KR20160023806A - Connector and tool exchange device using same - Google Patents

Abstract

And to provide a connector capable of easily and reliably attracting the male terminal and the female terminal with high reliability of the electrical connection and a tool changer using the same. The present invention relates to a connector comprising a cylindrical terminal in a substantially cylindrical shape and a female terminal in which the male terminal is fittable, wherein the male terminal has a tapered portion gradually reduced in diameter in the tip direction, And has a protruding portion at a contact position with the tapered portion. The reduction ratio in the axial direction of the tapered portion should be substantially constant and the taper angle of the tapered portion is preferably 1 to 10 degrees. It is only necessary that the protruding portion abuts only the male terminal and the tapered portion. The raised portions may be formed in a plurality of band-shaped members arranged in the axial direction and curving inwardly in the central portion. A female connector portion provided with the female terminal and a female connector portion provided so as to extend upwardly from the male terminal, and the male connector portion and the male connector portion can be fittable.

Description

CONNECTOR AND TOOL EXCHANGE DEVICE USING SAME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001]

The present invention relates to a connector and a tool changer using the same.

Robot arms used in industrial facilities such as factories are equipped with various tools (end effectors) such as welding machines at the tip to perform production work. As an apparatus for facilitating the exchange of such a tool, there is a tool exchange apparatus (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-279566). The tool changer comprises a combination of a master plate attached to a front end of a robot arm and a plurality of tool plates mounted with various tools. Each of the tool plates is formed to be fittable with the master plate, and the tools of the robot arm can be easily exchanged by exchanging the tool plate.

Depending on the type of the tool, it may be necessary to transmit an electric signal with the robot arm. With respect to such a tool, the electric signal line of the robot arm is connected to the master plate, and the transfer of electric signals to the tool is achieved through the master plate and the tool plate. At this time, the electrical connection between the master plate and the tool plate is generally performed by a connector comprising male terminals (pins) and female terminals (sockets).

Incidentally, as described above, the tool plate is repeatedly engaged / disengaged from the master plate upon replacement of the tool. For this reason, if the male terminal and the female terminal are not easily detached, the workability of tool replacement and the productivity of the robot arm may be deteriorated. In the case where the tool has a mechanism that requires precise signal control such as a servo motor, an error may occur in the tool if the signal is not reliably transmitted.

On the other hand, there is a room for new improvement because it is difficult for the conventionally used connector to have sufficient sensitivity to deterioration and reliability of electrical connection.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-279566

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been accomplished on the basis of the above-described circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a connector which is highly reliable in electrical connection and which can easily and reliably take-in and take out male and female terminals, .

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a connector including a cylindrical terminal having a substantially cylindrical shape and a female terminal capable of fitting the male terminal, wherein the male terminal has a tapered portion gradually reduced in diameter in the tip direction, And a protruding portion at an abutting position with the tapered portion in the inner peripheral surface.

The connector has a tapered portion whose diameter gradually decreases in the direction of the tip of the male terminal, so that it is easy to fit the female terminal into the female terminal. Since the connector has a protruding portion in contact with the tapered portion on the inner peripheral surface of the female terminal, the male terminal can be easily separated from the male terminal while ensuring contact between the male terminal and the female terminal. That is, since the tapered portion of the male terminal and the raised portion of the female terminal come into contact with each other, the female terminal can be reliably contacted to the tapered portion having a reduced diameter, and the reliability of the electrical connection is high. At the same time, the friction generated between the male terminal and the female terminal is reduced at the same time when the male terminal is caught, and the stress from the ridge portion of the female terminal is applied not in the radial direction or in the fitting direction of the male terminal, Therefore, the connector can easily separate from the female terminal of the male terminal.

It is preferable that the reduction ratio in the axial direction of the tapered portion is substantially constant and the taper angle of the tapered portion is preferably not less than 1 DEG and not more than 10 DEG. By making the axial diameter reduction ratio of the taper portion substantially constant and keeping the taper angle within the above range, it is possible to further improve the reliability of the electrical connection between the female terminal and the male terminal, and to more easily and reliably attract the male terminal have.

