Exterior material attachment device

Abstract

Provided is an exterior material attachment device capable of attaching an exterior material to an electric wire in a stable state by suppressing positional deviation of a tip position and a terminal position and fluctuation of the total length. This exterior material attachment device (1) is characterized by comprising: an exterior material delivery unit (11) that delivers a twist tube (W12) (exterior material) in a delivery direction (D12) from any starting position (P11) along an electric wire (W11) such that the electric wire (W11) is accommodated on the inner side; an electric wire direction movement unit (13) that moves the exterior material delivery unit (11) in an electric wire direction (D14); and a control unit (15) that controls the exterior material delivery unit (11) and the electric wire direction movement unit (13) such that the electric wire direction movement unit (13) moves the exterior material delivery unit (11) from the starting position (P11) in the opposite direction to the delivery direction (D12) in accordance with the delivery of the twist tube (W12) (exterior material) by the exterior material delivery unit (11).

Description

Exterior material mounting device

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheathing attachment device for attaching a tubular sheathing to an electric wire.

[0002] Conventionally, in the manufacture of wire harnesses, for example, to protect electric wires, tubular exterior materials such as twisted tubes and corrugated tubes are widely used, which are attached to electric wires while holding the electric wires inside through slits provided in the peripheral wall. In many cases, such exterior materials are attached by pushing the electric wires through the slits in the peripheral wall, and a device for performing such a task has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The device described in Patent Document 1 is a device for attaching an exterior material while guiding the electric wires with a guide so that they are pushed through the slits.

[0003] JP 2015-225815 A

[0004] Here, the exterior material may be a member made of a soft material, such as a twisted tube. In the device described in Patent Document 1, a slight load is applied to the exterior material in a stretching direction. When an exterior material made of a soft material is used in this device, the extension of the exterior material or shrinkage due to rebound after installation may cause misalignment of the leading and trailing ends of the exterior material, or fluctuations in the overall length.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention focuses on the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide an exterior material attachment device that can attach an exterior material to an electric wire in a stable state by suppressing positional deviations of the leading and trailing ends and fluctuations in the overall length.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an external material mounting device includes an external material feed unit that feeds out an external material that is tubular and attached to an electric wire while containing the electric wire inside through a slit provided in a peripheral wall, in a feed direction along the electric wire from an arbitrary start position toward one end of the electric wire so that the electric wire arranged in a straight line is contained inside the external material through the slit; an electric wire direction moving unit that moves the external material feed unit in the electric wire direction along the electric wire; and a control unit that controls the external material feed unit and the electric wire direction moving unit so that the electric wire direction moving unit moves the external material feed unit from the start position in a direction opposite to the feed direction in accordance with the feeding of the external material by the external material feed unit.

[0007] According to the above-described external material attachment device, it is possible to attach an external material to an electric wire in a stable state by suppressing positional deviations of the leading and trailing ends and fluctuations in the overall length.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external material mounting apparatus according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of the external material mounting apparatus shown in FIG. 1, as seen from the direction of arrow V11 in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a conveying section in an external material feeding section of the external material mounting apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a view showing a first stage of twist tube feeding performed under the control of a control unit in the external material mounting apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 5 is a view showing a second stage of twist tube feeding performed under the control of a control unit in the external material mounting apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 6 is a view showing a third stage of twist tube feeding performed under the control of a control unit in the external material mounting apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 7 is a view showing a comparative example to the external material mounting apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 6.

[0009] An embodiment of the exterior material mounting device will be described below.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an external material mounting apparatus according to one embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a side view of the external material mounting apparatus shown in Fig. 1, as seen from the direction of arrow V11 in Fig. 1. Also, Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a conveying section in an external material delivery section of the external material mounting apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

[0011] The external material attachment device 1 of this embodiment is a device that automatically attaches a twist tube W12 to an electric wire W11 as an external material for protection, etc., in the manufacture of a wire harness W1. The twist tube W12 is a resin member formed by rolling a sheet-like material into a tube shape so that the circumferential ends overlap, and the gap between the overlapping ends serves as a slit provided in the peripheral wall for accommodating the electric wire W11 inside. The twist tube W12 is attached to the electric wire W11 while accommodating the electric wire W11 inside through the slit in the peripheral wall.

