JP2002132995A - Management system for communication facilities - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce maintenance cost by reducing the wastage of time spent, when coping with abnormality occurrence in communication facilities. SOLUTION: Inside a portable telephone base station 1, a programmable controller gathering many kinds of data indicating the operation states of communication equipment and auxiliary equipment or the like is provided. A host computer 10 inside a management center 9 analyzes gathered data from the base station 1, diagnoses the state of the equipment inside the base station; and when it is decided that the repair of the equipment is required, it commands the dispatch of maintenance personnel to a service base 14, selects parts required for the restoration of an abnormal state and orders them to a parts supplier 16. When it is decided a possibility exists that the abnormal contents of the equipment are dissolved by re-supplying of power, the host computer 10 requests a communication carrier operation center 12 to re-supply the power of the equipment through remote control.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication device equipped with a communication device and ancillary equipment (such as an air conditioner for coping with heat generated by the communication device). Related to a communication system management system.

[0002]

In a mobile phone base station, which is an example of a communication facility, a heat exchanger for exchanging heat generated by the communication device with outside air outside the base station in addition to a communication device. Air conditioning equipment such as an air conditioner for lowering the ambient temperature inside the base station, a ventilation fan for ventilating the air inside the base station,
Ancillary equipment such as lighting equipment will be installed. In such a mobile phone base station, when an abnormality such as a communication failure occurs in a communication device, not only is it taken promptly, but even when an abnormality occurs in It is desirable to promptly deal with the occurrence of the abnormality in order to prevent the adverse effect of the rise from occurring. In this case, the mobile phone base station is generally operated unattended. Conventionally, when an error occurs in a communication device or an air conditioner in the mobile phone base station, the error is detected and a simple error is detected. A system in which a signal (for example, an error signal indicating a failure of an air conditioner) is transmitted to a manager, and the manager dispatches maintenance personnel to the site based on the error signal to recover the abnormal situation. Had become.

However, in the above-described system, since there is no function of transmitting the specific contents of the error to the error signal itself, the administrator needs to replace parts in order to recover the abnormal state. There is a situation that we do not know at all. For this reason, the maintenance staff dispatched to the site will investigate the contents of the abnormality and determine whether parts need to be replaced, and if parts need to be replaced, order maintenance parts and return to the site again. It is necessary to take a double procedure (for example, to investigate the contents of the abnormality on the first day and bring in repair parts for repair at a later date). There is a problem that the management cost increases and it takes a long time to recover the abnormal state. In order to eliminate the double procedure as described above, maintenance personnel should carry all repair parts, but in order to prepare all repair parts in advance, In addition, there is a problem that a large cost is required, and moreover, when an abnormality occurs in a mobile phone base station installed in a place where a vehicle cannot enter (such as a mountaintop), it is practically impossible to cope. there were. Also,
For example, even in the case of a minor failure that can be resolved simply by turning on the power to the ancillary equipment that has failed, the maintenance staff must go to the site unnecessarily to solve the problem. Waste is increased and the maintenance management cost is increased. In particular, since many mobile phone base stations are installed in remote locations, such waste has become extremely large.

[0004] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a first object of the present invention is to significantly reduce the time waste in dealing with the occurrence of an abnormality in a communication facility. An object of the present invention is to provide a communication facility management system capable of reducing maintenance management costs and shortening the time required for recovery from an abnormal state. The second purpose is
A communication facility that can prevent a situation in which maintenance personnel unnecessarily go to the facility when an abnormality occurs in the communication facility, thereby reducing time waste and associated maintenance management costs. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a management system.

[0005]

To achieve the first object, the means described in claim 1 can be adopted. According to this means, the data collection device provided at each communication facility collects various types of data indicating the operation state of the communication equipment and the auxiliary equipment in the facility, and outputs the collected data. The diagnostic device analyzes the collected data output from the data collection device to diagnose the state of the communication device and the auxiliary equipment, and provides the diagnosis result to the management center for the communication facility. In this case, the diagnostic device determines whether or not an abnormal state has occurred in the communication device and the auxiliary equipment based on the diagnostic result, and determines whether or not repair is necessary according to the determined degree of the abnormal state. Judgment is made, the cause of the abnormal state is estimated, and the parts necessary for repairing the abnormal state are selected. If there is a communication device and ancillary equipment determined to require repair by the diagnostic device, maintenance personnel are dispatched to the communication facility where it is installed. Since the necessity of repair is known in advance, and the parts necessary for the repair are selected in advance, maintenance personnel can recover from the abnormal state by visiting the communication facility only once. Eliminates the need for a system-intensive procedure. As a result, the labor required for maintenance of the communication facility is reduced, the maintenance management cost can be reduced, and the time required for recovery from the abnormal state can be significantly reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the state of the communication equipment and auxiliary equipment in each communication facility can be collectively diagnosed by the diagnostic device provided on the management device side.
The system configuration is simplified as compared with the case where a diagnostic device is provided for each communication facility, and the cost can be reduced.

