Apparatus and method for manufacturing twisted pair wire

Abstract

To provide an apparatus and method for manufacturing a twisted pair wire which can more appropriately make both ends arranged with a narrow pitch.SOLUTION: An apparatus 100 for manufacturing a twisted pair wire includes a first rotation member 110, a second rotation member 120, clamps 130, and a control unit 140, The control unit 140 executes: first control of rotating the first rotation member 110 and the second rotation member 120 in directions opposite to each other, in a state where two electric wires 10 are fixed to the first rotation member 110 and the second rotation member 120, and a first position P1 and a second position P2 are not fixed respectively by the clamps 130; and second control of rotating the first rotation member 110 and the second rotation member 120 in the directions opposite to each other in a state where the two electric wires 10 are fixed to the first rotation member 110 and the second rotation member 120, and the first position P1 and the second position P2 are fixed respectively by the clamps 130.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for manufacturing a twisted pair wire. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a twisted pair wire formed by twisting two electric wires is known. For example, both ends of such a twisted pair wire are wrapped with tape to prevent the twist from coming undone. However, if the tape comes off, the twisted pair wire will come undone.

[0003] In view of this, a twisted pair wire has been proposed in which the pitch at both ends is narrower than the pitch in the middle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Since the pitch at both ends of this twisted pair wire is narrower, the twist is less likely to come undone even if the tape comes off. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-231157 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, the twisted pair wire manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes, for example, a one-end rotating member for twisting two electric wires together at one end, an other-end rotating member for individually rotating each of the two electric wires at the other end, and a moving member that can move from one end side to the other end side of the two electric wires. However, this manufacturing apparatus only has a mechanism (one-end rotating member) for twisting the two electric wires together at one end side of the twisted pair wire. For this reason, it is difficult to form appropriate narrow pitch portions at both ends with a manufacturing method using this manufacturing apparatus.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems, and its object is to provide an apparatus and method for manufacturing a twisted pair wire that can more appropriately achieve a narrow pitch at both ends. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The twisted pair wire manufacturing device according to the present invention includes a first rotating member that fixes one end of two electric wires arranged side by side and is rotatable to twist the two electric wires together, a second rotating member that fixes the other end of the two electric wires and is rotatable to twist the two electric wires together, and a fixing member that fixes a first position that is a first predetermined length away from a position that is a twisted end on one end of the two electric wires on the other end side, and a second position that is a second predetermined length away from a position that is a twisted end on the other end side of the two electric wires, and a fixing member that fixes the first rotating member, the second rotating member, and and a control means for controlling the operation of a fixing member, wherein the control means executes a first control for rotating the first rotating member and the second rotating member in opposite directions to each other while the two electric wires are fixed to the first rotating member and the second rotating member and the first position and the second position are not fixed by the fixing member, and a second control for rotating the first rotating member and the second rotating member in the opposite directions to each other while the two electric wires are fixed to the first rotating member and the second rotating member and the first position and the second position are fixed by the fixing member.

