Flat Bottom Plate Crimping Terminal Laser Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for inspecting conductor crimping portions of crimping terminals, especially in final product form, face challenges with inaccurate data due to curved surfaces and low reliability when inspecting serrations, making 100-percent inspection difficult and unreliable.
Innovation Solution
Forming the bottom plate of the conductor crimping portion into a flat shape and using a non-contact dimension measurement device, such as a laser displacement meter, to measure the dimensions of the serrations and the interior surface, allowing for accurate inline inspection on a manufacturing line.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the conductor crimping portion is formed with a curved bottom plate to assume a U-shaped cross section, then the terminal can be crimped onto the conductor, but the laser beam inspection becomes inaccurate due to the curved surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the inspection action before the crimping terminal is formed into its final U-shaped configuration. The bottom plate is kept flat during inspection, allowing accurate laser measurement of serration dimensions. After inspection, the terminal is then crimped onto the conductor. This preliminary inspection approach eliminates the measurement error caused by curved surfaces while ensuring crimping performance is maintained.
2Reliability
If inspection is performed on the final product form with curved surface, then product quality can be verified, but accurate measurement of serration dimensions cannot be obtained
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection is performed on the flat bottom plate before the terminal is crimped onto the conductor. This preliminary measurement allows accurate acquisition of serration width and depth data using laser displacement meters. The inspection results provide reliable quality verification without the measurement errors introduced by the curved final product form.
3Ease of manufacture
If offline sampling inspection is used, then some quality control is achieved, but 100-percent inspection cannot be performed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual offline sampling inspection with an automated optical measurement system using laser displacement meters. This substitution enables 100-percent inspection of all crimping terminals by automatically measuring the flat bottom plate dimensions. The automated system maintains ease of manufacture while dramatically improving inspection coverage and reliability.
4Measurement precision
If inspection is performed before the terminal is crimped (flat state), then accurate measurement can be obtained, but the inspection does not reflect the final product quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flat bottom plate configuration that can be easily transformed into the U-shaped final product. By inspecting the flat state and controlling the serration dimensions at this stage, the inspection indirectly guarantees final product quality since the serrations are formed before crimping and their dimensions directly affect crimping performance. The flat state inspection provides both measurement accuracy and final product quality assurance.
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
This method enables high-accuracy, 100-percent inline inspection of crimping terminals, ensuring reliable product quality and allowing for cost-effective changes in terminal manufacturing without significant facility upgrades.
Implementation Method 1
measuring an upper surface of the flat-shaped bottom plate of the conductor crimping portion of a conveyed crimping terminal by means of the non-contact dimension measurement device, whereby data pertaining to at least one of items; namely, a width of an interior surface of a bottom plate, a width of serrations, and a depth of serrations, are acquired as an inspection result
Data Source
AI summary
In a method for inspecting a conductor crimping portion of a crimping terminal, a laser displacement meter is disposed on a final stage of the terminal manufacturing line, and an upper surface of the flat-shaped bottom plate of the conductor crimping portion of a conveyed crimping terminal is measured, thereby acquiring, as an inspection result, data pertaining to at least one of items; namely, a width of the interior surface of a bottom plate, a width of the serrations, and a depth of the serrations.