Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08C—TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS
  • G08C25/00—Arrangements for preventing or correcting errors; Monitoring arrangements

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a remote control, especially for mobile machinery, especially public works machinery, agricultural machinery or handling.
• a mobile device remote control comprises, in known manner, a handle movable in at least one degree of freedom with respect to a support, the movement of this handle allowing an operator to control at least one receiving device outside the remote control, called also client device.
• Such a remote control includes a sensor of the position of the handle, and a sensor signal processing unit, for generating a control signal to the client device.
• the sensors can be small, the redundancy of these sensors does not significantly complicate the structure of the remote control, it appears however that the establishment of two units of processing in the remote control significantly complicates the realization of the remote control, and also increases its cost significantly.
• the present invention aims to provide a remote control in which the malfunctions due to the processing unit can be detected, without requiring the establishment of two processing units within the remote control.
• the present invention relates to a mobile equipment remote control, in particular a public works machine, agricultural or handling machine, intended to generate control signals to a client device, by means of communication means, the remote control including:
• a movable control handle according to at least one degree of freedom with respect to the body of the remote control
• At least one sensor of the position of the control handle a processing unit of the signals emitted by the at least one sensor
• an actuator intended to transmit control signals, processed by the processing unit to the client device, characterized in that it comprises test means intended to introduce a signal derived from a test signal emitted by the device client input to the processing unit, and in that it is arranged to transmit, to the client device, a set of information, in response to the test signal, comprising at least one response signal, corresponding to the treatment of the signal derived from the test signal by the processing unit.
• the set of information, transmitted in response to the test signal further comprises at least one control signal corresponding to the signal processing of the sensors by the processing unit.
• the test signal is a digital signal.
• test means comprise:
• means for transmitting an analog signal from the test signal means for filtering the transmitted analog signal.
• the processing unit comprises at least one analog / digital converter.
• the means for transmitting a signal to the filtering means from the test signal comprise means for generating a pulse width modulation type signal.
• the filtering means comprise a low-pass filter.
• the remote control comprises additional control means of the processing unit, comprising: a component for verifying the supply voltage of the unit, and / or
• a component for checking the frequency of timing of the operations in the processing unit a component for checking the frequency of timing of the operations in the processing unit.
• the remote control comprises at least two sensors for each degree of freedom of the handle.
• the present invention also relates to a method for verifying the operation of a processing unit of a mobile equipment remote control, in particular a public works machine, agricultural or handling machine, intended to generate control signals to a client device via communication means, the remote control comprising:
• a movable control handle according to at least one degree of freedom with respect to the body of the remote control
• the method comprising the steps of, at a client device: transmitting a test signal to the unit treatment, at the remote control:
• a set of information comprising at least one signal corresponding to processing by the processing unit, of the signal derived from the test signal, to the client device, and to the client device:
• the test signal is a digital signal.
• the production of a signal derived from the test signal is performed by: - deriving an analog signal from the test signal
• the set of information further comprises at least one signal corresponding to the signal processing of the sensors by the processing unit.
• the set of information transmitted by the remote control is expected within a specified time interval after transmission of the test signal.
• the method comprises a step, at the level of the processing unit, of multiplexing the sensor signals and signals derived from the test signal, and processing the multiplexed signal with processing means, in particular to carry out a conversion. analog / digital.
• the detection of the position of the handle is performed by two separate sensors.
• at least part of the treatment is performed, within the processing unit, redundantly by at least two routines whose instructions and / or data are recorded in two memory areas separate from the processing unit.
• a first routine processes the signals of a first sensor and the signal derived from the test signal
• a second routine processes the signals of a second sensor and the signal derived from the test signal
• Figure 1 is a partial sectional view of a remote control according to one embodiment.
• Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a system formed of a remote control and a client device connected by communication means.
• Figure 3 is a representation of the characteristic of the output signal of the sensors of the remote control of Figure 1, depending on the position of the handle.
• FIG 4 is a block diagram of the processing components of the remote control of Figure 1.
• FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the treatments carried out by the processing unit of the remote control of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 6 is a diagram of the temporal scheduling of the communication between the remote control of FIG. 1 and a client device.
• Fig. 7 is a table describing a data frame sent by a client device to the remote control of Fig. 1.
• FIG. 8 is a table describing a data frame sent by the remote control of FIG. 1 to a client device.
• a remote control 2 of a mobile machine comprises:
• control handle 3 movable according to at least one degree of freedom with respect to the body 4 of the remote control
• control signals are transported via communication means 9, consisting for example of a CAN bus-type fieldbus to a client device 10 comprising at least supervision means 12.
