JP2011186596A - Current monitoring safety system, method for operating the same, and portable equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a current monitoring safety system for constructing a safety system for achieving both failure detection and malfunction prevention corresponding to various changes of current flowing through a system, and for easily achieving safety design in portable equipment whose downsizing, thinning, and function enhancement are requested. <P>SOLUTION: The current monitoring safety system is connected between a current monitoring target system and its power source, and configured to communicate with the system. The current monitoring safety system includes: an operating current management part for switching and instructing reference currents for determining whether this system is abnormal according to the operating situation of the system; a current monitoring part for measuring currents flowing between the system and the power source, and for determining the system failure by comparing the measured currents with the reference currents instructed by the operating current management part; and an interruption control part for interrupting electric connection between the system and the power source when the system failure is determined by the current monitoring part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a current monitoring safety system, an operation method thereof, and a portable device.

  In portable devices that place importance on portability, batteries are usually used as the power source. In portable devices that have advanced functions in addition to downsizing and thinning, the battery itself is also required to have a large capacity in order to ensure sufficient use time. However, by increasing the capacity of the battery, the energy of the battery also increases, and if the mobile device fails and an abnormal current flows, there is a risk of fire due to ignition or user burns due to heat generation. Will be high. Therefore, it has been necessary to provide a safety circuit in portable devices to prevent ignition and heat generation.

  However, the increase in current is accompanied by an increase in current, so the current during normal use tends to increase, and the device temperature during normal use also tends to rise. There was a problem of increasing the difficulty level.

  In addition, in mobile devices that have communication functions, such as mobile phones, the current during use varies depending on the added software due to the addition of software by downloading, etc., so that a lot of additional software is used properly Therefore, it becomes difficult to detect an abnormality with a fixed current value as typified by a current fuse.

  In relation to the above, Patent Documents 1 to 4 and the like are known as prior arts for ensuring safety by monitoring current.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-321027 JP-A-7-135734 JP-A-9-308238 JP-A-6-38518

  While portable devices such as mobile phones that place emphasis on portability have high functionality needs such as increased functionality and performance, downsizing and thinning are always required in order to improve portability. In order to ensure safety in the event of a failure, such devices are always carried so that current fuses and temperature monitoring circuits are installed so that they function before the device surface temperature becomes abnormal. A safety circuit, such as stopping, is provided.

  However, the current during use tends to diversify and increase with higher functionality, while the difference between normal operating temperature and abnormal temperature due to the decrease in the distance between the device surface and the operating circuit part due to downsizing and thinning. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to design an apparatus that satisfies both safety and malfunction prevention.

  The prior art described above also has the following problems.

  For example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, since it is necessary to determine a detection current in advance, it is difficult to flexibly cope with a portable device to which new software can be added.

  Further, Patent Document 3 detects an abnormal current by a microcomputer, but improves the accuracy of detecting an abnormal current due to component variations, and does not cover flexible abnormality detection according to usage conditions.

  Furthermore, Patent Document 4 requires a determination circuit for each current value to detect abnormality, and it is difficult to cope with various current values. Moreover, as a whole of the above-mentioned patents, there is no function to prevent malfunction, and it is difficult to prevent malfunction in a device having a current change such as a mobile phone in which a large current instantaneously flows during communication.

  The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to build a safety system that realizes both abnormality detection and malfunction prevention according to various current changes flowing through the system. It is an object of the present invention to provide a current monitoring safety system capable of facilitating a safety design in a portable device that requires the above and a method for operating the current monitoring safety system.

  In order to achieve the above object, a current monitoring safety system according to the present invention is a current monitoring safety system that is connected between a current monitoring system and a power supply thereof, and is capable of communicating with the system. An operating current management unit that switches and manages a reference current that is determined to be abnormal according to the operating status of the system, and measures a current flowing between the system and the power source, and compares the measured current with the reference current to detect a system abnormality A current monitoring unit for determining whether the system is abnormal by the current monitoring unit; and a cutoff control unit for cutting off an electrical connection between the system and the power source.

