Replacement timing detection system and method of detection of electronic component

Abstract

To provide a replacement timing detection system of an electronic component capable of precisely detecting component replacement timing according to an environment where each electronic apparatus is actually installed.SOLUTION: A replacement timing detection system comprises a monitored apparatus including a plurality of electronic components and a deterioration detector installed under the same environment as the monitored apparatus, and detects replacement timing of the predetermined electronic component of the plurality of electronic components. The predetermined electronic component is a fragile electronic component that deteriorates quickly. The deterioration detector includes: a dummy element composed of the same electronic component as the fragile electronic component; dummy element driving means for operating the dummy element under a severer operation condition than the operation condition applied to the fragile electronic component in the monitored apparatus; control determination means capable of controlling the dummy element driving means: and current detection means for detecting the current of the dummy element. The control determination means is configured to determine the deterioration state of the dummy element on the basis of the signal from the detection means and output the determination result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for detecting when to replace an electronic component, and more particularly to a technique that is effective for detecting when to replace an electronic component such as a capacitor or a photocoupler that constitutes an electronic circuit. [Background technology]

[0002] Along railway lines, there are installed tool boxes containing a wide variety of electronic equipment, including control devices and relays that control crossing circuit breakers and alarms, and these electronic equipment use a variety of electronic components. Traditionally, maintenance of electronic equipment for railway facilities has been generally performed according to a fixed cycle (TBM: Time-Based Maintenance) determined for each type of equipment.In addition, equipment replacement was also carried out after the expected useful life of 30 years, for example.

[0003] However, in reality, the deterioration state of equipment varies from one piece of equipment to another, even for the same model, due to differences in the usage environment, such as the ambient temperature, humidity, and vibration from trains, etc. Also, in the case of equipment inside a tool box, the temperature and humidity vary depending on the location inside, even within the same box. Therefore, the above-mentioned uniform maintenance method (TBM), which performs inspection and replacement regardless of the presence or absence of deterioration, has the problem of increasing costs due to unnecessary inspection and replacement. Therefore, there is a demand for maintenance (CBM: condition-based maintenance) that grasps the condition of each piece of equipment for each facility and performs inspection and replacement based on that.

[0004] Incidentally, it is known that in electronic equipment for railway facilities, failures often occur due to degradation of specific electronic components such as photocouplers and capacitors (particularly aluminum electrolytic capacitors). Conventionally, a technique for predicting the lifespan of a photocoupler is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1, and a technique for detecting deterioration of a capacitor is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-268002 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2016-163413 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the inventions disclosed in the above Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not predict the lifespan or detect deterioration based on the environment in which the equipment is actually installed, and therefore have the problem that they cannot accurately predict the lifespan or detect deterioration of components in individual electronic devices. Meanwhile, in recent years, research results have been reported on usage environment sensing methods that can be applied to CBM by expressing variable factors in the usage environment in mathematical formulas, and on life prediction methods based on sensing information. However, there is an issue in that it is very difficult to incorporate variable factors into mathematical formulas.

[0007] The present invention has been made in light of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a system and method for detecting when to replace an electronic component, which can accurately detect when to replace a component depending on the usage environment in which each electronic device is actually installed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides A replacement timing detection system includes a monitored device having a plurality of electronic components and a deterioration detection device installed in the same environment as the monitored device, the replacement timing detection system detecting a time to replace a predetermined electronic component among the plurality of electronic components, the predetermined electronic component is a fragile electronic component that deteriorates quickly among the plurality of electronic components, The deterioration detection device includes: A dummy element made of the same electronic component as the fragile electronic component; a dummy element driving means for operating the dummy element under operating conditions harsher than those applied to the fragile electronic components in the monitored device; a control determination means capable of controlling the dummy element driving means; a current detection means for detecting a current through the dummy element, The control determination means is configured to determine a deterioration state of the dummy element based on a signal from the current detection means, and to output a determination result.

[0009] In addition, a method for detecting when to replace an electronic component according to another aspect of the present application comprises: A step of finding a vulnerable electronic component that is deteriorating quickly from among a plurality of electronic components of a monitored device having the plurality of electronic components; a step of installing a deterioration detection device in the same environment as the monitored device, the deterioration detection device having a dummy element made of the same electronic component as the fragile electronic component and operating the dummy element under operating conditions harsher than the operating conditions given to the fragile electronic component in the monitored device; detecting a current through the dummy element by the deterioration detection device; determining a degradation state of the dummy element by the degradation detection device based on the detected current and outputting a determination result; The present invention is designed to have the following features.

