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Introduction: A leading cause of failure in its electronic systems is a failure of the power
components, such as power supplies and actuator drives. The consequence of the loss of
the power electronics can range from mission failure to making critical assets unavailable
when they are needed. Doctrine advises a frequent maintenance schedule to ensure
reliable systems, but given the logistics cost of carrying spare parts, this is not always
practical. The solution is to augment schedule-based maintenance with condition-based
maintenance, as supported by electronic prognostics. Anticipating electronic failures
before they occur can reduce scheduled maintenance and associated costs, improve
mission success and reliability, enhance system readiness, increase safety, and reduce
overall lifecycle cost in advanced electrical systems. The emerging field of electronic
prognostics and health management (ePHM) is becoming a key enabler of cost-effective
reliable, available, and robust electronic systems with a long service life. Electronic
on the regulating function of the SMPS, but do cause changes in how the output voltage
responds to dynamic inputs to the load or input.
fc
Magnitude (dB)
20
-20
CTR = 3.0
CTR = 0.7
-40
1000
10000
100000
Frequency (Hz)
Figure 2. Bode plot of the loop gain showing how a shift occurs in Crossover Frequency
due to a decreased in CTR
Voltage Transient
The opto-isolator is one of a few high failure-in-time (FIT) rate items in the SMPS. The
degradation progression for this component is a relatively slow decrease in CTR over
time. So long as the loop gain remains above unity, the diminishing CTR does not affect
steady state operation of the circuit. Only when the CTR falls below a critical threshold
value will the circuit cease to properly regulate the output voltage , allowing it to drift
higher. However, well before this failure point, the health of the optical coupler can be
measured from the observation of the crossover frequency. This frequency will decrease
as CTR is reduced (see
Figure 2 and Figure 3).
CTR = 3.0
Curent Impulse
CTR = 0.7
-0,2
0,0
0,2
0,4
Time (ms)
Figure 3. SPICE simulation output showing voltage transient response to load current
impulse. Damped ringing behavior occurs for two values of opto-isolator CTR.
Figure 3 shows the results of a Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis
(SPICE) simulation for the output voltage for two values of CTR, 3.0 and 0.7. In the
simulation, the load current changes from 5 amps to 10 amps for a duration of 10s and
returns to 5 amps. In the case of CTR=3.0, an oscillation of 20 kHz occurs in the vicinity
of the crossover frequency shown in Figure 4 and is quickly damped. The circuit recovers
and is again regulating at 5 volts output. Notice that when we shift this curve up or down,
the crossover frequency is also shifting right or left (
Figure 2). The rate of shift is given by the slope of the Bode plot, about one decade per
40dB in level shift.
Figure 3 shows the impulse response to the load transient for a scenario in which the
optical isolation stage has accumulated some amount of damage. The CTR is reduced
from 3.0 to 0.7, still adequate for steady state voltage regulation. Notice, however, that
the oscillation frequency is reduced. This is a direct result of moving the crossover
frequency in the loop gain curve. An oscillating frequency change of roughly 2 to 1
corresponds to the square root of the relative change in CTR.
This observation suggests the use of resonance measurements as a prognostic indicator in
a regulated SMPS. The relative value of CTR may be tracked as a function of time using
the calculation for the oscillation frequency, and signal averaging or least squares
regression can be used to determine if measurements show a trend toward failure. It has
been demonstrated [8] that the PN junction photodiodes typically used for the optical
emitter exhibit a gradual degradation with time. Such a model can be produced through a
test program using highly accelerated life testing.
The Levenberg-Marquardt (L-M) algorithm has proved to be an effective and popular
method for solving nonlinear least squares problems. It is used in many data fitting
applications. We combine the L-M method for fitting the impulse response data and the
degradation rate model presented in [8] to project the wear out time of the opto-isolator
and the eventual loss of the power supply regulation (see Figure 4). Other factors such as
temperature and load conditions change randomly while the device is in the field
environment, and these parameters may also be factored into the degradation model to
improve the accuracy and confidence of the final RUL calculation.
Intermittent faults are another issue which this prognostic addresses. The SMPS is not
considered to have actually failed until the coupling value has decreased below the level
at which the power supply can regulate current. Prior to this point, the power supply may
continue to provide well-regulated voltage output but may fail in certain stress conditions.
Once the supply has been returned from the field and tested with a voltmeter in a
laboratory environment, it is likely to pass Re-test Okay (RTOK) or No Trouble Found
(NTF) unless the conditions for test are similar to the field environment. Recreating those
conditions is not always practical or possible.
Figure 4. Non-invasive ring frequency detector to monitor degradation and assess RUL
More interesting than the instantaneous measurement is the change or trend in frequency.
This scheme may be used to periodically pole the power supply and obtain a running
history of the ring frequency measurement as it shifts over time. By relating this
frequency with a baseline frequency to the CTR shift, we obtain a progression of CTR
versus time.