The tapered portion may vary in its axial diameter reduction ratio and the curvature at the central longitudinal section of the tapered portion may be smaller than the curvature at the central longitudinal section of the raised portion. By making the peripheral edge of the tapered portion curved and making the curvature smaller than the curvature of the raised portion in this manner, it is possible to more easily and reliably attract the male terminal while securing the contact area with the raised portion.

It is only necessary that the protruding portion abuts only the male terminal and the tapered portion. Thus, reliability of the electrical connection of the connector and ease of detachment of the male terminal and the female terminal can be further improved by abutting only the raised portion with the tapered portion.

The male terminal may further have a straight portion at the tip side of the tapered portion. As described above, since the male terminal has a straight portion which is reduced in diameter and does not increase in diameter on the tip side, the contact position can be positioned by the straight portion, so that the reliability of the electrical connection of the connector and the ease of detachment .

The raised portions may be formed in a plurality of band-shaped members arranged in the axial direction and curving inwardly in the central portion. By forming the raised portions with the plurality of band-like members, the contact between the female terminal and the male terminal can be more surely ensured, and the male terminal can be more easily and reliably captured.

The connector may include a male connector portion in which the male terminal is installed and a female connector portion in which the female terminal is erected, and the male connector portion and the female connector portion may be configured to be fittable. By providing such a male connector portion and a female connector portion, the male connector can securely fix the male terminal at an appropriate fitting position and securely maintain the connection state between the male terminal and the female terminal.

Therefore, by providing the male terminals on one side of the master plate and the tool plate and arranging the female terminals on the other side, the tool exchanging apparatus provided with the connector has a high reliability of electrical connection between the male terminal and the female terminal, So that the male terminal and the female terminal can be taken in. Therefore, the tool exchanging device of the present invention is excellent in reliability of electrical connection, and can easily and reliably take-in the master plate and the tool plate.

In addition, "the axial diameter reduction ratio is substantially constant" means that the variation in the axial diameter reduction ratio of the tapered portion is within ± 1%.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, according to the connector of the present invention, the reliability of the electrical connection between the male terminal and the female terminal is high, and the male terminal and the female terminal can be easily and reliably taken in. Therefore, the connector of the present invention can be suitably used for a tool changing apparatus for a robot arm.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention in a state in which male and female terminals are not fitted.
Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the male terminal and the female terminal of the connector of Fig. 1 are fitted. Fig.
Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the male terminal of the connector of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a female terminal of the connector of Fig. 1. Fig.
FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a tool changer according to one embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 5 (a) is a schematic plan view seen from a side of a portion of the master plate which is fitted with a tool plate, (C) is a schematic plan view of the external connection portion viewed from the protruding direction of the external connection terminal.
Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a male terminal of a connector different from that of Fig. 3;

Hereinafter, embodiments of the connector of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings appropriately.

The connectors of Figs. 1 and 2 mainly include a cylindrical terminal 1 having a substantially cylindrical shape and a female terminal 2 capable of fitting the male terminal 1. Fig. Specifically, the connector includes a male connector portion 8 in which the male terminal 1 is installed upright from the concave portion, and a female connector portion 9 in which the female terminal 2 protrudes from the surface. The male connector portion 8 and the female connector portion 9 are configured to be fittable.

<Male terminal>

3, the male terminal 1 has a tapered portion 3 whose diameter gradually decreases in the tip direction and a male terminal support portion 4 connected to the opposite side of the tapered portion 3 in the tip direction. The male terminal (1) is made of a conductive material.

The tapered portion 3 is a portion where the male terminal 1 and the female terminal 2 abut on the raised portion 5 of the female terminal 2 to be described later in a state in which the male terminal 1 and the female terminal 2 shown in Fig.

The axial diameter reduction ratio of the tapered portion 3 is substantially constant. That is, the peripheral edge of the tapered portion 3 passing through the axis is formed in a straight line. The lower limit of the taper angle of the tapered portion 3 is preferably 1 deg., More preferably 2 deg., And further preferably 4 deg.. When the taper angle of the tapered portion 3 is less than the above lower limit, there is a fear that the effect of improving the pulling performance of the male type terminal 1 becomes insufficient. On the other hand, the upper limit of the taper angle of the tapered portion 3 is preferably 10 degrees, more preferably 8 degrees, and further preferably 6 degrees. When the taper angle of the tapered portion 3 exceeds the upper limit, the contact area of the female terminal 2 with the protruding portion 5 is reduced, which may result in insufficient improvement of the reliability of the electrical connection.

