JPH0366790B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically inserting a wire terminal into a connector housing.

BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY Conventionally, a method for inserting a terminal with a wire into a connector housing is to position a lug-shaped terminal insertion guide facing the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing.
There is a method of automatically inserting the terminal through the guide using a terminal clamping jig that matches the shape of the terminal.

However, since there are so many types of terminals and their shapes vary, it is necessary to prepare guides and clamps of the same type as the terminal shape, which increases the size and configuration of the machine and increases the operational steps. many,
The disadvantage was that the production takt time was longer.

In particular, in housings with a large number of pins, it is necessary to insert many types of terminals, so automation with machines is difficult and requires manual labor, but it is easy to cause incorrect wiring or incomplete insertion due to incorrect insertion. This has become a major problem in the connector assembly process.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention As a result of repeated studies to solve these problems, the present inventors discovered that the terminal is composed of an electrical contact part with a mating terminal and a wire crimping part, and the shape and size of the terminal are The present invention was completed based on the fact that there is no significant difference in the dimensions of the wire crimping portion even if the wire length changes.

That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and device for inserting a terminal with a wire into a connector housing, which does not require an auxiliary jig such as a terminal insertion guide and can be applied universally regardless of the type of terminal. be.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above problems, the method of the present invention includes the following steps:
A mounting head mounted on a movable plate so as to be movable toward and away from it and to be able to move up and down is opposed to the connector housing, and a terminal with a wire is crimped by a pair of terminal gripping claws and wire gripping claws provided on the mounting head so as to be able to move up and down, respectively. After gripping the connector housing and the wire, the terminal holding plate, which is movable up and down between the pair of terminal gripping claws, is lowered to adjust the attitude of the terminal, and then the mounting head is brought close to the connector housing. The terminal gripping claw is opened and raised when the electrical contact portion of the terminal is inserted into the terminal receiving chamber of the connector housing.

In carrying out this method, it is preferable to grip the conductor crimped portion of the wire when gripping the wire crimped portion with the terminal gripping claw. This is because the outer diameter of the conductor crimping portion has little dimensional difference depending on the type of terminal, such as the shape and size of the terminal.

In addition, in order to smoothly insert the terminal with electric wire into the terminal storage chamber, a terminal holding plate that can be raised and lowered between the pair of terminal gripping claws is provided to adjust the horizontal orientation of the gripped terminal, and to It is preferable to employ a centering mechanism that aligns the axes of the terminal accommodating chambers.

The above method is for inserting terminals with wires into a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers of one connector housing. However, when a plurality of connector housings are arranged in parallel and a plurality of terminals with wires are arranged parallel to these housings at predetermined intervals, the movable plate can be freely moved in parallel with the plurality of connector housings. Just set it up.

Thereby, a desired terminal with electric wire can be inserted into a desired connector housing.

The device for carrying out the above method is provided with a pair of terminal gripping claws and wire gripping claws that can be opened and closed, respectively, at the lower end of the mounting head so as to be movable up and down, and a terminal holding plate that can be moved up and down between the pair of terminal gripping claws. established,
A head holder supporting the mounting head is provided so as to be movable towards and away from the movable plate, and can be moved up and down, and the movable plate is disposed so as to be movable in parallel with respect to the setting table when a plurality of connector housings are arranged in parallel. As described above, by providing a terminal holding plate and a centering sensor, the terminal can be inserted more smoothly.

Effects The present invention allows the wire crimped portion of the terminal, preferably the conductor crimped portion, to be gripped by the terminal gripping claw when the terminal with wire is inserted into the terminal housing chamber of the connector housing, so that it can be used universally even if the type of terminal changes. It can be implemented. In addition, with the terminal holding plate and sensor,
Since the insertion position and centering of the terminal are adjusted, the terminal can be inserted smoothly. Therefore, there is no need for a conventional terminal insertion guide, and many types of terminals with electric wires can be inserted into the connector housing with one device.

