Terminal insertion unit and terminal insertion method

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to reduce the burden on an operator and smoothly insert an end terminal (W11) of an electric wire (W1) having a terminal into a cavity of a connector housing (C1). The terminal insertion unit (1) includes a housing tray (11), a first conveyance section (16), a tilt correction section (17) configured to receive an electric wire (W1) having a terminal from the first conveyance section (16) and detect and correct a tilt, a second conveyance section (18) configured to convey the tilt-corrected electric wire (W1) having the terminal, and a terminal insertion section (13) configured to insert the terminal into the housing tray (11). And the terminal insertion part (13) is configured to receive the electric wire (W1) having the terminal from the second conveying part (18), detect and correct a position offset between a tip position of the end terminal (W11) and a position of the cavity as an insertion target, and simultaneously insert the end terminal (W11) after the position offset correction into the cavity as the insertion target.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal insertion unit and a terminal insertion method for inserting the end terminal of a wire having a terminal into a cavity of a connector housing. Background Technology

[0002] Conventionally, when manufacturing wire harnesses with connectors at their ends, a terminal insertion unit is used to insert the terminal ends of the wires into the cavity of the connector housing (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The terminal insertion unit described in Patent Document 1 is a device for holding the wires with terminals and moving them toward the connector housing in a held state, thereby automatically inserting the terminal ends into the cavity. According to this terminal insertion unit, during the insertion process, the connector housing is controlled to move up, down, left, and right, allowing the terminal ends to be inserted smoothly without interference with the inner surface of the cavity.

[0003] [List of Citations]

[0004] [Patent Literature]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-64722A Summary of the Invention

[0006] [Technical Issues]

[0007] At this point, when the end is inserted at an angle, there is a situation where it is difficult to smoothly insert into the cavity simply by moving the connector housing. According to the terminal insertion unit, strict position management is required in the stage before terminal insertion. Therefore, such strict position management will place a heavy burden on the operator.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention was proposed in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a terminal insertion unit and a terminal insertion method that can smoothly insert the end terminal of a wire having a terminal into a cavity.

[0009] [Solution to the problem]

[0010] To address the aforementioned problems, a terminal insertion unit is provided, characterized by comprising: one or more housing trays, one or more housing retainers mounted on the housing trays, the housing retainers capable of holding a connector housing, the connector housing having multiple cavities, and the end terminals of a wire having terminals being capable of being inserted into the multiple cavities respectively; a first transport section configured to hold and transport the wire having terminals to a first inspection position; and a tilt correction section configured to receive the wire having terminals from the first transport section at the first inspection position, detect tilting of the insertion posture into the cavity with respect to the posture about the axis of the end terminals, and move the wire... The device includes an end terminal for correcting the tilt; a second transport section configured to receive the tilt-corrected wire with terminals from the tilt correction section and transport it to a second inspection position; and a terminal insertion section configured to receive the wire with terminals from the second transport section at the second inspection position, detect a positional offset between the front end position of the end terminal and the position of a cavity in the connector housing held by the housing retainer as an insertion target, correct the positional offset by moving at least one of the connector housing or the wire with terminals, and simultaneously insert the position-offset-corrected end terminal into the cavity as the insertion target.

[0011] To address the aforementioned problems, a terminal insertion method is provided, characterized by comprising: a housing supply step, wherein a connector housing is supplied to a housing tray for being held by a housing retainer, wherein one or more housing retainers are attached to the housing tray, the housing retainers being capable of holding the connector housing, the connector housing having a plurality of cavities, and the end terminals of a wire having terminals being inserted into the plurality of cavities respectively; a first transport step, wherein a first transport unit grasps the wire having terminals and transports it to a first inspection position; and a tilt correction step, wherein a first wire chuck receives and grasps the wire having terminals from the first transport unit at the first inspection position, checks the tilt of the insertion posture into the cavity with respect to the orientation about the axis of the end terminals, and responds to the detection result. The process involves: tilting the first wire chuck around the axis to move the end terminal to correct the tilt; a second transport step in which a second transport unit receives the tilt-corrected wire with terminals from the tilt correction unit and transports it to a second inspection position; and a terminal insertion step in which the second wire chuck receives the wire with terminals from the second transport unit at the second inspection position, detects a positional offset between the front end position of the end terminal and the position of the cavity in the connector housing held by the housing retainer as the insertion target, corrects the positional offset by moving at least one of the connector housing or the wire with terminals, and simultaneously moves the second wire chuck to the terminal insertion port to insert the end terminal into the cavity as the insertion target.

[0012] [Invention Effects]

[0013] According to the terminal insertion unit and terminal insertion method described above, the end terminals of the wire with terminals can be smoothly inserted into the cavity while reducing the burden on the operator. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the terminal insertion unit according to an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 The diagram shows a schematic block diagram of the terminal insertion unit.

[0016] Figure 3 It is shown in the from Figure 1 The 3D diagram shown is in the state after removing other components. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Views of the housing tray, tray retaining frame, and tray drive unit shown.

[0017] Figure 4 It is shown in magnification Figure 3 An enlarged perspective view of one of the three housing trays shown.

[0018] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 1 and Figure 2 A view showing the first transport section and the wire with terminals held by the wire holding tool.

[0019] Figure 6 It is shown Figure 5 A view showing the first transport section and the tilt correction section as the transport destination of the wire with terminals.

[0020] Figure 7 It is shown Figure 1 and Figure 2 The tilt correction section and the wire with terminals that serves as the correction target are shown in the diagram.

[0021] Figure 8 It is shown Figure 7 A schematic side view of the tilt correction section is shown.

[0022] Figure 9 It is used to describe in Figure 7 and Figure 8 An explanatory diagram showing the tilt correction performed at the tilt correction section.

[0023] Figure 10 It is shown Figure 2 The second transport section and the tilt correction section, which serves as the transport source, are shown in the diagram.

[0024] Figure 11 It is shown Figure 10 A view showing the second transport section and a terminal insertion section that serves as the transport destination for a wire with terminals.

[0025] Figure 12 This is shown when the detection function focuses on the front end position of the end terminal. Figure 1 and Figure 2 A view of the terminal insertion section shown.

[0026] Figure 13 This is demonstrated when the detection function focuses on the location of the cavity as the insertion target. Figure 12 A view of the terminal insertion section shown.

[0027] Figure 14 It is shown Figure 12 and Figure 13 The diagram shows a schematic side view of the terminal insertion section.

