Recycle system and wire harness

Abstract

To provide a recycle system capable of obtaining an electric wire material with high purity containing no contaminants through recycling, and also to provide a wire harness.SOLUTION: A recycle system is for a wire harness 1 with a plurality of electric wires 2 bundled. The recycle system includes: a data server 30 storing conductor information showing a type of a conductor used in the electric wires 2 as recycle information of the wire harness 1; and a discrimination tag reading device 20 configured to read a discrimination tag 10 attached to the wire harness 1 and acquire the conductor information from the data server 30. The data server 30 stores removal information showing a removal object to be removed from the electric wires 2 as the recycle information. The discrimination tag reading device 20 acquires the removal information from the data server 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a recycling system used for recycling a wire harness, and the wire harness. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, when recycling wire harnesses, the following procedure is followed. 1. Remove the exterior. 2. Crushing (cutting into small pieces). 3. Gravity sorting: Separation of resins (such as electrical wire coverings) and metals (including non-ferrous metals). 4. Magnetic sorting / shape sorting: Separation of metals and non-ferrous metals.

[0003] The main recycled material in wire harnesses is the conductor (non-ferrous metal) used in the core of the electric wire. There are several types of conductors used in wire harnesses (copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, etc.), and the conductor is selected according to the wire diameter and application. If crushing and sorting is performed in the recycling process as described above, the type of conductor cannot be separated. Therefore, the entire amount of the separated conductors is recycled as miscellaneous copper or miscellaneous metals. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-313165 A DISCLOSURE OF THEINVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, miscellaneous copper does not meet the specifications for automotive electric wires. Therefore, in order to reuse miscellaneous copper as electric wires (core wires) for new wiring harnesses (horizontal recycling), a dedicated process is required to extract pure copper by melting and refining it. Melting and refining miscellaneous copper requires a lot of energy, which increases CO2 emissions and requires the use of chemicals that have a large environmental impact.

[0006] It has been proposed to attach a medium (non-contact IC tag) containing electronic data necessary for recycling, such as the content of the constituent materials, to the wire harness and carry out a recycling process appropriate to the constituent materials (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, wire harnesses contain various parts and metals (plating, etc.) other than the core wire. Therefore, since it is not possible to completely separate the conductors by type based on the information on the constituent materials alone, they are treated as miscellaneous copper.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a recycling system and a wire harness that can obtain impurity-free and highly pure electric wire material through recycling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The recycling system of the present invention is a recycling system for a wire harness in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled, and is characterized in that it includes a data server that stores recycling information for the wire harness, such as conductor information indicating the type of conductor used in the electric wires and removal information indicating items to be removed from the electric wires, and an identification tag reading device that reads an identification tag attached to the wire harness and obtains the recycling information from the data server. The wire harness of the present invention is characterized in that it is a wire harness in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled together, and an identification tag is attached which includes access information to a data server that stores, as recycling information, conductor information indicating the type of conductor used in the electric wires and removal information indicating the target to be removed from the electric wires. Effect of the Invention

[0009] Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to sort electric wires by type of conductor using the conductor information, and it is possible to easily remove parts and areas that contain other than pure copper or pure aluminum using the removal information, thereby obtaining high-purity electric wire material free of impurities. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a recycling system according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a database of a data server illustrated in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a recycling process using the recycling system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a joint portion to be removed. [Diagram 5] 3 is a diagram showing an example of providing the removal information shown in FIG. 2 as visual information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Next, a mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as an "embodiment") will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] The present embodiment is a recycling system that supports the recycling of a wire harness 1. Referring to FIG.

[0013] The wire harness 1 includes a plurality of bundled electric wires 2, and a connector 3 and various boxes such as a terminal (not shown) and a junction box and a fuse box are connected to the electric wires 2. The wire harness 1 is also wound with a tape 4 and a tube (not shown) for bundling and protecting the electric wires 2. Furthermore, the wire harness 1 is also connected with other components such as grommets, wiring clips, and protectors (not shown).

[0014] An identification tag 10 is attached to the wire harness 1. The identification tag 10 is code information such as a two-dimensional barcode. The identification tag 10 includes access information to the data server 30 and specific information for identifying the wire harness 1 (harness ID, product number, lot code, individual number, manufacturing date, shipping date, etc.). The identification tag 10 may be a wireless tag such as an RFID.

[0015] The identification tag reader 20 is a device that reads the specific information and the access information from the identification tag 10, and may be, for example, a handheld code reader. The identification tag reader 20 includes a reading unit 21, a communication unit 22, a display unit 23, an input unit 24, and a control unit 25.

[0016] The reading unit 21 irradiates light onto the identification tag 10 and receives the reflected light, etc., to read the specific information and the access information.

[0017] The communication unit 22 has a data communication function for transmitting and receiving various information to and from the data server 30 via a network 40 such as the Internet.

[0018] The display unit 23 is configured with a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays various information received from the data server 30.

[0019] The input unit 24 is composed of various operation keys, and receives instructions to read the identification tag 10, instructions to switch various information displayed on the display unit 23, and the like.

[0020] The control unit 25 is an arithmetic processing circuit such as a microcomputer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The ROM stores a control program for controlling the operation of the identification tag reader 20. The control unit 25 reads out the control program stored in the ROM and loads the control program into the RAM to control the identification tag reader 20.

[0021] Data server 30 is an information processing device equipped with a communication function via network 40. Data server 30 publishes recycling information database 31 as recycling information on network 40 such as the Internet. The contents of data server 30 can be updated as appropriate by the supplier of wire harness 1, and further detailed information can also be added.

[0022] The recycling information stored in the recycling information database 31 is various information for performing efficient recycling of the wire harness 1, as shown in FIG. 2. The recycling information is, for example, information such as "harness ID", "manufacturing date", "shipping date", "shape data", "wire material", "number of connectors", "starting point", "connector position", and "joint position". The "harness ID", "manufacturing date", and "shipping date" are stored as specific information for identifying the wire harness 1. The "shape data" is stored as confirmation information for confirming the wire harness 1 to be recycled. The "wire material" is stored as conductor information indicating the type of conductor used in the wire 2. The "number of connectors", "starting point", "connector position", and "joint position" are stored as removal information indicating the position of the removal target to be removed from the wire 2. In addition, the recycling information database 31 may store "presence or absence of plated wire", "material ratio of copper alloy and aluminum alloy", "material of parts such as connectors and terminals and presence or absence of surface treatment (plating)", and the like.

[0023] 3 shows a recycling process using the recycling system of this embodiment. A collected item that was used in a clearance sale item or a scrapped automobile becomes the wire harness 1 to be recycled. Recycling begins with a reading process in which the identification tag reader 20 reads the access information and specific information of the identification tag 10 attached to the wire harness 1 (step S101). The identification tag reader 20 accesses the data server 30 based on the access information, obtains recycling information for the wire harness 1 based on the specific information, and displays the obtained recycling information on the display unit 23.

[0024] The next step is a sorting step (step S102) in which the wire harness 1 is sorted according to the type of conductor used in the electric wire 2, based on the conductor information included in the recycling information displayed on the display unit 23. In this embodiment, the conductors are sorted according to the types of pure copper, pure aluminum, copper alloy, and aluminum alloy. The reading step and sorting step may be automated using a device that reads the identification tag 10 of the wire harness 1 transported on a conveyer and sorts the conductors according to their types.

[0025] The subsequent recycling steps for the wire harness 1 whose conductor is pure copper and the wire harness 1 whose conductor is pure aluminum are similar. Therefore, the recycling step for the wire harness 1 whose conductor is pure copper will be described below.

[0026] A reading step is carried out in which the identification tag reader 20 is used to read the access information and identification information of the identification tag 10 attached to the wire harness 1 whose conductor is pure copper (step S103). The identification tag reader 20 accesses the data server 30 based on the access information, acquires recycling information of the wire harness 1 based on the identification information, and displays the conductor information and removal information included in the acquired cycle information on the display unit 23. In the reading steps of steps S101 and S103, the display contents may be switched on the identification tag reader 20 side. Dedicated identification tag readers 20 may be provided for each step.

