Safety interlock system for electrical equipment linked with work permit

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrical equipment safety interlock system linked to work condition information, comprising: a data collection unit that receives work permit data containing work condition information related to electrical equipment; a sensor unit that detects the circuit breaker open state, no-voltage state, residual charge discharge state, and grounding state of the electrical equipment, collects a plurality of sensor signals, and preprocesses them; an inspection unit that evaluates whether changes in the plurality of sensor signals occur simultaneously in time and generates evaluation information; a sensor evaluation unit that receives the sensor signals, estimates the sensor health according to a first criterion, and adjusts the sensor reliability weight based on the sensor health; and a control unit that unlocks the electrical equipment based on the work permit data, the sensor reliability weight, and the evaluation information. According to the present invention, the risk of malfunction can be prevented by verifying the reliability of each sensor, human error can be prevented at the source by linking working condition information and electrical safety status, and the risk of secondary electric shock accidents can be prevented by applying a safety sequence during emergency forced opening (Override).

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical equipment safety interlock system linked with working condition information. Background Technology

[0002] Maintenance work on various electrical facilities, such as high-voltage switchboards, distribution boards, and motor control panels (MCCs), is frequently performed at industrial sites. Since these electrical facilities pose a high risk of serious accidents, such as electric shock or arc flash, when workers approach them, strict safety management procedures are required.

[0003] However, conventional safety management systems have a problem in that administrative procedures (PTW) and electrical safety status (equipment power) are operated in a dual manner. As a result, human errors frequently occur where doors are opened even though work condition information has been received, while the power to the relevant equipment has not been completely shut off.

[0004] To address these issues, digital door locks or voltage-sensing release devices have been introduced, but they still rely solely on simple On / Off signals from sensors. Consequently, there is a risk of fatal malfunction where high voltage conditions are mistaken for safety and the door is opened in the event of sensor drift or failure. Furthermore, because administrative authorization procedures and electrical safety conditions are not linked, human errors such as unauthorized opening by unqualified persons or work outside of authorized hours cannot be prevented at the source. Additionally, during emergency forced opening (Override), the lock is immediately released without a safety sequence (power cutoff and residual charge discharge), leaving a constant risk of secondary electric shock accidents caused by residual charge.

[0005] Ultimately, next-generation smart electrical safety systems must ensure the reliability of their decisions by real-time data fusion of work authorization data from management software and electrical indicators detected by field edge devices. Furthermore, there is an urgent need for a highly reliable interlock mechanism that prevents a single sensor malfunction from immediately leading to casualties by continuously verifying the integrity of the sensors themselves through multiple sensors.

[0006] This invention is designed to solve the remaining problems of the aforementioned conventional technology and to safely manage electrical facilities in industrial sites. Prior art literature

[0007] Republic of Korea Published Patent Application No. 10-1033271 The problem to be solved

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a work condition information-linked electrical equipment safety interlock system that solves the aforementioned conventional problems, prevents the risk of malfunction through reliability verification for each sensor, completely eliminates human error by linking work condition information with electrical safety status, and prevents the risk of secondary electric shock accidents by applying a safety sequence during emergency forced opening (Override). means of solving the problem

[0009] The above objective is achieved by an electrical equipment safety interlock system linked with work condition information according to the present invention, comprising: a data collection unit that receives work permit data containing work condition information related to electrical equipment; a sensor unit that detects the circuit breaker open state, no-voltage state, residual charge discharge state, and grounding state of the electrical equipment, and collects and preprocesses a plurality of sensor signals; an inspection unit that evaluates whether changes in the sensor signals occur simultaneously in time and generates evaluation information; a sensor evaluation unit that receives the sensor signals, estimates the sensor health according to a first criterion, and adjusts the sensor reliability weight based on the sensor health; and a control unit that unlocks the electrical equipment based on the work permit data, the sensor reliability weight, and the evaluation information.

[0010] In addition, the electrical equipment safety interlock system linked with work condition information further comprises: a model package verification unit that verifies the integrity of the model package, including at least one of electronic signature verification and hash-based integrity verification, when receiving a model package for the data collection unit, the sensor unit, the inspection unit, the sensor evaluation unit, and the control unit from a server unit; a background evaluation unit that executes and compares a current model for the data collection unit, the sensor unit, the inspection unit, the sensor evaluation unit, and the control unit in parallel with an existing model for the data collection unit, the sensor unit, the inspection unit, the sensor evaluation unit, and the control unit; and a rollback unit that activates the model package when the evaluation result of the background evaluation unit satisfies a second criterion and a predefined activation condition is satisfied, and automatically rolls back when it fails to meet the second criterion.

