JP7234480B2 - wire feeder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wire feeder.

In consumable electrode gas-shielded arc welding, automatic welding using welding robots and traveling carts, and semi-automatic welding methods operated by workers are adopted. During welding operations such as automatic welding, the wire feeding device feeds the welding wire toward the welding torch, and electric power and shielding gas are supplied to the welding torch.

In semi-automatic welding, the work area may be relatively wide depending on the site where the welding work is performed. When working inside a large structure, the working area is relatively large. At such a welding work site, there are many cavities and cables on the floor of the work site, and it is not suitable to attach wheels to the wire feeder for transportation. For this reason, it is necessary for the operator to manually carry the welding torch and the wire feeder depending on the location to be welded. A portable wire feeding device suitable for being carried by a worker is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.

A wire feeding device described in Patent Document 1 includes a box-shaped case and a wire feeding mechanism housed in the case. The case is made of, for example, a steel plate (made of steel) and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The wire feeding mechanism feeds the welding wire wound on the wire reel in the feeding direction along the longitudinal horizontal direction of the case. The ceiling wall of the case is provided with a handle for carrying by hand.

A cable for supplying electric power from the welding power source and shielding gas is connected to the wire feeding device. The cable is led into the case through an opening (cable inlet) formed in the peripheral wall of the case. The cable has a configuration in which, for example, a power cable or a gas hose is inserted into a protective tube. When connecting the cables to the wire feeder, for example, the maintenance door of the case is opened, and the connectors at the ends of the cables are connected in place inside the case. A ring member, for example, is fitted around the cable protection tube. The ring member covers the periphery of the cable inlet and is detachably fixed to the peripheral wall by screwing.

When carrying the wire feeding device at the welding work site as described above, the cable connected to the case is removed as necessary. However, it is necessary to separate the connectors of each cable inside the case and remove the ring member fixed to the peripheral wall of the case by loosening the screw. Therefore, the operation of attaching/detaching the cable to/from the wire feeder is complicated, and there is room for improvement.

JP 2006-7264 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The main object of the present invention is to provide a wire feeder suitable for improving the workability when attaching and detaching a cable to be connected. do.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following technical means.

The wire feeding device provided by the present invention includes a wire feeding mechanism for feeding welding wire in a predetermined feeding direction, and a cable inlet for housing the wire feeding mechanism and for drawing a cable formed in the peripheral wall. and a box-shaped case, wherein the peripheral wall is adjacent to the first wall and adjacent to the first wall. a second wall portion slidably arranged in the second wall portion, wherein the cable lead-in opening is formed in the first wall portion and the second wall portion, respectively, and comprises a pair of cutout portions facing each other; The second wall is slidable between a first position and a second position that is further from the first wall than the first position, and the first wall and the second wall are slidable. maintains the second wall in a closed state when the second wall is in the first position, and maintains the second wall when the second wall is in the second position; is provided with an opening/closing mechanism capable of taking an open state, and is provided with a lock mechanism for preventing sliding movement of the second wall portion when the second wall portion is in the first position.

In a preferred embodiment, an elastic member having rubber elasticity is attached to a peripheral edge of the notch in the first wall and a peripheral edge of the notch in the second wall.

In a preferred embodiment, the peripheral wall includes a third wall portion disposed on the opposite side of the second wall portion to the first wall portion and overlapping a portion of the second wall portion, The locking mechanism includes a screw member that prevents movement of the second wall with respect to the third wall.

In a preferred embodiment, the second wall portion is formed with a slit extending in the adjoining direction from an edge near the third wall portion, and the screw member is inserted through the slit.

In a preferred embodiment, the opening/closing mechanism includes a through hole formed in one of the first wall portion and the second wall portion and the other of the first wall portion and the second wall portion. a locking piece formed in the It can pass through the through hole when it is in the second position.

In a preferred embodiment, the cable has a configuration in which a power cable is inserted in a protective tube, and a clamp portion for holding the power cable is provided inside the case.

