End device

Abstract

To provide a bundling device that can feed wire in an appropriate manner. [Solution] The binding equipment 100A includes a rebar binding machine 1A that feeds a wire W in the forward direction, winds it around two intersecting reinforcing bars S, feeds the wire W in the reverse direction to wind it around the reinforcing bars S, twists the wire W, and binds the reinforcing bars S with the wire W; a reel housing section 21 that houses a reel 20 on which the wire W is wound; and a wire feeding mechanism 2A located between the rebar binding machine 1A and the reel housing section 21, which feeds the wire W from the reel 20 housed in the reel housing section 21 to the rebar binding machine 1A. The wire feeding mechanism 2A includes a wire pulling mechanism 22 that pulls the wire W out from the reel 20.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to binding equipment for binding objects to be bound, such as reinforcing bars, with a wire.

Background Art

[0002] Reinforcing bars are used in concrete structures to improve their strength, and are bound with a wire so that the reinforcing bars do not shift from their predetermined positions during concrete placement.

[0003] Conventionally, there has been proposed a binding machine called a reinforcing bar binding machine that is manually held and used by an operator to wind a wire around two or more reinforcing bars and twist the wire wound around the reinforcing bars to bind the two or more reinforcing bars with the wire (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] In addition, a technique applied to equipment for installing and using a reinforcing bar binding machine has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] There are various types of methods for binding reinforcing bars with a reinforcing bar binding machine, but in equipment and a wire feeding mechanism, it has not been possible to feed the wire in an appropriate manner according to the binding method with the reinforcing bar binding machine.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object thereof is to provide binding equipment capable of feeding a wire in an appropriate manner.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a binding mechanism comprising: a binding mechanism having a wire feeding section that feeds the wire in a first direction for winding the wire around an object to be bound and a second direction opposite to the first direction for winding the wire around the object to be bound; a binding section that binds the object to be bound with the wound wire; a reel housing section that houses a reel on which the wire is wound; and a wire feeding mechanism located between the binding mechanism and the reel housing section that feeds the wire from the reel housed in the reel housing section to the binding mechanism, wherein the wire feeding mechanism has a wire pulling mechanism that pulls the wire out from the reel.

[0009] In the present invention, in a binding device, the binding mechanism feeds the wire in a first direction to wrap around the object to be bound, then feeds the wire that has been wrapped around the object to be bound in a second direction to wrap around the object to be bound, then twists the wire to bind the object with the wire. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] In this invention, since the wire is wrapped around the object to be bound, the wire slack that occurs between the rebar mechanism and the wire feeding mechanism when the wire is fed in a second direction by the binding mechanism can be eliminated by the wire pulling mechanism pulling out the wire. Furthermore, the amount of wire necessary to bind the object to be bound by the binding mechanism can be drawn out from the reel by the wire pulling mechanism pulling out the wire. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1A] This is a side view showing an example of a binding equipment according to the first embodiment. [Figure 1B] This is a perspective view showing an example of a binding equipment according to the first embodiment. [Figure 1C] This is a side view of a key part showing an example of a binding equipment according to the first embodiment. [Figure 1D] This is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing an example of a binding equipment according to the first embodiment. [Figure 1E]It is a principal part side view showing an example of the tying equipment of the first embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a side view showing an example of the reinforcing bar tying machine of the first embodiment. [Figure 3A] It is a perspective view showing an example of the wire feeding part. [Figure 3B] It is a cross-sectional plan view showing an example of the tying part. [Figure 3C] It is a cross-sectional plan view showing an example of the tying part. [Figure 4] It is a block diagram showing an example of the control function of the tying equipment. [Figure 5] [[ID=ID18]]It is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of tying reinforcing bars with a reinforcing bar tying machine in the tying equipment. [Figure 6A] It is an operation explanatory view showing an example of the operation of tying reinforcing bars with a reinforcing bar tying machine in the tying equipment. [Figure 6B] It is an operation explanatory view showing an example of the operation of tying reinforcing bars with a reinforcing bar tying machine in the tying equipment. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of feeding a wire with a wire feeding device. [Figure 8A] It is an operation explanatory view showing an example of the operation of feeding a wire with a wire feeding device. [Figure 8B] It is an operation explanatory view showing an example of the operation of feeding a wire with a wire feeding device. [Figure 8C] It is an operation explanatory view showing an example of the operation of feeding a wire with a wire feeding device. ]> [Figure 8D] It is an operation explanatory view showing an example of the operation of feeding a wire with a wire feeding device. [Figure 8E] It is an operation explanatory view showing an example of the operation of feeding a wire with a wire feeding device. [Figure 9A] It is a perspective view showing an example of the tying equipment of the second embodiment. [Figure 9B] It is a principal part side view showing an example of the tying equipment of the second embodiment. [Figure 10A] It is an operation explanatory view showing an example of the operation of feeding a wire with a wire feeding device. [Figure 10B]This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 10C] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 10D] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 10E] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 11A] This is a side view showing an example of a binding equipment according to the third embodiment. [Figure 11B] This is a perspective view showing an example of a binding equipment according to the third embodiment. [Figure 11C] This is a side view of a key part showing an example of a binding equipment according to the third embodiment. [Figure 12] This flowchart shows an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 13A] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 13B] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 13C] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 13D] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 13E] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 13F] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 14] This is a side view of the main parts showing an example of a binding equipment according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 15A] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 15B] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 15C] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 15D] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 15E] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 15F] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 16] This is a side view of a key part showing an example of a binding equipment according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 17A] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 17B] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 17C] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 17D] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 17E] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 17F] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 17G] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 18A] This is a side view showing an example of a binding equipment according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 18B] This is a perspective view showing an example of a binding equipment according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 18C] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 18D] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 18E] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 18F] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 18G] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 19] This is a block diagram showing an example of the control functions of a bundling equipment. [Figure 20] This flowchart shows an example of how a wire feeder operates to feed a wire. [Figure 21] This is a perspective view showing a modified example of the bundling equipment according to each embodiment. [Figure 22A] A perspective view showing other variations of the bundling equipment according to each embodiment. [Figure 22B] A perspective view showing other variations of the bundling equipment according to each embodiment. [Figure 22C] A perspective view showing other variations of the bundling equipment of each embodiment. [Figure 23] This is a perspective view showing yet another variation of the bundling equipment of each embodiment. [Figure 24A] This is a side view of a bundling device showing a modified example of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. [Figure 24B] This is a top view of a bundling equipment showing a modified example of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. [Figure 24C] This is a top view of the main part of a bundling equipment showing a modified example of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. [Figure 25A] This is a side view of a bundling device showing another variation of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. [Figure 25B] This is a top view of a bundling equipment showing another variation of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. [Figure 25C] This is a top view of the main part of a bundling device showing another modified example of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. [Figure 26A] This is a side view of a bundling device showing another variation of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. [Figure 26B] This is a side view of a bundling device showing another variation of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. [Figure 26C] This is a top view of the main part of a bundling device showing another modified example of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. [Figure 27A] This is a top view of a bundling equipment showing yet another modification of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. [Figure 27B] This is a top view of the main part of a bundling device showing yet another modification of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. [Figure 27C] This is a top view of the main part of a bundling device showing yet another modification of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. [Figure 27D] This is a top view of the main part of a bundling device showing yet another modification of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the bundling equipment and wire feeding mechanism of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] <Example of the configuration of the binding equipment in the first embodiment> Figure 1A is a side view showing an example of a binding equipment according to the first embodiment, Figure 1B is a perspective view showing an example of a binding equipment according to the first embodiment, Figure 1C is a side view of the main part showing an example of a binding equipment according to the first embodiment, Figure 1D is a plan cross-sectional view of the main part showing an example of a binding equipment according to the first embodiment, and Figure 1E is a side view of the main part showing an example of a binding equipment according to the first embodiment.

[0014] The binding equipment 100A of the first embodiment includes a rebar binding machine 1A that binds reinforcing bars S, which are the objects to be bound, with wire W, and a wire feeding mechanism 2A that feeds wire W to the rebar binding machine 1A. The rebar binding machine 1A is attached to a lifting mechanism 111A and supported by a base part 112A so that it can move (raise and lower) in the vertical direction, which is a direction intersecting the surface SF on which the reinforcing bars S are laid.

[0015] Figure 2 is a side view showing an example of a rebar tying machine according to the first embodiment. The rebar tying machine 1A is an example of a tying mechanism in which the wire W is fed in the forward direction indicated by arrow F and wrapped around two intersecting rebars S, the wire W that has been wrapped around the rebars S is fed in the reverse direction indicated by arrow R and wrapped around the rebars S, and then the wire W is twisted to tie the rebars S with the wire W.

[0016] To achieve the functions described above, the rebar tying machine 1A includes a wire feeding section 3A that feeds the wire W in the forward and reverse directions, and a wire guide 4A that guides the wire W being fed to the wire feeding section 3A. The rebar tying machine 1A also includes a curling section 5A that forms a path for winding the wire W fed by the wire feeding section 3A around the rebar S, and a cutting section 6A that cuts the wire W wrapped around the rebar S. Furthermore, the rebar tying machine 1A includes a tying section 7A that twists the wire W wrapped around the rebar S, and a drive section 8A that drives the tying section 7A.

[0017] The wire feeding unit 3A includes a pair of feed gears 30 (a first feed gear 30L and a second feed gear 30R) that grip and feed one or more wires W arranged in parallel. The feed gears 30 rotate in the wire feeding unit 3A when the rotational motion of a feed motor, which will be described later, is transmitted. As a result, the wire feeding unit 3A feeds the wire W, which is gripped between the pair of feed gears 30, along the direction in which the wire W extends. In a configuration that feeds multiple wires, for example, two wires W, the two wires W are fed in a parallel state.

[0018] The wire guide 4A is provided at a predetermined position upstream of the wire feeding section 3A with respect to the feeding direction that feeds the wire W in the forward direction. In a configuration that feeds two wires W, the wire guide 4A restricts the radial orientation of the two wires W, guiding the two incoming wires W in parallel between a pair of feed gears 30 (the first feed gear 30L and the second feed gear 30R).

[0019] The wire guide 4A has a shape such that the downstream opening relative to the feeding direction of the wire W being fed in the forward direction restricts the radial orientation of the wire W. Conversely, the upstream opening relative to the feeding direction of the wire W being fed in the forward direction has a larger opening area than the downstream opening. For example, the wire guide 4A is configured with a tapered opening such that the opening area on the introduction side of the wire W fed from the wire feeding mechanism 2A shown in Figures 1A to 1C is the largest, and the opening area gradually decreases from there. This allows the wire W fed by the wire feeding mechanism 2A to be guided between the pair of feeding gears 30 even if the height or orientation of the rebar tying machine 1A changes.

[0020] The curl-forming section 5A includes a curl guide 50 that gives the wire W, which is fed by the wire feeding section 3A, a guide guide 51 that guides the wire W, which has been given a curl by the curl guide 50, to the binding section 7A. In the rebar binding machine 1A, the feeding path of the wire W, which is fed by the wire feeding section 3A, is restricted by the curl-forming section 5A, so that the trajectory of the wire W becomes a loop Ru as shown by the dashed line in Figure 2, and the wire W is wrapped around the rebar S.

[0021] The curl-forming section 5A includes guide members 53a and 53b that guide the wire W being fed in the forward direction and give the wire W a curl. Guide member 53a is provided on the introduction side of the wire W being fed by the wire feeding section 3A in the curl guide 50 and is positioned radially on the inside of the loop Ru formed by the wire W. Guide member 53b is provided on the discharge side of the wire W being fed by the wire feeding section 3A in the curl guide 50 and is positioned radially on the outside of the loop Ru formed by the wire W.

[0022] The curl-forming section 5A includes a guide member moving mechanism 54A that retracts the guide member 53a. After the wire W is wrapped around the reinforcing bar S, the guide member moving mechanism 54A retracts the guide member 53a in conjunction with the operation of the binding section 7A.

[0023] The cutting section 6A comprises a fixed blade section 60, a movable blade section 61 that cuts the wire W in cooperation with the fixed blade section 60, and a transmission mechanism 62 that transmits the operation of the binding section 7A to the movable blade section 61. The cutting section 6A cuts the wire W by the rotational movement of the movable blade section 61 with the fixed blade section 60 as the pivot axis. The transmission mechanism 62 transmits the operation of the binding section 7A to the movable blade section 61 via a moving member 83, and rotates the movable blade section 61 in conjunction with the operation of the binding section 7A to cut the wire W.

[0024] The binding section 7A includes a wire locking body 70 into which the wire W is secured. The detailed configuration of the binding section 7A will be described later. The drive section 8A includes a motor 80 and a reduction gear 81 that performs reduction and torque amplification.

[0025] When the rebar tying machine 1A is used in a form that is held in the hand by the worker, it comprises a main body 10A and a handle 11A, and a battery 15A is detachably attached to the handle 11A.

[0026] Figure 3A is a perspective view showing an example of a wire feeding section. Next, the configuration of the wire feeding section 3A will be described with reference to each figure.

