Multi-core shielded cable processing equipment

Abstract

A machining device 10 for a multi-core shielded cable 1 comprises: an upstream-process processing device 10A for stripping a sheath 2; a detecting device 140 for detecting a circumferential-direction position of a drain wire 3; a downstream-process processing device 10B for processing tip end portions of electric wires 3, 4; a transfer device 150 for transferring the multi-core shielded cable 1 between the upstream-process processing device 10A and the downstream-process processing device 10B; a positioning device 100; and a control device 200. The positioning device 100 comprises: a first gripping device 160R for gripping the multi-core shielded cable 1; and a first rotating device 170R for rotating the multi-core shielded cable 1 that is being gripped by the first gripping device 160R. The control device 200 controls the positioning device 100 on the basis of a detection result obtained by the detecting device 140, and moves the drain wire 3 to a predetermined position in the circumferential direction by driving at least the first rotating device 170R.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Methods for processing the drain wire of a multi-core shielded cable have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a process in which a terminal is crimped onto the drain wire that has been pulled out from the sheath and folded in half.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a manufacturing apparatus that sequentially performs the following processes on a sheathed multi-core cable (twisted cable): a sheath stripping process, a core wire untwisting process, a core wire orientation adjustment and straightening process, a core wire length adjustment process, a core wire coating stripping process, and a terminal connection process. The manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Document 2 includes a plurality of fixed-side chucks that are aligned along the multi-core cable transport path and hold the multi-core cable, and a movable-side chuck that holds the multi-core cable and moves back and forth between the fixed-side chucks. The multi-core cable is curved into a U shape and is transported sequentially to the plurality of fixed-side chucks by the movable-side chuck. This allows the multi-core cable to be transported between processes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-207738 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-179675 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the processing of a multi-core shielded cable in which a drain wire and multiple core wires are covered by a sheath, for example, in the process of processing the tip, such as crimping terminals to the drain wire and core wires, each wire is processed individually. Therefore, it is preferable that the drain wire and core wire be individually identified before the process of processing the tip. Since the processing of the drain wire and the processing of the core wire are often different, it is necessary to at least identify the drain wire and the core wire separately.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and its object is to provide an efficient multi-core shielded cable processing device that is configured to distinguish between drain wires and core wires before processing the tip end. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A multi-core shielded cable processing device according to the present invention includes a front-end processing device that at least strips the sheath of a multi-core shielded cable including a drain wire, one or more core wires, and a sheath covering the drain wire and the core wires, a detection device that detects the position of the drain wire in the circumferential direction of the multi-core shielded cable, a back-end processing device that is arranged alongside the front-end processing device in a predetermined conveying direction and processes the leading ends of at least some of the drain wire and the core wires, a positioning device, a transfer device that receives the multi-core shielded cable from the front-end processing device and transfers it to the back-end processing device, and a control device. The positioning device includes a first gripping device that grips the multi-core shielded cable so that its longitudinal direction coincides with a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and a first rotating device that rotates the multi-core shielded cable gripped by the first gripping device around a first rotation axis extending in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The control device controls the positioning device based on the detection result by the detection device and drives at least the first rotating device to move the drain wire to a predetermined position around the first rotation axis.

[0008] According to the above-described multi-core shielded cable processing device, the multi-core shielded cable is rotated so that the drain wire moves to a predetermined position. The position of the drain wire after movement allows the drain wire to be distinguished from the core wires. For example, in post-processing processes such as stripping and crimping, different processing conditions may be applied to the drain wire and the core wire. By distinguishing between the drain wire and the core wire, it becomes easier to set the processing conditions. This improves the efficiency of the multi-core shielded cable processing device.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core shielded cable processing device of the present invention, the first rotation device rotates the multi-core shielded cable so that the drain wire moves to the most upstream or most downstream position in the conveying direction among the drain wire and the core wire.

[0010] In the above-described multi-core shielded cable processing device, the drain wire is positioned at the end of the transport direction in the post-processing device, so that the drain wire is processed first or last among the processes for the drain wire and the core wire. Therefore, when the processes for the drain wire and the core wire are different, the number of setup changes can be minimized.

[0011] According to a preferred aspect of the multi-core shielded cable processing apparatus of the present invention, the positioning device is provided in the front-end processing device and includes: a second gripping device that grips the multi-core shielded cable so that its longitudinal direction coincides with the orthogonal direction; and a second rotation device that rotates the multi-core shielded cable gripped by the second gripping device about a second rotation axis extending in the orthogonal direction. The detection device is configured to detect the position of the drain wire in the circumferential direction of the multi-core shielded cable when the multi-core shielded cable is gripped by the second gripping device. The control device controls the second rotation device based on the detection by the detection device to rotate the multi-core shielded cable so that the drain wire faces the detection device, and then controls the first rotation device to move the drain wire to the predetermined position.

[0012] According to the multi-core shielded cable processing device, the circumferential position of the drain wire in the multi-core shielded cable when held by the second holding device of the front-end processing device (hereinafter simply referred to as the circumferential position of the drain wire) is detected by the detection device, and the circumferential position of the drain wire is set to a position facing the detection device. This determines the circumferential position of the drain wire, facilitating processing of the drain wire and core wires in the front-end processing device. Furthermore, in the front-end processing device, the circumferential position of the drain wire is set to a position facing the detection device, so the drain wire can be accurately positioned. Because the drain wire is accurately positioned in the front-end processing device, the first holding device and the first rotating device can also more accurately align the drain wire.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core shielded cable processing device, the pre-processing device includes a tube attachment device that attaches a heat-shrinkable tube to the drain wire that has been moved so that it faces the detection device.

[0014] According to the above-described multi-core shielded cable processing device, the circumferential position of the drain wire is determined by the operation of the second rotating device, so that the heat-shrinkable tube can be easily attached.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core shielded cable processing apparatus of the present invention, the pre-processing device includes a bending device that bends the multi-core shielded cable into a U-shape so that both ends are aligned in the conveying direction. The bending device forms an upstream portion extending in the perpendicular direction, a downstream portion extending in the perpendicular direction downstream of the upstream portion in the conveying direction, and a bent portion bent between the upstream portion and the downstream portion. The detection device detects the upstream position of the drain wire in the circumferential direction of the upstream portion and the downstream position of the drain wire in the circumferential direction of the downstream portion. The first gripping device is configured to grip the upstream portion of the multi-core shielded cable. The first rotating device is configured to rotate the upstream portion of the multi-core shielded cable. The positioning device is provided downstream of the first gripping device in the conveying direction and includes a downstream first gripping device that grips the downstream portion of the multi-core shielded cable, and a downstream first rotating device that rotates the downstream portion gripped by the downstream first gripping device about another first rotation axis extending in the perpendicular direction. The control device controls the downstream first rotating device to move the downstream drain wire to a predetermined position about the other first rotation axis.

[0016] The above-described processing device for a multi-core shielded cable allows the positions of the drain wires at both ends of the multi-core shielded cable that has been bent into a U-shape in order to process both ends sequentially, thereby making it possible to distinguish the drain wires from the core wires at both ends of the multi-core shielded cable.

[0017] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core shielded cable processing device, the first rotation axis is disposed so as to deviate from a line passing through the axis of the upstream portion of the multi-core shielded cable when the first gripping device grips the upstream portion of the multi-core shielded cable. The first rotation device is configured to rotate the first gripping device around the first rotation axis, and rotates the first gripping device so that the line passing through the axis of the upstream portion moves downstream in the conveying direction.

[0018] According to the above-described multi-core shielded cable processing device, the ends of the multi-core shielded cable are brought closer to each other in the conveyance direction, and the distance between the ends is narrowed, thereby making it possible to shorten the length of the post-processing equipment in the conveyance direction.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core shielded cable processing device, the other first rotation shaft is disposed so as to deviate from a line passing through the axis of the downstream portion when the downstream first gripping device grips the downstream portion of the multi-core shielded cable. The downstream first rotation device is configured to rotate the downstream first gripping device around the other first rotation shaft, and rotates the downstream first gripping device so that the line passing through the axis of the downstream portion moves upstream in the conveying direction.

[0020] The above-described multi-core shielded cable processing device also brings both ends of the multi-core shielded cable closer to each other in the conveyance direction, narrowing the distance between the ends, thereby shortening the length of the post-processing device in the conveyance direction.

[0021] A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-core shielded cable processing apparatus further comprising: an upstream-side third gripping device arranged alongside the first gripping device in the orthogonal direction and configured to grip the upstream portion of the multi-core shielded cable; a downstream-side third gripping device arranged alongside the downstream-side first gripping device in the orthogonal direction and configured to grip the downstream portion of the multi-core shielded cable; and a first moving device. The first moving device moves at least one of a pair of third gripping devices consisting of the upstream-side third gripping device and the downstream-side third gripping device and a pair of first gripping devices consisting of the first gripping device and the downstream-side first gripping device in the orthogonal direction, thereby moving the pair of third gripping devices in the orthogonal direction relative to the pair of first gripping devices. The control device is configured to control the bending device so that the upstream tip and the downstream tip of the multi-core shielded cable are offset from each other by a predetermined distance in the orthogonal direction. When the position of the upstream tip and the position of the downstream tip of the multi-core shielded cable are shifted by the preset distance, the control device is configured to: (1) cause one of the first gripping device and the downstream first gripping device to grip the multi-core shielded cable and cause the other to release the multi-core shielded cable; (2) cause the third gripping device, of the upstream third gripping device and the downstream third gripping device, that corresponds to the first gripping device that is releasing the multi-core shielded cable to grip the multi-core shielded cable, and cause the third gripping device that corresponds to the first gripping device that is gripping the multi-core shielded cable to release the multi-core shielded cable; and (3) further control the first moving device to move the pair of third gripping devices by the preset distance in the orthogonal direction relative to the pair of first gripping devices, so as to align the orthogonal position of the upstream tip of the multi-core shielded cable with the orthogonal position of the downstream tip of the multi-core shielded cable.