In the wire feeding device according to the present invention, an opening/closing mechanism is provided on the first wall portion and the second wall portion. The opening/closing mechanism keeps the second wall closed when the second wall is at the first position. On the other hand, the opening/closing mechanism can assume a state in which the second wall is open when the second wall is in the second position. According to such a configuration, the cable can be easily attached to and detached from the wire feeding device by opening the second wall portion. The wire feeding device also has a lock mechanism. The locking mechanism prevents sliding movement of the second wall when the second wall is at the first position. Therefore, the openable/closable second wall portion is prevented from being opened carelessly.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a plan view showing an example of a wire feeding device according to the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wire feeding device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wire feeding device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from a direction different from that of FIG. 2 ; FIG. 2 is a side view of the wire feeding device shown in FIG. 1; It is the figure which looked at the wire feeding apparatus shown in FIG. 1 from the diagonally downward direction. It is a front view which shows the state which removed the door from the wire feeding apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part along VII-VII in FIG. 4; FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part along VIII-VIII in FIG. 4; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 8 for explaining the opening/closing operation of the second wall; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 8 for explaining the opening/closing operation of the second wall; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 8 for explaining the opening/closing operation of the second wall;

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 6 show an example of a wire feeder according to the present invention. A wire feeder A1 of this embodiment feeds a welding wire to a welding torch (not shown). The wire feeding device A1 includes a case 1, a front panel 3, a rear panel 4 and a wire feeding mechanism (not shown).

The case 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape. The longitudinal horizontal direction of the case 1 is parallel to the feeding direction X of the welding wire. In each figure, the front in the X feeding direction of the welding wire (hereinafter referred to as "forward in feeding direction X1") and the rear (hereinafter referred to as "rear in feeding direction X2") are appropriately distinguished. In the description of the illustrated wire feeder A1, the vertical direction is defined with reference to the posture normally used.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the case 1 comprises a bottom wall 11, a ceiling wall 12, doors 13, 14, a front wall 15 and a rear wall 17. As shown in FIG. The case 1 also has a frame structure including, for example, pillars arranged at four corners and beams provided at proper places (neither of which is shown). These elements constituting the case 1 are made of metal material, for example, steel plate.

The bottom wall 11 is the lowest portion of the case 1 . The bottom wall 11 has a long rectangular shape with the feed direction X as the longitudinal direction. The width direction Y of the bottom wall 11 is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the feeding direction X. As shown in FIG.

A handle 121 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the ceiling wall 12 . A pair of hinge portions 122 and 123 are attached near the periphery of the ceiling wall 12 . The pair of hinge portions 122 are positioned at one end in the width direction Y (hereinafter referred to as “one width direction Y1” as appropriate) and spaced apart in the feeding direction X. As shown in FIG. The pair of hinge portions 123 are located at the other end in the width direction Y (hereinafter referred to as “the other width direction Y2” as appropriate) and are spaced apart in the feeding direction X. As shown in FIG.

The door 13 is arranged at one end Y1 in the width direction of the case 1 . An upper portion 131 of the door 13 is connected to a pair of hinge portions 122 . The upper portion 131 of the door 13 is rotatable about an axis along the feeding direction X, and can be opened and closed. A locking portion 132 is provided near the lower end of the door 13 . The lock portion 132 can be operated from the outside to switch from a state of preventing the opening operation of the closed door 13 to a state of allowing the opening operation.

The door 14 is arranged at the other end of the bottom wall 11 in the width direction Y2. An upper portion 141 of the door 14 is connected to a pair of hinge portions 123 . The door 14 is rotatable around an axis along the feed direction X at the upper portion 141 and can be opened and closed. A locking portion 142 is provided near the lower end of the door 14 . The lock portion 142 can be operated from the outside to switch from a state of preventing the opening operation of the closed door 14 to a state of permitting the opening operation.

As shown in FIG. 3, the front wall 15 is arranged on the front X1 side of the bottom wall 11 in the feeding direction. A torch connection portion 161 and a guard portion 162 are provided on the front wall 15 .