[0011] In addition, the control unit is characterized by performing an override sequence upon receiving an override request, and the override sequence comprises a first step of cutting off power by opening a circuit breaker, a second step of waiting for a delay time to discharge residual charge after cutting off power, and a third step of unlocking the electrical equipment after the delay time has elapsed, thereby forming an electrical equipment safety interlock system linked with work condition information.

[0012] In addition, it is an electrical equipment safety interlock system linked with work condition information that further includes a fallback operation unit that determines whether to unlock the electrical equipment using the last verified and activated model or rule-based fallback logic when the above second criterion is not met or communication with the server unit is disconnected.

[0013] In addition, it is an electrical equipment safety interlock system linked with work condition information that further includes a log section storing the history of reception, verification, evaluation, activation, and rollback of the model package, the history of reception of the work authorization data, the record of execution of the override sequence, and the time of unlocking the electrical equipment as log data. Effects of the invention

[0014] According to the present invention, the risk of malfunction can be prevented by verifying the reliability of each sensor, human error can be prevented at the source by linking working condition information and electrical safety status, and the risk of secondary electric shock accidents can be prevented by applying a safety sequence during emergency forced opening (Override). Brief explanation of the drawing

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates an electrical equipment safety interlock system linked with work condition information according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0016] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. It should be noted that in assigning reference numerals to the components of each drawing, the same components are given the same reference numeral whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings.

[0017] Furthermore, in describing the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known configurations or functions would hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, such detailed description is omitted.

[0018] In addition, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc., may be used when describing the components of the embodiments of the present invention. These terms are used merely to distinguish the components from other components, and the essence, order, or sequence of the components is not limited by such terms.

[0020] Now, with reference to the attached drawings, an electrical equipment safety interlock system (100) linked with work condition information according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates an electrical equipment safety interlock system (100) linked with work condition information according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the electrical equipment safety interlock system (100) linked with work condition information according to one embodiment of the present invention is electrically connected to a communication unit (T) and a server unit (S).

[0023] First, the electrical equipment safety interlock system (100) linked with work condition information unlocks the electrical equipment using work permission data, electrical equipment signals, override signals, and a model received from the server unit (S), and is electrically connected to the communication unit (T) described later.

[0024] Here, the electrical equipment safety interlock system (100) linked with work condition information can be configured to operate independently regardless of whether it is connected to a network, and can prevent human error at the source by linking work condition information with electrical safety status.

[0025] Here, work condition information may include one or more of worker personal details, available working hours, and permitted work zones.

[0026] Here, the electrical safety state refers to the open state of the circuit breaker, the no-voltage state, the residual charge discharge state, and the grounding state of the electrical equipment.

[0027] Here, electrical equipment refers to enclosed power supply devices such as switchgear, distribution boards, and motor control panels (MCCs) that require protection from the risk of electric shock or arc flash when workers approach or open doors.

[0028] Here, the electrical equipment safety interlock system (100) linked to work condition information stores the operation process, including model update and rollback history, communication disconnection and recovery history, the history of receiving the work permit data, whether electrical safety conditions are met for each sensor, records of emergency override execution and the time of electrical lock release, as a log along with time information and can transmit it to the server unit (S) when necessary.

[0029] Below, a work condition information linkage type electrical equipment safety interlock system (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0031] An electrical equipment safety interlock system (100) linked with work condition information according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a data collection unit (110), a sensor unit (120), an inspection unit (130), a sensor evaluation unit (140), a control unit (150), a log unit (160), and a model package verification unit (170).

[0032] The data collection unit (110) receives work permit data containing work condition information related to electrical equipment and is electrically connected to the control unit (150) described later.

[0033] The sensor unit (120) detects the open state, no-voltage state, residual charge discharge state, and ground state of the electrical equipment, respectively, collects and preprocesses sensor signals, and is electrically connected to the inspection unit (130) described later.

[0034] Here, preprocessing refers to setting the sampling period, unit adjustment, scale normalization, moving average analysis, using low-pass filters, and outlier removal.

[0035] The inspection unit (130) evaluates whether a change in the sensor signal preprocessed from the sensor unit (120) occurs simultaneously in time and generates evaluation information. It is electrically connected to the sensor unit (120) described above and is electrically connected to the control unit (150) described later.

[0036] Here, evaluation information refers to information regarding whether changes in the preprocessed sensor signal occur simultaneously in time.

[0037] Here, a method for evaluating evaluation information may include whether changes in the preprocessed sensor signal occur simultaneously within a predefined time window, etc.

[0038] The sensor evaluation unit (140) receives a sensor signal from the sensor unit (120), estimates the sensor health level according to a first standard, and adjusts the sensor reliability weight based on the sensor health level. It is electrically connected to the sensor unit (120) described above and is electrically connected to the control unit (150) described later.

[0039] Here, sensor health refers to a quantitative indicator representing the physical quality of the signal output by the sensor and the soundness of the hardware.

