Terminal processing wire manufacturing apparatus, wire cutting and stripping apparatus, and terminal processing wire manufacturing method

Abstract

To improve production efficiency and improve quality in end-processed electric wire manufacturing that includes an electric wire cutting-and-peeling process and an end processing process thereafter.SOLUTION: An end-processed electric wire manufacturing device 201 comprises: an electric wire feeding unit 210 that feeds an electric wire; a cutting-and-peeling unit 204 for the electric wire that is fed; a first-side end processing unit 260 that processes a tip end of a first-side electric wire having been cut and peeled, and a second-side end processing unit 290 that processes a rear end of the second-side preceding electric wire; and clam-and-transport units 220, 270 that clamp the electric wire and transport to each unit. The device further includes a wire stop 390 that is located in front of the wire cutting-and-peeling unit 204 and that stops the drooping-down electric wire, and wire stop movement means 392 that moves the wire stop 390 between a position approaching the cutting-and-peeling unit 204 and a position separating away therefrom.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 18

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for cutting an electric wire and stripping the coating (skin) at its end, an apparatus for crimping an electric wire terminal after stripping the coating, and the like. In particular, the present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus for a terminal-crimped electric wire that shortens the time (tact time) required to manufacture a single product electric wire, improves productivity, or improves the removal of scraps from the electric wire coating.

Background Art

[0002] In the wire harness industry, the process of cutting an electric wire to a required length, stripping the coatings before and after the cut portion, and then crimping a connector terminal for connection (cutting / stripping / terminal crimping process) is a basic process with a very large workload through which most of the large amount of electric wires used in wire harnesses pass. In this cutting / stripping / terminal crimping process, improvement in production efficiency and quality more than in other processes have been required. To meet this requirement, automatic processing machines for electric wires have continued to be improved and evolved. This time, as one of the improvements, new technologies are proposed regarding the structures and operations of a blade drive mechanism for cutting an electric wire, a wire guiding mechanism, and an air blowing mechanism for scraps.

[0003] A conventional example of an automatic processing apparatus used in the cutting / stripping / terminal crimping process of an electric wire is disclosed in JP-A-2014-7043. This machine includes an electric wire feeding section, an electric wire cutting section, a stripping section at the tip (top) of the electric wire, a rotary conveying section for one-side electric wire (the tip is cut and the rear end is connected to an electric wire reel), a terminal crimping machine, and the like. The apparatus of this conventional example also aims to improve the production efficiency and quality of the cutting / stripping / terminal crimping process.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to provide an apparatus or method capable of improving production efficiency and quality in a terminal crimping wire manufacturing process including a wire cutting and stripping process or a subsequent terminal crimping process, or capable of improving various performances such as the performance of discharging scraps of wire coating.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In this “Means for Solving the Problems”, “Claims”, and a part of the specification, reference numerals of each part of the attached drawings are shown in parentheses, which is for reference only and is not intended to limit the scope of rights to those of the attached drawings.

[0007] The first wire cutting and stripping apparatus (4) of the present invention is a wire cutting and stripping apparatus (4) including a cutting blade (42) for cutting a wire and stripping blades (41, 43) for making incisions in the coating of the wire, which are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the wire, and includes a slide block (45) reciprocally driven in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the wire, a stripping blade holder (441) attached to the slide block (45) for holding the stripping blades (41, 43), a cutting blade holder (443) mounted on the slide block (45) for holding the cutting blade (42), and a cutting blade drive actuator (44) for reciprocally driving the cutting blade holder (443) in the intersecting direction. A mechanism for reciprocally driving the slide block (45) is electric. By driving the cutting blade drive actuator (44), the cutting blade (42) cuts the wire, then avoids the wire, moves the wire in the longitudinal direction after wire cutting to set the stripping length, then the stripping blades (41, 43) make incisions in the coating of the wire, and then the wire is moved in the longitudinal direction to strip the coating.

[0008] The "cross direction" for driving the cutting blade actuator (44) is generally the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the electric wire, and is typically the vertical direction (the direction of the earth's gravity). However, it is not limited to this. The actuator driving direction is generally the same as the driving direction of the slide block (45). However, it is not limited to this. The cutting blade actuator (44) is preferably a pneumatic cylinder. The pneumatic cylinder has advantages such as relatively high speed, high acceleration, space saving, low cost, and easy piping layout.

[0009] The cutting blade has a long stroke for the following reasons. That is, at the cutting completion position, the pair of blades sufficiently overlap, and at the avoidance position (the electric wire feed standby position), the opposing cutting blades such as a V-shape sufficiently escape from the space where the electric wire advances, preventing the blade from inadvertently touching the electric wire and damaging the electric wire. Also, the cutting blade does not need to be precisely positioned (for example, by a motor + ball screw). On the other hand, the stripping blade must precisely adjust the cutting position (the position where the pair of blades are close and overlap) according to the type of electric wire (diameter and coating thickness). In accordance with the characteristics of each blade, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, electric drive and cylinder drive are combined.

[0010] In a conventional ordinary wire cutting and stripping device, an integral mounting component with a wire cutting blade and a coating stripping blade is provided to be vertically slidable, and cutting (wire cutting) and stripping (coating peeling) are performed by the opening and closing movement of the upper and lower blades driven by a motor. In one embodiment of the present invention, by operating the wire cutting blade alone and at high speed with a cutting blade drive actuator (44) (such as a pneumatic cylinder), the cutting blade 42 can be moved even while the stripping blades (41·43) are stopped or moving in the reverse direction. Therefore, the time of the cutting and coating stripping processes can be shortened. Furthermore, by combining with improvements in peripheral devices as described below, the operation cycle of the entire wire cutting, stripping, and terminal crimping process can be further shortened, and the productivity of the device can be improved. Furthermore, since only the cutting blade (242) can be retracted from the wire traveling path alone, as will be described later with reference to FIGS. 23 and 24 of the wire, it is also easy to perform processing (long strip) where the stripping length is longer than the "distance between the stripping blade and the cutting blade".

[0011] Improvement of Peripheral Devices (1) Reduction of the cutting distance (cutting blade stroke) by the pre-lowering of the slide block (45) before driving the cutting blade drive actuator (44). (2) Arrangement of the coating debris suction port on the side of the two-side crimping machine (90). (3) Reduction of processes and reduction of unnecessary forward and backward movements (return swing) by improving the orbit of the wire turning unit. (4) Prevention of wire flailing and stabilization of wire feeding by the wire turning guide (160).

[0012] The first terminal crimping wire manufacturing apparatus (1) of the present invention includes a wire feeding unit (10) for feeding a wire, a wire cutting and stripping unit (4) for cutting the fed wire to an arbitrary length and stripping the coating of the cut end of the wire, an end processing unit (60) for end processing the tip of the wire with the coating stripped, and a clamp conveying unit (20) for clamping the wire and conveying it to each unit. The end processing wire manufacturing apparatus (1) further includes a turning guide (160) disposed along the turning path of the wire end between the wire cutting and stripping unit (4) and the end processing unit (60), and having a pair of guide plates (161U, 161B) facing each other in the intersecting direction of the turning direction. The distance between the pair of opposing guide plates (161U, 161B) is relatively wide on the side of the end processing unit (60) and relatively narrow on the side of the wire cutting and stripping unit (4).

[0013] In the above end processing wire manufacturing apparatus (1), it is preferable that the turning guide (160) has a forward extension portion (161P) extending in the forward direction of the wire longitudinal direction (feeding direction) at a portion closer to the wire cutting and stripping unit (4). In the forward extension portion (161P), the tip of the wire fed obliquely or simply fed with turning and traversing stopped is guided. This reduces the sway of the tip of the wire extending by oblique feeding or simple feeding, and prevents feeding troubles during wire feeding and damage to the end processing unit (terminal).

[0014] The above turning direction is typically the horizontal direction, but is not limited thereto. The above intersecting direction is typically the vertical direction, but is not limited thereto. The pair of opposing guide plates (covers) regulate the movement of the wire tip (top) and the crimped terminal (suppress swaying, dancing, and head shaking) within the opposing space. During turning, longitudinal feeding (feeding) of the wire may be performed (oblique feeding), and in that case, the turning guide (160) also guides the wire end in the longitudinal direction. Note that "end processing" as used in this specification includes end processing such as soldering, electric welding, ultrasonic welding, and insertion into a connector housing in addition to terminal crimping.

[0015] When the end processing (terminal crimping) is completed, there is a significant amount of sway and bending at the end of the wire. In this state, the wire enters the entrance side of the turning guide (160). Then, while advancing through the narrowing turning guide, the sway and bending of the wire are suppressed and reduced, and it is guided between a pair of cutting blades and stripping blades facing each other at the wire cutting and stripping section (4). As a result, it is possible to suppress the sway (oscillation) of the top part of the wire, prevent damage to the end processing part such as the crimped terminal, prevent equipment abnormalities, and shorten the tact time (described below).

[0016] The end of the wire makes a so-called rotational movement including sway in the cross direction (typically the vertical direction) of the advancing direction of the turn and sway in the left-right direction (advancing direction). This is due to the reel winding habit of the remaining wire. If the sway in the cross direction (typically the vertical direction) is suppressed by the guide plate of the turning guide, the sway in the advancing direction (typically the left-right direction) will also become smaller. In this case, the time waiting for the sway of the wire end at the blade part to settle can be shortened.

[0017] Furthermore, the turning speed of the wire can be increased, which also leads to shortening the tact time in this regard. Furthermore, in order to avoid contact between the wire and the blade when the wire enters the turn, the stripping blade retraction dimension can be reduced, and the feed time of the stripping blade that requires precise feed position control can be shortened. As an example, by suppressing the wire sway, it is also possible to shorten the tact time in units of 0.01 seconds.

[0018] The turning guide (160) also has the effect of preventing damage to the wire and the crimped terminal (end processing part). Furthermore, the wire will not sway greatly, which also prevents equipment troubles. The turning guide (160) is preferably made of a material with a smooth surface (such as cold-rolled stainless steel plate).

[0019] In the above end-processing wire manufacturing apparatus (1), it is possible to pay out the wire in the longitudinal direction during the turning of the wire from the one-side end processing part (60) towards the wire cutting and stripping part (4) within the turning guide (160).

[0020] By suppressing the head shaking (swinging, bending, and flailing) of the top part of the wire during wire swirling conveyance with the swirling guide (160), troubles associated with diagonal feeding (swirling while being length-measured and fed), such as the occurrence of damage to the crimp terminals and equipment stoppage due to snagging of the wire or terminals, are prevented. Therefore, diagonal feeding of the wire can be stably used frequently, the types of wires (wire diameter, wire length, etc.) that can be diagonally fed can be increased, and the wire payout dimension for diagonal feeding can be lengthened. As a result, for various end-processed wires (wire harnesses), wire cutting and tact time can be shortened, and productivity can be improved.

[0021] In one specific example of the "diagonal feed mode", before reaching the cutting and stripping part (4) (origin position, wire feeding position) during the return operation of wire swirling conveyance after end processing (crimping of the top terminal), the front and rear mechanism (23) and the feeding part (10) of one-side clamp (25) start wire feeding. If the wire does not reach the predetermined length with only diagonal feeding, the wire is fed until the length measurement is completed at the wire feeding position. In the "standard mode", wire feeding during swirling is not performed, and the wire is fed to the predetermined length while measuring the length of the wire after reaching the origin.

