An automated insertion system, method and control terminal for electrical connector contacts.

Abstract

This invention discloses an automatic insertion system, method, and control terminal for electrical connector contacts. The automatic insertion system includes a contact insertion mechanism, a product loading mechanism, a product CCD detection mechanism, a product tray mechanism, a product identification detection mechanism, a product moving module, a contact posture detection mechanism, an automatic contact loading mechanism, a contact rotation clamping mechanism, a contact orientation detection mechanism, a four-axis robot, and a control terminal. It can automatically insert multi-node circular electrical connector contacts and automatically detect missing or incorrectly inserted contacts. It automates the entire process of loading, identification, assembly, detection, and unloading, greatly improving product assembly efficiency and reliability, and enhancing the traceability of individual product quality. This invention has the advantages of high efficiency, high reliability, and savings in manpower, material resources, and financial resources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of product assembly, and in particular to an automatic insertion system, method and control terminal for electrical connector contacts. Background Technology

[0002] This research focuses on an automated contact assembly device for connector products, specifically addressing the contact installation process to ensure high-quality, high-reliability, and high-efficiency manufacturing. Currently, connector contact assembly is done manually, which is problematic. For multi-core connectors, this consumes significant manpower and time and is prone to quality issues such as missed or incorrect insertions.

[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an automated insertion solution for electrical connector contacts to address the aforementioned issues of assembly effectiveness and efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides an automatic insertion system, method, and control terminal for electrical connector contacts to reduce manual operation, manpower, and actual costs, and to avoid quality accidents such as missed or incorrect insertion.

[0005] In one aspect, an automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts is provided, including a product feeding mechanism, a product moving module, a four-axis robot, and a contact insertion mechanism;

[0006] The product loading mechanism is used to move the product to the product moving module along the Y and Z directions. The product moving module is used to take over the product from the product loading mechanism and move the product to the insertion area along the X and Z directions.

[0007] The four-axis robot is used to move the contact to the contact insertion mechanism, which is set facing the insertion area of ​​the product moving module and is used to insert the contact into the product along the Y direction.

[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the product loading mechanism includes a Y-axis moving module, a Z-axis moving module, a right-angle rotation mechanism, and a product clamping mechanism. The Y-axis moving module and the Z-axis moving module are used to move the product along the Y and Z directions, respectively. The product clamping mechanism is used to extend along the Z direction when picking up the product. The right-angle rotation mechanism is used to rotate the product 90° around the X direction so that the product faces the product moving module.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts further includes a product tray mechanism, which is used to carry products and also to move products along the X direction to cooperate with the product loading mechanism in picking up products.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts further includes:

[0011] An automatic contact component feeding mechanism includes a material box, a cylinder feeding mechanism, and a vibrating material tray. The cylinder feeding mechanism is used to push the contact component from the bottom of the material box to the vibrating material tray.

[0012] A contact member attitude detection mechanism is used to capture the position and attitude of the contact member in the vibrating tray, and the position and attitude of the contact member are used to instruct the four-axis robot to pick up the contact member.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the outer diameters of the two ends of the contact are different, and the automatic insertion system for the electrical connector contact further includes a contact orientation detection mechanism. The information captured by the contact orientation detection mechanism is used to control the four-axis robot to move the contact to the contact insertion mechanism in the correct direction.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, one end of the contact has a notch, and the automatic insertion system for the electrical connector contact further includes a contact rotation clamping mechanism. Before the four-axis robot moves the contact to the contact insertion mechanism, the four-axis robot is used to insert the contact into the contact rotation clamping mechanism. Information captured by the contact orientation detection mechanism is also used to instruct the contact rotation clamping mechanism to rotate the notch of the contact to a specified orientation by a rotation angle. The four-axis robot removes the contact from the contact rotation clamping mechanism and moves it to the contact insertion mechanism.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the contact insertion mechanism includes a pin insertion mechanism, a pin insertion drive module, a rotary drive module, an ejector pin mechanism, and an ejector pin drive mechanism;

[0016] The pin insertion mechanism is used to take over the contact from the four-axis robot. The rotary drive module is used to rotate the pin insertion mechanism to rotate the contact to the insertion area facing the product moving module. The pin drive module is used to drive the pin insertion mechanism to partially insert the contact into the product. Then, the product moving module moves the product so that the ejector pin mechanism is facing the partially inserted contact in the product. The ejector pin drive mechanism is used to drive the ejector pin mechanism to fully insert the contact into the product.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts further includes a product inspection mechanism, which is disposed facing the product loading mechanism. The product loading mechanism is used to move the product to the front of the product inspection mechanism before and after the insertion of the contact. The product inspection mechanism is used to capture a first image and a second image before and after the insertion of the contact, respectively. The first image is used to indicate the position of the contact to be inserted on the product, and the second image is used to indicate whether the contact is correctly inserted on the product.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts further includes a product identification detection mechanism, which includes a lens, a camera, a material box, and a product recognition platform; the product clamping mechanism of the product loading mechanism and the product recognition platform are arranged along the Y direction; before the product loading mechanism moves the product to the product moving module, the product loading mechanism is used to place the picked-up product on the product recognition platform, and the lens and the camera jointly capture images of the product recognition platform;

