Cable clamp and aircraft power distribution cable clamping device with fault location function

Abstract

The application discloses a cable clamping device and an aircraft power distribution cable clamping device with a fault positioning function. The device is composed of a cable clamping device and a conditioning conversion module. The cable clamping device is composed of a current sensing unit and a shell. The cable clamping device is arranged in an array at a certain distance along the cable laying direction. The current sensing unit monitors the current change condition of the cable at different positions through the electromagnetic induction principle. When a short circuit fault occurs, the output signal of the current sensing unit can be processed by the conditioning conversion module to obtain the position of the short circuit fault. The application can realize cable clamping and fixation, detect the fault position of the aircraft power distribution cable online, realize instant positioning of the cable fault, and help improve the fault diagnosis capability of the aircraft power distribution system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention patent relates to the field of fault diagnosis and monitoring technology of aircraft power distribution systems, specifically to a cable holder and an aircraft power distribution cable clamping device with fault location function. Background Technology

[0002] Power distribution cables, serving as transmission channels for electrical energy and information, are ubiquitous on aircraft, forming a complex and crisscrossing network. With technological advancements, aircraft are evolving towards greater intelligence and electrification, leading to an increase in onboard electrical equipment and, consequently, a growing number of cables. As these cables age, they are affected by factors such as high temperatures, humidity, corrosion, stress, wear, and vibration, resulting in insulation aging, damage, and short circuits. This extensive network of onboard cables poses a significant threat to flight safety. Current research on online health monitoring and fault diagnosis for power distribution systems primarily focuses on the power distribution devices themselves. While this allows for fault identification and rapid isolation when cables malfunction, ensuring aircraft electrical safety, it fails to pinpoint the exact location of the fault. This makes fault diagnosis difficult, time-consuming, and labor-intensive for aircraft maintenance personnel. Against this backdrop, fault location in airborne cables has become a hot research topic in the field.

[0003] Currently, cable fault location methods include visual inspection, bridge method, and reflection method. Aircraft cables are embedded within the airframe structure and have protective sheaths, making visual inspection limited. The bridge method and reflection method require specialized equipment to match resistors or inject detection signals into the cable to infer the fault location. These methods of fault location using specialized equipment after a fault occurs are time-consuming, labor-intensive, complex, and inconvenient to repair. Furthermore, intermittent faults caused by the working environment are difficult to reproduce on the ground. Therefore, researching a detection device that can automatically record the fault location when a cable fault occurs is of great significance for realizing online fault detection of airborne cables, improving the self-diagnostic capabilities of power distribution systems, and reducing the maintenance burden on maintenance personnel. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Purpose of the invention: To provide a cable clamp and an aircraft power distribution cable clamping device with fault location function.

[0005] Technical solution: In a first aspect, a cable clamp is provided, comprising: an upper housing, an upper central housing, a lower housing, a lower central housing, and a current sensing unit, wherein... The current sensing unit includes an upper C-shaped iron core, a lower C-shaped iron core, and a coil. The upper housing is designed with grooves for placing the upper C-shaped iron core; The lower housing has a groove designed to hold the lower C-shaped iron core and coil; The upper central housing is connected to the upper housing to fix the upper C-shaped iron core; The lower center housing connects with the lower housing to fix the lower C-shaped iron core and coil; The lower central housing has one signal output terminal and one common terminal at each end.

[0006] Furthermore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the upper C-shaped iron core is larger than that of the lower C-shaped iron core.

[0007] Furthermore, the coil is made of copper enameled wire with a diameter of 0.5mm, and the coil is wound in multiple turns around the lower C-shaped iron core.

[0008] Furthermore, the upper shell, upper central shell, lower shell, and lower central shell are all made of nylon material.

[0009] Furthermore, through holes are provided at the front and rear ends of the upper housing for installing locking bolts and a rotating shaft, respectively.

[0010] Furthermore, through holes are provided at the front and rear ends of the lower housing for installing locking bolts and a rotating shaft, respectively.

[0011] Furthermore, the lower central housing is fixed to the upper housing with three screws on each side to achieve the installation and fixation of the lower C-shaped iron core.