  An operation method of a current monitoring safety system according to the present invention is an operation method of a current monitoring safety system that is connected between a current monitoring target system and a power supply thereof and is capable of communicating with the system. A management unit switches and manages a reference current that is determined to be abnormal in accordance with the operation status of the system, and a current monitoring unit measures a current flowing between the system and the power source, and the measurement current and the reference current A system abnormality is determined by comparing the two, and the cutoff control unit cuts off the electrical connection between the system and the power source when the current monitoring unit determines that the system is abnormal.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to construct a safety system that realizes both abnormality detection and malfunction prevention according to various current changes flowing through the system, and portable devices that are required to be downsized, thinned, and highly functionalized. Safety design can be facilitated.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the whole structure of the current monitoring safety system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic flowchart explaining operation | movement of the electric current monitoring safety system shown in FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an overall configuration of a current monitoring safety system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the whole structure of the current monitoring safety system which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention.

  Next, an embodiment of a current monitoring safety system and an operation method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  The current monitoring safety system according to the present embodiment is characterized in that the current to be monitored is switched flexibly according to an instruction from the system that monitors the current. Specifically, the safety of the system is ensured by monitoring the current of the entire system, determining whether or not an abnormal current is flowing, and shutting off the system power. In addition, it has a function of switching and following the abnormality determination current even when the flowing current changes variously, and a learning function corresponding to a case where a new usage situation occurs.

  As a result, it is possible to easily deal with devices that have various usage situations such as portable devices, thereby ensuring the safety of portable devices easily. In addition, by providing a mechanism for performing a confirmation operation after the abnormal current is determined and before shutting off the system power supply, it has a function of preventing malfunction of the abnormal determination.

  In other words, the present embodiment monitors the current flowing through the system based on an appropriate current value according to the usage situation, and determines that it is abnormal when the appropriate current value is exceeded. Shut off. As a result, it is possible to facilitate the device design by providing means for detecting an abnormality before the temperature rises rather than the operation of the safety circuit after the temperature rises, such as a temperature monitoring circuit. Yes. In addition, a system for confirming whether or not the system can be shut down before the system power supply is cut off improves convenience such as preventing malfunctions.

  FIG. 1 shows a system outline diagram in the present embodiment.

  The current monitoring safety system shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a portable device 100 such as a cellular phone, and is connected between a current monitoring target system 104 in the portable device 100 and its power source (battery). It is possible to communicate with. This current monitoring safety system measures an operating current management unit 102 that switches and manages a reference current that is determined to be abnormal in accordance with an operation state of the system 104, and measures a current that flows between the system 104 and a power source. A current monitoring unit 101 that determines a system abnormality by comparing with a current, and a cutoff control unit 103 that disconnects an electrical connection between the system 104 and the power supply when the current monitoring unit 101 determines that the system is abnormal.

  Among these, the operating current management unit 102 notifies the current monitoring unit 101 of a reference current that matches the operating status notified from the system 104 and performs current monitoring. The reference current is notified from the system 104 to the operating current management unit 102 every time the operating status of the system 104 changes, and monitoring is continued while changing. When the reference current is exceeded during monitoring, the current monitoring unit 101 notifies the cutoff control unit 103.

  The shut-off control unit 103 makes an inquiry to the system 104 as to whether or not there is no problem by performing the shut-off operation, and waits for an answer from the system 104 to perform the shut-off operation. When a reply indicating that the system 104 is not shut off is received, the shut-off operation is interrupted, the fact is notified to the current monitoring unit 101, and current monitoring is continued again.

  When a current exceeding the reference current according to the operation status of the system 104 flows like this operation, the safety system that prevents the occurrence of malfunction by shutting off the power after checking the system 104 Can be realized.

