Crimping System Alignment Aid Using Image Acquisition
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Solution Overview
Problem
The difficulty in accurately aligning wires with terminals in crimping systems, especially due to the small scale of components and limited access to the crimping zone, leads to inefficiencies and waste as operators struggle to make precise adjustments without clear visual feedback.
Innovation Solution
A terminal crimping system that incorporates an image acquisition device, such as a digital camera or electronic microscope, mounted near the crimping zone to capture and display magnified images of the wire and terminal alignment on a monitor, allowing operators to make precise adjustments through a user interface, potentially with automatic feeder adjustments based on image analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If operators rely on naked eye viewing to align wire and terminal, then device complexity is low, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inability to see slight misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a camera to capture an image of the crimping zone and displays it on a monitor, creating a visual copy of the wire and terminal alignment. This allows operators to see the alignment status without physically accessing the cramped crimping zone, thereby improving measurement precision while adding minimal device complexity (just a camera and display).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a camera and monitor as intermediary devices between the operator and the crimping zone. The camera captures images of the wire and terminal, and the monitor displays them to the operator, serving as a mediator that enables precise alignment observation without requiring direct visual access to the small-scale components.
2Extent of automation
If multiple wire-handling devices crowd the working area, then automation capability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to limited operator access to crimping zone
Solution Approach 1:
The camera creates a visual copy of the crimping zone that can be viewed on a monitor located away from the machine. This allows operators to monitor and adjust alignment even when physically blocked from the crimping zone by automated wire-handling devices, maintaining ease of operation while preserving high automation capability.
3Productivity
If operators make manual adjustments without magnified visual feedback, then device complexity is low, but productivity deteriorates due to time-consuming trial and error adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a visual feedback system where the camera continuously captures images of the wire and terminal alignment, and the monitor displays real-time feedback to the operator. This allows operators to see the effect of their adjustments immediately, eliminating trial-and-error and significantly improving alignment adjustment speed while adding only a camera and display system.
4Measurement precision
If operators view small-scale components without magnification, then equipment cost is low, but measurement precision deteriorates due to difficulty seeing slight misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The camera captures a magnified image of the crimping zone and displays it on a monitor, creating an enlarged visual copy of the wire and terminal. This allows operators to detect slight misalignment that would be invisible to the naked eye, significantly improving measurement precision while adding minimal complexity (just a camera and display).
Data Source
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AI summary
A terminal crimping system (100) for a crimping machine includes an anvil (118), a movable ram (144), an image acquisition device (124), and a display device (148). The anvil is located in a crimping zone (106) and configured to receive a terminal (110) thereon. The terminal has a wire crimp barrel (166) configured to receive a wire (112) therein. The ram has crimp tooling (108) configured to crimp the wire crimp barrel of the terminal to the wire during a crimp stroke of the ram. The image acquisition device is configured to be mounted on the crimping machine above the crimping zone. The image acquisition device is positioned to acquire an image of the wire within the wire crimp barrel of the terminal in the crimping zone. The display device is configured to display the image.