The diameter (maximum diameter) of the root portion of the tapered portion 3 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less. The length of the tapered portion 3 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

The distal end edge of the male terminal 1 is rounded. That is, the distal end edges of the tapered portion 3 and the male terminal 1 are continuous through the arc in the central longitudinal cross-section. The lower limit of the diameter of the arc is preferably 0.1 mm, more preferably 0.3 mm. When the diameter of the arc is less than the lower limit, there is a fear that the effect of improving the fittability of the male type terminal 1 and the effect of preventing the formation of the scratches on the female type terminal 2 become insufficient. On the other hand, the upper limit of the diameter of the arc is preferably 2 mm, more preferably 1 mm. When the diameter of the arc exceeds the upper limit, there is a possibility that the tapered portion 3 and the leading edge of the male terminal 1 can not be smoothly connected.

The male terminal support portion 4 has a male terminal support main body 4a, a flange portion 4b and a tapered root portion 4c and is integrally formed with the tapered portion 3. The male terminal support main body 4a is a portion electrically connected to the male terminal contact 8b to be described later and formed into a substantially cylindrical shape. The flange portion 4b is a cylindrical body that is installed between the male terminal support body 4a and the tapered root portion 4c and is larger in diameter than the male terminal support body 4a and the tapered root portion 4c, Shaped connector portion 8 to which the male terminal 1 is attached. The tapered root portion 4c is a cylindrical body for connecting the flange portion 4b and the tapered portion 3 and has a diameter equal to the maximum diameter of the tapered portion 3 (diameter of the root portion).

The diameter of the male terminal support main body 4a is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less. Similarly, the diameter of the flange portion 4b is not particularly limited as long as it is larger than the diameter of the male terminal support main body 4a and the tapered root portion 4c, but may be, for example, 2 mm or more and 12 mm or less. The axial length of the male terminal support main body 4a, the flange portion 4b and the tapered root portion 4c is not particularly limited. For example, the axial length of the male terminal support main body 4a is not less than 1 mm and not more than 12 mm The length of the flange portion 4b in the axial direction is 0.1 mm or more and 3 mm or less, and the axial length of the tapered root portion 4c is 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less.

It is preferable that a taper is formed so that the end portion of the male terminal support main body 4a opposite to the tapered portion 3 is easily fitted to the male terminal contact 8b described later.

<Male Connector>

The male connector portion 8 has a male connector portion main body 8a and a male terminal connector 8b.

The male connector portion main body 8a is a member that incorporates a part of the male terminal 1 and the male terminal connector 8b. The male connector portion main body 8a has a substantially cylindrical space extending in the axial direction of the male terminal 1, and the male terminal 1 and the male terminal connector 8b are arranged in this space. The male connector portion main body 8a has an opening 8c having a diameter larger than the diameter of the tapered portion 3 at the tip end side of the tapered portion 3 of the male terminal 1. [ The female terminal cover portion 9c of the female connector portion 9 described later is inserted into the opening portion 8c as shown in Fig. Therefore, the diameter of the opening 8c is designed to be larger than the outer diameter of the female terminal cover portion 9c. There is a step in the space of the male connector portion main body 8a which changes so as to reduce the inner diameter toward the fitting direction of the male terminal 1 and the male terminal 1 is dropped to the opening 8c side by this step . The male connector portion main body 8a is formed of an insulating material.

The male terminal contact 8b is a member to which a terminal for receiving an electric signal or the like is connected to the connection socket 8e. The male terminal contact 8b is a substantially cylindrical body having a concave portion at its central portion, and the male terminal 1 is provided upright from the concave portion. A space for positioning the male terminal 1 is formed between the bottom surface of the concave portion of the male terminal contact 8b and the end surface of the male terminal 1 opposite to the tapered portion 3 .