[0008] A manufacturing method of a twisted pair wire according to the present invention includes a first fixing step of fixing both ends of two electric wires arranged in a straight line; a first control step of twisting the two electric wires by rotating one end side and the other end side of the two electric wires whose both ends have been fixed in the first fixing step in opposite directions to each other; a second fixing step of fixing, with a fixing member, a first position that is a first predetermined length away from a twisted end of one end side of the two electric wires twisted in the first control step and a second position that is a second predetermined length away from a twisted end of the other end side of the two electric wires; and a second control step of rotating the one end side and the other end side of the two electric wires whose first position and second position have been fixed in the second fixing step in opposite directions to further twist the two electric wires. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a twisted pair wire that can more appropriately achieve a narrow pitch at both ends. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the configuration of a twisted pair wire according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view and (b) is a partially enlarged perspective view. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional twisted pair wire manufacturing apparatus. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a twisted pair wire manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a process diagram showing a method for manufacturing a twisted pair wire according to a first embodiment, in which (a) shows a chucking process (first fixing process), (b) shows a normal pitch forming process (first control process), (c) shows a clamping process (second fixing process), and (d) shows a narrow pitch forming process (second control process). [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing a twisted pair wire according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing a twisted pair manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment, in which (a) shows the overall configuration and (b) shows a portion of (a). [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing a twisted pair wire according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a partial configuration diagram showing a modified example of the twisted pair wire manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The present invention will be described below along with preferred embodiments. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. In addition, in the embodiments shown below, some configurations are omitted from illustration and description, but it goes without saying that publicly known or well-known technologies are appropriately applied to the details of the omitted technologies within the scope of the contents described below.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a twisted pair wire according to a first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a partially enlarged perspective view. Note that in Fig. 1(b), part of the configuration (terminal 5 described below) is not shown.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1(a), the twisted pair wire 1 according to the first embodiment is formed by twisting together two electric wires 10. Each electric wire 10 includes a conductor 11 and an insulator 12 as shown in Fig. 1(b).

[0014] The conductor 11 is a long conductive wire for transmitting power, signals, etc., and is made of, for example, a metal such as copper or aluminum, an alloy of these metals, or a metal-plated version of these. The conductor 11 is made of a plurality of strands twisted together, but is not limited to this and may be a single wire. The insulator 12 covers the conductor 11, and is made of, for example, PP (Polypropylene), PE (Polyethylene), PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride), etc.

[0015] Here, in the twisted pair wire 1 according to the first embodiment, a portion from a first twisted end (twisted end on one end side) E1 to the other end side by a first predetermined length is defined as one end portion 2, a portion from a second twisted end (twisted end on the other end side) E2 to the one end side by a second predetermined length is defined as the other end portion 3, and a portion between the one end portion 2 and the other end portion 3 is defined as an intermediate portion 4. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the first predetermined length and the second predetermined length are the same distance, but this is not particularly limited and they may be different distances.

[0016] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the twisted pair wire 1 has a narrower twist pitch at one end 2 and the other end 3 than at the middle portion 4. As a specific example, when the size of the conductor 11 is 0.35 sq or more and 0.75 sq or less, the twist pitch at the middle portion 4 is 40 mm, while the twist pitch at the one end 2 and the other end 3 is 10 mm.

[0017] In particular, in the first embodiment, one end portion 2 and the other end portion 3 have a narrow pitch, so that a narrow pitch state (a pitch narrower than the twist pitch of at least the middle portion 4) is maintained even without tape winding.

[0018] 1(a), terminals 5 are attached to both ends of the twisted pair wire 1, but the terminals 5 are not necessarily required components of the twisted pair wire 1. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the twisted pair wire 1 is manufactured from two electric wires 10 with terminals 5 attached, but this is not particularly limited, and the twisted pair wire 1 may be manufactured from two electric wires 10 without terminals 5 attached.

[0019] Next, before describing the manufacturing apparatus and method for the twisted pair wire 1 according to the first embodiment, a conventional manufacturing apparatus and method for the twisted pair wire will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional manufacturing apparatus for the twisted pair wire. As shown in FIG. 2, a manufacturing apparatus 200 for the conventional twisted pair wire 201 includes a rotating member 220 at one end for twisting two electric wires 210 together. The manufacturing apparatus 200 also includes two rotating members 230 at the other end for individually rotating each of the two electric wires 210. The manufacturing apparatus 200 also includes a moving member 240. The moving member 240 moves from one end side to the other end side of the two electric wires 210, and the moving speed is adjustable.

[0020] In such a manufacturing apparatus 200, the rotating members 220, 230 are rotated at, for example, a constant speed. On the other hand, the moving member 240 is moved at a low speed at one end 212 and the other end 213, and moved at a high speed at the intermediate portion 214. By such control, the conventional manufacturing apparatus 200 attempts to make the pitch narrower at the one end 212 and the other end 213 where the moving member 240 is moved at a low speed than at the intermediate portion 214.

