Wading detection sensor, wading detection module and power unit of steering system
By arranging coils in the circuit board to form a capacitor, and using the change in capacitance value to detect water ingress, the problem of lack of water ingress detection in EPS systems is solved, water ingress diagnosis of the components under test is realized, and safety is improved.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-24
AI Technical Summary
Existing automotive components, especially EPS systems, lack water ingress detection mechanisms, which may lead to continued use after water ingress, increasing safety risks.
By adopting the principle of capacitance detection, a capacitor is formed by arranging coils in the circuit board, and the change of capacitance value is used to detect water ingress. A water immersion detection sensor and module are designed to realize water ingress diagnosis of the component to be tested.
It can effectively diagnose the water ingress of the component under test, prevent the continued use of the component after it fails due to water ingress, and improve safety.
Smart Images
Figure CN224035510U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of automobile parts, and concretely relates to a water detection sensor, a water detection module and a power unit of a steering system. BACKGROUND
[0002] Automobile parts are prone to water ingress during use, which may cause risks such as short circuit, failure, power failure, etc. Currently, many functional systems do not have a water ingress detection mechanism, and there is a risk of causing safety problems due to continued use after water ingress failure.
[0003] For example, in the existing EPS (Electric Power Steering, electric power steering system), there is no water ingress detection mechanism designed for the PP (Power Pack, power unit), which cannot diagnose the water ingress condition of the PP, increasing the risk of continued use after the EPS waterproof failure.
[0004] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background section is only used to strengthen the understanding of the background of the utility model, and therefore can include information that does not constitute prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL
[0005] Therefore, the utility model provides a water detection sensor, a water detection module and a power unit of a steering system, which realizes water ingress detection of the component to be detected based on the capacitance value detection principle, can effectively diagnose the water ingress condition of the component to be detected, avoids continued use after water ingress failure of the related component, and thus improves safety.
[0006] According to one aspect of the utility model, a water detection sensor is provided, comprising: a circuit board; at least one group of coils, arranged in the circuit board, wherein each group of coils comprises a plurality of detection units, and each detection unit comprises two coils arranged at intervals to form a capacitor.
[0007] In some embodiments, each detection unit in each group of coils comprises a detection coil and a ground coil arranged at intervals to form a capacitor, and the plurality of detection units share the ground coil.
[0008] In some embodiments, each group of coils comprises two detection coils and one ground coil, and the ground coil is arranged between the two detection coils.
[0009] In some embodiments, the water detection sensor comprises two groups of coils, and the two groups of coils are arranged on the top layer and the bottom layer of the circuit board, respectively.
[0010] In some embodiments, the outer surface of the circuit board is covered with an insulating protective layer.
[0011] In some embodiments, the shape of each of the coils is adapted to the shape of the circuit board.
[0012] According to still another aspect of the present application, a wading detection module is provided, comprising: the wading detection sensor according to any of the above embodiments; a capacitance value reading unit connected to each detection unit of the wading detection sensor, for reading the capacitance value of each capacitor.
[0013] In some embodiments, each of the detection units comprises a detection coil and a grounding coil, the detection coil being connected to the capacitance value reading unit, and the grounding coil being grounded.
[0014] In some embodiments, the capacitance value reading unit is a capacitance-to-digital conversion chip, and the capacitance value reading unit is arranged on a circuit board of the wading detection sensor.
[0015] According to still another aspect of the present application, a power unit of a steering system is provided, the power unit being configured with the wading detection module according to any of the above embodiments, the capacitance value reading unit of the wading detection module being connected to a control unit of the steering system; wherein the wading detection module is integrally arranged with a control circuit board of the power unit, or the wading detection module is separately arranged.
[0016] The present application has at least the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:
[0017] The wading detection sensor according to the present application is based on the capacitance value detection principle, and a capacitor is formed by coils arranged in a circuit board. In use, the wading detection sensor is assembled with a component to be detected, the coils are connected to a capacitance value reading device, and the change of the capacitance value reflects the water ingress condition of the component to be detected. In this way, the water ingress detection of the component to be detected is realized, the water ingress condition of the component to be detected can be effectively diagnosed, and the component continues to be used after water ingress failure is avoided, thereby improving safety.
