Test system and test method

Abstract

To provide a technique which can improve the convenience of a connector for electrically connecting a loading device mounted on a vehicle with a power supply unit and easily test the fitting of the connector.SOLUTION: A test system 10 comprises: a power supply unit 12 for supplying power to a vehicle-mounted loading device; a connector for electrically connecting the loading device 18 and the power supply unit 12; a relay part 14 for turning on or off electrical connection between the connector and the power supply unit 12; and a controlling unit 16 for controlling the turn-on and off of the relay part 14. The controlling unit 16 tests the fitting of the connector by monitoring a voltage between the loading device 18 and the relay part 14 when the relay part 14 is controlled by a pulse width modulation system.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for inspecting the fitting of a connector that electrically connects a load device mounted on a vehicle and a power supply unit.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a semiconductor element - built - in connector that includes a connection fitting connected to an in - vehicle power line and a semiconductor switch that connects between an input terminal and an output terminal of the connection fitting in a connector case. This semiconductor element - built - in connector is provided between a battery and a motor of a vehicle and conducts or cuts off the current from the battery to the motor.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technique described in Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to incorporate a semiconductor switch in the connector and connect a signal line for controlling the semiconductor switch to a processing device, there are restrictions on the use of the connector, such as the use environment of the semiconductor and the arrangement of the signal line.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can improve the convenience of a connector that electrically connects a load device mounted on a vehicle and a power supply unit and can easily inspect the fitting of the connector.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, an inspection system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a power supply unit that supplies power to an in-vehicle load device, a connector that electrically connects the load device and the power supply unit, a relay unit that turns on or off the electrical connection between the connector and the power supply unit, and a control unit that controls the on and off of the relay unit. The control unit inspects the fitting of the connector by monitoring the voltage between the load device and the relay unit when the relay unit is controlled in a pulse width modulation method.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is an inspection method. This method is an inspection method in which each step is executed by an inspection system including a power supply unit that supplies power to a load device, a connector that electrically connects the load device and the power supply unit, a relay unit that turns on or off the electrical connection between the connector and the power supply unit, and a control unit that controls the on and off of the relay unit, and includes a step in which the control unit controls the relay unit in a pulse width modulation method, a step in which the control unit acquires the voltage between the load device and the relay unit when the relay unit is controlled in a pulse width modulation method, and a step in which the control unit determines whether the connector is fitted based on whether the acquired voltage is linked to the signal of the pulse width modulation method for controlling the relay unit.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology that can improve the convenience of a connector that electrically connects a load device mounted on a vehicle and a power supply unit, and can easily inspect the fitting of the connector.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the inspection system 10 of the embodiment. The inspection system 10 includes a power supply unit 12, a relay unit 14, a control unit 16, a load device 18, and an inspector 20. The inspection system 10 inspects the electrical connection between the load device 18 mounted on the vehicle and the power supply unit 12, and particularly inspects the connection of the first connector 22a and the second connector 22b.

[0011] The power supply unit 12 is an auxiliary power supply or an accessory power supply not used for driving the wheels. Note that the power supply unit 12 may be a main power supply used for driving the wheels. The power supply unit 12 supplies power to a plurality of load devices 18.

[0012] The load device 18 is an electrical device mounted on the vehicle and is driven by the power supplied from the power supply unit 12. The load device 18 is a horn, an electric brake device, a security device, a lighting device, a wiper device, an in-vehicle sensor, etc. In FIG. 1, one load device 18 is shown, but actually there may be a plurality of load devices 18.

[0013] The first connector 22a and the second connector 22b (referred to as "connector 22" when not distinguishing between them) electrically connect the power supply unit 12 and the load device 18. The first connector 22a is connected to the power supply unit 12 side, and the second connector 22b is connected to the load device 18. The first connector 22a and the second connector 22b are connected by a harness. The first connector 22a and the second connector 22b may be removable. The connector 22 is pushed into the port by an operator and fitted.

