Electricity measuring device and electricity measuring method

Abstract

The invention relates to an electricity testing device and an electricity testing method, and particularly discloses an electricity testing device with a charging interface multiplexing function. The electricity testing device comprises a detection circuit, a detection probe used for being in contact with an object to be tested, and a charging interface. The charging interface is provided with a grounding conductive part, and the grounding conductive part serves as a grounding connection point of the charging interface and is also electrically connected to a grounding loop node of the detection circuit so as to serve as a grounding pole piece for a human body to touch during electricity measurement. According to the invention, the grounding conductive part of the charging interface is reused as the electricity-measuring grounding pole piece, and an independent metal grounding piece does not need to be additionally arranged on the shell, so that the product structure is simplified, the integration level is improved, and the function expansion of the charging interface is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electrical testing tools, specifically to an electrical testing device and method. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional voltage testers, such as neon bulb or electronic voltage testers, typically have a metal cap at the end serving as a grounding electrode for human touch to form a detection circuit. With technological advancements, rechargeable voltage testers have become increasingly common, featuring charging interfaces such as USB ports. However, in existing designs, the charging interface and the grounding electrode required for voltage testing are two independent components. The charging interface is dedicated to charging the internal battery, while the grounding electrode is solely for human touch during voltage testing. This functional separation necessitates two openings in the product casing and separate wiring for these two components internally, increasing structural complexity and manufacturing costs, and hindering product miniaturization and integration. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art and provide a more compact and integrated electrical measurement device and method to expand the function of the charging interface so that it can also serve as a grounding electrode for electrical measurement.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides an electrical measuring device, comprising: a detection circuit; a detection probe for contacting the object to be measured to collect electrical signals; and a charging interface having a grounded conductive part; wherein the grounded conductive part is electrically connected to the grounding loop node of the detection circuit to serve as a grounding electrode for human touch during electrical measurement.

[0005] In one embodiment, the charging interface further includes a grounding pin, the grounding conductive part being the metal casing of the charging interface; the metal casing is electrically connected to the grounding loop node, and the grounding pin is electrically connected to the charging management circuit of the measuring device.

[0006] In one embodiment, the charging interface further includes a grounding pin, and the grounding conductive part is the grounding pin; the grounding pin is electrically connected to the grounding loop node, and the metal casing of the charging interface is electrically connected to the charging management circuit of the measuring device.

[0007] In one embodiment, the measuring device further includes a switching unit, through which the grounding conductive part is selectively electrically connected to the grounding loop node or the charging management circuit of the measuring device.

[0008] In one embodiment, the measuring device further includes a voltage detection circuit for monitoring the power supply pin voltage of the charging interface; when the voltage detection circuit detects that the power supply pin voltage meets the preset charging conditions, it controls the switching unit to connect the grounding conductive part to the charging management circuit; otherwise, it controls the switching unit to connect the grounding conductive part to the grounding loop node.

[0009] In one embodiment, the preset charging condition includes the power pin voltage being higher than a preset voltage value and lasting for more than a preset time.

[0010] In one embodiment, the detection probe is a conductive magnet or a metal probe.

[0011] In one embodiment, the measuring device includes a housing, a battery, and a main control board. The battery and the detection circuit are disposed on the main control board and housed within the housing; the charging interface is exposed outside the housing.

[0012] Secondly, the present invention provides an electrical measurement method, comprising the following steps: providing the aforementioned electrical measurement device; when the electrical measurement device is not being charged, electrically connecting the grounding conductive part of the charging interface to the grounding loop node of the detection circuit; holding the electrical measurement device and touching the grounding conductive part of the charging interface with one finger, while simultaneously touching a test part with the detection probe to perform electrical detection.

[0013] Thirdly, the present invention provides another method for measuring electricity, comprising the following steps: providing an electricity measuring device including a switching unit; monitoring the power supply pin voltage of the charging interface; when the power supply pin voltage meets a preset charging condition, connecting the grounding conductive part to the charging management circuit through the switching unit, so that the electricity measuring device is in charging mode; when the power supply pin voltage does not meet the preset charging condition, connecting the grounding conductive part to the grounding loop node through the switching unit, so that the electricity measuring device is in electricity measuring mode, at which time the grounding conductive part serves as a grounding electrode for human touch.

