JP7735040B2 - Cable tie attachment device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cable tie attachment device that wraps a cable tie around an object to be tied.

One example of a wire harness installed in a vehicle is one that includes electric wires and a trough-shaped exterior component that houses the electric wires, with the electric wires and exterior component bound together with cable ties. This binding process is performed manually, and there has been a desire for automation using machines.

Patent Document 1 discloses a bundling method using a bundling tool to wrap cable ties around a steel plate and a bundle of electric wires running along it. This bundling tool is equipped with a pair of beak-shaped clamping pieces that surround the object to be bundled and guide the cable ties, and a piston grip that switches the pair of clamping pieces between an open, standby state and a closed, bundling state. This bundling method involves placing the bundle of electric wires between a pair of elongated holes formed through the steel plate, passing the pair of clamping pieces through each of the elongated holes to enter the bundling state, and wrapping the cable ties around the portion of the steel plate between the pair of elongated holes and the bundle of electric wires to bind them.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-343538

The binding method described in Patent Document 1 still required manual work, such as aligning the pair of clamping pieces with the elongated holes and operating the piston grip.

The present invention aims to make it possible to automatically wrap a cable tie around an object to be bound.

This invention relates to a cable tie attachment device comprising a holding section for holding an object to be bound, a first unit positioned on one side of the object, and a second unit positioned on the other side of the object. The first unit comprises a feed roller that feeds out the band portion of the cable tie, a stop section located upstream of the feed roller and positioning the locking section of the cable tie, a feed guide section located downstream of the feed roller and guiding the band portion toward the second unit, a return guide section that guides the band portion that has passed through the second unit toward the stop section, and a tightening roller that tightens the band portion that has passed through the locking section. The second unit comprises a fold-back guide section that folds the band portion guided from the feed guide section back in a U-shape and guides it toward the return guide section. This device wraps the cable tie around the object to bind it.

According to the present invention, it is possible to automatically wrap a cable tie around an object to be bound and bind it.

1 is a diagram showing a cable tie attachment device according to one embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a protector is set in a holding portion of the binding band attaching device of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which an electric wire is housed in the protector of FIG. 2. [0023]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a cable tie is wrapped around the electric wire and the protector of FIG. 3. FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the cable tie attaching device of FIG. 1, showing how the first unit and the second unit approach the holding portion in which the protector and the electric wire are set. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the first unit and the second unit of FIG. 5 are positioned above and below the holding part. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the second unit in FIG. 6 has moved to the first unit side. FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 7 . 8 is a diagram showing a state in which a binding band is supplied to the first unit of FIG. 7 . FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state in which the binding band of FIG. 9 is sent out to the second unit side by a feed roller. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which the band portion of the binding band of FIG. 10 has passed through the locking portion and reached the tightening roller. 12 is a diagram showing a state in which the second unit in FIG. 11 has moved away from the first unit. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing how the band portion of FIG. 12 is tightened by tightening rollers. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a state in which the locking portion in FIG. 13 is pressed toward the protector by the pressing portion, and the unnecessary portion of the band portion is cut off by the cutting portion. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the first unit and the second unit of FIG. 14 being separated from the holder. FIG. 8 is a side view of the cable tie attachment device in the state shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 12 is a side view of the cable tie attachment device in the state shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a side view of the cable tie attachment device in the state shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a state in which the feed rollers and the like in FIG. 18 are retracted to positions where they do not overlap with the binding bands.

A cable tie attachment device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 19.

The cable tie attachment device 10 shown in Figure 1 is a device that wraps a cable tie 3 around a protector 2 (object to be tied, exterior part) shown in Figure 2 and two electric wires 1 (objects to be tied) shown in Figure 3, as shown in Figure 4, to tie them together. The protector 2 and the two electric wires 1 wrapped with the cable tie 3 constitute an automotive wire harness.

The cable tie 3 is a well-known device having a band portion 31 and a locking portion 32 connected to one end of the band portion 31. The band portion 31 has a series of tooth-shaped protrusions. The other end of the band portion 31 passes through the locking portion 32. The locking portion 32 locks onto one of the protrusions, securing the band portion 31 in a ring shape.

