JP5027032B2 - Device for confirming insertion state of electric wire terminal to connector housing and insertion state detecting method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides a device for confirming that a wire terminal is completely locked in the terminal insertion hole when the wire terminal is inserted into the terminal insertion hole of the connector housing, and the wire terminal is completely locked in the terminal insertion hole. It is related with the method of detecting what is done.

  In the manufacturing process of a wire harness, after inserting an electric wire terminal into the terminal insertion hole of a connector housing, the operation | work which confirms the attachment condition is performed in order to avoid the defect of the electrical connection at the time of connector connection. Specifically, after the terminal is inserted, the operator pulls the terminal with a predetermined force and determines whether or not the wire terminal is attached based on whether or not the wire terminal comes out of the terminal insertion hole.

  In addition to the above-described pulling operation by the operator's manual operation, there is an apparatus for confirming the insertion state of the electric wire terminal into the connector housing using a spring. This conventional example includes a connector cradle to which a connector housing is detachably mounted, a support base attached to the connector cradle so as to be able to reciprocate in the direction of pulling out the wire terminals, and the connector cradle and the support base. It is composed of a spring that biases the connector cradle in the terminal insertion direction, and the wire terminal is connected to the connector depending on whether the connector cradle moves against the spring as a result of pulling the wire. It is determined whether or not it is properly inserted into the housing (Patent Document 1).

  As another conventional example, there is an apparatus for confirming an insertion state of an electric wire terminal into a connector housing using a detection sensor. This conventional example includes an AE detection sensor and a connector fixing device connected to the AE detection sensor so as to be able to propagate the AE, and detects AE generated when a terminal is inserted into the connector to a predetermined depth. This confirms the depth of terminal insertion in the connector (Patent Document 2).

  However, confirmation of the attachment condition of the electric wire terminal by manual work depends on the judgment based on the operator's work experience and intuition, and may not be able to cope with an increase in quality accuracy. In addition, since there are individual differences in the pulling force of the electric wire terminal, the confirmation of how the electric wire terminal is attached varies, and if the pulling force is not sufficient, the insertion failure of the electric wire terminal may be overlooked.

  Further, in the conventional example of the apparatus for confirming the insertion state of the electric wire terminal into the connector housing using the spring, the locking force when the electric wire terminal is completely inserted into the terminal insertion hole of the connector housing is different for each connector housing. Since there is a difference, a spring having an appropriate biasing force must be selected and replaced for each connector housing for checking the insertion state. Further, since the connector housing is fitted into a mounting portion provided on the upper surface of the connector cradle, a connector cradle must be prepared for each shape of the connector housing. In this way, since different springs and connector cradles must be prepared for each connector housing having a different aspect, the conventional apparatus using the spring increases the number of parts of the apparatus, which incurs inspection costs, and There is a problem that the work efficiency is inferior. Furthermore, since this connector cradle is accommodated in the hollow portion of the support base so as to be movable up and down, there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large.

In addition, the device for confirming the insertion state of the electric wire terminal into the connector housing using the detection sensor requires many devices and members such as a laser oscillation device, a reflection plate, a base plate, a vibration absorbing material, an AE detection sensor, and a connector fixing device. Therefore, there is a problem that the apparatus becomes complicated and large, and high inspection costs are required.
JP-A-9-180851 JP 2007-26955 A

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention can confirm the locking force of the connector housing with respect to the electric wire terminal inserted into the terminal insertion hole with high accuracy, has versatility that can be used for various connector housings, is small, and has a low working efficiency. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for confirming the insertion state of an electric wire terminal into a connector housing.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a crossover member formed in an L shape in side view having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, and a connector setting jig for holding a connector housing placed on the horizontal portion of the crossover member And a strain measuring device provided on the surface of the vertical portion of the crossover member so as to face the connector setting jig. That is, the connector housing and the strain measuring instrument are connected via the transition member. Hold the connector housing on the connector setting jig, insert the wire terminal into the terminal insertion hole of the connector housing, and then pull the wire terminal in the direction opposite to the insertion direction. For example, the vertical portion of the transition member is deformed by a predetermined amount in the direction of the connector setting jig, and the amount of deformation is detected by the strain measuring instrument. On the other hand, if the insertion of the electric wire terminal is incomplete, the electric wire terminal comes out of the terminal insertion hole before the deformation amount of the vertical portion of the crossover member reaches a predetermined amount. Thereby, the insertion state of an electric wire terminal can be confirmed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for confirming an insertion state of an electric wire terminal into a connector housing, further comprising a control unit that detects and evaluates a deformation amount detected by the strain measuring instrument.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the connector setting jig includes a connector set portion in which the connector housing is accommodated, and a connector fixing member that fixes the connector housing to the connector set portion. It is an insertion state confirmation apparatus of the electric wire terminal to a connector housing. This connector fixing member prevents the connector housing from coming out of the connector set portion when the electric wire terminal is pulled.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a step of holding a connector housing on a connector setting jig placed on a horizontal portion of a crossover member having an L shape in side view having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, and the connector housing Inserting a terminal attached to the electric wire into a terminal insertion hole provided in the wire, pulling the electric wire in a direction opposite to the insertion direction, and deforming a vertical portion of the crossover member; Detecting the insertion state of the electric wire terminal into the connector housing, comprising: a step of detecting, on a surface of the vertical portion of the crossover member, by a strain measuring device provided opposite to the connector setting jig It is.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is a method for detecting an insertion state of an electric wire terminal into a connector housing, further comprising a step of causing a control unit to detect and evaluate a deformation amount detected by the strain measuring instrument. .

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a step of holding a connector housing on a connector setting jig placed on a horizontal portion of a crossover member having an L shape in side view having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, and the connector housing Inserting a terminal attached to the electric wire into a terminal insertion hole provided in the wire, pulling the electric wire in a direction opposite to the insertion direction, and deforming a vertical portion of the crossover member; Is detected by a strain measuring device provided on the surface of the vertical portion of the crossing member so as to face the connector setting jig, and a connector housing in which the terminals are inserted is extracted from the connector setting jig. And a method for manufacturing a wire harness.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the method further includes a step of causing the control unit to detect and evaluate the amount of deformation detected by the strain measuring device after the step of detecting the deformation by the strain measuring device. It is a manufacturing method of the wire harness which performs.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, by measuring the amount of deformation in the direction of the connector setting jig in the vertical portion of the crossover member, the insertion state of the electric wire terminal into the connector housing can be confirmed. Even different connector housings can be used as they are. Moreover, since it is not necessary to replace parts according to the locking force of the connector housing, the working efficiency is high and the number of parts to be prepared can be reduced. Thus, the device according to the present invention is excellent in versatility. In addition, parts are installed on the L-shaped crossover member when viewed from the side, and the vertical portion of the crossover member is deformed to check the insertion state of the wire terminal, so that the device can be miniaturized and does not become bulky and complicated. There is no need to provide a mechanism, and the insertion state can be confirmed easily and quickly.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the control unit detects and evaluates the deformation amount in the vertical portion of the transition member detected by the strain measuring device, when the control unit detects a deformation amount equal to or greater than the predetermined deformation amount. If the wire terminal is properly locked to the connector housing, the wire terminal is not properly locked to the connector housing if the wire terminal comes out before it is detected less than the predetermined deformation amount. The operator can confirm the insertion state of the electric wire terminal with high accuracy.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the connector housing is fixed to the connector set portion by the connector fixing member. Therefore, even if the size of the connector housing is smaller than the size of the connector set portion and the shape does not match, the connector housing Can be fixed to the connector setting jig, it is not necessary to replace the connector setting jig for each aspect of the connector housing, and the number of parts to be prepared can be reduced. In addition, since the replacement work of the connector setting jig can be omitted, work efficiency is excellent.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the state of insertion of the electric wire terminal into the connector housing can be confirmed by measuring the amount of deformation in the direction of the connector setting jig in the vertical portion of the crossover member. Even if the locking force is different due to the difference, the detection work can be continued as it is, and the work efficiency is excellent. Further, since the insertion state is detected by deforming the vertical portion of the transition member, it is not necessary to provide a complicated mechanism, and the detection can be performed easily and quickly.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the deformation amount in the vertical portion of the transition member detected by the strain measuring device can be detected and evaluated by the control unit, so that the operator can quickly and accurately check the insertion state of the wire terminal. it can.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when manufacturing a wire harness or the like, an insertion failure can be easily and accurately found in the step of inserting the electric wire terminal into the connector housing, so that the occurrence of defective products can be suppressed. it can. Moreover, since the insertion process of an electric wire terminal and an insertion state detection process can be performed in series, production efficiency, such as a wire harness, improves.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the deformation amount in the vertical portion of the transition member detected by the strain measuring device can be detected and evaluated by the control unit, so that the operator can insert the wire terminal in the manufacturing process of the wire harness or the like. The state can be confirmed quickly and accurately.

