JP7566325B2 - Cable end processing device and cable end processing method - Google Patents

Description

Patent Law Article 30, Paragraph 2 applied Exhibiting at the International Robot Exhibition 2019 December 18, 2019 (held from December 18 to December 21)

Application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act, Electric Wire News, Published by Kogyo Tsushin Co., Ltd., December 9, 2019

Application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act Interview by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun Ltd. at the 2019 International Robot Exhibition, December 20, 2019

Application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act Interview by Japan Logistics Newspaper Co., Ltd. at the 2019 International Robot Exhibition, December 20, 2019

The present invention relates to a cable end processing device and a cable end processing method for removing the outer sheath from the end of a multi-core cable in which multiple electric wires are covered with an outer sheath, and processing the internal electric wires so that they can be wired.

Cables for transmitting and receiving signals are multi-core cables in which multiple electric wires are covered with an outer sheath made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) etc. When connecting the cable to an electrical device etc., a predetermined length of the outer sheath is removed from the end of the cable, and then the insulating coating of each exposed electric wire terminal is removed and a wiring terminal is attached.
Normally, the electric wires are spirally interwoven inside the outer sheath. Therefore, when removing the outer sheath and removing the insulating coating from the ends of the electric wires, or when performing terminal processing such as attaching wiring terminals to the ends of the electric wires, it is necessary to first untwist the twisted electric wires and separate them. However, this work is complicated and requires a lot of man-hours, making it difficult to automate.
In response to this problem, Patent Document 1 proposes a device that inserts a comb into the gaps between loosened electric wires to separate the twisted electric wires.

JP 2019-122100 A

However, when the outer sheath is removed, the wires retain distortion from when they were twisted together, resulting in an irregular shape. For this reason, when inserting the comb into the gaps in the exposed wires with the device of Patent Document 1, the tip of the comb may not be inserted into the gap and may hit the wire, resulting in bending the wire. If the wire is bent, manual correction is required, making it difficult to automate wire end processing.

The present invention aims to remove the outer sheath from the cable terminal of a multi-core cable in which multiple electric wires are covered with an outer sheath, and then untwist and reliably distribute the exposed electric wires.

One aspect of the present invention is a cable end processing device that removes a predetermined length of terminal sheath from an end of a multi-core cable in which multiple electric wires are covered with a sheath, and distributes the exposed electric wires. The cable end processing device includes a sheath operation unit that relatively displaces the terminal sheath and the main body sheath remaining on the main body side of the cable, a measurement unit that acquires position information of the electric wires exposed between the terminal sheath and the main body sheath, a partition operation unit that has a partition member and inserts the partition member into gaps between the exposed electric wires based on the position information, and a distribution unit that displaces the partition member while inserted into the gap to distribute the exposed electric wires.

Another aspect of the present invention is a cable end processing method for removing a predetermined length of the terminal sheath from an end of a cable in which multiple electric wires are covered with a sheath, and distributing the exposed electric wires, the cable end processing method including a pulling process for pulling out the terminal sheath until a part of the electric wires remains inside, and forming an exposed portion where the electric wires are exposed between the terminal sheath and the main body sheath remaining on the main body side of the cable, a loosening process for displacing the terminal sheath relative to the main body sheath to loosen the electric wires in the exposed portion, a measuring process for acquiring position information of the electric wires in the exposed portion, a partitioning process for inserting a partitioning member that can be displaced relative to the electric wires in the exposed portion into the gaps between the electric wires in the exposed portion by controlling the position of the partitioning member based on the position information, and a distributing process for displacing the partitioning member while inserted into the gaps to distribute the exposed electric wires.

According to the present invention, after removing the outer sheath from the cable terminal of a multi-core cable in which multiple electric wires are covered with an outer sheath, the exposed electric wires can be untwisted and reliably dispersed. This allows for efficient terminal processing, such as removing the insulating coating from each electric wire terminal and attaching wiring terminals to each electric wire terminal.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a cable to be processed by a cable end processing method according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a cable terminal processing device; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an outer cover operation unit. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the outer cover operating unit in the pulling process. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of a measurement unit and the processing content of a measurement process. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method for acquiring position information of an electric wire from image data of the electric wire displayed on an image sensor. FIG. An example of training image data and corresponding mask images for constructing a trained model. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of a partitioning operation unit and the processing contents of a partitioning process. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a process of dispersing the ends of electric wires in a dispersing step. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of positioning the dispersed electric wires by the electric wire guide. FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a process for removing an insulating coating of an electric wire in a terminal processing step. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a process of fixing a wiring terminal to an electric wire in a terminal processing step. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the electric wires of the exposed portions are aligned using a wire alignment member. FIG. 13A to 13C are explanatory diagrams illustrating a processing method of a measurement process according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the processing content of a partitioning step in the fourth embodiment.

First Embodiment
An embodiment of the present invention (first embodiment) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the cable end processing method according to the first embodiment, a predetermined length of the outer sheath 12 is removed from an end of a multi-core cable 10 in which a plurality of electric wires 11 are covered with an outer sheath 12, and the exposed electric wires 11 are processed so as to be capable of being wired. The length of the exposed portion of the electric wires 11 is usually several centimeters to about 10 centimeters. In the following description, the outer sheath 12 of the cable end that is removed is referred to as the "terminal outer sheath 12a," and the outer sheath 12 remaining on the main body side of the cable 10 is referred to as the "main body outer sheath 12b."

Figure 1 shows a cross section of a cable 10 to be processed by the cable end processing method of the first embodiment, taken in a direction perpendicular to the central axis m. The cable 10 has three electric wires 11 collectively covered with an outer sheath 12. The outer sheath 12 is made of resin such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Each electric wire 11 has a signal line 13 made of a conductor such as copper covered with a resin insulator (insulating coating 14). The diameter d of the electric wires 11 is approximately 0.5 mm to 4 mm. Each electric wire 11 is embedded inside the outer sheath 12 in a state where it is spirally twisted at a predetermined pitch along the central axis m. Note that the number of electric wires 11 embedded in the cable 10 is merely an example and is not limited to this.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cable end processing device 70 used to execute the cable end processing method according to the first embodiment.
The cable end processing device 70 includes an outer cover operation unit 21, a wire arrangement unit 31, a measurement unit 41, and a partition operation unit 51. The units 21, 31, 41, and 51 are integrated and controlled by a control device 61. The control device 61 includes a storage unit 61a and a calculation unit 61b. The calculation unit 61b is set with a predetermined program, and can control the operation of an external device based on the results of calculations based on data from the storage unit 61a and input signals from external devices. The units 21, 31, 41, and 51 are mounted on a single stand 68 (see FIG. 3), and cooperate with the control device 61 to act on the cable 10 and perform end processing of the cable 10 by transmitting and receiving signals to and from the control device 61. For convenience of explanation, as shown in FIG. 3, the mounting surface of the stand 68 on which the units 21, 31, 41, and 51 are mounted is set as an XY plane consisting of a horizontal plane, and the Z axis is set in the vertical direction. Although each of the sections 21, 31, 41, and 51 is mounted on the stand 68 at the same time, in order to avoid complicating the drawings, in the following explanation, only the elements used in each process are shown, and elements that are not used are not shown.

