Wire processing system and wire processing method

Abstract

To automatically and accurately remove a joined part of wires to be treated.SOLUTION: A delivery part 110 delivers a wire to be treated obtained by joining a plurality of wires. A wire treating part 130 subjects the wire to be treated delivered by the delivery part 110 to wire treatment including any one of heat treatment and molding. A storage part 150 stores the wire to be treated subjected to the wire treatment by the wire treating part 130. A joined part detection part 120 detects passage of a joined part of the wires in the wires to be treated delivered by the delivery part 110. A cutting part 140 cuts the wire to be treated based on a detection result of passage of the joined part by the joined part detection part 140 between the wire treating part 130 and the storage part 150, and thereby removes the joined part in the wire to be treated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire processing system and a wire processing method for processing a wire. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a wire processing system for processing a long steel wire by passing the wire through a wire processing device. The wire processing includes, for example, heat treatment such as quenching and forming such as wire drawing.

[0003] In addition, in a wire processing system, in order to efficiently and uniformly process a plurality of wires, a method is known in which a plurality of wires are joined by welding or the like to form a single wire to be processed, and wire processing is then performed on the single wire to be processed. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method in which the rear end of a previous wire is welded to the front end of a subsequent wire, and the wires are continuously moved to perform heat treatment on each wire.

[0004] Also, in a wire processing system, a method is known in which a coil-shaped wire wound around a drum or the like is unwound and unwound in sequence to perform wire processing, and the processed wire is wound around a rotating drum or the like to form a coil-shaped wire again. As a technique related to this method, for example, Patent Document 2 describes inserting a bundling wire when winding a long workpiece around a drum multiple times to form a bundle of long workpieces. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-221554 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2015-140210 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In a method in which a plurality of wires are joined by welding or the like to form a single wire to be processed and the wire is then processed, unintended changes in the properties of the joints of the wire to be processed occur due to the welding, etc. For this reason, it is desirable to remove the joints from the wire to be processed after the wire processing.

[0007] To achieve this, for example, an operator may visually monitor the wire passing through the wire processing device, and when the joint has passed, perform an operation to operate a cutting device downstream of the wire processing device, thereby cutting and removing the joint.

[0008] However, this method requires the worker to remain at the site for a long time. In addition, because the cutting device is operated by the worker, the worker may overlook the joint and cause it to be mixed into the product. In addition, it is necessary to cut and remove a long part before and after the joint to allow for variation in the timing of the worker's operation, which results in a large amount of discarded wire. As such, it is difficult to accurately remove only the joint from the wire being processed.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a wire processing system and a wire processing method that can automatically and accurately remove joints from a wire to be processed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A wire processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a payout section that pays out a processed wire formed by joining a plurality of wires, a wire processing section that performs wire processing including at least one of heat treatment and molding on the processed wire paid out by the payout section, a storage section that stores the processed wire that has been subjected to the wire processing by the wire processing section, a joint detection section that detects the passage of a joint in the processed wire paid out by the payout section, and a cutting section between the wire processing section and the storage section that removes the joint in the processed wire by cutting the processed wire based on the detection result of the passage of the joint by the joint detection section.

[0011] In addition, a wire processing method of one embodiment of the present invention includes: paying out a processed wire formed by joining multiple wires; performing wire processing including at least one of heat treatment and molding on the processed wire paid out by the pay-out section in a wire processing section; storing the processed wire after the wire processing in a storage section; detecting the passage of a joint of the wire in the processed wire paid out by the pay-out section; and cutting the processed wire between the wire processing section and the storage section based on the detection result of the passage of the joint, thereby removing the joint in the processed wire. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wire processing system and a wire processing method capable of automatically and accurately removing a joint portion of a wire to be processed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram (part 1) showing an example of a wire processing system 100 according to an embodiment of the wire processing system of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) showing an example of a wire processing system 100 according to an embodiment of the wire processing system of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram (part 3) showing an example of a wire processing system 100 according to an embodiment of the wire processing system of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram (part 4) showing an example of a wire processing system 100 according to an embodiment of the wire processing system of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a fifth diagram showing an example of a wire processing system 100 according to an embodiment of the wire processing system of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram (part 6) showing an example of a wire processing system 100 according to an embodiment of the wire processing system of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram (part 7) showing an example of a wire processing system 100 according to an embodiment of the wire processing system of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram (part 1) showing an example of the configuration of a movable guide 113. FIG. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram (part 2) showing an example of the configuration of the movable guide 113. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram (part 1) showing an example of the configuration of a rear end detection unit 114. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating an example of the configuration of the rear end detection unit 114. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] (One embodiment of the wire processing system of the present invention) 1 to 7 are diagrams showing an example of a wire processing system 100 which is an embodiment of the wire processing system of the present invention.

[0016] The wire processing system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a processing line that continuously performs wire processing on multiple wires by joining multiple wires by welding or the like to form a single wire to be processed and performing wire processing on the wire to be processed.