[0012] The external material mounting device 1 also mounts a twist tube W12 to an electric wire W11 that is arranged linearly in a vertical direction D11 along the force of gravity. On the electric wire W11 side, a tape winding mechanism M1 is installed at the receiving end of the twist tube W12 to secure the feeding end of the twist tube W12 to the electric wire W11.

[0013] The external material mounting device 1 includes an external material feeding section 11 , a moving section 12 for moving toward and away from the wire, a moving section 13 for moving in the electric wire direction, an apparatus frame section 14 , and a control section 15 .

[0014] The outer casing material feeding unit 11 feeds the twisted tube W12 in a feeding direction D12 from an arbitrary start position P11 along the electric wire W11 toward one end of the electric wire W11 so that the electric wire W11 is housed inside through the slit. The outer casing material feeding unit 11 includes a receiving unit 111 and a conveying unit 112. The receiving unit 111 receives the twisted tube W12 from a supply device (not shown), and the conveying unit 112 feeds the twisted tube W12 in the feeding direction D12 by the rotation of conveying rollers 112a.

[0015] The approaching and separating moving unit 12 is a mechanical part that moves the external sheathing material feed-out unit 11 in the following approaching and separating direction D13. The approaching and separating direction D13 is a direction that moves the external sheathing material feed-out unit 11 toward or away from the external sheathing material W11, perpendicular to both the electric wires W11 that are linearly arranged in the up-down direction D11 and the rotation axis of the conveying roller 112a. With the approaching and separating moving unit 12 bringing the external sheathing material feed-out unit 11 close to the electric wire W11, the twist tube W12 is fed out and attached to the electric wire W11. After attachment, the approaching and separating moving unit 12 moves the external sheathing material feed-out unit 11 away from the electric wire W11. The approaching and separating moving unit 12 has an approaching and separating rail part 121 attached to the electric wire direction moving unit 13, which will be described later, and an approaching and separating movable part 122 that is held by the approaching and separating rail part 121 in a state that allows it to slide in the approaching and separating direction D13. The exterior packaging material delivery section 11 is attached to a slidable approaching and separating movable section 122 .

[0016] The electric wire direction moving unit 13 moves the outer casing material feeding unit 11 in an electric wire direction D14 (the same direction as the up-and-down direction D11 in this embodiment) along the electric wire W11. The electric wire direction moving unit 13 has an electric wire direction rail unit 131 that extends in the electric wire direction D14 and is attached to the device frame unit 14, and an electric wire direction movable unit 132 that is slidably held on the electric wire direction rail unit 131. The approaching and separating moving unit 12 is attached to the slidable electric wire direction movable unit 132.

[0017] The device frame unit 14 is a metal frame that is installed at a predetermined installation location and on which the external sheathing material feed-out unit 11, the approaching and separating movement unit 12, the electric wire direction movement unit 13, and the control unit 15 are mounted. The device frame unit 14 is configured by combining a plurality of rectangular columnar frame members 141. In this embodiment, the external sheathing material feed-out unit 11 is attached to the approaching and separating movement unit 12, which is attached to the electric wire direction movement unit 13. The electric wire direction movement unit 13 is then attached to one of the frame members 141 in the up-down direction D11 of the device frame unit 14. That is, in this embodiment, the external sheathing material feed-out unit 11 is mounted on the device frame unit 14 via the approaching and separating movement unit 12 and the electric wire direction movement unit 13, and the approaching and separating movement unit 12 is mounted on the device frame unit 14 via the electric wire direction movement unit 13. The electric wire direction movement unit 13 is directly mounted on the device frame unit 14.

