PCB Corrosion Detection via Excitation-Response Pad Arrangement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printed circuit board (PCB) arrangements cannot effectively identify insulation resistance failures or line cuts caused by corrosion, which can lead to undetected damage and potential system failures, especially in harsh environments like elevator shafts.
Innovation Solution
A printed circuit arrangement with conductive pads having a meandering layout and through holes, where one pad acts as an excitation pad connected to a signal source and the other as a response pad connected to a measuring device, allowing for capacitance and voltage measurements to detect corrosion progress, including line cuts, by applying potential differences or pulse signals and using terminal resistors to facilitate accurate voltage detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional insulation resistance measurement is used, then short circuits can be measured, but line cuts caused by corrosion cannot be identified
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement arrangement is designed to perform multiple functions: it can detect both short circuits (insulation resistance failures) and line cuts (corrosion damages) using the same conductive pads and measurement circuitry. The system universally monitors both electrical continuity and insulation conditions, eliminating the need for separate detection systems for different failure modes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors changes in electrical parameters (voltage, current, resistance) to detect different types of failures. By measuring both the insulation resistance between conductive pads and the voltage drops across them, the system can identify whether a failure mode is a short circuit or a line cut based on the pattern of parameter changes.
2Reliability
If through holes are added to conductive pads, then corrosion monitoring is enhanced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive pads are segmented into multiple sections with through holes distributed throughout their structure. This segmentation allows corrosion to affect different segments in detectable ways, enhancing the ability to monitor corrosion progression while maintaining manufacturability through standard PCB fabrication techniques.
3Area of stationary object
If meandering pad layout is used, then measurement area coverage is increased, but pad length and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive pads use meandering (curved/wavy) layouts instead of straight lines to maximize the coverage of the measuring area. This curved path arrangement increases the effective length of the pads within a compact area, improving corrosion detection sensitivity without requiring a larger overall board area.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables reliable monitoring and detection of corrosion progression on PCBs, allowing for timely maintenance and preventing functional circuit damage by accurately identifying short circuits and line cuts, thereby ensuring the integrity of electronic systems in corrosive environments.
Implementation Method 1
a measuring device, which is able to measure the voltage of at least one pad or the capacitance between both pads
Implementation Method 2
one pad works as an excitation pad, being connected to an excitation signal source. The other pad works as a response pad
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a printed circuit arrangement (10) comprising a printed circuit board (12) having a corrosion test circuit comprising at least two conductive pads (18, 20) which are located proximate to each other in a measuring area (24), the arrangement further comprising a measuring device (14), characterized in that one pad (18, 20) is an excitation pad, being connected to an excitation signal source (GND, Out2), and the other pad (20, 18) is a response pad, whereby the measuring device is connected at least to the response pad. This arrangement allows the measurement of the corrosion of a printed circuit board including short circuits and line cuts.