[0022] According to the above-described multi-core shielded cable processing device, even if the upstream end and the downstream end are misaligned when bending the multi-core shielded cable, the upstream end and the downstream end can be aligned, facilitating processing of the end portions by a post-processing device.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the multi-core shielded cable processing device according to the present invention, the first gripping device is provided in the transfer device, and the transfer device receives the multi-core shielded cable from the front-end processing device and transfers it to the back-end processing device by the first gripping device.

[0024] According to the above-described multi-core shielded cable processing apparatus, the positioning device and the transfer device are partially common, which allows the multi-core shielded cable processing apparatus to be made compact.

[0025] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core shielded cable processing apparatus of the present invention, the transfer device further includes a second moving device that moves the first gripping device between an upstream transfer position where the multi-core shielded cable is transferred between the front-end processing device and the first gripping device and a downstream transfer position where the multi-core shielded cable is transferred between the first gripping device and the back-end processing device. The control device controls the second moving device to move the first gripping device from the upstream transfer position to the downstream transfer position, and controls the first rotating device while the first gripping device is being moved from the upstream transfer position to the downstream transfer position to move the drain wire to the predetermined position.

[0026] The above-described multi-core shielded cable processing device can circumferentially align the drain wires while moving the multi-core shielded cable in the feed direction, thereby shortening the cycle time for processing the multi-core shielded cable.

[0027] According to a preferred embodiment of the multi-core shielded cable processing device of the present invention, the control device controls the first rotation device based on detection by the detection device, rotates the multi-core shielded cable so that the drain wire faces the detection device, and then moves the drain wire to the predetermined position.

[0028] According to the above-described multi-core shielded cable processing device, preliminary alignment of the drain wire is performed so that the circumferential position of the drain wire faces the detection device. This preliminary alignment of the drain wire can be performed accurately because the circumferential position of the drain wire faces the detection device. Because the preliminary alignment of the drain wire is accurate, subsequent alignment of the drain wire can also be performed more accurately. [Effects of the Invention]

[0029] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the efficiency of a processing device for a multi-core shielded cable that is configured to distinguish between drain wires and core wires before processing the tip end. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multi-core shielded cable. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic plan view of a multi-core shielded cable processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a core wire separation device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic rear view of the core wire separation device. [Figure 5] 10 is a perspective view of a fixed clamp at the front of the core wire separation device and a detection device. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a rear view of the delivery device after the upstream clamp and the downstream clamp have been rotated. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the transfer device after the upstream clamp and the downstream clamp have been rotated and laterally moved. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a multi-core shielded cable processing device. [Figure 11A] 1 is the first half of a flowchart showing processing of a multi-core shielded cable. [Figure 11B] 10 is the second half of a flowchart showing processing of a multi-core shielded cable. [Figure 12] 10 is a perspective view showing a transfer device in a state where a multi-core shielded cable having both ends with different tip positions is held. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the delivery device immediately after starting the operation of aligning the tip positions of both end portions. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the delivery device in a state where the tip positions of both ends have been aligned. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] [Configuration of processing equipment] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a multi-core shielded cable 1, which is the subject of wire processing herein, will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of the multi-core shielded cable 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-core shielded cable 1 includes a sheath 2, a drain wire 3, multiple core wires 4, and a shield 5. The sheath 2 is made of an insulator and covers the drain wire 3, the multiple core wires 4, and the shield 5. The multiple core wires 4 are used, for example, as signal wires that transmit electrical signals. Each of the multiple core wires 4 includes a core wire 4a and an insulating coating 4b that covers the core wire 4a. The shield 5 is a conductor that shields the core wires 4 from external noise. The shield 5 covers the outside of the multiple core wires 4. The drain wire 3 is electrically connected to the shield 5. The drain wire 3 is grounded, thereby grounding the shield 5. The drain wire 3 is made of multiple thin conductor wires and is not covered with an insulator. Although not shown in the figure, the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 are twisted together inside the shield 5. There is no particular limitation on the number of core wires 4. The number of core wires 4 may be one or more. Hereinafter, when there is no particular distinction between the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4, they may be collectively referred to as electric wires.

[0032] 2 is a schematic plan view of a processing device 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as the processing device) for a multi-core shielded cable 1 according to one embodiment. The processing device 10 insulates the drain wire 3 and crimps a terminal 7 onto its tip, and also crimps terminals 7 onto the tips of the multiple core wires 4. In this example, the insulation process for the drain wire 3 is a process of covering the drain wire 3 with a heat-shrinkable tube 6 and thermally shrinking the heat-shrinkable tube 6. The processing device 10 may be configured to further perform a process of attaching waterproof rubber stoppers to the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4.

[0033] 2, where the transport path for the multi-core shielded cable 1 is formed, will be referred to as the front side of the processing apparatus 10. The left and right sides of the processing apparatus 10 refer to the left and right sides when viewed from the front side toward the rear side of the processing apparatus 10. In the drawings, the front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom are represented by the symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D, respectively. However, the above directions are merely set for the convenience of explanation and do not limit the installation mode of the processing apparatus 10.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2 , the processing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment includes a front-end processing device 10A that at least strips the sheath 2 from the multi-core shielded cable 1, and a back-end processing device 10B that processes the leading ends of at least some of the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4. The leading ends of the drain wire 3 and some of the multiple core wires 4 do not necessarily need to be processed by the back-end processing device 10B. The back-end processing device 10B is arranged alongside the front-end processing device 10A in the conveying direction (here, the left-right direction) of the multi-core shielded cable 1. Specifically, the back-end processing device 10B is arranged downstream (here, leftward) of the front-end processing device 10A in the conveying direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1. In this embodiment, the front-end processing device 10A is configured to grip the portion of the multi-core shielded cable 1 covered with the sheath 2, and the back-end processing device 10B is configured to grip the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 individually. In this embodiment, the front-end processing device 10A and the back-end processing device 10B are separate devices because they use different gripping methods. Therefore, the processing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment further includes a transfer device 150 that receives the multi-core shielded cable 1 from the pre-process processing device 10A and transfers it to the post-process processing device 10B.

[0035] In this embodiment, the front-end processing device 10A includes a cutting and shaping device 20 that cuts the multi-core shielded cable 1 to a predetermined length and bends it into a U-shape, a semi-stripping device 30 that performs a semi-stripping process by making slits in the sheath 2 and pulling it out halfway, a core wire separating device 40 that completely pulls out the sheath 2 at the tip end and separates the drain wire 3 from the multiple core wires 4, and a tube fitting device 50 that fits a heat-shrink tube 6 to the drain wire 3. However, the devices and processes performed by the front-end processing device 10A described above are merely preferred examples and are not particularly limited. These devices are arranged in this order downstream in the conveying direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, the front-end processing device 10A includes a conveying device 110 that conveys the multi-core shielded cable 1 from the cutting and forming device 20 to the tube attachment device 50. The conveying device 110 includes a plurality of conveying clamps 111 aligned in the conveying direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1, a drive unit 112 that moves the plurality of conveying clamps 111 in the conveying direction, and a plurality of fixed clamps 120 arranged in a front-to-rear direction (a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, hereinafter also referred to as the orthogonal direction) with respect to the devices of the front-end processing device 10A. The plurality of conveying clamps 111 and the plurality of fixed clamps 120 each grip the multi-core shielded cable 1 (more specifically, the straight portion on the upstream side or the straight portion on the downstream side) so that the longitudinal direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1 (here, the longitudinal direction of both straight portions bent into a U-shape) coincides with the orthogonal direction (front-to-rear direction). The conveying clamps 111 convey the multi-core shielded cable 1 between the plurality of fixed clamps 120. As a result, the plurality of multi-core shielded cables 1 are sequentially conveyed downstream in the conveying direction. The number of conveying clamps 111 does not have to be plural, and may be one.

[0037] The post-processing device 10B includes an alignment device 60 that individually holds the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 and aligns them at the same pitch, a stripping device 70 that strips the heat-shrinkable tube 6 covering the drain wire 3 and the coating 4b of the multiple core wires 4, a crimping device 80 that crimps terminals 7 to the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4, and a discharge device 90 that discharges the multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 2, the post-processing device 10B includes a shuttle conveying device 130 that conveys the multi-core shielded cable 1 from the alignment device 60 to the discharge device 90. The shuttle conveying device 130 includes a plurality of shuttles 131, each having a gripping portion 131a that grips the drain wire 3 and the plurality of core wires 4 individually, and a driving portion 132 that drives the plurality of shuttles 131 in a circulating manner. Note that the number of shuttles 131 does not have to be multiple, and may be one. Furthermore, the shuttle 131 may move back and forth instead of circulating.

