Early warning of fault conditions of an over-current protection module in dependable communication applications

This article describes the implementation of early warning feature in an over-current protection module designed for limiting the surge-current in communication applications. The early warning signal is generated by a surge-current sensor and a temperature sensor mounted on the protection module. Described solution decreases fault latency and consequently improves the efficiency of the on-line fault detection mechanism. It can be used for diagnostic on-line monitoring in dependable adaptive computing systems.