The torch connection part 161 is a part for connecting a welding torch (not shown). The torch connection portion 161 includes a connector projecting forward in the feeding direction X1 from the front wall 15, and the end of the cable of the welding torch is connected to the connector. The guard portion 162 protrudes forward in the feeding direction X1 from the front wall 15 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the guard portion 162 protrudes forward in the feeding direction X1 from the torch connection portion 161 . In the present embodiment, the guard portions 162 are provided in pairs spaced apart in the width direction Y of the bottom wall 11 . The torch connecting portion 161 is positioned between the pair of guard portions 162 in the width direction Y of the bottom wall 11 . Each guard portion 162 is composed of a U-shaped bar, and both ends of the wire are attached to the front wall 15 to form an annular shape.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rear wall 17 is arranged on the rear X2 side of the bottom wall 11 in the feeding direction. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 , in this embodiment, the rear wall 17 includes a first wall portion 171 , a second wall portion 172 and a third wall portion 173 . A cable lead-in port 170 is formed in the rear wall 17 . Inside the case 1, the cable C1 is led through the cable lead-in port 170. As shown in FIG.

The first wall portion 171, the second wall portion 172 and the third wall portion 173 are arranged in this order in the width direction Y. As shown in FIG. The first wall portion 171 is positioned on the one Y1 side in the width direction. The third wall portion 173 is arranged on the side opposite to the first wall portion 171 with respect to the second wall portion 172 and positioned on the other widthwise Y2 side. As shown in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, the third wall portion 173 overlaps a portion of the second wall portion 172 (a portion on the one Y1 side in the width direction). The first wall portion 171 and the third wall portion 173 are fixed in place on the rear panel 4 by appropriate means such as bolting.

The second wall portion 172 is adjacent to the first wall portion 171 . The second wall portion 172 is arranged so as to be slidable in a direction adjacent to the first wall portion 171 (the width direction Y in this embodiment).

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the second wall portion 172 is formed with a slit 172a. The slit 172a extends in the width direction Y (the direction in which the first wall portion 171 and the second wall portion 172 are adjacent to each other) from the edge of the second wall portion 172 near the third wall portion 173 . A screw member 191 is inserted through the slit 172a. The screw member 191 is, for example, a thumbscrew, and has a screw shaft portion screwed into a screw hole formed in the third wall portion 173 . In addition, the second wall portion 172 has a bent portion 172b formed by bending the edge on the one Y1 side in the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 7, the cable inlet 170 consists of a pair of cutouts 170A and 170B facing each other. The cutout portion 170A is formed in the first wall portion 171 . The cutout portion 170B is formed in the second wall portion 172 . The cutouts 170A and 170B are each substantially semicircular, and the cutouts 170A and 170B together form a substantially circular shape.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, elastic members 175 and 176 are attached to the peripheral edges of the cutouts 170A and 170B, respectively. Each elastic member 175, 176 has rubber elasticity and is made of synthetic rubber, for example. Each elastic member 175, 176 has an arcuate inner peripheral edge.

An opening/closing mechanism 18 is provided on the first wall portion 171 and the second wall portion 172 . The opening/closing mechanism 18 includes a through hole formed in one of the first wall portion 171 and the second wall portion 172 and a locking piece formed in the other. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, a pair of rectangular through holes 181 are formed in the first wall portion 171, and a pair of locking pieces 182 are formed in the second wall portion 172. ing. The locking piece 182 is appropriately bent. The locking piece 182 can pass through the through hole 181 when the second wall portion 172 is in a predetermined position with respect to the first wall portion 171 .

The locking piece 182 cannot pass through the through hole 181 in the state shown in FIGS. At this time, the second wall portion 172 is positioned closest to the other side Y2 in the width direction in the sliding range. At this time, the second wall portion 172 is in the first position and maintained in the closed state.

