Wire disconnection inspecting device and method

• US 7,537,378 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2005
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Takeishi, Katsumi, Sekine, Keita, Fukamachi, Kazuyuki, Cheek, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Verbitsky; Gail
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jagan; Mirellys
• Application Number:
  US11/791,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20080143338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 374/4, 374/5, 374/45, 374/57, 374/121, 324/505, 250/341.6
• US Class Current: 374/5
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/007 using microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/013 Testing passive components testing relays G01R31/3278; testing electrical windings, e.g. inductors G01R31/72
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/308 using non-ionising electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical radiation investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means G01N21/00; image analysis G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/52 Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/54 Testing for continuity
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/017 Manufacturing methods or apparatus for heaters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/84 Heating arrangements specially adapted for transparent or reflecting areas, e.g. for demisting or de-icing windows, mirrors or vehicle windshields
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/86 the heating conductors being embedded in the transparent or reflecting material H05B3/845 takes precedence

Abstract

A wire disconnection inspecting device includes a vehicle position recognition unit for detecting that a vehicle has reached an inspection position; a preparation timing recognition unit for detecting that a step preceding by one is reached; a terminal for transmitting an operation signal to an ECU so as to make an electrical connection to a heating conductor; an infrared camera for imaging a rear shield of the vehicle; and a main processing unit for acquiring thermal image data from the infrared camera and inspecting disconnection of the heating conductor. The main processing unit recognizes that the vehicle has reached a step preceding by one according to the preparation timing recognition unit and makes electrical connection to the heating conductor via the terminal. The main processing unit acquires the image data from the infrared camera when the vehicle has reached the inspection position.

Claims

1. A wire disconnection inspecting method comprising the steps of:

connecting a terminal unit to an electronic control unit mounted on a vehicle;

detecting a preparation timing which is a prescribed distance and/or a prescribed time before said vehicle reaches a prescribed inspection position, for an inspection unit to start energizing a heater conductor on a glass panel of said vehicle through said terminal unit; and

when the arrival of said vehicle at the prescribed inspection position is detected, controlling said inspection unit to acquire a thermal image of said glass panel captured by an infrared camera and processing said thermal image to inspect said heater conductor for a wire disconnection.

2. A wire disconnection inspecting method according to claim 1, wherein said heater conductor comprises a circuit of a plurality of parallel lines extending in a predetermined direction on said glass panel, said wire disconnection inspecting method comprising the step of

controlling said inspection unit to:

establish an inspection window on said thermal image, said inspection window including a vehicle end and at least a portion of each of the parallel lines of said circuit;

generate projection data by projecting and adding temperature data in said inspection window per unit column in said predetermined direction;

count the number of parallel lines of said circuit which are energized from areas having said projection data equal to or higher than a threshold value; and

if said number is smaller than a prescribed value, determine distances up to the areas having said projection data equal to or higher than said threshold value from an area representing said vehicle end, and compare the distances with respective prescribed distances to determine a location where a wire disconnection has occurred.

3. A wire disconnection inspecting method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

setting an upper limit value of a color scale for converting said thermal image for display to a maximum temperature in an image processing range in said thermal image and setting a lower limit value of said color scale to a minimum temperature in said image processing range;

converting colors of said thermal image based on said color scale;

extracting component values of colors including red, green, and blue per pixel from the color-converted thermal image; and

inspecting said heater conductor for a wire disconnection based on the extracted component values of the colors.

4. A wire disconnection inspecting method according to claim 3, wherein said heater conductor comprises a circuit of a plurality of parallel lines extending in a predetermined direction on said glass panel, said wire disconnection inspecting method comprising the steps of:

establishing an inspection window on said thermal image, said inspection window including at least a portion of each of the parallel lines of said circuit;

generating projection data by projecting and adding said component values of the colors in said inspection window per unit column in said predetermined direction; and

inspecting said heater conductor for a wire disconnection based on said projection data.

5. A wire disconnection inspecting method according to claim 3, wherein said heater conductor comprises a circuit of a plurality of parallel lines extending in a predetermined direction on said glass panel, said wire disconnection inspecting method comprising the steps of

establishing an inspection window including at least a portion of each of the parallel lines of said circuit, as an image processing range, and setting the upper limit value of said color scale to a maximum temperature in said inspection window.

6. A wire disconnection inspecting device for inspecting a heater conductor on a glass panel of a vehicle after the vehicle has been assembled, comprising:

a vehicle position recognizing unit for detecting arrival of said vehicle at a prescribed inspection position;

a preparation timing recognizing unit for detecting a preparation timing which is a prescribed distance and/or a prescribed time before said vehicle reaches said prescribed inspection position;

a terminal unit, which is connected to an electronic control unit mounted on said vehicle for controlling energization of said heater conductor, for sending an operation signal to said electronic control unit to energize said heater conductor;

an infrared camera for capturing an image of said glass panel of said vehicle which has reached said inspection position; and

an inspection unit connected to said vehicle position recognizing unit, said preparation timing recognizing unit, and said terminal unit, for acquiring a thermal image from said infrared camera and inspecting said heater conductor for a wire disconnection based on said thermal image,

wherein said inspection unit controls said terminal unit to start energizing said heater conductor when said preparation timing recognizing unit recognizes said preparation timing and acquires said thermal image from said infrared camera when said vehicle position recognizing unit recognizes the arrival of said vehicle at said inspection position.

7. A wire disconnection inspecting device according to claim 6, wherein said heater conductor comprises a circuit of a plurality of parallel lines extending in a predetermined direction on said glass panel;

and

wherein said inspection unit;

establishes an inspection window on said thermal image, said inspection window including a vehicle end and at least a portion of each of the parallel lines of said circuit;

generates projection data by projecting and adding temperature data in said inspection window per unit column in said predetermined direction;

counts the number of parallel lines of said circuit which are energized, from areas having said projection data equal to or higher than a threshold value; and

if said number is smaller than a prescribed value, determines distances up to the areas having said projection data equal to or higher than said threshold value from an area representing said vehicle end of said projection data, and compares the distances with respective prescribed distances to determine a location where a wire disconnection has occurred.