An electrical connector assembly method

Abstract

The application relates to an electric connector assembling method, which is applied to an electric connector assembling device and comprises the following steps: controlling the carrier seat to move to a first preset detection position to detect the exposed length of a metal contact piece at the cable end relative to the limiting groove to ensure that the placement position is correct; controlling the plug-in assembly to move to a second preset detection position to detect the hole position information of the opening on the electric connector body; controlling the first clamping mechanism to clamp the cable to be placed on the pre-plug-in position of the positioning mechanism; adjusting the position of the plug-in assembly according to the cable placement position on the positioning mechanism and the hole position information, so that the target opening position where the plug-in process is to be performed and the pre-plug-in position are overlapped in the Y direction to complete the plug-in process between the two. The hole position information of the electric connector and the placement position of the cable are detected to ensure the accuracy of the positions of the two, so that the plug-in process of the electric connector and the cable can be automatically completed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automated assembly technology, and more particularly to a method for assembling electrical connectors. Background Technology

[0002] Electrical connectors are primarily used to transmit low-frequency signals, high-frequency signals, and electrical energy (power), and are crucial interface components in electrical systems. With a wide variety of types, electrical connectors are widely used in fields such as intelligent manufacturing, aerospace, and instrumentation. The performance and connection quality of electrical connectors directly affect the stability and reliability of electrical systems.

[0003] Electrical connectors used directly in electrical systems are generally cable connectors. These connectors consist of two parts: the connector body and the cable with metal contacts at the ends. The assembly process involves: securing the metal contacts on the cable to a dedicated cable feeder; inserting the feeder into the holes of the connector body, locking the metal contacts in place at the connector's interface; then removing the feeder, leaving the cable connected; repeating this process to connect the remaining cables until all holes on the connector body are filled with cables, thus completing the connector assembly. However, manual assembly of electrical connectors is costly and inefficient, and prone to quality issues such as missed or improper insertion.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need to provide an electrical connector assembly method that automates the electrical connector assembly process, effectively ensures the quality of electrical connector production, and effectively improves assembly efficiency to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides an electrical connector assembly method. This method solves the technical problems of high labor costs and low production efficiency associated with manual assembly of electrical connectors in the prior art, which often results in missed or improper insertion.

[0006] The technical effects of this invention are achieved through the following:

[0007] A method for assembling an electrical connector, the method being applied to an electrical connector assembly device, the electrical connector assembly device including a cable clamping assembly and a mating assembly, the cable clamping assembly including a carrier, a positioning mechanism and a first clamping mechanism, the method comprising:

[0008] If it is detected that a cable is placed in part or all of the limiting grooves of the carrier, the carrier is controlled to move to the first preset detection position to detect the exposed length of the metal contact at the end of the cable relative to the limiting groove to ensure that its placement is correct.

[0009] When it is detected that the plugging assembly is holding the electrical connector body, the plugging assembly is controlled to move to a second preset detection position to detect the hole position information of the opening on the electrical connector body;

[0010] The first clamping mechanism is controlled to clamp the cable and place it in the pre-insertion position of the positioning mechanism;

[0011] The position of the plugging component is adjusted according to the cable placement position on the positioning mechanism and the hole position information, so that the position of the target opening to be plugged in coincides with the pre-plugging position in the Y direction to complete the plugging process of the metal contact and the target opening of the electrical connector body.

[0012] The number of cables placed on the support is the same as the number of holes on the electrical connector body.

[0013] Furthermore, a first industrial camera is positioned in the direction opposite to the first preset detection position, and a second industrial camera is positioned in the direction opposite to the second preset position. The first industrial camera determines the positional relationship between the cable and the limiting groove by taking images of them, while the second industrial camera determines the positional information of the electrical connector body by taking images of it. By acquiring image information of the corresponding electrical connector body and cable through the industrial cameras, a visual inspection algorithm can be used to quickly detect the cable placement position and locate the holes in the electrical connector body based on the acquired image information. This ensures automated insertion between the cable and the electrical connector body and effectively guarantees the assembly quality of the electrical connector.

[0014] Further, detecting the hole position information on the electrical connector body includes, prior to:

[0015] The second industrial camera is controlled to capture a target image of the electrical connector body, and a hole position number is correspondingly provided next to the opening of the electrical connector body;

[0016] Determine whether the hole position numbers displayed in the target image are clear;

[0017] If clear, it is determined that the electrical connector body held by the plug-in assembly is in a horizontal state and its axis is in the Y-direction. By detecting whether the hole positions on the electrical connector body are clear, it is ensured that the electrical connector body is in a horizontal state and the holes on the electrical connector body are oriented in the Y-direction before the plugging process. This allows the target opening to be plugged in to be kept in the vertical direction during subsequent adjustments of the electrical connector body, facilitating assembly with the cable angle alignment.

[0018] Further, the position of the insertion component is adjusted according to the cable placement position on the positioning mechanism and the hole position information, so that the position of the target opening to be inserted coincides with the pre-insertion position in the Y direction, before which the following is included:

[0019] The Z and X coordinates of the hole to be inserted are obtained based on the hole position information;

[0020] Compare the Z and X coordinates of all the holes to be inserted, and select the hole with the smallest Z coordinate and the largest X coordinate as the target hole.

