Modeling of Contact Bounce in a Transient Electromagnetic Compatibility Test for the Analysis and Optimization of Nonlinear Devices

In this letter, we propose a methodology to include contact bounce, unavoidably occurring in a pulse generator, in the modeling of a transient electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test. An example of such an EMC test is the RI 130 test, well known in the automotive sector and used as case study in this letter. First, a detailed study of contact bounce of an electromagnetic relay is performed, leading to a novel modeling approach. Next, a multiconductor transmission line equivalent is developed for the electrically large RI 130 test bench and concatenated with models for the load box and the device under test (DUT). Then, to apply and validate the advocated model, the behavior of the nonlinear DUT is simulated and compared with measurements under the RI 130 test conditions, showing good agreement. Finally, it is also shown that the overall model can be used to efficiently optimize the design of the DUT, making it more robust.