JP5605672B2 - Voltage monitoring system and voltage monitoring method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a voltage monitoring system and a voltage monitoring method.

  A fault-tolerant server (FT server) is a module in which the main components such as CPU, main memory, and hard disk are duplicated in units of modules, and even if one main component fails, the other main component It is a server that can continue to operate without stopping.

  The FT server normally includes a voltage monitoring circuit for each module in order to detect (detect) the occurrence of voltage abnormality in main components. The voltage monitoring circuit is a circuit that monitors the voltage in the voltage monitoring target part in the module and detects the presence or absence of voltage abnormality of the voltage. When the voltage monitoring circuit detects the occurrence of the voltage abnormality, the voltage monitoring circuit automatically shuts off the power supply in order to deactivate the module in which the voltage abnormality has occurred.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-173832

  However, the voltage monitoring circuit provided for each conventional module detects a voltage abnormality in its own module, and automatically shuts off the power supply of its own module when a voltage abnormality occurs. For this reason, in a voltage monitoring circuit configured to monitor the voltage at a plurality of voltage monitoring target units in a module, when the power supply of the module is shut off, which voltage in the module has a voltage abnormality There was a problem that it was difficult to analyze.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and provide a new voltage monitoring system and voltage monitoring method capable of analyzing which voltage in a module has a voltage abnormality after the occurrence of the voltage abnormality. And

  The voltage monitoring system according to the present invention is a voltage monitoring system including a voltage monitoring circuit mounted on each of the duplicated modules, and each of the voltage monitoring circuits includes a plurality of voltage monitoring target units in the other module. Comparison means for comparing the monitoring target voltage with a reference voltage corresponding to each of the monitoring target voltages, and detection means for detecting a voltage abnormality of at least one monitoring target voltage based on each output signal of the comparison result And holding means for holding each output signal of the comparison result when the voltage abnormality is detected when a voltage abnormality of the at least one monitoring target voltage is detected.

  The voltage monitoring method according to the present invention is a voltage monitoring method using a voltage monitoring circuit mounted on each of the duplicated modules, the monitoring target voltages of a plurality of voltage monitoring target units in the other module, and the monitoring target A comparison step of comparing each of the reference voltages corresponding to the voltages, a detection step of detecting a voltage abnormality of at least one monitoring target voltage based on each output signal of the comparison result, and the at least one monitoring target voltage When the voltage abnormality is detected, a holding step of holding each output signal of the comparison result when the voltage abnormality is detected is included.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, the voltage abnormality is generated in the other module because the voltage between the duplicated modules is monitored to detect the occurrence of voltage abnormality. Thus, even when the power is cut off, the voltage state of the module in which the voltage abnormality has occurred in one normal module can be maintained. Therefore, the normal module can analyze which voltage in the module in which the voltage abnormality has occurred in which voltage abnormality has occurred.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the duplicated module each including the voltage monitoring circuit which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the processing content of the voltage monitoring circuit which concerns on this embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The voltage monitoring system according to the present embodiment will be described by taking as an example a case where the voltage monitoring system is applied to a duplicated module as a component of the FT server. The voltage monitoring system according to the present embodiment includes a voltage monitoring circuit mounted on each of a pair of duplicated modules.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a pair of redundant modules each including a voltage monitoring circuit according to the present embodiment.

  The first module 1 and the second module 2 are components of an FT server having the same function, and are main components such as a CPU, a main memory, or a hard disk. Such an FT server including the first module 1 and the second module 2 can continue to operate in the other module even if a failure occurs in one module.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first module 1 includes a first voltage monitoring circuit 10, a first power supply unit 11, and a first voltage regulator circuit 12, and the second module 2 includes a second voltage monitoring circuit 20. The second power supply unit 21 and the second voltage regulator circuit 22 are included. Since the first module 1 and the second module 2 can have the same hardware configuration, only the first module 1 will be described below. In FIG. 1, the components constituting the main parts of the module other than the voltage monitoring circuit are not shown.

  The first power supply unit 11 is a power supply for supplying a voltage to each component constituting the first module 1, and can supply a voltage of 100V, for example. The first power supply unit 11 can have the same configuration and function as those of a power supply unit used in a conventional server, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The first voltage regulator circuit (first VR circuit) 12 is provided between the first power supply unit 11 and each component constituting the first module 1, and adjusts the voltage supplied to each component. For example, a voltage of 100 V supplied from the first power supply unit 11 can be adjusted to a voltage of 10 V and supplied to each component. The first voltage regulator circuit 12 can have the same configuration and function as a voltage regulator circuit used in a conventional server, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The first voltage monitoring circuit 10 is a circuit that monitors each output voltage (monitoring target voltage) using the second power supply unit 21 and the second voltage regulator circuit 22 of the second module 2 as voltage monitoring target units.

  The first voltage monitoring circuit 10 includes a comparison circuit 101, an AND circuit 102, an abnormality detection control circuit 103, and a register 104.

