Method and device for tying a bundle of electrical wires
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsMax Detterbeck, Emil Dummler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a device for automatically looping a thread about a bundle of wires to form a continuous crocheted tying structure, a camming mechanism is provided for limiting the tying cycles to two and for adding a plurality of knotting cycles. A cutting knife and an intercept needle are reciprocatably mounted to the housing of the device and are shifted by a pneumatic cylinder under control of the camming mechanism. The knife cuts the thread after the formation of a plurality of knot loops, while the intercept needle catches the thread and holds it for the next work operation.
Claims13
In a method for tying a bundle of electrical wires comprising the steps of (a) pulling a thread from a reel or the like, (b) holding a leading portion of the thread proximate to the bundle of wires in a plane oriented substantially transversely to a longitudinal axis of said bundle, (c) automatically pulling said thread at an intermediate point thereof in a first direction about said axis to form one loop, step (c) being executed on a first side of said bundle, (d) continuing to automatically move said one loop in said first direction while automatically pulling a remaining portion of said thread about said bundle in a second direction opposite said first direction, (e) automatically pulling said remaining portion of said thread at intermediate point thereof in said second direction through said one loop on a second side of said bundle substantially opposite said first side to form another loop, (f) continuing to move said other loop in said second direction about said bundle while pulling the remaining portion of said thread in said first direction about said bundle, and (g) repeating steps (c) through (f) along the length of said bundle, the improvement comprising the steps of:
- (h) automatically terminating the continued repetition of steps (c) through (f) upon the completion of a preselected number of repetitions;
- (i) automatically laying, in a chain-like formation, a plurality of additional loops of the thread on one side of the bundle of wires, thereby forming a knot in said thread;
- (j) automatically cutting said thread at said knot, thereby forming a new leading end of the thread extending from the reel;
- and
- (k) automatically gripping and holding said new leading end, whereby said new leading end of the thread is available for a subsequent tying operation.
In a device for tying a bundle of electrical wires, said device comprising a housing, a thread supply wheel mounted to said housing, a substantially horseshoe-shaped guide member with a U-shaped opening pivotable about the bundle of wires upon placement thereof in said opening, loop-forming means including a latch needle mounted to said housing for forming interlocking loops of thread on said bundle, first means on said housing operatively connected to said latch needle for swinging said latch needle about a pivot point so that said needle is located on substantially opposite sides of said bundle in alternating phases of an operating cycle, second means on said housing operatively connected to said latch needle for shifting same in a longitudinal direction in said alternating phases of an operating cycle, third means on said housing operatively coupled to said latch needle and said guide member for rotating same about said bundle in conjunction with the pivoting of said latch needle by said first means, the improvement comprising:
- a cutting knife movably mounted to the housing;
- shifting means on said housing operatively linked to said knife for shifting said knife in a direction substantially parallel to the orientation of the latch needle in an extended state thereof on one side of the bundle of wires;
- and
- gripping means including an intercept needle movably mounted to said housing for grasping and holding a thread upon a severing thereof after a tying operation and a knotting operation, said shifting means being operatively linked to said gripping means for shifting said intercept needle substantially simultaneously with the shifting of said knife.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.