When the screw member 191 is loosened, as shown in FIG. 9, the second wall portion 172 can be slid to the one Y1 side in the width direction. Here, the second wall portion 172 is slidable along the width direction Y while being guided by the rear bottom portion 41 and intermediate portion 45 of the rear panel 4 and the screw member 191, which will be described later. In the state shown in FIG. 9, the screw member 191 is in contact with the innermost end of the slit 172a, and movement of the second wall portion 172 toward the one Y1 side in the width direction is restricted. At this time, the second wall portion 172 is at a position (second position) farther from the first wall portion 171 than the first position shown in FIG. As understood from FIGS. 8 and 9, the second wall portion 172 is slidable between the first position shown in FIG. 8 and the second position shown in FIG. The slide movement of the second wall portion 172 can be easily operated by pinching the bent portion 172b.

In this embodiment, the wire feeding device A1 has a lock mechanism 19. As shown in FIG. The lock mechanism 19 prevents the second wall portion 172 from sliding when the second wall portion 172 is at the first position (the state shown in FIGS. 7 and 8). In this embodiment, the lock mechanism 19 is configured including a screw member 191 . By tightening the screw member 191 in the state shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the second wall portion 172 is clamped by the screw member 191 and the third wall portion 173 and prevented from moving relative to the third wall portion 173. be.

When the second wall portion 172 is at the second position shown in FIG. 9, the locking piece 182 overlaps the through hole 181 as viewed in the feeding direction X. As shown in FIG. At this time, the locking piece 182 can pass through the through hole 181 .

When the bent portion 172b of the second wall portion 172 is tilted toward the one Y1 side in the width direction from the state shown in FIG. 9, the second wall portion 172 rotates to the state shown in FIG. A portion of the second wall portion 172 on the other width direction Y2 side is separated from the first wall portion 171 toward the feeding direction rearward X2 side. At this time, the second wall portion 172 is in an open state.

From the state shown in FIG. 10, the second wall portion 172 is slid to the other Y2 side in the width direction. Then, the state shown in FIG. 11 is obtained. At this time, the slit 172 a of the second wall portion 172 is at a position separated from the screw member 191 . Furthermore, by pulling the second wall portion 172 rearward in the feeding direction X2, the second wall portion 172 can be separated from the first wall portion 171 and the third wall portion 173 as indicated by the phantom lines.

When returning the second wall portion 172 to the closed state (the first position shown in FIGS. 7 and 8), the procedure described above with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11 is reversed. In this manner, the second wall portion 172 can be opened and closed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5, the front panel 3 is attached to the front side X1 of the case 1 in the feeding direction. The front panel 3 is made of resin material. The front panel 3 has a rectangular annular shape and surrounds the forward X1 end of the case 1 in the feeding direction. The front panel 3 includes a front bottom portion 31 , a front first side portion 32 , a front first side portion 32 , a top portion 34 and a middle portion 35 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the rear panel 4 is attached to the rear side X2 of the case 1 in the feeding direction. The rear panel 4 is made of resin material. The rear panel 4 has a rectangular annular shape and surrounds the rear X2 end of the case 1 in the feeding direction. The rear panel 4 includes a rear bottom portion 41 , a rear first side portion 42 , a rear second side portion 43 , a top portion 44 and a middle portion 45 .

The rear panel 4 has the same structure as the front panel 3 described above. Front bottom 31 , front first side 32 , front first side 32 , top 34 , and middle 35 of front panel 3 correspond to rear bottom 41 , rear second side 43 , rear first side of rear panel 4 . Corresponding to section 42, upper section 44, and middle section 45, respectively.

When attaching the front panel 3 and the rear panel 4 to the case 1 , they are brought close to the case 1 along the feeding direction X and attached to the feeding direction forward X1 end and the feeding direction rearward X2 end of the case 1 . The front panel 3 (rear panel 4) is fixed to the case 1 by appropriate means such as bolting.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, in this embodiment, the cable C1 drawn into the case 1 has a structure in which a power cable 51, a control cable 52 and a gas hose 53 are inserted in a protective tube 50. FIG. Protective tube 50 is a flexible tube. The protective tube 50 is inserted through the cable inlet 170 and has an open end inside the case 1 . The ends of the power cable 51 , the control cable 52 and the gas hose 53 are separated from each other inside the case 1 . Also, inside the case 1, connectors 511, 521, 531 at the ends of the power cable 51, the control cable 52 and the gas hose 53 are connected to appropriate locations.

