JP2024032128A - Tube cut device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a tube cut device which has a small scale, does not limit an operator and dispenses with individual adjustment.SOLUTION: A tube cut stage 70 includes a tube guide to which a tube is inserted from an insertion port by an operator, and a switch installed on an end opposite to the insertion port of the tube guide. When the switch is pressed by the tube inserted into the tube guide, operation of cutting the tube by the tube cut unit 30 and operation of discharging the cut tube by the tube discharge unit 50 are executed as a tube cut cycle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a tube cutting device.

In factories and workshops, tubes are cut to a predetermined length using a tube cutting device. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a tube cutting device that has a simple configuration but can pull out a wound tube and cut it into a predetermined size while suppressing the occurrence of twisting.

Patent Document 1 discloses that a tube cutting device includes a gripping drawer portion that grips a part of the tube from the wound tube and pulls it out by a predetermined length, and a gripping drawer portion disposed closer to the wound tube than the gripping drawer portion. , and that it has a gripping and fixing part 47 that grips and fixes a part of the drawn-out tube, and a cutting part that cuts the drawn-out tube in a direction perpendicular to the drawing direction.

Further, in Patent Document 1, the cutting part is arranged on the front side in the direction of drawing out the tube compared to the gripping and drawing part, and the gripping and fixing part grips a part of the tube, and the gripping and drawing part releases the tube. It is described that the distance between the gripping and fixing part and the cutting part is adjusted so that it is easy to release the twisting of the tube that occurs in the portion extending from the gripping and fixing part to the cutting part.

Patent No. 2016-209975

However, in the tube cutting device of Patent Document 1, when a portion of the tube is grabbed at the gripping and pulling section and pulled out by a predetermined length, individual adjustments are required depending on the tube's quirks, variations in the pulling torque, etc. . Furthermore, if the individual adjustments are insufficient, this may cause an error in the cut dimensions of the tube, leading to a decrease in quality. Moreover, the tube cutting device of Patent Document 1 is included in a wire harness assembly system, and is a large-scale device as a whole.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a tube cutting device that is small-scale, does not limit the number of operators, and does not require individual adjustment.

A tube cutting device according to a typical embodiment of the present invention includes a tube cutting stage for cutting a tube, a tube cutting unit for cutting the tube on the tube cutting stage, and a tube cutting device for cutting the tube cut by the tube cutting unit. It is equipped with a tube ejection unit that ejects from the stage. The tube cutting stage includes a tube guide into which a tube is inserted through an insertion port by an operator, and a switch installed at an end of the tube guide opposite to the insertion port. When the tube inserted into the tube guide presses a switch, the operation of cutting the tube by the tube cut unit and the operation of discharging the cut tube by the tube discharge unit are executed as a tube cut cycle.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a small-scale tube cutting device that does not require individual adjustment without limiting the number of operators.

1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a tube cutting device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a tube cutting device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of a tube cutting device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of a tube cutting device. It is a figure which illustrates the structure of a tube discharge unit. It is a figure which illustrates the structure of an attachment. It is a figure explaining tube cutting operation. It is a figure explaining tube ejection operation. It is a figure which illustrates the structure of the tube cutting device based on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in all the figures for explaining the embodiment, the same members are given the same reference numerals in principle, and repeated explanations thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

<Configuration of tube cutting device>
1 and 2 are diagrams illustrating the configuration of a tube cutting device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of the tube cutting device 1. FIG. FIG. 1(b) is a front view of the tube cutting device 1. FIG. In addition, in this embodiment, the side where the tube cut unit 70 mentioned later is installed is defined as the front side. FIG. 1(c) is a plan view of the tube cutting device 1. FIG. FIG. 2(a) is a left side view of the tube cutting device 1. FIG. FIG. 2(b) is a right side view of the tube cutting device 1.

3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating the internal configuration of the tube cutting device. FIG. 3(a) is a front view of the tube cutting device 1 with the cover removed. FIG. 3(b) is a plan view of the tube cutting device 1 with the cover removed. FIG. 4(a) is a right side view of the tube cutting device 1 with the cover removed. FIG. 4(b) is an enlarged perspective view of the tube cutting device 1 with the cover removed. In FIG. 4(b), the right side of the tube cutting device 1 and a part of the tube cutting unit 70 are shown. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the tube discharge unit.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tube cutting device 1 includes a control unit 10, a tube cutting unit 70, and the like. Control unit 10 and tube cut unit 70 are installed on base plate BP.

<<Control unit>>
The control unit 10 is a unit that performs various controls related to tube cutting. For example, the control unit 10 performs controls such as control related to the operation of operating a cutter to cut a tube with the tube cutting unit 70 and control related to the operation of discharging the cut tube from the tube cutting unit 70.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the control unit 10 includes a cover COV, a motor MOR housed within the cover COV, a relay, and the like. Further, the top surface of the cover COV is provided with a main switch 11 of the tube cutting device 1, a counter 12 for counting the number of times the tube has been cut, and the like.
The control unit 10 also includes a tube discharge cam 51 and a tube cut cam 31.

The control unit 10 also includes a tube cut link 32, a tube cut slide plate 33, tube cut slide rails 34a and 34b, and a tube cutter 35. The motor MOT, the tube cutting cam 31, the tube cutting link 32, the tube cutting slide plate 33, the tube cutting slide rails 34a and 34b, and the tube cutter 35 constitute a tube cutting unit 30.

The control unit 10 also includes a tube discharge slide plate 52, a tube discharge rail 53, tube discharge links 54 and 56, a support member 57, and a tube discharge shutter 58. The motor MOT, the tube discharge cam 51, the tube discharge slide plate 52, the tube discharge rail 53, the tube discharge links 54, 56, the support member 57, and the tube discharge shutter 58 constitute the tube discharge unit 50.

<<<Tube cut unit>>>
The tube cutting unit 30 is a unit that cuts tubes. The tube cutting cam 31 is a circular plate-like member. The tube cutting cam 31 is attached to the motor shaft SHA and rotates together with the motor shaft SHA. The rotation direction of the motor shaft SHA is counterclockwise when viewed from the right side.

The tube cut link 32 is a member for transmitting the rotation of the motor MOR to the tube cutter 35. The tube cut link 32 is a horizontally long plate-like member. One end of the tube cut link 32 is rotatably attached to a position different from the motor shaft SHA of the tube cut cam 31. The other end of the tube cut link 32 is rotatably connected to a tube cut slide plate 33. The tube cut link 32 is arranged outside the tip of the motor shaft SHA. This prevents the tube cut link 32 from coming into contact with the motor shaft SHA even if the tube cut cam 31 rotates.

When the motor shaft SHA and the tube cutting cam 31 rotate, the tube cutting link 32 moves forward or backward relative to the tube cutting stage 70 according to the rotation of the motor shaft SHA and the tube cutting cam 31. Thereby, the tube cut link 32 can move the tube cut slide plate 33 forward or backward relative to the tube cut stage 70.

The tube cutting slide plate 33 is a member that supports the tube cutter 35. The tube cutting slide plate 33 is a plate-like member, as shown in FIG. 4 and the like. A tube cutter 35 is attached to an end of the tube cutting slide plate 33 near the middle stage on the tube cutting stage 70 side.

The upper part of the tube cutting slide plate 33 is movably connected to a tube cutting slide rail 34a installed on the tube cutter protection member 37a via a connecting member. On the other hand, the lower part of the tube cutting slide plate 33 is movably connected to a tube cutting slide rail 34b installed on the tube cutter protection member 37a via a connecting member.

Thereby, the tube cutting slide plate 33 can smoothly move forward or backward on the tube cutting slide rails 34a, 34b according to the operation of the tube cutting link 32. Thereby, the tube cutting slide plate 33 can smoothly move the tube cutter 35 forward to the tube cutting stage 70 during tube cutting, and move the tube cutter 35 backward after cutting the tube.

