EP0499042B1 - Method for the making of wire harnesses and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

A process for the bundling and tying for example of electrical lines (1) to a cable harness using a band (2) has the following steps: a) Forming a loop of greater than 360 DEG around the cables (1). b) The band (2) is initially fixed with respect to the bundle below the sonotrode (14) so as to be stationary by a slide (8). c) The band loop is pulled downwards in the direction of the arrow (4) and held under tensile stress. d) The free end (5) and the band area above this are fixed by a slide (12) for the second time with respect to the bundle so as to be stationary. e) The endless band (2) is separated below the weld point (cutting blade 18). f) The band welding by the sonotrode (14) takes place between the slides (12) in a stress-free band area with full inclusion of the separation end (17). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a method for bundling and bandaging a plurality of objects, e.g. Several electrical lines by means of a band made of weldable material, in particular by means of a plastic band to a wire harness. It also relates to a device for carrying out the method. Such a method and a device used for its implementation according to the preamble of claim 9 are known from EP-A-0 399 599.

• a) zunächst ein motorisch gesteuert zugeführtes Endlosband mit seinem Freiende unter Bildung einer Bandschlinge um mehr als 360° um die zu bündelnden Gegenstände in eine Überdeckungsposition durch einen nachgeführten Bandteil herumgeführt.
• b) Sodann wird das Band außerhalb des Überdeckungsbereiches an dessen dem Freiende abgewandter Seite ortsfest fixiert.
• c) Schließlich wird die Bandschlinge durch motorisches Zurückziehen des Endlosbandes zur Bündelung der Gegenstände zugezogen und unter einer Zugspannung gehalten.

In the known method or in the known device

• a) first a motor-driven endless belt is guided with its free end to form a belt loop through more than 360 ° around the objects to be bundled in an overlapping position by a tracked belt part.
• b) The tape is then fixed outside the overlap area on its side facing away from the free end.
• c) Finally, the sling is pulled by motor pulling the endless belt to bundle the objects and held under a tension.

With this method, the tensile stress is maintained until the bundle loop is welded in the area of the band joint by a high-frequency welding device. The welding takes place there against the counter pressure of two counter electrodes pivoted like pliers into a counter holding position on the inside of the belt loop. After cooling and the associated bonding of the weld connection joint, the electrode which had previously fixed the band joint against the counter-holding elements is withdrawn and the endless belt projecting beyond the weld connection joint is cut off.

This method has the disadvantage that the outer layer of the endless belt facing the electrode in any case during the welding joint area remains exposed to tensile stress during welding. If this tension were eliminated beforehand, the bundling of the objects would loosen before or at the start of the welding process. Furthermore, this method and the device used for its implementation have the disadvantage that a separating end of the endless belt generally remains beyond the weld joint, which protrudes radially outward when the bundle is used further, for example when robotic installation of such a bundled wiring harness.

From EP-A-0 357 902 a method or a device for carrying out the method is known in which an object is strapped manually with the aid of a plastic band. In this case, the free end of the plastic band reaches an overlapping position by means of a tracking band part which is wrapped around the object. The tape is fixed outside the overlap area on its side facing away from the free end. A further fixation of the band takes place in its area covering the free end after the track part which has been tracked is held under a tensile stress by manual retraction. The overlapping band areas are welded together using a friction welding device. The tape is under a residual tensile stress to ensure a good separation cut after welding. As a result, the track part in the welding joint area remains exposed to the residual tensile stress during the welding process, which creates a mechanically unstable weld connection between the two overlapping band areas.

EP-A-0 248 295 shows a method and a device for carrying out the method for automatically strapping an object with the aid of a plastic band. However, the tape is not first fixed outside the overlap area, but in the overlap area at the location of the subsequent weld joint, although the knife cuts the tape before welding, but is not arranged on the welding device. Before the overlapping band areas are welded, the first fixation must therefore first be released so that the band areas to be welded to one another can immediately overlap. Here, a bundling effect of the sling decreases. In addition, objects to be bundled push radially outwards against the sling. This radial force creates a tensile stress in the band area arranged on the welding device.

