Additional twisting device

Abstract

Provided is an additional twisting device capable of increasing a twisted portion at an end part of a twisted wire by twisting an untwisted portion. An additional twisting device (1) comprises a chuck unit (18) that grips an untwisted portion (yh) of a twisted wire (2) having a twisted portion (ts) in which a pair of electric wires (2a, 2b) are twisted together, and the untwisted portion (yh) in which the pair of electric wires (2a, 2b) are not twisted together. The additional twisting device (1) further comprises: a chuck unit (36) that grips a boundary portion of the twisted portion (ys) that is located at the boundary with the untwisted portion (yh); and a motor (12) that rotates the chuck unit (18) in a direction for twisting the untwisted portion (yh) so that the untwisted portion (yh) twisted is continuous with the twisted portion (ts).

Description

Twisting device

[0001] The present invention relates to an additional twisting device that twists together untwisted portions at the ends of a twisted wire formed by twisting a pair of electric wires together.

[0002] Various twisted wire manufacturing devices have been proposed for twisting two electric wires together to produce a twisted wire. For example, Patent Document 1 describes the following twisted wire manufacturing device. The twisted wire manufacturing device described in Patent Document 1 includes a first intermittent rotor having clamps on three circumferential surfaces for fixing one end of a pair of electric wires, a second intermittent rotor having clamps on three circumferential surfaces for fixing the other end of the pair of electric wires and a motor for rotating the clamps in the circumferential direction, and a drive means for intermittently rotating the first and second intermittent rotors by one-third of a revolution. The three surfaces are configured as an electric wire setting surface, an electric wire twisting surface, and a twisted wire tape winding / paying surface.

[0003] JP 2012-28197 A

[0004] Generally, twisted wires manufactured using the manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 have untwisted portions at both ends. If the length of these untwisted portions is too long, the noise characteristics of the twisted wire will be degraded.

[0005] The manufacturing device described in Patent Document 1 has a rotor provided between a first intermittent rotor and a second intermittent rotor, and the electric wires are twisted by a twist rod provided in the rotor. Therefore, the length of the untwisting section is required to be equal to the length of the rotor, and it is difficult to shorten the untwisting section in the manufacturing device described in Patent Document 1.

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide an additional twisting device that can increase the twisted portion at the end of a twisted wire by twisting the untwisting portion.

[0007] The invention made to solve the above problem is an additional twisting device comprising: a twisted wire having a twisted section where a pair of electric wires are twisted together and an untwisted section where the pair of electric wires are not twisted together; a first gripping section that grips the untwisted section; a second gripping section that grips the boundary between the twisted section and the untwisted section; and a rotational drive section that rotates the first gripping section in the direction of twisting the untwisted section so that it is continuous with the twisted section.

[0008] According to the present invention, the untwisted portion at the end of the twisted wire can be twisted more, thereby improving the noise characteristics of the twisted wire.

[0009] 1 is a perspective view of an additional twisting device according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the additional twisting device shown in FIG. 1 from a different angle; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the additional twisting device shown in FIG. 1 with a chuck portion in an open state; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the chuck portion of the first gripping device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a front view of the chuck portion of the first gripping device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a front view of the chuck portion of the second gripping device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the additional twisting operation of the additional twisting device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 7 is a view showing a state before additional twisting; FIG. 8 is a view showing a state after additional twisting; and FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for calculating the length of one pitch of electric wire.

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 3 are perspective views of an additional twisting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 1 and 2 show a state in which a chuck portion, which will be described later, is closed, and Figure 3 shows a state in which the chuck portion is open.

[0011] First, the twisted wire 2 for which the twisting is increased by the additional twisting device 1 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 9 described below, the twisted wire 2 before processing by the additional twisting device 1 is composed of a portion where the electric wires 2a and 2b are twisted (twisted portion ts) and an untwisted portion (untwisted portion yh). The untwisted portion yh is connected to the twisted portion ts and is formed at the end of the twisted wire 2. In this embodiment, additional twisting refers to twisting the untwisted portion yh to shorten the length of the untwisted portion yh compared to before processing.

[0012] The twisting device 1 shown in Figure 1 etc. comprises a first gripping device 10 that grips the untwisting portion yh of the twisted wire 2, which will be described later, a second gripping device 30 that grips the boundary portion of the twisted portion ts of the twisted wire 2, which will be described later, with the untwisting portion yh, and a control device 50.