[0021] Furthermore, a pressing mechanism with its bottom tilted forward is provided behind the first clamping mechanism to control the first clamping mechanism to clamp the cable and place it in the pre-insertion position of the positioning mechanism, and then includes:

[0022] The control mechanism lowers so that it abuts against the cable located in the cable delivery groove, and then rotates around the fixed base rotatably connected to it.

[0023] The bottom roller rolls along the extension direction of the cable feeding groove to press the cable and its metal contacts into the positioning mechanism.

[0024] Furthermore, a pressing member is provided behind the pressing mechanism, and a guide seat is correspondingly provided below the pressing member. The positioning mechanism includes a wire feeder, and the method further includes:

[0025] During the descent of the pressing mechanism, the lowering component is simultaneously controlled to descend, pressing the cable against the bottom of the guide groove of the guide seat at the corresponding position.

[0026] This allows the pressing mechanism to continue descending, completing the pressing process of the cable and its metal contacts within the cable feeder. By controlling the lowering member and the pressing mechanism to descend synchronously, the lowering member presses the corresponding position of the cable onto the guide groove, fixing the cable in the opposite direction of the pressing direction. This allows the pressing mechanism to continue moving downwards, causing its lower roller to move axially along the cable feed groove to complete the pressing of the cable into the cable feeder.

[0027] Furthermore, a clamping assembly is provided between the guide seats, the clamping assembly including two clamping members, the two clamping members being symmetrically arranged based on the axial direction of the wire feeder, and the method further includes:

[0028] After the pressing process of the cable and its metal contacts is completed, the two clamping members are controlled to move relative to each other to clamp the cable located between them.

[0029] This facilitates the insertion process of the metal contacts and the electrical connector body.

[0030] Further, the process of inserting the metal contact into the target opening of the electrical connector body is completed, followed by:

[0031] The control clamp moves the insertion assembly of the electrical connector body away from the positioning mechanism back to its initial position to pull the cable out of the positioning mechanism.

[0032] Furthermore, a liftable winding assembly is provided between the insertion assembly at the initial position and the positioning mechanism. The initial position of the winding assembly is located within the wire storage groove. The winding assembly includes two parallel rollers. The method further includes:

[0033] As the insertion assembly holding the electrical connector body moves away from the positioning mechanism, the cable winding assembly is simultaneously controlled to rise to secure the cable tightly between the two rollers.

[0034] The control rotates about their respective axes in opposite directions to fully extract the cables located in the positioning mechanism so that the cables are retrieved into the cable storage trough.

[0035] Furthermore, the multiple limiting grooves on the support are equally spaced, and an X-axis moving module is fixedly provided below the support to complete the insertion process of the metal contact and the target opening of the electrical connector body, followed by:

[0036] The X-axis moving module is controlled to move a preset distance along the X-axis so that the adjacent limiting groove corresponding to the limiting groove of the currently plugged cable moves to the cable pre-clamping position.

[0037] The preset distance is the distance between adjacent limiting grooves.

[0038] As described above, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0039] 1) By acquiring image information of the corresponding electrical connector body and cable through an industrial camera, a visual inspection algorithm can be used to quickly detect the cable placement position and locate the hole position of the electrical connector body based on the acquired image information, thereby ensuring automated insertion between the cable and the electrical connector body and effectively guaranteeing the assembly quality of the electrical connector.

[0040] 2) By checking whether the hole numbering on the electrical connector body is clear, ensure that the electrical connector body is in a horizontal position and the hole orientation on the electrical connector body is in the Y direction before the insertion process. This allows the target hole to be inserted to be kept in the vertical direction during the subsequent adjustment of the electrical connector body, which is convenient for aligning with the cable angle for assembly.

[0041] 3) By controlling the pressing component and the pressing mechanism to descend synchronously, the pressing component presses the corresponding position of the cable onto the guide groove, thereby fixing the cable in the opposite direction of the pressing direction. This allows the pressing mechanism to continue moving downwards, causing the lower roller to move axially along the cable feeding groove to complete the cable pressing into the cable feeding seat. Attached Figure Description

[0042] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electrical connector assembly device provided in the embodiments of this specification;

[0044] Figure 2 This is a top view of the electrical connector assembly equipment provided in an embodiment of this specification when the carrier is in the pre-clamp position;

[0045] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the support seat when it is located in the first preset detection position according to the embodiments of this specification;

[0046] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the plug-in assembly provided in the embodiments of this specification when it is located in the second preset detection position;

[0047] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the cable being pressed together in the positioning mechanism according to an embodiment of this specification.

[0048] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the pressing component provided in the embodiments of this specification;

[0049] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the positioning mechanism provided in the embodiments of this specification;

[0050] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the winding assembly provided in the embodiments of this specification;

[0051] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating an electrical connector assembly method provided in an embodiment of this specification.