The invention is based on the object of creating such a method which avoids the disadvantages mentioned and in particular is able to create dense bundles with simple means, beyond the bandage of which no separating ends of the bandage band interfere. At the same time stable and permanent weld connection in the weld joint area. This object is achieved by the combination of features of claim 1.

The method according to the invention has the advantage that the layers of the endless belt that are welded together in the welding joint area are absolutely free of tension, without thereby endangering the tight bundling of the objects to be bandaged.

In a further development of the method according to the invention, the bandage band is previously fixed on both sides of the weld, not directly against the objects to be bundled, but indirectly against a counterholder which lies between the weld joint area of the endless belt and the objects to be bundled. It also takes over the heat shielding of the welding point from the objects to be bundled and during the welding process also the function of the transmission means of the bundling tensile force in a bypass area to the welding point.

The counter-holder can also be designed as a part remaining in the bundle after the welding. This enables particularly dense bundling with high bundling tensile force. This dense bundling makes it possible, for example, to include resilient spreading elements in the bundle in the bundle area, which at least later temporarily fix the bundle, for example the cable harness, to the installation object by simply cutting open the bundle band (Automobile body) enable. Despite the increased tensile force within the bundling band, the safety of the weld is not impaired because the fixing slides remain effective until the weld joint is cooled and tied off.

The shape of the counter holder is the subject of claims 10-14. The type of interaction of the fixing slide with the counter-holder is the subject of claim 15. The cross-holder acts as a shaping means with respect to the objects to be bundled due to a circular segment-like channel shape. For certain types of use on the later installation object, the counter-holder can also have a different cross-sectional shape adapted to the respective installation location. This makes it possible to give the bundle a cross-sectional contour that deviates from a circular cross-sectional shape. In addition, the counter-holder according to the invention has the advantage of also forming the welding anvil opposite the surface of the welding sonotrode for the immediate welding process.

Fig. 1

einen Querschnitt durch das in der Vorrichtung für die Schweißung vorbereitete Bündel aus dem Bereich I von Fig. 2.;

Fig. 2

die Seitenansicht einer Vorrichtung zur Verfahrensdurchführung;

Fig. 3

eine Seitenansicht der um 180° um eine vertikale Achse geschwenkten Vorrichtung gemäß Fig. 2;

Fig. 4

eine vergrößerte Seitenansicht des Bündelungsteiles der Vorrichtung analog Fig. 2, wobei sich das Freiende des Endlosbandes bereits um etwa 90° im Bandführungsring fortbewegt hat (!);

Fig. 5

eine vergrößerte Darstellung des Bündelungsbereiches der Vorrichtung entsprechend Pfeil V in Fig. 4, wobei das Endlosband bereits seine Sollposition gemäß Merkmal a) des Kennzeichens des Anspruches 1 erreicht hat;

Fig. 6

eine vergrößerte Darstellung des Bereiches VI In Fig. 5 in einer Position, in welcher bereits die Bandschlinge zugezogen wird;

Fig. 7

eine Darstellung anlog Fig. 6 bei bereits vollständig geschlossenem Bündel am Ende des Schweißvorganges;

Fig. 8

eine schematische Perspektivdarstellung des Gegenhalters;

Fig. 9

eine vergrößerte Perspektivdarstellung des Mündungsbereiches der mit dem Bandkanal kombinierten Fixiereinrichtung aus dem Bereich IX in Fig. 5.

Further advantageous refinements, in particular of the device for carrying out the method, are explained in more detail on the basis of exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures. Show it:

Fig. 1

a cross section through the bundle prepared in the device for welding from area I of Fig. 2 .;

Fig. 2

the side view of an apparatus for performing the method;

Fig. 3

a side view of the device pivoted by 180 ° about a vertical axis according to FIG. 2;

Fig. 4

an enlarged side view of the bundling part of the device analogous to Figure 2, wherein the free end of the endless belt has already moved about 90 ° in the band guide ring (!);

Fig. 5

an enlarged view of the bundling area of the device according to arrow V in Fig. 4, wherein the endless belt has already reached its target position according to feature a) of the characterizing part of claim 1;

Fig. 6

an enlarged view of the area VI in Fig. 5 in a position in which the sling is already drawn;

Fig. 7

a representation analog to FIG. 6 with the bundle already completely closed at the end of the welding process;

Fig. 8

a schematic perspective view of the counter holder;

Fig. 9

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged perspective view of the mouth region of the fixing device combined with the band channel from region IX in FIG. 5.

The procedure is essentially described with reference to FIG. 1, which is limited to the most essential functional parts of the device for performing the procedure: The procedure is used for bundling and bandaging several objects, in the exemplary embodiment electrical cables 1, the longitudinal axes or longitudinal extension of which are perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in FIG 1 runs. These lines, which are shown at a large distance from one another in FIG. 1, are to be bundled into a tight bundle in the manner of a cable harness. The bundling takes place by means of a band 2 made of thermoplastic plastic, which can be pushed into and out of the bundling area in a motor-controlled manner from the side 3 in the feed or pulling direction 4.

To carry out the method, the endless belt 2 is guided by the motor of the bundling device with its free end 5 to form a band loop by more than 360 ° around the lines 1 to be bundled. In the end position of this method step shown in FIG. 1, the free end 5 of the band 2 is in a covering position by the endless band part 6. The type of loop formation is fundamentally known, namely described in detail in the US reference mentioned at the beginning.

As a further method step, referred to in the claims with b), the belt 2 is fixed in a fixed manner outside the overlap region 7, which is identical to the endless belt part 6, on its side facing away from the free end 5, specifically by the fixing slide 8, which in the direction of arrow 9 is essentially radial to the bundling region is movable.

The band is fixed by the fixing slide 8 against the counter-holder 10, on the outside of which the band part adjoining the free end 5 of the band 2 bears.

After this fixation, the method step marked with c) in claim 1 takes place. By pulling the band 2 back in the direction of the arrow 4, the band loop in FIGS. 1 and 5, which still has the inside diameter of the band guide ring 11, is drawn in to bundle the lines 1 (Fig. 6) and after completion of the closing under an adjustable tension, how the retraction in the downward direction of the arrow 4 is effective.

Thereafter, the fixing process designated in claim 1 with d) is carried out. The free end 5 and the endless belt 2 in its area covering the free end 5 are fixed in place against the counter-holder 10 as well, namely by pushing the fixing slide 12 in the direction of the arrow 13. Then the bundle assumes the fixing position on the device shown in FIG. 7.

Then, in the process step designated by e) in claim 1, the endless belt 2 is moved in the area between the two fixing positions marked by the fixing slide 8 and the fixing slide 12 by means of the sonotrode 14, guided from the outside against the counter-holder 10, of an ultrasonic welding device with the covered, bundle-side belt area 15 welded. For this purpose, the sonotrode 14 is guided in the direction of the arrow 16 against the bundle or against the counter-holder 10. Before or at the beginning of the welding, the endless belt 2, which had previously been held under the set tensile stress, is cut off in such a way that the welding of the separating end 17 of the belt loop to the inside bundle-side band region 15 takes place completely. The strip 2 is cut off by the separating knife 18 molded onto the lower edge of the sonotrode 14.

By maintaining the pulling force acting on the band 2 downward in the direction of the arrow 4 in connection with the inherent elasticity (thermoplastic) inherent in the band, the length of the band between the fixing slides 12 and 12 is shortened with the separating cut in the manner of the effect of a tensioned, contracting rubber band Separating end 17. In the same way, due to this tensile stress, the initial end 19 adjacent to the separating end 17 with the separating cut in the direction of arrow 4 retracts downward. This start end 19 forms the start end 5 for the subsequent bundling process. This retraction of the strip ends, which takes place in both directions 4 with the separation cut, furthermore ensures that the separation region of welding beads made of strip material or the like is kept largely clean. The separating end 17 is automatically retracted into the detection area of the sonotrode 14 on the basis of the inherent elasticity that it is complete is welded to the bundle-side band region 15 without a laterally projecting end. The welding of the separating end 17 or the weld joint is carried out with two completely tension-free band areas.

