Method and apparatus for identifying defective bus devices
US4951283A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 8, 1988 |
| Grant date | Aug 21, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 8, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F11/221
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A technique for automatically diagnosing the failure of electronic devices connected to share a common bus. All bus devices are first disabled, and the bus is examined to determine if a failed device is interfering with normal operation by causing the bus to be stuck at a logic high or a logic low level. If the bus is stuck low or high, a forcing voltage nearly equal to either V.sub.ol or V.sub.oh, respectively, is applied to the bus, with all devices still disabled. A disabled bus current is then measured. One at a time, the bus devices are enabled, and the current on the bus measured to determine an enabled bus current. If, for a particular device, the enabled bus current exceeds the disabled bus current by a predetermined amount depending on the drive current specification of the device, it is concluded that the particular device is operating properly.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.