JP7256048B2 - Connection state detection method, connection state detection program, and design support device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a connection state detection method, a connection state detection program, and a design support device, and more particularly to a technique for grasping the connection state of each electric wire that constitutes a wire harness.

In a vehicle, for example, it is necessary to individually supply power from a power source such as a main battery and an alternator (generator) to each of the many electrical components placed in various locations on the vehicle. be. Also, multiple electronic control units (ECUs) need to be interconnected so that they can communicate with each other. In addition, it is necessary to transmit signals output by various switches and sensors to a predetermined electronic control unit. In addition, it is necessary to individually control the on/off of various loads according to the signals output from the electronic control unit.

Therefore, in a general vehicle, each part of a wire harness, which is an assembly of many electric wires, is arranged along a predetermined wiring route on the vehicle, and equipment such as auxiliary machines arranged at each part on the vehicle is installed. Connected via wire harness.

In practice, several hundred wires, terminals, connectors, clamps, and other components are assembled according to the details of the design drawings, and arranged along the wiring route specified in the design drawings. The formed wire harness product is manufactured by a parts manufacturer. Then, the vehicle manufacturer manufactures the vehicle by assembling the wire harness purchased from the parts manufacturer to the vehicle body.

On the other hand, the functions and specifications required for wire harnesses, such as the number of wires placed in each part, depend on the type of vehicle in which it is installed, namely, the type of vehicle, grade, difference in destination, presence or absence of various optional equipment, etc. varies depending on.

Therefore, if an optimal wire harness is constructed using only the minimum necessary parts for each type of vehicle, the types and part numbers of the wire harnesses manufactured by parts manufacturers are very similar to the types of vehicles. It's going to be a lot. As a result, the manufacturing cost and management cost of the wire harness increase.

For this reason, it has been conventional practice to reduce the number of wire harness types and product numbers, and to mount wire harnesses having a common configuration for a plurality of types of vehicles. For example, when installing the same wire harness in two types of vehicles with or without a rear wiper, a specific wire circuit that connects the mechanism of the rear wiper and the electronic control unit (ECU) that controls it is incorporated. manufactures common wiring harnesses. Here, when this common wire harness is mounted on a vehicle without a rear wiper, the specific electric wire circuit is an extra circuit that is not used. is a "discarded" circuit that is discarded without being used.

In recent years, there has been a trend toward more and more adoption of such "disposable" circuits because the effect obtained by reducing the number of types and part numbers is greater than the cost of extra parts and the increase in weight. For example, a method for determining a discarded electric wire in Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for identifying a discarded electric wire included in a group of electric wires constituting a wire harness by analysis.

JP 2014-98632 A

By the way, the "discarded" circuit as described above is a circuit that does not exist, for example, in the wiring harness design specifications and actual wiring diagrams provided by vehicle manufacturers to parts manufacturers. Therefore, when a wiring harness including a "disposable" circuit is mounted on a vehicle, an extra circuit unexpected at the time of design may be formed.

As a result, for example, the first and second in-vehicle devices should not be connected from the design point of view, but they are connected via a "tsukedashi" circuit, current flows, and the in-vehicle device Equipment malfunction may occur.

In order to prevent the malfunction of the on-vehicle equipment due to the existence of the "discarded" circuit, parts manufacturers that manufacture wire harnesses perform very time-consuming work based on human judgment. Specifically, based on the actual wiring diagram of the wire harness to be manufactured and the information representing the specification list by product number, all the circuits with optional settings are extracted. Then, for each of the extracted circuits, the specifications of each circuit are compared with the specifications of the device to which it is connected, and a human judges whether or not it corresponds to a predetermined conduction condition that causes an abnormality in the operation of the system. Therefore, there are many places that need to be checked, requiring a huge amount of work time, and there is concern about the possibility of quality deterioration due to human error.

The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and its object is to make it possible to easily grasp the situation regarding the possibility of problems occurring due to the "discarded" circuit included in the wire harness. An object of the present invention is to provide a simple connection state detection method, a connection state detection program, and a design support device.

