The present disclosure relates to electrical circuits and, more specifically but not exclusively, to methods and apparatus for detecting deterioration of an electrical circuit in an aggressive environment.
This section introduces aspects that may help facilitate a better understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, the statements of this section are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is in the prior art or what is not in the prior art.
Environmental conditions can have a drastic effect on the reliability and performance of electrical circuits, such as those used in the telecom equipment deployed in geographic regions characterized by aggressive environments. For example, the adverse effects of exposure to extreme temperatures, high humidity, atmospheric dust, and corrosive agents can cause some electrical circuits to fail. It is therefore desirable to have a system in place that can warn the equipment operator about the impending failure of such circuits.
Disclosed herein are various embodiments of a circuit board that hosts at least first and second types of resistance sensors and a method of using the resistance sensors for detecting deterioration of the corresponding electrical circuit(s) in an aggressive environment. The resistance of each sensor of the first type tends to increase, and the resistance of each sensor of the second type tends to decrease if the sensor is exposed to an aggressive environment. The circuit board also hosts a control circuit that operates to monitor respective resistances of the various resistance sensors and to process the digital values representing the resistances to estimate the working condition of one or more other electrical circuits located on the circuit board and/or in relatively close proximity to the circuit board in the corresponding equipment cabinet. The control circuit further operates to transmit out an appropriate alarm message if the estimated working condition is deemed unsatisfactory.
Some disclosed embodiments can advantageously be used, e.g., by telecom equipment operators to minimize or avoid network outages by taking appropriate remedial actions in response to the received alarm message(s).
According to an example embodiment, provided is an apparatus comprising: a substrate; a first plurality of sensors supported on the substrate, each sensor of the first plurality characterized by a respective resistance that tends to increase in response to the sensor being exposed to an aggressive environment; a second plurality of sensors supported on the substrate, each sensor of the second plurality characterized by a respective resistance that tends to decrease in response to the sensor being exposed to the aggressive environment; and a control circuit supported on the substrate, electrically connected to each of the first plurality of sensors and each of the second plurality of sensors, and configured to determine the respective resistances of the first plurality of sensors and the second plurality of sensors.
According to another example embodiment, provided is an apparatus comprising: a substrate; a first resistive sensor having an electrically conductive trace that comprises a first metal or metallic alloy, the electrically conductive trace being disposed on the substrate to electrically connect a first terminal and a second terminal and having an electrical resistance that changes in response to exposure to an aggressive environment; a second resistive sensor having an electrically conductive trace that comprises a second metal or metallic alloy, the second metal or metallic alloy being different from the first metal or metallic alloy, the electrically conductive trace of the second sensor being disposed on the substrate to electrically connect a third terminal and a fourth terminal and having an electrical resistance that changes in response to exposure to the aggressive environment; a third resistive sensor having a first resistive element in electrical contact with a fifth terminal and a second resistive element in electrical contact with a sixth terminal, the first and second resistive elements being arranged on the substrate such that insulation resistance between the first and second resistive elements changes in response to exposure to the aggressive environment; and a control circuit supported on the substrate and being configured to measure electrical resistances between the first and second terminals, the third and fourth terminals, and the fifth and sixth terminals, respectively.
According to yet another example embodiment, provided is a method of estimating a working condition of an electrical circuit, the method comprising: operating an electrical circuit that comprises: a first plurality of sensors supported on a substrate, each sensor of the first plurality characterized by a respective resistance that increases in response to the sensor being damaged by environmental exposure; and a second plurality of sensors supported on the substrate, each sensor of the second plurality characterized by a respective resistance that decreases in response to the sensor being damaged by the environmental exposure; and wherein the electrical circuit comprises a control circuit supported on the substrate, electrically connected to each of the first plurality of sensors and each of the second plurality of sensors, and configured to determine the respective resistances of the first plurality of sensors and the second plurality of sensors.
According to yet another example embodiment, provided is a method of estimating a working condition of an electrical circuit, the method comprising the steps of: measuring electrical properties of a plurality of electrical circuits constructed such that each of the electrical properties is responsive to damage of a corresponding one of the electrical circuits by an environmental exposure thereof; and generating an alarm via a control circuit responsive to the measured electrical properties indicating damage of one or more of the electrical circuits.