[0019] When the material code information matches, the product loading mechanism is used to pick up the product from the product identification platform and move the product to the product moving module;

[0020] When the material code information does not match, the product feeding mechanism is used to pick up the product from the product identification platform and move the product into the material box.

[0021] Secondly, a method for an automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts is provided. The automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts includes a product identification detection mechanism, a product loading mechanism, a product tray mechanism, a product moving module, a product detection mechanism, an automatic contact loading mechanism, a contact posture detection mechanism, a four-axis robot, a contact orientation detection mechanism, a contact rotation clamping mechanism, and a contact insertion mechanism. The method includes:

[0022] Control the product feeding mechanism to move along the Y and Z directions, control the product tray mechanism to move along the X direction, and control the product feeding mechanism to pick up the product from the product tray mechanism and transfer it to the product identification and detection mechanism.

[0023] The system controls the product identification and inspection mechanism to obtain material code information and perform a matching operation based on the material code information. When the material code information matches, the system controls the product loading mechanism to pick up the product from the product identification platform and move the product to the product moving module.

[0024] The product moving module is controlled to move along the X and Z directions to move the product in front of the product inspection mechanism;

[0025] Control the product testing agency to capture the first image;

[0026] Based on the first image, determine the position of the contact to be inserted on the product, and control the product detection mechanism to move the product so that the position of the contact to be inserted is set relative to the pin mechanism of the contact insertion mechanism.

[0027] The automatic feeding mechanism for contact components is controlled to feed the components, and the four-axis robot is controlled to pick up the contact components from the automatic feeding mechanism based on the position and orientation of the contact components obtained by the contact component orientation detection mechanism.

[0028] Control the four-axis robot to move the contact component to the front of the contact component attitude detection mechanism;

[0029] The contact orientation detection mechanism is controlled to perform attitude detection to obtain the current orientation and notch position of the contact.

[0030] Based on the current position of the contact, control the four-axis robot to insert the contact rotation clamping mechanism into the preset position;

[0031] Based on the location of the notch, control the four-axis robot to rotate the notch of the contact part to the designated position;

[0032] Control the four-axis robot to remove the contact from the contact rotary clamping mechanism and move it to the contact insertion mechanism;

[0033] The rotary drive module of the control contact insertion mechanism rotates the pin mechanism to rotate the contact to a position facing the contact to be inserted on the product;

[0034] The pin drive module controls the pin insertion mechanism to drive the pin insertion mechanism to partially insert the contact into the product.

[0035] The product movement module controls the product to move to the front of the ejector pin mechanism of the contact insertion mechanism;

[0036] The ejector drive module controls the ejector mechanism to fully insert the contact into the product;

[0037] The control product movement module moves the product to the front of the product inspection mechanism;

[0038] The product testing agency captures a second image and determines whether the product has correctly inserted contacts based on the second image.

[0039] Thirdly, a control terminal is provided, which is used to execute the method described in any of the implementations of the second aspect above.

[0040] Compared with the prior art, the solution provided in this application has at least the following beneficial technical effects:

[0041] This invention enables automatic insertion of multi-node circular electrical connector contacts and automatic detection of missing or incorrect contacts. It automates the entire process of material loading, identification, assembly, inspection, and unloading, significantly improving product assembly efficiency and reliability, and enhancing the traceability of individual product quality. This invention boasts advantages such as high efficiency, high reliability, and savings in manpower, material resources, and financial resources. Attached Figure Description

[0042] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the device mechanism layout of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a product identification testing organization.

[0044] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the product feeding mechanism.

[0045] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the product carrier mechanism.

[0046] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the product's mobile module.

[0047] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a CCD testing mechanism for a product.

[0048] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of an automatic feeding mechanism for contact parts.

[0049] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the contact component attitude detection mechanism.

[0050] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a four-axis robot.

[0051] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the contact element.

[0052] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a contact orientation detection mechanism.

[0053] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of a rotating clamping mechanism for contact components.

[0054] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the contact insertion mechanism.