In order to achieve the above object, the connection state detection method, the connection state detection program, and the design support device according to the present invention are characterized by the following (1) to (6).
(1) A connection state detection method for detecting the possibility of a defect in a wire harness including electric wires connecting between a first vehicle-mounted device and a second vehicle-mounted device or a component thereof, comprising:
It is necessary in terms of specifications for each circuit of at least a first wire end connected to the first vehicle-mounted device and a second wire end connected to the second vehicle-mounted device, and the conduction state is confirmed. Acquiring circuit type information for distinguishing between the first circuit that has been confirmed and the second circuit that is unnecessary in terms of specifications and whose existence has been confirmed,
Detecting the possibility of failure based on the combination of the first circuit and the second circuit for each of the connection paths between the first wire end and the second wire end,
A connection state detection method characterized by:

(2) When both the first wire end and the second wire end are the second circuit, and the first wire end and the second wire end are in a conductive state. , assigning the first alarm information to the corresponding connection path;
The connection state detection method according to (1) above, characterized in that:

(3) When the first wire end is the first circuit or the second circuit, and the circuit type information of the second wire end is different from that of the first wire end, the corresponding connection path assigning the second alert information to
The connection state detection method according to (1) above, characterized in that:

(4) When assigning a plurality of wires in order to the first wire end as a base point, if the base point corresponds to the first circuit, the corresponding connection route is excluded from the processing target.
The connection state detection method according to any one of the above (1) to (3), characterized by:

(5) A connection state detection program executable by a predetermined computer, including the processing procedure of the connection state detection method according to any one of (1) to (4) above.

(6) A design support device that detects the possibility of defects in a wire harness or its component parts including electric wires connecting a first vehicle-mounted device and a second vehicle-mounted device, and supports the design of the wire harness. hand,
It is necessary in terms of specifications for each circuit of at least a first wire end connected to the first vehicle-mounted device and a second wire end connected to the second vehicle-mounted device, and the conduction state is confirmed. acquisition means for acquiring circuit type information for distinguishing the difference between the first circuit that has been confirmed and the second circuit that is unnecessary in terms of specifications and whose existence has been confirmed;
detection means for detecting the possibility of failure based on the combination of the first circuit and the second circuit for each of the connection paths between the first wire end and the second wire end;
an output means for outputting a detection result by the detection means as output data;
A design support device comprising:

According to the connection state detection method having the configuration (1) above, a connection that should not exist between the first vehicle-mounted device and the second vehicle-mounted device via the "attachment and discarding" circuit on the wire harness, according to the specifications. Whether a new current path is formed can be easily identified. For example, if both the first wire end and the second wire end are the second circuit and there is continuity between the first wire end and the second wire end, it should not exist according to the specifications. An abnormal state occurs in which the first vehicle-mounted device and the second vehicle-mounted device are connected via the new current path. In addition, since such a detection method can be easily automated, the detection time can be greatly shortened by using a computer, and the quality can be improved by avoiding the occurrence of human error.

According to the connection state detection method having the configuration (2) above, a new current path that should not exist according to the specifications is formed between the first wire end and the second wire end, and the first vehicle-mounted device and the second in-vehicle device are connected to each other, the first alarm information can be output for discrimination. That is, it is possible to easily identify places where "throw away" circuits may affect the functionality of the in-vehicle system.

According to the connection state detection method having the configuration (3) above, in a situation where the first wire end and the second wire end are connected via a current path that partially does not exist in terms of specifications, , can be distinguished by outputting the second alarm information. That is, it is possible to easily identify locations where "throw-away" circuits may affect the functionality of the entire wire harness.

According to the connection state detection method having the configuration (4) above, wires that do not need to be processed are excluded, so that the processing is repeated for each of a huge number of combinations of wires of the wire harness and the sub-harnesses that constitute it. However, the process can be completed in a short time. In other words, it is not necessary to detect an abnormality using a reference point for an electric wire whose specification requires connection to the reference point.

According to the connection state detection program having the configuration of (5) above, there is a connection between the first vehicle-mounted device and the second vehicle-mounted device via the "discard" circuit on the wire harness, which should not exist according to the specifications. Whether a new current path is formed can be easily identified.

According to the design support device having the configuration of (6) above, a new line that should not exist in terms of specifications is established between the first vehicle-mounted device and the second vehicle-mounted device via the "attachment and discard" circuit on the wire harness. It can be easily identified whether a good current path is formed.

According to the connection state detection method, the connection state detection program, and the design support device of the present invention, it becomes easy to grasp the situation regarding the possibility of occurrence of a problem caused by the "attached and discarded" circuit included in the wire harness. Moreover, since automation is easy, a computer can be used to significantly shorten the detection time, and the quality can be improved by avoiding the occurrence of human error.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the following detailed description of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

FIG. 1 is an actual wiring diagram showing a configuration example of a wire harness. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for generating data representing a connection state regarding attachment and disposal in a wire harness to be manufactured. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example-1 of output data. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a connection pattern. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a conduction state list for each combination pattern of a plurality of electric wires. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example-2 of output data.

Specific embodiments relating to the present invention will be described below with reference to each drawing.

<Configuration example of wire harness>
FIG. 1 is an actual wiring diagram showing a configuration example of the wire harness 10. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the wire harness 10 is an assembly of various components mainly composed of a plurality of electric wires 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. As shown in FIG. Generally, a wire harness is composed of several hundred electric wires.