[0014] The relay unit 14 can turn on or off the electrical connection between the connector 22 and the power supply unit 12. The relay unit 14 is a drive circuit for a semiconductor relay. If the relay unit 14 is on, the power supply unit 12 and the load device 18 are energized. If the relay unit 14 is off, the power supply to the power supply unit 12 and the load device 18 is cut off. The connector 22 may be provided for each load device 18, and the relay unit 14 may be provided for each load device 18 and connector 22.

[0015] The control unit 16 controls the on and off of the relay unit 14. The control unit 16 can control the relay unit 14 in a pulse width modulation (PWM) method and can set the frequency and duty ratio of the PWM. The relay unit 14 and the control unit 16 constitute an in-vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0016] The control unit 16 acquires and monitors the voltage between the load device 18 and the relay unit 14. The voltage between the load device 18 and the relay unit 14 is the voltage between the first connector 22a and the relay unit 14.

[0017] The inspector 20 is a device outside the vehicle, is connected to the control unit 16 by wire or wirelessly, and outputs information for instructing the start of an inspection to the control unit 16. The control unit 16 receives an instruction from the inspector 20 and inspects whether the connector 22 is fitted, that is, whether the connector 22 is electrically connected. The inspector 20 may be at a remote location from the control unit 16 and may transmit inspection instruction information to the control unit 16 via a network. The inspection instruction information may include identification information of the load device 18 to be inspected and setting information for PWM control.

[0018] The control unit 16 inspects the fitting of the connector 22 by monitoring the voltage between the load device 18 and the relay unit 14 when the relay unit 14 is controlled by the pulse width modulation method. Thereby, it is possible to detect whether the connector 22 is connected using a semiconductor relay in the in-vehicle ECU. Also, for the load device 18 connected to the in-vehicle ECU by the connector 22, it can be inspected using an existing system. A voltage monitoring circuit connected to the control unit 16 is provided between the first connector 22a and the relay unit 14.

[0019] The control unit 16 determines whether the connector 22 is fitted based on whether the acquired voltage is linked to the signal of the pulse width modulation method that controls the relay unit 14. This inspection process will be described with reference to a new drawing.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing PWM control of the relay unit 14 during the fitting inspection of the connector 22. The control unit 16 starts the inspection upon receiving an inspection instruction from the inspector 20 at time t0. The control unit 16 turns on the relay unit 14 from time t1 to time t2, from time t3 to time t4, from time t5 to time t6, and from time t7 to time t8, and turns off the relay unit 14 from time t0 to time t1, from time t2 to time t3, from time t4 to time t5, from time t6 to time t7, and after time t8. That is, the control unit 16 performs PWM control on the relay unit 14 at a predetermined frequency and a predetermined duty ratio.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the voltage between the relay unit 14 and the load device 18 during the fitting inspection of the connector 22. The vertical axis represents voltage, and the horizontal axis represents time. Times t1 to t8 shown in FIG. 3 are the same as times t1 to t8 shown in FIG. 2.

[0022] The control unit 16 obtains that a voltage equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold Th has been detected from time t1 to time t2, from time t3 to time t4, from time t5 to time t6, and from time t7 to time t8. That is, the control unit 16 periodically detects a voltage equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold Th four times in a row.

[0023] When the voltage between the load device 18 and the relay unit 14 periodically becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold Th when the control unit 16 controls the relay unit 14 in a pulse width modulation method, the control unit 16 determines that the connector 22 is properly fitted. For example, when a voltage equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold Th is detected continuously for a predetermined number of times or more, the control unit 16 determines that the voltage is linked to the control of the relay unit 14 and that the connector 22 is properly fitted. Since PWM control can be executed in time units of several milliseconds, the inspection time can be shortened compared to, for example, monitoring the energization status of the current. Also, by confirming an increase in voltage equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold Th a plurality of times, the inspection accuracy can be ensured even in a short time. Since the fitting can be inspected outside the connector 22, the configuration of the connector 22 can be simplified, and the convenience of the connector 22 is improved.

