JP7465793B2 - Wire Inspection Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical wire inspection device.

Wire inspection devices that inspect the condition of the tip of a coated electric wire whose coating has been stripped away are conventionally known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wire inspection device that uses an optical fiber sensor to detect the tip of the core wire, the base of the core wire, and the remaining part of the coating of a coated electric wire being transported, and compares the passing time of these parts. According to Patent Document 1, by comparing these passing times, it is possible to detect defects such as where the coating remains attached, or where the tip of the core wire has spread apart, etc.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 5-74119

The length of the insulated wire that is stripped (strip length) varies depending on, for example, the type of terminal used. In addition, the cut-off covering may not be completely removed, but may be left inserted into the core wire before proceeding to the next process. In this case, the insulated wire is in a state where the covering is stripped from the middle part (semi-stripped state). In this way, the range where the covering of the insulated wire is stripped (hereinafter also referred to as the stripping range) varies depending on the process. By providing multiple sensors or performing image recognition using a camera or the like, it is possible to realize a wire inspection device that can inspect insulated wires whose covering has been stripped in various stripping ranges. However, configuring the wire inspection device in this way makes the wire inspection device expensive.

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to provide an inexpensive wire inspection device that is capable of inspecting insulated wires that correspond to various stripping ranges.

The electric wire inspection device according to the present invention includes a conveying device, one or more sensors, a position changing mechanism, and a determination device. The conveying device supports a coated electric wire from which a portion of the coating has been stripped so that the axial direction faces a first direction, and conveys the coated electric wire in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The one or more sensors detect the passage of the coated electric wire conveyed by the conveying device. The position changing mechanism supports at least one of the one or more sensors, and is configured to be able to change the position of each supported sensor in the first direction on the conveying path of the coated electric wire. The determination device acquires the detection results of the one or more sensors. The determination device includes a measurement unit and a determination unit. The measurement unit measures the passage time of the coated electric wire detected by the one or more sensors. The determination unit determines whether the coated electric wire is a non-defective product based on the time measured by the measurement unit.

According to the above-mentioned electric wire inspection device, the position of the sensor supported by the position changing mechanism in the first direction can be changed according to the stripping range of the insulated electric wire. This allows the sensor to detect the appropriate position of the insulated electric wire. Therefore, according to the above-mentioned electric wire inspection device, it is possible to inspect the insulated electric wire in response to various stripping ranges. Furthermore, according to the above-mentioned electric wire inspection device, it is not necessary to provide a large number of sensors that can accommodate all stripping ranges, and it is not necessary to provide an image recognition device. Therefore, the electric wire inspection device can be constructed inexpensively.

According to a preferred embodiment of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the one or more sensors include a first sensor. The position change mechanism supports the first sensor and is configured to be able to position the first sensor at a position corresponding to the portion where the coating is stripped, depending on the extent to which the coating of the insulated electric wire is stripped.

The above-mentioned wire inspection device can inspect at least the core wire portion where the insulation has been stripped, depending on the range of stripping.

According to a preferred aspect of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the insulated electric wire has a portion of its coating stripped, including the coating at its tip, and the conveying device conveys the insulated electric wire so that the boundary between the portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating is stripped and the portion where the coating remains passes a predetermined position in the first direction. The one or more sensors include a first sensor. The measuring unit includes a first measuring unit that measures the passage time of the insulated electric wire detected by the first sensor. The position changing mechanism supports the first sensor. The position changing mechanism is configured to be able to position the first sensor at a position corresponding to the tip of the insulated electric wire depending on the length of the insulated electric wire where the coating is stripped.

In the above-mentioned electric wire inspection device, the position in the first direction of the boundary between the part where the coating is stripped and the part where the coating remains is determined, so that the position in the first direction of the tip of the insulated electric wire varies depending on the strip length. According to the above-mentioned electric wire inspection device, the position of the first sensor in the first direction can be changed according to the strip length of the insulated electric wire, and the first sensor can be placed at a position corresponding to the tip of the insulated electric wire. Therefore, the condition of the tip of the insulated electric wire can be inspected by the first sensor according to the strip length of the insulated electric wire. In an electric wire inspection device in which the position in the first direction of the boundary between the part where the coating is stripped and the part where the coating remains is determined, the root part of the core wire can be inspected by a sensor with a fixed position, but inspection of only the root part of the core wire may fail to find a serious defect, for example, when the root part of the core wire exists but the core wire is cut in the middle. According to the above-mentioned electric wire inspection device, the tip of the insulated electric wire can be inspected according to the strip length of the insulated electric wire, so that such erroneous judgment can be suppressed.

According to a preferred embodiment of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective if the time measured by the first measurement unit is outside a predetermined range.

The above-mentioned wire inspection device can detect any abnormalities in the width in the second direction of the insulated wire portion detected by the first sensor.

According to a preferred embodiment of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the one or more sensors include a second sensor. The second sensor is provided at a position on the conveying path of the insulated electric wire corresponding to one of the positions of the portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating is stripped. The position changing mechanism is configured to be able to change the position of the first sensor on the tip side of the insulated electric wire relative to the second sensor. The measurement unit includes a second measurement unit that measures the passing time of the insulated electric wire detected by the second sensor. The determination unit determines whether the insulated electric wire is a non-defective product based on the time measured by the first measurement unit and the time measured by the second measurement unit.

According to the above-mentioned electric wire inspection device, the condition of the part of the insulated electric wire closer to the root side than the part detected by the first sensor can be detected by the second sensor. This makes it possible to inspect the part closer to the root side of the stripped part, improving the reliability of the inspection.

According to a preferred embodiment of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when the difference between the time measured by the first measurement unit and the time measured by the second measurement unit is outside a predetermined range.

The above-mentioned wire inspection device judges the quality of the insulated wire based on the difference between the time measured by the first measuring unit and the time measured by the second measuring unit, thereby reducing the risk of erroneous judgment due to variations in the conveying speed of the insulated wire.

According to a preferred embodiment of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when the ratio between the time measured by the first measurement unit and the time measured by the second measurement unit is outside a predetermined range.

The above-mentioned electric wire inspection device can achieve the same effect as the embodiment that uses the difference between the time measured by the first measuring unit and the time measured by the second measuring unit.

According to a preferred embodiment of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the one or more sensors include a third sensor. The third sensor is provided at a position on the conveying path of the insulated electric wire that corresponds to one position of the portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating remains. The measurement unit includes a third measurement unit that measures the passing time of the insulated electric wire detected by the third sensor. The determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when the difference between the time measured by the first measurement unit and the time measured by the third measurement unit is outside a predetermined range.

According to the above-mentioned electric wire inspection device, the judgment is made based on the difference between the passing time of the part of the insulated electric wire with the remaining coating based on the detection of the third sensor and the passing time of the part of the insulated electric wire with the coating removed based on the detection of the first sensor. Therefore, the risk of erroneous judgment can be reduced even if the conveying speed of the insulated electric wire changes significantly.

According to a preferred embodiment of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when the ratio between the time measured by the first measurement unit and the time measured by the third measurement unit is outside a predetermined range.

The above-mentioned electric wire inspection device can achieve the same effect as the embodiment that uses the difference between the time measured by the first measuring unit and the time measured by the third measuring unit.

According to a preferred embodiment of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the one or more sensors include a fourth sensor. The position change mechanism is configured to support the fourth sensor and to be able to position the fourth sensor at a position corresponding to a position further ahead in the first direction than the tip of the insulated electric wire, depending on the length of the insulated electric wire to be stripped. The determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when the passage of the insulated electric wire is detected by the fourth sensor.

The above-mentioned wire inspection device can detect defective insulated wires where a portion of the wire protrudes beyond the original tip, regardless of the strip length.

According to a preferred embodiment of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the one or more sensors include a second sensor and a third sensor. The second sensor is provided at a position on the conveying path of the insulated electric wire corresponding to one position of the portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating is stripped. The third sensor is provided at a position on the conveying path of the insulated electric wire corresponding to one position of the portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating remains. The position change mechanism is configured to be able to change the position of the first sensor on the tip side of the insulated electric wire relative to the second sensor. The measurement unit includes a second measurement unit that measures the passage time of the insulated electric wire detected by the second sensor, and a third measurement unit that measures the passage time of the insulated electric wire detected by the third sensor. The determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when the difference between the time measured by the first measurement unit and the time measured by the third measurement unit falls outside a predetermined range, and when the difference between the time measured by the second measurement unit and the time measured by the third measurement unit falls outside a predetermined range.

The above-mentioned electric wire inspection device can reduce the risk of erroneous judgment even if the conveying speed of the electric wire changes significantly, for the same reason as in the aspect in which the pass/fail judgment is made based on the difference or ratio between the time measured by the first measuring unit and the time measured by the third measuring unit. Furthermore, since it is possible to inspect the part closer to the base of the part where the coating has been stripped, the reliability of the inspection is improved.

According to a preferred embodiment of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when the ratio between the time measured by the first measurement unit and the time measured by the third measurement unit is outside a predetermined range, and when the ratio between the time measured by the second measurement unit and the time measured by the third measurement unit is outside a predetermined range.

The above-mentioned electric wire inspection device can achieve the same effect as the embodiment that utilizes the difference between the time measured by the first measuring unit and the time measured by the third measuring unit, and the difference between the time measured by the second measuring unit and the time measured by the third measuring unit.

According to a preferred embodiment of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the insulated electric wire has a portion of its coating stripped, including the coating at its tip, and the conveying device conveys the insulated electric wire so that the tip of the insulated electric wire passes a predetermined position in the first direction. The one or more sensors include a first sensor and a second sensor. The first sensor is provided at a position on the conveying path of the insulated electric wire that corresponds to the tip of the insulated electric wire. The position changing mechanism supports the second sensor, and is configured to be able to position the second sensor at a position that corresponds to a predetermined distance from the boundary between the portion of the insulated electric wire whose coating is stripped and the portion of the insulated electric wire whose coating remains, depending on the length of the insulated electric wire whose coating is stripped.

In the above-mentioned electric wire inspection device, the position in the first direction of the tip of the insulated electric wire is fixed, so the position in the first direction of the boundary between the part of the insulated electric wire where the coating is stripped and the part where the coating remains varies depending on the strip length. According to the above-mentioned electric wire inspection device, the tip of the insulated electric wire can be inspected by the first sensor. In addition, the position in the first direction of the second sensor can be changed depending on the strip length of the insulated electric wire, and the second sensor can be placed at a position corresponding to a predetermined distance from the boundary between the part of the insulated electric wire where the coating is stripped and the part where the coating remains. This allows the sensor to detect the tip of the insulated electric wire and the part closer to the base than the tip, regardless of the strip length.

According to a preferred embodiment of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the one or more sensors include a third sensor. The position change mechanism supports the third sensor and is configured to be able to position the second sensor at a position corresponding to the portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating is to be stripped, and to position the third sensor at a position corresponding to the portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating remains, depending on the length of the insulated electric wire where the coating is to be stripped.

The above-mentioned wire inspection device can use a sensor to detect the tip of the insulated wire, the part of the stripped portion closer to the base than the tip, and the part with the remaining coating, depending on the strip length.

According to a preferred embodiment of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the one or more sensors include two sensors. The position change mechanism supports the two sensors and is configured to be able to position one sensor at a position corresponding to the portion where the coating is stripped and the other sensor at a position corresponding to the portion where the coating remains, depending on the extent to which the coating of the insulated electric wire is stripped.

The above-mentioned wire inspection device can use a sensor to detect the stripped and remaining portions of the insulated wire depending on the stripping range.

According to a preferred embodiment of the electric wire inspection device of the present invention, the position change mechanism includes an actuator that changes the position of the supported sensor in the first direction. The electric wire inspection device further includes an input unit, a position calculation unit, and a drive control unit. The input unit receives an input of the range in which the insulation of the insulated electric wire is to be stripped. The position calculation unit calculates the position of each sensor supported by the position change mechanism in the first direction according to the range input to the input unit. The drive control unit controls the actuator to position each sensor supported by the position change mechanism to the position calculated by the position calculation unit.

The above-mentioned electric wire inspection device can automatically adjust the position of the sensor supported by the position changing mechanism in the first direction to match the stripping range.

The present invention makes it possible to inexpensively realize a wire inspection device capable of inspecting insulated wires that correspond to various stripping ranges.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an electric wire inspection device according to an embodiment. 4 is a schematic diagram showing detection positions of a first sensor to a fourth sensor. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electric wire inspection device. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a failure mode of a stripped electric wire. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a quality determination method of an electric wire inspection device in which the third sensor is omitted.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an electric wire inspection device 10 according to one embodiment. The electric wire inspection device 10 is a device for inspecting the state of a coated electric wire (hereinafter referred to as an electric wire) 5 from which a part of the coating 7 on the tip side has been stripped. As shown in FIG. 1, the electric wire inspection device 10 includes a conveying device 20 for conveying the electric wire 5, a first sensor 41 to a fourth sensor 44 supported by a sensor support mechanism 30, a position control device 50 (see FIG. 3), and a determination device 60 (see FIG. 3). In the following description, the conveying direction of the electric wire 5 is also called the X direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X direction is also called the Y direction. In the following description, one of the Y directions is also called the Y1 direction, and the opposite direction to the Y1 direction is also called the Y2 direction. In the description of this embodiment, the X direction and the Y direction are directions in a horizontal plane, but this is merely for convenience of description and does not limit the installation mode of the electric wire inspection device 10 in any way.

Upstream of the wire inspection device 10 on the transport path of the electric wire 5, for example, a stripping device (not shown) is provided that strips the coating 7 on the tip side of the electric wire 5. Hereinafter, the part of the electric wire 5 where the coating 7 is stripped is also referred to as the coating removal section 5a, and its tip (the tip of the electric wire 5) is also referred to as the tip 5b. The part of the electric wire 5 where the coating 7 remains is also referred to as the coating section 5c. By stripping the coating 7 on the tip side of the electric wire 5, the core wire 6 is exposed at the coating removal section 5a. Downstream of the wire inspection device 10 on the transport path of the electric wire 5, for example, a terminal crimping device (not shown) is provided that crimps a crimp terminal to the exposed core wire 6 of the electric wire 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, the conveying device 20 includes a gripping claw 21 that grips the electric wire 5 and a drive unit (not shown). The gripping claw 21 grips the covering portion 5c. The conveying device 20 supports the electric wire 5 with the gripping claw 21 so that the axial direction faces the Y direction. More specifically, the conveying device 20 supports the electric wire 5 with the tip 5b facing the Y1 direction. The conveying device 20 conveys the electric wire 5 in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the electric wire 5 with a drive unit (not shown). Here, the conveying device 20 conveys the electric wire 5 in an X direction perpendicular to the Y direction. The conveying device 20 may convey the electric wire 5 in the X direction by moving the electric wire 5 in parallel. Alternatively, the conveying device 20 may convey the electric wire 5 in the X direction by rotating the electric wire 5. The X direction, which is the conveying direction of the electric wire 5, may be the direction in which the electric wire 5 moves in parallel, or the direction in which the electric wire 5 turns. When the electric wire 5 is rotated, the Y direction may change direction along with the rotation of the electric wire 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor support mechanism 30 includes a fixed part 31 and a position change mechanism 32. The fixed part 31 is configured to be immovable and supports a second sensor 42 and a third sensor 43. The fixed part 31 includes a lower arm 31a and an upper arm 31b. The upper arm 31b is provided above the lower arm 31a so as to face the lower arm 31a.

The position change mechanism 32 is a mechanism that supports the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 and moves them in the Y direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the position change mechanism 32 includes a moving member 32a, a guide rail 32b, a nut 32c, a screw 32d, and a drive motor 32e. The moving member 32a is provided in the Y1 direction from the fixed part 31. The moving member 32a is formed in a roughly U-shape when viewed in the X direction. The moving member 32a is arranged with the open side of the roughly U-shape facing the fixed part 31 side (Y2 direction).

The guide rail 32b extends in the Y direction. The moving member 32a engages with the guide rail 32b so as to be slidable in the Y direction. Here, the guide rail 32b is provided below the lower arm 32a1 of the moving member 32a. A nut 32c is fixed to the upper surface of the upper arm 32a2 of the moving member 32a. A screw 32d is engaged with the nut 32c. The screw 32d extends in the Y direction. A drive motor 32e is connected to the screw 32d. The drive motor 32e is an example of an actuator that changes the Y-direction position of the sensor supported by the position change mechanism 32. Here, the drive motor 32e is a servo motor that can adjust the rotational position to a desired position. However, the drive motor 32e may be, for example, a stepping motor or the like. When the drive motor 32e is driven, the screw 32d rotates. This causes the moving member 32a to move in the Y direction along the guide rail 32b. When the moving member 32a moves in the Y direction, the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 held by the moving member 32a move in the Y direction. By positioning the drive motor 32e at a desired rotational position, the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 are positioned at a desired position in the Y direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport path of the electric wire 5 is set between the lower arm 31a and the upper arm 31b of the fixed part 31, and between the lower arm 32a1 and the upper arm 32a2 of the position changing mechanism 32. The electric wire 5 transported by the transport device 20 passes between the lower arm 31a and the upper arm 31b of the fixed part 31, and between the lower arm 32a1 and the upper arm 32a2 of the position changing mechanism 32.

The first sensor 41 to the fourth sensor 44 detect the passage of the electric wire 5 transported by the transport device 20. Here, the first sensor 41 to the fourth sensor 44 are transmissive photoelectric sensors. The first sensor 41 to the fourth sensor 44 each detect that the electric wire 5 is passing along the optical axis when the light emitted from the light projector is blocked and does not reach the light receiver.

The second sensor 42 and the third sensor 43 are supported by the fixed part 31. The upper arm 31b of the fixed part 31 supports the light projectors of the second sensor 42 and the third sensor 43. The light projectors of the second sensor 42 and the third sensor 43 are arranged side by side in the Y direction. The lower arm 31a of the fixed part 31 supports the light receivers of the second sensor 42 and the third sensor 43. The light receivers of the second sensor 42 and the third sensor 43 are arranged to face the corresponding light projectors in the up-down direction. The second sensor 42 is disposed in the Y1 direction further than the third sensor 43. Note that the arrangement of the light projectors and the light receivers of the second sensor 42 and the third sensor 43 may be reversed.

The first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 are supported by the moving member 32a of the position change mechanism 32. The upper arm 32a2 of the moving member 32a supports the light projectors of the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44. The light projectors of the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 are arranged side by side in the Y direction. The lower arm 32a1 of the moving member 32a supports the light receivers of the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44. The light receivers of the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 are arranged to face the corresponding light projectors in the vertical direction. The light projectors and the light receivers of the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 may be arranged in reverse. The fourth sensor 44 is provided in the Y1 direction from the first sensor 41. The first sensor 41 to the fourth sensor 44 are arranged in the Y2 direction in the order of the fourth sensor 44, the first sensor 41, the second sensor 42, and the third sensor 43.

The position change mechanism 32 is for changing the Y-direction positions of the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 according to the length of the sheath removal section 5a (hereinafter, strip length). The strip length can be set in various ways depending on, for example, the type of crimp terminal to be crimped to the electric wire 5. The position change mechanism 32 supports the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 and is configured to be able to change the Y-direction positions of the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 on the conveying path of the electric wire 5. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the detection positions of the first sensor 41 to the fourth sensor 44. In the following, an electric wire 5-1 with the shortest strip length and an electric wire 5-2 with the longest strip length among the assumed examples will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the conveying device 20 conveys the electric wire 5 so that the boundary between the sheath section 5c and the sheath removal section 5a passes through a predetermined position in the Y direction regardless of the strip length.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fixed second sensor 42 and third sensor 43 are both provided on the transport path of the electric wire 5. The second sensor 42 is provided at a position in the Y direction that corresponds to one position of the coating removal section 5a of the electric wire 5. More specifically, the position of the second sensor 42 in the Y direction corresponds to a position of the coating removal section 5a that is close to the coating section 5c. The second sensor 42 detects the passage of a portion of the coating removal section 5a of the electric wire 5 that is close to the boundary with the coating section 5c. The third sensor 43 is provided at a position in the Y direction that corresponds to one position of the coating section 5c of the electric wire 5. The third sensor 43 detects the passage of the coating section 5c.

As shown in FIG. 2, the movable range of the first sensor 41 is set between the root side of the tip 5b of the electric wire 5-1 with the shortest assumed strip length and a position beyond the tip 5b of the electric wire 5-2 with the longest assumed strip length. The position change mechanism 32 is configured to be able to position the first sensor 41 in the Y direction at a position corresponding to the tip of the electric wire 5 according to the strip length of the electric wire 5. The position change mechanism 32 can adjust the Y direction positions of the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 by driving the drive motor 32e. The position of the first sensor 41 in the Y direction is adjusted according to the strip length of the electric wire 5, and detects the passage of a portion of the electric wire 5 that is a predetermined distance away from the tip 5b in the Y2 direction (root side).

As shown in FIG. 2, the movable range of the fourth sensor 44 is set between a position further beyond the tip of the electric wire 5-1 with the shortest assumed strip length and a position further beyond the tip of the electric wire 5-2 with the longest assumed strip length. The fourth sensor 44 is a sensor that detects the passage of the electric wire 5 further beyond the tip 5b of the electric wire 5, in other words, a region where the electric wire 5 does not pass if the electric wire 5 is a non-defective product. The position change mechanism 32 is configured to be able to position the fourth sensor 44 at a position corresponding to a position further beyond the tip 5b of the electric wire 5 in the Y direction according to the strip length of the electric wire 5. The position of the fourth sensor 44, together with the first sensor 41, in the Y direction is adjusted according to the strip length of the electric wire 5. When the first sensor 41 is positioned at a position a predetermined distance away from the tip 5b of the electric wire 5 in the Y2 direction, the fourth sensor 44 is positioned at a position a predetermined distance away from the tip 5b of the electric wire 5 in the Y1 direction. At this time, the distance in the Y direction between the tip 5b of the electric wire 5 and the detection position of the fourth sensor 44 is preferably, for example, 2 mm or less.

