Wire handling device

Abstract

A wire handling device for a manufacturing device includes an elongate first wire guiding device having a first guiding section for a wire to be guided along the first guide section, and an elongate second wire guiding device having a second guiding section for a wire to be guided along the second guide section. The wire handling device includes a support device, and the first wire guiding device and the second wire guiding device are placed on the support device. The support device is rotatably mounted about the rotational axis, and the first wire guiding device and the second wire guiding device are mounted so that they can be moved with respect to each other.

Claims

1. A wire handling apparatus for a manufacturing apparatus, the wire handling apparatus comprising: an elongate first wire guide device having a first guide portion to guide a wire along the first guide portion; an elongate second wire guide device having a second guide portion to guide a wire along the second guide portion; and a support device, wherein the first wire guide device and the second wire guide device are arranged on the support device, wherein the support device is mounted rotatably about an axis of rotation, and the first wire guide device is divisible along the first guide portion into at least two parts and/or the second wire guide device is divisible along the second guide portion into at least two parts, wherein the first wire guide device and the second wire guide device are arranged moveably relative to each other, and wherein the at least two parts of the first wire guide device and/or the second wire guide device are moveable relative to each other.

2. The wire handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first wire guide device and/or the second wire guide device has a substantially tubular configuration.

3. The wire handling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first guide portion and/or the second guide portion is a substantially cylindrical hollow space.

4. The wire handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first guide portion has a substantially rectilinear configuration along a longitudinal direction and/or the second guide portion has a substantially rectilinear configuration along the longitudinal direction.

5. The wire handling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first wire guide device and the second wire guide device are arranged in succession in the longitudinal direction.

6. The wire handling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first wire guide device and the second wire guide device are arranged in a mutually aligned relationship in the longitudinal direction.

7. The wire handling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first wire guide device is moveable in the longitudinal direction relative to the second wire guide device, and/or the second wire guide device is moveable in the longitudinal direction relative to the first wire guide device.

8. The wire handling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first wire guide device and the second wire guide device are moveable into a pass-through position, and in the pass-through position, the first wire guide device and the second wire guide device are arranged substantially directly in succession in the longitudinal direction.

9. The wire handling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first wire guide device and the second wire guide device are moveable into a conveyor position, and in the conveyor position, the first wire guide device and the second wire guide device are arranged in mutually spaced relationship in the longitudinal direction.

10. The wire handling apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the wire handling apparatus includes a wire conveyor apparatus, the wire conveyor apparatus being moveable in the conveyor position between the first wire guide device and the second wire guide device.

11. The wire handling apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the wire conveyor apparatus includes two mutually oppositely rotating transport rollers.

12. The wire handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first wire guide device and/or the second wire guide device is arranged moveably on the support device with a translation movement in the longitudinal direction.

13. The wire handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support device is mounted moveably in a translation movement.

14. The wire handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support device includes a first support plate and a second support plate, the first support plate being moveable relative to the second support plate.

15. The wire handling apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a guide bar is arranged at the second support plate, the first support plate being arranged displaceably along the guide bar.

16. A manufacturing apparatus comprising the wire handling apparatus according to claim 1.

17. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the manufacturing apparatus includes a processing unit in the form of a wire manufacturing device.

18. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the wire manufacturing device has an opening for receiving a wire end, the opening having a funnel-shaped configuration.

19. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the wire handling apparatus further includes a connecting device for docking the wire handling apparatus to the wire manufacturing device, wherein the connecting device has a conical region corresponding to the funnel-shaped opening.

20. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the connecting device is a first connecting device, the wire handling apparatus further including a second connecting device, a respective one of the first connecting device and the second connecting device being arranged at the mutually remote ends of the first wire guide device and the second wire guide device.

21. A wire handling apparatus for a manufacturing apparatus, the wire handling apparatus comprising: an elongate first wire guide device having a first guide portion to guide a wire along the first guide portion; an elongate second wire guide device having a second guide portion to guide a wire along the second guide portion; and a support device, the first wire guide device and the second wire guide device being arranged on the support device, wherein the support device is mounted rotatably about an axis of rotation, and the first wire guide device is divisible along the first guide portion into at least two parts and/or the second wire guide device is divisible along the second guide portion into at least two parts, wherein the first wire guide device and the second wire guide device are arranged moveably relative to each other, and wherein the at least two parts of the first wire guide device and/or the second wire guide device include a first guide part and a second guide part, and the second guide part is liftable off the first guide part.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further details and advantages of the present invention are described by means of the specific description hereinafter. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a manufacturing apparatus with a proposed wire handling apparatus,