In the example of FIG. 1, the electric wire 11 has a connecting portion 21 at one end and a connecting portion 22 at the other end. The electric wire 12 has a connecting portion 21 at one end and a connecting portion 23 at the other end. The electric wire 13 has a connecting portion 22 at one end and a connecting portion 24 at the other end. The electric wire 14 has a connecting portion 22 at one end and a connecting portion 25 at the other end. The electric wire 15 has a connecting portion 22 at one end and a connecting portion 26 at the other end. The electric wire 16 has a connecting portion 27 at one end and a connecting portion 28 at the other end. The electric wire 17 has a connecting portion 28 at one end and a connecting portion 29 at the other end.

The connecting portion 21 is configured as a connector for connecting with an electronic control unit (ECU) of an electronic fuel injection system (EFI) in a vehicle, for example. This connector has a cavity for accommodating a metal terminal attached to one end of the wire 11 and a cavity for accommodating a metal terminal attached to one end of the wire 12 .

The connection part 22 is, for example, a joint connector (J/C) capable of connecting a plurality of electric wires. It has a structure in which a metal terminal attached to one end and a metal terminal attached to one end of the electric wire 15 can be electrically connected in common.

The connection portion 24 is configured as a connector for W/S connection between the electric wire 13 and a sub-harness 30 prepared for connection with various parts mounted on the vehicle. This connector has a cavity that accommodates a metal terminal attached to the other end of the wire 13 .

The connecting portion 27 is configured as a connector for connecting with some device mounted on the vehicle, for example. This connector has a cavity that accommodates a metal terminal attached to one end of the wire 16 . The connecting portion 28 is configured as a connector for connecting the electric wire 16 and the electric wire 17 to each other (W to W). This connector has a cavity for accommodating a metal terminal attached to the other end of the wire 16 and a cavity for accommodating a metal terminal attached to one end of the wire 17 . Each connection part 23, 25, and 29 is a part such as a switch mounted on a vehicle, for example.

For example, by arranging the connecting portions 22, 24, and 28, it is possible to branch one wire route into a plurality of routes, and to change the combination of a plurality of types of wires. Also, for example, it is possible to connect and disconnect electric wires arranged in the engine room and electric wires arranged in the vehicle interior space.

The wire harness 10 shown in FIG. 1 is configured so as to be commonly mounted on a plurality of vehicles having different vehicle types, grades, destinations, presence/absence of various optional equipment, and the like. For example, in the case of a vehicle with a rear wiper, specific wiring is required to electrically connect between the electronic control unit that controls the rear wiper and the mechanism of the rear wiper. No special wiring required. However, in order to standardize the structure of the wire harness mounted on the vehicle, the wire harness equipped with this specific wiring is mounted even on the vehicle without the rear wiper.

Therefore, a vehicle without a rear wiper is equipped with this specific wiring, but it becomes a "discarded" electric wire that is not used and is discarded as it is. In the wire harness 10 shown in FIG. 1, the wires 13, 15, 16, and 17 indicated by dashed lines represent "discarded" wires.

<Problems that may occur due to "discarded"wires>
For example, even if the electric wire 16 and the electric wire 17 are not used due to vehicle specifications, the wire harness 10 having the common configuration shown in FIG. 1 is actually mounted in the vehicle. According to the specifications, the wires 16 and 17 are not present in the wire harness 10 . However, the electric wire 16 and the electric wire 17 exist in reality.

Moreover, since it is not assumed that the electric wire 16 and the electric wire 17 exist from the specification of the wire harness 10 before manufacturing when the vehicle is manufactured, some first in-vehicle wiring harness 10 is provided at the position of the connection portion 27 of the wire harness 10 . A device is connected, and there is a possibility that a second vehicle-mounted device is connected to the position of the connection portion 29 . Since the wires 16 and 17 are actually present in the wire harness 10, a current flows between the first vehicle-mounted device and the second vehicle-mounted device along the route passing through the wires 16 and 17. .

That is, the first in-vehicle device and the second on-vehicle device are connected via a route on the wire harness 10 not assumed by the designer of the vehicle, that is, the connecting portion 27-the electric wire 16-the connecting portion 28-the electric wire 17-the connecting portion 29. There is a possibility that the first vehicle-mounted device or the second vehicle-mounted device malfunctions due to the connection with the vehicle-mounted device. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to easily grasp, at the time of designing or after manufacturing the wire harness 10, a situation in which a connection path not expected by the designer of the vehicle is formed due to the "discarded" electric wire.

