Multi-core cable processing equipment

Abstract

A processing device 200 for a multicore cable 1 is a device for processing the multicore cable 1, which includes a sheath 2 and a plurality of core wires 3, 4 that are inserted through the sheath 2, the processing device 200 comprising: a cutting device 21 for forming a circumferential-direction slit in the sheath 2; a withdrawing device 22 for exposing the plurality of core wires 3, 4 by moving, in a longitudinal direction of the multicore cable 1, at least one of the sheath 2 closer to a tip end side of the multicore cable 1 than the slit, and the sheath 2 closer to a base side of the multicore cable 1 than the slit; a detecting device 31 for detecting a position, in relation to the circumferential direction of the multicore cable 1, of a specific core wire 3 among the plurality of core wires 3, 4; and a rotating device 32a for rotating the multicore cable 1 on the basis of the detected position, in the circumferential direction, of the specific core wire 3, to move the specific core wire 3 to a predetermined circumferential-direction position.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for processing a multi-core cable. [Background technology]

[0002] Methods for insulating the drain wire of a multi-core shielded cable having a drain wire have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for insulating a drain wire in which the sheath is removed to expose the coated electric wire (core wire) and the drain wire, the drain wire is bent 90 degrees to separate it from the core wire, and the drain wire is inserted into a heat shrink tube. In the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the heat shrink tube is then heated and shrunk to insulate the drain wire. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-123215 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the work of bending the drain wire to separate it from the core wire and inserting the drain wire into the heat shrink tube is performed manually. As described above, the processing of each core wire of a multi-core cable may not be automated, and one of the reasons for this is that the position of each core wire of a multi-core cable is not specified. Here, we propose a processing device for a multi-core cable that can specify the positions of the multiple core wires of a multi-core cable in order to make it easier to process the multiple core wires of a multi-core cable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The multi-core cable processing apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus for processing a multi-core cable having a sheath and a plurality of core wires inserted into the sheath, and includes a cutting device that forms a circumferential slit in the sheath, a pulling device that moves at least one of the sheath on the tip side of the multi-core cable and the sheath on the base side of the multi-core cable relative to the slit in the longitudinal direction of the multi-core cable to expose the plurality of core wires, a detection device that detects the circumferential position of a specific core wire among the plurality of core wires of the multi-core cable, and a rotation device that rotates the multi-core cable based on the detected circumferential position of the specific core wire and moves the specific core wire to a predetermined circumferential position.

[0006] According to the above-mentioned multi-core cable processing device, the multi-core cable can be rotated based on the circumferential position of the specific core wire detected by the detection device, and the position of the specific core wire can be set to a predetermined circumferential position, thereby identifying the positions of the multiple core wires of the multi-core cable.

[0007] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core cable processing apparatus of the present invention, the plurality of core wires are composed of a drain wire and a plurality of core wires, and the specific core wire is the drain wire. The multi-core cable processing apparatus further includes a separation device that separates the drain wire from the plurality of core wires by energizing at least one of the drain wire and the plurality of core wires based on the detected circumferential position of the drain wire, an insulation treatment device that insulates the separated drain wire, and a first conveying device that conveys the multi-core cable to the cutting device, the drawing device, the detection device, the rotation device, the separation device, and the insulation treatment device.

[0008] According to the above-mentioned multi-core cable processing device, when the multi-core cable is a multi-core shielded cable equipped with a drain wire, processing of the multi-core shielded cable up to insulation of the drain wire can be automatically performed.

[0009] According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the multi-core cable processing apparatus further includes a straightening device that straightens the separated drain wires by twisting them in a circumferential direction and applying a tensile tension to them prior to the insulation treatment.

[0010] According to the above-mentioned multi-core cable processing device, the drain wire is corrected, so that the insulation process of the drain wire can be easily performed.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core cable processing apparatus of the present invention, the insulation processing apparatus includes an insertion device that inserts the separated drain wire into a heat shrink tube, and a heating device that heats the heat shrink tube with the drain wire inserted therein.

[0012] According to the above-mentioned multi-core cable processing device, the drain wire is inserted into the heat shrink tube and the heat shrink tube is thermally shrunk to perform insulation processing, which is easier to perform by an automated machine than other methods, such as wrapping an insulating tape around the drain wire.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core cable processing apparatus of the present invention, the pulling-out device is configured to pull out the tip-side sheath while rotating at least one of the tip-side sheath and the root-side sheath so that the tip-side sheath rotates circumferentially relative to the root-side sheath, and to untwist the multiple core wires.

[0014] According to the above-described multi-core cable processing device, by untwisting the multiple cores, it is possible to easily detect the position of a specific core by the detection device.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core cable processing device of the present invention, the extracting device is configured to perform semi-stripping, which extracts the tip side sheath so that a portion of the core wires is exposed and the tip side sheath remains on another portion of the core wires, before the detection of the specific core wire by the detection device. Also, the extracting device is configured to perform full stripping, which separates the tip side sheath from the core wires, after the detection of the specific core wire by the detection device.

[0016] According to the above-described multi-core cable processing device, when detecting the position of a specific core by a detection device, it is possible to prevent the cores from becoming loose, which makes detection difficult.

[0017] According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the multi-core cable processing apparatus further includes an alignment device that aligns the multiple core wires at a predetermined interval. The alignment device includes an alignment member and a moving device. The alignment member has multiple comb teeth, and multiple gaps corresponding to the multiple core wires are provided between the comb teeth. The moving device moves at least one of the alignment member and the multi-core cable, and inserts the multiple core wires into the multiple gaps in the alignment member, respectively. The multiple gaps are formed so that they are farther apart from each other toward the front in the movement direction when the multiple core wires are inserted, and are aligned at the predetermined interval at the front end in the movement direction.

[0018] According to the above-mentioned multi-core cable processing device, the multiple cores are aligned at a predetermined interval and their respective positions are specified, which makes it easier to process the multiple cores in the subsequent process.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multi-core cable processing apparatus further includes a plurality of gripping members each capable of gripping one of the core wires, a stripping device configured to load a tip end of the core wire and stripping the coating from the tip end of the loaded core wire, and a loading device that moves the plurality of gripping members individually and loads the core wires gripped by the gripping members individually into the stripping device.

[0020] From the viewpoint of quality control, it is preferable to strip the core wires of a multi-core cable one by one. According to the above-mentioned multi-core cable processing device, the multiple core wires are loaded one by one into the stripping device by the loading device. Therefore, the quality of the stripped core wires can be ensured.

[0021] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the processing device for a multi-core cable further includes a crimping device configured to load the tip ends of the core wires and crimp terminals onto the tip ends of the loaded core wires. The loading device is configured to move the multiple gripping members individually to load the core wires gripped by the gripping members and having their tip ends stripped of their coverings individually into the crimping device.

[0022] From the viewpoint of quality control, it is preferable to crimp the terminals onto the core wires one by one. Therefore, the above-described multi-core cable processing device can ensure the quality of the crimping of the terminals onto the core wires.

[0023] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core cable processing device of the present invention, the plurality of core wires include a plurality of core wires. The multi-core cable processing device is configured to load the tip ends of the core wires and further includes a rubber plug attachment device that attaches waterproof rubber plugs to the loaded core wires. The attachment device is configured to move the plurality of gripping members individually and load the core wires gripped by the gripping members individually into the rubber plug attachment device before the coating of the tip ends of the core wires is stripped.

[0024] From the viewpoint of quality control, it is preferable to attach the waterproof rubber plugs to the core wires one by one. Therefore, by using the above-mentioned multi-core cable processing device, the quality of the waterproof rubber attachment to the core wires can be ensured.

[0025] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the processing device for a multi-core cable further includes a processing station provided with at least one of the cutting device, the drawing device, the detection device, and the rotation device, another processing station arranged in line with the processing station in a predetermined direction and provided with at least one other of the cutting device, the drawing device, the detection device, and the rotation device, and a first conveying device for conveying the multi-core cable to the cutting device, the drawing device, the detection device, and the rotation device. The first conveying device includes a gripping device for gripping the multi-core cable bent so that one end and the other end are aligned in the predetermined direction, and a gripping device moving device for moving the gripping device in the predetermined direction. The device provided in the other processing station processes the other end of the multi-core cable while the device provided in the processing station processes the one end of the multi-core cable.

[0026] According to the above-mentioned multi-core cable processing device, one end and the other end of the multi-core cable can be processed simultaneously, thereby shortening the cycle time for processing the multi-core cable.

[0027] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multi-core cable processing device further includes a first conveying device that conveys the multi-core cable to the cutting device, the drawing device, the detection device, and the rotation device, a stripping device that is configured to receive the tip of the core wire and strips the coating from the tip of the loaded core wire, a crimping device that is configured to receive the tip of the core wire and crimps a terminal onto the tip of the core wire from which the coating has been stripped by the stripping device, and a second conveying device that conveys the multi-core cable to the stripping device and the crimping device. The second conveying device includes a carrier having a plurality of gripping members each capable of gripping one of the core wires, and a carrier moving device that moves the carrier. The carrier moving device moves the carrier between a take-up position where the multi-core cable is taken up, a first opposing position facing the stripping device, a second opposing position facing the crimping device, and a release position where the multi-core cable is released after the terminal is crimped.

[0028] According to the above-mentioned multi-core cable processing device, the multi-core cable can be transported without changing the grip of the core wires during stripping of the core wires and crimping of the terminals. Therefore, the position of the core wires is stable without being changed due to the gripping. This allows stripping of the core wires and crimping of the terminals to be performed with high quality.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the multi-core cable processing apparatus according to the present invention, the second conveying device includes a plurality of the carriers, and the carrier moving device moves the plurality of carriers in a circulating manner.

