Patent ID: 6049741
Filing Date: 2000-04-11
Classification: G05B,G07C

Abstract:
A control unit for predicting a failure by calculating an integrated time by integrating an operating time of a load; and notifying that the load has approached a limit of its life when the integrated time has reached a durable time set in advance concerning the load, comprising:durable-time diagnosing means for generating integrated count data by integrating the operating time of the load, and for generating warning data for the notification when the integrated count data has reached the durable time, and concurrently generating an interrupt command for prompting processing for stopping the driving of the load which has approached the limit of its life;an intelligent power source constituting means for driving the load and adapted to generate a status signal after driving the load and generate a load abnormality signal upon detecting an abnormality of the load;a clock generating unit for generating a clock of a predetermined period in correspondence with the status signal during the driving of the load;an operating-time integrating unit for integrating pulses of the clock and generating the integrated count data by adding the integrated time, which is calculated on the basis of the number of the integrated clock pulses and the clock period, to former-integrated-count data which represents a time integrated until then;a table generating unit for generating durable-time table data in which a relationship of correspondence between a kinds of the load and a durable time corresponding to the kind of the load is described;a memory controlling unit having a table storage portion for storing the durable-time table data generated by said table generating unit and an integrated-time storage portion for storing the integrated count data generated by said operating-time integrating unit; anda determining unit for reading and comparing the durable-time table data stored in said table storage portion and the integrated count data stored in said integrated-time storage portion, and generating at least one of the warning data and the interrupt command when the integrated count data has reached the durable-time table data.