The flange portion 4b of the male terminal 1 abuts on one end (the frame portion of the recess) of the male terminal contact 8b and the other end of the flange portion 4b of the male terminal 1 contacts the tapered portion 3 side A portion of the plane of the male connector main body 8a abuts the end face of the step formed in the space of the male connector main body 8a. As a result, the male terminal 1 is positioned inside the male connector portion 8. It is preferable that the male terminal 1 is arranged so that its tip end is located in a plane including the abutment surface 8d having the opening 8c of the male connector main body 8a. By disposing the male terminals 1 in this manner, the male terminal 1 and the female terminal 2 can be fitted together without forming a useless space.

As a method of fixing the male terminal connecting member 8b to the male connector portion main body 8a, the male connector portion 8b is fixed to the male connector main body 8a by the C- or E- A method of fixing the projecting portion of the terminal connecting member 8b can be used. However, other methods may be used for fixing the male terminal contact 8b to the male connector main body 8a.

In addition, a flange portion (not shown) extending radially outward is provided in the male terminal contact 8b, and a locking portion (not shown) for engaging the flange portion is formed in the male connector main body 8a, The radial displacement of the male terminal connecting member 8b can be prevented. Further, by mounting an O-ring (not shown) on the male terminal contact 8b, it is possible to absorb the positional deviation in the radial direction and the axial direction.

<Female Terminal>

As shown in Fig. 4, the female terminal 2 has a raised portion 5 formed at an abutting position with the tapered portion 3 on the inner peripheral surface. The female terminal 2 is made of a conductive material.

The raised portion 5 is a portion where the male terminal 1 and the female terminal 2 come into contact with the tapered portion 3 of the male terminal 1 in a state where the male terminal 1 and the female terminal 2 shown in Fig. This protruding portion 5 abuts only the male terminal 1 and the tapered portion 3 only.

The raised portions 5 are arranged in the axial direction and are formed of a plurality of band-shaped members bent inward at the central portion. Specifically, the ridge portion 5 has a cylindrical shape whose central portion is raised to the center side, and a surface of the band-like member whose curved central portion in the longitudinal direction (stretching direction) is curved on one circumferential surface, By arranging them at regular intervals. The longitudinal direction of each strip-like member coincides with the axial direction of the cylinder, and the axial direction of the cylindrical body coincides with the fitting direction of the male terminal (1). It is preferable that the plurality of belt-like members have elasticity. The belt-like member has elasticity, so that the sensitivity and reliability of connection between the male terminal 1 and the female terminal 2 can be further enhanced.

It is preferable that the length of the elevated portion 5 in the axial direction (the fitting direction of the male terminal 1) is smaller than the length of the tapered portion 3. Specifically, the upper limit of the axial length of the raised portion 5 is preferably 100% of the length of the tapered portion 3, more preferably 95%, and even more preferably 90%. When the axial length of the protruding portion 5 exceeds the upper limit, the protruding portion 5 comes into contact with the portion other than the tapered portion 3, so that the effect of improving the sensitivity and the connection reliability of the male terminal 1 becomes insufficient There is a concern. On the other hand, the lower limit of the axial length of the raised portion 5 is preferably 70% of the length of the tapered portion 3, more preferably 75%, and even more preferably 80%. There is a possibility that the contact surface between the raised portion 5 and the tapered portion 3 can not be sufficiently secured when the axial length of the raised portion 5 is less than the above lower limit.

The lower limit of the elevation height of the raised portion 5 is preferably 0.1 mm, more preferably 0.3 mm, and further preferably 0.5 mm. When the elevation height of the raised portion 5 is less than the lower limit, the contact area with the tapered portion 3 is reduced, and the effect of improving the reliability of the electrical connection may become insufficient. On the other hand, the upper limit of the elevation height of the raised portion 5 is preferably 1 mm, more preferably 0.9 mm. When the elevation height of the ridge portion 5 exceeds the upper limit, there is a fear that the effect of improving the dangability of the male type terminal 1 becomes insufficient. The ridge height of the ridge portion 5 is a value obtained by subtracting the maximum inner diameter of the ridge portion 5 from the maximum inner diameter of the ridge portion 5.