[0055] Attached image annotations:

[0056] Equipment Frame: Product Identification Inspection Mechanism 1; Product Feeding Mechanism 2; Product Carrying Tray Mechanism 3; Product Moving Module 4; Product CCD Inspection Mechanism 5; Automatic Contact Component Feeding Mechanism 6; Contact Component Attitude Detection Mechanism 7; Four-Axis Robot 8; Contact Component Orientation Detection Mechanism 9; Contact Component Rotation Clamping Mechanism 10; Contact Component Insertion Mechanism 11; Lens 1-1; Camera 1-2; Material Box 1-3; Product Recognition Platform 1-4; Y-axis Moving Module 2-1; Z-axis Moving Module 2-2; Right Angle Rotation Mechanism 2-3; Product Clamping Mechanism 2-4; Carrying Tray 3-1; X-axis Moving Module 3-2; X-axis Moving Module 4-1 Z-axis moving module 2 4-2; Product clamping mechanism 2 4-3; Camera 5-1; Camera moving module 5-2; Material box 6-1; Cylinder feeding mechanism 6-2; Vibrating material tray 6-4; Bracket 7-1; Robot arm 8-1; Contact clamping mechanism 8-2; Lens 9-1; Camera 9-2; Cylinder moving module 9-3; Clamping drive mechanism 10-1; Rotation drive mechanism 10-2; Rotation transmission mechanism 10-3; Contact clamping mechanism 10-4; Pin insertion mechanism 11-1; Pin insertion drive module 11-2; Rotation drive module 11-3; Ejector pin mechanism 11-4; Ejector pin drive mechanism 11-5. Detailed Implementation

[0057] The present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0058] Figure 1 This illustration shows a schematic structural diagram of an automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts according to an embodiment of this application. The automatic insertion system may include a product identification detection mechanism 1, a product loading mechanism 2, a product tray mechanism 3, a product moving module 4, a product CCD detection mechanism 5, an automatic contact loading mechanism 6, a contact posture detection mechanism 7, a four-axis robot 8, a contact orientation detection mechanism 9, a contact rotation clamping mechanism 10, and a contact insertion mechanism 11. The automatic insertion system may also include a control terminal, which is used to jointly control the various devices of the automatic insertion system to complete the automatic insertion of products to be assembled at multiple nodes.

[0059] First, in conjunction with the product loading process (moving the product to the insertion area of ​​the product moving module 4), the product identification detection mechanism 1, product loading mechanism 2, product tray mechanism 3, product moving module 4, and product CCD detection mechanism 5 of the automatic insertion system are introduced.

[0060] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates a schematic structure of a product identification detection mechanism 1 according to an embodiment of this application. The product identification detection mechanism 1 may include a lens 1-1, a camera 1-2, a material box 1-3, and a product identification platform 1-4. Figure 1 The product feeding mechanism 2 in the middle can be fed from Figure 3The product carrier mechanism 3 picks up product 12 and moves it to product identification platform 1-4. The clamping mechanisms of product identification platform 1-4 and product loading mechanism 2 are arranged along the Y direction to facilitate the clamping mechanism placing the product on product loading mechanism 2. By adjusting the focal length of lens 1-1 and taking pictures with camera 1-2, automatic photo recognition of material codes is achieved. The correctness of the material is determined by comparing the material code with the input material information. If the material code does not match the input material information, product loading mechanism 2 can place product 12 from product identification platform 1-4 into material box 1-3 to prevent incorrect materials from flowing into the automatic insertion system. If the material code does not match the input material information, product loading mechanism 2 can move product 12 from product identification platform 1-4 to product moving module 4.

[0061] After identifying the material code, the control terminal of the automatic insertion system can obtain the contact insertion scheme of the product 12, including the number and position of the contacts, so as to correctly perform the contact insertion in the future.

[0062] In one embodiment, product 12 is cylindrical and the material code is located on the side of product 12. To ensure complete material code identification, product identification platform 1-4 may have a rotation function. By rotating product identification platform 1-4 by more than or equal to 180° (e.g., 185°), the complete identification information is ensured.

[0063] Figure 3 This diagram illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a product loading mechanism 2 according to an embodiment of this application. The product loading mechanism 2 may include a Y-axis moving module 2-1, a Z-axis moving module 2-2, a right-angle rotation mechanism 2-3, and a product clamping mechanism 2-4 (Y and Z directions reference). Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown). Figure 3 As shown, the Y-axis moving module 2-1 drives the entire assembly consisting of the Z-axis moving module 2-2, the right-angle rotation mechanism 2-3, and the product clamping mechanism 2-4 to move in the Y-axis direction; the Z-axis moving module 2-2 drives the entire assembly consisting of the right-angle rotation mechanism 2-3 and the product clamping mechanism 2-4 to move in the Z-axis direction.