[0017] The wire rod is a long material made of a metal material. The metal material is, for example, steel. The wire rod may be a long material having a cross section of various shapes, such as a circle, a rectangle, or a triangle. The wire rod may also be a long material having an irregular cross section, which is not a constant shape.

[0018] The wire treatment includes at least one of heat treatment and forming. The heat treatment is, for example, heat treatment such as quenching and tempering. This heat treatment is, for example, high-frequency hardening, which causes electromagnetic induction in the wire by high-frequency current to heat the surface of the wire and harden it. However, the heat treatment is not limited to this, and may be heat treatment by a method other than electromagnetic induction.

[0019] The forming is, for example, wire drawing, which stretches the wire to reduce the diameter of the wire, but is not limited thereto, and may be, for example, indentation processing, which forms a modified cross section by rolling an indentation roll on the wire, or other processing of various wires.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the wire processing system 100 includes a feeding section 110, a joint detection section 120, a wire processing section 130, a cutting section 140, and a storage section 150.

[0021] <Regarding the feeding section 110> The unwinding unit 110 sequentially unwinds the wire rod to be processed and feeds it into the wire rod processing unit 130 in order to pass the wire rod through the wire rod processing unit 130. The wire rod to be processed is, for example, a single wire rod formed by joining a plurality of wire rods to be processed by the wire rod processing unit 130 by welding, and includes a joint part P1 joined by welding. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the wire rod to be processed includes a first wire rod 11 and a second wire rod 12.

[0022] The wires can be welded together using an electric resistance welding machine such as a butt welding machine. The joint P1 of the wires joined using the electric resistance welding machine may be softened by heating again to ensure the toughness of the joint P1. This can prevent the joint P1 from being separated and broken in the wire processing section 130 described later.

[0023] The wire to be processed fed from the feeding section 110 is fed at a constant speed toward the cutting section 140 (to the right in FIG. 1) by a feeding device (not shown). This feeding device is provided at least between the wire processing section 130 and the cutting section 140, or between the cutting section 140 and the storage section 150, and feeds the wire to be processed by pulling it.

[0024] Specifically, the payout unit 110 includes a first drum 111, a second drum 112, a movable guide 113, rear end detection units 114 and 115, and a guide control unit .

[0025] A first wire rod 11 is wound in a coil shape around a first drum 111. A second wire rod 12 is wound in a coil shape around a second drum 112. The second wire rod 12 is a wire rod that is to be subjected to wire treatment immediately after the first wire rod 11.

[0026] After the first drum 111 and the second drum 112 are installed, the first wire 11 and the second wire 12 are joined together to form the wire to be processed. Here, of both ends of the wire, the end that is first unwound from the unwinding section 110 is referred to as the front end of the wire, and the end opposite to the front end is referred to as the rear end of the wire.

[0027] 1, the front end of the first wire rod 11 has already been unwound from the unwound portion 110 and has reached a storage portion 150 described below. The rear end of the first wire rod 11 is joined to the front end of the second wire rod 12 by welding.

[0028] The joint P1 is a portion where the rear end of the first wire 11 and the front end of the second wire 12 are joined by welding. For example, a paint of a specific color (for example, blue) is applied to the joint P1 using a color spray or the like. The coloring with the paint is performed, for example, after the first wire 11 and the second wire 12 are joined and before the rear end of the first wire 11 is paid out by the movable guide 113.

[0029] The first drum 111 is installed so that the central axis of the winding of the first wire 11 (e.g., central axis 801 in FIG. 8) is perpendicular to the ground. Similarly, the second drum 112 is installed so that the central axis of the winding of the second wire 12 is perpendicular to the ground. That is, the first wire 11 and the second wire 12 are wound around an axis perpendicular to the ground.

[0030] The movable guide 113 has a retraction section 113a which sequentially retracts the wire material wound around the first drum 111 and the second drum 112, and a delivery section 113b which delivers the wire material retracted by the retraction section 113a toward the wire material processing section 130. As an example, the movable guide 113 is a cylindrical member through which the wire material passes.

[0031] As described above, the wire to be processed including the first wire rod 11 and the second wire rod 12 is fed toward the cutting section 140 (to the right in FIG. 1) at a constant speed. At this time, the wire to be processed is unwound from the front end in order to leave the first drum 111 and the second drum 112, is drawn into the drawing section 113a of the movable guide 113, and is fed from the delivery section 113b of the movable guide 113 toward the wire processing section 130.

[0032] Further, under the control of the guide control section 116, at least the portion of the retraction section 113a of the movable guide 113 can be displaced between a first position where the retraction section 113a is closer to the central axis of the winding of the first wire rod 11 than to the central axis of the winding of the second wire rod 12, and a second position where the retraction section 113a is closer to the central axis of the winding of the second wire rod 12 than to the central axis of the winding of the first wire rod 11. The first position and the second position are both positions higher than the first drum 111 and the second drum 112, that is, positions on the opposite side of the ground from the first drum 111 and the second drum 112.

