Claims
- 1. A device for detecting and measuring short pulse-type signals such as ESD Events and surges, comprising:
means for receiving a signal and converting the electromagnetic field into an electric signal; resonance means that creates, from a short duration received electrical signal, a new secondary self-resonating signal with a longer duration having a magnitude that is a function of the magnitude of the received signal, wherein slower input signals will not create strong secondary resonance signals and will not be measured; and signal measuring means for measuring the amplitude of the self-resonating signal in order to provide an analog or digital representation of the magnitude of the received filtered signal.
- 2. The device of claim 1 further comprising means for filtering the electric signal in order to reject signals with predetermined properties not associated with short transient-type signals and pass only signals with properties associated with short transient-type signals.
- 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the output of said filtering means is connected to the input of a detecting means and the output of said detecting means is connected to the input of said signal measuring means so that said measuring means will measure direct current signal.
- 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the output of said detecting means is connected to the input of a threshold means and the output of said threshold means is connected to the input of a high-pass filter and the output of said high-pass filter is connected to the input of said signal measurement means so that said threshold means averages the level of background electromagnetic signal to establish the background threshold signal level and said high-pass filter rejects steady background signal levels and passes only rapidly-changing signals allowing measurements only of signals caused by short pulsed signals of interest that rise briefly above the background level.
- 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the threshold means is connected to second input of said measurement means where said measurement means thus ignores any received signal whose magnitude is below the one set by said threshold means.
- 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the control means of said threshold means is remotely located and provide threshold setting signal to said measurement means remotely.
- 7. The device of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of receiving means to provide information about the received signal from several locations.
- 8. The device of claim 5, wherein the output of said measurement means is connected to an event counter wherein each occurrence of event with the magnitude exceeding the level set by said threshold means is counted to provide a count of the number of relevant event occurrences.
- 9. The device of claim 1, wherein said signal measuring means comprises an analog-to-digital converter, a control means an d a memory arrangement where every received signal is individually measured and recorded as it occurs and then the information of each event's properties is communicated to the outside information recipient at a slower rate than incoming signals so that a slower-reacting recipient (i.e. data acquisition system) or a human eye can read this information.
- 10. The device of claim 1 further comprising a second receiving means coupled via a conductive means to said device and to a power source, the output of said second receiving means is connected to second detecting means and the output of second detecting means is connected to second input of said measurement means, wherein said measurement means contains comparison means for rejecting a signal from the first detecting means if it coincides with the input from the second detecting means in order to reject the signals that are most likely are carried on the wires and cables connected to said device rather than genuine signal of interest.
- 11. The device of claim 10, wherein said comparison means compares signals received from the first receiving means and the second receiving means by the properties of the signals in addition to the arrival time in order to reject the signals that coincide both in time of arrival and in their properties as most likely are carried on the wires and cables connected to said device rather than genuine signal of interest.
- 12. The device of claims 9 further comprising an embedded web microserver connected to said control means and to information network thus providing information of each event via the internet.
- 13. The device of claim 12 wherein setting of threshold is available via Internet.
- 14. The device of claim 13 wherein said information network interface is established via wireless means.
- 15. The device of claim 2, wherein the properties of said resonance means are tuned to the specific properties of measured events, i.e. machine-model (MM) discharge, human body discharge (HBM) or charged device model (CDM) that have different timing characteristics so that the maximum said secondary signal is generated when such selected type of event has occurred and on other type of events generates minimal said secondary signal.
- 16. The device of claim 1 further comprising a processor for processing the received signal and outputting a calculated result.
- 17. A power supply isolation apparatus, comprising:
first switching means that connect a first storage means to the output of a power source; second switching means that connects said first storage means to a second storage means, the second storage means being connected to the electric load; and a controller for controlling the first and second switching means where both the switching means connect the first storage means alternatively to either said power source or to said second storage means in a non-overlapping manner so that said first storage means charge from said power supply and discharge into said second storage means in a manner where said second storage means and said electric load are never directly connected to said power supply and no interference signal is passed from said power supply.
- 18. A power supply isolation apparatus, comprising:
a first switching means that connect a first storage means alternatively to either a power supply or to an electric load; and a second switching means that alternatively connect a second storage means to either said power supply or to said electric load where said first switching means and said second switching means operate in a non-overlapping manner when one storage means is connected to said power supply for charging and another previously charged storage means provides power to said electrical load so that said electric load is never directly connected to said power supply and no interference signal is passed from said power supply.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising a third storage means connected in parallel to said electric load to sustain its voltage during switching transitions and to reduce transient signals generated by said switching transitions.
- 20. The device of claim 18 further comprising a voltage monitor connected across said electrical load with its output connected to a control circuit, the first output of said controlled means is controlling operation of said first switching means and the second output of said control means is controlling operation of said second switching means where said voltage monitor provides control signal to said control means when the voltage across said electric load drops to preset level and said control circuit in response initiates switching cycle and connects storage means that were providing voltage to said electric load to said power supply for charge and other previously charged storage means to said electric load for providing power.
- 21. A method for detecting and measuring short pulse-type signals such as ESD Events and surges, comprising:
receiving a signal and converting the electromagnetic field into an electric signal; filtering the electric signal in order to reject signals with predetermined properties not associated with short transient-type signals and pass only signals with properties associated with short transient-type signals; and measuring the signal to provide an analog or digital representation of the magnitude of the received filtered signal.
