JP2020058181A - Electric wire processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To shorten a work time for adjusting the cutting amount of a strip blade in an electric wire processing device.SOLUTION: An electric wire processing device includes a camera 40F that captures an image of at least the end of an electric wire 5 viewed from the outside in the radial direction of the electric wire 5, and a control device 50. The control device 50 includes a removing processing unit that performs removing processing of moving one or both of a clamp 30F and a strip mechanism 12F so as to separate from each other after cutting a covering material 5b of the electric wire 5 by bringing a first strip blade 12A and a second strip blade 12B close to each other to a predetermined approach distance, a quality determination unit that determines the quality of the removing state of the covering material 5b on the basis of an image of the end portion of the electric wire 5 captured by the camera 40F after the removing processing, and a cut amount changing unit that changes the approach distance and causes the removing processing unit to execute the removing processing again when the quality determination unit determines that there is a defect.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric wire processing device that performs a process of stripping a covering material from an end of an electric wire.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an electric wire processing apparatus that performs a process of stripping a covering material at an end of an electric wire. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an electric wire processing apparatus that performs a series of processes of cutting an electric wire, stripping a covering material, and crimping a terminal. This electric wire processing apparatus includes a cutter blade for cutting an electric wire, a strip blade for stripping a coating material, and a crimping machine for crimping a terminal.

  When stripping the covering material, the electric wire is pulled while the covering material is cut by the strip blade. Thereby, the end of the coating material is peeled off by the strip blade. The cutting amount of the strip blade is adjusted in advance so that the coating material can be peeled off satisfactorily.

  In the electric wire processing apparatus described in Patent Literature 1, the quality of stripping of the covering material is determined during the electric wire processing so that a good product and a defective product can be easily distinguished. The wire processing apparatus includes a strip sensor that detects a stripping state of the coating material, and after the coating material stripping step, before the terminal crimping step, determines whether the coating material is stripped. I have.

  Incidentally, the adjustment of the cut amount of the strip blade is performed at the time of the adjustment work of the electric wire processing device. That is, the adjustment of the cutting amount of the strip blade is performed prior to a series of electric wire processing. Conventionally, the adjustment of the cut amount has been performed as follows. First, after the coating material is stripped once, the operation of the apparatus is stopped, and the operator takes out the electric wire and visually determines the stripping state. Then, if it is determined to be defective, the operator changes the cut amount. Subsequently, a new electric wire is set, and the coating material is stripped off with the changed cut amount. Thereafter, the operation of the apparatus is stopped again, and the operator takes out the electric wire and visually determines the stripped state. Then, such processing is repeated until the stripping state becomes good, and the cut amount when the stripping state becomes good is set as a set value in a series of electric wire processing.

JP 2011-210460 A

  In adjusting the cutting amount of the strip blade, it may be necessary to repeatedly change the cutting amount until the stripping state becomes good. In that case, in the conventional adjustment of the cut amount, the operator has to repeat the visual judgment and the change of the cut amount many times, and it takes much time for the adjustment work.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to reduce an operation time for adjusting a cutting amount of a strip blade in an electric wire processing device.

  An electric wire processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a clamp for holding an electric wire having a core wire and a covering material surrounding the core wire, and first strips disposed on both sides of the electric wire held by the clamp in a radial direction. A strip mechanism having a blade and a second strip blade, a drive mechanism for driving the first strip blade and the second strip blade so as to approach and separate from each other, and one or both of the clamp and the strip mechanism to each other A moving mechanism for moving so as to move away from each other, an imaging device for capturing an image of at least an end of the electric wire viewed from a radial outside of the electric wire, and a communication mechanism with the driving mechanism, the moving mechanism, and the imaging device And a control device connected to the control unit. The control device cuts the covering material of the electric wire by approaching the first strip blade and the second strip blade to a predetermined approach distance, and then connects one or both of the clamp and the strip mechanism to each other. A stripping processing unit for performing a stripping process of moving away from each other, and, after the stripping process, the quality of the stripping state of the coating material based on an image of the end of the electric wire captured by the imaging device. A cut-off amount changing unit that changes the approach distance when the pass / fail judgment unit determines that the defect is bad, and causes the stripping unit to execute the stripping process again. .

  According to the above-described electric wire processing device, the control device has the quality determining unit that determines the quality of the stripped state of the covering material based on the image of the end of the electric wire captured by the imaging device. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required for the determination as compared with a case where the operator visually determines the acceptability every time the cut amount is changed. Further, the control device includes a cut amount changing unit that changes the approach distance between the first strip blade and the second strip blade when the pass / fail determination unit determines that the defect is bad, and causes the stripping unit to execute the stripping process again. ing. Therefore, the time required for changing the cut amount can be reduced as compared with the case where the operator changes the cut amount. In addition, according to the above-mentioned electric wire processing apparatus, it is not necessary to stop the operation of the apparatus every time since the determination of the quality of the stripping and the change of the cut amount are automatically performed by the control apparatus. Therefore, according to the above-described electric wire processing apparatus, the operation time for adjusting the cutting amount of the strip blade can be reduced.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the pass / fail determination unit includes an image of an end portion of the electric wire, a central portion extending toward a front end of the electric wire, It is determined whether or not a shoulder extending to a position on the base side is included, and if not, it is determined to be defective.

  If the covering material of the electric wire is peeled off satisfactorily, only the core wire of the electric wire will remain. Therefore, the end of the electric wire has a core wire extending toward the tip and a covering material extending to a position closer to the root side than the tip on both sides of the core wire. On the other hand, if the coating material is not peeled off satisfactorily, the coating material remains on one or both sides of the core wire. In that case, the image of the end portion of the electric wire captured by the imaging device does not include at least one of the central portion and the shoulders on both sides of the central portion. According to the above aspect, the pass / fail determination unit determines that the image is defective when at least one of the central portion and the shoulders on both sides is not included in the captured image. Thereby, the quality of the stripping state of the coating material can be appropriately determined.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the pass / fail determination unit determines whether or not the contour of the tip of the shoulder is substantially perpendicular to a straight line parallel to the center line of the electric wire, substantially If not vertical, it is determined to be defective.