[0030] According to the above-mentioned multi-core cable processing device, the carrier can be returned from the release position to the take-up position, so that the multi-core cable can be continuously transported. In addition, since a plurality of carriers are circulated, the productivity can be improved.

[0031] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core cable processing device of the present invention, the circulatory movement of the carrier includes lateral movement between the take-up position, the first opposing position, and the second opposing position, and vertical movement between the take-up position, the first opposing position, and a position below the second opposing position. The multiple gripping members of the carrier grip the multiple core wires when the carrier moves from a position below the take-up position to the take-up position.

[0032] According to the above-mentioned multi-core cable processing device, the core wires can be gripped by utilizing the vertical movement of the carrier during its circulating movement, thereby shortening the process time.

[0033] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multi-core cable processing device includes a plurality of processing stations each including one or more of the cutting device, the pulling device, the detection device, and the rotation device. The first conveying device includes a plurality of fixed gripping devices that are provided opposite the plurality of processing stations and grip the multi-core cable, and one or more movable gripping devices that are configured to grip the multi-core cable and reciprocate between two adjacent fixed gripping devices among the plurality of fixed gripping devices.

[0034] According to the multi-core cable processing device, the first conveying device conveys the multi-core cable to the cutting device, the pulling device, the detection device, and the rotation device, which do not require high-precision positioning for the transportation of the multi-core shielded cable. The first conveying device transfers the grip of the multi-core cable between the moving gripping device and the fixed gripping device, so the positional accuracy of each core wire is unlikely to be high, but the configuration is simple. On the other hand, the second conveying device, which does not transfer the grip of the multi-core cable, conveys the multi-core cable to the stripping device and the crimping device, which require high positional accuracy of each core wire. Therefore, according to the multi-core cable processing device, it is possible to improve the processing quality of the multi-core cable while simplifying the processing device as a whole.

[0035] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multi-core cable processing apparatus further includes a transfer device that receives the multi-core cable from the first conveyor device and transfers the multi-core cable to the second conveyor device.

[0036] According to the above multi-core cable processing device, since the multi-core cable is not directly transferred from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, the waiting time between the first conveyor and the second conveyor can be reduced, and the multi-core cable can be smoothly transferred from the first conveyor to the second conveyor.

[0037] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core cable processing apparatus of the present invention, the multiple processing stations are arranged side by side in the direction of transport of the multi-core cable by the mobile gripping device. The multi-core cable processing apparatus further includes a bending device arranged upstream of the multiple processing stations in the transport direction and bending the multi-core cable into a substantially U-shape so that both ends are aligned in the transport direction. Each of the multiple fixed gripping devices is configured to grip one end of the multi-core cable bent by the bending device. The device provided in each of the processing stations processes the downstream end of the bent multi-core cable while the device provided in the adjacent processing station on the upstream side processes the upstream end of the bent multi-core cable.

[0038] According to the above-mentioned multi-core cable processing device, one end and the other end of the multi-core cable can be processed simultaneously, thereby shortening the cycle time for processing the multi-core cable.

[0039] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core cable processing apparatus of the present invention, the multiple gripping members of the carrier include an upstream group that grips the multiple core wires exposed at the upstream end of the bent multi-core cable, and a downstream group that is positioned downstream of the upstream group in the conveying direction and grips the multiple core wires exposed at the downstream end of the bent multi-core cable.

[0040] According to the above-described multi-core cable processing apparatus, both ends of the multi-core cable bent into a substantial U-shape can be gripped by the second conveying device as well.

[0041] According to a preferred aspect of the multi-core cable processing apparatus of the present invention, the multiple holding members hold the multi-core cable so that the spacing between both ends of the multi-core cable is narrower than when held by the multiple fixed holding devices.

[0042] According to the above-mentioned multi-core cable processing apparatus, the processing station where the first conveying device conveys the multi-core cable provides freedom in the arrangement of the apparatus, and the second conveying device narrows the distance between both ends of the multi-core cable, thereby shortening the length of the processing apparatus in the conveying direction.

[0043] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multi-core cable processing apparatus further includes a transfer device that receives the multi-core cable from the first conveying device and transfers the multi-core cable to the second conveying device. The transfer device includes a pair of gripping members that grip both ends of the multi-core cable, and a drive device. The drive device moves the pair of gripping members closer to or farther apart, and causes the distance between the pair of gripping members to correspond to the distance between the both ends of the multi-core cable when held by the first conveying device, or to correspond to the distance between the both ends of the multi-core cable when held by the second conveying device.

[0044] According to the above multi-core cable processing device, the gap between both ends of the multi-core cable is narrowed by the transfer device that transfers the multi-core cable from the first conveyor device to the second conveyor device. Therefore, the device that narrows the gap between both ends of the multi-core cable and the transfer device can be shared. Effect of the Invention

[0045] According to the multi-core cable processing device of the present invention, the positions of the multiple core wires of the multi-core cable can be identified. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0046] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multi-core shielded cable. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic plan view of a processing device for a multi-core shielded cable according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a processing device for a multi-core shielded cable. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the second station. [Diagram 5]FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view of the third station. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a schematic front view of the third station, showing a state in which the core wire has been separated. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of the fourth station. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of the fifth station. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view of the sixth station. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a schematic front view of the sixth station, showing a state in which the drain wires and the core wires are aligned. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view of the seventh station. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view of the eighth station. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view of the 9th station. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the multi-core shielded cable conveying device. [Figure 15] 13 is a rear view of a conveying device for a multi-core shielded cable according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0047] [Outline of the processing equipment] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a multi-core cable, which is the subject of the wire processing here, in this case, a multi-core shielded cable 1 having a shield, will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multi-core shielded cable 1 according to an example. As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-core shielded cable 1 has a sheath 2, a drain wire 3 and a plurality of core wires 4 inserted into the sheath 2, and a shield 5. The multi-core shielded cable 1 is an electric wire in which the drain wire 3, the plurality of core wires 4, and the shield 5 are covered by the sheath 2. The plurality of core wires 4 are used, for example, as a signal line that transmits an electric signal. Each of the plurality of core wires 4 has a core wire 4a and an insulating coating 4b that covers the core wire 4a. The shield 5 is a conductor that shields the core wire 4 from external noise. The shield 5 covers the outside of the plurality of core wires 4. The drain wire 3 is electrically connected to the shield 5. The drain wire 3 is grounded, and thus the shield 5 is grounded. The drain wire 3 is made of multiple thin conductor wires and is not covered with an insulator. Although not shown in the figure, the drain wire 3 and multiple core wires 4 are twisted together inside the shield 5. The shield 5 is covered with an insulating sheath 2. The number of core wires 4 is not particularly limited. In the following description, when there is no particular distinction between the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4, they may be collectively referred to as a core wire.

[0048] 2 is a schematic plan view of a processing device 200 for a multi-core shielded cable 1 according to one embodiment (hereinafter, simply referred to as the processing device). The processing device 200 is a device that insulates the drain wire 3 and crimps a terminal 8 onto its tip, and further crimps terminals 8 onto the tips of the multiple core wires 4. The insulation process for the drain wire 3 here is a process of covering the drain wire 3 with a heat shrink tube 6 and thermally shrinking the heat shrink tube 6. In this embodiment, waterproof rubber plugs 7 are also attached to the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4, but the attachment of the rubber plugs 7 may be omitted depending on the specifications of the multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 2, the processing apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment includes ten stations, namely, a first station St1 to a tenth station St10. The multi-core shielded cable 1 is transported between the stations from the first station St1 to the tenth station St10. The first station St1 to the ninth station St9 are arranged in a line in the transport direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1 (here, the left-right direction in FIG. 2). In the first station St1, the multi-core shielded cable 1 is measured and cut to a predetermined length. In the second station St2, a cut is made in the sheath 2, and the sheath 2 on the tip side is pulled out. In this process, the sheath 2 is not pulled out until it is detached from the multi-core shielded cable 1, and is left inserted in the multi-core shielded cable 1. In addition, when the sheath 2 is pulled out, the sheath 2 is rotated in the circumferential direction, and the twisted core wires of the multi-core shielded cable 1 are untwisted. Hereinafter, the process performed in the second station St2 is also referred to as "semi-stripping the sheath 2".

[0050] In the third station St3, the drain wire 3 exposed by semi-stripping the sheath 2 is detected by a camera 31a (see FIG. 5), and the multi-core shielded cable 1 is rotated so that the drain wire 3 is located at a predetermined position in the circumferential direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1. Furthermore, the sheath 2 is completely pulled out from the multi-core shielded cable 1. Hereinafter, this process of completely pulling out the sheath 2 from the multi-core shielded cable 1 is also referred to as "full stripping of the sheath 2." After this, in the third station St3, only the multiple core wires 4 are bent while avoiding the drain wire 3, thereby separating the drain wire 3 from the multiple core wires 4.

[0051] In the fourth station St4, the drain wire 3 is twisted and straightened. In the fifth station St5, the drain wire 3 is covered with a heat shrink tube 6 and is then insulated by thermally shrinking the heat shrink tube 6. In the sixth station St6, the multiple core wires 4 are unbent and aligned together with the insulated drain wires 3.

[0052] At the seventh station St7, rubber stoppers 7 are attached to the core wires 4. At the eighth station St8, the tip of the heat shrink tube 6 of the drain wire 3 and the tip of the coating 4b of the core wire 4 are stripped. At the ninth station St9, terminals 8 are crimped onto the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4. At the tenth station St10, the processed multi-core shielded cable 1 is discharged.

