APPARATUS FOR CUTTING ELECTRIC WIRE IN SPECIFIED LENGTH

Abstract: An apparatus for cutting a continuous electric wire in a specified length or lengths. The apparatus comprises a bed carrying a guide sleeve through which a long electric wire is fed, a pulse motor mounted on the bed, a clamping means for selectively clamping the end of the wire and movable on the bed in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire, a non-slip power transmitting means for transmitting the power of the pulse motor to the clamping means so as to drive the clamping means in the required direction, and a cutting means having cutting blades and movable to bring the cutting blades selectively into and out of the path along which the electric wire is fed. The feed length which determines the cutting length can be controlled precisely thanks to the cooperation of the pulse motor and the non-slip transmission means.

Description: APPARATUS FOR CUTTING ELECTRIC WIRE IN SPECIFIED LENGTH BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for successively cutting an uncoiled electric wire into pieces of a specified length or lengths in accordance with desired uses. A conventional apparatus for cutting a long electric wire into a desired length incorporates a pair of feed rollers for clamping and feeding the wire to be cut. The cutting length is regulated through control of the length of the feed which in turn is determined by the number of rotations of the feed rollers. In consequence, a small error in the cutting length is inevitable due to a small error in the feed length attributable to back-lash in the feed-roller driving system, as well as to slip between the wire and the feed rollers. Since any wire cut shorter than the required length has to be disposed of, it is common practice to cut the wire with a considerable margin of latitude over the cutting length, which uneconomically consumes additional electric wire. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, we have devised an apparatus capable of cutting a long continuous electric wire precisely in specified lengths, thereby to overcome the above-described problem of the prior art. To this end, according to the invention, there is provided an apparatus for cutting a continuous electric wire in a specified length or lengths, the apparatus comprising: a bend carrying a guide sleeve through which a long electric wire is fed; a pulse motor mounted on the bed; a clamping means for selectively clamping the end of the wire and movable on the bed in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire; a non-slip power transmitting means for transmitting the power of the pulse motor to the clamping means so as to drive the clamping means in the required direction; and a cutting means having cutting blades and being movable for bringing the cutting blades selectively into and out of the path along which the electric wire is fed. The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following description of the preferred embodiments when the same is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 2 is a partly cut-away side elevational view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described hereinunder with reference to the attached drawings. Referring to the Figures, an apparatus embodying the invention for cutting an electric wire in specified lengths has a horizontal bed 1 on one end of which is mounted a frame 2 which in turn carries a straightening roller assembly 3. The roller assembly 3 has two groups of rollers: namely, a first group of rollers having two vertically-spaced raws of rollers; and a second group having two horizontally-spaced raws of rollers, so that the electric wire runs along a path defined between two rows of rollers in both roller groups. A guide sleeve 4 having a wire feed port for feeding the electric wire is fixed to the bracket in such a manner that the feeder port is aligned with the above-mentioned path of wire in the straightening roller assembly 3. A long continuous electric wire a is coiled on a turn table b which is disposed behind the frame 2. The arrangement is such that the uncoiled electric wire a is straightened as it passes through the straightening roller assembly 3 and is then fed forwardly through the guide sleeve 4. A running guide 5 is laid on the bed 1 through supporting legs 6, 6 so as to extend in parallel with and at a small lateral distance from the path of the electric wire a fed through the guide sleeve 4. A bracket 7 mounted on the end of the bed 1 opposite to the turn table b carries a pulse motor having a horizontal rotor shaft to which is fixed a toothed pulley 9. Another bracket 10 is mounted on the bed 1 at the upstream side of the running guide 5 as viewed in the direction of feed of the electric wire. The bracket 10 rotatably carries a toothed pulley 11. An endless toothed belt 12 is stretched between two toothed pulleys 9 and 11, such that the upper run and the lower run of the endless belt 12 extend substantially along the upper and lower surfaces of the running guide 5. The upper surface of the running guide 5 carries a runner 13 straddling the upper run of the toothed belt 12. The runner 13 has a multiplicity of wheels 14 which are adapted to roll along the upper, lower and both side surfaces of the running guide 5, so that the runner 13 runs above the upper run of the toothed belt 12. A clamper 16 is carried by an arm projected laterally from the upper surface of the runner 13, in alignment with the path of the electric wire a fed through the guide sleeve 4. More specifically, the clamper 16 has an elongated carrier 17 mounted on the arm 15, an upwardly directed clamping jaw 18 pivotally secured to one end of the carrier 17, a lever rockably supported by a shaft 21 on the same end of the carrier 17, and a downward clamping jaw 20 which is held by one end of the lever 19 for rocking motion by the force of gravity. The downward clamping jaw 20 is adapted to cooperate with the upward clamping jaw 18 to clamp the electric wire a therebetween. A pneumatic cylinder 22 is rockably mounted on the rear end of the carrier 17 by means of a shaft 23. The pneumatic cylinder 22 has a piston rod 24 the end of which is pivotally connected to the rear end of the lever 19 mentioned before. A stand 26 is provided on the portion or the bed 1 just downstream from the frame 2. A lift 27 is adapted to be moved up and down along a sliding guide surface formed on the front side of the stand 26. A cutter 28 constituted by a pair of cutting blades is carried by the lift 27. The cutting blades are movable horizontally towards and away from each other. A pneumatic cylinder 29 secured to the lower side of the bed 1 so as to extend downwardly therefrom has a piston rod 30 the end of which is connected to the lift 27. The arrangement is such that, when the piston rod 30 is extended, the lift is moved upwardly together with the cutter 28 with the cutting blades thereof kept apart from each other. As the cutter 28 reaches the path along which the electric wire a is fed, the cutting blades are moved towards each other to cut the electric wire a. Then, the piston rod 30 is retracted to move the cutter 28 downwardly while moving the cutting blades away from each other. The described embodiment of the cutting apparatus in accordance with the invention operates in a manner which will be explained hereinunder. When the cutter 28 is stationed at the lower position as shown by solid lines, the endless belt 12 is driven by the pulse motor 8 so as to drive the runner 13 towards the frame 2. The pulse motor 8 is stopped when the runner has reached a position near the rear end of the runner 5. Then, the piston rod 24 of the pneumatic cylinder 22 in the clamper 16 is extended to swing the lever 19 counter-clockwise as viewed in Fig. 2, so that the end of the electric wire a led from the guide sleeve 4 is clamped between the upper and lower clamping jaws 20 and 18. Then, the pulse motor 8 is reversed to drive the toothed belt 12 and, hence, the clamper 16 backwardly. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the length of the feed of the electric wire a, i.e. the travel of the clamper 16, corresponds to the number of pulses inputted to the pulse motor 8. When a predetermined number of pulses is counted, i.e., when a specified length of the electric wire has been fed, the pulse input to the pulse motor 8 is stopped so that the clamper 16 is stopped at the position illustrated by solid lines. Then, the cutter 28 is raised as shown by chain lines and the cutting blades are moved towards each other to cut the electric wire a. Thereafter, the cutter 28 is lowered again while its cutting blades are moved away from each other. The cut piece of the electric wire a is released from the clamper 16 as the upper and lower clamping jaws 20 and 18 are swung away from each other by a retraction of the piston rod 24 of the pneumatic cylinder 22. The cut wire is then transferred to the next step of a process, by means of a transfer device which is not shown. The described operation is repeated cyclically to successively cut the electric wire a coming through the guide sleeve 4 into pieces of the specified length. As will be fully understood from the foregoing description, the length of feed of the electric wire a is controlled precisely because the electric wire a is pulled by a clamper driven by the power of the pulse motor which operates precisely in response to the number of the inputted pulses and transmitted through a non-slip transmission system constituted by the toothed endless belt and the toothed pulleys. It is, therefore, possible to cut a long continuous electric wire in specified length or lengths. Although the invention has been described with reference to specific forms, it is to be noted here that the described embodiment is not exclusive and various changes and modifications may be imparted thereto without departing from the scope of the invention which is limited solely by the appended claims.

