JP3127808B2 - Wire insertion device with terminal - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for inserting electric wires with terminals, and more particularly to a wire harness for a car or a copying machine and a subassembly (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "wire bundle assembly") constituting the wire harness. The present invention relates to a terminal-attached electric wire insertion device for automatically inserting a terminal crimped to a constituent electric wire into a connector housing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, when an electric wire bundle assembly is automatically produced, an electric wire measuring step of measuring and cutting the electric wire, a peeling step of applying a skinning process to both ends of the measured electric wire, And a step of manufacturing a terminal-equipped wire including a terminal crimping step of crimping terminals to both ends of the stripped wire, and a connection step of inserting the terminal of the terminal-equipped wire manufactured in the manufacturing step into a connector housing. Is performed.

For example, JP-A-57-170409, JP-A-58-25014, and JP-A-5-234.
No. 659 and JP-A-6-260260 disclose a measuring station for performing a wire measuring step, a stripping station for performing a stripping step, a crimping station for performing a terminal crimping step, and a connection station for performing a connecting step. An all-inclusive automatic manufacturing system is disclosed.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-223646 discloses a configuration in which a manufacturing process and a connecting process are separated. In this configuration, the manufacturing process is performed by an automatic manufacturing system to manufacture an electric wire with terminals, the manufactured electric wire with terminals is mounted on a stock trolley, and the connection process is manually performed. Further, the automatic manufacturing system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-223646 includes a line for crimping a standard terminal and a special crimping step (for example, when the size is special or a plurality of wires are crimped to the same terminal). The line to be performed is separated.

[0005]

Among the above-mentioned prior arts, in the case where the manufacturing process and the connecting process are performed on the same line, the connecting process takes longer time than the manufacturing process. The manufacturing process is limited by the above-mentioned connection process, and the types of terminals that can be crimped in the same line are limited. Was.

On the other hand, when the manufacturing process and the connecting process are performed on lines separated from each other, it is difficult to transfer the terminals to the insertion unit in a state where the terminals of the electric wires with terminals are positioned, and it is difficult to realize automation. There was a problem. Therefore, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-223646, it is necessary to make a compromise that does not meet the intention of manually inserting the terminal into the connector housing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an apparatus for inserting a terminal-attached electric wire which can easily automate the connection process.

[0008]

[MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS]
In addition, the configuration according to claim 1 of the present invention is a method for manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal.
Of wires with terminals that are separated from the line that
In the insertion device, a part of the terminal is opened so that it can be gripped.
Wire supply unit including a holder capable of loading a wire with terminals in a state.
Unit and the terminal-equipped power supplied from the wire supply unit.
How to supply the connector housing to which the wires are to be connected
Jing supply unit and supplied connector housing
An insertion unit for inserting the terminal of the wire with a terminal into the terminal,
Posture of the terminal of the wire with terminal passed to the insertion unit
And a straightening means for straightening the wire.
Is attached to the disk that rotates intermittently and the outer periphery of the disk.
And extend along the diameter of the disk to form a pairAlso
To hold one end of the wire with terminal and the other end
And one of the holders is different from the other.
Wire with terminals, characterized in that it is set shorter
Insertion device.

In this configuration, the terminal-equipped electric wire is loaded into the holder and held by the holder. Furthermore, the terminal of the held electric wire with terminal is delivered to the insertion unit by being gripped by the hand. At this time, the correcting means corrects the posture of the terminal of the electric wire with terminal passed to the insertion unit. Also, remove the wire with terminal from the holder.
When receiving with a pair of hands,
With the hand facing the oblique,
The other terminal can be gripped.

[0010]

[0011] Also, the configuration of claim 2, wherein, in the insertion device of the electric wire with terminal according to claim 1 Symbol <br/> mounting, said correcting means is included in the holding fixture of the wire supply unit, the terminal It includes a rotation restricting surface that restricts the rotation of the terminal when a part of the terminal is opened so as to be grippable.

[0012] In this configuration, since the rotation restricting surface of the terminal of the electric wire with terminal restricts the rotation of the terminal of the electric wire with terminal, the terminal can be reliably transferred to the hand in a unique posture. become. Further, the configuration according to claim 3 is equivalent to claim 1.
In the apparatus for inserting an electric wire with terminal according to item 2, the housing supply unit accommodates the connector housings stacked one above the other, and supplies the accommodated connector housings from a lower opening that opens directly below the connector housings. A cassette, a hand for feeding the connector housing supplied from the lower opening of the cassette to a positioning member at a predetermined terminal insertion position, and a hand for sending the hand to the receiving position for receiving the connector housing from the lower opening and the positioning member; A displacing means for displacing to a feeding position for feeding, and a shutter provided integrally with the hand, for opening the lower opening when the hand is in the receiving position and closing the lower opening when in the feeding position. Wherein the displacement means is provided with a c during the terminal inserting step. It is intended to maintain the soil feeding position.

In this configuration, the connector housings vertically stacked in the cassette are received by the hand from the lower opening, and further, the displacement means displaces the hand to the feed position, thereby sending the connector housing to the positioning member. Can be paid. In this case, since the shutter is provided integrally with the hand, the lower opening of the cassette is opened and closed by being displaced integrally with the hand by the displacement means. Moreover, since the displacing means maintains the hand in the feeding position during the terminal inserting step, the hand stops the connector housing in which the terminal inserting step is performed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the device for inserting an electric wire with terminal according to the third aspect , the shutter also functions as a pressing member for pressing the connector housing against the positioning member. In this configuration, when the hand feeds the connector housing to the positioning member,
When the shutter as a pressing member presses the connector housing against the positioning member, the connector housing is precisely pressed against the positioning member and is stopped.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the device for inserting a terminal-equipped electric wire according to the third or fourth aspect , the terminal-equipped electric wire is connected between the positioning member and the lower opening. An outlet for taking out the connector housing of
The displacing means is for temporarily stopping the hand at the outlet while the hand returns to the receiving position from the feed position.When the hand is temporarily stopped at the outlet, after the connection of the terminal-attached electric wire, The connector housing is released at a predetermined timing.