[0053] It should be noted that each process does not have to be performed according to the division of stations described above. Which process is performed at which station may be set appropriately and is not particularly limited. Also, the order of the processes may be changed appropriately as far as possible. Furthermore, the processing device 200 does not have to be installed in one place, and may be divided and installed in multiple places. As will be described later, the device that conveys the multi-core shielded cable 1 is different between the second station St2 to the sixth station St6 and the seventh station St7 and thereafter. Therefore, for example, the processing device 200 may be divided into a device that includes the first station St1 to the sixth station St6 and a device that includes the seventh station St7 to the tenth station St10.

[0054] The first station St1 to the tenth station St10 are provided with devices for carrying out processing at each station. The first station St1 is provided with a feeder 11 for conveying the multi-core shielded cable 1, a length measuring device 12 for measuring the length of the multi-core shielded cable 1, and a cutter 13 for cutting the multi-core shielded cable 1 to a predetermined length.

[0055] A conveying device 110 is provided downstream of the first station St1 to convey the cut multi-core shielded cable 1 to each of the devices of the second station St2 to the sixth station St6. More specifically, the conveying device 110 conveys the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the slitting device 21, the sheath semi-strip device 22, the drain wire detection device 31, the sheath stripping device 32, the core wire separation device 33, the drain wire straightening device 41, the insulation processing device 51, the bending back device 61, and the alignment device 62, all of which will be described later. As shown in FIG. 2, the conveying device 110 performs a process of bending the multi-core shielded cable 1 into a U-shape before conveying the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the second station St2. Hereinafter, the function of the conveying device 110 to bend the multi-core shielded cable 1 into a U-shape is also referred to as a bending device 110A. As shown in FIG. 2, the multi-core shielded cable 1 is bent so that both ends are aligned in the arrangement direction of the first station St1 to the ninth station St9 (the left-right direction on the paper surface of FIG. 2). As a result, both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 face in the direction of the stations St1 to St9 (upward in the plane of the paper in FIG. 2). The conveying device 110 includes a pair of conveying clamps 111 that hold both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 bent into a U-shape, and a clamp moving device 112 that moves the conveying clamps 111 in the arrangement direction of the first station St1 to the ninth station St9 (left and right direction in the plane of the paper in FIG. 2). The second station St2 to the sixth station St6 are arranged along the movement path of the conveying clamps 111 moved by the clamp moving device 112. The processing device 200 is a device that processes both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1. A device provided in one station (for example, the second station St2) processes one end of the multi-core shielded cable 1 while a device provided in another processing station (for example, the third station St3) processes the other end. This shortens the cycle time for processing the multi-core shielded cable 1. Further, here, a plurality of pairs of conveying clamps 111 are provided so that the multi-core shielded cable 1 can be processed continuously.

[0056] At the entrances of the second station St2 to the sixth station St6, fixed clamps 130 are provided to grip the multi-core shielded cable 1 and rotate it in the circumferential direction. Each fixed clamp 130 is also configured as a pair and grips both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 bent into a U shape. The fixed clamp 130 of each station receives and grips the multi-core shielded cable 1 from the conveying clamp 111 of the conveying device 110 at the entrance of the station. When processing at each station is completed, the fixed clamp 130 of each station passes the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the conveying clamp 111. The function of the fixed clamp 130 of each station may be performed by the conveying clamp 111 to which a configuration for rotating the multi-core shielded cable 1 is added.

[0057] The second station St2 is provided with a slitting device 21 for making a slit in the sheath 2 and a sheath semi-stripping device 22 for semi-stripping the sheath 2. The third station St3 is provided with a drain wire detection device 31 for detecting the circumferential position of the drain wire 3, a sheath stripping device 32 for fully stripping the sheath 2, and a core wire separation device 33 for separating the core wires 4. The circumferential positioning of the drain wire 3 is performed by the sheath stripping device 32 and the fixed clamp 130 based on the detection by the drain wire detection device 31. The sheath semi-stripping device 22 and the sheath stripping device 32 may be one device provided in the same station. The pulling device for pulling out the sheath 2 may be divided into a plurality of devices as in this embodiment, or may be integrated into one. For example, in this embodiment, the semi-stripping of the sheath 2 is accompanied by the circumferential rotation of the multi-core shielded cable 1, but the rotation of the multi-core shielded cable 1 is performed by the fixed clamp 130. The pulling device is divided into a sheath semi-strip device 22, a sheath strip device 32, and two fixed clamps 130. The same is true for the other devices, and an apparatus that performs one process may be divided into multiple devices, or an apparatus that performs multiple processes may be combined into one device.

[0058] The fourth station St4 is provided with a drain wire straightening device 41 for straightening the drain wire 3. The drain wire straightening device 41, the sheath semi-strip device 22, and the sheath strip device 32 may be one device provided in the same station. The above devices may be divided into a plurality of devices as in the present embodiment, or may be integrated into one device. The fifth station St5 is provided with an insulation treatment device 51. The insulation treatment device 51 includes a tube reel 52 on which a reel of the heat shrink tube 6 is wound, a tube attachment device 53 for cutting the heat shrink tube 6 to a predetermined length and inserting the drain wire 3 into the heat shrink tube 6, and a heating device 54 for heating and shrinking the heat shrink tube 6.

[0059] The sixth station St6 is provided with an unbending device 61 that realigns the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 separated by the core wire separation device 33, and an alignment device 62 that aligns the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4. In this embodiment, the unbending device 61 and the alignment device 62 are integrated with each other while sharing some of their configurations, as will be described in detail later. However, the unbending device 61 and the alignment device 62 may be configured separately. Before the unbending step, the multi-core shielded cable 1 is rotated in the circumferential direction so that the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 are aligned along a horizontal plane. This rotation step is performed by a fixed clamp 130.

[0060] Downstream of the sixth station St6, there are provided a shuttle 120 that individually holds the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4 of the multi-core shielded cable 1, and a shuttle conveying device 121 that conveys the shuttle 120 to the seventh station St7 to the tenth station St10. Between the sixth station St6 and the seventh station St7, the multi-core shielded cable 1 is delivered from the conveying device 110 to the shuttle 120. The seventh station St7 to the tenth station St10 are arranged along a conveying path of the shuttle 120 by the shuttle conveying device 121. In this embodiment, there are a plurality of shuttles 120 (not shown), which circulate along a loop-shaped moving path. The shuttle 120 includes a plurality of individual clamps 120a that individually hold the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4, and a loading device 120b that individually brings the plurality of individual clamps 120a close to the crimping devices 91, 92, etc.

[0061] The seventh station St7 is provided with a rubber plug attachment device 71. The eighth station St8 is provided with a core wire stripping device 81. The ninth station St9 is provided with a right crimping device 91 and a left crimping device 92. Since different terminals 8 may be crimped to both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 bent into a U-shape, the ninth station St9 is provided with the right crimping device 91 and the left crimping device 92. The tenth station St10 is provided with a discharge tray 101 for non-defective products and a discharge tray 102 for defective products. The shuttle 120 releases the non-defective multi-core shielded cable 1 on the discharge tray 101 for non-defective products and drops the non-defective multi-core shielded cable 1 onto the discharge tray 101 for non-defective products. The shuttle 120 releases the defective multi-core shielded cable 1 on the discharge tray 102 for defective products and drops the defective multi-core shielded cable 1 onto the discharge tray 102 for defective products. Here, the seventh station St7 to the ninth station St9 judge each of the multi-core shielded cables 1 as being defective. The multi-core shielded cables 1 judged as being defective are not advanced to the next process, but are discharged onto a discharge tray 102 for defective products.

[0062] 3 is a block diagram of the processing device 200. As shown in FIG. 3, the processing device 200 includes a control device 150. The operation of each part of the processing device 200 is controlled by the control device 150. The control device 150 is connected to the feeding device 11, the length measuring device 12, the cutting device 13, the incising device 21, the sheath semi-strip device 22, the drain wire detection device 31, the sheath strip device 32, the core wire separation device 33, the drain wire straightening device 41, the tube mounting device 53, the heating device 54, the bending back device 61, the alignment device 62, the rubber plug mounting device 71, the core wire strip device 81, the right crimping device 91, the left crimping device 92, the conveying clamp 111 and the clamp moving device 112 of the conveying device 110, the loading device 120b of the shuttle 120, the shuttle conveying device 121, and a plurality of fixed clamps 130 (only one is shown), and controls their operations. The configuration of the control device 150 is not particularly limited. The control device 150 may include, for example, a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a CPU), a ROM in which programs executed by the CPU are stored, and a RAM. Each unit of the control device 150 may be configured by software or hardware. Furthermore, each unit may be a processor or a circuit. The control device 150 may be, for example, a programmable controller or a computer.

[0063] [Process details] The details of the process performed at each station will be described below. In the following description, the direction of stations St1 to St9 as seen from the transport device 110 or shuttle 120 is called the front and is represented by the symbol F. The left and right are the left and right as seen from the front. In the drawings, F, Rr, L, R, U, and D respectively represent front, back, left, right, up and down. However, these directions are for convenience of description and do not limit the installation mode of the processing device 200. For example, since the movement path of the transport device 110 or shuttle 120 does not have to be a straight line, the front may change depending on the station. Note that detailed description of the processes performed at the first station St1 and the tenth station St10 will be omitted.

[0064] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the second station St2. As shown in FIG. 4, the second station St2 includes a slitting device 21 provided forward of the fixed clamp 130, and a sheath semi-stripping device 22 provided further forward of the slitting device 21. The fixed clamp 130 holds the multi-core shielded cable 1 substantially horizontally. The slitting device 21 forms a slit in the sheath 2 along the circumferential direction. The slitting device 21 includes two or more slitting blades 21a arranged around the multi-core shielded cable 1. The slitting device 21 is configured to rotate the slitting blades 21a around the multi-core shielded cable 1. The slitting device 21 forms a slit in the sheath 2 by bringing the slitting blades 21a close to each other and rotating while pinching the multi-core shielded cable 1 with the slitting blades 21a.