  If the cutting amount is insufficient when the strip blade cuts the coating material, a part of the coating material on the tip side remains connected to the coating material on the root side. In this case, when one of the clamp and the strip mechanism is moved away from the other, the coating material on the base side is pulled by the coating material on the tip side and then torn off. As a result, the contour of the distal end of the covering material on the root side becomes a line inclined from a straight line parallel to the center line of the electric wire so that the contour goes toward the core line toward the distal end. Therefore, in the image of the end portion of the electric wire captured by the imaging device, the contour of the tip of the shoulder portion is not substantially perpendicular to a straight line parallel to the center line of the electric wire. According to the above aspect, the pass / fail determination unit determines whether or not the contour of the tip of the shoulder is substantially perpendicular to a straight line parallel to the center line of the electric wire. I do. Thereby, the quality of the stripping state of the coating material can be appropriately determined.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the pass / fail determination unit determines whether a ratio of a width of the central portion to a total width of shoulders on both sides of the central portion and the central portion is within a predetermined range. Is determined, and if it is not within the predetermined range, it is determined to be defective.

  The width of the core of the electric wire and the width of the covering material are specified in advance. When the covering material of the electric wire is successfully peeled off, the ratio of the width of the core wire to the total width of the core wire and the covering material falls within a predetermined range. Therefore, in the image of the end portion of the electric wire captured by the imaging device, the ratio of the width of the central portion to the total width of the central portion and both shoulders is within a predetermined range. According to the above aspect, the pass / fail determination unit determines whether the ratio of the width of the central portion to the total width of the central portion and both shoulders is within a predetermined range, and determines that the ratio is not good when the ratio is not within the predetermined range. Thereby, the quality of the stripping state of the coating material can be appropriately determined.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the stripping unit is configured to perform a stripping process on a single electric wire a plurality of times.

  According to the above aspect, when adjusting the cutting amount of the strip blade, it is not necessary to replace the electric wire, or it is possible to reduce the number of times of replacement. Therefore, the adjustment operation time can be reduced. Further, the electric wire used for adjusting the cut amount of the strip blade is discarded after the adjustment operation. According to the above aspect, the stripping process is performed on one electric wire a plurality of times. Therefore, the number of discarded electric wires can be reduced as compared with a case where the electric wires are replaced every time the stripping process is performed. By reducing the amount of discarded electric wires, it is possible to reduce the cost required for adjusting the cut amount of the strip blade.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the cut amount changing unit is configured to gradually reduce the approach distance.

  If the cutting amount is too large, the strip blade comes into strong contact with the core wire, and the strip blade is easily deteriorated. Therefore, the life of the strip blade may be shortened. However, according to the above aspect, the approach distance is set so as to gradually decrease when the cut amount is adjusted. Therefore, there is no possibility that the cutting amount becomes excessively large, and deterioration of the strip blade can be suppressed. Therefore, the service life of the strip blade can be extended.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the stripping section is configured to cut the same portion of the coating material in two or more stripping processes.

  According to the above aspect, since the same portion of the coating material is cut, the stripping process and the determination of the quality of the stripped state can be repeated as many times as necessary. Therefore, by reducing the change amount of the approach distance, it is possible to precisely adjust the cut amount.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the stripping section is configured to cut different portions of the coating material in two or more stripping processes.

  According to the above aspect, since the strip blade often cuts a portion of the coating material that has not yet been cut, the cutting state of the strip blade at the time of adjusting the cutting amount can be made closer to the cutting state of the adjusted strip blade. it can. Therefore, the quality of the stripped state can be more appropriately determined.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the control device performs the change of the approach distance, the stripping process, and the determination of the pass / fail of the coating material until the pass / fail determination unit determines that the pass / fail condition is good. It is configured to repeat.

  According to the above aspect, the change of the approach distance, the stripping process, and the determination of the quality of the stripping state are automatically repeated until the stripping state of the coating material becomes good. Therefore, the operation time for adjusting the cutting amount of the strip blade can be reduced.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the control device is configured such that when the number of times of changing the approach distance reaches a predetermined number of times, or when the approach distance becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, It has a notification unit for performing notification.

  If the number of times of changing the approach distance is too large, or if the approach distance is too short, there is a high possibility that the strip blade is not suitable for the electric wire or that there is some abnormality in the adjustment operation of the cutting amount of the strip blade. According to the above aspect, in such a case, the notification unit notifies. Therefore, the operator can easily recognize that the strip blade is incompatible or that an abnormality has occurred in the adjustment operation.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the adjustment work time of the cut amount of the strip blade in an electric wire processing apparatus can be shortened.

It is a top view showing typically the composition of the electric wire processing device concerning an embodiment. It is a perspective view of an electric wire. It is a perspective view of a strip mechanism, a cutter mechanism, a clamp, and a camera. It is a side view of a strip mechanism, a cutter mechanism, a clamp, and a camera. It is a functional block diagram of a control device. It is a flowchart showing the adjustment method of the cutting amount of a strip blade. (A) is a plan view of an electric wire whose stripped state is defective, and (b) is a captured image of the electric wire. (A) is a plan view of another electric wire whose peeling state is defective, and (b) is a captured image of the electric wire. (A) is a plan view of another electric wire whose peeling state is defective, and (b) is a captured image of the electric wire. (A) is a plan view of an electric wire in a good stripped state, and (b) is a captured image of the electric wire. It is a top view of the electric wire which shows the cut position of a coating material.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating a configuration of an electric wire processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the right side and the left side of FIG. The upper side and the lower side in FIG. 1 are the left side and the right side, respectively. However, each direction in the following description is only a direction determined for convenience of description, and does not limit the present invention in any way.

  The electric wire processing device 1 includes a wire drawing machine 25, a feeding device 20 that sends out the electric wire 5, clamps 30F and 30R, moving mechanisms 35F and 35R, strip mechanisms 12F and 12R, a cutter mechanism 11, a camera 40F, 40R, crimping machines 13F and 13R, and a tray 8. As shown in FIG. 2, the electric wire 5 is a covered electric wire, and includes a core wire 5a made of a conductor and a coating material 5b made of an insulator covering the core wire 5a.

  The wire drawing machine 25 is a device that removes the curl of the electric wire 5 and straightens the electric wire 5. The wire drawing machine 25 has a plurality of rollers arranged in a staggered manner.

  The feeding device 20 is only required to be a device that can send out the electric wire 5, and its specific configuration is not limited at all. In this embodiment, the feeding device 20 includes a pair of left and right driving rollers 21a driven by a motor (not shown), a driven roller 21b, and a transport belt 22 wound around the driving roller 21a and the driven roller 21b. I have. When the drive roller 21a runs the transport belt 22, the electric wire 5 sandwiched between the left and right transport belts 22 is sent forward.

  The clamps 30F and 30R are devices for holding the electric wire 5. In the present embodiment, the clamps 30F and 30R release the grip of the electric wire 5 when the feeding device 20 sends out the electric wire 5, and guide the movement of the electric wire 5 in the longitudinal direction. The clamps 30F and 30R hold the electric wire 5 after the electric wire 5 moves in the longitudinal direction.

  The moving mechanism 35F is a mechanism that moves one or both of the clamp 30F and the strip mechanism 12F so as to move away from each other. The moving mechanism 35R is a mechanism that moves one or both of the clamp 30R and the strip mechanism 12R so as to move away from each other. In the present embodiment, the moving mechanism 35F is configured to move the clamp 30F toward and away from the strip mechanism 12F. That is, the moving mechanism 35F is configured to move the clamp 30F back and forth. The moving mechanism 35R is configured to move the clamp 30R toward and away from the strip mechanism 12R. That is, the moving mechanism 35R is configured to move the clamp 30R back and forth.

  The cutter mechanism 11 is a mechanism for cutting the electric wire 5. As shown in FIG. 3, the cutter mechanism 11 includes a pair of upper and lower first cutter blades 11A and a second cutter blade 11B. The first cutter blade 11A is fixed to the first block 14A. The second cutter blade 11B is fixed to the second block 14B. The first block 14A and the second block 14B are slidably engaged with the guide 15. The first block 14A and the second block 14B are connected to a motor 16, and are driven up and down by the motor 16. When the motor 16 moves the first block 14A and the second block 14B toward and away from each other, the first cutter blade 11A and the second cutter blade 11B approach and move away from each other.

  The strip mechanisms 12F and 12R are mechanisms for stripping the covering 5b of the electric wire 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the strip mechanism 12F is disposed behind the cutter mechanism 11, and strips off the covering material 5b at the front end of the rear electric wire 5 held by the clamp 30F. On the other hand, the strip mechanism 12R is disposed in front of the cutter mechanism 11, and strips off the covering material 5b at the rear end of the front electric wire 5 held by the clamp 30R. As shown in FIG. 3, each of the strip mechanisms 12F and 12R has a first strip blade 12A and a second strip blade 12B arranged on both sides of the electric wire 5. Here, the first strip blade 12A is arranged above the electric wire 5, and the second strip blade 12B is arranged below the electric wire 5. The first strip blade 12A and the second strip blade 12B face each other with the electric wire 5 interposed therebetween. The first strip blade 12A is fixed to the first block 14A, and the second strip blade 12B is fixed to the second block 14B. The first strip blade 12A and the second strip blade 12B are configured to move up and down by the driving force of the motor 16 and to approach and separate from each other. In the present embodiment, a drive mechanism that drives the first strip blade 12A and the second strip blade 12B so as to approach and separate from each other is configured by the motor 16, the guide 15, the first block 14A, and the second block 14B. I have. However, the drive mechanism of the first strip blade 12A and the second strip blade 12B is not limited at all.

  The cameras 40F and 40R are examples of an imaging device that captures at least an end of the electric wire 5. In the present embodiment, the cameras 40F and 40R are CCD cameras, but the types of the cameras 40F and 40R are not particularly limited. As the cameras 40F and 40R, any imaging device capable of imaging the contour of the end of the electric wire 5 can be suitably used. As shown in FIG. 1, the camera 40F is disposed forward of the clamp 30F and rearward of the strip mechanism 12F. The camera 40R is disposed behind the clamp 30R and forward of the strip mechanism 12R. 3 and 4, only the camera 40F is shown, and the camera 40R is not shown. The cameras 40F and 40R are arranged at positions away from the electric wire 5 in the radial direction of the electric wire 5. Here, the cameras 40F and 40R are arranged above the electric wire 5.

  The crimping machines 13F and 13R are devices for crimping the terminal 7 to the end of the electric wire 5. The clamps 30F and 30R are configured to be pivotable about a vertical line. The crimping machine 13F is configured to crimp the terminal 7 to the front end of the electric wire 5 held by the clamp 30F. The crimping machine 13R is configured to crimp the terminal 7 to the rear end of the electric wire 5 held by the clamp 30R.

  The tray 8 is a box for collecting an electric wire (hereinafter referred to as a terminal-attached electric wire) 6 having the electric wire 5 and the terminals 7 crimped to both ends of the electric wire 5. As described later, the electric wire processing apparatus 1 continuously cuts the electric wire 5, peels off the covering material 5 b, and crimps the terminal 7 to continuously manufacture the electric wire with terminal 6. The tray 8 accommodates the plurality of electric wires with terminals 6 manufactured continuously as described above.

  The control device 50 can communicate with the wire drawing machine 25, the feeding device 20, the clamps 30F and 30R, the moving mechanisms 35F and 35R, the driving mechanism (more specifically, the motor 16), the cameras 40F and 40R, and the crimping machines 13F and 13R. They are connected and control these devices. The control device 50 is configured by a computer. The control device 50 may be a dedicated computer for the electric wire processing device 1 or a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer. The hardware configuration of the control device 50 is not limited at all.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the control device 50. As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 50 includes a wire processing unit 60 that performs a series of processes for manufacturing the terminal-equipped electric wire 6, a first strip blade 12 </ b> A and a second strip A cutting amount adjusting unit 55 that performs a process of adjusting the cutting amount of the blade 12B is provided. The cut amount adjusting unit 55 includes a stripping processing unit 56 that performs a stripping process of the coating material 5b, a pass / fail determination unit 57 that determines whether the stripping state of the coating material 5b is good, a cut amount changing unit 58, and a notification unit. 59. The processing executed by each unit will be described later.

  Next, a method by which the electric wire processing apparatus 1 manufactures the electric wire with terminal 6 will be described. The manufacture of the electric wire with terminal 6 is performed by the electric wire processing unit 60 of the control device 50.

  First, the electric wire processing unit 60 sends out the electric wire 5 by driving the feeding device 20, and holds the electric wire 5 by the clamps 30F and 30R. Next, the electric wire processing unit 60 controls the motor 16 to bring the first cutter blade 11A and the second cutter blade 11B closer to each other and cut the electric wire 5. And the electric wire processing part 60 moves each electric wire 5 after cutting to a cutting position.

  Next, the electric wire processing unit 60 controls the motor 16 to cause the first strip blade 12A and the second strip blade 12B of the strip mechanisms 12F and 12R to approach each other, and cut the coating 5b of the electric wire 5. Then, the clamp 30F is moved so as to be separated from the strip mechanism 12F, and the clamp 30R is moved so as to be separated from the strip mechanism 12R. As a result, the covering material 5b at the front end of the electric wire 5 gripped by the clamp 30F is peeled off by the strip blades 12A and 12B of the strip mechanism 12F, and the core wire 5a at the front end of the electric wire 5 is exposed. Also, the covering material 5b at the rear end of the electric wire 5 gripped by the clamp 30R is peeled off by the strip blades 12A and 12B of the strip mechanism 12R, and the core wire 5a at the rear end of the electric wire 5 is exposed.

  Thereafter, the clamp 30F turns to the left while holding the rear electric wire 5, and guides the front end of the rear electric wire 5 to the crimping machine 13F. The clamp 30R turns to the right while holding the front wire 5 and guides the rear end of the front wire 5 to the crimping machine 13R. Then, the terminals 7 are crimped to the ends of the electric wires 5 by the crimping machines 13F and 13R.

  Next, the clamp 30F returns to the initial position (the position shown in FIG. 1) facing the strip mechanism 12F while holding the rear wire 5, and releases the grip of the wire 5. The clamp 30R returns to the initial position (the position shown in FIG. 1) facing the strip mechanism 12R after releasing the grip of the front electric wire 5. When the gripping by the clamp 30 </ b> R is released, the terminal-equipped electric wire 6 falls and is collected in the tray 8.

  Thereafter, the above operation is repeated. Thereby, a plurality of electric wires 6 with terminals are sequentially manufactured.

  By the way, when stripping the coating material 5b, if the cutting amount of the strip blades 12A and 12B is too small, the coating material 5b cannot be satisfactorily stripped. On the other hand, if the cut amount of the strip blades 12A, 12B is too large, the core wire 5a will be damaged by the strip blades 12A, 12B. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the cutting amounts of the strip blades 12A and 12B prior to the manufacture of the above-described terminal-attached electric wire 6. The appropriate cut amount differs depending on the type of the electric wire 5. Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the cut amount each time the type of the electric wire 5 is changed.

  Next, the adjustment of the cutting amounts of the strip blades 12A and 12B will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This adjustment is performed by the cut amount adjusting unit 55 of the control device 50.

  First, in step S1, an outer diameter D of the electric wire 5 (hereinafter, referred to as an electric wire diameter) is detected. In the present embodiment, the wire diameter D is detected from images captured by the cameras 40F and 40R. However, once the wire to be used is determined, the wire diameter D is uniquely specified in advance. Therefore, instead of detecting the wire diameter D, the operator may input the wire diameter D to the control device 50. Alternatively, information on the electric wire 5 is stored in the control device 50 in advance, and when the operator inputs information (for example, the name and the model number of the electric wire 5) for specifying the electric wire 5, the control device 50 transmits the electric wire diameter corresponding to the electric wire 5. D may be read.

  Next, in step S2, an initial value (N = 1) is set to a number N representing the number of adjustments. Then, in step S3, the approach distance W between the first strip blade 12A and the second strip blade 12B is set. In the present embodiment, the approach distance W is set so as to gradually decrease. Here, the approach distance W is set to (1−P · N) D, and P = 0.1. That is, the approach distance W is set so as to gradually decrease by 10% of the wire diameter D. However, the value of P is not particularly limited. For example, P = 0.05. Precise adjustment is possible by reducing the value of P. Conversely, by increasing the value of P, the number of times required for adjustment can be reduced. In the present embodiment, P is a constant value, but P may be a value that changes according to N. That is, P may be a variable of N. Alternatively, P may be a value that changes independently of N.

  Next, in step S4, a stripping process of the coating material 5b is performed. The stripping process is performed by the stripping processing unit 56 of the cut amount adjusting unit 55. The stripping unit 56 cuts the covering 5b of the electric wire 5 by moving the first strip blade 12A and the second strip blade 12B closer to the approach distance W, and then disconnects the clamps 30F, 30R from the strip mechanisms 12F, 12R, respectively. Move away from each other.

  Next, in step S5, the quality of the stripped state is determined. This pass / fail determination is performed by the pass / fail determination unit 57 of the cut amount adjustment unit 55. The pass / fail determination unit 57 determines whether or not the coating material 5b has been peeled off satisfactorily based on the image of the end of the electric wire 5 captured by the cameras 40F and 40R. Note that the image may be a color image or a grayscale image. The image may be a binarized black and white image. Here, a description will be given as a binarized black and white image.

  FIGS. 7A, 8A, 9A, and 10A are plan views illustrating examples of the end of the electric wire 5 after the stripping process. The core wire 5a is hatched so that the core wire 5a and the covering material 5b can be easily distinguished. FIGS. 7 (b), 8 (b), 9 (b) and 10 (b) correspond to FIGS. 7 (a), 8 (a), 9 (a) and 10 (a), respectively. 5 shows an image of the end of the electric wire 5 shown. In the example shown in FIG. 7A, the coating material 5b at the end remains, and the core wire 5a is not exposed. Therefore, the stripped state is poor. In the example shown in FIG. 8A, a part of the covering material 5b at the end is peeled off, but the other part remains. A part of the periphery of the distal end of the core wire 5a is exposed, but the other part is covered with the covering material 5b. Therefore, also in this case, the stripped state is poor. In the example shown in FIG. 9A, the coating material 5b around the distal end of the core wire 5a is peeled off, but the coating material 5b on the base side is pulled toward the distal end and extends, and the core wire 5a is exposed. Length L is insufficient. Therefore, also in this case, the stripped state is poor. In the example shown in FIG. 10A, the coating material 5b around the tip of the core wire 5a is peeled off, and the exposed length L of the core wire 5a is also sufficient. In this case, the stripped state is good.

  The quality determination method performed by the quality determination unit 57 is not particularly limited. For example, an image captured by the cameras 40F and 40R is compared with a predetermined image (an image in a case where the stripping state is good), and it is determined that the image is good when the coincidence ratio between the two images is equal to or more than a predetermined value. You may. That is, pass / fail may be determined by so-called pattern matching.

  Further, since the diameter of the core wire 5a of the electric wire 5 is specified in advance, as shown in FIG. 10B, the diameter Ds of the end of the electric wire 5 is detected from the image, and the detected diameter Ds is the diameter of the core wire 5a. (The diameter of the core wire 5a before the coating material 5b is stripped off) may be determined based on whether or not it substantially matches. However, in such a determination method, it may be determined that the state is good in the state shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10B, the pass / fail determination unit 57 includes a central portion 71 extending toward the tip 5t of the electric wire 5 in an image captured by the cameras 40F and 40R. It is configured to determine whether or not a shoulder 72 extending to a position closer to the base than the tip 5t is included on both sides of the target. If not, it is determined to be defective. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the shoulder 72 is not included in the image of the end of the electric wire 5, the stripped state is determined to be defective. Also, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), if the shoulder 72 is present on one side of the center 71 but not on both sides, the stripped state is determined to be defective.

  In the present embodiment, the pass / fail determination unit 57 further determines whether or not the contour 72c of the tip of the shoulder 72 is substantially perpendicular to a straight line X parallel to the center line of the electric wire 5, and is not substantially perpendicular. In such a case, it is configured to be determined to be defective. Note that “substantially perpendicular” means that the angle θ formed by the contour 72c of the tip of the shoulder 72 and the straight line X is 90 degrees or a value close to 90 degrees. The numerical range of θ can be set as appropriate according to the type of the electric wire 5 and the like, and is not particularly limited. For example, θ may be 70 to 100 degrees, or may be 80 to 95 degrees. , 85 degrees to 90 degrees. Accordingly, when the root-side coating material 5b is pulled and extended toward the distal end, the contour 72c of the distal end of the shoulder 72 is parallel to the center line of the electric wire 5 as shown in FIG. Since it is not substantially perpendicular to the straight line X, the stripped state is determined to be defective.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 10B, the pass / fail determination unit 57 further determines the ratio (= Ds / Dg) of the width Ds of the central portion 71 to the total width Dg of the central portion 71 and the shoulders 72 on both sides. It may be determined whether or not the value is within a predetermined range, and if not, it may be determined to be defective. That is, it may be determined whether Ds / Dg is substantially equal to (diameter of core wire 5a) / (diameter of electric wire 5), and if not equal, it may be determined to be defective. The predetermined range can be appropriately set according to the type of the electric wire 5 and the like. For example, it may be determined whether Ds / Dg is in the range of 0.8 to 1.2 times (diameter of core wire 5a) / (diameter of electric wire 5), or 0.9 to 1.1. A determination may be made as to whether the value is within the range of the magnification of 0.95 or 1.05.

  If the pass / fail determination unit 57 determines that the product is defective, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, it is determined whether the number N of times of adjusting the cutting amount matches the predetermined upper limit number Nt, or whether the approach distance W is equal to or less than the predetermined lower limit value Wt. If the decision result in the step S6 is NO, the process proceeds to a step S7, where 1 is added to the number of adjustments N. Since N = 1 here, N is changed from 1 to 2 in step S7.

  Then, returning to step S3, the approach distance W is changed. As described above, since P = 0.1 in the present embodiment, when N is changed from 1 to 2, the approach distance W is changed from 0.9D to 0.8D. After changing the approach distance W in step S3, the stripping process in step S4 and the pass / fail determination in step S5 are performed again.

  In the present embodiment, the second and subsequent stripping processes are performed without replacing the electric wire 5. That is, the second and subsequent stripping processes are performed without removing the electric wire 5 from the clamps 30F and 30R. In the second and subsequent stripping processes, the cut portions of the coating material 5b may be the same as or different from the cut portions in the previous stripping process.

  If the result of determination in step S5 is good, the adjustment of the cutting amount is terminated. The approach distance W at this time is stored in a memory (not shown) of the control device 50, and is set as a set value of the approach distance of the first strip blade 12A and the second strip blade 12B at the time of manufacturing the electric wire 6 with terminal. .

  If it is determined in step S6 that N = Nt or W ≦ Wt, there is a high possibility that the strip blades 12A and 12B do not conform to the electric wire 5 or some abnormality has occurred. And the adjustment of the cut amount ends. In addition, the specific method of notification is not limited at all. For example, the notification may be made using a sound such as a buzzer, or may be made by visual means such as turning on a lamp or displaying on a display.

  The above is the method of adjusting the cutting amounts of the strip blades 12A and 12B. After the control device 50 adjusts the strip blades 12A and 12B, the operator may observe the images of the cameras 40F and 40R to make a final pass / fail determination. Alternatively, after the above-described adjustment of the strip blades 12A and 12B by the control device 50, the electric wire 5 is detached from the clamps 30F and 30R, and the final pass / fail judgment is made by visually observing the stripped state by the operator. You may do so.

  As described above, according to the electric wire processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the control device 50 determines whether or not the stripping state of the covering material 5b is good based on the images of the ends of the electric wires 5 captured by the cameras 40F and 40R. Is provided. For this reason, the time required for the determination can be reduced as compared with the related art in which the operator visually checks the quality each time the cut amount is changed. In addition, the control device 50 includes a cut amount changing unit 58 that changes the approach distance W when the pass / fail determination unit 57 determines that it is defective, and causes the stripping unit 56 to execute the stripping process again. For this reason, the time required for changing the cut amount can be reduced as compared with the related art in which the operator changes the cut amount. In addition, according to the electric wire processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, since the determination of the quality of the stripping and the change of the cut amount are automatically performed by the control device 50, the operation of the apparatus 1 needs to be stopped each time. There is no. Until the pass / fail determination unit 57 determines good (that is, until the determination in step S5 becomes YES), the change of the approach distance W (step S3), the stripping process (step S4), and the pass / fail determination (step S5) Repeated automatically. Therefore, according to the electric wire processing apparatus 1, it is possible to reduce the time for adjusting the cut amounts of the strip blades 12A and 12B.

For example, in a typical example of the related art, as described below, 17 seconds are required for processing of one cycle from input of a cut amount by an operator (that is, setting of the approach distance W) to determination of good or bad.
1) Input of cut amount by operator 5 seconds 2) Start-up waiting time of device 1 second 3) Stripping process 1 second 4) Visual inspection by operator 10 seconds Total 17 seconds Until the peeling condition becomes good temporarily If it is necessary to input the cutting amount five times, a total of 17 seconds × 5 times = 85 seconds is required.

  On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the pass / fail determination is performed by the pass / fail determination unit 57 of the control device 50, and the setting of the cut amount (that is, the setting of the approach distance W) is performed by the cut amount changing unit 58. , They are performed without stopping the operation of the device 1. Therefore, in the present embodiment, for example, the processing of one cycle of steps S3 to S7 is completed in one second. Assuming that the startup waiting time of the apparatus 1 is 1 second, even if the setting of the cutting amount is required five times, the adjustment of the cutting amount is completed in 1 second + 1 second × 5 times = 6 seconds. Therefore, the time required for adjusting the cutting amount can be reduced by 85 seconds−6 seconds = 79 seconds as compared with the above-described conventional technology.

  According to the present embodiment, the pass / fail determination unit 57 determines whether the image of the end of the electric wire 5 captured by the cameras 40F and 40R includes the center 71 and the shoulders 72 on both sides of the center 71. It is determined whether or not it is not included. Thereby, the quality of the stripped state of the coating material 5b can be appropriately determined.

  According to the present embodiment, the pass / fail determination unit 57 determines whether the contour 72c of the tip of the shoulder 72 is substantially perpendicular to a straight line X parallel to the center line of the electric wire 5, and If it is not perpendicular to, it is determined to be defective. Thereby, the quality of the stripped state of the coating material 5b can be more appropriately determined.

  According to the present embodiment, the pass / fail determination unit 57 determines whether the ratio of the width Ds of the central portion 71 to the total width Dg of the central portion 71 and the shoulder portions 72 on both sides (= Ds / Dg) is within a predetermined range. It is determined whether or not it is not within a predetermined range. Thereby, the quality of the stripped state of the coating material 5b can be more appropriately determined.

  The stripping unit 56 is configured to perform a stripping process on a single electric wire 5 a plurality of times. In the present embodiment, adjustment of the cut amounts of the strip mechanisms 12F and 12R is performed using only one electric wire 5, respectively. Therefore, there is no need to replace the electric wire 5 when adjusting the cut amount. Therefore, the time for the adjustment operation can be further reduced. The electric wire 5 used for adjusting the cut amount is discarded after the adjustment operation. According to the present embodiment, the number of discarded electric wires 5 can be reduced as compared with the related art in which the electric wires 5 are replaced every time the stripping process is performed. Therefore, the cost required for adjusting the cut amount can be reduced by reducing the amount of the waste wire 5.

  Incidentally, the method of setting the approach distance W in step S3 is not particularly limited. In other words, the method of changing the cut amount is not particularly limited. The approach distance W may be reduced once and then increased. That is, the cut amount may be increased and then reduced. However, if the cut amount is too large, the strip blades 12A and 12B may come into strong contact with the core wire 5a. Although the strip blades 12A and 12B have higher strength than the core wire 5a, they are used over time, so that when they come into strong contact with the core wire 5a, they tend to deteriorate more than when there is little contact with the core wire 5a. Therefore, the life of the strip blades 12A and 12B may be shortened. However, according to the present embodiment, when adjusting the cut amount, the approach distance W is set so as to gradually decrease. That is, the cut amount is set so as to gradually increase. Therefore, there is no possibility that the cut amount becomes excessively large, and deterioration of the strip blades 12A and 12B can be suppressed. Therefore, the life of the strip blades 12A and 12B can be extended.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the stripping process at the time of manufacturing the electric wire with terminal 6, in order to obtain the electric wire with terminal 6 having a certain specification, the cut position of the coating material 5 b is set to a predetermined position 5 b 1. Is set. On the other hand, as a result of earnest research by the inventor of the present application, even if the cutting position of the coating material 5b is shifted back and forth from the predetermined position 5b1, if the cutting position is within the predetermined range A, the quality of the stripped state of the coating material 5b is appropriately determined. I knew I could do it. If it is not determined in the first pass / fail judgment (step S5) that the cut is good, the stripping processing unit 56 performs the stripping process (step S4) a plurality of times. When performing the stripping process a plurality of times, the processing unit 56 may be configured to cut different portions of the coating material 5b. For example, the stripping unit 56 may be configured to gradually change the cut position of the coating material 5b from the distal end side of the electric wire 5 to the root side. As described above, if a different portion of the coating material 5b is cut when performing the stripping process a plurality of times, the strip blades 12A and 12B cut a portion of the coating material 5b that has not yet been cut. . Therefore, the state when the strip blades 12A and 12B cut the coating material 5b when adjusting the cutting amount is made closer to the state when the strip blades 12A and 12B cut the coating material 5b when manufacturing the electric wire 6 with a terminal. be able to. Therefore, when adjusting the cutting amount, it is possible to more appropriately determine whether the stripping state is good or not.

  In addition, when the cut position when the stripping state is determined to be good is different from the predetermined position 5b1, the same wire 5 or the predetermined position 5b1 of the replaced wire 5 is cut without changing the approach distance W. A confirmation operation for confirming that the taking state is good may be performed. Thereby, although the time for the adjustment work is slightly longer, the quality of the stripped state can be more appropriately determined.

  On the other hand, since the range A of the cutting position of the coating material 5b is limited, if the setting is made to cut different portions of the coating material 5b, the number of times of the stripping process in step S4 is limited. If the change amount of the approach distance W is set to be small (for example, if the value of P is set to be small), the number of stripping processes may reach the upper limit before the stripping state becomes good. On the other hand, as a result of earnest study by the inventor of the present application, it has been found that even if the same portion of the coating material 5b is cut, the quality of the stripped state of the coating material 5b can be appropriately determined. Therefore, the stripping unit 56 may be configured to cut the same portion of the coating material 5b when performing the stripping process a plurality of times. In this case, the stripping process in step S4 can be repeated any number of times. Therefore, by setting the change amount of the approach distance W small, the cut amount can be precisely adjusted.

  In addition, it is also possible to combine the cut of the same part of the coating material 5b with the cut of a different part. For example, the cutting position may be changed each time the same portion of the coating material 5b is cut a predetermined number of times (for example, three times).

  When the number of changes of the approach distance W has reached a predetermined number during the adjustment work of the cut amount, or when the approach distance W has become equal to or less than a predetermined value, the covering material is provided despite the approach distance W being sufficiently short. 5b is not peeled off satisfactorily. In such a case, there is a high possibility that the strip blades 12A and 12B do not conform to the electric wire 5 or that some abnormality occurs in the operation of adjusting the cut amount. According to the present embodiment, in such a case, the notification unit 59 performs the notification. For this reason, the operator can easily recognize that the strip blades 12A and 12B are incompatible or that an abnormality has occurred in the adjustment work. Therefore, subsequent procedures such as replacement of the strip blades 12A and 12B and inspection of the apparatus 1 can be promptly performed.

  As mentioned above, although one embodiment of the present invention was described, the above-mentioned embodiment is only an example. Various other embodiments are possible. Hereinafter, examples of other embodiments will be briefly described.

  In the embodiment, the first strip blade 12A and the second strip blade 12B are arranged vertically. However, the first strip blade 12A and the second strip blade 12B only need to be arranged on both sides of the electric wire 5, and need not necessarily be arranged vertically. For example, the first strip blade 12A and the second strip blade 12B may be arranged on the left and right.

  In the above-described embodiment, the strip mechanisms 12F and 12R and the cutter mechanism 11 are arranged before and after, but their arrangement is not particularly limited. For example, the strip mechanisms 12F and 12R and the cutter mechanism 11 may be arranged on the left and right.

  The cameras 40F and 40R only need to be able to capture an image of at least the end of the electric wire 5 viewed from the radial outside of the electric wire 5, and the positions of the cameras 40F and 40R are not particularly limited. The cameras 40F and 40R may be arranged at positions separated from the electric wire 5 in the radial direction of the electric wire 5, or may be arranged at other positions. The positions of the cameras 40F and 40R with respect to the electric wire 5 are not limited to above the electric wire 5. For example, the cameras 40F and 40R may be arranged diagonally above the electric wire 5, may be arranged beside the electric wire 5, or may be arranged below the electric wire 5. The cameras 40F and 40R may directly image the electric wire 5, or may indirectly image the electric wire 5 via a reflecting mirror or the like. For example, a reflecting mirror or the like may be interposed between the cameras 40F and 40R and the electric wire 5, and the cameras 40F and 40R may capture a reflection image of the electric wire 5 reflected on the reflecting mirror or the like.

  In the embodiment, the camera 40F is disposed behind the strip mechanism 12F in a plan view so as to capture an image of the end of the electric wire 5 immediately after the clamp 30F moves backward. The camera 40R is disposed in front of the strip mechanism 12R in a plan view so as to capture an image of the end of the electric wire 5 immediately after the clamp 30R moves forward. However, the positions of the cameras 40F and 40R with respect to the strip mechanisms 12F and 12R are not particularly limited. For example, the camera 40F may be arranged on the left side of the strip mechanism 12F. In this case, the camera 40F captures an image of the end of the electric wire 5 after the clamp 30F once moves backward and turns to the left. As described above, the cameras 40F and 40R are installed in a place different from the place where the stripping processing of the coating material 5b is performed, and the determination of the quality of the stripping state is performed in a place different from the place where the stripping processing is performed. Good.

  The cut amounts of the strip mechanisms 12F and 12R may be adjusted using only one electric wire 5 or two or more electric wires 5, respectively. In order to shorten the adjustment time, it is preferable to use only one electric wire 5, but it is not particularly limited.

  In the above embodiment, the cut amount is adjusted at both ends of the electric wire 5. That is, the cut amount is adjusted for both of the strip mechanisms 12F and 12R. However, the adjustment of the cut amount may be performed by only one of the strip mechanisms 12F and 12R. In this case, one of the cameras 40F and 40R that does not adjust the cutting amount may be omitted.

  In the embodiment, the quality of the stripped state is determined based on the images captured by the cameras 40F and 40R that are separated from the electric wire 5 in the radial direction of the electric wire 5. However, another imaging device is installed at a position separated from the electric wire 5 in a direction along the center line of the electric wire 5, and in addition to the images captured by the cameras 40F and 40R, the images (images of the The quality of the stripped state may be determined based on the front image). As a result, a higher quality judgment can be made.

  The electric wire processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment is configured to peel off the covering material 5b and crimp the terminals 7 to both ends of the electric wire 5. However, the electric wire processing apparatus 1 may be configured to peel off the covering material 5b and crimp the terminal 7 to one end of the electric wire 5. In that case, only one camera is required.

  The electric wire processing apparatus according to the present invention only needs to strip off the covering material 5b on at least one end of the electric wire 5, and cutting of the electric wire 5 and crimping of the terminal 7 are not necessarily required.

  In the above embodiment, the moving mechanisms 35F and 35R move the clamps 30F and 30R away from the strip mechanisms 12F and 12R. However, the moving mechanisms 35F and 35R move the strip mechanisms 12F and 12R away from the clamps 30F and 30R. The moving mechanism may be used. Alternatively, a mechanism may be used in which both the clamps 30F and 30R and the strip mechanisms 12F and 12R are moved away from each other.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric wire processing apparatus 5 Electric wire 5a Core wire 5b Coating material 12A 1st strip blade 12B 2nd strip blade 12F, 12R Strip mechanism 30F, 30R Clamp 35F, 35R Moving mechanism 40F, 40R Camera (imaging device)
Reference Signs List 50 Control device 56 Stripping unit 57 Pass / fail judgment unit 58 Cut amount changing unit

Claims (10)

A clamp for holding an electric wire having a core wire and a covering material surrounding the core wire,
A strip mechanism having a first strip blade and a second strip blade arranged on both radially separated sides of the electric wire gripped by the clamp;
A drive mechanism for driving the first strip blade and the second strip blade so as to approach and separate from each other;
A moving mechanism for moving one or both of the clamp and the strip mechanism so as to be separated from each other;
An imaging device that captures an image of at least the end of the electric wire as viewed from a radial outside of the electric wire,
A control device communicably connected to the driving mechanism, the moving mechanism, and the imaging device,
The control device includes:
After the covering material of the electric wire is cut by bringing the first strip blade and the second strip blade closer to a predetermined approach distance, one or both of the clamp and the strip mechanism are moved away from each other. A stripping processing unit for performing a stripping process to be performed;
After the stripping process, a pass / fail determination unit that determines pass / fail of the stripped state of the covering material based on an image of the end of the electric wire captured by the imaging device.
An electric wire processing device, comprising: a cut amount changing unit that changes the approach distance when the pass / fail determination unit determines that the device is defective, and causes the stripping unit to execute the stripping process again.   The pass / fail determination unit includes an image of an end of the electric wire, a central portion extending toward the tip of the electric wire, and a shoulder extending to a position closer to a root side of the electric wire than the tip on both sides of the central portion, The electric wire processing device according to claim 1, wherein it is configured to determine whether or not the wire is included, and to determine that the wire is defective if not.   The pass / fail determination unit determines whether or not the contour of the tip of the shoulder is substantially perpendicular to a straight line parallel to the center line of the electric wire. The electric wire processing device according to claim 2, which is configured.   The pass / fail determination unit determines whether the ratio of the width of the central portion to the total width of the shoulders on both sides of the central portion and the central portion is within a predetermined range, and when the ratio is not within the predetermined range. 4. The electric wire processing device according to claim 2, wherein the electric wire processing device is configured to determine that the wire is defective.   The electric wire processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the stripping unit is configured to perform a stripping process on a single electric wire a plurality of times.   The electric wire processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cut amount changing unit is configured to gradually reduce the approach distance.   The electric wire processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the stripping unit is configured to cut the same portion of the covering material in two or more stripping processes.   The electric wire processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the stripping unit is configured to cut different portions of the covering material in two or more stripping processes.   The control device is configured to repeat the change of the approach distance, the stripping process, and the determination of the pass / fail state of the coating material until the pass / fail determination unit determines that the pass / fail condition is good. The electric wire processing device according to any one of 1 to 8.   The control device includes a notifying unit that notifies when the number of times of changing the approach distance has reached a predetermined number of times or when the approach distance has become equal to or less than a predetermined value. The electric wire processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images