[0052] The corresponding reference numerals in the figure are as follows:

[0053] 1. Bearing base, 101. Limiting groove, 2. Positioning mechanism, 3. First clamping mechanism, 4. First moving module, 7. Second clamping mechanism, 8. Second moving module, 9. Electrical connector body, 10. X-axis moving module, 11. Cover plate, 12. First industrial camera, 13. Second industrial camera, 14. Base, 141. Wire storage groove, 15. Wire winding assembly, 16. Pressing mechanism, 161. Roller, 162. Rotating shaft, 17. Fixed base, 19. Guide base, 191. Guide groove, 20. Pressing component, 21. Wire feeding base, 211. Wire feeding groove, 22. Clamping assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0054] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0055] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0056] Example 1:

[0057] like Figure 1-8 As shown in the figure, this specification provides an electrical connector assembly device, including:

[0058] The cable clamping assembly is used to pick up and put down cables with metal contacts. The cable clamping assembly includes a support base 1, a positioning mechanism 2 and a first clamping mechanism 3. The support base 1 is provided with multiple limiting grooves 101. The metal contact at the cable head is provided with a snap-fit ​​part. The radial dimension of the snap-fit ​​part is larger than the maximum radial dimension of the limiting groove 101. When the cable is placed in the limiting groove 101, the snap-fit ​​part is tightly attached to the front end face of the limiting groove 101. Under the action of the first moving module 4, the first clamping mechanism 3 clamps the metal contact and moves it upward along the axial direction of the limiting groove 101 to a preset position above the positioning assembly and puts the cable into the positioning mechanism 2.

[0059] The plug-in assembly is used to clamp the electrical connector body 9 to complete the fixed connection with the cable. The plug-in assembly is located on the side of the positioning mechanism 2 away from the carrier 1. The plug-in assembly includes a second clamping mechanism 7 and a second moving module 8. In the initial state, the second clamping mechanism 7 clamps the electrical connector body 9 horizontally. Under the drive of the second moving module 8, the second clamping mechanism 7 moves in the direction close to the cable to complete the plug-in process of the metal contact and the opening of the electrical connector body 9.

[0060] Specifically, the first moving module 4 is a Y-axis moving module, which drives the cable clamping component to move in the Y direction by sliding on its corresponding Y-axis guide rail; the second moving module 8 is an XYZ servo module, which realizes the movement of the plug-in component in the X, Y, and Z directions by sliding its included X-axis moving module, X-axis moving module and Z-axis moving module on their respective X-axis guide rail, Y-axis guide rail and Z-axis guide rail.

[0061] Preferably, it also includes a first industrial camera 12 and a controller. The first industrial camera 12 and the controller are electrically connected. The first industrial camera 12 is located above the support 1. The controller is used to determine the relative positional relationship between the metal contact of the cable and the limiting groove 101 based on the image captured by the first industrial camera 12 at the cable pre-clamping position.

[0062] Specifically, a ring light source is installed between the first industrial camera 12 and the carrier 1. Cables are placed sequentially from right to left into the corresponding limiting grooves 101 on the carrier 1. Before the cable to be inserted on the carrier 1 is moved to the pre-clamping position, the cable on the limiting groove 101 on the carrier 1 with the cable placed needs to be detected. When the exposed length of the metal contact relative to the limiting groove 101 is detected to be greater than a threshold, it is determined that the placement standard is met.

[0063] When it is detected that cables are placed in corresponding positions in the limiting grooves 101 of the carrier 1, the first moving module 4 is controlled to move the carrier 1 to the first preset detection position. This allows the first industrial camera 12 to capture images of the cables connected to metal contacts within the first detection range. The position of the metal contact is found using the HSV color space extraction algorithm, and the corresponding position of the limiting groove 101 is found using the Hough line transform algorithm. Based on the positional relationship between the metal contact and the limiting groove 101, it is determined whether the placement of the cable conforms to the preset position, ensuring that when the limiting groove 101 moves to the corresponding position in the X direction, the cable it carries is accurately located at the pre-clamping position. The HSV color space extraction and Hough line transform algorithms are existing technologies and will not be described further in this application.

[0064] The first detection range is related to the height of the first industrial camera 12 relative to the carrier 1, and the first preset detection position is the center position of the first detection range.

[0065] In this embodiment, the first detection range corresponding to the first industrial camera 12 cannot cover all the limiting grooves 101 on the carrier 1. Therefore, when the number of cables to be plugged into the electrical connector assembly exceeds a certain number, the carrier 1 needs to be moved by the X-direction moving module 10 to complete the detection process of all the limiting grooves 101 carrying the cables and their corresponding cables.

[0066] It should be noted that when the cable with metal contacts is placed on the carrier 1 manually, the cable is not precisely positioned, that is, the position of the metal contacts cannot be accurately positioned. There may be a phenomenon that the snap-fit ​​part of the metal contacts is not tightly attached to the front end face of the limiting groove 101. As a result, when the cable is placed in the positioning mechanism 2 after the quantitative movement is completed, the metal contacts in the positioning mechanism 2 cannot be accurately inserted into the electrical connector body 9.

[0067] Therefore, by setting the first industrial camera 12 to acquire images above the limiting groove 101 and the cable, this application can obtain the positional relationship between the metal contact and the limiting groove 101, thereby determining whether the cable and its metal contact are located in the set standard position, that is, whether they are accurately located in the pre-clamping position. This achieves accurate positioning of the cable picking position corresponding to the carrier 1, thereby ensuring the accuracy of placing the cable and metal contact on the positioning mechanism 2 after the subsequent automated clamping process is completed, so as to achieve accurate insertion of the metal contact of the cable connection in its corresponding insertion position.

