WO2025177465A1 - Power source monitoring device - Google Patents

Abstract

A power source monitoring device (1A) is characterized by comprising: a power source unit (11-1); control units (12-1, 12-2) that operate with power supplied from the power source unit (11-1); a switching unit (13-1) that, in response to switching requests output by the control units (12-1, 12-2), performs switching control for switching between a conduction state in which the power source unit (11-1) supplies power to each of the control units (12-1, 12-2) and a cutoff state in which the supply of power is cut off; a switching unit (13-2) that is connected in parallel with the switching unit (13-1), and performs switching control for switching between the conduction state and the cutoff state in response to the switching requests output by the control units (12-1, 12-2); a mask unit (14-1) that disables the switching control by the switching unit (13-1) in response to a first mask request output by the control unit (12-1); and a mask unit (14-2) that disables the switching control by the switching unit (13-2) in response to a second mask request output by the control unit (12-2).

Description

power monitoring device

This disclosure relates to a power supply monitoring device that monitors abnormalities in the power supply from a power supply unit.

Some control devices, such as PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers), which incorporate control means such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), have redundant control units to provide users with greater safety. By making the control units redundant, even if one of the control units malfunctions, it is possible to maintain safe operation and safely shut down the malfunctioning control unit. In addition, a power supply monitoring function is provided that monitors the power supplied to the control unit, detects an abnormality, and cuts off the power supply to the control unit. In addition to the power supply monitoring function, some devices also have a diagnostic function to ensure that the function is operating normally.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that divides the power supply path into two, provides redundancy for the CPU circuit, power shutdown circuit, and power monitoring circuit, and diagnoses whether the power monitoring function is operating normally.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-021308

However, with the above-mentioned conventional technology, the power supply to one of the redundant control units is cut off during diagnosis, causing that control unit to stop. Once the diagnosis is complete, power is supplied again and the unit is restarted, but this also takes time. As such, the redundant configuration of the control units is not maintained during diagnosis, which compromises the safety of the device with redundant control units and hinders high-speed information processing by the control units.

The present disclosure has been made in light of the above, and aims to provide a power supply monitoring device that can maintain the safety of a redundant control unit and continue high-speed information processing when diagnosing that the power supply monitoring function for the redundant control unit is operating normally.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the power supply monitoring device disclosed herein is characterized by comprising: a first power supply unit that supplies power; a first control unit that operates with power supplied from the first power supply unit; a second control unit that operates with power supplied from the first power supply unit; a first switching unit that performs switching control to switch between a conductive state in which power is supplied from the first power supply unit to each of the first control unit and the second control unit and a cut-off state in which the supply of power is cut off in response to switching requests output by the first control unit and the second control unit; a second switching unit connected in parallel to the first switching unit and that performs switching control to switch between a conductive state and a cut-off state in response to switching requests output by the first control unit and the second control unit; a first masking unit that disables switching control from the conductive state to the cut-off state by the first switching unit in response to a first masking request output by the first control unit; and a second masking unit that disables switching control from the conductive state to the cut-off state by the second switching unit in response to a second masking request output by the second control unit.

The power supply monitoring device of the present invention has the advantage of maintaining the safety of the redundant control unit and enabling continuous high-speed information processing when diagnosing that the power supply monitoring function for the redundant control unit is operating normally.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a power supply monitoring device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the power supply monitoring device illustrated in FIG. 1 . FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a power supply monitoring device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the power supply monitoring device illustrated in FIG. 3 . FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a power supply monitoring device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the power supply monitoring device illustrated in FIG. 5 . FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a power supply monitoring device according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the power supply monitoring device illustrated in FIG. 7 . FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a power supply monitoring device according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the power supply monitoring device illustrated in FIG. 9 . FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a power supply monitoring device according to a sixth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a power supply monitoring device according to a seventh embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a power supply monitoring device according to an eighth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a power supply monitoring device according to a ninth embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a power supply monitoring device according to a tenth embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a power supply monitoring device according to an eleventh embodiment. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a power supply monitoring device according to a twelfth embodiment.

Below, a power supply monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1.
1 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a power supply monitoring device 1A according to embodiment 1. The power supply monitoring device 1A includes a power supply unit 11-1, control units 12-1 and 12-2, switching units 13-1 and 13-2, and mask units 14-1 and 14-2.

Power supply unit 11-1 supplies power to control units 12-1 and 12-2.

Control units 12-1 and 12-2 are driven by power supplied from power supply unit 11-1. Details of control units 12-1 and 12-2 will be described later.

Switching unit 13-1 is connected to the power supply path between power supply unit 11-1 and control units 12-1 and 12-2. Switching unit 13-1 performs switching control to switch between a conductive state in which power is supplied from power supply unit 11-1 to each of control units 12-1 and 12-2, and a cut-off state in which the supply of power is cut off. The switching control function performed by switching unit 13-1 is referred to as the first cut-off function. Switching unit 13-1 can switch between the conductive state and the cut-off state in response to a switching request that requests switching between the conductive state and the cut-off state. In this embodiment, switching unit 13-1 switches between the conductive state and the cut-off state in response to a first cut-off request or a second cut-off request, which are examples of switching requests.

Switching unit 13-2 is connected in parallel to switching unit 13-1 to the power supply path between power supply unit 11-1 and control units 12-1 and 12-2. Switching unit 13-2 performs switching control to switch between a conductive state in which power is supplied from power supply unit 11-1 to each of control units 12-1 and 12-2, and a cut-off state in which the supply of power is cut off. The switching control function performed by switching unit 13-2 is referred to as the second cut-off function. Switching unit 13-2 can switch between the conductive state and the cut-off state in response to a switching request. In this embodiment, switching unit 13-2 switches between the conductive state and the cut-off state in response to a first cut-off request or a second cut-off request, which are examples of switching requests.

The mask unit 14-1 can disable the switching control from the conductive state to the cutoff state by the switching unit 13-1 in response to the first mask request output by the control unit 12-1. The mask unit 14-1 is provided on the path that transmits the first cutoff request and the second cutoff request output by the control units 12-1 and 12-2 to the switching unit 13-1. The mask unit 14-1 has a first mask function that can switch between a conductive state in which the first cutoff request and the second cutoff request output by the control units 12-1 and 12-2 are transmitted to the switching unit 13-1, and a cutoff state in which the first cutoff request and the second cutoff request are cut off. When the mask unit 14-1 blocks the first cutoff request and the second cutoff request, even if the control units 12-1 and 12-2 output the first cutoff request and the second cutoff request, they are not transmitted to the switching unit 13-1, and therefore the switching control by the switching unit 13-1 is disabled.

