JPH0793175B2 - Cable core wire automatic connection device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Object of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a device for automatically performing a work of connecting a core wire such as a communication cable to a connector.

(Prior Art) The typical structure of communication cables currently in use
Shown in the figure. As shown in this figure, the thin core wires are blue, yellow, green,
Insulated by polyethylene colored in 8 colors of red, purple, white, brown, and black, a quad formed by twisting 4 pairs of cores of these 8 colors, and a sub-unit formed by further twisting 5 quads, The 10 pairs of subunits are layered in the order of 100 pairs of twisted units, and all core wires can be individually identified.

Among these, regarding the core wires in the subunit (5 quads, 10 pairs, 20 core wires), the core wire numbers are as shown in Table 1 based on the number of the quad to which it belongs and the color of the core wire itself. Has been granted.

14 (a) to 14 (e) are views showing the relationship between the shape of the core wire and the connector. FIG. 14 (a) is a diagram showing a state in which one subunit, that is, 20 core wires 2 is connected to one connector 1, and the core wire 2 is bent 90 degrees in the vicinity of the connector 1. ing. Since the communication cable is composed of several thousand core wires 2, the connecting portion is considerably larger than the thickness of the cable. Therefore, the connector 1 for the communication cable can be reduced in size of the connection portion, can easily accommodate a large number of connectors 1, and have good electrical characteristics (in general, increasing the size of the connector improves electrical characteristics). Things become easier). 14 (b) to 14 (e) are views showing the shape of the connector connecting portion when the core wire 2 is bent at 90 degrees and when the core wire 2 is not bent at 90 degrees, and FIG. a) and (c)
It can be seen that by bending the core wire 2 at 90 degrees as described above, the size of the connecting portion can be reduced and a large number of connectors 1 can be stored easily. Therefore, the core wire 2 is bent 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 14 (a) as a means for reducing the size of the connecting portion while keeping the size of the connector 1 constant.

Conventionally, when connecting a connector to a cable, more specifically, to the tip of a subunit, after dividing the subunit from the upper layer to the lower layer in the order of the quad and the quad to the core wire, each core wire is predetermined in the connector. It was placed and connected to the position.

Conventionally, no invention has been found for a device that automates the division, placement, and connection of such core wires, and since all of them were done manually, it took about 20 hours to connect the connectors of 3000 pairs of cable core wires. Was there. In addition, the color identification of the core wire may be erroneously made, and when tired especially, it is often impossible to distinguish between yellow and white. further,
The work place was in a dark manhole or on a pole, which was a heavy work and a painful work.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, since a large number of connectors are used for connecting cables, the connecting portion becomes large in size, and a lot of workers and time are required for the connecting work. There are judgments and automation of this is required.

However, in order to reduce the size of the connection, it was necessary to bend and shape the core wire at 90 degrees, which was a hindrance to automation along with the work of untwisting the core wire.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cable core wire automatic connection device that automatically connects a connector and a core wire.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the cable core wire automatic connecting device according to claim (1) of the present invention is formed by twisting a plurality of core wires with each other. A twisting-back portion that presses the slider against the core wire bundle that is fixed and the other end of which is slid to the open end to restore the twist and separate and align, and identify and identify the wire numbers of the separated and aligned core wires. It is characterized by being provided with a wire number identifying portion for arranging and holding the core wires in a predetermined order and a connecting portion for shaping the arranged core wires into a predetermined shape and connecting to the connector.

Further, in the cable core wire automatic connecting device according to claim (2), the untwisting portion accommodates the core wire receiving surface on which the core wire pressed by the slider is placed and the plurality of untwisted core wires. It is characterized by having an operation bottom plate having a plurality of separation grooves.

Further, in the cable core wire automatic connection device according to claim (3), the wire number identification section is configured to have a color sensor, and by this, the color of the core wire is detected to identify the wire number. There is.

Further, in the cable core wire automatic connecting device according to claim (4), the wire number identifying section has a transmitter for transmitting an electric signal different for each core wire, and a detector for detecting the electric signal. It is characterized by identifying the number.

