FR2882834A1 - Event storing device for managing equipment of e.g. service sector installation, has management unit generating gross and end time stamping data for event provoking activation of device and subsequent events, respectively - Google Patents

Abstract

The device (10) has a management unit (11) generating gross time stamping data for an event provoking the activation of the device. The unit generates end time stamping data, formulated relatively with respect to a time stamping of the event, for subsequent events produced during the activation period of the device. The gross and end data present precision in the order of seconds and a hundredth of a second, respectively. An independent claim is also included for a method for storing events in real time.

Description

Field of the invention

  The field of the invention relates to event management. More specifically, the invention relates to an event recording device in order to establish their chronology and their locations accurately.

  Presentation of the prior art The invention applies in particular, but not exclusively, to the management of tertiary and industrial facilities or the management of industrial processes, mainly to record their failures and analyze them.

  In the event of an incident, the investigators, such as the technical service of the company in which the event occurred or the insurance experts concerned, must undoubtedly establish a rigorous chronology of the critical events at the origin of the incident. the incident.

  For this purpose, GTB (Building Technical Management) devices, GTC (Centralized Technical Management) devices as well as industrial process or remote management devices are generally installed.

  The computerized data collection and processing devices of the GTC-GTB type make it possible, in particular, to remotely control the activity of a site and its technical installations and, once the incident is detected and recorded, to put in place an appropriate operating regime.

  Most of these traditional devices use to supervise the equipment connected to the installations to be monitored and to collect their data a multilevel architecture which is organized, at first, by the attachment of the equipment to the controllers on which they depend for services. such as the history of the events they record.

  In a second step, the controllers are connected to a central decision-making station that groups together the command and global management functions of the events that have occurred in a territory.

  The main drawback of these techniques lies in the fact that they require a centralization of commands and recordings of events that is not always adapted to the needs of the user of a particular site.

  In addition, this centralization itself has disadvantages 15 among which note a complexity of implementation, the lack of flexibility of configuration and extension devices.

  Another known technique for event management relies on real-time event recording devices having programmable logic controllers. Such recorders currently on the market are only partially autonomous.

  They often show low processing power and insufficient memory to accommodate the amount of data to be recorded.

  In addition, the detection resolution is such that they can discern two events close together of less than one second.

  The invention therefore relates to the possibility of performing event recordings by overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks.

  A first object of the present invention is to propose a device for recording events on point-of-point industrial sites in order firstly to decentralize the management of events and secondly to make it possible to obtain a history of the events. events on which expertise can determine the essential role of each.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible recording device that adapts to the needs of the user and its applications and allows it to be installed on all the hotspots of an industrial installation or tertiary to detect and date the operation, for example, pressure controllers, temperature, mechanical stress or electrical parameters.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for recording events autonomous, economical, easy to install and use.

  It is also desirable to provide a device that offers good dating accuracy and is able to manage the time stamp of events occurring cascading over time while saving the best energy and life. This results in a better integration of the process of cause and effect of successive events.

  Another object of the invention is to provide a tamper-proof device to ensure the security of events recorded for possible subsequent expertise.

  Finally, a last goal is to propose a set of several event recording devices according to the invention placed at different geographic locations of a territory, interconnected, in order to control and compare the data they acquire. for an overall diagnosis of equipment immediate and easy.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These objects are achieved by means of a real-time event recording device comprising at least one electrical input for an event to be recorded, time counting means and recording means. cooperating with a memory for storing timestamp information of events occurring on the one or more said inputs, and means for selectively suspending and activating said device in response to the occurrence of an event on an input, characterized in that that the recording means are capable of generating coarse time stamping data for a first event causing the device to be activated, and fine time stamping data, expressed relatively to the time stamp of said first event, for subsequent events occurring during the activity period of the device.

  Advantageously, the accuracy of the coarse time stamping data is of the order of one second and that of the end time stamping data of the order of a hundredth of a second.

Brief description of the figures

  Other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows, and with reference to the appended drawings, given by way of non-limiting examples and in which: FIG. 1 is a view very schematic of an event recording device according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a very schematic view of a set of event recording devices; FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the general flow of the event recording method; FIG. 4 is an alternative embodiment of FIG.

  Detailed description of the invention

  Figure 1 schematically shows the event recording device 10 according to the invention.

  It comprises at least recording means, storage means and time counting means cooperating to record chronologically the sequence of states of each of its inputs 14 and 15.

  According to the invention, said device 10 comprises a management unit 11 intended to receive and record events 50. Preferably, this management unit 11 is a microcontroller or a microprocessor.

