Health monitoring of a circuit

1. A method for use with a circuit device, wherein the circuit device comprises a circuit having an adaptive voltage-current characteristic, and a detector configured to detect a voltage-current relation of the circuit, the method comprising:

adapting, by the detector, the adaptive voltage-current characteristic over time;

detecting, by the detector, the voltage-current relation of the circuit;

comparing, by the detector, the detected voltage-current relation with the adaptive voltage-current characteristic to generate a comparison result; and

based on the comparison result, generating a signal by the detector, the signal indicating that the detected voltage-current relation differs from the adaptive voltage-current characteristic;

wherein detecting the voltage-current relation of the circuit comprises:

applying, by the detector, a predefined voltage at a measurement node of the circuit;

sensing, by the detector, a measured current through a measurement portion of the circuit, wherein the measured current is produced at the measurement portion of the circuit in response to the predefined voltage applied to the measurement node; and

determining, by the detector, a corresponding design current expected at the measurement portion of the circuit in response to the predefined voltage by cross-referencing the predefined voltage to the adaptive voltage-current characteristic in order to determine the corresponding design current, and

wherein comparing the detected voltage-current relation with the adaptive voltage-current characteristic to generate the comparison result comprises:

comparing, by the detector, the measured current to the corresponding design current to generate the comparison result.

2. The method of claim 1 , the method comprising:

identifying, by the detector, the adaptive voltage-current characteristic based on simulating operation of a model of the circuit.

3. The method of claim 1 , the method comprising:

identifying, by the detector, the adaptive voltage-current characteristic based on operating a prototype of the circuit.

4. The method of claim 1 , the method comprising:

identifying, by the detector, a plurality of circuit portions of the circuit;

identifying, by the detector, a plurality of adaptive partial voltage-current characteristics, each of the plurality of adaptive partial voltage-current characteristics corresponding to a different one of the plurality of circuit portions of the circuit; and

consolidating, by the detector, the plurality of adaptive partial voltage-current characteristics in the adaptive voltage-current characteristic.

5. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:

generating, by the detector, a signal indicative of a difference of the measured current to the corresponding design current exceeding a threshold current difference or not.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

forecasting, by the detector, a future health of the circuit using at least one of data mining, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and pattern matching.

7. A method for use with a circuit device, wherein the circuit device comprises a circuit having an adaptive voltage-current characteristic, and a detector configured to detect a voltage-current relation of the circuit, the method comprising:

adapting, by the detector, the adaptive voltage-current characteristic over time;

detecting, by the detector, the voltage-current relation of the circuit;

comparing, by the detector, the detected voltage-current relation with the adaptive voltage-current characteristic to generate a comparison result; and

based on the comparison result, generating a signal by the detector, the signal indicating that the detected voltage-current relation differs from the adaptive voltage-current characteristic;

wherein detecting the voltage-current relation of the circuit comprises:

applying, by the detector, a predefined current to a measurement node of the circuit;

at a sense node of the circuit, sensing, by the detector, a measured voltage across the circuit, wherein the measured voltage is produced at the sense node in response to the predefined current applied to the measurement node; and

determining, by the detector, a corresponding design voltage expected at the sense node in response to the predefined current by cross-referencing the predefined current to the adaptive voltage-current characteristic in order to determine the corresponding design voltage, and

wherein comparing the detected voltage-current relation with the adaptive voltage-current characteristic to generate the comparison result comprises:

comparing, by the detector, the measured voltage to the corresponding design voltage to generate the comparison result.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

generating, by the detector, a signal indicative of a difference of the measured voltage to the corresponding design voltage exceeding a threshold voltage difference or not.

9. A circuit device, comprising:

a circuit having an adaptive voltage-current characteristic; and

a detector configured to adapt the adaptive voltage-current characteristic over time, measure a voltage-current relation of the circuit, compare the measured voltage-current relation with the adaptive voltage-current characteristic to generate a comparison result, and generate a signal indicating that the detected voltage-current relation differs from the adaptive voltage-current characteristic;

wherein the detector is further configured to:

apply a predefined voltage at a measurement node of the circuit;

sense a measured current through a measurement portion of the circuit, wherein the measured current is produced at the measurement portion of the circuit in response to the predefined voltage applied to the measurement node;

determine a corresponding design current expected at the measurement portion of the circuit in response to the predefined voltage by cross-referencing the predefined voltage to the adaptive voltage-current characteristic in order to determine the corresponding design current; and

compare the measured current to the corresponding design current to generate the comparison result.

