Information processing device

Abstract

According to the present invention, a rail joint gap distance of an object to be measured is continuously observed. This information processing device comprises a plurality of chip pairs each having a first chip having a first coil and a second chip having a second coil for receiving a signal transmitted from the first coil by magnetic field coupling or magnetic field resonance, the plurality of chip pairs being fixed to the object to be measured, which has the rail joint gap. The information processing device comprises a control unit which detects communications between the first coil and the second coil to detect a state change in the object to be measured.

Description

Information processing device

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device.

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a "rail temperature or gap measuring device." Patent Document 2 describes a "rail temperature or gap measuring method and device." Patent Document 3 describes a "rail joint gap measuring device and gap measuring device." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents] [Patent document 1] JP 2003-075268 A [Patent document 2] JP 2003-075265 A [Patent document 3] JP 2009-243919 A General disclosure

[0003] A first aspect of the present invention provides an information processing device comprising a plurality of chip pairs, each chip pair including a first chip having a first coil and a second chip having a second coil that receives a signal transmitted from the first coil by magnetic field coupling or magnetic field resonance, the plurality of chip pairs being fixed to a measurement object having a gap, and a control unit that detects a change in state of the measurement object by detecting communication between the first coil and the second coil.

[0004] The first chip of at least one of the plurality of chip pairs may be fixed to one of the measurement target objects separated by a gap, and the second chip may be fixed to the other measurement target object separated by a gap.

[0005] At least one other chip pair among the plurality of chip pairs may be fixed to the same measurement target individual.

[0006] The lengths of the first coil and the second coil may have a predetermined relationship with the distance of the gap.

[0007] The first chip may further include a transmitter-side converter circuit for the signal, and the second chip may further include a receiver-side converter circuit for the signal.

[0008] The device may further include a first circuit unit having a transmitting conversion circuit for the signal and stacked on the first chip, and a second circuit unit having a receiving conversion circuit for the signal and stacked on the second chip.

[0009] At least one of the first chip and the second chip may further include a communication unit that communicates with an external device.

[0010] At least one of the first chip and the second chip may further include a temperature sensor.

[0011] The first chip may further include a power supply unit that supplies power to the first coil, and the second chip may further include a power supply unit that supplies power to the second coil.

[0012] The object to be measured may be a rail or a road joint of a railway, and the gap may be a joint of the rail or the road joint.

[0013] The change in state of the first chip and the second chip may be at least one of a change in the relative position of the first chip and the second chip, vibration applied to the first chip and the second chip, a change in pressure, or a change in temperature.

[0014] The measuring device may further include a third chip that is fixed to the object to be measured, receives information from the second chip, and transmits the information to the control unit.

[0015] The change in state of the object to be measured may be a change in the distance of the gap of the object to be measured.

[0016] The state change of the measurement object may be a change in distribution of stress applied to the measurement object, a vibration applied to the measurement object, or a change in temperature of the measurement object.

[0017] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the features of the present invention, and subcombinations of these features may also be inventions.

[0018] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an information processing device 100 according to the present embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a chip pair 10 having two separate chips 11 and 12; FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a measurement object 60 to which a plurality of chip pairs 10 are fixed; FIG. 13 is an equivalent circuit showing the characteristics of the transmitter coil 111 of the chip 11 and the receiver coil 121 of the chip 12; FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the relationship between the communication distance x and the coupling coefficient k; FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the voltage induced in the receiver coil 121; FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing a chip pair 80 in another example; FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing a chip pair 130 in another example; FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing a method of fixing the chip pair 10 according to the present embodiment; FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing another example of fixing the chip pair 10; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the rail 64 of FIG. 10 from the gap 65 side; FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the relative position detected by the measurement object 161; FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing yet another example of the relative position detected by the measurement object 261. 10 is another example showing the positional relationship between the first circuit unit 132 and the transmitting coil 333 on the chip 11. FIG. 11 is yet another example showing the positional relationship between the first circuit unit 132 and the transmitting coil 343 on the chip 11. FIG. 12 is yet another example showing the positional relationship between the first circuit unit 132 and the transmitting coil 353 on the chip 11.

[0019] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0020] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an information processing device 100 according to this embodiment. The information processing device 100 includes a plurality of chip pairs 10 fixed to a measurement target 60 and an information processing unit 20. The information processing unit 20 includes a control unit 30, an operation unit 40 operated by a user, and a display unit 50 that displays information calculated by the control unit 30. The plurality of chip pairs 10 and the information processing unit 20 communicate with each other via wireless communication, for example, via a base station. The plurality of chip pairs 10 and the information processing unit 20 may also communicate with each other via wired communication. The information processing unit 20 may also be provided in at least one of the plurality of chip pairs 10. In this case, only the control unit 30 may be provided in the chip pair 10, and the display unit and operation unit may be provided in another device connected via wireless communication or wired communication.

[0021] The information processing device 100 detects the state or state change of a measurement object 60 having a gap using multiple chip pairs 10. The control unit 30 detects the state or state change of the multiple chip pairs 10 by detecting communication between the multiple chip pairs 10. The control unit 30, operation unit 40, and display unit 50 may be an information processing device such as a personal computer. Detecting the state or state change of the measurement object 60 means detecting one or more values ​​or amounts of change regarding, for example, the relative position, volume, temperature, vibration, pressure, electromagnetic waves, volume, humidity, etc., of portions of the measurement object 60 facing each other across a gap. The relative position of portions facing each other across a gap may be in any three-dimensional direction, and includes, for example, the length of the gap.

[0022] FIG. 2 schematically shows a chip pair 10 having two separate chips 11 and 12. The chip pair 10 includes a chip 11 as a first chip having a transmitting coil 111 as a first coil, and a chip 12 as a second chip having a receiving coil 121 as a second coil that receives a signal transmitted from the transmitting coil 111 by magnetic field coupling or magnetic field resonance. The chips 11 and 12 are spaced apart in the x direction by a distance 200. The distance of the distance 200 in the x direction is L1. The chips 11 and 12 communicate with each other by magnetic field coupling or magnetic field resonance. Communication by magnetic field coupling is a transmission method that uses the principle of electromagnetic induction to transmit information. Communication by magnetic field resonance is a transmission method that utilizes the resonance phenomenon of coils to transmit information. The resonance phenomenon of coils refers to the phenomenon in which magnetic field vibrations generated by a current flowing at a certain frequency through one coil are transmitted to the other coil at the same frequency.

[0023] The chip 11 includes a transmitting coil 111, a transmitting conversion circuit 112 that supplies a signal to the transmitting coil 111, a memory unit 113 that stores information about the signal, a power supply 114 that serves as a power supply unit that supplies power to the transmitting conversion circuit 112, and an arithmetic circuit 115 that calculates the states of the chips 11 and 12. On the other hand, the chip 12 includes an arithmetic circuit 125 that calculates the states of the chips 11 and 12 by detecting communication between the transmitting coil 111 and the receiving coil 121, a memory unit 123 that stores a table 126 related to the signals, the receiving coil 121, a receiving conversion circuit 122 that detects a signal generated in the receiving coil 121, and a power supply 124 that serves as a power supply unit that supplies power to the arithmetic circuit 125, etc. The states of the chips 11 and 12 include at least one of a change in the relative position of the chips 11 and 12, vibrations applied to the chips 11 and 12, pressure changes, and temperature changes.

[0024] The chip 11 has an outer shape of a rectangular plate. In the chip 11, the transmitter coil 111 is arranged so as to surround the outer periphery of the chip body and is approximately rectangular. The surface on which the transmitter coil 111 is wound is parallel to the main surface of the chip 11. The chip 12 has an outer shape of a rectangular plate. In the chip 12, the receiver coil 121 is arranged so as to surround the outer periphery of the chip body and is approximately rectangular. The surface on which the receiver coil 121 is wound is parallel to the main surface of the chip 12.