[0021] Here, when the moving member 240 is moved at a low speed at a position corresponding to the one end 212, it is possible to make the one end 212 have a narrow pitch. However, even if the moving member 240 is moved at a low speed at a position corresponding to the other end 213, the rotation by the rotating member 220 is absorbed by the intermediate portion 214, making it difficult to make the other end 213 have a narrow pitch. In particular, when the other end 213 has a narrow pitch, the pitch of the intermediate portion 214 also tends to become narrow.

[0022] In addition, since the electric wire 210 is twisted in the order of the intermediate portion 214 and the other end portion 213 in response to the movement of the moving member 240 after the one end portion 212 is twisted first, even if the one end portion 212 is twisted at a predetermined pitch, the one end portion 212 is also twisted by the subsequent twisting of the intermediate portion 214 and the other end portion 213. As a result, it is difficult to achieve an appropriate twist pitch for the one end portion 212. In particular, if the one end portion 212 is twisted too much, the conductor and insulator constituting the one end portion 212 will be damaged.

[0023] For the above reasons, it is difficult to appropriately narrow the pitch at one end 212 and the other end 213 in the conventional method for manufacturing a twisted pair wire.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an apparatus for manufacturing a twisted pair wire 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the apparatus 100 for manufacturing a twisted pair wire 1 according to the first embodiment includes a first rotating member 110, a second rotating member 120, a clamp (fixing member) 130, and a control unit (control means) 140.

[0025] The first rotating member 110 is a rotating body for fixing one end side of two electric wires 10 arranged side by side and twisting the two electric wires 10 together. This first rotating member 110 has a chuck portion (not shown) for fixing and holding the electric wires 10, and fixes one end side of the two electric wires 10 by the chuck portion. Furthermore, the first rotating member 110 is configured to rotate about a central axis A along the two electric wires 10 while fixing and holding the two electric wires 10. The first rotating member 110 can twist the two electric wires 10 by rotating about the central axis A.

[0026] The second rotating member 120 is a rotating body for fixing the other ends of the two electric wires 10 arranged side by side and twisting the two electric wires 10 together. The second rotating member 120 has a chuck portion (not shown) for fixing and holding the electric wires 10, and fixes the other ends of the two electric wires 10 by the chuck portion. Furthermore, the second rotating member 120 is configured to rotate about a central axis A along the two electric wires 10 while fixing and holding the two electric wires 10. The second rotating member 120 can twist the two electric wires 10 by rotating about the central axis A.

[0027] The clamp 130 fixes a first position P1 that is a first predetermined length (see FIG. 1(a)) away from the first twisted end E1 (see FIG. 1(a)) of the two electric wires 10 on the other end side, and a second position P2 that is a second predetermined length (see FIG. 1(a)) away from the second twisted end E2 (see FIG. 1(a)) of the two electric wires 10 on the one end side.

[0028] The control unit 140 controls the operations of the first rotating member 110, the second rotating member 120, and the clamp 130. The control unit 140 includes a first control unit 141, a second control unit 142, a pitch setting unit (pitch setting means) 143, and a position setting unit (position setting means) 144.

[0029] The first control unit 141 executes a first control to rotate the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 in opposite directions while two electric wires 10 are fixed to the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 and the first position P1 and the second position P2 are not fixed by the clamp 130.

[0030] The second control unit 142 executes a second control to rotate the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 in opposite directions while fixing the two electric wires 10 to the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 and fixing the first position P1 and the second position P2 by the clamp 130.

[0031] The manufacturing apparatus 100 for the twisted pair wire 1 according to the first embodiment includes the first control unit 141 and the second control unit 142, and therefore, for example, the first control is performed first to completely twist the two electric wires 10, and then the second control is performed to narrow the pitch at the one end 2 and the other end 3. In particular, since the control is not performed to sequentially twist the two electric wires 10 from one end side to the other end side, it is possible to prevent the other end side from being difficult to have a narrow pitch and to prevent the one end side from being excessively twisted.

