ARRANGEMENT FOR TRANSPORTING A WIRE FROM A WIRE PROCESSING MACHINE TO A DISCHARGING POINT

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement for transporting a wire from an automatic wire processing machine to a discharging point, the arrangement comprising an automatic wire processing machine and an air pressure transport system, wherein a wire transfer interface between the automatic wire processing machine and the air pressure transport system comprises a wire receiving unit arranged in the access area of the automatic wire processing machine and a wire outlet which opens into at least one transport line of the air pressure transport system which is guided between the wire transfer interface and a discharging point.

Claims

1-17. (canceled)

18. An arrangement for transporting a wire from an automatic wire processing machine to a discharging point, the arrangement comprising an automatic wire processing machine and an air-pressure transport system, wherein a wire transfer interface between the automatic wire processing machine and the air pressure transport system comprises a wire receiving unit arranged in the access area of the automatic wire processing machine and a wire outlet which opens into at least one transport line of the air pressure transport system which is guided between the wire transfer interface and a discharging point, wherein the wire transfer interface comprises an overpressure chamber that opens into the transport line and into the wire receiving unit, wherein a fluidic transition between the overpressure chamber and the wire receiving unit can be closed and opened via an adjustable closing member of the wire transfer interface.

19. The arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the adjustable closing member comprises a slide which can be adjusted via a linear actuator, for example a pneumatic piston, between an open position, in which the fluidic transition is released, and a closed position, in which the fluidic transition is closed.

20. The arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the slide comprises a through bore and, spaced therefrom, an annular sealing element, wherein in the open position of the adjustable closing member the through bore connects a wire entry channel of the wire receiving unit to the overpressure chamber, and wherein in the closed position the annular sealing element sealingly surrounds the wire entry channel.

21. The arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the closing member comprises an control flap which can be adjusted between an open position, in which it clears a wire entry opening of the wire receiving unit, and a closed position, in which the control flap rests against an outer side of the wire transfer interface and closes the wire entry opening.

22. The arrangement according to claim 21, wherein the control flap is adjustable about a pivot axis between the open position and the closed position and is driven by a linear drive, for example by a pneumatic piston.

23. The arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the adjustable closing member comprises a closing piston rotatable about its longitudinal axis and having a through bore extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis, which in an open position of the adjustable closing member connects a wire inlet channel of the wire receiving unit to the overpressure chamber and thus establishes the fluidic transition, and in a closed position rotated with respect thereto closes the wire inlet channel.

24. The arrangement according to claim 18, in which the wire receiving device has, upstream of its wire entry opening, a wire transport means with which a wire prefabricated by the automatic wire processing machine is fed into a wire entry opening of the wire receiving device.

25. The arrangement according to claim 24, wherein the wire transport means comprises a pair of counter-rotating belts, straps, or rollers between which a nip is formed through which a wire is transported and either fed into the wire entry opening of the wire transfer interface, when the pair of counter-rotating belts, straps, or rollers is located outside the overpressure chamber, or is withdrawn from the wire entry opening and fed into a channel opening into the wire outlet when the pair of counter-rotating belts, straps, or rollers is located inside the overpressure chamber.

26. The arrangement of claim 25, wherein the nip has an adjustable width, wherein in a transport position of the belts, straps, or rollers the width of the nip is substantially equal to the diameter of a wire to be transported, and wherein in an inoperative position of the belts, straps, or rollers the width of the nip is greater than or equal to a dimension of the wire entry opening.

27. The arrangement according to claim 18, in which a linearly adjustable piston is arranged upstream of a wire entry opening on an outer side of the wire transfer interface, which piston is fully retracted from the wire entry opening in its retracted position and penetrates the wire transfer interface through the wire entry opening in its extended position.

28. The arrangement according to claim 27, wherein the linearly adjustable piston in its extended position penetrates at least far enough through the wire entry opening into the wire transfer interface that it passes with its free end the adjustable closing member, preferably a linearly adjustable slide or a closing piston rotatable about its longitudinal axis and having a through hole, when the adjustable closing member releases the fluidic transition.

29. The arrangement according to claim 27, wherein the linearly adjustable piston has a further adjustability in addition to its adjustability along its axial direction, wherein the linearly adjustable piston in a swung-in position is arranged with its longitudinal axis perpendicular to the wire entry opening and in alignment with the wire entry opening, and wherein the linearly adjustable piston in a swung-out position is arranged completely outside the alignment of the wire entry opening.

