Connector connectivity detection device and connectivity determination method and device

Abstract

The invention relates to a connector connectivity detection device, a connectivity determination method and a connectivity determination device, a connector comprises a plug and a socket, the detection device comprises a coil formed by winding a wire, the coil is wound on the outer surface of one of the plug and the socket or embedded in one of the plug and the socket; the metal sensing part is attached to the outer surface of the other one of the plug and the socket or embedded in the other one of the plug and the socket; wherein the metal induction part is in a strip shape and is made of an amorphous alloy material, and the attribute of at least one of the metal induction part and the coil is set to enable that when the plug and the socket are completely connected in a matched mode, compared with when the plug and the socket are not completely connected in a matched mode, the inductance variation in the coil is larger than or equal to a preset inductance variation threshold value. The connector connectivity detection device is miniature and high in sensitivity, and meanwhile the effect of identifying the connector is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the connectivity detection of connectors, and more particularly, to a miniature and highly sensitive detection device for detecting the connectivity of connectors, a connector device including the detection device, and a method and device for determining the connectivity of connectors. Background Art

[0002] In an electrical system, a connector may fail to be fully mated (i.e., connected or disconnected), or sometimes one forgets to mate or disconnect the connector, and not all systems are capable of performing an electrical connection check. Therefore, it has been proposed to use proximity sensors to detect whether a connector is fully mated. The common types of proximity sensors are: inductive, capacitive, ultrasonic, and optical (e.g., infrared). However, inductive proximity sensors and ultrasonic proximity sensors are relatively large in size. Capacitive proximity sensors have weak directivity and are easily affected by external interference (e.g., being touched by someone, having metal nearby, etc.). Although optical proximity sensors have a relatively small size, they are usually digital, so the accuracy depends on mechanical tolerances and it is difficult to achieve high precision. In addition, in an electrical system containing multiple connectors, there is a need to accurately identify each connector and supply power to / cut off power from each connector according to different working conditions.

[0003] For this reason, it is desirable to provide a miniature and highly sensitive detection device for detecting the connectivity of connectors, which is easy to be applied to connectors with various different structures and can be used to identify connectors. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application is proposed in view of the above problems. The main object of this application is to provide a miniature and highly sensitive detection device for detecting the connectivity of connectors, which is easy to be applied to connectors with various different structures and can be used to identify connectors, so as to at least solve the technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above object, according to one aspect of this application, there is provided a detection device for detecting the connectivity of a connector. The connector includes a plug and a socket. The detection device includes: a coil wound by a wire, the coil being wound around the outer surface of one of the plug and the socket or embedded in one of the plug and the socket; a metal induction component attached to the outer surface of the other of the plug and the socket or embedded in the other of the plug and the socket; wherein, the metal induction component is in a strip shape and made of an amorphous alloy material, and the property of at least one of the metal induction component and the coil is set such that when the plug and the socket are fully mated, compared with when they are not fully mated, the inductance change amount in the coil is greater than or equal to a preset inductance change amount threshold.

[0006] Since the metal induction component is made of amorphous alloy material, it has a high magnetic permeability, enabling a relatively small-sized metal induction component to cause a large change in the inductance of the coil when approaching the coil, thereby enabling the detection device to achieve miniaturization while realizing high sensitivity. In addition, since the metal induction component is in a strip shape, it is easy to attach to any surface of the plug or socket or be embedded in the plug or socket, thus enabling the miniaturization of the detection device and making it easy to apply the detection device to connectors with various different structures.

[0007] Further, according to an embodiment of the present application, the attribute includes at least one of the following items: the geometry of the coil, the number of turns of the coil, the size of the amorphous alloy strip forming the metal induction component, the number of amorphous alloy strips, and the distance between the metal induction component and the coil.

[0008] By setting the above attributes, it can be easily ensured that when the plug and the socket are fully mated, the change amount of the inductance in the coil is greater than or equal to a preset inductance change amount threshold compared to when they are not fully mated.

[0009] Further, according to an embodiment of the present application, the preset inductance change amount threshold is set based on the inductance in the coil when the plug and the socket are not fully mated.

[0010] Further, according to an embodiment of the present application, the detection device further includes: a detection circuit connected to both ends of the coil and configured to detect the change in the inductance of the coil and output a digital signal, wherein the detection circuit includes an inductance measurement circuit and a conversion unit, and the conversion unit is configured to receive the inductance change amount threshold and convert an inductance signal whose detected inductance change amount by the inductance measurement circuit is greater than or equal to the inductance change amount threshold into a digital signal with a value of 1, and convert an inductance signal whose inductance change amount is less than the inductance change amount threshold into a digital signal with a value of 0.

[0011] Further, according to an embodiment of the present application, the number of coils is multiple, the number of metal induction components is multiple, and the number of detection circuits is multiple; and each of the multiple detection circuits is connected to both ends of a corresponding one of the multiple coils.