  Next, an apparatus for confirming the insertion state of a wire terminal into a connector housing according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus for confirming the insertion state of a wire terminal into a connector housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an apparatus for confirming the insertion state of an electric wire terminal into a connector housing according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a connector setting jig 1, a strain measuring instrument 2, a transition member having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion. 8 and the control unit 4. As will be described later, the connector setting jig 1 is provided at the tip of the upper surface of the horizontal part of the crossover member 8, and the strain measuring instrument 2 is provided at the surface of the vertical part of the crossover member 8. A control unit 4 is electrically connected to the strain measuring instrument 2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connector setting jig 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a connector setting portion 6, which is a through hole for accommodating a connector housing, is parallel to the horizontal portion of the crossover member 8 in the lateral direction. It has been drilled. A fixing member 7 for fixing the connector housing to the connector set portion 6 is provided at the lower edge of the outer opening of the connector set portion 6. The connector set portion 6 has a shape that fits with the shape of the connector housing. For this reason, even if the connector housing accommodated in the connector set part 6 is pulled in the pulling direction 5 which is the direction opposite to the insertion direction of the electric wire terminals, the connector housing is prevented from dropping from the connector set part 6. .

  The fixing member 7 is disposed so that a part thereof protrudes above the lower side wall surface of the connector set portion 6. When the connector housing is pulled in the pulling direction 5, which is the direction opposite to the insertion direction of the electric wire terminals, the protruding portion of the fixing member 7 prevents the connector housing from dropping from the connector set portion 6. For this reason, even when the shape of the connector set portion 6 does not match the shape of the connector housing, it is not necessary to replace the connector set jig 1 having the shape of the connector set portion 6 corresponding thereto. Examples of the fixing member 7 include a member in which a plate material is attached to a spring biased upward. The plate member partially protruding upward from the lower wall surface of the connector set portion 6 is fully lowered to the lower side of the lower wall surface of the connector set portion 6 by contracting the spring, so that the connector housing is accommodated in the connector set portion 6. . When the spring is released after the housing, the plate material returns to the original position by the upward biasing force of the spring.

  The material of the connector setting jig 1 is not particularly limited, such as resin or metal, but resin is preferable in terms of weight and workability of the connector setting portion 6.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the crossover member 8 is composed of a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, and is L-shaped in a side view. In this embodiment, a plate-like vertical portion is joined to a side wall portion in the width direction of a plate-like horizontal portion to form an L-shaped transition member 8 in side view. The connector setting jig 1 is placed at the front end of the horizontal portion of the crossover member 8, and as will be described later, the strain measuring instrument 2 is disposed at a substantially central portion of the surface of the vertical portion.

  The vertical portion of the crossover member 8 is fixed to the fixed plate 3. In this embodiment, the entire vertical portion is not in contact with the fixed plate 3, but only the upper portion is in contact with the fixed plate, and the lower portion protrudes from the fixed plate. . The crossover member 8 is screwed at two places on the upper portion of the vertical portion. Further, when the crossover member 8 is fixed to the fixing plate 3, the lower surface of the horizontal portion of the crossover member 8 is not in contact with the ground or the like. As described above, since the joint portion is not fixed to the fixing plate 3 and the horizontal portion of the crossover member 8 is not in contact with the ground or the like, the connector housing accommodated in the connector set portion 6 is pulled in the pulling direction 5 by the operator. When the wire is pulled, the pulling force is transmitted to the joint between the horizontal portion and the vertical portion, and the joint moves in the direction of the connector setting jig 1, whereby the vertical portion is deformed by a predetermined amount according to the pulling force. .

  In addition, when the locking force of the connector housing is small, by using the transition member 8 having a thin plate thickness, the deformation amount of the transition member 8 with respect to the tensile force can be increased to increase the detection sensitivity of the apparatus.

  The material of the crossover member 8 is not particularly limited as long as the vertical portion is deformed when the connector housing is pulled in the pulling direction 5, and examples thereof include resins and metals.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the strain measuring instrument 2 is provided on the surface of the crossover member 8 on the side that is not in contact with the fixed plate 3. The strain measuring instrument 2 is set so as to detect strain in the pulling direction 5. The strain measuring device 2 measures the amount of deformation of the vertical portion of the transition member 8 generated according to the tensile force. As the strain measuring instrument 2, for example, a sensor that converts a change in load or strain into an electric signal such as a strain gauge, a piezo sensor, or a load cell can be used.

