Method for fitting cables with cable sleeves

Abstract

A method for fitting cables (13) with seals (1), in which the seals (1) are accommodated via a transfer unit and mounted on the mentioned cable (13). While the seal (1) is being accommodated via the transfer unit, its orientation on the holding arbor (2) is mechanically-electrically and fully automatically checked. If a seal (2) is incompletely or partially punched through, it is removed from the holding arbor (2). Equally, a seal (2) which is not accommodated by the holding arbor (2), is removed from the accommodation area. Also a transfer unit for seals (1) or comparable cable fitting components for a cable processing plant, the transfer unit encompassing a holding arbor (2) for accommodating seals (1), wherein at least one force and/or pressure transducer (3) is situated on or in the holding arbor (2).

Claims

1. A cable fitting transfer process comprising the steps of, orienting a cable fitting along an axis; advancing a transfer unit arbor along the axis towards and through the cable fitting to accommodate the cable fitting on the arbor; measuring at least one of a force and a pressure required in the arbor in order to advance the arbor through the cable fitting and accommodate the cable fitting on the arbor; and electronically evaluating the measured at least one of the force and the pressure required in the arbor in order to advance the arbor through the cable fitting and accommodate the cable fitting on the arbor so as to determine whether the cable fitting is correctly oriented on the arbor of the transfer unit.

2. The cable fitting transfer process as claimed in claim 1, further comprising measuring at least one of the force and the pressure required in the arbor in order to advance the arbor through the cable fitting and accommodate the cable fitting on the arbor based on at least one of the progress of an accommodation path traversed by the arbor, or the time required for traverse of the arbor accommodation path.

3. The cable fitting transfer process as claimed in claim 1, further comprising electronically evaluating the measured at least one of the force and the pressure required in the arbor in order to advance the arbor through the cable fitting and accommodate the cable fitting on the arbor by comparing at least one integral of the respective at least one of the force and the pressure, over an accommodation path traversed by the arbor, with a reference value of said at least one integral.

4. A cable fitting transfer process comprising: orienting a cable fitting with respect to a transfer arbor along an advancement axis, the cable fitting having a bore axis and the transfer arbor having a remote end; biasing the transfer arbor along the advancement axis over a stroke distance such that the remote end of the transfer arbor passes completely through the cable fitting and the transfer arbor engages the cable fitting; measuring, with a sensor element, at least one of a force and a pressure applied on the transfer arbor that is required for biasing the transfer arbor along the advancement axis and engaging the transfer arbor with the cable fitting; electronically evaluating the at least one of the force and the pressure applied on the transfer arbor to bias the transfer arbor and engage the cable fitting; and determining if the cable fitting is correctly orientated on the transfer arbor based on a value of the at least one of the force and the pressure applied on the transfer arbor as the transfer arbor is biased along the advancement axis and the remote end of the transfer arbor is passed through the cable fitting to engage the transfer arbor with the cable fitting.

5. The cable fitting transfer process according to claim 4, further comprising determining that the cable fitting is correctly orientated on the transfer arbor, if the value of the at least one of the force and the pressure applied on the transfer arbor is within a defined range as the transfer arbor is biased over the stroke distance.

6. The cable fitting transfer process according to claim 4, further comprising defining the stroke distance of the transfer arbor as an axial distance of movement of the transfer arbor that is greater than an axial length of the cable fitting along the bore axis.

7. The cable fitting transfer process according to claim 4, wherein the transfer arbor is received within the cable fitting such that a radially outer surface of the transfer arbor directly engages the cable fitting.

8. The cable fitting transfer process according to claim 4, wherein the sensor element is at least one of a strain gauge, a capacitive sensor and a piezoelectric sensor.

9. The cable fitting transfer process according to claim 4, further comprising biasing the transfer arbor such the transfer arbor extends through the cable fitting and is coaxially aligned with the bore axis of the cable fitting.

