Drain wire separation apparatus

Abstract

Provided is a drain wire separation apparatus 10 for processing a multicore cable 1, which is provided with a drain wire 2, a plurality of core wires 3, and a sheath 5 that covers the drain wire 2 and the plurality of core wires 3, and in which the drain wire 2 and the plurality of core wires 3 are exposed from an end part of the sheath 5, the drain wire separation apparatus 10 comprising a cable-holding member 21 that holds the sheath 5, a drain-wire-holding member 41 that holds the drain wire 2, and a bending device. The bending device has at least one of: (1) a first driving device 43 that bends the drain wire 2 by relatively moving the drain-wire-holding member 41 and the cable-holding member 21; and (2) a core wire-holding member 71 that holds the plurality of core wires 3, and a second driving device 73 that bends the plurality of core wires 3 by relatively moving the core-wire-holding member 71 and the cable-holding member 21.

Description

Drain line separation device

[0001] The present invention relates to a drain line isolation device.

[0002] Multi-core cables in which a drain wire and multiple core wires are covered with a sheath have been known for some time. The drain wire and multiple core wires are exposed by stripping the sheath of the multi-core cable and then processed separately. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a core wire separation device including a core wire separation member with a clamp that hooks only the multiple core wires but not the drain wire, and a moving device that moves the clamp in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the multi-core cable. With the core wire separation device described in Patent Document 1, the multiple core wires are bent by moving the clamp, while the drain wire is not bent. As a result, it is said that the drain wire and multiple core wires of the multi-core cable can be separated. Separating the drain wire and multiple core wires makes it easy to process them separately. According to Patent Document 1, before being loaded into the core wire separation device, the sheath at the tip of the multi-core cable is stripped and the twisted drain wire and multiple core wires are untwisted.

[0003] International Publication No. 2022 / 107628

[0004] In the process of untwisting the drain wire and the multiple core wires, which is performed before separating the drain wire from the multiple core wires, the untwisting may not be completed, and the drain wire and the core wires may remain tangled. When processing such a multi-core cable using the core wire separation device described in Patent Document 1, the drain wire, which would normally remain unbent, may be pulled by the core wire and bent. In this case, the drain wire and the multiple core wires cannot be separated in the intended state.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a drain wire separation device that can more reliably separate a drain wire from a core wire.

[0006] The drain wire separation device disclosed herein is a device for processing a multi-core cable including a drain wire, a plurality of core wires, and a sheath covering the drain wire and the plurality of core wires, with the drain wire and the plurality of core wires exposed from an end of the sheath, the device including a cable holding member for holding the sheath, a drain wire holding member for holding the drain wire, and a bending device. The bending device has at least one of (1) a first driving device that bends the drain wire by moving the drain wire holding member and the cable holding member relative to each other, and (2) a core wire holding member that holds the plurality of core wires and a second driving device that bends the plurality of core wires by moving the core wire holding member and the cable holding member relative to each other.

[0007] According to the drain wire separation device, the drain wire can be separated from the multiple core wires by at least one of bending the drain wire by relatively moving the drain wire holding member and the cable holding member with the first drive device, or bending the multiple core wires by relatively moving the core wire holding member and the cable holding member with the second drive device. In this case, because the drain wire is held by the drain wire holding member, the drain wire can be separated from the multiple core wires even if the drain wire and the core wires are entangled.

[0008] According to a preferred aspect of the drain wire separation device, the bending device includes the first driving device. The drain wire separation device can separate the drain wire from the plurality of core wires by bending at least the drain wire. Furthermore, by holding and bending the drain wire and moving it away from the core wires, the posture of the drain wire can be prevented from being disturbed during processing of the core wires.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the drain wire separation device, the bending device includes the core wire holding member and the second driving device. The drain wire separation device can separate the drain wire from the multiple core wires by bending at least the core wire. Furthermore, since the multiple core wires are held in addition to the drain wire, the postures of the multiple core wires can also be stabilized.

[0010] According to a preferred aspect, the drain wire separation device further includes a moving device that moves the drain wire holding member closer to a position where the drain wire can be held from a standby position away from the drain wire, and a restricting member that restricts movement of the drain wire in the approaching direction of the drain wire holding member.

[0011] With the drain wire separation device, even if the drain wire and the core wire are entangled and the core wire is pushed toward the drain wire holding member or a member that moves together with the drain wire holding member, the position of the drain wire does not move due to the restriction by the restriction member. Therefore, the drain wire can be easily held by the drain wire holding member.

[0012] The drain wire separation device may include a moving device that moves the cable holding member from a position where the drain wire and the drain wire holding member are separated to a position where the drain wire holding member can hold the drain wire. The drain wire separation device may further include a restricting member that is configured to be moved together with the cable holding member by the moving device and that restricts movement of the drain wire in a direction opposite to the movement direction of the cable holding member. In this aspect, of the cable holding member and the drain wire holding member, at least the cable holding member moves. This aspect can achieve the same effects as the drain wire separation device described above.

[0013] According to a preferred aspect of these drain wire separation devices, the restraining member includes a clamp that grips the drain wire and the plurality of core wires.

