Linear object holding block and linear object holding jig and device

Abstract

To provide a linear object holding block which enables a robot hand to hold one linear object easily.SOLUTION: A linear object holding block 72 is capable of holding linear objects and includes: holding parts 74, 77, 79, 81, 84 which hold the linear objects in a manner that the linear objects can be taken out by a robot hand; and restriction parts 75, 82, 85 which restrict movement of the linear objects held by the holding parts in a width direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a linear object holding block used when a robot hand grasps a single linear object from among multiple linear objects such as cables, as well as a linear object holding jig and device equipped with such a linear object holding block. [Background technology]

[0002] Robots are being used to automate various processes for cables. For example, a robotic hand holds a cable and attaches a terminal to the cable, solders the tip of the cable to the terminal, or connects the connector attached to the tip of the cable to a mating connector. In this case, if multiple cables are supplied, the robotic hand must grasp and process each cable one by one.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a device that measures the three-dimensional shapes of multiple flexible, shape-unstable linear objects, determines whether one of the linear objects can be grasped by a robot hand without interfering with the other linear objects, and grasps the object. In an embodiment, the device describes a method for grasping one of multiple electric wires (cables) that make up a wire harness by a robot hand. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 098074 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the method described in Patent Document 1, when the number of cables increased and it was not possible to find a cable that could be gripped without interfering with other cables, it was necessary to change the relative positions of the cables by, for example, moving the entire wire harness, and then reselect the cable to be gripped. Furthermore, when the number of cables became very large, the cable density increased, making it difficult to find a cable that could be gripped. In particular, when multiple cables are bundled together and supplied with only the ends loose, such as in multi-core cables or wire harnesses, the cable density at the ends becomes even higher, making it difficult to find a cable that can be gripped.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a linear object holding block, linear object holding jig, and device that enables a robot hand to easily grasp a single linear object, even when a large number of linear objects such as cables are supplied, particularly when a large number of linear objects are supplied in a bundle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The linear object holding block of the present invention is a linear object holding block capable of holding a linear object, and has a holding portion that holds the linear object so that it can be removed by a robot hand, and a regulating portion that regulates the movement of the linear object held in the holding portion in the width direction.

[0008] Here, the width direction is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the linear object and the direction in which the linear object is attached to and detached from the holder.

[0009] Preferably, the linear object holding block has a plurality of the holding portions, and two or more of the plurality of holding portions are arranged so that the movement lines when removing the linear objects from each holding portion do not overlap with each other.

[0010] More preferably, in the linear object holding block, the restricting portion is a rigid member, and at least one of the plurality of holding portions is capable of holding the linear object by sandwiching the linear object between the rigid member and an elastic member. Here, the rigid member means a member with high rigidity.

[0011] More preferably, the linear object holding block has the holding portions located at both ends in the width direction, with the rigid member on the outside and the elastic member on the inside. Here, "outside" refers to the side farther from the center of the width direction of the linear object holding block, and "inside" refers to the side closer to the center. This prevents interference with adjacent linear object holding blocks when a robot hand is used to attach or detach linear objects, even when multiple linear object holding blocks are arranged close to each other.

[0012] The linear object holding jig of the present invention comprises a main body and a plurality of linear object holding blocks, each of which is any one of the linear object holding blocks described above, fixed to the main body.

[0013] The device of the present invention includes the linear object holding jig and a robot equipped with the robot hand, and the robot hand is capable of removing the linear object held in the holder. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the linear object holding block of the present invention, the restricting portion restricts the widthwise movement of the linear object held in the holding portion, so that the linear object does not move widthwise when held in the holding portion, when inserted into the holding portion, or when removed from the holding portion. As a result, even if multiple holding portions are provided in close proximity to one linear object holding block, linear objects are less likely to interfere with surrounding components or linear objects held in other holding portions when attached or detached. Furthermore, according to the linear object holding jig of the present invention, even if multiple linear object holding blocks are provided in close proximity, linear objects are less likely to interfere with linear objects held in other linear object holding blocks when attached or detached. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a cable holding jig according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a view showing an example of the structure of a holding portion, taken along the arrow X in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3]10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of the structure of a holding portion capable of holding a plurality of cables. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of a multi-core cable. [Figure 5] 10A to 10D are diagrams showing modified examples of the cable holding jig. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a state in which cables constituting a multi-core cable are held by a cable holding jig. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a cable management system according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 2 is a view showing the cable holding block, taken along the arrow Y in FIG. 1. A is a diagram showing the arrangement of each member, and B is a diagram showing the flow of cables to each holding portion. [Figure 9] 8B is a cross-sectional view of the cable holding block taken along line X in FIG. 8A; FIG. 8C is a cross-sectional view of the cable holding block taken along line YY in FIG. 8A; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] An embodiment of the linear object holding block and linear object holding jig of the present invention will be described below, taking as an example a case where they hold a cable used for electrical wiring or the like.

