公开(公告)号：DE1203025B

公开(公告)日：1965-10-14

申请号：DEJ0019394

申请日：1961-02-08

Applicant: IBM

Inventor： DOMENICO ROBERT JOSEPH ,  HENLE ROBERT ATHANASIUS

IPC: G06F11/00 ,  G06F11/20

Abstract: 894,248. Electric selective signalling systems. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Feb. 9, 1961 [Feb. 10, 1960], No. 4816/61. Class 40 (1). [Also in Group XL (b)] A system for automatically detecting, indicating and replacing a faulty component in logical circuits and for changing the logical function performed by the circuits includes a plurality of amplifiers 1-4, Fig. 5a, which are normally maintained in one signal translating condition, and a plurality of switching elements such as photo-contacts, which couple individual outputs of amplifiers 1-4 to individual inputs of the amplifiers, and are responsive to selectable patterns of applied control effects, e.g. illumination, to modify the signal translating condition of selected ones of amplifiers 1-4. Each amplifier 1-4 may form part of a NOR circuit, as shown in Fig. 2b, in which the transistor is normally biased to a non-conducting condition, but the negative bias is reduced and the transistor rendered conducting if one of the photocontacts # is illuminated. The NOR circuits may be interconnected to perform any logical function as desired by selectively illuminating the photo-contacts, for example by means of a pattern of holes or transparent areas in a card. film or tape. In Fig. 5a, amplifiers 1, 2, 3 are connected in a closed loop to form an oscillator whose output is taken from amplifier 3 on line 46 which is connected to line 49 through an illuminated photo-contact. If one of amplifiers 1, 2, 3 becomes faulty there is no input to amplifier 55, relay 57 operates to close contacts 58 and a pulse is transmitted to a pattern-shifting mechanism 43 which then advances card 29 in the direction shown by arrow 66 so that a fresh pattern of holes is selected, the function performed by amplifiers 1-4 being the same but with the faulty component replaced by another. For example, if amplifier 1 was faulty, amplifiers 2, 3, 4 may be connected in a closed loop, the output being taken from amplifier 4 on lines 45, 49. The system not only provides automatic replacement of faulty components, but may also indicate which component is faulty, e.g. by displaying a number on the side of the card showing which amplifier is not connected in the circuit. It is stated that the system may be used as a substitute for a plugboard in a computer, for example for controlling the arithmetic unit functions.