Tape feeding machine

Abstract

This tape feeding machine includes a tape holding part for holding a tape end extending from a tape roll, and draws out tape from the tape roll by widening a distance between the tape roll and the tape holding part. The tape feeding machine is excellent in tape feeding performance and has a simple mechanism by including, in the tape holding part, an adhesion-receiving part to which an adhesive surface of the tape end is stuck and a holding roller which rotates with the adhesive surface of the tape end stuck at a position lower than the adhesion-receiving part on the tape end side.

Description

Tape drawer

[0001] The present invention relates to a tape drawing machine for drawing out a roll tape.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as part of the manufacture of wire harnesses for vehicles, a tape winding machine for winding tape around a bundle of electric wires and an exterior member covering the bundle has been proposed.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a tape puller that includes a holder portion that holds the tape end extending from a roll tape and a chuck portion that grips the tape end held by the holder portion, and that pulls out the roll tape by widening the gap between the chuck portion gripping the tape end and the holder portion.

[0004] A tape puller holds the tape end extending from a roll tape and pulls out the tape. Note that "pulling out the tape" means holding the previously unwound adhesive tape and pulling it out.

[0005] The tape generally used for this type of application is a single-sided adhesive tape having an adhesive on one side, with the side opposite the adhesive side of the single-sided adhesive tape being a non-adhesive side, and the adhesive side of the upper layer abutting against the non-adhesive side of the lower layer tape, allowing the adhesive tape to be easily unwound from the previously unwound part.

[0006] JP 2019-26439 A JP 2021-62948 A

[0007] In a tape puller provided in a conventional tape winding machine, a chuck grips and pulls out the end of the cut tape, so that the chuck can grip the tape end in the correct position after the tape is cut. Therefore, a holder must be provided in close proximity to the outer periphery of the roll tape so that the tape end slightly pulled out from the roll tape stands upright. However, as the tape is used and the outer diameter of the roll tape decreases, the gap between the roll tape and the holder increases, and the tape may bend under its own weight, resulting in an inability to hold the tape end in the correct position.

[0008] In order to properly grip and pull out the tape, a tape puller provided in a conventional tape winding machine requires, in addition to the holder unit, a chuck unit that clamps and moves the tape end, and releases the grip to release the tape end, resulting in a complex mechanism and control. Therefore, conventional tape pullers are only used in large, expensive tape winding devices, and the tape pull-out operation in tape winding operations using tape winding machines is still often performed manually. For example, in tape winding operations using a simple, inexpensive tape winding machine such as that described in Patent Document 2, the tape is manually pulled out from the roll tape by an operator, resulting in problems such as operator fatigue and a shortage of operators.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tape drawing machine that has a simple mechanism and excellent performance in drawing out tape from a roll tape.

[0010] The tape pull-out machine of the present invention is a tape pull-out machine that has a tape holding section that holds the tape end extending from the roll tape, and pulls out the tape from the roll tape by widening the gap between the roll tape and the tape holding section, and is equipped with an adhesive section on the tape holding section to which the adhesive surface of the tape end adheres, and a holding roller that rotates at a position closer to the tip of the tape than the adhesive section while the adhesive surface of the tape end adheres to it.

[0011] The tape puller is provided with a slide plate that moves the tape end held by the tape holding portion to the position of the target object, and a moving plate that moves the slide plate in a direction that widens the gap between the slide plate and the unwound tape.

[0012] The present invention provides a tape drawer that has excellent tape draw-out performance and can hold and draw out the tape end unwound from a roll tape using a simple mechanism.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tape winding machine equipped with a tape drawer according to the present invention. FIG. 2(a) is a schematic view showing a state before the tape is drawn out. FIG. 2(b) is a schematic view showing the operation of drawing out the tape. FIG. 2(c) is a schematic view showing the operation of retracting the tape end while adhering it to an object. FIG. 3(a) is a schematic view showing the operation before the tape is cut. FIG. 3(b) is a schematic view showing a state before the tape is cut. FIG. 3(c) is a schematic view showing the operation of cutting the tape. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a tape drawer according to the present invention. FIG. 5(a) is a schematic view of a tape holding unit before the tape is drawn out, as seen from the direction of the central axis of the roll tape. FIG. 5(b) is a schematic view of the tape holding unit during the operation of drawing the tape, as seen from the direction of the central axis of the roll tape. FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a tape drawer according to the present invention, as seen from the non-adhesive side in the thickness direction of the unwound tape.

