Rebar tying machine

Abstract

To provide technologies that allow reduction in time required for a tying process.SOLUTION: A rebar tying machine includes: a feeding unit configured to feed a wire; a guide unit including a first wire passage through which the wire passes, and configured to guide the wire around rebars; and a cutter configured to cut the wire. A leading end of the wire is configured to pass through the feeding unit, the cutter, and an exit of the first wire passage in this order. At the start of a tying process for tying the rebars with the wire, the leading end of the wire is positioned at a first position that is closer to the exit of the first wire passage than the cutter is.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 20

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification relates to a steel bar bundling machine.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a steel bar bundling machine. The steel bar bundling machine includes a feeding unit that feeds a wire, a guiding unit that has a first wire passage through which the wire passes and guides the wire around the steel bar, and a cutter that cuts the wire. The tip of the wire passes through the feeding unit, the cutter, and the outlet of the first wire passage in sequence.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above steel bar bundling machine, at the start of the bundling process of bundling the steel bar using the wire, the tip of the wire is disposed at the cutter. Therefore, it takes time to wind the wire around the steel bar. As a result, the time for the bundling process of bundling the steel bar using the wire is long.

[0005] Also, in the above steel bar bundling machine, it is desired to shorten the time for the bundling process.

[0006] Also, in the above steel bar bundling machine, after the trigger is operated, the wire is wound around the steel bar.

[0007] The purpose of this specification is to provide a technique capable of shortening the time for the bundling process.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The wire tying machine disclosed in this specification includes a feeding unit that feeds a wire, a guiding unit that has a first wire passage through which the wire passes and guides the wire around a steel bar, and a cutter that cuts the wire. The tip of the wire passes through the feeding unit, the cutter, and the outlet of the first wire passage in sequence. At the start of the tying process for tying the steel bar using the wire, the tip of the wire is disposed at a first position located on the outlet side of the first wire passage with respect to the cutter.

[0009] According to the above configuration, compared with the configuration in which the tip of the wire is disposed at the cutter at the start of the tying process, the time required to wind the wire around the steel bar is short. Thereby, the time for the tying process can be shortened.

[0010] The wire tying machine disclosed in this specification includes a feeding unit that feeds a wire, a guiding unit that has a first wire passage through which the wire passes and guides the wire around a steel bar, a cutter that cuts the wire, a twisting unit that twists the wire around the steel bar, a trigger operated by a user, a control unit that executes an initialization process for positioning the tip of the wire at a predetermined position, and a tying process for tying the steel bar using the wire by operating the trigger. The tip of the wire passes through the feeding unit, the cutter, and the outlet of the first wire passage in sequence. The control unit controls the feeding unit to send the tip of the wire to a first position located on the outlet side of the first wire passage with respect to the cutter at the end of the initialization process or after the tying process and after the twisting unit has returned to the initial position.

[0011] According to the above configuration, compared with the configuration in which the tip of the wire is disposed at the cutter at the start of the tying process, the time required to wind the wire around the steel bar is short. Thereby, the time for the tying process can be shortened.

[0012] The wire tying machine disclosed in this specification includes a feeding unit for feeding a wire, a guiding unit for guiding the wire around a reinforcing bar, a cutter for cutting the wire, a twisting unit for twisting the wire around the reinforcing bar, and a trigger operated by a user. The time from the start of tying the reinforcing bar using the wire to the completion of tying the reinforcing bar is 0.48 seconds or less.

[0013] According to the above configuration, compared with the conventional wire tying machine for reinforcing bars, the time for the tying process can be shortened.

[0014] The wire tying machine disclosed in this specification includes a feeding unit for feeding a wire, a guiding unit for guiding the wire fed by the feeding unit and forming a loop through which the reinforcing bar can pass, a cutter for cutting the wire, a twisting unit for twisting the wire around the reinforcing bar, and a trigger operated by a user. Before the trigger is operated, a loop of the wire is formed. By operating the trigger, the wire around the reinforcing bar is twisted.

[0015] According to the above configuration, the user passes the reinforcing bar through the loop of the wire before operating the trigger. Therefore, before operating the trigger, the wire is wound around the reinforcing bar. Thereby, the time for the tying process can be shortened.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21

Figure 22

Figure 23

Figure 24

Figure 25

Figure 26

Figure 27

Figure 28

Figure 29

Figure 30

Figure 31

Figure 32

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, representative and non-limiting specific examples of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. This detailed description is merely intended to show those skilled in the art the details for implementing preferred examples of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Also, the additional features and inventions disclosed below can be used separately or together with other features and inventions in order to provide a further improved steel bar tying machine, its manufacturing method, and its usage method.

[0018] Also, the combinations of features and steps disclosed in the following detailed description are not essential for implementing the present invention in the broadest sense, and are described only for explaining representative specific examples of the present invention in particular. Furthermore, the various features of the above and below representative specific examples, as well as the various features described in the independent and dependent claims, do not have to be combined as described in the specific examples here or in the order listed when providing additional and useful embodiments of the present invention.

[0019] All features described in this specification and / or the claims are intended to be disclosed separately and independently of each other as limitations on the initial disclosure and the claimed specific matters, apart from the configurations of the features described in the examples and / or the claims. Furthermore, all descriptions regarding numerical ranges and groups or populations are made with the intention of disclosing intermediate configurations as limitations on the initial disclosure and the claimed specific matters.

[0020] The steel bar tying machine disclosed in this specification includes a feeding unit for feeding a wire, a guiding unit having a first wire passage through which the wire passes and guiding the wire around the steel bar, and a cutter for cutting the wire. The tip of the wire passes through the feeding unit, the cutter, and the outlet of the first wire passage in sequence. At the start of the tying process for tying the steel bar using the wire, the tip of the wire is arranged at a first position located on the outlet side of the first wire passage with respect to the cutter.

[0021] In one or more embodiments, the guiding unit may include a first wire passage, a first guiding member that guides a wire, and a second guiding member that is separated from the first guiding member and guides the wire that has passed through the first wire passage. The first position may be disposed in the first wire passage.

[0022] According to the above configuration, compared with the configuration in which the tip of the wire is disposed at the cutter at the start of the bundling process, the time required to wind the wire around the steel bar is shorter. Thereby, the time for the bundling process can be made shorter.

[0023] In one or more embodiments, the first position may be disposed at the outlet of the first wire passage.

[0024] According to the above configuration, compared with the configuration in which the tip of the wire is disposed at the cutter at the start of the bundling process, the time required to wind the wire around the steel bar is shorter. Thereby, the time for the bundling process can be made shorter.

[0025] In one or more embodiments, the feeding unit may send the tip of the wire to the first position after the bundling process and after the rebar tying machine has moved away from the rebar.

[0026] Normally, when the rebar tying machine moves away from the rebar, the user moves the rebar tying machine to another tying position of the rebar. At this time, the bundling process by the rebar tying machine is not executed. According to the above configuration, while the rebar tying machine is being moved to another tying position of the rebar, the tip of the wire is sent to the first position. Thereby, immediately after the rebar tying machine has moved to another tying position of the rebar, the rebar tying machine can execute the bundling process.

[0027] In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying machine may further include a main body housing that supports a feeding unit and a guiding unit, a side plate that is openably and closably attached to the main body housing and abuts against the rebar during the tying process, and a detection sensor that detects the opening and closing of the side plate. The side plate may be opened and closed by a wire around the rebar after the tying process and when the rebar tying machine moves away from the rebar. The feeding unit may send the tip of the wire to the first position after the detection sensor detects the opening and closing of the side plate.

[0028] According to the above configuration, it is possible to easily detect that the rebar tying machine has moved away from the rebar.

[0029] In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying machine may further include a trigger operated by a user. The rebar tying machine may execute the tying process when the trigger is operated while the feeding unit sends the tip of the wire to the first position.

[0030] When the user firmly ties the rebar using the wire, the user may sometimes re - tie the tied portion of the rebar with the wire again. In a configuration where the tying process is not executed when the trigger is operated while the feeding unit sends the tip of the wire to the first position, for example, after placing the tip of the wire in the first position by stopping the feeding unit, it is necessary to operate the feeding unit again. According to the above configuration, it is not necessary to stop the feeding unit. Thereby, the time required to tie the rebar using the wire can be shortened.

[0031] In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying machine may further include a trigger operated by a user and a pushing member that can be pushed in by the rebar. The rebar tying machine executes the tying process when the pushing member is pushed in while the trigger is operated.

[0032] After the user ties the reinforcing bars using a wire, the user moves the rebar tying machine to another tying location of the reinforcing bars. In the above configuration, it is possible to suppress the execution of the tying process when the trigger is accidentally operated by the user while moving the rebar tying machine to another tying location of the reinforcing bars.

[0033] In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying machine may further include a pushing member that can be pushed by the reinforcing bar. The rebar tying machine may execute the tying process when the pushing member is pushed.

[0034] In the above configuration, by a simple operation of pressing the reinforcing bar against the pushing member, the rebar tying machine can be made to execute the tying process.

[0035] In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying machine may include a reel having a bobbin and a wire wound around the bobbin, and a grip portion held by the user. The reel may be disposed in front of the grip portion and below the cutter.

[0036] In the above configuration, usually, the cutter is disposed away from the first wire passage. For this reason, compared with a configuration in which the cutter is disposed in the first wire passage, the time required to wind the wire around the reinforcing bar is long. According to the above configuration, in a rebar tying machine in which the time required to wind the wire around the reinforcing bar is long, the time required to wind the wire around the reinforcing bar can be shortened. Thereby, the time for the tying process can be shortened.

[0037] In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying machine may further include a reel having a bobbin and a wire wound around the bobbin, and a twisting unit that twists the wire around the reinforcing bar. The reel may be disposed behind the twisting unit.

[0038] In the above configuration, even in a steel bar bundling machine where the reel is arranged on the rear side of the twisting unit, the time required to wind the wire around the steel bar can be shortened. As a result, the time for the bundling process can be shortened.

[0039] The steel bar bundling machine disclosed in this specification includes a feeding unit that feeds a wire, a guiding unit that has a first wire passage through which the wire passes and guides the wire around the steel bar, a cutter that cuts the wire, a twisting unit that twists the wire around the steel bar, a trigger operated by a user, an initialization process that positions the tip of the wire at a predetermined position, and a bundling process that bundles the steel bar using the wire by operating the trigger, and a control unit that executes the above processes. The tip of the wire passes through the feeding unit, the cutter, and the outlet of the first wire passage in sequence. The control unit controls the feeding unit to send the tip of the wire to a first position located on the outlet side of the first wire passage with respect to the cutter at the end of the initialization process or after the bundling process and after the twisting unit has returned to the initial position.

[0040] In one or more embodiments, the control unit may control the feeding unit to send the tip of the wire to the first position after the bundling process and after the steel bar bundling machine has moved away from the steel bar.

[0041] Normally, when the steel bar bundling machine moves away from the steel bar, the user moves the steel bar bundling machine to another bundling position of the steel bar. At this time, the bundling process by the control unit is not executed. According to the above configuration, while the steel bar bundling machine is being moved to another bundling position of the steel bar, the tip of the wire is sent to the first position. As a result, immediately after the steel bar bundling machine has moved to another bundling position of the steel bar, the control unit can execute the bundling process.

[0042] In one or more embodiments, the rebar tying machine may further include a main body housing that supports a feeding unit and a guiding unit, a side plate that is openably and closably attached to the main body housing and abuts against the rebar during the tying process, and a detection sensor that detects the opening and closing of the side plate. The side plate may be opened and closed by a wire around the rebar after the tying process and when the rebar tying machine moves away from the rebar. The control unit may control the feeding unit to send the tip of the wire to the first position after the detection sensor detects the opening and closing of the side plate.

