CN111725681A - Waterproof seal mounting device and electric wire processing device having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The technical problem is as follows: the width of a waterproof seal mounting device capable of mounting a plurality of types of electric wires is reduced, and the electric wire processing device is miniaturized. The solution is as follows: the waterproof seal mounting device (6F) is provided in the electric wire processing device together with a cutter unit that cuts the electric wire (W), a terminal crimping unit that crimps a terminal to the electric wire (W), and the like. A waterproof seal attachment device (6F) is provided with: seal introducing units (11a, 11b, 11c) for introducing the waterproof seal into the seal holders (31a, 31b, 31c), and a holder unit (12) for changing the positions and orientations of the seal holders (31a, 31b, 31c) so as to move the waterproof seal housed in the seal holders (31a, 31b, 31c) to the mounting position facing the electric wire (W). The seal introducing units (11a, 11b, 11c) are radially arranged along a vertical surface which is a surface perpendicular to the conveying direction of the wire (W) in the wire processing device.

Description

Waterproof seal mounting device and electric wire processing device having the same

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a waterproof seal attachment device for attaching a waterproof seal to a terminal portion of an electric wire, and an electric wire processing device including the waterproof seal attachment device.

Background

Conventionally, an electric wire having terminals crimped to one end or both ends has been used for various applications including automotive wiring. Normally, such an electric wire is constituted by a core wire made of a conductive material, and an insulating protective layer covering the core wire, and the terminal end portion thereof is automatically processed by a so-called wire processing apparatus. The wire processing apparatus exposes the core wire by peeling off the insulating protective layer of the terminal portion of the wire, and crimps the terminal to the exposed core wire. Thus, the electric wire to which the terminal is crimped is connected to the connector via the terminal in use.

However, depending on the use environment of the electric wire or the like, moisture may adhere to the electric wire and enter the terminal or the connector along the electric wire. In such a case, there is a possibility that electric leakage or the like occurs. Therefore, in the electric wire which may be used in an environment such as an environment where moisture adheres, a tubular waterproof seal made of rubber or the like is attached to a portion of the terminal on the root side. Therefore, even if moisture moves toward the terminal along the electric wire, the moisture is prevented by the waterproof seal, and the moisture is prevented from entering the terminal or the connector.

Therefore, conventionally, a device for attaching a waterproof seal to the terminal end of the wire, that is, a waterproof seal attachment device, is added to the wire processing device.

However, the electric wire has different diameters depending on the application. Therefore, the waterproof seal is required to have a specification corresponding to the diameter of the electric wire. In addition, under normal conditions, the user of the electric wire processing apparatus including the waterproof seal mounting apparatus basically undertakes terminal processing of a variety of electric wires. However, since the waterproof seal attachment device is expensive, it is necessary to be able to handle a plurality of types of electric wires and waterproof seals with 1 device. Therefore, a waterproof seal mounting device capable of coping with a plurality of kinds of electric wires has been proposed (for example, refer to japanese patent laid-open No. 2004-227863 and japanese patent laid-open No. 11-345668).

As shown in fig. 13(a), a waterproof seal attachment device 100 disclosed in japanese patent laid-open No. 2004-227863 includes: a base 107, and a seal attachment unit 105 provided on the base 107. The seal mounting unit 105 includes: an introducing unit 101 having a waterproof seal supply path 104 therein, and a housing member 102 housing the waterproof seal supplied from the introducing unit 101. A recess 102a into which a waterproof seal is fitted is formed in the housing member 102. The receiving member 102 is disposed so that the concave portion 102a faces one end of the supply path 104 of the introducing unit 101. The other end of the supply path 104 is connected to a supply pipe 106, and the upstream end of the supply pipe 106 is connected to a parts supplier 110 provided outside.

With this configuration, the waterproof seal supplied from the parts supplier 110 is accommodated in the recess 102a of the accommodating member 102 through the supply pipe 106 and the supply path 104. Then, the waterproof seal is attached to the terminal end of the electric wire W by inserting the electric wire W from the outside (the left side in fig. 13 (a)) of the housing member 102.

The waterproof seal attachment device 100 includes a plurality of seal attachment units 105 having different inner diameters of the supply path 104, sizes of the concave portions 102a, and the like so as to be able to correspond to a plurality of types of waterproof seals having different specifications. Thereby, the waterproof seal mounting apparatus 100 can perform terminal processing of a plurality of kinds of electric wires W.

In addition, the wire processing apparatus to which the waterproof seal mounting apparatus 100 is attached includes a moving device (not shown) that moves the wire W to a position facing the waterproof seal mounting apparatus 100 or another position in order to perform cutting of the wire W, peeling of the coating layer, crimping of the terminal, and the like. In this wire processing apparatus, the moving device is configured to move the wire W in a horizontal direction (a front-back direction of the paper surface in fig. 13(a), a left-right direction in fig. 13 (b)) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction thereof.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved

As shown in fig. 13(b), in the waterproof seal mounting device 100, the plurality of seal mounting units 105 are arranged along a horizontal direction perpendicular to the electric wire W, that is, a moving direction of the electric wire. Therefore, the horizontal direction width (length in the moving direction of the electric wire W) of the waterproof seal mounting apparatus 100 becomes large. However, in the wire processing apparatus, a plurality of apparatuses (for example, a cutter for cutting the wire W, a device for crimping a terminal, and the like) are arranged along the moving direction of the wire W. Therefore, if the horizontal direction width of the waterproof seal mounting apparatus 100 becomes large, the horizontal direction width of the electric wire processing apparatus becomes larger, resulting in a large volume of the electric wire processing apparatus as a whole.

