JP2015148973A - Monitoring device, management device, electronic device, state notification method, handling method, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device capable of reporting a plurality of abnormality contents by a simple method and handling the plurality of abnormality contents reported by the simple method.SOLUTION: The monitoring device of the present invention includes: a state monitoring section that monitors the operation of a unit, and, when detecting an abnormality in a certain unit, outputs an abnormality detection signal showing an abnormality content; and a notification section for outputting a notification signal of a voltage level corresponding to the abnormality detection signal to a state notification line.

Description

  The present invention relates to a status notification method in an electronic device.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, hot swap technology has become widespread in electronic devices having a redundant configuration, in which a FRU (Field Replicable Unit) can be replaced while the device is operating. In such a technique, when a failure occurs in any FRU of the electronic device, the FRU in which the failure has occurred so that the hot swap circuit does not influence the failure on the FRUs in the redundant configuration set. (Fault FRU) is disconnected from the electronic device. Thereafter, the administrator or the like performs a recovery process for the failed part, such as replacing the separated fault FRU with a new FRU. At this time, if the administrator can know the detailed abnormal contents such as what kind of failure caused the hot swap operation, the administrator can appropriately perform the work. For example, the following related technologies are known as technologies that enable appropriate restoration processing by specifying the location where a failure has occurred.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a power supply apparatus that individually supplies power to a plurality of disk drives by using a plurality of redundant DC / DC converters (hereinafter referred to as DCDC converters; DC is an abbreviation of “Direct Current”). A power supply apparatus that deals with a failure based on failure information that identifies a DCDC converter in which an abnormality has been detected is disclosed. The power supply device described in Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of DCDC converter groups, a power supply control unit that detects an abnormality with respect to each DCDC converter group, and a management unit that manages these power supply control units. Each DCDC converter belonging to the DCDC converter group always outputs a signal as to whether or not it is operating normally to the power supply control unit. The power supply control unit can detect whether or not a failure has occurred in each DCDC converter by examining a port to which an alarm signal from each DCDC converter under the control is input. When the power supply control unit detects an abnormality, the power supply control unit notifies the failure monitoring unit of failure information including a DCDC converter number for identifying the DCDC converter in which the abnormality is detected, the time when the abnormality is detected, the type of abnormality, and the like. . The management unit issues a stop instruction for the DCDC converter specified based on the failure information to the power supply control unit. In this way, the power supply device described in Patent Document 1 identifies a DCDC converter in which an abnormality has occurred and realizes separation of a location where a failure has occurred.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a power supply system that enables transmission of failure information in the event of a failure of a power supply that supplies power to an external interface circuit that transmits device failure information to the outside. The power supply system described in Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which a plurality of power supply devices including a standby power supply that supplies power to an external interface circuit are operated in parallel. The external interface has an output monitoring function for monitoring the standby power supply, a failure determination function for determining a failure, and a failure information transmission function for transmitting the failure to the host controller. In this power supply system, when the standby power supply fails, the external interface can continue to operate by taking in power from another power supply apparatus that is operating in parallel. Thereby, the external interface can transmit the failure information to the host control device by the failure information transmission function when the failure determination function determines that the failure leads to the stop of the standby power supply.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a redundant power supply system that determines a stop of a power supply module based on an operating state obtained by monitoring a plurality of monitoring points in a redundant power supply system having a plurality of power supply modules. Yes. The power supply system described in Patent Document 3 includes a monitoring control controller that manages the entire system. The supervisory control controller acquires a status signal indicating the operating status of each power supply module from a status signal transmitter provided in each power supply module. Here, the operating state indicated by the status signal is, for example, each voltage level (for example, voltage value) of the primary output voltage output from each power supply module. Then, the supervisory control controller determines whether or not the power supply module should be stopped based on the status signal, thereby avoiding stopping the power supply module even when the power supply can be continued.

JP 2008-102804 A JP 2009-081914 A JP 2009-165306 A

  When a failure occurs in an electronic device, depending on the extent of the failure, functions necessary for transmitting abnormal contents may also be impaired. If the method of transmitting the abnormal content is complicated, it is considered that normal operation of a large number of signal lines, control circuits for each signal line, power supply to them, and the like is necessary. Therefore, when the method for notifying the abnormality content is complicated, the possibility that the notification cannot be transmitted increases. In addition, this also increases the possibility that a function for receiving a notification of an abnormality and a countermeasure will not operate normally. That is, it is expected that the method for transmitting the abnormal content is as simple as possible.

  However, in the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, there is no particular consideration regarding the simplification of the method for transmitting the abnormal content. In Patent Document 1, the method in which the DCDC converter sends an alarm signal to the power supply control unit is simple, but the amount of information is insufficient because only binary values indicating whether a failure has occurred are transmitted. I can say that.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to notify or deal with a plurality of types of abnormality contents by a simple method.

  In order to achieve the above object, a monitoring device according to the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, the monitoring device according to the present invention is:
State monitoring means for monitoring the operation of the unit and outputting an abnormality detection signal representing the abnormality content when an abnormality is detected in the unit;
Notification means for outputting a notification signal of a voltage level corresponding to the abnormality detection signal to the state notification line.

