Conductor Insertion Alignment for Variable-Diameter Marking Tubes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for marking electrical conductors are inefficient, requiring manual insertion and visual inspection, which limits productivity and accuracy due to the need for manual alignment and potential misjudgment of conductor and shrink sleeve dimensions.
Innovation Solution
A device with a guide corridor that adjusts width based on the diameter of the tubing and a support surface with overlapping partial surfaces to align and insert the conductor reproducibly into the tubing, enabling automated alignment and marking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual insertion and visual inspection are used, then the marking process can be performed with simple equipment, but productivity is limited and alignment accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support surface with multiple partial surfaces automatically adapts to different conductor diameters without requiring manual adjustment. The system self-regulates the alignment process by providing appropriate geometric constraints based on the conductor size, eliminating the need for complex manual alignment mechanisms while maintaining high productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the support surface (multiple partial surfaces at different positions and angles) to accommodate varying conductor diameters. This allows the same device structure to handle different sizes automatically, improving productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity
2Manufacturing precision
If visual inspection is used to check conductor position, then the device structure remains simple, but alignment precision deteriorates due to potential misjudgment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the human visual inspection system with a mechanical alignment system consisting of multiple support surfaces. These surfaces physically guide the conductor into the correct position through geometric constraints, eliminating subjective visual judgment while maintaining simple device structure
Solution Approach 2:
The support surface acts as an intermediary between the conductor and the marking process. It provides a mechanical interface that ensures accurate positioning through its geometric design, replacing the need for direct visual inspection while keeping the overall system simple
3Adaptability or versatility
If the guide corridor width is fixed, then the device structure is simpler, but adaptability to different tubing diameters deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The guide corridor width is made dynamically adjustable rather than fixed. The ability to change the width according to different tubing diameters provides adaptability while the adjustment mechanism is designed to be straightforward, balancing versatility with acceptable complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A device for insertion of a prolate object into a piece of tubing opened at least at an end for marking the prolate object includes: a guide corridor for conveying the piece of tubing along a longitudinal direction of the guide corridor, a width of the guide corridor in a transverse direction transverse to the longitudinal direction being controllable as a function of a diameter of the piece of tubing; and a support surface arranged downstream of the guide corridor in a conveying movement at least one position in the longitudinal direction, which support surface aligns the prolate object during insertion into the opened piece of tubing. The support surface includes at least two partial surfaces arranged one behind another in the longitudinal direction and overlapping in the transverse direction for supporting the prolate object during insertion.