JP2000308688A - Tube connection device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a tube connecting device for surely connecting tubes. SOLUTION: The tube connecting device according to the present invention differs in that tubes 7 and 8 held by a first tube holder 1 and a second tube holder 2 are melted and cut by a heated cutting plate 6 and then cut. A holder for welding and connecting tube cut surfaces to each other, and a holder for loading a cutting plate 6 in a direction orthogonal to tubes 7.8 held by a first tube holder 1 and a second tube holder 2. The holder 140 slides on a reference surface formed on the first tube holder 1 or the second tube holder 2 so as to be orthogonal to the tubes 7 and 8.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tube connecting apparatus for melting and cutting a flexible tube and welding and connecting the cut surfaces.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A tube connecting device is used to connect a transfer tube connected to a peritoneal cavity and a tube connected to a dialysis bag, for example, to provide a dialysate to the peritoneal cavity of a peritoneal dialysis patient. . Therefore, an example of the connection operation of the tube connection device will be briefly described. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, two tubes 7 and 8 are fixed clamps 311 and 313 of a first tube holder 301 and a second tube holder 302, and movable clamps 312 and 314 that come into contact with and separate from them. Are clamped at two places. At this time, the tubes 7 and 8 are clamped to have a flat shape, and the inside of the tubes is closed. Then, the heated cutting plate (hereinafter, referred to as “wafer”) 6 rises between the first tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2 to melt and cut the orthogonal tubes 7, 8.

After that, in the first tube holder 301,
A pair of semicircular rotor pieces 303 and 304 overlap to form a clamp rotor 305, and one of the cut tubes 7a and 8a cut as shown in FIG. And invert. Then, when the cut surfaces of the different tubes (7a and 8b, 8a and 7b) are located coaxially, the wafer 6 is retracted and welded by pressing the cut surfaces of both tubes together, as shown in FIG. The tubes 9, 10 joined alternately are formed.

[0004] By the way, in this tube connecting apparatus, as described above, the tube is inverted by the clamp rotor 305 including the pair of rotor pieces 303 and 304. FIG. 21 shows the first tube holder 3
FIG. 11 is a view showing a clamp rotor 305 loaded in the apparatus. The clamp rotor 305 is composed of a pair of semicircular rotor pieces 303, 304, and has a tooth shape formed on the circumference thereof.
When the gears 04 overlap each other, they form one gear. Also, the center of the clamp rotor 305,
That is, in the center of the contact surface between the rotor pieces 303 and 304, a U-shaped groove 33 having a depth to which one tube can be inserted is provided.
1, 332 and shallow groove closing portions 333, 334 for crushing and clamping the tube.

[0005] Such rotor pieces 303 and 304 are
Rotor loading part 3 formed on blocks 321 and 322 forming fixed clamp 311 and movable clamp 312
23 and 324, respectively. On the other hand, the gear loading section 325 connected to the rotor loading section 323 has
Drive gear 3 meshing with rotor piece 303 (304)
Reference numeral 06 is rotatably mounted and connected to a motor shaft of a drive motor (not shown). When the tubes 7 and 8 are clamped and cut as shown in FIG. 18, for example,
At a predetermined timing, a drive motor (not shown) is driven to rotate the drive gear 306. As a result, the clamp rotor 305 rotates inside the first tube holder 301, and the positions of the respective rotor pieces 303 and 304 are switched, so that the cutting tubes are alternately arranged.

[0006]

A tube connecting apparatus using such a clamp rotor 305 is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the cut surfaces of the cut tubes 7a and 8a are inverted, and different tubes (7a and 8b, 8a and 7
The cut surfaces b) are connected to each other. Therefore, the tube 7
The cut surfaces of a, 7b, 8a, and 8b must all be orthogonal. When the cut surface is inclined, one of the tubes 7a,
The different tubes (7a and 8b,
This is because the cut surfaces 8a and 7b) do not become parallel to each other, and a gap may be formed when welding is performed, or a connection failure such as a failure to secure a connection strength may occur. Also, the wafer 6
Since the wall thickness is as thin as several hundred μm and has no heat storage capacity, the heat of the wafer 6 is taken away by melting of the tubes 7 and 8 and evaporation of the liquid remaining in the tubes 7 and 8 during cutting. Therefore, if the tubes 6 and 8 are cut by moving the wafer 6 linearly in the vertical direction as in the prior art, the cutting is
Is performed only in a part of the temperature, the temperature of the part is significantly lowered. Then, the cut surfaces of the tubes 7 and 8 cannot be brought into a sufficiently molten state, and the subsequent welding becomes insufficient.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a tube connecting device for securely connecting tubes.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tube connecting apparatus, wherein a plurality of flexible tubes are held by a first tube holder and a second tube holder, and the tubes are first tube holders. And heating and melting by a heated cutting plate between the first tube holder and the second tube holder, and then welding and connecting different tube cut surfaces to each other, wherein the first tube holder and the second tube are connected. A holder for loading the cutting plate in a direction orthogonal to the tube held by the holder; and the holder is attached to the first tube holder or the second tube holder so as to be orthogonal to the tube. It is characterized by sliding on the formed reference surface. Therefore, when the holder slides on the reference surface,
The cutting plate loaded in the holder can surely move on an orthogonal plane perpendicular to the tube without being shaken when connecting the tube. Therefore, the cut surfaces of the tubes cut by the cutting plate are all orthogonal to each other, and the different tube cut surfaces are accurately fitted to each other, so that reliable connection can be made.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the tube connecting device according to the first aspect, the holder is pivotally supported so as to swing on an orthogonal plane orthogonal to the tube. It is characterized by swinging by sliding on a surface. Therefore, the cutting plate is cut forward by the swinging holder so as to slide obliquely with respect to the tube.
Therefore, the cutting plate itself is thin and has no heat storage capacity,
The cutting part of the cutting plate applied to the tube shifts in the process of cutting, the heat radiation of the cutting part in the cutting plate is suppressed,
A sufficient amount of heat is maintained to melt and cut.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of flexible tubes are held by a first tube holder and a second tube holder, and the tubes are held by a first tube holder and a second tube holder. A device for cutting and connecting different tube cut surfaces by heating and melting with a cutting plate heated between the first tube holder and the first tube holder and the second tube holder. A holder for loading the cutting plate in the orthogonal direction with respect to the tube, moving up and down in the orthogonal direction to cut the tube, and extruding and guiding one cutting plate from a cassette having a plurality of the cutting plates. Guide means for loading the holder along the groove. Therefore, each time the guide means loads a new cutting plate into the holder and simultaneously extrudes and replaces the used cutting plate, the tube can be cut with a sanitary cutting plate.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of flexible tubes are held by a first tube holder and a second tube holder, and the tubes are held by a first tube holder and a second tube holder. A device for cutting and connecting different tube cut surfaces by heating and melting with a cutting plate heated between the first tube holder and the first tube holder and the second tube holder. Loaded with the cutting plate in the orthogonal direction to the tube, having a holder that moves up and down in the orthogonal direction to cut the tube,
The holder is formed by receiving an urging force in a closing direction and supported by an opening / closing plate that opens and closes an upper side with respect to a fixed plate so as to sandwich the loaded cutting plate from both sides, and loads the cutting plate into the holder. And a pressing piece for pressing the opening / closing plate to open the opening / closing plate before the opening. Therefore, each time a new cutting plate is loaded into the holder and replacement is performed by pushing out the used cutting plate in the holder. At the time of loading and replacing, the opening / closing plate is opened by a pressing piece in advance. Since a gap is provided between the cutting plate and the fixing plate, loading and replacement of the cutting plate can be performed smoothly.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the tube connecting device according to the third aspect of the present invention, a leaf spring, which is formed by bending the distal end of the cutting plate in the feeding direction of the cutting plate sent by the guide means outward, on the path of the cutting plate. Having a retraction preventing spring fixedly disposed on the holder so that the tip portion overlaps the
The retraction preventing spring is characterized in that when the cutting plate is inserted into the holder, the cutting plate is bent by the cutting plate to open a course, and after the cutting plate passes, it elastically returns to cut off the retreat of the cutting plate. Therefore, the cutting plate loaded in the holder after passing through the retraction preventing spring is applied to the bent tip portion of the resilient retraction preventing spring, and the movement in the retreating direction is restricted. Even when an external force in the direction acts, the cutting plate can be loaded and maintained at a fixed position in the holder.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the tube connecting device according to the fourth aspect, the insertion-side cutting plate inserted into the holder and the discharge-side cutting plate loaded into the holder have end portions. And a positioning spring for biasing both cutting plates toward the fixed plate so as to overlap with each other. Therefore, both cutting plates urged toward the fixed plate side by the positioning spring are loaded with the discharge-side cutting plate on the path of the insertion-side cutting plate and their ends overlap each other. It can be pushed out and reliably replaced with the insertion side cutting plate.