The mask unit 14-2 can disable the switching control from the conduction state to the cutoff state by the switching unit 13-2 in response to the second mask request output by the control unit 12-2. The mask unit 14-2 is provided on the path that transmits the first cutoff request and the second cutoff request output by the control units 12-1 and 12-2 to the switching unit 13-2. The mask unit 14-2 has a second mask function that can switch between a conduction state in which the first cutoff request and the second cutoff request output by the control units 12-1 and 12-2 are transmitted to the switching unit 13-2, and a cutoff state in which the first cutoff request and the second cutoff request are cut off. When the mask unit 14-2 cuts off the first cutoff request and the second cutoff request, even if the control units 12-1 and 12-2 output the first cutoff request and the second cutoff request, they are not transmitted to the switching unit 13-2, and therefore the switching control by the switching unit 13-2 is disabled.

Here, the control units 12-1 and 12-2 will be described in detail. The control unit 12-1 has a cutoff request function 121-1, which is a function that can output a first cutoff request that requests that the switching units 13-1 and 13-2 be switched between a conductive state and a cutoff state. The control unit 12-1 also has a mask request function 122-1, which is a function that can output a first mask request that requests that the first cutoff request transmitted from the control unit 12-1 to the switching unit 13-1 and the second cutoff request transmitted from the control unit 12-2 to the switching unit 13-1 be made conductive and cutoff. The first mask request can also be said to request that the switching control by the switching unit 13-1 be disabled.

In addition, control unit 12-2 has a cutoff request function 121-2, which is a function that can output a second cutoff request that requests switching between the conductive state and the cutoff state of switching units 13-1 and 13-2. Control unit 12-2 also has a mask request function 122-2, which is a function that can output a second mask request that requests the first cutoff request transmitted from control unit 12-1 to switching unit 13-2 and the second cutoff request transmitted from control unit 12-2 to switching unit 13-2 to be made conductive and cutoff. The second mask request can also be said to request that switching control by switching unit 13-2 be disabled.

The control units 12-1 and 12-2 can cut off the power supply from the power supply unit 11-1 using the cutoff request functions 121-1 and 121-2, and can also cut off only one of the switching units 13-1 and 13-2 while maintaining the power supply using the cutoff request function 121-1 and mask request function 122-1, or the cutoff request function 121-2 and mask request function 122-2.

When cutting off the power supply to switching units 13-1 and 13-2, control unit 12-1 outputs a first cutoff request, or control unit 12-2 outputs a second cutoff request, which activates the first cutoff function of switching unit 13-1 and the second cutoff function of switching unit 13-2, transitioning switching units 13-1 and 13-2 to the cutoff state.

When shutting off only switching unit 13-2 while maintaining power supply to control units 12-1 and 12-2, control unit 12-1 first outputs a first mask request to mask unit 14-1. This causes mask unit 14-1 to transition to a cut-off state, disabling the switching control of switching unit 13-1. In this state, control unit 12-1 outputs a first cut-off request. This prevents the first cut-off request from being transmitted to switching unit 13-1, and only switching unit 13-2 transitions to a cut-off state in response to the first cut-off request. At this time, switching unit 13-2 is in a cut-off state and switching unit 13-1 is in a conductive state, so power supply to control units 12-1 and 12-2 is maintained via switching unit 13-1.

When shutting off only switching unit 13-1 while maintaining power supply to control units 12-1 and 12-2, similar to the case of shutting off only switching unit 13-2 described above, control unit 12-2 first outputs a second mask request to mask unit 14-2. This causes mask unit 14-2 to transition to the cut-off state, and switching control of switching unit 13-2 is disabled. In this state, control unit 12-2 outputs a second cut-off request. As a result, the second cut-off request is not transmitted to switching unit 13-2, and only switching unit 13-1 transitions to the cut-off state in response to the second cut-off request. At this time, because switching unit 13-1 is in the cut-off state and switching unit 13-2 is in the conductive state, power supply to control units 12-1 and 12-2 is maintained via switching unit 13-2.

Furthermore, various states can be realized by combining the connections of each request. For example, it is possible to shut down only the switching unit 13-2 in response to a first mask request from the control unit 12-1 and a second shut-off request from the control unit 12-2, or it is possible to shut down only the switching unit 13-1 in response to a second mask request from the control unit 12-2 and a first shut-off request from the control unit 12-1.

If an abnormality occurs in either the control units 12-1, 12-2 or the mask units 14-1, 14-2, creating an unstable situation where the intended operation is not possible, both switching units 13-1, 13-2 will be shut off in any of the operations based on the combination of requests described above, thereby improving the reliability of the power supply monitoring unit 1A and the control equipment that incorporates the power supply monitoring unit 1A.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1A shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the power supply monitoring device 1A is implemented using a power supply circuit 91-1, control circuits 92-1 and 92-2, shutoff circuits 93-1 and 93-2, power supply monitoring circuits 94-1 and 94-2, mask circuits 95-1 and 95-2, and peripheral circuits 96-1 and 96-2.

The power supply circuit 91-1 may be, for example, a DC stabilized power supply installed outside the control device to supply power to the control device, a linear regulator circuit that steps down the voltage supplied from the DC stabilized power supply, a switching regulator circuit that steps up or down the voltage, or an AC power supply installed outside the control device.

The control circuits 92-1 and 92-2 are, for example, circuits implemented by a microcomputer, elements such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a logic IC (Integrated Circuit) that drives an output circuit with predetermined logic in response to an external input.

Shutoff circuits 93-1 and 93-2 are implemented, for example, by switches composed of field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), and are circuits that can be switched between a conductive state and a cutoff state by controlling the gate voltage externally.

The power supply monitoring circuits 94-1 and 94-2 are, for example, power supply monitoring ICs, and are voltage comparison circuits such as circuits that have terminals that identify overvoltage and undervoltage conditions by comparing the voltage of the monitored object with an arbitrarily determined reference voltage, and that can output a signal that can distinguish the result of voltage monitoring as a voltage signal with two values: H level and L level.

