CN109841352B - Stranded wire manufacturing apparatus and stranded wire manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a U-turn part strand manufacturing apparatus (1) and a strand manufacturing method capable of normally stranding electric wires. A strand manufacturing apparatus is an apparatus that manufactures a strand (102) by twisting at least two electric wires (101) together, and is equipped with a wire lifting unit (2), a wire twisting unit (3), and a control unit (4). The wire lifting unit is a unit for suspending an electric wire (101), and includes: a lifting unit (6) having a wire hooking member (10); a lift guide unit (7) for guiding the lift unit in the vertical direction; and a lifting device (8) for raising and lowering the lifting unit. The wire hooking member includes: an arc part (65) on which a U-shaped bent part (106) of the electric wire (101) is hooked and slidable in the circumferential direction; and a notch (66) adjacent the arc. The notch is formed to have an edge portion which is inclined upward by a prescribed angle (theta) from the horizontal axis (H) when the wire hooking member is viewed from the front side.

Description

Stranded wire manufacturing apparatus and stranded wire manufacturing method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a strand manufacturing apparatus and a strand manufacturing method for manufacturing a stranded wire by stranding at least two electric wires together.

Background

For example, a wire harness is routed in a vehicle to electrically connect devices mounted in the vehicle. The harness includes a plurality of sub-harnesses. The wiring harness having such a configuration is manufactured by combining sub-wiring harnesses to be suitable for a desired circuit pattern. One example of a type of sub-bundle is a twisted pair (twisted wire).

As shown in fig. 25, a stranded wire 102 is manufactured by stranding two electric wires 101 together. For example, patent document 1 discloses an apparatus for manufacturing a stranded wire 102. The strand manufacturing apparatus (electric wire twisting apparatus) of patent document 1 is provided with: a work table; a holding unit for holding one end portions of the two electric wires on the table; a motor for rotating the holding unit about its axis; a pair of rotation holding units in which two separate core wire holding units that respectively hold the other end portions of one electric wire in a rotatable manner about their own axes are provided adjacent to each other; a movable holding unit provided movably along an axis; a driving unit for moving the movable holding unit along the shaft; and a control unit for controlling the moving speed of the movable holding unit and the like.

Since the stranded wire 102 is made to extend straight, the above conventional technique has the following problems: in order to manufacture the stranded wire 102, the equipment requires an installation space longer than the length of the electric wire 101 in the horizontal direction. Another problem with the above conventional techniques is: in order for the wire 101 to be held, the operator needs to walk from one end of the wire 101 to the other end each time. This reduces the efficiency of the process.

In order to solve the above problems, the inventors of the present application have proposed a stranded wire manufacturing apparatus disclosed in the following patent document 2.

Patent document 1: JP-A-2008-277032

Patent document 2: JP-A-2016-

Disclosure of Invention

In the conventional technique of patent document 2, a measure is taken to normally twist the U-turn portion of the electric wire. However, the inventors have also recognized a need to prevent the wire from losing an intended twisted form (e.g., preventing its twisting pitch from increasing or preventing itself from rotating).

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide a strand manufacturing apparatus and a strand manufacturing method capable of normally twisting a U-turn of an electric wire.

A first aspect of the present invention provides a strand manufacturing apparatus, including: a wire lifting unit on which at least two electric wires are hung to manufacture a stranded wire; a wire twisting unit disposed adjacent to the wire lifting unit and configured to twist the electric wire to be suspended; and a control unit configured to control at least the wire lifting unit, wherein the wire twisting unit includes: a first end chuck configured to chuck a first end portion of the wire; a second end chuck configured to chuck a second end of the wire; a same-direction rotating unit configured to rotate the first end chuck and the second end chuck in the same direction at different times, respectively; and an up-down position changing device for changing a position of at least one of the first end chuck and the second end chuck in an up-down direction, wherein the wire lifting unit includes: a lifting unit; a lift guide unit configured to guide the lift unit in the up-down direction; and a lifting device for lifting and lowering the lifting unit, wherein the lifting unit includes: a wire hooking member on which a U-turn portion of the electric wire formed at a halfway position of the electric wire is hooked and hung; a lifting unit main body to which the wire hooking member is attached; a tension applying member attached to the lifting unit main body and configured to generate an upward urging force when a downward force acts on the wire hooking member; and a position fixing device for fixing a position of the wire hooking member and temporarily stopping the up-and-down movement of the wire hooking member, wherein the wire hooking member has: an arc portion on which the U-turn portion is hooked and slidable in a circumferential direction; and a slit that is contiguous to the arc portion, and wherein the slit is formed in a portion of the wire hooking member at the side of one of the first end chuck and the second end chuck, and the one of the first end chuck and the second end chuck is configured to be moved downward by the up-down position changing device, and the slit is shaped to have a rim portion that is inclined upward at a prescribed angle from a horizontal axis of the wire hooking member when the wire hooking member is viewed from the front.

The strand manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is capable of normally twisting the U-turn of the electric wire when manufacturing the strand.

More specifically, when manufacturing a stranded wire, first, U-turn portions of two electric wires are hooked on wire hooking members. After the first ends of the two electric wires are gripped by the first end chucks (i.e., the right side chucks when viewed from the front), the wire hooking member is lifted to a position having a desired hanging height. After the second end portions of the two electric wires are chucked by the second end chuck (i.e., the left side chuck when viewed from the front), the second end chuck is rotated in a prescribed direction by the left equidirectional rotating unit. Then, the second end chuck is rotated several times in a direction opposite to the prescribed direction (referred to as reverse twisting). So that a twisted portion is formed between the second end chuck and the wire hooking member.

Subsequently, the up-down position changing mechanism is activated, and the first end chuck is slightly lowered. The electric wire is pulled down, so that the tension applying member generates an upward urging force (an example of the function of the tension applying member). As a result, the end of the twisted portion formed between the second end chuck and the wire hooking member slides on the arc portion of the wire hooking member to the vicinity of the notch. In other words, the portion hooked on the wire hooking member (U-turn) is displaced clockwise.

Subsequently, the first end chuck is rotated in a prescribed direction by the right homodromous rotating unit. Then, the first end chuck rotates only a few times in a direction opposite to the prescribed direction (referred to as reverse twisting). So that the twisted portion is also formed on the right side of the wire hooking part. Finally, the wire hooking member is lowered to the original position. Thereby completing the manufacture of the stranded wire.

According to the strand manufacturing apparatus of the first aspect of the invention, since the wire hooking member having the slit is employed, even when the end of the left-side twisted portion formed between the second end chuck and the wire hooking member moves to the vicinity of the slit, the end of the left-side twisted portion does not lose an intended twisted form (e.g., the twisting pitch is not increased). That is, since the notch is formed, a force ("pressing force" (described later)) pressing the end portion of the left twisted portion is generated to prevent the end portion from losing an intended twisted form (the action of this phenomenon will be described in the embodiment). Since the end of the left twisted part does not lose the intended twisted form, the remaining part of the U-turn can be normally twisted when the right twisted part is formed thereafter.

A second aspect of the present invention provides the strand manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the wire hooking part includes: a roller in which the arc and the notch are formed; and disks provided on front and rear surfaces of the roller shaft and having a diameter larger than that of the roller shaft, and wherein the lifting unit includes a wire pressing member configured to prevent the U-turn from coming out of one of the disks.