[0039] The following describes the configurations of the devices in the front-end processing device 10A, the devices in the back-end processing device 10B, and the transfer device 150. The cutting and shaping device 20 in the front-end processing device 10A cuts the multi-core shielded cable 1 to a predetermined length and shapes it into a U-shape. The cutting and shaping device 20 includes a feeding device 21 that conveys the multi-core shielded cable 1, a length measuring device 22 that measures the length of the multi-core shielded cable 1, a cutting device 23 that cuts the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the predetermined length, and a bending device 24 that bends the cut multi-core shielded cable 1 into a U-shape. The bending device 24 bends the multi-core shielded cable 1 into a U-shape so that both ends are aligned in the conveyance direction. The bending device 24 thereby forms in the multi-core shielded cable 1 an upstream portion 1u extending in the perpendicular direction, a downstream portion 1d that is downstream of the upstream portion 1u in the conveyance direction and extends in the perpendicular direction, and a bent portion 1m that is bent between the upstream portion 1u and the downstream portion 1d. Hereinafter, the tip (open end) of the upstream portion 1u will also be referred to as the upstream end of the multi-core shielded cable 1, and the tip of the downstream portion 1d will also be referred to as the downstream end of the multi-core shielded cable 1. The sheath 2 is stripped from the upstream end and downstream end of the multi-core shielded cable 1, and terminals 7 are crimped to the drain wires 3 and core wires 4 exposed by the sheath stripping.

[0040] The bending device 24 includes an arc-shaped rail (not shown) for moving the second most upstream conveying clamp 111 in the conveying direction to a position forward of the most upstream conveying clamp 111 in the conveying direction, and a drive unit (denoted by the reference symbol 24 of the bending device in FIG. 2 ) for moving the second most upstream conveying clamp 111 along the rail. With the second most upstream conveying clamp 111 positioned forward of the most upstream conveying clamp 111, the multi-core shielded cable 1 is gripped before being bent. From this state, the second conveying clamp 111 is moved downstream of the most upstream conveying clamp 111 in the conveying direction, thereby bending the multi-core shielded cable 1 into a U-shape. After the multi-core shielded cable 1 has been shaped into a U-shape, the most upstream conveying clamp 111 grips an upstream portion 1u of the multi-core shielded cable 1. The second most upstream conveying clamp 111 grips a downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0041] The semi-stripping device 30 includes a cutting device 31 that forms slits in the sheath 2, and a pulling device 32 that pulls the sheath 2 partway out. In the semi-stripping process, the pulling device 32 moves the sheath 2 on the tip side toward the tip side of the multi-core shielded cable 1 while rotating the sheath 2 on the base side in the circumferential direction. In this way, the pulling device 32 untwists the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4.

[0042] The core wire separation device 40 bends the core wires 4 to separate the core wires 4 from the drain wires 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the core wire separation device 40. FIG. 4 is a schematic rear view of the core wire separation device 40. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the core wires 4 have been separated. As shown in FIG. 3, a rotation device 125 that rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 about its axis is connected to a fixed clamp 120 disposed in front of the core wire separation device 40. The rotation device 125 rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 so that the drain wire 3 is at the 0 o'clock position (see FIG. 4). A detection device 140 is provided above the fixed clamp 120 to detect the circumferential position of the drain wire 3 when the multi-core shielded cable 1 is held by the fixed clamp 120. The rotation of the rotation device 125 is controlled based on detection by the detection device 140. The core wire separating device 40 separates the drain wire 3 from the core wire 4 by leaving the drain wire 3 positioned in the 0 o'clock direction and bending the core wires 4 in other positions downward.

[0043] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the fixed clamp 120 in front of the core wire separation device 40 and the detection device 140. Hereinafter, the fixed clamp 120 in front of the core wire separation device 40 will be distinguished from the other fixed clamps 120 by the reference symbol 120A. Furthermore, when the reference symbol 120A is used, the fixed clamp 120A in front of the core wire separation device 40 may be simply referred to as the fixed clamp 120A. Like the other fixed clamps 120, the fixed clamp 120A grips the multi-core shielded cable 1 so that the longitudinal direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1 coincides with the orthogonal direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the fixed clamp 120A includes a left clamp 120L that abuts from the left against the multi-core shielded cable 1 that has been moved to the front of the core wire separation device 40, and a right clamp 120R that abuts from the right. The left clamp 120L and the right clamp 120R each include clamping plates 121L and 121R that are configured to be movable in the conveying direction and that come into contact with or separate from the multi-core shielded cable 1. The left clamp 120L and the right clamp 120R also include driving units 122L and 122R that move the clamping plates 121L and 121R in the conveying direction and cause the clamping plates 121L and 121R to grip or release the multi-core shielded cable 1. The driving units 122L and 122R are air cylinders in this example. However, the type of driving units 122L and 122R is not particularly limited.

[0044] The rotation device 125 rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 held by the fixed clamp 120A around a predetermined rotation axis Ax extending in the perpendicular direction. In this example, the rotation axis Ax coincides with the axis of the multi-core shielded cable 1 held by the fixed clamp 120A. The rotation device 125 moves the left clamp 120L downward or upward and the right clamp 120R upward or downward. The rotation device 125 moves the left clamp 120L and the right clamp 120R in directions that deviate from each other. As a result, the rotation device 125 rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 around the rotation axis Ax. In FIG. 5, the arrows indicate the case where the left clamp 120L is moved downward and the right clamp 120R is moved upward. The rotation direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1 is determined based on the circumferential position of the drain wire 3 detected by the detection device 140.

[0045] The detection device 140 detects the circumferential position of the drain wire 3 and is, for example, a camera. Here, the detection device 140 sequentially detects the circumferential position of the upstream drain wire 3 in the upstream portion 1u of the multi-core shielded cable 1 and the circumferential position of the downstream drain wire 3 in the downstream portion 1d. The detection device 140 identifies the drain wire 3, for example, from a captured image of the multi-core shielded cable 1, by utilizing the difference in brightness between the drain wire 3 and the core wire 4. However, the method for detecting the drain wire 3 by the detection device 140 is not limited to capturing an image of the drain wire 3. The position of the drain wire 3 may also be detected by, for example, a probe that applies a current to the drain wire 3. Here, the detection device 140 is disposed at the 0 o'clock position around the rotation axis Ax when viewed in the front-rear direction (as viewed in the axial direction of the rotation axis Ax). As will be described in the description of the control device 200, the control device 200 rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 based on the detection by the detection device 140 so that the drain wire 3 faces the detection device 140. As a result, the drain wire 3 is moved to the 0 o'clock position. By positioning the drain wire 3 at a circumferential position such that it faces the detection device 140, the position of the drain wire 3 can be accurately controlled. Note that the position of the detection device 140 around the rotation axis Ax is not limited to the 0 o'clock position, and various circumferential positions are possible.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the core wire separation device 40 includes a pair of left and right hooks 41, a hook opening / closing device 42, and a hook moving device 43. The pair of hooks 41 open and close by moving laterally toward or away from each other. The hook opening / closing device 42 is a drive unit that opens and closes the pair of hooks 41. The hook moving device 43 is a drive unit that moves the pair of hooks 41 vertically. When the pair of hooks 41 close, they enclose the multi-core shielded cable 1 except at the 0 o'clock position when viewed from the front to back. When the pair of hooks 41 is moved downward by the hook moving device 43 in this state, the multiple core wires 4 are hooked by the pair of hooks 41 and bent downward. The drain wire 3 is not hooked by the pair of hooks 41 and is left behind. This separates the drain wire 3 from the multiple core wires 4. As shown in FIG. 3 , the core wire separation device 40 also includes a pulling device 44 that completely pulls the semi-stripped sheath 2 from the multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0047] The tube attachment device 50 attaches an insulating heat-shrink tube 6 to the drain wire 3, thereby insulating the drain wire 3. The tube attachment device 50 attaches the heat-shrink tube 6 to the drain wire 3, which has been moved so that it faces the detection device 140 (here, to the 0 o'clock position). Determining the circumferential position of the drain wire 3 facilitates attaching the heat-shrink tube 6 to the drain wire 3. The tube attachment device 50 includes a tube reel 51 around which the heat-shrink tube 6 is wound before being cut, a cutting device 52 that cuts the heat-shrink tube 6 to a predetermined length, an insertion device 53 that inserts the drain wire 3 into the heat-shrink tube 6, and a heating device 54 that heats the heat-shrink tube 6 with the drain wire 3 inserted. Because the drain wire 3 has been moved to the 0 o'clock position (in front of the insertion device 53), the insertion device 53 can hold the heat-shrink tube 6 and move forward to insert the heat-shrink tube 6 onto the drain wire 3. However, the method of insulating the drain wire 3 is not limited to the method of covering the drain wire 3 with the heat shrink tube 6. The insulation of the drain wire 3 may be performed by wrapping insulating tape around the drain wire 3, for example.

[0048] When the multi-core shielded cable 1 after the insulation process of the drain wire 3 is moved by the conveying clamp 111 downstream of the tube attachment device 50 in the conveying direction, the transfer device 150 grips the multi-core shielded cable 1. When the transfer device 150 grips the multi-core shielded cable 1, the conveying clamp 111 releases the multi-core shielded cable 1 and returns to the upstream side in the conveying direction. Hereinafter, the position of clamps 160R and 160L (described later) of the transfer device 150 when the multi-core shielded cable 1 is transferred to and from the pre-process processing device 10A will also be referred to as the upstream transfer position P1. Furthermore, the transfer device 150 transfers the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the post-process processing device 10B. Hereinafter, the position of clamps 160R and 160L of the transfer device 150 when the multi-core shielded cable 1 is transferred to and from the post-process processing device 10B will also be referred to as the downstream transfer position P2. The delivery device 150 is configured to move the clamps 160R and 160L between an upstream delivery position P1 and a downstream delivery position P2. Details of the delivery device 150 will be described later.

