Test system

Abstract

The utility model discloses a test system which is used for carrying out calibration test on an airflow sensor. The test system comprises a pressure container used for providing a pressure environment; the gas generator is used for inflating the pressure container to change the internal air pressure of the pressure container, the airflow sensor monitors the internal air pressure of the pressure container as an electric signal, and the electric signal continuously changes along with the air inflow of the pressure container; the air pressure sensor is used for monitoring the internal air pressure of the pressure container to obtain an air pressure value continuously changing along with the air inflow; and the processor is used for receiving the electric signal and the air pressure value so as to calibrate the electric signal according to the air pressure value under the same air inflow. The gas inflow of the pressure vessel is used as a calibration reference, the gas flow change is more sensitive, the sensitivity is higher, and therefore the sensor with the high sensitivity requirement can be tested and calibrated.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of instrument measurement, particularly relates to a test system. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the rapid development of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology, MEMS sensors have been widely used in consumer electronics, medical health, industrial control and other fields due to their small size, low power consumption, high sensitivity and fast response. In particular, in electronic atomizers such as electronic cigarettes, MEMS airflow sensors have gradually replaced ordinary ECM (Electret Condenser Microphone) microphones, thereby further improving user experience and product performance.

[0003] The working principle of the electronic atomizer is to generate steam for the user to smoke by heating liquid oil. In this process, the MEMS airflow sensor plays a core role, which can detect the user's inhalation behavior and adjust the steam volume according to the user's inhalation volume, thereby providing a more natural and comfortable user experience.

[0004] However, in the prior art, the MEMS airflow sensor applied in the electronic atomizer is still in the exploratory stage, and the related industry is not mature enough. If the traditional airflow sensor test calibration method is used, it is difficult to achieve accurate sensing of airflow, and it is also impossible to achieve accurate adjustment of steam volume.

[0005] Therefore, a new airflow sensor test system is still needed to solve the above problems. UTILITY MODEL CONTENT

[0006] In view of the above problems, the purpose of the utility model is to provide a test system that can improve the sensitivity of the airflow sensor.

[0007] According to one aspect of the utility model, a test system is provided for calibrating and testing an airflow sensor, characterized by: a pressure container for providing a pressure environment; a gas generator for charging the pressure container to change the internal air pressure of the pressure container, the airflow sensor monitors the internal air pressure to provide an electrical signal, the electrical signal has a first curve that continuously changes with the gas intake amount of the pressure container; an air pressure sensor for monitoring the internal air pressure to obtain an air pressure value, the air pressure value has a second curve that continuously changes with the gas intake amount; and a processor for receiving the electrical signal and the air pressure value to calibrate the electrical signal according to the air pressure value under the same gas intake amount.

[0008] Optionally, the first side wall of the pressure container is provided with an opening, and the airflow sensor monitors the pressure container through the opening.

[0009] Optionally, the first side wall of the pressure container is provided with a groove recessed from the first side wall into the pressure container, and the opening is located at the bottom surface of the groove.

[0010] Optionally, an elastic sealing ring is arranged around the opening.

[0011] Optionally, the test system further comprises a communication unit configured to receive a control instruction provided by the processor to start / stop the gas generator or adjust the inflation speed, and configured to transmit the electrical signal to the processor.

[0012] Optionally, the test system further comprises a test fixture connected to the communication unit through a signal line, configured to fix the airflow sensor, and configured to move the airflow sensor to or away from the opening, wherein the test fixture is electrically connected to the airflow sensor through a probe, and the electrical signal is transmitted to the processor through the probe, the signal line and the communication unit.

[0013] Optionally, the gas generator is connected to the pressure container through a first air passage, and the pressure sensor is connected to the pressure container through a second air passage.

[0014] Optionally, the first air passage is connected to a second side wall of the pressure container, the second air passage is connected to a third side wall of the pressure container, and the first side wall is adjacent to the second side wall and / or the third side wall.

