Patent ID: 6859041
Filing Date: 2005-02-22
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
1. A method for isolating a fault in an aircraft wire harness including a plurality of lead conductors, a plurality of branch conductors, and one or more reference points, each lead conductor coupled to one or more branch conductors to form a plurality of segments each having a length, the method comprising: determining which segment length is longest; coupling a reference line of a time domain reflectometry (TDR) device to one of the reference points; coupling a supply/return line of the TDR device to an end of a selected one of the lead conductors; transmitting a first test signal from the TDR device along the segment associated with the selected lead conductor to determine the length of the segment associated with the selected lead conductor; determining whether the segment associated with the selected lead conductor is faulty, based on the determined length; if the segment associated with the selected lead conductor is faulty, coupling the supply/return line to a selected one of the branch conductors; and transmitting a second test signal along the selected branch conductor.