Winding device for binding long bundles of material and method for binding bundles of material with adhesive tape

Abstract

A winding device for binding long bundles of material and a method for binding bundles of material with adhesive tape. In the winding device for binding long bundles of material with adhesive tape, a roll of adhesive tape of a predetermined length is held in the winding head. The predetermined length is measured according to the section to be bound. This makes it possible to avoid cutting the adhesive tape near the bundle of material.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a winding device for binding long bundles of materials with adhesive tape, the winding device comprising a winding head, a rotor rotatably supported by the winding head, a roll for storing the adhesive tape, and a cutting device for cutting the adhesive tape to a predetermined length.Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for binding bundles of materials with adhesive tape using the winding device. [Background technology]

[0002] Such a winding device is known, for example, from German Patent Application No. DE 102017109819 A1. In this winding device, a large amount of adhesive tape is stored on a roll. However, each section of the bundled material requires a predetermined length of tape for binding the section. For this purpose, the winding device has a separating device for cutting the adhesive tape after binding the corresponding section. Therefore, the separating device must perform the cutting operation in the vicinity of the bundled material, which poses a risk of cutting into the bundled material in the case of bundled materials of different thicknesses. Furthermore, the roll with the adhesive tape reserve and the arrangement of the separating device result in a very large winding head. As a result, the winding head is very cumbersome and requires a large amount of energy for its movement.

[0003] From German Utility Model No. 202015001990, a winding device is known in which a reserve roll for adhesive tape is stored away from the winding head, in which case the cutting device is also arranged close to the bundled material. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The object of the present invention is to improve a winding device of the type mentioned at the beginning of this description in such a way that cutting of the adhesive tape in the vicinity of the bundled material is avoided, and furthermore to establish a method for ensuring that the bundled material is particularly securely bound. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to the present invention, the first problem mentioned above is solved in that the cutting device is arranged outside the winding head and a predetermined length of adhesive tape is held inside the winding head.

[0006] This configuration avoids the need to place a cutting device within the winding head. Because the winding head is loaded with only the amount of adhesive tape required for the section of the bundled material to be bound, there is no need to cut the adhesive tape after the bundled material has been bound. This reliably prevents the bundled material from being damaged by a cutting tool. By eliminating the cutting device, the winding head can be made particularly small and compact. After a predetermined length of adhesive tape for binding a given section of the bundled material has been used up, new adhesive tape for the next section can be installed in the winding head. This makes it easy to bind each section of a bundled material with a different adhesive tape.

[0007] The fact that the roll is arranged inside the rotating body and that the adhesive tape on the roll is limited to a predetermined length contributes to further reducing the dimensions of the winding head, as a result of which the roll does not require a reserve of adhesive tape and can therefore be kept particularly small.

[0008] According to another advantageous refinement of the invention, it is particularly easy to provide a sufficient amount of adhesive tape if a stock roll with a length of adhesive tape that is a multiple of the predetermined length is arranged outside the winding head.

[0009] According to another advantageous refinement of the invention, the transfer of the predetermined length of adhesive tape to the winding head is particularly facilitated if the winding unit comprises a stock roll with a length of adhesive tape that is a multiple of the predetermined length and at least one roll body for accommodating the predetermined length of adhesive tape, as well as a tape transfer device for transferring the adhesive tape from the stock roll to the roll body.

[0010] According to another advantageous refinement of the invention, if the winding unit has multiple storage compartments for holding rolls, it is particularly easy to load a predetermined length of adhesive tape into the winding head. This configuration allows a roll with a predetermined length of adhesive tape to be prepared while another already prepared roll is being provided to the winding head. This allows the next roll with a predetermined length of adhesive tape for the next section of bundled material to be prepared in the winding unit while the winding head is wrapping the current section. As a result, interruptions when changing rolls can be kept particularly short.

[0011] According to another advantageous refinement of the invention, the ability of the storage compartment to move from a winding position, in which the winding unit is ready to transfer the adhesive tape, to a transfer position, in which the storage compartment with the roll is ready for transfer to the winding head, contributes to further increasing the transfer speed of the roll.

[0012] According to another advantageous refinement of the invention, if the cutting device is arranged on the winding unit, it is located far away from the bundle of material, which reliably prevents the bundle of material from being damaged by the cutting device.