  The position of the strain measuring device 2 in the vertical portion is not particularly limited as long as it can measure the amount of deformation of the vertical portion, but in this embodiment, it is disposed at the approximate center in the lateral direction of the vertical portion. When the strain measuring device 2 is arranged so that the line connecting the connector housing and the strain measuring device 2 is a normal extending from the vertical portion, the connector housing and the strain measuring device 2 are opposed to each other. Can be measured. Here, since the connector housing into which the electric wire terminal is inserted is disposed at the substantially central portion in the width direction of the horizontal portion of the crossover member 8, as described above, the strain measuring instrument 2 is disposed at approximately the center in the lateral direction of the vertical portion. Has been. Here, the strain measuring device 2 is provided at only one place, but may be provided at two or more places when it is desired to measure the deformation amount of the vertical portion more accurately.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 4 is electrically connected to the strain measuring device 2 and includes a bridge circuit and a signal amplifier. The control unit 4 detects the amount of deformation in the vertical portion of the transition member 8 detected by the strain measuring device 2 and determines whether the insertion state of the electric wire terminal is good or bad. At this time, when the wire terminal is properly inserted into the terminal insertion hole and pulled in the pulling direction 5, the deformation amount of the vertical portion is measured in advance and input to the control unit 4. When it is determined that the amount of deformation reaches the set value and the wire terminal is completely inserted, the control unit 4 performs a pulling operation by, for example, generating a buzzer sound or lighting a green signal. Inform the worker who is. If the insertion of the wire terminal is inappropriate, even if the operator pulls the wire in the pulling direction 5, the wire terminal comes out of the connector housing before the deformation amount of the vertical portion reaches the set value. 4 does not emit a buzzer sound or turn on a green light.

  The control unit 4 may be provided with means for displaying the deformation amount of the vertical part on the display screen. For example, when the wire terminal is completely inserted, the minimum value of deformation in the vertical part is set as the lower limit value, and when the wire is pulled, the connector housing terminal insertion hole and the wire terminal may be damaged These values are input to the control unit 4 in advance as an upper limit value. The control unit 4 displays the deformation amount of the vertical portion generated by the operator pulling the electric wire on the display screen as needed in the form of a graph with the vertical axis and time as the horizontal axis, and the deformation amount becomes the lower limit value. When it reaches, the control unit 4 displays OK on the display screen, and displays a warning on the display screen when the upper limit is reached. Thereby, the operator can confirm correctly that the electric wire terminal is inserted completely, and can prevent damage to the terminal insertion hole and electric wire terminal by excessive pulling.

  The above-mentioned OK or warning display may be a buzzer sound or a signal lighting method instead of using a display screen. You may change the color.

  Next, a wire terminal insertion state detection method and a wire harness manufacturing method using the wire terminal insertion state confirmation device according to the present invention will be described using the embodiment shown in FIG. . First, the connector housing is accommodated in the connector setting jig 1. At this time, even when the shape of the connector housing does not match the shape of the connector set portion 6, the connector housing can be fixed to the connector setting jig 1 using the connector fixing member 7, so that the shape of the connector housing depends on the shape of the connector housing. The connector setting jig 1 need not be replaced. And the terminal attached to the electric wire is inserted in the terminal insertion hole of the connector housing. At this time, since the connector housing is fixed to the connector setting jig 1, the terminal insertion operation can be performed smoothly.

  Next, the electric wire is pulled in the pulling direction 5 which is the direction opposite to the insertion direction of the electric wire terminal. Then, this pulling force is transmitted to the joint portion of the crossover member 8 and is pulled in the pulling direction 5 so that the vertical portion of the crossover member 8 is deformed. The strain measuring device 2 provided in the vertical portion of the transition member 8 detects this deformation amount and transmits the deformation amount to the control unit 4 as an electric signal. Therefore, the deformation amount of the vertical portion is quickly detected as needed. At this time, when the electric wire terminal is not completely inserted, the electric wire terminal comes out of the connector housing before the deformation amount in the vertical portion of the crossover member 8 reaches a predetermined set value. Easy to detect.

  When the electric wire is pulled to further deform the vertical portion and the deformation amount detected by the strain measuring instrument 2 reaches a predetermined set value, the control unit 4 displays to the operator that the electric wire terminal is completely inserted. To do. After confirming the insertion state of the wire terminal, the connector housing is taken out from the connector set portion by pushing the connector housing from the opposite side of the wire terminal insertion side.