With this configuration, the connector housing after the terminal insertion can be transported to the take-out opening by the hand. In addition, since the outlet is provided between the positioning member and the lower opening, the shutter keeps the lower opening closed while the hand conveys the connector housing to the outlet. . Claim 6
The described configuration is the insertion device for a terminal-equipped electric wire according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the holding tool accommodates the terminal-equipped electric wire in a state where a part of the terminal is opened to be grippable, A block that is continuous with the concave portion and that divides a plurality of sets of a positioning surface that positions the lower surface of the terminal housed in the concave portion and a slit that allows insertion and removal of the terminal with respect to the concave portion by allowing insertion of a terminal-equipped electric wire. It has.

In this configuration, the recess for accommodating the terminal of the terminal-equipped electric wire is open so that a part of the terminal can be gripped, and the slit for allowing the insertion and removal of the terminal-equipped electric wire is provided in the recess. The terminal-equipped electric wire can be attached to and detached from the block even by hand, and the lower surface of the terminal is positioned by the positioning surface, so that the accommodated terminal can be positioned and held by the hand.

[0018]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Referring to FIG. 1, which is an external perspective view of a terminal-attached electric wire insertion device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the terminal-attached electric wire insertion device 10 performs a manufacturing process of a terminal-attached electric wire TW. Are separated from The terminal-attached wire insertion device 10 includes a wire supply unit 30 including a holder 20 that can manually load the terminal-attached wire TW in a state where a part of the terminal T of the terminal-attached wire TW is opened so as to be grippable.
A delivery unit 40 as a correcting means for receiving the terminal-attached electric wire TW from the electric wire supply unit 30, correcting the posture of the terminal T, and transferring the terminal T;
0, an insertion unit 50 that receives the corrected electric wire with terminal TW and inserts the electric wire with terminal TW into the connector housing C; a housing supply unit 60 that supplies the connector housing C to which the electric wire with terminal TW is to be connected;
A take-out unit 70 for taking out the inserted connector housing C and a control box 80 for controlling each of the units 20 to 70 are provided on the base 1 formed in a rectangular shape in plan view.

Referring to FIG. 1, electric wire supply unit 30
Is a machine frame 3 erected on one end of the base 1 in the longitudinal direction.
1 is provided. Referring to FIG. 2 which is a partial sectional view of the electric wire supply unit 30 and FIG. 3 which is a partial partial view of the electric wire supply unit 30, a vertically extending shaft 32 is erected on the upper part of the machine casing 31. The base end of the shaft 32 is fixed via a mounting member 33 to a plate 31A fixed to the upper surface of the machine frame 31. Further, a disk 34 is arranged on the outer periphery of the shaft 32. The disk 34 integrally has a hub 34A rotatably mounted around the shaft 32 via a pair of bearings 35, and a flange portion 34B integrally formed on an outer peripheral portion of the hub 34A. A ring gear 36 is fixed concentrically with the shaft 32 on the lower surface of the flange portion 34B. On the other hand, at the upper end of the machine frame 31,
A drive motor 38 is mounted via a pair of mounting members 37, and an output gear 39 driven by the drive motor 38 meshes with the ring gear 36. Therefore, the rotational driving force of the drive motor 38 is transmitted from the output gear 39 to the ring gear 36, and the
Rotates around the shaft 32. The drive motor 38 is electrically connected to the control box 80, and is configured to intermittently drive the disk 34 based on the control of the control box 80.

As shown in FIG. 1, a large number of mounting arms 39 are fixed to the outer periphery of the disk 34, and the holder 20 is mounted on the mounting arm 39. Holder 20 and mounting arm 39
Referring to FIG. 4 which is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the mounting arm 39, the mounting arm 39 includes a fixing portion 39A fixed by bolts 301 along a tangential direction of the disk 34, and one end of the fixing portion 39A. First arm 39B extending along the diametrical direction of the disk 34 perpendicular to the fixed portion 39A from the portion, and a second arm extending parallel to the first arm 39B from the other end of the fixed portion 39A. It is an angle member integrally having a portion 39C. A large number of the mounting arms 39 are fixed to the outer periphery of the disk 34 at regular intervals in the same circumferential direction.

In the example shown, each mounting arm 39
The first arm 39 </ b> B is arranged on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the disk 34.
The length is set shorter than the second arm 39C by a predetermined length.
The holder 20 is attached to each of the arms 39B and 39C. The holder 20 includes a first block 21 attached to the first arm 39B and a second arm 39C.
And a second block 22 that is attached to the terminal and holds the terminal-attached electric wire TW. In the electric wire with terminal TW, the terminal T on one end side is connected to the first block 21.
The terminal T on the other end side is accommodated in the concave portion 201 formed in the second block 22 and the concave portion 2 formed in the second block 22.
01, it is hung over both blocks 21 and 22 and hangs down in a U-shape.

Each of the blocks 21 and 22 has bottomed fitting holes 21A and 22A on its lower surface, and each of the arms 39B and 39C has a fitting hole 21A and a fitting hole 21A of the corresponding block 21 and 22. Positioning pins 39E corresponding to 22A, 3
9F is erected. And these pins 39E, 39
By fitting F into the fitting holes 21A and 22A of the blocks 21 and 22, the blocks 21 and 22 can be positioned at the corresponding arms 39B and 39C. Further, a fixing member 39G is attached to each of the arms 39B and 39C, and the blocks 21 and 22 and each of the arms 39B and 39C are detachably connected by the fixing member 39G. A screw member can be used as the fixing member 39G. Block 2
When the first and the second members 22 are formed of a magnetic material, a permanent magnet can be used.