[0017] First, the target cable will be described. The cable holding jig of this embodiment is intended for multiple thin cables. The greater the number of cables, or the shorter the cables, the greater the benefits of using the cable holding jig of this embodiment. For this reason, the number of cables is preferably 5 or more, more preferably 10 or more, and preferably 100 or less, more preferably 50 or less. If the number of cables is too large, the cable holding jig must be made larger to prevent the cables from being too densely packed. The diameter of each cable is preferably 0.05 to 5.0 mm, more preferably 0.5 to 3.0 mm. If the cable is too thin and soft, the weight of the cable beyond the portion held by the cable holding jig will cause it to sag, making it difficult to grasp with a robot hand. Furthermore, a terminal, connector, or other end component may be attached to the end of each cable.

[0018] Furthermore, the cable holder of this embodiment is particularly advantageous for cable bundles in which multiple cables are gathered together at at least one location and then separated beyond the gathered portion. "Multiple cables gathered together" means that the cables are gathered together so that they do not become separated. The cables may be gathered together in one location, two or more locations, or along almost the entire length of the cables, or may be gathered by being connected to a single board, device, or the like. "Multiple cables gathered together" includes being gathered together in a single covering tube like a multi-core cable, being bundled together like a wire harness, or being restricted in movement so that the cables do not move apart by passing through a single hole, such as a wiring port in a device.

[0019] The following description will be given taking a multi-core cable as an example, in which multiple core wires of the multi-core cable are held by a cable holding jig.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 4 , in a multi-core cable 30, multiple cables 31 are bundled together in a single covering tube 35. The end of the covering tube 35 of the multi-core cable 30 is stripped, and the cables 31 are exposed beyond the tip 36 of the covering tube. This exposed portion of the cable is a loose portion 37 of the cable. Since the loose portion 37 of the cable can be grasped by a robot hand, the loose portion 37 of the cable must be a certain length. For application of the present invention, the length of the loose portion 37 of the cable is preferably 40 mm to 150 mm, more preferably 50 mm to 120 mm. In this embodiment, a multi-core cable having a length of 50 mm to 90 mm is used. Each cable 31 is a flexible thin wire, and the entire multi-core cable 30 is also flexible. In FIG. 4 , the tip of the covering 32 of each cable is further stripped, exposing the copper wires 33. When the multi-core cable 30 is set in a cable holding jig, the tip 36 of the covering tube is set in a cable setting area, as described below. In addition to the case where the cable is gathered in a covering tube over almost the entire length as shown in Figure 4, if the cable is gathered in several places, the most distal gathered point corresponds to the tip 36 of the covering tube in Figure 4, and the part further forward corresponds to the loose part 37 of the cable.

[0021] Referring to Figure 1, cable holding jig (linear object holding jig) 10 has a plate-like member 11 that is the main body, and multiple cable holding blocks (linear object holding blocks) 14, 72 fixed to one side of the plate-like member. A cable holding block is a block that includes one or more holding parts that hold cables and is a collection of members fixed to the plate-like member (main body). Note that, hereinafter, the cable holding jig may be simply referred to as the "holding jig," and the cable holding block may be simply referred to as the "holding block."

[0022] The plate-shaped member 11 is disk-shaped. The holding blocks 14, 72 are arranged so that they can hold multiple cables radially. A cable setting area S for setting cables is provided in the center of the plate-shaped member 11. An opening 13 is formed in the plate-shaped member 11, cutting out from an edge 12 to the cable setting area S.