[0043] According to the above configuration, it is possible to easily detect that the rebar tying machine has moved away from the rebar.

[0044] In one or more embodiments, the control unit may execute the tying process when the trigger is operated while the feeding unit sends the tip of the wire to the first position.

[0045] According to the above configuration, when the user firmly ties the rebar using the wire, the user may tie the tied portion of the rebar with the wire again. In a configuration where the control unit does not execute the tying process when the trigger is operated while the feeding unit sends the tip of the wire to the first position, for example, after the tip of the wire is placed in the first position by stopping the feeding unit, the control unit operates the feeding unit again. According to the above configuration, the control unit does not need to stop the feeding unit. Thereby, the time required to tie the rebar using the wire can be shortened.

[0046] The rebar tying machine disclosed in this specification includes a feeding unit that feeds a wire, a guiding unit that guides the wire around the rebar, a cutter that cuts the wire, a twisting unit that twists the wire around the rebar, and a trigger that is operated by the user. The time from the start of tying the rebar using the wire to the completion of tying the rebar is 0.48 seconds or less.

[0047] In one or more embodiments, the time from the start of tying the reinforcing bars using the wire to the completion of tying the reinforcing bars may be 0.40 seconds or less.

[0048] According to the above configuration, the tying process time can be made shorter compared to conventional reinforcing bar tying machines.

[0049] In one or more embodiments, the time from the start of tying the reinforcing bars using the wire to the completion of tying the reinforcing bars may be 0.35 seconds or less.

[0050] According to the above configuration, the tying process time can be made shorter compared to conventional reinforcing bar tying machines.

[0051] In one or more embodiments, the time from the start of tying the reinforcing bars using the wire to the completion of tying the reinforcing bars may be 0.30 seconds or less.

[0052] According to the above configuration, the tying process time can be made shorter compared to conventional reinforcing bar tying machines.

[0053] The reinforcing bar tying machine disclosed in this specification includes a feeding unit that feeds the wire, a guiding unit that guides the wire fed by the feeding unit and forms a loop through which the reinforcing bar can pass, a cutter that cuts the wire, a twisting unit that twists the wire around the reinforcing bar, and a trigger that is operated by the user. Before the trigger is operated, a loop of the wire is formed. By operating the trigger, the wire around the reinforcing bar is twisted.

[0054] In one or more embodiments, the twisting unit may include a gripping unit that grips the tip of the wire. Before the trigger is operated, the tip of the wire may be gripped by the gripping unit.

[0055] According to the above configuration, after the trigger is operated, it is not necessary to grip the tip of the wire with the gripping unit. Thereby, the time for the bundling process can be shortened.

[0056] In one or more embodiments, the twisting unit may include a gripping unit that grips the tip of the wire. Before the trigger is operated, the tip of the wire may not be gripped by the gripping unit.

[0057] According to the above configuration, the user can move the loop of the wire and pass the reinforcing bar through the loop of the wire.

[0058] In one or more embodiments, the twisting unit may include a gripping unit that grips the loop of the wire. Before the trigger is operated, the loop of the wire may be gripped by the gripping unit.

[0059] According to the above configuration, after the trigger is operated, it is not necessary to grip the loop of the wire with the gripping unit. Thereby, the time for the bundling process can be shortened.

[0060] In one or more embodiments, the twisting unit may include a gripping unit that grips the loop of the wire. Before the trigger is operated, the loop of the wire may not be gripped by the gripping unit.

[0061] According to the above configuration, the user can move the loop of the wire and pass the reinforcing bar through the loop of the wire.

[0062] (First Embodiment) As shown in Fig. 1, the steel bar tying machine 2 is a hand-held device. The steel bar tying machine 2 ties a plurality of steel bars R using a wire W. In the steel bar tying machine 2, wires W of various diameters (for example, diameters from 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm) are used according to the diameter of the steel bars R to be tied. For example, when tying thin-diameter steel bars R with a diameter of 16 mm or less (for example, a diameter of 16 mm), a wire W having a diameter of 1.6 mm or less (for example, 0.8 mm) is used, and when tying thick-diameter steel bars R with a diameter greater than 16 mm (for example, a diameter of 25 mm or 32 mm), a wire W having a diameter of 1.6 mm or more (for example, 2.0 mm) is used. Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the twisting unit 80 (see Fig. 2) is referred to as the front-rear direction, the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction is referred to as the up-down direction, and the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction is referred to as the left-right direction.

[0063] The steel bar tying machine 2 includes a main body housing 4, a reel cover 6, and a battery pack BP. The main body housing 4 includes a right housing 8 that defines the outer shape of the right half of the main body housing 4 and a left housing 10 that defines the outer shape of the left half of the main body housing 4.

[0064] The main body housing 4 includes a twisting unit housing portion 14, a grip portion 16, a battery mounting portion 18, a feeding unit housing portion 20, and a reel holding portion 22. The twisting unit housing portion 14, the grip portion 16, the battery mounting portion 18, the feeding unit housing portion 20, and the reel holding portion 22 are formed by the right housing 8 and the left housing 10.

[0065] As shown in Fig. 2, the twisting unit housing portion 14 extends in the front-rear direction. The grip portion 16 is disposed below the rear portion of the twisting unit housing portion 14. The grip portion 16 is gripped by the user.

[0066] The battery attachment part 18 is arranged below the grip part 16. The battery pack BP is detachably attached to the lower end of the battery attachment part 18. The battery pack BP includes a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery, for example.

[0067] The feed unit housing part 20 is arranged below the front part of the twisting unit housing part 14. The feed unit housing part 20 is arranged on the front side of the grip part 16.

[0068] The reel holding part 22 is arranged below the feed unit housing part 20. In FIG. 2, the reel holding part 22 is illustrated by a dashed line. The reel holding part 22 is arranged on the front side of the grip part 16, the battery attachment part 18, and the battery pack BP. The reel holding part 22 is connected to the front end of the battery attachment part 18. As shown in FIG. 3, the reel holding part 22 can accommodate the reel 24. The reel 24 includes a wire W and a bobbin 26 around which the wire W is wound.

[0069] The reel holding part 22 includes a base part 30, a cylindrical part 32, and a protrusion part 34. The base part 30 has a reel accommodation space 36 inside. The left end of the base part 30 is open.

[0070] The cylindrical part 32 is arranged in the reel accommodation space 36. The cylindrical part 32 extends leftward from the base part 30. The cylindrical part 32 is inserted into the bobbin 26. When the cylindrical part 32 is inserted into the bobbin 26, the reel 24 is accommodated in the reel accommodation space 36. The cylindrical part 32 holds the reel 24 rotatable around the reel rotation axis AX1. The reel rotation axis AX1 extends in the left-right direction.

[0071] The protrusion part 34 protrudes downward from the lower end of the base part 30. The protrusion part 34 is arranged outside the reel accommodation space 36. As shown in FIG. 4, the protrusion part 34 includes a vertical surface 34a and an inclined surface 34b.

[0072] The vertical surface 34a is disposed on a surface including the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. The inclined surface 34b is disposed on the left side of the vertical surface 34a. The inclined surface 34b is inclined with respect to the vertical surface 34a.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 1, the reel cover 6 includes a cover member 40 and an operation member 42 (see FIG. 6). The cover member 40 is rotatably attached to the left housing 10. In the present embodiment, the cover member 40 is attached to the feed unit housing portion 20. The cover member 40 is rotatable around the cover rotation axis AX2. By rotating the cover member 40, the reel cover 6 can be switched between a prohibited state and an allowed state (see FIG. 5). The cover rotation axis AX2 is disposed above the battery attachment portion 18 and the reel rotation axis AX1 (see FIG. 2).

[0074] As shown in FIG. 3, when the reel cover 6 is in the prohibited state, it is located at the first position. At this time, the reel accommodation space 36 is closed by the reel cover 6. Thereby, it is prohibited that the reel 24 comes off from the cylindrical portion 32, that is, the reel 24 comes out of the reel accommodation space 36. Further, when the reel cover 6 is located at the first position, the cover member 40 is in contact with the protrusion 34 from the left side. Thereby, rotation of the reel cover 6 beyond the first position is suppressed.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 5, when the reel cover 6 is in the allowed state, it is located at the second position. At this time, the reel accommodation space 36 is opened. Thereby, it is allowed that the reel 24 comes off from the cylindrical portion 32 (see FIG. 3), that is, the reel 24 comes out of the reel accommodation space 36. Further, when the reel cover 6 is located at the second position, the cover member 40 is in contact with the left housing 10. Thereby, rotation of the reel cover 6 beyond the second position is suppressed.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 6, the operation member 42 is attached to one end of the cover member 40. The operation member 42 is disposed in the vicinity of the cover rotation axis AX2. The operation member 42 includes a roller 44. The roller 44 is a bearing such as a needle bearing, for example. The roller 44 rotates around the cover rotation axis AX2 as the cover member 40 rotates. The roller 44 is rotatable around the central axis AX3. The central axis AX3 passes through the center of the operation member 42. The central axis AX3 is substantially parallel to the cover rotation axis AX2.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 3, the reinforcing bar bundling machine 2 further includes a reel pressing member 48, a biasing member 50, a lock lever 52, and a biasing member 54 (see FIG. 7). The reel pressing member 48 has a substantially frustum shape. The reel pressing member 48 is slidably attached to the cover member 40. The biasing member 50 is sandwiched between the reel pressing member 48 and the cover member 40. The biasing member 50 biases the reel pressing member 48 in a direction away from the cover member 40.

[0078] When the reel cover 6 is in the first position, a part of the reel pressing member 48 is inserted into the bobbin 26. The reel pressing member 48 is pressed against the left end of the bobbin 26 by the biasing force of the biasing member 50. As a result, the bobbin 26 is sandwiched between the base portion 30 and the reel pressing member 48. As a result, when the reel 24 is rotating, it is possible to suppress the reel 24 from rattling in the left-right direction. When the reel 24 is rotating, the bobbin 26 slides on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 32 and on the side surface of the reel pressing member 48.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 7, the lock lever 52 is attached to the lower end of the cover member 40. The lock lever 52 includes a lever main body portion 56 and an engaging portion 58.

[0080] The lever main body 56 is rotatable around the lever rotation axis AX4. The lever main body 56 is operated by the user. The biasing member 54 is sandwiched between the rear end of the lever main body 56 and the cover member 40. The biasing member 54 biases the lever main body 56 in a direction in which the rear end of the lever main body 56 moves away from the cover member 40. Also, the distance between the cover rotation axis AX2 (see FIG. 6) and the lever main body 56 is longer than the distance from the cover rotation axis AX2 to the operation member 42 (see FIG. 6). Thereby, the force with which the user operates the reel cover 6 is reduced.

[0081] The engaging portion 58 is disposed on the front side of the lever rotation axis AX4. As shown in FIG. 3, the engaging portion 58 includes a vertical surface 58a and an inclined surface 58b.

[0082] The vertical surface 58a can be engaged with the vertical surface 34a of the protrusion 34 when the reel cover 6 is in the first position. When the vertical surface 58a is engaged with the vertical surface 34a, the rotation of the reel cover 6 from the first position to the second position is suppressed.

[0083] The inclined surface 58b is inclined with respect to the vertical surface 58a. When the reel cover 6 is rotated from the second position to the first position, the inclined surface 58b slides on the inclined surface 34b of the protrusion 34 after coming into contact with the inclined surface 34b of the protrusion 34. Thereby, the lock lever 52 rotates so that the engaging portion 58 moves away from the base portion 30. When the vertical surface 58a of the engaging portion 58 moves to the right side of the vertical surface 34a of the protrusion 34, the lock lever 52 rotates so that the engaging portion 58 approaches the base portion 30 by the biasing force of the biasing member 54 and returns to the initial position. Therefore, after the reel cover 6 is rotated to the first position without the lock lever 52 being operated by the user, the engaging portion 58 can be engaged with the protrusion 34.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 1, the rebar bundling machine 2 further includes a main power switch 62, a display unit 64, a bundling force increasing switch 66, a bundling force reducing switch 68, a trigger 70, and a trigger switch 72 (see FIG. 2).

[0085] The main power switch 62, the display unit 64, the binding force increasing switch 66, and the binding force reducing switch 68 are arranged at the rear part of the upper surface of the main body housing 4. The main power switch 62 receives the user's operation for switching between the on state and the off state of the rebar tying machine 2. The display unit 64 displays information regarding the rebar tying machine 2. When the binding force increasing switch 66 is operated, the set value of the binding force of the wire W by the rebar tying machine 2 increases by one step. When the binding force reducing switch 68 is operated, the set value of the binding force of the wire W by the rebar tying machine 2 decreases by one step. The binding force of the wire W corresponds to the force for twisting the wire W, that is, the current value of the twisting motor 146 described later.

[0086] The trigger 70 is retractably attached to the upper part of the front surface of the grip portion 16. The trigger 70 is operated by the user.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 2, the trigger switch 72 is housed in the grip portion 16. The trigger switch 72 is pushed by the trigger 70 when the trigger 70 is retracted. When the rebar tying machine 2 is in the on state and the trigger switch 72 is pushed, the rebar tying machine 2 ties the rebar R using the wire W.

[0088] The rebar tying machine 2 further includes a feeding unit 74, a guiding unit 76, a cutting unit 78, a twisting unit 80, and a control unit 82.

[0089] The feeding unit 74 is housed in the feeding unit housing portion 20. The feeding unit 74 is supported by the main body housing 4. As shown in FIG. 8, the feeding unit 74 includes a feeding motor 88, a fixed base 90, a feeding guide 92, a transmission roller 94, a first roller 96, a second roller 98, a link member 100, and a biasing member 102 (see FIG. 6).

[0090] As shown in FIG. 2, the feeding motor 88 rotates by the electric power supplied from the battery pack BP. The feeding motor 88 is, for example, a brushless motor.

[0091] The fixed base 90 is fixed to the main body housing 4. As shown in FIG. 8, the fixed base 90 supports the feed motor 88.

[0092] The feed guide 92 is fixed to the fixed base 90. The feed guide 92 has a guide hole 92a that penetrates the feed guide 92 in the vertical direction. The wire W passes through the guide hole 92a.

[0093] The transmission roller 94 is disposed on the front side of the fixed base 90. The transmission roller 94 is fixed to the shaft of the feed motor 88 via a speed reducer (not shown). The transmission roller 94 rotates when the shaft (not shown) of the feed motor 88 rotates. The transmission roller 94 has teeth 94a formed on the outer peripheral surface.

[0094] The first roller 96 is rotatably supported by the fixed base 90. The first roller 96 is disposed above the cover rotation axis AX2. The first roller 96 rotates around the first roller rotation axis AX6. The first roller 96 has teeth 96a formed on the outer peripheral surface and a groove 96b that recesses from the outer peripheral surface. The teeth 96a mesh with the teeth 94a of the transmission roller 94. For this reason, when the transmission roller 94 rotates, the first roller 96 rotates. The first roller 96 corresponds to the driving roller. The groove 96b extends around the outer peripheral surface.

[0095] The second roller 98 is disposed on the left side of the first roller 96. The second roller 98 is disposed above the cover rotation axis AX2. The second roller 98 has teeth 98a formed on the outer peripheral surface and a groove 98b recessed from the outer peripheral surface. The teeth 98a are configured to mesh with the teeth 96a of the first roller 96. When the first roller 96 rotates while the teeth 98a are meshed with the teeth 96a, the second roller 98 rotates around the second roller rotation axis AX7. For this reason, the second roller 98 corresponds to a driven roller. The groove 98b extends around the outer peripheral surface. When the wire W is disposed between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98 with the teeth 98a meshed with the teeth 96a, the wire W is sandwiched between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98 within the groove 96b and the groove 98b. In this state, when the first roller 96 rotates in the forward direction, the wire W is drawn out from the bobbin 26 (see FIG. 3) and fed toward the guide unit 76 (see FIG. 2). Also, in this state, when the first roller 96 rotates in the reverse direction, the wire W is drawn back toward the bobbin 26.

[0096] As shown in FIG. 6, the upper end of the link member 100 rotatably supports the second roller 98. The link member 100 supports the second roller 98 in the vicinity of the second roller rotation axis AX7 of the second roller 98. The link member 100 is rotatably supported by the fixed base 90. The link member 100 rotates around the link rotation axis AX5. The link rotation axis AX5 is below the first roller 96 and the second roller 98 and above the cover rotation axis AX2. The link member 100 rotates between a first link position and a second link position. The link rotation axis AX5 is disposed below the first roller rotation axis AX6 and the second roller rotation axis AX7. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the link member 100 switches the second roller 98 between a first state and a second state by rotating between the first link position and the second link position.

[0097] As shown in Fig. 8, when in the first state, the second roller 98 is located at the first roller position. At this time, the teeth 98a of the second roller 98 mesh with the teeth 96a of the first roller 96. Thereby, the wire W is sandwiched between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98 within the groove 96b and the groove 98b. For this reason, the first state corresponds to the clamping state.

[0098] As shown in Fig. 9, when in the second state, the second roller 98 is located at the second roller position. At this time, the distance between the first roller rotation axis AX6 and the second roller rotation axis AX7 is longer than the distance between the first roller rotation axis AX6 and the second roller rotation axis AX7 in the first state. For this reason, the distance between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98 in the second state is longer than the distance between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98 in the first state. When the second roller 98 is in the second state, the second roller 98 is separated from the first roller 96. For this reason, the teeth 98a of the second roller 98 are not meshed with the teeth 96a of the first roller 96. In this state, the wire W is not sandwiched between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98. For this reason, the second state corresponds to the non-clamping state. In this state, even if the first roller 96 rotates, the second roller 98 does not rotate. Thereby, even if the wire W is disposed between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98, it is not sent out toward the guide unit 76 (see Fig. 2) and is not pulled back toward the bobbin 26 (see Fig. 3).

[0099] As shown in Fig. 6, the biasing member 102 is sandwiched between the lower end of the link member 100 and the fixed base 90. The biasing member 102 biases the link member 100 from the second link position toward the first link position.

[0100] In this embodiment, the link member 100 rotates between the first link position and the second link position when operated on the reel cover 6. As shown in FIG. 8, when the reel cover 6 is in the first position, the roller 44 is separated from the link member 100. Therefore, the link member 100 is in the first link position. When the link member 100 is biased by a biasing member 102 (see FIG. 6), the second roller 98 is pressed against the first roller 96. As shown in FIG. 9, when the reel cover 6 rotates from the first position to the second position, the roller 44 pushes the lower end of the link member 100 toward the fixed base 90. Thereby, the link member 100 rotates from the first link position to the second link position. The distance between the position where the roller 44 pushes the link member 100 and the link rotation axis AX5 is longer than the distance between the link rotation axis AX5 and the second roller rotation axis AX7. Thereby, compared with the configuration in which the distance between the position where the roller 44 pushes the link member 100 and the link rotation axis AX5 is shorter than the distance between the link rotation axis AX5 and the second roller rotation axis AX7, the force required to push the link member 100 is reduced.

[0101] As shown in FIG. 6, when the reel cover 6 is positioned closer to the second position than the neutral position between the first position and the second position, the link member 100 applies a force to rotate the reel cover 6 toward the second position by being biased by the biasing member 102. For this reason, when the reel cover 6 exceeds the neutral position when rotating the reel cover 6 from the first position to the second position, even if the user releases their hand from the reel cover 6, the reel cover 6 automatically rotates toward the second position. Further, the reel cover 6 is maintained at the second position by the biasing force of the biasing member 102. When the reel cover 6 is positioned at the neutral position, the plane CP connecting the cover rotation axis AX2 and the central axis AX3 overlaps with the neutral plane NP including the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. Also, as shown in FIG. 10, when the reel cover 6 is positioned closer to the first position than the neutral position, the link member 100 applies a force to rotate the reel cover 6 toward the first position by being biased by the biasing member 102. For this reason, when the reel cover 6 exceeds the neutral position when rotating the reel cover 6 from the second position to the first position, even if the user releases their hand from the reel cover 6, the reel cover 6 automatically rotates toward the first position.

[0102] When replacing the reel 24, as shown in FIG. 5, the user holds the reel cover 6 by hand, pushes in the lock lever 52 with the hand holding the reel cover 6, and then rotates the reel cover 6 from the first position to the second position. As shown in FIG. 6, when the roller 44 pushes in the lower end of the link member 100, the link member 100 rotates from the first link position to the second link position. As shown in FIG. 9, the second roller 98 rotates from the first roller position to the second roller position, thereby switching from the first state to the second state. Next, the user pulls out the wire W from between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98. Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the user removes the reel 24 from the cylindrical portion 32 and then attaches a new reel 24 to the cylindrical portion 32. Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the user inserts the wire W between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98. Finally, the user rotates the reel cover 6 from the second position to the first position. As shown in FIG. 8, when the roller 44 moves away from the lower end of the link member 100, the link member 100 rotates from the second link position to the first link position. The second roller 98 rotates from the second roller position to the first roller position, thereby switching from the second state to the first state. As a result, the wire W is sandwiched between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 11, the guide unit 76 is supported by the main body housing 4. The guide unit 76 includes a first guide member 110, a second guide member 112, a first pin 114, a second pin 115, and a wire guide 116. The first guide member 110 and the second guide member 112 are fixed to the front end of the torsion unit housing portion 14. The first guide member 110 and the second guide member 112 extend forward from the front end of the torsion unit housing portion 14. The first guide member 110 has an opening on the lower side. The first guide member 110 has a first wire passage 120 having an upwardly convex curved shape. The second guide member 112 is disposed separately below the first guide member 110. The reinforcing bar R is disposed between the first guide member 110 and the second guide member 112 during bundling. The second guide member 112 has an opening on the upper side. The second guide member 112 has a second wire passage 122.

[0104] The first pin 114 and the second pin 115 are fixed to the first guide member 110. A part of the first pin 114 and the second pin 115 are disposed in the first wire passage 120. The first pin 114 is disposed near the outlet 120a of the first wire passage 120. The second pin 115 is disposed near the inlet 120b of the first wire passage 120.

[0105] The wire guide 116 is fixed to the second guide member 112. The wire guide 116 is disposed between the feed unit 74 and the first guide member 110. The wire guide 116 has a guide hole 116a.

[0106] The wire W sent by the feed unit 74 passes through the guide hole 116a of the wire guide 116 and then is sent to the inlet 120b of the first wire passage 120. The wire W is guided by the first guide member 110 and passes through the first wire passage 120 from the rear to the front. When the wire W passes through the first wire passage 120, it abuts against the first pin 114 and the second pin 115. Thereby, a downward winding tendency is imparted to the wire W. After passing through the outlet 120a of the first wire passage 120, the wire W is sent to the inlet 122a of the second wire passage 122. The wire W is guided by the second guide member 112 and passes through the second wire passage 122 from the front to the rear. Thereafter, after passing through the outlet 122b of the second wire passage 122, the wire W moves upward to the rear. By forming a loop RP of the wire W, the wire W is wound around the reinforcing bar R. The reinforcing bar R penetrates the loop RP in the left-right direction.

