Arrangement for transporting electrical wires from an electrical wire automatic assembly machine to a pick-up point
By combining an automatic wire assembly machine with a pneumatic transmission system, the problem of efficient delivery of pre-assembled wires is solved, realizing an efficient and reliable automated wiring process and improving the utilization rate and wiring accuracy of the automatic wire assembly machine.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- RITTALWERK RUDOLF LOH GMBH & CO KG
- Filing Date
- 2021-12-21
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-05
AI Technical Summary
Existing technologies lack effective robot interfaces and methods for handling pre-assembled wire harnesses, especially since the separation and wiring of flexible wires is complex, resulting in low efficiency in automated wiring.
An automatic wire assembly machine and pneumatic transmission system were designed. The pre-assembled wires are directly transported to the pickup point, such as the end effector of an articulated arm robot, through wire adapters. The pneumatic transmission system enables efficient and directional delivery of wires, avoiding the steps of wire bundle separation and identification.
It enables efficient and reliable delivery of pre-assembled wires, improves the efficiency and accuracy of automated wiring, reduces manual intervention, and is suitable for high-cycle production with multiple pick-up points.
Smart Images

Figure CN116867721B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to an arrangement for transporting wires from an automated wire assembly machine to a pick-up point for manual, semi-automatic, or fully automatic wiring in switches and control equipment. This arrangement is particularly useful when all process steps must be performed on-site, and preferably substantially simultaneously, to achieve the highest possible vertical integration of wiring from wire assembly to switches and / or control equipment. Background Technology
[0002] In the manufacturing process of switches and control equipment, wiring is one of the most critical and time-consuming steps, and to date, it is still often performed entirely manually. Not only is the process highly complex, but the requirement for absolute accuracy also places extremely high demands on the personnel assembling switches and control equipment.
[0003] To optimize this wiring process, various technical aids with different levels of support are known. These range from manual tools and / or semi-automatic machines for wire assembly to fully automatic equipment that fully pre-assembles individual wires, such as cutting, stripping, applying, and crimping the end sleeves of the core wires, so that they can subsequently be used as loose single wires, wire chains of pre-assembled single wires connected in sequence, or coil boxes on which single wires are arranged in sequence.
[0004] However, there is currently no known technological solution for the interface used by robots to receive and process pre-assembled wires in automated wiring processes. In particular, it has been proven that separating pre-assembled wires, provided as wire bundles or sequences of wire combinations, into individual strands for robotic processing is extremely complex, especially since wires are flexible components. Summary of the Invention
[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement of the type described at the beginning, which allows for the reception and processing of pre-assembled wires via pick-up points for semi-automatic or fully automatic wiring of switches or control devices.
[0006] The task is accomplished by an arrangement having the features described in claim 1. The dependent claims relate to various advantageous embodiments of the invention.
[0007] Accordingly, the arrangement includes an automatic wire assembly machine and a pneumatic transmission system, wherein a wire adapter between the automatic wire assembly machine and the pneumatic transmission system has a wire inlet located in the entry area of the automatic wire assembly machine and a wire outlet that leads into at least one transport conductor of the pneumatic transmission system, wherein the at least one transport conductor is guided between the wire adapter and a pickup point.
[0008] The arrangement according to the invention allows for the immediate fabrication of pre-assembled wires, each requiring wiring, by means of an automated assembly machine before wiring, and their delivery as individual wires to a pick-up point (e.g., an articulated robot) via a pneumatic transport system, instead of using pre-assembled bundles of wires consisting of multiple pre-assembled individual wires, which would otherwise have to be separated again for automated wiring. This eliminates the need to individually separate wire bundles or sequences of wires, and in some cases, to identify individual wires within a bundle or sequence of wires.
[0009] By threading pre-assembled wires through transport conductors, pre-assembled wires, typically flexible components, are directed to the pick-up point. This ensures that the wires reach the pick-up point first, such as the end effector of an articulated robot, using their end-effectors (e.g., end sleeves), allowing the robot to reliably attach the wires to the end-effectors, such as end sleeves.