Mask circuits 95-1 and 95-2 are realized, for example, by open-drain connections of MOSFETs, and output a signal that can distinguish the first shutoff request from control circuit 92-1 based on the binary voltage signal value of H level or L level, and output a signal that can distinguish the second shutoff request from control circuit 92-2 based on the binary voltage signal value of H level or L level. By controlling the gate voltage externally, the output signals indicating the first shutoff request and second shutoff request are forcibly set to L level, thereby masking the first shutoff request and second shutoff request and preventing them from being output to shutoff circuits 93-1 and 93-2, and disabling the switching control of shutoff circuits 93-1 and 93-2.

The peripheral circuits 96-1 and 96-2 are, for example, memory circuits, and are circuits that support the functions of the control circuits 92-1 and 92-2 by communicating with them, respectively.

The power output by power supply circuit 91-1 is input to shutoff circuits 93-1 and 93-2. When shutoff circuits 93-1 and 93-2 are in a conductive state, they supply power from power supply circuit 91-1 to control circuits 92-1 and 92-2, respectively. When shutoff circuits 93-1 and 93-2 are in a cutoff state, the power supply is cut off at the cutoff circuits 93-1 and 93-2. Because shutoff circuits 93-1 and 93-2 are connected in parallel, power is supplied to control circuits 92-1 and 92-2 when at least one of shutoff circuits 93-1 and 93-2 is in a conductive state.

The control circuit 92-1 has a shutdown request function 921-1, and can arbitrarily control and output the voltage monitoring results of the power supply monitoring circuit 94-2 using a first shutdown request. This can be achieved, for example, by controlling the enable of the IC in the power supply monitoring circuit 94-2, or by changing the voltage division ratio of the power supply that is monitored by dividing it using resistors and inputting it, by turning on a MOSFET. Upon receiving the first shutdown request from the control circuit 92-1, the power supply monitoring circuit 94-2 recognizes an overvoltage or undervoltage condition and can communicate the first shutdown request to the shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2. This allows the shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2 to transition their switches to the shutdown state.

The control circuit 92-2 has a shutdown request function 921-2, and can arbitrarily control and output the voltage monitoring results of the power supply monitoring circuit 94-1 using a second shutdown request. This can be achieved, for example, by controlling the enable of the IC in the power supply monitoring circuit 94-1, or by changing the voltage division ratio of the power supply that is monitored by dividing it using resistors and inputting it, by turning on a MOSFET. Upon receiving the second shutdown request from the control circuit 92-2, the power supply monitoring circuit 94-1 recognizes an overvoltage or undervoltage condition and can communicate the second shutdown request to the shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2. This allows the shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2 to transition their switches to the shutdown state.

The control circuit 92-1 has a mask request function 922-1, and can shut off a second shutdown request signal communicated from the control circuit 92-2 to the shutdown circuit 93-1 via the power supply monitoring circuit 94-1, or a first shutdown request signal communicated from the control circuit 92-1 to the shutdown circuit 93-1 via the power supply monitoring circuit 94-2, by operating the mask circuit 95-1. This makes it possible to selectively prevent the shutdown circuit 93-1 from transitioning to the shutdown state in response to the first shutdown request or second shutdown request communicated from the control circuit 92-1 or control circuit 92-2.

The control circuit 92-2 has a mask request function 922-2, and can shut off a first shutdown request signal communicated from the control circuit 92-1 to the shutdown circuit 93-2 via the power supply monitoring circuit 94-2, or a second shutdown request signal communicated from the control circuit 92-2 to the shutdown circuit 93-2 via the power supply monitoring circuit 94-1, by operating the mask circuit 95-2. This makes it possible to selectively prevent the shutdown circuit 93-2 from transitioning to the shutdown state in response to the first shutdown request or second shutdown request communicated from the control circuit 92-1 or control circuit 92-2.

In addition, the control circuit 92-1 has a communication function 923-1 and communicates with the peripheral circuit 96-1. The control circuit 92-2 has a communication function 923-2 and communicates with the peripheral circuit 96-2.

As described above, by using a circuit configuration such as that shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to realize a power supply monitoring device 1A with the functions shown in FIG. 1.

As explained above, the power supply monitoring device 1A according to the first embodiment comprises a power supply unit 11-1, which is a first power supply unit that supplies power; a control unit 12-1, which is a first control unit that operates on power supplied from the power supply unit 11-1; a control unit 12-2, which is a second control unit that operates on power supplied from the power supply unit 11-1; a switching unit 13-1, which is a first switching unit that performs switching control to switch between a conductive state in which power is supplied from the power supply unit 11-1 to the control units 12-1 and 12-2 and a cut-off state in which the supply of power is cut off, in response to a first cut-off request and a second cut-off request that are switching requests output by the control units 12-1 and 12-2; The power supply system further includes a switching unit 13-2, which is a second switching unit connected in parallel with the power supply unit 11-1 and performs switching control between a conductive state in which power is supplied from the power supply unit 11-1 to the control units 12-1 and 12-2 and a cutoff state in which the power supply is cut off, in response to a first cutoff request and a second cutoff request output by the control units 12-1 and 12-2, a masking unit 14-1, which is a first masking unit that disables the switching control by the switching unit 13-1 in response to a first masking request output by the control unit 12-1, and a second masking unit that disables the switching control by the switching unit 13-2 in response to a second masking request output by the control unit 12-2. According to the above configuration, the redundant switching units 13-1 and 13-2 can be individually transitioned to the cutoff state while maintaining the power supply to the control units 12-1 and 12-2. This allows the power supply monitoring function to be diagnosed without interfering with the information processing of the control units 12-1 and 12-2. Furthermore, if an overvoltage or undervoltage condition is detected in the monitored object, the power to that monitored object will be promptly shut off after diagnosis.

Embodiment 2.
3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a power supply monitoring device 1B according to the second embodiment. The power supply monitoring device 1B has a power supply unit 11-1, control units 12B-1 and 12B-2, switching units 13-1 and 13-2, masking units 14-1 and 14-2, and shutdown confirmation units 15-1 and 15-2. In addition to the configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1A according to the first embodiment, the power supply monitoring device 1B has shutdown confirmation units 15-1 and 15-2, and has control units 12B-1 and 12B-2 instead of the control units 12-1 and 12-2 of the power supply monitoring device 1A. The following mainly describes the differences from the power supply monitoring device 1A.

The shutdown confirmation unit 15-1 is connected to the downstream side of the switching unit 13-1 in the power supply path mediated by the switching unit 13-1. This power supply path branches off at the downstream side of the shutdown confirmation unit 15-1 and supplies power to each of the control units 12B-1 and 12B-2.

