Patents by Inventor Lei (Alex) Zhou

Lei (Alex) Zhou has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11966006
    Abstract: A cable detection system for detecting an end of a cable having a plurality of exposed different sections includes an illumination device and a camera. The illumination device emits an illuminating light to the end of the cable. The illumination device simultaneously emits a parallel light and a diffuse light to the end of the cable. The camera captures an image of the end of the cable. The parallel light sharpens a boundary between the different sections of the cable in the image, and the diffuse light clarifies a surface of the different sections in the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignees: TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH, Kunshan League Automechanism Co., Ltd., Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Sonny O. Osunkwo, Sai Tarun Kosaraju, Cong Lin, Tianshu Wu
  • Publication number: 20240110776
    Abstract: A detection device adapted to verify or determine a welding quality includes a housing, a moving assembly, a mounting bracket, and a rotating assembly. The moving assembly is movably installed on the housing and is adapted to be moved up and down in a vertical direction. The mounting bracket is fixed to the housing. The rotating assembly includes a rotating member rotatably connected to the mounting bracket and movably connected to the moving assembly, and a contact probe fixed to the rotating member. The contact probe is adapted to make sliding contact with a second component welded on a first component and to push the moving assembly to move in the vertical direction through the rotating member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2023
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Dongguan) Ltd., TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH, Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Xuyan Yu, Haoquan Yao, Hongzhou (Andy) Shen, Yi Li
  • Patent number: 11933737
    Abstract: A detection device for detecting a workpiece with multiple surfaces includes a rotary table carrying the workpiece and moving the workpiece by rotation and a plurality of photographing devices arranged at a plurality of different positions around the rotary table. Each photographing device has an image capture device capturing an image of a corresponding surface of the workpiece that is moved to the image capture device. An orientation of the image capture device is defined by a first offset angle and a second offset angle when the image capture device captures the image of the corresponding surface of the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignees: Tyco Electronics AMP Guangdong Ltd., TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH, Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Yanlin Huang, Yangqin Ma, Wei Yang, Guishou Chen, Ming Yang, Yuanyi Zhao
  • Patent number: 11921029
    Abstract: A product index mechanism for a product inspection system includes a material strip driving wheel and an index structure driving wheel. The material strip driving wheel engages with a material strip carrying a plurality of products to be inspected by an inspection device of the product inspection system. The driving wheel drives the material strip to move. The index structure driving wheel rotates synchronously with the material strip driving wheel and includes a plurality of product index structures thereon. As a product on the material strip is moved by the material strip driving wheel to an inspection position of the inspection device, one product index structure on the index structure driving wheel is rotated to a trigger position corresponding to a trigger of the inspection system. Activation of the trigger transmits a trigger signal to the inspection device to inspect the product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignees: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Lvhai (Samuel) Hu, Qing (Carrie) Zhou, Rong Zhang
  • Patent number: 11851287
    Abstract: A carrier is configured to hold a product carried on a material strip during horizontal conveying of the material strip. The carrier comprises a first holding member positioned on the upper or lower side of the product on the material strip during the horizontal conveying of the material strip and extending along a conveying direction of the material strip. A first contact surface is formed on the side of the first holding member facing the product, the first contact surface is configured to contact the product during the horizontal conveying of the material strip to limit the up and down bouncing movement of the product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignees: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Kunshan League Automechanism Co., Ltd., TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Lvhai (Samuel) Hu, Qing (Carrie) Zhou, Yuting He, Jianglin Duan
  • Publication number: 20230279949
    Abstract: A seal ring installation module comprises a seal ring pickup and transfer device adapted to pick up a seal ring and transfer the seal ring to a component. The pickup and transfer device includes a support member and an outer cylinder sleeved on the support member. The support member has an external shape or at least one external dimension corresponding to those of the component. One end of the support member protrudes from an opening at one end of the outer cylinder to pick up and support the seal ring. One of the outer cylinder or the support member is movable axially relative to the other and is adapted to, with the component axially aligned with and contacting the one end of the support member, transfer the seal ring supported on the one end of the support member from the support member to the component under a biasing force applied by an end face of one end of the outer cylinder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2023
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Applicant: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Xianghao (Jorge) Bao, Jian Cao, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Fengchun (Fred) Xie, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Lei (Alex) Zhou, (Samuel) Hu
  • Publication number: 20230253749
    Abstract: A fixing system includes a wire clamping device and a fixture. The wire clamping device is adapted to clamp and fix a plurality of wires. The fixture includes a base plate, a wire fixing member adapted to fix the plurality of wires clamped by the wire clamping device on the base plate, and a circuit board fixing member adapted to fix a circuit board on a front face of the base plate. The wire fixing member and the circuit board fixing member are arranged so as to align cores or conductors of the plurality of wires clamped by the wire clamping device with a plurality of wire welding pads of the circuit board placed on the base plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2023
    Publication date: August 10, 2023
    Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., TE Connectivity Services GmbH
    Inventors: Rong Zhang, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Lei (Alex) Zhou, Xianghao (Jorge) Bao
  • Publication number: 20230166910
