# US 12,763,558 B2 · Electrical power cable preparation system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,763,558 B2 - Document ID: US12763558B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/807,795 - Filed: 2024-08-16 - Published: 2024-12-05 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - 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; Udi Blich; Eyal Doron; Oded Shoham; Assaf Kaufman; Uri Bar-Ziv - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12763558B2 ## CPC - H02G 1/1265: {the cutting element rotating about the wire or cable (making longitudinal and transverse or helical cut H02G1/1268)} - H02G 1/127: {Features relating to cutting elements} - H02G: INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES ## 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. The computing device may determine one or more target cutting distances and determine whether an actual cutting distance satisfies the target cutting distance. The computing device may detect defects in the electrical cable. The computing device may further determine whether the cable preparation device should be serviced. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: an electrical cable preparation device configured to cut at least one layer of an electrical cable, comprising: at least one cutting tool; and at least one computing device configured to: determine a target cutting distance of the at least one layer of the electrical cable, wherein the target cutting distance includes a target cutting depth or a target cutback distance; control the electrical cable preparation device to cause the at least one cutting tool to cut the at least one layer of the electrical cable to the target cutting distance, determine whether the at least one layer of the electrical cable includes a defect; and perform at least one operation in response to determining that the at least one layer includes the defect; wherein the computing device is configured to determine the defect by determining whether a roughness of the layer satisfies a threshold roughness. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to: receive identification information corresponding to the electrical cable, the identification information indicating a type of the electrical cable, and determine, based at least in part on the type of the electrical cable, the target cutting depth. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one camera configured to output image data representing one or more images of the electrical cable, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to determine the target cutting depth based at least in part on the image data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one layer of the electrical cable includes a first layer and a second layer, wherein the target cutting depth is a first target cutting depth, the first target cutting depth associated with the first layer, and wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to: determine a second target cutting depth, the second target cutting depth associated with the second layer of the electrical cable; and control the at least one cutting tool to cut the second layer of the electrical cable to the second target cutting depth. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to determine the target cutback distance based at least in part on at least one of a type of the electrical cable or a type of a cable accessory or connector configured to physically couple to the electrical cable. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to determine the target cutting distance based at least in part on data received from another computing device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to output, for display, information indicative of at least one of the target cutting distance. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is configured to control the at least one cutting tool to taper a depth of the at least one layer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is configured to control the at least one cutting tool to bevel an end of the at least one layer. ### Claim 10 A system comprising: an electrical cable preparation device configured to cut at least one layer of an electrical cable, the electrical cable preparation device comprising at least one cutting tool; and at least one computing device configured to: determine an actual cutting distance of the electrical cable preparation device; determine whether the actual cutting distance satisfies a target cutting distance; perform at least one first operation based on determining whether the actual cutting distance satisfies a target cutting distance, wherein the actual cutting distance is an actual cutting depth and the target cutting distance is a target cutting depth or the actual cutting distance is an actual cutback length and the target cutting distance is a target cutback length; determine whether the at least one layer of the electrical cable includes a defect; and perform at least one second operation in response to determining that the at least one layer includes the defect; wherein the computing device is configured to determine the defect by determining whether a roughness of the layer satisfies a threshold roughness. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, further comprising at least one camera configured to output image data representing one or more images of the electrical cable, and wherein the at least one computing device is configured to determine whether the actual cutting distance satisfies the target cutting distance based at least in part on the image data. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one layer of the electrical cable includes a first layer and a second layer, wherein the first layer is a first color and the second layer is a second color different than the first color, and wherein the least one computing device is configured to determine that the actual cutting distance satisfies the target cutting distance based at least in part on a contrast between the first color and the second color. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the actual cutting distance includes an actual cutting depth, wherein the target cutting distance includes a target cutting depth, and wherein the at least one computing device is configured to: position the at least one cutting tool at a first test cut position between a zero point position and a target cutback position; cause the at least one cutting tool to cut to a first cutting depth; determine whether the first cutting depth satisfies the target cutting depth; responsive to determining that the first cutting depth does not satisfy the target cutting depth, adjust the at least one cutting tool to a second cutting depth that is greater than the first cutting depth; position the at least one cutting tool at second test cut position between the first test cut position and a target cutback position; cause the at least one cutting tool to cut to the second cutting depth; determine whether the second cutting depth satisfies the target cutting depth; responsive to determining that the second cutting depth satisfies the target cutting depth: position the at least one cutting tool at the target cutback position; set the target cutting depth to the second cutting depth; and cause the electrical cable preparation device to cut to the target cutting depth at the target cutback position. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the computing device is further configured to determine the defect by at least one of: determining whether a diameter of the layer satisfies a threshold diameter; determining whether a cutback length of the layer satisfies a threshold cutback length associated with the layer; determining whether a variance in a longitudinal boundary between a first layer and a second layer adjacent to the first layer satisfies a threshold variance; determining whether the layer includes an gouges or cuts; determining whether a surface of the layer is covered in with a compound; or determining whether a portion of the first layer remains within the region between a zero point and a location corresponding to a cutback distance associated with the first layer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, further comprising at least one camera configured to output image data representing one or more images of the electrical cable, wherein the at least one computing device is configured to determine whether the at least one layer of the electrical cable includes the defect based at least in part on the image data. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, further comprising: a base configured to support the at least one cutting tool, wherein the base is configured to move longitudinally about an axis of the electrical cable; and at least one clamp configured to hold the electrical cable stationary relative to the electrical cable preparation device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one cutting tool includes a first cutting tool configured to cut one or more layers of the electrical cable and a second cutting tool configured to shave the one or more layers of the electrical cable. ### Claim 18 A method performed by a system, the system comprising: an electrical cable preparation device configured to cut at least one layer of an electrical cable, comprising: at least one cutting tool; and at least one computing device configured to: determine a target cutting distance of the at least one layer of the electrical cable, wherein the target cutting distance includes a target cutting depth or a target cutback distance; control the electrical cable preparation device to cause the at least one cutting tool to cut the at least one layer of the electrical cable to the target cutting distance; determine whether the at least one layer of the electrical cable includes a defect; and perform at least one operation in response to determining that the at least one layer includes the defect; wherein the computing device is configured to determine the defect by determining whether a roughness of the layer satisfies a threshold roughness; wherein the method comprises: determining, by the at least one computing device, a target cutting distance of the at least one layer of the electrical cable, wherein the target cutting distance includes a target cutting depth or a target cutback distance; controlling, by the at least one computing device, the electrical cable preparation device to cause the at least one cutting tool to cut the at least one layer of the electrical cable to the target cutting distance; and performing the at least one operation in response to determining that the at least one layer includes the defect. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising: determining, by the at least one computing device, an actual cutting distance of a cut of at least one layer of an electrical cable cut by an electrical cable preparation device; determining, by the at least one computing device, whether the actual cutting distance satisfies the target cutting distance; and performing, by the at least one computing device, at least one operation based on determining whether the actual cutting distance satisfies a target cutting distance, wherein the actual cutting distance is an actual cutting depth and the target cutting distance is a target cutting depth, or the actual cutting distance is an actual cutback length and the target cutting distance is a target cutback length.