[0065] The sheath semi-stripping device 22 moves the sheath 2 on the tip side of the multi-core shielded cable 1 from the slit toward the tip side relative to the sheath 2 on the base side, thereby exposing the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4. The semi-stripping of the sheath 2 is a process of pulling out the sheath 2 on the tip side so that parts of the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 are exposed and the tip side sheath 2 remains on other parts (here, the tips) of the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4. The semi-stripping is performed before the detection of the drain wire 3 by the drain wire detection device 31. It should be noted that the full stripping is performed after the detection of the drain wire 3 by the drain wire detection device 31.

[0066] In the semi-stripping process, the fixed clamp 130 and the sheath semi-strip device 22 move the tip side sheath 2 of the multi-core shielded cable 1 while rotating the tip side sheath 2 in the circumferential direction relative to the base side sheath 2. Here, the multi-core shielded cable 1 including the base side sheath 2 is gripped and rotated by the fixed clamp 130, and the tip side sheath 2 is moved to the tip side by the sheath semi-strip device 22. The fixed clamp 130 and the sheath semi-strip device 22 are configured to thereby untwist the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4. The sheath semi-strip device 22 includes a clamp 22a that grips the tip side sheath 2 and a clamp moving device 22b that moves the clamp 22a in the longitudinal direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0067] In the semi-stripping process, the clamp 22a grips the sheath 2 on the tip side of the cut. Next, the fixed clamp 130 rotates in a direction to untwist the core wire, and the clamp 22a moves to the tip side of the multi-core shielded cable 1. As a result, the sheath 2 on the tip side is pulled out and the core wire is untwisted. By untwisting the core wire, it is possible to easily detect the position of the drain wire 3 in the subsequent process. In addition, in this embodiment, the pulling out of the sheath 2 and the untwisting of the core wire are performed simultaneously, thereby shortening the cycle time of processing the multi-core shielded cable 1. The movement of the clamp 22a is stopped before the sheath 2 on the tip side is completely detached from the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4. This completes the semi-stripping process including the untwisting of the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4.

[0068] However, in semi-stripping and untwisting, the member that moves in the longitudinal direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1 and the member that rotates in the circumferential direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1 are not limited to the above. In semi-stripping, at least one of the tip side sheath 2 and the root side sheath 2 may be moved to move the tip side sheath 2 and the root side sheath 2 away from each other in the longitudinal direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1, and at this time, the root side sheath 2 may be moved, or both the tip side sheath 2 and the root side sheath 2 may be moved. "Pulling out the tip side sheath 2" means such relative movement between the tip side sheath 2 and the root side sheath 2. In untwisting, the tip side sheath 2 may be pulled out while rotating at least one of the tip side sheath 2 and the root side sheath 2 so that the tip side sheath 2 rotates in the circumferential direction relative to the root side sheath 2. This untwists the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4. The same is true for movements and rotations in other devices, and the moving or rotating member may be the counterpart of the member described, or both.

[0069] The sheath 2 is first cut and semi-stripped at the end (here, the left end) of the multi-core shielded cable 1 bent into a U shape on the forward side in the transport direction. Thereafter, the multi-core shielded cable 1 is moved leftward, and the sheath 2 is cut and semi-stripped at the right end of the multi-core shielded cable 1. When the sheath 2 is cut and semi-stripped at the right end of the multi-core shielded cable 1, the left end of the multi-core shielded cable 1 may be processed in the third station St3. Unless otherwise specified, the same applies to the other steps performed in the third station St3 to the sixth station St6.

[0070] FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the third station St3. As shown in FIG. 5, the third station St3 is provided with a drain wire detection device 31 having a camera 31a. The drain wire detection device 31 detects the exposed drain wire 3 and detects the position of the drain wire 3 in the circumferential direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1. In this embodiment, the drain wire detection device 31 captures images of the exposed drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 with the camera 31a. The drain wire 3 is made of a conductor wire and has a metallic luster. The multiple core wires 4 are covered with a coating 4b. Therefore, the drain wire detection device 31 can distinguish between the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 5, the sheath stripping device 32 of the third station St3 has a rotating clamp 32a and a clamp moving device 32b that moves the rotating clamp 32a in the longitudinal direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1. The rotating clamp 32a grips the sheath 2 on the tip side (the sheath 2 that is not completely pulled out from the multi-core shielded cable 1). When the drain wire detection device 31 detects the circumferential position of the drain wire 3, the fixed clamp 130 and the rotating clamp 32a of the sheath stripping device 32 rotate synchronously to orient the drain wire 3 in the 0 o'clock direction as viewed in the front-rear direction. When the drain wire detection device 31 detects that the drain wire 3 is located at the 0 o'clock position, the rotation of the fixed clamp 130 and the rotating clamp 32a of the sheath stripping device 32 is stopped. Thereafter, the sheath stripping device 32 moves the sheath 2 on the tip side further toward the tip side of the multi-core shielded cable 1 to perform full stripping to separate the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4. The full stripping is performed after the detection of the drain wire 3 by the drain wire detection device 31. This is to prevent the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 from coming apart and becoming difficult to detect when the drain wire 3 is detected by the drain wire detection device 31. Since the sheath 2 remains at the tips of the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4, the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 are prevented from coming apart.

[0072] The method of detecting the drain wire 3 is not limited to the method of capturing an image of the drain wire 3 by the camera 31a. The position of the drain wire 3 may be detected by, for example, a probe that passes a current through the drain wire 3.

[0073] The core wire separation device 33 of the third station St3 separates the drain wire 3 from the multiple core wires 4 based on the circumferential position of the drain wire 3 detected by the drain wire detection device 31. By separating the drain wire 3 from the multiple core wires 4, the processing of the drain wire 3 in the subsequent process becomes easier. Here, the core wire separation device 33 separates the drain wire 3 from the multiple core wires 4 by biasing the multiple core wires 4 downward. As a result, the multiple core wires 4 are bent downward and separated from the drain wire 3. The reason why the multiple core wires 4 are biased is that the core wire 4 is covered with the coating 4b, so that the conductor wire can be bent without being scattered. However, the separation device for the core wire 4 and the drain wire 3 is not limited to the embodiment as long as it is configured to separate the drain wire 3 from the multiple core wires 4 by biasing at least one of the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4. For example, the separation device may separate the drain wire 3 from the multiple core wires 4 by biasing the drain wire 3 or both the core wire 4 and the drain wire 3. In addition, the separation device may plastically bend the multiple core wires 4 (or drain wires 3) as in this embodiment, or may bend the multiple core wires 4 (or drain wires 3) elastically so that they return to their original shape when the force is removed.

[0074] FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of the third station St3, showing a state in which the core wire 4 has been separated. As shown in FIG. 6, the core wire separation device 33 includes a pair of left and right hooks 33a, a hook opening and closing device 33b, and a hook moving device 33c. The pair of hooks 33a open and close by moving in the left and right direction so as to move away from or approach each other. The hook opening and closing device 33b is a drive unit that opens and closes the pair of hooks 33a. The hook moving device 33c is a drive unit that moves the pair of hooks 33a in the up and down direction. When the pair of hooks 33a closes, the pair of hooks 33a surrounds the multi-core shielded cable 1 except in the 0 o'clock direction when viewed in the front-rear direction. When the pair of hooks 33a is moved downward by the hook moving device 33c in this state, the multiple core wires 4 are hooked on the pair of hooks 33a and bent downward. The drain wire 3 is not hooked on the pair of hooks 33a and is left behind. As a result, the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 are separated. The circumferential position at which drain wire 3 is positioned is not limited to the 0 o'clock direction, and the bending direction of core wire 4 is not limited to the downward direction.

[0075] FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of the fourth station St4. The fourth station St4 is provided with a drain wire straightening device 41 that straightens the separated drain wire 3 before the insulation process. The drain wire straightening device 41 straightens the separated drain wire 3 by applying a pulling tension while twisting the separated drain wire 3 in the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 7, the drain wire straightening device 41 has a rotating clamp 41a and a clamp moving device 41b that moves the rotating clamp 41a in the longitudinal direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1. In straightening the drain wire 3, the rotating clamp 41a grips the exposed portion of the drain wire 3 near the root. At this time, the rotating clamp 41a grips the exposed portion of the drain wire 3 with a weak gripping force that causes the gripping portion to slip when the rotating clamp 41a is moved forward. The drain wire straightening device 41 rotates the rotating clamp 41a and moves it forward while the rotating clamp 41a grips the drain wire 3 with the weak gripping force. When the rotating clamp 41a moves to the vicinity of the tip of the drain wire 3, the drain wire straightening device 41 strengthens the gripping force of the rotating clamp 41a to firmly twist the drain wire 3. As a result, the drain wire 3 is firmly twisted and straightened to a straight shape. By straightening the drain wire 3, the insulation process of the drain wire 3 becomes easier.

[0076] However, the operation of the drain wire straightening device 41 is not limited to the above as long as it is configured to apply a pulling tension while twisting the drain wires 3 in the circumferential direction. For example, the drain wire straightening device 41 may be configured to firmly grip the vicinity of the tip of the drain wire 3 from the beginning and twist the drain wires 3 while applying a pulling tension.