[0025] The power supplies 114 and 124 are configured with at least one of a power receiving function for receiving power from outside the chip, a power storage function for storing power inside the chip, and a power generation function for generating power inside the chip. The arithmetic circuit 125 may be configured with, for example, a CPU.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, chips 11 and 12 are positioned close to each other, enabling wireless communication between the coils using magnetic field coupling. The above-described configuration of chips 11 and 12 is formed on a semiconductor substrate and molded with resin to form an IC. The length of one side of chips 11 and 12 and the coils can be reduced to approximately 300 μm, and the distance between coils on adjacent chips can be reduced to approximately 40 μm.

[0027] At least one of chip 11 and chip 12 may further include a temperature sensor in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 2 . This allows the temperatures around chip 11 and chip 12 to be measured. Furthermore, at least one of chip 11 and chip 12 may further include a Bluetooth (registered trademark) chip, a LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) wireless communication chip, a Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi) chip, a 4G / 5G communication chip, and / or a chip antenna thereof as a communication unit for communicating with the outside world in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 2 . This allows information obtained by chip 11 and chip 12 to be transmitted to control unit 30, for example.

[0028] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a measurement object 60 to which multiple chip pairs 10 are fixed. The measurement object 60 is, for example, a railway rail. As shown in FIG. 3, the measurement object 60 includes multiple sleepers 61, a fishplate 62, and two rails 63 and 64. The two rails 63 and 64 are arranged adjacent to each other with a gap 65 between them. The rails 63 and 64 are the measurement object. Here, the "gap" refers to the gap or joint separating the two rails 63 and 64. The distance of the gap 65 in the x-direction is L2. Note that the measurement object 60 is not limited to a railway rail, and may be any component having a gap 65. The measurement object 60 may also be, for example, a road joint used at the connection point of a highway.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3 , multiple tip pairs 10 are fixed to a measurement target 60 having a gap 65. At least one tip pair 10A among the multiple tip pairs 10 is fixed across the gap 65. As shown in FIG. 3 , one tip pair 10A is fixed to a rail 63, which is one of the measurement targets, and the other tip pair 10A is fixed to a rail 64, which is the other measurement target. Note that there may be multiple tip pairs 10A fixed across the gap 65. The tip pairs 10A fixed across the gap 65 are not limited to being fixed to the side surfaces of the two rails 63, 64 as shown in FIG. 3 . For example, they may be fixed to surfaces where the two rails 63, 64 face each other. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the x-direction distance L1 of the gap 200 between the tips 11 and 12 is the same as the x-direction distance L2 of the gap 65 (L1 = L2). However, the two distances may be different.

[0030] The other plurality of chip pairs 10B of the plurality of chip pairs 10 are fixed to the same measurement object 60 without spanning the gap 65 of the measurement object 60. As shown in Fig. 3, the other plurality of chip pairs 10B of the plurality of chip pairs 10 are fixed to the side surfaces of rails 63 and 64, which are the same measurement object. The arrangement of the other plurality of chip pairs 10B is not limited to the illustrated form, and for example, they may be arranged in random positions.

[0031] 4 is an equivalent circuit showing the characteristics of the transmitter coil 111 on chip 11 and the receiver coil 121 on chip 12. The receiver voltage Vrx is obtained by multiplying the first-order differential waveform of the transmitter current Itx by the second-order low-pass filter characteristics on the transmitter and receiver sides. The transmitter low-pass filter characteristics are represented by resistance Rtx, capacitance Ctx, and inductance Ltx, while the receiver low-pass filter characteristics are represented by resistance Rrx, capacitance Crx, and inductance Lrx. The amplitude of the receiver voltage Vrx is proportional to the transmitter current Itx and the coupling coefficient k.

