Cable Processing System

A cable processing system includes a cable supply unit supplying a cable. A cable coiling unit of the system coils the supplied cable into a cable coil. The coiled cable is bundled by a cable coil binding unit. A cable coil loading unit loads the bundled cable coil, and a cable coil conveying unit conveys the bundled cable coil to the cable coil loading unit.

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Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. CN202121857843.5 filed on Aug. 10, 2021, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates a cable processing system.

BACKGROUND

In the prior art, in order to facilitate transportation, cables need to be coiled into a cable coils. Then, the coiled cable coil is typically bundled to prevent the cable coil from loosening during transportation. The bundled cable coil is then transported and loaded onto the cable coil loading device. Unfortunately, in the prior art, there is no automatic cable processing equipment that can automatically realize the above processes.

SUMMARY

A cable processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cable supply unit supplying a cable. A cable coiling unit of the system coils the supplied cable into a cable coil. The coiled cable is bundled by a cable coil binding unit, after which it is loaded by a cable coil loading unit. A cable coil conveying unit conveys the bundled cable coil to the cable coil loading unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative perspective view of a cable processing system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative perspective view of a cable supply unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative perspective view of a cable coiling device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows the partial schematic diagram of the cable coiling device shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative perspective view of a clamping device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative perspective view of a cutting device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative perspective view of a cable coil binding unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows a plan view of a cable coiling unit and a cable coil binding unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows an illustrative perspective view of a cable coil conveying unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 shows an illustrative perspective view of a cable coil loading unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein the like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.

A cable processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cable supply unit for supplying cables; a cable coiling unit for coiling the supplied cable into a cable coil; a cable coil binding unit used to bind the coiled cable coil; a cable coil loading unit, which is used to load the bundled cable coil; and a cable coil conveying unit, which is used to convey the bundled cable coil to the cable coil loading unit.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative perspective view of a cable processing system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The cable processing system mainly includes: a cable supply unit 100, a cable coiling unit 200, a cable coil binding unit 300, a cable coil conveying unit 400 and a cable coil loading unit 500. The cable supply unit 100 is used to supply the cable 10. The cable coiling unit 200 is used for coiling the supplied cable 10 into a cable coil 11. The cable coil binding unit 300 is used to bind the coiled cable coil 11. The coil loading unit 500 is used to load the bundled coil 11. The cable coil conveying unit 400 is used to convey the bundled coil 11 to the coil loading unit 500.

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative perspective view of a cable coiling device 210 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 shows a partial schematic diagram of the cable coiling device 210 shown in FIG. 3. As shown, the cable coiling unit 200 includes a coiling device 210. The coiling device 210 includes a rotating disc 213 and a plurality of fingers 214. The plurality of fingers 214 are mounted on the rotating disc 213 and can rotate with the rotating disc 213. The plurality of fingers 214 are evenly spaced around the circumferential direction of the rotating disc 213, and the cable 10 is coiled on the plurality of fingers 214.

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative perspective view of a clamping device 220 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3-5 the cable coiling unit 200 also includes a clamping device 220 for clamping the cable end 10a. The clamping device 220 mainly includes a rotating frame 222 and a gripper 223. The gripper 223 is mounted on the rotating frame 222 and can rotate with the rotating frame 222. When the cable coiling unit 200 winds the cable 10, the gripper 223 clamps the cable end 10a, the rotating disc 213 is moved to a position where its rotation axis coincides with the rotation axis of the rotating frame 222, and the rotating disc 213 and the rotating frame 222 rotate synchronously at the same rotation speed in the same rotation direction.

The coiling device 210 includes a fixed frame 211 and a movable frame 212. The movable frame 212 is movably mounted on the fixed frame 211. The rotating disc 213 is rotatably mounted on the movable frame 212 and can rotate about a rotation axis perpendicular to the horizontal direction (i.e., a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction).