Other aspects, features, and benefits of various disclosed embodiments will become more fully apparent, by way of example, from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:
In an example embodiment, the electronic components of circuit 100 may include an assortment of one or more integrated-circuit (IC) packages and/or one or more discrete circuit elements (such as capacitors, resistors, inductors, and/or active devices) that are typically soldered onto PCB 102. In some embodiments, some of the electronic components of circuit 100 may be embedded into the substrate of PCB 102. For illustration purposes and without any implied limitation, circuit 100 is depicted in
Sensors 1101-110L are electrically connected to the sensor drive-and-readout circuit 140 by way of conductive tracks 114. Sensors 1201-120M are similarly electrically connected to the sensor drive-and-readout circuit 140 by way of conductive tracks 124. Circuit 140 can be electrically connected to an external electronic controller by way of conductive tracks 144. In operation, circuit 140 can perform one or more of the following functions: (i) respond to control signals received by way of conductive tracks 144 from an external electronic controller to perform resistance measurements of individual sensors 1101-110L and 1201-120M; (ii) generate and apply various voltages and/or currents to individual sensors 1101-110L and 1201-120M; (iii) sense and measure various voltages and/or currents at sensors 1101-110L and 1201-120M; (iv) perform signal processing to determine resistance values corresponding to individual sensors 1101-110L and 1201-120M; and (v) generate control signals for the external electronic controller that indicate the estimated condition of IC packages 1301-130N and/or other electronic circuits and devices located in relatively close proximity to circuit 100. In various embodiments, circuit 140 can be implemented as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a microcontroller.
In an example embodiment, circuit 100 is designed and configured to be housed in an equipment cabinet (not explicitly shown in
In an example embodiment, sensor 110 comprises a plurality of electrically conductive traces 210 that are connected in parallel to one another between contact pads 2021 and 2022, e.g., as indicated in
Each of conductive traces 2101-2104 comprises a substantially flat metal stripe that has a constant width w and a constant thickness t. For illustration, the width w is indicated in
In an example embodiment, the width w, the length d, and the thickness t of conductive traces 2101-2104 are selected such that the initial resistance of sensor 110 is in the range between approximately 0.1 Ω and approximately 10 Ω. Exposure to an aggressive environment typically causes the resistance of sensor 110 to increase over time, e.g., due to corrosion of conductive traces 2101-2104. A person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that, for the indicated resistance range, good electrical contacts between conductive traces 2101-2104 and contact pads 2021 and 2022 protected by the encapsulating stripes 206 help to achieve sufficient accuracy/precision of the corresponding resistance measurements.
Different instances of sensor 110 used in circuit 100 (
In an example embodiment, sensor 120 comprises interleaved combs 3101 and 3102. A base 3061 of comb 3101 is electrically connected to contact pad 3021 as indicated in
In an example embodiment, each of teeth 312 is an electrically conductive (e.g., metal) trace that comprises a substantially flat metal stripe that has a constant width and a constant thickness. The spacing s and the overlap length l between teeth 312 belonging to different ones of combs 3101 and 3102 are selected such that the initial surface insulation resistance (SIR) of sensor 120 is greater than 10 MΩ, but can decrease over time to fall into the range between approximately 10 Ω and approximately 10 MΩ due to exposure to an aggressive environment. For illustration, the spacing s and the overlap length l are indicated in
Different instances of sensor 120 used in circuit 100 (
At step 402 of method 400, it is determined whether or not to start resistance measurements of sensors 1101-110L and 1201-120M. In one example embodiment, an external electronic controller can initiate the resistance measurements by applying, e.g., by way of conductive tracks 144, an appropriate control signal to circuit 140. In another example embodiment, circuit 140 can run an internal timer and initiate the resistance measurements when the timer runs out. In yet another example embodiment, circuit 140 can initiate the resistance measurements in accordance with a predetermined schedule, e.g., stored in a non-volatile memory of the circuit. In some embodiments, circuit 140 can be configured to initiate resistance measurements of sensors 1101-110L and 1201-120M in response to any of a plurality of triggers that may include but are not limited to the above-indicated triggers based on an externally generated control signal, an internal timer, and a predetermined schedule.
