Packing and stowing system for electric automotive conductors

Abstract: The packing and stowing system of rolls of automotive electric conductors is characterized by three independent sections that when adjusted, form a back up sheath that prevents the deformation of the cable during its winding and stacking. The sections are integrated by a cylindrical body as roll center ; a concentrically segmented cylindrical base (2) that opens when it is introduced in a bobbin, as guide and attachment element of the wound roll ; and a post set on a base as support for the piling up of the packed rolls and the stacking.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The automotive industry seeks to have every time smaller inventories. One way to enhance this is by minimizing the presentation of the product, the automotive cable packing has evolved to contain a smaller quantity of cable and of packing material that can be a source of ecological pollution. Other even simpler systems of packing and stowing are known, for automotive cable packing through a simple hoop of cable rolls and piled up on a platform or stowage. Nevertheless, this kind of stowage is not recommended because the roll weight itself provoke the loss of its form and the tendency to spread on its sides, deforming the roll with the weight of other rolls when they are piled up. The system objet of the present invention allows to offer the users 10 times smaller amounts of product comparing to the packing normally used for automotive cable (30-inch high drums). Also the distribution costs are lower, since up to 40% more can be packed compared to the packing of common drums. DE-U-901 7152 discloses a packing arrangement for a plurality of reel cores. AU-B-136 000 discloses a reel comprising an outer hollow cylinder, two inner cylinders located within the outer cylinder end to end, and annular rings spaced by the outer cylinder and each flanged along its inner circumference, each flange being located between and closely adjacent to and secured to the outer cylinder and an inner cylinder. According to the invention there is provided a method of packing and stowing an electrical conductor, the method including the steps of providing a packing element including a planar external portion and an internal portion including a plurality of elements, each locatable so as to extend substantially perpendicularly away from the plane of the external portion, the bases of the elements being in the plane of the external portion and substantially describing a circle in the plane, the elements being foldable from a position substantially in the plane to a position substantially perpendicular to the plane; characterised by: introducing a cylindrical bobbin such that the elements fold from the position substantially in the plane to the position substantially perpendicular to the plane; winding the conductor on to the cylindrical bobbin; hooping the roll, consisting of the packing element, the cylindrical bobbin and the conductor at four points equidistantly located at 90° one from the other; inserting the roll of conductor on a cylindrical post. According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a packing system for packing a smaller quantity of a greater variety of automotive cable to effect a reduction of cable inventory, comprising: a circular base for each packed wound roll of cable; the circular base having an inner member comprising concentrically segmented members and an outer member permanently drawn in a horizontal plane, the inner member having two positions, one position in plane with the outer member, and a second position vertically disposed to the outer member, the inner member having a central circular cut forming a circular inner edge, said inner member having transversal cuttings set equidistantly forming said segmented members or attachment wings, the attachment wings opening into separate tabs having gaps between them when the inner member is in second position; characterised by: a cylindrical bobbin disposed on an outer circumference of the inner member at the second position to reinforce and form a solid upright, open topless cylindrical insole having the outer member of the circular base extending laterally from the peripheral bottom edge of the cylindrical bobbin to provide stability and guidance for the automotive cable; a cylindrical post supported by a base for stowing packed wound rolls of cable, the post holding a maximum of seven-packed wound rolls of cable; and a platform for accommodating sixteen posts of stowed packed rolls of cable. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter the invention will be described according to the drawings of the figures 1 to 4 where : Fig. 1.- shows a rectangular sheet (1) which is joined at its ends to form a cylindrical body , and the figure 2B corresponds to a laminate circular section segmented into two annular sections, figure 2 A. Fig. 2.- shows a top view of the packing with the roll of hoop cable 2.6 and a lateral view 2.7 of the packed roll. Fig. 3.- shows a front view of a post to pile up the rolls of packed cable. Fig. 4.- shows an isometric view of the stowing of the packed rolls and grouped on a shipment platform. The object of this invention is to provide a type of packing for automotive cable in order to reduce the inventories in process, that is : In the area of the automotive cable products there exists a great variety of packings and this one is the smallest of all, so the inventory in process is minimized, given of the great variety of cables that form the car circuits. A further object of this invention is to permit a space reduction. The size of the packing allows a space reduction for each of the packing included in process, as in each work station a complete set of cables is required for the cut and application of terminal for each one of the electric circuits of the car. Hereinafter, the characteristics of the invention are shown as well as the equipment to produce the packing. EQUIPMENT. Roller NOKIA EKP 450 Collapsible Bobbins Semiautomatic hoop Packing material Detail of the invention The way of packing and handling in the plant cables, thermo-fixed automotive primary cable rolls was invented, with the following dimensions : Interior diameter 20 cm Exterior diameter 30 cm Height 10 cm Characteristics : 4 plastic hoops joined by temperature application Cylindrical cardboard insole to give consistency to the winding of the material. Round cardboard insole for the roll basis to avoid damages in the material during its handing, storage and cutting Nucleus of cylindrical cardboard to transport it, stack it and store it, making sure of maintaining the original dimensions. Approximated weight of the roll with the cable 10 Kg. The packing and stowing system consists of a winding of automotive cable in a roll form. Depending on the product, its length varies proportionally to its weight for kilometer factor, so the total weight of the roll is 10 kilograms, because the roll dimensions remain constant independently of the product. Given the weight of the packing its is easy to manage it manually without sophisticated systems of material managing, because the roll of cable weighs 10 kilograms and it is completely stacked using the post for roll stowing of a maximum of packings. Because of the great variety of cables required for the manufacturing of automotive electric harnesses, it is necessary to minimize the preparation time for changing the product in the cable cutters. If the packing is smaller and more manageable, a greater variety of products can be prepared and available in the areas where this activity is done. The main characteristics of the packing of the automotive cable are its capacity and dimensions of the roll and the case to pile up. Since the capacities of other kinds of packing are greater they require equipment for their handling. According to the drawings, the packing of the invention is practically constituted by a system of three modular sections : The first section is integrated by : A one mm wide rectangular sheet of the figure 1, which is joined on its ends 1.1. to form a cylindrical body with an interior diameter of 20 cm and 10 cm high, a circular base 2 figure 2 B with a diameter of 30 cm concentrically segmented 2.1 Fig. 2 B to form two sections 2.2. and 2.3 fig. 2 A where section 2.2 is drawn in a horizontal plane while section 2.3 is disposed in a vertical form at 90° relative to section 2.2.. Section 2.3 finishes in one of its ends in a concentrically ring cut 2.4 and also presents transversal cuttings set equidistantly in the periphery 2.1 forming attachment wings 2.5 fig. 2 A for the roll. When the circular base 2 figure 2 B is adjusted to a conventional bobbin of rolling of the automotive cable (winding of the cable), section 2.3 is opened in a vertical position forming said wings 2.5 for guiding and attaching the automotive cable roll. These elements accommodate the cable, preventing the loss of the form of the roll. The cylindrical body is peripherally the center of the roll and this is adjusted by a simple introduction, once the roll of the cable has been wound. According to figure 2 once the roll of the cable is packed, it is hooped 2.6 at four points equidistantly located at to 90° one from the other. Once hooped, the rolls of automotive cable 2.7 fig. 2 are concentrically inserted 2.4 fig. 2B in a post 1 figure 3 and figure 4, with base 2 figure 3, the capacity of which is seven packings maximum. Its objective is to serve as a support to compress the packed rolls. This support is formed by a nucleus of 2 mm wide spiral cardboard with an external diameter of 19.8 mm and the base of corrugated cardboard is 4 mm wide and has an external diameter of 30 cm. All the sections of the packing system are generally made of cardboard material, nevertheless other materials can be used, plastic preferably. Finally, for the shipment of the packed product, the stows of the rolls are set on a wooden or on a plastic platform as shown in 4.1 figure 4, where these are placed in an arrangement of 4 x 4 for a total of 16 stows of cable rolls figure 4.

