JP7636971B2 - Tube Assembly Device - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a tube assembly device that assembles insulating tubes around the outer circumference of multiple lead wires extending from a winding body.

For example, when manufacturing a motor stator, the windings are inserted into the stator core, and after forming, the lead wires extending from the windings are cut to a specified length and an insulating tube is attached to each lead wire. The lead wires are composed of multiple strands of enameled wire bundled together. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an assembly device that automatically assembles insulating tubes to the lead wires of a stator. This assembly device is equipped with a gripping member having three rollers arranged in a staggered pattern to sandwich the lead wires, and is configured to move the gripping member while the lead wires are sandwiched between the three rollers to insert the insulating tubes.

Patent No. 4713288

However, the above-mentioned conventional assembly device had the following problems. Immediately after the windings were inserted into the stator core, the lead wires were unstable, with their orientation being random, and so it was necessary to cut the lead wires or straighten them before setting them in the assembly device. Cutting and straightening the lead wires required preliminary manual work by an operator, resulting in a low rate of automation. Furthermore, because the gripping member was configured to clamp the lead wires between three rollers, the rollers got in the way, making it difficult to insert the insulating tube all the way to the coil end portion deep inside the lead wire.

Therefore, we provide a tube assembly device that assembles insulating tubes around the outer circumference of multiple lead wires extending from a winding body, and that can increase the automation rate of work such as cutting the lead wires, thereby improving work efficiency.

The tube assembly device according to the embodiment assembles insulating tubes around the outer circumference of multiple lead wires derived from a winding body, and includes a dedicated pallet on which the winding body is mounted and has a clamping mechanism that holds the lead wires in a predetermined position, a transport mechanism that transports the winding body mounted on the dedicated pallet between multiple work positions, a cutting and straightening mechanism that cuts the lead wires at a cutting work position for the winding body and straightens them into a straight line, and a tube insertion mechanism that inserts the insulating tubes into the lead wires at an insertion work position for the winding body.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a tube assembly device. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic overall configuration of a tube assembly device; FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the state in which the stator is transferred to a dedicated pallet. A perspective view of the robot FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a gripping tool; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a gripping tool having a cutter unit; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a tube insertion unit; 1A to 1C are diagrams sequentially showing the first to fourth steps of inserting an insulating tube into a lead wire. 5A to 5C are diagrams sequentially showing the fifth to eighth steps of the process of inserting an insulating tube into a lead wire.

Below, an embodiment in which the winding body is applied to a stator of a three-phase AC motor will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the stator 1 as a winding body will be briefly described. As shown in FIG. 3. This stator 1 is configured by mounting a three-phase winding 3 on a stator core 2 having a ring shape as a whole and a plurality of slots, for example 24 slots, on the inner circumference. The stator 1 is provided with a plurality of lead wires 4 that are derived from the winding 3. At this time, the lead wires 4 are made of a bundle of wires, for example enameled wire, and in this case, there are six power lines connected in pairs and six neutral wires, and of these, the power lines are cut and then bundled in pairs to form three.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the windings 3 are assembled to the stator 1 on a winding line 10, and the stator 1 is then sent to a tube assembly line 11, which serves as a tube assembly device according to this embodiment. Then, on the tube assembly line 11, an insulating tube 5 (see Figures 8 and 9) is inserted into each lead wire 4. The stator 1 is then sent to the next assembly line 12, where the next assembly work is carried out. The winding line 10, the tube assembly line 11, and the next assembly line 12 constitute a part of the motor manufacturing line.

1 and 2 show the overall configuration of the tube assembly line 11 of this embodiment. Here, the tube assembly line 11 is provided with a carry-in stage 13 at the rear of the left end in the figure, where the stator 1 is carried in from the winding line 10. At the same time, a carry-out stage 14 is provided at the front of the left end in the figure, where the stator 1 after the insulating tube 5 has been assembled is carried out to the next assembly line 12. The stator 1 carried out from the winding line 10 is carried into the carry-in stage 13 by a transfer unit (not shown) and transferred to a dedicated pallet 15 (described later). Thereafter, the stator 1 is carried out while being transported while held on the dedicated pallet 15. After the work is completed, the stator 1 is removed from the dedicated pallet 15 at the carry-out stage 14 and carried out.