According to the third aspect, when a part necessary for repairing an abnormal state in the communication facility is selected by the diagnostic device, the management center automatically orders the part from the part supplier. As a result, parts required when dispatching maintenance personnel can be arranged reliably and early, and abnormal conditions can be quickly repaired, and the trouble of ordering is omitted. become able to.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the data collection device is provided with storage means for accumulating, over a predetermined period, specific data that requires continuous observation among the collected data, Since the diagnostic device is configured to also use the accumulated data when determining whether or not an abnormal state has occurred in the communication device and the incidental device, for example, the communication device and the incidental device indicated by the collected data It becomes possible to grasp the changing tendency of the operating state of the device over a predetermined period. As a result, the presence / absence of an abnormal state in the communication equipment and the auxiliary equipment can be accurately determined based on the change tendency of the operating state grasped as described above, and the reliability of the determination operation is improved. become.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the data stored in the storage means is compared for each communication facility, and the result of the comparison is used in estimating the cause of the abnormal state in the diagnostic device. Because it has a configuration, for example, for communication equipment or incidental equipment in which an abnormal state has occurred, if there is data that is prominent compared to data of communication equipment or incidental equipment of another communication facility, Based on the data, the cause of the abnormal state can be easily estimated.

According to the means of the present invention, past maintenance history data on communication equipment and ancillary equipment in a communication facility and production time data of the communication equipment and ancillary equipment are provided to the management center. The accumulated digitized database is built, and the diagnostic device determines the maintenance history data and manufacturing time data, that is, data related to the life of communication equipment and auxiliary equipment by the abnormality determination function and the repair presence / absence determination function. , The reliability of each determination operation is improved.

According to the means described in claim 7, the maintenance staff dispatched to the communication facility can be instructed through the portable information terminal about the repair target location of the communication equipment and the auxiliary equipment, the maintenance method, and the like. There is no need to require a high level of skill for the maintenance personnel. For this reason, it is very useful in securing the personnel required for operating the system.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising:
Can be adopted. According to this means, the data collection device provided at each communication facility collects various types of data indicating the operation state of the communication equipment and the auxiliary equipment in the facility, and outputs the collected data. The diagnosis device diagnoses the state of the communication device and the incidental equipment by analyzing the collected data. In this case, the diagnostic device determines, based on the diagnosis result, whether or not an abnormal state has occurred in the communication device and the auxiliary equipment, and the content of the abnormality. Then, when the diagnostic device determines that an abnormal state has occurred in the communication device or the auxiliary equipment, when it is determined that the content of the abnormality may be resolved by turning on the power again, An operation of once turning off and on the power of the communication device or the auxiliary equipment is executed. Therefore, in the event that a minor failure occurs such that the abnormal state can be resolved simply by turning on the power again, it is possible to prevent a situation in which maintenance personnel needlessly go to the site like the conventional system, It becomes possible to realize a reduction in waste of time and a reduction in maintenance management cost associated therewith.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the state of the communication equipment and the auxiliary equipment in each communication facility can be collectively diagnosed by the diagnostic device provided on the management device side.
The system configuration is simplified as compared with the case where a diagnostic device is provided for each communication facility, and the cost can be reduced.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the data collection device is provided with storage means for accumulating, over a predetermined period, specific data which requires continuous observation among the collected data. Since the diagnostic device is configured to use the accumulated data when determining whether or not an abnormal state has occurred in the communication device and the incidental equipment and the content of the abnormality, for example, the communication indicated by the collected data It becomes possible to grasp the changing tendency of the operating state and the like of the equipment and the auxiliary equipment over a predetermined period. As a result, the presence / absence of an abnormal state in communication equipment and incidental equipment and the details of the abnormality can be accurately determined based on the change tendency of the operating state grasped as described above, and the reliability of the determination operation is improved. Will be improved.

According to the means of the present invention, past maintenance history data on the communication equipment and the auxiliary equipment in the communication facility and production time data of the communication equipment and the auxiliary equipment are provided on the management center side. The accumulated digitized database is constructed, and the diagnosis device reflects the maintenance history data and the manufacturing time data, that is, data relating to the life of the communication device and the auxiliary equipment in the determination operation by the abnormality determination function. Therefore, the reliability of the determination operation is improved.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the diagnostic apparatus includes a diagnostic result and data stored in an electronic database (for example, past maintenance history data on communication equipment and ancillary equipment in a communication facility; Based on the data on the production time of communication equipment and incidental equipment, etc.), the replacement time and update time of communication equipment and incidental equipment are predicted, and the prediction result is reported to the owner of the communication facility. Therefore, the owner can know in advance the maintenance time according to the actual situation of each communication facility, which is very effective in systematically maintaining the system.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the diagnostic apparatus predicts a component replacement time and an update time in the communication equipment and the auxiliary equipment based on the diagnosis result and data stored in the electronic database. At the same time, the prediction result is stored in an electronic database, and the prediction result is answer-backed in response to a request from the owner of the communication facility. This makes it possible to grasp in advance the maintenance time according to the actual situation of each communication facility, which reduces waste compared to a case where maintenance is performed periodically, and is useful for systematically maintaining the system.

According to the means described in claim 14, the management center is provided with a function of automatically controlling the operating states of the communication equipment and the auxiliary equipment by remote control based on the diagnosis result by the diagnosis device. , The operating state of communication equipment and auxiliary equipment can be optimally controlled for each communication facility,
This is useful for preventing a situation in which an abnormal state occurs in the communication device and the auxiliary equipment beforehand.

According to the means described in claim 15, the management center side digitizes and sequentially accumulates abnormal condition generating devices and degrees of abnormal conditions in a plurality of communication facilities and the status of response to the abnormal conditions. Since a database is constructed, for example, when there is a communication facility where the same abnormal state repeatedly occurs, the communication facility can be easily extracted based on the data in the computerized database and fundamental measures taken into consideration. It can be applied to various applications.

According to the means of claim 16, since the specifications of each communication facility and the specifications of the internal communication equipment and auxiliary equipment are stored in the electronic database in advance as basic data, The usefulness of computerized databases will be further enhanced.