[0022] The second end-processed wire manufacturing apparatus (1) of the present invention includes a wire feeding part (10) for feeding a wire, a wire cutting and stripping part (4) for cutting the fed wire to an arbitrary length and peeling the coating of the cut end of the wire, an end processing part (60, 90) for end-processing the end of the wire with the coating peeled off, and a clamp conveyance part (20, 70) for clamping the wire and conveying it to each part. The clamp conveyance part (20, 70) includes a clamp (25, 71) for gripping the wire, a longitudinal driving means (23, 73) for driving the clamp in the longitudinal direction of the wire, and a swirling driving means (21, 75) for driving the longitudinal driving means to swirl. The longitudinal driving means (23, 73) is characterized in that it moves the clamp in the longitudinal direction during the swirling of the clamp (25, 71).

[0023] In the following "Mode for Carrying Out the Invention", the "longitudinal drive means (23, 73)" is referred to as the "front-rear mechanism 23, 73", and the "swing drive means (21, 75)" is referred to as the "swing mechanism 21, 75". Note that the "front-rear mechanism 23, 73" assumes a posture inclined with respect to the front-rear direction shown in Fig. 1 or the like during turning, and does not move the clamps 25, 71 in the exact front-rear direction.

[0024] The wire gripping mechanism of the clamp, each drive means, and the mechanism can be configured using known components and members such as motors, cylinders, speed reducers, ball screws and nuts, linear guides, and link mechanisms (see, for example, JP-A-2014-7043). If necessary, the clamp conveyance units (20, 70) and the discharge clamp (81) (described later) may include a lift mechanism for the clamp.

[0025] In one embodiment of the second end processing wire manufacturing apparatus (1) of the present invention, after the tip of the one-side wire W1 is end-processed in the one-side end processing unit (60), when the one-side clamp (25) turns and returns to a position facing the cutting and stripping unit (4) from the one-side end processing unit (60), the one-side clamp (25) can be moved in a direction away from the wire feeding unit (10) by the longitudinal drive means (23).

[0026] During turning, the clamp (25) is moved in a direction away from the wire feeding unit (10) by the longitudinal drive means (23), so that the length of wire feeding can be increased (the wire can be fed out first) without changing the protruding dimension of the wire from the clamp. Therefore, wire feeding (oblique feeding) can be performed while suppressing the fluttering and shaking of the wire end and terminal during wire turning.

[0027] Furthermore, by feeding the wire by the wire feeding unit (10), wire feeding can also be performed by increasing the protruding dimension of the wire from the one-side clamp (25). By using the forward movement of the clamp (25) and the protrusion of the one-side wire Wl from the clamp in combination, wire feeding can be achieved.

[0028] In another embodiment of the second terminal processing wire manufacturing apparatus (1) of the present invention, both ends of the two-side wire W2 that has been cut and stripped at both ends and fed out from the cutting and stripping section (4) are gripped by the two-side clamp (71), transported and rotated to the two-side terminal processing section (90), and the rear end portion of the two-side wire W2 is subjected to terminal processing. Then, when the two-side clamp (71) rotates in the reverse direction and returns to the cutting and stripping section (4), the two-side wire W2 is passed to the discharge clamp (81), and the two-side clamp (71) can be moved in a direction approaching the cutting and stripping section (4) by the longitudinal driving means (73).

[0029] Before the two-side clamp (71) receives the wire from the cutting and stripping section (4), the two-side clamp is retracted (projected to the original side) to receive and catch the top of the wire fed out from the cutting and stripping section (4). When the clamp receives this wire, the length of the rear end portion of the wire protruding from the clamp becomes shorter, so that the exposure and vibration of the wire end and terminal are reduced. Therefore, the wire transfer to the clamp is stabilized. In addition, during the rotation to the two-side terminal processing section, the two-side clamp (71) may slide (advance) to the front side (project the wire) to secure the gripping portion of the discharge clamp between the terminal and the clamp.

[0030] The third terminal processing wire manufacturing apparatus (1) of the present invention is a terminal processing wire manufacturing apparatus (1) comprising a wire feeding section (10) for feeding a wire, a wire cutting and stripping section (4) for cutting the fed wire to an arbitrary length and peeling the coating at the end of the wire, a terminal processing section (90) for terminal processing the end of the wire with the coating peeled off, and a clamp transport section (70) for clamping the wire and transporting it to each section, wherein the clamp transport section (70) comprises a clamp (71), driving means (73, 75) for driving the clamp, and an openable and closable wire vibration suppressor (719) provided on the side of the wire on the opposite side of the wire cutting and stripping section (4) to suppress the vibration of the wire by approaching the side of the wire.

[0031] The electric wires that come out (are fed) from the cutting and stripping section (4) on both sides sway spirally as they come out. The wire sway suppression (719) suppresses the sway (flailing and bouncing) of the electric wires closer to the sides of the electric wires coming out from the cutting and stripping section (4), enabling the clamp to receive the electric wires stably. Also, the sway of the electric wires is suppressed during wire conveyance (such as during turning), and the end processing (such as terminal crimping) of the rear end of the electric wire and the delivery for wire discharge can be performed in a stable state. Further, protection of the end processing section in two-side wire conveyance (prevention of crimp terminal deformation) can be achieved. For example, it is also possible to expect the effect of reducing the flailing of the top terminals attached to the tips of the two-side electric wires W2 and preventing deformation and damage of the terminals.

[0032] The fourth end-processing wire manufacturing apparatus (1) of the present invention includes a wire feeding section (10) for feeding an electric wire, a wire cutting and stripping section (4) for cutting the fed electric wire to an arbitrary length and peeling the covering of the cut end of the electric wire, an end processing section (60·90) for end-processing the end of the wire with the covering peeled off, a clamp conveyance section (20·70) for clamping the electric wire and conveying it to each section, and a discharge section (81) for paying out the end-processed electric wire. The discharge section (81) includes a discharge clamp (81) for gripping the electric wire and a driving means (817) for the discharge clamp. The clamp conveyance sections (70) on both sides of wire conveyance start preparing for discharge on the way back to the wire cutting and stripping section (4) after the end processing is completed, and the discharge clamp (81) approaches the delivery point in a grippable state before the electric wire reaches the delivery point. In other words, before the two-side clamps (71) reach the wire transfer position to the discharge clamp (81), the discharge clamp (81) starts the operation of receiving the electric wire from the two-side clamps.

[0033] By the discharge clamp (81) approaching the delivery point in a grippable state before the electric wire reaches the delivery point, the delivery time can be shortened.

[0034] The second wire cutting and stripping device (4) of the present invention is a wire cutting and stripping device (4) comprising a cutting blade (42) for cutting a wire and stripping blades (41, 43) for making incisions in the coating of the wire, which are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the wire, and is characterized by comprising: a stripping blade holder (441) for holding the stripping blades (41, 43) and reciprocally driven in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the wire; a wire clamping part (20, 70) for moving the wire with incisions away from the stripping blades (41, 43) to shake off the coating scraps from the wire; a suction duct (50) arranged on the side of the stripping blades (41, 43) for sucking and discharging the stripped coating (scraps); and an inlet gate (412) arranged on the side of the stripping blades (41, 43) opposite to the suction duct (50) for opening and closing the passage through which the wire enters.

[0035] An inlet gate (412) (suction auxiliary component) for opening and closing the passage through which the wire enters is attached to the stripping blade holder (441). When the stripping blades are open, a wire passing part is ensured, and when the stripping blades are closed, the passage is blocked in conjunction with the movement of the blades, thereby narrowing the opening of the space sucked by the suction duct (50). Thereby, the suction performance of the coating scraps is improved and the diffusion of the scraps is reduced.

[0036] In the second wire cutting and stripping device (4) of the present invention, it is preferable that the inlet gate (412) is placed and fixed on the stripping blade holder (441') and moves up and down together with the holder (fort41'). In this example, an inlet gate (412) is attached to the stripping blade holder (441). By utilizing the vertical movement of the stripping blades, an opening for the wire passing part is ensured when the blades are open, and the passage is blocked in conjunction with the movement of the blades when the blades are closed, thereby improving the suction performance of the coating scraps and reducing the diffusion of the scraps.

[0037] The method for manufacturing a terminally processed wire of the present invention is a method for cutting a wire having a core wire and an outer coating to a certain length, then stripping the coating, and then performing terminal processing, characterized by using the above-mentioned cutting and stripping device (4) or the above-mentioned terminally processed wire manufacturing device (1).

Advantages of the Invention

[0038] As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an apparatus or method capable of improving production efficiency and quality in an end-processed wire manufacturing process including a wire cutting and stripping process or a subsequent terminal crimping process.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0039]

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Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0040] 1; Terminal crimping wire manufacturing apparatus, 4; Cutting and stripping section (apparatus), 10; Wire feeding section, 20; Clamp conveying section, 21; Swivel mechanism (swivel driving means), 23; Front and rear mechanism (longitudinal driving means), 25; One-side clamp 40; Blade unit, 41; Stripping blade, 42; Cutting blade, 43; Stripping blade, 44; Cylinder (cutting blade driving actuator) 45; Slide block, 47; Ball screw, 50; Stripping waste suction duct, 50d; Plate 60; One-side crimping machine (terminal crimping section, end processing section) 70; Clamp conveying section, 71; Two-side clamp, 73; Longitudinal mechanism (longitudinal driving means), 75; Swivel mechanism (swivel driving means) 81; Discharge clamp 90; Two-side crimping machine (terminal crimping section, end processing section) 140; Blade part, 141·142; Tongue-shaped pieces 160; Swivel guide, 160d; Left end, 161U; Upper plate (guide plate), 161B; Lower plate (guide plate), 161W; Front wall, 161Wm; Boundary, 161x; Right end 412; Inlet gate, 412b; Upright piece, 412d; Upper end, 441; Wire stripping blade holder,, 443; Cutting blade holder, 443g; Blade fixing part, 443k; Extension part, 443y; Rod connecting part, 445; Screw, 448; Cylinder rod, 448b; Ring hook part 711; Clamp tip, 712; Fulcrum, 714; Tip arm, 715; Link, 716; Clamp block, 717; Air cylinder, 719; Suppression of wire sway 811; Clamp tip, 812; Fulcrum, 815; Link, 816; Clamp block, 817; Air cylinder SI; Coating chips, W1; One-side wire, W2; Two-side wire, CW; Core wire, TL1; Large one-side terminal, TS1; Small one-side terminal 204; Cutting and wire stripping device, 210; Wire feeding section, 220; One-side wire conveying section (one-side clamp conveying section), 221; Transverse mechanism, 223; Longitudinal mechanism, 225; One-side clamp 240; Blade unit, 241·243; Wire stripping blades, 241b´·243b´; Blade-shaped recesses, 242; Cutting blade, 250; Scrap suction duct for stripping, 260; One-side terminal crimping machine (one-side end processing section) 269; One-side wire end detector 270; Two-side wire conveying unit (two-side clamp conveying unit), 271; Two-side clamp, 271b·271c; Claw 272; Clamp moving means (arm), 273; Clamp front and rear mechanism, 274; Transverse mechanism 281; Discharge clamp, 282; Discharge tray 290; Two-side crimping machine (two-side end processing unit), 299; Two-side wire rear end detector 341·342; Tongue-shaped piece 360; Guide plate, 360b; Left end (bevel), 360f; Rear side (bevel) 360j; Front and right part (plane), 360p; Forward extension part 380; Air blow means, 381; Air blow block, 381b·c; Air blow hole 381h; Air guide hole, 381j; Air guide hole, 383; Pipeline connection member, 383b; Air flow path 387; Pneumatic tube 390; Wire receiver, 390U; Upper plate, 390B; Lower plate, 390W; Left wall 392; Wire receiver moving means, 394; Cover 541; Wire stripping blade holder, 543; Cutting blade holder

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0041] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Referring to FIG. 1, the overall configuration of a terminal crimping (end processing) wire manufacturing apparatus including a wire cutting and stripping apparatus (section) 4 and terminal crimping machines 60·90 of the present invention will be described. The directions in FIG. 1 are called as follows. Vertical direction of the figure; Wire feeding direction, front and rear direction Left and right direction of the figure; Left and right direction, transverse direction Upward direction of the figure; Front, forward Downward direction of the figure; Rear, original

[0042] The terminal crimping wire manufacturing apparatus 1 is installed on a machine base (table) 3 and includes the following main parts. Wire feeding unit 10; It is arranged below FIG. 1, draws out a wire from a wire bundle (not shown) wound in a coil shape, and feeds the wire upward in the figure (feeds out the wire in the longitudinal direction).