The cutoff confirmation unit 15-2 is connected downstream of the switching unit 13-2 in the power supply path through which the switching unit 13-2 passes, and is connected so that the combination with the switching unit 13-2 is in parallel with the combination of the switching unit 13-1 and the cutoff confirmation unit 15-1.

The interruption confirmation unit 15-1 has a first interruption notification function that can identify whether the switching unit 13-1 is in a conductive state or a cut-off state and output first state information indicating whether the switching unit 13-1 is in a conductive state or a cut-off state.

The interruption confirmation unit 15-2 has a second interruption notification function that can identify whether the switching unit 13-2 is in a conductive state or a cut-off state and output second state information indicating whether the switching unit 13-2 is in a conductive state or a cut-off state.

In addition to the functions of control unit 12-1, control unit 12B-1 has a shutdown determination function 123-1. The shutdown determination function 123-1 receives first state information output from shutdown confirmation unit 15-1 and determines whether switching unit 13-1 is in a conductive state or a shutdown state, and is capable of sharing the determination result with control unit 12B-2 via communication.

In addition to the functions of control unit 12-2, control unit 12B-2 has a shutdown determination function 123-2. The shutdown determination function 123-2 receives second state information output from shutdown confirmation unit 15-2 and determines whether switching unit 13-2 is in a conductive state or a shutdown state, and is capable of sharing the determination result with control unit 12B-1 via communication.

After switching units 13-1 and 13-2 are controlled using shutdown request function 121-1 of control unit 12B-1 or shutdown request function 121-2 of control unit 12B-2, control unit 12B-1 receives first status information from shutdown confirmation unit 15-1 using shutdown determination function 123-1, thereby being able to determine the actual status of switching unit 13-1 and share the determination result with control unit 12B-2 via communication.

Similarly, after switching units 13-1 and 13-2 are controlled using shutdown request function 121-1 of control unit 12B-1 or shutdown request function 121-2 of control unit 12B-2, control unit 12B-2 receives second state information from shutdown confirmation unit 15-2 using shutdown determination function 123-2, thereby being able to determine the actual state of switching unit 13-2 and share the determination result with control unit 12B-1 via communication.

As explained above, according to the second embodiment, a series of shutdown requests initiated and executed by control unit 12B-1 can be received and determined by control unit 12B-2 as the result of the shutdown being executed. This allows the means that executed the shutdown and the means that determined the shutdown to be efficiently separated, ensuring safety with high reliability. If the control unit that requests and executes the diagnosis and the control unit that determines the diagnosis result are the same, an accurate diagnosis may not be possible if the control unit that requests, executes, and determines the diagnosis itself is malfunctioning. In contrast, the above configuration can increase the reliability of the diagnosis.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1B shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the power supply monitoring device 1B is implemented using a power supply circuit 91-1, control circuits 92-B1 and 92B-2, shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2, power supply monitoring circuits 94-1 and 94-2, mask circuits 95-1 and 95-2, peripheral circuits 96-1 and 96-2, and shutdown confirmation circuits 97-1 and 97-2. The following mainly describes the parts that differ from the circuit shown in FIG. 2.

The interruption confirmation circuit 97-1 is connected downstream of the interruption circuit 93-1. The interruption confirmation circuit 97-2 is connected downstream of the interruption circuit 93-2. The combination of the interruption circuit 93-2 and the interruption confirmation circuit 97-2 is connected in parallel with the combination of the interruption circuit 93-1 and the interruption confirmation circuit 97-1.

The shutdown confirmation circuit 97-1 is implemented, for example, by a rectifier such as a diode, and is a circuit that outputs the voltage between the shutdown circuit 93-1 and the shutdown confirmation circuit 97-1 as an H level when the shutdown circuit 93-1 connected in the preceding stage is in a conductive state, and outputs an L level when the shutdown circuit 93-1 is in a shutdown state.

The shutdown confirmation circuit 97-2 is implemented, for example, by a rectifier such as a diode, and is a circuit that outputs the voltage between the shutdown circuit 93-2 and the shutdown confirmation circuit 97-2 as an H level when the shutdown circuit 93-2 connected in the preceding stage is in a conductive state, and outputs an L level when the shutdown circuit 93-2 is in a shutdown state.

In addition to the functions of the control circuit 92-1, the control circuit 92B-1 has an interruption determination function 924-1. The control circuit 92B-1 receives first state information output from the interruption confirmation circuit 97-1 and can determine whether the interruption circuit 93-1 is in a conductive state or an interrupted state, and can share the determination results by communicating with the control circuit 92B-2.

In addition to the functions of the control circuit 92-2, the control circuit 92B-2 has a shutdown determination function 924-2. The control circuit 92B-2 receives second state information output from the shutdown confirmation circuit 97-2 and can determine whether the shutdown circuit 93-2 is in a conductive state or a shutdown state, and can share the determination results by communicating with the control circuit 92B-1.

As described above, power supply monitoring device 1B according to the second embodiment further includes, in addition to power supply monitoring device 1A, interruption confirmation unit 15-1, a first interruption confirmation unit capable of transmitting first status information indicating whether switching unit 13-1, a first switching unit, is in a conductive state or a cut-off state, and interruption confirmation unit 15-2, a second interruption confirmation unit capable of transmitting second status information indicating whether switching unit 13-2, a second switching unit, is in a conductive state or a cut-off state. Control unit 12B-1, a first control unit, has interruption determination function 123-1, a first interruption determination function, capable of receiving the first status information and sharing the received first status information with control unit 12B-2, a second control unit, through communication, and control unit 12B-2 has interruption determination function 123-2, a second interruption determination function, capable of receiving second status information and sharing the received second status information with control unit 12B-1 through communication.

Embodiment 3.
5 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a power supply monitoring device 1C according to the third embodiment. The power supply monitoring device 1C has a power supply unit 11-1, control units 12-1 and 12-2, switching units 13-1, 13-2 and 13-3, and masking units 14-1 and 14-2. In addition to the components of the power supply monitoring device 1A according to the first embodiment, the power supply monitoring device 1C also has a switching unit 13-3. The following mainly describes the differences from the power supply monitoring device 1A.

Switching unit 13-3 is inserted in the power supply path between power supply unit 11-1 and switching units 13-1 and 13-2, which are connected in parallel.

The switching unit 13-3 has the function of monitoring the status of the power supply path from the power supply unit 11-1 to the control units 12-1 and 12-2, and of switching between conduction and interruption.

