JP2006139983A - Continuous strip material supply method, continuous strip material supply mechanism and electronic component assembly device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a continuous strip material supply mechanism and a continuous strip material supply method capable of improving positioning accuracy in supplying components connected to a carrier of a continuous strip material to an assembly device and of reducing the cost of the device, in relation to an assembling/manufacturing method of electronic components; and to provide an electronic component assembly device using them. <P>SOLUTION: In this continuous strip material supply mechanism, the carrier 22 is provided with carrying/positioning holes 23 formed at certain intervals along the carrying direction. The continuous strip material supply mechanism is provided with a structure composed by superimposing, on each other, at least two gear-like sprockets 1a and 1b having projections 5a, 5b... to be inserted into the carrying/positioning holes 23 around them. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to assembly and manufacturing of electronic components such as connectors, and more particularly to a mechanism and method for transporting and positioning a continuous contact in order to insert a terminal portion such as a contact into the connector.

  Conventionally, when assembling electrical parts such as connectors and modular jacks, there is a process of inserting and assembling conductive parts such as electrical contacts, terminals and contacts by press-fitting them into a housing which is an insulator. In such an assembling apparatus, for example, as a method for supplying the contact to the assembling apparatus, it is common to connect the contacts with a carrier to form a strip shape (continuous band material).

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an electronic component assembling apparatus according to the prior art.

  Referring to FIG. 4, an electronic component assembling apparatus 110 according to the prior art includes a continuous strip supply means 40 that supplies a continuous strip 20 having an elongated shape in which a contact 21 as a terminal component and a carrier 22 are integrated. An arrow 33 indicates a continuous band material supply and conveyance mechanism 30 that conveys and positions the supplied continuous band material 20 as indicated by an arrow 31 and a housing 41 made of an insulating material such as a plastic material of a connector 43 that is an electronic component. The housing supply means 60 to be supplied and the supplied housing 41 are conveyed to the contact insertion position as indicated by an arrow 34, and the housing 41 into which the contact 21 is inserted is indicated by an arrow 35 until the next post-assembly process 80 of the housing. As shown, the housing feed mechanism 70 for transporting, the contact 21 is cut from the continuous band member 20, and the housing 4 that has been fed In, and a terminal insertion apparatus 50 having a terminal insertion tool 51 is press-fitted as shown by arrow 32. Reference numeral 42 denotes a housing before the contact is inserted, and reference numeral 43 denotes a housing in which the contact is inserted. It is also possible to provide a transport mechanism in the housing supply means 30 and use the housing feed mechanism 70 only for pitch feed of the housing 41 when the contacts are inserted. In addition, as a continuous strip material supply means 40, there exists a thing shown by patent document 1, for example.

  FIG. 5 is a view showing an outline of the contact conveying, positioning, and inserting steps by the continuous band material of FIG. Referring to FIG. 5, the continuous strip 20 integrally includes a contact 21 and a carrier 22 formed by press punching a single metal plate. The carrier 22 is provided with round conveyance / positioning holes 23 formed at equal pitch intervals in the central portion and connecting portions 24 formed on one side with equal pitch intervals at the round conveyance / positioning holes 23. One end of the contact 21 is connected to the tip of the portion 24.

  The continuous band material 20 is conveyed and positioned inside the assembling apparatus by the continuous band material supply and conveyance mechanism 30, and the contact 21 is conveyed to a predetermined conveyance position along with the movement of the carrier 22. The carrier 22 is cut off at the cutting section 25 and inserted into the housing 41 conveyed by the housing feeding mechanism 70 for assembly.

  As such a positioning method of the carrier 22, it is common to use a method such as inserting a positioning pin of another mechanism into the conveyance / positioning hole 33 or directly inserting a positioning component into the outer shape of the contact 21. is there. In the case of a system in which positioning pins are inserted into the conveying / positioning holes 33, it is necessary to escape from the carrier 22 to prevent interference when conveying the continuous band material to the assembling apparatus. It is necessary to operate by using a single drive source. This increases the cost (UP) of the apparatus.

  FIG. 6A is a partial perspective view showing a main part of a conventional continuous material supply mechanism, and FIG. 6B is a partially enlarged perspective view of FIG. 6A. FIGS. 7A and 7B are partial cross-sectional views used to explain the drawbacks of the contact transport, positioning, and insertion processes according to the prior art.