[0043] One-side wire conveying unit 20; It has a one-side clamp (head) 25 that clamps the tip (top) of the fed wire, a front-back mechanism 23 that slides (moves forward and backward) the clamp 25 in the longitudinal direction of the wire, and a turning mechanism 21 that turns the mechanism 23. The one-side clamp 25 grips the tip of the trailing part of the wire (the wire whose rear end is still connected to the reel, called "one-side wire") that is fed and cut to a predetermined length, and conveys it between the cutting and stripping part 4 and the one-side terminal crimping machine 60 (refer to the arrow for the conveying path). Note that the gripping claws of the one-side clamp 25 have an opening and closing structure driven by an air cylinder, and perform the opening and closing of the gripping claws in synchronization with the wire feeding and feeding out. A tube (not shown) for guiding the feeding out of the wire (refer to the thick arrow) is arranged in the front-back mechanism 23 of the one-side wire conveying unit 20.

[0044] Wire cutting and stripping part 4; Cuts the wire fed from the feeding part 10 through the one-side wire conveying device 20 to a predetermined length, and strips the coatings at the tip (top) and rear end (tail) of the wire cutting part. A suction duct 50 for sucking and discharging the stripped coating (stripping waste) is attached to the right side of the cutting and stripping part 4 in the figure.

[0045] One-side crimping machine (end processing part) 60; Crimps a terminal to the tip of the one-side wire that has been cut and stripped. An one-side wire end detector (optical inspection) 69 is attached to the right side of the one-side crimping machine 60 in the figure (the side closer to the cutting and stripping part 4). The detector (optical inspection) 69 is used to check the stripping state of the wire top, the crimping state of the terminal, and the waterproof plug insertion state.

[0046] Two-side wire conveying unit 70; It has a two-side clamp 71 that clamps the rear end (tail) of the wire (referred to as two-side wire) cut to a predetermined length in the wire cutting and stripping unit 40, a front-back mechanism 73 that moves the clamp 71 back and forth in the wire axis direction, and a turning mechanism 75 that turns the mechanism 73. The two-side clamp 71 conveys the rear end of the two-side wire between the cutting and stripping unit 4 and the two-side crimping machine 90. Near the two-side wire conveying device 70, although not shown in Fig. 1, a discharging mechanism (discharging clamp 81, see Figs. 11 and 12) for discharging the wire (product) with terminals crimped at both ends is also provided.

[0047] Two-side crimping machine (end processing unit) 90; Crimps a terminal to the rear end of the cut and stripped two-side wire. On the left side (the side closer to the cutting and stripping unit 4) of the two-side crimping machine 90 in the figure, a two-side wire rear end detector (optical inspection) 99 is attached. The detector (optical inspection) 99 checks the stripping state of the rear end of the two-side wire, the crimping state of the terminal, and the waterproof plug insertion state.

[0048] While referring to Fig. 2, the wire cutting and stripping unit (device) 4 of the embodiment will be described. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of the unit 4. The left-right direction in this Fig. 2 is the direction for the viewer looking at the figure and does not match the left-right in Fig. 1. In Fig. 2, a pair of upper and lower front stripping blades 41·41´, cutting blades 42·42´, and rear stripping blades 43·43´ are shown arranged in the longitudinal direction (wire feeding direction, front-back direction) of the wire to be processed (so-called tandem arrangement of cutting blades and stripping blades). The aggregate of each blade 41·42·43 is sometimes referred to as a blade unit.

[0049] Each blade 41·42·43 is in the shape of a rectangular plate extending vertically, and their bases are fixed to blade holders 441·443. A cutting edge is formed at the tip of each blade (the opposite side of the base, the lower end of the upper blade and the upper end of the lower blade). Also, the tip of the blade is recessed in a V shape at the central part in the left-right direction. Due to this V-shaped part, when the upper and lower blades cross and overlap front and back, the wire is centered at the center in the left-right direction of the blade.

[0050] The holders 441 of the peeling blades 41 and 43 are U-shaped in plan view, and each blade is fixed to the front and rear end faces thereof. The right end face of the holder 441 is abutted against and fixed to the left side face of the end portion of the slide block 45. The slide block 45 is vertically driven by a ball screw 47 (details will be described later). The concave portion 441g in the U-shape of the holder 441 is a space for the cutting blade 42 and its holder 443 to move up and down.

[0051] The base portion (the portion on the opposite side of the cutting edge) of the cutting blade 42 is fixed to the rear side face of the cutting blade holder 443. The holder 443 has a square and thick plate-shaped blade fixing portion 443g on the side of the cutting blade 42, an extension portion 443k connected to the upper portion thereof, and a rod connecting portion 443y connected to the upper portion thereof. The connecting portion 443y is connected to the cylinder rod 448 of the air cylinder 44, and the cutting blade 42 and the holder 443 are vertically driven by the air cylinder 44.

[0052] The feature of the wire cutting and peeling device 4 of this embodiment is that it includes a cylinder 44 that reciprocally drives in the intersecting direction (the vertical direction in the embodiment) of the longitudinal direction of the wire, a cutting blade 42 mounted on a slide block 45 that reciprocally drives in the above direction, and a cutting blade holder 443 that holds the cutting blade 42.

[0053] The above-mentioned "intersecting direction" is generally the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and is standardly the vertical direction (however, it is not limited thereto and may be the horizontal direction). In this embodiment, the slide block 45 is a mechanism capable of precise positioning, that is, it is opened and closed by a motor (not shown) and a ball screw 47. This is because the pair of peeling blades 41 and 43 facing each other vertically must stop at a delicate position where the blade tips do not bite into the core wire of the wire but cut into the coating to an appropriate depth when approaching each other (closed position). Since the diameter and coating thickness of the wire vary widely, the peeling blades require precise cutting position control according to them.

[0054] As a specific structure, the cutting and stripping device 4 of the present embodiment is configured with a column 48 extending vertically as the main structure. A ball screw 47 extending vertically is rotatably attached to the column 48. Opposite helical grooves are cut in the upper and lower portions of the ball screw 47. Ball nuts (not shown) inside the upper and lower sliders 459 and 459' are screwed into the helical grooves. With this configuration, when the ball screw 47 rotates in one direction and the opposite direction, the upper and lower sliders 459 and 459' are reciprocally driven so as to approach or move away from each other.

[0055] On the other hand, since the cutting blade 42 only needs to completely cut the electric wire, the positioning accuracy of the closed position where the pair of upper and lower blades overlap is not required so much. Therefore, the cutting blade is configured such that a pair of opposing blades are driven at high speed by a pneumatic cylinder (cutting blade drive actuator). When the cutting blade 42 is in the open position (avoidance position away from the electric wire), if the opposing cutting blades in a V-shape or the like do not sufficiently escape from the space where the electric wire exists and advances, the blade may inadvertently touch the electric wire and damage the electric wire. Due to such circumstances, since the cutting blade has a long stroke, it is important to increase the moving speed to shorten the operating time and reduce the tact time. According to the characteristics of each blade, in the present embodiment, electric drive and cylinder drive are combined. By mounting the cylinder on the slide block, it can be combined with the movement of the slide block by the operation of the electric ball screw, and the time (distance) until the electric wire is cut can be shortened. Also, from the perspective of the arrangement structure and the number of parts, a structure for preventing interference with the slide block and the number of component parts can be reduced.

[0056] Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, an example of the operations of the cutting blade 42 and the stripping blades 41 and 43 will be described. FIG. 3 is a side view of the cutting blade 42 and the set of stripping blades 41 and 43 (blade unit 40), and the electric wire W to be cut and stripped. The arrow attached to the electric wire W indicates the feeding direction of the electric wire W. In the figure, a pair of upper and lower first stripping blades 41, cutting blade 42, and second stripping blade 43 arranged in the "rear" to "front" direction are shown. Each blade is driven up and down by the mechanism described above. The state in FIG. 3 is where the electric wire W has been fed.

[0057] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the stripping process in the stripping device. (A) is the state where the electric wire has entered between the blades (retracted), (B) is the state where the cutting blade 42 and the stripping blades 41 and 43 have approached the electric wire, (C) is the completed cutting state for length determination, (D) is the state where the cutting blade has retracted and the stripping length is set and (E) is the state where the stripping blade has cut into the electric wire coating, and (F) is the state where the electric wire has been completely stripped by pulling it back and forth (away from the stripping blade).

[0058] In the state where the electric wire in FIG. 4(A) has entered between the blades, the cutting blade 42 and the stripping blades 41 and 43 are retracted from the path of the electric wire W (the upper blade has escaped upward and the lower blade has escaped downward). Although not shown in the figure, at the front end (tip, top) of the electric wire W, a terminal has been crimped in the previous process (the terminal crimped to the tip of the electric wire is referred to as the top terminal T1). And it has been sent forward by a length corresponding to the length dimension of the product. Note that from the state of (A) to the state of (F), the one-side clamp 25 and the two-side clamp 71 grip the electric wire W before and after the cutting and stripping part 4 (not shown in the figure).

[0059] FIG. 4(B) is a state where the cutting blade 4 and the stripping blades 41 and 43 have approached the electric wire a little. The movement from (A) to this state of (B) is performed by driving the motor and ball screw (sliding of the slide block 45). In this state of (B), both tips of the V-shaped cutting blades of the stripping blades 41 and 43 are approximately at the height of the axis of the electric wire feeding. Therefore, the lateral sway of the electric wire W is restricted so as not to go outside the stripping blades 41 and 43.

[0060] Figure 4(C) shows the state where the cutting for determining the wire length is completed. The cutting blades 42·42´ are driven at high speed by the air cylinder 44 from the state of Figure 4(B). In Figure 4(C), the central portions in the width direction of the cutting edges of the upper and lower blades overlap. As described above, the leading wire after cutting is called the two-side wire W2, and the trailing wire is called the one-side wire W1.