[0033] 1, the first wire 11 of the wire to be processed is pulled into the movable guide 113. At this time, under the control of the guide control section 116, the pull-in section 113a of the movable guide 113 is located higher than the first drum 111 and substantially on the central axis of the winding of the first wire 11 around the first drum 111 (first position).

[0034] As a result, the first wire 11 on the first drum 111 is pulled toward the retraction section 113a located in a direction closer to the central axis of the winding of the first wire 11, so that the first wire 11 can be smoothly unwound and efficiently unwound.

[0035] Furthermore, the retraction portion 113a may be rotatable about a position on the central axis of the winding of the first wire rod 11. This allows the first wire rod 11 to be unwound more smoothly. This configuration will be described later (see, for example, Figs. 8 and 9).

[0036] The rear end detection unit 114 detects the pulling in of the rear end of the first wire rod 11 wound around the first drum 111 by the movable guide 113. That is, the rear end detection unit 114 detects that the first wire rod 11 wound around the first drum 111 has disappeared. Then, the rear end detection unit 114 outputs a detection signal indicating the detection result to the guide control unit 116.

[0037] Similarly, the rear end detection unit 115 detects the pulling in of the rear end of the second wire 12 wound around the second drum 112 by the movable guide 113, and outputs a detection signal indicating the detection result to the guide control unit 116. The configurations of the rear end detection units 114 and 115 will be described later (see, for example, FIGS. 10 and 11).

[0038] Based on the detection results output from the rear end detection units 114 and 115, the guide control unit 116 controls the position of the retraction unit 113a of the movable guide 113 so that it is at the first position or the second position.

[0039] For example, before the rear end detection unit 114 detects the retraction of the rear end of the first wire 11, the guide control unit 116 sets the position of the retraction unit 113a to near the central axis of the winding of the first wire 11 (first position), as shown in FIG.

[0040] 2, the first wire 11 wound around the first drum 111 is removed, and the joint P1 passes the rear end detector 114. In this case, the guide controller 116 displaces the retraction portion 113a of the movable guide 113 to the state shown in FIG. 3 in response to a detection signal from the rear end detector 114. That is, the guide controller 116 moves the position of the retraction portion 113a to the vicinity of the central axis of the winding of the second wire 12 (second position).

[0041] As a result, the second wire rod 12 on the second drum 112 is pulled toward the retraction portion 113a located in a direction closer to the central axis of the winding of the second wire rod 12, so that the second wire rod 12 can be smoothly unwound and efficiently unwound.

[0042] The retracting portion 113a may be rotatable about a position substantially on the central axis of the winding of the second wire rod 12. This allows the second wire rod 12 to be unwound more smoothly. This configuration will be described later (see, for example, Figs. 8 and 9).

[0043] <Regarding the joint detection unit 120> The joint detection section 120 detects the passage of the joint P1 of the wire to be processed that has been fed out by the feeding section 110 between the feeding section 110 and the wire processing section .

[0044] Specifically, the joint detection unit 120 includes an optical sensor 121 that optically senses the wire being processed sent from the payout unit 110 to the wire processing unit 130. The optical sensor 121 detects the above-mentioned specific color (blue, for example) of the wire being sent from the payout unit 110 to the wire processing unit 130, and outputs a detection signal indicating the detection result to the cutting unit 140. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, when a joint P1 passes near the optical sensor 121, the optical sensor 121 outputs a detection signal indicating that the joint P1 of the wire being processed has been detected to the cutting unit 140.

[0045] The optical sensor 121 includes, for example, an imaging device that captures an image of the wire, and detects the joint P1 by detecting an area of ​​a specific color from the image obtained by the imaging device. However, the configuration of the optical sensor 121 is not limited to this. For example, the optical sensor 121 may be configured with a color filter that passes only light of a specific color, and a photoelectric conversion element that converts the light that passes through the color filter into an electrical signal.

[0046] By the joint detection unit 120 detecting the passage of the joint P1 between the payout unit 110 and the wire processing unit 130, i.e., at an earlier stage than the wire processing unit 130, the joint detection unit 120 can detect the joint P1 even if the paint used to detect the joint P1 is lost or attenuated by the wire processing in the wire processing unit 130.

[0047] <About the wire processing section 130> The wire processing section 130 performs the above-mentioned wire processing on the wire to be processed that is fed by the feeding section 110 and passes through the wire processing section 130. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the wire processing section 130 includes a heat treatment device 131 that performs heat treatment such as induction hardening on the wire to be processed. In this case, the wire processing section 130 includes a coil for generating electromagnetic induction in the wire to be processed by a high-frequency current, and a power supply circuit for passing the high-frequency current through the coil.

[0048] <Regarding the cutting portion 140> The cutting section 140, between the wire processing section 130 and the storage section 150, removes the joint P1 from the wire to be processed by cutting the wire to be processed based on the detection result of the passage of the joint P1 by the joint detection section 120.

