Connector crimping machine

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of connector crimping, in particular to a connector crimping machine which comprises a base and a workbench arranged on the base. The workbench is sequentially provided with a connector feeding mechanism used for independently outputting a connector, a cutting mechanism used for cutting pins of the connector, and a crimping mechanism used for crimping and fixing the connector and a connecting line. The workbench is further provided with a pushing mechanism used for pushing a single connector from the feeding mechanism to the pushing mechanism to the cutting mechanism and the crimping mechanism in sequence. The workbench is provided with a limiting mechanism at the crimping mechanism, and the limiting mechanism abuts against the surface of the connector and cooperates with the pushing mechanism to promote the connector to move at intervals to complete the movement distance control of the connector, so that the effective movement distance of the connector is accurately controlled. The crimping device has the advantages that the crimping efficiency and the yield of crimping of the connector and the connecting line are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of connector crimping, and more particularly to a connector crimping machine. Background Art

[0002] Connectors are also called connectors. In China, they are also called joints and sockets. They generally refer to electrical connectors. They are devices that connect two active components, transmitting current or signals.

[0003] The male and female ends can transmit information or current through contact, and are also called connectors.

[0004] However, both the male and female ends need to be connected with wires before they can be used. Traditional connector connection methods basically rely on manual fixed connections, resulting in extremely low production efficiency.

[0005] In order to improve the connection efficiency of connectors, semi-automatic connector crimping devices are currently available on the market, such as the Chinese invention patent with patent number 201910697754.X, which is titled "A Connector Crimping Device". The invention discloses: a pressing mechanism that provides a downward pressure within a set stroke, and the pressing mechanism is provided with a pressing moving part; a stroke adjustment mechanism for setting the corresponding stroke of the pressing mechanism according to the thickness of different boards; a crimping mechanism, including an upper crimping needle block and a lower fixed seat, the lower end of the upper crimping needle block is provided with a pressing needle, and the upper crimping needle block is provided at the lower end of the pressing moving part, and is used to crimp the fixed needle on the connector of the board positioned on the lower fixed seat below it through the pressing needle under the drive of the pressing moving part. The present invention can well meet the requirements of crimping connectors of various specifications with the same device, and can also realize semi-automatic and controllable operation with very high consistency and traceability.

[0006] Since the connection end of the connector is usually provided with multiple connection ports, the same connection end needs to be repeatedly crimped on different connection ports in order to complete the crimping of a single connector. However, since the connector still relies on manual movement during the pushing process, especially when the connector size is small, manual alignment is more difficult. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a connector crimping machine, which has the advantages of improving the crimping efficiency and yield rate of connectors and connecting wires.

[0008] The above technical objectives of the present invention are achieved through the following technical solutions: A connector crimping machine, comprising a base and a workbench provided on the base, wherein the workbench is sequentially provided with a connector feeding mechanism for individually outputting connectors, a cutting mechanism for cutting connector pins, and a crimping mechanism for crimping and fixing the connector to a connecting wire, and the workbench is further provided with a pushing mechanism for pushing a single connector from the feeding mechanism to the cutting mechanism and the crimping mechanism in sequence; The workbench is provided with a limiting mechanism at the crimping mechanism, and the limiting mechanism cooperates with the pushing mechanism on the connector surface to cause the connector to move in intervals to complete the moving distance control of the connector, thereby achieving the effective distance of precise control of the connector movement.

[0009] Preferably, the connector loading mechanism includes a blanking plate for placing multiple connectors, a blanking trough opened on the blanking plate, and a first driving component for pushing the blanking plate to move longitudinally. A transfer component is provided at one end of the blanking plate, and a receiving trough is provided at the end away from the blanking trough. The connectors in the blanking plate are sent into the receiving trough in sequence through the transfer component.

[0010] Preferably, the transfer assembly includes an abutment plate that slides along the limiting groove in the blanking plate and a second drive assembly that drives the abutment plate to slide along the limiting groove, and the connector is intermittently pushed by the second drive assembly to slide along the limiting groove.

[0011] Preferably, the transfer assembly includes an air blowing channel installed at the end of the blanking plate, and the air blowing device is connected to the outside of the air blowing channel, and the connector is pushed by controlling the air blowing interval of the air blowing device.

