Discharge detection and analysis system, discharge detection and analysis method, and program

Abstract

The present invention makes it possible to prevent failure of high-voltage components by ascertaining the operating state of protective devices and estimating the degree of deterioration of equipment.　This discharge detection and analysis system comprises: a protective device that is mounted around an electronic component within electronic equipment that is to be subjected to discharge detection; a waveform detecting unit that is disposed between the protective device and ground (GND), and that detects the waveform of a surge that has flowed through the protective device; a waveform determining unit that, when the magnitude of the voltage value of the surge identified by the waveform is equal to or greater than a threshold, generates operation time data in which at least the voltage value, the number of times the surge has been detected, and the detection date and time are recorded; and a deterioration degree estimating unit that estimates the degree of deterioration of the electronic equipment on the basis of an analysis of the operation time data.

Description

Discharge detection and analysis system, discharge detection and analysis method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a discharge detection and analysis system, a discharge detection and analysis method, and a program. This invention claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-123452, filed on July 30, 2024, and the contents of that application are incorporated by reference into this application in designated states where incorporation by reference of documents is permitted.

[0002] In recent years, in order to reduce the environmental impact from the perspective of achieving carbon neutrality, it has become important to improve the performance and reliability of electronic systems and ensure stable operation of equipment over the long term.

[0003] In addition, failures of high-voltage components such as power supplies and integrated circuits (ICs) are often caused by poor insulation due to sudden voltage changes such as partial discharge. Therefore, measures are taken to place protective devices around high-voltage components to make them less susceptible to the effects of overcurrents and overvoltages (surges).

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for protecting a power supply circuit from a surge voltage. Specifically, Patent Document 1 states: "A power supply circuit connected to two power lines, a protection circuit that protects the power supply circuit by reducing a surge voltage applied to the two power lines, and a first detection circuit connected in parallel to the protection circuit and detecting the surge voltage are provided. The protection circuit includes first surge absorbing means that has a low resistance when a surge voltage equal to or greater than a first operating voltage is applied and a high resistance when a surge voltage equal to or greater than the first operating voltage is not applied, and a detection means that outputs a detection signal indicating that the surge voltage is equal to or greater than the first operating voltage. The protection circuit includes second surge absorbing means that has a low resistance when a surge voltage equal to or greater than a second operating voltage higher than the first operating voltage is applied and a high resistance when a surge voltage equal to or greater than the second operating voltage is not applied."

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-13224

[0006] To ensure stable operation of equipment, it is important to understand the status of the circuits and electronic components within the equipment and to check the health of each part. Therefore, it would be useful to estimate the deterioration of the entire equipment from the operating status of protective devices and identify areas where surges are likely to propagate. However, currently, there is no way to obtain the operating status of protective devices or estimate the degree of deterioration based on that analysis. This poses a challenge, making it difficult to achieve stable operation of equipment over the long term.

[0007] In the technology of Patent Document 1, a protection device and a fuse are connected in parallel, and the location where the fuse is broken is identified as the problem location. However, the technology of this document does not take into consideration acquiring the operating status of the protection device. Therefore, it is considered difficult to solve the above problem using the technology of this document.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to prevent failure of high-voltage components by understanding the operating status of protection devices and estimating the degree of deterioration of the equipment.

[0009] The present application includes multiple means for solving at least part of the above-mentioned problems, examples of which are as follows: A discharge detection and analysis system according to one aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems comprises: a protection device mounted around an electronic component in an electronic device that is to be subjected to discharge detection; a waveform detection unit that is arranged between the protection device and ground (GND) and detects the waveform of a surge that has flowed through the protection device; a waveform determination unit that, when the magnitude of a voltage value of the surge identified by the waveform is equal to or greater than a threshold, generates operating data that records at least the voltage value, the number of times the surge has been detected, and the date and time of detection; and a deterioration level estimation unit that estimates the degree of deterioration of the electronic device based on an analysis of the operating data.