According to the means of claim 17, since the data in the digitized database can be searched from the portable information terminal, the digitized database can be easily used, and it is very convenient in practical use. become.

According to the means of the eighteenth aspect, the business chance of the maintenance agency increases, which is useful for promoting the management system of the communication facility.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a management system for a mobile phone base station as an example of a communication facility will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 schematically shows the outline of base station equipment provided in the mobile phone base station by combining functional blocks. This figure 2
In the mobile phone base station 1, in addition to the communication device 2 (corresponding to the communication device in the present invention) having a built-in amplifier, an air conditioner for cooling the inside of the base station 1 is provided as an accessory device thereof. 3. A heat exchanger 4 for exchanging heat generated by the communication device 2 with outside air outside the base station 1 and a ventilation fan 5 for ventilating the air inside the base station 1 are provided, as well as lighting equipment and monitoring equipment. Programmable for controlling the other device group 6 such as a CCD camera, a battery 7 for power backup of the communication device 2, the communication device 2, the air conditioner 3, the heat exchanger 4, the ventilation fan 5, and the other device group 6. A controller 8 is provided.

The programmable controller 8 includes an analog / digital input / output unit 8a, a CPU 8b, a memory 8
c, a well-known configuration including an input / output interface 8d for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device, a power supply unit (not shown), and the like; a communication device 2, an air conditioner 3, a heat exchanger 4, a ventilation fan 5, and others. Equipment group 6 and battery 7 (for example, lead storage battery)
Therefore, the function as a data collection device according to the present invention, which collects various types of data indicating the operation state and the like, is realized. The memory 8c functions as a storage unit according to the present invention.
2, the analog / digital output from the programmable controller 8 is indicated by a broken arrow, and the analog / digital input to the programmable controller 8 is indicated by a solid arrow.

In this case, the programmable controller 8
Are based on a program stored in the memory 8c in advance and an external command, (a) start / stop control (reset control) of the communication device 2 and, if there is a standby device of the communication device 2, switch to the standby device Control, setting switching control of other functions of the communication device 2, (b) start / stop control (reset control) of the air conditioner 3, temperature setting switching control of the air conditioner 3, setting switching control of other functions of the air conditioner 3, (C) start / stop control of heat exchanger 4 (reset control); (d) start / stop control of ventilation fan 5; (e) start / stop control of other equipment group 6 (reset control); other functions of equipment group 6 , And the opening / closing control of a base station door, which is one of the other device groups 6, and the like.

Also, the communication device 2, the air conditioner 3, the heat exchanger 4,
A data output function including a sensor and the like necessary for outputting data such as the following (f) to (k) indicating the operation state of the ventilation fan 5, the other device group 6, and the battery 7 is provided, and is programmable. The controller 8 collects the data in a predetermined order.

(F) Communication device 2: power consumption, current consumption,
(G) Air conditioner 3 ... power consumption, current consumption, vibration and operation sound, temperature (temperature of air conditioner 3 itself and base (H in station 1), humidity (temperature in base station 1), error message by self-diagnosis function, etc. (h)
Heat exchanger 4 ... power consumption, current consumption, vibration and operating noise,
Temperature, etc. (i) Ventilation fan 5: Power consumption, current consumption, temperature, etc. (j) Power consumption of device group 6, Door open / close state, CC
(K) Battery 7, such as D camera output, fire alarm output, noise meter output inside and outside base station 1, power supply load of base station 1 as a whole, etc.
... output voltage, temperature, specific gravity of electrolyte, height of electrolyte surface, etc.

The programmable controller 8
Stores the input data in the memory 8c sequentially and stores the latest stored data in the input / output interface 8d.
Through an external device to be described later in real time. In this case, the programmable controller 8 stores, in the memory 8c, specific data (for example, current consumption, temperature, humidity, vibration, operation sound, and the like) that requires continuous observation in the collected data for a predetermined period (for example, several days). ), And the stored data is transmitted to an external device.

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration for managing the mobile telephone base station 1 by combining functional blocks, which will be described below. The management center 9 is installed in a maintenance agency contracted with a communication carrier, which is the operator (owner) of the mobile phone base station 1, and communicates with the programmable controller 8 in the mobile phone base station 1 and the communication means ( A host computer 10 (corresponding to a diagnostic device) and a storage device 11 for an electronic database, which are connected by a dedicated line such as an optical fiber cable, are provided. Although only one mobile phone base station 1 is shown in FIG. 1, a host computer 10 in the management center 9 is connected to a programmable controller 8 in a plurality of mobile phone base stations 1.

Although specific control contents of the host computer 10 will be described later, the host computer 10 reads the collected data by sequentially accessing a plurality of connected programmable controllers 8. ing. In addition, the host computer 10 includes a device management device 13 in a communication carrier operation center 12 installed on the communication carrier side, an information terminal 15 in a service base 14 on a maintenance agency side,
An information terminal 17 in a parts supplier 16 (corresponding to a parts supplier) is connected via a communication line (a public telephone line, a mobile telephone line, the Internet, etc.).

The equipment management device 13 in the telecommunications carrier operation center 12 sends the communication device 2, the air conditioner 3, the heat exchanger 4, the ventilation fan 5, etc. to the program controller 8 in each mobile phone base station 1. Control signal for remotely controlling the start / stop of the device group 6 of the air conditioner 3, the temperature setting of the air conditioner 3, the switching of the communication device 2 to the standby device (when the standby device is installed), the opening and closing of the base station door, and the like. Can be selectively transmitted. Further, the device management device 13 is configured to be able to access an electronic database (described later) set in the storage device 10 in the management center 9 as necessary.

The information terminal 15 in the service base 14 has
A check command including various information is given from the host computer 10 in the management center 9 at a timing described later, and the service base 14 performs maintenance on the mobile phone base station 1 specified by the check command. Staff are to be dispatched. In this case, the dispatched maintenance staff carries, for example, a mobile phone as a portable information terminal, and can access the management center 9 through the mobile phone network 18 from the mobile phone. Further, the inspection command includes failure information indicating the content of the failure or failure of the device in the mobile phone base station 1, and the service base 14 is indicated by the failure information in the inspection command. If the failure / failure content includes technical content that cannot be dealt with by the maintenance personnel, the communication carrier maintenance section 1 on the communication carrier side.
9 is requested to accompany a technician who can deal with the failure / failure content, and accordingly, the telecommunications carrier maintenance section 1
In 9, the engineer will be dispatched. The management center 9 may directly request the telecommunications carrier maintenance section 19 to dispatch maintenance personnel.

The information terminal 17 in the parts supplier 16 is supplied with a parts order signal from the host computer 10 in the management center 9 at a later-described timing. The specified parts are delivered to the service base 14 through, for example, a courier service.

In the storage device 11 in the management center 9, an electronic database storing the following data is constructed. Past maintenance history data, production time data for the communication device 2, air conditioner 3, heat exchanger 4, ventilation fan 5, other device group 6, and battery 7 in each mobile phone base station 1,
Operation history data indicating operation time and the like, communication device 2, air conditioner 3, heat exchanger 4, ventilation fan 5, predicted by host computer 10 as described later.
Forecast data indicating the replacement time and update time of the other equipment group 6 and the battery 7, data indicating the abnormal state generating device and the degree of the abnormal state in each mobile phone base station 1, and the past response status to the abnormal state History data sorted and organized for each mobile phone base station 1, specifications of each mobile phone base station 1, communication device 2, air conditioner 3,
Basic data indicating the specifications of the heat exchanger 4, the ventilation fan 5, the other device group 6, and the battery 7.

Route guidance data indicating an installation location (address) of each mobile phone base station 1 and an arrival route (forward route) to the base station 1.

Host computer 10 in management center 9
In addition, while analyzing the collected data read from the programmable controller 8 in the mobile phone base station 1 using the data in the digitized database, each device in the mobile phone base station 1 is analyzed based on the analysis result. (Communication device 2, air conditioner 3, heat exchanger 4, ventilation fan 5, other device group 6
And a program for diagnosing the state of the battery 7) and the like, and for realizing an abnormality determination function, a repair presence / absence determination function, a component selection function, and a component replacement time prediction function using the diagnostic results described below. The program is set.

In this case, examples of the contents of the diagnosis by the host computer 10 include a life diagnosis based on a variation in current from each device, a failure diagnosis based on an error message from the communication device 2 and the air conditioner 3, and a sound level meter output. Noise diagnosis inside and outside the mobile phone base station 1 based on the operating state of the ventilation fan 5, diagnosis of the air condition inside the base station 1 based on the temperature inside the base station 1, and the like.

Abnormality judging function: judging whether or not an abnormal state (failure or the like) has occurred due to an error message from the communication device 2 and the air conditioner 3 and the content of the abnormality, vibration and operation sound in the air conditioner 3, current consumption, the base station 1 The presence or absence of an abnormal state and the content of the abnormality using the temperature and the like in the inside, the existence and the content of the abnormal state using the vibration and operation sound in the heat exchanger 4, the current consumption, the temperature of the communication device 2, and the like. Judgment, C
The presence / absence of an abnormal state in the mobile phone base station 1 and the content of the abnormality are determined by the output of the CD camera (the determination of the presence / absence of the abnormal state in the ventilation fan 5 and the other device group 6 is performed by the same method. May be). Further, it is also determined at the same time whether or not there is a possibility that the abnormality content of the device determined as described above may be recovered by a power-on (reset). As an example in which the contents of the abnormality are resolved by turning on the power again, the program of the device control CPU may run away due to external noise or the like, or the initial setting data (for example, the set air-conditioning temperature of the air conditioner 3) may be incorrect. There may be a situation where it is easily changed.

Repair presence / absence determination function: The communication device 2, based on the error message, the degree of the abnormal state determined as described above, and the maintenance history data, manufacturing time data, operation history data, and basic data in the computerized database. It is determined whether or not the air conditioner 3, the heat exchanger 4, and the like need to be repaired (in this determination, the operation history data and the basic data may be used as necessary).

Component selection function: A cause of occurrence of an abnormal state is estimated based on the above diagnosis result and maintenance history data, manufacturing time data, operation history data, and basic data in the computerized database, and a component is repaired for the abnormal state. Is determined, and if necessary, a repair part is selected (in this selection, the operation history data and the basic data may be used as necessary).

Part replacement time prediction function: Communication device 2,
Variations in current consumption in the air conditioner 3, heat exchanger 4, ventilation fan, etc. and maintenance time data, manufacturing time data, operation history data, and basic data in the computerized database. (This prediction result is stored as prediction data in the computerized database).