Data representing CTR shift can thus be obtained by a non-invasive approach. Assuming
that failure of the opto-isolator is the dominant factor in the failure of the regulation loop,
the health of this component and its remaining life can be determined from a CTR physics
model. The confidence of this prediction is based on a number of factors including
measurement noise, noise on the bus, and ability of the model to incorporate all
significant environmental factors in predicting the components failure trend.
Nevertheless, the proposed topology provides a significant improvement in the ability to
assess the health of the regulation loop beyond a life model that only considers statistical
data.
Output Capacitor: The primary purpose of output filter capacitor in a SMPS is to
suppress high frequency noise generated by switching in the DC-DC converter. As a
consequence, the output filter capacitor is subject to continuous current oscillation. The
magnitude of the resultant voltage ripple is dependent on Equivalent Series Resistance
(ESR), ambient temperature, output current, and the input voltage of the converter. Stress
can be also applied to the capacitor when a load is removed from the power supply.
Output capacitors fail as a result of high stress electrical bias and/or mechanical failures
such as cracked internal parts, in which the ESR of the capacitor increases. For high
capacitance of tantalum or ceramic capacitors, the initial value of ESR is small (usually <
50m). A good indication of a capacitors failure is an ESR in excess of 1. A common
mode of capacitor failure is an increase in polarization loss in the tantalum or ceramic
dielectric, which is modeled as an increase in the equivalent series resistance. It is a result
of aging due to stress and heat. An undamaged component is expected to have a value
less than 20 m and this represents the minimum lifetime value. There is a monotonic
increase in ESR with aging [10]. The best way to trend a capacitors ESR for precursorto-failure detection is to monitor the capacitors ripple voltage. The ripple voltage at the
output load is relative to the value of ESR; as the ESR increases, the ripple voltage
increases correspondingly. The primary objective of testing the capacitor is to determine
the rate of degradation by analyzing the ripple voltage and to correlate this rate of
degradation with the change in ripple voltage over time. An increase in ripple voltage is
an indication of an increase in ESR, which is a pre-cursor to failure (see Figure 5).
1.2
ESR
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0.01
0.05
0.1
0.5
10
50
100
ESR
0.8
ESR Detection Range
0.6
0.4
0.2
2.
5
1.
5
0.
5
0.
8
0.
4
0.
2
0.
3
0.
1
0.
01
0.
03
0.
05
0.
08
Voltage
0.1
Raw Data
0.05
0
-0.05
-0.1
0.03
0.13
0.23
0.33
Time (ms)
0.43
0.53
Hours
Stressed at
50mA
CTR at 3mA
Measured
Directly
Ripple
Frequency
3
2
9
10
13
14
11
1
86 hours
21 hours
40 hours
118 hours
0 hours
0 hours
0 hours
1728 hours
194
152
221
158
273
264
227
106
21.9 kHz
7.7 kHz
26.3 kHz
FAIL
26.7 kHz
26.1 kHz
27.8 kHz
5.37 kHz
Reletive
CTR
Measured
In-situ
62%
7.7%
89%
925%
88%
3.7%
Vo_ripple degradation
Vo_ripple (mV)
100
10
200mVp-p
400mVp-p
1
1
10
100
1000
10000
100000
0.1
Time (mins)
100
200mVp-p
10
400mVp-p
1
1
10
100
1000
10000 100000
Time (mins)
Figure 9: Transient waveform of output voltage showing ripple for three values of ESR
Power Supply Health Monitor in a Health Management System: The state diagram
analysis of the regulated power supply, combined with the transient response behavior to
load current variations presented, suggests an interesting prognostic strategy that is more
indirect and non-invasive. The voltage transient waveform captured at the output provides
a means for accurately detecting and quantifying the health of the components within the
regulator feedback loop and other critical components such at the output capacitor,
without introducing additional connections. This transient can be invoked simply by
providing an impulse stimulus to the input voltage or the output current; either is
available from the external ports. Signal processing of the captured waveform is used to
identify the central frequency, which is then related to the magnitude of the loop gain.
One can then monitor this parameter to observe either sudden changes or trends and apply
a model based reasoner to derive a RUL estimate by using a model such as the
degradation model presented in [8].
Figure 10 is a block diagram showing one possible implementation of a bus level
prognostic in a vehicle power management system, we call this the Integrated Power
System Health Manager (IPSHM). A regulated switch-mode power supply is connected
to a power distribution system (or power bus) that feeds power to a number of
subsystems. The power bus is controlled by the vehicle power manager. Attached to the
power bus is a System on Chip (SOC) board which holds various power supply
prognostic units or sensor modules, which provide prognostic information to the
Integrated Vehicle Health Manager (IVHM) through a Digital Signal Processor (DSP). At
selected times, the IVHM poles the DSP while the power manager maintains a constant
power loading from the electronic systems supplied by the bus. This is to prevent power
transients resulting from the energizing or de-energizing and to keep the prognostic
systems from corrupting the waveform measurements. The power supply, prognostic
units in the SOC, and subsystems can come from one or more vendors. The important
point to make is that this strategy for prognostics is not only non-invasive, but also
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general, independent of vendor, scalable, cost-effective, and does not require a specific
design for each implementation.
