Universal power distribution test tool and methodology

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10126374-B2
Application number	US-201615215280-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2016
Priority date	Jul 20, 2016
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

Methodologies and systems are described herein whereby the electrical performance of a device may be tested. In one or more embodiments, a system for testing the electrical performance comprises a monitoring device configured to perform a set of operations including concurrently monitoring at least three different test points of a device under test (DUT) and aggregating test data comprising signal information collected concurrently from at least three different test points of the DUT. In one or more embodiments, the system is configured to monitor at least three channels wherein at least one channel corresponds to a frequency range of less than 300 kHz and the phases of signals on at least three channels are different.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
an automatic waveform generator (AWG) that couples to one or more excitation points of a Device Under Test (DUT) and transmits a plurality of different test signals to the DUT at different times through the one or more excitation points;
a waveform monitoring device including at least one hardware processor and a plurality of input channels, including a first channel, a second channel, and a third channel for concurrently monitoring at least three different test points of the DUT while the plurality of different test signals are transmitted to the DUT,
wherein the first channel couples via a first probe to a first test point corresponding to a first phase of a multiphase power converter in the DUT,
wherein the second channel couples via a second probe to a second test point corresponding to, a second phase of the multiphase power converter in the DUT,
wherein the third channel couples via a third probe to a third test point corresponding to one of an input or an output of the multiphase power converter in the DUT,
wherein the first phase is different from the second phase;

post processing logic that:
aggregates test data comprising signal information collected, by the waveform monitoring device, concurrently from the at least three different test points of the DUT;
based on the aggregated test data, determines a relationship between two or more of the first phase, the second phase, and at least one of the input or the output of the multiphase power converter in the DUT; and
generates and outputs a set of test results based at least on the relationship, wherein the set of test results indicate whether the multiphase power converter in the DUT satisfies a plurality of performance thresholds.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the waveform monitoring device is a multi-channel oscilloscope with a resolution of at least twelve bits.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to execute control software comprising functionality to configure the automatic waveform generator transmitting the plurality of different test signals to the DUT.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the post-processing logic includes software comprising functionality to generate and display waveforms on a display.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the post-processing logic is configured to execute software comprising functionality to determine a phase relationship between signals detected in the first phase and the second phase of the multiphase power converter and process the test data based on the phase relationship.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the post-processing logic is configured to execute software comprising functionality to determine an amplitude relationship between two or more of the first phase, the second phase, the input and the output of the multiphase power converter, and process the test data based on the amplitude relationship.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the DUT comprises at least one linear circuit.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is configured for testing of non-linear circuits of the DUT.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is configured for frequency-domain testing of current sharing of multi-phase power sources, wherein the set of test results include results for two or more of a transient response to step-current load test, an output response to input voltage transient test, an output impedance test, an input impedance test, an input-to-output transfer function test, or an output-to-input transfer function test.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the AWG is configured to change at least one of a phase, frequency or amplitude when sweeping between different test signals of the plurality of test signals.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to execute software comprising functionality to evaluate a first electrical performance using a first subset of test data from the aggregated test data; wherein the system is configured to evaluate a second electrical performance using a second subset of test data from the aggregated test data; wherein the first subset of test data is different than the second subset of test data.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the DUT is the multiphase power converter.

13. A method comprising:
transmitting, by an automatic waveform generator (AWG) through one or more excitation points of a Device Under Test (DUT), a plurality of different test signals at different times;
concurrently monitoring, using a single waveform monitoring device, at least three different test points of the DUT while the plurality of different test signals are transmitted to the DUT, wherein monitoring comprises:
monitoring, at a first test point corresponding to a first phase of a multiphase power converter in the DUT, a first channel to detect a first signal;
monitoring, at a second test point corresponding to a second phase of the multiphase power converter in the DUT, a second channel to detect a second signal;
monitoring, at a third test point corresponding to one of an input or an output of the multiphase power converter in the DUT, a third channel to detect a third signal;
wherein the first phase is different from the second phase;

aggregating test data comprising signal information collected concurrently from the at least three different test points of the DUT;
based on the aggregated test data, determining a relationship between two or more of the first phase, the second phase, and at least one of the input or the output of the multiphase power converter in the DUT;
generating test results based at least on the relationship, wherein the set of test results indicate whether the multiphase power converter in the DUT satisfies a plurality of performance thresholds.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the waveform monitoring device is a multi-channel oscilloscope with a resolution of at least twelve bits.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the set of test results include results for two or more of a transient response to step-current load test, an output response to input voltage transient test, an output impedance test, an input impedance test, an input-to-output transfer function test, or an output-to-input transfer function test.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining a phase relationship between two or more of the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal, and processing the test data based on the phase relationship.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining an amplitude relationship between two or more of the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal, and processing the test data based on the amplitude relationship.

18. The method of claim 13 , further comprising testing an electrical performance of at least one nonlinear circuit within the DUT.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the AWG is configured to change at least one of a phase, frequency or amplitude when sweeping between different test signals of the plurality of test signals.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the test results include a first result of evaluating a first electrical performance using a first subset of test data from the aggregated test data and a second result of evaluating a second electrical performance using a second subset of test data from the aggregated test data; wherein the first subset of test data is different than the second subset of test data.

Assignees

• Oracle Int Corp

Inventors

• Novak Istvan

Classifications

• G01R13/20

  Cathode-ray oscilloscopes · CPC title

• G01R31/40 Primary

  Testing power supplies (testing photovoltaic devices H02S50/10) · CPC title

• G01R31/44

  Testing lamps · CPC title

• G01R31/2837

  Characterising or performance testing, e.g. of frequency response (transient response G01R27/28) · CPC title