[0012] Further, according to an embodiment of the present application, the attributes of at least one of the multiple coils and the multiple metal induction components are set such that when the plug and the socket are fully mated, the change amount of the inductance of at least one of the multiple coils is greater than or equal to the inductance change amount threshold.

[0013] Further, according to an embodiment of the present application, the detection circuit includes a capacitor, which is connected in parallel with a coil to form an LC oscillation circuit. Among them, the detection circuit detects a change in the resonance frequency of the LC oscillation circuit, and the change in the resonance frequency indicates a change in inductance.

[0014] To achieve the above object, according to another aspect of the present application, a connector device is provided, which includes: a connector including a plug and a socket; and the above-mentioned detection device for detecting the connectivity of the connector.

[0015] To achieve the above object, according to still another aspect of the present application, a method for determining the connectivity of a connector is provided. The connector includes a plug and a socket. The method includes: receiving a detection signal from a detection device for detecting the connectivity of the connector, where the detection signal includes a digital sequence composed of multiple digits. The detection device includes multiple coils, multiple metal induction components, and multiple detection circuits. Each of the multiple coils is wound by a wire and wound on the outer surface of one of the plug and the socket or embedded therein, and each of the multiple metal induction components is attached to the outer surface of the other of the plug and the socket or embedded therein. The property of at least one of the multiple coils and the multiple metal induction components is set such that when the plug and the socket are fully mated, compared with when they are not fully mated, the change in inductance of at least one of the multiple coils is greater than or equal to a preset inductance change threshold. Each detection circuit is connected to both ends of a corresponding one of the multiple coils and is configured to detect the inductance change in the coil and output a one-digit digital signal. Among them, each detection circuit converts an inductance signal with a detected inductance change greater than or equal to the inductance change threshold into a digital signal with a value of 1, and converts an inductance signal with a detected inductance change less than the inductance change threshold into a digital signal with a value of 0; based on the digital sequence included in the detection signal, determine whether the plug and the socket of the connector are fully mated; in response to determining that the plug and the socket are fully mated, output a signal indicating that the connectivity of the connector is normal.

[0016] In this way, not only can the detection of the connectivity of the connector be realized by a miniature and highly sensitive detection device, but also, combined with the multiple arrangements of the coil and the metal induction component and the output of the detection circuit for digital signals, a magnetic encoding system for identifying the connector ID can be realized.

[0017] Further, according to an embodiment of the present application, determining whether the plug and the socket of the connector are fully mated includes: in response to the digital sequence including at least one digit 1, determining that the plug and the socket of the connector have been fully mated; or in response to the digital sequence not including the digit 1, determining that the plug and the socket of the connector have not been fully mated.

[0018] Further, according to an embodiment of the present application, the method further includes: when it is determined that the plug and the socket of the connector are fully mated, determining whether the digital sequence exists in a pre-stored ID mapping table, where the ID mapping table stores the digital ID of each authorized connector and the power-on / power-off state of each connector under different working conditions, and the number of digits of the digital ID is the same as the number of digits of the digital sequence; in response to the digital sequence existing in the ID mapping table, granting the power-on / power-off permission to the connector.

[0019] Further, according to an embodiment of the present application, the method further includes: in response to the digital sequence not existing in the ID mapping table, denying the power-on / power-off permission to the connector.

[0020] Further, according to an embodiment of the present application, the method further includes: after granting the power-on / power-off permission to the connector, determining the power-on / power-off state that the connector will be in based on the digital ID corresponding to the digital sequence in the ID mapping table and the current working conditions.

[0021] To achieve the above object, according to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a device for determining the connectivity of a connector, where the connector includes a plug and a socket, and the device includes: a first memory storing the digital ID of each authorized connector and the power-on / power-off state of each connector under different working conditions; a second memory including instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the second memory to perform the above method for determining the connectivity of the connector.

[0022] In an embodiment of the present application, there is provided a detection device for detecting the connectivity of a connector, where the connector includes a plug and a socket, and the detection device includes: a coil wound by a wire, the coil being wound on the outer surface of one of the plug and the socket or embedded in one of the plug and the socket; a metal induction component attached to the outer surface of the other of the plug and the socket or embedded in the other of the plug and the socket; wherein, the metal induction component is in a strip shape and made of an amorphous alloy material, and the property of at least one of the metal induction component and the coil is set such that when the plug and the socket are fully mated, compared with when they are not fully mated, the change amount of the inductance in the coil is greater than or equal to a preset inductance change amount threshold, so as to at least solve the problem in the prior art that it is difficult to implement a miniature and highly sensitive detection device for detecting the connectivity of connectors with various different structures and it is difficult to identify the connector while detecting the connectivity, thereby achieving the effect of providing a detection device that is miniature, highly sensitive, easy to apply to connectors with various different structures, capable of detecting the connectivity of the connector and also capable of being used to identify the connector. Description of the Drawings