  FIG. 2 shows a processing flow of the present embodiment. The system 104 includes other programs such as a control program (OS (Operating System) and firmware for notifying the response in response to a confirmation request described later from the operating current management unit 102 and the cutoff control unit 103. Are included in the memory (not shown) in advance, and the CPU (not shown) executes the control program so that the confirmation operation can be executed. This confirmation operation can be applied to a known device such as a portable device.

  First, when the power of the system 104 is turned on (step 201), the operating current management unit 102 sets a reference current according to the system operating status (step 202), and determines whether the system operating status has changed. Confirm with 104 (step 203). In response to this, the system 104 confirms whether there is a change in the operating software by a known confirmation operation such as confirmation of the current operation mode of the system 104 by the CPU, and the system operation status The operating current management unit 102 is notified of whether there is a change in the operating current.

  As a result, when there is no change in the system operation status (step 203: Yes), current measurement is started by the current monitoring unit 101 as it is (step 206). On the other hand, if there is a change in the operation status in the system 104 (step 203: Yes), the system 104 is checked to see if it is a new operation (for example, when the newly added software is operating for the first time) ( Step 204). In response to this, the system 104 confirms which software is currently operating by a known confirming operation such as confirming the current operation mode of the system 104 by the CPU, for example. The operating current management unit 102 is notified of the answer of whether or not.

  As a result, if the newly added software is operated for the first time or the like (step 204: Yes), the measured current is registered in the operating current management unit 102 as the reference current of the new operating state (step 205). By doing so, the operating current management unit 102 learns a reference current for abnormality determination in a new usage situation, such as registering new software on the system 104. Thereafter, current measurement by the current monitoring unit 101 is started (step 206).

  After the current measurement, the current monitoring unit 101 confirms whether the measured current exceeds the reference current registered by the operating current management unit 102 (step 207). As a result, when it does not exceed (step 207: No), it repeats from the confirmation (step 203) whether the system operation has changed. On the other hand, when the measured current exceeds the reference current (step 207: Yes), the interruption control unit 103 confirms whether or not the system 104 can interrupt the current (step 208) and sets a timer (not shown) for a certain time. It is set (step 209), and it is confirmed whether or not a predetermined time has passed (step 210), and a response from the system 104 is waited (step 212).

  During this time, in the system 104, whether the interruption control by the interruption control unit 103 (measurement current> reference current) is due to malfunction due to the influence of the ambient temperature on the system 104, the state in which the transient current flows in the system 104, or the like. The confirmation of whether or not is performed (step 211). This confirmation operation may be caused by, for example, the cause that the measured current exceeds the reference current by the CPU of the system 104, the ambient temperature of the system 104 exceeds a preset threshold, or a transient current flows due to a disturbance or the like. This is performed by checking whether or not the malfunction is caused by a factor set in advance in the system 104. As a result, if it is due to a malfunction caused by a preset factor, a reply indicating that the power supply is not cut off is notified, and if it is not due to a malfunction, a reply indicating that the power supply is cut off is notified.

  Next, when there is an answer from the system 104 (step 212: Yes), it is confirmed whether the answer is a blocking operation OK (step 213).

  As a result, if the response from the system 104 is not OK for power shutdown (step 213: No), the shutdown control unit 103 clears the timer (step 214) and checks whether the system operation has changed (step 203). Return to.

  On the other hand, when the response from the system 104 is OK for power shutdown (step 213: Yes), or when there is no response from the system 104 and a certain time has passed (step 212: No, step 210: Yes), the shutdown control is performed. The power supply of the system 104 is shut down by the unit 103 (step 215).

  As described above, the current monitoring safety system according to the present embodiment includes communication means with the system 104 side, and the system operation is performed through the operations of the current monitoring unit 101, the operating current management unit 102, and the cutoff control unit 103. The system current can be determined by switching the reference current that is determined to be abnormal according to the situation, and the system 104 can be powered off.

  In addition, the shutoff control unit 103 has a malfunction prevention function that prevents erroneous operation by performing communication with the system 104 and confirming before shutting down.

