Wire Deficiency Detection via Compensation Current Ratio
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods fail to detect wire deficiencies, such as short circuits, wire cuts, or parasitic resistances, in electronic devices during normal operation, as they rely on functionality tests performed during manufacturing, which may not detect issues affecting individual wires until they cause device failure.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a current supplying stage that supplies compensation currents to wires during different clock periods to determine resistance ratios, allowing for real-time detection of wire deficiencies and unbalances, using current sources, transistors, and logic circuitry to generate an output signal indicating resistance mismatches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If functionality tests are performed during manufacturing, then device-level failures can be detected, but wire-specific deficiencies remain undetected during normal operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the wire monitoring function from overall device functionality testing. By dedicating specific current supplying stages to individual wires or wire groups, the system can independently monitor each wire's resistance without requiring complete device functionality tests, enabling real-time wire-specific deficiency detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire monitoring system uses the wires themselves as part of the measurement circuit. The current supplying stages inject compensation currents directly through the wires being monitored, and the resulting voltage drops are measured to determine resistance values. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate external testing equipment during normal operation.
2Measurement precision
If conventional functionality tests are used, then manufacturing process validation is achieved, but specific wire disturbances such as short circuits and wire cuts cannot be determined
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing dedicated current supplying stages for specific wires or wire groups rather than using a single global testing mechanism. Each current supplying stage is optimized for its assigned wire, allowing precise measurement of local resistance characteristics and enabling detection of wire-specific issues without requiring complex global analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system measures wire resistance by changing the current parameter - injecting known compensation currents through the wires and measuring the resulting voltage drops. By varying the current and observing the voltage response, the system can precisely determine resistance values and detect wire deficiencies without requiring complex measurement circuits.
3Reliability
If wire monitoring is implemented during normal operation, then real-time detection of wire deficiencies is enabled, but additional circuit components and control mechanisms are required
Solution Approach 1:
The current supplying stages are designed with multi-functionality, serving both as part of the normal device operation circuitry and as wire monitoring instruments. The same current sources and measurement pathways used during normal operation are leveraged for wire resistance measurement, reducing the need for separate dedicated monitoring hardware and minimizing additional circuit complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire monitoring is implemented through periodic measurement cycles during normal operation. The control unit periodically activates the current supplying stages to inject compensation currents and measure voltage drops, allowing continuous monitoring without requiring constant active measurement circuits. This periodic action enables real-time detection while keeping the monitoring circuitry dormant during non-measurement periods.
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 the detection of wire cuts, short circuits, and resistance mismatches in real-time, ensuring the integrity of interconnecting wires and preventing device failure by compensating for production spread and temperature-induced unbalances, with a robust and simple implementation.
Implementation Method 1
the magnitude of the second current represents a ratio of a resistance value of a first wire and a resistance value of a second wire
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device is provided, which includes a current supplying stage which is adapted to supply a first compensation current and a second compensation current to a first wire or a second wire, wherein the first compensation current is determined during a first clock period, when the first wire and the second wire are connected. The second compensation current is determined during a second clock period while the first wire and the second wire are not connected and the magnitude of the second current represents a ratio of a resistance value of the first wire and a resistance value of the second wire.