JPH09152458A - Method for inspecting conduction of wire harness and conduction inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely detect also an abnormal deformation of a terminal metal fitting at low costs, by inserting a contact element having a switch part operating when a predetermined pressing force is applied into a main body of a terminal. SOLUTION: When an inspection part 43 is brought near to a connector, a contact pin 61 of a contact probe 20 is inserted into a terminal metal fitting. At this time, if a tongue element of the terminal metal fitting is not deformed and held in a state wherein a predetermined butting force to hold a male terminal metal fitting is obtained, the contact pin 61 receives a predetermined pressing force in an axial direction when an entering part 68 enters the terminal metal fitting. As a result,, the contact pin 61 is slid against an urging force of a spring 73, and a switch part 74 is turned ON. On the other hand, if the tongue element is deformed, etc., and therefore the butting force to hold the male terminal metal fitting cannot be obtained, the contact pin 61 receives merely a small pressing force even when the entering part 68 is inserted, whereby the contact pin 61 and an electrode pin 62 are not brought in touch with each other. That is, the switch part 74 is not turned ON, and an inspection result is a conduction failure.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inspection method in a continuity inspection of a wire harness. The present invention also relates to a continuity tester for realizing this test method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A wire harness includes a large number of electric wires as constituent elements, and usually, at both ends thereof, connectors for connecting the wire harnesses to each other and connecting to other electric components are attached. In the manufacturing process of the wire harness, a continuity test, that is, whether the terminal fittings crimped to both ends of each wire included in the wire harness are respectively correctly inserted into the corresponding terminal insertion holes of the connector housing, And it is important to inspect whether the terminal fittings are securely crimped to the wire.

Such a continuity test is conventionally performed as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a continuity test that has been conventionally performed. With reference to FIG. 7, reference numeral 1 indicates one electric wire forming the wire harness, and reference numerals 2 and 3 indicate terminal fittings crimped to both ends of the electric wire 1. The terminal fitting 2 is inserted into a terminal insertion hole of a housing (not shown) of a connector attached to one end of the wire harness,
The terminal fitting 3 is inserted into a terminal insertion hole of a housing (not shown) on the other end side. Further, reference numeral 4 is an electric wire 1
1 shows an inspection circuit for inspecting the continuity of the contact probes 5, and contact probes 5 and 6 are arranged at both ends of the inspection circuit 4.

For simplification, FIG. 7 shows only a single electric wire 1 and a pair of terminal fittings 2 and 3, but
A plurality of electric wires and terminal fittings are inserted in the housing. The inspection circuit 4 is also connected to each electric wire separately. Each inspection circuit 4 is connected to the determination unit J. The determination unit J can determine for each inspection circuit whether the circuit is closed or open.

When conducting the continuity test, the contact probes 5 and 6 are brought into contact with the tips of the terminal fittings 2 and 3. Then, if the determination unit J determines that the inspection circuit 4 is closed, it is possible to detect that the electrical continuity of the electric wire 1 is good. The wire harness can pass the continuity test if it is possible to detect that the above-mentioned continuity is good for all the electric wires inserted in the housing. As described above, in the conventional continuity test, the test can be easily performed only by bringing the contact probe into contact with the tip of the terminal fitting.

[0006]

By the way, the connectors include a male connector having a male housing and a female connector having a female housing. Also, there are male terminal fittings and female terminal fittings in the terminal fittings. The male terminal fittings are usually inserted into the female housing, and the female terminal fittings are usually inserted into the male housing. It has become. Conventionally, the following problems have been encountered in the continuity test when the terminal fitting inserted into the housing is a female terminal fitting.

First, referring to FIG. 7, a female terminal fitting generally has a terminal body 7 and a tongue piece 8 provided on the terminal body 7. The terminal main body 7 accommodates the male terminal fitting to be fitted, and the tongue piece 8 elastically clamps the inserted male terminal fitting with the terminal main body 7 at a predetermined contact pressure. To do. The tongue piece 8 may be deformed as shown in FIG. 8 at the time of conducting the continuity test. The reason for this may be that the terminal metal fitting is defective in the manufacturing stage or some kind of vibration or impact is applied during the process of crimping the terminal metal fitting. In this way, if the tongue piece 8 is deformed, the male terminal fitting 9 cannot be effectively contacted with the pressure, and the electrical connection may not be sufficiently achieved. On the other hand, in the conventional continuity test, as shown in FIG. 7, the presence or absence of continuity can be inspected only by statically contacting the contact probes 5 and 6 with the tips of the terminal fittings 2 and 3. Even if the piece 8 is deformed, if the continuity is good, the wire harness has a disadvantage of passing the continuity inspection.