[0013] The first gripping device 10 includes a bracket 11 , a motor 12 , a driving pulley 13 , a driven pulley 14 , an endless belt 15 , a support 16 , a slide portion 17 , and a chuck portion 18 .

[0014] The bracket 11 fixes the motor 12 described above, and also fixes a drive pulley 13 and a driven pulley 14 so that they can rotate freely.

[0015] The motor 12 is fixed to the bracket 11 and rotates the drive pulley 13. An endless belt 15 is stretched between the drive pulley 13 and the driven pulley 14. Therefore, when the drive pulley 13 rotates, the driven pulley 14 also rotates due to the endless belt 15. When the driven pulley 14 rotates, the chuck portion 18 also rotates, as will be described later. In other words, the motor 12 functions as a rotation drive portion that rotates the chuck portion 18 (first gripping portion) in the direction of twisting the untwisting portion yh so that the untwisting portion yh is continuous with the twisted portion ts.

[0016] A support 16 is attached to the driven pulley 14. The support 16 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the driven pulley 14. A slide portion 17 is provided at the tip of the support 16. The slide portion 17 is formed in a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a groove is formed on the surface opposite to the surface that joins with the support 16. The gripping members 19 and 20 of the chuck portion 18 are engaged with the groove, allowing the gripping members 19 and 20 to slide in directions toward and away from each other (moving closer and further away). The chuck portion 18 opens and closes as the gripping members 19 and 20 slide along the slide portion 17. The opening and closing of the chuck portion 18 is controlled by a control device 50.

[0017] As described above, the chuck portion 18 includes the gripping members 19 and 20. The gripping members 19 and 20 are shown in Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the gripping members 19 and 20, and Figure 5 is a front view of the gripping members 19 and 20.

[0018] The gripping member 19 includes a front portion 19a, a rear portion 19b, a wire gripping member 19c, and a rib 19d. The front portion 19a has a surface 19a1 that forms the front surface of the chuck portion 18 (the side facing the second gripping device 30) and a surface 19a2 that is formed on the back side of surface 19a1 (the side that contacts the wire gripping member 19c). Surface 19a1 is formed in a substantially W-shape, and surface 19a2 is formed in a substantially M-shape. Therefore, the vertices of the W and M of the front portion 19a alternately protrude toward the gripping member 20.

[0019] Similar to the front portion 19a, the rear portion 19b also has a surface formed in a substantially W-shape and a surface formed in a substantially M-shape. The rear portion 19b is disposed with a gap between it and the front portion 19a.

[0020] The wire gripping member 19c is sandwiched between the front portion 19a and the rear portion 19b. In this embodiment, the wire gripping member 19c is made of urethane and has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. This allows force to be applied equally to both wires, preventing a situation in which force is applied to one of the pair of wires that is gripped first due to an error in the wire diameter or the like, causing the other wire to become loosely gripped.

[0021] The rib 19d fits into a groove in the slide portion 17 to allow the gripping member 19 to slide in the extending direction of the slide portion 17.

[0022] The gripping member 20 has a similar configuration to the gripping member 19. The gripping member 20 includes a front portion 20a, a rear portion 20b, wire gripping members 20c, and a rib 20d. The front portion 20a has a surface 20a1 that forms the front surface of the chuck portion 18 (the side facing the second gripping device 30), and a surface 20a2 that is formed on the back side of surface 20a1 (the side that contacts the wire gripping member 20c). Surface 20a1 is formed in a substantially W-shape, and surface 20a2 is formed in a substantially M-shape. Therefore, the vertices of the W and M of the front portion 20a alternately protrude toward the gripping member 19.

[0023] Similar to the front portion 20a, the rear portion 20b also has a surface formed in a substantially W-shape and a surface formed in a substantially M-shape. The rear portion 20b is disposed with a gap between it and the front portion 20a.

[0024] The electric wire gripping member 20c is provided so as to be sandwiched between the front portion 20a and the rear portion 20b. The electric wire gripping member 20c is made of urethane and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, similar to the electric wire gripping member 19c.

[0025] The rib 20d fits into the slide portion 17 to allow the gripping member 20 to slide freely in the extending direction of the slide portion 17.

[0026] The chuck portion 18 positions the electric wires 2a, 2b in the two W-shaped valley portions 20a3 of the front portion 20a of the gripping member 20, and the W-shaped and M-shaped portions of the gripping members 19 and 20 interlock with each other to grip the electric wires 2a, 2b with the electric wire gripping members 19c, 20c.

[0027] As is clear from the above description, the chuck portion 18 functions as a first gripping portion that grips the untwisting portion yh of the twisted wire 2. In addition, the chuck portion 18 grips the pair of electric wires 2a, 2b simultaneously (collectively).

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the second gripping device 30 includes a base 31, a rail 32, a moving portion 33, a support 34, a sliding portion 35, and a chuck portion 36.

[0029] The base 31 is formed in a flat plate shape. The base 31 is provided with rails 32. A pair of the rails 32 are provided extending on the base 31 so that the moving part 33 can move freely in a direction toward and away from the first gripping device 10.

[0030] As described above, the moving unit 33 is movable on the rails 32. A support 34 is erected on the moving unit 33. A slide unit 35 is provided at the upper end of the support 34. The slide unit 35 is formed in a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a groove is formed on the surface opposite to the surface that joins with the support 34. The gripping members 37 and 38 of the chuck unit 36 ​​are engaged with the groove, allowing the gripping members 37 and 38 to slide toward and away from each other. The slide unit 35 slides the gripping members 37 and 38, thereby opening and closing the chuck unit 36. The opening and closing of the chuck unit 36 ​​is controlled by a control device 50.

[0031] As described above, the chuck portion 36 includes the gripping members 37 and 38. The gripping members 37 and 38 are shown in Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the gripping members 37 and 38, and Figure 7 is a front view of the gripping members 37 and 38.

[0032] The gripping member 37 includes a comb-shaped portion 37a and ribs 37b. The comb-shaped portion 37a has multiple comb teeth arranged in the extension direction of the twisted wire 2, and each comb tooth has a V-shaped groove formed therein. The comb-shaped portion 37a positions the twisted wire 2 in the V-shaped groove.

[0033] The rib 37b fits into a groove in the slide portion 35 to allow the gripping member 37 to slide in the extending direction of the slide portion 35.

[0034] The gripping member 38 has a similar configuration to the gripping member 37. The gripping member 38 includes a comb-shaped portion 38a and ribs 38b. The comb-shaped portion 38a has multiple comb teeth arranged in the extension direction of the twisted wire 2, and each comb tooth has a V-shaped groove formed therein. The comb-shaped portion 38a positions the twisted wire 2 in the V-shaped groove.

[0035] The comb portions of the comb-shaped portion 37a of the gripping member 37 and the comb portions of the comb-shaped portion 38a of the gripping member 38 are alternately interlocked with each other to grip the twisted wire 2.

[0036] The rib 38b fits into a groove in the slide portion 35 to allow the gripping member 38 to slide in the extending direction of the slide portion 35.

[0037] As is clear from the above description, the chuck 36 functions as a second gripping part that grips the boundary between the twisted portion ts and the untwisted portion yh. In addition, the moving part 33 is movable so as to move the chuck 36 (second gripping part) closer to the chuck 18 (first gripping part).

[0038] The control device 50 is configured with, for example, a control device including a microcomputer, etc. The control device 50 controls the opening and closing of the chucks 18, 36. The control device 50 also calculates the number of rotations of the chuck 18 (number of additional twists) based on the length of the untwisted portion yh of the set twisted wire 2, etc., and rotates the motor 12 by the calculated number of rotations.

[0039] Next, the additional twisting operation in the additional twisting device 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0040] First, the twisted wire 2 is set (step S1). The control device 50 opens the chucks 18 and 36. Then, the tip of the untwisting portion yh of the twisted wire 2 to be additionally twisted is set in the chuck 18, and the twisted portion ts is set in the chuck 36. Here, when setting the twisted wire 2 in the chuck 36, it is preferable to position the boundary between the twisted portion ts and the untwisting portion yh (also referred to as the untwisting intersection) at the forefront of the comb-shaped portions 37a and 38a (the side facing the first holding device 10). Note that an imaging unit may be provided above the additional twisting device 1, and the untwisting intersection may be detected based on an image captured by the imaging unit.

[0041] In addition, in step S1, the twisted wire 2 may be set manually, or may be set automatically by a conveying device or the like from another position in the manufacturing device of the twisted wire 2. When automatically conveying the twisted wire 2, it is preferable to apply back tension to the twisted wire 2.

[0042] Next, the electric wire is chucked (step S2). The control device 50 closes the chuck portions 18, 36 to grip the untwisting portion yh and the twisted portion ts. After the twisted portion ts is gripped by the chuck portion 36, back tension is no longer applied to the twisted portion ts.

[0043] Next, the control device 50 calculates the number of rotations of the chuck portion 18 (step S3). The calculation of the number of rotations will be described in detail later. This number of rotations is the number of times the chuck portion 18 is rotated to additionally twist the yarn at the same twist pitch as the twisted portion ts.

[0044] Next, the control device 50 operates the motor 12 to rotate the chuck portion 18 by the number of rotations calculated in step S3 (step S4). Then, the rotation of the chuck portion 18 twists (additionally twists) the electric wires 2a, 2b between the chuck portion 18 and the chuck portion 36. At this time, the chuck portion 36 moves closer to the chuck portion 18 in response to the twist. That is, the chuck portion 36 is pulled by the twisting force, and the moving portion 33 moves on the rail 32 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 . That is, the moving portion 33 is movable so as to move the chuck portion 36 (second gripping portion) closer to the chuck portion 18 (first gripping portion) as the chuck portion 18 (first gripping portion) rotates.

[0045] The wire is then released from the chuck (step S5). The control device 50 opens the chucks 18 and 36. The twisted wire 2 with additional twisting is then moved to the next process, such as terminal crimping. As with step S1, the movement to the next process may be performed manually or automatically.

[0046] The method for calculating the number of rotations described in step S3 will now be described with reference to Figures 9 to 11. Figures 9 and 10 show the electric wires 2a, 2b (twisted wire 2) held by the chucks 18, 36 of the additional twisting device 1. Figure 9 shows the state before additional twisting, and Figure 10 shows the state after additional twisting.

[0047] Here, A is the gripping position of the chuck portion 18, and indicates the distance from the tip of the electric wires 2a, 2b to the front portions 19a, 20a. F indicates the distance from the tip of the electric wires 2a, 2b to the single wire chuck. The single wire chuck is a device that chucks the electric wire when it is moved by, for example, an automatic conveying device, and is the distance A plus the distance required to grip the electric wires 2a, 2b before and after the additional twisting operation. A and F are values ​​known in advance from the configuration of the device. If a single wire chuck is not used, F may be considered as equal to A.

[0048] G is the pitch between the wires in the chuck portion 18. G is a value that is known in advance based on the configuration of the chuck portion 18. P (see FIG. 10) is the length per pitch of twisting (twist pitch). In this embodiment, P is the central value of a predetermined tolerance. Y (see FIG. 10) is the length of the untwist portion yh (untwist length). Y is a fixed value determined by the standard. L (see FIG. 9) is the distance from the chuck portion 18 to the chuck portion 36. L is also a value that is known in advance based on the configuration of the additional twisting device 1.

[0049] Using the above values ​​as input values, the following values ​​are calculated: First, the length La of the electric wire from the chuck portion 18 to the chuck portion 36 (see FIG. 9) is calculated. La is calculated using the following formula (1).

[0050] Next, calculate the total wire length Lb (see FIG. 9) of the untwisted portion, including the portion held by the chuck portion 18. Lb is calculated using the following formula (2).

[0051] Next, the length Yt (see FIG. 10) of the untwisted portion yh after additional twisting is calculated based on the above input values. Yt is calculated using the following equation (3).

[0052] Next, the wire length Pt per pitch is calculated based on the input values. Pt is calculated using the following formula (4). In formula (4), d is the outer diameter of the wire. Here, the calculation of the wire length per pitch will be explained with reference to FIG. 11. The left side of FIG. 11 shows one pitch of the twisted wire 2. At this time, when the wire is twisted, the center (center) of the wire is wound around a cylinder with a radius of d / 2 (center of FIG. 11). When the cylinder in this state is unfolded, the wound part becomes a diagonal line (right side of FIG. 11). Therefore, calculating the length of this diagonal line will give the wire length per pitch.

[0053] Next, the length Lt of the wire to be twisted is calculated using the following formula (5).

[0054] Next, the number of twists Nt' is calculated using the following equation (6).

[0055] Next, Nt' calculated by equation (6) is converted into an integer. The converted twist number is defined as Nt. This conversion is performed by rounding off to the nearest whole number, for example. The reason for this conversion is that the minimum unit of rotation of the chuck portion 18 is one rotation.

