JP2557416B2 - Tube cutting and mounting device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention sequentially cuts a continuous tube such as a heat-shrinkable tube into a predetermined length while intermittently pulling out the tube, and then cuts the cut tube. The present invention relates to a tube cutting and mounting device to be mounted on a mounting object.

[Prior Art] As a conventional tube cutting and mounting device, for example, a device disclosed in JP-A-51-100261 is known. 5a to 5k are schematic sectional views of such a conventional device. 5a to 5k are views showing each step of the tube cutting and mounting process in this apparatus. Explaining the configuration of this device, the tube 6 is a continuous tube such as a heat shrinkable tube, and has a flat or elliptical cross section.
The tube 6 has a tip portion drawn out from a coiled one and is fitted to the outside of the tube guide rod 21.
A small diameter portion 21b is continuously provided below the large diameter portion 21a, and a spring holding portion 27 is formed at the tip of the small diameter portion 21b. A bush 28 is fitted in the small diameter portion 21b, and a spring 26 is interposed between the bush 28 and the spring holding portion 27. The spring 26 biases the bush 28 and the spring holding portion 27 away from each other. The spring
26 is shown in a simplified manner by the alternate long and short dash line.

Around the tube guide rod 21, there is provided a first opening / closing chuck 23 for gripping the large diameter portion 21a via a tube fitted to the outside thereof. Below the first opening / closing chuck 23, there is provided a second opening / closing chuck 24 which holds the bush 28 moved downward through a tube fitted to the outside thereof. The support rod 22 is located below the spring holding portion 27, and when the tube guide rod 21 moves downward,
Abuts the spring holding portion 27. Further, a blade 25 for cutting the tube is provided on the side of the tip surface of the spring holding portion 27.

In order to explain the operation of this conventional device, it will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5b to 5k.

As shown in FIG. 5b, the first opening / closing chuck 23 grips the large-diameter portion 21a of the tube guide rod 21, and the spring holding portion 27 located at the tip of the first opening / closing chuck 23 abuts the support rod 22 until the tube guide rod 21 is reached. Move downward. Next, the second opening / closing chuck 24 holds the bush 28 as shown in FIG. 5c. As shown in FIG. 5d, the first opening / closing chuck 23 opens, and as shown in FIG. 5e, the support rod 22 moves upward and pushes the spring holding portion 27 upward. As a result, the tube guide rod 21 returns to the original position shown in FIG. 5a. Bush 28 is second
Since it is gripped by the opening / closing chuck 24, it does not move upward, and therefore the spring 26 is in a compressed state. The tube fitted on the outside of the spring holding portion 27 is a support rod.
Move to the outside of 22.

As shown in FIG. 5f, the first open / close chuck 23 is
It moves upward to the original position shown in FIG. 5a, and again grips the large diameter portion 21a as shown in FIG. 5g. Next, as shown in FIG. 5h, the second opening / closing chuck 24 is opened, and the bush 28 is spring-loaded.
It is pushed upward by the urging force of 26 and returns to the original position shown in FIG. 5a. In this state, as shown in FIG. 5i, the support rod 22 moves slightly downward, and a gap is formed between the spring holding portion 27 and the tip of the support rod 22 so that the blade 25 can pass therethrough. Next, as shown in FIG. 5j, the blade 25 moves from the left to the right in the drawing to cut the tube. As shown in Fig. 5k, a support rod fitted with the cut tube section 6a.
22 moves to a position below the mounted object 20 attached to the parts feeder. The parts feeder 19 moves downward, and the mounted object 20 presses the support rod 22 downward. As a result, the support rod 22 projects from the base and moves downward. Support rod
The tube segment 6a fitted to the outside of the 22 comes into contact with a table (not shown) due to the downward movement of the support rod 22, and does not move downward any further. Therefore, the tube section 6a is
Further, it moves to the side of the mounted object 20 that moves further downward, and is fitted into the outside thereof.

After inserting the tube section 6a into the mounted object 20, the support rod
22 moves downward to the original position shown in Fig. 5a, and further returns to the desired position just below the tube guide rod 21, and again 5a
It will be in the same state as the figure.

The above-described steps are repeated, and a continuous tube is intermittently pulled out and sequentially cut into a predetermined length, and the cut tube is attached to an object to be attached.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional tube cutting and mounting device, as described above, since the cut tube is simply fitted into the support rod, it has a certain elasticity. In the case of a soft tube, it is trying to return to its original state while being fitted to the support rod. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the tube in the width direction does not have the same predetermined shape as the cross-sectional shape of the mounted object, and when the tube segment is transferred to the mounted object, it cannot be caught and smoothly transferred to the mounted object. Caused a problem.