In addition, if the horizontal direction width of the waterproof seal mounting device 100 is increased, the length of the electric wire W in the moving direction in the electric wire processing device is increased. Therefore, the moving distance between the devices becomes long, and the time required for moving the wire W increases. As a result, the time required for the termination of the electric wire becomes long, and the efficiency of the termination is lowered.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof seal attachment device capable of performing a seal attachment process for a plurality of types of electric wires, which can reduce the length of the device in a wire feeding direction and can further reduce the size of an electric wire processing device including the waterproof seal attachment device. Another object of the present invention is to shorten the time required for the termination process of the electric wire.

(II) technical scheme

The waterproof seal mounting device of the present invention includes: a seal support member having a housing portion that houses the waterproof seal; a plurality of seal supply paths that are formed with lead-out ports that face the housing portions of the seal support members and that guide waterproof seals to the housing portions; and an attachment mechanism that attaches the waterproof seal to the electric wire by inserting the electric wire, which is fed in a predetermined direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of the electric wire, into the waterproof seal supported by the seal supporting member, wherein the plurality of seal supply paths are arranged along a predetermined surface intersecting the predetermined direction.

According to the waterproof seal attachment device, the plurality of seal supply paths are arranged along the predetermined surface intersecting the electric wire conveying direction. Therefore, the length of the waterproof seal attachment device in the wire feeding direction is suppressed to be short. Therefore, the electric wire processing device equipped with the waterproof seal mounting device can be miniaturized. In addition, the time required for moving the electric wire can be shortened, and the efficiency of the terminal processing of the electric wire can be improved.

The plurality of seal supply paths are arranged along a predetermined plane orthogonal to the predetermined direction.

This can minimize the length of the waterproof seal attachment device in the wire feeding direction. Therefore, the electric wire processing apparatus can be further miniaturized. In addition, the efficiency of the wire termination process can be further improved.

The plurality of seal supply paths may be radially arranged so as to extend from the respective outlet ports.

Thus, the outlet ports of the seal supply paths are arranged in a concentrated manner on the radial center side. Therefore, the seal supporting member can be miniaturized.

Preferably, the waterproof seal attachment device includes a pushing device provided in at least one of the seal supply paths to push the waterproof seal into the housing portion of the seal support member.

For example, when one seal supply path is inclined greatly from the vertical direction, the waterproof seal supplied from the seal supply path is less likely to be subjected to the action of gravity, and therefore, is less likely to be directly stored in the storage portion of the seal support member. However, according to the seal attachment device described above, even when the waterproof seal supplied from the seal supply path is not smoothly stored in the storage portion, the waterproof seal is pushed into the storage portion by the pushing device, and as a result, the waterproof seal is reliably stored in the storage portion. Thus, the reliability of the terminal processing of the electric wire can be improved.

Preferably, the seal support member includes a number of storage portions corresponding to the number of the seal supply paths, and the waterproof seal mounting device further includes a driving device that drives the seal support member so that the storage portions can reciprocate between a storage position where the storage portions face the outlet of the seal supply paths and a mounting position where the waterproof seal in the storage portions is mounted on the electric wire.

Thus, the seal support member is driven by the driving device, and the plurality of housing portions can be reciprocated between the housing position and the mounting position. Therefore, the terminal processing of the electric wire can be performed using the plurality of receiving portions corresponding to the plurality of waterproof seals having different specifications.

The plurality of seal supply paths may be radially arranged to extend from the outlet side, and the seal support member may include: and a number of receiving portions corresponding to the number of the seal supply paths, the receiving portions being radially arranged around the rotation axis, wherein the waterproof seal mounting device includes a driving device that rotates the seal support member around the rotation axis so that the receiving portions can reciprocate between a receiving position facing the outlet of the seal supply paths and a mounting position at which the waterproof seals in the receiving portions are mounted to the wires.

This makes it possible to reduce the size of the seal support member. Further, the terminal processing of the electric wire can be performed using a plurality of receiving portions corresponding to a plurality of waterproof seals having different specifications.

(III) advantageous effects

As described above, according to the present invention, in a waterproof seal attachment device capable of performing seal attachment processing of a plurality of types of electric wires, the length of the device in the electric wire feeding direction can be shortened, and further, the electric wire processing device having the waterproof seal attachment device can be downsized. In addition, according to the present invention, the time required for the termination process of the electric wire can be shortened.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an electric wire processing apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a front sectional view of a waterproof seal mounting device of the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the waterproof seal mounting apparatus of the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the waterproof seal mounting apparatus of the embodiment.

