Telecentric Cable End-Face Imaging for Precise Layer Cutbacks
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of electrical cables in power grids is prone to errors due to manual processes, leading to potential failures in cable accessories, such as incorrect cutbacks, insulation defects, and increased installation time, which can result in arcing and permanent faults.
Innovation Solution
An automated electrical-cable-preparation system with modular components, including an imaging device with a telecentric lens, a rotatable tool head with cutting tools, and a gripper module, that accurately measures and cuts cable layers for precise coupling to cable accessories, reducing human intervention and enhancing real-time defect detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual processes are used for cable installation, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to errors in cutbacks and insulation defects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical cable preparation operations with an automated mechanical system featuring a rotatable tool head with multiple cutting tools. The system automatically performs cutting, scoring, and layer removal operations on electrical cables, eliminating human error while maintaining operational efficiency. The automated system includes coordinated axial and rotational motion control to execute precise spiral and circumferential cuts.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging device with telecentric lens automatically captures and analyzes cable cross-section images to measure layer thicknesses and diameters without human intervention. The system self-regulates by coordinating the axial speed of the tool head with the rotational speed of the cutting tool based on real-time measurements, enabling autonomous operation with high reliability.
2Reliability
If automated cable preparation system is implemented, then reliability is improved by reducing errors, but device complexity increases due to multiple modular components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the automated cable preparation system into distinct modular components: an imaging device with telecentric lens for measurement, a rotatable tool head with multiple cutting tools for various cable layers, and a gripper module for positioning. Each module performs a specific function and can be independently controlled, achieving high reliability through specialized functionality while managing complexity through modularity.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable tool head integrates multiple cutting tools that can perform different operations (cutting, scoring, layer removal) on various cable layers. The system coordinates axial and rotational motion to execute multiple cut types (spiral, circumferential) using a single multi-functional device, reducing the need for multiple separate tools while maintaining high reliability.
3Measurement precision
If telecentric lens is used for imaging, then measurement precision is improved by reducing parallax distortion, but device complexity increases due to specialized optical requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical measurement methods with an optical imaging system using a telecentric lens. The lens optically eliminates parallax distortion to provide accurate measurements of cable cross-section features. This optical approach achieves high measurement precision without requiring complex mechanical positioning or calibration mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system significantly reduces defects and increases the reliability of cable terminations by ensuring accurate cutbacks and minimizing air voids, thereby decreasing the likelihood of partial-discharge events and extending the lifespan of electrical cables and accessories.
Implementation Method 1
a telecentric lens optically coupled to the camera, wherein the telecentric lens comprises a non-angular field of view configured to reduce, in the image, distortion from parallax
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques, systems and articles are described for preparing electrical cables for connections to a power grid. In one example, a cable-cross-section-measurement tool includes a housing defining a cavity, wherein the housing is configured to position an end-face of an electrical cable within the cavity; a camera disclosed within the cavity of the housing, wherein the camera is configured to capture an image of the end-face of the electrical cable; and a telecentric lens optically coupled to the camera, wherein the telecentric lens comprises a non-angular field of view configured to reduce, in the image, distortion from parallax associated with at least one portion of the end-face of the electrical cable that is oriented at an oblique angle relative to an optical axis of the telecentric lens.