[0023] The accompanying drawings forming a part of this application are used to provide a further understanding of this application. The schematic embodiments of this application and their descriptions are used to explain this application and do not constitute an improper limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a detection device for detecting the connectivity of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of a detection device for detecting the connectivity of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 3 is an exemplary circuit structural diagram of an inductance measurement circuit included in the detection device according to an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a detection device for detecting the connectivity of a connector according to another exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0028] Among them, the above-mentioned drawings include the following reference numerals:

[0029] 100: Detection device

[0030] 110: Coil

[0031] 120: Metal induction component

[0032] 130: Detection circuit

[0033] 1301: Inductance measurement circuit

[0034] 1301A: Square wave pulse signal generation part

[0035] 1301B: Measurement part

[0036] 1301C: Comparison output part

[0037] 1302: Conversion unit

[0038] 200: Connector

[0039] 210: Plug

[0040] 220: Socket

[0041] 411~414: Coil

[0042] 421~424: Metal induction component Detailed implementation manners

[0043] It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other. The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0044] It should be pointed out that, unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used in the present application have the same meanings as those commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present application belongs.

[0045] In the present application, unless otherwise stated, the orientation terms such as "upper, lower, top, bottom" are usually in reference to the directions shown in the drawings, or in reference to the vertical, perpendicular or gravitational directions of the components themselves; similarly, for ease of understanding and description, "inner, outer" refer to the inner and outer of the contours of the respective components themselves, but the above orientation terms are not used to limit the present application.

[0046] The purpose of the present application is to provide a miniature and highly sensitive detection device for detecting the connectivity of a connector, which is easy to apply to various connectors with different structures and can be used to identify the connector.

[0047] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a detection device for detecting the connectivity of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. As Figure 1 shown, the connector 200 includes a plug 210 and a socket 220. The detection device 100 includes: a coil 110, which is wound by a wire, and the coil 110 is wound on the outer surface of one of the plug 210 and the socket 220 or embedded in one of the plug 210 and the socket 220; a metal induction component 120, which is attached to the outer surface of the other of the plug 210 and the socket 220 or embedded in the other of the plug 210 and the socket 220; wherein, the metal induction component 120 is strip-shaped and made of amorphous alloy material, and the property of at least one of the metal induction component 120 and the coil 110 is set such that when the plug 210 and the socket 220 are fully mated, compared with when they are not fully mated, the change amount of the inductance in the coil is greater than or equal to a preset inductance change amount threshold.

[0048] When a predetermined voltage is applied across the coil 110, a magnetic field is generated around the coil 110, thereby generating inductance in the coil 110. Since the metal induction component 120 is made of an amorphous alloy material, it has a relatively high magnetic permeability, such that a relatively small-sized metal induction component 120 can cause a relatively large change (i.e., a relatively high percentage change) in the inductance in the coil 110 when approaching the coil 110. This makes it possible to miniaturize the detection device. In addition, since the metal induction component 120 is in a strip shape (e.g., a strip-like shape), it is easy to adhere to any surface of the plug or socket or to be embedded in the plug or socket, thereby enabling miniaturization of the detection device 100 and making it easy to apply the detection device 100 to connectors with various different structures. The miniaturized detection device 100 can also form a highly integrated array for more complex applications (e.g., ID identification of connectors).

[0049] It should be noted that Figure 1 only as an example, the coil 110 is shown wound around the outer surface of the socket 220 and the metal induction component 120 is adhered to the outer surface of the plug 210. In other examples, the coil 110 can also be located on the plug 210 instead of the socket 220, and correspondingly, the metal induction component 120 can be located on the socket. In addition, the coil 110 is not limited to being wound around the outer surface of one of the plug 210 and the socket 220, but can also be embedded inside the one. Similarly, the metal induction component 120 is not limited to being adhered to the outer surface of the other of the plug 210 and the socket 220, but can also be embedded inside the other.

[0050] In addition, in the present application, the coil 110 can adopt any winding method, including, for example, a pancake winding in which the coil winding direction is perpendicular to the coil axis and a cylindrical winding in which the coil winding direction is parallel to the coil axis (as Figure 1 shown). In addition to Figure 1 the cylindrical winding with the coil axis in the vertical direction shown, the coil 110 can also adopt a cylindrical winding with the coil axis along the circumferential direction of the outer periphery of the socket 220.

[0051] In the present application, the property of at least one of the metal induction component and the coil is set such that when the plug and the socket are fully mated, the change in inductance in the coil is greater than or equal to a preset inductance change threshold compared to when they are not fully mated.