Fig. 5(a) and (b) are sectional views showing the seal attachment unit.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the holder unit.

Fig. 7(a) and (b) are views showing the rotational operation of the holder unit.

Fig. 8(a) and (b) are views showing the rotational operation of the holder unit.

Fig. 9(a) and (b) are views showing the rotational operation of the holder unit.

Fig. 10 is a front cross-sectional view showing a seal moving mechanism in a waterproof seal mounting device according to a modification.

Fig. 11 is a front cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of a seal introducing unit in the waterproof seal mounting device according to the modification.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a modified example of the electric wire processing apparatus.

Fig. 13(a) is a side view of a conventional waterproof seal attachment device. (b) Is a side view of a conventional waterproof seal mounting device.

Description of the reference numerals

1-an electric wire processing device; 6F, 6R-waterproof seal mounting means; 11a, 11b, 11 c-seal introducing unit; 12-a seal moving mechanism; 14-a drive device; 18-a lead-out port; 20-a waterproof seal; 23a, 23b, 23 c-a through path (seal supply path); 24 a-supply path (seal supply path); 26-cylinders (push-in devices); 31a, 31b, 31 c-seal holder (seal support member); 33a, 33b, 33 c-recesses (receiving portions); w-wire.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of a waterproof seal attachment device and an electric wire processing device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The waterproof seal attachment device of the present embodiment is a waterproof seal attachment device 6F, 6R attached to the electric wire processing device 1 shown in fig. 1. In the following description, the overall structure and operation of the wire processing device 1 will be described first, and then the waterproof seal attachment devices 6F and 6R will be described. In the following description, the directions of up, down, left, and right in fig. 1 will be referred to as right, left, rear, and front, respectively.

The electric wire processing apparatus 1 cuts a long electric wire W, and attaches waterproof seals 20 (see fig. 5(a)) and terminals to the front end and the rear end of the cut electric wire W. The wire processing device 1 includes: a cutter unit 3 that cuts the electric wire W, a length measuring unit 2 that measures the length of the electric wire W, a front side processing part 9F that processes the front end part of the electric wire W after cutting, a rear side processing part 9R that processes the rear end part of the electric wire W, and a controller 50.

The front processing unit 9F and the rear processing unit 9R have substantially the same configuration. Specifically, the front-side processing unit 9F includes: the wire crimping apparatus includes a clamp 4F for holding a wire W by clamping the wire W, a parts feeder 5F for sequentially feeding a waterproof seal 20 by compressed air, a waterproof seal mounting device 6F for mounting the waterproof seal 20 on the wire W, a terminal crimping unit 7F for crimping a terminal to the wire W, and a moving device 8F for moving the wire W by sliding in the left-right direction. The parts feeder 5F and the waterproof seal mounting device 6F are connected by a delivery pipe 25 a. The rear processing unit 9R also includes: the clip 4R, the parts feeder 5R, the feed pipe 25a, the waterproof seal mounting device 6R, the terminal crimping unit 7R, and the moving device 8R.

Next, the operation of the electric wire processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to fig. 1. The following operations are all performed under the control of the controller 50.

First, a predetermined amount of the wire W is fed from the front to the rear (in the direction of the arrow X) along the wire feed line L. The electric wire W includes: a core wire made of a conductive material such as metal, and a coating layer made of an insulating material (e.g., vinyl resin) for coating the outside of the core wire. The predetermined amount is set in advance based on the specification of the electric wire W or the like, and is detected by the length measuring means 2. When the feeding amount of the wire W reaches the predetermined amount, the controller 50 stops the feeding of the wire W. The fed electric wire W is gripped by the clip 4F and the clip 4R, respectively, and cut by the cutter unit 3.

The front processing unit 9F and the rear processing unit 9R perform almost the same processing. First, the processing performed by the front-side processing unit 9F will be described.

In the present wire processing apparatus 1, the feeding direction Y of the wire W is the left-right direction, and the feeding direction Y is orthogonal to the feeding direction of the wire W, i.e., the front-rear direction X. However, the transport direction Y may intersect the delivery direction X, and does not necessarily need to be orthogonal to each other.

The wire W is first conveyed leftward by the moving device 8F to a position a where the wire W is opposed to the waterproof seal mounting device 6F. Then, the waterproof seal 20 is attached to the tip end portion of the electric wire W by the waterproof seal attaching device 6F. Since the terminal is crimped to the distal end of the wire W in the subsequent step, the waterproof seal 20 is attached to a position away from the distal end of the wire W. The detailed operation of the waterproof seal attachment device 6F will be described later.

Next, the wire W is returned to the position L where the tip end portion thereof faces the cutter unit 3 by the moving device 8F. In the cutter unit 3, the covering protection layer of the portion of the electric wire W closer to the tip side than the waterproof seal 20 is peeled off. Thereby, the distal end portion of the wire W is exposed.

After that, the electric wire W is conveyed to a position B where the tip end portion thereof faces the terminal crimping unit 7F by the moving device 8F. In the terminal crimping unit 7F, the terminal is crimped at the leading end portion (more specifically, the portion closer to the front side than the waterproof seal 20) of the electric wire W.

