Method and device for producing a cable

Abstract

A method and a device for producing a twisted line comprising at least two wires. The at least two wires are unwound from at least one take-off spool and are twisted in a twisting unit to form the twisted line, wherein the twisting unit has a first roller and a second roller and the at least two wires are supplied to a twisting area between the two rollers and are twisted by turning the rollers in the same direction.

Claims

1. A method for producing a twisted line with at least two wires, the at least two wires being unwound from at least one take-off spool and are twisted into the twisted line in a twisting unit, wherein the twisting unit has a first roller and a second roller and the at least two wires are fed to a twisting area between the first roller and the second roller and are twisted together in the twisting area between the first roller and the second roller by rotating the first roller and the second roller in a same direction as each other.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first roller has a conical shape.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a length of lay of the twisted line is set by a longitudinal displacement of at least one roller of the first roller and the second roller.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least two wires, after unwinding and before twisting, are fed to a feed unit, wherein the at least two wires run separately through the feed unit.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least two wires are fixed after twisting.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein after the twisting, the twisted line is guided through a fixing unit in which the at least two wires are glued together.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one take-off spool rotates.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the twisted line is designed as a UTP line.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is designed as an endless method.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the twisted line is drawn off by a drawing unit arranged downstream of the twisting unit.

11. A device for producing a twisted line, the device extending along a production direction and comprising: at least one take-off spool for unwinding at least two wires; and a twisting unit to which the at least two wires are fed, the twisting unit being arranged downstream of the at least one take-off spool in the direction of production, wherein the twisting unit has a first roller rotating about a first axis of rotation and second roller rotating about a second axis of rotation, wherein the first roller and the second roller extend along the production direction, are arranged next to one another and have a twisting area therebetween, wherein the at least two wires are fed to be twisted together in the twisting area into a twisted line, and wherein the production direction is a direction along which the twisted line extends.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the first roller has a conical shape and the second roller has a cylindrical shape.

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein at least the second roller is displaceable in and against the production direction for setting a lay length of the twisted line.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a device for producing a twisted line,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a simplified side view of a twisting unit and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a simplified side view of a twisting unit with shifted rollers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows a roughly outlined block diagram of the method. For better understanding, the method is explained below using a device provided for this purpose. The explanations and descriptions thus provide a more detailed understanding of the process.

(6) In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, the method steps for producing a twisted line 2 from two wires 4 are shown. The wires 4 are wound on take-off spools 6 in order to ensure space-saving storage on the one hand and easy transport of the wires 4 on the other. The wires 4 are unwound from the take-off spools 6. In order to facilitate unwinding, the take-off spools 6 are rotatably mounted. In the exemplary embodiment, the take-off spools 6 are arranged on rotary tables 8 which, for example, form a rotatable arrangement by means of rotating elements 10. In the present case, rotary element 10 is understood to mean, for example, a shaft that can be rotated about an axis of rotation and/or a rotary bearing. In particular, the take-off spools 6 are rotatably supported passively, i.e. they are not actively driven, for example by means of a motor.

(7) After unwinding from the take-off spools 6, the wires 4 are passed into a feed unit 12. In the feed unit 12, the wires 4 are separated and passed through a feed channel 14, in which they experience a calming. Calming is understood here to mean that vibrations of the wires 4 which occur, for example, as a result of unwinding, are damped in the feed channel 14. For this purpose, the feed channel 14 has a diameter which is, for example, only 1 mm to 5 mm larger than the diameter of the wires 4. In this way, it is achieved that vibrating wires 4 strike an inner wall of the feed channel 14 and are thereby damped.

(8) After passing through the feed unit 12, the wires 4 are fed to a twisting unit 16. In the shown embodiment, the twisting unit 16 has a first roller 18 and a second roller 20, which are usually arranged in a housing (not shown here). The two rollers 18, 20 are each rotatably supported by means of a rotary shaft 22 and each rotate about an axis of rotation R1, R2, which corresponds to the respective rotary shaft 22. The rollers 18, 20 are arranged along a longitudinal or production direction 24. In the present case, production direction 24 is understood to mean specifically a direction along which the wires 4 and the twisted line 2 extend within the twisting device, that is to say within the area between the feed unit 12 and an area after the twisting unit 16. The individual method steps from the wires 4 to the twisted line 2 are carried out along the production direction 24.