[0049] Specifically, the cutting unit 140 includes a cutter 141 and a cutting control unit 142. The cutter 141 cuts the wire between the wire processing unit 130 and the accommodation unit 150. The cutting control unit 142 drives the cutter 141 to control the cutting of the wire by the cutter 141.

[0050] As described above, the wire to be processed fed by the feeding unit 110 is fed to the cutting unit 140 at a constant speed. Therefore, the time from when the joint detection unit 120 detects the passage of the joint P1 to when the joint P1 reaches the cutter 141 is a constant time t1 (distance / speed) that depends on the constant speed at which the wire to be processed is fed and the distance between the optical sensor 121 and the cutter 141.

[0051] Based on the detection signal output from the optical sensor 121 of the joint detection unit 120, the cutting control unit 142 identifies the timing t0 at which the passage of the joint P1 is detected by the joint detection unit 120, and identifies the timing t0+t1, which is the elapsed time t1 from the identified timing t0, as the timing at which the joint P1 reaches the cutter 141.

[0052] Then, the cutting control unit 142 causes the cutter 141 to cut the wire to be processed at a timing (t0+t1-α) earlier than the timing t0+t1 at which the joint P1 reaches the cutter 141, and at a timing (t0+t1+α) later than the timing t0+t1 at which the joint P1 reaches the cutter 141 (α is time). This allows the wire to be cut before and after the joint P1 (for example, the part immediately before and the part immediately after), and remove the joint P1 from the wire to be processed.

[0053] For example, when a certain time t1 (more specifically, t1-α) has elapsed since the optical sensor 121 outputted a detection signal to the cutting control unit 142 in the state shown in Fig. 4, the cutting control unit 142 cuts the processed wire twice with the cutter 141, as shown in Fig. 5. This cuts the wire before and after the joint P1, and removes the discarded wire D1 including the joint P1. Therefore, the first wire 11 not including the joint P1 whose properties have been changed by welding can be accommodated in the accommodation unit 150. The discarded wire D1 including the joint P1 is discarded.

[0054] Moreover, by cutting the wire material to be processed at the position of the joint P1, the wire material to be processed can be cut so as to be divided into the first wire material 11 and the second wire material 12.

[0055] In this way, even if the joint detection unit 120 is configured to detect the passage of joint P1 upstream of the wire processing unit 130, the cutting unit 140 cuts the processed wire after a certain time t1 has elapsed since the joint detection unit 120 detected joint P1, so that the joint P1 of the processed wire can be cut and removed downstream of the wire processing unit 130.

[0056] As described above, the wire to be processed is fed to the cutting section 140 at a constant speed. For this reason, when cutting the wire to be processed, the cutter 141 preferably performs a traveling cut by moving in a direction parallel to the moving direction (feed direction) of the wire to be processed.

[0057] This makes it possible to prevent the feed of the wire to be processed from being hindered by the cutter 141 when it takes a long time to cut the wire to be processed by the cutter 141. Therefore, when the wire to be processed is cut by the cutter 141, the feed of the wire to be processed or the wire processing by the wire processing unit 130 is not stopped, and the first wire 11 and the second wire 12 included in the wire to be processed can be continuously processed.

[0058] It is desirable that the moving speed of the cutter 141 in the direction parallel to the moving direction of the wire to be processed is the same as the feeding speed of the wire to be processed, thereby preventing damage to the cutter 141 during cutting.

[0059] Furthermore, when the cutting control unit 142 cuts the wire to be processed (for example, cutting before and after the joint portion P1), it outputs a notification signal to the storage unit 150 indicating that the wire to be processed has been cut.

[0060] <Regarding the storage section 150> The storage section 150 stores the wire that has been subjected to wire processing by the wire processing section 130. Specifically, the storage section 150 includes a guide 151, a sorting section 152, a first winding device 153, and a second winding device 154. The guide 151 and the sorting section 152 alternately sort the wires cut by the cutting section 140 to the first winding device 153 and the second winding device 154.

[0061] 1 to 5, the sorting section 152 sends the first wire rod 11 to the first winding device 153. As a result, the first wire rod 11 is wound by the first winding device 153.

[0062] When the notification signal is output from the cutting control section 142, the sorting section 152 is displaced as shown in Fig. 6 and guides the front end of the second wire rod 12, which is subsequently fed, to the second winding device 154. As a result, as shown in Fig. 7, the sorting section 152 is in a state in which it feeds the second wire rod 12 to the second winding device 154, and the second wire rod 12 is wound by the second winding device 154.

[0063] In this way, every time the wire to be processed is cut at the joint P1, the allocation destination of the wire to be processed can be automatically switched between the first winding device 153 and the second winding device 154. As a result, when the wire to be processed is cut by the cutter 141, the first wire rod 11 and the second wire rod 12 can be individually wound while continuously performing wire processing on the first wire rod 11 and the second wire rod 12 included in the wire to be processed without stopping the feeding of the wire to be processed or the wire processing by the wire processing unit 130.