The term "terminal processing" refers to removing the outer sheath 12 and dispersing the exposed electric wires 11 so that they can be wired, and also includes the process of attaching wiring terminals to the ends of the electric wires 11. Normally, when the outer sheath 12 is simply removed, the electric wires 11 are twisted together, so when attaching wiring terminals to the electric wire ends, it is necessary to first untwist the electric wires 11 and separate the ends of each electric wire 11 from the other electric wires 11. However, this work is complicated and has been largely done manually up until now, and has required a lot of labor. According to the cable terminal processing method of this embodiment, the process of removing the outer sheath 12 and dispersing the electric wires 11 can be automated, so that the process of attaching wiring terminals to the electric wire ends to make the cable 10 wireable and the like becomes extremely easy, and the production efficiency of the cable 10 can be improved.

In the cable end processing method of the first embodiment, a pulling process for pulling out the outer sheath 12, a loosening process for loosening the exposed electric wire 11, a measuring process for acquiring position information of the exposed electric wire 11, a partitioning process for inserting the claws 52 (partitioning members) into the gaps in the exposed electric wire 11, and a dispersion process for dispersing the electric wire 11 are sequentially performed.

(Pulling process)
The drawing process will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the sheath operation unit 21, and Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the sheath operation unit 21 in the drawing process. In the drawing process, the cable 10 as the workpiece is assembled to the sheath operation unit 21, and a predetermined length of the terminal sheath 12a is pulled out from the end of the cable 10 to expose the electric wire 11. At this time, the terminal sheath 12a is not pulled out completely, but is pulled out to a state where a part of the electric wire 11 remains inside the terminal sheath 12a. In the following description, the direction of the arrow of each axis may be referred to as (+), and the direction opposite to the arrow may be referred to as (-).

Refer to Figure 3. The outer cover operation unit 21 includes a first gripping portion 22, a sliding portion 23, and a second gripping portion 24, and is mounted on a stand 68 of the cable terminal processing device 70.

The first gripping portion 22 includes a first gripping means 22b fixed to a shaft 22a. The cable 10 is held by the first gripping means 22b with its central axis m facing the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) in the figure. The first gripping means 22b is an air chuck, and can grip the cable 10 so that it cannot be displaced by supplying air pressure. The cable 10 has a cut portion 15 formed in advance at the boundary between the end sheath 12a and the main body sheath 12b.
The shaft 22a is installed with its central axis n facing the Y-axis direction, rotatably supported by a rolling bearing such as a deep groove ball bearing, and driven by a motor 22c. An encoder 22d is attached to the shaft 22a, and a pulse signal S2 corresponding to the rotation angle is transmitted to the control device 61. The first gripping means 22b can rotate by a predetermined angle in response to a command from the control device 61.

The slide portion 23 includes a first clamp device 23b and a first linear motion device 71 on which the first clamp device 23b is mounted.
The first clamping device 23b is an air chuck, and has a pair of clamps 23a, 23a which move toward or away from each other by supplying air pressure.
Each pair of clamps 23a, 23a has a recess 23c at the end facing each other. Fig. 3(a) is a partial side view of the end of the clamp 23a as viewed from the Y-axis direction. Each recess 23c is semicircular, and when the upper and lower clamps 23a approach each other, they form a single cylindrical hole. The diameter of this cylindrical hole is smaller than the outer diameter of the outer sheath 12 of the cable 10 and larger than the diameter of the circumscribing circle of the multiple electric wires 11 inside.

The first linear motion device 71 is a known linear motion device in which a base H supported by a linear motion bearing is driven by a ball screw G and a motor M to move linearly in the Y-axis direction. An encoder F is attached to the ball screw G, which rotates a predetermined angle in response to a command from the control device 61, and the base H moves a predetermined distance in the Y-axis direction. The detailed structure of the first linear motion device 71 is not shown in the figures.
The first clamp device 23 b is fixed to the base H of the first linear motion device 71 and can move a predetermined distance in the Y-axis direction in response to a command from the control device 61 .

The second gripping unit 24 has a second gripping means 24b fixed to a shaft 24a in the same form as the first gripping unit 22. The first gripping means 22b and the second gripping means 24b are disposed to face each other in the Y-axis direction, and the shafts 22a and 24a are disposed coaxially with each other.
The shaft 24a is driven by a motor 24c and has an encoder 24d attached thereto. This causes the second gripping means 24b to rotate by a predetermined angle in response to a command from the control device 61. The second gripping means 24b is also mounted on a second linear motion device 72 and can move in the Y-axis direction. The structure of the second linear motion device 72 is similar to that of the first linear motion device 71, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.
In this embodiment, air chucks are used as the first clamp device 23b and the gripping means 22b, 24b, but other actuators such as an electric chuck may also be used.

In FIG. 4, the electric wire 11 inside the outer cover 12 is shown by a dashed line. In order to avoid cluttering the drawing, the linear motion device, air chuck, etc. are omitted or simplified. In the drawing process, the processing is carried out in the order of FIG. 4(a) and (b).

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the cable 10 has its end facing in the (-) direction of the Y axis, and the main body outer sheath 12b is held by the first holding means 22b so as not to be displaceable in the axial direction.
Next, the pair of clamps 23a, 23a approach each other at the position of the cutout 15 of the cable 10, and the electric wires 11 inside are sandwiched in the Z-axis direction. Since the inner diameter of the recess 23c (see FIG. 3A) of each clamp 23a is larger than the diameter of the circumscribing circle of the electric wires 11, the electric wires 11 are not restrained.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the clamp 23a moves in the (-) direction of the Y axis while clamping the electric wire 11. Since the inner diameter of the recess 23c is smaller than the outer diameter of the outer cover 12 and the electric wire 11 is fixed by the first gripping means 22b, only the terminal outer cover 12a moves in the (-) direction of the Y axis.

The clamp 23a stops moving just before the electric wire 11 is completely removed from the terminal outer sheath 12a. In other words, the end of the electric wire 11 remains inside the terminal outer sheath 12a. In FIG. 4(b), the electric wire 11 remaining inside the terminal outer sheath 12a is hatched and indicated by P. The axial length of the electric wire 11 remaining inside the terminal outer sheath 12a is long enough to hold the ends of the multiple electric wires 11 by the terminal outer sheath 12a, and is set to 1/2 or less of the pitch of the spiral in which the electric wires 11 are twisted together (the axial length of one period of the spiral), and more preferably 1/4 or less of the pitch of the spiral.

In this way, an exposed portion 28 where the electric wires 11 are exposed is formed between the terminal outer cover 12a and the main body outer cover 12b. In the exposed portion 28, each electric wire 11 is twisted together in a spiral shape, with almost no gaps between the multiple electric wires 11.

In the first embodiment, the cable 10 is prepared with the cut portion 15 already formed, but it is also possible to provide a sharp cutting edge on the inner circumference of the recess 23c of the clamp 23a, and to form the cut portion 15 by pressing the cutting edge against the cable 10 while moving the terminal sheath 12a in the axial direction, thereby forming the exposed portion 28.

