# US 12,113,339 B2 · Electrical power cable preparation device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,113,339 B2 - Document ID: US12113339B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/309,690 - Filed: 2019-12-20 - Published: 2022-01-27 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2018-12-21 - Assignees: 3M Innovative Properties Company; Connected Intelligence Systems Ltd. - Applicants: 3M Innovative Properties Company; Connected Intelligence Systems, Ltd. - Inventors: Douglas B. Gundel; Assaf Kaufman; Uri Bar-Ziv - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12113339B2 ## CPC - H02G 1/1265: {the cutting element rotating about the wire or cable (making longitudinal and transverse or helical cut H02G1/1268)} - H02G 1/1248: {Machines} - H02G 1/127: {Features relating to cutting elements} - H04N 7/188: {Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position (signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253)} - H04N 23/51: Housings - H02G: INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Techniques, systems and articles are described for preparing electrical cables for connections to a power grid. In one example, a system includes a cable preparation device configured to cut one or more layers of an electrical cable and a computing device configured to control the cable preparation device to cut the one or more layers of the electrical cable. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electrical cable preparation device configured to remove one or more layers of an electrical cable, the device comprising: a rotatable tool head comprising: a plurality of tool mounts configured to move radially relative to a center axis of the electrical cable; a plurality of rollers; and at least one cutting tool; wherein the plurality of rollers and the at least one cutting tool are configured to be coupled to the plurality of tool mounts; wherein the at least one cutting tool includes at least one spring loaded cutting tool; and wherein the at least one cutting tool includes a first cutting tool configured to remove a jacket layer of the electrical cable and a second cutting tool configured to remove an insulation layer of the electrical cable; a linear guide, wherein the electrical cable preparation device is configured to cause the rotatable tool head to move longitudinally along the linear guide in response to a command from a computing device; and a driver configured adjust a radial depth of the plurality of rollers and/or a radial depth of the at least one cutting tool. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of rollers are configured to move symmetrically in a radial direction relative to a center axis of the electrical cable. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein a cutting angle of the first cutting tool is steeper than a cutting angle of the second cutting tool. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein a center axis of at least one cutting tool is positioned approximately 180 degrees around the tool head relative to a center axis of at least one roller of the plurality of rollers. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the cable preparation device is configured to remove the one or more layers of the electrical cable by at least being configured to: insert the at least one cutting tool into the electrical cable to a first depth; rotate the tool head a partial rotation with the at least one cutting tool at the first depth to create a tab in the one or more layers at an end of the one or more layers; retract the at least one cutting tool to a second depth; and perform a spiral cut with the at least one cutting tool at the second depth. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The device of claim 5, wherein the cable preparation device is configured to remove the one or more layers of the electrical cable by at least being further configured to, after performing the spiral cut, perform a circumferential cut with the at least one cutting tool at the second depth. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the cable preparation device is configured to: create a retention band of a jacket layer of the one or more layers of the electrical cable by at least being configured to: position the tool head at a longitudinal starting position a distance from an end of the electrical cable; insert the at least one cutting tool toward a center of the electrical cable to a target cutting depth; and rotate the tool head around the electrical cable with the at least one cutting tool at the target cutting depth; and responsive to creating the retention band, remove an inner portion of the jacket layer between the longitudinal starting position and a longitudinal position defined by a target cutback length associated with the jacket layer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electrical cable preparation device of claim 1, wherein the electrical cable preparation device configured to perform a spiral cut on the electrical cable by moving the rotatable tool head longitudinally and simultaneously moving the rotatable tool head around the electrical cable. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electrical cable preparation device of claim 1, wherein the driver is configured to adjust the radial depth of the plurality of rollers and/or a radial depth of the at least one cutting tool in response to another command from the computing device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The electrical cable preparation device of claim 1, wherein the electrical cable preparation device includes an opening configured to receive a portion of the electrical cable. ### Claim 11 An electrical cable preparation device configured to remove one or more layers of an electrical cable, the device comprising: a rotatable tool head comprising: a plurality of tool mounts configured to move radially relative to a center axis of the electrical cable; a plurality of rollers; and at least one cutting tool; wherein the plurality of rollers and the at least one cutting tool are configured to be coupled to the plurality of tool mounts; wherein the at least one cutting tool includes at least one spring loaded cutting tool; and wherein the at least one cutting tool includes a first cutting tool configured to remove a jacket layer of the electrical cable and a second cutting tool configured to remove an insulation layer of the electrical cable; and a linear guide, wherein the electrical cable preparation device is configured to, in response to one or more commands from a computing device, cause the rotatable tool head to move longitudinally along the linear guide and to cause the rotatable head to rotate, wherein the cable preparation device is configured to remove the one or more layers of the electrical cable by at least being configured to: insert the at least one cutting tool into the electrical cable to a first depth; rotate the tool head a partial rotation with the at least one cutting tool at the first depth to create a tab in the one or more layers at an end of the one or more layers; retract the at least one cutting tool to a second depth; and perform, with the at least one cutting tool at the second depth, a spiral cut by rotating the tool head around the electrical cable as the tool head moves from the tab longitudinally relative to a center axis of the electrical cable. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The electrical cable preparation device of claim 11, wherein the cable preparation device is further configured to: create a retention band of a jacket layer of the one or more layers of the electrical cable by at least being configured to: position the tool head at a longitudinal starting position a distance from an end of the electrical cable; insert the at least one cutting tool toward a center of the electrical cable to a target cutting depth; and rotate the tool head around the electrical cable with the at least one cutting tool at the target cutting depth; and responsive to creating the retention band, remove an inner portion of the jacket layer between the longitudinal starting position and a longitudinal position defined by a target cutback length associated with the jacket layer. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The electrical cable preparation device of claim 11, wherein the plurality of rollers are configured to move symmetrically in a radial direction relative to a center axis of the electrical cable. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The electrical cable preparation device of claim 11, wherein the electrical cable preparation device configured to perform a spiral cut on the electrical cable by moving the rotatable tool head longitudinally and simultaneously moving the rotatable tool head around the electrical cable. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The electrical cable preparation device of claim 11, wherein the electrical cable preparation device includes an opening configured to receive a portion of the electrical cable. ### Claim 16 A method performed by an electrical cable preparation device that is configured to remove one or more layers of an electrical cable, the device comprising: a rotatable tool head comprising: a plurality of tool mounts configured to move radially relative to a center axis of the electrical cable; a plurality of rollers; and at least one cutting tool; wherein the plurality of rollers and the at least one cutting tool are configured to be coupled to the plurality of tool mounts; wherein the at least one cutting tool includes at least one spring loaded cutting tool; and wherein the at least one cutting tool includes a first cutting tool configured to remove a jacket layer of the electrical cable and a second cutting tool configured to remove an insulation layer of the electrical cable; a linear guide, wherein the electrical cable preparation device is configured to cause the rotatable tool head to move longitudinally along the linear guide in response to a command from a computing device; and a driver configured adjust a radial depth of the plurality of rollers and/or a radial depth of the at least one cutting tool, the method comprising: creating, by the electrical cable preparation device, a retention band of the jacket layer of the electrical cable by at least: positioning, by the electrical preparation device, a tool head of the electrical cable preparation device at a longitudinal starting position a distance from an end of the electrical cable; adjusting, by the electrical preparation device, the radial depth of at least one cutting tool of the tool head to a target cutting depth; and rotating, by the electrical preparation device, the tool head with the at least one cutting tool at the target cutting depth; and responsive to creating the retention band, removing, by the electrical preparation device, an inner portion of the jacket layer between the longitudinal starting position and a longitudinal position defined by a target cutback length associated with the jacket layer. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the target cutting depth is a first target cutting depth, and wherein removing the inner portion of the jacket layer comprises: inserting, by the cable preparation device, the at least one cutting tool into the electrical cable to the first target cutting depth; rotating, by the electrical cable preparation device, the tool head a partial rotation with the at least one cutting tool at the first target cutting depth to create a tab; retracting, by the electrical cable preparation device, the at least one cutting tool to a second target cutting depth; performing, by the electrical preparation device, a spiral cut with the at least one cutting tool at the second target cutting depth; and performing, by the electrical cable preparation device, a circumferential cut with the at least one cutting tool at the second target cutting depth. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein adjusting a radial depth of the at least one cutting tool comprises: inserting, by the cable preparation device, a driver into the tool head to engage a tool mount of the tool head, the at least one cutting tool mounted to the tool mount; and rotating, by the cable preparation device, the driver to adjust the radial depth of the at least one cutting tool. ### Claim 19 A method performed by an electrical cable preparation device that is configured to remove one or more layers of an electrical cable, the device comprising: a rotatable tool head comprising: a plurality of tool mounts configured to move radially relative to a center axis of the electrical cable; a plurality of rollers; and at least one cutting tool; wherein the plurality of rollers and the at least one cutting tool are configured to be coupled to the plurality of tool mounts; wherein the at least one cutting tool includes at least one spring loaded cutting tool; and wherein the at least one cutting tool includes a first cutting tool configured to remove a jacket layer of the electrical cable and a second cutting tool configured to remove an insulation layer of the electrical cable; a linear guide, wherein the electrical cable preparation device is configured to cause the rotatable tool head to move longitudinally along the linear guide in response to a command from a computing device; and a driver configured adjust a radial depth of the plurality of rollers and/or a radial depth of the at least one cutting tool, the method comprising: inserting, by the cable preparation device, the at least one cutting tool of the rotatable tool head of the electrical cable preparation device into at least one layer of the electrical cable to a first depth; rotating, by the electrical cable preparation device, the tool head a partial rotation with the at least one cutting tool at the first depth to create a tab; retracting, by the electrical cable preparation device, the at least one cutting tool to a second depth; and performing, by the electrical preparation device, a spiral cut with the at least one cutting tool at the second depth. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein performing the spiral cut comprises: while rotating the tool head about the electrical cable with the at least one cutting tool at the second depth, moving, by the electrical preparation device, the tool head longitudinally along one or more linear slides. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein inserting the at least one cutting tool to the first depth comprises: inserting, by the cable preparation device, a driver into the tool head to engage a tool mount of the tool head, the at least one cutting tool mounted to the tool mount; and rotating, by the cable preparation device, the driver to adjust a radial depth of the at least one cutting tool to the first depth. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the electrical cable preparation device includes an opening configured to receive a portion of the electrical cable.