[0032] The pitch setting unit 143 sets the twist pitch of the one end 2 and the other end 3. When information on the twist pitch of the one end 2 and the other end 3 is input via, for example, a touch panel (not shown) or the like provided on the manufacturing apparatus 100, the pitch setting unit 143 stores the information on the twist pitch. In the second control, the control unit 140 controls the rotation (rotation speed and amount of rotation) of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 based on the information on the twist pitch stored by the pitch setting unit 143.

[0033] The position setting unit 144 sets the first position P1 and the second position P2 to be fixed by the clamp 130. When information on the length of the one end 2 and the other end 3 is inputted through, for example, a touch panel (not shown) or the like provided on the manufacturing apparatus 100, the position setting unit 144 stores the information on the length. The control unit 140 determines the position at which the length is from the position of the first twisted end E1, which is the twisted end on one end side of the two electric wires 10, to be the first position P1, and determines the position at which the length is from the position of the second twisted end E2, which is the twisted end on the other end side of the two electric wires 10, to be the second position P2. Furthermore, the control unit 140 moves the clamp 130 to the positions P1 and P2 at or before the start of the second control, and fixes the first position P1 and the second position P2 by the clamp 130 at the start of the second control.

[0034] Next, a method for manufacturing the twisted pair wire 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 4 is a process diagram showing the method for manufacturing the twisted pair wire 1 according to the first embodiment, where (a) shows the chucking process (first fixing process), (b) shows the normal pitch forming process (first control process), (c) shows the clamping process (second fixing process), and (d) shows the narrow pitch forming process (second control process). Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the method for manufacturing the twisted pair wire 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0035] First, as shown in Fig. 5, both ends of two electric wires 10 are chucked (fixed) by a first rotating member 110 and a second rotating member 120 (S1). At this time, as shown in Fig. 4(a), the two electric wires 10 are arranged in a straight line.

[0036] Next, the first control unit 141 executes a first control to rotate the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 in mutually opposite directions (S2). As a result, as shown in Fig. 4(b), one end side and the other end side of the two electric wires 10, both ends of which are fixed, are rotated in mutually opposite directions, and the two electric wires 10 are twisted as a whole.

[0037] 5, the first control unit 141 determines whether the normal pitch is completed (S3). If the normal pitch is not completed (S3: NO), the process proceeds to step S2.

[0038] On the other hand, when the normal pitch is completed (S3: YES), the control unit 140 stops the rotation of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120, moves the clamp 130 to an appropriate position, and clamps the first position P1 and the second position P2 (S4: see FIG. 4(c)). In this process, the control unit 140 moves the clamp 130 to an appropriate position according to the length from the twist ends E1, E2 set by the position setting unit 144.

[0039] Thereafter, the second control unit 142 executes a second control for rotating the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 in mutually opposite directions (S5). As a result, as shown in FIG. 4(d), one end side and the other end side of the two electric wires 10 are rotated in mutually opposite directions with the first position P1 and the second position P2 fixed. The rotation direction of the two rotating members 110, 120 here is the same as the rotation direction in step S2. In addition, in this process, the second control unit 142 controls the rotation speed, rotation amount, etc. of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 to achieve the pitch set by the pitch setting unit 143.

[0040] 5, the second control unit 142 judges whether the narrow pitch has been completed (S6). That is, the second control unit 142 judges whether the pitch set by the pitch setting unit 143 has been achieved for the one end 2 and the other end 3. If the pitch has not been achieved (S6: NO), the process proceeds to step S5.

[0041] When the pitch reaches the pitch set by the pitch setting unit 143 (S6: YES), the control unit 140 stops the rotation of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120, releases the clamp 130 (S7), and releases the chuck unit (S8). Then, the process shown in FIG. 5 ends.