  The comparison circuit 101 is a comparison unit that compares each output voltage of the second power supply unit 21 and the second voltage regulator circuit 22 of the other second module 2 with a reference voltage corresponding to each output voltage. The comparison circuit 101 includes comparators 101a and 101b. The comparator 101a receives the output voltage of the second power supply unit 21 and the reference voltage at the input terminal, and outputs a comparison result between the output voltage and the reference voltage from the output terminal. The comparator 101b receives the output voltage of the second voltage regulator circuit 22 and the reference voltage at the input terminal, and outputs the comparison result between the output voltage and the reference voltage from the output terminal. Each of the comparators 101a and 101b may be composed of, for example, an IC that outputs a “Low” signal when the output voltage is lower than the reference voltage, and outputs a “High” signal when the output voltage is normal. it can. The outputs of the comparators 101a and 101b are sent to the AND circuit 102 and the register 104. Here, the reference voltage is, for example, a minimum voltage required as an output voltage in the voltage monitoring target unit, and the reference voltage of the second power supply unit 21 is set to 100V, and the reference voltage of the second voltage regulator circuit 22 is set to 10V. can do. A reference voltage source for the reference voltage can be preset in the voltage monitoring circuit 10 (not shown).

  In the AND circuit 102, the outputs of all the comparators 101a and 101b are input to the input terminals, and the logical product is output from the output terminals. For example, if an “Low” state output signal is input from at least one of the comparators 101a and 101b, a “Low” state signal is output. On the other hand, if an output signal in the “High” state is input from both of the comparators 101a and 101b, a signal in the “High” state is output. The output signal of the AND circuit 102 is sent to the abnormality detection control circuit 103.

  The abnormality detection control circuit 103 detects a voltage abnormality of the output voltage in the voltage monitoring target part in the second module 2 and controls the operation when the voltage abnormality is detected. The abnormality detection control circuit 103 is a detection means 1031 for detecting a voltage abnormality of the monitoring target voltage based on the comparison result, and a writing control means for controlling a write clock for writing the output state of the monitoring target voltage at the time of voltage abnormality to the register. 1032 and the function of the power cutoff means 1033 for shutting off the power of the other second module 2.

  The abnormality detection control circuit 103 detects the occurrence of a voltage abnormality of at least one monitoring target voltage by receiving, for example, an “Low” state output signal from the AND circuit 102 as the detection unit 1031. Note that while the signal in the “High” state is received, it is determined that all the monitoring target voltages are normal.

  When the abnormality detection control circuit 103 detects a voltage abnormality of at least one output voltage, the write control means 1032 serves as a write clock for writing the output signals of the comparators 101a and 101b to the corresponding registers 104a and 104b, respectively. Is sent out. Note that the writing method to the registers 104a and 104b can be the same as the conventional writing method, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The abnormality detection control circuit 103 shuts off the power supply of the other second module 2 as the power shutoff means 1033 when detecting a voltage abnormality of at least one output voltage. For example, in order to cut off the power supplied to the second module 2, a power cut signal is sent to the second power supply unit 21 to turn off the power of the second power supply unit 21. The first voltage monitoring circuit 10 is connected to the second power supply unit 21 and the second voltage regulator circuit 22 of the second module 2.

  The registers 104a and 104b are holding means for holding the output signals of the comparators 101a and 101b when a voltage abnormality is detected when at least one output voltage abnormality is detected. The registers 104a and 104b are configured to be written with the output contents (output state) of the comparators 101a and 101b, hold the output contents, and be readable by the operator. Note that the registers 104a and 104b can have the same configuration and function as conventional registers, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, a voltage monitoring method in an FT server configured to include duplicated modules will be described. In addition, since the 1st voltage monitoring circuit 10 and the 2nd voltage monitoring circuit 20 can perform the same process, the process of the 1st voltage monitoring circuit 10 is demonstrated below. In addition, the processes can be executed in any order or in parallel as long as the process contents do not contradict each other.

  First, the comparison circuit 101 always receives each output voltage from the second power supply unit 21 and the second voltage regulator circuit 22 in the second module 2 (step S100). Note that the second power supply unit 21 and the second voltage regulator circuit 22 can have a function of constantly sending the respective output voltages to the comparison circuit 101, for example.

  Next, the comparison circuit 101 compares each received output voltage with a reference voltage (step S101). That is, the comparator 101a compares the output voltage of the second power supply unit 21 with the reference voltage, and the comparator 101b compares the output voltage of the second voltage regulator circuit 22 with the reference voltage. The comparators 101a and 101b, for example, output a “Low” state signal when the output voltage becomes lower than the reference voltage, and output a “HIGH” state signal when normal. The outputs of the comparators 101a and 101b are sent to the AND circuit 102 and the register 104.

  Next, when each output signal from the comparators 101a and 101b is input, the AND circuit 102 calculates a logical product (step S102). For example, if an “Low” state output signal is input from at least one of the comparators 101a and 101b, a “Low” state signal is output. The output of the AND circuit 102 is sent to the abnormality detection control circuit 103.

  Next, the abnormality detection control circuit 103 detects whether or not at least one output voltage is abnormal in voltage (step S103). For example, when an output signal in the “Low” state is received from the AND circuit 102, it can be detected that a voltage abnormality of at least one output voltage has occurred. Note that while the signal in the “High” state is received, it is determined that all the monitoring target voltages are normal.

  When the voltage abnormality of at least one output voltage is not detected (step S103: No), the processes of steps S100 to S103 are repeated.

  When a voltage abnormality of at least one output voltage is detected (step S103: Yes), the abnormality detection control circuit 103 uses a write clock to write the output signals of the comparators 101a and 101b to the corresponding registers 104a and 104b. Send out (step S104). As a result, each output signal (output state) of the comparators 101a and 101b is written in the registers 104a and 104b.

  Next, the registers 104a and 104b hold the voltage state at the time of voltage abnormality detection of the output voltage where the voltage abnormality has occurred (step S105).

  Next, when detecting a voltage abnormality of at least one output voltage, the abnormality detection control circuit 103 shuts off the power supply of the other second module 2 (step S106). For example, in order to cut off the power supplied to the second module 2, a power cut signal is sent to the second power supply unit 21 to turn off the power of the second power supply unit 21.

  According to the voltage monitoring circuit of the present embodiment, each voltage is monitored between the duplicated modules to detect whether or not a voltage abnormality has occurred, so that a voltage abnormality has occurred in the other module. Even when the power is cut off, the voltage state of the module in which the voltage abnormality has occurred can be held in the register in one normal module. Therefore, the normal module can analyze which voltage in the module in which the voltage abnormality has occurred in which voltage abnormality has occurred. In other words, the operator can associate each register with the voltage monitoring target unit in the other module, so by reading the value of each register, it is possible to determine which voltage in the other module has a voltage abnormality. I can grasp it. As a result, when a voltage abnormality occurs, the abnormal part can be immediately identified, so that it is possible to reduce the labor and time required for the operator to replace or repair the module.

  Further, when a voltage abnormality occurs in the voltage monitoring target part in the other module, the voltage monitoring circuit in the other normal module sends out a power shutoff signal for shutting off the power supply. The power supply can be shut down in the module where the abnormality has occurred.

<Modification>
The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention should not be limited to the above embodiments, and does not depart from the spirit and scope expressed in the claims. Various modifications, additions, and omissions are possible by those skilled in the art.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the power supply unit and the voltage regulator circuit in the other module are two voltage monitoring target parts has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the designer can freely adjust as necessary. It is possible to set the location of the voltage monitoring target part or the number of monitoring thereof, for example, three or more voltage monitoring target parts.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the output voltage of the voltage monitoring target unit is always compared with the reference voltage in the comparison circuit has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the output voltage of the voltage monitoring target unit You may perform a reference voltage with a fixed space | interval. In this case, the voltage monitoring target unit sends the output voltage to the comparison circuit at a fixed timing. However, it is desirable for the maintainability of the server to always compare the output voltage of the voltage monitoring target unit with the reference voltage so that the power supply of the module in which the voltage abnormality has occurred can be quickly shut off.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a circuit for determining whether or not at least one output voltage is abnormal by using a comparator and an AND circuit is configured. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, An OR circuit such as a logical sum can be combined as appropriate.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the abnormality detection control circuit in each voltage monitoring circuit is provided with functional means corresponding to the application, but is provided in the abnormality detection control circuit in each voltage monitoring circuit. The functional means may be configured by combining some of the means, or may be configured by dividing one means into a plurality of means.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the fault tolerant server has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to various duplexed apparatuses.

1 first module,
2 Second module,
10 first voltage monitoring circuit;
101 comparison circuit,
102 AND circuit,
103 abnormality detection control circuit,
104 registers,
11 First power supply unit,
12 first voltage regulator;
20 second voltage monitoring circuit,
201 comparison circuit,
202 AND circuit,
203 abnormality detection control circuit,
204 registers,
21 second power supply unit,
22 Second voltage regulator.

Claims (4)

A voltage monitoring system having a voltage monitoring circuit mounted on each of the duplicated modules,
Each of the voltage monitoring circuits
Comparison means for comparing the monitoring target voltage of the plurality of voltage monitoring target units in the other module with the reference voltage corresponding to each of the monitoring target voltages,
Detecting means for detecting a voltage abnormality of at least one monitoring target voltage based on each output signal of the comparison result;
A holding means for holding each output signal of the comparison result when the voltage abnormality is detected when a voltage abnormality of the at least one monitoring target voltage is detected;
A voltage monitoring system comprising:   2. The voltage monitoring circuit system according to claim 1, further comprising a power cutoff unit that shuts off a power source of the other module when a voltage abnormality of the at least one monitoring target voltage is detected.   A fault tolerant server comprising the voltage monitoring system according to claim 1. A voltage monitoring method using a voltage monitoring circuit mounted on each of the duplicated modules,
A comparison stage that compares the monitoring target voltages of the plurality of voltage monitoring target units in the other module with reference voltages corresponding to the monitoring target voltages, respectively;
Detecting a voltage abnormality of at least one monitoring target voltage based on each output signal of the comparison result; and
When a voltage abnormality of the at least one monitoring target voltage is detected, a holding stage for holding each output signal of the comparison result at the time of voltage abnormality detection;
The voltage monitoring method characterized by including.

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