EP3766814A1 - Cable supply device, cable processing system and method for feeding a cable to a cable processing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A cable feed device (1) for feeding a cable (3) to a cable processing machine (2) is proposed, the cable feed device (1) having a first rotatable roller (95) and a second rotatable roller (96) for guiding the cable (3) in such a way that the cable (3) can be arranged to wrap around the first roller (95) and the second roller (96), the cable feed device (1) having a cable drive (4) for transporting the cable (3), the first roller (95) is arranged stationary, wherein the cable feed device (1) is designed such that the second roller (96) pushes or is pulled away from the first roller (95) with a force, the second roller (96) having a first state and may have a second state, wherein the second roller (96) is locked in the first state in a first position and is moved in the second state by the force such that the distance between the first roller (95) and the second roller (96) changed depending on the length of the cable (3) between the two rollers (95, 96).

Description

The invention relates to a cable feed device, a cable processing system and a method for feeding a cable to a cable processing machine.

Cable feed devices are used to pull cables from a container or a cable source (e.g. drum, packet or barrel) and feed them to a cable processing machine. This is necessary when the cable has to be pulled evenly from the container to prevent the cable from getting caught in itself. The cable processing machines have to stop the cable again and again for the processing steps and then accelerate it again to a relatively high transport speed in order to achieve high production outputs. The cable feed device thus has the task of an intermediate store or buffer which compensates for the dynamic operation of the cable processing machine towards the container.

There are simple cable feed devices, which are designed to fill their memory continuously. These cable feed devices are inexpensively constructed with a spring-loaded deflection arm. For a surgeon, threading the cable into such a feed system is complex. At the beginning, the deflecting arm is in its maximum position. The surgeon has to fill the entire reservoir by hand. He pulls in several meters of the cable and always keeps the cable under tension. This is very complex and threading takes a long time.

In addition to the simple cable feed devices, there are also complex cable feed devices that are mostly integrated into the cable processing machines. The intermediate storage of such cable feed devices can usually be actively controlled via actuators (motors or compressed air cylinders) in such a way that the distance between two rollers is changed by the actuators. This is also what happens when the surgeon threads the cable. The buffer is brought to its minimum position. The surgeon then threads a much shorter cable length than with the simple cable feed devices. After threading the Fill the buffer automatically. These cable feed devices are expensive and technically complex.

The invention is based on the object of providing a cable feed device or a cable processing system or a method for feeding a cable to a cable processing machine, which is technically simple or which can be carried out in a technically simple manner.

This object is achieved by a cable feed device according to claim 1 or a cable processing system according to claim 9 or a method for feeding a cable to a cable processing machine according to claim 10.

In particular, the object is achieved by a cable feed device for feeding a cable to a cable processing machine, the cable feed device comprising a first rotatable roller and a second rotatable roller for guiding the cable in such a way that the cable can be arranged around the first roller and the second roller, wherein the cable feed device has a cable drive for transporting the cable,
wherein the first roller is arranged stationary, wherein the cable feed device is designed in such a way that the second roller pushes or is pulled away from the first roller with a force, wherein the second roller can have a first state and a second state, the second roller in FIG the first state is locked in a first position and is moved in the second state by the force in such a way that the distance between the first roller and the second roller changes depending on the length of the cable between the two rollers.

One advantage of this is that the cable feed device has a technically simple structure and is inexpensive. In addition, the cable is technically simple and quick to install or thread in the cable feed device, since the distance between the two rollers can be changed and thus set to a small value for threading. In the basic position or in the first state, the distance between the two rollers can be particularly small. In addition, due to its low complexity, the cable feed device is particularly robust and less prone to errors. In addition, the cable feed device can feed the cable from a cable source (e.g. a container, a drum or similar) can be technically simply removed continuously and fed to the wire processing machine step by step with interruptions. The cable feed device can also temporarily store a large amount or a large length of cables. In addition, no actuators are required that actively move the second roller.

The length of the cable between the two rollers can in particular be determined by the length of the cable that is rolled up on the two rollers and the number of wraps around the two rollers. The length of the cable between the two rollers can in particular correspond to the length of the part of the cable which is wrapped around the two rollers but has no contact with one of the two rollers. The cable that is wrapped around the rollers can therefore always be tensioned, since the force in the second state of the second roller always pushes or pulls the second roller away from the first roller. The second roller can thus always be located as far away from the first roller in the second state as is possible due to the cable wrapped around the rollers.

In particular, the object is also achieved by a cable processing system comprising a cable feed device as described above and a cable processing machine.

The advantages of the cable processing machine essentially correspond to the advantages of the cable feed device described above.