(3) FIGS. 2a and 2b show an embodiment of a proposed wire handling apparatus as a perspective view and a plan view, and

(4) FIGS. 3a to 15b show various positions of a proposed wire handling apparatus during an implementation by way of example of a wire manufacturing process as perspective views and plan views.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic view of a manufacturing apparatus 2 with a proposed wire handling apparatus 1. The wire handling apparatus 1 includes a first wire guide device 3 having a first guide portion 4 for a wire 5 to be guided along the first guide portion 4 and a second wire guide device 6 having a second guide portion 7 for a wire 5 to be guided along the second guide portion 7. The two wire guide devices 3, 6 are arranged on a support device 10 and are of a tubular configuration, the two guide portions 6, 7 being in the form of cylindrical hollow spaces. The two wire guide devices 3, 6 are arranged in succession in the direction of the longitudinal axes of the two cylindrical hollow spaces and are arranged moveably relative to each other in the direction of the longitudinal axes on the support device 10.

(6) In the illustrated apparatus 2 wire 5 is passed from a wire reservoir 18 in the form of a wire roll by means of an advance device 19 through the two guide portions 6, 7 of the two wire guide devices 3, 6 and a first wire end 5a is introduced into a processing unit in the form of a wire manufacturing device 14 in order to provide the first wire end 5a with a wire termination 22 (not shown here). There is also a cutting device 20 for cutting the wire 5 to the desired length.

(7) FIG. 2a shows an embodiment of a proposed wire handling apparatus 1 as a perspective view while FIG. 2b shows a plan view of that wire handling apparatus 1.

(8) The wire handling apparatus 1 includes a first wire guide device 3 having a first guide portion 4 for a wire 5 to be guided along the first guide portion 4 and a second wire guide device 6 having a second guide portion 7 for a wire 5 to be guided along the second guide portion 7. The first guide portion 4 is of a substantially rectilinear configuration along a longitudinal direction L and the second guide portion 7 is also of a substantially rectilinear configuration along the longitudinal direction L. The two guide portions 6, 7 are substantially in the form of cylindrical hollow spaces. The first wire guide device 3 and the second wire guide device 6 are arranged in succession in the longitudinal direction L, wherein the first guide portion 4 and the second guide portion 7 are oriented in mutually aligned relationship in the longitudinal direction L. In FIG. 2b the two guide portions 6, 7 are indicated in broken line in the interior of the wire guide devices 3, 6.

(9) In the illustrated view the two wire guide devices 3, 6 are in their pass-through position A in which the first wire guide device 3 and the second wire guide device 6 are arranged in substantially directly successive relationship in the longitudinal direction L. The two mutually facing ends of the wire guide devices 3, 6 taper in the direction of the guide portions 6, 7 in order in the transition from the pass-through position A to the conveyor position B to make it easier for the transport rollers 9 of the wire conveyor apparatus 8 to come into engagement with the wire 5.

(10) The first wire guide device 3 in this example is adapted to be divisible along the first guide portion 4 into two partsa first guide part 3a and a second guide part 3band the second wire guide device 6 is also adapted to be divisible into two partsa first guide part 6a and a second guide part 6balong the second guide portion 7. The two guide parts 3a, 3b of the first wire guide device 3 are moveable relative to each other, wherein the second guide part 3b can be lifted off the first guide part 3a. Equally the two guide parts 6a, 6b of the second wire guide device 6 are also moveable relative to each other, wherein the second guide part 6b can be lifted off the first guide part 6a. In the illustrated position the two second guide parts 3b, 6b lie on the two first guide parts 3a, 6a whereby the two guide portions 4, 7 extend along the longitudinal direction L within the two wire guide devices 3, 6. In the two respectively mutually adjoining guide parts 3a and 3b, 6a and 6b, there is a respective recess which is of a continuous trough-shaped configuration in the longitudinal direction L so that the two guide portions 6, 7 are substantially in the form of cylindrical hollow spaces.

(11) The wire handling apparatus 1 further includes a support device 10, the first wire guide device 3 and the second wire guide device 6 being arranged on the support device 10. The support device 10 includes a first support plate 11 and a second support plate 12, wherein the first support plate 11 is moveable relative to the second support plate 12 by a guide bar 13 being arranged on the second support plate 12, the first support plate 11 being arranged displaceably along the guide bar 13. In the illustrated embodiment the first wire guide device 3 is arranged stationarily on the first support plate 11 and the second wire guide device 6 is arranged moveably with a translation movement in the longitudinal direction L on the support device 10 by the second wire guide device 6 being arranged displaceably along the guide bar 13.

(12) The support device 10 and the second support plate 12 thereof are mounted rotatably about an axis of rotation R on a support structure or frame (not shown here).