On the other hand, when a hard tube having almost no elasticity is attached as the tube, the above problem does not occur. However, even in the case of such a hard tube, a device capable of securely holding and mounting the tube has been desired.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is that a soft tube having a certain degree of elasticity can be securely held and mounted while keeping the tube section in a predetermined shape, and has almost no elasticity. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tube cutting / attaching device capable of holding and attaching a tube section to a hard tube more reliably than before.

[Means and Actions for Solving Problems] In the tube cutting and mounting apparatus of the present invention, a vacuum suction chuck for gripping the tube section fitted on the outer side of the support rod is provided. Therefore, in the case of a soft tube, the cut tube can be attached to the object to be attached while being in close contact with the wide inner peripheral surface of the vacuum suction chuck and keeping its cross-sectional shape in a predetermined shape. Therefore, even if there is a slight difference between the inner diameter of the tube and the diameter of the object to be mounted, the tube can be smoothly mounted without being caught by the object to be mounted at the time of mounting.

Further, even in the case of a hard tube, since the tube section can be vacuum-sucked and held, it can be mounted while being held more firmly.

[Embodiment] FIGS. 1a to 1q are schematic cross-sectional views showing an embodiment of the present invention and are views for explaining a cutting and mounting process.
The structure of this device will be described with reference to FIG. 1a. The tube 6 is a soft heat-shrinkable tube, and its cross-sectional shape in the width direction has a flat shape that expands in the left-right direction in the drawing. The tip of the tube 6 passes through the outside of the tube guide rod 1 and is fitted to the lower tip of the tube guide rod 1. The tube guide rod 1 is composed of a guide rod upper portion 7 and a guide rod upper portion 8. The guide rod upper portion 7 has a circular cross section, and its diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the tube when the cross section of the tube 6 is circular. Also, a slightly smaller one is used. Further, the surface of the upper part of the guide rod is subjected to surface treatment such as hard chrome plating, and is smoothed so that the resistance becomes as small as possible when the tube 6 is pulled down.

The guide rod lower portion 8 is continuously provided below the guide rod upper portion, and includes a spring 9, a core rod 11, a locking portion 12, and a spring holding portion.
It consists of 13. The core rod 11 is provided so as to extend downward from the lower end of the guide rod upper portion 7. A pipe-shaped spring holding portion 13 is fitted on the core rod 11. The inner diameter of the upper portion of the spring holding portion 13 is slightly smaller, so that the spring holding portion 13 comes into contact with a locking portion 12 provided at the tip of the core rod 9 and is prevented from moving downward. A spring 9 is interposed between the spring holding portion 13 and the lower end of the guide rod upper portion 7, and the spring 9 biases the lower end of the guide rod upper portion and the spring holding portion 13 away from each other. Has been done. The spring 9 is shown in a simplified manner by the alternate long and short dash line.

The support rod 2 is provided below the spring holding portion 13. At the upper end of the support rod 2, there is formed a convex portion having a shape that fits into a through hole in the lower end surface of the spring holding portion 13. By fitting the convex portion and the hole of the spring holding portion 13, The central axis of the tube guide rod 1 and the central axis of the support rod 2 are made to coincide with each other. In addition, in FIGS. 1a to 1q, the convex portion of the support rod 2 is not shown. The diameter of the support rod 2 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the spring holding portion 13. This is to prevent the tube 6 from hanging on the support rod 2 when the tube 6 is pulled down and moved to the outside of the support rod 2.

Around the tube guide rod 1, there is provided a first opening / closing chuck 3 for gripping the upper part 7 of the guide rod via a tube fitted to the outside thereof. The first opening / closing chuck 3
A second opening / closing chuck 4 for gripping the spring holding portion 13 of the lower guide rod 8 via a tube fitted to the outside thereof is provided below the. Below the second opening / closing chuck 4, there is provided a vacuum suction chuck 5 for vacuum-sucking and gripping the tube section fitted on the outer side of the support rod 2.