[0023] The cable setting area S is an area set up for setting the base ends of the cables held in the holding section, and is located at the center of the radial sector of the cables. When multiple cables are already bundled together in a covering tube or the like, as in the multi-core cable described in this embodiment, the bundled portion is set in the cable setting area S. Alternatively, if the cable setting area S is an area surrounded by a plate-like member 11 as shown in FIG. 1, the multiple cables can be bundled by setting them in the cable setting area S even if they have not been bundled together in advance.

[0024] The number of cables set in the cable setting area S is preferably 10 to 100, more preferably 10 to 50. When a multi-core cable is set, the size of the cable setting area S is preferably within 1.2 times, more preferably within 1.1 times, the diameter of the portion of the multi-core cable bundled in the covering tube. The greater the number of cables 31, the more holding units 15 must be arranged, resulting in a larger cable holding jig. The larger the holding jig, the shorter the length of the cable portion extending outside the holding units 15 that can be grasped by a robot hand when each cable is held by the holding units 15. Because there are restrictions on the length of the unfolded cable portion, to ensure a consistent length of cable protrusion from each holding unit 15, it is preferable to set the bundled portion of the cable in the center of the cable setting area S and fix it so that it does not shift. The deviation between the center position of the cable setting area S and the center position of the bundled cables is preferably within ±0.2 times, more preferably within ±0.1 times, the thickness of the bundled cables.

[0025] The holding block 14 has one holding portion, and the holding block 72 has multiple holding portions. The holding blocks 14 and 72 are able to hold the tip end 34 of the cable 31 with their holding portions. The tip end 34 is the portion on the tip side of the unfolded portion 37 of the cable. If the unfolded portion 37 of the cable is short, the tip end 34 may be treated as the same as the unfolded portion 37 of the cable. The multiple holding blocks 14 and 72 are lined up along the circumference of a reference circle C of radius R, with its center O being the center of the cable set area S, on one side of the plate-like member 11. Although details of how to use the cable holding jig 10 will be described later, if the radius R of the reference circle C is shorter than the unfolded portion 37 of the cable 31, as shown in FIG. 6 , the multi-core cable 30 can be set in the cable setting area S, approximately perpendicular to the plate-shaped member 11, so that it extends from the side of the plate-shaped member 11 where the holding blocks 14 are not provided to the side where the holding blocks 14 are provided, and the radially extending end portions 34 of each cable 31 can be held by the holding blocks 14, 72. The multi-core cable 30 may also be set so that it is approximately flush with the plate-shaped member 11, for example, extending from the bottom to the top as shown in FIG. 5A . Because multiple holding blocks are arranged on the radius R extending radially from the cable setting area, the distance between the held cable ends is secured, allowing individual cables to be easily grasped by a robot hand. Furthermore, since the holding blocks are arranged along the circumference of the reference circle C, the distance between the held cable ends 34 can be increased even on the limited area of ​​the plate-shaped member 11. When setting the multi-core cable 30 in the cable setting area S, the covering tube 35 is preferably fixed to a fixture (not shown). The fixture secures the covering tube 35 so that the vicinity of the tip 36 of the covering tube is positioned in the cable setting area S. The structure and shape of the fixture are not particularly limited, and for example, the covering tube may be fitted into a U-shaped member to hold it from three sides. Setting the multi-core cable 30 in the cable setting area S and holding each cable in a holding portion may also be done manually.

[0026] 2, the holding block 14 has one holding portion 15. The holding portion 15 is formed by stacking two leaf springs 17 with curved tips so that the distance between them increases on the tip side, and fixing the base ends to a base member 16 with screws or the like. The base member 16 is fixed to the plate-like member 11 with screws or the like. However, the structure of the holding portion 15 and the method of attaching it to the plate-like member 11 are not particularly limited.

[0027] Furthermore, multiple cables 31 may be held by one holding section. Specifically, for example, by replacing the leaf spring 17 in FIG. 2 with a corrugated leaf spring 23, as in the holding section 22 shown in FIG. 3, multiple cables can be stacked and held perpendicular to the plate-like member 11. This allows for a larger number of cables to be held without increasing the number of holding sections, thereby increasing the spacing between adjacent holding sections as much as possible to ensure easy gripping by a robotic hand. Holding multiple cables by one holding section is also useful when the length of the loose cable portion 37 is short. Increasing the reference circle C to increase the number of holding sections increases the distance from the cable set area S to the holding section, which may result in the cable not reaching the holding section. However, by allowing multiple cables to be held by one holding section, the reference circle C can be made smaller, allowing for a larger number of cables to be held, even when the cables are short. The cable holding block 21 shown in FIG. 3 has one holding section 22, which can hold two cables.

