The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 14, 2023
Filed:
Feb. 24, 2022
Texas Instruments Incorporated, Dallas, TX (US);
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED, Dallas, TX (US);
Abstract
A method of detecting welded contacts in a relay. The method includes performing, at a first point in time, the applying of a drive to the activation coil to conduct a coil current through the activation coil, the coil current increasing to a first current level, the first current level being less than a pull-in current of the relay; responsive to the coil current reaching the first current level, turning off the drive to the activation coil to discharge the coil current at a first clamping voltage; and measuring a first discharge time corresponding to a first inductance from the turning off of the drive to the activation coil to the coil current reaching a second current level, the second current level being less than the first current level. These operations are repeated at a second point in time to obtain a second inductance. Comparison of the first inductance and second inductance determines whether a difference between the first and second inductances exceeds a comparison criterion.