[0049] The alignment device 60 is disposed at the most upstream side of the post-processing device 10B and individually grips the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 and aligns them at the same pitch. The alignment device 60 is configured to push the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4 into the gripping portions 131a of the shuttle 131, which are configured to individually grip the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4. The gripping portions 131a each have multiple grooves aligned in the conveying direction and capable of gripping an electric wire. The alignment device 60 thereby aligns the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 in the conveying direction. As will be described in detail in the description of the transfer device 150, when the multi-core shielded cable 1 is transferred from the transfer device 150 to the alignment device 60, the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 are aligned in the conveying direction. The alignment device 60 is configured to receive the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 using a comb-like member with grooves aligned in the conveying direction and push them into the gripping portions 131a.

[0050] The stripping device 70 is provided downstream of the aligning device 60 in the conveying direction, and strips the heat-shrinkable tube 6 covering the drain wire 3 and the tip portions of the coatings 4b of the multiple core wires 4. Stripping by the stripping device 70 is performed sequentially on each of the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4. In the stripping process, the strip length and cutting depth may differ between the drain wire 3 and the core wire 4.

[0051] The crimping device 80 is provided downstream of the stripping device 70 in the conveying direction and crimps terminals 7 onto the drain wires 3 and the multiple core wires 4. The crimping device 80 crimps the terminals 7 onto the drain wires 3 and the multiple core wires 4 in sequence. The crimping device 80 here includes a right crimping device 80R that crimps the terminals 7 onto the downstream drain wires 3 and core wires 4, and a left crimping device 80L that crimps the terminals 7 onto the upstream drain wires 3 and core wires 4. The discharge device 90 includes a tray 91 into which the multi-core shielded cable 1 with the terminals 7 crimped thereon is dropped.

[0052] [Configuration of the delivery device] The following describes the configuration of the delivery device 150. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the delivery device 150. Fig. 7 is a rear view of the delivery device 150. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the delivery device 150 includes an upstream clamp 160R, an upstream rotation device 170R, a downstream clamp 160L, a downstream rotation device 170L, and a slide device 180.

[0053] The upstream clamp 160R is disposed between the front-end processing device 10A and the back-end processing device 10B and holds the multi-core shielded cable 1 so that its longitudinal direction is aligned with the orthogonal direction. Note that the phrase "disposed between the front-end processing device 10A and the back-end processing device 10B" also includes a case where the position of the upstream clamp 160R in the transport direction overlaps with the position of the front-end processing device 10A or the back-end processing device 10B when the multi-core shielded cable 1 is transferred. The same applies to the downstream clamp 160L. The upstream clamp 160R holds the upstream portion 1u of the multi-core shielded cable 1. The upstream rotation device 170R rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 held by the upstream clamp 160R around an upstream rotation shaft 171R extending in the orthogonal direction. Here, the upstream rotation device 170R is configured to rotate the upstream clamp 160R around the upstream rotation shaft 171R. The upstream rotation device 170R rotates the upstream clamp 160R around the upstream rotation shaft 171R, thereby rotating the upstream portion 1u of the multi-core shielded cable 1 around the upstream rotation shaft 171R.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 6, the upstream clamp 160R includes a pair of left and right gripping claws 161R and a drive unit 162R that moves the pair of gripping claws 161R toward or away from each other to grip or release the upstream portion 1u of the multi-core shielded cable 1. In this example, the drive unit 162R is an air cylinder. However, the configuration of the drive unit 162R is not particularly limited. The drive unit 162R may include, for example, an electric motor. FIG. 6 shows the delivery device 150 when it has received the multi-core shielded cable 1 from the upstream process processing device 10A (hereinafter also referred to as "before rotation"), and at this time, the gripping claws 161R are located at the lower end of the upstream clamp 160R.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 6, the upstream rotation device 170R includes an upstream rotation shaft 171R that rotatably supports the upstream clamp 160R, an air cylinder 172R with an extendable rod 172R1, and a connecting portion 173R that swingably connects the rod 172R1 and the upstream clamp 160R. The upstream rotation shaft 171R is disposed so as to deviate from the axis of the upstream portion 1u of the multi-core shielded cable 1 when the upstream clamp 160R grips the upstream portion 1u. Therefore, when the rod 172R1 extends or contracts, the multi-core shielded cable 1 revolves around the upstream rotation shaft 171R rather than rotating around its axis. As shown in FIG. 6, before the upstream clamp 160R rotates, the rod 172R1 is extended.

[0056] FIG. 8 is a rear view of the delivery device 150 after the upstream clamp 160R and the downstream clamp 160L have been rotated. When the rod 172R1 is retracted (see FIG. 9), the upstream clamp 160R rotates counterclockwise in rear view (clockwise in front view) as shown in FIG. 8. This causes the upstream portion 1u of the multi-core shielded cable 1 held by the upstream clamp 160R to move downstream in the conveying direction. The upstream rotation device 170R rotates the upstream clamp 160R so that the axis of the upstream portion 1u moves downstream in the conveying direction.

[0057] The upstream rotation device 170R rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 to move the drain wire 3 to a predetermined position around the upstream rotation axis 171R. Here, the upstream rotation device 170R rotates the upstream clamp 160R by 90 degrees or approximately 90 degrees, moving the drain wire 3 of the upstream portion 1u to the most upstream position in the conveying direction among the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4. In this embodiment, the upstream rotation device 170R rotates the upstream portion 1u of the multi-core shielded cable 1 by an angle equal to the angle (here, 90 degrees) between the position of the detection device 140 around the rotation axis Ax (here, the 0 o'clock position, see FIG. 5 ) and the conveying direction. In this way, the upstream rotation device 170R moves the drain wire 3 to the most upstream position in the conveying direction. The multi-core shielded cable 1 is delivered from the front-end processing device 10A to the delivery device 150 so that the drain wires 3 are kept at the 0 o'clock position in both the upstream portion 1u and the downstream portion 1d.

[0058] The downstream clamp 160L and the downstream rotation device 170L are configured symmetrically to the upstream clamp 160R and the upstream rotation device 170R, respectively. The downstream clamp 160L is located downstream of the upstream clamp 160R in the conveying direction and grips the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1. The downstream rotation device 170L rotates the downstream portion 1d gripped by the downstream clamp 160L around a downstream rotation shaft 171L extending in the perpendicular direction. As shown in FIG. 7 , the downstream rotation shaft 171L is also positioned so as to deviate from the line passing through the axis of the downstream portion 1d when the downstream clamp 160L grips the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0059] The downstream clamp 160L includes a pair of left and right gripping claws 161L and a drive unit 162L that moves the pair of gripping claws 161L toward or away from each other to grip or release the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1. The downstream rotation device 170L includes a downstream rotation shaft 171L, an air cylinder 172L (see FIG. 6) with an extendable rod, and a connector that swingably connects the rod to the downstream clamp 160L. In this embodiment, when the rod of the air cylinder 172L is retracted, the downstream clamp 160L rotates clockwise in a rear view (counterclockwise in a front view), as shown in FIG. 7. This causes the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1 gripped by the downstream clamp 160L to move upstream in the conveying direction. When both the upstream air cylinder 172R and the downstream air cylinder 172L are retracted, the upstream portion 1u and the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1 move closer to each other.

[0060] The downstream rotation device 170L rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 to move the drain wire 3 to a predetermined position around the downstream rotation axis 171L. Here, the downstream rotation device 170L rotates the downstream clamp 160L by 90 degrees or approximately 90 degrees, moving the drain wire 3 of the downstream portion 1d to the most downstream position in the conveying direction among the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4. Similar to the upstream rotation device 170R, the downstream rotation device 170L rotates the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1 by an angle equal to the angle (here, 90 degrees) between the position of the detection device 140 around the rotation axis Ax (here, the 0 o'clock position) and the conveying direction.

[0061] The upstream clamp 160R, the upstream rotation device 170R, the downstream clamp 160L, the downstream rotation device 170L, and the rotation device 125 of the front-end processing device 10A constitute a positioning device 100 that moves the drain wire 3 to a predetermined circumferential position based on the detection result of the detection device 140 (see FIG. 2). In this embodiment, the positioning device 100 includes a portion provided in the front-end processing device 10A and a portion disposed between the front-end processing device 10A and the back-end processing device 10B. However, as shown in other embodiments described later, the positioning device 100 does not have to be disposed in a distributed manner.

[0062] As shown in Fig. 2, the slide device 180 moves the clamps 160R and 160L between an upstream transfer position P1 where the multi-core shielded cable 1 is transferred between the front-end processing device 10A and the clamps 160R and 160L, and a downstream transfer position P2 where the multi-core shielded cable 1 is transferred between the clamps 160R and 160L and the back-end processing device 10B. As shown in Fig. 6, the slide device 180 includes a moving member 181 that supports the upstream rotation device 170R, the downstream rotation device 170L, the upstream clamp 160R, and the downstream clamp 160L. The upstream clamp 160R and the downstream clamp 160L are supported by the moving member 181 via the upstream rotation device 170R and the downstream rotation device 170L, respectively. The slide device 180 further includes a guide rail 182 extending in the conveying direction and slidably engaged with the movable member 181, and an air cylinder 183 for moving the movable member 181 along the guide rail 182. As shown in FIG. 6 , the air cylinder 183 is disposed downstream of the guide rail 182 and moves the movable member 181 downstream in the conveying direction by retracting a rod 183a. The air cylinder 183 moves the movable member 181 upstream in the conveying direction by extending the rod 183a. However, the mechanism for moving the clamps 160R and 160L between the upstream transfer position P1 and the downstream transfer position P2 is not limited to the mechanism described above. For example, the slide device 180 may move the movable member 181 in the conveying direction using a ball screw and a motor that rotates the ball screw.

