EP4589788A1

EP4589788A1 - Device for transferring electric wire and method for manufacturing electric wire

Info

Publication number: EP4589788A1
Application number: EP23865154.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Nobuto Tsukiji; Kousuke Masuda; Yusuke Nozawa
Original assignee: Yazaki Corp
Current assignee: Yazaki Corp
Priority date: 2022-09-12
Filing date: 2023-08-09
Publication date: 2025-07-23
Also published as: JP2024039993A; MX2025001585A; JP7509837B2; CN119605041A; EP4589788A4; WO2024057795A1

Abstract

A device (100) for transferring an electric wire attached with an outer sleeve (S) includes a front chuck (10) and a rear chuck (20) configured to grip the electric wire W, and a sleeve chuck (30) configured to grip the outer sleeve (S). The front chuck (10) is opened from a state of gripping the electric wire W by the front chuck (10) and the rear chuck (20). The sleeve chuck (30) grips the outer sleeve S and slides the outer sleeve S to a predetermined position on a distal end side of the electric wire. And then, the front chuck (10) grips the electric wire again and transfers the electric wire to a next step.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a device for transferring an electric wire, which is provided in a device that crimps an outer sleeve passing over an outer periphery of the electric wire, and relates to a method for manufacturing the electric wire.

BACKGROUND ART

When a terminal is attached to an end of a shielded electric wire, a shielded terminal obtained by combining an inner terminal and an outer terminal is used. Among such shielded terminals, there is a type in which a barrel of a terminal is crimped and attached to an electric wire by an applicator (also referred to as a terminal crimping unit). Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique related to a device for crimping a shielded terminal of this type to an electric wire.
When this type of shielded terminal is attached to an end of an electric wire by an automatic machine, an outer sleeve may be crimped and attached to an outer periphery of the electric wire. The outer sleeve is conveyed by an automatic machine from a previous step to a next crimping step in a state where the outer sleeve loosely passes over the outer periphery of the electric wire. Accordingly, in the crimping step, it is necessary to position the outer sleeve, which is in a state of loosely passing over the outer periphery of the electric wire, at a predetermined position and crimp the outer sleeve on the electric wire.

CITATION LIST

PATENT LITERATURE

Patent Literature 1: JP3456422B2

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

TECHNICAL PROBLEM

However, since the outer sleeve loosely passes over the outer periphery of the electric wire, the outer sleeve may slide and move relatively to a rear side of the electric wire due to an acceleration when the electric wire is conveyed forward, and the outer sleeve cannot be crimped at a desired position in the crimping step, and there is a need for easily positioning the outer sleeve.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a device for transferring an electric wire and a method for manufacturing an electric wire, which can easily position an outer sleeve.

SOLUTION TO PROBLEM

In order to achieve the above object, a device for transferring an electric wire and a method for manufacturing an electric wire according to the present invention have the following features.
According to an illustrative aspect of the present disclosure, a device for transferring an electric wire attached with an outer sleeve includes: a front chuck and a rear chuck configured to grip the electric wire delivered from a previous step; and a sleeve chuck configured to grip the outer sleeve. The front chuck is opened from a state of gripping the electric wire by the front chuck and the rear chuck. The sleeve chuck grips the outer sleeve and slides the outer sleeve to a predetermined position on a distal end side of the electric wire. And then, the front chuck grips the electric wire again and transfers the electric wire to a next step.
According to another illustrative aspect of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing an electric wire includes: gripping the electric wire attached with an outer sleeve by a front chuck and a rear chuck; gripping the outer sleeve by a sleeve chuck; opening the front chuck from a state of gripping the electric wire together with the rear chuck, gripping the outer sleeve by the sleeve chuck and sliding the outer sleeve to a predetermined position on a distal end side of the electric wire, and then gripping the electric wire again by the front chuck; transferring the electric wire to an applicator that includes a guide space for guiding a distal end portion of the electric wire, a positioning portion for positioning the outer sleeve, and a crimping portion for crimping the outer sleeve to the electric wire; and inserting the distal end portion of the electric wire into the guide space, and crimping the outer sleeve to the electric wire by the crimping portion.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, even in a state where the outer sleeve is not crimped, it is possible to transfer the electric wire avoiding a situation where the outer sleeve is moved to a rear end side from a predetermined crimping position when the electric wire is transferred forward.
The present invention has been briefly described above. Details of the present invention can be clarified by reading modes (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiments") for carrying out the invention to be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[FIG. 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a state where an electric wire gripped by a conveyance chuck is lifted by a front chuck and a rear chuck in a transfer device according to an embodiment;
[FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a state where an outer sleeve is gripped by a sleeve chuck in the transfer device according to the embodiment;
[FIG. 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a state where the gripped outer sleeve is moved forward by the sleeve chuck in the transfer device according to the embodiment;
[FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a state where the electric wire is held again by the front chuck and the rear chuck in the transfer device according to the embodiment;
[FIG. 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing a state where the electric wire gripped by the front chuck and the rear chuck is to be returned to the conveyance chuck in the transfer device according to the embodiment;
[FIG. 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing a state before the electric wire attached with the outer sleeve is inserted into a crimping applicator by a transfer chuck in the transfer device according to the embodiment;
[FIG. 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing a state where the electric wire attached with the outer sleeve is inserted into the crimping applicator by the transfer device;
[FIG. 8] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view showing a portion A in FIG. 7; and
[FIG. 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic side view showing a state where the outer sleeve is crimped.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