[0014] A tape dispenser and a tape winding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," and "lower" are defined as shown in Figures 1 and 4. The front-rear direction, left-right direction, and upper-lower direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the tape winding machine includes a rotating plate 5, which is positioned in a plane perpendicular to the object 1 and has a hollow central rotation region, and a fixed plate 6, which is positioned adjacent to the rotating plate 5 and also has a hollow central rotation region, as pivoting means for rotating and moving the roll tape 2 in a plane perpendicular to the object 1. The rotating plate 5 is driven to rotate by a motor. The rotating plate 5 and the fixed plate 6 are provided with notches extending from their outer peripheries to the hollow central rotation region for inserting and removing the object 1. When the notches in the rotating plate 5 and the fixed plate 6 are aligned, the object 1 can be easily inserted and removed through the notches. A holder 3 is provided at the tip of a roll tape support 4 fixed to the rotating plate 5 and holds the roll tape 2.

[0016] 4, the tape drawer includes a slide plate 13 that moves the tape holding portion 7 in the front-to-rear direction (slide plate moving direction 16), and the slide plate 13 can be selectively controlled to a front operating position (a position where the tape is applied to the object 1) or a rear operating position (a position where the tape is cut and the tape end is held). The tape drawer also includes a moving plate 14 that moves in the up-down direction (moving plate moving direction 18), and the moving plate 14 can be selectively controlled to an upper operating position (a position where the tape is drawn out) or a lower operating position (a retracted position).

[0017] The tape holding portion 7 is connected to the slide plate 13 and has an adhesive portion 8 and a holding roller 9 at its upper end. The adhesive portion 8 and the holding roller 9 are provided so that the adhesive surface of the tape pulled out from the roll tape 2 adheres to them, and the holding roller 9 is provided close to the adhesive portion 8 on the tape end side of the adhesive portion 8.

[0018] The adhesive portion 8 is disposed at the upper tip of the tape holding portion 7 provided on the slide plate 13. The adhesive portion 8 is provided at a position where it comes into contact with the adhesive surface of the tape pulled out from the roll tape 2 when the moving plate 14 moves upward. The adhesive surface of the adhesive portion 8 is formed smoothly so that the adhesive surface of the tape will adhere to the adhesive portion 8 properly without wrinkles.

[0019] The holding roller 9 is positioned on the tape holding portion 7 provided on the slide plate 13, close to the adhesive portion 8 and closer to the tape end than the adhesive portion 8. The holding roller 9 is provided to rotate easily on a central axis parallel to the central axis of the roll tape 2, and its peripheral surface is formed smoothly so that the tape adheres to the roller. The width of the holding roller 9 is greater than the width of the tape, so that the adhesive surface of the tape adheres without wrinkles. Furthermore, the holding roller 9 is provided slightly below the adhesive portion 8 so that when the tape is pulled out with the adhesive surface of the tape adhered to the adhesive portion 8 of the tape holding portion 7 and the holding roller 9, the adhesive portion 8 presses against the adhesive surface of the tape stretched from the roll tape 2 to the holding roller 9, as shown in FIG. 5(b).

[0020] The slide plate 13 is movable back and forth (in the tape-pulling direction) by a driving force such as an air cylinder (not shown). The slide plate 13 is located below (on the adhesive side of) the tape unwound from the roll tape 2. When the tape is pulled out, the slide plate 13 moves forward to a predetermined position where the tape end held by the tape holding portion 7 fixed to the slide plate 13 can be attached to the object. After the tape end has been attached to the object 1, the slide plate 13 moves downward by the movable plate 14, and then moves backward (toward the roll tape 2) by the driving force to the position before the tape-pulling operation. The slide plate 13 is connected to the movable plate 14 and moves back and forth on the movable plate 14, which moves up and down.

