TWI866547B - Liquid intrusion detection device, liquid intrusion detection method and computer system thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquid intrusion detection device includes at least one circuit board, a plurality of liquid detection components, a multiplexer and a computing component. The plurality of liquid detection components are disposed on the at least one circuit board. The multiplexer is disposed on the at least one circuit board and has a plurality of output pins respectively connected to the plurality of liquid detection components. The computing component is disposed on the at least one circuit board, connected to the multiplexer, and configured to switch the multiplexer to output a detection signal to one of the plurality of liquid detection components through one of the plurality of output pins, and output a liquid intrusion notification signal when a response signal of the detection signal meets a preset level.

Description

Liquid intrusion detection device, liquid intrusion detection method and computer system thereof

The present invention relates to a liquid intrusion detection device, a liquid intrusion detection method and a computer system thereof.

Currently, there are semi-rugged computers, and their test specifications and standards in humidity testing are the same as those of fully-rugged computers. However, semi-rugged computers lack airtight design, so during testing, moisture will enter the system and circuit boards, and the only way to reduce moisture contact is to use mylar film on the circuit board. Therefore, the problem currently encountered in this field is whether there is a way to know that moisture has entered the circuit board and may cause certain chips to be damaged, and to notify in time so that the system's microcontroller/central processor and other computing devices can respond.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a liquid intrusion detection device, a liquid intrusion detection method and a computer system thereof.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a liquid intrusion detection device comprises at least one circuit board, a plurality of liquid detection elements, a multiplexer and an operation element. The plurality of liquid detection elements are arranged on the at least one circuit board. The multiplexer is arranged on the at least one circuit board and has a plurality of output pins respectively connected to the plurality of liquid detection elements. The operation element is arranged on the at least one circuit board and connected to the multiplexer, and is used to switch the multiplexer to output a detection signal to one of the plurality of liquid detection elements through one of the plurality of output pins, and output a liquid intrusion notification signal when a response signal of the detection signal meets a preset potential.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a liquid intrusion detection method comprises: providing a liquid intrusion detection device, wherein the liquid intrusion detection device comprises at least one circuit board and a plurality of liquid detection elements disposed on the at least one circuit board, a multiplexer and an operating element; and using the operating element to execute: switching the multiplexer to output a detection signal to one of the plurality of liquid detection elements; detecting a response signal of the detection signal; and outputting a liquid intrusion notification signal when the response signal meets a preset potential.

A computer system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a power switch and the liquid intrusion detection device as described above, wherein the liquid intrusion detection device is connected to the power switch, wherein the computing element outputs the liquid intrusion notification signal to the power switch to turn off the power switch.

Through the above structure, the liquid intrusion detection device, liquid intrusion detection method and computer system disclosed in this case can detect water vapor/humidity in any selected area of the circuit board by setting multiple liquid detection elements on one or more circuit boards, and there is no need to install additional detection elements on the circuit board, which can save costs. By switching the pins of the multiplexer with an operating device, the response signal of a specific liquid detection element can be obtained and a liquid intrusion notification can be issued when liquid intrusion is determined to have occurred. In this way, an operating element and multiple liquid detection elements can be integrated through a multiplexer, without the need to set up multiple additional operating devices such as microcontrollers/central processing units.

The above description of the disclosed content and the following description of the implementation method are used to demonstrate and explain the spirit and principle of the present invention, and provide a further explanation of the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

1: Computer system

10,10’: Liquid intrusion detection device

100,100a,100b:Circuit board

101,101a,101b: Liquid detection element

1011: first comb electrode

1012: Second comb electrode

102: Multiplexer

103,103’: Computing elements

1031: Switch signal output pin

1032: Detect foot position

1033: Detection signal output pin

1034: Response signal input pin

20: Power switch

R1: resistor

T1: end

VCC: operating voltage

GND: Ground terminal

S11-S14, S21-S25: Steps

FIG1 is a block diagram of a liquid intrusion detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG2 is a block diagram of a liquid intrusion detection system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG3A is a schematic diagram of the pin connection between the multiplexer and the computing element of the liquid intrusion detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG3B is a schematic diagram of the pin connection between the multiplexer and the computing element of the liquid intrusion detection system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a liquid detection element of a liquid intrusion detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG5 is a block diagram of a computer system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG6 is a flow chart of a liquid intrusion detection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG7 is a flow chart of a liquid intrusion detection method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The detailed features and advantages of the present invention are described in detail in the following implementation method. The content is sufficient for anyone familiar with the relevant technology to understand the technical content of the present invention and implement it accordingly. According to the content disclosed in this specification, the scope of the patent application and the drawings, anyone familiar with the relevant technology can easily understand the relevant purposes and advantages of the present invention. The following embodiments are to further illustrate the viewpoints of the present invention, but do not limit the scope of the present invention by any viewpoint.