(Loosening process)
The loosening process will be described with reference to FIG.
In the loosening process, the electric wires 11 exposed in a twisted state between the terminal outer cover 12a and the main body outer cover 12b are loosened to form a gap s between the electric wires 11. Fig. 4(c) shows a schematic diagram of a state in which the terminal outer cover 12a rotates around the Y axis in the direction of the arrow R1 and is displaced in the (+) direction of the Y axis after the exposed portion 28 is formed in Fig. 4(b).

In the loosening process, the second gripping means 24b rotates in the direction of the arrow R1 around the central axis n while gripping the terminal outer sheath 12a. This rotation direction is the direction in which the electric wires 11 twisted in a spiral shape in the exposed portion 28 loosens. The pitch of the spiral and the twist direction are known. Therefore, the electric wires 11 in the exposed portion 28 can be loosened by rotating the second gripping means 24b by a predetermined angle in the direction opposite to the twist direction of the electric wires 11. Preferably, the second gripping means 24b is rotated so that the circumferential phases of the electric wires 11 are the same at both axial ends of the exposed portion 28 and the electric wires 11 are not twisted in the Y-axis direction. This reduces the degree of adhesion of the electric wires 11.

After or simultaneously with rotating the terminal outer cover 12a in the direction of the arrow R1, the second gripping means 24b moves in the (+) direction of the Y axis. As a result, the axial length of the exposed portion 28 becomes shorter, so that the electric wires 11 are bent and a large gap s can be formed between the electric wires 11.
In this manner, in the loosening process, the electric wires 11 in the exposed portions 28 are loosened by relatively displacing the terminal outer cover 12 a and the main body outer cover 12 b , thereby forming gaps s between the electric wires 11 .

(Measurement process)
In the measurement process, position information of the electric wires 11 in the exposed portion 28 is obtained. Fig. 5 shows a configuration of a measurement unit 41 that obtains the position information of the electric wires 11, and also shows a cross section of the electric wires 11 in the exposed portion 28 in a direction perpendicular to the Y axis. The measurement unit 41 obtains the position information of the electric wires 11 by using a laser device 42.
The position information is information about the position of each electric wire 11 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, and includes the position of each electric wire 11, the position and size of the gap s between the electric wires 11, etc. Note that the arrangement of the electric wires 11 in Fig. 5 is an example. Usually, in the exposed portion 28, each electric wire 11 is arranged irregularly.

The measuring unit 41 mainly includes a laser device 42, a third linear motion device 73 on which the laser device 42 is mounted, and a control device 61. The third linear motion device 73 is mounted on a stand 68 of the cable terminal processing device 70. The laser device 42 includes a light emitting unit 42a that emits laser light and a light receiving unit 42b that receives the reflected laser light.
The laser light is irradiated in the X-axis direction toward the electric wire 11 of the exposed portion 28. When the laser light reflected by the electric wire 11 reaches the light receiving portion 42b, a light receiving signal S1 is transmitted from the laser device 42 to the control device 61. When the laser light is irradiated to a location where the electric wire 11 is not present, the reflected light does not reach the light receiving portion 42b, and therefore the light receiving signal S1 is not transmitted.

The laser device 42 is mounted on the third linear motion device 73 and displaced in the Z-axis direction while irradiating the laser light. In this manner, all of the electric wires 11 in the exposed portion 28 are irradiated with the laser light.
The third linear motion device 73 has a configuration similar to that of the first linear motion device 71, and includes a ball screw G and a motor M. An encoder F is attached to the ball screw G, and when the ball screw G rotates, a pulse signal S2 corresponding to the rotation angle is transmitted to the control device 61. The control device 61 has a built-in calculation unit 61b, and can measure the position of the laser device 42 in the Z-axis direction based on the rotation angle calculated based on the pulse signal S2 and the lead length of the ball screw G stored in advance in the storage unit 61a.

A method for acquiring position information of the electric wires 11 will be specifically described using the electric wire 11b on the most (+) side in the Z-axis direction in Figure 5 as an example. For ease of explanation, the central electric wire 11 in the Z-axis direction is designated as 11a, the electric wire 11 on the (+) side in the Z-axis direction is designated as 11b, and the electric wire 11 on the (-) side in the Z-axis direction is designated as 11c. The laser device 42 moves from the (+) side to the (-) side in the Z-axis direction of each electric wire 11 while irradiating laser light in the X-axis direction.

5 shows an example of acquired position information (measurement example). The measurement example shows the relationship between the position of the laser device 42 in the Z-axis direction and the presence or absence of the light receiving signal S1. In the measurement example, the presence of the light receiving signal S1 is indicated as 1, and the absence of the light receiving signal S1 is indicated as 0.
When the laser device 42 is located on the (+) side of the electric wire 11 in the Z-axis direction (area indicated by A in the measurement example), the laser light is not irradiated to the electric wire 11, so the reflected light does not reach the light receiving unit 42b, and the light receiving signal S1 is 0. When the laser device 42 moves in the (-) direction of the Z-axis and the laser light is irradiated to the electric wire 11 (area indicated by B in the measurement example), the reflected light reaches the light receiving unit 42b, and the light receiving signal S1 is 1. Furthermore, when the laser device 42 moves in the (-) direction of the Z-axis and the laser light is located on the (-) side of the electric wire 11 in the Z-axis direction (area indicated by C in the measurement example), the laser light is not irradiated to the electric wire 11, so the reflected light does not reach the light receiving unit 42b, and the light receiving signal S1 is 0.

The control device 61 can obtain position information that position P1, where the area changes from area A where the light receiving signal S1 is not received to area B where the light receiving signal S1 is received, is the outer periphery on the Z-axis direction (+) side of the electric wire 11, and position P2, where the area changes from area B where the light receiving signal S1 is received to area C where the light receiving signal S1 is not received, is the outer periphery on the Z-axis direction (-) side of the electric wire 11. Position information can be obtained in a similar manner for the other electric wires 11.

In this way, the control device 61 can obtain position information such as the position of each electric wire 11 in the exposed portion 28 when viewed from the X-axis direction, and the position and size of the gap s between each electric wire 11. In particular, since the laser light can be clearly distinguished from indoor illumination light, the position of the electric wire 11 can be clearly detected without being affected by external disturbances such as indoor illumination. Therefore, the position information of the electric wire 11 can be obtained accurately.

The direction of irradiation of the laser light does not necessarily have to coincide with the X-axis. If the laser light is irradiated to the electric wire 11, the light receiving unit 42b can detect the reflected light. Therefore, if the laser light is irradiated in a direction at least parallel to the XY plane and inclined with respect to the central axis m of the cable 10, the same position information as above can be obtained.
In the above example, the outer periphery of the electric wire 11 in the Z-axis direction is detected based on the presence or absence of reflected light to identify the position of the electric wire 11, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the laser device 42 can measure the distance to the irradiated object, the position of the apex of each electric wire 11 (the point closest to the laser device 42 in the X-axis direction) can be detected to identify the position of each electric wire 11. Since the diameter d of the electric wire 11 is known, by storing the value of the diameter d in the storage unit 61a, the position of d/2 on the (+) side of the Z-axis direction from the apex position and the position of d/2 on the (-) side of the Z-axis direction can be identified as the outer periphery of the electric wire 11.
Furthermore, by configuring the third linear motion device 73 to be supported by another linear motion device that can be displaced in the Y-axis direction, the position of the gap s can be measured by changing the position of the laser device 42 in the Y-axis direction. This makes it possible to measure the position and size of the gap s within the YZ plane, thereby obtaining more detailed position information.

