Methods and apparatus for electrical connection inspection
First Claim
1. A method for inspecting at least a first electrical connection between a first magnet wire forming a first winding on a stator core for an electric motor and at least a first power lead, said method comprising the steps of:
- energizing the first winding;
sensing a temperature of the first electrical connection while the first winding is energized and while current flows through the connection; and
determining whether the first electrical connection is acceptable based, at least in part, on the sensed temperature.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and methods for inspecting electrical connections so as to determine the presence of fault connections between magnet wires and power leads are described. The apparatus includes a processing unit, a power supply unit, and a temperature sensing unit. The processing unit includes a programmable logic controller (PLC) having a central processing unit (CPU) and a plurality of input and output slots. The power supply unit includes a power lead connector configured to couple to the motor power leads and a power relay coupled to the PLC. The temperature sensing unit includes infrared thermometers to determine the temperature at the electrical connections between the stator magnet wires forming the motor windings and the power leads. The outputs of the thermometers are coupled to the programmable logic controller (PLC).
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method for inspecting at least a first electrical connection between a first magnet wire forming a first winding on a stator core for an electric motor and at least a first power lead, said method comprising the steps of:
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energizing the first winding; sensing a temperature of the first electrical connection while the first winding is energized and while current flows through the connection; and determining whether the first electrical connection is acceptable based, at least in part, on the sensed temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. Apparatus for inspecting at least a first electrical connection through a first connector between a first magnet wire forming a first winding on a magnetic core and at least a first power lead, said apparatus comprising:
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a power supply unit for energizing the first winding and causing current to flow through the first electrical connection; a temperature sensing unit for generating a first signal representative of a temperature of the first electrical connector while the first winding is energized and while current flows through the first electrical connection; and a processing unit for determining whether the first electrical connection is acceptable based, at least in part, on the first signal. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. Apparatus for inspecting at least first and second electrical connections between magnet wires forming windings on a magnetic core and power leads, said apparatus comprising:
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a power supply unit for energizing the windings and causing current to flow through the first and second electrical connections, said power supply unit comprising a power control relay and a power lead connector for connecting to the power leads connected to the magnet wires; a temperature sensing unit for generating first and second signals representative of first and second temperatures of the first and second electrical connections, respectively, while the windings are energized and while current flows through the first and second electrical connections, said temperature sensing unit comprising at least first and second probes for sensing the temperatures at the first and second electrical connections, respectively; and a processing unit for determining whether the first and second electrical connections are acceptable based, at least in part, on the first and second temperatures, said processing unit being coupled to the output of said temperature sensing unit and to a solenoid control of said power switch. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. A method for determining whether a splice between a stator magnet wire and a power lead provides an acceptable electrical connection therebetween, said method comprising the steps of:
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determining a first temperature representative of the temperature at the splice without any current flowing therethrough; energizing the electrical connection by passing a current through the connection; while passing an electrical current through the electrical connection, determining a second temperature representative of the temperature at the splice; and determining whether the splice is acceptable based, at least in part, on the first and second temperatures. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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Specification