In order to achieve the above object, the management device according to the present invention is
Monitors the voltage level of the notification signal output via the status notification line for notifying the status of the unit, and responds to the voltage level based on the status determination information relating the voltage level and the status of the unit. State determination means for determining abnormality content to be output, and outputting abnormality information representing the determined abnormality content;
An abnormality coping means for executing coping according to the outputted abnormality information.

In addition, a first electronic device that is a further knowledge of the present invention that achieves the same object,
A monitoring device having the above-described configuration;
The unit to be monitored by the monitoring device;
A first power supply for supplying power to the monitoring device;
A second power source for supplying power to the unit.

In addition, a second electronic device that is a further knowledge of the present invention that achieves the same object,
Including a plurality of first electronic devices having the above-described configuration;
A plurality of management devices corresponding to the first electronic device and having the above-described configuration;
Each of the management devices receives a notification signal from a monitoring device included in the corresponding first electronic apparatus.

In order to achieve the same object, the status notification method according to the present invention is performed by an information processing device.
Monitor the operation of the unit,
When an abnormality is detected in the unit, a notification signal is output to the state notification line at a voltage level corresponding to the abnormality content.

In addition, a coping method that is a further knowledge of the present invention that achieves the same object is provided by an information processing apparatus.
Monitor the voltage level of the notification signal output via the status notification line to notify the status of the unit,
Based on the state determination information relating the voltage level and the state of the unit, determine the abnormality content corresponding to the voltage level,
A countermeasure according to the determined abnormality content is executed.

  Further, the object is to provide a computer program for realizing a monitoring device, a management device, a first electronic device, a second electronic device, and a corresponding method having the above-described configurations by a computer, and the computer program. Is also achieved by a computer-readable storage medium in which is stored.

  This embodiment has an effect of notifying a plurality of types of abnormality contents by a simple method or dealing with a plurality of types of abnormality contents notified by a simple method.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the monitoring system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the monitoring system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the 2nd electronic device 300 which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the second electronic device 300 when an abnormality occurs in the monitoring target unit group A in the third embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates notionally the information used as a reference | standard in the operation | movement which the state monitoring part 2A and notification part 3 which concern on 3rd Embodiment perform. It is a figure which shows an example of the state determination information 14B in 3rd Embodiment.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a monitoring system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the monitoring system according to the present embodiment includes a monitoring device 1, a management device 10, and a status notification line 4.

  The monitoring device 1 and the management device 10 are connected by a status notification line 4. Each unit of the monitoring device 1 and the management device 10 may be configured by a dedicated hardware device or a logic circuit. Alternatively, the monitoring device 1 and the management device 10 are a general information processing apparatus (computer) that operates under the control of a computer program (software program) that is executed using a CPU (Central Processing Unit: not shown). It may be constituted by.

  The monitoring device 1 includes a state monitoring unit 2 and a notification unit 3.

  The state monitoring unit 2 can monitor the operation of the monitoring target unit 20. When the state monitoring unit 2 detects an abnormality in the monitoring target unit 20, the state monitoring unit 2 outputs to the notification unit 3 an abnormality detection signal corresponding to the monitoring target unit 20 in which the abnormality has occurred and the content of the abnormality. The abnormality detection signal may be realized by an electrical signal, a command, or transmission / reception of information indicating the abnormality content performed via a storage device (not shown). In addition, when there are a plurality of abnormality contents and monitoring target units 20 that can be detected, the state monitoring unit 2 can output a plurality of types of abnormality detection signals corresponding to information representing each abnormality content. Note that the monitoring target unit 20 may be plural. Also, there may be a plurality of types of abnormalities that can be detected in one monitoring target unit 20.

  When receiving the abnormality detection signal from the state monitoring unit 2, the notification unit 3 outputs a notification signal having a voltage level (voltage value) corresponding to the abnormality detection signal to the state notification line 4. That is, it can be said that the notification signal is a signal for notifying the state of the monitoring target unit 20. When there are a plurality of types of abnormality detection signals, the notification unit 3 can adjust the notification signal to a plurality of voltage values accordingly. In other words, the notification unit 3 can output a notification signal at a plurality of voltage levels corresponding to the monitoring target unit 20 in which an abnormality has occurred and the abnormality content. The notification unit 3 may be realized as a circuit configured to output an abnormality detection signal at a predetermined voltage level corresponding thereto. Alternatively, the notification unit 3 may determine the voltage level with reference to information stored in a storage device (not shown) that associates the abnormality detection signal with the voltage level of the notification signal.

  The status notification line 4 can transmit the notification signal output from the notification unit 3. In the present embodiment, the state notification line 4 transmits a notification signal to the management device 10.

  The management device 10 includes a state determination unit 11, an abnormality handling unit 12, and a storage device 13.

  The storage device 13 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory device or a disk device. The storage device 13 can store the state determination information 14.

  The state determination information 14 includes information that associates the voltage level of the notification signal with the state of the monitoring target unit 20. For example, when the voltage level is “4.5 V”, the state determination information 14 may be associated with a state where “a specific monitoring target unit 20 does not output a signal indicating normal operation”. The state determination information 14 may be stored in the storage device 13 in advance.