[0064] (Addition of wires) 1 to 7, the situation in which the target of the payout by the payout unit 110 shifts from the first wire rod 11 to the second wire rod 12 has been described, but for example, in the state shown in Figs. 4 to 7, instead of the first drum 111 from which the first wire rod 11 has disappeared, a new drum (not shown) on which a third wire rod is wound for wire processing after the second wire rod 12 may be installed. In this case, the front end of the third wire rod and the rear end of the second wire rod 12 are joined by welding, and the vicinity of the rear end of the second wire rod 12 is passed through the rear end detection unit 115.

[0065] In this way, when the second wire rod 12 wound around the second drum 112 runs out, the displacement of the rear end of the second wire rod 12 (see FIG. 11) is detected by the rear end detector 115, and the guide controller 116 moves the retractor 113a to the first position again. As a result, the subject of the reel-out by the reel-out unit 110 shifts to the third wire rod.

[0066] In this manner, the drums in the unwinding section 110 from which the wire rod has run out can be successively replaced, and the vicinity of the rear end of the wire rod being unwound can be passed through the rear end detection section 114 or the rear end detection section 115, so that the wire rod to be processed can be continuously unwound while being replenished. Therefore, for example, a plurality of wire rods can be continuously processed without stopping the operation of the wire processing section 130.

[0067] Further, in Figures 1 to 9, a situation has been described in which the storage object in storage section 150 shifts from first wire rod 11 to second wire rod 12. However, for example, in the state shown in Figures 6 and 7, first wire rod 11 may be removed from first winding device 153 that has finished winding first wire rod 11.

[0068] In this manner, when a joint (not shown) between the second wire rod 12 and the third wire rod is detected by the joint detection unit 120 and cut by the cutting unit 140, the sorting unit 152 shifts again to the state shown in Fig. 1 and guides the front end of the third wire rod to the first winding device 153. As a result, the sorting unit 152 is in a state where it sends the third wire rod to the first winding device 153, and the third wire rod is wound by the first winding device 153.

[0069] In this manner, by sequentially removing the wire from the winding device after winding has been completed, it is possible to sequentially manufacture wire wound into a coil from which the joints have been removed.

[0070] (Configuration of movable guide 113) 8 and 9 are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of the movable guide 113. As shown in Fig. 8, the movable guide 113 includes a support portion 810, a first arm 820, a hollow rotating body 830, and a second arm 840.

[0071] 8 shows the movable guide 113 and the first drum 111 in the state shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, i.e., in a state where the retraction portion 113a of the movable guide 113 is in a first position close to the central axis 801 of the winding of the first wire rod 11. Note that the second drum 112 is not shown in Fig. 8.

[0072] The lower end of the support part 810 is fixed to the ground near the first drum 111 and the second drum 112. For example, the support part 810 is fixed at a position where the distance between the support part 810 and the central axis 801 of the winding of the first wire rod 11 on the first drum 111 is equal to the distance between the support part 810 and the central axis of the winding of the second wire rod 12 on the second drum 112 (not shown).

[0073] A base end of a first arm 820 is provided on the upper end of the support portion 810 so as to be rotatable relative to the support portion 810. A rotation axis 811 is an axis of rotation about which the first arm 820 rotates relative to the support portion 810, and is perpendicular to the ground.

[0074] First arm 820 is provided so that its longitudinal direction is oblique to rotation shaft 811. Therefore, by rotating first arm 820 about rotation shaft 811, the tip of first arm 820 pivots about rotation shaft 811.

[0075] Although not shown, the movable guide 113 is provided with an actuator that rotates the first arm 820 around the rotation shaft 811 under the control of the guide control unit 116. As this actuator, various actuators such as an air cylinder can be used.

[0076] A hollow rotor 830 is provided near the tip of the first arm 820 so as to face the first drum 111. The hollow rotor 830 is provided rotatably relative to the first arm 820. The rotation axis 831 is the axis of rotation when the hollow rotor 830 rotates relative to the first arm 820, and is perpendicular to the ground. The hollow rotor 830 has a hollow structure having a through hole that penetrates in a direction parallel to the rotation axis 831.

[0077] Further, a base end of a second arm 840 is fixed to the hollow rotating body 830. The second arm 840 is provided so that its longitudinal direction is oblique to the rotation shaft 831. Therefore, since the hollow rotating body 830 is rotatable relative to the first arm 820 about the rotation shaft 831 as described above, the tip of the second arm 840 is capable of swinging about the rotation shaft 831.

[0078] A ring 841 is provided near the tip of second arm 840. Therefore, ring 841 can rotate together with the tip of second arm 840 about rotation shaft 831.

[0079] The first wire rod 11 unwound from the first drum 111 passes through the ring 841 and the through hole of the hollow rotor 830, and is paid out toward the wire rod processing section 130. In this case, the ring 841 constitutes the above-mentioned pull-in section 113a. That is, as the first wire rod 11 is paid out, the first wire rod 11 wound around the first drum 111 is drawn from the ring 841 into the movable guide 113.