(Partitioning process)
Next, the partitioning process will be described with reference to FIG. 8. In the partitioning process, the partitioning operation unit 51 is controlled by the control device 61 so that the claws 52 are inserted into the gaps s of the electric wires 11 in the exposed portion 28 based on the position information acquired in the measurement process. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the partitioning operation unit 51. In FIG. 8, similarly to FIG. 5, the multiple electric wires 11 in the exposed portion 28 are shown in a cross section perpendicular to the Y axis. As will be described in detail below, in the partitioning process, the claws 52 arranged on the X-axis (+) side of the exposed portion 28 are moved in the direction indicated by the white arrow J1 (the X-axis (-) direction) and inserted into the exposed portion 28. As in FIG. 5, the electric wires 11 in the exposed portion 28 will be described with the electric wire 11 in the center in the Z-axis direction as 11a, the electric wire 11 on the Z-axis (+) side as 11b, and the electric wire 11 on the Z-axis (-) side as 11c.

The partition operation unit 51 is equipped with a fourth linear motion device 74 that moves the claw 52 in the X-axis direction, and a fifth linear motion device 75 that mounts the fourth linear motion device 74 and moves it in the Z-axis direction. The fifth linear motion device 75 is mounted on the stand 68 of the cable end processing device 70 via a sixth linear motion device 76 described below. Each linear motion device 74, 75 has a similar configuration to the first linear motion device 71, and a motor M and an encoder F are attached to the ball screw G. Each linear motion device 74, 75 rotates the ball screw G by a predetermined angle in response to a command from the control device 61, and each base H moves in the axial direction of the ball screw G.

The partition operation unit 51 is equipped with a pair of claws 52, 52. Each claw 52 has the same shape and is a prism with a substantially rectangular cross section in the Y-axis direction. Each claw 52 is attached to a movable arm of the second clamp device 54 so as to face each other in the Z-axis direction, and can move toward or away from each other in the Z-axis direction.
Each claw 52 has a thinner thickness in the Z-axis direction at a tip 52a (the end on the (-) side of the X-axis direction in FIG. 8). The tip 52a is inclined inward (the direction in which a pair of claw 52 members approach each other is referred to as the inward direction, and the direction in which they move away from each other is referred to as the outward direction) with respect to the main body 52b, and at the tip 52a, the inner width w1 of the pair of claws 52, 52 is slightly narrower than the inner width w2 of the main body 52b, 52b.
An electric wire guide 53 is integrally attached to the outer side of each claw 52. Each electric wire guide 53 is disposed so as to surround the electric wires 11 of the exposed portion 28 on both outer sides in the Z-axis direction when the claw 52 is inserted into the exposed portion 28.

Next, the processing method in the partitioning step will be described.
In the partitioning process, a pair of claws 52, 52 are arranged in the X-axis (+) direction away from the exposed portion 28 with the tip 52a facing the electric wire 11 of the exposed portion 28. At this time, the pair of claws 52, 52 are arranged so that the inner width w1 of the pair of claws 52, 52 is slightly larger than the diameter d of the electric wire 11. Next, the electric wire 11a in the center in the Z-axis direction is selected from the three electric wires 11 based on the position information acquired in the measurement process, and the fifth linear motion device 75 moves in the Z-axis direction under the command of the control device 61 so that the Z-axis position of the pair of claws 52, 52 coincides with the Z-axis position of the electric wire 11a. In this state, the fourth linear motion device 74 moves in the X-axis (-) direction under the command of the control device 61, and the pair of claws 52, 52 are inserted into the exposed portion 28 straddling the electric wire 11a.

Since the inner width w1 of the claw 52 is slightly larger than the diameter d of the electric wire 11a, the claw 52 on the Z-axis direction (+) side is inserted near the Z-axis direction (+) side of the electric wire 11a, and the claw 52 on the Z-axis direction (-) side is inserted near the Z-axis direction (-) side of the electric wire 11a.
The electric wires 11a, 11b, and 11c are arranged with a gap s between them in the Z-axis direction (see FIG. 5). Therefore, when the claws 52 pass near the electric wire 11a, the claws 52 inserted on the Z-axis direction (+) side of the electric wire 11a are securely inserted into the gap s between the electric wires 11a and 11b, and at the same time, the claws 52 inserted on the Z-axis direction (-) side of the electric wire 11a are securely inserted into the gap s between the electric wires 11a and 11c. In addition, because the plate thickness of the tip portions 52a of the claws 52 is thin, the claws 52 are inserted while widening the space between the electric wires 11 even when the gap s is small.

In this way, in the partitioning process, the claws 52 are inserted into the gaps s of the electric wires 11 in the exposed portion 28 based on the position information acquired in the measurement process, so that the electric wires 11 can be reliably prevented from being bent due to collision with the claws 52.
In addition, by manipulating the movable arm of the second clamp device 54 supporting the claws 52 to change the inner width w1, it is possible to accommodate cables 10 having wires 11 with different diameters d.
In this embodiment, the claw 52 is moved in the Z-axis direction by the fifth linear motion device 75, but the fourth linear motion device 74 may be mounted on the third linear motion device 73 of the measuring unit 41, and the claw 52 and the laser device 42 may be moved by a single linear motion device. Also, the claws 52, 52 may be supported by a six-axis articulated robot, and the six-axis articulated robot may be controlled based on instructions from the control device 61 to insert the claw 52 toward the exposed portion 28.

(Dispersion process)
The processing method in the dispersion step will be described with reference to FIG.
In the dispersing process, the claws 52 are inserted into the gaps s of the electric wires 11 and displaced in the Y-axis direction to disperse the electric wires 11. The set of claws 52 and the sixth linear motion device 76 that moves the claws 52 in the Y-axis direction constitute a dispersing section of the cable end processing device 70.
9A to 9C are schematic diagrams showing the process of distributing the ends of the electric wires 11 in the distributing step, in which the processes are performed in the order of (a), (b), and (c). Note that the claws 52 are provided with electric wire guides 53 as an integral part, but the electric wire guides 53 are omitted from FIG. 9 to avoid complicating the drawing.

FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the claws 52 are inserted into the exposed portions 28 as shown in FIG. 8 in the partitioning step, as viewed in the X-axis direction from the tip end 52a of the claws 52. FIG.
Fig. 9(b) shows the state of the electric wire 11 when the terminal outer cover 12a is removed with the claw 52 inserted into the exposed portion 28. In Fig. 9(a), only a part of the electric wire 11 remains inside the terminal outer cover 12a, and the terminal outer cover 12a can be easily removed. When the terminal outer cover 12a is removed, the ends of the electric wires 11 are close to each other, so it is difficult to separate and remove each electric wire 11 from the other electric wires 11, and in this state, it is difficult to remove the insulating coating 14 from each electric wire end or to attach a wiring terminal.