[0032] When transmitting a signal from chip 11 to chip 12, the signal to be transmitted is read from memory unit 113 of chip 11, and a current Itx corresponding to the signal is passed from transmitting side conversion circuit 112 to transmitting coil 111. A voltage Vrx is generated in receiving coil 121 of chip 12 due to inductive coupling with transmitting coil 111, and the voltage Vrx is detected by receiving side conversion circuit 122 and read as a signal by calculation circuit 125.

[0033] Fig. 5 shows an example of the relationship between the communication distance x and the coupling coefficient k. As shown in Fig. 5, if the coil diameter D is constant, the coupling coefficient k decreases monotonically with the communication distance x. Here, there is a positive correlation between the coupling coefficient k and the voltage Vr on the receiving side generated by magnetic field coupling.

[0034] Fig. 6 shows an example of the voltage induced in the receiving coil 121 of the chip 12. Fig. 6 shows the case where one rectangular pulse signal is transmitted from the chip 11. The dashed line corresponds to the case where the distance between the chips 11 and 12 in Fig. 2 is short (i.e., when the gap 200 is narrow), and the solid line corresponds to the case where the distance between the chips 11 and 12 in Fig. 2 is long (i.e., when the gap 200 is wide).

[0035] As shown in Figure 6, positive induced voltages V0 and V1 are induced in the receiving coil 121 in response to the rising edges of the rectangular pulse signal, and negative induced voltages -V0 and -V1 are induced in response to the falling edges. The absolute values ​​of these induced voltages are smaller when the chips are farther apart (shown by the dashed lines) than when the chips are closer (shown by the solid lines) (V0 > V1). A receiving-side conversion circuit may be used that applies a bias voltage Vb (V) to the receiving coil 121, takes the voltage Vb (V) when no voltage is induced in the receiving coil, and converts it to Vb + V0 (V) or Vb + V1 (V) when a positive induced voltage is present, and converts it to Vb - V0 (V) or Vb - V1 (V) when a negative induced voltage is present. Here, Vb - V0 and Vb - V1 are greater than zero.

[0036] Therefore, if the relationship between the receiving-side voltage Vr and the distance 200 between the chips 11 and 12 is stored in advance as a numerical value in table 126, the arithmetic circuit 125 can calculate the distance 200 between the chips 11 and 12 by referring to table 126 based on the voltage Vr detected by the receiving-side conversion circuit 122. Here, the distance 200 between the chips 11 and 12 is the communication distance x minus the outer periphery of the chips outside the coil. Note that instead of the receiving-side voltage Vr, the current flowing through the receiving-side conversion circuit 122 may be detected based on the voltage Vr.

[0037] The chip 12 transmits a signal indicating the gap 200 between the chips 11 and 12, which is the state calculated by the arithmetic circuit 125, to the outside, for example, the control unit 30 of the information processing unit 20, using the above-mentioned communication unit that communicates with the outside. Instead of the communication unit, transmission may be performed using the transmission coil 121. The control unit 30 receives multiple signals from multiple chip pairs 10. The control unit 30 detects a change in the state of the measurement object 60 based on the gap 200 between the chips 11 and 12 in the multiple chip pairs 10. The change in the state of the measurement object 60 is, for example, a change in the distance of the gap 65 of the measurement object 60 or a change in the distribution of stress applied to the measurement object 60.

[0038] In addition to the signal indicating the interval 200 between the chips 11 and 12, the chip 12 may also transmit to the control unit 30 information specific to the chip 12, such as the position where the chip 12 is arranged and identification information assigned to the chip 12. The position, identification information, etc. may be stored in advance in the storage unit 123, and may be read out by the arithmetic circuit 125. Furthermore, the calculation results may be output to the outside via multiple chips by sequentially transmitting and receiving the results between three or more adjacent chips in a so-called bucket brigade manner.

[0039] The control unit 30 displays the detected change in state of the measurement object 60 on the display unit 50 so that the user can visually recognize it.