In order to eliminate this inconvenience, in the past,
A terminal inspection device for a connector, which is disclosed in JP-A-1-150828, is provided. FIG. 9 shows a principle diagram of the terminal inspection device for this connector. In this terminal inspection device for a connector, it is possible to determine whether or not the terminal fitting is abnormally deformed by indirectly inspecting the contact pressure state of the terminal fitting.

With reference to FIG. 1, the terminal inspection device for this connector is arranged so as to face a male tab 10 movable only in the direction of the arrow and the rear end of this male tab 10. The measuring means 11 capable of measuring the distance to the edge is provided. The male tab 10 is constantly urged toward the measuring means 11 by the spring 12. The measuring means 11 is composed of a sensor 13 that detects a change in distance from the rear end of the male tab 10 by a change in capacitance, and an amplifier circuit (not shown) that amplifies the output of the sensor 13 (not shown). See page 4, upper right, line 4 to line 8 of the same publication).

When the terminal fitting 14 to be inspected is fitted into the male tab 10, the tip of the male tab 10 is pressed by the tongue piece 7 of the terminal fitting 14. In this state, when the terminal fitting 14 is pulled in the direction of pulling out from the male tab 10, the male tab 10 held by the tongue piece 15 is moved in the pulling direction of the terminal fitting 14 against the elastic force of the spring 12. The distance between the rear end of the tab 10 and the sensor 13 increases.
If the terminal fitting 14 is pulled as it is, the elastic force of the spring 12 becomes larger than the contact pressure of the tongue piece 15, and
The male tab 10 comes out of the terminal fitting 14 and returns to its original position.

In this way, the maximum distance between the rear end of the male tab 10 and the sensor 13 can be known, and the contact pressure can be estimated from this maximum distance. If this contact pressure is equal to or lower than the specified contact pressure, it means that the terminal fitting 14 is abnormally deformed. However, in the terminal inspection device for this connector, even if the abnormality of the terminal fitting can be detected, the continuity inspection of the wire harness cannot be performed, and the sensor 13 and the amplifier need to be installed for each male tab 10. is there. For this reason,
Providing such a device in the continuity inspection process has a problem that the cost for conducting the continuity inspection increases significantly. Further, the reason why the deformation of the terminal fitting is checked in the continuity test is that the presence or absence of the deformation is not a direct problem, but the contact pressure is decreased due to the deformation. Therefore, it is preferable to check the contact pressure more directly than to indirectly estimate the contact pressure as in the above-mentioned terminal inspection device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a continuity inspection method capable of reliably detecting abnormal deformation of terminal fittings at a low cost, and a continuity inspection device for realizing this method. .

[0013]

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, a method for inspecting continuity of a wire harness according to a first aspect of the present invention is a terminal main body into which a male terminal fitting is inserted, and a projection formed in the terminal main body. A method for inspecting continuity of a wire harness including a connector including a female terminal fitting having a tongue piece elastically sandwiching a housed male terminal fitting at a predetermined contact pressure between the terminal body and the terminal main body, By inserting a contactor having a switch part that operates when a predetermined pressing force is applied in the axial direction into the terminal body along the axial direction, the contact part is operated if the contact pressure is a predetermined value or more. It is characterized in that the contactor and the terminal fitting are electrically connected.

