# US 11,451,222 B2 · Reliability detection device and reliability detection method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,451,222 B2 - Document ID: US11451222B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/542,518 - Filed: 2021-12-06 - Published: 2022-08-04 - Granted: 2022-09-20 - Earliest claimed: 2021-02-01 - Assignees: Realtek Semiconductor Corp. - Applicants: Realtek Semiconductor Corporation - Inventors: Wen-Hsuan Hsu; Chun-Yi Kuo; Ying-Yen Chen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11451222B2 ## CPC - H03K 17/005: {with several inputs only} - H03K 19/003: Modifications for increasing the reliability {for protection} - H03K 2217/94: characterised by the way in which the control signal is generated - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) ## Abstract A reliability detection device includes a control circuit, oscillator circuits, and an output circuit. The control circuit is configured to generate enable signals according to a mode signal. The oscillator circuits output oscillating signals, in which each of the oscillator circuits is configured to generate a corresponding oscillating signal in the oscillating signals according to a switching signal when the mode signal has a first logic value, and generate the corresponding oscillating signal according to a corresponding enable signal in the enable signals when the mode signal has a second logic value, and the switching signal is associated with a functional circuit. The output circuit is configured to output a detection signal according to the oscillating signals when the mode signal has the second logic value, in which the detection signal is to indicate a reliability of the functional circuit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A reliability detection device, comprising: a control circuit configured to generate a plurality of enable signals according to a mode signal; a plurality of oscillator circuits configured to output a plurality of oscillating signals, wherein each of the plurality of oscillator circuits is configured to generate a corresponding oscillating signal in the plurality of oscillating signals according to a switching signal when the mode signal has a first logic value, and generate the corresponding oscillating signal according to a corresponding enable signal in the plurality of enable signals when the mode signal has a second logic value, and the switching signal is associated with a functional circuit; and an output circuit configured to output a detection signal according to the plurality of oscillating signals when the mode signal has the second logic value, wherein the detection signal is to indicate a reliability of the functional circuit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The reliability detection device of claim 1, wherein when the mode signal has the second logic value, each of the plurality of oscillator circuits is configured to operate as a free running oscillator circuit according to the corresponding enable signal, in order to generate the corresponding oscillating signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The reliability detection device of claim 1, wherein the mode signal has the second logic value, each of the plurality of oscillator circuits does not generate the corresponding oscillating signal in response to the switching signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The reliability detection device of claim 1, wherein the output circuit is further configured to stop outputting the detection signal when the mode signal has the first logic value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The reliability detection device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of oscillator circuits comprises: a first logic gate circuit configured to generate a first signal according to the mode signal and the switching signal; a multiplexer circuit configured to output the first signal or a second signal to be a third signal according to the mode signal; a second logic gate circuit configured to generate the corresponding oscillating signal according to the corresponding enable signal and the third signal; and a plurality of digital circuits configured to output the second signal and receive the third signal, wherein the plurality of digital circuits are coupled in series via the multiplexer circuit and the second logic gate circuit, in order to operate as a ring oscillator circuit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The reliability detection device of claim 5, wherein when the corresponding enable signal has the second logic value, the ring oscillator circuit generates the corresponding oscillating signal based on the second signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The reliability detection device of claim 5, wherein the first logic gate circuit is an AND gate circuit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The reliability detection device of claim 5, wherein the second logic gate circuit is an NOR gate circuit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The reliability detection device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises: an encoder circuit configured to generate a plurality of control signals according to a selection signal; and a plurality of logic gate circuits configured to generate the plurality of enable signals according to the plurality of control signals and the mode signal, wherein when the mode signal has the first logic value, each of the plurality of enable signals has the second logic value. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The reliability detection device of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of logic gate circuits is an AND gate circuit having an inverting input terminal, and the inverting input terminal is configured to receive the mode signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The reliability detection device of claim 1, wherein the output circuit comprises: a first logic gate circuit configured to generate a signal according to the plurality of oscillating signals; and a second logic gate circuit configured to output the detection signal according to the signal when the mode signal has the second logic value, and stop outputting the detection signal when the mode signal has the first logic value. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The reliability detection device of claim 11 wherein the first logic gate circuit is an OR gate circuit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The reliability detection device of claim 11, wherein the second logic gate circuit is an NOR gate circuit. ### Claim 14 A reliability detection method, comprising: generating a plurality of enable signals according to a mode signal; generating a plurality of oscillating signals according to a switching signal when the mode signal has a first logic value, wherein the switching signal is associated with a functional circuit; generating a corresponding oscillating signal in the plurality of oscillating signals according to a corresponding enable signal in the plurality of enable signals when the mode signal has a second logic value; and outputting a detection signal according to the plurality of oscillating signals when the mode signal has the second logic value, wherein the detection signal is to indicate a reliability of the functional circuit. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The reliability detection method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of oscillating signals are generated from a plurality of oscillating circuits, and generating the corresponding oscillating signal according to the corresponding enable signal when the mode signal has the second logic value comprises: operating, by a corresponding one of the plurality of oscillator circuits, as a free running oscillator circuit according to the corresponding enable signal when the mode signal has the second logic value, in order to generate the corresponding oscillating signal. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The reliability detection method of claim 15, wherein when the mode signal has the second logic value, the plurality of oscillator circuits do not generate the plurality of oscillating signals in response to the switching signal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The reliability detection method of claim 14, further comprising: stopping outputting the detection signal when the mode signal has the first logic value. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The reliability detection method of claim 14, wherein generating the plurality of enable signals according to the mode signal comprises: generating a plurality of control signals according to a selection signal; and generating, by a plurality of logic gate circuits, the plurality of enable signals according to the plurality of control signals and the mode signal, wherein when the mode signal has the first logic value, each of the plurality of enable signals has the second logic value. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The reliability detection method of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of logic gate circuits is an AND gate circuit having an inverting input terminal, and the inverting input terminal is configured to receive the mode signal. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The reliability detection method of claim 14, wherein outputting the detection signal according to the plurality of oscillating signals when the mode signal has the second logic value comprises: generating a signal according to the plurality of oscillating signals; outputting the detection signal according to the signal when the mode signal has the second logic value; and stopping outputting the detection signal when the mode signal has the first logic value.