  The state determination unit 11 monitors the voltage level of the notification signal output from the notification unit 3 in the monitoring device 1 to the state notification line 4. Then, the state determination unit 11 determines the abnormality content corresponding to the voltage level based on the state determination information 14 that associates the voltage level of the notification signal with the state of the monitoring target unit 20. The state determination unit 11 outputs abnormality information representing the determined abnormality content to the abnormality handling unit 12.

  The abnormality handling unit 12 can execute a countermeasure according to the abnormality information received from the state determination unit 11. For example, the abnormality handling unit 12 may report to the administrator using a reporting unit (not shown) based on the abnormality information.

  In this way, the monitoring device 1 can report the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the monitoring target unit 20 based on the voltage level of the notification signal output via the state notification line 4. Further, the management device 10 can grasp the abnormality content based on the voltage level of the notification signal output to the state notification line 4 by monitoring the state notification line 4. Then, the management device 10 can execute a countermeasure according to the abnormality content.

  As described above, this embodiment has an effect that a plurality of types of abnormal contents can be notified by a simple method.

  The reason is that the notification unit 3 can output a notification signal for notifying the abnormality content to the state notification line 4 at a voltage level corresponding to a plurality of types of abnormality content. That is, the notification unit 3 represents a plurality of types of abnormal contents by a plurality of voltage values in the notification signal. Therefore, the management device 10 can grasp a plurality of abnormal contents only by monitoring (measuring) the voltage level of the notification signal output to the state notification line 4. In other words, the management device of the present embodiment also has an effect that it is possible to cope with a plurality of types of abnormal contents notified by a simple method.

  In addition, the present embodiment also has an effect that the structure of the abnormal state notification interface can be simplified. Accordingly, it can be expected that manufacturing and maintenance of the monitoring device and the management device become easy.

  This is because the interface between the monitoring device 1 and the management device 10 can be configured by the state notification line 4 that can transmit one notification signal. In general, in a method of representing an operating state using one signal line, one failure state is represented by a binary value of a high voltage level (for example, “normal”) and a low level (for example, “abnormal”). . In this method, when a plurality of states are represented, it is necessary to increase the number of signal lines according to the number of states to be notified. In contrast, in the present embodiment, a single signal line (state notification line 4) can indicate a plurality of states, so that it can be said that an interface can be configured with a small number of signal lines.

  The state notification line 4 may be connected to an external terminal (not shown) provided on the outer edge of the monitoring device 1 when the management device 10 is not connected. That is, the administrator may measure the voltage level of the notification signal output to the state notification line 4 by connecting a voltage measuring device to the external terminal of the monitoring device 10.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment based on the above-described first embodiment will be described. In the following, the characteristic part according to the second embodiment will be mainly described, and the components of the second embodiment having the same configuration as the first embodiment are attached in the first embodiment. The same reference numerals as those of the reference numerals are attached, and the detailed description of the constituent elements is omitted.

  First, the configuration of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a monitoring system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, in the first electronic device 100 including the monitoring device 101 and the monitoring target unit 20, different power sources are supplied to the monitoring device 101 and the monitoring target unit 20. Different from the first embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the present embodiment includes a first electronic device 100 and a management device 200. The first electronic device 100 and the management device 200 are connected by a status notification line 4. Each unit of the first electronic device 100 and the management device 200 may be configured by a dedicated hardware device or a logic circuit. Alternatively, the first electronic device 100 and the management device 200 are operated by a general information processing device (computer) that operates under the control of a computer program (software program) that is executed using a CPU (not shown). It may be configured.

  The first electronic device 100 includes a power supply device 110, a monitoring device 101, and a monitoring target unit 20.

  The power supply device 110 is a unit that can supply power to each unit that operates in the first electronic device. The power supply device 110 may take in power from an external power source (not shown) via a power cable or the like. The power supply device 110 includes a main power supply 111 and a standby power supply 112.

  The main power supply 111 can supply power to the monitoring target unit 20. The main power supply 111 may supply power to units (not shown) other than the monitoring target unit 20. For example, the main power source 111 may be realized as a main power source necessary when the first electronic device 100 is operated. The main power supply 111 supplies power when the first electronic device 100 shifts to an operating state (DC ON), such as when a power-on button (not shown) is pressed on the first electronic device 100. To start.

  The standby power supply 112 can supply power to each unit of the monitoring device 101. The standby power supply 112 may supply power to units (not shown) other than the monitoring device 101. The standby power supply 112 supplies power while AC (Alternating Current, AC power) is supplied to the power supply 110. The period in which AC is supplied to the power source 110 is, for example, a period in which the power source device 110 is connected to an external power source (not shown) via a power cable.

  The monitoring device 101 corresponds to the monitoring device 1 in the first embodiment. Moreover, the monitoring device 101 receives power supply from the standby power supply 112 as described above. The monitoring device 101 in this embodiment includes a state monitoring unit 2, a notification unit 103, and a storage device 102. Since the configuration and function of the state monitoring unit 2 are the same as those in the first embodiment, a duplicate description is omitted.

  The storage device 102 can store output value setting information 104 described later. The storage device 102 can be realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory.

  The notification unit 103 corresponds to the notification unit 3 in the first embodiment. The notification unit 103 according to this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that information that associates the abnormality detection signal with the voltage level of the notification signal is obtained from the output value setting information 104 held in the storage device 102. When the notification unit 103 receives an abnormality detection signal from the state monitoring unit 2, the notification unit 103 refers to the output value setting information 104 when determining the voltage level (voltage value) of the notification signal to be output according to the abnormality detection signal. . Since the other configuration and operation of the notification unit 103 are the same as those of the notification unit 3 in the first embodiment, a duplicate description is omitted.

  The output value setting information 104 is referred to when the notification unit 103 determines the voltage level of the notification signal corresponding to the abnormality detection signal. The output value setting information 104 is stored in the storage device 102. The output value setting information 104 includes information that associates the abnormality detection signal with the voltage level of the notification signal.

  Note that this embodiment can be operated even if the notification unit 103, the storage device 102, and the output value setting information 104 are replaced with the notification unit 3 in the first embodiment.

  The monitoring target unit 20 is monitored by the state monitoring unit 2 as in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the monitoring target unit 20 receives power supply from the main power supply 111. Other configurations and operations of the monitoring target unit 20 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus redundant description is omitted.

  The management apparatus 200 includes the management device 10. The management device 10 receives a notification signal transmitted from the notification unit 103 via the state notification line 4. Since the configuration and operation of the management device 10 are the same as those in the first embodiment, a duplicate description is omitted.

  The operation of this embodiment having the above-described configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the operation of the notification unit 103. When the notification unit 103 receives an abnormality detection signal from the state monitoring unit 2, the notification unit 103 refers to the output value setting information 104 when determining the voltage level (voltage value) of the notification signal to be output according to the abnormality detection signal. . The other operations of the present embodiment are the same as the operations of the first embodiment, and a duplicate description is omitted.

  As described above, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above, this embodiment is further affected by a failure when a failure occurs in the main power supply 111 and the monitoring target unit 20. There is also an effect that there is a high possibility that the abnormality content can be notified.

  This is because the power supply lines for the monitoring device 101 and the monitoring target unit 20 are separated. That is, in this embodiment, the standby power supply 112 supplies power to the monitoring device 101. On the other hand, the main power supply 111 supplies power to the monitoring target unit 20. Thus, even when a failure of the main power supply 111 or a failure that prevents the monitored unit 20 from operating occurs, the monitoring device 101 is supplied with power from the standby power supply 112 that is not easily affected by the failure. It can be expected that the possibility of continuing the operation is high.

  In particular, the monitoring device 101 may be configured to operate with the voltage itself supplied from the standby power supply 112 (that is, without adjusting the supplied voltage). Accordingly, there is an effect that the first electronic device 100 is further likely to be able to notify the abnormality content when a failure occurs. This is because the mechanism for adjusting the voltage supplied from the standby power source 112 can be omitted, and the configuration of the monitoring device 101 and its surroundings can be simplified. That is, the risk that the monitoring device 101 and the circuits constituting the standby power supply 112 to the monitoring device 101 may be affected by a failure can be reduced.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment based on the first and second embodiments described above will be described. Below, it demonstrates centering on the characteristic part which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. In the following, the same reference numerals as those used in the first or second embodiment are assigned to the components of the third embodiment having the same configuration as that of the first or second embodiment. The detailed description which overlaps about the component is abbreviate | omitted.

  First, the configuration of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the second electronic device 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  The second electronic apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment has a redundant configuration including a plurality of units in which the first electronic apparatus 100 and the management device 10 according to the second embodiment are combined. In addition, the present embodiment includes a hot swap unit 330, a DCDC converter 331, and a battery 332 as specific examples of the monitoring target unit 20. Although the monitoring target unit 20 in the present embodiment is included in addition to these, the operation will be described below for these three targets. When a failure occurs in any of the hot swap unit 330, the DCDC converter 331, and the battery 332 included in the same unit, the monitoring device 1 according to the present embodiment has a failure with respect to the management device 10 included in the other unit. Notify the contents.

  Details of each component of the present embodiment will be described below. Referring to FIG. 3, a second electronic apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment includes first electronic apparatuses 310A and 310B and management devices 10A and 10B according to the second embodiment. In the present embodiment, the functional units having the same function as the redundant configuration set are distinguished from each other by the symbol “A” or “B” added to the end of the reference numeral. In the following description of the configuration, the description of the configuration with “A” added to the reference may be replaced with the description of the configuration with “B” added to the reference.

  The first electronic device 310A has a configuration based on the second embodiment. However, the first electronic device 310A includes a hot swap unit 330A, a DCDC converter 331A, and a battery 332A as specific examples of the monitoring target unit 20. Hereinafter, the hot swap unit 330A, the DCDC converter 331A, and the battery 332A are also referred to as a “monitoring target unit group A”. Further, the first electronic apparatus 310A includes a monitoring device 1A having the same configuration and function as the monitoring device 1 in the first embodiment. The first electronic device 310A has a power supply device 110A.