The maximum inner diameter of the protruding portion 5 is not particularly limited, but is preferably approximately the same as the maximum diameter of the tapered portion 3.

<Female connector part>

The female connector portion (9) is a member that houses the female terminal (2). The female connector portion 9 includes a female connector portion main body 9a, a female terminal connector 9b containing the ridge portion 5, and a portion of the raised portion 5 and the female terminal connector 9b And has a female terminal cover portion 9c surrounding it.

The female connector portion main body 9a has a substantially cylindrical space penetrating in the axial direction of the female terminal 2 and a part of the female terminal contact portion 9b and the female terminal cover portion 9c are arranged And the remaining portion thereof is provided so as to protrude from the surface of the female connector portion main body 9a on the fitting side thereof with the male connector portion 8 (the abutment surface 9d of the female connector portion 9). As a result, the female terminal 2 protrudes from the surface of the female connector 9. The female connector portion main body 9a is formed of an insulating material.

In the space of the female connector portion main body 9a, there is a step that changes in such a way that the inner diameter becomes smaller toward the side where the male terminal 1 is fitted. By this step, the female terminal cover portion 9c, And the female terminal cover portion 9c is fixed.

The female terminal contact 9b is a member to which a terminal for receiving an electric signal or the like is connected to the connection socket 9e. The female terminal contact 9b is a substantially cylindrical body having a concave portion at the center, and the female terminal 2 (raised portion 5) is embedded in the concave portion. A space 9f is formed on the bottom surface side of this concave portion. This space 9f is a space in which the distal end portion of the male terminal 1 is housed in a state where the male terminal 1 and the female terminal 2 are fitted together as shown in Fig. The diameter of the space 9f is larger than the maximum diameter of the tapered portion 3 and smaller than the outer diameter of the raised portion 5. That is, there is a step between the space 9f and the space in which the protruding portion 5 is stored in the concave portion of the female terminal contact 9b in accordance with the change of the inner diameter, Is prevented from moving toward the bottom surface side of the concave portion.

The female terminal cover portion 9c is a substantially cylindrical member covering the raised portion 5 through the female terminal contact 9b. The female terminal cover portion 9c has a top surface provided with an opening 9g on the side where the male terminal 1 is fitted. The diameter of the opening 9g is larger than the maximum diameter of the tapered portion 3 and smaller than the outer diameter of the raised portion 5. As a result, it is possible to prevent the protruding portion 5 from falling off while allowing the tapered portion 3 to pass therethrough. It is preferable that the inner surface of the opening 9g is tapered to facilitate insertion of the tapered portion 3. [

The female terminal cover portion 9c has a flange portion extending radially outward at an end portion opposite to the above-mentioned surface. The flange portion fixes the position of the female terminal cover portion 9c in the female connector body 9a described later.

The protruding length of the female type terminal 2 and the female type terminal cover portion 9c from the abutment surface 9d of the female type connector portion 9 extends from the abutment surface 8d of the male type connector portion 8 to the male type terminal 1 (the fitting direction) to the flange portion 4b of the flange portion 4b. The male connector 8 and the female connector 9 are engaged with each other at a position where the abutment surface 8d of the male connector 8 abuts against the abutment 9d of the female connector 9, Can be completed. This makes it possible to reliably determine the fitting position between the male terminal 1 and the female terminal 2 and also because the male terminal 1 and the female terminal 2 do not come into axial contact with each other, It is possible to prevent the male terminal 1 and the female terminal 2 from being damaged by the axial insertion force of the female terminal 2.

The method of fixing the female terminal contact 9b to the female connector portion main body 9a can be the same as the method of fixing the male terminal contact 8b to the male connector portion main body 8a. That is, the protruding portion of the female terminal connector 9b is fixed by the C-shaped or E-shaped fixing ring 10 on the end surface of the female connector portion 9 opposite to the side on which the female terminal connector 9b is projected Method can be used. However, other methods may be used for fixing the female terminal contact 9b to the female connector body 9a.

