Wire reversal confirmation device

Abstract

To provide a wire reversal confirmation device capable of automatically reversing and confirming the color order of stripe colors in two arranged wires having a stripe.SOLUTION: A wire reversal confirmation device 1 includes: a wire arrangement part 11 having a predetermined normal color order in the color order of stripe colors in a wire arrangement direction D13 in a stripe color confirmation area 11a; a stripe photography part 12 having two arranged cameras 121 for storing each stripe W12 of two wires W1 having a stripe and extending in the stripe color confirmation area 11a in a photography range 121a; and a confirmation part 13 capable of analyzing photographic images by the two cameras 121 and confirming that the two wires W1 having the stripes in the stripe color confirmation area 11a are arranged without reversing the stripe color to the normal color order in the wire arrangement direction D13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire reversal confirmation device for confirming that two striped wires are arranged without the stripe colors being reversed with respect to the normal color sequence.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, striped wires in which stripes indicating the use are formed on the surface of the wire coating have been widely used. In many cases, two such striped wires are arranged side by side and often used, for example, for connection work to a connector. In such a situation, it is desirable that the two striped wires be arranged without the stripe colors being reversed with respect to the normal color sequence corresponding to each use so that they go to the correct supply destination according to each use. Currently, in many cases, the reversal confirmation of the stripe color sequence during the supply of the striped wire is visually checked by the operator. Such work tends to be a burden on the operator, so it is desirable to be able to automatically confirm the reversal of the stripe color sequence.

[0003] Here, although the object is not a striped wire, a technique has been proposed for checking the state of the circumferential surface of a cylindrical object by photographing the circumferential surface with a camera while rotating the object around its axis (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Since a striped wire can be regarded as a cylindrical object, it is conceivable to use the above-described confirmation technique by camera photographing to automatically confirm the reversal of the stripe color sequence.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] As described above, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to rotate the object during camera shooting. However, in a scene where two striped electric wires are arranged and supplied, it is difficult to rotate the striped electric wire around the wire axis, and it is difficult to automatically confirm the reversal of the stripe color sequence even when using the technique described in Patent Document 1.

[0006] Therefore, paying attention to the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a wire reversal confirmation device that can automatically confirm the reversal of the stripe color sequence for two arranged striped electric wires.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the wire reversal confirmation device is a part where a plurality of striped electric wires formed on the surface of the wire coating so that the stripes extending in the wire longitudinal direction are rotationally symmetric around the wire axis are arranged in two with different stripe colors from each other. In a predetermined stripe color confirmation area, two of the striped electric wires are arranged so as to extend along each other in the wire arrangement direction intersecting the wire longitudinal direction, and a normal color sequence is predetermined for the stripe color sequence in the wire arrangement direction in the stripe color confirmation area. An electric wire arrangement unit, a stripe photographing unit in which two cameras that capture the stripes of each of the two striped electric wires extending in the stripe color confirmation area within the photographing range are arranged so as to sandwich a virtual boundary surface extending orthogonally to the wire arrangement direction between the two striped electric wires, and the captured images by the two cameras are analyzed. And a confirmation unit that confirms that the two striped electric wires in the stripe color confirmation area are arranged without reversing the stripe color with respect to the normal color sequence in the wire arrangement direction.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the above wire inversion confirmation device, for two striped wires arranged, it is possible to automatically confirm the inversion of the color sequence of the stripe colors.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the wire inversion confirmation device will be described.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wire inversion confirmation device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing an enlarged stripe color confirmation area in the wire inversion confirmation device shown in FIG. 1. Further, FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the wire inversion confirmation device shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the direction of arrow V11 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of area A11 in FIG. 3.

[0012] The wire inversion confirmation device 1 of this embodiment is a device for confirming that two striped wires W1 are arranged without the stripe colors being inverted with respect to the normal color order. The striped wire W1 to be confirmed by this wire inversion confirmation device 1 is a wire in which a plurality of stripes W12 indicating the use in color are formed on the surface of the wire coating W11 so as to be rotationally symmetric around the wire axis W1a. In this embodiment, each striped wire W1 is formed by two wires with the stripes W12 separated by 180° around the wire axis W1a. This wire inversion confirmation device 1 is arranged and used on the supply route E13 between the wire feeding mechanism E11 and the supply destination E12 schematically shown in FIG. 1. The wire feeding mechanism E11 is a mechanism for feeding the striped wire W1 in the wire feeding direction D12 along the wire longitudinal direction D11. The supply destination E12 is a part that receives the striped wire W1 and performs processes such as connecting a connector to the end of the wire. This wire inversion confirmation device 1 includes a wire arrangement unit 11, a stripe photographing unit 12, and a confirmation unit 13.

[0013] The wire arrangement unit 11 is a part having a rectangular plate-like appearance with a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the striped wire W1, in which two striped wires W1 with different stripe colors are arranged. In this wire arrangement unit 11, in a predetermined stripe color confirmation area 11a, two striped wires W1 are arranged along each other in the wire arrangement direction D13 intersecting the wire longitudinal direction D11. At this time, in the wire arrangement unit 11, a normal color order is predetermined for the color order of the stripe colors in the wire arrangement direction D13 in the stripe color confirmation area 11a. This normal color order is stored in the confirmation unit 13.

[0014] This wire arrangement unit 11 includes a bottom plate portion 111, a top plate portion 112, a guide rib 113, and two wire receiving ports 114.

[0015] The bottom plate portion 111 is a portion that extends along both the longitudinal direction D11 of the electric wire and the electric wire arrangement direction D13, and on which two striped electric wires W1 are placed. The top plate portion 112 is a portion that is arranged to face the bottom plate portion 111 with a space corresponding to the thickness of the striped electric wire W1. An imaging window 112a is formed in the top plate portion 112 at a position corresponding to the stripe color confirmation area 11a so that the two striped electric wires W1 can be seen from the camera 121 described later.

[0016] The guide rib 113 is a rib that partitions between the two striped electric wires W1 from the electric wire feeding mechanism E11 at a position on the electric wire receiving side closer to the electric wire feeding mechanism E11 than the stripe color confirmation area 11a. This guide rib 113 is erected from the bottom plate portion 111 toward the top plate portion 112 so as to be rib-shaped at the position on the electric wire receiving side. And the guide rib 113 is responsible for the function of aligning the striped electric wires W1 fed from the electric wire feeding mechanism E11 in a branched state in the electric wire arrangement direction D13 and feeding them into the stripe color confirmation area 11a.

[0017] The two wire inlets 114 are portions that are formed in a funnel shape on the wire receiving side where the guide rib 113 is provided in the wire arrangement portion 11, and receive the two striped electric wires W1 from the electric wire feeding mechanism E11 one by one. The two wire inlets 114 are partitioned in the electric wire arrangement direction D13 by the guide rib 113. The funnel-shaped shape of each wire inlet 114 is a tapered shape as it approaches the stripe color confirmation area 11a in the wire feeding direction D12 from the wire feeding mechanism E11. Each wire inlet 114 receives each striped electric wire W1 into the inside of this funnel-shaped shape, and guides each striped electric wire W1 toward the stripe color confirmation area 11a by the funnel-shaped shape.

[0018] Next, the stripe photographing unit 12 in the wire inversion confirmation device 1 is a part where two cameras 121 for photographing the stripes W12 of the two striped wires W1 extending in the stripe color confirmation area 11a are arranged within the photographing range 121a. These two cameras 121 each have a rectangular block-like appearance and are arranged so as to sandwich a virtual boundary surface P11 that extends orthogonally to the wire arrangement direction D13 between the two striped wires W1 in the stripe color confirmation area 11a. Specifically, the two cameras 121 are arranged to be plane-symmetrical with respect to the virtual boundary surface P11. And more specifically, the two cameras 121 are arranged such that each photographing direction D14 is inclined at an inclination angle θ11 of 45° from the virtual boundary surface P11 and faces the striped wire W1 in the stripe color confirmation area 11a. And the stripe photographing unit 12 includes a camera support portion 122 that supports these two cameras 121 so as to be arranged sandwiching the virtual boundary surface P11 as described above.