  In the following description, the system controller is configured by combining the management device 10A with a portion (the monitoring device 1A, the hot swap unit 330A, the DCDC converter 331A, and the battery 332A) of the first electronic device 310A excluding the power supply device 110A. Say 320A. Similarly, the part (the monitoring device 1B, the hot swap unit 330B, the DCDC converter 331B, and the battery 332B) of the first electronic device 310B excluding the power supply device 110B, and the management device 10B are combined, and the system control unit 320B say.

  Second electronic device 300 has a redundant configuration including two power supply devices 110A and 110B and two system control units 320A and 320B. Further, the power supply apparatuses 110A and 110B are configured to be able to supply power to both the system control unit 320A and the system control unit 320B. The monitoring device 1 included in each system control unit 320 is connected to the management device 10 included in the opposing system control unit 320 via a separate status notification line 4. For example, the monitoring device 1A is connected to the opposing management device 10B through the status notification line 4A.

  The power supply device 110A includes a main power supply 111A and a standby power supply 112A.

  The main power supply 111A is different from the second embodiment in that it can supply power to the monitoring target unit group A in addition to supplying power to the monitoring target unit group A. Since the other functions and configuration of the main power supply 111A are the same as those in the second embodiment, a duplicate description is omitted.

  The standby power supply 112A is different from the second embodiment in that it can supply power to the management device 10A in addition to supplying power to each part of the monitoring device 101A. The standby power supply 112A is also different from the second embodiment in that power can be supplied to the monitoring device 101B and the management device 10B. The other functions and configurations of the standby power supply 112A are the same as those in the second embodiment, and thus redundant description is omitted.

  The monitoring device 1A corresponds to the monitoring device 1 in the first embodiment. That is, the monitoring device 1A includes a state monitoring unit 2A and a notification unit 3A.

  The state monitoring unit 2A can monitor the operations of the hot swap unit 330A, the DCDC converter 331A, and the battery 332A that are the monitoring target unit group A. When the state monitoring unit 2A detects an abnormality in the monitoring target unit group A, the state monitoring unit 2A outputs an abnormality detection signal indicating the abnormality content to the notification unit 3A. In addition, when an abnormality is detected in the monitoring target unit group A, the state monitoring unit 2A can disconnect the monitoring target unit group A from the main power supplies 111A and 111B by operating a hot swap unit 330A described later. . Since the other functions and configuration of the state monitoring unit 2A are the same as those in the first embodiment, a duplicate description is omitted.

  When the notification unit 3A receives an abnormality detection signal from the state monitoring unit 2A, the notification unit 3A sends a notification signal having a voltage level corresponding to the abnormality detection signal to the state determination unit 11B included in the management device 10B via the state notification line 4A. Output for. The other functions and configuration of the notification unit 3A are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a duplicate description is omitted.

  The state notification line 4A can transmit the notification signal output from the notification unit 3A to the state determination unit 11B included in the management device 10B.

  The power supplied from the main power supplies 111A and 111B is supplied to each of the hot swap unit 330A, the DCDC converter 331A, and the battery 332A along the power supply line connecting them in this order. The DCDC converter 331A and the battery 332A may supply power suitable for these devices to devices (not shown) included in the system control unit 320A such as a disk device and a communication circuit.

  The hot swap unit 330A corresponds to the monitoring target unit 20 in the first and second embodiments. Further, the hot swap unit 330A can shut off the power supply line to the DCDC converter 331A by being operated from the state monitoring unit 2A. That is, when an abnormality is detected in the monitoring target unit group A, the hot swap unit 330A disconnects each unit of the system control unit 320A that uses power supplied from the main power sources 111A and 111B from the main power sources 111A and 111B. Can do.

  The DCDC converter 331A corresponds to the monitoring target unit 20 in the first and second embodiments. The DCDC converter 331A is a converter that converts the power of the main power supplies 111A and 111B supplied via the hot swap unit 330A into a voltage that can be used by, for example, a device (not shown) mounted in the system control unit 320A.

  The battery 332A corresponds to the monitoring target unit 20 in the first and second embodiments. The battery 332A can charge the power of the main power supplies 111A and 111B whose voltages are adjusted via the DCDC converter 331A.

  The management device 10A corresponds to the management device 10 in the first and second embodiments. The management device 10A receives the notification signal transmitted from the notification unit 3B via the state notification line 4B. Since the configuration and operation of the management device 10A are the same as those in the first and second embodiments, redundant description will be omitted.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described in detail. Hereinafter, as a specific example, the operation of the second electronic device 300 when an abnormality occurs in the monitoring target unit group A will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the second electronic device 300 when an abnormality occurs in the monitoring target unit group A in the third embodiment. In the following description of the operation, the description of the operation of the functional unit having “A” added to the reference may be replaced with the description of the operation of the functional unit having “B” added to the reference. That is, when an abnormality occurs in the monitoring target unit group B, a functional unit in which the symbols “A” and “B” in the following description are interchanged can perform the same operation.