[0012] Preferably, the cutting mechanism includes a cutter that moves closer to and farther from the workbench and a third drive assembly that drives the cutter to move, and the cutter selectively cuts the connector side pins by pushing the third drive assembly.

[0013] Preferably, the crimping mechanism includes a pressing knife that moves close to and away from the workbench and a fourth driving assembly that drives the pressing knife to move, and the fourth driving assembly pushes the pressing knife to extrude the metal sheet and the connecting wire to complete the crimping.

[0014] Preferably, the pushing mechanism includes a limiting groove provided on the workbench, a pushing plate moving along the limiting groove, and a fifth driving component driving the pushing plate to move up and down and left and right, and the movement of the connector is pushed by the fifth driving component.

[0015] Preferably, the limiting mechanism includes a plurality of extrusion springs abutting against the side edges of the connector, and the extrusion springs are embedded in the inner side of the limiting groove.

[0016] Preferably, the workbench is provided with a detection and warning device, which is used to detect the completion process of connector crimping. At the same time, when detecting unqualified connector crimping products, the defect response of the unqualified connector crimping products corresponds to the warning of the working status of the cutting mechanism and the crimping mechanism.

[0017] Preferably, the detection and early warning device includes a CDD camera recognition module, which takes a photo of the crimped connector through the CDD camera recognition module, and performs identification and early warning through the photo. The steps of identification and early warning include: S1: Calibrate and identify defective areas in the connector in the photo; S2: Based on the crimping and pin positions, the connector interior is divided into the crimping area and the connector exterior is divided into the pin area. The connector defect is determined based on the overlap between the defective area and the crimping area or the pin area. S3: Based on multiple accumulations of defect events in the same area, determine whether the cutting mechanism and / or the crimping mechanism is abnormal.

[0018] In summary, the present invention has the beneficial effects of placing the connector in the connector feeding mechanism, separating the individual connectors therefrom in turn through the connector feeding mechanism, and pushing the connector through the cutting mechanism and the crimping mechanism in turn to complete the cutting of the connector pins and the crimping between the connector and the connecting wire. Since the connector needs to complete the crimping with multiple connecting wires, and during the crimping process, it is necessary to continuously push the connector while ensuring that each port of the connector can accurately correspond to the connecting wire, a limiting mechanism is set at the crimping mechanism for this purpose. The limiting mechanism cooperates with the pushing mechanism on the surface of the connector to prompt the connector to move at intervals to complete the moving distance control of the connector, thereby achieving the effective distance of precise control of the connector movement and improving the crimping efficiency and yield rate of the connector and the connecting wire. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of the external structure of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of a pushing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an extruded spring sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a flowchart of an early warning method of a detection and early warning device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 Schematic diagram of electrical connections according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure markings: 1. Base; 11. Workbench; 2. Connector loading mechanism; 21. Blanking plate; 22. Blanking trough; 23. First drive assembly; 24. Transfer assembly; 25. Receiving trough; 26. Abutment plate; 27. Blowing channel; 3. Cutting mechanism; 31. Cutter; 32. Third drive group; 4. Crimping mechanism; 41. Cutter; 42. Fourth drive assembly; 5. Extrusion spring; 51. Embedding end; 52. Abutment end; 53. Guide end; 6. Pushing mechanism; 61. Limiting groove; 62. Pushing plate; 63. Fifth drive assembly; 7. Detection and early warning device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0022] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being “fixed to” or “disposed on” another component, it can be directly on the other component or indirectly on the other component. When a component is referred to as being “connected to” another component, it can be directly or indirectly connected to the other component.

[0023] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0024] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature identified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0025] A connector crimping machine, see Figure 1 and Figure 2, comprising a base 1 and a workbench 11 provided on the base 1, the workbench 11 being provided with a connector feeding mechanism 2 for individually outputting connectors, a cutting mechanism 3 for cutting connector pins, and a crimping mechanism 4 for crimping and fixing the connector to the connecting wire, and the workbench 11 being further provided with a pushing mechanism 6 for pushing a single connector from the feeding mechanism to the cutting mechanism 3 and the crimping mechanism 4 in sequence; The workbench 11 is provided with a limit mechanism at the crimping mechanism 4, and the limit mechanism cooperates with the pushing mechanism 6 by abutting against the connector surface to promote the intermittent movement of the connector to complete the movement distance control of the connector, thereby achieving the effective distance of precise control of the connector movement.