[0010] According to the above-mentioned configuration of the electronic component replacement time detection system and detection method, since the deterioration detection device equipped with the dummy element made of the same electronic component as the vulnerable electronic component in the monitored device is installed in the same environment as the monitored device, it is possible to accurately detect the replacement time of the component or device according to the environment in which each electronic device is actually installed. Also, since it is equipped with the dummy element driving means for operating the dummy element under operating conditions stricter than the operating conditions given to the vulnerable electronic component in the monitored device, it is possible to detect the deterioration of the dummy element before the vulnerable electronic component in the monitored device deteriorates, and to determine that the time to replace the vulnerable electronic component has come before the vulnerable electronic component deteriorates.

[0011] Here, it is preferable that the monitored device is installed inside a predetermined housing, The deterioration detection device is configured to be installed inside the same housing as the housing and in the vicinity of the fragile electronic component. According to this configuration, when the monitored equipment is installed inside a housing such as a tool box, the deterioration detection device is installed near the position of the vulnerable electronic components inside the housing, so that deterioration of the vulnerable electronic components can be accurately detected.

[0012] Further, preferably, the fragile electronic component is a capacitor, The dummy element driving means is configured to apply to the capacitor, which is the dummy element, a voltage higher than a voltage applied to the capacitor, which is the fragile electronic component in the monitored device. According to this configuration, when the vulnerable electronic component is a capacitor, it is possible to accurately detect when the capacitor needs to be replaced.

[0013] The fragile electronic component is a photocoupler, The dummy element driving means is configured to pass a current through the light-emitting element on the primary side of the photocoupler, which is the dummy element, which is a current greater than the current passed through the light-emitting element of the photocoupler, which is the vulnerable electronic component in the monitored device, and / or at a frequency higher than the operating frequency of the vulnerable electronic component. According to this configuration, when the vulnerable electronic component is a photocoupler, it is possible to accurately detect when the photocoupler needs to be replaced. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the electronic component replacement time detection system and detection method of the present invention, it is possible to accurately detect the replacement time of a component in accordance with the usage environment in which the electronic device is actually installed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1]1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an electronic component replacement time detection system according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a deterioration detection circuit when a vulnerable electronic component in a monitored device is a capacitor. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a deterioration detection circuit when a vulnerable electronic component in a monitored device is a photocoupler; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a system and method for detecting time to replace an electronic component according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention was made with the understanding that failures in electronic devices often occur due to the deterioration of specific electronic components. The inventors believed that the reason why a specific electronic component is prone to deterioration is because that electronic component operates under the harshest conditions in the circuit and is subjected to high stress.

[0017] The system and method for detecting the time to replace an electronic component according to the present invention finds a fragile electronic component that deteriorates quickly from among the electronic devices to be judged, prepares an identical electronic component as a dummy element, and extracts the operating conditions of the fragile electronic component in the electronic device, such as the operating current and applied voltage, based on the design data.Then, prepares a deterioration detection circuit board that gives the dummy element stricter operating conditions than the operating conditions of the original electronic component, mounts the dummy element on the circuit board, and operates it under the same environment as the electronic device to be detected.Then, the time to replace the fragile electronic component is determined when the deterioration of the dummy element is detected, and the component replacement is carried out.

[0018] Here, "in the same environment" means that the electronic device to be detected is installed in the same appliance box when the electronic device to be detected is installed in the appliance box. Furthermore, when the electronic device to be detected is large or when the internal volume of the appliance box that contains the electronic device to be detected is significantly larger than that of the electronic device to be detected, it is preferable that the electronic device is located near the mounting position of the vulnerable electronic component even in the same appliance box. The vulnerable electronic component may be found by performing an accelerated deterioration test on the electronic device to be judged, or the electronic component with the highest power consumption per unit time based on the circuit design data may be found and determined as the vulnerable electronic component.

[0019] Hereinafter, a specific example of a deterioration detection circuit board will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, taking as an example a case where the vulnerable electronic component is a capacitor or a photocoupler. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall image of the electronic component replacement timing detection system according to the present invention, Fig. 2 shows a specific example of a deterioration detection circuit board when the vulnerable electronic component is a capacitor, and Fig. 3 shows a specific example of a deterioration detection circuit board when the vulnerable electronic component is a photocoupler.

