JP2023138026A - Extended substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an extended substrate which can easily read out log information and error information on an information processor at low cost.SOLUTION: An extended substrate that is connected to an information processor includes: a first reception part for receiving log information of the information processor through a first communication interface from a main substrate of the information processor; a first storage part for storing the log information in a non-volatile memory attachable/detachable to/from the extended substrate; a first diagnosis part for comparing the log information to a prescribed threshold, and thereby performing abnormality diagnosis of the information processor; and a second storage part for storing the error information in the non-volatile memory when it is determined by the first diagnosis part that it is abnormal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present disclosure relates to an expansion board, and particularly relates to an expansion board connected to an information processing device.

Information processing devices such as industrial computers used in factories are equipped with a function to output various types of log information in order to facilitate investigation of the cause when an abnormality occurs. However, in the general operating form of industrial computers, display devices such as liquid crystal displays and input devices such as keyboards are not connected, and only the chassis of multiple industrial computers are housed in a rack installed in a server room. be done. If any abnormality occurs in one of them, the user connects the display device and input device to that one device and reads out log information and error information to investigate the cause of the abnormality. . Therefore, a lot of effort is required before starting to investigate the cause of an abnormality.

Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a plurality of industrial computers are constantly connected to a diagnostic computer via a network. With this configuration, the user can read log information and error information from the diagnostic computer without connecting a display device or input device to the industrial computer. However, a configuration in which a plurality of industrial computers are constantly connected to a diagnostic computer via a network is expensive.

International Publication No. 2002/61514

The present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an expansion board that can read log information and error information of an information processing device easily and at low cost.

In order to solve the above problems, an expansion board according to the present disclosure is an expansion board connected to an information processing device, and the expansion board connects a main board of the information processing device to a log of the information processing device via a first communication interface. A first receiving section that receives information, a first storage section that stores log information in a removable nonvolatile memory from an expansion board, and information processing by comparing log information with a preset threshold value. The device includes a first diagnostic unit that diagnoses an abnormality in the device, and a second storage unit that stores error information in a nonvolatile memory when the first diagnostic unit determines that the device is abnormal.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an industrial computer to which an expansion board according to Embodiment 1 is connected; FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the expansion board according to the first embodiment. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the expansion board according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of an industrial computer to which an expansion board according to a second embodiment is connected. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an expansion board according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of an industrial computer to which an expansion board according to Embodiment 3 is connected. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an expansion board according to Embodiment 3. FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of an industrial computer to which an expansion board according to a fourth embodiment is connected. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an expansion board according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of an industrial computer to which an expansion board according to Embodiment 5 is connected. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an expansion board according to Embodiment 5. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the expansion board according to the fifth embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on an example in which an expansion board according to the present disclosure is connected to an industrial computer, with reference to the drawings. However, the applicable range of the expansion board according to the present disclosure is not limited to industrial computers. Further, in the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations are omitted as appropriate.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an industrial computer 100 to which an expansion board 10 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is connected. The industrial computer 100 is a computer for controlling an industrial controller such as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) used in a factory. As mentioned above, in a typical operation mode, a display device or an input device is not connected to the housing of the industrial computer 100, and a plurality of industrial computers 100 are installed in a rack installed in a server room. Only the casing is contained. If any abnormality occurs in one of the devices, the user will connect the display device and input device to that device and read the log information and error information to investigate the cause of the abnormality. .

A main board 102 is housed within a housing 101 of the industrial computer 100 . A CPU 103 and an internal communication interface 104 are mounted on the main board 102, and the CPU 103 and the internal communication interface 104 are communicably connected to each other via a bus 105. The CPU 103 functions as a control unit that controls the operation of the industrial computer 100. The internal communication interface 104 is an interface for transmitting and receiving various commands and data to and from the expansion board 10, which will be described later. Although the standard of the internal communication interface 104 is not particularly limited, one example is PCI Express.

Furthermore, a storage drive 106, a temperature sensor 107, an air cooling fan 108, a power supply unit 109, and a battery 110 are housed in the housing 101 of the industrial computer 100, and these are also connected to the bus 105. ing. The storage drive 106 is a well-known storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SDD (Solid State Disk). M. A. R. It has a self-diagnosis function that generates T information. Temperature sensor 107 detects the temperature inside casing 101 of industrial computer 100. The air cooling fan 108 cools the inside of the casing 101 of the industrial computer 100. The power supply unit 109 converts AC power supplied from an external power source (not shown) into DC power necessary for the operation of the industrial computer 100. The battery 110 is a power source for maintaining the functions of the industrial computer 100 when power supply from an external power source (not shown) is cut off.

