JP7253681B2 - Cable insertion device and cable insertion method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cable insertion device and a cable insertion method for assembling an electronic device by inserting a terminal provided at the end of a cable for wiring into a connector included in the electronic device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a cable insertion device for performing wiring work by inserting a terminal provided at an end of a wiring cable into an insertion opening of a connector provided in an electronic device. Such a cable insertion device uses, for example, a robot having a holding tool for holding the cable on a moving base provided to be relatively movable with respect to a work table holding the electronic equipment (for example, , See Patent Document 1 below). According to such a cable insertion device, it is possible to automate all or part of the work that has conventionally been done manually by workers. cost reduction can be achieved.

JP 2018-73721 A

However, as described above, in the operation of inserting the cable terminal into the connector by the cable insertion device, if the insertion opening of the connector faces upward, the cable supplied in the laterally extending position is held by the holding tool. After being held by the cable, it was necessary to greatly tilt the moving base so that the cable was vertically extended. Therefore, when inserting the terminal into the connector, there is a problem that the moving base and the holding tool projecting below the cable may interfere with the electronic device (or with the work table).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a cable insertion device and a cable insertion method that can insert a cable-side terminal into an electronic-equipment-side connector having an upward-facing insertion opening without causing the mobile base or holding tool to interfere with the electronic equipment. intended to

A cable insertion device according to the present invention includes a holding tool for holding a cable, a moving base on which the holding tool and an imaging unit are mounted, and a holding tool provided on the moving base that extends obliquely with respect to the vertical direction. a rotation driving portion for rotating about a rotation axis, the moving base having an upward insertion opening into which a first terminal provided at one end of the cable is inserted; a parallel link robot that moves the holding tool by moving the holding tool relative to an electronic device provided with a connector of The holding tool is moved so as to be positioned within an imaging area capable of being imaged by the imaging unit together with the first connector, and the holding tool moves the cable in the direction along the rotation axis when viewed from above. The image pickup unit picks up an image of the first terminal and the first connector positioned within the image pickup area from above .

A cable insertion method according to the present invention includes a work stage that holds an electronic device, a moving base that is relatively movable with respect to the work stage, and a holding tool that moves integrally with the moving base to hold a cable. an imaging unit provided on the moving base; a parallel link robot that moves the holding tool by moving the moving base; A cable insertion device having a rotation driving portion for rotating about a rotation axis allows a first connector having an upward insertion opening provided in the electronic device to be provided at one end of the cable. a cable insertion method for inserting a first terminal having a first terminal, wherein a first cable retainer retains the cable in a lateral posture extending laterally in a direction along the rotation axis when viewed from above by the retaining tool; and moving the holding tool holding the cable in the first cable holding step by the parallel link robot so that the first terminal of the cable held by the holding tool moves together with the first connector. By rotating the holding tool about the rotation axis after locating it within an imaging area where imaging by the imaging unit can be performed, the cable is moved up and down with the first terminal facing downward. a posture changing step of converting the posture into a vertical posture extending in a direction; and a first inserting step of lowering relative to the first connector.

According to the present invention, there is provided a cable insertion device and a cable insertion method capable of inserting a cable-side terminal into an electronic-equipment-side connector having an upward-facing insertion opening without causing the mobile base or holding tool to interfere with the electronic equipment. can provide.

1 is a perspective view showing a cable insertion device according to an embodiment of the present invention together with an electronic device to be worked; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device to be operated by a cable insertion device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device to be operated by a cable insertion device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a parallel link robot included in a cable insertion device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of part of a parallel link robot provided in a cable insertion device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial side view of a parallel link robot included in the cable insertion device according to one embodiment of the present invention; (a) to (d) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the parallel link robot provided in the cable insertion device according to one embodiment of the present invention. (a), (b), and (c) are diagrams showing a procedure for holding a wiring cable in a horizontal posture by a holding tool provided in the cable insertion device according to the embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a partial perspective view of a parallel link robot included in a cable insertion device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a parallel link robot included in a cable insertion device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. (a) to (d) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the parallel link robot provided in the cable insertion device according to one embodiment of the present invention. (a) to (d) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the parallel link robot provided in the cable insertion device according to one embodiment of the present invention. (a) (b) Operation explanatory diagrams of the parallel link robot provided in the cable insertion device in the modified example of the embodiment of the present invention (a) (b) Operation explanatory diagrams of the parallel link robot provided in the cable insertion device in the modified example of the embodiment of the present invention

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a cable insertion device 1 according to one embodiment of the invention. The cable insertion device 1 performs a predetermined work (wiring work) on the electronic device 2 shown in FIG. 2, thereby forming the electronic device 2 after the work shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the horizontal direction when the cable insertion device 1 is viewed from the front is defined as the X axis, and the front-rear direction when the cable insertion device 1 is viewed from the front is defined as the Y axis. Also, the vertical direction is defined as the Z-axis.

2 and 3, the electronic device 2 is, for example, a display device, and includes a main board 11 and a sub board 12 connected thereto. The main board 11 and the sub-board 12 are electrically connected by two cables 13 for wiring, and the cable inserting device 1 performs the work of connecting the main board 11 and the sub-board 12 by these two cables 13 . 2 and 3, the display portion of the electronic device 2 (display device) faces downward.

2 and 3, the cable 13 is a belt-like cable such as a flexible flat cable (FFC) or flexible printed circuit board (FPC), and has two flat surfaces. One end of the cable 13 is provided with a first terminal 13A, and the other end of the cable 13 is provided with a second terminal 13B.

2 and 3, the main board 11 is provided with a first connector 15 having an upward insertion opening (upward insertion opening 15K), and the sub-board 12 is provided with a sideways insertion opening (sideways insertion opening 16K). ) is provided. A first terminal 13A provided at one end of the cable 13 is inserted from above into an upward insertion opening 15K of a first connector 15 provided on the main board 11 . On the other hand, the second terminal 13B provided at the other end of the cable 13 is laterally inserted into the lateral insertion opening 16K of the second connector 16 provided on the sub-board 12 .

In FIG. 1 , the cable insertion device 1 includes a base 21 and a work stage 22 installed on the base 21 . The work stage 22 holds the electronic device 2 as a work target. The base 21 is provided with a turning motor 22M. The work stage 22 can be turned around the Z-axis with respect to the base 21 by operating the turning motor 22M.

In FIG. 1, a top plate 23 is positioned above the base 21 . The top plate 23 is horizontally supported by a plurality of struts 24 extending upward from the base 21 . A parallel link robot 25 that performs work on the electronic device 2 held on the work stage 22 is provided on the lower surface side of the top plate 23 .

In FIG. 1, a cable stocker 26 is provided near the electronic device 2 on the work stage 22 . The cable stocker 26 stacks and stocks a plurality of cables 13 extending in the lateral direction (horizontal posture) (see FIGS. 2 and 3). A touch panel 27 as an input/output device is attached to the side of the top plate 23 .

1, 4 and 5, the parallel link robot 25 includes a fixed base 31, six link rods 32, a moving base 33, an illumination unit 34, an imaging unit 35 (imaging section), a holding tool 36, and a rotating drive. A portion 37 is provided. The fixed base 31 is attached to the lower surface of the top plate 23 and incorporates six servo motors (not shown). Six link rods 32 are provided extending downward from the fixed base 31 . The moving base 33 is positioned below the fixed base 31, and its periphery is supported by six link rods 32 via universal joints 33U.

Six servo motors built in the fixed base 31 correspond to the six link rods 32 respectively, and the six servo motors operate the six link rods 32 independently. As a result, the movement base 33 can be moved relative to the work stage 22 (that is, the electronic device 2 held by the work stage 22), and the attitude of the movement base 33 can be freely changed.