Next, the electric wire W is returned to the position L where the tip end portion thereof faces the cutter unit 3 by the moving device 8F.

The above is the terminal processing of the front side of the electric wire W. The wire W subjected to the front termination processing is fed backward by a predetermined amount along the wire feed line L, and is held by the gripper 4R. Then, the rear side of the electric wire W is cut by the cutting operation performed by the cutter unit 3.

The rear end of the cut wire W is subjected to termination processing in the same manner as the front termination processing. Specifically, the waterproof seal 20 is attached to the rear end portion of the electric wire W by the rear-side processing portion 9R, the coating protection layer of the rear end portion of the electric wire W is peeled off, and the terminal is crimped to the core wire of the rear end portion. The process of the rear-side processing unit 9R is performed in parallel with the process of the front-side processing unit 9F.

Through the above steps, the electric wire with the waterproof seal 20 and the terminal attached to both ends is manufactured. Thereafter, the electric wire is collected in a predetermined wire discharge portion by a discharge means not shown.

The operation of the electric wire processing apparatus 1 is repeatedly executed. As a result, the electric wire W having the waterproof seals attached to both ends and the terminals crimped thereon is sequentially manufactured.

Next, the waterproof seal attachment devices 6F and 6R will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Further, the waterproof seal mounting device 6F of the front processing portion 9F and the waterproof seal mounting device 6R of the rear processing portion 9R have the same structure. Therefore, only the waterproof seal mounting device 6F will be described below, and the description of the waterproof seal mounting device 6R will be omitted.

The waterproof seal 20 has a substantially cylindrical structure with an insertion hole formed in the center. As shown in fig. 5(a), in the present embodiment, the waterproof seal 20 is formed of a rubber plug having a cylindrical small diameter portion 20a on the tip side and a plurality of large diameter portions 20b in a substantially umbrella shape on the root side. However, the specific shape of the waterproof seal 20 is not limited at all. For example, the waterproof seal 20 may be formed of a cylindrical body having a polygonal cross section.

As shown in fig. 2, the waterproof seal attachment device 6F includes: the waterproof seal device includes a support base 10, three seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c (fig. 1 shows only one seal introducing unit for convenience of explanation), which are attached to the support base 10, a holder unit 12 having seal holders 31a, 31b, and 31c that support the waterproof seal 20, and a drive mechanism 14 that rotates the holder unit 12. The packing introducing units 11a, 11b, 11c introduce the waterproof packing 20, which is conveyed from the part feeder 5F through the conveying pipe 25a, into the holder unit 12. The holder unit 12 holds the waterproof seal 20 conveyed from the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c, and guides the waterproof seal to the mounting position of the electric wire W.

The seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c are each fixed to the support table 10 at one end side and radially arranged around a rotation shaft 32s described later. These seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c are configured to introduce waterproof seals 20 of different shapes or sizes. Since the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c have substantially the same configuration, only the seal introducing unit 11a will be described in detail below, and only the difference between the other seal introducing units 11b and 11c will be described.

As shown in fig. 5(a) and 5(b), the seal introducing unit 11a includes a seal guide 21 attached to the support base 10 at one end side and an introducing block 22 attached to the other end side of the seal guide 21. The seal guide 21 and the introduction block 22 are provided with insertion paths 23a integrally penetrating the seal guide 21 and the introduction block 22. The introduction block 22 is provided with a supply path 24a that branches obliquely upward from the insertion path 23 a. In the present embodiment, the seal supply path of the seal introducing unit 11a is formed by the supply path 24a and the downstream side portion of the branching portion of the insertion path 23 a. A lead-out port 18 is formed at the downstream end of the insertion path 23 a.

One end of a delivery pipe 25a is attached to the vicinity of the opening of the supply path 24a of the introduction block 22 on the upstream side. The other end of the feed pipe 25a is connected to the parts feeder 5F (see fig. 1). Thus, when the part feeder 5F is operated, the waterproof seal 20 moves in the delivery pipe 25a with the flow of the compressed air, and is fed to the insertion path 23a of the seal guide 21 through the feed path 24a of the guide block 22 (see fig. 5 (a)). As described later, when the waterproof seal 20 is attached to the electric wire W, the electric wire W is inserted from the large diameter portion 20b side of the waterproof seal 20, but when the waterproof seal 20 is conveyed, the waterproof seal 20 is conveyed with the small diameter portion 20a side as a head.

An air cylinder 26 is provided as a pushing means for pushing the waterproof seal 20 above the insertion path 23a of the introduction block 22. The cylinder 26 includes a cylinder pin 27 extending in the longitudinal direction of the insertion path 23 a. A cylinder head 28 is attached to the top end of the cylinder pin 27, and the cylinder head 28 has a contact surface 28a that contacts the waterproof seal 20. The cylinder head 28 reciprocates between one end and the other end of the insertion path 23a in accordance with expansion and contraction of the cylinder pin 27 (see fig. 5(a) and (b)). When the cylinder head 28 moves downward from above, the waterproof seal 20 in the insertion path 23a is pushed downward by the cylinder head 28 and is reliably housed in the seal holder 31 a.