10. The cable fitting transfer process according to claim 4, further comprising subsequent to determining if the cable fitting is correctly orientated on the transfer arbor, coupling a cable and the cable fitting, if the cable fitting is correctly orientated on the transfer arbor.

11. The cable fitting transfer process according to claim 10, further comprising subsequent to determining if the cable fitting is correctly orientated on the transfer arbor, stripping the cable fitting from the transfer arbor, if the cable fitting is incorrectly orientated on the transfer arbor.

12. The cable fitting transfer process according to claim 4, further comprising electronically evaluating the at least one of the force and the pressure applied on the transfer arbor after the transfer arbor has been biased along the advancement axis over an entirety of the stroke distance and the at least one of the force and the pressure applied on the transfer arbor to pass the transfer arbor through and engage the cable fitting has been measured with the sensor element.

Description

(1) The method according to the invention and the device according to the invention for its implementation will now be described based on several exemplary embodiments (FIGS. 1-8).

(2) Shown in:

(3) FIGS. 1A to 1K is the basic sequence followed during the assembly of a seal or cable tunnel,

(4) FIG. 2 is a first exemplary embodiment of the holding arbor according to the invention in a schematic sectional view A-A with the seal correctly oriented on the holding arbor,

(5) FIG. 3 is a sectional view D-D of another exemplary embodiment according to the invention for the holding arbor,

(6) FIG. 4 is an inclined view of the holding arbor according to the invention per FIG. 3,

(7) FIG. 5A is a sectional view E-E depicting a section F of a holding arbor according to FIG. 3, representing an interface at the boundary between two parts of this holding arbor,

(8) FIG. 5B is a more detailed view of the section F shown in FIG. 5A,

(9) FIGS. 6A . . . 6C depict an exemplary flowchart for the assembly of a seal according to prior art,

(10) FIGS. 7A . . . 7C depict an exemplary flowchart for the assembly of a seal according to the invention,

(11) FIG. 8A shows exemplary force-path progressions during the accommodation of a seal via the holding arbor,

(12) FIG. 8B shows an exemplary force-path progression during the accommodation of a seal via the holding arbor and the work needed therefore,

(13) FIG. 9 shows a seal, which is badly oriented on the conveyor/feeder and blown into a waste container by means of compressed air,

(14) FIG. 10 shows a seal, which is badly oriented on the conveyor/feeder and moved into a waste container by means of a slider,

(15) FIG. 11 shows a seal, which is badly oriented on the holding arbor and stripped from the same into a waste container by means of shiftable stripper,

(16) FIG. 12 shows a seal, which is badly oriented on the holding arbor and stripped from the same into a waste container by means of pivotable stripper,

(17) FIG. 13 shows a seal, which is badly oriented on the holding arbor and stripped from the same onto the conveyor/feeder by means of pivotable stripper and then blown into a waste container by means of compressed air, and,

(18) FIG. 14 shows a pinhole diaphragm, a conveyor and evaluation electronics for the inventive device.

(19) FIG. 1A to 1K show the basic sequence followed during the assembly of a seal 1 or cable tunnel (see also the flowcharts presented on FIGS. 6A to 6C and 7A to 7C). In a first section depicted on FIG. 1A, the seal 1 is slipped onto a holding arbor 2. To this end, the holding arbor 2 is moved downward, for example into the area of a feeder rail (not shown), in which the seals 1 are brought in. The holding arbor 2 accommodating the seal 1 then returns to its original position, as shown on FIG. 1B. In another step, the holding arbor 2 is pushed into an assembly pipe 11, and the seal 1 is slipped onto the assembly pipe 11, as depicted on FIGS. 1C and 1D. In a step shown on FIG. 1E, the holding arbor 2 is taken out of the assembly pipe 11, the assembly pipe 11 is swiveled by 90, and then pushed along with the seal 1 into a seal chamber 12. The seal chamber 12 is then closed as depicted on FIG. 1F. In a step shown on FIG. 1G, a cable or wire 13 is pushed into the assembly pipe 11 (see also FIG. 1H). As depicted, this cable or wire may have a stripped end. In another step depicted on FIG. 1I, the assembly pipe 11 is pulled out of the seal chamber 12, leaving the seal 1 behind on the wire/cable 13 in the seal chamber 12. In a step shown on FIG. 1J, the seal chamber 12 is opened, after which the wire/cable 13 with the seal 1 is taken out of the latter, as depicted on FIG. 1K.

