Hose fitting crimping machine and method for manufacturing a hose with fittings

Abstract

The present invention provides a hose fitting crimping machine that can perform nipple position inspection in a short time, and a method for manufacturing a hose with fittings. [Solution] A hose fitting crimping machine 1 is provided in which a nipple 14 is placed inside a hose 11, an annular fitting 13 is placed around the portion of the hose 11 in which the nipple 14 is placed, and the fitting 13 is crimped and fixed, and a nipple position detection unit 61 is provided to detect the position of the nipple 14 after the fitting 13 has been crimped and fixed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hose fitting crimping machine and a method for manufacturing a hose with fittings.

Background Art

[0002] An automotive brake hose has a fitting at its central part for fixing the brake hose to the vehicle body. When fixing the fitting to the hose in the brake hose, after providing a hollow cylindrical nipple inside the hose, the fitting is crimped and fixed around the nipple. By using the nipple, it is possible to suppress the blockage of the hose when crimping and fixing the fitting.

[0003] By the way, when crimping the fitting, the nipple may be displaced for some reason. If the nipple is displaced, there may be problems such as insufficient crimping and inability to sufficiently fix the fitting. Therefore, it is necessary to inspect the position of the nipple after crimping and fixing the fitting.

[0004] Conventionally, after crimping and fixing the fitting, the position of the nipple has been inspected using a dedicated inspection device separate from the crimping machine used for crimping the fitting.

[0005] Note that as prior art document information related to the invention of this application, there is Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, the conventional technology described above had the drawback of being time-consuming and laborious, as it required moving the hose from the crimping machine to the inspection device, reinstalling the hose, and then inspecting the nipple position.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a hose fitting crimping machine that can inspect the position of a nipple in a short amount of time, and a method for manufacturing a hose with fittings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention aims to solve the above problems and provides a hose fitting crimping machine that arranges a nipple inside a hose, arranges an annular fitting around the portion of the hose in which the nipple is arranged, and crimps and fixes the fitting, and further provides a nipple position detection unit that detects the position of the nipple after the fitting has been crimped and fixed.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention aims to solve the above problems and provides a method for manufacturing a hose with fittings, wherein a nipple is placed inside the hose, an annular fitting is placed around the portion of the hose in which the nipple is placed, and the fitting is crimped and fixed, wherein a hose fitting crimping machine equipped with a nipple position detection unit for detecting the position of the nipple is used after the fitting is crimped and fixed, The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a hose with fittings, which involves using the aforementioned hose fitting crimping machine to crimp and fix the fittings and to detect the position of the nipple. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hose fitting crimping machine that can inspect the position of a nipple in a short time, and a method for manufacturing a hose with fittings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a hose with fittings. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of the hose fitting crimping machine according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart illustrating the manufacturing method of a hose with fittings. [Figure 4] (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating the manufacturing procedure for hoses with fittings. [Figure 5] (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating the manufacturing procedure for hoses with fittings. [Figure 6] (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating the manufacturing procedure for hoses with fittings. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] (Hose with fittings 10) First, the fitting-equipped hose 10 manufactured in this embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the fitting-equipped hose 10. In this embodiment, the fitting-equipped hose 10 is used as a brake hose for an automobile.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the fitting-equipped hose 10 comprises a hose 11 having a hollow section 11a along its longitudinal direction, connectors 12 provided at both ends of the hose 11, and an annular fitting 13 provided in the central part of the hose 11.

[0016] The length of the hose 11 is, for example, between 250 mm and 400 mm. Brake fluid, for example, flows through the hollow portion 11a of the hose 11. The connector 12 is for connecting the hose 11 to the brake system or other hoses. Note that the shape of the connector 12 shown in the figure is merely an example and can be changed as appropriate.

[0017] The fitting 13 is for fixing the hose 11 to the vehicle body. The fitting 13 is fixed to, for example, a hose fixing bracket provided on the vehicle body. Here, a case where the fitting 13 has a hollow cylindrical main body portion 131 and a flange portion 132 extending radially outward from one end portion in the axial direction of the main body portion 131 is shown, but the shape of the fitting 13 can be changed as appropriate. The fitting 13 is clamped and fixed to the hose 11. A hollow cylindrical nipple 14 is disposed in the hollow portion 11a of the hose 11 at the portion where the fitting 13 is clamped and fixed so as not to crush and block the hollow portion 11a during this clamping and fixing.