[0052] Thus, it is possible to determine whether the plug and the socket are fully mated by detecting the change in inductance of the coil. For example, a measurement circuit for detecting the inductance of the coil can be set up to monitor the inductance in the coil. When the change in inductance in the coil is greater than or equal to the preset inductance change threshold, it outputs a high-level voltage signal to indicate that the plug and the socket are fully mated.

[0053] In an exemplary embodiment, a preset inductance change amount threshold for an inductor can be set based on the inductance in the coil when the plug and the socket are not fully mated. When the plug and the socket are not fully mated, the inductance in the coil is substantially constant or has limited fluctuations. When the plug 210 and the socket 220 are fully mated, compared with when they are not fully mated, an inductance change amount in the coil greater than or equal to the preset inductance change amount threshold means that when the plug and the socket are not fully mated, the inductance change amount in the coil 110 will be less than the preset inductance change amount threshold. The preset inductance change amount threshold can be set, for example, to 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, etc. of the coil inductance when the plug and the socket are not mated. Further, the preset inductance change amount threshold for the inductance can be set based on the inductance in the coil when the plug and the socket are not fully mated and the inductance in the coil when the plug and the socket are fully mated. For example, the preset inductance change amount threshold can be set to 60%, 80%, 85%, 90%, etc. of the difference between the inductance in the coil when the plug and the socket are fully mated and the inductance in the coil when the plug and the socket are not fully mated.

[0054] In the present application, the attributes of at least one of the metal induction component 120 and the coil 110 include at least one of the following items: the geometry of the coil, the number of turns of the coil, the size of the amorphous alloy strip forming the metal induction component, the number of amorphous alloy strips, and the distance between the metal induction component and the coil.

[0055] The geometry of the coil includes: the diameter of the wire forming the coil, the distance between adjacent turns of the coil, the cross-sectional area of the coil, etc. When the diameter of the wire is smaller, or the distance between adjacent turns of the coil is smaller (i.e., the coil is tighter), or the cross-sectional area of the coil is smaller, the inductance generated by the coil is greater. When the number of turns of the coil is greater, the inductance generated by the coil is greater. Additionally, when the metal induction component approaches the coil, the inductance generated by the coil increases. When the size of the amorphous alloy strip forming the metal induction component is larger, or the number of stacked layers is larger, or the distance between the metal induction component and the coil is smaller, the inductance generated by the coil is greater.

[0056] The distance between the metal induction component and the coil is defined by the positions of the metal induction component and the coil on the plug and the socket, respectively.

[0057] In an exemplary embodiment, for a specific coil and a metal induction component, the positions of the metal induction component and the coil on the plug and the socket can be set such that when the plug and the socket are fully mated, the distance between the metal induction component and the coil is within a preset distance threshold corresponding to an inductance change threshold, so that the inductance change in the coil is greater than or equal to the preset inductance change threshold compared with when they are not fully mated. In another exemplary embodiment, for a specific metal induction component and a specific setting of the positions of the metal induction component and the coil, the number of turns of the coil can be set such that when the plug and the socket are fully mated, the inductance change in the coil is greater than or equal to the preset inductance change threshold compared with when they are not fully mated.

[0058] The detection effect of the detection device 100 according to the embodiment of the present application has been confirmed by test examples. The test examples use an amorphous alloy strip as shown in Table 1 below.

[0059] Table 1 Parameters of the metal induction component 120 used in the test example

[0060]

[0061] In the test example, two coils with different numbers of turns are respectively wound around a socket sample (specifically, HARTING SEK Mezzanine). The coils are composed of 0.1 mm enameled wire. The number of turns of coil SEK1 is 110, and the number of turns of coil SEK2 is 150. Four layers of 5mm * 28mm * 20μm Ni78Fe17Mo5 amorphous alloy strips are loosely adhered to the plug sample paired with the socket sample. When the socket sample and the plug sample are not fully mated, coil SEK1 is air-core and the inductance at 10 kHz is 583.1 μH. When the socket sample and the plug sample with four layers of Ni78Fe17Mo5 amorphous alloy strips adhered are fully mated, the measured (for example, measured using a multimeter) inductance of the coil is 733 μH. Compared with when they are not fully mated, the inductance of the coil when fully mated increases by 150 μH, that is, increases by more than 25%. Coil SEK2 is air-core and the inductance at 10 kHz is 815.5 μH. Similarly, when the socket sample and the plug sample with a single layer of Fe76Si9B10P5 amorphous alloy strip adhered are fully mated, the measured (for example, measured using a multimeter) inductance of the coil is 871.9 μH. Compared with when they are not fully mated, the inductance of the coil when fully mated increases by 56 μH, that is, increases by more than 6%.

[0062] Thus, in the test example, the detection device composed of the above coil and the metal induction component (i.e., the amorphous alloy strip) realizes that when the sample plug and the sample socket are fully mated, the change in inductance in the coil is greater than or equal to a preset inductance change threshold compared with when they are not fully mated. For example, the preset inductance change thresholds for coils SEK1 and SEK2 can be set to 20% and 5% of the coil inductance when not mated, respectively.

