Cable bend fatigue testing system and method

Abstract

Provided is a cable bending fatigue test system, comprising: a hollow main body portion through which at least one cable passes; a pair of main gears respectively located at both ends of the main body portion, the pair of main gears being connected by a transmission shaft and being rotatable by a first motor only driving the transmission shaft; and at least one pair of secondary gears, each of the at least one pair of secondary gears being engaged with a pair of main gears and being rotatable by the engaged main gears, wherein both ends of the cable are fixed to the gear center of a pair of secondary gears among the at least one pair of secondary gears, and wherein the main body portion is such that the cable is in a bent state when both ends of the cable are fixed to the gear center of a pair of secondary gears.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of automotive technology, and more specifically, to a cable bending fatigue testing system and method. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing automation of automobiles, the use of in-vehicle sensors and controllers is also growing, leading to a significant increase in the number of cables inside the vehicle. Various connectors, plugs, and fasteners are used to install so many cables into the vehicle body. However, it is unavoidable that these cables will be bent. Furthermore, due to factors such as vehicle vibration and mechanical movement of components during driving, the degree of bending of these cables may even change. If cables are damaged due to bending, it will affect the normal driving of the vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary to test the bending fatigue characteristics of cables.

[0003] A known structure uses a swing arm to bend cables for testing. This method suffers from low operating frequency, poor structural stability and durability, and excessive noise during operation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a cable bending fatigue testing system with a high operating frequency, capable of testing multiple samples simultaneously, and characterized by low operating noise, low vibration, and good structural stability.

[0005] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a cable bending fatigue testing system is provided, which may include a hollow main body, a pair of main gears, and at least one pair of auxiliary gears. The hollow main body allows at least one cable to pass through. The pair of main gears are located at opposite ends of the main body, connected by a drive shaft and capable of being rotated by a first motor driven solely by the drive shaft. Each of the at least one pair of auxiliary gears meshes with a pair of main gears and is driven to rotate by the meshing main gears. The two ends of the cable may be fixed to the gear centers of one pair of auxiliary gears. The main body allows the cable to be bent when its two ends are fixed to the gear centers of the pair of auxiliary gears.

[0006] In one alternative embodiment, the inner wall of the main body may be curved.

[0007] In an alternative embodiment, the main body may have a tapered portion with a reduced diameter.

[0008] In an alternative embodiment, the main body can be rotated by a second motor.

[0009] In an alternative embodiment, a motor control unit may also be included, coupled to the first motor and the second motor, and configured to drive the main gear and the main body in opposite directions, wherein the rotational speeds of the first motor and the second motor are controlled such that the linear velocities of the main body and the cable are equal at their contact points.

[0010] In an alternative embodiment, a cable detection unit may also be included, which is coupled to the cable and configured to energize the cable to detect whether the cable is damaged.

[0011] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a cable bending fatigue testing method is provided, which may include: passing at least one cable through the hollow portion of the main body of the cable bending fatigue testing system, and fixing both ends of each cable to the gear centers of two gears of a corresponding secondary gear pair; and using a first motor to drive the main gear meshing with the secondary gear pair so that the cable rotates about its own axis.

[0012] In an alternative embodiment, the main body may also be driven by a second motor.

[0013] In an alternative embodiment, the rotational speed and direction of the first and second motors can be selected such that the linear velocities of the body and the cable are equal at their contact points. Attached Figure Description

[0014] In the accompanying drawings (which are not necessarily drawn to scale), the same numbers can describe similar components in different views.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the main body 10 of the test equipment in the cable bending fatigue test system according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0016] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The side sectional view of the main body 10 of the test equipment shown;

[0017] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The top view of the main body 10 of the test equipment shown;

[0018] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating a cable bending fatigue testing system 400 according to an example embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description. However, it should be understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known circuits, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0020] References to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," etc., in the specification indicate that the described embodiment may include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic; however, not every embodiment necessarily includes that specific feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is believed that the influence of such feature, structure, or characteristic on such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether explicitly described or not, is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0021] It should be noted that the terms “constituting,” “having,” “possessing,” “including,” “comprises,” “containing,” or any other variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that constitutes, has, includes, or contains elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Elements beginning with “constituting one,” “having one,” “including one,” or “containing one” do not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that constitutes, has, includes, or contains that element, unless further constraints are imposed. The terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless expressly stated otherwise herein.

[0022] For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase "A and / or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase "A, B, and / or C" means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C).

[0023] The terms “coupled” and “connected” are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect.

[0024] In detailing the embodiments of the present invention, for ease of explanation, the cross-sectional views illustrating the device structure will be partially enlarged and not to scale. Furthermore, the schematic diagrams are merely examples and should not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In actual fabrication, the three-dimensional spatial dimensions of length, width, and depth should be included.