30. The arrangement of claim 24, wherein the automatic wire processing machine comprises a conveyor head from which a wire produced by the automatic wire processing machine is fed into a straight transfer tube which is aligned with the wire entry opening and through which the wire is fed to the wire transport means as an aligned wire.

31. The arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the wire transfer interface comprises a presence sensor adapted to detect the presence of a wire in the wire transfer interface.

32. The arrangement according to claim 18, in which the air pressure transport system has a wire switch, the wire switch having a wire inlet and a plurality of wire outlets, a prefabricated wire being fed to the wire inlet from the wire transfer interface and each of the wire outlets being connected via one of the transport lines to one of the discharging points, and wherein the wire switch has an actuator with which the prefabricated wire supplied via the wire input is fed into that one of the transport lines which is connected to a destination discharging point of the discharging points for the prefabricated wire.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0033] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0034] Further details of the invention are explained with reference to the figures below. Thereby shows:

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention;

[0036] FIG. 2 a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a wire transfer interface;

[0037] FIG. 3 a perspective view of a slide of a closing member of the wire transfer interface according to FIG. 2;

[0038] FIG. 4 a perspective view of the wire transfer interface according to FIG. 2;

[0039] FIG. 5 a side view of another exemplary embodiment of a wire transfer interface;

[0040] FIG. 6 a top view of another exemplary embodiment of a wire transfer interface with a transport means in the operating position;

[0041] FIG. 7 the embodiment and view according to FIG. 6 with the transport means in an inoperative position;

[0042] FIG. 8 a perspective view of a further embodiment of a wire transfer interface according to the invention;

[0043] FIG. 9 a perspective view of the closing piston of the embodiment according to FIG. 8;

[0044] FIG. 10 a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a wire transfer interface;

[0045] FIG. 11 a perspective view of the closing piston of the embodiment according to FIG. 10;

[0046] FIG. 12 in perspective view of a further embodiment of a wire transfer interface;

[0047] FIG. 13 a cross-sectional view of the embodiment according to FIG. 12 with a linearly adjustable piston in its retracted position; and

[0048] FIG. 14 the embodiment and view according to FIG. 12, with the linearly adjustable piston arranged in its extended position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0050] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention for transporting a wire from an automatic wire processing machine 200 to a discharging point 300. In particular, the automatic wire processing machine 200 serves two different discharging points 300, one discharging point for the robot-assisted wiring of a control or switchgear system and one workstation for manual or partially automated wiring. The automatic wire processing machine 200 is set up and controlled to provide the two pick-up points 300 with a prefabricated wire required for a wiring step just in time according to a predefined cycle rate and parts list. After the automatic wire processing machine 200 generates a prefabricated wire 100, it can be fed from the automatic wire processing machine 200 into an air pressure transport system 1 using a wire transfer interface. After the prefabricated wire 100 has been transferred into the air pressure transport system 1 via the wire transfer interface 2, the wire passes through the wire diverter 27, which introduces the wire into a transport line 5 associated with the relevant receiving point in accordance with its intended receiving point. The transport line can be a hose which has a friction-reducing coating at least on its inner wall. Alternatively, the hose may be solidly made of a material with a low coefficient of friction. For example, the hose may have a coating of polytetrafluoroethylene or be made of this material. The hose may be made of multiple sections, and hose couplings may be used to connect sections of the hose together to form the transport line 5.

[0051] When the wire 100 reaches the intended discharging point 300 along the transport line 5, it can be braked there with the aid of a wire brake and made available for manual discharging at the discharging point 300 designed as a workstation or for feeding the wire 100 to an end effector of the robot-assisted discharging point 300. A suitable wire passage brake is described, for example, in EP 0654436 A1. In the case of the articulated arm robot, a pair of rollers or rolls that are present anyway for the wire feed in the end effector can be used as a wire passage brake, so that the rollers or rolls have a dual function. A suitable end effector is described in DE 10 2019 106 710 A1.

[0052] Since the automatic wire processing machine 200 can produce the wires 100 to be wired much faster than they can be further processed at the discharging points 300, i.e. the automatic wire processing machine 200 has a much higher cycle rate than the discharging points 300, the automatic wire processing machine 200 can serve a large number of discharging points 300, and in particular more than the two shown. Experiments have shown that at least about ten discharging points 300 can be served by automatic wire processing machines 200 common in the prior art.