[0010] If the pickup point has an articulated robot, it can be designed so that the conveyor line leads directly into the end effector of the articulated robot. The articulated robot can have a wire-passing brake known in the art, consisting of two counter-rotating rollers, belts, or tracks forming a gap, by means of which a single wire fed to the end effector is fed at a defined feed rate, a feed speed generated by the rotational speed of the rollers, belts, or tracks, for example, to the gripper of the end effector. Alternatively, a pair of rollers, belts, or tracks, where the transport wire is already provided at the end effector, can be configured to brake the wire approaching via the transport wire to a predetermined feed speed. A suitable end effector is known from DE 102019 106 710A1.
[0011] Pick-up points can be workstations used for semi-automatic wiring, as described in WO 2019 / 211 460A1. A pick-up point for fully automated wiring using an articulated robot is described in DE10 2018 133319A1.
[0012] The wire adapter may have an overpressure chamber, which can be pressurized by a pressure source with fluid pressure, such as air pressure, to transport a pre-assembled wire introduced into the wire adapter via the wire inlet toward the wire outlet and through the transport conductor to the pickup point. The pickup point may have a wire outlet, such as a wire brake of the aforementioned configuration, having two counter-rotating rollers, belts, or tracks forming a gap, wherein the gap is precisely fitted to the wire diameter. Such wire-threading brakes are known in the prior art. A similar wire-threading brake is also described in EP 0654436 A1.
[0013] In one embodiment, the pickup point can be designed with a robot equipped with a multi-functional end effector, such as an articulated arm robot, wherein the end effector has a supply hose for the wire, such as a hose made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The supply hose can be a transport wire extending to a wire adapter. In this way, a nearly closed system can be achieved that allows the application of compressed air, enabling the high-speed transport of a pre-assembled wire fed into the system via the wire adapter through the transport wire to the robot's end effector, such as to the end effector's gripper. Transport rollers can be used to brake the pre-assembled wire, transported at high speed via the transport wire, to a speed suitable for the end effector's gripper to pick it up, for example, according to the principle of the wire-passing brake described above. The pre-assembled wire can, for example, have a diameter of 0.5 to 6 mm. 2 The cross-section between. The wire may or may not be equipped with end treatments for the core wires (partial triggers (Teilabzug), end sleeves, etc.).
[0014] Because of the relatively high cycle rates of known automated wire assemblies in the prior art, the arrangement can have multiple pickup points, each supplied with pre-assembled wires by the same automated wire assemblies. To enable the individual delivery of pre-assembled wires to these pickup points, wire branching can be used. The wire branching can be part of a wire adapter or integrated into the at least one transport conductor located below the wire adapter in the wire feed direction. In one embodiment, ideally, only a single transport conductor can be provided in the wire feed direction up to the branch, or two transport conductors can be provided for different wire cross-sectional areas, with any number of transport conductors output in the feed direction of the branch after the multiple pickup points to be supplied, each transport conductor being delivered to one of the multiple pickup points, such as a robot and / or a manual workstation. However, considering the cycle rates achievable with automated wire assemblies, compared to the cycle rates of automated, semi-automatic, or manual wiring, automated wire assemblies can be used to operate approximately ten or more pickup points, allowing the branching to have a corresponding number of pickup transport conductors on its exit side.
[0015] The wire adapter may have an overpressure chamber leading to the transport wire and the wire inlet. The fluid transfer channel between the overpressure chamber and the wire inlet can be closed and opened by an adjustable closing mechanism of the wire adapter. When the closing mechanism is open, a pre-assembled wire supplied by an automatic wire assembly machine is introduced into the overpressure chamber through the wire inlet; for this purpose, the overpressure chamber may be positioned pre-positioned, or a suitable transport mechanism, such as a pair of counter-rotating conveyor rollers, may be provided within the overpressure chamber.
[0016] Once the entire length of the pre-assembled wire has passed through the wire inlet, meaning its rearward end in the feed direction has reached the overpressure chamber, the adjustable closing mechanism can fluid-tightly close the overpressure chamber relative to the wire inlet. The overpressure chamber can be permanently open to the wire outlet. The overpressure chamber can be connected to an overpressure source, such as a compressor. A fluid, such as air, at a specific pressure and / or volumetric flow rate, can be metered from the overpressure source into the overpressure chamber via a valve, causing this fluid to exit the overpressure chamber via a transport wire, thereby actuating or pushing the pre-assembled wire arranged within the overpressure chamber and transporting it along the transport wire toward the pickup point.
