JP2013033771A - Terminal insertion device, wire harness manufacturing apparatus, goods detector, terminal insertion method, wire harness manufacturing method, and goods detection method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide various types of wire harnesses, or to provide a terminal insertion device which enables the quality check of terminal attachment and accurate and prompt supply of a housing.SOLUTION: A terminal insertion device 1 holds a terminal T, inserts the terminal T into a cavity of a housing H, and includes means 140 for checking that the housing H is in a predetermined position. The means 140 has a dead space 137 formed at a member 135 with which the housing H contacts in a predetermined position, a suction mechanism 160 suctioning air in the dead space, and a pressure sensor 162 detecting the pressure of a pipe 161 communicating with the dead space 137. The means 140 determines whether or not the housing H is in the predetermined position according to the pressure detected by the sensor.

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus or a method for inserting a terminal crimped to an end of an electric wire into a cavity of a connector housing. Furthermore, it is related with the apparatus etc. which manufacture the wire harness by which the terminal crimping electric wire was mounted | worn with the connector housing using the apparatus.

  For manufacturing a wire harness, a terminal insertion device is used that inserts a terminal crimped to an end (one end or both ends) of an electric wire into a cavity of a connector housing. As one of such devices, there has been proposed a device in which terminals crimped to both ends of an electric wire are inserted into connector housings, respectively, and the terminal can be inserted without causing twisting of the electric wire (for example, a patent) Reference 1).

  On the other hand, in order to increase the production efficiency of the wire harness, it is also necessary to supply the housing to the insertion position accurately and quickly.

JP 2008-10375 A

  The present invention was made in view of the above points, and provided various types of wire harnesses, or made it possible to check the quality of terminal mounting, to supply a housing accurately and quickly, and the like. An object is to provide a terminal insertion device and the like.

A terminal insertion device according to a first aspect related to the present invention is a device for inserting a terminal crimped to an end of an electric wire into a cavity of a connector housing, the terminal gripping means for gripping the terminal, and the housing Holding means; means for positioning and inserting the terminal into the cavity; and means for adjusting an angle of the terminal around the wire axis direction when the terminal gripping means grips the terminal. It is characterized by that.

  According to this aspect of the present invention, before the terminal gripping means grips the terminal, the terminal angle adjusting means adjusts the angle of the terminal around the wire axis direction (wire twisting direction). In general, a terminal crimping wire is in a position in which the terminal is crimped by a terminal crimping device (a position in which both sides of the upper U-shaped terminal are crushed inward, a position in which the crimping surface is on the upper side), and the cavity of the housing It is often inserted into. However, depending on the type of wire harness to be manufactured, the order in which the terminal crimping wires are inserted, the position of the cavities, etc., it may be preferable to insert the crimping surface inclined at 90 °, 180 ° or 270 ° with respect to the housing. is there. Therefore, the terminal crimping wire is rotated by a desired angle by the terminal angle adjusting means. Thereby, various insertion operations are possible. Further, in the case of an electric wire having a strong twist, in order to correct the twist of the electric wire, the angle of the crimping surface with respect to the housing can be finely adjusted.

  In this aspect of the present invention, the terminal angle adjusting means includes means for gripping an end of the electric wire on the terminal crimping side, and means for rotating the gripping means around the electric wire axial direction. And can.

A terminal crimping apparatus according to a second aspect relating to the present invention is an apparatus for inserting a terminal crimped to an end of an electric wire into a cavity of a connector housing, the terminal gripping means for gripping the terminal, and the housing Holding means; and means for positioning and inserting the terminal into the cavity, and further, after inserting the terminal, a force in the anti-insertion direction is applied to the terminal to cause the terminal and the housing to And means for determining whether or not the terminal and the housing are engaged with each other by detecting a displacement between them.

In particular, in the case of a wire harness having a large number of wires, a defective product will be defective if even one wire is improperly inserted. Therefore, the terminal once inserted into the cavity of the housing is pulled in the anti-insertion direction to check whether the terminal is securely engaged with the housing. The pulling force of an appropriate magnitude can be applied by using an actuator that operates this terminal drawing independently of the mechanism for inserting the terminal and operates stably with a low sliding resistance.
Further, as a method for detecting the displacement between the terminal and the housing by applying a force for pulling the terminal in the anti-insertion direction, if a contact type displacement sensor having a precision of about 3 μm and a resolution of about 1 μm or less is used, Can detect the displacement.

  In this aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the determination means has a low sliding resistance actuator independent of the terminal insertion mechanism as the actuator that gives the force for pulling out the terminal.

  By using an actuator having a low sliding resistance, output control of about 0.01 N unit becomes possible.

  Further, it is preferable that the means for detecting the displacement between the terminal and the housing of the determination means is a contact type displacement sensor having an accuracy of about 3 μm and a resolution of about 1 μm or less.

  A terminal insertion device according to a third aspect of the present invention is a device for inserting a terminal crimped to an end of an electric wire into a cavity of a connector housing, comprising: terminal holding means for holding the terminal; and supply of the housing Means and holding means; and means for positioning and inserting the terminal into the cavity, and further comprising means for confirming that the housing is in a predetermined position, the housing position confirmation means comprising: A void formed in a member with which the housing abuts at a predetermined position, a suction mechanism for sucking air in the void, a pressure sensor for detecting a pressure in the void or a portion communicating with the void, and detected by the sensor Determining means for determining whether or not the housing is in a predetermined position in accordance with the pressure.

  According to this aspect of the present invention, the insertion operation is performed after confirming that the housing has been transported or held to a predetermined position, so that an insertion error can be prevented. In addition, it is preferable to carry out at the terminal part of the parts feeder which conveys a housing as one of the suitable positions which confirm a housing position. In this case, there is an advantage that it can be used as an operation start signal of the housing feed mechanism in the next process.

  Further, since the confirmation of the housing is detected by pressure, it is determined that the housing is not in a predetermined position unless a predetermined portion (surface) of the housing is in contact with a surface near the void of the contact member. Therefore, it can be strictly confirmed that the housing is in a predetermined position / posture.

  The article detection apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus that detects that an article is at a predetermined position, and is a void formed in a member that contacts the article at the predetermined position, and a suction mechanism that sucks air in the void A pressure sensor that detects a pressure of the space or a portion that communicates therewith, and a determination unit that determines whether or not the article is in a predetermined position according to the pressure detected by the sensor. To do.

  In the terminal insertion device of the third aspect of the present invention and the article detection apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the housing or the article is confirmed at a terminal position where the housing or the article is conveyed by a parts feeder.

A terminal insertion device according to a fourth aspect related to the present invention is a device for inserting a terminal crimped to an end of an electric wire into a cavity of a connector housing, the terminal gripping means for gripping the terminal, and the housing Holding means; housing supply means for supplying the housing one after another to the housing holding means; and means for positioning and inserting the terminal into the cavity, wherein the housing supply means has a separate housing. A tray that is laid flat in a state; a guide formed on a side of the tray that engages the housing only in a certain posture; and the housing that extends from the guide to the housing holding means is sent in the posture. And a feeder.

  In the terminal insertion device of this aspect, the housing accommodated in the tray is sent from the tray to the feeder by an operator's manual operation. At that time, the housing is mounted in accordance with the guide of the tray. Since the guide is engaged only when the housing is in a certain posture, in other words, it cannot be attached to the guide except in this posture, so that the housing can be arranged in a predetermined posture without using a nerve. The housing can be transferred from the tray to the feeder by pushing a series of housing rows arranged along the guide toward the feeder. Thus, the housing can be reliably transferred to the housing holding means in a predetermined posture without taking the labor of the operator.