Further, the tube cutting slide plate 33 has a protrusion 33a formed near the upper end on the motor shaft SHA side. The tube cutting slide plate 33 is installed so that when it is moved back the most with respect to the tube cutting stage 70, the protrusion 33a pushes the origin switch SW installed on the tube cutter protection member 37a. In this way, the tube cutting slide plate 33 is aligned with the origin switch SW.

The tube cutter 35 is a blade that cuts the tube inserted into the tube stage 70 (attachment 75). As described above, since the tube cutter 35 is attached to the tube cutting slide plate 33, for example, a tube cutter whose sharpness has deteriorated or a tube cutter whose blade has been damaged due to spillage, etc. can be easily replaced.

The origin switch SW is a device that controls the operation of the motor MOR. The origin switch SW is provided with a button BUT. When the protrusion 33a of the tube cutting slide plate 33 that has retreated comes into contact with the button BUT of the origin switch SW, the motor MOR is stopped. In this way, the origin switch SW stops the operation of the tube cut unit 30 and the tube discharge unit 50 when the tube cut unit 30 and the tube discharge unit 50 are at the origin position before starting the operation.

The tube cutter protection members 37a and 37b are members that protect the tube cutter 35. The tube cutter protection member 37a is provided inside the tube cutter protection member 37b, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like. The upper end portion of the tube cutter protection member 37a has an L-shape bent to the right. The bent portion is connected to the top plate of the cover COV.

The lower end portion of the tube cutter protection member 37a is U-shaped with a bottom portion. The bottom portion is connected to the base plate BP. Further, the tip of the lower end portion of the tube cutter protection member 37a functions as a support portion that supports the tube cut stage 70 from below, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like.

The upper end portion of the tube cutter protection member 37b is S-shaped. The upper end portion of the tube cutter protection member 37b is connected to the tube cutter protection member 37a through an S-shaped portion. The lower end portion of the tube cutter protection member 37b is bent inward to form an L-shape. The bottom portion of the bent portion is connected to the base plate BP.

Further, a tube insertion guide 79 is connected to the tube cutter protection member 37b from the outside. The tube insertion guide 79 is L-shaped, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like. A tube insertion opening 79c is formed in a portion 79a connected to the tube cutter protection member 37b. The tube insertion port 79c is formed at a position that matches the insertion port of an attachment 75, which will be described later. The tube can be inserted smoothly by placing the tube on the upper surface of the portion 79b protruding from the tube cutter protection member 37b and introducing the tip of the tube from the upper surface of the portion 79b into the tube insertion port 79c.

<<<Tube discharge unit>>>
The tube discharge unit 50 is a unit that discharges the tube cut by the tube cut unit 30 from the tube cut stage 70. The tube discharge cam 51 is attached to the motor shaft SHA and rotates together with the motor shaft SHA. The tube discharge cam 51 is a plate-like member. As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the tube ejection cam 51 has a non-uniform radius around the entire circumference, and has a region with a small radius and a region with a large radius.

Specifically, the tube ejection cam 51 has a base portion that has a small radius and is not caught by a hook portion 52b of a tube ejection slide plate 52 described later, and a base portion that has a large radius and is an area that does not catch the hook portion 52b of the tube ejection slide plate 52, which will be described later. It has a hook portion which is a region to be hooked onto the portion 52b. When the hook portion is caught on the hook portion 52b, the tube ejection slide plate 52 is pulled toward the side opposite to the tube cutting stage 70. The position of the hook portion is adjusted so that the tube is ejected almost at the same time as the tube is cut by the tube cutting unit 30.

The shape of the tube discharge cam 51 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a ginkgo biloba shape as shown in FIG. 2, a horizontally elongated shape with rounded ends as shown in FIG. 5, an ellipse shape, or the like.