Referring to FIG. 5 which is an enlarged perspective view showing the main parts of the blocks 21 and 22, each of the blocks 21 and 22 will be described.
The concave portion 201 for accommodating the terminal-attached electric wire TW in a state where the distal end portion of the terminal T is open so as to be gripped,
1 and the positioning surface 202 for positioning the lower surface of the terminal T accommodated in the concave portion 201 and the insertion of the terminal-attached electric wire TW.
Is defined.

The concave portion 201 is set in a circular shape that allows the terminal T to rotate around the electric wire to the extent that the terminal T does not rattle. The positioning surface 202 is set to a depth at which the stabilizer T1 of the terminal T does not interfere. The slit 203 is set to have a width W1 necessary and sufficient for inserting the terminal-attached electric wire TW.
2 and is formed over the entire length in the height H direction. Therefore, the operator holds the terminal T of the terminal-attached electric wire TW,
First, the terminal wire TW is inserted through the slit 203, and then the terminal T is lowered, and the lower surface thereof is seated on the positioning surface 202, so that the terminal T is recessed.
1 can be held.

When loading the terminal-attached electric wire TW into the terminal supply unit 30 as described above, a manual operation or a transfer robot (not shown) is used from the position indicated by the imaginary line P in FIG. The wire with terminal T
Each arm 39 for each of the blocks 21 and 22 in which W is loaded
B, 39C only need to be attached. Then, as shown by the arrow A in FIG. 1, in FIG. 1, by intermittently rotating the disk 34 in the clockwise direction, the terminal-attached electric wire TW can be transported to the subsequent unit.

Next, the delivery unit 40 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 6 and FIG. FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of the delivery unit 40 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating the configuration of the delivery unit 40. FIG. 7A is a schematic plan view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7B is a schematic plan view illustrating a development process of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG.
Reference numeral 0 denotes a beam 4 that is laid along the longitudinal direction of the base 1.
1 is provided. One end of the beam 41 is supported via a mounting member 42 on the upper end of the shaft 32 of the electric wire supply unit 30, and the other end of the beam 41 is erected at a predetermined position on the base 1. Pillars 43
Supported by The beam 41 has a built-in ball screw mechanism (not shown), by which a plate-shaped holder 47 that reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the base 1 is fixed.

Referring to FIG. 6, this plate-like holder 47 has
It is a substantially L-shaped sheet metal member having a vertical portion 47A extending vertically and a roof portion 47B provided on the upper end of the vertical portion 47A. The plate-shaped holder 47 has a pair of electric wires described later in detail. Clamps 44 and 45 and a pair of terminal clamps 48 and 49 are attached. The electric wire clamps 44 and 45 cooperate with terminal clamps 48 and 49 described later to grip one end and the other end of the terminal-attached electric wire TW, respectively. A projecting member 47C is fixed to a lower end portion of the vertical portion 47A of the plate-like holder 47. Each of the electric wire clamps 44 and 45 is provided on a lower surface of the projecting portion 47C via a slide actuator 46 as shown in the drawing. It is mounted so that it can reciprocate horizontally. The terminal clamps 48, 49 are also connected to the electric wire clamps 44, 4 via slide actuators 48B, 49B.
5 is mounted so as to be able to reciprocate in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the horizontal direction.

Next, the terminal clamps 48 and 49 are attached to the plate-like holder 47 via a ball screw mechanism 147 attached to the plate-like holder 47 so as to be able to reciprocate up and down. The ball screw mechanism 147 includes the plate-shaped holder 4.
7, a motor 147A attached to the roof 47B,
A vertically extending lower end of the projecting member 47 of the plate-like holder 47
C while being rotatably supported by the motor 147A.
147B, which is driven to rotate, and the ball screw 1
47B, the motor 147A is provided with an elevating member 147C that moves up and down by rotating the ball screw 147B.
Terminal clamps 48 and 49 are integrally attached to C. By means of the ball screw mechanism 147, the terminal clamps 48 and 49 are moved up to the raised position shown by the solid line in FIG.
The terminal can be displaced to a terminal holding position indicated by a two-dot chain line. Accordingly, the plate-shaped holder 47 is moved toward the electric wire supply unit 30 by a ball screw mechanism (not shown), and the ball screw mechanism 147 is connected to the terminal while the electric wire clamps 44 and 45 are retracted by the slide actuator 46 in advance. The clamps 48 and 49 are lowered to the terminal gripping position, and the corresponding terminal T (see FIG. 4) can be gripped. When the terminal T is gripped, the terminal clamps 48 and 49 are raised by the ball screw mechanism 147. Thereby, each terminal T is extracted from the concave portion 201 of the blocks 21 and 22. Next, the terminal clamps 48, 49 are operated by slide actuators 48B, 49B.
Move horizontally in the opposing inward direction, pull out the terminal-attached electric wire TW from the slit 203, and in this state, use the slide actuator 46 to clamp the electric wire clamps 44, 45.
Moves forward and sandwiches the corresponding electric wire with terminal TW, so that the electric wire with terminal TW is held by the terminal clamps 48 and 49 and the electric wire clamps 44 and 45.

The terminal clamps 48 and 49 are connected to the terminal T of the terminal-attached electric wire TW held by the electric wire supply unit 30.
Chucks 481 and 491 for holding the
Motors 482 and 492 for rotating and driving the first and the first 491, imaging cameras 483 and 493 for imaging the end face of the terminal T held by the wire supply unit 30, and the imaging camera 48
3, an arithmetic unit that compares the data captured by the imaging device 493 with data stored in advance, determines the amount of phase correction around the electric wire of the terminal T, and calculates the correction angle of the terminal T by the rotational driving of the motors 482, 492. 410. Then, when it is necessary to transfer the angle around the electric wire of the terminal T during the gripping operation of the terminal T at the terminal gripping position described above, the imaging cameras 483 and 493 detect this, and
The terminal clamps 48 and 49 correct the angle of the terminal T based on the correction angle calculated by the calculation device 410. In the illustrated example, the arithmetic unit 410
Are included in the control unit 80 (see FIG. 1) to synchronize with control of other units.

Referring to FIG. 7A, terminal clamp 4
8, 49 (therefore, the electric wire clamps 44, 45) are arranged at equal intervals with a line LN passing through one diameter of the electric wire supply unit 30 interposed therebetween. As a result, the terminal clamps 48 and 49 face the first arm 39B and the second arm 39C, respectively, which are temporarily stopped with the line LN interposed therebetween. The terminal T of the electric wire TW can be gripped.

As described above, the first arm 39B of the electric wire supply unit 30 is set shorter than the second arm 39C, and the terminal facing the first arm 39B by the dimensional difference. The clamp 48 (electric wire clamp 44)
Of the first arm 39B with respect to the line LN than the terminal clamp 49 (the wire clamp 45) facing the arm 39C of the first arm 39B.
Is approaching (shifted back and forth). Accordingly, when the terminal clamps 48 and 49 are integrally connected by the plate-shaped holder 47 and reciprocated, the insertion hand 5 described later is used.
With respect to 10A and 510B, it is possible to deliver the terminal-attached electric wire TW only by moving back and forth.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the arm portions 39B and 39C of the electric wire supply unit 30 have the same length, the terminal clamps 48 and 49 (the electric wire clamps 44 and 45). ) Must be rotated by a predetermined angle (90 ° in the illustrated example) so as to face the insertion hands 510A and 510B.
The control of the (wire clamps 44, 45) becomes complicated. For this reason, the first arm 39B is set shorter than the second arm 39C.

Next, the insertion unit 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 8 and FIG. FIG.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a main part of the insertion unit 50 according to the embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a front view showing a main part of the insertion unit 50 in FIG. First, with reference to FIG. 1, the insertion unit 50 is opposed to a housing supply unit 60 described later in the width direction of the base 1. In the following description, the side of the housing supply unit 60 is temporarily assumed to be the front. The insertion unit 50 includes a beam 52 supported by a pillar 51 erected at a fixed position on the base 1. Beam 52
Are laid in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the base 1. A pair of motors 53A and 53B are attached to the beam 52. Each of the motors 53A and 53B has a ball screw mechanism (not shown) built in the beam 52, respectively.
Is attached. Slide arms 54A and 54B are respectively connected to each ball screw mechanism to form a pair. These slide arms 54A and 54B are individually driven by motors 53A and 53B respectively driving corresponding ball screw mechanisms. The base 1 can be reciprocated along the longitudinal direction.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, straight bodies 55A and 55B are attached to slide arms 54A and 54B, respectively. Motors 56A and 56B are attached to the lower ends of the linear bodies 55A and 55B. Each motor 5
A ball screw mechanism (not shown) built in the vertical solid bodies 55A and 55B is attached to 6A and 56B, respectively. Each ball screw mechanism has a horizontal body 57A,
7B are connected, and each of the horizontal bodies 57A and 57B can be individually reciprocated in the vertical direction by driving the corresponding ball screw mechanism by the motors 56A and 56B.

Further, motors 58A, 58B are attached to the rear ends of the horizontal bodies 57A, 57B. Each of the motors 58A, 58B has a horizontal body 57A,
A ball screw mechanism (not shown) built in 7B is attached. Each ball screw mechanism has a horizontal body 5
Insertion hand 51 attached to front end of 7A, 57B
0A and 510B are connected to each other,
A and 510B can be individually reciprocated in the width direction of the base 1 by driving the corresponding ball screw mechanisms by the motors 58A and 58B.

The insertion hands 510A and 510B include a terminal chuck 511A and 511B and an electric wire chuck 512.
A, 512B. The terminal chuck 51
1A and 511B are terminals T of the terminal-attached electric wire TW held by the terminal clamps 48 and 49 of the delivery unit 40.
Is provided to be able to be guided. In the illustrated example, the terminal chucks 511A and 511B are configured to be opened and closed by actuators 514A and 514B. The actuators 514A, 514B are mounted on mounting brackets 515A, 515B fixed to ball screw mechanisms of the horizontal bodies 57A, 57B.

Next, the electric wire chucks 512A, 51A
2B are terminal clamps 48, 49 of the delivery unit 40.
The terminal T of the terminal-attached electric wire TW is inserted into the connector housing C in cooperation with the terminal chucks 511A and 511B which hold the terminal T of the terminal-attached electric wire TW and the terminal T of the terminal-attached electric wire TW. And is formed in a comb-like shape like a well-known terminal insertion device. The wire chucks 512A and 512B are:
It is opened and closed by the opening and closing actuators 517A and 517B, and the insertion actuators 518A and 51B.
8B, the opening / closing actuators 517A, 5
17B and are carried integrally. The insertion actuators 518A and 518B are connected to the electric wire chuck 512.
A, 512B and opening / closing actuators 517A,
By driving the terminal 17B in a direction facing the terminal chucks 511A and 511B, the terminal T is inserted into the terminal-attached electric wire TW.

In the illustrated example, each electric wire chuck 5
12A and 512B are terminal chucks 511A and 511
B are arranged immediately below B and are vertically opposed to each other. Thus, the terminal-equipped wire TW inserts the terminal T from below into the connector housing C supplied to the housing supply unit 60 described below. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 59 denotes an imaging camera, and based on the coordinates of one cavity of the connector housing C supplied by the housing supply unit 60, each insertion hand 510A,
This is for positioning the 510B.