The protector 2 is made of insulating synthetic resin. The protector 2 has a bottom wall 20 and a pair of side walls 21, 22, and is formed in a gutter shape to accommodate two electric wires 1. The bottom wall 20 has a pair of through holes 23, 24 aligned in the opposing direction of the pair of side walls 21, 22. The band portion 31 of the cable tie 3 is passed through these through holes 23, 24. The two electric wires 1 are placed in the portion 20a between the pair of through holes 23, 24 of the bottom wall 20. The cable tie 3 is passed through the pair of through holes 23, 24 and wrapped around the portion 20a between the pair of through holes 23, 24 of the bottom wall 20 and the two electric wires 1 to bind them together.

The protector 2 also has a restricting portion 25 that aligns the two wires 1 toward the center of the protector 2 in the width direction. The restricting portion 25 is a plate that is connected to the pair of side walls 21, 22 and the bottom wall 20, and has a semicircular notch 25a formed in it. The restricting portion 25 is located at a position offset from the pair of through holes 23, 24 in the longitudinal direction of the protector 2.

A cover facing the bottom wall 20 is attached to the protector 2. A pair of side walls 21, 22 are provided with locking projections 26 that lock onto the cover.

The cable tie attachment device 10 includes a holder 4 that holds the protector 2 and two wires 1, a first unit 11, a second unit 12, a frame 13 that supports the first unit 11 and the second unit 12, and a moving means (not shown) for moving the frame 13. The first unit 11 and the second unit 12 are arranged opposite each other in the direction of arrow Y in Figure 1. In this example, the direction of arrow Y is the up-down direction. The first unit 11 and the second unit 12 are also arranged so that they can move toward and away from each other. In this example, the second unit 12 moves up and down relative to the first unit 11.

As shown in Figures 2 and 8, the retaining portion 4 is formed in a plate shape. The retaining portion 4 has a groove 42 into which the protector 2 is fitted, and an elongated hole 43 that communicates with the groove 42. The elongated hole 43 extends in the opposing direction of the pair of side walls 21, 22 of the protector 2, and overlaps with both of the pair of through holes 23, 24 of the protector 2.

When the protector 2 and wire 1 are set in the holding portion 4, the first unit 11 and second unit 12 are positioned away from the holding portion 4. Then, by a moving means such as a robot arm connected to the frame 13, the first unit 11 and second unit 12 are brought closer to the holding portion 4 as shown in FIG. 5, and the first unit 11 and second unit 12 are positioned above and below the holding portion 4 as shown in FIG. 6.

The first unit 11 is positioned above the protector 2 and wire 1 held by the holding portion 4. As shown in Figures 1, 5 to 19, the first unit 11 includes a block-shaped main body 50, a tightening roller 59 and a driven roller 60 arranged above the main body 50, a pressing portion 62 and a cutting portion 61 arranged in front of the main body 50 in the direction of arrow Z (to the right in Figures 16 to 19), and other components.

The main body 50 is provided with a stop portion 51, a guide portion 52, a feed guide portion 57, and a return guide portion 58. The main body 50 also has a feed roller 53 and a driven roller 54 attached to it.

The feed roller 53 is a roller that feeds out the band portion 31 of the cable tie 3 supplied from a cable tie supply means (not shown) by passing it between itself and the driven roller 54.

The stop portion 51 is located upstream of the feed roller 53 and is the portion that positions the locking portion 32 of the cable tie 3.

The guide portion 52 is a groove provided between the stop portion 51 and the feed roller 53, and guides the band portion 31 toward the feed roller 53.

The feed guide section 57 is provided downstream of the feed roller 53. The feed guide section 57 guides the band section 31 toward the second unit 12. In this example, the feed guide section 57 guides the band section 31 so that it passes through one of the through holes 23. The feed guide section 57 is composed of an entrance section 55 that is part of the main body section 50, and a guide plate 56 attached to the main body section 50. There is a gap between the entrance section 55 and the guide plate 56, and the band section 31 passes between them.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the entry portion 55 enters between the pair of side walls 21, 22 of the protector 2, and passes the band portion 31 between it and the side wall 21.

The return guide portion 58 is a groove provided in the main body portion 50, and guides the band portion 31 that has passed through the second unit 12 toward the stop portion 51.

The tightening roller 59 is a roller that tightens the band portion 31 by passing it between the driven roller 60 and the band portion 31 that has passed through the locking portion 32 positioned in the stop portion 51.