  Through the above process, the operator can accurately and promptly confirm the insertion state of the electric wire terminal. Moreover, since the insertion process of an electric wire terminal and the insertion state confirmation process of an electric wire terminal can be performed by a series of work, production efficiency, such as a wire harness, improves.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the above-described embodiment, the connector setting portion 6 of the connector setting jig 1 is a through hole in the horizontal direction, but it may be a recess opened in the direction opposite to the insertion direction of the electric wire terminal. The connector setting jig 1 has a through-hole formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, but instead of this, the connector housing may be clamped from above and below or from the left and right by a clamping spring having two clamping pieces. Good. Even if a clamping spring is used as the connector setting jig, the connector housing has excellent versatility with respect to the shape and dimensions of the connector housing.

  In the above embodiment, a spring provided with a plate material is used as the fixing member 7. Alternatively, the plate-like fixing member may be attached to and detached from the connector setting jig 1 with a screw. Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the connector set part 6 was a through-hole of the horizontal direction, as an aspect which an operator pulls an electric wire upwards as a through-hole of an up-down direction or a recessed part opened upwards instead. Also good. At this time, since the horizontal portion of the transition member 8 is deformed, it is preferable that the strain measuring device 2 is disposed not in the vertical portion of the transition member 8 but in the horizontal portion and in the vicinity of the connector set portion 6.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the transition member 8 joined two plates and was L-shaped, the aspect shape | molded by L shape may be sufficient. Furthermore, instead of making the crossover member 8 L-shaped, it may be V-shaped or W-shaped. At this time, for example, one of the upper surfaces on both sides of the upper surface of the transition member that is separated into two or three in the horizontal plane direction is fixed to the fixing plate, and the connector set is fixed to the other. Place the instrument and place the strain gauge on the V-shaped or W-shaped inclined surface. When the operator pulls the electric wire of the connector housing housed in the connector setting jig, the V-shaped or W-shaped crossing member extends while the inclination of the inclined surface is relaxed. And the distortion measuring device installed in the inclined surface detects the variation | change_quantity of this inclination, A control part can detect and evaluate, and can determine the quality of the insertion state of an electric wire terminal.

  Since the insertion state of the wire terminal can be accurately detected while performing the wire terminal insertion step, the utility value is high in the field of manufacturing a wire harness used for wiring of an automobile or the like.

It is the schematic of the insertion state confirmation apparatus of the electric wire terminal to the connector housing which concerns on the example of embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector set jig 2 Strain measuring instrument 4 Control part 6 Connector set part 7 Fixing member 8 Transition member

Claims (7)

A crossover member formed in an L shape in side view having a horizontal part and a vertical part,
A connector setting jig which is placed on the horizontal portion of the transition member and holds the connector housing;
An apparatus for confirming an insertion state of an electric wire terminal into a connector housing, comprising a strain measuring device provided on a surface of a vertical portion of the transition member so as to face the connector setting jig.   The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that detects and evaluates a deformation amount detected by the strain measuring device.   2. The connector housing according to claim 1, wherein the connector setting jig includes a connector set portion in which the connector housing is accommodated, and a connector fixing member that fixes the connector housing to the connector set portion. For checking the insertion state of the electric wire terminal. A step of holding the connector housing on the connector set jig placed on the horizontal portion of the crossover member that is L-shaped in side view having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion;
Inserting a terminal attached to the electric wire into a terminal insertion hole provided in the connector housing;
A step of pulling the electric wire in a direction opposite to the direction of the insertion to deform a vertical portion of the transition member;
A state in which the wire terminal is inserted into the connector housing, wherein the deformation is detected by a strain measuring device provided on the surface of the vertical portion of the crossover member so as to face the connector setting jig. Detection method.   The method according to claim 4, further comprising a step of causing the control unit to detect and evaluate the deformation detected by the strain measuring instrument. A step of holding the connector housing on the connector set jig placed on the horizontal portion of the crossover member that is L-shaped in side view having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion;
Inserting a terminal attached to the electric wire into a terminal insertion hole provided in the connector housing;
A step of pulling the electric wire in a direction opposite to the direction of the insertion to deform a vertical portion of the transition member;
A step of detecting the deformation by a strain measuring device provided on the surface of the vertical portion of the crossover member so as to face the connector setting jig;
And a step of taking out the connector housing into which the terminal is inserted from the connector setting jig.   The wire harness according to claim 6, further comprising a step of causing a control unit to detect and evaluate the amount of deformation detected by the strain measuring device after the step of detecting the deformation by the strain measuring device. Manufacturing method.

Images