  The management unit 11 communicates with the other components of the device 10 via a well known digital link interface per se. By way of non-limiting example, the interface is of the I2C type.

  According to one aspect of the invention, the recording device 10 is supplied with energy by a battery 16 but the power supply means of the device 10 may be subject to numerous variants that are well known per se.

  It is advantageously configured to limit its energy consumption and preserve the longevity of its electrical energy reserve 16.

  For this, the serial interface and the program of the management unit 11 are able to go to sleep after a time t, configurable by the administrator, if no event 50 does not occur. The appearance of any event 50 on an input 14 or 15 instantaneously wakes these two elements and the event recording device 10 is activated.

  Advantageously, the parameterizable scanning time t is of the order of a few seconds.

  The occurrence of an event 50 is, in general, identified by a trigger signal on one of the input / output ports 14 and 15 of which the event recording device 10 is provided.

  These electrical inputs 14 and 15 are activated by external equipment to signify that an event has occurred and must be registered.

  In the following, we will define an event 50 subsequently occurred at a first event during the same wakeup period of the recording device 10 as a cascaded event.

  In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the event recording device 10 comprises five input / output ports, three of which are discrete (discrete) inputs (14a, 14b, 14c) which consist of an isolated contact. without polarity and two are analog inputs (15a and 15b).

  Preferably, the analog inputs (15a and 15b) are voltage inputs of 24 - 400 Volts and 0 - 48 Volts, allowing in particular to detect the appearance or disappearance of voltage on an input line.

  If a discrete variable is declared as an event 50, a change of state, such as the opening or closing of a contact, for example, will be assigned to it as a bit.

  If an analog variable is declared as an event 50, a high threshold and a low threshold are defined. The variable is in a normal state when its value is between these two thresholds.

  By way of nonlimiting example, the event 50 of a lack of voltage of a port 14 or 15 is detected if it is greater than 100 ms.

  The nature and the number of ports 14 and 15 as well as the nature of the events 50 received can be the subject of numerous variants and are not limited to the illustrations made in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. In particular, it is possible to consider other types of analog input ports 15 or else events 50 linked to internal signals preprogrammed in the management unit 11.

  On the other hand, the resolution of the device 10 is such that the device 10 can detect two events 50 appearing in the same polling period t if they are separated by one hundredth of a second,

for example.

  Each event 50 received by the management unit 11 on one of its ports 14 or 15 is dated by means of a clock circuit and a real-time dating clock 12.

  Advantageously, the clock 12 has a frequency of 32 kHz so as to date the events 50 with an accuracy of the order of one second.

  A time register captures the date when the event 50 signal is detected, the device 10 being programmed to record the events 50 in real time with uncertainty arising from the stability of the real time dating clock 12.

  In a manner well known per se, the real-time dating clock 12 is controlled by quartz.

  The format of the dating of an event 50 waking up the management unit 11 is preferably defined to provide information on the seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years of an event 50 while that of the events Cascading will bring information up to one hundredth of a second.

  Event 50 is then stored with the value contained in the time register on a local storage medium.

  For this purpose, the management unit 11 is connected to a local memory unit 13. This unit 13 comprises both the random access memory 13a and the read-only memory 13b and more particularly a non-volatile memory 13 intended to store the latter. events occurred.

  Advantageously, the RAM 13a is of the NVRAM type and the ROM 13b is of the EEPROM or FLASH type.

  On the other hand, the memory unit 13 is preferably internal to the recording device 10.

  According to one aspect of the invention, the memory unit 13 is managed according to the first-in, first-out method.

  By way of non-limiting example, it can store the events 50 detected in chronological order in digital blocks, to store the type of event 50 occurred, the input 14 or 15 concerned, the date and time of the event 50.

  Advantageously, to optimize the use of the memory array of the read-only memory 13b, each event 50 occurring is stored in the form of eight bytes.

  Advantageously, the device 10 has a memory unit 13 with the capacity to store about sixty events 50 on the total of its input / output ports 14 and 15.

  An alternative embodiment of the present invention may provide for the addition of larger memory means in order to increase the storage capacity of the events 50.

  The operating time of the event recorder 50 is thus indefinite and is exercised until the end of the lifetime of its power supply 16.

  In addition, the recording device 10 has a plurality of internal counters including at least one counter 17 which identifies the real time, an elapsed time counter 18 and an event counter 19 which are preferably located in the memory. Management Unit 11.

  Advantageously, the internal counters are counters of 8 to 32 bits.