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent failure of high-voltage components by understanding the operating status of a protection device and estimating the degree of deterioration of the equipment.

[0011] Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become clear from the following description of the embodiments.

[0012] It is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an electric discharge detection and analysis system. It is a diagram showing an example of an internal configuration of a target device. It is a flow diagram showing an example of an electric discharge detection and analysis process. It is a diagram showing an example of notification information. It is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a computer.

[0013] The following embodiments are examples for explaining the present invention, and some omissions and simplifications have been made as appropriate for clarity of explanation. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0014] Furthermore, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the position, size, shape, range, etc. disclosed in the drawings.

[0015] Furthermore, various types of information may be described using expressions such as "table," "list," and "queue," but the various types of information may be expressed using data structures other than these. For example, various types of information such as "XX table," "XX list," and "XX queue" may be expressed as "XX information." When describing identification information, expressions such as "identification information," "identifier," "name," "ID," and "number" are used, but these are interchangeable.

[0016] In addition, when there are multiple components having the same or similar functions, they may be described by using the same reference numeral with different subscripts, or when there is no need to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted.

[0017] In addition, in the embodiments, there may be cases where processing performed by executing a program is described. Here, a computer executes the program using a processor (e.g., a CPU or a GPU), and performs processing defined by the program while using storage resources (e.g., memory) and interface devices (e.g., communication ports). Therefore, the processor may be the entity that executes the program and performs the processing.

[0018] Similarly, the entity that executes the program and performs the processing may be a controller, device, system, computer, or node having a processor. The entity that executes the program and performs the processing may be any computing unit, and may include a dedicated circuit that performs specific processing. Here, the dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device).

[0019] A program may be installed on a computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable storage medium. When the program source is a program distribution server, the program distribution server may include a processor and storage resources for storing the program to be distributed, and the processor of the program distribution server may distribute the program to be distributed to other computers. In addition, in the embodiments, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] <Schematic Configuration of Discharge Detection and Analysis System> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a discharge detection and analysis system. The discharge detection and analysis system is a system that detects a discharge when it occurs in a device (e.g., an electronic device, etc., hereinafter sometimes referred to as target equipment), records data such as the magnitude and number of occurrences of a surge (overvoltage) caused by the discharge, and estimates the degree of deterioration of the target equipment 100 using the recorded data (operating data). Furthermore, the discharge detection and analysis system cuts off an electrical path L to electronic components such as a power supply or an integrated circuit (IC) to protect the target equipment 100 from the surge based on the estimated degree of deterioration.

[0022] Specifically, the discharge detection and analysis system detects the waveform (e.g., voltage waveform) of a surge that flows through a protection device 110 placed around a power supply or IC via a waveform detection unit 120 implemented in the target equipment 100.

[0023] In addition, the discharge detection and analysis system extracts the surge voltage value from the amplitude of the voltage waveform, and counts the number of detections (number of surge occurrences) when the voltage value is above a predetermined value, and records data such as the voltage value of the detected surge and the date and time of detection as operating data.

[0024] The discharge detection and analysis system also performs analysis using operational data, and estimates (calculates) the degree of deterioration of the target device 100 based on predetermined conditions such as the number of surge occurrences and the accumulated voltage value.

[0025] In addition, when any condition is met, such as the degree of deterioration being equal to or greater than a threshold, the discharge detection and analysis system controls to cut off the electrical path L to these electronic components in order to prevent surges from flowing to the power supply or IC.

[0026] The discharge detection and analysis system also outputs a notification (alert) to prompt maintenance or replacement of electronic components based on the degree of deterioration.

[0027] Such a system can grasp the operating status of protective devices and estimate the degree of deterioration of the equipment, thereby preventing failures in high-voltage components.

[0028] <Functional configuration of the discharge detection and analysis system> As shown in Figure 1, the discharge detection and analysis system has a protection device 110 and an electronic circuit (configuration shown by solid lines within the target device 100 in Figure 1; hereinafter, this may be referred to as the configuration within the target device) installed within the target device 100, and a computer 200 connected to the target device 100.

