Short Circuit Detection via Voltage Sampling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Information handling systems face operational failures and potential damage due to short circuits between adjacent pins, particularly between power supply and signal pins, which can occur during initialization and result in damage to circuitry.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced to identify short circuits by activating a current source to drive a signal at a circuit node and sampling the voltage level, determining if it exceeds a threshold to determine if the node is shorted to another node, thereby enabling or disabling primary power accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If voltage level sampling is performed to detect short circuits, then short circuit detection capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses its own operational characteristics (voltage levels during initialization) to detect short circuits, eliminating the need for separate dedicated detection hardware. The existing circuit nodes and voltage sampling capabilities are repurposed for self-diagnosis, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Short circuit detection is performed during the initialization phase before primary power is enabled. By conducting detection operations in advance using the current source and voltage sampling circuitry, the system identifies potential short circuits before they can cause damage, preventing operational failures without requiring complex real-time protection circuits.
2Reliability
If voltage sampling is performed at initialization, then operational failures are prevented, but initialization time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The voltage sampling operation is performed as a periodic check during the initialization sequence at a specific moment when the current source has had sufficient time to charge the circuit node. This timing-based approach ensures accurate detection while minimizing the time added to initialization, as the sampling occurs at a predetermined point in the existing initialization flow rather than adding a separate detection phase.
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
This method effectively identifies short circuits before enabling primary power, preventing operational failures and potential damage by distinguishing between non-shorted and shorted conditions based on voltage level sampling.
Implementation Method 1
activating a current source to drive a signal at the circuit node, and sampling a voltage level at the circuit node
Data Source
AI summary
A method for identifying a short circuit at a circuit node may include activating a current source to drive a signal at the circuit node, and sampling a voltage level at the circuit node at a particular time. The method may further include determining that the circuit node is not shorted to another circuit node if the voltage level at the first circuit node exceeds a threshold value; and determining that the first circuit node is shorted to another circuit node if the voltage level at the first circuit node does not exceed the threshold value.