way of which, on the one hand, a supply voltage is applied to loads that can be connected thereto and, on the other hand, information is transmitted, and also to a corresponding bus system, in which by way of at least one voltage supply line, on the one hand, a supply voltage is applied to loads that can be connected thereto and, on the other hand, information, for example control information, is transmitted.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bus systems, in which the main power lines leading to the individual components and loads are used as the bus line, have been known for a comparatively long period of time.
A corresponding bus system for use for building services management system installations is known, for example, from PCT/EP 97/06577, in which various loads (actuators), such as, for example, lights, blinds, air-conditioning installations or the like, are connected to the bus system. Moreover, information in order to be able to activate the individual loads with the aid of this information or to be able to transmit corresponding check-back signal information is transmitted by way of the main power lines provided for these loads. The information that is transmitted in this way by way of the main power lines is as a rule transmitted at a frequency that is higher by orders of magnitude than the actual main frequency of the bus system, with in particular the useful band, which is used for the transmission of information, lying above 100 kHz. The loads can decouple the individual information signals from the low-frequency supply voltage signal by way of appropriately configured filter circuits.
As a rule, the information is transmitted by way of the main power lines merely within one subnetwork which is connected to the central supply voltage line by way of a band-stop filter arrangement and also a distributor device (gateway). By using band-stop filters it is possible to isolate the individual subnetworks from the rest of the network. In this connection, an improved measure has been proposed in PCT/EP97/06577, namely that for each branch line corresponding to a subnetwork a separate band-stop filter be provided, connected between the distributor device (gateway) and the corresponding branch line. The advantage of this arrangement, in comparison with an arrangement in which a central band-stop filter is connected between the central supply voltage line and the distributor device, is that the individual band-stop filters can be set up in a less complex manner than a single central band-stop filter and, moreover, the information signals cannot reach the central main-voltage busbar of the distributor, something which could otherwise result in great attenuation of the information signals. Moreover, disturbances within a branch line are not transmitted directly to the other branch lines or subnetworks.
In addition to different loads it is also possible to connect any sensors, interfaces or control units to the individual branch lines or supply voltage lines respectively so that communication between the individual components of the bus system is possible with the aid of the previously mentioned transmission of information by way of the corresponding supply voltage line.
Furthermore, a control system is known from PCT/EP90/01133 for a plurality of loads that are arranged in a distributed manner and which can be activated by a central control station or control unit so that in this way it is possible to set different load types in a decentralized manner. Each load stores a source address which is transmitted to the control station by the respective load before the control system is actually commissioned. Subsequently, the control station scans the corresponding loads by addressing the individual source addresses in order in this way to obtain information on the spatial arrangement and type of the respective load. Furthermore, the individual loads are associated with specific groups or arrangements of loads, with the control station subsequently storing an operating address in the individual loads that corresponds to the respective group association. In this way, loads that are linked together centrally in groups or loads of a specific load type can be set by the control station, with, moreover, the greatest possible flexibility of the control system being guaranteed by the address administration. The control system described in PCT/EP90/01133 does not, however, relate explicitly to the bus systems described by way of introduction and in which, together with the supply voltage signal of low frequency, information signals of higher frequency are simultaneously transmitted by way of mains power lines.
The reliability of transmission, that is, the guarantee of sufficient quality of the transmission of information signals, constitutes one particular problem of the bus systems previously described. In this connection, it is possible that disturbances can occur not only on the forward channel, that is, from the gateway or distributor to the individual loads, but also on the backward channel, that is, from the individual loads to the distributor, as a result of which disturbances the information signals, such as, for example, control signals or check-back signals can not be transmitted with sufficient quality or even can no longer be received so that, in that case, it is not possible for the bus system to operate properly.
Proper operation is essential, for example, in the case of bus systems which are used in airplanes. For this reason, for example, the ARINC 629 bus used in airplanes of the Boeing 777 type contains a plurality of safety systems by means of which the failure of a system element is automatically identified and offset by the use of an identical replacement element. However, when viewed from the outside it is not readily apparent whether a bus user or the branch cable used to connect the bus users to the bus lines is defective in part. In the article “Testing the Subscriber Interface to the ARINC 629 Current Mode Bus” in the journal “Proceedings of the Systems Readiness Technology Conference (AUTOTESTCON)”, Anaheim, September 1994, pages 653-661, a test system is therefore put forward, by means of which system it is possible to examine the branch cable in a controlled manner to check whether it is functioning fully in a proper manner. To this end, a test module has been developed that is connected to the branch cable and the bus user connected thereto and which, by transmission and simulation of bus signals and also by evaluation of the signals which occur in the branch cable, carries out a full function test that includes monitoring whether the replacement elements are functioning properly.
Whilst the test system described in this article does investigate the individual branch cables in an extremely precise manner, it is not able to examine the bus system as a whole to check whether it is functioning properly. For example, it is not possible to identify whether the bus lines are functioning properly and the users are correctly connected to the bus, since the units which are to be tested are directly connected to the test module.
The underlying object of the present invention is therefore to facilitate the commissioning of the bus system outlined by way of introduction and also to guarantee at the same time sufficient security against loss of quality or against disturbances by examining the ability of the bus system as a whole to function properly by means of a test which can be carried out in a simple manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object is achieved in accordance with the present invention by means of a commissioning method which comprises the steps of
a) installing the bus system;
b) testing whether the bus system is functioning properly; and
c) operating the bus system,
wherein step b) comprises the step of carrying out a plurality of test phases in succession, wherein different aspects
Geiginger Joachim
Heim Armin
Baderman Scott T.
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Luxmate Controls GmbH
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