[0063] The transfer device 150 is configured to control the upstream rotation device 170R and the downstream rotation device 170L to rotate the multi-core shielded cable 1 while the clamps 160R and 160L are being moved from the upstream transfer position P1 to the downstream transfer position P2. By moving and rotating the clamps 160R and 160L in parallel, the transfer time of the multi-core shielded cable 1 is reduced. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the transfer device 150 after rotating and laterally moving the upstream clamp 160R and the downstream clamp 160L. At the downstream transfer position P2 indicated by the solid line in FIG. 9, the transfer device 150 transfers the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the post-processing device 10B. At this time, the drain wire 3 of the upstream portion 1u of the multi-core shielded cable 1 is located at the most upstream position, and the drain wire 3 of the downstream portion 1d is located at the most downstream position. The two-dot chain line in FIG. 9 indicates the moving member 181 and its mounted object when it is at the upstream transfer position P1.

[0064] In addition, as the distance in the transport direction between the upstream portion 1u and the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1 (hereinafter also referred to as the pitch between both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1) is narrowed in the transfer device 150, the post-processing device 10B is configured to accommodate the multi-core shielded cable 1 with the narrow pitch between both ends, thereby shortening the length in the transport direction of the post-processing device 10B.

[0065] [Control device] 10 is a block diagram of the processing apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 10, the processing apparatus 10 includes a control device 200 that controls the front-end processing device 10A, the back-end processing device 10B, the detection device 140, the positioning device 100, and the transfer device 150. More specifically, the control device 200 is connected to the feeding device 21, the length measuring device 22, the cutting device 23, and the bending device 24 of the cutting and shaping device 20, the slitting device 31 and the drawing device 32 of the semi-stripping device 30, the hook opening / closing device 42, the hook moving device 43, and the drawing device 44 of the core wire separation device 40, the cutting device 52, the insertion device 53, and the heating device 54 of the tube attachment device 50, the alignment device 60, the stripping device 70, the right crimping device 80R, and the left crimping device 80L. Also connected to the control device 200 are the transport clamp 111, drive unit 112, fixed clamp 120 (drive units 122L and 122R), and rotation device 125 of the transport device 110, the drive unit 132 of the shuttle transport device 130, and the upstream clamp 160R (drive unit 162R), downstream clamp 160L (drive unit 162L), upstream rotation device 170R (air cylinder 172R), downstream rotation device 170L (air cylinder 172L), and slide device 180 (air cylinder 183) of the delivery device 150 or positioning device 100. The processing device 10 may be equipped with other devices controlled by the control device 200, but illustration and description thereof will be omitted here.

[0066] The configuration of the control device 200 is not particularly limited. The control device 200 may include, for example, a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a CPU), a ROM in which programs executed by the CPU are stored, and a RAM. Each unit of the control device 200 may be configured by software or by hardware. Furthermore, each unit may be a processor or a circuit. The control device 200 may be, for example, a programmable controller or a computer.

[0067] 10, the control device 200 is connected to the detection device 140 and includes an acquisition unit 201 that acquires the detection results of the detection device 140. The control device 200 also includes a first rotation control unit 202 as a control unit related to the control of the rotation device 125, and a grip control unit 203, a movement control unit 204, and a second rotation control unit 205 as control units related to the control of the transfer device 150. The control device 200 also includes control units that control devices other than the rotation device 125 and the transfer device 150, but these are not shown or described here.

[0068] Based on the detection by the detection device 140, the first rotation control unit 202 controls the rotation device 125 (the rotation device 125 that moves the fixed clamp 120A in front of the core wire separation device 40) to rotate the multi-core shielded cable 1 so that the drain wire 3 faces the detection device 140. Here, based on the detection by the detection device 140, the first rotation control unit 202 sequentially rotates the upstream portion 1u and the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1 so that the drain wire 3 faces the detection device 140.

[0069] The grip control unit 203 controls the upstream clamp 160R and the downstream clamp 160L of the delivery device 150 to respectively grip the upstream portion 1u and the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1. After the upstream portion 1u and the downstream portion 1d have been rotated, the grip control unit 203 controls the upstream clamp 160R and the downstream clamp 160L to release the upstream portion 1u and the downstream portion 1d.

[0070] When the transfer of the multi-core shielded cable 1 from the front-end processing device 10A at the upstream transfer position P1 is completed, the movement control unit 204 controls the slide device 180 to move the upstream clamp 160R and the downstream clamp 160L from the upstream transfer position P1 to the downstream transfer position P2. When the transfer of the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the back-end processing device 10B at the downstream transfer position P2 is completed, the movement control unit 204 controls the slide device 180 to move the upstream clamp 160R and the downstream clamp 160L from the downstream transfer position P2 to the upstream transfer position P1.

[0071] The second rotation control unit 205 controls the upstream rotation device 170R to rotate the upstream portion 1u of the multi-core shielded cable 1, thereby moving the drain wire 3 at the upstream end to a predetermined position around the upstream rotation shaft 171R. The second rotation control unit 205 also controls the downstream rotation device 170L to rotate the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1, thereby moving the drain wire 3 at the downstream end to a predetermined position around the downstream rotation shaft 171L. Specifically, the upstream rotation device 170R rotates the upstream portion 1u of the multi-core shielded cable 1 so that the drain wire 3 among the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 moves to the most upstream position in the conveying direction. The downstream rotation device 170L also rotates the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1 so that the drain wire 3 among the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 moves to the most downstream position in the conveying direction. In this embodiment, while the upstream clamp 160R and the downstream clamp 160L are being moved from the upstream transfer position P1 to the downstream transfer position P2 under the control of the movement control unit 204, the second rotation control unit 205 controls the upstream rotation device 170R and the downstream rotation device 170L to move the drain wire 3 at the upstream end to a predetermined circumferential position.

[0072] In this embodiment, the rotation angle of the multi-core shielded cable 1 in the transfer device 150 is determined by the mechanism of the transfer device 150 and does not involve electrical position control. However, the above control may also be performed by electrical position control. In that case, the upstream rotation device 170R and the downstream rotation device 170L may be equipped with, for example, a servo motor or a stepping motor. "Control of the upstream rotation device 170R and the downstream rotation device 170L" may include timing control without position control as in this embodiment, as well as control with position control.

[0073] Control device 200 controls positioning device 100 (here, rotation device 125, upstream-side rotation device 170R, and downstream-side rotation device 170L) based on the detection result by detection device 140, and moves upstream-side and downstream-side drain wires 3 to predetermined positions around upstream-side rotation shaft 171R and downstream-side rotation shaft 171L, respectively. Control device 200 drives upstream-side rotation device 170R and downstream-side rotation device 170L immediately before delivering multi-core shielded cable 1 to post-process processing device 10B. As a result, the upstream-side and downstream-side drain wires 3 move to predetermined positions around upstream-side rotation shaft 171R and downstream-side rotation shaft 171L, respectively.

[0074] [Multi-core shielded cable processing process] The processing process for the multi-core shielded cable 1 will be described below with reference to a flowchart. Figs. 11A and 11B are flowcharts showing the processing of the multi-core shielded cable 1. In Figs. 11A and 11B and their explanations, details of the process will be omitted except for the rotation and transfer process of the multi-core shielded cable 1 in the core wire separation process. In Figs. 11A and 11B, the multi-core shielded cable 1 will be abbreviated to "cable."

[0075] As shown in FIG. 11A , in step S01 of the processing process for a multi-core shielded cable 1, the cutting and shaping device 20 cuts the multi-core shielded cable 1 to a predetermined length and bends it into a U-shape. In step S02, the multi-core shielded cable 1 is transported downstream in the transport direction and moved to a position in front of the semi-strip device 30. In step S03, the sheath 2 of the multi-core shielded cable 1 is semi-stripped. Note that, although not shown in the step descriptions and in FIGS. 11A and 11B , semi-stripping of the sheath 2 is performed sequentially on the downstream portion 1d and the upstream portion 1u of the U-shaped multi-core shielded cable 1. The same applies to the other processing steps. In step S04, the multi-core shielded cable 1 is transported forward of the core wire separation device 40. In step S05, the core wires 4 of the multi-core shielded cable 1 are separated by the core wire separation device 40. While the core wires 4 of the downstream portion 1d are being separated, the sheath 2 of the upstream portion 1u may be semi-striped at the same time. The same applies to other subsequent processes. However, the processing for the downstream portion 1d and the processing for the upstream portion 1u do not have to be performed simultaneously.

[0076] Step S05 includes step S051 of detecting the position of the drain wire 3, step S052 of rotating the multi-core shielded cable 1 based on the detected position of the drain wire 3, step S053 of completely retracting the sheath 2, and step S054 of bending the core wires 4 at the downstream end. In step S051, the detection device 140 identifies the circumferential position of the drain wire 3. In step S052, the left clamp 120L and the right clamp 120R of the fixed clamp 120A are moved vertically to rotate the multi-core shielded cable 1 so that the drain wire 3 is at the 0 o'clock position. The detection device 140 confirms that the drain wire 3 has reached the 0 o'clock position. In step S053, the sheath 2 on the distal side of the slit is retracted from the multi-core shielded cable 1. In step S054, the hook 41 is hooked onto the core wire 4, and the core wire 4 is bent downward.