The tube assembly line 11 is provided with a rear conveying path 16 that extends from the loading stage 13 to the right in the figure and conveys the dedicated pallet 15 holding the stator 1 to the right in the figure. A buffer 17 is provided at the right end of the rear conveying path 16 to convey the dedicated pallet 15 forward in the figure, and a front conveying path 18 is provided that extends from the front end of the buffer 17 to the left in the figure and conveys the dedicated pallet 15 holding the stator 1 toward the unloading stage 14. Although not shown in detail, a transfer unit 19 that transfers the stator 1 to the dedicated pallet 15 is provided at the loading stage 13. In addition, a transfer mechanism 20 is provided to transfer the dedicated pallet 15 holding the stator 1 over the rear conveying path 16, the buffer 17, and the front conveying path 18.

Along the front transport path 18, a number of work positions are provided where the stator 1 is stopped and work is performed. In this embodiment, five work stages 21 to 25, numbered first to fifth, are arranged in a line from the right in the figure as work positions. The stator 1 is sent through these first to fifth work stages 21 to 25 in order. As shown in FIG. 2, a tube supply mechanism 26 is provided to the right of the buffer 17.

Although detailed explanation is omitted, this tube supply mechanism 26 is equipped with a robot 55 and the like, and is configured to supply insulating tubes 5 to a tube insertion mechanism described later through a conveying pipe by an air pressure feeding method. At this time, the tube supply mechanism 26 is equipped with multiple types of insulating tubes 5 with different lengths and inner diameters, and supplies the necessary insulating tubes 5 to each tube insertion unit described later. In this case, the length of the insulating tubes 5 depends on the length of each lead wire 4. Also, insulating tubes 5 for power lines with a relatively large diameter and insulating tubes 5 for neutral lines with a smaller diameter are supplied according to the thickness of the lead wire 4.

The first work stage 21 is a work position where the neutral wire of the lead wires 4 of the stator 1 is cut and straightened, and a first cutting and straightening mechanism 27 is provided behind it. The second work stage 22 is a work position where the power wire of the lead wires 4 of the stator 1 is cut and straightened, and a second cutting and straightening mechanism 28 is provided behind it. Therefore, the first work stage 21 and the second work stage 22 are each a cutting work position.

The third work stage 23 is a work position where the insulating tubes 5 are inserted for three of the neutral wires of the lead wire 4 of the stator 1, and a first tube insertion mechanism 29 is provided behind it. The fourth work stage 24 is a work position where the insulating tubes 5 are inserted for the remaining three of the neutral wires of the lead wire 4 of the stator 1, and a second tube insertion mechanism 30 is provided behind it. The fifth work stage 25 is a work position where the insulating tubes 5 are inserted for the power wires of the lead wire 4 of the stator 1, and a third tube insertion mechanism 31 is provided behind it. Therefore, the third to fifth work stages 23 to 25 are insertion work positions, respectively.

In this way, in the tube assembly line 11, the stator 1 is transferred to a dedicated pallet 15 at the loading stage 13, and is sent in order through the first to fifth work stages 21 to 25, where the work of cutting and straightening each lead wire 4 and the work of inserting the insulating tube 5 are carried out. At this time, although not shown, the tube assembly line 11 is provided with a control device mainly composed of a computer. This control device is configured to control the entire line, including the actuators and robots of each mechanism, based on pre-entered work programs, teaching data, and various sensor signals, and to perform work automatically.

Now, with reference to Figures 3 to 9, the configuration of the main parts of each mechanism of the tube assembly line 11 described above will be described below. First, Figure 3 shows the configuration of the dedicated pallet 15, which includes a base plate 32, a work rotation table 33, a holding plate 34, and a clamp mechanism 35. Of these, the base plate 32 is in the shape of a rectangular plate, and is sent along the transport paths 16 to 18 from the carry-in stage 13 to the carry-out stage 14 by the transfer mechanism 20. It is also stopped at a predetermined position, i.e., at each of the work stages 21 to 25 of the front transport path 18, by a positioning pin (not shown) or the like.

The work rotating table 33 is rotatably mounted on the base plate 32, and the stator 1 is held on the work rotating table 33 in a predetermined rotational position with the axial direction in the up-down direction. The work rotating table 33 is detachably connected to a rotation drive mechanism (not shown) provided on the equipment side when the dedicated pallet 15 is stopped at each of the work stages 21-25, i.e., at each work position, and is configured so that the rotation drive mechanism rotates the stator 1 to a predetermined rotation angle according to the work.