  In the above aspect of the present invention, the terminal gripping means includes a wire claw for gripping an end portion of the terminal-side wire of the terminal crimped wire, and a terminal claw for gripping the terminal of the terminal crimped wire. It is preferable that the electric wire claw and the terminal claw can be opened and closed independently, and the terminal claw is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the electric wire claw.

  According to this aspect of the present invention, when the terminal is inserted into the cavity of the housing, the front end of the terminal is inserted into the cavity, and then the entire terminal is inserted into the cavity. Can also be inserted. In the first stage, the electric wire and terminal are held by the electric wire claw and the terminal claw, and the front end portion of the terminal is inserted into the cavity. In the second stage, the terminal claw is released and moved upward with respect to the electric wire claw, and the entire terminal of the electric wire held only by the electric wire claw is inserted into the cavity. By such a two-stage operation, it is possible to reduce problems that the electric wire is bent or the terminal is displaced at the time of insertion.

  In the above aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the housing holding unit includes a pair of guide members that sandwich the housing from above and below, and a rotating unit that rotates the guide members from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction. .

  According to the present invention, by rotating the guide member in the vertical direction, the housing sandwiched between the guide members can be dropped from the guide member by its own weight.

  Furthermore, if the housing holding means is provided with a delivery head for dropping the wire bundle of the wire harness that is held by the housing holding means, the housing holding is more reliably performed when the manufactured wire harness is dispensed. Can be removed from the means.

  The wire harness manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes an electric wire feeding device that feeds electric wires, an electric wire cutting device that cuts the fed electric wires into an arbitrary length, and a skin that peels off the coating on both ends of the electric wires. A stripping device; a terminal crimping device that crimps a terminal to one end of the peeled wire; an end treatment device that applies end treatment to the other end of the stripped wire; and the wire end And a terminal insertion device as described above for inserting a terminal crimped to the portion into the housing.

A terminal insertion method according to a first aspect related to the present invention is a method of inserting a terminal crimped to an end of an electric wire into a cavity of a connector housing, wherein the terminal is gripped by a terminal gripping means, and the housing Is held by holding means, and the terminal is positioned and inserted into the cavity, and when the terminal is held by the terminal holding means, the angle of the terminal around the wire axis direction is adjusted.

A terminal insertion method according to a second aspect related to the present invention is a method of inserting a terminal crimped to an end of an electric wire into a cavity of a connector housing, wherein the terminal is gripped by a terminal gripping means, and the housing Is held by a holding means, and the terminal is positioned and inserted into the cavity, and after the insertion of the terminal, a force in an anti-insertion direction is applied to the terminal to detect a displacement between the terminal and the housing. Thus, the quality of the engagement between the terminal and the housing is determined.

  A terminal insertion method according to a third aspect of the present invention is a method of inserting a terminal crimped to an end of an electric wire into a cavity of a connector housing, gripping the terminal with terminal gripping means, and supplying the housing After the supply by the means, it is held by the holding means, the terminal is positioned and inserted into the cavity, and when the housing is in a predetermined position, the housing is brought into contact with the contact member at the predetermined position. A space is formed in the contact member, the pressure of the space or a portion communicating with the space is detected in a state where the air in the space is sucked, and when the detected pressure is a predetermined value or less, It is determined that the housing is in a predetermined position.

  The article detection method of the present invention is a method for detecting that an article is at a predetermined position, wherein a void is formed in a member that contacts the article at the predetermined position, and the air in the void is sucked In the state, the pressure of the void or a portion communicating with the void is detected, and when the detected pressure is a predetermined value or less, it is determined that the article is in a predetermined position.

A terminal insertion method according to a fourth aspect related to the present invention is a method of inserting a terminal crimped to an end of an electric wire into a cavity of a connector housing, wherein the terminal is gripped by a terminal gripping means, and the housing When the housing is supplied to the housing holding means one after another by the housing supply means, the terminal is positioned and inserted into the cavity, and when the housing is supplied, the housing is separated. A guide that engages the housing only in a certain posture is formed on the side of the tray, and the housing is fed from the guide to the housing holding means with the feeder in the posture. Features.

  As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, before the terminal gripping means grips the terminal, the terminal angle adjusting means can adjust the angle of the terminal around the wire axis direction (wire twisting direction). As a result, the angle of the crimping surface of the terminal with respect to the cavity of the housing can be selected.

In addition, after inserting the terminal, if a means for detecting the displacement between the terminal and the housing by applying a force in the anti-insertion direction to the terminal and determining the quality of the engagement between the terminal and the housing is provided, Manufacturing of defective products can be prevented.
Furthermore, if a means for confirming that the housing has been sent to the predetermined position is provided, the insertion operation is performed after confirming that the housing has been transported or held to the predetermined position, so that an insertion error can be prevented. it can.

It is a front view which shows the whole structure of the terminal insertion apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the terminal insertion apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the wire harness manufactured, FIG. 3 (A) is a perspective view of a wire harness, FIG.3 (B) is a front view of a terminal crimping electric wire, FIG.3 (C) is a perspective view of a housing. . It is a figure which shows a terminal angle adjustment means, FIG. 4 (A) is a perspective view of the whole, FIG.4 (B) is a top view which shows a terminal holding | grip state. It is a disassembled perspective view explaining a terminal and electric wire gripping mechanism. It is a side view which shows a terminal and electric wire holding | grip mechanism. It is a figure explaining the state which transfers an electric wire from a terminal angle adjustment means to a terminal and electric wire holding | grip mechanism, FIG. 7 (A) is a front view, FIG.7 (B) is a side view. It is a side view explaining an engagement confirmation means. It is a front view which shows a housing supply means. FIG. 10A is an overall perspective view, FIG. 10B is a perspective view showing a state where a housing is mounted on the guide of the tray, and FIG. 10C is a side sectional view of the guide. is there. It is a figure explaining the housing supply operation | movement by a housing supply means. It is a figure explaining the housing supply operation | movement by a housing supply means. It is a disassembled perspective view explaining the housing detection means in a housing supply means. It is a perspective view which shows a housing holding means. It is a side view explaining terminal insertion operation. It is a front view explaining wire harness payout operation. It is a top view which shows typically the structure of the wire harness manufacturing apparatus of this invention.

Good form for carrying out the invention

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
First, with reference to FIG. 3, an example of the wire harness manufactured with the terminal manufacturing apparatus of this invention is demonstrated.
The wire harness P manufactured by the terminal insertion device of the present invention is as shown in FIG. 3 (A), and is shown in FIG. 3 (B), in which a terminal T is crimped to one end of an electric wire W. A terminal T of a crimped electric wire is inserted into a connector housing H shown in FIG.
In this example, as shown in FIG. 3B, the terminal crimped electric wire is one in which a terminal T is crimped to one end of the electric wire W and solder S is attached to the other end. Further, as shown in FIG. 3C, a plurality of (in this example, 11) cavities C are formed in the housing H. In this example, each terminal T of the 11 terminal crimped electric wires W is inserted into the cavity C of the housing H. In a normally inserted state, even if the engagement piece of the terminal T and the engagement piece of the cavity C are engaged and the terminal T is pulled out from the cavity C with some force, unless a dedicated instrument is used, The terminal T cannot be removed from the cavity C. The wire harness P is manufactured by inserting each terminal T of the eleven terminal crimped electric wires W into the cavity C of the housing H.

With reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, the whole structure of the terminal insertion apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a view (front view) of the terminal insertion device viewed from the terminal insertion direction, and FIG. 2 is a view (side view) of the terminal insertion device viewed from a direction orthogonal to the terminal insertion direction.
The terminal insertion device 1 includes a terminal angle adjusting unit 10 that adjusts an angle around a wire axis of a terminal of a terminal crimped electric wire conveyed by a conveying device (not shown), and after the terminal angle is adjusted by the unit 10. A terminal holding / inserting means 20 for holding the end of the electric wire and the terminal crimped to the end, and inserting the terminal into the cavity of the housing, and a housing holding means 180 for holding the housing in the insertion position. .
Furthermore, a housing supply means 100 for supplying the housing to the housing holding means 180 and means 80 (see FIG. 2) for confirming the engagement between the terminal and the housing after the terminal is inserted into the cavity are provided. Each of these means is arranged on the machine base 3.
In FIG. 1, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface indicates the electric wire insertion direction (electrical wire axial direction), and the left-right direction indicates the direction (lateral direction) orthogonal to the electric wire insertion direction. In FIG. 2, the left-right direction indicates the electric wire insertion direction, and the direction orthogonal to the paper surface indicates the direction (lateral direction) orthogonal to the electric wire insertion direction. In the electric wire insertion direction, the terminal side (right side in the figure) is referred to as the front direction (insertion direction, forward direction), and the opposite terminal side (left side in the figure) is referred to as the rear direction (reverse direction).

First, the operation of the terminal insertion device 1 will be briefly described.
First, an electric wire (see FIG. 3B) with a terminal crimped to the end is sent to the terminal angle adjusting means 10 by a conveying device (not shown), and the end of the electric wire is held by the means 10. . This position is referred to as an electric wire gripping position P1. The terminal angle adjusting means 10 rotates the electric wire by a predetermined angle in the axial direction as necessary. Thereafter, the electric wire is transferred to the terminal gripping / inserting means 20, and the end of the electric wire and the terminal are gripped. This height is referred to as a wire insertion height H.
On the other hand, the housing is sent from the housing supply means 100 to the housing holding means 180. The housing is held at the insertion position P2 and the wire insertion height H by the housing holding means 180. Then, the terminal gripping / inserting means 20 moves to the insertion position P2, and the terminal is inserted into the cavity at a predetermined position of the housing. After insertion, the engagement confirmation means 80 confirms whether the housing and the terminal are engaged properly. After the predetermined number of terminal crimped electric wires are inserted into the housing, the housing (wire harness) into which the terminal crimped electric wires are inserted is discharged from the housing holding means 180.

First, the terminal angle adjusting means 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the terminal angle adjusting means 10 brings the pair of claw members 11 and 12 that grip the end portion of the electric wire W from the direction orthogonal to the electric wire axial direction and the claw members 11 and 12 closer to each other. The actuator 15 is moved in the direction to move and the direction to be separated, and the positioner 17 is rotated to rotate the actuator 15 around the electric wire axis direction.

  Each of the claw members 11 and 12 is a U-shaped member as a whole, and is arranged so that the U-shaped openings face each other and the front end surfaces 11a and 12a face each other. A convex portion 11b is formed on the tip surface 11a of one claw member 11, and a concave portion 12b into which the convex portion 11b is fitted is formed on the tip surface 12a of the other claw member 12. Furthermore, the notch is formed in the center of the height direction of both the end surfaces 11a and 12a. As shown in FIG. 4 (B), the end of the electric wire W on the terminal side is gripped between the notches of the both end faces 11a and 12a.

  As the actuator 15, for example, an actuator called a parallel hand can be used. The actuator 15 has a linear guide and two sliders that slide while engaging with the guide, and each slider approaches or separates in synchronization with the center. The base portions of the claw members 11 and 12 are fixed to the sliders. When both sliders approach, the tip surfaces 11a and 12a of the claw members 11 and 12 come into contact with each other to grip the electric wire W, and when separated, a gap opens between the tip surfaces 11a and 12a to release the electric wire W.

  The actuator 15 is connected to the rotation shaft of the positioner 17 and rotates around the axis of the gripped electric wire W. That is, the electric wire W held by the claw members 11 and 12 is rotated around the axis. In general, as shown in FIG. 4 (B), the terminal crimping electric wire W is in a posture in which the terminal T is crimped by the terminal crimping apparatus (generally, both sides of the upper open U-shaped terminal are crushed inward. In many cases, it is inserted into the cavity of the housing with the posture and the pressure-bonding surface on the upper side. Also in the terminal insertion device 1 of the present invention, it is conveyed to the terminal angle adjusting means 10 in this posture. However, depending on the type of wire harness to be manufactured, the crimping surface may be inserted with an inclination of 90 °, 180 ° or 270 ° with respect to the housing. Therefore, the terminal angle adjusting means 10 rotates the electric wire W by a desired angle.

Next, the terminal gripping / inserting means 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 5, FIG. 1, and FIG.
The terminal gripping / inserting means 20 is disposed above the terminal angle adjusting means 10 at the wire gripping position P1, as shown in FIGS. The means 20 includes an electric wire / terminal holding mechanism 30 that holds the end of the electric wire W and the terminal T. The electric wire / terminal holding mechanism 30 is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction, the insertion direction, and the horizontal direction.

The operation of the terminal gripping / inserting means 20 will be briefly described.
First, the electric wire / terminal holding mechanism 30 descends to the terminal angle adjusting means 10 and holds the electric wire W held by the means 10. Thereafter, the electric wire W is raised to the electric wire insertion height H by the electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30, and is then conveyed in the lateral direction to the insertion position P2. Thereafter, the electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 moves forward toward the housing held by the housing holding means 180, whereby the terminal is inserted into the housing.

The electric wire / terminal holding mechanism 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism, and FIG. 6 is a side view.
The electric wire / terminal holding mechanism 30 includes a terminal claw 31 that holds the crimp terminal T of the electric wire W held by the terminal angle adjusting means 10 and an electric wire claw 61 that holds the end of the electric wire W. In the electric wire insertion direction, the terminal claws 31 are arranged on the front side, and the electric wire claws 61 are arranged on the rear side.

The terminal claw 31 has a fixed claw member 32 and a movable claw member 33 that opens and closes with respect to the fixed claw member 32, and holds the terminal T from both sides in a direction orthogonal to the electric wire axial direction.
The fixed claw member 32 is a plate-like member having a certain thickness, and the inner surface on the movable claw member side is a flat gripping surface. The fixed claw member 32 is fixed to an intermediate base 41 whose base is vertically long.
The movable claw member 33 is also a plate-like member having a certain thickness, and is a flat grip surface facing the grip surface of the fixed claw member 32. The movable claw member 33 has a base fixed to the link member 34. The link member 34 is a member extending substantially horizontally from the base portion of the movable claw member 33, and an end portion on the side to which the movable claw member 33 is fixed is rotatably connected to the movable base 35 by a pin 36. . On the other hand, the tip of the rod 39 of the cylinder 38 is connected to the other end of the link member 34. The cylinder 38 is disposed on the intermediate base 41 so that the rod 39 extends downward. When the rod 39 extends, the tip of the link member 34 is pushed downward, and the link member 34 rotates about the pin 36 in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. The movable claw member 33 also rotates together with the link member 34 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. As a result, the gap between the gripping surfaces of both the claw members 32 and 33 is opened. Conversely, when the rod 39 contracts, the tip of the link member 34 is pulled up, the movable claw member 33 rotates around the pin 36 in the clockwise direction in the figure, and the gripping surfaces of both the claw members 32 and 33 come into contact.

