Patent ID: 7619908
Filing Date: 2009-11-17
Classification: G05B,G05F,Y02E,Y04S

Abstract:
1. A method for producing prognostic health signals that are indicative of a CTR of at least one opto-isolator used in at least one feedback loop of a switch mode power supply, the method comprising the steps of: detecting a damped ringing response; producing a train of pulses representative of at least one of a frequency and a dampening time of the damped ringing response; counting waves of said train of pulses; digitally filtering the wave count to produce at least one output prognostic signal; and wherein said output prognostic signal is indicative of a number of detectable cycles of a sinusoidal frequency in the damped ringing response, whereby the number of detectable cycles is useful for determining a remaining useful lifetime of the opto-isolator.