At this time, the holding plate 34 is provided in a semicircular ring shape on the upper part of the work rotating table 33 so as to surround the periphery of the stator 1 in accordance with the height of the coil end of the stator 1. The clamp mechanism 35 is provided on this holding plate 34. This clamp mechanism 35 is located in the semicircular part of the holding plate 34 and is configured to hold the multiple lead wires 4 leading out from the upper coil end part of the winding 3 of the stator 1 at intervals while extending in the radial direction. At this time, the clamp mechanism 35 holds and releases the lead wires 4 by a holding release mechanism (not shown) provided on the equipment side.

As a result, the stator 1 that has been brought into the loading stage 13 is now mounted on the dedicated pallet 15. At this time, even if the shape of the lead wires 4 is unstable immediately after the windings 3 are inserted into the stator core 2 of the stator 1, the clamp mechanism 35 now holds the lead wires 4 in a predetermined position, i.e., pulled out radially to the outer periphery. In each of the subsequent steps, the transfer mechanism 20 moves the stator 1 together with the dedicated pallet 15, allowing it to be moved to each work position while maintaining the holding position of the lead wires 4 relative to the dedicated pallet 15 in a predetermined position.

Next, the cutting and straightening mechanisms 27, 28 and the tube insertion mechanisms 29-31 provided on each of the work stages 21-25 will be described. In this embodiment, the two cutting and straightening mechanisms 27, 28 each have the same configuration, and are each equipped with two robots 36, 37. The three tube insertion mechanisms 29-31 also all have the same configuration, and are each equipped with two robots 36, 37. Figure 4 shows the first cutting and straightening mechanism 27 as a representative of these, and is equipped with robots 36 and 37 lined up on the left and right.

The robots 36 and 37 are both comprised of, for example, six-axis articulated robots having a well-known configuration. A gripping tool 38 for gripping the lead wire 4 near the clamp mechanism 35 is attached to the tip of the arm of one of the robots, 36, as shown in FIG. 5. A cutting tool 39 for cutting the lead wire 4 at a predetermined position is attached to the tip of the arm of the other robot, 37, as shown in FIG. 6.

As shown in FIG. 5, the gripping tool 38 has a mounting portion 38b at the base end of a frame 38a that is attached to the robot 36, and a pair of gripping claws 40 at the tip. A drive mechanism 41 using a motor or the like as a drive source for driving the gripping claws 40 to open and close is provided within the frame 38a. At this time, the drive mechanism 41 is configured to be able to control the movement stroke and gripping force of the gripping claws 40. In this way, the gripping tool 38 grips and bundles the lead wires 4.

As shown in FIG. 6, the cutting tool 39 is configured by mounting a cutter unit 42 on the gripping tool 38, positioned on the side of the frame 38a. The cutter unit 42 is configured to include a cutting blade 43 and a drive mechanism 44 that reciprocates the cutting blade 43 to perform a cutting operation. Thus, the cutting tool 39 provided on the other robot 37 is configured to cut the lead wire 4 gripped by the gripping tool 38 with the cutter unit 42.

In this way, the cutting and straightening mechanisms 27 and 28 are configured to automatically perform cutting operations by gripping and applying tension to each lead wire 4 held by the clamping mechanism 35 of the dedicated pallet 15 at a predetermined position through the cooperation of the two robots 36 and 37 and the gripping tools 38 and cutting tools 39 that are provided thereon. At the same time, the cutting and straightening mechanisms 27 and 28 also perform a straightening operation to gather the cut lead wires 4 together and give them a tendency to extend linearly in the outer circumferential direction. This straightening operation is performed, for example, by bundling the lead wires 4 and holding them with a relatively weak force using the gripping jaws 40 while sliding the gripping jaws 40 linearly in the outer circumferential direction of the stator 1.

At this time, the first cutting and straightening mechanism 27 cuts and straightens the neutral wire of the lead wire 4 to a predetermined length for the stator 1 that has been transported to the cutting position of the first work stage 21. Next, the second cutting and straightening mechanism 28 cuts and straightens the power wire of the lead wire 4 to a predetermined length for the stator 1 that has been transported to the cutting position of the second work stage 22. In this case, the positions at which the lead wires 4 of the stator 1 are held by the clamping mechanism 35 at each work position, that is, the gripping positions that are the targets of the robots 36 and 37, are taught in advance.