[0017] The adjustable closing mechanism may have a slider, preferably a flat slider, which can be adjusted to move between an open position and a closed position via a linear actuator (e.g., a pneumatic piston), in which the fluid transfer channel is opened and in the closed position the fluid transfer channel is closed.
[0018] The slider may have a through hole and an annular seal spaced apart therefrom, wherein, when the adjustable closing mechanism is in the open position, the through hole connects the wire inlet channel of the wire inlet to the overpressure chamber, and wherein, when in the closed position, the annular sealing element sealably surrounds the wire inlet channel.
[0019] The closing mechanism may have an adjusting valve cover that can be adjusted between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, it opens the wire inlet hole of the wire input port. In the closed position, the adjusting valve cover rests against the outside of the wire adapter and closes the wire inlet hole.
[0020] The regulating valve cover can be adjusted and moved between an open and closed position about a pivot axis and is driven by a linear actuator (e.g., a pneumatic piston). A pneumatic lever can drive an elbow mechanism, by which the regulating valve cover in the open position is completely removed from the alignment of the wire inlet, allowing the wire inlet to freely introduce wires, for example, via a transfer tube. The transfer tube can be aligned with the wire inlet a few millimeters, slightly less than 10 mm, in front of the wire inlet to directionally convey pre-assembled wires produced by the automated wire assembly machine to the wire inlet. The transfer tube can be, in particular, a straight section, or has such a straight section, so that the pre-assembled wires, which may be flexible components, leave the transfer tube as substantially straight wires and maintain this geometry, because the wires only need to be bridged a few millimeters, preferably less than 10 mm, after leaving the transfer tube before entering the wire inlet and there further guided based on the geometry of the wire inlet or the wire entry channel connected to the wire inlet, and thus remain substantially straight conductors.
[0021] The adjustable closing mechanism may have a closing piston rotatable about its longitudinal axis, the closing piston having a through hole extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis, the through hole connecting the wire inlet channel of the wire inlet to the overpressure chamber when the adjustable closing mechanism is in the open position, thereby forming a fluid transfer channel, and closing the wire inlet channel when rotated relative to it to the closed position.
[0022] The wire inlet can be equipped with a wire transport vehicle positioned in front of its wire inlet hole, which feeds the wires pre-assembled by the automatic wire assembly machine to the wire inlet hole of the wire inlet. The wire transport vehicle can, for example, have pairs of counter-rotating rollers or tracks. A gap can be formed between the rollers or tracks through which the wires are transported, and the wires are fed into the wire inlet hole of the wire adapter when the pairs of counter-rotating rollers or tracks are positioned outside the overpressure chamber, or when the pairs of counter-rotating rollers or tracks are positioned inside the overpressure chamber, the wires are extracted from the wire inlet hole and fed into the channel leading to the wire inlet.
[0023] The gap (e.g., roller gap) can have an adjustable width, wherein when the roller or track is in a transport state, the width of the gap is substantially equal to the diameter of the wire to be transported. When the roller or track is in a stopped state, the width of the gap can be greater than or equal to the size of the wire entry hole, thereby enabling unobstructed introduction of the wire, at least up to the entry area of the roller or track, and, if necessary, allowing an adjustable closing mechanism (e.g., an adjusting valve cover) to move between an open position and a closed position, particularly swinging, wherein the adjusting valve cover, in the open position, swings out from the alignment of the wire entry hole, thereby allowing the adjusting valve cover to move between the stopped rollers or track of the wire transport vehicle as it swings outward from the closed position to the open position.
[0024] A piston that can move linearly along its longitudinal axis can be arranged in front of the wire inlet hole on the outside of the wire adapter. When the piston is in its retracted position, it is completely retracted from the wire inlet hole, and when it is in its extended position, it passes through the wire inlet hole and enters the wire adapter.
[0025] A piston that is linearly movable along its longitudinal axis can, in its extended position, pass through the wire inlet hole into the wire adapter at least far enough that, when the adjustable closure mechanism opens the fluid transfer channel, the free end of the piston passes through the adjustable closure mechanism, preferably through a linearly movable slider or a closed piston rotatable about its longitudinal axis and having a through hole. The linearly adjustable piston can in particular be used to push a pre-assembled wire, introduced into the wire adapter via the wire inlet hole, behind the effective working area of the adjustable closure mechanism and into the overpressure chamber, thereby allowing the overpressure chamber to be fluidly isolated relative to the wire inlet for transporting the wire out of the overpressure chamber into the transport conduit.
[0026] In addition to its axial mobility, the linearly movable piston also possesses other mobility: when in the pendant position, it is arranged with its longitudinal axis perpendicular to and aligned with the wire inlet hole. In the de-pendant position, the linearly movable piston can be arranged outside the alignment with the wire inlet hole, thereby enabling unobstructed introduction of the pre-assembled wire, for example, using the transfer tube described earlier.
[0027] The automatic wire assembly machine may have a conveyor head that feeds pre-assembled wires produced by the automatic wire assembly machine to a straight transfer tube. This transfer tube can be aligned with the wire entry hole, and through this transfer tube, the wires can be transported to a wire transport vehicle in the form of oriented wires.
[0028] The wire adapter may have a presence sensor configured to detect the presence of a wire in the wire adapter, or whether a wire has left the wire adapter.
[0029] To enable a single automated wire assembly machine to operate multiple pickup points, a pneumatic transport system can be designed with wire branching. This branching can have wire inlets and multiple wire outlets. Pre-assembled wires can be fed to the wire inlets via wire adapters. Each wire outlet is connected to one of the pickup points via a transport conductor. The branching can have an adjustment mechanism that feeds the pre-assembled wires fed through the wire inlets to the transport conductor connected to a target pickup point among the pickup points used for pre-assembled wires. Wire branching can be used to improve the utilization rate of high-investment items like automated wire assembly machines by allowing the machine to operate multiple pickup points while using the branching. Studies show that the cycle rate of such automated wire assembly machines is approximately ten times higher than that of manual, semi-automatic, or fully automatic wiring. Therefore, a general-purpose automated wire assembly machine can operate approximately ten pickup systems using the branching, which includes pre-assembled wires. Attached Figure Description
[0030] Further details of the invention are illustrated in the following figures. The figures show:
[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the arrangement according to the present invention;
[0032] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a wire adapter;
[0033] Figure 3 It is based on Figure 2A perspective view of the slider of the closing mechanism of the wire adapter shown;
[0034] Figure 4 It is based on Figure 2 A 3D view of the wire adapter shown;
[0035] Figure 5 This is a side view of another exemplary embodiment of the wire adapter;
[0036] Figure 6 This is a top view of another exemplary embodiment of a wire adapter, which has a transport vehicle in operation;
[0037] Figure 7 It shows that according to Figure 6 The implementation method and perspective, which has a means of transportation that is in a state of shutdown;
[0038] Figure 8 This is a perspective view of another embodiment of the wire adapter according to the present invention;
[0039] Figure 9 It is based on Figure 8 A perspective view of the closed piston in the illustrated embodiment;
[0040] Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view of another implementation of the wire adapter;
[0041] Figure 11 It is based on Figure 10 A perspective view of the closed piston in the illustrated embodiment;
[0042] Figure 12 This is a perspective view of another implementation of a wire adapter;
[0043] Figure 13 It is based on Figure 12 The illustrated cross-sectional view shows a piston that is linearly movable in its retracted position; and
[0044] Figure 14 It shows that according to Figure 12 The implementation method and perspective, wherein a linearly movable piston is arranged in its extended position. Detailed Implementation
[0045] Figure 1The diagram illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention for transporting wires from an automated wire assembly machine 200 to pick-up points 300. Specifically, the automated wire assembly machine 200 operates two distinct pick-up points 300: one for wiring control or switching equipment with the assistance of a robot, and another for manual or semi-automatic wiring. The automated wire assembly machine 200 is configured and driven to provide a pre-assembled wire required for a particular wiring step to both pick-up points 300 in a timely manner, based on a preset cycle rate and parts list. After the automated wire assembly machine 200 produces a pre-assembled wire 100, it can be fed from the automated wire assembly machine 200 to a compressed air transmission system via a wire adapter 200. After the pre-assembled wire 100 is transferred to the compressed air transmission system 1 via the wire adapter 2, the wire passes through a wire branch 27, which guides the wire to a transport conductor 5 associated with the relevant input port according to its designated pick-up point. The transport line can be a flexible hose, which has at least a friction-reducing coating on its inner wall. Alternatively, the hose can be made primarily of a material with a low coefficient of friction. For example, the hose can have a coating made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), or be made of such a material. The hose can be implemented in a multi-part form, and the various sections of the hose can be interconnected via hose connectors to form the transport line 5.