- 22. The method of claim 21, wherein said filtering comprises creating, from a short duration received signal, a new secondary self-resonating signal with a longer duration having a magnitude that is a function of the magnitude of the received signal, wherein slower input signals will not create strong secondary resonance signals and will not be measured.
- 23. The method of claim 21 further comprising detecting the output of the filtering wherein the output of said detecting is connected to the input of said signal measuring means so that said measuring means will measure direct current signal.
- 24. The method of claim 23 further comprising generating a threshold based on the detecting, high pass filtering the threshold, outputting the threshold to the signal measuring so that said threshold averages the level of background electromagnetic signal to establish the background threshold signal level and said high-pass filter rejects steady background signal levels and passes only rapidly-changing signals allowing measurements only of signals caused by short pulsed signals of interest that rise briefly above the background level.
- 25. The method of claim 24 further comprising counting the number of ESD events so that each occurrence of event with the magnitude exceeding the level set by said threshold means is counted to provide a count of the number of relevant event occurrences.
- 26. The method of claim 25 further comprising buffering the receiving signal so that the information about the received signal is passed to a recipient at a slower rate than incoming signals so that a slower-reacting recipient (i.e. data acquisition system) or a human eye can read this information.
- 27. The method of claim 21 further comprising processing the received signal and outputting a calculated result.
- 28. A device for detecting and measuring short pulse-type signals such as ESD Events and surges, comprising:
means for receiving a signal and converting the electromagnetic field into an electric signal; means for filtering the electric signal in order to reject signals with predetermined properties not associated with short transient-type signals and pass only signals with properties associated with short transient-type signals; resonator for creating, from a short duration received signal, a new secondary self-resonating signal with a longer duration having a magnitude that is a function of the magnitude of the received signal, wherein slower input signals will not create strong secondary resonance signals and will not be measured; and signal measuring means that provides an analog or digital representation of the magnitude of the received filtered signal.
- 29. A device for detecting and measuring short pulse-type signals such as ESD Events and surges, comprising:
means for receiving a signal and converting the electromagnetic field into an electric signal; signal measuring means for measuring the amplitude of the signal in order to provide an analog or digital representation of the magnitude of the received filtered signal; and wherein said signal measuring means comprises an analog-to-digital converter, a control means and a memory arrangement wherein every received signal is individually measured and recorded as it occurs in the memory so that the information of each event's properties is communicated to the outside information recipient at a slower rate than incoming signals so that a slower-reacting recipient or a human eye can read this information.
- 30. The device of claim 29 further comprising resonance means that creates, from a short duration received electrical signal, a new secondary self-resonating signal with a longer duration having a magnitude that is a function of the magnitude of the received signal, wherein slower input signals will not create strong secondary resonance signals and will not be measured.
- 31. The device of claim 30 further comprising means for filtering the electric signal in order to reject signals with predetermined properties not associated with short transient-type signals and pass only signals with properties associated with short transient-type signals.
- 32. The device of claim 31, wherein the output of said filtering means is connected to the input of a detecting means and the output of said detecting means is connected to the input of said signal measuring means so that said measuring means will measure direct current signal.
- 33. The device of claim 32, wherein the output of said detecting means is connected to the input of a threshold means and the output of said threshold means is connected to the input of a high-pass filter and the output of said high-pass filter is connected to the input of said signal measurement means so that said threshold means averages the level of background electromagnetic signal to establish the background threshold signal level and said high-pass filter rejects steady background signal levels and passes only rapidly-changing signals allowing measurements only of signals caused by short pulsed signals of interest that rise briefly above the background level.
- 34. The device of claim 33, wherein the threshold means is connected to second input of said measurement means where said measurement means thus ignores any received signal whose magnitude is below the one set by said threshold means.
- 35. The device of claim 34, wherein the control means of said threshold means is remotely located and provide threshold setting signal to said measurement means remotely.
- 36. The device of claim 29 further comprising a plurality of receiving means to provide information about the received signal from several locations.
- 37. The device of claim 29, wherein the output of said measurement means is connected to an event counter wherein each occurrence of event with the magnitude exceeding the level set by said threshold means is counted to provide a count of the number of relevant event occurrences.
- 38. The device of claim 29 further comprising a second receiving means coupled via a conductive means to said device and to a power source, the output of said second receiving means is connected to second detecting means and the output of second detecting means is connected to second input of said measurement means, wherein said measurement means contains comparison means for rejecting a signal from the first detecting means if it coincides with the input from the second detecting means in order to reject the signals that are most likely are carried on the wires and cables connected to said device rather than genuine signal of interest.
- 39. The device of claim 38, wherein said comparison means compares signals received from the first receiving means and the second receiving means by the properties of the signals in addition to the arrival time in order to reject the signals that coincide both in time of arrival and in their properties as most likely are carried on the wires and cables connected to said device rather than genuine signal of interest.
- 40. The device of claims 29 further comprising an embedded web microserver connected to said control means and to information network thus providing information of each event via the internet.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 USC §§ 119 and 120 of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/129,982 filed Apr. 19, 1999 and entitled “Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Event Monitor”. The above-identified provisional application has the same inventor and is assigned to the same assignee as the provisional application and is incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60129982 |
Apr 1999 |
US |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09551412 |
Apr 2000 |
US |
Child |
10437108 |
May 2003 |
US |