In the exemplary embodiment, the movable frame 212 can move in a horizontal direction relative to the gripper 223, so that the length of the cable end 10a clamped by the gripper 223 can be adjusted. The cable end 10a refers to the uncoiled free end of the cable coil 11. In the illustrated embodiment, during adjusting the length of the cable end 10a, the gripper 223 holds the cable end 10a and remains stationary, the movable frame 212 moves in a horizontal direction relative to the gripper 223, and the rotating disc 213 rotates at a rotation speed in a rotation direction. The rotation speed and the rotation direction of the rotating disc 213 should match the moving speed and the moving direction of the movable frame 212. The plurality of fingers 214 are movably mounted on the rotating disc 213 and can move synchronously along the radial direction of the rotating disc 213, so that the diameter of the coiled cable coil 11 can be adjusted.

The coiling device 210 further includes a first driving device 215, a second driving device 216 and a third driving device 217. The first driving device 215 is mounted on the movable frame 212 to drive the rotating disc 213 to rotate. The second driving device 216 is mounted on the fixed frame 211 to drive the movable frame 212 to move. The third driving device 217 is mounted on the movable frame 212 to drive the plurality of fingers 214 to move synchronously.

The clamping device 220 includes a support frame 221, a fourth driving device 224 and a fifth driving device 225. The rotating frame 222 is rotatably mounted on the support frame 221 and can rotate about a rotation axis perpendicular to the horizontal direction. The fourth drive device 224 is mounted on the support frame 221 to drive the rotating frame 222 to rotate. The fifth drive 225 is mounted on the rotating frame 222 to drive the gripper 223 to open and close.

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative perspective view of a cutting device 230 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3-6 the cable coiling unit 200 also includes the cutting device 230 for cutting off the supplied cable 10. The cutting device 230 includes a cutting tool 233 and a first driving mechanism 235 and 236. The first driving mechanism 235 and 236 is used to drive the cutting tool 233 to open and close.

The cutting device 230 also includes a fixed plate 231, a movable plate 232 and a second driving mechanism 237. The movable plate 232 is movably mounted on the fixed plate 231 and can move in a vertical direction parallel to the rotation axis of the rotating disc 213. The second drive mechanism 237 is mounted on the fixed plate 231 to drive the movable plate 232 to move in the vertical direction. The cutting tool 233 is mounted on the movable plate 232 and can move with the movable plate 232. The cutting tool 233 includes a pair of cutting blades which are slidably mounted on the movable plate 232. The first driving mechanism 235 and 236 includes a driving plate 235 and a driver 236. The driver 236 is connected with the driving plate 235 to drive the driving plate 235 to move in the vertical direction.

A pair of cylindrical protrusions 234 are respectively formed on the pair of cutting blades, a pair of inclined guide slots 235a are formed on the driving plate 235, and the cylindrical protrusions 234 on the pair of cutting blades are respectively slidably assembled in the pair of inclined guide slots 235a. When the driving plate 235 is moved, the pair of inclined guide slots 235a drive the pair of cutting blades to move far away from each other or close to each other.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an illustrative perspective view of a cable supply unit 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is provided. The cable supply unit 100 mainly includes a cable driving mechanism 110, a cable straightening mechanism 120, and a length detection device 130. The cable driving mechanism 110 is used to drive the cable 10 to move toward the cable coiling unit 200. The cable straightening mechanism 120 is arranged upstream of the cable driving mechanism 110 for straightening the cable 10. The length detecting device 130 is arranged downstream of the cable driving mechanism 110 to detect the length of the cable 10 transmitted from the cable driving mechanism 110. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the length detection device 130 may be an encoder.

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative perspective view of a cable coil binding unit 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 shows a schematic plan view of a cable coiling unit 200 and a cable coiling unit 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring generally to FIGS. 1-8, the cable coil binding unit 300 mainly includes: a tape supply device 340 and 380 and a tape winding device 330 and 370. The tape supply device 340 and 380 is used to supply the adhesive tape 301. The tape winding device 330 and 370 is used to wind the supplied adhesive tape 301 on the coiled cable coil 11 to ensure that the cable coil 11 will not be loosened.