[0012] Secondly, an aircraft power distribution cable clamping device with fault location function is provided, including: a signal conditioning circuit, a hysteresis comparator, a processor, and a bus communication module. Multiple of the above-mentioned cable clamps Among them, a cable clamp is installed at the power supply end of the airborne electrical equipment, and at least one cable clamp is installed on each of the main and branch lines of the onboard power distribution cables. All cable clamps' common terminal blocks are interconnected to form a common signal, which is transmitted to the hysteresis comparator via an aviation connector. Each cable clamp's signal output terminal is connected to an aviation connector to transmit each detection signal to the signal conditioning circuit. Signal conditioning circuits are used to filter and select detection signals; The hysteresis comparator is used to compare the filtered and screened detection signals with the common terminal signal. The processor is used to perform logical judgments on the comparison results; The bus communication module is used to transmit the judgment results to the airborne power distribution module.

[0013] Furthermore, the processor is specifically used for: Step 1: Determine whether the levels of each detection signal on the trunk line bundle are consistent; Step 2: If there is an inconsistency in the detection signal levels on the trunk cable bundle, determine that there are two adjacent cable clamps with current jumps on the trunk cable bundle, and there is a short circuit fault in the cable between the two adjacent cable clamps. Step 3: If the detection signal levels on the main line harness are consistent, determine whether the detection signal levels on the branch line harness are consistent. Step 4: If there is an inconsistency in the detection signal levels on the branch line bundle, determine that there are two adjacent cable clamps with current jumps on the branch line bundle, and there is a short circuit fault in the cable between the two adjacent cable clamps. Step 5: If the detection signal levels on the main cable bundle and the detection signal levels on the branch cable bundle are consistent, the cable fault is determined to be at the junction of the main cable bundle and the branch cable bundle.

[0014] Furthermore, it also includes: numbering the output signals of the cable clamps on each line to form a software signal definition table; Based on the physical location of the cable clamps on each line and the software signal definition table, determine the location of the cable with a short circuit fault.

[0015] Beneficial effects: This invention patent proposes an aircraft power distribution cable clamping device with fault location function, comprising a cable holder and a conditioning and conversion module. The cable holder utilizes its housing structure to clamp and fix the cable, and uses a current sensing unit to output an induced voltage. The conditioning and conversion module takes the induced voltage as an input signal, conditions and compares it, and then inputs it to a processor for judgment and analysis. Finally, it reports the cable fault location to the upper-level processor via a communication bus. The current sensing unit can instantly detect the fault location when a short circuit or arcing fault occurs in the cable, enabling rapid fault location and improving the efficiency and convenience of maintenance personnel in troubleshooting cable faults. Furthermore, it is easily integrated with existing airborne power distribution devices, enabling the power distribution device to achieve fault identification and isolation while also possessing fault location capabilities, which plays a crucial role in improving the fault diagnosis capabilities of aircraft power distribution systems. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. The drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a system block diagram of the device proposed in this invention patent; Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the cable clamp of this invention. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the cable clamp of this invention. Figure 4(a) is a schematic diagram of the C-shaped iron core and coil of the current sensing unit of this invention. Figure 4(b) is a schematic diagram of the C-shaped iron core on the current sensing unit of this invention. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the cable fault location logic of this invention patent; The components include: 1. Cable clamp; 2. Upper housing; 3. Locking bolt; 4. Lower housing; 5. Signal output terminal; 6. Common terminal; 7. Lower center housing; 8. Shaft; 9. Fastening screw; 10. Upper C-shaped iron core; 11. Lower C-shaped iron core; 12. Coil. Detailed Implementation

[0018] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] The features and illustrative embodiments of various aspects of the present invention will now be described in detail. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following detailed description to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without requiring some of these specific details. The following description of embodiments is merely intended to provide a better understanding of the invention by illustrating examples of the invention. The invention is by no means limited to any specific setups and methods set forth below, but covers any improvements, substitutions, and modifications to structures, methods, and devices without departing from the spirit of the invention. Well-known structures and techniques are not shown in the drawings and the following description to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention.

[0020] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing and simplifying the invention, and should not be construed as limiting the invention. Furthermore, the use of ordinal numbers (e.g., "first and second," etc.) is for distinguishing objects and is not limited to this order, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0021] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly, encompassing both direct connection and indirect connection via an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0022] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments of the present invention and the features thereof can be combined with each other, and the various embodiments can be referenced and cited in each other. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0023] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0024] The present invention will now be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments described herein. They are intended to explain the invention and should not be construed as limiting it.

