JPS6096101A - Monitoring device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable to monitor the original function of an equipment to be monitored and also the protecting function by inputting the prescribed simulating signal instead of the original input signal to the equipment. CONSTITUTION:The contact of a switching unit 44 is switched to input signal lines 10a-10c side in a normal vehicle traveling state, and a monitoring device 31 inputs an input signal and an output signal of an equipment 21 to be monitored to judge whether the function of the equipment 21 is normal or not. On the other hand, the contact of the unit 44 is switched to simulating signal lines 12a-12c at the vehicle stopping time, a simulating signal generator 41 is then operated to supply the prescribed simulating signal to the input of the equipment 21. Then, it is judged whether the signal of the equipment 21 to be monitored for the simulating signal at this time coincides with the prescribed data.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a monitoring device for various electrical devices, and particularly to an on-vehicle monitoring device installed in a vehicle such as an electric car to monitor the functions of various electrical devices in the vehicle. Regarding equipment.

[Background of the invention]

'Vehicles such as electric cars are equipped with various complicated electrical devices such as various control devices for the drive system and ATC (Automatic Train Control) devices for the operation system.
These must always function normally.

Therefore, in order to ensure this, monitoring devices (hereinafter referred to as monitor devices) have come to be installed in vehicles in order to constantly monitor these devices and promptly respond to abnormalities.

This monitor device uses the various devices listed above as monitored devices, captures the input signals and output signals thereof, and checks the functions of the monitored devices based on these responses to ensure that they are maintained normally. In this figure, 10a to 10c indicate input signals. line,
lla to lie are output signal lines, 21 is monitored equipment, 31
3 is a monitor device, 32 is a monitor display, and 33 is a monitor operator.

The monitored device 21 performs necessary operations such as logical judgment and calculation based on the input signals supplied via the input signal lines 10a to 10c, and outputs the results to the output signal lines 11a to llc.
The output signal is sent to the outside as an output signal. Now, if this monitored device 21 is a chopper device for vehicle drive control, what is supplied via the input signal lines 10a to 10c are command signals from the driver's cab, current of the motor main circuit, etc.
This is a detection signal from the sensor that represents voltage, and what is sent out via the output signal lines rla to llc is a signal that controls the voltage, current, etc. for driving the motor.

Monitor device & 31 is a microcomputer
The necessary input signals and output signals are taken in from the input signal lines 10a to 10c and the output lines 11a to llc, respectively, and the correspondence relationship between these and the relationship of the output signal to changes in the input signal are predicted. First, check what state the monitored device 21 is in with respect to the data given as if its function is normal, determine the monitoring result for the monitored device 21 based on it, and record it. or display it on the monitor display 32. At this time, a monitor operating device 33 is provided as necessary, so that the contents of the monitor operation can be selected.

In addition, when a train is formed and includes a plurality of electric cars, as shown in FIG. The monitor operating device 33 is configured to be installed in the driver's cab. The example in Fig. 2 further shows the case where there are multiple monitored devices in one vehicle, and each one is 2L.
A, 21B'.

With such monitoring devices, it is possible to constantly check whether the various monitored devices are functioning properly while they are actually in use, and to know this even while the vehicle is in operation. Therefore, high reliability can be obtained.

By the way, various types of equipment to be monitored by such a monitor device are often equipped with various protection functions themselves. Therefore, it is desirable that the monitor of such equipment performs a function check including the above-mentioned protective functions.

However, it goes without saying that such protection functions will not be activated as long as the original function of the device itself is normal and the input signal appearing to it is also normal. do not have.

Therefore, with the above-mentioned conventional monitoring devices, it is impossible to monitor whether the functions of the monitored equipment, including its protective functions, are normal or not unless an emergency occurs during vehicle operation. For this reason, it is almost impossible to check some of the functions of the monitored equipment, and there is a drawback that monitoring of whether the protection functions are normal or not is insufficient, resulting in a lack of reliability. Ta.

[Purpose of the invention]

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art described above, and to enable arbitrary monitoring of all functions including protection functions, as well as the original functions of the monitored equipment itself, and to monitor all functions of the monitored equipment. To provide a monitor device that allows functions to be accurately grasped at all times and allows a vehicle to operate with sufficient reliability.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve this objective, the present invention inputs a predetermined simulated signal instead of or in addition to the original input signal to the monitored device, and uses this simulated signal to prompt the monitored device to activate a predetermined function. , Jj I of the monitored device at this time
The present invention is characterized in that a predetermined function can be checked by detecting b based on the state of its output signal.