The pressing portion 62 presses the locking portion 32 toward the protector 2 and pushes it into the protector 2 after the band portion 31 has been placed in a tightening state by the tightening roller 59.

The cutting section 61 cuts off the unnecessary portion of the band section 31 after the band section 31 has been tightened by the tightening rollers 59 and the locking section 32 has been pushed into the protector 2 by the pressing section 62.

The main body 50, pressing portion 62, and cutting portion 61 are movable in the direction of arrow Z (see Figures 16 to 19). After the band portion 31 is ready to be tightened by the tightening rollers 59, they move rearward in the direction of arrow Z (to the left in Figures 16 to 19). This causes the main body 50's components to retract to positions where they do not overlap with the cable tie 3, and the pressing portion 62 and cutting portion 61 are positioned directly above the locking portion 32. The pressing portion 62 and cutting portion 61 then move downward, pushing the locking portion 32 into the protector 2, and the cutting portion 62 cuts off the unnecessary portion of the band portion 31.

The second unit 12 is positioned below the protector 2 and wire 1 held by the holding portion 4. As shown in Figures 1, 5 to 19, the second unit 12 includes a folding guide portion 7 that folds the band portion 31 guided from the feed guide portion 57 back in a U-shape and guides it toward the return guide portion 58. In this example, the folding guide portion 7 guides the band portion 31 so that it passes through the other through-hole 24.

The folding guide section 7 has a first folding guide section 71 that is movable in the direction of the arrow Z by a cylinder 15, and a second folding guide section 72 that is movable in the direction of the arrow Y by a cylinder 14 (see Figures 16 to 19).

The folding guide portion 7 is movable between a state in which the first folding guide portion 71 is positioned between the protector 2 and the second folding guide portion 72, and a state in which the first folding guide portion 71 is retracted and the second folding guide portion 72 is closer to the protector 2.

The first folding guide portion 71 has a block portion 73 and an entrance portion 74 that protrudes above the upper surface of the block portion 73. The first folding guide portion 71 is provided with a groove 75 that guides the band portion 31 after it has passed through one of the through holes 23, and a groove 76 that guides the band portion 31 so that it passes through the other through hole 24.

A tapered surface 73a is provided on the front surface of the block portion 73. When the second folding guide portion 72 moves upward, the second folding guide portion 72 abuts against the tapered surface 73a, causing the first folding guide portion 71 to move backward in the direction of arrow Z.

As shown in Figure 8, the entry portion 74 enters the elongated hole 43 of the retaining portion 4 to form guide portions 63, 64 within the elongated hole 43. The guide portion 63 is formed between one through hole 23 and the groove 75, and guides the band portion 31. The guide portion 64 is formed between the other through hole 24 and the groove 76, and guides the band portion 31.

The second folding guide portion 72 has a main body portion 77 with a semicircular recess 79 and a plate 78 attached to the front of the main body portion 77.

Next, we will explain the series of operations performed by the cable tie attachment device 10 to wrap the cable tie 3 around the protector 2 and two electric wires 1 to bind them together.

First, the protector 2 and wire 1 are set in the holding portion 4. Then, as shown in Figure 5, the first unit 11 and second unit 12 are brought close to the holding portion 4, and as shown in Figure 6, the first unit 11 and second unit 12 are positioned above and below the holding portion 4. Next, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the second unit 12 is brought close to the first unit 11 and holding portion 4.

Next, as shown in Figure 9, a cable tie 3 is supplied from the cable tie supply means, and the band portion 31 passes through the guide portion 52 and is fed to the feed roller 53. The feed roller 53 feeds out the band portion 31 until the locking portion 32 abuts against the stop portion 51 and is positioned as shown in Figure 10. The band portion 31 fed from the feed roller 53 is guided by the feed guide portion 57, the foldback guide portion 7, and the return guide portion 58.

As shown in Figure 10, when the band 31 is positioned just before the locking portion 32 positioned on the stop portion 51, the second fold guide portion 72 moves upward and the first fold guide portion 71 retracts rearward in the direction of arrow Z. As the second fold guide portion 72 moves upward in this manner, the band guide path becomes shorter, and as shown in Figure 11, the band portion 31 passes the locking portion 32 positioned on the stop portion 51 and reaches the tightening roller 59.