In particular, the object is also achieved by a method for feeding a cable to a cable processing machine, wherein the cable can be arranged wrapped around a first roller and a second roller of a cable feed device for feeding the cable to the cable processing machine, in particular a cable feed device as described above, wherein the second roller can have a first state and a second state, the second roller being locked in the first state at a first position and being movable in the second state in such a way that the distance between the first roller and the second roller can be changed, wherein the second roller pushes or is pulled away from the first roller with a force, the method comprising the steps of: winding a portion of a cable wrapping around the two rolls, the second roll being in the second state and being removed from the first roll during winding, the movement of the second roll in relation to the first roll in the second state solely through the winding and unwinding of the Cable around the two rollers and the force that pushes or pulls the second roller away from the first roller, is effected.

One advantage of this is that the method can be carried out quickly and easily from a technical point of view. In particular, threading the cable is particularly simple, since the distance between the two rollers can be particularly small here. In addition, the method can be carried out with a technically simple and inexpensive cable feed device.

According to one embodiment of the cable feed device, the second roller is fastened to a deflecting lever, the deflecting lever being rotatably fixed at an end of the deflecting lever remote from the second roller. One advantage of this is that the second roller is technically simple to move relative to the first roller. In addition, the cable feed device is technically particularly simple.

According to one embodiment of the cable feed device, the second roller is pulled away from the first roller by means of a tension spring. In this way, the second roller can be pulled away from the first roller permanently or in the second state with a predetermined force in a technically simple manner. In addition, the cable feed device can hereby be designed to be particularly cost-effective. In addition, the force that pulls the second roller away from the first roller can easily be changed by changing the tension spring. In addition, the tension spring can easily be replaced if it is damaged.

According to one embodiment of the cable feed device, the cable drive has two wheels, at least one of the two wheels having a groove for guiding the cable. The advantage here is that damage to the cable is prevented. In particular, damage to an insulation of the cable can be reliably prevented, since the force is distributed over a large area of the roller and flattening is thus reduced. In addition, there may be feed deviations or deviations in the position of the cable when it is fed to the cable feed device from the cable source (Cable reel, container or similar) can be easily absorbed by the effective diameter of the recess or groove.

According to one embodiment of the cable feed device, the second roller can be locked and unlocked electromagnetically in the first position, the deflection lever being connected to a movement limiting element with a compensating element for contacting a position locking element of the cable feed device in such a way that the second roller in the first state a predetermined distance to the first Role is too movable. The advantage here is that the second roller can be locked in a position in which part of the cable can be unrolled from the rollers in such a way that the second roller moves towards the first roller. This makes it technically easy to check whether the cable is being transported by the cable drive. In addition, this makes it easy to determine in how many loops the cable is looped or arranged around the two rollers without the second roller having to be unlocked.

According to one embodiment of the cable feed device, the cable feed device further comprises a position sensor for detecting the position of the second roller, in particular by means of the position of the deflecting lever. One advantage of this is that the position of the second roller can be determined in a technically simple manner. This makes it technically easy to determine the distance between the first roller and the second roller. In this way, the length of the cable in the loopings can be determined in a technically simple manner, provided the number of loopings is known or has been determined.

According to one embodiment of the cable feed device, the cable feed device further comprises a monitoring device for detecting the feed speed of the cable drive and / or the length of the cable fed by the cable drive and the position of the second roller to determine the number of wraps around the two rollers. The advantage of this is that it allows the number of wraps to be determined in a technically simple manner. Using the feed speed of the cable drive and / or the length of the cable fed by the cable drive, it is possible to determine which length of the cable is fed to the two rollers or is wound on the two rollers, and by changing the position of the second roller due to the feed the specific length of the Cable can be determined how large the number of wraps around the two pulleys is.

According to one embodiment of the cable feed device, the cable feed device further comprises a lower stop element which defines a maximum distance between the first roller and the second roller. This makes it technically easy to ensure that the second roller cannot move further than a maximum distance from the first roller. Thus, depending on the number of wraps, the maximum length that can be stored by the cable feed device can be determined.

According to one embodiment of the method, the method further comprises the following steps: unrolling a part of the cable from the two rollers;
Determining the length of the unrolled portion of the cable; Detecting the change in position of the second roller during the unwinding of the part of the cable; and determining the number of wraps of the cable around the two rollers on the basis of the length of the unwound part of the cable and the change in position of the second roller caused thereby. One advantage of this is that it is technically easy to determine whether the cable drive is transporting cables, ie whether it is in contact with the cable. It can thus be determined that the cable drive is not in contact with the cable if there is no change in position of the second roller despite a part of the cable being unrolled by the cable drive. In addition, by determining the change in position of the second roller relative to the first roller, ie the change in the distance between the two rollers and the length of the unrolled part of the cable, it is technically easy to determine how often or in how many wraps the cable around the runs around both rollers. The cable can in particular be moved in the direction of the cable source, ie backwards.

According to one embodiment of the method, the specific number of wraps of the cable around the two reels is compared with a predetermined value, a message being output if the specific number deviates from the predetermined value. The advantage here is that the operator can be warned and / or the operation of the cable feed device can be interrupted if there is a discrepancy between the number of predetermined wraps and the actual number Number is determined.

According to one embodiment of the method, the cable is fed to the cable processing machine step by step with interruptions, while the cable coming from a cable source is continuously rolled up on the two rollers. The advantage here is that the cable feed device can function as a cable store. In this way, the reliability of the wire processing machine, which brakes and accelerates the cable again and again, will be increased. In addition, a fault when removing the cable from the container is reliably prevented.

According to one embodiment of the method, the second roller is fastened to a deflection lever, the method further comprising the following steps: unrolling a part of the cable from the two rollers until a compensation element of the deflection lever contacts a position locking element for locking the second roller; and rolling a portion of the cable onto the two pulleys to move the second pulley to the first position while the compensating member is in contact with the position locking member. One advantage of this is that the second roller comes into a position from which the second roller can approach the first roller when the cable is unwound, despite the locking by means of the position locking element. Thus, even in the first state in which the second roller is locked, the cable can be unrolled by a predetermined length, namely in the direction of the cable source, i.e. backwards. This unrolling can be used to determine whether the cable drive is actually in contact with the cable, and the number of wraps around the two rollers can be determined while the second roller is locked or is in the first state. If it is detected that the cable drive has no contact with the cable, an error message or warning message can be output.

According to one embodiment of the method, a further cable is connected to one end of the cable looped around the two rollers, while the cable looped around the two rollers is fed to the cable processing machine. The advantage here is that a further cable can be connected to the cable present or temporarily stored in the cable feed device without having to interrupt the feed of cables to the cable processing machine, since the memory or buffer of the cable feed device is emptied or reduced during this becomes. In this way, when the cable that is provided to the cable feed device approaches the end (e.g. at the end of a roll or a container), without interrupting the operation of the cable processing machine, a similar or structurally identical cable or another cable with a The end of the cable currently being fed from the cable feed device to the cable processing machine can be connected (so-called “splicing”). This enables the length of the interruption in the operation of the wire processing machine to be minimized.

Wrapping around the two rollers can in particular mean that the cable runs around the first stationary roller and then around the second roller before the cable reaches the first roller again. The cable thus typically does not make contact with the first roller or the second roller over a full circle, but rather the cable runs back and forth between the first roller and the second roller, as it were.

Preferred embodiments emerge from the subclaims. The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing of an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 1

eine schematische perspektivische Ansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Ausführungsform der Kabelzuführungseinrichtung;

Fig. 2

eine schematische Seitenansicht der Kabelzuführungseinrichtung aus Fig. 1 mit einer Kabelverarbeitungsmaschine;

Fig. 3a-3c

schematische Seitenansichten verschiedener Position der zweiten Rolle der Kabelzuführungseinrichtung aus Fig. 1;

Fig. 4a

eine Detailansicht des Ausgleichselements der Bewegungsbegrenzungselement aus Fig. 1;

Fig. 4b

eine weitere Detailansicht des Ausgleichselements der Bewegungsbegrenzungselement aus Fig. 1;

Fig. 5

eine weitere Seitenansicht der Kabelzuführungseinrichtung aus Fig. 1;

Fig. 6

eine Detailansicht des Kabelantriebs der Kabelzuführungseinrichtung aus Fig. 1;

Fig. 7a

eine perspektivische Detailansicht eines Rads des Kabelantriebs aus Fig. 6;

Fig. 7b

eine Aufsicht auf ein Rad des Kabelantriebs aus Fig. 6; und

Fig. 8

eine schematische perspektivische Ansicht einer weiteren erfindungsgemäßen Ausführungsform der Kabelzuführungseinrichtung.

Show here

Fig. 1

a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the cable feed device according to the invention;

Fig. 2

a schematic side view of the cable feed device Fig. 1 with a wire processing machine;

Figures 3a-3c

schematic side views of different positions of the second role of the cable feed device Fig. 1 ;

Figure 4a

a detailed view of the compensation element of the movement limiting element Fig. 1 ;

Figure 4b

a further detailed view of the compensation element of the movement limiting element Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 5

a further side view of the cable feed device Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 6

a detailed view of the cable drive of the cable feed device Fig. 1 ;

Figure 7a

a perspective detailed view of a wheel of the cable drive from Fig. 6 ;

Figure 7b

a plan view of a wheel of the cable drive Fig. 6 ; and

Fig. 8

a schematic perspective view of a further embodiment of the cable feed device according to the invention.

In the following description, the same reference numbers are used for identical and identically acting elements.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the cable feed device 1 according to the invention.

The cable feed device 1 serves to feed a cable 3 from a cable source 9 (e.g. a container or a drum or the like) to a cable processing machine 2, in which the cable 3 is processed. The cable feed device 1 serves to temporarily store the cable 3. The cable processing machine 2 processes the cable 3 step by step and accelerates and brakes the cable 3 again and again. In order to ensure uniform removal of the cable 3 from the cable source 9, part of the cable 3 is temporarily stored in the cable feed device 1 as a buffer or cable store 7.

The cable 3 is guided from the cable source 9 to a cable drive 4 of the cable feed device 1. The cable drive 4 has two wheels between which the cable 3 is guided and transported. The two wheels, of which typically only one wheel is driven, can be removed from one another by means of a feed lever 53 in order to insert or introduce the cable 3 and then back into the FIG Fig. 1 position shown.

The cable feed device 1 has a first roller 95 and a second roller 96. The first roller 95 is arranged to be stationary. The second roller 96 is (in the second state) movable or movable with respect to or relative to the first roller 95. This means that the distance between the first roller 95 and the second roller 96 can change.

The first roller 95 and the second roller 96 each have one or more recesses for guiding the cable 3.

The cable 3 passes from the cable drive 4 to the first roller 95, partially circulates the first roller 95 and then reaches the second roller 96. Here the cable 3 partially rotates the second roller 96 and then reaches the first roller 95 again. Here the cable 3 runs around the first roller 95 again partially. Now the cable 3 has been wrapped around it. The cable 3 can then be fed to the cable processing machine 2. Alternatively, the cable 3 can first be guided again to the second roller 96 as part of a further looping, here again partially rotating the second roller 96, returning to the first roller 95, here partially rotating the first roller 95. Now (i.e. after 2 wraps or revolutions) the cable 3 can be fed to the wire processing machine 2 or it can be guided again to the second roller 96 as part of a further wrap, etc.

The second roller 96 is fastened to a lever or arm or lever arm or deflection lever 5. The second roller 96 is fastened to a first end of the deflecting lever 5. The other end, i.e. the end of the deflecting lever 5 further away from the second roller 96, is rotatably attached to the cable feed device 1.

The deflection lever 5 is acted upon by a force which pulls the deflection lever 5 downwards. As a result, the second roller 96 is permanently pulled away from the first roller 95. The force is exerted by a tension spring 11. This is attached to a point of application 40 of the deflection lever 5. The point of application 40 is located between the two ends of the deflection lever 5. In Fig. 1 the point of application 40 is somewhat closer to the second roller 96 than to the pivot point of the deflection lever 5. The position of the Point of application 40 of the deflecting lever 5 can be changeable or releasably lockable. During the operation of the cable feed device 1, the point of application 40 remains stationary with respect to the deflection lever 5. In Fig. 1 Another point of attack 41 is shown in the form of a recess or depression. The spring 11 can be attached to this further point of application 41 as an alternative to the point of application 40.

The second roller 96 has a first state and a second state. In the first state, the second roller 96 is essentially locked or fixed in a first position. The second roller 96 cannot move away from the first roller 95. In the second state, the second roller 96 can move together with the deflection lever 5 and in this way move away from the first roller 95.

The cable feed device 1 can have a position sensor (not shown). The position sensor detects the position of the lever. In this way, the position of the second roller 96 can be detected. This can be done, for example, via a magnet in the deflection lever and a corresponding magnetic sensor in the cable feed device 1.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic side view of the cable feed device 1 from FIG Fig. 1 with a wire processing machine 2. In Fig. 2 a cable system comprising the cable feed device 1 and the cable processing machine 2 is shown. The cable processing machine 2 can have a monitoring control 8 which communicates with the cable feed device 1 in a wired or wireless manner. The monitoring control 8 can control or regulate the cable feed device 1.

Figures 3a-3c show schematic side views of various positions of the second roller 96 of the cable feed device 1 from FIG Fig. 1 . In Fig. 3a the cable 3 is wrapped around the two rollers 95, 96. The number of wraps is based on the side view in Figures 3a, 3b and 3c not visible. In Fig. 3a the second roller 96 is in the first state, ie the second roller 96 can only be moved slightly with respect to the first roller 95. In particular, the second roller 96 cannot be moved away from the first roller 95.

Figure 4a FIG. 13 shows a detailed view of the movement limiting element 32 of FIG Cable feed device 1 from Fig. 1 . Figure 4b FIG. 12 shows a further detailed view of the movement limiting element 32 of the cable feed device 1 from FIG Fig. 1 .

The deflecting lever 5 is connected to a movement limiting element 32 or the movement limiting element 32 is fastened to the deflecting lever 5. The movement limiting element 32 has an arcuate guide contour 33 or recess. The deflecting lever 5 can move along its direction of movement within this arcuate guide contour 33. The movement limiting element 32 has a compensating element 31 in the form of a compensating disk. The compensating element 31 is used to contact the position locking element 6 of the cable feed device 1. Between the compensating element 31 and a wider part of the movement limiting element 32 at the end of the movement limiting element 32 facing away from the compensating disk, a narrower part of the movement limiting element 32 is formed. Most of the arcuate guide contour 33 is formed in the wider part of the movement limiting element 32. A spring is provided across this narrower part of the movement limiting element 32. This spring has two functions. On the one hand, it pushes the compensating element 31 away from the arcuate guide contour 33 or the wider part of the movement limiting element 32. The compensating element 31 can move away from the in Figure 4a or. Figure 4b extreme position to move the arcuate guide contour 33 against the force of the spring. On the other hand, the spring ensures that the compensating element 31, around a connecting pin, is flexibly aligned with respect to the movement limiting element 32.

The first task of the spring is to ensure that when the deflection lever 5 is moved up, the compensating element 31 makes contact with the position locking element 6 and that there is enough travel left for a system test until a mechanical end stop or an upper stop element 91 is reached.

The second task of the spring allows the compensating element 31 to align with the position locking element 6 without the compensating element 31 being able to tilt disadvantageously.

The position locking element 6 of the cable feed device 1 has a Magnet 30, which attracts the compensation element 31. As a result, the second roller 96 can be moved towards the first roller 95 until the compensating element 31 contacts the position locking element 6 and an electromagnetic force of attraction is thereby exerted. The main movement of the second roller 96 towards the first roller 95 occurs through the removal or pulling of cable 3 from the cable processing machine 2. The cable drive 4 then moves backwards until the compensating element 31 contacts the position locking element 6. The cable drive 4 now transports some cable 3 forwards again, ie away from the cable source 9. The deflecting lever 5 now moves within the arcuate guide contour 33 of the movement limiting element 32 until the deflecting lever 5 touches the part of the arcuate guide contour 33 facing away from the spring or the compensating element 31. The second roller 96 is now in the first state. This means that the deflection lever 5 and thus also the second roller 96 is locked in or at the first position via the movement limiting element 32 and the compensating element 31 with the position locking element 6 of the cable feed device 1. The second roller 96 is in the first state. In this state, the cable drive 4 can be switched off. The second roller 96 also remains in the first state without current.

The position locking element 6 can have a permanent magnet which can be "switched off". For this purpose, the position locking element 6 also has an electromagnet 30 which cancels the field of the permanent magnet. As a result, the second roller 96 remains in the first state even when the cable feed device 1 is dead. By releasing the field of the permanent magnet, the second roller 96 is released. This means that the second roller 96 moves from the first state to the second state when the field of the permanent magnet is canceled by an opposing field, so that the compensating element 31 is no longer attracted by the permanent magnet.

Due to the arcuate guide contour 33 of the movement limiting element 32, however, the deflecting lever 5 or the second roller 96 can be moved a predetermined distance towards the first roller 95 in the first state. For this purpose, the cable drive 4 runs backwards and unwinds the cable 3 in the direction of the cable source 9 from the two rollers 95, 96. In this case, the deflecting lever 5 moves within the limits specified by the movement limiting element 32 towards the compensating element 31. To this If the length of rewinding is determined by means of the cable drive 4 and the change in position of the deflection lever 5 and thus also the change in position of the second roller 96 in relation to the first roller 95, the number of wraps around the two rollers 95, 96 can be determined without releasing the locking of the second roller 96. In addition, it can be determined whether the cable drive 4 is in contact with the cable 3 at all, without releasing the locking of the second roller 96. If the cable drive 4 is driven to unwind the cable 3 back from the two rollers 95, 96 in the direction of the source, but no movement of the second roller 96 is detected, the cable drive 4 is not in contact with the cable 3.

Consequently, in the first state of the second roller 96 it can also be determined how many wraps there are around the two rollers 95, 96, i.e. without releasing the locking of the second roller 96. The specific number of wraps can be compared with a predetermined number. If there is a discrepancy, a warning message and / or error message can be output and / or the operation of the cable feed device 1 and / or the cable processing machine 2 can be interrupted.

In the in Fig. 3a In the first state shown, the cable 3 can be introduced into the cable feed device 1 in a technically simple manner by the operator or operator. The distance between the two rollers 95, 96 is small, so that only a small amount of cable 3 has to be wrapped around the two rollers 95, 96 in order to achieve one or more wraps around the two rollers 95, 96.

Figure 3b shows the state after part of the cable 3 has been unwound from the two rollers 95, 96 in the direction of the cable source 9 in order to check the number of wraps around the two rollers 95, 96 and / or the contact between the cable drive 4 and the cable 3 . The cable 3 therefore sags slightly in front of the cable drive 4. As described above, the number of wraps or revolutions of the cable 3 around the two rollers 95, 96 can be determined.