• the remote control 1 for mobile machines comprises, as described in the document FR 2 857 489, for each degree of freedom of the handle 3, two pushers 13, 13R mounted sliding in the body 4
• the handle 3 is pivotally mounted relative to the body 4, and controls, via a transverse skirt 14 in simple support on the upper end of the pushers 13, 13R, the back and forth movements of these two pushers 13, 13R located on either side of the handle 3.
• First elastic return means 15 urge each pusher 13, 13R to its extended position so that they have a proper upward movement, and follow the movements of the handle in all its tilting positions, between a depressed position and an output position of the pusher 13, 13R.
• the sensors 5, 5R detect the position of each of the pushers 13, 13R, which allows to know the position of the handle.
• the sensors 5, 5R are sensors without mechanical contact of the Hall effect sensor type, mounted in the body 4 of the remote control.
• Each pusher comprises a foot comprising a magnet 16, moving opposite the sensor between the depressed and output positions of each pusher 13, 13R. It should be noted that only one pusher and one sensor is sufficient to know the position of the handle in all its tilting positions. The presence of two pushers and two sensors thus makes it possible to obtain redundant information for a given axis or degree of freedom.
• Each sensor 5, 5R provides, as a function of the position of the handle 3 and therefore of the pusher with which it is associated, a signal S1, S1 R. This signal S1.
• S1 R can for example be given in the form of a voltage signal, whose value is between two extreme terminals of 0, 5 and 5 V, a median value of 2.5 V corresponding to the neutral position of the handle.
• This signal S1, S1 R precisely indicating the position of the handle 3, is sent to the processing unit 6.
• a remote control 2 comprising more than one degree of freedom.
• four pushers and four sensors are used, thus providing four signals S1, S1 R, S2, S2R.
• the signal S1 is 4.5 V while the signal S1 R is 0.5 V.
• the two sensors 13, 13R deliver the same value of the signals S1, S1 R, equal to 2.5 V. It should be noted that ranges of values above 4.5 V and below 0.5 V, can detect malfunction causes such as wear, circuit break or short circuit.
• the processing unit 6 is constituted by a part of an electronic card 17, in particular by a microcontroller.
• This microcontroller 6 comprises:
• an ADC analog / digital converter intended to receive the signals coming from the sensors by a first group of inputs, represented at 18.
• a CPU microprocessor represented at 19, for processing and routing the information on the microcontroller, an interface controller IC, represented at 20, for communication with the actuator 7.
• the microprocessor CPU is connected to the other components by internal communication means of the microcontroller 6, bus type.
• the actuator 7 is constituted by an ID interface driver, which notably allows amplification of the signals provided by the interface controller IC.
• the signal level at the output of the interface controller is of the order of 1 mA, and the interface driver amplifies the level of this signal up to 20 mA, to communicate it by the bus 9.
• L The actuator 7 is connected to the bus in transmission and reception by two CANH and CANL links represented at 23 and 24.
• the signals S1 and S1 R are received at the analog / digital converter ADC at 18, by two inputs ADC1 and ADC4, referenced at 25 and 26.
• the signals S1 and S1 R are thus transformed from Analog to digital signals S1d and S1 Rd.
• the microprocessor CPU makes it possible to perform complementary processing on the signals, for example to set up ramps or signal curves.
• the output signals S1 s and S1 Rs thus obtained are then supplied to the interface controller IC, which transmits them to the actuator 7, itself transmitting this signal, constituting a control signal to the client device 10 by means of communication 9, constituted by the field bus
• the entire card is powered by a power source through an input 27, connected for example to a voltage regulator REG, shown at 28.
• REG voltage regulator
• this regulator makes it possible to verify that the power supply of the microcontroller is carried out in a 5V band of voltage.
• the card has a common reference of electric potential 29.
• the microcontroller furthermore comprises a set of test means making it possible to deduce a response signal RT from a test setpoint value T.
• the digital test setpoint value T is communicated by the supervision means 12 of the client system via the communication bus 9. This setpoint value T is received by the actuator 7, which transmits it to the interface controller IC, and is then routed by the microprocessor CPU to the test means.
• the test means comprise in particular: - means for generating a PWM pulse width modulation type signal, represented at 30, on an output 32 of the microcontroller 6, from a digital test set point value T, and
• a filter 33 for example of the low-pass type, making it possible to generate a continuous signal from the PWM signal.
• a second input group 34 of the analog / digital converter ADC of which two inputs ADC2 and ADC3, represented at 35 and 36, take the value of an analog signal at the output of the filter 33.