<Example of processing procedure for generating data>
FIG. 2 shows an example of a processing procedure for generating data representing a connection state regarding attachment and disposal in a wire harness to be manufactured. That is, the connection state data useful for grasping whether or not a connection path not assumed by the vehicle designer is formed in the wire harness 10 to be manufactured due to the above-mentioned "discarded" electric wire is It can be generated by the processing procedure shown in FIG.

A program corresponding to the processing procedure shown in FIG. expected to run.

Before executing the processing procedure shown in FIG. 2, specification information by product number and information on the actual wiring diagram of the wire harness are provided as an input data file Fi1 from the vehicle maker to the parts maker that manufactures the wire harness. Further, based on these pieces of information, the parts manufacturer carries out a "conductivity check" as step S01, and manages the resulting data in the input data file Fi2.

“Continuity check” is a process of confirming the presence or absence of continuity between a plurality of terminals for each end terminal of the wire harness 10 . In practice, one wire harness 10 is configured by connecting, for example, the first component, the second component, the third component, etc. in series. A plurality of types of parts with different configurations can be prepared as each component. Therefore, for example, if two types of each of the first component, the second component, and the third component are prepared, the three components are combined in eight types (2×2×2) of combination patterns. One wire harness 10 can be configured by connecting them. When conducting the "conductivity check", the presence or absence of continuity is checked for all combination patterns. For such "conductivity check", it is also possible to adopt the processing disclosed in Patent Document 1 as it is, for example.

The “attachment and discard determination” shown in FIG. 2 will be described below. First, in S11, the computer identifies a connector serving as a base point from among the configuration of the wire harness 10 to be processed. This base point is limited to the end of the wire harness 10 to which some device is connected. Either the upstream or downstream end of the wire harness 10 can be the base point. For example, in the case of the wire harness 10 shown in FIG. 1, the connectors of the connection portions 21, 27, 23, 24, 25, 26, and 29 are selected in order as the base connector.

Next, in S12, the computer identifies the terminal of the base point to be inspected. For example, in the wire harness 10 shown in FIG. 1 , when the base connector is the connection portion 21 , two or more terminals of the wires 11 and 12 are present in the connection portion 21 . Therefore, the terminal of the electric wire 11 or the terminal of the electric wire 12 is selected in order as the base terminal.

Next, in S13, the computer identifies the connector and terminal of the final connection destination to be connected to the connector and terminal of the base point. For example, in the wire harness 10 shown in FIG. 1, when the connecting portion 21 is selected as the base connector and the terminal of the electric wire 11 is selected as the base terminal, the terminal on the opposite side connected to it via the electric wire is selected. The connecting portion 24 (or the sub-harness 30), the connectors and the terminals of the connecting portions 25 and 26 are selected in order as final connection destinations.

Next, the computer acquires connection type information from the contents of the input data file Fi2 for each wire route between the base point and the final connection destination specified in S11 to S13. That is, it acquires information indicating whether or not there is continuity between the base terminal and the terminal of the final connection destination. In addition, for each of the base terminal and the terminal of the final connection destination, information is also acquired to distinguish between those that require conduction according to the specifications of the vehicle and those that do not, that is, "discarded". .

Further, in S14, if there is no "additional discard" in either the terminal of the base point or the terminal of the final connection destination, the route is excluded from the processing targets after S15, and any of S11 to S13 is performed. Go back and select another pin. In other words, for a route that does not have a "discarded attachment" at the end, there is no need to consider the influence of the "discarded attachment" wire, so the process is omitted. As a result, even if the number of repetitions increases, the time required for the entire process can be greatly reduced.

Next, the computer determines whether or not both the wire on the base point side and the wire on the final connection side are "discarded" for each wire route between the base point and the final connection destination specified in S11 to S13. identify. If both are "discarded", the process proceeds from S15 to S16, and if not, the process proceeds to S19.

In S16, the computer grasps the connection state of each electric wire existing on the route between the electric wire connected to the base point side and the electric wire connected to the final connection destination side. That is, the connection path is traced in order from the position of the electric wire connected to the base point side to the final connection destination, and each electric wire is distinguished whether it is a conductive circuit required for the vehicle specifications or a "discarded" electric wire.

At S17, based on the result of S16, the computer identifies whether or not the path from the base point to the final connection destination is connected only by the "discarded" electric wire. Then, if the route is connected only by the "discarded" electric wire, warning information Wi1 is generated for the route in the next step S18.

On the other hand, in the route of each electric wire between the base point and the final connection destination specified in S11 to S13, if both the electric wire on the base point side and the electric wire on the final connection destination side are not "discarded", the processing of the computer is The process proceeds from S15 to S19. Then, in S19, it is determined whether or not both the electric wire on the base point side and the electric wire on the final connection side are conductive circuits required for the specifications of the vehicle. If both are necessary conductive circuits, it is determined in S20 that there is no abnormality.