[0027] The first feed gear 30L, which constitutes one of a pair of feed gears 30, is equipped with teeth 31L that transmit driving force. In this example, the teeth 31L have the shape of a spur gear and are formed around the entire circumference of the outer circumference of the first feed gear 30L. The first feed gear 30L is also equipped with a groove 32L into which the wire W is inserted. In this example, the groove 32L is composed of a recess with a substantially V-shaped cross-section and is formed around the entire circumference of the outer circumference of the first feed gear 30L along the circumferential direction.

[0028] The second feed gear 30R, which constitutes the other of the pair of feed gears 30, is equipped with teeth 31R that transmit driving force. In this example, the teeth 31R have the shape of a spur gear and are formed around the entire circumference of the outer circumference of the second feed gear 30R. The second feed gear 30R is also equipped with a groove 32R into which the wire W is inserted. In this example, the groove 32R is composed of a recess with a substantially V-shaped cross-section and is formed around the entire circumference of the outer circumference of the second feed gear 30R along the circumferential direction.

[0029] In the wire feeding section 3A, the groove 32L of the first feed gear 30L and the groove 32R of the second feed gear 30R are positioned opposite each other, with the first feed gear 30L and the second feed gear 30R positioned on either side of the wire feeding path W.

[0030] In the wire feeding section 3A, the wire W is held between the groove 32L of the first feed gear 30L and the groove 32R of the second feed gear 30R, and the teeth 31L of the first feed gear 30L and the teeth 31R of the second feed gear 30R mesh with each other. As a result, rotational driving force is transmitted between the first feed gear 30L and the second feed gear 30R.

[0031] The wire feeding section 3A includes a feed motor 33 that drives one of the first feed gears 30L and the second feed gear 30R, or in this example, the first feed gear 30L, and a drive force transmission mechanism 34 that transmits the driving force of the feed motor 33 to the first feed gear 30L.

[0032] The drive force transmission mechanism 34 includes a small gear 33a attached to the shaft of the feed motor 33, and a large gear 33b that meshes with the small gear 33a. The drive force transmission mechanism 34 also includes a feed small gear 34a that receives drive force from the large gear 33b and meshes with the first feed gear 30L. The small gear 33a, the large gear 33b, and the feed small gear 34a are each composed of spur gears.

[0033] The first feed gear 30L rotates when the rotational motion of the feed motor 33 is transmitted to it via the drive force transmission mechanism 34. The second feed gear 30R rotates when the rotational motion of the first feed gear 30L is transmitted to it through the meshing of teeth 31L and teeth 31R, and it rotates in conjunction with the first feed gear 30L.

[0034] As a result, the wire feeding unit 3A feeds the wire W, which is sandwiched between the first feed gear 30L and the second feed gear 30R, along the direction in which the wire W extends. In a configuration that feeds two wires W, the two wires W are fed in parallel due to the frictional force generated between the groove 32L of the first feed gear 30L and one wire W, the frictional force generated between the groove 32R of the second feed gear 30R and the other wire W, and the frictional force generated between one wire W and the other wire W.

[0035] The wire feeding unit 3A switches the rotation direction of the first feed gear 30L and the second feed gear 30R by switching the rotation direction of the feed motor 33, thereby switching the forward and reverse direction of the wire W being fed.

[0036] The wire feeding section 3A is configured such that the first feed gear 30L and the second feed gear 30R are pressed together to hold the wire W between them. In other words, the wire feeding section 3A is configured such that the first feed gear 30L and the second feed gear 30R are displaceable in a direction away from each other in order to hold the wire W between them and to load the wire W between them. In this example, the driving force of the feed motor 33 is received from the first feed gear 30L, and the second feed gear 30R, which does not receive the driving force of the feed motor 33 directly, is displaced relative to the first feed gear 30L.

[0037] Therefore, the wire feeding section 3A includes a first displacement member 36 that displaces the second feed gear 30R in a direction that moves it closer to and further away from the first feed gear 30L. It also includes a second displacement member 37 that displaces the first displacement member 36. The first displacement member 36 and the second displacement member 37 displace one or both of the pair of feed gears 30 in a direction that moves them closer to and further away from each other. In this example, as described above, the second feed gear 30R is displaced in a direction that moves it closer to and further away from the first feed gear 30L.

[0038] The first displacement member 36 has a second feed gear 30R rotatably supported at one end by a shaft 300R. The other end of the first displacement member 36 is rotatably supported by a support member 301 of the wire feed section 3A, with a shaft 36a as the pivot point.

[0039] The first displacement member 36 has an axis 36a, which serves as the pivot point for its rotational movement, oriented parallel to the axis 300R of the second feed gear 30R. As a result, the first displacement member 36 is displaced by a rotational movement with the axis 36a as the pivot point, causing the second feed gear 30R to move away from the first feed gear 30L.

[0040] The first displacement member 36 has a pressed portion 36b on one end that is pressed by the second displacement member 37. The pressed portion 36b is provided to the side of the part that supports the shaft 300R of the second feed gear 30R.

[0041] The second displacement member 37 is rotatably supported by the support member 301 of the wire feeding section 3A, with its shaft 37a as the pivot point. The second displacement member 37 also has a pressing portion 37b on one end of the shaft 37a that presses against the pressed portion 36b of the first displacement member 36.

[0042] The second displacement member 37 is displaced by a rotational movement with the shaft 37a as the pivot point, causing the pressing portion 37b to press against the pressed portion 36b of the first displacement member 36, and then releasing the pressure on the pressed portion 36b by the pressing portion 37b.

[0043] The wire feeding section 3A includes a spring 38 that presses the second feed gear 30R against the first feed gear 30L. The spring 38 is, for example, a compression coil spring and presses the other end of the second displacement member 37 that straddles the shaft 37a.

[0044] The second displacement member 37 is displaced by a rotational movement with the shaft 37a as the pivot point due to the pressure from the spring 38, and the pressing portion 37b presses against the pressed portion 36b of the first displacement member 36. When the pressing portion 37b of the second displacement member 37 presses against the pressed portion 36b of the first displacement member 36, the first displacement member 36 is displaced by a rotational movement with the shaft 36a as the pivot point. As a result, the second feed gear 30R is pressed in the direction of the first feed gear 30L by the force of the spring 38.

[0045] When a wire W is loaded between the first feed gear 30L and the second feed gear 30R, the wire W is sandwiched between the groove 32L of the first feed gear 30L and the groove 32R of the second feed gear 30R.

[0046] Furthermore, with the wire W sandwiched between the groove 32L of the first feed gear 30L and the groove 32R of the second feed gear 30R, the teeth 31L of the first feed gear 30L and the teeth 31R of the second feed gear 30R mesh together.

[0047] Figures 3B and 3C are cross-sectional plan views showing an example of a binding section. Next, the structure of the binding section will be explained with reference to each figure.

[0048] The binding section 7A includes a wire locking body 70 into which the wire W is locked, and a rotating shaft 72 that operates the wire locking body 70. The binding section 7A and the drive section 8A are connected by a reduction gear 81 between the rotating shaft 72 and the motor 80, and the rotating shaft 72 is driven by the motor 80 via the reduction gear 81.

[0049] The wire locking body 70 includes a center hook 70C connected to the rotating shaft 72, a first side hook 70R and a second side hook 70L that open and close relative to the center hook 70C, and a sleeve 71 that operates the first side hook 70R and the second side hook 70L and shapes the wire W into a desired shape.

[0050] The center hook 70C is connected to the tip of the rotating shaft 72, which is one end of the rotating shaft 72 along its axial direction, via a configuration that allows it to rotate relative to the rotating shaft 72 and move integrally with the rotating shaft 72 in the axial direction.

[0051] The wire locking body 70 rotates with the axis 71b as the pivot point, causing the tip of the first side hook 70R to open and close in a direction away from the center hook 70C. Similarly, the tip of the second side hook 70L opens and closes in a direction away from the center hook 70C.

[0052] The sleeve 71 has a projection (not shown) that protrudes from the inner circumferential surface of the space into which the rotating shaft 72 is inserted. This projection fits into a groove in the feed screw 72a formed along the axial direction on the outer circumference of the rotating shaft 72. When the rotating shaft 72 rotates, the sleeve 71 moves in the forward and backward direction, which is along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 72, in accordance with the rotation direction of the rotating shaft 72, due to the action of the projection (not shown) and the feed screw 72a of the rotating shaft 72. The sleeve 71 also rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 72.

[0053] The sleeve 71 is equipped with an opening / closing pin 71a for opening and closing the first side hook 70R and the second side hook 70L.

[0054] The opening / closing pin 71a is inserted into the opening / closing guide hole 73 provided in the first side hook 70R and the second side hook 70L. The opening / closing guide hole 73 extends along the direction of movement of the sleeve 71 and has a shape that converts the linear movement of the opening / closing pin 71a, which moves in conjunction with the sleeve 71, into an opening / closing operation by rotation of the first side hook 70R and the second side hook 70L with the axis 71b as the pivot point.

[0055] As the sleeve 71 moves in the rearward direction indicated by arrow A2, the wire locking body 70 causes the first side hook 70R and the second side hook 70L to move away from the center hook 70C in a rotational motion with the axis 71b as the pivot point, due to the trajectory of the opening / closing pin 71a and the shape of the opening / closing guide hole 73.

[0056] As a result, the first side hook 70R and the second side hook 70L open relative to the center hook 70C, forming a feeding path for the wire W between the first side hook 70R and the center hook 70C, and between the second side hook 70L and the center hook 70C.

[0057] When the first side hook 70R and the second side hook 70L are open relative to the center hook 70C, the wire W fed by the wire feeding section 3A passes between the center hook 70C and the first side hook 70R. The wire W passing between the center hook 70C and the first side hook 70R is guided to the curl forming section 5A. The wire W, which has been given a curl in the curl forming section 5A and guided to the binding section 7A, passes between the center hook 70C and the second side hook 70L.

[0058] As the wire locking body 70 moves forward in the direction indicated by arrow A1, the first side hook 70R and the second side hook 70L move toward the center hook 70C in a rotational motion with the axis 71b as the pivot point, due to the trajectory of the opening / closing pin 71a and the shape of the opening / closing guide hole 73. As a result, the first side hook 70R and the second side hook 70L close toward the center hook 70C.

[0059] When the first side hook 70R closes against the center hook 70C, the wire W sandwiched between the first side hook 70R and the center hook 70C is locked in a manner that allows it to move between the first side hook 70R and the center hook 70C. Also, when the second side hook 70L closes against the center hook 70C, the wire W sandwiched between the second side hook 70L and the center hook 70C is locked in a manner that prevents it from coming out from between the second side hook 70L and the center hook 70C.

[0060] The sleeve 71 includes a bending portion 71c1 that shapes the wire W into a predetermined shape by pushing and bending one end of the wire W in a predetermined direction, and a bending portion 71c2 that shapes the wire W into a predetermined shape by pushing and bending the other end of the wire W, which has been cut at the cutting portion 6A, in a predetermined direction.

[0061] As the sleeve 71 moves forward as indicated by arrow A1, it presses the tip end of the wire W, which is locked by the center hook 70C and the second side hook 70L, with the bending section 71c1, bending it toward the reinforcing bar S. Also, as the sleeve 71 moves forward as indicated by arrow A1, it presses the end end of the wire W, which is locked by the center hook 70C and the first side hook 70R and cut at the cutting section 6A, with the bending section 71c2, bending it toward the reinforcing bar S.

[0062] The binding section 7A includes a rotation restricting section 74 that restricts the rotation of the wire locking body 70 and sleeve 71 in conjunction with the rotational movement of the rotating shaft 72. The binding section 7A, in accordance with the position of the sleeve 71 along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 72, restricts the rotation of the sleeve 71 in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating shaft 72, causing the sleeve 71 to move in the front-back direction as the rotating shaft 72 rotates. When the restriction on the rotation of the sleeve 71 by the rotation restricting section 74 is released, the sleeve 71 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating shaft 72.

[0063] Next, the wire feeding mechanism 2A will be described with reference to the figures. The wire feeding mechanism 2A includes a wire pulling mechanism 22 that feeds the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the reel 20, a first wire guiding section 23 that guides the wire W between the reel 20 and the wire pulling mechanism 22, and a second wire guiding section 24 that guides the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the wire pulling mechanism 22.

[0064] The bundling equipment 100A includes a reel housing section 21 that houses a reel 20 on which wire W is wound. The reel housing section 21 rotatably and detachably houses the reel 20 on which the wire W is wound so that it can be pulled out. The wire W can be made of a metal wire that can be plastically deformed, a metal wire coated with resin, or a stranded wire. One wire W is wound around a hub section (not shown) of the reel 20, and the wire W can be pulled out from the reel 20.

[0065] In this example, the reel storage section 21 houses two reels 20 arranged along the axial direction, with their axis of rotation oriented perpendicular to the vertical direction, because the reinforcing bars S are bound together with two wires W in the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A.

