Integrated circuit arrangement, method and system for use in a safety-critical application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9647449-B2
Application number	US-201414219805-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2014
Priority date	Mar 21, 2013
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

An integrated circuit arrangement ( 100, 200, 600 ) has a first circuit part ( 102, 202, 602 ) which can be supplied with a first supply voltage ( 106, 206, 606 ), and a second circuit part ( 104, 204, 604 ) which can be supplied with a second supply voltage ( 108, 208, 608 ). The first circuit part and the second circuit part are arranged in a manner spatially separate from one another. The first circuit part has a first conduction element ( 110, 210, 310, 410, 610 ), and the second circuit part has a second conduction element ( 112, 212, 312, 412, 612 ). The integrated circuit arrangement also has a third conduction element ( 114, 214, 314, 414, 614 ), the third conduction element being arranged between the first conduction element and the second conduction element in such a manner that the third conduction element is arranged adjacent to the first conduction element and the third conduction element is also arranged adjacent to the second conduction element. The third conduction element can be supplied with a reference potential ( 116, 216, 616 ) at a first end, and the third conduction element is connected, at a second end, to an evaluation circuit ( 118, 218, 618 ) for detecting a short circuit from the first conduction element to the third conduction element or from the second conduction element to the third conduction element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An integrated circuit arrangement comprising:
a first circuit part which can be supplied with a first supply voltage,
a second circuit part which can be supplied with a second supply voltage,
the first circuit part and the second circuit part being arranged in a manner spatially separate from one another,
the first circuit part having a first conduction element,
the second circuit part having a second conduction element, and
a third conduction element, the third conduction element being electrically-isolated from and arranged between the first conduction element and the second conduction element in such a manner that the third conduction element is arranged adjacent to the first conduction element and the third conduction element is also arranged adjacent to the second conduction element, the third conduction element being able to be supplied with a reference potential at a first end, and the third conduction element being connected, at a second end, to an evaluation circuit that is electrically-isolated from the first conduction element and from the second conduction element for detecting a short circuit from the first conduction element to the third conduction element or from the second conduction element to the third conduction element.

2. The integrated circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , the first supply voltage being in a range which is above a voltage range for which a circuit part, which can be electrically coupled to the second conduction element and is to be protected, is designed.

3. The integrated circuit arrangement of claim 1 , the evaluation circuit being designed in such a manner that, in order to detect the short circuit, a voltage applied to the third conduction element is compared with at least one predefined threshold value.

4. The integrated circuit arrangement of claim 1 , no electrical connection existing between the evaluation circuit and the first conduction element and between the evaluation circuit and the second conduction element if the short circuit is not present.

5. The integrated circuit arrangement of claim 1 , the first conduction element, the second conduction element and the third conduction element being arranged parallel to one another inside a conductor track plane.

6. The integrated circuit arrangement of claim 1 , the first conduction element being arranged directly adjacent to the third conduction element and no functional element being arranged between the first conduction element and the third conduction element, and the second conduction element also being arranged directly adjacent to the third conduction element and no functional element being arranged between the second conduction element and the third conduction element.

7. The integrated circuit arrangement of claim 1 , the third conduction element being arranged in a conductor track plane above the first conduction element, and the second conduction element being arranged in a conductor track plane above the third conduction element.

8. The integrated circuit arrangement of claim 1 , wherein a distance (d 1 ) between the first conduction element and the third conduction element corresponds to a minimum distance between two adjacent conduction elements, and wherein a distance (d 2 ) between the second conduction element and the third conduction element likewise corresponds to the minimum distance between two adjacent conduction elements.

9. The integrated circuit arrangement of claim 1 , a width (w 3 ) of the third conduction element corresponding to a minimum width of a conduction element.

10. The integrated circuit arrangement of claim 1 , the evaluation circuit also being designed to detect an interruption inside the third conduction element.

11. A method comprising:
applying a first voltage to a first conduction element,
applying a second voltage to a second conduction element,
applying a reference potential to a first end of a third conduction element,
the third conduction element being electrically-isolated from and arranged between the first conduction element and the second conduction element in such a manner that the third conduction element is arranged adjacent to the first conduction element and the third conduction element is also arranged adjacent to the second conduction element,
the first conduction element, the second conduction element and the third conduction element being formed in an integrated semiconductor module,
evaluating a voltage at a second end of the third conduction element using an evaluation circuit that is electrically-isolated from the first conduction element and from the second conduction element,
detecting a short circuit from the first conduction element to the third conduction element or from the second conduction element to the third conduction element, and
changing a system to a safe state, the system including the integrated semiconductor module.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , the process of evaluating the voltage comprising comparing the voltage with at least one predefined threshold value.

13. The method of claim 11 , the process of changing the system to the safe state comprising switching off the integrated semiconductor module.

14. The method of claim 11 , the process of changing the system to the safe state comprising generating a warning signal.

15. A system for use in a safety-critical application, the system including:
a circuit part to be protected; and
an integrated circuit arrangement comprising:
a first circuit part which can be supplied with a first supply voltage,
a second circuit part which can be supplied with a second supply voltage,
the first circuit part and the second circuit part being arranged in a manner spatially separate from one another,
the first circuit part having a first conduction element,
the second circuit part having a second conduction element, and
a third conduction element, the third conduction element being electrically-isolated from and arranged between the first conduction element and the second conduction element in such a manner that the third conduction element is arranged adjacent to the first conduction element and the third conduction element is also arranged adjacent to the second conduction element, the third conduction element being able to be supplied with a reference potential at a first end, and the third conduction element being connected, at a second end, to an evaluation circuit that is electrically-isolated from the first conduction element and from the second conduction element for detecting a short circuit from the first conduction element to the third conduction element or from the second conduction element to the third conduction element, wherein the second conduction element of the integrated circuit arrangement is electrically coupled to the circuit part to be protected.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15 , the system being designed in such a manner that it is changed to a safe state upon detection of the short circuit.

17. The system of claim 15 , the system being designed in such a manner that destruction of the circuit part to be protected is prevented upon detection of the short circuit.

18. The system of claim 15 , the safety-critical application comprising an application in a vehicle, and the system being designed in such a manner that failure of an airbag, a brake or a steering system is prevented upon detection of the short circuit.

19. The system of claim 15 , the first conduction element of the integrated circuit arrangement being electrically coupled to an

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Zannoth Markus

Classifications

• G01R19/16576

  comparing DC or AC voltage with one threshold (G01R19/16514, G01R19/16519, G01R19/16528, G01R19/16533 and G01R19/1659 take precedence) · CPC title

• Y10T307/858

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H02H9/00 Primary

  Emergency protective circuit arrangements for limiting excess current or voltage without disconnection · CPC title

• G01R31/025

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01R31/52 Primary

  Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults · CPC title