Wire and seal profile analyzer

DETAILED DESCRIPTION This invention is a device for inspecting wires to determine selected characteristics of the wire such as an amount of insulation that has been removed, the condition of the exposed conductive portion of the wire, a location of the insulation shoulder relative to an end point on the conductive portion of the wire, a location of a seal member on the wire and an orientation and condition of the seal member.
A device designed according to this invention is capable of determining any one or several of the wire characteristics, depending on the needs of a particular situation.
A device for determining selected characteristics of a wire that is designed according to this invention includes several components.
A plurality of sensing elements are arranged in a desired orientation.
Each of the sensing elements produces its own output.
A source of radiation, which preferably is a laser beam, is positioned to irradiate the sensing elements.
As a wire passes by the sensing elements and interrupts the radiation, each sensing element output indicates the amount of radiation that has been blocked by the wire passing each sensing element.
A controller receives the outputs from the sensing elements and responsively determines the selected characteristics of the wire.
In one example, the sensing elements are aligned in a straight array and a masking element with a straight opening is placed near the sensing elements to enhance the resolution of the system.
The opening in the masking element directs the radiation onto the sensing elements in a manner that facilitates more accurate analysis of a wire sample.
The various features and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the currently preferred embodiment.
The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows: