TAPING HEAD

Abstract

A taping head for taping a wire harness includes a base plate with a first aperture for receiving a wire harness. A tape dispenser with a second aperture is configured to rotate a roll of tape around the center of the first and second apertures. The taping head further includes a clamping unit configured to clamp a free end of the tape.

Claims

1. A taping head for taping a wire harness with tape of a roll of tape, said taping head comprising: a base plate with a first aperture for receiving the wire harness, a rotatable tape dispenser with a second aperture, the rotatable tape dispenser rotatably mounted to the base plate and configured to rotate the roll of tape about a center of the first and second apertures, and a clamping unit configured to clamp a free end of the tape, wherein the clamping unit includes an anvil fixedly mounted to the rotatable tape dispenser and a clamping element movably mounted to the base plate.

2. The taping head according to claim 1, wherein the clamping element moves between an open position and a closed position, wherein in the open position the clamping unit releases the tape, and wherein in the closed position the tape is cut and simultaneously clamped between the clamping element and the anvil.

3. The taping head according to claim 1, wherein the clamping element includes a rotatable lever.

4. The taping head according to claim 1, wherein the clamping unit includes a gear rod and a gear wheel for rotating the clamping element.

5. The taping head according to claim 1, wherein the tape dispenser includes a spring-loaded receptacle for accommodating the wire harness.

6. The taping head according to claim 5, wherein the receptacle has at least one wall that is concavely curved.

7. The taping head according to claim 5, wherein the receptacle forms a gap for the tape.

8. The taping head according to claim 7, further comprising a guide roll located adjacent to the gap for guiding the tape, wherein the guide roll is rotatable about a first axis.

9. The taping head according to claim 8, wherein the guide roll pivots about a second axis that is generally perpendicular to the first axis.

10. The taping head according to claim 9, wherein the first axis is offset from the second axis such that the first axis and the second axis do not intersect.

11. The taping head according to claim 1, wherein a contact surface of the anvil is located adjacent to an inlet of the second aperture of the tape dispenser.

12. The taping head according to claim 1, wherein the anvil and the clamping element include a protrusion and a slit for clamping the tape therebetween.

13. The taping head according to claim 1, further comprising at least one rotatable support lever for supporting the wire harness received in the first and second apertures, wherein in particular two support levers are provided adjacent two opposing sides of the base plate.

14. A method of wrapping an adhesive tape around a bundle of wires in a lengthwise direction using a taping head that includes a base plate with a first aperture, a rotatable tape dispenser with a second aperture, the rotatable tape dispenser rotatably mounted to the base plate and configured to rotate a roll of tape about a center of the first and second apertures, and a clamping unit configured to clamp a free end of a tape on the roll of tape, the method comprising: clamping the free end of the tape with the clamping unit; manipulating the taping head such that the bundle of wires is located within the first and second apertures and the tape adheres to a circumferential section of the bundle of wires; releasing the clamping unit; rotating the rotatable tape dispenser in a first direction for a period of time to fix the free end of the tape on the bundle of wires; and thereafter rotating the rotatable tape dispenser in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction while moving the taping head parallel to the bundle of wires to wrap the tape around the bundle of wires in the lengthwise direction.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the base plate is not moved when the rotatable tape dispenser is rotated in the first direction.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the period of time is chosen such that a length of the tape that initially extends between the bundle of wires and the free end of the tape is completely wrapped around the bundle of wires.

17. A method of cutting a tape wrapped around a bundle of wires using a taping head that includes a base plate with a first aperture, a rotatable tape dispenser with a second aperture, the rotatable tape dispenser rotatably mounted to the base plate and configured to rotate a roll of tape about a center of the first and second apertures, and a clamping unit configured to clamp a free end of a tape on the roll of tape, the method comprising: moving the taping head away from the wrapped bundle of wires such that a length of tape from the roll of tape extends between the first and second apertures and the wrapped bundle of wires; manipulating the taping head such that the clamping unit contacts the length of tape at a location between the first and second apertures and the wrapped bundle of wires; and clamping the length of tape by means of the clamping unit and cutting the tape.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the tape is simultaneously clamped and cut.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the tape is tensioned before it is clamped and cut.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The present invention is now described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0032] FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of a taping head according to an embodiment;

[0033] FIG. 2 shows an isometric view of a detail of the taping head of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment;

[0034] FIG. 3 shows a plan view of a detail of the taping head of FIGS. 1 and 2 according to an embodiment;

[0035] FIG. 4 shows an isometric view of a taping head according to an embodiment;

[0036] FIG. 5 shows another isometric view of a taping head according to an embodiment; and

[0037] FIGS. 6A and 6B show isometric views of a detail of a taping head according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] FIG. 1 depicts various steps of a process for providing a product with an overmold by means of injection molding. According to the illustrated example, the product is a cable 20 which is provided with an overmold of e.g., polyurethane foam material.