The first to third tube insertion mechanisms 29 to 31 all have the same configuration, and each also has two robots 36, 37. In this case, one of the robots 36 is equipped with a gripping tool 38 that grips the lead wire 4 after straightening. On the other hand, the tip of the arm of the other robot 37 is provided with an insertion tool 45 that inserts the insulating tube 5 from the tip of the lead wire 4 to the coil end portion, as shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9.

As shown in FIG. 7, the insertion tool 45 is configured by mounting a tube insertion unit 46 on the gripping tool 38, positioned on the side of the frame 38a. The tube insertion unit 46 is configured as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, the tube insertion unit 46 is configured with a base 47 fixed to the frame 38a, a cylindrical portion 48 attached to the base 47 and elongated in the vertical direction in the figure, and an insertion guide 49 provided at the bottom of the cylindrical portion 48.

8 and 9, the cylindrical portion 48 has a hollow portion that penetrates vertically in the figure, and a conveying pipe 50 is connected to the upper end of the hollow portion. Although not shown in detail, the conveying pipe 50 is connected to the tube supply mechanism 26, and the necessary insulating tubes 5 are supplied into the hollow portion of the cylindrical portion 48 through the conveying pipe 50 by an air pressure supply method. In addition, a tube gripper 51 for gripping the supplied insulating tubes 5 is provided at a position slightly toward the lower part of the cylindrical portion 48 so as to be capable of opening and closing.

The insertion guide 49 is provided at the bottom of the cylindrical portion 48 so as to be movable up and down between an elevated position and a lowered position. Steps 1 to 3 in FIG. 8 show the elevated position of the insertion guide 49, and steps 4 and 9 show the lowered position of the insertion guide 49. The insertion guide 49 is configured with a guide portion 52 that guides the lead wire 4 upward, a tube tip gripper 53 that is located at the upper end of the guide portion 52 and holds the lower end of the insulating tube 5, and the like.

The guide portion 52 has a large-diameter entrance portion on the lower surface side in FIG. 8, into which the tip of the lead wire 4 is inserted from below, and has a thin-walled tubular portion 52a (see the first step in FIG. 8) located at the lower end opening of the cylindrical portion 48 at the upper end via a tapered surface narrowing toward the top. This tubular portion 52a is inserted relatively to the inner periphery side of the tip of the insulating tube 5, and is located on the inner periphery side of the tube tip gripper 53. In addition, by passing the lead wire 4 from the bottom to the top through the guide portion 52, the outer diameter of the lead wire 4 is narrowed to a predetermined diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the insulating tube 5, and the lead wire 4 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 48 through the tubular portion 52a. The inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 48, etc. corresponds to the outer diameter of the insulating tube 5 to be supplied, and the inner diameter of the tubular portion 52a at the upper end of the guide portion 52 also corresponds to the outer diameter of the lead wire 4, in other words, the inner diameter of the insulating tube 5.

The guide section 52 is composed of two parts, including the cylindrical section 52a, which are split into two parts on the left and right in the figure, and can be opened and closed by a drive mechanism (not shown) between a first closed position where the parts are butted together, a second closed position that is slightly open to the left and right from the first closed position, and an open position that is separated to the left and right. The first and second steps in FIG. 8 show the first closed position of the guide section 52, the third and fourth steps in FIG. 8 show the second closed position of the guide section 52, and each step in FIG. 9 shows the open position of the guide section 52. Although not shown in detail, the tube insertion unit 46 is provided with an air cylinder 54 that serves as a drive source for the opening and closing operation of the tube gripper 51, an air cylinder that serves as a drive source for opening and closing the tube tip gripper 53, an air cylinder that serves as a drive source for opening and closing the guide section 52, and a sensor for detecting the insulating tube 5.

At this time, in this embodiment, the first tube insertion mechanism 29 inserts insulating tubes 5 into three neutral wires among the lead wires 4 of the stator 1 transported to the insertion position of the third work stage 23. The next second tube insertion mechanism 30 inserts insulating tubes 5 into the remaining three neutral wires among the lead wires 4 of the stator 1 transported to the insertion position of the fourth work stage 24. Furthermore, the third tube insertion mechanism 31 inserts insulating tubes 5 into three power wires among the lead wires 4 of the stator 1 transported to the insertion position of the fifth work stage 25. Details of the tube insertion operation will be described in the following operation description.

Next, the operation of the tube assembly line 11 configured as described above will be described. The control device provided in the tube assembly line 11 controls the above-mentioned mechanisms to perform the work of assembling the insulating tube 5 to the lead wire 4 of the stator 1 as follows. That is, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, first, the stator 1 supplied from the winding line 10 is transferred to a dedicated pallet 15 at the carry-in stage 13. Thereafter, the dedicated pallet 15 holding the stator 1 is sent in order from the rear conveying path 16 to the buffer 17, and then to the front conveying path 18 to the first to fifth work stages 21 to 25.

At this time, the stator 1 supplied from the winding line 10 to the loading stage 13 has an unstable shape of the lead wires 4, i.e., the direction of extraction, immediately after the windings 3 are inserted into the stator core 2. However, as shown in FIG. 3, while held on the dedicated pallet 15, the clamping mechanism 35 can hold each lead wire 4 in a predetermined position, i.e., in an aligned state and pulled out in the circumferential direction, i.e., radial direction. Therefore, in the subsequent steps, the transfer mechanism 20 moves the stator 1 together with the dedicated pallet 15, allowing the stator 1 to be moved to each work position while the holding position of the lead wires 4 of the stator 1 relative to the dedicated pallet 15 is fixed.

As described above, in the first work stage 21, the first cutting and straightening mechanism 27 cuts the neutral wire of the lead wire 4 of the starter 1 and straightens it to a straight line. These cutting and straightening operations are performed in cooperation with a robot 36 having a gripping tool 38 and a robot 37 having a cutting tool 39. In this case, the cutting operation can be performed reliably while applying tension to the lead wire 4, and the straightening operation can be easily performed by moving the lead wire 4 relatively in a sliding manner while gripping it with a relatively weak force using the gripping claws 40 of the gripping tool 38.

When the work on the first work stage 21 is completed, the dedicated pallet 15 is sent to the next work stage 22, the second work stage 22. In the second work stage 22, the second cutting and straightening mechanism 28 cuts the power lines of the lead wires 4 of the stator 1 to a predetermined length, and straightens the cut lead wires 4 in a bundled state to straighten them. At this time, in both the first and second work stages 21 and 22, the lead wires 4 of the stator 1 are held in a predetermined position relative to the dedicated pallet 15, so that the cutting and straightening work can be easily automated.

When the cutting and straightening of the lead wires 4 of the stator 1 is completed, the dedicated pallet 15 is sent to the next, third work stage 23. In the third work stage 23, the first tube insertion mechanism 29 inserts insulating tubes 5 into the three neutral wires of the lead wires 4 of the stator 1. The tube insertion work is performed by the cooperation of a robot 36 having a gripping tool 38 and a robot 37 having an insertion tool 45. Figures 8 and 9 show each step of this tube insertion work in order.

In other words, in FIG. 8 showing the first to fourth steps, in the first step, the necessary insulating tube 5 is compressed by air pressure from the tube supply mechanism 26 to the tube insertion unit 46 of the insertion tool 45, and is supplied to the cylindrical portion 48 through the conveying pipe 50. At this point, the tube gripper 51 and the tube tip gripper 53 are in an open state, the insertion guide 49 is in a raised position close to the cylindrical portion 48, and the guide portion 52 is in a first closed position and in a closed state.

When the tip of the insulating tube 5 is detected by a sensor (not shown), in the next second step, the tube tip gripper 53 is closed and the tip of the insulating tube 5 is sandwiched between the cylindrical portion 52a and the tube tip gripper 53 and held in that position. At the same time, the tube gripper 51 is closed and the insulating tube 5 is fixed. Meanwhile, the lead wire 4 to be inserted is gripped by a gripping tool 38 (not shown) and inserted into the guide portion 52 from below as shown in the figure, and pushed upward. At this time, the lead wire 4 has already been cut to a predetermined length and straightened, so that the insertion operation into the guide portion 52 can be easily performed.