[0029] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the target device 100 shown in Fig. 1. Note that the internal configuration (power supply, amplifier circuit, and load) of the target device 100 shown in the figure is one example, and the target device 100 is not limited to this configuration.

[0030] <<Configuration in Target Device>> The configuration in the target device includes a protection device 110 , a waveform detection unit 120 , a circuit breaker unit 130 , and a breaker control unit 140 .

[0031] The protection device 110 is a device for protecting electronic components such as a power supply, an IC, an amplifier circuit, etc. from surges. Specifically, the protection device 110 is a device through which current flows only when a steep breakdown voltage equal to or greater than a certain level that would destroy the electronic components or the power supply is applied, and is a well-known protection device that uses, for example, a Zener diode or a varistor.

[0032] The protection device 110 is arranged around the electronic component to be protected. For example, in the example shown in Fig. 2, the protection device 110 includes a protection device 110a located on the input side (upstream side of the power supply) of an amplifier circuit, which is the electronic component to be protected, and a protection device 110b located on the output side (downstream side of the power supply, i.e., the connection side of a load (another device or circuit) implemented in the target device 100). One end of the protection device 110 is connected to an electrical path L leading to the electronic component, and the other end is connected to the housing (GND / ground).

[0033] In this way, the protection device 110 is disposed near the upstream side and downstream side of the power supply so as to sandwich the various electronic components to be protected therebetween.

[0034] The waveform detection unit 120 is an electronic circuit that detects the waveform of a surge that has flowed into the protection device 110. Specifically, the waveform detection unit 120 is composed of a shunt resistor connected to an electrical path L between the protection device 110 and GND, and a waveform detection circuit connected in series with the shunt resistor. When a surge flows into the shunt resistor via the protection device 110, the waveform detection unit 120 detects a voltage waveform whose amplitude value is the potential difference generated across the resistor, and outputs the detected voltage waveform to the calculator 200.

[0035] The circuit breaker unit 130 is an electronic circuit that interrupts the electrical path L within the target device 100. Specifically, the circuit breaker unit 130 is a gate circuit that is arranged upstream of the power supply of each electronic component and close to the power supply, and that interrupts or connects the electrical path L based on control by the interruption control unit 140. More specifically, the circuit breaker unit 130 is of a type (circuit breaker unit 130a) that interrupts the electrical path L to the power supply by turning off the gate based on control by the interruption control unit 140, and of a bypass type (circuit breaker unit 130b) that creates an electrical path L to ground (GND) downstream of the power supply by turning on the gate. Note that the discharge detection and analysis system does not necessarily need to include both types of circuit breaker units 130; it is sufficient to have at least one appropriate type of circuit breaker unit 130, taking into consideration the position on the circuit where the circuit breaker unit 130 is arranged and other conditions.

[0036] The shutdown control unit 140 is an electronic circuit that controls the operation of the circuit shutdown unit 130. Specifically, the shutdown control unit 140 is connected to the circuit shutdown unit 130 and the computer 200, and controls the operation of the circuit shutdown unit 130 based on a control signal received from a processing unit (a shutdown instruction output unit described later) of the computer 200.

[0037] The internal configuration of the target device has been described above.

[0038] <<Calculator 200>>

[0039] The computer 200 is a device that records data related to surges detected in the target device 100, estimates the degree of deterioration of the target device 100, and outputs notifications urging maintenance, etc. Specifically, the computer 200 has an A / D conversion unit 210, a processing unit 220, and a storage unit 230.

[0040] The A / D conversion unit 210 is an analog-to-digital converter that converts the waveform of the analog signal acquired from the waveform determination unit 221 into a digital signal. Specifically, the A / D conversion unit 210 extracts the amplitude value of the voltage waveform, which is an analog signal, as the voltage value of the surge, and passes this to the processing unit 220 (a waveform determination unit described below).