Further, in the cable core wire automatic connecting device according to claim (5), the connecting portion has slits of a predetermined pitch engaged with a plurality of core wires having one end fixed and the other end arranged and held in a predetermined order. The present invention is characterized by having a shaping body, which is moved in a direction intersecting the core wire to shape the core wire at a right angle.

(Operation) In the cable core wire automatic connecting device according to claim (1), after the twisted-back core wire is identified by the identifying means of the wire number identifying portion,
Since the wire numbers are held in a predetermined wire number arrangement, there is no misjudgment of the wire numbers, and since the core wires are shaped and connected without breaking this arrangement, no accidental connection will occur. Further, since the core wire is shaped, the connecting portion is downsized.

According to the cable core wire automatic connecting device of the second aspect, since the operation bottom plate is provided with the separation groove, the core wires can be separately housed and the core wire numbers can be surely identified.

In the cable core wire automatic connecting device of the third aspect, since the wire number is identified by the color sensor, there is no erroneous judgment, and moreover, various colors can be supported.

Since the automatic cable core wire connecting device according to claim (4) is provided with the transmitter for sending an electric signal to the core wire and the detector for detecting this, the wire number is identified by the electric signal. Lines can also be identified.

In the cable core wire automatic connecting device according to claim (5), since the shaping body having the slit having the same pitch as the wiring pitch of the connector to be connected is moved and shaped by hooking the core wire, one side of the core wire is predetermined. And the core wires on the other side are bent substantially at right angles to form a linear bundle.

(Examples) The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings by examples.

The first embodiment will be described. The overall configuration of the first embodiment is as shown in FIG. 1, a twist unwinding portion 11, a wire number identifying portion 12, a connecting portion 13, and other known drive devices and control devices not shown. Etc.

The untwisting section 11 is provided with a main body 22 having an operation table 21, which is provided with five operation holes 23 radially. Further, an operation bottom plate 24 that covers the bottom of each operation hole 23 is rotatably attached to the lower surface of the operation table 21. The operation bottom plate 24 has a core receiving surface 25 at a position corresponding to the operation hole 23.
Is provided, and a separation groove 26 composed of four grooves is provided adjacent to and in parallel. The operation bottom plate 24 is reciprocally rotated by a driving body (not shown) at appropriate times. The relationship between the operation hole 23 and the cable to be processed will be described. In FIG. 2, the cable 6 is separated from the unit 5 and the subunit 4, and further divided into five sets of quads 3 which are connected to the operation hole 23. And are placed on the operation bottom plate 24. Each quad 3 is constructed as shown in Table 1 and is composed of four core wires 2. The five quads 3 are fixed by the clamps 27 at the substantially central positions radially arranged, and the open ends 28 are outward. In the case of communication cables, there are types of core wire 2 with diameters of 0.32, 0.4, 0.5, 0.65, and 0.9 mm.
It is 8 cm.

Further, in the operation hole 23, a slider 31 is provided so as to be guided by a guide body 32 and movable. This is driven forward and backward and up and down as shown by arrows 33 and 34, but on the release side.
In the case of advancing toward 28, it is pressed downward to be fed, and in the case of retreating, it is operated so that it is separated upward and returned. As a result, at the time of advancing, it acts so as to restore the twist by sliding while pressing the quad 3. As will be described later, the four core wires 2 (twenty 20 in each operation hole 23) in which the twist has been returned in this way are further pressed and slid to the separation groove 26 that has moved by the rotation. The books are arranged one by one. At this time, the separation groove 26 has a corrugated cross section so that the core wire 2 can easily enter the separation groove 26, and further vibrates to the left and right. The slider 31 is operated by a driving unit (not shown), but any driving unit having an appropriate pressing force may be used.

Next, the wire number identification unit 12 will be described. This is the identification means 41
And array transfer means 42.

The identification unit 41 includes a color sensor 45 that detects a color and a storage device 46 that stores and processes a detection signal from this.
Further, the separation groove 26 is provided with a detection hole 47 for color identification in each groove, and a punching hole 48 is provided correspondingly in proximity to these. Punches 49 are attached below the punching holes 48, respectively, and these punches are raised by a command from the storage device 46 to push up the core wire 2. Further, below the detection hole 47, the guide body 50 extends over each of the operation holes 23, and the color sensor 45 moves along the guide body 50, so that 20 pieces are accommodated in all the separation grooves 26. The color information of the core wire 2 of the storage device 46 together with the array thereof.
Memorized in.

Next, the array transfer means 42 is an annular body 52 rotatably supported separately from the operation table 21 by columns (not shown).
And a driving body 54 for rotating the annular body 52 by the gear 53.
And a transfer holder 55 attached to the annular body 52. This transfer holder 55 is made of a comb-shaped member and has 20 pillar grooves for holding the core wire 2 when it is inserted.
Have 56. This moves together with the annular body 52 and stops at a position where the punching hole 48 of the separation groove 26 and the supporting groove 56 face each other, and the core wire 2 pushed up by the punch 49 is supported by the supporting groove.
Accept and hold at 56. This movement and stop is a storage device 46
In response to a command from the above, all the core wires 2 are arrayed and held in a predetermined order and transferred to the connecting portion 13 by the command operation.

Next, the connecting portion 13 will be described. This is a core wire array body 62 composed of a pair of comb-shaped members having slits 61 having a width slightly larger than the diameter of the core wire 2, and a core wire pressing body composed of a pair of comb-shaped members moved up and down by a driver 63. 64, a shaping retainer 66 made of a comb-like member that is moved up and down by a drive body 65, and a shaping body 68 made of a comb-like member that is moved up and down and moved back and forth by a drive body 67. Note that each of these parts will be described together with the operation.

The first embodiment is constructed as described above, and the operation will be described below.

First, after setting this device in place,
Cut off the end of the unit, arrange the subunit 4 as shown in FIG. 2, and fix it to the operation table 21 with the clamp 27.
Are placed in the respective operation holes 23. In this state, subunit 4
And the quad 3 is in a twisted state.

3 (a) to (i) show a mechanism and a procedure for returning the twist of the core wire 2. As shown in FIG. When the twisted quad 3 is squeezed toward the open end 28 while applying appropriate pressure with the slider 31, the twist of the quad 3 is restored. However,
When the length of the quad 3 is long, the twist of the quad is accumulated toward the open end 28 of the quad 3 while sliding the slider 31, and finally the twist becomes a dumb shape and cannot return. I will end up. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3, the length of untwisting with the slider 31 is set to about the twisting pitch of the quad 3, and the twisting of the long quad 3 is unwound by repeating this. Further, by vibrating the operation bottom plate 24 in the vertical direction as shown by the arrow 2 and the core wire 2 during the series of these repetitions, the danger that the twist becomes dangling due to the curl of the core wire 2 is further reduced. it can.

That is, the operation bottom plate 24 is oscillated in a direction perpendicular to the core wire 2 and is slid from a point separated from the open end 28 of the quad 3 by a length of about 1 pitch as shown in FIG. After reaching the open end 28 of the quad 3 as shown in Fig. 3 (b),
As shown in FIG. 3 (c), the slider 31 is floated from the quad 3, and in that state, it is moved to a point separated from the open end 28 of the quad 3 by a length of about 2 pitches, as shown in FIG. 3 (d). From that point, an appropriate pressure is applied to the slider 31 to slide it toward the open end 28 in the same manner as the first time, and the twist for one pitch is returned. FIG. 3 (e) and (f) shows the repetition.

Further, FIGS. 3 (g), (h), and (i) are views showing a method of aligning the core wires 2 in a predetermined position in an arbitrary order after the twist of the quad 3 is returned. The separation groove 26 rotates and moves below the core wire 2. In this state, the core wire 2 is aligned in the separation groove 26 by sliding the slider 31 toward the open end 28 while vibrating the operation bottom plate 24. Further, by making the shape of the bottom of the slider 31 into a predetermined wave shape (interval of core wire, spacing of separation groove) of a corrugated shape, comb shape, etc., it becomes easier to untwist the quad 3 and align it in the separation groove 26. .