  First, when the second electronic apparatus 300 is in an operating state, the state monitoring unit 2A in the monitoring device 1A monitors the operation of the monitoring target unit group A (step A100). At this time, the state monitoring unit 2B in the monitoring device 1B monitors the operation of the monitoring target unit group B.

  On the other hand, the state determination unit 11B in the management device 10B monitors the voltage level of the notification signal transmitted via the state notification line 4A (step B110). At this time, the state determination unit 11A in the management device 10A monitors the voltage level of the notification signal transmitted via the state notification line 4B.

  Here, when an abnormality occurs in any of the monitoring target unit groups A, the state monitoring unit 2A detects the abnormality (step A101). When an abnormality is detected, the state monitoring unit 2A outputs an abnormality detection signal indicating the abnormality content to the notification unit 3A.

  FIG. 5 shows a specific example for conceptually explaining determination criteria used when the state monitoring unit 2A determines that each monitoring target unit group A is abnormal and information for determining an abnormality detection signal corresponding to the abnormality. FIG. 5 is a diagram conceptually illustrating information (also referred to as a “failure determination criterion table”) used as a reference in the operations performed by the state monitoring unit 2A and the notification unit 3 according to the third embodiment. The information in each table column shown in FIG. 5 may be stored in association with each other in a storage device (not shown) managed by the state monitoring units 2A and 2B.

  The “monitoring target table” column in FIG. 5 includes targets to be monitored by the state monitoring unit 2A. 5 includes reference information used when the state monitoring unit 2A determines that the target described in the “monitoring target table” column is abnormal. The “abnormality detection signal table” column in FIG. 5 includes information defining an abnormality detection signal output to the notification unit 3 when the state monitoring unit 2A determines that there is an abnormality. For example, the state monitoring unit 2A, when “battery 332A” included in the “monitoring target table” column is in a state of “not outputting a signal indicating normal operation” described in the “monitoring target table” column It is determined that an abnormality has occurred. Then, the state monitoring unit 2A notifies the abnormality detection signal “5” indicated by the “monitoring target table” column that is the basis of the abnormality determination and the “abnormality detection signal table” column corresponding to the “monitoring target table” column. Output to unit 3A. Note that the method by which the state monitoring unit 2A determines abnormality for each monitoring target unit group A is not limited to the method shown in the “failure determination reference table” in FIG.

  Note that the state monitoring unit 2A in the present embodiment is realized as a circuit configured to be able to perform abnormality determination and abnormality detection signal output as shown in FIG. Note that the state monitoring unit 2A may determine the abnormality and determine the corresponding abnormality detection signal by referring to information shown in FIG. 5 held as data in a storage device (not shown), for example.

  When an abnormality occurs in any of the monitoring target unit groups A, the state monitoring unit 2A or the notification unit 3A further operates the hot swap unit 330A to remove the monitoring target unit group A from the main power supplies 111A and 111B. Disconnect (Step A102). That is, the hot swap unit 330A stops the power supply to the DCDC converter 331A and the battery 332A by cutting off the power supply to the DCDC converter 331A. This is because the influence of the failure that has occurred in the monitoring target unit group A is not given to the power supplies 110A and 110B and the system control unit 320B as a pair. Note that the execution order of step A102 may be any time point after an abnormality is detected. For example, the state monitoring unit 2A may execute Step A102 before outputting the abnormality detection signal in Step A101.

  Next, the notification unit 3A outputs a notification signal having a predetermined voltage level to the state notification line 4A in accordance with the abnormality detection signal received from the state monitoring unit 2A (step A103). The notification unit 3A outputs a notification signal at a voltage level defined in the “output value table” column corresponding to the abnormality detection signal received from the state monitoring unit 2A. For example, when receiving the abnormality detection signal “5”, the notification unit 3A outputs a notification signal at a voltage level of “2V” included in the corresponding “output value table” column.

  When the notification signal is output, the state determination unit 11B that has monitored the state notification line 4A detects a change in the voltage level of the notification signal (step B111).

  And the state determination part 11B determines the abnormal content corresponding to a voltage level based on the state determination information 14B which matches the voltage level of a notification signal, and the state of the monitoring object unit group A (step B112). The state determination unit 11B outputs abnormality information indicating the determined abnormality content to the abnormality coping unit 12B.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the state determination information 14B in the third embodiment. Referring to FIG. 6, the state determination information 14B includes a “detection voltage table” column, a “failure location determination table” column, and a “detailed information table” column. The “detected voltage table” column includes information on the voltage value of the notification signal. The “failure location determination table” column includes information for identifying the failure location estimated from the abnormality content. In the present embodiment, information included in the “failure location determination table” column is described in units of FRUs so as to help the FUR to be replaced to be replaced. The “detailed information table” column includes detailed information explaining the content of the abnormality. Note that the information indicating the status of the monitoring target unit group A may be only one of the “failure location determination table” column and the “detailed information table” column.