[0061] Figure 4(D) shows the state where the cutting blades 42·42´ have escaped from the wire and retracted due to the drive of the air cylinder 44. Also, the wire W is in a state of being moved in the longitudinal direction corresponding to its stripping length. That is, the one-side wire W1 is pulled to the rear side compared to the time of cutting in (C), and the two-side wire W2 is pulled to the front side compared to the time of cutting in (C). The pulling operation of each wire is by the forward and backward movement of each clamp 25·71 that grips the end of each wire. The stripping blades 41·(...) In the steps of Figures 4(C) and (D) above, by operating the cutting blade 42 alone and at high speed with the pneumatic cylinder 44, the cutting blade 42 can be moved even while the stripping blades 41·43 are stopped or moving in the reverse direction. Therefore, the time of the cutting and coating stripping process can be shortened. Further, in the cutting and stripping device of this embodiment, it is also easy to perform processing where the stripping length is slightly longer than the "interval between the stripping blade and the cutting blade". That is, within the range where no bending occurs due to interference between each wire clamp 25·71 and the cutting and stripping device 4 and interference with wires on the opposite side, even if the one-side wire W1 is advanced or the two-side wire W2 is retracted alternately after wire cutting and the retraction of the cutting blade 42, the front and rear ends of the wire will not hit the cutting blade 42.

[0062] Figure 4(E) shows the state where the stripping blades 41·43 have cut into the wire coating. The movement from (D) to this state of (E) is performed by the drive of the motor and ball screw (the slide of the slide block 45).

[0063] Figure 4(F) shows the state where the electric wires are pulled back and forth (away from the stripping blades) after the stripping is completed. The pulling operation of each electric wire is achieved by the back-and-forth movement of each clamp 25·71 that grips the end of each electric wire. The stripped coating waste (not shown) is sucked into the stripping waste suction duct 50 under negative pressure from the inside (the cutting blade 42 side) of the stripping blades 41·43 and discharged.

[0064] In the cutting and stripping device 4 of this embodiment, the linear motion operations of the air cylinder and the ball screw are combined such that each can operate independently (simultaneous operation is also possible). As an example of the result, the moving distance of the cutting blade 42 during one cycle (from (A) in Figure 4 to the next (A)) is 10 mm, which is 4.5 mm shorter than 14.5 mm in the case of a comparative example with the same operation for the cutting blade and stripping blade set. Dividing this difference in moving distance by the average moving speed of the cutting blade 42, which is 300 mm / second, the time difference is 0.015 seconds. By shortening the time in other electric wire cutting and stripping processes and further combining it with improvements in the peripheral devices described later, the overall operation cycle can be significantly shortened, and productivity can be improved.

[0065] While referring to Figures 5 to 7, a configuration for guiding one-side electric wire W1 from one-side crimping machine 60 to the cutting and stripping section 4, that is, a configuration from the swivel guide 160 to the blade section 140, will be described. Figure 5 is a front view (viewed in the electric wire feeding direction) of a portion from the swivel guide 160 to the blade section 140 and the stripping waste suction duct 50 in the terminal crimping electric wire manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] Figure 6 is an enlarged front view showing the outlet section of the swivel guide 160 and the blade section 140 of the apparatus in Figure 5. Figure 7 is a plan sectional view for explaining the planar shape of the swivel guide 160 and the feeding situation during the swiveling of the top portion of the electric wire in the diagonal feed mode of the electric wire cutting, stripping, and terminal crimping apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] Figure 5 shows a swivel guide 160 extending from left to right, a blade portion 140 at its tip, and a waste suction duct 50 to its right. Although not shown in the figure, there is a one-side crimping machine 60 on the left side of the left end 160d of the swivel guide 160. In this machine, the top terminal T1 is crimped to the tip of the one-side electric wire W1. The blade portion 140 is a general term for the upper and lower peeling blades 41·41´ and the upper and lower cutting blades 42·42´.

[0068] The swivel guide 160 is arranged along the swivel path of the electric wire tip, and is a guide plate (cover) that guides the electric wire in the intersecting direction (standardly the vertical direction, not limited) of the swivel direction (standardly the horizontal direction, not limited). During the swivel of the electric wire, longitudinal feeding (paying out) of the electric wire may be performed (oblique feed). In that case, the swivel guide 160 also guides the electric wire end in the longitudinal direction. The swivel guide is preferably made of a material with a smooth surface, such as a stainless steel cold-rolled steel plate.

[0069] The swivel guide 160 has an upper plate 161U and a lower plate 161B facing each other vertically, and an upright planar front wall 161W connecting to the inner end (front end) of both plates in the figure. The side (rear side) of the feeding portion 10 of the guide 160 has no wall and is a through-passage. Note that the front wall 161W exists from the left end 160d of the swivel guide 160 to the boundary 161Wm almost in the center between the left and right of the guide. The right side of the boundary 161Wm is a through-passage without a wall on the inner side (front side).

[0070] The dimension (guide height) between the upper plate 161U and the lower plate 161B of the swivel guide 160 becomes smaller (lower) from left (the side of the one-side crimping machine) to right (the side of the cutting and peeling portion 4). That is, when viewed from the front, the swivel guide 160 is trumpet-shaped with a wider upper and lower width on the crimping machine side and a narrower upper and lower width on the cutting and peeling portion side. Through this trumpet-shaped space, the one-side electric wire W1 with the top terminal T1 is sent while being guided vertically.

[0071] The height HA of the crimping machine side (left end 160d, wire inlet) of the swivel guide 160 is, for example, 40 mm, which is a height sufficient to fully receive the wire top part that is released from the crimping machine and is swaying. The height HB of the side of the cutting and stripping part 4 of the swivel guide 160 (right end 161x, wire outlet) is, for example, 10 mm. Note that the above inlet and outlet are concepts when the wire returns from one side of the crimping machine 60 to the cutting and stripping part 4 after being crimped to the top terminal T1. When the wire goes from the cutting and stripping part 4 to one side of the crimping machine 60, the concepts of inlet and outlet are reversed.

[0072] As shown by an example in Fig. 7, the one-side wire W1 after terminal crimping passes through the inside of the swivel guide 160 while being swiveled by the one-side clamp 25 (also refer to Fig. 1) and is sent to the cutting and stripping part 4. At this time, the tip part of the wire with the terminal is fed into the wire feed passage of the blade part 140 while its sway (pitching and jumping) becomes smaller. Note that since the wire has the winding habit of the reel, the top part sways so as to rotate. Therefore, if the up-and-down sway is suppressed, the left-and-right sway will also be reduced accordingly. As a result, the left-and-right sway of the wire fed into the blade part 140 also becomes more stable, the time waiting for the wire to settle (the time waiting for the wire to be fed in the longitudinal direction or for the wire to be cut) is shortened, and the tact time can be shortened accordingly.

[0073] While referring to Figs. 6 and 3, the details of the blade part 140 will be described. Figs. 6 and 3 are diagrams showing an enlargement of the blade part 140 and its periphery. Fig. 6 is a front view, and Fig. 3 is a side sectional view.

[0074] As most clearly shown in Fig. 3, this blade part 140 includes tongue-shaped pieces 141, 141', 142, and 142' made of a thin metal plate (an example). The upper tongue-shaped piece 141 at the rear side is inserted from right to left (from the back to the front of the paper surface of Fig. 3) between the upper first stripping blade 41 and the upper cutting blade 42. Similarly, the lower tongue-shaped piece 141' at the rear side is also inserted between the lower stripping blade 41' and the lower cutting blade 42'. Each of the upper and lower tongue-shaped pieces 142 and 142' at the front side is also inserted between each of the upper and lower cutting blades 42 and 42' and each of the stripping blades 43 and 43'.

[0075] In the form as seen in the front view, each tongue-shaped piece is cantilever-connected so as to be continuous with the left sides of the upper and lower plates 50d and 50d' of the peeling waste suction duct 50 as shown in Fig. 6.

[0076] While referring to Fig. 7, an example of the movement of the one-side wire W1 from the one-side crimping machine 60 to the cutting and peeling section 4 will be described. Fig. 7 is a plan view showing an example of the movement of the one-side wire W1 (diagonal feed) and the planar shape of the turning guide 160. In the figure, the one-side wires W1-1 to 4 that are performing turning and longitudinal feed, the top terminals T1-1 to 4 crimped to their tips, and the one-side clamps 25-1 to 4 are shown.

[0077] The wire W1-1 drawn at the top of Fig. 7 is at the point where turning has started after terminal crimping. The wire W1 is gripped by the one-side clamp 25. The clamp 25 is slidable back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the wire on the front and rear mechanism 23, and the front and rear mechanism 23 is turnable by the turning mechanism 21. The top clamp 25-1 is in a state slightly retracted from the most forward position. Note that for the second to fourth wires from the top, the front and rear mechanism 23 and the turning mechanism 21 are not shown in the figure.

[0078] The second wire W1-2 from the top in the figure has turned a little downward in the figure. Also, the wire W1-2 and the terminal T1-2, together with the clamp 25-2 that grips the wire, have advanced a little (by the length S1) in the longitudinal direction of the wire. The terminal T1-2 of the second wire W1-2 has entered the turning guide 160, and its sway is suppressed.

[0079] The third wire W1-3 from the top of the figure is further rotated slightly downward in the figure. The clamp 25-3 holding the wire does not move forward from the position of the second clamp 25-2 and is at the same position in the longitudinal direction of the wire. On the other hand, the wire W1-3 has been slightly fed out (by a length of S2) in the longitudinal direction of the wire by the feeding unit 10 (see FIG. 1), and the protruding dimension of the top terminal T1-3 from the clamp 25-3 has become longer (diagonally fed). However, in this state, the terminal T1-3 is located in the forward extension 161P near the wire cutting and stripping section 4 of the turning guide 160, aiming to reduce shaking, feeding troubles, and prevent damage to the terminal even during diagonal feeding.

[0080] The fourth wire W1-4 from the top of the figure is further rotated downward in the figure, reaches the cutting and stripping section 4, and enters the blade part 140. The clamp 25-4 holding the wire does not move forward from the position of the second clamp 25-2 and is at the same position in the longitudinal direction of the wire. In this state, the wire W-4 is fed out in the longitudinal direction of the wire so as to have a predetermined length for wire cutting.

[0081] In the terminal crimping wire manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, after terminal crimping, one side wire W1 with a significant amount of end swing and bending enters the entrance side of the turning guide 160 that widens like the mouth of a trumpet. Then, while advancing through the turning guide 160 that gradually narrows (lowers), the swing and bending of the wire are suppressed, and it is guided between a pair of cutting blades 42, stripping blades 41, and 43 that face each other vertically at the wire cutting and stripping section 4. Although the wire end is a rotational motion including vertical (in the direction intersecting the advancing direction of the rotation) shaking and left-right (its advancing direction) shaking (due to the winding habit of the wire reel), if the vertical shaking is suppressed by the guide plate of the turning guide, the left-right shaking will also become smaller.

[0082] In this embodiment, by the turning guide 160 guiding the turning of the one-side electric wire W1 and guiding the electric wire to enter at the final stage of turning to the blade portion, it is possible to suppress the electric wire from jumping up and flailing even when feeding the electric wire (paying out). Therefore, it is possible to suppress the bending of the electric wire and the swaying (oscillation) of the top portion of the electric wire, and prevent troubles associated with diagonal feeding (occurrence of damage to the crimp terminal, equipment stoppage due to the electric wire or terminal getting caught). As a result, it is possible to stably use diagonal feeding frequently, increase the types of electric wires (such as wire diameters) for which diagonal feeding is possible, increase the payout dimension of diagonal feeding, and shorten the manufacturing tact time for various types of terminal-crimped electric wires (wire harnesses).