The liquid intrusion detection device, liquid intrusion detection method and computer system described below can be applied to electronic devices or equipment that are sensitive to liquid, water vapor or humidity, but this case is not limited to this.

Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a block diagram of a liquid intrusion detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid intrusion detection device 10 includes at least one circuit board 100, a plurality of liquid detection elements 101a and 101b, a multiplexer 102, and an operation element 103. The plurality of liquid detection elements 101a and 101b are disposed on the at least one circuit board 100. The multiplexer 102 is disposed on the at least one circuit board 100 and has a plurality of output pins respectively connected to the plurality of liquid detection elements 101a and 101b. The computing element 103 is disposed on the at least one circuit board 100 and connected to the multiplexer 102, and is used to switch the multiplexer 102 to output a detection signal to one of the multiple liquid detection elements 101a and 101b through one of the multiple output pins, and output a liquid intrusion notification signal when a response signal of the detection signal meets a preset potential.

In this example, the circuit board 100 of the liquid intrusion detection device 10 can be a circuit board of an existing system, that is, the liquid intrusion detection device 10 can be integrated with the circuit board of any device (such as a personal computer). The liquid detection elements 101a and 101b are arranged on the circuit board 100, and are preferably integrated with the circuit board 100 through the PCB layout. The number and location of the liquid detection elements 101a and 101b can be adjusted according to the application requirements. For example, the liquid detection components 101a and 101b can be arranged at each corner of the circuit board 100 to detect the maximum range of possible liquid invasion; or, the liquid detection components 101a and 101b can be arranged around a specific chip to ensure that the specific chip can avoid the influence of moisture; or, the liquid detection components 101a and 101b can be arranged near connectors, such as connection ports, screw holes, etc., to generate a notification signal at the first time of liquid invasion.

The multiplexer 102 (MUX) can select one of the multiple input signals for output. The operation element 103 can be implemented by a microcontroller, a central processing unit or a programmable logic controller. The operation element 103 is connected to the multiple liquid detection elements 101a and 101b through the multiplexer 102 to obtain the response signal of each liquid detection element 101a and 101b, and when it is determined that the potential of the response signal reaches a preset potential, a liquid intrusion notification signal is output. Specifically, the computing element 103 can periodically switch the multiple output pins of the multiplexer 102 to output a detection signal to one of the multiple liquid detection elements 101a and 101b through one of the multiple output pins, and when a response signal of the detection signal meets a preset potential, the computing element 103 can output a liquid intrusion notification signal to immediately notify the possible liquid intrusion.

Please refer to FIG. 2, which is a block diagram of a liquid intrusion detection system according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid detection elements 101a and 101b of the liquid intrusion detection device 10' of this embodiment are respectively arranged on two circuit boards 100a and 100b, wherein the two circuit boards 100a and 100b can be connected to each other through a flexible PCB (FPCB), a cable or a board to board connector, and the liquid detection element 101b can be electrically connected to the multiplexer 102 on the other circuit board 100a through the above connection method. In this embodiment, the description of other operations of the multiplexer 102 and the computing element 103 is basically the same as that of the embodiment of FIG. 1, and is omitted here.