The power cable 51 shown in FIG. 6 is held inside the case 1 by a clamp member 163 via a holding member 164 . The holding member 164 is fitted over the power cable 51 and fixed to the power cable 51 . The clamp member 163 holds the holding member 164 , and the holding member 164 is fixed in place inside the case 1 by tightening the tightening screw 165 . The clamping member 163, the holding member 164 and the tightening screw 165 configured as described above constitute the clamping portion of the present invention. Note that the control cable 52 and the gas hose 53 may not pass through the wire feeder A1 depending on the specifications of the welding system including the wire feeder A1. In such a case, neither the control cable 52 nor the gas hose 53 is inserted into the cable C1 (protective tube 50).

Although not shown, the wire feeding mechanism is arranged inside the case 1 . The wire feeding mechanism feeds, for example, a welding wire wound on a wire reel in a feeding direction X along the longitudinal horizontal direction of the case 1 . The wire feeding mechanism includes, for example, a feeding roller and a pressure roller that sandwich the welding wire, and a feeding motor that rotates the feeding roller. The wire reel is arranged in case 1, for example.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

In this embodiment, the rear wall 17 (peripheral wall) of the case 1 includes a first wall portion 171 and a second wall portion 172 . The second wall portion 172 is arranged adjacent to the first wall portion 171 and is slidable relative to the first wall portion 171 in the width direction Y (direction adjacent to each other). The second wall portion 172 is slidable between a first position (see FIGS. 4 and 8) and a second position (see FIG. 9) farther from the first wall portion 171 than the first position. is. A cable lead-in port 170 is formed in the first wall portion 171 and the second wall portion 172 . The cable inlet 170 is formed in the first wall portion 171 and the second wall portion 172, respectively, and consists of a pair of cutout portions 170A and 170B facing each other.

An opening/closing mechanism 18 is provided on the first wall portion 171 and the second wall portion 172 . The opening/closing mechanism 18 keeps the second wall portion 172 closed when the second wall portion 172 is at the first position. On the other hand, the opening/closing mechanism 18 can assume an open state when the second wall portion 172 is in the second position (see FIG. 10). Then, the second wall portion 172 is easily separated by moving from the state shown in FIG. 10 to the state shown in FIG. 11 . According to such a configuration, by opening the second wall portion 172, it is possible to easily attach and detach the cable C1 to and from the wire feeding device A1. The wire feeder A1 also has a lock mechanism 19 . The lock mechanism 19 prevents the second wall portion 172 from sliding when the second wall portion 172 is at the first position (the state shown in FIGS. 7 and 8). Therefore, the openable/closable second wall portion 172 is prevented from being opened carelessly.

Elastic members 175 and 176 having rubber elasticity are attached to the respective peripheral edges of the cutouts 170A and 170B. According to such a configuration, it is possible to improve the dust resistance around the cable inlet 170 through which the cable C1 is drawn.

In this embodiment, the rear wall 17 (peripheral wall) includes a third wall portion 173 . The third wall portion 173 is arranged on the side opposite to the first wall portion 171 with respect to the second wall portion 172 and overlaps a part of the second wall portion 172 . The lock mechanism 19 also includes a screw member 191 that prevents movement of the second wall portion 172 with respect to the third wall portion 173 . According to such a configuration, the lock mechanism 19 is excellent in operability, and the lock mechanism 19 can function appropriately.

The second wall portion 172 is formed with a slit 172a extending from the edge near the third wall portion 173 in the width direction Y (the direction in which the first wall portion 171 and the second wall portion 172 are adjacent to each other). The screw member 191 is inserted through the slit 172a. With such a configuration, the screw member 191 functions as a guide when the second wall portion 172 slides. Further, as described above with reference to FIG. 9, when the second wall portion 172 is in the second position, the movement of the second wall portion 172 in the one width direction Y1 side can be restricted by the screw member 191. It is possible.