[0041] The processing unit 220 is a functional unit that performs various processes executed by the computer 200. Specifically, the processing unit 220 has a waveform determination unit 221, a deterioration level estimation unit 222, a shutdown instruction output unit 223, and a notification unit 224 as individual functional units that perform each process.

[0042] The waveform determination unit 221 is a functional unit that determines the magnitude of a surge detected in the target device 100. Specifically, the waveform determination unit 221 determines whether the surge voltage value identified from the surge voltage waveform obtained from the waveform detection unit 120, i.e., the voltage value obtained from the A / D conversion unit 210, is equal to or greater than a threshold value (e.g., several kV or greater).

[0043] Furthermore, the waveform determination unit 221 generates operating data that records the surge voltage value, the number of times it is detected, etc. Details of the process of generating operating data will be described later.

[0044] The deterioration level estimation unit 222 is a functional unit that analyzes the operation data to estimate the deterioration level of the target device 100. Details of the deterioration level estimation method will be described later.

[0045] The cut-off instruction output unit 223 is a functional unit that outputs an instruction signal to the cut-off control unit 140. Specifically, when the estimated deterioration level of the target device 100 is equal to or greater than a threshold, the cut-off instruction output unit 223 generates an instruction signal to cut off the electrical path L connected to the power supply of the target device 100 or an instruction signal to create an electrical path L to ground (GND) downstream of the power supply, and outputs the signal to the cut-off control unit 140.

[0046] The notification unit 224 is a functional unit that issues notifications urging maintenance or part replacement. Specifically, when the estimated degree of deterioration exceeds a threshold, the notification unit 224 issues a notification urging maintenance or the like by, for example, lighting up an output device (in this case, an LED) 300 included in the computer 200. Alternatively, the notification unit 224 generates notification information urging maintenance or the like and displays it on the output device (for example, a display device) 300 included in the computer 200.

[0047] Next, the storage unit 230 will be described. The storage unit 230 is a functional unit for storing various information. Specifically, the storage unit 230 has operating data 231 and degradation level data 232.

[0048] The operation data 231 is data generated by the waveform determination unit 221, and is data in which the voltage value of the surge determined to be above the threshold, the number of times the surge was detected, the identification information of the protection device 110 that operated and the number of times it operated, the position within the target equipment 100 of the electronic component protected by the protection device 110 that operated, and the date and time of the surge detection are recorded (registered) in association with each other.

[0049] The deterioration level data 232 is data generated by the deterioration level estimation unit 222, and is data in which the total number of surge detections, the increasing trend in the frequency of surge occurrences, the cumulative value of surges (overvoltages), and a value indicating the deterioration level are recorded (registered).

[0050] The functional configuration of the computer 200 has been described above.

[0051] <Discharge Detection and Analysis Processing> Next, the discharge detection and analysis processing will be described.

[0052] 3 is a flow diagram showing an example of the discharge detection and analysis process, which is started, for example, when the computer 200 is started.

[0053] When the process starts, the waveform determination unit 221 determines whether or not a voltage waveform has been acquired from the target device 100 (step S10). Specifically, when the waveform determination unit 221 acquires a voltage value from the A / D conversion unit 210, it determines that a voltage waveform has been acquired from the target device 100. Then, when it determines that a voltage waveform has been acquired from the target device 100 (Yes in step S10), the waveform determination unit 221 proceeds to step S20. On the other hand, when it determines that a voltage waveform has not been acquired (No in step S10), the waveform determination unit 221 performs the process of step S10 again.

[0054] In step S20, waveform determination unit 221 determines whether the detected voltage value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Specifically, waveform determination unit 221 determines whether the voltage value acquired from A / D conversion unit 210 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (e.g., several kV). If waveform determination unit 221 determines that the voltage value is equal to or greater than the threshold (Yes in step S20), it proceeds to step S30. On the other hand, if waveform determination unit 221 determines that the voltage value is not equal to or greater than the threshold (No in step S20), it returns the process to step S10.