FIG. 3 shows a part of the contents of control by the host computer 10 which is directly related to the gist of the present invention. This will be described below together with related operations. FIG. 3 exemplifies control contents for one mobile phone base station 1 for convenience of explanation. In FIG. 3, the host computer 10 firstly operates the mobile phone base station 1.
Then, the data read by the programmable controller 8 is read (step S1), and a data analysis routine S2 using the collected data and the digitized database in the storage device 11 is executed. In this routine S2, as described above, the state of each device (communication device 2, air conditioner 3, heat exchanger 4, ventilation fan 5, other device group 6, and battery 7) in the mobile phone base station 1 is diagnosed. In addition, the abnormality determination function, repair presence / absence determination function, component selection function, and component replacement time prediction function described above are operated.

Although not shown in FIG. 3, the data indicating the abnormal state generating device and the data indicating the degree of the abnormal state obtained by the abnormality determining function and the repair presence / absence determining function, and the component replacement time predicting function The prediction data indicating the result of predicting the component replacement time and the update time of the device itself obtained by the above are sequentially stored in the computerized database. In particular, the prediction data is configured to be automatically notified to the communication carrier operation center 12. The above-mentioned forecast data is stored in the telecommunications carrier operation center 12.
It is also configured to report (answer back) when there is a request from the side.

After the execution of the data analysis routine S2 as described above, it is determined whether or not all the devices in the mobile phone base station 1 are normal based on the determination result by the abnormality determination function (step S3). . Here, if "NO" is determined, that is, if there is a device in which an abnormal state has occurred, it is determined whether or not the abnormal state generating device needs to be repaired based on the determination result by the repair presence / absence determining function. (Step S4). If the repair is not necessary, the process returns as it is. However, if the repair is necessary, it is possible that the abnormality content of the device is restored by turning on (resetting) the power based on the result of the determination by the abnormality determination function. It is determined whether or not there is (step S5).

If "YES" is determined in the step S5, it is determined whether or not the monitoring flag is "0" (step S6). The initial value of this monitoring flag is “0”
Therefore, in a normal state, step S
6 is determined to be “YES”. When the determination is "YES", the data indicating the abnormal state generating device and the degree of the abnormal state obtained by the abnormality determination function and the repair presence / absence determination function are indicated to the communication operator operation center 12. The data is transmitted as emergency information, and a request is made for device control to turn on the power of the corresponding device again by remote control (step S7). After that, the process returns to step S8 where the monitoring flag is set to "1". I do. If "NO" is determined in the step S6 (corresponding to a case where the device control has been requested to the operation center 12), the process jumps the steps S7 and S8 and returns.

In this case, the telecommunications carrier operation center 12 which has received the emergency information and the device control request as described above has a device control for remotely controlling the start and stop of the abnormal state generating device indicated by the emergency information. A signal is sent, and the power of the device is once turned off and then turned on again. Therefore, when the abnormal state of the device is restored by such a power supply restart,
In step S3 executed thereafter, “YE
S ". In this step S3, "Y
If it is determined as “ES” (when all devices are normal), it is determined whether or not the monitoring flag is “1” (step S).
9).

If "NO" in the step S9, the process returns as it is, but if "YES", that is, if it is determined that the abnormal condition generating device has returned to the normal state in response to the transmission of the device control signal. Then, the process returns to the operation center 12 after sequentially executing step S10 for reporting that the device has returned to the normal state and step S11 for resetting the monitoring flag to "0".

On the other hand, if "NO" is determined in the step S5, that is, there is no possibility that the device in which the abnormal state has occurred is restored by turning on the power (reset), and the maintenance staff goes directly to the site. If it is necessary to perform repairs, it is determined whether or not repair parts are necessary based on the determination result by the component selection function (step S12). If a repair part is required, a part order signal for the repair part selected by the part selection function is transmitted to the parts supplier 16 (step S13). In this case, the component supplier 16 receiving the component order signal performs a work of delivering the component specified by the component order signal to the service base 14 through, for example, a courier service.

After the execution of step S13, an inspection instruction is transmitted to the service base 14 (step S14).
The data indicating the abnormal state generating device and the data indicating the degree of the abnormal state are transmitted as emergency information, and the inspection schedule of the abnormal state generating device is reported (step S15). If the repair part is not required ("NO" in step S12), the process jumps from step S13 to step S14.

The inspection command includes fault information (for example, data indicating the abnormal state generating device and the degree of the abnormal state in the cellular phone base station 1, data indicating whether or not repair parts are necessary, and repair parts. In this case, in addition to the type of the part and the order status (data indicating the delivery date and time to the service base 14 and the like), abnormal history data on the past response status to the abnormal status and the specification of the abnormal status generating device are described. Basic data, route guidance data indicating an arrival route (forward route) to the corresponding mobile phone base station 1, and the like. Then, the service base 14 receiving such an inspection instruction dispatches maintenance personnel to the mobile phone base station 1 instructed by the inspection instruction, and the maintenance personnel carries a mobile phone. Service base 1
On the fourth side, if the failure / failure content indicated by the failure information or the like in the inspection command includes technical content that cannot be handled by the maintenance personnel, the telecommunications carrier maintenance department 19 gives the failure / failure content. A request is made to accompany a technician who can respond, and a necessary technician will be dispatched from the telecommunications carrier maintenance section 19 side. Then, when the repair of the abnormal state generating device is completed in the mobile phone base station 1, the maintenance staff transmits a recovery management report to the management center 9 from, for example, a mobile phone through the mobile phone network 18.

After the execution of step S15, it is determined whether or not there is a recovery completion report from the dispatched maintenance staff (step S16). If there is no report, the process returns as it is. The inspection / repair result direction indicating that the abnormal condition generating device has been repaired and the content of the inspection is transmitted to the operator operation center 12 (step S17), and thereafter, the process returns.