[0064] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a product tray mechanism 3 provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. The product tray mechanism 3 may include a tray 3-1 and an X-axis moving module 3-2. The product clamping mechanism 2-4 can pick up the product 12 from the tray 3-1. The X-axis moving module 3-2 can drive the tray 3-1 to move in the X-axis direction, cooperating with the product loading mechanism 2 to pick up the product 12 in the XY-axis direction.

[0065] Combination Figure 1As described above, the product clamping mechanism 2-4 is used to pick up product 12 from the product carrier mechanism 3 and place it on the product identification platform 1-4. During the picking process, the Y-axis moving module 2-1 is used to move product 12 in the Y direction, and the Z-axis moving module 2-2 is used to move product 12 in the Z direction. The product clamping mechanism 2-4 can sequentially remove product 12 from the carrier 3-1 along the Y direction. When the same row of carrier 3-1 in the Y direction is completely picked up, the X-axis moving module 3-2 can drive carrier 3-1 to move in the X-axis direction, so that the product clamping mechanism 2-4 aligns with the next row of carrier 3-1 and continues to pick up product 12.

[0066] Based on a similar principle, the product clamping mechanism 2-4 can move the product 12 to the product identification platform 1-4 and the material box 1-3 of the product identification detection mechanism 1, and bring it close to the product moving module 4.

[0067] During the aforementioned product 12 picking process, the product clamping mechanism 2-4 can always clamp the product along the Z direction. When the product clamping mechanism 2-4 clamps the product 12 and approaches the product moving module 4, the right-angle rotation mechanism 2-3 of the product feeding mechanism 2 can be used to rotate the product 12 counterclockwise by 90°, so that the product 12 is kept horizontal and facing the product moving module 4.

[0068] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates a schematic structure of a product moving module 4 according to an embodiment of this application. The product moving module 4 may include an X-axis moving module 4-1, a Z-axis moving module 4-2, and a product clamping mechanism 4-3. The X-axis moving module 4-1 and the Z-axis moving module 4-2 can be used to realize the movement of the product clamping mechanism 4-3 in the X and Z axis directions, respectively.

[0069] As described above, before product 12 moves to the vicinity of product moving module 4, product clamping mechanism 2 4-3 can be moved to the side closer to product loading mechanism 2 and wait there for product 12 to arrive. After product loading mechanism 2 moves product 12 to the front of product moving module 4, product clamping mechanism 2 4-3 of product loading mechanism 2 can clamp and take over product 12 from product loading mechanism 2. By moving product clamping mechanism 2 4-3 through X-axis moving module 4-1 and Z-axis moving module 2 4-2, product 12 can be moved to the insertion area of ​​automatic insertion system.

[0070] Figure 6A schematic structural diagram of a product moving module 5 provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. The product CCD detection mechanism 5 may include a camera 5-1 and a camera moving module 5-2. The camera moving module 5-2 can automatically adjust the focal length of the camera 5-1 through an electronic control program. The product CCD detection mechanism 5 can have two purposes: first, to detect the position of product nodes before contact insertion to ensure accurate contact insertion; second, to detect whether contacts are missing or incorrectly inserted after contact insertion.

[0071] In some embodiments, before the product moving module 4 moves the product 12 to the insertion area of ​​the automated insertion system, the product moving module 4 may first move the product 12 to the front of the product CCD detection mechanism 5. At this time, the product CCD detection mechanism 5 can be used to determine the insertion position on the product 12. For example, the image captured by the product CCD detection mechanism 5 shows that the target interface on the product 12 has not been inserted with a contact. The control terminal can obtain the relative position of the target interface in the image based on this image, and based on this relative position, control the product moving module 4 to move to the position associated with the target interface in the insertion area, so that the contact can be correctly inserted into the target interface.

[0072] In some embodiments, after the contact insertion into product 12 is performed, product moving module 4 can move product 12 to the front of product CCD detection mechanism 5. At this time, product CCD detection mechanism 5 can be used to determine whether the contact is correctly inserted into product 12. For example, the control terminal calibrates the target interface in the image captured by product CCD detection mechanism 5 after insertion, based on the image captured before insertion. Thus, the control terminal can determine whether the contact is correctly inserted into the target interface based on the image captured by product CCD detection mechanism 5 after insertion. If correctly inserted, subsequent steps are performed; if incorrectly inserted, product 12 is considered defective and discarded into a recycling bin by a robotic arm.

