ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT AND METHOD FOR RECTIFYING DEVICE FAULTS

Abstract

An item of electrical equipment has a preprocessing device for digital measured values. The preprocessing device has an integrated circuit and an electronic memory chip that contains a configuration of a logic circuit. If a fault of the preprocessing device is identified, an operation of the preprocessing device is interrupted until the configuration of the logic circuit has been loaded from a configuration memory chip into the electronic memory chip. There is also described a method for rectifying device faults, such as by reloading a configuration of a logic circuit into an electronic memory chip of a preprocessing device.

Claims

1. An item of electrical equipment, comprising: a preprocessing device for processing digital measured values, said preprocessing device including an integrated circuit and an electronic memory chip that contains a configuration of a logic circuit; a configuration memory chip having stored thereon the configuration of the logic circuit; and a device configured to identify a fault in said preprocessing device and to interrupt an operation of said preprocessing device on occasion of a fault until the configuration of the logic circuit has been loaded from said configuration memory chip into said electronic memory chip.

2. The item of electrical equipment according to claim 1, wherein said integrated circuit comprises a field programmable gate array and said electronic memory chip comprises a static random access memory.

3. The item of electrical equipment according to claim 1, wherein said configuration memory chip comprises a configuration random access memory.

4. The item of electrical equipment according to claim 1, being a protective device that is configured to send data telegrams containing protection commands to other equipment items in a power grid by way of a data communication device.

5. The item of electrical equipment according to claim 4, wherein said protective device is configured to switch off a hardware driver for said preprocessing device and/or protection functions of said protective device for a duration while the configuration is being loaded.

6. The item of electrical equipment according to claim 1, configured to identify a bit flip as a fault.

7. The item of electrical equipment according to claim 1, configured to resume an operation of said preprocessing device only after a functionality of the loaded configuration has been checked for said preprocessing device.

8. The item of electrical equipment according to claim 1, configured to interrupt the operation of said preprocessing device for less than 100 ms.

9. A method for identifying a fault in electrical equipment, the method comprising the steps of: providing a preprocessing device for digital measured values, the preprocessing device having an integrated circuit and an electronic memory chip that contains a configuration of a logic circuit; identifying a fault in the preprocessing device; and upon identifying a fault, interrupting an operation of the preprocessing device until the configuration of the logic circuit has been loaded from a configuration memory chip into the electronic memory chip.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the integrated circuit is a field programmable gate array and the electronic memory chip is a static random access memory.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the configuration memory chip is a configuration random access memory.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the electrical equipment is a protective device configured to send data telegrams containing protection commands to other items of electrical equipment in a power grid by way of a data communication device.

13. The method according to claim 12, which comprises switching off at least one of a hardware driver for the preprocessing device or protection functions of the protective device by way of the protective device for a duration while the configuration is being loaded.

14. The method according to claim 13, which comprises resuming the operation of the preprocessing device only after a functionality of the loaded configuration has been checked for the preprocessing device.

15. The method according to claim 9, which comprises interrupting the operation of the preprocessing device for less than 100 ms.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0060] The sole FIGURE of the drawing shows a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of an item of electrical equipment according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0061] Referring now to the FIGURE of the drawing in detail, there is shown an electrical line 2 of a power transmission grid at the high-voltage level. The high-voltage line 2 is connected (possibly via a non-illustrated measurement transducer) to an item of electrical equipment 1, which is in the form of a protective device 1, by way of a line 3. A measured value processing chain is shown in the protective device 1.

[0062] A measuring device 8 for an electrical measured variable is configured to determine the time characteristic t of a voltage U. Analog measured values, in this case an instantaneous voltage value, are output via an analog connection 9. This instantaneous voltage value is converted into a bit string (e.g. “1010”) indicating a digital measured value 12 in an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 10 at a predefined sampling rate of e.g. 8 kHz.

[0063] This digital measured value 12 is requested by a preprocessing device 13 for digital measured values 12, for example. The preprocessing device comprises an integrated circuit 14 and an electronic memory chip 15 for configuring a logic circuit. The integrated circuit comprises a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and the electronic memory chip comprises a static random access memory (SRAM).

[0064] If high-energy radiation, for example ionizing radiation such as, for instance, gamma radiation 16, impinges on the electronic memory chip 15, a so-called SEU may result. This may lead to a bit flip within the bit string processed in the electronic memory chip 15; that is, the configuration stored in the chip 15 may become damaged. The integrated circuit 14 may no longer operate correctly.

[0065] During normal operation, a bit string 23 is made available to a processor device 22 containing a central processing unit (CPU) 26 and a data memory 27 via the data line 25.

[0066] The processor device 22 is designed to evaluate the preprocessed measurement data, i.e., the bit string 23. By way of example, it may use a check value such as a checksum to identify a fault, and, in the event of a fault, may suppress the evaluation and/or the sending of data telegrams to other items of electrical equipment 4. The operation of the preprocessing device 13 is interrupted until the configuration 31 of the logic circuit has been loaded from a configuration memory chip 30 into the electronic memory chip 15. This may take place in less than 60 ms, with the result that the device is ready again comparatively quickly.

[0067] If there is no fault, the processor device 22 may evaluate the measured values etc. and, if predefined limit values are infringed, perform a protection function for the electrical power grid, for example. In this case, the processor device 22 delivers a protection command 21 to a data communication device 20 that is designed to transfer the protection command 21 as a data telegram 29 to a switch 4 via a data communication connection 5. By way of example, reception of the data telegram 29 in a control device (not shown) for the switch 4 results in the latter being tripped, as a result of which the switch 4 changes from a closed state 6 to an open state 7.