Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F9/00—Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units
  • G06F9/06—Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units using stored programs, i.e. using an internal store of processing equipment to receive or retain programs
  • G06F9/46—Multiprogramming arrangements
  • G06F9/54—Interprogram communication
  • G06F9/541—Interprogram communication via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F16/00—Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
  • G06F16/90—Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
  • G06F16/95—Retrieval from the web
  • G06F16/951—Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
  • H04L67/01—Protocols
  • H04L67/12—Protocols specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
  • H04L67/125—Protocols specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks involving control of end-device applications over a network
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L69/00—Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass
  • H04L69/08—Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Definitions

• the present invention relates to electronic components intended to evolve in a computer environment, allowing data exchange and communication, deterministically, between different elements of the environment.
• a current car may for example include up to seventy interoperable electronic control units. There are now nearly three hundred different communication protocols.
• the current protocols can thus hardly meet the requirements of the users, in particular to keep up with the accelerated pace of release of new products and software applications on the market and the need to integrate heterogeneous elements to constitute a competitive environment.
• COTS commercial off-theshelj
• WO 00/03521 discloses an Ethernet interface using software modules.
• the application WO 2004/059505 proposes a software method for sharing data stored in a database. Different software programs can access the database.
• the invention responds to this need with an electronic component with supervised communication modules, the component comprising:
• each communication module comprising an interface stage with the supervisor allowing the latter to use a data format common to all the modules, the supervisor being configured to deterministically manage access to a database, according to a configuration table and requests to read and / or write data from the communication modules.
• no microprocessor it should be understood that the supervisor does not run any computer program and does not contain an operating system.
• the invention provides a mediator, "middleware" in English, real-time communication and multi-protocol, acting as a gateway between heterogeneous elements of an external environment using different communication protocols.
• the component according to the invention is part of a distributed environment, allowing the exchange of data between these different elements with guaranteed real-time performances.
• the invention allows users to have a modular, universal, simple, adaptable and secure solution, able to integrate into their existing environments, to simplify the management of data flows and data exchanges in these environments. This leads to the reduction of their development and validation time.
• the invention allows the user to simplify the development of complex environments by disregarding the communication, that is to say, he can develop the desired application without worrying about the communication aspects necessary to his good operation.
• the communication aspects are notably dissociated from the mode of data transmission, and the application becomes independent of the communication protocol used in the environment in which the application is evolving.
• the user can easily reuse already developed applications, and make the connection between the past and the future by being able to work with both old and new communication protocols.
• the component according to the invention allows the easy management of communication modules, corresponding for example to the connection with an application of the environment and / or for controlling physical inputs / outputs and / or exchanging information with data. other applications through one or more networks, by any means of transmission, for example wired, wireless, optical, or power line.
• the component according to the invention makes it possible to manage the access to the data, independently of their place of production, elements of the architecture or communication modules of the component according to the invention, and to guarantee the provision of data to the user. environment in a predetermined maximum time, for a given environment.
• the supervisor manages concurrent access to the database in a secure and deterministic manner.
• the component is advantageously integrated in a target environment without the need to program new lines of computer code.
• the component is capable of adapting to any type of operating system, to any type of computer card communication bus, for example for the connection with a processor executing an application, and to any type of communication protocol.
• the component according to the invention does not define a new communication protocol and is different from a proprietary communication bus.
• the component according to the invention does not impose any temporal constraints on the elements of the environment, for example processors executing applications, the various tasks performed by the component, in response to requests for reading and / or writing data from the data elements.
• communication modules not subject to slot allocation. These tasks are sequenced by passing tokens, that is, the component is configured to hand over to a next task when the current task is completed. Events do not need to be dated to perform these tasks.
• the component according to the invention providing a deterministic response guaranteeing control of signal propagation delays and data transmission latencies, and thus their processing time, provides a high level of security and is particularly suitable for critical applications, integrating particularly in environments for aeronautics or defense, where this type of response is essential.
• This predictability feature is almost impossible to achieve with known software solutions, known as "layered", and is increasingly required in the certification processes of critical security level environments.
• the component according to the invention is advantageously produced using one or more programmable logical components, preferably reprogrammable.
• the component can be made using one or more components of the type FPGA (gate array programmable in-situ or "field-programmable rude array" in English) or CPLD (complex logic programmable logic device) in English) or ASIC ("application specifies integrated -circuit").
• the component according to the invention is thus based on hardware elements such as logic gates and state machines. These elements are advantageously programmed in VHSL ("VHSIC Hardware Description Language").
• VHSL VHSIC Hardware Description Language
• the programmable logic components of FPGA type in particular, are intrinsically parallel, having matrices of millions of transistors, and are thus perfectly adapted to receiving and transmitting simultaneously several data streams. They also make the component according to the invention much more robust to cyber attacks, so-called "cyber attacks", the malware, targeting microprocessor applications, being most often inoperative on a programmable logic component.