(20) Of course, the course of action shown is only intended to provide an exemplary illustration for the assembly of a seal 1 on a wire/cable 13. The invention is by no means limited thereto, with the ordinarily skilled reader instead deriving a plurality of possible applications for the presented instruction from the latter.

(21) FIG. 2 presents a first exemplary embodiment of a two-part holding arbor 2 according to the invention with a seal 1 correctly oriented on the holding arbor 2 and a perpendicularly aligned primary axis 4, in a side view to the left, and a sectional view to the right.

(22) In the arrangement depicted, a force and/or pressure transducer 3 is situated between two crimping jaws, and is pre-tensioned by two screws with counter nuts secured to the crimping jaws. The two lateral expansions of the lower part 7 and upper part 6 of the holding arbor 2 lying opposite as well as the force and/or pressure transducer 3 comprise the interface 5 between the parts 6, 7 of the holding arbor 2 used to relay the force to be acquired. The electrical contacts on either side of the sensor element 9 are routed to the outside as flat conductors 10 adhesively bonded to a suitable insulating carrier material, preferably paper or a film.

(23) FIG. 3 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of the holding arbor 2, which is distinguished from FIG. 2 in that a two-part bushing 8 partially encapsulates the sensor. The bushing 8 is provided to better protect the force transducer 3, and simultaneously assumes the function of pre-tensioning the force and/or pressure transducer 3. FIG. 4 provides a particularly clear view of the details of the holding arbor 2 presented on FIG. 3, while FIG. 5B magnifies those of the interface 5 by showing a section F, which is defined in the total view FIG. 5A of the holding arbor 2.

(24) FIG. 4 gives an inclined view of the overall holding arbor 2 according to FIG. 3, while FIG. 5B shows a sectional view of its partially encapsulated measuring cell. As already mentioned, the two adjacent arbor parts 6, 7 situated coaxially relative to the shared primary axis 4 are laterally expanded at their opposing ends, and non-positively accommodate a force and/or pressure transducer 3 in between. The interface 5 in the holding arbor 2 comprised of the aforesaid end parts of the arbor and the force and/or pressure transducer 3 is held in place by a two-part bushing 8 that can be screwed into itself. This bushing 8 may be used to mechanically pre-tension the force and/or pressure transducer 3 by screwing together the two bushing parts, with the effect of reducing the length of the entire bushing 8. The arbor part 7 on the accommodation side is spaced laterally apart from the part of the bushing 8 on the accommodation side so as to prevent the holding arbor 2 from becoming laterally jammed.

(25) The force and/or pressure transducer 3 is preferably designed as a piezoelectric sensor, but may also be a capacitive sensor. In both cases, the sensor element 9 configured as a piezo disk or in the form of a plate capacitor is contacted on both sides by flat conductors 10 as in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2, which are adhesively bonded in the same way to a suitable insulating carrier material, preferably paper or a film.

(26) Finally, the force and/or pressure measurements may also make use of strain gauges, which may be calibrated. In this case, however, the pressure transducer 3 may be embodied as a measuring box or load cell having strain gauges, or the structural design of the measuring cell can alternatively be adapted as required relative to the one on FIGS. 2 to 5B in another way.

