Cable processing equipment and control method thereof
By combining computer vision technology and gas separation technology, automatic and efficient separation and cutting of different cables and materials is achieved, solving the problems of limitations in the application of automation equipment and low processing efficiency in the existing technology, and improving the processing stability and scope of application.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202311569292.6
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-11-22
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-30
AI Technical Summary
In the prior art, automation equipment used for cable separation and cutting has great application limitations, cannot adapt to the needs of different cables and materials, and has low processing efficiency and unstable processing.
Using a solution combining computer vision technology and air separation technology, the cable fixing tooling, air separation device, cutting device, camera module and control device can realize automatic and efficient separation and cutting of different rigid parts of the cable.
It realizes efficient separation and cutting of different cables and materials, improves processing efficiency and stability, expands the scope of application of equipment, and ensures machining robustness.
Smart Images
Figure CN120073542A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of cable processing, and in particular, to a cable processing device and a control method thereof. Background Art
[0002] During the processing and assembly of cable products, it is often necessary to separate different rigid parts in the cable and then cut a certain part. For example, in optical cable products, in order to connect the optical cable to the connector, it is necessary to separate the strengthening member from the optical fiber and then cut the redundant strengthening member flush.
[0003] In different cable products and different application scenarios, there are various possibilities for the parts to be separated and cut. Although the related art provides some automated devices for cable separation and cutting, some are designed for specific types of cables, and some are designed for specific separation and cutting scenarios, with relatively large application limitations. Summary of the Invention
[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a cable processing device and a control method thereof, which are used to improve the problem of relatively large application limitations of the automated devices for cable separation and cutting in the related art.
[0005] To achieve the above object, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions:
[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a cable processing device, which includes a cable fixing tooling, a gas separation device, a cutting device, a camera module, and a control device. Among them, the cable fixing tooling is used to fix the cable to be processed; the cable to be processed includes a first cable part, and the first cable part includes a first rigid structure and a second rigid structure with different rigidities, and the rigidity of the first rigid structure is less than that of the second rigid structure; the area on one side of the cable fixing tooling along the first direction is the action area. When the cable to be processed is installed on the cable fixing tooling, the first cable part extends to the action area and is in a suspended state.
[0007] The gas separation device includes a gas nozzle and a gas nozzle driving device; the gas separation device generates a separation air flow acting on the action area through the gas nozzle; the gas nozzle driving device is used to drive the gas nozzle to move to adjust the action position of the separation air flow in the action area; under the action of the separation air flow, the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure in the first cable part are separated.
[0008] The cutting device is used to cut the first rigid structure or the second rigid structure after the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure are separated.
[0009] The camera module is used to photograph the action area; the control device and the camera module, the gas separation device and the cutting device are all electrically connected; the control device is configured to control the gas separation device and the cutting device to work according to the image captured by the camera module.
[0010] In the cable processing equipment provided in the embodiment of the present application, a solution combining computer vision technology and gas separation technology is adopted to realize automatic and efficient separation and cutting of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure in the first cable part; compared with the traditional manual separation method, it has higher efficiency and more stable processing results. In addition, it can be applicable to different cables, as well as first rigid structures and second rigid structures of different materials; compared with the automation equipment in the related technology, it has higher cable compatibility and a wider range of applications; and ensures the processing robustness of the equipment. At the same time, through real-time visual detection, visual closed-loop feedback control can be achieved, which is beneficial to improving the processing effect and success rate of the equipment.
[0011] In some embodiments, the cable processing equipment also includes a cable carrier, and the cable carrier and the cable fixing tool are spaced apart in a first direction; the cable carrier includes a cable carrying groove whose opening gradually increases from the inside to the outside, and the cable carrying groove is used to carry the end part of the first cable part away from the cable fixing tool.
[0012] Under the action of the separated airflow, the second rigid structure in the first cable portion is located in the cable bearing groove, and the first rigid structure escapes from the cable bearing groove.
[0013] In the cable processing device provided in the embodiment of the present application, by setting up a cable bearing frame, support can be provided for the first cable portion in a suspended state in the action area; under the action of the cable bearing frame and the cable fixing tooling, most of the structure in the first cable portion is in a suspended state; and the cable bearing frame can also be used as a reference to achieve separation of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure. It can be seen from this that by setting up a cable bearing frame, a state basis can be provided for pneumatic separation, and it is also beneficial to perform pneumatic separation processing on the first cable portion.
[0014] In addition, the opening characteristics of the cable bearing groove can be utilized to gather the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure, and confine the two to a smaller area, which is beneficial to reducing the action range of the gas separation device.
[0015] In some embodiments, the cable processing equipment also includes a carrier driving device, and the cable carrier is installed on the carrier driving device, and the carrier driving device drives the cable carrier to move along the first direction; when the cable carrier moves along the first direction toward the side away from the cable fixing tooling, the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure can be retracted into the cable carrying groove.
[0016] With such a design, by utilizing the movement of the cable carrier in the first direction and the opening characteristics of the cable carrier groove, the folding of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure can be achieved, and the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure in a dispersed state can be folded into a smaller range, which is more conducive to achieving pneumatic separation.
[0017] In some embodiments, the cable processing device further includes a folding device, and the folding device includes a first folding member, a second folding member, a first folding driving device, and a second folding driving device.
[0018] The first folding member and the second folding member are oppositely arranged in the first direction, and the second folding member is farther from the cable fixing tooling relative to the first folding member.
[0019] The first folding member is installed on the first folding driving device, and the first folding driving device is used to drive the first folding member to move in the second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.
[0020] The second folding member is installed on the second folding driving device, and the second folding driving device is used to drive the second folding member to move in the first direction and the second direction.
[0021] During the process of the second folding member moving towards the first folding member in the first direction, the separated first rigid structure can be folded; when the second folding member and the first folding member move together in the second direction, the folded first rigid structure can be guided to one side.
[0022] In the cable processing device provided by the embodiments of the present application, by setting the folding device, the separated state of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure can be maintained after the pneumatic separation device stops working, so that the pneumatic separation device can be shut down during the cutting process of the first rigid structure or the second rigid structure; at the same time, it is also beneficial to control the cutting position and cutting distance of the first rigid structure or the second rigid structure.
[0023] In some embodiments, the first folding member is an arc-shaped structure or a V-shaped structure with an opening facing the second folding member; the second folding member is an arc-shaped structure or a V-shaped structure with an opening facing the first folding member. With such a design, a larger folding range of the first folding member and the second folding member can be ensured.
[0024] In some embodiments, the first closing member includes a first V-shaped structure and a second V-shaped structure arranged at intervals in the second direction; the second closing member is an arc-shaped structure; during the movement of the second closing member towards the first closing member along the first direction, the second closing member can extend between the first V-shaped structure and the second V-shaped structure. With such a design, synchronous movement can be achieved after the first closing member and the second closing member are closed, which is beneficial to the synchronization of the movements of the two, and is also beneficial to the integration of the driving device. The first closing member and the second closing member are driven to move in the second direction by the same driving device.
[0025] In some embodiments, a cable carrier is provided on one side of the second closing member in the second direction; the cable carrier includes a cable carrier groove with an opening gradually increasing from the inside to the outside, and the cable carrier groove is used to carry the end portion of the first cable portion far from the cable fixing tooling.
[0026] During the movement of the cable carrier towards the side away from the cable fixing tooling along with the second closing member, the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure can be closed into the cable carrier groove.
[0027] With such a design, the integration of the cable carrier and the closing device can be achieved, so that the cable driving device can be omitted, which is beneficial to simplifying the structure and saving costs.
[0028] In some embodiments, the air separation device includes an air source, a connecting pipeline, an air nozzle and an air nozzle driving device; the air source is communicated with the air nozzle through the connecting pipeline, the air nozzle is installed on the air nozzle driving device, and the air nozzle driving device is used to drive the air nozzle to move in the acting area. By controlling the movement of the air nozzle, the acting range of the air separation device can be controlled, which is beneficial to improving the separation effect on the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure.
[0029] In some embodiments, the air nozzle driving device includes a first driving part and a second driving part; the air nozzle is installed on the first driving part, and the first driving part is used to drive the air nozzle to swing around an axis parallel to the first direction; the first driving part is installed on the second driving part, and the second driving part is used to drive the first driving part and the air nozzle to translate along the first direction.
[0030] With such a design, it is beneficial for the air nozzle to act on different positions of the first cable portion along the length direction, so as to be beneficial to improving the separation effect on the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure.
[0031] In some embodiments, the cutting device includes a cutting acting member and a cutting driving device, and the cutting driving device is used for the cutting acting member to work and drives the cutting acting member to move. With such a design, the acting position of the cutting acting member can be controlled, which is applicable to different application scenarios.
[0032] Second aspect, embodiments of the present application also provide a control method for a cable processing device. The control method is applied to the cable processing device described in any one of the embodiments of the first aspect, and the control method includes:
[0033] Based on the captured image of the camera module, identify the materials of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure in the first cable part;
[0034] Based on the materials of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure, control the air separation device to operate;
[0035] Based on the captured image of the camera module, identify the separation state of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure;
[0036] After the separation of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure is completed, control the cutting device to operate.
[0037] In some embodiments, after identifying the separation state of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure based on the captured image of the camera module, it further includes:
[0038] In the case where the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure are partially separated, determine the position information of the unseparated first rigid structure;
[0039] Based on the position information, control the air separation device to adjust the acting position. Description of the Drawings
[0040] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an optical cable provided for the related art;
[0041] Figure 2 For Figure 1 The cutting schematic diagram of the optical cable in;
[0042] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a cable processing device provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0043] Figure 4 For Figure 3 The schematic structural diagram of a part of the structure in;
[0044] Figure 5 A connection schematic diagram of an air separation device provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0045] Figure 6 For Figure 3 The schematic structural diagram of the cutting device in;
[0046] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a part of the structure in another cable processing device provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0047] Figure 8 ForFigure 7 Schematic diagram of the movement of the first and second folding members;
[0048] Figure 9 Connection schematic diagram of the control device in a cable processing device provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0049] Figure 10 Flowchart of a control method for a cable processing device provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners
[0050] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments.
[0051] Hereinafter, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are only used for convenience of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first", "second", etc. may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present application, unless otherwise stated, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.
[0052] In the embodiments of the present application, "upper", "lower", "left", and "right" are not defined only in terms of the orientation of the components shown in the relative drawings. It should be understood that these directional terms may be relative concepts, and they are used for relative description and clarification, and they may change accordingly with the change of the orientation of the components shown in the drawings.
[0053] In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise required by the context, throughout the specification and claims, the term "comprising" is interpreted as an open, inclusive meaning, that is, "including, but not limited to". In the description of the specification, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiments", "exemplarily" or "some examples", etc. are intended to indicate that specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics related to the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. The schematic representations of the above terms are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example. In addition, the described specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be included in any one or more embodiments or examples in any appropriate manner.
[0054] As used herein, "about", "substantially" or "approximately" includes the stated value and the average value within an acceptable deviation range of the specific value, where the acceptable deviation range is determined by those of ordinary skill in the art considering the measurement being discussed and the errors associated with the measurement of the specific quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system).
[0055] As used herein, "parallel", "perpendicular", and "equal" include the stated cases and cases similar to the stated cases, where the range of the similar cases is within an acceptable deviation range, and the acceptable deviation range is determined by those of ordinary skill in the art considering the measurements being discussed and the errors associated with the measurements of specific quantities (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system). For example, "parallel" includes absolute parallelism and approximate parallelism, where the acceptable deviation range for approximate parallelism can be, for example, within a deviation of 5°; "perpendicular" includes absolute perpendicularity and approximate perpendicularity, where the acceptable deviation range for approximate perpendicularity can also be, for example, within a deviation of 5°. "Equal" includes absolute equality and approximate equality, where the acceptable deviation range for approximate equality can be, for example, that the difference between the two equal ones is less than or equal to 5% of either one of them.
[0056] It should be understood that when a layer or element is referred to as being on another layer or substrate, it can be that the layer or element is directly on the other layer or substrate, or there can be an intermediate layer between the layer or element and the other layer or substrate.
[0057] Exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to cross-sectional views and / or plan views and / or equivalent circuit diagrams that are idealized exemplary drawings. In the drawings, the thickness of layers and regions is exaggerated for clarity. Thus, variations in the shape relative to the drawings due to, for example, manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances can be envisioned. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments should not be construed as limited to the shapes of the regions shown herein, but include shape deviations caused, for example, by manufacturing. For example, an etched region shown as rectangular will generally have curved features. Thus, the regions shown in the drawings are schematic in nature, and their shapes are not intended to show the actual shape of the regions of the device and are not intended to limit the scope of the exemplary embodiments.
[0058] Figure 1 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of an optical cable provided in the related art, as Figure 1As shown, the optical cable 100 includes an optical fiber 104, an optical fiber loose tube 103, a strength member 102, and an outer sheath 101. Among them, the optical fiber 104 includes a bare fiber 106 and an optical fiber ointment 105 coated on the surface of the bare fiber 106. The optical fiber loose tube 103, also known as a loose buffer tube, is wrapped around the outer periphery of the optical fiber 104. The strength member 102 is disposed on the outer periphery of the optical fiber 104 and extends along the length direction of the optical fiber 104. By providing the strength member 102, the strength of the optical cable 100 can be increased, and the mechanical properties such as the voltage resistance and tensile strength of the optical cable 100 can be improved; and it can also play a certain protective role for the optical fiber 104. The strength member 102 can be wound around the outer periphery of the optical fiber loose tube 103 and extend in the length direction of the optical fiber 104 during the winding process; in this case, the strength member 102 can be made of a fiber reinforced composite material (Fiber Reinforced Polymer or Fiber Reinforced Plastic, abbreviated as FRP), such as glass fiber, carbon fiber, aramid fiber, etc.; or it can also be made of KFRP (polyester aramid yarn). The strength member 102 can also extend in parallel with the optical fiber loose tube 103 on the outer periphery of the optical fiber loose tube 103. In this case, the strength member 102 is usually a metal wire, such as a steel wire.
[0059] Please refer to Figure 2 , during the connection and assembly process of the optical cable 100, it is often necessary to separately strip out the optical fiber loose tube 103 (including the internal optical fiber 104) to facilitate connection with devices such as connectors. To achieve the above purpose, it is necessary to remove the outer sheath 101 of the optical cable 100. After removing the outer sheath 101, the strength member 102 is separated from the optical fiber loose tube 103, and then the strength member 102 is cut off; this process is also known as fiber separation and yarn cutting. It should be noted that in the description of the separation of the strength member 102 from the optical fiber loose tube 103 in this article, the optical fiber loose tube 103 does not refer to a single optical fiber loose tube 103, but also includes the optical fiber 104 located inside the optical fiber loose tube 103.
[0060] During the process of performing fiber separation and yarn cutting on the optical cable 100, it is also necessary to reserve a part of the strength member 102 to ensure that the optical cable 100 can meet the fixing requirements and tensile requirements when fixedly connected to the connector; therefore, it is necessary to control the cutting position and cutting length of the strength member 102.
[0061] In the related art, the fiber splitting and yarn cutting process of the optical cable 100 is usually completed manually. That is, manually use an outer sheath 101 stripping tool to remove the outer sheath 101 of the optical cable 100, and then manually find the optical fiber empty tube 103. After straightening and separating the strengthening member 102, use a cutting tool to cut it to ensure the flatness of the end face of the remaining part of the strengthening member 102 after cutting. However, completing the above process manually has the disadvantages of low work efficiency, poor consistency of processing results, and unstable success rate. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an automated device that can complete the above steps, especially for cutting the strengthening member 102.
[0062] However, it is difficult to implement the fiber splitting and yarn cutting process of the optical cable 100 with an automated device. The main reasons are as follows:
[0063] 1) In different optical cables 100, the position of the optical fiber 104 is not fixed. Some are located in the center of the optical cable 100, while others are not. Therefore, it is impossible to use a fixed-structure position jaw to complete the limiting and processing; 2) The colors of the strengthening member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103 are usually relatively similar. Therefore, it is impossible to simply use vision to detect and separate the strengthening member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103; 3) The automated device needs to adapt to optical cables 100 with various different materials of the strengthening member 102 to ensure the robust adaptability of the device. However, in different optical cables 100, the materials of the strengthening member 102 may vary greatly; 4) The automated control of the flexible strengthening member 102 is difficult, with many uncertainties, and it is impossible to ensure the through rate of the entire process.
[0064] Therefore, although there are also several automated devices in the related art that can implement the fiber splitting and yarn cutting process of the optical cable 100, among these devices, some are designed for specific models of the optical cable 100 and cannot be applied to other optical cables 100; some are set for strengthening members 102 of specific materials and cannot be applied to strengthening members 102 of other materials; some are designed for a specific process requirement and cannot be applied to other process requirements, etc. Therefore, the application limitations are relatively large; moreover, the processing results of some automated devices are not ideal and require manual secondary trimming, with a low success rate.
[0065] Based on this, the embodiments of the present application provide a cable processing device and its control method to improve the above problems.
[0066] As Figure 3 shown, the cable processing device 1 provided by the embodiments of the present application includes a cable fixing tooling 2, a gas separation device 5, a cutting device 8, a camera module 4, and a control device (not shown in the figure); among them, the cable fixing tooling 2 is used to fix the cable to be processed, so that the cable to be processed can be kept in a fixed position during the processing of the cable processing device 1, facilitating the processing of the cable to be processed.
[0067] The cable to be processed here is an optical cable 100 with the outer skin 101 removed at one end. That is to say, the cable to be processed includes a first cable part and a second cable part. The first cable part is connected to one end of the second cable part. The first cable part is the part of the optical cable 100 with the outer skin 101 removed, and the second cable part is the part of the optical cable 100 with the outer skin 101 still retained. In the first cable part with the outer skin 101 removed, other structures that were once wrapped by the outer skin 101, such as the strengthening member 102 and the optical fiber tube 103, are exposed to the outside and are released from the restraint of the outer skin 101 and are in a free state.
[0068] It should be noted that the removal of the outer skin 101 in the cable to be processed here can be achieved by manual removal or by loading it into the cable fixing tooling 2 after being removed by an automated device; it can also integrate an outer skin 101 removal device in the cable processing device 1 to remove part of the outer skin 101 in the cable, forming a cable to be processed including a first cable part and a second cable part.
[0069] In this article, the area on one side of the cable fixing tooling 2 in the first direction X is defined as the action area; when the cable to be processed is loaded on the cable fixing tooling 2, the cable to be processed is limited and fixed by fixing the second cable part. The length direction of the second cable part limited and fixed by the cable fixing tooling 2 is parallel to the first direction X. The first cable part and the second cable part are arranged along the first direction X, and at least part of the first cable part extends into the action area and is in a suspended state to facilitate the pneumatic separation process of the first cable part.
[0070] In some embodiments, as Figure 4 shown, the cable processing device 1 further includes a cable carrier 9. The cable carrier 9 is spaced from the cable fixing tooling 2 in the first direction X and is in the action area. The cable carrier 9 is used to carry the end of the first cable part away from the second cable part, thereby providing support for the first cable part in a suspended state in the action area; under the action of the cable carrier 9 and the cable fixing tooling 2, the first cable part can be basically flush with the second cable part, and most of the structures in the first cable part are in a suspended state. Such a design provides a state basis for pneumatic separation and is conducive to the pneumatic separation process of the first cable part.
[0071] The cable carrier 9 includes a cable carrying groove 10 with an opening that gradually increases from the inside outwards. For example, the cable carrying groove 10 can be a V-shaped groove or an arc-shaped groove, etc. When the cable carrier 9 is used to carry the end of the first cable part away from the second cable part, the opening of the cable carrying groove 10 faces the cable to be processed. With such a design, the opening characteristics of the cable carrying groove 10 can be utilized to gather the reinforcing member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103 that are released from the restraint of the outer skin 101, thereby facilitating the separation of the two by the gas separation device 5.
[0072] In some embodiments, the cable carrier 9 can also be designed to be movable along the first direction X. The cable carrier 9 has a first state and a second state during the movement in the first direction X. The cable carrier 9 in the first state is located at a position close to the cable fixing tooling 2, for example, it can be below the cable fixing tooling 2. In the first direction X, the cable carrier 9 in the second state is farther away from the cable fixing tooling 2 than the cable carrier 9 in the first state.
[0073] Before the cable to be processed is installed, the cable carrier 9 can be controlled to move to the first state. After the cable to be processed is loaded on the cable fixing tooling 2, the first cable part in the suspended state is on the same side of the cable fixing tooling 2 and the cable carrier 9. In this case, the cable carrier 9 can be controlled to move to the second state along the first direction X. During the movement of the cable carrier 9 along the first direction X towards the side away from the cable fixing tooling 2, the opening characteristics of the cable carrying groove 10 in the cable carrier 9 can be utilized to gather the reinforcing member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103, restricting the reinforcing member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103 in a dispersed state within a smaller range, thereby being more conducive to the pneumatic separation of the reinforcing member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103.
[0074] Please continue to refer to Figure 3 , the cable processing device 1 provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes a gas separation device 5. The gas separation device 5 can generate a separation air flow acting on the action area, and the separation air flow can adopt a blowing or suction working mode. When the cable to be processed is installed on the cable fixing tooling 2, the separation air flow of the gas separation device 5 can act on the first cable part in the cable to be processed.
[0075] As Figure 3 and Figure 5 shown, the gas separation device 5 includes a gas source 15, a connecting pipeline 16, a gas nozzle 7 and a gas nozzle driving device 6. Among them, the gas source 15 is communicated with the gas nozzle 7 through the connecting pipeline 16, and the gas source 15 can generate a separation air flow with a certain pressure through the gas nozzle 7. The gas nozzle 7 is installed on the gas nozzle driving device 6, and the gas nozzle driving device 6 can drive the gas nozzle 7 to move to change the action point of the separation air flow.
[0076] Due to the difference in materials, there is a relatively obvious rigidity difference between the reinforcing member 102 and the optical fiber hollow tube 103. Therefore, under the action of the same separation air flow, the deformation degrees of the reinforcing member 102 and the optical fiber hollow tube 103 are different, so that the purpose of separating the reinforcing member 102 and the optical fiber hollow tube 103 can be achieved.
[0077] In different products, the rigidity relationship between the reinforcing member 102 and the optical fiber hollow tube 103 is different. For example, when the reinforcing member 102 is made of FRP or KFPR, the rigidity of the reinforcing member 102 is less than that of the optical fiber hollow tube 103. Therefore, under the action of the same separation air flow, the deformation amount of the reinforcing member 102 is greater than that of the optical fiber hollow tube 103. Another example is that when the reinforcing member 102 is made of metal wire, the rigidity of the reinforcing member 102 is greater than that of the optical fiber hollow tube 103. Therefore, under the action of the same separation air flow, the deformation amount of the reinforcing member 102 is less than that of the optical fiber hollow tube 103.
[0078] The air separation device 5 can also control the size, action position, action time, etc. of the separation air flow to achieve a faster and better separation effect of the reinforcing member 102 and the optical fiber hollow tube 103; and it can also achieve the separation of the reinforcing member 102 and the optical fiber hollow tube 103 in different products.
[0079] In the embodiment with the cable carrier 9, by controlling the size, action position, action time, etc. of the separation air flow, the structure with greater rigidity in the first cable part can still be retained on the cable carrier 9, and the structure with smaller rigidity can be detached from the cable carrier 9 through a larger deformation and move to one side of the structure with greater rigidity.
[0080] For example, for the first cable part where the rigidity of the reinforcing member 102 is less than that of the optical fiber hollow tube 103, when the air separation device 5 operates in the blowing mode, through the action of the separation air flow, the optical fiber hollow tube 103 can still be retained on the cable support, and at the same time, the reinforcing member 102 can move to the side away from the air nozzle 7 relative to the optical fiber hollow tube 103; when the air separation device 5 operates in the suction mode, through the action of the separation air flow, the optical fiber hollow tube 103 can still be retained on the cable support, and at the same time, the reinforcing member 102 can move to the side close to the air nozzle 7 relative to the optical fiber hollow tube 103.
[0081] For another example, for the first cable portion where the rigidity of the reinforcement member 102 is greater than that of the optical fiber empty tube 103, when the air separation device 5 operating in the blowing mode is adopted, under the action of the separation air flow, the reinforcement member 102 can still be retained on the cable support, while the optical fiber empty tube 103 moves to the side away from the air nozzle 7 relative to the reinforcement member 102; when the air separation device 5 operating in the suction mode is adopted, under the action of the separation air flow, the reinforcement member 102 can still be retained on the cable support, while the optical fiber empty tube 103 moves to the side close to the air nozzle 7 relative to the optical fiber empty tube 103.
[0082] In some embodiments, the air nozzle driving device 6 can be a driving device capable of driving the air nozzle 7 to swing around the axis where the first direction X is located and capable of driving the air nozzle 7 to slide along the first direction X, so that the air nozzle 7 can perform separation processing on different positions of the first cable portion along the length direction of the first cable portion. The air nozzle driving device 6 can also drive the air nozzle 7 to move along the second direction Y and the third direction Z, where the first direction X, the second direction Y, and the third direction Z are perpendicular to each other in pairs; with such a design, when air separation is required, the air nozzle 7 can be moved to the working position; when air separation is not required, the air nozzle 7 can be moved to other positions.
[0083] Exemplarily, the air nozzle driving device 6 includes a first driving portion and a second driving portion. Among them, the air nozzle 7 is installed on the first driving portion, and the first driving portion is used to drive the air nozzle 7 to swing around the axis where the first direction X is located; the first driving portion and the air nozzle 7 are installed on the second driving portion, and the second driving portion is used to drive the first driving portion and the air nozzle 7 to move along the first direction X.
[0084] Please continue to refer to Figure 3 , in the cable processing device 1 provided in the embodiment of the present application, a cutting device 8 is further included. The cutting device 8 can include cutting members such as a cutting shear and a cutting knife. After the reinforcement member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103 are separated, the reinforcement member 102 can be cut off by the cutting member, so as to achieve the purpose of fiber separation and yarn cutting.
[0085] It can be seen from the above description that since the rigidity relationship between the reinforcement member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103 is different in different optical cable 100 products, after the optical fiber empty tube 103 and the reinforcement member 102 are separated, the reinforcement member 102 may be on the cable carrier 9 or may deviate to one side after being separated from the cable carrier 9. Moreover, when the reinforcement member 102 is separated from the cable carrier 9 and deviates to one side, the position where the reinforcement member 102 is located after separation may also be different. It can be seen that in different situations, the cutting position for the reinforcement member 102 may be different.
[0086] Based on this, in some embodiments, such asFigure 6 As shown, the cutting device 8 may further include a cutting driving device 18 for driving the cutting member 17 to move, capable of controlling the cutting member 17 to move to any position, so as to adapt to the cutting of the reinforcing member 102 in different situations, and also capable of controlling the cutting position and cutting distance.
[0087] When the reinforcing member 102 is a wire structure such as a metal wire, the cutting device 8 can also be used for the finishing process of the reinforcing member 102, such as bending treatment.
[0088] In some embodiments, as Figure 3 shown, the cable processing device 1 further includes a gathering device 3 for gathering structures with large deformation under the action of the separation airflow. For the cable processing device with the cable carrier 9, the gathering device 3 is used to gather the structures that have come off the cable carrier 9. For example, when the reinforcing member 102 comes off the cable carrier 9 and deviates to one side, the scattered reinforcing members 102 can be gathered together by the gathering device 3 and straightened. Such a design can prevent the reinforcing member 102 from returning to its original position after the air separation device 5 stops working, and can limit the reinforcing member 102 in a specific area, which is convenient for cutting the reinforcing member 102 and beneficial to controlling the cutting position and cutting distance.
[0089] For another example, when the optical fiber empty tube 103 comes off the cable carrier 9 and deviates to one side, the position of the optical fiber empty tube 103 can be limited by the gathering device 3 to prevent the optical fiber empty tube 103 from returning to its original position after the air separation device 5 stops working.
[0090] It can be seen from the above description that by setting the gathering device 3, the separated state of the reinforcing member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103 can be maintained after the air separation device 5 stops working, so that the air separation device 5 can be shut down during the cutting process of the reinforcing member 102; such a design is also beneficial to controlling the cutting position and cutting distance of the reinforcing member 102.
[0091] Exemplarily, as Figure 4 and Figure 7 shown, the gathering device 3 includes a first gathering member 13, a second gathering member 12, a first gathering driving device 14 and a second gathering driving device 11. Among them, the first gathering member 13 and the second gathering member 12 are arranged oppositely in the first direction X. The first gathering member 13 is arranged near the cable fixing tooling 2, for example, it can be arranged below the cable fixing tooling 2; the second gathering member 12 is located away from the cable fixing tooling 2 relative to the first gathering member 13.
[0092] The first closing member 13 and the second closing member 12 can be structures with opposite openings. For example, the first closing member 13 can be an arc-shaped structure or a V-shaped structure, and the second closing member 12 can also be an arc-shaped structure or a V-shaped structure. With such a design, it can be ensured that the first closing member 13 and the second closing member 12 have a large closing range.
[0093] In this embodiment, the first closing member 13 is a V-shaped structure with an opening facing the second closing member 12. The first closing member 13 is installed on the first closing driving device 14, and the first closing driving device 14 can drive the first closing member 13 to move in the second direction Y. Here, the second direction Y is perpendicular to the first direction X, and the second direction Y should be parallel to the direction in which the reinforcing member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103 are separated under the action of the gas separation device 5.
[0094] The first closing member 13 can be a double-layer structure arranged in the second direction Y, that is, it includes a first V-shaped structure and a second V-shaped structure. The first V-shaped structure and the second V-shaped structure can be structures of the same size or different sizes.
[0095] The second closing member 12 is an arc-shaped structure with an opening facing the first closing member 13. The second closing member 12 is installed on the second closing driving device 11, and the second driving device can drive the second closing member 12 to move relative to the first closing member 13 in the first direction X. As shown in parts (a) and (b) Figure 8 During the process of the second closing member 12 moving towards the first closing member 13 along the first direction X, it can close the separated reinforcing member 102 or the optical fiber empty tube 103. And after the second closing member 12 approaches a certain distance, it can extend into the area between the first V-shaped structure and the second V-shaped structure. The first closing member 13 and the second closing member 12 cooperate to form a closed closing structure. As the second closing member 12 continues to move towards the side where the first closing member 13 is located in the first direction X, the closing area surrounded by the closing structure formed by the first closing member 13 and the second closing member 12 gradually shrinks until the closing area surrounded by the closing structure is basically the same size as the reinforcing member 102 or the optical fiber empty tube 103 located therein. This state is defined as the third state in this article.
[0096] The second closing driving device 11 can also drive the second closing member 12 to move in the second direction Y. During the process of the first closing member 13 and the second closing member 12 in the third state moving simultaneously in the second direction Y, there is a fourth state that is farther from the cable fixing tooling 2 relative to the third state. During the process of the first closing member 13 and the second closing member 12 moving from the third state to the fourth state, the reinforcing member 102 or the optical fiber empty tube 103 located in the closing area can be guided to one side of the cable fixing tooling 2.
[0097] In the case of having the second folding drive device 11, the first folding drive device 14 can be an elastic member; through the interaction between the second folding member 12 and the first folding member 13, the first folding member 13 is driven to move in the second direction Y; and through the action of the elastic member, the first folding member 13 can be held at the position in the third state.
[0098] As Figure 7 shown, in a product having a cable carrier 9 and a folding device 3, the cable carrier 9 can be arranged on the side of the second folding member 12 close to the cable to be processed and can move with the second folding member. It can be understood that during the process of the second folding drive device 11 driving the second folding member 12 to move in the first direction X, the cable carrier 9 also moves in the first direction X, and the cable carrier 9 can still have a first state and a second state. It can be seen from this that by adopting the above design, a separately provided carrier drive device can be omitted, thereby achieving the effects of simplifying the structure and saving costs.
[0099] The cable processing device 1 further includes a camera module 4 and a control device. Among them, one or more camera modules 4 can be provided, and the camera module 4 takes pictures of the action area. As Figure 9 shown, the control device 19 is electrically connected to the camera module 4 for obtaining the captured image of the camera module 4, and the control device 19 is simultaneously electrically connected to the air separation device 5 and the cutting device 8 for controlling the air separation device 5 and the cutting device 8 according to the image captured by the camera module 4.
[0100] The principle of the control device 19 controlling based on the captured image of the camera module 4 is as follows:
[0101] In the initial stage of work, according to the visual information of the first cable part captured by the camera module 4, such as features such as color, shape, and texture; through computer vision technologies such as deep learning and image processing technologies, the type of the optical cable 100, the material of the strengthening member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103, etc. are identified, and based on this, the size, action nodes, and action time of the separation air flow are determined.
[0102] During work, the air separation device 5 is controlled to work, and through the pictures captured by the camera module 4 in real time, the separation state of the strengthening member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103 is visually detected; the separation state includes not separated, partially separated, and completely separated; when it is detected that the strengthening member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103 are completely separated, the cutting device 8 can be controlled to cut the strengthening member 102; the fiber separation and yarn cutting process is completed.
[0103] When it is detected that the reinforcement member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103 are partially separated, the unseparated part can be identified through the image information captured by the camera module 4, and the air separation device 5 can be controlled to perform fixed-point separation on the unseparated part; until it is completely separated. After complete separation, the cutting device 8 can be controlled to cut the reinforcement member 102; thus completing the fiber separation and yarn cutting process.
[0104] In the embodiment with the folding device 3, after detecting that the reinforcement member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103 are completely separated, the folding device 3 can be controlled to work to fold and fix the separated reinforcement member 102 or optical fiber empty tube 103; thereby completing the precise separation of the reinforcement member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103. Then, the air separation device 5 can be controlled to stop working, and the cutting device 8 can be controlled to cut the reinforcement member 102; thus completing the fiber separation and yarn cutting process.
[0105] It can be seen from the above description that the cable processing device provided by the embodiment of the present application adopts a solution combining computer vision technology and air separation technology, which can automatically and efficiently separate and cut the reinforcement member 102 in the optical cable 100; compared with the traditional manual separation method, it has higher efficiency and more stable processing results. Moreover, it can be applied to different cables and reinforcement members 102 of different materials; compared with the automated equipment in the related art, it has higher cable compatibility and a larger applicable range; ensuring the processing robustness of the equipment. At the same time, through real-time visual detection, visual closed-loop feedback control can be realized, which is beneficial to improving the processing effect and success rate of the equipment.
[0106] Correspondingly, in the cable processing device provided by the embodiment of the present application, the control device 19 may include a visual detection feedback module, an air separation control module, and a cable separation and cutting module. Among them, the visual detection feedback module, at the initial stage of work, based on the visual information of the first cable part captured by the camera module 4, such as features like color, shape, texture, etc.; through computer vision technologies such as deep learning and image processing technologies, identify the type of the optical cable 100, the materials of the reinforcement member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103, etc., and based on this, determine the size, action node, and action time of the separation air flow. During the working stage, the separation state and position of the reinforcement member 102 and the optical fiber empty tube 103 can be detected in real time and intelligently fed back to the air separation control module.
[0107] The air separation control module can control the air separation device 5 to work according to certain working parameters, where the working parameters may include the size of the separation air flow, the action point, the action path, and the action time, etc.; and, the air separation control module can also adjust the working parameters according to the visual information fed back by the visual detection feedback module to ensure precise separation of the cable.
[0108] After the cable is precisely separated, the cutting control module can control the cutting device 8 to cut the strengthening member 102 and control the cutting position and length according to the processing requirements.
[0109] In the above embodiment, the optical cable 100 to be processed is taken as an example to exemplarily illustrate the solution. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. The cable processing device 1 can also be applied to metal cables and can be used to separate two structures with different rigidities in the metal cable and cut one of the structures.
[0110] Correspondingly, the cable to be processed includes a first cable portion, and the first cable portion includes a first rigid structure and a second rigid structure with different rigidities. The rigidity of the first rigid structure is less than that of the second rigid structure. When the cable to be processed is installed on the cable fixing tooling 2, the first cable portion extends to the action area and is in a suspended state. For the cable to be processed, the first cable portion, the first rigid structure, and the second rigid structure, reference can be made to the descriptions of the cable to be processed, the first cable portion, the strengthening member 102, and the optical fiber empty tube 103 in the above text, which will not be elaborated here.
[0111] The embodiment of the present application provides a control method for a cable processing device 1. The control method of the cable processing device 1 can be used to control the above-mentioned cable processing device 1, such as Figure 10 shown, the control method 20 includes:
[0112] Step S100: Identify the materials of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure in the first cable portion according to the captured image of the camera module 4.
[0113] Step S200: Control the operation of the air separation device 5 based on the materials of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure.
[0114] Step S300: Identify the separation state of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure according to the captured image of the camera module 4.
[0115] Step S400: Control the cutting device 8 to operate after the separation of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure is completed.
[0116] In some embodiments, after step S300, the control method 20 may further include:
[0117] When the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure are partially separated, determine the position information of the unseparated first rigid structure;
[0118] Control the air separation device 5 to adjust the acting position according to the position information.
[0119] Regarding the implementation principle and effect of the control method part, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of the cable handling design and the control device above.
[0120] As described above, it is only the specific implementation manner of this application, but the protection scope of this application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by this application can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A cable processing device, It is characterized in that The cable processing equipment comprises: A cable fixing tool, the cable fixing tool is used to fix the cable to be processed; the cable to be processed includes a first cable part, the first cable part includes a first rigid structure and a second rigid structure with different rigidities, and the rigidity of the first rigid structure is less than that of the second rigid structure; the area located on one side of the cable fixing tool along the first direction is the action area, and when the cable to be processed is installed in the cable fixing tool, the first cable part extends to the action area and is in a suspended state; An air separation device, the air separation device comprising an air nozzle and an air nozzle driving device; the air separation device generates a separation airflow acting on the action area through the air nozzle; the air nozzle driving device is used to drive the air nozzle to move so as to adjust the action position of the separation airflow in the action area; under the action of the separation airflow, the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure in the first cable part are separated; A cutting device, wherein the cutting device is used to cut the first rigid structure or the second rigid structure after the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure are separated; A camera module, the camera module is used to photograph the action area; and A control device, wherein the control device and the camera module, the gas separation device and the cutting device are all electrically connected; the control device is configured to control the gas separation device and the cutting device to work according to the image captured by the camera module.
2. The cable processing device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The cable processing device further comprises a cable carrier, wherein the cable carrier and the cable fixing tool are arranged at intervals in the first direction; The cable carrier comprises a cable bearing groove with an opening gradually increasing from inside to outside, and the cable bearing groove is used to bear the end portion of the first cable portion away from the cable fixing tool; Under the action of the separated airflow, the second rigid structure in the first cable portion is located in the cable carrying groove, and the first rigid structure escapes from the cable carrying groove.
3. The cable processing device according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The cable processing device further comprises a carrier driving device, the cable carrier is mounted on the carrier driving device, and the carrier driving device drives the cable carrier to move along the first direction; The cable bearing frame can retract the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure into the cable bearing groove when the cable bearing frame moves along the first direction toward the side away from the cable fixing tool.
4. The cable processing device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The cable processing device further comprises a gathering device, wherein the gathering device comprises a first gathering member, a second gathering member, a first gathering driving device and a second gathering driving device; The first gathering member and the second gathering member are arranged opposite to each other in the first direction, and the second gathering member is farther away from the cable fixing tool than the first gathering member; The first folding member is installed on the first folding driving device, and the first folding driving device is used to drive the first folding member to move in a second direction, where the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction; The second folding member is installed on the second folding driving device, and the second folding driving device is used to drive the second folding member to move in the first direction and the second direction; During the process of the second folding member moving towards the first folding member in the first direction, the second folding member can fold the separated first rigid structure; When the second folding member and the first folding member move together in the second direction, they can guide the folded first rigid structure to one side.
5. The cable processing device according to claim 4, wherein, The first folding member is an arc-shaped structure or a V-shaped structure with an opening facing the second folding member; the second folding member is an arc-shaped structure or a V-shaped structure with an opening facing the first folding member.
6. The cable processing device according to claim 5, wherein, The first folding member includes a first V-shaped structure and a second V-shaped structure arranged at intervals in the second direction; The second folding member is an arc-shaped structure; During the process of the second folding member moving towards the first folding member in the first direction, the second folding member can extend between the first V-shaped structure and the second V-shaped structure.
7. The cable processing device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein, A cable carrier is arranged on one side of the second folding member in the second direction; The cable carrier includes a cable carrying groove with an opening gradually increasing from the inside to the outside, and the cable carrying groove is used to carry the end part of the first cable part away from the cable fixing tooling; During the process of the cable carrier moving towards the side away from the cable fixing tooling along with the second folding member, the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure can be folded into the cable carrying groove.
8. The cable processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The air separation device includes an air source, a connecting pipeline, an air nozzle and an air nozzle driving device; The air source is communicated with the air nozzle through the connecting pipeline, the air nozzle is installed on the air nozzle driving device, and the air nozzle driving device is used to drive the air nozzle to move in the acting area.
9. The cable processing device according to claim 8, wherein, The air nozzle driving device includes a first driving part and a second driving part; The air nozzle is installed on the first driving part, and the first driving part is used to drive the air nozzle to swing around an axis parallel to the first direction; The first driving part is installed on the second driving part, and the second driving part is used to drive the first driving part and the air nozzle to translate in the first direction.
10. The cable processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The cutting device includes a cutting acting member and a cutting driving device, and the cutting driving device is used for the cutting acting member to work and drives the cutting acting member to move.
11. A control method for a cable processing device, characterized in that, the control method is applied to the cable processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and the control method includes: identifying the materials of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure in the first cable portion according to the captured image of the camera module; controlling the operation of the air separation device based on the materials of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure; identifying the separation state of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure according to the captured image of the camera module; after the separation of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure is completed, controlling the cutting device to operate.
12. The control method according to claim 11, characterized in that, after identifying the separation state of the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure according to the captured image of the camera module, it further includes: determining the position information of the first rigid structure that is not separated in the case where the first rigid structure and the second rigid structure are partially separated; controlling the air separation device to adjust the acting position according to the position information.