The tube discharge slide plate 52 moves forward or backward relative to the tube cutting stage 70 in accordance with the rotation of the tube discharge cam 51. The tube discharge slide plate 52 is an L-shaped plate member. The tube discharge slide plate 52 includes a horizontally extending base portion 52a and a vertically extending hook portion 52b. The base portion 52a is movably connected to the tube discharge rail 53 via a connecting member.

When the hook portion 52b is caught by the hook portion, the tube ejection slide plate 52 is pulled toward the opposite side of the tube cutting stage 70 and retreats, thereby pulling the tube ejection links 54 and 56, which will be described later. As a result, the tube discharge shutter 58 that closes the attachment 75 from below rotates downward, and the lower part of the attachment 75 opens. As a result, the cut tube inside the attachment 75 falls and is discharged from the attachment 75.

On the other hand, when the hook part is removed from the hook part 52b, the tube discharge slide plate 52 is pulled toward the tube cutting stage 70 by the tube discharge links 54 and 56 and moves forward. As a result, the tube discharge shutter 58 rotates upward, and the lower part of the attachment 75 is closed by the tube discharge shutter 58.

The tube discharge links 54 and 56 are members that transmit the movement of the tube discharge slide plate 52 to the tube discharge shutter 58. The tube discharge link 54 has one end rotatably connected to the tube discharge slide plate 52, and the other end rotatably connected to a mounting member 55a connected to the tube discharge shutter 58. The tube discharge link 56 has one end rotatably connected to a mounting member 55b connected to the tube discharge shutter 58, and the other end rotatably connected to a second portion 57b of the support member 57.

The support member 57 is a member that supports the tube discharge link 56. The support member 57 has one end connected to the tube cutter protection member 37a. The support member 57 has a first portion 57a extending toward the attachment 75 along the attachment rail 71, and a second portion 57b bent toward the motor MOT side.

In this way, the tube discharge link 54 and the tube discharge link 56 are linked to open and close the tube discharge shutter 58, so that the tube can be discharged stably.

The tube discharge shutter 58 is a member that opens and closes the attachment 75 from below. The tube discharge shutter 58 is installed to extend over almost the entire length of the attachment rail 71. The tube discharge shutter 58 is a rod-shaped member having an L-shaped cross section, as shown in FIG. 5 and the like. The tube discharge shutter 58 includes a first portion 58a that opens and closes the attachment 75, and a second portion 58b on the back side. In the tube discharge shutter 58, the second portion 58b and the back side of the attachment rail 71 are connected by a mounting member 59 such as a hinge, for example.

<<Tube cutting stage>>
The tube cutting stage 70 is a stage where a tube is cut. The tube cutting unit 70 includes an attachment rail 71, a support member 73, and an attachment 75. The attachment rail 71 is a member for installing the attachment 75. As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the attachment rail 71 is arranged to extend laterally when viewed from the front side.

The attachment rail 71 is supported by a support member 73 near the left end when viewed from the front side. On the other hand, the attachment rail 71 is supported by the tip of the lower end portion of the tube cutter protection member 37a near the right end when viewed from the front side. A groove 71a for positioning the attachment 75 is formed in the attachment rail 71, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the attachment. FIG. 6(a) is a perspective view of the attachment. FIG. 6(b) is a front view of the attachment. FIG. 6(c) is a plan view of the attachment. FIG. 6(d) is a left side view of the attachment. FIG. 6(e) is a sectional view of the vicinity of the center of the attachment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the attachment 75 includes a tube guide 76, a rail guide 77, a switch section 78, and the like. The tube guide 76 is a member into which a tube to be cut is inserted. The length of the tube guide 61 is set corresponding to the length of the tube after cutting (cut length). That is, a dedicated attachment 75 is prepared for each cut length of the tube. Further, a special attachment 75 may be prepared depending on the diameter of the tube.

The tube guide 76 is made of transparent resin or the like. This allows the interior to be seen from the outside. As described above, the lower side of the tube guide 76 is open over almost the entire area, and the lower side of the tube guide 76 is opened and closed by the tube discharge shutter 58.