[0020] 1, the electronic component replacement time detection system of this embodiment is composed of an electronic circuit board 10 as a monitored device on which a vulnerable electronic component 11 to be detected is mounted together with other electronic components 12 such as ICs (semiconductor integrated circuits) and resistor elements, a deterioration detection circuit 20 on which a dummy element 21 of the vulnerable electronic component is mounted and which is installed near the electronic circuit board 10, and a monitoring device 30 which receives a signal from an output terminal (contact output) of the deterioration detection circuit 20 at its input terminal (contact input), detects a change in the input state, performs monitoring, and notifies of the occurrence of an abnormality if the input state changes. Examples of the electronic circuit board 10 include a railroad crossing control board and a circuit breaker control board.

[0021] In addition, conventionally, railway facilities have used monitoring devices that have multiple contact input circuits to which signals from monitored equipment are input, and multiple contact output circuits that output a specified signal when an abnormality is detected, and in this embodiment, such existing devices can be used as monitoring device 30.

[0022] The deterioration detection circuit 20 includes a circuit board 22 consisting of a printed wiring board on which a dummy element 21, which is the same electronic component as the vulnerable electronic component, is mounted, a DC / DC converter 23 mounted on the circuit board 22 as a direct current power source that applies a voltage to the dummy element 21 to pass a current, a sensor 24 for detecting the current flowing through the dummy element 21, and a control judgment unit 25 consisting of a CPU or the like that controls the DC / DC converter 23, judges deterioration based on a signal from the sensor 24, and outputs the judgment result.

[0023] 2 and 3 show specific examples of the deterioration detection circuit 20 when the vulnerable electronic component is a capacitor or a photocoupler. When the vulnerable electronic component is a capacitor, the control and judgment unit 25 constituting the deterioration detection circuit 20 is composed of a microcomputer (microcontroller) MCU incorporating a CPU, a ROM storing programs for control and judgment executed by the CPU, and a RAM providing a working area for the CPU, as shown in Fig. 2. For the sensor 24, for example, a Rogowski coil can be used.

[0024] The DC / DC converter 23 used is capable of outputting a voltage higher than the voltage applied to the capacitor 11 to be judged on the electronic circuit board 10 serving as the monitored device, and the dummy capacitor 21A is charged by being applied with a voltage higher than that of the capacitor 11 to be judged on the board 10. Therefore, the dummy capacitor 21A is operated under stricter operating conditions than the capacitor 11 to be judged. Furthermore, DC / DC converter 23 is on / off controlled by a microcomputer (MCU), and dummy capacitor 21A is charged when DC / DC converter 23 is turned on. Instead of turning DC / DC converter 23 on / off, a charging switch may be provided between DC / DC converter 23 and dummy capacitor 21A, and this switch may be turned on / off by the MCU.

[0025] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a discharge switch 26 and a current limiting resistor Rc are provided in series in parallel with the dummy capacitor 21A, and the discharge switch 26 is also configured to be on / off controlled by the MCU. Although not particularly limited, the resistance value of resistor Rc is set to a value smaller than the total resistance value of the discharge path of capacitor 11 to be evaluated on substrate 10, so that when discharge switch 26 is turned on, a discharge current larger than the discharge current value of capacitor 11 to be evaluated can flow. This makes it possible to measure the discharge current of dummy capacitor 21A in a relatively short time.

[0026] In the deterioration detection circuit 20 of Fig. 2, the MCU periodically turns off the DC / DC converter 23 and turns on the discharge switch 26 to measure the magnitude of the discharge current and the duration of discharge. Then, when a discharge current equal to or greater than a predetermined value does not flow continuously for a predetermined period of time or more, it is determined that the dummy capacitor 21A has deteriorated. The MCU continues to output a high-level signal when the dummy capacitor 21A has not deteriorated, and changes the output signal to a low level when it determines that the dummy capacitor 21A has deteriorated. Such a signal is transmitted from the signal output terminal OUT through a transmission line TL such as a cable to the monitoring device 30, and input to the signal input terminal IN, so that the monitoring device 30 can detect the occurrence of an abnormality (element deterioration).

