Corrosion detection circuit and method

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a corrosion detection circuit, comprising: a dust deposition module comprising a dust deposition unit; the dust accumulation unit comprises a first resistor and a second resistor which are connected in series, the first resistor and the second resistor are arranged on a to-be-detected surface at an interval, and a dust accumulation interval is formed in a space between the first resistor and the second resistor; and the detection module is connected with the dust accumulation module and is configured to obtain a detection signal associated with the resistance value of the dust accumulation module. The invention further provides a corrosion detection method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of corrosion detection, and in particular to a corrosion detection circuit and method. Background Art

[0002] When electronic equipment uses air cooling, a large amount of airflow is introduced, which makes it easy for dust to accumulate (accumulate). If dust accumulates in the circuits of electronic equipment, it may cause corrosion and damage to the circuits.

[0003] Therefore, timely detection of corrosion (dust accumulation) and early discovery of risks are beneficial to improving the environmental tolerance design of electronic equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a corrosion detection circuit and method.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a corrosion detection circuit, comprising:

[0006] The dust collection module includes a dust collection unit; the dust collection unit includes a first resistor and a second resistor connected in series, the first resistor and the second resistor are arranged on the surface to be detected with a distance therebetween, and the space between the first resistor and the second resistor forms a dust collection interval;

[0007] The detection module is connected to the dust collection module and is configured to obtain a detection signal associated with the resistance value of the dust collection module.

[0008] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a corrosion detection method, comprising:

[0009] Acquiring a detection signal through a detection module of any corrosion detection circuit of the embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0010] The corrosion risk level of the surface to be inspected is determined according to the detection signal.

[0011] The disclosed embodiment provides a new corrosion detection method, in which the dust accumulation unit includes two resistors arranged in series at intervals. When corrosion (dust accumulation) occurs at the dust accumulation interval between the two resistors, it is equivalent to adding an additional connection between the two resistors in addition to the original series connection, so that the overall resistance value of the dust accumulation unit changes. Therefore, corrosion detection can be achieved by obtaining a detection signal related to the resistance value through the detection module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure:

[0013] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a corrosion detection circuit provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] Figure 2An equivalent circuit diagram of a dust accumulation unit of a corrosion detection circuit provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure when dust accumulates;

[0015] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of another corrosion detection circuit provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of another corrosion detection circuit provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 5 A schematic flow chart of a corrosion detection method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the meanings of some reference numerals are as follows:

[0019] 1. Dust collection unit; 15. Auxiliary dust collection structure; 19. Dust collection interval; 3. Data processing module; 5. Alarm module; 7. Auxiliary detection module; 9. Airflow direction; R1, first resistor; R2, second resistor; Rm, intermediate resistor; Rref, reference resistor; Rp, protection resistor; VDD, first voltage port; VSS, second voltage port; N, signal acquisition node; ADC, analog-to-digital conversion module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present disclosure, the corrosion detection circuit and method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] The present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the illustrated embodiments may be embodied in different forms, and the present disclosure should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth below. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully understand the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0022] The accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the detailed embodiments, they are used to explain the present disclosure and do not constitute a limitation of the present disclosure. The above and other features and advantages will become more apparent to those skilled in the art by describing the detailed embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] The present disclosure may be described with reference to plan views and / or cross-sectional views by way of ideal schematic views of the present disclosure. Therefore, the exemplary illustrations may be modified according to manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances.

[0024] In the absence of conflict, the various embodiments of the present disclosure and the various features therein may be combined with each other.

[0025] The terms used in this disclosure are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the disclosure. As used in this disclosure, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more related enumerated items. As used in this disclosure, the singular forms "a" and "the" are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used in this disclosure, the terms "comprising" and "made of" specify the presence of the features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this disclosure have the same meanings as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art. It will also be understood that terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and this disclosure, and will not be interpreted as having an idealized or overly formal meaning unless expressly defined in this disclosure.

[0027] The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings, but includes modifications of the configurations formed based on the manufacturing process. Therefore, the regions illustrated in the drawings have schematic properties, and the shapes of the regions shown in the drawings illustrate the specific shapes of the regions of the elements, but are not intended to be limiting.

