A power and data center (PDC) can serve as a combined data concentrator and power distributor that delivers scalable and affordable network/power redundancy into an automotive electrical/electronic architecture (E/EA) that supports partially or fully autonomous vehicles. In some embodiments, a vehicle that includes the smart E/EA is divided into zones, where each zone includes one or more PDCs and one or more sensors, actuators, controllers, loudspeakers or other devices that are coupled to and powered by their zone PDC(s). Each PDC collects and processes (or passes through) raw or pre-processed sensor data from the one or more sensors in its zone. The sensors provide their data to the PDC by way of cost efficient, short-range data links. In some embodiments, one or more actuators in each zone are coupled to their respective zone PDC, and receive their control data from the PDC over a high-speed data bus or data link.

A computerized apparatus configured for high-speed data transactions between components thereof. In one embodiment, the computerized apparatus includes a high-speed ring data bus apparatus with a plurality of nodes, and associated application apparatus in data communication with at least one of the nodes. A synchronous ring protocol is used to transfer data packets or frames around the ring data bus, so as to avoid data collisions. The packets or frames include both payload and control data, and may be addressed to higher layer processes of the application apparatus. In one variant, differentially signaled optical or electrical bus segments are utilized to interface with the nodes, and data is serialized before transmission on the ring data bus. In another variant, a common clock signal is transmitted around the ring with the data packets or frames.

A ring network architecture includes multiple communication nodes configured in a ring. Wave pipelining is used to provide for high bandwidth and low latency on-chip communications. Each node implements a source-synchronized clocking scheme, such that there is no need to build an extensive low skew clock-tree across a large die area. A single reference clock signal is generated within a root node, and is routed through each of the nodes of the ring network in a unidirectional manner. Each node includes a timestamp counter and a color bit register, which store values that enable the node to resolve ordered transaction messages issued by the other nodes in a precise order, even though the nodes are operating independently, and receive the various transaction messages in totally different timing orders. Because the control logic is distributed among the nodes, no centralized controller is necessary.

A permutated ring network includes a plurality of bi-directional source-synchronous ring networks, each having a plurality of data transport stations, and a plurality of communication nodes. Each of the communication nodes is coupled to one of the data transport stations in each of the plurality of bi-directional source-synchronous ring networks.

A board includes: a baseband unit, multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, a multi-antenna array, a correction transceiver, a correction calculation unit, a bidirectional coupler, and a combiner-splitter. The bidirectional coupler is configured to couple radio frequency signals output by the multiple transmitters and then transmit the coupled radio frequency signals to the combiner-splitter, and to couple receiver correction reference signals obtained by performing division by the combiner-splitter and then send the coupled receiver correction reference signals to the multiple receivers; and the combiner-splitter is configured to combine transmitter radio frequency signals coupled by the bidirectional coupler and then transmit the combined transmitter radio frequency signals to the correction transceiver, and to divide a receiver correction reference signal sent by the correction transceiver and then send receiver correction reference signals obtained by performing division to the coupler. Accuracy of channel reciprocity correction of a transmitter and a receiver can be ensured.

A method for time synchronization in a communication network comprising a multiplicity of network nodes, wherein synchronization messages are transmitted in the communication network and the synchronization message received in a slave node contains synchronization information for synchronizing the slave time of the slave node with the master time, i.e., synchronization messages are transmitted in a closed ring or line topology and the slave node receives first and second synchronization messages from different transmission directions, and wherein the slave node synchronizes a first time with the synchronization message from one transmission direction and a second time with the synchronization message from the other transmission direction.

Loop prevention systems and methods implemented in a switch to prevent loops in a Layer 2 packet switched network based on Media Access Control (MAC) movement in a forwarding database include enabling class based MAC learning on one or more ports with all of the one or more ports initially in a higher priority learning class; disabling MAC movements from the higher priority learning class to a lower priority learning class and disabling MAC movements in the lower priority learning class such that the switch discards frames attempting to perform MAC movement to ports which are in the lower priority learning class; and managing a priority for specific Source MAC addresses between a source port belonging to the higher priority learning class and the lower priority learning class based on detected loops for the specific Source MAC addresses.

A web handling system is described, including a plurality of web handling controllers and a web handling process logic controller networked to form a ring network. A processor of the web handling process logic controller being configured to determine whether a fault exists within the ring network, and responsive to determining that a fault exists within the ring network, to generate and send signals throughout the ring network to switch the configuration of the ring network to at least one linear network.

A computerized apparatus configured for high-speed data transactions between components thereof. In one embodiment, the computerized apparatus includes a high-speed data bus apparatus; a user interface apparatus in data communication with the high-speed data bus apparatus configured to enable a user to interact with the computerized apparatus; an input/output apparatus in data communication with the high-speed data bus apparatus and configured to interchange data with one or more devices external to the computerized apparatus; a mass storage apparatus in data communication with the high-speed data bus apparatus and configured to store data; a computer program for use by the high-speed data bus apparatus; and a substantially unified data interface in data communication with each of the user interface apparatus, the input/output apparatus, the mass storage apparatus, and the high-speed data bus apparatus.

Systems and method for a time-triggered communication channel in a synchronous network are disclosed. The systems and methods may include communicating in a repeated cycle wherein each of the plurality of nodes has a dedicated slot, wherein a cycle comprises n subsequent slots, and wherein each slot comprises a plurality of frames, defining a centralized schedule that associates each node to an associated slot comprising a start frame and an end frame, and transmitting by each node only during the associated slot comprising said start frame.