[Embodiments of the invention]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The monitoring device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the present invention, in which 12'
A to 12c are simulated signal lines, 14 is a switching signal line, 41 is a simulated signal generator, 42 is an arithmetic unit, 43 is an input unit, 44 is a switch, and the rest is the same as the conventional example shown in Fig. 1. It is.

- The simulated signal generation section 41 is controlled by the calculation section 42, and may not appear on the input signal lines 10a to 10c under normal vehicle operating conditions, but may appear only when an abnormality occurs, and thereby It functions to generate a simulated signal that prompts the activation of a function that requires checking, such as a protection function included in the device 21.

The arithmetic unit 42 includes a microcomputer, etc., and functions to perform heel arithmetic processing and control operations necessary for the monitor device 31.

The input section 43 functions to take in signals appearing at the input terminal and output terminal of the monitored device 210.

The switch 44 is operated by a switching signal supplied from the calculation unit 42- via the signal line 14, and switches the input terminal of the monitored device 21 from the input signal lines 10a to 10c to the simulated signal line 12a.
= 12 It functions to switch to c.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

Under normal vehicle operating conditions, the contact of the switch 44 is switched to the input signal line 10m-10c side, so that the monitor device 31 can output and output the human input signal of the monitored device 21 via its input section 43. Takes in the signal and sends it to the calculation unit 4
2, and it is checked whether the correspondence between the input signal and the output signal matches the correspondence given in advance when the monitored device 21 is normal. It is determined whether the function is normal or not, and the result is displayed on the monitor display 32, recorded, or printed out for monitoring.

Therefore, in this case, the same operation as in the conventional example explained in FIG. 1 is performed.

On the other hand, in a predetermined situation, such as when the vehicle is stopped or parked, and the monitored device 21 does not require its original operation, the calculation unit 42 outputs a switching signal. is generated to switch the contacts of the switch 44 to the simulated signals H12a-12c, and then operate the simulated signal generator 41 to supply a predetermined simulated signal to the input of the monitored device 21. In parallel with this, the behavior of the monitored device 21 at this time is determined based on the data given in advance as the result of the normal response operation of the monitored device 21 to the simulated signal. Judgment is made based on whether or not they match, and the result is displayed on the monitor display 3.
2, display it, record it, or print it out for monitoring.

Therefore, at this time, the simulated signal generated by the simulated signal generator 41 is applied to the input signal lines 10a to 10 in the normal state.
The monitored device 21 is different from the input signal appearing at 0clC.
protection functions and other signals that are not activated under normal operating conditions, but are necessary to activate functions that are essential in abnormal situations, and respond to each of these simulated signals. The calculation unit 42 calculates in advance the state of the output signal when the monitored device 21 responds in a normal state.
By storing the information in the memory, all functions of the monitored device 21 can be monitored.

Note that the switching from the monitoring operation based on the input signal to the monitoring operation based on the simulated signal at this time must be performed while the monitored device 21 is in a dormant state, as described above, but this decision is made by the driver of the vehicle, etc. Alternatively, the monitor device 31 may detect the operation of the monitored device 21 or the state of the vehicle and automatically perform the operation.

Therefore, according to the embodiment of FIG.
In addition to monitoring the original functions of the equipment, it is also necessary to monitor all functions that the equipment has, such as various protection functions, fail-safe functions, and backup functions that are not activated during normal vehicle operation. This can provide high reliability to the vehicle.

By the way, in the above embodiment, the output terminals of the monitored device 21 are directly connected to the output signal lines 11a to 11'lc, and therefore, when monitoring using a simulated signal, the input of this simulated signal causes Signals that do not appear under normal operating conditions are sent to the output signal lines 11a to llc, and as a result, there is a risk that other external devices to which the output of the monitored device 21 is supplied may be adversely affected. There are cases.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the present invention suitable for such a case.