<Advantages>

Since the male terminal 1 has the tapered portion 3 whose diameter is gradually reduced in the tip direction, the female terminal 2 can be easily fitted to the female terminal 2. Since the female terminal 2 has the protruding portion 5 abutting against the tapered portion 3 on the inner peripheral surface of the female terminal 2, the male terminal 1 is securely contacted with the female terminal 2, Can be facilitated. That is, since the tapered portion 3 of the male terminal 1 abuts against the protruding portion 5 of the female terminal 2, the female terminal 2 is securely fixed to the tapered portion 3 whose diameter is reduced. So that the reliability of the electrical connection is high. At the same time, the friction generated between the male terminal 1 and the female terminal 2 decreases at the time of capturing the male terminal 1, and the stress from the ridge 5 of the female terminal 2 is reduced radially, The male terminal 1 is easily detached from the female terminal 2 because it is applied not in the fitting direction of the terminal 1 but in the releasing direction of the male terminal 1. [ The male terminal 1 can be released from the female terminal 2 without providing a spring or a plunger for releasing to the male connector 8 or the female connector 9. [

In addition, since the tip of the male terminal 1 is rounded, the male terminal 1 is not only easily fitted, but also prevents the female terminal 2 from being scratched at the time of fitting. can do.

Further, since the protruding portion 5 of the connector is formed of a plurality of band-shaped members which are elongated in the fitting direction of the male terminal 1 and curved at the central portion, the protruding portion 5 has elasticity in the radial direction , The contact between the male terminal (1) and the female terminal (2) can be ensured more reliably, and the male terminal (1) can be more easily and reliably pulled. Further, since the raised portion 5 can be processed relatively easily, the connector is excellent in manufacturing cost.

<Tool changer>

5 includes a master plate 101 attached to the distal end portion of a robot arm and a tool plate 102 connected to the master plate 101 and to which a predetermined tool is attached.

(Master plate)

5A, the master plate 101 is provided with a plurality of male terminals (not shown) provided on a concave portion of the connection surface between the master plate body 103 and the tool plate 102 of the master plate body 103 1) and an external connecting portion 104 protruding from a side surface (a surface perpendicular to the connecting surface) of the master plate body 103. The master plate body 103 corresponds to the male connector portion 8 of the connector.

The external connection portion 104 has a plurality of external connection terminals 107 as shown in Fig. 5 (c). The plurality of external connection terminals 107 protrude vertically from the side surface of the master plate body 103. A plurality of external connection terminals 107 are connected in a one-to-one manner within the plurality of male terminals 1 and the master plate body 103.

The master plate 101 is provided with a locking device (not shown) for ensuring connection with the tool plate 102. As this pacemaker, for example, a well-known apparatus in which a piston is combined with a cam mechanism or a hook can be used.

(Tool plate)

5 (b), the tool plate 102 includes a tool plate body 105 and a plurality of female terminals 2 projecting perpendicularly to the connecting surface of the master plate 101 of the tool plate body 105 And an external connection portion 106 protruding from a side surface of the tool plate main body 105 (a surface perpendicular to the connection surface). The plurality of female terminals (2) are arranged at positions corresponding to the plurality of male terminals (1) of the master plate (101). The tool plate body 105 corresponds to the female connector portion 9 of the connector.

The outer connecting portion 106 of the tool plate 102 is the same as the outer connecting portion 104 of the master plate 101 and a plurality of And an external connection terminal 107 of the second terminal. The plurality of external connection terminals 107 are connected in a one-to-one manner in the interior of the plurality of female terminals 2 and the tool plate body 105.

The tool plate 102 is provided with an engagement device (not shown) corresponding to a locking device for connection provided on the master plate 101.

(How to use)

The tool exchange apparatus connects the external connection section 104 of the master plate 101 with a cable or the like that carries out an electric signal with the robot arm and connects the external connection section 106 of the tool plate 102 with the tool And connecting the master plate 101 with the tool plate 102 enables the transfer of electric signals between the robot arm and the tool. A plurality of male terminals 1 provided upright on the master plate body 103 are inserted into the plurality of female terminals 2 provided on the tool plate body 105 so as to fit the master plate 101 and the tool plate 102 So that a plurality of electrical signal communication circuits are formed between the robot arm and the tool.