According to the second aspect, since the large-diameter disks are provided on the front and back surfaces of the roller and the wire pressing member is further provided, the U-turn portion hooked on the arc portion of the roller can be prevented from being positionally displaced or coming off.

A third aspect of the present invention provides a strand manufacturing method of manufacturing a strand by stranding at least two electric wires, the strand manufacturing method including: a wire intermediate hooking step of hooking a U-turn portion of the electric wire formed at a halfway position of the electric wire to a wire hooking member; a wire first end clamping step of clamping a first end portion of the electric wire by using a first end chuck; a wire second end clamping step of clamping the second end portion of the electric wire with a second end chuck in a state where the U-turn portion of the second end portion is hooked on the wire hooking member and after the electric wire is hung; and a wire twisting step of twisting the electric wire after suspending the electric wire and clamping the first end portion and the second end portion, wherein the wire hooking member has: an arc portion on which the U-turn portion is hooked and slidable in a circumferential direction; and a notch adjacent to the arc part, and wherein, in the wire twisting step, when the U-turn part, which is hooked on the arc part and has not been twisted, is twisted, the U-turn part is prevented from losing an intended twisted form by the presence of the notch.

In the stranded wire manufacturing method according to the third aspect of the invention, the wire hooking member having the slit is employed, and the U-turn is prevented from losing the intended twisted form by the presence of the slit. As a result, when the right-side twisted portion is formed (described in the first aspect of the present invention), the U-turn can be normally twisted without losing the intended twisting form.

The strand manufacturing apparatus and the strand manufacturing method according to the present invention provide an advantageous effect of being able to normally twist the U-turn of the electric wire when manufacturing the strand.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a strand manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a lower portion of the strand manufacturing apparatus shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a main portion of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the wire lifting unit shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows the wire hooking member, wherein fig. 5(a) is a front view, fig. 5(b) is a side view seen from a direction indicated by an arrow a shown in fig. 5(a), and fig. 5(c) is a front view of a roller with a front disc of the wire hooking member removed.

Fig. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressing force and the roller angle.

Fig. 7 shows a line intersection, wherein fig. 7(a) shows a position before sliding and fig. 7(b) shows a position after sliding.

Fig. 8 is a view illustrating a position fixing device for temporarily fixing the position of the wire hooking member.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the wire twisting unit shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of each sensor unit and the light blocking member of the line lifting unit shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the sensor unit shown in fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the wire lifting unit shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 13 illustrates a wire intermediate hooking step of the strand manufacturing method of a long strand.

Fig. 14 illustrates a wire first end clamping step and a first wire hanging and lifting step of the strand manufacturing method of a long strand.

Fig. 15 illustrates a second wire hanging and lifting step and a wire second end clamping step of the strand manufacturing method of the long strand.

Fig. 16 illustrates a wire stranding step (second end side) of a strand manufacturing method of a long strand.

Fig. 17 illustrates a wire stranding step (non-stranded portion) of a strand manufacturing method of a long strand.

Fig. 18 illustrates a second part of the wire stranding step (first end side) of the strand manufacturing method of the long strand.

Fig. 19 illustrates a tape winding step and a removing step of the strand manufacturing method of a long strand.

Fig. 20 illustrates a wire intermediate hooking step of the strand manufacturing method of the short strand.

Fig. 21 illustrates a wire first end clamping step, a third wire suspending and lifting step, and a wire second end clamping step of the stranded wire manufacturing method of the short stranded wire.

Fig. 22 illustrates a wire stranding step (movement of the second end side and the non-stranded portion) of the strand manufacturing method of the short strand.

Fig. 23 illustrates a wire stranding step (non-stranded portion and at a first end side) of a strand manufacturing method of a short strand wire.

Fig. 24 illustrates a tape winding step and a removing step of the strand manufacturing method of the short strand.

Fig. 25 illustrates a diagram related to the conventional art, in which fig. 25(a) shows a state where two electric wires are arranged side by side, and fig. 25(b) shows a manufactured stranded wire.

List of reference marks

1: stranded wire manufacturing equipment

2: thread lifting unit

3: wire twisting unit

4: control unit

5: frame structure

6: lifting unit

7: lift guide unit

8: lifting device

9: lifting unit body

10: wire hook component

11: wire pressing member

12: tension applying member

13: selection chuck

14: wire protection unit

15: upper body

16: lower main body

17: front wall

18: left side wall

19: right side wall

20: rear wall

21: guide projection

22: concave part

23: mounting component

24: guide recess

27: lifting cylinder

28: gas supply device

29: connecting arm

30: sensor unit

31: light shielding member

32: anti-dazzling screen

33: sensor unit

34: box

35: power supply device

36: signal line

37: sensor body

38: light emitting element

39: light receiving element

40: space(s)

41: attachment member

42: first end chuck

43: second end chuck

44: same direction rotating unit

45: up-down position changing mechanism

46: electric machine

47: rotating shaft

48: motor fixing component

49: descending cylinder

50: gas supply device

51: sliding rail

52: control unit main body

53: operating unit

54: belt

61: position fixing device

62: roller shaft

63: disc with a circular groove

64: bolt

65: arc part

66: incision

67: quarter arc part

68: quarter cut

69: line intersection (end of twisted portion 107)

70: slit

101: electric wire

102: stranded wire

103: first end part

104: second end portion

105: intermediate section

106: u-shaped turning part

107: twisted part

108: terminal metal fitting

109: non-twisted part

TP: tape winding part

Detailed Description

The strand manufacturing apparatus is an apparatus that manufactures strands by twisting at least two electric wires together, and is equipped with a wire lifting unit, a wire twisting unit, and a control unit. The wire twisting unit is a unit for twisting electric wires together, and includes first and second end chucks and an up-down position changing mechanism that changes a position of at least one of the first and second end chucks in an up-down direction. The wire lifting unit is a unit for suspending an electric wire, and includes: a lifting unit having a wire hooking member; a lift guide unit that guides the lift unit in an up-down direction; and a lifting device for lifting and lowering the lifting unit. The wire hooking member includes: an arc portion on which a U-turn portion of the electric wire is hooked and slidable in a circumferential direction; and a notch adjacent to the arc. The slit is shaped to have an edge portion which is inclined upward from the horizontal axis by a prescribed angle when the thread hooking member is viewed from the front.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a strand manufacturing apparatus 1. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the lower part of the strand manufacturing apparatus 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a main portion of fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the wire lifting unit 2 shown in fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows the wire hooking part 10. Fig. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressing force and the roller angle. Fig. 7 shows a line intersection 69. Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the position fixing device 61. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the wire twisting unit 3. Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of each sensor unit 30 and the light blocking member 31 of the line lifting unit 2 shown in fig. 3. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the sensor unit 30 shown in fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the line lifting unit 2 shown in fig. 3. Fig. 13 to 19 illustrate respective steps of a strand manufacturing method of a long strand. Fig. 14 to 24 illustrate the respective steps of the strand manufacturing method of the short strand.

< construction of stranded wire manufacturing apparatus 1>

As shown in fig. 1, the strand manufacturing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for manufacturing a strand 102 (see fig. 19 and 25), and is equipped with: a wire lifting unit 2, a wire twisting unit 3, a control unit 4 for controlling the entire apparatus 1, and a frame 5, which frame 5 enables the units 2-4 to be arranged at prescribed positions in the apparatus 1. The strand 102 and the units 2-4 will be described below.