[0021] The movable plate 14 is movable up and down by the driving force of an air cylinder (not shown) or the like. When the tape end is pulled out, it moves upward (to a position where the adhesive portion 8 of the tape holding portion 7 comes into contact with the adhesive surface of the tape), and when the tape is wound, it moves downward to a position where the tape puller does not come into contact with the roll tape 2 rotated by the tape winding machine (to a position where it does not interfere with the operation of the tape winding machine).

[0022] The presser 10 is rotatably provided at the tip of the movable plate 14 in the forward direction (toward the object 1), and is provided with a resin sheet piece 12 at its tip. When the slide plate 13 moves and the tape is pulled out to a position above the object 1 where the tape end can be attached to the object 1, the presser 10 is pressed by the slide plate 13 and rotates, so that the tape end is interposed between the resin sheet piece 12 provided on the presser 10 and the object 1. When the presser 10 is not pressed by the slide plate 13, it is urged by an elastic body 11 fixed to the movable plate 14, and when the movable plate 14 moves up and down, the presser 10 rotates and retreats to a position where the presser 10 and the resin sheet piece 12 do not come into contact with the object 1.

[0023] 5(a) and 5(b), the method by which the tape holding unit 7 holds the tape will be described. Before the tape is pulled out (after the tape is cut), as shown in FIG. 5(a), the adhesive surface of the tape is attached to the adhesive portion 8 and the holding roller 9, but no tension is applied to the tape, and the leading end of the tape in front of the holding roller 9 hangs down. When the slide plate 13 moves and tension is applied to the tape, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the roller adhesive portion 21 is pulled toward the roll tape 2, causing it to rotate in the holding roller rotation direction 19. At this time, the tape end that was hanging down in front of the tape holding unit 7 moves upward. At this stage, the tape holding unit 7 has no force to hold the tape, and the tape is not pulled out from the roll tape 2.

[0024] Thereafter, as the gap between the roll tape 2 and the tape holding portion 7 widens further and tension is applied to the tape, the tape is pulled toward the roll tape 2 and continues to rotate in the holding roller rotation direction 19, causing the roll tape 2 side of the tape that has adhered to the holding roller 9 to peel off from the holding roller 9. However, at the same time, the tape tip side of the tape that has adhered to the holding roller 9 is pulled from the tape tip side by the rotation of the holding roller 9 and adheres to the holding roller 9. As a result, the tape does not completely peel off from the holding roller 9, and the adhesive surface of the tape remains adhered to the holding roller 9 even as the tape moves. At this time, the tape peels off against the adhesive force of the adhesive surface of the tape to the holding roller 9, and tension is generated in the tape between the adhesive portion 8 and the holding roller 9. When tension is generated in this tape, if the adhesive portion 8 is pressed against the adhesive surface of the tape and the tape is moved in the direction of pulling out together with the holding roller 9, the adhesive surface of the tape is pressed against the adhesive portion 8, and the tape is held by the holding roller 9 without peeling off, maintaining an angle (adhesive surface angle 20), so the adhesive force of the tape to the adhesive portion 8 increases, and the tape can be pulled out from the roll tape 2 against the adhesive force of the adhesive surface of the tape to the non-adhesive surface on the back side of the roll tape.

[0025] Reducing the angle (adhesive surface angle 20) between the tape stretched from the roll tape 2 to the adhesive portion 8 and the tape stretched from the adhesive portion 8 to the holding roller 9 strengthens the tape-holding force. This is because the adhesive portion 8 presses the adhesive surface of the tape more firmly. In this mechanism, when the tape is pulled out, tension is generated in the tape, and the tape on the tape holding portion 7 moves slightly toward the roll tape 2 until the tape is held by the adhesive portion 8. This shortens the length of the tape extending from the tape holding portion 7 to the tape tip, but the tape is then held securely in place. If the tape tip ahead of the tape holding portion 7 continues to move toward the tape holding portion 7, the tape holding portion 7 is not strong enough to hold the tape end. In this case, it is necessary to either reduce the adhesive surface angle 20 as described above, or increase the adhesive portion 8 to increase the adhesive area and strengthen the holding force.