Switching unit 13-3 provides redundancy by using a single functional unit to perform the first cutoff function of switching unit 13-1 and the second cutoff function of switching unit 13-2. Even if the power supply cannot be cut off due to a failure in one or both functional units, switching unit 13-3 can be placed in a cutoff state to cut off both the power supply path via switching unit 13-1 and the power supply path via switching unit 13-2.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1C shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 6, the power supply monitoring device 1C is implemented using a power supply circuit 91-1, control circuits 92-1 and 92-2, shutoff circuits 93-1, 93-2, and 93-3, power supply monitoring circuits 94-1, 94-2, and 94-3, mask circuits 95-1 and 95-2, and peripheral circuits 96-1 and 96-2. The following mainly describes the parts that differ from the circuit shown in FIG. 2.

The cutoff circuit 93-3 is implemented, for example, by a switch composed of a MOSFET, and is a circuit that can switch between a conductive state and a cutoff state by controlling the gate voltage from outside.

The power supply monitoring circuit 94-3 is, for example, a power supply monitoring IC, has a terminal that identifies overvoltage and undervoltage conditions by comparing the voltage being monitored with an arbitrarily determined reference voltage, and is a voltage comparison circuit such as a circuit that can output a signal that can distinguish the results of voltage monitoring as a voltage signal with two values: H level or L level.

If the power supply monitoring circuit 94-3 detects an abnormality in the power supply path between the power supply circuit 91-1 and the cutoff circuit 93-3, it outputs a signal to the cutoff circuit 93-3 to determine the abnormality, thereby transitioning the cutoff circuit 93-3 to a cutoff state and preventing the supply of abnormal power.

As explained above, the power supply monitoring device 1C according to the third embodiment is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1A, it further includes a third switching unit, switching unit 13-3, which is connected to the power supply path between power supply unit 11-1 and switching units 13-1 and 13-2 and performs switching control between a conductive state in which power is supplied from power supply unit 11-1 to each of control units 12-1 and 12-2, and a cut-off state in which power is cut off. This provides redundancy to the cut-off function, making it possible to more reliably cut off the power supply path to control units 12-1 and 12-2 even if an abnormality occurs in the power supply, thereby improving the safety of the power supply monitoring device 1C.

Embodiment 4.
7 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a power supply monitoring device 1D according to the fourth embodiment. The power supply monitoring device 1D has power supply units 11-1, 11-2, and 11-3, control units 12-1 and 12-2, switching units 13-1 and 13-2, mask units 14-1 and 14-2, and monitoring units 16-1 and 16-2. In addition to the configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1A according to the first embodiment, the power supply monitoring device 1D further has power supply units 11-2 and 11-3 and monitoring units 16-1 and 16-2. The following mainly describes the differences from the power supply monitoring device 1A.

Power supply unit 11-2 receives power from power supply unit 11-1 and supplies the voltage and current-controlled power to control unit 12-1.

Power supply unit 11-3 receives power from power supply unit 11-1 and supplies the voltage and current-controlled power to control unit 12-2.

Monitoring unit 16-1 is inserted in the power supply path that supplies power from power supply unit 11-2 to control unit 12-1, and has the function of monitoring the status of that power supply path and outputting the monitoring results. Monitoring unit 16-1, for example, monitors the first voltage, which is the voltage on the power supply path between power supply unit 11-2 and control unit 12-1, and can output a third shut-off request to switching units 13-1 and 13-2 based on the first voltage, as well as relaying the second shut-off request output by control unit 12-2 and outputting it to switching units 13-1 and 13-2.

Monitoring unit 16-2 is inserted in the power supply path that supplies power from power supply unit 11-3 to control unit 12-2, and has the function of monitoring the status of that power supply path and outputting the monitoring results. Monitoring unit 16-2, for example, monitors the second voltage, which is the voltage on the power supply path between power supply unit 11-3 and control unit 12-2, and is capable of outputting a fourth shutoff request to switching units 13-1 and 13-2 based on the second voltage, as well as relaying the first shutoff request output by control unit 12-1 and outputting it to switching units 13-1 and 13-2.

Note that when the monitoring units 16-1 and 16-2 output the first to fourth shutdown requests to the switching units 13-1 and 13-2, they are output via the masking units 14-1 and 14-2.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1D shown in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 8, the power supply monitoring device 1D is implemented using power supply circuits 91-1, 91-2, and 91-3, control circuits 92-1 and 92-2, shutoff circuits 93-1 and 93-2, power supply monitoring circuits 94-1, 94-2, 94-4, and 94-5, mask circuits 95-1 and 95-2, and peripheral circuits 96-1 and 96-2. Below, differences from the power supply monitoring device 1A will be mainly explained.

Power supply circuits 91-2 and 91-3 are, for example, linear regulator circuits that step down the voltage supplied from power supply circuit 91-1, or switching regulator circuits that step up or down the voltage.

The power supply circuit 91-2 receives power from the power supply circuit 91-1 and supplies controlled power to the control circuit 92-1 and peripheral circuit 96-1.

The power supply circuit 91-3 receives power from the power supply circuit 91-1 and supplies controlled power to the control circuit 92-2 and peripheral circuit 96-2.

The power supply monitoring circuits 94-4 and 94-5 are, for example, power supply monitoring ICs that have terminals that identify overvoltage and undervoltage conditions by comparing the monitored voltage with an arbitrarily determined reference voltage, and are circuits that can output a signal that can distinguish the results of this voltage monitoring as a voltage signal with two values: H level or L level.

The control circuit 92-1 can arbitrarily control and output the voltage monitoring results of the power supply monitoring circuit 94-5 using the first shutdown request from the shutdown request function 921-1. The power supply monitoring circuit 94-5 can recognize an overvoltage or undervoltage state upon receiving the first shutdown request from the control circuit 92-1 and communicate the first shutdown request to the shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2. This allows the shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2 to transition their switches to the shutdown state.

The control circuit 92-2 can arbitrarily control and output the voltage monitoring results of the power supply monitoring circuit 94-4 using a second shutdown request from the shutdown request function 921-2. Upon receiving the second shutdown request from the control circuit 92-2, the power supply monitoring circuit 94-4 recognizes an overvoltage or undervoltage state and can communicate the second shutdown request to the shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2. This allows the shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2 to transition their switches to the shutdown state.