Further, according to the present invention, since a desired terminal can be inserted into a desired connector housing and a desired terminal housing chamber between the plurality of connector housings and the plurality of terminals with electric wires, the case fitting is completed as described later. At the same time, a product close to the final wire harness can be obtained (see Figures 13 and 14). And since all terminal insertion is done automatically,
In particular, when inserting different types of terminals into a multi-pole connector housing, incorrect insertion or forgetting to insert them can be effectively prevented.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing examples.

Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a schematic layout of an entire automatic insertion device for inserting a terminal with a wire into a connector housing, which includes the device of the present invention.

The automatic insertion process of terminals with electric wires includes the process of making a standard length electric wire, the process of stripping the standard length electric wire, the process of crimping the terminal to the electric wire (including composite crimping of two or more electric wires), and the process of fitting the terminal with electric wire into the case. Consists of etc.

Reference numerals 1 and 1' designate transport stands for electric wire clamping rods 3 used in these various processes, and are equipped with an endless chain 2. Starting from the left end of the conveyor table 1 in the figure, there is a fixed-length electric wire manufacturing device B that makes a fixed-length electric wire W ₁ from a long electric wire W of the reel station A, and adjacent thereto, a wire straightening device C and a wire stripping device. Device D, multiple terminal crimping devices E ₁ , E ₂ ... and case fitting device F
are arranged sequentially. G is a control device that operates these various devices based on information programmed in advance. In addition, devices C, D and E ₁ , E ₂ ...
...can use known equipment.

The electric wire clamping rod 3, which is commonly used in various processes, is used to hold a standard length electric wire _W1 made to a predetermined length.
It is shaped like a letter and is held at both ends.
As shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, the base 4b of the wire clamp 4 consists of a pair of opposing clamps 4a, 4a.
A large number of sets are fitted in parallel to support rods 5 having a gutter-like cross section. The tip of the clamp holder 4a has a wire guiding slope 4.
c. A concave groove 4d is formed on one pair of opposing surfaces, and a protrusion 4e is formed on the other side, so that the electric wire can be easily inserted and securely held.

Reference numeral H in FIG. 1 indicates a stocking station for empty wire clamping rods 3, in which the wire clamping rods 3 are sequentially moved by a rod holder 7 provided at a predetermined pitch on a pair of endless chains 6, 6. B is supplied.

This fixed-length electric wire manufacturing apparatus B mainly includes a U-turn turning head 8 and an enlarging head 9, as well as an auxiliary electric wire temporary holding plate 10 and a transfer head 11.
It is composed of the following.

The electric wire U-turn turning head 8 bends the tip of the electric wire into a U-shape, and has a pair of electric wire clamp plates 13 that can be opened and closed and rotated 180 degrees around a pin 12 as shown in FIG. 3a. , a pair of wire cutting pieces 14 having a known structure. The wire clamp plate 13 is located in front of the rotating sleeve 15 of the pin 12, and has a cutout recess 13a for escape from the wire clamp 4. Mounting board 1 for rotating sleeve 15
6 is screwed onto the tip of a piston rod 18a of a cylinder 18 fixed to a frame 17 of a column (not shown). Further, the wire cutting blade 14 is attached to a cutting blade mounting plate 19 vertically disposed in front of the mounting board 16 through a pin 20 and its guide groove (not shown) so as to be able to slide vertically. It is linked to the cylinder 21 and piston rod 21a. Therefore, the wire cutting blade 14 can be raised and lowered and opened and closed independently of the wire clamp plate 13. The wire cutting blade 14 may be separate from the U-turn turning head 8 and provided below the fixed length wire _W1 .
22 is a motor for step rotation of the rotating sleeve 15.

The stretching head 9 is used to produce a fixed-length wire by stretching the wire to a required length, and as shown in FIG. (not shown) is provided with a wire hooking pin 24 that goes up and down through the wire. A mounting board 25 for the wire hooking pin 24 is screwed onto the lower end of a piston rod 26a of a cylinder 26 fixed to the head 9. Further, the enlarging head 9 is mounted on a guide frame 27 disposed orthogonally to the conveyor table 1 as shown in FIG.
It is fixed to an endless chain 30 rotating by 9,
It is configured to be freely adhesive to the conveyor table 1. The electric wire temporary holding plate 10 is used to hold electric wires bent into a U-shape at a certain pitch, and has a wire arrangement plate 31 on the side edge on the reel station A side, and a wire arrangement plate 31 on the side edge on the stock station H side. It has a rod holder 32 for the wire clamp rod 3. A plurality of wire feeding guide rings 33 having a tupular shape at a constant pitch are attached to the wire arrangement plate 31, and a wire check roll 34 and a wire insertion tube 35 are erected in a straight line in front of the ring 33. A pair of wire locking plates 36 are erected in line with the insertion tube 35.