After welding has been completed, the counter-holder 10 is pulled out of the bundling area perpendicular to the plane of the drawing 2, namely in the direction of the arrow 20 (FIG. 8). The bundling process is now complete. The bundle is finished.

The initial fixation of the band according to feature b) of claim 1 can be controlled by reaching the target position of the free end 5 according to FIG. 1 and FIG. 5 or by reaching a supplied band target length which can be set on a step feed drive.

The second fixation by means of the fixing slide 12 according to feature d) of claim 1 can be controlled by reaching a desired tensile force acting downward in the direction of arrow 4 when the webbing is pulled shut (claim feature c)).

The device for carrying out the method contains a motor-driven guide device 21 which pushes the endless belt 2 drawn off from a storage side 22 in the feed direction 4 to the loop-forming belt guide ring 11 and can also be switched according to the two direction arrows 4 in the downward direction 4 in FIGS. 1 and 5 .

The band guide ring 11 consists of two semicircular ring segments 23, 24, the lower 24 of which is stationary, while the upper ring segment 23 can be swiveled up in the direction of arrow 26 by the motor drive 25 to open the ring. In the upward pivoting position of the upper ring segment 23 shown in FIG. 4 and shown in dash-dot lines, the lines 1 are inserted into the bundling area. The upper ring segment 23 is pivotable about the pivot axis 27 for its pivotability.

The counterholder is effective as a unitary part against the fixing slides 8, 12 as well as against the sonotrode 14 of the welding device. It is a bundling aid device in the manner of a channel of any cross-sectional shape open with its concave side 28 towards the bundle, with a longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bundle running perpendicular to the image planes educated. The channel shape, in particular the configuration of its concave side 28, can be designed as desired, in particular in adaptation to the conditions on the installation object for the bundle or for the cable harness. Therefore, the design of the counter-holder 10 or its channel shape has a not insignificant meaning for the variable shaping of the bandaging area of the bundle in certain areas.

In the exemplary embodiment, the counter-holder 10 has the shape of approximately a circular arc segment with a bending radius adapted to the bundle diameter. In cross-section it describes an arc of between approximately 90 ° and 130 °.

The first fixing device, namely the fixing slide 8 has in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5-7 and 9 in the form of a pivoting part 29 with a feed channel 30 for the endless belt 2, hereinafter referred to briefly as `` belt channel 30 ''. On the bundle side, the band channel 30 leads to the area of action of the separating knife 18. The mouth 31 of the band channel 30 is aligned in the circumferential direction 32 of the band loop to be formed, specifically towards the insertion side 33 of the upper ring segment 23 of the band guide ring 11.

The cross-sectional shape of the belt channel 30 can be variably adapted to the cross-sectional shape, in particular the wall thickness of the endless belt 2. A bottom plate 34 can be inserted into the band channel 30, the wall thickness 35 of which can be adapted to the band thickness of the endless belt 2. The base plate 34 is positioned on the band channel side 36 facing the bundle and protruding from the mouth 31 with its end 37 the fixing edge 38 for the first fixing of the band 2 with respect to the counter-holder 10.

The base plate 34 has a greater width 39 than the band channel 30 as a slide-in limitation outside the mouth 31.

Furthermore, the band channel 30 is formed open at its mouth end 31 on the bundle side to form a guide groove 40 for the region of the free end 5 of the endless belt 2, the base plate 34 forming the groove bottom in this region (FIG. 9).

The fixing device formed by the pivoting part 29 for the initial fixing is pivotably mounted about an end distal to its bundle about an axis 41 parallel to the bundle longitudinal axis. This pivoting is carried out by the pivoting part 29 flanking pressure slide 42, 43, namely between the fixing point for the first fixation (Fig. 5, 6 and 7) and the starting position for the loop formation (Fig. 2, 4).

