TERMINAL DEVICE, CONTROL DEVICE, FAULT DIAGNOSIS SYSTEM, AND FAULT DIAGNOSIS METHOD

• US 20140065971A1
• Filed: 02/25/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nonaka, Masao, Yamaoka, Masaru, Kurimoto, Kazunori, Kuroyama, Kazuhiro, Matsumoto, Michihiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,742,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0736 in functional embedded systems, i.e. in a data processing system designed as a combination of hardware and software dedicated to performing a certain function testing or monitoring of automated control systems G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/00 Monitoring; Testing of line transmission systems H04B3/46; arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio waves H04B10/07
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/17 Detection of non-compliance or faulty performance, e.g. response deviations H04B17/18 takes precedence

Abstract

A state updating unit updates first information stored in a storage unit whenever the state of a control unit transitions from an idle state to an active state or from the active state to the idle state. A second power supply unit induces electric power from radio waves received by the antenna unit. An information acquiring unit operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the second power supply unit, acquires second information indicating whether electric power is supplied from the first power supply unit, acquires the first information from the storage unit, and transmits the acquired first and second information to the control device. A diagnosing unit diagnoses faults in the terminal device based on the first and second information transmitted from the information acquiring unit of the terminal device.

Claims

1. A terminal device which performs short-range wireless communication with an external control device and the faults of which are diagnosed by the control device,

the terminal device comprising:

a first power supply unit that supplies electric power;

an antenna unit that transmits and receives short-range radio waves to and from the control device;

a second power supply unit that induces electric power from the radio waves received by the antenna unit and supplies the induced electric power;

a storage unit that operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the second power supply unit;

a control unit that operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the first power supply unit and stores in the storage unit first information indicating whether the control unit is in an active state or an idle state; and

an information acquiring unit that operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the second power supply unit, acquires second information indicating whether electric power is supplied from the first power supply unit, acquires the first information from the storage unit, and transmits the acquired first and second information to the control device via the antenna unit.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an activation signal generating unit that generates an activation signal for activating the control unit and transmits the activation signal to the control unit, wherein

the activation signal generating unit generates the activation signal based on an instruction signal transmitted from the control device when there is a possibility that the control unit has a fault, and

the information acquiring unit acquires the first and second information again after the activation signal is transmitted from the activation signal generating unit and transmits the first and second information to the control device.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an activation signal generating unit that generates an activation signal for activating the control unit and transmits the activation signal to the control unit, wherein

the activation signal generating unit generates the activation signal when the second information indicates that power is supplied, and

the information acquiring unit acquires the first and second information after the activation signal is transmitted from the activation signal generating unit and transmits the first and second information to the control device.

4. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an auxiliary power supply unit that supplies electric power to the control unit to allow the control unit to update the first information stored in the storage unit when the supply of electric power from the first power supply unit is interrupted.

5. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a switch that electrically connects or disconnects the first power supply unit and the control unit; and

a switch information acquiring unit that operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the second power supply unit, acquires third information indicating whether the switch is turned on or off, and transmits the third information to the control device via the antenna unit.

6. A control device that performs short-range wireless communication with an external terminal device to diagnose faults in the terminal device, the terminal device including a first power supply unit that supplies electric power and a control unit that operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the first power supply unit,

the control device comprising:

an antenna unit that transmits and receives short-range radio waves to and from the terminal device; and

a diagnosing unit that receives first information indicating whether the control unit included in the terminal device is in an active state or an idle state and second information indicating whether electric power is supplied from the first power supply unit included in the terminal device from the terminal device via the antenna unit and diagnoses faults in the terminal device based on the received first and second information.

7. The control device according to claim 6, wherein

the diagnosing unit diagnoses that the control unit has a fault when the second information indicates that a non-power-supply state is established and the first information indicates that the active state is established or when the second information indicates a power-supply state is established and the first information indicates the idle state is established and diagnoses that the control unit is normal when the second information indicates that the power-supply state is established and the first information indicates that the active state is established, or when the second information indicates that the non-power-supply state is established and the first information indicates that the idle state is established.

8. The control device according to claim 6, further comprising:

an instruction signal transmitting unit that transmits an instruction signal for activating the control unit when there is a possibility that the control unit has a fault to the terminal device via the antenna unit.

9. The control device according to claim 8, wherein

the instruction signal transmitting unit transmits the instruction signal when the second information indicates that the power-supply state is established and the first information indicates that the idle state is established.

10. The control device according to claim 6, wherein

the diagnosing unit acquires from the terminal device third information indicating whether a switch that electrically connects or disconnects the first power supply unit and the control unit of the terminal device is turned on or off and diagnoses faults in the terminal device based on the third information in addition to the first and second information.