  Referring to FIG. 6A, the continuous belt material transport mechanism 100 includes a gear-shaped sprocket 1a including a single plate having a shaft 3 at the center and a triangular protrusion 55a around the center. When the sprocket 1a is rotated as indicated by an arrow 35, the protrusions 55a, 55b,... Are inserted into the transport / positioning holes 23 in order in the transport / positioning holes 23 of the carrier 22 and moved. become. When the continuous band member 20 is inserted and assembled, it is necessary to position the contact 21.

  However, in the case of positioning using only the sprocket projection 55a of the continuous band supply / conveyance mechanism 30 in the prior art, as shown in FIG. 6B, the size of the tip of the sprocket projection 55a and the conveyance / positioning hole of the continuous band 20 The positional deviation E is caused by the variation in the processing accuracy of 23.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the contact 21 is separated from the continuous belt 20 conveyed to the housing 41 by a cutting portion 25 by pressing and is press-fitted into the housing 41 as indicated by an arrow 32. However, if there is variation in the processing accuracy of the conveyance / positioning hole 23 of the carrier 22 of the continuous band member 20, the contact 21 cannot be correctly inserted into the housing 41 as shown in FIG. Problems such as generation of 41b, generation of scrap residue 41a, and deformation 41c of the contact occur.

  Therefore, as in the prior art, the method of performing positioning with the positioning component directly on the outer shape of the contact 21 has a risk of causing a problem that the contact 21 is scratched or deformed.

  Therefore, the technical problem of the present invention relates to a method for assembling and manufacturing electronic components, which can improve positioning accuracy when supplying components connected to a continuous band carrier to an assembling apparatus and reduce the cost of the apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide a continuous band material supply mechanism, a continuous band material supply method, and an electronic component assembling apparatus using the same.

  According to the present invention, a long continuous band material in which contact materials are connected via a carrier is transported, and the contact is punched from the continuous band material and supplied to a terminal insertion device for insertion into a connector housing. In the continuous band material supply mechanism of the electronic component assembling apparatus for positioning, the carrier includes a positioning portion provided at regular intervals along the transport direction, and the continuous band material supply mechanism includes a protrusion mounted on the positioning portion. Thus, a continuous band material supply mechanism is obtained, which has a structure in which at least two gear-shaped sprockets having a peripheral portion are stacked.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the continuous band material supply mechanism, as a sprocket superposition structure used for supplying and conveying the continuous band material, at least two sprockets are rotated around the center of the sprocket. As described above, a continuous band material supply mechanism is obtained in which the positioning portion on the continuous band material and the backlash of the projection of the sprocket are shifted and fixed.

  According to the present invention, any one of the continuous band material supply mechanisms, a housing supply means for supplying a housing of the connector, a continuous band material supply means for supplying the continuous band material, and the continuous band material supply A terminal insertion device for punching a contact from a continuous strip from the means and inserting it into the housing; a housing for conveying the housing from the housing supply means to the position of the housing terminal insertion device; An electronic component assembling apparatus is provided.

  Further, according to the present invention, a long continuous strip material in which contact materials are connected via a carrier is transported, and the contacts are punched from the continuous strip material and supplied to a terminal insertion device for insertion into a connector housing. In the continuous band material supplying method of the electronic component assembling apparatus for positioning, at least two gear-shaped protrusions provided around the protrusions mounted on the positioning portions provided at regular intervals along the carrier conveying direction. A continuous strip supplying method is obtained, in which positioning and conveyance are performed by a structure in which sprockets are superposed.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the continuous band material supply method, as a sprocket superposition structure used for supplying and conveying the continuous band material, at least two sprockets are rotated around the center of the sprocket. As described above, there is obtained a continuous band material supply method characterized in that the positioning portion on the continuous band material and the protrusion of the sprocket are shifted and fixed.

