JPH10260217A - Automatic discriminator for signal cable connection - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reliable, automatic discriminator for a signal cable connection that can grasp the internal connection of the pin of a signal cable instantly, can improve a working efficiency, and is highly reliable. SOLUTION: By the control of a CPU 13, change-over switches 14 and 15 are successively switched and a continuity state is inspected via the signal cable of each pin of a connector 11 and each pin of a connector 12, thus checking the internal connection of the pin of the signal cable that is an object to be inspected being connected to the connectors 11 and 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for confirming the contents of internal connection of a signal cable by display or printing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the internal connection of a signal cable has been confirmed using, for example, a tester as shown in FIG. That is, the test lead rod 72 of the tester 71 is connected to each pin of two connectors (not shown) of the signal cable.
73, and whether this circuit is a closed circuit,
The internal connection of this signal cable was confirmed.

[0003]

However, in this conventional technique, the test lead rods 72 and 73 are frequently inadvertently brought into contact with another pin, and the reliability is lacking. Also, since it can only be measured on a pin-by-pin basis,
There was a problem in work efficiency.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above points,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable automatic signal cable connection discriminating device capable of instantaneously grasping the internal connection of pins of a signal cable, improving work efficiency, and having high reliability.

[0005]

According to the present invention, an automatic signal cable connection discriminating apparatus includes first and second connectors connected to a signal cable to be inspected, and each of the first and second connectors. First and second changeover switches for switching connection to the pins, respectively, and control of switching between the first and second changeover switches.
And control means for inspecting the continuity of each connector pin through a signal cable.

[0006] With such a configuration, the internal connection of the pins of the signal cable can be grasped instantaneously. The first and second changeover switches may be constituted by mechanical changeover switches, or may be constituted by semiconductor changeover switches.

Further, a printer can be provided for outputting the result of the inspection by the control means, and a display can be provided for displaying the result of the inspection by the control means.

[0008] Further, the first and second changeover switches are connected to the first switch.
The connection to each pin of the second connector and the second connector may be manually switched. In this case, the control unit can inspect the conduction state of the pin of the first connector, which is manually switched and designated by the first changeover switch, and the pin of the second connector via the signal cable. . According to this configuration, the connection state of the pin to be checked can be easily understood.

Also in this case, the first and second changeover switches may be constituted by mechanical changeover switches,
It may be constituted by a semiconductor type changeover switch. Further, a printer may be provided for outputting the result of the inspection by the control means for the pin designated by the first changeover switch, and a display may be provided for displaying the result of the inspection by the control means. Can also.

In addition, instead of the first and second connectors, a plurality of connectors for connecting a signal cable to be inspected are provided, and one of the plurality of connectors is connected to the first by a first selection switch. A configuration may be employed in which one of the plurality of connectors is selectively connected to the second changeover switch by a second changeover switch, and the other is selectively connected to the second changeover switch by the second selection switch. With such a configuration,
With one device, signal cables of connectors with various pin numbers can be inspected.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same parts or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of a signal cable connection automatic discriminating apparatus according to the present invention.

In the figure, reference numerals 11 and 12 denote connectors on the apparatus side, to which a connector of a signal cable is connected. The CPU (processing circuit) 13 is a circuit for controlling the present apparatus.

The mechanical changeover switches 14 and 15 are connected between the connectors 11 and 12 and the CPU 13, respectively, and are for sequentially inspecting each pin of the connector. The mechanical changeover switches 14 and 15 are configured by, for example, relays having contacts.

Next, this operation will be described. Connector 1
After the connector of the signal cable to be inspected is connected to 1 and 12, the continuity through the signal cable from the first pin of one connector 11 to the first pin of the other connector 12 is controlled by the CPU 13. Inspection is performed, and as a result, if the electrical connection is made, the mechanical changeover switch 14 is switched to the second pin of one connector 11, and then the mechanical changeover switch 15 is switched to change the position of the other connector 12 Transfer control to the pin.