(27) FIGS. 6A to 6C show a flowchart according to prior art, which depict the method presented on FIG. 1A to 1K. As may readily be gleaned from the chart, a check is basically performed to determine whether a seal 2 is present on the holding arbor 1 or assembly pipe 11, but no test is run to determine whether the latter is undamaged too. Therefore, it cannot be precluded that an unusable cable arrangement will be produced.

(28) FIGS. 7A to 7C depict an improved method in relation to prior art, since the inquiries W<=Wmax,ref? (see also FIG. 8B) ensure that only those seals 1 are mounted on the wire/cable 13 that were not damaged by the holding arbor 1. The inquiry W>Wmin,ref? (see also FIG. 8B) can also be used to check whether a seal 1 was even slipped onto the holding arbor 2 at all.

(29) FIG. 8A now presents exemplary force-path progressions F over s given the proper accommodation of a seal 1 (curve A), given the destruction of the seal 1 (curve B), given a missing seal 1 (curve C) and given a seal 1 that is only crimped by the holding arbor 2 (curve D). The path s here relates to the path traversed by the seal 1 on the holding arbor 2. This need not be a continuous motion, as the seal 1 can also be slipped onto the holding arbor 2 in several steps as well. For example, FIG. 8A presents exemplary force-path progressions for the procedural steps shown on FIG. 1A to 1C.

(30) As may readily be gleaned from FIG. 8A, no force F is measured at first as the holding arbor 2 moves. Only once the latter encounters a resistance a force F can be detected. This force increases slightly for curve A when the seal 1 is being slipped over the conical portion of the holding arbor 2, and then remains more or less constant while the seal 1 is being slipped over the cylindrical portion of the holding arbor 2.

(31) A strong rise in force F may come about if the seal 1 is incorrectly accommodated, which abruptly drops again at a certain point in time, specifically when the holding arbor 2 punches through the wall of the seal 1, thereby destroying it. After punching through, the force F stays more or less constant, but at a higher level than for curve A, since the seal 1 the case of curve B is not slipped over the holding arbor 2 by way of a prefabricated hole, but rather via a hole created by the latter.

(32) If no seal 1 is accommodated at all, the force remains at a very low level as indicated by curve C, or even measures zero, since the holding arbor 2 advances into an empty space.

(33) If the seal 1 is only crimped by the holding arbor 2, the force increases very sharply given just a slight displacement path (or path of penetration by the holding arbor 2 into the seal 1 in this case), as represented by curve D. In order to prevent damage to the holding arbor 2, the latter may be stopped or moved back.

(34) The different characteristics for curves A to D may now be used to detect the correct sequence for assembling a seal 1 on a cable or wire 13. For example, a corridor or range (see dashed lines in FIG. 8A) may be provided within which the curve A is allowed to run. If the actually ascertained force progression is above this corridor, a seal 1 was in all likelihood punched through or crimped, while if it lies below, no seal 1 was in all likelihood accommodated at all.

(35) Of course, other methods are here also conceivable for qualifying an assembly process, for example adaptive algorithms may be applied, e.g., so that drift by the force/pressure transducer 3 or manufacturing tolerances of the seal 1 may be offset. For example the corridor or range shown in FIG. 8A may be arranged symmetrically around a mean curve (nominal curve) of a set of curves A. If said nominal curve drifts because of e.g. sensor drift, then said corridor or range is shifted too, Otherwise crimps with good quality could mistakenly be qualified as bad. In addition to the depicted force-path characteristic (F over s), it is just as possible to use a force-time characteristic (F over t) or also a pressure-path characteristic (P over s) or pressure-time (P over t) characteristic for qualifying the assembly process.

(36) Moreover, it is possible to use the work (i.e. the integral of the force F over s) needed for the crimping process to qualify the assembly process. FIG. 8B shows the exemplary curve A of FIG. 8A and the work W, which is needed to perform crimping. The actual value for the work W can be compared with a desired value of the same for qualifying the crimping process. Similar to the corridor shown in FIG. 8A an upper threshold value and a lower threshold value may be defined, between which the actual value shall be. In FIG. 8B just the force-path characteristic (F over s) is used to show the work W needed for crimping for the reason of simplicity. However, work W may also defined by other characteristics, like by pressure-path characteristic (P over s).

