Crimping System with Sensor-Based Compensation for Spring-Back
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current crimping technologies face challenges in consistently achieving targeted crimp diameters due to variations in hose and fitting sizes, materials, and manufacturing tolerances, leading to issues like spring-back and crimper deflection, which require manual adjustments and multiple crimping cycles to achieve acceptable results.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a compensation algorithm combining pressure and position sensors to automatically adjust the crimping process, compensating for fitting spring-back and crimper deflection by modifying the travel of the piston based on sensed pressure, ensuring accurate and reliable crimp diameters without the need for constant operator intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual pressure or position control is used during crimping, then the crimping process is simple to operate, but the crimp diameter precision deteriorates due to spring-back and crimper deflection variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs pressure sensors and position sensors to continuously monitor the crimping process in real-time. The controller receives feedback from these sensors and automatically adjusts the crimping parameters to compensate for spring-back and crimper deflection, thereby achieving precise crimp diameters without manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical control with an automated electronic control system. The controller uses sensor data to calculate and adjust crimping parameters, substituting human-operated mechanical adjustments with electronic feedback loops that automatically maintain precision despite variations in material properties and equipment deflection.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple crimping cycles are performed to achieve acceptable crimp diameter, then the crimp precision improves, but the production time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary measurements and calculations before the actual crimping operation. The controller uses pre-stored material data and real-time sensor readings to determine the optimal crimping parameters in advance, allowing the first crimping cycle to achieve the target diameter without requiring subsequent adjustment cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated control system performs self-adjustment based on sensor feedback during the crimping process. The controller automatically modifies crimping parameters in real-time to compensate for spring-back and deflection, enabling the system to achieve precise results in a single cycle without requiring operator intervention or multiple iterative cycles.
3Force
If pressure is increased to accommodate heavier fittings and hoses, then the crimping force increases, but the crimper deflection increases leading to larger crimp diameter variations
Solution Approach 1:
Position sensors monitor the actual displacement of the crimper components during high-force crimping operations. The controller uses this feedback to calculate the amount of deflection occurring and automatically adjusts the target position or pressure profile to compensate, maintaining precise crimp diameter control even when crimping heavy fittings that require high forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes crimping parameters based on the detected fitting type and real-time sensor data. When crimping heavier fittings that cause increased deflection, the controller adjusts parameters such as crimping speed, pressure profile, or final position to compensate for the additional deflection, thereby maintaining consistent crimp diameter across different fitting weights.
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 the number of crimping cycles needed to achieve a desired crimp diameter and eliminates the need for frequent manual checks, providing more precise and consistent crimping results across various hose and fitting combinations.
Implementation Method 1
Crimping equipment often rely on a hydraulic cylinder to actuate the die set, such that the required crimping force is directly related to the hydraulic pressure within the cylinder.
Implementation Method 2
Due to material being compressed and plastically deformed during crimping, the diameter of the fitting 14 (as measured by the diameter of the ferrule 20 in FIG. 1) naturally expands slightly after a crimp
Implementation Method 3
the diameter of the fitting 14 (as measured by the diameter of the ferrule 20 in FIG. 1) naturally expands slightly after a crimp toward its original shape, a phenomenon that will be referred to as fitting spring-back.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and process for performing a crimping operation by which a fitting is crimped to the end of a fluid conduit, and which automatically compensates for one or more variables that can lead to out-of-tolerance crimp diameters, particularly fitting spring-back and crimper deflection. The system and method use a device for inputting into the system a targeted crimp diameter for the fitting, and a crimper for crimping the fitting to the end of the fluid conduit. The crimper comprises a plurality of dies and an actuator for contracting the dies around the fitting to obtain the targeted crimp diameter for the fitting. The system and method further includes a unit for attaining the targeted crimp diameter by automatically compensating contraction of the dies for spring-back of the fitting during crimping and/or deflection of the crimper during crimping.