[0018] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and are not limiting to the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0019] The drawings incorporated into the specification and forming a part thereof illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the application. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are included herein for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the present application to the subjects specifically shown.
[0020] Figure 1A top view structural schematic diagram of the water-involved detection sensor is shown in the embodiment of the utility model.
[0021] Figure 2 A bottom view structural schematic diagram of the water-involved detection sensor is shown in the embodiment of the utility model.
[0022] Figure 3 A circuit principle schematic diagram of the water-involved detection module is shown in the embodiment of the utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] Example implementations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example implementations may, however, be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein. Rather, these implementations are provided as non-limiting examples, so that this disclosure will fully convey the scope of the example implementations to those skilled in the art.
[0024] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present application and serve to explain the principles of the present application. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
[0025] The terms "first", "second", and similar terms do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but are used to distinguish one element from another, and the terms "upper", "lower", and the like are used to indicate the orientation or position shown in the drawings, and are used only for the purpose of facilitating the description of the present application and simplifying the description, and thus should not be construed as indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present application. The term "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited. In addition, in the description of the present application, the term "connected" should be interpreted broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or detachably connected, or integrally connected; it can be mechanically connected, or electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or the internal connection of two elements.
[0026] It should be noted that the features of the embodiments of the present application and the features in different embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.
[0027] Figure 1 A top view structure of the water-involved detection sensor is shown, referring to Figure 1 The water-involved detection sensor 100 provided by the embodiment of the utility model, comprising: a circuit board 110; at least one group of coils, which are arranged in the circuit board 110, wherein each group of coils comprises a plurality of detection units, and each detection unit comprises two coils which are arranged at intervals to constitute a capacitor. Specifically, Figure 1As shown in FIG. 1, a first group of coils 120 is shown, including two detection units, namely a first detection unit 120a and a second detection unit 120b, but not limited thereto. The first detection unit 120a is formed by the coils COIL1 and COIL5 arranged at intervals to form a capacitor, and the second detection unit 120b is formed by the coils COIL2 and COIL5 arranged at intervals to form a capacitor.
[0028] The water detection sensor 100 of the utility model is based on the capacitor value detection principle, and the capacitor is formed by the coils arranged in the circuit board 110. In use, the water detection sensor 100 and the component to be detected are assembled together, the coils are connected with the capacitor value reading device, and the change of the capacitor value reflects the water ingress of the component to be detected. Thus, the water ingress detection of the component to be detected is realized, the water ingress of the component to be detected can be effectively diagnosed, and the safety is improved.
[0029] Among them, the two coils arranged at intervals in the circuit board 110 form a capacitor structure with two electrodes clamping an insulating protective layer; the coils are not closed and are used as electrodes of the capacitor. The circuit board 110 is used to facilitate the arrangement of the coils and the formation of the capacitor. Each group of coils includes multiple detection units, and a redundant design of multiple capacitors is formed to ensure accurate detection of the water ingress of the component to be detected. Multiple groups of coils can be arranged at different positions of the circuit board 110, so that comprehensive detection of different water ingress positions is realized.
[0030] In some specific implementations, under normal circumstances, the capacitor value of the capacitor formed by the two coils is within a normal capacitor value range, which can be measured in advance. When the water detection sensor 100 is waterlogged, the capacitor value of the capacitor increases and exceeds the normal capacitor value range; since the water detection sensor 100 is assembled with the component to be detected, it can be determined that the component to be detected is waterlogged and has a risk of failure.
[0031] In some embodiments, in each group of coils: each detection unit includes a detection coil and a grounding coil arranged at intervals to form a capacitor, and the multiple detection units share the grounding coil.
[0032] The detection coil is used to be connected with the capacitor value reading device, and the grounding coil is used for grounding, so as to form a water ingress detection circuit with grounding protection and realize effective water ingress detection of the component to be detected. The multiple detection units share the grounding coil, which realizes full use of the grounding coil and can simplify the structure of the water detection sensor 100.