[0028] Electronic equipment (such as communications equipment) can be cooled using air. However, this airflow introduces large amounts of airflow into the equipment, inevitably carrying dust. If this dust accumulates in the electronic device's circuitry, it can cause corrosion and damage. Corrosion (dust accumulation) is particularly serious for electronic equipment operating in harsh environments (such as those with high dust levels and high humidity resulting in wet dust).

[0029] Therefore, timely detection of corrosion (dust accumulation) and early discovery of risks are beneficial to improving the environmental tolerance design of electronic equipment.

[0030] For example, some related technologies use the effect of dust accumulation on optical properties to detect corrosion.

[0031] For example, in other related technologies, corrosion detection is achieved by utilizing the effect of dust accumulation on the electrical properties of electrical components such as pads and capacitors.

[0032] For example, in other related technologies, dust accumulation is used to "connect" additional electrical devices into the circuit to detect corrosion.

[0033] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a corrosion detection circuit.

[0034] The corrosion detection circuit of the embodiment of the present disclosure is used to detect the corrosion (dust accumulation) condition at the location where the circuit is located.

[0035] For example, the corrosion detection circuit of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be set in a location in an air-cooled electronic device (such as a communication device) where corrosion is prone to occur. For example, a separate corrosion detection circuit can be directly "placed" in a specific location in the electronic device, or the corrosion detection circuit can be integrated into other existing structures of the electronic device itself.

[0036] Reference Figure 1 The corrosion detection circuit of the embodiment of the present disclosure includes:

[0037] The dust collection module includes a dust collection unit 1; the dust collection unit 1 includes a first resistor R1 and a second resistor R2 connected in series, the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 are arranged at intervals on the surface to be detected, and the space between the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 forms a dust collection interval 19;

[0038] The detection module is connected to the dust accumulation module and is configured to obtain a detection signal associated with the resistance value of the dust accumulation module.

[0039] Reference Figure 1 The corrosion detection circuit of the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a dust accumulation module, which includes one or more dust accumulation units 1 that can cause dust accumulation. Each dust accumulation unit 1 includes a first resistor R1 and a second resistor R2 connected in series. The first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 are set on the surface to be detected (that is, the surface to be detected for dust accumulation) and "protrude" relative to the surface to be detected, so that a dust accumulation gap 19 is formed between the two.

[0040] Therefore, refer to Figure 1 When dust accumulation occurs, dust will accumulate in the above dust accumulation interval 19, and the reference Figure 2 These accumulated dusts (and the corrosion caused by them) can directly electrically connect the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 to a certain extent (the connection has a certain equivalent resistance), thereby changing the overall resistance value of the dust collection unit 1 (dust collection module).

[0041] The detection module can obtain a detection signal associated with the resistance value of the dust accumulation module. The detection signal is associated with the dust accumulation (corrosion) condition, so corrosion detection can be achieved based on it.

[0042] The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a new corrosion detection method, in which the dust collection unit 1 includes two resistors arranged in series at intervals. When corrosion (dust accumulation) occurs at the dust collection interval 19 between the two resistors, it is equivalent to adding an additional connection between the two resistors in addition to the original series connection, so that the overall resistance value of the dust collection unit 1 changes. Therefore, by obtaining a detection signal related to the resistance value through the detection module, corrosion detection can be achieved.

[0043] In some embodiments, the dust collection module is provided in the circuit board; one side surface of the circuit board is the surface to be detected.

[0044] As one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the corrosion detection circuit, at least the dust accumulation module can be arranged in a circuit board (PCB, Printed Circuit Board), that is, the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 are devices arranged on one surface of the circuit board (the surface to be detected).

[0045] It should be understood that other structures of the corrosion detection circuit can also be provided in the above circuit, that is, the various devices of the corrosion detection circuit can be devices in the circuit board or devices external to the circuit board, the connection between different devices can be the routing in the circuit board, and the various ports can be interfaces in the circuit board.

[0046] It should be understood that the above circuit board can be a circuit board specifically used to set up the corrosion detection circuit of the embodiment of the present disclosure (that is, the corrosion detection circuit can be a separate circuit board product), or the above circuit board can also be an original circuit board in the electronic device with other functions (that is, the corrosion detection circuit can be "integrated" in the original circuit board of the electronic device).