In short, according to the present embodiment, the following operations and effects can be obtained. That is, the programmable controller 8 provided in each mobile phone base station 1
Collects various types of data indicating the operating state and the like of devices in the base station 1 (the communication device 2 and the air conditioners 3 and heat exchangers 4, which are auxiliary equipment, etc .; hereinafter, devices in the base station). Output. The host computer 10 provided in the management center 9 analyzes the collected data output from the programmable controller 8 to diagnose the state of the equipment in the base station. In this case, the host computer 10
Based on the diagnosis results, determine whether or not an abnormal condition has occurred in the equipment in the base station and the content of the abnormality, and determine whether or not repair is necessary according to the degree of the determined abnormal condition. An abnormality determination function, a repair presence / absence determination function, and a component selection function of estimating a cause of occurrence of a state and selecting a part necessary for repairing the abnormal state are provided.

When there is a base station device determined to require repair, the host computer 10 sends the service base 14 to the service base 14 so as to dispatch maintenance personnel to the mobile phone base station 1 in which the device is installed. When a repair part is required, the part is supplied to the parts supplier 16.
To order. In this case, since the necessity of the repair is known in advance and the parts necessary for the repair are selected in advance, the maintenance person can recover from the abnormal state by visiting the mobile phone base station 1 only once. As a result, there is no need to take steps that require double labor as in the conventional system. As a result, the labor required for the maintenance of the mobile phone base station 1 is reduced, the maintenance management cost can be reduced, and the time required for recovering from the abnormal state can be greatly reduced.

In this case, when the host computer 10 determines that an abnormal state has occurred in the device in the base station, it determines that the contents of the abnormality may be resolved by turning on the power again. Requests the telecommunications carrier operation center 12 to execute device control of turning on the power of the equipment in the base station again. A device control signal for remotely controlling the start / stop of the device is transmitted, and the device is once turned off and then turned on again. Therefore, in the event of a minor failure that can be resolved simply by turning on the power again in the base station equipment, it is possible to prevent the maintenance staff from going to the site unnecessarily as in the conventional system. As a result, it is possible to reduce the waste of time and the accompanying reduction in maintenance management costs.

Further, since the host computer 10 can collectively diagnose the states of the devices in the plurality of mobile phone base stations 1, it is possible to compare each mobile phone base station 1 with a device that functions as a host computer. As a result, the system configuration is simplified, and the cost can be reduced. In addition, when a part necessary for repairing an abnormal state in the mobile phone base station 1 is selected by the host computer 10, the part is automatically ordered to the parts supplier 16. Parts required for dispatching maintenance personnel from the base 14 can be arranged reliably and early, so that the abnormal state of the equipment in the base station can be quickly repaired, and at the same time, the order You can save time and effort.

The programmable controller 8 stores specific data (current consumption and temperature of the equipment, temperature and humidity in the mobile phone base station 1, vibration and operation sound, etc.) of the collected data that require continuous observation. A memory 8c for storing data over a predetermined period is provided, and the host computer 10 also uses the stored data when determining whether or not an abnormal state has occurred in a device in the base station and the content of the abnormality. Therefore, it is possible to grasp a change tendency of the operation state of the device in the base station indicated by the collected data over a predetermined period. As a result, the presence or absence of the occurrence of an abnormal state in the equipment in the base station can be accurately determined based on the change tendency of the operating state grasped as described above, and the reliability of the determination operation is improved.

On the management center 9 side, an electronic database is constructed in which past maintenance history data on devices in the mobile phone base station 1, manufacturing time data and operation history data of the devices in the base station are stored. The host computer 10 reflects the maintenance history data, the manufacturing time data, and the operation history data, that is, the data relating to the life of the equipment in the base station, in the above-described abnormality determination function, repair presence / absence determination function, and component selection function. With this configuration, the reliability of each determination operation and selection operation is improved.

From the management center 9 side, the mobile phone base station 1
The maintenance staff dispatched to the station can be instructed through the mobile phone on the repair target location of the equipment in the base station, the maintenance method, and the like, so that the maintenance staff does not need to require a high level of skill. For this reason, it is very useful in securing the personnel required for operating the system.

The host computer 10 executes the diagnosis based on the diagnosis results and the data (including past maintenance history data, manufacturing time data, operation history data, etc. for the equipment in the base station) stored in the computerized database. Of the parts replacement time and update time of the portable telephone base station, the prediction results are stored in the computerized database as prediction data, and the prediction data is automatically reported to the operation center 12 which is the owner of the mobile phone base station 1. Therefore, the operation center 12 can grasp the maintenance time according to the actual situation of each mobile phone base station 1 in advance, which is very effective in systematically maintaining the system. . In other words, when performing regular maintenance, unnecessary maintenance may be performed, but such waste is not likely to occur. In addition, the above-mentioned prediction data is configured to be notified even when a request is made from the telecommunications carrier operation center 12, so that it is useful for systematic maintenance of the system.

The computerized database constructed on the management center side stores the equipment in the base station and the degree of the abnormal state in the plurality of mobile telephone base stations 1 and the status of the response to the abnormal state for each mobile telephone base station 1. Since the data is sequentially stored in the divided state, for example, when there is a mobile phone base station 1 in which the same abnormal state repeatedly occurs, the mobile phone base station 1 is easily extracted based on the stored data in the computerized database. Then, it can be applied to various uses such as considering fundamental measures.