In this embodiment, the base H of the sixth linear motion device 76 moves in the Y-axis direction, so that the claws 52 move axially toward the body outer shell 12b while straddling the central electric wire 11a and inserted into the gap s in the electric wire 11, as shown in FIG. 9(c). The inner width w2 of the body 52b of the claws 52 is larger than the inner width w1 of the tip 52a (see FIG. 8), forming a relatively large gap between the electric wire 11a and the claws 52. This allows the pair of claws 52, 52 to easily move in the Y-axis direction while straddling the central electric wire 11a.

The electric wires 11 in the exposed portion 28 are bundled together near the body outer skin 12b, and are close to each other. When the claws 52 are pressed against the body outer skin 12b, the electric wires 11b and 11c on both outer sides are pressed by the claws 52 and bent strongly.
The claw 52 has a predetermined thickness in the Z-axis direction, and the inner width w2 of the main body 52b is larger than the diameter d of the electric wire 11, so that the outer width w3 (see FIG. 9(c)) of the main body 52b of the claw 52 is large enough to bend the electric wires 11b, 11c outward.

In the state shown in Fig. 9(a), the end sheath 12a is pulled out so that the length of the electric wires 11 remaining inside the end sheath 12a is equal to or less than half the helical pitch of the electric wires 11 twisted inside the sheath 12, so that in the state shown in Fig. 9(b), the ends of the electric wires 11 are not twisted enough to be constrained to each other. Therefore, by simply pressing the claws 52 against the main sheath 12b, the electric wires 11b, 11c on both outer sides can be deformed outwardly away from the electric wire 11a, so that the electric wires 11 can be easily dispersed.
In addition, in FIG. 9(a), if the length of the electric wire 11 remaining inside the terminal outer cover 12a is set to 1/4 or less of the spiral pitch, the electric wires 11b, 11c on both outer sides can be deformed more easily.

In addition, since the jaws 52 are supported by a movable chuck or the like and the inner width w1 of the jaws 52 is variable, the movable chuck can be operated by a command from the control device 61 to displace the pair of jaws 52 largely in the Z-axis direction away from each other while still inserted in the exposed portion 28, thereby moving the two outer electric wires 11b, 11c away from the central electric wire 11a, thereby dispersing the electric wires 11.

As described above, according to the cable terminal processing method of the first embodiment, for a multi-core cable 10 in which a plurality of electric wires 11 are covered with an outer sheath 12, after removing the outer sheath 12 at the cable terminal, the exposed electric wires 11 can be untwisted and the claws 52 can be reliably inserted into the gaps s of the electric wires 11, thereby reliably dispersing the electric wires 11 while preventing damage to the electric wires 11.
This facilitates automation of terminal processing in subsequent steps, such as removing the insulating coating 14 from the ends of the electric wires and attaching wiring terminals.

(Terminal processing process)
After the dispersion process, a terminal processing process can be provided in which the insulating coating 14 of each electric wire terminal is removed and a wiring terminal is fixed. This makes it possible to consistently automate the process from removing the outer jacket 12 to attaching the wiring terminal for the cable 10. The coating removal device 80 that removes the insulating coating 14 and the crimping device 85 that fixes the wiring terminal constitute the terminal processing section.
The cable 10 in which the electric wires 11 have been dispersed in the dispersion process can be transported to the sheath removal device 80 by, for example, a six-axis articulated robot (not shown; hereinafter simply referred to as "robot").

The terminal processing step will be described with reference to Fig. 10 to Fig. 12. Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of each part when the electric wire 11 dispersed in the dispersion step is transported to the sheath removal device 80. Fig. 10(a) is the same schematic diagram as Fig. 9(c), and shows the arrangement of the electric wire 11 and the electric wire guide 53 when the claw 52 is pressed against the base of the electric wire 11. The electric wire guide 53 is provided on the outer side of each of the pair of claws 52, 52, and is formed integrally with each of the claws 52. Fig. 10(b) is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the electric wire 11 and the electric wire guide 53 when the claw 52 and the electric wire guide 53 are moved in the Y-axis (-) direction with respect to Fig. 10(a).
After the electric wires 11 are dispersed in the dispersing step, the electric wire guide 53 is moved in the Y-axis (-) direction, so that the robot can easily grasp the electric wires 11.

The electric wire 11 has a copper signal wire 13 covered with a resin insulating cover 14, and has viscoelasticity when bent. Therefore, the amount of deformation of the electric wires 11b and 11c when the claw 52 is pressed against the body outer cover 12b is uncertain.
10(b), the claws 52 are again moved in the (-) direction of the Y axis to press the wire guides 53 formed integrally with the claws 52 against the wires 11b, 11c, thereby displacing the outer wires 11b, 11c elastically in the (-) direction of the Y axis. As a result, the wires 11b, 11c come into contact with the wire guides 53 and are positioned at approximately fixed positions.
Therefore, when the robot grasps each electric wire 11 , there is no need to sense the position of the electric wire 11 individually, and each electric wire can be easily grasped and transported to the sheath removal device 80 .

11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the coating removal device 80. Note that the configuration of the coating removal device 80 is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this configuration.
The sheath removal device 80 has a rotating shaft 58 and a blade 60 for cutting off the insulating sheath 14 of the electric wire 11. The rotating shaft 58 is supported by a rolling bearing or the like (not shown) and rotates around a central axis k. The blade 60 can be fixed at any position in the radial direction, making it possible to adjust the amount of cutting into the insulating sheath 14.
The electric wires 11 dispersed in the dispersion step are transported by a robot and arranged coaxially with the rotating shaft 58. Then, the blade 60 rotates to form cuts around the entire circumference of the insulating coating 14. Next, the blade 60 is moved axially in the direction of the outline arrow J2 to remove the insulating coating 14.
12, the signal wire 13 exposed at the end of the electric wire is fitted into a fitting portion 86a of a crimp terminal 86, which is an example of a wiring terminal, and the fitting portion 86a is crimped in the direction indicated by the outlined arrow J4 by a crimping device 85, thereby fixing the crimp terminal 86 to the end of the electric wire. Various crimp terminals can be used as the crimp terminal 86 depending on the purpose of the wiring. Also, a known crimping device is used as the crimping device 85.

In this way, by implementing a terminal processing process after the dispersion process, the entire process of removing the outer sheath 12 and attaching the wiring terminals to the cable 10 can be automated.

As described above, according to the cable terminal processing method of the first embodiment, for a cable 10 in which multiple electric wires 11 are covered with an outer sheath 12, the outer sheath 12 can be removed and the terminals of each electric wire 11 can be dispersed separately. This automates the terminal processing of each electric wire 11, and makes it possible to efficiently perform tasks such as attaching crimp terminals 86 to each electric wire terminal.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, only the operation of the measurement process is different from that of the first embodiment. Although not shown, in the measurement process of the second embodiment, a first CCD camera (imaging device) equipped with an image sensor 62 is used instead of the laser device 42 of the first embodiment to photograph the exposed portion 28 and obtain position information of the electric wires 11. The first CCD camera is mounted on the base H of the third linear motion device 73 and is installed at the position of the laser device 42 in FIG. 5 facing the X-axis (-) direction, and photographs the multiple electric wires 11a to 11c of the exposed portion 28.

Figure 6 shows an example of image analysis of a part (indicated by N in the figure) of the electric wires 11a to 11c of the exposed portion 28 displayed on the image sensor 62. The image sensor 62 has pixels 63 arranged in a two-dimensional plane, and the captured electric wire 11 is displayed in a two-dimensional coordinate system. The captured image data is transmitted to the control device 61. The control device 61 operates as an image processing device, and performs image analysis on the received image data to obtain position information of each electric wire 11a to 11c based on the coordinates of the pixels 63. In Figure 6, scanning is performed in the direction of the arrow L, and the points (positions indicated by H1 to H6) where the attributes of the pixels 63, such as brightness and color (for example, RGB values expressed in 256 gradations) change significantly are recognized as the positions of the outer diameter of the electric wire 11, and the position information of each electric wire 11a to 11c can be obtained based on the coordinates of each point.

In this way, in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the control device 61 can obtain position information such as the position of each electric wire 11 in the exposed portion 28 when viewed in the X-axis (-) direction, and the position and size of the gap s between each electric wire 11 and the other electric wire 11.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, multiple CCD cameras are used to photograph the exposed portion 28 from different directions, thereby obtaining three-dimensional position information for each electric wire 11. For example, although not shown, a second CCD camera (not shown) can be placed above the electric wire 11 of the exposed portion 28 in FIG. 5 (in the Z-axis (+) direction) to photograph in the Z-axis (-) direction, and the images captured by the first and second CCD cameras can be analyzed to obtain three-dimensional position information for each electric wire 11.

In addition, by using the first and second CCD cameras to distinguish the color of the insulating coating 14 of the electric wires 11, the colors of the dispersed electric wires 11 can be arranged in a predetermined order. For example, when the colors of the insulating coating 14 of the three electric wires 11a to 11c are red, black, and white, and the color of the central electric wire 11a is to be red in FIG. 9(c), if the three electric wires 11a to 11c are not arranged in the predetermined color order, the first gripping means 22b and the second gripping means 24b are rotated in the measurement process to rotate the terminal outer cover 12a and the main body outer cover 12b simultaneously in the same direction, thereby correcting the orientation of the cable 10 so that the color of the central electric wire 11a becomes red. After correcting the orientation in this way, the partitioning process and the dispersion process are performed in the same way as in the first embodiment, so that the electric wires 11 are dispersed as shown in FIG. 9(c), and the cable 10 in which the colors of the electric wires 11 are arranged in the predetermined order can be manufactured, and the subsequent wiring work can be carried out efficiently.

Third Embodiment
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, in the measurement process, an image of the exposed portion 28 is taken using a CCD camera (not shown) equipped with an image sensor 62. Furthermore, an AI (artificial intelligence) program is set in the calculation unit 61b of the control device 61 in the third embodiment. By using AI, the electric wires 11 can be clearly identified, so that the position information of the electric wires 11 in the exposed portion 28 can be obtained more clearly. In particular, since the overlapping state of the multiple electric wires 11 can be determined in the image taken by the CCD camera, it is possible to determine whether or not to proceed to the partitioning process.

In the third embodiment, a large amount of image data of the electric wire 11 of the exposed portion 28 as shown in Figs. 7(a) and (b) is acquired, and machine learning using deep learning, for example, is performed to construct a trained model for identifying the electric wire 11. That is, the image data in Figs. 7(a) and (b) is image data for training, and a large amount of image data is acquired in advance. In the following explanation of AI, the image data for training is described as "training image data" in order to distinguish it from image data obtained by photographing the electric wire 11 to be subjected to distributed processing. Here, the image in Fig. 7(a) shows an example of a state in which multiple electric wires 11b and 11c are overlapping and cannot proceed to the partitioning process. The image in Fig. 7(b) shows an example of a state in which each electric wire 11a to 11c is scattered and can proceed to the partitioning process.

We will explain the trained model by machine learning. In machine learning, each process is executed: training image data acquisition process, mask image creation process, trained model construction process.
7(a) and (b), a large amount of educational image data of the electric wire 11 is acquired and stored in the memory unit 61a of the control device 61. In the third embodiment, 3,000 to 10,000 pieces of educational image data are stored, but the number of pieces of educational image data to be acquired may be further increased or decreased depending on the capacity of the memory unit 61a.
In the mask image creation process, a mask image is created for each captured educational image data by clarifying the color, shape, background W, etc. of the electric wire 11. The background W means the area excluding the electric wire 11 and the outer skin 12. In general, the creation of a mask image is performed manually. In an image acquired by photographing the exposed portion 28, the outline of the electric wire 11 may not be clearly discernible due to the influence of lighting reflection, contrast with the background W, etc., but the position of the electric wire 11 can be clarified by creating a mask image.
7(c) and 7(d) are examples of mask images for the educational image data of FIG. 7(a) and FIG. 7(b), respectively, in which the contours of each of the electric wires 11a to 11c and the boundary with the background W are clarified, and the shape of the outer skin 12 is clarified. In FIG. 7(c) and (d), the contours of the electric wires 11 and the outer skin 12 are displayed with solid lines for the purpose of explanation, but in an actual mask image, each of the electric wires 11a, 11b, 11c, and the outer skin 12, including their respective contours, are painted with different single colors. In FIG. 7(c) and (d), the background W is cross-hatched, but in an actual mask image, the background W is painted with a single color different from that of the electric wires 11 and the outer skin 12. In this way, in the mask image, each of the electric wires 11a, 11b, 11c, the outer skin 12, and the background W are painted with different single colors, and the position of the electric wire 11 is clearly shown.

In the trained model construction process, a trained model is constructed by performing machine learning by matching the features of each pixel 63 in the educational image data acquired in the educational image data acquisition process with the mask image created in the mask image creation process. A feature is an attribute of each pixel 63 in the image data, and includes information such as the color of each pixel 63 (e.g., an RGB value expressed in 256 gradations) and the degree of color change from that pixel 63 to other pixels 63 in each direction.
That is, the trained model is an index for estimating the probability that what is photographed in pixel 63 is the electric wire 11 based on the features of pixel 63. Therefore, when image data T of the electric wire 11 whose position information is unknown is acquired, by knowing the features of each pixel 63 of the image data T, it is possible to estimate the probability that what is photographed in the pixel 63 is the electric wire 11 based on the trained model and create image data in which the color, shape, background W, etc. of the electric wire 11 are clarified.

By using AI in this way, it is possible to clearly identify the outline of the electric wire 11, which cannot be identified only by changes in brightness, etc. on the image sensor 62 as described in the second embodiment. For example, in a multi-core cable 10, talc is applied to prevent the twisted electric wires 11 inside from sticking to each other. For this reason, when the outer sheath 12 is removed, the surface of the electric wire 11 may become whitish due to the talc, making it difficult to distinguish the color, or the boundary with the background W may become unclear, making it difficult to clearly identify the position of the electric wire 11. Even in such cases, by learning the features of the electric wire 11 with talc attached, it is possible to estimate the shape of the electric wire 11 without talc attached, and clearly identify the electric wire 11 from the background W.