If resistance measurements of sensors 1101-110L and 1201-120M are initiated at step 402, then the processing of method 400 is directed to step 404. Otherwise, circuit 140 remains in a waiting mode by cycling through step 402.
At step 404, circuit 140 measures, e.g., as known in the pertinent art, the respective resistances of each of sensors 1101-110L and 1201-120M or of any desired subset of these sensors. In an example embodiment, a resistance measurement carried out at step 404 may include the sub-steps of (i) applying a fixed voltage to a selected sensor and (ii) sensing and measuring the electrical current flowing through that sensor under the applied voltage. In an alternative embodiment, a resistance measurement carried out at step 404 may include the sub-steps of (i) driving a fixed current through a selected sensor and (ii) sensing and measuring the resulting voltage generated across that sensor. The resistance values of individual sensors can then be obtained by computing a ratio of the voltage to the current. The resistance values obtained at step 404 are typically time-stamped and stored in a nonvolatile memory of circuit 140, e.g., for retrieval at a later time and/or for further processing at step 406.
At step 406, circuit 140 processes the resistance values obtained at step 404 to estimate the condition of one or more electrical circuits located in relatively close proximity to sensors 1101-110L and 1201-120M. In some embodiments, the data processing of step 406 may also use the resistance values stored in the nonvolatile memory of circuit 140 at one or more previous occurrences of step 404 corresponding to other (earlier) measurement times. In various embodiments, the data processing carried out at step 406 may include one or more data-processing operations selected from an example set of data-processing operations described in more detail below.
A first example data-processing operation that can be used at step 406 comprises comparing a measured resistance value with a threshold resistance value.
In an example embodiment, each of sensors 1101-110L and 1201-120M can be assigned a respective set of threshold resistance values. Such set of threshold resistance values may include, e.g., three different threshold resistance values, each indicative of a respective different degree of damage to the corresponding electrical circuit caused by exposure to an aggressive environment at the deployment site. The measured resistance value of the sensor can then be compared with each of these threshold resistance values to approximately gauge the condition of the circuit.
For example, sensor 110i can be assigned three threshold resistance values pi1<pi2<pi3, where the threshold resistance value pi1 is greater than the initial resistance ri0 of sensor 110i, and i=1, 2, . . . , L. As used herein, the term “initial resistance” refers to the resistance of the sensor at the factory, prior to the field deployment of circuit 100. The threshold resistance values pi1, pi2, and pi3 can be selected, e.g., as follows:
As another example, sensor 120j can be assigned three threshold resistance values σj1>σj2>σj3, where the threshold resistance value σj1 is smaller than the initial surface insulation resistance Rj0 of sensor 120j, and j=1, 2, . . . , M. The threshold resistance values σj1, σj2, and σj3 can be selected, e.g., as follows:
Another example data-processing operation that can be used at step 406 comprises computing a rate of resistance change and comparing the computed rate with a threshold rate.
For example, for sensor 110i, the rate vi of resistance change can be computed in accordance with Eq. (1):
v
i
={r
i(t2)−ri(t1)}/(t2−t1) (1)
where ri(t2) is the resistance of sensor 110i measured at time t2; ri(t1) is the resistance of sensor 110i measured at time t1; and t2>t1. The rate vi computed in this manner can then be compared with a corresponding threshold rate λi. Similarly, for sensor 120j, the rate Vj of surface insulation resistance change can be computed in accordance with Eq. (2):
V
j
={R
j(t1)−Rj(t2)}/(t2−t1) (2)
where Rj(t1) is the surface insulation resistance of sensor 120j measured at time t1; Rj(t2) is the surface insulation resistance of sensor 120j measured at time t2; and t2>t1. The rate Vj computed in this manner can then be compared with a corresponding threshold rate μj. The threshold rates λi and μj can be selected such that any rate vi greater than λi and/or any rate Vj greater than μj are indicative of an unacceptably harsh environment that might warrant relocation of the corresponding equipment from the current site or another appropriate remedial action by the equipment operator.
