Abstract: An electronic chip is disclosed. In one example, the electronic chip comprises a substrate comprising a central portion and an edge portion around at least part of the central portion. An active region is arranged in the central portion. A crack guiding structure combined with a crack stop structure is provided, both being arranged in the edge portion.

Abstract: A communication node (NODE) for connecting a fault-tolerant computer (FTC) to a real-time network (NET), wherein the node receives critical application data (HCAD1, HCAD2) from computation hosts (HOST) of the fault-tolerant computer, and the node is configured to forward the critical application data as node critical application data (NCAD) to the NET. The node includes at least a first end system (ES1), a second end system (ES2) and a switch (SW), and the switch includes at least a commander part (COM), a monitor part (MON) and a comperator part (COMP). The MON and the COMP may be integrated into an integrated part (MONC). The ES1 connects to the computation hosts or a subset thereof, and the ES2 connects to the computation hosts or a subset thereof. The ES1 connects to the COM, and the ES2 connects to the MON.

Abstract: The invention describes a method and a computer network for fault tolerant message transmission. Nodes of the network are connected to form a ring network. Nodes in the network form a summation group. For transmitting messages from the nodes of the summation group to a switch edge, nodes of the summation group generate and send summation frames. If a node participating in the summation group determines the non-arrival of a summation frame, it generates first recovery frame, inserts its message into said recovery frame, and sends this first recovery frame in the direction of the summation frame, which it was expecting. After sending the first recovery frame, it generates a second recovery frame, inserts its messages into said second right direction recovery frame, and sends said second right direction recovery frame to the switch.

Abstract: A method and a fault-tolerant computer architecture (FCTA) for fail-safe trajectory planning for a moving entity (MOV). The method and FCTA uses a commander (COM), a monitor (MON), and a safe envelope generating stage (ENV). Based on sensor input, the commander (COM) and the monitor (MON) produce real-time images of objects (OBJ1, OBJ2) detected. A trajectory planning stage (TRJ-PLN) generates trajectories (COM-TRJ1, COM-TRJ2), and the safe envelope generating stage (ENV) generates a safety envelope. The commander (COM) provides the one or more trajectories (COM-TRJ1, COM-TRJ2) to the monitor (MON) and the decision subsystem (DECIDE). A trajectory verification stage (TRJ-VRFY) verifies a trajectory (COM-TRJ1, COM-TRJ2) generated by the commander (COM) only if said trajectory (COM-TRJ1, COM-TRJ2) is completely located inside said safety envelope. A moving entity (MOV) uses a trajectory (COM-TRJ1, COM-TRJ2) generated by the commander (COM) only when said trajectory is verified by the monitor (MON).

Abstract: A method for data integrity check in a network device of a computer network. The network device includes a communication module and a monitoring module. The monitoring module receives (a) the same data being received by a communication module from an input port of the network device, and (b) the same data the communication module transmits towards output port/s of the network device.

Abstract: Methods and computer systems for establishing an interactive consistency property between receivers of messages. Messages are transmitted to receivers by a sender over a communication network including disjoint communication paths for connecting receivers and sender. Switches include local clocks. Local clocks of non-faulty switches are synchronized to each other with a maximum error (precision), and receivers detect switch failures. Redundant copies of a message are forwarded by sender to each receiver across different disjoint communication paths. A switch of each disjoint path is configured such that redundant copies are forwarded to each receiver with a temporal distance between disjoint paths. That distance is selected such that all non-faulty receivers receive redundant copies in the same receive order, when the switches and communication links of the disjoint paths exhibit no failure.

Abstract: A self-checking network device (201) for communication in a real-time network, wherein the self-checking network device (201) includes at least four modules (S-COM, P-COM, P-MON, S-MON), wherein the network device (201) and/or each of the four modules is configured such that a first module (S-COM) of the at least four modules receives both regular data and protocol data from said communication links (110) on a first input (COM-IN), and said first module (S-COM) forwards protocol data on a second input (P-COM-IN) to a second module (P-COM) of the at least four modules, wherein said second module (P-COM) executes a first function (C-PU) as part of the one or the more of the network protocols using protocol data received on said second input (P-COM-IN) and produces protocol data as output on a first output (P-COM-OUT).