The cable coil binding unit 300 also includes a fixed base 310, a movable base 320, and a first driver 360. The movable base 320 is movably mounted on the fixed base 310 and can move in a horizontal direction. The first driver 360 is mounted on the fixed base 310 to drive the movable base 320 to move in the horizontal direction. The tape supply device 340 and 380 and the tape winding device 330 and 370 are mounted on the movable base 320 and can move with the movable base 320. The cable coil binding unit 300 also includes a cable coil support platform 350, which is mounted on the movable base 320 to support the cable coil 11. The tape supply device 340 and 380 includes a tape supply wheel 340 and a second driver 380. The second driver 380 is used to drive the tape supply wheel 340 to rotate to supply the adhesive tape 301. The tape winding device 330 and 370 includes a tape winding wheel 330 and a third driver 370. The third driver 370 is used to drive the tape winding wheel 330 to rotate to wind the adhesive tape 301 onto the cable coil 11.

FIG. 10 shows an illustrative perspective view of a cable coil loading unit 500 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The cable coil loading unit 500 includes a cable clamp 510, a first floating support device 520, and a second floating support device 530. The cable clamp 510 is used to clamp the cable end 10a of the loaded cable coil 11. The first floating support device 520 is adapted to float in a vertical direction. The second floating support device 530 is adapted to float in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. The cable clamp 510 is mounted on the first floating support device 520, and the first floating support device 520 is mounted on the second floating support device 530, so that the cable clamp 510 can float in the horizontal and vertical directions.

The first floating support device 520 includes a first fixed support 521, a first movable support 522, and a first elastic element 523. The first movable support 522 is mounted on the first fixed support 521 and can be moved in a vertical direction. The first elastic element 523 is connected to the first movable support 522 and is adapted to apply an elastic force in a vertical direction to the first movable support 522. The cable clamp 510 is fixed to the first movable support 522 and can move in the vertical direction with the first movable support 522.

The second floating support device 530 includes a second fixed support 531, a second movable support 532, and a second elastic element 533. The second movable support 532 is mounted on the second fixed support 531 and can be moved in a horizontal direction. The second elastic element 533 is connected to the second movable support 532 and is adapted to apply a horizontal elastic force to the second movable support 532. The first fixed support 521 is fixed to the second movable support 532 and can move in the horizontal direction with the second movable support 532. The cable coil loading unit 500 also includes a cable coil hook 540. The cable coil hook 540 is fixed to the second fixed support 531 and has a hook part for hooking the cable coil 11.

FIG. 9 shows an illustrative perspective view of a cable coil conveying unit 400 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 9, in the illustrated embodiment, the cable coil conveying unit 400 includes two conveying devices 410. Each conveying device 410 includes a fixed support frame 411, a first movable support frame 412, a second movable support frame 413, and a cable clamping device 414. The first movable support frame 412 is movably mounted on the fixed support frame 411 and can move in a vertical direction. The second movable support frame 413 is movably mounted on the first movable support frame 412 and can move in a horizontal direction. The cable clamping device 414 is installed on the second movable support frame 413 to clamp the cable end 10a of the cable coil 11. The conveying device 410 further includes a first driving unit 415 and a second driving unit 416. The first drive unit 415 is mounted on the fixed support frame 411 to drive the first movable support frame 412 to move in the vertical direction. The second drive unit 416 is mounted on the first movable support frame 412 to drive the second movable support frame 413 to move in the horizontal direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1-10, after the cable coil 11 is bundled, the two conveying devices 410 of the cable coil conveying unit 400 respectively clamp the two cable ends 10a of the cable coil 11, and then convey the cable coil 11 to the cable coil loading unit 500. The two cable clamps 510 of the cable coil loading unit 500 respectively clamp the two cable ends 10a of the cable coil 11, and the cable coil 11 is hooked to the cable coil hook 540.

In addition, those areas in which it is believed that those of ordinary skill in the art are familiar, have not been described herein in order not to unnecessarily obscure the invention described. Accordingly, it has to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the specific illustrative embodiments, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

It should be appreciated for those skilled in this art that the above embodiments are intended to be illustrated, and not restrictive. For example, many modifications may be made to the above embodiments by those skilled in this art, and various features described in different embodiments may be freely combined with each other without conflicting in configuration or principle.

Although several exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

As used herein, an element recited in the singular and proceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding plural of the elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments “comprising” or “having” an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional such elements not having that property.

Claims

1. A cable processing system, comprising:

a cable supply unit adapted to supply a cable;
a cable coiling unit adapted to coil the supplied cable into a cable coil;
a cable coil binding unit adapted to bundle the cable coil;
a cable coil loading unit adapted to load the bundled cable coil; and
a cable coil conveying unit adapted to convey the bundled cable coil to the cable coil loading unit.

2. The cable processing system according to claim 1, wherein the cable coiling unit comprises a coiling device including a rotating disc, and a plurality of fingers mounted on the rotating disc to rotate with the rotating disc, the plurality of fingers being evenly spaced around the circumferential direction of the rotating disc and adapted to coil the cable thereon.

3. The cable processing system according to claim 2, wherein the cable coiling unit further comprises a clamping device adapted to clamp the cable end, the clamping device including a rotating frame, and a gripper installed on the rotating frame to rotate with the rotating frame, when the cable coiling unit coils the cable, the gripper clamps the cable end, the rotation axis of the rotating disc coincides with the rotation axis of the rotating frame, and the rotating disc rotates synchronously with the rotating frame at the same rotation speed in the same rotation direction.

4. The cable processing system according to claim 3, wherein the coiling device further comprises:

a fixed frame; and
a movable frame movably mounted on the fixed frame, the rotating disc is rotatably mounted on the movable frame to rotate around a rotating axis perpendicular to a horizontal direction, the movable frame is movable in the horizontal direction relative to the gripper, so that the length of the cable end clamped by the gripper is capable of being adjusted, the plurality of fingers are movably mounted on the rotating disc to move synchronously along the radial direction of the rotating disc, so that the diameter of the coiled cable coil is capable of being adjusted, during adjusting the length of the cable end, the gripper clamps the cable end, the movable frame moves in the horizontal direction relative to the gripper, and the rotating disc rotates at a rotation speed in a rotation direction, the moving speed and the moving direction of the movable frame respectively match the rotation speed and the rotation direction of the rotating disc.

5. The cable processing system according to claim 4, wherein the coiling device further comprises:

a first driving device mounted on the movable frame and driving the rotating disc to rotate;
a second driving device mounted on the fixed frame and driving the movable frame to move; and
a third driving device installed on the movable frame and driving the plurality of fingers to move synchronously.

6. The cable processing system according to claim 5, wherein the clamping device further comprises:

a support frame on which the rotating frame is rotatably mounted to rotate about the rotation axis perpendicular to the horizontal direction;
a fourth driving device mounted on the support frame and driving the rotating frame to rotate; and
a fifth driving device installed on the rotating frame to drive the gripper to open and close.

7. The cable processing system according to claim 3, wherein the cable coiling unit further comprises a cutting device adapted to cut off the supplied cable including a cutting tool, and a first driving mechanism driving the cutting tool to open and close.

8. The cable processing system according to claim 7, wherein the cutting device further comprises:

a fixed plate;
a movable plate movably mounted on the fixed plate to move in a vertical direction parallel to the rotation axis of the rotating disc; and
a second driving mechanism mounted on the fixed plate for driving the movable plate to move in the vertical direction, wherein the cutting tool is installed on the movable plate to move with the movable plate.

9. The cable processing system according to claim 8, wherein the cutting tool comprises a pair of cutting blades slidably mounted on the movable plate, and the first driving mechanism comprises:

a driving plate; and
a driver connected with the driving plate for driving the driving plate to move in the vertical direction, wherein a pair of cylindrical protrusions are respectively formed on the pair of cutting blades, a pair of inclined guide slots are formed in the driving plate, and the cylindrical protrusions on the pair of cutting blades are respectively slidably assembled in the pair of inclined guide slots, wherein when the driving plate is moved, the pair of inclined guide slots drive the pair of cutting blades to move away from each other or close to each other.