< stranded wire 102>

As shown in fig. 19, a stranded wire 102 has the same structure as the conventional stranded wire shown in fig. 25, and the stranded wire 102 is manufactured by stranding two wires 101 together. Although the embodiment relates to the case where the number of the electric wires 101 is two, a larger number of the electric wires 101 may be twisted together. For example, four electric wires having the same thickness or four electric wires having different thicknesses from each other may be twisted together.

< thread lifting means 2>

As shown in fig. 1 to 4, the wire lifting unit 2 is a unit for suspending and lifting two electric wires 101 (see fig. 19) and lowering a manufactured stranded wire 102 (see fig. 19). The wire lifting unit 2 includes: a lifting unit 6 as a unit for suspending and lifting the two electric wires 101; a lift guide unit 7 for guiding the lift unit 6 in the up-down direction; and a lifting device 8 for lifting or lowering the lifting unit 6 at a high speed or a low speed.

The terms "suspension and lifting" appearing many times in this specification may be replaced by "suspension" since the former is suitable for making long strands 102 and the latter may be suitable for making short strands 102.

< lifting means 6>

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the lifting unit 6 is equipped with: a lifting unit main body 9; a wire hooking part 10 provided in the lifting unit main body 9; a wire pressing member 11 also provided in the lifting unit main body 9; and a tension applying member 12; and a position fixing device 61 (see fig. 8). The lifting unit 6 of the embodiment is also equipped with: a pair of selector chucks 13 provided in the lifting unit main body 9; and a pair of wire protecting portions 14 also provided in the lifting unit main body 9.

< lifting Unit body 9>

As shown in fig. 3, the lifting unit main body 9 includes two (i.e., upper and lower) members, i.e., an upper main body 15 and a lower main body 16, and the upper main body 15 and the lower main body 16 are connected to each other by a tension applying member 12. The tension applying member 12 to be described later is a member that is elastic in the up-down direction. Among the upper body 15 and the lower body 16, the lower body 16 is formed to be lifted and lowered by a lifting device 8 (described later), and the upper body 15 is guided by a lifting guide unit 7 as the lower body 16 (described later) is lifted or lowered. As described later with reference to fig. 8, the lifting unit main body 9 serves as a body that receives a pressing force applied from the position fixing device 61 (this structure is only one example).

< Upper body 15>

As shown in fig. 4, the upper body 15 has a front wall 17, a left side wall 18, a right side wall 19, and a rear wall 20, and the upper body 15 is shaped substantially like a tube. The front surface of the front wall 17 is provided with a wire hooking member 10 and a wire pressing member 11.

A left side wall 18 and a right side wall 19 are fixed to the back of the front wall 17 with a prescribed interval. The bottom of the left side wall 18 is provided with a light shielding sheet 32 (described later). The light-shielding sheet 32 is disposed at a position corresponding to a pair of sensor units 33 (described later). The light-shielding sheet 32 and the sensor unit 33 are provided as portions in the lifting device 8 (described later) that detect the degree of tension applied to the two electric wires 101 when they are suspended and lifted (see fig. 11).

The rear wall 20 is fixed to the left side wall 18 and the right side wall 19. The rear wall 20 is provided with a guide protrusion 21, and the guide protrusion 21 is inserted into a guide recess 25 of the elevation guide unit 7 and thus is guided in the up-down direction. The guide projection 21 is shaped like a tab bar.

The guide projection 21 is a portion that presses the groove side surface of the guide recess 25 when the guide projection 21 receives a pressing force from the position fixing device 61 (see fig. 8). When the guide protrusion 21 presses the groove-side surface of the guide recess 25, the position of the lifting unit main body 9 (particularly, the upper main body 15) is temporarily fixed. That is, the position of the wire hooking member 10 is fixed, and the vertical movement of the wire hooking member 10 is temporarily stopped.

< wire hooking member 10>

As shown in fig. 4, 5 and 13, the wire hooking member 10 is a member on which the U-turn portions 106 of the two electric wires 101 formed in the intermediate portions 105 thereof are hooked. The wire hooking part 10 includes a roller 62, a pair of disks 63 and a fixing bolt 64, the pair of disks 63 being provided at front and rear sides of the roller 62. The wire hooking member 10 having this structure has the recess 22 and is fixed to the upper body 15 with the bolt 64 so as to be rotatable.

< roller 62>

As shown in fig. 5, the roller 62 is a main body of the wire hooking member 10. As shown in fig. 5, which shows the wire hooking member 10 from a front side with the front disc 63 of the wire hooking member 10 removed, the roller 62 has an arc 65 and a slit 66 above the horizontal axis H and a quarter arc 67 and a quarter slit 68 below the horizontal axis H.

< arc part 65>

As shown in fig. 5 and 7, the arc portion 65 is the following portion: the U-turn 106 is to be hooked on this portion, and a non-twisted portion 109 (described later) of the U-turn 106 can slide in the circumferential direction. The arc portion 65 has a smooth curved surface.

< incision 66>

As shown in fig. 5 and 7, the notch 66 is contiguous with the arc 65. The notch 66 is provided in the right half of the thread hooking part 10 when the thread hooking part 10 is viewed from the front. The top edge of the cutout 66 is inclined so as to form a prescribed angle θ with the horizontal axis H. The cutout 66 serves as a portion for generating a "pressing" force (described later).

< pressing force >

In fig. 6, reference numeral 201 denotes a circular roller, reference numerals 202 and 203 denote electric wires and U-shaped turns of the electric wires 202, respectively, reference numerals H, V and C denote a horizontal axis, a vertical axis and a center, respectively, and reference numeral α denotes a roller angle provided above the horizontal axis H, the diameter Φ of the roller 201 is equal to 60mm, and is set so that a downward force of 35N acts on the electric wires 202 at the a end and the B end of the electric wires 202 hooked on the roller 201, respectively.

The graph shown on the left side of fig. 6 shows the relationship between the pressing force and the roller angle α, the horizontal axis represents the roller angle α, and the vertical axis represents the pressing force (N), it is seen from the graph that the pressing force toward the center C is weak to 5N at a position where the roller angle α is equal to 0 ° (i.e., on the horizontal axis H), which means that the electric wires 202 press the outer circumferential surface of the roller 201 with a very weak force, the pressing force is also equal to 5N at a position where the roller angle α is equal to 5 °, in the case where the electric wires 202 press the outer circumferential surface of the roller 201 with a very weak force, there arises a problem that the electric wires 202 lose their intended twisted form (i.e., the twisted pitch is increased or rotate by themselves) if twisted.

On the other hand, at the positions where the roller angle α is equal to 10 °, 15 °, 20 °, 25 °, and 30 °, the pressing forces are equal to 32N, 34N, 33N, and 35N, respectively, thus it follows that, in the case where the roller angle α is greater than 10 °, the strand 202 presses the outer circumferential surface of the roller 201 with a relatively strong force, and thus maintains the stranding in a desired form.

It is found that in order to prevent the electric wires 202 from losing the intended twisted form, it is effective that the roller angle α is larger than an angle (i.e., 10 °) at which an appropriate pressing force can be ensured.