  The movable base 35 is attached to the intermediate base 41 so as to be slidable up and down. An adjustment screw 43 extending in the vertical direction is attached to the intermediate base 41, and a slider (not shown) that engages with the adjustment screw 43 is attached to the back surface of the movable base 35. When the adjustment screw 43 is rotated, the slider moves up and down, and the movable base 35 moves up and down relative to the intermediate base 41. The upper limit height of the movable base 35 is regulated by a lock screw 44 attached to the intermediate base 41. When the movable base 35 is moved upward, the end of the link member 34 connected to the base 35 on the side where the movable claw 33 is attached moves upward. On the other hand, the other end of the link member 34 is connected to the tip of the rod 39 of the cylinder 38 and thus does not move. For this reason, when the movable base 35 moves upward, the link member 34 rotates about the connection point with the tip of the rod 39, and the movable claw member 33 rotates in a direction to open with respect to the fixed claw member 32. . With this mechanism, it is possible to finely adjust the degree of opening when both the claw members 32 and 33 are closed.

  Further, the intermediate base 41 is attached to the main base 47 so as to be slidable up and down. As shown in FIG. 6, a cylinder 51 extending in the vertical direction is attached to the front surface of the main base 47 so that the rod 52 extends downward. As shown in FIG. 6, a guide 54 extending in the vertical direction is attached to the main base 47. On the other hand, a slider 55 that engages with the guide 54 is attached to the back surface of the intermediate base 41. The tip of the rod 52 of the cylinder 51 is connected to the slider 55. When the rod 52 of the cylinder 51 is expanded and contracted, the slider 55 moves up and down along the guide 54, and the intermediate base 41 moves up and down with respect to the main base 47. Thereby, the terminal nail | claw 31 can be moved to an up-down direction.

The electric wire claw 61 includes a pair of claw members 62 and 63 that grip the end of the electric wire W from a direction orthogonal to the electric wire axial direction, and an actuator 65 that moves the claw members 62 and 63 toward and away from each other. And comprising.
As shown in FIG. 6, each claw member 62, 63 has two gripping portions 62a and 62b, 63a and 63b that are arranged in the front and rear direction with a certain space in the direction of the electric wire axis.
As the actuator 65, an actuator called a parallel hand can be used similarly to the terminal angle adjusting means 10 described above. That is, the actuator 65 has a linear guide and two sliders that slide while engaging with the guide, and each slider approaches or moves away from the center in synchronization. The base portions of the claw members 62 and 63 are respectively fixed to the slider. When both sliders approach, the inner surfaces of the gripping portions of the claw members 62 and 63 come into contact with each other to grip the electric wires W, and when they are separated, a gap opens between the inner surfaces of the gripping portions to release the electric wires W.

The back surface of the actuator 65 is attached to the attachment plate 67 so that the height can be adjusted. The mounting plate 67 is fixed to the main base 47 by left and right side plates 68 and 69. That is, the actuator 65 and the electric wire claw 61 are fixed to the main base 47. Accordingly, the terminal claw 31 can move in the vertical direction with respect to the main base 47 by the above-described configuration, but the wire claw 61 cannot move in the vertical direction with respect to the main base 47.
With such a configuration, the terminal claw 31 and the electric wire claw 61 can be opened and closed independently, and the terminal claw 31 can move up and down with respect to the electric wire claw 61. As for the terminal nail | claw 31, a holding surface moves between the same lower position as the height of the holding surface of the electric wire nail | claw 61, and the upper position upward from the same position.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 is supported by an elevating linear actuator 71 so as to be movable in the vertical direction.
The elevating linear actuator 71 includes, for example, a ball screw that is rotated by a motor, a slider that engages with the screw, and a guide that guides the slider in a straight line.
The elevating linear actuator 71 is arranged so that the ball screw extends in the vertical direction, and the back surface of the main base 47 of the electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 is fixed to the slider. When the ball screw is rotated by the motor, the slider moves up and down along the ball screw. That is, the entire wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30, that is, the terminal claw 31 and the wire claw 61 are simultaneously moved up and down. Specifically, the heights of the gripping portions of the terminal claws 31 and the electric wire claws 61 are the same lower position as the terminal gripping height of the terminal angle adjusting mechanism 10 and the same upper position as the insertion position height H of the housing holding means 180. To move. In the lower position, the electric wire W is transferred from the terminal angle adjusting means 10 to the electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30. The insertion position height H may be changed depending on the number of cavities in the housing. In this case, the insertion position height H can be arbitrarily set by the elevating linear actuator 71.

With reference to FIG. 7, a state where the electric wire is transferred from the terminal angle adjusting means 10 to the electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 will be described. FIG. 7A is a front view and FIG. 7B is a side view.
In the lower position of the wire-terminal gripping mechanism 30 is lowered by the elevating actuator 71, as shown in FIG. 7 (B), in the wire axis, the distal end surface of the claw members 11 and 12 of the terminal angle adjusting means 10, The claw member 61 of the electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 is positioned between the front gripping portions 62a and 63a and the rear gripping portions 62b and 63b. Accordingly, the electric wire W is held by the electric wire claw 61 of the electric wire / terminal holding mechanism 30 at two places in the front-rear direction, and the terminal T is held by the terminal claw 31. Even if the claw members 11 and 12 of the terminal angle adjusting means 10 are rotated, the claws 31 and 61 of the electric wire / terminal holding means 30 are both connected to the terminal angle adjusting means 10 as shown in FIG. Since the space between the claw members 11 and 12 moves up and down, rotation of the claw members 11 and 12 is not hindered.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 and the lifting linear actuator 71 are supported by an insertion linear actuator 77 so as to be able to advance and retract in the insertion direction (wire axis direction). Here, the traveling direction (front) indicates the right direction in FIG. 2 and is a direction in which the terminal is inserted into the cavity of the housing. The backward direction (rear) indicates the left direction in FIG. 2 and is a direction in which the electric wire is pulled out from the housing.
Further, the insertion linear actuator 77 includes a mechanism 80 (described later in detail) for confirming the engagement between the terminal and the housing after the terminal is inserted into the cavity.

  The linear actuator 77 for insertion is also composed of a ball screw rotated by a motor, a slider engaged with the screw, and a guide for guiding the main slider in a straight line, and is arranged so as to extend in the insertion direction.

  A substantially L-shaped plate 73 having a vertical piece 73a and a horizontal piece 73b is fixed to the back surface of the elevating linear actuator 71. The vertical piece 73a of the plate 73 is fixed to the actuator 71, and the horizontal piece 73b extends forward in the insertion direction. An engagement confirmation mechanism 80 is disposed between the horizontal piece 73b and the slider of the insertion linear actuator 73.

The advance / retreat operation of the electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 will be described.
When the insertion linear actuator 77 is driven to move the slider forward or backward, the plate 73, the lift linear actuator 71 fixed to the plate 73, and the lift linear actuator 71 are supported via the engagement confirmation mechanism 80. The electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 is moved forward and backward.