[0040] 6 shows an example in which one rectangular pulse signal is transmitted and received, but the signal is not limited to this. For example, a triangular wave may be used, and the number of pulses may be multiple. Furthermore, the signal may be a signal in which information specific to the chip 12, such as an identification number stored in the memory unit 123 of the chip 12, is expressed by the width and number of pulses. In this case, the pulse period is preferably, for example, about 0.2 ns, which is short enough to detect a change in the interval 200.

[0041] Instead of relating by numerical values, table 126 may relate by mathematical expressions. Furthermore, table 126 may be rewritable from the outside. Furthermore, arithmetic circuit 125 may output a change in spacing 200 between chips 11 and 12 instead of spacing 200 between chips 11 and 12 shown in table 126.

[0042] As described above, according to this embodiment, the gap 200 between the chips 11 and 12 can be continuously measured based on the relationship between the gap 200 between the chips 11 and 12 and the voltage Vr stored in the table 126. The chips 11 and 12 communicate without using wiring, which allows for miniaturization, and minute changes in the gap 200 between the chips 11 and 12 can be measured.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 3 , the chip pair 10A is fixed across the gap 65 of the measurement object 60. As described above, in this embodiment, the distance L1 in the x-direction of the gap 200 between the chips 11 and 12 is the same as the distance L2 in the x-direction of the gap 65. Therefore, by continuously measuring the distance 200 between the chips 11 and 12 of the chip pair 10A fixed across the gap 65, the distance L2 in the x-direction of the gap 65 of the measurement object 60 can be continuously measured. This makes it possible to observe, for example, the change in the distance L2 in the x-direction of the gap 65 of the measurement object 60 on an annual basis. Even if the distances L1 and L2 are different, the distance L2 can be derived from the distance L1 by knowing the difference between the distances L1 and L2.

[0044] Note that, because the gap 200 between the tips 11 and 12 changes at a high frequency when vibration is applied to the measurement object 60, when a change in the gap 200 between the tips 11 and 12 with a frequency higher than a predetermined value is detected, it is possible to detect the vibration applied to the measurement object 60. From the pattern of change in this frequency and the gap 200, it is possible to estimate the direction of the vibration applied to the measurement object 60 (vibration in the x direction or vibration in the y direction).

[0045] Furthermore, when the pressure applied to the object to be measured 60 changes due to, for example, the load of a stopped train, the object to be measured 60 deforms and the gap 200 between the tips 11 and 12 changes gradually. Therefore, when a change in the gap 200 between the tips 11 and 12 with a period lower than a predetermined value is detected, the pressure applied to the object to be measured 60 can be detected. When the pressure applied to the object to be measured 60 changes due to the load of a running train, the gap 200 between the tips 11 and 12 changes quickly, but by specifying the period of this change in advance, it is possible to detect the pressure applied to the object to be measured 60 based on the load of the running train. The table 125 can store the specified period of change.

[0046] Furthermore, as the object to be measured 60 thermally expands, the object to be measured 60 deforms and the spacing 200 between the chips 11 and 12 changes gradually. Therefore, if a change in the spacing 200 between the chips 11 and 12 is detected at a period lower than a predetermined value, a change in the ambient temperature of the object to be measured 60 can be detected.

[0047] 3, a plurality of tip pairs 10B that do not straddle the gap 65 of the measurement object 60 are fixed at respective positions on the side surfaces of the rails 63, 64 of the measurement object 60. Therefore, by continuously measuring the distance 200 between the tips 11, 12 of the plurality of tip pairs 10B and integrating the plurality of data, it is possible to continuously measure the vibrations applied to the rails 63, 64 of the measurement object 60, the pressure applied to the rails 63, 64 of the measurement object 60, and the environmental temperature of the measurement object 60. This makes it possible to measure, for example, annual variations in the shape of the rails 63, 64 of the measurement object 60, such as the length, and variations in the distribution of pressure applied to each location on the rails 63, 64.