[0080] Therefore, the first wire 11 is pulled toward the ring 841 (pulling portion 113a) located at the first position close to the central axis 801 of the winding of the first wire 11, so that the winding of the first wire 11 can be smoothly unwound, as described above.

[0081] 8, the ring 841, which is the retraction portion 113a, can rotate around the rotation axis 831. Here, since the first wire 11 is wound around the first drum 111, the portion of the first wire 11 that is about to separate from the first drum 111 (portion 11a shown in FIG. 8) rotates around the central axis 801 as the first wire 11 is unwound from the first drum 111.

[0082] In addition, due to the force pulling the first wire 11 toward the wire processing section 130, the ring 841 is pulled from the lower end of the hollow rotating body 830 and from the portion of the first wire 11 that is moving away from the first drum 111 (portion 11a shown in Figure 8).

[0083] As a result, as shown in Fig. 9, the ring 841 rotates about the central axis 801 as the first wire rod 11 is unwound from the first drum 111. This allows the first wire rod 11 to be unwound more smoothly. Note that Fig. 9 shows a state in which the first wire rod 11 has been unwound from the first drum 111 by approximately half a revolution, and the ring 841 also rotates approximately half a revolution accordingly.

[0084] Furthermore, as described above, when the rear end detection unit 114 detects that the rear end of the first wire 11 wound around the first drum 111 has been pulled in by the movable guide 113, the guide control unit 116 controls the actuator to rotate the first arm 820 relative to the support unit 810 so that the hollow rotating body 830 is positioned on the central axis of the winding of the second wire 12 on the second drum 112.

[0085] As a result, the position of ring 841, which is pull-in portion 113a, is at the second position near the central axis of the winding of second wire rod 12 on second drum 112, so that the winding of second wire rod 12 can be smoothly unwound.

[0086] Furthermore, as the second wire rod 12 is unwound from the second drum 112, the ring 841 rotates about the central axis of the winding of the second wire rod 12 on the second drum 112. This allows the second wire rod 12 to be unwound even more smoothly.

[0087] Furthermore, by drawing in the wire material while rotating, the ring 841 (drawing portion 113a) can reduce the torsional load on the wire material when the wound wire material is drawn out.

[0088] (Configuration of rear end detection units 114, 115) 10 and 11 are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of the rear end detection unit 114. The configuration of the rear end detection unit 114 will be described, but the configuration of the rear end detection unit 115 is similar to that of the rear end detection unit 114.

[0089] 10 and 11, the rear end detection unit 114 is a limit switch including a stand unit 1010 and a lever 1020. The stand unit 1010 is a U-shaped member fixed to the ground. The lever 1020 is provided on the inside of the U-shape of the stand unit 1010.

[0090] 1, for example, a portion of the first wire 11 close to the joint P1 is disposed so as to pass under the lever 1020 inside the U-shape of the stand 1010, as shown in Fig. 10. In the example shown in Fig. 10, the joint P1 is disposed so as to be on the opposite side of the stand 1010 from the first drum 111, but the joint P1 may be disposed between the stand 1010 and the first drum 111.

[0091] In the state shown in FIG. 2, the rear end of the first wire 11 is pulled up by the movable guide 113, as shown in FIG. 11, whereby the lever 1020 is lifted and displaced, and the first wire 11 is pulled out above the stand portion 1010.

[0092] Furthermore, when the lever 1020 is lifted, the rear end detector 114 outputs a detection signal indicating that the rear end of the first wire 11 wound around the first drum 111 has been pulled in by the movable guide 113 to the guide controller 116. As a result, the guide controller 116 displaces the pull-in portion 113a of the movable guide 113 to the second position, resulting in the state shown in FIG.

[0093] 10 and 11, the rear end detection unit 114 can be configured with a limit switch that detects the displacement of the rear end of the first wire 11 toward the movable guide 113 (upward in Figs. 10 and 11). Similarly, the rear end detection unit 115 can be configured with a limit switch that detects the displacement of the rear end of the second wire 12 toward the movable guide 113.

[0094] According to the wire processing system 100 described above, the passage of the joint P1 of the wire in the unwound processed wire is detected, and based on the detection result, the processed wire is cut between the wire processing section 130 and the storage section 150, thereby removing the joint P1 in the processed wire.

[0095] This allows the joint P1 to be automatically removed from the wire being processed without the need for an operator to monitor the position of the joint P1 or operate the cutting device. This reduces the time the operator is required to work. In addition, the wire being processed is automatically cut based on the detection result of the passage of the joint P1 without the operator's operation, so that only the joint P1 can be accurately removed from the wire being processed.

[0096] Moreover, according to the wire processing system 100, the passage of the joint P1 can be detected between the feed section 110 for the wire to be processed and the wire processing section 130. This makes it possible to reliably detect the joint P1 even if the characteristics of the joint P1 are lost or attenuated by the wire processing.