[0073] The following section describes the automatic contact feeding mechanism 6, contact posture detection mechanism 7, four-axis robot 8, contact orientation detection mechanism 9, and contact rotation clamping mechanism 10 of the automatic insertion system, in conjunction with the contact feeding process (moving the contact to the contact insertion mechanism 11).

[0074] Figure 7 This diagram illustrates a schematic structural diagram of an automatic contact component feeding mechanism 6 according to an embodiment of this application. The automatic contact component feeding mechanism 6 may include a material box 6-1, a cylinder feeding mechanism 6-2, and a vibrating material tray 6-4. The cylinder feeding mechanism 6-2 is driven by a cylinder to feed the contact component 13 (see reference 6-4). Figure 9The contact component 13 is pushed from the bottom of the material box 6-1 to the inclined material channel 6-3 and slid into the vibrating material tray 6-4, completing the feeding process. The automatic feeding mechanism 6 for contact components can be of various specifications according to the size of the shell of the product being tested, and can hold multiple products being tested at one time.

[0075] Figure 8 A schematic structural diagram of a contact member posture detection mechanism 7 provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. The contact member posture detection mechanism 7 may include a bracket 7-1 and a CCD camera. The CCD camera is mounted on the bracket 7-1 and is positioned facing the vibrating tray 6-4 of the automatic contact member feeding mechanism 6, and is used to photograph multiple contact members 13 within the vibrating tray 6-4. The images captured by the CCD camera can be used to determine the position and posture of the contact members 13 in the tray 6-4, ensuring that the four-axis robot 8 accurately picks up the contact members 13.

[0076] In some embodiments, when the photo captured by the CCD camera indicates that the contact members 13 in the material tray 6-4 are misaligned or otherwise improperly positioned, the control terminal can control the vibrating material tray 6-4 to vibrate until the photo captured by the CCD camera indicates that the contact members 13 in the material tray 6-4 are properly positioned.

[0077] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the number of automatic contact component feeding mechanisms 6 can be two. Two CCD cameras, CCD camera 7-2 and CCD camera 7-3, can be correspondingly mounted on the bracket 7-1. CCD camera 7-2 and CCD camera 7-3 can each face their respective material trays 6-4. The dual-station configuration allows for the simultaneous feeding of two different types of contact components.

[0078] Figure 9 A schematic structural diagram of a four-axis robot 8 provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. The four-axis robot 8 may include a robotic arm 8-1 and a contact element gripping mechanism 8-2. The contact element gripping mechanism 8-2 is used to control the movement of the robotic arm 8-1 to realize the movement and loading of the contact element 13.

[0079] In some embodiments, if the direction of insertion of the contact 13 is not arbitrary but has a predetermined insertion direction (in... Figure 10 In the embodiment shown, the outer diameters of the two ends of the contact 13 are not the same (the smaller end should be inserted into the product first when inserting the product). After the four-axis robot 8 picks up the contact 13 from the tray 6-4, it can move the contact 13 to the contact position detection mechanism 9 to confirm the current position of the contact 13. Then, the four-axis robot 8 rotates the manipulator 8-1 to calibrate the position of the contact 13.

[0080] Figure 11A schematic structural diagram of a contact orientation detection mechanism 9 provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. The contact orientation detection mechanism 9 may include a lens 9-1, a camera 9-2, and a cylinder moving module 9-3. The cylinder moving module 9-3 can automatically adjust the position of the lens 9-1 through an electronic control program, thereby adjusting the focal length of the camera 9-2. In one embodiment, the contact orientation detection mechanism 9 is used to detect the angle of contact feature points. The control terminal can control the robot arm 8-1 to rotate a certain angle based on the result of the contact orientation detection mechanism 9, ensuring that the contact feature points are oriented in a consistent manner.

[0081] exist Figure 10 In the illustrated embodiment, the small end of the contact 13 also has a notch. The orientation of this notch should be calibrated when the contact 13 is inserted into the product 12. In some embodiments, after the four-axis robot 8 picks up the contact 13 from the tray 6-4, the contact 13 can be moved to the contact orientation detection mechanism 9 to confirm the current notch orientation of the contact 13, and then the notch orientation of the contact 13 is calibrated by the contact rotation clamping mechanism 10.

[0082] Figure 12 A schematic structural diagram of a contact element rotary clamping mechanism 10 provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. The contact element rotary clamping mechanism 10 may include a clamping drive mechanism 10-1, a rotary drive mechanism 10-2, a rotary transmission mechanism 10-3, and a contact element clamping mechanism 10-4. The clamping drive mechanism 10-1 is used to drive the contact element clamping mechanism 10-4 and realize the clamping function. The rotary drive mechanism 10-2 is used to output a rotary drive force, which drives the contact element clamping mechanism 10-4 to rotate through the rotary transmission mechanism 10-3.