[0063] Therefore, the miniature detection device composed of only the small-sized coil 110 and the small-sized metal induction component 120 can achieve highly sensitive detection of the connectivity of the connector.

[0064] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of a detection device for detecting the connectivity of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. As Figure 2 shown, in addition to the coil 110 and the metal induction component 120, the detection device 100 may further include: a detection circuit 130, whose input terminals are connected to both ends of the coil 110 and is configured to detect the change in inductance in the coil. The detection circuit 130 can be any known circuit for detecting inductance or inductance-related quantities, including but not limited to a multimeter, etc.

[0065] In the exemplary embodiment of the present application, the detection circuit 130 may include a capacitor, which is connected in parallel with the coil 110 to form an LC oscillation circuit. Thus, the resonance frequency fc of this LC oscillation circuit changes with the change in the inductance of the coil 110. The detection circuit can detect the change in the resonance frequency of this LC oscillation circuit, and the change in the resonance frequency indicates the change in the inductance. For example, in the test example, an LC oscillation circuit has been constructed and its resonance frequency has been detected. The resonance frequency fc corresponding to the inductance of 583.1 μH of the air-core coil SEK1 when not fully mated is 217 kHz, and the resonance frequency fc corresponding to the coil inductance of 733 μH when fully mated is 195 kHz. That is, a resonance frequency change of more than 10% is observed when fully mated compared with when not fully mated.

[0066] Furthermore, the detection circuit 130 may include an inductance measurement circuit 1301. The inductance measurement circuit 1301 detects the change in inductance in the coil 110 and outputs an inductance signal indicating whether the change in inductance is greater than or equal to the inductance change threshold. Specifically, the inductance measurement circuit 1301 can output a first inductance signal (such as a high-level voltage signal) when it detects that the change in inductance in the coil 110 is greater than or equal to the preset inductance change threshold; otherwise, it outputs a second inductance signal (such as a low-level voltage signal).

[0067] Figure 3 is an example circuit structure diagram of the inductance measurement circuit 1301 included in the detection device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. AsFigure 3 As shown, the purpose of the inductance measurement circuit 1301 is to determine whether the inductance value of the detection coil is higher than the inductance threshold value, which corresponds to the sum of the inductance value of the coil and the preset inductance change threshold value when the plug and the socket are not fully matched. The inductance measurement circuit 1301 is configured to output a high-level voltage signal when the inductance is higher than the value, and to output a low-level voltage signal when the inductance is lower than the value. The inductance measurement circuit 1301 includes a square wave pulse signal generating part 1301A, a measuring part 1301B, and a comparison output part 1301C. The measuring part 1301B includes an inductor L1 and terminals P2 and P4, the terminal P2 is connected to one end of the inductor L1, and the terminal P4 is grounded via a resistor R13. The coil 110 to be detected acts as an inductor, and its two ends are respectively connected to the terminals P2 and P4, thereby being connected in series with the inductor L1. The detection square wave pulse signal generated by the square wave pulse signal generating part 1301A is applied to the inductor L1. When the metal induction component 120 with a higher magnetic permeability is located near the coil 110, the inductance value of the coil 110 will increase, so the peak value of the pulse signal divided at both ends of it will also increase. The comparison output part 1301C includes operational amplifiers IC2A and IC2B, diodes BAT54J, voltage sources, resistors R24 and R25 and other components. The comparison output part 1301C is connected to point A between the inductor L1 and the terminal P2 to receive the pulse signal at both ends of the coil 110. The operational amplifier IC2A and the diode BAT54J and other components convert the peak value of the pulse signal at both ends of the coil 110 into a level signal and output it to the positive input terminal of the operational amplifier IC2B. The series resistors R24 and R25 connected to the voltage source are used to generate a reference voltage value and output it to the negative input terminal of the operational amplifier IC2B. The operational amplifier IC2B is used as a voltage comparator. When the voltage value of the positive input terminal is higher than the reference voltage value, it outputs a high-level voltage signal via the output terminal P6, otherwise it outputs a low-level voltage signal. The reference voltage value corresponds to the inductance threshold and is set in advance.

[0068] It should be noted that Figure 3 The inductance measurement circuit 1301 shown is only an example and is not limited thereto. Any inductance measurement circuit may be used as long as it can detect the inductance change in the coil 110 and output an inductance signal (eg, a voltage signal) indicating whether the inductance change is greater than or equal to the inductance change threshold.

[0069] Since the inductance measurement circuit 1301 can output a high-level voltage signal when the inductance change in the coil 110 is greater than or equal to a preset inductance change threshold, and output a low-level voltage signal when the inductance change is lower than the preset inductance change threshold, combined with the advantages of miniaturization and high sensitivity of the aforementioned detection device 100, the detection device according to the embodiment of the present application can be expanded to be applied to a magnetic coding system for identifying a connector ID.