[0046] When the wire 100 reaches the designated pick-up point 300 along the transport conductor 5, it can be braked there by means of a wire brake and provided to the pick-up point 300 configured as a workstation for manual pick-up, or to the end effector of the pick-up point 300 assisted by a robot for guiding the wire 100. Suitable wire-threading brakes are described, for example, in patent EP 0654436A1. In the case of using an articulated arm robot, the existing roller pair or roller pair (which exists in the end effector for wire feeding) can be used as wire-threading brakes, thus giving the rollers or rollers a dual function. Suitable end effectors are described in patent DE 102019106710A1.
[0047] Because the automatic wire assembly machine 200 can produce wires 100 for wiring significantly faster than the speed at which processing can continue at pick-up point 300, meaning the automatic wire assembly machine 200 has a significantly faster cycle rate than pick-up point 300, the automatic wire assembly machine 200 can operate many, especially more than the two pick-up points 300 shown. Multiple attempts have shown that the automatic wire assembly machine 200 commonly used in the prior art can operate at least approximately ten pick-up points 300.
[0048] In particular, the arrangement according to the invention allows wires to be produced and delivered to the pickup point in a timely manner, thus eliminating the need for a buffer storage area for pre-assembled wires. However, to improve the utilization rate of the automatic wire assembly machine 200, a buffer storage (not shown) can be provided for the pre-assembled wires. This can be arranged, for example, in the transport wire 5 between the wire adapter 2 and the pickup point 300. Furthermore, it is no longer necessary to manufacture wire assembly sequences, such as wire bundles, which require individual wire separation and identification before wiring, thereby significantly increasing processing costs compared to the arrangement according to the invention.
[0049] Figures 2 to 4 An exemplary embodiment of the wire adapter 2 according to the present invention is shown. The wire adapter 2 has a wire inlet 3 and a wire outlet 4. Pre-assembled wires from an automatic wire assembly machine are fed into the wire adapter 2 via the wire inlet 3. To achieve reliable and directional delivery of the wires, especially with wires having a small conductor cross-section and thus high flexibility, an adapter tube 25 is designed, aligned with the wire inlet, so that the pre-assembled wires only need a few millimeters of cable tray after leaving the automatic wire assembly machine to reach the opening 3.
[0050] After the conductor passes through the wire inlet 3 into the wire adapter 2, the wire passes through the fluid transfer channel 7, in which a closing mechanism 8 is arranged. The closing mechanism 8 is configured to select whether the wire inlet 3 is separated from or opened relative to the overpressure chamber 6 of the wire adapter 2. In order to guide the wire into the wire adapter 2, and preferably into the overpressure chamber 6, the wire passes through the through hole 11 of the flat slider 9 when the closing mechanism 8 is in the open position. After the wire has completely passed through the slider 9 and especially the through hole 11, that is, when the rearward end of the wire in the feed direction also enters the overpressure chamber 6, the closing mechanism 8 can be brought into its closed position. In order for the slider 9 to be moved linearly, therefore, according to Figures 2 to 3 In the illustrated embodiment, it is further pushed into the housing of the wire adapter 2 until the annular sealing element 12 (which is arranged on the closed side of the slider 9 facing the overpressure chamber 6) fluid-tightly closes the fluid transfer channel 7 between the pressure chamber 6 and the wire inlet channel 13. The slider 9 can be moved between an open position and a closed position via a linear actuator 10 (e.g., a pneumatic piston).
[0051] After the pre-assembled wires arrive at the wire adapter 2 and the closing mechanism 8 is in its closed position, fluid pressure, particularly pneumatic pressure, can be applied to the overpressure chamber 6 via the pressure connector 31. The pressurized air flowing into the wire adapter 2 via the pressure connector 31 can only leave the wire adapter 2 through the wire outlet 4, where the compressed air actuates or pushes the wires located in the overpressure chamber 6, guiding them into the transport wire 5 connected to the wire outlet 4, such as a flexible tube made of polytetrafluoroethylene.