    Abstract: A pallet lifting rack includes a pair of lifting devices. Each of the lifting devices has a frame, a movable bracket mounted on the frame and movable in a vertical direction relative to the frame, a support member connected to the movable bracket, and a driving device driving the movable bracket and the support member to move along the vertical direction. The support members of the pair of lifting devices support a bottom surface of a pallet from a pair of sides of the pallet, so that the pallet is supported on the support members and movable to different height positions in the vertical direction by the support members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2022
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Applicants: TE Connectivity Services GmbH, Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Xianghao (Jorge) Bao, Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Rong Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Ming (Reuben) Ni, Lei (Leo) Yang
  • Publication number: 20230132348
    Abstract: A product inspection system includes a separating device separating a pair of adjacent products in a row of products by a predetermined distance, an image capturing device simultaneously capturing a plurality of images of a plurality of surfaces of all the products of the row of products that have been separated by the separating device, and a rotating device simultaneously rotating the products in the row of products separated by the separating device. The surfaces to be inspected of each product in the row of products are successively rotated to an orientation facing the image capturing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2022
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., TE Connectivity Services GmbH
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Qing (Carrie) Zhou, Rong Zhang
  • Publication number: 20230094099
    Abstract: A detection system includes an imaging device and a control device connected in communication with the imaging device. The imaging device captures a 3D image of a connector including a housing, a terminal, and a cable. The control device calculates a height of a connection end of the cable crimped to the terminal relative to a bottom surface of the housing according to the 3D image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2022
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH
    Inventors: Qing (Carrie) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Lei (Alex) Zhou
  • Publication number: 20230021095
    Abstract: A product inspection system includes an image acquisition system having a camera generating an inspection image of a product arranged between a plurality of mirrors. The inspection image has a plurality of sub images of different sides of the product. The inspection system has a calibration member with a plurality of correction patterns on different sides; the camera receives light from the calibration member reflected by the mirrors to generate a calibration image of the calibration member. A computer of the product inspection system receives the inspection image and the calibration image and determines a relative mirror position relationship between the mirrors. The computer forms a single spliced image of the product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2022
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., TE Connectivity Services GmbH
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Rong Zhang, Qing (Carrie) Zhou
  • Publication number: 20220404522
    Abstract: A cable detection system for detecting an end of a cable having a plurality of exposed different sections includes an illumination device and a camera. The illumination device emits an illuminating light to the end of the cable. The illumination device simultaneously emits a parallel light and a diffuse light to the end of the cable. The camera captures an image of the end of the cable. The parallel light sharpens a boundary between the different sections of the cable in the image, and the diffuse light clarifies a surface of the different sections in the image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2022
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, TE Connectivity Services GmbH, Kunshan League Automechanism Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Sonny O. Osunkwo, Sai Tarun Kosaraju, Cong Lin, Tianshu Wu
  • Publication number: 20220390384
    Abstract: An imaging system includes a mirror and an imaging device. The mirror includes a body and a conical hole formed in the body. An inner wall surface of the conical hole is a conical mirror. The imaging device faces a first opening of the conical hole and captures an image of a product in the conical hole. A light from a side surface of the product is reflected by the conical mirror to the imaging device and the imaging device captures a side surface image of the product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2022
    Publication date: December 8, 2022
    Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, TE Connectivity Services GmbH
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Rong Zhang, Qing (Carrie) Zhou
  • Publication number: 20220380137
    Abstract: A carrier is configured to hold a product carried on a material strip during horizontal conveying of the material strip. The carrier comprises a first holding member positioned on the upper or lower side of the product on the material strip during the horizontal conveying of the material strip and extending along a conveying direction of the material strip. A first contact surface is formed on the side of the first holding member facing the product, the first contact surface is configured to contact the product during the horizontal conveying of the material strip to limit the up and down bouncing movement of the product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2022
    Publication date: December 1, 2022
    Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., TE Connectivity Services GmbH, Kunshan League Automechanism Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Lvhai (Samuel) Hu, Qing (Carrie) Zhou, Yuting He, Jianglin Duan
  • Publication number: 20220373471
    Abstract: A detection device for detecting a workpiece with multiple surfaces includes a rotary table carrying the workpiece and moving the workpiece by rotation and a plurality of photographing devices arranged at a plurality of different positions around the rotary table. Each photographing device has an image capture device capturing an image of a corresponding surface of the workpiece that is moved to the image capture device. An orientation of the image capture device is defined by a first offset angle and a second offset angle when the image capture device captures the image of the corresponding surface of the workpiece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2022
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, TE Connectivity Services GmbH, Tyco Electronics AMP Guangdong Ltd
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Yanlin Huang, Yangqin Ma, Wei Yang, Guishou Chen, Ming Yang, Yuanyi Zhao
  • Publication number: 20220349832
    Abstract: A self-calibrating inspection system includes an inspection device adapted to visually inspect or measure an article placed on a carrier, and a motion actuator moving the inspection device along a predetermined motion trajectory relative to the carrier and the article placed thereon. A correction member of the system is fixedly positioned with respect to the carrier. A distance sensor is fixedly positioned relative to the inspection device and adapted to sense a first spacing between the distance sensor and the correction member during the movement of the inspection device by the motion actuator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., TE Connectivity Services GmbH, AMP Amermex, S.A. de C.V.