[0026] In this embodiment, the connector is placed in the connector feeding mechanism 2, and the individual connectors are separated from it in turn by the connector feeding mechanism 2. The connector is pushed by the pushing mechanism 6 and passes through the cutting mechanism 3 and the crimping mechanism 4 in turn to complete the cutting of the connector pins and the crimping between the connector and the connecting wire. Since the connector needs to complete the crimping with multiple connecting wires, and during the crimping process, it is necessary to continuously push the connector while ensuring that each port of the connector can accurately correspond to the connecting wire, for this purpose, the workbench 11 is provided with a limiting mechanism at the crimping mechanism 4. The limiting mechanism cooperates with the pushing mechanism 6 by abutting against the surface of the connector to prompt the connector to move at intervals to complete the moving distance control of the connector, so as to achieve the effective control of the connector movement distance, thereby improving the crimping efficiency and yield rate of the connector and the connecting wire.

[0027] Specifically, the connector loading mechanism 2 includes a blanking plate 21 for placing multiple connectors, a blanking trough 22 opened on the blanking plate 21, and a first driving component 23 for pushing the blanking plate 21 to move longitudinally. A transfer component 24 is provided at one end of the blanking plate 21, and a receiving trough 25 is provided at the end away from the blanking trough 22. The connectors in the blanking plate 21 are sequentially sent into the receiving trough 25 through the transfer component 24.

[0028] Since the blanking plate 21 is provided with multiple blanking grooves 22, the width of the blanking grooves 22 is slightly larger than the width of the connector. When the connectors are spread on the blanking plate 21, they all fall into the blanking grooves 22 under the influence of gravity. Based on this, multiple connectors located in the same blanking plate 21 are abutted and pushed in the blanking grooves 22 by the transfer component 24, so that the connectors are abutted and moved, and the blanking grooves 22 are pushed out to move toward the cutting mechanism 3.

[0029] In order to increase the capacity of the blanking plate 21 to accommodate connectors, multiple blanking troughs 22 are set on the blanking plate 21. After the connectors in a blanking trough 22 are pushed out, the first drive component 23 is used to drive the blanking plate 21 to move longitudinally, so that the port of the blanking trough 22 is repositioned to facilitate the subsequent continuous removal of connectors.

[0030] The first driving component 23 is a two-axis robotic arm.

[0031] Specifically, the transfer assembly 24 includes an abutment plate 26 that slides along a restriction groove in the blanking plate 21, and a second drive assembly that drives the abutment plate 26 along the restriction groove. The second drive assembly intermittently pushes the connector to slide along the restriction groove. The second drive assembly includes a motor-driven driving wheel and a synchronous belt supported by the driving wheel and driven wheels. The synchronous belt drives the abutment plate 26 to complete its movement along the restriction groove.

[0032] Since the connectors all have set sizes, when the connectors of the same blanking chute 22 are driven to move by the second driving component, the individual connectors can be pushed out in sequence by setting the pushing distance.

[0033] Specifically, the transfer assembly 24 includes a blowing channel 27 installed at the end of the blanking plate 21. The blowing channel 27 is connected to a blowing device, and the connector is pushed by controlling the blowing interval of the blowing device.

[0034] Because the spacing between the multiple connectors dropped into the blanking troughs 22 varies, an air blowing device is used to blow air to the end of the blanking plate 21, aligning and arranging the multiple connectors within a single blanking trough 22. At the same time, the air can be blown at intervals to push the connectors, replacing the function of the second drive assembly. The air blowing channel 27 is fixed, and to achieve air blowing in each blanking trough 22, the blanking plate 21 can be moved longitudinally by the first drive assembly 23.

[0035] After a single connector is pushed out by the feeding mechanism, it is moved to the cutting mechanism 3 and the crimping mechanism 4 in sequence by the pushing mechanism 6 .

[0036] Specifically, the cutting mechanism 3 includes a cutter 31 that moves toward and away from the workbench 11 and a third drive group 32 that drives the cutter 31 to move. The third drive group 32 pushes the cutter 31 to selectively cut the connector side pins.

[0037] After the connector is moved to the cutting point by the pushing mechanism 6, the connector side pins are selectively cut by the push cutter 31 of the third drive group 32. The third drive group 32 is a linear drive shaft driven by a motor.