[0040] Here, the first criterion refers to the use of drift, noise level, response delay, deviation from the physical possible range, etc. Specifically, it may include methods such as calculating the deviation of the current measurement value relative to the moving average of the collected sensor signal as drift, or calculating the amplitude fluctuation range in the no-signal interval as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and may have various criteria depending on the user's settings.

[0041] Here, sensor reliability refers to the probability or statistical certainty that the information output by the sensor at a specific point in time accurately reflects the actual physical state, based on the sensor health estimated by the sensor evaluation unit.

[0042] Here, the method for adjusting sensor reliability weights refers to methods such as updating inversely proportional to sensor health, and can have various criteria depending on the user's settings.

[0043] The control unit (150) unlocks the electrical equipment based on the above-mentioned work condition information, reliability weighting, the above-mentioned evaluation information and override signal, and includes an input terminal for receiving an override signal applied from the outside, and is electrically connected to the above-mentioned data collection unit (110), inspection unit (130), and sensor evaluation unit (140).

[0044] Here, methods for unlocking electrical equipment may include weighted voting, hysteresis, double verification, and conditions for simultaneous satisfaction of multiple sensors.

[0045] Here, weighted voting means unlocking the electrical equipment when the sum of the sensor reliability weights is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

[0046] Here, hysteresis means that a step transition is allowed only when a state exceeding a threshold value persists for a predetermined period of time.

[0047] Here, double verification means unlocking the electrical equipment only if the result of re-measurement or re-evaluation satisfies the standard value within a specified time.

[0048] Here, the reference value and the predetermined time can be dynamically varied when receiving a model package from the server unit (S) or by user settings considering the noise level of the installation environment and the characteristics of the electrical equipment.

[0049] Here, the control unit (150) performs an override sequence when it receives an override signal from the field.

[0050] Here, the override sequence includes a first step of cutting off the power by opening a circuit breaker, a second step of waiting for a delay time to discharge residual charge after the power is cut off, and a third step of unlocking the electrical equipment after the delay time has elapsed. By applying this safety sequence, the risk of secondary electric shock accidents can be prevented.

[0051] The log unit (160) stores the history of receiving, verifying, evaluating, activating, and rolling back of the model package, the history of receiving work authorization data, whether electrical safety conditions per sensor are satisfied, the record of executing an override sequence, and the time of unlocking the electrical equipment as log data, and is electrically connected to the communication unit (T) described later.

[0052] Here, log data may include time information, model version, etc.

[0053] When the model package verification unit (170) receives a model package for the data collection unit (110), the sensor unit (120), the inspection unit (130), the sensor evaluation unit (140), and the control unit (150) from the server unit (S), it verifies the integrity of the model package by including at least one of electronic signature verification and hash-based integrity verification, and is electrically connected to the communication unit (T) and background evaluation unit (171) described later.

[0054] Here, the model package verification unit (170) includes a background evaluation unit (171), a rollback unit (172), and a fallback operation unit (173).

[0055] Here, a model package means that it includes a model file, version information, application conditions, safety metadata, and a hash value.

[0056] The background evaluation unit (171) executes and compares the current model for the data collection unit (110), sensor unit (120), inspection unit (130), sensor evaluation unit (140), and control unit (150) in parallel with the existing model for the data collection unit (110), sensor unit (120), inspection unit (130), sensor evaluation unit (140), and control unit (150), and is electrically connected to the above-described model package verification unit (170) and is electrically connected to the rollback unit (172) described later.

[0057] The rollback unit (172) activates the received model package when the evaluation result of the background evaluation unit (171) satisfies the second criterion, and automatically rolls back when it does not meet the second criterion, and is electrically connected to the background evaluation unit (171) described above.

[0058] Here, the second criterion refers to the result calculated by running the existing model and the current model in parallel and comparing indicators such as response delay.

[0059] Here, model package activation means that batch switching is performed atomicly to prevent control gaps from occurring.

[0060] The fallback operation unit (173) determines whether to release the electrical equipment using the last verified and activated model or rule-based fallback logic when the second criterion described above is not met or communication with the server unit (S) is disconnected, and is electrically connected to the data collection unit (110), sensor unit (120), inspection unit (130), sensor evaluation unit (140), control unit (150), rollback unit (172), and communication unit (T) described above.

[0061] Here, upon restoration of communication, the linkage function with the server unit (S) is resumed, but the application of the current model is verified again.

[0062] Here, the fallback logic performs a predefined safety rule using the above-mentioned work condition information and sensor signal, and means that when work condition information is input, it includes at least one of threshold judgment, majority judgment, and consistency evaluation.

[0063] Here, threshold determination refers to determining whether the physical absolute value of the sensor signal is within a safe standard range.

[0064] Here, majority judgment refers to determining whether there is a majority agreement among information collected from multiple sensors.