• the component may include a sequencer.
• This sequencer can be external to the supervisor, being controlled by the supervisor, or integrated in the supervisor II makes it possible to organize the transmission of queries and data coming in parallel with the communication modules in order of priority.
• the sequencer makes it possible to guarantee latencies of data transmission and data access times, and to avoid collisions between the different requests by managing competing requests.
• the component advantageously comprises a time base configured to add to a datum its time of reception by the communication module during a write request in the database. This reception time can be read with the data during a read request. This allows the environment to maintain a validity period for each data, as needed, and to determine whether data has become obsolete.
• the time base can use a system time accurate to 1 ⁇ , encoded on 52 bits. It is advantageously available at any time. It provides a common time repository for all communication modules of the component.
• the parameterization of the component can be performed by a software environment tool called configurator.
• the parameterization can be made from files describing the data exchange flows as well as their type in the environment, for example which element of the environment produces which data, and which data is consumed by which element (s) ( s).
• the data managed by the component according to the invention is advantageously uniquely identified by an identifier.
• the data written in the database may contain several encapsulated parameters, including the identifier of the data, the time associated with this data by the time base and the result of a cyclic redundancy check on the data, thereby creating a metadata.
• the cyclic redundancy check allows the validation of the integrity of the data during its reading. If the data is corrupted, the supervisor is configured to read it in the database, and to send an error notification to the communication module at the same time as said corrupted data.
• the encapsulation of a datum is preferably inseparable from it, and can only be removed during a read access.
• the data can be recorded in the database in a format of which a non-limiting example is illustrated in the following table, comprising the identifier ("identifier_data”), the time associated with the data (“date”), the data itself (“data”) and the result of the cyclic redundancy check (“crc”):
• the address of the data ("first_address") is advantageously provided by the configuration table.
• the component communicates advantageously with the database through a dual access port (or “dual port” in English), to have independent access to the database for the data and its address, so manage concurrent access to the database and avoid data loss in the case of competing requests.
• the component may include the database.
• the database is deported to another part of the environment, and is connected to the component, in particular via a dual access port and a dedicated interface so that the component can drive the device. database.
• the addresses of the data in the database are advantageously managed only by the supervisor, according to the configuration table, which makes it possible to avoid unwanted overwriting of data.
• Access to the database is advantageously in the form of a request / data type interface, that is to say that access is through a read or write request and a frame containing or receiving the data according to the meaning of the request.
• the transfers to and from the database can be defined by a DTDMA (Dynamic Time Division Medium Access) algorithm which allocates a maximum transfer time for each access.
• This algorithm ensures a minimum bandwidth between the supervisor and the database. Unlike other known algorithms, while respecting the determinism, it makes it possible to optimize the flow rates; for example if a communication module is alone to want to access the database, it can use the entire bandwidth.
• the storage of the data in the database can be managed according to different stacking modes, determined by a parameter of the configuration table, for example the "first in, first out” (FIFO) mode. in English), or “last in, first out” (or LIFO, "last in, first out”).
• FIFO first in, first out
• LIFO LIFO, "last in, first out”
• the characteristics of the database are advantageously chosen according to the desired performances and the cost of the technologies, in order to adapt to each environment.
• the physical support of the database may be a dual-port static random access memory (SRAM dual port, "static random access memory” in English), in the case where the component comprises the database, or, in the case where the database is external to the component, dynamic (SDRAM, "Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory” in English), for example a memory DDR ("double data rate" in English).
• SRAM dual port "static random access memory” in English
• SDRAM Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory
• DDR double data rate
• the database may have a memory of 32, 64 or 128 bits, a capacity of 1 MB or more, and a frequency of 125, 200 or 333 MHz or more.
• the configuration table defines in particular the data contained in the database and their properties.
• the configuration table may contain, for example, at least 2048 data of 64 bits each.
• the identifier of the data to be managed makes it possible to access it.
• the configuration table can be generated by the configurator from the user's definition of environment and data. To do this, a graphical interface can be used to graphically define the topology of the environment, as well as all the data. In a variant, XML files ("extensible markup language” or "extensible markup language” in English) can be used.
• the configuration table can include the following configuration information:
• data_number the number of data having the same identifier, stackable in the database
• an indicator of the access ports that can produce the data to be written into the database, encoded on 8 bits with one bit per port (bit equal to 0: the port is not associated with the identifier of the data, bit equal to 1: the port is associated with the identifier of the data),
• an indicator (“consumer") of the access ports that can consume the data read from the database, coded on 8 bits with one bit per port (bit equal to 0: the port is not associated with the identifier of the data, bit equal to 1: the port is associated with the identifier of the data),
• the component can include the configuration table.