[0055] Next, in step S30, the waveform determination unit 221 generates operating data 231 that records the voltage value of the detected surge, the number of times it has been detected, etc. Specifically, the waveform determination unit 221 counts the number of times the surge has been detected and adds +1 to the count.

[0056] The waveform determination unit 221 also identifies the location of the electronic component protected by the protection device 110 through which the surge has flowed. Note that there are various methods for identifying the location, and the method is not limited to a specific method. For example, each waveform detection unit 120 may be provided with an evaluation channel for each target protection device 110, and conversion information (not shown) may be used that associates the electronic component corresponding to the identification information of the waveform detection unit 120 with its position within the target equipment 100. Specifically, the conversion information may include, for example, the identification information of each waveform detection unit 120, the identification information of the protection device 110 corresponding to each waveform detection unit 120, the identification information of the electronic component protected by each protection device 110, and the location information (e.g., coordinate information, part number, etc.) of each electronic component within the target equipment 100 (e.g., on a circuit board mounted in the target equipment 100). The waveform determination unit 221 uses such conversion information to identify the location within the target equipment 100 of the electronic component protected by the protection device 110 corresponding to the waveform detection unit 120 that detected the surge waveform.

[0057] Furthermore, the waveform determining unit 221 counts the number of times that the protected device 110 has operated, and adds +1 to the number of times that the protected device 110 has operated.

[0058] The waveform determination unit 221 also generates operation data 231 in which the voltage value of the detected surge, the position of the identified electronic component, the number of times the surge was detected, and the identification information of the activated protection device 110 and the number of times it was activated are recorded (registered) in association with the date and time of surge detection. The waveform determination unit 221 also stores the operation data 231 in the storage unit 230 and proceeds to step S40.

[0059] In step S40, the deterioration level estimation unit 222 estimates the deterioration level of the target device 100 based on an analysis of the operation data 231. Specifically, the deterioration level estimation unit 222 uses the operation data 231 to calculate the total number of surge detections over a predetermined period (e.g., the most recent week or month), the increasing trend in the frequency of surge occurrence, and the cumulative value of surges (overvoltages). The increasing trend in the frequency of surge occurrence may be calculated, for example, based on a comparison with the average daily frequency of occurrence over the most recent week or month. For example, if the average daily frequency of occurrence over the most recent week is 10 occurrences and the number of occurrences on a comparison day (e.g., the day the most recent surge was detected) is 20 occurrences, the increasing trend in the frequency of occurrence is 200%.

[0060] The deterioration level estimation unit 222 then calculates the deterioration level by adding together values ​​weighted by a predetermined amount each of the total number of surge detections, the increasing trend in the frequency of surge occurrences, and the cumulative value of surges (overvoltages), and estimates this as the deterioration level of the target device 100.

[0061] The deterioration level estimation unit 222 also generates deterioration level data 232 in which the total number of surge detections, the increasing trend in the frequency of surge occurrence, the cumulative value of surges (overvoltages), and the calculated deterioration level are associated and recorded (registered). The deterioration level estimation unit 222 also stores the deterioration level data 232 in the storage unit 230, and proceeds to step S50.

[0062] There are various methods for estimating the degree of deterioration, and the method is not limited to the above. For example, the degree of deterioration may be estimated by calculating a value using at least one of the total number of surge detections, the increasing trend in the frequency of surge occurrences, and the cumulative value of surges (overvoltages). Alternatively, the degree of deterioration of the target device 100 may be estimated based on a calculation method other than the above, using at least one of the total number of surge detections, the increasing trend in the frequency of surge occurrences, and the cumulative value of surges (overvoltages).

[0063] Next, in step S50, the cutoff instruction output unit 223 determines whether the calculated deterioration level is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. If it is determined that the calculated deterioration level is not equal to or greater than the threshold (No in step S50), the cutoff instruction output unit 223 returns the process to step S10. On the other hand, if it is determined that the calculated deterioration level is equal to or greater than the threshold (Yes in step S50), the cutoff instruction output unit 223 generates an instruction signal for cutting off the electrical path L connected to the power supply of the target device 100 or an instruction signal for creating an electrical path L to ground (GND) downstream of the power supply, and outputs the instruction signal to the cutoff control unit 140.