[0013] The requirements for the adhesive tape to be used may vary depending on the section of the bundled material. According to another advantageous refinement of the present invention, if the winding unit has multiple stock rolls with different adhesive tapes, different adhesive tapes can be easily applied to different sections of a bundled material. This allows, for example, one section to be bound with a particularly water-resistant adhesive tape and another section to be bound with a particularly abrasion-resistant adhesive tape, if necessary to meet the different requirements imposed on each section of the bundled material configured as a cable harness for an automobile. Similarly, adhesive tapes of different colors can be applied, for example, to facilitate wiring the cable harness inside the automobile.

[0014] The second problem mentioned above, i.e., the establishment of a particularly reliable method for binding bundles of material with adhesive tape, is solved according to the invention by the following steps: cutting the adhesive tape to a length that corresponds to the intended section of bundled material; Providing adhesive tape cut to a desired length into the winding head; Binding the sections of the bundled material with adhesive tape cut to length.

[0015] This arrangement allows the adhesive tape to be cut at a location far away from the bundled material, thus avoiding damage to the bundled material, and also making it easier to use different adhesive tapes for different sections of the bundled material.

[0016] According to another advantageous refinement of the invention, it is particularly easy to provide a predetermined length of adhesive tape if the predetermined length of adhesive tape is peeled off from a stock roll, wound onto a roll body and separated from the adhesive tape of the stock roll, and a roll body with the predetermined length of adhesive tape is fed to the winding head.

[0017] The present invention is susceptible to a number of embodiments, one of which is shown in the drawings and described below in order to make its underlying principles more clear. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a view of a winding device with bundled material. [Figure 2] 2 is an enlarged view of the winding head of the winding device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is an enlarged view of a winding unit of the winding device of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a simplified configuration of the bundled material of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] 1 shows a winding device 1 for bundling bundled material 2, such as a cable harness for an automobile, which consists of many branched supply lines. The supply lines may be electrical wires and / or hoses. The individual components of the winding device 1 are supplied with current and data by a programmable control unit 3.

[0020] The winding device 1 comprises a winding head 5 arranged on a robot arm 4. The robot arm 4 has a number of joints 6-9, which are shown diagrammatically, so that the winding head 5 can move in the direction of all three spatial axes, pivot and rotate about its longitudinal axis 10. The joints 6-9 each have drive means, not shown, which are controlled by the control unit 3.

[0021] Furthermore, the winding device 1 has a winding unit 11. The winding unit 11 has two receptacles 13, 14 for rolls 15 that hold one or more stock rolls of adhesive tape and can deliver a predetermined length of adhesive tape, the predetermined length of adhesive tape being measured to fit a limited section 16 of the bundled material 2 shown in Figure 4.

[0022] The bundle of material 2 is tensioned on the mounting plate 17 by means of a holding element 18. A second mounting plate 19 faces away from the winding head 5 so that a new bundle of material 2 on the other mounting plate 17 can be loaded onto the second mounting plate 19 while the bundle of material 2 on the other mounting plate 17 is being tied. The mounting plates 17, 19 can be rotated by a plate drive 20 so that either one mounting plate 17 or the other mounting plate 19 faces the winding head 5. It will be appreciated that the plate drive 20 may also be configured to allow the mounting plates 17, 19 to be height-adjusted or moved in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing.

[0023] 2 shows an enlarged view of the winding head 5 of FIG. 1 before binding the bundle of materials 2. The winding head 5 is shown from behind in comparison with the view shown in FIG. 1. The winding head 5 has an opening 21 for inserting the bundle of materials 2 and a rotatable rotor 22. The rotor 22 holds a movable counter jaw 23 for supporting the bundle of materials 2 and a roll 24 with a predetermined length of adhesive tape for a predetermined section 16 of the bundle of materials 2. The roll 24 consists of the roll 15 and the predetermined length of adhesive tape wound thereon. Furthermore, a guide device 25 is arranged on the rotor 22 for guiding the adhesive tape and for peeling it off the roll 24.

[0024] The winding head 5 is in a basic position in which guide elements 26, which are arranged on both sides of the rotor 22 and which guide and support the bundle of material 2, are pivoted radially outward. For winding, first, the leading edge of the adhesive tape is peeled off from the roll 24 and held in front of the opening 21. Next, the winding head 5 is moved at its opening 21 onto the relevant section 16 of the bundle of material 2 so that the bundle of material 2 reaches the leading edge of the adhesive tape. Furthermore, the guide elements 26 pivot towards the bundle of material 2 and surround it. With the subsequent rotation of the rotor 22 and the simultaneous guiding of the winding head 5 along the bundle of material 2, the adhesive tape is wound onto the intended section 16 of the adhesive tape 2. Since the roll 24 only has a predetermined length of adhesive tape for the section 16 of the bundle of material 2 to be wound, winding of the section 16 is completed when the adhesive tape is used up. The basic principle of such a winding head 5 is known from the prior art, so reference is made to the prior art for further disclosure.