[0097] Moreover, according to the wire processing system 100, before the pull-in of the rear end of the first wire rod 11 in the wire to be processed is detected, the position of the pull-in part 113a of the movable guide 113 can be set to a first position close to the central axis of the winding of the first wire rod 11, and after the pull-in of the rear end of the first wire rod 11 is detected, the position of the pull-in part 113a can be set to a second position close to the central axis of the winding of the second wire rod 12. This allows the first wire rod 11 and the second wire rod 12 to be smoothly unwound, and the first wire rod 11 and the second wire rod 12 to be efficiently unwound.

[0098] Moreover, according to the wire processing system 100, in a stage subsequent to the cutting section 140, the wire to be processed is distributed to the first winding device 153 and the second winding device 154 according to the timing at which the cutting section 140 cuts the wire to be processed, so that the first wire 11 can be sent to the first winding device 153 and the second wire 12 can be sent to the second winding device 154. This allows the first wire 11 and the second wire 12 joined by welding or the like to be separated again and stored.

[0099] In this way, according to the wire processing system 100, it is possible to automatically (without operation by an operator) control the position of the retraction portion 113a for efficient feeding of the wire to be processed, cut and remove the joint portion P1 in the wire to be processed after wire processing, and sort the wire to be processed after cutting.

[0100] This reduces the amount of work required by the worker and the time the worker is confined, and allows efficient wire processing of a plurality of wires.

[0101] In addition, troubles such as damage to the movable guide 113 and the like and emergency stop of the wire processing system 100 due to delays in operation by the worker or overlooking the joint P1 by the worker can be suppressed.

[0102] In addition, compared to cutting the wire rod by an operator, the joint portion P1 can be cut and removed from the wire rod with high accuracy. In other words, for example, the portion of the discarded wire rod D1 shown in Fig. 1 that is not the joint portion P1 can be shortened, and the amount of wire rod that is discarded even though it has not been altered by welding or the like can be reduced.

[0103] (Modification of Wire Processing System 100) In the above description, a method for detecting joint P1 of the wire to be processed by joint detection unit 120 is described in which paint of a specific color is applied to joint P1 in advance using a color spray or the like, but the present invention is not limited to such a method.

[0104] For example, if welding of wires together results in an optically determinable feature (such as the color or shape of a weld mark) appearing at joint P1 of the processed wire, the passage of joint P1 can be detected by detecting that feature using optical sensor 121, even without applying paint to joint P1.

[0105] Alternatively, if welding of the wires together creates a geometric feature (e.g., a bulge) at the joint P1 of the processed wire, the passage of the joint P1 can be detected by providing a contact-type limit switch that can detect that feature instead of the optical sensor 121, without applying paint to the joint P1.

[0106] Alternatively, a sensible characteristic such as magnetism or smell may be imparted to the joint P1 of the wire to be processed, and a sensor for sensing the characteristic may be provided in the joint detection unit 120 to detect the passage of the joint P1.

[0107] Further, the joint detection section 120 detects the passage of the joint P1 between the payout section 110 and the wire processing section 130, that is, before the wire processing section 130, in the above-described embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

[0108] For example, if the characteristic features such as shape and color for detecting the joint P1 are not lost due to the wire processing in the wire processing section 130, the joint detection section 120 may be configured to detect the passage of the joint P1 between the wire processing section 130 and the cutting section 140.

[0109] In addition, in Figures 1 to 7 etc., heat treatment has been described as the wire processing by the wire processing unit 130, but the wire processing by the wire processing unit 130 may be shaping such as wire drawing as described above, or a combination of heat treatment and shaping.

[0110] In addition, although the configuration in which the rear end detection unit 114 and the rear end detection unit 115 are provided corresponding to the first drum 111 and the second drum 112, respectively, has been described, a configuration in which one of the rear end detection unit 114 and the rear end detection unit 115 is omitted may be adopted. For example, the rear end detection unit 114 may be provided between the first drum 111 and the second drum 112, and both the displacement of the rear end of the first wire rod 11 and the subsequent displacement of the rear end of the second wire rod 12 may be detected by the rear end detection unit 114.

[0111] Also, the configuration has been described in which the cutting control unit 142 outputs a notification signal indicating that the wire to be processed has been cut to the storage unit 150, and the storage unit 150 sorts the wire to be processed based on the notification signal, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the storage unit 150 may specify the timing at which the joint P1 reaches the cutting unit 140 based on the above-mentioned detection signal output from the optical sensor 121, and sort the wire to be processed based on the specified timing.

[0112] As described above, the wire processing system disclosed in this specification includes a payout unit that pays out a processed wire formed by joining multiple wires, a wire processing unit that performs wire processing including at least one of heat treatment and molding on the processed wire paid out by the payout unit, a storage unit that stores the processed wire that has been subjected to the wire processing by the wire processing unit, a joint detection unit that detects the passage of a joint in the processed wire paid out by the payout unit, and a cutting unit between the wire processing unit and the storage unit that removes the joint in the processed wire by cutting the processed wire based on the detection result of the passage of the joint by the joint detection unit.