[0014] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the embodiments of the present invention have at least the following advantages and positive effects: This invention electrically connects the grounding conductive part (such as a metal casing or grounding pin) of the charging interface to the grounding loop node of the detection circuit, allowing it to replace the traditional independent metal tail cap and act as a grounding electrode for human touch during electrical testing. This design cleverly reuses the function of the charging interface, eliminating the need for a separate dedicated grounding component, simplifying the product's casing openings and internal wiring, reducing costs, and improving the product's integration and aesthetic appeal. Furthermore, in an optional embodiment, by introducing a switching unit and voltage detection, automatic and safe switching between charging and electrical testing modes can be achieved, avoiding potential interference or safety hazards that may arise from simultaneous use of the two functions. Attached Figure Description

[0015] 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. Obviously, 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 the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electrical measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the electrical measuring device from another perspective; Figure 3 For along Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the mid-section line MM; Figure 4 This is a block diagram of the dynamic grounding reuse logic for the charging interface in one embodiment.

[0017] The annotations in the attached figures are explained as follows: 100. Electrical measuring device; 1. Detection probe; 10. Housing; 3. Main control board; 31. Switch; 4. Battery; 5. Button; 6. Lighting; 7. Charging interface. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Typical embodiments embodying the features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that the present invention can have various variations in different embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention, and the descriptions and illustrations herein are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to limit the present invention.

[0019] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "setup," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0020] To better understand the solution of this invention, the following are explanations of relevant terms and core concepts: 1-Detection circuit: refers to the electronic circuit used to process the electrical signals collected by the detection probe and determine whether the object under test is charged.

[0021] 2-Detection probe: The conductive part at the front end of the device that comes into contact with the object to be tested. It can be a common metal pen tip or a magnetic conductor.

[0022] 3- Charging interface: An interface used to charge the device's internal battery, such as USB Type-A, Type-C, Micro-USB, etc.

[0023] 4- Grounding Conductive Part: The conductive part on the charging interface that has a grounding function can be the metal shielding shell of the interface or the grounding pin (GND pin) as defined in the standard.

[0024] 5-Grounding loop node: The common reference point in the detection circuit, usually referred to as "ground". When this point is connected to the ground through a human body or conductor, a complete detection loop can be formed.

[0025] 6-Switching Unit: A controlled circuit switching device used to change the electrical connection path. In this invention, it is used to switch the grounding conductive part of the charging interface to the charging management circuit or the detection circuit according to the charging state. It can be a mechanical switch (such as a pin switch triggered by the insertion of a USB plug) or an electronic switch (such as a single-pole double-throw analog switch chip, such as the common CD4053 or TS3A5017, etc.), controlled by the main control board according to the detected charging voltage.

[0026] Example 1: This embodiment provides an electrical measuring device 100. (See reference...) Figures 1 to 3The measuring device 100 includes an insulating housing 10. Inside the housing 10 is a main control board 3, which integrates a detection circuit and a battery 4 powering the entire device. A detection probe 1 is located at the front end of the housing 10, used to contact the object under test to collect electrical signals. The detection probe 1 is electrically connected to the input terminal of the detection circuit on the main control board 3. The housing 10 also has an exposed charging interface 7 for connecting to an external power source to charge the battery 4.

[0027] In this embodiment, the charging interface 7 uses a USB or Type-C interface. The charging interface 7 has a metal shield and a ground pin. To achieve reuse of the charging interface 7, the metal shield of the charging interface 7 is electrically connected to the ground loop node of the detection circuit on the main control board 3 via a wire. Simultaneously, the ground pin of the charging interface 7 is electrically connected to the ground terminal of the charging management circuit on the main control board 3. The detection probe 1 can be a common metal probe.

[0028] During operation, when the user needs to perform an electrical test, they hold the device and naturally place their fingers on the metal casing of the charging port 7. At this time, the metal casing serves as a grounding electrode for the human body to touch. When the detection probe 1 is brought into contact with the charged object to be tested, if the object is charged, a current path is formed: charged object → detection probe 1 → detection circuit → metal casing (grounding conductive part) → human body → ground, thereby driving the detection circuit to emit an audible and visual alarm.

