JP6271394B2 - Terminal crimping system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal crimping system, and more particularly to a terminal crimping system including a device for supplying a terminal and a terminal crimping device for crimping an electric wire to the terminal.

  In general, in the conventional terminal crimping technique, the operator stops the equipment and replaces the terminal and applicator each time the terminal product number and the wire type are changed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Specifically, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when performing terminal replacement and applicator replacement, the terminal and applicator that are mounted at the time of replacement are removed, and the terminal and applicator to be crimped manually by the operator are then crimped. It is prepared and fixed every time the terminal part number changes. More specifically, the applicator is provided for each terminal part number, and is exchanged for each set in which the structures of the dedicated part and the common part are integrally formed. That is, when the use of the applicator set currently used in the crimping operation is finished, the work is performed to replace the applicator set prepared in advance by the operator.

JP 2010-277703 A

  By the way, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, considerable time is required when performing terminal exchange and applicator exchange, and the applicator is generally heavy and the exchange work is difficult. Further, since the equipment is stopped during the replacement work, there is a problem that the equipment operation rate cannot be improved, and the inherent production capacity cannot be effectively used, and a countermeasure technique has been demanded. In particular, when a large variety of small-quantity production is required, since the production lot is small, the above-mentioned problems have become prominent and urgent measures have been required.

  The object of the present invention is made in view of such a situation, and is to provide a technique for solving the above-described problems.

The terminal crimping system of the present invention crimps a terminal supply device provided with a plurality of reels around which a terminal chain having a plurality of terminals is wound, and the terminal of the terminal chain supplied from the terminal supply device to an electric wire. A terminal crimping device, and a terminal feeding unit that selects a desired reel from a plurality of reels and supplies the terminal chain to the applicator. The terminal crimping device includes a plurality of applicators, and is in accordance with a command from a host device According to the specifications of the terminal to be crimped or the specifications of the electric wire, the applicator used for crimping is selected , the terminal feed unit controls the terminal chain to a desired position by an actuator, and the reel Having a feed side end of the terminal chain, the chain feed guide part for feeding to the applicator of the terminal crimping device, the terminal feed part is Controlled to a desired position the pin terminal chain by operating the terminal chain supply guide portion.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique which raises the equipment operation rate of a terminal crimping system and improves actual production capacity can be provided.

It is a top view showing a schematic structure of a terminal crimping system concerning an embodiment of an invention. It is a perspective view of the terminal supply reel set based on embodiment of invention. It is a partial perspective view of the terminal supply reel set shown paying attention to the chain supply guide part concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a figure which shows the terminal chain body of the state attached to the chain supply guide part based on embodiment of invention. It is a top view showing typically a terminal chain object concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a perspective view of the terminal crimping apparatus based on embodiment of invention. It is a perspective view of a terminal sending part concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a perspective view shown paying attention to the 1st-5th applicator of a terminal crimping part concerning an embodiment of an invention.

  Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiments”) will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a terminal crimping system 1 according to the present embodiment. The terminal crimping system 1 includes a wire supply device 2 that supplies a desired wire, a terminal supply setup / exchange device 50 that supplies a terminal 82 (terminal chain 80) to be crimped to the wire, and a crimp that crimps the terminal 82 to the wire. Device 20. Below, it demonstrates paying attention mainly to the terminal crimping apparatus 20 and the terminal supply setup exchange apparatus 50. In addition, an arrow X1 direction in the drawing is described as a forward direction (downstream direction), an arrow X2 direction as a backward direction (upstream direction), an arrow Y1 direction as a left direction, and an arrow Y2 direction as a right direction.

  The terminal supply setup / exchange apparatus 50 accommodates a plurality of terminal supply reel sets 60 in an aligned manner in a reel set holding frame 52. Here, six terminal supply reel sets 60 are accommodated side by side. Each terminal supply reel set 60 accommodates a terminal reel 70 around which a terminal chain 80 is wound. The terminal chain 80 of each terminal reel 70 has a structure in which a plurality of terminals 82 having individual product numbers (specifications) are connected.