[0042] In this way, according to the manufacturing apparatus 100 for the twisted pair wire 1 according to the first embodiment, the first control is performed to rotate the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 in the opposite directions to each other while the clamp 130 is not fixing the first position P1 and the second position P2, and the second control is performed to rotate the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 in the opposite directions to each other while the clamp 130 is fixing the first position P1 and the second position P2. Therefore, for example, the first control is performed first to completely twist the two electric wires 10, and then the second control is performed to narrow the pitch at the one end 2 and the other end 3. In particular, since the control is not performed to sequentially twist the two electric wires 10 from one end side to the other end side, it is possible to prevent the other end side from being difficult to be narrowed in pitch and the one end side from being excessively twisted. Therefore, the pitch can be more appropriately narrowed at both ends 2 and 3.

[0043] In addition, in the second control, the rotation of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 is controlled so that the twist pitch is set by the pitch setting unit 143, so that an appropriate twist pitch can be set for the one end 2 and the other end 3 according to the type of conductor 11 and insulator 12 of the electric wire 10, the outer diameter of the electric wire 10, etc.

[0044] In addition, in order to fix the first position P1 and the second position P2 set by the position setting unit 144, the lengths of the one end 2 and the other end 3 can be set to appropriate lengths depending on the type of conductor 11 and insulator 12 of the electric wire 10, the outer diameter of the electric wire 10, etc.

[0045] According to the manufacturing method of the twisted pair wire 1 of the first embodiment, the two electric wires 10 are twisted by rotating one end side and the other end side of the two electric wires 10 in the opposite directions, and then the first position P1 and the second position P2 are fixed, and then the two electric wires 10 are further twisted. Therefore, the two electric wires 10 are first twisted as a whole, and then the one end side and the other end side are twisted in a state where the first position P1 and the second position P2 are fixed, so that the one end side at the first position P1 and the other end side at the second position P2 can be twisted without twisting from the first position P1 to the second position P2. In particular, since the method is not a method of twisting the two electric wires 10 sequentially from one end side to the other end side, it is possible to prevent the other end side from being difficult to have a narrow pitch or the one end side from being excessively twisted. Therefore, the pitch can be more appropriately narrowed at both ends 2 and 3.

[0046] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method for a twisted pair wire according to the second embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment, but there are some differences. The differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

[0047] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a twisted pair wire manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment, where (a) shows the overall configuration and (b) shows a portion of the configuration of (a). In particular, Fig. 6(a) shows a state in which the clamp 130 is clamped from above the electric wire 10, and Fig. 6(b) shows a state in which the clamp 130 is clamped from the side of the electric wire 10.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 6(a) and FIG. 6(b), the manufacturing apparatus 100a according to the second embodiment includes stoppers 150 and 160 on the outside of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120, respectively. The stoppers 150 and 160 are for aligning the end positions of the two electric wires 10 by butting the ends of the two electric wires 10 against each other, and when a terminal 5 is attached to the electric wire 10, the terminal 5 is butted against the stoppers 150 and 160. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the stoppers 150 and 160 rotate together with the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120. In particular, when the terminal 5 is attached to the end of the two electric wires 10, if the stoppers 150 and 160 are stopped during the rotation of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120, the terminal 5 will rub against the stoppers 150 and 160, causing scratches on the stoppers 150 and 160. However, the stoppers 150, 160 rotate together with the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120, which leads to suppression of a situation in which the stoppers 150, 160 are damaged. Furthermore, the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 according to the second embodiment are freely rotatable both clockwise and counterclockwise (can be rotated in both directions).

[0049] In the second embodiment, the clamp 130 clamps the electric wire 10 by pinching it therebetween, as in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the surface of the clamp 130 that contacts the electric wire 10 is made of a material such as urethane. Such a clamp 130 is movable between three positions. The three positions are an initial position Pi, a fixed position Pf, and an intermediate position Pm.