[0033] For example, the first set of coils 120 includes a first detection unit 120a and a second detection unit 120b. In the first detection unit 120a, the coil COIL1 is used as a detection coil and is connected to the capacitance reading device, and the coil COIL5 is used as a grounding coil and is grounded. In the second detection unit 120b, the coil COIL2 is used as a detection coil and is connected to the capacitance reading device, and the coil COIL5 is also used as a grounding coil and is grounded.
[0034] In other embodiments, both coils constituting the capacitor can be connected to the capacitance reading device to form a water inlet detection loop. To achieve protection, a resistor or other component can also be provided in the water inlet detection loop.
[0035] In some embodiments, each set of coils includes two detection coils and one grounding coil, wherein the grounding coil is arranged between the two detection coils.
[0036] In this way, each set of coils forms a redundant design of double-channel detection, taking into account the accuracy of detection and the simplicity of structure.
[0037] For example, the first set of coils 120 includes two detection coils (the coil COIL1 and the coil COIL2) and one grounding coil (the coil COIL5), and the coil COIL5 is arranged between the coil COIL1 and the coil COIL2.
[0038] In other embodiments, a larger number of coils can also be provided in each set of coils to form a redundant design of three-channel detection or even more channel detection.
[0039] In some embodiments, the water contact detection sensor 100 includes two sets of coils, which are arranged on the top layer and the bottom layer of the circuit board 110, respectively, to detect the water inlet condition of the top layer and the bottom layer of the circuit board 110, respectively.
[0040] Specifically, Figure 2 The bottom structure of the water contact detection sensor 100 is shown, and the top structure of the water contact detection sensor 100 is shown in combination with Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown: the first group of coils 120 is arranged on the top layer of the circuit board 110, for detecting the water inlet condition of the top layer of the circuit board 110; the second group of coils 130 is arranged on the bottom layer of the circuit board 110, for detecting the water inlet condition of the bottom layer of the circuit board 110. The second group of coils 130 includes two detection units, which are the third detection unit 130a and the fourth detection unit 130b, but not limited to this. Among them, the third detection unit 130a is composed of a capacitor formed by the coils COIL3 and COIL6 arranged at intervals, and the fourth detection unit 130b is composed of a capacitor formed by the coils COIL4 and COIL6 arranged at intervals. The coils COIL3 and COIL4 are detection coils, and the coil COIL6 is a grounding coil, which is arranged between the coils COIL3 and COIL4, but not limited to this.
[0041] In other embodiments, three or more groups of coils can also be provided, which are arranged on different layers of the circuit board 110.
[0042] In some embodiments, the outer surface of the circuit board 110 is covered with an insulating protective layer. In this way, the insulating protection of the circuit board 110 and the coils is realized, and the influence on the water inlet detection accuracy is avoided.
[0043] In the above embodiments, the shape of each coil is adapted to the shape of the circuit board 110. For example, the shape of the circuit board 110 is a regular shape such as a circle, a square, etc., and the coil can be formed into a shape such as an arc, a strip, etc. which is convenient for being arranged at intervals in the circuit board 110; the shape of the circuit board 110 can also be an irregular shape, and the shape of the coil is adapted to the shape of the circuit board 110 to form an irregular shape, so as to facilitate the interval arrangement of the plurality of coils in the circuit board 110 to form a capacitor.
[0044] In addition, the size and arrangement of the coils can be adjusted according to the specific structure of the circuit board 110. The shape and size of the water detection sensor 100 as a whole can be adjusted according to the assembly requirements of the to-be-detected component to adapt to the specific installation space requirements. Each coil can be led out a joint (shown in black dots in the figure) Figure 1 and Figure 2 to facilitate the connection of the coil with the capacitance value reading device.
[0045] The utility model embodiment further provides a water detection module, which comprises the water detection sensor 100 described in any of the above embodiments, and further comprises a capacitance value reading unit connected with each detection unit of the water detection sensor 100, for reading the capacitance value of each capacitor, and reflecting the water inlet condition of the to-be-detected component through the capacitance value.