  According to the invention, the elapsed time counter 18 is programmed to initialize on the arrival of a first event 50 and to increment until the scanning time t defining the end of the wakeup period of the Management Unit: 11.

  Optionally, a resolution time counter in hundredths of a second (not shown in the figures) can be added to capture information allowing to know precisely the time of an event 50, and more particularly the time of the first event 50 of a cascade, compared to the tops provided by the clock 12 beating the second, by counting the time in hundredths of a second which elapses between its appearance and the next second of the clock 12.

  This counter will be useful for the registration of events 50 coming from several recording boxes 10 as described below in relation with FIG. 2.

  To read the information recorded by said device 10, the management unit 11 is connected via an interface 21 to an external terminal 20.

  By way of non-limiting example, the terminal 20 may be a laptop or any other specialized processor.

  Preferably, the link interface 21 is a serial type interface.

  This interface 21 makes it possible to transfer the events 50 recorded by the device 10 and to process them on the external terminal 20 via a software application.

  This application offers, in a non-limiting manner, the possibility of listing any event 50 transferred with its date and cascading events 50 with their date and the time elapsed between each of them.

  On the other hand, the accuracy of the real-time dating clock 12 of the device 10 depends on the accuracy of the crystal which has a drift of 4 minutes / year. This accuracy can be improved by known means.

  Since it is possible to read the time indicated by the device 10, it is also possible to reset with some accuracy an event 50 by comparing the time indicated by the dating clock 12 to the actual time. For this purpose, the device 10 comprises a sequential synchronization port configured, preferably, such as a bus of the I2C or SPI type.

  Each recording box 10 can thus be synchronized with the frequency of the internal clock controlling the external terminal 20, the latter being preferably synchronized to universal time.

  An alternative embodiment of the invention is distinguished from that illustrated in FIG. 1 by providing a correction circuit which will make it possible to reduce the maximum uncertainty of 4 minutes per year of the internal time of the recording device 10.

  Another embodiment of the invention proposes the synchronization of the events 50 of a recording device 10 by means of a connection cord to a specific collection device.

  Moreover, this cord makes it possible to bring electrical energy intended for recharging the energy reserve of the device 10.

  According to another aspect of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1, the recording device 10 can be modulated.

  Indeed, a module allowing the recording of the events 50 detected by the recording device 10 on another remote support and / or a module allowing the time synchronization of different recording devices 10 placed in different geographical locations can be connected .

  For this purpose, connectors are provided on the recording device 10. In a nonlimiting example, the connectors are of the R345 type.

  The synchronization module of the recording device 10 allows the synchronization of the recording device 10 in a manner known per se and particularly through the use of the atomic clock of Frankfurt or by any other radio link.

  FIG. 2 thus illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention presenting an example of a combination of these different modules by proposing the use of an autonomous module 30.

  It is clear that the distribution of apparatus 10 according to the invention in a selected territory will quickly achieve expertise in any desired location in this territory. Yet centralizing the data that is attractive to these record devices and their timing may be useful.

  This proposed independent collection and synchronization module 30 comprises at least one central unit 31, a memory unit 32 and an internal reference clock 33.

  It is based on a controller capable of periodic communication with the recording devices (10, 10 ') to allow the various internal clocks of the devices to synchronize with the internal clock of the module 33.

  The exchange of information between the module 30 and the various connected devices (10, 10 ') is via a bidirectional communication channel.

  According to one aspect of the invention, this channel can be implanted, in a nonlimiting manner, by means of a serial type interface 22.

  Non-limiting examples of the I2C or RS 485 interfaces may be mentioned.

  The module 30 can then adjust the times of the events (50, 50 ') reported by the devices 10 by comparing them with the time maintained by the internal clock 33 of the module 30 and improve the accuracy of the various events (50, 50') recorded. .

  Indeed, the collection and synchronization module 30 recalibrates the times assigned to the events (50, 50 ') coming from several recording boxes (10, 10') as a function of the differences in the steps recorded on the respective clocks of the devices ( 10, 10 '). This subsequent registration of the information is ensured by the precise knowledge of the time of a first event of a cascade, precision obtained, thanks to the time counter of resolution of a device 10 in hundredth of a second of a device 10 , counting the time in hundredths of a second that elapses between the appearance of event 50 and the next tick of clock 12.

  This particular precision obtained by slightly modifying the connection device and the internal software also makes it possible to simultaneously read two type-10 recording devices.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the apparatus 30 is provided with a radio controlled clock 33, synchronized on the Frankfurt DCF transmitter 77 to synchronize precisely the various events recorded. The synchronization accuracy of this set can then reach the order of 50 microseconds.