[0028] Figure 15 It is shown in Figures 12 to 14 This diagram illustrates the terminal-side position offset detected by the insertion control section of the terminal insertion part.

[0029] Figure 16 It is shown in Figures 12 to 14 This diagram shows the cavity-side position offset detected by the insertion control section of the terminal insertion part towards the cavity that is the insertion target.

[0030] Figure 17 It is shown in Figures 12 to 14 The diagram shows a process of inserting the end terminal, after position offset correction, into the cavity that serves as the insertion target in the terminal insertion section.

[0031] Figure 18 It is shown schematically in Figures 1 to 17 The flowchart shows the processing flow of the terminal insertion method executed in the terminal insertion unit 1.

[0032] Reference tag list

[0033] 1 Terminal insertion unit

[0034] 2. Wire harness with connectors

[0035] 11. Shell tray

[0036] 12 Pallet Holding Frame

[0037] 12a Top plate

[0038] 13 Terminal insertion section

[0039] 13a Second inspection position

[0040] 14. Pallet drive unit

[0041] 15. Housing Supply Department

[0042] 16 First Transportation Department

[0043] 17. Tilt Correction Section

[0044] 17a First inspection position

[0045] 18 Second Transportation Department

[0046] 19. Tool holder

[0047] 111 Pallet Body

[0048] 112 Housing retainer

[0049] 112a arm

[0050] 113 Temporary wire retainer

[0051] 113b Wire clamping part

[0052] 113b-1 U-shaped leaf spring component

[0053] 121 Housing supply location

[0054] 122 Standby position

[0055] 123 Terminal insertion position

[0056] 124 Housing Removal Location

[0057] 131 Second wire chuck

[0058] 131a, 161, 181 Controlling Mechanisms

[0059] 131a-1 front chuck

[0060] 131a-2 rear chuck

[0061] 131b, 162, 182 Holding Drive Mechanism

[0062] 131c, 132c, 133b, 163, 183 moving mechanisms

[0063] 132 Second Imaging Unit

[0064] 132a and 172a lamps

[0065] 132b, 133a, 172b cameras

[0066] 133 Third Imaging Unit

[0067] 134 Insertion Control Unit

[0068] 171 First wire chuck

[0069] 172 First Imaging Section

[0070] 172a lamp

[0071] 173 Calibration Control Department

[0072] 191 Wire Holding Tool

[0073] 191a Maintain a narrow slit

[0074] C1 Connector Housing

[0075] C11 cavity

[0076] C11a Terminal Insertion Port

[0077] D11 Left and right directions

[0078] D12 Length direction

[0079] D13 Switch Direction

[0080] D14 Terminal Insertion Direction

[0081] D15 Depth Direction

[0082] D16 rod length direction

[0083] D17 Correction Direction

[0084] G11 Terminal Side Position Offset

[0085] G12 cavity side position offset

[0086] H11 Horizontal Surface

[0087] P11 Registration Terminal Position

[0088] P12 Front end position

[0089] P13 Registration Insertion Section

[0090] P14 Insertion Port Location

[0091] R11 Loop Path

[0092] S101 Housing Supply Steps

[0093] Are there any judgments for S102 and S109?

[0094] S103 Standby Procedure

[0095] S104 Insertion Position Movement Steps

[0096] S105 First Transport Step

[0097] S106 Tilt Correction Procedure

[0098] S107 Second Transport Step

[0099] S108 Terminal Insertion Procedure

[0100] S110 Housing Removal Procedure

[0101] S111 Whether to end the determination

[0102] W1 Wire with terminals

[0103] W2 Non-inserted wire with terminals

[0104] W11 end terminal

[0105] W11a axis

[0106] W11b Horizontal axis

[0107] W12, W22 wire section

[0108] W21 Non-insertion terminal

[0109] Y1 Operator

[0110] θ11 tilt angle Detailed Implementation

[0111] The following describes embodiments of the terminal insertion unit and the terminal insertion method.

[0112] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the terminal insertion unit according to an embodiment, and Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 The diagram shows a schematic block diagram of the terminal insertion unit.

[0113] As an example, the terminal insertion unit 1 according to this embodiment is a work unit for manufacturing a wire harness 2 fitted with connectors, which constitutes at least a portion of a wire harness installed and laid in vehicles, etc. According to the terminal insertion unit 1, the end terminals W11 of a wire W1 with terminals supplied via a wire holding tool 191 are inserted into a connector housing C1 held by a housing tray 11. The wire holding tool 191 holds the number of wires W1 with terminals according to this embodiment required to manufacture one wire harness 2 fitted with connectors. Each wire W1 with terminals is configured such that the end terminals W11 are connected to both ends of a wire portion W12, such that... Figure 2 As shown, it is held at both ends by wire holding tools 191 in a U-shaped state. Multiple wires W1 with terminals are picked up one by one, and the end terminals W11 of each of their two ends are inserted into the corresponding connector housing C1. The terminal insertion unit 1 is configured to repeatedly perform this terminal insertion to manufacture a wire bundle 2 with connectors, and the manufactured wire bundle 2 with connectors is removed from the terminal insertion unit 1 by the operator Y1.

[0114] The terminal insertion unit 1 includes a housing tray 11, a tray holding frame 12, a terminal insertion part 13, a tray driving part 14, a housing supply part 15, a first transport part 16, a tilt correction part 17, a second transport part 18, and a holding tool mounting part 19. The various parts will be described below with reference to other accompanying drawings.

[0115] Figure 3 It is shown in the from Figure 1 The 3D diagram shown is in the state after removing other components. Figure 1 and Figure 2 Views of the housing tray, tray retaining frame, and tray drive unit shown. Figure 4 It is shown in magnification Figure 3An enlarged perspective view of one of the three housing trays shown.

[0116] The housing tray 11 is a component that removably holds multiple connector housings C1 and includes a tray body 111, multiple housing retainers 112, and a single wire temporary retainer 113. The connector housing C1 to be held is a resin housing with a rectangular block shape and is provided with multiple cavities C11 into which the end terminals W11 of a wire W1 with terminals can be inserted.

[0117] The pallet body 111 is a bar-shaped component, and the pallet body 111 is positioned on the pallet retaining frame 12 at the housing removal position 124 described below, such that when viewed from the operator Y1, its length direction D12 extends along the left-right direction D11.

