A method and apparatus for dispensing a connector

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of a connector production process, in particular to a connector dispensing method and device; the connector dispensing method comprises the following steps: fixing a male connector in advance; inserting a female connector pre-assembled with a wire harness into the male connector, so that a plurality of PIN pins at one end of the wire harness are inserted into corresponding pin holes arranged on the male connector; dispensing at a dispensing end of the female connector, and fixing the one end of the wire harness in the female connector. The male connector and the female connector are dispensed after being inserted, so that the PIN pins are limited in the optimal insertion position, and the PIN pins can also effectively avoid the skew phenomenon possibly occurring in the dispensing operation process because the PIN pins are limited by the pin holes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of connector manufacturing processes, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for dispensing adhesive into connectors. Background Technology

[0002] Connector dispensing generally refers to the process of using a high-precision dispensing machine to directly apply fluid rubber, AB glue, or UV glue to a small contact area on the connector surface. This greatly reduces the waste of glue material. The glue will cure under specific conditions to achieve the requirements of auxiliary fixing and bonding or waterproof sealing. Moreover, the molded glue is flexible and has good shock resistance, impact resistance, and deformation resistance.

[0003] In existing wire-to-wire connectors, during the dispensing process, the pins can still move within a certain range after passing through the housing. After dispensing, the weight of the glue or the dispensing machine touching the wires of the wire harness can cause the pins to become misaligned. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for dispensing adhesive into connectors, in order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0005] To achieve this objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for dispensing adhesive into a connector, comprising:

[0007] Pre-fix the male connector head;

[0008] Insert the pre-assembled wire harness female connector into the connector male connector, so that several pins connected to one end of the wire harness are inserted into the corresponding pin holes on the connector male connector.

[0009] Apply adhesive to the end of the connector female connector to fix one end of the wire harness in the connector female connector;

[0010] The dispensing end is the end of the connector female head that is furthest from the connector male head.

[0011] Optionally, before inserting the pre-assembled female connector with the wire harness onto the male connector, and inserting the plurality of pins connected to one end of the wire harness into the corresponding pin holes on the male connector, the method further includes:

[0012] Pre-assemble the wire harness onto the connector female;

[0013] The pre-assembly of the wire harness onto the connector female head specifically includes:

[0014] Align the plurality of PIN pins with the corresponding positioning through holes on the dispensing end;

[0015] The pins are passed through their respective positioning holes and inserted into the slots of the connector female.

[0016] Because the positioning through hole of the connector female is equipped with a limit guide structure, after the PIN pin is inserted into the positioning through hole, it can only move forward along the positioning through hole. The positioning through hole can position the stroke of the PIN pin. At this time, if there is no external force, the PIN pin is not easy to shake or bend. In this way, after the wire harness is pre-assembled on the connector female, it can meet the requirement that when the connector female and connector male are plugged into each other, the PIN pin is also inserted into the corresponding pin hole on the connector male.

[0017] Optionally, the step of applying adhesive to the end of the connector female to fix one end of the wire harness in the connector female specifically includes:

[0018] Apply glue into each gap between the glue dispensing ends;

[0019] Curing the adhesive injected into the gaps between each dot;

[0020] The wire harness includes several wires connected to pins at one end, and the adhesive dispensing gap is the gap between the wire and the inner wall of the corresponding positioning through hole.

[0021] The purpose of applying adhesive is to fix the wires that extend into the positioning through-holes. Since the guide and the PIN pin are integrated or fixedly connected, the position of the PIN pin is also fixed after the wires are fixed.

[0022] Optionally, the adhesive is a UV adhesive;

[0023] The adhesive that is cured and injected into the gaps between each dot specifically includes:

[0024] Irradiate the dispensing end with ultraviolet light; or place the female connector and male connector in the plug-in configuration together in an ultraviolet radiation environment.

[0025] The UV adhesive will cure completely after the preset curing time.

[0026] Optionally, after applying adhesive to the end of the connector head to fix one end of the wire harness in the connector head, the process further includes:

[0027] Disconnect the female connector from the male connector and inspect the quality of the adhesive application on the female connector.

[0028] Secondly, the present invention also provides a connector dispensing apparatus, applied to the aforementioned connector dispensing method, comprising a dispensing fixture for fixing the male connector and a dispensing machine for applying dispensing to the female connector.