  The terminal supply setup / replacement device 50 is equipped with a linear actuator that can be moved back and forth, and left and right. A predetermined host control device selects a desired terminal supply reel set 60 by controlling the linear actuator. The terminal chain 80 is connected to the terminal crimping device 20 so as to be supplied. That is, a terminal 82 having a desired specification can be selected and supplied to the terminal crimping device 20. In general, terminal chains 80 (terminals 82) having different specifications are attached to different terminal reels 70. Of course, the terminal chains 80 (terminals 82) having the same specifications may be used. The specification is registered in a host control device.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the terminal supply reel set 60. Here, only main components are shown, and some components such as a handle for handling are omitted. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the terminal supply reel set 60 showing the area A1 of FIG. Further, FIG. 4 is a view showing the terminal chain 80 in a state of being attached to the chain supply guide part 64. FIG. 4A is a perspective view, and FIG. 4B is a diagram schematically showing a state viewed from an arrow A2 in FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view schematically showing the terminal chain 80.

  The terminal supply reel set 60 has a terminal reel 70 attached to a plate-shaped reel fixing frame 62. The terminal reel 70 accommodates a terminal chain 80 wound thereon. The terminal chain 80 has a configuration in which a plurality of terminals 82 are connected in a chain at the connecting portion 84. Here, the rear end of the terminal 82 (the covering portion barrel 82 a side) is connected to the connecting portion 84. In the connecting portion 84, rectangular pilot holes 84a are formed at a predetermined interval. In the pilot hole 84a, a locking portion 36 of the terminal feed portion 30 described later in FIG. 8 is locked.

  At the upper and lower ends of the reel fixing frame 62, an upper rail 66 and a lower rail 68 used for the operation of the linear actuator extend in the same direction as the supply direction of the terminal chain 80 (X1-X2 direction / front-rear direction).

  In the vicinity of the upper front end of the reel fixing frame 62, a chain supply guide portion 64 is provided for holding the tip of the terminal chain 80 and supplying it to the terminal crimping device 20. The chain supply guide part 64 is locked so as to guide the supply side of the terminal chain 80 wound around the terminal reel 70 in the supply direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the chain supply guide portion 64 is clamped so as to press down about 20 widthwise portions of the terminals 82. That is, the pressing portion 65a bolted to the upper surface of the chain supply guide portion 64 performs the positioning function of the terminal chain 80, and fixes the position in the Y1-Y2 direction shown. In other words, the difference in the terminal length L1 of the terminal chain 80 is absorbed. In general, as shown in FIG. 4B, the length L2 from the end of the connecting portion 84 on the side of the chain supply guide portion main body 64a to the front side of the covering portion barrel 82a is the type of the terminal chain 80 (terminal 82). Varies by Accordingly, the pressing portion 65a is used to press the connecting portion 84 against the chain supply guide portion main body 64a serving as a reference surface, thereby appropriately positioning each terminal chain 80.

  That is, the chain supply guide portion 64 is inserted into a predetermined connection portion (terminal feed portion 30 described later) of the terminal crimping device 20 in a sandwiched state based on a command from a host control device. In the host control device, data is set in advance which terminal supply reel set 60 corresponds to what specification.

  In this way, a desired terminal chain 80 (terminal 82) is supplied to the terminal crimping device 20. In other words, a terminal 82 having a desired product number can be selected and supplied to the terminal crimping device 20 by a higher order command. That is, the terminal supply reel set 60 to which the terminal 82 (terminal chain 80) of the next necessary specification is attached is selected according to a higher-level production instruction, and the terminal 82 (terminal chain 80) currently set is selected. And can be replaced automatically. This is necessary for replacing the terminal 82 (terminal chain 80) because the terminal supply reel set 60 that has not been selected can be set up even when the terminal crimping apparatus 20 is in operation. The setup time can be saved significantly. In addition, when the unselected terminal supply reel set 60 is exchanged, there is a concern about the influence on the selected terminal supply reel set 60 that supplies the terminal 82 to the terminal crimping apparatus 20. The operation may be temporarily stopped, but even in that case, it is not necessary to replace the terminal supply reel set 60 that supplies the terminal 82, so that the setup time required for the replacement can be greatly reduced. .