[0118] The housing retainer 112 is a component capable of holding the connector housing C1. The housing retainer 112 holds the connector housing C1 via a pair of arms 112a, which are open and close in the opening / closing direction D13 to hold the connector housing C1. Multiple housing retainers 112 are mounted to the tray body 111 in a row along the length direction D12 of the tray body 111. Furthermore, each housing retainer 112 is mounted to the tray body 111 such that the terminal insertion port C11a in the cavity C11 is exposed, and holds the connector housing C1 while the terminal insertion direction D14 intersects with the tray body 111.

[0119] Then, according to this embodiment, various types of housing retainers 112 corresponding to different sizes are attached to the tray body 111 to hold various types of connector housings C1 with different sizes from each other. Figure 4 In the example shown, to hold two types of connector housings C1, two types of housing retainers 112 with different arm shapes are shown, and each type of housing retainer 112 is respectively mounted to the tray body 111. Furthermore, the housing retainers 112 are mounted to the tray body 111 in a manner that allows the mounting position to be changed in the longitudinal direction D12. The housing retainers 112 are mounted by bolt fastening, and a plurality of screw holes 111a are formed in the tray body 111 in a row in the longitudinal direction D12, thereby enabling the change of mounting position. Based on the completed connector arrangement of the wire harness 2 with connectors mounted, the plurality of housing retainers 112 are arranged at predetermined intervals and in a predetermined sequence and mounted to the tray body 111.

[0120] The temporary wire holder 113 is a component for temporarily holding one or more uninserted wires W2 having uninserted terminals W21 not inserted into the cavity C11 of the connector housing C1. The temporary wire holder 113 is mounted into the tray body 111 adjacent to the housing holder 112. Similar to the mounting of the housing holder 112, the temporary wire holder 113 is also mounted by bolt fastening, allowing the mounting position to be appropriately changed. The temporary wire holder 113 has one or more wire clamping portions 113b for clamping the wire portions W22 of the uninserted wires W2 with terminals by a pair of adjacent U-shaped leaf spring members 113b-1. The uninserted wires W2 with terminals are inserted and clamped between the U-shaped leaf spring members 113b-1 in each wire clamping portion 113b.

[0121] According to this embodiment, as Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the three housing trays 11 with the above-described structure are held by a tray holding frame 12. The tray holding frame 12 is a frame component with a rectangular block shape, placed on a predetermined mounting surface with the ground facing down, and holds the three housing trays 11 on the plane of the upper surface of a top plate portion 12a, which has a rectangular plate shape along the mounting surface. The upper surface of the top plate portion 12a is divided into four 2×2 regions, and the three housing trays 11 are movably held in the tray holding frame 12, allowing the three housing trays 11 to circulate within these four regions.

[0122] The four regions on the top plate 12a of the tray holding frame 12 are referred to as the housing supply position 121, the standby position 122, the terminal insertion position 123, and the housing removal position 124. The housing tray 11 is held by the tray holding frame 12 in a state where it can move along the circulation path R11 connecting these four regions. The circulation path R11 is a path that moves in the order of housing supply position 121, standby position 122, terminal insertion position 123, and housing removal position 124, and then returns to the housing supply position 121.

[0123] Housing supply position 121 is the area where the housing holder 112 of the housing tray 11 supplies and holds the connector housing C1. Standby position 122 is the area where the housing tray 11 is temporarily in standby mode after holding the housing. Terminal insertion position 123 is the area where the end terminal W11 of the wire W1 with terminals is inserted into the cavity C11 of the connector housing C1. Then, housing removal position 124 is the area where the connector housing C1 is removed from the housing holder 112 after the terminals are inserted into the connector housing C1. All connector housings C1 are removed when the insertion of terminals into all connector housings C1 supplied at housing supply position 121 for a housing tray 11 is completed and that housing tray 11 moves to housing removal position 124. Due to this removal, the wire harness 2 with connectors attached is removed as an output from the terminal insertion unit 1. According to this embodiment, the removal of the connector housing C1 at housing removal position 124 is performed manually by operator Y1.

[0124] Considering the manual operation at housing removal position 124, the loop path R11 connecting the four areas is the following annular path on the plane of the top plate portion 12a of the tray holding frame 12. First, housing removal position 124 is the area on the front side of the unit facing the operator Y1. For ease of removal as described here, the connector housing C1 is held in the housing retainer 112 as follows: that is, the connector housing C1 is held in the housing retainer 112 on the rear side facing the operator Y1 at housing removal position 124, wherein the end terminal W11 is inserted into the rear side and the wire W1 with the terminal extends from the rear side.

[0125] As the passage area directly in front of the housing removal position 124, the terminal insertion position 123 is the area adjacent to the housing removal position 124 in the left-right direction D11 when viewed by the operator Y1 from the front side of the unit. When the operator Y11 views in the depth direction D15, the housing supply position 121, to which the empty housing tray 11 moves from the housing removal position 124 after housing removal, is the area on the deep side of the unit, which moves away from the housing removal position 124 towards the depth side. Then, the standby position 122, where the housing tray 11 stands before terminal insertion, is adjacent to the housing supply position 121 in the left-right direction D11 on the deep side of the unit, and is the area moving away from the terminal insertion position 123 towards the depth side in the depth direction D15.

[0126] Figure 1 and Figure 2 The terminal insertion part 13 shown is a mechanical part for inserting the end terminal W11 into the cavity C11 of the connector housing C1 in the housing tray 11 located at the terminal insertion position 123 in the circulation path R11. The terminal insertion part 13 will be described in detail later along with other parts.

[0127] The terminal insertion unit 1 is provided with a tray drive unit 14 for moving the housing tray 11 along the circulation path R11 while the terminal insertion unit 13 inserts a terminal during the process. According to this embodiment, three housing trays 11 are configured to move along the circulation path R11 to free up one of the housing supply position 121, standby position 122, terminal insertion position 123, and housing removal position 124. The tray drive unit 14 moves these three housing trays 11. During the time period between when one of the three housing trays 11 receives a housing supply at the housing supply position 121 and when the terminal insertion has been completed at the terminal insertion position 123, the tray drive unit 14 moves another housing tray 11 so that it moves in the following manner: that is, during the aforementioned time period, the housing tray 11 receives a housing supply at the housing supply position 121 and then stands idle at the standby position 122. In most cases, since terminal insertion takes longer than housing supply, another housing tray 11 that has already been supplied remains in standby position 122 while one housing tray 11 is receiving terminal insertion. Additionally, at this time, for the remaining housing tray 11, if terminal insertion has already been performed, the connector housing C1 will be removed at housing removal position 124. Furthermore, if terminal insertion is planned for this housing tray 11, it is transported to housing supply position 121 to receive housing supply. This housing tray 11 is then held in housing supply position 121 until standby position 122 becomes available.

