Method for setting up a redundant communication connection, and failsafe control unit, wherein a transport and/or networking functional unit of a communication device utilizes at least one communication network address associated with a primary control device and/or a secondary control device to set up two communication connections to a failsafe control unit that includes the primary control device and the secondary control device, where data transmitted via a first communication connection are forwarded from the primary control device to the secondary control device via a first synchronization connection such that data transmitted via a second communication connection are forwarded from the secondary control device to the primary control device via a second synchronization connection.

A system for time synchronization over redundant switch-based avionics networks is disclosed. The system includes a master or source clock for determining precise UTC timing information from received satellite signals and generating time marks based on the timing information. The source clock generates network-compatible timing messages and forwards the timing messages to network switches within the switch-based avionics networks. The network switches modify the timing information to account for switch-based delays and forward the modified timing messages to destination clocks in aircraft end systems. The end systems relay timing messages back to the source clock via the network switches, the timing information again modified by the network switches according to switch-based delays, and based on the precise timing information exchanged destination clocks in end systems throughout the switched network can precisely synchronize to the source clock.

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving power delivered over a data fiber cable at an optical transceiver installed at a network communications device and transmitting data and the power from the optical transceiver to the network communications device. The network communications device is powered by the power received from the optical transceiver. An apparatus is also disclosed herein.

The invention relates to an arrangement and a method performing data exchange between various integrated circuits, IC, (3,4,5,6,7) in an automotive control system wherein the data are exchanged by a bus and has the object to enable ASIL C/D system coverage and to tie various ICs (clocks, regulators, memory interfaces, sensor signal conditioners, power management ICs etc.) This is solved the data are exchanged by a bus being ASIL C/D compliant and forming a common protocol to exchange information among the integrated circuits (3,4,5,6,7). The method is solved by functions implemented within the bus as setting the frequency of operation; arbitrating roles of the integrated circuits as master or slave device; checking integrity of exchanged data; frame repetition; detecting bus stuck-at failure modes; filtering or denouncing failures and warnings from peripheral devices; detecting remote out of specification local clock; and monitoring and predicting system reliability and profiling maintenance events.

The provision of redundancy in a sync network, which protects the sync network against faults, such as broken cables in the sync network. The gateway comprises a sync propagation module configured to provide redundant sync requests that are sent along different pathways in the sync network. These sync requests are sent to towards different masters in the sync network. If a fault occurs at a point in one of the paths, the gateway will still receive a sync acknowledgment returned along the other path. Furthermore, the use of redundant sync networks, propagating the sync requests across different paths, allows fault detection in the wiring to be detected.

Various embodiments relate to detecting a cable fault within a network. A method may include transmitting a pulse signal to a cable of a shared bus from a node, and observing a signal received at the node in response to the pulse signal. The method may also include determining a fault condition of the cable based on the pulse signal and on an amplitude of each sample of a number of samples of the one or more observed signals.

The invention relates to a method for providing a fault-tolerant global time and for the fault-tolerant transport of time-controlled messages in a distributed real-time computer system which comprises external computers and a fault-tolerant message distribution unit, FTMDU. The FTMDU comprises at least four components which supply the global time to the external computers by means of periodic external synchronization messages, wherein the external computers each set their local clock to the received global time, wherein each external sender of a time-controlled message transmits two message copies of the message to be sent via two different communication channels to two different components of the FTMDU at periodic sending times defined a priori in timetables, wherein these two message copies are delivered within the FTMDU via two independent communication paths to those two components of the FTMDU which are connected to an external receiver of the message via communication channels.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide for a system. In at least some examples, the system includes an embedded Universal Serial Bus 2 (eUSB2) device having a first receiver and a first transmitter, a processor, a second transmitter coupled to the processor, a second receiver coupled to the processor, a drive low circuit coupled to the processor second transmitter, and differential signal lines having a length greater than ten inches. The differential signal lines are coupled at a first end to the first receiver and the first transmitter and at a second end to the second transmitter and the second receiver. The processor is configured to control the drive low circuit to drive the differential signal lines low with a logic ‘0’ to cause the first receiver to receive the logic ‘0’ and a value of a signal present on the differential signal lines to reach about 0 volts.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide for a system. In at least some examples, the system includes an embedded Universal Serial Bus 2 (eUSB2) device having a first receiver and a first transmitter, a processor, a second transmitter coupled to the processor, a second receiver coupled to the processor, a drive low circuit coupled to the processor second transmitter, and differential signal lines having a length greater than ten inches. The differential signal lines are coupled at a first end to the first receiver and the first transmitter and at a second end to the second transmitter and the second receiver. The processor is configured to control the drive low circuit to drive the differential signal lines low with a logic ‘0’ to cause the first receiver to receive the logic ‘0’ and a value of a signal present on the differential signal lines to reach about 0 volts.

Switching hubs such as relay devices capable of path control are arranged at a plurality of branch positions respectively on a wire harness including a trunk line of a communication line. Each of the relay devices includes a failure detection part, a routing map, and a path control part. The trunk line of the communication line is formed to make it possible to use a plurality of types of paths selectively. When the failure detection part in any relay device detects a failure, an instruction of path change is given to another relay device therefrom. When any relay device receives an instruction of path change from another relay device, the routing maps in the relay device receiving the instruction are switched according to a failure occurrence portion. A VLAN is constructed on an Ethernet communication network, and logical assignment of the VLAN is controlled by a central gateway.