Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for testing current sinking/sourcing capability of a driver circuit

US6737858B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
4References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 14, 2002
Grant dateMay 18, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 13, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R31/40
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Method and apparatus of testing current sinking and sourcing capability of a driver in an IC calls for positioning a charge storage element at an output of the driver and charging it to a known voltage value. A pulse of known duration and voltage level is applied to an input of the driver and a resulting voltage value is measured at the output of the driver. A current flow through the driver is determined to be within testing limits by comparing an expected voltage value against the resulting voltage value.An apparatus for testing current sinking and sourcing capacity of a driver in an IC has the driver with a charge storage element of known or measurable capacitive value at an output of the driver. An input circuit permits application of a test pulse of known duration and data input values to the driver. A receiver accepts an output of the driver for determining a threshold voltage value at the driver output.

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