Capacitive Sensor Wiring Fault Detection Using Communication Port
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for detecting wiring faults in capacitive sensors, such as knock sensors, are constrained by the need for additional hardware and signal generation components, limiting their applicability and flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses a computer communication port configured in either input or output mode to generate a square wave voltage, allowing for preliminary calibration and subsequent data acquisition to detect wiring faults without additional components or wiring, by comparing reference and measured data elements representative of the capacitors' and sensor's voltage states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a periodic reference signal is applied to the terminals of the capacitive sensor by means of a periodic square signal generator permanently connected to the capacitive sensor, then wiring faults can be reliably detected, but the system requires additional hardware components and wiring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the signal generation function from a dedicated periodic square signal generator and relocates it to the computer's communication port. This eliminates the need for a permanently connected external signal generator, reducing hardware complexity while maintaining the ability to detect wiring faults through capacitance measurement
Solution Approach 2:
The computer's communication port is made multi-functional by enabling it to generate square wave signals for fault detection in addition to its standard communication functions. This universal approach allows the same port to serve both data communication and diagnostic purposes, eliminating dedicated fault detection hardware
2Measurement precision
If a periodic square signal generator is permanently connected to the capacitive sensor, then capacitance measurement can be performed, but modification of existing computer hardware is required
Solution Approach 1:
The computer system performs self-diagnosis by using its own communication port to generate test signals and measure capacitance. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external test equipment or hardware modifications, as the computer utilizes its existing resources to detect wiring faults in connected sensors
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional electronic components or wire links are added to the system, then fault detection capability is improved, but the system becomes more complex and less adaptable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/electrical approach of adding physical test equipment with a software-based solution. The communication port, controlled through software, generates test signals and processes measurements, substituting physical diagnostic hardware with programmable software functionality that enhances adaptability without increasing physical complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables reliable detection of wiring faults in capacitive sensors without modifying existing hardware, allowing for software-based diagnosis and distinguishing between different types of faults, applicable to both common and differential mode connections.
Implementation Method 1
a capacitive sensor, connected by a passive acquisition interface comprising capacitors, to a computer communication port
Implementation Method 2
a square wave voltage Vn capable of at least partially charging the capacitors of said acquisition interface and the capacitive sensor is delivered to the acquisition interface during a charging time Tc
Data Source
AI summary
A method for detecting a wiring fault in a capacitive sensor (1), such as a knock sensor, connected, via a passive acquisition interface (5), to a communication port (P1), that can be configured in either input mode or output mode, of a computer (2), wherein the communication port (P1) is configured in output mode, and a square wave voltage Vn capable of at least partially charging the capacitors (C6, C7, C8a, C8b, C10) of the acquisition interface (5) and the capacitive sensor (1) is generated during a time interval Tc, after which the communication port is switched to its input mode, so that at least one data element representative of the voltage of the capacitors and of the capacitive sensor is acquired, and finally these data are compared with previously stored reference data so that a wiring fault can be deduced if there is no matching between the data.