[0050] The initial position Pi is a position away from the installation location L of the two electric wires 10 to such an extent that the clamp 130 does not get in the way when attaching the two electric wires 10 to the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120. As shown in Fig. 6(a) and Fig. 6(b), the initial position Pi is a position that is shifted from the installation location L of the electric wires 10 when viewed from above, and is also shifted in the height direction when viewed from the side.

[0051] The fixing position Pf is a position where the first position P1 and the second position P2 of the two electric wires 10 are fixed. The intermediate position Pm is a position that is intermediate between the initial position Pi and the fixing position Pf. As shown in Fig. 6(a) and Fig. 6(b), the intermediate position Pm is a position that overlaps with the installation position L of the electric wires 10 when viewed from above, but is a position that is shifted in the height direction when viewed from the side. It is preferable that this intermediate position Pm is a position as close as possible to the two electric wires 10.

[0052] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the first control unit 141 moves the clamp 130 from the initial position Pi to the intermediate position Pm when executing the first control. Therefore, when executing the second control, the second control unit 142 moves the clamp 130 located at the intermediate position Pm to the fixed position Pf.

[0053] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the second control unit 142 includes a narrow pitch control unit 142a and an untwist control unit 142b. The narrow pitch control unit 142a executes the same control as the second control unit 142 shown in the first embodiment. That is, the narrow pitch control unit 142a executes narrow pitch control in which the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 are rotated in opposite directions to each other while the two electric wires 10 are fixed to the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 and the first position P1 and the second position P2 are fixed by the clamp 130. The untwist control unit 142b executes untwist control after executing narrow pitch control. The untwist control rotates the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 in the opposite direction to the narrow pitch control and by an amount of rotation smaller than the amount of rotation of the narrow pitch control while maintaining the state in the narrow pitch control (i.e., in the same state). That is, in the second embodiment, the second control is to untwist, by untwist control, one end portion 2 and the other end portion 3 that have been narrowed in pitch by narrow pitch control.

[0054] Fig. 7 is a flow chart showing a method for manufacturing the twisted pair wire 1 according to the second embodiment. In Fig. 7, the same steps as those shown in Fig. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0055] 7, both ends of the two electric wires 10 are abutted against the stoppers 150, 160 (S11). Next, both ends of the two electric wires 10 are chucked by the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 (S1). Next, the first control unit 141 rotates the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 in opposite directions to each other (S2).

[0056] Thereafter, the control unit 140 moves the clamp 130 to the intermediate position Pm (S12). That is, in this embodiment, the control unit 140 moves the clamp 130 to the intermediate position Pm while twisting at the normal pitch is being performed. Next, the first control unit 141 determines whether the normal pitch has been completed (S3). If the normal pitch has not been completed (S3: NO), the process proceeds to step S2.

[0057] When the normal pitch is completed (S3: YES), the control unit 140 temporarily stops the rotation of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120, and moves the clamp 130 to the fixed position Pf (S13). Then, the control unit 140 clamps the first position P1 and the second position P2 (S4).

[0058] Thereafter, when the narrow pitch is completed through the processing of steps S5 and S6 by the narrow pitch control unit 142a, the untwist control unit 142b rotates the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 a predetermined amount of rotation in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of step S5 (S14). The predetermined amount of rotation here is an amount of rotation less than the amount of rotation executed in steps S5 and S6. Through this processing, the one end 2 and the other end 3 are untwisted.

[0059] Thereafter, the untwisting control unit 142b judges whether the one end 2 and the other end 3 have reached the target predetermined pitch by untwisting (S15). If the one end 2 and the other end 3 have not reached the predetermined pitch (S15: NO), the process proceeds to step S14.

[0060] On the other hand, when the one end 2 and the other end 3 reach the predetermined pitch (S15: YES), the control unit 140 releases the clamp 130 and moves the clamp 130 to the initial position Pi (S16). After that, the control unit 140 releases the chuck unit (S8), and the process shown in FIG. 7 ends.