When the cable 3 is now fed from the cable source 9 to the cable feed device 1 by means of the cable drive 4, the locking of the second roller 96 is released so that the second roller 96 can move away from the first roller 95. Since the cable 3 is stretched between the two rollers 95, 96, this is only possible as far as this is possible the length of the cable 3 and the number of wraps around the two rollers 95, 96 is allowed. The tension spring 11 always pulls the second roller 96 as far away from the first roller 95 as possible.

The length of the cable 3 between the two rollers 95, 96 determines the distance between the two rollers 95, 96 in the second state of the second roller 96. In Figure 3c more cable 3 was fed to the cable feed device 1 than was removed from it (in the direction of the cable processing machine 2). As a result, the distance between the two rollers 95, 96 has increased.

The cable feed device 1 has a lower stop element 90 which limits the maximum deflection of the deflection lever 5. This also limits the maximum distance between the two rollers 95, 96 from one another. In Figure 3c the deflection lever 5 has the maximum deflection. More cable 3 can no longer be temporarily stored in the cable feed device 1 (with the number of wraps remaining the same).

The cable feed device 1 can pick up cables 3 from the cable source 9 and at the same time deliver cables 3 to the cable processing machine 2. In particular, the cable 3 can be removed evenly from the cable source 9. The cable 3 can be fed to the cable processing machine 2 step by step with interruptions. A continuous supply to the cable processing machine 2 is also possible.

As a result of the function as a buffer store, the cable source 9 can be changed while the cable processing machine 2 is still processing cables 3 from the previous cable source 9.

At the start of production or at the start of a production batch of the cable processing machine 2, the cable feed device 1 is filled with cable 3 from the cable source 9. Here, the second roller 96 moves away from the first roller 95. Towards the end of production or towards the end of a production batch of the cable processing machine 2, the cable feed device 1 is emptied, ie the second roller 96 is moved in the direction of the first roller 95. The movement of the second to the first roller 95 is done against the tension of the tension spring 11 solely by removing the cable 3 through the Cable processing machine 2 and the supply of cable 3 by means of the cable drive 4.

At the end of the production lot, the second roller 96 is near the position of the first state. In order to restore the initial situation, the cable 3 is conveyed backwards by the cable drive 4. The deflection lever 5, on which the second roller 96 is located, is moved up to such an extent that the compensating element 31 reliably contacts the magnet 30. Then the deflection lever 5 is lowered again somewhat. The contact between the compensation element 31 and the magnet 30 is checked by monitoring the movement of the deflecting lever 5. Should the deflecting lever 5 move beyond the target position at the end of the arcuate guide contour 33, a second attempt to lock is started. If the locking is successful, the cable 3 remains loosely wound around the first roller 95 and the second roller 96. In this way, it can be ensured in a technically simple manner that the second roller 96 is or will be locked.

The cable feed device 1 has a button 70 for reverse operation. As a result, the cable 3 can be unwound manually from the two rollers 95, 96 in the direction of the cable source 9.

The cable feed device 1 has no actuators, in particular no motors, compressed air cylinders or the like, for moving the second roller 96. The second roller 96 is only moved by the supply or removal (when moving back to the cable source 9) of cable 3 by means of the cable drive 4 or removal of cable 3 to the cable processing machine 2 and by the tension spring 11. The length of the cable 3 and the number of loops alone determine the position of the second roller 96 in the second state of the second roller 96. Of course, this depends on the preset force of the tension spring 11 and the point of application 40. However, the force of the tension spring 11 and the point of application 40 are typically not changed during operation.

The monitoring control 8 can detect the feed speed of the cable drive 4, the fill level of the cable feed device 1 and the current order of the cable processing machine 2.

The maximum filling amount of the cable feed device 1 is usually between approx. 1 m and approx. 10 m. Typically, the length of the cable 3 with maximum filling with three wraps around the rollers 95, 96 is approximately 4.5 m and with one winding around the rollers 95, 96 it is approximately 1.5 m.

The number of wraps has an influence on the wire processing. Cables with a larger cross-section are more rigid than thinner cables. These thick cables must be guided around the rollers 95, 96 of the cable feed device 1 with higher tensile stress, otherwise they could jump out of the rollers 95, 96 under unfavorable circumstances. On the other hand, cables with smaller wire cross-sections are sensitive. Excessive tensile forces damage the cable. The tensile forces on the cable are typically in the range of approx. 2.5 N to approx. 10 N.