4 and 5, a circular opening 33H is provided in the central portion of the moving base 33. As shown in FIG. The opening 33H is provided so that its center passes through a reference axis 33J set as an axis extending in the vertical direction.

4 and 5, a plurality of support rods 34R are provided on the lower surface of the moving base 33 so as to extend downward. These plurality of support rods 34R support the illumination unit 34 in the shape of a rectangular frame.

The lighting unit 34 is located below the moving base 33 and has a plurality of lamps 34L along four sides. The illumination unit 34 illuminates the area below the illumination unit 34 by lighting all or selectively the plurality of lamps 34L.

4 and 5, an imaging unit support member 35S is provided on the upper surface of the moving base 33 so as to extend upward. The imaging unit support member 35S supports the imaging unit 35. As shown in FIG.

The imaging unit 35 has a camera section 35A and a lens barrel section 35B below it, and an imaging optical axis 35J is directed downward. The imaging unit 35 is attached to the imaging unit supporting member 35S so that the imaging optical axis 35J and the reference axis 33J are substantially aligned.

The imaging unit 35 captures an image of the imaging target from above while the imaging target positioned below the lighting unit 34 is illuminated by the lighting unit 34 . In the present embodiment, the objects to be imaged by the imaging unit 35 are the terminals 13 (the first terminal 13A and the second terminal 13B) of the cable 13 and the upward insertion of the first connector 15 on the electronic device 2 side. A port 15K and a lateral insertion port 16K of the second connector 16. FIG.

4 and 5, a tool mounting bracket 33B is provided on the lower surface side of the moving base 33. As shown in FIG. The holding tool 36 is attached at its upper end to the tool mounting bracket 33B. The holding tool 36 functions as an end effector for the parallel link robot 25 .

The holding tool 36 has an arm 41 extending obliquely downward with respect to the Z-axis in the lower region of the moving base 33 and a holding portion 42 positioned at the lower end of the arm 41 . The arm 41 extends to the vicinity of the reference axis 33J, and the holding portion 42 is positioned within the imaging area of the imaging unit 35. As shown in FIG. The axis of the arm 41 is inclined approximately 45 degrees with respect to the Z axis. The holding tool 36 is rotatable about the axis of the arm 41 as a rotation axis 36J.

4, 5 and 6, the lower surface of the holding portion 42 serves as a suction surface 42H that holds the cable 13 by suction. A plurality of suction openings 42K are provided on the suction surface 42H (FIG. 4), and when air is sucked through the plurality of suction openings 42K, a suction force for attracting the cable 13 is generated on the suction surface 42H.

4, 5 and 6, the pivot drive 37 is attached to the tool mounting bracket 33B. The rotation drive unit 37 rotates the holding tool 36 around the rotation axis 36J (the axis of the arm 41). The rotary drive unit 37 is composed of, for example, a rotary cylinder (cylinder for extracting rotary force by reciprocating motion of the piston rod).

In this embodiment, the holding portion 42 is formed as part of the arm 41 . Therefore, by rotating the holding tool 36 around the rotation axis 36J, the holding portion 42 can be switched between the "reference posture" (FIG. 5) and the "rotational posture" (FIG. 6). Here, the "reference posture" is the posture in which the attraction surface 42H extends in the horizontal direction, and the "rotation posture" is the posture in which the attraction surface 42H extends in the vertical direction (vertical direction). be. In the present embodiment, the attraction surface 42H when the holding section 42 is in the "standard posture" is substantially perpendicular to the imaging optical axis 35J of the imaging unit 35 (FIG. 5).