(37) If it is determined that a seal 1 has been slipped on incorrectly, the production sequence shown on FIGS. 1A to 1K or 7A to 7C may be terminated or interrupted at a suitable point. For example, a crimped seal 1 that stayed behind on a feeder can be blown down from the feeder (see FIG. 9) or conveyed into a waste container 15 by means of a slider 16 (see FIG. 10). A seal 1 that was slipped onto the holding arbor 2 but was also damaged can be stripped from the holding arbor 2, for example during the reverse stroke of the holding arbor 2 (FIG. 1B), by means of an inserted stripper 17 (FIG. 11) or inwardly swiveled stripper 18 (FIGS. 12 and 13), which can take the form of a pinhole diaphragm (see section GG in FIG. 12, which is equally applicable also to FIG. 13). For example, the holding arbor 2 can be positioned over a waste container 15 to this end (FIGS. 11 and 12). However, it is also conceivable for the seal 1 to be stripped on the feeder, and blown or pushed down from there like a seal 1 that got left behind (see FIG. 13 in particular in combination with FIG. 10 and/or FIG. 11).

(38) The disposal of seals 1 into a waste container 15 is not a necessary condition. It is also conceivable that seals 1, which are not damaged are fed back to the production process, that is, there is another try to mount said seal 1. In particular this applies to the cases shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. To this end, seals 1 in good condition may be fed back to the production process, whereas bad seals 1 are disposed. The curves in FIG. 8A may be the base for that decision. If a force-path progressions F over s according to curve C is detected, a seal 1 (if there is any) may be fed back, whereas seals 1 are disposed, when a force-path progressions F over s according to curve B is detected. If a force-path progressions F over s according to curve D is detected, the seal 1 may be disposed for safety reasons or it is inspected in another way (e.g. visually) to decide whether it is in good or bad condition.

(39) Finally, FIG. 14 shows further variants and details of the inventive device. A pinhole diaphragm 19 is shown, which facilitates picking up of the seal 1 by the holding arbor 2, that can protrude through the pinhole diaphragm 19. Furthermore, a conveyor 20 is provided, which feeds seals 1 into an accommodation position provided for accommodation via a transfer unit. Moreover, evaluation electronics 21 are shown, which are connected to the holding arbor 2, concretely to its sensor element 8. Finally, a computer 22 is operationally connected to the evaluation electronics 21 in FIG. 14 so as to execute evaluation algorithms for the decisions as to whether seals may be processed or must be separated out.

(40) In conclusion, it should be noted that the constituents in the figures are not necessarily shown to scale, and that the individual variants depicted in the figures may also comprise the subject matter of independent invention. Positional indications like right, left, upper, lower and the like relate to the position of the respective component shown, and must be mentally adjusted accordingly given a change in the specified position.

(41) The invention was explained based on advantageous embodiments of the invention. The skilled reader may readily apply the disclosed instructions to other examples.

REFERENCE LABELS LIST

(42) 1 Seal 2 Holding arbor 3 Force and/or pressure transducer 4 Primary axis of holding arbor 5 Interface between two adjacent arbor parts 6 Complementary arbor part 7 Accommodation-side arbor 8 Bushing 9 Sensor element 10 Flat conductor 11 Assembly pipe 12 Seal chamber 13 Cable/wire 14 Pipe 15 Waste container 16 Slider 17 Shiftable stripper 18 Pivotable stripper 19 Pinhole diaphragm 20 Conveyor 21 Evaluation electronics 22 Computer A Force-path progression given a properly accommodated seal B Force-path progression given a destroyed seal C Force-path progression given a missing seal F Force P Pressure s Path t Time