Electrostatic discharge event and transient signal detection and measurement device and method

• US 7,795,875 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2009
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Desco Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Kraz, Vladimir
• Primary Examiner(s): Dole; Timothy J
• Application Number:
  US12/403,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20090167313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 324/457, 324/458
• US Class Current: 324/457
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/001 Measuring interference from external sources to, or emission from, the device under test, e.g. EMC, EMI, EMP or ESD testing measuring electromagnetic fields G01R29/08; circuits for generating HV pulses in dielectric strength testing G01R31/14

Abstract

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) event and transient signal detection and measurement device and method are described. The device and method are able to distinguish between an ESD event and other non-ESD events.

Claims

1. A device for identifying an ESD Event, comprising:

a receiver that receives an input signal;

an identifier unit that compares the received input signal to a predetermined signal in order to determine if the input signal is an ESD event signal; and

an output circuit for outputting an identification signal if the input signal is identified as an ESD event signal,

wherein the received input signal has a spectrum having a predetermined amount of energy at one or more frequencies and wherein the identifier unit further comprises a spectrum detector that compares the spectrum of the received input signal to a spectrum of an ESD event signal.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the received input signal has a signal envelope and wherein the identifier unit further comprises an envelope detector that compares the signal envelope of the received input signal to a signal envelope of an ESD event signal.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the envelope detector further comprises a window comparator circuit.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the receiver further comprises an antenna.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the received input signal has a signal envelope and wherein the identifier unit further comprises a processor that executes a pattern recognition software module that compares the input signal envelope pattern to a predetermined signal envelope.