System and method for circuit testing using remote cooperative devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12025641-B2
Application number	US-202318173487-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2023
Priority date	Feb 4, 2019
Publication date	Jul 2, 2024
Grant date	Jul 2, 2024

Abstract

A system for testing a plurality of electrical circuits includes a first remote cooperative testing device for selectively and electrically coupling a first electrical circuit and a second electrical circuit of the plurality of electrical circuits at a first node, and a second remote cooperative testing device for selectively and electrically coupling the first and second electrical circuits at a second node. A testing circuit is formed between the first node and the second node by the first and second remote cooperative testing devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for testing a plurality of electrical circuits, the system comprising:
a first remote cooperative testing device for selectively and electrically coupling a first electrical circuit and a second electrical circuit of the plurality of electrical circuits at a first node; and
a second remote cooperative testing device for selectively and electrically coupling the first and second electrical circuits at a second node,
wherein a testing circuit is formed between the first node and the second node by the first and second remote cooperative testing devices, and
wherein the first and second remote cooperative testing devices are configured to position the first and second remote cooperative testing devices relative to the first and second electrical circuits to couple the first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit in response to instructions from at least one of an external device, the first remote cooperative testing device and the second remote cooperative testing device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first remote cooperative testing device comprises a testing component and is configured to position the testing component relative to the first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit and the second remote cooperative testing device comprises a conductive component and is configured to position the conductive component relative to the first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first remote cooperative testing device selectively positions the testing component to electrically couple first portions of the first and second electrical circuit at the first node and the second remote cooperative testing device selectively positions the conductive component to electrically couple second portions of the first and second electrical circuits at the second node.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the external device is a remote computing device, and wherein in response to the first remote cooperative testing device and the second remote cooperative testing device receiving the instructions from the remote computing device:
the testing component generates a value indicating an impedance of at least one of the first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit; and
the first remote cooperative testing device transmits a signal indicating the value to the remote computing device.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the impedance comprises at least one of a resistance and a reactance.

6. The system of claim 3 , wherein in response to the first remote cooperative testing device and the second remote cooperative testing device receiving the instructions from a remote computing device:
the first remote cooperative testing device selectively positions a first testing probe of the testing component and a second testing probe of the testing component to electrically couple a first portion of the first electrical circuit to a first portion of the second electrical circuit.

7. The system of claim 2 , wherein the testing component is one of an ohmmeter and an impedance meter.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first remote cooperative testing device and the second remote cooperative testing device is a miniature autonomous robotic vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a processor configured to execute machine-readable instructions stored in a nontransitory computer-readable medium, wherein the machine-readable instructions comprise transmitting, using the processor, a first navigation signal to the first remote cooperative testing device and the second remote cooperative testing device.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first navigation signal causes:
the first remote cooperative testing device to locate the first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit of the plurality of electrical circuits and selectively position a testing component to electrically couple a first portion of the first electrical circuit to a first portion of the second electrical circuit at the first node; and
the second remote cooperative device to selectively position a conductive component to electrically couple a second portion of the first electrical circuit to a second portion of the second electrical circuit at a second node, thereby forming a testing circuit between the first node and the second node; and
wherein the machine-readable instructions comprise generating, using the processor, an output representing at least one of an impedance of the first electrical circuit and an impedance of the second electrical circuit.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is located on one of the first remote cooperative testing device, the second remote cooperative testing device, and within a remote computing device.

12. A system for testing a plurality of electrical circuits, the system comprising:
a first remote cooperative testing device for selectively and electrically coupling a first electrical circuit and a second electrical circuit of the plurality of electrical circuits at a first node; and
a second remote cooperative testing device for selectively and electrically coupling the first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit at a second node,
wherein a testing circuit is formed between the first node and the second node by the first and second remote cooperative testing devices, and

wherein the first and second remote cooperative testing devices are configured to selectively position the first and second remote cooperative testing devices relative to the first and second electrical circuits to electrically couple the first electrical circuit to the second electrical circuit in response to a determination that the first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit satisfy a testing condition.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the testing condition is whether a conductive path can be formed between the first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit.

14. A method for testing a plurality of electrical circuits, the method comprising:
deploying a first remote cooperative testing device to a first node of the plurality of nodes and deploying a second remote cooperative testing device to a second node of the plurality of nodes;
electrically coupling, by the first remote cooperative testing device, the first electrical circuit to the second electrical circuit at the first node; and
electrically coupling, by the second remote cooperative testing device, the first electrical circuit to the second electrical circuit at the second node,
wherein a testing circuit is formed between the first node and the second node by the first and second remote cooperative testing devices, and
wherein the first and second remote cooperative testing devices are configured to position the first and second remote cooperative testing devices relative to the first and second electrical circuits to couple the first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit in response to instructions from at least one of an external device, the first remote cooperative testing device and the second remote cooperative testing device.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first remote cooperative testing device comprises a testing component and is configured to position the testing component relative to the first and second electrical circuits and the second remote cooperative testing device comprises a conductive component and is configured to position the conductive component relative to the first and second electrical circuits.

16. The method of

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Roychowdhury Rajarshi
• Berels David Jeffeory
• Ghannam Mahmoud Yousef
• Mayberry Scott

Classifications

• G01R31/2832

  Specific tests of electronic circuits not provided for elsewhere (G01R31/2801, G01R31/316 take precedence) · CPC title

• B64D47/08

  Arrangements of cameras · CPC title

• B64C39/024

  of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV · CPC title

• B64U2101/30

  for imaging, photography or videography · CPC title

• B64U2101/00

  UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications · CPC title