JPH0477431B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to an insertion method for automatically inserting electric wires having terminals crimped onto both ends into a coupler in sequence, and an insertion method using the insertion method. It is related to the device.

"Prior Art" and "Problems to be Solved by the Invention" Conventionally, as shown in FIG.
There are known examples of automatic insertion devices that insert wires into wires A and 3B to form, for example, electric wires with couplers for wire harnesses.

However, generally when a group of electric wires having terminals 2A and 2B crimped on both ends is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 4 of couplers 3A and 3B, the terminals 2A and 2B at both ends of the same electric wire 1 are
A, 2B are illustrations of couplers 3A, 3B 4A ₁ ,
Terminals 2A and 2B of each wire 1 are rarely inserted into the terminal housing chambers at symmetrical positions like 4B ₁ .
Due to the configuration of the circuit made up of one group of electric wires, the insertion and insertion arrangement into the terminal housing chamber 4 is extremely likely to be asymmetrical on the left and right sides.

Therefore, the left and right terminals 2A, 2B are connected to the coupler 3.
When automatically inserting into A and 3B, the terminal of another electric wire 1 may be inserted into the empty terminal storage chamber 4 where terminals have already been inserted on both sides, and the electric wire 1 on both sides,
There are problems in that the electric wires 1 to be inserted may interfere with each other, causing problems in the insertion operation, and that the insertion takt time becomes long. Furthermore, in order to achieve the insertion and attachment action, special means such as temporarily retracting interfering instantaneous connection wires are required, which inevitably tends to complicate the device.

Due to the above-mentioned problems, it is extremely difficult to automatically insert a terminal crimped wire into a coupler which is currently widely used and is composed of four groups of terminal accommodating chambers having a two-stage structure.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel insertion method and an insertion device using the insertion method, and to solve the problems of the prior art described above.

"Means for Solving the Problems" The present invention, which achieves the above objects, provides a preferred insertion order of terminals on one side when inserting electric wires having terminals crimped on both ends into corresponding couplers. This method was developed by focusing on the method of arranging wire groups in layers according to the preferred order of insertion of terminals on the other side, and is constructed based on the following points. Specifically, a group of electric wires with terminals crimped on both ends is sent out in sequence according to the insertion order of the terminals on one side, and the terminals on one side are successively inserted into the corresponding couplers, and the terminals on the other side are sequentially inserted into the corresponding couplers. At the same time, the other side of the group of electric wires to be inserted into a single coupler is transferred to the wire arrangement track on the arrangement station by changing the arrangement in the insertion order of the other side, and then transferred to the wire arrangement track on the wire arrangement track. transfer to the insertion station and successively insert the terminals on the other side into the coupler, transfer the wire arrangement track to the arrangement station and recirculate it, and insert the terminals at both ends of the wire into the coupler. ``A method for automatically inserting a terminal-crimped electric wire into a coupler, which is characterized by A wire sequential feeding section is provided that sequentially feeds the wires in parallel alignment, and a coupler holding section that has a parts feeder on one side of the terminal crimped electrical wires and sequentially holds the couplers on its own side; A terminal insertion hand is provided for picking up one side of the terminal crimping electric wire from the feeding part and inserting it into the coupler of the coupler holding part, and further, a terminal insertion hand is provided on the other side of the terminal crimping electric wire for inserting it into a single coupler. A plurality of electric wire arrangement trucks that arrange the terminal crimped electric wires in parallel in the insertion order on their own side and recirculate between the arranging station and the insertion station; a transfer section that picks up the side of the wire and converts it into the wire arrangement track of the arrangement station; a coupler holding section that has a parts feeder and holds the couplers on its own side one by one; An apparatus for automatically inserting a terminal-crimped electric wire into a coupler, characterized in that it is provided with a terminal insertion hand that picks up the terminal-crimped electric wire on its own side on the electric wire arrangement track and inserts it into the coupler of the coupler holding section. It is composed of.

"Operation" The insertion method and insertion device of the present invention having the above-described configuration are such that both one side and the other side of the terminal crimped electric wire are arranged in a preferred order of insertion into the coupler on the own side. Since the wires are fed sequentially, the terminals on one side and the other side of the same wire may not be inserted in the same order, but the terminals are inserted consecutively in an order that prioritizes ease of insertion, and the terminals are inserted into the coupler. Insertion and attachment can be done extremely smoothly and efficiently.