• the configuration table is deported to another part of the environment, and is connected to the component, in particular via an access port.
• the configuration table can be stored on Flash or SRAM or SDRAM memory.
• the configuration table is preferably a separate entity from the database.
• the response time of the component to each request from the communication modules can be calculated, for example by means of dedicated software, from the information in the configuration table, in particular from the length of the corresponding data frames. on request.
• the supervisor is advantageously configured to operate in real time. It makes it possible to link, in real time, between the local memory of the environment, which stores the data, and the events coming from the different communication modules.
• the supervisor preferably does not depend on the physical medium of the database, and is configured independently of the database.
• the supervisor preferably receives requests from the environment and makes it possible to operate the component according to the invention regardless of the operating system or systems used by the environment and the communication buses used.
• the supervisor may be connected to a third-party software application using a programming interface (API), comprising a set of commands to enable the component according to the invention to execute various instructions.
• This set of commands notably comprises basic commands for writing and reading data, and commands managing the configuration of the environment, the events of the component according to the invention, such as the control of the latter, for example the access to information on its state and the information of order acknowledgments, and the services offered by the component, for example its start and stop after its configuration, or the access to the system time.
• the programming interface may be located in a host processor to which the component according to the invention is connected, in particular by a communication module.
• the programming interface can have between 8 and 15 commands, including 10 commands. This interface is advantageously sufficiently generic so that the implementation of the supervisor can be performed for any type of operating system.
• the supervisor is preferably fully customizable in order to adapt to the heterogeneity of the modules connected to it.
• the supervisor is advantageously functionally invariant within one environment or component to another.
• the configuration table is advantageously configured to evolve according to the desired application, which allows the invariance of the supervisor.
• the supervisor is also advantageously independent of the number of communication modules present in the component and the nature of the latter. The scalability of the component is thus possible according to the needs of the environment.
• the supervisor is advantageously configured to check the validity of a request to read and / or write a data by means of the identifier associated with said data item.
• the supervisor can thus know, through the configuration table, the properties of each data through its identifier.
• the supervisor can thus be configured to check the size of the data during each read or write request.
• the supervisor can be configured, after writing and / or reading data in the database, and according to the configuration table, to transmit a notification to the communication module from which the read request originates and / or writing said data, including a notification of success or error.
• the supervisor can have access to a command register, allowing to control the component via the programming interface.
• the commands of the command register manage in particular the initialization and the stop of the component.
• the supervisor may have access to a control register (or "monitoring" in English), including information on the status of the component and error reports on previous requests. This allows the implementation of operating mechanisms, allowing the use of the component in critical applications subject to certification requirements.
• Each communication module of the component according to the invention advantageously also comprises, in addition, an outward interface stage, with an element of the environment, and a connection stage between this interface stage and the interfacing stage with the supervisor, making it possible to manage and transmit requests for reading and / or writing data.
• the interfacing stages of the communication modules make it possible to process data having different formats because they come from different elements of the same environment, for example the avionics bus and the radar of a drone.
• Communication modules can be reused from one environment to another or for various applications.
• a library of modules can be created.
• An already existing module can also be adapted for another purpose or application.
• the communication modules may be configured to transmit read and / or write data requests to the supervisor through access ports. These access ports are advantageously identical whatever the communication module to which they are connected, and can be controlled by the supervisor.
• the requests for reading and / or writing preferably originate from environmental demands received by the communication modules, in particular a solicitation of at least one software application executed on a processor of the environment, in particular a microprocessor, and / or a physical input / output of the environment, in particular an audio and / or video input / output, and / or an environment network, in particular a CAN, a TCP-IP network, a network using the ARTNC 429, AFDX, MIL STD 1553, or FlexRay, or the Ethercat or Powerlink system.
• At least one of the communication modules of the component according to the invention may be a processor module, in particular allowing the connection with a processor of the environment executing a software application.
• This processor module can transmit to the supervisor a request and data during a write request in the database. He can transmit the data to the environment during a reading, and the success notification of the supervisor if necessary.
• the processor module may be connected to at least one communication bus of the processor, this bus being in particular a bus using the PCI ("peripheral component interconnect") or PCI Express standard, or a VME bus ("VERSA eurocard module").
• PCI peripheral component interconnect
• PCI Express PCI Express standard
• VME VME bus
• the processor module advantageously comprises an interface stage with said communication bus, making it possible to make the physical connection with the bus and to receive the requests, and a connection stage between this interface stage and the interface stage with the supervisor, allowing the management of the received requests and their transmission to the supervisor via the interfacing stage with the supervisor, in order to prepare the data frames for their transfer to and from the database.
• At least one of the communication modules can be an input / output module, in particular making it possible to establish a link with a physical input / output of the environment.
• the physical inputs / outputs of the environment can be analog, discrete, RS232 or PT100.