[0064] Next, upon receiving the instruction signal, the cutoff control unit 140 controls the operation of the circuit cutoff unit 130 to cut off the electrical path L connected to the power supply (step S60). Specifically, the cutoff control unit 140 changes the voltage of the circuit cutoff unit 130 based on the instruction signal, thereby controlling the operation of the circuit cutoff unit 130a, which is a gate circuit, to cut off the electrical path L. Alternatively, the cutoff control unit 140 controls the operation of the circuit cutoff unit 130b based on the instruction signal so that a bypass circuit is connected between the power supply and ground (GND) on the downstream side of the power supply.

[0065] Next, the notification unit 224 outputs a predetermined alert to the output device 300 (step S70). Specifically, if the computer 200 is equipped with an LED as the output device 300, the notification unit 224 issues a notification urging maintenance or the like by turning on the LED. Alternatively, the notification unit 224 generates notification information (display information) urging maintenance or part replacement, and displays it on a predetermined display device (for example, a display device as the output device 300 equipped in the computer 200, or a terminal device such as a user's smartphone that is communicably connected to the computer 200).

[0066] The notification information may include, for example, at least some of the total number of surge detections, the increasing trend in the occurrence frequency, and the cumulative value of surges (overvoltages), which are factors for estimating the degree of deterioration.The notification information may also display information indicating the location of the electronic component protected by the protection device 110 that has been activated the most or that has exceeded a predetermined threshold.

[0067] 4 is a diagram showing an example of notification information displayed on the notification screen. As shown in the figure, the notification screen 350 includes alert content urging maintenance, etc., the total number of surge detections, the increasing trend in occurrence frequency, the cumulative value of surges (overvoltages), and the locations of electronic components protected by the protective device 110 with the most frequent activations. Note that the notification screen 350 may include at least some of these.

[0068] After outputting the alert, the notification unit 224 returns the process to step S10. In this way, by repeatedly executing the processes of steps S10 to S70, the discharge detection and analysis system can record various pieces of information related to a surge when the surge flows through the protection device 110 of the target equipment 100, estimate the degree of deterioration of the target equipment 100 based on the recorded information, and output a notification urging maintenance or the like according to the degree of deterioration.

[0069] Therefore, the discharge detection and analysis system can grasp the operating status of the protection device 110 and estimate the degree of deterioration of the equipment, thereby preventing failure of high-voltage components.

[0070] In particular, when a discharge occurs inside an electronic device, surges (overvoltage and overcurrent) tend to flow toward circuits, electronic components, and power supplies within the housing, such as amplifier circuits and ICs. Protective devices 110 are typically installed to protect electronic components from such surges, but as the number of discharges increases, deterioration of the protective device 110 and cables surrounding the electronic components progresses, making the electronic device more susceptible to failure. Therefore, this system detects discharges occurring within the electronic device via the protective device 110, accumulates the voltage values ​​and number of detections as operational data 231, and analyzes this data to estimate the degree of deterioration of the electronic device. This allows the discharge detection and analysis system to output an alert prompting maintenance or part replacement at the appropriate time when the degree of deterioration exceeds a threshold.

[0071] Furthermore, in this system, when the degree of degradation exceeds a threshold, control is performed to cut off the electrical path L between the power supply and the electronic component to prevent a surge from flowing into the power supply, thereby preventing serious damage such as a power supply failure.

[0072] <Modification 1> The discharge detection and analysis system is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. The discharge detection and analysis system according to the modification distinguishes between a surge generated within the target device 100 and a surge caused by sudden external noise, and does not record the surge in the operating data 231 if it is external noise.