[0077] FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of the fifth station St5. As shown in FIG. 8, the fifth station St5 is provided with an insulation treatment device 51 that insulates the separated drain wire 3. The insulation treatment device 51 includes a tube reel 52 around which the heat shrink tube 6 before cutting is wound, a tube attachment device 53 that inserts the separated drain wire 3 into the heat shrink tube 6, and a heating device 54 that heats the heat shrink tube 6 with the drain wire 3 inserted therein. In the insulation treatment step, the heat shrink tube 6 is pulled out from the reel by the tube attachment device 53 and cut to a predetermined length by a tube cutter 53a of the tube attachment device 53. Here, the tube attachment device 53 moves the holding part 53b that holds the cut heat shrink tube 6 backward (to the fixed clamp 130 side). The tube attachment device 53 includes a holding part moving device 53c that moves the holding part 53b in the front-rear direction. As a result, the drain wire 3 is inserted into the heat shrink tube 6. In this state, the heater 54 blows hot air into the holding portion 53b, whereby the heat shrink tube 6 is thermally shrunk, and the drain wire 3 is insulated.

[0078] The method of insulating the drain wire 3 is not limited to the method of covering the drain wire 3 with the heat shrink tube 6. The insulation of the drain wire 3 may be performed, for example, by wrapping an insulating tape around the drain wire 3. However, the method of covering the drain wire 3 with the heat shrink tube 6 has the advantage that it can be easily performed by an automated machine.

[0079] FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of the sixth station St6. As shown in FIG. 9, the sixth station St6 is provided with an unbending device 61 that unbends the core wires 4 bent in the separation process, and an alignment device 62 that aligns the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4. The unbending device 61 is an example of a return device that realigns the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4 separated in the separation process. Here, the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4 are realigned by unbending the core wires 4 bent in the separation process, but in the case where the core wires 4 (or the drain wires 3) are merely elastically deformed in the separation process, the return device may be a device that releases the biasing force of the core wires 4 (or the drain wires 3). As described above, in this embodiment, the unbending device 61 and the alignment device 62 are integrated by sharing some of their configurations.

[0080] In the sixth station St6, before the bending back step and the arranging step, a rotation step is performed in which the multi-core shielded cable 1 is rotated in a circumferential direction so that the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 are arranged in a predetermined arrangement direction, here, the left-right direction. In the rotation step, the fixed clamp 130 rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 in a circumferential direction to position the drain wire 3 at a predetermined rotation position, here, the 3 o'clock direction when viewed from the front. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the drain wire 3 moves to the leftmost position among the multiple core wires. In this case, the fixed clamp 130 rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 by 90 degrees. After the rotation step, the multiple core wires 4 are located to the right of the drain wire 3. Note that the drain wire 3 may be located at the right end in the rotation step. As will be described in detail later, by determining the position of the drain wire 3 at the left end or the right end, the subsequent steps can be easily performed.

[0081] The unbending device 61 unbends the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4 that have been bent by the core wire separation device 33 (here, the core wire 4). As shown in FIG. 9, the unbending device 61 includes a pair of upper and lower rollers 61a (only the lower roller 61a is shown), an opening / closing device for the rollers 61a (not shown), and a roller moving device 61b. In unbending, the unbending device 61 first drives the opening / closing device to sandwich the exposed drain wire 3 and the root portions of the core wires 4 (near the remaining sheath 2) between the pair of rollers 61a. The rollers 61a are configured to rotate in the forward and backward directions. The rollers 61a include a plurality of grooves corresponding to the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4, respectively. The plurality of grooves are formed along the outer circumferential surface of the rollers 61a. The unbending device 61 drives the roller moving device 61b in a state in which the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4 are sandwiched between the pair of rollers 61a, to move the pair of rollers 61a forward. As a result, the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4 (particularly the core wires 4 bent in the separation process) are stretched straight in the front-rear direction along the grooves of the rollers 61a. However, the method for unbending the core wires 4 is not limited to the method using rollers as described above.

[0082] The alignment device 62 is configured to align the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4 at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. The alignment of the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4 is performed after the bending back process. FIG. 10 is a schematic front view of the sixth station St6, showing the state in which the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4 are aligned. As shown in FIG. 10, the alignment device 62 includes an alignment member 62a for aligning the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4, and a moving device 62b for moving the alignment member 62a closer to the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4. The alignment member 62a is a flat plate-shaped member extending in the left-right direction and the up-down direction, and has a plurality of comb teeth 62a1 aligned in the left-right direction. A plurality of gaps 62a2 corresponding to the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4 are provided between the comb teeth 62a1. The moving device 62b moves the alignment member 62a in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the core wires, here in the vertical direction, and inserts the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 into the multiple gaps 62a2 of the alignment member 62a. The moving device 62b may move the multi-core shielded cable 1, or may move both the alignment member 62a and the multi-core shielded cable 1. The moving device 62b may be configured to move at least one of the alignment member 62a and the multi-core shielded cable 1. In the alignment member 62a, the multiple gaps 62a2 are formed so as to be spaced apart from each other as they move forward in the movement direction when the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 are inserted (here, upward, which is the rear in the movement direction of the alignment member 62a). The multiple gaps 62a2 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction at the front end in the movement direction of the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 (i.e., the end of the gaps 62a2). 10, by inserting the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 into the gap 62a2 all the way to the end, the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 are aligned at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. This alignment specifies the left-right positions of the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4, and makes it possible to smoothly carry out subsequent steps, such as the step of transferring the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the shuttle 120.

[0083] After the alignment process, the multi-core shielded cable 1 is transferred from the conveying device 110 to the shuttle 120. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the shuttle 120 includes a plurality of individual clamps 120a arranged at substantially the same intervals as the aligned drain wires 3 and the plurality of core wires 4. The plurality of individual clamps 120a respectively hold the insulated drain wires 3 and the plurality of core wires 4. Here, each individual clamp 120a is configured to hold the drain wire 3 or the core wire 4 by elastic force. The drain wire 3 and the plurality of core wires 4 are pressed into the plurality of individual clamps 120a by, for example, another comb tooth (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of individual clamps 120a include an upstream group 120R that holds the plurality of core wires 3 and 4 exposed at the upstream end of the bent multi-core shielded cable 1, and a downstream group 120L that is disposed downstream of the upstream group 120R in the conveying direction and holds the plurality of core wires 3 and 4 exposed at the downstream end of the bent multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0084] FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view of the seventh station St7. As shown in FIG. 11, the seventh station St7 is configured to load the tip of the core wire 4, and is provided with a rubber plug mounting device 71 that mounts a rubber plug 7 on the loaded core wire 4. In this embodiment, the rubber plug mounting device 71 includes a rubber plug supply device 71a and a rubber plug clamp 71b. The rubber plug supply device 71a supplies the rubber plug 7 into the rubber plug clamp 71b, for example, by compressed air or the like. The rubber plug clamp 71b holds the rubber plug 7 from the outside in the radial direction. As shown in FIG. 11, the shuttle 120 includes a loading device 120b that moves the multiple individual clamps 120a individually in the forward and backward directions. The loading device 120b moves the multiple individual clamps 120a individually before the coating of the tip of the core wire 4 is stripped, and loads the core wire 4 held by the individual clamps 120a individually into the rubber plug mounting device 71. The core wire 4 is inserted into the rubber plug 7 by moving forward together with the individual clamp 120a. In this embodiment, the rubber plugs 7 are sequentially attached to the eight ends of the four core wires 4 while the shuttle 120 moves intermittently to the left. Such intermittent movement of the shuttle 120 is similar to that in the stripping process of the core wire, except that the drain wire 3 is also a target of processing. Moreover, such intermittent movement of the shuttle 120 is similar to that in the crimping process, except that the drain wire 3 is also a target of processing and the left end and the right end of the multi-core shielded cable 1 are processed by different crimping devices 91, 92.

[0085] Fig. 12 is a schematic plan view of the eighth station St8. As shown in Fig. 12, the eighth station St8 is configured to load the tip end of the drain wire 3 or the core wire 4, and is provided with a core wire stripping device 81 that strips the coating from the tip end of the loaded drain wire 3 or the core wire 4. The loading device 120b of the shuttle 120 moves the multiple individual clamps 120a individually to load the drain wires 3 or the core wires 4 held by the individual clamps 120a into the core wire stripping device 81 individually. The core wire stripping device 81 is provided with a pair of stripping blades 81a.

[0086] The drain wire 3 and the core wires 4 whose ends have been stripped are cut by a cutter (not shown) of the core wire stripping device 81 so that the positions of the ends are aligned. The cutting and aligning process specifies the positions of the ends of the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4. This allows the crimping process to be carried out smoothly.

[0087] FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view of the ninth station St9. As shown in FIG. 13, the ninth station St9 is configured to load the tip of the drain wire 3 or the core wire 4, and is provided with a right crimping device 91 that crimps a terminal 8 to the tip of the loaded drain wire 3 or the core wire 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the ninth station St9 is also provided with a left crimping device 92. The loading device 120b of the shuttle 120 moves the multiple individual clamps 120a individually to load the drain wire 3 or the core wire 4 that is held by the individual clamps 120a and has its tip portion stripped of its coating into the crimping device 91 or 92 individually. The right crimping device 91 and the left crimping device 92 have the same configuration, so only the configuration of the right crimping device 91 will be described below.