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a method of identifying the core number by the color of the core wire 2. The quad 3 shows an example in which the number of core wires 2 is four, but in the case of a communication cable, as shown in FIG. 13, there are three types, white, brown, and black, and other ones.
It consists of types: blue, yellow, green, red and purple. The identification procedure is to sample the color of the core wire 2 and perform color identification,
After storing the 20 results in the storage device 46, the core number is identified from this information. The method of identifying the wire number is to divide the 20 pieces of color information into groups of 4 such as 1 to 4, 5 to 8, ..., 17 to 20, and select blue, green, red, and After searching for purple and identifying the number of quad 3, the wire number is identified according to Table 1 from the information of white, brown and black. Therefore, in this method, there is no crossing of the core wire 2 between the quads 3. It is necessary. In FIG. 4, one quad 3 is temporarily fixed by the clamp 27 and the slider 31, and the color sensor 45 moves on the guide body 50 to perform the color sampling work through the detection hole 47. The sampled and color-identified color information is stored in the storage device 46 through the signal line 45a and then processed. In this way, the core number of 20 pieces of 5 quads is identified.

After the step of untwisting the quad 3 and the step of identifying the core number are completed, the subunit, that is, the 20 core wires 2 are aligned and held in a predetermined order. FIG. 5 shows an embodiment thereof, in which a transfer holder 55 having 20 support grooves 56 having a width substantially equal to or slightly narrower than the core diameter is provided above the core wire 2 untwisted in a parallel state. Is moved to a position corresponding to the wire number through the annular body 52, and the core wire 2 is pushed up by the punch 49 and pushed into the support groove 56 at the position corresponding to the wire number. At this time, the movement adjustment of the position is performed by the storage device 46 and the driving body 54, as described above. In this embodiment, four punches 49 are arranged for each untwisted quad 3, and the untwisted core wire 2 and the punch 49 are immovable. Therefore, one core wire is provided. Each time the transfer holder 55 moves, the core wires 2 are aligned and held in a predetermined order.

Next, the step of connecting the aligned and held core wires 2 to the connector is started. FIG. 6 shows the shape of the core wire 2 when the core wire 2 is connected to the connector. The core wire 2 is as shown in Fig. 14 (a).
Since it is bent and connected at 90 degrees, it is necessary to mold it in this way.

7, 8 and 9 show a step of connecting the core wire 2 to the connector 1. FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (f) are views showing the delivery of the core wire 2, and FIGS. 8 (a) to 8 (e) are a method of bending the core wire 2 at 90 degrees and arranging them at regular intervals. Showing the figure,
9 (a) to 9 (c) are views showing a method of connecting the connector 1 by pressing the connector 1 and cutting an extra core wire. In FIG. 9, 1a is a body of the connector 1, 1b is a cover, and 70 is a cutter. FIG. 7 (a),
The core wire 2 arranged and held as shown in FIG.
In the state in which the slits 61 are pushed in, the slits 61 slightly wider than the core wire diameter are moved onto the core wire array body 62 having 20 slits 61 inside and 20 slits outside the transfer holder 55.

When the core wire pressing body 64 moves, the core wire pressing body 64 descends to transfer the core wire 2 from the transfer holding body 55 to the core wire array body 62 as shown in FIGS. ), (F), the core wire 2 is pressed with a constant force so that a constant tension is applied to the core wire 2.

8 (a) to 8 (e) are views showing a step of laying the core wire 2 on the connector 1 in the step of connecting the core wire 2 to the connector 1, and showing a slit having a width wider than the core wire diameter. Wiring is performed by moving the shaping body 68 having 68a and the shaping presser body 66 having 20 slits 66a. Tip 68b of shaping body 68
Are arranged on the circumference so as to be easily inserted into the gap between the radial core wires 2, and the roots 68c are arranged in a straight line for wiring to the connector 1. Also, the slit of the shaping presser 66
66a are arranged in a straight line. The shaping of the core wire 2 is performed by the following procedure. First, in order to facilitate the shaping, the core wire 2 is pushed and a constant tension is applied by the body 64, and the tip 68b of the shaping body 68 is placed between the core wires 2 as shown in FIG. 8 (a). And move it diagonally upward. This allows the core wire 2
The contact portion with moves from the tip 68b to the root 68c. Next, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), the shaping body 68 is horizontally moved so as to intersect the core wire 2, thereby bending the core wire 2 at about 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 8 (c). The shape is similar to that in Fig. 6. Exactly 90
In order to bend it, the shaping presser as shown in Fig. 8 (d)
After moving 66 downward and stopping the core wire 2, the orthopedic body 68 is returned to the same position as in FIG. 8 (b) to bend the core wire 2 to 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 8 (e). And arrange at regular intervals.

9 (a) to 9 (c) are views showing a step of pressure-connecting the connector in the step of connecting the core wire 2 to the connector 1 and then cutting the extra core wire 2, and FIG. ) Is the body 1a of the connector 1 from above, and the cover 1b of the connector 1
It is a figure which shows that the connector 1 is pressure-contacted by moving and pressing from below to the core wire 2 direction. 9 (b) and 9 (c) are views showing a process of cutting the extra core wire 2 by the cutter 70, whereby a connector connection state as shown in FIG. 14 (a) is obtained.

The cable core wire automatic connecting device according to the present embodiment is a device having the means described above.

An advantage of this embodiment is that the conventional connector manual attachment work to the cable can be mechanically connected to the connector after the subunits are set for each quad.

Next, the second embodiment will be described.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a preparatory step performed manually when the cable core wire connection work is performed according to the present invention, in which the cables and the like are arranged, and the positional relationship among the cables 6, the units 5, and the subunits 4 is shown.

In FIG. 10, a U-slit 129 for establishing electrical continuity with the core wire is provided below the operation table 130a, which is a detection body for an identification signal described later, and the operation unit 130a accommodates the subunit 4. An operation hole 130 is provided in which a slider 131 for untwisting the mutually twisted quads 3 in a subunit is movably fitted. An operation bottom plate 132 that vibrates in the circumferential direction is provided below the operation table 130a, and 20 separation grooves 132a for organizing the core wire 2 are formed in the operation bottom plate 132. Each separation groove
The 132a is provided with a detection hole 132b for detecting an electric signal by the U-slit 129 and a punch hole 132c for holding the core wire 2 in alignment by a punch. Reference numeral 133 denotes a core wire pressing body which holds the core wire 2 when it is electrically connected to the core wire 2 by the U slit 129.

The second embodiment of the cable core wire automatic connecting device according to the present invention has the structure as described above, and the other parts are almost the same as those of the first embodiment, so the description thereof will be omitted. Follow the steps below to operate. After the connection device is set at a predetermined position, the end of the cable 6 is cut and the subunit 4 is arranged as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 11, 27 is a sub-unit 4 on the operation table 130a.
It is a clamp for stopping. At this time, the subunit 4 is in a twisted state.

The principle of the mechanism for returning the twist of the core wire 2 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the slider 131 and the operation bottom plate 132 are used instead of the slider 31 and the operation bottom plate 24 of the first embodiment. The difference between the two embodiments is that, in the second embodiment, since the subunits 4 are unwound together, the core wires may cross between the quads 3, and the pressure applied to the slider 131 becomes large. Is. FIGS. 12 (a) and 12 (b) are views showing a means 41a for identifying the core number by an electric signal. The characteristic difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that The line number identification means 41 and 41a. In FIG. 12 (a), reference numeral 134 denotes a connector attached to one end of the cable 6, which is a transmitter of an identification signal, and 135 denotes an electric signal which differs for each core wire. This means is the wire number identification means 41 by the color shown in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment.
Means to identify the core number by an electrical signal instead of
41a, and the electric signal 135
(Specifically, the frequencies are different) is sent from a connector 134 manually attached to one end of the cable 6 in advance, and the U-slit 129 is used to establish electrical connection with the core wire at the end where the connector is connected. Electrical signal is sent from U-slit 129 to signal line 4
It is stored in the storage device 46 through 5a. Since the stored information is 20 different pieces of information, the wire number can be easily identified. Further, the intersection of the core wires 2 between the quads 3, which is a drawback of the color identification method, is also allowed. In this way, the identification number of 20 cords is performed. After the untwisting process of the quad 3 and the cord number identification process are completed, the subunit 4 or 20 cords 2
Are aligned and held in a predetermined order, and the aligned and held core wires are connected to the connector. These two steps are exactly the same as in the first embodiment. In this way, the
The connector is connected as shown in FIG.