The engagement confirmation mechanism 80 will be described with reference to FIG.
The engagement confirmation mechanism 80 includes a base 81 extending in the insertion direction, a small slider 82 that engages and slides on the base 81, a cylinder 83 that relatively moves the small slider 82 back and forth in the insertion direction, and the like.
The small slider 82 is fixed to the lower surface of the horizontal piece 73 b of the plate 73. A base 81 with which the small slider 82 is engaged is fixed to the slider 77 a of the insertion actuator 77. The cylinder 83 is disposed so that the rod 84 extends forward, and is fixed to the lower surface of the horizontal piece 73b. The end of the base 81 is connected to the tip of the rod 84.

  Further, on the upper surface of the horizontal piece 73b of the plate 73, a contact type displacement sensor 86 (for example, a contact type digital sensor (accuracy 3 μm, resolution 1 m)) is arranged. The displacement sensor 86 includes a main body 86a and a contact 86b that is biased forward by a spring with respect to the main body 86a. The displacement sensor 86 is disposed such that the contact 86b faces the front. A reference plate 88 is erected from the base 81 so as to face the contact 86b. The contact 86b of the sensor 86 is in contact with the surface of the reference plate 88 in a state where the spring is contracted (a state where the contact 86b is pushed by the reference plate 88 and pushed into the main body 86b). When the distance between the main body 86a of the sensor 86 and the reference plate 88 changes, the spring expands and contracts according to the same distance, and the distance between the contact 86b of the sensor 86 and the main body 86a changes.

The cylinder 83 (low friction cylinder) is attached to the lower surface of the horizontal piece 73b of the plate 73 as described above. In this example, it is preferable to use a low friction cylinder with low sliding resistance (output control of about 0.01 N unit is possible). When the rod 84 of the cylinder 83 extends, a forward force is applied to the base 81. However, the slider 77a of the insertion linear actuator 77 to which the base 81 is fixed is immovable with respect to the ball screw, and conversely, a backward force is applied to the cylinder 83. That is, the plate 73 to which the cylinder 83 is fixed tends to move backward with respect to the insertion linear actuator 77. Then, the main body portion 86a of the sensor 86 fixed to the horizontal piece 73b of the plate 73 also moves backward. On the other hand, the reference plate 88 in contact with the contact 86b of the sensor 86 is erected on the base 81 fixed to the slider 77a that does not move. If 86a moves backward, the space | interval of the main-body part 86a and the reference | standard plate 88 will open. Here, since the contact 86b is always urged so as to contact the reference plate 88, the distance between the contact 86b and the main body 86a is increased. Therefore, an alarm is issued when the displacement D of the main body 86a is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
As will be described in detail later, after the terminal T is inserted into the housing, a certain rearward force (to pull out the electric wire W from the housing) is applied to the electric wire / terminal holding mechanism 30 that holds the electric wire W by the mechanism 80. To confirm that the electric wire W is completely inserted (engaged) in the housing. At this time, if the force to be pulled out is too large, there is a possibility of forcibly pulling out a normally inserted terminal, so the force to be pulled out is as small as possible and stable within a small range. Preferably it is. For this reason, the cylinder 83 that applies the force to be pulled out should be a low friction cylinder as described above, and the force to be pulled out must be set arbitrarily and stably.

As shown in FIG. 2, the insertion linear actuator 77 is supported by a transfer linear actuator 91 extending in the horizontal direction (wire transfer direction) so as to be movable in the horizontal direction.
The conveyance linear actuator 91 is also composed of a ball screw rotated by a motor, a slider engaged with the screw, and a guide for guiding the main slider in a straight line. A plate 78 is fixed to the lower surface of the insertion linear actuator 77, and the plate 78 is fixed to the slider of the conveyance linear actuator 91.
The transfer actuator 91 moves the insertion linear actuator 77, that is, the electric wire / terminal holding means 20, from the electric wire gripping position P1 (terminal angle adjusting means) toward the left in FIG. To the holding means).

Next, the housing supply unit 100 and the housing holding unit 180 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the housing holding means 180 is arranged on the side of the terminal angle adjusting means 10 (the direction opposite to the direction in which the terminal crimping electric wire is conveyed to the terminal angle adjusting means 10). The housing holding means 180 is disposed on the opposite side of the terminal angle adjusting means 10.

First, the housing supply means 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 9, the housing supply unit 100 has confirmed that the tray 110 in which a large number of housings are accommodated, the linearly-advanced part feeder 120 continuing to the tray 110, and the housing being supplied from the parts feeder 120. And a feed mechanism 130 for transporting the housing to the housing holding means.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the tray 110 has a flat shape, and is accommodated so that a large number of housings H are spread out in a flat state. As shown in FIG. 10B, a guide 111 is formed on one side (front side) of the tray 110. The side surface shape of the guide 111 has a shape that matches the side surface shape in the insertion posture of the housing H. As shown in FIG. 3C, the housing H applied to the insertion device of this embodiment includes a front surface H1 in which a cavity C is formed, a projecting piece H2 projecting forward from the upper edge of the front surface H1, and a front surface. It has a front protrusion H3 that protrudes downward continuously from H1, and a rear protrusion H4 that protrudes downward continuously from the rear surface. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 10C, the guide 111 has a stepped portion 112 on which the projecting piece H2 is placed, a wall portion 113 against which the front surface H1 is applied, and a groove portion 114 into which the front protrusion H3 is fitted.

  When the housing H accommodated in the tray 110 is appropriately taken out and positioned on the guide 11, the housing H contacts the front surface H <b> 1 with the wall portion 113 so that the protruding piece H <b> 2 rides on the stepped portion 112, and further, the front protrusion The guide 111 is engaged only in a posture in which H3 is fitted in the groove 114 (a posture in which the front surface H1 faces rearward in the insertion direction, hereinafter referred to as rearward). That is, the housing H can always be mounted on the guide 111 in the same posture.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the rectilinear part feeder 120 is continuously disposed at the outlet 111 a of the guide 111 of the tray 110. If the housing H arranged in the guide 111 is pushed toward the parts feeder 120, the housing H is inserted from the outlet 111 a of the guide 111 of the tray 110 into the inlet of the parts feeder 120. The parts feeder 120 conveys the housing H in the counter-tray direction (right direction in the figure).

A housing feeding mechanism 130 is disposed at the outlet of the parts feeder 120. The housing feed mechanism 130 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11, 12, and 13. 11 and 12 are plan views showing the structure of the housing feed mechanism 130. FIG. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view.
The housing feeding mechanism 130 supplies the housing H to the housing holding means 180 after confirming that the housing H is reliably supplied. The housing feeding mechanism 130 includes a feed base 131 in which a passage is formed in which the housing H is conveyed in the above-described posture (backward posture), and two rods 151 and 153 that feed the housing along the passage.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the feed base 131 is a rectangular parallelepiped block and has a flat upper surface 133 surrounded by an outer wall 132. The height of the upper surface 133 is equal to the height of the outlet of the parts feeder 120. A flat rectangular parallelepiped block 135 having a size slightly smaller than the planar shape of the feed base 131 is disposed slightly inside the outer wall 132 of the upper surface 133. As shown in FIG. 11, the block 135 has a housing defined by the side surface of the block 135 and the side wall 132 of the feed base 131 on the side of the parts feeder side and the front side of the feed base 131. A passage is formed. The passage is L-shaped and has a longitudinal passage 146 extending in the insertion direction and a transverse passage 147 extending in the lateral direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal passage 146. The width of the vertical passage 146 is substantially equal to the lateral length of the housing H, and the width of the lateral passage 147 is substantially equal to the length of the housing H in the depth direction. The outlet of the lateral passage 147 faces the housing holding means 180.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the side wall 132 of the part facing the outlet of the parts feeder 120 is formed with a notch 132 a serving as the inlet of the housing, and the housing H is cut from the passage of the parts feeder 120. It is supplied to the vertical passage 146 through the notch 132a. At this time, the housing H is in the posture of being attached to the guide 111 of the tray 110, and the front surface H1 in which the cavity C is formed is in the backward posture. With this posture, the housing H advances forward through the vertical passage 146 and then advances rightward through the horizontal passage 147.