[0039] FIGS. 1 to 4 depict a taping head 10 for taping a wire harness W (FIG. 3). The taping head 10 includes a base plate 12 with a first aperture 14 for receiving the wire harness W. The first aperture 14 has the shape of a broad slit which extends to an outer edge of the base plate 12 with a dead end of the slit having a semi-circular shape. In other words, the first aperture 14 forms a generally U-shaped slot in the base plate 12. A tape dispenser 16 is configured to rotate a roll of tape 17 of e.g., adhesive tape around a center C (FIG. 3) of the first aperture 14. The tape dispenser 16, which also includes a second aperture 15 having the same general shape as the first aperture 14 of the base plate 12, is rotated around the center C by means of a motor M (FIG. 4) that rotates a drive pulley and the rotation of the drive pulley is transferred via a toothed belt 11 (FIG. 1) to the tape dispenser 16. It is appreciated that other mechanisms may alternatively be used for rotating the tape dispenser 16. When the tape dispenser 16 is rotated, the roll of tape 17 is also rotated around the center C. If a wire harness W is placed at the position of the center C of the first and second apertures 14, 15, tape 19 from the roll of tape 17 can be wrapped around the wire harness W by rotating the tape dispenser 16 relative to the base plate 12.

[0040] The tape dispenser 16 can be mounted to the base plate 12 using a quick change mount to allow an operator to easily swap out the tape dispenser 16 with another tape dispenser 16 once the roll of tape 17 is empty or if maintenance needs to be performed.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 a free end of the tape 19 is unwound from the roll of tape 17 which is rotatably supported on the tape dispenser 16 and the free end of the tape 19 is guided by means of a guide roll 34 which is pivotally supported on a roll holder 35 mounted on the tape dispenser 16. The guide roll 34 rotates about an axis A3 and is loosely supported on the roll holder 35.

[0042] A spring-loaded receptacle including two members 30, 32 is provided for supporting and accommodating the wire harness W in the first and second apertures 14, 15. Due to the two members 30, 32 the receptacle forms a gap or slot 43 (FIG. 3) for feeding the tape 19 therethrough. The members 30 and 32 of the receptacle can be linearly shifted along a respective rod 31 and 33. The rods 31 and 33 are arranged in parallel to each other and each member 30, 32 of the receptacle is spring-loaded by means of a spring S1 and S2. Accordingly, if the taping head 10 is positioned next to the wire harness W and pushed against the wire harness W, the members 30, 32 of the receptacle will be pushed against the force of the springs S1 and S2 until the wire harness W is located at the center C of the first and second apertures 14, 15.

[0043] The members 30 and 32 of the receptacle each include an inner wall 36, 38 which is concavely curved such that the shape of the walls corresponds to the outer shape of the wire harness W. Furthermore, in the region of the gap 43 both members 30 and 32 include a rounded edge for slidingly guiding the tape 19.

[0044] A clamping unit 18 is provided in order to clamp and also cut the free end of the tape 19. The clamping unit 18 includes an anvil 20 and a clamping element 22. The anvil 20 is a block-like element fixedly mounted to the rotatable tape dispenser 16 and the clamping element 22 includes a rotatable lever mounted to the base plate 12. In particular, the anvil 20 is rigidly connected to the rotatable tape dispenser 16 and is not movable relative thereto. Accordingly, when the rotatable tape dispenser 16 is rotated relative to the base plate 12, the anvil 20 is rotated relative to the clamping element 22 that is mounted to the base plate 12. The free end of the tape 19 can be clamped between the anvil 20 and the clamping element 22 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The rotatable lever can be rotated about an axis A1 which extends in parallel to the extension of the base plate 12 and the clamping element 22 can be rotated about at least 180° from the position shown in FIG. 1 (open position) to the position shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 (closed or clamping position).

[0045] For rotating the clamping element 22 a gear rod 26 (FIG. 1) is provided which can be linearly shifted by means of an actuator 27. The linear movement of the gear rod 26 is converted into a rotational movement by means of a gear wheel 28 provided on the clamping element 22 such that the clamping element 22 rotates about the axis Al if the actuator 27 is actuated to shift the gear rod 26.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 1, the clamping element 22 includes a substantially triangular cutting blade 24 and a slit 42 whereas the anvil 20 includes a slot 21 (shown in FIG. 5) for receiving the cutting blade 24 and a protrusion 40 for clamping the tape 19. The protrusion 40 is received in the slit 42 (FIG. 1) of the clamping element 22 when the clamping element 22 has reached the closed position. The tape 19 will be held and clamped between the protrusion 40 of the anvil 20 and the slit 42 of the clamping element 22. However, the tape 19 is not cut by the protrusion 40. The cutting is achieved by the cutting blade 24 received in the slot 21 of the anvil 20. The protrusion 40 and the slit 42 are positioned closer towards the first and second apertures 14, 15 and the slot 21 and the cutting blade 24 are positioned farther away from the first and second apertures 14, 15 such that when the clamping element 22 is in the closed position the tape 19 is cut, but the free end of the tape 19 is held and clamped between the protrusion 40 and the slit 42.

[0047] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 a contact surface 23 (FIGS. 3 and 5) of the anvil 20 is located adjacent an inlet of the second aperture 15 of the tape dispenser 16 such that the free end of the tape 19 is fixed at a location remote from the second aperture 15 to avoid interference with the wire harness W.

[0048] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment. This embodiment corresponds to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3 but includes two optional support levers 44 and 46 which are rotatable about an axis A2 running in parallel to the axis of the roll of tape 17 of the tape 19. Both support levers 44 and 46 can be independently swiveled about the axis A2 by means of a respective actuator. Each support lever 44, 46 includes a support roll 48 (FIG. 4) which can be located at the bottom side of the wire harness W after the wire harness W has been placed in the first and second apertures 14, 15. When the taping head 10 is moved along the length of the wire harness W, the wire harness W may slide on the support rolls 48.

[0049] Since the base plate 12 is provided with a quick mount 13 for mounting the base plate 12 to a robot arm, the positioning of the taping head 10 can be manipulated by means of a robot in an effective manner. Further, it is possible to move the taping head 10 along the length of the wire harness W during the taping process such that a desired section of the wire harness W is wrapped with the tape 19.

[0050] FIG. 5 depicts a further embodiment of a taping head that is similar to the taping head described above. In this embodiment, the guide roll 34 rotates about the axis A3 and pivots about a second axis A4 that is generally perpendicular to the first axis A3. The guide roll 34 can pivot about the second axis A4 to position the tape 19 as the tape dispenser 16 wraps the tape 19 around the wire harness W. In one embodiment, the guide roll 34 and the roll holder 35 are positioned such that the axis A3 and the axis A4 intersect. In an alternative embodiment, the guide roll 34 and the roll holder 35 are positioned such that the axis A3 is offset from the axis A4 such that the axis A3 and the axis A4 do not intersect. The roll holder 35 is mounted to the rotatable tape dispenser 16 and acts as a bearing for a shaft 37 that defines the axis A4. One side of the shaft 37 is provided with an L-shaped bracket 39 to which the guide roll 34 is mounted. The other end of the shaft 37 is provided with a nut 41 for securing the shaft 37 to the roll holder 35.

[0051] In this embodiment, each member 30, 32 of the receptacle is guided by a respective pair of rods 31A, 31B and 33A, 33B. Like in the first embodiment each member 30, 32 of the receptacle is spring-loaded by means of a spring that is provided at the circumference of each rod 31A, 31B, 33A, 33B. It is appreciated that a spring may be provided on one of the pair of rods 31A, 31B and one of the pair of rods 33A, 33B.