< Angle θ of notch 66>

Referring to fig. 5, the angle θ of the notch 66 is set in consideration of an angle capable of ensuring an appropriate pressing force. In the embodiment, it is assumed that the "bending tendency" is maintained in the U-turn 106 (see fig. 7 and 13), and taking this assumption into account, the angle θ is taken to be 15 ° as the minimum angle. However, the angle θ is not excluded from 10 ° in the present invention.

In the case where the angle θ of the slit 66 is set to 15 °, even when the line intersection 69 (the end of the left-side twisted portion 107) formed at the position indicated by the arrow B in fig. 7(a) slides to a position near the slit 66 (indicated by the arrow B in fig. 7(B)), the line intersection 69 does not lose the intended twisted form. This is because an appropriate pressing force is ensured there. Since the sliding movement will be explained in the description of the manufacturing method later, the sliding movement will not be described here.

< diameter of roller 62>

Referring to fig. 5, the diameter of the roller 62 employed in the embodiment is set to a relatively large value of 60mm (by way of example only) to accommodate 25mm and 45mm twists 107 (see fig. 7), respectively. Since the diameter of the roller 62 is 60mm, the length of the above-mentioned slip (see fig. 7) is set to 170mm to 195mm when the pitch is equal to 25mm, and is set to 180mm to 190mm when the pitch is equal to 45 mm. The sliding is generated due to the operation of the up-down position changing mechanism 45 (see fig. 3, described later).

By setting the diameter Φ of the roller 62 to a relatively large value of 60mm, it is possible to relax the bending generated at the end of the left twisted portion 107 as the wire intersecting portion 69 slides. In the case of using a pin having a small diameter Φ, the bending becomes sharp, and a sliding movement is generated in this state. On the other hand, in the case where the diameter Φ of the roller 62 has a relatively large value of 60mm, it is possible to relax the bending generated at the end of the left twisted portion 107 as the wire intersecting portion 69 slides. Although not shown in any of the drawings, the resulting experimental results show that the wire intersections 69 do not lose the intended twist profile when the diameter φ of the roller 62 is equal to 60 mm.

< A pair of disks 63 and recesses 22>

As shown in fig. 5, the pair of disks 63 has a diameter larger than that of the roller 62. And a pair of disks 63 for preventing the electric wire 101 from coming off the wire hooking member 10. The recess 22 is formed so as to be defined by a pair of disks 63, and is formed so that the surface of the arc portion 65 is a part of the bottom surface thereof.

< wire pressing Member 11>

As shown in fig. 4, the wire pressing member 11 is provided as follows: after the U-turn 106 is hooked on the wire hooking member 10 (i.e., the position provided in the recess 22), it presses the U-turn 106 from above (see fig. 7 and 13). The wire pressing member 11 serves to prevent the electric wire 101 from coming off or becoming loose when the electric wire 101 is hooked on the wire hooking member 10 and lifted. With the wire pressing member 11 employed in the embodiment, the respective slits 70 are formed in the pair of disks 63. Instead of forming the slit 70, the relevant portion may be to cover the recess 22 with a cover.

< lower body 16>

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the lower body 16 is a flat plate-like body. The upper left portion of the lower body 16 is connected to a link arm 29 of the lifting device 8. The lower body 16 is formed to be lifted and lowered by the link arm 29. The lower body 16 is guided by a lift guide unit 7 (described later) to move along the guide unit 7 in the up-down direction. Thus, the lower body 16 is configured to be provided with: a mounting member 23, a light shielding member 31 (described later), a pair of selection chucks 13, and a pair of line protection portions 14. The light shielding member 31 is provided at a position corresponding to a sensor unit 30 (described later). The light shielding member 31 and the sensor unit 30 are parts of a lifting device 8 (described later).

< mounting Member 23>

As shown in fig. 3, the mounting member 23 is a rectangular, sheet-like member, and projects forward. The mounting member 23 is formed such that the bottom end of the tension applying member 12 can be mounted and fixed on the top surface of the mounting member 23.

< tension applying means 12>

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the tension applying member 12 is a member having a spring that contracts downward when subjected to a load. And the tension applying member 12 is formed so that the bottom end thereof can be fixed to the mounting member 23 and the top end thereof can be attached to the upper body 15. The shape of the tension applying member 12 is not limited to the illustrated shape as long as it can generate an upward urging force against a downward force acting on the wire hooking member 10. An exemplary case where a downward force acts on the wire hooking member 10 is a case where the electric wire 101 is pulled downward (for example, a position where the first end chuck 42 is slightly lowered by activating an up-down position changing mechanism 45 (described later)). The tension applying member 12 is also effective in "preventing sudden application of tension" (described later).

< position fixing device 61>

As shown in fig. 8, a position fixing device 61 is provided to temporarily fix the position of the wire hooking part 10. In the embodiment, the position fixing device 61 is a cylinder. For example, the position fixing device 61 is attached to a link arm 29 (described later), and is configured to be able to push the lifting unit main body 9.

< A pair of selection chucks 13>

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, a pair of selection chucks 13 is used in twisting a plurality of stub wires (not shown) together. A pair of selection chucks 13 are shaped to grip the end portions of the stub wires. A pair of selection chucks 13 are respectively disposed directly above a first end chuck 42 and a second end chuck 43 of the wire twisting unit 3 (described later). A pair of selection chucks 13 are provided at positions capable of suspending and lifting the stub wire straight upward (non-U-turn).

In the case where the apparatus does not require twisting of stub wires together, the pair of selection chucks 13 (and the pair of wire protection sections 14 (described later)) may be omitted.

< paired line protection units 14>

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the pair of wire protecting portions 14 is provided to prevent two electric wires 101 (see fig. 13 to 19) from touching the pair of selection chucks 13 when the stranded wire 102 (see fig. 19) is manufactured.

< Lift guide means 7>

As shown in fig. 1 to 4 and 8 to 10, the elevation guide unit 7 has a rod-like member which linearly extends in the up-down direction and is formed at a bottom end with a fixing portion by which the elevation guide unit 7 is fixed to the frame 5. The height dimension of the elevation guide unit 7 is at least longer than or equal to half the overall length of the strand 102 (see fig. 19) to be manufactured. And the elevation guide unit 7 is formed to be able to guide the upper body 15 in the up-down direction (i.e., to be able to be elevated or lowered). More specifically, the elevation guide unit 7 is formed to have a guide recess (groove) 25 at the front side.

The right side surface of the elevation guide unit 7 is provided with a sensor unit 30 (described later). The plurality of sensor units 30 are provided at regular intervals to detect the lifting/lowering position of the lifting unit 6.

< lifting device 8>

As shown in fig. 1 to 4, the strand manufacturing apparatus 1 is equipped with a lifting device 8 for lifting and lowering the lifting unit 6 at a high speed or a low speed, as described above. The strand manufacturing apparatus 1 equipped with the lifting device 8 capable of lifting or lowering the lifting unit 6 at a high speed or a low speed has a feature that it is not configured to merely suspend and lift the electric wire 101 (see fig. 13 to 19). The lifting device 8 is controlled by a control unit 4 (described later).

The lifting device 8 employed in the embodiment is configured to be able to lift and lower the lifting unit 6 by means of a cylinder (the present invention is not limited to this case, and for example, the lifting device 8 may be configured to lift and lower the lifting unit 6 by means of a motor or the like; the configuration in the embodiment is employed for the purpose of reducing the cost). More specifically, the lifting device 8 is equipped with: a lift cylinder 27; a gas supply device 28 for supplying gas to the lift cylinder 27, for example; a connecting arm 29 that connects the lift cylinder 27 and the lift unit 6; sensor units 30 provided at a plurality of positions of the elevation guide unit 7; a light shielding member 31 provided on the lift unit 6; a shade 32 provided on the lift unit 6; and a sensor unit 33 provided on the connection arm 29.