  As shown in FIG. 11, a vertical push rod 151 for feeding the housing H is disposed in the vertical passage 146 so as to be extendable and contractible. A groove 151 a in which the housing H is accommodated is formed on the lower surface of the distal end portion of the vertical push rod 151. The vertical push rod 151 expands and contracts by being driven by a cylinder (not shown) between a standby position where the groove 151 a faces the notch 132 a of the side wall 132 and an extended position where the longitudinal path 146 reaches the most distal end.

  A lateral push rod 153 for feeding the housing H is also disposed in the lateral passage 147 so as to be extendable and contractible. A cutout 132 b is formed in the side wall 132 of the lateral passage 147 opposite to the housing holding means 180. The lateral push rod 153 is disposed on the side of the lateral passage 147 of the feed base 131 and enters the passage 147 through the notch 132b. The lateral push rod 153 extends and contracts between a standby position where the tip is located outside the notch 132 b of the side wall 132 and an extended position that penetrates the lateral passage 147 and reaches the housing holding means 180. Thus, the expansion / contraction distance of the lateral push rod 153 is relatively long, and after passing through the lateral passage 147 of the feed base 131, as will be described later, between the guide grooves 181a and 182a of the housing holding means 180 (see FIG. 14). 9, the two cylinders 155 and 157 are configured to expand and contract in two stages as shown in FIG. That is, it is possible to perform a two-stage operation in which each cylinder passes through the lateral passage 147 of the feed base 131 and the other cylinder passes between the guide grooves of the housing holding means 180 by the stroke distance. Is preferable in terms of easy adjustment.

With such a configuration, the housing H supplied from the parts feeder 120 is conveyed as follows.
First, as shown in FIG. 11A, the vertical rod 151 stands by at the standby position in the vertical passage 146, and the horizontal rod 153 also stands by at the standby position outside the side wall 132. In this state, when the housing H (shown by hatching in the figure) is sent from the parts feeder 120 through the notch 132a of the side wall 132 to the feed base 131, the housing H is in the groove 151a of the vertical rod 151 in the vertical passage 146. Is housed in. Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, the vertical rod 151 extends to the extended position, and the housing H is conveyed to the tip of the vertical passage 146. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 12A, the horizontal rod 153 extends into the horizontal passage 147. As a result, the side of the housing H in the groove 151a of the vertical rod 151 is pushed by the horizontal rod 153 and proceeds in the horizontal passage 147 in a rearward posture. Finally, as shown in FIG. It is sent from the lateral passage 147 to the housing holding means 180.

The housing feed mechanism 130 includes a housing detection mechanism 140 that detects the housing H supplied from the parts feeder 120. The housing detection mechanism 140 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 13, the block 135 has a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a stepped portion 136 protruding outward is formed on the side surface on the part feeder side. The height of the stepped portion 136 is about half of the height of the block 135. A small-diameter through hole 137 is formed at a position on the outer surface of the step portion 136 facing the notch 132a of the outer wall 132 of the feed base 131. On the other hand, a groove 138 is formed on the lower surface of the block 135 so as to cross the block 135. The small diameter through hole 137 communicates with the groove 138. In a state where the block 135 is fixed to the upper surface 133 of the feed table 131, a tunnel-shaped passage is formed between the groove 138 and the upper surface 133 of the feed table 131. The end of the groove 138 communicates with a through hole 141 formed in the feed base 131. A pipe 161 extending from a negative pressure generator 160 (for example, a vacuum ejector) is connected to the through hole 141. When the negative pressure generator 160 is activated, negative pressure is generated in the through hole 141, the tunnel-shaped passage (groove 138), and the small diameter through hole 137 of the feed base 131 through the pipe 161. At this time, if the housing H exists outside the small diameter through hole 137, the outlet of the small diameter through hole 137 is closed by the housing H, and a negative pressure is maintained in these through holes. On the other hand, if the housing is not present, the outlet of the small-diameter through hole 137 remains open, and the inside of the through hole remains at atmospheric pressure.

That is, by detecting the pressure in these through holes, it is possible to detect whether or not the housing exists outside the small diameter through hole 137. Therefore, a negative pressure generator 162 (for example, a digital pressure sensor) is attached to the negative pressure generator 160, and the pressure in the through hole is detected. As an example, the detection range of the pressure sensor 162 in this example is −101.3 kPa to 1 MPa. The detected pressure is determined by a control unit (not shown), and if the pressure is lower than an arbitrarily set pressure (for example, -10 KPa or lower), it can be detected that the housing is supplied to a predetermined position.
In this detection method, the housing H needs to be in contact with the outer surface of the stepped portion 136 so as to block the outlet of the small-diameter through-hole 137. If the gap between the two is too large, the negative pressure cannot be maintained. The presence of the housing H can be detected.

  As described above, the housing detection unit 140 detects the presence of the housing at the end portion of the parts feeder 120. Thus, by detecting at the terminal part of the parts feeder 120, it can utilize as an operation start signal of the housing feed mechanism in the next process.

Next, the housing holding means 180 will be described with reference to FIG.
The housing holding means 180 includes a pair of guide members 181 and 182 that sandwich the housing H from above and below, an actuator 185 that moves the guide members 181 and 182 in directions toward and away from each other, and an actuator 185 in the terminal insertion direction. And a positioner 187 that rotates around. A conveyor (not shown) for carrying out the manufactured wire harness is disposed below the housing holding means 180.

  Each of the guide members 181 and 182 is a flat rectangular parallelepiped member, and laterally extending guide grooves 181a and 182a for guiding the housing H are formed on opposing inner surfaces. One end of the guide grooves 181a and 182a (left side in FIG. 14A) is arranged so as to be continuous with the outlet of the lateral passage 147 of the feed base 131. The most distal ends (right end in the figure) of the guide grooves 181a and 182a are the housing holding position (terminal insertion position P2).

  As the actuator 185, an actuator called a parallel hand can be used. This actuator has a linear guide and two sliders that slide while engaged with the guide, and each slider approaches or moves away from the center in synchronization. Each guide member 181 and 182 is fixed to a slider. When both sliders approach, the housing H is held between the guide grooves 181a and 182a of the guide members 181 and 182. However, the front surfaces of the guide members 181 and 182 are not completely in contact with each other, and there is a clearance between both the front surfaces so that the cavity C of the housing H is exposed. When the guide members 181 and 182 are separated from each other, a clearance is opened between the guide grooves 181a and 182a of the guide members to release the housing H.

  The actuator 185 is connected to the rotation shaft of the positioner 187 and rotates, for example, 90 ° around the wire axis. That is, the direction of the guide grooves 181a and 182a can be directed from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction. After the guide grooves 181a and 182a are rotated so as to be in the vertical direction, when the guide members 181 and 182 are separated from each other, the housing H (wire harness) after the terminal is inserted is separated from the guide members 181 and 182 by its own weight. Drop onto the conveyor.