[0014] According to the drain wire separation device, the drain wire and the plurality of core wires are gripped, so that the movement of the drain wire can be reliably restricted.

[0015] According to one preferred aspect, the drain wire separation device further includes a positioning device configured to move at least one of the multi-core cable and the drain wire holding member, and aligning the position of the drain wire with the position of the drain wire holding member in the circumferential direction of the multi-core cable.

[0016] According to the drain wire separation device, the drain wire can be held by the drain wire holding member regardless of the circumferential position of the drain wire after untwisting.

[0017] According to a preferred embodiment of the drain wire separation device, the drain wire holding member includes a pair of claw members. The drain wire separation device further includes an actuator that moves the pair of claw members toward or away from each other. The pair of claw members each have an acute-angled tip portion that can be inserted between the drain wire and the plurality of core wires.

[0018] According to the drain wire separation device, by forming the tip portions of the pair of claw members at an acute angle, it becomes possible to insert the tip portions between the drain wire and the multiple core wires, and the inserted tip portions can hold the drain wire.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment of the drain wire separation device, the drain wire holding member includes a pair of claw members. The drain wire separation device further includes an actuator that moves the pair of claw members toward or away from each other, a guide member having a guide passage with a width sufficient for the drain wire to pass through, and a moving device that moves the drain wire holding member, the guide member, and the cable holding member toward each other. The guide passage extends so as to pass between the pair of claw members in the direction in which the pair of claw members approach each other. The moving device moves the drain wire through the guide passage to reach between the pair of claw members.

[0020] According to the drain wire separation device, the drain wire can be guided between the pair of claw members by passing it through the guide passage.

[0021] According to a preferred embodiment, the drain wire separation device further includes an ejection device that pushes the drain wire to eject the drain wire from the guide passage.

[0022] According to the drain wire separation device, even if the drain wire gets caught in the guide passage, the drain wire can be ejected from the guide passage by pushing it with the ejection device.

[0023] According to the drain wire separation device disclosed herein, the drain wire and the core wire can be separated more reliably.

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multi-core cable. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a drain wire separation device according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a rear view of a drain wire holding member. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the drain wire separation device in a state where the drain wire discharge device is driven. FIG. 5 is a rear view of a core wire clamp. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the drain wire separation device. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of separating a drain wire from a plurality of core wires. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the drain wire separation device in a state where the drain wire holding member is raised to bend the drain wire. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the drain wire separation device in a state where the core wire clamp is lowered to bend the core wire.

[0025] [Configuration of Drain Wire Separation Device] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a multi-core 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 multi-core cable 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-core cable 1 includes a drain wire 2, multiple core wires 3, a shield 4, and a sheath 5. Each of the multiple core wires 3 has a core wire 3a and an insulating coating 3b covering the core wire 3a. The shield 4 is a conductor that shields the core wire 3 from external noise. The shield 4 covers the outside of the multiple core wires 3. The drain wire 2 is electrically connected to the shield 4. The drain wire 2 is grounded, thereby grounding the shield 4. The drain wire 2 is made of multiple thin conductor wires and is not covered with an insulating material. The sheath 5 covers the drain wire 2, the multiple core wires 3, and the shield 4. The sheath 5 is made of an insulating material. Although not shown in the figure, the core wires 3 and the drain wire 2 are twisted together inside the shield 4. The number of core wires 3 is not particularly limited.

[0026] Before being loaded into the drain wire separation device 10 (see FIG. 2 ) according to this embodiment, the sheath 5 at the tip of the multi-core cable 1 is stripped. When loaded into the drain wire separation device 10, the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3 are exposed from the end of the sheath 5. After stripping the sheath 5 at the tip, the multi-core cable 1 also undergoes a process of untwisting the twisted multiple core wires 3 and the drain wire 2 before being loaded into the drain wire separation device 10. Ideally, when loaded into the drain wire separation device 10, the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3 are straightened and not tangled. However, in reality, the untwisting may not be complete, and the drain wire 2 and one or more core wires 3 may be slightly tangled. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the exposed portion of the drain wire 2 from the sheath 5 will be simply referred to as the drain wire 2, and each exposed portion of the multiple core wires 3 from the sheath 5 will be simply referred to as the core wire 3.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a drain wire separation device 10 according to an embodiment. In the following description, the right side of the paper in FIG. 2 is the front side of the drain wire separation device 10. The left, right, upper, and lower sides of the drain wire separation device 10 as viewed from the front are respectively referred to as left, right, upper, and lower. The front-to-rear direction, left-to-right direction, and up-to-down direction are mutually orthogonal. In the following drawings, the front, rear, left, right, upper, and lower sides are represented by F, Rr, L, R, U, and D, respectively. However, the directions in the following description are merely defined for convenience of explanation and do not limit the present invention in any way.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the drain wire separation device 10 includes a cable holding device 20, a positioning device 30, a drain wire bending device 40, a drain wire discharge device 50, a core wire holding device 60, a core wire bending device 70, and a control device 80 (see FIG. 6).