[0015] According to the test system provided by the utility model, the inlet air quantity of the pressure container is taken as a calibration reference, the first curve and the second curve that continuously change can be obtained, and the airflow sensor can be calibrated according to the comparison result of the first curve and the second curve. Compared with the prior art that measures the electrical signal provided by the to-be-tested member under a plurality of different preset air pressure values and fits the corresponding air pressure value-electrical signal change curve, the test system provided by the utility model is more sensitive to the change of the gas flow, has higher sensitivity, and thus can test and calibrate the sensor with higher sensitivity requirements. In particular, the airflow sensor applied to the electronic atomizer (such as an electronic cigarette) needs to be more sensitive to the airflow because the inlet air quantity is indefinite, and the test system and the test system provided by the utility model have more reliable test calibration effects.

[0016] Further, by arranging the external recessed test site, the influence of the external environment on the test can be avoided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present application will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of the test system provided by the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Various embodiments of the present application will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals indicate like elements. For the sake of clarity, each portion in the drawings is not drawn to scale.

[0020] Meanwhile, some terms are used in the specification and claims to refer to certain components. It should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that manufacturers can use different terms to refer to the same component. The specification and claims do not distinguish components by name, but by the functional difference between components.

[0021] It should be understood that in the following description, when a component is referred to as "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there can be an intermediate component, and the connection between the components can be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. Conversely, when a component is referred to as "directly connected to" another component, it means that there is no intermediate component between the two.

[0022] In addition, it should be noted that in this paper, relational terms such as first and second are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between the entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "contain" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed or inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without more limitations, the element defined by the statement "including a" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0023] It should be noted that in the methods and processes of the present application, the size of the step number does not mean the order of execution, nor does it constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0024] The test system provided by the present application is used to test and calibrate the airflow sensor, especially the MEMS airflow sensor with high sensitivity requirement in electronic atomizer (such as electronic cigarette).

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of the test system is shown. Referring to Figure 1 , the test system 10 comprises a test device 100 and a processor 200. The test device 100 is configured to collect an electrical signal provided by a to-be-tested member 20 (i.e., a to-be-tested airflow sensor) and an air pressure value provided by an air pressure sensor 140, and obtain a first curve and a second curve (to be described in detail below) that vary continuously according to the electrical signal and the air pressure value. The processor 200 is in communication connection with the test device 100, configured to receive the first curve and the second curve, so as to calibrate the airflow sensor according to the first curve and the second curve.

[0026] Specifically, referring to Figure 1 , the test device 100 comprises a pressure container 110, a gas generator 120, a first air duct 130 connecting the pressure container 110 and the gas generator 120, an air pressure sensor 140, a second air duct 150 connecting the pressure container 110 and the air pressure sensor 140, a communication unit 160, and a test fixture 170.

[0027] The pressure container 110 is usually a polyhedron. In some embodiments, in order to make the internal pressure of the pressure container be uniformly distributed, a cuboid or a cube pressure container 110 is usually selected to reduce the test error. In some embodiments, an opening is arranged on a first side wall of the pressure container 110 as a test site. When the airflow sensor is tested and calibrated, the to-be-tested member 20 continuously monitors the air pressure change in the pressure container 110 via the opening to provide an electrical signal reflecting the existence and intensity of the reaction airflow, and obtains a first curve that varies continuously with the air intake of the pressure container 110.

[0028] In some embodiments, in order to reduce the error during the test and calibration, a groove 111 is arranged on the first side wall, which is recessed from the surface of the first side wall to the interior of the pressure container 110, and the opening is arranged in the groove 111. Referring to Figure 1 , in order to facilitate operation, the opening is usually arranged on the bottom surface of the groove, and in some embodiments, it can also be arranged on the side wall of the groove. When the test and calibration are performed, the to-be-tested member 20 is moved to the opening in the groove 111, and senses the air pressure change via the opening, so that the interference of the external environment on the test can be avoided.