For example, the CTR sensor in the opto-isolator block in Figure 10 will trigger a load
impulse response when asked that will capture the transient waveform of the voltage at
the power bus. This signal is then digitized and filtered to extract both the oscillation
frequency and the damping coefficient. These two parameters will be used to assess the
health of the optical isolator in the SMPS by using the fault-to-failure progression model
previously outlined and illustrated in Figure 4. In the case of the output capacitor sensor,
we have developed a generic power supply capacitor sensor that takes the ripple voltage
as input and through a fault-to-failure progression model and assesses the capacitor health
along with a confidence level. Similarly, other sensor modules on the SOC can be used
to monitor the health of components without making any invasive modifications to the
SMPS.
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One useful application of this sensor is to monitor the health of components within the
feedback loop, such as the optical isolator, as well as other critical components for which
we can measure ripple voltage and other digital traces. As these components degrade
through wear out or stress, their status can be observed. Monitoring of trends may provide
an estimation of their remaining useful life.
Our approach is simple to implement and non-invasive. A ring frequency detector is a bus
level prognostic with no internal connections to the power supply. It offers the advantage
of increased reliability at low cost and is applicable to many non-prognostics enabled
power supplies without any retrofit or redesign, so the power supply vendor is not
involved in the enabling of prognostics for its power supply. By monitoring crossover
frequency through a feedback loop and using a fault-to-failure progression model, we
offer a complete prognostics health monitoring system that can be used to predict the
health and remaining useful life of an optical coupler and other critical components such
as the output filter capacitor in a switch-mode power supply.
Acknowledgement: The work presented in this paper was funded by Small Business
Innovation Research contract awards from National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, Ames Research Center, Crew Exploration Vehicle program: Contract No.
NNA06AA22C and Joint Strike Program Contract No. N68335-05-C-0126.
References:
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[2] A. Lahyani, P. Venet, G. Grellet, and P.-J. Viverge, Failure prediction of
electrolytic capacitors during operation of a switch mode power supply, IEEE Trans.
Power Electronics, vol. 13, issue 6, pp. 1199 1207, Nov. 1998.
[3] M. Eltabach, A. Charara, and I. Zein, A comparison of external and internal
methods of signal spectral analysis for broken rotor bars detection in induction
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Autonomic and Autonomous Systems, pp. 9 18, March 2006.
[5] D. Goodman, et. al., Practical Application of PHM/Prognostics to COTS Power
Converters, Aerospace, 2005 IEEE Conference, 5-12 March 2005 Page(s):3573
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[6] J. Judkins, J. Hofmeister, and S. Vohnout, "A Prognostic Sensor for Voltage
Regulated Switch-Mode Power Supplies," IEEEAC Paper #1502, Submission,
Updated December 6, 2006.
[7] R. Erickson, Fundamentals of Power Electronics. Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic
Publishers, 1999.
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[8] R. E. Ziemer, W. H. Tranter, and D. R. Fannin, Signals and Systems Continuous and
Discrete. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1983.
[9] J. Keller, Design driven LED degradation model for opto isolators, in Proc. 42nd
Electronic Components and Technology Conference, 1992, pp. 394 398.
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[11] http://users.pandora.be/educypedia/electronics/capacitors.htm
Bibliography:
Sonia Vohnout is Principal Systems Engineer at Ridgetop Group, Inc.. She received her
Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Costa Rica, and
Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Systems Engineering from the
University of Arizona. In the past she has worked for Modular Mining, IBM and AT&T
Bell Laboratories. She previously owned and operated a manufacturing facility in
Mexico. She is an expert modeler and has extensive expertise in software and computer
systems. Ms. Vohnout has over 20 years of experience in systems engineering, quality
systems management, and business development and management.
Justin Judkins is Director of Research and oversees the research and implementations of
electronic prognostics. His research interests involve applying sensor array technology to
various reasoning engines to provide optimum performance for electronic modules and
systems. He previously held senior-level engineering positions at Bell Labs and Lucent
involving high-reliability telecom transmission. He received a Ph.D. in Electrical
Engineering from the University of Arizona.
James Hofmeister is a Senior Principal Engineer. He has been a software architect,
designer and developer for IBM, a software architect, electronic design engineer,
principal investigator on research topics and co-inventor of electronic prognostics at
Ridgetop Group. He is a former director, representing IBM, of the Southern Arizona
Center for Software Excellence, a co-author on five IBM patents, and a co-author on three
pending Ridgetop patents, two of the three have been published by the U.S. patent office.
He retired from IBM after a 30-year career and joined Ridgetop Group in 2003. He has a
BSEE from the University of Hawaii, Manoa Campus, and a MS in Electrical and
Computer Engineering from the University of Arizona.
Ronald Carlsten is a Principal Engineer at Ridgetop responsible for design of prognostic
circuits for switch mode power supplies. He has a BSEE degree from University of New
Mexico, Albuquerque and has taken graduate courses at the University of Arizona. He
has 30 years of experience designing SMPS for C & D Technologies Inc. and IBM
Corporation. He holds 3 patents and has written numerous technical papers.
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