[0014]

Next, an embodiment of a tube connecting device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal mechanism of the tube connecting device, and FIG.
82). The tube connecting device mainly includes a tube holding mechanism for holding a tube, a cutting mechanism for moving a cutting plate (hereinafter, referred to as “wafer”) 6 with respect to the tube, and a new wafer 6 to be sent for each tube connecting operation. And a wafer feeding mechanism. Therefore, the configuration of the tube holding mechanism will be described first. The tube holding mechanism is composed of two tubes 7, 8 stacked one above the other.
Are held and sandwiched at two places, and after cutting, the tube on one side is turned upside down, and the cut surfaces are pressed together to be connected. The main components thereof are a first tube holder 1 and a second tube holder 2, which are respectively composed of fixed clamps 11, 81 and movable clamps 12, 82 connected thereto by pin joints. The fixed clamps 11, 81 and the movable clamps 12, 82
Corresponds to the holding member described in the claims.

The first tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval, and the second tube holder 2 is fixed to the base 210 while the first tube holder 2 is fixed to the base 210.
The tube holder 1 is slidably provided so that the distance between the tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2 can be adjusted. A wafer holder 140 serving as a cutting mechanism is arranged between the two, and the wafer 6 is held in a direction orthogonal to the tubes 7 and 8 held by the first tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2.
Is configured to be moved. Then, a clamp rotor for inverting the tube cut by the wafer 6 is provided in the first tube holder 1. Here, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the clamp rotor, and FIG. 4 is a rotor piece 31 (32) shown in FIG.
FIG.

The clamp rotor 30 is composed of a pair of rotor pieces 31, 32, and the rotor pieces 31, 32 have a rotationally symmetric shape formed by dividing a gear in half. Therefore, the rotor pieces 31, 32 are
Both are semicircular and of the same type, and one clamp rotor 30 is formed by overlapping the half-split surfaces. In particular,
The clamp rotor 30 includes tube holding portions 33, 33 for holding tubes in the center, and the tube holding portions 3
Flanges 34, 3 projecting radially from 3, 33
4, and the rim 35 on the outer periphery of the flanges 34, 34,
Rotor gears 36, 36 and lock grooves 37a, 37
b, 37a and 37b are formed.

The tube holding portions 33, 33 are formed with holding grooves 33a and closed portions 33b, 33b in which the distal end of the cylinder is inclined toward the center and narrowed in width. The interval between the closing portions 33b, 33b of both the rotor pieces 31, 32 is formed such that the two tubes that are crushed one on top of the other have a flat shape and form a gap enough to close the inside of the tube tube. . The lock grooves 37a, 37a and the lock grooves 37b, 37b formed in the rim portions 35, 35 are
Both rotor pieces 31, 32 are formed at the same position. This is because the lock grooves 37a, 37a are fixed clamps 1
This is because the lock means and the lock grooves 37b correspond to the lock means provided on the movable clamp 12. The locking means will be described later. The lock grooves 37a, 37b, 37a, 37b are all formed with a predetermined groove width by two projecting walls.

Next, the fixed clamp 11 and the movable clamp 12 of the first tube holder 1 into which the rotor pieces 31 and 32 are loaded will be described. As shown in FIG.
The fixed cover body 13 shown in FIG.
4 (see FIG. 1). The fixed clamp body 13 has an outer frame 16 as shown in the side wall 15.
The body cover 14 is applied to the outer frame 16 and screwed. The fixed clamp 11 has a hollow shape with an open upper surface, and the above-described rotor piece 31 (32) is loaded therein. Further, the stepping motor 3 (see FIG. 2) is fixed to the body cover 14, and a gear train for transmitting the rotation output to the rotor pieces 31 (32) is provided in the fixed clamp 11.

The fixed clamp body 13 has a single support bracket 17 and a bifurcated support bracket 18 at both upper corners. Single support bracket 17
Is for a pin joint with the movable clamp 12, and a bearing 28 is pivotally supported between the forked support brackets 18 therebetween. Also, the side wall 33 of the fixed clamp body 13
The upper side (not shown) and the upper side (not shown) of the body cover 14 are formed with a semicircular cutout rotation support groove 19 to support the tube holding portion 33 of the rotor piece 31 (32). On the side wall 33, rollers 20, 20, 20 that rotatably support the rotor pieces 31 (32) are supported on the circumference of the same center as the rotation support groove 19. The rollers 20, 20 on both sides of the three rollers 20 are arranged symmetrically at an interval of 60 ° with respect to the center roller 20. Further, a positioning protrusion 21 is formed on the fixed clamp body 13 so as to protrude from the upper side of the side wall 15.

The fixed clamp body 13 is
As described above, the first tube holder 1 is formed so as to be able to move parallel to the second tube holder 2.
Here, FIG. 6 is a plan view of the fixed clamp body 13. The fixed clamp body 13 has a slide tube 22 projecting vertically from the side wall 15, and a guide roller 23 rotatably supported in the axial direction of the slide tube 22. The slide tube 22 is fitted into a guide rod protruding from the second tube holder 2 described below, and a guide roller 23 is provided.
Are arranged in the guide grooves 29a of the guide block 29 fixed to the base 210 shown in FIG. Therefore,
The fixed clamp body 13 of the first tube holder 1 is mounted in a state where the fixed clamp body 13 is supported by the slide tube 22 and the guide roller 23 and floats from the base 210.

Further, the fixed clamp body 13 has
As shown in (1), a pressing arm 24 protrudes from the second tube holder 2, and a roller bearing 25 is pivotally supported at the tip. The movable fixed clamp 11 supported by the slide tube 22 and the guide roller 23 is provided with a spring 24 between a support wall 181 fixed to the base block 10 shown in FIG. It is always urged to the second tube holder 2 side.
Therefore, the roller bearing 25 at the tip of the pressing arm 24
However, it is configured to be constantly in contact with a driving cam in the second tube holder 2 to be described later, and to be able to roll on the cam surface.

Next, the body cover 1 of the fixed clamp 11
4 is provided with a tube guide 40 (see FIG. 1) for accurately arranging the tubes. Here, FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tube guide 40 showing the side of the mounting surface to the body cover 14. The tube guide 40 has a pair of guide claws 4 with respect to the guide body 41 in which the groove is formed.
2 and 42 are attached in a state of being urged inward by springs 43 and 43. That is, the guide body 4
A curved groove 41a for positioning the tube is formed at the center of 1 and guide claws 42, 42 arranged so as to sandwich the groove 41a are urged by the outer springs 43, 43 toward the groove 46a. It is mounted movably in the biasing direction. The pair of left and right guide claws 42, 42 shown in the drawing are of the same type, and are arranged upside down for common use of parts.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the movable clamp 12 of the first tube holder 1, as viewed from the second tube holder 2 side. The movable clamp 12 has a body cover 52 attached to a movable clamp body 51 shown in the drawing, and has a hollow like the fixed clamp 11, in which a rotor piece 31 (32) is loaded. In the movable clamp body 51 and the body cover 52, rotation support grooves 53 and 54 which are cut out in semicircular shapes are formed at corresponding positions. The body cover 52 has a roller 5 that rotatably supports the rotor piece 31 (32) on the same circumference as the rotation support groove 54.
5, 55, 55 are pivotally supported. Three rollers 55 ...
The other two rollers 55, 55 are symmetrically arranged at an interval of 60 ° with respect to the center roller 55. Furthermore,
The movable clamp body 51 is provided with bifurcated support brackets 56 and 57 for pin joints at both ends thereof.