Claims: A method of packing and stowing an electrical conductor, the method including the steps of: providing a packing element including a planar external portion (2.2) and an internal portion (2.3) including a plurality of elements (2.5), each locatable so as to extend substantially perpendicularly away from the plane of the external portion (2.2), the bases (2.1) of the elements being in the plane of the external portion (2.2) and substantially describing a circle in the plane, the elements (2.5) being foldable from a position substantially in the plane to a position substantially perpendicular to the plane; characterised by : introducing a cylindrical bobbin such that the elements (2.5) fold from the position substantially in the plane to the position substantially perpendicular to the plane; winding the conductor on to the cylindrical bobbin; hooping the roll, consisting of the packing element, the cylindrical bobbin and the conductor at four points (2.6) equidistantly located at 90° one from the other; inserting the roll of conductor on a cylindrical post. A method according to claim 1, wherein inserting the roll of conductor on the cylindrical post supports and compresses the packed roll (2.7). A packing system for packing a smaller quantity of a greater variety of automotive cable to effect a reduction of cable inventory, comprising: a circular base (2) for each packed wound roll of cable (2.7); the circular base (2) having an inner member (2.3) comprising concentrically segmented members (2.5) and an outer member (2.2) permanently drawn in a horizontal plane, the inner member (2.3) having two positions, one position in plane with the outer member (2.2) and a second position vertically disposed to the outer member (2.2), the inner member (2.3) having a central circular cut (2.4) forming a circular inner edge, said inner member (2.3) having transversal cuttings set equidistantly forming said segmented members or attachment wings (2.5), the attachment wings (2.5) opening into separate tabs having gaps between them when the inner member (2.3) is in second position; characterised by : a cylindrical bobbin disposed on an outer circumference of the inner member (2.3) at the second position to reinforce and form a solid upright, open topless cylindrical insole having the outer member (2.2) of the circular base (2) extending laterally from the peripheral bottom edge of the cylindrical bobbin to provide stability and guidance for the automotive cable; a cylindrical post (3.1) supported by a base (3.2) for stowing packed wound rolls of cable (2.7), the post (3.1) holding a maximum of seven-packed wound rolls of cable (2.7); and a platform (4.1) for accommodating sixteen posts of stowed packed rolls of cable (2.7). The packing system of claim 3, wherein the cylindrical bobbin is formed from a rectangular sheet (1) joined on its ends (1.1). The packing system of claim 3, wherein the packing system is made of a material selected from the group consisting of cardboard and plastic. The packing system of claim 3 wherein the cylindrical bobbin peripherally wraps around a centre of the packed wound roll of cable (2.7). The packing system of claim 3 wherein the platform (4.1) is made of a material selected from the group consisting of wood and plastic. The packing system of claim 3, wherein the attachment wings (2.5) are disposed 90° to the extemal section (2.2) before accommodating the packed wound roll of cable (2.7).

Inventors: GONZALEZ LOPEZ S, LAVIE FLORES CLEMENTE, TENORIO GUTIERREZ C, GONZALEZ LOPEZ, S., LAVIE FLORES, CLEMENTE, TENORIO GUTIERREZ, C., Gonzalez Lopez, S., Ser. Condumex S.A. de C.V., Lavie Flores, Clemente, Ser. Condumex S.A. de C.V., Tenorio Gutierrez, C., Ser. Condumex S.A. de C.V.
Applicants: SERVICIOS CONDUMEX SA, SERVICIOS CONDUMEX S.A. DE C.V.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B65D85
IPC codes: B65D85, B65H75