Furthermore, the expansion board 10 according to the first embodiment is inserted into an expansion slot 111 provided in the housing 101 of the industrial computer 100. Therefore, the expansion board 10 is housed within the housing 101 of the industrial computer 100. However, the expansion board 10 may be placed outside the industrial computer 100. A CPU 11, an internal communication interface 12, and a nonvolatile memory 13 that is removable from the expansion board 10 are mounted on the expansion board 10, and these are communicably connected to each other by a bus 14. The CPU 11 functions as a control unit that controls the operation of the expansion board 10. The internal communication interface 12 is an interface for transmitting and receiving various commands and data to and from the main board 102. Although the standard of the internal communication interface 12 is not particularly limited, one example is PCI Express.

The nonvolatile memory 13 stores log information of the industrial computer 100 received from the main board 102 and error information generated based on the log information. The type of nonvolatile memory 13 is not particularly limited, but an example is an SD memory card. The type of log information is not particularly limited, but for example, S. M. A. R. T information, RAS (Reliability, Availability and Serviceability) information generated based on information detected by various sensors such as the temperature sensor 107 (specifically, temperature rise in the housing 101, voltage of the power supply unit 10) (such as a decrease in power, a stoppage of the cooling fan 108, a decrease in the voltage of the battery 110, an abnormality in a memory (not shown), etc.), or a system log of the OS. Further, on the expansion board 10, a light emitting diode (LED) 15, a liquid crystal display (LCD) 16, and an input/output port (I/O) 17 are mounted.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the expansion board 10 according to the first embodiment. The expansion board 10 includes a first receiving section 11a, a first storage section 11b, a first diagnosis section 11c, and a second storage section 11d, which are program-controlled by the CPU 11. This is realized by Furthermore, as described above, the expansion board 10 includes an internal communication interface 12, a nonvolatile memory 13, an LED 15, and an LCD 16.

The first receiving unit 11a receives log information of the industrial computer 100 from the main board 102 of the industrial computer 100 via the internal communication interface 12. The first storage unit 11b stores the log information of the industrial computer 100 received by the first reception unit 11a in the nonvolatile memory 13. The first diagnostic unit 11c diagnoses an abnormality in the industrial computer 100 by comparing the log information of the industrial computer 100 with a preset threshold stored in the internal memory 11e of the CPU 11. The LED 15 functions as a notification unit that notifies the occurrence of an abnormality when the first diagnosis unit 11c determines that there is an abnormality. The second storage unit 11d stores error information in the nonvolatile memory 13 when the first diagnosis unit 11c determines that there is an abnormality. The LCD 16 functions as a display section that displays error information.

Next, the operation of the expansion board 10 according to the first embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3. While the industrial computer 100 is operating, the expansion board 10 repeatedly executes the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 at preset time intervals, for example, at one hour intervals.

In step S101, the first receiving unit 11a of the expansion board 10 receives one piece of log information of the industrial computer 100 from the main board 102 of the industrial computer 100 via the internal communication interface 12. Specifically, the first receiving unit 11a selects one piece of log information from among a plurality of pieces of log information that it intends to receive, and sends a transmission request command to the main unit via the internal communication interface 12. It is transmitted to the board 102. Having received this, the CPU 103 of the main board 102 transmits one piece of log information corresponding to the transmission request command to various devices housed in the casing 101 of the industrial computer 100, such as the storage drive 106 and the temperature sensor 107. and transmits it to the expansion board 10 via the internal communication interface 104.

In step S102, the first storage unit 11b of the expansion board 10 stores the piece of log information received in step S101 above in the nonvolatile memory 13. For example, the S. M. A. R. In the case of T information, the item name, current value, and worst value are stored. Further, for example, in the case of temperature information inside the casing 101 detected by the temperature sensor 107, the numerical value of the temperature is stored.