The electric wire inspection device 10 includes a position control device 50 and a determination device 60. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the electric wire inspection device 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the position control device 50 is connected to the drive motor 32e of the position change mechanism 32 and controls the operation of the drive motor 32e. The determination device 60 is connected to the first sensor 41 to the fourth sensor 44 and receives signals from them. The determination device 60 acquires the detection results of the first sensor 41 to the fourth sensor 44. The configurations of the position control device 50 and the determination device 60 are not particularly limited. The position control device 50 and the determination device 60 may include, for example, a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a CPU), a ROM in which a program executed by the CPU is stored, and a RAM. Each part of the position control device 50 and the determination device 60 may be configured by software or may be configured by hardware. In addition, each part may be a processor or a circuit. The position control device 50 and the determination device 60 may be, for example, a programmable controller or a computer. The position control device 50 and the determination device 60 may be realized by a single control device.

3, the position control device 50 includes an input unit 51, a position calculation unit 52, and a drive control unit 53. The strip length of the electric wire 5 is input to the input unit 51. The input unit 51 may be configured so that the operator inputs the strip length of the electric wire 5, or may be configured so that the strip length transmitted from a higher-level production management system or the like is input. The position calculation unit 52 calculates the Y-direction positions of the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 supported by the position change mechanism 32 according to the length input to the input unit 51. The drive control unit 53 controls the drive motor 32e to position the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 at the positions calculated by the position calculation unit 52. Here, the position control device 50 positions the first sensor 41 at a position corresponding to a position on the root side (Y2 direction) by a predetermined distance from the tip 5b of the electric wire 5. As a result, the fourth sensor 44 is also positioned at a position corresponding to a position in the Y1 direction by a predetermined distance from the tip 5b of the electric wire 5.

As shown in FIG. 3, the determination device 60 includes a measurement unit 60A and a determination unit 65. The measurement unit 60A measures the passing time of the electric wire 5 detected by the first sensor 41 to the fourth sensor 44. As shown in FIG. 3, the measurement unit 60A includes a first measurement unit 61 to a fourth measurement unit 64. The first measurement unit 61 measures the passing time of the electric wire 5 detected by the first sensor 41. The first measurement unit 61 measures the passing time of the electric wire 5 by measuring the time from when the electric wire 5 starts to be detected by the first sensor 41 to when the electric wire 5 is no longer detected. The longer the length in the X direction of the object passing on the optical axis of the first sensor 41, the longer the passing time measured by the first measurement unit 61. Similarly, the second measurement unit 62 measures the passing time of the electric wire 5 detected by the second sensor 42. The third measurement unit 63 measures the passing time of the electric wire 5 detected by the third sensor 43. The fourth measurement unit 64 measures the passing time of the electric wire 5 detected by the fourth sensor 44.

The determination unit 65 determines whether the electric wire 5 is a good product based on the time measured by the measurement unit 60A (more specifically, the first measurement unit 61 to the fourth measurement unit 64). Here, the determination unit 65 determines the electric wire 5 as defective when the difference ΔT12 (see FIG. 4) between the time measured by the first measurement unit 61 and the time measured by the second measurement unit 62 is outside a predetermined range. The determination unit 65 also determines the electric wire 5 as defective when the difference ΔT13 (see FIG. 4) between the time measured by the first measurement unit 61 and the time measured by the third measurement unit 63 is outside a predetermined range. The determination unit 65 also determines the electric wire 5 as defective when the difference ΔT23 (see FIG. 4) between the time measured by the second measurement unit 62 and the time measured by the third measurement unit 63 is outside a predetermined range. Furthermore, the determination unit 65 determines that the wire 5 is defective when the fourth measurement unit 64 measures the passing time of the wire 5.

In this embodiment, the difference ΔT12 between the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 and the time measured by the second measuring unit 62 is the time obtained by subtracting the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 from the time measured by the second measuring unit 62. However, the difference ΔT12 is not limited to the above. The difference ΔT12 may be, for example, the time obtained by subtracting the time measured by the second measuring unit 62 from the time measured by the first measuring unit 61. The difference ΔT12 may be, for example, the absolute value of the difference between the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 and the time measured by the second measuring unit 62. The difference ΔT13 here is the time obtained by subtracting the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 from the time measured by the third measuring unit 63. The difference ΔT23 here is the time obtained by subtracting the time measured by the second measuring unit 62 from the time measured by the third measuring unit 63. However, the differences ΔT13 and ΔT23 are also not limited to the above.

Specific examples of the judgment made by the judgment unit 65 will be described in the description of the process of judging the quality of the electric wire 5. Note that the position control device 50 and the judgment device 60 may include processing units other than those described above, but the description and illustration thereof will be omitted here.

[Good/bad judgment process]
An example of a process for determining the quality of the electric wire 5 by the electric wire inspection device 10 will be described below. In the process for determining the quality of the electric wire 5 by the electric wire inspection device 10, first, the strip length of the electric wire 5 is input to the input unit 51. As a result, as shown in Fig. 1, the first sensor 41 is positioned at a position corresponding to the tip of the electric wire 5. At the same time, the fourth sensor 44 is also positioned at a position corresponding to a predetermined position beyond the tip 5b of the electric wire 5.

In the next step of the process of determining whether the electric wire 5 is good or bad by the electric wire inspection device 10, the electric wire 5 is transported and determined whether the electric wire 5 is good or bad. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing failure modes of the stripped electric wire 5. The top diagram in FIG. 4 shows a good electric wire 5. As shown in FIG. 4, in failure mode A, which is one of the failure modes, the core wire 6 is cut together with the coating 7 and is missing. In failure mode B, which is the other failure mode, the coating 7 is not stripped. In failure mode C, the whiskers 6a of the core wire 6 are generated from the tip 5b. In failure mode C, the whiskers 6a extend further from the tip 5b (tip of the core wire 6) of the electric wire 5. In failure mode D, a part near the tip of the core wire 6 is missing, and the thickness near the tip of the core wire 6 is thin. In failure mode E, the tip of the core wire 6 is loose and thick. In failure mode F, the core wire 6 is cut off like in failure mode A, but part of the coating 7 protrudes beyond the boundary between the coated portion 5c and the coating-removed portion 5a toward the tip side. In failure mode G, the base of the core wire 6 is present, but the core wire 6 is missing from the middle.

Figure 4 shows, for each failure mode, the difference ΔT12 between the time measured by the first measurement unit 61 and the time measured by the second measurement unit 62, the difference ΔT13 between the time measured by the first measurement unit 61 and the time measured by the third measurement unit 63, the difference ΔT23 between the time measured by the second measurement unit 62 and the time measured by the third measurement unit 63, and the measurement results of the fourth measurement unit 64. If "OK" is entered in the "ΔT12" column, this indicates that ΔT12 is within the specified range. If "Large" is entered in the "ΔT12" column, this indicates that ΔT12 is larger than the specified range. If "Small" is entered in the "ΔT12" column, this indicates that ΔT12 is smaller than the specified range.

Similarly, when "OK" is entered in the "ΔT13" and "ΔT23" columns, it indicates that ΔT13 or ΔT23 is within the respective specified range. When "Large" is entered in the "ΔT13" and "ΔT23" columns, it indicates that ΔT13 or ΔT23 is greater than the respective specified range. When "Small" is entered in the "ΔT13" and "ΔT23" columns, it indicates that ΔT13 or ΔT23 is smaller than the respective specified range.

If "O" is written in the "T4" column, it indicates that the fourth measurement unit 64 does not measure the passing time of the electric wire 5 (i.e., the fourth sensor 44 does not detect the electric wire 5). If "X" is written in the "T4" column, it indicates that the fourth measurement unit 64 measures the passing time of the electric wire 5 (i.e., the fourth sensor 44 detects the electric wire 5). As shown in FIG. 4, for a good electric wire 5, the "ΔT12", "ΔT13", and "ΔT23" columns are "OK", and the T4 column is "O".

