Circuit Models for Bulk Current Injection (BCI) Clamps with Multiple Cables

The Bulk Current Injection (BCI) method is widely used for RF immunity testing of automotive systems. If detected at a late stage, compliance failures may lead to expensive redesigns and increased time to market. Therefore, it is desirable to evaluate the chip immunity at an early design stage using simulation methods. In general, the 3D physical model of the BCI clamp is not easily accessible from the manufacturer. Moreover, modeling the clamp along with the device-under-test (DUT) may lead to large simulation times. An accurate circuit model of the clamp-cable configuration will enable the designer simulate BCI performance through early design iterations. Although, there are circuit models reported in literature for clamps with a single cable available in literature, they do not directly lend themselves to multiple cable modeling. In this paper, a circuit modeling methodology is proposed for a BCI injection clamp with multiple cables. The proposed method is validated with measurements.