A positioning groove 76a is formed on the insertion port 76b side of the tube guide 76. The attachment 75 is installed on the attachment rail 71 so that the tube cutter protection member 37a is inserted therethrough. At this time, by positioning the insertion port 76b side of the attachment 75 by the positioning groove 76a, the tube insertion port 79c of the tube insertion guide 79 and the insertion port 76b of the tube guide 76 can be easily aligned. It looks like this.

The tube guide 76 is open on the opposite side from the insertion port 76b, so that the tip of the inserted tube can press the switch 78a.

Near the insertion opening 76b of the tube guide 76, which is close to the tube cutter 35, as shown in FIG. 6(d), the corner on the motor MOT side of the space into which the tube TUB is inserted is chamfered. The corner of the space opposite to (this side of) the motor MOT is not chamfered and has a vertically steep shape.

On the other hand, in the area other than the vicinity of the insertion port 76b, as shown in FIG. 6(e), the corner of the space where the tube TUB is inserted on the opposite side from the motor MOT is also chamfered, and the lower side of the tube guide 76 is tapered. It has a wide opening shape. This makes it difficult for the tube to move when the tube is cut, allowing the tube to be cut with high precision and allowing the cut tube to be smoothly discharged.

The rail guide 77 is a member for installing the attachment 75 on the attachment rail 71. The rail guide 77 is attached to the tube guide 76. The rail guide 77 protrudes toward the back side, and the tip of the protruding portion is bent into an L-shape. The bent portion serves as a hook portion 77a and is hooked onto the side surface of the attachment rail 71 on the opposite side of the tube guide 76 with the groove 71a in between. Further, the rail guide 77 is provided with a groove guide 77b that fits into the groove 71a. In this way, the rail guide 77 allows the attachment 75 to be positioned and installed at a predetermined position on the attachment rail 71 without causing any positional deviation due to the hook portion 77a and the groove guide 77b. There is.

The switch section 78 is installed at the end of the tube guide 76 opposite to the insertion port 76b. The switch section 78 includes a switch 78a and a connector 78b. The switch section 78 is installed such that the switch 78a faces the tube guide 76 side. Connector 78b is connected to control unit 10 via a cable (not shown). Power is supplied and signals are transmitted and received between the connector 78b and the control unit 10 via a cable.

When the tube inserted into the tube guide 76 presses the switch 78a, the motor MOR is started, and the tube cutting unit 30 performs a tube cutting operation, and the tube discharging unit 50 performs a tube discharging operation.

<Tube cut cycle>
Next, the tube cut cycle will be explained. As described above, in the series of operations related to tube cutting, the tube cutting operation and the tube discharging operation are continuously executed as one cycle. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the tube cutting operation. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the tube ejection operation.

The upper diagram in FIG. 7 shows a state in which the motor MOT is stopped and the tube cutting unit 30 and tube ejection unit 50 are at the original position. FIG. 8(a) shows a state in which the tube discharge unit 50 is at the origin position.

When the tube TUB inserted into the tube guide 76 presses the switch 78a, the motor MOT is started and the motor shaft SHA starts rotating. Then, as shown in the upper and middle diagrams of FIG. 7, the tube cutter 35 moves forward toward the tube guide 76 due to the operation of the tube cut unit 30, and the tube TUB inserted into the tube guide 76 is cut. Ru. When the tube is cut, the tube cutter 35 retreats from the tube guide 76 due to the operation of the tube cutting unit 30, as shown in the middle and lower diagrams of FIG.

On the other hand, almost at the same time that the tube TUB is cut, as shown in the middle and lower diagrams of FIG. 7 and FIG. The lower end of the tube guide 76 opens. Thereby, the cut tube TUB is discharged from the tube guide 76. Then, when the tube TUB is discharged from the tube guide 76, the tube discharge shutter 58 rotates upward, and the lower end of the tube guide 76 is closed. The rotation angle of the tube discharge shutter 58 at this time is, for example, 48° in FIG. 8(b), but is not limited to this.

