Isolating the location of electrical faults
Fault Isolation is part of determining the cause of a problem, also known as “fault diagnosis,” the term may refer to hardware or software, but always deals with methods that can isolate the component, device or software module causing the error.
Fault isolation may be part of hardware design at the circuit level all the way up to the complete system. It is accomplished by building in test circuits and/or by dividing operations into multiple regions or components that can be monitored separately. After fault isolation is accomplished, parts can be replaced manually or automatically.
Although the terms “fault isolation” and “fault detection” are sometimes used synonymously, fault detection means determining that a problem has occurred, whereas fault isolation pinpoints the exact cause and location.
Fault Isolation Methods