[0029] Optionally, the dispensing fixture is provided with a guide hole for fixing the male connector; the guide hole is also used for sliding engagement with the female connector, so that the female connector is aligned and inserted into the male connector.

[0030] The process of aligning and inserting the female connector head into the male connector head specifically includes:

[0031] Align the slotted end of the connector female with the guide hole and insert it;

[0032] Drive the female connector head to slide along the guide hole toward the male connector head until it is fully inserted with the male connector head.

[0033] The dispensing fixture can guide the female and male connector heads to align and insert, improving work efficiency.

[0034] Optionally, the dispensing of adhesive at the connector female end specifically involves:

[0035] The dispensing machine sequentially applies glue into each dispensing gap at the dispensing end;

[0036] The wire harness includes several wires connected to pins at one end, and the adhesive dispensing gap is the gap between the wire and the inner wall of the corresponding positioning through hole.

[0037] Optionally, the connector dispensing apparatus further includes a curing unit for curing the adhesive injected into each dispensing gap; the adhesive is a UV adhesive.

[0038] The curing unit is an ultraviolet irradiation lamp for irradiating ultraviolet light onto the dispensing end, or an ultraviolet radiation chamber for placing the female and male connector heads in the plug-in configuration.

[0039] Optionally, the dispensing fixture is provided with a plurality of guide holes;

[0040] The dispensing fixture is detachably fixed to a mounting base on the side away from the connector female head, and the mounting base is fixed to the dispensing operation platform.

[0041] The dispensing fixture can support dispensing multiple wire harnesses simultaneously, greatly improving dispensing efficiency.

[0042] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0043] The male and female connectors are glued after insertion, which helps to ensure that the pins are in the optimal insertion position. Also, because the pins are limited by the pin holes, it can effectively prevent the pins from becoming skewed during the glue dispensing process. Attached Figure Description

[0044] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0045] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a connector dispensing method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram of a connector dispensing device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram showing the interlocking of a male connector and a female connector pre-assembled with a wire harness, as provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the connector female head provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] In the picture:

[0050] 10. Dispensing fixture; 11. Guide hole; 20. Wire harness; 21. Wire; 30. Connector female head; 31. Dispensing end; 301. Positioning through hole; 32. Slot; 40. Connector male head. Detailed Implementation

[0051] To make the objectives, features, and advantages of this invention more apparent and understandable, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described below are only some embodiments of this invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0052] Example 1:

[0053] This embodiment provides a method for dispensing adhesive into a connector. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a connector dispensing method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The connector dispensing method specifically includes:

[0054] S110, Pre-fix the male connector.

[0055] The connector in this embodiment includes a male connector head and a female connector head that can be plugged into each other; in this step, one end of the male connector head is provided with a plurality of pin holes for inserting PIN pins.

[0056] S120. Pre-assemble the wire harness onto the connector female.

[0057] In this step, one end of the female connector is designated as a plug-in end, which has a slot, and one end of the male connector can engage and be fixed with the slot; the other end of the female connector is designated as a dispensing end, which has several positioning through holes extending into the slot; S120 specifically includes:

[0058] Align the pins of the male connector with the corresponding positioning holes on the dispensing end;

[0059] Pass the male connector pins through the positioning holes and insert them into the slots of the female connector.

[0060] This step involves inserting one end of the wire harness into the female connector for pre-assembly. At this stage, no glue is applied between the positioning through hole and the wire of the wire harness for fixation.

[0061] S130. Insert the pre-assembled female connector with wire harness into the male connector, so that several pins connected to one end of the wire harness are inserted into the corresponding pin holes on the male connector.

[0062] The structure of the female connector is conventional existing technology, so it will not be described in detail in this embodiment. It is understood that the female connector is generally provided with a check-back guide structure. This check-back guide structure is located in the positioning through hole or the inner wall of the slot. It is used to guide the PIN pin to be correctly inserted into the slot and can limit the PIN pin to prevent it from retracting during the insertion process. Therefore, in this step, even if the female connector with the pre-assembled wire harness is not fixed with glue, it can still ensure that the PIN pin is synchronously inserted into the corresponding pin hole when the female connector is inserted into the male connector.

[0063] Normally, once the pin is inserted into the slot, it will be aligned with the pin hole if there is no external interference. Therefore, there is usually no need for additional adjustment. Thus, after the female connector is plugged into the male connector, each pin is also inserted into its corresponding pin hole.

[0064] S140. Apply adhesive to the end of the connector female head to fix one end of the wire harness in the connector female head.

[0065] In this step, the wire harness refers to a wire harness containing several wires. One end of the wire is connected to a PIN pin, and the other end of the wire is inserted into the positioning through hole. The PIN pin that is guided extends into the slot of the connector female head. There is a gap between the wire and the inner wall of the positioning through hole. For ease of description, this gap is defined as the dispensing gap.

[0066] The specific implementation method of S140 is as follows:

[0067] Apply glue into the gaps between each glue dot at the glue dot end;

[0068] Curing the adhesive injected into the gaps between each dot;

[0069] In this embodiment, the glue application method adopts precise glue application. Because this step is performed with the PIN pin fixed by the pin hole, the PIN pin will not be misaligned due to the weight of the glue or the glue application equipment accidentally touching the wire. Furthermore, after the glue injected into each glue gap is cured, one end of the wire is fixed, so there will be no problem of PIN pin shaking.

[0070] As a more specific implementation of this embodiment, the adhesive used is UV adhesive (or photosensitive adhesive);

[0071] The specific implementation method for curing the adhesive applied to the gaps between the dots includes:

[0072] Irradiate the dispensing end with ultraviolet light; or, place the female and male connectors in the plugged-in configuration together in an ultraviolet radiation environment.

[0073] The UV adhesive will cure completely after the preset curing time.

[0074] The UV curing method is an existing technology and therefore will not be elaborated upon here.

[0075] In this embodiment, after S140, the following is also included:

[0076] Disconnect the female connector from the male connector and inspect the quality of the adhesive application on the female connector.

[0077] In this embodiment, the male and female connectors are glued after insertion, which helps to ensure that the pins are in the optimal insertion position. Furthermore, because the pins are limited by the pin holes, it can effectively prevent the pins from becoming skewed during the glue dispensing process.

[0078] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the steps of S110 and S120 are not limited. When S120 is set before S110, this method can also be executed smoothly. Therefore, both should fall within the protection scope of this invention.

[0079] Example 2:

[0080] This embodiment provides a connector dispensing apparatus; please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 2 and Figure 3 , Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram of a connector dispensing device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3This is a structural diagram showing the mutual insertion of the male connector 40 and the female connector 30 pre-assembled with the wire harness 20, as provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0081] The connector dispensing apparatus includes a dispensing fixture 10 for holding the male connector 40 in place and a dispensing machine (not shown) for dispensing adhesive at the dispensing end 31 of the female connector 30.

[0082] Please combine Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the connector female head 30 provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] Specifically, the dispensing fixture 10 is provided with a guide hole 11 for fixing the male connector 40; the guide hole 11 is used to slide with the female connector 30 so that the female connector 30 is aligned and inserted into the male connector 40.

[0084] The female connector 30 is aligned and inserted into the male connector 40, specifically as follows:

[0085] Align the insertion end of the connector female head 30 with the slot 32 with the guide hole 11 and insert it;

[0086] Drive the female connector 30 to slide along the guide hole 11 toward the male connector 40 until it is fully inserted with the male connector 40.

[0087] Therefore, the dispensing fixture can guide the accurate mating between the connector female head 30 and the connector male head 40 without much manual intervention, thus improving work efficiency.

[0088] The adhesive dispensing endpoint of the connector female in S140, specifically implemented by the adhesive dispensing device of the connector, is as follows:

[0089] The dispensing machine sequentially applies glue into each dispensing gap at the dispensing end 31;

[0090] The wire harness 20 includes several wires 21 connected to pins at one end, and the glue dispensing gap is the gap between the wires 21 and the inner wall of the corresponding positioning through hole 301.

[0091] The connector dispensing device also includes a curing unit (not shown in the figure) for curing the adhesive injected into each dispensing gap; as a more specific embodiment of this example, the adhesive injected is UV adhesive (or photosensitive adhesive).