[0046] The water detection module is based on the principle of capacitance value detection. When in use, the water detection module is assembled with the component to be detected, the detection unit is connected with the capacitance value reading unit, and the change of the capacitance value reflects the water ingress of the component to be detected. In this way, the water ingress detection of the component to be detected is realized, the water ingress of the component to be detected can be effectively diagnosed, and the component continues to be used after water ingress failure is avoided, thereby improving the safety.
[0047] In some embodiments, each detection unit includes one detection coil and one ground coil. The detection coil is connected with the capacitance value reading unit, and the ground coil is grounded. In this way, a ground-protected water ingress detection loop is formed between the detection unit and the capacitance value reading unit.
[0048] In some embodiments, the capacitance value reading unit is a capacitance-to-digital conversion chip. The capacitance value reading unit can be arranged on the circuit board 110 of the water detection sensor 100, realizing compact design and facilitating the connection between the capacitance value reading unit and the detection unit.
[0049] The capacitance-to-digital conversion chip can use an existing CDC (Capacitive Digital Converter), which can directly convert the capacitance value into a digital signal and accurately detect the change of the capacitance value. The capacitance value reading unit can also use an existing microcontroller, which can also read and accurately detect the capacitance value.
[0050] Figure 3 The circuit principle of the water detection module is shown, and in combination with Figures 1 to 3 In some specific implementations, the structure of the water detection module is as follows.
[0051] The pin CH1 of the capacitance-to-digital conversion chip 200 is connected with the coil COIL1 arranged on the top layer of the circuit board 110. The coil COIL1 and the coil COIL5 grounded (GND) constitute a capacitance CT1, thereby forming a first water ingress detection loop 210 for detecting the water ingress of the top layer of the circuit board 110. The pin CH1 can read the capacitance value of the capacitance CT1. Under normal circumstances, the capacitance value read by the pin CH1 is within the normal capacitance value range of the capacitance CT1; when the top layer of the circuit board 110 is waterlogged, the capacitance value read by the pin CH1 is greater than the normal capacitance value of the capacitance CT1, at this time, it can be determined that the part of the component to be detected assembled with the top layer of the circuit board 110 is waterlogged, and there is a risk of failure.
[0052] The pin CH2 of the capacitance digital conversion chip 200 is connected to the coil COIL2 arranged on the top layer of the circuit board 110, and the coil COIL2 and the coil COIL5 connected to the ground (GND) constitute a capacitance CT2, so as to form a second water inflow detection circuit 220 for detecting the water inflow condition of the top layer of the circuit board 110. The pin CH2 can read the capacitance value of the capacitance CT2. Normally, the capacitance value read by the pin CH2 is within the normal capacitance value range of the capacitance CT2; when the top layer of the circuit board 110 is waterlogged, the capacitance value read by the pin CH2 is greater than the normal capacitance value of the capacitance CT2, at this time, it can be determined that the part of the component to be detected assembled with the top layer of the circuit board 110 is waterlogged, and there is a risk of failure.
[0053] The pin CH3 of the capacitance digital conversion chip 200 is connected to the coil COIL3 arranged on the bottom layer of the circuit board 110, and the coil COIL3 and the coil COIL6 connected to the ground (GND) constitute a capacitance CB1, so as to form a third water inflow detection circuit 230 for detecting the water inflow condition of the bottom layer of the circuit board 110. The pin CH3 can read the capacitance value of the capacitance CB1. Normally, the capacitance value read by the pin CH3 is within the normal capacitance value range of the capacitance CB1; when the bottom layer of the circuit board 110 is waterlogged, the capacitance value read by the pin CH3 is greater than the normal capacitance value of the capacitance CB1, at this time, it can be determined that the part of the component to be detected assembled with the bottom layer of the circuit board 110 is waterlogged, and there is a risk of failure.