[0073] Specifically, the processing unit 220 (for example, an analysis unit not shown) analyzes the daily frequency, period, average voltage value, or time period of occurrence of discharge surges generated in the target device 100 from the past operating data 231, and stores the results as surge pattern information. Then, the processing unit 220 compares the surge voltage value obtained from the A / D conversion unit 210 with each element of the pattern information, and if the surge voltage value does not fit the pattern, determines that the surge is external noise and does not record it in the operating data 231 (ignores it).

[0074] Such an electric discharge detection and analysis system can separate the desired data (information about the discharge surge generated in the target device 100) from other unnecessary data, and can record only the data necessary to estimate the deterioration level of the target device 100 as the operating data 231. This allows the electric discharge detection and analysis system to estimate the deterioration level with high accuracy.

[0075] <Modification 2> Furthermore, if the discharge detection and analysis system has a communication unit (communication device) and is communicatively connected to a predetermined network (for example, a communication network such as the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), or a WAN (Wide Area Network)), the operation data 231 and the degradation degree data 232 may be transmitted periodically (for example, each time these data are updated) to an external device communicatively connected via the network. Furthermore, the discharge detection and analysis system may display alert notification information on a display device of the external device via the network.

[0076] According to the discharge detection and analysis system of this modified example, the operating status of the protection device 110 can be grasped via an external device, and the degree of deterioration of the equipment can be estimated, thereby preventing failure of high-voltage components.

[0077] In the above embodiment, the target device 100 and the computer 200 are described as being in separate housings, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of the computer 200 may be integrated with the target device 100. In other words, the internal configuration of the target device and the configuration of the computer 200 may be implemented in a single housing (the housing of the target device 100).

[0078] <Hardware Configuration of Computer 200> Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of computer 200. As shown in the figure, computer 200 has an input device 410, a display device 420, a processing device 430, a main memory device 440, an auxiliary memory device 450, a communication device 460, and a bus 470 that electrically interconnects these devices.

[0079] The input device 410 is, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, etc. The display device 420 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic display.

[0080] The processing device 430 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The main storage device 440 is a memory device (memory resource) such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). The computer 200 has at least one processor and memory resource.

[0081] The auxiliary storage device 450 is a non-volatile storage device capable of storing digital information, such as a so-called hard disk drive, a solid state drive (SSD), or a flash memory.

[0082] The communication device 460 is a wired communication device that performs wired communication via a network cable, or a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication via an antenna.

[0083] An example of the hardware configuration of the computer 200 has been described above.

[0084] The processing unit 220 of the computer 200 is realized by a program that causes the processing device 430 to perform processing. This program is stored in the main memory device 440 or the auxiliary memory device 450, and is loaded onto the main memory device 440 and executed by the processing device 430 when the program is executed.

[0085] The storage unit 230 is realized by a main storage device 440, an auxiliary storage device 450, or a combination of these. The communication unit (not shown) is realized by a communication device 460.

[0086] Furthermore, the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, and processing means of the computer 200 may be partially or entirely implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. The above-described configurations and functions may also be implemented in software, with a processor interpreting and executing programs that implement the respective functions. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement the respective functions may be stored in a storage device such as a memory, hard disk, or SSD, or in a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0087] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and includes various modifications within the scope of the same technical concept. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0088] In addition, in the above explanation, the control lines and information lines are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines in the product. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are interconnected.

[0089] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100...Target equipment, 110...Protection device, 120...Waveform detection unit, 130...Circuit breaker unit, 140...Breakdown control unit, 200...Calculator, 210...A / D conversion unit, 220...Processing unit, 221...Waveform determination unit, 222...Deterioration degree estimation unit, 223...Breakdown instruction output unit, 224...Notification unit, 230...Memory unit, 231...Operation data, 232...Deterioration degree data, 300...Output device, 410...Input device, 420...Display device, 430...Processing device, 440...Main memory device, 450...Auxiliary memory device, 460...Communication device, 470...Bus

Claims

1. A discharge detection and analysis system comprising: a protection device mounted around an electronic component in an electronic device that is to be detected for discharge; a waveform detection unit that is arranged between the protection device and ground (GND) and detects the waveform of a surge that has flowed through the protection device; a waveform determination unit that, when the magnitude of the surge voltage value identified by the waveform is equal to or greater than a threshold, generates operating data that records at least the voltage value, the number of times the surge has been detected, and the date and time of detection; and a deterioration estimation unit that estimates the degree of deterioration of the electronic device based on an analysis of the operating data.

