Patent · US Expired

Apparatus and method for locating a short

US5087874A · kind A · utility

17Cited by
3References
12Claims
0Family size

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateAug 28, 1989
Grant dateFeb 11, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 28, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R31/281
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An apparatus can locate a short between a first and second network with a pair of probes, a measurement device and a current source. The measurement device can measure the potential between the probes. The current source can be connected to the first and second network for injecting between them a current in excess of 1/8 Amp. A larger system can use a matrix connected between a plurality of probes and the measurement device. The matrix can selectively connect a selected one of the probes to the measurement device. This larger system includes a manual keyboard for manually producing a command signal indicating selected pairs of the probes. A processor is coupled to the matrix and the manual keyboard for operting the matrix in response to the command signal to record the potential differences between selected pairs of the probes. A display can spatially display the selected pairs of probes and can also display the polarity of the potential between each of them, as measured by the measurement means. In using the forgoing apparatus one can predict the direction of a short between a first and second network in relation to the polarity between a pair of spaced points in the first networ…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.