[0083] Based on the image captured by the contact orientation detection mechanism 9, the control terminal can determine the target rotation angle required to rotate the notch of the contact 13 to a specified position. Then, the four-axis robot 8 can position the contact 13 along the rotation axis of the contact clamping mechanism 10-4, allowing the contact clamping mechanism 10-4 to hold the contact 13. After the contact clamping mechanism 10-4 rotates to the target rotation angle, the four-axis robot 8 can remove the contact 13 and move it to the contact insertion mechanism 11.

[0084] The contact insertion mechanism 11 of the automatic insertion system is described below in conjunction with the insertion process of the contact and the product (inserting the contact into the product).

[0085] Figure 13 A schematic structural diagram of a contact insertion mechanism 11 provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. The contact insertion mechanism 11 may include a pin insertion mechanism 11-1, a pin drive module 11-2, a rotation drive module 11-3, an ejector pin mechanism 11-4, and an ejector pin drive mechanism 11-5.

[0086] Before the four-axis robot 8 moves the contact 13 to the contact insertion mechanism 11, the pin insertion mechanism 11-1 moves along... Figure 2 and Figure 13 The X-axis direction extends as shown, i.e., it is positioned facing the contact posture detection mechanism 7, so that the four-axis robot 8 can insert the contact 13 into the pin mechanism 11-1 of the contact insertion mechanism 11. Then, the rotation drive module 11-3 drives the pin mechanism 11-1 to rotate 90°, rotating the pin mechanism 11-1 to extend along the Y-axis direction, i.e., facing the product 12 on the product movement module 4.

[0087] As described above, the control terminal, based on the image captured by the product CCD inspection mechanism 5, aligns the hole to be inserted on the product 12 with the contact 13 on the pin insertion mechanism 11-1 via the X-axis movement module 4-1 and the Z-axis movement module 4-2 of the product moving module 4. The pin insertion drive module 11-2 drives the pin insertion mechanism 11-1 to insert forward into the hole on the product 12. Then, the product moving module 4 moves the product 12 along the X-axis, aligning the contact 13 on the product 12 with the ejector mechanism 11-4. Driven by the ejector drive mechanism 11-5, the ejector mechanism 11-4 pushes the contact 13 into the product 12. This completes the automatic contact insertion process.

[0088] The following describes a specific workflow of the automatic contact insertion device of the present invention.

[0089] Manually guide the contact component 13 into the material box 6-1, manually place the product 12 onto the carrier tray 3-1, and start the equipment.

[0090] The product loading route is as follows: Product clamping mechanism 2-4 picks up product 12 from carrier tray 3-1, places it on product rotation mechanism 1-3 of product identification detection mechanism 1, and rotates it 185°. Camera 1-2 takes a picture for identification. If the material is incorrect, product clamping mechanism 2-4 clamps product 12 and places it into material box 1-3. If the material is correct, product clamping mechanism 2-4 clamps product 12 and moves it to the receiving position of product moving module 4. First, right-angle rotation mechanism 2-3 drives product clamping mechanism 2-4 to rotate 90° counterclockwise, placing product 12 horizontally and docking it with product clamping mechanism 4-3 of product moving module 4. Then, product clamping mechanism 4-3 clamps product 12 to the position of camera 5-1 of product CCD detection mechanism 5 for taking a picture, and then moves it to the position in front of pin mechanism 11-1 of contact insertion mechanism 11, waiting for assembly.

[0091] The contact component feeding route is as follows: the contact component 13 is pushed from the material box 6-1 to the material channel 6-3 by the cylinder feeding mechanism 6-2. The contact component 13 slides into the vibrating material plate 6-4 through the material channel 6-3, and is photographed by CCD camera 7-2 and CCD camera 7-3. After confirming the posture of contact 13, the robotic arm 8-1 of the four-axis robot 8 picks up a contact 13 from the vibrating material tray 6-4 and places it in front of the light source of the contact position detection mechanism 9 for taking a picture. Then, it is placed in the material picking position of the contact rotation clamping mechanism 10. The contact clamping mechanism 10-4 of the contact rotation clamping mechanism 10 clamps the contact 13 and rotates it to a certain angle, waiting for the contact insertion mechanism 11 to pick it up. The pin insertion mechanism of the contact insertion mechanism 11 picks up the contact 13, and the rotation drive module 11-3 drives the pin insertion mechanism 11-1 to rotate 90° counterclockwise, ensuring that the contact 13 is perpendicular to the product clamping mechanism 4-3 of the product moving module 4 to clamp the product 12, waiting for assembly.