< Lift Cylinder 27>

As shown in fig. 1-4, the lift cylinder 27 is a known cylinder having a length suitable for making a strand 102 (see fig. 19). In the embodiment, the lift cylinder 27 is long, and is provided to extend in the up-down direction in parallel with the lift guide unit 7.

< air supply device 28>

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the gas supply means 28 is provided inside a box 34 (just one example) fixed to the frame 5. For example, the gas supply device 28 includes a plurality of components shown in fig. 12.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 12, the gas supply device 28 is equipped with: a source pressure generating unit 28a for generating a source pressure; a high-pressure gas regulator 28b connected to the source pressure generating unit 28 a; a low-pressure gas regulator unit 28c connected to the source pressure generating unit 28 a; a gas pressure switching solenoid valve 28d connected to the high-pressure gas regulator 28b and the low-pressure gas regulator unit 28 c; and a lift/lower switching solenoid valve 28e connected to the air pressure switching solenoid valve 28 d. That is, the gas supply device 28 is configured to be able to move the lift cylinder 27 in the up-down direction using high-pressure gas or low-pressure gas.

In addition to the above-described air supply device 28, a power supply device 35 for supplying electric power, a control unit main body 52 of a control unit 4 (described later), and the like are provided inside the cassette 34 (just one example).

< connecting arm 29>

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the link arm 29 is an L-shaped belt-like member, and one end portion thereof is fixed to the extendable portion of the lift cylinder 27. The other end portion of the link arm 29 is fixed to the lower body 16 of the lifting unit 6, and the position fixing device 61 is attached to an intermediate position of the link arm 29. The link arm 29 thus constructed can lift or lower the lower body 16 as the lift cylinder 27 extends or contracts (moves in the up-down direction).

As the lower body 16 is lifted or lowered, the upper body 15 is also lifted or lowered, and the wire hooking part 10 provided on the upper body 15 is correspondingly lifted or lowered. Since the wire hooking member 10 is a member on which the U-turn portions 106 (see fig. 7 and 13) of the two electric wires 101 (see fig. 13) are hooked, the two electric wires 101 are hung and lifted as the link arm 29 is lifted.

< sensor Unit 30>

As shown in fig. 1, the sensor unit 30 is provided on the right side surface of the elevation guide unit 7 at a plurality of positions spaced apart from each other by a prescribed interval. The sensor unit 30 is arranged to detect the position of the lifting unit 6.

As shown in fig. 10 and 11, each sensor unit 30 is provided with a sensor main body 37, and the sensor main body 37 is connected to the control unit 4 (see fig. 2, described later) via a signal line 36. The sensor main body 37 is provided with a light emitting element 38 and a light receiving element 39, and the light receiving element 39 receives light emitted from the light emitting element 38. A space 40 through which a part of the light shielding member 31 is to pass is formed between the light emitting element 38 and the light receiving element 39. Each sensor unit 30 employed in the embodiment is a known photoelectric sensor.

< light blocking Member 31>

As shown in fig. 4 and 10, the light shielding member 31 is provided to detect the position of the lifting unit 6 together with the sensor unit 30. The light blocking member 31 has a plate-like portion capable of blocking light emitted from the light emitting element 38 of each sensor cell 30. The light shielding member 31 is disposed such that the plate-shaped portion of the light shielding member 31 passes through the space 40 when the lifting unit 6 is lifted or lowered.

< light-shielding sheet 32>

As shown in fig. 4, the shade 32 is provided at a bottom position on the left side wall 18 of the upper body 15 of the lifting unit 6. The light-shielding sheet 32 is provided to detect the position of the upper body 15 elastically pushed by the tension applying member 12. In the embodiment, when the light-shielding sheet 32 is positioned between a pair of (upper and lower) sensor units 33, it is judged that appropriate tension is applied to the two electric wires 101 (see fig. 13 to 19).

< sensor Unit 33>

As shown in fig. 4, the sensor unit 33 is provided on the coupling arm 29 via the attachment member 41. The pair of sensor units 33 are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction. Each sensor unit 33 is provided with a light emitting element and a light receiving element that receives light emitted from the light emitting element. The space through which the light-shielding sheet 32 passes is formed between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element. Each of the sensor units 33 employed in the embodiment is a known photosensor.

< wire twisting unit 3>

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the wire twisting unit 3 is disposed adjacent to the wire lifting unit 2 to clamp and twist two electric wires 101 (see fig. 13 to 19) together. The wire twisting unit 3 includes a first end chuck 42, a second end chuck 43, a same-direction rotating unit 44, and an up-down position changing mechanism 45.

< first end chuck 42 and second end chuck 43>

As shown in fig. 3 and 9, the first end chuck 42 is configured to be capable of detachably gripping a first end portion 103 (one end portion) of two electric wires 101 (see fig. 13 to 19). Similarly, the second end chuck 43 is configured to be capable of detachably chucking the second ends (the other ends) 104 of the two electric wires 101.

< same-direction rotation means 44>

As shown in fig. 3 and 9, the same-direction rotating unit 44 is configured to be able to rotate the first end chuck 42 and the second end chuck 43 in the same direction at different times, respectively. The phrase "different times" means that the first end chuck 42 and the second end chuck 43 do not rotate in a synchronized manner; for example, after the second end chuck 43 is rotated and then stopped, the rotation of the first end chuck 42 is started. The same-direction rotating unit 44 includes: a pair of motors 46, the pair of motors 46 being controlled by a control unit 4 (described later); a pair of rotary shafts 47 which are rotated by a pair of motors 46, respectively; and a pair of motor fixing parts 48 to which the pair of motors 46 are fixed, respectively.

With the pair of motor fixing members 48, the left motor fixing member 48 is immovably fixed to the frame 5, and the right motor fixing member 48 is attached to the frame 5 so as to be movable in the up-down direction by the up-down position changing mechanism 45.

< vertical position changing mechanism 45>

As shown in fig. 3 and 9, the up-down position changing mechanism 45 is configured to be able to change the positional relationship between the first end chuck 42 and the second end chuck 43 in the up-down direction. In the embodiment, the positional relationship between the two chucks 42 and 43 in the up-down direction is changed by moving the right motor 46 downward.

The configuration of the up-down position changing mechanism 45 will be described more specifically below. The up-down position changing mechanism 45 is provided with: a lowering cylinder 49; a gas supply device 50 for supplying gas to the descending cylinder 49; a slide rail 51 extending in the vertical direction; and a guide protrusion (no reference symbol is given) provided for the right motor fixing part 48 and guided by the slide rail 51. The gas supply 50 is provided inside the cassette 34 (as just one example). The slide rail 51 is fixed to the frame 5. The up-down position changing mechanism 45 is controlled by a control unit 4 (described later).