[0065] Here, consistency evaluation refers to verifying the logical consistency between heterogeneous information, such as circuit breaker status and voltage status.

[0066] The communication unit (T) can be implemented via RS485 (including Modbus), Ethernet, or wireless communication, and is electrically connected to the aforementioned log unit (160), model package verification unit (170), and the server unit (S) described below.

[0067] The server unit (S) can collect the aforementioned logs to perform learning, generate a learned model or a set of reference values ​​as a model package, and distribute it with an added electronic signature, and is electrically connected to the aforementioned communication unit (T).

[0069] As described above, according to the electrical equipment safety interlock system (100) linked to work condition information, which includes a data collection unit (110), a sensor unit (120), an inspection unit (130), a sensor evaluation unit (140), a control unit (150), a log unit (160), and a model package verification unit (170), the risk of malfunction can be prevented by verifying the reliability of each sensor, human error can be prevented at the source by linking work condition information and electrical safety status, and the risk of secondary electric shock accidents can be prevented by applying a safety sequence during emergency forced opening (Override).

[0071] Although it has been described above that all components constituting an embodiment of the present invention are combined or operate in combination, the present invention is not necessarily limited to such an embodiment. That is, within the scope of the purpose of the present invention, all components may be selectively combined in one or more ways to operate.

[0072] Furthermore, terms such as "include," "compose," or "have" described above, unless specifically stated otherwise, mean that the relevant component may be inherent; thus, they should be interpreted as allowing for the inclusion of additional components rather than excluding them. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains, unless otherwise defined. Terms commonly used, such as those defined in advance, should be interpreted in accordance with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology and, unless explicitly defined in this invention, should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense.

[0073] Furthermore, the above description is merely an illustrative explanation of the technical concept of the present invention, and a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to make various modifications and variations within the scope of the essential characteristics of the present invention.

[0074] Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in this invention are intended to explain, not limit, the technical concept of this invention, and the scope of the technical concept of this invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of this invention shall be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical concepts within an equivalent scope shall be interpreted as being included within the scope of rights of this invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0075] 100: Working Condition Information Interlocking Electrical Equipment Safety Interlock System 110: Data Collection Unit 120 : Sensor section 130 : Inspection Department 140 : Sensor evaluation unit 150 : Control unit 160 : Log section 170: Model Package Verification Section 171 : Background Evaluation Department 172 : Rollback section 173 : Fallback Operations Section T : Communications Department S : Server section

Claims

Claim 1 A work condition information linked electrical equipment safety interlock system comprising: a data collection unit that receives work permit data containing work condition information related to electrical equipment; a sensor unit that detects the circuit breaker open state, no-voltage state, residual charge discharge state, and ground state of the electrical equipment, collects and preprocesses a plurality of sensor signals; an inspection unit that evaluates whether changes in the plurality of sensor signals occur simultaneously in time and generates evaluation information; a sensor evaluation unit that receives the sensor signals, estimates the sensor health according to a first criterion, and adjusts the sensor reliability weight based on the sensor health; and a control unit that unlocks the electrical equipment based on the work permit data, the sensor reliability weight, and the evaluation information. Claim 2 The electrical equipment safety interlock system linked with work condition information according to claim 1, further comprising: a model package verification unit that verifies the integrity of the model package by including at least one of electronic signature verification and hash-based integrity verification when receiving a model package for the data collection unit, the sensor unit, the inspection unit, the sensor evaluation unit, and the control unit from a server unit; a background evaluation unit that executes and compares a current model for the data collection unit, the sensor unit, the inspection unit, the sensor evaluation unit, and the control unit in parallel with an existing model for the data collection unit, the sensor unit, the inspection unit, the sensor evaluation unit, and the control unit; and a rollback unit that activates the model package when the evaluation result of the background evaluation unit satisfies a second criterion and automatically rolls back when it fails to meet the second criterion. Claim 3 The electrical equipment safety interlock system linked to work condition information according to claim 2, wherein the control unit performs an override sequence upon receiving an override request, and the override sequence comprises a first step of cutting off power by opening a circuit breaker, a second step of waiting for a delay time to discharge residual charge after cutting off power, and a third step of unlocking the electrical equipment after the delay time has elapsed. Claim 4 An electrical equipment safety interlock system linked with work condition information according to claim 2, further comprising a fallback operation unit that determines whether to unlock the electrical equipment using the last verified and activated model or rule-based fallback logic when the second criterion is not met or communication with the server unit is disconnected. Claim 5 An electrical equipment safety interlock system linked with work condition information according to claim 3, further comprising a log unit that stores the reception, verification, evaluation, activation, and rollback history of the model package, the reception history of the work authorization data, the record of the execution of the override sequence, and the unlocking time of the electrical equipment as log data.

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