[0092] The pin drive module 11-2 drives the pin insertion mechanism 11-1 to clamp the contact 13 and insert it into the node hole position of the product 12. Then, the ejector drive mechanism 11-5 drives the ejector mechanism 11-4 to install the contact 13 into the product 12. After the contact 13 is inserted, the product moving module 4 moves the product 12 to the position of the camera 5-1 of the product CCD inspection mechanism 5 to take pictures and check whether there are any missing or incorrectly installed contact parts in the node hole. After the product is qualified, the product moving module 4 moves the product 12 to the unloading position. The above actions are repeated to continue production.

[0093] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make possible changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope defined in the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts, characterized in that, It includes a product loading mechanism (2), a product moving module (4), a four-axis robot (8), and a contact insertion mechanism (11); The product loading mechanism (2) is used to move the product to the product moving module (4) along the Y and Z directions. The product moving module (4) is used to take over the product from the product loading mechanism (2) and move the product to the insertion area along the X and Z directions. The four-axis robot (8) is used to move the contact to the contact insertion mechanism (11), which is arranged facing the insertion area of ​​the product moving module (4). The contact insertion mechanism (11) is used to insert the contact into the product along the Y direction; wherein, The product loading mechanism (2) includes a Y-axis moving module (2-1), a Z-axis moving module (2-2), a right-angle rotation mechanism (2-3), and a product clamping mechanism (2-4). The Y-axis moving module (2-1) and the Z-axis moving module (2-2) are used to move the product along the Y and Z directions, respectively. The product clamping mechanism (2-4) is used to extend along the Z direction when picking up the product. The right-angle rotation mechanism (2-3) is used to rotate the product 90° around the X direction so that the product faces the product moving module (4). The product moving module (4) includes an X-axis moving module (4-1), a Z-axis moving module II (4-2), and a product clamping mechanism II (4-3); the X-axis moving module (4-1) and the Z-axis moving module II (4-2) are used to realize the movement of the product clamping mechanism II (4-3) in the X and Z axis directions; The four-axis robot (8) includes a manipulator (8-1) and a contact clamping mechanism (8-2); the contact clamping mechanism (8-2) is used to control the movement of the manipulator (8-1) to realize the movement and loading of contact parts; The automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts also includes a product inspection mechanism (5), which is positioned facing the product loading mechanism (2). The product loading mechanism (2) is used to move the product to the front of the product inspection mechanism (5) before and after the insertion of the contact. The product inspection mechanism (5) is used to capture a first image and a second image before and after the insertion of the contact, respectively. The first image is used to indicate the position of the contact to be inserted on the product, and the second image is used to indicate whether the contact is inserted correctly. The contact insertion mechanism (11) includes a pin insertion mechanism (11-1), a pin drive module (11-2), a rotary drive module (11-3), an ejector pin mechanism (11-4), and an ejector pin drive mechanism (11-5). Before the four-axis robot (8) moves the contact to the contact insertion mechanism (11), the pin insertion mechanism (11-1) extends in the X-axis direction to allow the pin insertion mechanism (11-1) to take over the contact from the four-axis robot (8). The rotary drive module (11-3) is used to rotate the pin insertion mechanism (11-1) to rotate the contact to extend in the Y-axis direction, thereby inserting the contact. Rotate to the insertion area facing the product moving module (4); according to the image captured by the product CCD detection mechanism (5), align the hole to be inserted on the product with the contact on the pin mechanism (11-1) through the product moving module (4); the pin driving module (11-2) is used to drive the pin mechanism (11-1) to partially insert the contact into the product, and then the product moving module (4) moves the product so that the ejector mechanism (11-4) is facing the partially inserted contact on the product, and the ejector driving mechanism (11-5) is used to drive the ejector mechanism (11-4) to fully insert the contact into the product.

2. The automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts also includes a product tray mechanism (3), which is used to carry products and move products along the X direction to cooperate with the product loading mechanism (2) to pick up products.

3. The automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts also includes: Automatic feeding mechanism (6) for contact parts, the automatic feeding mechanism (6) for contact parts includes a material box (6-1), a cylinder feeding mechanism (6-2) and a vibrating material plate (6-4), the cylinder feeding mechanism (6-2) is used to push the contact parts from the bottom of the material box (6-1) to the vibrating material plate (6-4); The contact posture detection mechanism (7) is used to capture the position and posture of the contact in the vibrating tray (6-4), and the position and posture of the contact are used to instruct the four-axis robot (8) to pick up the contact.