[0027] Note that instead of directly mounting dummy capacitor 21A on circuit board 22, a socket to which a capacitor can be attached and detached may be mounted. Then, a DC / DC converter 23 capable of changing its output voltage value is used, and a signal specifying the output voltage value of DC / DC converter 23 is output from the MCU. This increases the versatility of deterioration detection circuit 20, and makes it possible to use a common deterioration detection circuit for a plurality of electronic devices having capacitors with different capacitance values ​​to be judged. Furthermore, a microcomputer equipped with an AD converter may be used as the MCU, so that the charging voltage of the dummy capacitor 21A can be measured with the DC / DC converter 23 turned off.

[0028] On the other hand, when the vulnerable electronic component on the electronic circuit board 10 is a photocoupler, the control judgment unit 25 constituting the deterioration detection circuit 20 is configured by an MCU (microcontroller), specifically, a CPU and a program stored in a ROM, as shown in FIG. 3, and a signal is input to the MCU from a sensor 24 that detects the current flowing through a phototransistor PT, which is a light receiving element on the secondary side of the dummy photocoupler 21B that is the target of deterioration detection.

[0029] The DC / DC converter 23 is capable of passing a current to the light-emitting element (LED) of the dummy photocoupler 21B that is greater than the current passed through the light-emitting element (LED) on the primary side of the photocoupler to be determined on the electronic circuit board 10 as the monitored device, and is configured to be on / off controlled by the MCU. Also, a DC / DC converter 27 is provided that supplies a current when the light-emitting element (LED) of the dummy photocoupler 21B is driven to emit light and the phototransistor PT on the secondary side is turned on. The voltage output by DC / DC converter 27 may be lower than the output voltage of DC / DC converter 23. Also, in Fig. 3, DC / DC converter 27 generates an output voltage based on the input voltage Vin of the substrate like DC / DC converter 23, but it may also be configured to step down the output voltage of DC / DC converter 23 to generate the voltage to be applied to phototransistor PT.

[0030] 3, the MCU turns on the DC / DC converter 23 at the same frequency as the operation frequency of the photocoupler to be judged on the electronic circuit board 10, passes a current through the light emitting element (LED) on the primary side of the dummy photocoupler 21B to cause it to emit light, and measures the magnitude of the current flowing through the phototransistor PT on the secondary side accordingly. Then, when a current of a predetermined value or more no longer flows, it is determined that the dummy photocoupler 21B has deteriorated. Furthermore, the microcomputer MCU continues to output a high-level signal if the dummy photocoupler 21B is not degraded, and changes the output signal to a low level if it determines that the dummy photocoupler 21B is degraded. By inputting such a signal to the monitoring device 30, the monitoring device 30 can detect the occurrence of an abnormality (degradation of an element).

[0031] In the photocoupler to be judged on the electronic circuit board 10 as the monitored device, the ground potential of the light-emitting element (LED) on the primary side and the ground potential of the light-receiving element (phototransistor) on the secondary side are separated and different, but in the dummy photocoupler 21B on the deterioration detection circuit 20 in Fig. 3, the ground potential of the light-emitting element (LED) on the primary side and the ground potential of the light-receiving element (phototransistor) on the secondary side may be the same. In other words, the deterioration detection circuit 20 requires only one ground terminal system.

[0032] In addition, in the deterioration detection circuit 20 of FIG. 3, the MCU is programmed to check in advance the operation frequency of the photocoupler to be judged on the electronic circuit board 10 and turn on the DC / DC converter 23 at the same frequency, but it is also possible to provide a sensor for detecting the current flowing through the LED on the primary side of the photocoupler to be judged on the electronic circuit board 10, input the output of the sensor to the MCU, and operate the dummy photocoupler 21B at the same timing. Furthermore, instead of passing a current through the light-emitting element (LED) of dummy photocoupler 21B that is greater than the current passing through the LED of the photocoupler on board 10 that is being evaluated, the dummy photocoupler may be configured to pass a current through it at a frequency higher than the operating frequency of the photocoupler on board 10 that is being evaluated, thereby hastening degradation.

