In situ monitoring of electrical connector degradation via cable port reflection response analysis

Electrical connectors are critical components of electrical wiring interconnection systems, and their degradation poses significant risks to system reliability and operational safety. However, these connectors are often installed in confined or hard-to-reach locations, making conventional inspection and maintenance difficult. To address this challenge, this work proposes an in situ diagnostic method for detecting and assessing connector degradation. By modeling a degraded connector as a “soft fault” within a cable–connector assembly, the method uses electromagnetic time reversal to analyze frequency-domain reflection responses measured at the cable port, enabling precise fault localization. For detailed condition assessment, the measured reflection spectrum is combined with a broadband impedance model of the connector, and the model parameters are identified via particle swarm optimization. A key advantage of this integrated approach is that it eliminates system disassembly, thereby markedly improving inspection efficiency. Experiments on both coaxial and non-coaxial configurations demonstrate that the method reliably detects corrosion- and moisture-induced degradation. Comparative results show that the proposed method is more sensitive to incipient degradation than conventional time-domain reflectometry. Furthermore, the estimated broadband impedance provides critical diagnostic information, enabling more informed maintenance decisions.