Tubing Insertion Alignment for Automated Conductor Marking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for marking prolate objects, such as electrical conductors, require manual insertion and visual inspection, leading to reduced productivity and potential misalignment due to varying object and tubing widths, limiting automation and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A device with a guide corridor and support surface that adjusts to the diameter of the tubing and object, allowing for automated insertion and alignment of prolate objects into open tubing sections, enabling efficient and reproducible marking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual insertion and visual inspection are used, then the device structure remains simple, but productivity decreases and alignment accuracy is compromised due to varying object and tubing widths
Solution Approach 1:
The guide corridor width is made dynamically adjustable to match the diameter of different tubing sections. The support surface height is also dynamically adjustable to accommodate varying prolate object diameters. This dynamic adaptation enables automated insertion without complex custom tooling for each size variation, thereby improving productivity while controlling device complexity through parameter adjustment rather than structural reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The device changes its geometric parameters (guide corridor width and support surface height) to adapt to different tubing and object sizes. By adjusting these parameters, the system maintains effective alignment and insertion capability across varying dimensions without requiring fundamentally different device structures, thus resolving the contradiction between handling versatility and device simplicity.
2Manufacturing precision
If visual inspection is used to check conductor position, then the device structure remains simple, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to misjudgment when conductor and shrink tubing have different widths
Solution Approach 1:
The support surface automatically performs the alignment function by mechanically supporting the prolate object at its widest point. The object itself determines the correct support surface height through its geometry, eliminating the need for external measurement or visual inspection. This self-aligning mechanism ensures consistent positioning accuracy while keeping the device structure relatively simple.
3Adaptability or versatility
If fixed width guide corridor is used, then device structure is simple, but adaptability decreases when tubing diameters vary
Solution Approach 1:
The guide corridor width is made adjustable to accommodate different tubing diameters. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the same device to handle various tubing sizes effectively, improving adaptability without requiring multiple fixed devices. The adjustment mechanism enables the guide corridor to match the tubing dimensions, ensuring proper alignment and insertion for each specific size.
4Productivity
If manual insertion perpendicular to conductor length is used, then device structure is simple, but productivity decreases due to sequential processing
Solution Approach 1:
The manual insertion operation is replaced by an automated insertion mechanism that uses mechanical support and guidance systems. The support surface and guide corridor work together to automatically position and insert the prolate object into the tubing, eliminating the need for manual perpendicular insertion. This mechanical automation increases marking rate while the design maintains operational simplicity through intuitive object placement.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a technique for introducing a prolate object (410) into a piece of tubing (210) that is open at least at the ends, for marking the prolate object (410). According to one device aspect, a device (100) comprises a guide corridor (110) that is designed to convey the hose piece (210) along a longitudinal direction (112) of the guide corridor (110) and to open during the conveying movement. A width of the guide corridor (110) can be controlled in a transverse direction (114) transverse to the longitudinal direction (112) as a function of a diameter of the length of the hose piece (210). The device (100) further comprises a support surface arranged at at least one position in the longitudinal direction (112) downstream of the guide corridor (110) in the conveying motion, the support surface being configured to align the prolate object (410) when inserted into the opened hose piece (210). The support surface comprises at least two partial surfaces (602A; 602B) arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction (112) and overlapping in the transverse direction (114) for supporting the prolate object (410) during insertion.