[0018] The control unit 15 is a computer part that controls the movement of each component of the external material mounting device 1. In particular, with regard to the feeding of the twist tube W12, the control unit 15 controls the external material feeding unit 11 and the electric wire direction moving unit 13 as follows: That is, the control unit 15 controls the external material feeding unit 11 and the electric wire direction moving unit 13 so that the electric wire direction moving unit 13 moves the external material feeding unit 11 from the start position P11 in the reverse direction D15 that is the opposite direction to the feeding direction D12 in accordance with the feeding of the twist tube W12.

[0019] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a first stage of twist tube feeding performed under the control of the control unit in the exterior mounting device shown in Figures 1 to 3. Figure 5 is a diagram showing a second stage of twist tube feeding performed under the control of the control unit in the exterior mounting device shown in Figures 1 to 3. Figure 6 is a diagram showing a third stage of twist tube feeding performed under the control of the control unit in the exterior mounting device shown in Figures 1 to 3.

[0020] In the first stage (step S11) shown in Fig. 4, the twist tube W12 starts to be fed in the feeding direction D12 from the outer casing feed unit 11, which has been positioned at the start position P11 by the approaching / separating moving unit 12 and the wire direction moving unit 13. In this embodiment, prior to feeding the twist tube W12 in the first stage (step S11), the tape M11 is wound around the wire W11 at a predetermined tape winding position P12 by the tape winding mechanism M1. The start position P11 for feeding the twist tube W12 is below the tape winding position P12 by the tape winding mechanism M1. More specifically, the start position P11 is the position at which the feeding end W121 of the twist tube W12 reaches the tape winding position P12 when the outer casing feed unit 11 feeds out the twist tube W12. In the first stage (step S11), the twist tube W12 is fed from the external sheathing material feed-out unit 11, which is positioned at the start position P11, until the feed-out end W121 reaches the tape winding position P12. In this first stage (step S11), under the control of the control unit 15, the wire direction moving unit 13 does not move the external sheathing material feed-out unit 11, and the external sheathing material feed-out unit 11 remains at the start position P11. The twist tube W12 fed at this time contains the external sheathing material W11 inside, and also contains a portion of the tape M11 wound around the external sheathing material W11 inside the feed-out end W121, which has reached the tape winding position P12. This tape M11 exits through the slit W122 in the feed-out end W121 and reaches the tape winding mechanism M1. When the delivery of the twisted tube W12 in this first stage (step S11) is completed, the control unit 15 notifies the tape winding mechanism M1 of this fact and causes the outer packaging material delivery unit 11 to temporarily stop delivery of the twisted tube W12.

[0021] 5 following the first stage (step S11), the tape winding mechanism M1, upon receiving a notification from the control unit 15, winds the tape M1 around the feeding end W121 of the twist tube W12. This winding of the tape M11 secures the feeding end W121 of the twist tube W12 to the electric wire W11 at the tape winding position P12. In this second stage (step S12), under the control of the control unit 15, the sheathing material feeding unit 11 continues to remain at the start position P11, as in the first stage (step S11). When the tape winding in the second stage (step S12) is completed, the tape winding mechanism M1 notifies the control unit 15 of this fact. In the initial stages of delivery, the first stage (step S11) and the second stage (step S12) described above, the twisted tube W12 delivered by the outer casing delivery section 11 has the delivery end W121 fixed to the electric wire W11 by wrapping it with tape.