[0038] Specifically, the crimping mechanism 4 includes a pressing knife 41 that moves toward and away from the workbench 11 and a fourth driving assembly 42 that drives the pressing knife 41 to move. The fourth driving assembly 42 pushes the pressing knife 41 to squeeze the metal sheet and the connecting wire to complete the crimping.

[0039] After the connector pins are cut, the pushing mechanism 6 pushes the connector to the crimping point, and the fourth drive component 42 pushes the pressing knife 41 to squeeze the metal sheet and the connecting wire to complete the crimping. The fourth drive component 42 is a linear drive shaft driven by a motor.

[0040] The pushing mechanism 6 runs through the connector feeding mechanism 2, the cutting mechanism 3 and the crimping mechanism 4, and completes the process under each mechanism by pushing the movement of a single connector.

[0041] See also Figure 3 Specifically, the pushing mechanism 6 includes a limiting groove 61 provided on the workbench 11, a pushing plate 62 moving along the limiting groove 61, and a fifth driving component 63 driving the pushing plate 62 to move up and down and left and right, and the movement of the pushing connector is achieved through the fifth driving component 63.

[0042] The limiting slot 61 has openings at its top and bottom. The push plate 62 slides within the limiting slot 61 and along its lower opening. Simultaneously, the push plate 62 is driven up and down, and left and right, by a fifth drive assembly 63, thereby aligning the connector between the cutting and crimping points and achieving an assembly line production function. The fifth drive assembly 63 is driven by a motor via a screw module.

[0043] Specifically, the limiting mechanism includes a plurality of extrusion springs 5 ​​abutting against the side of the connector, and the extrusion springs 5 ​​are embedded in the inner side of the limiting groove 61 .

[0044] Since the connector is provided with a row of connection ports for the connection wires to be inserted, people manually insert the connection wires into the connection ports, and then use the crimping mechanism 4 to complete the crimping process of the connectors. The traditional way of achieving the alignment of the connection ports is to move the distance set by the pushing mechanism 6 to control the replacement of the connection ports. However, since the interval between adjacent connection ports is very small, the moving distance of the pushing mechanism 6 is difficult to control during the process of pushing the connector to change the connection port, which affects the crimping efficiency.

[0045] To this end, several squeezing springs 5 ​​abut against the side of the connector, and elastically squeeze the connector through the squeezing springs 5, and cooperate with the plug-in fit between the connection port and the squeezing springs 5, so that the connector always maintains a certain distance of movement during the movement of the limit groove 61. At the same time, the squeezing springs 5 ​​can squeeze the connector, further strengthening the position of the connector in the limit groove 61 to avoid tilting and other deviations.

[0046] See also Figure 4 The extrusion spring piece 5 includes an embedding end 51 embedded in the inner side of the limiting groove 61, an abutting end 52 abutting the side of the connector, and a guide end 53 away from the embedding end 51. After the embedding end 51 is embedded in the limiting groove 61, when the connector is pushed to the crimping point, the abutting end 52 abuts against the side of the connector for elastic extrusion, and is limited by the plug-in fit between the connection port on the side of the connector and the abutting end 52. When the connector needs to be pushed forward, it is pushed forward with the help of the guide end 53, and is limited by the plug-in fit between the connection port and the abutting end 52, so that the connector can only move at equal distances.

[0047] Similarly, a limiting mechanism may be provided at the cutting point, and the limiting mechanism cooperates with the pushing mechanism 6 to cut the pins at a fixed point.

[0048] See also Figure 5 and Figure 6 Specifically, the workbench 11 is provided with a detection and warning device 7, which is used to detect the completion process of connector crimping. At the same time, when detecting unqualified connector crimping products, the working status of the cutting mechanism 3 and the crimping mechanism 4 is correspondingly warned through the defect response of the unqualified connector crimping products.

[0049] After the cutting and crimping processes are completed, the connectors need to be re-inspected to prevent defective products from entering the market. To this end, they are inspected by the detection and warning device 7. Based on the inspection results, the working status of the cutting mechanism 3 and the crimping mechanism 4 is warned by the defect response of the unqualified connector crimped products, thereby monitoring the operation of the cutting mechanism 3 and the crimping mechanism 4.