The separating knife 18 between the mouth 31 of the fixing device provided with the band channel 30 and the sonotrode 14 is integrally formed on the lower edge of the sonotrode 14 and projects beyond its welding surface in such a way that the separating cut takes place before the welding is carried out.

A bundling process carried out with the device is described below: First, the lines 1 intended for bundling are introduced into the interior of the band guide ring 11 in a parallel position next to one another. This takes place with the upper ring segment 23 pivoted upward (FIGS. 2, 4). Then the upper ring segment 23 is pivoted downward, so that a band guide ring 11 which is closed by almost 360 ° is formed. With regard to the design and function of the band guide ring 11, there is no significant difference from the subject of US Pat. No. 4,534,817. The chassis 44 of the portable device is provided with a pistol grip 45 in the manner of a pistol. The pistol grip 45 contains an electrical switch 46 for the motor drive of the tape feed device 21, which can be switched in both directions of rotation 47 in such a way that the tape 2 can be pushed upward in the direction of arrow 4 into the bundling device or vice versa can be withdrawn downward.

When the feed device 21 is switched on, the band 2 is fed out of the mouth 31 of the fixing slide 8, which effects the initial fixing and is designed as a pivoting part 29, to the insertion side 33 of the upper ring segment 23 (FIG. 2) and is guided along the circumferential bottom of the ring groove present in the closed band guide ring 11 ( Fig. 4), namely by more than 360 °, until about the free end 5 of the band 2 is again in the region of the insertion side of the upper ring segment 23 of the guide ring 11 (Fig. 5). In this position, the band region adjoining the free end 5 of the band 2 lies on the convex side of the counter-holder 10, that is to say on the outside thereof. In this position, the belt area adjoining the free end 5 is in an overlap position by the endless belt part 6 of the track 2 located outside of the band guide ring 11. This end position of the band loop formation on the part of the band guide ring 11, which can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 5, causes the direction of rotation 47 of the feed device 21 to be switched be, which responds to the achievement of the target position of the free end 5 of the belt 2. (this part later.)

When the desired position of the free end 5 of the strap loop is reached, the strap 2 is initially fixed in the lower region of the counter-holder 10, in which the fixing slide 8 is moved or pivoted in the direction of arrow 9 against the counter-holder 10. The pivoting takes place by means of the pressure slide 43 in a clockwise direction, the fixing edge 38 of the base plate 34 pressing the part of the band 2 located in its area against the lower area of the counter-holder 10 and thereby pinching the band.

After this first fixation of the belt 2, the motor drive of the feed device 21 is down in the direction of arrow 4, i.e. switched on in the direction of pull. The sling is then pulled up. An intermediate position is the subject of FIG. 6. With the pulling of the loop, the tight pulling and insertion of the lines 1 into the concave side 28 of the counter-holder 10 takes place automatically. After the tight bundling of the conductors 1 on the bowl-like side of the counter-holder 10 has been completed, the bundle has already taken its cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 7. After a predeterminable pulling force acting downward in the direction of arrow 4 has been reached, the motor drive of the feed device 21 is switched off, but the belt 2 is still kept under this tension on the bundle side.