When the two pins are not conducting, a similar continuity test is performed. Control of one connector 11 is kept at the first pin, while control of the other connector 12 is mechanical. Change the expression changeover switch 15 to 2
The control is shifted to the pin, the control of the connector 12 is repeated in the same manner until a conductive pin is detected, and after detecting the conductive pin, the control for one connector 11 is shifted to the second pin, and Is repeated in the same manner until a conductive pin is detected. By repeating such control, the internal connections of all pins are checked. The result of the inspection is stored in a memory in the CPU 13.

(Second Embodiment) Next, FIG. 2 shows the configuration of a signal cable connection automatic discriminating apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the mechanical changeover switches 14 and 15 in the first embodiment are replaced with semiconductor changeover switches 21 and 22, respectively. This operation is performed by connecting the connector to be inspected to the connectors 11 and 12, and controlling one of the connectors 11 under the control of the CPU 13.
A continuity test is performed from the pin to the first pin of the other connector 12 via a signal cable. If the continuity is detected as a result, the semiconductor changeover switch 21 is switched, and the two pins of the one connector 11 are connected. After switching to the eye, the semiconductor type changeover switch 22 is switched to shift the control to the second pin of the other connector 12.

If the two pins are not conducting, a similar continuity test is performed. Control of one connector 11 is maintained at the first pin, while control of the other connector 12 is controlled by a semiconductor. After switching the type changeover switch 22 to the second pin, the control on the connector 12 side is similarly repeated until a conductive pin is detected, and after detecting the conductive pin, control of one connector 11 is performed. 2
The control is shifted to the pin, and the control on the other connector 12 side is repeated in the same manner until a conductive pin is detected. By repeating such control, the internal connections of all pins are checked. The result of the inspection is stored in a memory in the CPU 13.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows the configuration of a third embodiment of an automatic signal cable connection discriminating apparatus according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, a printer and a display are added to the configuration of the first or second embodiment. In the figure, an apparatus main body 31 includes the configuration shown in FIG. 1, that is, the connectors 11 and 12, the CPU 13 and the mechanical changeover switches 14 and 15, or the configuration shown in FIG. 21 and 22.
1 is connected to a printer 32 and a display 33. The display 33 may be built in the apparatus housing, or may be provided outside as a separate body.

Under the control of the CPU 13, the contents of the internal connection of the signal cable checked by the apparatus main body 31 and stored in the memory in the CPU can be printed out on the printer 32. Further, the contents of the internal connection of the signal cable checked by the apparatus main body 31 can be displayed on the display 33 under the control of the CPU 13. FIG. 4 shows an example of the content of the internal connection printed out from the printer 32 or the content of the internal connection displayed on the display 33. In FIG. 4, one connector of the signal cable connected to the connector 11 (connector # 1)
Of the signal cable connected to the connector 12 and the pins of the other connector (connector # 2) of the signal cable connected to the connector 12 are indicated by lines connecting the respective pin numbers.

In this manner, the contents of the internal connection can be confirmed by the printout result from the printer 32 or the display on the display 33.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 5 shows the configuration of a fourth embodiment of the signal cable connection automatic discriminating apparatus according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the mechanical changeover switches 14 and 15 in the first embodiment are manually switched, and a printer and a display are added.

That is, it is assumed that the mechanical changeover switches 51 and 52 can be manually switched by a rotary switch or the like. The printer 32 and the display 33 are connected to the CPU 13.