2. A discharge detection and analysis system as described in claim 1, wherein the waveform determination unit counts the number of times the protective device has operated, identifies the position within the electronic equipment of the electronic component protected by the operated protective device, and generates operation data that records the voltage value of the surge, the number of times the surge has been detected, the number of times the protective device has operated, the position within the electronic equipment of the electronic component protected by the operated protective device, and the date and time of detection of the surge.

3. A discharge detection and analysis system as described in claim 1, wherein the deterioration level estimation unit uses the operational data to calculate at least one of the total number of times the surge has been detected, the increasing trend in the frequency of occurrence of the surge, and the cumulative value of the surge, and estimates the deterioration level of the electronic device based on the calculated values.

4. The discharge detection and analysis system according to claim 3, further comprising: a circuit breaker unit that changes the electrical path within the electronic device; a cutoff control unit that controls the circuit breaker unit; and a cutoff instruction output unit that outputs an instruction signal to the cutoff control unit to control the circuit breaker unit when the degree of deterioration is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

5. A discharge detection and analysis system as described in claim 4, characterized in that the cutoff control unit controls the circuit breaker unit so that the electrical path leading to the power supply within the electronic device is cut off based on the reception of the instruction signal.

6. A discharge detection and analysis system as described in claim 4, characterized in that the cutoff control unit controls the circuit breaker unit based on receipt of the instruction signal so that the electrical path between the power supply in the electronic device and the electronic component is connected to the ground (GND).

7. The discharge detection and analysis system according to claim 3, further comprising a notification unit that outputs an alert to a specified output device to prompt maintenance of the electronic device or replacement of the electronic component when the degree of deterioration is equal to or greater than a specified threshold.

8. A discharge detection and analysis system as described in claim 7, wherein the notification unit displays display information on the output device to encourage the maintenance or replacement of the electronic component, and the display information displays at least one of the total number of times the surge has been detected, the increasing trend in the frequency of occurrence of the surge, and the cumulative value of the surge.

9. A discharge detection and analysis system as described in claim 7, wherein the notification unit displays display information on the output device to encourage the maintenance or replacement of the electronic component, and the display information displays information indicating the location within the electronic device of the electronic component protected by the protection device that has operated the most or whose number of operations exceeds a threshold value.

10. A discharge detection and analysis system as described in claim 1, wherein the waveform detection unit analyzes the operational data and determines whether the detected waveform is a surge generated within the electronic device or a surge caused by external noise based on a comparison with the pattern of a surge generated within the electronic device, and if it determines that the waveform is external noise, does not record information about the waveform of the external noise as the operational data.

11. A discharge detection and analysis method performed by a discharge detection and analysis system, comprising: a waveform detection step of detecting the waveform of a surge that has flowed through a protection device mounted around an electronic component in an electronic device that is the target of discharge detection; a waveform determination step of generating operating data that records at least the voltage value, the number of times the surge has been detected, and the date and time of detection, if the magnitude of the voltage value of the surge identified by the waveform is equal to or greater than a threshold; and a deterioration level estimation step of estimating the degree of deterioration of the electronic device based on an analysis of the operating data.

12. A program that causes a computer to function as an electrical discharge detection and analysis system, characterized in that the program causes the computer to function as: a waveform determination unit that, when the magnitude of a surge voltage value identified by the waveform of a surge that flows through a protective device mounted around an electronic component in an electronic device that is the target of electrical discharge detection is equal to or greater than a threshold, generates operating data that records at least the voltage value, the number of times the surge has been detected, and the date and time of detection; and a deterioration level estimation unit that estimates the deterioration level of the electronic device based on an analysis of the operating data.

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