In failure mode A, the core wire 6 is missing, so the first sensor 41 and the second sensor 42 do not detect the electric wire 5 (the time measured by the first measurement unit 61 and the time measured by the second measurement unit 62 are "0"). Therefore, the difference ΔT13 between the time measured by the first measurement unit 61 and the time measured by the third measurement unit 63, and the difference ΔT23 between the time measured by the second measurement unit 62 and the time measured by the third measurement unit 63 become too large. Therefore, ΔT13 and ΔT23 become "large". When an electric wire 5 in failure mode A passes through, ΔT13 and ΔT23 become larger than the predetermined range, so the electric wire inspection device 10 can determine that the electric wire 5 is defective.

In failure mode B, the coating 7 is not stripped, so the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 and the time measured by the second measuring unit 62 are longer than normal. Therefore, the difference ΔT13 between the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 and the time measured by the third measuring unit 63, and the difference ΔT23 between the time measured by the second measuring unit 62 and the time measured by the third measuring unit 63 are "small." When an electric wire 5 in failure mode B passes through, ΔT13 and ΔT23 become smaller than the predetermined range, so the electric wire inspection device 10 can determine that the electric wire 5 is defective.

In failure mode C, since the whiskers 6a of the core wire 6 occur before the tip 5b of the electric wire 5, the fourth measurement unit 64 measures the passing time of the electric wire 5. Therefore, the "T4" column is marked with "x". When the electric wire 5 in failure mode C passes, the fourth sensor 44 detects the electric wire 5, and the electric wire inspection device 10 can determine that the electric wire 5 is defective. In addition, according to this inspection, it is possible to detect whiskers 6a that are longer than the distance in the Y direction between the tip 5b of the electric wire 5 and the detection position of the fourth sensor 44. For example, if the distance in the Y direction between the tip 5b of the electric wire 5 and the detection position of the fourth sensor 44 is set to 2 mm or less, it is possible to detect whiskers 6a that are at least 2 mm long. The distance in the Y direction between the tip 5b of the electric wire 5 and the detection position of the fourth sensor 44 may be appropriately set according to the length of the whiskers 6a to be detected.

In failure mode D, the tip of the core wire 6 is thin, so the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 is shorter than normal. Therefore, the difference ΔT12 between the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 and the time measured by the second measuring unit 62, and the difference ΔT13 between the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 and the time measured by the third measuring unit 63, become too large. Therefore, ΔT12 and ΔT13 become "large". When an electric wire 5 in failure mode D passes through, ΔT12 and ΔT13 become larger than the predetermined range, so the electric wire inspection device 10 can determine that the electric wire 5 is defective.

In defect mode E, the tip of the core wire 6 is thicker, so the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 is longer than normal. Therefore, the difference ΔT12 between the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 and the time measured by the second measuring unit 62 is small (a negative value). The difference ΔT13 between the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 and the time measured by the third measuring unit 63 is also small. When an electric wire 5 in defect mode E passes through, ΔT12 and ΔT13 are smaller than the specified range, so the electric wire inspection device 10 can determine that the electric wire 5 is defective.

In failure modes F and G, the tip of the core wire 6 is missing, so the first sensor 41 does not detect the wire 5 (the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 is "0"). Therefore, the difference ΔT13 between the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 and the time measured by the third measuring unit 63 is "large". When the wire 5 in failure mode E passes through, ΔT13 becomes larger than the predetermined range, so the wire inspection device 10 can determine that the wire 5 is defective. Note that in failure modes F and G, the time measured by the second measuring unit 62 may be normal. In that case, the difference ΔT23 between the time measured by the second measuring unit 62 and the time measured by the third measuring unit 63 is "OK", and the difference ΔT12 between the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 and the time measured by the second measuring unit 62 is "large". Figure 4 illustrates the state of ΔT12 and ΔT23 in such a case.

[Effects of the First Embodiment]
The following describes the effects of the electric wire inspection device 10 according to this embodiment.

According to the electric wire inspection device 10 of this embodiment, the position change mechanism 32 supports sensors (here, the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44) and is configured to be able to change the Y-direction position of the supported sensors (here, the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44) on the transport path of the electric wire 5. According to this electric wire inspection device 10, the Y-direction position of the sensor supported by the position change mechanism 32 can be changed according to the strip length of the electric wire 5. This allows the sensor to detect the appropriate position of the electric wire 5 regardless of the strip length of the electric wire 5.

The strip length of the electric wire varies depending on, for example, the type of terminal used. Therefore, in order to detect the appropriate position of the electric wire, for example, the tip and base of the core wire, using a sensor, it was necessary to prepare an electric wire inspection device for each strip length in the past. Alternatively, in the past, sensors were installed only at positions where the core wire should be present regardless of the strip length, even though there was a risk of overlooking a defective electric wire. For example, defects such as defect modes D, E, F, and G may not be found unless the tip of the electric wire is inspected. However, in the case of an electric wire inspection device that transports an electric wire so that the boundary between the coating removal portion and the coating portion of the electric wire passes through a predetermined position in the axial direction of the electric wire, as in the present embodiment, the position of the tip of the electric wire changes depending on the strip length. Therefore, in the past, it was necessary to give up on a certain degree of erroneous judgment, or to prepare an electric wire inspection device for each strip length.

The above-mentioned problems can be addressed, for example, by applying a method of arranging multiple sensors in the Y direction or a method of performing inspection using image recognition to the electric wire inspection device. However, arranging multiple sensors in the Y direction or installing an image recognition device makes the electric wire inspection device expensive.

In response to the above-mentioned problems, the electric wire inspection device 10 according to the present embodiment can inspect the electric wire 5 from which the coating 7 has been stripped at various strip lengths with a cheaper configuration. According to the electric wire inspection device 10 according to the present embodiment, the Y-direction positions of the sensors (here, the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44) supported by the position change mechanism 32 can be changed according to the strip length of the electric wire 5, and the sensors can be arranged at appropriate positions on the electric wire 5. This allows the sensors to detect the appropriate position of the electric wire 5 regardless of the strip length of the electric wire 5. As a result, according to the electric wire inspection device 10 according to the present embodiment, appropriate inspection of the electric wire 5 is possible in response to various strip lengths. Such a method can be realized more cheaply and easily than, for example, a method of arranging a large number of sensors in the Y direction or a method such as image recognition.

The position changing mechanism 32 of the electric wire inspection device 10 according to this embodiment specifically supports the first sensor 41 and is configured to be able to change the position of the first sensor 41 in the Y direction on the transport path of the electric wire 5. The position changing mechanism 32 is configured to be able to position the first sensor 41 at a position corresponding to the tip of the electric wire 5 according to the strip length of the electric wire 5. This makes it possible to inspect the condition of the tip of the electric wire 5 regardless of the strip length of the electric wire 5. As a result, it is possible to find electric wires 5 with defect modes such as defect modes D, E, F, and G, for example.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the position changing mechanism 32 also supports the fourth sensor 44, and is configured to be able to change the Y-direction position of the fourth sensor 44 on the transport path of the electric wire 5. The position changing mechanism 32 can position the fourth sensor 44 at a position corresponding to a position further in the Y direction than the tip 5b of the electric wire 5 according to the strip length of the electric wire 5. With this configuration, it is possible to find an electric wire 5 in which a defect mode (e.g., whiskers 6a of the core wire 6) has occurred in which a part of the electric wire 5 protrudes beyond the tip 5b of the electric wire 5, regardless of the strip length of the electric wire 5.