[0107] As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting unit 78 is housed in the torsion unit housing portion 14. The cutting unit 78 is supported by the main body housing 4. The cutting unit 78 is disposed between the feeding unit 74 and the first guide member 110. The cutting unit 78 is disposed above the feeding unit 74 and the reel 24. As shown in FIG. 12, the cutting unit 78 includes a cutter guide 126, a cutter 128, a push lever 130, a support shaft 132 (see FIG. 14), and a biasing member 134 (see FIG. 14).

[0108] The cutter guide 126 is fixed to the torsion unit housing portion 14 (see FIG. 2). The cutter guide 126 has a cutter guide hole 136 and a wire guide hole 138. The cutter guide hole 136 penetrates the cutter guide 126 in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 11, the wire guide hole 138 is connected near the front end of the cutter guide hole 136. The wire guide hole 138 penetrates the cutter guide 126 in the vertical direction. The wire guide hole 138 faces the guide hole 116a of the wire guide 116. The wire guide hole 138 is disposed between the guide hole 116a and the inlet 120b of the first wire passage 120. Therefore, the wire W that has passed through the guide hole 116a is sent to the inlet 120b of the first wire passage 120 after passing through the wire guide hole 138.

[0109] As shown in FIG. 12, the cutter 128 extends in the front-rear direction. The front portion of the cutter 128 is inserted into the cutter guide hole 136. The cutter 128 is slidably supported by the cutter guide 126 in the front-rear direction.

[0110] The push lever 130 is disposed on the rear side of the cutter guide 126. The push lever 130 is fixed to the cutter 128. The push lever 130 includes a first lever portion 140 and a second lever portion 142. The first lever portion 140 is located at the front end of the push lever 130. As shown in FIG. 13, when the first lever portion 140 is pushed forward by the twisting unit 80, the push lever 130 approaches the cutter guide 126. Thereby, the cutter 128 slides forward beyond the wire guide hole 138. As a result, the wire W is cut by the cutter 128 and the cutter guide 126.

[0111] The second lever portion 142 is located at the rear end of the push lever 130. When the second lever portion 142 is pushed backward by the twisting unit 80, the push lever 130 moves away from the cutter guide 126.

[0112] As shown in FIG. 14, the support shaft 132 extends in the front-rear direction. The support shaft 132 is aligned with the cutter 128 in the left-right direction. The rear end of the support shaft 132 is fixed to the push lever 130. The front portion of the support shaft 132 is slidably supported by the cutter guide 126. The support shaft 132 suppresses the rotation of the push lever 130.

[0113] The biasing member 134 is sandwiched between the cutter guide 126 and the push lever 130. The support shaft 132 is inserted into the biasing member 134. The biasing member 134 biases the push lever 130 rearward toward the initial position.

[0114] As shown in FIG. 2, the twisting unit 80 is accommodated in the twisting unit housing portion 14. The twisting unit 80 is supported by the main body housing 4. The twisting unit 80 is disposed above the cutting unit 78. In the vertical direction, the twisting unit 80 is disposed between the first guide member 110 and the second guide member 112. As shown in FIG. 14, the twisting unit 80 includes a twisting motor 146, a speed reducer 148, a screw shaft 150, a sleeve unit 152, a push plate 154, and a gripping unit 156.

[0115] The twisting motor 146 is, for example, a brushless motor. The twisting motor 146 rotates around the central axis AX8 by the electric power supplied from the battery pack BP. The central axis AX8 extends in the front-rear direction. The speed reducer 148 includes a planetary gear mechanism. The rotation of the twisting motor 146 is transmitted to the screw shaft 150 via the speed reducer 148. Thereby, the screw shaft 150 rotates around the central axis AX8.

[0116] The screw shaft 150 is inserted into the sleeve unit 152. When the screw shaft 150 rotates, the sleeve unit 152 moves in the front-rear direction or rotates around the central axis AX8 by cooperating with a rotation restricting mechanism (not shown).

[0117] The push plate 154 is rotatably supported by the sleeve unit 152. The push plate 154 has a substantially flat plate shape. The push plate 154 moves in the front-rear direction together with the sleeve unit 152. When the push plate 154 moves forward, it pushes out the first lever portion 140 forward. Also, when the push plate 154 moves backward, it pushes out the second lever portion 142 backward. The push plate 154 does not rotate even if the sleeve unit 152 rotates.

[0118] The gripping unit 156 protrudes forward from the front portion of the sleeve unit 152. The gripping unit 156 is disposed on the rear side of the reinforcing bar R (see FIG. 11). The gripping unit 156 includes a clamp shaft 160, a right clamp 162, and a left clamp 164.

[0119] The clamp shaft 160 is inserted into the sleeve unit 152 from the front side. The clamp shaft 160 is disposed on the central axis AX8.

[0120] The right clamp 162 is attached to the clamp shaft 160 so as to penetrate the clamp shaft 160 from the right side to the left side. The right clamp 162 is movable in the left-right direction with respect to the clamp shaft 160. In the initial state, the right clamp 162 is disposed on the rightmost side with respect to the clamp shaft 160. At this time, a right wire passage 165 is formed between the right clamp 162 and the clamp shaft 160. A wire W can pass through the right wire passage 165. When the sleeve unit 152 moves forward from this state, the right clamp 162 moves to the right with respect to the clamp shaft 160. As a result, the end of the wire W is sandwiched between the right clamp 162 and the clamp shaft 160.

[0121] The left clamp 164 is attached to the clamp shaft 160 so as to penetrate the clamp shaft 160 from the left side to the right side. The left clamp 164 is movable in the left-right direction with respect to the clamp shaft 160. In the initial state, the left clamp 164 is disposed on the leftmost side with respect to the clamp shaft 160. At this time, a left wire passage 166 is formed between the left clamp 164 and the clamp shaft 160. A wire W can pass through the left wire passage 166. When the sleeve unit 152 moves forward from this state, the left clamp 164 moves to the right with respect to the clamp shaft 160. As a result, the end of the wire W is sandwiched between the left clamp 164 and the clamp shaft 160.

[0122] With one end and the other end of the wire W held by the gripping unit 156, when the sleeve unit 152 rotates, the gripping unit 156 rotates around the central axis AX8. As the wire W is twisted, the reinforcing bar R (see FIG. 2) is bound by the wire W.

[0123] As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 82 is housed in the battery mounting portion 18. The control unit 82 includes an MCU (not shown) and a switching element (not shown). The control unit 82 is electrically connected to the main power switch 62 (see FIG. 1), the display unit 64 (see FIG. 1), the binding force increasing switch 66 (see FIG. 1), the binding force reducing switch 68 (see FIG. 1), the trigger switch 72, the feed motor 88, the twisting motor 146, and the battery pack BP.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 15, the reinforcing bar tying machine 2 includes a pair of side plates 168, a pair of slide units 170, and a pair of detection sensors 172 (see FIG. 16). One slide unit 170 and one detection sensor 172 are provided for one side plate 168.

[0125] The pair of side plates 168 are attached to the front end of the twisting unit housing portion 14. The pair of side plates 168 are pressed against the reinforcing bar R when tying the reinforcing bar R using the wire W. One side plate 168 is attached to the right housing 8 so as to be openable and closable. The other side plate 168 is attached to the left housing 10 so as to be openable and closable. As shown in FIG. 2, the side plate 168 is normally closed by the biasing force of the biasing member 174. The gripping unit 156 is disposed behind the side plate 168.

[0126] The slide unit 170 and the detection sensor 172 are disposed inside the torsion unit housing portion 14. The slide unit 170 and the detection sensor 172 are disposed above the torsion unit 80. As shown in FIG. 16, the slide unit 170 includes a slide plate 178, a magnet holding member 180, a magnet 182, and a biasing member 184.

[0127] The slide plate 178 extends in the front-rear direction. The slide plate 178 is supported by the torsion unit housing portion 14 (see FIG. 2) so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. The slide plate 178 is in contact with the side plate 168 from the rear side.

[0128] The magnet holding member 180 is fixed to the rear end of the slide plate 178. The magnet holding member 180 holds the magnet 182. The magnet 182 is, for example, a permanent magnet. The magnet holding member 180 is biased forward by the biasing member 184. Thereby, the slide plate 178 is pressed against the side plate 168.

[0129] The detection sensor 172 is electrically connected to the control unit 82 (see FIG. 2). The detection sensor 172 includes a sensor substrate 186 and a sensor element 188. The sensor substrate 186 is fixed to the torsion unit housing portion 14 (see FIG. 2). The sensor element 188 is mounted on the sensor substrate 186. The sensor element 188 is a magnetic sensor element. When the side plate 168 is closed, the sensor element 188 faces the magnet 182. On the other hand, when the side plate 168 is open, the sensor element 188 does not face the magnet 182. In FIG. 16, the magnet holding member 180 and the magnet 182 when the side plate 168 is open are illustrated by broken lines. By detecting a change in the magnetism of the magnet 182 by the sensor element 188, the detection sensor 172 detects the opening and closing of the side plate 168.

[0130] As shown in FIG. 17, the reinforcing bar bundling machine 2 further includes a bending member 192. The bending member 192 is housed in the twisting unit housing portion 14. The bending member 192 has a plate shape. The bending member 192 is arranged along a plane including the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. The bending member 192 is made of, for example, a metal material. The bending member 192 is separate from the twisting unit 80. The bending member 192 is fixed to the second guide member 112. Therefore, the bending member 192 is immovable relative to the main body housing 4. The left surface of the bending member 192 defines a part of the second wire passage 122 of the second guide member 112. The bending member 192 is arranged in the vicinity of the wire guide hole 138. The bending member 192 is arranged on the left side of the wire guide hole 138. The bending member 192 is arranged on the right side of the second wire passage 122. Therefore, in the left-right direction, the bending member 192 is arranged between the wire guide hole 138 and the second wire passage 122.

[0131] The bending member 192 includes a contact surface 194. The contact surface 194 is formed on a part of the upper surface of the bending member 192. The contact surface 194 connects the right surface and the left surface of the bending member 192. The width of the contact surface 194 in the left-right direction gradually increases from the rear end of the contact surface 194 toward the bending position and is constant between the bending position and the front end of the contact surface 194. The width of the contact surface 194 in the left-right direction becomes narrower as it goes upward. The contact surface 194 extends from the upper left end of the bending member 192 toward the lower right side. The contact surface 194 faces the upper right side.

[0132] As shown in FIG. 18, the contact surface 194 is disposed on the front side (on the side of the reinforcing bar R) with respect to the cutter 128. The contact surface 194 is disposed above the wire guide hole 138 and below the gripping unit 156. Therefore, in the vertical direction, the contact surface 194 is disposed between the wire guide hole 138 and the gripping unit 156. When viewed in a direction orthogonal to the central axis AX8 of the reinforcing bar bundling machine 2, the contact surface 194 is inclined with respect to the central axis AX8. The contact surface 194 moves away from the central axis AX8 from the rear end toward the front end. The front end of the contact surface 194 is farther from the central axis AX8 than the rear end of the contact surface 194. The contact surface 194 is curved.

[0133] The control unit 82 shown in FIG. 2 executes the process shown in FIG. 19 when the main power switch 62 (see FIG. 1) is first operated after the reel 24 is attached to the reel holding unit 22.