< control means 4>

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the control unit 4 serves to control the operation of the wire lifting unit 2 and the wire twisting unit 3. The control unit 4 is equipped with: a control unit main body 52 provided inside the cartridge 34 (just one example); and an operation unit 53 that is fixed to, for example, the right side of the frame 5 and is operated by an operator. The control unit main body 52 is equipped with a known PLC or the like. The operation unit 53 includes, for example, a touch panel, and is operated with the touch panel. Various data and the like required for manufacturing the stranded wire 102 (see fig. 19) are stored in the storage unit of the control unit main body 52. The operation unit 53 is an operation unit that enables input of a digital value.

< method of manufacturing Long stranded wire 102>

The manufacturing process employed in the above strand manufacturing apparatus 1 includes: the "wire intermediate hooking step", "wire first end clamping step", "first wire suspending and lifting step", "second wire suspending and lifting step", "wire second end clamping step", "wire stranding step", "tape winding step", and "removing step" (this process is only an example because it is different from the process of the manufacturing method (described later) of the short stranded wire 102).

Each step will be described later with reference to fig. 13 to 19 (and also fig. 1 to 12 when necessary). Although the apparatus operates in response to operations performed by the operator on the operation unit 53, these operations will not be described in detail below.

< intermediate wire hooking step >

As shown in fig. 13, in the line intermediate hooking step, the operator performs the following operations: two long electric wires 101 are taken out from, for example, a nearby component rack (electric wire rack), and U-turn portions 106 of the two electric wires 101 are hooked on the wire hooking members 10.

In the operation of hooking the U-turn 106 on the wire hooking member 10, since the two electric wires 101 are long, the U-turn 106 is not formed in the center of the electric wire 101 but is formed at a position near the first end 103 thereof by bending the electric wire 101 in a U-shape.

The two electric wires 101 are hooked on the wire hooking member 10 so as not to intersect with each other (not to overlap with each other) in the up-down direction. This is because if the U-turn portions 106 intersect with each other (wire intersecting state), the twist pitch (wire pitch) varies at the U-turn portions 106 when the wires 101 are twisted together.

After hooking the U-turn 106 to the wire hooking member 10, the operator performs an operation of pressing the U-turn 106 by the wire pressing member 11. The wire pressing member 11 having the hinge portion can press the U-turn portion 106 from above by pushing down the U-turn portion 106 from the L-shaped state to the horizontal posture.

The vertical center line shown in fig. 13 represents the axis of lifting (hanging and raising) and lowering of the wire hooking part 10, and also schematically represents the lifting guide unit 7. The horizontal lines shown in fig. 13 represent "a first prescribed position" and "a second prescribed position (a position having a desired suspension height)" which will be described in the explanation of the subsequent steps. The position of the wire hooking member 10 shown in fig. 13 is defined as an "initial position" in the embodiment.

< wire first end clamping step >

As shown in fig. 14(a), in the wire first end clamping step, an operation of clamping the first end portions 103 of the two electric wires 101 with the first end chucks 42 is performed. The portion from the gripping position to the terminal metal fitting 108 will not undergo twisting as will be described below.

< first wire suspension and lifting step >

As shown in fig. 14, in the first wire hanging and lifting step, the lifting device 8 is activated, and the wire hooking member 10 is quickly lifted from the above initial position to the first prescribed position (since it takes too long time in the case where the long electric wire 101 is slowly lifted, the time taken to lift the wire hooking member 10 to the first prescribed position is shortened by the quick (at high speed) lifting). In order to lift the wire hooking member 10 at a high speed, the air pressure switching solenoid valve 28d is switched to the high-pressure gas regulator 28b in response to control of the control unit main body 52 (a command from the control unit main body 52). The lift/lower switching solenoid valve 28e is switched to lift. As a result, the lifting of the wire hooking part 10, that is, the hanging and lifting of the two electric wires 101 is started.

In the first wire hanging and lifting step, the position of the U-turn 106 is changed as the wire hooking part 10 is lifted. If the operator places his or her hand in contact with a portion of the electric wire 101 on the left side of the U-turn 106 (i.e., on the side of the second end portion 104), it is possible to suppress a phenomenon that the two electric wires 101 swing as the wire hooking member 10 is lifted.

The wire hooking part 10 reaches a first prescribed position in the vicinity of (i.e., slightly shorter than) the position having the desired hanging height. In the embodiment, the first prescribed position is the position of one sensor unit 30 at substantially the center of the elevation guide unit 7.

< second wire hanging and lifting step >

As shown in fig. 14(b) and 15(a), in the second wire hanging and lifting step, the lifting device 8 is activated, and the wire hooking part 10 is slowly lifted from the first prescribed position to the second prescribed position having a desired hanging height slightly above the first prescribed position (intended to prevent sudden application of tension by slowly (low speed) lifting the wire hooking part 10). In order to lift the wire hooking member 10 at a low speed, one sensor unit 30 is provided at a position corresponding to the first prescribed position, and when the plate-shaped portion of the light shielding member 31 has passed the sensor unit 30, a signal is sent to the control unit main body 52. Once the wire hooking member 10 starts to be lifted at a low speed, the air pressure switching solenoid valve 28d is switched to the low pressure air regulator 28c in response to the control of the control unit main body 52 (a command from the control unit main body 52). That is, switching is performed to suspend and lift the two wires 101 the remaining short distance to reach a position with a desired suspension height.

Fig. 15(a) shows a state in which the wire hooking member 10 has reached (has been lifted to) the second prescribed position, i.e., the position having the desired hanging height. In the embodiment, it is assumed that the following control method is employed: here, when the wire hooking member 10 reaches the first prescribed position and a signal is sent from the sensor unit 30 to the control unit main body 52, in the control unit main body 52, a timer is started and the wire hooking member 10 is slowly lifted for a prescribed time (several seconds) and then just stopped at a position having a desired hanging height (this control method is just one example).

< wire second end clamping step >

As shown in fig. 15(b), in the wire second end clamping step, an operation of clamping the second end portions 104 of the two electric wires 101 with the second end chucks 43 is performed.

< wire twisting step >

In the wire twisting step, the following first to sixth steps are sequentially performed.

First, in the first step, as shown in fig. 16(a), the second end chuck 43 is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow, for example, by the left equidirectional rotation unit 44. Then, in the second step, as shown in fig. 16(b), the second end chucks 43 are rotated several times in the direction opposite to the above direction (referred to as reverse twisting). As a result of performing the above two steps, the twisted portion 107 is formed at the left side of the wire hooking part 10 (see fig. 7 (a)).

Subsequently, in the third step, as shown in fig. 17(a), the up-down position changing mechanism 45 is activated, and the position of the first end chuck 42 is slightly changed downward. At this time, the U-turn 106 which has been hooked on the wire hooking member 10 is displaced. In other words, the non-twisted portion 109, which is not twisted because of contact with the wire hooking member 10, is displaced clockwise (see fig. 7 (b)). The position of the wire hooking member 10 is slightly changed downward by the downward movement of the first end chuck 42.

When the non-twisted portion 109 is displaced clockwise in the third step, as shown in fig. 7(B), the line intersection 69 slides to a position near the notch 66 (indicated by arrow B). When the thread intersecting part 69 has slid to this position, the position fixing means 61 is activated, and the position of the thread hooking part 10 is temporarily fixed (to prevent the application of the urging force from the tension applying part 12). While the position of the wire hooking member 10 is temporarily fixed, the lowering cylinder 49 of the up-down position changing mechanism 45 is not activated, and only the self weight of the right side motor 46 acts on the right side portions of the two electric wires 101.

