# US 11,906,329 B2 · Testing apparatus for electronic or electro-mechanical feedback devices

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- Number: US 11,906,329 B2
- Document ID: US11906329B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/575,892
- Filed: 2022-01-14
- Published: 2022-07-21
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2021-01-18
- Assignees: Octava Engineering, LLC
- Applicants: Octava Engineering, LLC
- Inventors: Clint Switzer; Nishant Pathak
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906329B2

## CPC

- G01D 18/00: Testing or calibrating apparatus or arrangements provided for in groups G01D1/00 - G01D15/00
- G01D 5/12: using electric or magnetic means (G01D5/06 takes precedence)
- G01D 5/24466: {Comparison of the error value to a threshold}
- G01R 19/1659: {to indicate that the value is within or outside a predetermined range of values (window) (G01R19/16514, G01R19/16519, G01R19/16528 and G01R19/16533 take precedence)}
- G01R 31/2829: {Testing of circuits in sensor or actuator systems (testing of apparatus for measuring electric or magnetic variables G01R35/00; testing of indicating or recording apparatus G01D; in airbag systems B60R21/0173; checking gas analysers G01N33/007; monitoring or fail-safe circuits for electromagnets H01F7/1844)}
- G01D: MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)

## Abstract

A testing apparatus and method for detecting faults in encoders are disclosed. The testing apparatus includes a signal conditioning circuit board that receives an encoder signal and a central processing unit in communication with the circuit board and configured to: check for faulty amplitude, check for signal symmetry, check for signal offset, and/or check for signal transmission rate. The testing apparatus includes a real-time controller for real-time signal processing and fault detection.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A testing apparatus for feedback devices, comprising:
a signal conditioning circuit board that receives a feedback signal;
a central processing unit in communication with the signal conditioning circuit board, the central processing unit configured to:
perform a power check by measuring a voltage and an amperage of the feedback signal, and comparing the measured voltage and the measured amperage to a predefined voltage range and a predefined amperage range, respectively;
check for faulty amplitude by measuring both a high state amplitude and a low state amplitude of the feedback signal, and comparing the high state signal amplitude and the low state signal amplitude to a corresponding predefined amplitude range; and
check for signal symmetry by measuring a duty cycle of the feedback signal, and continually comparing an ON time and an OFF time of the signal to determine if a ratio of the ON time to the OFF time falls within a predefined symmetry threshold.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the central processing unit is configured to communicate a power off command in response to determining that at least one of the measured voltage and the measured amperage is outside of the predefined voltage range and the predefined amperage range, respectively.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the central processing unit is further configured to check for signal offset by comparing a phase angle of the feedback signal with that of a complementary signal, and determine if a phase difference of the signals falls within a predefined offset threshold.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The testing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the central processing unit is further configured to check for signal transmission rate by measuring a rate at which the feedback signal is received, and comparing the measured rate to a predefined rate threshold.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The testing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a field programmable gate array that captures the feedback signal from the signal conditioning circuit board, and formats the feedback signal for the central processing unit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The testing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the field programmable gate array is configured to check for at least one of values and characteristics of the feedback signal separately or in tandem with the central processing unit and compare the at least one of values and characteristics to a predefined threshold.

### Claim 7

A testing apparatus for encoders, comprising:
a signal conditioning circuit board that receives an encoder signal; and
a central processing unit in communication with the signal condition circuit board, the central processing unit configured to:
check for faulty amplitude by measuring a high state amplitude and a low state amplitude of the encoder signal, and comparing the high state signal amplitude and the low state signal amplitude to a predefined amplitude range;
check for signal symmetry by measuring a duty cycle of the encoder signal, and continually comparing an ON time and an OFF time of the signal to determine if a ratio of the ON time to the OFF time falls within a predefined symmetry threshold;
check for signal offset by comparing a phase angle of the encoder signal with that of a complementary signal, and determine if a phase difference of the signals falls within a predefined offset threshold; and
check for signal transmission rate by measuring a rate at which the encoder signal is received, and comparing the measured rate to a predefined rate threshold.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The testing apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a user interface in communication with the central processing unit, wherein the central processing unit is configured to report a fault to the user interface if at least one of:
the high state signal amplitude and the low state signal amplitude is outside the predefined amplitude range;
the ratio of the ON time to the OFF time falls outside of the predefined symmetry threshold;
the phase difference falls outside of the predefined offset threshold; and
the rate at which the encoder signal is received falls outside the predefined rate threshold.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The testing apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a field programmable gate array that captures the encoder signal from the signal conditioning circuit board, and formats the signals for the central processing unit.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The testing apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a real-time controller that transfers the encoder signals and data between the central processing unit and the field programmable gate array.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The testing apparatus of claim 7, further comprising an enclosure with an input/output connector operatively coupled to the signal conditioning circuit board.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The testing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the encoder signal includes at least one of:
analog signals ranging between −10 and +10 volts;
analog signals ranging between 0 and 200 milliamperes;
digital TTL signals ranging between 0 and 5 volts;
serial signals ranging between 0 and 5 volts; and
RMS signals ranging between −1000 and +1000 volts.

### Claim 13 (depends on 7)

The testing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the central processing unit is further configured to perform a power check by measuring a voltage and an amperage of the encoder signal, and comparing the measured voltage and the measured amperage to a predefined voltage range and a predefined amperage range, respectively.

### Claim 14 (depends on 7)

The testing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the check for faulty amplitude includes measuring both the high state amplitude and the low state amplitude of the encoder signal, and comparing the high state amplitude and the low state amplitude to a corresponding predefined amplitude range.

### Claim 15

A method for testing an encoder, comprising:
checking for faulty amplitude by measuring both a high state amplitude and a low state amplitude of an encoder signal, and comparing the high state signal amplitude and the low state signal amplitude to a corresponding predefined amplitude range;
checking for signal symmetry by measuring a duty cycle of the encoder signal, and comparing an ON time and an OFF time of the signal to determine if a ratio of the ON time to the OFF time falls within a predefined symmetry threshold;
checking for signal offset by comparing a phase angle of the encoder signal with that of a complementary signal, and determine if a phase difference of the signals falls within a predefined offset threshold; and
checking for signal transmission rate by measuring a rate at which the encoder signal is received, and comparing the measured rate to a predefined rate threshold;
wherein comparing the ON time and the OFF time of the signal includes continually comparing the ON time and the OFF time of the signal to determine if the ratio of the ON time to the OFF time falls within the predefined symmetry threshold.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising outputting a fault to a user interface in response to at least one of:
the high state signal amplitude and the low state signal amplitude is outside the predefined amplitude range;
the ratio of the ON time to the OFF time falls outside of the predefined symmetry threshold;
the phase difference falls outside of the predefined offset threshold; and
the rate at which the encoder signal falls outside the predefined rate threshold.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising performing a power check by measuring a voltage and an amperage of the encoder signal, and comparing the measured voltage and the measured amperage to a predefined voltage range and a predefined amperage range, respectively.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising communicating an encoder power off command in response to determining that at least one of the measured voltage and the measured amperage is outside of the predefined voltage range and the predefined amperage range, respectively.