[0113] In the wire processing system disclosed in the present specification, the joint detection section detects the passage of the joint between the feeding section and the wire processing section.

[0114] The wire processing system disclosed in this specification further includes a movable guide, the retraction unit being movable between a first position closer to the central axis of the winding of the first wire rod than the central axis of the winding of the second wire rod, and a second position closer to the central axis of the winding of the second wire rod than the central axis of the winding of the first wire rod, a rear end detection unit that detects the retraction of the rear end of the first wire rod by the movable guide, and a guide control unit that sets the position of the retraction unit to the first position before the retraction of the rear end of the first wire rod is detected by the rear end detection unit, and sets the position of the retraction unit to the second position after the retraction of the rear end of the first wire rod is detected by the rear end detection unit.

[0115] In the wire processing system disclosed in the present specification, the rear end detection portion is a limit switch that detects displacement of the rear end of the first wire toward the pull-in portion.

[0116] In addition, the wire processing system disclosed in this specification includes a first wire and a second wire whose front end is joined to the terminal end of the first wire, the cutting unit cuts the wire to be processed to separate it into the first wire and the second wire, and the storage unit includes a first winding device for winding up the first wire of the wire to be processed and a second winding device for winding up the second wire of the wire to be processed, and a distribution unit downstream of the cutting unit that distributes the wire to the first winding device and the second winding device depending on the timing at which the cutting unit cuts the wire to be processed, thereby sending the first wire to the first winding device and the second wire to the second winding device.

[0117] In addition, the wire processing system disclosed in this specification sends the processed wire fed by the feeding section to the cutting section at a constant speed, and the cutting section cuts the processed wire a constant time after the joint detection section detects the passage of the joint.

[0118] In the wire processing system disclosed in the present specification, the cutting unit cuts the portion of the wire immediately before the joint and the portion immediately after the joint.

[0119] In addition, in the wire processing system disclosed in this specification, the cutting unit cuts the wire while moving in the same direction as the moving direction of the wire.

[0120] In the wire processing system disclosed in this specification, a specific color is imparted to the joint, and the joint detection unit is an optical sensor that optically detects the specific color.

[0121] In addition, the wire processing method disclosed in this specification involves paying out a processed wire consisting of multiple joined wires, performing wire processing including at least one of heat treatment and molding on the processed wire paid out by the pay-out section in a wire processing section, storing the processed wire after the wire processing in a storage section, detecting the passage of a joint of the wire in the processed wire paid out by the pay-out section, and cutting the processed wire between the wire processing section and the storage section based on the detection result of the passage of the joint, thereby removing the joint in the processed wire. [Explanation of symbols]

[0122] 11 First wire 12 Second wire 11 First wire 12 Second wire 100 Wire Processing System 110,113b Outlet 111 First Drum 112 Second Drum 113 Movable guide 113a Retraction section 114,115 Rear end detection unit 116 Guide control section 120 Joint detection unit 121 Optical Sensor 130 Wire processing section 131 Heat treatment equipment 140 Cutting section 141 Cutter 142 Cutting control section 150 Storage unit 151 Guide 152 Distribution Department 153,154 Removal device 801 Center axis 810 Support section 811,831 Rotation axis 820 First Arm 830 Hollow Rotating Body 840 Second Arm 841 Ring 1010 Stand section 1020 Lever P1 joint D1 Waste wire

Claims

1. a feeding section for feeding a wire to be processed which is formed by joining a plurality of wires; a wire processing section that performs wire processing including at least one of a heat treatment and a forming on the wire to be processed fed by the feeding section; a receiving section for receiving the processed wire that has been subjected to the wire processing by the wire processing section; a joint detection unit that detects passage of a joint of the wire rod in the wire rod to be processed that is fed out by the feeding unit; a cutting unit that is disposed between the wire processing unit and the accommodation unit and that cuts the processed wire based on a detection result of the passage of the joint by the joint detection unit, thereby removing the joint from the processed wire; A wire processing system comprising: the processed wire includes a first wire and a second wire having a front end joined to a terminal end of the first wire, The payout section includes: a first drum around which the first wire rod of the wire rods to be processed is wound; a second drum around which the second wire rod of the wire to be processed is wound; a movable guide having a pull-in portion that pulls in the wire material wound around the first drum and the second drum, and that pays out the wire material pulled in by the pull-in portion, the pull-in portion being displaceable between a first position that is closer to the central axis of the first wire material than the central axis of the second wire material, and a second position that is closer to the central axis of the second wire material than the central axis of the first wire material; a rear end detection unit that detects the pulling-in of the rear end of the first wire rod by the movable guide; a guide control unit that sets a position of the pull-in unit to the first position before the pull-in of the rear end of the first wire rod is detected by the rear end detection unit, and sets a position of the pull-in unit to the second position after the pull-in of the rear end of the first wire rod is detected by the rear end detection unit; A wire processing system comprising:

2. 2. The wire processing system according to claim 1, The rear end detection unit is a limit switch that detects displacement of the rear end of the first wire toward the pull-in unit.

Images