According to this structure, the following effects are obtained. Insert the contact between the terminal body of the female terminal fitting and the tongue.
At this time, if it is not possible to obtain a predetermined contact pressure for pinching the male terminal fitting between the terminal body and the tongue piece due to deformation of the tongue piece, insert the contactor. Also,
The contactor does not receive a predetermined pressing force. As a result, the switch portion of the contact does not operate. On the other hand, if there is no deformation of the tongue and a predetermined contact pressure for pinching the male terminal fitting is obtained between the terminal body and the tongue, contact is made when inserting the contact. The child receives a predetermined pressing force resulting from the contact pressure. As a result, the switch portion of the contact is activated.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, a continuity tester according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a terminal main body into which a male terminal fitting is inserted, and a projection formed in the terminal main body. Is a continuity tester applied to a continuity test of a wire harness provided with a connector including a female terminal fitting having a tongue piece elastically sandwiching the above-described male type terminal fitting elastically at a predetermined contact pressure. The terminal metal fittings are respectively arranged to face the connector receiving portion that holds the connector inserted into the corresponding terminal insertion hole of the housing, and the plurality of contactors respectively corresponding to the plurality of female terminal metal fittings. The inspection section, which is provided in parallel with the female terminal fitting side, and the connector receiving section and the inspection section, are close to each other in the direction in which the contactor protrudes.
The contactor has a contacting / separating mechanism for separating the contactor from each other, and each contactor is inserted between the terminal body of the female terminal fitting and the tongue piece, and the entering portion is inserted between the terminal body and the tongue piece. In this state, a switch portion is provided which is activated when a predetermined pressing force resulting from the predetermined contact pressure is received.

According to this structure, the following effects are achieved. The connector included in the wire harness to be inspected is accommodated and held in the connector receiving portion. Next, when the inspection section is brought close to the connector receiving section via the contact / separation mechanism, the entry sections of the respective contact elements enter between the terminal main bodies and the tongue pieces of the corresponding female terminal fittings. At this time, if the predetermined contact pressure for sandwiching the male terminal fitting between the terminal body and the tongue is not obtained due to deformation of the tongue, etc., the entry part is inserted. However, since the entrance portion does not receive a predetermined pressing force, the switch portion of the contact corresponding to the female terminal fitting does not operate. On the other hand, if there is no deformation of the tongue and a predetermined contact pressure for holding the male terminal fitting between the terminal body and the tongue is obtained, when the entry part is inserted, The entrance portion receives a predetermined pressing force due to the contact pressure. As a result, the switch portion of the contact corresponding to the female terminal fitting is operated.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the continuity tester according to a third aspect is the continuity tester according to the second aspect, in which the contact portion of each contact is to be inserted into the female terminal fitting. It is characterized in that it is formed in the same shape as the shape of the terminal fitting. According to this configuration, the same operation as the invention according to claim 2 is exerted. In addition, since the contacting part of the contactor is formed in a shape similar to the shape of the male terminal fitting to be inserted into the female terminal fitting, the contactor damages the female terminal fitting during the continuity test. Never.

[0018]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a continuity inspection of a wire harness is performed using the continuity inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention. (1) Outline of continuity check and schematic configuration of continuity checker With reference to FIG. 1, a continuity checker A according to the present embodiment is applied to a continuity check of a wire harness provided with a connector including female terminal fittings. To be done. This continuity test is performed to check whether the female terminal fittings crimped to both ends of each wire included in the wire harness are correctly inserted into the corresponding terminal insertion holes of the connector housing, and whether the female terminal fittings are Although it is to inspect whether or not the wire is securely crimped to the electric wire, specifically, by checking whether or not there is electrical continuity between the female terminal fitting and the contact probe 20 provided in the continuity tester A. is there.

The feature of the present embodiment is that the contact probe 20 has a switch portion which is activated when a predetermined pressing force is applied in the axial direction, and the contact probe 20 is used as a female terminal fitting. By actually inserting it, check whether there is continuity with the female terminal metal fittings,
The point is that the abnormal deformation of the female terminal fitting can be detected by the magnitude of the pressing force received at that time.

Next, a schematic configuration of the connector according to the present embodiment and the continuity tester A applied to the connector will be described. First, reference numeral 21 indicates an electric wire bundle which is a constituent element of a wire harness to be inspected. Connectors 22 are attached to both ends of the wire bundle 21 (only one end is shown in the figure for simplification). The wire bundle 21 is
It includes a plurality of electric wires 1. Although not shown in the drawing, a female terminal fitting (hereinafter, simply referred to as “terminal fitting”) is crimped to the tip of each electric wire 1, and the terminal fitting is provided in the housing 23 of the connector 22. Has been inserted into the terminal insertion hole. The reference numeral 24 indicates a retainer fitted to the rear end surface of the housing 23. The retainer 24 prevents the terminal fitting from coming off.

