Patent Publication Number: US-2006019514-A1

Title: Wiring fixing tool

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a wiring fixing tool for fixing wires such as harness or the like that are wired in a processing machine and the like.  
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART  
      In the production process of a semiconductor device, a plurality of areas are sectioned by dividing lines called “streets” formed in a lattice pattern on the front surface of a disk-like semiconductor wafer, and a circuit (function element) such as IC or LSI is formed in each of the sectioned areas. Individual semiconductor chips are manufactured by cutting the semiconductor wafer along the dividing lines to divide it into the areas having the circuit formed therein. Cutting along the streets of the semiconductor wafer is generally carried out with a cutting machine called “dicer”. This cutting machine comprises a chuck table for holding a semiconductor wafer, a cutting means comprising a cutting blade for cutting a workpiece held on the chuck table, and a cutting-feed means for moving the chuck table and the cutting means relative to each other.  
      Since the above cutting machine is provided with a large number of electric appliances such as a pulse motor for driving the chuck table, the cutting-feed means, etc., a servo motor for rotary-driving the cutting blade, and the like, a harness for supplying electricity to the electric appliances is wired in the cutting machine. A wiring fixing tool is mounted on the base member of the machine to bundle harness and fix it in such a manner that it does not come into contact with a precision movable portion of the machine so as not to affect its operation. That is, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the wiring fixing tool  10  has a belt insertion hole  101  for accepting a fastening belt  11  and an attachment hole  102 , and is attached to the base member  13  by screwing an attachment bolt  12  fitted in the attachment hole  102  into a threaded hole  131  formed in the base member  13  of the machine. And, the fastening belt  11  is inserted into the belt insertion hole  101  to bundle harness  14  therewith and fix it.  
      To install the wiring fixing tool  10  on the base member  13 , however, the wiring fixing tool  10  must be held by one hand to align the attachment hole  102  with the threaded hole  131  formed in the base member  13 , and the bolt  12  must be inserted into the attachment hole  102  and the threaded hole  131  and screwed into these holes with a screwdriver by the other hand. Thus, work efficiency is very low. Further, it involves a problem that when the bolt  12  is inserted into the attachment hole  102  of the wiring fixing tool  10  and the threaded hole  131 , it may drop on a precision movable portion such as the chuck table or the cutting means to damage it.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      It is an object of the present invention to provide a wiring fixing tool which can be mounted on the base member by simple operation.  
      According to the present invention, the above object can be attained by a wiring fixing tool comprising a body having a belt insertion hole for accepting a fastening belt, a male screw portion projecting from the body, and a turning-force transmission means formed on the body.  
      Since the wiring fixing tool of the present invention comprises a body having a belt insertion hole for accepting a fastening belt, a male screw portion projecting from the body and a turning-force transmission means formed on the body, the male screw portion can be easily screwed into the threaded hole by holding the body to align the male screw portion with the threaded hole formed in the base member and turning the male screw portion by means of the turning-force transmission means. Thereby, the wiring fixing tool can be easily mounted on the base member. Further, since the male screw portion is integrated with the body of the wiring fixing tool constituted according to the present invention, there is no occurrence of dropping the bolt at the time when the wiring fixing tool is installed onto the base member unlike the prior art and hence, inconvenience caused by the dropping a bolt can be prevented. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a wiring fixing tool constituted according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a fastening belt to be inserted into a belt insertion hole formed in the body of the wiring fixing tool shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
      FIGS.  3 ( a ),  3 ( b ) and  3 ( c ) are explanatory diagrams showing the procedure of fixing harness by using the wiring fixing tool shown in  FIG. 1  and the fastening belt shown in  FIG. 2 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a wiring fixing tool according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a wiring fixing tool according to still another embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 6  is a sectional view showing a state where harness is fixed by the wiring fixing tool and the fastening belt of the prior art. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail hereinunder with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a wiring fixing tool constituted according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
      The wiring fixing tool  2  shown in  FIG. 1  comprises a body  21 , a male screw portion  22  projecting from the body  21 , and a turning-force transmission means  23  formed on the body  21 , all of which are molded from a suitable synthetic resin as an integrated unit. The body  21  is formed like a rectangular parallelpiped in the illustrated embodiment, and a belt insertion hole  211  for accepting a fastening belt  3  shown in  FIG. 2  is formed in the body  21 . The male screw portion  22  projects from one face (i.e., undersurface in the figure) of the body  21 . The turning-force transmission means  23  consists of a pair of holding portions  231  and  231  projecting sideways from opposite side faces of the body  21  like wings in the illustrated embodiment. Therefore, the wiring fixing tool  2  having the turning-force transmission means  23  consisting of the pair of holding portions  231  and  231  is shaped like a wing bolt.  
      The fastening belt  3  to be inserted into the belt insertion hold  211  formed in the body  21  of the above wiring fixing tool  2  will be described with reference to  FIG. 2 .  
      The fastening belt  3  shown in  FIG. 2  comprises a tongue portion  31  and a fastening portion  32  formed at one end of the tongue portion  31 , all of which are molded from a suitable synthetic resin as an integrated unit. A plurality of engagement claws  311  are formed on one surface side of the tongue portion  31 . Meanwhile, an insertion hole  321  extending through the tongue portion  31  is formed in the fastening portion  32 , and an engagement claw  322  to be engaged with one of the plurality of engagement claws  311  formed on the tongue portion  31  is formed on the wall of the insertion hole  321 . The above fastening belt  3  may have conventionally known constitution.  
      A description is subsequently given of the procedure of fixing harness with the above wiring fixing tool  2  and the fastening belt  3  with reference to FIGS.  3 ( a ),  3 ( b ) and  3 ( c ).  
      As shown in  FIG. 3 ( a ), the male screw portion  22  of the wiring fixing tool  2  is first screwed into a threaded hole  41  formed in the base member  4  of a processing machine and the like. Here, the wiring fixing tool  2  can be easily mounted on the base member  4  by holding the pair of holding portions  231  and  231  constituting the turning-force transmission means  23  formed on the body  21  of the wiring fixing tool  2  to turn the wiring fixing tool  2 . Further, since the body  21  of the wiring fixing tool  2  constituted according to the present invention is integrated with the male screw portion  22 , a bolt does not drop at the time when the wiring fixing tool  2  is mounted on the base member  4  unlike the prior art, and inconvenience caused by the dropping of the bolt can be prevented. After the wiring fixing tool  2  is mounted on the base member  4 , as shown in  FIG. 3 ( b ), the tongue portion  31  of the fastening belt  3  is inserted into the belt insertion hole  211  formed in the body  21  of the wiring fixing tool  2 . Then, as shown in  FIG. 3 ( c ), harness  5  for supplying electricity to electric appliances provided in the processing machine or the like is bundled by the fastening belt  3 , and the tongue portion  31  of the fastening belt  3  is inserted into the insertion hole  321 . As a result, one of the engagement claws  311  formed on the tongue portion  31  is engaged with the engagement claw  322 , and the harness  5  is thereby fixed to the wiring fixing tool  2  by means of the fastening belt  3 .  
      A description is subsequently given of wiring fixing tools constituted according to other embodiments of the present invention with reference to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 .  
      The wiring fixing tool  2   a  shown in  FIG. 4  comprises also a body  21   a  having a belt insertion hole  211   a , a male screw portion  22   a  projecting from one face (undersurface in the figure) of the body  21   a  and a turning-force transmission means  23   a  formed in the body  21   a , all of which are molded from a suitable synthetic resin as an integrated unit, like those of the wiring fixing tool  2  shown in  FIG. 1 . The body  21   a  and the male screw portion  22   a  of the thus constituted wiring fixing tool  2   a  have substantially the same shapes as the body  21  and the male screw portion  22  of the wiring fixing tool  2  shown in  FIG. 1 , respectively. The turning-force transmission means  23   a  formed in the body  21   a  of the wiring fixing tool  2   a  shown in  FIG. 4  differs from the turning-force transmission means  23  of the wiring fixing tool  2  shown in  FIG. 1 . That is, the turning-force transmission means  23   a  of the wiring fixing tool  2   a  shown in  FIG. 4  is composed of a screwdriver fitting groove  232   a  formed in a face (top face in the figure) opposite to the face, on which the male screw portion  22   a  is formed, of the body  21   a . Therefore, the end of a screwdriver is fitted into the screwdriver fitting groove  232   a  formed in the body  21   a  and the male screw portion  22   a  is easily screwed into the threaded hole formed in the base member by turning the screwdriver.  
      The wiring fixing tool  2   b  shown in  FIG. 5  is formed in a shape that part of the peripheral portion of a disk-like body  21   b  having a belt insertion hole  211   b  is cut away, and a male screw portion  22   b  projects from the plane of the cut-away peripheral portion. In the wiring fixing tool  2   b  shown in  FIG. 5 , the disk-like body  21   b  itself constitutes a turning-force transmission means  23   b  as a holding portion. Therefore, the male screw portion  22   b  can be easily screwed into the threaded hole formed in the base member by holding the disk-like body  21   b  to align the male screw portion  22   b  with the threaded hole formed in the base member and turning the body  21   b.