DETERIORATION REGENERATION SYSTEM AND DETERIORATION REGENERATION METHOD

• US 20200130614A1
• Filed: 10/01/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Toyoizumi, Jun, Tanaka, Kenzo, Ito, Yoshitaka
• Granted Patent: US 11,292,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0215 Protecting, fastening and routing means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/0015 Means for testing or for inspecting contacts, e.g. wear indicator measuring circuits G01R31/3274

Abstract

A deterioration regeneration system includes a pre-post regeneration determination part configured to determine whether or not to execute, with respect to an electric contact to which an electrical or mechanical first external action is applied during an operation of a later-stage device, a deterioration regeneration process of regenerating a connection performance that has been deteriorated due to an increase in a contact resistance of the electric contact, and a deterioration regeneration part configured to execute a process of removing a foreign object present at the electric contact by applying a second external action to the electric contact, as the deterioration regeneration process, according to the determined result from the pre-post regeneration determination part, the second external action being of the same kind as the first external action and larger than the first external action.

Claims

1. A deterioration regeneration system comprising:

a determination part configured to determine whether or not to execute, with respect to an electric contact to which an electrical or mechanical first external action is applied during an operation of a later-stage device, a deterioration regeneration process for regenerating a connection performance that has been deteriorated due to an increase in a contact resistance of the electric contact; and

a deterioration regeneration part configured to execute a process of removing a foreign object present at the electric contact by applying a second external action to the electric contact, as the deterioration regeneration process, according to the determined result from the determination part, the second external action being of the same kind as the first external action and larger than the first external action.

2. The deterioration regeneration system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the determination part includes a resistance measurement part and a deterioration determination part,

the resistance measurement part is configured to measure the contact resistance, and

the deterioration determination part is configured to compare the measured result from the resistance measurement part with a predetermined threshold value and thereby determine whether or not the deterioration regeneration process needs to be executed.

3. The deterioration regeneration system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the determination part is configured to determine whether or not an execution timing for executing the deterioration regeneration process has come.

4. The deterioration regeneration system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the first external action is an operation current flowing through the electric contact during an operation of the later-stage device,

the deterioration regeneration part is configured to make a regeneration current, as the second external action, that is larger than the operation current to flow through the electric contact.

5. The deterioration regeneration system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the first external action is a driving vibration transmitted from a surrounding device to the electric contact,

the deterioration regeneration part is configured to apply to the electric contact a regeneration vibration, as the second external action, that is larger than the driving vibration by increasing a driving level of the surrounding device.

6. The deterioration regeneration system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a post-regeneration determination part configured to execute a determination process to determine, after completion of the deterioration regeneration process, whether or not the contact resistance is equal to or greater than a threshold value; and

a failure alarm part configured to notify that a failure is occurring at the electric contact when the post-regeneration determination part has determined that the contact resistance is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

7. The deterioration regeneration system as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

an execution time determination part configured to determine whether or not an execution timing for executing a next determination process by the post-regeneration determination part has come, based on number of executions of the deterioration regeneration process from a last execution of the determination process by the post-regeneration determination part, wherein

the post-regeneration determination part is configured to determine, after completion of the deterioration regeneration process and based on the determined result from the execution time determination part, whether or not the contact resistance is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

9. The deterioration regeneration system as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the first external action is an operation current flowing through the electric contact during an operation of the later-stage device,

the deterioration regeneration part is configured to make a regeneration current, as the second external action, that is larger than the operation current to flow through the electric contact.

10. The deterioration regeneration system as claimed in claim 3, wherein

the first external action is an operation current flowing through the electric contact during an operation of the later-stage device,

the deterioration regeneration part is configured to make a regeneration current, as the second external action, that is larger than the operation current to flow through the electric contact.

11. The deterioration regeneration system as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the first external action is a driving vibration transmitted from a surrounding device to the electric contact,

the deterioration regeneration part is configured to apply to the electric contact a regeneration vibration, as the second external action, that is larger than the driving vibration by increasing a driving level of the surrounding device.

12. The deterioration regeneration system as claimed in claim 3, wherein

the first external action is a driving vibration transmitted from a surrounding device to the electric contact,

the deterioration regeneration part is configured to apply to the electric contact a regeneration vibration, as the second external action, that is larger than the driving vibration by increasing a driving level of the surrounding device.

13. The deterioration regeneration system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a post-regeneration determination part configured to execute a determination process to determine, after completion of the deterioration regeneration process, whether or not the contact resistance is equal to or greater than a threshold value; and

a failure alarm part configured to notify that a failure is occurring at the electric contact when the post-regeneration determination part has determined that the contact resistance is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

14. The deterioration regeneration system as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

a post-regeneration determination part configured to execute a determination process to determine, after completion of the deterioration regeneration process, whether or not the contact resistance is equal to or greater than a threshold value; and

a failure alarm part configured to notify that a failure is occurring at the electric contact when the post-regeneration determination part has determined that the contact resistance is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

15. The deterioration regeneration system as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

a post-regeneration determination part configured to execute a determination process to determine, after completion of the deterioration regeneration process, whether or not the contact resistance is equal to or greater than a threshold value; and

a failure alarm part configured to notify that a failure is occurring at the electric contact when the post-regeneration determination part has determined that the contact resistance is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

16. The deterioration regeneration system as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

a post-regeneration determination part configured to execute a determination process to determine, after completion of the deterioration regeneration process, whether or not the contact resistance is equal to or greater than a threshold value; and

a failure alarm part configured to notify that a failure is occurring at the electric contact when the post-regeneration determination part has determined that the contact resistance is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

8. A deterioration regeneration method comprising:

a determination step of determining whether or not to execute, with respect to an electric contact to which an electrical or mechanical first external action is applied during an operation of a later-stage device, a deterioration regeneration process of regenerating a connection performance that has been deteriorated due to an increase in a contact resistance of the electric contact; and

a deterioration regeneration step of executing a process of removing a foreign object present at the electric contact by applying a second external action to the electric contact, as the deterioration regeneration process, according to the determined result obtained from the determination step, the second external action being of the same kind as the first external action and larger than the first external action.