[0083] The opening - avoidance dimension of the cutting blade and the stripping blade while waiting for the electric wire to come between a pair of opposing blades is preferably as narrow as possible, because the dimension and time for driving the blade to cut the electric wire and cut into the coating become shorter, and the driving tact time becomes shorter. Further, even if the turning speed is increased, if the electric wire sways less and settles quickly at the blade portion, it is also possible to increase the turning speed and shorten the waiting time for the end of the electric wire to settle at the blade portion. Thereby, it is also possible to achieve a shortening of the tact time for electric wire manufacturing (about 0.01 sec). Furthermore, the retraction dimension of the stripping blade can be reduced, and the electric driving feed time of the stripping blade can be shortened. Considering the effects of the double actuator of the cutting unit, etc., it was confirmed that the overall tact can be shortened from about 0.81 seconds to 0.7 seconds in an example of an electric wire size of 0.5 square mm.

[0084] While referring to FIG. 8, the operation of the two - side clamp 71 will be described. FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view for explaining an example of the operation of the two - side clamp 71. The configuration of the two - side clamp 71 and its electric wire sway suppression 719 will be described later with reference to FIG. 9.

[0085] The characteristics of the operation of the two - side clamp 71 in this embodiment are as follows. That is, before the two - side clamp (71) receives the rear end portion of the electric wire coming out of the cutting and stripping portion 4, the clamp retreats (protrudes toward the feeding source side). Thereby, when receiving the electric wire and during subsequent turning, the dimension of the electric wire protruding from the clamp becomes shorter, so the swaying, vibration, and flailing of the electric wire are small, and the reception of the electric wire is stable.

[0086] At the upper left of FIG. 8, the peeling blades 41 and 43 and the cutting blade 42 of the cutting and peeling section 4 are shown. The two-side clamp 71 disposed on the front side of the cutting and peeling section 4 receives the rear end portion of the electric wire (with the top terminal T1 crimped to the tip) coming out of the cutting and peeling section 4. At this time, the wire sway suppressor 719 (described later with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10) suppresses the flailing of the electric wire, and the two-side clamp 71 grips the electric wire. At the time of receiving the electric wire, the electric wire has not yet been cut nor has the peeling of the two-side electric wire rear end (tail) been performed.

[0087] Next, the electric wire is cut by the cutting blade 42, and then the two-side clamp 71-1 advances slightly (by the front-rear mechanism 73), and the peeling length is adjusted (see FIGS. 4(C) and (D)). This state is the state of the two-side electric wire W2-1 in FIG. 8. Note that the two-side clamp 71-5 drawn at the same position as the two-side clamp 71-1 shows the clamp in a state where it is about to receive the next electric wire after a series of clamp operations to be described is completed.

[0088] Subsequently, the two-side clamp 71 further advances to strip the electric wire coating (leaving the peeled coating residue behind the peeling blade 43, see FIGS. 4(E) to (F)). This state is the state of the two-side electric wire W2-2 and the two-side clamp 71-2. Note that the advancing dimension of the two-side clamp 71-2 does not correspond to the scale of this figure (FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram).

[0089] Next, the two-side clamp 71-2 pivots downward (to the right direction in the figure) toward the crimping machine (90) (driven by the pivoting mechanism 75). Note that during the pivoting, an inspection such as the peeling state is performed by the detector 99 for the rear end portion of the two-side electric wire (see FIG. 1). When the two-side clamp 71-2 pivots to the position of the crimping machine (90), it advances the electric wire to the crimping position and comes in front of the two-side crimping machine 90 (reference numeral 71-3). Here, the tail terminal T2 is crimped to the rear end of the two-side electric wire W2-3.

[0090] After crimping, the two-side clamp 71-3 starts a return swing operation toward the cutting and stripping section 4. During the return swing, at the handover position to the discharge clamp 81, the two-side clamp 71-4 hands over the completed both-end terminal crimped electric wire W2-4 (product) to the discharge clamp 81. Regarding the discharge clamp 81, it will be described later with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

[0091] Between the handover position to this discharge clamp (two-side clamp 71-4) and the position in front of the cutting and stripping section 4 (two-side clamp 71-5), during the swing, the two-side clamp 71 retracts (protrudes toward the feeding source side). As a result, when receiving the next electric wire, the dimension of the electric wire protruding from the clamp becomes shorter, the swaying, shaking, and flailing of the electric wire become smaller, and the reception and conveyance of the electric wire become stable.

[0092] With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the configuration and operation of the two-side clamp 71 and its wire sway suppressor 719 will be described. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the two-side clamp 71 and the wire sway suppressor 719 attached thereto. FIG. 10 is a front view for explaining the operation of the wire sway suppressor 719. (A) is a state where the sway suppressor 719 is open, (B) is a state where the sway suppressor 719 is closing, and (C) is a state where the sway suppressor 719 is closed.

[0093] The two-side clamp 71 has a pair of left and right clamp claws 711 for gripping the electric wire. The claws are opened and closed around a fulcrum 712 (see FIG. 10) at the upper center of the pair of claws by a link 715 and an air cylinder 717. The claws 711, the link 715, and the air cylinder 717 are attached to a clamp block 716. The block 716 pivots and moves back and forth as shown in FIG. 8 by a front and rear mechanism 73 and a pivoting mechanism 75 (see FIG. 1).

[0094] The base of the claw 711 is connected to the front claw arm 714 (a part of the link 715). On the front side of the claw arm 714, an electric wire vibration suppressor 719 is connected so as to project forward. As can be seen in the lower part of Fig. 10(A), the electric wire vibration suppressor 719 is in a wing shape that spreads left and right in the open state. The vibration suppressor 719 consists of a pair of left and right plates. In the closed state of Fig. 10(C), the vibration suppressor 719 is in a crab-leg shape facing each other. The electric wire vibration suppressor 719 exists above the front of the clamp claw on the two-side electric wire W2 fed out from the cut and peeled part 4.

[0095] While referring to Fig. 10, the operation of the electric wire vibration suppressor 719 will be described. In the open state of Fig. 10(A) (the same as the state of Fig. 9), the electric wire is fed out under the two-side clamp 71, and the vibration suppressor 719 is open on the two-side electric wire W2 together with the claw 711. At this time, the electric wire is still the one-side electric wire W1 before cutting and peeling, and the tail end direction is a long electric wire connected to the electric wire reel. The rear part of this one-side electric wire W1 is gripped and supported by the one-side clamp 25 (see Fig. 1). Therefore, the tip of the long cantilevered electric wire sways back and forth and left and right as shown by the radial arrows in the figure (the electric wire is fed out while making a spiral movement).

[0096] From here, as shown in Fig. 10(B), the left and right blades of the electric wire vibration suppressor 719 rotate downward so as to close. During the closing process, the electric wire hits the lower surface of the vibration suppressor 719, and the sway (bending) of the electric wire is suppressed. That is, by the electric wire vibration suppressor 719 (electric wire guide) following the clamp operation, the electric wire is centered. And the reaction force of the electric wire against the claw at the time of clamp closing is suppressed.

[0097] Figure 10(C) shows the state where the wire vibration suppressor 719 is fully closed (the claw 711 is closed and gripping the wire). The plates on both sides of the vibration suppressor 719 hang down with a gap on both the left and right sides of the wire 1. This gap is such that it suppresses wire vibration while not pressing on the terminal (not deforming the terminal). Note that in the case of a short product, the top terminal T1 may come to the rear side and be pinched by the vibration suppressor 719 compared to the state in Figure 9. Therefore, by providing a certain distance between the pair of wire vibration suppressors 719 (guides) when the clamp is closed, deformation of the terminal is prevented while suppressing the movement of the terminal.

[0098] With reference to Figures 11 and 12, the discharge clamp 81 (ejecting device) will be described. Figure 11 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration and operation of the discharge clamp 81 of the embodiment. (A) shows the place where the discharge clamp 81 is approaching the two-side wire W2, (B) shows just before the clamp 81 grasps the wire W2, and (C) shows the place where the clamp 81 has grasped the wire W2. Figure 12 is a front view showing the details of the operation of the discharge clamp 81 in Figure 11 receiving the two-side wire W2. (A) shows the place where the discharge clamp 81 is in the wire receiving standby position, (B) shows just before the two-side wire W2 approaches the receiving position and the clamp 81 grasps the wire W2, and (C) shows the place where the clamp 81 has grasped (received) the wire W2. Note that the directions "left and right" in Figures 11 and 12 are the directions for the viewer looking at the figures and may not be consistent with the "left and right" in other figures.

[0099] The discharge clamp 81 has a pair of left and right clamp claws 811 for gripping the wire. The claws are opened and closed around the fulcrum 812 at the upper center of the pair of claws by the link 815 and the air cylinder 817. The claws 811, the link 815, and the air cylinder 817 are attached to the clamp block 816. The block 816 moves up and down, rotates, and moves left and right by an up and down mechanism, a front and rear mechanism, and a swivel mechanism (not shown).

[0100] In Fig. 11(A), the two-sided electric wire W2 with the tail terminal T2 crimped is held by the two-sided clamp 71. The state of this two-sided electric wire W2 and the two-sided clamp 71 is the same as the state of the electric wire W2-4 and the clamp 71-4 in Fig. 8. And the claw 811 of the discharge clamp 81 has come above the electric wire between the tail terminal T2 and the two-sided clamp 71, and the claw 811 is open. From here, the discharge clamp 81 further descends.

[0101] In Fig. 11(B), the discharge clamp 81 has descended from the state in (A) and is just before gripping the electric wire W2. In Fig. 11(C), the discharge clamp 81 has further descended from the state in (B) (actually moving horizontally from right to left as shown in Fig. 14), and the clamp claw 811 has gripped the electric wire between the tail terminal T2 of the electric wire W2 and the two-sided clamp 71. From here, although not shown in the figure, the two-sided clamp 71 opens and releases the electric wire, and the discharge clamp 81 grips the two-sided electric wire W2 and transports it to a product tray (not shown, in front of the table 3 in Fig. 1). Then, the discharge clamp 81 releases the two-sided electric wire W2 and discharges it onto the product tray.

[0102] While referring to Fig. 12, the detailed operation of the discharge clamp 81 approaching and gripping (receiving) the two-sided electric wire W2 will be described. In Fig. 12(A), the discharge clamp 81 is in the standby position for receiving the electric wire, and below it, the two-sided electric wire W2 is moving (swiveling) from left to right.

[0103] In Fig. 12(B), the two-sided electric wire W2 is approaching below the receiving position, and it is just before the clamp 81 grips the electric wire W2. Here, before the two-sided electric wire W2 reaches the receiving position (the immediately previous time point), the descending and closing operations of the discharge clamp 81 have started. This shortens the time for transferring the two-sided electric wire W2 to the discharge clamp 81 (shortening by 0.05 seconds in one example). In Fig. 12(C), the claw 811 of the clamp 81 has gripped (received) the electric wire W2. After this, the discharge clamp 81 discharges the two-sided electric wire W2 onto the discharge tray.

[0104] While referring to FIG. 13, the suction assist component (the inlet gate 412 of the blade portion 140) in the modified example will be described. FIG. 13 is a front view showing the configuration and operation of the inlet gate 412 of the blade portion 140. (A) is the open (lowered) state, and (B) is the closed (raised) state.

