Method and system for identifying cable plugs and / or cable sockets

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a system for identifying cable plugs and / or sockets and providing information about the identified cable plugs and / or sockets on a mobile handheld device. To provide a method and a system for identifying cable plugs and / or sockets and providing information about the identified cable plugs and / or sockets on a mobile handheld device, the mobile handheld device is equipped with a camera unit for creating an electronic image of the cable plugs and / or sockets, an evaluation unit connected to a database, and a display unit for presenting information.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for identifying cable plugs and / or cable sockets and providing information on the identified cable plugs and / or cable sockets on a mobile handheld device.

[0002] In workshops, particularly automotive repair shops, it is often necessary to replace defective components when repairing faulty systems, equipment, devices, or similar items. In the case of electrical problems, especially in vehicle electrical systems, it is often necessary to replace faulty connectors with new ones, as a specific fault diagnosis and repair of the defective component would be economically unfeasible due to its complexity. For example, defective cable plugs and / or sockets are simply replaced.

[0003] The difficulty in replacing defective cable connectors and / or sockets lies in the fact that, due to the large number of different vehicles and vehicle variants, a wide variety of connectors and / or sockets are used. This diversity makes it very challenging to identify the defective connectors and / or sockets, as they often differ only slightly, in just a few characteristics. Even for a technician, selecting the correct connector or socket is therefore a significant challenge, fraught with the potential for error. An incorrect selection of the connector and / or socket to be replaced then leads to longer downtimes and higher costs.

[0004] Based on this, the invention aims to provide a method and a system for identifying cable plugs and / or cable sockets and providing information on the identified cable plugs and / or cable sockets on a mobile handheld device.

[0005] The invention solves the problem by means of a method with the features of claim 1 and a system with the features of claim 6. Advantageous further developments of the method and the system are specified in the respective dependent claims.

[0006] Essential for the process of identifying cable plugs and / or cable sockets and providing corresponding information about them is a mobile handheld device with - a camera unit for creating an electronic image of the cable plugs and / or cable sockets, - an evaluation unit connected to a database and - a display unit for showing information, the following procedural steps are carried out: - Creation of an electronic image of the end faces showing the contact pins of the cable plugs and / or contact pin receptacles of the cable socket, - Transfer of the electronic image to the evaluation unit to create an analysis pattern that reproduces the contours of the end faces as well as the contours and position of the contact pins and / or contact pin receptacles, - Comparison of the analysis pattern with images of cable plugs and / or cable sockets to be identified stored in the database, - Provision and display of information about the identified cable plug and / or cable socket on the display unit.

[0007] The method according to the invention is characterized in that it enables the simple and reliable identification of cable plugs and / or cable sockets using a mobile handheld device. Particularly when used in automotive repair shops, this method can be used to facilitate the identification of the cable plug and / or cable socket to be replaced by the workshop employee in a simple, convenient and reliable manner.

[0008] After the workshop employee creates the electronic image using the camera unit of the mobile handheld device, this image is transferred to the evaluation unit. The evaluation unit is designed to create a monochromatic analysis pattern, capturing the outer contour of the end faces of the cable plugs and / or sockets, as well as the outer contour of the contact pins or contact pin receptacles and their position on the end face.

[0009] The evaluation unit generates an analysis pattern tailored to these parameters, enabling the unambiguous identification of the cable plugs and / or sockets. The end face of the cable plugs and / or sockets is defined as the plane formed by the ends of the contact pins in the case of cable plugs, or by the openings of the contact pin receptacles in the case of cable sockets. The number, orientation, shape, size, and arrangement of the contact pins in a cable plug, or the contact pin receptacles in a cable socket, allow for particularly reliable identification of the cable plugs and / or sockets to be identified.

[0010] The use of the contact pins or contact pin receptacles, namely their contour and position, as well as the contour of the end faces, is characterized by the fact that the markings defined by these features vary considerably from cable plug to cable plug or cable socket to cable socket, making them particularly well-suited as identification features. In particular, cable plugs / cable sockets with a multi-row arrangement of contact pins / contact pin receptacles form especially distinctive patterns that can be used for identification.

[0011] Furthermore, the typically metallic design of the contact pins or contact pin receptacles results in good reflection behavior, which facilitates the detection of the arrangement of the contact pins or contact pin receptacles during the creation of the electronic image.

[0012] The use of contact pins or contact pin receptacles for identifying cable plugs or cable sockets is further characterized by the fact that, in operation where a plug connection exists, they show virtually no contamination after the plug connection is disconnected, so that the end faces can be used particularly well for identification after the end faces have been disconnected.

[0013] After comparing the analysis pattern with images of cable plugs and / or sockets to be identified stored in the database, the evaluation unit provides data on the display unit for the identified cable plugs and / or sockets, which then enables a workshop employee to perform a simple and reliable replacement.