The cable core wire automatic connecting device according to the present embodiment is a device having the means described above. The advantage of this device is that the conventional connector attachment work to both ends of the cable is only required at one end, and the other end can be connected by a machine after setting the subunit.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, since the cable core wire automatic connecting device of the present invention automatically performs the work of connecting the core wire of a communication cable or the like to the connector, the operator, the work time, etc. are significantly reduced. it can. For example, it is possible to significantly reduce the time that took 20 hours when connecting 3000 pairs of cable cores, and there is no misjudgment of color at the time of fatigue,
Furthermore, it is extremely large in contributing to the reduction of heavy labor and labor in the manhole and on the pillar.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the entire construction of the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is also an explanatory perspective view showing the attached state of the cable,
3 (a) to 3 (i) are also perspective views for explaining the operation of the main part (twisting back), FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the main part (identification of wire number), and FIG. Transfer holding member) is a perspective view for explaining the action, FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining the core wire shape in the connector connection, and FIGS. 7 (a), (b), (c),
(E) is also a perspective view for explaining the action of the main part (handing over the core wire), (d) and (f) are sectional views of the main part (the same),
8 (a) to 8 (e) are also perspective views for explaining the main part (core wire shaping), and FIGS. 9 (a) to 9 (c) are perspective views for explaining the operation of the main part (connector connection). FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the entire configuration of the second embodiment, FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the same, showing how the cable is attached, and FIGS. FIG. 13 is a perspective view, FIG. 13 is an explanatory view of a communication cable to which the above-mentioned embodiments are applied, and FIGS. 14 (a) to 14 (e) are explanatory views of a connection form of the communication cable. 1 ...... Connector 2 ...... Core wire 11 ...... Untwisting part 12 ...... Wire number identification part 13 ...... Connection part 24 ...... Operation bottom plate 25 ...... Core wire receiving surface 26 ...... Separation groove 28 ...... Open end 31 ...... Slider 45 ...... Color sensor 68 ...... Shaping body 129 ...... Detection body 131 ...... Slider 132 ...... Operation bottom plate 132a ...... Separation groove 134 ...... Transmission body

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A twist-back in which a plurality of core wires are twisted with each other, one end is fixed and the other end is released, and a slider is pressed to slide the core wires back to the open ends to separate and align the twists. Section, a wire number identifying portion for identifying the wire numbers of the separately arranged and aligned core wires, and arranging and holding the identified core wires in a predetermined order, and shaping the arranged core wires into a predetermined shape to connect to a connector. An automatic cable core wire connecting device, comprising: 2. The untwisting portion has an operation bottom plate having a core wire receiving surface on which a core wire pressed by a slider is placed, and a plurality of separation grooves for accommodating a plurality of untwisted core wires as a single wire. The cable core wire automatic connection device according to claim 1, wherein 3. The cable core wire automatic connecting device according to claim 1, wherein the wire number identifying section has a color sensor to detect the color of the core wire to identify the wire number. 4. The wire number identifying section has a transmitter that sends different electrical signals for each core wire, and a detector that detects the electrical signals, thereby identifying the wire number. 1) The automatic cable core connecting device described in 1). 5. The connecting portion has a shaping body having slits of a predetermined pitch engaged with a plurality of core wires whose one end is fixed and the other end is arranged and held in a predetermined order. The automatic cable core wire connecting device according to claim 1, wherein the cable core wire automatic connecting device moves in a direction intersecting with each other to shape the core wire at a right angle.