[0134] As shown in FIG. 19, in S2, the control unit 82 executes an initialization process. Specifically, the control unit 82 repeatedly executes a feeding process and a cutting process. In the feeding process, the control unit 82 rotates the feed motor 88 forward by a predetermined number of rotations. As the first roller 96 rotates forward, the wire W is fed toward the guide unit 76. In the cutting process, the control unit 82 rotates the twisting motor 146 forward by a predetermined number of rotations, and then rotates the twisting motor 146 backward by a predetermined number of rotations. First, when the sleeve unit 152 moves forward, the push plate 154 pushes the first lever portion 140 forward. As a result, the push lever 130 moves forward, and the cutter 128 slides forward of the wire guide hole 138. Next, when the sleeve unit 152 moves backward, the push lever 130 is urged backward by the biasing member 134 and returns to the initial position. When the control unit 82 determines that the current value of the twisting motor 146 has decreased after reaching a predetermined value or more while executing the cutting process, the control unit 82 ends the initialization process after the cutting process is completed. The decrease in the current value of the twisting motor 146 after reaching a predetermined value or more corresponds to the wire W being cut by the cutter 128. When the initialization process ends, the tip W1 of the wire W is disposed within the wire guide hole 138.

[0135] In S4, the control unit 82 executes a wire pre-feeding process. Specifically, the control unit 82 rotates the feed motor 88 forward by a reference number of rotations. As shown in FIG. 20, as the first roller 96 rotates forward, the tip W1 of the wire W is fed from the wire guide hole 138 to the first position. The first position is disposed on the outlet 120a side of the first wire passage 120 with respect to the wire guide hole 138 and the cutter 128. The first position is disposed within the first wire passage 120. The first position is disposed at the outlet 120a of the first wire passage 120. The first position is not disposed on the inlet 122a side of the second wire passage 122 with respect to the outlet 120a of the first wire passage 120.

[0136] In S6, the control unit 82 sets the number of rotations of the feed motor 88 in the winding process described later to the first number of rotations. When the feed motor 88 rotates forward by the first number of rotations, the first roller 96 rotates forward, and thus the tip W1 of the wire W is fed from the first position to the left wire passage 166.

[0137] Also, after executing the process shown in FIG. 19, the control unit 82 executes the processes shown in FIGS. 21 and 22.

[0138] As shown in FIG. 21, in S20, the control unit 82 determines whether the trigger 70 has been pulled in. When the control unit 82 determines that the trigger 70 has been pulled in (YES in S20), it proceeds to S22.

[0139] In S22, the control unit 82 determines whether the trigger 70 has been pulled in for the first time after the initialization process. When the control unit 82 determines that the trigger 70 has been pulled in for the first time after the initialization process (YES in S22), it proceeds to S30 in FIG. 22. On the other hand, when the control unit 82 determines that the trigger 70 has not been pulled in for the first time after the initialization process (NO in S22), it proceeds to S24.

[0140] S24 corresponds to the processes of FIGS. 21 and 22 executed for the second and subsequent times after the initialization process. In S24, the control unit 82 determines whether the side plate 168 has opened or closed in the processes of FIGS. 21 and 22 executed one time before. When the control unit 82 determines that the side plate 168 has opened or closed (YES in S24), it proceeds to S30 in FIG. 22. On the other hand, when the control unit 82 determines that the side plate 168 has not opened or closed (NO in S24), it proceeds to S26.

[0141] In S26, the control unit 82 rotates the twisting motor 146 in the reverse direction to return the twisting unit 80 to the initial position. Then, it proceeds to S30 in FIG. 22.

[0142] As shown in FIG. 22, in S30, the control unit 82 executes a tying process. Specifically, the tying process includes a winding process, a first gripping process, a pulling-back process, a second gripping process, a cutting process, a twisting process, a bending process, and a wire releasing process.

[0143] (Winding process) The control unit 82 rotates the feed motor 88 in the forward direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11, when the first roller 96 rotates in the forward direction, the tip W1 of the wire W passes through the wire guide hole 138, the right wire passage 165, the first wire passage 120, the second wire passage 122, and the left wire passage 166 in sequence. By forming a loop RP of the wire W, the wire W is wound around the reinforcing bar R. At this time, the reinforcing bar R penetrates the loop RP in the left-right direction. Further, when the wire W passes through the first wire passage 120 and abuts against the first pin 114 and the second pin 115, a winding twist is imparted to the wire W.

[0144] (First gripping process) The first gripping process is executed after the winding process. When the time when the tying process starts is set to 0 seconds, the first gripping process is executed 0.10 seconds later. The control unit 82 rotates the twisting motor 146 in the forward direction. When the sleeve unit 152 shown in FIG. 14 moves forward, the left clamp 164 moves rightward with respect to the clamp shaft 160. As a result, the left wire passage 166 becomes narrower, and the tip W1 of the wire W is sandwiched between the left clamp 164 and the clamp shaft 160. As a result, the tip W1 of the wire W is gripped by the gripping unit 156.

[0145] (Pulling-back process) The rewinding process is executed after the first gripping process. The rewinding process is executed 0.17 seconds after the bundling process starts. The control unit 82 rotates the feed motor 88 in the reverse direction. As shown in FIG. 11, when the first roller 96 rotates in the reverse direction, the wire W is rewound toward the bobbin 26. As a result, the loop RP of the wire W is reduced in diameter and contacts the reinforcing bar R. In FIG. 11, the wire W with the reduced diameter is illustrated by a broken line.

[0146] (Second Gripping Process) The second gripping process is executed after the rewinding process. The second gripping process is executed 0.24 seconds after the bundling process starts. The control unit 82 rotates the twisting motor 146 in the forward direction. When the sleeve unit 152 shown in FIG. 14 moves forward, the right clamp 162 moves leftward with respect to the clamp shaft 160. As a result, the right wire passage 165 becomes narrower, and the wire W is sandwiched between the right clamp 162 and the clamp shaft 160 between the wire guide hole 138 and the first wire passage 120. As a result, the wire W is gripped at two points by the gripping unit 156.

[0147] (Cutting Process) The cutting process is executed after the second gripping process. The cutting process is executed 0.27 seconds after the bundling process starts. The control unit 82 further rotates the twisting motor 146 in the forward direction. As shown in FIG. 13, when the sleeve unit 152 moves further forward, the push plate 154 pushes out the first lever portion 140 forward. As a result, the cutter 128 slides to the front side of the wire guide hole 138. As a result, the wire W is cut by the cutter 128 and the cutter guide 126 between the wire guide hole 138 and the right wire passage 165. Hereinafter, the end portion of the wire W formed by cutting the wire W by the cutter 128 may be referred to as the end W2 of the wire W.

[0148] (Twisting Process, Bending Process) The twisting process is executed after the cutting process. The twisting process is executed 0.31 seconds after the bundling process starts. The bending process is executed while the twisting process is being executed. The control unit 82 further rotates the twisting motor 146 in the forward direction. As the sleeve unit 152 and the gripping unit 156 rotate, the wire W is twisted. Thereby, the steel bar R is bundled using the wire W. As shown in FIG. 18, when the wire W is being twisted, the end W2 of the wire W abuts against the abutting surface 194 and then slides on the abutting surface 194. Thereby, the end W2 of the wire W is bent toward the steel bar R. In FIG. 18, the end W2 of the wire W after being bent is illustrated by a broken line, and the wire W is illustrated exaggeratedly. As shown in FIG. 23, the ear height L1 indicating the maximum distance between the steel bar R and the end W2 of the wire W is shorter than the ear height L2 when the end W2 of the wire W is not bent.

[0149] (Wire Release Process) The wire release process is executed after the twisting process. The wire release process is executed 0.41 seconds after the bundling process starts. The control unit 82 rotates the twisting motor 146 in the reverse direction. As the sleeve unit 152 moves backward, the right clamp 162 moves to the right with respect to the clamp shaft 160, and the left clamp 164 moves to the left with respect to the clamp shaft 160. Thereby, the tip W1 and the end W2 of the wire W are no longer gripped by the gripping unit 156. The wire release process is completed 0.48 seconds after the bundling process starts.

[0150] As shown in FIG. 22, in S32, the control unit 82 determines whether the side plate 168 has opened or closed. As shown in FIG. 15, when the user finishes tying the steel bars R, the user separates the steel bar tying machine 2 from the steel bars R. At this time, when the tip W1 and the end W2 of the wire W come into contact with the side plate 168, after the side plate 168 opens, the tip W1 and the end W2 of the wire W leave the side plate 168, causing the side plate 168 to close. The control unit 82 determines that the side plate 168 has opened or closed when the sensor element 188 of the detection sensor 172 detects a change in the magnetism of the magnet 182. If the control unit 82 determines that the side plate 168 has not opened or closed within a predetermined period (NO in S32), it proceeds to S34. On the other hand, if the control unit 82 determines that the side plate 168 has opened or closed (YES in S32), it proceeds to S36.

[0151] In S34, the control unit 82 sets the number of rotations of the feed motor 88 in the subsequent winding process to the second number of rotations. The second number of rotations is larger than the first number of rotations. When the feed motor 88 rotates in the forward direction by the second number of rotations, the first roller 96 rotates in the forward direction, and the tip W1 of the wire W is fed from the wire guide hole 138 to the left wire passage 166. Then, the control unit 82 returns to S20.

[0152] In S36, the control unit 82 returns the twisting unit 80 to the initial position by rotating the twisting motor 146 in the reverse direction.

[0153] In S38, the control unit 82 executes a wire pre-feed process. As a result, the tip W1 of the wire W is fed to the first position, that is, to the outlet 120a of the first wire passage 120.

[0154] In S40, the control unit 82 determines whether the trigger 70 has been pulled in while the wire pre-feed process is being executed. If the control unit 82 determines that the trigger 70 has not been pulled in while the wire pre-feed process is being executed (NO in S40), it proceeds to S42. On the other hand, if the control unit 82 determines that the trigger 70 has been pulled in while the wire pre-feed process is being executed (YES in S40), it proceeds to S44.

[0155] In S42, the control unit 82 sets the number of rotations of the feed motor 88 to the first number of rotations. Then, the control unit 82 returns to S20.

[0156] In S44, the control unit 82 sets the number of rotations of the feed motor 88 to the first number of rotations. Then, the control unit 82 returns to S30. The control unit 82 executes the processes of S44 and S30 substantially simultaneously. As a result, after the process of S38, the wire W is wound around the steel bar R without the feed motor 88 stopping.

[0157] (Effect) The steel bar bundling machine 2 of this embodiment includes a feed unit 74 that feeds the wire W, a guide unit 76 that has a first wire passage 120 through which the wire W passes and guides the wire W around the steel bar R, and a cutter 128 that cuts the wire W. The tip W1 of the wire W passes through the feed unit 74, the cutter 128, and the outlet 120a of the first wire passage 120 in sequence. At the start of the bundling process for bundling the steel bar R using the wire W, the tip W1 of the wire W is arranged at a first position located on the outlet 120a side of the first wire passage 120 with respect to the cutter 128.

[0158] According to the above configuration, compared with the configuration in which the tip W1 of the wire W is arranged at the cutter 128 at the start of the bundling process, the time required to wind the wire W around the steel bar R is short. Thereby, the time for the bundling process can be shortened.

[0159] Further, the guiding unit 76 has a first wire passage 120, and includes a first guide member 110 that guides the wire W, and a second guide member 112 that is separated from the first guide member 110 and guides the wire W that has passed through the first wire passage 120. The first position is disposed in the first wire passage 120.

[0160] According to the above configuration, compared with the configuration in which the tip W1 of the wire W is disposed at the cutter 128 at the start of the bundling process, the time required to wind the wire W around the reinforcing bar R is shorter. Thereby, the time for the bundling process can be made shorter.

[0161] Also, the first position is disposed at the outlet 120a of the first wire passage 120.

[0162] According to the above configuration, compared with the configuration in which the tip W1 of the wire W is disposed at the cutter 128 at the start of the bundling process, the time required to wind the wire W around the reinforcing bar R is shorter. Thereby, the time for the bundling process can be made shorter.

[0163] Further, the feeding unit 74 sends the tip W1 of the wire W to the first position after the bundling process and after the rebar tying machine 2 has moved away from the rebar R.

[0164] Normally, when the rebar tying machine 2 moves away from the rebar R, the user moves the rebar tying machine 2 to another tying location of the rebar R. At this time, the bundling process by the rebar tying machine 2 is not executed. According to the above configuration, while the rebar tying machine 2 is being moved to another tying location of the rebar R, the tip W1 of the wire W is sent to the first position. Thereby, immediately after the rebar tying machine 2 has moved to another tying location of the rebar R, the rebar tying machine 2 can execute the bundling process.

[0165] Further, the steel bar tying machine 2 further includes a main body housing 4 that supports a feeding unit 74 and a guiding unit 76, a side plate 168 that is attached to the main body housing 4 so as to be openable and closable and contacts the steel bar R during the tying process, and a detection sensor 172 that detects the opening and closing of the side plate 168. The side plate 168 is opened and closed by a wire W around the steel bar R after the tying process when the steel bar tying machine 2 moves away from the steel bar R. The feeding unit 74 feeds the tip W1 of the wire W to the first position after the detection sensor 172 detects the opening and closing of the side plate 168.

[0166] According to the above configuration, it is possible to easily detect that the steel bar tying machine 2 has moved away from the steel bar R.

[0167] The steel bar tying machine 2 further includes a trigger 70 operated by the user. When the trigger 70 is operated while the feeding unit 74 feeds the tip W1 of the wire W to the first position, the tying process is executed.

[0168] When the user firmly ties the steel bar R using the wire W, the user may tie the tied portion of the steel bar R with the wire W again. In a configuration where the tying process is not executed when the trigger 70 is operated while the feeding unit 74 feeds the tip W1 of the wire W to the first position, for example, after the tip W1 of the wire W is arranged at the first position by stopping the feeding unit 74, it is necessary to operate the feeding unit 74 again. According to the above configuration, it is not necessary to stop the feeding unit 74. Thereby, the time required to tie the steel bar R using the wire W can be shortened.

[0169] The steel bar tying machine 2 further includes a reel 24 that includes a bobbin 26 and a wire W wound around the bobbin 26, and a grip portion 16 held by the user. The reel 24 is disposed in front of the grip portion 16 and below the cutter 128.

[0170] In the above configuration, usually, the cutter 128 is arranged away from the first wire passage 120. Therefore, compared with the configuration in which the cutter 128 is arranged in the first wire passage 120, the time required to wind the wire W around the reinforcing bar R is long. According to the above configuration, in the wire-tying machine 2 in which the time required to wind the wire W around the reinforcing bar R is long, the time required to wind the wire W around the reinforcing bar R can be shortened. Thereby, the time for the tying process can be shortened.

[0171] The wire-tying machine 2 of this embodiment includes a feeding unit 74 that feeds the wire W, a first wire passage 120 through which the wire W passes, a guiding unit 76 that guides the wire W around the reinforcing bar R, a cutter 128 that cuts the wire W, a twisting unit 80 that twists the wire W around the reinforcing bar R, a trigger 70 operated by a user, an initialization process that positions the tip W1 of the wire W at a predetermined position, and a tying process that ties the reinforcing bar R using the wire W by operating the trigger 70, and a control unit 82 that executes the processes. The tip W1 of the wire W passes through the feeding unit 74, the cutter 128, and the outlet 120a of the first wire passage 120 in sequence. The control unit 82 controls the feeding unit 74 to send the tip W1 of the wire W to a first position located closer to the outlet 120a of the first wire passage 120 than the cutter 128 when the initialization process ends or after the tying process and after the twisting unit 80 returns to the initial position.

[0172] According to the above configuration, compared with the configuration in which the tip W1 of the wire W is arranged at the cutter 128 at the start of the tying process, the time required to wind the wire W around the reinforcing bar R is short. Thereby, the time for the tying process can be shortened.

[0173] Further, the control unit 82 controls the feeding unit 74 to send the tip W1 of the wire W to the first position after the tying process and after the wire-tying machine 2 moves away from the reinforcing bar R.

[0174] Normally, when the steel bar tying machine 2 moves away from the steel bar R, the user moves the steel bar tying machine 2 to another tying position of the steel bar R. At this time, the tying process by the control unit 82 is not executed. According to the above configuration, while the steel bar tying machine 2 is being moved to another tying position of the steel bar R, the tip W1 of the wire W is sent to the first position. Thereby, immediately after the steel bar tying machine 2 has moved to another tying position of the steel bar R, the control unit 82 can execute the tying process.

[0175] Further, the steel bar tying machine 2 includes a main body housing 4 that supports the feeding unit 74 and the guiding unit 76, a side plate 168 that is attached to the main body housing 4 so as to be openable and closable and contacts the steel bar R during the tying process, and a detection sensor 172 that detects the opening and closing of the side plate 168. The side plate 168 is opened and closed by the wire W around the steel bar R after the tying process and when the steel bar tying machine 2 moves away from the steel bar R. The control unit 82 controls the feeding unit 74 to send the tip W1 of the wire W to the first position after the detection sensor 172 detects the opening and closing of the side plate 168.

[0176] According to the above configuration, it is possible to easily detect that the steel bar tying machine 2 has moved away from the steel bar R.

[0177] Further, the control unit 82 executes the tying process when the trigger 70 is operated while the feeding unit 74 is sending the tip W1 of the wire W to the first position.

[0178] When the user firmly ties the steel bar R using the wire W, the user may tie the tying position of the steel bar R tied with the wire W again with the wire W. In a configuration where the control unit 82 does not execute the tying process when the trigger 70 is operated while the feeding unit 74 is sending the tip W1 of the wire W to the first position, for example, after arranging the tip W1 of the wire W at the first position by stopping the feeding unit 74, the control unit 82 operates the feeding unit 74 again. According to the above configuration, the control unit 82 does not need to stop the feeding unit 74. Thereby, the time required to tie the steel bar R using the wire W can be shortened.

[0179] The wire bundling machine 2 of this embodiment includes a feeding unit 74 that feeds the wire W, a guiding unit 76 that guides the wire W around the reinforcing bar R, a cutter 128 that cuts the wire W, a twisting unit 80 that twists the wire W around the reinforcing bar R, and a trigger 70 that is operated by the user. The time from the start of bundling the reinforcing bar R using the wire W to the completion of bundling the reinforcing bar R is 0.48 seconds or less.

[0180] According to the above configuration, the time for the bundling process can be shortened as compared with the conventional wire bundling machine 2.

[0181] (Second Embodiment) In the second embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 24, the shape of the wire bundling machine 2 of the second embodiment is different from the shape of the wire bundling machine 2 of the first embodiment.

[0182] As shown in FIG. 25, the control unit 82 is housed in the twisting unit housing portion 14. In FIG. 25, the reel cover 6 is open. The control unit 82 is disposed below the twisting unit 80. The cutting unit 78 is disposed above the twisting unit 80. The grip portion 16 is disposed below the twisting unit housing portion 14. The battery mounting portion 18 is disposed below the grip portion 16. The feeding unit housing portion 20 is on the right side of the twisting unit housing portion 14 and is disposed above the grip portion 16. The reel holding portion 22 is at the rear of the twisting unit housing portion 14 and the feeding unit housing portion 20 and is disposed above the grip portion 16. The reel 24 is disposed behind the feeding unit 74, the guiding unit 76, the cutting unit 78, and the twisting unit 80. The feeding unit 74 feeds the wire W drawn from the bobbin 26 forward.

[0183] As shown in FIG. 26, the cutting unit 78 includes a link member 226, a fixed cutter 228, and a movable cutter 230. The link member 226 operates the movable cutter 230 in accordance with the operation of the twisting unit 80 (see FIG. 25).

[0184] The fixed cutter 228 is fixed to the first guide member 110. The fixed cutter 228 is disposed in the first wire passage 120. The fixed cutter 228 has a first wire guide hole 234. The first wire guide hole 234 is a through hole. The wire W passes through the first wire guide hole 234.

[0185] The movable cutter 230 is supported by the fixed cutter 228. The fixed cutter 228 is inserted into the movable cutter 230. A part of the movable cutter 230 is disposed in the first wire passage 120. The movable cutter 230 is connected to the link member 226. The movable cutter 230 rotates around the fixed cutter 228 by being operated by the link member 226. Thereby, the wire W is cut by the fixed cutter 228 and the movable cutter 230. The tip W1 of the wire W formed by cutting the wire W is disposed in the first wire passage 120. When the wire pre-feed process is executed by the control unit 82, the tip W1 of the wire W is fed out from the first wire guide hole 234 to the outlet 120a of the first wire passage 120.

[0186] (Effect) In the present embodiment, the steel bar bundling machine 2 further includes a reel 24 including a bobbin 26 and a wire W wound around the bobbin 26, and a twisting unit 80 that twists the wire W around the steel bar R. The reel 24 is disposed on the rear side of the twisting unit 80.

[0187] In the above configuration, even in the steel bar bundling machine in which the reel 24 is disposed on the rear side of the twisting unit 80, the time required to wind the wire W around the steel bar R can be shortened. Thereby, the time for the bundling process can be shortened.

[0188] (Third Embodiment) In the third embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be described. The start times of the steps in the tying process of the third embodiment are different from the start times of the steps in the tying process of the first embodiment. The control unit 82 operates the feed motor 88 at a speed higher than the rotation speed of the feed motor 88 in the first embodiment. Also, the control unit 82 operates the twisting motor 146 at a speed higher than the rotation speed of the twisting motor 146 in the first embodiment.

[0189] The first gripping step is executed 0.09 seconds after the tying process starts. The pulling-back step is executed 0.14 seconds after the tying process starts. The second gripping step is executed 0.20 seconds after the tying process starts. The cutting step is executed 0.23 seconds after the tying process starts. The twisting step is executed 0.26 seconds after the tying process starts. The wire release step is executed 0.34 seconds after the tying process starts. The wire release step is completed 0.40 seconds after the tying process starts.

[0190] (Effect) In this embodiment, the time from the start of tying the reinforcing bar R using the wire W to the completion of tying the reinforcing bar R is 0.40 seconds or less.

[0191] According to the above configuration, the tying process time can be made shorter compared to the conventional reinforcing bar tying machine 2.

[0192] (Fourth Embodiment) In the fourth embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be described. The start times of the steps in the tying process of the fourth embodiment are different from the start times of the steps in the tying process of the first embodiment. The control unit 82 operates the feed motor 88 at a speed higher than the rotation speed of the feed motor 88 in the first embodiment. Also, the control unit 82 operates the twisting motor 146 at a speed higher than the rotation speed of the twisting motor 146 in the first embodiment.

[0193] The first gripping step is executed 0.08 seconds after the tying process starts. The pulling-back step is executed 0.13 seconds after the tying process starts. The second gripping step is executed 0.18 seconds after the tying process starts. The cutting step is executed 0.20 seconds after the tying process starts. The twisting step is executed 0.23 seconds after the tying process starts. The wire release step is executed 0.30 seconds after the tying process starts. The wire release step is completed 0.35 seconds after the tying process starts.

[0194] (Effect) In this embodiment, the time from the start of tying the reinforcing bar R using the wire W to the completion of tying the reinforcing bar R is 0.35 seconds or less.

[0195] According to the above configuration, the tying time can be made shorter compared to the conventional reinforcing bar tying machine 2.

[0196] (Fifth Embodiment) In the fifth embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be described. The start times of the respective steps of the tying process in the fifth embodiment are different from the start times of the respective steps of the tying process in the first embodiment. The control unit 82 operates the feed motor 88 at a speed higher than the rotational speed of the feed motor 88 in the first embodiment. Also, the control unit 82 operates the twisting motor 146 at a speed higher than the rotational speed of the twisting motor 146 in the first embodiment.

