A voltage detector has a diode ladder with one or more diodes connected in series between a battery voltage input and an upper measuring node. A measuring diode is connected between the upper measuring node and a lower measuring node. A resistor and a power-down switch are connected in series between the lower measuring node and a ground. An analog input to an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) is connected by a switch to the upper measuring node to generate an upper digital value. Then the switch connects the analog input to the lower measuring node to generate a lower digital value. The difference between the upper and lower digital values is the diode voltage drop across the measuring diode and is multiplied by a number of diodes in the diode ladder and added to the upper digital value to generate a battery voltage measurement.

A measurement circuit device for a vehicle includes a power transistor and a voltage measurement circuit coupled to the power transistor that measures a voltage across the power transistor. The measurement circuit device also includes a microcontroller that determines a junction temperature using the measured voltage and adjusts a capacity of the power transistor based on the determined junction temperature. In some embodiments, the measurement circuit device may include a clamping device that clamps the voltage across the transistor when the transistor is off. The measurement circuit device may also include an analog-to-digital converter that converts the measured voltage from an analog value to a digital value.

A force-sense system can provide signals to, or receive signals from, a device under test (DUT) at a first DUT node. The system can include output buffer circuitry configured to provide a DUT signal to the DUT in response to a force control signal at a buffer control node, and controller circuitry configured to provide the force control signal at the buffer control node. The system can include bypass circuitry configured to selectively bypass the controller circuitry and provide an auxiliary control signal at the buffer control node. The auxiliary control signal can be used for system calibration. In an example, an external calibration circuit can provide the auxiliary control signal in response to information received from the DUT.

An object is to provide a semiconductor device capable of accurately detecting a temperature of a transistor part and a temperature of the diode part, and improving an overheat protection function. A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor chip having a cell region made up of a plurality of cells including cells corresponding to a transistor part and a diode part, respectively, a temperature detection part detecting a temperature of the transistor part, and a temperature detection part detecting a temperature of the diode part, the temperature detection part is disposed in the cell corresponding to the transistor part, and the temperature detection part is disposed in the cell corresponding to the diode part.

The disclosure describes to techniques for detecting field failures or performance degradation of circuits, including integrated circuits (IC), by including additional contacts, i.e. terminals, along with the functional contacts that used for connecting the circuit to a system in which the circuit is a part. These additional contacts may be used to measure dynamic changing electrical characteristics over time e.g. voltage, current, temperature and impedance. These electrical characteristics may be representative of a certain failure mode and may be an indicator for circuit state-of-health (SOH), while the circuit is performing in the field.

A method of testing a PIN diode for a power limiter circuit comprises measuring a reverse bias current of the PIN diode; applying a reverse bias voltage to the PIN diode; increasing the reverse bias voltage until the reverse bias current of the PIN diode reaches a threshold current indicative of a reverse voltage breakdown; and determining whether the reverse bias breakdown voltage of the PIN diode is within an acceptable range of reverse bias breakdown voltages corresponding to a power range at which the power limiter circuit would enter power limiting mode with the PIN diode.

A method analyzes an operation of a power semiconductor device. The method includes: providing a set of reference voltages of the power semiconductor device and a set of corresponding reference currents; measuring an on-state voltage and a corresponding on-state current of the power semiconductor device to obtain a measurement point; adapting the set of reference voltages by adapting two of the set of reference voltages lying closest to the measurement point by extrapolating the measurement point; and using the adapted set of reference voltages to analyze the operation of the power semiconductor device. The extrapolation is based on a predefined reference increment current and a predefined reference increment voltage.

A test device for testing a solar generator of a satellite or solar drone, the solar generator includes an array of solar cells, each junction being capable of converting photons of a respective wavelength band into electric current, the test device includes: an array of light sources including at least one row of light sources, wherein each light source emits light in each of the electrical conversion wavelength bands of the junction(s) of the solar cells, and a control unit for the array of light sources, and capable of controlling the turning on and off of each of the light sources of the array individually, wherein the array of light sources selectively illuminates each solar cell of the solar generator by turning on one or more light sources of the array, with the solar cell receiving an irradiance that is greater than at least 130W/m.sup.2.

The invention relates to a system for the monitored signalling of a vehicle state, in particular for the monitored signalling of an activated, at least partially automated, driving operating state of a motor vehicle and to a method for the automatic monitoring of a vehicle state-signalling device. Specifically, the invention relates not only to the system and to the method but also to a monitoring device for carrying out the method, to a computer program which is configured to execute the method and to a vehicle state-signalling device and to a vehicle, in particular to a motor vehicle, equipped with the system. In the method, a first control signal, which is configured to change an assigned signal encoder of the vehicle state-signalling device into a deactivated state, is transferred to the vehicle state-signalling device. Testing of a current actual operating state of the signal encoder is then carried out. If the testing reveals that the signal encoder is in an activated operating state despite the transferred control signal, at least one predetermined fault remedying action which is assigned to this test result is triggered.

A system is disclosed to detect failure of a diode that is connected in series with a battery and a contactor or other switch configured to connect the battery to a load when the contactor or other switch is in a closed position and to isolate the battery from the load when the contactor or other switch is in an open position. In various embodiments, the system includes a high value resistor connected between the anode terminal of the diode and ground, the connection to the anode terminal being on a load side of the contactor or other switch; and a voltage meter configured to measure a voltage across the high value resistor at least during a test in which a voltage is applied to a bus associated with the load while the contactor or other switch is in the open position.