초록 ▼

A device for monitoring and protecting electrical equipment, placed in series on a power supply line between an electrical power source and the equipment, includes: at least one voltage regulator for regulating a power supply voltage of the equipment,at least one current limiter, coupled to the volt

A device for monitoring and protecting electrical equipment, placed in series on a power supply line between an electrical power source and the equipment, includes: at least one voltage regulator for regulating a power supply voltage of the equipment,at least one current limiter, coupled to the voltage regulator to reduce the power supply voltage of the equipment if a power supply current absorbed by the equipment exceeds an upper operating value,at least one crowbar short-circuit device, adapted to be activated when the input voltage exceeds a safety limit value, higher than the upper operating value, and to cause a fuse placed in series between the power source and the equipment, to blow, and calculating and storage elements adapted to generate a clock and to log a date of occurrence of a fault and the operating parameters of the power supply for the equipment in a non-volatile memory.

대표청구항 ▼

1. Device for monitoring and protecting an electrical equipment, placed in series on a power supply line between an electrical power source and said electrical equipment, comprising: at least one voltage regulator having an input terminal receiving an input voltage delivered by said electrical power

1. Device for monitoring and protecting an electrical equipment, placed in series on a power supply line between an electrical power source and said electrical equipment, comprising: at least one voltage regulator having an input terminal receiving an input voltage delivered by said electrical power source, an output terminal supplying a regulated power supply voltage to said electrical equipment, and a control input line for controlling a connection or a disconnection from said input terminal to said output terminal;at least one current limiter, coupled to said voltage regulator;at least one crowbar short-circuit device; andmeans of calculation and storage adapted for generating a clock and for logging a date of occurrence of a fault and operating parameters of the power supply for the electrical equipment in a non-volatile memory,wherein said means of calculation and storage comprises:i) a memory means for storing predetermined values of operating parameters of the power supply for said electrical equipment, comprising an input voltage lower operating value, an input voltage upper operating value, a safety limit voltage value that is higher than said input voltage upper operating value and an absorbed current upper value,ii) at least one analog to digital converter connected to said power supply line for sensing values of operating parameters comprising said input voltage, an output voltage and of an absorbed current;iii) comparison unit for comparing said operating parameters from the analog to digital converter to said predetermined values stored in the memory means; andiv) at least one control output line for controlling:a) said at least one voltage regulator i) to provide said regulated power supply voltage to the electrical equipment when said input voltage sensed at said input terminal of the voltage regulator is between said input voltage lower operating value and said input voltage upper operating value, and ii) to cut off said regulated power supply voltage when said input voltage is outside a range defined between said input voltage lower operating value and said input voltage upper operating value;b) said at least one current limiter, to reduce said regulated power supply voltage when a power supply current absorbed by said electrical equipment exceeds said absorbed current upper value, andc) said at least one crowbar short-circuit device, to be activated when said input voltage exceeds said safety limit voltage value to cause a fuse placed in series between the electrical power source and the electrical equipment, to blow,wherein, the fuse is located upstream of the voltage regulator, the current limiter, and the crowbar short-circuit device such that when the crowbar short-circuit device is activated and causes the fuse to blow, each of the voltage regulator, the current limiter, the crowbar short-circuit device, and the electrical equipment are isolated from the electrical power source. 2. Device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means of calculation and storage additionally is adapted for permanently logging information for identifying the protected equipment. 3. Device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor adapted for measuring an environmental parameter of the equipment and/or of the device. 4. Device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sensor is one of a set of sensors for temperature, hygrometry and acceleration. 5. Device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the means of calculation and storage are adapted to control a connection to or disconnection from the power supply of the equipment if said safety limit voltage value is exceeded. 6. Device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the means of calculation and storage are additionally adapted to log the instant of occurrence and the nature of a fault in the environment of the equipment. 7. Device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means of communication adapted for establishing a connection for exchanging information with an external system. 8. Device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a signalization unit adapted to signal the instant of occurrence and the nature of a fault in the power supply and/or in the environment of the equipment. 9. Device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an autonomous power source that is independent of said electrical power source. 10. Device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is miniaturized and integrated into a housing of a power connector of the equipment to be protected. 11. Method for implementing a device for monitoring and protecting equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises: a step for initialization of the device during which a programme and operating limit values are recorded in the non-volatile memory,a step for identification of the protected equipment by the device during which information for identifying said equipment is recorded in non-volatile and non-erasable memory,a step for monitoring and protection during which the power supply and environmental parameters of the protected equipment are gathered and digitally compared to the operating limit values recorded at the initialization step,a step for the logging and signalling of a fault, initiated by the occurrence of a fault caused by a power supply and/or environmental parameter exceeding the recorded operating limit values, anda step for restitution and analysis of the fault during which an initial cause for the fault is determined on the basis of the parameters logged at the time the fault occurred. 12. A device that monitors and protects an electrical equipment, with said device placed in series on a power supply line between an electrical power source and said electrical equipment, said device comprising: a voltage regulator having i) an input terminal that receives an input voltage delivered by said electrical power source, ii) an output terminal that supplies a regulated power supply voltage to said electrical equipment, and iii) a control input line that controls a connection and disconnection between said input terminal to said output terminal;a current limiter coupled to said voltage regulator;a crowbar short-circuit device; anda calculation and storage unit that generates a clock and logs, in a memory, a date of occurrence of a fault and the operating parameters of a power supply for the electrical equipment, said calculation and storage unit comprisingi) a non-volatile memory that digitally stores predetermined operating parameter values of the power supply for said electrical equipment including a) a lower operating value of an input voltage, b) an upper operating value of the input voltage, c) a safety limit voltage value that is higher than said upper operating value of the input voltage, and d) an upper value of absorbed current,ii) an analog to digital converter connected to said power supply line that senses values of operating parameters comprising said input voltage, an output voltage, and the absorbed current;iii) a comparison unit that digitally compares a) said operating parameters from the analog to digital converter to b) said predetermined operating parameter values stored in the memory; andiv) a control output line connected at least to the control input line of the voltage regulator and that controlsa) said voltage regulator to i) provide said regulated power supply voltage to the electrical equipment when said input voltage sensed at said input terminal of the voltage regulator is between said lower and upper operating values of the input voltage, and ii) cut off said regulated power supply voltage when said input voltage sensed at said input terminal of the voltage regulator is outside a range defined between said lower and upper values;b) said current limiter to reduce said regulated power supply voltage when a power supply current absorbed by said electrical equipment exceeds said upper value of absorbed current, andc) said crowbar short-circuit device to be activated when said input voltage exceeds said safety limit voltage value to thereby cause a fuse placed in series between the electrical power source and the electrical equipment to blow,wherein, the fuse is located upstream of the voltage regulator, the current limiter, and the crowbar short-circuit device such that when the crowbar short-circuit device is activated and causes the fuse to blow, each of the voltage regulator, the current limiter, the crowbar short-circuit device, and the electrical equipment are isolated from the electrical power source.