An intermittent cylinder 36 is disposed outside the seal guide 21. A lateral hole 30 extending in a direction intersecting the insertion path 23a is formed in the seal guide 21, and a cylinder pin 37 of a batch cylinder 36 is inserted into the lateral hole 30 in a freely removable manner. Further, an entry path 29 for a cylinder pin 37 is provided at a position facing the lateral hole 30 of the seal guide 21. When the cylinder pin 37 is extended, the top end portion of the cylinder pin 37 is fitted into the entry path 29 and supported by the seal guide 21. However, the entry path 29 is not essential and can be omitted.

With this configuration, when the cylinder pin 37 is extended, the cylinder pin 37 protrudes from the lateral hole 30 into the insertion path 23 a. As a result, the cylinder pin 37 prevents the waterproof seal 20 from passing through, and the waterproof seal 20 temporarily stands by in the insertion path 23 a. On the other hand, when the cylinder pin 37 contracts, the cylinder pin 37 is inserted into the lateral hole 30. As a result, the standby waterproof seal 20 moves again toward the seal holder 31a in the insertion path 23 a.

As shown in fig. 2, the seal introducing units 11b and 11c each include: insertion paths 23b and 23c corresponding to the insertion path 23a of the seal introducing unit 11a, a supply path (not shown) corresponding to the supply path 24a, and a delivery pipe (not shown) corresponding to the delivery pipe 25 a. They are designed in such a manner that their inner diameters are different from the inner diameter of the seal introducing unit 11a, respectively. Therefore, the seal introducing units 11b and 11c can supply the waterproof seals having different sizes from the seal introducing unit 11 a. The other structure is the same as the seal introducing unit 11 a.

As shown in fig. 2 and 6, the holder unit 12 includes: three packing holders 31a, 31b, 31c holding the waterproof packing 20, and a support member 32 supporting the packing holders 31a, 31b, 31 c. The seal retainers 31a, 31b, and 31c are disposed radially in the same vertical plane, and in the present embodiment, are disposed at 90-degree intervals around the rotation axis 32 s. The seal holders 31a, 31b, and 31c are fixed to the support member 32 by screws 38 or the like. The support member 32 has a cylindrical rotation shaft 32s extending in the horizontal direction, and is rotationally driven by the drive mechanism 14. Accordingly, the seal holders 31a, 31b, and 31c can rotate about the rotation shaft 32s in the vertical plane, and the direction of the waterproof seal 20 held therein can be switched.

As shown in fig. 6, the packing retainers 31a, 31b, and 31c are formed of members having substantially the same shape, and recesses 33a, 33b, and 33c for retaining the waterproof packing 20 are formed at one end side of each. The size and shape of the concave portions 33a, 33b, and 33c are different from each other, and the packing holders 31a, 31b, and 31c can hold the waterproof packings 20 of different specifications. Since the other structures are the same, only the packing retainer 31a will be described below.

An air suction hole 34 is formed from the recess 33a of the packing holder 31a to the support member 32. A suction passage 35 is formed in the rotary shaft 32s of the support member 32, and the air suction hole 34 is connected to the suction passage 35. The suction passage 35 is connected to an air suction device 39 such as a vacuum pump. With such a configuration, when the air suction device 39 is operated, the waterproof seal 20 in the recess 33a is sucked through the suction passage 35 and the air suction hole 34. Thereby, the waterproof seal 20 is firmly held by the seal holder 31 a. Therefore, even if the support member 32 rotates, the waterproof seal 20 is prevented from falling. Further, since the inner diameter of the air suction hole 34 is smaller than the outer diameter of the waterproof seal 20, the waterproof seal 20 is not sucked into the air suction hole 34.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the drive mechanism 14 includes: a servo motor 41 provided at a lower layer portion of the support table 10, a driving pulley 42 attached to a shaft 40 of the servo motor 41, a driven pulley 43 attached to the rotation shaft 32s, and a belt 44 wound around the driving pulley 42 and the driven pulley 43. With such a configuration, when the servo motor 41 is started, the driving pulley 42 rotates, the driven pulley 43 follows, and the rotary shaft 32s is driven to rotate. However, the specific configuration of the drive mechanism 14 is not limited at all, and for example, a sprocket and a chain may be used instead of the pulleys 42 and 43 and the belt 44, or a gear mechanism in which a plurality of gears are coupled may be used.

As shown in fig. 2, wire guides 45a, 45b are disposed on the side (left side in fig. 2) of the holder unit 12, and the wire guides 45a, 45b guide the wire W toward the packing holder 31a or the like of the holder unit 12. The wire guides 45a and 45b are provided with a drive device 46, and the drive device 46 is constituted by a motor or the like that moves the wire guides 45a and 45b in the up-down direction.

As shown in fig. 3, the support stand 10 is provided with a sensor 15, and the sensor 15 detects whether or not the waterproof seal 20 is stored in the seal holders 31a, 31b, 31c of the holder unit 12. In the present embodiment, the sensor 15 is a photoelectric sensor. However, the specific structure of the sensor 15 is not limited at all, and a touch sensor, for example, can be used.

