Method for detecting a wiring fault in a capacitive sensor

1. A method for detecting a wiring fault in a capacitive sensor connected to at least one communication port of a computer including a passive acquisition interface comprising capacitors, the capacitive sensor being connected to the communication port via the passive acquisition interface, the communication port being configured in either an input mode or an output mode the method comprising:

in a preliminary calibration step, delivering a square wave voltage capable of at least partially charging the capacitors of said acquisition interface and the capacitive sensor to the acquisition interface during a charging time by the computer, then acquiring and storing at least one reference data element after delivering the square wave voltage, the reference data element being representative, after at least one time interval tm≧0 following an interruption of the square wave voltage, of the voltage of said capacitors and the capacitive sensor in the absence of a wiring fault; and

detecting wiring faults by

configuring, by a microcontroller, the communication port in the output mode and generating a square wave voltage during at least one charging time Tc,

switching, by the microcontroller, the communication port to the input mode at the end of the charging time, and acquiring at least one measured data element, which is representative, after each time interval tm≧0 following the interruption of the square wave voltage by the microcontroller, of the voltage of the capacitors and of the capacitive sensor, and

comparing, by the microcontroller, each measured data element with the corresponding reference data element, so that a wiring fault in the capacitive sensor is deduced when said data elements do not coincide.

2. The detection method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one reference data element and the at least one measurement data element are acquired at the time of the interruption of the square wave voltage, for the purpose of comparing the at least one reference data element and the at least one measurement data element representative of the charging voltage of the capacitors and of the capacitive sensor after the generation of said square wave voltage.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the method detects wiring faults in the capacitive sensor that is wired in differential mode by the acquisition interface having two branches, each branch connecting one terminal of said capacitive sensor to a communication port of the at least one communication port,

wherein each detection procedure is divided into two successive steps, including a first step in which the square wave voltage is generated on one of the at least one communication port, while another one of the at least one communication port is grounded, and a second step in which the functions of the two communication ports are reversed.

4. The detection method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one reference data element and the at least one measurement data element are acquired after a time interval tm>0 following the interruption of the square wave voltage, for the purpose of comparing the at least one reference data element and the at least one measurement data element representative of a discharge voltage of the capacitors and of the capacitive sensor.

5. The detection method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein a data element representative of the voltage time constant is acquired by the computer during the discharging of the capacitors and of the capacitive sensor.

6. The detection method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein in the preliminary step, reference data representative of the voltage of the capacitors and of the capacitive sensor are also acquired and stored for different types of wiring faults, so that said wiring faults are able to be distinguished.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the method detects wiring faults in the capacitive sensor that is wired in a differential mode by the acquisition interface having two branches, each branch connecting one terminal of said capacitive sensor to a communication port of the at least one communication port,

wherein each detection procedure is divided into two successive steps, including a first step in which the square wave voltage is generated on one of the at least one communication port, while another one of the at least one communication port is grounded, and a second step in which the functions of the two communication ports are reversed.

8. The detection method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein in the preliminary step, reference data representative of the voltage of the capacitors and of the capacitive sensor are also acquired and stored for different types of wiring faults, so that said wiring faults are able to be distinguished.

9. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the method detects wiring faults in the capacitive sensor that is wired in a differential mode by the acquisition interface having two branches, each branch connecting one terminal of said capacitive sensor to a communication port of the at least one communication port,

wherein each detection procedure is divided into two successive steps, including a first step in which the square wave voltage is generated on one of the at least one communication port, while another one of the at least one communication port is grounded, and a second step in which the functions of the two communication ports are reversed.

10. The detection method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in the preliminary step, reference data representative of the voltage of the capacitors and of the capacitive sensor are also acquired and stored for different types of wiring faults, so that said wiring faults are able to be distinguished.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the method detects wiring faults in the capacitive sensor that is wired in a differential mode by the acquisition interface having two branches, each branch connecting one terminal of said capacitive sensor to a communication port of the at least one communication port,

wherein each detection procedure is divided into two successive steps, including a first step in which the square wave voltage is generated on one of the at least one communication port, while another one of the at least one communication port is grounded, and a second step in which the functions of the two communication ports are reversed.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method detects wiring faults in the capacitive sensor that is wired a in differential mode by the acquisition interface having two branches, each branch connecting one terminal of said capacitive sensor to a communication port of the at least one communication port,

wherein each detection procedure is divided into two successive steps, including a first step in which the square wave voltage is generated on one of the at least one communication port, while another one of the at least one communication port is grounded, and a second step in which the functions of the two communication ports are reversed.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method detects wiring faults in capacitive sensor wired in a differential mode by the acquisition interface having two branches, each branch connecting one terminal of said capacitive sensor to a communication port of the at least one communication port,

wherein the square wave voltage Vn is generated, either simultaneously or with a time lag, during charging times Tc 1 and Tc 2 respectively of the at least one charging time, on each of the two communication ports, and the data representative of the voltage of the capacitors and of the capacitive sensor respectively are acquired, for each of said communication ports, at the ends of the charging times Tc 1 and Tc 2 , respectively.

14. The detection method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein in the preliminary step, reference data representative of the voltage of the capacitors and of the capacitive sensor are also acquired and stored for different types of wiring faults, so that said wiring faults are able to be distinguished.