[0053] In particular, the arrangement according to the invention makes it possible for the wires to be produced just in time and made available to the receiving point, so that a buffer store for pre-assembled wires is not necessarily required. However, in order to increase the utilization of the automatic wire processing machine 200, a buffer store (not shown) for harnessed wires may be provided. This may be arranged, for example, in the transport line 5 between the wire transfer interface 2 and a discharging point 300. Furthermore, it is no longer necessary to prepare wire sequences, for example in the form of wire bundles, which would require the wires to be separated and identified prior to wiring, thus greatly increasing the processing effort compared to the arrangement according to the invention.

[0054] FIGS. 2 to 4 show an exemplary embodiment of a wire transfer interface 2 according to the invention. The wire transfer interface 2 has a wire receiving unit 3 and a wire output unit 4. Pre-assembled wires are fed to the wire transfer interface 2 from an automatic wire assembly machine via the wire receiving unit 3. In order to ensure reliable and directional wire feeding, a transfer tube 25 can be provided, particularly for wires with a low conductor cross-section and thus high bending slackness, which is aligned with the wire receiving unit point so that the prefabricated wire only has to bridge a few millimeters after leaving the automatic wire processing machine until it reaches the opening 3.

[0055] After the wire enters the wire transfer interface 2 through the wire receiving unit 3, the wire passes a fluidic transition 7, in which a closing member 8 is arranged. The closing member 8 is arranged to selectively fluidically isolate or release the wire receiving unit 3 with respect to an overpressure chamber 6 of the wire transfer interface 2. For the introduction of the wire into the wire transfer interface 2 and preferably into the overpressure chamber 6, the wire can pass through a through bore 11 of a flat slide 9 in an open position of a closing member 8. After the wire has completely passed the slide 9 and in particular the through bore 11, i.e. in particular has also arrived in the overpressure chamber 6 with its wire end at the rear in the feed direction, the closing member 8 can be brought into its closed position. For this purpose, the slide 9 can be moved linearly, i.e., in the embodiment according to FIGS. 2 to 3, it can be pushed further into the housing of the wire transfer interface 2 until an annular sealing element 12, which is arranged on a closed side of the slide 9 facing the overpressure chamber 6, fluidically seals the fluidic transition 7 between the overpressure chamber 6 and the wire entry channel 13. The slide 9 can be adjusted between the open position and the closed position by means of a linear actuator 10, for example a pneumatic piston.

[0056] After the prefabricated wire has arrived in the wire transfer interface 2 and the closing member 8 has been arranged in its closed position, a fluid pressure, in particular an air pressure, can be applied to the overpressure chamber 6 via a pressure port 31. The compressed air flowing into the wire transfer interface 2 via the pressure port 31 can leave the wire transfer interface 2 only via the wire outlet 4, the compressed air entraining or pushing the wire arranged in the overpressure chamber 6 and introducing it into a transport line 5 connected to the wire outlet 4, for example a hose made of polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0057] FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of a wire transfer interface 2 according to the invention, in which, in deviation from the embodiment according to FIGS. 3 to 4, the closing member 8 is designed as an control flap 14 pivoted via a linear drive 17 and a toggle lever drive 24, which can be pivoted about a pivot axis 16. In the open position shown in FIG. 5, the control flap 15 is pivoted completely out of alignment with a front wire entry opening 15 of the wire receiving unit 3, so that a wire can enter the wire transfer interface 2 unhindered via the wire entry opening 15, for which purpose, for example, as has been described with reference to FIG. 2, a transfer tube 25 can be brought to within a few millimeters of the wire entry opening 15. After the wire has arrived at least for the most part in the wire transfer interface 2 and, at most, still protrudes from the wire reception 3 via its rear end over the wire entry opening 15, the control flap 14 can be pivoted from the open position shown in FIG. 5 into a closed position in which the control flap 14 rests against an outer side of the wire transfer interface 2 and closes the wire entry opening 15. In the course of pivoting the control flap 14 into the closed position described above, the end of the wire still projecting beyond the wire entry opening 15 can then also be pushed completely into the wire transfer interface 2. On its side facing the wire entry opening 15, the control flap 14 has a sealing element, for example an annular sealing element, which surrounds the wire entry opening 15 in the closed position, so that the wire receiving unit 3 and thus the overpressure chamber fluidically connected to it is fluidically closed off inside the wire transfer interface 2 with respect to the wire receiving unit 3 and an overpressure introduced into the overpressure chamber (cf. FIGS. 3 to 4) can be compensated exclusively via the wire outlet 4 and thus leads to a fluid flow which leaves the wire transfer interface 2 via the wire outlet 4 and in the process entrains or pushes the prefabricated wire received in the wire transfer interface 2 in the manner already described and introduces it into a transport line 5 of an air pressure transport system connected to the wire outlet 4.