[0077] In step S06, multi-core shielded cable 1 is conveyed and moved to the front of tube attachment device 50. In step S07, heat-shrinkable tube 6 is attached to drain wire 3. This completes the processing by front-end processing device 10A.

[0078] In step S08, multi-core shielded cable 1 is transported from front-end processing device 10A to back-end processing device 10B via transfer device 150. Step S08 includes step S081, in which transfer device 110 transports multi-core shielded cable 1 to a position directly opposite transfer device 150; step S082, in which transfer device 150 grips multi-core shielded cable 1; step S083, in which transfer device 110 releases multi-core shielded cable 1; step S084, in which transfer device 150 transports multi-core shielded cable 1; and step S085, in which upstream portion 1u and downstream portion 1d of multi-core shielded cable 1 are rotated. Prior to step S082, upstream clamp 160R and downstream clamp 160L of transfer device 150 have been moved to upstream transfer position P1. Steps S084 and S085 are performed simultaneously.

[0079] Detailed description of steps S081 to S083 will be omitted. In step S084, the multi-core shielded cable 1 is transported to downstream transfer position P2. In step S085, which is performed simultaneously with step S084, the upstream clamp 160R and the downstream clamp 160L are rotated 90 degrees inward in the transport direction of the transfer device 150. As a result, the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 at the upstream end are aligned so that the drain wire 3 is located at the most upstream (outermost) position. Furthermore, the drain wire 3 and the multiple core wires 4 at the downstream end are aligned so that the drain wire 3 is located at the most downstream (outermost) position. Furthermore, the distance in the transport direction between the upstream portion 1u and the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1 (the pitch between both ends) is shortened.

[0080] In step S09, the alignment device 60 pushes the upstream and downstream ends of the drain wire 3 and core wire 4 into the gripping portions 131a of the shuttle 131. As a result, the upstream and downstream drain wires 3 and the multiple core wires 4 are aligned in a predetermined order in the conveyance direction and are individually gripped.

[0081] In step S10, the shuttle 131 is moved downstream in the conveying direction, and the multi-core shielded cable 1 is moved forward of the stripping device 70. In step S11, the heat-shrinkable tube 6 covering the drain wire 3 and the coating 4b of the core wires 4 are stripped by the stripping device 70. The stripping in step S11 is performed sequentially on each drain wire 3 and each core wire 4. At this time, the drain wire 3 is located furthest downstream or upstream in the conveying direction. Therefore, the stripping device 70 performs the stripping process set for the drain wire 3 on the wire located furthest downstream or upstream in the conveying direction (the number of wires is known in advance, and this is the first or last wire). The stripping device 70 performs the stripping process set for the core wires 4 on the other wires.

[0082] In step S12, shuttle 131 is moved so that multi-core shielded cable 1 is positioned in front of crimping device 80. In step S13, crimping device 80 crimps terminals 7 onto drain wires 3 and multiple core wires 4. The crimping in step S13 is also performed sequentially on each drain wire 3 and core wire 4. Therefore, even in the crimping process, the position (order) of drain wires 3 is fixed, so the process can be performed easily and reliably.

[0083] In step S14, the multi-core shielded cable 1 is discharged. This completes the processing of the multi-core shielded cable 1. Note that the processing flow for the multi-core shielded cable 1 described above is merely a preferred example, and the processing procedure for the multi-core shielded cable 1 is not limited to this.

[0084] [Effects of the embodiment] The following describes the effects that can be achieved by the processing device 10 for the multi-core shielded cable 1 according to this embodiment.

[0085] The processing device 10 for a multi-core shielded cable 1 according to this embodiment includes a detection device 140 that detects the circumferential position of the drain wire 3. The positioning device 100 also includes an upstream clamp 160R that holds the multi-core shielded cable 1 so that its longitudinal direction coincides with the orthogonal direction, and an upstream rotation device 170R that rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 held by the upstream clamp 160R about an upstream rotation shaft 171R that extends in the orthogonal direction. The control device 200 controls the positioning device 100 based on the detection result by the detection device 140 to move the upstream drain wire 3 to a predetermined position about the upstream rotation shaft 171R. Here, the control device 200 drives the rotation device 125 and the upstream rotation device 170R to move the upstream drain wire 3 to a predetermined position about the upstream rotation shaft 171R.

[0086] In the processing of the multi-core shielded cable 1, the drain wires 3 and core wires 4 are processed individually when their distal ends are processed. Therefore, it is preferable that the drain wires 3 and core wires 4 be individually identified before processing by the post-processing device 10B. Because the processing of the drain wires 3 and the processing of the core wires 4 are often different, it is preferable that the drain wires 3 and core wires 4 are at least identified separately. In the processing by the post-processing device 10B, such as stripping and crimping, different processing conditions may be applied to the drain wires 3 and core wires 4. Distinguishing between the drain wires 3 and core wires 4 facilitates the setting of processing conditions. According to the processing device 10 of this embodiment, the multi-core shielded cable 1 is rotated so that the drain wires 3 move to a predetermined circumferential position before being transported to the post-processing device 10B, where the distal end is processed. The position of the drain wires 3 after movement allows the drain wires 3 to be distinguished from the core wires 4.

[0087] In the above explanation of the effects, the upstream clamp 160R and the upstream rotation device 170R are used as an example, but the downstream clamp 160L and the downstream rotation device 170L also have the same effects.

[0088] In this embodiment, the upstream rotation device 170R rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 so that, of the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4, the drain wire 3 moves to the most upstream position in the conveying direction. The downstream rotation device 170L rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 so that, of the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4, the drain wire 3 moves to the most downstream position in the conveying direction. With this processing device 10, the drain wire 3 is positioned at the end in the conveying direction in the post-processing device 10B. As a result, the drain wire 3 is processed first or last among the processes for the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4. Therefore, when the processes for the drain wire 3 and the core wires 4 are different, the number of setup changes can be minimized.

[0089] In this embodiment, detection device 140 is configured to detect the circumferential position of drain wire 3 when multi-core shielded cable 1 is held by fixed clamp 120A of front-end processing device 10A. Control device 200 controls rotation device 125 based on the detection by detection device 140 to rotate multi-core shielded cable 1 so that drain wire 3 faces detection device 140, and then controls upstream-side rotation device 170R and downstream-side rotation device 170L to move upstream-side and downstream-side drain wires 3 to predetermined positions.

[0090] According to the processing device 10, the circumferential position of the drain wire 3 held by the fixed clamp 120A of the front-end processing device 10A is detected by the detection device 140, and the circumferential position of the drain wire 3 is set to a position facing the detection device 140. This determines the circumferential position of the drain wire 3, facilitating processing of the drain wire 3 and the core wire 4 in the front-end processing device 10A (here, the core wire separation process and the heat-shrink tube attachment process). Furthermore, in the front-end processing device 10A, the circumferential position of the drain wire 3 is set to a position facing the detection device 140, so that the drain wire 3 can be accurately positioned. Because the drain wire 3 is accurately positioned in the front-end processing device 10A, the positioning of the drain wire 3 in the transfer device 150 can also be more accurately performed.

[0091] According to the processing device 10 of this embodiment, the circumferential position of the drain wire 3 is determined by the operation of the rotation device 125, so that the heat-shrinkable tube 6 can be easily attached. As a result, the processing efficiency of the processing device 10 can be improved.

[0092] According to the processing device 10 of this embodiment, the positions of the drain wires 3 can be determined at both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 that has been bent into a U shape in order to process both ends sequentially. This makes it possible to distinguish the drain wires 3 from the core wires 4 at both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1. By bending the multi-core shielded cable 1 into a U shape, both ends can be processed simultaneously, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the processing device 10.

[0093] In this embodiment, the upstream rotation shaft 171R is disposed so as to deviate from the axis of the upstream portion 1u of the multi-core shielded cable 1 when the upstream clamp 160R grips the upstream portion 1u. The upstream rotation device 170R is configured to rotate the upstream clamp 160R around the upstream rotation shaft 171R, and rotates the upstream clamp 160R so that the axis of the upstream portion 1u moves downstream in the conveying direction. The downstream rotation shaft 171L is disposed so as to deviate from the axis of the downstream portion 1d when the downstream clamp 160L grips the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1. The downstream rotation device 170L is configured to rotate the downstream clamp 160L around the downstream rotation shaft 171L, and rotates the downstream clamp 160L so that the axis of the downstream portion 1d moves upstream in the conveying direction.

[0094] According to this processing device 10, both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 approach each other in the conveyance direction, narrowing the distance between them. This reduces the length of the post-processing device 10B in the conveyance direction, improving space efficiency. Note that the same effect can be achieved by simply rotating the downstream portion 1d upstream or the upstream portion 1u downstream.

[0095] In this embodiment, the upstream clamp 160R and the downstream clamp 160L are provided in the transfer device 150. The transfer device 150 is configured to receive the multi-core shielded cable 1 from the front-end processing device 10A and transfer it to the back-end processing device 10B by the upstream clamp 160R and the downstream clamp 160L.

[0096] According to this processing apparatus 10, the positioning device 100 and the transfer device 150 are partially common. This allows the processing apparatus 10 to be made compact and improves space efficiency. In addition, the number of parts of the processing apparatus 10 can be reduced, leading to cost reduction.