[0029] In this embodiment, the metal casing and grounding pin of the charging interface 7 are internally assigned different functions: the metal casing is reused as a grounding electrode for electrical measurement, while the grounding pin is still dedicated to charging. This static connection method has a simple structure, requires no additional control circuitry, and achieves the reuse of the charging interface 7, eliminating the need for a separate metal grounding component.

[0030] It should be noted that the charging interface 7 can be located on the front of the housing 10, and the detection probe 1 is located on the back of the housing 10 opposite to the front. This arrangement allows the user to easily touch the charging interface 7 to ground the device when the detection probe 1 detects a live conductor. Furthermore, the testing device 100 also includes a button 5 located on the housing 10 and a light 6 connected to the main control board 3. The button 5 corresponds to the switch 31 on the main control board 3, and is operated to control the on / off state of the light 6. The button 5 is located on the front of the housing 10, and the light 6 is located on the side connecting the front and back. In other embodiments, the charging interface 7 can also be located in other positions, such as on the side. The light 6 may also be omitted.

[0031] Example 2: This embodiment is basically the same in structure as Embodiment 1, the difference being that the objects reused are different. In this embodiment, the grounding pin of the charging interface 7 is electrically connected to the grounding loop node of the detection circuit, while the metal casing of the charging interface 7 is electrically connected to the grounding terminal of the charging management circuit.

[0032] In this way, during electrical testing, the user's finger touches either the ground pin of charging interface 7 (if the interface design allows the pin to be exposed or accessible through the interface structure) or the portion of the interface that is connected to the ground pin. This also achieves the reuse of charging interface 7.

[0033] Example 3: This embodiment provides a better solution, which realizes dynamic reuse of the grounding conductive part of the charging interface 7 through the switching unit, so as to ensure that the charging and measuring modes are completely electrically isolated.

[0034] refer to Figure 4 In this embodiment, the grounding conductive part of the charging interface 7 (such as a USB interface) (which can be either a metal casing or a grounding pin) is not directly connected to a fixed point, but is connected to the common terminal of a switching unit SW1. The two selection terminals of the switching unit SW1 are respectively connected to the ground loop node of the detection circuit and the ground terminal of the charging management circuit. The switching unit SW1 can be an analog switching chip (such as CD4053) or a switching circuit composed of MOSFETs.

[0035] The main control board 3 is also equipped with a voltage detection circuit, which is connected to the ADC pin of the MCU through a voltage divider resistor to continuously monitor the power supply pin (VBUS) voltage of the charging interface 7.

[0036] Its working principle is as follows: Charging Mode: When the charger is plugged in, a 5V voltage appears on the VBUS pin. The voltage detection circuit detects this voltage and determines that it is higher than a preset threshold (e.g., 4.5V) and remains stable for more than a preset time (e.g., 50ms). The MCU then determines to enter charging mode. The MCU sends a control signal to the switching unit SW1, connecting its common terminal to the ground of the charging management circuit. At this time, the grounding conductive part of the charging interface provides a ground loop for charging, and the device charges normally. Simultaneously, the MCU can disable the detection circuit to ensure safety.

[0037] Electrical Measurement Mode: When the charger is not plugged in, the VBUS pin voltage is 0 or extremely low. The MCU determines that it has entered electrical measurement mode and controls the switching unit SW1 to connect its common terminal to the ground loop node of the detection circuit. At this time, the grounding conductive part of the charging interface 7 becomes a grounding electrode for human touch, and the user can perform normal electrical measurement operation by touching this part.

[0038] By introducing automatic switching logic, this embodiment, while achieving interface reuse, further ensures the safe isolation of the two operating modes, avoiding the risk of high voltage potentially entering the detection circuit during charging, or the impact of static electricity from the human body on the charging circuit 7 during detection. The preset time and threshold judgments can effectively filter out interference and improve system stability.

[0039] Other embodiments: Based on the above embodiments, the detection probe 1 can also be a magnetic conductor. In this case, the device also has a magnetic adsorption function, but this is not a necessary condition for realizing the point of this reuse invention.