Here, for further explanation of the vacuum suction chuck 5, FIGS. 2, 3 and 4a are shown. The vacuum suction chuck 5 of this embodiment is divided into two parts. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the divided portions are combined, and FIG. 3 is a partial cross-section in which the divided portions are separated. It is a figure.
2 and 3, the left half of the vacuum suction chuck is divided into sections. Further, FIG. 4a is a perspective view showing one of the divided portions. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inner peripheral surface of the hole formed by combining the divided portions is circular. A plurality of grooves 5a are formed along the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of this hole. The groove 5a also has a suction hole.
5b is formed, and the tube is vacuum-sucked along the inner peripheral surface of the hole of the divided portion so as to be in close contact with the inner peripheral surface.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
It is necessary that the direction of expansion of the flat shape of the cross section of the tube 6 is the same as the opening / closing direction of the vacuum suction chuck. That is, when the flattening direction of the flat shape of the cross section of the tube 6 is perpendicular to the opening / closing direction of the split portion, the folds of the tube 6 are located between the joint surfaces of the split portion, so that the split portions are close to each other. This is because there is a risk that the fold of the tube 6 may be caught when the tube 6 is closed.

The operation of the apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1a to 1q.

The tip of the tube 6 is aligned with the horizontal position of the blade 10 serving as a cutting means. First, as shown in FIG.
The opening / closing chuck 3 is closed, and the upper portion 7 of the guide rod is gripped via the tube 6. Next, as shown in FIG. 1b, the first opening / closing chuck 3 moves downward, and the tube guide rod 1 moves downward. As a result, the spring holding portion 13 located at the tip of the guide rod lower portion 8 comes into contact with the support rod 2 and is pressed, and the spring 9 is compressed. As a result, the length of the lower guide rod 8 is shortened, so that the tube fitted on the outer side of the lower guide bar 8 is transferred to the support rod 2 and fitted on the outer side thereof.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1c, the opening / closing chuck 4 is closed,
The spring holding portion 13 of the lower guide rod 8 is gripped via the tube 6. Next, as shown in FIG. 1d, the first opening / closing chuck 3 is opened, and as a result, as shown in FIG. 1e, the upper portion of the guide rod 7 is returned to the original position shown in FIG. 1a by the biasing force of the spring 9. Return to. As shown in FIG. 1f, the first opening / closing chuck 3 moves upward to the original position shown in FIG. 1e, and as shown in FIG. 1g, grips the guide rod upper portion 7 via the tube 6. .

Next, as shown in FIG. 1h, the support rod 2 is moved slightly downward, and a gap having a width that allows the blade 10 to pass through is provided in the spring holding portion.
It is formed between 13 and the tip of the support rod 2. Next, as shown in FIG. 1i, the vacuum suction chuck 5 vacuum-sucks the tube 6 fitted on the support rod 2 to bring it into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the hole. Next, as shown in FIG. 1j, the blade 10 moves from left to right in the drawing to cut the tube 6. At this time, since the tube 6 is gripped by the first opening / closing chuck 3, the second opening / closing chuck 4 and the vacuum suction chuck 5, there is no deviation due to cutting.

Then, as shown in Figure 1k, cut tube sections
The support rod 2 moves downward while 6a is still vacuum-sucked by the vacuum suction chuck 5. Further, as shown in FIG. 1l, the support rod 2 moves to the left side of the drawing, and instead of this, the object to be attached sent by a conveying device such as a parts feeder.
Twenty is located directly under the tube guide.

As shown in FIG. 1m, the vacuum suction chuck 5 moves downward, and the gripped tube segment 6a is fitted to the outside of the mounted object 20. During this time, the blade 10 is returned to its original position on the left side of the drawing as shown in FIG. 1n, and the vacuum suction chuck 5 stops vacuum suction of the tube segment 6a and opens it on both left and right sides. As shown in FIG. 1o, the vacuum suction chuck 5 moves upward,
Return to the original position.

As shown in FIG. 1p, the support rod 2 moves again and returns to the initial position below the tube guide rod 1. Tube section 6a
The mounted object 20 in which is fitted is sent to the next step, and a new mounted object 20 is sent to a predetermined position by a parts feeder or the like as shown in FIG. 1q. The second opening / closing chuck 4 opens and returns to the original state shown in FIG. 1a. The above-mentioned steps are repeated, and while intermittently pulling out the tube, the tube is sequentially cut into a predetermined length, and the step of mounting the cut tube on the mounted object is repeated.

