Tester with self-test functions
AssigneeFluke Corporation
InventorsSongnan Fan, Hui Zhao
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tester includes self-test functions to test a state of a measurement circuit in the tester. For example, the self-test functions test an electrical state, e.g., electrical properties or connection or disconnection states, of a component of the measurement circuit. The self-test functions also test the signal state of an electrical component in the measurement circuit, which may include signal detection, signal transmittance, or measurement properties of the electrical component. The self-test functions improve the user experience of the tester from safety and reliability perspectives.
Claims20
A tester for measuring electrical properties, comprising:
- a user interface;
- a measurement circuit including a to-be-tested component and a signal source, the to-be-tested component being an integral part of the measurement circuit and internal to the tester;
- and
- a controller, coupled to the user interface and the measurement circuit, configured to conduct a self-test on a test path formed by coupling the to-be-tested component between the signal source and a ground node of the tester, in response to a user input from the user interface, and configured to determine whether the to-be-tested component involves a dysfunction based on an electrical property detected at a node in the test path adjacent to the to-be-tested component.
A method of conducting self-tests on a tester, comprising:
- receiving a user input;
- controlling, based on the user input, one or more switches to couple a signal source and a ground node in the tester to a to-be-tested component of a measurement circuit of the tester to form a test path, the to-be-tested component being an integral part of the measurement circuit and internal to the tester, and the to-be-tested component being coupled between the signal source and the ground node in the test path;
- and
- conducting a self-test by detecting an electrical property at a node adjacent to the to-be-tested component and determining whether the to-be-tested component involves a dysfunction based on the electrical property detected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.