[0105] The inlet gate 412 is an angled (inverted L-shaped) member in a front view, and is placed and fixed on the lower peeling blade holder 441´, and is movable up and down together with the holder 441´. The rising piece 412b of the inlet gate 412 rises straight up on the upper surface of the holder 441´ at a position close to the left side of the peeling blades 41·43 and the cutting blade 42. The width of the rising piece 412b in the front-rear direction (the front-back direction of the paper surface of FIG. 13) is approximately the same dimension as the interval between the front and rear peeling blades 41·43.

[0106] The upper end 412d of the rising piece 412b of the inlet gate is approximately at the same height as the lower end of the swivel guide 160 (both are approximately at the same height) in the open (lowered) state of FIG. 13(A). In the closed (raised) state of (B), the upper end 412d of the rising piece 412b is approximately at the same height as the upper end of the swivel guide 160.

[0107] Due to the vertical relationship of the above-described respective parts, in the open (lowered) state of the inlet gate 412 in FIG. 13(A), the right end 161x of the swivel guide 160 (the outlet of the wire after terminal crimping) is fully open, and the wire can pass through these parts without any obstruction. On the other hand, in the closed (raised) state of FIG. 13(B), the right end 161x of the swivel guide 160 (the outlet of the wire after terminal crimping) is closed by the rising piece 412b.

[0108] In this modified example, the inlet gate 412 (suction assist component) is attached to the lower blade block (the lower one), and by utilizing the vertical movement of the strip blade, an opening for the wire passage is ensured when the blade is open, and the passage is blocked in conjunction with the movement of the blade when the blade is closed, thereby improving the suction of the covering chips and reducing the spread of peeled scraps.

[0109] Next, an embodiment including an improved example of the air blow of the covering chips will be described. FIG. 14 is a plan view showing an outline of the equipment layout of a terminal crimping wire manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment (non-rotating type, wire parallel transverse movement type). FIG. 15(A) is a plan sectional view of a main part of a cutting and peeling device 204 including air blow means for blowing off the covering chips SI from the peeling blades 241 and 243. FIG. 15(B) is a plan sectional view showing an enlarged detail of the air blow block 381, the peeling blades 241 and 243, and the covering chips SI. FIG. 16 is a side sectional view of a main part of the device shown in FIG. 15. FIG. 17 is a front view showing the vertical movement of the air blow block 381 of the device shown in FIG. 15, where (A) shows the rising state (when the wire moves horizontally), and (B) shows the falling state (when air is blown for cutting and peeling).

[0110] The cutting and peeling device (204) of this embodiment includes a wire cutting blade (242) having a pair of blades arranged along the longitudinal direction of the wires (W1 and W2) and facing each other in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction, peeling blades (241 and 243) for cutting into the covering of the wire, a front and rear mechanism (223 and 273) for moving the wire in the longitudinal direction (front and rear direction), a suction duct (250) for sucking and discharging the peeling chips (SI1 and SI2) generated by the peeling blades (241 and 243), and further includes means (380) for applying an air blow toward the bottom of the blade type recesses (241b' and 243b') of the peeling blades (241' and 243') arranged to face the suction duct (250) via the peeling blades (241 and 243).

[0111] In the equipment layout diagram of FIG. 14, the part indicated by the reference numeral obtained by adding 200 to the reference numeral in FIG. 1 is the same as the corresponding part of the terminal crimping wire manufacturing apparatus in FIG. 1. Hereinafter, mainly, the differences between the apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 and the apparatus 204 in FIG. 14 will be described.

[0112] The wire feeding unit 210 is mounted on the front and rear mechanism 223 of the one-side clamp 225. The one-side wire conveying unit 220 has a one-side wire clamp (head) 225 and a traversing mechanism 221 for traversing the front and rear mechanism 223 of the clamp 225. The longitudinal direction (axis) of the wire held by the one-side clamp 225 during traversing is parallel to the wire feeding direction in the wire cutting and stripping unit 204 in a plan view. The one-side clamp 225 grips the tip of the one-side wire and reciprocates between the wire cutting and stripping unit 204 and the one-side terminal crimping machine 260.

[0113] The wire cutting and stripping unit 204, similar to FIG. 1, cuts the wire to a predetermined length and strips the coatings at the tip (top) and rear end (tail) of the wire cutting portion. Further, a suction duct 250 for sucking and discharging the stripped waste is provided. Reference numeral 269 is a one-side wire end detector (optical inspection).

[0114] The two-side wire conveying unit 270 also has a traversing mechanism 274, similar to the one-side wire conveying unit 220. Reference numeral 271 is a two-side wire clamp. Reference numeral 273 is a front and rear mechanism 273 for moving the clamp 271 in and out in the wire axial direction. The two-side clamp 271 conveys the rear end of the two-side wire from the cutting and stripping unit 204 to the two-side crimping machine 290. Reference numeral 281 is a discharge clamp for discharging the wire (product) with both ends crimped to the discharge tray 282. Reference numeral 299 is a two-side wire rear end detector (optical inspection).

[0115] As shown in FIG. 15(A) and FIG. 16, this cutting and stripping device 204 includes a cutting blade 242 for cutting the wires W1 and W2 and a blade unit 240 composed of the stripping blades 241 and 243 before and after it. Each blade is a pair of upper and lower blades that are driven in the vertical direction of approaching and separating from each other. In this specification, when specifically referring to the lower blade, an apostrophe is added to the reference numeral (such as the lower rear stripping blade 241'). A reference numeral without an apostrophe may refer to a set of upper and lower blades or particularly to the upper blade.

[0116] The electric wires shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 are in a state where the ends are stripped after being cut. As clearly shown in FIG. 15(B), at the tip (top) of the trailing electric wire W1 (referred to as the 1-side electric wire), the core wire CW1 protrudes, and stripping chips SI1 adhere to the front side (the cutting blade 242 side) of the rear stripping blade 241. Similarly, at the rear end (tail) of the leading electric wire W2 (referred to as the 2-side electric wire), the core wire CW2 protrudes, and stripping chips SI2 adhere to the rear side (the cutting blade 242 side) of the front (2-side) stripping blade 242. For the procedure of the stripping operation, refer to FIGS. 22, 23, and 24.

[0117] The air blowing means 380 for the coating chips SI is mainly composed of an air blowing block 381 having two air blowing holes 381b and 381c. The block 381 is provided so as to be able to move up and down on the left side of the upper part of the blade unit 240 (the side where the 1-side crimping machine 260 exists, see FIG. 14). And the air blowing holes 381b and 381c jet air toward the opposing inner side (the side where the cutting blade 242 exists) of the front and rear stripping blades 241 and 243. Regarding the up and down movement of the air blowing block 381, when the electric wire W exits from the cutting and stripping part 204 to the left and heads toward the 1-side crimping machine 260, and when the electric wire W returns from the 1-side crimping machine 260 to the cutting and stripping part 204, the block 381 is raised. When blowing air, the air blowing block 381 is lowered.

[0118] As clearly shown in FIGS. 15(B) and 17(B), the air blowing block 381 is generally in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. The width of the block 381 in the front and rear directions is approximately the same as the outer width of the front and rear stripping blades 241 and 243, and the width in the left and right directions is approximately the same as the width of the cutting blade 242. The height of the air blowing block 381 is approximately the same as the height between the upper and lower tongue-like pieces 341 and 341' as clearly shown in FIG. 17(B).

[0119] The air blow holes 381b·c are open at two locations, the front side and the rear side, as shown in Fig. 15(B). The back of the holes 381b·c is connected to the air guide hole 381h. The air guide hole 381h extends in the front-rear direction within the air blow block 381 and is connected to the left-right air guide hole 381j at the rear side. Its original side is connected to the pneumatic tube 387 (see Fig. 17) via the pipeline connection member 383.

[0120] The rear blow hole 381b is drilled so as to face diagonally from the vicinity of the center in the front-rear direction to the rear side and the right side (the side of the counter 1 side crimping machine 260, the side of the stripping waste suction duct 250). And the tip of the hole in the facing direction is directed toward the bottom of the blade-shaped recess 241b' of the front-lower-rear stripping blade 241' in a state where it has almost risen (a state where the upper and lower stripping blades 241·241' overlap and are closed). The bottom of the blade-shaped recess 241b' is the part where the root of the stripped coating waste SI1 adheres to the stripping blades 241'·241. In the example of this figure, the angle α formed by the center line of the air blow hole 381b and the orthogonal plane (front of the stripping blade) of the wire axis is 20°, and the inclination angle β of the blade-shaped recess 241b' in plan view is 30°.

[0121] The relationship between the direction in which the front blow hole 381c faces and the front upper and lower stripping blades 243·243', the blade-shaped recess 243b', and the relationship between the angle α and the angle β are the same as in the case of the above-mentioned rear blow hole 381b and the rear stripping blades 241·241' with the front and rear reversed.

[0122] The stripping (coating strip) dimension, that is, the length of the stripping waste SI, is as short as 1.0 mm. On the other hand, the depth of the blade-shaped recess 241b' is 1.5 mm. Therefore, the head of the stripping waste SI adhering to the bottom of the blade-shaped recess 241b' may not come out of the blade-shaped recess 241b' almost at all. Therefore, simply blowing air blindly toward the vicinity of the stripping blade 241 is not sufficient to blow away (peel off the adhesion) the stripping waste SI. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the air blow is such that it strikes the bottom of the blade-shaped recess 241b' of the stripping blade 241.

[0123] The timing of the air blow is the point in time when the peeling blades 241 and 243 reach the top dead center and bottom dead center positions where they are close to each other and then start to move away from the top dead center and bottom dead center (the upper and lower blades start to open). Specifically, the air blow is performed when the peeling blades 241 and 243 are displaced 0.2 mm from the top dead center and bottom dead center (opened 0.4 mm). The blow time is about 100 ms. As a result of experiments, this point in time and time were found to be suitable in terms of the completeness of chip blowing and reduction of compressed air consumption.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 17, the air blow block 381 is fixed to the lower surface of the peeling blade holder 541 and moves up and down together with the holder 541. FIG. 17(A) shows the raised state, and FIG. 17(B) shows the lowered state. In the raised state of FIG. 17(A), there is an opening between the lower surface of the air blow block 381 and the guide plate 360, and the electric wire W freely runs horizontally left and right between them.

[0125] When in the position below the air blow block 381, the space where the chips SI fly is almost closed on the left side by the air blow block 381, almost closed in the front and rear by the peeling blades 241 and 243, and almost closed above and below by the tongue-shaped pieces 341 and 342. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the situation where the chips SI fly out. Also, the smaller the opening area of the suction duct 250, the greater the difference between the atmospheric pressure and the negative pressure due to the air flow from the gap, the higher the suction force, and the higher the recovery efficiency of the covering chips.

[0126] Summarizing the configuration of the air blow means 380 and the relationship with the synchronization of the peeling operation (covering peeling operation), it is as follows. That is, together with the closing operation of the clothing peeling part, the air blow blowing position moves toward the closing position of the upper and lower peeling blades, and by blowing air toward the vicinity of the position where the covering chips are generated when the upper and lower peeling blades are closed, it is possible to achieve both the strengthening of the covering chip removing action and the prevention of the scattering of the covering chips. Specifically, by blowing air toward the covering chip suction port with the tongue-shaped pieces 341 and 342 of the suction port of the suction duct 250 and the upper and lower peeling blades 241 and 243 in the closed state, the recovery of the covering chips is improved and the prevention of chip scattering can be made more thorough.