Then the upper fixing slide 12 for the second fixing of the band 2 in the loop area 13 radially against the upper part of the counter-holder 10 and clamps there the part of the band 2 under tension and the underlying part of the band free of tension 5 against the upper side of the counter-holder 10. Now the lines 1 on the concave side of the counter-holder 10 are tightly bundled tightly with a pretension, the bandage tire extending over 360 ° initially passing through the counter-holder 10 on the side of the sonotrode 14 and between the two fixings the fixing slide 8, 12 (Fig. 1) outside of the counter holder 10 by the band 2 prestressed in the direction of the arrow 4 are formed. In this position, while the pre-tensioning of the band part protruding from the mouth 31 is maintained, the sonotrode 14 is advanced in the direction of the arrow 16 against the counter-holder 1. First, the cutting knife 18 leading the sonotrode surface cuts through the tape at the cutting end 17. The band 2 is slightly stretched up to the parting cut due to its slightly elastic consistency. With the execution of the separating cut, the action of this tensile stress on the separating end 17 is canceled and the separating end is withdrawn by contraction of the band area lying between the separating end 17 and the fixing slide 12 to such an extent that the cutting plane lies fully in the area of application of the sonotrode 14. Because of the same elasticity, the now beginning end 19 of the band 2 is pulled back into the mouth 31 of the band channel 30 for the next bundling process. This process position is shown in FIG. 7. In any case, the new start end 19 of the band 2 is drawn into the band channel 30 and there it is removed from the influence of the sonotrode 14. This eliminates the risk of sticking in the area of the weld. The complete welding of the separating end 17 is ensured without a disruptive section protruding from the finished bandaging. The bundle can be removed from the device after the upper ring segment 23 has been pivoted up in the direction of arrow 26.

Reference list

1

el. management

2nd

tape

3rd

page

4th

Pull or feed direction

5

Freeers

6

Endless belt part

7

Coverage area

8th

Fixing slide

9

DF direction

10th

Counterhold

11

Band guide ring

12th

Fixing slide

13

DF direction

14

Sonotrode

15

band-side band area

16

Arrow direction

17th

Separating

18th

Cutting knife

19th

Beginning end

20th

Arrow direction

21

mot. drive Management facility

22

Memory page

23

Ring segment

24th

Ring segment

25th

motor drive

26

Arrow direction

27

Swivel axis

28

Concave side

29

Swivel part

30th

Band channel

31

muzzle

32

Circumferential direction

33

Introduction page

34

Base plate

35

Wall thickness

36

Band channel side

37

The End

38

Fixing edge

39

larger width

40

Guide groove

41

axis

42

Pressure slide

43

Pressure slide

44

chassis

45

Pistol grip

46

el. switch

47

Direction of rotation

Claims (25)

1. Method for bundling and bandaging a plurality of objects, for example a plurality of electric lines (1), by means of a tape (2) consisting of a weldable material, in particular by means of a plastic tape, having the step sequence:

   a) A tape (2), which is fed under motorized control, is guided with its free end (5), with the formation of a tape loop, by more than 360° around the objects (1) to be bundled into a covering position with a region (6) of the subsequently fed tape (2).

   b) The tape (2) is firstly fixed in a stationary fashion outside the covering region (7) at its side averted from the free end (5).

   c) By motorized retraction of the tape (2), the tape loop is drawn tight in order to bundle the objects (1) and held under an adjustable tensile stress.

   d) The free end (5) and the tape (2) are secondly fixed in a stationary fashion in their region covering the free end (5).

   e) The tape (2) is severed with the advance of a welding device (14) guided from outside against the bundle.

   f) The tape regions covering one another are welded to one another, including the severed end (17) of the tape (2) by means of the welding device (14) in the region between the fixing points in accordance with b) and d) with the fixing being effective.
2. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the fixing of the tape (2) is performed against at least one counter-holder (10) inserted between the bundle objects (1) and the tape (2).
3. Method according to Claim 2, characterized in that the counter-holder (10) is removed from the tape loop after the welding is completed.
4. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized by the embedding of expansion elements inside the bundle.
5. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the counter-holder (10) acts like in anvil against the welding device (14).
6. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by ultrasonic welding.
7. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the first fixing is controlled by the reaching of a desired position of the advanced free end (5) of the tape (2) or by the reaching of a fed desired tape length.
8. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the second fixing (feature d)) is controlled by the reaching of a desired tensile force when the tape loop is drawn tight (feature c)).
9. Device for bundling and bandaging a plurality of objects, for example a plurality of electric lines (1), by means of a tape (2) consisting of a weldable material, in particular by means of a plastic tape

   - having a guide device (21) which can be driven by a motor, pushes the tape (2), hauled off from a roll, for example, in the longitudinal direction of the tape to a loop-forming tape-guiding ring (11), and can be switched over to the tensile direction (4),