[0029] The cable holding device 20 holds the sheath 5 of the multi-core cable 1. As shown in FIG. 2 , the cable holding device 20 includes a pair of cable clamps 21 that open and close, and a cable gripping actuator 22 that opens and closes the cable clamps 21. The cable holding device 20 grips the sheath 5 by driving the cable gripping actuator 22 to close the pair of cable clamps 21. The cable gripping actuator 22 is, for example, an air cylinder. However, the cable gripping actuator 22 is not limited to an air cylinder. Here, the cable holding device 20 holds the multi-core cable 1 so that the axial direction of the multi-core cable 1 coincides with the front-to-rear direction. More specifically, the cable holding device 20 holds the multi-core cable 1 so that the end on which the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3 are exposed faces forward. When the multi-core cable 1 is held by the cable holding device 20, the exposed portions of the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3 are held in the air in front of the cable holding device 20 and extend generally in the front-to-rear direction.

[0030] The positioning device 30 is configured to move at least one of the multi-core cable 1 and a drain wire holding member 41 (described later) of the drain wire bending device 40, and aligns the position of the drain wire 2 in the circumferential direction of the multi-core cable 1 with the position of the drain wire holding member 41. Here, the positioning device 30 rotates the multi-core cable 1 about its axis to move the drain wire 2 to the 12 o'clock position. The drain wire holding member 41 is disposed above the axis of the multi-core cable 1. By positioning the drain wire 2 at the 12 o'clock position, the position of the drain wire 2 in the circumferential direction of the multi-core cable 1 is aligned with the position of the drain wire holding member 41. However, the positioning device 30 may also be configured to rotate the drain wire holding member 41 about the axis of the multi-core cable 1.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2 , the positioning device 30 includes a pair of clamping plates 31, a positioning actuator 32 (see FIG. 6 ) that moves the pair of clamping plates 31 so as to shift them in the up-down direction, and a detection end 33. The pair of clamping plates 31 is disposed rearward of the cable holding device 20. In this example, the pair of clamping plates 31 are provided on the left and right of the multi-core cable 1, respectively. The pair of clamping plates 31 extend in the front-to-rear and up-down directions, respectively. The pair of clamping plates 31 clamp the sheath 5 of the multi-core cable 1 from the left and right. When the positioning actuator 32 is driven with the multi-core cable 1 sandwiched between the pair of clamping plates 31, one clamping plate 31 is moved upward and the other clamping plate 31 is moved downward, thereby rotating the multi-core cable 1 about its axis.

[0032] The detecting end 33 is configured to detect that the drain wire 2 is at the 12 o'clock position. The detecting end 33 includes a pair of electrodes 33F and 33Rr arranged above the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3 in the 12 o'clock direction. The electrode 33Rr is arranged behind the electrode 33F. When the drain wire 2 moves toward the 12 o'clock direction by rotating the multi-core cable 1, the drain wire 2 comes into contact with the pair of electrodes 33F and 33Rr. A voltage is applied between the pair of electrodes 33F and 33Rr. When the drain wire 2 comes into contact with the pair of electrodes 33F and 33Rr, electrical conduction occurs between the pair of electrodes 33F and 33Rr via the drain wire 2, which is an uncoated conductor. This allows the detecting end 33 to detect that the drain wire 2 is at the 12 o'clock position. When the positioning device 30 detects that the drain wire 2 is at the 12 o'clock position, it stops the rotation of the multi-core cable 1.

[0033] The configuration of the positioning device 30 is not limited to the one described above. The pair of clamping plates 31 of the positioning device 30 may extend in a direction other than the up-down direction (e.g., left-right direction) and may move so as to be displaced in that direction (e.g., left-right direction). The positioning device 30 may rotate the multi-core cable 1 by driving, for example, a rotary actuator or a motor. The mechanism that detects that the drain wire 2 is at the 12 o'clock position may be equipped with, for example, an imaging device and configured to identify the drain wire 2 from the captured image. The circumferential position of the drain wire 2 after alignment is not limited to the 12 o'clock position.

[0034] The drain wire bending device 40 is configured to hold the drain wire 2 and bend the drain wire 2 upward. The drain wire bending device 40 is provided above the exposed drain wire 2 and the plurality of core wires 3. The drain wire bending device 40 is disposed forward and above the cable holding device 20. As shown in FIG. 2 , the drain wire bending device 40 includes a drain wire holding member 41, a drain wire holding actuator 42, a moving actuator 43 (see FIG. 6 ), and a guide plate 44.

[0035] The drain wire holding member 41 is a member that holds the drain wire 2. Here, the drain wire holding member 41 includes a pair of holding claws 41L and 41R. The pair of holding claws 41L and 41R are provided on the left and right sides of the multi-core cable 1, respectively. The drain wire holding actuator 42 moves the pair of holding claws 41L and 41R toward or away from each other. Here, when holding the drain wire 2, the drain wire holding actuator 42 moves the left-side holding claw 41L to the right and the right-side holding claw 41R to the left. This brings the pair of holding claws 41L and 41R closer together. When releasing the drain wire 2, the drain wire holding actuator 42 moves the left-side holding claw 41L to the left and the right-side holding claw 41R to the right. This causes the pair of holding claws 41L and 41R to move apart.