  For example, when the state determination unit 11B detects a voltage level of “2V” from the state notification line 4A, the “failure location determination table” field corresponding to the “detection voltage table” field including the information “2V”, and “ The contents of the “detailed information table” column are output to the abnormality handling unit 12B. That is, the state determination unit 11B uses the information “battery” included in the “system control unit failure, memory failure” and “detailed information table” fields included in the “failure location determination table” field as abnormality information. To the unit 12B. The “memory” included in the specific example of the failure location determination table column described above is a memory (not shown) that can cause the abnormality.

  Finally, the abnormality handling unit 12B executes a predetermined countermeasure according to the abnormality information received from the state determination unit 11B (step B113). For example, the abnormality coping section 12B may report information such as “failure location: system control section failure, memory failure” and “detailed information: battery” to maintenance personnel via a communication circuit (not shown). At this time, the abnormality handling unit 12B may perform a countermeasure other than the notification. Further, the abnormality handling unit 12B may perform different countermeasures depending on the abnormality information.

  In this way, the monitoring device 1A can report the content of the abnormality that has occurred in the information indicating the state of the monitoring target unit group A by the voltage level of the notification signal output via the state notification line 4A.

  As described above, in this embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those in the first and second embodiments described above, it is possible to determine and notify an abnormality while further suppressing the influence of the part where the abnormality has occurred. There is also an effect. That is, this embodiment has an effect that detailed abnormality information can be obtained even for a part that is disconnected due to an abnormality and cannot be operated.

  The reason is that when an abnormality occurs, the hot swap unit 330A can cut off the power supply between the main power supply 111A and the DCDC converter 331A. Further, the monitoring device 1A is configured to be able to operate with a power source different from the part that is disconnected due to the occurrence of an abnormality.

  Further, the present embodiment has an effect that the operation as the second electronic device 300 can be continued when an abnormality occurs in the system control unit 320A or 320B. Similarly, even when an abnormality occurs in the power supply 110A or 110B, there is an effect that the operation as the second electronic device 300 can be continued.

  The reason is that the second electronic device 300 includes system control units 320A and 320B having equivalent functions, and the other can continue operation even when an abnormality occurs in one. In addition, the second electronic device 300 has the power supply 110A or 110B having an equivalent function, and when the abnormality occurs in one, the other can continue operation.

Note that, when no abnormality is detected in the operation of the monitoring target unit group A (step A100), the state monitoring unit 2A may notify the notification unit 3A of abnormality information indicating normality. Further, the notification unit 3A may output a notification signal to the state notification line 4A at a voltage level indicating normality while no abnormality is detected in the operation of the monitoring target unit group A.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, when no abnormality is detected in the operation of the monitoring target unit group A, the state monitoring unit 2A outputs an abnormality detection signal “1” to the notification unit 3A. Then, when the abnormality detection signal is “1”, the notification unit 3A outputs a notification signal at a voltage level of “5V” to notify that the monitoring target unit group A is operating normally. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the state determination unit 11B determines “normal operation” when the voltage level of the notification signal is “5 V”. At this time, the abnormality handling unit 12B may perform a handling of “doing nothing”, for example. Alternatively, the state determination unit 11B may not output abnormality information to the abnormality coping unit 12B. Thereby, the management device 1B can explicitly distinguish whether the system control unit 1A is stopped or operating normally. In addition, there is an effect that the monitoring device 1A can notify the normal operation of the monitoring device 1A itself.

  The hot swap unit 330A may be configured so that power cannot be supplied when normal operation is not possible. As a result, even when an abnormality occurs in the hot swap unit 330A itself, there is an effect that the portion where the abnormality occurs can be separated.

  Note that a part or all of the above-described embodiment can be described as the following supplementary notes, but is not limited to the following supplementary notes.

(Appendix 1)
State monitoring means for monitoring the operation of the unit and outputting an abnormality detection signal representing the abnormality content when an abnormality is detected in the unit;
And a notification unit that outputs a notification signal having a voltage level corresponding to the abnormality detection signal to the state notification line.

(Appendix 2)
Monitors the voltage level of the notification signal output via the status notification line for notifying the status of the unit, and responds to the voltage level based on the status determination information relating the voltage level and the status of the unit. State determination means for determining abnormality content to be output, and outputting abnormality information representing the determined abnormality content;
A management device comprising: a fault handling means for executing a handling according to the outputted fault information.

(Appendix 3)
The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the notifying unit is capable of outputting the notification signal at a plurality of voltage levels according to an abnormality content in the unit in which the abnormality has occurred and the unit in which the abnormality has occurred.

(Appendix 4)
The monitoring device according to appendix 1 or 3,
The unit to be monitored by the monitoring device;
A first power supply for supplying power to the monitoring device;
And a second power source for supplying power to the unit.

(Appendix 5)
The first electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the monitoring device can operate without adjusting a voltage of a power source supplied by the first power source.

(Appendix 6)
A plurality of first electronic devices according to appendix 4 or 5,
A plurality of management devices according to attachment 2 corresponding to the first electronic device;
Each of the management devices receives a notification signal from a monitoring device included in the corresponding first electronic device.