[0025] As mentioned above, the structure that uses a swing arm to bend the cable for testing suffers from low operating frequency, poor structural stability and durability, and excessive noise during operation. This disclosure relates to a new testing structure.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the test equipment body 10 in a cable bending fatigue testing system according to an example embodiment. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The test equipment body 10 shown is a side sectional view. Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The top view of the main body 10 of the test equipment shown. Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating a cable bending fatigue testing system 400 according to an example embodiment.

[0027] The example device body 10 includes a main body 4, a pair of main gears 1 and at least a pair of auxiliary gears 2. Figure 1 For ease of illustration, only the main gear 1 and the secondary gear 2 on one side are shown.

[0028] The main body 4 is hollow, with openings at both ends, and the hollow portion is used for the cable 3 to be tested to pass through. Optionally, the main body 4 can allow multiple cables 3 to pass through its hollow portion so that multiple cables 3 can be tested simultaneously.

[0029] A pair of main gears 1 are located at both ends of the main body 4. The two main gears 1 are connected by a drive shaft 5. The drive shaft 5 is connected to the first motor 21. Figure 4 (as shown in the figure), so that the first motor 21 can drive the main gear 1 to rotate via the transmission shaft 5.

[0030] The main gear 1 is coaxially arranged with the main body 4 and is spaced apart from the end of the main body 4 by a certain gap to accommodate the secondary gear 2 described below.

[0031] At least one pair (five pairs are shown in the figure) of auxiliary gears 2 are configured to mesh with the main gear 1. One pair of auxiliary gears 2 corresponds to one cable 3 to be tested.

[0032] Specifically, the gear centers of the two secondary gears 2 in a pair are coupled to the two ends of the cable 3, respectively. As a result, the rotation of the secondary gears 2 will cause the cable 3 to rotate along its axis. Since the secondary gears 2 mesh with the main gear 1, the rotational drive of the main gear 1 by the first motor will eventually be converted into the rotation of the cable 3 about its axis.

[0033] In this embodiment, the spatial positions of the main gear 1 and the secondary gear 2 remain unchanged, and they only rotate.

[0034] The shape of the main body 4 is designed such that when both ends of the cable 3 are fixed to the center of a pair of auxiliary gears 2, the cable 3 is in a bent state, as... Figure 2 As shown.

[0035] This can be achieved using any shape. For example, the main body 4 can have a curved inner wall, allowing the cable 3 to bend along the curved inner wall. In some embodiments, the inner wall can bend towards the axis of the main body 4. The bending of the inner wall can be smooth, such that all parts of the cable 3 are under cyclic bending stress during device operation.

[0036] In some embodiments, the main body 4 may have a tapered portion 41 with a reduced diameter, such that the secondary gear 2 is further away from the axis of the main body 4 than the inner wall of the tapered portion 41. This ensures that the cable 3 is in a bent state when it passes through the hollow portion of the main body 4 and is fixed to the secondary gear 2.

[0037] However, it should be understood that the above shape is merely an example, and the bending method of cable 3 is not limited to this. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The bending direction shown can be towards the axis of the main body 4, or it can be bent away from the axis of the main body 4.

[0038] With cable 3 bent, applying rotation around its own axis to the cable via the secondary gear 2 simulates the bending state of cable 3 in a 360-degree direction for bending fatigue testing. Simultaneously, since cable 3 does not move in any position other than rotation, it exhibits good stability.

[0039] In this embodiment, five pairs of auxiliary gears 2 are shown, thus enabling simultaneous testing of five cables 3. It should be understood that the number of pairs of auxiliary gears 2 and the number of cables can be selected as needed, and are not limited to the situation shown in the figure. However, too many cables 3 may cause friction between the cables 3 during testing, thereby affecting the fatigue test results. Therefore, the upper limit of the number of cables that can be accommodated needs to be determined based on the inner diameter of the narrowest part of the main body 4 and the wire diameter of the cables 3.

[0040] Optionally, each pair of auxiliary gears 2 is arranged at equal intervals along the axial direction of the main gear 1 to ensure that the intervals between each cable 3 fixed to each auxiliary gear 2 are uniform and that the intervals do not become smaller.

[0041] Since the cable 3 maintains its bent state through contact with the inner wall of the main body 4, it will experience sliding friction with the main body 4 when it rotates around its own axis due to the rotation of the secondary gear 2. This friction may damage the cable 3, thus affecting the test results. Therefore, in some embodiments, the main body 4 can be made rotatable. For example, another motor, namely the second motor 22, can be used. Figure 4 (As shown in the figure) Drive the main body 4 to rotate.

[0042] Specifically, the driving direction of the second motor 22 on the main body 4 is opposite to the driving direction of the first motor 21 on the main gear 1. This ensures that the rotation direction transmitted to the cable 3 via the secondary gear 2 is consistent with the rotation direction of the main body 4, thereby reducing the sliding friction between the cable 3 and the inner wall of the main body 4.