[0088] The right-side crimping device 91 includes an applicator 91a, a press (not shown) that presses the applicator 91a, and a terminal reel 91b. The applicator 91a includes a crimper (not shown) and an anvil 91a1 that are dies that form the terminals 8. The crimper and anvil 91a1 face each other in the vertical direction. When the terminals 8 are supplied between the crimper and the anvil 91a1 from the terminal reel 91b, and the press is driven with the tip of the core wire of the multi-core shielded cable 1 inserted between the crimper and the anvil 91a1, the crimper and the anvil 91a1 approach each other, and the terminals 8 are crimped to the tip of the core wire of the multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0089] For quality control, it is preferable to perform the attachment of the rubber plug 7, the stripping of the core wire, and the crimping of the terminal 8 for each core wire. Therefore, in this embodiment, the drain wire 3 or the core wire 4 is loaded one by one into the rubber plug attachment device 71, the core wire stripping device 81, the right crimping device 91, or the left crimping device 92 by the loading device 120b. In this embodiment, the left and right positions of the core wires are specified by the alignment process, so that the attachment of the rubber plug 7, the stripping of the core wire, and the crimping of the terminal 8 can be performed reliably. In addition, since the drain wire 3 is arranged at the left end in the rotation process, the position of the drain wire 3 is also specified in the subsequent process (that is, it is known that the core wire at the left end is the drain wire 3). Therefore, in the subsequent process, it is easy to determine whether it is the turn to process the drain wire 3 or the turn to process the core wire 4. For example, when a terminal 8 for a drain wire 3 different from that for a core wire 4 is used in the crimping process, it is necessary to specify the position of the drain wire 3.

[0090] It is not necessary to perform the steps of attaching the rubber plug 7, stripping the core wires 3, 4, and crimping the terminal 8 on all of the core wires 3, 4 (all of the core wires 4 in the case of attaching the rubber plug 7). These steps do not have to be performed on the drain wire 3, and they do not have to be performed on some of the core wires 4. The exposed portions of the drain wires 3 or core wires 4 that are not subjected to these steps may be cut off before these steps.

[0091] [Transportation device] In detail, the conveying device for the multi-core shielded cable 1 in the processing apparatus 200 may have the following configuration. However, the configuration of the conveying device is not limited to the following.

[0092] Fig. 14 is a rear view of a conveying device for the multi-core shielded cable 1. As shown in Fig. 14, according to one preferred embodiment, the conveying device for the multi-core shielded cable 1 includes a slitting device 21, a sheath semi-strip device 22, a drain wire detection device 31, a sheath stripping device 32 (including a rotating clamp 32a as a rotating device that rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 based on the circumferential position of the drain wire 3 detected by the drain wire detection device 31 and positions the drain wire 3 at a predetermined rotation position (here, the 0 o'clock position)), a core wire separation device 33, a drain wire straightening device 41, an insulation treatment device 51, a bending back device 61, and a conveying device 110 (upstream conveying device, hereinafter also referred to as the first conveying device 110) that conveys the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the alignment device 62, and a second conveying device 119 (downstream conveying device) that conveys the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the rubber plug attachment device 71, the core wire stripping device 81, the right crimping device 91, and the left crimping device 92. The second conveying device 119 includes a shuttle 120 having a plurality of individual clamps 120a that respectively grip the plurality of core wires 3, 4 of the multi-core shielded cable 1, and a shuttle conveying device 121 that moves the shuttle 120. Here, the second conveying device 119 includes a plurality of shuttles 120.

[0093] The first conveying device 110 is provided to face each of the multiple processing stations St2 to St6 and includes a plurality of fixed clamps 130 that grip the multi-core shielded cable 1, and a plurality of conveying clamps 111 that are each configured to grip the multi-core shielded cable 1 and reciprocate between two adjacent ones of the multiple fixed clamps 130. The fixed clamps 130 are an example of a fixed gripping device that grips the multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0094] The multiple conveying clamps 111 of the first conveying device 110 are arranged at the same pitch in the conveying direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1, and move back and forth in the conveying direction. The clamp moving device 112 of the first conveying device 110 includes a slide rail 112a that extends in the conveying direction and with which the multiple conveying clamps 111 are engaged, and a drive unit 112b that moves the multiple conveying clamps 111 along the slide rail 112a. The multiple fixed clamps 130 as fixed gripping devices are arranged to be aligned in the front-rear direction with each conveying clamp 111 when in the stopped position. The pitch of the multiple fixed clamps 130 is the same as the pitch of the multiple conveying clamps 111 and is constant.

[0095] The two conveying clamps 111 on the most upstream side in the conveying direction grip the multi-core shielded cable 1 bent into a U-shape at two points and move it to a position directly opposite the second station St2. The two fixed clamps 130 arranged behind the second station St2 grip the conveyed multi-core shielded cable 1 at two points. The conveying clamps 111 then return to the rear of the first station St1 and grip the next multi-core shielded cable 1. The other conveying clamps 111 and other fixed clamps 130 operate in the same manner. As a result, a plurality of multi-core shielded cables 1 are conveyed sequentially downstream in the conveying direction.

[0096] The shuttle conveying device 121 of the second conveying device 119 moves the shuttle 120 between a take-up position P0 where the multi-core shielded cable 1 is taken up, a first opposing position P1 facing the core wire stripping device 81, a second opposing position P2 facing the crimping devices (right-side crimping device 91 and left-side crimping device 92), and, in the case of a processing device 200 including a rubber plug attachment device 71, a third opposing position P3 facing the rubber plug attachment device 71, and a release position P4 where the multi-core shielded cable 1 after the terminal 8 is crimped is released. Here, the shuttle conveying device 121 circulates a plurality of shuttles 120. However, the shuttle conveying device 121 may reciprocate or circulate a single shuttle 120.

[0097] In this embodiment, since the multi-core shielded cable 1 is bent in a U-shape, the first opposing position P1 includes an upstream first opposing position where the downstream end of the multi-core shielded cable 1 faces the core wire stripping device 81, and a downstream first opposing position where the upstream end of the multi-core shielded cable 1 faces the core wire stripping device 81. The same applies to the third opposing position P3. The second opposing position P2 includes an upstream second opposing position where the downstream end of the multi-core shielded cable 1 faces the right crimping device 91, and a downstream second opposing position where the upstream end of the multi-core shielded cable 1 faces the left crimping device 92. In this embodiment, the devices provided in each of the processing stations St7 to St9 are configured to process the downstream end of the multi-core shielded cable 1 while the device provided in the processing station adjacent to the upstream side processes the upstream end of the multi-core shielded cable 1. For example, the right crimping device 91 crimps the terminal 8 to the downstream end while the core wire stripping device 81 is stripping the upstream end of the multi-core shielded cable 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, the first downstream facing position and the second upstream facing position are the same position. In this manner, the receiving position P0, the third facing position P3, the first facing position P1, the second facing position P2, and the release position P4 may partially overlap each other.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 14, the shuttle conveying device 121 includes a circulating member 121a to which a plurality of shuttles 120 are fixed and which runs in a loop, and a driving unit 121b which circulates the circulating member 121a. The circulating member 121a is, for example, an endless belt or chain. In this embodiment, the circulating member 121a is configured to draw a loop when viewed in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the circulating movement of the shuttle 120 includes a lateral movement between the pick-up position P0, the third opposing position P3, the first opposing position P1, and the second opposing position P2, and a vertical movement between a position lower than the pick-up position P0, the third opposing position P3, the first opposing position P1, and the second opposing position P2. Here, the release position P4 is set in the upper stage of the loop alongside the pick-up position P0, the third opposing position P3, the first opposing position P1, and the second opposing position P2, but may be set in the lower stage of the loop or between the upper stage and the lower stage. However, the circulation member 121a may be arranged, for example, along a horizontal plane and configured to form a loop in a plan view.

[0099] The multiple individual clamps 120a of the shuttle 120 grip the multiple core wires 3, 4 when the shuttle 120 moves from a position below the take-up position P0 to the take-up position P0. The individual clamps 120a have a U-shape that opens upward, and hold the drain wire 3 or the core wire 4 inside the U-shape. The individual clamps 120a are elastic so that the core wires 3, 4 can be inserted into the U-shape and can hold them after insertion. The core wires 3, 4 are pressed into the individual clamps 120a by the movement of the shuttle 120 upward toward the take-up position P0 and the action of the pressing member of the alignment device 62 that covers the core wires 3, 4 from above so as to press them.

[0100] As described above, the processing apparatus 200 according to this embodiment includes a first conveying device 110 that conveys the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the slitting device 21, the sheath semi-strip device 22, the drain wire detection device 31, the sheath stripping device 32 (including the rotating clamp 32a), the core wire separation device 33, the drain wire straightening device 41, the insulation processing device 51, the bending back device 61, and the alignment device 62, and a second conveying device 119 that conveys the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the rubber plug attachment device 71, the core wire stripping device 81, and the crimping devices 91 and 92. The second conveying device 119 includes a shuttle 120 provided with a plurality of individual clamps 120a that respectively grip a plurality of core wires 3 and 4, and a shuttle conveying device 121 that moves the shuttle 120. The shuttle conveying device 121 moves the shuttle 120 between a take-up position P0 where the multi-core shielded cable 1 is taken up, a third opposing position P3 facing the rubber plug attachment device 71, a first opposing position P1 facing the core wire stripping device 81, a second opposing position P2 facing the crimping devices 91 and 92, and a release position P4 where the multi-core shielded cable 1 is released after the terminal 8 is crimped. According to the processing device 200, the multi-core shielded cable 1 can be conveyed without re-gripping the core wires 3 and 4 during the attachment of the rubber plug 7, the stripping of the core wires 3 and 4, and the crimping of the terminal 8. Therefore, the positions of the core wires 3 and 4 are stable without being changed by the re-gripping. This allows the attachment of the rubber plug 7, the stripping of the core wires 3 and 4, and the crimping of the terminal 8 to be performed with high quality.

[0101] In this embodiment, the shuttle transport device 121 circulates the multiple shuttles 120. This allows the shuttles 120 to return from the release position P4 to the take-up position P0, and the transport of the multi-core shielded cable 1 is performed continuously. Furthermore, since the multiple shuttles 120 circulate, the productivity can be improved.