[0054] The pin CH4 of the capacitance digital conversion chip 200 is connected to the coil COIL4 arranged on the bottom layer of the circuit board 110, and the coil COIL4 and the coil COIL6 connected to the ground (GND) constitute a capacitance CB2, so as to form a fourth water inflow detection circuit 240 for detecting the water inflow condition of the bottom layer of the circuit board 110. The pin CH4 can read the capacitance value of the capacitance CB2. Normally, the capacitance value read by the pin CH4 is within the normal capacitance value range of the capacitance CB2; when the bottom layer of the circuit board 110 is waterlogged, the capacitance value read by the pin CH4 is greater than the normal capacitance value of the capacitance CB2, at this time, it can be determined that the part of the component to be detected assembled with the bottom layer of the circuit board 110 is waterlogged, and there is a risk of failure.
[0055] The pins SDA and SCL of the capacitance digital conversion chip 200 are used to connect a control element and output a water inflow diagnosis result. When the water inflow detection module is applied to a steering system, the pins SDA and SCL can be connected to a control unit MCU of the steering system, and the water inflow diagnosis result is output by the control unit MCU. The pin VDD of the capacitance digital conversion chip 200 is connected to a power supply end, and the pin GND is grounded. The capacitance digital conversion chip 200 can further include other pins, Figure 3 not specifically indicated in the figure.
[0056] The utility model embodiment further provides a power unit of a steering system, which is provided with the water wading detection module as described in any of the above embodiments, and the capacitance value reading unit of the water wading detection module is connected with the control unit (for example, the MCU of the electric power steering system) of the steering system to output the water inlet diagnosis result by the control unit; wherein, the water wading detection module and the control circuit board of the power unit are integrally arranged, or the water wading detection module is separately arranged.
[0057] Taking the electric power steering system as an example, the power unit (PP, Power Pack) comprises a motor, a connector and a control circuit board PCBA, and the water wading detection module can be integrally arranged on the control circuit board PCBA or separately arranged.
[0058] The power unit of the steering system is provided with the water wading detection module, which can effectively realize the water inlet detection of the power unit, especially the control circuit board, based on the capacitance value detection principle, avoids the continued use after the water inlet failure of the related components, and thus improves the safety.
[0059] The above content is a further detailed description of the utility model in combination with the specific preferred embodiments, and cannot be considered as the specific implementation of the utility model being limited to these descriptions. For ordinary skilled persons in the technical field of the utility model, some simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the utility model, and all of them should be considered as belonging to the protection scope of the utility model.
Claims
1. A water immersion detection sensor, characterized in that, include: Circuit board; At least one set of coils is arranged in the circuit board, wherein each set of coils includes multiple detection units, and each detection unit includes two coils spaced apart to form a capacitor.
2. The water immersion detection sensor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In each group of coils: each detection unit includes a detection coil and a grounding coil spaced apart to form a capacitor, and multiple detection units share the grounding coil.
3. The water immersion detection sensor as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Each set of coils includes two detection coils and one grounding coil, with the grounding coil positioned between the two detection coils.
4. The water immersion detection sensor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The water immersion detection sensor includes two sets of coils, which are respectively arranged on the top and bottom layers of the circuit board.
5. The water immersion detection sensor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The outer surface of the circuit board is covered with an insulating protective layer.
6. The water immersion detection sensor as described in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The shape of each coil is adapted to the shape of the circuit board.
7. A water immersion detection module, characterized in that, include: The water wading detection sensor as described in any one of claims 1-6; A capacitance value reading unit is connected to each detection unit of the water immersion detection sensor and is used to read the capacitance value of each capacitor.
8. The water immersion detection module as described in claim 7, characterized in that, Each of the detection units includes a detection coil and a grounding coil, the detection coil being connected to the capacitance reading unit and the grounding coil being grounded.
9. The water immersion detection module as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The capacitance value reading unit is a capacitance-to-digital converter chip, and the capacitance value reading unit is disposed on the circuit board of the water wading detection sensor.
10. A power unit for a steering system, characterized in that, The power unit is equipped with a wading detection module as described in any one of claims 7-9, wherein the capacitance value reading unit of the wading detection module is connected to the control unit of the steering system; The water wading detection module is integrated with the control circuit board of the power unit, or the water wading detection module is set up separately.