PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15966775
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-04
Publication Date: 2018-12
Patent Classification: ["714", "011000"]

Abstract:
A redundant computer system utilizing comparison diagnostics and voting techniques includes a plurality of redundant channels. Each pair of the processors receives/obtains process information from I/O modules via dual redundant sensors (DRS). The processors execute an application program, whereby output module is utilized for comparing output data of the two processors. Output module receives output data from neighboring modules, if there is a deviation or other disparity in the output data. Each pair of processors, a voter and an improper sequence detector component disables the output module, if a majority of signals vote that output module fails. In addition, the system uses 2-of-3 voting, the system remains operational in the presence of up two transient or hard failures.

Claim (Index 5):
A computer system integrating safety and control functionality comprising:\n a computer system integrating safety section and a control section that provide the system safety and control functionality respectively; a safety section includes at least one main chassis housing a first and a second channel, each channel comprising: a first central processor and a second central processor that operate in parallel redundancy; said first and second central processor are located in a main chassis, means in said first and second central processors for communicating with said control section and with an external devices over separated buses in redundant configuration; said first and second central processors are in operative communication through a redundant bus for synchronizing their operation; said first and second central processor has at least one ETHERNET port and at least one ETHERNET switch for operative communicating with one or multiple remote chassis via a first and a second input/output controller located on said remote chassis; said remote chassis may be located far away from the main chassis to be nearer to controlled process; said communicating are cooper or fiber cables or can be wireless; each said remote chassis includes: a first and a second input/output controller that is in operative communication with said first central processor and with said second central processor, a first and a second input module that is in operative communication with said first and second input/output controller,\n said first input module and said second input module is coupled with said single sensor per controlled point for delivering an input data of the process to said first and second central processor respectively via the associated input/output controllers (IOC); \n said first and second central processor uses said input data for synchronously execute an application program and transfer said output data as a result of said application program execution to said first and second IOC under normal system operation; \n said IOC, in turn, transfers said output data to said output module that includes an output controller, said voter and improper sequence components, a logic circuit, and a voting network; \n an improper sequence detector that verify absence or presence a fault in timetable and verify a consistency of program operations of said output controller; the output controller is in operative communication with the associated voter component and with the associated logic circuits in said first and second channel; \n a diagnostic in said first central processor (FCP) and said second central processor (SCP) in each channel for monitoring condition of said output module, said diagnostic includes in each channel a voter component and includes an improper sequence detector (ISD) component; \n said diagnostic allows the system for disabling said output module if at least two elements among the FCP, the SCP, and the ISD vote that said output controller fails; \n said diagnostic having no single point of failure allows the system to operate with one working output controller in the event that neighboring output controller fails; \n a logic circuit is in operative communication with said output controller and in operative communication with said voting network, which contains multiple switches in series; said switches in different voting networks connected in parallel for providing an output of the system for each controlled point; \n said logic circuit and said voting network perform a certain logic operation with said output data to provide 2-of-2 voting among output data that said first and second IOC receive from said first and second central processor; \n means in the first and second central processor for energizing the process in the fault free operation when two input/output controllers and all associating modules and components operating properly and de-energizing said process in the presence of two dangerous failures in the system; \n said control section housing at least two process controllers arranged in back-up redundant configuration, said process controllers perform control functions without interrupts from said safety section until a critical parameters of controlled process are in the safe range; \n said control section includes at least one main chassis housing a primary and a secondary process controller, that are in operative communication each to other through a first and a second interface and a redundant bus; \n means in said first and secondary process controller for communicating with said safety section and with an external devices over separated buses; \n said primary and secondary central processor has at least one ETHERNET port and at least one ETHERNET switch for operative communicating with one or multiple remote chassis via the associated input/output controller located on said remote chassis; \n said remote chassis may be located far away from the main chassis to be nearer to controlled process; said communicating are cooper or fiber cables, or can be wireless; \n each said remote chassis includes a multiple input and output modules that are in operative communicate with said first and second input/output controllers; \n said primary and secondary central processor obtains an input data from said input modules via said input/output controllers and uses said input data for synchronously execute an application program; \n means in said process controller to select one process controller as a primary process controller, while identify the neighboring process controller as a secondary process controller; \n said first and second interface include a self-diagnostic and a mutual diagnostic for discovering possible faults occurrence in said primary and in said secondary process controller respectively and for disabling said first or second process controller when it fails; \n method in hardware and software in each process controller to use said first and second interface for providing: \n said process controller to obtain a primary status or a secondary status depends on location in said backplane; \n select only said primary process controller for sending output data as result of said control program execution to the system control outputs, for allowing said primary process controller to hold said primary status and operating in a stand-alone mode in the event that said neighboring process controller fails; \n said secondary process controller changes a secondary status to said primary status and performs control function in said stand-alone mode in the event that said primary process controller fails; \n said faulty process controller can be online removing and replacing by a new process controller, status of said new process controller is automatically setting up as a new status after inserting said new process controller into a backplane, and then automatically changed from new status to secondary status during a current cycle of said control section operation; \n said new process controller is then reprogramming by the neighboring processor that holds said primary status; \n means in said primary and in secondary controller to switch said serial interface from said self-diagnostic to a mutual diagnostic by using a number of an electronic Single-Pole Double-Throw (SPDT) switches; \n means in said secondary process controller to change status from secondary status to primary status and starts operating in said stand-alone mode if said primary process controller fails; \n means in said primary process controller to keep primary status after going to said stand-alone mode in the event that secondary process controller fails; said first and second interface in said primary and in secondary process controller is for transmitting/receiving said self-diagnostic data and said status to said primary and secondary process controller respectively.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 3.0
- Percentile: 91.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.67089
- Patent Class: 714.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['12316966', '10899667', '11923534', '10758977', '11389349']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.2459626137371957
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5125622188018059
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.2726225742436567
- Mean Citation Score: 185.776398
- Max Citation Score: 281.1801
- Similarity Product: 193.2596655395865

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test