[0056] Next, the untwist length Ys is calculated from the integer number of twists. This untwist length Ys is calculated using the following equation (7).

[0057] Next, the number of twists is recalculated using the untwist length Ys calculated by equation (7). That is, Ys is used instead of Yt in equation (5), and the result is substituted into equation (6). The number of twists Nt' calculated by equation (6) is then converted into an integer to calculate the number of twists Nts. Here, in relation to the untwist length Ys calculated by equation (7) and the input value, untwist length Y, if Ys > Y, then Nts = Nt' + 1, and if Ys ≦ Y, then Nts = Nt', and so on, to calculate the number of twists Nts.

[0058] The calculated number of twists Nts is then added by 1 to obtain a value which is set as the number of rotations Nr of the chuck portion 18 .

[0059] In this way, the control device 50 functions as a calculation unit that calculates the number of times to rotate the chuck portion 18 (first gripping portion). The control device 50 calculates the number of times to rotate the chuck portion 18 based on the untwist length Y and the twist pitch P.

[0060] According to this embodiment, the additional twisting device 1 includes a chuck 18 that grips the untwisted portion yh of the twisted wire 2, which has a twisted portion ts where the pair of electric wires 2a, 2b are twisted together and an untwisted portion yh where the pair of electric wires 2a, 2b are not twisted together. The additional twisting device 1 further includes a chuck 36 that grips the boundary portion of the twisted portion ts with the untwisted portion yh, and a motor 12 that rotates the chuck 18 in the direction of twisting the untwisted portion yh so that it is continuous with the twisted portion ts.

[0061] By configuring the twisting device 1 as described above, the untwisted portion yh at the end of the twisted wire 2 can be twisted further, thereby increasing the twisted portion ts and improving the noise characteristics of the twisted wire 2.

[0062] The second gripping device 30 also has a moving unit 33 that can move the chuck unit 36 ​​closer to the chuck unit 18 as the chuck unit 18 rotates. This allows twisting at an appropriate pitch. If back tension is applied to the twisted portion ts, a narrow pitch is more likely to be formed, and even if the twisted portion ts is rotated at the calculated rotation speed Nr, the untwisted length may be longer than the standard. As in this embodiment, the second gripping device 30 has the moving unit 33, and by controlling the movement of the moving unit 33 so as not to apply back tension, twisting at an appropriate pitch is possible.

[0063] Furthermore, since the chuck portion 18 grips the pair of electric wires 2a, 2b together, there is no need to provide separate gripping portions, and it is also easy to adjust the gripping position of the electric wires.

[0064] The control device 50 calculates the number of times the motor 12 rotates the chuck portion 18, and the control device 50 calculates the number of times based on the untwist length Y and the length per twist pitch P. In this way, the number of times the chuck portion 18 rotates can be determined based on known information.

[0065] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. That is, a person skilled in the art can implement various modifications in accordance with conventionally known knowledge without departing from the gist of the present invention. As long as such modifications still include the configuration of the additional twisting device of the present invention, they are of course included in the scope of the present invention.

[0066] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 additional twisting device 2 twisted wire 10 first gripping device 12 motor (rotation drive unit) 18 chuck unit (first gripping unit) 30 second gripping device 32 rail 33 moving unit 36 ​​chuck unit (second gripping unit) 50 control device (calculation unit) ts twist unit yh untwist unit

Claims

1. An additional twisting device comprising: a first gripping portion for gripping an untwisting portion of a twisted wire, the untwisting portion having a twisted portion where a pair of electric wires are twisted together, and an untwisting portion where the pair of electric wires are not twisted together; a second gripping portion for gripping the boundary portion of the twisted portion with the untwisting portion; and a rotation drive portion for rotating the first gripping portion in a direction for twisting the untwisting portion so that it is continuous with the twisted portion.

2. The twisting device as described in claim 1, further comprising a moving part that is capable of moving the second gripping part closer to the first gripping part as the first gripping part rotates.

3. The twisting device according to claim 1, wherein the first gripping portion simultaneously grips the pair of electric wires.

4. The additional twisting device according to claim 1, further comprising a calculation unit that calculates the number of times that the rotation drive unit rotates the first gripping unit, and the calculation unit calculates the number of times based on the length of the untwisting unit and the length per pitch of the twist.

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