As explained above, the power supply monitoring device 1D of the fourth embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1A, includes power supply unit 11-2, which is a second power supply unit connected to the power supply path between power supply unit 11-1 and control unit 12-1 and controls the power supplied by power supply unit 11-1 to supply power to control unit 12-1; power supply unit 11-3, which is a third power supply unit connected to the power supply path between power supply unit 11-1 and control unit 12-2 and controls the power supplied by power supply unit 11-1 to supply power to control unit 12-2; and power supply unit 11-4, which monitors a first voltage, which is the voltage on the power supply path between power supply unit 11-2 and control unit 12-1, and determines a third power supply voltage based on the first voltage. The power supply circuit further includes a monitoring unit 16-1, which is a first monitoring unit capable of outputting a fourth shutdown request to switching units 13-1 and 13-2 and relaying a second shutdown request output by control unit 12-2 to switching units 13-1 and 13-2, and a monitoring unit 16-2, which is a second monitoring unit capable of monitoring a second voltage, which is the voltage of the power supply path between power supply unit 11-3 and control unit 12-2, outputting a fourth shutdown request to switching units 13-1 and 13-2 based on the second voltage, and relaying a first shutdown request output by control unit 12-1 to switching units 13-1 and 13-2. This makes it possible to monitor the power of each of the multiple power supply paths and shut down the power supply paths based on the monitoring results.

Embodiment 5.
9 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a power supply monitoring device 1E according to the fifth embodiment. The power supply monitoring device 1E has power supply units 11-1 and 11-4, control units 12-1 and 12-2, switching units 13-1 and 13-2, mask units 14-1 and 14-2, and monitoring units 16-3 and 16-4. In addition to the configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1A according to the first embodiment, the power supply monitoring device 1E further has a power supply unit 11-4 and monitoring units 16-3 and 16-4. The following mainly describes the differences from the power supply monitoring device 1A.

Power supply unit 11-4 receives power from power supply unit 11-1, controls the voltage and current, and supplies the power to control units 12-1 and 12-2.

Monitoring unit 16-3 is inserted in the power supply path from power supply unit 11-4 to control units 12-1 and 12-2, and has the function of monitoring the state of the power supply path, i.e., the state of the power supplied by power supply unit 11-4, and outputting the monitoring results. Monitoring unit 16-3, for example, monitors a third voltage, which is the voltage of the power supply path between power supply unit 11-4 and control units 12-1 and 12-2, and can output a fifth shutdown request to switching units 13-1 and 13-2 based on the third voltage, as well as relaying a second shutdown request output by control unit 12-2 and outputting it to switching units 13-1 and 13-2. Monitoring unit 16-3 can output the second shutdown request and fifth shutdown request to switching units 13-1 and 13-2 via masking units 14-1 and 14-2.

Monitoring unit 16-4 is inserted between the power supply path supplied from power supply unit 11-4 to control units 12-1 and 12-2, and has the function of monitoring the state of that power supply path, that is, the state of the power supplied by power supply unit 11-4, and outputting the monitoring results. Similar to monitoring unit 16-3, monitoring unit 16-4 is capable of monitoring the third voltage and outputting a sixth shutdown request to switching units 13-1 and 13-2 based on the third voltage. Monitoring unit 16-4 can also relay the first shutdown request output by control unit 12-1 and output it to switching units 13-1 and 13-2. Monitoring unit 16-4 can also output the first shutdown request and sixth shutdown request to switching units 13-1 and 13-2 via masking units 14-1 and 14-2.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1E shown in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 10, the power supply monitoring device 1E is implemented using power supply circuits 91-1 and 91-4, control circuits 92-1 and 92-2, shutoff circuits 93-1 and 93-2, power supply monitoring circuits 94-1, 94-2, 94-6, and 94-7, mask circuits 95-1 and 95-2, and peripheral circuits 96-1 and 96-2. Below, differences from the power supply monitoring device 1A will be mainly explained.

The power supply circuit 91-4 is, for example, a linear regulator circuit that steps down the voltage supplied from the power supply circuit 91-1, or a switching regulator circuit that steps up or down the voltage.

Power supply circuit 91-4 receives power from power supply circuit 91-1 and supplies controlled power to control circuits 92-1 and 92-2 and peripheral circuits 96-1 and 96-2.

The power supply monitoring circuits 94-6 and 94-7 are, for example, power supply monitoring ICs that have terminals that identify overvoltage and undervoltage conditions by comparing the monitored voltage with an arbitrarily determined reference voltage, and are circuits that can output a signal that can distinguish the results of this voltage monitoring as a voltage signal with two values: H level or L level.

The control circuit 92-1 can arbitrarily control and output the voltage monitoring results of the power supply monitoring circuit 94-7 using the first shutdown request from the shutdown request function 921-1. Furthermore, the power supply monitoring circuit 94-7 can recognize an overvoltage or undervoltage state upon receiving the first shutdown request from the control circuit 92-1 and communicate the first shutdown request to the shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2. This allows the shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2 to transition their switches to the shutdown state.

The control circuit 92-2 can arbitrarily control and output the voltage monitoring results of the power supply monitoring circuit 94-6 using a second shutdown request from the shutdown request function 921-2. Furthermore, the power supply monitoring circuit 94-6 can recognize an overvoltage or undervoltage state upon receiving the second shutdown request from the control circuit 92-2 and communicate the second shutdown request to the shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2. This allows the shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2 to transition their switches to the shutdown state.

As explained above, the power supply monitoring device 1E of the fifth embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1A, also includes a power supply unit 11-4, which is a fourth power supply unit connected between the power supply unit 11-1 and the control units 12-1 and 12-2, and which controls the power supplied by the power supply unit 11-1 to supply power to the control units 12-1 and 12-2; a power supply unit 11-4, which monitors a third voltage, which is the voltage of the power supply path between the power supply unit 11-4 and the control units 12-1 and 12-2, and issues a fifth shut-off request, which is a switching request, to the switching units 13-1 and 13-2 based on the third voltage. The power supply is further characterized by comprising a third monitoring unit, monitoring unit 16-3, which is capable of outputting a second shutoff request output by control unit 12-2 to switching unit 13-1 and switching unit 13-2 and relaying the second shutoff request output by control unit 12-2 to output the request to switching unit 13-1 and switching unit 13-2, and a fourth monitoring unit, monitoring unit 16-4, which is capable of monitoring the third voltage and outputting a sixth shutoff request, which is a switching request based on the third voltage, to switching unit 13-1 and switching unit 13-2 and relaying the first shutoff request output by control unit 12-1 to output the request to switching unit 13-1 and switching unit 13-2.