Then, when the tube cutting unit 30 and the tube discharging unit 50 return to the origin, the protrusion 33a of the tube cutting slide plate 33 pushes the origin switch SW. As a result, the motor MOT stops, and the tube cut unit 30 and tube discharge unit 50 stop at the origin position. That is, at the end of the tube cutting cycle, the tube cutting unit 30 and the tube discharging unit 50 stop at the origin position. The steps up to this point are one cycle operation related to tube cutting.

The operator can continuously cut the tube by inserting the tube TUB into the tube guide 76. The number of tube cuts performed is displayed on a counter installed in the control unit 10. The worker can work while looking at the numerical value on the counter.

<Main effects of this embodiment>
According to the present embodiment, when the tube TUB inserted into the tube guide 76 presses the switch 78a, one cycle of tube cutting operations consisting of a tube cutting operation and a tube ejecting operation is executed.

According to this configuration, tube cutting can be performed on a small scale without limiting the number of operators. Further, as the attachment 75, a special item is used depending on the length of the tube after cutting. Further, since the operator can insert the tube into the tube guide 76 while correcting twists and curls, individual adjustments in the tube cutting device are not required.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the cut tube is discharged onto the base plate BP. Therefore, the tubes may be scattered around the base plate BP, and some of the tubes may fall to the floor.

Therefore, the present embodiment is configured so that the cut tube can be efficiently collected. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a tube cutting device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 9(a) is a perspective view of the tube cutting device 1. FIG. 9(b) is a front view of the tube cutting device 1. FIG. 9(c) is a plan view of the tube cutting device 1. FIG. 9(d) is a right side view of the tube cutting device 1.

As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, the tube cutting device 1 is installed on a support stand 100. Further, a tube collection section 110 is installed on the support stand 100.

The support stand 100 is high on the back side (control unit 10 side) and low on the front side (tube cut stage 70 side). As a result, the tube cutting device 1 is tilted from the control unit 10 side toward the tube cutting stage 70 side, and the tube TUB discharged from the tube guide 76 falls from the base plate BP and then returns to the tube collecting section 110. Moving. Since the operator only needs to collect the tubes collected by the tube collecting section 110, the labor of the worker involved in collecting the cut tubes is significantly reduced.

Although each embodiment of the present invention has been described so far, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily change, add, delete, or convert each element of the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Tube cut device, 30...Tube cut unit, 50...Tube discharge unit, 70...Tube cut stage, 76...Tube guide, 78...Switch part, 78a...Switch, 100...Support stand, 110...Tube collection part, SW ...Origin switch.

Claims (5)

a tube cutting stage where the tube is cut;
a tube cutting unit that cuts the tube on the tube cutting stage;
a tube discharge unit that discharges the tube cut by the tube cut unit from the tube cut stage;
Equipped with
The tube cutting stage is
a tube guide into which the tube is inserted through an insertion port by an operator;
a switch installed at an end of the tube guide opposite to the insertion port;
Equipped with
When the tube inserted into the tube guide presses the switch, the operation of cutting the tube by the tube cut unit and the operation of discharging the cut tube by the tube discharge unit are called a tube cut cycle. executed as,
Tube cutting device. The tube cutting device according to claim 1,
When the tube cutting cycle ends, the tube cutting unit and the tube ejecting unit stop at the origin position.
Tube cutting device. The tube cutting device according to claim 2,
an origin switch that stops the operation of the tube cut unit and the tube discharge unit when the tube cut unit and the tube discharge unit are at the origin position before starting the operation;
Tube cutting device. The tube cutting device according to claim 1,
The length of the tube guide is set corresponding to the length of the tube after cutting.
Tube cutting device. The tube cutting device according to claim 1,
a tube collection unit that collects the cut tube;
a support stand that supports the tube cutting device and the tube recovery section;
Equipped with
The support stand supports the tube cutting device so that the tube cutting stage side is lowered,
The cut tube discharged from the tube cutting stage is collected by the tube collection section.
Tube cutting device.