  In addition, when there is no response from the system 104, the shut-off control unit 103 shuts off the power of the system 104 after a certain period of time so that the shut-off operation is performed even in the case of an abnormal operation such as the system 104 running out of control. Guaranteed.

  Furthermore, the current monitoring safety system according to the present embodiment also has a function of learning a reference current for determining an abnormality in a new usage situation, such as registering new software on the system 104.

  Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a circuit configuration as a first embodiment of the present invention.

  The current monitoring safety system shown in FIG. 3 is mounted on a portable device 100 such as a cellular phone, and is connected between a current monitoring target system 104 in the portable device 100 and its power source (battery). It is possible to communicate with. The system 104 includes a CPU 309, a memory 310, and a load circuit 311 for the system 104. The load circuit 311 can be powered by the power source of the system 104.

  This current monitoring safety system measures an operating current management unit 102 that switches and manages a reference current that is determined to be abnormal in accordance with the operating state of the system 104, and a current that flows between the system 104 and the power source, and according to the measured current A current monitoring unit 101 that determines a system abnormality by comparing the measured voltage with a reference voltage corresponding to the reference current, and the electrical connection between the system 104 and the power source is interrupted when the current monitoring unit 101 determines that the system abnormality has occurred And a shut-off control unit 103.

  The current monitoring unit 101 includes a current detection unit 301, an operating current management unit 302, and a comparison unit 303. The current detection unit 301 converts a current value flowing through the system 104 into a voltage. The determination voltage output unit 302 receives a signal from the operating current management unit 102 and creates a reference voltage for comparison. The comparison unit 303 compares the voltage from the current detection unit 301 with the voltage from the determination voltage output unit 302.

  The operating current management unit 102 includes a determination current calculation unit 304 and a storage unit 305 that stores a current corresponding to the operating state of the system 104. The determination current calculation unit 304 receives the operation status notification from the system 104, reads data from the storage unit 305 that stores the current according to the operation status, calculates a reference current for determining system abnormality, Notify the monitoring unit 101.

  The cutoff control unit 103 includes a cutoff operation unit 306, a timer unit 307, and a cutoff switch unit 308. The cutoff operation unit 306 receives a signal from the voltage monitoring unit 101 and notifies the CPU 309 of the system 104 of the cutoff. The timer unit 307 starts to operate upon receiving a signal from the blocking operation unit 306, and monitors the passage of a certain time. The cutoff switch unit 308 receives a signal from the cutoff operation unit 306 and shuts off the power supply of the system 104.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. It should be noted that the system 104 includes a control program (OS, etc.) for notifying the answer in response to a notification described later from the judgment current calculation unit 304 of the operating current management unit 102 and the cutoff operation unit 306 of the cutoff control unit 103. (Including those integrated with other programs such as firmware) are set in the memory 310 in advance, and the CPU 309 executes the control program so that the confirmation operation can be executed. This confirmation operation can be applied to a known device such as a portable device.

  In FIG. 3, when the power of the system 104 is turned on, the operating status is notified from the system 104 to the operating current management unit 102.

  In the operating current management unit 102, the reference current value that matches the notified operating status of the system 104 is read from the storage unit 305 by the determination current calculation unit 304 and notified to the current monitoring unit 101.

  In the current monitoring unit 101, the determined reference current value is converted into a reference voltage by the determination current output unit 302, and the reference voltage is compared with the voltage from the current detection unit 301 by the comparison unit 303. Here, when the voltage from the current detection unit 301 exceeds the reference voltage, the comparison unit 303 notifies the cutoff control unit 103.

  In the shut-off control unit 103, the signal from the comparison unit 303 is received, and the shut-off operation unit 306 notifies the CPU 309 in the system 104, and the timer unit 307 is operated to wait for a reply from the CPU 309.