[0061] In this way, according to the manufacturing apparatus 100a and the manufacturing method of the twisted pair wire 1 according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to more appropriately narrow the pitch at the one end 2 and the other end 3. Furthermore, since the rotation of the first rotating member 110 and the second rotating member 120 is controlled in the second control so as to obtain the twist pitch set by the pitch setting unit 143, it is possible to obtain an appropriate twist pitch at the one end 2 and the other end 3 according to the type of the conductor 11 and the insulator 12 of the electric wire 10, the outer diameter of the electric wire 10, and the like. Furthermore, since the first position P1 and the second position P2 set by the position setting unit 144 are fixed, it is possible to obtain an appropriate length at the one end 2 and the other end 3 according to the type of the conductor 11 and the insulator 12 of the electric wire 10, the outer diameter of the electric wire 10, and the like.

[0062] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, since the untwisting control is executed in the second control, the portion narrowed in pitch by the narrow pitch control can be untwisted. As a result, for example, while optimizing the final pitch of the one end 2 and the other end 3, the narrow pitch control causes extra twisting, and the plastic deformation of the conductor 11 is advanced, suppressing the generation of untwisting force.

[0063] Furthermore, since the clamp 130 is moved from the initial position Pi to the intermediate position Pm in the first control, when the second control is performed, the clamp 130 only needs to be moved from the intermediate position Pm to the fixed position Pf, and the time required to move the clamp 130 can be shortened compared to, for example, moving from the initial position Pi to the fixed position Pf. Therefore, the manufacturing time of the twisted pair wire 1 can be shortened.

[0064] The present invention has been described above based on an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and if possible, known or well-known technologies may be combined.

[0065] For example, in the above embodiment, the twisted pair wire 1 is clamped at a first position P1 and a second position P2 according to the length from the twisted ends E1, E2 set by the position setting unit 144, but this is not limited to this, and the clamped positions may be fixed positions, or the clamped positions may be manually changed.

[0066] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the pitch of the one end 2 and the other end 3 of the twisted pair wire 1 is set by the pitch setting unit 143, but this is not particularly limited and the pitch may be a fixed pitch.

[0067] Furthermore, the pitch setting portion 143 may be configured to be able to set not only the pitch of the one end portion 2 and the other end portion 3 but also the pitch of the intermediate portion 4.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the twist pitch of the intermediate portion 4 is 40 mm, but it is not limited to this and may be set to another pitch such as 25 mm or 45 mm.

[0069] In particular, the wire 10 whose insulator 12 is PE has a hard insulator 12 and a strong untwisting force. In contrast, the wire 10 whose insulator 12 is PVC undergoes plastic deformation and has a weaker untwisting force even if twisted the same amount. Furthermore, the larger the wire size, the greater the damage to the conductor 11 and insulator 12 when twisted. Taking these factors into consideration, it is preferable to do the following, for example. When the insulator 12 is PVC and the wire size is a calculated cross-sectional area of ​​0.3436 mm 2 and 1.247 mm 2 In this case, the pitch between the one end 2 and the other end 3 is 10 mm and the length is 20 mm. On the other hand, the insulator 12 is PE and the wire size is 0.382 mm 2In this case, the pitch between the one end 2 and the other end 3 is 8 mm and the length is 30 mm. Furthermore, the insulator 12 is PE and the wire size is 1.282 mm 2 In this case, the pitch between one end 2 and the other end 3 is 10 mm and the length is 40 mm.

[0070] In addition, in the second embodiment, the initial position Pi is a position that is shifted from the installation position L of the electric wire 10 when viewed from above and is also shifted in the height direction when viewed from the side, but is not particularly limited to this. FIG. 8 is a partial configuration diagram showing a modified example of the manufacturing apparatus 100a for the twisted pair wire 1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the initial position Pi is not shifted from the installation position L of the electric wire 10 when viewed from above, and may be a position further away in the height direction from the intermediate position Pm with respect to the electric wire 10. In this case, the movement direction of the clamp 130 is the same from the initial position Pi to the fixed position Pf via the intermediate position Pm, which contributes to simplifying the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus 100a.

