Fault detection and isolation in automotive wiring harness by time-domain reflectometry
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An automotive electrical system comprising:
- a plurality of electrical components including at least one termination device;
a wiring harness system interconnecting said electrical components and including a plurality of harness conductors and a plurality of connectors, one of said connectors being a termination connector connected to said termination device, said wiring harness system including a dedicated test line provided by a termination conductor disposed in said termination connector and provided by more than one of said harness conductors, said dedicated test line extending between a test point and a test line termination;
driving means connected to said test point for applying a test signal pulse to said dedicated test line at said test point;
receiving means connected to said test point for sensing a resulting time-delayed signal at said test point in response to said test signal; and
time measuring means connected to said driving means and said receiving means for measuring a time period between the application of said test signal pulse and the reception of said resulting signal as a reflection of said pulse.
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Abstract
An automotive electrical system including a wiring harness incorporates the dedicated test line passing through critical connectors and components for allowing detection and isolation of improperly connected connectors. The dedicated test line can feed through expansion connectors, termination connectors, and junction blocks. Connector fault detection and isolation is achieved using time-domain reflectometry after final assembly, during vehicle servicing, or on-board during vehicle usage. A large number of expensive and inconvenient vehicle quits and tow-in'"'"'s are avoided that would otherwise occur.
54 Citations
12 Claims
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1. An automotive electrical system comprising:
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a plurality of electrical components including at least one termination device; a wiring harness system interconnecting said electrical components and including a plurality of harness conductors and a plurality of connectors, one of said connectors being a termination connector connected to said termination device, said wiring harness system including a dedicated test line provided by a termination conductor disposed in said termination connector and provided by more than one of said harness conductors, said dedicated test line extending between a test point and a test line termination; driving means connected to said test point for applying a test signal pulse to said dedicated test line at said test point; receiving means connected to said test point for sensing a resulting time-delayed signal at said test point in response to said test signal; and time measuring means connected to said driving means and said receiving means for measuring a time period between the application of said test signal pulse and the reception of said resulting signal as a reflection of said pulse. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method for isolating a fault in the interconnection of an automotive electrical system, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a plurality of electrical components including at least one termination device; interconnecting said electrical components using a wiring harness system including a plurality of harness conductors and a plurality of connectors, one of said connectors being a termination connector connected to said termination device; providing a dedicated test line in said wiring harness system including a termination conductor disposed in said termination connector, said dedicated test line further including more than one of said harness conductors; providing a test point at one end of said dedicated test line and a test line termination at the opposite end of said dedicated test line; injecting a test signal pulse at said test point; and measuring a time delay for a reflection of said test signal pulse to arrive at said test point following the injection of said test signal pulse, such reflection corresponding to an interconnection fault or said test line termination. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for isolating a fault in the interconnection of an automotive electrical system, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a plurality of electrical components including at least one termination device; interconnecting said electrical components using a wiring harness system including a plurality of harness conductors and a plurality of connectors, one of said connectors being a termination connector connected to said termination device; providing a dedicated test line in said wiring harness system including a termination conductor disposed in said termination connector, said dedicated test line further including more than one of said harness conductors; providing a test point at one end of said dedicated test line; injecting a test signal pulse at said test point; determining a time slot corresponding to an arrival time of a reflection of said test signal pulse at said test point from a selected one of said plurality of connectors; and measuring a magnitude of said reflection during said time slot to indicate the proper interconnection of said selected one of said connectors. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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Specification