In this way, by obtaining image data T that clearly identifies the shape of the electric wires 11, it is possible to determine the size of the gaps s between the electric wires 11 and to judge whether the dispersion state of the electric wires 11 in the exposed portion 28 is in a state that allows transition to the partitioning process.
If it is determined that there are no overlaps between the electric wires 11 and it is possible to proceed to the partitioning process, the calculation unit 61b acquires positional information such as the position and size of the gaps s between each electric wire 11 based on the captured image data.
When it is determined that the electric wires 11 overlap, the first gripping means 22b and the second gripping means 24b are rotated to simultaneously rotate the terminal outer cover 12a and the main body outer cover 12b in the same direction, thereby correcting the orientation of the cable 10 and positioning the electric wires 11 so that they do not overlap each other. In this way, image data is acquired again, and position information can be acquired in a state where the electric wires 11 are not overlapping.

Thus, in the third embodiment, the presence or absence of overlap of the electric wires 11 can be determined for the image of the exposed portion 28 captured by the CCD camera, and position information such as the position of each electric wire 11 in the exposed portion 28 when viewed from the X-axis direction, and the position and size of the gap s between each electric wire 11 and the electric wire 11 can be obtained in a manner similar to the measurement process of the second embodiment.

Fourth Embodiment
Another embodiment (fourth embodiment) of the present invention will be described. The fourth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a wire arrangement step is provided after the loosening step is completed. The fourth embodiment can distribute the electric wires 11 more reliably than the first embodiment.

In the cable end processing method of the fourth embodiment, a drawing process, a loosening process, a wire arrangement process, a measurement process, a partitioning process, and a distribution process are sequentially performed. The processing methods of the other processes except for the wire arrangement process are almost the same as those of the first embodiment. In the following description, the description of the configuration and processing method common to the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.
The processing methods of the extraction process and the loosening process in the fourth embodiment are completely the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

(Wire arrangement process)
The wire arranging step will be described with reference to Fig. 13. In the wire arranging step, the electric wires 11 of the exposed portion 28 are aligned in a plane by a pair of wire arranging members 32, 32.
Fig. 13 shows the form of each wire arranging member 32, and also shows a state in which the electric wires 11 in the exposed portion 28 are arranged using a pair of wire arranging members 32, 32. Fig. 13(a) is an enlarged view of a main part of the electric wires 11 in the exposed portion 28 as viewed from the X-axis direction, showing a state in which the wire arranging members 32, 32 are assembled to the exposed portion 28. Fig. 13(b) is a side view of Fig. 13(a) as viewed from the Y-axis direction. In Figs. 13(a) and (b), the wire arranging members 32, 32 in a state in which they are separated from each other in the Z-axis direction are shown by dashed lines, and a state in which they are close to each other is shown by solid lines.

Each of the wire arranging members 32 is a thin plate having a substantially rectangular shape, and is provided with a long hole 33 opening on one side. The width w4 of the long hole 33 is slightly larger than the diameter d of the electric wire 11 and sufficiently smaller than the diameter of two electric wires 11 (2×d).
Each of the wire aligning members 32 is supported by a movable arm of the third clamp device 34, and can move toward or away from each other in the Z-axis direction. The pair of wire aligning members 32, 32 and the third clamp device 34 constitute the wire aligning section 31. As shown in Fig. 13(a) , the pair of wire aligning members 32, 32 are positioned apart from each other in the Z-axis direction, with the exposed portion 28 sandwiched between them, at positions shifted from each other in the Y-axis direction by δ.
The wire aligning members 32, 32 are arranged so that the center lines of the respective long holes 33 are aligned and the openings face each other. When they approach each other, the respective long holes 33 overlap, forming a space K that penetrates in the Y-axis direction and extends in the Z-axis direction. In Fig. 13(b) , for ease of understanding, the wire aligning members 32 are shown slightly misaligned in the X-axis direction, but in reality the positions of the long holes 33 of each wire aligning member 32 overlap in the X-axis direction.

Next, the processing method in the wire alignment process will be described.
In the wire arranging process, the pair of wire arranging members 32, 32 approach each other in the Z-axis direction with the exposed portion 28 therebetween, and the electric wires 11 of the exposed portion 28 are assembled side by side into the space K formed by both of the long holes 33. The electric wires 11 of the exposed portion 28 are in a loosened state in the loosening process, and the openings of the long holes 33 are provided with large chamfers, so that the electric wires 11 can be easily introduced into the space K.
Since the width w4 of the long hole 33 is sufficiently smaller than the diameter (2×d) of two electric wires 11, the electric wires 11 do not overlap each other in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the long hole 33. Thus, in the wire arrangement process, the electric wires 11 of the exposed portion 28 are generally aligned on a plane including the central axis m (a plane including the central axis m of the cable 10 and passing through the center of the long hole 33). Note that the electric wires 11 retain distortion when they were incorporated into the cable 10. Therefore, "on a plane" means that the electric wires are arranged generally along the YZ plane, and does not mean that they are geometrically arranged on the YZ plane.

(Measurement process)
Next, a processing method in the measurement step of the fourth embodiment will be described. Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the processing method in the measurement step of the fourth embodiment. Fig. 14 shows a state in which the electric wire 11 of the exposed portion 28 is arranged on a plane p extending in the YZ direction by the wire arranging step. Note that Fig. 14 shows only the long hole 33 of the wire arranging member 32.
FIG. 14 also illustrates a state in which the central electric wire 11a is in contact with the electric wire 11c on the negative side in the Z-axis direction, with no gap s between the electric wires 11a and 11c.

In the fourth embodiment, position information of the electric wire 11 is obtained by a measuring unit 41 equipped with a laser device 42 similar to that in the first embodiment. The laser device 42 is disposed at a position offset in the Y-axis direction from the wire alignment member 32, and laser light is irradiated toward the electric wire 11 of the exposed portion 28. Note that an offset position means that the laser device 42 is located on the Y-axis (+) side, the Y-axis (-) side, or between the pair of wire alignment members 32, 32.

Position information of the electric wire 11b located away from the electric wire 11a can be obtained by moving the laser device 42 in the Z-axis direction in the same manner as in the first embodiment and identifying the areas D and E where the electric wire 11b is located.
Position information of the electric wires 11a and 11c that are in contact with each other is acquired by identifying the region E. Here, the length of the region E in the Z-axis direction is equal to two diameters (d×2) of the electric wires 11. Since the diameter d of each electric wire 11 is known, the control device 61 can easily identify that two electric wires 11 are present in the region E.
Therefore, position information can be obtained that the center of wire 11a is located at a position d/2 from the end of region E on the (+) side of the Z axis, and the center of wire 11c is located at a position d/2 from the end of region E on the (-) side of the Z axis.

