Metal working – Plural diverse manufacturing apparatus including means for... – Separate tool stations for selective or successive operation...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-01
2001-11-20
Briggs, William (Department: 3722)
Metal working
Plural diverse manufacturing apparatus including means for...
Separate tool stations for selective or successive operation...
C029S03300H, C029S755000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317961
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wire laying apparatus and to a wire laying method. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a wire laying mold used to lay a wire, and to a wire straightening mechanism used to straighten a wire laid on a wire laying mold. Finally, the present invention relates to a backup assembly of a press insulation-displacing mechanism to position a work piece with respect to a wire laying mold.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wire laying apparatus has been proposed for laying a wire in a wire laying mold. The wire laid by this previously proposed apparatus is transferred to a work piece while keeping a layout pattern of the wire. A wire laying surface of this mold is formed with a wire laying groove that forms the layout pattern. The layout pattern in the wire laying mold is an inverse of a desired layout pattern in the work piece.
The above-described wire laying apparatus is used by first laying the wire in the wire laying groove of the wire laying mold. The layout pattern of the wire then is finalized by cutting and removing any unnecessary portions of the wire. Subsequently, the work piece is placed above the wire laying mold with the wire laying surfaces of the work piece and the wire laying mold being opposed to each other. The wire then is transferred to the work piece by being pushed up toward the work piece by push-up pins that penetrate through the wire laying mold.
Such a work piece is provided with a holding member for holding the transferred wire in its layout pattern. Accordingly, the wire is laid in the work piece while being supported by the holding member and then is transferred from the wire laying mold to the work piece located thereabove.
As noted above, the aforementioned known wire laying apparatus is used by placing the work piece above the wire laying mold with the wire laying surface of the work piece opposed to that of the wire laying mold while laying the wire in the work piece. Thus, it is difficult to position the holding member of the work piece with respect to the layout pattern formed on the wire laying mold. This difficulty may lead to a reduction in operability and a higher defect rate of products.
A wire laying mold of the above mentioned type conventionally has been made of a metal, and has been formed with a wire laying groove that conforms with a specified position and a specified layout pattern of an insulated wire. In other words, the wire laying groove is formed by cutting the wire laying mold to produce a wire laying mold of a specified shape. The insulated wire then is laid along the wire laying groove of the wire laying mold. However, with the before mentioned conventional wire laying mold, a plurality of wire laying molds having wire laying grooves corresponding to the positions and layout patterns of the insulated wire have to be prepared. Thus, a single wire laying mold cannot accommodate different positions and layout patterns of the insulated wire, and therefore cannot provide a wide range of applications.
Generally, the wire is laid along a wire laying groove in the wire laying mold before being urged into the groove. In this case, the wire laid in the wire laying groove may be buckled or twisted. Such buckling and twisting of the wire may cause a reduction in the operability of processes performed after the wire is laid. To solve this problem, there has been a demand for the removal of buckles and twists of the wire laid in the wire laying mold.
Unnecessary portions of the wire are removed while laying the wire along the wire laying groove formed in the wire laying mold. Thereafter, the wire laying mold that carries the wire laid in the specified pattern is positioned with respect to the work piece, such as an insulating substrate, to transfer the wire on the wire laying mold to the work piece. In other words, the work piece is fixed in a specified position above the wire laying mold, and the wire laying mold is movably provided to be positioned in conformity with the work piece.
However, in the aforementioned positioning mechanism, the wire in the specified pattern on the wire laying mold is a mirror image to a layout pattern of the wire to be laid on the work, i.e. oriented in an opposite direction. Accordingly, the work and the wire laying mold may not be positioned properly when the wire on the wire laying mold is transferred to the work.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problems and an object thereof is to provide a wire laying apparatus and a wire laying method which can position a wire easily and securely with respect to a work or work piece when laying the wire in the work or work piece, thereby improving an operability and reducing a defect rate.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a wire laying mold which can accommodate different positions and layout patterns of a wire and which can provide a wider range of application.
It is a another object of the invention to provide a wire straightening mechanism which can straighten a wire laid in a wire laying mold by removing buckles and twists of the wire.
Furthermore, it is a further object of the invention to provide a backup assembly of a press insulation-displacing mechanism which can properly position a work piece and a wire laying mold with respect to each other when a wire laid on the wire laying mold is transferred to the work.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, there is provided a wire laying apparatus for laying a wire on a work piece. The apparatus comprises a wire laying mechanism for laying the wire on a wire laying mold substantially from above the wire laying mold. A press cutting mechanism is provided for pressing the wire after being laid and cutting unnecessary portions of the wire, and a press insulation-displacing or transferring mechanism is provided for transferring the wire after the press cutting from the wire laying mold to the work piece that is located below the wire laying mold. Accordingly, the wire can be positioned easily with respect to the work piece when the wire is laid on the work piece, thereby improving an operability.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the press insulation-displacing mechanism comprises a press insulation-displacing assembly, and the wire is brought or bringable substantially into contact with wire mounts and insulation-displacing pieces of the work piece by an insulation-displacing portion of the press insulation-displacing assembly. Accordingly, the wire can be laid on the work piece while being pushed into contact with the wire mounts and the insulation-displacing pieces by the pushing portion of the press insulation-displacing assembly.
Preferably, a pair of recesses are formed at the leading end of each insulation-displacing portion which is formed to have a substantially T-shaped cross-section. Accordingly, the pushing portions can have their pushing degree controlled by the T-shaped cross section of the leading ends of the pushing portions, and can be brought stably into contact with the wire to be transferred from the wire laying mold to the work piece.
Further preferably, the press cutting mechanism and the insulation-displacing mechanism are provided on a base, and a turntable is provided on the base for conveying the work piece to positions corresponding to the wire laying mechanism, the press cutting mechanism and the insulation-displacing mechanism while holding the work piece.
Still further preferably, the wire laying mechanism comprises a wire feeder provided on or at a side of the base, and a wire laying robot is provided on the base. A backup assembly also is provided on the base so that the turntable is arranged substantially between the wire laying robot and the backup assembly.
Most preferably, the press cutting mechanism comprises a press cutting assembly provided on the base, and a backup assembly provided on the base so that the turntable is arranged substantially between the press cutting assembly and the backup assembly.
According to t
Briggs William
Casella Anthony J.
Hespos Gerald E.
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
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