Patent ID: 6564173
Filing Date: 2003-05-13
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
A circuit for detecting diagnostic information of sequentially driven loads, comprising:a master module; a remote module physically separate from said master module; a plurality of lines electrically connecting said modules together; control logic circuitry within said master module that generates control signals in a timed manner for directing inductive loads to be driven in a sequential manner; master module switches within said master module responsive to receipt of said control signals for transmitting further control signals to said remote module via respective ones of said lines, wherein said control logic circuitry causes the control signals each to have a square wave pulse configuration, said master module switches inverting the square wave pulse configuration for the further control signals; remote module switches within said remote module responsive to receipt of said further control signals for driving said inductive loads in said sequential manner; and multiplex circuitry that derives diagnostic information corresponding with specific waveform characteristics of output current from a driven one of the inductive loads and mixes the diagnostic information onto a line having the control signal for another load and that transmits the mixed diagnostic information to said main module via that line.