In addition, since the terminal insertion on one side and the insertion order change (alignment change) of the terminals on the other side are done at the same time, wasted time such as work stagnation during the process of inserting the terminals into the couplers at both ends of the wire is extremely reduced. In addition to being able to process in a short time and with a high tact time, the insertion device is not complicated or long and is compact.

"Example" Hereinafter, a detailed explanation will be given with reference to an example. First, referring to FIG. 1 showing a processing layout of an embodiment of the insertion method of the present invention, a terminal crimped electric wire 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as electric wire 1) having terminals 2A and 2B crimped at both ends in the previous step is as follows. The wire progressive feeding unit 5 arranges the wires in parallel at required intervals and sequentially and continuously sends out the wires 1 to one terminal 2B side (hereinafter referred to as B).
(referred to as ends) are arranged precisely in the preferred insertion order. Here, the preferred insertion order is terminals 2A, 2A,
2B into the terminal accommodating chamber 4 of the coupler 3, it can be inserted without interfering with the electric wires on both sides that have already been inserted, for example, from the left end of the lower terminal accommodating chamber 4 to the right terminal accommodating chamber 4, Next, from the terminal accommodating chamber 4 on the left end of the upper row to the terminal accommodating chamber 4 on the right, or from the terminal accommodating chamber 4 on the lower tier on the left end to the terminal accommodating chamber 4 on the upper tier of the left end, and then from the upper and lower terminals in the second row. Terminal storage chamber 4
Hereinafter, it refers to the insertion order that gives priority to ease of insertion, such as sequentially inserting the parts one above the other.

The terminal 2B at the B end is picked up by the terminal insertion hand 8B from the terminal point on the B end side of the wire progressive feeding section 5, and is continuously supplied from the parts feeder 10 to the insertion position on the coupler holding section 9B.
The terminals 2B are successively inserted into the coupler 3B held by P _B.

On the other hand, the terminal 2A side (hereinafter referred to as A end) on the other side of the electric wire 1 is transferred to the wire arrangement track 7 at the arrangement station 7A by the transfer section 6 at the end point of the A end of the wire progressive section 5. They are transferred at the same time as the B end is inserted and loaded, and at the same time as they are transferred, they are divided into groups and converted and arranged in a preferred order of insertion on the A end side. Note that the A-end conversion arrangement that is performed at the same time as the B-end insertion process is not necessarily for the A and B ends of the same wire 1, but for a group of B-end terminals that are inserted into a single coupler 3. A group of A-end conversion arrays are also inserted into a single coupler 3 during the insertion process.

Next, the wire arrangement track 7 described above is advanced to the next insertion station 7B, and the wires 1 that have been grouped and arranged are sequentially stopped directly below the insertion position P _A , and the terminals are inserted in the same way as at the B end. The insertion hand 8A sequentially picks up the coupler holding part 9A.
Insert the coupler 3A on the top, and attach the coupler 3 on both ends.
Continuously form electric wires with couplers in which wires A and 3B are inserted.

Next, an embodiment of an insertion device using the above-mentioned insertion method will be described based on FIGS. 2 to 6. First, in Figure 2 showing its basic layout,
The insertion device of the present invention includes: - A wire progressive feeding section 5 in which the two conveyor chains 11A and 11B are provided with clamping claws 12, and the clamping claws 12 clamp the vicinity of both ends of the electric wire 1 and sequentially feed it in parallel; - A coupler holding part 9B, which is provided at the end of the wire progressive feeding part 5 on the B end side and has a parts feeder 10 that continuously supplies couplers 3B, and holds the couplers 3B one by one on the insertion position P _B ; The wire progressive feeding section 5 is provided between the electric wire progressive feeding section 5 and the coupler holding section 9B, and has a lifting/lowering and front/rear operation mechanism.
A terminal insertion hand 8B that picks up the B end of the electric wire 1 and inserts the terminal 2B into the coupler 3B on the coupler holding part 9B; are arranged in parallel to insert station 7.
A wire arrangement track 7 to be transferred to the wire arrangement track 7;
and a transfer unit 6 that converts and arranges the electric wires 1 in the order of insertion on the A end side; - A parts feeder 10 that is provided following the electric wire arrangement track 7 and continuously supplies couplers 3A, one after another. The coupler holding section 9A is held on the insertion/insertion position P _A. Pick up the A end of the electric wire 1 from the wire arrangement track of the insertion station 7B, which has a lifting/lowering and back-and-forth operation mechanism, and insert the coupler on the coupler holding section 9A. 3
a terminal insertion hand 8A for inserting the terminal 2A into A;
A combination of the above is constructed.

Specifically, the terminal insertion hand 8B and the coupler holding part 9B are terminals having clamp claws 14 suspended below and two-axis operating mechanisms in the vertical and frontward directions in the directions of arrows A and B shown in the figure, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The insertion hand 8B and one coupler 3B that is continuously supplied from the parts feeder 10 are taken out onto the rest part 16 and fixed by the clamp member 15, so that the terminal accommodation chamber 4 of the coupler 3B faces forward. Insertion position P _B
For example, the coupler holding part 9B holds the coupler 3B.
4 ₁ ″, 4 from the left end of the lower tier of the terminal storage chamber 4 to the right
₂ ″, 4 ₃ ″, …, then 4 ₁ ′ from the top left edge to the right,
4 ₂ ′, 4 ₃ ′, etc., the centers of the respective terminal accommodating chambers 4 are sequentially positioned on the insertion position P _B to receive the terminals 2B according to the insertion order of the terminals 2B. It is configured to be movable and adjustable in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction.

Then, the terminal insertion hand 8B sequentially picks up the B end from the terminal end of the wire progressive section 5 with the clamp claw 14, and sequentially inserts the terminals 2B into the terminal accommodating chamber 4 of the coupler 3B on the insertion position P _B. It has become. When a group of terminals 2B are inserted into a single coupler 3B, the clamp member 15 becomes loose, and the coupler 3B is coupled to the electric wire 1 and released. Note that 17 in the figure is an insertion guide section provided in front of the coupler 3B.

On the other hand, the wire arrangement track 7 (hereinafter simply referred to as track 7) has a clamp claw 1 at the top as shown in FIG.
8 are protruded in parallel, and the clamp claws 18 are provided in such a number that a group of terminals to be inserted into a single coupler 3A can be arranged on a single track 7 (16 in the figure). There are a plurality of units that recirculate as shown by the arrows between the arrangement station 7A shown in the figure and the subsequent insertion station shown 7B. are arranged in a dense line without any gaps according to the order of insertion into the coupler 3A, and the clamp claws 1
8 (when the number of electric wires to be arranged is small, the surplus clamp claws 18 are all set as missing parts). Then, at the insertion station 7B, starting from the first wire 1 in the array, the wires 1 are stopped one by one right below the terminal insertion hand 8A, and the wires 1 are transferred to the clamp claw 14 of the terminal insertion hand 8A.

In addition, the transfer section 9 has clamp claws 2 as shown in FIG.
A movable head 19 is provided which has the electric wire 1 at the lower side, is operated horizontally by the feed rod 20, and has a built-in vertical mechanism.
The device is configured to clamp the A end of the wafer and transfer it to the arranging track 7 of the arranging station 7A according to a predetermined conversion arrangement.

In addition, the terminal insertion hand 8A and the coupler holding part 9
A has the same configuration as the terminal insertion hand 8B and coupler holding portion 9B on the B end side.

The insertion device with the above configuration is equipped with an automatic control circuit that sequentially and continuously interlocks the configurations of the above parts, and automatically forms electric wires with couplers in accordance with the processing procedure shown in Figure 1. do. In addition,
Although not shown, the pre-process of the layout shown in Fig. 2 involves a known automatic method that selectively draws out various types of wires from the wire supply section, cuts them to the required length, peels them, and crimps terminals on both ends of the wires. A terminal crimping device is connected.

According to the above insertion method and insertion device of the present invention,
Both the A end side and the B end side of the electric wire 1 are arranged and fed in advance in the preferred order of insertion into the coupler on the own side,
Since the terminals are inserted and inserted one after another, the terminals can be inserted and inserted very smoothly, with fewer process troubles, and the terminals can be inserted and inserted with short intervals and high machining tact.

That is, the insertion method and insertion device of the present invention can be used to
When inserting the A end side of the wire into the coupler, a plurality of wire arrangement tracks 7 are provided which recirculate between the arrangement station 7A and the insertion station 7B, and the wire arrangement track 7 on the arrangement station 7A has the wire B During the insertion process on the end side, the order of the wires 1 is changed and transferred to the insertion order on the A end side, and then the wire arrangement track is transferred to the insertion station 7.
Moving to B, the couplers are sequentially inserted into the coupler, so from the supply of electric wire 1 to the electric wire 1 with couplers at both ends.
There is no stagnation of the electric wire 1 until the completion of the forming, and in addition,
Both the A and B ends are arranged in advance in a preferred insertion order that prioritizes ease of insertion into the coupler and are fed sequentially, so it is possible to immediately insert the wires in the sequential order without having to individually check them immediately before inserting them into the coupler. The tact time for inserting the wire into the coupler becomes extremely fast, and the time required for the electric wire 1 to pass through the inserting process is shortened, resulting in high productivity suitable for modern ultra-mass production systems.

Further, since the above-mentioned B-end insertion and A-end arrangement conversion are simultaneously performed, the entire device does not become long and compact, and the mass production of coupler-equipped electric wires can be carried out in a narrow factory space.

In cases where the insertion arrangement is not the same at the A end and B end, or in the case of a multi-pole connector in which the number of insertions to a single coupler is extremely large, or in the case of a multi-stage terminal accommodation chamber, etc. Even when the degree of installation difficulty is high, the insertion process can be performed with the above-mentioned high tact and high productivity.

"Effects of the Invention" As explained above, the method and device for inserting into a coupler according to the present invention can easily automatically insert a terminal crimped wire into a coupler, even when it is difficult to insert a terminal. It is achieved with high tact time productivity, meets the requirements of recent ultra-mass production systems, and the series of insertion and attachment processes to the coupler is compact and does not become redundant, making it practical to achieve in a narrow factory space. It has a huge effect.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1: A plan view showing the processing procedure of an embodiment of the insertion method of the present invention, Fig. 2: A layout diagram of an embodiment of the insertion device of the invention, Figs. 3 to 6: Fig. 2 implementation Partial details of the example are shown; Fig. 3 is a side view showing the terminal insertion hand on the B end side and the coupler holding part, Fig. 4 is a front view of the coupler holding part on the B end side, and Fig. 5 is a transfer part. Figure 6 is a front view of the wire arrangement track, Figure 7 is a perspective view showing an example of terminal crimped wires.Main symbols: 1: Terminal crimp wires, 2A, 2B: terminals, 3A, 3B: couplers; 4: Terminal accommodation chamber,
5: Wire progressive feeding section, 6: Transfer section, 7: Wire arrangement track, 8A, 8B: Terminal insertion hand, 9A, 9
B: Coupler holding part, 10: Parts feeder,
12: Clamping claw, 14, 18, 21: Clamping claw,
15: Clamp member, 16: Table part, 19: Transfer head, 20: Feeding rod.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A group of electric wires with terminals crimped on both ends is sent out in sequence according to the insertion order of the terminals on one side, and the terminals on one side are successively inserted into the corresponding couplers, and Simultaneously with the insertion of one side, the other side of the group of electric wires to be inserted into a single coupler is transferred to the wire arrangement track on the arrangement station by changing the arrangement in the insertion order of the other side, and then, The wire arranging track is transferred to an insertion station, and the terminals on the other side are successively inserted into the coupler, and the wire arranging track is transferred to the arranging station for recirculation, and the terminals at both ends of the wire are recirculated. A method for automatically inserting a terminal crimped electric wire into a coupler, characterized by inserting it into the coupler. 2. A wire sequential feeding unit is provided for sequentially feeding terminal crimped electric wires with terminals crimped on both ends in parallel alignment in the order of insertion of the terminals on one side, and a parts feeder is provided on one side of the terminal crimped electric wires. a coupler holding part for sequentially applying and holding the couplers on its own side, and a terminal insertion hand for picking up the own side of the terminal crimping electric wire from the wire progressive feeding part and inserting it into the coupler of the coupler holding part; Further, on the other side of the terminal crimped electric wires, a group of the terminal crimped electric wires to be inserted into a single coupler are arranged in parallel in the insertion order on the own side, and recirculated between the arrangement station and the insertion station. a plurality of wire arranging trucks; a transfer section that picks up the terminal crimping wires from the wire progressive feeding section and converts and arranges them on the wire arranging track of the arranging station; and a parts feeder. and a terminal insertion hand for picking up the own side of the terminal crimping wire on the wire arrangement track of the insertion station and inserting it into the coupler of the coupler holding portion. An automatic insertion device for terminal crimping electric wires into a coupler, which is characterized by a unique structure.