The transfer head 11 transfers the electric wire whose tip end is bent into a U-shape on the electric wire temporary holding plate 10 to the electric wire clamp 4 using the electric wire clamp rod 3, and similarly to the U-turn rotating head 8, it has a pair of openable and closable heads. A wire clamp plate 37 is provided. The transfer head 11 is provided so as to be movable up and down by a cylinder 39 of a head holder 38, and also to be movable reciprocally by a cylinder 41 of a frame 40 installed across the wire temporary holding plate 10. That is, the wire clamp plate 37 is connected to the wire locking plate 36 and the wire clamp 4.
It is possible to reciprocate between the two and move up and down.

Further, a pair of wire fixing plates 42a are provided alongside the U-turn turning head 8 so that they can be opened/closed and raised/lowered relative to the wire fixing head 42. This wire fixing plate 42 is used in the wire drawing process described later.
It is used to hold the bent end of a wire bent into a letter shape (Fig. 3 d, e).

The wire stripping device D is for cutting and removing the insulation coating at the end of the wire to expose the conductor of the length necessary for crimping the terminal, and a known device can be used together with the wire straightening device C. The explanation will be omitted.

The terminal crimping devices E ₁ , E ₂ . It is provided so as to be movable up and down by means of an elevating cylinder 44, a rod 45, and its guide tube 45a. Figure 5a shows the device in the lowered position and the standard length wire
The exposed conductor w portion of W ₁ is shown positioned between the open ram 46 and the press table 47, and FIG. 5b shows the apparatus in the raised position with the conductor w resting on the press table 47. In the figure, 48 is a chained terminal, 49
indicates the terminal take-up reel. In addition, terminal crimping equipment
A composite head 50 used for composite crimping of electric wires is installed between E ₁ and the stripping device D. The composite head 50 is movable up and down and has the same structure as the wire clamp plates 13 and 37. It has a wire clamp plate 51 that can be opened and closed.

The case fitting device F includes a plurality of connector housings I ₁ , I ₂ , I ₃ .

As shown in FIG. 6a, the case fitting device F is
A pair of terminal gripping claws 54, wire gripping claws 55, and wire clamping plate 56, each configured to be openable and closable.
It is equipped with Terminal gripping claw 54 and wire gripping claw 55
As shown in Figure 7a and b, each has an L at the tip.
The terminal holding plate 57 is formed in a hook shape with molded protrusions 54a and 55a, and is provided between the terminal gripping claws 54 and 54, and is movable up and down. The terminal gripping claws 54 pinch the wire crimping portion 48a of the terminal 48 from both sides.

58 is a mounting head for the claws 54, 55 and the wire clamp plate 56, and the head holder 5
The holder support plate 9 is supported by two upper and lower parallel guide rods 60 and a screw rod (not shown).
1 and is slidably mounted on the connector housing.
It is provided so as to be able to move toward and away from I ₁ , I ₂ .
The terminal gripping claws 54 and the wire gripping claws 55 are provided so as to be movable up and down by a cylinder (not shown) within the mounting head 58. 63 is a cylinder for raising and lowering the terminal holding plate 57. The base plate 62 of the holder support plate 61 is screwed onto the lower end of a piston rod 65a of a cylinder 65 attached to a movable plate 64, and the movable plate 64 is attached to a guide rail 66 of the support frame 53 with a pair of upper and lower guide rolls 67.
It is slidably mounted and moved toward a desired connector housing (I ₁ , I _{2 .} . . ) on the setting table 52 by a step motor 68 to which a support frame 53 is attached and an endless chain 69. Reference numeral 70 designates a lock base for each connector housing I ₁ , I ₂ .

