Automated Assembly Sensor Cable Registration Feature
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pulse oximetry sensor cables do not lend themselves to automated assembly processes due to the lack of external features identifying the location of internal emitter and detector wires, making efficient electrical and mechanical attachment challenging.
Innovation Solution
An automated assembly sensor cable with a wide and flat elongated body, featuring a registration groove or printed line to facilitate the automated attachment of optical sensor components, includes a set of insulated wires, a conductive inner jacket, a drain line, and a strength member, with regular spacing and color-coded conductors for easy alignment and attachment to flexible circuits or printed circuit boards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If conventional sensor cables are used, then the cable structure is simple, but automated assembly cannot be achieved due to lack of external registration features
Solution Approach 1:
A registration feature (such as a registration groove or printed line) is introduced as an intermediary element on the cable assembly. This feature does not directly participate in electrical conduction but serves as a mediator that enables automated assembly equipment to locate and align the internal conductors with connector contacts, thereby achieving automated assembly without complicating the fundamental cable structure
Solution Approach 2:
The cable assembly's own external surface is utilized to provide the registration feature, allowing the cable to 'self-identify' its conductor locations. The registration groove or printed line is formed directly on or as part of the cable jacket, enabling the cable to guide its own assembly process without requiring external fixtures or additional complex positioning mechanisms
2Reliability
If conventional cable designs are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but attachment reliability is poor due to difficulty in aligning internal wires with connector contacts
Solution Approach 1:
The registration feature acts as a mediator that translates the hidden internal conductor positions into visible external reference marks. This allows automated equipment to reliably locate and align conductors with connector contacts, improving connection reliability while maintaining ease of manufacture through automated processes
Solution Approach 2:
A printed line registration feature utilizes color or optical contrast on the cable surface to indicate conductor locations. This visual marker system enables automated optical detection and alignment, ensuring reliable conductor-to-contact attachment while keeping the manufacturing process simple and integrated into cable production
Data Source
AI summary
An automated assembly sensor cable has a generally wide and flat elongated body and a registration feature generally traversing the length of the body so as to identify the relative locations of conductors within the body. This cable configuration facilitates the automated attachment of the cable to an optical sensor circuit and corresponding connector. In various embodiments, the automated assembly sensor cable has a conductor set of insulated wires, a conductive inner jacket generally surrounding the conductor set, an outer jacket generally surrounding the inner jacket and a registration feature disposed along the surface of the outer jacket and a conductive drain line is embedded within the inner jacket. A strength member may be embedded within the inner jacket.