[0022] 6 (step S13) following the tape-wrapping and fixing of the feed-out end W121, the control unit 15, upon receiving a notification from the tape winding mechanism M1, causes the external sheathing material feed-out unit 11 to resume feeding of the twist tube W12. The control unit 15 then controls the external sheathing material feed-out unit 11 and the electric wire direction moving unit 13 to move the external sheathing material feed-out unit 11 in the opposite direction D15 relative to the feed-out direction D12 in accordance with this feeding. This control causes the external sheathing material feed-out unit 11 to move in the opposite direction D15 while feeding the twist tube W12 in the feed-out direction D12. As a result, the twist tube W12, whose feed-out end W121 is fixed to the electric wire W11 by the tape M11, is attached so as to extend in the opposite direction D15 while containing the electric wire W11 inside. Then, in this third stage (step S13), even after the twist tube W12 has been fed out of the external packaging material feed-out unit 11, the external packaging material feed-out unit 11 continues to move in the reverse direction D15 under the control of the control unit 15. This movement in the reverse direction D15 continues until the external packaging material feed-out unit 11 reaches a retracted position P13 that is a predetermined distance L1 away from the attached twist tube W12 that has been fed out of the external packaging material feed-out unit 11 and attached to the electric wire W11. When this movement to the retracted position P13 is completed, under the control of the control unit 15, the approaching and separating movement unit 12 moves the external packaging material feed-out unit 11 away from the electric wire W11 to which the twist tube W12 has been attached in the approaching and separating direction D13, and the external packaging material attachment device 1 enters a standby state in preparation for the next attachment.

[0023] Figure 7 is a diagram showing a comparative example to the exterior material mounting device shown in Figures 1 to 6. In Figure 7, components equivalent to those shown in Figures 1 to 6 are assigned the same reference numerals as in Figures 1 to 6 only for those components necessary for explanation, and duplicate explanations of these equivalent components will be omitted below. Figure 7(A) shows a first comparative example, and Figure 7(B) shows a second comparative example.

[0024] In the first comparative example shown in FIG. 7A , while the twist tube W12 is being fed, the outer jacket material feed section 51 remains at the feed position P51, and the conveying roller 112a is rotated in the rotation direction D51 to feed the twist tube W12 in the feed direction D12. In this first comparative example, a load is applied to the twist tube W12, which is made of a soft material, in the feed direction D12. This load may cause the twist tube W12 to collapse in the feed direction D12, resulting in wrinkles W12-1. If wrinkles W12-1 occur during feeding, the leading end W121 may not reach the target tape winding position P12, resulting in a shift in the leading end position, or the twist tube W12 may shrink, causing a change in its overall length. Furthermore, the twist tube W12 may be displaced from its terminal position due to wrinkles returning after installation.

[0025] In the second comparative example shown in Figure 7(B), the twist tube W12 is unwound by the outer jacket material unwinding section 52 moving in the opposite direction D15 relative to the unwinding direction D12 without actively unwinding the twist tube W12. At this time, the unwinding end W121 of the twist tube W12 is secured to the electric wire W11 by tape winding using the tape winding mechanism M1. With the unwinding end W121 secured by tape, the outer jacket material unwinding section 51 moves in the opposite direction D15, pulling out the twist tube W12 in the unwinding direction D12 and attaching it. In this second comparative example, the unwinding end W121 must be firmly secured by, for example, tape winding. Furthermore, in the second comparative example, a load is applied to the twist tube W12, which is made of a soft material, in the opposite direction D15, potentially causing the twist tube W12 to stretch during unwinding. As a result, the overall length of the twist tube W12 may change, causing a positional shift at the end position, and the end position of the twist tube W12 may further shift due to the return of stretch after installation.

[0026] In contrast to these comparative examples, according to the external material attachment device 1 of the above-described embodiment, the external material delivery section 11 is moved from the delivery start position P11 in the direction opposite to the delivery direction D12 in accordance with the delivery of the twist tube W12. Delivery while moving in the opposite direction reduces the load applied to the twist tube W12 in the delivery direction D12. This load reduction effect reduces wrinkling and stretching even when attaching the soft twist tube W12 to the electric wire W11, and reduces misalignment of the leading and trailing ends and fluctuations in the overall length, allowing the twist tube W12 to be stably attached to the electric wire W11.