In principle, the force of the deflecting lever 5 can be varied by shifting the point of application 40 of the tension spring 11 on the lever. If necessary, the pretensioning position of the tension spring 11 can be determined via the required motor force of the cable drive 4 when the cable 3 is pulled back (in the direction of the cable source 9). The tensile forces on the cable 3 can, however, also be varied via the number of wraps in the cable feed device 1, which can be checked with little effort. Since the cable feed device 1 or the two rollers 95, 96 behave or behave similarly to a block and tackle, the tensile forces on the cable 3 decrease as the number of wraps increases. Thick, rigid cables with a large line cross-section are therefore preferably threaded into the cable feed device 1 with only one loop. Thin cables with small line cross-sections, on the other hand, are preferably threaded into the cable feed device 1 with three loops. The necessary number of wraps is known to the monitoring control 8 (based on the product parameters) or is specified by the surgeon or operator on the cable processing machine 2.

Fig. 5 FIG. 11 shows a further side view of the cable feed device 1 from FIG Fig. 1 .

The cable feed device 1 also has advantages in special operating situations. For example, another cable can be connected to the current cable 3, which is rolled up on the two reels 95, 96 and is processed by the cable processing machine 2, be tied. The wire processing machine 2 usually receives several production orders that are processed one after the other. For example, only the color of the insulation of the cable 3 can change and nothing else. In such cases, the cable feed device 1 with the monitoring control 8 enables an early notification to the operator or operator. Towards the end of the first order, the cable drive 4 stops while the cable processing machine 2 continues to produce (with the remaining cable 3 from the cable feed device 1 or the cable store 7). The surgeon or operator can cut the current cable 3 at the corresponding position and connect the new, subsequent cable (so-called splicing). The cable processing machine 2 can typically separate out such connections independently. In this way, the downtime of the cable processing machine 2 can be reduced, particularly with short cable lengths.

A similar procedure can also be used when the cable 3 from the container or the cable source 9 is at an end. The end can be detected like a knot in the cable 3 in a known manner. The cable drive 4 stops immediately, but the cable processing machine 2 can still process the cable length present in the cable feed device 1. The operator can thus be informed (by a warning signal and / or a warning signal) before the production of the cable processing machine 2 comes to a standstill due to a lack of cable 3.

In Fig. 5 the splice position mark 60 is shown at which the cable feed device 1 stops when the cable 3 is to be changed between a first production lot and a second production lot. The user can now cut off the cable 3 at the splice position mark 60 and link the next cable 3 to the existing cable 3, which can be processed further in the meantime by the cable processing machine 2 due to the cable 3 temporarily stored in the cable feeder 1 Establish splice connection 61. The cable feed device 1 can then refill the cable storage device 7.

Fig. 6 FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of the cable drive 4 of the cable feed device 1 from FIG Fig. 1 . Figure 7a FIG. 4 shows a perspective detailed view of a wheel of the cable drive 4 from FIG Fig. 6 . Figure 7b shows a plan view of a wheel of the cable drive 4 from Fig. 6 .

The cable drive 4 has two cable wheels, namely a drive wheel 51 and a contact wheel 50. The contact wheel 50 is pressed in the direction of the drive wheel 51 so that the cable 3 is clamped between the two wheels. In order to improve the cable routing and to reduce damage to the cable 3, both wheels have a circumferential, concave guide groove 52. The drive wheel 51 is driven.

Usual wheels from the prior art with a simple, cylindrical jacket can damage the insulation of a cable 3. The clamping pressure of the wheels can lead to a flattening of the insulation of the cable 3 if the cable is not used for a long time, as the force is concentrated at only two points.

The concave guide groove 52 of in Fig. 6 , 7a and 7b The embodiment shown according to the invention, however, distributes the force over a large or larger area and thereby reduces flattening of the cable 3 or the insulation of the cable 3. The feed deviations due to the different effective diameters of the concave guide groove 52 can be easily absorbed by the cable feed device 1. The precision is typically achieved with the following cable processing machine 2 anyway. Furthermore, with the improved guidance of the cable 3 in the cable drive 4, damage to the cable due to fixed guide elements (for example ceramic eyelets) is reduced.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic perspective view of a further embodiment of the cable feed device according to the invention.

The embodiment of the Fig. 8 differs from the embodiment of the Fig. 1 in that the cable feed device 1 additionally comprises a bypass roller 80. The bypass roller 80 allows bypassing the cable feed device 1, which is usually permanently installed (fixed on the floor) in front of the cable processing machine 2. Thus, the cable 3 can be fed from the cable source 9 to the cable processing machine 2 via the bypass roller 80.