[0197] The first gripping step is executed 0.06 seconds after the tying process starts. The pulling-back step is executed 0.11 seconds after the tying process starts. The second gripping step is executed 0.15 seconds after the tying process starts. The cutting step is executed 0.17 seconds after the tying process starts. The twisting step is executed 0.19 seconds after the tying process starts. The wire release step is executed 0.26 seconds after the tying process starts. The wire release step is completed 0.30 seconds after the tying process starts.

[0198] (Effect) In this embodiment, the time from the start of bundling the reinforcing bars using the wire until the completion of the bundling of the reinforcing bars is 0.30 seconds or less.

[0199] According to the above configuration, compared with the conventional reinforcing bar bundling machine, the time for the bundling process can be made shorter.

[0200] (Sixth Embodiment) In the sixth embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 27, the arrangement of the bending member 192 in the sixth embodiment is different from the arrangement of the bending member 192 in the first embodiment.

[0201] The bending member 192 is arranged on the right side of the gripping unit 156. The bending member 192 is fixed to the main body housing 4. The contact surface 194 is formed on a part of the upper surface of the bending member 192.

[0202] In a modification of the sixth embodiment, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 27, the bending member 192 may be arranged on the left side of the gripping unit 156. In this configuration, the contact surface 194 may be formed on a part of the lower surface of the bending member 192.

[0203] In another modification of the sixth embodiment, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 27, the bending member 192 may be arranged above the gripping unit 156. In this configuration, the contact surface 194 may be formed on a part of the lower surface of the bending member 192.

[0204] (Seventh Embodiment) In the seventh embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 28, the shape of the bending member 192 in the seventh embodiment is different from the shape of the bending member 192 in the first embodiment.

[0205] The bending member 192 has a cylindrical shape. The bending member 192 is fixed to the main body housing 4. The bending member 192 surrounds the gripping unit 156. The contact surface 194 is formed on a part of the inner peripheral surface of the bending member 192.

[0206] (Eighth Embodiment) In the eighth embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 29, the feed unit 74 includes a slide member 300, a support member 302, a biasing member 304, and an operation member 306.

[0207] The slide member 300 is slidably supported by the support member 302.

[0208] The support member 302 is fixed to the fixed base 90.

[0209] The biasing member 304 is sandwiched between the lower end of the link member 100 and the slide member 300. The biasing member 304 biases the slide member 300 in a direction away from the link member 100.

[0210] One end of the operation member 306 is connected to the operation member 42 of the reel cover 6. The other end of the operation member 306 is connected to the slide member 300. The operation member 306 slides the slide member 300 when the reel cover 6 rotates between the first position and the second position.

[0211] When the reel cover 6 is in the first position, the slide member 300 is disposed at the first slide position. When the reel cover 6 is in the first position, the second roller 98 is in the first state. As shown in FIG. 30, when the reel cover 6 rotates from the first position to the second position, the slide member 300 is operated by the operation member 306 and slides in a direction away from the lower end of the link member 100 from the first slide position to the second slide position. When the reel cover 6 rotates from the first position to the second position, the second roller 98 switches from the first pressing state to the second pressing state. The position of the link member 100 does not change even when the reel cover 6 rotates from the first position to the second position. The distance between the slide member 300 disposed at the second slide position and the lower end of the link member 100 is longer than the distance between the slide member 300 disposed at the first slide position and the lower end of the link member 100. The biasing force of the biasing member 304 when the slide member 300 is disposed at the second slide position is smaller than the biasing force of the biasing member 304 when the slide member 300 is disposed at the first slide position. The force with which the second roller 98 in the second pressing state presses against the first roller 96 is smaller than the force with which the first roller 96 in the first pressing state presses against the first roller 96. Thereby, the force for sandwiching the wire W between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98 in the second pressing state is smaller than the force for sandwiching the wire W between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98 in the first pressing state. For this reason, when the second roller 98 is in the second pressing state, the wire W can be more easily inserted between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98 as compared with the case where the second roller 98 is in the first pressing state.

[0212] As shown in FIG. 29, when the reel cover 6 rotates from the second position to the first position, the slide member 300 is operated by the operation member 306 and slides in a direction approaching the lower end of the link member 100 from the second slide position to the first slide position. Thereby, the second roller 98 switches from the second pressing state to the first pressing state.

[0213] (Embodiment 9) In the ninth embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 31, the steel bar tying machine 2 further includes a pushing member 400. The pushing member 400 is swingably supported by the main body housing 4. The pushing member 400 is disposed near the first guide member 110. The pushing member 400 can be pushed by the steel bar R when the steel bar R (see FIG. 11) is disposed between the first guide member 110 and the second guide member 112.

[0214] The control unit 82 (see FIG. 2) executes the tying process of S30 in FIG. 22 when the pushing member 400 is pushed by the steel bar R while the trigger 70 (see FIG. 2) is being pushed.

[0215] (Effect) In this embodiment, the steel bar tying machine 2 further includes a trigger 70 operated by the user and a pushing member 400 that can be pushed by the steel bar R. The steel bar tying machine 2 executes the tying process when the pushing member 400 is pushed while the trigger 70 is being operated.

[0216] After the user ties the steel bar R using the wire W, the user moves the steel bar tying machine 2 to another tying position of the steel bar R. In the above configuration, it is possible to suppress the execution of the tying process when the trigger 70 is accidentally operated by the user while moving the steel bar tying machine 2 to another tying position of the steel bar R.

[0217] (Tenth Embodiment) In the tenth embodiment, the differences from the ninth embodiment will be described. In the tenth embodiment, the steel bar tying machine 2 does not include the trigger 70 (see FIG. 2). The control unit 82 (see FIG. 2) executes the tying process of S30 in FIG. 22 when the pushing member 400 is pushed by the steel bar R.

[0218] (Effect) In this embodiment, the steel bar tying machine 2 further includes a pushing member 400 that can be pushed by the steel bar R. The steel bar tying machine 2 executes the tying process when the pushing member 400 is pushed.

[0219] In the above configuration, by a simple operation of pressing the reinforcing bar R against the pressing member 400, the bundling machine 2 can be made to execute the bundling process.

[0220] (Example 11) In Example 11, differences from Example 1 will be described. In Example 11, in the wire pre-feed process of S4 in FIG. 19 and S38 in FIG. 22, the control unit 82 first rotates the feed motor 88 forward by the second number of rotations. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11, the tip W1 of the wire W is fed out to the left wire passage 166. The first position is arranged in the left wire passage 166. Thereby, a loop RP of the wire W is formed. Next, the control unit 82 rotates the twisting motor 146 forward. As the sleeve unit 152 shown in FIG. 14 moves forward, the left clamp 164 moves rightward with respect to the clamp shaft 160. As a result, the left wire passage 166 becomes narrower, and the tip W1 of the wire W is sandwiched between the left clamp 164 and the clamp shaft 160. As a result, the tip W1 of the wire W is gripped by the gripping unit 156.

[0221] As shown in FIG. 11, when the user bundles the reinforcing bar R using the wire W, first, before pulling in the trigger 70, the user passes the reinforcing bar R through the loop RP of the wire W. Next, the user pulls in the trigger 70 (see FIG. 2). Thereby, the control unit 82 executes the bundling process of S30 in FIG. 22. Specifically, the bundling process includes a pulling-back process, a second gripping process, a cutting process, a twisting process, a bending process, and a wire release process. Since the loop RP of the wire W is formed and the tip W1 of the wire W is gripped by the gripping unit 156, the bundling process does not include a winding process and a first gripping process.

[0222] (Effect) The wire bundling machine 2 of this embodiment includes a feeding unit 74 that feeds the wire W, a guiding unit 76 that guides the wire W fed by the feeding unit 74 and forms a loop RP through which the reinforcing bar R can pass, a cutter 128 that cuts the wire W, a twisting unit 80 that twists the wire W around the reinforcing bar R, and a trigger 70 that is operated by the user. Before the trigger 70 is operated, the loop RP of the wire W is formed. By operating the trigger 70, the wire W around the reinforcing bar R is twisted.

[0223] According to the above configuration, before the user operates the trigger 70, the user passes the reinforcing bar R through the loop RP of the wire W. Therefore, before the trigger 70 is operated, the wire W is wound around the reinforcing bar R. Thereby, the time for the bundling process can be shortened.

[0224] Further, the twisting unit 80 includes a gripping unit 156 that grips the tip W1 of the wire W. Before the trigger 70 is operated, the tip W1 of the wire W is gripped by the gripping unit 156.

[0225] According to the above configuration, after the trigger 70 is operated, it is not necessary to grip the tip W1 of the wire W by the gripping unit 156. Thereby, the time for the bundling process can be shortened.

[0226] (Example 12) In the 12th embodiment, the differences from the 1st embodiment will be described. In the 12th embodiment, in the wire pre-feed process of S4 in FIG. 19 and S38 in FIG. 22, the control unit 82 first rotates the feed motor 88 forward by the second rotation speed. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 11, the tip W1 of the wire W is fed out to the left wire passage 166. The first position is arranged in the left wire passage 166. Thereby, the loop RP of the wire W is formed.

[0227] When the user binds the reinforcing bars R using the wire W, first, before pulling in the trigger 70, with the tip W1 of the wire W not being gripped by the gripping unit 156, the user passes the reinforcing bar R through the loop RP of the wire W. Next, the user pulls in the trigger 70 (see FIG. 2). Thereby, the control unit 82 executes the binding process of S30 in FIG. 22. Specifically, the binding process includes a first gripping step, a pulling-back step, a second gripping step, a cutting step, a twisting step, a bending step, and a wire release step. Since the loop RP of the wire W is formed, the binding process does not include a winding step.

[0228] (Effect) In this embodiment, the twisting unit 80 includes a gripping unit 156 that grips the tip W1 of the wire W. Before the trigger 70 is operated, the tip W1 of the wire W is not gripped by the gripping unit 156.

[0229] According to the above configuration, the user can move the loop RP of the wire W and pass the reinforcing bar R through the loop RP of the wire W.

[0230] (13th Embodiment) In the 13th embodiment, the differences from the 2nd embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 32, the gripping unit 156 includes a hook 500. The hook 500 protrudes forward from the front part of the sleeve unit 152. The hook 500 opens and closes according to the forward and backward movement of the sleeve unit 152. When the sleeve unit 152 moves forward, the hook 500 closes and grips the loop RP of the wire W. When the sleeve unit 152 moves backward, the hook 500 opens and releases the loop RP of the wire W.

[0231] In the 13th embodiment, in the wire pre-feed process of S4 in FIG. 19 and S38 in FIG. 22, the control unit 82 first rotates the feed motor 88 forward by the second number of rotations. As a result, as shown in FIG. 32, the tip W1 of the wire W passes through the first wire passage 120, then through the second wire passage 122, and then passes through the first wire passage 120 again. Thereby, a loop RP of the wire W is formed. Next, the control unit 82 rotates the twisting motor 146 forward. As the sleeve unit 152 moves forward, the hook 500 closes. Thereby, the loop RP of the wire W is gripped by the hook 500.

[0232] When the user binds the reinforcing bar R using the wire W, first, before pulling in the trigger 70, the user passes the reinforcing bar R through the loop RP of the wire W. Next, the user pulls in the trigger 70 (see FIG. 25). Thereby, the control unit 82 executes the binding process of S30 in FIG. 22. Specifically, the binding process includes a cutting step, a twisting step, a bending step, and a wire release step. Since the loop RP of the wire W is formed and the loop RP of the wire W is gripped by the hook 500, the binding process does not include a winding step, a first gripping step, a pulling-back step, and a second gripping step.