[0102] In this embodiment, the circulatory movement of the shuttle 120 includes lateral movement between the pick-up position P0, the third opposing position P3, the first opposing position P1, and the second opposing position P2, and vertical movement between positions below the pick-up position P0, the third opposing position P3, the first opposing position P1, and the second opposing position P2. The multiple individual clamps 120a of the shuttle 120 grip the multiple core wires 3, 4 when the shuttle 120 moves from a position below the pick-up position P0 to the pick-up position P0. With this configuration, the vertical movement of the shuttle 120 during its circulatory movement can be utilized to grip the core wires 3, 4, thereby shortening the process time.

[0103] In this embodiment, the first conveying device 110 is provided to face each of the processing stations St2 to St6, and includes a plurality of fixed clamps 130 that grip the multi-core shielded cable 1, and a plurality of conveying clamps 111 that are configured to grip the multi-core shielded cable 1 and move back and forth between two adjacent fixed clamps 130 among the plurality of fixed clamps 130. Depending on the number of fixed clamps 130, the number of conveying clamps 111 may be one. According to the processing device 200, in the process that does not require high-precision positioning for the conveying of the multi-core shielded cable 1 (here, the process of making a slit in the sheath 2 to the alignment of the core wires 3 and 4), the conveying clamps 111 move back and forth and the multi-core shielded cable 1 is re-gripped. This simplifies the configuration of the conveying device (first conveying device 110) for the multi-core shielded cable 1 in the process.

[0104] In this embodiment, in steps that do not require high degree of positioning for transport of the multi-core shielded cable 1, the multi-core shielded cable 1 is re-gripped to simplify the first transport device 110, and in steps that require high positional accuracy for each of the core wires 3, 4 (here, from attachment of rubber plugs 7 to crimping of terminals 8), the multi-core shielded cable 1 is not re-gripped and the shuttle 120 holding the core wires 3, 4 is moved. This simplifies the processing device 200 as a whole and improves the processing quality of the multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0105] In this embodiment, the processing stations St2 to St6 are arranged in line in the direction of transport of the multi-core shielded cable 1 by the transport clamp 111. The processing device 200 is arranged upstream of the processing stations St2 to St6 in the transport direction, and includes a bending device 110A (here, the bending function of the transport device 110, but it may be a dedicated bending device) that bends the multi-core shielded cable 1 into a substantially U-shape so that both ends are aligned in the transport direction. Each of the fixed clamps 130 is configured to hold one end of the multi-core shielded cable 1 bent by the bending device 110A. The device provided in each of the processing stations St2 to St6 processes the downstream end of the bent multi-core shielded cable 1 while the device provided in the processing station adjacent to the upstream side processes the upstream end. With this configuration, both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 can be processed simultaneously, thereby improving productivity.

[0106] In this embodiment, the multiple individual clamps 120a of the shuttle 120 include an upstream group 120R that holds the multiple core wires 3, 4 exposed at the upstream end of the bent multi-core shielded cable 1, and a downstream group 120L that is disposed downstream of the upstream group 120R in the conveying direction and holds the multiple core wires 3, 4 exposed at the downstream end of the bent multi-core shielded cable 1. With this configuration, both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 bent into a U shape can be held even in the process of conveying the multi-core shielded cable 1 with the shuttle 120. Note that, even in the process of conveying the multi-core shielded cable 1 with the shuttle 120, the devices provided at each of the processing stations St7 to St9 process the downstream end of the multi-core shielded cable 1 while the device provided at the processing station adjacent to the upstream side processes the upstream end of the multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0107] [Another embodiment of the conveying device] FIG. 15 is a rear view of a conveying device for a multi-core shielded cable 1 according to another embodiment. In the following description of the other embodiments, the same reference numerals are used for members having the same functions as those in the above-mentioned embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, the conveying device for a multi-core shielded cable 1 may include a transfer device 140 that receives the multi-core shielded cable 1 from the first conveying device 110 and transfers the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the second conveying device 119. By providing the transfer device 140, the multi-core shielded cable 1 is not directly transferred from the first conveying device 110 to the second conveying device 119. Therefore, the waiting time of the first conveying device 110 and the second conveying device 119 can be reduced. In this embodiment, the transfer device 140 is disposed between the fifth station St5 and the sixth station St6. The first conveying device 110 conveys the multi-core shielded cable 1 from the second station St2 through the fifth station St5 to the transfer device 140. The second transport device 119 takes up the multi-core shielded cable 1 from the delivery device 140 at the take-up position P0, and transports it to the tenth station St10.

[0108] In this embodiment, the multiple individual clamps 120a of the second conveying device 119 grip the multi-core shielded cable 1 so that the distance between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 is narrower than when the multiple fixed clamps 130 of the first conveying device 110 grip the multi-core shielded cable 1. This allows the length of the processing device 200 in the conveying direction to be shortened. In addition, the width of the shuttle 120 in the conveying direction can also be narrowed. On the other hand, in the stations St2 to St5 where the first conveying device 110 conveys the multi-core shielded cable 1, the distance between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 is wide, so that there is a degree of freedom and room in the arrangement of the devices. In response to this, the delivery device 140 is configured to reduce the distance between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 after receiving the multi-core shielded cable 1 from the first conveying device 110 and before transferring it to the second conveying device 119. In this embodiment, the delivery device 140 is provided with a function for narrowing the gap between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1, so that the device for narrowing the gap between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 and the delivery device 140 are both used as a single device.

[0109] As shown in FIG. 15, the delivery device 140 includes a pair of clamps 141 that respectively grip both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1, a drive device 142 that moves the pair of clamps 141 closer to or farther apart, a moving body 143 that supports the clamps 141 and the drive device 142, a lifting device 144 that moves the moving body 143 up and down, and a slide device 145 that moves the moving body 143 in the conveying direction. When the multi-core shielded cable 1 is taken from the first conveying device 110, the delivery device 140 moves the moving body 143 to above the most downstream conveying clamp 111 (in a state moved to the downstream side) by the slide device 145. Furthermore, the delivery device 140 lowers the moving body 143 by the lifting device 144 to a position where the vertical position of the clamp 141 is the same as that of the multi-core shielded cable 1. In this state, the pair of clamps 141 grip both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1. At this time, the distance between the pair of clamps 141 corresponds to the distance between both ends of multi-core shielded cable 1 when held by first conveying device 110.

[0110] When the pair of clamps 141 grip the multi-core shielded cable 1, the delivery device 140 raises the moving body 143. Furthermore, the delivery device 140 moves the moving body 143 downstream in the conveying direction to above the shuttle 120 at the take-up position P0. During this time, the drive device 142 moves the pair of clamps 141 closer to each other, so that the distance between the pair of clamps 141 corresponds to the distance between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 when it is held by the second conveying device 119. The drive device 142 is configured to move the pair of clamps 141 closer to each other or farther away from each other, so that the distance between the pair of clamps 141 corresponds to the distance between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 when it is held by the first conveying device 110, or corresponds to the distance between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 when it is held by the second conveying device 119. The delivery device 140 then descends and delivers the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the shuttle 120 at the take-up position P0.

[0111] In this embodiment, the driving device 142 changes the distance between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 by rotating the pair of clamps 141 around a rotation axis arranged at a position different from the axis of the gripped multi-core shielded cable 1. As shown in FIG. 15, when the driving device 142 shortens the distance between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1, the driving device 142 rotates the upstream clamp 141R 90 degrees downstream around the rotation axis Ar. In addition, the driving device 142 rotates the downstream clamp 141L 90 degrees upstream around the rotation axis Al. This reduces the distance between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1. Note that in this embodiment, both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 are rotated by the driving device 142, not the fixed clamp 130, and the multiple core wires 3 and 4 are aligned in the conveying direction. This makes it possible to unbend the core wire 4 by the unbending device 61 and the alignment device 62, and align the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4.

[0112] However, the configuration of the delivery device 140 is not limited to the above. For example, the configuration in which the delivery device 140 changes the distance between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 is not limited to the configuration in which the clamps 141 are rotated. The delivery device 140 may be configured to change the distance between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1, for example, by sliding one or both of the pair of clamps 141 in the conveying direction. The delivery device 140 does not have to raise and lower the multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0113] In this embodiment, the multiple individual clamps 120a of the second conveying device 119 hold the multi-core shielded cable 1 so that the spacing between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 is narrower than when it is held by the multiple fixed clamps 130 of the first conveying device 110, but it is also possible to hold both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 at the same spacing as when it is held by the fixed clamps 130.

[0114] [Other embodiments] Some preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the above embodiments are merely illustrative, and various other embodiments are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the position of the drain wire 3 is detected after the semi-stripping step of the sheath 2 is performed, and then the full stripping step of the sheath 2 is performed. However, for example, when the stripping length of the sheath 2 is short and there is little risk of the core wire coming apart, the position of the drain wire 3 may be detected after the full stripping step of the sheath 2 is performed. Also, when the stripping length of the sheath 2 is short and the twisting of the core wire is not a problem, the core wire may not be untwisted in the stripping of the sheath 2. Furthermore, when the stripping length of the sheath 2 is short and the exposed drain wire 3 is short, the correction step of the drain wire 3 may not be performed.

[0115] In the above-described embodiment, the multi-core shielded cable 1 including the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 is processed. However, the cable to be processed may be a multi-core cable that does not include a drain wire. The processing device for the multi-core cable may be a device that processes a multi-core cable having a sheath and multiple core wires inserted into the sheath. The processing device for the multi-core cable may include a cutting device that forms a circumferential cut in the sheath, and a drawing device that moves at least one of the sheath on the tip side of the multi-core cable and the sheath on the base side of the cut in the longitudinal direction of the multi-core cable to expose the multiple core wires. The processing device for the multi-core cable may further include a detection device that detects the position of a specific core wire among the multiple core wires in the circumferential direction of the multi-core cable, and a rotation device that rotates the multi-core cable based on the detected circumferential position of the specific core wire and moves the specific core wire to a predetermined circumferential position. The specific core wire may be a drain wire, but may be another core wire.