[0047] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3 The dust collection module includes multiple dust collection units 1 connected in series; the width of the dust collection interval 19 in different dust collection units 1 is different; the width of the dust collection interval 19 is the size of the dust collection interval 19 in the direction from the first resistor R1 to the second resistor R2.

[0048] Reference Figure 3 As one embodiment of the present disclosure, there may be multiple dust collection units 1 connected in series in the dust collection module, and the width (W) of the dust collection interval 19 in different dust collection units 1 is different, or in other words, the distance between the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 is different.

[0049] The wider the dust storage gap 19 is, the less likely dust will accumulate in the dust storage gap 19 . Even if dust accumulates, the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 will be less likely to be electrically connected.

[0050] Therefore, according to the above method, when the same degree of dust accumulation occurs on the entire surface to be inspected, the resistance value changes of the dust accumulation units 1 with different widths of the dust accumulation intervals 19 will be different (such as multiple dust accumulation units 1 with successively increasing widths of the dust accumulation intervals 19, their resistance values also change successively with the increase in the degree of dust accumulation). Therefore, by setting up multiple integrated units 1, the degree of corrosion (dust accumulation) can be judged in a more "fine" way, and "multi-level" detection can be achieved. It can be detected in advance before the corrosion reaches a malignant level, and the development of corrosion can be continuously monitored so that corresponding treatment can be carried out in time to avoid serious losses.

[0051] It should be understood that the width of the dust accumulation interval 19 should be set according to the actual dust accumulation situation.

[0052] For example, the minimum width of the dust storage interval 19 can be equal to or slightly smaller than the minimum process limit distance of the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 (such as the minimum process limit distance of the pad in the circuit board), and the width of the dust storage interval 19 of the multi-stage dust storage unit 1 can be slightly increased in sequence.

[0053] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3 The surface to be detected has a preset airflow direction 9; the dust accumulation interval 19 extends along the airflow direction 9, and the dust accumulation interval 19 is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet at both ends along the airflow direction 9.

[0054] Reference Figure 3 As one embodiment of the present disclosure, the surface to be detected of the corrosion detection circuit may have a predetermined "airflow direction 9", that is, the main flow direction of the airflow at the surface to be detected under normal working conditions, such as the direction of the air-cooled airflow when it flows to the surface to be detected.

[0055] Reference Figure 3 , the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 can be spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the airflow direction 9, so the dust storage interval 19 between the two extends along the airflow direction 9, and the two ends are respectively the air inlet and the air outlet. Therefore, at the dust collection unit 1, the air flow can mainly be from the air inlet ( Figure 3 The lower end of the dotted line frame in the figure) flows into the dust accumulation interval 19, and then from the air outlet ( Figure 3 The upper end of the dotted box in the figure flows out), so that the dust carried by the airflow will mainly gather in the dust accumulation interval 19, especially near the air inlet, making it easier to electrically connect the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2, thereby improving the detection sensitivity.

[0056] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3 The dust accumulation unit 1 further includes: an auxiliary dust accumulation structure 15, which is arranged on the surface to be detected and is located on both sides of the air inlet of the dust accumulation interval 19.

[0057] Reference Figure 3 As one embodiment of the present disclosure, raised auxiliary dust accumulation structures 15 may be provided on both sides of the air inlet of the dust accumulation interval 19 to further allow the airflow to mainly enter the dust accumulation interval 19, so that the accumulated dust is more concentrated at the air inlet of the dust accumulation interval 19, thereby further improving the detection sensitivity.

[0058] The auxiliary dust collecting structure 15 may be a structure with a larger "height", such as a protruding capacitor device provided on the surface of the circuit board, so as to make the effect of adjusting the airflow more obvious.

[0059] Among them, the auxiliary dust collection structure 15 can be a structure that plays other functions, such as a device such as a capacitor originally in the circuit board of an electronic device, which also plays the role of the auxiliary dust collection structure 15; or, the auxiliary dust collection structure 15 can also be a specially set structure that is only used to adjust the airflow, such as a protrusion without any electrical connection.

[0060] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3 The dust collection unit 1 further includes an intermediate resistor Rm connected between the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2.