[0048] 7 schematically shows another example of a chip pair 80. The chip pair 80 includes a chip 81 and a chip 91 that are supported with a gap 200 in the x direction. The distance of the gap 200 in the x direction is L1. The chips 81 and 91 communicate with each other through magnetic field coupling or magnetic field resonance.

[0049] The chip 81 includes a transmitting coil 82, a receiving coil 83, a transmitting conversion circuit 84 and a receiving conversion circuit 85 that supply signals to the transmitting coil 82 and the receiving coil 83, an arithmetic circuit 86 as a calculation unit that performs calculations related to the signals, a memory unit 88 that stores information related to the signals, and a power supply 87 that supplies power to the transmitting conversion circuit 84 and the receiving conversion circuit 85. The memory unit 88 includes a table 89 in which information is stored.

[0050] The chip 91 includes a transmitting coil 92, a receiving coil 93, a transmitting conversion circuit 94 and a receiving conversion circuit 95 that supply signals to the transmitting coil 92 and the receiving coil 93, an arithmetic circuit 96 as a calculation unit that performs calculations related to the signals, a memory unit 98 that stores information related to the signals, and a power supply 97 that supplies power to the transmitting conversion circuit 94 and the receiving conversion circuit 95. The memory unit 98 includes a table 99 in which information is stored.

[0051] 3, a chip pair 80 may be fixed to the measurement object 60. In the chip pair 80, each of the chips 81 and 91 has a receiving conversion circuit, a transmitting conversion circuit, and an arithmetic circuit. Therefore, inter-chip communication can be performed, for example, from chip 81 to chip 91, or vice versa.

[0052] The lengths of the transmitter coil 111 and the receiver coil 121 may have a predetermined relationship with the distance of the gap 65. For example, when the distance of the gap 65 is long, the lengths of the transmitter coil 111 and the receiver coil 121 may be configured to be long, and when the distance of the gap 65 is short, the lengths of the transmitter coil 111 and the receiver coil 121 may be configured to be short.

[0053] The measurement target 60 may further include a third chip that is fixed to the measurement target 60, receives information from the chip 12, and transmits the information to the control unit 30. The third chip may be, for example, the chip 12 of the upper right chip pair 10B fixed to the measurement target 60 in FIG. 2. The third chip includes a communication unit that communicates with the outside, and receives information about the distance 200 between the chips 11 and 12 from the multiple chips 12 and transmits the information collectively to the control unit 30.

[0054] 8 schematically shows another example of a chip pair 130. The chip pair 130 includes a chip 131 and a chip 134 that are supported with a gap 200 therebetween in the x direction. The distance of the gap 200 in the x direction is L1. The chips 131 and 134 communicate with each other through magnetic field coupling or magnetic field resonance.

[0055] Chip 131 has a transmitting coil 133 and a first circuit unit 132 laminated on chip 131. An arithmetic circuit and a power supply (not shown) are arranged in first circuit unit 132. Chip 134 has a receiving coil 136 and a second circuit unit 135 laminated on chip 134. An arithmetic circuit, a memory unit, and a power supply (not shown) are arranged in second circuit unit 135. The configurations of the arithmetic circuit, the memory unit, and the power supply are the same as those in FIG. 2, so description thereof will be omitted.

[0056] As in another example of chip pair 130, the first circuit unit 132 is stacked on chip 131, the second circuit unit 135 is stacked on chip 134, and the transmitter coil 133 and the receiver coil 136 are disposed outside the first circuit unit 132 and the second circuit unit 135, thereby making it possible to adjust the lengths of the transmitter coil 133 and the receiver coil 136 as appropriate. This makes it possible to adjust the lengths of the transmitter coil 133 and the receiver coil 136 according to the distance L1, and can accommodate cases where the distance L1 is large.