[0070] In this case, the detection circuit 130 may further include a conversion unit 1302 (see Figure 2 ). The conversion unit 1302 may be configured to convert an inductance signal (e.g., a high-level voltage signal) output when the inductance measurement circuit 1301 detects an inductance change amount greater than or equal to the inductance change amount threshold into a digital signal with a value of 1, and convert an inductance signal (e.g., a low-level voltage signal) output when the inductance measurement circuit 1301 detects an inductance change amount less than the inductance change amount threshold into a digital signal with a value of 0. The conversion unit 1302 may be, for example, an analog-to-digital conversion unit.

[0071] Using this digital signal, and through a multi-arrangement of coils, metal induction components, and a detection circuit, the ID of the connector 200 can be identified. Hereinafter, how to determine the connectivity of the connector and how to identify the ID of the connector will be described in the case of a multi-arrangement of coils, metal induction components, and a detection circuit.

[0072] In the present application, the number of coils 110 may be multiple, and the number of metal induction components 120 may be multiple. Correspondingly, the number of detection circuits 130 may also be multiple. Each coil 110 is arranged corresponding to one metal induction component 120. Two input ends of each detection circuit among the multiple detection circuits 130 are respectively connected to both ends of a corresponding one of the multiple coils and are configured to detect the inductance change in the coil.

[0073] Similar to the reference Figure 1 described above, the property of at least one of the multiple coils 110 and the multiple metal induction components 120 is set such that when the plug 210 and the socket 220 are fully mated, the inductance change amount of at least one of the multiple coils 110 is greater than or equal to a preset inductance change amount threshold. In other words, the property of at least one of the multiple coils 110 and the multiple metal induction components 120 is set such that when the plug 210 and the socket 220 are not fully mated, the inductance change amount in all the coils 110 is less than the preset inductance change amount threshold.

[0074] This means that the property of at least one of the multiple coils 110 and the multiple metal induction components 120 is set such that when the plug 210 and the socket 220 are fully mated, the inductance change amount of some or all of the specific coils among the multiple coils 110 is greater than or equal to the preset inductance change amount threshold.

[0075] When each detection circuit converts an inductance signal with a detected inductance change greater than or equal to the inductance change threshold into a digital signal with a value of 1, and converts an inductance signal with a detected inductance change less than the inductance change threshold into a digital signal with a value of 0, each detection circuit will output a one-bit digital signal, and the value of this digital signal is 0 or 1. Thus, the detection signal output from the detection device 100 will include a digital sequence composed of multiple digits, and the number of digits is the number of coils or metal induction components.

[0076] Figure 4 An example of such a detection device 100 is shown. As Figure 4 shown, the detection device 100 has four coils 411 to 414 and four metal induction components 421 to 424. Each of the four coils 411 to 414 can correspond to Figure 1 or Figure 2 the coil 110 shown, and each of the four metal induction components 421 to 424 can correspond to Figure 1 or Figure 2 the metal induction component 120 shown. The coil 411 is arranged corresponding to the metal induction component 421, the coil 412 is arranged corresponding to the metal induction component 422, the coil 413 is arranged corresponding to the metal induction component 423, and the coil 414 is arranged corresponding to the metal induction component 424.

[0077] Figure 4 The attributes of at least one of the coil and the metal induction component in can be set such that when the plug 210 and the socket 220 are fully mated, the inductance change of some or all of the specific coils among the multiple coils is greater than or equal to the preset inductance change threshold.

[0078] For example, the attributes of at least one of the coil and the metal induction component can be set such that when the plug 210 and the socket 220 are fully mated, only the inductance change in the coil 411 is greater than or equal to the preset inductance change threshold. At this time, the detection signal output from the detection device 100 will include the digital sequence 1000. Or, the attributes of at least one of the coil and the metal induction component can be set such that when the plug 210 and the socket 220 are fully mated, only the inductance changes in the coils 413 and 414 are greater than or equal to the preset inductance change threshold. At this time, the detection signal output from the detection device 100 will include the digital sequence 0011. Different digital sequences can be set in advance for different connectors. Thus, the detected digital sequence can be used to identify the corresponding connector. In the case where the detection device 100 has four coils 411 to 414 and four metal induction components 421 to 424, a total of 15 different digital sequences can be set to identify 15 different connectors. That is, except for 0000, the digital sequences can all be used as the digital IDs of the connectors.

[0079] The property of at least one of the provided coil and the metal induction component can be, for example, the size and quantity of the amorphous alloy strip forming the corresponding metal induction component. For example, when it is desired that only the inductance variation in coil 411 is greater than or equal to a preset inductance variation threshold, the size and quantity of the corresponding metal induction component 421 can be set to be greater than those of metal induction components 422 - 424. Similarly, when it is desired that only the inductance variations in coils 413 and 414 are greater than or equal to the preset inductance variation threshold, the size and quantity of the corresponding metal induction components 423 and 424 can be set to be greater than those of metal induction components 421 - 422.