Please refer to FIG3A, which is a schematic diagram of the pin connection of the multiplexer and the computing element of the liquid intrusion detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG3A, in this example, the computing element 103 has a switching signal output pin 1031 and a detection pin 1032 connected to the multiplexer 102, the switching signal output pin 1031 is used to output a switching signal to the multiplexer 102, and the detection pin 1032 is used to output the detection signal and detect the response signal. Specifically, the computing element 103 of this example can send a switching signal to the multiplexer 102 through the switching signal output pin 1031, wherein the switching signal specifies one of the multiple liquid detection elements, and outputs the detection signal to the multiplexer 102 through the detection pin 1032. When the multiplexer 102 receives the switching signal, it can output the received detection signal to the specified liquid detection element through the corresponding output pin, and then obtain the response signal of the specified liquid detection element. Then, the computing element 103 can obtain the response signal through the detection pin 1032, that is, obtain the liquid detection result of the specific liquid detection element. That is to say, the pin for outputting the detection signal and the pin for receiving the response signal of the computing element 103 in this example are the same pin (detection pin 1032).

Please refer to FIG. 3B, which is a schematic diagram of the pin connection between the multiplexer and the computing element of the liquid intrusion detection system according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3B, in this example, the computing element 103' has a switching signal output pin 1031 connected to the multiplexer 102, a detection signal output pin 1033 and a response signal input pin 1034, the switching signal output pin 1031 is used to output a switching signal to the multiplexer 102, the detection signal output pin 1033 is used to output the detection signal, and the response signal input pin 1034 is connected to the detection signal output pin 1033 to detect the response signal. Specifically, the computing element 103' of this example can send a switching signal to the multiplexer 102 through the switching signal output pin 1031, and the switching signal corresponds to the multiple liquid detection elements, and output the detection signal to the multiplexer 102 through the detection signal output pin 1033. When the multiplexer 102 receives the switching signal, it can output the received detection signal to the corresponding liquid detection element through the corresponding output pin, and then obtain the response signal of the corresponding liquid detection element. Then, the computing element 103' can obtain the response signal through the response signal input pin 1034, that is, obtain the liquid detection result of the specific liquid detection element. That is, in this example, although the multiplexer 102 obtains the detection signal of the computing element 103' and transmits the response signal to the computing element 103' through one pin, the computing element 103' outputs the detection signal (detection signal output pin 1033) and obtains the response signal (response signal input pin 1034) through different pins.

Please refer to FIG. 4, which is a schematic diagram of a liquid detection element of a liquid intrusion detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, one of the plurality of liquid detection elements 101 includes a first comb electrode 1011 and a second comb electrode 1012 arranged opposite to each other, wherein the first comb electrode 1011 is connected to the multiplexer and used to receive a working voltage VCC, and the second comb electrode 1012 is used to connect to the ground terminal GND. Specifically, the first comb electrode 1011 and the second comb electrode 1012 can be formed on a circuit board of the liquid intrusion detection device. The first comb electrode 1011 is connected to a working voltage VCC through a resistor R1, wherein the working voltage VCC may be, for example, 3.3 volts, and the first comb electrode 1011 is connected to one end T1, and is connected to the multiplexer through the end T1. The second comb electrode 1012 is grounded, and is electrically isolated from the first comb electrode 1011 when there is no moisture in the surroundings. When there is moisture in the surroundings and condenses into tiny droplets, it generates a certain degree of electrical conduction with the first comb electrode 1011.

In this way, when the computing element sends a detection signal to the multiplexer, the multiplexer can obtain a response signal with a corresponding voltage value through the one end T1 and return it to the computing element. If the voltage value of the response signal is close to the working voltage VCC, the computing element determines that the first comb electrode 1011 and the second comb electrode 1012 are electrically isolated from each other; if the voltage value of the response signal is less than the working voltage VCC to a certain extent, the computing element determines that the first comb electrode 1011 and the second comb electrode 1012 are electrically connected to each other and outputs a liquid intrusion notification signal.

Furthermore, in one embodiment, the detection signal outputted by the computing element through the output pin for switching the multiplexer may be a pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal to reduce the power consumption of the computing element when performing detection. In this embodiment, if the response signal corresponds to the pulse-width modulation signal (the voltage value corresponds to the working voltage VCC), the computing element determines that the first comb electrode 1011 and the second comb electrode 1012 are electrically isolated from each other; if the voltage value of the response signal is less than the working voltage VCC to a certain extent, the computing element determines that the first comb electrode 1011 and the second comb electrode 1012 are electrically connected to each other, and outputs a liquid intrusion notification signal.