(Appendix 7)
The unit included in each first electronic device includes:
A DCDC converter that converts a voltage of a power source supplied from the second power source into a predetermined voltage;
A hot swap circuit provided in the middle of a path of a power supply line connecting the second power supply and the DCDC converter, and capable of disconnecting the power supply line,
Each abnormality handling means included in each first electronic device uses the hot swap circuit in the first electronic device having the monitoring device connected by the state notification line as the predetermined countermeasure, The second electronic device according to appendix 6, wherein the power supply line between the second power supply and the DCDC converter can be disconnected.

(Appendix 8)
Monitor the operation of the unit,
A state notification method for outputting a notification signal to the state notification line at a voltage level corresponding to the abnormality content when an abnormality is detected in the unit.

(Appendix 9)
Monitor the voltage level of the notification signal output via the status notification line to notify the status of the unit,
Based on the state determination information relating the voltage level and the state of the unit, determine the abnormality content corresponding to the voltage level,
A coping method for executing coping according to the determined abnormality content.

(Appendix 10)
The state notification method according to claim 8, wherein the notification signal can be output at a plurality of voltage levels according to an abnormality content in the unit in which the abnormality has occurred and the unit in which the abnormality has occurred.

(Appendix 11)
When monitoring the operation of the unit and detecting an abnormality in the unit, a state monitoring process for outputting an abnormality detection signal indicating the abnormality content;
A first computer program causing a computer to execute notification processing for outputting a notification signal having a voltage level corresponding to the abnormality detection signal to a state notification line.

(Appendix 12)
Monitors the voltage level of the notification signal output via the status notification line for notifying the status of the unit, and responds to the voltage level based on the status determination information relating the voltage level and the status of the unit. State determination processing for determining abnormality content to be output, and outputting abnormality information representing the determined abnormality content;
A second computer program that causes a computer to execute an abnormality handling process for executing an action according to the abnormality information.

(Appendix 13)
12. The first computer program according to claim 11, wherein in the notification process, the notification signal can be output at a plurality of voltage levels according to an abnormality content in the unit in which the abnormality has occurred and the unit in which the abnormality has occurred.

1, 1A, 1B, 101 Monitoring device 2, 2A, 2B Status monitoring unit 3, 3A, 3B, 103 Notification unit 4, 4A, 4B Status notification line 10, 10A, 10B Management device 11, 11A, 11B Status determination unit 12 , 12A, 12B Abnormality handling unit 13, 13A, 13B Storage device 14, 14A, 14B State determination information 20 Monitored unit 100, 310A, 310B First electronic device 102 Storage device 104 Output value setting information 110, 110A, 110B Power supply Device 111, 111A, 111B Main power source 112, 112A, 112B Standby power source 200 Management device 300 Second electronic device 320A, 320B System control unit 330A, 330B Hot swap unit 331A, 331B DCDC converter 332A, 332B Battery

Claims (10)

State monitoring means for monitoring the operation of the unit and outputting an abnormality detection signal representing the abnormality content when an abnormality is detected in the unit;
And a notification unit that outputs a notification signal having a voltage level corresponding to the abnormality detection signal to the state notification line. Monitors the voltage level of the notification signal output via the status notification line for notifying the status of the unit, and responds to the voltage level based on the status determination information relating the voltage level and the status of the unit. State determination means for determining abnormality content to be output, and outputting abnormality information representing the determined abnormality content;
A management device comprising: a fault handling means for executing a handling according to the outputted fault information. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit is capable of outputting the notification signal at a plurality of voltage levels corresponding to an abnormality content in the unit in which the abnormality has occurred and the unit in which the abnormality has occurred. A monitoring device according to claim 1 or 3,
The unit to be monitored by the monitoring device;
A first power supply for supplying power to the monitoring device;
And a second power source for supplying power to the unit. The first electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the monitoring device can operate without adjusting a voltage of a power source supplied by the first power source. A plurality of first electronic devices according to claim 4 or 5,
A plurality of management devices according to claim 2 corresponding to the first electronic device;
Each of the management devices receives a notification signal from a monitoring device included in the corresponding first electronic device. The unit included in each first electronic device includes:
A DCDC converter that converts a voltage of a power source supplied from the second power source into a predetermined voltage;
A hot swap circuit provided in the middle of a path of a power supply line connecting the second power supply and the DCDC converter, and capable of disconnecting the power supply line,
Each abnormality handling means included in each first electronic device uses the hot swap circuit in the first electronic device having the monitoring device connected by the state notification line as the predetermined countermeasure, The second electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the power supply line between the second power supply and the DCDC converter can be disconnected. Monitor the operation of the unit,
A state notification method for outputting a notification signal to a state notification line at a voltage level corresponding to the content of an abnormality when an abnormality is detected in the unit. Monitor the voltage level of the notification signal output via the status notification line to notify the status of the unit,
Based on the state determination information relating the voltage level and the state of the unit, determine the abnormality content corresponding to the voltage level,
A coping method for executing coping according to the determined abnormality content. Monitors the voltage level of the notification signal output via the status notification line for notifying the status of the unit, and responds to the voltage level based on the status determination information relating the voltage level and the status of the unit. State determination processing for determining abnormality content to be output, and outputting abnormality information representing the determined abnormality content;
A computer program that causes a computer to execute an abnormality handling process for executing an action according to the abnormality information.

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