[0068] Preferably, it also includes a second industrial camera 13, which is electrically connected to the controller. The second industrial camera 13 is located in front of the second clamping mechanism 7, and the controller is used to determine the relative positional relationship between the hole to be inserted and the center of the electrical connector body 9 based on the image captured by the second industrial camera 13 at the pre-insertion position.

[0069] Specifically, a ring light source is installed between the second industrial camera 13 and the plug-in assembly located at the pre-plugging position. The second moving module 8 is controlled to move the plug-in assembly to the second preset detection position. The second industrial camera 13 is controlled to take a picture of the electrical connector body 9 to obtain a target image. Since each opening of the electrical connector body 9 is provided with a corresponding hole position number, it is determined whether the hole position number displayed in the target image is clear. If it is clear, it is determined that the electrical connector held by the plug-in assembly is in a horizontal state and its axis is in the Y direction.

[0070] Simultaneously, the controller uses the Hough circle transform algorithm to detect the position of the opening on the electrical connector body based on the target image, and uses a binarized image algorithm to detect the opening with the hole number 1. Coordinate transformation is then used to calculate the real-world coordinate position corresponding to the center position of the opening in the image. Similarly, the real-world coordinate positions of openings with other hole numbers can be detected.

[0071] It should be noted that metal wire feeders are generally used for electrical connector insertion, but metal wire feeders are expensive; plastic wire feeders are cheaper, but because plastic is soft, they are easily damaged during insertion if the insertion position is not accurate or the angle is off, resulting in a large amount of equipment consumption.

[0072] Therefore, this application achieves accurate calculation of the opening position and cable placement position by proposing the above-mentioned detection method and hardware control process, and the insertion accuracy can reach 0.02mm. It can accurately insert the cable into the electrical connector body, so that a plastic cable feeder can be used to insert the cable without worrying about the large consumption of equipment, effectively reducing production costs.

[0073] Preferably, the multiple limiting grooves 101 are arranged at equal intervals.

[0074] Preferably, an X-axis moving module 10 is fixedly provided below the support base 1. The X-axis moving module 10 moves in the axial direction that is located in the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the limiting groove 101. The X-axis moving module 10 is used to move along the X direction after the cable is plugged into the limiting groove 101 located at the cable pre-clamping position, so that the adjacent limiting groove 101 corresponding to the currently plugged cable moves to the cable pre-clamping position.

[0075] Specifically, the pre-insertion position of the insertion opening on the electrical connector body 9 and the pre-clamping position of the cable are preset. The control clamp moves the insertion component of the electrical connector body 9 to the corresponding position so that the current insertion opening of the electrical connector body 9 is located in the pre-insertion position; the control X-axis moving module 10 drives the carrier 1 to move in the X-axis direction to the corresponding position so that the cable to be inserted is located in the clamping position; then the control first clamping mechanism 3 can clamp the cable and move it forward to place the cable in the positioning mechanism 2 so that the cable is in the insertion position. At this time, the center of the insertion opening coincides with the axial direction of the metal contact of the cable head end to be inserted.

[0076] The first clamping mechanism 3 moves forward in the Y-direction, which is the direction from the pre-clamping position to the insertion position. The X-direction is... Figure 2 The vertical direction in the middle, the Y direction is Figure 2 The left and right directions in the middle.

[0077] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, in this embodiment, the initial position of the carrier 1 corresponds to the leftmost position of the guide rail slidably connected below the X-axis moving module 10. When the plugging component moves to the position where the current plugging opening of the electrical connector body 9 is located in the pre-plugging position, the X-axis moving module 10 drives the carrier 1 to move from left to right so that the cable in the rightmost limiting groove 101 on the carrier 1 is in the pre-clamping position.

[0078] The first clamping mechanism 3 is controlled to clamp the cable to be plugged in from the pre-clamping position, and after moving a preset distance forward in the Y direction, it is accurately placed on the positioning mechanism 2 so that the cable is accurately located in the corresponding plugging position.

[0079] Then control the plugging assembly to move toward the positioning mechanism 2 so that the hole to be plugged in moves closer to the cable along the direction aligned with the metal contact. After it moves a corresponding distance, the metal contact on the cable at the plugging position is inserted into the hole to be plugged in so that its corresponding snap-fit ​​part is snapped into the corresponding position in the hole, thus completing the fixed connection between the current hole of the electrical connector body 9 and the first cable.

[0080] After the first cable is plugged in, the plugging assembly is moved, or the second clamping mechanism 7 on the plugging assembly that holds the electrical connector body 5 is rotated around its axis, or both are controlled together, to switch the next hole to be plugged in to the pre-plugging position.

[0081] The control X-axis moving module 10 drives the carrier 1 to move a fixed distance to its right. This fixed distance is equal to the distance between adjacent limiting grooves 101, so that the cable in the second limiting groove 101 from the rightmost side on the carrier 1 is switched to the pre-clamping position to perform the above-mentioned insertion process.

[0082] Repeat the above steps until all cables, matching the number of openings 101 on the electrical connector body 5, are plugged into the corresponding openings 101, thus completing the electrical connector assembly process.

[0083] Preferably, a cover plate 11 is provided above the support seat 1. The cover plate 11 is used to press the cable onto the support plate after the cable is placed in the limiting groove 101 to limit the cable in the vertical direction.

[0084] The cover plate 11 is a transparent pressure plate. When the cable moves forward horizontally after being clamped by the first clamping mechanism 3, the cable moves forward by passing through the limiting groove 101 and is flattened and straightened under the action of the transparent pressure plate.