[0058] In an extension of the embodiment according to FIG. 5, the embodiment according to FIGS. 6 and 7 comprises a wire transport means 19 consisting of two rollers 20 driven in opposite directions and having an adjustable roller nip 21 between them. In particular, the rollers 20 can assume a transport position according to FIG. 6 and an out-of-service position according to FIG. 7. In the transport position according to FIG. 6, the roller nip 21 has just a width which can substantially correspond to the width of a wire to be transported. In the out-of-operation position shown in FIG. 7, the roller nip 21 has a width that is sufficient to allow the control flap 14 (compare FIG. 5) to be pivoted between its open position and its closed position between the rollers 20 without interference.

[0059] In the embodiment according to FIGS. 8 and 9, deviating from embodiments according to FIGS. 2 to 4, the closing member 8 is designed as a closing piston 18 rotatable in a bushing, which has a through bore 11 perpendicular to its longitudinal axis as well as a sealing element 12 above and below the through bore 11, respectively, to seal the closing piston 18 or the bore 11 against the bushing. In an open position, the through hole 11 is aligned with the wire receiving unit 3 or a wire entry channel 13 (compare FIG. 2), so that a wire can be inserted unhindered through the sealing piston 18 into the overpressure chamber of the wire transfer interface 2. After the wire has passed the closing piston completely, i.e. also with its rear end in the feed direction, in particular has entered the overpressure chamber completely through the through hole 11, the closing piston 18 can be rotated into its closed position, for example by 90?, so that the overpressure chamber is sealed with respect to the wire receiving unit 3.

[0060] In the embodiment according to FIGS. 10 and 11, the wire transport means 19 with its two counter-rotating rollers 20 is arranged inside the overpressure chamber 6. A closing member, in particular a closing piston 18, is arranged in a channel section connecting the overpressure chamber 6 with the wire receiving unit 3. The closing piston 18 can be adjusted in the manner already described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 between an open position and a closed position in order to achieve, on the one hand, the introduction of a wire into the overpressure chamber 6 and, on the other hand, the fluidic sealing of the wire receiving unit 3 with respect to the overpressure chamber 6. Compared to the embodiments shown in the preceding figures, the embodiment according to FIGS. 11 and 12 has the advantage that, due to the arrangement of the wire transport means 19 inside the overpressure chamber 6, the wire introduced via the wire receiving unit 3 can be drawn into the overpressure chamber 6 completely and without the aid of further technical means, in particular also until a wire end that is rearward in the feed direction has completely passed the closing member, in particular the closing piston 18, so that the closing piston 18 can be adjusted unhindered between its open position and its closed position.

[0061] The embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 to 14 combines a number of the features described with reference to the preceding figures and, in addition, has on its control flap 14 a piston 23 which is linearly adjustable along its longitudinal direction and which, in its retracted position, is fully retracted from the wire entry opening 15 and which, in its extended position, penetrates through the wire entry opening 15 into the wire transfer interface 2 when the control flap 14 is in its closed position. This allows a wire previously inserted, for example, by means of a transfer tube 25 (comp. FIG. 2) can be pushed into the overpressure chamber 6 by means of the piston 23 to such an extent that an end of the wire which is rearward in the feed direction has also completely passed a closing piston 18 of a closing member, and thus the closing piston 18 can be rotated from its open position into the closed position by a 90? rotation about its longitudinal axis without hindrance and without endangering the destruction of the wire, in order to fluidically seal the overpressure chamber 6 with respect to the wire intake 3. Accordingly, in this embodiment, the control flap 14 has no sealing function, in deviation from the embodiment according to FIG. 5.

[0062] The features of the invention disclosed in the foregoing description, in the drawings as well as in the claims may be essential for the realization of the invention both individually and in any combination.

[0063] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.