10. The circuit device of claim 9 , wherein the adaptive voltage-current characteristic is based on a simulated operation of a model of the circuit.

11. The circuit device of claim 9 , wherein the adaptive voltage-current characteristic is based on an operation of a prototype of the circuit.

12. The circuit device of claim 9 , wherein the circuit comprises a plurality of circuit portions having a plurality of

adaptive partial voltage-current characteristics, and the circuit device further comprises:

a multiplexer coupled to the plurality of circuit portions and configured to select at least one selected signal from a plurality of signals of the plurality of circuit portions for the detector to measure the voltage-current relation of the circuit.

13. The circuit device of claim 9 , wherein the circuit device is configured to perform a built-in self-test on the circuit via the detector.

14. The circuit device of claim 13 , wherein the detector is configured to set a measurement node of the circuit to a measurement voltage and to sense a measured current through a measurement portion of the circuit.

15. The circuit device of claim 14 , wherein:

the detector is configured to generate a signal indicative of a difference of the measured current to the corresponding design current exceeding a threshold current or not.

16. The circuit device of claim 13 , wherein the detector is configured to provide a measurement current to a measurement node of the circuit and to sense, at a sense node, a measured voltage across the circuit.

17. The circuit device of claim 9 , wherein the circuit comprises at least one of a group consisting of a modulator, a power amplifier, a buffer, a signal mixer, an analog-to-digital converter, a digital-to-analog converter, an active filter, a passive filter, a brown-out detector, a power supply, a switched power supply, an analog phase locked loop, a current source, a current mirror, a comparator, an operational amplifier, a schmitt trigger.

18. The circuit device of claim 9 , wherein the circuit device is provided as a microwave integrated circuit.

19. A circuit device, comprising:

a circuit having an adaptive voltage-current characteristic; and

a detector configured to adapt the adaptive voltage-current characteristic over time, measure a voltage-current relation of the circuit, compare the measured voltage-current relation with the adaptive voltage-current characteristic to generate a comparison result, and generate a signal indicating that the detected voltage-current relation differs from the adaptive voltage-current characteristic;

wherein the detector is further configured to:

apply a predefined current to a measurement node of the circuit;

at a sense node of the circuit, sense a measured voltage across the circuit, wherein the measured voltage is produced at the sense node in response to the predefined current applied to the measurement node;

determine a corresponding design voltage expected at the sense node in response to the predefined current by cross-referencing the predefined current to the adaptive voltage-current characteristic in order to determine the corresponding design voltage; and

compare the measured voltage to the corresponding design voltage to generate the comparison result, and

the detector is configured to generate a signal indicative of a difference of the measured voltage to the corresponding design voltage exceeding a threshold voltage or not.

20. A circuit monitoring device, comprising:

at least one coupler configured to electrically couple to a circuit;

an input parameter circuit configured to cause a predefined current to flow through the circuit;

a sense circuit configured to sense a measured voltage across the circuit, wherein the measured voltage is produced in response to the predefined current flowing through the circuit; and

at least one processing circuit configured to:

adapt the adaptive voltage-current characteristic over time,

determine a corresponding design voltage expected across the circuit in response to the predefined current by cross-referencing the predefined current to an adaptive voltage-current characteristic of the circuit, and

compare the measured voltage to the corresponding design voltage to generate a signal indicating a difference between the measured voltage and the corresponding design voltage.

21. A circuit monitoring device, comprising:

at least one coupler configured to electrically couple to a circuit;

an input parameter circuit configured to set a predefined voltage across the circuit;

a sense circuit configured to sense a measured current flowing through the circuit, wherein the measured current is produced in response to the predefined voltage set across the circuit; and

at least one processing circuit configured to:

adapt the adaptive voltage-current characteristic over time,

determine a corresponding design current expected to flow through the circuit in response to the predefined voltage by cross-referencing the predefined voltage to an adaptive voltage-current characteristic, and

compare the measured current to the corresponding design current to generate a signal indicating a difference between the measured current and the corresponding design current.