Automated copper cable lug installation device for electrical wires

Abstract

An automated copper cable lug installation device for electrical wire, comprising: i) a housing 1 positioned on a floor surface and provided with an opening that allows a user to insert a free end of an electrical wire into the housing 1, wherein a touch-activated screen 2 is installed on the housing 1 to allow a user to give input commands for installing a copper flag joint with the wire; ii) a microcontroller connected to the screen 2, which processes the input commands and activates an artificial intelligence-based imaging unit 3, which is installed in the housing 1 and paired with a processor to capture and process multiple images of the housing 1 in order to detect the presence of the free end of the wire in the housing 1 together with the selected dimensions of the wire; iii) a pair of telescopically actuated rods 4 installed with a ceiling section and a base section of the housing 1 and configured with a pair of motorized rollers 5, wherein the microcontroller, based on the detected dimensions of the wire, actuates the rods 4 to extend them in order to position the rollers 5 in contact with the wire, followed by actuation of the rollers 5 to rotate them to feed the free end into a ring suspended from the ceiling section via a rod; iv) a color sensor arranged inside the housing 1 and operating synchronously with the imaging unit 3 to detect the diameter of the wire's insulating sheath based on the color of the insulating sheath and the conductive part of the wire, whereupon the microcontroller actuates a pneumatic blade installed in the ring to extend and pierce the insulating sheath, followed by the actuation of a circular motorized slide 6 configured between the ring and the blade to rotate the blade to cut the insulating sheath from the free end; v) a telescopically actuated gripper 7, which is arranged inside the housing 1 and is actuated by the microcontroller to grasp a copper tab from a chamber provided inside the housing 1 and to pick up the tab over the free end; vi) a motorized clamp connected to the ring via an L-shaped, telescopically actuated link, wherein the microcontroller actuates the link to extend it in order to position the clamp in contact with the copper flag, followed by actuation of the clamp to close it in order to exert a force on the copper flag to secure the copper flag with its free end; and vii) a robot arm installed in the housing 1 and equipped with a welding unit 8, wherein, upon actuation of the clamp, the microcontroller actuates the robot arm to weld the copper tab to the free end, followed by a further actuation of the rollers 5 to move the wire back out of the housing 1.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an automated copper lug installation device for electrical wires, which is capable of installing copper lugs over electrical wires in accordance with the user's requirements in a self-sufficient manner without the need for skilled personnel and with a short time consumption. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Workers generally working at their workplaces have to deal with various things that have copper wires. In some of the copper wire, there is a requirement for the attachment of the copper lug. A copper cable lug is a type of tool or component used in electrical or electronic systems for connecting electrical cables or wires to various equipment or devices. Copper cable lugs are an essential part of electrical wiring and play a crucial role in ensuring a safe and conductive connection. For attaching or installing copper cable lugs on the wires, different workers use different types of tools, some of which are used manually, while others help in doing the job in an automated manner, which reduces the time and effort required.

[0003] Workers use some traditional methods to install copper lugs on wires, such as applying or installing copper lugs on wires by hands, but there is a risk of damaging the wire while applying or installing the copper lugs. In the process, they also use some tools for installing or applying the copper lug on the wire, but this might damage the copper lug. In the traditional method of installing the connectors on the copper wire, the worker usually needs to hold the section of the wire which has been opened or cut, and the lugs need to be assisted by another worker to compress the opening of the wire. The worker uses ropes or belts to hold the wire, and then the lugs are fitted into the wire section with the help of a hammer, damaging the outer or inner section of the wire.

[0004] CN216542911U Discloses an invention comprising a copper pot lug positioning device belonging to the technical field of copper pot processing, wherein the surface of a base is fixedly connected to a symmetrical L-shaped support plate and a cross plate, the side surface of the L-shaped support plate is threadably connected to a first adjusting rod, the side surface of the L-shaped support plate is threadably connected to a first adjusting rod, one end of the first adjusting rod is rotatably connected to pot body clamping plates via a first bearing, the surface of one end of the cross plate is threadably connected to a vertical plate via a support rod, and the side surface of the vertical plate is provided with a threaded hole, thereby expanding the application range of the positioning device.

[0005] Conventionally, many devices have been developed that are capable of installing a copper lug on a wire. However, these devices are unable to install copper cable lugs on electrical wires according to the user's requirements, and they fail to reduce the user's manual effort in the overall process. Furthermore, these devices are unable to cut the insulation layer from the wire and securely install the copper cable lugs.

[0006] To overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages, there is a need in the art to develop a device that provides a means for installing copper cable lugs over electrical wires in accordance with the user's requirements in a self-contained manner, without the need for skilled labor and with minimal time expenditure. Furthermore, the developed device should also cut the insulating layer from the wire to ensure safe installation of the copper lug. SUBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The main object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to develop a device capable of installing copper cable lugs over electrical wires in accordance with the user's requirements in a self-sufficient manner, without the need for skilled personnel and with little time expenditure.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to develop a device capable of cutting the insulating layer from the wire to securely install the copper cable lug.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to develop a device that is reliable in nature.

[0011] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent upon closer examination of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention relates to an automated copper cable lug installation device for electrical wires, which is capable of performing the installation of copper cable lugs over electrical wires in accordance with the user's requirements in an automated manner, thereby minimizing the manual effort as well as the user's time consumption in the overall process.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an automated copper lug installation device for electrical wire comprises a housing positioned on a floor surface and provided with an opening that allows a user to insert the free end of an electrical wire into the housing, a touch-activated screen installed on the housing to allow a user to give input commands for installing a copper lug with the wire, an artificial intelligence-based imaging unit mounted in the housing to detect the presence of the free end of the wire in the housing.Housing, along with the selected dimensions of the wire, a pair of telescopically actuated rods installed with a ceiling section and a base section of the housing and configured with a pair of motorized rollers to extend to position the rollers in contact with the wire, to rotate to feed the free end into a ring suspended from the ceiling section via a rod, a color sensor positioned in the housing to detect the diameter of the insulator covering of the wire, and a pneumatic blade installed with the ring to extend and pierce the insulator covering.

[0014] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the proposed device further comprises a circular motorized slider arranged between the ring and the blade to rotate the blade with a view to cutting off the insulator cover from the free end, a telescopically actuated gripper arranged in the housing to grasp a copper lug from a chamber arranged in the housing and to pick up the lug over the free end, a motorized clamp installed with the ring via an L-shaped telescopically actuated connection, a motorized clamp connected to the ring via an L-shaped telescopically actuated member to extend to position the clamp in contact with the copper lug, to close to exert a force on the copper lug to secure the copper lug to the free end, a robotic arm,which is installed in the housing and equipped with a welding unit to weld the copper tab to the free end, an IR (infrared) counter embedded in the chamber to count the number of copper tabs stored in the chamber, and a battery connected to the device to power electrical and electronically operated components connected to the device.

[0015] While the invention has been described and shown with particular reference to the preferred embodiment, it will be apparent that variations may be possible which would fall within the scope of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0016] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. Figure 1 shows an isometric view of an automatic copper lug installation device for electrical wires. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The following description contains the preferred best mode for carrying out an embodiment of the present invention. From this description of the invention, it will be apparent that the invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, but that the invention also includes a variety of modifications and embodiments thereto. Therefore, the present description should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive. While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, it should be understood that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the invention is intended to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

[0018] In any embodiment described herein, the open-ended terms “comprising,” “comprises,” and the like (which are synonymous with “including,” “with,” and “characterized by”) may be replaced by the respective partially closed terms “consisting essentially of,” “consists essentially of,” and the like, or the respective closed terms “consisting of,” “consists of,” and the like.

[0019] As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” refer to both the singular and the plural unless it is expressly stated that only the singular is meant.

[0020] The present invention relates to an automated copper cable lug installation device for electrical wires that provides a means for installing copper cable lugs over electrical wires according to the user's requirements in a self-contained manner without the need for skilled personnel and with minimal time expenditure. Furthermore, the proposed device also cuts the insulating cover from the wire to securely install the copper cable lug.

[0021] In Fig.is an isometric view of an automated copper terminal installation device for electrical wires, comprising a housing 1 having a touch-sensitive screen 2, an artificial intelligence-based imaging unit 3 mounted within the housing 1, a pair of telescopically operated rods 4 installed with a ceiling portion and a floor portion of the housing 1 and configured with a pair of motorized rollers 5, a circular motorized slider 6 configured between a ring suspended from the ceiling portion via a rod and a blade, a telescopically operated gripper 7 disposed within the housing 1, and a robotic arm installed within the housing 1 and equipped with a welding unit 8.

[0022] The proposed invention comprises a housing 1 positioned on a base and provided with an opening that allows a user to insert a free end of an electrical wire into the housing 1. A touch-sensitive screen 2 is installed on the housing 1, allowing the user to provide input commands for installing a copper tab with the wire. When the user touches the surface of the touch-activated screen 2 to enter input data for installing a copper tab with the wire, an internal circuit of the touch-activated screen 2 detects the touches of the displayed option and synchronously converts the physical touch into an electrical signal. Furthermore, the touch-activated screen 2 transmits the signal to a built-in microcontroller (not shown in the figure).

[0023] The microcontroller mentioned here is preferably an Arduino microcontroller. The Arduino microcontroller used here controls the overall functionality of the components connected to it. The Arduino microcontroller is an open-source programming platform. The microcontroller is wirelessly connected to the computing unit via a communication module, which includes, among other things, a Wi-Fi module, a GSM module, and a Bluetooth module. The microcontroller processes the received signal from the display board to process the signal and determine the user selection, and stores the user response in a linked database.

[0024] The microcontroller then activates an artificial intelligence-based imaging unit 3, which is installed on the housing 1 and integrated with a processor, to capture and process multiple images of the housing 1. The artificial intelligence-based imaging unit 3 consists of a processor encrypted with an artificial intelligence protocol and a camera that, when activated, captures multiple images of the housing 1 to detect the presence of the free end of the wire within the housing 1 along with the selected dimensions of the wire.

[0025] The camera of the imaging unit 3 consists of a lens and a digital camera sensor of the imaging unit 3. The camera lens captures all the circulating light rays and uses the lenses to focus them on a single point to create a sharp image. When all these light rays bounce back and meet on the digital camera sensor, a digital image is created. The processor performs various operations such as preprocessing, feature extraction, and classification, which are then transferred to the microcontroller for further processing.

[0026] The microcontroller processes the signal received from the imaging unit 3 to detect the presence of the free wire end within the housing 1 along with the selected wire dimensions. Furthermore, a pair of telescopically actuated rods 4 are installed with a ceiling section and a bottom section of the housing 1, equipped with a pair of motorized rollers 5. Based on the detected wire dimensions, the microcontroller now actuates the rods 4 to extend them and bring the rollers 5 into contact with the wire. The rods 4 are driven by a pneumatic unit (not shown in the figure) that includes an air compressor, air cylinders, air valves, and a piston, which work together to assist in the extension and retraction of the rods 4. The air valve allows the entry / exit of compressed air from the compressor.When the valve opens, compressed air flows into the cylinder, increasing the cylinder's air pressure. The piston is connected to the rods 4 and extends due to the increase in air pressure. To retract the piston, the air is released from the cylinder into the air compressor via the valve. This ensures the necessary extension / retraction of the rods 4 to position the rollers 5 in contact with the wire.

[0027] The microcontroller then activates the rollers 5 to rotate, conveying the free end into a ring suspended from the ceiling via a rod. The motorized rollers 5 are integrated with a hub motor in their hub, driven by a direct current (DC) motor that rotates the rollers 5 to convey the free end into the ring.

[0028] The microcontroller then activates a color sensor positioned inside the housing 1 and operating synchronously with the imaging unit 3 to detect the diameter of the wire's insulator cover based on the color of the insulator cover and the conductive part of the wire. The color sensor is a photoelectric device that emits light rays of different wavelengths toward the wire. The reflected light rays are received by the sensor, and the signal is transmitted to the microcontroller to determine the color of the insulator cover and the conductive part of the wire and, accordingly, determine the diameter of the wire's insulator cover.

[0029] The microcontroller then actuates a pneumatic blade installed with the ring to extend and pierce the insulator cover. The extension and retraction of the blade is driven by the pneumatic unit and functions similarly to the rods 4 mentioned above. The microcontroller then activates a circular motorized slider 6, located between the ring and the blade, to rotate the blade and cut the insulator cover from the free end.

[0030] The circular motorized slider 6 comprises a circular slide rail and a rail such that the blade is mounted over the rail, which is electronically operated by the microcontroller to move along the rail. The microcontroller activates the slider 6 to perform the sliding operation. The slider 6 is driven by a DC motor, which is activated by the microcontroller by supplying the required current to the motor. The motor consists of a coil that converts the received electrical current into mechanical force by generating a magnetic field, so that the mechanical force of the rack provides the required energy to set the blade in a sliding motion to move the blade with a view to cutting the insulator cover from the free end.

[0031] Furthermore, a telescopically actuated gripper 7 is arranged in the housing 1, which is controlled by the microcontroller to grip a copper tab from a chamber mounted in the housing 1 and pick up the tab over the free end. The gripper 7 consists of an electric motor and a controller. The controller provides a signal relating to the force, position, or speed required for gripping. The gripper 7 receives the signal, and its motor performs the gripping of the copper finger from the chamber.

[0032] The microcontroller also controls a motorized clamp connected to the ring via an L-shaped, telescopically operated joint. The microcontroller then controls the extension of the connection to bring the clamp into contact with the copper tab. The connection is driven by the pneumatic unit and functions similarly to the rods 4 mentioned above.

[0033] The clamp is then activated by the microcontroller to close and apply a force to the copper tab to secure the copper tab to the free end. The motorized clamp includes a motor connected to a clamping unit. The clamping unit is a fastening device used to grip the copper tab to the free end. The clamping unit consists of a pair of curved, motorized clamps connected to a motor to grip the copper tab to the free end. A DC motor is activated by the microcontroller to open / close the motorized clamp.

[0034] Furthermore, a robot arm equipped with a welding unit 8 is installed in the housing 1. By actuating the clamp, the microcontroller controls the robot arm to weld the copper tab with the free end. The robot arm consists of a motor, rollers 5, arm, end effector, and sensors. All of these parts are configured using the microcontroller. The elbow is located in the middle of the arm so that the upper part of the arm can move the lower part independently. Finally, the wrist is located at the tip of the upper arm and is connected to the end effector so that the end effector acts as a hand for positioning the welding unit 8 over the copper tab with the free end.

[0035] The welding unit 8 consists of a welding torch in which the heat generated by the high-voltage terminal melts the welding wire and the molten wires weld the copper tab to the wire, followed by a renewed actuation of the rollers 5 to push the wire back out of the housing 1.

[0036] In addition, the microcontroller activates an IR (infrared) counter embedded in the chamber to count the number of copper tabs stored in the chamber. The IR counter emits infrared rays into the chamber and receives the rays reflected from the chamber, converting the captured data into an electrical signal that is sent to the microcontroller. The microcontroller processes the signal received from the IR counter to count the number of copper tabs stored in the chamber.

[0037] The microcontroller then compares the counted number with a threshold stored in the linked database. Once the counted number falls below the threshold, the microcontroller sends an alert to a processing unit, prompting the user to refill the chamber.

[0038] A battery (not shown in the diagram) is connected to the device to power the electrically powered components used within it. The battery consists of a pair of electrodes called the cathode and anode. The battery uses a chemical reaction of oxidation / reduction to perform work on the charge and generate a voltage between its anode and cathode, thus producing electrical energy that is used to perform work in the device.

[0039] The present invention works best in the following manner, the housing 1 is positioned on the ground surface and carved with the opening to allow the user to insert the free end of the electrical wire inside the housing 1, followed by the touch-enabled screen 2 is installed on the housing 1 to allow the user to give input commands for installing the copper tab with the wire. Then, the microcontroller is connected to the screen 2, which processes the input commands and activates the artificial intelligence-based imaging unit 3 mounted inside the housing 1 and paired with the processor to capture and process multiple images of the housing 1 to detect the presence of the free end of the wire inside the housing 1, along with the selected dimensions of the wire.Then, the pair of telescopically actuated rods 4 installed with the ceiling section and the floor section of the housing 1 and configured with the pair of motorized rollers 5, followed by based on the detected dimensions of the wire, the microcontroller actuates the rods 4 to extend to position the rollers 5 in contact with the wire, followed by actuating the rollers 5 to rotate to guide the free end into the ring suspended from the ceiling section via the rod.Then, the color sensor located inside the housing 1 and operating synchronously with the imaging unit 3 is used to detect the diameter of the wire's insulator coating based on the color of the insulator coating and the conductive part of the wire. After that, the microcontroller actuates the pneumatic blade installed with the ring to extend and pierce the insulator coating. Following this, the circular motorized slider 6, configured between the ring and the blade, is actuated to rotate the blade to cut the insulator coating from the free end. Then, the telescopically actuated gripper 7, located inside the housing 1, is actuated by the microcontroller to grasp the copper lug from the chamber mounted inside the housing 1 and accommodate the lug over the free end.Then, the motorized clamp with the ring is installed over the L-shaped telescopically actuated joint. The microcontroller then actuates the joint to extend, positioning the clamp in contact with the copper tab. The clamp is then closed, applying force to the copper tab to secure the copper tab to the free end. Then, after the clamp is actuated, the robot arm, installed in the housing 1 and equipped with the welding unit 8, is actuated by the microcontroller to weld the copper tab to the free end. The rollers 5 are actuated again to retract the wire from the housing 1.

[0040] Although the field of the invention has been described herein with limited reference to specific embodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments of the invention, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of the invention. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] CN 216542911U

[0004]

Claims

[1] An automated copper cable lug installation device for electrical wire, comprising: i) a housing 1 positioned on a floor surface and provided with an opening allowing a user to insert a free end of an electrical wire into the housing 1, wherein a touch-activated screen 2 is installed on the housing 1 to allow a user to give input commands for installing a copper lug attachment with the wire; ii) a microcontroller connected to the screen 2, which processes the input commands and activates an artificial intelligence-based imaging unit 3 mounted in the housing 1 and paired with a processor to capture and process a plurality of images of the housing 1 to detect the presence of the free end of the wire in the housing 1 together with the selected dimensions of the wire; iii) a pair of telescopically actuated rods 4 installed with a ceiling portion and a base portion of the housing 1 and configured with a pair of motorized rollers 5, wherein the microcontroller, based on the sensed dimensions of the wire, actuates the rods 4 to extend them to position the rollers 5 in contact with the wire, followed by actuating the rollers 5 to rotate them to feed the free end in a ring suspended from the ceiling portion via a rod; iv) a color sensor arranged within the housing 1 and operating synchronously with the imaging unit 3 to detect the diameter of the insulator coating of the wire based on the color of the insulator coating and the conductive part of the wire, whereupon the microcontroller actuates a pneumatic blade installed in the ring to extend and pierce the insulator coating, followed by the actuation of a circular motorized slider 6 configured between the ring and the blade to rotate the blade to cut the insulator coating from the free end; v) a telescopically actuated gripper 7 arranged within the housing 1 and actuated by the microcontroller to grip a copper tab from a chamber arranged within the housing 1 and to receive the tab over the free end; (vi) a motorised clamp connected to the ring by an L-shaped telescopically actuated link, the microcontroller actuating the link to extend it to position the clamp in contact with the copper lug, followed by actuating the clamp to close it to exert a force on the copper lug to secure the copper lug with the free end; and vii) a robot arm installed in the housing 1 and equipped with a welding unit 8, wherein, upon actuation of the clamp, the microcontroller actuates the robot arm to weld the copper tab to the free end, followed by a renewed actuation of the rollers 5 to move the wire back out of the housing 1. [2] The device of claim 1, wherein an IR (infrared) counter is embedded in the chamber to count the number of copper tabs stored in the chamber, and once the counted number falls below a threshold, the microcontroller sends an alert to a computing unit to notify the user to refill the chamber. [3] Device according to claim 1 and 2, wherein the microcontroller is wirelessly connected to the computing unit via a communication module comprising, inter alia, a Wi-Fi module, a GSM module or a Bluetooth module. [4] The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the telescopically operated rods 4, the telescopically operated gripper 7, and the L-shaped telescopically operated member are driven by a pneumatic unit comprising an air compressor, an air cylinder, air valves, and a piston that cooperate to assist in the extension and retraction of the rods 4, the gripper 7, and the member. [5] The device of claim 1, wherein a battery is connected to the device to power electrical and electronically operated components connected to the device.

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