[0027] The next step is a removal step in which removal targets containing materials other than the material of the electric wire 2 (pure copper) are removed based on the recycling information (removal information) displayed on the display unit 23 (step S104).

[0028] The removal information is information for identifying the position of the part to be removed, and includes a "starting point," a "connector position," and a "joint position." The "starting point" indicates a part that is a reference for identifying the position of the part to be removed, such as an identification tag 10, a relay box (R / B), or a grommet. The "connector position" is information for identifying the position of the connector 3 to be removed, and indicates the direction and distance from the "starting point." As shown in FIG. 4, the "joint position" indicates the joint position to be removed, such as an internal branch (a joint using plating or the like with a crimp terminal) or a side branch (a position where an optional connector or the like is wrapped with tape 4 or a tube). The removal information may also include a "terminal position," a "box position," and the like, as parts to be removed.

[0029] Furthermore, the recycle information database 31 may provide visual information as shown in Fig. 5(a) as the removal information. In this case, the recycle information database 31 stores visual information such as an image or video showing the shape of the wire harness 1, and provides this visual information to the identification tag reader 20. The starting point and the efficient arrangement of the wire harness 1 can be easily grasped by the visual information.

[0030] Furthermore, the recycling information database 31 may provide visual information as shown in Fig. 5(b) and (c) as removal information. In this case, the recycling information database 31 stores visual information such as an image or video showing the items to be removed from the wire harness 1, and provides this visual information to the identification tag reader 20. The visual information allows the items to be easily identified, improving work efficiency.

[0031] After removing the electric wires 2 from which the objects to be removed in the removal process, the electric wires 2 are subjected to a fine shredding process (step S105) where the electric wires are cut into small pieces, and then a conductor separation process (step S106) where the electric wires are separated by vibration, wind power, etc. In the conductor separation process, metals (pure copper and iron metals) are separated from other materials such as resins, plastics, tapes, etc.

[0032] The metals (pure copper and ferrous metal) after the conductor separation process are subjected to an iron separation process (step S107) in which separation is performed using vibration, magnetic force, or the like to separate the pure copper and the ferrous metal.

[0033] The pure copper separated by the conductor separation process becomes a highly pure electric wire material without impurities. Therefore, the separated pure copper can be used for horizontal recycling as is without consuming extra energy or labor. In the case of wire harness 1, whose conductor is pure aluminum, pure aluminum is obtained by the conductor separation process.

[0034] The wire harness 1, whose conductor is a copper alloy, is subjected to a shredding process (step S105) in which the wire harness is cut into small pieces, and then to a conductor sorting process (step S106) in which the wire harness is sorted by vibration, wind power, etc. In the conductor sorting process, metals (copper alloys and iron metals) are separated from other materials such as resins, plastics, tapes, etc.

[0035] The metals (copper alloy and ferrous metal) after the conductor separation process are subjected to an iron separation process (step S107) in which separation is performed using vibration, magnetic force, etc., to separate the copper alloy from the ferrous metal.

[0036] The copper alloy separated in the iron separation process may be recycled as pure copper by carrying out an electric refining process (step S108). In this case, since the process is carried out in a state where the copper alloy is separated, it is possible to reduce the amount of electricity used and the amount of chemicals that have a large environmental impact.

[0037] The wire harness 1, whose conductor is an aluminum alloy, is subjected to a shredding process (step S105) in which the wire harness is cut into small pieces, and then to a conductor sorting process (step S106) in which the wire harness is sorted by vibration, wind power, etc. In the conductor sorting process, metals (aluminum alloys and iron metals) are separated from other materials such as resins, plastics, tapes, etc.

[0038] The metals (aluminum alloys and iron metals) after the conductor separation process are subjected to an iron separation process (step S107) in which separation is performed using vibration, magnetic force, etc., to separate the aluminum alloys from the iron metals.