A specific embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a state where an electric wire gripped by a conveyance chuck is lifted by a front chuck and a rear chuck in a transfer device 100 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a state where an outer sleeve is gripped by a sleeve chuck in the transfer device 100 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a state where the gripped outer sleeve is moved forward by the sleeve chuck in the transfer device 100 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a state where the electric wire is held again by the front chuck and the rear chuck in the transfer device 100 according to the preset embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing a state where the electric wire gripped by the front chuck and the rear chuck is to be returned to the conveyance chuck in the transfer device 100 according to the embodiment.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the device 100 for transferring an electric wire according to the present embodiment is a device for transferring an electric wire W having an outer sleeve S that loosely passing over an outer periphery of the electric wire W in advance. The electric wire W is used for, for example, a wire harness. The transfer device 100 includes a front chuck 10 and a rear chuck 20 that grip and lift the electric wire W transferred by a conveyance chuck 1. The conveyance chuck 1 is a chuck for conveying the electric wire W to be processed among a plurality of processing devices including the transfer device 100. Accordingly, each processing device grips the electric wire W conveyed by the conveyance chuck 1 using a chuck of each device, and returns the electric wire W to the conveyance chuck 1 again when the electric wire W is processed.
The front chuck 10 includes a chuck portion 11 that is opened and closed by 180°, and an elevating mechanism 12 that lifts and lowers the chuck portion 11. The rear chuck 20 includes a chuck portion 21 that is opened and closed in parallel, and an elevating mechanism 22 that lifts and lowers the chuck portion 21. The front chuck 10 grips an electric wire distal end side in the vicinity of an end of the electric wire W, and the rear chuck 20 grips the electric wire W at a position in the rear of the front chuck 10 (on a side opposite to the electric wire distal end side). Types of the chuck portions 11 and 21 of the front chuck 10 and the rear chuck 20 can be freely selected as long as the chuck portions 11 and 21 do not interfere with other components. For example, the chuck portion 11 of the front chuck 10 may be a chuck portion of a parallel opening and closing type, and the chuck portion 21 of the rear chuck 20 may be a chuck portion of a 180° opening and closing type.
As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer device 100 includes a sleeve chuck 30 that grips an outer sleeve S that passes over an outer periphery of the electric wire W in advance in a previous step. As shown in FIG. 3, the front chuck 10 is opened when the rear chuck 20 grips the electric wire W, the sleeve chuck 30 grips the outer sleeve S without interfering with the opened front chuck 10, and the outer sleeve S can be slid to a predetermined position on the electric wire distal end side. That is, the sleeve chuck 30 includes a chuck portion 31 that grips the outer sleeve S and a movement mechanism 32 that slides the outer sleeve S to a predetermined position in a length direction of the electric wire W.
After the outer sleeve S is slid to the predetermined position, as shown in FIG. 4, the front chuck 10 is closed, and the electric wire W is gripped again by both the front chuck 10 and the rear chuck 20. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, the front chuck 10 and the rear chuck are lowered to transfer the electric wire W to the conveyance chuck 1 in order to proceed to a next step.
FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing a state before the electric wire attached with the outer sleeve is inserted into a crimping applicator by a transfer chuck in the transfer device 100 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing a state where the electric wire attached with the outer sleeve is inserted into the crimping applicator by the transfer device 100, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged view showing a portion A in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a schematic side view showing a state where the outer sleeve is crimped.
As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the transfer device 100 includes an electric wire transfer chuck 40 that receives the electric wire W attached with the outer sleeve S from the conveyance chuck 1. The electric wire transfer chuck 40 is a device that receives the electric wire W from the conveyance chuck 1 and sets the electric wire W in an applicator 50. The electric wire transfer chuck 40 includes a temporary stopping guide 41 that prevents the outer sleeve S from sliding and moving toward a rear side of the electric wire W due to an inertial force when a distal end portion of the electric wire W is conveyed toward the inside of the applicator 50, and the temporary stopping guide 41 serves to push the outer sleeve S forward. The temporary stopping guide 41 automatically returns to an original position after temporary stopping is performed.
The applicator 50 has a function of crimping the outer sleeve S after positioning the outer sleeve S. As shown in FIG. 8, the applicator 50 includes a guide space 51 for guiding the electric wire distal end portion, a positioning portion 52 for positioning the outer sleeve S, and a crimping portion 53 for crimping the outer sleeve S. A distal end side of an upper wall 51a of the guide space 51 is lower than an opening side. When the distal end portion of the electric wire W is inserted into the guide space 51, the outer sleeve S is positioned by the positioning portion 52. The positioning portion 52 can project and retract between a projecting position where the positioning portion 52 projects toward a position where the electric wire W extends when the distal end portion of the electric wire W is inserted into the guide space 51 and a retracted position where the positioning portion 52 is not in contact with the electric wire when the electric wire W is moved to a position along a surface of the crimping portion 53, as shown in FIG. 9.
Then, as shown in FIG. 9, when the positioning portion 52 retracts and the electric wire W becomes horizontal, the outer sleeve S is crimped to the electric wire W by the crimping portion 53 at that position. A reference numeral T in FIG. 8 denotes a terminal.
Operations of all components of the transfer device 100 described above are controlled by a control unit (not shown), and accordingly, a series of step operations are performed automatically.
Next, a flow of a series of operations will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, first, the electric wire W having the outer sleeve S loosely passed over an outer periphery in a previous step is conveyed to a position below the front chuck 10 and the rear chuck 20 by the conveyance chuck 1. Then, the front chuck 10 and the rear chuck 20 grip front and rear positions of the electric wire W gripped by the conveyance chuck and lift the electric wire W.
Next, as shown in FIG. 2, only the front chuck 10 is opened, and the outer sleeve S is gripped by the sleeve chuck 30. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer sleeve S is slid forward by the sleeve chuck 30.
Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the front chuck 10 is closed, and the electric wire W is gripped by both the front chuck 10 and the rear chuck 20. At this time, the outer sleeve S is located in front of a position shown in FIG. 4. Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the electric wire W is returned to a conveyance line. That is, when the front chuck 10 and the rear chuck 20 are opened, the conveyance chuck 1 is opened and then closed, and the conveyance chuck 1 receives the electric wire W.
Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the electric wire W is transferred to the electric wire transfer chuck 40. That is, the electric wire transfer chuck 40 receives the electric wire W from the conveyance chuck 1. Then, the electric wire transfer chuck 40 presses the outer sleeve S using the temporary stopping guide 41 such that the outer sleeve S does not slidably move backward. Next, as shown in FIG. 7, in this state, the electric wire transfer chuck 40 inserts and sets a distal end of the electric wire W into the applicator 50. At this time, the temporary stopping guide 41 protrudes forward so that the outer sleeve S does not move due to an inertial force.
When the distal end of the electric wire W is inserted into the applicator 50, the electric wire W is guided downward by the guide space 51. At this time, since the positioning portion 52 projects to the projecting position, the outer sleeve S is positioned by the positioning portion 52.
Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the positioning portion 52 retracts to the retracted position, and in this state, the outer sleeve S is crimped to the electric wire W at the positioned position by the action of a clipper and an anvil of the crimping portion 53.
As described above, since both crimping of an outer terminal and the like and crimping of the outer sleeve can be performed by the same mechanism, work can be performed accurately and easily. Further, since the outer sleeve S can be crimped while being positioned with high accuracy simply by setting the electric wire W attached with the outer sleeve S in the applicator 50, there is no need for a special positioning mechanism, and crimping defects can be prevented.
The outer sleeve is adopted in electric wires of various communication standards such as a shielded electric wire and coaxial electric wires, and can be crimped while being positioned simply by using an existing applicator.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and modifications, improvements, and the like can be made as appropriate. In addition, materials, shapes, dimensions, numbers, disposition positions, and the like of the respective constituent elements in the embodiment described above are optionally selected and are not limited as long as the present invention can be implemented.
For example, the positioning portion 52 may be fixed at the projecting position without projecting and retracting between the projecting position and the retracted position. In this case, the positioning portion 52 is formed by a plate-shaped member, and a U-shaped groove is formed downward from an approximate center of an upper portion of the plate-shaped member. A bottom portion of the groove extends to a position where the inserted electric wire W can be in a horizontal state as shown in FIG. 9. Further, the groove passes through the plate-shaped member in a plate thickness direction, and is wider than an outer diameter of the distal end portion of the electric wire W and narrower than an outer diameter of the outer sleeve S. The positioning portion 52 is installed such that a plate direction is parallel to a projection line of an insertion direction of the electric wire onto a horizontal plane. Accordingly, when the electric wire W is inserted into the applicator 50, the positioning portion 52 allows the distal end portion of the electric wire W to pass through the groove and enter the guide space 51. On the other hand, since the outer diameter of the outer sleeve S is larger than that of the groove, entry of the outer sleeve S into the guide space 51 is prevented by the groove, and as a result, the outer sleeve S is positioned by the positioning portion 52.
With such a configuration of the positioning portion 52, the outer sleeve S can be easily positioned not only when the positioning portion 52 is employed in an automatic machine but also when an operator grips an electric wire and inserts the electric wire into the applicator 50.
Although a case where the outer sleeve S passes over the electric wire W in advance was described in the embodiment described above, the transfer device 100 can also transfer the electric wire W in the same manner in a case where an annular member such as a rubber plug, a terminal cover, and a retainer passes over the electric wire W in advance, in addition to the outer sleeve S.
Here, the features of the device 100 for transferring an electric wire and a method for manufacturing an electric wire according to the embodiment of the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed in the following first to fourth aspects.
According to the first aspect, a device (100) for transferring an electric wire attached with an outer sleeve (S) includes: a front chuck (10) and a rear chuck (20) configured to grip the electric wire (W) delivered from a previous step; and a sleeve chuck (30) configured to grip the outer sleeve (S). The front chuck (10) is opened from a state of gripping the electric wire (W) by the front chuck (10) and the rear chuck (20). The sleeve chuck (30) grips the outer sleeve (S) and slides the outer sleeve (S) to a predetermined position on a distal end side of the electric wire. And then, the front chuck (10) grips the electric wire (W) again and transfers the electric wire (W) to a next step.
According to the device (100) for transferring an electric wire in the above first aspect, even in a state where the outer sleeve (S) is not crimped, it is possible to transfer the electric wire (W) avoiding a situation where the outer sleeve (S) is moved to a rear end side from a predetermined crimping position when the electric wire (W) is transferred forward.
According to the second aspect, in the device (100) for transferring an electric wire according to the above first aspect, the device (100) further includes: an applicator (50) configured to crimp the outer sleeve (S) to the electric wire (W). The applicator (50) includes a guide space (51) for guiding a distal end portion of the electric wire (W), a positioning portion (52) for positioning the outer sleeve (S), and a crimping portion (53) for crimping the outer sleeve (S). A distal end side of the guide space (51) is lower than an opening side of the guide space (51). When the distal end portion of the electric wire (W) is inserted into the guide space (51), the outer sleeve (S) is positioned by the positioning portion (52) and crimped to the electric wire (W) by the crimping portion (53) at that position.
According to the device (100) for transferring an electric wire in the above second aspect, the outer sleeve (S) can be crimped to the electric wire while being positioned at an appropriate position simply by inserting and setting a distal end of the electric wire (W) into the applicator (50).
According to the third aspect, in the device (100) for transferring an electric wire according to the above second aspect, the positioning portion (52) is formed by a plate-shaped member that is formed with a groove having a width wider than an outer diameter of the distal end portion of the electric wire (W) and narrower than an outer diameter of the outer sleeve (S).
According to the device (100) for transferring an electric wire in the above third aspect, since the positioning portion (52) can be retracted, the positioning portion (52) does not interfere with other members when the outer sleeve (S) is crimped. Accordingly, positioning of the outer sleeve (S) and crimping of the outer sleeve (S) along a line can be performed at the same position.
According to the fourth aspect, a method for manufacturing an electric wire includes: gripping an electric wire (W) attached with an outer sleeve (S) by a front chuck (10) and a rear chuck (20); gripping the outer sleeve (S) by a sleeve chuck (30); opening the front chuck (10) from a state of gripping the electric wire (W) by the front chuck (10) and the rear chuck (20), gripping the outer sleeve (S) by the sleeve chuck (30) and sliding the outer sleeve (S) to a predetermined position on a distal end side of the electric wire, and then gripping the electric wire (W) again by the front chuck (10); transferring the electric wire (W) to an applicator (50) that includes a guide space (51) for guiding a distal end portion of the electric wire (W), a positioning portion (52) for positioning the outer sleeve (S), and a crimping portion (53) for crimping the outer sleeve (S) to the electric wire (W); and inserting the distal end portion of the electric wire (W) into the guide space (51), and crimping the outer sleeve (S) to the electric wire (W) by the crimping portion (53).
The present application is based on a Japanese patent application (No. 2022-144780) filed on September 12, 2022 , the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

W: electric wire
S: outer sleeve
1: conveyance chuck
10: front chuck
20: rear chuck
30: sleeve chuck
40: electric wire transfer chuck
50: applicator
51: guide space
51a: upper wall
52: positioning portion
53: crimping portion
100: transfer device

Claims

A device for transferring an electric wire attached with an outer sleeve, the device comprising:
a front chuck and a rear chuck configured to grip the electric wire delivered from a previous step; and

a sleeve chuck configured to grip the outer sleeve, wherein

the front chuck is opened from a state of gripping the electric wire by the front chuck and the rear chuck, the sleeve chuck grips the outer sleeve and slides the outer sleeve to a predetermined position on a distal end side of the electric wire, and then the front chuck grips the electric wire again and transfers the electric wire to a next step.
The device for transferring an electric wire according to claim 1, further comprising:
an applicator configured to crimp the outer sleeve to the electric wire, wherein

the applicator includes a guide space for guiding a distal end portion of the electric wire, a positioning portion for positioning the outer sleeve, and a crimping portion for crimping the outer sleeve, and

a distal end side of the guide space is lower than an opening side of the guide space, and when the distal end portion of the electric wire is inserted into the guide space, the outer sleeve is positioned by the positioning portion and crimped to the electric wire by the crimping portion at that position.
The device for transferring an electric wire according to claim 2, wherein
the positioning portion is formed by a plate-shaped member that is formed with a groove having a width wider than an outer diameter of the distal end portion of the electric wire and narrower than an outer diameter of the outer sleeve.
A method for manufacturing an electric wire, the method comprising:
gripping the electric wire attached with an outer sleeve by a front chuck and a rear chuck;

gripping the outer sleeve by a sleeve chuck;

opening the front chuck from a state of gripping the electric wire by the front chuck and the rear chuck, gripping the outer sleeve by the sleeve chuck and sliding the outer sleeve to a predetermined position on a distal end side of the electric wire, and then gripping the electric wire again by the front chuck;

transferring the electric wire to an applicator that includes a guide space for guiding a distal end portion of the electric wire, a positioning portion for positioning the outer sleeve, and a crimping portion for crimping the outer sleeve to the electric wire; and

inserting the distal end portion of the electric wire into the guide space, and crimping the outer sleeve to the electric wire by the crimping portion.