[0026] The above-described tape holding mechanism obtains a holding force sufficient to allow the tape to be pulled out from the roll tape 2 when the adhesive surface of the unwound tape is stuck to both the adhesive portion 8 and the holding roller 9. If an attempt is made to pull out the tape unwound from the roll tape 2 with its adhesive surface stuck only to the adhesive portion 8, the tension of the tape will cause the tape to easily peel off from the adhesive portion 8 and not be held in place. Furthermore, if an attempt is made to pull out the tape unwound from the roll tape 2 with its adhesive surface stuck only to the holding roller 9, the holding roller 9 will continue to rotate in the holding roller rotation direction 19, causing the tape to move with its adhesive surface stuck to the holding roller 9 and not be held in place. When the tape is stuck to both the adhesive portion 8 and the holding roller 9 and tension is applied to the tape, a pressing force is generated to prevent the adhesive surface of the tape from peeling off from the adhesive portion 8, and the tape holding unit 7 can obtain a holding force sufficient to pull the tape out from the roll tape 2. When the tape pulling operation stops and no tension is being applied to the tape, the tape can be easily peeled off from the adhesive portion 8 and the holding roller 9. When the tape puller is withdrawing while adhering the tape end to the object 1, the adhesive surface of the tape end is pressed against the object 1 and adheres firmly, and the adhesive portion 8 and the holding roller 9 are pulled apart, and the adhesive surface of the tape is easily peeled off from the adhesive portion 8 and the holding roller 9, leaving the tape stretched from the roll tape 2 to the object 1.

[0027] First, as shown in Figures 1 and 2(a), an operator holds the rotating plate 5 by hand or by a device and places the object 1 (such as a bundle of electric wires) on the central axis of the rotating plate 5. At this time, the rotating plate 5 is stopped at a position where the notches in the rotating plate 5 and the fixed plate 6 are aligned, as shown in Figure 1. When the notches in the rotating plate 5 and the fixed plate 6 are aligned, the object 1 is inserted or removed from the outer periphery of the fixed plate 6 onto the central axis of rotation of the rotating plate 5. At this time, the resin sheet piece 12 provided on the pressing portion 10, which is biased by the elastic body 11 fixed to the moving plate 14, is retracted to a position where it does not interfere with the insertion or removal of the object.

[0028] When the object 1 is inserted or removed from the central axis of rotation of the rotary plate, the tape end pulled out from the roll tape 2 is held with the adhesive surface adhering to both the holding roller 9 of the tape holding part and the adhesive part 8. The cut end of the tape is located in front of the tape holding part 7 (towards the object 1), but is positioned so that it does not interfere with the insertion or removal of the object.

[0029] 2(b), the adhesive surface of the tape unwound from the roll tape 2 adheres to the holding roller 9 and the adhesive portion 8 provided at the tip of the tape holding portion 7, thereby holding the tape, and the slide plate 13 moves in the direction of unwinding the tape toward the object 1, thereby unwinding the tape from the roll tape 2. The tape tip is held in a state where it projects from the tape holding portion 7 toward the object 1 by a distance necessary for the adhesive surface of the tape tip to adhere to the object 1, and when the slide plate 13 moves, the tape tip is held above the object 1 with the adhesive surface facing the object 1. At this time, the pressing portion 10 is pressed by the tip of the slide plate 13 and rotates, so that the tape tip is interposed between the object 1 and the resin sheet piece 12 provided at the tip of the pressing portion 10.

[0030] The tape holding portion 7 that holds the tape end as the tape is unwound from the roll tape 2 will now be described. Figure 5(b) shows the tape holding portion 7 when the tape is being unwound from the roll tape 2. The adhesive surface of the tape end unwound from the roll tape 2 adheres to the adhesive portion 8 and the holding roller 9 provided at the upper tip of the tape holding portion 7. When the slide plate 13 moves and tension is applied to the tape, the holding roller 9 rotates in the holding roller rotation direction 19, tensioning the tape and pressing the adhesive surface of the tape against the adhesive portion 8. In other words, the adhesive portion 8 presses against the adhesive surface of the tape stretched between the roll tape 2 and the holding roller 8. Furthermore, as the holding roller 9 rotates in the holding roller rotation direction 19 at this time, the leading edge of the tape moves slightly toward the roll tape 2, while the rotation of the holding roller 9 moves the tape end upward. When the tape end is hanging down, it is difficult to attach the tape end to the object 1, but the tape end moves upward as the holding roller 9 rotates, making it easier to attach the adhesive surface of the tape end to the object 1.