[0052] According to a further embodiment, the receptacle is not composed of two separate members but integrally formed, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. In this embodiment, the members 30 and 32 still form a gap or slot 43 therebetween for guiding the tape 19. However, in this embodiment both members 30 and 32 are connected by means of a concavely curved web 50 having a curved wall 52 that is coplanar with the inner walls 36 and 38 of the members 30 and 32. The web 50 connects the two members 30 and 32. The gap or slot 43 may slightly extend into the web 50. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the surfaces on both sides of the gap or slot 43 are curved to allow the tape 19 to smoothly slide over these surfaces during taping.

[0053] When a taping process is initiated, the clamping element 22 is in the closed position such that the free end of the tape 19 is held between the clamping element 22 and the anvil 20 (see e.g., FIG. 5). The taping head 10 is located above the wire harness W and moved towards the wire harness W such that the wire harness W touches the walls 36, 38 of the members 30, 32 of the receptacle (see FIG. 3). As the taping head 10 is moved further downwards against the wire harness W, the members 30 and 32 are pushed upwards against the forces of the springs S1 and S2 such that the tape 19 contacts the wire harness W. The actuator 27 is actuated to rotate the clamping element 22 from the closed position shown in FIG. 2 to the open position shown in FIG. 1 after the wire harness W is fully received in the first and second apertures 14, 15, thereby releasing the free end of the tape 19. The tape dispenser 16 is then rotated around the center C in a first rotational direction (clockwise in FIG. 3) whereby the free end of the tape 19 is wrapped around the wire harness W in the first rotational direction. During this rotation, the inner wall 38 of the receptacle presses the free end of the tape 19 against the wire harness W while wrapping the free end around the wires. During this process step the taping head 10 is not or not substantially moved in a lengthwise direction (parallel to the wire harness W). Once the free end of the tape 19 is wrapped around the wire harness W a sufficient amount to secure the tape 19 to the wire harness W, the rotation of the tape dispenser 16 in the first rotational direction is stopped. The tape dispenser 16 is then rotated around the center C in a second rotational direction (counter-clockwise in FIG. 3), opposite the first rotational direction, whereby the tape 19 is wrapped around the wire harness W in the second rotational direction. Simultaneously with the rotation of the tape dispenser 16 in the second rotational direction, the taping head 10 is moved along a length of the wire harness W such that a desired section of the wire harness W is wrapped with the tape 19.

[0054] After the desired section of the wire harness W has been wrapped with the tape 19, the taping head 10 is moved away from the wire harness W which causes a length of tape 19 to extend between the wire harness W and the taping head 10. The taping head 10 is then moved into a position such that the tape 19 is guided over the contact surface 23 of the anvil 20 with the tape 19 being slightly tensioned such that no loops or undulations occur. Thereafter, the clamping element 22 is rotated about the axis Al by means of the actuator 27 and the tape 19 is cut and simultaneously clamped between the clamping element 22 and the anvil 20.

[0055] The taping head described above is very compact and light weight. The taping head can be used with standard taping rolls with tape that is adhesive on one side or on both sides and the taping process can be done automatically by means of a robot. The clamping and the cutting of the tape is done automatically.

[0056] While this invention has been described in terms of the preferred embodiments thereof, it is not intended to be so limited, but rather only to the extent set forth in the claims that follow. For example, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. In addition, many modifications may be made to configure a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Dimensions, types of materials, orientations of the various components, and the number and positions of the various components described herein are intended to define parameters of certain embodiments and are by no means limiting and are merely prototypical embodiments.

[0057] Many other embodiments and modifications within the spirit and scope of the claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the following claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

[0058] As used herein, ‘one or more’ includes a function being performed by one element, a function being performed by more than one element, e.g., in a distributed fashion, several functions being performed by one element, several functions being performed by several elements, or any combination of the above.

[0059] It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. are, in some instances, used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first contact could be termed a second contact, and, similarly, a second contact could be termed a first contact, without departing from the scope of the various described embodiments. The first contact and the second contact are both contacts, but they are not the same contact.

[0060] The terminology used in the description of the various described embodiments herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the various described embodiments and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “includes,” and/or “including,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

[0061] As used herein, the term “if” is, optionally, construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated condition or event] is detected” is, optionally, construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “upon detecting [the stated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],” depending on the context.

[0062] Additionally, while terms of ordinance or orientation may be used herein these elements should not be limited by these terms. All terms of ordinance or orientation, unless stated otherwise, are used for purposes distinguishing one element from another, and do not denote any order of arrangement, order of operations, direction or orientation unless stated otherwise.