Note that the configurations of embodiments 1 to 5 described above can also be used in combination. Below, we will explain an example of combining embodiments.

Embodiment 6.
In the sixth embodiment, an example will be described in which the configuration of the second embodiment is combined with the configuration of the third embodiment. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a power supply monitoring device 1F according to the sixth embodiment.

The power supply monitoring device 1F can be implemented using a power supply circuit 91-1, control circuits 92B-1 and 92B-2, shutdown circuits 93-1, 93-2, and 93-3, power supply monitoring circuits 94-1, 94-2, and 94-3, mask circuits 95-1 and 95-2, peripheral circuits 96-1 and 96-2, and shutdown confirmation circuits 97-1 and 97-2. Each circuit has already been described, so a detailed description will be omitted here. Furthermore, the connections between the circuits are the same as those in embodiments 2 and 3.

Although the functional configuration is not shown in the figures, the functional configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1F corresponds to the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 11. In other words, in addition to the configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1A shown in FIG. 1, it has shutdown confirmation units 15-1 and 15-2, and has control units 12B-1 and 12B-2 instead of the control units 12-1 and 12-2 of the power supply monitoring device 1A. The connection relationships between the various functional units are the same as in embodiments 2 and 3.

Embodiment 7.
In the seventh embodiment, an example will be described in which the configuration of the second embodiment is combined with the configuration of the fourth embodiment. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a power supply monitoring device 1G according to the seventh embodiment.

The power supply monitoring device 1G can be implemented using power supply circuits 91-1, 91-2, and 91-3, control circuits 92B-1 and 92B-2, shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2, power supply monitoring circuits 94-1, 94-2, 94-4, and 94-5, mask circuits 95-1 and 95-2, peripheral circuits 96-1 and 96-2, and shutdown confirmation circuits 97-1 and 97-2. Each circuit has already been described, so a detailed description will be omitted here. Furthermore, the interconnections between the circuits are the same as those in embodiments 2 and 4.

Although the functional configuration is not shown in the figures, the functional configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1G corresponds to the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 12. In other words, in addition to the configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1A shown in FIG. 1, it has power supply units 11-2 and 11-3, shutdown confirmation units 15-1 and 15-2, and monitoring units 16-1 and 16-2, and has control units 12B-1 and 12B-2 instead of control units 12-1 and 12-2. The connection relationships between the various functional units are the same as in embodiments 2 and 4.

Embodiment 8.
In the eighth embodiment, an example will be described in which the configuration of the second embodiment is combined with the configuration of the fifth embodiment. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a power supply monitoring device 1H according to the eighth embodiment.

The power supply monitoring device 1H can be implemented using power supply circuits 91-1 and 91-4, control circuits 92B-1 and 92B-2, shutdown circuits 93-1 and 93-2, power supply monitoring circuits 94-1, 94-2, 94-6, and 94-7, mask circuits 95-1 and 95-2, peripheral circuits 96-1 and 96-2, and shutdown confirmation circuits 97-1 and 97-2. Each circuit has already been described, so a detailed description will be omitted here. Furthermore, the interconnections between the circuits are the same as those in embodiments 2 and 5.

Although the functional configuration is not shown in the figures, the functional configuration of power supply monitoring device 1H corresponds to the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 13. In other words, in addition to the configuration of power supply monitoring device 1A shown in FIG. 1, it has a power supply unit 11-4, shutdown confirmation units 15-1 and 15-2, and monitoring units 16-3 and 16-4, and has control units 12B-1 and 12B-2 instead of control units 12-1 and 12-2. The connection relationships between the various functional units are the same as in embodiments 2 and 5.

Embodiment 9.
In the ninth embodiment, an example will be described in which the configuration of the third embodiment is combined with the configuration of the fourth embodiment. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a power supply monitoring device 1I according to the ninth embodiment.

The power supply monitoring device 1I can be implemented using power supply circuits 91-1, 91-2, and 91-3, control circuits 92-1 and 92-2, shutoff circuits 93-1, 93-2, and 93-3, power supply monitoring circuits 94-1, 94-2, 94-3, 94-4, and 94-5, mask circuits 95-1 and 95-2, and peripheral circuits 96-1 and 96-2. Each circuit has already been described, so a detailed description will be omitted here. Furthermore, the connections between the circuits are the same as those in the third and fourth embodiments.

Although the functional configuration is not shown in the figures, the functional configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1I corresponds to the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 14. In other words, in addition to the configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1A shown in FIG. 1, it also includes power supply units 11-2 and 11-3, a switching unit 13-3, and monitoring units 16-1 and 16-2. The connections between the various functional units are the same as in embodiments 3 and 4.

Embodiment 10.
In the tenth embodiment, an example will be described in which the configuration of the third embodiment is combined with the configuration of the fifth embodiment. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a power supply monitoring device 1J according to the tenth embodiment.

The power supply monitoring device 1J can be implemented using power supply circuits 91-1 and 91-4, control circuits 92-1 and 92-2, shutoff circuits 93-1, 93-2, and 93-3, power supply monitoring circuits 94-1, 94-2, 94-3, 94-6, and 94-7, mask circuits 95-1 and 95-2, and peripheral circuits 96-1 and 96-2. Each circuit has already been described, so a detailed description will be omitted here. Furthermore, the connections between the circuits are the same as those in the third and fifth embodiments.

Although the functional configuration is not shown in the figures, the functional configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1J corresponds to the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 15, that is, in addition to the configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1A shown in FIG. 1, it also includes a power supply unit 11-4, a switching unit 13-3, and monitoring units 16-3 and 16-4. The connection relationships between the various functional units are the same as in embodiments 3 and 5.

Embodiment 11.
In the eleventh embodiment, an example will be described in which the configurations of the second embodiment, the third embodiment, and the fourth embodiment are combined. Fig. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a power supply monitoring device 1K according to the eleventh embodiment.

The power supply monitoring device 1K can be implemented using power supply circuits 91-1, 91-2, and 91-3, control circuits 92B-1 and 92B-2, shutdown circuits 93-1, 93-2, and 93-3, power supply monitoring circuits 94-1, 94-2, 94-3, 94-4, and 94-5, mask circuits 95-1 and 95-2, peripheral circuits 96-1 and 96-2, and shutdown confirmation circuits 97-1 and 97-2. Each circuit has already been described, so a detailed description will be omitted here. Furthermore, the connections between the circuits are the same as those in embodiments 2, 3, and 4.