[0019] The camera support portion 122 is a sheet metal processed part including an overhanging plate portion 122a and a pair of camera support tongue pieces 122b. The overhanging plate portion 122a is a portion that protrudes upward from the stripe color confirmation area 11a in the extending direction D15 of the virtual boundary surface P11 and extends in a rectangular plate shape intersecting the virtual boundary surface P11. The pair of camera support tongue pieces 122b extend from both end edges in the wire arrangement direction D13 of the overhanging plate portion 122a at an inclination angle θ11 corresponding to the photographing direction D14 of each of the two cameras 121, and each is a portion that supports one camera 121. These pair of camera support tongue pieces 122b are portions that are folded up at the above inclination angle θ11 by sheet metal processing at both end edges of the overhanging plate portion 122a.

[0020] Then, the confirmation unit 13 in the wire inversion confirmation device 1 is a computer part that analyzes the captured images by the two cameras 121 and performs the following inversion confirmation process for the two striped wires W1 in the stripe color confirmation area 11a. As described above, the confirmation unit 13 stores the normal color sequence of the stripe colors in the wire arrangement direction D13. The inversion confirmation process in the confirmation unit 13 is a process of confirming that the color sequence of the stripe colors in the two striped wires W1 obtained by image analysis is arranged without being inverted with respect to the stored normal color sequence.

[0021] Here, in the wire inversion confirmation device 1 of the present embodiment, by using two cameras 121, the following range is secured as the range of the circumferential surface that can be photographed around the wire axis W1a for one striped wire W1.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the range of the circumferential surface that can be photographed around the wire axis by using two cameras for each of the two striped wires in the stripe color confirmation area, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of area A12 in FIG. 5.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, for each of the two striped wires W1, the range 121a-1 that can be photographed around the wire axis W1a by each camera 121 is a limited range on the arrangement side of each camera 121. By adding this range 121a-1 for the two cameras 121, it becomes possible to photograph a range 121b that exceeds 180° around the wire axis W1a for one striped wire W1. In the present embodiment, the two cameras 121 are arranged at an inclination angle θ11 of 45° with respect to the virtual boundary surface P11. In this case, the photographable range 121b for the two cameras around the wire axis W1a is 266°. By obtaining such a photographable range 121b for the two cameras for one striped wire W1, no matter what posture the striped wire W1 takes around the wire axis W1a, one stripe W12 will always enter the photographable range 121b for the two cameras.

[0024] According to the wire inversion confirmation device 1 of the embodiment described above, shooting is performed by two cameras 121. The two cameras 121 are arranged so as to include the stripes W12 of the two striped wires W1 arranged in the stripe color confirmation area 11a in their respective shooting ranges 121a and sandwich the virtual interface surface P11 between the wires. By shooting with such two cameras 121, no matter what posture the striped wire W1 is in around the wire axis W1a, the stripes W12 of each striped wire W1 can be included in the two shooting possible ranges 121b corresponding to the two cameras 121. Then, by such camera shooting, for the two arranged striped wires W1 that are difficult to rotate around the wire axis W1a, it is possible to automatically confirm the inversion of the color order of the stripe colors.

[0025] Here, in the present embodiment, the wire arrangement unit 11 is arranged on the supply route E13 between the wire feeding mechanism E11 and the supply destination E12 of the striped wire W1. The two striped wires W1 from the wire feeding mechanism E11 pass through the wire arrangement unit 11 so as to pass through the stripe color confirmation area 11a on the way to the supply destination E12. And at the position on the wire receiving side in this wire arrangement unit 11, a guide rib 113 formed in a rib shape for partitioning between the two striped wires W1 from the wire feeding mechanism E11 is provided. This guide rib 113 aligns the two striped wires W1 in a branched state in the wire arrangement direction D13 and feeds them into the stripe color confirmation area 11a. According to this configuration, on the above supply route E13, the two striped wires W1 passing through the wire arrangement unit 11 can be effectively aligned in a branched state in the wire arrangement direction D13 and used for confirming the inversion of the color order of the stripe colors. And by enabling such inversion confirmation on the supply route E13, the two striped wires W1 whose arrangement in the regular color order has been confirmed can be appropriately sent out to the supply destination E12.