As described above, the terminal gripping claw 54 and the wire gripping claw 5
5 and the wire clamp plate 56 move parallel to the connector housings I ₁ , I ₂ . 55
is raised and lowered independently of the wire clamp plate 56 by a cylinder within the mounting head 58.

Additionally, the case fitting device F is provided with an alignment mechanism for inserting the terminal into the connector housing and a check mechanism after insertion.

As shown in FIGS. 8a and 8b, the centering mechanism includes the electrical contact portion 4 of the terminal 48 with a mating terminal (not shown).
A sensor 71 is positioned on the side of 8b. That is, in the sensor 71, the terminal gripping claw 54 and the wire gripping claw 55 in the mounting head 58 shown in FIG. The error between the distance l' between the terminals 48 and the preset distance l is measured.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the terminal insertion checking mechanism is such that a mounting head 58 such as a terminal gripping claw 54 and a wire gripping claw 55 can be swung in the direction of the arrow by a support shaft 72 relative to a head holder 59. Install and configure. Instead of the swinging motion, the head holder 5
9 may be retracted by the guide rod 60 of the holder support plate 61. However, as shown in _FIG .
3, in the case of a structure in which the terminal 48 is locked by the locking arm 74, it is preferable to pull the terminal 48 upwardly by swinging it.

Hereinafter, the steps from producing a fixed-length electric wire to fitting it into a case and the operation of each device will be explained.

[Production process of fixed length electric wire]

First, FIGS. 3a and 4a show reel station A (first
The tip of the long electric wire W pulled out from the wire shown in FIG. The wire is cut by the wire cutting blade 14 and both ends thereof are clamped by two adjacent wire clamps 4 of the wire clamp rod 3 (hereinafter referred to as "end point").

The length of the stretched and cut U-shaped wire _W1 is L, and its total length is approximately 2L.

After cutting, the wire cutting blade 14 is cut as shown in Fig. 3b and Fig. 4b.
The electric wire clamp plate 13 is raised by the operation of the cylinder 21 as shown in FIG. The bent end is connected to the wire insertion tube 35 and a pair of wire locking plates 3 adjacent to the wire insertion tube 35.
Press and hold between 6. After clamping, the wire temporary holding plate 10 moves one pitch (distance between adjacent wire clamps 4 of the wire clamp rod 3) in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

In this way, after producing a fixed-length electric wire W ₁ from the long electric wire W by drawing and cutting, the tip of the remaining long electric wire W is bent into a U-shape and is sequentially subjected to the next drawing and cutting.
It is prepared for the process of manufacturing wires of fixed length by cutting. In FIG. 1, a wire temporary holding plate 10 (see FIG. 4b) indicated by a two-dot chain line holds a plurality of long wires W bent in a U-shape, such as a wire insertion tube 35 and a wire locking plate 36. (hereinafter referred to as the "starting point").

Figures 3C and 4C show the starting state of the wire drawing process. In this state, the movement of the cylinder 41 causes the transfer head 11 to move toward the wire locking plate 36 as shown by the arrow.
The pair of wire clamp plates 37 descend to grasp the U-shaped bent end of the long wire W and its opposing portion, and then move upward and backward in the reverse motion, and then are transferred to the wire clamp 4. , and clamp them (Fig. 4d).

Next, as shown in FIGS. 3d and 4d, the wire fixing plate 42a of the wire fixing head 42 is lowered to clamp and fix the U-shaped bent end to the wire clamp 4. At the same time, the enlarging head 9 approaches the U-shaped bend by rotation of the length measuring motor 28 (FIG. 1). At this time, the wire hooking pin 24 is in the lowered position, the front of the upper and lower pin guide plates 23, 23 is in an open state, and the U-shaped bent portion is in the lower position.
go in between. Therefore, the wire hooking pin 24 is raised by the operation of the cylinder 26 to close the open portion.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 3e and 4e, the enlarging head 9 is moved back by half L of the required wire length by the reverse operation. Then, the wire hooking pin 24 is lowered to disengage from the wire,
The wire fixing plate 42 is raised and returned to its original position.

Finally, as shown in Fig. 3f, the swinging U-turn head 8 is lowered by the actuation of the cylinder 18 to the side of the long electric wire W that has been made a U-turn, and after the electric wire is clamped by the electric wire clamp plate 13, the electric wire cutting blade is 14, it returns to the "end point" as shown in FIG. 3a.
Next, U-shaped bent portions are sequentially formed on the long electric wires W, and the wires are transferred to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 and clamped by the newly supplied electric wire clamp rod 3.

As a result, the desired standard length electric wire W ₁ with a total length of approximately 2L
is produced.

Hereinafter, by repeatedly repeating the steps from the "start point" to the "end point" in FIGS. 3a to 4f and 4a to 4e, as shown in FIG. A primary intermediate product P ₁ of a wire harness is obtained in which both ends of the fixed length electric wire W ₁ are clamped and fixed to the wire clamp 4 .

In the process of manufacturing the above-mentioned fixed-length electric wire, the fixed-length electric wire
As a clamping and fixing means for both ends of W ₁ , a wire clamping rod 3 with wire clamps 4 arranged side by side is used. A tool for holding electric wires at specified pitches (consisting of a pair of grippers that can be opened and closed)
You can use one with In addition, the process of bending the tip of the long electric wire _W1 into a U-shape, the stretching process, the cutting process, and their processing positions are separated, and the transfer head 11 is omitted, so that the wire temporary at the U-shaped bent part is separated. From the holding plate 10 to the wire clamping rod 3
It will be easily understood that the step of relocating to can be omitted.

[Wire stripping and straightening process]

The primary intermediate product P ₁ is shown in FIGS. 1 and 11.
As shown in Figure a, the wire is conveyed one pitch at a time in the arrow direction on the conveyor 1', and after the wire straightening device C eliminates bends and curls at the end of the wire, the wire is stripped by the wire stripping device D. .

[Terminal crimping process]

A plurality of terminal crimping devices E ₁ , E ₂ . . . shown in Fig. 1
As described above (FIGS. 5a and 5b), the ram 46 and the press stand 47 are in the lowered position in an open state. Through this open space, the terminal portions of the plurality of fixed length electric wires _W1 fixed to the clamp rod 3 are intermittently moved one pitch at a time. And each device E ₁ , E ₂ ...
... are each equipped with a chain of terminals 48 having different shapes and sizes.

Therefore, during the above-mentioned intermittent movement, the predetermined length of electric wire
Desired terminals 48 can be successively and continuously crimped onto both ends of W ₁ using devices selected from devices E ₁ , E ₂ . In FIGS. 11b and 11c, a terminal 48 ₁ is crimped to one end of the fixed-length electric wire designated by the symbol W ₁ ' by means of the device E ₁ . Crimping is shown in Figure 5a,
The device E ₁ is raised by the cylinder 44 as in b. Next, the wire crimping portion 48a of the terminal 48 is placed on the press stand 47 and the ram 46 is lowered using a known mechanism. After crimping, the device _E1 is lowered in the opposite direction to return to the state shown in FIG. 5a.

Continuous crimping of terminals can also be achieved by providing one of the wire clamping rod 3 and the group of crimping devices E ₁ , E _{2 .} . . so as to be able to move toward and away from the other.

[Composite crimping process for terminals]

Composite crimping, in which two or more electric wires are crimped and connected to one terminal, is achieved in parallel with the crimping process.

That is, as shown in FIG. 11b, a composite head 50 that can be raised and lowered is located between the stripping device D and the terminal crimping device _E1 , and the wire clamp plate 5
1 is located directly above the wire clamp indicated by 4 ₁ . Then, the wire clamp plate 51 descends to grip the end portion of the fixed-length wire W ₁ '', and then rises to move the wire clamp rod 3 one pitch, and is lowered and raised in the reverse operation to the above, as shown in FIG. As shown in c, the fixed length electric wire W ₁ in the adjacent electric wire clamp 4 ₂ is overlapped and held.

Figure 12 shows a fixed length wire using a wire clamp 4 ₂
This shows a composite clamping state of W ₁ ″ and W _1. Therefore, by intermittent movement of the wire clamp rod 3, the wire clamp 4
When the terminals ₂ reach the desired terminal crimping devices (E ₁ , E _{2 .} . . ), they can be crimped and connected in the same way as in the normal crimping process.

Further, the above-mentioned composite clamping (FIG. 12) for composite crimping of electric wires is made easier by moving the composite head 50 in parallel to the wire clamp 3, thereby making it easier to perform the composite clamping between wires _W1 of a desired standard length. It is carried out in many different forms.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 11d, a secondary intermediate product P is obtained in which a plurality of wires with terminals (standard length wires) _W1 including composite crimping are held at both ends by the wire clamp 4 of the wire clamp rod 3. ₂ is obtained.

[Case fitting process]

The secondary intermediate products P ₂ are collectively transferred to a setting table 52 on which a plurality of connector housings I ₁ , I ₂ , I ₃ and I ₄ are lined up as shown in FIG.

Here, the transfer plate 64 is moved to the guide rail 66 by the operation of the step motor 68 as shown in FIG. 6a.
, and position it on the desired wire clamp 4.

Next, by operating the cylinder 65, the holder support plate 61, that is, the wire clamp plate 56 is lowered to grip the fixed length wire _W1 (FIG. 6b), and then the terminal gripping claw 54 and the wire gripping claw 55 are lowered. The wire crimping portion 48a of the terminal 48 and the wire _W1 are sandwiched from both sides (FIG. 6c).

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b, the terminal holding plate 57 between the terminal gripping claws 54 and 54 is lowered by the operation of the lifting cylinder 63 to push down the terminal 48 and cooperate with the protrusions 54a and 55a. terminal 48
Adjust it to a constant, almost horizontal position.

Next, the terminal gripping claw 54 to the wire clamp plate 5
6 in the opposite manner to the above to remove the wire W ₁ from the wire clamp 4, and if necessary, move the movable plate 64 laterally in the same manner as described above to attach the tip of the terminal 48 to the plurality of connector housings I ₁ , I _{2 .} . . to face the terminal accommodating chamber 73 (FIG. 10) of a desired housing (FIG. 6 d).

Next, as shown in FIG. 6e and f, the head holder 5 is
9 toward the housing and inserting the electrical contact portion 48b of the terminal 48 into the terminal accommodating chamber 73,
The terminal gripping claws 54 and the wire gripping claws 55 are opened and raised.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6g, the wire clamp plate 5 is
6, the head holder 59 is further advanced while holding the electric wire _W1 , and the terminal 48 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 73 as shown in FIG. As a result, the terminal 48 is engaged with and locked with the locking arm 74.

By repeating the above operations, the desired length of electric wire can be obtained.
Connect the terminal 48 of W ₁ to the desired connector housing (I ₁ ,
I ₂ ...) can be inserted into a predetermined terminal accommodation chamber 73.

Note that even when a plurality of connector housings are arranged one above the other in a row, the mounting head 58
By raising and lowering the case, it is possible to fit the case in the same manner as described above.

[Terminal alignment mechanism]

When inserting the terminal 48 into the terminal accommodating chamber 73 in FIGS. 6d and 6e, it is sufficient if the axes N and N' of the two are parallel as shown in FIG. If the axis N of 48 is tilted, smooth insertion will not be possible.

Therefore, the sensor 71 connects the sensor 71 to the terminal 4.
The error between the distance l' and the set value l is detected, and if there is no error, move the plate by l and insert it as is. If there is an error (±Δl), move the moving plate 64. Correct by moving by l±Δl.

Since this set value l varies depending on the shape, size, etc. of the terminal 48, it is stored in advance in the control device G for each type. As the sensor 71, a known sensor including a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element made of, for example, a phototransistor can be used. Also, the distance l,
Instead of l', the reflection angle may be measured and compared.

In addition, when aligning the center, please make sure that the axis line N of the terminal
Terminal 48 does not necessarily have to be parallel to N'.
Insertion is possible by aligning the center O of the tip with the axis N' of the terminal accommodating chamber 73.

[Terminal insertion check mechanism]

Although the case fitting is completed by inserting the terminal 48 shown in FIG. 6g, it is preferable to check for incomplete insertion.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the mounting head 58 is swung (backswinged) in the direction of the arrow to attach the electric wire.
Apply the specified tension to W ₁ . This results in
It is possible to determine whether there is incomplete insertion. Instead of rocking,
As mentioned above, the wire clamp 56, ie, the head holder 59, may be retracted.

FIG. 13 shows a state in which _{the first} group of fixed-length electric wires W fitted into the case is removed from the wire clamping rod 3. Then _, tapes _{T 1 ,} T ₂ , _{T 3 .} When these are expanded, a final product _P3 in the form of a normal wire harness as shown in FIG. 14 is obtained.

Effects of the Invention As explained above, according to the present invention, it is possible to insert a connector housing of a terminal with a wire without being affected by the type of terminal, and without using an auxiliary jig such as a terminal insertion guide. By appropriately arranging a plurality of connector housings and terminals with wires, a wire harness similar to the final product can be obtained at the same time as the case fitting process is completed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic layout diagram of the entire automatic insertion device for a terminal with a wire into a connector housing including the device of the present invention, Fig. 2 a and b are an enlarged plan view and a side view of a wire clamping rod used in the present invention; Figures 3a to 3f are side views showing the manufacturing process of a fixed length electric wire according to the present invention;
Figures a to e are plan views showing the manufacturing process of a fixed length electric wire, Figures 5 a and b are explanatory diagrams of the continuous crimping method of terminals according to the present invention, and Figures 6 a to g are diagrams of the case fitting according to the present invention. Explanatory diagrams of the process, Figures 7a and 7b are enlarged explanatory diagrams of main parts showing how the wire and terminal are held in the case fitting process, and Figures 8a and b are explanations of the terminal centering mechanism in the case fitting process. Figure, No. 9
The figure is an explanatory diagram of the checking mechanism for checking the inserted state of the terminal in the case fitting process, FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing the inserted state of the terminal into the connector housing, and FIGS. Explanatory diagram of the process from straightening and peeling to terminal crimping, No. 12
The figure shows how to connect two wires into one for composite crimping of standard length wires.
FIGS. 13 and 14 are side views of the fixing wire being held between two wire clamps, and are explanatory diagrams for converting the fixed wire into a normal wire harness after being fitted into a case according to the present invention. 1, 1'...transport platform, 2...endless chain, 3
...Electric wire clamp rod, 4...Electric wire clamp, 4a
...Pincher, 5...Support rod, 6...Endless chain, 7...Pole holder, 8...U-turn rotating head,
9... Enlarger head, 10... Electric wire temporary holding plate, 11
... Transfer head, 12 ... Pin, 13 ... Wire clamp plate, 13a ... Notch recess, 14 ... Wire cutting blade, 15 ... Rotating sleeve, 16 ... Mounting board, 17 ... Frame, 18 ... cylinder, 19
... Cutting blade mounting plate, 20 ... Pin, 21 ... Cylinder, 22 ... Motor, 23 ... Pin guide plate,
24...Wire hooking pin, 25...Mounting board, 26
...Cylinder, 27...Guide frame, 28...
...Length measuring motor, 29...Sprocket, 30...
Endless chain, 31...Wire array plate, 32...Pole holder, 33...Wire feeding guide ring, 34...
Electric wire check roll, 35... Electric wire insertion tube, 36...
Electric wire locking plate, 37... Electric wire clamping plate, 38...
Head holder, 39...Cylinder, 40...Frame, 41...Cylinder, 42...Wire fixing head, 42a...Wire fixing plate, 43...Base, 44
... Lifting cylinder, 45... Rod, 45a...
Guide tube, 46... Ram, 47... Press stand, 48
. . . Terminal, 48a . , 54...Terminal gripping claw, 54a...Protrusion, 55...Wire gripping claw, 5
5a...Protrusion, 56...Wire clamp plate, 57...
...Terminal holding plate, 58...Mounting head, 58a...
Mounting board, 59...Head holder, 60...Guide rod, 61...Holder support plate, 62...Base part, 63...Elevating cylinder, 64...Moving plate, 6
5...Cylinder, 66...Guide rail, 67...
...Guide roll, 68...Step motor, 69
...Endless chain, 70...Lock stand, 71...
Sensor, 72... Support shaft, 73... Terminal housing chamber, 7
4... Locking arm, A... Reel station, B...
... Apparatus for producing fixed-length electric wires, C... Apparatus for straightening electric wires,
D...Wire stripping device, _E1 , _E2 ...Terminal crimping device, F...Case fitting device, G...Control device,
H...Stock station, _I1 , _I2 , _I3 ...Connector housing, L...Length, N, N'...Axis, O...Center, _P1 , _P2 , _P3 ...1 next, second,
Final product, T ₁ , T ₂ , T ₃ ... tape, W ... long electric wire, W ₁ ... fixed length electric wire, w ... conductor.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A mounting head mounted on a movable plate so as to be able to move toward and away from it and to move up and down is opposed to a connector housing,
A pair of terminal gripping claws and a wire gripping claw provided on the mounting head so as to be movable up and down, respectively, grip the wire crimping part and the wire of the terminal with wire, and then a pair of terminal gripping claws are provided between the pair of terminal gripping claws so as to be movable up and down. After lowering the terminal holding plate to adjust the attitude of the terminal, the mounting head is brought close to the connector housing, and when the electrical contact portion of the terminal is inserted into the terminal receiving chamber of the connector housing, the terminal gripping claw A method for inserting a terminal with an electric wire into a connector housing, characterized by opening and raising the terminal. 2. The insertion method according to claim 1, wherein the terminal gripping claw grips a conductor crimping portion of a wire crimping portion of the terminal. 3. The insertion method according to claim 1, wherein the terminal with electric wire is held between a wire clamp consisting of a pair of opposing clamps arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval on a clamp rod. 4. The insertion method according to claim 1, wherein the electric wire of the electric wire terminal is held between openable and closable grips provided at predetermined intervals on an endless chain. 5. The mounting head, which is attached to the movable plate so that it can move toward and away from it and can be raised and lowered, faces the connector housing,
After gripping a desired terminal with a wire, which is held in parallel by the wire clamps arranged in parallel on the wire clamp rod, by the terminal gripping claw and the wire gripping claw provided on the mounting head so as to be able to move up and down, respectively, and the wire clamp plate, After adjusting the attitude of the terminal by lowering a terminal holding plate that is movably provided between the pair of terminal gripping claws, bringing the mounting head close to the connector housing;
When the contact portion of the terminal is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber of the connector housing, the terminal gripping claws and wire gripping claws open and both gripping claws are raised, and then the wire clamp plate holding the wire is moved to the connector. A method for inserting a terminal with an electric wire into a connector housing, comprising: bringing the terminal with an electric wire close to the housing and locking the terminal with an electric wire in the terminal accommodating chamber. 6. The mounting head, which is attached to the movable plate so that it can move toward and away from it and can be raised and lowered, faces the connector housing,
A pair of terminal gripping claws and wire gripping claws provided on the mounting head so as to be able to move up and down, respectively, grip the terminal and the wire of the terminal with wire, and the mounting head is brought close to the connector housing to place the terminal into the terminal housing chamber. In the insertion method, a sensor is provided at a position close to the terminal gripping claw, the sensor detects an error between the distance between the tip of the terminal and the sensor, and a set value, and the terminal is inserted in response to the error. A method for inserting a terminal with an electric wire into a connector housing, characterized by performing necessary alignment between a housing chamber and a tip end of the terminal. 7. A head holder that supports the mounting head by providing a pair of terminal gripping claws and wire gripping claws that can be opened and closed at the lower end of the mounting head so as to be able to move up and down, and a terminal holding plate that can be moved up and down between the pair of terminal gripping claws. is provided so that it can move toward and away from the movable plate and can be raised and lowered,
An apparatus for inserting a terminal with electric wire into a connector housing, characterized in that the movable plate is provided so as to be movable in parallel with respect to a setting table on which a plurality of connector housings are arranged in parallel. 8. The mounting head is provided with a sensor at a position close to the terminal gripping claw, and the error between the distance between the tip of the terminal of the terminal with wire held by the terminal gripping claw and the wire gripping claw and the sensor and the set value is determined. 8. The insertion device according to claim 7, further comprising a mechanism for detecting and centering the tip end of the terminal and the terminal accommodating chamber.