[0025] like Figure 2 Figure 4(b) shows a cable clamp, comprising: an upper housing, an upper central housing, a lower housing, a lower central housing, and a current sensing unit. The current sensing unit includes an upper C-shaped iron core, a lower C-shaped iron core, and a coil. The upper housing has a groove for placing the upper C-shaped iron core; the lower housing has a groove for placing the lower C-shaped iron core and the coil; the upper central housing is connected to the upper housing to fix the upper C-shaped iron core; the lower central housing is connected to the lower housing to fix the lower C-shaped iron core and the coil; both ends of the lower central housing are provided with a signal output terminal and a common terminal.

[0026] In one possible embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​the upper C-shaped core is larger than that of the lower C-shaped core.

[0027] In one possible embodiment, the coil is made of 0.5 mm diameter copper enameled wire, with multiple turns wound around a lower C-shaped iron core.

[0028] In one possible embodiment, the upper shell, upper central shell, lower shell, and lower central shell are all made of nylon material.

[0029] In one possible embodiment, through holes are provided at the front and rear ends of the upper housing for mounting locking bolts and a rotating shaft, respectively.

[0030] In one possible embodiment, through holes are provided at the front and rear ends of the lower housing for mounting locking bolts and a rotating shaft, respectively.

[0031] In one possible embodiment, the lower central housing is fixed to the upper housing with three screws on each side to achieve the installation and fixation of the lower C-shaped iron core.

[0032] An aircraft power distribution cable clamping device with fault location function includes: a signal conditioning circuit, a hysteresis comparator, a processor, and a bus communication module, and multiple cable clamps. One cable clamp is installed at the power supply end of the airborne electrical equipment, and at least one cable clamp is installed on each of the main and branch lines of the aircraft power distribution cable. The common terminal of all cable clamps is interconnected to form a common terminal signal, which is transmitted to the hysteresis comparator via an aviation connector. The signal output terminal of each cable clamp is connected to the aviation connector to transmit each detection signal to the signal conditioning circuit. The signal conditioning circuit is used to filter and select the detection signals. The hysteresis comparator is used to compare the filtered and selected detection signals with the common terminal signal. The processor is used to perform logical judgments on the comparison results. The bus communication module is used to transmit the judgment results to the airborne power distribution module.

[0033] Furthermore, the processor is specifically used for: Step 1: Determine whether the levels of each detection signal on the trunk line bundle are consistent; Step 2: If there is an inconsistency in the detection signal levels on the trunk cable bundle, determine that there are two adjacent cable clamps with current jumps on the trunk cable bundle, and there is a short circuit fault in the cable between the two adjacent cable clamps. Step 3: If the detection signal levels on the main line harness are consistent, determine whether the detection signal levels on the branch line harness are consistent. Step 4: If there is an inconsistency in the detection signal levels on the branch line bundle, determine that there are two adjacent cable clamps with current jumps on the branch line bundle, and there is a short circuit fault in the cable between the two adjacent cable clamps. Step 5: If the detection signal levels on the main cable bundle and the detection signal levels on the branch cable bundle are consistent, the cable fault is determined to be at the junction of the main cable bundle and the branch cable bundle.

[0034] Furthermore, it also includes: numbering the output signals of the cable clamps on each line to form a software signal definition table; Based on the physical location of the cable clamps on each line and the software signal definition table, determine the location of the cable with a short circuit fault.

[0035] The present invention provides an aircraft power distribution cable clamping device with fault location function, which can realize cable fault location and has a certain degree of integration with existing power distribution devices.

[0036] Example: This invention patent discloses an aircraft power distribution cable clamping device with fault location function. The device comprises a cable holder and a conditioning and conversion module. The cable holder includes a housing and a current sensing unit. The cable holders are arranged in an array along the cable laying direction. The current sensing unit outputs an electrical signal when the cable current changes abruptly. The conditioning and conversion module conditions and performs logical analysis on the electrical signal output by the current sensing unit to determine the location of the cable short-circuit fault.

[0037] The current sensing unit consists of a C-shaped iron core and a coil; the coil is made of a conductive material; the iron core is made of a magnetic material; the cable clamp is fastened by a fixing device to clamp and fix the cable; the upper and lower parts of the cable clamp can rotate around a pivot to open and close.