[0026] In addition, in this embodiment, on the wire receiving side in the wire arrangement portion 11, two wire receiving ports 114 are provided which are formed in a funnel shape that tapers as it approaches the stripe color confirmation area 11a. According to this configuration, the two striped wires W1 from the wire feeding mechanism E11 can be effectively received into the wire arrangement portion 11 through the funnel-shaped wire receiving ports 114 and sent into the stripe color confirmation area 11a.

[0027] In addition, in this embodiment, the wire arrangement portion 11 includes a bottom plate portion 111 and a top plate portion 112 that is disposed facing the bottom plate portion 111 and in which a photographing window 112a is formed. According to this configuration, by sandwiching the two striped wires W1 between the bottom plate portion 111 and the top plate portion 112, the bending of the striped wire W1 in the facing direction of the two plate portions can be suppressed, and camera photographing can be performed through the photographing window 112a in a good photographing state.

[0028] In addition, in this embodiment, the stripe photographing portion 12 includes a camera support portion 122 that supports two cameras 121. According to this configuration, by supporting the two cameras 121 with the camera support portion 122, the photographing postures of the respective cameras 121 can be stabilized and camera photographing can be performed.

[0029] In addition, in this embodiment, the camera support portion 122 includes an overhanging plate portion 122a and a pair of camera support tongue pieces 122b. The overhanging plate portion 122a is a portion that protrudes in a plate shape above the stripe color confirmation area 11a. The pair of camera support tongue pieces 122b extend from both end edges of the overhanging plate portion 122a at an inclination angle θ11 corresponding to each photographing direction D14, and each is a portion that supports the camera 121. According to this configuration, the camera support portion 122 can be obtained by inexpensive sheet metal processing such as folding up the pair of camera support tongue pieces 122b at both end edges of the overhanging plate portion 122a, as compared with joining a plurality of parts or die molding with resin, etc., and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0030] Also, in the present embodiment, two cameras 121 are arranged to be plane-symmetric with respect to the virtual boundary surface P11 described above. According to this configuration, an equal photographing range 121a by the two cameras 121 can be set for the two striped electric wires W1, so that a photographed image suitable for confirming the inversion of the color sequence of the stripe color can be obtained.

[0031] Also, in the present embodiment, each striped electric wire W1 is formed by two stripes W12 separated by 180° around the electric wire axis W1a. The two cameras 121 are arranged such that each photographing direction D14 is inclined by 45° from the virtual boundary surface P11 and faces the striped electric wire W1 in the stripe color confirmation area 11a. According to this configuration, it is preferable because the stripes W12 of the two striped electric wires W1 can be accurately accommodated within the photographable range 121b for two cameras 121.

[0032] Note that the embodiments described above merely show typical forms of the electric wire inversion confirmation device. The electric wire inversion confirmation device is not limited to this and can be implemented with various modifications.

[0033] For example, in the above-described embodiment, as an example of the electric wire inversion confirmation device, the electric wire inversion confirmation device 1 in which two cameras 121 each having a rectangular block-like appearance are arranged above the electric wire arrangement portion 11 having a rectangular plate-like appearance is exemplified. However, the electric wire inversion confirmation device is not limited to this, and the specific external shape of the electric wire arrangement portion and the cameras arranged above it are not questioned.

[0034] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the wire arrangement section, a wire arrangement section 11 is illustrated which is arranged on a supply route E13 between a wire pay-out mechanism E11 and a supply destination E12, and a guide rib 113 is provided at a position on the wire receiving side. However, the wire arrangement section is not limited to this, and instead of the striped wire fed from the wire pay-out mechanism to the supply destination, for example, the striped wire may be statically arranged by an operator. And it may be configured not to provide any guide rib in the wire arrangement section. However, by arranging the wire arrangement section 11 on the above-described supply route E13 and providing the guide rib 113, as described above, the two striped wires W1 can be effectively used for reverse confirmation and appropriately sent out to the supply destination E12.