Next, FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the first tube holder 1. More specifically, the fixed clamp 11 is a simplified sectional view of the fixed clamp body 13 with the body cover 14 removed, and the movable clamp 12 is a simplified sectional view of the movable clamp body 51. In the first tube holder 1, the fixed clamp 11 and the movable clamp 12 are pin-connected by the support brackets 17 and 56, and the movable clamp 12
Are swung together as shown in the figure,
It is also configured to open as shown in FIG. A buckle 125 (see FIG. 8) is pin-coupled to a support bracket 57 formed at the swinging end of the movable clamp 12, and its jaw 127 is hung on the bearing 28 of the fixed clamp 11, so that the state shown in FIG. It is configured to be locked by.

In the clamped state of the first tube holder 1 shown in FIG. 9, the arranged tubes 7, 8 (see FIG. 2)
Are vertically held by holding grooves 33a, 33a of rotor pieces 31, 32, and can be clamped vertically symmetrically by closing portions 33b, 33b as shown in the figure. The illustrated clamp rotor 30 shows a cross section taken along line BB of the rotor pieces 31 and 32 shown in FIG. The rotor pieces 31 and 32 are
Rollers 20... 55 between the rim portions 35 and 35.
Is loaded to enter. Therefore, in the clamped state shown in the figure, one clamp rotor 30 (see FIG. 3) is constituted by the rotor pieces 31 and 32, and the rollers 20... 55 are equally spaced (60 ° apart) on the same circumference.
Located in. The clamp rotor 30 is arranged such that the closing portions 33b protrude toward the second tube holder 2 side. Further, the stepping motor 3 (see FIG. 2) is fixed to the body cover 14 of the fixed clamp 11, and a drive gear 61 is attached to the motor shaft 3a which has entered the inside through the through hole 32a (see FIG. 1). 61 meshes with the access gear 62 and the drive gear 63, and the drive gear 63 is engaged with the clamp rotor 3.
0 is engaged with the rotor gear 36.

When the tube is not held or the clamp is not clamped, the fixed clamp 11 and the movable clamp 12 have the rotor pieces 3 loaded therein.
Locking means is provided for positioning the first and second clamps 11 and 32 in the fixed clamp 11 and the movable clamp 12 so as not to deviate from the positions shown in FIG. Both locking means are locking grooves 37 formed in the rotor pieces 31, 32.
a, 37b to restrict the movement of the rotor pieces 31, 32. Therefore, first, the fixed clamp 1
The locking means on one side will be described. The locking means includes a slide plate 65 and a crank plate 66 as shown in FIG.
And a spring 67. Slide plate 6
In 5, two oblong slide holes 65 a and 65 b are formed in parallel, fitted into pins 68 a and 68 b erected on the side wall 15 of the fixed clamp body 13 and slidably supported.

Further, the slide holes 65a, 6
An engaging portion 65p protruding in parallel with the longitudinal direction of 5b is formed, and a hook portion 65q bent vertically at the other end.
Is set up. Then, the slide plate 65 is
8a and the spring 67 hooked on the hook 65q
Therefore, the clamp rotor 30 is always urged toward the center. On the other hand, the crank plate 66 has a substantially central portion pivotally supported by the pin 68b, a linearly-shaped tip disposed on the biasing direction side with respect to the hook portion 65q of the slide plate 65, and a U-shaped tip. Are disposed in a window 26 formed in the fixed clamp body 13.

Next, as for the locking means on the movable clamp 12 side, an engaging piece 72 having an engaging projection which fits into the lock groove 37 of the clamp rotor 30 is fixed to a leaf spring 71 bent in a dogleg shape. . The leaf spring 71 has a support ring 71 a formed at one end thereof, and the support ring 71 a is fitted into a pin 58 erected on the movable clamp body 51.
The other end of the leaf spring 71 is applied to the inner wall of the movable clamp body 51 so that the inner wall receives an elastic force acting on the leaf spring 71. At this time, the engagement piece 72 is urged toward the center of the clamp rotor 30 by the leaf spring 71. By the way, the lock grooves 37a and 37b respectively formed in the rotor pieces 31 and 32 are provided at positions corresponding to the engagement portions 65p and the engagement pieces 72 in the clamped state shown in FIG. 9, and the rotor pieces 31 and 32 are unambiguous. It is constituted so that it may be positioned. In addition, the lock groove 37
Reference numerals a and 37b denote surfaces whose inner wall surfaces are substantially parallel to each other, and one of the engagement portions 65p and the engagement piece 72 form a square-shaped protruding piece interposed therebetween.

Next, the second tube holder 2 will be specifically described. Here, FIG. 10 is an external perspective view of the fixing clamp 81 of the second tube holder 2, and particularly, FIG.
It is the figure seen from the tube holder 1 side. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a fixed clamp body of the second tube holder 2. In the fixed clamp 81, a hollow fixed clamp body 83 is closed by a body cover 84 from the outside similarly to the first tube holder 1. That is, the fixed clamp body 83 has an outer frame 86 projecting from the side wall 85 as shown in the figure, and the body cover 84 is applied to the outer frame 86 and screwed. Fixed clamp body 83
A single support bracket 87 and a forked support bracket 88 are formed at both upper corners. The single support bracket 87 is for a pin joint with the movable clamp 82, and the bifurcated support bracket 88 supports a bearing 90 therebetween. Further, a positioning projection 89 is formed on the fixed clamp body 83 so as to protrude from the upper side of the side wall 85.

Further, the fixed clamp body 83 has a structure shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 0, a guide rod 91 that supports the slide tube 22 (see FIG. 5) formed on the first tube holder 1 is vertically provided on the side wall 85.
It is largely cut so that the driving cam 92 provided therein appears. The driving cam 92 is formed integrally with the reduction gear 95, and is fixed at a position shown in the drawing.
It is supported inside. The drive cam 92 is formed by integrally forming a circular slide cam 93 and an eccentric cutting cam 94. The slide cam 93 has an end surface formed with a slide cam surface 93a having an inclination to change the height in the axial direction, and the cutting cam 94 has an eccentric cam surface 94a formed by the outer peripheral surface thereof. I have. On the other hand, the stepping motor 4 (see FIG. 2) is fixed to the body cover 84, and as shown in FIG.
A drive gear 93 is attached to the motor shaft 4a that has entered the inside from a, and the drive gear 96 and the reduction gear 95 are meshed.

Also, the fixed clamp body 83 has a structure shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a tube guide 100 is provided. The tube guide 100 is provided with an outer frame 8 forming an upper surface.
As support means for arranging and arranging the tubes through 6, guide claws 101, 101 are provided so as to protrude and are formed integrally with the plunger case 102 in the fixed clamp body 83. Protrusions 101a, 101a are formed on the inner ends of the guide claws 101, 101 so as to prevent the tube from coming off. As shown in FIG. 10, the holding groove 103 between the guide claws 101, 101 is formed in the holding groove 9 formed in the fixed clamp body 83.
8 and continue on the same plane. On the other hand, plunger case 1
02 is a stepped plunger 10 as shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 4 designates a container which can be slid up and down, the bottom surface is removed, and the container is fixed on a support plate 99 protruding from the fixed clamp body 83.

The plunger 104 is urged upward by a spring 105 provided between the plunger 104 and the support plate 99.
The tip that penetrates the bottom surface of the holding groove 103 of the tube guide projects. The plunger 104 has a magnet 106 embedded in the lowermost portion thereof. The position of the magnet 106, that is, the position of the plunger 10 is determined by a tube holding detection sensor (not shown) fixed to the body cover 84 side.
4 is configured to be detected. And
The presence or absence of the tube is determined by detecting the height of the plunger 104. Further, an O-ring 107 is fitted to the plunger 104 in order to prevent the liquid entering the through hole on the bottom surface of the holding groove 103 from penetrating into the plunger case 102.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the movable clamp 82 and the buckle 120. Movable clamp 82
Is constituted by a hollow movable clamp body 110 which is integrally formed. Bifurcated support brackets 111 and 112 are formed at both ends. The movable clamp body 110 is formed with a U-shaped groove 113 through which the tube passes and a closed portion 114 protruding laterally, and between the U-shaped groove 113 and a pressing portion 115 raised to lightly press the tube. Further, a locking wall 116 is formed on the movable clamp body 110 so as to abut on the swinging end side (buckle 120 side) against the positioning protrusion 89 of the fixed clamp body 83. And this movable clamp body 110
The buckle 120 is pin-connected to the support bracket 112. The buckle 120 is configured such that the buckle 125 on the first tube holder 1 side shown in FIG. That is, the gripping plate 121 of the buckle 120 projects greatly to one side (the first tube holder 1 side), and the insertion portion 126 of the buckle 125 is inserted there.
And an insertion groove 122 into which the pin 129 is inserted. Then, similarly to the buckle 125, a jaw 123 and a pressing piece 124 are formed at the position of the support bracket 112.