[0080] It should be noted that Figure 4 The four coils and four metal induction components shown are merely examples, and any number of coils and metal induction components can be provided in the detection device 100 as needed.

[0081] Therefore, the present application also provides a connector device, which includes: a connector 200, including a plug 210 and a socket 220; and the detection device 100 for detecting the connectivity of the connector 200 as described above.

[0082] In the present application, there is also provided a method for determining the connectivity of a connector and for identifying a connector by using the detection device as Figure 4 shown. By receiving the detection signal output from the detection device 100 and based on the digital sequence included in the detection signal, it is possible to determine whether the plug 210 and the socket 220 of the connector 200 are fully mated. Specifically, in response to the digital sequence including at least one digit 1, it can be determined that the plug and the socket of the connector are fully mated; or in response to the digital sequence not including the digit 1, it is determined that the plug and the socket of the connector are not fully mated.

[0083] This is because the inductance variation in the coil is greater than or equal to the preset inductance variation threshold only when the plug 210 and the socket 220 are fully mated. Therefore, as long as the digital sequence includes the digit 1, it means that the inductance variation in at least one coil is greater than or equal to the preset inductance variation threshold, that is, it indicates that the plug 210 and the socket 220 are fully mated.

[0084] Then, in the case of determining that the plug 210 and the socket 220 are fully mated, a signal indicating that the connectivity of the connector 200 is normal can be output. Thus, the determination of the connectivity of the connector 200 is achieved.

[0085] Further, this digital sequence can also be regarded as the ID of the identified connector 200. In the case where there are multiple connectors in the electrical system, an ID mapping table for each connector can be stored in advance. The ID mapping table can store the digital ID of each authorized connector and the energized / powered-off state that each connector should be in under different working conditions. The number of digits of the digital ID is the same as the number of coils or metal induction components in the detection device (i.e., the number of digits of the digital sequence). An authorized connector can represent a connector that has the power-on / power-off permission in this electrical system. The stored digital ID of the connector 200 indicates which of the multiple coils of the detection device 100 at the connector 200 can generate an inductance change greater than or equal to the preset inductance change threshold when the plug 210 and the socket 220 are fully mated.

[0086] Therefore, in the case where it is determined that the plug 210 and the socket 220 of the connector 200 are fully mated, it can be judged whether this digital sequence exists in the pre-stored ID mapping table. In response to the digital sequence existing in the ID mapping table, the power-on / power-off permission of the connector 200 can be granted. In addition, in response to the digital sequence not existing in the ID mapping table, the power-on / power-off permission of the connector 200 can be refused.

[0087] Thus, the digital sequence output by the detection device 100 can be used to identify the corresponding connector 200, thereby realizing the ID identification and verification of the connector and providing the safety of connector use.

[0088] Further, after the power-on / power-off permission of the connector is granted, the energized / powered-off state that the connector will be in can be determined based on the digital ID corresponding to the digital sequence in the ID mapping table and the current working conditions. This is because there are various working conditions in the electrical system, and the connectors in the electrical system do not always be in the same energized or powered-off state under different working conditions. Therefore, after the connector 200 is given the power-on / power-off permission, the energized / powered-off state that the connector 200 will be in can be further determined based on the current working conditions and the energized / powered-off state that the connector should be in under different working conditions indicated in the ID mapping table, so as to indicate power supply or power-off to the connector 200.

[0089] Thus, by using the above detection device and processing method, the individual power-on / power-off control of each connector 200 can also be realized, thereby improving the convenience of connectivity control.

[0090] As described above, a method for determining the connectivity of a connector and a method for identifying a connector are described. The above methods can be executed by a device connected (either wired or wirelessly) to the detection device 100. Therefore, the present application also provides a device for determining the connectivity of a connector 200, which connector 200 includes a plug 210 and a socket 220, and the device includes: a first memory storing the digital ID of each authorized connector and the power-on / off state of each connector under different working conditions; a second memory including instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the second memory to perform the above methods for determining the connectivity of a connector and for identifying a connector.

[0091] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should also be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they specify the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0092] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the above drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and do not necessarily have to be used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0093] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present application and are not used to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can have various changes and modifications. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A detection device for detecting the connectivity of a connector, the connector including a plug and a socket, characterized in that, the detection device includes: a coil formed by winding a wire, the coil being wound around the outer surface of one of the plug and the socket or embedded in one of the plug and the socket; a metal induction component, the metal induction component being attached to the outer surface of the other of the plug and the socket or embedded in the other of the plug and the socket; wherein, the metal induction component is in a strip shape and made of an amorphous alloy material, and the property of at least one of the metal induction component and the coil is set such that when the plug and the socket are fully mated, compared with when they are not fully mated, the change amount of the inductance in the coil is greater than or equal to a preset inductance change amount threshold.