[0071] Furthermore, the present invention may be a combination of the techniques of the embodiments. In this case, the twisted pair wire manufacturing apparatus 100, 100a may determine whether or not to execute untwisting control depending on the type of the electric wire 10. This is because it is possible to omit the manufacturing process for the electric wire 10 that does not require untwisting, which contributes to shortening the cycle time. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1: Twisted pair 10: Electric wire 100, 100a: twisted pair wire manufacturing equipment 110: First rotating member 120: Second rotating member 130: Clamp (fixing member) 140: Control unit (control means) 141: First control section 142: Second control section 142a: Narrow pitch control section 142b: Untwisting control section 143: Pitch setting unit (pitch setting means) 144: Position setting section (position setting means) E1: First twisted end E2: Second twisted end L: Installation location P1: 1st position P2: 2nd position Pf:Fixed position Pi: initial position Pm: intermediate position

Claims

1. a first rotating member that is rotatable to fix one end side of two electric wires arranged side by side and twist the two electric wires together; a second rotating member that fixes the other ends of the two electric wires and is rotatable for twisting the two electric wires together; a fixing member that fixes a first position that is a first predetermined length away from a position that is a twisted end on one end side of the two electric wires and is the other end side of the two electric wires, and a second position that is a second predetermined length away from a position that is a twisted end on the other end side of the two electric wires, a control unit that controls the operation of the first rotating member, the second rotating member, and the fixed member; The control means executes a first control for rotating the first rotating member and the second rotating member in opposite directions to each other in a state in which the two electric wires are fixed to the first rotating member and the second rotating member and the first position and the second position are not fixed by the fixing member, and a second control for rotating the first rotating member and the second rotating member in the opposite directions to each other in a state in which the two electric wires are fixed to the first rotating member and the second rotating member and the first position and the second position are fixed by the fixing member.

2. A twisted pair wire manufacturing apparatus comprising:

2. A pitch setting means is further provided for setting a twist pitch on one end side from the first position and on the other end side from the second position, The control means controls the rotation of the first rotating member and the second rotating member so that the twist pitch becomes the twist pitch set by the pitch setting means in the second control.

2. The twisted wire manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. a position setting unit that sets the first position and the second position fixed by the fixing member, In the second control, the control means fixes the first position and the second position set by the position setting means by the fixing member.

3. The twisted pair wire manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The control means, in the second control, executes a narrow pitch control in which the first rotating member and the second rotating member are rotated in the opposite directions to each other in a state in which the two electric wires are fixed to the first rotating member and the second rotating member and the first position and the second position are fixed by the fixing member, and an untwisting control in which, in the same state, the first rotating member and the second rotating member are rotated in the opposite direction to that in the narrow pitch control and by an amount of rotation smaller than that in the narrow pitch control.

2. The twisted wire manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 .

5. the fixing member is movable among an initial position, a fixing position that fixes the first position and the second position, and an intermediate position that is intermediate between the initial position and the fixing position, The control means moves the fixing member from the initial position to the intermediate position in the first control, and moves the fixing member from the intermediate position to the fixing position in the second control, thereby fixing the first position and the second position by the fixing member.

2. The twisted wire manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 .

6. A first fixing step of fixing both ends of two electric wires arranged in a straight line; a first control step of twisting the two electric wires by rotating one end side and the other end side of the two electric wires whose both ends are fixed in the first fixing step in directions opposite to each other; a second fixing step of fixing, with a fixing member, a first position that is a first predetermined length away from one end of the twisted ends of the two electric wires twisted in the first control step toward the other end side, and a second position that is a second predetermined length away from the other end of the twisted ends of the two electric wires toward the one end side; a second control step of rotating one end side and the other end side of the two electric wires fixed at the first position and the second position in the second fixing step in the opposite directions to each other to further twist the two electric wires; A method for producing a twisted pair wire, comprising:

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