Therefore, the second tube holder 2 is provided as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the movable clamp 82 is pin-connected to the fixed clamp body 83 by the support brackets 87 and 111, and the movable clamp 82 swings so as to be overlapped as shown in FIG. It is configured to open. The jaw 123 of the buckle 120 pin-connected to the swinging end of the movable clamp 82 is hung on the bearing 90 and is locked in the illustrated clamped state. In the clamped state of the first tube holder 2 shown in FIG. 11, the arranged tubes 7 and 8 (see FIG. 2) are vertically symmetrical by the holding groove 98 of the fixed clamp body 83 and the closing portion 114 of the movable clamp body 110. It is configured so that it can be clamped.

The first tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2 as described above are arranged in parallel on the base 210 as shown in FIGS. Specifically, the fixed clamp body 83 of the second tube holder 2 is
The slide tube 22 provided on the first tube holder 1 is fitted into a guide rod 91 (see FIG. 10) which is directly fixed to the first tube holder 0 and protrudes from the second tube holder 2. At this time, both fixed clamps 11, 81 are parallel. Further, since the fixed clamp 11 is also supported by the guide rollers 23, the first tube holder 1 is kept parallel to the second tube holder 1 and parallel to the base 210 of the first tube holder 1 itself. hand,
Movement to adjust the distance to the second tube holder 2 becomes possible.

In the first tube holder 1 movably supported with respect to the second tube holder 2 as described above, the fixed clamp body 13 is always in the second position by the spring 131.
It is urged toward the tube holder 2. Therefore, the roller bearing 25 (see FIG. 6) of the pressing arm 24 protruding from the first tube holder 1 abuts on the slide cam 93 of the drive cam 92 provided on the second tube holder 2, and is always in contact. The cam surface is configured to roll. Then, the first tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2 are, as shown in FIG.
2) The holding grooves 33a, 33a and the closing portion 114 of the movable clamp 82 at the tip of the holding groove 98 of the fixed clamp 81.
The two closed portions are slightly spaced.
FIG. 13 is a front view showing the first tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2 from the direction C in FIG.

The cutting mechanism will now be described.
A wafer holder for holding and raising and lowering the wafer 6 is disposed between the first tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2 as described above. Here, FIGS. 14 and 15
3 is a perspective view showing a wafer holder for holding a wafer 6. FIG. In particular, FIG. 12 is a view from the first tube holder 1 side, and FIG. 14 is a view from the second tube holder 2 side.

The wafer holder 140 is swingably supported by the guide rod 91 of the second tube holder 2, and the swing tube 14 fitted into the guide rod 91.
2, a fixed plate 143 and an opening / closing plate 145 are provided on both sides. The fixing plate 143 is fixed to the first tube holder 1 side with respect to the base plate 141, and a groove (not shown) through which the wafer 6 passes is formed between the two plates. The fixing plate 143 is formed with shift stoppers 143a and 143b which protrude upward at two places and have barbs for preventing the wafer 6 from shifting upward.

The opening / closing plate 145 is pivotally supported at a lower portion, and further urged by an urging member below the pivotally supported portion.
The upper part is provided so as to abut and separate from the fixed plate 143, that is, to open and close. The opening / closing plate 145 includes a fixed plate 143.
Of the electrodes 146a, 1 corresponding to the position of the shift stopper 143a.
46 b is provided, and is configured to contact with the resistor terminals of the wafer 6 loaded in the wafer holder 140 and to conduct electricity. Further, a pressing piece 145 is provided on the opening / closing plate 145 so as to correspond to the other stopper 143 b of the fixed plate 143.
b is formed. Further, on the outer surface of the opening / closing plate 145,
One convex line 14 extends in parallel with the approach direction of the wafer 6.
5s are formed. Further, the base plate 141 is provided with positioning leaf springs 147a, 147b, 147c for pressing the wafer 6 against the fixing plate 143 and positioning the wafer 6, and the receding prevention plate is overlapped with the rearmost leaf spring 147a. A spring 148 is provided. Positioning leaf spring 14
Reference numerals 7a, 147b, and 147c are disposed so as to press the front and rear three places substantially at the middle of the height of the wafer 6 loaded in the wafer holder 140, and the retreat preventing leaf spring 148 cuts the retreat path of the passed wafer 6. Return 148a is formed.

In order to cut and connect the tubes properly, the wafer 6 needs to be orthogonal to the tubes 7 and 8 held by the first tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2. It is necessary that the wafer holder 140 swings without moving on the orthogonal plane. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the side wall 85 (see FIG. 10) of the fixed clamp body 83 directly fixed to the base 210 is used as a reference surface, and the wafer holder 140 is configured to perform a swinging operation by sliding on the reference surface. ing. Therefore, the wafer holder 140 includes the end surface 142A of the swinging tube 142, the end surface 151A of the mounting block 151 to which the positioning leaf spring 147c is mounted, and the sliding tube 152 fixed to the tip.
Are formed on the same plane.

Then, such a wafer holder 140
Is fitted into the guide rod 91 of the second tube holder 2 together with the first tube holder 1, and a spring 153 disposed between the first tube holder 1 and the first tube holder 1 (see FIG. 2).
Urged toward the second tube holder 2 side.
Therefore, each of the end surfaces 142A of the wafer holder 140,
151A and 152A are always pressed against the side wall 85 (reference surface) of the fixed clamp body 83. In this state, the wafer 6 loaded in the wafer holder 140 is a tube 7,
8 is orthogonal. In addition, the wafer holder 140 has these end faces 142A, 151A, 152A on its side.
The roller bearing 15 is attached to a shaft fixed to the base plate 141.
5 is supported. Although not shown, the wafer holder 14
Reference numeral 0 denotes a state where the roller bearing 155 enters the fixed clamp body 83 (see FIG. 10) and is mounted on the top of the eccentric cam surface 94a of the cutting cam surface 94 formed on the drive cam 92.

Next, a wafer feeding mechanism for feeding the wafer 6 into the wafer holder 140 will be described. A plurality of wafers 6 are stored in a wafer cassette 160 shown in FIGS.
The wafer 6 is configured to be extruded in the direction of the arrow X (see FIG. 2) by the feed piece 161 moving along the feed line. The feed piece 161 has a claw portion 161 a formed at a tip portion by a step corresponding to the thickness of the wafer 6, and is formed integrally with the slider 162. The slider 162 includes support walls 181, fixed on the base 210.
182 slidably supported by a guide rod 171 fixed across.

The support walls 181 and 182 rotatably support a male screw 172 hung in parallel with the guide rod 171. A female screw holding a ball is formed on a female screw block 163 formed integrally with the slider 162, and a ball screw is formed by screwing with the male screw 172. The male screw 172 has a support wall 182.
A transmission gear 173 is fixed to the side end. The stepping motor 5 is fixed to the support wall 182 from the outside, and the drive gear 174 fixed to the motor shaft penetrating the support wall 182 meshes with the transmission gear 173.

Further, on the upper surface of the female screw block 163,
Marker 165 with two plate members stacked on top and bottom
166 are provided. On the other hand, the support walls 181, 182
2, a control board 183 is fixed, and the control board 183 is provided with a standby detection sensor 185 and a feed detection sensor 186. Standby detection sensor 18
Reference numeral 5 denotes a sensor for detecting the standby position of the feed frame 161 based on the position of the marker 165, and a feed detection sensor 186.
Is a sensor that detects the feed position of the feed frame 161 based on the position of the marker 165. Markers 166, 167
Is supported by a female screw block 163 so that the degree of opening of the tip, which is the detection target portion, can be adjusted. In addition, stoppers 175 and 176 for preventing the slider 162 from overrunning are fitted to the guide rods 171 by contacting the support walls 181 and 182, respectively.

Further, the feed frame 16 is
1, a support arm 168 is protruded from below, and a pin 169 is further protruded from the tip of the support arm 168. On the other hand, a prism-shaped beam 191 is stretched between the support wall 182 and the fixed clamp block 81 of the second tube holder 2 in parallel with the guide rod 171. The beam 191 is formed with a rail 192 having a step at the corner, and the rail 192
An operation rod 195 having a prism shape is mounted on 92. A guide groove 195 a is formed on the rear surface of the operation rod 195 along the vertical direction, and is fitted on a guide pin 193 protruding from the rail 192. The tip of the support arm 168 protruding from the slider 162 is applied to the rear end of the operation rod 191 from the side, and the pin 169 at the tip of the support arm 168 is lightly fitted into the operation rod 191.

Next, the tube connecting operation of the tube connecting apparatus having the above configuration will be described. This tube connection device is entirely covered with a cover (not shown) such that the upper portions of the fixed clamps 11 and 81 and the movable clamps 12 and 82 are outside. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, when the movable clamps 12, 82 are opened upward, the upper surfaces of the fixed clamps 11, 81 appear, and the tubes 7, 8 can be set. Therefore, the user fits the two tubes 7 and 8 (see FIG. 2) into the tube guides 40 and 100 such that the tubes 7 and 8 are overlapped with each other. At this time, the guide claws 42, 42 of the tube guide 40 (see FIG. 7) and the guide claws 101, 101 of the tube guide 100 (FIG. 1).
1) is adjusted according to the outer diameter of the tubes 7 and 8, and the tubes 7 and 8 are arranged so that their central axes vertically overlap.

The tubes 7, 8 fitted in the tube guide 100 are provided with projections 101 of the guide claws 101, 101.
a, 101a does not get out of there. Therefore, the plunger 10 protrudes from the bottom surface of the guide groove 103 by its elastic force.
4 is pushed down (see FIG. 11). Therefore, when the plunger 104 is pushed downward against the urging force of the spring 105, the magnet 1
06 is detected by a sensor (not shown), and the signal is sent to the control side.

Subsequently, after setting the tubes 7 and 8, the user holds the buckle 120 and closes the movable clamps 12 and 82 of the tube connecting device shown in FIG. That is, the movable clamps 12 and 82 are connected to the fixed clamps 11 and 81.
The tubes 7 and 8 are held up and down by these to be clamped. The buckle 120 is the buckle 12
5 is formed integrally with the holding plate 121 (FIG. 1).
2), both movable clamps 12, 82 can be closed together. The movable clamps 12, 82 are fixed to the fixed clamps 11, 81.
Buckle 1 in a state where the buckle 1
By rotating 20, the jaws 123, 127 are hooked by the bearings 28, 90 of the fixed clamps 11, 81 to be locked.

The tubes 7, 8 performed by such a user
In the tube connection device, the tube set is confirmed and the clamp rotor 30 is unlocked by the setting operation of the buckle 120 and the locking operation of the buckle 120. First, when the user locks the buckles 120 and 125, the pressing protrusion 124 of the buckle 120 turns on the limit switch 201 shown in FIG. Therefore, the ON signal of the limit switch 201 is compared with the detection signal previously detected by the movement of the plunger 104, and the presence or absence of the tubes 7 and 8 is confirmed. Therefore, on the control side, if the ON signal of the limit switch 201 is input while the tubes 7 and 8 are not set,
Because the tube is not set properly or there is no tube,
After confirming this, the user is notified by voice or the like. On the other hand, if the ON signal of the limit switch 201 is input in a state where the tubes 7 and 8 are set, a signal for starting the next tube connection is awaited.

Further, after the driving of the tube connecting device is started, it is necessary to prevent the movable clamps 12, 82 from being opened by mistake. This is because the clamps of the tubes 7 and 8 are released and the tubes cannot be held.
Therefore, the solenoid 202 shown in FIG. 10 is energized by the ON signal of the limit switch 201, and the plunger 203 is raised. Thereby, in the state shown in FIG. 11, the plunger 2 is placed on the track of the pressing projection 124 in the opening direction.
03 jumps out and disables rotation of the buckle 120 itself, thereby preventing the movable clamps 12 and 82 from opening.

Next, when the movable clamps 12 and 82 are superimposed on the fixed clamps 11 and 81, the fixed clamps 11 and 8 are moved.
1 and the positioning projections 21 and 89 protruding from the movable clamp 1
2 and 82 (see FIGS. 9 and 11), and are fitted in the lateral direction without a gap. Therefore, lateral displacement is prevented, and the fixed clamps 11 and 81 and the movable clamp 1
2 and 82 are superimposed. At this time, on the first tube holder 1 side, as shown in FIG. 9, the leaf spring 71 is pushed back by the positioning protrusion 21 which has entered the movable clamp 12 side. Therefore, the leaf spring 71 is bent and deformed by the pressing force of the positioning protrusion 21, and the engaging piece 72 retreats due to the deformation, and the locking groove 3 of the clamp rotor 30 is moved.
Removed from 7b.

Next, when the user locks the buckle 125, the pressing protruding piece 128 is protruded from the fixed clamp 11 by the crank plate 66 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 9).
Acts as if it is pushed into. Then, the crank plate 6
6 rotates about the pin 68b as a fulcrum,
Press the hook 65q. Therefore, the slide plate 65
Slides against the urging force of the spring 67, the engaging portion 65p retreats, and the lock groove 3 of the clamp rotor 30
Removed from 7a. Thereby, the clamp rotor 3
0 (rotor pieces 31 and 32) are free to rotate.

Therefore, when the start switch is input by the user to the tube connecting device in which the tubes 7 and 8 are accurately clamped and the input of the start switch is in a standby state, the respective mechanisms of the device are driven and the tubes are connected. Is disconnected and connected. At that time, first, the wafer 6 is replaced. This is because one wafer 6 is used each time one tube is connected, and the used wafer 6 used earlier is left in the wafer holder 140 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, when the start switch is input, first, the wafer 6 is replaced by the following operation (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

When the start switch is input by the user, the stepping motor 5 is driven, and the rotation output is transmitted to the male screw 172 constituting the ball screw via the drive gear 174 and the transmission gear 173. Therefore, the male screw 172 rotates, and the female screw block 163 of the female screw engaged with the male screw 172 moves in the axial direction. The female screw block 163 does not rotate because it is stopped by the slider 162. Accordingly, the driving of the stepping motor 5 causes the slider 162 to slide on the guide rod 171 in the axial direction.
With the movement of the feed rod 161 and the operating rod 1
95 will move in the same direction. Therefore, the feed piece 161 sent in the X direction is pushed forward by the claw portion 161a at the front end hooking the rear end of the wafer 6, and only one wafer 6 is extracted from the wafer cassette 160. The wafer 6 extruded by the sending piece 161 advances in the X direction while standing upright, and is sent to a groove in the wafer holder 140.

The movement of the slider 162 in the X direction causes the operation piece 161 to send out the wafer 6 and also causes the operation rod 195 to open and close the wafer holder 140. When the slider 162 moves in the X direction, the operation rod 195 supported by a pin at the tip of the support arm 168 also slides on the rail 192 in the X direction. At this time, the operating rod 195 is connected to the guide pin 1 on the rail 192.
Since the guide groove 195a is fitted in the rail 93, the rail 1
It moves linearly without dropping off from 92. The operation rod 195 slid on the rail 192 in the X direction is
The tip enters between the fixed clamp 81 of the second tube holder and the wafer holder 140. The operation rod 195 is moved by the slider 162 to the feed top 161.
Is synchronized with the movement of the wafer holder 1
40, the wafer holder 14
0 is opened and closed.