[0052] Figure 5 An alternative embodiment of the wire adapter 2 according to the present invention is shown, wherein, compared with the one according to... Figures 3 to 4 The implementation differs; the closing mechanism 8 is configured such that the regulating valve cover 14, which swings via a linear drive 17 and an elbow drive 24, can swing about a pivot axis 16. Figure 5 When in the open position shown, the regulating valve cover 15 swings completely out from the alignment point of the front wire inlet hole 15 of the wire inlet port 3, thereby allowing a wire to enter the wire adapter 2 unimpeded through the wire inlet hole 15. For this purpose, see, for example, [reference needed]. Figure 2 As described, the transfer tube 25 can be positioned close to the wire inlet 15 up to a few millimeters away. After at least most of the wire has entered the wire adapter 2 and its rear end has extended from the wire inlet 3 through the wire inlet 15, the regulating valve cover 14 can be... Figure 5 The open position shown swings to the closed position. In the closed position, the regulating valve cover 14 rests against the outside of the wire adapter 2 and closes the wire inlet 15. During the swing of the regulating valve cover 14 to the previously described closed position, the end of the wire extending outward through the wire inlet 15 can also be fully pushed into the wire adapter 2. The regulating valve cover 14 has a sealing element, such as an annular sealing element, on its side facing the wire inlet 15, which surrounds the wire inlet 15 in the closed position, thereby fluidly closing the overpressure chamber of the wire inlet 3 within the wire adapter 2 relative to the wire inlet 3, and the overpressure entering the overpressure chamber (compared to...) Figures 3 to 4 The fluid flow can only be balanced through the wire output port 4, thereby guiding the fluid flow away from the wire adapter 2 through the wire output port 4, and simultaneously driving or pushing the pre-assembled wire received in the wire adapter 2 in the manner described, and guiding it into the transport wire 5 of the pneumatic transmission system connected to the wire output port 4.
[0053] According to Figure 5 In the extended scheme of the illustrated implementation, according to Figure 6 and 7The illustrated embodiment includes an electric wire transport vehicle 19, which consists of two counter-driven rollers 20 with an adjustable roller gap 21 between them. Specifically, the rollers 20 can occupy a position according to... Figure 6 The transportation location shown and according to Figure 7 The work stoppage status is shown. According to... Figure 6 In the transport position shown, the width of the roller gap 21 is approximately equal to the width of the wire to be transported. Figure 7 When the machine is in the stopped position shown, the roller gap 21 has a width sufficient to allow the regulating valve cover 14 (compared to) Figure 5 It oscillates between the rollers 20 without interference between its open and closed positions.
[0054] According to Figure 8 and 9 In the embodiments shown, and according to Figures 2 to 4 The embodiment shown differs; the closing mechanism 8 is configured as a rotatable closing piston 18 within the socket. This piston has a through-hole 11 perpendicular to its longitudinal axis and sealing elements 12 above and below the through-hole 11 to seal the closing piston 18 or the drilled hole 11 relative to the socket. In the open state, the through-hole 11 connects to the wire inlet 3 or the wire inlet channel 13 (compare to...). Figure 2 Alignment is achieved so that a wire can pass unimpeded through the closed piston 18 and be introduced into the overpressure chamber of the wire adapter 2. After the wire has completely, especially completely, passed through the through hole 11 into the pressure chamber, that is, after its rear end in the feed direction has also passed the closed piston, the closed piston 18 can be rotated to its closed position, for example, rotated 90°, thereby sealing the overpressure chamber relative to the wire inlet 3.
[0055] According to Figure 10 and 11 In this embodiment, the wire transport vehicle 19 is arranged within the pressure chamber 6 using its two counter-rotating rollers 20. A closing mechanism, particularly a closing piston 18, is arranged within the passageway connecting the pressure chamber 6 and the wire inlet 3. The closing piston 18 can be... (The sentence is incomplete and requires further context to translate accurately.) Figure 8 and 9 The described method moves between an open position and a closed position to, on the one hand, guide the wire into the pressure chamber 6, and on the other hand, achieve a fluid seal of the wire inlet 3 relative to the pressure chamber 6. According to the embodiment shown in the above figures... Figure 11 and 12The illustrated embodiment has the advantage that, since the wire transport vehicle 19 is arranged inside the pressure chamber 6, the wire introduced via the wire inlet 3 can be fully and without the aid of other technical tools into the pressure chamber 6, especially until the rearward end of the wire in the feed direction is fully passed through the closing mechanism, especially the closing piston 18, so that the closing piston 18 can move unimpeded between its open position and its closed position.