[0025] 3 shows a winding unit 11 of the winding device 1 of FIG. 1. The winding unit 11 holds at least one stock roll 12 with a stock of adhesive tape and two storage compartments 13, 14 for roll bodies 15. In a further embodiment not shown, several stock rolls 12 with different adhesive tapes can be arranged one above the other. The storage compartments 13, 14 are arranged at the end of a double-sided pivot arm 27. The pivot arm 27 has a central bearing 28, so that the position of the storage compartments 13, 14 can be changed. It is clear that in a further embodiment not shown, several storage compartments can be arranged, for example on a rotatable plate.

[0026] One of the storage compartments is in a transfer position, where the winding head 5 can receive a roll 15 with a predetermined amount of adhesive tape wound on it and return the empty roll 15 from the winding head 5 to the winding unit 11. The transfer is performed by moving the winding head 5 in a corresponding position above the transfer position by the robot arm 4. The other storage compartment 13 is in a winding position, where the roll 15 can wind a predetermined amount of adhesive tape from the stock roll 12.

[0027] The winding unit 11 further comprises a tape delivery device 29 which can peel off adhesive tape from the stock roll 12 and supply it to the roll body 15 in the winding position, thereby allowing a predetermined length of adhesive tape to be wound onto the roll body 15. Furthermore, the winding unit 11 comprises a cutting device 30 which separates the predetermined length of adhesive tape from the adhesive tape present on the stock roll 12.

[0028] FIG. 4 shows a particularly simplified configuration of the bundling material of FIG. 1 with insert contacts 31-33 at the ends, as is common in automotive cable harnesses. The bundling material 2 has three sections 16, 16', 16" to be bound with adhesive tape as described above. The sections 16, 16', 16" each have different lengths and different bends or angles. Each section 16, 16', 16" requires a predetermined length of adhesive tape for bundling. The predetermined length of adhesive tape is calculated from the length of each section 16, 16', 16", its diameter, and the expected number of wraps of adhesive tape per unit length. In the illustrated embodiment of the bundling material 2, three rolls 15 are provided, each with a predetermined length of adhesive tape.

Claims

1. A winding device (1) for binding a long bundle of material (2) with adhesive tape, the winding device (1) having a winding head (5), a rotatably supported rotor (22) provided on the winding head (5), a roll (24) for storing the adhesive tape, and a cutting device (30) for cutting the adhesive tape to a predetermined length, The cutting device (30) is arranged outside the winding head (5), and the predetermined length of adhesive tape is held inside the winding head (5); The winding device (1) is characterized in that the winding unit (11) comprises a stock roll (12) having an adhesive tape of a length that is a multiple of a predetermined length, at least one roll body (15) for storing the predetermined length of adhesive tape, and a tape transfer device (29) for transferring the adhesive tape from the stock roll (12) to the roll body (15).

2. 2. The winding device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the roll (24) is arranged on the rotating body (22), and the adhesive tape on the roll (24) is limited to the predetermined length.

3. A winding device (1) as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the stockpile roll (12) is arranged outside the winding head (5).

4. 4. The winding device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the winding unit (11) has a plurality of receiving compartments (13, 14) for holding the roll body (15).

5. 5. The winding device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the storage section (13, 14) is movable from a winding position, in which the winding unit is ready to transfer the adhesive tape, to a transfer position, in which the storage section (13, 14) with the roll (24) is ready to transfer to the winding head (5).

6. 6. Winding device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the cutting device (30) is arranged on the winding unit (11).

7. 7. Winding device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the winding unit (11) comprises a plurality of stock rolls (121) with different adhesive tapes.

8. cutting the adhesive tape to length for the section (16) of the intended bundle of material (2); Providing adhesive tape cut to the intended length in the winding head (5); bundling said sections (16) of said bundled material (2) with adhesive tape cut to length; 8. A method for binding a bundle of material (2) with adhesive tape using a wrapping device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises:

9. 9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the predetermined length of adhesive tape is peeled off from a stock roll (12), the predetermined length of adhesive tape is wound onto a roll body (15) and cut off from the adhesive tape of the stock roll (12), and the roll body (15) with the predetermined length of adhesive tape is supplied to the winding head (5).

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