[0061] Reference Figure 3 As one embodiment of the present disclosure, an intermediate resistor Rm may be connected in series between the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2. Thus, the equivalent resistance of the connection caused by dust accumulation (corrosion) is equivalent to being "connected in parallel" with the intermediate resistor Rm. Therefore, after setting the intermediate resistor Rm, the same equivalent resistance caused by the same degree of corrosion can cause a greater change in the overall resistance value of the dust accumulation unit 1, thereby improving the detection sensitivity.

[0062] In some embodiments, the surface to be detected has a preset airflow direction 9; the dust accumulation interval 19 extends along the airflow direction 9, and the dust accumulation interval 19 is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet at both ends along the airflow direction 9; the intermediate resistor Rm is set on the surface to be detected and is located outside the air outlet of the dust accumulation interval 19.

[0063] Reference Figure 3 As a method of an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above intermediate resistor Rm can further be "horizontally" located at the air outlet of the dust accumulation interval 19, so that it can have a certain blocking effect on the airflow flowing out of the air outlet, thereby further increasing the dust accumulation in the dust accumulation interval 19 and improving the detection sensitivity.

[0064] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3 The first end of the dust collection module is connected to the first voltage port VDD, and the second end is connected to the second voltage port VSS; the detection module includes: a reference resistor Rref arranged between the first end of the dust collection module and the first voltage port VDD; a signal acquisition node N arranged between the reference resistor Rref and the dust collection module, and the signal acquisition node N is configured to obtain a detection signal.

[0065] Reference Figure 3 As one embodiment of the present disclosure, the two ends of the dust collection module (including one or more dust collection units 1) can be respectively connected to a first voltage port VDD (such as a voltage supply port in a circuit board) and a second voltage port VSS (such as a ground GND port in a circuit board) that can provide different voltages.

[0066] Correspondingly, the detection module includes a reference resistor Rref arranged between the first voltage port and the dust collection module, so that the voltage divider value at the signal acquisition node N between the reference resistor Rref and the dust collection module is related to the resistance value of the dust collection module, so the signal at the signal acquisition node N can be used as a detection signal.

[0067] It should be understood that the combination of parameter values of each device in the corrosion detection circuit should be able to keep the detection signal within a safe range and with the highest possible sensitivity.

[0068] For example, assuming that the voltage provided by the first voltage port VDD is the normal voltage 3.3V in the circuit board, and the voltage provided by the second voltage port VSS is the grounded 0V, the resistance values of the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 can be less than 100Ω, and the reference resistor Rref should be greater than 1000Ω.

[0069] At the same time, the resistance value of the intermediate resistor Rm can be larger than the resistance value of the equivalent resistor of the usual corrosion (dust accumulation) connection, for example, it can be above 10kΩ.

[0070] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3 , the corrosion detection circuit of the embodiment of the present disclosure further includes:

[0071] an analog-to-digital conversion module ADC connected to the signal acquisition node N, configured to convert the detection signal into a digital signal;

[0072] a data processing module 3 connected to the analog-to-digital conversion module ADC, configured to determine the corrosion risk level of the surface to be inspected based on the digital signal generated by the analog-to-digital conversion module ADC;

[0073] The alarm module 5 connected to the data processing module 3 is configured to alarm when the risk level of corrosion of the surface to be inspected exceeds a preset standard.

[0074] Reference Figure 3 As one method of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the analog detection signal obtained by the detection module can be converted into a digital signal through the analog-to-digital conversion module ADC, and then the data processing module 3 can be used to determine the corresponding corrosion (dust accumulation) risk level based on the digital signal. When the risk level exceeds the preset standard, the alarm module 5 can directly alarm to remind relevant personnel to handle it.

[0075] Therefore, the above method realizes "fully automatic" corrosion detection and alarm.

[0076] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3 A protection resistor Rp may be provided between the signal acquisition node N and the analog-to-digital conversion module ADC to play a role in current limiting.

[0077] It should be understood that the detection method implemented by the detection module of the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the above specific examples, and is feasible as long as it can obtain a detection signal related to the resistance value of the dust accumulation module.

[0078] For example, refer to Figure 4 The corrosion detection circuit of the embodiment of the present disclosure may not include the above-mentioned reference resistor, protection resistor, intermediate resistor, etc. The detection module is in the form of an ohmmeter, which directly detects the resistance value of the dust accumulation module (and the subsequent auxiliary detection module 7).