According to the electric wire inspection device 10 of this embodiment, the second sensor 42 is provided at a position on the conveying path of the electric wire 5 corresponding to one position of the sheath removal unit 5a. The position change mechanism 32 is configured to be able to change the position of the first sensor 41 on the tip 5b side of the electric wire 5 from the second sensor 42. In other words, the second sensor 42 detects the state of the electric wire 5 on the root side of the sheath removal unit 5a from the first sensor 41. The judgment unit 65 judges whether the electric wire 5 is a good product based on the time measured by the first measurement unit 61 and the time measured by the second measurement unit 62. Here, the judgment unit 65 judges the electric wire 5 as defective when the difference ΔT12 between the time measured by the first measurement unit 61 and the time measured by the second measurement unit 62 falls outside a predetermined range. According to this configuration, when an electric wire 5 of a defective mode in which the thickness of the root part and the tip part of the core wire 6 are different, such as defective mode D, E, F, or G, is conveyed, it can be recognized as a defective product. Furthermore, by taking the difference ΔT12 between the time measured by the first measuring unit 61 and the time measured by the second measuring unit 62 in this manner, the effect of variations in the conveying speed of the electric wire 5 is eliminated. This allows for a more reliable pass/fail determination. For example, if the conveying speed of the electric wire 5 slows down while an electric wire 5 with a thin tip such as failure mode D is being conveyed, the measured time by the first measuring unit 61 may indicate a normal value, but the difference ΔT12 indicates an abnormal value. This prevents an erroneous determination that a defective electric wire 5 such as failure mode D is a non-defective product.

Furthermore, according to the electric wire inspection device 10 of this embodiment, the third sensor 43 is provided at a position on the transport path of the electric wire 5 corresponding to one position of the covering portion 5c of the electric wire 5. The determination unit 65 determines that the electric wire 5 is defective when the difference ΔT13 between the time measured by the first measurement unit 61 and the time measured by the third measurement unit 63 is outside a predetermined range, and when the difference ΔT23 between the time measured by the second measurement unit 62 and the time measured by the third measurement unit 63 is outside a predetermined range. This configuration is particularly effective when the transport speed of the electric wire 5 in the X direction changes significantly for some reason.

For example, when the electric wire 5 is caught somewhere on the electric wire inspection device 10 or another device and the caught state is released, the electric wire 5 may jump and the speed of the electric wire 5 in the X direction in the electric wire inspection device 10 may increase significantly. In such a case, the passing time of the electric wire 5 measured by the first sensor 41 and the passing time of the electric wire 5 measured by the second sensor 42 are both small. For example, if this occurs when an electric wire 5 whose coating 7 is not stripped, such as defective mode B, is being transported, there is a risk of erroneous judgment if threshold values are set for the passing time of the electric wire 5 measured by the first sensor 41 and the passing time of the electric wire 5 measured by the second sensor 42. In other words, since the passing time of the electric wire 5 measured by the first sensor 41 and the passing time of the electric wire 5 measured by the second sensor 42 are small, the passing time does not exceed the threshold value, and the electric wire 5 may be judged to be a non-defective product. In contrast, in this embodiment, the values of the differences ΔT13 and ΔT23 are hardly affected by the transport speed of the electric wire 5. Specifically, when an electric wire 5 with an unstripped coating 7, such as defective mode B, is conveyed, the differences ΔT13 and ΔT23 are almost zero regardless of the conveying speed of the electric wire 5 and fall outside the predetermined range. Therefore, even if the conveying speed of the electric wire 5 changes significantly as described above, a reliable pass/fail judgment is possible.

The electric wire inspection device 10 according to this embodiment further includes a drive motor 32e that changes the Y-direction position of each sensor (here, the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44) supported by the position changing mechanism 32, an input unit 51 to which the strip length of the electric wire 5 is input, a position calculation unit 52 that calculates the Y-direction position of each sensor supported by the position changing mechanism 32 according to the length input to the input unit 51, and a drive control unit 53 that positions each sensor supported by the position changing mechanism 32 at the position calculated by the position calculation unit 52. With this configuration, the Y-direction position of each sensor supported by the position changing mechanism 32, here the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44, is automatically adjusted according to the strip length.

[Simpler embodiment]
The above-described embodiment may be modified more simply in consideration of cost performance, etc. For example, a sensor for detecting a defect mode with an extremely low occurrence rate may be omitted. A brief description will be given below of a case where the number of sensors of the electric wire inspection device 10 is reduced.

[When the fourth sensor is omitted]
If the fourth sensor 44 is omitted, the failure mode C cannot be detected, but the other exemplary failure modes can be detected. The process of determining each failure mode other than the failure mode C is the same as that shown in FIG.

[When the third sensor is omitted]
In the case where the third sensor 43 is omitted, the judgment unit 65 may judge the electric wire 5 to be defective when the measurement time of the first measurement unit 61 is out of a predetermined range and when the measurement time of the second measurement unit 62 is out of a predetermined range. Furthermore, the judgment unit 65 may judge the electric wire 5 to be defective when the difference ΔT12 between the measurement time of the first measurement unit 61 and the measurement time of the second measurement unit 62 is out of a predetermined range, taking into account the variation in the conveying speed of the electric wire 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a pass/fail judgment method of the electric wire inspection device 10 in which the third sensor 43 is omitted. When the "T1" column in FIG. 5 is "OK", the measurement time of the first measurement unit 61 is within the predetermined range. When the "T1" column in FIG. 5 is "large", the measurement time of the first measurement unit 61 exceeds the predetermined range. When the "T1" column in FIG. 5 is "small", the measurement time of the first measurement unit 61 is below the predetermined range. The same applies to the "T2" column for the second sensor 42.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the case of failure mode A, the core wire 6 is missing, so T1 and T2 are both "small". In the case of failure mode B, the coating 7 is not stripped, so T1 and T2 are both "large". In the case of failure mode D, only the tip of the core wire 6 is thin, so T1 is "small" and T2 is "OK". Also, ΔT12 is "large". In the case of failure mode E, only the tip of the core wire 6 is thick, so T1 is "large" and T2 is "OK". ΔT12 is "small". In the case of failure mode F or G, depending on the state of the coating 7 or core wire 6 remaining at the base of the coating removal section 5a, T2 is "OK" but T1 is "small". ΔT12 is "large". In other words, with this configuration, there is a risk that defect mode B may be overlooked if the wire 5 bounces and the transport speed of the wire 5 increases significantly, but wires 5 with the other exemplary defect modes can be detected.

[When the second sensor is omitted]
When the second sensor 42 is omitted, the same pass/fail judgment as in the first embodiment can be performed except for the electric wire 5 having a defect only at the base portion of the coating removal portion 5a.

[When using only the first sensor]
In the case where sensors other than the first sensor 41 are omitted, the determination unit 65 determines that the electric wire 5 is defective when the time measured by the first measurement unit 61 is outside a predetermined range. Even with this embodiment, the defect modes A, B, F, and G can be reliably detected (however, for the defect mode B, this is limited to the case where the conveying speed does not increase significantly). The defect modes D and E can be detected if they are at a level that can be detected even when the variation in the conveying speed of the electric wire 5 is taken into consideration. In this embodiment, for example, the conveying speed of the electric wire 5 may be adjusted according to the desired level of detection of the defect modes D and E. By appropriately setting (for example, slowing down) the conveying speed of the electric wire 5, the defect modes D and E can be reliably detected.

[Other embodiments]
Some embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the above-mentioned embodiments are merely illustrative, and various other embodiments are possible. For example, the number of sensors provided in the electric wire inspection device 10 and the number of sensors supported and moved by the position changing mechanism 32 are not limited. The electric wire inspection device 10 only needs to be provided with one or more sensors that detect the passage of the electric wire 5 transported by the transport device 20, and the number of sensors is not limited. In addition, the position changing mechanism 32 only needs to be configured to support at least one sensor and move the supported sensor in the Y direction.