4. The automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer diameters of the two ends of the contact are different. The automatic insertion system for electrical connector contact also includes a contact orientation detection mechanism (9). The information captured by the contact orientation detection mechanism (9) is used to control the four-axis robot (8) to move the contact to the contact insertion mechanism (11) in the correct direction.

5. The automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts according to claim 4, characterized in that, One end of the contact has a notch. The automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts also includes a contact rotation clamping mechanism (10). Before the four-axis robot (8) moves the contact to the contact insertion mechanism (11), the four-axis robot (8) inserts the contact into the contact rotation clamping mechanism (10). The information captured by the contact orientation detection mechanism (9) is also used to instruct the contact rotation clamping mechanism (10) to rotate the notch of the contact to a specified orientation by a rotation angle. The four-axis robot (8) removes the contact from the contact rotation clamping mechanism (10) and moves it to the contact insertion mechanism (11).

6. The automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts also includes a product identification detection mechanism (1), which includes a lens (1-1), a camera (1-2), a material box (1-3), and a product identification platform (1-4). The product clamping mechanism (2-4) of the product loading mechanism (2) and the product identification platform (1-4) are arranged along the Y direction. Before the product loading mechanism (2) moves the product to the product moving module (4), the product loading mechanism (2) is used to place the picked-up product on the product identification platform (1-4). The lens (1-1) and the camera (1-2) jointly take pictures of the product identification platform (1-4). When the material code information matches, the product loading mechanism (2) is used to pick up the product from the product identification platform (1-4) and move the product to the product moving module (4); When the material code information does not match, the product feeding mechanism (2) is used to pick up the product from the product identification platform (1-4) and move the product into the material box (1-3).

7. A method for automatic insertion of contacts in an electrical connector system, characterized in that, The automatic insertion system for electrical connector contacts includes a product identification detection mechanism (1), a product loading mechanism (2), a product tray mechanism (3), a product moving module (4), a product detection mechanism (5), an automatic contact loading mechanism (6), a contact posture detection mechanism (7), a four-axis robot (8), a contact orientation detection mechanism (9), a contact rotation clamping mechanism (10), and a contact insertion mechanism (11); the method includes: Control the product loading mechanism (2) to move along the Y and Z directions, control the product tray mechanism (3) to move along the X direction, and control the product loading mechanism (2) to pick up the product from the product tray mechanism (3) to the product identification and detection mechanism (1); The product identification detection mechanism (1) controls the material code information to obtain the material code information and performs a matching operation based on the material code information. When the material code information matches, the product loading mechanism (2) controls the product to pick up the product from the product identification platform (1-4) and move the product to the product moving module (4). The product moving module (4) is controlled to move along the X and Z directions to move the product in front of the product inspection mechanism (5); The product testing agency (5) captures the first image; The position of the contact to be inserted on the product is determined according to the first picture, and the product detection mechanism (5) is controlled to move the product so that the position of the contact to be inserted is set relative to the pin mechanism (11-1) of the contact insertion mechanism (11); The automatic feeding mechanism (6) is controlled to feed the contact parts, and the four-axis robot (8) is controlled to pick up the contact parts from the automatic feeding mechanism (6) based on the position and orientation of the contact parts obtained by the contact parts posture detection mechanism (7). Control the four-axis robot (8) to move the contact to the front of the contact posture detection mechanism (7); The contact orientation detection mechanism (9) is controlled to perform attitude detection and obtain the current orientation and notch position of the contact. Based on the current position of the contact, control the four-axis robot (8) to insert the contact rotation clamping mechanism (10) into the preset position; Based on the location of the notch, control the four-axis robot (8) to rotate the notch of the contact piece to the specified position; Control the four-axis robot (8) to remove the contact from the contact rotating clamping mechanism (10) and move it to the contact insertion mechanism (11); The rotary drive module (11-3) of the control contact insertion mechanism (11) rotates the pin insertion mechanism (11-1) to rotate the contact to a position facing the contact to be inserted on the product; The pin drive module (11-2) of the control contact insertion mechanism (11) drives the pin insertion mechanism (11-1) to insert the contact half into the product; The product moving module (4) moves the product to the front of the ejector mechanism (11-4) of the contact insertion mechanism (11); the ejector driving module of the contact insertion mechanism (11) drives the ejector mechanism (11-4) to fully insert the contact into the product. The product movement module (4) moves the product to the front of the product inspection mechanism (5); The product testing agency (5) captures a second image and determines whether the product has correctly inserted contacts based on the second image.

8. A control terminal, characterized in that, The control terminal is used to perform the method as described in claim 7.

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