A method and system for health assessment of a track circuit and/or of a track section, the track circuit being configured for detecting the presence of a vehicle on the track section between a transmitting end and a receiving end of the track circuit. The method, implemented by an electronic device, comprises obtaining, from a sensor device placed near the receiving end, samples of an electrical parameter of an electric signal transmitted between the transmitting end and the receiving end of the track section, forming a temporal series of received samples, applying an automatic clustering algorithm to separate the received samples in a predetermined number of clusters, selecting one of the clusters and determining, for the selected cluster, a first peak value of the received samples classified within the selected cluster, and calculating a track circuit health indicator depending on the first peak value determined for the selected cluster.

When a voltage applied to a heater assumes a low-level potential, a control section of a load drive apparatus instantaneously supplies an anomaly judgment current to the heater, and computes the electrical resistance of the heater on the basis of the anomaly judgment current. The control section judges whether or not any of anomalous states of the heater, including at least a deteriorated state of the heater and wiring anomalous states of the heater, has occurred on the basis of the electrical resistance of the heater.

The invention provides a method for overcoming the influence of out-flowing current on bus differential protection. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring and processing branch current signals; selecting a fault bus, and determining the branch current with maximum amplitude from branches connected with the fault bus; calculating differential current and restraint current of a large differential element, and determining whether the large differential element acts. The method for overcoming the influence of out-flowing current on bus differential protection does not need to reduce the braking coefficient during splitting operation in a two-bus connecting mode, can adaptively improve the sensitivity of bus differential protection under an internal fault in the presence of out-flowing current, and simultaneously ensures the reliability under an external fault.

A master generator is configured to use a duty upper limit value and a duty lower limit value to perform duty restriction processing on a PWM signal in continuous Y cycles out of generated X cycles, and transmit the PWM signal after the restriction processing to a slave generator. The slave generator is configured to receive the PWM signal after the restriction processing transmitted from the master generator as a received PWM signal, and determine that a reception abnormality exists when the received PWM signal is received as a signal representing a duty less than the duty lower limit value or a duty more than the duty upper limit value in continuous (X−Y+1) cycles.

A semiconductor device structure and method for forming the same are provided. The semiconductor device structure includes a substrate and a conductive pad formed over the substrate. The semiconductor device structure includes a protection layer formed over the conductive pad, and the protection layer has a trench. The semiconductor device structure includes a conductive structure formed in the trench and on the protection layer. The conductive structure is electrically connected to the conductive pad, and the conductive structure has a concave top surface, and the lowest point of the concave top surface is higher than the top surface of the protection layer.

During a transient operating condition in an electric machine, a diagnostic routine associated with the electric machine may erroneously indicate a fault. According to the disclosure, a flag is set when a transient condition is detected. The flag is communicated to the diagnostic routine. The output of the diagnostic routine may be altered when the flag is set, i.e., when a transient is detected.

Various embodiments are described that relate an electrical current connector. The electrical current connector can be configured to provide electrical current when pressure is applied to a prong set. This pressure can cause a contact to engage with a connector. This can complete a circuit that allows the electrical current to flow. The connector can be coupled to a cable that can be configured to transfer data along with the electrical current. The cable can have an inner portion that transfers the data while an outer portion that surrounds the inner portion transfers the current.

Various embodiments are described that relate an electrical current connector. The electrical current connector can be configured to provide electrical current when pressure is applied to a prong set. This pressure can cause a contact to engage with a connector. This can complete a circuit that allows the electrical current to flow. The connector can be coupled to a cable that can be configured to transfer data along with the electrical current. The cable can have an inner portion that transfers the data while an outer portion that surrounds the inner portion transfers the current.

The present disclosure relates to high-voltage circuits. The teachings thereof may be embodied in a circuit apparatus for detecting a state of an interlock loop monitoring a high-voltage component. The apparatus may include a power connection to a voltage source; a ground connection; a positive connection to a line end of the electrical interlock loop; a negative connection to a second line end of the interlock loop; a measuring arrangement for a voltage potential at the negative connection when two mutually different currents flow from the power connection via the negative connection to the ground connection; and a detector arrangement comparing the two potential measurements at the two respective currents with two predefined potential reference values and ascertaining, based on the comparison results of the comparison unit, whether the negative connection is electrically short-circuited with the positive connection, the power connection, or the ground connection, or with none of these connections.

A device for monitoring a neutral grounding resistor (NGR), including first and second NGRs electrically connected in parallel, a rectifier circuit electrically connected in series with the second NGR and a voltage source and a logic resistor electrically connected in series with the second NGR. A logic circuit measures current passing through the logic resistor and determines the resistance of the first NGR based on the measured current and the resistance of the second NGR. As such, a failed-open or failed-short condition of the first NGR may be identified based at least in part on the determined resistance of the first NGR.