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Rong Zhang, Angel Alberto Slistan, Jorge Enrique Clayton, Sonny O Osunkwo, Jiankun (Jerry) Zhou, Xianghao (Jorge) Bao
  • Publication number: 20220341852
    Abstract: A portable visual inspection apparatus comprises a box including a lower box portion and an upper box portion. The upper box portion defines a first accommodation space and is connected to the lower box portion such that is capable of being opened and closed. A visual inspection device is installed in the first accommodation space and is adapted to be switched between an expanded configuration in which the visual inspection device is at least partially expanded for photographing an image of an article, and a folded configuration in which the visual inspection device is at least partially folded for storage in the first accommodation space. A support platform is arranged in the lower box portion and defines an inspection area below the visual inspection device in the expanded configuration. The portable visual inspection apparatus is switchable between a use configuration and a transportation configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., TE Connectivity Services GmbH
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Qing (Carrie) Zhou, Yun (Shanghai) Liu, Huabin Du, Mark Andrew Ondo, Matthew Orlowski, Sonny O. Osunkwo, Lvhai (Samuel) Hu, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu
  • Publication number: 20220324644
    Abstract: A container transferring system autonomously transfers a container between a product processing machine and a container storage position. The system includes an automated guided vehicle (AGV) container transferring subsystem, and a machine side container conveying subsystem. The machine side conveying subsystem is arranged adjacent the product processing machine and receives empty containers from the AGV container transferring subsystem and transmits a full container to the AGV container transferring subsystem. The AGV container transferring subsystem docks with the machine side container conveying subsystem at a first docking position and moves autonomously between the first docking position and the container storage position to transport the empty container from the container storage position to the machine side container conveying subsystem, and transport the full container from the machine side container conveying subsystem to the container storage position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., TE Connectivity Services GmbH
    Inventors: Xianghao (Jorge) Bao, Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Fengchun (Fred) Xie, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu
  • Publication number: 20220289495
    Abstract: An image acquisition system comprises an image capture device and a guide mechanism. The image capture device captures an image of at least a part of a surface of an article located on an article placement surface. The guide mechanism is positioned to be separated from the article placement surface. The image capture device is movably mounted on the guide mechanism such that the image capture device is movable along the guide mechanism to adjust a spacing between the image capture device and the surface of the article located on the article placement surface. The image capture device captures the image when the spacing is equal to a predetermined working distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, TE Connectivity Services GmbH
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Rong Zhang, Qing (Carrie) Zhou
  • Publication number: 20220291115
    Abstract: A product index mechanism for a product inspection system includes a material strip driving wheel and an index structure driving wheel. The material strip driving wheel engages with a material strip carrying a plurality of products to be inspected by an inspection device of the product inspection system. The driving wheel drives the material strip to move. The index structure driving wheel rotates synchronously with the material strip driving wheel and includes a plurality of product index structures thereon. As a product on the material strip is moved by the material strip driving wheel to an inspection position of the inspection device, one product index structure on the index structure driving wheel is rotated to a trigger position corresponding to a trigger of the inspection system. Activation of the trigger transmits a trigger signal to the inspection device to inspect the product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., TE Connectivity Services GmbH
    Inventors: Lei (Alex) Zhou, Dandan (Emily) Zhang, Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu, Lvhai (Samuel) Hu, Qing (Carrie) Zhou, Rong Zhang