[0050] The detection and early warning device 7 includes a CDD camera recognition module, which takes a photo of the crimped connector through the CDD camera recognition module, and uses the photo to perform identification and early warning. The identification and early warning steps include: S1: Calibrate and identify defective areas in the connector in the photo; S2: Based on the crimping and pin positions, the connector interior is divided into the crimping area and the connector exterior is divided into the pin area. The connector defect is determined based on the overlap between the defective area and the crimping area or the pin area. S3: Based on multiple accumulations of defect events in the same area, determine whether the cutting mechanism 3 and / or the crimping mechanism 4 is abnormal.

[0051] By setting a threshold for multiple accumulation of defect events in the same area, when loose crimping occurs in the crimping area, it can be determined that the cause is wear of the cutter 31 in the cutting mechanism 3, etc., which can facilitate maintenance personnel to quickly find equipment faults and perform maintenance.

[0052] The above embodiments are merely explanations of the present invention and are not limitations of the present invention. After reading this specification, those skilled in the art may make non-creative modifications to the embodiments as needed. However, as long as they are within the scope of the claims of the present invention, they are protected by patent law.

Claims

1. A connector crimping machine, characterized by: The device comprises a base and a workbench provided on the base, wherein the workbench is provided with a connector feeding mechanism for outputting connectors individually, a cutting mechanism for cutting connector pins, and a crimping mechanism for crimping and fixing the connectors to the connecting wires. The workbench is also provided with a pushing mechanism for pushing a single connector from the feeding mechanism to the cutting mechanism and the crimping mechanism in sequence. The workbench is provided with a limiting mechanism at the crimping mechanism, and the limiting mechanism cooperates with the pushing mechanism on the connector surface to cause the connector to move in intervals to complete the moving distance control of the connector, thereby achieving the effective distance of precise control of the connector movement.

2. A connector crimping machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connector loading mechanism includes a blanking plate for placing multiple connectors, a blanking trough opened on the blanking plate, and a first driving component that drives the blanking plate to move longitudinally. A transfer component is provided at one end of the blanking plate, and a receiving trough is provided at the end away from the blanking trough. The connectors in the blanking plate are sequentially sent into the receiving trough through the transfer component.

3. A connector crimping machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The transfer assembly includes an abutment plate that slides along the limiting groove in the blanking plate and a second driving assembly that drives the abutment plate to slide along the limiting groove. The connector is pushed intermittently by the second driving assembly to slide along the limiting groove.

4. A connector crimping machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The transfer assembly includes an air blowing channel installed at the end of the blanking plate, and the air blowing device is connected to the outside of the air blowing channel. The connector is pushed by controlling the air blowing interval of the air blowing device.

5. The connector crimping machine according to claim 1, wherein: The cutting mechanism includes a cutter that moves close to and away from the workbench and a third driving component that drives the cutter to move. The cutter selectively cuts the connector side pins by pushing the third driving component.

6. A connector crimping machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The crimping mechanism includes a pressing knife that moves close to and away from the workbench and a fourth driving assembly that drives the pressing knife to move. The fourth driving assembly pushes the pressing knife to squeeze the metal sheet and the connecting wire to complete the crimping.

7. A connector crimping machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pushing mechanism includes a limiting groove provided on the workbench, a pushing plate moving along the limiting groove, and a fifth driving component driving the pushing plate to move up and down and left and right, and the movement of the pushing connector is driven by the fifth driving component.

8. A connector crimping machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: The limiting mechanism includes a plurality of extrusion springs abutting against the side edges of the connector, and the extrusion springs are embedded in the inner side of the limiting groove.

9. The connector crimping machine according to claim 1, wherein: The workbench is provided with a detection and early warning device, which is used to detect the completion process of connector crimping. At the same time, when detecting unqualified connector crimping products, the defect response of the unqualified connector crimping products corresponds to the working status of the early warning cutting mechanism and the crimping mechanism.

10. A connector crimping machine according to claim 9, characterized in that: The detection and early warning device includes a CDD camera recognition module, which takes a photo of the crimped connector through the CDD camera recognition module, and performs identification and early warning through the photo. The identification and early warning steps include: S1: Calibrate and identify defective areas in the connector in the photo; S2: Based on the crimping and pin positions, the connector interior is divided into the crimping area and the connector exterior is divided into the pin area. The connector defect is determined based on the overlap between the defective area and the crimping area or the pin area. S3: Based on multiple accumulations of defect events in the same area, determine whether the cutting mechanism and / or the crimping mechanism is abnormal.

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