[0029] During the test calibration, it is difficult to effectively seal the opening only by the to-be-tested piece 20, and the direct contact between the to-be-tested piece 20 and the pressure container 110 can cause the to-be-tested piece 20 to be deformed, which has an adverse effect on the appearance of the to-be-tested piece 20 and the product quality. Therefore, in some embodiments, an elastic sealing ring surrounding the opening is arranged at the opening, and when the test calibration is performed, the to-be-tested piece 20 directly contacts the elastic sealing ring, the to-be-tested piece 20 extrudes the elastic sealing ring to tightly fit the two, and the effective sealing of the pressure container 110 is realized by the combined action of the to-be-tested piece 20 and the elastic sealing ring, thereby avoiding the influence of the leakage of the gas in the pressure container 110 on the test accuracy, and the elastic sealing ring is elastically deformed under stress, thereby avoiding the influence of extrusion on the to-be-tested piece 20.

[0030] Further, in the embodiments provided in the utility model, since the test position is arranged outside the pressure container 110, the utility model further comprises a test fixture 170, the test fixture 170 is used for fixing the to-be-tested piece 20, and the to-be-tested piece 20 is moved to the opening (at the opening of the groove 111 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6) at the beginning of the test, and the to-be-tested piece 20 is moved away from the opening at the end of the test. Figure 1

[0031] The test fixture 170 is electrically connected with the to-be-tested piece 20 through a probe to collect the electrical signal. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the specific position of the to-be-tested piece 20 in the groove 111 can be controlled according to the depth of the groove 111, thereby avoiding the shortening of the service life of the probe caused by the excessive contact between the probe and the to-be-tested piece 20 when the to-be-tested piece 20 and the elastic sealing ring are excessively extruded, and the service life of the test fixture 170 is improved. Figure 1

[0032] The gas generator 120 is communicated with the pressure container 110 through the first gas channel 130, and is used for inflating the pressure container 110, thereby changing the gas pressure in the pressure container 110. The first gas channel 130 is connected to the second side wall of the pressure container 110, and in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, the second side wall and the first side wall are adjacent side walls, thereby avoiding the direct impact of the gas flow inflating the pressure container 110 on the to-be-tested piece 20, and affecting the reliability of the electrical signal. Figure 1

[0033] The gas pressure sensor 140 is communicated with the pressure container 110 through the second gas channel 150, and is used for continuously monitoring the pressure container 110 to obtain the gas pressure value in the pressure container 110, thereby obtaining the second curve that the gas pressure value continuously changes with the gas inflating amount of the pressure container 110. The second gas channel 150 is connected to the third side wall of the pressure container 110, and in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, the third side wall and the second side wall are adjacent side walls, thereby avoiding the direct impact of the gas flow inflating the pressure container 110 on the to-be-tested piece 20, and affecting the reliability of the electrical signal. Figure 1 ​​​As shown, the third side wall is adjacent to the first side wall. In some other embodiments, the third side wall can also be adjacent to the second side wall, so as to avoid the air flow filled into the pressure container 110 directly impacting the air pressure sensor and affecting the reliability of the air pressure value. In some embodiments, the length d1 of the second air passage 150 is also controlled to be less than a preset length, so as to avoid the too long second air passage 150 affecting the accuracy of the air pressure value.

[0034] The processor 200 receives the continuously changed electrical signal provided by the to-be-tested member 20 to obtain a first curve, receives the continuously changed air pressure value provided by the air pressure sensor 140 to obtain a second curve, and compares the first curve and the second curve, so as to calibrate the electrical signal according to the air pressure value under the same air intake amount. It should be understood that, since the electrical signal and the air pressure value monitored at the same time correspond to the same air intake amount, in some embodiments, the first curve can also specifically represent the change relationship of the electrical signal with the air filling time, and the second curve can also specifically represent the change relationship of the air pressure value with the air filling time. That is, the electrical signal monitored at the same time can be calibrated by the air pressure value.

[0035] Further, the communication between the processor 200 and the test device 100 needs to be realized through the communication unit 160. Specifically, the communication unit 160 is in communication connection with the processor 200, so as to receive the control instruction of the processor 200 or transmit the electrical signal to the processor 200. Specifically, the communication unit 160 receives the control instruction of the processor 200 to start the gas generator 120 at the beginning of the test or to shut down the gas generator 120 at the end of the test. In addition, the communication unit 160 is in communication connection with the test fixture 170 through a signal line, so as to control the test fixture 170 to move the to-be-tested member 20 to the test position at the beginning of the test or to move the to-be-tested member 20 out of the test position at the end of the test according to the control instruction. During the test, the electrical signal is transmitted to the processor through the probe, the signal line and the communication unit 160.