[0085] Preferably, the positioning mechanism 2 includes a cable feeder 21, on which a cable feeder groove 211 is provided. The cable feeder groove 211 is used to carry and limit the cable and its metal contacts. The size of the cable feeder 21 gradually decreases in the direction toward the pre-insertion position of the electrical connector body. The radial dimension of the end of the cable feeder groove 211 is smaller than the radial dimension of the snap-fit ​​portion of the exposed metal contact relative to the end of the cable feeder groove 211.

[0086] Meanwhile, the assembly equipment also includes a pressing mechanism 16, which is located at the rear end of the first clamping mechanism 3, and the bottom of the pressing mechanism 16 is tilted forward.

[0087] When the first clamping mechanism 3 clamps the cable and places it on the cable feeding groove 211, the pressing mechanism 16 descends and abuts against the cable located in the cable feeding groove 211, and then rotates around the fixed seat 17 rotatably connected to it, so as to press the cable and its metal contacts to the bottom of the cable feeding groove 211 by moving along the extension direction of the cable feeding groove 211.

[0088] Preferably, the assembly equipment further includes a guide seat 19, which is located at the rear end of the wire feeder 21. The guide seat 19 has a guide groove 191, the axial direction of which coincides with the axial direction of the wire feeder 211.

[0089] At this time, the pressing mechanism 16 continues to move downward and abuts against the corresponding position of the cable in the cable delivery groove 211. As the pressing mechanism 16 continues to descend, it begins to rotate around the fixed base 17 connected above it, so that its bottom moves along the axial direction of the cable delivery groove 211 to press the corresponding positions of the metal contact and the cable flat against the bottom of the cable delivery groove 211. This completes the accurate longitudinal positioning of the metal contact and the cable near the position of the metal contact, so as to ensure the accuracy of subsequent insertion with the electrical connector body 9.

[0090] It should be noted that during the pressing process of the cable and the metal contact, the first clamping mechanism 3 always maintains a clamping state on the metal contact to ensure that the forward thrust generated when the bottom of the pressing mechanism 16 moves forward causes the cable to slide in the cable feed groove 211, changing its position relative to the cable feed groove 211. This results in a change in the length of the exposed metal contact relative to the cable feed base 21, which does not match the travel distance of the electrical connector body 9 during the automatic insertion process, affecting the accuracy of the automatic insertion.

[0091] Preferably, the pressing mechanism 16 includes a rotating shaft 162 and a roller 161. The roller 161 is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft 162. The roller 161 rolls and presses the cable during the movement of the pressing mechanism 16 along the extension direction of the cable feeding groove 211.

[0092] Specifically, the pressing mechanism 16 includes a straight connecting column, a roller 161 and a rotating shaft 162. The rotating shaft 162 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the straight connecting column, and the axial direction of the rotating shaft 162 is in the X direction. The roller 161 is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft 162.

[0093] The straight connecting post is inclined forward at the bottom, and its upper end is rotatably connected to the fixed base 17. When the fixed base 17 moves downward, it drives the pressing mechanism 16 to move downward synchronously and abut against the cable in the cable feed trough 211. As the fixed base 17 continues to descend, the straight connecting post rotates around the connection position with the fixed base 17, so that the straight connecting post moves along the extension direction of the cable feed trough 211. At the same time, the roller 161 at its bottom rolls along the extension direction of the cable feed trough to press the cable and metal contact in the cable feed trough 211 so that the corresponding position is flat against the bottom of the cable feed trough 211, thus completing the positioning of the metal contact.

[0094] The pressing mechanism 16 extends along the wire feeding groove 211 in a direction from back to front, that is, from the cable to the metal contact.

[0095] Preferably, the upper end of the pressing mechanism 16 is provided with reset springs on both sides. After the pressing mechanism 16 completes the cable pressing process, the reset springs reset so as to drive the pressing mechanism 16 to move back to the initial state.

[0096] Specifically, the rotatable connection position of the straight connecting column on the fixed base 17 is at a certain distance from the bottom end of the fixed base 17.

[0097] The fixed base 17 has mounting points for the return spring on both sides of the corresponding position of this distance, preferably located in the middle of this distance; the straight connecting column of the pressing mechanism 16 also has mounting points for the return spring on both sides, preferably located at the center of both sides of the straight connecting column. The mounting points on the fixed base 17 and the mounting points on the straight connecting column are fixedly connected to the two ends of the return spring respectively.

[0098] During the pressing process of the pressing mechanism 16 pressing the cable and metal connector 6, the return spring is stretched as the straight connecting column rotates counterclockwise. After the pressing process is completed, the control fixing seat 17 is raised. At this time, the return spring is reset to quickly drive the pressing mechanism 16 to rotate clockwise to return to its initial position.

[0099] Preferably, the electrical connector assembly equipment further includes a pressing member 20, which is fixedly disposed at the lower end of the fixed base 17. The pressing member 20 descends synchronously during the descent of the pressing mechanism 16 to press the cable located in the guide groove 191 to the bottom of the guide groove 191.

[0100] Preferably, a clamping assembly 22 is provided between the cable feeder 21 and the guide seat 19. The clamping assembly 22 includes two clamping members, which are symmetrically arranged based on the axial direction of the cable feeder groove 211. The two clamping members are used to clamp the cable located therebetween before the cable feeder 21 is inserted into the electrical connector body 9.