  According to the present invention, when assembling and manufacturing an electronic component, when a component connected to a carrier is supplied to an assembling apparatus, a (split-type) sprocket having at least two bonding structures for supplying and conveying the component is provided. By using it, it is possible to provide a continuous band material supply mechanism, a continuous band material supply method, and an electronic component assembling apparatus using the same that can reduce the cost of the apparatus and improve the positioning accuracy.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The electronic component assembling apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration as the conventional electronic component except that the configuration of the continuous band material supply mechanism is different. To do.

  FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a main part of a continuous band material supply mechanism of an electronic component assembling apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged perspective view of FIG. It is. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing another usage pattern of the continuous band material supply mechanism of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 2B is a partially enlarged perspective view of FIG. Referring to FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), the continuous belt material transport mechanism 10 is provided with a shaft 3 at the center and a triangular projection 5a, 5b, 5c,. A gear-shaped first sprocket 1a composed of a plate, and a gear-shaped second sprocket 1b composed of a single plate having the same shape and having triangular projections 5a, 5b, 5c,. It has a sprocket part 1 provided.

  The first and second sprockets 1a and 1b are arranged along the circumferential direction of the first sprocket 1a so that the positions of the protrusions 5a, 5b, 5c... 5s can be relatively shifted in the circumferential direction. The second sprocket 1b is provided with a screw hole (not shown). The first and second sprockets 1 a and 1 b are overlapped with the central axis (axial direction) of the shaft 3, and the sprocket fastening screw 2 is passed through the hole 7 and fixed thereto. Note that a bolt may be provided on the second sprocket 1b side, and a nut may be provided and fixed on the first sprocket 1a side. When the sprocket unit 1 is rotated as indicated by an arrow 4, the protrusions 5a, 5b,... Are sequentially inserted into the transfer / positioning holes 23, and the contacts move as the carrier moves.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, when the continuous band member 20 is positioned by only the sprocket protrusions 5a,... Due to variations in processing accuracy of the transport / positioning hole 23 as a positioning portion for transporting and positioning the continuous band member 20, a positional deviation E (backlash) occurs. If this misalignment E is within a certain allowable range, it can be used as it is.

  Referring to FIG. 2A, the first and second sprockets 1a and 1b of the sprocket portion 1 are fixed by being shifted by an angle smaller than the pitch.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (b), the projections 5a,... Are appropriately shifted in the rotational direction by a small amount of positional deviation E shown in FIG. The positional deviation E due to variations in accuracy can be made almost zero.

  As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the positional deviation E is made substantially zero only by adjusting the sprocket 1 (1a, 1b) without complicating the structure of the continuous band material supply mechanism 11. As a result, the positioning accuracy of the contact 21 can be improved, and as a result, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

  FIG. 3A is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a main part of a continuous band material supply mechanism of an electronic component assembling apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a side view of FIG. It is.

  Referring to FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the continuous belt material transport mechanism 11 includes a shaft 3 at the center and a gear-shaped first sprocket made of a single plate having a triangular protrusion 5a around it. 1a, a gear-shaped second sprocket 1b made of a single plate having a triangular projection 5a, 5b, 5c,... 5s around the same, and a disc-shaped sprocket 1a, 1b. The outer shape of the spacer 6 is smaller than that of the first and second sprockets 1a and 1b, and is a gear-shaped member made of a single plate having triangular protrusions 5a, 5b, 5c,. A sprocket portion 1 having a third sprocket 1c is provided.

  The first, second, and third sprockets 1a, 1b, 1c have a central axis (axial direction) of the shaft 3 so that the positions of the protrusions 5a, 5b, 5c,. ) Elongated holes 7 provided along the circumferential direction are respectively provided, and the first and second sprockets 1a and 1b, the spacer 6 and the third sprocket 1c are overlapped in the axial direction and are inserted into the holes 7. This is fixed through the sprocket fastening screw 2. Further, the continuous band member 20 includes a rod-shaped contact 21 and a connecting portion (carrier) 26 connected to each other at an intermediate portion thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, when the sprocket portion 1 rotates as indicated by an arrow 4, the sprocket portion 1 is inserted into a gap that is a positioning portion on both sides of the carrier 26 that is a connection portion between the contacts 21. The projections 5a, 5b,... Of the first and second sprockets 1a, 1b and the projections 5a, 5b,... Of the third sprocket 1c are sequentially inserted, positioned, and conveyed.

  In the second embodiment, the first and second sprockets 1a and 1b may be shifted according to the pitch of the contacts 21 as in the first embodiment. Of course, the same shape sprocket may be added in the axial direction.

  As described above, the continuous strip material supply mechanism, the continuous strip material supply method, and the electronic component assembly apparatus using the same according to the present invention are applied to the assembly of electronic components such as connectors.

(A) is a perspective view which shows the principal part of the continuous strip material supply mechanism of the electronic component assembly apparatus by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. (B) is the elements on larger scale of (a). It is a perspective view which shows another usage pattern of the continuous strip material supply mechanism of (a). (B) is the elements on larger scale of (a). (A) is a partial expansion perspective view which shows the principal part of the continuous strip material supply mechanism of the electronic component assembly apparatus by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. (B) is a side view of (a). It is the schematic which shows the structure of the electronic component assembly apparatus by a prior art. It is a figure which shows the outline of the conveyance, positioning, and insertion process of the contact by the continuous strip material of FIG. (A) is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the principal part of the continuous strip material supply mechanism by a prior art. (B) is the elements on larger scale of (a). (A) And (b) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the fault of the conveyance, positioning, and insertion process of a contact by a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sprocket part 1a (1st) Sprocket 1b 2nd sprocket 1c 3rd sprocket 2 Sprocket fastening screw 3 Shaft 5a, 5b, 5c, ..., 5s Protrusion 6 Spacer 7 Hole 10 Continuous belt material conveyance mechanism 11 Continuous belt material conveyance mechanism 20 Continuous band material 21 Contact 22 Carrier 23 Transport / positioning hole 24 Connection part 26 Connection part (carrier)
30 Continuous Band Material Supplying and Conveying Mechanism 31, 32, 34, 35 Arrow 40 Continuous Band Material Supply Means 41 Housing 41a Scrap Waste 41b Scratch 41c Contact Deformation 42 Housing Before Contact Insertion 43 Housing with Contact Inserted 50 Terminal Inserting Device 51 Terminal insertion tool 55a, 55b, 55c Protrusion 60 Housing supply means 70 Housing feed mechanism 80 Housing assembly post-process 100 Continuous band material transport mechanism 110 Electronic component assembly apparatus

Claims (5)

  Assembling an electronic component that conveys a long continuous band material in which contact materials are connected via a carrier, and punches the contacts from the continuous band material and supplies them to a terminal insertion device for insertion into a connector housing. In the continuous strip supply mechanism of the apparatus, the carrier includes positioning portions provided at regular intervals along the transport direction, and the continuous strip supply mechanism has positioning protrusions mounted on the positioning portion around the periphery. A continuous belt material supply mechanism comprising a structure in which at least two gear-shaped sprockets are provided.   2. The continuous band material supply mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the sprockets used for supplying and transporting the continuous band material have a structure in which at least two sprockets are centered on the center of the sprocket as a rotation center axis. The continuous band material supply mechanism, wherein the positioning portion and the protrusion of the sprocket are shifted and fixed together.   3. A continuous band material supply mechanism according to claim 1; a housing supply means for supplying a housing of a connector; a continuous band material supply means for supplying the continuous band material; and a continuous band material from the continuous band material supply means. A terminal insertion device for punching a contact from the housing and inserting the housing into the housing; and a housing feeding mechanism for transporting the housing from the housing supply means to the position of the housing terminal insertion device and carrying out the housing in which the contact is inserted And an electronic component assembling apparatus.   Assembling an electronic component that conveys a long continuous band material in which contact materials are connected via a carrier, and punches the contacts from the continuous band material and supplies them to a terminal insertion device for insertion into a connector housing. In the continuous band material supply method of the apparatus, at least two gear-like sprockets each provided with a positioning projection to be mounted on a positioning portion provided at regular intervals along the carrier conveying direction are overlapped. A continuous band material supply method characterized by positioning and conveying depending on a structure. 5. The continuous band material supply method according to claim 4, wherein the sprockets used for supplying and transporting the continuous band material are stacked with at least two sprockets having the center of the sprocket as a rotation center axis. A continuous band material supplying method, wherein the positioning portion and the sprocket protrusion on the upper side are shifted and fixed together.

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