   - having a first fixing device (8), which can be moved against the bundle for the purpose of fixing the tape,

   - having a welding device (14) which can be displaced against the bundle in an essentially radial fashion, and

   - having a separating device for severing the tape (2), characterized by

   - a second fixing device (12), which can be moved against the bundle for the purpose of fixing the tape in such a way that the two fixing devices (8, 12)

   -- flank the welding device (14) on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the tape and

   -- do not act, in particular during welding, on the tape region of the loop which also comprises the severed end (17) and is intended for welding, and

   - a severing blade (18) which acts as severing device, can be displaced with the advance of the welding device (14) in an essentially radial fashion against the bundle, and for the purpose of severing the tape (2) before welding projects beyond the welding device (14) in the direction of the bundle.
10. Device according to Claim 9, characterized in that the counter-holder (10) acts as a unitary part both against the fixing devices (8, 12) and against the sonotrode (14) of the welding device.
11. Device according to Claim 10, characterized in that the counter-holder (10) is designed as a bundling auxiliary device of the type of a channel which is open with its concave side (28) towards the bundle, is of arbitrary cross-sectional shape and has a longitudinal direction which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bundle.
12. Device according to Claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the counter-holder (10) has the approximate shape of a circular arc segment having a bending radius matched to the diameter of the bundle.
13. Device according to one of Claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the counter-holder (10) describes in the cross-section a circular arc of between approximately 90°-130°.
14. Device according to one of Claims 10 to 13, characterized in that the counter-holder (10) can be moved in the longitudinal direction (20) of the bundle out of the covering region through the bend loop, and vice versa.
15. Device according to one of Claims 9 to 14, characterized in that the fixing devices are fixing slides (8, 12) which can move in an essentially radial fashion from outside against the convex side of the counter-holder (10).
16. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first-fixing fixing device contains a tape channel (30) for guiding the endless tape (2),

    - which tape channel leads on the bundle side to the action region of the severing blade (18) and

    - whose outlet (31) is aligned essentially in the circumferential direction (32) of the tape loop to be formed and in the direction of the inlet side (33) of the tape-guiding ring (11).
17. Device according to Claim 16, characterized in that the cross-sectional shape of the tape channel (30) can be variably matched to the cross-sectional shape, in particular the wall thickness of the endless tape (2).
18. Device according to Claim 17, characterized by a baseplate (34) which can be inserted into the tape channel (30) and whose wall thickness (35) is matched to the thickness of the tape (2).
19. Device according to one of Claims 17 or 18, characterized in that the baseplate (34) is positioned on the side (36) of the tape channel facing the bundle and, in a fashion projecting from the outlet (31), forms with its and (37) a fixing edge (38) of the fixing device.
20. Device according to Claim 19, characterized in that as an insertion limiter the baseplate (34) has a greater width (39) outside the outlet (31) than the tape channel (30).
21. Device according to one or more of Claims 16 to 20, characterized in that on the bundle side the tape channel (30) is designed in an open fashion at its outlet (31) for the purpose of forming a guide groove (40) for the free-end region of the tape (2),

    - the baseplate (34) forming the groove base.
22. Device according to one of Claims 16 to 21, characterized in that the first-fixing device is mounted at its end remote from the bundle in a fashion capable of pivoting about an axis (41) parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bundle.
23. Device according to one of Claims 16 to 22, characterized by in each case one pressure ram (42, 43), flanking the first-fixing device (pivoting part (29)) on both sides, for pivoting between the fixing position (Figures 5 to 7) and the starting position for loop formation (Figures 2, 4).
24. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized In that the severing blade (18) is arranged between the outlet (31) of the first-fixing device, provided with the tape channel (30), and the sonotrode (14), and is driven displaceably for the severing cut approximately in the direction (16) of advance of the sonotrode (14).
25. Device according to Claim 24, characterized in that the severing blade (18) is integrally formed on the flank, facing the outlet (31), of the sonotrode (14) in a fashion projecting over the welding surface of the latter in the direction (16) of advance.

Images