[0101] Specifically, the bottom of the pressing member 20 is parallel to the bottom of the pressing mechanism 16. When the first clamping mechanism 3 places the cable and its front-end connected metal contact in the cable feeding groove 211 by clamping the metal contact, the control base 17 is lowered, so that the pressing mechanism 16 and the pressing member 20 move downward synchronously. When the pressing mechanism 16 completes the pressing of the cable and the metal contact, the pressing member 20 abuts against the corresponding position of the cable in the guide groove 191.

[0102] At this time, the two clamping members of the control clamping assembly 22 clamp the cable between the guide groove 191 and the cable feed groove 211 to prevent the cable located in the cable feed base 21 from moving backward relative to the cable feed base 21 during the insertion process with the electrical connector body 9, which would affect the accuracy of the insertion.

[0103] The lowering member 20 presses down on the corresponding position of the cable located at the end of the guide groove 191 near the clamping assembly 22 to fix it, thereby limiting the cable in the vertical direction and ensuring that the cable in the cable delivery groove 211 will not be lifted after the clamping assembly 22 clamps the cable at the corresponding position.

[0104] Preferably, the assembly equipment further includes a base 14, and the first clamping mechanism 3 and the second clamping mechanism 7 are slidably connected to the base 14. The base 14 is provided with a wire storage groove 141, which is located near the pre-insertion position.

[0105] The cable storage trough 141 is provided with a liftable cable winding assembly 15, which includes two parallel rollers. The distance between the closest positions of the two rollers matches the size of the cable. The two rollers rotate about their respective axes in opposite directions to pull out the cable located in the cable clamping assembly.

[0106] The initial position of the winding assembly 15 is set in the cable storage trough 141. When the second clamping mechanism 7 returns to the pre-insertion position after completing the insertion process, the winding assembly 15 rises relative to the cable storage trough 141 to insert the cable between the two rollers and press it tightly against the roller wall.

[0107] By combining the cable reel assembly 15 and the cable storage trough 141, after the cable and connector body 9 are connected, the cable located in the positioning mechanism 2 can be quickly pulled out by the cable reel assembly 15 and brought to the cable storage trough 141 located below the cable reel assembly 15. This effectively shortens the assembly time of the connector and keeps the rear end of the connected cable vertically in the cable storage trough 141, thus avoiding affecting the connection process of subsequent cables.

[0108] like Figure 9 As shown in the figure, this specification provides an embodiment of an electrical connector assembly method, which is implemented based on the electrical connector assembly equipment in Embodiment 1. The method includes:

[0109] S100: When it is detected that a cable is placed in part or all of the limiting grooves 101 of the support seat 1, the support seat 1 is controlled to move to the first preset detection position to detect the exposed length of the metal contact at the end of the cable relative to the limiting groove 101 to ensure that its placement position is correct.

[0110] In this embodiment, when the number of openings on the electrical connector body 9 is less than the number of limiting grooves 101 on the carrier 1, the number of cables corresponding to the number of openings is placed sequentially starting from the rightmost limiting groove 101 of the carrier 1, so as to facilitate the successive completion of the insertion process of each cable.

[0111] S200: When it is detected that the plugging assembly is holding the electrical connector body 9, the plugging assembly is controlled to move to a second preset detection position to detect the hole position information of the opening on the electrical connector body 9;

[0112] In one specific embodiment, detecting the hole position information on the electrical connector body 9 includes, prior to:

[0113] The second industrial camera 13 is controlled to capture a target image of the electrical connector body 9. The electrical connector body 9 has a hole number corresponding to the opening.

[0114] Determine whether the hole position numbers displayed in the target image are clear;

[0115] If clear, it is determined that the electrical connector body 9 held by the plugging assembly is in a horizontal state and its axis is in the Y direction.

[0116] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the second industrial camera 13 is fixed in a specific position so that its axis, i.e., the shooting direction, is in the Y-direction. Therefore, by determining whether the hole position number corresponding to the opening on the end face of the electrical connector body 9 on the target image is clear, it is determined whether the end face of the electrical connector body 9 at the current position is parallel or nearly parallel to the lens of the second industrial camera 13.

[0117] If the hole number is unclear, it is assumed that the angle between the electrical connector body and the lens of the second industrial camera 13 is too large, that is, the axis of the electrical connector body 9 is not located in the Y direction or cannot approach the Y direction.

[0118] S300: Control the first clamping mechanism 3 to clamp the cable and place it on the corresponding insertion position on the positioning mechanism 2;

[0119] In one specific embodiment, step S300 involves controlling the first clamping mechanism 3 to clamp the cable and place it at the corresponding insertion position on the positioning mechanism 2, followed by:

[0120] After the control pressing mechanism 16 descends to abut against the cable located in the cable delivery groove, it rotates around the fixed base 17 that is rotatably connected to it.

[0121] The bottom roller 161 rolls along the extension direction of the cable feeding groove to press the cable and its metal contacts into the positioning mechanism 2.

[0122] In one specific implementation, the method further includes:

[0123] During the descent of the pressing mechanism 16, the lowering component 20 is simultaneously controlled to descend, pressing the cable against the bottom of the guide groove 191 of the guide seat 19 at the corresponding position.