[0116] According to the multi-core cable processing device, the multi-core cable is rotated based on the circumferential position of the specific core wire detected by the detection device, and the specific core wire is positioned at a predetermined circumferential position. Accordingly, the positions of the multiple core wires are determined. This makes it possible to identify the position of each core wire of the multi-core cable.

[0117] The details of each step and the configuration of each device are not particularly limited as long as they are not contrary to the technical concept of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the above-described embodiment does not limit the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] 1. Multi-core shielded cable (multi-core cable) 2 Sheath 3 Drain wire (core wire) 4 core wire 6 Heat shrink tubing 7 Rubber stopper (waterproof rubber stopper) 8 Terminals 21 Cutting device 22 Sheath semi-stripping device (pulling device) 31 Drain wire detection device (detection device) 32 Sheath stripping device (pulling device) 32a Rotating clamp (rotating device) 33 Core wire separation device (separation device) 41 Drain wire correction device (correction device) 51 Insulation treatment equipment 53 Tube installation device (insertion device) 54 Heating device 61 Bending device 62 Alignment device 62a Alignment member 62b Mobile equipment 71 Rubber stopper attachment device 81 Wire stripping device (stripping device) 91 Right side crimping device (crimping device) 92 Left side crimping device (crimping device) 110 Transport device (first transport device) 110A bending device 111 Transport clamp (gripping device, mobile gripping device) 112 Clamp moving device (gripping device moving device) 119 Second conveyor 120 Shuttle (Carrier) 120a Individual clamp (gripping member) 121 Shuttle transport device (carrier moving device) 120b loading device 130 Fixed clamp (fixed gripping device) 140 Delivery device 141 Clamp (gripping member) 142 Drive unit 150 Control device 200 Processing equipment St2~St9 Stations (processing stations, other processing stations)

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing a multi-core cable having a sheath and a plurality of core wires inserted into the sheath, comprising: a cutting device for forming a circumferential cut in the sheath; a pulling device that moves at least one of a sheath on a tip side of the multi-core cable and a sheath on a base side of the multi-core cable relative to the slit in a longitudinal direction of the multi-core cable to expose the multiple core wires; a detection device for detecting a position of a specific core wire among the plurality of core wires in a circumferential direction of the multi-core cable; and a rotation device that rotates the multi-core cable based on the detected circumferential position of the specific core wire, and moves the specific core wire to a predetermined circumferential position. Multi-core cable processing equipment.

2. The plurality of core wires include a drain wire and a plurality of core wires, the specific core wire is the drain wire, a separation device that separates the drain wire from the plurality of core wires by energizing at least one of the drain wire and the plurality of core wires based on the detected circumferential position of the drain wire; an insulation treatment device for insulating the separated drain wire; The cutting device, the pulling device, the detection device, the rotation device, the separation device, and a first conveying device that conveys the multi-core cable to the insulation treatment device, 2. The multi-core cable processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The present invention further includes a straightening device that straightens the separated drain wires by twisting them in a circumferential direction and applying a pulling tension to the wires before the insulation process. The multi-core cable processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The insulation treatment device includes: an insertion device for inserting the separated drain wire into a heat shrink tube; and a heating device for heating the heat shrink tube with the drain wire inserted therein.

4. The multi-core cable processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The extracting device is configured to extract the tip-side sheath while rotating at least one of the tip-side sheath and the base-side sheath such that the tip-side sheath rotates in a circumferential direction relative to the base-side sheath, and to untwist the multiple core wires. The multi-core cable processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The extraction device comprises: a semi-stripping step of extracting the tip side sheath so that a part of the plurality of core wires is exposed and the tip side sheath remains on another part of the plurality of core wires, the semi-stripping step being performed before the detection of the specific core wire by the detection device; A total stripping operation for detaching the distal end side sheath from the plurality of core wires is performed after the detection of the specific core wire by the detection device. The multi-core cable processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The wire assembly further includes an alignment device for arranging the plurality of wires at a predetermined interval, The alignment device includes: an alignment member having a plurality of comb teeth, the plurality of gaps being provided between the comb teeth corresponding to the plurality of core wires; a moving device that moves at least one of the alignment member and the multi-core cable to insert the plurality of core wires into the plurality of gaps of the alignment member, the plurality of gaps are formed so as to be spaced apart from each other toward the front in a moving direction when the plurality of core wires are inserted, and are arranged at the predetermined intervals at a front end in the moving direction. The multi-core cable processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A plurality of gripping members each capable of gripping one of the core wires; a stripping device configured to receive the tip end of the core wire and stripping the coating from the tip end of the core wire; and a loading device that moves the plurality of gripping members individually to load the core wires gripped by the gripping members individually into the stripping device. The multi-core cable processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The crimping device is configured to load the tip end of the core wire and crimp a terminal onto the loaded tip end of the core wire, The loading device is configured to individually move the plurality of gripping members to individually load the core wires gripped by the gripping members and having the coating of the tip portion stripped therefrom into the crimping device. The multi-core cable processing apparatus according to claim 8.

10. The plurality of core wires include a plurality of core wires, The tip end of the core wire is loaded, and a rubber plug attachment device is further provided for attaching a waterproof rubber plug to the loaded core wire, The loading device is configured to move the plurality of gripping members individually before the coating of the tip portion of the core wire is stripped, and load the core wire gripped by the gripping members individually into the rubber plug attachment device. The multi-core cable processing apparatus according to claim 8 or 9.

11. a processing station provided with at least one of the cutting device, the pulling device, the detection device, and the rotating device; Another processing station is arranged next to the processing station in a predetermined direction and is provided with at least one other of the cutting device, the pulling device, the detection device, and the rotating device; a first conveying device that conveys the multi-core cable to the cutting device, the pulling device, the detection device, and the rotating device; The first conveying device is a gripping device that grips the multi-core cable bent so that one end and the other end are aligned in the predetermined direction; a gripping device moving device that moves the gripping device in the predetermined direction, a device provided at the other processing station processes the other end of the multi-core cable while the device provided at the processing station processes the one end of the multi-core cable; The multi-core cable processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. a first conveying device that conveys the multi-core cable to the cutting device, the drawing device, the detection device, and the rotating device; a stripping device configured to receive the tip end of the core wire and stripping the coating from the tip end of the core wire; a crimping device configured to receive the tip end of the core wire and crimp a terminal onto the tip end of the core wire from which the coating has been stripped by the stripping device; a second conveying device that conveys the multi-core cable to the stripping device and the crimping device, The second conveying device is a carrier including a plurality of gripping members each capable of gripping one of the core wires; a carrier moving device that moves the carrier among a take-up position where the multi-core cable is taken up, a first opposing position facing the stripping device, a second opposing position facing the crimping device, and a release position where the multi-core cable is released after the terminal is crimped. The multi-core cable processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. the second transport device includes a plurality of the carriers; The carrier moving device circulates the plurality of carriers. The multi-core cable processing apparatus according to claim 12.

14. the circulatory movement of the carrier includes a lateral movement between the pick-up position, the first opposing position, and the second opposing position, and a vertical movement between the pick-up position, the first opposing position, and a position below the second opposing position, the plurality of gripping members of the carrier grip the plurality of core wires when the carrier moves from a position lower than the take-up position to the take-up position. The multi-core cable processing apparatus according to claim 13.

15. a plurality of processing stations each provided with one or more of the cutting device, the pulling device, the detection device, and the rotating device; The first conveying device is a plurality of fixed gripping devices provided to face the plurality of processing stations, respectively, and configured to grip the multi-core cable; and one or more movable gripping devices each configured to grip the multi-core cable and reciprocating between two adjacent fixed gripping devices among the plurality of fixed gripping devices. The multi-core cable processing device according to any one of claims 12 to 14.

16. a transfer device that receives the multi-core cable from the first conveying device and transfers the multi-core cable to the second conveying device, The multi-core cable processing apparatus according to claim 15.

17. The processing stations are arranged side by side in a direction in which the multi-core cable is conveyed by the moving gripping device, a bending device disposed upstream of the processing stations in the conveying direction and configured to bend the multi-core cable into a substantially U-shape so that both ends are aligned in the conveying direction; each of the plurality of fixed gripping devices is configured to grip one end of the multi-core cable bent by the bending device; a device provided at each processing station processes a downstream end of the bent multi-core cable while a device provided at an adjacent processing station on the upstream side processes an upstream end of the bent multi-core cable; 17. The multi-core cable processing apparatus according to claim 15 or 16.

18. The plurality of gripping members of the carrier include: an upstream group that holds the plurality of cores exposed at an upstream end of the bent multi-core cable; a downstream group disposed downstream of the upstream group in the conveying direction and configured to grip the plurality of core wires exposed at a downstream end of the bent multi-core cable. The multi-core cable processing apparatus according to claim 17.

19. the plurality of gripping members grip the multi-core cable such that a distance between both ends of the multi-core cable is narrower than when the multi-core cable is gripped by the plurality of fixed gripping devices; The multi-core cable processing apparatus according to claim 18.

20. a transfer device that receives the multi-core cable from the first conveying device and transfers the multi-core cable to the second conveying device, The delivery device includes: a pair of gripping members for gripping both ends of the multi-core cable; and a drive device that moves the pair of gripping members toward or away from each other, so that the distance between the pair of gripping members corresponds to the distance between both ends of the multi-core cable when gripped by the first conveying device, or corresponds to the distance between both ends of the multi-core cable when gripped by the second conveying device.

20. The multi-core cable processing apparatus according to claim 19.

Images