Subsequently, at the fourth step, as shown in fig. 17(b), the first end chuck 42 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow by the same-direction rotating unit 44 on the right side. Then, in a fifth step, as shown in fig. 18(a), the first end chuck 42 is rotated several times in a direction opposite to the above direction (referred to as reverse twisting). As a result of the execution of the above two steps, the twisted portion 107 is also formed on the right side of the wire hooking part 10. At this time, since the above-described "pressing force" is generated by the presence of the notch 66 in the wire hooking member 10, the twisted portion 107 is also formed on the right side without losing the twisted form at the wire intersecting portion 69 (see fig. 7 (b)).

Finally, in the sixth step, as shown in fig. 18(b), the temporary fixation of the wire hooking member 10 by the position fixing device 61 is released, and the positions of the wire hooking member 10 and the first end chuck 42 are returned from the lower position to the previous position. As a result, the twisted portions 107 are formed at both sides of the wire hooking part 10 to have equal lengths.

< tape winding step >

As shown in fig. 19(a), in this step, an operation of forming the tape wound portion TP is performed. That is, the tape 54 is wound at the ends of the twisted portion 107 near the first and second end chucks 42 and 43. The tape wound portion TP is formed to prevent the electric wire 101 from being worn thereat.

< removal step >

As shown in fig. 19(b), in the removing step, the lifting device 8 is activated, and the position of the wire hooking member 10 is returned from the second prescribed position (the position having the desired hanging height) to the initial position. Operations are also performed to remove the first and second ends 103 and 104 of the strand 102 from the first and second end chucks 42 and 43, respectively. The execution of a series of manufacturing steps is completed by removing the strand 102.

Although in the above description, the strand manufacturing method is performed in the order of "wire middle hooking step" → "wire first end gripping step" → … … → "wire second end gripping step" … …, the method may be performed in the order of, for example, "wire middle hooking step" → "first wire suspending and lifting step" → "second wire suspending and lifting step" → "wire first end gripping step" → "wire second end gripping step".

< method of manufacturing short stranded wire 102>

Next, a manufacturing method (process) of manufacturing the short stranded wire 102 will be described, which includes: the "wire intermediate hooking step", "wire first end clamping step", "wire suspending and lifting step (third wire suspending and lifting step)", "wire second end clamping step", "wire twisting step", "tape winding step", and "removing step".

Each step will be described later with reference to fig. 20 to 24 (and also fig. 1 to 12 when necessary).

< intermediate wire hooking step >

As shown in fig. 20, in the line intermediate hooking step, the operator performs the following operations: two short electric wires 101 are taken out from, for example, a nearby component rack (electric wire rack), and U-turn portions 106 of the two electric wires 101 are hooked on the wire hooking members 10.

< wire first end clamping step >

As shown in fig. 21(a), in the wire first end clamping step, an operation of clamping the first end portions 103 of the two electric wires 101 with the first end chucks 42 is performed.

< wire suspending and lifting step (third wire suspending and lifting step) >

As shown in fig. 21(b), in the third wire suspending and lifting step, the lifting device 8 is activated, and the wire hooking part 10 is slowly (at a low speed) lifted from the above-described initial position to the "position having a desired suspension height" slightly above the initial position. In order to lift the wire hooking member 10 at a low speed, the air pressure switching solenoid valve 28d is switched to the low pressure air regulator 28c in response to the control of the control unit main body 52 (a command from the control unit main body 52). And the lift/lower switching solenoid valve 28e is switched to lift. For example, upon button operation by the operator, the wire hooking member 10 starts to be lifted slowly, that is, the suspension and lifting of the two electric wires 101 starts.

The term "third" in the third wire suspending and lifting step is used because the terms "first" and "second" are used in the description of the above-described method of manufacturing the long stranded wire 102, and the third wire suspending and lifting step is different from the first wire suspending and lifting step and the second wire suspending and lifting step.

In the manufacturing method of the short stranded wire 102, the sensor unit 30 provided on the lifting guide unit 7 is not used, and instead, the following operation is performed. When a button operation is performed by an operator, for example, a generated signal is sent to the control unit main body 52, and the timer starts to run. After being slowly lifted for a prescribed time (several seconds), the wire hooking part 10 is stopped just at a position having a desired hanging height.

On the other hand, assume that the control unit main body 52 stores many models of data such as the length of the electric wire 101 (electric wire length), the lift stroke, and the timer setting time in the form of a time table. When the short twisted wire 102 is manufactured, a timer-set time is determined according to the length of the electric wire 101 provided at the start of the manufacturing, and the low-pressure gas is supplied to the lift cylinder 27 at the timer-set time thus determined. The wire hooking part 10 is lifted slowly and stops right after the timer set time has elapsed at the position with the desired suspension height.

< wire second end clamping step >

As shown in fig. 21(c), in the wire second end clamping step, an operation of clamping the second end portions 104 of the two electric wires 101 with the second end chucks 43 is performed.

< wire twisting step >

In the wire twisting step, the following first to sixth steps are sequentially performed.

First, in the first step, as shown in fig. 22(a), the second end chuck 43 is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow, for example, by the left equidirectional rotation unit 44. Then, in the second step, as shown in fig. 22(b), the second end chucks 43 are rotated several times in the direction opposite to the above direction (referred to as reverse twisting). As a result of the execution of the above two steps, the twisted portion 107 is formed on the left side of the wire hooking part 10.

Subsequently, in the third step, as shown in fig. 22(c), the up-down position changing mechanism 45 is activated, and the position of the first end chuck 42 is slightly changed downward. At this time, the U-turn 106 which has been hooked on the wire hooking member 10 is displaced. In other words, the non-twisted portion 109 is displaced clockwise (see fig. 7 (b)). The position of the wire hooking member 10 is slightly changed downward by the downward movement of the first end chuck 42.

When no twisted portion 109 is displaced clockwise in the third step, as shown in fig. 7(B), the line intersecting portion 69 slides to a position (indicated by an arrow B) near the notch 66. When the thread intersecting part 69 has slid to this position, the position fixing means 61 is activated, and the position of the thread hooking part 10 is temporarily fixed (to prevent the application of the urging force from the tension applying part 12). While the position of the wire hooking member 10 is temporarily fixed, the lowering cylinder 49 of the up-down position changing mechanism 45 is not activated, and only the self weight of the right side motor 46 acts on the right side portions of the two electric wires 101.

Subsequently, at the fourth step, as shown in fig. 23(a), the first end chuck 42 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow by the right equidirectional rotation unit 44. Then, in a fifth step, as shown in fig. 23(b), the second end chucks 42 are rotated several times in a direction opposite to the above direction (referred to as reverse twisting). As a result of the execution of the above two steps, the twisted portion 107 is also formed on the right side of the wire hooking part 10. At this time, since the above-described "pressing force" is generated by the presence of the slit 66 in the wire hooking member 10, the twisted portion 107 is also formed on the right side without losing the twisted form at the wire intersecting portion 69 (see fig. 7 (b)).

Finally, in the sixth step, as shown in fig. 23(c), the temporary fixation of the wire hooking member 10 by the position fixing device 61 is released, and the positions of the wire hooking member 10 and the first end chuck 42 are returned from the lower position to the previous position. As a result, the twisted portions 107 are formed at both sides of the wire hooking part 10 to have equal lengths.