  On the other hand, if the module 30 also plays a role in the power supply of the various recording devices 10 with which it is in communication, the dating of the events 50 can be made to the nearest hundredth or even thousandth of a second.

  Another aspect of this embodiment of the invention proposes the initialization of the recording devices 10 by the module 30 during periodic verifications.

  The use of an additional collection and synchronization module 30 connecting different recording devices (10, 10 ') makes it possible to collect within a few minutes all the information received by all the devices (10, 10') present on a site. By having memorized the local times of each apparatus (10, 10 '), it is thus possible to accurately reconstruct the chronology of the events (50, 50') occurring on the site.

  According to the invention, the recording device 10 may, in addition, advantageously be constructed so as to be tamper-proof.

  Indeed, access keys on 8 to 32 bits can be provided to protect the erasure of memory units and particularly remanent memories saving the dating of the latest events 50 occurred, the time setting or the reading of the information registered to ensure complete and secure confidentiality of the data.

  An event recording method will now be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

  Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the general flow of the event recording process including for each event occurring a detection phase, a timestamping phase and a recording phase.

  In step 100, an event 1 is signaled by a trigger signal from one of the various inputs (14 or 15) of the device 10 and wakes up the management unit 11 (step 400) which detects it.

  In step 110, the device 10 requests the date and time of the dating clock 11 and dates the event 1 detected with an accuracy of the order of one second. This is the coarse time stamping phase.

  In step 120, the received event 1 is then stored in the local storage unit 13 with its arrival date and the event counter 19 is incremented by 1 (step 420).

  During the processing of the event 1 and more precisely before the management unit 11 goes into standby mode (step 450) after the time of scanning timed by the elapsed time counter 18 (step 410), a event 2 is signaled by a trigger signal (step 200) and detected.

  This cascading event is dated in step 210 in a manner similar to the previous step 110.

  In step 230, the event 2 is stored with its arrival date in the local storage unit 13. It will later be listed in the external terminal 20 with its date and the time elapsed since the event 1.

  This timestamp step of a cascaded event is a so-called fine timestamp phase.

  The steps are identical for an event 3 that could be detected in step 300 during the wake up period t of the management unit 11.

  In step 440, the finite scan time and no event having been detected, the elapsed time counter 18 resets to 0 (step 450) and the management unit 11 goes back to sleep (step 460) until a next event.

  In general, the complete processing of an event and more precisely the arrival of an event, its dating and its storage correspond to about 5 milliseconds.

  In addition, the accuracy of the first recorded event is of the order of 5 ms compared to the clock 12 of the recording box 10.

  Similarly, the accuracy of the nth cascade event of the first event is also of the order of 5ms.

  On the other hand, the recording device 10 offers the possibility of discerning two cascaded events that can be shifted by one hundredth of a second.

  According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, in step 500, the stored events can be transmitted and observed via the software application on an external terminal in order to check and trace the history of the events that have occurred. for example, on an industrial site.

  A nonlimiting illustration of the presentation of a series of events recorded on an external terminal 20 is based on the table described below with reference to FIG.

  It presents the event recording process according to an embodiment variant of the invention in which the events stored in the local memory units 13 of at least two recording devices A and B arranged on a site are transmitted. and collected by a collection module 30 (step 600) and stored in its memory unit 32 (step 700).

  As illustrated previously in FIGS. 1 and 2, the events can be signaled by external or internal signals to the recording device 10.

  In the case of simultaneous events, potential conflicts are eliminated.

  Indeed, the changes of state of the different entries are detected during the appearance of one of them and are then recorded as events. This detection is performed by comparing the state preceding the instant of the trip and the existing state after the trip, for each entry.

  Upon detection of an event 1, the management unit 11 of the device A wakes up (step 400). Device A initiates and increments on an internal interrupt an elapsed time counter 18 in order to control the wakeup period t parameterized of the management unit 11.

  Advantageously, this counter 18 is on 16 bits.

  In step 110, a counter 17 counts the time t1 from the signaling of the event 1 to the next top t2 of the internal dating clock 12.

  Thus, a date of arrival at the date of t2-t1 can be assigned to each detected event with a precision of the order of one second.

  In this variant embodiment of the invention, the events received by the device A in steps 100, 200 and 300 are further resynchronized at the frequency of the internal clock of the collection module 30 (step not shown in FIG. ).

  Another variant embodiment proposes, as mentioned above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a synchronization of the events received by the internal clock 12 of an external terminal 20 such as any electronic device provided with a clock.