  As described above, after the terminal insertion work is completed, the housing holding means 180 is rotated by 90 °, the guide members 181 and 182 are opened, and the housing H is dropped by its own weight. However, in order to more reliably detach the housing H from the housing holding means 180, a delivery head 191 is supported above the housing holding means 180 so as to be movable up and down. As shown in FIG. 14B, the delivery head 191 is attached to the tip of the rod 193 of the cylinder 192 disposed in the vertical direction, and the rear of the housing holding means 180 is accompanied with the expansion and contraction of the cylinder 192. Is moved up and down between a lower position (indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. 14B) and an upper position above the means (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 14B). Since the wire bundle inserted into the housing H is pushed downward from the housing holding means 180 by the delivery head 191, the housing H does not leave the means 180 due to some influence even if the housing holding means 180 rotates 90 °. Even in this case, it can be reliably extruded.

Next, terminal insertion operations of the terminal insertion device of the present invention will be described together.
First, the supply of the housing H will be described.
The housing H accommodated in the tray 110 shown in FIG. 10A is attached to the guide 111 of the tray 110 by the operator's manual work. At this time, as described above, the front surface of the housing H is attached to the guide 111 in a rearward posture in the insertion direction. In other words, since the guide 111 cannot be mounted in a posture other than this posture, the housings H can be arranged in a predetermined posture without using a nerve. When the housing series arranged along the guide 111 is pushed toward the parts feeder 120, the housing H is transferred from the tray 110 to the parts feeder 120.

  In the parts feeder 120, the housing H is fed toward the feeding mechanism 130. And finally, as shown in FIG. 11, it fits into the groove | channel 151a of the vertical push rod 151 which waits in the vertical path 146 of the feed mechanism 130 from the parts feeder 120. FIG. In the groove 151a, as described in FIG. 13, air is sucked from the small diameter through hole 137 of the block 135, and if the housing H exists in the groove 151a, the opening of the small diameter through hole 137 is blocked. The inside of the hole 137 and the tunnel-shaped hole 138 communicating with the hole becomes negative pressure. This pressure is detected by the negative pressure sensor 162 through the pipe 161, and if the detected pressure is equal to or lower than a predetermined pressure, it is determined that the housing H is present.

  When it is determined that the housing H exists, the vertical rod 151 extends in the vertical passage 146 to the tip. The housing H moves forward in the vertical passage 146 with the front surface H1 being in the rearward posture. Thereafter, the horizontal rod 153 is extended, and the housing H is pushed out from the groove 151a of the vertical rod 151 into the horizontal passage 147 and conveyed in the horizontal passage 147 as it is. The housing H moves in the lateral passage 147 while keeping the rearward posture. The lateral rod 153 further extends, and conveys the housing H from the feed base 131 in the guide grooves 181a and 181b of the guide members 181 and 182 of the housing holding means 180 to the innermost part (insertion position P2). Thereafter, the lateral rod 153 contracts, and the guide members 181 and 182 of the housing holding means 180 approach to hold the housing H immovable at the insertion position P2.

Next, the supply of the electric wire W will be described.
The wire W is transported to the terminal angle adjusting means 10 by a transport device (not shown) (reference numeral 370 in FIG. 17). The electric wire W is conveyed in a posture in which the crimped terminal T faces the rearward direction and the crimping surface is generally upward. In the terminal angle adjusting means 10, as shown in FIG. 4, the electric wire W at the end portion on the crimp terminal side is held between both the claw members 11 and 12. In this example, since the terminal T is inserted into the cavity of the housing as it is, it is not necessary to adjust the terminal angle by the terminal angle adjusting means 10. However, depending on the type of the wire harness to be manufactured, when the crimping surface is inserted at an angle of 90 °, 180 ° or 270 ° with respect to the cavity, the terminal angle adjusting means 10 rotates the electric wire by a desired angle.

  Next, the lifting linear actuator 71 is driven, the wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 is lowered, and the terminal T of the wire W held by the terminal angle adjusting means 10 and the two ends of the wire end are connected. Grab. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the electric wire claw 61 holds the electric wire W before and after the claw members 11 and 12 of the terminal angle adjusting means 10. After the electric wire / terminal holding mechanism 30 holds the electric wire W and the terminal T, the claw members 11 and 12 of the terminal angle adjusting means 10 are opened, and the electric wire W is transferred to the electric wire / terminal holding mechanism 30. Thereafter, the lifting linear actuator 71 is driven, and the electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 is raised to hold the electric wire at the insertion height H. Next, the conveyance actuator 91 is driven, and the electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 is conveyed to the insertion position P2 (housing holding means 180).

The terminal insertion operation will be described with reference to FIG.
In the insertion position P2, as shown in FIG. 15A, the terminal T of the electric wire held by the electric wire claw 61 and the terminal claw 31 of the electric wire / terminal holding mechanism 30 and the cavity position of the housing H are positioned. . Then, the insertion actuator 77 is driven to advance the electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 in the forward / backward direction, and first, the front end of the terminal T is inserted into the cavity of the housing H as shown in FIG. . Next, as shown in FIG. 15C, the terminal claw 31 of the electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 is opened, and only the terminal claw 31 is raised. In this state, the electric wire W is held only by the electric wire claw 61. Then, the insertion actuator 77 is further driven, and the wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 is further advanced in the forward / backward direction as shown in FIG. 14 (D), whereby the entire terminal T is inserted into the cavity of the housing H. Is done. The terminal claw 31 also moves forward while being opened and raised. As a result, the terminal T is inserted into the cavity of the housing H and engages with the cavity.

Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the terminal T is securely engaged with the cavity by the engagement confirmation means 80 (see FIG. 8).
First, the rod 84 of the cylinder 83 of the engagement confirmation means 80 extends to apply a backward force to the small guide 82. Since the slider of the insertion linear actuator 77 to which the small guide 82 is fixed is immovable with respect to the ball screw, a forward force is applied to the cylinder 83. That is, a backward force is applied to the plate 73 to which the cylinder 83 is fixed, that is, the electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 30 fixed to the plate 73, and as shown in FIG. An attempt is made to pull out the terminal T engaged with the housing H in an attempt to move backward. The pulling force is set to be equal to or less than the force with which the terminal is pulled out from the housing in a normal engagement state. If the engagement between the terminal and the cavity is sufficient, the plate 73 does not move even when such a force is applied. However, if this engagement is insufficient, the terminal is removed from the cavity and the plate 73 moves forward. Then, the main body portion 86a of the sensor 86 attached to the plate 73 is displaced from the initial state, and when the displacement becomes a predetermined interval or more (for example, 0.1 mm or more), an alarm is issued by a sound or a display device. In the present invention, since the contact type sensor 86 as described above is used, it is possible to detect a minute displacement.

  Thus, the engagement confirmation mechanism by pulling out the terminal is provided separately from the terminal insertion mechanism. In the terminal insertion mechanism, a relatively strong force is required to insert the terminal into the housing, but it is preferable that the force to be pulled out in the engagement confirmation work is as small as possible and stable within a small range. . Thus, in the insertion work and the engagement confirmation work, since the terminal is inserted or pulled out in the axial direction of the electric wire, it is possible to use one actuator that can be driven in the opposite direction. Since the force applied to the terminal is greatly different from the engagement confirmation work, it is preferable to separate these mechanisms.

  This terminal insertion operation is performed 11 times, which is the number of cavities of the housing in this example. The terminal is positioned by the transfer actuator 91 and the insertion actuator 77 for each position of the cavity of the housing. And after the terminal T of 11 terminal crimping electric wires is inserted in the cavity C of the housing H, as shown to FIG. 16 (A), a housing holding means rotates 90 degrees. As a result, as shown in FIG. 16B, the guide grooves 181a and 182a are oriented vertically. Then, the actuator 185 is driven, the guide members 181 and 182 are separated, and the housing is released. Further, as shown in FIG. 15C, the rod 193 of the cylinder 192 extends and the delivery head 191 descends to push the wire bundle extending from the housing sandwiched between the guide members 181 and 182 downward. The extruded housing (wire harness P) falls on the conveyor and is collected.

Next, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the wire harness manufacturing apparatus. This apparatus manufactures the wire harness shown in FIG.
The wire harness manufacturing apparatus 300 includes an electric wire feeding device 310 that feeds and clamps an electric wire from a wire bundle, a cut and strip device 320 that peels off and covers the electric wire, and a cut electric wire (cut electric wire). A tail clamp device 330 that clamps an end on the base end side (front side in the insertion direction) and an end portion on the distal end side (rear side in the insertion direction) of the electric wire (residual electric wire) clamped on the wire feeding device 310 A solder bath 340 for soldering, a terminal crimping device 350 for crimping a terminal to the proximal end of the cut wire clamped by the tail clamp device 330, a wire dispensing device 360 with both ends processed, A terminal insertion device 1 that inserts a terminal crimped to the proximal end into the housing, and a conveyance device that conveys an electric wire from the dispensing device 360 to the terminal insertion device 1. It includes a 370, a.
The vertical direction of FIG. 17 shows the electric wire axial direction, and shows the insertion direction when the electric wire is inserted into the housing. In the insertion direction, the upward direction in the figure indicates the forward direction (front direction), and the downward direction indicates the backward direction (rear direction).
Since the wire feeding device, the clamp device, the terminal crimping device, the solder bath, etc., which are used in a normal wire harness manufacturing device can be used, detailed description of each device is omitted.

The movement of the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 300 will be described.
First, the electric wire is fed from the electric wire feeder 310 toward the tail clamp device by a predetermined length, and is clamped by the same device. Here, the tip of the electric wire is soldered in the previous step. The electric wire is cut by the cut / strip device 320. The electric wire (residual electric wire) remaining in the electric wire feeder 310 is clamped by the electric wire feeder 310, and the cut electric wire (cut electric wire) is clamped by the tail clamp device 330.

  Next, the wire feeding device 310 is swung, and the coating of the end portion of the remaining electric wire is peeled off by the cut / strip device 320. Further, the wire feeding device 310 is swung to the solder bath 340, and the tip portion from which the covering has been peeled is removed. Soldered. Thereafter, the wire feeder 310 returns to the original position.

  Simultaneously with this operation, the tail clamp device 330 is turned, and the cutting / strip device 320 peels off the coating of the front end of the cut wire, and further turns to the terminal crimping device 350 to remove the coating. A terminal is crimped to the part. Thereafter, the electric wire is transferred from the tail clamp device 330 to the dispensing device 360. That is, at this stage, the terminal crimped electric wire shown in FIG. 3B, in which the terminal is crimped to one end and the other end is soldered, is manufactured.

  Next, this terminal crimping electric wire is conveyed by the conveying device 370 to the terminal insertion device 1 described with reference to FIG. And the terminal is inserted in the housing by the device 1, and the wire harness P shown in FIG. 3A (the wire harness in which one end is inserted into the housing and the other end is soldered) Manufactured.

  Instead of the solder bath 340, a terminal crimping device can be provided. In this case, a terminal is crimped to the tip of the residual electric wire. That is, at the stage of paying out by the payout device 370, a terminal crimped electric wire having terminals crimped at both ends is manufactured. Then, one terminal is inserted into the housing by the insertion device. As a result, a wire harness in which one end is inserted into the housing and a terminal is crimped to the other end is manufactured.

P Wire harness H Connector housing C Cavity W Wire (terminal crimped wire)
T terminal 1 terminal insertion device 10 terminal angle adjusting means 20 terminal gripping / insertion means 30 electric wire / terminal gripping mechanism 31 terminal claw 32 fixed claw member 33 movable claw member 41 intermediate base 47 main base 61 wire claw 71 linear actuator for lifting / lowering 77 insertion Linear actuator 80 engagement confirmation mechanism 86 displacement sensor 91 conveyance linear actuator 100 housing supply means 110 tray 111 guide 120 parts feeder 130 housing feed mechanism 131 feed stand 135 block 137 small diameter through hole 140 housing detection means 151, 153 rod 160 negative Pressure generator 162 Pressure sensor 180 Housing holding means 181 and 182 Guide member 191 Delivery head 300 Wire harness production device 310 Electric wire supply device 320 Cut / strip device 330 Tail clamp device 340 Solder tank 350 Terminal crimping device 360 Dispensing device 370 Conveying device

Claims (7)

A device for inserting a terminal crimped to an end of an electric wire into a cavity of a connector housing,
Terminal gripping means for gripping the terminal;
Supply means and holding means of the housing;
Means for positioning and inserting the terminal into the cavity;
Comprising
And further comprising means for confirming that the housing is in place,
The housing position confirmation means
A void formed in a member with which the housing abuts at the predetermined position;
A suction mechanism for sucking air in the void;
A pressure sensor for detecting the pressure of the void or a portion communicating therewith, and
Determining means for determining whether or not the housing is in a predetermined position according to the pressure detected by the sensor;
A terminal insertion device comprising: An apparatus for detecting that an article is in a predetermined position,
A void formed in a member with which the article abuts at the predetermined position;
A suction mechanism for sucking air in the void;
A pressure sensor for detecting the pressure of the void or a portion communicating therewith,
Determining means for determining whether or not the article is in a predetermined position in accordance with the pressure detected by the sensor;
An article detection apparatus comprising: In the end position of the housing or article is conveyed by a parts feeder, the article detection apparatus according to the terminal insertion apparatus or claim 2 according to claim 1, characterized in that to check the housing or article. An electric wire feeder for feeding electric wires;
An electric wire cutting device for cutting the supplied electric wire into an arbitrary length;
A peeling device for peeling the coating on both ends of the wire;
A terminal crimping device for crimping a terminal to one end of the peeled wire;
An end treatment device for performing end treatment on the other end of the peeled wire;
The terminal insertion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a terminal crimped to the end of the electric wire is inserted into the housing.
The wire harness manufacturing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. A method of inserting a terminal crimped to an end of an electric wire into a cavity of a connector housing,
Grip the terminal with terminal gripping means,
After holding the housing by the supply means, hold by the holding means,
Positioning and inserting the terminal into the cavity;
When confirming that the housing is in place,
Abutting the housing on the abutting member at the predetermined position;
A space is formed in the contact member, the pressure of the space or a portion communicating with the space is detected in a state where the air in the space is sucked, and when the detected pressure is a predetermined value or less, the housing It is determined that is in a predetermined position. A method of detecting that an article is in a predetermined position,
Forming a void in the member that the article contacts at the predetermined position;
A pressure of the space or a portion communicating with the space is detected in a state where the air in the space is sucked, and when the detected pressure is a predetermined value or less, it is determined that the article is in a predetermined position. Article detection method. Feeding the wire,
Cut the supplied wire to any length,
Peel the coating on both ends of the wire,
Crimp a terminal on one end of the peeled wire,
Apply end treatment to the other end of the peeled wire,
6. A method of manufacturing a wire harness, comprising: inserting a terminal crimped to an end of the electric wire into a housing by the terminal insertion method according to claim 5.

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