Laser Shield Removal with Dynamic Focus Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual removal of metal foil shields from electrical cables is slow, inaccurate, and prone to error, often damaging the wires and being costly due to the need for manual cutting tools.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus using laser ablation and shear stress generation, with video camera feedback, to selectively remove the protective shield from electrical cables, compensating for irregular cable shapes and avoiding damage to underlying wires by dynamically adjusting the laser focus and applying twisting movements to separate the shield layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual cutting tools are used to remove the metal shield, then the shield can be removed, but the current conducting wires are damaged and the process is slow and inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical cutting tools with a laser-based system. The laser precisely ablates the metal shield material without physical contact, eliminating the mechanical damage caused by knives and cutters while maintaining high precision in shield removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses laser parameters (power, pulse duration, wavelength) to control the shield removal process. By adjusting these parameters, the system achieves precise material removal of the metal shield while maintaining the integrity of the underlying wires, resolving the contradiction between removal effectiveness and wire protection.
2Productivity
If manual cutting tools are used to remove the metal shield, then the shield can be removed, but the process is slow and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The laser-based system operates continuously and automatically, eliminating the slow manual cutting process. The laser can rapidly ablate the metal shield material at high speed, dramatically increasing productivity and reducing the time required for shield removal operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser system is self-contained and requires minimal human intervention. Once programmed, it automatically performs the shield removal process without continuous manual operation, reducing both time loss and operational costs while maintaining high productivity.
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 solution enables precise, efficient, and cost-effective removal of protective shields from electrical cables, reducing errors and damage, while maintaining the integrity of the underlying wires and cable structure.
Implementation Method 1
operating the laser system to generate the laser radiation in order for the laser radiation to ablate at least a part of the protective shield
Implementation Method 2
generating a twisting movement of the first part of the exposed section of the protective shield and a second part of the exposed section of the protective shield relative to one another in order to generate shear stress in the groove
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for removing a protective shield from an electrical cable using an ablation process is disclosed. The circumference of the protective shield may not be perfectly circular. To compensate, a measurement, such as a distance measurement to a point on a surface of the electrical cable, is performed. Based on the distance measurement, the system performs a compensation operation, such as moving the lens in the laser system in order to compensate. Thereby, the focus of the laser radiation may be placed consistently at a predetermined position relative to the surface of the protective shield, thereby sufficiently ablating the protective shield without harming interior layers of the electrical cable. Further, the protective shield may be wrapped so that there is an overlap. To account for this, the protective shield on both sides of the ablated groove is held and twisted in order to shear along the groove.