[0028] 8 and 9 show a cable holding block 72 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The holding block 72 has five holding portions. The holding block 72 has a base member 73, a rigid member 75 erected at the center of the base member 73 in the width direction, and rigid members 82 and 85 erected at both ends of the base member 73 in the width direction. The width direction is the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the attachment / detachment direction of the held cable, and corresponds to the left-right direction in FIGS. 8 and 9. The rigid member means a member with high rigidity. The rigid members 75, 82, and 85 are molded from, for example, metal or hard resin.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 8A, holding portion 74 is formed by a rigid member 75 and a leaf spring 76 provided along the side surface on the left side in FIG. 8A. The cable held by holding portion 74 is held by being sandwiched between rigid member 75 and leaf spring 76, which is an elastic member. Holding portion 77 is formed by rigid member 75 and a leaf spring 78 provided along the side surface on the right side in FIG. 8A. The thickness of rigid member 75 is set so that a robot hand can grasp each cable without interfering with cables held by adjacent holding portions across the rigid member. In other words, the thickness is set so that the cable held by holding portion 74 can be grasped by a robot hand without interfering with the cable held by holding portion 77.

[0030] Rigid member 82 is lower than rigid member 75, and rigid member 82 and leaf spring 83 provided along its inner side form holding portion 81. Rigid member 85 provided symmetrically with rigid member 82 and leaf spring 86, which is an elastic member provided along its inner side, form holding portion 84.

[0031] Each leaf spring 76, 78, 83, 86 is an elastic member that has the elasticity to bend slightly when attaching or detaching a cable, and is bent to widen the entrance of the holding part to guide the cable, and to curve the vicinity of the cable holding position to stabilize the position of the cable once it has entered the holding part.

[0032] Each of the holding portions 74, 77, 81, and 84 can hold only one cable. The holding portions 81 and 84 are located outside the holding portions 74 and 77 and are provided at a lower position (closer to the base member 73). Referring to FIG. 8B, the flow lines P when attaching and detaching the cable 31 to and from the holding portions 74, 77, 81, and 84 do not overlap. The cable holding positions of the holding portions 74, 77, 81, and 84 are provided at positions where the robot hand can grasp each cable without interfering with other cables held by the respective holding portions.

[0033] This allows the cables held in each of the holding portions 74, 77, 81, and 84 to be attached and detached using a robot hand without interfering with cables held in other holding portions. In the holding block 21 shown in FIG. 3, multiple cables are held in a stack in one holding portion 22, so the cables must be inserted and removed in a specific order. In contrast, the holding block 72 shown in FIG. 8 allows the order in which cables are inserted and removed from each holding portion to be freely determined. Also, by providing adjacent holding portions at different heights and narrowing the spacing between the holding portions in a plan view, more holding portions can be arranged within a limited area.

[0034] These holding portions 74, 77, 81, and 84 are formed of rigid members and leaf springs. The elastic force of the leaf springs presses the cable against the rigid members, sandwiching it between the leaf springs and the rigid members. In the holding portion 15 shown in FIG. 2, bending and twisting of the leaf springs 17 cause the held cable to move slightly in the width direction. Therefore, when a cable is held in a holding portion, when it is attached to or detached from a holding portion, or when it is removed from a holding portion by a robot hand, it is likely to interfere with cables held in adjacent holding portions. In contrast, the rigid members in the holding portions 74, 77, 81, and 84 function as restrictors that limit the widthwise movement of the cable, thereby preventing interference with cables held in adjacent holding portions. The rigid members do not bend or twist, and even if bending or twisting deformation occurs, they have high rigidity to the extent that the deformation is limited to a range that does not cause interference between cables held in adjacent holding portions. This allows the cable holding jig 10 to have more holding portions.

[0035] The holding sections located at both ends of the width of the holding block 72, i.e., the two outermost holding sections 81, 84 of the holding block 72, each have rigid members 82, 85 on the outside and leaf springs 83, 86 on the inside. When attaching or detaching a cable, the leaf springs open, but since the leaf springs 83, 86 open inward in the width direction, the rigid members 82, 85 restrict the cable from moving outward in the width direction, and there is no interference with adjacent cable holding blocks even if they are close to each other. This allows the holding blocks 72 to be placed close together on the plate-like member 11, allowing more holding sections to be provided on the cable holding jig 10.

[0036] Retaining block 72 further comprises leaf spring 78 and leaf spring 80 provided along the outer side thereof, which form retaining portion 79. Retaining portion 79 is capable of holding a thicker cable (not shown). Retaining portion 79 sandwiches the cable between two leaf springs 78, 80, and the cable is held between leaf spring 78 and rigid member 75 by the elastic force of leaf spring 80. Therefore, since rigid member 75 is subjected to little or no bending or twisting deformation, the cable does not move in the width direction, as with the other retaining portions 74, 77, 81, and 84.

[0037] The restricting portion that restricts the movement of the cable in the width direction may be provided separately from the rigid member that constitutes the holding portion, but if the rigid member also serves as the restricting portion, the holding block can be made smaller.

[0038] The shape of the main body 11 of the cable holding jig 10 and the arrangement of the cable holding blocks 14, 72 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 1 and may be any other suitable arrangement that performs the functions required of a cable holding jig. Specifically, the cable holding jig may be configured such that the cable holding blocks, and therefore the holding portions, are contained within a reference circle of a predetermined size, and the holding portions are disposed on radiating radii extending from a cable setting area located at the center of the reference circle. The reference circle of a predetermined size refers to a circle large enough to allow the tip ends of each cable set in the cable setting area to reach the holding portions. In the case of a multi-core cable 30, the reference circle refers to a circle large enough to allow the tip ends 34 of each unfolded cable 31 to reach the holding portions when the tip ends 36 of the covering tubes 35 are set in the cable setting area. Furthermore, since the holding portions are located on lines extending radially from the center of the circle, gaps are created between the cables extending from the center of the circle to the holding portions, enabling the cables to be grasped by a robot hand.

[0039] Several modified examples of cable holding jigs are shown in Figure 5. In the cable holding jig 60 of Figure 5A, the plate-shaped member 61 is semicircular, with the cable set area S located to the side of the chord. In the cable holding jig 62 of Figure 5B, the plate-shaped member 63 is formed in a butterfly shape. In the cable holding jig 64 of Figure 5C, the plate-shaped member 65 extends outward from the reference circle C. When the cable set area S is located outside the holding jig as in Figure 5A, or when the opening is connected to the edge as in Figures 5B and 5C, the process of placing the cable bundle in the cable set area S and removing the cable holding jig after removing the cables from the cable holding jig with a robot hand can be easily performed, making this highly versatile. In the cable holding jig 66 of Figure 5D, the plate-shaped member 67 is formed in a donut shape, and the opening 69 including the cable set area S is not connected to the edge 68. When the opening is not connected to the edge, more cable holders can be placed, making this useful when the loose cable portion is short. Furthermore, the main body of the cable holding jig is not limited to a plate shape, but may have any surface that allows multiple holding portions to be arranged within a reference circle.

[0040] Furthermore, it is preferable that the cable holder 10 has a short distance from the center O of the reference circle C to the holding blocks 14, 72 so that it can accommodate even short loose cable portions 37, that it has a large number of holding blocks 14, 72 so that it can hold many cables, and that the holding blocks 14, 72 are spaced widely apart so that it can be easily grasped by a robot hand. To achieve a good balance between these conflicting requirements, it is preferable that the holding portions are arranged in a line along the circumference of the reference circle C, as shown in Figure 1. This makes it possible to provide as many holding portions as possible at wide intervals when the radius R of the reference circle C is constant.