[0038] The system block diagram of the aircraft power cable clamping device with fault location function integrated with the airborne power distribution device proposed in this invention patent is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the aircraft power distribution cable clamping device with fault location function uses cable holders to detect short-circuit faults in the power distribution cables based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. The cable holders are placed at 50cm intervals along the cable laying direction. The signals output by the cable holders are transmitted to the conditioning and conversion module via wires and aviation connectors. The conditioning and conversion module determines the location of the cable fault based on the difference in output signals from the cable holders (X1~X12) before and after the fault location, and reports the result to the upper-level processor via bus communication.

[0039] The cable clamp consists of an upper housing 1, an upper central housing 8, a lower housing 3, a lower central housing 6, a current sensing unit, wiring terminals, locking bolts 2, and fastening screws 9. Its external structure is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, its internal structure is as follows Figure 3 As shown.

[0040] Upper housing 1: The upper housing is made of nylon material and has grooves designed on it for placing the upper C-shaped iron core; through holes are provided at the front and rear ends for installing locking bolts 2 and rotating shafts 7, respectively.

[0041] Upper central housing 8: The upper central housing is made of nylon material and is fixed to the upper housing with 4 screws on each side to realize the installation and fixation of the upper C-shaped iron core.

[0042] Lower housing 3: The lower housing is made of nylon material and has grooves designed to hold the lower C-shaped iron core and coil; through holes are provided at the front and rear ends for installing locking bolts and shafts, respectively; the cable holder is fixed to the aircraft fuselage by passing screws through the two through holes at the bottom.

[0043] Lower central housing 6: The lower central housing is made of nylon material and is fixed to the upper housing with 3 screws on each side to realize the installation and fixation of the lower C-shaped iron core. Each side is provided with 1 signal output terminal and 1 common terminal.

[0044] Current sensing unit: The current sensing unit includes an upper C-shaped iron core 10, a lower C-shaped iron core 11, and a coil 12. The iron cores are made of ferrite material. The upper and lower C-shaped iron cores together form a closed magnetic circuit, and to ensure the effective magnetic path cross-sectional area, the cross-sectional area of ​​the upper C-shaped iron core is slightly larger than that of the lower C-shaped iron core. Figure 3 As shown.

[0045] The coil is made of copper enameled wire with a diameter of 0.5mm. The coil is wound in multiple turns around the lower C-shaped iron core, and the winding direction of the coil of each current sensing unit is consistent.

[0046] Terminal blocks: Signal output terminal 4 is connected to one end of the coil inside the lower housing, and common terminal 5 is connected to the other end of the coil inside the lower housing. The electrical signal from the current sensing unit can be output externally by connecting a wire to the screw on the terminal block. The common terminal blocks of each cable holder are cascaded and connected to the aviation connector; the signal output terminal 4 of each cable holder is connected to the aviation connector, such as... Figure 1 The X1 to X12 signals are shown in the diagram.

[0047] Locking bolt 2: The locking bolt is used to close and lock the cable clamp, ensuring reliable clamping and fixing of the cable bundle, and at the same time ensuring that the two C-shaped iron cores in the current sensing unit form a closed magnetic flux path.

[0048] The conditioning and conversion module consists of a signal conditioning circuit, a hysteresis comparator, a processor, and a bus communication module. It performs screening, filtering, comparison, and judgment on the input signal, and reports the results to the upper-level processor via the bus communication module.

[0049] Combination Figures 1 to 5 Table 1 illustrates the operating principle of this device. Assume that the power supply line of the airborne electrical equipment 6 is short-circuited to ground due to damage between cable clamps X5 and X6. This will cause a large instantaneous current to be generated from the output terminal of the airborne power distribution module's power distribution channel 6 to the point of cable damage due to the short circuit. Firstly, this will trigger the short-circuit protection function of the airborne power distribution module, achieving fault isolation. Simultaneously, according to the principle of electromagnetic induction, a high induced voltage will appear on the coil of the current sensing unit, thereby outputting a spike voltage signal between the output terminals and the common terminal of the cable clamps X1 to X5.

[0050] The X1 to X5 signals input to the conditioning and conversion module increase significantly, and the voltage difference between them and the common terminal will exceed the preset comparator threshold. The comparator outputs a high / low level signal to the processor, and the processor then... Figure 5 After logical comparison and judgment, it can be determined that a short circuit fault has occurred in the cable bundle between cable clamps X5 and X6. Combined with the short circuit power failure protection of the airborne power distribution module's power distribution channel 6, it can be further determined that the power supply line of the airborne electrical equipment 6 is short-circuited to ground between X5 and X6.

