A new searching strategy for multiple-fault location in analogue circuits

A new searching strategy is presented for multiple-fault location in analogue circuits which is based upon the under-determined parameter identification technique. Different searching methods are discussed for this problem and an approach is proposed which verifies dominant fault combinations in sequence, starting from single faults and progressing to higher-order multiple faults. The new dominant parameter is selected by sensitivity analysis and then the current selected parameters are identified by applying optimization to a suitable objective function. The application of the method is presented for a second-order biquad SC section under tolerance conditions, and comparisons are made with alternative searching strategies