Next, the housing supply unit 60 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a main part of the housing supply unit 60 of FIG. 1, FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the housing supply unit 60 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a part of one housing supply unit 60, and FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view showing a main part of the housing supply unit 60 of FIG.

First, referring to FIGS. 1 and 10, a housing supply unit 60 includes a substantially rectangular first table 62 supported by a pair of columns 61, and a column (not shown) on the first table 62. , And a second table 63 fixed at a certain distance from the table. FIG.
Referring to FIG. 12, first table 62 constitutes a supply unit for supplying a plurality of types of connector housings C to insertion unit 50.

The supply unit includes an actuator unit 65 housed in a housing recess 62A formed in the center of the first table 62 and a positioning unit provided in a groove 62B formed continuously with the housing recess 62A. 6
6 is included. Actuator unit 65
Is a mounting member 65A, and a plurality of actuators 6 provided side by side in the longitudinal direction of the mounting member 65A.
5B, a driving piston 65D for driving the mounting member 65A, and a regulating piston 65E for regulating the amount of driving by the driving piston 65D.

The mounting member 65A is provided in the housing recess 62.
A extends in the longitudinal direction of A and is configured to be reciprocally movable in the width direction of the first table 62 by a guide member (not shown). Each actuator 65B is for opening and closing the parallel hand 65C, and is provided according to the type of the connector housing C to be connected. As shown in FIG. 11, a plate 652 fixed by screws 651 is provided on the upper part of one parallel hand 65C.
Has been fixed. The plate 652 also serves as a shutter of a cassette for supplying the connector housing C and a pressing member for pressing the supplied connector housing C against the positioning unit 66, as described later.

Referring to FIG. 10, drive piston 65D
And the regulating piston 65E are both attached members 6
It is attached to the lower surface of the first table 62 via 53. The driving piston 65D includes a mounting member 65A.
A rod 654 is fixed to the center of the. The driving piston 65D reciprocates each actuator 65B in the width direction of the first table 62 via the mounting member 65A, thereby moving the parallel hand 65C of each actuator 65B to a receiving position and a feeding position described later. And a take-out position.

The restricting piston 65E is arranged on both sides of the driving piston 65D and forms a pair. This is for positioning. Next, with reference to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the positioning unit 66 is provided in the groove 62B as described above. The groove 62B is provided corresponding to each actuator 65B of the actuator unit 65, and the end portion thereof has an end surface side positioning member 66 fixed to the upper surface of the first table 62 with a wing bolt 66A.
B, a side positioning member 66C screwed to both sides of the end surface positioning member 66B, a lower surface positioning member 66D screwed to the lower surface of the end surface positioning member 66B (see FIG. 10), and an end surface side. Positioning member 66B
Upper surface side positioning member 66E screwed to the upper surface of
And are arranged. As shown in FIG. 12, the end face side positioning member 66B is connected to the wing bolt 6 through a long hole 66F.
6A, the distance between the positioning members 66B to 66E facing the actuator 65B can be adjusted. And, by the driving piston 65D and the regulating piston 65E described above,
The parallel hand 65C of the actuator 65B is configured to be displaceable between a receiving position shown in FIG. 14, a feeding position shown in FIG. 17, and a take-out position shown in FIGS. In addition, as shown in FIG. 13, each of the positioning members 66B to 66E is configured so as to be able to position the connector housing C in a state of covering the outer periphery of the corresponding actuator 65B.

FIG. 14 shows the housing supply mechanism 60 of FIG.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a cassette 67 employed in the embodiment. Referring to FIG. 7, insertion holes 63A are formed in second table 63 to face grooves 62B provided in first table 62, and cassette 67 is attached to insertion holes 63A. I have. The cassette 67 is separated from each other and attached to an upper surface of the second table 63 via an L-shaped bracket 67A fixed by bolts 68.
The two angle members 67B (only one is shown in FIG. 14) are combined to form a substantially cylindrical shape. The L-shaped fitting 67A has a long hole 67C through which the bolt 68 is inserted, and the mounting position can be changed by the long hole 67C. Thereby, the cassette 6
The type of the connector housing C can be easily changed by changing the facing distance and the vertical height of each of the angle members 67B constituting the connector housing 7.

The cassette 67 defines an upper opening 67E for receiving the connector housing C from above and a lower opening 67F for supplying the connector housing C from below.
Inside, a plurality of connector housings C are vertically stacked. At this time, the cavity of the connector housing C is arranged downward. First table 6
The portion of the groove 62B facing the cassette 67 is closed by a receiving plate 69 (see FIG. 10) screwed to the lower surface of the first table 62. The connector housing C supplied from the lower opening 67F of the cassette 67 is placed thereon. The position where the receiving plate 69 is provided coincides with the above-described receiving position, and the actuator 6
The hand 65C of 5B can hold the connector housing C placed on the receiving plate 69 at the receiving position. The receiving plate 69 is connected to the connector housing C.
The receiving height is set to the same height as the position where the connector housing C is positioned by the positioning members 66B to 66E of the positioning unit 66 described above.

A takeout port 69A is defined between the receiving plate 69 and the positioning unit 66, and the connector housing C to which the electric wire with terminal TW is connected through the takeout port 69A, that is, a wire bundle as a product. The assembly WH (see FIGS. 1 and 20) can be taken out. Next, referring to FIG.
Reference numeral 0 denotes the housing supply unit 60 for taking out the connector housing C, from which the terminal insertion step has been completed, from below the housing supply unit 60. As shown in the drawing, the take-out unit 70 includes a beam 71 extending along the longitudinal direction of the base 1 so as to be laid on a column of the housing supply unit 60. A ball screw mechanism (not shown) is built in the beam 71, and a transport claw 72 is connected to the ball screw mechanism. Transport claws 72
As shown in FIG. 1, the housing supply unit 60 is configured to be displaceable between an unloading position separated from the first table 62 and an unloading position opposing immediately below the unloading port 69A of the first table 62. Thus, the connector housing C after the terminal insertion process is completed can be received at the take-out position, carried out to the carry-out position, and taken out of the connected product.