[0014] In principle, it is possible to equip the handheld device with memory for storing an internal database. However, according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the evaluation unit is connected to a transmitter and receiver unit for wireless communication with an external database.

[0015] After the analysis pattern is created based on the generated electronic image within the evaluation unit, it is transmitted via the transmitting and receiving unit to a server unit. Within the server, a separate evaluation unit compares the analysis pattern with images stored in the server unit's database. The data for a matching cable connector or socket stored in the database is then transmitted from the server unit to the mobile device. The information stored in the database for the identified cable connector or socket is then displayed on the device's display unit, typically an electronic display. Wireless data transmission occurs, for example, via a mobile network or a WLAN connection within the repair shop.

[0016] The workshop employee can then retrieve the appropriate connector or socket from existing stock or order it. Particularly advantageous is the ability to display ordering options alongside the information shown on the display unit. This allows the workshop employee to order the desired connector and / or socket directly on the display unit, for example, via a webshop. This makes it especially convenient for the workshop employee to identify a defective connector and / or socket and order it as needed, enabling a replacement of the defective connector and / or socket to be carried out within a very short time.

[0017] Linking the database to a central server unit makes it possible to provide users with up-to-date information at all times through centralized updates of the linked data. Therefore, unlike in the case of identification that only takes place locally on the mobile device, it is not necessary to regularly update the information stored on the device itself.

[0018] The creation of the electronic image of the object to be identified can, in principle, be carried out in any way, with the user pointing the handheld device with the camera unit at the object to be identified. However, according to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the creation of the electronic image is provided for in a manner displayed on the display unit.

[0019] According to a further development of the invention, the electronic image is electronically processed before transmission to or within the evaluation unit, in particular its brightness and image size are adjusted, such that a reliable analysis pattern is created that corresponds to the images stored in the database in terms of image size and brightness. This processing makes it possible to create an analysis pattern that essentially corresponds to a line drawing defined by the structure of the end faces as well as the contours and position of the contact pins and / or contact pin receptacles.

[0020] This embodiment of the invention makes it possible to perform a particularly reliable comparison with analysis patterns of the cable plugs and / or cable sockets to be identified that are stored in the database in a matching form, so that identification can be carried out in a particularly reliable manner.

[0021] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the cable plug or socket to be identified is illuminated by a lighting unit arranged on the handheld device during the creation of the electronic image. The use of a lighting unit increases the quality of the created electronic images and thus the quality and reliability of the identification process. The lighting unit ensures uniform illumination of the end face of the cable plugs and / or sockets to be identified.

[0022] According to a further embodiment of the invention, it is also provided that the evaluation unit performs a color comparison between the electronic image and the images stored in the database for identifying the cable connectors and / or cable sockets. Identification via the color of the cable connectors and / or cable sockets to be identified, and a corresponding comparison with the cable connectors and / or cable sockets stored in the database, further increases the identification rate, since the color allows for a further narrowing down of the cable connectors and / or cable sockets to be identified beyond just the contour of the end face and the contours and position of the contact pins and contact pin receptacles.

[0023] According to the invention, the system for identifying cable plugs and / or cable sockets and providing information on the identified cable plugs and / or cable sockets comprises a mobile handheld device for carrying out the method according to one or more of claims 1 to 5.

[0024] The system is characterized by its simplicity and compact design, allowing users, such as workshop employees, to easily and conveniently identify replacement cable plugs or sockets and access additional information via the display on the handheld device. A particularly advantageous feature is the ability to directly order the replacement cable plug or socket via the handheld device. The device connects to a webshop via a suitable connection, such as an internet connection, where the identified cable plug or socket can be conveniently ordered.

[0025] The system for identifying cable plugs and / or cable sockets has a particularly advantageous feature: - a mobile handheld device, featuring - a mobile camera unit for creating an electronic image of a cable plug and / or cable socket to be identified, - an evaluation unit for creating an analysis pattern that reproduces the contours of the end face of the cable plugs and / or cable sockets and the position and contours of the contact pins or contact pin receptacles, and for comparing the analysis pattern with images of the cable plugs and / or cable sockets to be identified stored in the database, and - a display unit for showing information about the identified cable plugs and / or cable sockets.

[0026] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the mobile handheld device is a smartphone. The use of a smartphone is characterized by the fact that it typically already has a display unit and a camera unit, so that the creation of an electronic image can then be carried out using a program running on the mobile device, a program application (app). During the creation of the electronic image, for example, frame lines or application instructions can be displayed on the mobile device's display unit by the program, the app. The program can also establish a link to a webshop, through which an order for the identified cable connector or cable socket can then be easily placed directly via the smartphone.