[0040] Based on any of the above device embodiments, the electrical measurement method of the present invention mainly includes the following steps: Static multiplexing electrical measurement method: An electrical measurement device as described in Embodiment 1 or 2 is provided. When the device is not being charged, the grounding conductive part of the charging interface is fixedly connected to the grounding loop node of the detection circuit. The user holds the device and touches the grounding conductive part, and uses the detection probe to contact the part to be tested for detection.

[0041] Dynamic switching measurement method: A measurement device as described in Embodiment 3 is provided. The power pin voltage of the charging interface is monitored in real time. Based on the monitoring results, the connection path of the grounding conductive part is automatically switched so that it serves the charging management circuit in charging mode and the detection circuit in measurement mode, acting as a grounding electrode.

[0042] In summary, this invention simplifies the product structure and improves integration by cleverly reusing the grounding conductive part of the charging interface as a grounding electrode for electrical measurement. Its fundamental innovation lies in breaking away from the traditional design approach that requires the charging interface and the electrical measurement function circuit to be completely electrically independent.

[0043] Although the invention has been described with reference to several typical embodiments, it should be understood that the terminology used is illustrative and exemplary, and not restrictive. Since the invention can be embodied in many forms without departing from the spirit or essence of the invention, it should be understood that the above embodiments are not limited to any of the foregoing details, but should be interpreted broadly within the spirit and scope defined by the appended claims. Therefore, all variations and modifications falling within the scope of the claims or their equivalents should be covered by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electrical measuring device, characterized in that, include: Detection circuit; A detection probe is used to contact the object under test to collect electrical signals. The charging interface has a grounded conductive part; The grounding conductive part is electrically connected to the grounding loop node of the detection circuit, serving as a grounding electrode that can be touched by a human body when the measuring device measures electricity.

2. The measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The charging interface also includes a grounding pin, and the grounding conductive part is the metal shell of the charging interface; the metal shell is electrically connected to the grounding loop node, and the grounding pin is electrically connected to the charging management circuit of the measuring device.

3. The measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The charging interface also includes a grounding pin, and the grounding conductive part is the grounding pin; the grounding pin is electrically connected to the grounding loop node, and the metal casing of the charging interface is electrically connected to the charging management circuit of the measuring device.

4. The measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The measuring device further includes a switching unit, through which the grounding conductive part is selectively electrically connected to the grounding loop node or the charging management circuit of the measuring device.

5. The measuring device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The measuring device also includes a voltage detection circuit for monitoring the power pin voltage of the charging interface; When the voltage detection circuit detects that the power supply pin voltage meets the preset charging conditions, it controls the switching unit to connect the grounding conductive part to the charging management circuit; otherwise, it controls the switching unit to connect the grounding conductive part to the grounding loop node.

6. The measuring device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The preset charging conditions include the power pin voltage being higher than a preset voltage value and lasting for more than a preset time.

7. The measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The detection probe is a conductive magnet or a metal probe.

8. The measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The measuring device includes a housing, a battery, and a main control board. The battery and the detection circuit are located on the main control board and housed within the housing. The charging interface is exposed outside the housing.

9. A method for measuring electricity, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Provide an electrical measuring device as described in any one of claims 1 to 8; When the measuring device is not being charged, the grounding conductive part of the charging interface is electrically connected to the grounding loop node of the detection circuit; Hold the electrical testing device in your hand and touch the grounded conductive part of the charging interface with your finger, while simultaneously touching the detection probe to a part to be tested, in order to perform electrical testing.

10. A method for measuring electricity, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Provide an electrical measuring device as described in any one of claims 4 to 6; Monitor the power pin voltage of the charging interface; When the voltage of the power supply pin meets the preset charging conditions, the grounding conductive part is connected to the charging management circuit through the switching unit, so that the measuring device is in charging mode. When the voltage of the power supply pin does not meet the preset charging conditions, the grounding conductive part is connected to the grounding loop node through the switching unit, so that the measuring device is in the measuring mode. At this time, the grounding conductive part serves as a grounding electrode for human touch.

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