In step S103, the first diagnostic unit 11c of the expansion board 10 compares one piece of log information received in step S101 with a threshold value set in advance corresponding to the log information, thereby determining whether the An abnormality diagnosis of the computer 100 is performed. For example, the S. M. A. R. In the case of T information, a threshold value set in advance for each item is stored in the internal memory 11e of the CPU 11. The first diagnostic unit 11c receives the S. M. A. R. For one item of T information, the current value or worst value of the item is compared with the threshold value corresponding to the item stored in the internal memory 11e, and based on the comparison result, it is determined whether it is normal or abnormal. Specifically, if the current value or the worst value is below the threshold, it is determined that it is abnormal because it exceeds the threshold.

Further, for example, in the case of temperature information inside the housing 101 detected by the temperature sensor 107, a threshold value set in advance for the temperature inside the housing 101 is stored in the internal memory 11e of the CPU 11. The first diagnostic unit 11c compares the temperature information received in step 101 with a threshold value stored in the internal memory 11e, and determines whether it is normal or abnormal based on the comparison result. do. Specifically, if the temperature value exceeds the threshold value, it is determined that the temperature is abnormal because it exceeds the threshold value.

If it is determined in step S103 that one piece of log information is abnormal (S103=abnormal), the process flow proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S103 that one piece of log information is normal (S103=normal), the process flow advances to step S107.

In step S104, the first diagnostic unit 11c notifies the occurrence of an abnormality by blinking the LED 15 as a notifying unit.

In step S105, the second storage unit 11d causes the nonvolatile memory 13 to store error information regarding the piece of log information determined to be abnormal in step S103 above. For example, the S. M. A. R. In the case of T information, the item name, current value, worst value, and preset threshold of the item determined to be abnormal are stored. Further, for example, in the case of temperature information inside the housing 101 detected by the temperature sensor 107, the numerical value of the temperature determined to be abnormal and a preset threshold value are stored.

In step S106, the first diagnostic unit 11c causes the LCD 16 serving as a display unit to display error information regarding the piece of log information determined to be abnormal in step S103. For example, the S. M. A. R. In the case of T information, the item name, current value, worst value, and preset threshold of the item determined to be abnormal are displayed. Further, for example, in the case of temperature information inside the housing 101 detected by the temperature sensor 107, the numerical value of the temperature determined to be abnormal and a preset threshold value are displayed.

In step S107, the first receiving unit 11a determines whether all the intended log information has been received from the main board 102 of the industrial computer 100. If it is determined that all of the intended log information has not been received (S107=NO), the process flow returns to step S101 described above, and reception of the next log information is started. On the other hand, if it is determined that all the intended log information has been received (S107=YES), the processing flow ends.

As described above, the expansion board 10 according to the first embodiment is installed inside the industrial computer 100 by being inserted into the expansion slot 111 of the industrial computer 100. The expansion board 10 includes a first receiving section 11a that receives log information of the industrial computer 100 from the main board 102 of the industrial computer 100 via the internal communication interface 12, and a first receiving section 11a that receives the log information from the expansion board 10. a first storage unit 11b that stores the log information in the non-volatile memory 13; a first diagnostic unit 11c that diagnoses an abnormality in the industrial computer 100 by comparing log information with a preset threshold value; and a second storage section 11d that stores error information in the nonvolatile memory 13 when the diagnosis section 11c determines that there is an abnormality.

Due to the above features, in the industrial computer 100 equipped with the expansion board 10 according to the first embodiment, there is no need to connect a display device or an input device in order to read log information or error information. Furthermore, there is no need to constantly connect the industrial computer 100 to an external diagnostic computer via a network. In the industrial computer 100 equipped with the expansion board 10 according to the first embodiment, when an abnormality occurs, the non-volatile memory 13 is removed from the expansion board 10, and the non-volatile memory 13 is transferred to a personal computer or the like that the user normally uses. By connecting to , you can read log information and error information. Therefore, according to the expansion board 10 according to the first embodiment, log information and error information of the industrial computer 100 can be read out easily and at low cost.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of industrial computer 200 to which expansion board 210 according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure is connected. The expansion board 210 includes a CPU 211 instead of the CPU 11 of the first embodiment. Further, the expansion board 210 includes an external communication interface 218 for transmitting and receiving commands and data to and from equipment external to the industrial computer 200. The standard of the external communication interface 218 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a LAN card, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of expansion board 210 according to the second embodiment. In addition to the functional configuration of the expansion board 10 of the first embodiment, the expansion board 210 includes a transmitter 211f, and the transmitter 211f is realized by program control of the CPU 211. Further, as described above, the expansion board 210 includes an external communication interface 218.