[0066] The wire pulling mechanism 22 of the wire feeding mechanism 2A includes a pulling roller 22a that pulls the wire W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24, and a drive unit 22b that moves the position of the pulling roller 22a in a direction intersecting the wire W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24. The pulling roller 22a contacts the wire W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24, and moves between an upper limit position P1 as a first position which is a standby position and a lower limit position P2 as a second position which pulls the wire W, in a direction intersecting the wire W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24.

[0067] As a result, the wire pulling mechanism 22 applies a pulling force between the first wire guiding section 23 and the second wire guiding section 24, as the pulling roller 22a moves from the upper limit position to the lower limit position, thereby pulling the wire W between the reel 20 and the first wire guiding section 23 and the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guiding section 24.

[0068] The first wire guide section 23 is equipped with rollers 23a, 23b, and 23c as an example of wire guide members on the upstream side of the wire pulling mechanism 22, with respect to the feeding direction of the wire W sent from the reel 20 housed in the reel housing section 21 to the rebar tying machine 1A. The first wire guide section 23 guides the path of the wire W pulled out from the reel 20 housed in the reel housing section 21 in the direction of roller 23a with roller 23b, and guides it in the direction of the second wire guide section 24 with roller 23a. Although rollers 23a, 23b, and 23c are each independently configured to correspond to two wires W, the two wires W may be guided by a common roller 23a, 23b, and 23c. Alternatively, the two wires W may be guided by a single roller.

[0069] The second wire guide section 24 is equipped with a roller 24a as an example of a wire guide member on the downstream side of the wire pulling mechanism 22. The second wire guide section 24 uses the roller 24a to guide the path through which the wire W is fed toward the rebar tying machine 1A.

[0070] The rollers 23a and 23b of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24 are provided at approximately the same height with respect to the vertical direction and contact the wire W from below. The rollers 23a and 23b of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24 are supported on an axis in a direction intersecting the vertical direction. The rollers 23a and 23b of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24 are, for example, rotatably supported on an axis and rotate in accordance with the feeding of the wire W. Note that the wire guide members are not limited to rotating rollers, but may also be non-rotating cylindrical or columnar members, and the non-rotating members are not limited to cylindrical or columnar members, but may be members whose sliding surface for the wire W is composed of a curved surface or a flat surface.

[0071] The first wire guide unit 23 is equipped with a load-applying means for applying a first load in the feeding direction of the wire W. The load-applying means is implemented by a configuration that applies a predetermined load in the rotation direction of the rollers 23a and 23b, or by a configuration that makes the contact angle (length) between the rollers 23a and 23b and the wire W different from that of the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24. The configuration that makes the contact angle (length) between the rollers 23a and 23b and the wire W different from that of the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24 is implemented by making the diameters of the rollers different, bending the feeding path of the wire W, and changing the contact angle (length) of the wire W.

[0072] The second wire guide unit 24 is equipped with a load-applying means for applying a second load in the feeding direction of the wire W. The load-applying means is implemented by a configuration that applies a predetermined load in the rotation direction of the roller 24a, or by a configuration that makes the contact angle (length) between the roller 24a and the wire W different from that of the rollers 23a and 23b of the first wire guide unit 23. The configuration that makes the contact angle (length) between the roller 24a and the wire W different from that of the rollers 23a and 23b of the first wire guide unit 23 is implemented by making the diameters of the rollers different, bending the feeding path of the wire W, and changing the contact angle (length) of the wire W.

[0073] In this example, as a means of applying load, the first wire guide section 23 is provided with a roller 23c between rollers 23a and 23b. The roller 23c contacts the wire W from above, bending the wire W's feeding path, thereby increasing the contact angle (length) between the rollers 23a, 23b and the wire W relative to the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24. As a result, the load applied to the wire W guided by the first wire guide section 23 is greater than the load applied to the wire W guided by the second wire guide section 24, so that the load of the first section > the load of the second section.

[0074] The wire pulling mechanism 22 has a pulling roller 22a at the upper limit position P1 that contacts the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24 from the upper side, opposite to the side where the rollers 23a and 24a contact. The wire pulling mechanism 22 moves the pulling roller 22a from the upper limit position P1 to the lower limit position P2 in a direction that intersects with respect to the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24.

[0075] As a result, the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24 is pulled downward by the pull-out roller 22a. Then, the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide unit 24, and the wire W between the first wire guide unit 23 and the reel 20 housed in the reel housing unit 21 are fed between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0076] At this time, the load on the wire W guided by the first wire guide unit 23 and the load on the wire W guided by the second wire guide unit 24 are used to switch between feeding the wire W on the first wire guide unit 23 and feeding the wire W on the second wire guide unit 24.

[0077] The wire feeding mechanism 2A includes an upper limit detection sensor 25a that detects when the pull-out roller 22a is in the upper limit position P1, and a lower limit detection sensor 25b that detects when the pull-out roller 22a is in the lower limit position P2.

[0078] The wire feeding mechanism 2A includes a guide section 27 that restricts the position of each wire W along the direction in which the two wires W are parallel to each other within a predetermined range along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a.

[0079] The guide section 27 is provided between the wire pulling mechanism 22 and the first wire guide section 23, and between the wire pulling mechanism 22 and the second wire guide section 24. In this example, as shown in Figures 1B, 1D, and 1E, it is provided near the wire pulling mechanism 22 between the wire pulling mechanism 22 and the first wire guide section 23. It is also provided near the wire pulling mechanism 22 between the wire pulling mechanism 22 and the second wire guide section 24. In other words, the guide section 27 is provided before and after the pulling roller 22a along the wire W feeding direction.

[0080] The guide section 27 is provided on the outside of the parallel direction of the multiple parallel wires W, with respect to the outermost wire W of the multiple parallel wires W, and restricts the movement of the wire W outside the feed path. The guide section 27 is also provided between the multiple parallel wires W, separating the feed paths of the wires W. In this example, the guide section 27 includes a first guide section 27a provided on the outside of each wire W with respect to the parallel direction of two wires W (W1, W2), and a second guide section 27b provided between the two wires W.

[0081] The first guide portion 27a extends from the base portion 112A along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a, and the second guide portion 27b extends from the base portion 112A along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a.

[0082] The guide section 27 has a second guide section 27b aligned in the direction in which the two wires W are parallel, and one of the first guide sections 27a is provided opposite to it, extending in the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a and leaving a gap through which at least one wire W can pass. The guide section 27 has a guide section 27c formed in the gap between the first guide section 27a and the second guide section 27b.

[0083] Furthermore, the guide portion 27 is provided opposite to the second guide portion 27b, which is aligned in the direction in which the two wires W are parallel, by extending along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a and leaving a gap through which at least one wire W can pass. The guide portion 27c is formed in the gap between the other first guide portion 27a and the second guide portion 27b.

[0084] As a result, the guide section 27 prevents each wire W from moving in a direction in which two wires W are parallel, both before and after the pull-out roller 22a along the wire W feeding direction, within the range in which the pull-out roller 22a moves from the upper limit position to the lower limit position.

[0085] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the control functions of the binding equipment. In the binding equipment 100A, the control unit 110A controls the motor 80 and feed motor 31 of the rebar binding machine 1A. The control unit 110A controls the position of the sleeve 71 by controlling the amount of rotation of the motor 80, and performs the operation of locking the wire W with the wire locking body 70, cutting the wire W with the cutting section 6A, and twisting the wire W with the wire locking body 70.

[0086] Furthermore, the control unit 110A controls the forward and reverse rotation of the feed motor 31 to feed the wire W in the forward direction, thereby winding the wire W around the reinforcing bar S, and to feed the wire W in the reverse direction, thereby winding the wire W around the reinforcing bar S.

[0087] Furthermore, the control unit 110A controls the motor 22c of the drive unit 22b of the wire feeding mechanism 2A. Based on the position of the pull-out roller 22a detected by the upper limit detection sensor 25a and the lower limit detection sensor 25b, the control unit 110A controls the forward and reverse rotation of the motor 22c to lower or raise the pull-out roller 22a.

[0088] <Example of operation of the bundling equipment in the first embodiment> Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of tying reinforcing bars with a rebar tying machine in a tying facility, and Figures 6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the operation of tying reinforcing bars with a rebar tying machine in a tying facility. Next, referring to each figure, the operation of tying reinforcing bars S with wire W using rebar tying machine 1A will be explained.

[0089] In step SA1 of Figure 5, the binding equipment 100A moves the reinforcing bars S so that the point where the reinforcing bars S intersect and are to be bound is facing the curl forming section 5A of the reinforcing bar binding machine 1A. In step SA2, the reinforcing bar binding machine 1A is moved so that the point where the reinforcing bars S are to be bound is between the curl guide 50 and the guide guide 51 of the curl forming section 5A.

[0090] When the control unit 110A receives a signal to tie the reinforcing bars S, in step SA3 it drives the feed motor 31 in the forward rotation direction and feeds the wire W in the forward direction indicated by the arrow F at the wire feed unit 3A. In the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A, the two wires W are fed in parallel along the axial direction of the loop Ru formed by the wires W.

[0091] The wire W, fed in the forward direction, passes between the center hook 70C and the first side hook 70R and is sent to the curl guide 50 of the curl forming section 5A. As the wire W passes through the curl guide 50, it is given a curl by the guide members 53a and 53b so that it is wound around the reinforcing bar S.

[0092] The wire W, which has been given a curl by the curl guide 50, is guided by the guide guide 51 and further fed in the forward direction by the wire feeding section 3A, so that it is guided by the guide guide 51 between the center hook 70C and the second side hook 70L. The wire W is then fed until its tip abuts against the feed restricting section 90. The feed path of the wire W fed by the wire feeding section 3A is restricted by the curl forming section 5A, so that the trajectory of the wire W becomes a loop Ru as shown by the dashed line in Figure 6A, and the wire W is wound around the reinforcing bar S. When the tip of the wire W is fed to the position where it abuts against the feed restricting section 90, the control unit 110A stops driving the feed motor 31.

[0093] After stopping the forward feeding of the wire W, the control unit 110A drives the motor 80 in the forward rotation direction. In the operating range where the rotation restricting unit 74 restricts the rotation of the sleeve 71 which is linked to the rotation of the rotating shaft 72, the sleeve 71 moves in the direction of arrow A1, which is the forward direction, as the rotational motion of the rotating shaft 72 is converted into linear motion.

[0094] As the sleeve 71 moves forward, the opening / closing pin 71a passes through the opening / closing guide hole 73. As a result, as shown in Figure 3C, the first side hook 70R moves toward the center hook 70C in a rotational motion with the axis 71b as the pivot point. When the first side hook 70R closes relative to the center hook 70C, the wire W sandwiched between the first side hook 70R and the center hook 70C is locked in a manner that allows it to move between the first side hook 70R and the center hook 70C.

[0095] Furthermore, the second side hook 70L moves toward the center hook 70C by a rotational motion with the axis 71b as the pivot point. When the second side hook 70L closes toward the center hook 70C, the wire W, which is sandwiched between the second side hook 70L and the center hook 70C, is locked in a manner that prevents it from coming out from between the second side hook 70L and the center hook 70C.

[0096] After the sleeve 71 has advanced to the end position of the operating range in which the wire W is locked by the closing action of the first side hook 70R and the second side hook 70L, the control unit 110A temporarily stops the rotation of the motor 80 and, in step SA4, drives the feed motor 31 in the reverse direction. This causes the pair of feed gears 30 to reverse direction.

[0097] Therefore, the wire W, which is sandwiched between the pair of feed gears 30, is fed in the opposite direction indicated by the arrow R.

[0098] The wire W, which is wrapped around the reinforcing bar S and secured by the wire locking body 70, is secured in such a way that the tip portion sandwiched between the second side hook 70L and the center hook 70C cannot slip out from between the second side hook 70L and the center hook 70C. Furthermore, the portion of the wire W secured by the wire locking body 70 that is sandwiched between the first side hook 70R and the center hook 70C can move in the circumferential direction of the loop Ru along the wire W's feeding path between the first side hook 70R and the center hook 70C.

[0099] As a result, the wire W wrapped around the reinforcing bar S is wound onto the reinforcing bar S by feeding the wire W in the reverse direction indicated by the arrow R, as shown in Figure 6B. In this operation of feeding the wire W in the reverse direction by the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A, the wire W is not fed in the reverse direction by the wire feeding mechanism 2A. Therefore, in this operation of feeding the wire W in the reverse direction by the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A, the wire W becomes loose between the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24.

[0100] When the wire W is pulled back to the position where it is wrapped around the reinforcing bar S, the control unit 110A stops the reverse rotation drive of the feed motor 31 and then drives the motor 80 in the forward rotation direction, moving the sleeve 71 forward as indicated by arrow A1. The forward movement of the sleeve 71 is transmitted to the cutting unit 6A, causing the movable blade unit 61 to rotate, and the wire W, which is locked by the first side hook 70R and the center hook 70C, is cut by the operation of the fixed blade unit 60 and the movable blade unit 61.

[0101] When the wire W is cut, the bending sections 71c1 and 71c2 move toward contact with the reinforcing bar S. This causes the tip of the wire W, which is locked by the center hook 70C and the second side hook 70L, to be pressed toward the reinforcing bar S by the bending section 71c1, bending it toward the reinforcing bar S with the locking position as a fulcrum. As the sleeve 71 moves further forward, the wire W, which is locked between the second side hook 70L and the center hook 70C, is held in place by the bending section 71c1.