For example, the electric wire inspection device 10 may include a conveying device 20 that conveys the electric wire 5 so that the tip of the electric wire 5 passes a predetermined position in the Y direction, and in that case, the movable sensor and the fixed sensor may be different from those in the above-mentioned embodiment. In this case, for example, the first sensor 41 may be provided at a position on the conveying path of the electric wire 5 corresponding to the tip of the electric wire 5. That is, the first sensor 41 may be provided immovably at a position corresponding to the tip of the electric wire 5. The second sensor 42 may be supported by the position changing mechanism 32 so as to be movable in the Y direction. The position changing mechanism 32 may be configured to be able to position the second sensor 42 at a position corresponding to a position at a predetermined distance from the boundary between the coating removal portion 5a and the coating portion 5c of the electric wire 5 according to the strip length of the electric wire 5.

In such an electric wire inspection device 10, the position of the tip of the electric wire 5 in the Y direction is fixed, so the position of the boundary between the coating removal portion 5a and the coating portion 5c of the electric wire 5 varies depending on the strip length. However, with such an electric wire inspection device 10, the position of the second sensor 42 in the Y direction can be changed according to the strip length of the electric wire 5, and the second sensor 42 can be placed at a position corresponding to a predetermined distance from the boundary between the coating removal portion 5a and the coating portion 5c of the electric wire 5. This makes it possible to inspect the tip of the electric wire 5 and the portion closer to the base than the tip, regardless of the strip length. The second sensor 42 may detect the coating removal portion 5a of the electric wire 5 or the coating portion 5c.

The above-described electric wire inspection device 10 may further include a third sensor 43, and the position changing mechanism 32 may support the third sensor 43 so as to be movable in the Y direction. The position changing mechanism 32 includes:
The second sensor 42 may be positioned at a position corresponding to the sheath-removed portion 5a of the electric wire 5, and the third sensor 43 may be positioned at a position corresponding to the sheathed portion 5c of the electric wire 5, depending on the strip length of the electric wire 5. With this configuration, the tip of the electric wire 5, a portion of the sheath-removed portion 5a closer to the base than the tip, and the sheathed portion 5c can be detected by the sensors depending on the strip length. Note that the flow for determining whether the electric wire 5 is good or bad may be the same as any of the flows exemplified above.

The electric wire inspection device 10 may be configured to be capable of inspecting the electric wire 5 with the cut-off covering 7 not completely removed and still inserted into the core wire 6 (hereinafter also referred to as a semi-stripped state). In this case, the stripping range of the electric wire 5 is the middle part of the electric wire 5. The electric wire inspection device 10 for appropriately inspecting the electric wire 5 in such a semi-stripped state may include two sensors, for example, a first sensor 41 and a fourth sensor 44, supported by the position change mechanism 32. The position change mechanism 32 may be configured to be capable of positioning, for example, the first sensor 41 at a position corresponding to the part where the covering 7 is stripped and the fourth sensor 44 at a position corresponding to the part where the covering 7 remains, depending on the stripping range of the electric wire 5. With this configuration, the first sensor 41 detects the core wire 6, and the fourth sensor 44 detects the semi-stripped covering 7 (the covering 7 that is not completely removed from the electric wire 5 after being cut off and is inserted into the core wire 6), thereby detecting the presence of at least the core wire 6 and the semi-stripped covering 7.

More preferably, the wire inspection device 10 may be configured to detect the core wire 6 with the first sensor 41 and the second sensor 42, the covering portion 5c with the third sensor, and the semi-stripped covering 7 with the fourth sensor 44. According to the above configuration, the state of the core wire 6 can be detected from the difference between the measurement time of the first sensor 41 and the measurement time of the second sensor 42. For example, if the difference between the measurement time of the first sensor 41 and the measurement time of the second sensor 42 is outside a predetermined range, the wire 5 can be determined to be defective. In addition, the state of the covering 7 can be detected from the difference between the measurement time of the second sensor 43 and the measurement time of the fourth sensor 44. For example, if the difference between the measurement time of the third sensor 43 and the measurement time of the fourth sensor 44 is outside a predetermined range, the wire 5 can be determined to be defective. Note that, when the conveying device 20 conveys the wire 5 so that the boundary between the covering portion 5c and the covering removal portion 5a passes through a predetermined position in the Y direction, the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 may be movable. When the conveying device 20 conveys the electric wire 5 so that the tip of the electric wire 5 passes through a predetermined position in the Y direction, the second sensor 42 and the third sensor 43 may be movable.

In the above embodiment, the measurement time of the first measurement unit 61, the measurement time of the second measurement unit 62, and the measurement time of the third measurement unit 63 are compared by calculating the difference, but the method of comparing the multiple measurement times is not limited to taking the difference. The measurement time of the first measurement unit 61, the measurement time of the second measurement unit 62, and the measurement time of the third measurement unit 63 may be compared by calculating the ratio. Specifically, the judgment unit 65 may be configured to judge the electric wire 5 as defective when the ratio between the time measured by the first measurement unit 61 and the time measured by the second measurement unit 62 is outside a predetermined range. The ratio between the time measured by the first measurement unit 61 and the time measured by the second measurement unit 62 may be a ratio based on the time measured by the first measurement unit 61 or may be a ratio based on the time measured by the second measurement unit 62.

The determination unit 65 may be configured to determine that the electric wire 5 is defective when the ratio between the time measured by the first measurement unit 61 and the time measured by the third measurement unit 63 is outside a predetermined range, and when the ratio between the time measured by the second measurement unit 62 and the time measured by the third measurement unit 63 is outside a predetermined range. The same applies to the case where the second sensor 42 or the third sensor 43 is omitted.

In the above embodiment, the position change mechanism 32 includes a guide rail 32b, a nut 32c, and a screw 32d, but the configuration of the position change mechanism 32 is not limited. The position change mechanism 32 may include, for example, a rack and a pinion. Alternatively, the position change mechanism 32 may include, for example, a belt and a pair of pulleys. The position change mechanism 32 may be configured to be able to move the held sensor independently in the Y direction.

In the above embodiment, the Y-direction positions of the first sensor 41 and the fourth sensor 44 were automatically adjusted after the strip length was input to the input unit 51, but they may also be adjusted by an operator driving the drive motor 32e while checking the sensor positions. Furthermore, the position change mechanism 32 is not limited to one that moves the held sensor by the driving force of a drive unit. The position change mechanism 32 may be one that moves the sensor by the force of an operator, for example.

Unless otherwise specified, the above-described embodiment does not limit the present invention. For example, the configuration of the conveying device 20 is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the sensor equipped in the electric wire inspection device 10 is not limited to a transmission type photoelectric sensor. The positions of the detection points of the multiple sensors in the X direction do not have to be the same.