• the input / output module is advantageously autonomous, that is to say, once set, it generates the requests and transmits them to the supervisor without any processor performing any processing.
• the input / output module may comprise an interface stage with at least one physical input / output of the environment, making it possible to physically access this input / output and to transmit or receive the data of the stage of interfacing with the supervisor.
• This interfacing stage with at least one physical input / output of the environment can be configured to access an analog / digital converter connected to the physical input / output.
• the input / output module may furthermore comprise a connection stage between this interface stage and the interfacing stage with the supervisor, making it possible to generate the requests in the appropriate format from the parameterization of the module and to transmit them to the interfacing stage with the supervisor.
• At least one of the communication modules may be a network module, in particular allowing the exchange of data between the component and the environment by one or more networks.
• the network module can collaborate with any type of network, for example a CAN, a TCP-IP network ("transmission control protocol” and "internet protocol”), for example for video streams, a network using the ARINC 429 aeronautical standards, AFDX, or MIL STD 1553, the FlexRay standard, or the Ethercat system (“Ethernet for control automation technology”), and can correspond to different standardized communication protocols.
• a network for example a CAN, a TCP-IP network (“transmission control protocol” and "internet protocol”), for example for video streams, a network using the ARINC 429 aeronautical standards, AFDX, or MIL STD 1553, the FlexRay standard, or the Ethercat system (“Ethernet for control automation technology”), and can correspond to different standardized communication protocols.
• the network module makes it possible to implement a gateway between the environment network and the component according to the invention, while managing all the communication problems, such as the segmentation of the data, the respect of the protocols, the decoding or the formatting of the data.
• the network module may be devoid of processor, being purely hardware, especially in the case where the environment network protocol makes it easy to define a bijection with an identifier of a data item.
• the network module can use a processor in order to manage the communication protocol and / or the formatting of the data and / or the bijection with the identifier of the data.
• the processor code can be configured to be modified according to the desired applications.
• the network module may comprise an interface stage with at least one network of the environment, making it possible to make the physical connection to the network, and a connection stage between this interface stage and the interfacing stage with the supervisor. , for interpreting the communication protocols of the network and transmitting the requests to the interfacing stage with the supervisor.
• the link stage is advantageously configured to convert the data to be processed into a format suitable for the network and to retrieve, where appropriate, the network label or labels corresponding to the data identifier, by means of a data table. correspondence between identifiers and labels of the network, in particular initialized to the configuration of the module.
• the network module of a component can be used to transmit data to the network module of another component according to the invention within the same environment. This makes it possible to group several components according to the invention in order to form a set of components.
• the component according to the invention can comprise several network modules, making it possible in particular to link different networks of the environment in which the component operates and to provide optimized and deterministic processing times.
• the component can have between 0 and 12 network modules, better between 2 and 8 network modules.
• At least one of the communication modules may be a distribution module, in particular enabling connection between databases of different components according to the invention.
• This distribution module advantageously plays the role of a data distribution bus from the database.
• the distribution module may include an interface stage with at least one network connection of the environment. This interfacing stage makes it possible to make the physical connection between the different components.
• the distribution module may furthermore comprise a linkage stage between this interface stage and the interfacing stage with the supervisor, allowing the management of the communication protocol of the concentrator and the transmission of requests to the interfacing stage. with the supervisor.
• the distribution modules are connected via a hub or hub in English.
• the concentrator interconnecting the distribution modules of different components according to the invention can use an Ethernet physical medium, for example a copper support, in particular redundant, that is to say that the elements of the support are systematically doubled.
• the distribution module is thus advantageously configured to transmit and receive the data on the two branches of the support in parallel. This helps to secure the transfer of data. If one of the two branches no longer responds, the data advantageously continues to be received or transmitted.
• the state of the concentrator can be known at any time by the component through the control register, which allows to act quickly in case of failure.
• the distribution module can distribute data at 1 Gb / s, or at 10 Gb / s, or by carrier line.
• the component according to the invention can comprise between 0 and 12 communication modules, better between 2 and 8 communication modules.
• mechanisms integrated in the component according to the invention can be set up in order to detect a component that does not comply with the communication rules in the environment, for example to read in parallel the component the information received. and transmitted, in order to verify its proper functioning, in particular by going back up information to the programming interface.
• the invention thus also relates to a method of operating an electronic component according to the invention, comprising at least two communication modules and a supervisor, each communication module comprising an interfacing stage with the supervisor, in which method :
• one of the communication modules of the component transmits a request for reading and / or writing data to the component supervisor, via the interfacing stage with the supervisor, and
• the supervisor deterministically manages access to a database, in order to read and / or write said data.
• the configuration table can be set according to the environment and loaded during the initialization of the component, using or not the programming interface, for example through a processor module or distribution. In a variant or in combination, it can be modified later, according to the changes in the environment and the desired applications.
• the supervisor before writing or reading data in the database, advantageously checks the validity of the read request and / or writing said data coming from a communication module, in particular by means of an identifier corresponding to the parameters of the configuration table, as described previously.
• the invention also relates to a method for manufacturing an electronic component with supervised communication modules according to the invention, comprising at least two communication modules and a supervisor without a microprocessor, a method in which one or more programmable logic components, in particular of the FPGA, CPLD or ASIC type, are programmed in such a way that the communication modules operate in parallel and that the supervisor deterministically manages the access to a database, according to a configuration and requests table. reading and / or writing in the database, from the communication modules.
• Another subject of the invention is the use of an electronic component with supervised communication modules according to the invention in an aircraft, in particular for the control of a radar or an altimeter, or in an industrial control system of commands, for example for the feedback of information from sensors, in particular temperature or rotational speed, to the supervision applications.
• the invention also relates to an assembly comprising a plurality of electronic components according to the invention, said components each comprising at least one distribution module and being interconnected by their distribution module.
• Each component of the assembly according to the invention is advantageously configured to transmit data, after a read request, to another component of the set, configured to write this data in the database in the case of a write request.
• the first component may be called the transmitting component, the second receiving component.
• Each supervisor of each component can be connected to a programming interface. Alternatively, a single supervisor or only a few can be connected to a programming interface.
• a time base is advantageously shared between all the components. Time sharing is advantageously dynamic, depending on the needs of each component.
• One of the components of the set called the “managing component” is advantageously configured to control the synchronization of the dates of all the components through the time base shared by all the components. This allows the implementation of a distributed system time.
• the managing component may be configured to periodically send its system time to the distribution network, each component of the set retrieving this time and compensating the value received with the latency of the distribution.
• the different write or read requests received by the different components can thus be ordered according to a priority order defined in the configuration table of each component.
• the components of the assembly according to the invention take advantage advantageously in turn hand in hand to respond to queries addressed to them, so that at a given moment, only one component is active and the other components are only listening. This avoids any data exchange collision.
• the managing component may further be configured to list the connected supervisors of the set at a given time.
• All the components of the set can indifferently be elected manager. If the manager becomes disconnected, for example because of a failure of the component, the environment or the network, for example because of the total physical rupture of the link between the concentrator and this component, a new component can be elected manager. This re-election is advantageously carried out in a duration less than or equal to 150 ⁇ , for example for distribution modules using an Ethernet physical medium. The interruption of service is thus very limited, and only very slightly impacts the functioning of the environment.
• a disconnected component of the assembly is advantageously no longer accessible for the other components, the assembly still remaining operational.
• this component is connected to a programming interface, it remains advantageously active while being isolated from the rest of the set.
• the rest of the set is advantageously no longer connected or controlled by a programming interface.
• the supervisor of each component is preferably configured to handle access to a separate database.
• the data contained in the database associated with a component can be configured to be accessible by all components, including through information from the configuration table. This makes it possible to efficiently distribute the data between the various components of the assembly according to the invention. This also makes it possible to ensure that the transfer of a piece of data has been validly performed, by verifying that the encapsulation of a piece of data received by a receiver component corresponds to the encapsulation at the level of the transmitter, in particular the result of the cyclic redundancy check.
• the concentrator may be arranged to detect the malfunction of one of the components of the set, for example a component sending unexpectedly or erroneously data. This data may be rejected by the other components.
• the programming interface (s) may be configured to detect a failure or malfunction of the concentrator, for example a continuous sending of data to the components in the absence of a request, or an erroneous sending. The components can then be left active but with isolated operation, or can be disabled.
• a deterministic transfer of the data between components within the same environment is thus ensured thanks to the distribution modules, allowing the independence between the place of emission and the place of reception of a data, without impact on the applications of the data. external environment, the distribution process is thus managed autonomously.
• the set of components according to the invention can be likened to a communication space functioning as a single macro supervisor managing a distributed database.
• the invention further relates to a method of operating an assembly comprising a plurality of components according to the invention, said components each comprising at least one distribution module and being interconnected by their distribution module, in which method:
• the distribution module of the component concerned transmits the data to all the communication modules of the components, and the components associated with the identifier of said data receive it by means of a write request from their distribution module.
• Supervisors may send a notification to the other communication modules of the component to which they belong to warn of the availability of said data, upon request expressed through a parameter of the configuration table.
• the configuration tables for each component can be loaded via a single input component.
• FIG. 1 represents an electronic component with supervised communication modules according to the invention
• FIG. 2 represents the structure of a communication module of a component according to the invention
• FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of a processor module of a component according to the invention
• FIG. 4 illustrates the operation of an input / output module of a component according to the invention
• FIG. 5 illustrates the operation of a network module of a component according to the invention
• FIG. 6 represents an alternative embodiment of a component according to the invention
• FIGS. 7A to 7C illustrate various steps of writing data in the database
• FIGS. 8A to 8C illustrate various steps of reading data in the database
• FIG. 9 represents a set of components according to the invention.
• FIG. 10 represents an alternative embodiment of a set of components according to the invention.
• FIGS. 11A to 11G illustrate various steps of distribution of a datum in a set of components according to the invention
• FIGS. 12 and 13 represent assembly variants comprising several components according to the invention.
• FIG. 1 An electronic component 1 with supervised communication modules according to the invention, operating in an external computing environment, is represented in FIG. 1.
• This component 1 comprises a supervisor 2 without a microprocessor and three communication modules 3, 4, 5 operating in parallel.
• the component 1 according to the invention is advantageously produced using one or more programmable logic components, for example FPGA components.
• the supervisor 2 is configured to deterministically manage the access to a database 6, according to a configuration table 7, as described above, and read requests and / or write in the database. data 6, from the communication modules 3, 4 and 5.
• the communication modules 3, 4 and 5 are configured to transmit the requests for reading and / or writing data to the supervisor 2 via access ports 9 internal to the component 1.
• the component 1 advantageously comprises a sequencer, not shown, controlled by the supervisor and making it possible to order the requests coming from the communication modules 3, 4 and 5 operating in parallel.
• the component 1 comprises a time base 8 making it possible to add to a data item its reception time by the supervisor 2 during a write request in the database 6, said reception time being read in particular with the data during a read request.
• the supervisor 2 is advantageously connected to a programming interface 11, in particular via a communication module, comprising a set of commands to enable the component 1 according to the invention to execute various instructions.
• This set of commands includes basic commands for writing and reading data.
• each communication module 3, 4, and 5 has an interface stage 20 with the supervisor 2 enabling the latter to use a data format common to all the data.
• Each communication module 3, 4, and 5 further comprises an interfacing stage 22 to an element of the external environment of the component 1, and a connecting stage 21 between this stage interface 22 and the interfacing stage 21 with the supervisor 2, allowing the management and transmission of read requests and / or writing 16 and data 17.
• the read and / or write requests come from outside environment requests received by the communication modules 3, 4 and 5.
• the component 1 comprises a processor module
• the operation of the processor module 3 is shown in detail in FIG.
• the microprocessor 13 uses in the example in question a communication bus 13a 32-bit PCI type, and is for example inserted into a computer running with the Linux operating system.
• This processor module 3 is configured to transmit to the supervisor 2 a request 16 and data 17 during a write request in the database 6.
• H can transmit to the environment the data 17 during a read request .
• the processor module comprises, in the example described, an interface stage 3c with the communication bus 13a, making it possible to make the physical connection with the bus and to receive the write and / or read requests 16, and a linkage stage 3b between this interfacing stage 3c and the interface stage 3a with the supervisor 2, allowing the management of received requests and their transmission to the supervisor 2 via the interface stage 3a, in order to prepare the frames data 17 for their transfer to and from the database 6.
• the operation of the input / output module 4 is shown in detail in FIG. 4.
• the physical input / output 14 of the environment is analog, for example an input / output value of temperature.
• the interfacing stage 4a with the supervisor 2 of the input / output module 4 is arranged to transmit the requests 16 notifying the module 4 to generate a data output 17 by a stream 24 or to sample a data input.
• the data is retrieved by the connection stage 4b between the interface stage 4a and the interfacing stage 4c towards the input / output of the environment 14. the link stage 4b converting the data 17 into a format adequate.
• the data 17 is then supplied to the interface stage 4c, which physically accesses an analog / digital converter 25 to transmit the data item 17 in an analog format understandable by the physical input / output of the environment. through a decoupler / connector 26.
• this request and its associated data 17 are retrieved by the connection stage 4b between the interface stage 4a and the interfacing stage 4c towards the input / output of the interface. environment 14 which samples the data 17 contained in the analog / digital converter 25 through the interfacing stage 4c. The data is then formatted appropriately and the write request in the database 6 is generated and transmitted to the supervisor 2 by the interfacing stage 4a.
• the network 15 of the environment is a network using the Arinc 429 standard.
• the network module 5 connects on one side to the component supervisor 2. 1 and the other bus Arinc 429 type 15.
• the interface stage 5a with the supervisor 2 transmits the event 27 notifying the module network 5 that data is ready to be sent to the bus 15.
• the event 27 and the data 17 are recovered by the linkage stage 5b between the interface stage 5a and the interfacing stage 5c to the network.
• This link stage 5b is configured to convert the data item 17 to a format suitable for the network 15 and, thanks to a correspondence table initialized to the configuration, to retrieve the label or the labels of the network corresponding to the identifier associated with the network. 17.