  In addition, since the chain supply guide portion 64 is provided for each specification, that is, for each terminal chain 80, the terminal set can be moved by mechanically moving the terminal crimping portion 40 of the terminal crimping device 20 as it is. Once completed, the preparation for crimping is completed in a very short time, and the crimping process can be executed immediately.

  Further, by replacing the individual terminal supply reel set 60, the terminals 82 can be replaced in units of product numbers, and the entire terminal supply setup exchange device 50 can be replaced with another terminal supply setup exchange device 50. All the terminal supply reel sets 60 that have been used can be replaced.

  In the step of attaching a recognition code or the like to the chain supply guide portion 64 or the like and attaching it to the terminal crimping device 20, the selected terminal 82 (terminal chain 80) is read by reading the recognition code with a predetermined sensor. A determination as to whether it is appropriate may be made. Further, a configuration in which a known terminal entanglement detection sensor is provided in the terminal supply reel set 60 to automatically detect the occurrence of entanglement in the terminal chain 80 may be adopted. In particular, as in the present embodiment, in the case where the terminal supply reel set 60 is mechanically replaced by the control of the host device, it is possible to avoid useless process generation, so that the effect of improving production efficiency is appropriately maintained. be able to.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the terminal crimping device 20, and the terminal crimping device 20 includes a terminal feeding portion 30 and a terminal crimping portion 40. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the terminal feeding unit 30. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the terminal crimping portion 40 with particular attention to the applicators (first to fifth applicators 41a to 41e).

  First, the operation | movement outline | summary of the terminal crimping apparatus 20 is demonstrated. The terminal crimping device 20 controls the terminal chain 80 (terminal 82) supplied from the terminal supply reel set 60 by the terminal feeding unit 30 to a desired position. Further, the terminal crimping device 20 selects the applicator (first to fifth applicators 41a to 41e) corresponding to the terminal 82 and the electric wire to be crimped, and the applicator (first to fifth applicators 41a to 41e) at the crimping work position. To control. At this time, the applicator selection unit 22 provided in the terminal crimping device 20 locks the locking protrusion 23 provided on the upper part to any of the first to fifth applicators 41a to 41e, and the selected applicator is selected. Control to the crimping position. The selected applicator moves a predetermined amount above the unselected applicator. Then, the terminal chain 80 is crimped and the terminal 82 is disconnected from the connecting portion 84 by the driving force of the pressure unit 25 at the same time.

  Next, the terminal feeding unit 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. The terminal feed section 30 includes two servo motors 32 and 34 and a locking section 36, and supplies the terminal chain 80 supplied from the terminal supply setup / exchange device 50 to the terminal crimping section 40 while adjusting the position in the front / rear and left / right directions. To do. That is, the terminal feed section 30 locks the locking section 36 in the pilot hole 84a of the connecting section 84 and controls it to a desired position of the terminal crimping device 20 by the operation of the servo motors 32 and 34. It sends out to the terminal crimping device 20 one by one. At this time, the connecting part 84 of the terminal chain 80 is positioned and guided as desired by the positioning guide function of the chain supply guide part 64 and the pressing part 65a.

  In the prior art, it is necessary to use a dedicated component in which the feed amount of the terminal chain 80 (terminal 82) is set according to the terminal product number. More specifically, the chain supply guide portion 64 and the terminal feed portion 30 are generally used as dedicated parts, and adjustment of feed accuracy that needs to be performed individually is troublesome, and the point of accuracy improvement But there was a problem. Conventionally, since a cam-type feed mechanism is used, it is difficult to quickly respond to a case where the terminal chain 80 has a slight specification change. However, in this embodiment, the feed accuracy can be improved by using the two servo motors 32 and 34. Further, since the feed amount can be set for general purposes, the function is not required to be a dedicated part, and adjustment is easy.

  Next, the terminal crimping portion 40 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. The terminal crimping section 40 includes first to fifth applicators 41 a to 41 e as applicators for receiving the driving force of the pressing section 25 and crimping the terminal 82. The 1st-5th applicators 41a-41e are arrange | positioned along with the feed direction (X1-X2 direction in a figure) of the terminal chain body 80. FIG.