Next, the operation of the waterproof seal attachment device 6F will be described. Further, of the three packing holders 31a, 31b, 31c of the holder unit 12, the packing holder 31a is used in the case of using the packing introducing unit 11a, the packing holder 31b is used in the case of using the packing introducing unit 11b, and the packing holder 31c is used in the case of using the packing introducing unit 11 c. However, even if any of the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c is used, their respective operations are basically the same, and therefore only the operation in the case of using the seal introducing unit 11a will be described here.

First, the waterproof seal 20 is conveyed from the parts feeder 5F. The compressed air supplied from the parts feeder 5F supplies the waterproof seal 20 to the insertion path 23a through the delivery pipe 25a and the supply path 24 a. At this time, the cylinder pin 37 of the seal introducing unit 11a is controlled by the controller 50 to protrude into the insertion path 23a (see fig. 5 (a)). Therefore, the waterproof seal 20 is blocked from the inlet by the cylinder pin 37 and stands by near the lower end of the insertion path 23 a.

In the waterproof seal attachment device 6F, in parallel with the above-described steps, the controller 50 controls the servo motor 41 to rotate the support member 32 until the seal holder 31a moves to the predetermined storage position. Thereby, the seal holder 31a rotates around the rotation shaft 32s, and the recess 33a moves to a position (storage position) facing the outlet 18 of the seal guide 21. When the seal holder 31a reaches the storage position, the controller 50 retracts the cylinder pin 37 and opens the path of the waterproof seal 20 in the insertion path 23 a. Thereby, the waterproof seal 20 falls toward the recess 33a of the seal holder 31 a.

Next, the controller 50 extends the cylinder pin 27 of the cylinder 26. Thereby, the waterproof seal 20 falling toward the recess 33a is pushed into the recess 33a by the cylinder head 28 (see fig. 5 (b)). When the waterproof seal 20 is pushed into the recess 33a, the controller 50 operates the air suction device 39. Thereby, the waterproof seal 20 is suction-held by the seal holder 31 a. Further, the air suction device 39 may be operated before or during pushing the waterproof seal 20 into the recess 33 a.

When the waterproof seal 20 is held by the seal holder 31a, the controller 50 projects the cylinder pin 37 again and brings it into the insertion path 23 a. Thereby, the access path of the waterproof seal 20 is again blocked. Thereby, the next waterproof seal 20 can be supplied and put on standby.

When it is detected by the sensor 15 that the waterproof seal 20 is held by the seal holder 31a, the controller 50 operates the servo motor 41 to rotate the support member 32. Thereby, the seal holder 31a moves around the rotation axis 32s to a position (attachment position) facing the electric wire W held by the clamp 4F.

When the packing holder 31a reaches the above-described mounting position, the controller 50 closes the wire guides 45a, 45b from the up-down direction, and moves the clip 4F toward the packing holder 31a by a predetermined amount. Thus, the electric wire W held by the clamp 4F is inserted into the waterproof seal 20 held by the seal holder 31a while being guided by the wire guides 45a and 45 b. Thereafter, the controller 50 opens the wire guides 45a and 45b in the vertical direction, stops the operation of the air suction device 39, and retracts the clamp 4F from the packing holder 31 a. Thereby, the wire W returns to the predetermined position. In the present embodiment, the attachment mechanism for attaching the waterproof seal 20 to the electric wire W is constituted by the clip 4F, and the clip 4F is close to or away from the seal holder 31 a.

However, the inner diameter of the hole in the center of the waterproof seal 20 is set to be slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the wire W. Therefore, the electric wire W is pressed into the hole of the waterproof seal 20, and the waterproof seal 20 moves integrally with the electric wire W by the frictional force between the electric wire W and the waterproof seal 20. In addition, by stopping the operation of the air suction device 39, the waterproof seal 20 is not sucked and held in the recess 33 a. Thus, when the clip 4F is retracted, the waterproof seal 20 is not detached from the electric wire W but moves together with the electric wire W. Thus, the installation of the waterproof seal 20 to the electric wire W is completed.

After the clip 4F is retreated from the seal holder 31a, the electric wire W is conveyed to another position of the electric wire processing apparatus 1 by the moving device 8F, and another process is performed. Then, in the next cycle, the electric wire W is again fed to the waterproof seal mounting device 6F, and the above-described respective steps are repeated.

The above is the waterproof seal attachment operation in the case where the seal introducing unit 11a is used. When the seal introducing means 11b or 11c is used, the operation until the waterproof seal 20 is stored in the seal holder 31b or 31c is the same as described above, but the subsequent operation is slightly different. Specifically, when the seal introducing unit 11b or 11c is used, the rotation angle of the holder unit 12 is different from that when the seal introducing unit 11a is used. Because the required swivel angle of the holder unit 12 (the angle between the storage position and the mounting position of the waterproof seal 20 as viewed from the rotation center) is different with the seal introducing unit used.

Next, the rotation angle of the holder unit 12 will be described.