[0124] This facilitates the pressing mechanism 16 to continue descending to complete the pressing process of the cable and its metal contacts in the cable feeder 21.

[0125] In one specific implementation, the method further includes:

[0126] After the pressing process of the cable and its metal contacts is completed, the two clamping members are controlled to move relative to each other to clamp the cable located between them.

[0127] This facilitates the insertion process of the metal contact and the electrical connector body 9.

[0128] S400: Adjust the position of the plugging component according to the cable placement position on the positioning mechanism 2 and the hole position information, so that the position of the target opening to be plugged in coincides with the pre-plugging position in the Y direction to complete the plugging process of the metal contact and the target opening of the electrical connector body 9.

[0129] The number of cables placed on the support 1 is the same as the number of holes on the electrical connector body 9.

[0130] In one specific embodiment, the position of the insertion component is adjusted according to the cable placement position on the positioning mechanism 2 and the hole position information, so that the position of the target opening to be inserted coincides with the pre-insertion position in the Y direction, before which the following is included:

[0131] The Z and X coordinates of the hole to be inserted are obtained based on the hole position information;

[0132] Compare the Z and X coordinates of all the holes to be inserted, and select the hole with the smallest Z coordinate and the largest X coordinate as the target hole.

[0133] Among them, based on Figure 2 The origin is at the bottom right corner. Figure 2 The positive x-axis is defined from bottom to top. Figure 2 The positive Y-axis is located from right to left.

[0134] In this embodiment, the openings on the electrical connector body 9 are arranged in a rectangular, equally spaced matrix. Therefore, this application sets the cable insertion sequence to be from bottom to top and from right to left, completing the insertion process in a Z-shape. That is, the opening with the smallest Z coordinate and the largest X coordinate is selected as the first opening to be inserted, and then the openings with the same X coordinate and successively increasing Z coordinate are inserted.

[0135] After the cable connection of this column of openings is completed, select the column of openings with the second largest X coordinate and complete the connection from bottom to top until the cable connection of all openings is completed in the above manner, thus completing the electrical connector assembly process.

[0136] In one specific embodiment, the process of inserting the metal contact into the target opening of the electrical connector body 9 includes, prior to:

[0137] The control cable clamping assembly and pressing mechanism 16 return to their initial positions.

[0138] In one specific embodiment, after completing the insertion process of the metal contact with the target opening of the electrical connector body 9, the process includes:

[0139] The control clamp moves the insertion assembly of the electrical connector body 9 in a direction away from the positioning mechanism 2 back to the initial position to pull the cable out of the positioning mechanism 2.

[0140] In another specific embodiment, after completing the insertion process of the metal contact with the target opening of the electrical connector body 9, the process includes:

[0141] As the control clamp holds the insertion assembly of the electrical connector body 9 and moves away from the positioning mechanism 2, the cable winding assembly 15 is simultaneously raised to secure the cable tightly between the two rollers.

[0142] The control rotates about their respective axes in opposite directions to pull out all the cables located in the positioning mechanism 2 so that the cables are collected into the cable storage trough.

[0143] In one specific embodiment, the cable is pulled out of the positioning mechanism 2 or all the cable located in the positioning mechanism 2 is pulled out so that the cable is received into the cable storage trough, followed by:

[0144] The X-direction moving module 10 is controlled to move a preset distance along the X direction so that the adjacent limiting groove 101 corresponding to the currently plugged cable moves to the cable pre-clamping position.

[0145] The preset distance is the distance between adjacent limiting grooves.

[0146] By proposing the electrical connector assembly method of this application, the cable placement position can be quickly detected and the hole position of the electrical connector body 9 can be located by using a visual inspection algorithm based on the acquired image information. Combined with the electrical connector assembly equipment of this application, the automated insertion between the cable and the electrical connector body 9 can be realized, effectively ensuring the quality of electrical connector assembly.

[0147] While the present invention has been described through preferred embodiments, it is not limited to the embodiments described herein, and various changes and modifications are made without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0148] In this document, the directional terms such as front, back, top, and bottom are defined based on the location of the components in the accompanying drawings and their relative positions to each other, solely for the purpose of clarity and convenience in expressing the technical solution. It should be understood that the use of these directional terms should not limit the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0149] Where there is no conflict, the above embodiments and features described herein can be combined with each other.