In the fourth embodiment, similar to the second embodiment, position information of each electric wire 11 may be obtained using a CCD camera equipped with an image sensor 62 instead of the laser device 42. Also, similar to the third embodiment, the control device 61 may analyze image data captured by the CCD camera using AI to determine the position of the electric wire 11.

(Partitioning process)
The processing method in the partitioning step of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the processing method for inserting the claws 52 into the exposed portion 28. In the partitioning step, a partitioning operation unit 51 similar to that in the first embodiment is used. A pair of claws 52, 52 is disposed away from the exposed portion 28 in the X-axis (+) direction with the tip portion 52a facing the electric wire 11 in the exposed portion 28.

In the fourth embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, a pair of claws 52, 52 is inserted into the exposed portion 28 across the central electric wire 11a.
To explain more specifically, first, based on the position information acquired in the measurement process, the fifth linear motion device 75 moves in the Z-axis direction upon receiving a command from the control device 61 so that the Z-axis positions of the pair of claws 52, 52 coincide with the Z-axis position of the central electric wire 11a.
Thereafter, the fourth linear motion device 74 receives a command from the control device 61 and moves in the X-axis (-) direction, so that the pair of claws 52, 52 moves in the direction of the outline arrow J3 and is inserted across the electric wire 11a.
Since the claws 52, 52 are inserted near the electric wire 11a, the tip of the claw 52 is accurately inserted between the electric wire 11a and the electric wire 11c on the (-) side in the Z-axis direction of the central electric wire 11a. Since the tip 52a of the claw 52 is thin, the claw 52 can be inserted while widening the gap between the electric wire 11a and the electric wire 11c.

Thus, in the fourth embodiment, even when the electric wires 11a and 11c are in close contact with each other, the claws 52 can be reliably inserted between the electric wires 11, so that the claws 52, 52 are inserted across the electric wire 11a. Of course, the same processing can be performed even when the electric wires are separated from each other. Furthermore, even if the number of electric wires 11 included in the cable 10 is four or more, each electric wire 11 is arranged on one plane p, so that the position of each electric wire 11 can be easily identified. Therefore, the claws 52, 52 can be reliably inserted across a specific electric wire 11.

(Dispersion process)
The processing method in the dispersion step in the fourth embodiment is similar to that in the first embodiment, and therefore will be described briefly.
In the dispersing step, after the end skin 12a is removed, the base H of the sixth linear motion device 76 moves in the Y-axis direction, so that the pair of claws 52, 52 move in the axial direction toward the main body skin 12b while straddling the electric wire 11a (see FIG. 9). As a result, the electric wires 11b and 11c on both outer sides of the electric wire 11a are pushed by the claws 52 and strongly bent in a direction away from the electric wire 11a. When the number of electric wires 11 is four or more, the processing method in the dispersing step is performed for one electric wire 11, and then the other electric wires 11 are selected and the same operation is repeated in sequence.

In this way, according to the cable terminal processing method of the fourth embodiment, it is possible to more reliably disperse each electric wire 11 after removing the outer sheath 12. Also, as in the first embodiment, by providing a terminal processing process after the dispersion process, it is possible to consistently automate the process of removing the outer sheath 12 and attaching the wiring terminals to the cable 10.

The wire arrangement process described in the fourth embodiment can also be incorporated in the second and third embodiments. In the second and third embodiments, the wire arrangement process is also incorporated after the loosening process is completed.

As described above, according to the cable end processing method of the present invention, for a multi-core cable in which a plurality of electric wires are covered with an outer sheath, the electric wires can be reliably dispersed after removing the outer sheath, thereby making it possible to efficiently process the ends of the electric wires so that they can be wired.
The above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these. Various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

10: cable, 11: electric wire, 12: outer cover, 12a: terminal outer cover, 12b: main body outer cover, 13: signal line, 14: insulating coating, 15: cutout portion, 21: outer cover operation portion, 22: first grip portion, 23: slide portion, 24: second grip portion, 28: exposed portion, 31: wire arrangement portion, 32: wire arrangement member, 33: long hole, 41: measurement portion, 42: laser device, 42a: light emitting portion, 42b: light receiving portion, 51: specification Cutting operation part, 52: claw, 52a: tip part, 52b: main body part, 53: electric wire guide, 54: second clamping device, 61: control device, 68: stand, 70: cable terminal processing device, 71: first linear motion device, 72: second linear motion device, 73: third linear motion device, 74: fourth linear motion device, 75: fifth linear motion device, 76: sixth linear motion device, 80: sheath removal device, 85: crimping device, 86: crimp terminal

Claims (9)

A cable end processing device for removing a predetermined length of a terminal outer sheath from an end of a multi-core cable in which a plurality of electric wires are covered with an outer sheath, and distributing the exposed electric wires, comprising:
a cover operation unit for relatively displacing the terminal cover and a main body cover remaining on the main body side of the cable;
a measuring unit that acquires position information of the electric wire exposed between the terminal outer cover and the main body outer cover;
a partition operation unit having a partition member and configured to insert the partition member into a gap between the exposed electric wires based on the position information;
a distribution section that displaces the partition member while it is inserted into the gap to distribute the exposed electric wires. The cable end treatment device according to claim 1, which is provided with a wire arrangement unit that arranges the exposed wires between the end sheath and the main body sheath in a flat shape. The cable terminal processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the measuring unit includes a laser device that obtains position information of the electric wire by irradiating the electric wire exposed between the main body outer cover and the terminal outer cover with laser light and detecting reflected light. The cable terminal processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the measuring unit includes a photographing device that photographs the electric wire exposed between the main body outer cover and the terminal outer cover to obtain image data, and an image processing device that performs image analysis of the image data to obtain position information of the electric wire. The cable terminal processing device according to claim 4, wherein the image processing device is equipped with AI (artificial intelligence) and performs machine learning by matching image data with a mask image to identify the electric wire in the image data and obtain position information of the electric wire exposed between the main body outer skin and the terminal outer skin. A cable end processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an end processing section for removing the insulating coating of the electric wire and attaching a wiring terminal. A cable end processing method for a cable having a plurality of electric wires covered with an outer sheath, comprising removing a predetermined length of an end outer sheath from an end of the cable and distributing the exposed electric wires, the method comprising the steps of:
a drawing process in which the end sheath is pulled out until a part of the electric wire remains inside, and an exposed portion in which the electric wire is exposed is formed between the end sheath and a main body sheath remaining on the main body side of the cable;
a loosening step of displacing the terminal outer cover relative to the main body outer cover to loosen the electric wire in the exposed portion;
a measuring step of acquiring position information of the exposed portion of the electric wire;
a partitioning step of providing a partitioning member that is displaceable with respect to the electric wires in the exposed portion, controlling a position of the partitioning member based on the position information, and inserting the partitioning member into a gap between the electric wires in the exposed portion;
a dispersion step of displacing the partition member while it is inserted into the gap to disperse the exposed electric wires;
A cable terminal processing method comprising: The cable end processing method according to claim 7, further comprising a wire arrangement process for aligning the exposed electric wires in a planar shape after the loosening process. The cable terminal processing method according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising a terminal processing step of removing the insulating coating of the electric wire and attaching a wiring terminal after the dispersion step.

Images