[0041] When multi-core cable 30 is used, stripping away a large portion of covering tube 35 can result in a long, untidy exposed portion of cable 31, so it is preferable to limit the exposed portion of the cable to approximately 50 to 200 mm. To hold such a cable, the radius R of a reference circle C that encompasses the holding portion is set so that the tip of the cable protrudes from the holding portion by 5 mm or more, preferably 10 mm or more. The lower limit of the size of the reference circle is determined by the number of holding portions required and the spacing between holding portions that allows the cable to be held by a robot hand, but a radius of 30 mm or more is preferable.

[0042] Although the number of cores in a multi-core cable may be two or four, the number of cores preferably used in the present invention is about 5 to 100, so the number of holding parts is preferably five or more.

[0043] When a robot hand grasps a cable 31 held by a holding portion (15, 74, etc.) provided on a holding block 14, 72, it is preferable that the distance between the cables held by the holding portion is 5 mm or more so as not to interfere with adjacent cables, and it is preferable that the distance between the holding portions is 5 mm or more.

[0044] Next, referring to FIG. 7, a cable management system 40 of this embodiment including the cable holding jig 10 has the cable holding jig 10, a first hand (robot hand) 41, a second hand 42, and a three-dimensional measuring device 43.

[0045] The first hand 41 grips the cable 31 held by the cable holding jig 10 and removes it from the holding portion. The first hand 41 is preferably attached to the tip of the arm of an articulated robot. Furthermore, the first hand 41 preferably clamps the cable 31 held by the cable holding jig 10 with a pair of fingers with thin tips so as not to interfere with adjacent cables 31 when gripping the cable 31.

[0046] The second hand 42 is not an essential component, and may be desirable to include in the cable management system 40 depending on the type of cable management. The second hand 42, for example, receives the cable it has grasped from the first hand 41 and returns it to the first hand. The second hand 42 may be attached to the end of the arm of an articulated robot, similar to the first hand, and the direction in which it can move may be limited to one or two directions depending on the type of work, or it may be fixed.

[0047] The three-dimensional measuring device 43 is not an essential component, and may be desirable to include in the cable processing system 40 depending on the properties of the cable and the processing content. The three-dimensional measuring device 43 measures, for example, the orientation of the tip of the cable taken out of the holder by the first hand 41. The type of three-dimensional measuring device is not particularly limited, and a stereo camera, for example, can be used.

[0048] Next, a cable handling method using the cable holder 10 of this embodiment will be described.

[0049] The cable processing method is roughly as follows: First, multi-core cable 30 is fixed to a fixture, and multiple cables 31 are held in cable holding jig 10. The cables are grasped one by one with a robot hand and removed from the cable holding jig, and then subjected to various processes. The details of the cable processing are not particularly limited, and examples include removing the cables one by one in the desired order, moving the cable tips to predetermined positions, attaching terminals to the cable tips, soldering the cable tips to the terminals, and connecting the connector attached to the cable tips to a mating connector.

[0050] The multi-core cable 30 is fixed to the fixture, and the tip 36 of the covering tube 35 of the multi-core cable 30 is set in the cable setting area S so that the covering tube is perpendicular to the plate-like member 11. Since the multi-core tube is flexible and it is difficult to precisely orthogonalize it to the cable holding jig, it is sufficient that the two are approximately perpendicular. Furthermore, the positioning accuracy when setting the multi-core cable does not need to be high, and it does not matter if the tip 36 of the covering tube 35 is slightly misaligned in the radial direction or perpendicular direction of the reference circle.

[0051] The distal end of each cable 31 is held by a holding portion (15, 74, etc.) of the holding block 14, 72, which is predetermined for each cable, for example, manually by an operator (FIG. 6). This allows the cables 31 to spread out radially without tangling, even if they are thin and flexible. The distal end 34 of the cable 31 includes the portion of the cable where the sheath 32 is stripped to expose the copper wire 33 and the portion of the cable where the sheath 32 is not stripped (FIG. 4). The holding portion holds either the sheath 32 portion or the exposed copper wire 33 portion, depending on the various subsequent processes and the properties of each cable. Preferably, the holding portion holds the portion where the sheath 32 is not stripped to prevent damage to the cable. Furthermore, if a distal end member is attached to the distal end of the cable 31, the holding portion preferably holds the cable main body portion located proximal to the distal end member.

