Apparatus and method for identifying electrical faults

• US 20080059087A1
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Hilbert, Mark J., Roal, James A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,454,298 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/58
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/007 using microprocessors or computers

Abstract

A method of identifying an electrical fault in an electrical system may include coupling an electronic service tool to an electronic control module. The method may also include instructing the electronic control module to disable an enable condition and modify a trip condition set by the electronic control module. The method may further include monitoring the electrical system as a user wiggles a component of the electrical system. The method may further include providing the electronic control module with electrical system data, and generating a fault code when the electrical system data fulfills the modified trip condition. The method may further include communicating the fault code to the user.

Claims

1. An apparatus for identifying an electrical fault in an electrical system, the apparatus comprising:

an electronic service tool configured to instruct an electronic control module to disable an enable condition and modify a trip condition set by the electronic control module, receive electrical system data from the electronic control module as a user wiggles a component of the electrical system, and communicate a fault code to the user when the electrical system data fulfills the modified trip condition.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic service tool includes software configured to instruct the electronic control module to disable the enable condition and modify the trip condition.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the trip condition includes a trip threshold and a trip delay, and wherein the trip condition is fulfilled when the trip threshold is achieved for a time period defined by the trip delay.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, where modifying the trip condition includes maintaining the trip threshold and reducing the time period defined by the trip delay.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further including an interlock, wherein the electronic service tool and the electronic control module are selectively coupled by the interlock.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein uncoupling the electronic service tool from the electronic control module enables the enable condition and unmodifies the trip condition.

7. A method of identifying an electrical fault in an electrical system, the method comprising:

coupling an electronic service tool to an electronic control module;

instructing the electronic control module to disable an enable condition and modify a trip condition set by the electronic control module;

monitoring the electrical system as a user wiggles a component of the electrical system;

providing the electronic control module with electrical system data;

generating a fault code when the electrical system data fulfills the modified trip condition; and

communicating the fault code to the user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the electronic control module is instructed upon actuation of a wiggle test mode activator on the electronic service tool.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the trip condition includes a trip threshold value and a trip delay, and modifying the trip condition includes maintaining the trip threshold and reducing a time period defined by the trip delay.

10. The method of claim 7, further including recording the fault code in a fault log containing a plurality of fault codes, and communicating the fault log to the user.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein communicating the fault code to the user includes at least one of displaying the fault code to the user on a visual display and alerting the user with an auditory alert.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein a predefined condition must be fulfilled before the electronic control module will disable the enable condition and modify the trip condition.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predefined condition requires that the electronic control module is connected to the electronic service tool using an interlock.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein violating the predefined condition causes the electronic control module to enable the enable condition and unmodify the trip condition.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the electrical system is operatively coupled to an engine assembly, and the predefined condition requires that the engine assembly is turned off.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the electronic control module operates in a normal test mode when the enable condition is enabled and the trip condition is unmodified, and operates in a wiggle test mode when the enable condition is disabled and the trip condition is modified.

17. A method of reconfiguring an on-board diagnostics system to identify electrical faults in an electrical system of a machine, the method comprising:

switching the on-board diagnostics system from a normal test mode into a wiggle test mode using an electronic service tool;

wherein the normal test mode, the on-board diagnostics system sets an enable condition and a trip condition to identify a hard fault in the electrical system;

wherein when the electronic service tool switches the on-board diagnostics system into the wiggle test mode, the enable condition is disabled and the trip condition is modified to identify an intermittent fault in the electrical system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the electronic service tool is connected to the on-board diagnostics system by a communications link.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the trip condition includes a trip delay defining a time period, and wherein switching the on-board diagnostics system into the wiggle test mode includes reducing the time period defined by the trip delay.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the trip condition includes a trip threshold, and the trip threshold is the same in the normal test mode as it is in the wiggle test mode.