[0127] Next, with reference mainly to FIGS. 18 and 19, the structure and operation of the wire conveyance guide around the cutting and stripping section 204 will be described. FIG. 18 is a view around the cutting and stripping section 204 in the wire feeding state of the terminal crimping wire manufacturing apparatus of the second embodiment, where (A) is a plan sectional view and (B) is a side sectional view. FIG. 19 is a view around the cutting and stripping section 204 in the clamped state of the two-side wire clamps of the apparatus of FIG. 18, where (A) is a plan sectional view and (B) is a side sectional view.

[0128] Another end-processed wire manufacturing apparatus (201) of the present invention includes a wire feeding section (210) for feeding a wire, a wire cutting and stripping section (204) for cutting the fed wire to an arbitrary length and stripping the coating at the end of the wire, a one-side end processing section (260) for end-processing the tip of the one-side (rearward) wire after cutting and coating stripping, a two-side end processing section (290) for end-processing the rear ends of the two-side (forward) wires, and a clamp conveyance section (220, 270) for clamping the wire and conveying it to each section. The end-processed wire manufacturing apparatus (201) further includes a guide plate (360) that extends below the wire lateral movement path on the side (left side) of the one-side end processing section (260) of the wire cutting and stripping section (204) to receive the downward-hanging wire and guide it to the wire cutting and stripping section (204).

[0129] Another wire cutting and stripping device (204) of the present invention further includes a wire receiver (390) disposed on the lower side of the traveling path of the fed wire (W1) (preferably also on the upper side of the traveling path or the side of the one-side end processing unit) in front of the wire cutting and stripping unit (204) (in the wire feeding direction), which receives the wire that droops downward during feeding (preferably also reduces the upward and lateral flailing of the wire), and wire receiver moving means (392) for moving the wire receiver (390) between a position close to the cutting and stripping unit (204) and a position far from the same unit. When the wire receiver (390) approaches the cutting and stripping unit (204), the clamp (271) is retracted from the wire traveling path, and when the wire receiver (390) moves away from the cutting and stripping unit (204), the clamp (271) is advanced into the wire traveling path. In the following-described embodiment, the wire receiver 380 is a guide member having a horizontally U-shaped cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wire (open in the direction toward the two-side crimping machine). By passing the wire (W1) inside the guide member, the flailing of the wire during wire feeding is reduced.

[0130] As shown in FIGS. 18(A) and 19(A), on the left side of the cutting and stripping device 204 (the side where the one-side terminal crimping machine 260 is located, see FIG. 14), a guide plate 360 that spreads below the wire lateral movement path is provided. The guide plate 360 is a plate having a substantially L-shaped configuration in plan view. The left end portion 360b is a leftward-sloping inclined surface 360b (see FIG. 17(A)), and the rear portion is a rearward-sloping inclined surface 360f. Both inclined surfaces have the effect of lifting the tip of the wire upward when the tip of the wire (top terminal T1) droops and hits the inclined surfaces 360b and 360f. The other portions of the guide plate 360, the front and right portions, are flat surfaces 360j. The height of the flat surface 360j is the same as the height of the upper surfaces of the lower tongue-like pieces 341´ and 342´, as shown in FIGS. 18(B) and 19(B).

[0131] In front of the cutting and peeling section 204, there are two-side clamps 271 and a wire receiver 390. When feeding the wire as shown in Fig. 18, the two-side clamps 271 are retracted under the rear end of the wire receiver 390. When clamping the wire as shown in Fig. 19, they rise to approximately the same height as the wire receiver 390. When feeding the wire as shown in Fig. 18, the wire receiver 390 approaches the cutting and peeling section 204. When clamping the wire as shown in Fig. 19, it moves forward away from the cutting and peeling section 204.

[0132] As shown in Fig. 19(A), the two-side clamps 271 have a pair of claws 271b and 271c for gripping the wire. At the base of the claws, they are supported by an arm 272 incorporating a claw opening and closing mechanism (such as a commercially available air chuck). The arm is mounted on a three-axis movable mechanism for tilting, forward and backward movement, and lateral movement. By rotating the arm 272 around the front and rear axis, the two-side clamps 271 are raised (Fig. 19) and lowered (Fig. 18). By moving the arm 272 forward and backward, forward and backward movement of the wire is performed (such as the peeling operation in Figs. 22, 23, and 24). By moving the arm 272 laterally (left and right), lateral movement between the cutting and peeling section 204 and the crimping machine 290, discharge to the discharge tray, etc. are performed. The tilting, forward and backward, and lateral movement mechanism can be composed of commercially available actuators, linear guides, etc.

[0133] The wire receiver 390 has an upper plate 390U and a lower plate 390B facing each other vertically, and a vertical planar left wall 390W connecting to the back end (front end in the figure) of both plates. The right side of the wire receiver 390 (the side of the two-side crimping machine 290, see Fig. 14) has no wall and is a through passage. The rear end of the upper plate 390U is inclined upward and backward, and the rear end of the lower plate 390B is inclined downward and backward. Both inclinations are trumpet-shaped, opening towards the rear, making it easier for the tip (top) of the wire W1 to enter the wire receiver 390 even when it faces downward. The height of the part of the upper plate 390U and the lower plate 390B excluding the entrance trumpet part is larger than the interval between the upper and lower tongue-like pieces 341, 341', 342, and 342' of the cutting and peeling section 204.

[0134] During wire feeding, the wire and terminal that come out from the cutting and stripping section 204 to the front side enter the immediately following wire receiver 390 and proceed (are fed) forward. This prevents the wire from getting under the cover 394 that slides the wire horizontally during wire lateral conveyance on both sides. Also, the wire receiver 390 suppresses the wild movement during wire feeding. That is, the function of the upper plate 390U of the wire receiver 390 is to suppress the wild movement of the wire in the upward direction during wire feeding. The left wall 390W leans to the right as it goes forward. This suppresses the lateral wild movement in the initial state during wire feeding, serves to prevent collision with the installed equipment, etc., and continues with the wire receiver 390U of the surface that suppresses in the upward direction.

[0135] Next, while referring to FIGS. 20 and 21, the conveyance and feed operations of the wire W1 from the one-side crimping machine 260 to the cutting and stripping section 204 will be described. FIG. 20 is a plan view showing the lateral movement and feed (wire longitudinal feeding) of the wire from the guide plate 360 to the cutting and stripping section 204 in the case of a wire with a relatively small terminal (for example, a terminal with a pole pitch of 2.54 mm or less for a signal connector) crimped on the wire top. FIG. 21 is a plan view showing the lateral movement and feed (wire longitudinal feeding) of the wire from the guide plate 360 to the cutting and stripping section 204 in the case of a wire with a relatively large terminal (for example, a terminal with a pole pitch of 3.96 mm or more for a power supply or in-vehicle connector) crimped on the wire top.

[0136] In the stage before FIG. 20(A), after crimping a relatively small one-side terminal TS1 with the one-side crimping machine 260 (see FIG. 14), the one-side clamp 225 retracts rearward at the rear side, removes the terminal and wire from the crimping machine, and moves laterally so as not to be caught by the crimping machine. Next, the one-side clamp 225 starts to move laterally in the right direction. And the state of FIG. 20(A) is when the one-side terminal TS1 has come onto the guide plate 360. After the start of the clamp lateral movement, the one-side clamp 225 starts to move vertically forward in a predetermined time. This is the state of FIG. 20(B). At this time, the lateral movement of the one-side clamp 225 continues.

[0137] Figure 20(C) shows the situation where the one - side clamp 225 and the one - side wire W1 have reached the horizontal (left - right) center of each blade of the cutting and stripping section 204. Also, after the one - side clamp 225 in Figure 20(B) starts to move forward, the wire feeding starts after a predetermined time, and the one - side wire W1 has been fed a certain length forward. When the one - side wire W1 starts to enter between the upper and lower blades of the cutting blade 242 and the stripping blades 241 and 243, depending on the specifications of the wire and the terminal, the one - side terminal TS1 may enter between the upper and lower cutting blades 242 and the stripping blades 241 and 243, or may be in front of the front - side stripping blade 243.

[0138] Next, with reference to Figure 21, the case of a relatively large one - side terminal TL1 will be described. In this case, in the first half of the lateral movement, Figures 21(A) and (B) are the same as the lateral movement of the relatively small one - side terminal TS1 already described, that is, the same as Figures 20(A) and (B). However, the lateral movement of the one - side clamp 225 stops in the state of Figure 21(B). Then, at the stage of Figure 21(C), only the forward movement of the one - side clamp 225 to a predetermined position and the feed of the one - side wire W1 to a predetermined length are performed. After that, as shown in Figure 21(D), only by lateral movement, the one - side wire W1 is conveyed to the cutting and stripping section 204.

[0139] This is because in the case of a relatively large one - side terminal TL1, it is difficult to enter (get caught) between the upper and lower cutting blades 242, stripping blades 241 and 243, and the tongue - shaped pieces 141 and 142. For safety reasons, after the large one - side terminal TL1 comes out in front of the front - side stripping blade 243, the wire is laterally moved into the cutting and stripping section 204. During the middle - to - latter half of the wire W1 feed and the lateral movement after the feed is completed, the one - side terminal TL1 is inside (above) the wire receiver 390, and even if there is warping or flailing in the wire, the possibility of troubles such as the terminal getting caught is low.

[0140] Regarding the start position of the wire feed by the return conveyance guide 360 and the conveyance of the one-side wire W1 to the suction port 250b in this embodiment, it is summarized as follows. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, it was a wire guide (reference numeral 160, swivel guide) in the swivel operation, but in this embodiment, it is a wire guide corresponding to the return conveyance (conveyance from the one-side crimping machine 160 to the cutting and stripping section 204) in the horizontal (parallel) conveyance operation of the wire. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the guide plates that were above and below are in the shape of only the lower side. Depending on the terminal shape (size, etc.), the start position of the wire feed (pay-out) is performed on the upper surface of the wire guide 360, and then the wire is guided between the tongue pieces 341 and 342 of the suction port 250b of the waste suction duct 250 for stripping.

[0141] Next, with reference to FIGS. 22, 23, and 24, some examples of the operations of the cutting blade 242 and the stripping blades 241 and 243 will be described. FIG. 22 is a side cross-sectional view showing the operations of the cutting blade 242 and the stripping blades 241 and 243 when the stripping length is normal (relatively short, for example, less than 10 mm). FIG. 23 is a side cross-sectional view showing the operations of the cutting blade 242 and the stripping blades 241 and 243 when the stripping length at one end is extremely long (for example, 10 to 20 mm) (one-side long strip). FIG. 24 is a side cross-sectional view showing the operations of the cutting blade 242 and the stripping blades 241 and 243 when the stripping lengths at both ends are extremely long (both-side long strip). The arrow attached to the wire W indicates the feeding direction of the wire W. In the figure, a pair of upper and lower rear stripping blades 241, cutting blade 242, and front stripping blade 243 arranged in the direction from "rear" to "front" are shown. Each blade is driven up and down by the mechanism described above.

[0142] FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining a normal wire stripping process. (A) shows a state where the wire has entered between the upper and lower blades (retracted state) of each blade. (B) shows a state where the cutting blade 242 and the stripping blades 241 and 243 have approached the wire. (C) shows a state where the cutting for determining the wire length has been completed. (D) shows a state where the stripping length has been set. (E) shows a state where the stripping blade has cut into the wire coating. (F) shows a state where the wire has been pulled back and forth (away from the stripping blade) to complete the stripping of the skin.