  The first to fifth applicators 41a to 41e have the same basic structure and are interchangeable. The first to fifth applicators 41 a to 41 e can be individually replaced, and can be replaced as a whole, that is, the entire terminal crimping portion 40. Each of the first to fifth applicators 41 a to 41 e includes an upper applicator 42 and a lower applicator 43. The upper applicator 42 is provided with an upper mold 44. The lower applicator 43 is provided with a lower mold 45. The upper mold 44 and the lower mold 45 are different molds for each applicator corresponding to the product number (specification) of the terminal 82 and the electric wire specification. Therefore, by selecting the first to fifth applicators 41a to 41e, it is possible to select an applicator corresponding to the specifications (product number) of the terminal 82 and the specifications of the electric wire. As described above, the upper mold 44 and the lower mold 45 are substantially formed by a crimped mold portion, so that the configuration corresponding to the dedicated portion of the applicator can be reduced in weight and size, and can be operated by automatic control. Therefore, the actuator and the like can be reduced in size.

  On the upper end of the upper applicator 42, a selective locking portion 47 is formed as a substantially inverted L-shaped locking structure. The distal end portion of the pressurizing unit 25 with respect to the selected applicator is locked to the selective locking portion 47. Similarly, a selective locking portion 46 is formed at the lower end of the lower applicator 43 as a substantially L-shaped locking structure. The locking projection 23 of the applicator selection unit 22 is locked to the selection locking unit 46. Then, the lower applicator 43 is controlled to a desired position by the applicator selection unit 22.

  The terminal crimping portion 40 is movable in the feed direction (X1-X2 direction in the figure) and the vertical direction of the terminal chain 80, and a desired applicator is selected based on the upper production instruction. In the upper control device, data is set in advance regarding which applicator corresponds to what specifications (specifications of the terminal 82 to be crimped and the electric wire). Therefore, when a production instruction is received from the host control device, the terminal supply reel set 60 and the applicator corresponding to the instruction are automatically selected.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the setup exchange in the terminal supply setup exchange device 50 and the terminal crimping device 20 can be automated. As a result, the setup time can be shortened and the equipment operation rate can be improved. Further, even when the number of production lots is reduced, since the setup replacement time is short, the total production capacity reduction can be reduced. Further, since the terminal supply setup exchange device 50 and the terminal crimping device 20 are managed by a host control device, it is easy to manage and grasp the number of crimps of the terminal 82, and the applicator (first to fifth applicators 41 a to 41- The life management of 41e) can be made appropriate.

  The present invention has been described based on the embodiments. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to each of those components and combinations thereof, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Terminal crimping system 2 Electric wire supply apparatus 20 Terminal crimping apparatus 22 Applicator selection part 23 Locking protrusion 25 Pressurization part 30 Terminal feed part 32, 34 Servo motor 36 Locking part 40 Terminal crimping part 41a 1st applicator 41b 2nd applicator 41c Third applicator 41d Fourth applicator 41e Fifth applicator 42 Upper applicator 43 Lower applicator 44 Upper mold 45 Lower mold 46 Selective locking part 47 Selective locking part 50 Terminal supply setup changer 52 Reel set holding frame 60 Terminal supply Reel set 62 Reel fixing frame 64 Chain supply guide part 64a Chain supply guide part main body 65 Locking hole 65a Pressing part 66 Upper rail 68 Lower rail 70 Terminal reel 80 Terminal chain 82 Terminal 82a Covering part barrel 84 Connecting part 84a Pa Ilot hole

Claims (1)

A terminal supply device provided with a plurality of reels wound with a terminal chain in which a plurality of terminals are connected;
A terminal crimping device for crimping the terminal of the terminal chain supplied from the terminal supply device to an electric wire;
A terminal feed section for selecting a desired reel from a plurality of reels and supplying the terminal chain to the applicator;
With
The terminal crimping device includes a plurality of applicators, and selects an applicator used for crimping according to the specifications of the terminal or the electric wire to be crimped according to a command from a host device ,
The terminal feed unit controls the terminal chain to a desired position by an actuator,
The reel includes a chain supply guide portion that has a feed-side end portion of the terminal chain and supplies the applicator of the terminal crimping device, and the terminal feed portion operates the chain supply guide portion. And controlling the terminal chain to a desired position .

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