• the Arinc data frame thus formed is then advantageously supplied to the interfacing stage 5c to the network 15, which makes the physical access to the bus used by the network 15 in accordance with the communication protocol.
• the interfacing stage 5c to the network 15 retrieves the Arinc data frame and supplies it to the linkage stage 5b between the stages interfacing 5a and 5c.
• the link stage 5b extracts the payload from the frame and, thanks to the correspondence table between the identifiers of the data and the labels of the network, performs a write request 16 of the corresponding identifier.
• the interfacing stage 5a with the supervisor 2 transmits this request to the supervisor 2 which allows the writing of the data item 17 in the database 6.
• the component 1 according to the invention comprises two network modules 50 and 51, allowing the establishment of a gateway between two networks 54 and 55 to exchange data in the environment.
• the network 54 is a network using the AFDX standard and the network 55 is a TCP / IP type network at 100 Mbps.
• supervisor 2 is automatically activated when component 1 is turned on.
• Supervisor 2 also has access, in this example, to a control register 32, which notably contains information about the Component 1 status and error reports on previous queries.
• the component 1 includes the database 6 and the configuration table 7.
• the database 6 and the configuration table 7 are deported to another location of the environment, and are connected to component 1 through dedicated interfaces.
• the supervisor 2 receives a write request 33 from a communication module, not shown, which has previously prepared the data to be written.
• the supervisor 2 is configured to check the validity of the request by means of the identifier associated with the data item 17, as a function of the configuration table 7, not shown.
• the request is valid and the supervisor 2 notifies the module from which the data 17 originates that the access is authorized by a notification 35, as represented in FIG. 7B.
• the module then performs the transfer of the data 17 to the database 6. During this transfer, the data 17 is encapsulated, as described above.
• the encapsulated data 17a is written in the database 6.
• the supervisor 2 notifies the error checking register 32 of a possible transfer error by a notification 36.
• the supervisor 2 when the supervisor 2 receives a read request 34 from a communication module, not shown, it checks the validity of the request, as in the case of a write request, according to the configuration table 7, not shown.
• the request is valid and the supervisor 2 notifies the module from which the request 34 originates that access is authorized by a notification 35, as shown in FIG. 8B.
• the supervisor also transfers data 17 to the communication module, verifying the integrity of the data.
• the supervisor can send, on request expressed by means of a parameter of the configuration table, a status notification 36 to the module from which the request originates, according to the table configuration 7, to notify him of the end of the transfer or a potential error during it.
• the data 17 is then ready to be used by the communication module.
• two components 1 and 60 according to the invention can be grouped together to form a set 100 of components.
• the components 1 and 60 each comprise, in the example described, a network module 5 and 65, connected via a network 15 ⁇ external environment using the AFDX standard.
• the component 1 also comprises a processor module 3 connected by a communication bus 13a to a processor 13 of the environment, for example a computer running the Windows operating system.
• the component 60 further comprises an input / output module 64 having two input channels and two output channels to physical inputs / outputs 14 of the environment.
• the supervisor 2 After a write request from the processor module 3 of the component 1, data can be written in the database 6 by the supervisor 2 of the component 1. According to the configuration table 7, the supervisor 2 sends a notification signaling the writing of the data to the network module 5 of the component 1, which is configured to recover the data and transmit it on the network 15.
• the network module 65 of the second component 60 retrieves the data, in the example described, and requests the supervisor 62 to write it to the database 66 associated with the component 60.
• the supervisor 62 sends a notification to the input / output module 64 which can recover the data and transform it to transmit it to an output 14 of the environment, as previously described.
• the three components 1, 60 and 70 each comprise a distribution module 46, 47, 48.
• the distribution modules 46, 47, 48 comprise, in the example considered, an interface stage with a network connection 115 of the external environment, connected to a concentrator.
• the distribution modules 46, 47, 48 further comprise an interface stage with the respective supervisors 2, 62 and 72 of the components 1, 60 and 70, and a connection stage between these two interface stages, allowing the management communication protocol and transmission of requests to the interfacing stage with supervisors 2, 62 and 72.
• the three components 1, 60 and 70 are connected by their distribution module 46, 47, 48 to form a set 110 of components according to the invention.
• the interfacing stage of the modules with the network connection 115 of the environment makes it possible to make the physical connection between the various components.
• the concentrator 115 interconnecting the distribution modules 46, 47, 48 of the components 1, 60 and 70 uses, in the example described, a redundant physical Ethernet support.
• the component 1 further comprises an input / output module 4.
• the component 60 comprises a processor module 63, an input / output module 64 and a network module 65.
• the component 70 comprises a processor module 73 and a network module 75.
• One of the components of the assembly 110 is advantageously configured to control the synchronization of the dates of all the components through a time base 68 shared between all the components.