The operation rod 195, which advances in the X direction in accordance with the transfer of the wafer 6, moves straight on the wafer holder 140.
The convex line 145s formed on the opening / closing plate 145 of FIG.
See). Therefore, the operating rod 1
Reference numeral 95 corresponds to a convex line 145 s protruding through the side of the opening / closing plate 145. However, since the tip of the operation rod 195 and the end of the convex line 145s are both formed to be inclined, the forward movement of the operation rod 195 exerts a lateral pressing force on the on-off valve 145 without the abutment of the operation rod 195.
Therefore, the lower side of the opening / closing plate 145 on which the convex line 145s is formed is pushed toward the fixed plate 143, and the upper side thereof is the fixed plate 14
3 to open. Thereafter, the lower side of the opening / closing plate 143 is pressed by the operating rod 195 that slides forward on the convex line 145s, and the open state is maintained.
Accordingly, the wafer 6 is sent into the wafer holder 140 in accordance with the opening operation of the opening / closing plate 143, and then the open state is maintained until the wafer 6 is arranged at a fixed position.

The position of the wafer 6 placed in the wafer holder 140 is adjusted by the stop position of the feed piece 161. As shown in FIG. 2, the marker 167 moves integrally with the feed top 161, and the movement of the marker 167 is detected by the feed detection sensor 186. That is, when the marker 167 moves to the detection position of the feed detection sensor 186, the position of the feed top 161 is
This is the fixed position of the wafer 6 within 0. Therefore, when the marker 167 moves in the X direction integrally with the feed frame 161 and is detected by the feed detection sensor 186, a detection signal from the feed detection sensor 186 is sent to the control side, and the stepping motor 5 , Reverse drive control is performed.

Therefore, the reverse rotation of the male screw 172 occurs, the female screw block 163 and the slider 162 move in the anti-X direction, and the feed piece 161 moves backward, so that only the wafer 6 remains in the wafer holder 140. Then, when returning to the position shown in FIG. 2, the standby detection sensor 185 detects the marker 166, and a detection signal is sent to the control side to control the stop of the rotation of the stepping motor 5. As described above, the movement position of the slider 162 and the like is detected and controlled by the standby detection sensor 185 and the feed detection sensor 186. The movement position is determined by the markers 166 and 167 with respect to the sensors 185 and 186 fixed to the control board 183.
, The fine adjustment of the fixed position of the wafer 6 and the standby position of the slider 162 and the like can be performed.

When the wafer 6 is inserted into the wafer holder 140 (see FIGS. 14 and 15),
Slides in a groove between the base plate 141 and the fixing plate 143. Then, on the course thereof, a positioning leaf spring 147a pressed against the fixed plate 143 by an elastic force,
Since 147b and 147c are provided, the wafer 6
Are the positioning leaf springs 147a, 147b, 147c.
As a result, it enters while being pressed against the fixing plate 143, and is arranged at the above-mentioned fixed position. On the other hand, the wafer holder 140
, The used wafer 6 is still loaded, but the used wafer 6 is also loaded with the positioning leaf springs 147a,
It is pressed against the fixed plate 143 by 147b and 147c. Therefore, even if the thickness of the wafers 6 and 6 is as thin as several hundred μm, the end faces always overlap, the used wafer 6 is pushed out of the wafer holder 140 by the new wafer 6, and the replacement of the wafer 6 is surely performed.

When the wafer 6 has been sent to the home position, the rear end of the wafer 6 slips through the retraction preventing leaf spring 148, and the tip of the retraction preventing leaf spring 148 hits the fixing plate 143. As a result, the retreat of the wafer 6 is cut off. Therefore, the extruded used wafer 6
When a user tries to take out a new wafer 6, a new wafer 6 is placed at a fixed position without being pushed back even if it is accidentally pushed. Then, as described above, the slider 16
When the operating rod 195 is retracted together with the opening / closing plate 14,
5 is released from the pressing and is closed by an urging member (not shown). Therefore, the electrodes 146a and 146b provided on the opening / closing plate 145 come into contact with the resistor terminals of the wafer 6, and the energized resistors are heated to raise the temperature of the wafer 6 (about 300 ° C.).

Then, following the sufficient temperature rise of the wafer 6, the tubes 7, 8 are cut. The cutting of the tubes 7 and 8 raises the wafer 6 by swinging the wafer holder 140, and the first tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2
The wafer 6 is made orthogonal to the tubes 7 and 8 clamped by. Such swinging of the wafer holder 140 causes the rotation of the stepping motor 4 (see FIG. 2) to rotate the driving cam 92.
(See FIG. 10). Then, by the activation of the stepping motor 4, its rotation output is transmitted from the drive gear 96 fixed to the motor shaft 4a to the reduction gear 95, and rotation is given to the drive cam 92 formed integrally with the reduction gear 95. When the drive cam 92 rotates, the height of the top of the cutting cam 94 on which the roller bearing 155 is mounted changes. In that case,
The wafer holder 140 is pushed up by the driving cam 92 and rises, and descends according to the driving cam 92.

As shown in FIG. 2, the swing tube 142 of the wafer holder 140 is pressed against the fixed clamp 81 by a spring 153. Therefore, the end surface 151A of the mounting block 151 and the end surface 1 of the slide tube 152 are flush with the end surface 142A of the swing tube 142.
52A is pressed against the side wall 85 (reference surface) of the fixed clamp 81. Then, as described above, the driving cam 92
Is rotated, the wafer holder 140 swings upward around the swing tube 142. At this time, since each end surface 142A, 151A, 152A slides on the side wall 85 (see FIG. 10) of the fixed clamp body, the wafer holder 140 is not shaken and the wafer 6
Moves in the direction orthogonal to the tubes 7 and 8. Note that each end face 142 is provided on the side wall 85 serving as a reference plane.
A, a sliding tape (not shown) for suppressing sliding resistance is attached to the sliding area of 151A, 152A.
The swing operation of the wafer holder 140 is performed smoothly.

Therefore, the tubes 7 and 8 clamped by the first tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2 are used.
Is cut by the wafer 6 from below, and the applied portion of the heated wafer 6 is melted and cut. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the position of the wafer 6 at the time of cutting the tube. The heated wafer 6 has its cut side (upper side) applied to the tubes 7 and 8 from below, and is cut by the swinging wafer holder 140 so as to slide obliquely with respect to the tubes 7 and 8. Therefore,
Since the abutting portion of the cutting side of the wafer 6 that cuts the tubes 7 and 8 shifts in the process of cutting, the heat radiation of the cutting portion of the wafer 6 is suppressed, and the heat amount is maintained.

That is, since the tubes 7 and 8 are welded and connected after cutting, the cut surfaces of the tubes must be in a sufficiently molten state. On the other hand, at the time of cutting, the heat of the wafer 6 is taken away by the melting of the tubes 7 and 8. Further, the wafer 6 itself is thin and has no heat storage capacity. Therefore, when the wafer 6 is cut at a part of the cutting side, the temperature of the part is remarkably lowered, and the cut surface cannot be sufficiently melted. Therefore, if the cutting sides slide as described above, the portions for cutting the tubes 7 and 8 are shifted, so that the temperature of the cut portions can be maintained at a certain temperature or more sufficient to melt the tubes,
The tube cut surface can be brought into a molten state sufficient for connection.

The cutting and connection of the tubes 7 and 8 by the wafer 6 are performed at the closed portions of the tubes 7 and 8 crushed by the first tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2 (see FIG. 13). When the movable clamps 12 and 82 are superimposed on the fixed clamps 11 and 81, the tube guide 4
Tubes 7, 8 supported on 0, 100 (see FIG. 1)
In the first tube holder 1, the clamp rotor 30
And in the second tube holder 2, the holding groove 98 (see FIG. 10) of the fixed clamp body 83 and the closing portion 114 of the movable clamp body 110 (see FIG. 12). , Are clamped as shown in FIG. Therefore, between the first tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2, a portion where the cylindrical tubes 7 and 8 have a flat shape and the insides of the tubes are in close contact appears. This portion is a portion cut and connected by the wafer 6.

Then, the wafer 6 is raised by the swing of the wafer holder 140, and as shown in FIG.
8 is cut. The tubes 7 and 8 are clamped and crushed in advance, and the liquid in the tubes is flushed from the cut portion at the time of clamping, and therefore does not flow out of the cut portion at the time of cutting. At the time of cutting the tubes, the cut portions of the tubes 7 and 8 are in a high temperature state in which the resin is melted or softened, and the cut surfaces thereof are in air-tight contact with the wafer 6. During this time, the inside of the tubes 7, 8 is kept in an aseptic state without contacting the atmosphere.

Next, the tubes 7 and 8 separated by the wafer 6 are inverted by the rotation of the clamp rotor 30 at the portions clamped by the first tube holder 1. Then, when the wafer 6 is sufficiently raised, the driving of the stepping motor 4 is stopped, and the driving of the stepping motor 3 (see FIG. 2) is continued, so that the clamp rotor 3 is driven.
Zero is given a rotation. As shown in FIG. 9, the rotation of the stepping motor 3 is controlled by the drive gear 6 of the motor shaft 3a.
1 to the clamp rotor 30 via the access gear 62 and the drive gear 63. Then, the clamp rotor 30 rotates with the rotor pieces 31, 32 serving as one rotating body shown in FIG. Clamp rotor 30
Are driven by the stepping motor 3 for the rotor pieces 31 and 3
A rotation of 180 ° is provided so that 2 is replaced by fixed clamp 11 and movable clamp 12. Therefore, FIG.
As in the case shown in (2), the positions of the two tubes 7a and 8a, which are clamped by being vertically overlapped, are turned upside down.

At this time, the clamp rotor 30 is rotatably supported by the rollers 20,..., 55 arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference, and performs accurate rotation about a virtual rotation axis. Since the tubes 7a and 8a are clamped so that the contact surfaces are overlapped on their rotation axes, the clamp rotor 30 is inverted and the rotor pieces 31,
When the position 32 is switched, the contact surface is located on the rotation axis, and the cut surfaces of the tubes 7a and 8a are accurately overlapped with the positions before the inversion.

Here, the tube guide 40 when the tubes 7a and 8a are inverted will be described. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing the tube guide 40. Before the rotation of the clamp rotor 30, the tubes 7a and 8a are vertically stacked as shown in FIG.
2 sandwiched from both sides. Then, the tubes 7a and 8a also rotate with the clamp rotor 30,
When the clamp rotor 30 rotates 90 °, the arrangement of the tubes 7a and 8a becomes horizontal as shown in FIG. 17B, and when the clamp rotor 30 further rotates 90 °, the tubes 7a and 8a
a (parentheses) are turned upside down and arranged vertically as shown in FIG. Thus, the tubes 7a, 8a
While the two tubes 7a and 8a are rotated up and down, the horizontal width of the two tubes 7a and 8a increases with rotation. Guide claws 42, 4
2 is pushed outward. Therefore, the tube guide 4
A value of 0 ensures that the tubes 7a and 8a are held up and down, and at the time of tube inversion, escapes to the outside to smoothly perform the inversion operation.

The cut surfaces of the tubes 7a and 8a, which have been turned upside down, sandwich the wafer 6 with the cut surfaces of the tubes 7b and 8b (see FIG. 19) clamped on the second tube holder 2 side in the same manner as immediately after cutting. At the same position. Therefore,
Subsequently, when the wafer 6 is lowered and the cut surfaces are pressed against each other in the axial direction, the cut tubes 7 and 8 are welded to each other to form one tube 9 and 10 (see FIG. 20). . At that time, first, the stepping motor 3 in which the clamp rotor 30 is inverted is stopped, and then the stepping motor 4 is started again. Therefore, the driving cam 92
(See FIG. 10), the height of the top of the cutting cam 94 on which the roller bearing 155 (see FIG. 15) is placed is lowered, and the wafer holder 140 is lowered accordingly.
Therefore, the wafer 6 is also lowered and extracted from the tubes 7 and 8. At this time, since the contact resistance between the wafer 6 and the melted tube cut surface is large, the wafer 6
The wafer 6 is hooked by the shift stoppers 143a and 143b so that the wafer 6 does not come off, and the wafer 6 is prevented from coming off.

The driving cam 92 for lowering the wafer holder 140 is formed integrally with a cutting cam 94 and a sliding cam surface 93 for moving the first tube holder 1. For this reason, the wafer 6 is lowered and the wafer 6 is extracted from the tubes 7 and 8 and the slide of the first tube holder 1 to the second tube holder 2 is performed uniquely, and the cut surfaces of the tubes are separated at a predetermined timing. It is pressed in the axial direction. The first tube holder 1 is constantly urged by a spring 131 (see FIG. 1), and the roller bearing 25 (see FIG. 6) of the pressing arm 24 contacts the slide cam 93 of the drive cam 92 (see FIG. 10). Touched. Therefore, the rotation of the driving cam 92 causes the wafer holder 14 to rotate.
At the stage when 0 rises, the roller bearing 25 rolls on the flat portion of the slide cam 93, and the distance between the first tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2 is kept constant. Then, at the timing when the wafer 6 is extracted from the tubes 7 and 8, the roller bearing 25 enters the inclined slide cam surface 93a of the slide cam 93 and rolls.

Therefore, the first tube holder 1 is pushed out toward the second tube holder 2 by the urging force of the spring 131, the slide tube 22 slides on the guide rod 88, and the guide roller 23 slides on the guide block 29. To perform parallel movement. Therefore, the first tube holder 1
Is brought to the second tube holder 2 by the difference between the flat portion of the slide cam 93 and the slide cam surface 93a, but the amount is small. This is because the tubes 7 and 8 are moved by the cutting allowance (about the thickness of the wafer 6) and the cut surfaces of the tubes are pressed against each other. The cut and inverted tubes 7 and 8 are welded and connected by pressing the cut surfaces thereof to each other, and as shown in FIG. 20, two tubes 9 and 10 alternately replaced are formed. .

The completion of the lowering of the wafer holder 140 is detected by the limit switch 205 attached to the fixed clamp 22. By this detection, the plunger 203 of the solenoid 202 is lowered, and the buckle 12
0, 125 can be removed. Therefore, the user removes the buckles 120 and 125 and moves the movable clamp 1.
2, 82 are opened and the tubes 9, 10 are taken out.
The moved first tube holder 1 remains at the same position until the next tube connection operation is performed,
When the switch is turned on, the absence of a tube is detected by the plunger 104 (see FIG. 11) provided on the fixed clamp 81 of the second tube holder 2, and the detection causes the stepping motor-4 to start, thereby driving the drive cam. The rotation of 92 is adjusted to move the position of the first tube holder 1 away from the second tube holder 2.

When the buckles 120 and 125 are removed and the movable clamps 12 and 82 are opened, the rotor pieces 31 and 32 are locked again (see FIG. 9). First, when the user removes the buckle 125, the pressing projection 1
28 rotates to release the crank plate 66, and the slide plate 65, whose slide has been restricted, can slide through the crank plate 66. Therefore, the spring 6
7, the slide plate 65 slides toward the clamp rotor 30, and the engagement portion 65p is
a. On the other hand, when the movable clamp 12 is opened as shown in FIG. 1, the positioning projection 21 that has entered the movable clamp 12 relatively comes off. As a result, the leaf spring 71 becomes free, and the elasticity of the leaf spring 71 pushes out the engaging piece 72 and enters the lock groove 37b of the clamp rotor 30. Therefore, when the movable clamp 12 is opened, the rotor pieces 31 and 32 are locked in a state where the tubes are inverted.

Therefore, according to the tube connection device of the present embodiment, the wafer holder 140 slides on the side wall 85 (reference surface) of the fixed clamp body 83 and the wafer 6
Is raised and lowered, so that the tubes 7 holding the wafers 6,
In order to reliably move on an orthogonal plane orthogonal to 8, the cut surfaces of the tubes 7, 8 cut by the wafer 6 are equally orthogonal, and the tube cut surfaces after inversion are accurately fitted to each other to ensure reliable connection. Now you can do it. The wafer holder 140 is pivotally supported by a swing tube 142, and moves the wafer 6 up and down by a swing operation. For this reason, the wafer 6 is cut so as to slide obliquely with respect to the tubes 7, 8, and the cut portion is shifted in the process of cutting the tubes 7, 8. And a sufficient amount of heat to melt and cut.

Further, according to the tube connecting device of the present embodiment, the wafer 6 is loaded into the wafer holder 140 by the feeding piece 161 or the like for each tube connection, and
Since the used wafer 6 is pushed out and replaced, the tubes 7 and 8 are cut with a sanitary wafer. Further, according to the tube connection device of the present embodiment,
The wafer holder 140 is fixed to the opening / closing plate 14
5 is opened and closed, and the opening and closing plate 145 is previously opened by the operation rod 195 when loading and replacing the wafer 6 so as to leave a gap with the fixed plate 143, so that loading and replacement of the wafer 6 can be performed smoothly. It can be carried out. In particular, the electrodes 146a and 146b can be retracted at the time of loading and replacement, and the movement of the wafer 6 can be performed smoothly without being caught.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the wafer holder 140 is swung, but may be moved linearly as in the related art.

[0078]

According to the present invention, the holder loaded with the cutting plate slides on the reference surface formed on the first tube holder or the second tube holder so as to be orthogonal to the tube. It has become possible to provide a tube connecting device that accurately connects the tubes and reliably connects the tubes. Further, in the present invention, the holder is pivotally supported so as to swing on an orthogonal plane perpendicular to the tube, and swings by sliding on the reference surface, so that heat radiation of the cut portion of the cutting plate is achieved. Thus, it is possible to provide a tube connecting device that reliably connects the tubes while maintaining a sufficient amount of heat for melting and cutting.

Further, according to the present invention, a cutting plate is loaded in a direction perpendicular to the tubes held by the first tube holder and the second tube holder, and the tubes are moved up and down in the orthogonal direction to cut the tubes. Since it has a configuration having a holder and guide means for extruding one cutting plate from a cassette having a plurality of cutting plates and loading the cutting plate along the guide grooves, the cutting plate is exchanged each time to replace the tube. It has become possible to provide a tube connecting device that can perform cutting of a tube in a sanitary manner.

Further, according to the present invention, the cutting plate is loaded in a direction perpendicular to the tubes held by the first tube holder and the second tube holder, and the tube is moved up and down in the orthogonal direction to cut the tubes. The holding plate is formed by receiving a biasing force in the closing direction, with the opening / closing plate being pivotally supported to open and close the upper side with respect to the fixed plate so as to sandwich the loaded cutting plate from both sides. Before the holder is loaded into the holder, the pressing piece for pressing the opening / closing plate to open the opening / closing plate is provided, so that it is possible to provide a tube connecting device capable of smoothly loading and replacing the cutting plate. It has become possible.

Also, the present invention provides a
When the cutting plate is inserted into the holder, the cutting plate is bent by the cutting plate to open the course, and the cutting plate elastically returns after passing to cut off the retreat of the cutting plate, so that the cutting plate is loaded and maintained at a fixed position in the holder. It has become possible to provide a tube connecting device capable of performing the above. In addition, the present invention provides an insertion-side cutting plate inserted into the holder and a discharge-side cutting plate loaded in the holder, and biases both cutting plates toward the fixed plate so that the ends thereof are overlapped with each other. Because of the configuration having the positioning springs, it is possible to provide a tube connecting device that can push out a used discharge side cutting plate and reliably replace it with an insertion side cutting plate.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an internal mechanism in one embodiment of a tube connection device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an internal mechanism in one embodiment of the tube connection device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a clamp rotor.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the rotor piece in FIG. 3 in the direction A.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a fixed clamp body.

6 is a plan view of the fixed clamp body 13. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a tube guide 40 showing an attachment surface side to the body cover 14;

8 is an exploded perspective view showing a movable clamp 12 of the first tube holder 1. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the first tube holder 1. FIG.

10 is an external perspective view of a fixing clamp 81 of the second tube holder 2. FIG.

11 is a side view of a fixed clamp body 83 of the second tube holder 2. FIG.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a fixed clamp 81 and a buckle 111.

FIG. 13 is a front view showing the first tube holder 1 and the second tube holder 2 viewed from a direction C in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the wafer holder viewed from the first tube holder 1 side.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the wafer holder viewed from the second tube holder 2 side.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a position of a wafer 6 at the time of cutting a tube.

FIG. 17 is a side view showing the tube guide 40.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a tube clamp portion of a conventional tube connection device.

FIG. 19 is a view showing a state at the time of cutting / reversing the tube.

FIG. 20 is a view showing a connection tube.

FIG. 21 is a view showing a part of a reversing mechanism in a conventional tube connection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st tube holder 2 2nd tube holder 11,81 Fixed clamp 12,82 Movable clamp 30 Clamp rotor 31,32 Rotor piece

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification FI FI Theme Court II (Reference) // B29L 23:00 (72) Inventor Masafumi Yanagawa 850 Horinouchi-cho, Kasugai-shi, Aichi Pref. Kasugai Office (72 ) Inventor, Takeshi Minamiya 850 Horinouchi-cho, Kasugai-shi, Aichi Pref., Kasugai Office, (72) Inventor Hiroaki Sano 1727, Tsukiji-Arai, Showa-cho, Nakakoma-gun, Yamanashi Pref. 1 Terumo Corporation (72) Inventor: Narumi Nakata 818 Mizotaira, Fujinomiya-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture Terumo Corporation In-house F-term (reference) 4C077 AA06 BB01 DD23 EE02 HH20 HH30 KK09 KK21 KK25 KK27 4F211 AG08 AH63 TA02 TC11 TD07 TN04 TQ05

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A cutting method in which a plurality of flexible tubes are held by a first tube holder and a second tube holder, and the tubes are heated between the first tube holder and the second tube holder. After cutting by heating and melting with a plate,
A tube connecting device for welding and connecting different tube cut surfaces to each other, comprising a holder for loading the cutting plate in a direction orthogonal to the tubes held by the first tube holder and the second tube holder. A tube connection device wherein the holder slides on a reference surface formed on the first tube holder or the second tube holder so as to be orthogonal to the tube. 2. The tube connection device according to claim 1, wherein the holder is pivotally supported so as to swing on an orthogonal plane orthogonal to the tube, and slides on the reference surface. A tube connecting device characterized by swinging. 3. A cutting method in which a plurality of flexible tubes are held by a first tube holder and a second tube holder, and the tubes are heated between the first tube holder and the second tube holder. After cutting by heating and melting with a plate,
In a tube connecting device for welding and connecting different tube cut surfaces, the cutting plate is loaded in a direction orthogonal to the tubes held by the first tube holder and the second tube holder, and A holder that moves up and down in the direction to cut the tube, and guide means for pushing out one cutting plate from a cassette having a plurality of the cutting plates and loading the cutting plate along the guide groove into the holder. Tube connecting device. 4. A cutting method in which a plurality of flexible tubes are held by a first tube holder and a second tube holder, and the tubes are heated between the first tube holder and the second tube holder. After cutting by heating and melting with a plate,
In a tube connecting device for welding and connecting different tube cut surfaces to each other, the cutting plate is loaded in a direction orthogonal to the tubes held by the first tube holding member and the second tube holding member. The holder has a holder that moves up and down in the direction to cut the tube, and the holder is pivotally supported so that the opening and closing plate opens and closes the upper side with respect to the fixed plate so as to sandwich the loaded cutting plate from both sides. A tube connecting device comprising a pressing piece formed by receiving an urging force and pressing the opening / closing plate by pressing the cutting plate before loading the cutting plate into the holder. 5. The tube connecting device according to claim 3, wherein a leaf spring, which is formed by bending a distal end of the cutting plate fed by the guide means in a feed direction outward, is provided on a path of the cutting plate. A back-prevention spring fixed to the holder so as to overlap with the back-prevention spring. The back-prevention spring is bent by the cutting plate when the holder is inserted into the cutting plate to open the course, and is elastic after the cutting plate passes. A tube connection device, wherein the tube connection device returns to cut off the retreat of the cutting plate. 6. The tube connecting device according to claim 4, wherein the insertion-side cutting plate inserted into the holder and the discharge-side cutting plate loaded into the holder are overlapped with each other so that their ends overlap. A tube connecting device having a positioning spring for biasing a cutting plate toward a fixed plate to position the cutting plate.