As shown in fig. 7(a), when the seal introducing unit 11a is used, the waterproof seal 20 is housed and held in the seal holder 31 a. When the waterproof seal 20 is held by the seal holder 31a, the holder unit 12 is rotated by 90 ° about the rotation axis 32s to a position (mounting position) where the recess 33a of the seal holder 31a faces the electric wire W (see fig. 7 b).

As shown in fig. 8(a), when the seal introducing unit 11b is used, the waterproof seal 20 is housed and held in the seal holder 31 b. When the waterproof seal 20 is held by the seal holder 31b, the holder unit 12 is rotated by 125 ° about the rotation axis 32s to a position (mounting position) where the recess 33b of the seal holder 31b faces the electric wire W (see fig. 8 b).

As shown in fig. 9(a), when the seal introducing unit 11c is used, the waterproof seal 20 is housed and held by the seal holder 31 c. When the waterproof seal 20 is held by the seal holder 31c, the holder unit 12 is rotated by 160 ° about the rotation axis 32s to a position (mounting position) where the recess 33c of the seal holder 31c faces the electric wire W (see fig. 9 b).

As shown in fig. 2, in the present embodiment, the seal introducing means 11a is disposed in the vertical direction, the seal introducing means 11b is disposed in the direction inclined by 35 ° from the vertical direction, and the seal introducing means 11c is disposed in the direction inclined by 70 ° from the vertical direction. The seal holders 31a, 31b, and 31c are arranged with a 90 ° shift in the circumferential direction, respectively, as viewed from the rotation center of the support member 32. Therefore, the rotation angles of the holder unit 12 when the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c are used are respectively defined as 90 °, 125 °, and 160 ° as described above. However, the arrangement of the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c and the arrangement of the seal holders 31a, 31b, and 31c are not limited to the arrangement of the present embodiment. When the arrangement of the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c and the arrangement of the seal holders 31a, 31b, and 31c are changed, the same operation as that of the present embodiment can be performed by appropriately changing the rotation angle of the holder unit 12.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the supply paths 24a, 24b, and 24c and the insertion paths 23a, 23b, and 23c (hereinafter simply referred to as "seal supply paths") of the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c are arranged in the vertical plane which is a plane orthogonal to the conveying direction (Y direction) of the wire W. Therefore, the width of the waterproof seal attachment device 6F in the Y direction can be reduced. Therefore, the length of the electric wire processing apparatus 1 in the Y direction can be shortened, and the electric wire processing apparatus 1 can be downsized.

Further, since the conveying distance of the electric wire W is shortened by shortening the Y-direction length of the electric wire processing apparatus 1, the conveying time of the electric wire W can be shortened. Thus, the time required for the termination process of the electric wire W can be shortened.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the seal supply paths of the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c are radially arranged so as to extend outward from the respective outlet ports 18. Therefore, the lead-out ports 18 are arranged in a concentrated manner, and therefore the holder unit 12 can be downsized.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the waterproof seals 20 of different specifications can be attached only by changing the rotation angle of the support member 32 of the holder unit 12. Therefore, the controller 50 does not need to perform complicated control, and the type of the waterproof seal 20 can be changed by a simple operation.

In the present embodiment, the waterproof seal 20 is pushed into the seal holders 31a, 31b, and 31c by the cylinder head 28. Thereby, the waterproof seal 20 is mechanically pushed into the respective seal holders 31a, 31b, 31 c. Conventionally, when the waterproof seal 20 is stored in the seal holder, the waterproof seal 20 may be caught in front of the seal holder and may not be smoothly stored in the seal holder due to the inertial force of the waterproof seal 20 conveyed by the compressed air. However, in the present embodiment, the waterproof seal 20 can be smoothly and reliably housed in the seal holder. In particular, the seal introducing means 11c arranged at an angle close to the horizontal direction remarkably exerts its effect. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the waterproof seal 20 can be smoothly and reliably supplied from the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c to the seal holders 31a, 31b, and 31 c.

However, in the above embodiment, the seal moving mechanism that changes the position or orientation of the waterproof seal 20 is constituted by the holder unit 12. The holder unit 12 includes: the packing holders 31a, 31b, and 31c and the support member 32 to which these packing holders 31a, 31b, and 31c are radially attached change the position of the waterproof packing 20 held in the packing holders 31a, 31b, and 31c by rotating the support member 32. However, the seal moving mechanism is not limited to the holder unit 12. For example, as shown in fig. 10, a belt 61 may be used instead of the support member 32 that supports the plurality of holder units.

In this modification, the seal moving mechanism includes: a pulley 62 driven by the servomotor 41, an auxiliary pulley 63, and a support belt 61 wound around the pulley 62 and the auxiliary pulley 63. A belt 44 is wound around the servomotor 41 and the pulley 62. The plurality of packing retainers 31a, 31b, 31c, … are attached to the support band 61 so that the respective concave portions face outward. The support belt 61 moves with the rotation of the pulley 62 and the auxiliary pulley 63, and the packing retainers 31a, 31b, 31c, … move on the rails of the support belt 61. Further, the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, 11c, … corresponding to the seal holders 31a, 31b, 31c, … are arranged in a direction orthogonal to a track drawn by the tips of the seal holders 31a, 31b, 31c, …. In this modification, the seal supply paths of the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, 11c, and … are arranged along a plane orthogonal to the feeding direction of the electric wire W.

