Method and device for quality assurance of crimp joints

Abstract

A method for the quality assurance of crimp joints on crimping devices, in which, based on a setpoint dimension of crimp force and/or crimp height, the actual value of crimp force and/or crimp height is measured continuously within defined upper and/or lower tolerance dimensions of crimp force and/or crimp height, and a corrected re-adjustment of crimp height is effected after the actual values have reach a correction value.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for assuring a quality of a crimp joint on a crimping device, the method comprising: 
 continuously measuring an actual value of a crimp parameter of the crimp joint based on a respective setpoint value of the crimp parameter within a defined upper and lower tolerance value; and    effecting a readjustment of a crimp height after the actual value reaches a correction value of the crimp parameter.    
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein the crimp parameter includes at least one of a crimp height and a crimp force.  
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein the correction value is a mean value of the measured actual values.  
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein the correction value corresponds to approximately half of the upper or lower tolerance value.  
     
     
         5 . A device for providing a crimp joint, comprising: 
 a movable die part;    a stationary die part;    a driving connecting rod for moving the moveable die part back and forth in a longitudinal direction, wherein a longitudinal position of the moveable die part with respect to the stationary die part is adjustable;    a positioning drive for adjusting the longitudinal position; and    a comparative setpoint/actual value regulating system controlling the positioning drive.    
     
     
         6 . The device as recited in  claim 5  further comprising an actual value sensor disposed on the positioning drive for providing an actual value to the regulating system.  
     
     
         7 . The device as recited in  claim 5  further comprising an operator control unit for providing a setpoint value to the regulating system.  
     
     
         8 . The device as recited in  claim 7  wherein the setpoint value corresponds to a crimp force measurement.  
     
     
         9 . The device as recited in  claim 8  wherein the setpoint value is determined using a force curve during the crimping process.  
     
     
         10 . The device as recited in  claim 5  further comprising a comparator for storing the setpoint value for the setpoint/actual-value regulating system.  
     
     
         11 . The device as recited in  claim 5  wherein the positioning drive includes a stepping motor and a gear unit.  
     
     
         12 . The device as recited in claims  5  wherein the driving connecting rod includes a hole perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and wherein the positioning drive includes a positioning member disposed in the hole.  
     
     
         13 . The device as recited in  claim 12  further comprising a comparator and an actual value sensor disposed on the positioning drive, wherein the positioning member includes an eccentric pin having an axis of rotation connected to the actual-value sensor, the actual value sensor transmitting a position value of the eccentric pin to the comparator.  
     
     
         14 . The device as recited in  claim 12  wherein the eccentric pin has a positioning accuracy of 0.002 mm.  
     
     
         15 . The device as recited in  claim 5 , further comprising a comparator, wherein the actual value of a crimp force curve is measured during a crimping process and compared with a setpoint value defined in the comparator, the positioning drive adjusting the longitudinal position so as to correct the crimp force curve in a direction of the setpoint value when a deviation between the actual value and the setpoint value occurs.