Package making – Partial cover application – Band or tube
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-25
2003-04-29
Smith, Scott A. (Department: 3721)
Package making
Partial cover application
Band or tube
C053S586000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06553745
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a harness accommodating device used to accommodate harnesses manufactured by a harness manufacturing apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Harness manufacturing apparatuses that manufacture harnesses by connecting connectors to both end portions of electrical wires have been used in the past. The numerous harnesses manufactured by such a harness manufacturing apparatus are successively discharged into a tray, from the harness discharge part of the harness manufacturing apparatus. When these numerous harnesses are discharged into such a tray, the electrical wires of the discharged harnesses may become entangled with each other in the tray. Accordingly, the electrical wire portions of the harnesses are tied into bundles by means of a tape in order to prevent entanglement of the electrical wires with each other.
For example, the apparatus shown in
FIG. 8
is known as a harness manufacturing apparatus that performs such tying into bundles (see Japanese Patent No. 2942981).
This harness manufacturing apparatus performs the tying into bundles of a plurality of harnesses
109
, and is equipped with a pair of discharge guide rails
101
,
102
which are used to discharge the harnesses
109
. Furthermore, at the discharge ends of these discharge guide rails
101
and
102
, an adhesive tape
106
is installed by means of a wrapping unit, which consists of a tape holding block
103
and a tape tensioner
104
, so that this adhesive tape
106
cuts across the movement path of a plurality of electrical wires
105
gathered into bundles in a plurality of harnesses
109
.
As is shown in FIG.
8
(A), the plurality of electrical wires
105
gathered into bundles in a plurality of harnesses
109
move in the discharge direction through the area where the adhesive tape
106
is disposed while being caused to contact the adhesive surface of the adhesive tape
106
, so that the adhesive tape adheres to the periphery of the electrical wires
105
. In this case, the tip end holding part
107
a
of a tape tip end holding lever
107
is positioned on the recessed surface
103
a
of a tape holding block
103
, and holds the tip end of the adhesive tape
106
.
Furthermore, as the discharge of the harnesses
109
is continued, the protruding part
104
a
of the tape tensioner
104
reaches a position where it faces the recessed surface
103
a
of the tape holding block
103
, as shown in
FIG. 8
(B). As a result, the adhesive surfaces of the adhesive tape
106
adhere to each other, so that the tying into bundles of the electrical wires
105
that have been gathered into bundles is completed. In this case, the tape tip end holding lever
107
pivots so that the tip end holding part
107
a
is withdrawn from the recessed surface
103
a
. Then, the tape cutter
108
pivots so that it protrudes toward the tip end of the tape holding block
103
, and the electrical wires
105
that have been tied into a bundle are cut away from the following adhesive tape
106
. Then, the plurality of harnesses
109
in which the electrical wires
105
have been tied into a bundle are discharged to the outside, and are accommodated in a tray.
Although this is not shown in the figures, a harness manufacturing apparatus in which the suspended electrical wires can be tied into bundles for each harness by an automated process without human intervention is proposed in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2586251.
However, in both of these conventional harness manufacturing apparatuses, although the electrical wire portions of the harnesses can be tied into bundles, the harnesses in which the wires are thus tied into bundles are simply discharged into a tray. When the harnesses are simply discharged into a tray, the harnesses are scattered loosely inside the tray, which is extremely bothersome and inconvenient for workers who remove the harnesses from the tray and perform subsequent work. Accordingly, at the time that the harnesses are discharged, workers must constantly remove the harnesses and arrange the harnesses inside the tray. As a result, automated operation of the harness manufacturing apparatus is difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a harness accommodating device which is devised so that harnesses manufactured by a harness manufacturing apparatus can be accommodated by an automated process without human intervention, thus allowing automated operation of the harness manufacturing apparatus.
The harness accommodating device of the present invention is equipped with a transfer section which is installed in the harness discharge part of a harness manufacturing apparatus that manufactures harnesses by connecting connectors to both end portions of electrical wires, and which temporarily holds the aforementioned harnesses, a chuck which grips and conveys the aforementioned harnesses held by the aforementioned transfer section, and a bundle receiver which accommodates the aforementioned harnesses conveyed by the aforementioned chuck.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4087908 (1978-05-01), Fusco et al.
patent: 4551893 (1985-11-01), Ikeda et al.
patent: 4838407 (1989-06-01), Komuro
patent: 5606909 (1997-03-01), Ohta et al.
patent: 5951329 (1999-09-01), Kashihara
Suzuki Satoshi
Tanaka Hiromi
Nathaniel Chukwurah
Smith Scott A.
Tyco Electronics Amp K.K.
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