[0051] Table 1 is the signal definition table for the processor software of this invention.

[0052]

[0053] When a short-circuit fault occurs, the airborne power distribution module can quickly disconnect power to the faulty area, but the fault can only be located as a short circuit in power distribution channel 6, resulting in a large potential fault range. With this device, the location of the short-circuit fault can be pinpointed between cable clamps X5 and X6, reducing the potential fault range from the entire line after power distribution channel 6 to a 50cm area. This significantly reduces the detection range, which is of great significance for fault detection and location of power distribution cables installed within the aircraft structure. Integration with existing power distribution devices enables rapid online fault location, greatly improving the efficiency and convenience of maintenance personnel in troubleshooting cable faults, and has certain application value in enhancing the fault diagnosis capabilities of aircraft power distribution systems.

[0054] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An aircraft power distribution cable clamp device having a fault location function, characterized by, include: The system includes a signal conditioning circuit, a hysteresis comparator, a processor, a bus communication module, and multiple cable holders. Each cable holder comprises an upper housing, an upper central housing, a lower housing, a lower central housing, and a current sensing unit. The current sensing unit includes an upper C-shaped iron core, a lower C-shaped iron core, and a coil. The upper housing has a groove for holding the upper C-shaped iron core; the lower housing also has a groove for holding the lower C-shaped iron core and the coil. The upper central housing connects to the upper housing to secure the upper C-shaped iron core; the lower central housing connects to the lower housing to secure the lower C-shaped iron core and the coil. Each end of the lower central housing has one signal output terminal and one common terminal. A cable clamp is installed at the power supply end of the airborne electrical equipment, and at least one cable clamp is installed on each of the main and branch lines of the onboard power distribution cables. All cable clamps' common terminal blocks are interconnected to form a common signal, which is transmitted to the hysteresis comparator via an aviation connector. Each cable clamp's signal output terminal is connected to an aviation connector to transmit each detection signal to the signal conditioning circuit. Signal conditioning circuits are used to filter and select detection signals; The hysteresis comparator is used to compare the filtered and screened detection signals with the common terminal signal. The processor is used for: Determine whether the levels of each detection signal on the trunk line bundle are consistent; If there is an inconsistency in the detection signal levels on the trunk cable bundle, it is determined that there are two adjacent cable clamps with current jumps on the trunk cable bundle, and there is a short circuit fault in the cable between the two adjacent cable clamps. If the detection signal levels on the main line bundle are consistent, determine whether the detection signal levels on the branch line bundle are consistent. If there is an inconsistency in the detection signal levels on the branch line bundle, it is determined that there are two adjacent cable clamps with current jumps on the branch line bundle, and there is a short circuit fault in the cable between the two adjacent cable clamps. If the detection signal levels on the main cable bundle are consistent and the detection signal levels on the branch cable bundle are consistent, the fault is determined to be a cable fault at the junction of the main cable bundle and the branch cable bundle. The output signals of the cable clamps on each line are numbered to form a software signal definition table; based on the physical location of the cable clamps on each line and the software signal definition table, the location of the cable with short circuit fault is determined. The bus communication module is used to transmit the judgment results to the airborne power distribution module.

2. An aircraft power distribution cable clamp device according to claim 1, wherein, The cross-sectional area of ​​the upper C-shaped iron core is larger than that of the lower C-shaped iron core.

3. The aircraft power distribution cable clamp of claim 1, wherein, The coil is made of copper enameled wire with a diameter of 0.5mm, and the coil is wound in multiple turns around the lower C-shaped iron core.

4. The aircraft power distribution cable clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper shell, upper central shell, lower shell, and lower central shell are all made of nylon material.

5. The aircraft power distribution cable clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper housing has through holes at the front and rear ends for mounting locking bolts and a rotating shaft, respectively.

6. The aircraft power distribution cable clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower housing has through holes at the front and rear ends for mounting locking bolts and a rotating shaft, respectively.

7. The aircraft power distribution cable clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower central housing is fixed to the upper housing with three screws on each side to achieve the installation and fixation of the lower C-shaped iron core.

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