IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,262,416
Granted Patent B2
US 11,262,416 · App. 15/776,147 · Granted Mar 1, 2022

Diagnostic circuit, electronic circuit, electronic device, and mobile body

Inventors: Akio Tsutsumi (Chino, JP); Naoki Yoshida (Kariya, JP)
G01R31/64
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,262,416
App. No.
15/776,147
Granted
Mar 1, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A diagnostic circuit is provided that diagnoses a connection state of a capacitor connected to an output terminal of a regulator that outputs a first voltage, the diagnostic circuit including: a switching circuit that performs, during a first period, a switching control process of switching an output voltage of the regulator to a second voltage that is higher than the first voltage; a detecting circuit that detects a variation in an output current of the regulator caused by the switching control process; and a determining circuit that determines the connection state of the capacitor, based on a detection result of the detecting circuit.

Claims (65)

1. A diagnostic circuit diagnosing connection states of a first capacitor connected to an output terminal of a first regulator and a second capacitor connected to an output terminal of a second regulator, the diagnostic circuit comprising:

a first switching circuit that switches, during a first period, an output voltage of the first regulator that outputs a first voltage to a second voltage that is higher than the first voltage;

a first internal capacitor;

a first current mirror circuit that outputs a mirror current of an output current of the first regulator to one end of the first internal capacitor;

a second switching circuit that switches, during the first period, an output voltage of the second regulator that outputs a third voltage to a fourth voltage that is higher than the third voltage;

a second internal capacitor;

a second current mirror circuit that outputs a mirror current of an output current of the second regulator to one end of the second internal capacitor; and

a determining circuit that determines connection states of the first capacitor and the second capacitor,

the determining circuit including:

a first comparator that compares a voltage at the one end of the first internal capacitor with a first reference voltage;

a second comparator that compares a voltage at the one end of the second internal capacitor with a second reference voltage; and

a determining unit that determines the connection states of the first capacitor and the second capacitor based on a time required by the voltage at the one end of the first internal capacitor to exceed the first reference voltage and a time required by the voltage at the one end of the second internal capacitor to exceed the second reference voltage.

2. An electronic circuit comprising:

the diagnostic circuit according to claim 1 ; and

a reset circuit that changes a potential difference between the first voltage and the second voltage and outputs a reset signal of the electronic circuit when the determining circuit determines that the connection state is anomalous.

3. An electronic circuit comprising:

the diagnostic circuit according to claim 1 ; and

a register,

the diagnostic circuit writing error information into the register when the determining circuit determines that the connection state of the capacitor is anomalous.

4. An electronic circuit comprising:

the diagnostic circuit according to claim 1 ,

the determining circuit outputting an error information signal to the outside when determining that the connection state of the capacitor is anomalous.

5. An electronic circuit comprising:

the diagnostic circuit according to claim 1 ; and

a reset circuit that outputs a reset signal of the electronic circuit when the determining circuit determines that the connection state is anomalous.

6. An electronic device comprising the diagnostic circuit according to claim 1 .

7. An electronic device comprising:

the diagnostic circuit according to claim 1 ;

a sensor that outputs a sensor signal in accordance with a size of a physical quantity; and

a processing circuit,

the processing circuit performing:

a noise amount calculating process of calculating a noise amount included in the sensor signal; and

a determining process of determining that the noise amount is larger than a threshold.

8. An electronic device comprising:

the diagnostic circuit according to claim 1 ;

a first sensor that outputs a first sensor signal in accordance with a size of a physical quantity;

a second sensor that outputs a second sensor signal in accordance with a size of a physical quantity; and

a processing circuit,

the processing circuit performing:

a noise amount calculating process of calculating a first noise amount included in the first sensor signal and a second noise amount included in the second sensor signal; and

a selecting process of selecting any of the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal in accordance with the first noise amount and the second noise amount.

9. A mobile body comprising the diagnostic circuit according to claim 1 .

10. An electronic device comprising:

a diagnostic circuit diagnosing a connection state of a capacitor connected to an output terminal of a regulator that outputs a first voltage;

a sensor that outputs a sensor signal in accordance with a size of a physical quantity; and

a processing circuit,

the diagnostic circuit comprising:

a switching circuit that performs, during a first period, a switching control process of switching an output voltage of the regulator to a second voltage that is higher than the first voltage;

a detecting circuit that detects a variation in an output current of the regulator caused by the switching control process while the output voltage is switched to the second voltage during the first period; and

a determining circuit that determines the connection state of the capacitor based on a detection result of the detecting circuit as performed during the first period,

the processing circuit performing:

a noise amount calculating process of calculating a noise amount included in the sensor signal; and

a determining process of determining that the noise amount is larger than a threshold.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a diagnostic circuit diagnosing a connection state of a capacitor connected to an output terminal of a regulator that outputs a first voltage;

a first sensor that outputs a first sensor signal in accordance with a size of a physical quantity;

a second sensor that outputs a second sensor signal in accordance with a size of a physical quantity; and

a processing circuit,

the diagnostic circuit comprising:

a switching circuit that performs, during a first period, a switching control process of switching an output voltage of the regulator to a second voltage that is higher than the first voltage;

a detecting circuit that detects a variation in an output current of the regulator caused by the switching control process while the output voltage is switched to the second voltage during the first period; and

a determining circuit that determines the connection state of the capacitor based on a detection result of the detecting circuit as performed during the first period,

the processing circuit performing:

a noise amount calculating process of calculating a noise amount included in the sensor signal; and

a selecting process of selecting any of the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal in accordance with the first noise amount and the second noise amount.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 15, 2018
From: TSUTSUMI, AKIO; YOSHIDA, NAOKI
To: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION; DENSO CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 045805/0029 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2015-226519 · Nov 19, 2015 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200256928A1 · Aug 13, 2020