Next, the control unit 80 is composed of a microcomputer and other electric components, and controls each of the above-described units according to a sequence described later. Next, the operation of the above-described embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 7A, FIG. 14, and FIG.

FIG. 15, FIG. 17, FIG. 19 to FIG.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a cassette 67 employed in the housing supply mechanism 60 of FIG. 1. FIGS. 16 and 18 are schematic plan views showing the main parts of the housing supply mechanism 60 of FIG. First, referring to FIG. 1, the control unit 80 intermittently drives the drive motor 38 of the electric wire supply unit 30 to intermittently convey the holder 20 in FIG. Clamp 4
The system temporarily stops with a set of blocks 21 and 22 (see FIG. 4) facing 8 and 49.

Referring to FIG. 7A, delivery unit 4
0 terminal clamps 48 and 49 are connected to the blocks 21 and 22 respectively.
From the corresponding terminal T of the wire with terminal TW. At this time, the imaging cameras 483 and 493 detect the attitude of each terminal T, and when the detected attitude of the terminal T deviates from the normal attitude, the arithmetic unit 410 calculates a correction amount, and The posture of the terminal T is corrected before and after the pinching operation of the terminal T by the motors 482 and 483. When the posture of the terminal T is normal or corrected, the terminal clamps 48 and 49 pull up the terminal T, drive the slide actuators 48B and 49B (see FIG. 6), and are gripped by the terminal clamps 48 and 49. The electric wire portion of the electric wire with terminal TW is pulled out from the slit 203 of the blocks 21 and 22, and then, the slide actuator 46 (see FIG. 6).
And the corresponding portions of the terminal-attached electric wire TW are gripped by the electric wire clamps 44 and 45. Thereby, the terminal-equipped electric wire TW is delivered from the electric wire supply unit 30 to the delivery unit 40. Further, the electric wire with terminal TW is delivered to the insertion hands 510A and 510B of the insertion unit 50 by the plate-shaped holder 47 of the delivery unit 40 being transported by a ball screw mechanism (not shown).
Then, the insertion hands 510A, 51 of the insertion unit 50
OB receives the electric wire with terminal TW from the corresponding delivery unit 40 and shifts to the insertion state.

Referring to FIG. 14, the housing supply unit 60 performs a positioning operation of the connector housing C in parallel with the above-described operation of delivering the terminal-attached electric wire TW.
In this positioning work, first, as shown in FIG. 14, the parallel hand 65C at the receiving position grips the connector housing C placed on the receiving plate 69. Referring to FIG. 15, when parallel hand 65C grasps connector housing C, drive piston 65D extends the rod, and displaces parallel hand 65C to the feed position.
In this process, the plate 652 attached to the one parallel hand 65C is immediately moved to the lower opening 67 of the cassette 67 when the connector housing C gripped by the parallel hand 65C is transported to the positioning unit 66 side.
As F is closed, the subsequent connector housing C remains in the cassette 67.

Referring to FIG. 16, when the parallel hand 65C shifts to the feed position, the parallel hand 65C moves to the feeding position.
C is guided by the side positioning member 66C, and the connector housing C is positioned by the side positioning member 66C via the parallel hand 65C. 17 and 18, when the parallel hand 65C reaches the normal feeding position, the end face of the plate 652 presses the connector housing C against the positioning surface of the end face side positioning member 66B, and the connector housing C It is positioned precisely.

Referring to FIG. 19, connector housing C
In the state where is positioned, the insertion hands 510A and 510B of the insertion unit 50 respectively insert the terminals T of the electric wires TW with terminals into the positioned cavities of the connector housing C, and perform a connector terminal insertion step. During this time, the regulating piston 65E causes the rod to protrude by a predetermined amount, so that in a subsequent process, the mounting member 65
The position where A stops is defined, and each hand 65C stands by precisely so that it can be displaced to the take-out position.

Referring to FIG. 20, when the insertion process is completed, insertion hands 510A and 510B are retracted, and transport claw 72 of take-out unit 70 is displaced to the take-out position, and the product after connection, that is, the wire bundle Assembly WH
Receive. During this time, the regulating piston 65E shortens the rod by a predetermined amount, so that in the subsequent process,
The position at which the attachment member 65A stops is defined, and each hand 65C stands by precisely so that it can be displaced to the receiving position.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 21, by opening the parallel hand 65C, the wire bundle assembly WH is moved
2, and the transport claws 72 are displaced to the unloading position shown in FIG. 1, whereby the wire bundle assembly WH as a product can be taken out. Parallel hand 65 after product delivery
C returns to the receiving position while remaining open. As a result, the plate 652 moves to the lower opening 67 of the cassette 67.
As a result of opening F, a new connector housing C is supplied from the cassette 67. And the parallel hand 65C
Grips this new connector housing C.

Then, by repeating the above steps, the terminal inserting step can be performed continuously. As described above, in the above-described configuration, when the electric wire with terminal TW is transferred from the electric wire supply unit 30 to the insertion unit 50, the correcting means (the blocks 21 and 2 of the holder 20) are used.
2. Depending on the delivery unit 40), the electric wire with terminal TW
The position of the terminal T is corrected, so that the terminal T of the terminal-attached electric wire TW is securely positioned, and then the insertion unit 50 is inserted.
As a result, the work of inserting the terminal T into the connector housing C supplied by the housing supply unit 60 can be reliably performed. Therefore, when the manufacturing process and the terminal insertion process are performed on lines separated from each other, it is easy to transfer the terminal T to the insertion unit 50 in a state where the terminal T of the terminal-attached electric wire TW is positioned, which facilitates automation. Can be realized.

When the electric wire with terminal TW is received from the holder 20 by the pair of hands (the clamps 44, 45, 48, and 49 of the delivery unit 40 in the above-described example), the diameter of the disk 34 is Hand pair facing oblique (each clamp 44, 45, 48, 49 in the above example)
Can hold one terminal T and the other terminal T of the terminal-attached electric wire TW, so that when the terminal-attached electric wire TW is received from the holder 20, the hands 44, 45 can be moved only in parallel to move the terminal-attached electric wire TW. As a result of the delivery of the TW, there is an advantage that control of the device accompanying the delivery becomes easy.

In the above example, the delivery unit 4
Since the posture of the terminal T is corrected based on the imaging of the terminal T using the imaging cameras 483 and 493 at 0, there is an advantage that the posture of the terminal T can be corrected more precisely. In addition, since the cassette 67 that houses the connector housings C stacked vertically is used, the connector housing C in the cassette 67 can be driven by utilizing the own weight of the connector housing C,
Since the shutter and the hand are displaced by the same displacement means (the driving piston 65D), the configuration is simplified, and the connector housing C loaded with a smaller number of parts is transported from the cassette 67 and accidentally dropped. There is an advantage that both can be achieved. In addition, since the connector housing C can be transported by the parallel hand 65C, the reliability at the time of transport is higher than when a bend is provided, and the structure is simplified, and the specification change of the cassette 67 is facilitated. There are advantages too. Further, since the displacing means maintains the parallel hand 65C in the feeding position during the terminal insertion step, the parallel hand
Since the connector housing C on which the terminal insertion process is performed is stopped at 5C, there is an additional advantage that the connector housing C can be positioned more precisely.

Further, by pressing the connector housing C against the positioning member so that the plate 652 also serves as a shutter and a pressing member, the connector housing C is precisely pressed against the positioning member and is stopped. There is an advantage that the positioning of the connector housing C in the terminal insertion step becomes more precise. The product after terminal insertion, that is, the wire bundle assembly WH, is
Since it can be conveyed to the take-out port 69A by 5C (see FIGS. 20 and 21), there is no need to provide a new hand for take-out, so that there is an advantage that the number of parts can be further prevented from increasing. . Further, the parallel hand 65C takes out the connector housing C and takes out the
The plate 652 as a shutter remains in a state in which the lower opening 67F is closed while the sheet is being transported to the connector housing 9A. As a result, it is not necessary to stop the connector housing C in the housing 67. This also has the advantage of preventing an increase in the number of parts.

The above embodiments are merely preferred specific examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, a holder 20 as described above may be used to receive the electric wire TW with a terminal directly by the hand of the insertion unit.
May be adopted. Further, as another example of the correcting means, as shown in FIG.
Alternatively, a member defining a rotation restricting surface 204 for restricting the rotation of the terminal T may be adopted. This rotation regulating surface 2
04 is embodied by forming the upper part of the recess 201 into a rectangle along the outer diameter of the terminal T. Rotation control surface 2
In the case where a block having the terminal 04 is used, the terminal T of the wire with terminal TW can be surely positioned in a unique posture even by manual operation. 483, 493, arithmetic unit 410,
There is an advantage that the configuration of the motors 482 and 483 can be omitted. Further, the rotation restricting surface 204 may be embodied as a separate member from the blocks 21 and 22. In this case, since the rotation restricting surface 204 for restricting the rotation of the terminal T is formed as a separate member from the blocks 21 and 22, the shape of the block can be simplified.

It goes without saying that various design changes can be made within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

[0063]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
In the configuration described, in delivering the terminal-equipped wire from the wire supply unit to the insertion unit,
Since the position of the terminal of the terminal-equipped wire is corrected, the terminal-equipped wire is delivered to the insertion housing after the terminal-equipped wire is delivered to the insertion unit after the terminal of the terminal-equipped wire is securely positioned. The terminal can be inserted reliably. Therefore, when the manufacturing process and the connecting process are performed on lines separated from each other, it is easy to transfer the terminals to the insertion unit in a state where the terminals of the wire with terminals are positioned, and automation can be easily realized. It has a remarkable effect that it can be done.

[0064] Also, when receiving a wire with terminals from hold device with respect to the diameter direction of the disk, is possible to grip the one terminal and the other terminal of the wire with terminals at hand pair facing the Hasukai Since it is possible to transfer the terminal-equipped electric wire only by moving the hand in parallel when receiving the terminal-equipped electric wire from the holder, there is an advantage that control of the device accompanying the transfer becomes easy.

[0065] Also, in the configuration of claim 2, it is possible to correct the posture of the terminal by the holder, a relatively inexpensive construction, the terminal insertion unit in a state of positioning the terminals of the wire with terminals There is an advantage that the delivery is easy and automation can be easily realized.

Further, in the configuration according to the third aspect , since the cassette for housing the connector housing in a vertically stacked manner is used, the connector housing in the cassette can be driven by utilizing the own weight of the connector housing. In addition, the shutter and the hand are displaced by the same displacing means, which simplifies the configuration and makes it possible to simultaneously carry the connector housing loaded with a smaller number of components from the cassette and inadvertently drop it. There is an advantage that can be. In addition, since the connector housing can be transported by hand, there is an advantage that the reliability at the time of transport is higher than in the case where a bend is provided, the structure is simplified, and the cassette specification can be easily changed. Further, since the displacing means maintains the hand in the feeding position during the terminal insertion step,
Since the connector housing on which the terminal insertion process is performed is stopped by the hand, there is an additional advantage that the connector housing can be positioned more precisely.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by pressing the connector housing against the positioning member with the shutter as the pressing member, the connector housing is precisely pressed against the positioning member and is stopped as a result. There is an advantage that the positioning of the connector housing in the process becomes more precise. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the connector housing after the terminal is inserted can be transported to the take-out opening by the hand, so that it is not necessary to provide a new hand for take-out, thereby further preventing an increase in the number of parts. There is an advantage that can be. Also, the shutter keeps the lower opening closed while the hand is transporting the connector housing to the take-out port. As a result, there is no need to stop the connector housing in the cassette.
Also from this point, there is an advantage that an increase in the number of parts can be prevented.

According to the structure of the sixth aspect , the terminals of the electric wire with terminals can be positioned by hand, and the positioned terminals can be gripped and taken out by a hand. Even in the case where the process and the connection process are performed on separate lines, there is an advantage that it is easy to deliver the terminals with the terminals of the terminal-attached electric wires positioned, and automation can be easily realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an apparatus for inserting a terminal-equipped electric wire according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of an electric wire supply unit.

FIG. 3 is a partial bottom view of the electric wire supply unit.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the holder and a part of the mounting arm in a cutaway manner.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of the block.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a delivery unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates the configuration of a delivery unit.
(A) is a schematic plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is a schematic plan view showing a development process of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a main part of the insertion unit in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a front view showing a main part of the insertion unit of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a main part of the housing supply unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the housing supply unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a part of the housing supply unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view showing a main part of the housing supply unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a cassette employed in the housing supply mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a cassette employed in the housing supply mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is a schematic plan view showing a main part of the housing supply mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a cassette employed in the housing supply mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is a schematic plan view showing a main part of the housing supply mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is a sectional view showing a main part of a cassette employed in the housing supply mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a cassette employed in the housing supply mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of a cassette employed in the housing supply mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Terminal insertion device 20 Holder 21 1st block 22 2nd block 201 Depression 202 Positioning surface 203 Slit 204 Rotation regulation surface (an example of a correction means) 30 Wire supply unit 40 Delivery unit 44 Wire clamp 45 Wire clamp 48 Terminal Clamp 49 Terminal clamp 410 Arithmetic unit (an example of a correction unit) 483 Imaging camera (an example of a correction unit) 493 Imaging camera (an example of a correction unit) 50 Insertion unit 510A Insertion hand 510B Insertion hand 60 Housing supply unit 65 Actuator unit 65C Parallel hand 65D Drive piston (displacement means) 66 Positioning unit (positioning member) 67 Cassette 67E Lower opening 69A Removal port 652 Plate (shutter, pressing member)

Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Kazumitsu Fukada 1-114, Nishisuehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. (72) Inventor Shigeru Kato 1-1-1, Kunyokita, Itami-shi, Hyogo Sumitomo Electric Inside the Itami Works of Industrial Co., Ltd. No. 1-1 In Itami Works, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (72) Inventor Toshiyuki Kuramoto 1-1-1, Kunyokita, Itami-shi, Hyogo Prefecture In Itami Works, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (56) References JP-A-7 -114969 (JP, A) JP-A-1-138872 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01B 13/00 513 H01R 43/00 H01R 43/20

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] An apparatus for inserting an electric wire with a terminal separated from a line for performing a manufacturing process of the electric wire with a terminal, comprising a holder capable of loading the electric wire with a terminal in a state where a part of the terminal is opened so as to be grippable. An electric wire supply unit; a housing supply unit for supplying a connector housing to which an electric wire with a terminal supplied from the electric wire supply unit is to be connected; an insertion unit for inserting a terminal of the electric wire with a terminal into the supplied connector housing; A correcting means for correcting the posture of the terminal of the electric wire with the terminal delivered to the unit, wherein the electric wire supply unit is intermittently rotated, and is attached to an outer periphery of the disk, and is disposed along a diametrical direction of the disk. also with the paired extends, and a holder for holding the holder and the other end for holding one end of the wire with terminals, the one holding member, the other Inserting apparatus of the wire with terminals, characterized in that it is shorter than the holding tool. 2. A insertion device of an electric wire with terminal according to claim 1 Symbol placement, the correcting means is included in the holding fixture of the wire supply unit, terminal times while graspable open part of the terminal An insertion device for an electric wire with a terminal, comprising a rotation restricting surface for restricting movement. 3. The insertion device of an electric wire with terminal according to claim 1 or 2, the housing supply unit accommodates stacked connector housings vertically, the contained connector housing of the connector housing A cassette for supplying the connector housing supplied from the lower opening of the cassette to a positioning member at a predetermined terminal insertion position, and a receiving position for receiving the connector housing from the lower opening. And a displacing means for displacing the connector housing to a feeding position for feeding the connector housing to the positioning member; and a lower opening is opened when the hand is in the receiving position, and the displacing means is provided in the feeding position. Sometimes comprising a shutter for closing the lower opening, wherein the displacement means is An apparatus for inserting a terminal-attached electric wire, wherein the hand is maintained at a feeding position during the terminal inserting step. 4. An apparatus for inserting an electric wire with terminals according to claim 3 , wherein said shutter also serves as a pressing member for pressing said connector housing against said positioning member. 5. An apparatus for inserting a terminal-equipped electric wire according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein a take-out opening for taking out the connector housing after connection of the terminal-equipped electric wire is provided between the positioning member and the lower opening; The means temporarily suspends the hand at the outlet while the hand returns from the feed position to the receiving position. When the hand is temporarily stopped at the outlet, the connector housing after connection of the terminal-attached electric wire. Is released at a predetermined timing. In the insertion device of the electric wire with terminal according to any one of claims 6] claims 1-5, the retainer includes a recess for accommodating the electric wire with terminal while graspable open part of the terminal, A block that is continuous with the concave portion and that divides a plurality of sets of a positioning surface that positions the lower surface of the terminal housed in the concave portion and a slit that allows insertion and removal of the terminal with respect to the concave portion by allowing insertion of a terminal-equipped wire. A device for inserting an electric wire with a terminal, comprising: