Electrical tester for small motor vehicles

• US 6,297,646 B1
• Filed: 06/25/1998
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Tools Company LLC (Snap-On Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Tools Company LLC (Snap-On Incorporated)
• Inventors: Glade, Mark A., Lang, Curt W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vincent Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/104,628
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 324/503, 324/504, 324/508, 324/527, 324/537, 324/555, 324/556, 324/66, 324/73.1, 324/380, 340/635, 340/653, 340/654
• US Class Current: 324/556
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/155 Indicating the presence of voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/006 on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm

Abstract

A tester includes a housing containing a passive test circuit including a plurality of LEDs respectively connected to terminals of a multi-terminal connector jack on the housing for connecting the tester, by means of an associated cable harness, between a keyswitch module and other electronic circuits on an associated vehicle to be tested. Different harnesses may be provided, tailored to different vehicles. The test circuit is powered by a battery on board the vehicle and includes indicators dedicated to checking to see if the battery is connected properly and if an associated battery charging circuit on the vehicle is operating properly. The remaining indicators check different circuits, depending upon the particular vehicle being tested. The test circuit includes override switches associated with certain ones of the indicators and a test switch for simultaneously energizing all of the indicators. A relay shorts two of the jack terminals until the tester is powered, the cable harness including a diode across those terminals which is normally shorted out and is placed in circuit when the relay is energized.

Claims

1. A portable apparatus for passively testing without selectively controlling any of a plurality of different types of electronic circuits, including a power supply circuit with a switch producing a switched supply output, normally connected to a keyswitch board on a small self-propelled lawn and garden vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

a housing,

a connector jack on the housing having a plurality of terminals,

a test circuit in the housing including an array of indicators connected across selected ones of the terminals for providing indications externally of the housing,

said test circuit including a plurality of override switches for directly energizing a predetermined indicator and bypassing the associated portion of the connected electronic circuit, and

a cable harness for connecting said jack to the keyswitch board and to selected ones of the electronic circuits including the power supply circuit for supplying signals to said test circuit from the connected electronic circuits so that said indicators indicate the conditions of said signals, one of the terminals of the connector jack being connectable to the switched supply output, at least one of the override switches being connected between an indicator and the one terminal for directly powering the indicator and confirming that the associated portion oft he connected electronic circuit is faulty.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the override switches is connected between the switched power supply output terminal and an indicator and is connected to the terminal associated with the indicator through a reverse-poled diode.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the test circuit includes a relay having a first condition providing a short between two of the terminals so as to disable indicators connected to those terminals, and a second condition removing the short.