Pin Electronics Array for Intermittent Fault Detection in Wiring Harnesses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for diagnosing faults in multiple conductor wiring systems, particularly in aircraft and vehicle electronics, face challenges in identifying intermittent faults due to their transient nature, making it difficult to locate and repair them effectively.
Innovation Solution
A testing apparatus with a pin electronics array and switching module that connects to multiple wires, using sense lines and amplifiers to detect momentary faults and generate binary codes for faulty connections, coupled with a processor for analyzing patterns and comparing them to known good systems to identify faults.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a latching continuity tester is used to detect intermittent faults, then the fault can be identified, but the device complexity increases and the testing process becomes time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The testing apparatus divides the wiring harness into multiple segments by using a pin electronics array with multiple rows and columns of pins. Each pin or group of pins can be independently tested for continuity, allowing the system to segment the complex wiring into manageable testable units. This segmentation enables automated testing without requiring complex manual procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical testing procedures with an automated electronic testing system. Instead of using manual continuity testers that require physical manipulation and reading, the system uses electronic signal generation and detection through the pin electronics array, automatically detecting continuity failures through electrical measurement and processing.
2Ease of repair
If manual tracing of circuitry is performed to locate constant faults, then the fault can be found, but the time required for diagnosis increases
Solution Approach 1:
The testing apparatus performs self-diagnosis by automatically detecting continuity failures and generating diagnostic information without requiring manual intervention. The system autonomously tests each pin combination, identifies continuity breaks, and provides location information, eliminating the need for technicians to manually trace circuitry and significantly reducing diagnosis time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from continuity measurements to automatically identify and locate faults. By measuring electrical continuity between pins and receiving feedback signals indicating the presence or absence of continuity, the system can automatically determine where faults occur in the wiring harness without manual tracing.
3Productivity
If multiple wires are tested simultaneously, then the productivity increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pin electronics array serves multiple functions: it acts as both the test stimulus generator and the measurement sensor, can test different wire configurations simultaneously, and provides both continuity testing and diagnostic information generation. This multi-functionality allows the system to test multiple wires concurrently without requiring separate dedicated components for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent organizes the pin electronics array in a two-dimensional grid structure with multiple rows and columns. This dimensional arrangement allows the system to test multiple wire pairs simultaneously by addressing different rows and columns in parallel, significantly increasing testing throughput while maintaining organized and manageable system architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for testing connections in a system has a plurality of inputs each adapted to couple to a test point in the system under test and a switching module. The switching module includes a first output selectively coupled to receive a first group of one or more of the inputs and a set of outputs corresponding in number to the plurality of inputs, each being selectively coupled to receive a corresponding one of the plurality of inputs. The apparatus may also include a meter coupled to the first switching module output and an array of nodes coupled to the set of switching module outputs, where each node couples a signal to a row sense line and a column sense line.