Although the functional configuration is not shown in the figures, the functional configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1K corresponds to the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 16. In other words, in addition to the configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1A shown in FIG. 1, it has power supply units 11-2 and 11-3, a switching unit 13-3, shutdown confirmation units 15-1 and 15-2, and monitoring units 16-1 and 16-2, and has control units 12B-1 and 12B-2 instead of the control units 12-1 and 12-2 of the power supply monitoring device 1A. The connection relationships between the various functional units are the same as in embodiments 2, 3, and 4.

Embodiment 12.
In the twelfth embodiment, an example will be described in which the configurations of the second embodiment, the third embodiment, and the fifth embodiment are combined. Fig. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a power supply monitoring device 1L according to the twelfth embodiment.

The power supply monitoring device 1L can be implemented using power supply circuits 91-1 and 91-4, control circuits 92B-1 and 92B-2, shutdown circuits 93-1, 93-2, and 93-3, power supply monitoring circuits 94-1, 94-2, 94-3, 94-6, and 94-7, mask circuits 95-1 and 95-2, peripheral circuits 96-1 and 96-2, and shutdown confirmation circuits 97-1 and 97-2. Each circuit has already been described, so a detailed description will be omitted here. Furthermore, the connections between the circuits are the same as those in embodiments 2, 3, and 5.

Although the functional configuration is not shown in the figures, the functional configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1L corresponds to the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 17. In other words, in addition to the configuration of the power supply monitoring device 1A shown in FIG. 1, it has a power supply unit 11-4, a switching unit 13-3, shutdown confirmation units 15-1 and 15-2, and monitoring units 16-3 and 16-4, and has control units 12B-1 and 12B-2 instead of the control units 12-1 and 12-2 of the power supply monitoring device 1A. The connection relationships between the various functional units are the same as in embodiments 2, 3, and 5.

As shown in embodiments 6 to 12, when embodiments 2 to 5 are combined, the effects of each combined embodiment are achieved.

The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, or different embodiments may be combined with each other. Parts of the configuration may also be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H, 1I, 1J, 1K, 1L: Power supply monitoring device, 11-1, 11-2, 11-3, 11-4: Power supply unit, 12-1, 12-2, 12B-1, 12B-2: Control unit, 13-1, 13-2, 13-3: Switching unit, 14-1, 14-2: Masking unit, 15-1, 15-2: Shutdown confirmation unit, 16-1, 16-2, 16-3, 16-4: Monitoring unit, 91-1, 91-2, 91-3, 91-4: Power supply circuit, 92-1, 92-2, 92B-1, 92B-2: Control circuit , 93-1, 93-2, 93-3 Shutdown circuits, 94-1, 94-2, 94-3, 94-4, 94-5, 94-6, 94-7 Power supply monitoring circuits, 95-1, 95-2 Mask circuits, 96-1, 96-2 Peripheral circuits, 97-1, 97-2 Shutdown confirmation circuits, 121-1, 121-2, 921-1, 921-2 Shutdown request function, 122-1, 122-2, 922-1, 922-2 Mask request function, 123-1, 123-2, 924-1, 924-2 Shutdown judgment function, 923-1, 923-2 Communication function.

Claims (5)

a first power supply unit that supplies power;
a first control unit that operates with power supplied from the first power supply unit;
a second control unit that operates with power supplied from the first power supply unit;
a first switching unit that performs switching control to switch between a conductive state in which power is supplied from the first power supply unit to each of the first control unit and the second control unit and a cut-off state in which the supply of power is cut off in response to switching requests output by the first control unit and the second control unit;
a second switching unit connected in parallel to the first switching unit and configured to perform switching control to switch between the conductive state and the cut-off state in response to switching requests output by the first control unit and the second control unit;
a first masking unit that disables switching control from the conductive state to the cut-off state by the first switching unit in response to a first masking request output by the first control unit;
a second masking unit that disables switching control from the conductive state to the cut-off state by the second switching unit in response to a second masking request output by the second control unit;
A power supply monitoring device comprising: a first cutoff confirmation unit capable of transmitting first state information indicating whether the first switching unit is in the conductive state or the cutoff state;
a second cutoff confirmation unit capable of transmitting second state information indicating whether the second switching unit is in the conductive state or the cutoff state;
Furthermore,
the first control unit has a first shutdown determination function that receives the first status information and is capable of sharing the received first status information with the second control unit through communication;
The power supply monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second control unit has a second shutdown determination function that receives the second status information and can share the received second status information with the first control unit through communication. a third switching unit connected to a power supply path between the first power supply unit and the first switching unit and the second switching unit, and performing switching control to switch between a conductive state in which power is supplied from the first power supply unit to each of the first control unit and the second control unit and a cut-off state in which power is cut off;
3. The power supply monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising: a second power supply unit connected to a power supply path between the first power supply unit and the first control unit, and controlling the power supplied by the first power supply unit to supply power to the first control unit;
a third power supply unit connected to a power supply path between the first power supply unit and the second control unit, and controlling the power supplied by the first power supply unit to supply power to the second control unit;
a first monitoring unit that is capable of monitoring a first voltage, which is a voltage of a power supply path between the second power supply unit and the first control unit, and outputting the switching request to the first switching unit and the second switching unit based on the first voltage, and that is also capable of relaying the switching request output by the second control unit and outputting it to the first switching unit and the second switching unit;
a second monitoring unit that is capable of monitoring a second voltage, which is a voltage of a power supply path between the third power supply unit and the second control unit, and outputting the switching request to the first switching unit and the second switching unit based on the second voltage, and that is also capable of relaying the switching request output by the first control unit and outputting it to the first switching unit and the second switching unit;
4. The power supply monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising: a fourth power supply unit connected between the first power supply unit and the first control unit and the second control unit, and controlling the power supplied by the first power supply unit to supply power to the first control unit and the second control unit;
a third monitoring unit that is capable of monitoring a third voltage, which is a voltage of a power supply path between the fourth power supply unit and the first control unit and the second control unit, and outputting the switching request to the first switching unit and the second switching unit based on the third voltage, and relaying the switching request output by the second control unit to output it to the first switching unit and the second switching unit;
a fourth monitoring unit that is capable of monitoring the third voltage and outputting the switching request to the first switching unit and the second switching unit based on the third voltage, and that is capable of relaying the switching request output by the first control unit and outputting it to the first switching unit and the second switching unit;
4. The power supply monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising: