High-Voltage Cable Lug Crimping With Guided Wire Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
The assembly of wire terminals in high voltage cable applications is labor-intensive, slow, and prone to defects, particularly in low production volumes, which can lead to failures in high voltage wiring applications.
Innovation Solution
A fully automated crimping system that includes a wire support assembly with robotic arms and cameras for visual monitoring, using a cone and shaped cylindrical passage to securely compress and insert the stripped wire end into a lug, ensuring defect-free crimping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual handling is used for wire terminal assembly, then flexibility in low production volumes is maintained, but production speed and quality consistency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The automated crimping system is divided into distinct functional modules: wire support assembly with positioning features, lug support assembly with alignment features, robotic picking/placing stations, and inspection stations. Each module performs a specific function and can be independently optimized or replaced, resolving the contradiction by providing automation capability while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The crimping system is designed to handle multiple wire terminal configurations and crimping operations through programmable robotic arms and adjustable fixtures. The system can accommodate different wire sizes, lug types, and crimping parameters, providing universal functionality that maintains automation benefits while reducing the need for multiple specialized devices.
2Reliability
If extensive manual handling is used, then adaptability to varying production volumes is maintained, but defect detection capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates inspection stations with cameras and sensors that continuously monitor the wire terminal assembly process. Visual inspection systems capture images of the crimping operation and wire positioning, providing real-time feedback on quality parameters. This automated feedback mechanism detects defects consistently without the complexity of manual inspection procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual visual inspection by operators is replaced with automated optical inspection systems using cameras and image processing algorithms. The mechanical action of human eyes and brain processing is substituted with electronic sensors and computational analysis, providing consistent defect detection capability while reducing the complexity of training and managing human inspectors.
3Productivity
If automated crimping system is implemented, then production efficiency is improved, but initial system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary positioning and alignment of wire and lug components before the actual crimping operation. Wire support assemblies pre-position the wire at correct locations, and lug support assemblies with alignment features pre-align lugs for accurate insertion. This preliminary action ensures high-speed automated crimping produces consistent quality results, resolving the contradiction by preparing components in advance to simplify the main crimping operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Support assemblies act as intermediary devices between the robotic manipulation system and the crimping operation. The wire support assembly with positioning features and lug support assembly with alignment features serve as mediators that hold and position components during transfer and assembly. These intermediaries enable high-speed robotic operation while maintaining precise positioning, resolving the contradiction between automation speed and positioning accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of securing a lug to a wire includes the steps of supporting a wire at a location that is spaced from a stripped end of a wire, placing a lug in a lower lug support, mounting an upper lug support onto the lower lug support to retain the lug between the lower and upper lug supports, pushing the stripped end through a cone and into a shaped cylindrical passage that is provided by the lower and upper lug supports, the shaped cylindrical passage compresses the stripped end, and inserting the compressed stripped end into an open end of the lug.