As described above, the cut tube is held in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the hole by the vacuum suction chuck having the circular inner surface of the hole. Can be attached to things. Therefore, even a heat-shrinkable tube having a flat cross section can be smoothly mounted without catching the tube on the mounting object. Therefore, even if the diameter of the object to be mounted is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the tube when the tube cross section is circular, the tube can be mounted without being caught by the object to be mounted.

In this embodiment, the case where the tube section is held while being held in a circular shape has been described. However, it goes without saying that the sectional shape of the tube section is not limited to the circular shape. For example, various shapes such as a square and an ellipse can be set according to the cross-sectional shape of the mounted object. For example, when the tube section has a square cross section, a vacuum suction chuck 15 as shown in FIG. 4b can be used. The vacuum suction chuck 15 is formed with a cutout having a square half shape, and a plurality of grooves 15a are formed in this cutout, and suction holes (not shown) are formed in each groove 15a. ing. When this vacuum suction chuck 15 is combined with another symmetrical vacuum suction chuck 15, a hole having a square cross section is formed, and the tube is vacuum-sucked and adheres to the inner peripheral surface of this hole.

Further, although the soft tube having a certain degree of elasticity has been described as an example, the tube cutting and mounting apparatus of the present invention,
It is also applied to a rigid tube having no flexibility. In this case, there is an advantage that the tube section can be held more firmly than in the past.

[Effect of the Invention] According to the tube cutting and mounting device of the present invention, since the tube segment of the soft tube is gripped by the vacuum suction chuck having the inner peripheral surface of the hole having a predetermined shape, its cross-sectional shape has a predetermined shape. It can be attached to the attached object while maintaining its shape. Therefore, a flexible soft tube
It can be used in the step of cutting into a predetermined length and mounting, and can be effectively used, for example, in the step of automatically and rapidly fitting a heat-shrinkable tube to an electronic component such as a relay coil.

Further, in the case of a hard tube, it is possible to hold the tube segment more firmly than before and mount it on an object to be mounted.

[Brief description of drawings]

1a to 1q are schematic cross-sectional views showing an embodiment of the present invention and are views for explaining a cutting and mounting process. FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view showing a gripping state of an example of the vacuum suction chuck used in the present invention. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which an example of the vacuum suction chuck similarly used in the present invention is opened. FIG. 4a is a perspective view of an example of a vacuum suction chuck similarly used in the present invention. FIG. 4b is a perspective view showing another example of the vacuum suction chuck used in the present invention. Figures 5a to 5k
It is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a conventional tube cutting and mounting device,
It is a figure for demonstrating a cutting attachment process. In the figure, 1 is a tube guide rod, 2 is a support rod, 3 is a first opening / closing chuck, 4 is a second opening / closing chuck, 5 and 15 are vacuum suction chucks, 6 is a tube, 7 is a guide rod upper portion, and 8 is a The lower part of the guide rod, 9 is a spring, 10 is a blade, 11 is a core rod, 12 is a locking part, 13 is a spring holding part, and 20 is a mounted object.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-59-103825 (JP, A) JP-A-60-251002 (JP, A) JP-B-48-44094 (JP, B1)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A tube cutting and mounting apparatus for intermittently pulling out a continuous tube, sequentially cutting the tube into a predetermined length, and mounting the cut tube on an object to be mounted, wherein the tube is fitted to the outside, A guide rod upper portion for guiding the tube downward, a guide rod lower portion which is continuously provided below the guide rod upper portion and expands and contracts in a vertical length, and the guide rod upper portion is fitted to the outside thereof. A first opening / closing chuck for gripping via a tube to move the upper and lower portions of the guide rod in the vertical direction, and when the lower portion of the guide rod moves downward, it contacts the lower end of the lower portion of the guide rod. A support rod for compressing the lower portion of the guide rod and externally fitting a chave fitted on the outer side of the lower portion of the guide rod; and a second opening / closing chuck for holding the lower portion of the guide rod via a tube fitted on the lower side thereof. And before A vacuum suction chuck for vacuum-sucking and gripping a tube fitted to the outside of the support rod, and a cutting means for cutting the tube fitted to the outside of the support rod into a predetermined length are provided. A tube cutting and mounting apparatus, characterized in that the tube is mounted on an object to be mounted while holding the formed tube by the vacuum suction chuck. 2. In order to match the central axis of the lower portion of the guide rod with the central axis of the support rod, concavo-convex shapes that are fitted to each other are formed on the respective abutting end surfaces. The tube cutting and mounting device according to claim 1.