Please refer to FIG. 5, which is a block diagram of a computer system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the computer system 1 includes a liquid intrusion detection device 10 and a power switch 20. The liquid intrusion detection device 10 includes at least one circuit board 100, a plurality of liquid detection elements 101a and 101b, a multiplexer 102, and an operation element 103. The plurality of liquid detection elements 101a and 101b are disposed on the at least one circuit board 100. The multiplexer 102 is disposed on the at least one circuit board 100 and has a plurality of output pins respectively connected to the plurality of liquid detection elements 101a and 101b. The computing element 103 is disposed on the at least one circuit board 100 and connected to the multiplexer 102, and is used to switch the multiplexer 102 to output a detection signal to one of the multiple liquid detection elements 101a and 101b through one of the multiple output pins, and output a liquid intrusion notification signal when a response signal of the detection signal meets a preset potential. The liquid intrusion detection device 10 is connected to the power switch 20, wherein the computing element 103 outputs the liquid intrusion notification signal to the power switch 20 to turn off the power switch 20.

The liquid intrusion detection device 10 of this example is substantially the same as the liquid intrusion detection device 10 of the embodiment of FIG. 1 , and can be combined with the aforementioned embodiments, and repeated description is omitted here. In this example, the computing element 103 of the liquid intrusion detection device 10 is particularly connected to a power switch 20, wherein the power switch 20 can be used to control the power supply of the system. When the computing element 103 determines that liquid intrusion is detected, a liquid intrusion notification signal can be output to the power switch 20, and the power switch 20 can be controlled to be turned off to avoid damage caused by liquid intrusion. Specifically, the power switch 20 may use an N-type transistor (N MOSFET) or a P-type transistor (P MOSFET) or a composite power switch integrated chip, or a circuit with a power switch function formed by the above-mentioned N-type transistor and P-type transistor in a single form or in combination, such as a power switch chip of model XC8107AC20ER-G, or a switch circuit designed with a P-type transistor of model MDV3604 and an N-type transistor of model L2N7002WT1G, or other types of switch circuits can achieve the above-mentioned effect through a circuit design of power off or power isolation.

Please refer to FIG. 6, which is a flow chart of a liquid intrusion detection method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the liquid intrusion detection method comprises: step S11: providing a liquid intrusion detection device, wherein the liquid intrusion detection device comprises at least one circuit board and a plurality of liquid detection elements disposed on the at least one circuit board, a multiplexer and an operation element; and executing with the operation element: step S12: switching the multiplexer to output a detection signal to one of the plurality of liquid detection elements; step S13: detecting a response signal of the detection signal; and step S14: outputting a liquid intrusion notification signal when the response signal meets a preset potential.

In step S11, the provided liquid intrusion detection device can refer to the liquid intrusion detection device of the embodiments of FIG. 1 to FIG. 5. Please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 in combination. In step S12, the computing element 103 can switch the multiplexer 102 to output the detection signal to one of the liquid detection elements 101a and 101b by switching the signal output pin 1031. In step S13, the computing element 103 can detect the voltage level of the response signal to determine whether liquid intrusion occurs near the corresponding liquid detection element. In step S14, when the computing element 103 determines that the voltage level of the response signal meets a preset voltage (lower than the operating voltage VCC to a certain extent), a liquid intrusion notification signal can be output.

Please refer to FIG. 7, which is a flow chart of a liquid intrusion detection method according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, in addition to executing steps S11 to S14 of FIG. 6, the liquid intrusion detection method of this embodiment can also perform the following operations on the computing element: step S21: switching the multiplexer to output a detection signal to one of the multiple liquid detection elements; step S22: detecting a response signal of the detection signal; step S23: determining whether the response signal meets a preset potential; if so, executing step S24: outputting a liquid intrusion notification signal; if not, executing step S25: switching the multiplexer to output a detection signal to another of the multiple liquid detection elements.

Steps S21 and S22 of this example are basically the same as steps S12 and S13 of FIG. 6 , and repeated description is omitted here. Please refer to FIG. 1 , FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 . In step S23 , the operation element 103 can determine whether the response signal meets the preset potential, wherein the preset potential can correspond to a specific ratio value of the working voltage VCC. In step S24 , when the operation element 103 determines that the response signal meets the preset potential (lower than the working voltage VCC to a certain extent), a liquid intrusion signal can be output. In step S25, when the computing element 103 determines that the response signal does not meet the preset potential (not lower than the working voltage VCC to a certain extent), the multiplexer 102 can be switched to output the detection signal to another of the multiple liquid detection elements, that is, step S22 is executed again on another liquid detection element.