  When the notification from the blocking operation unit 306 is received, the CPU 309 determines whether new software or the like is operating or may be abnormal. As a result, when new software is operating, the operating current management unit 102 is notified that the new operating status is present. As a result, the operating current management unit 102 stores the current corresponding to the new operating state in the storage unit 305 and continues monitoring with the current as a new reference current value. As a result, the operating current management unit 102 learns a reference current for abnormality determination according to a new operating state. On the other hand, if it is an existing operating condition in which new software is not operating, it is judged whether it is malfunctioning (effect of ambient temperature, whether transient current is flowing, etc.), and power off is OK. Is notified to the shutoff control unit 103.

  When the notification that the power supply is not cut off is received from the system 104, the cutoff operation unit 306 clears the timer unit 307, notifies the current monitoring unit 101 to that effect, and continues monitoring. When a notification of power-off is received from the system 104 or when the system 104 receives a notification of a certain period of time from the timer unit 307 without receiving a notification due to an abnormal state such as a runaway, the shutdown operation unit 306 The switch unit 308 is operated to cut off the power supply of the entire system including the load circuit 311 of the system 104.

  According to the present embodiment, the current flowing through the system 104 is monitored, an abnormality is determined based on a reference current according to the usage status of the apparatus, and if it is determined that there is an abnormality, the system 104 confirms whether or not the power supply can be shut down. In addition, a mechanism for blocking is provided. By doing so, it is possible to construct a safety system that realizes both abnormality detection and malfunction prevention in response to various current changes flowing through the system 104, and portable devices that are required to be small, thin, and highly functional. Safety design can be facilitated.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, since it has a function of learning a new operation state, it can flexibly cope with a case where a new use state such as addition of new software is added to a mobile device. Can do.

  FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment when the operating current management unit 102 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is realized by the CPU 309 in the system 104. Constituent elements (current monitoring unit 101 and interruption control unit 103) similar to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  In the case of this embodiment, the function implemented by the operating current management unit 102 is replaced by the CPU 309 and the memory 310 in the system 104, and a simpler configuration can be realized.

  The current monitoring safety system and the operation method thereof can be realized by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The hardware and software configurations in this case are not particularly limited, and any configuration can be applied as long as the functions of the respective units 101 to 103 described above can be realized. For example, it may be configured individually for each function of the above-described units 101 to 103 or may be configured integrally with the functions of the units 101 to 103.

  A part or all of the above embodiments and examples can be described as in the following supplementary notes, but are not limited to the following.

  (Supplementary note 1) A current monitoring safety system that is connected between a current monitoring target system and its power supply, and is capable of communicating with the system, and is a reference current that is determined to be abnormal in accordance with the operation status of the system An operating current management unit for switching and managing, a current monitoring unit for measuring a current flowing between the system and the power source, and determining a system abnormality by comparing the measured current with the reference current, and the current monitoring unit A current monitoring safety system comprising: a shut-off control unit that shuts off an electrical connection between the system and the power supply when it is determined that a system abnormality has occurred.

  (Additional remark 2) The said interruption | blocking control part confirms the propriety of the power supply interruption to the said system side by communication between the said systems before interrupting | blocking the electrical connection between the said system and the said power supply, and when a power supply interruption is possible The current monitoring safety system according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connection between the system and the power source is interrupted.

  (Supplementary Note 3) The electrical connection between the system and the power supply after a lapse of a certain time when the shutdown control unit does not respond from the system side with respect to the confirmation of whether the power supply can be shut down by communication with the system. The current monitoring safety system as set forth in appendix 2, characterized in that:

  (Supplementary note 4) The current monitoring safety system according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 3, wherein the operating current management unit learns a reference current for determining an abnormality in a new system operating state on the system side. .

  (Supplementary note 5) The current monitoring safety system according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 4, wherein the operating current management unit is mounted in the system.

  (Appendix 6) A portable device comprising the current monitoring safety system according to any one of appendices 1 to 5.