[0027] An embodiment of the invention is explained below with reference to the drawings. The drawings show: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of the system for identifying a line socket and Fig. 2 an analysis pattern of the front face of a cable socket created by the evaluation unit on the basis of an electronic image.

[0028] A in Fig. 1 System 1, schematically represented for identifying a line socket 2 and providing information about the line socket 2, comprises a mobile handheld device designed as a smartphone 7 and a server unit 10.

[0029] The smartphone 7 enables the creation of an electronic image of the front face 12 of the cable socket 2, which is positioned in camera area 6, using a camera unit (not shown here). During the creation of the electronic image of the front face 12, the user is supported by instructions displayed on the display unit 8 of the smartphone 7, ensuring that the electronic image of the front face 12 of the cable socket 2 meets certain requirements.

[0030] In the present embodiment, the contour of the end face 12 as well as the position and contours of the contact pin receptacles 5 are captured in the evaluation unit during the creation of the electronic image of the end face 12 of the line socket 2, so that a Fig.2 an analysis pattern 4 is created, which is used to identify a line socket 2 not shown here within an evaluation unit 11 of a server unit 10 in order to reliably identify the line socket 2.

[0031] The electronic image created in the smartphone 7 is transmitted to the server unit 10 via a wireless connection, e.g., a mobile network connection. Data transmission 9a, 9b can occur between the smartphone and the server unit 10. Within the server unit 10, the electronic image is converted into an analysis pattern 4 within the evaluation unit 11 and analyzed. This pattern is then compared, for example, using pattern recognition, with the electronic images of line sockets 2 stored in the database 3. The evaluation unit 11 then identifies the line socket that matches the analysis pattern 4, and information about this line socket 2 is transmitted from the server unit 10 back to the smartphone 7, where information about the line socket 2 is displayed to the user on the display unit 8.

[0032] The creation of the electronic image and communication with server unit 10 is carried out, for example, by an app running on the smartphone 7, which assists the user. The app also offers the option of ordering the identified item directly via a webshop integrated into the app.

[0033] Analysis pattern 4 represents a monochromatic image of the front face 12 in the manner of a line drawing. Reference symbol list 1 system 2 line sockets 3 Database 4 Analysis Patterns 5 contact pin receptacles 6 camera area 7 Smartphone 8 Display unit 9a, 9b Data transmission 10 server units 11 evaluation unit 12 Front

Claims

[1] Method for identifying line plugs and / or line sockets (2) and providing information on the identified line plugs and / or line sockets (2) on a mobile handheld device (7) with - a camera unit for creating an electronic image of the cable plugs and / or cable sockets (2), - an evaluation unit (11) connected to a database (3) and - a display unit (8) for displaying information, comprising the following process steps: - Creation of an electronic image of the end faces (12) showing the contact pins of the cable plugs and / or contact pin receptacles (5) of the cable socket (2), - Transfer of the electronic image to the evaluation unit (11) to create an analysis pattern (4) that reproduces the contours of the end faces (12) as well as the contours and position of the contact pins and / or contact pin receptacles (5), - Comparison of the analysis pattern (4) with images of cable plugs and / or cable sockets to be identified stored in the database (3), - Provision and display of information relating to the identified line plug and / or line socket (2) on the display unit (8). [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by , that the evaluation unit (11) is connected to a transmit and receive unit for wireless connection to an external database. [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that in the evaluation unit (11) a color comparison is made between the electronic image and the images stored in the database (3) for the identification of the line plugs and / or the line sockets (2). [4] Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the electronic image is processed electronically before being transmitted to or within the evaluation unit (11), in particular adjusted in brightness and image size, so that it matches the images stored in the database (3). [5] Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the cable plug and / or cable socket (2) to be identified is illuminated by a lighting unit arranged on the handheld device (7) during the creation of the electronic image. [6] System for identifying line plugs and / or line sockets (2) and providing information on the identified line plugs and / or line sockets (2), comprising a mobile handheld device (7) for carrying out a method according to one or more of claims 1 to 5. [7] System (1) according to claim 6, characterized by - a mobile handheld device (7), comprising - a mobile camera unit for creating an electronic image of a cable plug and / or cable socket to be identified (2), - an evaluation unit (11) for creating an analysis pattern (4) representing the contours of the end face (12) of the cable plugs and / or cable sockets (2) and the position and contours of the contact pins or contact pin receptacles (5) and comparing the analysis pattern (4) with images of the cable plugs and / or cable sockets (2) to be identified stored in the database (3), - a display unit (8) for displaying information about the identified line plugs and / or line sockets (2). [8] System according to claim 6 or 7, characterized by , that the mobile handheld device is formed by a smartphone (7).

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