Patent ID: 8396680

Claim:
A method of identifying issues associated with sensing of electrical characteristics of a sensed signal transmitted on an electrical conductor, wherein the method is performed in a processor having first, second, third and fourth terminals each representing separate input pins of the processor, the method comprising: receiving a first reference voltage at the first terminal and a second reference voltage that is separately received at the second terminal, wherein the first and second reference voltages are references for measurement of the electrical characteristics that are received on separate input pins of the processor, and wherein the first and second reference voltages are substantially equal to each other and are substantially unchanging during normal operation; obtaining first data about the electrical characteristics of the sensed signal from the third terminal and redundant second data about the electrical characteristics of the sensed signal from the fourth terminal, wherein the first data and the redundant second data both represent the measured electrical characteristics of the same sensed signal received on separate input pins of the processor that are separately electrically coupled to the electrical conductor transmitting the sensed signal; computing, using the processor, a first computed value of the electrical characteristics of the sensed signal based upon the first data and the first reference voltage and a second computed value of the electrical characteristics based upon the second data and the second reference voltage; determining, using the processor, a reference ratio of the first reference voltage received at the first terminal of the processor to the second reference voltage separately received at the second terminal of the processor, and a value ratio of the first computed value received at the third terminal of the processor to the second computed value received at the fourth terminal of the processor; comparing the reference ratio to the value ratio using the processor; and identifying an issue if the value ratio exceeds the reference ratio.