[0035] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the wire arrangement section, a wire arrangement section 11 is illustrated which is provided with two wire receiving ports 114 formed in a funnel shape on the wire receiving side. However, the wire arrangement section is not limited to this, and it may be configured not to provide such a wire receiving port on the wire receiving side. However, by providing the two wire receiving ports 114, as described above, the wire can be effectively received by the wire arrangement section 11 and sent into the stripe color confirmation area 11a.

[0036] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the wire arrangement section, a wire arrangement section 11 is illustrated which includes a bottom plate portion 111 and a top plate portion 112 with a photographing window 112a. However, the wire arrangement section is not limited to this, and for example, it may be formed in a simple plate shape, and a striped wire may be placed on its surface. However, by providing the bottom plate portion 111 and the top plate portion 112 with the photographing window 112a, as described above, camera photographing can be performed in a good photographing state where the bending of the striped wire W1 is suppressed.

[0037] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the stripe photographing unit, a stripe photographing unit 12 including a camera support unit 122 that supports two cameras 121 is illustrated. However, the stripe photographing unit is not limited to this, and as long as photographing is performed with two cameras, the specific installation mode of these two cameras is not questioned. However, according to the mode of supporting two cameras 121 by the camera support unit 122, it is possible to perform camera photographing while stabilizing the photographing posture of each camera 121, as described above.

[0038] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the camera support unit, a camera support unit 122 including an overhanging plate portion 122a and a pair of camera support tongue pieces 122b is illustrated. However, the camera support unit is not limited to this, and as long as it supports two cameras, its specific configuration is not questioned. However, by adopting a configuration including the overhanging plate portion 122a and a pair of camera support tongue pieces 122b, it is possible to manufacture the camera support unit 122 by inexpensive sheet metal processing, and it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost, as described above.

[0039] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the wire inversion confirmation device, a wire inversion confirmation device 1 in which two cameras 121 are arranged to be plane-symmetric with respect to the virtual boundary surface P11 is illustrated. However, the wire inversion confirmation device is not limited to this, and as long as they are arranged with the virtual boundary surface in between, the specific arrangement of the two cameras is not questioned. However, by arranging the two cameras 121 in a plane-symmetric manner, it is possible to set a uniform photographing range 121a and obtain a photographed image suitable for confirming the inversion of the color sequence of the stripe color, as described above.

[0040] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the striped electric wire, the striped electric wire W1 in which two stripes W12 are formed at 180° intervals around the electric wire axis W1a is illustrated. And, as an example of an electric wire inversion confirmation device for such a striped electric wire, the electric wire inversion confirmation device 1 in which two cameras 121 are arranged with each photographing direction D14 inclined 45° from the virtual boundary surface P11 is illustrated. However, the striped electric wire and the electric wire inversion confirmation device are not limited to this, and the number of stripes and the arrangement around the electric wire axis are not limited to the specific number and arrangement as long as a plurality of them are rotationally symmetric around the electric wire axis. Also, the arrangement of the cameras in the electric wire inversion confirmation device can adopt any arrangement including the inclination angle from the virtual boundary surface. However, as described above, by separating the stripes W12 by 180° and inclining the cameras 121 by 45°, the stripes W12 can be accurately accommodated in the photographable range 121b for two cameras 121.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0041] 1 Electric wire inversion confirmation device 11 Electric wire arrangement part 11a Stripe color confirmation area 12 Stripe photographing part 13 Confirmation part 111 Bottom plate part 112 Top plate part 112a Photographing window 113 Guide rib 114 Electric wire receiving port 121 Camera 121a Photographing range 121a-1 Range that can be photographed 121b Range that can be photographed for two cameras 122 Camera support part 122a Overhanging plate part 122b Camera support tongue piece D11 Electric wire longitudinal direction D12 Electric wire pay-out direction D13 Electric wire arrangement direction D14 Photographing direction D15 Extending direction E11 Wire Pay-Out Mechanism E12 Supply Destination E13 Supply Route P11 Virtual Reality Interface W1 Striped Wire W1a Wire Axis W11 Wire Coating W12 Strip θ11 Inclination Angle