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional side view schematically showing the terminal fitting. Referring to FIG. 2, the terminal fitting 30
Has a terminal main body 32 in which an accommodation chamber 31 for accommodating the male terminal fitting is formed, and a tongue piece 33 integrally formed with the terminal main body 32. The tongue piece 33 is elastically deformable in the direction of the white arrow, and holds the male terminal fitting inserted into the terminal body 32 with a predetermined contact pressure between the tongue piece 33 and the terminal body 32. ing.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the continuity checker A includes a base member 41 having a rail 40 and the rail 4 described above.
The connector receiving portion 42 attached in a state of being positioned at a predetermined position of 0, the inspection portion 43 arranged so as to face the connector receiving portion 42 and slidably attached to the rail 40, and the inspection portion 43. It has a contact / separation mechanism 44 that changes the distance between the inspection section 43 and the connector receiving section 42 by sliding the rail along the rail 40. By connecting the continuity tester A to each connector 22 of the wire harness to be inspected, it is possible to confirm the presence or absence of continuity between the connectors 22.

(2) Description of Each Part of Continuity Tester The continuity tester A will be described in detail below. The connector receiving portion 42 has a main body 45 and a positioning plate 47 attached to the front surface of the main body 45. The body 45 is
As indicated by the two-dot chain line arrow, the connector 22 can be accommodated from above. The body 45 is
It has a housing chamber 46 capable of housing the connector 22. The housing chamber 46 is formed in correspondence with the outer shape of the connector 22 so that the connector 22 can be housed exactly. Therefore, this storage chamber 46
When the connector 22 is fitted in the main body 45 and the positioning plate 4,
7, it is possible to position and fix the front surface of the connector 22 in a state where the front surface of the connector 22 faces the inspection portion 43 (in a state where the terminal fitting 30 and the inspection portion 43 described in FIG. 2 face each other).

The inspection section 43 has an outer box 50 having a front surface 48 provided with a recess 49, and a contact probe 20 as a detector housed in the recess 49. The outer box 50 is slidably attached to the rail 40, so that the entire inspection unit 43 can move toward or away from the connector receiving unit 42.

The recessed portion 49 is formed in such a size that the housing 23 of the connector 22 can be inserted exactly from the front side. In this recess 49, a plurality of contact probes 20 are arranged at positions corresponding to the respective terminal fittings inserted in the housing 23.
The contact probe 20 is attached so as to project toward the connector receiving portion 42. A lead wire 51 is connected to each contact probe 20. In addition, in this figure, the number of lead wires 51 is omitted.

Each lead wire 51 is connected to a continuity determining section (not shown in the figure), and an independent continuity inspection circuit is formed for each electric wire 1. This continuity determination unit is for determining whether or not each continuity inspection circuit is closed. By determining that one continuity inspection circuit is closed, the continuity of the electric wire 1 is good. Can be detected. Then, if the continuity determination unit determines that all the continuity inspection circuits are closed, the wire harness can pass the continuity inspection.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the inspection unit 43, showing the internal structure of the contact probe 20 as viewed from above. FIG. 4 is a side view of the contact probe. Referring to FIG. 3, the contact probe 20 is of a so-called two-probe type, that is, of a constant insulation type, and includes a casing 60, a contact pin 61 supported on one end side of the casing 60, and the other end side of the casing 60. In addition, the casing 60 and the electrode pin 62 supported in an insulated state are provided, and the configuration is the same as that of the contact probe that has been conventionally used except for the difference described later.

The casing 60 has its longitudinal direction arranged along the sliding direction of the inspection unit 43 (left-right direction in FIG. 3), and is supported by the outer case 50 in a state of penetrating the outer case 50. . That is, the tip of the casing 60 faces the recess 49. Casing 6
0 has a tubular shape, and a bottomed tubular pin support 63 is mounted therein. Reference numerals 64 and 65
Indicates an insulating member, which allows the electrode pin 62 to
Are electrically insulated from the casing 60. One end 66 of the electrode pin 62 is inserted into the pin support 63, and the other end 67 is projected toward the other end of the casing 60. Although not shown, the lead wire 51 is connected to the other end of the electrode pin 62.

The contact pin 61 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is along the longitudinal direction of the casing 60. The contact pin 61 has an entrance portion 6 protruding from the tip of the casing 60.
8 and a slide portion 69 extending behind the entry portion 68 (right side in FIG. 3). The entry part 68 is a part that is inserted into the terminal fitting 30 (see FIG. 2) included in the connector 22 when the inspection part 43 and the connector receiving part 42 are brought close to each other. The slide portion 69 has a rod shape and is housed inside the casing 60. The slide portion 69 has a flange 70. This flange 7
0 is in contact with the inner surface of the casing 60 and is slidable with respect to the inner surface. Further, the tip portion 71 of the slide portion 69 is slidably supported in the longitudinal direction by the bottom portion 72 of the pin support body 63 and is inserted into the pin support body 63. Therefore, the tip portion 71 of the slide portion 69 and the one end portion 66 of the electrode pin 62 are opposed to each other within the pin element 63 with a predetermined distance.

A spring 73 is interposed between the flange 70 of the contact pin 61 and the bottom portion 72 of the pin support 63. This spring 73 causes the contact pin 61 to move into the entry portion 68.
Is always elastically biased in a direction (left side in FIG. 3) protruding from the casing 60. As a result, the slide portion 6
The tip portion 71 of 9 and the one end portion 66 of the electrode pin 62 are set so as to always have the above-mentioned predetermined distance, and if a pressing force in the axial direction is applied to the contact pin 61, the spring 7
The contact pin 61 is slid toward the electrode pin 62 side by bending 3.

The contact probe 20 is different from the conventional contact probe in that the specifications of the spring 73 are set so that the urging force for urging the contact pin 61 is a required urging force. The shape of the entry portion 68 of the pin 61 is that it is formed in a predetermined shape. The details will be described below. Referring to FIG. 2, when inserting the terminal fitting 30 into the accommodation chamber 31, the terminal body 32 and the tongue piece 3 are inserted.
It is necessary to push it to the left side with a constant force against the contact pressure generated between 3 and. The specifications of the spring 73 are such that when a force similar to the above-mentioned constant force is applied to the contact pin 61 in the axial direction as a pressing force, the deflection (contraction) of the spring 73 causes the tip portion of the slide portion 69 to move. 71 and one end 6 of the electrode pin 62
It is set so as to be equal to the distance between 6 and. That is, the spring 73, the contact pin 61 and the electrode pin 62 constitute the switch portion 74, and the specifications of the spring 73 are the same as those of the constant force required when the terminal fitting 30 is inserted into the accommodation chamber 31. Contact pin 6 when pressure is applied
1 and the electrode pin 62 are in contact with each other (the switch portion 74 is brought into an input state when a constant force is applied to the contact pin 61 in the longitudinal direction, that is, the axial direction).

As shown in FIG. 3, the shape of the entrance portion 68 is flat when viewed from above, and when viewed from the side as shown in FIG. Are doing That is, in the present embodiment, the entry portion 68 is formed in the same shape as the male terminal fitting corresponding to the terminal fitting 30. Although only a single contact probe 20 is shown in FIG. 3 for simplification, a plurality of contact probes 20 are actually arranged as shown in FIG.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the contact / separation mechanism 44 has a cam lever 75 and a spring 76. Cam lever 7
5 is rotatably attached to the base end of the base member 41 via a pin 77. When the cam lever 77 is rotated and erected in the direction of the white arrow, the cam lever 75 is pressed against the outer box 50 of the inspection unit 43, and the entire inspection unit 43 is moved close to the connector receiving unit 42 side along the rail 40. It Further, the spring 76 is interposed between the connector receiving portion 42 and the inspection portion 43, and constantly biases the inspection portion 43 in a direction to separate the inspection portion 43 from the connector receiving portion 42. Therefore, when the cam lever 75 is erected, the inspection portion 43 approaches the connector receiving portion 42 against the elastic force of the spring 76, and when the cam lever 75 is laid down, the inspection portion 43 is moved by the elastic force of the spring 76. The connector receiving portion 42 is automatically separated from the original position.

(3) Action / Effect Next, the method of conducting the continuity inspection of the wire harness by the continuity inspecting device A will be described together with the action and effect. First, referring to FIG. 1, the connector 22 is mounted on the connector receiving portion 42 and positioned and fixed. As a result, each contact probe 20 and connector 22 in the inspection unit 43
As shown in FIG. 5, each of the terminal fittings 30 included in 1 is disposed so as to face each other in a one-to-one correspondence. In this state,
Rotate the cam lever 75 up and down in the direction of the white arrow,
The inspection unit 43 is brought close to the positioned and fixed connector 22.

By bringing the inspection unit 43 close to the connector 22, the contact pin 6 of the contact probe 20
1 is moved in the direction of the white arrow in FIG. And
As shown in FIG. 6, the contact pin 61 is inserted into the terminal fitting 30. That is, the entry portion 68 of the contact pin 61 is entered between the terminal body 32 of the terminal fitting 30 and the tongue piece 33.

At this time, if there is no deformation of the tongue piece 33 and a predetermined contact pressure for holding the male terminal fitting between the terminal body 32 and the tongue piece 33 is obtained, the entry portion When 68 enters, the entrance 68 receives a predetermined pressing force due to the contact pressure in the axial direction. As a result, the contact pin 61 is pushed and slid to the right side in the drawing against the biasing force of the spring 73, and as shown in FIG.
Is entered. As a result, conduction in the terminal fitting 30 can be obtained. And all the terminal fittings 30
If the electrical continuity can be obtained, the wire harness as the inspection object can pass the electrical continuity inspection.

On the other hand, if the tongue piece 33 is deformed or the like,
If a predetermined contact pressure for sandwiching the male terminal fitting between the terminal body 32 and the tongue piece 33 is not obtained,
Even when the entry portion 68 is inserted, the entry portion 68 receives a pressing force smaller than the predetermined pressing force. As a result, the spring 73 does not flex sufficiently and the contact pin 61 and the electrode pin 62
Does not come into contact with. That is, the switch unit 74 does not enter the input state. As a result, it is detected that the terminal fitting 30 is not in a state where good continuity is obtained, and the wire harness as the inspected object cannot pass the continuity inspection.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, the contact probe 20 is actually inserted into the terminal fitting 30 and the pressing force received at that time is used to perform the conventional inspection for the presence or absence of continuity and the tongue piece. Since the inspection method that can check whether the contact pressure by 33 is normal, that is, whether the tongue piece 33 is not abnormally deformed is adopted, good continuity is ensured when manufacturing the wire harness. However, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of defective products in which the contact pressure of the terminal fittings is insufficient due to abnormal deformation of the terminal fittings, and it is possible to perform a highly reliable continuity test. it can. In addition, the continuity tester A can employ a structure substantially similar to the conventional one, and since it does not use a sensor or an amplifier circuit, it has an advantage that it can be provided at low cost.

In particular, in this embodiment, since the entry portion 68 of the contact probe 20 has the same shape as the male terminal fitting corresponding to the terminal fitting 30, the entry portion 68 is actually inserted into the terminal fitting 30. Also, the terminal fitting 30 will not be damaged. As a result, it is possible to perform a more reliable continuity test. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design changes can be made. For example, the contact probe 30
The shape of the entry portion 68 can be changed according to the shape of the male terminal fitting corresponding to the terminal fitting of the connector included in the wire harness to be inspected. Further, since the contact pressure of the tongue piece 33 on the terminal fitting 30 varies depending on the type of the terminal fitting, the specifications of the spring 73 can be changed in accordance with the contact pressure of the terminal fitting. Further, in this embodiment, the inspection unit 4 is rotated by rotating the cam lever 75.
Although the structure in which the connector 3 is moved is described above, the connector receiver 42 may be slidable with respect to the rail 40 so that the connector receiver 42 can be brought closer to the inspection unit 43 side. In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0040]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the contactor is inserted between the terminal body of the female terminal fitting and the tongue piece, the contactor is caused by the pressing force caused by the contact pressure of the tongue piece. It operates, and it is possible to detect the presence or absence of conduction.
In this way, by inserting the contact directly into the female terminal fitting and checking the deformation of the female terminal fitting based on the magnitude of the pressing force received at that time, it is possible to reliably detect the deformation of the female terminal fitting and insufficient contact pressure. can do. In other words, the continuity test cannot be passed when the contact pressure cannot be sufficiently obtained due to the deformation of the female terminal fitting, so that the contact pressure of the conventional continuity inspection and the deformation of the female terminal fitting cannot be satisfied. A quality inspection can also be performed, and as a result, the generation of defective wire harnesses can be effectively prevented. Moreover, it is not necessary to prepare a special contactor for using the method according to the present invention, the same contactor as the conventional one can be used, and an expensive sensor, an amplifying circuit or the like is not used.
Furthermore, by conducting the continuity test using this method, it is possible to examine the deformation of the female terminal fitting as well, so that it is possible to perform a highly reliable continuity test at a lower cost than the conventional inspection method. become.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the contacting portion of the contactor is directly inserted between the terminal body of the female terminal fitting and the tongue piece, and conduction is obtained if the pressing force at that time is a predetermined value or more. However, if it is less than a predetermined value, the continuity cannot be obtained and the continuity test cannot be passed.
Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the generation of defective wire harnesses. In addition, the continuity tester according to the present invention does not require a special contactor, can use a conventionally used contactor, and does not use an expensive sensor or amplifier. Further, since the deformation of the female terminal fitting can also be checked, it is possible to provide a continuity tester that is less expensive than the conventional continuity tester and that can perform a highly reliable continuity test.

According to the invention of claim 3, the same effect as that of the invention of claim 2 can be obtained. In addition, since the shape of the contact portion of the contactor is the same as that of the male terminal fitting, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience of damaging the female terminal fitting during the continuity test.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a continuity check is performed using a continuity checker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view schematically showing the structure of the terminal fitting.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of an inspection unit.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a contact probe.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a relative positional relationship between the contact probe and the terminal fitting before the inspection portion is brought close to the connector receiving portion.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a relative positional relationship between a contact probe and a terminal fitting in a state where an inspection unit is brought close to a connector receiving unit.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the principle of a continuity test.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the female terminal fitting and the male terminal fitting are fitted to each other when the tongue piece of the female terminal fitting is abnormally deformed.

FIG. 9 is a principle view of a conventional connector terminal inspection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A Continuity tester 20 Contact probe 22 Connector 23 Housing 30 Terminal metal fitting 31 Storage chamber 32 Terminal metal fitting 33 Tongue piece 42 Connector receiving part 43 Inspection part 44 Contact / separation mechanism 60 Casing 61 Contact pin 68 Entry part 74 Switch part

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A terminal main body into which a male terminal fitting is inserted and a terminal main body which is formed so as to project from the terminal main body and elastically clamps the accommodated male terminal fitting at a predetermined contact pressure. A method for inspecting continuity of a wire harness including a connector including a female terminal fitting having a tongue piece, wherein a contact having a switch portion that operates when a predetermined pressing force is applied in the axial direction is attached to the terminal body. A method for inspecting continuity of a wire harness, characterized in that, by inserting along a direction, if the contact pressure is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the switch portion is actuated so as to obtain conduction between the contact and the terminal fitting. 2. A male terminal fitting, into which the male terminal fitting is inserted, and a male body fitting projectingly formed in the terminal body and elastically sandwiching the accommodated male terminal fitting at a predetermined contact pressure. A continuity tester applied to a continuity test of a wire harness equipped with a connector including a female terminal fitting having a tongue piece, wherein a plurality of female terminal fittings are inserted into corresponding terminal insertion holes of a housing. A connector receiving portion that holds the connector, and an inspection portion that is arranged in opposition to the connector receiving portion and is provided in parallel with a plurality of contacts corresponding to the plurality of female terminal fittings protruding toward the female terminal fittings, respectively. It has a contacting / separating mechanism that moves the connector receiving part and the inspection part closer / separate in the direction in which the contactor projects, and each contactor can enter between the terminal body of the female terminal fitting and the tongue piece. Part, the entrance part is the terminal body and the tongue piece. In a state of being entered between, continuity tester, characterized in that it comprises a switch unit that operates upon receiving a predetermined pressing force due to the predetermined contact pressure. 3. The continuity tester according to claim 2, wherein the contact portion of each contact is formed in a shape similar to that of a male terminal fitting to be inserted into the female terminal fitting. Continuity tester.