[0150] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Therefore, any equivalent variations made in accordance with the claims of the present invention are still within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for assembling an electrical connector, characterized in that, The method is applied to an electrical connector assembly equipment, which includes a cable clamping assembly and a plugging assembly. The cable clamping assembly includes a carrier (1), a positioning mechanism (2), and a first clamping mechanism (3). The method includes: When it is detected that cables are placed in some or all of the limiting grooves (101) of the carrier (1), the carrier (1) is controlled to move to a first preset detection position to detect the exposed length of the metal contact at the end of the cable relative to the limiting groove (101) to ensure that its placement position is correct. A first industrial camera (12) is provided in the opposite direction of the first preset detection position. The first industrial camera (12) determines the positional relationship between the cable and the limiting groove (101) by taking pictures of the cable and the limiting groove (101). The metal contact is provided with The device includes a snap-fit ​​part. When the cable is placed in the limiting groove (101), the snap-fit ​​part is tightly attached to the front end face of the limiting groove (101). The device also includes a controller, a first industrial camera (12) and the controller are electrically connected. When the plug-in assembly is detected to be holding the electrical connector body (9), the plug-in assembly is controlled to move to a second preset detection position to detect the hole position information of the opening on the electrical connector body (9). A second industrial camera (13) is provided in the opposite direction of the second preset detection position. The second industrial camera (13) determines the position information of the electrical connector body (9) by taking pictures of it. The first clamping mechanism (3) is provided with a pressing mechanism (16) with its bottom tilted forward. The pressing mechanism (16) is provided with a pressing member (20) behind it. A guide seat (19) is provided below the pressing member (20). The positioning mechanism (2) includes a wire feeder (21). Control the first clamping mechanism (3) to clamp the cable and place it in the pre-insertion position of the positioning mechanism (2); The position of the plugging component is adjusted according to the cable placement position on the positioning mechanism (2) and the hole position information, so that the position of the target opening to be plugged in coincides with the pre-plugging position in the Y direction to complete the plugging process of the metal contact and the target opening of the electrical connector body (9). The number of cables placed on the carrier (1) is the same as the number of holes on the electrical connector body (9); the multiple limiting grooves (101) on the carrier (1) are arranged at equal intervals, and an X-axis moving module (10) is fixedly provided below the carrier (1).

2. The electrical connector assembly method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Detecting the hole position information on the electrical connector body (9) includes the following steps: The second industrial camera (13) is controlled to take a picture of the electrical connector body (9) to obtain a target image. The electrical connector body (9) has a hole number corresponding to the opening. Determine whether the hole position numbers displayed in the target image are clear; If clear, it is determined that the electrical connector body (9) held by the plug assembly is in a horizontal state and its axis is in the Y direction.

3. The electrical connector assembly method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The position of the plugging assembly is adjusted according to the cable placement position on the positioning mechanism (2) and the hole position information, so that the position of the target opening to be plugged in coincides with the pre-plugging position in the Y direction, including: The Z and X coordinates of the hole to be inserted are obtained based on the hole position information; Compare the Z and X coordinates of all the holes to be inserted, and select the hole with the smallest Z coordinate and the largest X coordinate as the target hole.

4. The electrical connector assembly method according to claim 1, wherein a pressing mechanism (16) with its bottom tilted forward is provided behind the first clamping mechanism (3), characterized in that, The first clamping mechanism (3) is controlled to clamp the cable and place it in the pre-insertion position of the positioning mechanism (2). The cable feeder (21) is provided with a cable feed groove (211). The following are further details: After the control pressing mechanism (16) descends and comes into contact with the cable located in the cable feed groove (211), it rotates around the fixed base (17) rotatably connected to it, so that its bottom roller (161) rolls along the extension direction of the cable feed groove to press the cable and its metal contacts into the positioning mechanism (2).

5. The electrical connector assembly method according to claim 4, wherein a pressing member (20) is provided behind the pressing mechanism (16), a guide seat (19) is correspondingly provided below the pressing member (20), and the positioning mechanism (2) includes a wire feeder (21), characterized in that, The method further includes: During the descent of the pressing mechanism (16), the pressing component (20) is simultaneously controlled to descend and press the corresponding position of the cable against the bottom of the guide groove (191) of the guide seat (19), so that the pressing mechanism (16) can continue to descend to complete the pressing process of the cable and its metal contact in the cable feeder (21).

6. The electrical connector assembly method according to claim 5, wherein a clamping assembly (22) is provided between the guide seats (19), The clamping assembly (22) includes two clamping members, which are symmetrically arranged based on the axial direction of the wire feeder (21), characterized in that... The method further includes: After the pressing process of the cable and its metal contacts is completed, the two clamping members are controlled to move relative to each other to clamp the position. The cable is used to facilitate the insertion process of the metal contact and the electrical connector body (9).

7. The electrical connector assembly method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After completing the insertion process of the metal contact with the target opening of the electrical connector body (9), the process includes: The control clamp moves the insertion assembly of the electrical connector body (9) away from the positioning mechanism (2) back to the initial position to pull the cable out of the positioning mechanism (2).

8. The electrical connector assembly method according to claim 7, wherein a liftable winding assembly (15) is provided between the insertion assembly at the initial position and the positioning mechanism (2), the initial position of the winding assembly (15) is located in the wire storage groove, and the winding assembly (15) includes two parallel rollers, characterized in that, The method further includes: As the insertion assembly holding the electrical connector body (9) moves away from the positioning mechanism (2), the cable winding assembly (15) is simultaneously controlled to rise to press the cable tightly between the two rollers. Control the rotation about their respective axes based on opposite rotational directions to pull out all the cables located in the positioning mechanism (2) so that the cables are collected into the cable storage trough.

9. The electrical connector assembly method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of limiting grooves (101) on the carrier (1) are arranged at equal intervals, and an X-axis moving module (10) is fixedly provided below the carrier (1), characterized in that, After completing the insertion process of the metal contact with the target opening of the electrical connector body (9), the process includes: Control the X-direction moving module (10) to move a preset distance along the X direction so that the adjacent limiting groove (101) of the limiting groove (101) corresponding to the currently plugged cable moves to the cable pre-clamping position; The preset distance is the distance between adjacent limiting grooves.

Images