[0024] When inspecting the fitting of the connector 22, the control unit 16 sets the frequency and duty ratio of the pulse width modulation method for controlling the relay unit 14 to values that do not drive the load device 18. That is, by controlling the relay unit 14 at a high frequency and a low duty ratio, it is possible to ensure energization that can be inspected without driving the load device 18. The frequency and duty ratio of the PWM control for not driving the load device 18 are determined by experiments or the like and are held in advance. Thereby, it is possible to check the connection of the connector 22 while suppressing the driving of the load device 18 that affects the surroundings, such as a horn.

[0025] The predetermined threshold value Th may be set in proportion to the voltage of the power supply unit 12. By setting the threshold value Th to an optimal value according to the voltage of the power supply unit 12, the inspection accuracy can be improved. The control unit 16 may acquire the voltage of the power supply unit 12 from the detection result of the voltage sensor and set a predetermined threshold value Th based on the detection result.

[0026] The control unit 16 may set the duty ratio of the pulse width modulation method for controlling the relay unit 14 according to the type of the load device 18. For example, the control unit 16 sets the duty ratio at which the load device 18 is not driven according to the type of the load device 18. Further, the control unit 16 may set the pulse waveform of the pulse width modulation method for controlling the relay unit 14 according to the type of the load device 18. The pulse waveform is not limited to the square wave shown in FIG. 2 and may be a triangular wave or a sine wave.

[0027] A method for inspecting the fitting of the connector 22 will be described. The inspector 20 transmits instruction information to the control unit 16 so as to perform a fitting inspection on the load device 18 and the connector 22 that are inspection targets. The instruction information may include identification information of the load device 18 and the frequency and duty ratio in the PWM control to be executed by the relay unit 14.

[0028] The control unit 16 receives the instruction information from the inspector 20 and drives the relay unit 14 by PWM control. The control unit 16 acquires the voltage between the load device 18 and the relay unit 14 when the relay unit 14 is controlled by the pulse width modulation method.

[0029] The control unit 16 determines whether the connector 22 is engaged based on whether the acquired voltage is linked to the pulse width modulation signal that controls the relay unit 14.

[0030] As described above, the present disclosure has been described based on the embodiments. The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications such as various design changes can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0031] 10 Inspection system, 12 Power supply unit, 14 Relay unit, 16 Control unit, 18 Load device, 20 Inspector, 22a First connector, 22b Second connector.

Claims

1. A power supply unit that supplies power to an in-vehicle load device, A connector that electrically connects the load device and the power supply unit, A relay unit that turns on or off the electrical connection between the connector and the power supply unit, A control unit that controls the on and off of the relay unit, and is provided with, The control unit inspects the fitting of the connector by monitoring the voltage between the load device and the relay unit when the relay unit is controlled in a pulse width modulation method. A inspection system characterized by that.

2. The control unit determines that the connector is fitted when the voltage between the load device and the relay unit when the relay unit is controlled in a pulse width modulation method periodically becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. The inspection system according to claim 1, characterized by that.

3. The inspection system according to claim 2, characterized in that the threshold value is set according to the voltage of the power supply unit.

4. When inspecting the fitting of the connector, the control unit sets the frequency and duty ratio of the pulse width modulation method for controlling the relay unit to values that do not drive the load device. The inspection system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that.

5. An inspection method in which each step is executed by an inspection system including a power supply unit that supplies power to a load device, a connector that electrically connects the load device and the power supply unit, a relay unit that turns on or off the electrical connection between the connector and the power supply unit, and a control unit that controls the on and off of the relay unit, A step in which the control unit controls the relay unit in a pulse width modulation method, A step in which the control unit acquires the voltage between the load device and the relay unit when the relay unit is controlled in a pulse width modulation method, An inspection method characterized by including a step in which the control unit determines whether the connector is fitted based on whether the acquired voltage is linked to the signal of the pulse width modulation method for controlling the relay unit.

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