[0097] In this embodiment, the control device 200 controls the slide device 180 to move the clamps 160R and 160L from the upstream transfer position P1 to the downstream transfer position P2, and while the clamps 160R and 160L are being moved from the upstream transfer position P1 to the downstream transfer position P2, the control device 200 controls the upstream rotation device 170R and the downstream rotation device 170L to move the upstream and downstream drain wires 3.

[0098] According to the processing device 10, the drain wires 3 can be aligned in the circumferential direction while moving the multi-core shielded cable 1 in the transport direction. Therefore, the cycle time for processing the multi-core shielded cable 1 can be shortened.

[0099] [Variations] Modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described below. In the following description of the modifications and other embodiments, components that perform the same functions as the above-described embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, duplicated descriptions will be omitted or simplified.

[0100] In this modification, the control device 200 is configured to control the bending device 24 so that the upstream end (the end of the upstream portion 1u) and the downstream end (the end of the downstream portion 1d) of the multi-core shielded cable 1 are offset by a preset distance in the orthogonal direction. To achieve this, a pair of conveying clamps 111 in front of the cutting and shaping device 20 are configured to be movable in the front-rear direction. By offsetting the upstream end and the downstream end of the multi-core shielded cable 1 bent into a U shape in the orthogonal direction, the sheath strip length at the upstream end can be made different from the sheath strip length at the downstream end. This makes it possible to make the length of the electric wire exposed at the upstream end different from the length of the electric wire exposed at the downstream end. The semi-stripping device 30 cuts the sheath 2 at the upstream end and the sheath 2 at the downstream end at the same orthogonal position. Each of the devices from the semi-strip device 30 to the tube attachment device 50 can be configured more simply if the cutting positions of the sheath 2 are aligned at both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 .

[0101] Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the delivery device 150 holding a multi-core shielded cable 1 having two ends with different tip positions. As shown in Fig. 12, when the delivery device 150 holds the multi-core shielded cable 1 having two ends with different tip positions, the orthogonal direction positions of the upstream and downstream tips of the multi-core shielded cable 1 are shifted by a preset distance D1. In this state, the tip positions of the sheaths 2 of the upstream portion 1u and the downstream portion 1d are aligned in the orthogonal direction.

[0102] As shown in FIG. 12 , in this modification, the transfer device 150 includes an upstream adjustment clamp 190R and a downstream adjustment clamp 190L. The upstream adjustment clamp 190R is arranged parallel to the upstream clamp 160R in the perpendicular direction and grips the upstream portion 1u of the multi-core shielded cable 1. Here, the upstream adjustment clamp 190R is arranged rearward of the upstream clamp 160R. The downstream adjustment clamp 190L is arranged parallel to the downstream clamp 160L in the perpendicular direction and grips the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1. The downstream adjustment clamp 190L is arranged rearward of the downstream clamp 160L. A pair of adjustment clamps 190 consisting of the upstream adjustment clamp 190R and the downstream adjustment clamp 190L is configured to be movable in the perpendicular direction and is moved in the perpendicular direction by a moving device 191. Here, the pair of adjustment clamps 190 move integrally and synchronously.

[0103] The processing device 10 according to this modification is configured to align the orthogonal positions of the upstream and downstream ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 using a transfer device 150 and a pair of adjustment clamps 190. Each of the devices from the alignment device 60 to the crimping device 80 can be configured more simply by aligning the positions of the wire ends at both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0104] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the delivery device 150 immediately after starting the operation of aligning the leading ends of both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1. As shown in FIG. 13, in the operation of aligning the leading ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1, the adjustment clamp 190 (upstream adjustment clamp 190R in the example of FIG. 13) that has been holding the straight portion with the longer strip length, i.e., the portion protruding in the perpendicular direction (upstream portion 1u in the example of FIG. 13), releases the multi-core shielded cable 1. Furthermore, the clamp 160 (downstream clamp 160L in the example of FIG. 13) that has been holding the straight portion with the shorter strip length, i.e., the portion descending in the perpendicular direction (downstream portion 1d in the example of FIG. 13), releases the multi-core shielded cable 1. As a result, the clamp 160 is released, and the straight portion held by the adjustment clamp 190, i.e., the portion descending in the perpendicular direction (downstream portion 1d in the example of FIG. 13), can be moved by the movement of the adjustment clamp 190 (downstream adjustment clamp 190L in this case).

[0105] From the state shown in FIG. 13 , the processing device 10 moves the pair of adjustment clamps 190 rearward. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the delivery device 150 in a state where the tip positions of both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 have been aligned. In the example shown in FIG. 14 , as the pair of adjustment clamps 190 move, the downstream portion 1d is pulled by the downstream adjustment clamp 190L and moves rearward. The upstream adjustment clamp 190R moves rearward without gripping the multi-core shielded cable 1. Because the portion of the multi-core shielded cable 1 gripped by the upstream clamp 160R of the delivery device 150 remains stationary, the multi-core shielded cable 1 deforms so that the position of the other end is aligned with the tip of the cable with the longer strip length (see the arrow in FIG. 14 ). As a result, the upstream and downstream tip positions of the multi-core shielded cable 1 are aligned in the orthogonal direction. Although not shown, the downstream clamp 160L of the delivery device 150 then grips the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1 again. Furthermore, the downstream adjustment clamp 190L opens the downstream portion 1d of the multi-core shielded cable 1.

[0106] The pair of adjustment clamps 190 may be disposed behind or in front of the pair of clamps 160. The moving device 191 may be configured to move the pair of clamps 160 in the orthogonal direction, or may be configured to move both the pair of clamps 160 and the pair of adjustment clamps 190 in the orthogonal direction. In other words, the moving device 191 may be configured to move at least one of the pair of adjustment clamps 190 and the pair of clamps 160 in the orthogonal direction, thereby moving the pair of adjustment clamps 190 in the orthogonal direction relative to the pair of clamps 160.

[0107] Furthermore, control device 200 may be configured to cause one of upstream clamp 160R and downstream clamp 160L to grip multi-core shielded cable 1, cause the other to release multi-core shielded cable 1, cause adjustment clamp 190 corresponding to clamp 160 that is releasing multi-core shielded cable 1 to grip multi-core shielded cable 1, and cause adjustment clamp 190 corresponding to clamp 160 that is gripping multi-core shielded cable 1 to release multi-core shielded cable 1. Control device 200 may also be configured to control movement device 191 to move pair of adjustment clamps 190 by distance D1 in the orthogonal direction relative to pair of clamps 160, thereby aligning the orthogonal direction position of the upstream tip of multi-core shielded cable 1 with the orthogonal direction position of the downstream tip of multi-core shielded cable 1. For example, pair of adjustment clamps 190 may push in the protruding straight portion of the orthogonal direction of the multi-core shielded cable 1 rather than pulling the straight portion of the orthogonal direction of the tip of multi-core shielded cable 1 that is lowered.

[0108] According to the processing device 10 of this modification, the upstream and downstream ends can be aligned even if the upstream and downstream ends are misaligned when bending the multi-core shielded cable 1. This facilitates processing such as crimping of the terminals 7 by the post-processing device 10B.

[0109] The pair of adjustment clamps 190R and 190L may be configured to be independently movable. The function of adjustment clamp 190 may be realized by conveyance clamp 111.

[0110] [Other embodiments] The above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, the above embodiment is merely an example, and various other embodiments are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the upstream rotation device 170R and the upstream clamp 160R are configured to move the drain wire 3 to the most upstream position of the electric wire, and the downstream rotation device 170L and the downstream clamp 160L are configured to move the drain wire 3 to the most downstream position of the electric wire. However, the positions to which the upstream rotation device 170R moves the drain wire 3 and the downstream rotation device 170L move the drain wire 3 may be predetermined positions and are not particularly limited.

[0111] In the above-described embodiment, the positioning device 100 aligned the drain wires 3 at both ends of the multi-core shielded cable 1 formed into a U-shape. However, the positioning device 100 may be configured to align the drain wire 3 at one end of the multi-core shielded cable 1. In this case, the multi-core shielded cable 1 does not need to be bent into a U-shape, and may be transported in a straight shape, for example. In this case, the positioning device 100 may be provided with only one clamp 160.

[0112] In the above-described embodiment, the rotation device 170 (representing one or both of the upstream-side rotation device 170R and the downstream-side rotation device 170L) rotates the clamp 160 to rotate the multi-core shielded cable 1. However, the clamp 160 and the rotation device 170 may be configured similarly to the fixed clamp 120A and the rotation device 125 shown in FIG. 5, for example, and the multi-core shielded cable 1 may be rotated without rotating the clamp 160. Alternatively, the clamp 160 may rotate around the axis of the multi-core shielded cable 1 while gripping it. In this case, the multi-core shielded cable 1 rotates without wobbling around its axis. The manner in which the delivery device 150 rotates the multi-core shielded cable 1 is not particularly limited.

[0113] In the above-described embodiment, the rotation of the multi-core shielded cable 1 based on the detection of the detection device 140 is performed in the front-end processing device 10A. However, the rotation of the multi-core shielded cable 1 based on the detection of the detection device 140 may be performed between the front-end processing device 10A and the back-end processing device 10B.