[0079] Reference Figure 4 As a method of an embodiment of the present disclosure, the corrosion detection circuit may also be provided with an auxiliary detection module 7 for performing other types of corrosion detection, such as detecting creep corrosion, corrosion breakage, etc., thereby enriching the functions of the corrosion detection circuit of the embodiment of the present disclosure and making full use of the devices therein.

[0080] For example, the auxiliary detection module 7 may refer to Figure 4 , used to detect creep corrosion caused by sulfide, etc., which includes multiple groups of vias, and different groups of vias are connected to different positions of the dust accumulation module. Therefore, when different degrees of creep corrosion occur, it is equivalent to connecting different vias, which can affect the overall impedance of the auxiliary detection module 7 (and the dust accumulation module).

[0081] Secondly, refer to Figure 5 , an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a corrosion detection method, which includes:

[0082] S201. Acquire a detection signal through a detection module of any corrosion detection circuit in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0083] S202: Determine the corrosion risk level of the surface to be inspected based on the inspection signal.

[0084] The corrosion detection method of the embodiment of the present disclosure utilizes the above corrosion detection circuit to implement corrosion detection.

[0085] The present disclosure has disclosed example embodiments, and although specific terms are employed, they are used and should be interpreted only in a general illustrative sense and not for purposes of limitation. In some instances, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise expressly indicated, features, characteristics, and / or elements described in conjunction with a particular embodiment may be used alone or in combination with features, characteristics, and / or elements described in conjunction with other embodiments. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A corrosion detection circuit comprising: A dust collection module, comprising a dust collection unit; The dust collection unit includes a first resistor and a second resistor connected in series, the first resistor and the second resistor are arranged on the surface to be detected with a distance therebetween, and the space between the first resistor and the second resistor forms a dust collection interval; The detection module is connected to the dust collection module and is configured to obtain a detection signal associated with the resistance value of the dust collection module.

2. The corrosion detection circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The dust collection module includes a plurality of dust collection units connected in series; The widths of the dust storage intervals in different dust storage units are different; the width of the dust storage interval is the size of the dust storage interval in the direction from the first resistor to the second resistor.

3. The corrosion detection circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The surface to be inspected has a preset airflow direction; The dust storage space extends along the airflow direction, and an air inlet and an air outlet are respectively provided at two ends of the dust storage space along the airflow direction.

4. The corrosion detection circuit according to claim 3, wherein: The dust collection unit further comprises: The auxiliary dust accumulation structure is arranged on the surface to be detected and is respectively located on both sides of the air inlet of the dust accumulation interval.

5. The corrosion detection circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The dust collecting unit further includes an intermediate resistor connected between the first resistor and the second resistor. The corrosion detection circuit according to claim 5 , wherein: The surface to be inspected has a preset airflow direction; The dust collecting space extends along the airflow direction, and an air inlet and an air outlet are respectively provided at two ends of the dust collecting space along the airflow direction; The intermediate resistor is arranged on the surface to be detected and is located outside the air outlet of the dust accumulation interval.

7. The corrosion detection circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The first end of the dust collection module is connected to the first voltage port, and the second end is connected to the second voltage port; The detection module includes: a reference resistor provided between the first end of the dust collection module and the first voltage port; and a signal acquisition node provided between the reference resistor and the dust collection module, wherein the signal acquisition node is configured to acquire the detection signal.

8. The corrosion detection circuit according to claim 7, wherein: Also includes: an analog-to-digital conversion module connected to the signal acquisition node, configured to convert the detection signal into a digital signal; a data processing module connected to the analog-to-digital conversion module, configured to determine the corrosion risk level of the surface to be inspected based on the digital signal generated by the analog-to-digital conversion module; An alarm module connected to the data processing module is configured to alarm when the risk level of corrosion of the surface to be inspected exceeds a preset standard.

9. The corrosion detection circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The dust collection module is arranged in the circuit board; One side surface of the circuit board is the surface to be detected.

10. A corrosion detection method comprising: A detection signal is obtained through a detection module of a corrosion detection circuit; the corrosion detection circuit is the corrosion detection circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 9; The corrosion risk level of the surface to be inspected is determined according to the detection signal.

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