[0018] (Hose fitting clamping machine 1) FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the hose fitting clamping machine 1 according to the present embodiment. The hose fitting clamping machine 1 is a device for clamping and fixing the fitting 13 to the hose 11.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the hose fitting clamping machine 1 includes a rod-shaped core metal 2 having a nipple holding portion 21 that holds the nipple 14 at its tip, a moving mechanism 3 that moves the core metal 2 in the longitudinal direction of the hose 11, and a clamping mechanism (not shown) that clamps the fitting 13.

[0020] The core metal 2 is arranged such that its axial direction (longitudinal direction) is along the vertical direction. The core metal 2 is formed in a rod shape thinner than the inner diameter of the hollow portion 11a because it is inserted into the hollow portion 11a of the hose 11. The nipple holding portion 21 is configured by reducing the diameter of the tip portion of the core metal 2 to form a step 21a. The nipple 14 is held by the core metal 2 by passing the nipple holding portion 21 through the hollow portion of the nipple 14 and placing the nipple 14 on the step 21a.

[0021] The base end portion (lower end portion) of the core metal 2 is held by a core metal holder 4. The core metal holder 4 has a holder tip portion 41 that holds the core metal 2 and a holder main body portion 42 that houses a second cylinder 32 described later.

[0022] The moving mechanism 3 includes a first cylinder 31 that moves the core metal holder 4 forward and backward, and a second cylinder 32 that moves the holder tip 41 of the core metal holder 4, which is provided inside the core metal holder 4 and holds the core metal 2, forward and backward.

[0023] The first cylinder 31 is driven by an electric motor (not shown) and moves the piston rod 311 up and down (vertically). A fixing bracket 312 for fixing the mandrel holder 4 is provided at the tip of the piston rod 311. The fixing bracket 312 integrally has a horizontal strip-shaped portion 312a that extends horizontally and is connected to the tip of the piston rod 311, and a vertical strip-shaped portion 312b that extends downward from one end of the horizontal strip 312a, and is formed in a roughly Γ shape. The holder body portion 42 of the mandrel holder 4 is fixed to the vertical portion 312b of the fixing bracket 312 by screws or the like. The first cylinder 31 is mainly used for adjusting the position of the nipple 14 and for moving the mandrel 2 before and after crimping the fitting 13.

[0024] The second cylinder 32 is integrally formed with the holder body 42. The second cylinder 32 is driven by an electric motor (not shown) and moves the piston rod 321 up and down (vertically). The tip of the piston rod 321 is fixed to the tip of the holder tip 41. The second cylinder 32 is used to inspect the position of the nipple 14. The driving force of the second cylinder 32 should be adjusted to be sufficiently small so that the nipple 14 does not become misaligned or the mandrel 2 does not bend due to the mandrel 2 being pushed up by the second cylinder 32 during inspection. More specifically, the driving force of the piston rod 321 in the second cylinder 32 should be smaller than the driving force of the piston rod 311 in the first cylinder 31.

[0025] Furthermore, the hose fitting crimping machine 1 is equipped with a distance sensor 5 capable of measuring the extension distance of the holder tip 41 by the second cylinder 32. The distance sensor 5 has a flange portion 52 provided on the holder tip 41 and a sensor portion 51 provided on the holder body 42 that can detect the distance to the flange portion 52. In this case, an optical sensor portion 51 is used as the sensor portion 51, which has a light source that emits light and a light receiving portion that receives the light emitted from the light source and reflected by the flange portion 52. However, the specific structure of the distance sensor 5 is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate.

[0026] Furthermore, although not shown in the figure, the hose fitting crimping machine 1 is equipped with a contact sensor that detects when the tip of the core metal 2 comes into contact with the nipple 14 during inspection. As the contact sensor, for example, a push-type sensor can be used that is held in a state where the core metal 2 is biased upward, and is pressed against the lower end of the core metal 2 when the core metal 2 is pushed downward.