After the connectors to be inspected are connected to the connectors 11 and 12, the mechanical switches 51 and 52 are manually switched to select the pins to be inspected of the connectors 11 and 12. For example, to inspect the continuity of the first pin of one connector (connector # 1) of the signal cable with the pin of the other connector (connector # 2) of the signal cable, the mechanical changeover switch 51 is used to check one connector (connector # 1). The first pin of the connector # 1) is selected, and the mechanical change-over switch 52 may be switched one after another until the pin of the other connector (connector # 2) that is electrically connected to the first pin is confirmed. Only the internal connection result of the signal cable corresponding to the manually selected pin is stored in the memory in the CPU 13. This is printed out from the printer 32 or displayed on the display 33 as necessary.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the contents of the internal connection printed out from the printer 32 or the contents of the internal connection displayed on the display 33 in this case. In FIG. 6, a pin selected from the pins of one connector (connector # 1) of the signal cable connected to the connector 11, that is, the first pin is selected.
The continuity of the third, fifth, and tenth pins with the corresponding pins of the other connector (connector # 2) of the signal cable connected to the connector 12 is indicated by lines connecting the respective pin numbers. ing.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the connection state of the pin to be checked can be easily understood.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 7 shows a configuration of a fifth embodiment of an automatic signal cable connection discriminating apparatus according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the mechanical switches 51 and 52 that are manually switched in the fourth embodiment are replaced with semiconductor switches 71 and 72 that are manually switched.
In this configuration, the pins to be inspected of the connectors 11 and 12 can be selected by manually switching the semiconductor changeover switches 71 and 72. . For example, to check the continuity of the first pin of one connector (connector # 1) of the signal cable with the pin of the other connector (connector # 2) of the signal cable, one of the connectors (semiconductor switch 71) The first pin of connector # 1) is selected, and the other connector (connector #) that conducts with the first pin is selected.
Until the pin of 2) is confirmed, the semiconductor changeover switch 52
Should be switched one after another. Only the internal connection result of the signal cable corresponding to the manually selected pin is stored in the memory in the CPU 13. If necessary, copy this to Printer 3.
2 is printed out or displayed on the display 33.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 8 shows the configuration of a sixth embodiment of the automatic signal cable connection discriminating apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 9 shows its appearance.

The apparatus of this embodiment is designed to inspect signal cables of connectors having various pins. In the illustrated example, three types of connector pins are prepared. In addition, the signal cable to be inspected may have a different number of pins of one connector from the number of pins of the other connector. Some of the pins on the majority of the connectors do not have internal conductors from the signal cable.)

8 and 9, 81a, 81b,
.. 81f are connectors on the apparatus side. Connector 81a
And the number of pins of the connector 81b, the number of pins of the connectors 81c and 81d, and the number of pins of the connectors 81e and 81f are equal to each other. The number of pins of the connectors 81c and 81d is smaller than the number of pins of the connectors 81a and 81b, and the number of pins of the connectors 81e and 81f is smaller than the number of pins of the connectors 81c and 81d.

82f can be turned on by selecting one of them with a first selection switch. A connector corresponding to the selected switch that has been turned on and the first changeover switch 84 are connected. The first changeover switch 84 includes the mechanical changeover switch 14 and the semiconductor changeover switch 2 in each of the above-described embodiments.
1. Corresponds to a manual mechanical changeover switch 51 or a manual semiconductor changeover switch 71.

83f can be turned on by selecting one of them with a second selection switch. The connector corresponding to the selected switch that has been turned on and is connected to the second changeover switch 85. The second changeover switch 85 includes the mechanical changeover switch 15 and the semiconductor changeover switch 2 in each of the above-described embodiments.
2. It corresponds to the manual mechanical changeover switch 52 or the manual semiconductor changeover switch 72. 13 is a CPU, 32
Is a printer, and 33 is a display, which correspond to each of the embodiments described above.

In FIG. 9, reference numeral 91 denotes a signal cable to be inspected, which has connectors 92 and 93. Reference numeral 94 denotes a selection switch operation panel, in which operation buttons are arranged in two upper and lower stages. The upper operation button is for turning on one of the first selection switches 82a, 82b,... 82f, and the selection switch corresponding to the pressed operation button is turned on. Similarly, the lower operation button is for turning on one of the second selection switches 82a, 82b,... 82f, and the selection switch corresponding to the pressed operation button is turned on. Reference numerals 95 and 96 denote operation buttons for operating the printer 32 and the display 33, respectively.

Next, this operation will be described. First, one connector 92 of the signal cable 91 to be inspected is connected to one of the main body-side connectors, for example, the connector 81a.
And the other connector 93 is connected to one of the connectors on the main body side, for example, the connector 81f which is also compatible with the connector 93.

Next, the first selection switches 82a, 82b,
In order to turn on the selection switch 82a corresponding to the connector 81a among the... 82f, the upper operation switch located below the connector 81a on the selection switch operation panel 94 is pressed. By this operation, the selection switch 82a
Is turned on, and the connector 81a is connected to the first switch 84.

Similarly, the second selection switches 83a, 83
In order to turn on the selection switch 82f corresponding to the connector 81f among the b,... 83f, the lower operation switch located below the connector 81f on the selection switch operation panel 94 is pressed. By this operation, the selection switch 8
2f is turned on, and the connector 81f is connected to the first switch 85. Thereafter, the content of the internal connection of the signal cable 91 can be confirmed by the same operation as that described in each of the above embodiments.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to easily grasp the connection contents of the signal cable for which it is not clear what kind of internal connection is constituted only by the appearance.

From the above, when the apparatus of the present invention is used, for example, when it is desired to know the internal connection of the currently used signal cable, or when searching for a specific signal cable, the work efficiency is surely improved. Therefore, it is possible to improve the work efficiency and to provide a highly reliable signal cable connection automatic determination device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printout result or a display on a display according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printout result or display display according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an example of a tester conventionally used to check internal connection of a signal cable.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11, 12: This device side connector 13: CPU 14, 15, 51, 52 ... Mechanical changeover switch 21, 22, 71, 72 ... Semiconductor type changeover switch 31 ... Device main body 32 ... Printer 33 ... Display 81a, 81b, ... , 81f ... this device side connectors 82a, 82b, ..., 82f ... first selection switches 83a, 83b, ..., 83f ... second selection switches 84, 85 ... changeover switches 91 ... signal cables 92, 93 ... connectors 94 ... Selection switch operation panel 95, 96 ... operation buttons

Claims (10)

[Claims] A first connector connected to a signal cable to be inspected, a first switch connected to each pin of the first connector, and a second switch connected to each pin of the second connector. , And controls the switching of the first and second changeover switches so that each pin of the first connector is connected to the second connector.
Control means for inspecting the continuity between each pin of the connector and the signal cable via the signal cable. 2. A plurality of connectors for connecting a signal cable to be inspected, first and second changeover switches for switching connection of each of the connectors to each pin, and
A first selector switch for selectively connecting one of the plurality of connectors to the first changeover switch; and a second selector switch for selectively connecting another one of the plurality of connectors to the first connector. A second selector switch for connecting to the first and second selector switches, and controls the switching of the first and second selector switches, and the signal of each pin of the one connector and each pin of the other connector is controlled. A signal cable automatic discriminating device, comprising: control means for inspecting a conduction state via a cable. 3. The signal cable connection automatic discrimination device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second changeover switches are mechanical changeover switches. 4. The signal cable connection automatic discrimination device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second changeover switches are semiconductor changeover switches. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of a printer for outputting a result of the inspection by the control means and a display for displaying the result of the inspection by the control means. Automatic signal cable connection determination device as described. 6. A first and second connector connected to a signal cable to be inspected, and first and second connectors for manually switching connection of each of the first and second connectors to each pin, respectively. A changeover switch, and control means for inspecting a continuity state between the pin designated by the first changeover switch manually switched among the pins of the first connector and the pin of the second connector via the signal cable. A signal cable connection automatic discriminating device comprising: 7. A plurality of connectors for connecting signal cables to be inspected, first and second changeover switches for manually switching connection of these connectors to respective pins, respectively, A first selector switch for selectively connecting one of the connectors to the first selector switch; and a second selector switch for selectively coupling another one of the plurality of connectors to the second selector switch. A second selection switch for connection, and a signal cable between a pin designated by the first changeover switch manually switched among the pins of the one connector and a pin of the other connector. And a control means for inspecting the conduction state of the signal cable. 8. The signal cable connection automatic discrimination device according to claim 6, wherein the first and second changeover switches are mechanical changeover switches. 9. The automatic signal cable connection discrimination device according to claim 6, wherein the first and second changeover switches are semiconductor changeover switches. 10. A printer for outputting a result of inspection of the pin of the one connector designated by the first changeover switch by the control means, and displaying the result of the inspection by the control means. The signal cable connection automatic discrimination device according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising at least one of a display and a display.