Abstract: A method for transmitting real-time messages in a computer network (100), in particular real-time computer network, wherein said network comprises two or more computing nodes (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26) and one or more star couplers (1, 2, 3, 4), wherein said nodes are interconnected via at least one star coupler, wherein each node is connected to at least one star coupler via at least one of the communication links (50), and wherein the nodes exchange messages (M1, M2) with one another and with the at least one star coupler, and wherein star couplers, which are synchronized to a global time base (C), transmit a first non-empty set (SSET) of real-time messages according to a synchronized communication paradigm, and/or wherein computing nodes, which are synchronized to the global time base, transmit said first non-empty set of real-time messages according to the synchronized communication paradigm, wherein a star coupler, which is not synchronized to a global time base, and/or a computing node, which is not synch

Abstract: A communication node (NODE) for connecting a fault-tolerant computer (FTC) to a real-time network (NET), wherein the node receives critical application data (HCAD1, HCAD2) from computation hosts (HOST) of the fault-tolerant computer, and the node is configured to forward the critical application data as node critical application data (NCAD) to the NET. The node includes at least a first end system (ES1), a second end system (ES2) and a switch (SW), and the switch includes at least a commander part (COM), a monitor part (MON) and a comperator part (COMP). The MON and the COMP may be integrated into an integrated part (MONC). The ES1 connects to the computation hosts or a subset thereof, and the ES2 connects to the computation hosts or a subset thereof. The ES1 connects to the COM, and the ES2 connects to the MON.

Abstract: A self-checking network device (201) for communication in a real-time network, wherein the self-checking network device (201) includes at least four modules (S-COM, P-COM, P-MON, S-MON), wherein the network device (201) and/or each of the four modules is configured such that a first module (S-COM) of the at least four modules receives both regular data and protocol data from said communication links (110) on a first input (COM-IN), and said first module (S-COM) forwards protocol data on a second input (P-COM-IN) to a second module (P-COM) of the at least four modules, wherein said second module (P-COM) executes a first function (C-PU) as part of the one or the more of the network protocols using protocol data received on said second input (P-COM-IN) and produces protocol data as output on a first output (P-COM-OUT).

Abstract: A method for data integrity check in a network device of a computer network. The network device includes a communication module and a monitoring module. The monitoring module receives (a) the same data being received by a communication module from an input port of the network device, and (b) the same data the communication module transmits towards output port/s of the network device.

Abstract: A method is provided to detect and handle failures in the communication in a network, including a sender (201, 203) and a receiver (202, 501, 502, 503), where communication between the sender and the receiver is message-oriented. The method includes: (a) the sender sending a message (M101, M101-C, M102-C) to the receiver; (b) the sender monitoring the transmission process of the message inside the sender and/or monitoring the message; (c) the sender executing a correctness check of (i) the message, e.g., its contents, and/or (ii) the transmission process of the message inside the sender; and (d) after the correctness check(s) has/have been completed, the sender informs the receiver of the result of the correctness check(s), wherein (e) the receiver of the message marks the message as being faulty and/or discards the message if the result of a correctness check indicates that the message and/or transmission process is faulty.

Abstract: A method for transmitting real-time messages in a computer network (100), in particular real-time computer network, wherein said network comprises two or more computing nodes (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26) and one or more star couplers (1, 2, 3, 4), wherein said nodes are interconnected via at least one star coupler, wherein each node is connected to at least one star coupler via at least one of the communication links (50), and wherein the nodes exchange messages (M1, M2) with one another and with the at least one star coupler, and wherein star couplers, which are synchronized to a global time base (C), transmit a first non-empty set (SSET) of real-time messages according to a synchronized communication paradigm, and/or wherein computing nodes, which are synchronized to the global time base, transmit said first non-empty set of real-time messages according to the synchronized communication paradigm, wherein a star coupler, which is not synchronized to a global time base, and/or a computing node, which is not synch

Abstract: The invention describes a method and a computer network for fault tolerant message transmission. Nodes of the network are connected to form a ring network. Nodes in the network form a summation group. For transmitting messages from the nodes of the summation group to a switch edge, nodes of the summation group generate and send summation frames. If a node participating in the summation group determines the non-arrival of a summation frame, it generates first recovery frame, inserts its message into said recovery frame, and sends this first recovery frame in the direction of the summation frame, which it was expecting. After sending the first recovery frame, it generates a second recovery frame, inserts its messages into said second right direction recovery frame, and sends said second right direction recovery frame to the switch.