  In step 450, the program of the management unit 11 goes to sleep. Preferably, it goes to sleep after a time of between 0 and 9 seconds.

  However, several events, for example events 1, 2 and 3 may succeed each other during the period of awakening of the management unit 11.

  According to the invention, these cascaded events are discerned to the nearest hundredth or thousandth of a second and will be listed in the form of date and time but also with the time difference separating them from the first event decelerating the period t of scanning as illustrated. a non-limiting example of a table representing an event history of an industrial site.

  On this table, the different columns indicate the number of recorded events, the date and time of each event, the entry concerned by the event and the time elapsed between two events that took place in the same wake up period. t.

  The data can be classified in chronological order and then by entry, or by entry then chronological order.

  N Type of event Entry date time Elapsed time elapsed 1 Open-> closed Contact A 02/01/05 10h15'25 .....

  2 closed-open Contact B 02/01/05 10h15'28 "3" 25 "'3 absence Voltage D 02/01/05 10h15'29" 4 "38" 4 presence Voltage D 03/01/05 10h 17'25 "....... ... Etc

NOT

Table la

  A first event occurred at the TORONIC A input. The wake-up call of the management unit 11 lasted five seconds, during which three events occurred 3 seconds apart and 25 hundredths for the event that took place at the same time. entered B and then 4 seconds and 38 cents for the lack of voltage detected at the input D. The first event is then dated to the second only, the second is accredited a difference of 3 seconds and 25 hundredths in more than its date to the nearest second and the third of a difference of 4 seconds and 38 hundredths in addition to its date to the nearest second.

  A fourth event concerning the presence of voltage at the input D occurred outside the waking period of the last event of the burst. It is only associated with its date of appearance.

  Each event is recorded from the moment of its detection.

  According to the invention, the interruption device generates an interruption for unloading the data to the collection module 30.

  Another embodiment of the invention provides for the generation of an interrupt for the unloading of data to the computer terminal connected to the recording device 10.

  In conclusion, the recording device 10 makes it possible to date events 50 with the desired precision and to increase this precision for the so-called cascading events in view. to better integrate the process of cause and effect of the events 50 while saving at best the energy and the lifetime of the device 10.

  Of course, the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments which have just been described but extends to any variant within its spirit.

  In particular, the present invention is in no way limited to the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying figures.

Claims (1)

18 Claims   Apparatus for recording events (10) in real time, comprising at least one electrical input (14 or 15) for an event (50) to be recorded, time counting means (12) and recording means (11) cooperating with storage means (13) for storing time stamp information of the events (50) occurring on the at least one input (14 or 15), and means for selectively suspending and activating said device ( 10) in response to the occurrence of an event (50) on an input (14 or 15) characterized in that the recording means (11) are capable of generating coarse time stamp data for a first event ( 50) causing the device (10) to activate, and the fine time stamping data, expressed relatively to the time stamp of said first event (50), for subsequent events occurring during the period of operation of the device. device (10).   2. Device according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the accuracy of coarse time stamp data is of the order of one second.   3. Device according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the accuracy of the time stamping data end is of the order of one hundredth of a second or thousandth of a second.   4. Device according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the electrical inputs comprise digital signal inputs (14) and / or analog inputs (15).   5. Device according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the storage means (13) comprise a non-volatile memory.   6. Device according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the accuracy of said first event with respect to the time counting means is of the order of 5 ms.   7. Device according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that, in the activity period of the device associated with said first event, the accuracy of the nth event following said first event with respect to the time counting means is of the order of 5 ms.   8. Device according to one of the preceding claims in that it further comprises synchronization means constituted by an external processor controlled by an internal synchronization clock comprising at least one storage medium and able to communicate with one or more devices 10 via an information bus.   9. Device according to one of the preceding claims in that the external processor is a laptop.   10. Device according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the recording means are suitable after having recorded in a first time the events received in the storage means associated with the device to transmit, in a second time, said events in a memory of a separate external module of said recording device.   A method for recording events in real time using at least one electrical input (14 or 15) for an event (50) to be recorded, time counting means (12) and means for recording (11) cooperating with storage means (13) for storing time stamp information of events (50) occurring on the one or more inputs (14 or 15), and means for selectively suspending and activating said device (10) in response to the occurrence of an event (50) on an input (14 or 15) characterized in that it comprises the steps of generating coarse time stamp data for a first event (50) causing the in operation of the device (10) and for generating fine time stamp data, relatively expressed with respect to time stamping of said first event (50), for subsequent events occurring during the period of activity of the device (10) .