Through the above structure, the liquid intrusion detection device, liquid intrusion detection method and computer system disclosed in this case can detect water vapor/humidity in any selected area of the circuit board by setting multiple liquid detection elements on one or more circuit boards, and there is no need to install additional detection elements on the circuit board, which can save costs. By switching the pins of the multiplexer with an operating device, the response signal of the specific liquid detection element can be obtained and a liquid intrusion notification can be issued when liquid intrusion is determined to have occurred. In this way, an operating element and multiple liquid detection elements can be integrated through a multiplexer, without the need to set up multiple additional operating devices such as microcontrollers/central processing units. In addition, by using pulse width modulation as the detection signal of the computing element, the power consumption of the computing element when performing detection can be reduced.

Although the present invention is disclosed as above by the aforementioned embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any changes and modifications made within the spirit and scope of the present invention are within the scope of patent protection of the present invention. Please refer to the attached patent application for the scope of protection defined by the present invention.

10: Liquid intrusion detection device

100: Circuit board

101a,101b: Liquid detection element

102: Multiplexer

103: Computing elements

Claims (10)

A liquid intrusion detection device comprises: at least one circuit board; a plurality of liquid detection elements disposed on the at least one circuit board, wherein one of the liquid detection elements comprises a first electrode and a second electrode disposed opposite to each other, and the first electrode and the second electrode are not directly electrically connected to each other; a multiplexer disposed on the at least one circuit board, having a plurality of output pins respectively connected to the liquid detection elements; and an operation element disposed on the at least one circuit board, connected to the multiplexer, for switching the multiplexer to output a detection signal to one of the liquid detection elements through one of the output pins, and outputting a liquid intrusion notification signal when a response signal of the detection signal meets a preset potential. A liquid intrusion detection device as described in claim 1, wherein the detection signal is a pulse width modulation signal. A liquid intrusion detection device as described in claim 1, wherein the computing element has a switching signal output pin and a detection pin connected to the multiplexer, the switching signal output pin is used to output a switching signal to the multiplexer, and the detection pin is used to output the detection signal and detect the response signal. A liquid intrusion detection device as described in claim 1, wherein the computing element has a switching signal output pin connected to the multiplexer, a detection signal output pin and a response signal input pin, the switching signal output pin is used to output a switching signal to the multiplexer, the detection signal output pin is used to output the detection signal, and the response signal input pin is connected to the detection signal output pin to detect the response signal. The liquid intrusion detection device as described in claim 1, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are respectively a first comb electrode and a second comb electrode, the first comb electrode is connected to the multiplexer and used to receive a working voltage, and the second comb electrode is used to be grounded. A liquid intrusion detection device as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one circuit board includes multiple circuit boards, and two of the liquid detection elements are disposed on different circuit boards among the circuit boards. A computer system comprises: a power switch; and a liquid intrusion detection device as described in claim 1 to 6, connected to the power switch, wherein the computing element outputs the liquid intrusion notification signal to the power switch to turn off the power switch. A liquid intrusion detection method includes: providing a liquid intrusion detection device, wherein the liquid intrusion detection device includes at least one circuit board and a plurality of liquid detection elements disposed on the at least one circuit board, a multiplexer and an operating element, wherein one of the liquid detection elements includes a first electrode and a second electrode disposed opposite to each other, and the first electrode and the second electrode are not directly electrically connected to each other; and executing with the operating element: Switching the multiplexer to output a detection signal to one of the liquid detection elements; detecting a response signal of the detection signal; and outputting a liquid intrusion notification signal when the response signal meets a preset potential. A liquid intrusion detection method as described in claim 8, wherein the detection signal is a pulse width modulation signal. The liquid intrusion detection method as described in claim 8 further includes executing with the computing element: switching the multiplexer to output the detection signal to another one of the liquid detection elements; detecting another response signal of the detection signal; and outputting another liquid intrusion notification signal when the other response signal meets the preset potential.

Images