[0039] The aluminum alloy that has been subjected to the iron separation process may be recycled as pure aluminum by carrying out the electrolytic extraction process (step S109). In this case, since the process is carried out in a state where the aluminum alloy is separated, it is possible to reduce the amount of electricity used and the amount of chemicals that have a large environmental impact.

[0040] The iron metal separated in the iron separation process for each material separated in the sorting process is recycled as high-grade steel by carrying out a blast furnace refining process (step S110) in which the iron metal is melted using a blast furnace, and the impurities are discharged as slag. The separated iron metal is also recycled as low-grade steel by carrying out an electric furnace refining process (step S111) in which the iron metal is melted using an electric furnace, and the impurities are discharged as slag.

[0041] As described above, the present embodiment is a recycling system for a wire harness 1 in which a plurality of electric wires 2 are bundled. The recycling system includes a data server 30 that stores conductor information and removal information as recycling information for the wire harness 1, and an identification tag reader 20 that acquires the recycling information from the data server 30. The conductor information indicates the type of conductor used in the electric wire 2. The removal information indicates the removal target to be removed from the electric wire 2. With this configuration, the conductor information can be used to sort the electric wires 2 by type of conductor, and the removal information can be used to easily remove parts and areas that contain anything other than pure copper or pure aluminum. This makes it possible to obtain high-purity electric wire material free of impurities, which can be used directly for horizontal recycling without consuming extra energy or labor. In addition, the process of improving purity can be omitted, making horizontal recycling possible through a process optimized for each conductor material, which can be useful for manufacturing environmentally friendly wire harnesses 1.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the removal information includes position information indicating the position of the removal target. With this configuration, the location of the object to be removed is known, making it easier to remove parts or areas that contain materials other than pure copper or pure aluminum.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the removal information includes a direction and a distance from the origin point. This configuration makes it easier to identify the location of parts or areas that contain anything other than pure copper or pure aluminum.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the removal information includes visual information representing the shape of the wire harness 1. This configuration allows the arrangement of the wire harness 1 to be visually grasped, improving work efficiency.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the removal information includes visual information indicating the object to be removed. With this configuration, the object to be removed can be visually grasped, and the work efficiency of the process of removing the object to be removed can be improved.

[0046] This embodiment is directed to a wire harness 1 in which a plurality of electric wires 2 are bundled. An identification tag 10 including access information to a data server 30 is attached to the wire harness 1. The data server 30 stores, as recycling information, conductor information indicating the type of conductor used in the electric wires 2 and removal information indicating the position of a target to be removed from the electric wires 2. With this configuration, recycling information can be accessed simply by reading the identification tag 10, and the wire harness 1 can be easily sorted according to the type of conductor of the electric wire 2.

[0047] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiment. This embodiment is merely an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of the respective components, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Wire harness 2 electric wire 3 Connector 4. Tape 10 Identification Tags 20 Identification tag reader 21 Reading unit 22 Communications Department 23 Display section 24 Input section 25 Control Unit 30 Data Server 31 Recycling Information Database 40 Network

Claims

1. A recycling system for a wire harness in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled, comprising: a data server that stores, as recycling information of the wire harness, conductor information indicating a type of conductor used in the electric wire and removal information indicating a removal target to be removed from the electric wire; an identification tag reader that reads an identification tag attached to the wire harness and acquires the recycling information from the data server.

2. 2. The recycling system according to claim 1, wherein the removal information includes location information indicating a location of the object to be removed.

3. The recycling system according to claim 2 , wherein the location information includes a direction and a distance from a starting point of the object to be removed.

4. 3. The recycling system according to claim 1, wherein the removal information includes visual information representing a shape of the wire harness.

5. 3. The recycling system according to claim 1, wherein the removal information includes visual information indicating the object to be removed.

6. A wire harness in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled, A wire harness characterized in that an identification tag is attached, the identification tag including access information to a data server that stores, as recycling information, conductor information indicating the type of conductor used in the electric wire and removal information indicating items to be removed from the electric wire.

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