[0128] In addition, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a housing supply unit 15 is provided near the housing supply position 121. The housing supply unit 15 stores the connector housing C1 and automatically supplies the connector housing C1 to the housing tray 11 located at the housing supply position 121, so that it is held by the housing retainer 112. The housing tray 11, which has received the housing supply from the housing supply unit 15, is sent to the terminal insertion position 123 via the standby position 122 to accept the terminal insertion of the terminal insertion unit 13.

[0129] In the terminal insertion section 13, during the process, the wire W1 with the terminal is transported from the wire holding tool 191 in the holding tool placement section 19 by the first transport section 16 and the second transport section 18 while undergoing tilt correction by the tilt correction section 17 as described below.

[0130] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 1 and Figure 2 The view shown includes the first transport section and the wire with terminals held by the wire holding tool. Figure 6 It is shown Figure 5A view showing the first transport section and the tilt correction section as the transport destination of the wire with terminals.

[0131] The first transport unit 16 grasps the terminal wire W1 held by the wire holding tool 191 and transports it to the first inspection position 17a in the tilt correction unit 17. The wire holding tool 191 is a rod-shaped member that holds the wire portion W12 near the end terminals W11 at both ends of the terminal wire W1. In the wire holding tool 191, the holding slits 191a into which the wire portion W12 is inserted are formed in a straight line along the length direction D16 of the rod. As described above, each terminal wire W1 is held in a U-shaped state at both ends by the wire holding tool 191. The first transport unit 16 picks up the terminal wires W1 one by one from the wire holding tool 191 by grasping the two ends of the terminal wires W1 in the U-shaped state. The first transport unit 16 includes: a pair of gripping mechanisms 161 that grip both ends of a wire W1 having terminals, a gripping drive mechanism 162 that drives each gripping mechanism 162, and a moving mechanism 163 that moves the pair of gripping mechanisms 161 to the first inspection position 17a (see Figure 1 ).

[0132] In the holding tool mounting section 19, the wire holding tool 191 is arranged at the terminal insertion position 123 in a posture substantially perpendicular to the length direction D12 and the rod length direction D16 of the housing tray 11. The wire holding tool 191, in which multiple wires W1 with terminals are set in the previous step, is transported to the holding tool mounting section 19 by the operator Y1 and placed in the aforementioned orthogonal posture. Regarding the first transport section 16, after a pair of gripping mechanisms 161, in a picking posture arranged in the rod length direction D16, grips both ends of a wire W1 with terminals from the wire holding tool 191, the gripping mechanisms 161 are rotated 90 degrees by the moving mechanism 163 and moved to the first inspection position 17a. At the first inspection position 17a, the wire W1 with terminals is transferred to the tilt correction section 17 for tilt correction.

[0133] Figure 7 It is shown Figure 1 and Figure 2 The view shown includes the tilt correction section and the wire with terminals that serves as the correction target. Figure 8 It is shown Figure 7 A schematic side view of the tilt correction section is shown. Then, Figure 9 It is used to describe in Figure 7 and Figure 8 An explanatory diagram showing the tilt correction performed at the tilt correction section.

[0134] The tilt correction unit 17 is used to receive a wire W1 with terminals from the first transport unit 16 at the first inspection position 17a for tilt correction. Here, tilt correction refers to the process of correcting the orientation of the middle end terminal W11 of the two ends of the wire W1 with terminals picked up from the wire holding tool 191 about the axis W11a. The tilt correction unit 17 includes a first wire chuck 171, a first imaging unit 172, and a correction control unit 173. The first wire chuck 171 is a pair of holding mechanisms for holding the two ends of the wire W1 with terminals received from the first transport unit 16. The first inspection position 17a at the tilt correction unit 17 refers to the position for holding the two ends of the wire W1 with terminals by the first wire chuck 171.

[0135] The first imaging unit 172 is a portion for imaging each of the two ends of a wire W1 with terminals held by a first wire chuck 171 from the front end side of the corresponding end terminal W11. The first imaging unit 172 includes a pair of lamps 172a for illuminating each end terminal W11 during imaging and a pair of cameras 172b for imaging each illuminated end terminal W11. The correction control unit 173 detects the tilt angle θ11 relative to the axis W11a based on the front end images of each end terminal W11 imaged by the first imaging unit 172. Here, the tilt angle θ11 is the angle of the horizontal axis W11b of the end terminal W11 relative to the horizontal surface H11. When the correction control unit 173 detects the tilt angle θ11, in response to the detection result, it moves each end terminal W11 by tilting each first wire chuck 171 in the tilt correction direction D17 around the axis W11a, thereby making the tilt angle θ11 zero to correct the tilt. After tilt correction, the wire W1 with terminals is transported by the second transport section 18 to the second inspection position 13a in the terminal insertion section 13.

[0136] Figure 10 It is shown Figure 1 and Figure 2 The second transport section and the tilt correction section, which serves as the transport source, are shown in the view. Figure 11 It is shown Figure 10 A view showing the second transport section and a terminal insertion section that serves as the transport destination for a wire with terminals.

[0137] The second transport unit 18 is used to receive the tilt-corrected wire W1 with terminals from the tilt correction unit 17 and then transport it to the second inspection position 13a in the terminal insertion unit 13. The second transport unit 18 picks up both ends of the wire W1 with terminals while maintaining its U-shaped bend in the tilt correction unit 17. The second transport unit 18 includes a pair of gripping mechanisms 181 for gripping both ends of the wire W1 with terminals, a gripping drive mechanism 182 for driving each gripping mechanism 181, and a moving mechanism 183 for moving the pair of gripping mechanisms 181 to the second inspection position 13a (see...). Figure 1 Here, the terminal insertion section 13 includes a second wire chuck 131, described below, for holding the terminald wire W1 received from the second transport section 18 and subsequently inserting the end terminals W11 into the cavity C11 of the connector housing C1 on the housing tray 11 at the terminal insertion position 123. The second wire chuck 131 is positioned at the terminal insertion position 123 to be movable in the longitudinal direction D12 of the housing tray 11. The second wire chuck 131 then receives the terminald wire W1 at a position corresponding to the cavity C11 of the connector housing C1, which is the insertion destination. The second transport section 18 transports the terminald wire W1 to a second inspection position 13a of the terminal insertion section 13, which is the position of the second wire chuck 131 corresponding to the cavity C11 of the connector housing C1, which is the insertion destination.