In the third step, the tube tip gripper 53 is moved to the open position, and the guide portion 52 is positioned in the second closed position to slightly expand the tip of the insulating tube 5, reducing the insertion resistance of the lead wire 4, and the lead wire 4 is inserted further upward. In this case, the guide portion 52 narrows the outer diameter of the lead wire 4 to a predetermined diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the insulating tube 5, so that the insertion operation into the insulating tube 5 can be performed reliably and smoothly. In the next fourth step, the insertion guide 49 is slid to a lowered position relative to the cylindrical portion 48, and the insertion guide 49 is further pushed into the winding 3 side.

Next, FIG. 9 shows steps 5 to 8. In step 5, the guide portion 52 is displaced to an open state. This reduces the resistance when inserting the lead wire 4 into the insulating tube 5, so that in step 6, the lead wire 4 is inserted further in, making it possible to insert the insulating tube 5 up to the coil end at the back of the lead wire 4. Once the insertion of the lead wire 4 into the insulating tube 5 is complete, in step 7, the tube gripper 51 is released. In the final step, step 8, the tube insertion tool 46 retracts from the stator 1, completing the insertion of the insulating tube 5.

When the tube insertion work on the third work stage 23 is completed, the dedicated pallet 15 is sent to the next work stage 24, the fourth work stage 24. On the fourth work stage 24, the second tube insertion mechanism 30 inserts insulating tubes 5 into the remaining three neutral wires of the lead wires 4 of the stator 1 in the same manner as described above. When the tube insertion work on the fourth work stage 24 is completed, the dedicated pallet 15 is sent to the next work stage 25, the fifth work stage 25, and the third tube insertion mechanism 31 inserts insulating tubes 5 into the power wires of the lead wires 4 of the stator 1 in the same manner as described above.

The above operations are carried out in parallel and sequentially at all of the first to fifth work stages 21 to 25. At this time, the work time at each work stage 21 to 25 is approximately the same, for example 90 seconds, and there is no unnecessary downtime in each mechanism, allowing for efficient work. Once the tube insertion operation is complete, the dedicated pallet 15 is sent to the carry-out stage 14, where only the stator 1 is sent to the next assembly line 12, and the dedicated pallet 15 is collected and sent to the carry-in stage 13.

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. That is, since the stator 1 is transported using a dedicated pallet 15 having a clamping mechanism 35, the stator 1 can be transported to each of the work stages 21 to 25 with the lead wires 4 of the stator 1 held in a predetermined fixed position relative to the dedicated pallet 15. The cutting and straightening mechanisms 27 and 28 can easily automate the cutting and straightening of the lead wires 4. Furthermore, the tube insertion mechanisms 29 to 31 can easily automatically insert the insulating tubes 5 into the lead wires 4 that have already been cut and straightened.

As a result, according to this embodiment, when an insulating tube 5 is attached to the outer circumference of a plurality of lead wires 4 extending from a stator 1, the automation rate of operations such as cutting the lead wires 4 can be increased, and the excellent effect of improving work efficiency can be obtained. At this time, in this embodiment, it is possible to insert the insulating tube 5 deep into the lead wires 4 near the coil ends of the windings 3.

In particular, in this embodiment, the cutting and straightening mechanisms 27, 28 include a gripping tool 38 that grips the lead wire 4 near the clamping mechanism 35, and a cutting tool 39 that cuts the lead wire 4 at a predetermined position, and are configured so that the cutting operation is performed by the cooperation of these two tools 38, 39. As a result, the gripping tool 38 and the cutting tool 39 work together to reliably perform the cutting operation while applying tension to the lead wire 4. Furthermore, the gripping tool 38 is configured with a variable force for gripping the lead wire 4, so that the lead wire 4 can be straightened in addition to the cutting operation with a simple configuration without the need for a dedicated tool for straightening.