The transmitter 211f of the expansion board 210 transmits either or both of the log information and error information stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 to equipment external to the industrial computer 200 via the external communication interface 218. The external device is, for example, an industrial controller such as a PLC controlled by the industrial computer 200, although it is not particularly limited. By collecting log information and error information from multiple industrial computers, the industrial controller can calculate optimal threshold values for abnormality diagnosis and analyze differences from other industrial computers.
(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of an industrial computer 300 to which an expansion board 310 according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure is connected. The expansion board 310 includes a CPU 311 instead of the CPU 11 of the first embodiment. Further, as in the second embodiment, the expansion board 310 includes an external communication interface 218 for transmitting and receiving commands and data to and from equipment external to the industrial computer 300.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the expansion board 310 according to the third embodiment. In addition to the functional configuration of the expansion board 10 of the first embodiment, the expansion board 310 includes a changing section 311g, and the changing section 311g is realized by program control of the CPU 311. Further, as described above, the expansion board 310 includes the external communication interface 218.

The changing unit 311g of the expansion board 310 changes a preset threshold stored in the internal memory 11e of the CPU 311 based on information received from an external device (not shown) via the external communication interface 218. Although the external device is not particularly limited, an example is a keyboard. This allows the user to freely change the threshold value for abnormality diagnosis of the industrial computer 300 from the outside using the keyboard.
(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of industrial computer 400 to which expansion board 410 according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure is connected. The expansion board 410 includes a CPU 411 instead of the CPU 11 of the first embodiment. Further, as in the second and third embodiments, the expansion board 410 includes an external communication interface 218 for transmitting and receiving commands and data to and from equipment external to the industrial computer 400.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of expansion board 410 according to the fourth embodiment. In addition to the functional configuration of the expansion board 10 of the first embodiment, the expansion board 410 includes a second reception section 411h and a second diagnosis section 411i, which are realized by program control of the CPU 411. Ru.

The second receiving unit 411h of the expansion board 410 receives log information of the other industrial computer from the main board of the other industrial computer via the external communication interface 218. The second diagnostic unit 411i of the expansion board 410 analyzes log information and/or error information of other industrial computers, and log information and error information of the own industrial computer 500 stored in the nonvolatile memory 13. By comparing either or both of the information, an abnormality diagnosis of the own industrial computer 400 is performed. Thereby, an abnormality diagnosis of the own industrial computer 400 can be performed based on a comparison between the log information and error information of the own industrial computer 400 and the log information and error information of other industrial computers.
(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of an industrial computer 500 to which an expansion board 510 according to Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure is connected. The expansion board 510 includes a CPU 511 instead of the CPU 11 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of expansion board 510 according to the fifth embodiment. In addition to the functional configuration of the expansion board 10 of the first embodiment, the expansion board 510 includes an execution section 511j, and the execution section 511j is realized by program control of the CPU 511. The execution unit 511j selects and executes one of a plurality of preset processes based on the comparison result between the log information of the industrial computer 500 and threshold values of multiple stages.

Specifically, while the industrial computer 500 is operating, the expansion board 510 repeatedly executes the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12 at preset time intervals, for example, at one hour intervals. Further, the plurality of threshold values are specifically first to third threshold values, and the magnitude relationship among them is first threshold>second threshold>third threshold.

The processing from step 501 to step 506 is the same as the processing from step S101 to step S106 in the first embodiment.

In step S507, the execution unit 511j of the expansion board 510 compares the piece of log information received in step S501 with a first threshold value set in advance corresponding to the log information. For example, in the case of temperature information inside the casing 101 detected by the temperature sensor 107, the execution unit 511j compares the temperature information with a first threshold value stored in the internal memory 11e. If the temperature information is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the processing flow advances to step S508. On the other hand, if the temperature information is less than the first threshold, the processing flow advances to step S509.

In step S508, the execution unit 511j determines that the temperature abnormality within the casing 101 is severe, and forcibly stops the industrial computer 500. Specifically, the execution unit 511j transmits a forced stop request to the main board 102 via the internal communication interface 12. After that, the processing flow advances to step S513.