Also, if either one of the electric wire on the base point side and the electric wire on the final connection side is "discarded", which is unnecessary in terms of specifications, the computer proceeds to the processing of S21. Then, the connection path is traced in order from the position of the electric wire connected to the base point side to the final connection destination, and it is identified in S21 whether or not the base point is connected (conducted) by some electric wire to the final connection destination. . If the route is connected from the base point to the final connection destination, caution information Wi2 is generated for the route in the next step S22.

The computer repeats the processes of S12 to S23 for all terminals present in the base connector selected in S11. Further, when the processes of S12 to S23 are completed for all the terminals existing in one base connector, the process returns from S24 to S11 to update the base connector to be selected.

When the computer has finished processing all base point terminals for all base point connectors, it advances from S24 to S25 and writes the generated output data to the output data file Fo. This output data can include warning information Wi1 generated in S18 and caution information Wi2 generated in S22.

<Configuration example of output data - 1>
FIG. 3 shows a configuration example-1 of output data. The output data 40 shown in FIG. 3 can be created by executing the process of FIG. 2 based on the contents of the input data files Fi1 and Fi2 shown in FIG. This output data 40 also includes warning information Wi1 and caution information Wi2 generated in S18 of FIG.

The output data 40 includes base point side information 41, base terminal 42, connection destination terminal 43, connection destination connector number 44, connection destination connector name 45, continuity type 46, connection state 47, harness product number 48, connection source terminal 49, connection Each item of source connector 50 , connection destination terminal 51 , connection destination connector 52 , connector name 53 , and determination result 54 is included.

The base point side information 41, the base terminal 42, the connection destination terminal 43, the connection destination connector number 44, the connection destination connector name 45, and the continuity type 46 are data belonging to the base point side. Harness product number 48, connection source terminal 49, connection source connector 50, connection destination terminal 51, connection destination connector 52, connector name 53, and determination result 54 are data belonging to the final connection destination.

The connection state 47 represents the connection state of each electric wire on the route from the base point to the final connection destination. In this connection state 47, the portions indicated by broken lines represent electric wires that are "discarded", and the portions indicated by solid lines represent electric wires that must be electrically connected according to vehicle specifications. The details of the connection state 47 will be described later.

The base point side information 41 and the base terminal 42 include the number of each connector assigned as the base point, the name of the connector, the part number, the number of each cavity in the connector, the terminal code of the terminal arranged in each cavity, and the like. The connection destination terminal 43, the connection destination connector number 44, and the connection destination connector name 45 are information representing the connection destination from the base point for each electric wire.
The conduction type 46 represents the conduction state of each electric wire on the base point side. The contents of the continuity type 46 include three types of "continuity circuit", "discarded A", and "discarded B".

The "continuity circuit" in the conduction type 46 means that the electric wire on the route from the base point to the final connection destination does not include "discarded electric wire", that is, it is composed only of electric wires necessary for the vehicle specifications. are doing. In addition, when the downstream side of the electric wire on the base point side branches into multiple routes and is connected to multiple final connection destinations, all the electric wires connected to each final connection destination must be the electric wires required by the vehicle specifications. In some cases, the conduction type 46 is "conduction circuit".

"Discarded A" in the conduction type 46 indicates that the route from the base point to the final connection destination is formed only by "discarded" electric wires. In addition, when the downstream side of the electric wire on the base point side branches into a plurality of routes and is connected to a plurality of final connection destinations, at least one route of the electric wire connected to each final connection destination is connected from the base point to the final connection. If it is formed only by electric wires that have been previously "discarded", the conduction type 46 becomes "discarded A". That is, when the warning information Wi1 is assigned to any of the electric wires of the final connection destination, it becomes "Abandoned A".

"Discarded B" in the conduction type 46 indicates that the electric wire connected to the base point side is "discarded". It represents a state of no That is, when caution information Wi2 is assigned, it becomes "attachment discard B".

The harness product number 48, the connection source terminal 49, the connection source connector 50, the connection destination terminal 51, the connection destination connector 52, the connector name 53, and the determination result 54 represent information for each electric wire connected to the final connection destination. Moreover, the determination result 54 represents the content corresponding to the warning information Wi1. That is, in FIG. 3, "WARNING" shown in each of the first, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth columns from the top of the determination result 54 represents the warning information Wi1 for each wire on the route.

<Example of connection pattern>
FIG. 4 shows a state in which a part of the connection pattern included in the connection state 47 in the output data 40 of FIG. 3 is extracted. That is, connection patterns 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D are shown in FIG.