• the filter 33 may for example consist of a resistor 37 in series between the terminals of the filter and a branch to the common reference comprising a capacitor 38.
• test means thus make it possible to provide an analog signal value coming from the filtering, treated as a signal value coming from a sensor, by the ADC converter, then during the processing carried out by the microprocessor CPU, and during the transfer by the IC interface controller and actuator.
• the signal obtained corresponding to a response signal RT is then sent back to the supervisory means 12 of the client device 10 with the control signals of the sensors, S1 and S1 R, again via the interface controller IC, the controller. actuator 7, then the communication bus 9, as we will detail below.
• the electronic card 17 also comprises additional verification means of the operation of the microcontroller forming the processing unit, consisting of:
• an EWD component bearing the reference 40, for checking the timing frequency of the operations in the microcontroller. These components may stop the operation of the actuator 7 if an anomaly is found concerning the parameters checked.
• FIG. 4 illustrates the organization of the processing carried out on the signals present at the input of the ADC analog / digital converter, until the shaping of data frames that can be transmitted to the client system by the controller of FIG. IC interface and actuator 7.
• the signals S1, S1 R, T coming respectively from a first and a second sensor 5, 5R, and from the filter 33 are present on the following inputs of the ADC analog / digital converter:
• a multiplexing component 42 for S1 R.
• the multiplexing can be operated by a dedicated component or by the microprocessor.
• the conversion of the multiplexed signal is performed by the ADC converter.
• a third step E3 within the microprocessor, the additional processing operations are performed on the digital data obtained from the signals S1, T, S1 R. These processes are performed by two redundant calculation routines R1 and R1 R, whose Identical instructions are stored in two separate CPU microprocessor memory parts, RAM 1 and RAM2.
• the routine R1 processes the data from the signals S1 and T, coming from the inputs ADC1 and ADC2 of the converter, and the routine R1 R processes the data coming from the signals S1 R and T, coming from the inputs ADC1 and ADC3 of the converter.
• routine R1 provides digital data derived from the signals:
• a signal INVS1 R corresponding to a digital inversion of S1 R bit by bit.
• a fourth step E4 the data obtained in E3 are formatted in the form of a SAF frame, for sending to the client system, by the interface controller IC and the interface driver of the actuator 7.
• This frame includes the following data:
• - S1 the value of the signal from a first sensor 5
• - INVS1 the digital inversion of S1 bit by bit.
• the frame further comprises a cyclic counter CC for identifying it with respect to the preceding and following frames.
• the communication protocol between the supervision means 12 of the client device 10 and the processing unit constituted by the microcontroller 6 is of the master / slave type.
• the supervisory means 12 of the client device constitute the master, and the processing unit 6 of the remote control is the slave.
• the supervisory means send a synchronous request in the form of a master request frame MRF, and wait for a response in the form of a slave response frame SAF, in a determined time window, from the transmission of the frame request.
• An example of the scheduling of frame transmissions is shown in FIG. 6. It appears in this example that the response of the processing unit must arrive within 0.5 ms to the supervision means of the client device, and that the frames requests are sent by these supervision means to an interval between 5 and 25 ms.
• the described synchronous mode makes it possible to avoid communication errors and avoids confusion between two replies to two transmitted request frames.
• the master request frame MRF comprises the test set point T
• the slave response frame SAF comprises the data of the signals RT, S1, INVS1, RTR, S1 R, INVSR as detailed above.
• Figures 7 and 8 describe an exemplary structure for these frames.
• the supervision means of the client device to compare the test setpoint value T sent with the received RT and RTR values, to identify whether the operation of the microcontroller is satisfactory, the received signals RT and RTR having been processed by all components of the microcontroller, including redundant elements.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Selective Calling Equipment (AREA)
• Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
• Preliminary Treatment Of Fibers (AREA)
• Agricultural Machines (AREA)
• Telephone Function (AREA)
• Arrangements For Transmission Of Measured Signals (AREA)
• Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)

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• 2005
  • 2005-05-18 FR FR0504990A patent/FR2886035B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2006
  • 2006-04-06 WO PCT/FR2006/000763 patent/WO2006123025A2/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2006-04-06 JP JP2008511740A patent/JP2008541285A/ja active Pending
  • 2006-04-06 US US11/918,349 patent/US20090021414A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-04-06 AT AT06743647T patent/ATE472788T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2006-04-06 EP EP06743647A patent/EP1882244B1/de not_active Not-in-force
  • 2006-04-06 DE DE602006015179T patent/DE602006015179D1/de active Active
  • 2006-04-06 CN CNA2006800166918A patent/CN101176131A/zh active Pending

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