  (Supplementary Note 7) A method of operating a current monitoring safety system that is connected between a current monitoring target system and its power supply and is capable of communicating with the system, wherein the operating current management unit is configured to operate the system. The current monitoring unit measures the current flowing between the system and the power source, and determines the system abnormality by comparing the measured current with the reference current. An operation method of a current monitoring safety system, wherein a cutoff control unit cuts off an electrical connection between the system and the power source when the current monitoring unit determines that a system abnormality has occurred.

  (Supplementary Note 8) When the power cut-off control unit confirms whether or not the system can be turned off by communication with the system before cutting off the electrical connection between the system and the power supply. The method for operating the current monitoring safety system according to claim 7, wherein electrical connection between the system and the power source is interrupted.

  (Additional remark 9) When the said interruption | blocking control part does not have the response from the said system side with respect to the said power supply interruption | blocking confirmation by communication between the said systems, after the fixed time progress, the electrical connection between the said system and the said power supply The operation method of the current monitoring safety system according to appendix 8, wherein the current monitoring safety system is cut off.

  (Supplementary note 10) The current monitoring safety system according to any one of Supplementary notes 7 to 9, wherein the operating current management unit learns a reference current for determining an abnormality in a new system operating state on the system side. How it works.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments and examples, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and examples. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for applications such as mobile devices such as mobile phones that can be moved and carried.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Portable apparatus 101 Current monitoring part 102 Operating current management part 103 Cutoff control part 104 System 301 Current detection part 302 Judgment voltage output part 303 Comparison part 304 Judgment current calculation part 305 Storage part 306 Cutoff operation part 307 Timer part 308 Cutoff switch part 309 CPU
310 Memory 311 Load circuit

Claims (10)

A current monitoring safety system connected between a system to be monitored for current and its power supply and capable of communicating with the system;
An operating current management unit that switches and manages a reference current that is determined to be abnormal according to the operating status of the system;
A current monitoring unit that measures a current flowing between the system and the power source, and determines a system abnormality by comparing the measured current and the reference current;
A current monitoring safety system, comprising: a shut-off control unit that shuts off an electrical connection between the system and the power supply when the current monitoring unit determines that a system abnormality has occurred.   The shut-off control unit confirms whether or not power can be shut down on the system side by communication with the system before shutting off the electrical connection between the system and the power source. The current monitoring safety system according to claim 1, wherein an electrical connection between the power sources is interrupted.   The shutoff control unit shuts off an electrical connection between the system and the power supply after a predetermined time has elapsed when there is no response from the system side with respect to the confirmation of whether or not the power supply can be shut down by communication with the system. The current monitoring safety system according to claim 2.   The current monitoring safety system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the operating current management unit learns a reference current for determining an abnormality in a new system operating state on the system side.   The current monitoring safety system according to claim 1, wherein the operating current management unit is mounted in the system.   A portable device comprising the current monitoring safety system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A method of operating a current monitoring safety system connected between a system to be monitored for current and its power supply and capable of communicating with the system,
The operating current management unit switches and manages the reference current that is determined to be abnormal in accordance with the operating status of the system,
A current monitoring unit measures a current flowing between the system and the power source, and determines a system abnormality by comparing the measured current with the reference current;
An operation method of a current monitoring safety system, wherein a cutoff control unit cuts off an electrical connection between the system and the power source when the current monitoring unit determines that a system abnormality has occurred.   The shut-off control unit confirms whether or not power can be shut down on the system side by communication with the system before shutting off the electrical connection between the system and the power source. The operation method of the current monitoring safety system according to claim 7, wherein an electrical connection between the power sources is cut off.   The shutoff control unit shuts off an electrical connection between the system and the power supply after a predetermined time has elapsed when there is no response from the system side with respect to the confirmation of whether or not the power supply can be shut down by communication with the system. A method of operating a current monitoring safety system according to claim 8.   The operation method of the current monitoring safety system according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the operating current management unit learns a reference current for abnormality determination in a new system operating state on the system side. .

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