[0027] (Control Unit 6) The hose fitting crimping machine 1 has a control unit 6 that controls the drive of the first cylinder 31 and the second cylinder 32, and controls the crimping mechanism. The control unit 6 is implemented by appropriately combining computing elements, memory, storage device, interface, software, etc. The specific control contents of the control unit 6 when crimping the fitting 13 will be described later.

[0028] The control unit 6 has a nipple position detection unit 61 that detects the position of the nipple 14 after the fitting 13 has been crimped and fixed. In this embodiment, the nipple position detection unit 61 controls the movement mechanism 3 to retract the core metal 2 to a predetermined reference position after the fitting 13 has been crimped and fixed, then controls the movement mechanism 3 to advance the core metal 2 from the reference position until it hits the nipple 14, and detects the position of the nipple 14 based on the distance advanced from the reference position.

[0029] More specifically, the nipple position detection unit 61 controls the first cylinder 31 to retract the mandrel 2 to a reference position after the metal fitting 13 has been crimped and fixed. Here, the reference position was set to a position 10 mm below the position at the time of crimping and fixing. Subsequently, the nipple position detection unit 61 controls the second cylinder 32 to advance the mandrel 2 from the reference position until it contacts the nipple 14. Here, since the driving force of the second cylinder 32 is relatively small, it is possible to suppress misalignment of the nipple 14 or bending of the mandrel 2 caused by the driving of the second cylinder 32. Furthermore, based on the detection result of the contact sensor, the nipple position detection unit 61 detects that the mandrel 2 has contacted the nipple 14 and stops driving the second cylinder 32.

[0030] Subsequently, the nipple position detection unit 61 detects the distance advanced from the reference position based on the detection result of the distance sensor 5. Here, the advancement distance d, which is the distance the holder tip 41 has advanced from the reference position, is obtained by subtracting the distance d0 from the distance d1 from the sensor part 51 to the flange part 52 at the reference position from the distance d1 from the sensor part 51 to the flange part 52 when the core metal 2 hits the nipple 14. This advancement distance d represents the position of the nipple 14 relative to the reference position. In this embodiment, the reference position is set at a position 10 mm below the crimping position, so if the nipple 14 is fixed in the normal position, the advancement distance d will be approximately 10 mm. However, if the position of the nipple 14 is shifted for any reason during crimping, the advancement distance d will be greater than or less than 10 mm. Therefore, by detecting the advancement distance d, it is possible to inspect the positional shift of the nipple 14 after crimping.

[0031] (Method of manufacturing a hose with fittings) Figure 3 is a flow chart of the manufacturing method for a hose with fittings (i.e., a flow chart showing the control flow in the hose fitting crimping machine 1). As shown in Figure 3, first, in step S1, it is determined whether the nipple 14 has been placed on the nipple holding portion 21 of the core metal 2 and whether the hose 11 has been positioned. The determination in step S1 is made, for example, by the user's operation. As shown in Figure 4(a), first, the nipple 14 is placed on the nipple holding portion 21 of the core metal 2 using a predetermined device (not shown), and as shown in Figure 4(b), the hose 11 is positioned so that the nipple 14 and the core metal 2 pass through the hollow portion 11a. At this time, the first cylinder 31 is extended. Also, the second cylinder 32 is retracted to its furthest position. If No (N) is determined in step S1, the process returns to step S1. If Yes (Y) is determined in step S1, the process proceeds to step S2.

[0032] In step S2, the control unit 6 controls the first cylinder 31 to move the core metal 2 downward and move the nipple 14 to the crimping position (i.e., position the nipple 14 in a predetermined position within the hose 11). Then, in step S3, an annular fitting 13 is placed around the part of the hose 11 where the nipple 14 is positioned, and the fitting 13 is crimped and fixed by a crimping mechanism (not shown). Figure 5(a) shows the nipple 14 being moved to the crimping position in step S2, and Figure 5(b) shows the fitting 13 being crimped and fixed in step S3. Note that the placement of the fitting 13 may be done at the same time as the placement of the hose 11.