• the data contained in the database associated with a component of the set 110 is advantageously configured to be accessible by all the components, in particular by means of parameters contained in the configuration table 7.
• Each component 1, 60, 70 of the assembly 110 is advantageously configured to transmit data, after a write request, to another component of the set, configured to write this data into the database.
• the component 70 receives data from its processor module 73, and redistributes it to the processor module 63 of the component 60, which will use it for the application to which it is connected, and to the input / output module. output 4 of component 1, which will redirect it to a physical output of the environment.
• the different write or read requests received by the various components 1, 60, 70 can be ordered, according to their order of arrival and in a priority order defined in the configuration table of each component.
• the components 1, 60, 70 of the assembly 110 can take turns in hand to the whole to respond to requests addressed to them.
• FIGS. 11 to 11G An example of distribution of a data item 17 in a set 110 comprising two components 1 and 60 according to the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 11G.
• the supervisor 2 of the component 1 sends a notification 37, if requested by means of a dedicated parameter of the configuration table 7, to the communication modules 3, 4 and 46 of the component 1 to prevent them that a data item 17 has been written in the database 6, as represented in FIG. A.
• the component 1 comprises, in addition to the distribution module 46, a processor module 3 and an input / output module 4.
• the distribution module 46 being configured, in the example described, to distribute the data 17 as soon as it is written, the supervisor 2 sends a write request 34 to the consumer component via the distribution link 46, as shown in FIG. 11B.
• the encapsulated data 17a is transferred from the database 6 to the distribution module 46,
• the distribution module 46 of the component 1 sends the encapsulated data 17a on the concentrator 1 to the distribution module 47 of the other component 60 of the assembly 110.
• the supervisor 62 of the component 60 being able to receive the data 17 according to its identifier, the distribution module 47 of the component 60 and sends a write request 33 of the data 17 to the supervisor 62, as shown in Figure 1 1E.
• the encapsulated data 17a is written to the database 66 associated with the component 60 in a step illustrated in Figure 11F.
• the supervisor 62 sends a status notification 36 to the distribution module 46, according to the configuration table 67 associated with the component 60, not shown, in order to notify it of the end of the writing of the data item 17 in the database 66 or a potential error in it.
• the supervisor 62 of the component 60 is advantageously configured to send a notification 37, if requested through a parameter of the configuration table 7, to the other communication modules of the component 60, a processor module 63 and an input / output module 64 in the example described, to prevent them that data 17 has been written in the database 6 and is thus available, as shown in Figure 11 G.
• the assembly 120 comprises three components 1, 60 and 70, interconnected by their distribution module 46, 47, and 48, all three connected to the concentrator 115 of the external environment, a redundant Ethernet physical medium in the example in question.
• the component 1 further comprises a processor module 3 connected by a communication bus 13a to a processor 13 of the environment, which is a computer operating under the VxWorks 5.5 operating system in the example described.
• the component 60 includes a processor module 63 connected by a communication bus 69a to a processor 69 of the environment, which is a computer running the Linux operating system in the example described.
• the component 70 comprises a processor module 73 connected by a communication bus 79a to a processor 79 of the environment, which is a computer running the Windows XP operating system in the example described.
• Each supervisor 2, 62, 72 of each component 1, 60, 70 constituting the assembly 120 is advantageously interfaced with the processor 13, 69, 79 corresponding, through the processor modules 3, 63, 73 connected to the concentrator 1 15 through distribution modules 46, 47, 48.
• This variant makes it possible to have a distributed computer architecture, called a "cluster" in English, in which each application hosted by each processor 13, 69, 79 easily accesses local data, contained in the databases 6, 66 or 76 of the components 1, 60, 70, regardless of the operating system of the processor concerned and its location in the environment.
• the assembly 130 comprises two components 1 and 60, interconnected by their distribution module 46, 47, both connected to the concentrator 115 of the external environment, a redundant Ethernet physical medium in the example considered.
• the component 1 further comprises, in the example described, a processor module 3 connected by a communication bus 13a to a processor 13 of the environment, which is a computer running the Vx Works 5.5 operating system.
• the component 60 comprises an input / output module 64 connected to discrete physical inputs and outputs 14 of the environment, and a network module 65 connected to a network 15 of the environment, using the Arinc standard 429.
• the processor 13 can thus manage the physical inputs / outputs 14 and the network 15 remotely, through the distribution modules 46, 47 and read and write data in the databases 6, 66, as previously described. .
• the component 1 according to the invention can comprise several input / output modules and several network modules, which makes it possible to have a rack of different inputs / outputs, able to transfer their data in the external environment through different networks.
• the component 1 according to the invention can be presented with a set of certifications to meet the certification requirements of critical applications, such as aeronautics or defense.

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