Systems and methods for switch health determination
First Claim
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1. A switch health determination system, comprising:
- a comparator coupled to a switch, the comparator configured to selectively compare a voltage on the switch to a first threshold voltage and a second threshold voltage, wherein the first and second threshold voltages have different values; and
a controller coupled to the comparator, the controller configured to ascertain a first comparator state when the first threshold voltage is provided to the comparator and to ascertain a second comparator state when the second threshold voltage is provided to the comparator, the controller further configured to compare the first comparator state to the second comparator state and to determine a measure of health status of the switch based at least in part on the comparing of the first comparator state to the second comparator state.
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Abstract
The embodiments described herein provide systems and methods for determining the health status of a sensed switch. In general, the embodiments described herein determine a measure of a health status of the sensed switch by comparing a voltage on the sensed switch, ascertaining a first comparator state under one test condition and ascertaining a second comparator state under a second test condition. The first comparator state and the second comparator state are and then compared to determine the measure of the health status of the sensed switch.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A switch health determination system, comprising:
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a comparator coupled to a switch, the comparator configured to selectively compare a voltage on the switch to a first threshold voltage and a second threshold voltage, wherein the first and second threshold voltages have different values; and a controller coupled to the comparator, the controller configured to ascertain a first comparator state when the first threshold voltage is provided to the comparator and to ascertain a second comparator state when the second threshold voltage is provided to the comparator, the controller further configured to compare the first comparator state to the second comparator state and to determine a measure of health status of the switch based at least in part on the comparing of the first comparator state to the second comparator state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A switch health determination system, comprising:
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a comparator coupled to a switch, the comparator configured to selectively compare a voltage on the switch to a first threshold voltage and a second threshold voltage, wherein the first and second threshold voltages have different values; a controller coupled to the comparator, the controller configured to ascertain a first comparator state when the first threshold voltage is provided to the comparator and to ascertain a second comparator state when the second threshold voltage is provided to the comparator, the controller further configured to compare the first comparator state to the second comparator state and to determine a measure of health status of the switch based at least in part on the comparing of the first comparator state to the second comparator state; and a variable threshold voltage source, wherein the variable threshold voltage source is coupled to the comparator and the controller, and wherein the variable threshold voltage source is configured to selectively apply the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage to the comparator as directed by the controller. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A switch health determination system, comprising:
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a current source, the current source coupled to the switch and configured to supply current to the switch; a comparator coupled to a switch, the comparator configured to selectively compare a voltage on the switch resulting from the current supplied to the switch to a first threshold voltage and a second threshold voltage, wherein the first and second threshold voltages have different values; and a controller coupled to the comparator, the controller configured to ascertain a first comparator state when the first threshold voltage is provided to the comparator and to ascertain a second comparator state when the second threshold voltage is provided to the comparator, the controller further configured to compare the first comparator state to the second comparator state and to determine a measure of health status of the switch based at least in part on the comparing of the first comparator state to the second comparator state. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification