Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

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.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim