Linear member folding device, linear member folding system, and folding method of linear member

Abstract

To provide a linear member folding device capable of simply folding a linear member such as a strap with a relatively simple constitution.SOLUTION: A linear member folding device 1 comprises: a linear member holding part 13a for holding the other side (upper side) of a linear member S in a state of being pulled toward one side (lower side) in a longitudinal direction; an engaging part 14 for engaging a first point of the linear member S in the state of being pulled toward the one side (lower side); and a folding operation part 15a which is constituted so as to perform a folding operation for catching the linear member S from one lateral side (left side) and moving it to a position on the other side (upper side) than the engaging part 14 at a second point on the one side (lower side) than the first point.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a linear member folding device, a linear member folding system, and a linear member folding method for folding a linear member such as a strap. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been progress in automating and mechanizing a wide variety of tasks. As one such example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose technology relating to a device for folding string-like or linear members to a specified width. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Jitszen No. 48-72294 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 5-37817 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The folding devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 both use a mechanism that swings a string-like or linear member (hereinafter referred to as "linear member") from side to side while feeding it out, folding the linear member to a predetermined width. In such a mechanism, it is necessary to appropriately adjust the swing period and the feeding speed of the linear member, and if the relationship between the two is disrupted, the width of the fold will be distorted, which is a cumbersome aspect.

[0005] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a linear member folding device, a linear member folding system, and a method for folding a linear member that can easily fold a linear member such as a strap with a relatively simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (Configuration 1) A linear member folding device comprising: a linear member holding portion that holds the other side of a linear member when it is pulled to one side in the longitudinal direction; a locking portion that locks a first point of the linear member when it is pulled to one side; and a folding operation portion configured to hook the linear member from one side at a second point that is on the one side of the first point, and move it to a position on the other side of the locking portion.

[0007] (Configuration 2) The linear member folding device described in configuration 1, wherein the folding operation unit is configured to hook the linear member from the one side at a second point that is on the one side of the first point, move it to the other side, and then move back and forth in a first directional component perpendicular to the longitudinal direction from the other side toward the one side, and to perform a folding operation in which the folding operation unit moves to the other side in a second directional component along the longitudinal direction during the reciprocating movement.

[0008] (Configuration 3) 3. The linear member folding device according to claim 2, wherein the folding operation unit operates along an arc-shaped trajectory.

[0009] (Configuration 4) 4. The linear member folding device according to configuration 3, wherein the engaging portion is located at a center of the arc-shaped track.

[0010] (Configuration 5) A linear member folding device as described in any one of configurations 2 to 4, comprising a tightening prevention mechanism in which the movement distance of the folding action part toward the other side relative to the locking part in the second directional component movement is smaller than the maximum distance of the folding action part relative to the locking part in the first directional component movement.

[0011] (Configuration 6) A linear member folding device as described in configurations 2 to 5, comprising a tightening prevention mechanism configured so that the distance between the linear member holding portion and the locking portion becomes smaller after the folding action portion passes a turning point in its reciprocating movement in the first directional component.

[0012] (Configuration 7) A linear member folding device as described in any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein the folding operation unit is configured to move the other end of the linear member to the second point while hooking the linear member on the linear member holding unit before the folding operation.

[0013] (Configuration 8) A linear member folding device as described in any one of configurations 1 to 7, comprising a second folding action unit configured to hook the linear member from the other side at a third point on the one side of the second point before the folding action of the folding action unit, and move it to a position on the other side of the engaging portion.

[0014] (Configuration 9) The linear member folding device described in configuration 8, wherein the second folding action unit is configured to hook the linear member from the other side at a third point that is on the one side of the second point, move toward the one side, and then move back and forth in a first directional component perpendicular to the longitudinal direction from the one side to the other side, and to move toward the other side in a second directional component along the longitudinal direction during the reciprocating movement.

[0015] (Configuration 10) A linear member folding device as described in any one of configurations 1 to 9, comprising a plurality of the folding action parts having different relative positions with respect to the locking part, and a plurality of the linear member holding parts having different relative positions with respect to the locking part.

[0016] (Configuration 11) A linear member folding system comprising a linear member folding device according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, further comprising a robot arm device having a gripping hand attached thereto for gripping the linear member folded by the linear member folding device, whereby the folded linear member is automatically removed from the linear member folding device by the robot arm device.

[0017] (Configuration 12) A method for folding a linear member using a linear member folding device described in any one of configurations 1 to 10, comprising the steps of attaching the linear member to the linear member holding unit and folding the linear member by the folding operation unit. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the linear member folding device of the present invention (and a linear member folding system equipped with the same, or a linear member folding method using the same), linear members such as straps can be folded easily with a relatively simple configuration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a linear member folding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a rotating arm 12 of a linear member folding device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a folding operation of a strap in three folds by the linear member folding device of the first embodiment; [Figure 4] Schematic diagram showing a linear member folding system [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a five-fold folding operation of a strap by the linear member folding device of the first embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a linear member folding device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a five-fold folding operation of a strap by the linear member folding device of the second embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a linear member folding device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an operating mechanism of a linear member folding device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a five-fold folding operation of a strap by the linear member folding device of the second embodiment; [Figure 11] 1 is a conceptual diagram of another example of a linear member folding device; [Figure 12] 1 is a conceptual diagram of another example of a linear member folding device; [Figure 13] 1 is a conceptual diagram of another example of a linear member folding device; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiment is one form for embodying the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0021] <Embodiment 1> 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a linear member folding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, with Fig. 1(a) being a front (front) view, Fig. 1(b) being a perspective view of the front side, and Fig. 1(c) being a perspective view of the back side. Fig. 1(a) is a view showing a state in which folding action units 15a and 15b are in an initial position, and Figs. 1(b) and (c) are views showing a state in which folding action units 15a and 15b have completed a folding action. The linear member folding device 1 of this embodiment is a device for folding a string-like or linear member (a specific example is a strap). The linear member folding device 1 includes: Linear member holding portions 13a and 13b for holding the other side of the linear member in a state where the linear member is pulled to one side in the longitudinal direction; A locking portion 14 that locks a first point of the linear member in a state where the linear member is pulled to one side; folding operation units 15a, 15b configured to hook a linear member from one side at a second point on one side of the first point, move to the other side, and then move back and forth in a first direction component perpendicular to the longitudinal direction so as to move from the other side to the one side, and to move to the other side in a second direction component along the longitudinal direction during the reciprocating movement; A base plate 11 that functions as a housing or frame for holding each component; A rotating arm 12 which is a mechanism for operating the folding operation units 15a and 15b; It is equipped with:

[0022] The base plate 11 is a plate-like member, and is formed with a guide groove 111a for guiding the operation of the folding action portion 15a, and a guide groove 111b for guiding the operation of the folding action portion 15b. In this embodiment, a base plate 11, which is a plate-shaped member, is used as an example, but it is not limited to being a plate-shaped member as long as it is capable of fixedly or movably holding each of the components described below.

[0023] Linear member holding portion 13a and linear member holding portion 13b are pin-shaped members provided on base plate 11 so as to protrude from the front side thereof in order to hook linear members (straps). The linear member holding portions 13a and 13b "hold the other side of the linear member when it is pulled to one side in the longitudinal direction." Here, "holding the other side of the linear member in a state where it is pulled to one side in the longitudinal direction" refers to a state where the strap is suspended from the linear member holding portion 13a in this embodiment. That is, the linear member folding device 1 of this embodiment is used in an upright state with the upper side in Fig. 1 as the upper side, and the suspended strap is pulled by gravity to be in a "state where it is pulled to one side in the longitudinal direction (hanging down)". As will be described later, the linear member holding portion 13a is used when folding the strap to be folded by the linear member folding device 1 in three folds (folds in three), and is provided at a position such that the distance (y1) from the engaging portion 14 is approximately 1 / 3 of the length of the strap to be folded. Linear member holding portion 13b is used when folding the strap five times, and is located at a position where the distance (y2) between linear member holding portion 13b and locking portion 14 is approximately 1 / 5 of the length of the strap. In this example, linear member holding portions 13a and 13b are pin-shaped members, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the linear member holding portions may be any portion capable of hooking a linear member.

[0024] Folding action portion 15a and folding action portion 15b are provided on rotating arm 12 and are pin-shaped members configured to pass through guide grooves 111a and 111b of base plate 11, respectively, and protrude from the front side of base plate 11. The folding action portion 15a is used when folding the strap in three, and is configured to perform circular motion at a position where the distance from the locking portion 14 is approximately 1 / 3 of the length of the strap (x1 in Figure 1(a) is approximately 1 / 3 of the length of the strap). More specifically, the folding action portion 15a is configured to be located at one side (the left side in Figure 1(a)) of the strap suspended from the linear member holding portion 13a as its initial position, and is configured to move along an arc-shaped trajectory as the rotating arm 12 rotates, thereby hooking and lifting the strap from one side, and ultimately moving to a position near the linear member holding portion 13a.

[0025] The folding action portion 15b is used when folding the strap five times, and is configured to perform an arc-shaped movement at a position where the distance from the locking portion 14 is approximately 1 / 5 of the length of the strap (x2 in Figure 1(a) is approximately 1 / 5 of the length of the strap). Like folding action unit 15a, folding action unit 15b is configured to be located on one side of the strap suspended from linear member holding unit 13b as its initial position, and is configured to move along an arc-shaped trajectory as rotating arm 12 rotates, thereby hooking and lifting the strap from one side, and ultimately moving to a position near linear member holding unit 13b. In addition, the folding action part 15b is provided on the rotating arm 12 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the rotating arm 12 (i.e., the radial direction in the rotating action). The guide groove 111b is a circular orbit in a range lower (lower) than the locking part 14, but is not a perfect circular orbit in a range higher (upper) than the locking part 14, and is formed as an orbit with a height slightly lower than the perfect circular orbit (so that y2 is smaller). As a result, the folding action part 15b is configured such that "the movement distance (i.e., y2) to the other side (upper side) of the locking part 14 in the movement of the second directional component (upper-lower direction in FIG. 1) of the folding action part 15b is smaller than the maximum distance (i.e., x2) of the folding action part 15b in the movement of the first directional component (left-right direction in FIG. 1) of the locking part 14", and this constitutes a "tightening prevention mechanism" as described later. In this example, folding action portion 15a and folding action portion 15b are pin-shaped members, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the folding action portion may be anything that can hook a linear member.

[0026] 2 is a perspective view showing the rotating arm 12. The rotating arm 12 is a long, thin plate-like member, one end of which is attached to the back side of the base plate 11 so as to be rotatable about a rotating shaft 121, and is a member having the above-mentioned folding action parts 15a and 15b. The folding action portion 15b is provided on a slide member 123 that is slidably arranged in a guide groove 122 formed on the front side of the middle portion of the rotating arm 12, thereby allowing it to slide in the longitudinal direction of the rotating arm 12 as described above. In this embodiment, an example is shown that includes a rotating arm 12 that has both folding action parts 15a and 15b, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the rotating arm that has the folding action part 15a and the rotating arm that has the folding action part 15b may be configured separately. Furthermore, the guide grooves 111a, 111b of the rotating arm 12 and the base plate 11 are not essential, and any mechanism that allows the folding action part to move in accordance with the concept of the present invention can be used.

[0027] The locking portion 14 is a pin-shaped member provided on the base plate 11 so as to protrude from the front side thereof in order to lock (hook) the strap. The linear member holding portion 13a (or 13b), the engagement portion 14, and the folding action portion 15a (or 15b) in the initial position are positioned approximately in a straight line (arranged so as to be in a predetermined position relative to the hanging strap, as will be explained in more detail below), and the arcuate movement of the folding action portion 15a (or 15b) is performed within a range having a central angle of approximately 180° (a semicircular movement is performed). As can be understood from the above descriptions and from Figs. 3(a) and 5(a), the locking portion 14 is located at the center (near the center) of the arcuate track of the folding action portion, but is configured to be located on the other side (right side in Fig. 3(a)) of the strap S suspended from the linear member holding portion. On the other hand, as described above, the folding action portion is configured to be located on one side (left side in Fig. 3(a)) of the strap S suspended from the linear member holding portion as its initial position. Therefore, when the strap S is suspended from the linear member holding portion, the folding action portion is located on one side of the strap S hanging vertically, and the folding locking portion is located on the other side. With this configuration, the relative positions of each member are set to a predetermined position (positional relationship suitable for the folding operation described below) simply by suspending the strap from the linear member holding portion, which provides excellent work efficiency. In this example, the locking portion 14 is a pin-shaped member, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the locking portion may be anything that can lock (hook) a linear member (strap).

[0028] The folding operation (triple folding) of the strap S by the linear member folding device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the folding operation portion 15a is placed in the initial position, and the strap S is set so as to be suspended from the linear member holding portion 13a (a step of attaching a linear member to the linear member holding portion). Next, the rotating arm 12 is rotated to operate the folding operation part 15a. The arcuate movement of folding action portion 15a caused by the rotation of rotating arm 12 causes strap S to be hooked from one side (the left side in the figure) and lifted up (see FIG. 3(b)). Then, when folding action portion 15a moves to a position close to linear member holding portion 13a (a step of folding the linear member by the folding action portion), the folding action (triple fold) of strap S is completed (FIG. 3(c)).

[0029] The folding operation by the linear member folding device 1 may be performed manually or automatically using a robot or the like (linear member folding system). FIG. 4 shows an example of such a linear member folding system 100. The linear member folding system 100 includes: A linear member folding device 1, A drive unit (not shown) that rotates and drives the rotating arm 12 of the linear member folding device 1; an articulated robot device (robot arm device) 200 having a gripping hand 201 attached thereto for gripping the strap folded by the linear member folding device 1; Equipped with. The linear member folding system 100 automatically performs the folding operation described above by a drive unit that rotates the rotating arm 12, and also performs a processing operation in which the folded strap is grasped by the grasping hand 201 of the articulated robot device 200 and automatically removed from the linear member folding device 1.

[0030] Next, a method for folding the strap S five times using the linear member folding device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the folding action portion 15b is placed in the initial position, and then the strap S is set by hanging the strap S at its middle from the linear member holding portion 13b and hanging one end of the strap S on the folding action portion 15b. Next, the rotating arm 12 is rotated to operate the folding operation portion 15b. The arcuate movement of folding action portion 15b caused by the rotation of rotating arm 12 causes strap S to be hooked from one side (the left side in the figure) and lifted up (see FIG. 5(b)). Then, when folding action portion 15b moves to a position close to linear member holding portion 13b, the folding action (quintuple fold) of strap S is completed (FIG. 5(c)). Here, in the case of five-fold folding, the strap S is attached to the linear member holding portion 13b, the locking portion 14, and the folding operation portion 15b in a state where it is folded multiple times, and the degree of freedom of the strap S with respect to each portion is reduced (it is difficult to loosen). As a result, after the folding operation, the strap S is attached to the linear member holding portion 13b, the locking portion 14, and the folding operation portion 15b as if it is tightened, and it may be difficult to remove the folded strap S. In contrast, in the linear member folding device 1 of this embodiment, the "tightening prevention mechanism" makes it easy to remove the strap S. That is, as described above, it is configured so that "the movement distance y2 to the other side (upper side) of the locking portion 14 in the movement of the second direction component (up and down direction in FIG. 1) of the folding operation portion 15b is smaller than the maximum distance x2 to the locking portion 14 in the movement of the first direction component (left and right direction in FIG. 1) of the folding operation portion 15b." As a result, when the folding action part 15b moves to the top (final point), the moving distance of the folding action part 15b in the upward direction is slightly smaller, so that the tightening described above does not occur. In the case of triple folding, as can be seen from Fig. 3, the strap S has a relatively high degree of freedom relative to the locking portion 14 and the folding action portion 15a (it can slide somewhat freely), so the folding action portion 15a is not provided with a "tightening prevention mechanism". However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, in cases where the strap S is difficult to move relative to the locking portion 14 and the folding action portion 15a even when folded in triple because the strap is made of a non-slip material, a "tightening prevention mechanism" may also be provided for the triple folding folding action portion 15a. In this embodiment, the "tightening prevention mechanism" is configured in the folding operation section, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the "tightening prevention mechanism" may be configured by the linear member holding section or the locking section. By configuring the linear member holding section and the locking section to operate so that the mutual distance between them becomes small, it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned tightening of the strap (in the following embodiment 3, an example of the "tightening prevention mechanism" configured by the locking section is shown).

[0031] As described above, according to the linear member folding device 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to easily fold a linear member such as a strap with a relatively simple configuration.

[0032] <Embodiment 2> FIG. 6 is a front view showing a linear member folding device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The linear member folding device 2 of this embodiment is a device for folding a strap, similar to embodiment 1, and the same symbols as in embodiment 1 are used for configurations similar to those in embodiment 1, and the explanation here will be simplified or omitted.

[0033] Compared to the linear member folding device 1 of embodiment 1, the linear member folding device 2 of this embodiment has a configuration in which the guide groove 211b of the base plate 21 is extended in the clockwise direction, thereby expanding the rotation range of the rotating arm 12 in the clockwise direction. As a result, "folding operation unit 15b is configured to move the other end of the linear member to a second point while the linear member is hooked onto linear member holding unit 13b prior to the folding operation described in embodiment 1."

[0034] The folding operation (five-fold folding) of the strap S by the linear member folding device 2 will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the folding action portion 15b is rotated clockwise to be positioned close to the linear member holding portion 13b (initial position), and the strap S is set by hooking one end of the strap S to the folding action portion 15b and hanging the strap S around the linear member holding portion 13b. Next, the folding action portion 15b is operated by rotating the rotating arm 12 counterclockwise. The movement of folding action part 15b due to the rotation of rotating arm 12 results in "one end of strap S being hooked to folding action part 15b while hanging the middle of strap S from linear member holding part 13b" as shown in Fig. 7(b). This results in a state similar to the set state of Fig. 5(a) in the five-fold folding of embodiment 1. Further rotation of the rotating arm 12 causes an operation similar to the five-fold folding operation of embodiment 1 to be performed, and when the folding operation portion 15b moves to a position close to the linear member holding portion 13b, the folding operation of the strap S (five-fold) is completed (Figure 7(c)).

[0035] As described above, according to the linear member folding device 2 of the present embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the strap can be set more easily in the five-fold folding of the first embodiment.

[0036] <Embodiment 3> 8A and 8B are diagrams showing a linear member folding device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, with Fig. 8A being a front (front) view, Fig. 8B being a perspective view of the front side, and Fig. 8C being a perspective view of the back side. Fig. 8A shows a state in which folding unit 15b and second folding unit 36 ​​are in their initial positions, and Figs. 8B and 8C show a state in which folding unit 15b and second folding unit 36 ​​have completed their folding operations. The linear member folding device 3 of this embodiment is a device for folding a strap, similar to embodiments 1 and 2, and the same symbols as in embodiment 1 are used for configurations similar to those in embodiment 1, and the explanation here will be simplified or omitted.

[0037] The linear member folding device 3 includes: A linear member holding portion 13b having the same concept as that of the first embodiment, A locking portion 34 having the same concept as the locking portion 14 of the first embodiment and also having a function as an "anti-tightening mechanism"; A folding action unit 15b having the same concept as in the first embodiment except that it does not have a function as a "tightening prevention mechanism", a second folding action unit 36 ​​configured to hook the linear member from the other lateral side (the right side in FIG. 8 ) at a third point on one side (lower) than the second point (the point where the folding action unit 15b hooks the strap), move to the one lateral side (the left side), and then move from the one lateral side to the other lateral side in a first directional component (left-right direction), and to move to the other side (upward) in a second directional component (up-down direction) during the reciprocating movement; A base plate 31 that functions as a housing for holding each component; A rotating arm 32 having the same concept as the rotating arm 12 of the first embodiment and also having a function as an "anti-tightening mechanism", A swinging plate 38 that functions as an "anti-tightening mechanism"; a second rotating arm 37 which is a mechanism for operating the second folding operation unit 36; It is equipped with:

[0038] The locking portion 34 is similar to the locking portion 14 of embodiment 1 in that it is a pin-shaped member arranged to protrude from the front side of the base plate 31 in order to lock (hook) the strap. However, it differs from embodiment 1 in that it also functions as an "anti-tightening mechanism" because "the distance between the linear member holding portion 13b and the locking portion 34 is configured to become smaller after the folding action portion 15b passes the turning point in its reciprocating movement in the first directional component (left-right direction)." The locking portion 34 is provided on a swinging plate 38 that swings in conjunction with the operation of the rotating arm 32, protrudes to the front side by passing through the guide groove 311d of the base plate 31, and is configured to move in the vertical direction in conjunction with the swinging of the swinging plate 38.

[0039] The rotating arm 32 is similar to the rotating arm 12 of embodiment 1 in that it is a mechanism for operating the folding action portion 15b, but differs from embodiment 1 in that it also functions as the above-mentioned "tightening prevention mechanism" by swinging the swing plate 38. Unlike the first embodiment, the folding action unit 15b performs a circular motion (the guide groove 311b of the base plate 31 is an arc), and is fixedly provided to the rotating arm 32 (see FIG. 9(c)). Therefore, the folding action unit 15b of this embodiment does not have the function of a "tightening prevention mechanism."

[0040] Figure 9 shows the operating mechanism of the linear member folding device 3, with Figure 9(a) being an oblique view from the front side (Figure 8(b) excluding the base plate 31), Figure 9(b) being a view from Figure 9(a) excluding the oscillating plate 38 and the rotating arm 32, and Figure 9(c) being a view from Figure 9(a) excluding the configuration related to the second rotating arm 37.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 9( c ), the locking portion 34 is provided on a swing plate 38 . The swing plate 38 is rotatably provided with respect to the base plate 31 so as to be swingable about a rotation shaft 381 as a fulcrum. The swing plate 38 is formed with a loose fitting hole 383 into which the rotary shaft 321 of the rotary arm 32 is loosely fitted, and an engagement groove 382 into which the engagement projection 322 of the rotary arm 32 is engaged. The loose fitting hole 383 is a through hole provided to allow the swinging plate to swing relative to the rotation shaft 321 provided penetrating the swinging plate . The engagement groove 382 is a groove that engages with the engagement protrusion 322 provided on the rotating arm 32 in order to cause the swing plate 38 to swing in accordance with the rotational movement of the rotating arm 32. The engagement groove 382 is an arc-shaped groove centered on the locking portion 34, and has a circular orbit in a range lower (below) than the locking portion 34, but is not a completely circular orbit in a range higher (upper) than the locking portion 34, and is formed as an orbit that is slightly lower in height than the completely circular orbit. As a result, when the rotating arm 32 rotates beyond the horizontal state, the swing plate 38 swings, and this swing moves the locking portion 34 slightly upward. With the above configuration, "the distance between linear member holding portion 13b and engagement portion 34 becomes smaller after folding action portion 15b passes the turning point in its reciprocating movement in the first directional component (left-right direction)," thereby forming a "tightening prevention mechanism."

[0042] As shown in Figure 9(b), the second folding action part 36 is provided on the second rotating arm 37, and is a pin-shaped member configured to pass through the guide groove 311c (arc) of the base plate 31 and protrude from the front side of the base plate 31, as shown in Figures 8(a) and (b). The second folding action unit 36 ​​performs the action of folding the strap prior to the folding action by the folding action unit 15b, and is configured to perform an approximately semicircular movement with a radius of approximately 2 / 5 of the length of the strap, approximately centered on the position of the folding action unit 15b in its initial position. The second folding action part 36 is configured to be located on the other side (right side) of the strap suspended from the linear member holding part 13b as its initial position, and is configured to move along an arcuate trajectory as the second rotating arm 37 rotates, thereby hooking and lifting the strap from the other side, and ultimately moving to a position near the linear member holding part 13b. In this example, the second folding action part 36 is a pin-shaped member, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the second folding action part may be anything that can hook a linear member.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 9(b), the second rotating arm 37 is a long, thin plate-like member, one end of which is rotatably attached to a mounting plate 371 on a rotating shaft 3711, and the other end of which is provided with the above-mentioned second folding action portion 36. The mounting plate 371 is a component having a step portion 3712 for raising the mounting position of the second rotating arm 37 by one step on the back side so that the rotational movement of the second rotating arm 37 does not interfere with the rotational movement of the rotating arm 32, and is attached to the back side of the base plate 31.

[0044] The folding operation (five-fold fold) of the strap S by the linear member folding device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 10(a), the folding action portion 15b and the second folding action portion 36 are placed in their initial positions, and the strap S is set so as to be suspended from the linear member holding portion 13b. Next, the second rotating arm 37 is rotated to operate the second folding action unit 36. The arc-shaped movement of the second folding action unit 36 ​​causes the strap S to be hooked from the other side (right side) and lifted, and when the second folding action unit 36 ​​moves to a position close to the linear member holding unit 13b, the state shown in Fig. 10(b) is reached. In this state, the strap S is wrapped around the linear member holding unit 13b, the folding action unit 15b, and the second folding action unit 36 ​​in this order in a zigzag pattern, and approximately 1 / 5 of the total length of the strap S hangs down from the second folding action unit 36. Next, folding action unit 15b is operated by rotating rotating arm 32. Strap S is lifted up in the hooked state by the arc-shaped movement of folding action unit 15b, and when folding action unit 15b moves to a position close to linear member holding unit 13b, the folding action (quintuple fold) of strap S is completed (FIG. 10(c)).

[0045] As described above, according to the linear member folding device 3 of this embodiment, the same action and effect as in embodiment 1 can be obtained, and the strap can be set more easily when folding five times (simply hanging the strap S from the linear member holding portion 13b).

[0046] In each embodiment, the linear member folding device is used in an upright state, and the hanging strap is pulled by gravity to be in a "state pulled to one side in the longitudinal direction," but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the linear member folding device may be laid down, and "one side of the linear member (strap)" may be attached so as to be pulled by an elastic member (spring, etc.), while the other side is attached to a linear member holding part, so that "the other side of the linear member (strap) in a state pulled to one side in the longitudinal direction is held."

[0047] In each embodiment, there is shown an example having two folding action parts with different relative positions to the locking part and two linear member holding parts with different relative positions to the locking part (embodiment 1), or having one folding action part and one linear member holding part (embodiments 2 and 3), but the present invention is not limited to these, and there may be three or more folding action parts or three or more linear member holding parts, for example, so as to be able to accommodate straps of different lengths. Similarly, there may be two or more second folding action parts 36.

[0048] In each embodiment, the folding action unit operates counterclockwise during the folding operation (the second folding action unit operates clockwise), but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is of course also acceptable for the folding action unit to operate clockwise during the folding operation (the second folding action unit operates counterclockwise).

[0049] In addition, in each embodiment, the folding operation unit and the second folding operation unit are shown to operate in an arc shape, but the present invention is not limited to this. The folding operation unit may be any unit that "hooks the linear member from one side at a second point on one side of the first point, moves to the other side, and then moves back and forth in a first direction component perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the linear member so as to move from the other side to the one side, and during the reciprocating movement, moves to the other side in a second direction component along the longitudinal direction," and may be, for example, one that operates linearly or one that operates on another trajectory. For example, as conceptually shown in Figure 11, folding action portion 15a' may move in a straight line straight to the side (Figure 11(a) → Figure 11(b)), and then move in a straight line diagonally upward to the left to a position close to linear member holding portion 13a (Figure 11(b) → Figure 11(c)), or as conceptually shown in Figure 12, folding action portion 15a' may move in a curved manner around engagement portion 14 to move near linear member holding portion 13a. Furthermore, the folding action unit may be one that "hooks the linear member from one side at a second point on the one side of the first point, and performs a folding action to move the linear member to a position on the other side of the locking part" For example, as conceptually shown in Fig. 13, folding action unit 15a''' may move in an L-shape to the vicinity of linear member holding unit 13a. The above also applies to the second folding action portion.

[0050] In each embodiment, the linear member is folded in three or five times, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the first embodiment, if a strap having a length equivalent to the distance between the linear member holding portion 13a and the folding operation portion 15a at the initial position is set so as to be hung on both the linear member holding portion 13a and the folding operation portion 15a at the initial position, it will be folded in two, and if the same concept is applied to the five-fold fold in the embodiment, it will be folded in four. Furthermore, in these double folds to five-fold folds, if the strap is set as if it was folded in two from the beginning when it is set, it can be folded twice as much. In addition, in each embodiment, the linear member (strap) is folded into approximately n equal parts, but the present invention is not limited to this. When folding a linear member for packing or wrapping, the main purpose is to "make it compact for packing or wrapping," so it is not necessary to fold it into equal parts as long as it can be made as compact as necessary. However, a product folded into equal parts is superior in terms of appearance, etc.

[0051] In each embodiment, a strap is used as an example of the linear member to be folded, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to any string-like or linear member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1, 2, 3... Linear member folding device 13a, 13b...Linear member holding portion 14...Latching part 15a, 15b...Folding movement part 36...Second folding section 100...Linear member folding system 200...Articulated robot device (robot arm device) 201...Grasp hand S...Strap (linear member)

Claims

1. a linear member holding portion that holds the other side of the linear member in a state where the linear member is pulled to one side in the longitudinal direction; a locking portion that locks a first point of the linear member in a state where the linear member is pulled to the one side; a folding action unit configured to perform a folding action of hooking the linear member from one side at a second point on the one side of the first point and moving the linear member to a position on the other side of the locking portion; A linear member folding device comprising:

2. The folding operation unit is 2. The linear member folding device of claim 1, configured to perform a folding operation in which the linear member is hooked from the one side at a second point on the one side of the first point, moved to the other side, and then moved back and forth in a first directional component perpendicular to the longitudinal direction from the other side toward the one side, and during the reciprocating movement, moved to the other side in a second directional component along the longitudinal direction.

3. The linear member folding device according to claim 2 , wherein the folding operation section operates along an arcuate track.

4. The linear member folding device according to claim 3 , wherein the engaging portion is located at a center of the arcuate track.

5. 3. The linear member folding device according to claim 2, further comprising a tightening prevention mechanism in which the distance of movement of the folding action part toward the other side relative to the locking part in the second directional component of the movement is smaller than the maximum distance of the folding action part relative to the locking part in the first directional component of the movement.

6. The linear member folding device of claim 2, further comprising a tightening prevention mechanism configured so that the distance between the linear member holding portion and the locking portion becomes smaller after the folding action portion passes a turning point in its reciprocating movement in the first directional component.

7. The linear member folding device according to claim 2, wherein the folding operation unit is configured to move the other end of the linear member to the second point while the linear member is hooked onto the linear member holding unit prior to the folding operation.

8. Before the folding operation of the folding operation unit, 2. The linear member folding device of claim 1, further comprising a second folding action unit configured to hook the linear member from the other side at a third point on the one side of the second point and move it to a position on the other side of the engaging portion.

9. The second folding operation unit, 9. The linear member folding device of claim 8, wherein the linear member is hooked from the other lateral side at a third point on the one side of the second point, moved toward the one lateral side, and then moved back and forth in a first directional component perpendicular to the longitudinal direction so as to move from the one lateral side to the other lateral side, and during the reciprocating movement, moves toward the other side in a second directional component along the longitudinal direction.

10. 10. The linear member folding device according to claim 1, comprising: a plurality of the folding action sections having different relative positions with respect to the locking portion; and a plurality of the linear member holding sections having different relative positions with respect to the locking portion.

11. A linear member folding system comprising the linear member folding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, A linear member folding system comprising a robot arm device having a gripping hand attached thereto for gripping the linear member folded by the linear member folding device, whereby the folded linear member is automatically removed from the linear member folding device by the robot arm device.

12. A method for folding a linear member using the linear member folding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising the steps of: attaching the linear member to the linear member holding portion; folding the linear member by the folding operation unit; A method for folding a linear member, comprising:

Images