[0114] For example, in another preferred multi-core shielded cable 1 processing apparatus 10, detection device 140 may be configured to detect the circumferential position of drain wire 3 when multi-core shielded cable 1 is held by clamp 160 of transfer device 150. Control device 200 may control rotation device 170 of transfer device 150 based on the detection by detection device 140 to rotate multi-core shielded cable 1 so that drain wire 3 faces detection device 140, and then move drain wire 3 to a predetermined position. Note that the clamp that holds and rotates multi-core shielded cable 1 does not have to be the clamp of transfer device 150, and may be another clamp disposed between front-end processing device 10A and back-end processing device 10B.

[0115] According to the processing device 10 for the multi-core shielded cable 1, preliminary alignment of the drain wire 3 is performed so that the circumferential position of the drain wire 3 faces the detection device 140. This preliminary alignment of the drain wire 3 can be performed accurately because the circumferential position of the drain wire 3 faces the detection device 140. Because the preliminary alignment of the drain wire 3 is accurate, subsequent alignment of the drain wire 3 can also be performed more accurately.

[0116] In addition, the processing device 10 may detect whether the drain wire 3 has been moved to a predetermined position in the circumferential direction using the detection device 140, without performing the above-mentioned preliminary alignment of the drain wire 3, and control the rotation device 170 based on the detection by the detection device 140.

[0117] The clamp 160 does not have to be configured to be moved in the conveying direction. The delivery device 150 may align the drain wire 3 at the location where it receives the multi-core shielded cable 1 from the conveying clamp 111 of the front-end processing device 10A, and deliver the multi-core shielded cable 1 to the back-end processing device 10B.

[0118] The multi-core cable processed by the processing device 10 does not have to be a multi-core shielded cable 1 including a drain wire 3 and one or more core wires 4. The processing device 10 is configured to distinguish specific electric wires from other electric wires before processing the tip ends of the electric wires, and the type of multi-core cable that can be handled is not limited.

[0119] The configurations of the front-end processing device 10A and the back-end processing device 10B are merely preferred examples and are not limited to those described above. Unless otherwise specified, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0120] 1 multi-core shielded cable 1u upstream part 1d downstream part 1m bent part 2 sheath 3 Drain wire 4-core wire 6 Heat-shrink tubing 7 terminals 10 Processing equipment 10A Front-end processing equipment 10B Post-processing treatment device 24 Bending device 60 Tube mounting device 100 Positioning device 120A Fixed clamp (secondary gripping device) 125 Rotating Device (Second Rotating Device) 140 Detection Device 150 Delivery Device 160R Upstream clamp (first gripping device) 160L Downstream clamp (first downstream gripping device) 170R Upstream Rotating Device (First Rotating Device) 170L Downstream Rotating Device (Downstream First Rotating Device) 171R Upstream rotating shaft (first rotating shaft) 171L Downstream rotating shaft (other first rotating shaft) 180 Slide device (second moving device) 190R Upstream Adjustment Clamp (Upstream Third Grip Device) 190L Downstream adjustment clamp (downstream third gripping device) 191 Mobile device (first mobile device) 200 control device Ax Rotation axis (second rotation axis) P1 Upstream delivery position P2 Downstream transfer position

Claims

1. a front-end processing device that performs at least stripping of a sheath from a multi-core shielded cable including a drain wire, one or more core wires, and a sheath covering the drain wire and the core wires; a detection device for detecting the position of the drain wire in the circumferential direction of the multi-core shielded cable; a post-processing device arranged alongside the pre-processing device in a predetermined transport direction, the post-processing device performing processing on the tip ends of at least a part of the drain wire and the core wire; a positioning device including: a first gripping device that grips the multi-core shielded cable so that its longitudinal direction coincides with a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction; and a first rotation device that rotates the multi-core shielded cable gripped by the first gripping device around a first rotation axis that extends in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction; a transfer device that receives the multi-core shielded cable from the front-end processing device and transfers it to the back-end processing device; a control device that controls the positioning device based on a detection result by the detection device and drives at least the first rotation device to move the drain wire to a predetermined position around the first rotation axis, Multi-core shielded cable processing equipment.

2. the first rotation device rotates the multi-core shielded cable such that the drain wire moves to the most upstream or most downstream position of the drain wire and the core wires in the conveying direction. The multi-core shielded cable processing device according to claim 1.

3. The positioning device is a second gripping device provided in the front-end processing device and configured to grip the multi-core shielded cable so that its longitudinal direction coincides with the orthogonal direction; a second rotation device that rotates the multi-core shielded cable held by the second holding device around a second rotation axis that extends in the perpendicular direction, the detection device is configured to detect a position of the drain wire in a circumferential direction of the multi-core shielded cable when the multi-core shielded cable is held by the second holding device, the control device controls the second rotation device based on the detection by the detection device to rotate the multi-core shielded cable so that the drain wire faces the detection device, and then controls the first rotation device to move the drain wire to the predetermined position.

3. The processing device for a multi-core shielded cable according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the front-end processing device includes a tube attachment device that attaches a heat-shrinkable tube to the drain wire that has been moved so as to face the detection device; The multi-core shielded cable processing device according to claim 3.

5. the pre-processing device includes a bending device that bends the multi-core shielded cable into a U-shape so that both end portions are aligned in the conveying direction, and forms in the multi-core shielded cable an upstream portion extending in the perpendicular direction, a downstream portion that is downstream of the upstream portion in the conveying direction and extends in the perpendicular direction, and a bent portion that is bent between the upstream portion and the downstream portion, the detection device detects an upstream position of the drain wire in a circumferential direction of the upstream portion and a downstream position of the drain wire in a circumferential direction of the downstream portion; the first gripping device is configured to grip the upstream portion of the multi-core shielded cable; the first rotating device is configured to rotate the upstream portion of the multi-core shielded cable; The positioning device is a downstream-side first gripping device provided downstream of the first gripping device in the conveying direction and configured to grip the downstream-side portion of the multi-core shielded cable; a downstream-side first rotation device that rotates the downstream-side portion gripped by the downstream-side first gripping device around another first rotation axis extending in the perpendicular direction, the control device controls the downstream first rotation device to move the downstream drain wire to a predetermined position around the other first rotation axis; The multi-core shielded cable processing device according to claim 1.

6. the first rotation axis is provided so as to deviate from a line through which an axis of the upstream portion of the multi-core shielded cable passes when the first gripping device grips the upstream portion of the multi-core shielded cable, the first rotation device is configured to rotate the first gripping device around the first rotation axis, and rotates the first gripping device so that a line passing through the axis of the upstream portion moves downstream in the conveying direction. The multi-core shielded cable processing device according to claim 5.

7. the other first rotation axis is provided so as to deviate from a line through which an axis of the downstream portion passes when the downstream-side first gripping device grips the downstream portion of the multi-core shielded cable, the downstream-side first rotation device is configured to rotate the downstream-side first gripping device around the other first rotation axis, and rotate the downstream-side first gripping device so that a line passing through an axis of the downstream portion moves upstream in the conveying direction; 7. The processing device for a multi-core shielded cable according to claim 5 or 6.

8. an upstream third gripping device arranged alongside the first gripping device in the perpendicular direction and configured to grip the upstream portion of the multi-core shielded cable; a downstream-side third gripping device arranged alongside the downstream-side first gripping device in the perpendicular direction and configured to grip the downstream-side portion of the multi-core shielded cable; a first moving device that moves at least one of a pair of third gripping devices consisting of the upstream-side third gripping device and the downstream-side third gripping device and a pair of first gripping devices consisting of the first gripping device and the downstream-side first gripping device in the orthogonal direction, thereby moving the pair of third gripping devices in the orthogonal direction relative to the pair of first gripping devices, The control device is configured to be able to control the bending device so that the upstream end position and the downstream end position of the multi-core shielded cable are shifted by a preset distance in the orthogonal direction, and when the upstream end position and the downstream end position of the multi-core shielded cable are shifted by the preset distance, causing one of the first gripping device and the downstream-side first gripping device to grip the multi-core shielded cable and the other to release the multi-core shielded cable; having one of the upstream-side third gripping device and the downstream-side third gripping device, which corresponds to the first gripping device that is releasing the multi-core shielded cable, grip the multi-core shielded cable, and having the third gripping device corresponding to the first gripping device that is holding the multi-core shielded cable release the multi-core shielded cable; Furthermore, the control unit is configured to control the first moving device to move the pair of third gripping devices by the predetermined distance in the orthogonal direction relative to the pair of first gripping devices, thereby aligning the orthogonal direction position of the upstream end of the multi-core shielded cable with the orthogonal direction position of the downstream end.

7. The processing device for a multi-core shielded cable according to claim 5 or 6.

9. the first gripping device is provided on the transfer device, the transfer device receives the multi-core shielded cable from the front-end processing device by the first gripping device and transfers it to the back-end processing device.

3. The processing device for a multi-core shielded cable according to claim 1 or 2.

10. the transfer device further includes a second moving device that moves the first gripping device between an upstream transfer position where the multi-core shielded cable is transferred between the front-end processing device and the first gripping device and a downstream transfer position where the multi-core shielded cable is transferred between the first gripping device and the rear-end processing device, the control device controls the second moving device to move the first gripping device from the upstream transfer position to the downstream transfer position, and drives the first rotating device while the first gripping device is being moved from the upstream transfer position to the downstream transfer position to move the drain wire to the predetermined position. The multi-core shielded cable processing device according to claim 9.

11. the control device controls the first rotation device based on the detection by the detection device to rotate the multi-core shielded cable so that the drain wire faces the detection device, and then moves the drain wire to the predetermined position. The multi-core shielded cable processing device according to claim 1.

Images