[0057] 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for fixing the chip pair 10 in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the chips 11 and 12 of the chip pair 10 are placed on a flexible resin film 141, and adhesive 140 is applied around the chips 11 and 12, which are then attached to the measurement object 60. This allows the chips 11 and 12 to be fixed to the measurement object 60 without changing the distance L1 between them.

[0058] Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another example of fixing the chip pair 10. Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of the rail 64 of Fig. 10 as viewed from the gap 65 side.

[0059] 10 and 11, the chip pair 10C is fixed to the opposing surfaces of two rails 63 and 64. This allows the gap distance to be detected by magnetic field coupling in a direction perpendicular to the surfaces of the chips 11 and 12.

[0060] 12 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the relative position detected by the measurement object 161. The measurement object 161 has a gap 165, and a member 163 and a member 164 separated by the gap 165 are capable of relative movement in the Y-axis direction.

[0061] If the position L3 in the Y-axis direction of member 163 and / or member 164 changes, the distance between the coils of chip 11 and chip 12 that make up chip pair 10D changes, and the value of voltage Vr on the receiving side changes. If the voltage Vr on the receiving side and the positional relationship in the Y-axis direction between chips 11 and 12 are stored in table 126 in advance as numerical values, calculation circuit 125 can calculate the displacement in the Y-axis direction between chips 11 and 12 by referring to table 126 based on voltage Vr detected by receiving-side conversion circuit 122.

[0062] 13 is a schematic diagram showing yet another example of the relative position detected by the measurement object 261. The measurement object 261 has a gap 265, and a member 263 and a member 264 separated by the gap 265 are capable of relative movement in the Z-axis direction.

[0063] If the position L4 in the Z-axis direction of member 263 and / or member 264 changes, the distance between the coils of chip 11 and chip 12 that make up chip pair 10E changes, and the value of voltage Vr on the receiving side changes. If the voltage Vr on the receiving side and the positional relationship in the Z-axis direction between chips 11 and 12 are stored in table 126 in advance as numerical values, calculation circuit 125 can calculate the displacement in the Z-axis direction between chip 11 and chip 12 by referring to table 126 based on voltage Vr detected by receiving side conversion circuit 122.

[0064] 14 is another example showing the positional relationship between the first circuit unit 132 and the transmitting coil 333 in the chip 11. The chip 11 in Fig. 14 is formed by stacking, from top to bottom, a silicon die 300 on which the first circuit unit 132 is formed, a redistribution layer 302 (or interposer), and a package substrate 304. Furthermore, these are mounted on a printed circuit board 307 via bumps 306.

[0065] 14, the transmitting coil 333 is formed on the printed circuit board 307. The transmitting coil 333 is electrically connected to the first circuit unit 132 via the rewiring layer 302 and the package substrate 304.

[0066] Fig. 15 is yet another example showing the positional relationship between the first circuit unit 132 and the transmitting coil 343 in the chip 11. As in Fig. 14, the chip 11 in Fig. 15 has a silicon die 300 on which the first circuit unit 132 is formed, a redistribution layer 302, and a package substrate 304 stacked in this order from above. Furthermore, these are mounted on a printed circuit board 307 via bumps 306.

[0067] 15, the transmitting coil 343 is formed on the rewiring layer 302. The transmitting coil 333 is electrically connected to the first circuit portion 132.

[0068] Fig. 16 is yet another example showing the positional relationship between the first circuit unit 132 and the transmitting coil 353 in the chip 11. As in Fig. 14, the chip 11 in Fig. 16 has a silicon die 300 on which the first circuit unit 132 is formed, a redistribution layer 302, and a package substrate 304 stacked in this order from above. Furthermore, these are mounted on a printed circuit board 307 via bumps 306.

[0069] 16, the transmitting coil 353 is formed on the package substrate 304. The transmitting coil 333 is electrically connected to the first circuit portion 132 via the rewiring layer 302.

[0070] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0071] It should be noted that the order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that the processes can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a subsequent process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that the processes must be performed in this order.