[0033] As described above, according to the system for detecting the time to replace an electronic component equipped with the deterioration detection circuit 20 of this embodiment, the deterioration detection circuit 20 equipped with dummy elements operates in the same environment as the electronic circuit board 10 as the monitored device, so that the time to replace the electronic component can be detected with high accuracy. In addition, the dummy capacitors and photocouplers of the degradation detection circuit 20 are operated under stricter operating conditions (higher voltage and larger current) than the capacitors and photocouplers to be judged. Therefore, the dummy capacitors and photocouplers, which are substitutes for the vulnerable electronic components, can be deteriorated faster than the vulnerable electronic components on the substrate 10, so that it can be determined that the electronic components have deteriorated and need to be replaced before the capacitors and photocouplers on the substrate 10 break down. Depending on the timing of replacement, instead of replacing the capacitors or photocouplers that are determined to be deteriorated with new ones, it may be possible to replace the module or unit containing those components, or the entire electronic circuit board (electronic device) on which those components are mounted, with new ones.

[0034] Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiments, the electronic component to be subjected to deterioration judgment is a capacitor or a photocoupler, but the electronic component to be subjected to deterioration judgment is not limited to a capacitor or a photocoupler and may be another electronic component. In addition, when there are two or more vulnerable electronic components on the electronic circuit board 10 serving as the monitored device, two or more deterioration detection circuits 20 may be prepared for one monitored device and installed in the same environment as the monitored device to perform deterioration judgment.

[0035] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to electronic devices used in railway facilities, but the present invention can also be applied to electronic devices used in facilities other than railways. In particular, it is effective to apply the present invention to electronic devices that are affected by vibrations as well as ambient temperature and humidity, such as electronic devices used in railway facilities. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10 Electronic circuit boards as monitored devices 11 Electronic components subject to judgment (vulnerable electronic components) 20 Deterioration detection circuit (deterioration detection device) 21 Dummy electronic components (dummy elements) 21A dummy capacitor 21B Dummy Photocoupler 22 Circuit Board 23 DC / DC converter (dummy element driving means) 24 Sensor (current detection means) 25 Control Judgment Section 26 Discharge switch 27 DC / DC converter 30 Monitoring equipment

Claims

1. A replacement timing detection system including a monitored device having a plurality of electronic components and a deterioration detection device installed in the same environment as the monitored device, the replacement timing detection system detecting a replacement time of a predetermined electronic component among the plurality of electronic components, the predetermined electronic component is a fragile electronic component that deteriorates quickly among the plurality of electronic components, The deterioration detection device includes: A dummy element made of the same electronic component as the fragile electronic component; a dummy element driving means for operating the dummy element under operating conditions harsher than those applied to the fragile electronic components in the monitored device; a control determination means capable of controlling the dummy element driving means; a current detection means for detecting a current through the dummy element, The electronic component replacement timing detection system, wherein the control determination means determines a deterioration state of the dummy element based on a signal from the current detection means, and outputs a determination result.

2. The monitored device is installed inside a predetermined housing, 2. The system for detecting when to replace an electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the deterioration detection device is installed inside the same housing as the housing and in the vicinity of the fragile electronic component.

3. the fragile electronic component is a capacitor; The electronic component replacement time detection system described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the dummy element driving means applies a voltage to the dummy element capacitor that is higher than the voltage applied to the capacitor that is the fragile electronic component in the monitored device.

4. The fragile electronic component is a photocoupler, The electronic component replacement time detection system described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the dummy element driving means passes a current to the primary side light-emitting element of the photocoupler, which is the dummy element, that is a current greater than the current passed through the light-emitting element of the photocoupler, which is the vulnerable electronic component in the monitored device, and / or a current at a frequency higher than the operating frequency of the vulnerable electronic component.

5. A step of finding a vulnerable electronic component that is deteriorating quickly from among a plurality of electronic components of a monitored device having the plurality of electronic components; a step of installing a deterioration detection device in the same environment as the monitored device, the deterioration detection device having a dummy element made of the same electronic component as the fragile electronic component and operating the dummy element under operating conditions harsher than the operating conditions given to the fragile electronic component in the monitored device; detecting a current through the dummy element by the deterioration detection device; determining a degradation state of the dummy element by the degradation detection device based on the detected current and outputting a determination result; 1. A method for detecting when to replace an electronic component, comprising:

6. The monitored device is installed inside a predetermined housing, 6. The method for detecting when to replace an electronic component according to claim 5, wherein the deterioration detection device is installed inside the same housing as the housing and in the vicinity of the fragile electronic component.

Images