[0102] Furthermore, the end of the wire W, which is locked by the center hook 70C and the first side hook 70R and cut at the cutting section 6A, is pressed toward the reinforcing bar S by the bending section 71c2, bending it toward the reinforcing bar S with the locking position as a fulcrum. As the sleeve 71 moves further forward, the wire W, which is locked between the first side hook 70R and the center hook, is held in a state where it is sandwiched by the bending section 71c2.

[0103] After the tip and end of the wire W are bent toward the reinforcing bar S, the motor 80 is further driven in the forward rotation direction, causing the sleeve 71 to move further forward. When the sleeve 71 moves to a predetermined position and reaches the operating range in which the wire W, which is locked by the wire locking body 70, is twisted, the restriction on the rotation of the sleeve 71 by the rotation restricting unit 74 is released, and the sleeve 71 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating shaft 72.

[0104] As a result, the motor 80 is driven further in the forward rotation direction, causing the wire locking body 70 to rotate in conjunction with the rotating shaft 72, twisting the wire W at step SA5 and tying the reinforcing bar S with the wire Wd.

[0105] The control unit 110A detects the load on the motor 80, and when it detects that the load on the motor has reached a predetermined value, for example, the maximum load, it stops the forward rotation of the motor 80 at a predetermined timing.

[0106] After stopping the forward rotation of the motor 80, the control unit 110A reverses the rotation of the motor 80 to move the sleeve 71 backward to a position where the first side hook 70R is open relative to the center hook 70C and the second side hook 70L is open relative to the center hook 70C, and returns the wire locking body 70 to the standby position. When the wire W that has bound the reinforcing bars S is released from the wire locking body 70, the control unit 110A moves the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A to the standby position in step SA6.

[0107] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the wire feeding operation using the wire feeding device, and Figures 8A to 8E are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the wire feeding operation using the wire feeding device. Next, the operation of feeding the wire using the wire feeding mechanism 2A will be explained.

[0108] In the tying operation of the rebar tying machine 1A described above, the wire feeding mechanism 2A performs the operation of drawing out a predetermined amount of wire W from the reel 20 between step SA4, when the wire W is fed in the reverse direction, and step SA3, when the wire W is fed in the forward direction, in the next tying operation.

[0109] In step SB1 of Figure 7, the control unit 110A controls the drive unit 22b to rotate the motor 22c in the forward direction, causing the pull-out roller 22a to descend from the upper limit position P1 in the direction of arrow Do. The wire pull-out mechanism 22 causes the pull-out roller 22a to descend from the upper limit position P1 to the lower limit position P2 along the direction intersecting the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0110] When the pull-out roller 22a begins to descend from the upper limit position P1, the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24 is pulled downward, causing the wire W between the reel 20 and the first wire guide section 23, and the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24, to be pulled between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24. As a result, the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24, and the wire W between the first wire guide section 23 and the reel 20 housed in the reel housing section 21, are fed between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24.

[0111] As described above, the load on the wire W guided by the first wire guide unit 23 is greater than the load on the wire W guided by the second wire guide unit 24, so that the load of the first unit > the load of the second unit.

[0112] Furthermore, in the rebar tying machine 1A, when tying the rebar S with wire W, the wire W is fed in the reverse direction, causing the wire W to wrap around the rebar S. In this operation of feeding the wire W in the reverse direction in the rebar tying machine 1A, the wire W is not fed in the reverse direction in the wire feeding mechanism 2A. Therefore, in this operation of feeding the wire W in the reverse direction in the rebar tying machine 1A, as shown in Figure 8A, the wire W becomes loose between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24.

[0113] As a result, in the operation of pulling the wire W with the pull-out roller 22a of the wire pull-out mechanism 22, first, as shown in step SB2 of Figure 7 and Figure 8B, since the first load > the second load, the excess portion of the wire W that has slackened in the wire W feeding path 26 between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24 is pulled between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24, as indicated by arrow R1.

[0114] When the excess wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide unit 24 is fed and the slack in the wire W is eliminated, the pair of feed gears 30 of the wire feed unit 3A stop rotating, making it impossible to feed the wire W in the feed path 26 between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide unit 24. As a result, the feed gears 30 become a load, increasing the tension on the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide unit 24, and the load from the feed gears 30 is added to the second load, resulting in second load + feed gear load > first load.

[0115] When the second load + feed gear load > first load, as shown in step SB3 in Figure 7 and arrow F1 in Figure 8C, the wire W is pulled out from the reel 20 housed in the reel housing 21 and fed between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24. When the pull-out roller 22a moves to its lower limit position, the amount of movement of the pull-out roller 22a is set so that the slack in the wire W in the feed path 26 between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide unit 24 is eliminated, and the amount of wire W necessary to tie the rebar S with the rebar tying machine 1 is pulled out from the reel 20.

[0116] In step SB4 of Figure 7, when the control unit 110A detects with the lower limit detection sensor 25b that the pull-out roller 22a has moved to the lower limit position, it switches the rotation direction of the motor 22c from forward to reverse, and raises the pull-out roller 22a in the direction of the arrow Up, as shown in step SB5 of Figure 7 and Figure 8D. In step SB6 of Figure 7, when the control unit 110A detects with the upper limit detection sensor 25a that the pull-out roller 22a has moved to the upper limit position, it stops the rotation direction of the motor 22c in step SB7. As a result, the amount of wire W necessary to tie the reinforcing bars S with the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A becomes slack between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0117] In the next tying operation performed by the rebar tying machine 1A, the wire W is fed in the forward direction in step SA3, and as shown in Figure 8E, the slack wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24 is fed in the direction of arrow F2.

[0118] In this way, the system switches between sending the wire W on the first wire guide unit 23 side or the wire W on the second wire guide unit 24 side depending on the magnitude of the load on the wire W guided by the first wire guide unit 23 and the load on the wire W guided by the second wire guide unit 24.

[0119] As a result, when the rebar tying machine 1A feeds the wire W in the reverse direction to wrap the wire W around the reinforcing bar S, any slack in the wire W that occurs in the wire W feeding path 26 between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24 can be eliminated by the wire pulling mechanism 22 pulling out the wire W. In addition, the amount of wire W necessary to tie the reinforcing bar S with the rebar tying machine 1A can be pulled out from the reel 20 by the wire pulling mechanism 22 pulling out the wire W.

[0120] As described above, once the pull-out roller 22a moves to the lower limit position and then to the upper limit position, the amount of wire W required to tie the reinforcing bars S with the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A becomes slack between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24.

[0121] The wire W wound on the reel 20 has a so-called coil memory, and when it becomes slack, one slack wire W may twist and become entangled between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24. Also, two slack wires W may move towards each other between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24, potentially becoming entangled due to twisting or other factors.

[0122] Furthermore, the two slack wires W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24 may move away from each other. In a configuration where multiple binding devices 100A are used side by side, the two wires W between adjacent binding devices 100A may move towards each other, potentially becoming entangled between them due to twisting or other reasons.

[0123] In contrast, the wire feeding mechanism 2A includes a guide section 27 that restricts the position of each wire W along the direction in which the two wires W are parallel to each other within a predetermined range along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a.

[0124] The guide section 27 is provided on the side of the first wire guide section 23 and the side of the second wire guide section 24 of the pull-out roller 22a, along the feeding direction of the wire W.

[0125] The guide portion 27 is provided with a second guide portion 27b that extends along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a, and on both sides of this second guide portion 27b, a first guide portion 27a that extends along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a is provided opposite to the first guide portion 27a that extends along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a, via guide portions 27c that extend along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a.

[0126] In order to absorb the excess wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24 and to pull the wire W out from the reel 20, as described above, when the pull-out roller 22a moves to the lower limit position, one wire W1 of the two wires W is guided by the guide section 27c between the second guide section 27b and one of the first guide sections 27a, and the other wire W2 of the two wires W is guided by the guide section 27c between the second guide section 27b and the other first guide section 27a.

[0127] As the pull-out roller 22a moves from its lower limit position to its upper limit position, the two wires W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24 slacken downward along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a. The two slackened wires W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24 are such that one wire W1 passes through the guide section 27c between the second guide section 27b and one of the first guide sections 27a, and the other wire W2 passes through the guide section 27c between the second guide section 27b and one of the first guide sections 27a.

[0128] As a result, the two slack wires W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24 are prevented from moving in a parallel direction. Therefore, it is prevented that one slack wire W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24 will become entangled by twisting or the like. In addition, it is prevented that the two slack wires W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24 will become entangled by twisting or the like as they move towards each other.

[0129] Furthermore, the two slack wires W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24 move away from each other, preventing the two wires W from becoming entangled between adjacent binding equipment 100A.

[0130] In the following tying operation performed by the rebar tying machine 1A, the wire W is fed in the forward direction, causing the slack in the wire W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24 to be fed in the direction of arrow F2, as shown in Figure 8E. This eliminates the slack in the wire W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24.

[0131] In the operation to eliminate the slack in the wire W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24, one of the two wires W, wire W1, has its lower end in the slack portion guided by the guide section 27c between the second guide section 27b and the first guide section 27a, and moves upward along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a. Similarly, the other wire W2, the lower end in the slack portion of wire W, has its lower end in the guide section 27c between the second guide section 27b and the other first guide section 27a, and moves upward along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a.

[0132] As a result, even when the slack in the wire W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24 is eliminated, the movement of the two wires W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24 in a parallel direction is suppressed. Therefore, it is suppressed that one slack wire W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24 will become entangled by twisting or the like. Also, it is suppressed that the two slack wires W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24 will become entangled by twisting or the like as they move toward each other.

[0133] Furthermore, the two slack wires W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24 move away from each other, preventing the two wires W from becoming entangled between adjacent binding equipment 100A.

[0134] <Example of the configuration of the bundling equipment in the second embodiment> Figure 9A is a perspective view showing an example of a binding equipment according to the second embodiment, and Figure 9B is a side view of the main part showing an example of a binding equipment according to the second embodiment.

[0135] The binding equipment 100B of the second embodiment includes a rebar binding machine 1A that binds the reinforcing bars S, which are the objects to be bound, with wire W, and a wire feeding mechanism 2B that feeds the wire W to the rebar binding machine 1A. In the binding equipment 100B of the second embodiment, the rebar binding machine 1A may be the same as that of the binding equipment 100A of the first embodiment. Also, the wire feeding mechanism 2B, including the wire pulling mechanism 22 and the second wire guiding section 24, may be the same as that of the binding equipment 100A of the first embodiment.

[0136] The first wire guide unit 23 is equipped with a load-applying means that applies a first load in the feeding direction of the wire W. The load-applying means is implemented by applying a predetermined load in the rotation direction of rollers 23a and 23b. In this example, the load-applying means is configured such that roller 23a does not rotate, and the wire W slides along the outer surface of roller 23a. In contrast, roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24 is configured to rotate in accordance with the feeding of the wire W. As a result, the load applied to the wire W guided by the first wire guide unit 23 is greater than the load applied to the wire W guided by the second wire guide unit 24, so that the first load > the second load.

[0137] <Example of operation of the bundling equipment in the second embodiment> Figures 10A to 10E are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the operation of feeding wire with the wire feeding device. Next, the operation of feeding wire with the wire feeding mechanism 2B will be explained. Note that the operation of tying reinforcing bars S with the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A is the same as the operation explained in the flowchart in Figure 5. Also, the flow of the operation of feeding wire with the wire feeding mechanism 2B is the same as the operation explained in the flowchart in Figure 7.

[0138] In the tying operation of the rebar tying machine 1A described above, the wire feeding mechanism 2B performs the operation of drawing out a predetermined amount of wire W from the reel 20 between step SA4, when the wire W is fed in the reverse direction, and step SA3, when the wire W is fed in the forward direction, in the next tying operation.

[0139] In step SB1 of Figure 7, the control unit 110A controls the drive unit 22b to rotate the motor 22c in the forward direction, causing the pull-out roller 22a to descend from the upper limit position P1 in the direction of arrow Do. The wire pull-out mechanism 22 causes the pull-out roller 22a to descend from the upper limit position P1 to the lower limit position P2 along the direction intersecting the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0140] When the pull-out roller 22a begins to descend from the upper limit position P1, the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24 is pulled downward, causing the wire W between the reel 20 and the first wire guide section 23, and the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24, to be pulled between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24. As a result, the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24, and the wire W between the first wire guide section 23 and the reel 20 housed in the reel housing section 21, are fed between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24.

[0141] As described above, the load on the wire W guided by the first wire guide unit 23 is greater than the load on the wire W guided by the second wire guide unit 24, so that the load of the first unit > the load of the second unit.

[0142] Furthermore, when the rebar tying machine 1A wraps the wire W around the rebar S, the wire W is fed in the reverse direction, causing the wire W to slacken between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24, as shown in Figure 10A.

[0143] As a result, in the operation of pulling the wire W with the pull-out roller 22a of the wire pull-out mechanism 22, first, as shown in step SB2 of Figure 7 and Figure 10B, the first load > second load, and the excess wire W that has slackened in the wire W feed path 26 between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24 is pulled between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24, as indicated by arrow R1.

[0144] When the excess wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide unit 24 is fed and the slack in the wire W is eliminated, the pair of feed gears 30 of the wire feed unit 3A stop rotating, making it impossible to feed the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide unit 24. As a result, the feed gears 30 become a load, increasing the tension on the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide unit 24. The load from the feed gears 30 is added to the second load, resulting in second load + feed gear load > first load.

[0145] When the second load + feed gear load > first load, as shown in step SB3 in Figure 7 and arrow F1 in Figure 10C, the wire W is pulled out from the reel 20 housed in the reel housing 21 and fed between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24. When the pull-out roller 22a moves to its lower limit position, the amount of movement of the pull-out roller 22a is set so that the slack in the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide unit 24 is eliminated, and the amount of wire W necessary to tie the rebar S with the rebar tying machine 1 is pulled out from the reel 20.

[0146] In step SB4 of Figure 7, when the control unit 110A detects with the lower limit detection sensor 25b that the pull-out roller 22a has moved to the lower limit position, it switches the rotation direction of the motor 22c from forward to reverse, and raises the pull-out roller 22a in the direction of the arrow Up, as shown in step SB5 of Figure 7 and Figure 10D. In step SB6 of Figure 7, when the control unit 110A detects with the upper limit detection sensor 25a that the pull-out roller 22a has moved to the upper limit position, it stops the rotation direction of the motor 22c in step SB7. As a result, the amount of wire W necessary to tie the reinforcing bars S with the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A becomes slack between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0147] In the next tying operation performed by the rebar tying machine 1A, the wire W is fed in the forward direction in step SA3, and as shown in Figure 10E, the slack wire W is fed in the direction of arrow F2 between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0148] As a result, in the wire feeding mechanism 2B as well, in order to wrap the wire W around the reinforcing bars S, the slack in the wire W that occurs between the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24 when the wire W is fed in the reverse direction by the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A can be eliminated by the wire pulling mechanism 22 pulling out the wire W. In addition, the amount of wire W necessary to tie the reinforcing bars S with the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A can be pulled out from the reel 20 by the wire pulling mechanism 22 pulling out the wire W.

[0149] <Example of the configuration of the binding equipment in the third embodiment> Figure 11A is a side view showing an example of a binding equipment according to the third embodiment, Figure 11B is a perspective view showing an example of a binding equipment according to the third embodiment, and Figure 11C is a side view of the main part showing an example of a binding equipment according to the third embodiment.

[0150] The binding equipment 100C of the third embodiment includes a rebar binding machine 1A that binds the reinforcing bars S, which are the objects to be bound, with wire W, and a wire feeding mechanism 2C that feeds the wire W to the rebar binding machine 1A. In the binding equipment 100C of the third embodiment, the rebar binding machine 1A may be the same as that of the binding equipment 100A of the first embodiment. Also, the wire feeding mechanism 2C, including the wire pulling mechanism 22 and the second wire guiding section 24, may be the same as that of the binding equipment 100A of the first embodiment.

[0151] The first wire guide unit 23 is equipped with rollers 23a and 23c on the upstream side of the wire pulling mechanism 22 with respect to the feeding direction of the wire W sent from the reel 20 housed in the reel housing unit 21 to the rebar tying machine 1A. The first wire guide unit 23 guides the path of the wire W pulled out from the reel 20 housed in the reel housing unit 21 in the direction of roller 23a with roller 23b, and guides it in the direction of the second wire guide unit 24 with roller 23a.

[0152] The first wire guide section 23 includes a wire slack absorption mechanism 23d that absorbs slack in the wire W. The wire slack absorption mechanism 23d includes a slack absorption roller 23e provided between rollers 23a and 23b, and a spring 23f that biases the slack absorption roller 23e downward along a direction intersecting the wire W between rollers 23a and 23b.

[0153] The first wire guide section 23 has a slack-absorbing roller 23e that contacts the wire W between rollers 23a and 23b from the upper side, opposite to the side where rollers 23a and 23b contact. The slack-absorbing roller 23e is biased downward by a spring 23f in a direction intersecting the wire W between rollers 23a and 23b, and its position in the height direction is determined by the balance between the biasing force of the spring 23f and the tension acting on the wire W.

[0154] <Example of operation of the bundling equipment in the third embodiment> Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the wire feeding operation using the wire feeding device, and Figures 13A to 13F are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the wire feeding operation using the wire feeding device. Next, the operation of feeding the wire using the wire feeding mechanism 2C will be explained. Note that the operation of tying the reinforcing bars S in the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A is the same as the operation explained in the flowchart in Figure 5, etc.

[0155] In the tying operation of the rebar tying machine 1A described above, the wire feeding mechanism 2C performs the operation of drawing out a predetermined amount of wire W from the reel 20 between step SA4, when the wire W is fed in the reverse direction, and step SA3, when the wire W is fed in the forward direction, in the next tying operation.

[0156] As described above, when the rebar tying machine 1A wraps the wire W around the rebar S, feeding the wire W in the reverse direction causes the wire W to slacken between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24, as shown in Figure 13A.

[0157] As a result, the tension on the wire W in the wire feeding mechanism 2C decreases. When the tension on the wire W decreases, the biasing force of the spring 23f becomes greater than the tension on the wire W, and the slack-absorbing roller 23e descends in the direction of arrow D1 along the direction intersecting the wire W between roller 23a and roller 23b.

[0158] As the slack-absorbing roller 23e descends, the wire W between rollers 23a and 23b is pulled downwards. As a result, as shown in step SC1 in Figure 12 and Figure 13B, the excess portion of the slack wire W is drawn between rollers 23a and 23b of the first wire guide section 23, as indicated by arrow R1.

[0159] In step SC2 of Figure 12, the control unit 110A controls the drive unit 22b to rotate the motor 22c in the forward direction, causing the pull-out roller 22a to descend from the upper limit position P1 in the direction of arrow Do. The wire pull-out mechanism 22 causes the pull-out roller 22a to descend from the upper limit position P1 to the lower limit position P2 along the direction intersecting the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0160] When the pull-out roller 22a begins to descend from the upper limit position P1, the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24 is pulled downward, causing the wire W between the reel 20 and the first wire guide section 23, and the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24, to be pulled between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24.

[0161] As a result, the tension on the wire W in the wire feeding mechanism 2C increases. When the tension on the wire W increases, the biasing force of the spring 23f becomes relatively smaller than the tension on the wire W, and the slack-absorbing roller 23e rises in the direction of arrow U1 along the direction intersecting the wire W between roller 23a and roller 23b. Therefore, first, as shown in step SC3 of Figure 12 and Figure 13C, the wire W between roller 23a and roller 23b of the first wire guide section 23, whose slack has been absorbed by the wire slack-absorbing mechanism 23d, is pulled between roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24, as indicated by arrow F1.

[0162] When the biasing force of the spring 23f and the tension on the wire W are balanced, as shown in step SC4 in Figure 12 and arrow F1 in Figure 13D, the wire W is pulled out from the reel 20 housed in the reel housing 21 and fed between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24. When the pull-out roller 22a moves to the lower limit position P2, the amount of movement of the pull-out roller 22a is set so that the excess wire W in the wire feeding path 26 between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide unit 24, where the slack is absorbed by the wire slack absorption mechanism 23d, is eliminated, and the amount of wire W necessary to tie the rebar S with the rebar tying machine 1A is pulled out from the reel 20.

[0163] In step SC5 of Figure 12, when the control unit 110A detects with the lower limit detection sensor 25b that the pull-out roller 22a has moved to the lower limit position P2, it switches the rotation direction of the motor 22c from forward to reverse, and raises the pull-out roller 22a in the direction of the arrow Up, as shown in step SC6 of Figure 12 and Figure 13E. In step SC7 of Figure 12, when the control unit 110A detects with the upper limit detection sensor 25a that the pull-out roller 22a has moved to the upper limit position P1, it stops the rotation direction of the motor 22c in step SB7. As a result, the amount of wire W necessary to tie the reinforcing bars S with the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A becomes slack between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0164] In the next tying operation performed by the rebar tying machine 1A, the wire W is fed in the forward direction in step SA3, and as shown in Figure 13F, the slack wire W is fed in the direction of arrow F2 between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0165] As a result, in the wire feeding mechanism 2C, by providing a wire slack absorption mechanism 23d in the first wire guide section 23, the slack in the wire W that occurs between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24 when the rebar tying machine 1A feeds the wire W in the reverse direction to wrap the wire W around the rebar S can be absorbed and eliminated by the wire slack absorption mechanism 23d. In addition, the amount of wire W necessary to tie the rebar S with the rebar tying machine 1A can be drawn out from the reel 20 by the wire pulling mechanism 22.

[0166] <Example of the configuration of the binding equipment in the fourth embodiment> Figure 14 is a side view of the main components of an example of a bundling equipment according to the fourth embodiment.

[0167] The binding equipment 100D of the fourth embodiment includes a rebar binding machine 1A that binds the reinforcing bars S, which are the objects to be bound, with wire W, and a wire feeding mechanism 2D that feeds the wire W to the rebar binding machine 1A. In the binding equipment 100D of the fourth embodiment, the rebar binding machine 1A may be the same as that of the binding equipment 100A of the first embodiment. Also, the wire feeding mechanism 2D, specifically the wire pulling mechanism 22 and the first wire guiding section 23, may be the same as that of the binding equipment 100A of the first embodiment or the binding equipment 100B of the second embodiment.

[0168] The second wire guide unit 24 is equipped with rollers 24a and 24c on the downstream side of the wire pull-out mechanism 22, with respect to the feeding direction of the wire W sent from the reel 20 housed in the reel housing unit 21 to the rebar tying machine 1A. The second wire guide unit 24 guides the feeding path of the wire W pulled out by the wire pull-out mechanism 22 in the direction of roller 24b with roller 24a and in the direction of the rebar tying machine 1A with roller 24c.

[0169] The second wire guide section 24 includes a wire slack absorption mechanism 24d that absorbs slack in the wire W. The wire slack absorption mechanism 24d includes a slack absorption roller 24e provided between rollers 24a and 24b, and a spring 24f that biases the slack absorption roller 24e downward along a direction intersecting the wire W between rollers 24a and 24b.

[0170] The second wire guide section 24 has a slack-absorbing roller 24e that contacts the wire W between rollers 24a and 24b from the upper side, opposite to the side where rollers 24a and 24b contact. The slack-absorbing roller 24e is biased downward by a spring 24f in a direction intersecting the wire W between rollers 24a and 24b, and its position in the height direction is determined by the balance between the biasing force of the spring 24f and the tension acting on the wire W.

[0171] <Example of operation of the bundling equipment in the fourth embodiment> Figures 15A to 15F are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the operation of feeding wire with the wire feeding device. Next, the operation of feeding wire with the wire feeding mechanism 2D will be explained. Note that the operation of tying reinforcing bars S with the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A is the same as the operation explained in the flowchart in Figure 5. Also, the flow of the operation of feeding wire with the wire feeding mechanism 2D is the same as the operation explained in the flowchart in Figure 12.

[0172] In the tying operation of the rebar tying machine 1A described above, the wire feeding mechanism 2D performs the operation of drawing out a predetermined amount of wire W from the reel 20 between step SA4, when the wire W is fed in the reverse direction, and step SA3, when the wire W is fed in the forward direction, in the next tying operation.

[0173] As described above, when the rebar tying machine 1A wraps the wire W around the rebar S, feeding the wire W in the reverse direction causes the wire W to slacken between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24, as shown in Figure 15A.

[0174] As a result, the tension on the wire W in the wire feeding mechanism 2D decreases. When the tension on the wire W decreases, the biasing force of the spring 24f becomes greater than the tension on the wire W, and the slack-absorbing roller 24e descends in the direction of arrow D1 along the direction intersecting the wire W between roller 24a and roller 24b.

[0175] As the slack-absorbing roller 24e descends, the wire W between rollers 24a and 24b is pulled downwards. As a result, as shown in step SC1 in Figure 12 and Figure 15B, the excess portion of the slack wire W is drawn between rollers 24a and 24b of the second wire guide section 24, as indicated by arrow R1.

[0176] In step SC2 of Figure 12, the control unit 110A controls the drive unit 22b to rotate the motor 22c in the forward direction, causing the pull-out roller 22a to descend from the upper limit position P1 in the direction of arrow Do. The wire pull-out mechanism 22 causes the pull-out roller 22a to descend from the upper limit position P1 to the lower limit position P2 along the direction intersecting the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0177] When the pull-out roller 22a begins to descend from the upper limit position P1, the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24 is pulled downward, causing the wire W between the reel 20 and the first wire guide section 23, and the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24, to be pulled between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24.

[0178] As a result, the tension on the wire W in the wire feeding mechanism 2D increases. When the tension on the wire W increases, the biasing force of the spring 24f becomes relatively smaller than the tension on the wire W, and the slack-absorbing roller 24e rises in the direction of arrow U1 along the direction intersecting the wire W between roller 24a and roller 24b. Therefore, first, as shown in step SC3 of Figure 12 and Figure 15C, the wire W between roller 24a and roller 24b of the second wire guide section 24, whose slack has been absorbed by the wire slack-absorbing mechanism 24d, is pulled between roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24, as indicated by arrow R1.

[0179] When the biasing force of the spring 24f balances the tension on the wire W, as shown in step SC4 in Figure 12 and arrow F1 in Figure 15D, the wire W is pulled out from the reel 20 housed in the reel housing 21 and fed between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24. When the pull-out roller 22a moves to the lower limit position P2, the amount of movement of the pull-out roller 22a is set so that the excess wire W in the wire feeding path 26 between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide unit 24, where the slack is absorbed by the wire slack absorption mechanism 24d, is eliminated, and the amount of wire W necessary to tie the rebar S with the rebar tying machine 1A is pulled out from the reel 20.

[0180] In step SC5 of Figure 12, when the control unit 110A detects with the lower limit detection sensor 25b that the pull-out roller 22a has moved to the lower limit position P2, it switches the rotation direction of the motor 22c from forward to reverse, and raises the pull-out roller 22a in the direction of the arrow Up, as shown in step SC6 of Figure 12 and Figure 15E. In step SC7 of Figure 12, when the control unit 110A detects with the upper limit detection sensor 25a that the pull-out roller 22a has moved to the upper limit position P1, it stops the rotation direction of the motor 22c in step SC8. As a result, the amount of wire W necessary to tie the reinforcing bars S with the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A becomes slack between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0181] In the next tying operation performed by the rebar tying machine 1A, the wire W is fed in the forward direction in step SA3, and as shown in Figure 15F, the slack wire W is fed in the direction of arrow F2 between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0182] As a result, in the wire feeding mechanism 2D, by providing a wire slack absorption mechanism 24d in the second wire guide section 24, the slack in the wire W that occurs in the wire feeding path 26 between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24 when the rebar tying machine 1A feeds the wire W in the reverse direction to wrap the wire W around the reinforcing bar S can be absorbed and eliminated by the wire slack absorption mechanism 24d. In addition, the amount of wire W necessary to tie the reinforcing bar S with the rebar tying machine 1A can be drawn out from the reel 20 by the wire pulling mechanism 22.

[0183] <Example of the configuration of the bundling equipment in the fifth embodiment> Figure 16 is a side view of the main components of an example of a binding equipment according to the fifth embodiment.

[0184] The tying equipment 100E of the fifth embodiment includes a rebar tying machine 1A that ties reinforcing bars S, which are the objects to be tied, with wire W, and a wire feeding mechanism 2E that feeds the wire W to the rebar tying machine 1A. In the tying equipment 100E of the fifth embodiment, the rebar tying machine 1A may be the same as that of the tying equipment 100A of the first embodiment. Also, the wire feeding mechanism 2E, specifically the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24, may be the same as those of the tying equipment 100A of the first embodiment or the tying equipment 100B of the second embodiment.

[0185] The wire pulling mechanism 22 includes a pulling roller 22a that pulls the wire W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24, and a drive unit 22b that moves the position of the pulling roller 22a in a direction intersecting the wire W between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24.

[0186] The wire pulling mechanism 22 has a pulling roller 22a at the upper limit position P1 that contacts the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24 from the upper side, opposite to the side where the rollers 23a and 24a contact. The wire pulling mechanism 22 moves the pulling roller 22a from the upper limit position to the lower limit position in a direction that intersects with respect to the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24.

[0187] The wire pulling mechanism 22 includes a wire slack absorption mechanism 22d that absorbs slack in the wire W. The wire slack absorption mechanism 22d includes a pulling roller 22a which constitutes a slack absorption roller, and a spring 22f which biases the pulling roller 22a downward along a direction intersecting the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24.

[0188] In the wire pulling mechanism 22, the pulling roller 22a is biased downward by a spring 22f in a direction intersecting the wire W between rollers 23a and 24a, and the position in the height direction is determined by the balance between the biasing force of the spring 22f and the tension acting on the wire W.

[0189] <Example of operation of the bundling equipment in the fifth embodiment> Figures 17A to 17G are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the operation of feeding wire with the wire feeding device. Next, the operation of feeding wire with the wire feeding mechanism 2E will be explained. Note that the operation of tying reinforcing bars S with the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A is the same as the operation explained in the flowchart in Figure 5. Also, the flow of the operation of feeding wire with the wire feeding mechanism 2E is the same as the operation explained in the flowchart in Figure 12.

[0190] In the tying operation of the rebar tying machine 1A described above, the wire feeding mechanism 2E performs the operation of drawing out a predetermined amount of wire W from the reel 20 between step SA4, when the wire W is fed in the reverse direction, and step SA3, when the wire W is fed in the forward direction, in the next tying operation.

[0191] As described above, when the rebar tying machine 1A wraps the wire W around the rebar S, feeding the wire W in the reverse direction causes the wire W to slacken between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24, as shown in Figure 17A.

[0192] As a result, the tension on the wire W in the wire feeding mechanism 2E decreases. When the tension on the wire W decreases, the biasing force of the spring 22f becomes greater than the tension on the wire W, and the pull-out roller 22a descends in the direction of arrow Do along the direction intersecting the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24.

[0193] As the pull-out roller 22a descends, the wire W between rollers 23a and 24a is pulled downwards. As a result, the excess slack in the wire W is pulled between rollers 23a and 24a, as shown by arrow R1, in step SC1 of Figure 12 and in Figure 17B.

[0194] In step SC2 of Figure 12, the control unit 110A controls the drive unit 22b to rotate the motor 22c in the forward direction, causing the pull-out roller 22a to descend in the direction of arrow Do. When the pull-out roller 22a begins to descend under the drive of the drive unit 22b, the tension on the wire W in the wire feeding mechanism 2E increases. As the tension on the wire W increases, the biasing force of the spring 22f becomes relatively smaller than the tension on the wire W, and as shown in Figure 17C, the spring 22f is stretched against the biasing force.

[0195] As the pull-out roller 22a descends further under the drive of the drive unit 22b, as shown in step SC4 in Figure 12 and arrow F1 in Figure 17D, the wire W is pulled out from the reel 20 housed in the reel housing 21 and fed between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24. When the pull-out roller 22a moves to its lower limit position, the amount of movement of the pull-out roller 22a is set so that the excess wire W in the wire feeding path 26 between the rebar tying machine 1A, where the slack is absorbed by the wire slack absorption mechanism 22d, and the second wire guide unit 24 is eliminated, and the amount of wire W necessary to tie the rebar S with the rebar tying machine 1A is pulled out from the reel 20.

[0196] In step SC5 of Figure 12, when the control unit 110A detects that the pull-out roller 22a has moved to its lower limit position, it switches the rotation direction of the motor 22c from forward to reverse, and raises the pull-out roller 22a in the direction of the arrow Up, as shown in step SC6 of Figure 12 and Figure 17E. In step SC7 of Figure 12, when the control unit 110A detects that the pull-out roller 22a has risen to its upper limit position, it stops the rotation direction of the motor 22c in step SC8. As a result, the amount of wire W necessary to tie the reinforcing bars S with the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A becomes slack between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24. Also, since there is no tension from the wire W on the pull-out roller 22a, the pull-out roller 22a is lowered from the upper limit position by the amount of expansion and contraction of the spring 22f due to the biasing force of the spring 22f.

[0197] In the next tying operation performed by the rebar tying machine 1A, the wire W is fed in the forward direction in step SA3, and as shown in Figure 15F, the slack wire W is fed in the direction of arrow F2 between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0198] When the slack wire W is fed in the direction of arrow F2 between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24, the wire W comes into contact with the downward-moving pull-out roller 22a due to the expansion and contraction of the spring 22f.

[0199] As the slack wire W is further fed in the direction of arrow F2 between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24, the tension on the wire W increases, and the biasing force of the spring 22f becomes relatively smaller than the tension on the wire W. As a result, the spring 22f is stretched against the biasing force, and the pull-out roller 22a rises to its upper limit position.

[0200] As a result, in the wire feeding mechanism 2E, by equipping the wire pull-out mechanism 22d with a wire slack absorption mechanism 22d, the slack in the wire W that occurs between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24 when the rebar tying machine 1A feeds the wire W in the reverse direction to wrap the wire W around the reinforcing bar S can be absorbed and eliminated by the wire slack absorption mechanism 22d. In addition, the amount of wire W necessary to tie the reinforcing bar S with the rebar tying machine 1A can be pulled out from the reel 20 by the wire pull-out mechanism 22 pulling out the wire W.

[0201] <Example of the configuration of the binding equipment in the sixth embodiment> Figure 18A is a side view showing an example of a binding equipment according to the sixth embodiment, and Figure 18B is a perspective view showing an example of a binding equipment according to the sixth embodiment.

[0202] The binding equipment 100F of the sixth embodiment includes a rebar binding machine 1A that binds the reinforcing bars S, which are the objects to be bound, with wire W, and a wire feeding mechanism 2F that feeds the wire W to the rebar binding machine 1A. In the binding equipment 100F of the sixth embodiment, the rebar binding machine 1A may be the same as that of the binding equipment 100A of the first embodiment. Also, the first wire guide section 23 of the wire feeding mechanism 2F may be the same as that of the binding equipment 100A of the first embodiment.

[0203] The second wire guide section 24 includes a wire feed restricting roller 24g that restricts the feeding of the wire W in a predetermined direction. The wire feed restricting roller 24g is an example of a wire feed restricting member that allows the forward feeding of the wire W from the wire feed mechanism 2F towards the rebar tying machine 1A, but restricts the backward feeding of the wire W from the rebar tying machine 1A towards the wire feed mechanism 2F. As an example, the wire feed restricting roller 24g is equipped with a non-rotating member that can move toward and away from the roller 24a, and in the operation of feeding the wire W in the forward direction by the rebar tying machine 1A, the wire feed restricting roller 24g is separated from the roller 24a, allowing the wire W to be fed in the forward direction. In contrast, in the operation of feeding the wire W in the backward direction by the rebar tying machine 1A, and in the operation of pulling the wire W from the reel 20 by the wire feed mechanism 2F, the wire W is sandwiched between the roller 24a and the wire feed restricting roller 24g, restricting the feeding of the wire W in the backward direction. Furthermore, the wire feed restricting roller 24g may, as another example, be supported by a support mechanism such as a one-way bearing that allows rotation in one direction but restricts rotation in the other direction. By rotating in response to the forward feed of the wire W, it allows the forward feed of the wire W. Conversely, it does not rotate in response to the reverse feed of the wire W, thereby restricting the reverse feed of the wire W.

[0204] The wire feeding mechanism 2F is equipped with a feed amount detection sensor 120 that detects the amount of wire W being fed. The feed amount detection sensor 120 is an example of a feed amount detection means and detects the amount of wire W being fed in the forward and reverse directions. In a configuration in which the wire feeding mechanism 2F feeds two wires W, the feed amount detection sensor 120 is configured to detect the amount of each wire W being fed. The feed amount detection sensor 120 can be implemented by using a member that rotates in accordance with the movement of the wire W and detecting the amount of rotation of that member, or by detecting the weight of the wire W that has been returned by reverse feeding, etc.

[0205] Figure 19 is a block diagram showing an example of the control functions of a binding equipment. In the binding equipment 100F, the control unit 110B controls the motor 80 and feed motor 31 of the rebar binding machine 1A. By controlling the rotation amount of the motor 80, the control unit 110B controls the position of the sleeve 71 shown in Figure 1, etc., and performs the operation of locking the wire W with the wire locking body 70, cutting the wire W with the cutting section 6A, and twisting the wire W with the wire locking body 70.

[0206] Furthermore, the control unit 110B controls the forward and reverse rotation of the feed motor 31 to feed the wire W in the forward direction, thereby winding the wire W around the reinforcing bar S, and to feed the wire W in the reverse direction, thereby winding the wire W around the reinforcing bar S.

[0207] Furthermore, the control unit 110B detects the amount of wire W fed in reverse by the rebar tying machine 1A using the feed amount detection sensor 120, and calculates the amount of movement required to move (lower) the pull roller 22a to the target lowering position where the amount of wire W necessary to tie the rebar S with the rebar tying machine 1A is drawn out.

[0208] The control unit 110B then controls the motor 22c of the drive unit 22b of the wire feeding mechanism 2F, and controls the forward and reverse rotation of the motor 22c based on the position of the pull-out roller 22a detected by the upper limit detection sensor 25a and the amount of movement required to lower the pull-out roller 22a to the target lowered position, thereby lowering or raising the pull-out roller 22a.

[0209] <Example of operation of the binding equipment in the sixth embodiment> Figures 18C to 18G are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the wire feeding operation using the wire feeding device, and Figure 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the wire feeding operation using the wire feeding device. Next, the operation of feeding the wire using the wire feeding mechanism 2F will be explained. Note that the operation of tying the reinforcing bars S in the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A is the same as the operation explained in the flowchart in Figure 5, etc.