10. The cable processing system according to claim 1, wherein the cable supply unit comprises:

a cable driving mechanism for driving the cable to move towards the cable coiling unit;
a cable straightening mechanism arranged upstream of the cable driving mechanism for straightening the cable; and
a length detecting device arranged downstream of the cable driving mechanism for detecting the length of the cable transmitted from the cable driving mechanism.

11. The cable processing system according to claim 1, wherein the cable coil binding unit comprises:

a tape supply device for supplying adhesive tape; and
a tape winding device for winding the supplied adhesive tape on the coiled cable coil to ensure that the cable coil will not be loosened.

12. The cable processing system according to claim 11, wherein the cable coil binding unit further comprises:

a fixed base;
a movable base movably mounted on the fixed base to move in a horizontal direction; and
a first driver mounted on the fixed base for driving the movable base to move in the horizontal direction, wherein the tape supply device and the tape winding device are mounted on the movable base to move with the movable base.

13. The cable processing system according to claim 12, wherein the tape supply device comprises:

a tape supply wheel; and
a second driver for driving the tape supply wheel to rotate to supply the adhesive tape, wherein the tape winding device comprises:
a tape winding wheel; and
a third driver for driving the tape winding wheel to rotate and wind the adhesive tape onto the cable coil.

14. The cable processing system according to claim 12, wherein the cable coil binding unit further includes a cable coil support platform installed on the movable base to support the cable coil.

15. The cable processing system according to claim 1, wherein the cable coil loading unit comprises:

a cable clamp for clamping the cable end of the loaded cable coil;
a first floating support device adapted to float in a vertical direction; and
a second floating support device adapted to float in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, wherein the cable clamp is mounted on the first floating support device, and the first floating support device is mounted on the second floating support device, so that the cable clamp is adapted to float in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

16. The cable processing system according to claim 15, wherein the first floating support device comprises:

a first fixed support;
a first movable support mounted on the first fixed support to move in the vertical direction; and
a first elastic element connected to the first movable support and adapted to apply an elastic force in the vertical direction to the first movable support, wherein the cable clamp is fixed to the first movable support to move in the vertical direction with the first movable support.

17. The cable processing system according to claim 16, wherein the second floating support device comprises:

a second fixed support;
a second movable support mounted on the second fixed support to move in the horizontal direction; and
a second elastic element connected to the second movable support and adapted to apply a horizontal elastic force to the second movable support, wherein the first fixed support is fixed to the second movable support to move in the horizontal direction with the second movable support.

18. The cable processing system according to claim 17, wherein the cable coil loading unit further comprises a cable coil hook which is fixed to the second fixed support and has a hook part for hooking the cable coil.

19. The cable processing system according to claim 1, wherein the cable coil conveying unit comprises two conveying devices, each conveying device comprising:

a fixed support frame;
a first movable support frame movably mounted on the fixed support frame to move in a vertical direction;
a second movable support frame movably mounted on the first movable support frame to move in a horizontal direction; and
a cable clamping device installed on the second movable support frame for clamping the cable end of the cable coil.

20. The cable processing system according to claim 19, wherein the conveying device further comprises:

a first driving unit mounted on the fixed support frame and driving the first movable support frame to move in the vertical direction; and
a second driving unit mounted on the first movable support frame and driving the second movable support frame to move in the horizontal direction.
Patent History
Publication number: 20230049830
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 10, 2022
Publication Date: Feb 16, 2023
Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd (Shanghai), TE Connectivity Services GmbH (Schaffhausen)
Inventors: An (Joshua) Yang (Shanghai), Lvhai (Samuel) Hu (Shanghai), Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu (Bellevue, WA)
Application Number: 17/884,974
Classifications
International Classification: B65H 54/62 (20060101); B65H 54/58 (20060101); B65H 54/74 (20060101); B65H 61/00 (20060101); B65H 81/02 (20060101); B65H 35/06 (20060101);