The operation of each part of the cable insertion device 1 is controlled by a control device 50 (FIG. 1) provided in the cable insertion device 1. FIG. Specifically, the control device 50 controls the turning motion of the work stage 22 with respect to the base 21 by the turning motor 22M. The control device 50 also controls relative movement and attitude change operations of the moving base 33 with respect to the working stage 22 by six servo motors built in the fixed base 31 . In addition, the control device 50 controls lighting and extinguishing operations of each of the plurality of lamps 34L provided in the lighting unit 34 . The control device 50 also controls the imaging operation by the camera section 35A provided in the imaging unit 35 .

The control device 50 controls the suction operation on the suction surface 42H of the holding tool 36 . Further, the control device 50 controls the rotation operation of the holding tool 36 about the rotation axis 36J by the rotation driving section 37. As shown in FIG. Further, the control device 50 is connected to the touch panel 27 , receives an input command from the operator through the touch panel 27 , and issues instructions and information to the operator through the touch panel 27 .

Next, a work procedure (cable insertion method) by the cable insertion device 1 will be described. When the control device 50 receives a work start operation input from the touch panel 27 by the operator, the holding tool 36 holds the horizontal cable 13 supplied from the cable stocker 26 (first cable holding step; FIG. 7(a)).

In this first cable holding process, the control device 50 first operates the parallel link robot 25 to move the movement base 33, and rotates the work stage 22 around the Z-axis to bring it to the "reference posture". The attraction surface 42H of the holding portion 42 is positioned above the uppermost cable 13 stacked in the cable stocker 26 (FIG. 8(a)). Then, the moving base 33 is lowered to bring the suction surface 42H of the holding portion 42 into contact with the upper surface of the cable 13 from above (FIG. 8(b)). When the attraction surface 42H contacts the upper surface of the cable 13, the attraction surface 42H generates an attraction force, and when the holding portion 42 attracts the cable 13, the holding tool 36 is pulled upward (FIG. 8(c)).

In the first cable holding step, when the holding portion 42 of the holding tool 36 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the cable 13, the cable 13 extends in the direction along the axis of the arm 41 in plan view and the end of the holding portion 42 (the end on the side of the reference axis 33J) is located near the first terminal 13A (FIG. 8(b)). As a result, when the holding tool 36 is pulled upward, the first terminal 13A of the cable 13 protrudes from the end of the holding portion 42 toward the reference axis 33J (FIG. 9).

After holding the cable 13 by the holding tool 36, the control device 50 moves the first terminal 13A of the cable 13 projecting from the holding portion 42 of the holding tool 36 to the vicinity of the first connector 15 into which the cable 13 is to be inserted. (FIG. 7(b)). The operation of positioning the first terminal 13A near the first connector 15 is performed by operating the parallel link robot 25 to move the moving base 33 and rotating the work stage 22 around the Z axis.

After positioning the first terminal 13A of the cable 13 near the first connector 15, the controller 50 turns on the lamp 34L of the lighting unit 34 to illuminate the first terminal 13A from above. Then, the imaging unit 35 captures an image of the first terminal 13A of the cable 13 held in the first cable holding process from above, thereby recognizing the first terminal 13A (first recognition process; FIG. 7C). )).

After recognizing the first terminal 13A, the control device 50 rotates the holding tool 36 holding the cable 13 in the first cable holding step around the rotation axis, thereby moving the cable 13 in the horizontal direction up to that point. The extended lateral posture is converted to a posture (vertical posture) in which the first terminals 13A face downward and extend in the vertical direction (posture changing step; FIGS. 7(d) and 10). Specifically, this posture changing step is performed by actuating the rotation drive unit 37 to rotate the holding tool 36 holding the cable 13 by approximately 180 degrees around the rotation axis 36J (FIG. 7(d)). ) with an arrow R1). By rotating the holding tool 36 by approximately 180 degrees around the rotation axis 36J, the posture of the holding portion 42 is switched from the "reference posture" to the "rotating posture", and the posture of the cable 13 held by the holding tool 36 is changed. is converted from the horizontal posture when taken out from the cable stocker 26 to the vertical posture when inserted into the first connector 15.例文帳に追加

As described above, in the cable insertion device 1 according to the present embodiment, the cable 13 in the horizontal posture can be converted into the vertical posture simply by rotating the holding tool 36 around the rotation axis 36J, and the moving base 33 can be greatly tilted. The cable 13 can be changed from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture without falling.

After changing the posture of the cable 13, the control device 50 turns on the lamp 34L of the lighting unit 34 to illuminate the first connector 15 from above. Then, the imaging unit 35 captures an image of the first connector 15 from above to recognize the first connector 15 (more specifically, the upward insertion opening 15K of the first connector 15) (second recognition step. FIG. 11(a)).

After recognizing the first terminal 13A and the first connector 15, the control device 50 operates the parallel link robot 25 to move the movement base 33 and turn the work stage 22 around the Z-axis. One terminal 13A and the first connector 15 are aligned (first alignment step, FIG. 11(b)). In this alignment, the first terminal 13A and the first connector are aligned based on the relative positional relationship between the first terminal 13A recognized in the first recognition process and the first connector 15 recognized in the second recognition process. 15 are vertically opposed to each other.

After aligning the first terminal 13A and the first connector 15, the control device 50 operates the parallel link robot 25 to move the moving base 33 downward, thereby connecting the first terminal 13A to the first terminal. It is inserted into the connector 15 from above (first insertion step, FIG. 11(c)). Specifically, in this first insertion step, the moving base 33 is moved upward so that the first terminal 13A of the cable 13 converted to the vertical posture in the posture changing step is inserted into the first connector 15 from above. 1 relative to the connector 15 is lowered. As a result, one end of the cable 13 is attached to the first connector 15 .

As described above, in the cable insertion device 1 according to the present embodiment, the control device 50 allows the holding tool 36 to hold the cable 13 in the horizontal posture extending in the horizontal direction, and the rotation driving section 37 to rotate the holding tool 36 . After rotating around the axis 36J to convert the cable 13 into a vertical posture extending vertically so that the first terminal 13A faces downward, the moving base 33 is lowered relative to the electronic device 2. It is a control means for controlling insertion of the first terminal 13A into the upward insertion opening 15K of the first connector 15 from above.

After inserting the first terminal 13A into the first connector 15, the control device 50 operates the parallel link robot 25 to move the movement base 33, thereby separating the holding tool 36 from the cable 13 (separation step). FIG. 11(d)). In the state where the holding tool 36 is separated from the cable 13, the cable 13 is in a state where it extends substantially vertically (FIG. 11(d)).

After separating the holding tool 36 from the cable 13, the control device 50 returns the holding tool 36 to the "reference posture" which is the posture before execution of the posture changing process (returning process, FIG. 12(a)). This operation is performed by rotating the holding tool 36 by approximately 180 degrees around the rotation axis 36J by the rotation drive unit 37 (arrow R2 shown in FIG. 12(a)).

When the posture of the holding tool 36 is returned to the posture before execution of the posture changing process, the control device 50 presses the cable 13 in the horizontal direction (substantially horizontally) with the holding tool 36 (pressing step, shown in FIG. 12B). arrow P). Then, when the upper portion of the cable 13 is oriented in the horizontal direction by this pressing, the vicinity of the second terminal 13B of the cable 13 oriented in the horizontal direction is held by the holding tool 36 (second cable holding step, FIG. 12 ( b)).

After holding the cable 13 with the holding tool 36, the control device 50 captures an image of the second terminal 13B with the imaging unit 35 to recognize the second terminal 13B (third terminal 13B), as shown in FIG. 12(b). recognition process). Further, the image of the second connector 16 is imaged to recognize the second connector 16 (more specifically, the lateral insertion opening 16K of the second connector 16) (fourth recognition step).

After recognizing the second terminal 13B and the second connector 16, the control device 50 operates the parallel link robot 25 to move the movement base 33 and turn the work stage 22 around the Z-axis to achieve the second position. The second terminal 13B and the second connector 16 are aligned (second alignment step, FIG. 12(c)). In this alignment, the second terminal 13B and the second connector are aligned based on the relative positional relationship between the second terminal 13B recognized in the third recognition process and the second connector 16 recognized in the fourth recognition process. 16 are laterally opposed to each other.

After aligning the second terminal 13B and the second connector 16, the controller 50 activates the parallel link robot 25 to laterally move the moving base 33, thereby connecting the second terminal 13B to the second connector. connector 16 from the lateral direction (second insertion step, FIG. 12(d)). As a result, the other end of the cable 13 is attached to the second terminal 13B.

As described above, in the cable insertion device 1 according to the present embodiment, the control device 50 as a control means causes the rotation driving portion 37 to rotate after the holding tool 36 inserts the first terminal 13A into the first connector 15. The holding tool 36 is rotated around the rotation axis 36J to return the cable 13 to the "standard posture" before being converted to the vertical posture, and the holding tool 36 returned to the "standard posture" moves the cable 13 substantially horizontally. The holding tool 36 holds the laterally oriented cable 13 and inserts the second terminal 13B provided at the other end of the cable 13 into the second connector 16 laterally. to control.

After inserting the second terminal 13</b>B into the second connector 16 , the controller 50 operates the parallel link robot 25 to move the moving base 33 to separate the holding tool 36 from the cable 13 . This completes the wiring work for each cable 13 . In the present embodiment, such wiring work for the cables 13 is performed for each of the two cables 13 .

Here, as in the present embodiment, when the attraction surface 42H is substantially orthogonal to the imaging optical axis 35J of the imaging unit 35 when the holding portion 42 is in the "reference attitude", the attitude changing process causes the cable to move. When the cable 13 is converted to the vertical posture, the cable 13 after the posture conversion assumes a posture substantially parallel to the imaging optical axis 35J (FIG. 11(a)). Therefore, it is difficult for the imaging unit 35 to recognize the lower end side (first terminal 13A) of the cable 13 that has been converted to the vertical posture, and the recognition of the first terminal 13A is performed before the posture conversion process. I have no choice but to do it. Therefore, in the above example, the first recognition process is performed before the attitude change process.

FIGS. 13(a), (b) and FIGS. 14(a), (b) show modifications of the present embodiment. In this modification, the attraction surface 42H when the holding portion 42 is in the "standard posture" is not substantially orthogonal to the imaging optical axis 35J of the imaging unit 35, but descends as it approaches the imaging optical axis 35J side. As shown in FIG. 13A, it is tilted with respect to the reference axis 33J.

In the configuration of such a modified example, as shown in FIG. is positioned farther from the imaging optical axis 35J than the lower end. Therefore, the imaging unit 35 can recognize the lower end of the cable 13 in the vertical posture, that is, the first terminal 13A.

Recognition of the first terminal 13A is better performed in the vertical posture, which is the posture after the posture change (that is, immediately before insertion into the first connector 15), in the horizontal posture, which is the posture before the posture change. The accuracy can be improved more than with Therefore, according to the configuration of the modified example, it is possible to insert the first terminal 13A into the first connector 15 with higher accuracy. In this case, the inclination angle θ (FIG. 13(a)) of the attraction surface 42H from the plane orthogonal to the imaging optical axis 35J is preferably about 5 to 10 degrees.

As in the above modified example, the cable 13 converted to the vertical posture assumes a non-parallel posture with respect to the imaging optical axis 35J of the imaging unit 35, so that the lower end side of the cable 13 can be imaged by the imaging unit 35. When having the configuration, after the first cable holding step (Fig. 13(a)), the first recognition step is performed after the posture changing step (Fig. 13(b)), and then the first After the recognition process, the extending direction of the cable 13, which has been converted to the vertical position by the position changing process, substantially matches the insertion direction (vertical direction here) of the first terminal 13A into the first connector 15. (FIG. 14(a)), the first insertion step is performed (FIG. 14(b)). Note that the first recognition process is also performed before the attitude change process, and the position of the first terminal 13A is calculated by two first recognition processes obtained by the first recognition process twice before and after the attitude change process. It may be performed based on the recognition result of the terminal 13A.

As described above, the cable insertion device 1 according to the present embodiment includes the moving base 33 which is provided so as to be relatively movable with respect to the work stage 22 holding the electronic device 2. A tool 36 and a rotary drive 37 are provided. The holding tool 36 moves integrally with the moving base 33 to hold the horizontal cable 13 extending in the horizontal direction. It is designed to rotate around the extended rotation axis 36J.

With such a configuration, the cable 13 in the lateral posture can be converted to the vertical posture simply by rotating the holding tool 36 around the rotation axis 36J. 13 can be changed from a horizontal position to a vertical position. Therefore, according to the cable insertion device 1 and the cable insertion method using the cable insertion device 1 of the present embodiment, the upward insertion opening (upward insertion opening 15K) can be inserted without causing the holding tool 36 to interfere with the electronic device 2. The terminal (first terminal 13A) on the cable 13 side can be inserted into the connector (first connector 15) on the electronic device 2 side having the .

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the present invention is not limited to the above. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the holding tool 36 is configured to suck and hold the cable 13 , but the holding tool 36 is not limited to sucking and holding the cable 13 . For example, a pair of chuck mechanisms may be used to hold the cable 13 in a lateral posture by sandwiching it from its sides.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the movement base 33 (and thus the holding tool 36) relative to the work stage 22 is moved by the parallel link robot 25. The moving mechanism is not limited to the parallel link robot 25, and may be an articulated robot having other mechanisms. The terminals on the cable 13 side include a connector, and the present invention can be applied to a configuration in which male and female connectors are fitted to the connector on the electronic device 2 side.

Provided are a cable insertion device and a cable insertion method capable of inserting a cable-side terminal into an electronic device-side connector having an upward insertion opening without causing a holding tool to interfere with the electronic device.

1 cable insertion device 2 electronic device 13 cable 13A first terminal 13B second terminal 15 first connector 15K upward insertion port (upward insertion port)
16 second connector 16K sideways insertion port (horizontal side insertion port)
22 working stage 33 moving base 35 imaging unit (imaging section)
36 holding tool 36J rotation axis 37 rotation driving unit 42H adsorption surface 50 control device (control means)

Claims (13)

a holding tool for holding the cable;
a moving base on which the holding tool and the imaging unit are mounted;
a rotation driving unit provided on the moving base for rotating the holding tool around a rotation axis extending obliquely with respect to the vertical direction;
The holding is performed by relatively moving the moving base with respect to an electronic device provided with a first connector having an upward insertion opening into which a first terminal provided at one end of the cable is inserted. Equipped with a parallel link robot that moves the tool,
The parallel link robot moves the holding tool so that the first terminal of the cable held by the holding tool and the first connector are positioned within an imaging area capable of being imaged by the imaging unit. ,
the holding tool holds the cable in a direction along the rotation axis when viewed from above ;
The cable insertion device , wherein the imaging section images the first terminal and the first connector positioned within the imaging area from above . The holding tool includes an arm extending obliquely downward with respect to the vertical direction in a lower region of the moving base, and a holding portion positioned at a lower end portion of the arm and holding the cable . 2. The cable insertion device according to claim 1, wherein the holding tool is rotated with the axis of the arm as the rotation axis. The cable insertion device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the rotation drive section rotates the holding tool within the range of the movement base when viewed from above. A work stage for holding the electronic device is provided, the holding tool holds the cable in a horizontal posture extending in the horizontal direction, and the rotation driving section rotates the holding tool about the rotation axis. to change the cable into a vertical posture extending vertically so that the first terminal faces downward, and then the moving base descends relative to the first connector to expose the first terminal. 4. The cable insertion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising control means for controlling insertion of the cable into the first connector from above. 5. The cable insertion device according to claim 4 , wherein the lower end side of the cable converted to the vertical posture is taken as a posture that can be imaged by the imaging unit. 6. The cable insertion device according to claim 5 , wherein the attitude of the lower end side of the cable that can be imaged by the imaging section is an attitude that extends non-parallel to the imaging optical axis of the imaging section. The cable insertion device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the holding tool has an attraction surface for attracting the cable, and the attraction surface attracts and holds the cable in the lateral posture from above. The electronic device comprises a second connector having a laterally-oriented insertion opening, and the control means controls the holding tool to insert the first terminal into the first connector, and then the rotary drive section to the holding terminal. The tool is rotated around the rotation axis to return the cable to a reference posture, which is the posture before being converted to the vertical posture, and the holding tool returned to the reference posture presses the cable in a substantially horizontal direction. By doing so, the holding tool holds the cable oriented in the lateral direction, and the second terminal provided at the other end of the cable is controlled to be laterally inserted into the second connector. The cable insertion device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 . a work stage that holds an electronic device, a movement base that is relatively movable with respect to the work stage, a holding tool that moves integrally with the movement base to hold a cable, and an imaging unit, a parallel link robot that moves the holding tool by moving the moving base, and is provided on the moving base and rotates the holding tool around a rotation axis that extends obliquely with respect to the vertical direction. A first terminal provided at one end of the cable is inserted into a first connector having an upward insertion opening provided in the electronic device by a cable insertion device having a rotating drive unit that rotates the cable. A cable insertion method for
a first cable holding step of holding the cable in the horizontal posture extending in the horizontal direction by the holding tool in a direction along the rotation axis when viewed from above;
In the first cable holding step, the holding tool holding the cable is moved by the parallel link robot, and the first terminal of the cable held by the holding tool moves along with the first connector to the imaging unit. By rotating the holding tool about the rotation axis, the cable extends vertically with the first terminal facing downward. a posture conversion step of converting to a vertical posture;
The moving base is lowered relative to the first connector so that the first terminal of the cable converted to the vertical posture in the posture changing step is inserted into the first connector from above. and a first insertion step. a first recognition step of recognizing the first terminal of the cable held in the first cable holding step by imaging the first terminal of the cable held in the first cable holding step from above by an imaging unit provided in the cable insertion device; and a second recognition step of recognizing the first connector by imaging one connector from above, wherein the first terminal recognized in the first recognition step and the first terminal recognized in the second recognition step. 10. The cable insertion method according to claim 9, wherein said first insertion step is performed based on the relative positional relationship of said first connectors. The cable insertion device has a configuration in which the lower end side of the cable converted to the vertical posture can be imaged by the imaging unit, the first recognition step is performed after the posture conversion step, and the first recognition step is performed after the posture conversion step. After the recognizing step, the direction of extension of the cable that has been converted to the vertical posture by the posture changing step is brought into a state in which it substantially coincides with the insertion direction of the first terminal into the first connector, and then the first 11. The cable insertion method according to claim 10, wherein an insertion step is performed. 12. The cable insertion method according to claim 11, wherein the attitude of the lower end side of the cable that can be imaged by the imaging section is an attitude that extends non-parallel to the imaging optical axis of the imaging section. The electronic device includes a second connector having a sideways insertion opening, and the holding tool after the first terminal is inserted into the first connector in the first insertion step is moved by the rotating drive unit. a return step of rotating the holding tool about the rotation axis to return the holding tool to a reference posture which is a posture before execution of the posture changing step; a second cable holding step for pressing in a substantially horizontal direction, thereby holding the laterally oriented cable by the holding tool; and a second insertion step of laterally inserting the provided second terminal into the second connector.

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