5: Insulated electric wire 10: Electric wire inspection device 20: Conveying device 30: Sensor support mechanism 32: Position changing mechanism 32e: Driving motor (actuator)
41 First sensor 42 Second sensor 43 Third sensor 44 Fourth sensor 50 Position control device 51 Input unit 52 Position calculation unit 53 Drive control unit 60 Determination device 60A Measurement unit 61 First measurement unit 62 Second measurement unit 63 Third measurement unit 64 Fourth measurement unit 65 Determination unit

Claims (15)

a conveying device that supports a coated electric wire from which a part of a coating including a coating at a tip portion is stripped so that an axial direction of the coated electric wire faces a first direction and conveys the coated electric wire in a second direction intersecting the first direction;
one or more sensors that detect the passage of the insulated electric wire conveyed by the conveying device;
a position changing mechanism that supports at least one of the one or more sensors and is capable of changing a position of each of the supported sensors in the first direction on a transport path of the insulated electric wire;
a determination device that acquires detection results of the one or more sensors;
The determination device includes:
a measuring unit that measures a passing time of the insulated electric wire detected by the one or more sensors;
a determination unit that determines whether the insulated electric wire is a non-defective product based on the time measured by the measurement unit ,
the conveying device conveys the insulated electric wire such that a boundary between a portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating is stripped and a portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating remains passes through a predetermined position in the first direction;
the one or more sensors include a first sensor;
the measurement unit includes a first measurement unit that measures a passing time of the insulated electric wire detected by the first sensor,
The position changing mechanism supports the first sensor and is configured to be able to position the first sensor at a position corresponding to a tip end of the insulated electric wire according to a length of the insulated electric wire to be stripped.
Electrical wire inspection equipment. The determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when the time measured by the first measurement unit is outside a predetermined range.
The wire inspection device according to claim 1 . the one or more sensors include a second sensor;
the second sensor is provided at a position on a conveying path of the insulated electric wire corresponding to one position of a portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating is stripped;
the position changing mechanism is configured to change a position of the first sensor on a tip side of the insulated electric wire relative to the second sensor,
the measurement unit includes a second measurement unit that measures a passing time of the insulated electric wire detected by the second sensor,
the determining unit determines whether the insulated electric wire is a non-defective product based on the time measured by the first measuring unit and the time measured by the second measuring unit.
3. The electric wire inspection device according to claim 1 or 2 . The determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when a difference between the time measured by the first measurement unit and the time measured by the second measurement unit is outside a predetermined range.
The wire inspection device according to claim 3 . the determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when a ratio between the time measured by the first measurement unit and the time measured by the second measurement unit is outside a predetermined range.
The wire inspection device according to claim 3 . the one or more sensors include a third sensor;
the third sensor is provided at a position on a conveying path of the insulated electric wire corresponding to one position of a portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating remains,
the measurement unit includes a third measurement unit that measures a passing time of the insulated electric wire detected by the third sensor,
The determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when a difference between the time measured by the first measurement unit and the time measured by the third measurement unit is outside a predetermined range.
The electric wire inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . the one or more sensors include a third sensor;
the third sensor is provided at a position on a conveying path of the insulated electric wire corresponding to one position of a portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating remains,
the measurement unit includes a third measurement unit that measures a passing time of the insulated electric wire detected by the third sensor,
the determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when a ratio between the time measured by the first measurement unit and the time measured by the third measurement unit is outside a predetermined range.
The electric wire inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . the one or more sensors include a fourth sensor;
the position change mechanism is configured to support the fourth sensor and to be able to position the fourth sensor at a position corresponding to a position further ahead in the first direction than a tip of the insulated electric wire, depending on a length of the coating of the insulated electric wire to be stripped;
The determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when the fourth sensor detects the passage of the insulated electric wire.
The electric wire inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 . the one or more sensors include a second sensor and a third sensor;
the second sensor is provided at a position on a conveying path of the insulated electric wire corresponding to one position of a portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating is stripped;
the third sensor is provided at a position on a conveying path of the insulated electric wire corresponding to one position of a portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating remains,
the position changing mechanism is configured to change a position of the first sensor on a tip side of the insulated electric wire relative to the second sensor,
The measurement unit is
a second measurement unit that measures a passing time of the insulated electric wire detected by the second sensor;
a third measurement unit that measures a passing time of the insulated electric wire detected by the third sensor,
the determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when a difference between the time measured by the first measurement unit and the time measured by the third measurement unit falls outside a predetermined range, and when a difference between the time measured by the second measurement unit and the time measured by the third measurement unit falls outside a predetermined range.
The wire inspection device according to claim 1 . the one or more sensors include a second sensor and a third sensor;
the second sensor is provided at a position on a conveying path of the insulated electric wire corresponding to one position of a portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating is stripped;
the third sensor is provided at a position on a conveying path of the insulated electric wire corresponding to one position of a portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating remains,
the position changing mechanism is configured to change a position of the first sensor on a tip side of the insulated electric wire relative to the second sensor,
The measurement unit is
a second measurement unit that measures a passing time of the insulated electric wire detected by the second sensor;
a third measurement unit that measures a passing time of the insulated electric wire detected by the third sensor,
the determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when a ratio between the time measured by the first measurement unit and the time measured by the third measurement unit is outside a predetermined range and when a ratio between the time measured by the second measurement unit and the time measured by the third measurement unit is outside a predetermined range.
The wire inspection device according to claim 1 . the one or more sensors include a fourth sensor;
the position change mechanism is configured to support the fourth sensor and to be able to position the fourth sensor at a position corresponding to a position further ahead in the first direction than a tip of the insulated electric wire, depending on a length of the coating of the insulated electric wire to be stripped;
The determination unit determines that the insulated electric wire is defective when the fourth sensor detects the passage of the insulated electric wire.
The wire inspection device according to claim 9 or 10 . the position changing mechanism includes an actuator for changing a position of the supported sensor in the first direction;
an input unit for inputting a range of the insulated electric wire to be stripped;
a position calculation unit that calculates a position in the first direction of each of the sensors supported by the position change mechanism in accordance with the range input to the input unit;
and a drive control unit that controls the actuator to position each sensor supported by the position changing mechanism at a position calculated by the position calculation unit.
The wire inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 11. a conveying device that supports a coated electric wire from which a part of a coating including a coating at a tip portion is stripped so that an axial direction of the coated electric wire faces a first direction and conveys the coated electric wire in a second direction intersecting the first direction;
one or more sensors that detect the passage of the insulated electric wire conveyed by the conveying device;
a position changing mechanism that supports at least one of the one or more sensors and is capable of changing a position of each of the supported sensors in the first direction on a transport path of the insulated electric wire;
a determination device that acquires detection results of the one or more sensors;
The determination device includes:
a measuring unit that measures a passing time of the insulated electric wire detected by the one or more sensors;
a determination unit that determines whether the insulated electric wire is a non-defective product based on the time measured by the measurement unit,
The conveying device conveys the insulated electric wire so that a tip end of the insulated electric wire passes a predetermined position in the first direction,
The one or more sensors include
a first sensor provided at a position on a conveying path of the insulated electric wire corresponding to a tip end of the insulated electric wire;
a second sensor;
the position changing mechanism supports the second sensor, and is configured to be able to position the second sensor at a position corresponding to a position at a predetermined distance from a boundary between a portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating is stripped and a portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating remains, depending on a length of the insulated electric wire where the coating is stripped .
Electrical wire inspection equipment. the one or more sensors include a third sensor;
the position change mechanism supports the third sensor, and is configured to be able to position the second sensor at a position corresponding to a portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating is to be stripped, and to position the third sensor at a position corresponding to a portion of the insulated electric wire where the coating remains, depending on a length of the insulated electric wire where the coating is to be stripped.
The wire inspection device according to claim 13 . the position changing mechanism includes an actuator for changing a position of the supported sensor in the first direction;
an input unit for inputting a range of the insulated electric wire to be stripped;
a position calculation unit that calculates a position in the first direction of each of the sensors supported by the position change mechanism in accordance with the range input to the input unit;
and a drive control unit that controls the actuator to position each sensor supported by the position changing mechanism at a position calculated by the position calculation unit.
An electric wire inspection device according to claims 13 and 14 .

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