As is clear from FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the monitored equipment 2
A switch 45 is also provided on the output signal lines 11a to llc from the input signal i!1, and this is controlled by the arithmetic unit 42 via the signal line 15, and the switch 44 is connected to the input signal i! i! When switching from signal lines 10a to 10c to simulated signal lines 12a to 12c, the switch 45 is also operated to open the normally closed contacts.The rest is the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. It's the same.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, since the output signal line 11m-11c is disconnected from the output terminal of the monitored device 21 during monitoring using the simulated signal, no matter what signal appears at this output terminal, However, there is no risk of any negative impact on external intermediaries.

Next, in the above embodiments, the input signal lines 10a to 10c and the output signal lines 11a to 11a to the monitored device 21 are connected to each other.
A system has been described in which the signal level of the LC is relatively low, and the monitor device 31, which is a low-level signal device including a microcomputer, can directly capture input and output signals.

However, there are various types of monitored equipment 21, and some of them include equipment that handles high voltage and large current input and output signals, such as the main circuit device of a vehicle drive motor. In this case, it is virtually impossible to directly input the input signal and output signal of the monitored device 210 to the monitor device 31 as in the above embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the present invention suitable for such a case.

In this embodiment, as is clear from FIG. 5, the monitored device 21 receives input from the main control section 22 consisting of an electronic circuit and a relatively high level signal from the input signal lines 10a to 10c to the main control section 220. A converter 46 converts the relatively low level output signal of the main control unit 22 into a relatively high level signal of the output signal line 11a=l16. This is the case when it is equipped with
Correspondingly, all connections from the monitor device 31 are made between these converters 46t47 and the main control section 220, and the rest is the same as the embodiment shown in FIG.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the input signal lines lOa~10
Even if the signal levels of e and output signal lines 11a-11c are quite high, the monitor device 31 can directly capture input signals and output signals from the monitored device 21, and directly supply a simulated signal. and can simplify the configuration.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the target to be monitored by the monitor device 31 is the main control unit 22 in the monitored device 21
However, considering the complexity of the function, it can be considered that the only part that actually requires a monitor is the main control unit 22. Therefore, this embodiment also reduces the monitor effect. There is little risk that this will be reduced.

Next, FIG. 6 shows yet another embodiment of the present invention, which can be said to be a modification of the embodiment shown in FIG.
Instead of providing the switch 45 shown in Fig. 4, a switch 51 is provided in an external device 50 that uses the output signal of the monitored device 21, which may adversely affect these devices 50 during monitoring using a simulated signal. If there is one, this switch 51 is opened.

Further, in this embodiment, an adder 48 is used in place of the switch 44 in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and a simulated signal is inputted using this adder 48. This is due to the following reason. . In other words, most of the devices that become the monitored device 21 stop their original functions when the input signals ato'a to 10c become non-signal, and therefore, at this time, K is Even if the simulated signals are applied as they are to the input signal lines 10a to loc, there is no risk of any particular problem occurring. Therefore, we decided to simply add the simulated signals without using a switch.

Note that in the above embodiments, the present invention is described in the first embodiment. Although the explanation has been made in comparison with the conventional example shown in the figure, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to the train organization shown in FIG.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, in addition to monitoring during normal vehicle operation conditions, it is possible to monitor functions that are not activated under normal conditions, such as the membrane-retaining function. However, it is possible to easily provide a monitor device that can always reliably grasp the status of on-vehicle equipment and provide high reliability to the vehicle.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional example of a monitoring device.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing another conventional example, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the monitoring device according to the present invention, and FIGS. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing one embodiment. 10 a ~ 10 c - human power signal line, 11 a ~ 11
e... Output signal line, 12a-12c... Simulated signal line, 21... Monitored device, 22... Main control unit, 31...
...Monitor equipment @c, 32...Monitor display, 33...
- Monitor operation device, 34... Transmission line, 41... Simulated signal generation section, 42... Arithmetic section, 43... Input section, 44
．． 45...Switching section, 46.47...Conversion section, 48
...adder. $ 1 Figure 1 Kaya 2 Mouth 21A2) F Ji $ 4 Eye

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an on-vehicle monitoring device that checks the functionality of a monitored device by comparing an input signal to the monitored device and an output signal thereof, a simulated signal corresponding to the monitored device is generated. 1. A monitoring device comprising means for checking the function of the monitored device based on the behavior when the simulated signal is input. 2. The monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising a switching means for switching between an original input signal for the input of the monitored device and the simulated signal. '3. The monitoring device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising means for separating the original output signal path from the output of the monitored device.