Electricity: measuring and testing – Impedance – admittance or other quantities representative of... – Lumped type parameters
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-26
2001-11-20
Karlsen, Ernest (Department: 2858)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Impedance, admittance or other quantities representative of...
Lumped type parameters
C340S635000, C340S645000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06320404
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a defective power source detection method and apparatus for a power source supply system structured by including a plurality of power source apparatus to supply the power source voltage to an apparatus requiring the large power such as a semiconductor testing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
By taking a semiconductor testing apparatus as an example of an apparatus requiring a power source with the large power, the structure of a power source supply system for the semiconductor testing apparatus will be shown in FIG.
4
. In
FIG. 4
, the power source supply system has: a power source apparatus
200
-
1
,
200
-
2
, . . . , and
200
-N; a defect detecting circuit
210
to detect the defective state of each of power source apparatus
200
-
1
,
200
-
2
, . . . , and
200
-N, and to control start/stop of each of power source apparatus corresponding to the detection result; and a control circuit
220
to control the operation of the defect detecting circuit
210
.
Numerals
100
A and
100
B are power source supply lines of the semiconductor testing apparatus, and output ends of each of power source apparatus
200
-
1
,
200
-
2
, . . . , and
200
-N are connected to the power source supply lines
100
A and
100
B, so that the power source voltage is supplied by operating a plurality of power source apparatus
200
-
1
,
200
-
2
, . . . , and
200
-N in parallel.
The power source apparatus
200
-
1
has an inverter
202
-
1
and a rectifying and smoothing circuit
204
-
1
, and the output ends of the rectifying and smoothing circuit
204
-
1
, that is, the output ends of the power source apparatus
200
-
1
are connected to the power source supply lines
100
A and
100
B. Further, the output voltage of the rectifying and smoothing circuit
204
-
1
is monitored by an output voltage monitoring circuit
206
-
1
which is housed in the power source apparatus
200
-
1
. The structure of each of power source apparatus
200
-
2
to
200
N is the same as that of the power source apparatus
200
-
1
.
The defect detecting circuit
210
has a gate
212
to fetch the monitoring voltage (the output voltage of the rectifying and smoothing circuit) of the output voltage monitoring circuits
206
-
1
to
206
-N, which are housed in the power source apparatus
200
-
2
to
200
-N, a latch circuit
214
to hold the output of the gate
212
, an OR gate
215
, a gate
216
to fetch the output of the latch circuit
214
in the control circuit
220
, and the power source start/stop circuit
218
.
In the above structure, the output voltage monitoring circuits
206
-
1
to
206
-N of the power source apparatus
200
-
1
,
200
-
2
, . . . , and
200
-N, monitor the same voltage in the power source supply lines
100
A and
100
B. In this state, when a defect is generated in the specified power source apparatus, for example, the power source apparatus
200
-
1
, the voltage level in the power source supply lines
100
A and
100
B is changed. Each of the output voltage monitoring circuits
206
-
1
to
206
-N compares the reference voltage being provided therein with monitoring voltage in the power source supply lines
100
A and
100
B, and according to the result of the comparison, outputs a defect detecting signal. Because the output voltage monitoring circuits
206
-
1
to
206
-N monitor the same voltage in the power source supply lines
100
A and
100
B, the defect detecting signal is outputted from each of output voltage monitoring circuits
206
-
1
to
206
-N to the defect detection circuit
210
, and is held in the latch circuit
214
through the gate
212
.
The timing of the latching of the defect detecting signal in the latch circuit
214
, is the timing at which the first defect detecting signal of a plurality of defect detecting signals outputted from the output voltage monitoring circuits
206
-
1
to
206
-N, is inputted into the latch circuit
214
. Incidentally, a plurality of defect detecting signals outputted from the output voltage monitoring circuits
206
-
1
to
206
-N are not necessarily defect detecting signals outputted from the defective power source apparatus because the difference of time is generated in the input timing in the latch circuit
214
due to fluctuations of the characteristics of the elements constituting each output voltage monitoring circuit.
Further, the control circuit
220
generates a reading signal to confirm the existence or not of the defect detecting signal, periodically, and when the defect detecting signal is confirmed, outputs a power source stop command to the power source start/stop circuit
218
in the defect detection circuit
210
. The defect detection circuit
210
outputs a power source stop signal to stop the power source supply to each power source apparatus
200
-
1
,
200
-
2
, . . . , and
200
-N, according to either one of the power source stop signal from the control circuit
220
, or an OR output of the defect detecting signal outputted from the OR gate
215
. After the power of each of power source apparatus
200
-
1
,
200
-
2
, . . . , and
200
-N is stopped, the defective power source apparatus (in this example, the power source apparatus
200
-
1
) is replaced.
In the above conventional power source supply system, after the power of each of power source apparatus
200
-
1
,
200
-
2
, . . . , and
200
-N is stopped, the defective power source apparatus is replaced, however, because the defect detecting signal held in the latch circuit inverter
214
not necessarily corresponds to the output of the defective power source apparatus, the power source apparatus which is in the defective state, can not be accurately specified. Accordingly, in the worst case, because it is necessary that the power source apparatus is replaced several times, there is a problem that a long period of time is necessary for the replacement operation of the defective power source apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is attained in view of such the circumstance, and an object of the present invention is to provide a defective power source detecting method and apparatus of the power source supply system by which a defective power source can be easily specified when a plurality of power source apparatus are operated in parallel.
In order to attain the above object, in the first aspect of the invention, a defective power source detecting method of a power source supply system to detect a defective state of a plurality of power source apparatus in a power source supply system in which the plurality of power source apparatus having an inverter and a rectifier circuit to convert an inverter output into the DC voltage, are operated in parallel and supply the DC voltage to a power source supply line of an apparatus requiring the large power, the defective power source detecting method of a power source supply system is characterized in that: the DC voltage on an output end of the rectifier circuit which is an output end of each power source apparatus connected to the power source supply line, is monitored, and an inverter output of each power source apparatus is also monitored, and when both of the DC voltage on an output end of the rectifier circuit and the inverter output are -abnormal, it is judged that the power source apparatus corresponding to this state is defective.
According to the invention described in the first aspect, the DC voltage on an output end of the rectifier circuit which is an output end of each power source apparatus connected to the power source supply line, is monitored, and an inverter output of each power source apparatus is also monitored, and because when both of the DC voltage on an output end of the rectifier circuit and the inverter output are abnormal, it is judged that the power source apparatus corresponding to this state is defective, thereby, a defective power source apparatus can be easily specified when a plurality of power source apparatus are operated in parallel, and a time period necessary for the replacement op
Ando Electric Co. Ltd.
Fish & Richardson PC
Karlsen Ernest
Tang Minh
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