| Abstract |
A real-time diagnostic and control system has been developed for monitoring the temperature of components in an electronic circuit. The temperature is measured using a non-contact method utilizing an infrared, thermal imaging camera. Component temperature data is transferred to the control computer via a GPIB interface and compared against preset threshold values (both upper and lower limits). lf the measured temperature is out of the range for a particular component, the computer enters an automatic troubleshooting mode based upon a preprogrammed logic tree. Based upon the component temperature and the system operating conditions, an option is selected to modify the operating conditions of the circuit such that the component temperature will return to a normal and safe value. Among the control options are adjusting input parameters, load redundancy, system redundancy, total system protection, and alerting a human operator. The control of the circuit is accomplished using both analog and digital outputs from a multifunction board installed in the computer. |