[0031] 2(c), the movable plate 14 moves downward (in the direction in which the tape holding portion 7 moves away from the adhesive surface of the tape), and the end of the tape is adhered to the object 1. At this time, the resin sheet piece 12 provided at the tip of the pressing portion 10 presses the end of the tape against the object 1, causing the adhesive surface of the end of the tape to adhere to the circumferential surface of the object 1, and the tape is peeled off from the adhesive portion 8 and the holding roller 9, which are retracted downward. Thereafter, the movable plate 14 moves downward, and retracts the tape puller to a position where the roll tape 2 rotated by the tape winding machine does not come into contact with the tape puller. After the downward retraction operation is complete, the tape winding machine operates to wrap the tape around the object 1.

[0032] After the tape is wound by the tape winding machine, as shown in Figure 3(a), the slide plate 13 moves downward (to a position where the adhesive surface of the tape is not in contact with the non-adhesive surface 8 of the tape holding unit 7) to a predetermined rear position. At this time, the pressure applied by the slide plate 13 to the presser 10 is released, and the presser 10 is rotated by the elastic body 11 in a direction away from the tape holding unit 7, and the movable plate 14 moves upward with the resin sheet piece 12 retracted to a position where it does not interfere with the insertion and removal of the target object 1. Figure 3(b) shows the state in which the movable plate 14 has moved upward to a predetermined position where the non-adhesive surface 8 of the tape holding unit 7 is in contact with the adhesive surface of the stretched tape.

[0033] As shown in Figure 3(c), the tape stretched from the roll tape 2 to the object 1 is cut by pressing the non-adhesive surface of the back of the tape from top to bottom with the cutting blade 15. At this time, the end of the tape on the cut roll tape 2 side sticks to the adhesive portion 8 of the tape holding part 7 and the holding roller 9. In this state, the object 1 wrapped with the tape is removed.

[0034] As described above, the tape is held in place by the adhesive surface of the tape unwound from the roll tape 2 sticking to the adhesive portion 8 and holding roller 9 provided on the tape holding portion 7, and the slide plate 13 connected to the tape holding portion 7 moves in the direction of pulling out the tape toward the object 1, allowing the tape to be pulled out conveniently with this simple mechanism.

[0035] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, and location of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention. For example, the size and shape of the adhesive portion 8 are also not limited.

[0036] Furthermore, the tape winding machine is not limited to a mechanism in which the roll tape is rotated by a rotating body, but may be a type in which the object rotates and the tape is wound around the periphery of the object. In that case, the downward movement of the moving plate 14 is sufficient to be to a position where the adhesive surface of the tape stretched from the roll tape 2 to the object 1 peels off from the tape holding portion 7.

[0037] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Object 2 Roll tape 3 Holder section 4 Roll tape support section 5 Rotating plate 6 Fixed plate 7 Tape holding section 8 Adhesive section 9 Holding roller 10 Pressing section 11 Elastic body 12 Resin sheet piece 13 Slide plate 14 Moving plate 15 Cutting blade 16 Slide plate movement direction 17 Pressing section rotation direction 18 Moving plate movement direction 19 Holding roller rotation direction 20 Adhesive surface angle 21 Roller adhesion section

Claims

1. A tape pull-out machine having a tape holding part that holds a tape end extending from a roll tape, and that pulls out the tape from the roll tape by widening the gap between the roll tape and the tape holding part, wherein the tape holding part has an adhesive part to which the adhesive surface of the tape end adheres, and a holding roller that rotates at a position below the adhesive part toward the tip of the tape while the adhesive surface of the tape end adheres to it.

2. The tape drawing machine according to claim 1, comprising: a slide plate that moves the tape end held by the tape holding section to the position of the target object; and a moving plate that moves the slide plate in a direction that widens the gap between the slide plate and the unwound tape.

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