The opening/closing mechanism includes a through hole 181 formed in the first wall portion 171 and a locking piece 182 formed in the second wall portion 172 . The locking piece 182 cannot pass through the through hole 181 when the second wall portion 172 is at the first position. Also, the locking piece 182 can pass through the through hole 181 when the second wall portion 172 is at the second position. According to such a configuration, the opening/closing mechanism 18 for opening and closing the second wall portion 172 can have a relatively simple structure and can function appropriately. Note that unlike the present embodiment, a through hole may be formed in the second wall portion 172 and a locking piece corresponding to the through hole may be formed in the first wall portion 171 .

A cable C<b>1 drawn into the case 1 through the cable lead-in port 170 is configured such that the power cable 51 is inserted in the protective tube 50 . A clamp portion (clamp member 163 , holding member 164 and tightening screw 165 ) for holding power cable 51 is provided inside case 1 . According to such a configuration, even if a pull-out force acts on the cable C1, the pull-out force can be received by the wire feeding device A1 via the power cable 51 and the clamp portion. As a result, even if the outer diameter of the cable C1 changes depending on the presence or absence of the control cable 52 or the gas hose 53, the pulling force acting on the cable C1 can be appropriately received by the wire feeding device A1 via the clamp portion. can.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. subsumed in

A1: wire feeding device, C1: cable, X: feeding direction, 1: case, 17: rear wall (peripheral wall), 163: clamp member (clamp portion), 164: holding member (clamp portion), 165: tightening Attached screw (clamp part), 170: cable inlet, 170A, 170B: notch, 18: opening and closing mechanism, 181: through hole, 182: locking piece, 19: locking mechanism, 191: screw member, 50: protection tube, 51: power cable

Claims (3)

A wire feeder comprising: a wire feeding mechanism for feeding welding wire in a predetermined feeding direction; and a box-shaped case housing the wire feeding mechanism and having a cable lead-in port for drawing a cable formed in a peripheral wall thereof. a feeding device,
The peripheral wall includes a first wall portion, a second wall portion adjacent to the first wall portion and arranged slidably in a direction adjacent to the first wall portion, and the second wall portion. a third wall portion disposed on the opposite side of the first wall portion with respect to the portion and overlapping with a portion of the second wall portion;
The cable inlet is formed in the first wall portion and the second wall portion, respectively, and comprises a pair of cutout portions facing each other,
the second wall portion is slidable between a first position and a second position further away from the first wall portion than the first position;
The second wall portion is arranged on one side in the thickness direction, which is the outer side of the peripheral wall in the thickness direction, with respect to the third wall portion,
The first wall and the second wall maintain the second wall in the closed state when the second wall is in the first position, and the second wall maintains the second wall. an opening/closing mechanism is provided that allows the second wall portion to be in an open state when in the position,
a locking mechanism that prevents sliding movement of the second wall when the second wall is at the first position ;
The lock mechanism includes a screw member that prevents movement of the second wall with respect to the third wall,
A slit extending in the adjacent direction from an edge near the third wall is formed in the second wall,
The screw member is inserted through the slit,
The opening/closing mechanism includes a through hole formed in the first wall portion and a locking piece formed in the second wall portion,
The locking piece extends toward the first wall portion in the direction adjacent to the second wall portion, and engages the first wall portion when the second wall portion is at the first position. is located on the other side in the thickness direction, which is the inner side in the thickness direction, and overlaps the first wall portion and the through hole when viewed in the thickness direction, and the second wall portion is at the second position. A wire feeder that sometimes overlaps only the through hole when viewed in the thickness direction . 2. The wire feed according to claim 1, wherein an elastic member having rubber elasticity is attached to a peripheral edge of the notch portion of the first wall portion and a peripheral edge of the notch portion of the second wall portion. feeding device. The above cable has a configuration in which the power cable is inserted in the protective tube,
3. The wire feeding device according to claim 1 , wherein a clamp portion for holding said power cable is provided inside said case.

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