(9) The first roller 18 has a conical shape. In the exemplary embodiment, the conical shape of the first roller 18 is designed such that a diameter D1 of the first roller 18 viewed in the direction of production 24 has a steady and continuously increasing value. In other words: viewed in the direction of production 24, the first roller 18 thickens. The second roller 20 has a shape in the manner of a cylinder, i.e., a diameter D2 of the second roller 20 has a constant value along a length L of the second roller 20 and viewed in the direction of production 24. Due to the conical configuration, the first axis of rotation R1 is inclined, for example by an angle in the range from 10° to 30° to the direction of production 24 and also to the second axis of rotation R2, which runs parallel to the direction of production 24. The production direction 24 and the two axes of rotation R1, R2 are arranged within a common plane, which according to FIG. 1 is spanned by the paper plane.

(10) The lateral surfaces of the two rollers 18, 20 run parallel to one another in the region in which they lie opposite one another and thus also parallel to the direction of production 24.

(11) Both rollers 18, 20 are therefore aligned in and along the production direction 24 and thus in the direction of the lines 4 or the twisted line 2. This means that the rollers 18, 20 have a longitudinal extension that is oriented in the direction of production 24. The respective axis of rotation R1, R2 of the rollers 18, 20 runs parallel to the production direction 24 and thus parallel to the wires 4 and the twisted line 2. At least one directional component of the respective axis of rotation R1, R2 runs parallel to the direction of production 24. This is understood to mean that the axis of rotation R1, R2 runs at least within a plane that is spanned by the production direction 24 and a further direction. The axis of rotation R1, R2 can therefore also be inclined at an angle to the direction of production 24. Under parallel it is understood therefore an exactly parallel orientation or a mostly parallel orientation for example with deviations of a maximum of +/31 20°, preferably of a maximum of +/−10° and further preferably of a maximum of +/−5° from the exact parallel orientation.

(12) In this respect, the two rollers 18, 20 are thus arranged along or in the direction of the production direction 24 in the embodiment. A twisting area 26 is formed between them, into which the wires 4 are introduced for twisting. In the embodiment, the rollers 18, 20 rotate in the same direction for example clockwise. As a result, the rotational movements of the rollers 18, 20 are directed in opposite directions in the twisting area 26.

(13) In the following, the twisting of the wires 4 to the line 2 within the twisting unit 16 is briefly discussed: When the wires 4 are introduced into the twisting area 26, the rollers 18, 20 in the shown embodiment each “capture” a wire line 4 and “takes” it along due to its movement. In other words: the first roller 18 rotates in the twisting area 26, for example, to the left (viewed in the direction of production 24). One of the line cores 4 is picked up by the first roller 18 when it is introduced and is guided to the left. Analogously to this, the second roller 20 rotates away to the right in the twisting area 26 and guides the other of the two wires 4 to the right. The wires 4 are thus twisted. By alternating this process and driving the wires 4 within the twisting unit 16, the twisted line 2 is generated. In order to optimize the twisting of the wires 4 by means of the rollers 18, 20, the surfaces of the rollers 18, 20 have a material with a high static friction. For example, the surfaces of the rollers 18, 20 are rubberized in the exemplary embodiment. Due to the increasing diameter D1 of the first roller 18, viewed in the direction of production 24, the circumferential speed of the first roller 18 increases in the direction of production 24.

(14) The increase in the circumferential speed results in an increase in the twisting of the wires 4, which results in a shorter lay length of the twisted line 2. The shorter lay length has the advantage that the twisted line 2 is more resistant to a possible untwist and the wires 4 are thus twisted more tightly compared to a line which has a longer lay length. In particular, at least the second roller 20 can be displaced in and against a longitudinal direction. In the exemplary embodiment, the longitudinal direction corresponds to the production direction 24. The advantage of the longitudinal displacement of the at least second roller 20 can be seen in the production of twisted lines 2 with different lay lengths. This is discussed in more detail with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3.