[0210] In the tying operation of the rebar tying machine 1A described above, the wire feeding mechanism 2F performs the operation of drawing out a predetermined amount of wire W from the reel 20 between step SA4, when the wire W is fed in the reverse direction, and step SA3, when the wire W is fed in the forward direction, in the next tying operation.

[0211] In the operation of feeding the wire W in the reverse direction when the rebar tying machine 1A wraps the wire W around the rebar S, the wire W is clamped between the roller 24a and the wire feed restricting roller 24g, as shown in Figure 18C, to restrict the feeding of the wire W in the reverse direction. When the wire W is fed in the reverse direction during the operation of wrapping the wire W around the rebar S with the rebar tying machine 1A, the control unit 110B detects the amount of wire W fed in the reverse direction by the rebar tying machine 1A using the feed amount detection sensor 120 in step SD1 of Figure 20.

[0212] Furthermore, in step SD2, the control unit 110B calculates the amount of wire W needed to tie the reinforcing bars S with the rebar tying machine 1A. Then, in step SD3, the control unit 110B calculates the amount of movement required to move (lower) the pull roller 22a to the target lowering position P21, which is the amount of wire W needed to be drawn out by the rebar tying machine 1A to tie the reinforcing bars S, and calculates the amount of rotation of the motor 22c required to move (lower) the pull roller 22a to the target lowering position P21. The target lowering position P21 changes according to the amount of wire W fed in reverse by the rebar tying machine 1A. That is, the amount of wire W needed to tie the reinforcing bars S with the rebar tying machine 1A is the sum of the amount of wire W fed in reverse by the rebar tying machine 1A and the amount of wire W drawn out from the reel 20. Therefore, if the amount of wire W fed in reverse is small, the target lowering position P21 will be lowered in order to increase the amount of wire W drawn out from the reel 20. Conversely, if the amount of wire W being fed in reverse is large, the target lowering position P21 rises in order to reduce the amount of wire W being pulled out from the reel 20.

[0213] In order to pull the wire W from the reel 20 with the wire feeding mechanism 2F, the control unit 110B controls the drive unit 22b to rotate the motor 22c in the forward direction, causing the pull-out roller 22a to descend from the upper limit position P1 in the direction of arrow Do. In the operation of pulling the wire W from the reel 20 with the wire feeding mechanism 2F, as shown in Figures 18D and 18E, the wire W is held between the roller 24a and the wire feeding restricting roller 24g to restrict the feeding of the wire W in the reverse direction. In the wire pull-out mechanism 22, the pull-out roller 22a descends from the upper limit position P1 along the direction intersecting the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0214] When the pull-out roller 22a begins to descend from the upper limit position P1, the wire W between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24 is pulled downward. As a result, a pulling force is applied to the wire W between the reel 20 and the first wire guide section 23, and to the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24, so that they are pulled between the first wire guide section 23 and the second wire guide section 24.

[0215] In the second wire guide section 24, the wire W is held between the roller 24a and the wire feed restricting roller 24g, restricting the feeding of the wire W in the reverse direction. As a result, the excess wire W that becomes loose between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24 due to the pulling action of the wire pull-out roller 22a of the wire pull-out mechanism 22 is not pulled between the roller 23a of the first wire guide section 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24.

[0216] In contrast, because the wire W between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide unit 24 cannot be fed, the wire W between the reel 20 and the first wire guide unit 23 is pulled between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0217] As a result, in step SD5, the wire W is pulled out from the reel 20 housed in the reel housing 21 and fed between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0218] When the pull-out roller 22a descends to the target lowering position P21, the amount of wire W fed in reverse by the rebar tying machine 1A, that is, the excess amount of wire W that has slackened in the wire W feeding path 26 between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24, plus the amount of wire W pulled out from the reel 20, is the amount of wire W needed to tie the rebar S with the rebar tying machine 1.

[0219] As shown in Figure 18E, in step SD6 of Figure 20, when the control unit 110B detects from the amount of rotation of the motor 22c that the pull-out roller 22a has moved to the target lowering position P21, it switches the rotation direction of the motor 22c from forward to reverse, and in step SD7, raises the pull-out roller 22a. As shown in Figure 18F, in step SD8, when the upper limit detection sensor 25a detects that the pull-out roller 22a has moved to the upper limit position P1, the control unit 110B stops the rotation direction of the motor 22c in step SD9. As a result, the amount of wire W necessary to tie the reinforcing bars S with the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A becomes slack in the wire W feed path 26 between the reinforcing bar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide unit 24, and between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24.

[0220] In the next tying operation performed by the rebar tying machine 1A, when the rebar tying machine 1A feeds the wire W in the forward direction, as shown in Figure 18G, the wire feed restricting roller 24g is separated from the roller 24a, allowing the wire W to be fed in the forward direction. Therefore, in step SA3 of Figure 5, when the wire W is fed in the forward direction, the wire W that has slackened in the wire feed path 26 between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide unit 24, and the wire W that has slackened between the roller 23a of the first wire guide unit 23 and the roller 24a of the second wire guide unit 24 are fed in the direction of arrow F2.

[0221] As a result, in the wire feeding mechanism 2F, the amount of wire W being fed is detected by the feeding amount detection sensor 120, and the pull-out roller 22a is moved (lowered) to the target lowering position P21, which is the amount of wire W needed to be drawn out to tie the reinforcing bars S with the rebar tying machine 1A. This operation of feeding the wire W in the reverse direction with the rebar tying machine 1A eliminates the slack in the wire W that occurs in the wire feeding path 26 between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24. In addition, the amount of wire W needed to tie the reinforcing bars S with the rebar tying machine 1A can be drawn out from the reel 20 by the wire pull-out mechanism 22, in accordance with the excess amount of wire W caused by the slack in the wire feeding path 26 between the rebar tying machine 1A and the second wire guide section 24.

[0222] Furthermore, the configuration for drawing the wire W from the reel 20 may include a configuration that includes a gear or roller that rotates with the rotationally controllable wire W sandwiched in the feed path of the wire W, or a configuration that drives the reel 20.

[0223] <Variations of binding equipment> When the rebar tying machine 1A is designed to be held and used by a worker, it comprises a main body 10A and a handle 11A, as shown in Figure 1A, with a battery 15A detachably attached to the handle 11A. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 11A, the battery may not be located in the main body 10A, and power may be supplied from an external source. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 11A, the rebar tying machine 1A may be attached to the tip of a robot hand 114A that is displaceable in the vertical, horizontal, and rotational directions, and the robot hand 114A may be attached to a lifting mechanism 111A.

[0224] Figure 21 is a perspective view showing modified examples of the binding equipment of each embodiment. In Figure 21, a modified example of the binding equipment 100B of the second embodiment is shown with respect to the wire feeding section. In the binding equipment of each embodiment, the rebar binding machine 1A is equipped with a wire feeding section 3A, but the wire feeding section 3A, as shown in Figure 3A, may be provided outside the rebar binding machine 1A.

[0225] Figures 22A to 22C are perspective views showing other variations of the bundling equipment of each embodiment. Figures 22A to 22C show a variation of the bundling equipment 100A of the first embodiment as an example with respect to the reel housing section.

[0226] In Figure 22A, the reel housing section 21 houses two reels 20 side by side, with their axis of rotation oriented perpendicular to the vertical, for tying reinforcing bars S with two wires W in the rebar tying machine 1A. In Figure 22B, two reels 20 are housed side by side, with their axis of rotation oriented perpendicular to the vertical, and arranged vertically. Furthermore, in Figure 22C, two reels 20 are housed side by side, with their axis oriented vertically along the vertical direction. Note that, as shown in Figure 21C, when the axis is oriented vertically along the vertical direction, the reels 20 do not necessarily need to be rotatable.

[0227] Figure 23 is a perspective view showing yet another modification of the binding equipment of each embodiment. In Figure 23, a modification of the binding equipment 100B of the second embodiment is shown as an example. In the binding equipment of each embodiment, the rebar tying machine 1A is configured to tie the rebar S with two wires W that are fed in parallel, but the rebar tying machine 1A may also be configured to tie the rebar S with one wire W. In this case, the wire feeding mechanism 2B is configured such that the reel housing section 21 houses one reel 20, the wire pulling mechanism 22 pulls out one wire W, and the first wire guiding section 23 and the second wire guiding section 24 guide the one wire W.

[0228] <Modified Wire Feeding Mechanism> The wire feeding mechanism 2A may be provided with guide sections that regulate the position of each wire W along the direction in which the two wires W are parallel, at one or more of the following locations, or at all of the following locations: the first wire guide section 23, the vicinity of the first wire guide section 23, the second wire guide section 24, the vicinity of the second wire guide section 24, and the vicinity of the rebar tying machine 1A.

[0229] Figure 24A is a side view of a binding equipment showing a modified example of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment, Figure 24B is a top view of the binding equipment showing a modified example of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment, and Figure 24C is a top view of the main part of the binding equipment showing a modified example of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. Figure 24C shows the first wire guide section 23.

[0230] The modified wire feeding mechanism 2G includes the above-described guide portion 27 on the wire pulling mechanism 22 for regulating the position of each wire W along the direction in which the two wires W are parallel, and the first wire guiding portion 23 for regulating the position of each wire W along the direction in which the two wires W are parallel.

[0231] The guide section 28 is provided in the first wire guide section 23 on the wire pull-out mechanism 22 side and the roller 23b side of the roller 23a, and on the reel housing section 21 side and the roller 23a side of the roller 23b, respectively. In other words, the guide section 28 is provided in front of and behind the roller 23a and in front of and behind the roller 23b of the first wire guide section 23 along the feeding direction of the wire W.

[0232] The guide section 28 includes a first guide section 28a provided on the outside of each wire W (W1, W2) in the direction in which the two wires W (W1, W2) are parallel, and a second guide section 28b provided between the two wires W.

[0233] The first guide portion 28a extends from the base portion 112A along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a, and the second guide portion 28b extends from the base portion 112A along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a.

[0234] The guide portion 28 is provided opposite to one first guide portion 28a with a gap through which at least one wire W can pass, extending along the moving direction of the pulling roller 22a on one side of the second guide portion 28b along the direction in which the two wires W are arranged in parallel. In the gap between one first guide portion 28a and the second guide portion 28b of the guide portion 28, a guiding portion 28c is formed.

[0235] Also, the guide portion 28 is provided opposite to the other first guide portion 28a with a gap through which at least one wire W can pass, extending along the moving direction of the pulling roller 22a on the other side of the second guide portion 28b along the direction in which the two wires W are arranged in parallel. In the gap between the other first guide portion 28a and the second guide portion 28b of the guide portion 28, a guiding portion 28c is formed.

[0236] Thereby, in the range where the pulling roller 22a moves from the upper limit position to the lower limit position between the wire pulling mechanism 22 and the first wire guiding portion 23, the guide portion 28 suppresses the movement of each wire W in the direction in which the two wires W are arranged in parallel. Also, the guide portion 28 suppresses the movement of each wire W in the direction in which the two wires W are arranged in parallel between the rollers 23a and 23b of the first wire guiding portion 23 and between the roller 23b and the reel accommodating portion 21.

[0237] Therefore, in the first wire guiding portion 23 as well, the movement of the two wires W in the direction in which they are respectively arranged in parallel is suppressed. Thus, it is suppressed that one wire W gets entangled due to twisting or the like. Also, it is suppressed that the two wires W get entangled due to moving in a direction approaching each other and twisting or the like. Further, it is suppressed that the two wires W move in a direction away from each other and get entangled between the adjacent bundling facilities 100A.

[0238] The guide section 28 may be composed of, for example, a member that supports the roller 23a or the like in the first wire guide section 23. The first wire guide section 23 may be provided with two members that support the roller 23a or the like extending outwards along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a, along the direction in which the two wires W are parallel, and these two members may constitute the guide section 28.

[0239] Figure 25A is a side view of a bundling device showing another modified example of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment, Figure 25B is a top view of a bundling device showing another modified example of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment, and Figure 25C is a top view of the main part of a bundling device showing another modified example of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. Figure 25C shows the second wire guide section 24.

[0240] In another modified wire feeding mechanism 2H, the wire pulling mechanism 22 is provided with the above-described guide section 27 which restricts the position of each wire W along the direction in which the two wires W are parallel, and the first wire guiding section 23 is provided with the above-described guide section 28 which restricts the position of each wire W along the direction in which the two wires W are parallel. Furthermore, the wire feeding mechanism 2H is provided with yet another guide section 29 which restricts the position of each wire W along the direction in which the two wires W are parallel, in the second wire guiding section 24.

[0241] The guide section 29 is provided in the second wire guide section 24 on the wire pulling mechanism 22 side of the roller 24a, and between the second wire guide section 24 and the rebar tying machine 1A, near the rebar tying machine 1A. In other words, the guide section 29 is provided in front of and behind the roller 24a of the second wire guide section 24 along the feeding direction of the wire W.

[0242] The guide section 29 includes a first guide section 29a provided on the outside of each wire W (W1, W2) in the direction in which the two wires W (W1, W2) are parallel, and a second guide section 29b provided between the two wires W.

