Semiconductor Timer Fault Diagnosis via Count Comparison
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for diagnosing faults in multi-function timers within semiconductor devices, such as microcontrollers, are inefficient and prone to missed detections, especially when the oscillators used by both timers malfunction, and require temporary stopping of user programs, reducing processing efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device with a first timer for time synchronization with external equipment and a second timer, using a controller to compare count values and detect faults, allowing for efficient fault diagnosis without relying on shared oscillators and enabling parallel execution with time synchronization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single oscillator is shared by both timers for timekeeping, then device complexity is reduced, but fault detection capability deteriorates when the oscillator malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the timing system into two independent oscillators: a first oscillator for the first timer and a second oscillator for the second timer. This segmentation allows each timer to operate independently, enabling fault detection when one timer malfunctions while the other continues to provide accurate timing references.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a comparison mechanism as an intermediary that monitors both timers and detects faults by comparing their count values. This intermediary detection system enables fault identification without requiring the timers to share resources, resolving the contradiction between independence and complexity.
2Measurement precision
If fault diagnosis is performed by stopping user programs temporarily, then measurement precision of timer faults is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to processing interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous fault monitoring by comparing count values of both timers in parallel with normal user program execution. The comparison operation is performed continuously without interrupting user programs, maintaining both high measurement precision for fault detection and full productivity during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-diagnosis by automatically comparing the count values of its own timers and detecting malfunctions without external intervention or program suspension. This self-service mechanism maintains continuous operation while providing accurate fault detection.
3Reliability
If two independent oscillators are used for timekeeping in both timers, then fault detection capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes both timers multi-functional: they serve dual purposes of normal timekeeping operations and mutual fault detection. This universality justifies the use of two independent oscillators, as each timer contributes to both its primary function and the diagnostic function, distributing the complexity burden across both components.
4Measurement precision
If timer fault diagnosis requires dedicated diagnostic time, then measurement precision of faults is improved, but loss of time for normal operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic comparison of timer count values at regular intervals during normal operation. This periodic action provides continuous fault detection capability without requiring dedicated diagnostic time periods, as the comparison occurs continuously in the background during normal timer operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device includes a first timer that includes a first counter, a second timer that includes a second counter and a controller that includes a CPU in provision of a technology for efficiently diagnosing a fault of a timer that is built in the semiconductor device such as a microcontroller and so forth. The first timer performs time synchronization with the time of external equipment arranged outside the semiconductor device. The controller compares a count value of the first counter with a count value of the second counter and detects a malfunction of the second timer on the basis of a result of comparison.