(15) After twisting the wires 4 in the twisting unit 16 to the line 2, the latter is passed into a fixing unit 28. In the fixing unit 28, the twisted wires 4 are fixed together, for example glued. For this purpose, for example, an adhesive is sprayed onto the twisted line 2 within the fixing unit 28 and cured, for example by means of heat. Alternatively, the wires 4 have an activatable coating, which is activated, for example, by heat and/or UV light when passing through the fixing unit 28, and irreversibly fixes the twisted wires 4 together.

(16) After passing through the fixing unit 28, the twisted line 2 is wound on a transport spool 30 to simplify storage and transport.

(17) In the exemplary embodiment, the described method is designed as a so-called endless method. This means that, in particular, no individual sections of the twisted line 2 are manufactured, but rather the twisted line 2 is produced in the manner of yard goods known in common parlance. In the present case, endless method is understood to mean a maximum holding capacity of the transport spool 30. Transport spool 30 of this type have, for example, a holding capacity for lines with a length in the range from 1000 m to 2000 m. The twisted line 2 produced by means of the described endless method thus serves in particular for subsequent assembly, for example at a wholesaler and/or a customer. Subsequently is to be understood here especially as a time after the production of the twisted line 2 . A drawing unit 32 is arranged between the twisting unit 16 and the transport spool 30 for winding onto the transport spool 30 and for unwinding from the take-off spools 6.

(18) The twisted line 2 is guided through the drawing unit 32 and experiences a tensile force in it in the production direction 24. The tensile force acts, for example, by means of drawing rolls 34 arranged laterally on the twisted line 2.

(19) FIG. 2 shows a sketched side view of a twisting unit 16, in particular a first roller 18 and a second roller 20. The rollers 18, 20 in FIG. 2 are not displaced relative to one another in the production direction 24, so that they are each arranged flush with one another at a roller start 36 and a roller end 38. In particular, the conical shape of the first roller 18 increases the circumferential speed of the first roller 18. The higher circumferential speed also increases the twisting speed with which the wires 4 are stranded. The circumferential speed of the first roller 18, in particular, is correlated inversely proportional to the lay length, so that an increase in the circumferential speed results in a shortening of the lay length.

(20) The lay length is determined in particular by the roller end 38, i.e., the wires 4 are twisted in the twisting area 26 until they are led out of the twisting unit 16 at the roller end 38. However, the wires 4 are only twisted if they are arranged between the two rollers 18, 20. In the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2, the wires 4 are twisted over the entire length L of the second roller 20. A maximum diameter Dmax at the roller end 38 defines the peripheral speed and thus the twisting speed and the resulting lay length of the twisted line 2. For the sake of a more detailed description, the roller position according to FIG. 2 of the exemplary embodiment is also referred to in the present case as maximum position M, since in such a roller position the wires 4 are twisted to a maximum possible, with regard to the geometric properties of the rollers 18, 20. Due to the longitudinal displaceability in and against the production direction 24, the roller position according to FIG. 3 is also possible.

(21) FIG. 3 shows the second roller 20 displaced by a displacement ΔI from the maximum position and counter to the direction of production 24. The twisting area 26 in which the wires 4 are twisted is reduced in such a roller position—also referred to here as the displaced position A. Thus, in the embodiment according to FIG. 3, the diameter D.sub.max does not determine the peripheral speed and thus also the twisting speed. In FIG. 3, the twisting area 26 required for the twisting ends with a displacement by ΔI from the maximum position M. Thus, the diameter D.sub.A at this point S defines the peripheral speed and thus the twisting speed as well as the resulting lay length of the twisted line 2. Due to the fact that the diameter D.sub.A has a smaller value than the diameter Dmax, the peripheral speed at the point—also referred to as the twist point V—consequently also has a lower value than at the roller end 38.

(22) This in turn leads to a longer lay length of the twisted line 2 in comparison to the twisted line 2 produced with the roller position M.

(23) Alternatively, the first roller 18 can also be displaced in and counter to the production direction 24. Due to the configuration of the displaceability of the at least second roller 20 in the longitudinal direction, twisted lines 2 can be individually manufactured with regard to their lay lengths with only one twisting unit. The method described has the advantage that it can be used to manufacture such twisted lines in a simple and inexpensive manner.

(24) The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.