[0092] The curing unit is an ultraviolet irradiation lamp for irradiating ultraviolet light onto the dispensing end 31, or an ultraviolet radiation chamber for placing the female connector 30 and the male connector 40 in the plug-in configuration.

[0093] In this embodiment, as a preferred implementation, the dispensing fixture is provided with multiple guide holes 11, which can realize the dispensing operation of multiple connector female heads 30 at one time, thus greatly improving production efficiency.

[0094] More specifically, a mounting base (not shown in the figure) is detachably fixed to the side of the dispensing fixture away from the connector female head 30, and the mounting base is fixed to the dispensing operation platform.

[0095] Workers can set or replace the corresponding dispensing fixtures according to the shape of different connectors to match them, thus expanding the application range of the dispensing device.

[0096] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for dispensing adhesive into a connector, characterized in that, include: Pre-fix the male connector head; Insert the pre-assembled wire harness female connector into the connector male connector, so that several pins connected to one end of the wire harness are inserted into the corresponding pin holes on the connector male connector. Apply adhesive to the end of the connector female connector to fix one end of the wire harness in the connector female connector; Wherein, the dispensing end is the end of the connector female head that is away from the connector male head; Before inserting the pre-assembled wire harness connector female head onto the connector male head, and before inserting the plurality of pins connected to one end of the wire harness into the corresponding pin holes on the connector male head, the method further includes: Pre-assemble the wire harness onto the connector female; The pre-assembly of the wire harness onto the connector female head specifically includes: Align the plurality of PIN pins with the corresponding positioning through holes on the dispensing end; The pins are passed through their respective positioning holes and inserted into the slots of the connector female. The process of applying adhesive to the end of the connector head to fix one end of the wire harness in the connector head specifically includes: Apply glue into each gap between the glue dispensing ends; Curing the adhesive injected into the gaps between each dot; The wire harness includes several wires connected to pins at one end, and the adhesive dispensing gap is the gap between the wire and the inner wall of the corresponding positioning through hole. The connector female head is provided with a check-back guide structure, which is located in the positioning through hole or the inner wall of the slot to guide the PIN pin to be correctly inserted into the slot and limit the PIN pin to prevent it from retracting during the insertion process.

2. The connector dispensing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adhesive is a UV adhesive; The adhesive that is cured and injected into the gaps between each dot specifically includes: Irradiate the dispensing end with ultraviolet light; or place the female connector and male connector in the plug-in configuration together in an ultraviolet radiation environment. The UV adhesive will cure completely after the preset curing time.

3. The connector dispensing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After applying adhesive to the connector female end cap to fix one end of the wire harness in the connector female end cap, the method further includes: Disconnect the female connector from the male connector and inspect the quality of the adhesive application on the female connector.

4. An apparatus for dispensing adhesive into a connector, applied to the method for dispensing adhesive into a connector as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, This includes a dispensing fixture for holding the male connector head in place and a dispensing machine for applying adhesive to the female connector head.

5. The connector dispensing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The dispensing fixture is provided with a guide hole for fixing the male connector; the guide hole is also used for sliding engagement with the female connector, so that the female connector is properly inserted into the male connector. The process of aligning and inserting the female connector head into the male connector head specifically includes: Align the slotted end of the connector female with the guide hole and insert it; Drive the female connector head to slide along the guide hole toward the male connector head until it is fully inserted with the male connector head.

6. The connector dispensing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, The specific steps for applying adhesive to the connector female end are as follows: The dispensing machine sequentially applies glue into each dispensing gap at the dispensing end; The wire harness includes several wires connected to pins at one end, and the adhesive dispensing gap is the gap between the wire and the inner wall of the corresponding positioning through hole.

7. The connector dispensing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a curing unit for curing the adhesive injected into the gaps between each dot; the adhesive is a UV adhesive; The curing unit is an ultraviolet irradiation lamp for irradiating ultraviolet light onto the dispensing end, or an ultraviolet radiation chamber for placing the female and male connector heads in the plug-in configuration.

8. The connector dispensing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The dispensing fixture is provided with a plurality of guide holes; The dispensing fixture is detachably fixed to a mounting base on the side away from the connector female head, and the mounting base is fixed to the dispensing operation platform.

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