Yet another example data-processing operation that can be used at step 406 comprises computing an overall “health” indicator H for the corresponding equipment. In one possible embodiment, the health indicator H can be computed in accordance with Eq. (3):
where Ai is a fixed weighting coefficient corresponding to sensor 110i, and Bj is a fixed weighting coefficient corresponding to sensor 120j. A person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the value of the health indicator H computed in this manner tends to decrease as the exposure time of circuit 100 to an aggressive environment increases. Therefore, a health indicator value smaller than a certain designated threshold value H0 (i.e., H<H0) can be used to prompt the equipment operator to conduct or schedule an inspection of the corresponding equipment for possible maintenance and/or repairs to address the deteriorated “health” of the corresponding electrical circuits.
At step 408, circuit 140 uses the signal/data processing results of steps 404 and 406 to determine whether or not an appropriate alarm signal needs to be generated to alert the equipment operator about the deteriorating condition of the corresponding equipment. In various embodiments, various types of alarm signals can be generated depending on the types of data processing carried out at step 406. For example, one or more of the following fixed conditions can be used to cause a corresponding alarm message to be generated and transmitted out at step 410:
At step 410, circuit 140 generates an appropriate alarm message that indicates the condition(s) that caused the alarm message to be generated. Circuit 140 then transmits the generated alarm message, e.g., by way of conductive tracks 144, to the corresponding external electronic controller. After the transmission, the processing of method 400 is returned back to step 402. The external electronic controller may respond to the received alarm message by issuing a corresponding alert for the equipment operator.
According to an example embodiment disclosed above in reference to
In some embodiments of the above apparatus, the control circuit is configured to predict whether a different circuit device on the substrate is likely to break down or be broken based on the measured electrical resistances.
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the apparatus further comprises a fourth resistive sensor (e.g., 1202,
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, at least one of the first and second resistive elements comprises the first metal or metallic alloy; and at least one of the third and fourth resistive elements comprises the second metal or metallic alloy.
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, at least one of the first and second resistive elements comprises the third metal or metallic alloy that is different from the first metal or metallic alloy and the second metal or metallic alloy.
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the control circuit is configured to: process (e.g., at step 406,
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the control circuit is further configured to transmit the alarm message to an external electronic controller.
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the control circuit is further configured to generate the alarm message in a manner that causes the alarm message to specify which one or more of the plurality of fixed conditions are satisfied.
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the control circuit is further configured to generate the alarm message if one or more of the following fixed conditions are satisfied:
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the apparatus further comprises an integrated-circuit package (e.g., 130,
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the first metal or metallic alloy comprises one or both of copper and silver; and the second metal or metallic alloy comprises one or both of copper and tin.
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the electrical resistance between the first and second terminals is in the range between 0.1 Ω and 10 Ω; the electrical resistance between the third and fourth terminals is in the range between 0.1 Ω and 10 Ω; and the electrical resistance between the fifth and sixth terminals is greater than 10 MΩ.
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the electrical resistance between the first and second terminals increases in response to exposure to the aggressive environment; the electrical resistance between the third and fourth terminals increases in response to exposure to the aggressive environment; and the electrical resistance between the fifth and sixth terminals decreases in response to exposure to the aggressive environment.
According to another example embodiment disclosed above in reference to
Although embodiments of the first plurality of sensors have been described above in reference to the example conductive-track layout shown in
Although embodiments of the second plurality of sensors have been described above in reference to the example conductive-track layout shown in
In some embodiments, solder and or protective masks may be used for defining and/or covering at least some portions of the conductive tracks and traces in the various sensors.
In some embodiments of the above apparatus, the first plurality comprises: a first sensor (e.g., 1101,
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the first metal or metallic alloy comprises copper; and the second metal or metallic alloy comprises silver.
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the second plurality comprises: a third sensor (e.g., 1201,
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the second plurality comprises: a first sensor (e.g., 1201,
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the first metal or metallic alloy comprises one or both of copper and silver; and the second metal or metallic alloy comprises one or both of copper and tin.