[0233] In the wire release step, the control unit 82 rotates the twisting motor 146 in the reverse direction. As the sleeve unit 152 moves backward, the hook 500 opens. Thereby, the loop RP of the wire W is released from the hook 500. Since the cutting step, the twisting step, and the bending step are described in the first embodiment, the description of the cutting step, the twisting step, and the bending step is omitted.

[0234] (Effect) In this embodiment, the twisting unit 80 includes a gripping unit 156 that grips the loop RP of the wire W. Before the trigger 70 is operated, the loop RP of the wire W is gripped by the gripping unit 156.

[0235] According to the above configuration, after the trigger 70 is operated, it is not necessary to grip the loop RP of the wire W by the gripping unit 156. Thereby, the time for the bundling process can be shortened.

[0236] (Example 14) In the 14th embodiment, the differences from the 13th embodiment will be described. In the 14th embodiment, in the wire pre-feed process of S4 in FIG. 19 and S38 in FIG. 22, the control unit 82 rotates the feed motor 88 forward by the second number of rotations. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 32, after the tip W1 of the wire W passes through the first wire passage 120, it passes through the second wire passage 122, and then passes through the first wire passage 120 again. Thereby, the loop RP of the wire W is formed.

[0237] When the user bundles the reinforcing bar R using the wire W, first, before pulling in the trigger 70, with the loop RP of the wire W not being gripped by the hook 500, the user passes the reinforcing bar R through the loop RP of the wire W. Next, the user pulls in the trigger 70 (see FIG. 25). Thereby, the control unit 82 executes the bundling process of S30 in FIG. 22. Specifically, the bundling process includes a gripping step, a cutting step, a twisting step, a bending step, and a wire release step. Since the loop RP of the wire W is formed, the bundling process does not include a winding step.

[0238] In the gripping step, the control unit 82 rotates the twisting motor 146 forward. As the sleeve unit 152 moves forward, the hook 500 closes. Thereby, the loop RP of the wire W is gripped by the hook 500.

[0239] (Effect) In this embodiment, the twisting unit 80 includes a gripping unit 156 that grips the loop RP of the wire W. Before the trigger 70 is operated, the loop RP of the wire W is not gripped by the gripping unit 156.

[0240] According to the above configuration, the user can move the loop RP of the wire W to penetrate the reinforcing bar R through the loop RP of the wire W.

[0241] (Modification example) In one embodiment, the reinforcing bar bundling machine 2 may be a device that autonomously moves on the reinforcing bar R.

[0242] In one embodiment, the first position may be disposed between the cutter 128 and the first wire passage 120.

[0243] In one embodiment, the bending member 192 may be fixed to the main body housing 4.

[0244] In one embodiment, the abutting surface 194 may not be curved.

[0245] In one embodiment, the bending member 192 may not define the second wire passage 122.

[0246] In one embodiment, the bending member 192 may bend the end W2 of the wire W toward the reinforcing bar R after the cutting process is performed and before the twisting process is performed.

[0247] In one embodiment, the link member 100 may rotatably support the first roller 96. In this configuration, the first roller 96 corresponds to the "second roller", and the second roller 98 corresponds to the "first roller".

[0248] In one embodiment, when the second roller 98 is in the second state, the teeth 98a of the second roller 98 may mesh with the teeth 96a of the first roller 96. In this configuration, the distance between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98 is longer than the distance between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98 in the first state. Also, the wire W is sandwiched between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98. The force for sandwiching the wire W between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98 in the second state is weaker than the force for sandwiching the wire W between the first roller 96 and the second roller 98 in the first state.

[0249] In one embodiment, the reel holding portion 22 may not have a reel accommodation space 36. In this configuration, when the reel cover 6 is in the prohibited state, a part of the reel 24 is exposed.

[0250] In one embodiment, the operation member 42 may include a non-rotatable contact portion. In this configuration, the contact portion pushes the lower end of the link member 100.

[0251] In one embodiment, the lock lever 52 may be attached to the reel holding portion 22.

[0252] The reinforcing bar tying machine 2 of the second to eighth embodiments and the eleventh to fourteenth embodiments may include the pushing member 400 of the ninth embodiment. In this configuration, when the pushing member 400 is pushed by the reinforcing bar R while the trigger 70 (see FIG. 2) is pushed in, the control unit 82 may execute the tying process of S30 in FIG. 22. Further, when the pushing member 400 is pushed by the reinforcing bar R, the control unit 82 may execute the tying process of S30 in FIG. 22.

Description of reference numerals

[0253] 2: Reinforcing bar tying machine 4: Main body housing 6: Reel cover 16: Grip portion 22: Reel holding portion 24: Reel 26: Bobbin 36: Reel accommodation space 40: Cover member 42: Operation member 44: Roller 48: Reel pressing member 50: Biasing member 52: Lock lever 70: Trigger 74: Feeding unit 76: Guide unit 78: Cutting unit 80: Twisting unit 82: Control unit 88: Feed motor 96: First roller 98: Second roller 100: Link member 102: Biasing member 110: First guide member 112: Second guide member 120: First wire passage 120a: Outlet 120b: Inlet 122: Second wire passage 122a: Inlet 122b: Outlet 126: Cutter guide 128: Cutter 138: Wire guide hole 146: Twisting motor 156: Gripping unit 160: Clamp shaft 162: Right clamp 164: Left clamp 165: Right wire passage 166: Left wire passage 168: Side plate 170: Slide unit 172: Detection sensor 174: Biasing member 192: Bending member 194: Contact surface 228: Fixed cutter 230: Movable cutter 234: First wire guide hole 300: Slide member 302: Support member 304: Biasing member 306: Operating member 400: Pushing member 500: Hook AX1: Reel rotation axis AX2: Cover pivot axis AX3: Central axis AX4: Lever rotation axis AX5: Link rotation axis AX6: First roller rotation axis AX7: Second roller rotation axis AX8: Central axis R: Reinforcing bar RP: Loop W: Wire W1: Tip W2: End

Claims

1. A feeding unit for feeding a wire, A guiding unit having a first wire passage through which the wire passes and guiding the wire around a reinforcing bar, A cutter for cutting the wire, and The tip of the wire passes through the feeding unit, the cutter, and the outlet of the first wire passage in sequence, At the start of the bundling process of bundling the reinforcing bar using the wire, the tip of the wire is disposed at a first position located on the outlet side of the first wire passage with respect to the cutter. A reinforcing bar bundling machine.

2. The guiding unit Has the first wire passage and a first guide member for guiding the wire, And a second guide member that is separated from the first guide member and guides the wire that has passed through the first wire passage. The reinforcing bar bundling machine according to claim 1, wherein The first position is disposed in the first wire passage.

3. The reinforcing bar bundling machine according to claim 2, wherein the first position is disposed at the outlet of the first wire passage.

4. The feeding unit sends the tip of the wire to the first position after the bundling process and after the reinforcing bar bundling machine separates from the reinforcing bar. The reinforcing bar bundling machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A main body housing that supports the feeding unit and the guiding unit, A side plate that is attachably and detachably attached to the main body housing and contacts the reinforcing bar during the bundling process, And a detection sensor that detects the opening and closing of the side plate. Further provided, The side plate is opened and closed by the wire around the reinforcing bar after the bundling process and when the reinforcing bar bundling machine separates from the reinforcing bar, The feeding unit sends the tip of the wire to the first position after the detection sensor detects the opening and closing of the side plate. The reinforcing bar bundling machine according to claim 4.

6. Further includes a trigger operated by a user, When the trigger is operated while the feeding unit sends the tip of the wire to the first position, the reinforcing bar bundling machine executes the bundling process. The reinforcing bar bundling machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A trigger operated by a user, and A pushing member that can be pushed by the reinforcing bar. Further provided, The reinforcing bar tying machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which executes the tying process when the pushing member is pushed in a state where the trigger is operated.

8. Further comprising a pushing member that can be pushed by the reinforcing bar, The reinforcing bar tying machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which executes the tying process when the pushing member is pushed.

9. A reel including a bobbin and the wire wound around the bobbin, A grip portion held by a user, and The reel is disposed in front of the grip portion and below the cutter, and the reinforcing bar tying machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A reel including a bobbin and the wire wound around the bobbin, Further comprising a twisting unit that twists the wire around the reinforcing bar, The reel is disposed behind the twisting unit, and the reinforcing bar tying machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. A wire feeding unit, A guiding unit having a first wire passage through which the wire passes and guiding the wire around the reinforcing bar, A cutter that cuts the wire, A twisting unit that twists the wire around the reinforcing bar, A trigger operated by a user, A control unit that executes an initialization process of positioning the tip of the wire at a predetermined position and a tying process of tying the reinforcing bar using the wire by operating the trigger, and The tip of the wire passes through the feeding unit, the cutter, and the outlet of the first wire passage in sequence, The control unit controls the feeding unit to send the tip of the wire to a first position located on the outlet side of the first wire passage with respect to the cutter after the end of the initialization process or after the tying process and after the twisting unit returns to the initial position. The reinforcing bar tying machine.

12. The control unit controls the feeding unit to send the tip of the wire to the first position after the tying process and after the reinforcing bar tying machine is separated from the reinforcing bar. The reinforcing bar tying machine according to claim 11.

13. A main body housing that supports the feeding unit and the guiding unit, A side plate that is openably and closably attached to the main body housing and abuts against the reinforcing bar during the tying process, Further comprising a detection sensor for detecting the opening and closing of the side plate. After the bundling process, when the rebar bundling machine leaves the rebar, the side plate is opened and closed by the wire around the rebar. The control unit controls the feeding unit to feed the tip of the wire to the first position after the detection sensor detects the opening and closing of the side plate. The rebar bundling machine according to claim 12.

14. When the trigger is operated while the feeding unit feeds the tip of the wire to the first position, the control unit executes the bundling process. The rebar bundling machine according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

15. A feeding unit for feeding a wire, A guiding unit for guiding the wire around the rebar, A cutter for cutting the wire, A twisting unit for twisting the wire around the rebar, A trigger operated by a user, and The time from the start of bundling the rebar using the wire to the completion of bundling the rebar is 0.48 seconds or less. A rebar bundling machine.

16. The time from the start of bundling the rebar using the wire to the completion of bundling the rebar is 0.40 seconds or less. The rebar bundling machine according to claim 15.

17. The time from the start of bundling the rebar using the wire to the completion of bundling the rebar is 0.35 seconds or less. The rebar bundling machine according to claim 16.

18. The time from the start of bundling the rebar using the wire to the completion of bundling the rebar is 0.30 seconds or less. The rebar bundling machine according to claim 17.

19. A feeding unit for feeding a wire, A guiding unit for guiding the wire fed by the feeding unit to form a loop through which the rebar can pass, A cutter for cutting the wire, A twisting unit for twisting the wire around the rebar, A trigger operated by a user, and Before the trigger is operated, the loop of the wire is formed, By operating the trigger, the wire around the rebar is twisted. A rebar bundling machine.

20. The twisting unit includes a gripping unit for gripping the tip of the wire, Before the trigger is operated, the tip of the wire is gripped by the gripping unit. The rebar bundling machine according to claim 19.

21. The twisting unit includes a gripping unit that grips the tip of the wire. Before the trigger is operated, the tip of the wire is not gripped by the gripping unit, the steel bar bundling machine according to claim 19. **Claim 22** The twisting unit includes a gripping unit that grips the loop of the wire. Before the trigger is operated, the loop of the wire is gripped by the gripping unit, the steel bar bundling machine according to claim 19. **Claim 23** The twisting unit includes a gripping unit that grips the loop of the wire. Before the trigger is operated, the loop of the wire is not gripped by the gripping unit, the steel bar bundling machine according to claim 19.

Images