[0036] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the drain wire holding member 41. However, some components are not shown in FIG. 3 . As shown in FIG. 3 , the pair of holding claws 41L and 41R each have an acute-angled tip portion 41a that can be inserted between the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3. As shown in FIG. 3 , when the pair of holding claws 41L and 41R are closed, the tip portions 41a are inserted between the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3. When the tip portions 41a move to the innermost position within their movement range, they come into contact with each other. The drain wire 2 is held by the contacting tip portions 41a from below. However, the pair of holding claws 41L and 41R may be configured to grip the drain wire 2, for example.

[0037] The movement actuator 43 moves the drain wire holding member 41 in the vertical direction. The movement actuator 43 moves the drain wire holding member 41 from a standby position P1 (see FIG. 8 ), where the drain wire holding member 41 is separated from the drain wire 2, to a holding position P2 (the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 ), where the drain wire 2 can be held. The standby position P1 is set higher than the holding position P2. The movement actuator 43 also bends the drain wire 2 upward by moving the drain wire holding member 41, which holds the drain wire 2, from the holding position P2 to the standby position P1. The movement actuator 43 is an example of a first drive device that separates the drain wire holding member 41 and the cable clamp 21 to bend the drain wire 2, and is also an example of a movement device that moves the drain wire holding member 41 from the standby position P1 to the holding position P2.

[0038] The guide plate 44 is a member that guides the drain wire 2 between the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R. The guide plate 44 is configured to move together with the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R when the moving actuator 43 is driven. The guide plate 44 extends in the left-right and up-down directions. The guide plate 44 extends below the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R. As shown in FIG. 3 , the guide plate 44 is provided with a guide passage 44a that is wide enough for the drain wire 2 to pass through. The guide passage 44a extends between the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R in the direction in which the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R approach each other (the left-right direction). In this example, the guide passage 44a is an elongated hole that cuts through to the lower end of the guide plate 44 and extends upward from there. The left-right width of the guide passage 44a is slightly larger than the diameter of the drain wire 2.

[0039] The width of the guide passage 44a is set so that multiple core wires 3 cannot pass through it. A chamfer 44b is provided at the lower end of the guide passage 44a to guide the drain wire 2 into the guide passage 44a. The guide passage 44a extends above the tips 41a of the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R. The movement actuator 43 brings the drain wire holding member 41 and guide plate 44 closer to the cable clamp 21. The movement actuator 43 causes the drain wire 2 to pass through the guide passage 44a and reach between the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R.

[0040] The guide member that guides the drain wire 2 between the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R is not limited to a flat member such as the guide plate 44. The guide member that guides the drain wire 2 between the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R may be, for example, a pair of wall members that are arranged side by side on the left and right to define a guide passage 44a therebetween.

[0041] The drain wire discharge device 50 is a device that pushes the drain wire 2 to discharge it from the guide passage 44a. Even when the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R are opened, the drain wire 2 may get caught in the guide passage 44a and not be able to be separated from the drain wire bending device 40. Therefore, the drain wire discharge device 50 is provided. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the drain wire separation device 10 with the drain wire discharge device 50 activated. Some components are also omitted from FIG. 4 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the drain wire discharge device 50 includes multiple guide shafts 51, a push plate 52, and a discharge actuator 53. The push plate 52 is disposed rearward of the drain wire holding member 41. The push plate 52 extends in the front-rear and left-right directions. Multiple guide shafts 51 are connected to the upper surface of the push plate 52. Each of the multiple guide shafts 51 is inserted into a bushing (not shown). The guide shaft 51 is movable up and down along the bushing. The push plate 52 moves up and down together with the multiple guide shafts 51. The ejection actuator 53 is connected to the upper surface of the push plate 52. The ejection actuator 53 is, for example, an air cylinder.

[0042] 4 , when the ejection actuator 53 is driven to move the push plate 52 downward, the push plate 52 pushes the drain wire 2 inserted through the guide passage 44 a downward. As a result, the drain wire 2 comes out of the guide passage 44 a and is ejected from the drain wire bending device 40.

[0043] The core wire holding device 60 is a device that holds the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3 so that the drain wire 2 does not move in the approaching direction (downward in this case) of the drain wire holding member 41. If the drain wire 2 is entangled with the core wires 3, when the multiple core wires 3 are pushed downward by the drain wire holding member 41 or the guide plate 44, the drain wire 2 also moves downward. This makes it difficult for the drain wire holding member 41 to hold the drain wire 2. The core wire holding device 60 prevents the drain wire 2 from being pulled by the multiple core wires 3 and moving downward.

[0044] 2 , the core wire holding device 60 includes a restraining member 61 that restrains the drain wire 2 from moving in the approaching direction (downward in this case) of the drain wire holding member 41. In this embodiment, the restraining member 61 includes a pair of core wire clamps 61L and 61R that grip the drain wire 2 and the plurality of core wires 3. Here, the restraining member 61 grips the drain wire 2 and the plurality of core wires 3, thereby restraining the drain wire 2 from moving in the approaching direction of the drain wire holding member 41. The core wire holding device 60 further includes a core wire gripping actuator 62 that drives the pair of core wire clamps 61L, 61R.