< tape winding step >

As shown in fig. 24(a), in this step, an operation of forming the tape wound portion TP is performed. That is, the tape is wound around the end portions of the twisted portion 107 near the first end chuck 42 and the second end chuck 43. The tape wound portion TP is formed to prevent the electric wire 101 from being worn thereat.

< removal step >

As shown in fig. 24(b), in the removing step, the lifting device 8 is activated, and the position of the wire hooking member 10 is returned from the position having the desired hanging height to the initial position. Operations are also performed to remove the first and second ends 103 and 104 of the strand 102 from the first and second end chucks 42 and 43, respectively. The execution of a series of manufacturing steps is completed by removing the strand 102.

< advantageous effects of the stranded wire manufacturing apparatus 1 and the manufacturing method >

As described above with reference to fig. 1 to 24, the strand manufacturing apparatus 1 and the strand manufacturing method according to the embodiment are configured or conceived to ensure a manufacturing space for manufacturing the strand 102 that extends in the up-down direction, rather than the horizontal direction (as is the conventional case), so that the entire length of the apparatus can be made much shorter than the entire length in the conventional apparatus and method.

Since the stranded wire manufacturing apparatus 1 and the stranded wire manufacturing method according to the embodiment are configured or conceived to manufacture the stranded wire 102 by disposing the first ends 103 and the second ends of the two electric wires 101 close to each other, and the ends of the manufactured stranded wire 102 close to each other. Thus, unlike the conventional case, the operator does not need to walk from one end of the manufactured strand to the other end each time. This greatly reduces the burden on the operator.

Since the stranded-wire manufacturing apparatus 1 and the stranded-wire manufacturing method according to the embodiment are configured or conceived so that the speeds at which the two electric wires 101 are suspended and lifted can be changed, the two electric wires 101 can be prevented from being suddenly subjected to a strong tension by, for example, setting the speed low before a position having a desired suspension height (in the case of manufacturing a long stranded wire 102) or setting the speed low from an initial outstation to a position having a desired suspension height (in the case of manufacturing a short stranded wire 102). As a result, problems such as damage to the two electric wires 101 can be prevented.

As understood from the above, the following advantageous effects are obtained: the stranded wire manufacturing apparatus 1 and the stranded wire manufacturing method can be configured not only to reduce the installation space and the like and improve the operation efficiency, but also to avoid strong tension from being applied to the two electric wires 101.

Since the stranded-wire manufacturing apparatus 1 and the stranded-wire manufacturing method according to the embodiment are configured or conceived such that the U-turn 106 formed in the halfway position of the two electric wires 101 is hooked on the wire hooking member 10 and is hung and lifted, the manufactured stranded wire 102 is U-turned at the top. This halves the height of the device and thus reduces the installation space.

In the above description, the sensor unit 30 (reference numeral 30a in fig. 1) provided at the substantial center of the elevation guide unit 7 is provided at the "first prescribed position". When it is necessary to manufacture an even longer stranded wire 102, for example, the position of the top sensor unit 30 (reference symbol 30b in fig. 1) may be set to the "first prescribed position". This enables even longer strands 102 to be manufactured, although no drawings are attached in connection with this feature.

Although not specifically shown, the short strand 102 may be made as follows: for example, the first and second end portions 103 and 104 of the two electric wires 101 are gripped by the first and right-side selection chucks 42 and 13, respectively, and then the electric wires 101 are twisted together by rotating the first end chuck 42.

According to the strand manufacturing apparatus 1 and the strand manufacturing method of the embodiment, since the wire hooking member 10 having the notch 66 is employed, even when the end portion (the wire intersection 69) of the left-side twisted portion 107 formed between the second end chuck 43 and the wire hooking member 10 moves to the vicinity of the notch 66, the end portion (the wire intersection 69) of the left-side twisted portion 107 does not lose an intended twisting form (e.g., does not increase the twisting pitch). That is, since the notch 66 is formed, a force pressing the end portion (the wire intersecting portion 69) of the left twisted portion 107 against the roller 62 is generated to prevent the end portion from losing the intended twisted form. Since the end portion (the wire intersecting portion 69) of the left twisted portion 107 does not lose the intended twisted form, when the right twisted portion 107 is formed, the remaining portion of the U-turn portion 106 can be normally twisted.

As such, the stranded wire manufacturing apparatus 1 and the stranded wire manufacturing method of the embodiment provide an advantageous effect of being able to normally strand the U-turn 106 of the electric wire 101 when manufacturing the stranded wire 102.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (3)

1. A strand manufacturing apparatus comprising:

a wire lifting unit on which at least two electric wires are hung to manufacture a stranded wire;

a wire twisting unit disposed adjacent to the wire lifting unit and configured to twist the electric wire to be suspended; and

a control unit configured to control at least the line lifting unit,

wherein the wire twisting unit includes: a first end chuck configured to grip a first end of the wire; a second end chuck configured to chuck a second end of the wire; a same-direction rotating unit configured to rotate the first end chuck and the second end chuck in the same direction at different times, respectively; and up-down position changing means for changing a position of at least one of the first end chuck and the second end chuck in an up-down direction,

wherein the wire lifting unit includes: a lifting unit; a lift guide unit configured to guide the lift unit in the up-down direction; and a lifting device for lifting and lowering the lifting unit,

wherein the lifting unit includes: a wire hooking member on which a U-turn portion of the electric wire formed at a halfway position of the electric wire is hooked and hung; a lifting unit main body to which the wire hooking member is attached; a tension applying member attached to the lifting unit main body and configured to generate an upward urging force when a downward force acts on the wire hooking member; and a position fixing device for fixing a position of the wire hooking member and temporarily stopping up and down movement of the wire hooking member,

wherein the wire hooking member has: an arc portion on which the U-turn portion is hooked and on which the U-turn portion can slide in a circumferential direction; and a notch adjoining the arc portion and

wherein the slit is formed in a portion of the wire hooking member at the side of one of the first end chuck and the second end chuck, the one of the first end chuck and the second end chuck is configured to be moved downward by the up-down position changing device, and the slit is shaped to have a rim portion inclined upward at a prescribed angle from a horizontal axis of the wire hooking member when the wire hooking member is viewed from the front.

2. The strand manufacturing apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the wire hooking part includes: a roller in which the arc and the notch are formed; and disks which are provided on the front and rear surfaces of the roller shaft, have a diameter larger than that of the roller shaft, and

wherein the lifting unit includes a wire pressing member configured to prevent the U-turn from coming out of one of the disks.

3. A strand manufacturing method of manufacturing a strand by stranding at least two electric wires, the strand manufacturing method comprising:

a wire intermediate hooking step: hooking a U-turn portion of the electric wire formed at a midway position of the electric wire on a wire hooking member;

a wire first end clamping step: clamping a first end of the wire with a first end chuck;

and a wire second end clamping step: clamping the second end portion of the electric wire with a second end chuck in a state where the U-turn portion of the second end portion is hooked on the wire hooking member and after the electric wire is hung; and

a wire twisting step of twisting the electric wire after suspending the electric wire and clamping the first end portion and the second end portion,

wherein the wire hooking member has: an arc portion on which the U-turn portion is hooked and on which the U-turn portion can slide in a circumferential direction; and a notch adjoining the arc portion and

wherein, in the wire twisting step, when the U-turn portion that is hooked on the arc portion and has not been twisted is twisted, the U-turn portion is prevented from losing an intended twisted form by the presence of the notch.

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