[0072] In this specification, communication by magnetic field coupling refers to a transmission method that uses the principle of electromagnetic induction to transmit information. Furthermore, communication by magnetic field resonance refers to communication that utilizes the resonance phenomenon of transmitting and receiving coils, and is synonymous with communication by magnetic field resonance.

[0073] In this specification, a chip pair 10 may include three or more chips. Also, one chip may be included in multiple chip pairs 10. For example, if there are chips 11, 12, and 13, chip 12 can be a component of two chip pairs 10A and 10B, such as chip pair 10A consisting of chip 11 and chip 12, and chip pair 10B consisting of chip 12 and chip 13.

[0074] 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E chip pair, 11 chip, 12 chip, 20 information processing unit, 30 control unit, 40 operation unit, 50 display unit, 60, 161, 261 measurement object, 61 sleeper, 62 fishplate, 63 rail, 64 rail, 65, 165, 265 joint gap, 80 chip pair, 81 chip, 82 transmitting coil, 83 receiving coil, 84 transmitting side conversion circuit, 85 receiving side conversion circuit, 86 arithmetic circuit, 87 power supply, 88 memory unit, 89 table, 91 chip, 92 transmitting coil, 93 receiving coil, 94 transmitting side conversion circuit, 95 receiving side conversion circuit, 96 arithmetic circuit, 97 power supply, 98 memory unit, 99 table, 100 information processing device, 111 transmitting coil, 112 Transmitting side conversion circuit, 113 Memory unit, 114 Power supply, 121 Receiving coil, 122 Receiving side conversion circuit, 123 Memory unit, 124 Power supply, 125 Arithmetic circuit, 126 Table, 200 Spacing, 131 Chip, 132 First circuit unit, 133, 333, 343, 353 Transmitting coil, 134 Chip, 135 Second circuit unit, 136 Receiving coil, 140 Adhesive, 141 Resin film, 163, 164, 263, 264 Member, 300 Silicon die, 302 Rewiring layer, 304 Package substrate, 306 Bump, 307 Printed circuit board

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising a plurality of chip pairs each having a first chip having a first coil and a second chip having a second coil that receives a signal transmitted from the first coil by magnetic field coupling or magnetic field resonance, the plurality of chip pairs being fixed to a measurement object having a gap, and comprising a control unit that detects changes in the state of the measurement object by detecting communication between the first coil and the second coil.

2. An information processing device as described in claim 1, wherein the first chip of at least one of the multiple chip pairs is fixed to one of the measurement target individuals separated by a gap, and the second chip is fixed to the other measurement target individual separated by a gap.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein at least another one of the plurality of chip pairs is fixed to the same measurement target individual.

4. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the lengths of said first coil and said second coil have a predetermined relationship with the distance of said gap.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first chip further comprises a transmitting side conversion circuit for the signal, and the second chip further comprises a receiving side conversion circuit for the signal.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising: a first circuit section having a transmitting side conversion circuit for the signal and stacked on the first chip; and a second circuit section having a receiving side conversion circuit for the signal and stacked on the second chip.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first chip and the second chip further comprises a communication unit for communicating with an external device.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first chip and the second chip further comprises a temperature sensor.

9. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first chip further includes a power supply unit that supplies power to the first coil, and the second chip further includes a power supply unit that supplies power to the second coil.

10. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the object to be measured is a railway rail or a road joint, and the gap is a joint of the rail or the road joint.

11. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the change in state of the first chip and the second chip is at least one of a change in the relative position of the first chip and the second chip, vibration applied to the first chip and the second chip, a change in pressure, or a change in temperature.

12. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a third chip fixed to the object to be measured, receiving information from the second chip and transmitting the information to the control unit.

13. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the change in state of the object to be measured is a change in distance between the gaps of the object to be measured.

14. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the change in state of the object to be measured is a change in distribution of stress applied to the object to be measured.

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