When the band portion 31 reaches the tightening roller 59, the second unit 12 descends, as shown in Figure 12. The main body portion 50, pressing portion 62, and cutting portion 61 also move backward in the direction of arrow Z, and each part of the main body portion 50 retreats to a position where it does not overlap with the cable tie 3.

Next, as shown in Figure 13, the band portion 31 is tightened with the tightening roller 59, and as shown in Figure 14, the pressing portion 62 presses down on the locking portion 32 while tightening with the specified torque. After the locking portion 32 is pressed into the protector 2, the unnecessary portion of the band portion 31 is cut off with the cutting portion 61.

Next, as shown in Figure 15, the first unit 11 and second unit 12 are released from the holding portion 4, completing the binding operation of the binding band 3.

The cable tie attachment device 10 described above can automatically wrap and bind the cable tie 3 around the protector 2 and two electric wires 1. The cable tie attachment device 10 also makes it possible to automate the insertion and tightening of the cable tie 3 into a limited, narrow path such as the protector 2. When manually binding, the wire 1 must first be lifted, the cable tie 3 must be passed through the through holes 23 and 24 of the protector 2, and then looped. This requires confirmation that both the wire 1 and the protector 2 have been tightened, but this is no longer necessary with the device 10. Furthermore, the cable tie attachment device 10 can accommodate a variety of workpieces by adjusting the width and overall length of the band guide path to suit the shape of the target workpiece.

The above-described embodiment merely illustrates a typical form of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In other words, the present invention can be implemented in various modifications without departing from the gist of the invention. As long as such modifications still comprise the configuration of the present invention, they are of course included within the scope of the present invention.

1 Electric wire (object to be bundled)
2 Protector (item to be bound, exterior parts)
3 Binding band 4 Holding portion 7 Folding guide portion 11 First unit 12 Second unit 31 Band portion 32 Locking portion 51 Stop portion 53 Feed roller 57 Feed guide portion 58 Return guide portion 59 Tightening roller 61 Cutting portion 62 Pressing portion 71 First folding guide portion 72 Second folding guide portion

Claims (7)

a holding portion that holds the object to be bound;
a first unit positioned on one side of the object to be bound;
a second unit positioned on the other side of the object to be bound,
The first unit is
a feed roller that feeds out the band portion of the cable tie;
a stopper provided upstream of the feed roller and configured to position the locking portion of the cable tie;
a feed guide portion provided downstream of the feed roller and guiding the band portion toward the second unit;
a return guide portion that guides the band portion that has passed through the second unit toward the stop portion;
a tightening roller that tightens the band portion that has passed through the locking portion,
the second unit includes a folding guide portion that folds the band portion guided from the feed guide portion back in a U-shape and guides the band portion toward the return guide portion,
A cable tie attaching device that wraps the cable tie around the object to be tied to tie it. The cable tie mounting device of claim 1, characterized in that the fold guide portion has a first fold guide portion and a second fold guide portion that are movably arranged, and is arranged to be displaceable between a state in which the first fold guide portion is positioned between the object to be bound and the second fold guide portion, and a state in which the first fold guide portion is retracted from between the object to be bound and the second fold guide portion and the second fold guide portion is closer to the object to be bound. The cable tie attaching device of claim 1, characterized in that the feed roller, the stop portion, the feed guide portion, and the return guide portion are provided with a pressing portion that retracts to a position where they do not overlap with the cable tie after the band portion is in a state where it can be tightened by the tightening roller, and that presses the engaging portion toward the object to be tied after these retractions. The cable tie attaching device according to claim 1, further comprising a cutting section that cuts off an unnecessary portion of the band portion after the band portion has been fastened by the fastening rollers. the object to be bound is an electric wire and a trough-shaped exterior part having a bottom wall and a pair of side walls and accommodating the electric wire;
A pair of through holes is formed in the bottom wall and aligned in the opposing direction of the pair of side walls,
the feed guide portion guides the band portion so as to pass through one of the through holes,
The cable tie attaching device according to claim 1 , wherein the folded guide portion guides the band portion so as to pass through the other of the through holes. The cable tie attaching device according to claim 5 , wherein the feed guide portion has an entry portion that enters between the pair of side walls. a groove into which the exterior component is fitted, and an elongated hole that communicates with the groove and overlaps with both of the pair of through holes of the exterior component,
The cable tie attaching device according to claim 5 , wherein the folding guide portion has an insertion portion that is inserted into the elongated hole of the holding portion.