[0043] Furthermore, the rotational speeds of the first motor 21 and the second motor 22 can be set so that the linear velocities of the cable 3 and the main body 4 are equal at their contact points. As a result, at the point where the cable 3 contacts the main body 4, their linear velocities are equal and they rotate in the same direction, thus eliminating sliding friction between the cable 3 and the main body 4. Consequently, the bending fatigue performance of the cable 3 can be accurately measured without being affected by friction, and thus fatigue damage caused by the pure bending state of the cable 3 can be studied.

[0044] The rotational speeds of the first motor 21 and the second motor 22 can be determined by... Figure 4 The motor control unit 20 shown controls the first motor 21 and the second motor 22 according to a preset speed ratio. In some embodiments, the motor control unit 20 can also control the first motor 21 and the second motor 22 based on signals from a sensor (not shown) to improve control accuracy. Such sensors include, for example, a linear velocity sensor disposed on the inner wall of the main body 4.

[0045] like Figure 4 As shown, the system 400 may further include a cable detection unit 30 and a device monitoring unit 40. The cable detection unit 30 is coupled to the cable 3 and is used to detect whether the cable 3 has been damaged. This can be determined by energizing the cable 3 and based on the output current and voltage. The device monitoring unit 40 is coupled to the device body 10 and is used to record the operating time of the system 400, the rotation frequency and number of rotations of the body 4, etc.

[0046] The motor control unit 20, the cable detection unit 30, and the equipment monitoring unit 40 may be a controller, a microprocessor, a processor with a more complex architecture including a CPU or GPU, a software-configured processor, or dedicated hardware or firmware.

[0047] When performing a bending fatigue test on one or more cables 3 using the cable bending fatigue testing system 400 of this disclosure, each cable 3 is first passed through the hollow portion of the main body 4, and both ends of each cable 3 are respectively fixed to the center of the pair of auxiliary gears 2. After installation, the main body 4 causes the cables 3 to be in a bent state. Then, the first motor 21 can drive the transmission shaft 5 to rotate, thereby driving the main gear 1 to rotate. The main gear 1 then drives the cables 3 to rotate via the pair of auxiliary gears 2, thus starting the fatigue test.

[0048] With the second motor 22 described above installed, the main body 4 is driven to rotate by the second motor 22, and the speed and direction of the first motor 21 and the second motor 22 can be controlled by the motor control unit 2 described above, so that the contact part between the cable 3 and the main body 4 does not produce sliding friction.

[0049] The embodiments, implementations, and aspects described above have been provided to facilitate an easy understanding of the invention and are not intended to limit it. Rather, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims, and its scope should be interpreted in the broadest possible sense to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures permitted under the law.

Claims

1. A cable bending fatigue testing system, comprising: The hollow main body allows at least one cable to pass through; A pair of main gears are located at both ends of the main body. The pair of main gears are connected by a drive shaft and can be driven to rotate by the first motor using only the drive shaft. as well as At least one pair of auxiliary gears, each of which meshes with the pair of main gears and can be driven to rotate by the meshing main gears, each of the auxiliary gears in each pair being supported between the corresponding main gear in the pair of main gears and the inner wall of the hollow main body. Wherein, both ends of the cable are respectively fixed to the gear centers of one pair of auxiliary gears in the at least one pair of auxiliary gears, and The main body portion allows the cable to be bent when both ends of the cable are fixed to the gear center of the pair of auxiliary gears.

2. The cable bending fatigue testing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inner wall of the main body is curved.

3. The cable bending fatigue testing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The main body has a tapered section with a reduced diameter.

4. The cable bending fatigue testing system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The main body can be rotated by a second motor.

5. The cable bending fatigue testing system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes a motor control unit coupled to the first motor and the second motor and configured to drive the main gear and the main body in opposite directions, and the rotational speeds of the first motor and the second motor are controlled such that the linear velocities of the main body and the cable are equal at their contact points.

6. The cable bending fatigue testing system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, It also includes a cable detection unit coupled to the cable and configured to energize the cable to detect whether the cable is damaged.

7. A method for testing cable bending fatigue, comprising: At least one cable is passed through the hollow portion of the main body of the cable bending fatigue testing system described in claim 1, and both ends of each cable are fixed to the gear centers of the two gears of the corresponding pair of auxiliary gears. as well as The first motor drives the main gear, which meshes with the secondary gear, so that the cable rotates about its own axis.

8. The cable bending fatigue test method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, Also includes: The main body is driven by a second motor.

9. The cable bending fatigue test method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The rotational speed and direction of the first motor and the second motor are selected such that the linear velocity of the main body and the cable are equal at their contact points.

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