[0033] Subsequently, in step S4, the nipple position detection unit 61 controls the first cylinder 31 to move the core metal 2 10 mm downward to the reference position. Then, in step S5, the nipple position detection unit 61 uses the distance sensor 5 to detect the distance d0 from the sensor unit 51 to the flange unit 52. The detected distance d0 is stored in a memory unit (not shown). Figure 6(a) shows the position after moving to the reference position in step S4.

[0034] Subsequently, in step S6, the nipple position detection unit 61 controls the second cylinder 32 to move the mandrel 2 upward. Then, in step S7, the nipple position detection unit 61 determines whether the mandrel 2 has come into contact with the nipple 14. The determination in step S7 is made using the contact sensor described above. Figure 6(b) shows the mandrel 2 after it has moved upward until it comes into contact with the nipple 14. If the determination in step S7 is No (N), the process returns to step S6 and continues to move the mandrel 2 upward. If the determination in step S7 is Yes (Y), the process proceeds to step S8.

[0035] In step S8, the nipple position detection unit 61 detects the distance d1 from the sensor unit 51 to the flange unit 52 using the distance sensor 5. The detected distance d1 is stored in a storage unit (not shown). The nipple position detection unit 61 also calculates the extension distance d by subtracting the distance d0 from the distance d1. The calculated extension distance d is stored in a storage unit (not shown).

[0036] Subsequently, in step S9, the nipple position detection unit 61 determines whether the absolute value of the extension distance d minus 10 mm is less than or equal to a preset threshold. If the result in step S9 is Yes (Y), in step S10, the nipple position detection unit 61 determines that the inspection has passed and terminates the process. If the result in step S9 is No (N), in step S11, the nipple position detection unit 61 determines that the inspection has failed, issues a warning with sound or light, and then terminates the process.

[0037] The control flow from step S3 onwards in Figure 3, that is, the control flow from steps S4 to S11, is the control flow for inspecting the position of the nipple 14. Thus, in the method for manufacturing a hose with fittings according to this embodiment, a hose fitting crimping machine 1 equipped with a nipple position detection unit 61 is used to perform both crimping and fixing of the fitting 13 and detection of the position of the nipple 14 (i.e., inspection of the position of the nipple 14).

[0038] (Operation and Effects of the Embodiment) As described above, the hose fitting crimping machine 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a nipple position detection unit 61 that detects the position of the nipple 14 after the fitting 13 has been crimped and fixed.

[0039] This configuration makes it possible to perform both the crimping and fixing of the fitting 13 and the inspection of the nipple 14's position in a single device. As a result, it becomes possible to eliminate the need to move the hose 11 to a separate device for nipple 14 position inspection, as in conventional technology, and the nipple 14's position inspection can be performed in a short time. By performing nipple 14 position inspection in a short time, the manufacturing time of the fitting-equipped hose 10 can be shortened, and productivity can be improved.

[0040] (modified version) In the above embodiment, the case in which the moving mechanism 3 has a second cylinder 32 has been described, but the second cylinder 32 may be omitted. In this case, the position of the nipple 14 can be detected by advancing the core metal 2 upward from the reference position using the first cylinder 31.

[0041] (Summary of the embodiments) Next, the technical concept understood from the embodiments described above will be described using the reference numerals and other symbols from the embodiments. However, the reference numerals and other symbols in the following description are not limited to the components in the claims that are specifically shown in the embodiments.

[0042] [1] A hose fitting crimping machine (1) which has a nipple (14) placed inside a hose (11), and an annular fitting (13) placed around the portion of the hose (11) in which the nipple (14) is placed, and which crimps and fixes the fitting (13), and which has a nipple position detection unit (61) that detects the position of the nipple (14) after the fitting (13) has been crimped and fixed.

[0043] [2] A hose fitting crimping machine (1) according to [1], comprising a rod-shaped core metal (2) having a nipple holding portion (21) at its tip for holding the nipple (14), and a moving mechanism (3) for moving the core metal (2) in the longitudinal direction of the hose (11), wherein the nipple position detection unit (61) controls the moving mechanism (3) to retract the core metal (2) to a predetermined reference position after the fitting (13) has been crimped and fixed, and then controls the moving mechanism (3) to advance the core metal (2) from the reference position until it hits the nipple (14), and detects the position of the nipple (14) based on the distance advanced from the reference position.