Abstract: A method and a fault-tolerant computer architecture (FCTA) for fail-safe trajectory planning for a moving entity (MOV). The method and FCTA uses a commander (COM), a monitor (MON), and a safe envelope generating stage (ENV). Based on sensor input, the commander (COM) and the monitor (MON) produce real-time images of objects (OBJ1, OBJ2) detected. A trajectory planning stage (TRJ-PLN) generates trajectories (COM-TRJ1, COM-TRJ2), and the safe envelope generating stage (ENV) generates a safety envelope. The commander (COM) provides the one or more trajectories (COM-TRJ1, COM-TRJ2) to the monitor (MON) and the decision subsystem (DECIDE). A trajectory verification stage (TRJ-VRFY) verifies a trajectory (COM-TRJ1, COM-TRJ2) generated by the commander (COM) only if said trajectory (COM-TRJ1, COM-TRJ2) is completely located inside said safety envelope. A moving entity (MOV) uses a trajectory (COM-TRJ1, COM-TRJ2) generated by the commander (COM) only when said trajectory is verified by the monitor (MON).

Abstract: A method and a fault-tolerant computer architecture (FCTA) to improve the performance in fail-safe trajectory planning for a moving entity (MOV). The method and FCTA uses a commander (COM), a monitor (MON), and a safe envelope generating stage (ENV). Based on sensor data input, the commander (COM) and the monitor (MON) produce as output real-time images (COM-OBJ1, COM-OBJ2, MON-OBJ1, MON-OBJ2) of objects (OBJ1, OBJ2) detected due to the monitoring of one or more sensors. A trajectory planning stage (TRJ-PLN) generates trajectories (COM-TRJ1, COM-TRJ2), and the safe envelope generating stage (ENV) generates a safety envelope. A trajectory verification stage (TRJ-VRFY) verifies a trajectory (COM-TRJ1, COM-TRJ2) generated by the commander (COM) only if said trajectory (COM-TRJ1, COM-TRJ2) is completely located inside said safety envelope. A moving entity (MOV) uses a trajectory (COM-TRJ1, COM-TRJ2) generated by the commander (COM) only when said trajectory is verified by the monitor (MON).

Abstract: An information exchange between at least two processes (FEED_PROC-1, FEED_PROC-2, CONSUME_PROC-1) communicating with each other using at least one queue (QUEUE-001) uses a placement plan for determining the order in which messages are placed into the queue. The information feeding processes (FEED_PROC-1, FEED_PROC-2) place pieces of information (MESG-001, MESG-002) into the queue (QUEUE-001), from where an information consuming process (CONSUME_PROC-1) sequentially consumes the pieces of information. The placement plan describes, for at least one possible value of identifying information contained in each of the pieces of information, a respective position (POS-001, POS-002) in the queue (QUEUE-001), such that the pieces of information (MESG-001, MESCG-002) or respective references thereto are placed into the queue according to positions in the queue (QUEUE-001) corresponding to the respective values of the identifying information in the pieces of information.

Abstract: Methods and computer systems for establishing an interactive consistency property between receivers of messages. Messages are transmitted to receivers by a sender over a communication network including disjoint communication paths for connecting receivers and sender. Switches include local clocks. Local clocks of non-faulty switches are synchronized to each other with a maximum error (precision), and receivers detect switch failures. Redundant copies of a message are forwarded by sender to each receiver across different disjoint communication paths. A switch of each disjoint path is configured such that redundant copies are forwarded to each receiver with a temporal distance between disjoint paths. That distance is selected such that all non-faulty receivers receive redundant copies in the same receive order, when the switches and communication links of the disjoint paths exhibit no failure.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for transmitting messages in a computer network, and to a computer network of this type. The computer network comprises computing nodes (101-105), said computing nodes (101-105) being interconnected via at least one star coupler (201) and/or at least one multi-hop network (1000), wherein each computing node (101-105) is connected via at least one communication line (110) to the at least one star coupler (201) and/or the at least one multi-hop network (1000), and wherein the computing nodes (101-105) exchange Ethernet messages with one another and with the at least one star coupler (201) and/or the at least one multi-hop network (1000).

Abstract: An information exchange between at least two processes (FEED_PROC-1, FEED_PROC-2, CONSUME_PROC-1) communicating with each other using at least one queue (QUEUE-001) uses a placement plan for determining the order in which messages are placed into the queue. The information feeding processes (FEED_PROC-1, FEED_PROC-2) place pieces of information (MESG-001, MESG-002) into the queue (QUEUE-001), from where an information consuming process (CONSUME_PROC-1) sequentially consumes the pieces of information. The placement plan describes, for at least one possible value of identifying information contained in each of the pieces of information, a respective position (POS-001, POS-002) in the queue (QUEUE-001), such that the pieces of information (MESG-001, MESCG-002) or respective references thereto are placed into the queue according to positions in the queue (QUEUE-001) corresponding to the respective values of the identifying information in the pieces of information.