2. The detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the property includes at least one of the following items: the geometric shape of the coil, the number of turns of the coil, the size of the amorphous alloy strip forming the metal induction component, the number of the amorphous alloy strips, and the distance between the metal induction component and the coil.

3. The detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that, the inductance change amount threshold is set based on the inductance in the coil when the plug and the socket are not fully mated.

4. The detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that, the detection device further includes: a detection circuit connected to both ends of the coil and configured to detect the change in the inductance in the coil and output a digital signal, wherein, the detection circuit includes an inductance measurement circuit and a conversion unit, the conversion unit is configured to receive the inductance change amount threshold, and convert an inductance signal whose inductance change amount detected by the inductance measurement circuit is greater than or equal to the inductance change amount threshold into a digital signal with a value of 1, and convert an inductance signal whose inductance change amount is less than the inductance change amount threshold into a digital signal with a value of 0.

5. The detection device according to claim 4, characterized in that, the number of the coils is multiple, the number of the metal induction components is multiple, and the number of the detection circuits is multiple; and each of the multiple detection circuits is connected to both ends of a corresponding one of the multiple coils.

6. The detection device according to claim 5, characterized in that, the property of at least one of the multiple coils and the multiple metal induction components is set such that when the plug and the socket are fully mated, the inductance change amount of at least one of the multiple coils is greater than or equal to the inductance change amount threshold.

7. The detection device according to claim 4, characterized in that, the detection circuit includes a capacitor, the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil to form an LC oscillation circuit, wherein, the detection circuit detects the change in the resonance frequency of the LC oscillation circuit, and the change in the resonance frequency indicates the inductance change.

8. A connector device, characterized in that, includes: a connector including a plug and a socket; and The detection device for detecting the connectivity of the connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A method for determining the connectivity of a connector, the connector including a plug and a socket, characterized in that the method includes: receiving a detection signal from a detection device for detecting the connectivity of the connector, wherein the detection signal includes a digital sequence composed of multiple digits, the detection device includes multiple coils, multiple metal induction components, and multiple detection circuits, each of the multiple coils is wound by a wire and wound on the outer surface of one of the plug and the socket or embedded therein, each of the multiple metal induction components is attached to the outer surface of the other of the plug and the socket or embedded therein, and the property of at least one of the multiple coils and the multiple metal induction components is set such that when the plug and the socket are fully mated, compared with when they are not fully mated, the inductance change amount of at least one coil among the multiple coils is greater than or equal to a preset inductance change amount threshold, each detection circuit is connected to both ends of a corresponding one of the multiple coils and is configured to detect the inductance change in the coil and output a one-digit digital signal, wherein each of the detection circuits converts an inductance signal with a detected inductance change amount greater than or equal to the inductance change amount threshold into a digital signal with a value of 1, and converts an inductance signal with a detected inductance change amount less than the inductance change amount threshold into a digital signal with a value of 0; determining whether the plug and the socket of the connector are fully mated based on the digital sequence included in the detection signal; responding to determining that the plug and the socket are fully mated, outputting a signal indicating that the connectivity of the connector is normal.

10. The method for determining the connectivity of a connector according to claim 9, characterized in that determining whether the plug and the socket of the connector are fully mated includes: responding to the digital sequence including at least one digit 1, determining that the plug and the socket of the connector have been fully mated; or responding to the digital sequence not including the digit 1, determining that the plug and the socket of the connector have not been fully mated.

11. The method for determining the connectivity of a connector according to claim 9, characterized in that the method further includes: when it is determined that the plug and the socket of the connector are fully mated, determining whether the digital sequence exists in a pre-stored ID mapping table, the ID mapping table stores the digital ID of each authorized connector and the power-on / power-off state of each connector under different working conditions, and the number of digits of the digital ID is the same as the number of digits of the digital sequence; responding to the digital sequence existing in the ID mapping table, granting the connector the permission to power on / off.

12. The method for determining the connectivity of a connector according to claim 11, characterized in that The method further includes: rejecting the power-on / off permission of the connector in response to the digital sequence not existing in the ID mapping table.

13. The method for determining the connectivity of a connector according to claim 11, wherein, the method further includes: after granting the power-on / off permission of the connector, determining the power-on / off state in which the connector will be based on the digital ID corresponding to the digital sequence in the ID mapping table and the current working condition.

14. A device for determining the connectivity of a connector, the connector including a plug and a socket, wherein, the device includes: a first memory storing the digital ID of each authorized connector and the power-on / off state of each connector under different working conditions; a second memory including instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the second memory to perform the method for determining the connectivity of a connector according to any one of claims 9 to 13.

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