[0036] In addition, in some embodiments, after the to-be-tested member 20 is tested and calibrated, the gas generation speed of the gas generator 120 (that is, the air filling speed of the pressure device 110) is also adjusted, so as to verify the calibration result under different speeds. Therefore, the communication unit 160 also controls the gas generator 120 to adjust the air filling speed according to the control instruction of the processor 200.

[0037] It should be understood that the communication unit 160 can realize the above functions through a controller chip, a digital-to-analog conversion chip and related peripheral circuits in the prior art. Specifically, the controller chip can be a single-chip microcomputer chip or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip, which will not be described here. In addition, the processor 200 is, for example, a computer, and the comparison and calibration of the first curve and the second curve are realized through data analysis software in the prior art, and the utility model is not limited in detail.

[0038] According to the test system, the air intake of the pressure container is taken as the calibration reference, the first curve and the second curve that continuously change can be obtained, and the air flow sensor is calibrated according to the comparison result of the first curve and the second curve. Compared with the prior art that measures the electric signals provided by the to-be-tested member under multiple different preset air pressure values and fits the corresponding air pressure value-electric signal change curve, the test system provided by the utility model is more sensitive to the change of the gas flow, has higher sensitivity, and thus can test and calibrate the sensor with higher sensitivity requirements. In particular, the air flow sensor applied to the electronic atomizer (such as an electronic cigarette) needs to be more sensitive to the air flow because the air intake is indefinite, and the test system provided by the utility model has more reliable test calibration effect.

[0039] Further, by setting the external recess test site, the influence of the external environment on the test can be avoided.

[0040] In accordance with the embodiments of the utility model as described above, these embodiments do not describe all the details and limit the utility model to the specific embodiments. Obviously, according to the above description, many modifications and changes can be made. The description selects and specifically describes these embodiments in order to better explain the principle and practical application of the utility model, so that the skilled in the art can well utilize the utility model and make modifications and use on the basis of the utility model. The protection scope of the utility model should be limited by the scope defined by the utility model claims.

Claims

1. A test system for calibration testing of an air flow sensor, characterized by The application relates to a pressure container, a gas generator, a gas pressure sensor and a processor. The pressure container is used for providing a pressure environment. The gas generator is used for charging the pressure container with gas to change the internal gas pressure of the pressure container. The gas flow sensor is used for monitoring the internal gas pressure to obtain an electric signal, which has a first curve continuously changing with the amount of gas charged. The gas pressure sensor is used for monitoring the internal gas pressure to obtain a gas pressure value, which has a second curve continuously changing with the amount of gas charged. The processor is used for receiving the electric signal and the gas pressure value to calibrate the electric signal according to the gas pressure value under the same amount of gas charged.

2. The test system of claim 1, wherein, The first side wall of the pressure container is provided with an opening, and the gas flow sensor monitors the pressure container via the opening.

3. The test system of claim 2, wherein, The first side wall of the pressure container is provided with a groove recessed from the first side wall into the pressure container, and the opening is located at the bottom surface of the groove.

4. The test system of claim 3, wherein, An elastic sealing ring is arranged around the opening.

5. The test system of claim 2, wherein, The application further comprises a communication unit, which is used for receiving the control instruction provided by the processor to start / stop the gas generator or adjust the charging speed, and is used for transmitting the electric signal to the processor.

6. The test system of claim 5, wherein, The application further comprises a test fixture connected with the communication unit through a signal line, which is used for fixing the gas flow sensor and moving the gas flow sensor to or away from the opening.

7. The test system of claim 2, wherein, The test fixture is electrically connected with the gas flow sensor through a probe, and the electric signal is transmitted to the processor through the probe, the signal line and the communication unit.

8. The test system of claim 7, wherein, The gas generator is communicated with the pressure container through a first gas channel, and the gas pressure sensor is communicated with the pressure container through a second gas channel. The first gas channel is connected with the second side wall of the pressure container, the second gas channel is connected with the third side wall of the pressure container, and the first side wall is adjacent to the second side wall and / or the third side wall.

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