(13) Reference is now made to FIGS. 3a to 15b to describe by way of example a procedure for manufacturing a wire 5 with a proposed wire handling apparatus 1 as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b. The different positions of the wire handling apparatus 1 which occur in that case are respectively shown as a perspective view and a plan view.

(14) In the position of the wire handling apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b a wire 5 is passed from a wire reservoir 18 (not shown here) by means of an advance device 19 (not shown here) through the two guide portions 6, 7 of the two wire guide devices 3, 6. The two wire guide devices 3, 6 are in their pass-through position A in which the first wire guide device 3 and the second wire guide device 6 are arranged substantially directly in succession in the longitudinal direction L and the two guide portions 6, 7 are oriented in mutually aligned relationship in the longitudinal direction L so that they form a continuous guide portion for the wire 5, that extends along the two wire guide devices 3, 6. The wire 5 was passed through the guide portions 6, 7 to such an extent that it projects beyond the second wire guide device 6 in the longitudinal direction L.

(15) In the position shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b the second wire guide device 6 was moved in the longitudinal direction L relative to the first wire guide device 3 so that the two wire guide devices 3, 6 were transferred from their pass-through position A into their conveyor position B in which the first wire guide device 3 and the second wire guide device 6 are arranged in mutually spaced relationship in the longitudinal direction L. During the transfer from the pass-through position A into the conveyor position B the two transport rollers 9 of the wire conveyor apparatus 8 were moved radially in relation to the longitudinal direction L into the resulting gap between the first wire guide device 3 and the second wire guide device 6 so that the wire 5 is clamped between the transport rollers 9 and can be moved by mutually opposite rotation of the transport rollers 9 in the longitudinal direction L. The wire 5 is now moved by the wire conveyor apparatus 8 in the longitudinal direction L until the desired wire length for that wire 5 to be manufactured is reached. The wire 5 is then suitably cut to length by a cutting device 20.

(16) FIGS. 5a and 5b show a position of the wire handling apparatus 1 in which the wire 5 has already been cut to length by means of the cutting device 20 and the two wire guide devices 3, 6 have been moved in the longitudinal direction L relative to the second support plate 12 of the support device 10 by both the second wire guide device 6 and also the first support plate 11on which the first wire guide device 3 and the wire conveyor device apparatus 8 are arrangedhaving been moved in the longitudinal direction L along the guide bar 13. The two wire guide devices 3, 6 were however not moved relative to each other in that case so that they are still disposed in their conveyor position B.

(17) In the position of the wire handling apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b the carrier device 10 has been rotated through 90? in the clockwise direction (when viewing the plan view) about the axis of rotation R so that now the first wire end 5a of the wire 5, that was just cut to length, is oriented in the direction of an opening 15 of a wire manufacturing device 14. The rotation of the support device 10 about the axis of rotation R was effected by the second support plate 12 of the support device 10, that is mounted rotatably on a frame or support structure (not shown here) having been suitably rotated. It will be appreciated that depending on the respective arrangement of a processing unit, the support device 10 can be rotated into any desired angular position.

(18) In the position shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b the two wire guide devices 3, 6 were moved in opposite relationship to the longitudinal direction L relative to the second support plate 12 of the support device 10, by both the second wire guide device 6 and also the first support plate 11on which the first wire guide device 3 and the wire conveyor apparatus 8 are arrangedhaving been displaced in opposite relationship to the longitudinal direction L along the guide bar 13. As a result the first wire end 5a was transferred from the wire handling apparatus 1 to the wire manufacturing device 14 by the first wire end 5a having been introduced through the opening 15 of the wire manufacturing device 14 into the wire manufacturing device 14. The opening 15 is of a funnel-shaped configuration to facilitate introduction of the first wire end 5a.

(19) FIG. 7c shows an alternative variant of the first wire guide device 3. In this case arranged at the end of the first wire guide device 3, that is towards the wire manufacturing device 14, is a connecting device 16, wherein the connecting device 16 has a conical region 17 corresponding to the funnel-shaped opening 15 indicated here in broken line. In that way positively locking docking of the connecting device 16 to the funnel-shaped opening 15 can take place and the first wire end 5a can be unimpededly introduced through the opening 15 into the wire manufacturing device 14. It can also be provided that a respective connecting device 16 is arranged at the mutually remote ends of the first wire guide device 3 and the second wire guide device 6.