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the apparatus further comprises: a first integrated-circuit package (e.g., 1301,
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the control circuit is configured to: apply a respective fixed voltage to a selected sensor of the first and second pluralities; sense a respective electrical current flowing through the selected sensor in response to the respective fixed voltage; and determine (e.g., at step 404,
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the control circuit is configured to: drive a respective fixed current through a selected sensor of the first and second pluralities; sense a respective voltage generated across the selected sensor in response to the respective fixed current flowing therethrough; and determine (e.g., at step 404,
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the control circuit is configured to: process (e.g., at step 406,
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the control circuit is further configured to transmit the alarm message to an external electronic controller.
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the control circuit is further configured to generate the alarm message in a manner that causes the alarm message to specify which ones of the plurality of fixed conditions are satisfied.
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the control circuit is further configured to generate the alarm message if one or more of the following fixed conditions are satisfied:
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the apparatus further comprises an integrated-circuit package (e.g., 130,
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the integrated-circuit package is a part of telecommunication equipment.
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the respective resistances of the first plurality of sensors are in the range between 0.1 Ω and 10 Ω; and the respective resistances of the second plurality of sensors are greater than 10 MΩ.
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, a sensor of the first plurality comprises a plurality of electrically conductive traces (e.g., 210,
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, a sensor of the second plurality comprises: a first electrically conducting comb (e.g., 3101,
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the apparatus further comprises a printed circuit board (e.g., 102,
In some embodiments of any of the above apparatus, the respective resistance of each sensor of the first plurality tends to increase in response to the sensor being exposed to the aggressive environment represented by one or more of the following conditions: (i) an ambient temperature lower than 0° C.; (ii) an ambient temperature higher than 30° C.; (iii) air humidity higher than 50%; (iv) presence of atmospheric dust; and (v) presence of a corrosive agent.
While this disclosure includes references to illustrative embodiments, this specification is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the described embodiments, as well as other embodiments within the scope of the disclosure, which are apparent to persons skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains are deemed to lie within the principle and scope of the disclosure, e.g., as expressed in the following claims.
Unless explicitly stated otherwise, each numerical value and range should be interpreted as being approximate as if the word “about” or “approximately” preceded the value or range.
It will be further understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of this disclosure may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as expressed in the following claims.
Although the elements in the following method claims, if any, are recited in a particular sequence with corresponding labeling, unless the claim recitations otherwise imply a particular sequence for implementing some or all of those elements, those elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular sequence.
Reference herein to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments necessarily mutually exclusive of other embodiments. The same applies to the term “implementation.”
Throughout the detailed description, the drawings, which are not to scale, are illustrative only and are used in order to explain, rather than limit the disclosure. The use of terms such as height, length, width, top, bottom, is strictly to facilitate the description of the embodiments and is not intended to limit the embodiments to a specific orientation. For example, height does not imply only a vertical rise limitation, but is used to identify one of the three dimensions of a three dimensional structure as shown in the figures. Such “height” would be vertical where the corresponding layers are horizontal but would be horizontal where the corresponding layers are vertical, and so on.
Also for purposes of this description, the terms “couple,” “coupling,” “coupled,” “connect,” “connecting,” or “connected” refer to any manner known in the art or later developed in which energy is allowed to be transferred between two or more elements, and the interposition of one or more additional elements is contemplated, although not required. Conversely, the terms “directly coupled,” “directly connected,” etc., imply the absence of such additional elements.
The description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the disclosure. It will thus be appreciated that those of ordinary skill in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the disclosure and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be only for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the disclosure and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the disclosure, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
The functions of the various elements shown in the figures, including any functional blocks labeled as “processors” and/or “controllers,” may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared. Moreover, explicit use of the term “processor” or “controller” should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), read only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), and non volatile storage. Other hardware, conventional and/or custom, may also be included. Similarly, any switches shown in the figures are conceptual only. Their function may be carried out through the operation of program logic, through dedicated logic, through the interaction of program control and dedicated logic, or even manually, the particular technique being selectable by the implementer as more specifically understood from the context.
It should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative circuitry embodying the principles of the disclosure. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and so executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/251,133, filed on Aug. 30, 2016, and entitled “DETECTING DETERIORATION OF AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT IN AN AGGRESSIVE ENVIRONMENT,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 15251133 | Aug 2016 | US |
Child | 16101916 | US |