[0056] exist Figures 12 to 14 The embodiment shown combines many of the features described with reference to the above figures, and further includes a piston 23 on its regulating valve cover 14 that is linearly movable along its longitudinal direction. This piston, in its retracted position, is fully retracted from the wire inlet hole 15, and in its extended position, passes through the wire inlet hole 15 into the wire adapter 2, at which point the regulating valve cover 14 is in its closed position. This makes it possible to achieve the previously achieved, for example, by means of a transfer tube 25 (compare...). Figure 2 The wire, essentially fully inserted into the wire inlet 3, can be pushed into the overpressure chamber 6 by means of the piston 23, to a depth such that the rearward end of the wire in the feed direction also passes completely through the closing piston 18 of the closing mechanism. Therefore, the closing piston 18 can be rotated unimpeded from its open position to its closed position without the risk of damaging the wire by a single 90° rotation about its longitudinal axis, thereby fluidly sealing the pressure chamber 6 relative to the wire inlet 3. Accordingly, in this embodiment, the closing valve cover 14 does not have a sealing function, which is consistent with... Figure 5 The implementation method shown.
[0057] The features of the present invention disclosed in the foregoing description, drawings and claims can be used individually or in any combination to constitute the key to realizing the present invention.
[0058] List of reference numerals
[0059] 1 Compressed air transport system
[0060] 2. Wire connection
[0061] 3. Wire input port
[0062] 4. Cable output port
[0063] 5. Transport wire
[0064] 6 Overpressure Chamber
[0065] 7. Transfer Channel
[0066] 8 Closing Mechanism
[0067] 9 Slider
[0068] 10 Linear Actuators
[0069] 11 Through Holes
[0070] 12 Sealing elements
[0071] 13. Electrical wires entering the passage.
[0072] 14. Regulating valve cover
[0073] 15. Wire entry hole
[0074] 16 Pivots
[0075] 17 Linear Drives
[0076] 18. Closed piston
[0077] 19. Wire transport vehicles
[0078] 20 rollers
[0079] 21 Roller gap
[0080] 22 channels
[0081] 23 Pistons
[0082] 24. Elbow lever drive component
[0083] 25 Transfer tubes
[0084] 26. Sensors are present.
[0085] 27. Wire branch
[0086] 28. Wire entrance
[0087] 29. Wire outlet
[0088] 30 Adjustment Mechanism
[0089] 31 Pressure fitting
Claims
1. An arrangement for transporting wires (100) from an automatic wire assembly machine (200) to a pickup point (300), wherein, The arrangement includes an automatic wire assembly machine (200) and a pneumatic transport system (1), wherein a wire adapter (2) between the automatic wire assembly machine (200) and the pneumatic transport system (1) has a wire input port (3) arranged in the entry area of the automatic wire assembly machine (200) and also has a wire output port (4), the wire output port leading into at least one transport wire (5) of the pneumatic transport system (1), the at least one transport wire being guided between the wire adapter (2) and the pickup point (300), wherein the wire adapter (2) has an overpressure chamber (6) leading to the transport wire (5) and the wire input port (3). The fluid transfer channel (7) between the overpressure chamber (6) and the wire inlet (3) is characterized in that it can be closed and opened by an adjustable closing mechanism (8) of the wire adapter (2). The adjustable closing mechanism (8) has a slider (9) or a closing piston (18) that can rotate about its longitudinal axis; A linearly movable piston (23) is arranged in front of the wire inlet hole (15) on the outside of the wire adapter (2). The linearly movable piston is fully retracted from the wire inlet hole (15) when it is in its retracted position and enters the wire adapter (2) through the wire inlet hole (15) when it is in its extended position. The linearly movable piston (23) enters the wire adapter (2) through the wire inlet hole (15) at least far enough in its extended position that when the adjustable closing mechanism (8) opens the fluid transfer channel (7), the free end of the linearly movable piston passes through the linearly movable slider (9) or the closed piston (18) with the through hole (11).