(advantage)

The tool exchange apparatus has a high reliability of electrical connection between the male terminal 1 and the female terminal 2 constituting the connector and can easily and reliably take-in the male terminal 1 and the female terminal 2 have. Therefore, the reliability of the electrical connection is excellent, and the master plate 101 and the tool plate 102 can be easily and reliably removed.

In the above embodiment, the male terminal 1 is provided on the master plate 101 and the female terminal 2 is provided on the tool plate 102. However, the female terminal 2 is provided on the master plate 101 , And the male terminal 1 may be provided on the tool plate 102. In addition, both the male terminal 1 and the female terminal 2 may be provided on one of the plates. The number of the male terminals 1 and the female terminals 2 can be appropriately designed in accordance with the use of the tool changer.

&Lt; Other Embodiments >

The connector of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the axial diameter reduction ratio of the tapered portion of the male terminal is not limited to a substantially constant value, and the axial diameter reduction ratio of the tapered portion 13 may be changed as in the male terminal 11 shown in Fig. In this case, it is preferable that the curvature at the central vertical cross-section of the tapered portion 13 is designed to be smaller than the curvature at the central vertical cross-section of the raised portion 5. Even if the peripheral edge of the tapered portion 13 is formed into a curved shape such as a quadratic curve and the curvature thereof is made smaller than the curvature of the peripheral edge of the raised portion 5, The male terminal 11 can be more easily and reliably taken away.

In addition, the male terminal may further include a straight portion on the tip side of the tapered portion. Since the straight portion is further provided on the distal end side of the tapered portion so as not to be reduced in diameter and diameter, positioning of the abutment position can be performed by this straight portion. Therefore, displacement of the male type terminal can be prevented, The reliability of the electrical connection and the ease of detachment between the male terminal and the female terminal can be further enhanced.

Also, the connector having the tip end edge of the male terminal is not rounded and the tip end has a horizontal plane is also within the scope of the present invention.

The raised portion of the female terminal is not limited to the one formed of the above-described plurality of belt-like members as long as it can form a convex portion on the side of the shaft center. However, from the viewpoint of the contact property with the tapered portion of the male terminal and the tangibility of the tapered portion of the male terminal, it is preferable that the raised portion has a constant elasticity in the radial direction.

(Example)

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[Example 1]

A connector having male and female terminals of the shape shown in Fig. 1 was produced. The diameter of the circular arc connecting the tapered portion to the tip end of the male terminal is 0.5 mm at the center vertical plane. The diameter of the tapered portion is 2.1 mm, , And the length of the taper root portion was 3.0 mm. The female terminal has a length of 3.4 mm in the axial direction of the raised portion (fitting direction of the male terminal), a maximum inner diameter of 2.5 mm and a minimum inner diameter of 1.7 mm. In the fitting state, The parts are designed to abut against each other.

[Example 2]

A connector having male and female terminals having the same dimensions as those of the first embodiment was manufactured except that the maximum diameter of the tapered portion of the male terminal was 2.0 mm, the length of the tapered portion was 4.0 mm, and the length of the tapered root portion was 3.5 mm.

[Example 3]

A connector having male and female terminals having the same dimensions as those of the first embodiment except that the length of the tapered portion of the male terminal was 5.0 mm, the taper angle was 3 °, and the length of the tapered root portion was 2.5 mm.

[Comparative Example 1]

Except that a taper was not provided on the male terminal and the connecting portion of the male terminal with the female terminal was formed into a uniform cylindrical shape having a diameter of 2.1 mm and a length of 7.5 mm and a diameter of the arc of the tip of the tip of 1 mm, A connector having male and female terminals of the same dimensions was manufactured.

[Comparative Example 2]

The same as Example 1 except that the maximum diameter of the tapered portion of the male terminal was 2.0 mm, the length of the tapered portion was 2.0 mm, the length of the tapered root portion was 5.5 mm, and a circular arc was not provided between the tapered portion and the tip end edge in the central longitudinal cross- A male terminal and a female terminal were manufactured. The tapered portion of Comparative Example 2 is designed so as not to come in contact with the raised portion of the female terminal in the fitted state.

[Comparative Example 3]

A connector having male and female terminals having the same shape and dimensions as those of the comparative example 1 except that the diameter of the connecting part of the male terminal with the female terminal was 2.0 mm.

[Caption Test]

The connectors of the above-described examples and comparative examples were subjected to a scouring test as follows. First, the male terminal and the female terminal of each connector are attached to the block corresponding to the male connector portion and the female connector portion, respectively. Next, a block (hereinafter referred to as a female block) on which a male terminal is mounted is fixed on a horizontal plane, and a block (hereinafter referred to as a male block) In a state of being seen, the male terminal and the female terminal were repeatedly moved by piston motion horizontally in the direction of the caption. Piston motion of this male block was carried out using an air cylinder, and the male terminal was inserted into the male terminal at 0.35 seconds, the male terminal was released from the female terminal at 0.35 seconds after 0.65 seconds, It took 2 seconds cycle to repeat. Further, for each of the examples and the comparative example, two sets of connectors were used for each test.

After a predetermined number of times of the above-mentioned test, the damage condition of the male terminal was confirmed and evaluated according to the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 1.

A: No damage to both sets.

B: One set is broken.

C: Breakage occurred in both sets.

The resistance value (m?) Of each connector in the fitted state was measured three times with an ohmmeter ("Millioh Hi Tester", trade name, manufactured by Hiokiden Kikai Co., Ltd.) did. An average value of these measured values was calculated, and an average value of two sets was calculated. The measurement results are shown in Table 2.

As can be seen from Tables 1 and 2, the connectors of Examples 1 to 3 are less prone to breakage, and the resistance is 500 m? Or less even when the detachment and detachment of 600,000 times is repeated. Particularly, in Examples 1 and 2 in which the taper angle was set to 5 deg., Even after repetition of detachment of 600,000 times, no damage was recognized in both of the two sets of connectors.

(Industrial applicability)

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the connector of the present invention has high reliability of electrical connection, and can easily and surely attract and retract the male terminal and the female terminal. Therefore, the connector can be suitably used for a tool exchange apparatus of a robot arm . In addition, the tool exchanging apparatus using the connector is excellent in reliability and sensitivity.

1, 11 ... Male terminal
2… Female terminal
3, 13 ... Taper portion
4… Male terminal support
4a ... The male terminal support body
4b ... Flange portion
4c ... Tapered root
5 ... Ridge
8… The male connector portion
8a ... The male connector unit main body
8b ... Male terminal connector
8c ... Opening
8d ... Abutment surface
8e ... Connection socket
9 ... The female connector portion
9a ... The female connector unit main body
9b ... Female terminal connection member
9c ... The female terminal cover portion
9d ... Abutment surface
9e ... Connection socket
9f ... space
9g ... Opening
10 ... Retaining ring
101 ... Master plate
102 ... Tool plate
103 ... Master plate body
104, 106 ... External connection
105 ... Tool plate body
107 ... External connection terminal

Claims (8)

1. A connector comprising: a substantially cylindrical male terminal; and a female terminal capable of fitting the male terminal,
Wherein the male terminal has a tapered portion whose diameter gradually decreases in the tip direction,
And the female terminal has a raised portion at a position where the female terminal abuts against the tapered portion on the inner peripheral surface. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the reduction ratio in the axial direction of the tapered portion is substantially constant, and the taper angle of the tapered portion is not less than 1 DEG and not more than 10 DEG. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the axial diameter reduction ratio of the tapered portion changes and the curvature at the central vertical cross-section of the tapered portion is smaller than the curvature at the central longitudinal cross-section of the raised portion. The connector according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 3, wherein the raised portion abuts only the male terminal and the tapered portion. The connector according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 3, wherein the male terminal further has a straight portion at the tip side of the tapered portion. The connector according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the raised portion is arranged in the axial direction and is formed of a plurality of band-shaped members bent inward at the central portion. The connector according to claim 1, 2, or 3, further comprising: a male connector portion in which the male terminal is erected; and a female connector portion in which the female terminal is erected,
Wherein the male connector portion and the female connector portion are fittable. A tool changer comprising the connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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