Claims

1. A striped electric wire in which a plurality of stripes extending in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire are formed on the surface of the electric wire coating so as to be rotationally symmetric about the electric wire axis, and two striped electric wires having different stripe colors are arranged at a portion where the stripe colors are different from each other. In a predetermined stripe color confirmation area, two striped electric wires are arranged so as to extend along each other in the electric wire arrangement direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the electric wire, and a normal color order is predetermined for the color order of the stripe colors in the electric wire arrangement direction in the stripe color confirmation area. An electric wire arrangement section; A stripe photographing section in which two cameras that photograph the stripes of the two striped electric wires extending through the stripe color confirmation area are arranged so as to sandwich a virtual boundary surface extending orthogonally to the electric wire arrangement direction between the two striped electric wires; A confirmation section that analyzes the photographed images by the two cameras and confirms that the two striped electric wires in the stripe color confirmation area are arranged without the stripe colors being reversed with respect to the normal color order in the electric wire arrangement direction; An electric wire inversion confirmation device characterized by comprising the above.

2. The electric wire arrangement section is arranged on a supply route between an electric wire feeding mechanism that feeds the striped electric wire in the electric wire feeding direction along the longitudinal direction of the electric wire to a predetermined supply destination and the supply destination, and two striped electric wires from the electric wire feeding mechanism to the supply destination pass through the stripe color confirmation area. A guide rib is provided at a position on the wire receiving side closer to the wire feeding mechanism than the stripe color confirmation area, which is formed in a rib shape that partitions between the two striped electric wires from the wire feeding mechanism and aligns the striped electric wires in a branched state in the wire arrangement direction and feeds them into the stripe color confirmation area. The electric wire inversion confirmation device according to claim 1, characterized in that

3. On the wire receiving side of the electric wire arrangement section where the guide rib is provided, it is formed in a funnel shape that tapers as it approaches the stripe color confirmation area in the wire feeding direction, and two wire receiving ports are provided for receiving the two striped electric wires and directing them to the stripe color confirmation area. The electric wire inversion confirmation device according to claim 2, characterized in that

4. The wire arrangement part has a bottom plate part that extends along both the longitudinal direction of the wire and the wire arrangement direction and on which two of the striped wires are placed; and a top plate part that is arranged to face the bottom plate part with an interval corresponding to the thickness of the striped wire, and a photographing window is formed at a position corresponding to the stripe color confirmation area so that two of the striped wires can be seen from the camera. The wire inversion confirmation device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises the above.

5. The stripe photographing part is provided with a camera support part that supports two of the cameras such that each photographing direction faces the striped wire in the stripe color confirmation area and the cameras are arranged with the virtual boundary surface therebetween. The wire inversion confirmation device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises the above.

6. The camera support part has a projecting plate part that projects in a plate shape so as to cross the virtual boundary surface upward above the stripe color confirmation area in the extending direction of the virtual boundary surface; and a pair of camera support tongue pieces that extend from both end edges of the projecting plate part in the wire arrangement direction at inclination angles corresponding to the photographing directions of the two cameras respectively, and each supports one of the cameras. The wire inversion confirmation device according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises the above.

7. The wire inversion confirmation device according to claim 1, characterized in that two of the cameras are arranged to be plane-symmetrical with respect to the virtual boundary surface.

8. Each of the striped wires has two stripes formed by being separated by 180° around the wire axis; The wire inversion confirmation device according to claim 1, characterized in that two of the cameras are arranged such that each photographing direction is inclined by 45° from the virtual boundary surface and faces the striped wire in the stripe color confirmation area.

Images