Claims: CL A3fl', 1. An apparatus for cutting a continuous electric wire in a specified length or lengths, said apparatus comprising: a bed carrying a guide sleeve through which a long electric wire is fed; a pulse motor mounted on said bed; a clamping means for selectively clamping the end of said wire and movable on said bed in the longitudinal direction of said electric wire; a non-slip power transmitting means for transmitting the power of said pulse motor to said clamping means so as to drive said clamping means in said direction; and a cutting means having cutting blades and movable to bring said cutting blades selectively into and out of the path along which said electric wire is fed. 2. An apparatus for cutting a continuous electric wire according to claim 1, wherein said non-slip power transmission means includes a toothed endless belt engaging with a toothed pulley on said pulse motor. 3. An apparatus for cutting a continuous electric wire according to claim 1, further comprising a wire straightening means disposed at the upstream side of said guide sleeve as viewed in the direction of running of said electric wire.

Inventors: FUKUDA, MICHIO, KUSUMI, SABURO, MIWA, SINKICHI, NISHIKAWA, KAZUO, OHTA, YOSINOBU, OKUNISHI, TOSHIFUMI
Applicants: CKD CORPORATION, SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES LIMITED, SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
Application year: 1984
Main classification: B21F11
IPC codes: B21F1, B21D43, B23D25, B21F23, B26D5, B23D33, B21F11, H02G1, B23D36