[0027] In this embodiment, the electric wire W11 is arranged linearly in the vertical direction D11, and the electric wire direction moving unit 13 moves the outer casing material feeding unit 11 in the vertical direction D11 as the electric wire direction D14. According to this configuration, the twist tube W12 can be suitably attached to the electric wire W11 that is arranged linearly in the vertical direction D11, such that the installation area along the horizontal plane is significantly smaller than when the electric wire is placed horizontally, for example.

[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 15 controls the external sheathing material feeding unit 11 and the electric wire direction moving unit 13 to move the external sheathing material feeding unit 11 in the reverse direction D15 to a retracted position P13 that is a predetermined distance L1 away from the attached twist tube W12. According to this configuration, after the twist tube W12 is fed, the external sheathing material feeding unit 11 moves in the electric wire direction D14 to the retracted position P13, so that the external sheathing material feeding unit 11 can be moved away from the electric wire W11 while suppressing interference with the attached twist tube W12.

[0029] In this embodiment, the twist tube W12 has the feed end W121 secured to the electric wire W11 by wrapping tape at the initial stage of feeding. The control unit 15 controls the outer jacket material feed unit 11 and the electric wire direction movement unit 13 so as to move the outer jacket material feed unit 11 in the reverse direction D15 after the feed end W121 is secured. With this configuration, the twist tube W12 is fed while the outer jacket material feed unit 11 moves in the reverse direction D15 with the feed end W121 secured by wrapping tape, so that the twist tube W12 can be fed with further reduced positional deviation.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the electric wire W11 is wrapped with the tape M11 at a predetermined tape winding position P12 prior to the feeding of the twist tube W12. The control unit 15 positions the jacket material feeding unit 11 at a start position P11, where the feeding end W121 reaches the tape winding position P12. When the feeding end W121 of the twist tube W12 fed out at this start position P11 is wrapped with the tape around the electric wire W11, the jacket material feeding unit 11 is moved in the reverse direction D15. With this configuration, the start position P11 is set so that the feeding end W121 reaches the tape winding position P12 where the tape M11 is wrapped around the electric wire W11, and therefore the feeding end W121 can be effectively wrapped with the tape around the electric wire W11.

[0031] It should be noted that the above-described embodiment merely shows a typical form of the external material mounting device, and the external material mounting device is not limited to this and can be implemented in various modifications.

[0032] For example, in the above-described embodiment, an external material attachment device 1 that attaches a twisted tube W12 as an external material to an electric wire W11 is exemplified as an example of an external material attachment device. However, the external material attachment device is not limited to this. The external material to be attached may be any other external material, such as a corrugated tube, as long as it is tubular and can be attached to the electric wire while containing the electric wire inside through a slit provided in the peripheral wall.

[0033] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, as an example of an exterior material mounting device, an exterior material mounting device 1 is shown in which each component part is mounted on a device frame part 14 made up of a combination of a plurality of frame members 141. However, the exterior material mounting device is not limited to this, and any specific mounting configuration for each component part can be adopted.

[0034] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, as an example of an external material attachment device, an external material attachment device 1 in which the electric wire direction movement unit 13 moves the external material feeding unit 11 in the electric wire direction D14 along the electric wire W11 arranged in the vertical direction D11 is exemplified. However, the external material attachment device is not limited to this, and the external material attachment device may be one in which the electric wire direction movement unit moves the external material feeding unit in the electric wire direction along the electric wire arranged horizontally along a horizontal plane. However, as described above, by arranging the electric wire W11 in the vertical direction D11 and moving the external material feeding unit 11 accordingly, the twist tube W12 can be favorably attached to the electric wire W11 arranged so as to significantly reduce the installation area.

[0035] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example of an external material attachment device is exemplified as an external material attachment device 1 in which the control unit 15 moves the external material feeding unit 11 in the reverse direction D15 to a retracted position P13 away from the attached twist tube W12. However, the external material attachment device is not limited to this, and the external material feeding unit 11 may be kept at the feeding end position of the twist tube W12. However, as described above, by moving the external material feeding unit 11 in the reverse direction D15 to the retracted position P13, it is possible to move the external material feeding unit 11 away from the electric wire W11 while suppressing interference with the attached twist tube W12.

[0036] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example of an external material attachment device is exemplified as an external material attachment device in which the control unit 15 moves the external material delivery unit 11 in the reverse direction D15 after fixing the feed end W121 of the twist tube W12. However, the external material attachment device is not limited to this, and the external material delivery unit 11 may be moved in the reverse direction D15 while the feed end of the twist tube is left free without being particularly fixed to the electric wire. However, as described above, moving the external material delivery unit 11 after fixing the feed end W121 allows for stable delivery of the twist tube W12.

[0037] In the above-described embodiment, an external material attachment device 1 is exemplified as an example of an external material attachment device in which the position where the feeding end W121 reaches the tape winding position P12 of the electric wire W11 on which the tape M11 is previously wound is set as the feeding start position P11. However, the external material attachment device is not limited to this, and the feeding end of the twist tube may be tape-wrapped and fixed to the electric wire without specifically wrapping tape around the electric wire. However, as described above, by directing the feeding end W121 toward the tape winding position P12 of the electric wire W11 on which tape has been previously wound, and then performing the tape-wrapping and fixing, the electric wire can be effectively taped and fixed.

[0038] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 External material mounting device 11 External material feeding section 12 Contact / separation moving section 13 Electric wire direction moving section 14 Device frame section 15 Control section 111 Receiving section 112 Conveying section 112a Conveying roller 121 Contact / separation rail section 122 Contact / separation movable section 131 Electric wire direction rail section 132 Electric wire direction movable section 141 Frame material D11 Up / down direction D12 Feeding direction D13 Contact / separation direction D14 Electric wire direction D15 Reverse direction P11 Start position P12 Tape winding position P13 Retracted position L1 Predetermined distance M1 Tape winding mechanism M11 Tape W1 Wire harness W11 Electric wire W12 Twist tube W121 Feeding end W122 Slit

Claims

1. An external material mounting device comprising: an external material feed-out unit that feeds out a tubular external material to be attached to an electric wire while containing the electric wire inside through a slit provided in a peripheral wall, in a feed-out direction from an arbitrary start position along the electric wire toward one end of the electric wire so that the electric wire arranged in a straight line is contained inside the external material through the slit; an electric wire direction moving unit that moves the external material feed-out unit in the electric wire direction along the electric wire; and a control unit that controls the external material feed-out unit and the electric wire direction moving unit so that the electric wire direction moving unit moves the external material feed-out unit from the start position in a direction opposite to the feed-out direction in accordance with the feeding of the external material by the external material feed-out unit.

2. The exterior material mounting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric wires are arranged linearly in the vertical direction along the force of gravity, and the electric wire direction moving unit moves the exterior material feeding unit in the vertical direction as the electric wire direction.

3. The exterior material mounting device described in claim 1, characterized in that the control unit controls the exterior material feed unit and the electric wire direction moving unit to move the exterior material feed unit in the opposite direction to a retracted position a predetermined distance away from the exterior material that has been fed from the exterior material feed unit and attached to the electric wire.

4. The exterior material attachment device described in claim 1, characterized in that the exterior material fed out by the exterior material feed unit has a feed end that is fixed to the electric wire by wrapping tape around it at the initial stage of feeding, and the control unit controls the exterior material feed unit and the electric wire direction movement unit so as to move the exterior material feed unit in the opposite direction after the feed end is fixed.

5. The sheathing material mounting device described in claim 4, characterized in that tape is wound around the electric wire at a predetermined tape winding position before the sheathing material is fed out by the sheathing material feed unit, and the control unit positions the sheathing material feed unit to a start position where the feed end reaches the tape winding position, and controls the sheathing material feed unit and the electric wire direction moving unit to move the sheathing material feed unit in the opposite direction when the feed end of the sheathing material fed out from the sheathing material feed unit at the start position is fixed to the electric wire by tape at the tape winding position.

Images