2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein, The slider can be moved between an open position and a closed position via a linear actuator (10). In the open position, the flow transfer channel (7) is opened, and in the closed position, the fluid transfer channel (7) is closed.
3. The arrangement according to claim 2, wherein, The linear actuator (10) is a pneumatic piston.
4. The arrangement according to claim 2, wherein, The slider (9) has a through hole (11) and an annular sealing element (12) spaced apart therefrom, wherein, when the adjustable closing mechanism (8) is in the open position, the through hole (11) connects the wire inlet channel (13) of the wire inlet (3) to the overpressure chamber (6), and wherein, when in the closed position, the annular sealing element (12) sealably surrounds the wire inlet channel (13).
5. The arrangement according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein, The closing mechanism (8) has an adjusting valve cover (14) that is movable between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, the adjusting valve cover opens the wire inlet hole (15) of the wire inlet (3). In the closed position, the adjusting valve cover (14) rests against the outside of the wire adapter (2) and closes the wire inlet hole (15).
6. The arrangement according to claim 5, wherein, The regulating valve cover (14) is movable about a pivot axis (16) between an open position and a closed position and is driven by a linear drive (17).
7. The arrangement according to claim 6, wherein, The linear drive (17) is a pneumatic piston drive.
8. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein, The closing piston has a through hole (11) extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. When the adjustable closing mechanism (8) is in the open position, the through hole connects the wire inlet channel (13) of the wire inlet (3) to the overpressure chamber (6), thereby forming a fluid transfer channel (7), and closes the wire inlet channel (13) when rotated relative to it to the closed position.
9. The arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The wire inlet (3) has a wire transport tool (19) in front of its wire inlet hole (15), by means of which the wires pre-assembled by the automatic wire assembly machine (200) are fed to the wire inlet hole (15) of the wire inlet (3).
10. According to the arrangement of claim 9, the wire transport vehicle (19) has a pair of counter-rotating tracks, belts, rollers (20) forming a gap (21) between them through which the wire (100) is transported, and the wire (100) is fed into the wire inlet (15) of the wire adapter (2) when the pair of counter-rotating tracks, belts, or rollers (20) are arranged outside the overpressure chamber (6), or the wire (100) is drawn from the wire inlet (15) and fed into the channel (22) leading to the wire outlet (4) when the pair of counter-rotating tracks, belts, or rollers (20) are arranged inside the overpressure chamber (6).
11. The arrangement according to claim 10, wherein, The gap (21) has an adjustable width, wherein when the track, belt or roller (20) is in a transport state, the width of the gap (21) is equal to the diameter of the wire (100) to be transported, and wherein when the track, belt or roller (20) is in a stop state, the width of the gap (21) is greater than or equal to the size of the wire entry hole (15).
12. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein, The linearly movable piston (23) has other mobility besides its axial mobility, wherein the linearly movable piston (23) is arranged in the in-place state with its longitudinal axis perpendicular to and aligned with the wire inlet hole (15), and in the out-of-place state with its longitudinal axis perpendicular to and aligned with the wire inlet hole (15).
13. The arrangement according to claim 9, wherein, The automatic wire assembly machine (200) has a conveyor head that feeds the wires (100) produced by the automatic wire assembly machine (200) to a straight transfer tube (25) that is aligned with the wire entry hole (15) and through which the wires (100) are transported in the form of oriented wires (100) to the wire transport vehicle (19).
14. The arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The wire adapter (2) has a presence sensor (26) which is used to detect whether there is a wire (100) in the wire adapter (2).
15. The arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The pneumatic transport system (1) has a wire branch (27), wherein the wire branch has a wire inlet (28) and a plurality of wire outlets (29), wherein a pre-assembled wire (100) is fed to the wire inlet (28) by the wire adapter (2), and each wire outlet (29) is connected to one of the pickup points (300) via one of the transport wires (5), and wherein the wire branch (27) has an adjustment mechanism (30) by means of which the pre-assembled wire (100) fed via the wire inlet (28) is fed to the transport wire (5) connected to the target pickup point (300) among the pickup points (300) for the pre-assembled wire (100).
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