Since the specifications of each mobile phone base station 1 and the specifications of the equipment in the base station are stored in the electronic database as basic data in advance, the usefulness of the electronic database is further enhanced. . Further, since the management center 9 is installed in a maintenance agency contracted with a communication carrier which is the operator (owner) of the mobile phone base station 1, the business opportunity of the maintenance agency is increased. In other words, it is useful to spread the management system of the mobile phone base station 1.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the following modifications or extensions are possible. In the host computer 10, specific data (current consumption and temperature of the device, temperature and humidity in the cellular phone base station 1, vibration and operation sound, etc.) accumulated in the memory 8 c of the programmable controller 8 over a predetermined period of time is stored in each portable device. A configuration may be used in which the comparison is performed for each telephone base station 1 and the comparison result is used for estimating the cause of the occurrence of the abnormal state by the component selection function described above. According to this configuration, for example,
If there is prominent data in the base station device in which an abnormal state has occurred compared to the data in the base station device of another mobile phone base station 1, the cause of the abnormal state can be easily estimated based on the data. It becomes possible.

A configuration in which the operation state of the equipment in the base station is automatically controlled by remote control based on the diagnosis result by the host computer 10 (for example, a configuration in which the telecommunications carrier operation center 12 requests remote control) may be adopted. According to this configuration, it is possible to optimally control the operation state of the equipment in the base station for each mobile phone base station 1, which is useful in preventing an abnormal state from occurring in the equipment in the base station.

Although the management center 9 is set up on the side of the maintenance agent contracted with the telecommunications carrier, it is set up on the side of the telecommunications carrier operation center 12 so that the telecommunications carrier directly manages the mobile phone base station 1. It is good also as a structure which performs. Of course, the host computer 10 may be installed in both the management center 9 and the telecommunications carrier operation center 12.

The programmable controller 8 on the mobile phone base station 1 side and the host computer 10 on the management center 9 side
Although a dedicated line using an optical fiber cable has been described as an example of the communication means for connecting between the communication apparatus and other communication means, other communication means such as a mobile phone line and a public telephone line may be used. A diagnostic device for analyzing the data collected by the programmable controller 8 and diagnosing the state of the equipment in the base station (that is, a diagnostic device that performs all or part of the functions of the host computer 10) is installed on the mobile phone base station 1 side. The configuration may be such that the diagnosis result is used on the host computer 10 side, and according to this configuration, the workload on the host computer can be reduced. In this case, the diagnostic device can be shared by the programmable controller 8, and the failure detection program can be transferred from the host computer 10 to the programmable controller 8 to answer back the content of the failure.

The communication facility to be managed is not limited to the mobile phone base station. For example, a communication facility such as a relay station for optical communication can be managed. In addition to installing a lightning strike sensor on the mobile phone base station 1 side, the host computer 10 has a function of determining damage due to lightning strike on the mobile phone base station 1 and a function of storing the lightning strike history in an electronic database. The configuration may be such that the determination result is used for determining an abnormality in a device in the base station, or the lightning strike history may be used as data for strengthening the lightning arrester structure of the mobile phone base station 1 or as a material for negotiating a non-life insurance fee. .

A configuration in which data in an electronic database constructed on the management center 9 side can be searched from a portable information terminal such as a cellular phone may be adopted.
For example, maintenance personnel who have traveled to remote locations to repair equipment in the base station can easily use the digitized database from the site, which is extremely convenient in practical use. In the above-mentioned computerized database, in addition to the various data described in the above-described embodiment, data on the status of the regular maintenance, the amount of consumables used in the mobile phone base station 1 accompanying the regular maintenance, and the like are also accumulated. At the same time, maintenance advice or the like corresponding to the mobile phone base station 1 or the equipment in the base station may be stored, and the data may be accessed on the communication carrier side (for example, a configuration accessible via the Internet). When such an access is performed, it is desirable to adopt a configuration that requires an ID number and a password.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall functional block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an electrical configuration in a mobile phone base station.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a main part of the control content provided by a host computer provided on the management center side.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a mobile phone base station (communication facility), 2 is a communication device (communication device), 3 is an air conditioner (ancillary equipment), 4 is a heat exchanger (ancillary equipment), 5 is a ventilation fan (ancillary equipment) , 6 is another device group (ancillary equipment), 8 is a programmable controller (data collection device), 8c is a memory (storage means), 9 is a management center, 10 is a host computer (diagnosis device), 11 is a storage device, Reference numeral 12 denotes a communication carrier operation center, and reference numeral 16 denotes a parts supplier (parts supplier).

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04Q 9/00 311 H04Q 9/00 311W (72) Inventor Teruki Narutaki 1-chome, Showa-cho, Kariya City, Aichi Prefecture Address Denso Corporation (72) Inventor Kenzo Hirano 1-1-1 Showa-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi F-term (reference) 5B049 CC00 EE00 EE56 EE59 GG09 5K048 AA00 BA08 BA31 DB01 DC01 DC07 EB08 EB12 GB01 GB03 GB08 GB10 HA01 HA02 5K067 AA41 BB04 BB27 DD28 EE02 EE22 FF02 5K101 KK11 LL01

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A communication facility management system for managing communication equipment in a plurality of communication facilities provided at remote locations and auxiliary equipment necessary for continuous operation of the communication equipment, wherein each of the communication facilities A data collection device that is provided on the side and collects various types of data indicating the operation state and the like of the communication device and the auxiliary equipment, and outputs the collected data, and collects data output from the data collection device. A diagnostic device for analyzing and diagnosing the state of the communication device and the auxiliary equipment, and providing the diagnostic result to a management center for the communication facility, wherein the diagnostic device is based on the diagnostic result. An abnormality determination function that determines whether an abnormal state has occurred in the communication device and the auxiliary equipment, and a repair that determines whether repair is necessary according to the degree of the determined abnormal state It has a non-judgment function and a component selection function for estimating the cause of the abnormal state based on the diagnosis result and selecting a part necessary for repairing the abnormal state. And a step of dispatching maintenance personnel to the communication facility where the communication equipment and the auxiliary facility equipment determined to exist are present. 2. The diagnostic device is provided on the management center side, receives collected data output from each data collection device in the plurality of communication facilities through communication means, and performs a diagnosis operation of each communication facility. 2. The communication facility management system according to claim 1, wherein the communication facility management system is configured to be executed separately for each communication. 3. The communication facility according to claim 1, wherein the management center is configured to automatically order a component selected by a component selection function from a component supplier. Management system. 4. The data collection device is provided with storage means for accumulating, over a predetermined period, specific data that requires continuous observation among the collected data, 4. The data stored in the storage unit is also used when determining whether an abnormal state has occurred in the communication device and the auxiliary equipment by a function. Communication facility management system. 5. The communication facility management system according to claim 4, wherein the diagnostic device compares the data stored in the storage unit for each communication facility, and compares the comparison result with the abnormality by the component selection function. A communication facility management system for use in estimating a cause of a state occurrence. 6. An electronic database storing, on the management center side, past maintenance history data of communication equipment and auxiliary equipment in the communication facility and manufacturing time data of the communication equipment and auxiliary equipment. The communication according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the diagnosis device reflects the maintenance history data and the manufacturing time data in a determination operation performed by the abnormality determination function and the repair presence / absence determination function. Facility management system. 7. A portable information terminal capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the management center is provided, and the communication device and auxiliary equipment are provided from the management center side to the maintenance staff through the portable information terminal. The communication facility management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it is configured to be capable of instructing a repair target portion of the device, a maintenance method, and the like. 8. A communication facility management system for managing communication equipment in a plurality of communication facilities provided at remote locations and ancillary equipment necessary for continuous operation of the communication equipment, wherein each of the communication facilities A data collection device that is provided on the side and collects various types of data indicating the operation state and the like of the communication device and the auxiliary equipment, and outputs the collected data, and collects data output from the data collection device. A diagnostic device and a diagnostic device for analyzing and diagnosing the state of the communication device and the auxiliary equipment, and providing the diagnostic result to a management center for the communication facility, wherein the diagnostic device has the diagnostic result. And an abnormality determination function for determining whether or not an abnormal state has occurred in the communication device and the auxiliary equipment based on the abnormality determination function. When it is determined by the determination function that an abnormal state has occurred in the communication device or ancillary equipment, if it is determined that the content of the abnormality may be resolved by turning on the power again, the corresponding A communication facility management system for executing an operation of once turning off and on power of a communication device or ancillary equipment. 9. The diagnostic device is provided on the management center side, receives collected data output from each data collection device in the plurality of communication facilities through communication means, and performs a diagnosis operation of each communication facility. 9. The communication facility management system according to claim 8, wherein the communication facility management system is configured to be executed separately for each. 10. The data collection device is provided with storage means for accumulating, over a predetermined period, specific data that requires continuous observation among the collected data, 10. The data stored in the storage means is also used when determining whether or not an abnormal state has occurred in the communication device and the auxiliary equipment by a function and the content of the abnormality. Communication facility management system. 11. An electronic database in which the management center stores past maintenance history data of communication devices and ancillary equipment in the communication facility and manufacturing time data of the communication devices and ancillary equipment. 11. The communication facility management system according to claim 8, wherein the diagnostic device reflects the maintenance history data and the manufacturing time data in a determination operation by the abnormality determination function. 12. 12. The communication facility management system according to claim 6, wherein the diagnostic device is configured to control the communication device and the auxiliary equipment based on the diagnosis result and data stored in the computerized database. A communication facility management system, wherein a component replacement time and an update time are predicted, and a result of the prediction is reported to an owner of the communication facility. 13. The management system for a communication facility according to claim 6, wherein the diagnosis device is configured to control the communication device and the auxiliary equipment based on the diagnosis result and data stored in the computerized database. It is configured to predict a part replacement time or an update time, and to accumulate the prediction result in an electronic database, and to answer back the prediction result in response to a request from the owner of the communication facility. A communication facility management system characterized by the following: 14. The management center is provided with a function of automatically controlling the operation states of the communication device and the auxiliary equipment by remote control based on a diagnosis result by the diagnosis device. Item 14. The communication facility management system according to any one of Items 1 to 13. 15. An electronic database is constructed on the management center side, which stores an abnormal state generating device, a degree of the abnormal state, and a corresponding state to the abnormal state in the plurality of communication facilities and sequentially accumulates them. The communication facility management system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein: 16. The communication facility management system according to claim 15, wherein the specifications of each communication facility and the specifications of internal communication equipment and auxiliary equipment are stored in the electronic database in advance as basic data. A communication facility management system, characterized in that: 17. The communication facility management system according to claim 15, wherein data in said computerized database can be searched by a portable information terminal capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from said management center. A communication facility management system, characterized in that: 18. The management center is installed in a maintenance agency contracted with an owner of the communication facility, and communicates at least a determination result by an abnormality determination function of the diagnostic device and a determination result of a repair presence / absence determination function by the communication device. 18. The communication facility management system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured to notify the owner of the facility.