Metrology and Measurement Systems

Abstract

The paper deals with multiple soft fault diagnosis of analogue circuits. A method for diagnosis of linear circuits is developed, belonging to the class of the fault verification techniques. The method employs a measurement test performed in the frequency domain, leading to the nonlinear least squares problem. To solve this problem the Powell minimization method is applied. The diagnostic method is adapted to real circumstances, taking into account deviations of fault-free parameters and measurement uncertainty. Two examples of electronic circuits encountered in practice demonstrate that the method is efficient for diagnosis of middle-sized circuits. Although the method is dedicated to linear circuits it can be adapted to multiple soft fault diagnosis of nonlinear ones. It is illustrated by an example of a CMOS circuit designed in a sub-micrometre technology.