[0045] FIG. 5 is a rear view of the core wire clamps 61L, 61R. Some components are also omitted from FIG. 5 . As shown in FIG. 5 , the pair of core wire clamps 61L and 61R are provided on the left and right sides of the multi-core cable 1, respectively. The core wire gripping actuator 62 moves the pair of core wire clamps 61L and 61R toward or away from each other. Here, when gripping the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3, the core wire gripping actuator 62 moves the left core wire clamp 61L to the right and the right core wire clamp 61R to the left. This brings the pair of core wire clamps 61L and 61R closer together. When releasing the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3, the core wire gripping actuator 62 moves the left core wire clamp 61L to the left and the right core wire clamp 61R to the right. This causes the pair of core wire clamps 61L and 61R to move apart.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 5 , the right core wire clamp 61R has an inclined surface 61a at its upper left corner, which slopes downward inward (to the left) in the left-right direction. A recess 61b is provided midway along the inclined surface 61a, into which the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3 are accommodated when clamped. The left core wire clamp 61L has an inclined surface 61c at its upper right corner, which slopes upward inward (to the right). The inclined surface 61c is formed substantially parallel to the inclined surface 61a. A recess 61d is provided midway along the inclined surface 61c, facing the recess 61b. When the pair of core wire clamps 61L and 61R are closed with the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3 positioned between the inclined surfaces 61a and 61c, the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3 are guided between the recesses 61b and 61d along the slopes of the inclined surfaces 61a and 61c. The pair of core wire clamps 61L, 61R grip the drain wire 2 and the plurality of core wires 3 in the recesses 61b, 61d.

[0047] 2, the pair of core wire clamps 61L, 61R are disposed at a different position in the front-rear direction from the drain wire holding member 41. Here, the pair of core wire clamps 61L, 61R are disposed forward of the drain wire holding member 41. As a result, the drain wire holding member 41 is located between the cable clamp 21 and the core wire clamps 61L, 61R in the axial direction (here, the front-rear direction) of the multi-core cable 1. Support at both ends by the cable clamp 21 and the core wire clamps 61L, 61R more reliably restricts downward movement of the drain wire 2.

[0048] The core wire bending device 70 is a device that bends a plurality of core wires 3 downward. As shown in Fig. 2 , the core wire bending device 70 is disposed forward of the cable holding device 20 and rearward of the core wire holding device 60. The core wire bending device 70 is also disposed forward of the drain wire bending device 40. However, the core wire bending device 70 may also be disposed rearward of the drain wire bending device 40.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 2, the core wire bending device 70 includes a pair of core wire clamps 71, a core wire gripping actuator 72, a bending actuator 73, and a slide guide 74. The pair of core wire clamps 71 hold a plurality of core wires 3. The core wire gripping actuator 72 brings the pair of core wire clamps 71 closer together, causing the core wire clamps 71 to grip the plurality of core wires 3. When releasing the plurality of core wires 3, the core wire gripping actuator 72 moves the pair of core wire clamps 71 apart. Here, the core wire gripping actuator 72 moves the pair of core wire clamps 71 closer to or farther apart by rotating the pair of core wire clamps 71 around their respective lower ends (see also Fig. 9).

[0050] The bending actuator 73 moves the pair of core wire clamps 71 in the vertical direction. The bending actuator 73 is an example of a second drive device that separates the core wire clamp 71 from the cable clamp 21 to bend the multiple core wires 3. When the bending actuator 73 is driven with the core wire clamp 71 holding the multiple core wires 3 and the core wire clamp 71 is moved downward, the multiple core wires 3 are bent downward. The pair of core wire clamps 71 are slidably engaged with slide guides 74 that extend in the vertical direction.

[0051] The control device 80 controls the operation of each part of the drain wire separation device 10. Fig. 6 is a block diagram of the drain wire separation device 10. As shown in Fig. 6, the control device 80 is connected to the cable gripping actuator 22 of the cable holding device 20, the positioning actuator 32 and the detection end 33 of the positioning device 30, the drain wire holding actuator 42 and the movement actuator 43 of the drain wire bending device 40, the discharge actuator 53 of the drain wire discharge device 50, the core wire gripping actuator 62 of the core wire holding device 60, and the core wire gripping actuator 72 and the bending actuator 73 of the core wire bending device 70, and controls their operation.

[0052] The configuration of the control device 80 is not particularly limited. The control device 80 may include, for example, a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU), a ROM in which programs executed by the CPU are stored, and a RAM. Each unit of the control device 80 may be configured by software or by hardware. Furthermore, each unit may be a processor or a circuit. The control device 80 may be, for example, a programmable controller or a computer. The operation control of each unit by the control device 80 will be described below in the description of the process of separating the drain wire 2 and the core wire 3.

[0053] [Process for Separating Drain Wire and Core Wire] The process for separating the drain wire 2 from the core wires 3 will be described below. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation for separating the drain wire 2 from the multiple core wires 3. As shown in Fig. 7 , in the operation for separating the drain wire 2 from the multiple core wires 3 according to the example, in step S01, the multi-core cable 1 is held by the cable holding device 20. Here, the description will be given assuming that the sheath 5 of the multi-core cable 1 has already been stripped and the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3 have already been untwisted. However, the operation of stripping the sheath 5 and the operation of untwisting the multi-core cable 1 held by the cable holding device 20 may also be performed.

[0054] In step S02, multi-core cable 1 is rotated about its axis, and drain wire 2 is moved to the 12 o'clock position. As a result, drain wire 2 faces drain wire holding member 41.

[0055] In step S03, the drain wire 2 and the plurality of core wires 3 are held by the core wire holding device 60.

[0056] In step S04, the drain wire 2 is held by the drain wire holding member 41. In step S04, the drain wire holding member 41 and the guide plate 44 are moved downward. The drain wire holding member 41 is moved from the standby position P1 to the holding position P2. The drain wire 2 passes through the guide passage 44a of the guide plate 44 and is guided between the left holding claw 41L and the right holding claw 41R. At this time, the drain wire 2 remains in its original position because the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3 are gripped by the core wire holding device 60. The multiple core wires 3 are pushed by the guide plate 44 and bent slightly downward. Even if the drain wire 2 and the core wire 3 are tangled, the tangle is resolved in step S04. Next, in step S04, the holding claws 41L and 41R are closed. As a result, the tip 41a of the holding claw 41L and the tip 41a of the holding claw 41R come into contact below the drain wire 2, thereby holding the drain wire 2.

[0057] In step S05, the drain wire 2 and the plurality of core wires 3 are released from the core wire holding device 60.

[0058] In step S06, the drain wire holding member 41 is moved upward, and the drain wire 2 is bent upward. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the drain wire separation device 10 in a state in which the drain wire holding member 41 is raised and the drain wire 2 is bent. Some components are not shown in Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 8, in step S06, the drain wire holding member 41 moves to a standby position P1. As a result, the drain wire 2 is bent to a position where it is not gripped by the core wire bending device 70 (see Fig. 2).

[0059] In step S07, the plurality of core wires 3 are bent downward. In step S07, first, the core wire clamp 71 is raised. Next, the core wire clamp 71 is closed. As a result, the plurality of core wires 3 are gripped by the core wire clamp 71. Because the drain wire 2 has already been bent upward, it is not gripped by the core wire clamp 71 at this time. In step S07, the core wire clamp 71 is also lowered. Figure 9 is a perspective view of the drain wire separation device 10 in a state in which the core wire clamp 71 has been lowered to bend the core wire 3. Some components are also omitted from Figure 9 . As shown in Figure 9 , the core wire clamp 71 is lowered while gripping the plurality of core wires 3, thereby bending the plurality of core wires 3 downward.

[0060] In step S08, the drain wire discharge device 50 is driven to discharge the drain wire 2 from the drain wire bending device 40. In step S08, the push plate 52 is lowered as shown in FIG. 4 , and the push plate 52 pushes the drain wire 2 downward. This causes the drain wire 2 to leave the guide passage 44a. With the completion of step S08, the separation of the drain wire 2 from the multiple core wires 3 is completed. Note that step S08 may be performed before step S07.

[0061] [Operations and Effects of the Embodiment] Hereinafter, operations and effects that can be achieved by the drain line separation device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0062] The drain wire separation device 10 according to the present embodiment is a device for processing a multi-core cable 1 including a drain wire 2, a plurality of core wires 3, and a sheath 5 covering the drain wire 2 and the plurality of core wires 3, with the drain wire 2 and the plurality of core wires 3 exposed from an end of the sheath 5, and includes a cable clamp 21 for holding the sheath 5, a drain wire holding member 41 for holding the drain wire 2, and a bending device. In the present embodiment, the bending device includes a moving actuator 43 that separates the drain wire holding member 41 from the cable clamp 21 to bend the drain wire 2. In the present embodiment, the bending device further includes a core wire clamp 71 that holds the plurality of core wires 3, and a bending actuator 73 that separates the core wire clamp 71 from the cable clamp 21 to bend the plurality of core wires 3.

[0063] According to the drain wire separation device 10, the drain wire 2 can be separated from the multiple core wires 3 by using the moving actuator 43 to separate the drain wire holding member 41 and the cable clamp 21 to bend the drain wire 2, and the bending actuator 73 to separate the core wire clamp 71 and the cable clamp 21 to bend the multiple core wires 3. At this time, because the drain wire 2 is held by the drain wire holding member 41, the drain wire 2 can be separated from the multiple core wires 3 even if the drain wire 2 and the core wires 3 are entangled.

[0064] Before separating the drain wire 2 from the multiple core wires 3, an untwisting process is performed to untwist the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3. However, there are cases where the untwisting is not complete, and the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3 remain tangled. If an attempt is made to bend the core wires 3 of such a multi-core cable 1 without holding the drain wire 2, the drain wire 2 that would normally remain unbent may be pulled by the core wire 3 and bent. In this case, the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3 cannot be separated in the intended state. The drain wire separation device 10 according to this embodiment bends the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3 while holding the drain wire 2, thereby preventing the above-mentioned problems in separating the drain wire 2 from the multiple core wires 3.

[0065] The bending device may include at least one of the moving actuator 43 that bends the drain wire 2 and the core wire clamp 71 and bending actuator 73, but not both. The bending device may be configured to bend the drain wire 2 but not the core wire 3, or may be configured to bend the core wire 3 without bending the drain wire 2. In a configuration that bends the drain wire 2, the drain wire 2 is held and bent, and moved away from the core wire 3, thereby preventing the posture of the drain wire 2 from being disturbed during processing of the core wire 3. In addition, in a configuration that bends multiple core wires 3, not only the drain wire 2 but also the multiple core wires 3 are held, so the posture of the multiple core wires 3 can also be stabilized.

[0066] The drain wire separation device 10 according to this embodiment further includes a moving actuator 43 that moves the drain wire holding member 41 from a standby position P1, where the drain wire 2 is spaced apart, to a holding position P2 where the drain wire 2 can be held, and a restricting member 61 that restricts movement of the drain wire 2 in the approaching direction of the drain wire holding member 41. With this configuration, even if the core wire 3 is pushed in the approaching direction by the drain wire holding member 41 or a member that moves with the drain wire holding member 41, the position of the drain wire 2 is prevented from moving due to the restriction imposed by the restricting member 61. If the drain wire 2 is not held and becomes entangled with the core wire 3, the drain wire 2 moves together with the core wire 3 to escape from the drain wire holding member 41. This makes it difficult for the drain wire holding member 41 to hold the drain wire 2. The drain wire separation device 10 according to this embodiment can suppress this escaping movement of the drain wire 2, making it easier for the drain wire holding member 41 to hold the drain wire 2.

[0067] In this embodiment, the restricting member 61 includes core wire clamps 61L, 61R that hold the drain wire 2 and the plurality of core wires 3. With this configuration, by holding the drain wire 2 and the plurality of core wires 3, it is possible to reliably restrict the movement of the drain wire 2. Note that the restricting member 61 is not limited to a member that holds the drain wire 2 and the plurality of core wires 3, and may be, for example, a member such as a table that supports the drain wire 2 and the plurality of core wires 3 from below.

[0068] The drain wire separation device 10 according to this embodiment further includes a positioning device 30 that aligns the position of the drain wire 2 with the position of the drain wire holding member 41 in the circumferential direction of the multi-core cable 1. With this configuration, the drain wire 2 can be held by the drain wire holding member 41 regardless of the position of the drain wire 2 after untwisting. In this embodiment, the positioning device 30 is configured to rotate the multi-core cable 1 about its axis. However, the positioning device 30 may be configured to move at least one of the multi-core cable 1 and the drain wire holding member 41, and may, for example, rotate the drain wire holding member 41 around the multi-core cable 1.

[0069] In this embodiment, the drain wire holding member 41 includes a pair of holding claws 41L, 41R. The drain wire separation device 10 is equipped with a drain wire holding actuator 42 that moves the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R toward or away from each other. Each of the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R has an acute-angled tip portion 41a that can be inserted between the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3. With this configuration, the tip portions 41a of the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R are acute-angled, which makes it possible to insert the tip portions 41a between the drain wire 2 and the multiple core wires 3, and the inserted tip portions 41a can hold the drain wire 2.

[0070] The drain wire separation device 10 according to this embodiment has a guide plate 44, which can primarily separate the drain wire 2 from the multiple core wires 3. However, the drain wire separation device 10 does not necessarily have to have the guide plate 44, and when the guide plate 44 is not present, the acute-angled tip portions 41a of the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R are particularly effective.

[0071] The drain wire separation device 10 according to this embodiment includes a guide plate 44 having a guide passage 44a formed therein, the guide passage 44a being wide enough to allow the drain wire 2 to pass through. The movement actuator 43 moves the drain wire holding member 41 and the guide plate 44 toward the cable clamp 21. The guide passage 44a extends so as to pass between the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R in the direction in which the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R approach each other. The movement actuator 43 moves the drain wire 2 through the guide passage 44a to reach between the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R. With this configuration, the drain wire 2 can be guided between the pair of holding claws 41L, 41R by passing through the guide passage 44a.

[0072] The drain wire separation device 10 according to the present embodiment further includes a drain wire discharging device 50 that pushes the drain wire 2 to discharge the drain wire 2 from the guide passage 44 a. With this configuration, even if the drain wire 2 is caught in the guide passage 44 a, the drain wire 2 can be discharged from the drain wire bending device 40 by pushing it with the drain wire discharging device 50.

[0073] [Other Embodiments] A preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the above embodiment is merely an example and various other embodiments are possible.

[0074] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the drain wire holding member 41 holds the drain wire 2 by placing the tip portions 41a of the holding claws 41L and 41R below the drain wire 2, but the method of holding the drain wire 2 is not limited to this. The drain wire holding member 41 may hold the drain wire 2 by gripping the drain wire 2. The shape of the drain wire holding member 41 is not limited to a claw shape. For example, the drain wire holding member 41 may be configured to sandwich the drain wire 2 between a pair of plate-like members.

[0075] In the above-described embodiment, the drain wire holding member 41 moves to approach the drain wire 2. However, the moving device that changes the positional relationship between the cable clamp 21 and the drain wire holding member 41 may move them relatively, and there is no limitation on which of the cable clamp 21 and the drain wire holding member 41 is moved. The drain wire separation device 10 may be configured, for example, to move the cable clamp 21 toward the drain wire holding member 41. In this case, the drain wire separation device 10 may include a moving device that moves the cable clamp 21 from a position where the drain wire 2 and the drain wire holding member 41 are separated to a position where the drain wire holding member 41 can hold the drain wire 2. The drain wire separation device 10 may be configured to be moved together with the cable clamp 21 by the moving device and may further include a restricting member that restricts movement of the drain wire 2 in the direction opposite to the movement direction of the cable clamp 21. The restricting member may be the same as the core wire clamps 61L, 61R in the above-described embodiment. With such a configuration, the same effects as those of the restricting member 61 in the above-described embodiment can be achieved.

[0076] The driving device that changes the positional relationship between the cable clamp 21 and the core wire clamp 71 may also be configured to move them relatively. The first driving device that bends the drain wire 2 may be configured to move the drain wire holding member 41 and the cable clamp 21 relatively, and the second driving device that bends the multiple core wires 3 may be configured to move the core wire clamp 71 and the cable clamp 21 relatively. In other words, the first driving device that bends the drain wire 2 may be configured to move one or both of the drain wire holding member 41 and the cable clamp 21, and the second driving device that bends the multiple core wires 3 may be configured to move one or both of the core wire clamp 71 and the cable clamp 21.

[0077] The bending directions of the drain wire 2 and the core wire 3 are not limited to upward and downward, respectively. The bending directions of the drain wire 2 and the core wire 3 do not have to be spaced apart by 180° in the circumferential direction of the multi-core cable 1, and may be spaced apart by another angle.

[0078] The control of the above-described embodiment is merely an example, and can be modified in various ways depending on the configuration of the drain wire separation device 10. The drain wire separation device 10 does not necessarily have to include, for example, the guide plate 44, the drain wire discharge device 50, the core wire holding device 60, etc.

[0079] Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments do not limit the present invention.

[0080] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 multi-core cable 2 drain wire 3 core wire 5 sheath 10 drain wire separation device 20 cable holding device 21 cable clamp (cable holding member) 30 positioning device 40 drain wire bending device (bending device) 41 drain wire holding member 41L holding claw (claw member) 41R holding claw (claw member) 41a tip portion 42 drain wire holding actuator (actuator) 43 moving actuator (first driving device, moving device) 44 guide plate (guide member) 44a guide passage 50 drain wire discharge device (discharge device) 60 core wire holding device 61 restricting member 61L core wire clamp (clamp) 61R core wire clamp (clamp) 70 core wire bending device (bending device) 71 core wire clamp (core wire holding member) 73 bending actuator (second driving device)

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing a multi-core cable including a drain wire, a plurality of core wires, and a sheath covering the drain wire and the plurality of core wires, with the drain wire and the plurality of core wires exposed from an end of the sheath, the apparatus comprising: a cable holding member for holding the sheath; a drain wire holding member for holding the drain wire; and a bending device having at least one of (1) a first driving device for relatively moving the drain wire holding member and the cable holding member to bend the drain wire, and (2) a core wire holding member for holding the plurality of core wires and a second driving device for relatively moving the core wire holding member and the cable holding member to bend the plurality of core wires. The apparatus is a drain wire separation device.

2. The drain wire separation device according to claim 1, wherein the bending device has the first driving device.

3. The drain wire separation device according to claim 1, wherein the bending device includes the core wire holding member and the second driving device.

4. The drain wire separation device according to claim 1, further comprising: a moving device for moving the drain wire holding member from a standby position away from the drain wire to a position capable of holding the drain wire; and a restricting member for restricting movement of the drain wire in a direction approaching the drain wire holding member.

5. The drain wire separation device according to claim 1, further comprising: a moving device for moving the cable holding member from a position where the drain wire is separated from the drain wire holding member to a position where the drain wire holding member can hold the drain wire; and a restricting member configured to move together with the cable holding member by the moving device and restrict movement of the drain wire in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the cable holding member.

6. The drain wire separation device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the restricting member includes a clamp for gripping the drain wire and the plurality of core wires.

7. The drain wire separation device according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning device configured to move at least one of the multi-core cable and the drain wire holding member to align a position of the drain wire in a circumferential direction of the multi-core cable with a position of the drain wire holding member.

8. The drain wire holding member includes a pair of claw members, further includes an actuator for approaching or separating the pair of claw members from each other, and the pair of claw members each have a sharp tip that can be inserted between the drain wire and the plurality of core wires. The drain wire separation device according to claim 1.

9. The drain wire holding member includes a pair of claw members, an actuator for approaching or separating the pair of claw members from each other, a guide member provided with a guide passage having a width through which the drain wire can pass, and a moving device for approaching the drain wire holding member, the guide member, and the cable holding member. The guide passage extends through between the pair of claw members with respect to the approaching direction of the pair of claw members, and the moving device causes the drain wire to reach between the pair of claw members via the guide passage. The drain wire separation device according to claim 1.

10. The drain wire separation device according to claim 9, further comprising a discharging device for pushing the drain wire to discharge the drain wire from the guide passage.

Images