[0143] In this example, the vertical movement of the cutting blade 242 and the stripping blades 241 and 243 in FIGS. 22(A) to (F) is performed by driving a slide block (similar to the reference numeral 45 in FIG. 2) by a motor-ball screw drive (slide). The longitudinal movement of the wire is performed by the one-side clamp 225 and the two-side clamp 271 gripping and moving the wire W back and forth before and after the cutting and stripping section 204 from the state of (D) to the state of (F).

[0144] After the cutting for determining the wire length in FIG. 22(C) is completed, the leading wire after cutting is referred to as the two-side wire W2, and the trailing wire is referred to as the one-side wire W1 (the same as described above). In FIG. 22(F), the stripped coating waste (not shown) is blown out by an air blow er and then sucked and discharged to the waste suction duct 250 (see FIG. 15(A)) under negative pressure.

[0145] Another wire cutting and stripping device (204) of the present invention is a wire cutting and stripping device (204) comprising a cutting blade (242) for cutting a wire, which is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the wire, and stripping blades (241, 243) for making incisions in the coating of the wire, and includes a slide block that is reciprocally driven in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the wire, a stripping blade holder (541) attached to the slide block for holding the stripping blades (241, 243), a cutting blade holder (543) mounted on the slide block for holding the cutting blade (242), and a cutting blade drive actuator for reciprocally driving the cutting blade holder in the intersecting direction. A mechanism for reciprocally driving the slide block is electric. After wire cutting, the cutting blade (242) is avoided from the wire by driving the cutting blade drive actuator. After wire cutting, the cut end of the wire is sent longitudinally beyond the longitudinal position of the cutting blade (242) in the front-rear direction to set the stripping length of the long strip. Then, the stripping blades (241, 243) are cut into the coating of the wire, and then the wire is moved longitudinally to strip the coating.

[0146] Next, with reference to FIG. 23, the case of a single-sided long strip (the stripping length at the top of the one-side wire W1 is short, and the bottom stripping of the two-side wire W2 is long) will be described. Up to before (D') in FIG. 23 (up to wire cutting), it is the same as (A) to (C) in FIG. 22. In FIG. 23 (D'), the cutting blade 242 is retracted alone in a direction away from the wire by a pneumatic cylinder (similar to the reference numeral 44 in FIG. 2).

[0147] Subsequently, in (E'), the two-side wire W2 is retracted until its rear end slightly protrudes backward from the longitudinal position of the cutting blade 242 in the front-rear direction. This can be done because the cutting blade 242 was retracted from the wire passing line in (D'). Next, in (F'), the stripping blades 241, 243 are cut into the wire coating. Then, in (G'), the one-side wire W1 is retracted, the two-side wire W2 is advanced, and the wire coating is stripped. Thus, in the cutting and stripping device 204 of the present embodiment, it is also easy to perform processing (long strip) where the stripping length is longer than the "interval between the stripping blade and the cutting blade".

[0148] Next, while referring to FIG. 24, the case of the both-side long strip will be described. Up to before (a) of FIG. 24 (until the wire is cut), it is the same as (A) to (C) of FIG. 22. In FIG. 24(a), the cutting blade 242 is retracted alone in the direction away from the wire by a pneumatic cylinder (the same as the reference numeral 44 in FIG. 2).

[0149] Subsequently, in FIG. 24(b), the two-side wire W2 is retracted until the rear end thereof slightly protrudes backward from the front-rear direction position of the cutting blade 242, and the one-side wire W1 is retracted behind the rear wire stripping blade 241. Then, in (c), the front wire stripping blade 243 cuts into the wire coating. Next, in (d), the two-side wire W2 is advanced to strip the wire coating. At this stage, the long strip of the rear end (tail) of the two-side wire W2 is completed.

[0150] In (e), after each blade is retracted from the wire passage, the one-side wire W1 is advanced so that the tip thereof protrudes forward from the front-rear direction position of the cutting blade 242. In (f), the rear wire stripping blade 241 cuts into the coating of the one-side wire W1. In (g), the one-side wire W1 is retracted to strip off the coating. In (h), each blade is retracted from the wire passage. In (i), the cutting blade 242 is brought closer to the wire passage by air cylinder drive. This state is a state waiting for the progress to the wire cutting and stripping portion 204.

[0151] As described above, in the cutting and stripping device 204 of the present embodiment, by adjusting the operation sequence of the double actuator for driving the slide block and for driving the cutting blade 242, the long strip operation within the dimensional range between the arranged front and rear strip blades 241 and 243 becomes easy. Also, as described above, it is possible to prevent the scattering of chips due to the adhesion of wire coating chips to the peeling blade and the reduction of the removal function. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of damage to the core wire caused by excessive cutting setting of the wire stripping blade or the like. Also, it is possible to prevent troubles such as the occurrence of a failure of the machine body due to the adhesion of coating chips to the peeling blade. Furthermore, it can contribute to the improvement of the production efficiency and energy saving of the wire harness processing machine.

Claims

1. A wire feeding unit (210) for feeding a wire, a wire cutting and stripping unit (204) that cuts the fed wire to an arbitrary length and strips the covering at the end of the wire, a one-side end processing unit (260) that processes the tip of the cut and covering-stripped one-side (rearward) wire, and a two-side end processing unit (290) that processes the rear end of the two-side (forward) wire, a clamping and conveying unit (220, 270) that clamps the wire and conveys it to each part, and a terminal processing wire manufacturing apparatus (201) comprising the same, further comprising a wire receiver (390) that is arranged on the front side (in the wire feeding direction) of the wire cutting and stripping unit (204), extends long and plate-like forward on the lower side of the fed wire (W1), and receives the wire hanging downwards, and wire receiver moving means (392) that moves the wire receiver (390) between a position approaching the cutting and stripping unit (204) and a position moving away from the same unit. The terminal processing wire manufacturing apparatus (201) is characterized by comprising the same.

2. The terminal processing wire manufacturing apparatus (201) according to Claim 1, wherein the wire receiver (390) also extends above the traveling path of the fed wire (W1) and / or toward the one-side end processing unit side, and reduces the upward and / or lateral flailing of the wire during wire feeding.

3. A wire feeding unit (210) for feeding a wire, a wire cutting and stripping unit (204) that cuts the fed wire to an arbitrary length and strips the covering at the end of the wire, a one-side end processing unit (260) that processes the tip of the cut and covering-stripped one-side (rearward) wire, and a two-side end processing unit (290) that processes the rear end of the two-side (forward) wire, a clamping and conveying unit (220, 270) that clamps the wire and conveys it to each part, and a terminal processing wire manufacturing apparatus (201) comprising the same, further comprising a wire receiver (390) that extends on the lower side of the fed wire (W1) and is arranged on the front side (in the wire feeding direction) of the wire cutting and stripping unit (204), and receives the wire hanging downwards, and comprising wire receiver moving means (392) that moves the wire receiver (390) between a position approaching the cutting and stripping unit (204) and a position moving away from the same unit. Furthermore, when the wire receiver (390) approaches the cutting and stripping section (204), the clamps (271) on both sides are retracted from the wire advancing path, and when the wire receiver (390) moves away from the cutting and stripping section (204), the clamps (271) are advanced into the wire advancing path. The end processing wire manufacturing apparatus (201) is characterized by comprising moving means (272, 273) for the clamps (271).

4. The wire receiver (390) also extends above and / or on one side end processing section side of the advancing path of the fed wire (W1), and reduces the upward and / or lateral flailing of the wire during wire feeding. The end processing wire manufacturing apparatus (201) according to claim 3.

5. On the side of the one-side end processing section (260) of the cutting and stripping section (204), a guide plate (360) that spreads below the wire lateral movement path is further provided. A forward direction extension part (360p) extending forward is formed on the guide plate. The wire receiver (390) also spreads in front of the forward direction extension part (360p) of the guide plate (360). The end processing wire manufacturing apparatus (201) according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that the wire (W1) can be fed (paid out) from above the forward direction extension part onto the wire receiver.

6. In the case of the one-side wire (W1) with a large one-side terminal (TL1), by wire feeding, the terminal (TL1) is advanced from the forward direction extension part (360p) of the guide plate (360) to the wire receiver (390), and after wire feeding, the wire is laterally moved to the cutting and stripping section (204). The end processing wire manufacturing apparatus (201) according to claim 5.

7. A wire cutting and stripping section (204) that cuts the fed wire (W1) to an arbitrary length and strips the coating at the end of the wire, A clamp (271) that clamps and conveys the wire (W2) after cutting and stripping. The wire cutting and stripping apparatus (201) is provided with Furthermore, a wire receiver (390) that extends below the advancing path of the fed wire (W1) and is arranged in front of (in the wire feeding direction) the wire cutting and stripping section (204), and receives the wire that sags downward during feeding. Wire receiver moving means (392) for moving the wire receiver (390) between a position close to the cutting and stripping section (204) and a position far from the same section. When the wire receiver (390) approaches the cutting and stripping section (204), the clamp (271) is retracted from the wire advancing path, and when the wire receiver (390) moves away from the cutting and stripping section (204), the clamp (271) is advanced into the wire advancing path. The moving means (272, 273) of the clamp (271), An electric wire cutting and stripping device (201), characterized by comprising the above.

8. The wire receiver (390) also extends above the advancing path of the fed electric wire (W1) and / or on the side of the one-side end processing section, and reduces the upward and / or lateral flailing of the electric wire during wire feeding. The electric wire cutting and stripping device (201) according to Claim 7.

9. An electric wire feeding section (210) for feeding an electric wire, An electric wire cutting and stripping section (204) for cutting the fed electric wire to an arbitrary length and stripping the covering of the end of the electric wire, A one-side end processing section (260) for end-processing the tip of the cut one-side (rearward) electric wire after cutting and covering stripping, and a two-side end processing section (290) for end-processing the rear end of the two-side (forward) electric wire, An end-processing electric wire manufacturing device (201) comprising a clamp conveying section (220, 270) for clamping the electric wire and conveying it to each section, Furthermore, on the side (left side) of the one-side end processing section (260) of the electric wire cutting and stripping section (204), a guide plate (360) is further provided, which extends below the electric wire lateral movement path and guides the downward-hanging electric wire to the electric wire cutting and stripping section (204). The end-processing electric wire manufacturing device (201) is characterized by this.

10. A forward direction extension part (360p) extending forward is formed on the guide plate, The end-processing electric wire manufacturing device (201) according to Claim 9, characterized in that the tip of the one-side electric wire (W1) can be fed (paid out) above the forward direction extension part.

11. An electric wire feeding section (10) for feeding an electric wire, An electric wire cutting and stripping section (4) for cutting the fed electric wire to an arbitrary length and stripping the covering of the cut end of the electric wire, An end processing section (60, 90) for end-processing the end of the electric wire from which the covering has been stripped, An end-processing electric wire manufacturing device comprising a clamp conveying section (20, 70) for clamping the electric wire and conveying it to each section, The end-processing electric wire manufacturing device is characterized in that the electric wire cutting and stripping section (4) is the electric wire cutting and stripping device (4, 204) according to Claim 7 or 8.

12. A method of cutting an electric wire having a core wire and an outer coating to a certain length, then stripping the coating, and then performing end processing, comprising: A method for manufacturing an end-processed electric wire, characterized by using the end-processing electric wire manufacturing apparatus (1, 201) according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, or 10, or using the electric wire cutting and stripping apparatus (4, 204) according to claim 7 or 8.

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