In step S509, the execution unit 511j of the expansion board 510 compares the piece of log information received in step S501 with a second threshold value set in advance corresponding to the log information. In the case of temperature information inside the casing 101 detected by the temperature sensor 107, if the temperature information is equal to or higher than the second threshold value, the processing flow advances to step S510. On the other hand, if the temperature information is less than the second threshold, the processing flow advances to step S511.

In step S511, the execution unit 511j determines that the temperature abnormality within the casing 101 is moderate, and shifts the industrial computer 500 to the energy saving mode. Specifically, the execution unit 511j transmits a request to shift to the energy saving mode to the main board 102 via the internal communication interface 12. After that, the processing flow advances to step S513.

In step S511, the execution unit 511j of the expansion board 510 compares one piece of log information received in step S501 with a third threshold value set in advance corresponding to the log information. In the case of temperature information inside the casing 101 detected by the temperature sensor 107, if the temperature information is equal to or higher than the third threshold value, the processing flow advances to step S512. On the other hand, if the temperature information is less than the second threshold, the process flow advances to step S513.

In step S512, the execution unit 511j determines that the temperature abnormality within the casing 101 is mild, and increases the rotation speed of the air cooling fan 108 housed within the casing 101 of the industrial computer 500. Specifically, the execution unit 511j transmits a request to increase the rotational speed of the cooling fan to the main board 102 via the internal communication interface 12. After that, the processing flow advances to step S513.

The process in step S513 is similar to the process in step S107 of the first embodiment.

As described above, the execution unit 511j of the expansion board 510 according to the fifth embodiment compares the log information received from the main board 102 of the industrial computer 500 with preset threshold values of multiple stages. Based on this, one of a plurality of preset processes is selected and executed. Thereby, when an abnormality occurs in the industrial computer 500, various countermeasures can be taken depending on the degree of the abnormality.

Although several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, these embodiments are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. It can be implemented in various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, changes, and combinations can be made without departing from the gist of the disclosure. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and gist of the disclosure as well as within the scope of the disclosure described in the claims and its equivalents.

10 Expansion board 11 CPU
11a First receiving section 11b First storage section 11c First diagnosis section 11d Second storage section 12 Internal communication interface (first communication interface)
13 Nonvolatile memory 14 Bus 15 Light emitting diode 16 Liquid crystal display 17 Input/output port 100 Industrial computer (information processing device)
101 Housing 102 Main board 103 CPU
104 Internal communication interface (first communication interface)
105 Bus 106 Storage drive 107 Temperature sensor 108 Air cooling fan 109 Power supply unit 110 Battery 111 Expansion slot 200 Industrial computer (information processing device)
210 Expansion board 211 CPU
211f Transmission unit 218 External communication interface (second communication interface)
300 Industrial computers (information processing equipment)
311 CPU
311g Change unit 400 Industrial computer (information processing device)
410 Expansion board 411 CPU
411h Second receiving unit 411i Second diagnostic unit 500 Industrial computer (information processing device)
510 Expansion board 511 CPU
511j Execution part

Claims (6)

An expansion board connected to an information processing device,
a first receiving unit that receives log information of the information processing device from a main board of the information processing device via a first communication interface;
a first storage unit that stores the log information in a nonvolatile memory that is removable from the expansion board;
a first diagnosis unit that diagnoses an abnormality of the information processing device by comparing the log information with a preset threshold;
and a second storage section that stores error information in the nonvolatile memory when the first diagnosis section determines that there is an abnormality. The expansion board according to claim 1, further comprising a second communication interface that transmits and receives commands and data to and from external equipment. The expansion board according to claim 2, further comprising a transmitter that transmits either or both of the log information and the error information stored in the nonvolatile memory to an external device via the second communication interface. . The expansion board according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising a changing unit that changes the preset threshold value from an external device via the second communication interface. a second receiving unit that receives either or both of log information and error information of the other information processing device from the main board of the other information processing device via the second communication interface;
Comparing either or both of the log information and the error information of the other information processing device with either or both of the log information and the error information of the information processing device stored in the nonvolatile memory. The expansion board according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising a second diagnosis unit that diagnoses an abnormality of the information processing device. 6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an execution unit that selects and executes one of a plurality of preset processes based on a comparison result between the log information and a plurality of preset thresholds. The expansion board according to any one of the items.

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