[0052] The first hand 41 (robot hand) grasps the portion of the cable 31 distal to the holding portion and removes it from the holding portion. The distal end of the cable is preferable because there is a wider gap between adjacent cables. Furthermore, grasping the proximal end of the cable distal to the holding portion and removing it can be undesirable because the force exerted on the cable by the holding portion and the hand during removal can bend the distal end of the cable, which can affect subsequent processing steps. By grasping the cable distal to the portion held by the holding portion with the first hand and removing it, the cable can be removed while maintaining the shape of the distal end of the cable distal to the hand's grasping position. The grasping position can be determined by specifying the distance from the holding portion and using a teaching operation or measurement with a camera, etc.

[0053] By determining in advance the holding portion that holds each cable 31 and determining the position and orientation of the cable holding jig 10 (the normal direction of the surface and the rotation direction within the surface), the cables can be held by the first hand 41 by teaching. Furthermore, if the distance from the center O of the reference circle to the holding position of each cable is constant, when holding a cable with the first hand 41, it is possible to hold the cable at a substantially constant position from the tip, even if the position and length of the cable to be held are not measured with a camera or the like and the first hand 41 holds the cable by teaching. This eliminates the need to recognize the type and position of the cable held in the cable holding jig.

[0054] If necessary, the orientation of the cable tip held by the first hand 41 is measured by a three-dimensional measuring device 43. For example, if the copper wire core is exposed at the tip of the cable, the copper wire portion is often bent, and it is preferable to accurately measure the orientation of the cable tip with the three-dimensional measuring device 43 in order to crimp or solder a terminal to the tip portion.

[0055] Furthermore, if necessary, the cable held by the first hand 41 may be handed over to the second hand 42. This allows, for example, the cable to be held and processed by the second hand, or the first hand to receive the cable again from the second hand, thereby changing the position or direction in which the cable is held by the first hand.

[0056] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical concept thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10 Cable holding jig (wire holding jig) 11 Plate-shaped member (main body) 12. Relationship 13 Aperture 14 Cable Retention Block 15 Holding part 16 Base material 17 Leaf spring 21 Cable Retention Block 22 retaining portion, 23 leaf spring 30 multi-core cable 31 Cable (core wire) 32 Covering 33 Copper wire 34 Cable tip 35 Coated Tube 36 Tip of coated tube 37 Loose cable sections 40 Cable Management System 41 First Hand (Robot Hand) 42 Second Hand 43 3D Measuring Instrument 60 cable holding jig, 61 plate-shaped member 62 cable holding jig, 63 plate-shaped member 64 Cable holding jig, 65 Plate-shaped member 66 cable holding jig, 67 plate-shaped member, 68 edge, 69 opening 72 Cable holding block (wire holding block) 73 Base material 74 holding portion, 75 rigid member (regulating portion), 76 leaf spring (elastic member) 77 holding portion, 78 leaf spring (elastic member) 79 retaining portion, 80 leaf spring 81 holding portion, 82 rigid member (regulating portion), 83 leaf spring (elastic member) 84 holding portion, 85 rigid member (regulating portion), 86 leaf spring (elastic member) C Reference circle O Center of the reference circle P Flow when connecting / disconnecting cables R Radius of the reference circle S Cable set area

Claims

1. A linear object holding block capable of holding a linear object, a holding unit that holds the linear object so that it can be taken out by a robot hand; a restricting portion that restricts movement of the linear object held by the holding portion in the width direction, Linear object holding block.

2. The holding portion has a plurality of holding portions, Two or more of the plurality of holding units are arranged so that the flow lines when the linear objects are taken out of each holding unit do not overlap with each other. The linear object holding block according to claim 1 .

3. the restricting portion is a rigid member, At least one of the plurality of holding portions is capable of holding the linear object by sandwiching the linear object between the rigid member and the elastic member. The linear object holding block according to claim 2 .

4. The holding portions located at both ends in the width direction are provided with the rigid member on the outer side and the elastic member on the inner side. The linear object holding block according to claim 3.

5. a main body; 5. The linear object holding block according to claim 1, comprising: a plurality of linear object holding blocks fixed to the main body; A linear object holding jig having the same.

6. The linear object holding jig according to claim 5; a robot equipped with the robot hand, The robot hand is capable of picking up the linear object held by the holding unit. Device.

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