In this embodiment, the tube insertion mechanisms 29 to 31 are configured to include a gripping tool 38 and an insertion tool 45 that inserts the insulating tube 5 from the tip of the lead wire 4 to the coil end portion. This allows the gripping tool 38 and the insertion tool 45 to work together to automatically and reliably insert the insulating tube 5 to the vicinity of the coil end. Furthermore, since the insertion tool 45 is provided with a guide portion 52, the insertion can be performed reliably and smoothly with the guide portion 52 narrowing the outer diameter of the lead wire 4 to be smaller than the inner diameter of the insulating tube 5. In particular, the tube insertion mechanisms 29 to 31 are configured to perform the insertion using two robots 36 and 37, so that the insertion can be performed well with fewer restrictions on the relative position and orientation of the stator 1 that receives the work.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a tube supply mechanism 26 is provided that supplies insulating tubes 5 to the tube insertion mechanisms 29 to 31 by an air pressure feeding method, so that the necessary insulating tubes 5 can be freely supplied from the tube supply mechanism 26 to the tube insertion mechanisms 29 to 31, improving workability. At this time, the necessary insulating tubes 5 can be supplied from among multiple types of insulating tubes 5 with different lengths and inner diameters from the tube supply mechanism 26, so that assembly work related to multiple types of insulating tubes 5 can be performed automatically and easily, improving convenience and enabling more efficient work.

In the above embodiment, a motor stator is given as a specific example of a winding body, but it can be applied to various winding bodies such as generator coils, transformer coils, and transformer coils. In the above embodiment, the cutting and correction mechanism and the tube insertion mechanism are configured with two six-axis robots, but various modifications are possible, such as configuring one of the two robots as a horizontal articulated robot, or configuring it from a single robot. In addition, various modifications are possible regarding the configuration of the dedicated pallet and transport path, the configuration of the tube supply mechanism, etc. Of course, various additions and modifications are possible regarding the configuration and combination of the work stages, etc.

The above-described embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, 1 is a stator (winding body), 3 is a winding, 4 is a lead wire, 5 is an insulating tube, 11 is a tube assembly line (tube assembly device), 13 is a carry-in stage, 14 is a carry-out stage, 15 is a dedicated pallet, 16 is a rear conveying path, 17 is a buffer, 18 is a front conveying path, 20 is a transfer mechanism, 21 to 25 are work stages (working positions), 26 is a tube supply mechanism, 27 and 28 are cutting and correction mechanisms, 29 to 31 are tube insertion mechanisms, 35 is a clamp mechanism, 36 and 37 are robots, 40 is a gripping claw, 42 is a cutter unit, 45 is an insertion tool, 46 is a tube insertion unit, 48 is a cylindrical portion, 49 is an insertion guide, 50 is a conveying tube, 51 is a tube gripper, 52 is a guide portion, and 53 is a tube tip gripper.

Claims (8)

A tube assembly device that assembles insulating tubes around a plurality of lead wires extending from a winding body, comprising:
a dedicated pallet having a clamping mechanism for holding the lead wires in a predetermined position and on which the winding body is mounted;
a transfer mechanism that transfers the winding body mounted on the dedicated pallet between a plurality of work positions;
a cutting and straightening mechanism that cuts the lead wire at a cutting operation position of the winding body and straightens the lead wire into a straight line;
a tube insertion mechanism for inserting the insulating tube onto the lead wire at the winding body insertion position. The tube assembly device according to claim 1, wherein the cutting and correcting mechanism includes a gripping tool that grips the lead wire near the clamping mechanism and a cutting tool that cuts the lead wire at a predetermined position, and the cutting operation is performed by the cooperation of both tools. The tube assembly device according to claim 2, wherein the gripping tool is configured to have a variable gripping force for the lead wire, and the cut-off correction mechanism performs the correction work by moving the gripping tool relative to the lead wire while gripping it with a relatively weak force and sliding it. The tube insertion mechanism includes a gripping tool that grips the straightened lead wire and an insertion tool that inserts the insulating tube into the lead wire from the tip to the coil end portion, and the tube insertion operation is performed by the cooperation of both tools. A tube assembly device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The tube assembly device according to claim 4, wherein the tube insertion mechanism is provided with a guide portion that narrows the outer diameter of the lead wire to a predetermined diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the insulating tube. A tube assembly device according to claim 4 or 5, in which the tube insertion mechanism performs the insertion work while the gripping tool and the insertion tool are attached to separate robots and moved. The tube assembly device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a tube supply mechanism that supplies the insulating tube to the tube insertion mechanism by an air pressure supply method. The tube assembly device according to claim 7, wherein the tube supply mechanism is provided with multiple types of insulating tubes with different lengths and inner diameters, and supplies the necessary insulating tubes.

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