A connection pattern 60A shown in FIG. 4 is configured as a pattern in which one electric wire 61 arranged on the base point side and one electric wire 62 arranged on the final connection side are connected. Here, the electric wires 61 and 62 are both “discarded” electric wires indicated by broken lines. Therefore, this connection pattern 60A corresponds to "discard A" of the conduction type 46. FIG.

The connection pattern 60B is configured as a pattern in which the downstream side of one electric wire 63 arranged on the base point side is branched into three and connected to three final connection destinations via electric wires 64A, 64B, and 64C, respectively. there is Here, wires 63, 64A, 64B, and 64C, shown in solid lines, all represent necessary conduction paths that are not "throwaway". Therefore, this connection pattern 60B corresponds to the "conduction circuit" of the conduction type 46. FIG.

In the connection pattern 60C, the downstream side of one electric wire 65 arranged on the base point side is branched into six, and connected to six final connection destinations via electric wires 66A, 66B, 66C, 66D, 66E, and 66F, respectively. It is configured as a pattern that Here, electric wires 66A, 66B, 66C, and 66D indicated by solid lines are conduction paths necessary for vehicle specifications, and electric wires 65, 66E, and 66F indicated by broken lines are "discarded" electric wires. is. Therefore, the route passing through the wires 65 and 66E and the route passing through the wires 65 and 66F respectively correspond to the conditions of the warning information Wi1. Therefore, this connection pattern 60</b>C corresponds to “discard A” of the conduction type 46 .

The connection pattern 60D is configured as a pattern in which one electric wire 67 arranged on the base point side and one electric wire 68 arranged on the final connection destination side are connected. Here, the electric wire 67 is a "discarded" electric wire, and the electric wire 68 is a conduction path necessary for the specifications of the vehicle. Therefore, this connection pattern 60D corresponds to "discard B" of the conduction type 46. FIG.

<Continuity status list>
FIG. 5 shows a list of conduction states for each combination pattern of a plurality of electric wires. The conduction state list shown in FIG. 5 represents details of a portion 40a of the output data 40 shown in FIG.

In addition, in this embodiment, it is assumed that one wire harness is configured by connecting a plurality of components (intermediate parts such as sub-harnesses), and that a plurality of types of parts are prepared for each component. . Therefore, there are many combination patterns of a plurality of components that constitute the wire harness. Data for each of the multiple combination patterns are shown in FIG.

The continuity information 70 shown in FIG. 5 includes a terminal number 71, attachment/discard information 72 and 73, a base point side terminal state 74, and connection destination terminal states 75A, 75B, 75C, 75D, 75E, and 75F. Based on the data of the input data files Fi1 and Fi2 shown in FIG. 2, conduction information 70 as shown in FIG. 5 can be obtained.

The meanings of the symbols “◯”, “●”, and “−” shown in FIG. 5 are as follows.
"○": There is continuity due to "discarded" wires that do not exist in the vehicle specifications "●": "Continuity circuit" required in the vehicle specifications
"-": No connection (no continuity)

In the conduction information 70 shown in FIG. 5, in the range of the group 77A, that is, in each conduction path with the terminal number 71 of "1" to "11", the terminal state 74 on the base point side and the terminal state 75E on the connection destination are Both are "throw away" wires. In other words, there is a problem in that an unexpected conductive circuit outside the specifications is formed between the vehicle-mounted device on the base point side and the vehicle-mounted device on the final connection destination. Therefore, for each conduction path of the group 77A, "present" indicating that the warning information Wi1 exists is recorded in the column of the discard information 72 in S18 of FIG.

Further, in the conduction information 70 shown in FIG. 5, in the range of the group 77B, that is, in each conduction path with the terminal numbers 71 of "12" to "15", the terminal state 74 on the base point side and the terminal state of the connection destination are In 75A-75D, there is no conduction path by a "throw away" wire. In other words, it is in a conductive state as specified.

Further, among the conduction information 70 shown in FIG. 5, the range of the group 77C, that is, each conduction path with the terminal numbers 71 of "16" to "23" is a "conduction circuit" that requires the terminal state 74 on the base point side. However, the connection destination terminal states 75A to 75F include a conduction path (75F: ◯) by a "discarded" electric wire. In other words, an unexpected circuit is formed that connects between the in-vehicle device on the base side and the in-vehicle device at the final connection destination in a state where the conduction circuit required by the specifications and the conduction path by the "discarded" electric wire are mixed. ing. Therefore, for each conductive path of the group 77C, "present" indicating that the caution information Wi2 exists is recorded in the column of the discard information 73 in S22 of FIG. Each conductive circuit in group 77D is similar to group 77C.

<Configuration example of output data - 2>
FIG. 6 shows a configuration example-2 of the output data. The output data shown in FIG. 6 is a modification of the output data 40 shown in FIG. The output data shown in FIG. 6 can also be created by the same process as in FIG.

The output data in FIG. 6 includes accessory connector information 81 and final connection destination terminal information 82 . The accessory connector information 81 includes a drawing number 81A, a connector number 81B, a connector name 81C, a connector part number 81D, a base point side conduction type 81E, a terminal symbol 81F, and a connector The number 81G is included.

Further, the final connection destination terminal information 82 includes a drawing number 82A, a connection destination conduction type 82B, a connector number 82C, a connector name 82D, a connector product number 82E, a terminal symbol 82F, and a connector number 82G. include.

The content of the base-point-side conduction type 81E represents any one of three types of information: "discard", "required", and others. "Discarded" of the base point side conduction type 81E indicates that a discarded electric wire that does not exist in terms of vehicle specifications but whose conduction state has been confirmed actually exists on the base point side. The "necessary" of the base-point-side conduction type 81E represents a base-point-side electric wire that needs to be conducted according to the specifications of the vehicle and whose conduction state has been confirmed.

The content of the connection destination conduction type 82B represents information of either "discard" or "required". The connection destination conduction type 82B "discarded" indicates that a discarded electric wire, which does not exist in terms of vehicle specifications but whose conduction state has been confirmed, actually exists on the final connection side. The "necessary" of the connection destination conduction type 82B represents the electric wire of the final connection destination side which is required to be conducted according to the specifications of the vehicle and whose conduction state has been confirmed.

<Advantages of connection state detection method>
By performing the processing shown in FIG. 2, the output data 40 shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 and the output data shown in FIG. 6 can be generated. In other words, due to the "discarded" electric wires included in the wire harness 10, an abnormal conduction path that is not assumed when designing the system on the vehicle is formed in the wire harness 10 that is actually manufactured. It becomes easier to know whether In other words, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of malfunction due to electrical connection between a plurality of in-vehicle devices due to this abnormal conduction path.

For example, in the wire harness 10 shown in FIG. 1, the connecting portion 27 and the connecting portion 29 are electrically connected through a path passing through the electric wires 16 and 17 which are both "discarded". Therefore, when this wire harness 10 is manufactured and mounted on a vehicle, the first on-vehicle device is connected to the connection portion 27 on the left end, and the second on-vehicle device is connected to the connection portion 29 on the right end, There is a possibility that the first vehicle-mounted device and the second vehicle-mounted device are connected through an unexpected path, resulting in malfunction.

However, when the processing shown in FIG. 2 is executed to generate the output data 40 shown in FIG. For example, as shown in the uppermost portion of FIG. 3, for the path whose base terminal 42 is "JB6", the conduction type 46 is "discard A" and "WARNING" appears in the determination result 54. It can be confirmed that an abnormal conduction path is formed between the base terminal 42 and the terminal of the final connection destination, in which only the "discarded" wire is in a conductive state.

In addition, since "WARNING" appears in the determination result 54 for the two paths where the base terminal 42 is "YH8" and the connection destination connectors 52 are "620" and "610", the base terminal 42 and the final connection destination It can be confirmed that an abnormal conduction path is formed in which only the "discarded" wire between the terminal and the terminal is in a conductive state.

In addition, for each of the four paths having the base terminal 42 of "YW7", "MLW", "JF3", and "JF4", the conduction type 46 is "discarded B", so at least the "discarded ” contains the conduction path of the electric wire.

In addition, even when the processing of S11 to S24 is repeated for each of a large number of electric wire paths of various combination patterns, if the electric wire on the base point side is a conduction path required by the specifications, the subsequent processing is not performed in S14. By excluding them from the target, the time required for the entire processing can be greatly shortened.

Here, the features of the connection state detection method, the connection state detection program, and the design support device according to the embodiments of the present invention described above are briefly summarized in [1] to [6] below.
[1] A connection state detection method for detecting the possibility of failure in a wire harness (10) including electric wires connecting between a first vehicle-mounted device and a second vehicle-mounted device or its component parts,
It is necessary in terms of specifications for each circuit of at least a first wire end connected to the first vehicle-mounted device and a second wire end connected to the second vehicle-mounted device, and the conduction state is confirmed. Acquisition of circuit type information for distinguishing the difference between the first circuit (“●” in FIG. 5) and the second circuit (“○” in FIG. 5), which is unnecessary in terms of specifications and whose existence has been confirmed. (S14),
detecting the possibility of failure based on the combination of the first circuit and the second circuit for each of the connection paths between the first wire end and the second wire end (S18, S22);
A connection state detection method characterized by:

[2] When both the first wire end and the second wire end are the second circuit, and the first wire end and the second wire end are in a conductive state , assigning the first alarm information (warning information Wi1) to the corresponding connection path (S15 to S18);
The connection state detection method according to the above [1], characterized by:

[3] When the first wire end is the first circuit or the second circuit, and the circuit type information of the second wire end is different from that of the first wire end, the corresponding connection path to assign the second alarm information (caution information Wi2) (S19 to S22),
The connection state detection method according to the above [1], characterized by:

[4] When assigning a plurality of wires in order to the end of the first wire as a base point, if the base point corresponds to the first circuit, the corresponding connection route is excluded from the processing target (S14),
The connection state detection method according to any one of [1] to [3], characterized by:

[5] A connection state detection program executable by a predetermined computer, including the processing procedure (see FIG. 2) of the connection state detection method according to any one of [1] to [4] above.

[6] Design support for detecting the possibility of defects in a wire harness (10) including electric wires connecting between a first vehicle-mounted device and a second vehicle-mounted device or its component parts, and supporting the design of the wire harness a device,
It is necessary in terms of specifications for each circuit of at least a first wire end connected to the first vehicle-mounted device and a second wire end connected to the second vehicle-mounted device, and the conduction state is confirmed. Acquisition of circuit type information for distinguishing the difference between the first circuit (“●” in FIG. 5) and the second circuit (“○” in FIG. 5), which is unnecessary in terms of specifications and whose existence has been confirmed. Acquisition means (S14) for
Detection means (S18, S22) for detecting the possibility of failure based on the combination of the first circuit and the second circuit for each of the connection paths between the first wire end and the second wire end. )and,
Output means (S25) for outputting the detection result by the detection means as output data;
A design support device comprising:

10 wire harness 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 electric wire 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 connection part 30 sub-harness 40 output data 41 base point side information 42 base point terminal 43 Connection destination terminal 44 Connection destination connector number 45 Connection destination connector name 46 Conduction type 47 Connection state 48 Harness part number 49 Connection source terminal 50 Connection source connector 51 Connection destination terminal 52 Connection destination connector 53 Connector name 54 Judgment results 60A, 60B, 60C, 60D Connection pattern 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68 Electric wire 70 Continuity information 71 Terminal number 72, 73 Disconnection information 74 Base point side terminal status 75A, 75B, 75C, 75D, 75E, 75F Connection destination Terminal status 77A, 77B, 77C, 77D Group 81 Auxiliary device connector information 82 Final connection destination terminal information Wi1 Warning information Wi2 Caution information Fi1, Fi2 Input data file Fo Output data file

Claims (6)

A connection state detection method for detecting the possibility of a failure in a wire harness including electric wires connecting between a first vehicle-mounted device and a second vehicle-mounted device or a component thereof, comprising:
It is necessary in terms of specifications for each circuit of at least a first wire end connected to the first vehicle-mounted device and a second wire end connected to the second vehicle-mounted device, and the conduction state is confirmed. Acquiring circuit type information for distinguishing between the first circuit that has been confirmed and the second circuit that is unnecessary in terms of specifications and whose existence has been confirmed,
Detecting the possibility of failure based on the combination of the first circuit and the second circuit for each of the connection paths between the first wire end and the second wire end,
A connection state detection method characterized by: The first wire end and the second wire end are both the second circuit, and the first wire end and the second wire end are in a conducting state. assigning first alarm information to the connection path;
2. The connection state detection method according to claim 1, wherein: When the first wire end is the first circuit or the second circuit and the circuit type information of the second wire end is different from that of the first wire end, for the corresponding connection path assigning the second alarm information;
2. The connection state detection method according to claim 1, wherein: When assigning a plurality of wires in order to the first wire end as a base point, if the base point corresponds to the first circuit, the corresponding connection route is excluded from the processing target.
4. The connection state detection method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: 5. A connection state detection program executable by a predetermined computer, including the processing procedure of the connection state detection method according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A design support device for detecting the possibility of defects in a wire harness including electric wires connecting between a first in-vehicle device and a second in-vehicle device or a component thereof and supporting the design of the wire harness,
It is necessary in terms of specifications for each circuit of at least a first wire end connected to the first vehicle-mounted device and a second wire end connected to the second vehicle-mounted device, and the conduction state is confirmed. acquisition means for acquiring circuit type information for distinguishing the difference between the first circuit that has been confirmed and the second circuit that is unnecessary in terms of specifications and whose existence has been confirmed;
detection means for detecting the possibility of failure based on the combination of the first circuit and the second circuit for each of the connection paths between the first wire end and the second wire end;
an output means for outputting a detection result by the detection means as output data;
A design support device comprising:

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