11. A terminal device which performs short-range wireless communication with an external control device and the faults of which are diagnosed by the control device,

the terminal device comprising:

a first power supply unit that supplies electric power;

an antenna unit that transmits and receives short-range radio waves to and from the control device;

a second power supply unit that induces electric power from the radio waves received by the antenna unit and supplies the induced electric power;

a storage unit that operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the second power supply unit;

a control unit that operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the first power supply unit and stores in the storage unit first information indicating whether the control unit is in an active state or an idle state;

an information acquiring unit that operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the second power supply unit, acquires second information indicating whether electric power is supplied from the first power supply unit, and acquires the first information;

a diagnosing unit that operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the second power supply unit, diagnoses faults in the terminal device based on the first and second information acquired by the information acquiring unit, and transmits diagnosis results to the control device via the antenna unit.

12. The terminal device according to claim 11, further comprising:

an activation signal generating unit that generates an activation signal for activating the control unit and transmits the activation signal to the control unit, wherein

the activation signal generating unit generates the activation signal when the second information indicates that power is supplied, and

the information acquiring unit acquires the first and second information after the activation signal is transmitted from the activation signal generating unit and transmits the first and second information to the control device.

13. The terminal device according to claim 11, further comprising:

an activation signal generating unit that generates an activation signal for activating the control unit and transmits the activation signal to the control unit, wherein

the activation signal generating unit generates the activation signal when the second information indicates that a power-supply state is established and the first information indicates that the idle state is established, and

the information acquiring unit acquires the first and second information after the activation signal is transmitted from the activation signal generating unit and transmits the first and second information to the control device.

14. The terminal device according to claim 11, wherein

the diagnosing unit diagnoses that the control unit has a fault when the second information indicates that a non-power-supply state is established and the first information indicates that the active state is established or when the second information indicates that a power-supply state is indicated and the first information indicates that the idle state is established and diagnoses that the control unit is normal when the second information indicates the non-power-supply state and the first information indicates the active state is established, or when the second information indicates that the non-power-supply state is established and the first information indicates that the idle state is established.

15. The terminal device according to claim 11, further comprising:

an auxiliary power supply unit that supplies electric power to the control unit to allow the control unit to update the first information stored in the storage unit when the supply of electric power from the first power supply unit is interrupted.

16. A fault diagnosis system in which a control device and a terminal device perform short-range wireless communication and the control device diagnoses faults in the terminal device,

the terminal device comprising:

a first power supply unit that supplies electric power;

an antenna unit that transmits and receives short-range radio waves to and from the control device;

a second power supply unit that induces electric power from the radio waves received by the antenna unit and supplies the induced electric power;

a storage unit that operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the second power supply unit;

a control unit that operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the first power supply unit and stores in the storage unit first information indicating whether the control unit is in an active state or an idle state; and

an information acquiring unit that operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the second power supply unit, acquires second information indicating whether electric power is supplied from the first power supply unit, acquires the first information from the storage unit, and transmits the acquired first and second information to the control device via the antenna unit, and

the control device comprising;

an antenna unit that transmits and receives short-range radio waves to and from the terminal device; and

a diagnosing unit that receives the first and second information from the terminal device via the antenna unit and diagnoses faults in the terminal device based on the received first and second information.

17. A fault diagnosis method of causing a control device and a terminal device to perform short-range wireless communication and causing the control device to diagnose faults in the terminal device,

the terminal device being configured to have:

a first power supply unit that supplies electric power;

an antenna unit that transmits and receives short-range radio waves to and from the control device;

a second power supply unit that induces electric power from the radio waves received by the antenna unit and supplies the induced electric power;

a control unit that operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the first power supply unit and stores first information indicating whether the control unit is in an active state or an idle state in a storage unit; and

an information acquiring unit that operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the second power supply unit, and

the control device being configured to have an antenna unit that transmits and receives short-range radio waves to and from the terminal device; and

a diagnosing unit that diagnoses faults in the terminal device,

the fault diagnosis method comprising the steps of;

allowing the second power supply unit of the terminal device to receive the radio waves from the control device via the antenna unit thereby operating the information acquiring unit and the storage unit;

allowing the information acquiring unit of the terminal device to acquire second information indicating whether electric power is supplied from the first power supply unit when the information acquiring unit operates after receiving the supply of electric power from the second power supply unit and allowing the information acquiring unit to acquire the first information from the storage unit thereby transmitting the acquired first and second information to the control device via the antenna unit; and

allowing the diagnosing unit of the control device to receive the first and second information transmitted from the information acquiring unit via the antenna unit and to diagnose faults in the terminal device based on the received first and second information.