[0243] The first guide portion 29a extends from the base portion 112A along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a, and the second guide portion 29b extends from the base portion 112A along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a.

[0244] The guide section 29 has a second guide section 29b aligned in the direction in which the two wires W are parallel, and one of the first guide sections 29a is provided opposite to it, extending in the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a and leaving a gap through which at least one wire W can pass. The guide section 29 has a guide section 29c formed in the gap between the first guide section 29a and the second guide section 29b.

[0245] Furthermore, the guide portion 29 is provided opposite to the second guide portion 29b, which is aligned in the direction in which the two wires W are parallel, by extending along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a and leaving a gap through which at least one wire W can pass. The guide portion 29c is formed in the gap between the other first guide portion 29a and the second guide portion 29b.

[0246] As a result, the guide section 29 prevents each wire W from moving in a direction in which two wires W are parallel to each other, within the range in which the pull-out roller 22a moves from the upper limit position to the lower limit position between the wire pull-out mechanism 22 and the second wire guide section 24. In addition, the guide section 29 prevents each wire W from moving in a direction in which two wires W are parallel to each other between the second wire guide section 24 and the rebar tying machine 1A.

[0247] Therefore, in the second wire guide section 24, movement of the two wires W in parallel directions is suppressed. Thus, entanglement of one wire W due to twisting or the like is suppressed. Furthermore, entanglement of the two wires W due to twisting or the like as they move closer to each other is suppressed. Moreover, entanglement of the two wires W between adjacent binding equipment 100A as they move away from each other is suppressed.

[0248] The guide section 29 may be composed of, for example, a member that supports the roller 24a or the like in the second wire guide section 24. The second wire guide section 24 may be provided with two members that support the roller 24a or the like extending outwards along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a, along the direction in which the two wires W are parallel, and these two members may constitute the guide section 29.

[0249] Figures 26A and 26B are side views of a bundling device showing another modified example of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment, and Figure 26C is a top view of the main part of the bundling device showing another modified example of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. Figure 26C shows the first wire guide section 23. That is the case.

[0250] The wire feeding mechanism 2H may be configured such that the guide section 29 between the second wire guide section 24 and the rebar tying machine 1A is located near the second wire guide section 24, as shown in Figure 26A. Alternatively, the wire feeding mechanism 2H may be configured such that, as shown in Figure 26B, the guide section between the wire pulling mechanism 22 and the first wire guide section 23, and the guide section between the wire pulling mechanism 22 and the second wire guide section 24, does not have a guide section 27 near the wire pulling mechanism 22, but instead has a guide section 28 near the first wire guide section 23 between the wire pulling mechanism 22 and the first wire guide section 23, and a guide section 29 near the second wire guide section 24 between the wire pulling mechanism 22 and the second wire guide section 24. Furthermore, the guide section 27 near the wire pulling mechanism 22 may be omitted, and a guide section may be provided near either the first wire guide section 23 or the second wire guide section 24.

[0251] In the wire feeding mechanism 2H, the first wire guide section 23 is configured to guide the wire W with a cylindrical roller. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 26C, the wire W may be guided by a pulley 23h having flange portions 23g protruding in the circumferential direction on both sides in the axial direction. The flange portions 23g of the pulley 23h can prevent the two wires W from moving in parallel directions.

[0252] Figure 27A is a top view of a binding equipment showing yet another modification of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment, and Figures 27B to 27D are top views of the main parts of the binding equipment showing yet another modification of the wire feeding mechanism of this embodiment. Figure 27B shows the first wire guide section 23, Figure 27C shows the wire pulling mechanism 22 and the second wire guide section 24, and Figure 27D shows the vicinity of the rebar binding machine 1A.

[0253] In another modified wire feeding mechanism 2I, the feeding paths of the two wires W drawn from the two reels 20 housed in the reel housing section 21 are consolidated into a single path at the first wire guide section 23, and then separated into different paths between the second wire guide section 24 and the rebar tying machine 1A.

[0254] The wire feeding mechanism 2I is equipped with a guide section 27 on the wire pulling mechanism 22 that regulates the position of each wire W along the direction in which the two wires W are parallel, another guide section 28 on the first wire guiding section 23, and further guide sections 29D and 29E on the second wire guiding section 24.

[0255] The guide section 28 is provided in the first wire guide section 23 on the wire pull-out mechanism 22 side and the roller 23b side of the roller 23a, and on the reel housing section 21 side and the roller 23a side of the roller 23b, respectively. In other words, the guide section 28 is provided in front of and behind the roller 23a and in front of and behind the roller 23b of the first wire guide section 23 along the feeding direction of the wire W.

[0256] The guide section 28 includes a first guide section 28a provided on the outside of each wire W (W1, W2) in the direction in which the two wires W are parallel. The first guide section 28a extends from the base section 112A along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a.

[0257] The guide portion 28 is provided such that a pair of first guide portions 28a extend along the moving direction of the drawing roller 22a with a gap therebetween through which at least two wires W can pass, and the pair of first guide portions 28a face each other. In the guide portion 28, a guiding portion 28c is formed in the gap between the pair of first guide portions 28a. Note that the guide portion 28 may be integrally formed by the first guide portion 28a between the roller 23a and the roller 23 and the first guide portion 28a on the reel accommodating portion 21 side with respect to the roller 23b.

[0258] Thereby, in the range where the drawing roller 22a moves from the upper limit position to the lower limit position between the wire drawing mechanism 22 and the first wire guiding portion 23, the guide portion 28 suppresses the movement of each wire W in the direction in which two wires W are arranged in parallel. Also, the guide portion 28 suppresses the movement of each wire W in the direction in which two wires W are arranged in parallel between the roller 23a and the roller 23 of the first wire guiding portion 23 and between the roller 23b and the reel accommodating portion 21.

[0259] The guide portion 27 is provided on the first wire guiding portion 23 side and the second wire guiding portion 24 side of the drawing roller 22a in the wire drawing mechanism 22, respectively. That is, the guide portion 27 is provided before and after the drawing roller 22a of the wire drawing mechanism 22 along the feeding direction of the wire W.

[0260] The guide portion 27 includes a first guide portion 27a provided outside each wire W with respect to the direction in which two wires W (W1, W2) are arranged in parallel. The first guide portion 27a extends from the base portion 112A along the moving direction of the drawing roller 22a.

[0261] The guide portion 27 is provided such that a pair of first guide portions 27a extend along the moving direction of the drawing roller 22a with a gap therebetween through which at least two wires W can pass, and the pair of first guide portions 27a face each other. In the guide portion 27, a guiding portion 27c is formed in the gap between the pair of first guide portions 27a.

[0262] As a result, the guide section 27 prevents each wire W from moving in a direction in which two wires W are parallel to each other, within the range in which the pull-out roller 22a moves from the upper limit position to the lower limit position between the wire pull-out mechanism 22 and the first wire guide section 23, and between the wire pull-out mechanism 22 and the second wire guide section 24.

[0263] The guide section 29D is provided on the wire pulling mechanism 22 side of the roller 24a in the second wire guiding section 24.

[0264] The guide section 29D includes a first guide section 29a provided on the outside of each wire W (W1, W2) in the direction in which the two wires W are parallel. The first guide section 29a extends from the base section 112A along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a.

[0265] The guide section 29D is provided with a pair of first guide sections 29a that extend along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a and are positioned opposite each other with a gap that allows at least two wires W to pass through. The guide section 29D has a guide section 29c formed in the gap between the pair of first guide sections 29a.

[0266] As a result, the guide section 29D prevents each wire W from moving in a direction in which the two wires W are parallel to each other, within the range in which the pull-out roller 22a moves from the upper limit position to the lower limit position between the wire pull-out mechanism 22 and the second wire guide section 24.

[0267] The guide section 29E is located between the second wire guide section 24 and the rebar tying machine 1A, and is positioned near the rebar tying machine 1A.

[0268] The guide section 29E includes a first guide section 29a provided on the outside of each wire W (W1, W2) in the direction in which the two wires W (W1, W2) are parallel, and a second guide section 29b provided between the two wires W.

[0269] The first guide portion 29a extends from the base portion 112A along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a, and the second guide portion 29b extends from the base portion 112A along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a.

[0270] Guide section 29E is provided with one first guide section 29a facing the second guide section 29b, which is aligned in the direction in which the two wires W are parallel, and extending in the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a, leaving a gap through which at least one wire W can pass. Guide section 29 has a guide section 29c formed in the gap between the first guide section 29a and the second guide section 29b.

[0271] Furthermore, the guide portion 29 is provided opposite to the second guide portion 29b, which is aligned in the direction in which the two wires W are parallel, by extending along the direction of movement of the pull-out roller 22a and leaving a gap through which at least one wire W can pass. The guide portion 29c is formed in the gap between the other first guide portion 29a and the second guide portion 29b.

[0272] As a result, the guide section 29E separates the feeding paths of the two wires W between the second wire guide section 24 and the rebar tying machine 1A, and prevents each wire W from moving in the direction in which the two wires W are parallel. The guide section 29E may also be configured to be provided near the second wire guide section 24 between the second wire guide section 24 and the rebar tying machine 1A. [Explanation of symbols]

[0273] 1A, 1B... Rebar tying machine, 2A. 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 2I... Wire feeding mechanism, 20... Reel, 21... Reel housing, 22... Wire pulling mechanism, 22a... Pulling roller, 22b... Drive unit, 22c... Motor, 22d... Wire slack absorption mechanism, 22f... Spring, 23... First wire guide unit, 23a, 23b, 23c... • Roller, 23d... Wire slack absorption mechanism, 23e... Slack absorption roller, 23f... Spring, 23g... Flange section, 23h... Pulley, 24... Second wire guide section, 24a, 24b... Roller, 24d... Wire slack absorption mechanism, 24e... Slack absorption roller, 24f... Spring, 24g... Wire feed restricting roller, 25a... Upper limit detection sensor, 25b...Lower limit detection sensor, 27...Guide section, 27a...First guide section, 27b...Second guide section, 27c...Guidance section, 28...Guide section, 28a...First guide section, 28b...Second guide section, 28c...Guidance section, 29, 29D, 29E...Guide section, 29a...First guide section, 29b...Second 2 Guide section, 29c Guiding section, 3A Wire feeding section, 30 Feed gear, 31 Feed motor, 5A Curl forming section, 6A Cutting section, 7A Binding section, 70 Wire locking body, 8A Drive section, 80 Motor, 100A, 100B Control section, 120 Feed amount detection sensor (feed amount detection means), W Wire

Claims

1. A binding mechanism having a wire feeding unit that feeds the wire in a first direction for winding the wire around the object to be bound and a second direction opposite to the first direction for winding the wire around the object to be bound, and a binding unit that binds the object to be bound with the wound wire, A reel housing section in which a reel with wire wound on it is housed, The system includes a wire feeding mechanism located between the binding mechanism and the reel housing, which feeds the wire from the reel housed in the reel housing to the binding mechanism, The wire feeding mechanism includes a wire pulling mechanism that pulls the wire from the reel. Binding equipment.

2. The wire feeding mechanism is equipped with a load-applying means that applies a load in the wire feeding direction to at least one of the upstream and downstream sides of the wire pulling mechanism with respect to the first direction, The load-applying means makes the load applied to the wire upstream of the wire pulling mechanism greater than the load applied to the wire downstream of the wire pulling mechanism. The binding equipment according to claim 1.

3. The wire pulling mechanism pulls the wire from the reel when the load on the wire becomes greater upstream of the wire pulling mechanism than downstream of the wire pulling mechanism. The binding equipment according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned binding mechanism binds the objects to be bound with multiple wires, The aforementioned reel housing section houses multiple reels, each wound with a single wire. The wire feeding mechanism feeds wires from each of the multiple reels housed in the reel housing to the bundling mechanism. A binding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The wire feeding mechanism includes a guide section that regulates the position of each wire along the direction in which multiple wires are arranged in parallel. The binding equipment according to claim 4.

6. The guide portion is provided between a plurality of parallel wires. The binding equipment according to claim 5.

7. The guide portion is provided on the outside of the parallel direction of the multiple wires with respect to the outermost wire among the multiple parallel wires. The binding equipment according to claim 5 or claim 6.

8. The wire feeding mechanism is provided with a guide section in the wire pulling mechanism that regulates the position of each wire along the direction in which multiple wires are running parallel to each other. The binding equipment according to claim 4.

9. The wire feeding mechanism is provided with guide sections for regulating the position of each wire along the direction in which multiple wires are arranged in parallel, either between the wire pulling mechanism and the reel, or between the wire pulling mechanism and the bundling mechanism, or both. The binding equipment according to claim 4.

10. The guide section comprises a first guide section that restricts the movement of multiple wires away from each other along the parallel direction, and a second guide section that restricts their movement towards each other, provided at least between the wire pulling mechanism and the bundling mechanism. The binding equipment according to claim 9.

11. The wire feeding unit slackens the wire by feeding it in the second direction, and then eliminates the slack by feeding the slackened wire in the first direction. The binding equipment according to claim 1.

Images