Even if the seal moving mechanism of the above-described type is used, the width of the waterproof seal mounting device in the wire feeding direction can be reduced, and the wire processing device can be downsized. In addition, by increasing the interval between the pulley 62 and the auxiliary pulley 63, more packing retainers can be mounted on the support band 61. Therefore, when the seal moving mechanism of the above-described aspect is used, it is possible to perform a terminal processing of a wider variety of electric wires W while downsizing the electric wire processing apparatus.

In the above embodiment, the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c are arranged radially along the same vertical plane. However, the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c may be arranged in the same plane as the seal holders 31a, 31b, and 31c, and the arrangement thereof is not limited to the arrangement of the above embodiment. For example, as shown in fig. 11, the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c may be arranged in the vertical direction.

In this modification, the support member 32 is formed of a rod extending in the vertical direction, and the seal holders 31a, 31b, and 31c are fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the support member 32. The seal retainers 31a, 31b, and 31c are disposed at heights facing the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c, respectively. A disk 43 is provided at the lower end of the support member 32, and a belt 44 is wound around the disk 43 and the drive shaft 42 of the motor 41. The support member 32 is formed to be movable up and down with respect to the disk 43. Thus, the seal holders 31a, 31b, and 31c can be moved to a height facing the electric wire W by moving the support member 32 up and down. When the support member 32 is rotationally driven, the seal holders 31a, 31b, and 31c rotate around the vertical axis. By the vertical movement and rotation of the support member 32, the waterproof seal 20 moves between the storage position and the attachment position.

In the modification as described above, the width of the waterproof seal attachment device can be reduced.

Further, the electric wire processing device 1 equipped with the waterproof seal mounting devices 6F, 6R is not limited to the foregoing structure. In the wire processing apparatus 1 shown in fig. 1, the moving devices 8F and 8R slide the wire W in the left-right direction. However, as shown in fig. 12, the moving devices 8F and 8R may rotate the wire W. If such rotary type moving devices 8F and 8R are used, the electric wire processing apparatus 1 can be further downsized. Further, energy required for moving the electric wire W can be reduced, and power consumption and the like can be reduced. In fig. 12, only one seal introducing means is illustrated for convenience of explanation.

In the present embodiment, the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c are used to supply waterproof seals 20 of different specifications, respectively. However, the three seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c may be operated simultaneously by corresponding the seal introducing units 11a, 11b, and 11c to the waterproof seal 20 of the same specification. In this case, the time required to supply the waterproof seal 20 can be further shortened, and therefore the time required to install the waterproof seal 20 can be further shortened.

Industrial applicability

As described above, the present invention is useful in a waterproof seal attachment device that attaches a waterproof seal to a terminal end portion of an electric wire, and an electric wire processing device including the waterproof seal attachment device.

Claims (6)

1. A waterproof seal attachment device is provided with:

a seal support member having a housing portion that houses the waterproof seal;

a plurality of seal supply paths that are formed with lead-out ports that face the housing portions of the seal support members and that guide waterproof seals to the housing portions; and

an attachment mechanism that attaches the waterproof seal to the electric wire by inserting the electric wire fed in a predetermined direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of the electric wire into the waterproof seal supported by the seal supporting member,

the plurality of seal supply paths are arranged along a predetermined plane orthogonal to the predetermined direction.

2. The watertight seal mounting apparatus of claim 1,

the plurality of seal supply paths are radially arranged so as to extend from the respective outlet ports.

3. The watertight seal mounting apparatus of claim 1,

the waterproof seal attachment device includes a pushing device provided in at least one of the seal supply paths to push the waterproof seal into the housing portion of the seal support member.

4. The watertight seal mounting apparatus of claim 1,

the seal supporting member includes a number of receiving portions corresponding to the number of the seal supply paths,

the waterproof seal mounting device includes a driving device that drives the seal support member so that the storage portions can reciprocate between a storage position facing the outlet of the seal supply paths and a mounting position at which the waterproof seals in the storage portions are mounted to the electric wires.

5. The watertight seal mounting apparatus of claim 2,

the seal support member includes: a rotating shaft extending in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined surface, and a number of accommodating portions corresponding to the number of the seal supply paths,

the receiving parts are radially arranged with the rotating shaft as the center,

the waterproof seal attachment device includes a drive device that rotates the seal support member around the rotation axis so that the storage portions can reciprocate between a storage position facing the outlet of the seal supply paths and an attachment position at which the waterproof seals in the storage portions are attached to the electric wires.

6. An electric wire processing device is characterized by comprising:

the waterproof seal mounting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5;

a terminal crimping device crimping a terminal to a terminal end portion of the electric wire with the waterproof seal mounted thereto by the waterproof seal mounting device; and

and a moving device that moves the electric wire at least from a position facing the waterproof seal attachment device to a position facing the terminal crimping device by conveying the electric wire in a predetermined direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of the electric wire.

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