(20) FIGS. 8a and 8b show a position of the wire handling apparatus 1 in which the first wire end 5a was provided in the wire manufacturing device 14 with a wire termination 22 in the form of a cable shoe. In the illustrated position the two wire guide devices 3, 6 were moved in the longitudinal direction L relative to the second support plate 12 of the support device 10, by both the second wire guide device 6 and also the first support plate 11 having been displaced in the longitudinal direction L along the guide bar 13. In that case the first wire end 5a provided with the wire termination 22 was passed out of the wire manufacturing device 14 through the opening 15.

(21) In the position shown in FIGS. 9a and 9b the support device 10 was rotated through 180? in the clockwise direction about the axis of rotation R so that now the second wire end 5b of the wire 5 is oriented in the direction of the opening 15 of the wire manufacturing device 14. It will be appreciated that, depending on the respective arrangement of a processing unit, the support device 10 can be rotated into any desired angular position.

(22) The positions shown in FIGS. 10a and 10b, 11a and 11b substantially correspond to the positions of FIGS. 7a and 7b and FIGS. 8a and 8b, with the difference that now the second wire end 5b has been provided in the wire manufacturing device 14 with a wire termination 22 in the form of a cable shoe. In addition a transfer device 21 in the form of a robot arm with gripping tongs has been moved to the first wire guide device 3.

(23) In the position of the wire handling apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 12a and 12b the second guide part 6b of the second wire guide device 6 has been lifted off the first guide part 6a of the second wire guide device 6 in a direction transversely relative to the longitudinal direction Lin the specific example in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation R. In that way the second guide portion 7 has been enlarged so that now the second wire end 5b which is thicker because of the wire termination 22 in relation to the wire diameter can be passed along the second guide portion 7 through the second wire guide device 6. It is also possible to see the recess of a continuous trough-shaped configuration in the longitudinal direction L in the first guide part 6a of the second wire guide device 6, which in conjunction with a recess which is also of a continuous trough-shaped configuration in the longitudinal direction L in the second guide part 6b of the second wire guide device 6, forms the second guide portion 7. In the illustrated position the wire 5 has already been moved by the wire conveyor apparatus 8 in a direction opposite to the longitudinal direction L, but the second wire end 5b is still in the region of the second wire guide device 6.

(24) In the position shown in FIGS. 13a and 13b the second wire guide device 6 has been moved in opposite relationship to the longitudinal direction L relative to the first wire guide device 3 so that the two wire guide devices 3, 6 were transferred from their conveyor position B into their pass-through position A in which the first wire guide device 3 and the second wire guide device 6 are arranged in substantially immediate succession in the longitudinal direction L. At the same time the transport rollers 9 of the wire conveyor apparatus 8 were moved radially outwardly in relation to the longitudinal direction L and thus brought out of engagement with the wire 5.

(25) In the position of FIGS. 14a and 14b the second guide part 3b of the first wire guide device 3 has also been lifted off the first guide part 3a of the first wire guide device 3 in a direction transversely relative to the longitudinal direction Lin the specific example in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation R. In that way the first guide portion 4 was also increased in size so that the second wire end 5b which is thicker because of the wire termination 22 in relation to the wire diameter can also be passed along the first guide portion 4 through the first wire guide device 3. It is also possible to see the recess of a continuous trough-shaped configuration in the longitudinal direction L in the first guide part 3a of the first wire guide device 3, which in conjunction with a recess of a continuous trough-shaped configuration also in the longitudinal direction L in the second guide part 3b of the first wire guide device 3, forms the first guide portion 4.

(26) In the position of the wire handling apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 15a and 15b the finished wire 5 has been gripped by the gripping tongs of the transfer device 21 and removed from the wire handling apparatus 1 by the transfer device 21. The wire 5 can now be transferred by the transfer device 21 to further processing stations which may be present, like for example a marking station or an arrangement station.

(27) The described operating procedure represents only a possible example of a manufacturing process for a wire 5. It will be appreciated that it is also possible that the wire 5 is transferred from the other sidethat is to say beginning with the second wire guide device 6to the wire handling apparatus 1 or that only one of the two wire ends is processed by a processing unit.

LIST OF REFERENCES

(28) 1 wire handling apparatus 2 manufacturing apparatus 3 first wire guide device 3a first guide part of the first wire guide device 3b second guide part of the first wire guide device 4 first guide portion 5 wire 5a first wire end 5b second wire end 6 second wire guide device 6a first guide part of the second wire guide device 6b second guide part of the second wire guide device 7 second guide portion 8 wire conveyor apparatus 9 transport roller 10 support device 11 first support plate 12 second support plate 13 guide bar 14 wire manufacturing device 15 opening 16 connecting device 17 conical region of the connecting device 18 wire reservoir 19 advance device 20 cutting device 21 transfer device 22 wire termination L longitudinal direction A pass-through position B conveyor position R axis of rotation