List of reference symbols:

1

Cable feed device

2

Wire processing machine

3

electric wire

4th

Cable drive

5

Deflection lever

6th

Position locking element

7th

Cable storage

8th

Supervisory control

9

Cable source

11

Tension spring

30th

switchable magnets

31

Compensation element

32

Movement limiting element

33

curved guide contour

40

attackpoint

41

another point of attack

50

Contact wheel

51

drive wheel

52

concave guide groove

53

Infeed lever of the cable drive

60

Splice position mark

61

Splice connection

70

Button for reverse operation

80

Bypass roller

90

lower stop element

91

upper stop element

95

first role

96

second role

Claims (15)

Cable feed device (1) for feeding a cable (3) to a cable processing machine (2),
wherein the cable feed device (1) comprises a first rotatable roller (95) and a second rotatable roller (96) for guiding the cable (3) in such a way that the cable (3) has the first roller (95) and the second roller (96) can be arranged around it,
wherein the cable feed device (1) has a cable drive (4) for transporting the cable (3),
wherein the first roller (95) is arranged stationary,
wherein the cable feed device (1) is designed in such a way that the second roller (96) pushes or is pulled away from the first roller (95) with a force,
wherein the second roller (96) can have a first state and a second state,
wherein the second roller (96) is locked in the first state in a first position and is moved in the second state by the force such that the distance between the first roller (95) and the second roller (96) depends on the Length of the cable (3) between the two rollers (95, 96) changed. Cable feed device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the second roller (96) is attached to a deflecting lever (5), the deflecting lever (5) being rotatably fixed at an end of the deflecting lever (5) remote from the second roller (96). Cable feed device (1) according to Claim 1 or 2, the second roller (96) being pulled away from the first roller (95) by means of a tension spring (11). Cable feed device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cable drive (4) has two wheels (50, 51), at least one of the two wheels (50, 51) having a guide groove (52) for guiding the cable (3). Cable feed device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, in particular according to one of claims 2-4, wherein the second roller (96) can be locked and unlocked electromagnetically in the first position,
wherein the deflection lever (5) with a movement limiting element (32) with a Compensating element (31) for contacting a position locking element (6) of the cable feed device (1) is connected in such a way that the second roller (96) in the first state can be moved a predetermined distance towards the first roller (95). Cable feed device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cable feed device (1) further comprises a position sensor for detecting the position of the second roller (96), in particular by means of the position of the deflection lever (5). Cable feed device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a monitoring device for detecting the feed speed of the cable drive (4) and / or the length of the cable (3) fed by the cable drive (4) and the position of the second roller (96) for Determining the number of wraps around the two rollers (95, 96). Cable feed device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a lower stop element (90) which defines a maximum distance between the first roller (95) and the second roller (96). Cable processing system comprising a cable feed device (1) according to the preceding claims and a cable processing machine (2). Method for feeding a cable (3) to a cable processing machine (2), wherein the cable (3) around a first roller (95) and a second roller (96) of a cable feed device (1) for feeding the cable (3) to the cable processing machine (2), in particular a cable feed device (1) according to one of claims 1-8, can be arranged wrapped around, wherein the second roller (96) can have a first state and a second state, the second roller (96) in the first state is locked in a first position and is movable in the second state in such a way that the distance between the first roller (95) and the second roller (96) can be changed,
wherein the second roller (96) is pushed or pulled away from the first roller (95) with a force,
the method comprising the steps of: Winding part of a cable (3) around the two rollers (95, 96), wherein the second roll (96) is in the second state and is removed from the first roll (95) during the winding, the movement of the second roller (96) in relation to the first roller (95) in the second state solely by the winding and unwinding of the cable (3) around the two rollers (95, 96) and the force exerted by the second roller (96) pushes or pulls away from the first roller (95). The method of claim 10, the method further comprising the steps of: Unwinding part of the cable (3) from the two rollers (95, 96); Determining the length of the unrolled part of the cable (3); Detecting the change in position of the second roller (96) during the unwinding of the part of the cable (3); and Determining the number of wraps of the cable (3) around the two rollers (95, 96) on the basis of the length of the unrolled part of the cable (3) and the change in position of the second roller (96) caused thereby. Method according to claim 11, wherein the specific number of wraps of the cable (3) around the two rollers (95, 96) is compared with a predetermined value, and a message is output if the specific number deviates from the predetermined value. Method according to one of Claims 10-12, wherein the cable (3) is fed to the cable processing machine (2) step by step with interruptions, while the cable (3) coming from a cable source (9) is continuously rolled up on the two rollers (95, 96) becomes. The method according to any one of claims 10-13, wherein the second roller (96) is attached to a deflection lever (5), the method further comprising the following steps: Unrolling a part of the cable (3) from the two rollers (95, 96) until a compensating element (31) of the deflection lever (5) contacts a position locking element (6) for locking the second roller (96); and Rolling up part of the cable (3) on the two rollers (95, 96) to move the second roller (96) in the first position, while the compensating element (31) is in contact with the position locking element (6). Method according to one of claims 10-14, wherein a further cable (3) is connected to one end of the cable (3) wrapped around the two rollers (95, 96), while the cable (3) wrapped around the two rollers (95, 96) (3) is fed to the wire processing machine (2).

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