[0044] [3] A hose fitting crimping machine (1) according to [2], comprising a contact sensor that detects when the tip of the core metal (2) comes into contact with the nipple (14), and the nipple position detection unit (61) detects when the core metal (2) comes into contact with the nipple (14) based on the detection result of the contact sensor.

[0045] [4] The moving mechanism (3) has a first cylinder (31) that moves a core holder (4) that holds the core metal (2) forward and backward, and a second cylinder (32) provided inside the core metal holder (4) that moves the tip of the core metal holder (4) (holder tip 41) that holds the core metal (2) forward and backward, and the nipple position detection unit (61) moves the core metal (2) forward by the second cylinder (32) when the core metal (2) is advanced from the reference position, the hose fitting crimping machine (1) as described in [2].

[0046] [5] A hose fitting crimping machine (1) according to [4], comprising a distance sensor (5) capable of measuring the distance the tip of the core holder (4) (holder tip 41) is advanced by the second cylinder (32), and the nipple position detection unit (61) detects the distance advanced from the reference position based on the detection result of the distance sensor (5).

[0047] [6] A method for manufacturing a fitting-equipped hose (10), wherein a nipple (14) is placed inside the hose (11), and an annular fitting (13) is placed around the portion of the hose (11) in which the nipple (14) is placed, and the fitting (13) is crimped and fixed, wherein after the fitting (13) is crimped and fixed, a hose fitting crimping machine (1) equipped with a nipple position detection unit (61) for detecting the position of the nipple (14) is used to perform the crimping and fixing of the fitting (13) and the detection of the position of the nipple (14).

[0048] (Note) Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments described above do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, it should be noted that not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential for solving the problem of the invention. In addition, the present invention can be implemented with appropriate modifications without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1…Hose fitting crimping machine 2…Mandial 21...Nipple holding part 3…Movement mechanism 31…First cylinder 311... Piston rod 32… Second cylinder 321... Piston rod 4… Core holder 41...Tip of the holder 42...Holder body 5…Distance sensor 51…Flange section 52...Sensor section 6…Control Unit 61...Nipple position detection unit 10…Hose with fittings 11...Hose 11a...Hollow part 13… Metal fittings 14...Nipple

Claims

1. A hose fitting crimping machine that places a nipple inside the hose, places an annular fitting around the portion of the hose in which the nipple is placed, and crimps and fixes the fitting, After the aforementioned fitting is crimped and fixed, a nipple position detection unit is provided to detect the position of the nipple. Hose fitting crimping machine.

2. A rod-shaped core metal having a nipple-holding portion at its tip for holding the nipple, The device includes a moving mechanism for moving the core metal in the longitudinal direction of the hose, The nipple position detection unit controls the movement mechanism to retract the core metal to a predetermined reference position after the fitting has been crimped and fixed, then controls the movement mechanism to advance the core metal from the reference position until it contacts the nipple, and detects the position of the nipple based on the distance advanced from the reference position. A hose fitting crimping machine according to claim 1.

3. The system includes a contact sensor that detects when the tip of the core metal comes into contact with the nipple, The nipple position detection unit detects, based on the detection result of the contact sensor, that the core metal has come into contact with the nipple. A hose fitting crimping machine according to claim 2.

4. The moving mechanism includes a first cylinder that moves the core holder that holds the core back and forth, and a second cylinder provided inside the core holder that moves the tip of the core holder that holds the core back and forth. The nipple position detection unit advances the core metal from the reference position using the second cylinder. A hose fitting crimping machine according to claim 2.

5. The system includes a distance sensor capable of measuring the extension distance of the tip of the core holder by the second cylinder, The nipple position detection unit detects the distance advanced from the reference position based on the detection result of the distance sensor. A hose fitting crimping machine according to claim 4.

6. A method for manufacturing a hose with fittings, comprising placing a nipple inside the hose, placing an annular fitting around the portion of the hose in which the nipple is placed, and crimping and fixing the fitting, After the fitting is crimped and fixed, a hose fitting crimping machine equipped with a nipple position detection unit for detecting the position of the nipple is used. The hose fitting crimping machine is used to crimp and fix the fitting and to detect the position of the nipple. A method for manufacturing a hose with fittings.

Images