[0138] At the second inspection position 13a, the terminal insertion section 13, which receives the wire W1 with terminals, detects the positional offset between the front end position of the end terminal W11 and the position of the cavity C11 in the connector housing C1, which serves as the insertion destination. Then, the terminal insertion section 13 moves at least one of the connector housing C1 and the wire W1 with terminals (in this embodiment, the wire W1 with terminals) to correct the positional offset and inserts the positionally offset-corrected end terminal W11 into the cavity C11, which serves as the insertion destination.

[0139] Figure 12 This is shown when the detection function focuses on the front end position of the end terminal. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The view of the terminal insertion section shown. Figure 13 This is demonstrated when the detection function focuses on the location of the cavity as the insertion target. Figure 12 A view of the terminal insertion section shown. Furthermore... Figure 14 It is shown Figure 12 and Figure 13 The diagram shows a schematic side view of the terminal insertion section.

[0140] The terminal insertion section 13 includes a second wire chuck 131, a second imaging section 132, a third imaging section 133, and an insertion control section 134. As described above, the second wire chuck 131 is the part that moves to a second inspection position 13a corresponding to the cavity C11 of the connector housing C1, which is the insertion destination, to receive the wire W1 with terminals from the second transport section 18 and insert the terminals. The second wire chuck 131 includes a pair of gripping mechanisms 131a, a gripping drive mechanism 131b, and a moving mechanism 131c (see...). Figure 1 A pair of gripping mechanisms 131a are a pair of mechanical parts for gripping the two ends of the wire W1 with terminals, and a gripping drive mechanism 131b is a mechanical part for driving each gripping mechanism 131a. Then, the moving mechanism 131c (see...) Figure 1 It is a mechanical part used to move a pair of gripping mechanisms 131b to the second inspection position 13a.

[0141] The second imaging unit 132 is a part for imaging the end terminal W11 of each of the two ends of a wire W1 having terminals, wherein the wire W1 having terminals is held from the front end side of the corresponding end terminal W11 by a second wire chuck 131. The second imaging unit 132 includes: a pair of lamps 132a for illuminating each end terminal W11 during imaging, a pair of cameras 132b for imaging each illuminated end terminal W11, and a moving mechanism 132c (see...). Figure 1 The moving mechanism 132c is a mechanical part for moving a pair of lights 132a and a pair of cameras 132b to an opposing position relative to the second wire chuck 131, which has been moved to the second inspection position 13a.

[0142] The third imaging unit 133 is used to image the terminal insertion port C11a of the cavity C11 in the connector housing C1 on the housing tray 11, which serves as the insertion destination. The third imaging unit 133 includes a pair of cameras 133a and a moving mechanism 133b for each camera 133a (see...). Figure 1 A pair of cameras 133a image a pair of cavities C11 that are the insertion destinations of the end terminals W11 of each of the two ends of a wire W1 having terminals. A moving mechanism 133b moves each camera 133a to a position facing the cavity C11 that is the insertion destination.

[0143] The insertion control unit 134 detects position offset based on the image of the front end of the end terminal W11 imaged by the second imaging unit 132 and the image of the terminal insertion port C11a imaged by the third imaging unit 133. This position offset is the positional shift between the position of the front end of the end terminal W11 and the position of the cavity C11, which is the insertion target.

[0144] Figure 15 It is shown in Figures 12 to 14 This is a schematic diagram showing the terminal-side position offset detected by the insertion control section of the terminal insertion part. Furthermore, Figure 16 It is shown in Figures 12 to 14 This diagram shows the cavity-side position offset detected by the insertion control section of the terminal insertion part towards the cavity that is the insertion target.

[0145] First, according to this embodiment, regarding the pair of holding mechanisms 131a in the second wire chuck 131, when a wire W1 with terminals is held by each holding mechanism 131a, the assumed front end position of the end terminal W11 is registered in the insertion control unit 134 as a registered terminal position P11. The insertion control unit 134 detects a terminal-side position offset G11 in the front end image of the end terminal W11 imaged by the second imaging unit 132, as the offset between the pre-registered registered terminal position P11 and the front end position P12 of the end terminal W11 in the image. Here, the registered terminal position P11 is the assumed center position of the front end of the end terminal W11 when viewed from the front end side, and the front end position P12 is the center position of the front end of the end terminal W11 in the image. The insertion control unit 134 detects the offset between these two center positions for the front end of the end terminal W11 as the terminal-side position offset G11.

[0146] Furthermore, in the insertion control unit 134, for each connector housing C1 in the housing tray 11, the center of the terminal insertion port C11a in the ideal holding state is registered as the registered insertion position P13. Each registered insertion position P13 is a position that corresponds to the registered terminal position P11 when the second wire chuck 131 moves towards the respective terminal insertion port C11a. The insertion control unit 134 detects the offset between the registered insertion position P13 and the insertion port position P14 of the terminal insertion port C11a in the actual holding state, based on the image of the terminal insertion port C11a in the actual holding state image captured by the third imaging unit 133, and uses this offset as the cavity-side position offset G12. Here, the registered insertion position P13 is the center position of the terminal insertion port C11a in the ideal holding state, and the insertion port position P14 is the center position of the terminal insertion port C11a in the image. The insertion control unit 134 detects the offset between the two center positions for the terminal insertion port C11a as the cavity-side position offset G12.

[0147] Then, the insertion control unit 134 detects the sum of the terminal-side position offset G11 and the cavity-side position offset G12, which is taken as the position offset between the front end position of the end terminal W11 and the position of the cavity C11, which is the insertion target. Here, the position offset refers to the position offset between the front end position (center position) of the end terminal W11 and the position (center position) of the cavity C11 when the registered terminal position P11 is aligned with the registered insertion position P13.

[0148] The insertion control unit 134 corrects the aforementioned positional offset by moving at least one of the connector housing C1 and the terminal wire W1 (in this embodiment, the terminal wire W1), and then inserts the positionally offset-corrected end terminal W11 into the cavity C11, which serves as the insertion target. At this time, the positional offset is corrected by moving the second wire chuck 131 up, down, left, and right toward the terminal insertion port C11a in response to the detection result of the positional offset. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, after the positional offset is corrected, the end terminal W11 is inserted according to the following procedure.

[0149] Figure 17 It is shown in Figures 12 to 14 The diagram shows a process of inserting the end terminal, after position offset correction, into the cavity that serves as the insertion target in the terminal insertion section.

[0150] First, according to this embodiment, each of the pair of holding mechanisms 131a in the second wire chuck 131 includes a front chuck 131a-1 and a rear chuck 131a-2 as shown below. The front chuck 131a-1 is the portion of each holding mechanism 131a used to hold the end terminal W11 side of the wire portion W12 of the wire having a terminal. Of the three chuck portions of each holding mechanism 131a, the front chuck 131a-1 is the chuck portion located at the front side in the terminal insertion direction D14. Of the three chuck portions, the rear chuck 131a-2 are the two chuck portions located at the rear side in the terminal insertion direction D14, and are configured to hold the portion located at the rear side relative to the front chuck 131a-1 in the terminal insertion direction D14. According to this embodiment, the front chuck 131a-1 is movable in the front-rear direction along the terminal insertion direction D14, and the rear chuck 131a-2 is a fixed chuck that cannot be moved. In addition, the front chuck 131a-1 is set to a default position slightly away from the rear chuck 131a-2 in the terminal insertion direction D14.

[0151] When inserting the end terminal W11 into the cavity C11 of the connector housing C1, the insertion control unit 134 moves the second wire chuck 131 as follows: First, with the front chuck 131a-1 in the default position, the second wire chuck 131, holding the wire W1 with the terminal, is moved in the terminal insertion direction D14 until the front end of the end terminal W11, after position offset correction, has been inserted into the terminal insertion port C11a (step S11). Then, the insertion control unit 134 releases the front chuck 131a-1 and subsequently retracts it a predetermined distance toward the rear chuck 131a-2 in the retraction direction D18, and then holds it again (step S12). Thereafter, the insertion control unit 134 inserts the end terminal W11 into the cavity C11, which is the insertion target, by moving the second wire chuck 131 toward the terminal insertion port C11a in the terminal insertion direction D14 (step S13).

[0152] Furthermore, when the second wire chuck 131 is moved toward the terminal insertion port C11a again, the insertion control unit 134 moves the second wire chuck 131 toward the terminal insertion port C11a while aligning the wire portion W12 of the wire W1 with the terminal relative to the terminal insertion port C11a. Figure 17 As schematically shown, it is possible that a wire W1 with terminals may be held by the second wire chuck 131 while its end terminals W11 are drooping due to their own weight. In step S11, the positional offset of the front end of the drooping end terminal W11 is corrected to ensure that its front end is in a position that allows insertion into the terminal insertion port C11a. In this step, the wire portion W12 of the wire W1 with terminals deviates upward from the terminal insertion port C11a by the amount of drooping of the end terminal W11. In step S13, to correct this offset of the wire portion W12, the insertion control unit 134 moves the second wire chuck 131 downward to align the wire portion W12 with respect to the terminal insertion port C11a. Here, as referenced... Figure 15 and Figure 16In the correction of the positional offset caused by the terminal-side positional offset G11 and the cavity-side positional offset G12, a correction amount in the vertical direction is used to correct the positional offset caused by the drooping of the end terminal W11. Therefore, in step S11, with the front end of the end terminal W11 inserted into the terminal insertion port C11a, the wire portion W12 deviates upward relative to the terminal insertion port C11a by an amount corresponding to the correction amount in the vertical direction. Therefore, in step S13, in the correction of the positional offset caused by the terminal-side positional offset G11 and the cavity-side positional offset G12, the end terminal W11 and the wire portion W12 are aligned by restoring the vertical correction to its original state, so that they are in a straight line relative to the cavity C11. In step S13, the insertion control unit 134 inserts the end terminal W11 into the cavity C11 while performing such alignment.

[0153] In the terminal insertion section 13, for each end terminal W11 at both ends of the wire W1 with terminals, terminal insertion is performed in the connector housing C11 corresponding to each end terminal W11 while correcting for positional offset relative to the cavity C11a, which is the insertion target. Since such positional offset correction and terminal insertion are performed separately for each end terminal W11, positional offset correction and terminal insertion are performed twice for a wire W1 with terminals.

[0154] Next, we will refer to the above. Figures 1 to 17 and the following Figure 18 The following describes the terminal insertion method performed by the terminal insertion unit 1 according to this embodiment, some paragraphs of which are repeated from the above description.

[0155] Figure 18 It is shown schematically in Figures 1 to 17 The flowchart shows the processing flow of the terminal insertion method executed in the terminal insertion unit 1.

[0156] When operator Y1 places the wire holding tool 191, which is equipped with a wire W1 having terminals, onto the holding tool mounting part 19, and then accepts the predetermined start operation, Figure 18The terminal insertion method process shown in the flowchart begins. Once the process begins, a housing supply step S101 is performed on a housing tray 11. According to the housing supply step S101, a housing tray 11 is positioned at the housing supply position 121 in the loop path R11, and the connector housing C1 is supplied to be held by the housing retainer 112. Thereafter, a determination S102 is performed regarding whether the housing tray 11 with the previous housing tray 11 is located at the terminal insertion position 123. If the previous tray is present (determined to be "yes"), a standby step S103 is performed, in which the housing tray 11 with the housing supplied is located at the standby position 122 and is left to standby until the terminal insertion position 123 is available, and after the standby, the housing tray 11 is positioned at the terminal insertion position 123. If there is no previous tray (determined to be "no"), an insertion position movement step S104 is performed, in which the housing tray 11 with the housing supplied is immediately positioned at the terminal insertion position 123. In the immediate following steps, there is no preceding tray, so the insertion position movement step S104 is performed.

[0157] When the housing tray 11 is located at the terminal insertion position 123, a first transport step S105 to a terminal insertion step S108 is performed on the connector housing C1 on the housing tray 11. According to the first transport step S105, the first transport unit 16 grasps a wire W1 with a terminal from the wire holding tool 191 and transports it to the first inspection position 17a. According to the tilt correction step S106, at the first inspection position 17a, the wire W1 with the terminal is received from the first transport unit 16 by the first wire chuck 171 of the tilt correction unit 17 and is subsequently grasped. Furthermore, in the tilt correction unit 17, a tilt relative to the orientation of the end terminal W11 about the axis W11a is detected relative to its orientation when inserted into the cavity C11. Thereafter, in response to the detection result, the tilt correction unit 17 moves the end terminal W11 to correct the tilt by tilting the first wire chuck 171 about the axis W11a. According to the second transport step S107, the tilt-corrected wire W1 with terminals is received from the tilt correction unit 17 by the second transport unit 18 and transported to the second inspection position 13a in the terminal insertion unit 13. According to the terminal insertion step S108, at the second inspection position 13a, the wire W1 with terminals is received from the second transport unit 18 by the second wire chuck 131 in the terminal insertion unit 13. Furthermore, the positional offset between the front end position of the end terminal W11 and the position of the cavity C11 in the connector housing C1, which serves as the insertion target, is detected. Then, the positional offset is corrected by moving the second wire chuck 131 toward the terminal insertion port C11a, and the second wire chuck 131 is moved toward the terminal insertion port C11a so that the end terminal W11 with the corrected positional offset is inserted into the cavity C11, which serves as the insertion target. The first transport step S105 to the terminal insertion step S108 are performed on a wire W1 with terminals held by the wire holding tool 191.

[0158] Subsequently, after the terminal insertion step S108, a determination S109 is performed regarding the presence or absence of uninserted wires W1 with terminals in the wire holding tool 191. If an uninserted wire W1 with terminals is present (determined as "yes"), the process returns to the first transport step S105 and repeats the subsequent steps. If all terminal insertions have been completed and there are no uninserted wires W1 with terminals (determined as "no"), the housing removal step S110 is performed. According to the housing removal step S110, a housing tray 11 with the terminals inserted is positioned at the housing removal position 124, and the connector housing C1 is removed from the housing holder 112 by the operator Y1. In this housing removal step S110, the wire harness 2 with the connector attached, which is the output, is removed.

[0159] Next, a determination S111 is made regarding whether the processing of the housing tray 11 is complete. If the processing is complete (yes), the processing ends. If processing continues (no), the processing returns to the housing supply step S101, and subsequent processing is repeated. Here, in Figure 18 The flowchart shown focuses on one of the three housing trays 11, illustrating the processing flow of the terminal insertion method applied to the housing tray 11. According to this embodiment, this processing is performed on each of the three housing trays 11. Then, for each housing tray 11, a housing supply step S101, a first transport step S105 to a terminal insertion step S108, and a housing removal step S110 are performed, while a standby step S103 is appropriately inserted in between and the housing tray 11 is moved in parallel.

[0160] According to the terminal insertion unit 1 and terminal insertion method in the above embodiments, the following effects can be achieved due to the structure related to the cyclic movement of the housing tray 11 and the structure for performing various corrections and transporting the wire W1 with terminals for terminal insertion.

[0161] First, the effects of the configuration related to the cyclic movement of the housing tray 11 will be described. According to this configuration, the housing tray 11, having a housing retainer 112, can move along the cycle path R11 via a housing supply position 121, a standby position 122, a terminal insertion position 123, and a housing removal position 124. Then, when the terminal insertion of one housing tray 11 is completed, another housing tray 11, where the connector housing C1, as the target of the next terminal insertion, is held by the housing retainer 112, is in standby position 122. Thus, when the housing tray 11 after terminal insertion has moved to the housing removal position 124 for removing the connector housing C11, the housing tray 12 in standby position 122 can be moved to the terminal insertion position 123 for immediate terminal insertion. In this way, according to this embodiment, terminal insertion relative to the connector housing C1 can be effectively repeated. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, considering that two or more (three according to this embodiment) housing trays 11 are provided, the various steps of the above-described terminal insertion method can be performed in parallel, thereby reducing the cycle time. According to this construction, terminal insertion relative to the connector housing C1 can be performed more efficiently.

[0162] Here, according to this embodiment, three housing trays 11 are configured to move along the circulation path R11, while leaving one of the housing supply position 121, standby position 122, terminal insertion position 123, and housing removal position 124 vacant. With this configuration, even if a housing tray 11 is present at the terminal insertion position 123 or the housing removal position 124, the vacant space in the circulation path R11 can be used to move the other two housing trays 11 for housing supply. With the above configuration, terminal insertion relative to the connector housing C1 can be repeated more efficiently.

[0163] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, there is a housing supply unit 15 for supplying the connector housing C1 to the housing tray 11 located at the housing supply position 121 so that it is held by the housing retainer 112. With this configuration, the housing supply itself at the housing supply position 121 can be performed efficiently.

[0164] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the housing retainer 112 is configured to hold the connector housing C1 by surrounding it with a pair of arms 112a that can be opened and closed. The pair of arms 112a are open at the housing supply position 121, and the housing supply unit 15 supplies the connector housing C1 to the housing retainer 112 with the pair of arms 112a open. With this configuration, the connector housing C1 can be supplied and held to the housing retainer 112 with good operability, and further removed at the housing removal position 124.

[0165] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, various types of housing retainers 112 corresponding to each size are mounted to the housing tray 11 to hold various types of connector housings C1 with different sizes. This configuration allows for terminal insertion for various types of connector housings C1, thereby improving the versatility of terminal insertion.

[0166] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the tray holding frame 12 is placed on a predetermined mounting surface with the ground facing downwards. The tray holding frame 12 then holds the housing tray 11 so that it can move along a circular path R11 on the surface of the mounting surface. With this configuration, when operator Y1 manually removes the connector housing C1 at the housing removal position 124, it can move from above along the circular path R11 on the contact surface of the mounting surface. Then, due to this contact, operator Y1 can remove the connector housing C1 with good operability.

[0167] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the housing removal position 124 becomes the position facing the operator Y1, and the terminal insertion position 123 is adjacent to the housing removal position 124 in the left-right direction D11 when viewed from the operator Y1. Additionally, the housing supply position 121 becomes the position that moves away from the housing removal position 124 towards the depth side in the depth direction D15 when viewed from the operator Y1. Then, the standby position 122 becomes the position that is adjacent to the housing supply position 121 in the left-right direction D11 and moves away from the terminal insertion position 123 towards the depth side in the depth direction D15. With this configuration, the operator Y1 can easily access his / her housing removal position 124 to remove the connector housing C1. Furthermore, the terminal insertion prior to this operation is performed at the terminal insertion position 123, which is adjacent to the housing removal position 124 in the left-right direction D11 when viewed from the operator Y1, thereby allowing visual confirmation of the progress and preparation for the removal operation.

[0168] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the housing tray 11 includes a bar-shaped tray body 111 extending in the left-right direction D11 at the housing removal position 124. The housing retainer 112 is mounted in a straight line along the length direction D12 of the tray body 111. The housing tray 11 moves from the terminal insertion position 123 to the housing removal position 124 and from the housing supply position 121 to the standby position 122 along the length direction D12 of the tray body 111. Furthermore, the housing tray 11 moves from the housing removal position 124 to the housing supply position 121 and from the standby position 122 to the terminal insertion position 123 along the depth direction D15 (intersecting direction) intersecting the length direction D12. With this configuration, the housing retainer 112 facing the operator Y1 is in a straight line arrangement, thereby further improving operability at the housing removal position 124 and visibility of the terminal insertion progress at the terminal insertion position 123.

[0169] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the housing retainer 112 is attached to the tray body 111 in a state where the mounting position can be changed in the length direction D12. With this configuration, for example, the device can be used effectively when manufacturing a wire harness having a branch shape and connectors provided at the ends of each branch. That is, with the above configuration, the device can be used to arrange the connector housings C1 in response to the branch shape, and to insert terminals into each connector housing C1, etc.

[0170] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the housing retainer 112 holds the connector housing C1 with its rear side facing the operator Y1 at the housing removal position 124, wherein the end terminals W11 are inserted into the connector housing C1 from the rear side and the wire W1 with terminals extends from the rear side. With this configuration, the connector housing C1, with the terminals inserted, is positioned at the housing removal position 124 with the wire extending from the rear side towards the operator Y1. Due to this arrangement, the operator Y1 can retain the wire and remove the connector housing C1 with good operability.

[0171] Next, the effect of a configuration that transports the terminald wire W1 while performing various corrections and then inserts the terminal will be described. According to this configuration, during this process, the terminald wire W1 is transferred from the first transport section 16 to the second transport section 18 while undergoing tilt correction of the end terminals W11. Furthermore, the terminald wire W1 is transferred from the second transport section 18 to the terminal insertion section 13, where it is corrected for positional offset relative to the cavity C11, which is the insertion target. Due to this series of processes, both the holding state of the terminald wire W1 from the first transport section 16 and the relative positional relationship between the end terminals W11 and the cavity C11 during transfer at the terminal insertion section 13 eliminate obstacles to smooth terminal insertion. Therefore, no strict position management is required when holding the terminald wire W1 at the first transport section 16 and holding the connector housing C1 at the housing retainer 112 of the housing tray 11. In this manner, according to this embodiment, the end terminal W11 of the wire W1 with terminals can be smoothly inserted into the cavity C11 of the connector housing C1, while reducing the burden on the operator.

[0172] Here, according to this embodiment, the tilt correction unit 17 includes a first wire chuck 171, a first imaging unit 172 for imaging the end terminal W11 from the front end side, and a correction control unit 173. The correction control unit 173 detects tilt based on the image of the front end and corrects the tilt by moving the end terminal W11 around the axis W11a in response to the detection result. According to this configuration, the tilt of the end terminal W11 can be effectively and accurately corrected due to the tilt detection based on the image of the front end at the first imaging unit 172 and the tilt of the first wire chuck 171 in response to the detection result.

[0173] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the terminal insertion unit 13 includes a second wire chuck 131, a second imaging unit 132 for imaging the end terminal W11 from the front end side, a third imaging unit 133 for imaging the terminal insertion port C11a in the cavity C11, which is the insertion target, and an insertion control unit 134. The insertion control unit 134 detects a positional offset based on the front end image of the end terminal W11 and the image of the terminal insertion port C11a. Then, in response to the detection result, the insertion control unit 134 moves the end terminal W11 to correct the positional offset by moving the second wire chuck 131 toward the terminal insertion port C11a in all directions. Furthermore, the insertion control unit 134 inserts the end terminal W11 into the cavity C11, which is the insertion target, by moving the second wire chuck 131 toward the terminal insertion port C11a and correcting the positional offset. According to this configuration, due to the detection of positional offset based on the front-end image and the image of the terminal insertion port C11a, and the movement of the second wire chuck 131 in response to the detection result, the positional offset can be effectively and accurately corrected, and the end terminal W11 can be inserted into the cavity C11.

[0174] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the insertion control unit 134 detects a terminal-side position offset G11 based on the front end image of the end terminal W11, as the offset between the registered terminal position P11 and the front end position P12 of the end terminal W11 in the image. Additionally, the insertion control unit 134 detects a cavity-side position offset G12 based on the image of the terminal insertion port C11a, as the offset between the registered insertion position P13 and the insertion port position P14 of the terminal insertion port C11a in the image. Then, the insertion control unit 134 detects the sum of the terminal-side position offset G11 and the cavity-side position offset G12 as the positional offset between the end terminal W11 and the terminal insertion port C11a. With this configuration, by detecting and summing each of the terminal-side position offset G11 and the cavity-side position offset G12, the positional offset between the end terminal W11 and the terminal insertion port C11a can be detected with high precision.

[0175] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the second wire chuck 131 includes a front chuck 131a-1 and a rear chuck 131a-2. First, the insertion control unit 134 moves the second wire chuck 131 until the front end of the end terminal W11, after position offset correction, is inserted into the terminal insertion port C11a. Thereafter, the insertion control unit 134 releases the grip of the front chuck 131a-1 and retracts it only towards the rear chuck 131a-2 side a predetermined distance, and then grips it again. Then, the insertion control unit 134 again moves the second wire chuck 131 towards the terminal insertion port C11a to insert the end terminal W11 into the cavity C11, which serves as the insertion target. According to this configuration, by bringing the front chuck 131a-1 as close as possible to the end terminal W11 to grip it, the front end of the end terminal W11 can be inserted into the terminal insertion port C11a with high precision. Then, the front chuck 131a-1 can be retracted to ensure the insertion stroke and effectively insert the end terminal W11 into the cavity C11.

[0176] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the insertion control unit 134 moves the second wire chuck 131 toward the terminal insertion port C11a again, it aligns the wire portion W12 while moving the second wire chuck 131. With this configuration, by aligning the wire portion W12, the end terminal W11 can be inserted into the cavity C11 more smoothly.

[0177] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the first transport unit 16 holds both ends of the wire W1 with terminals to transport it to the first inspection position 17a, and the tilt correction unit 17 corrects the tilt of the two ends of the wire W1 with terminals relative to each end terminal W11. The second transport unit 18 holds both ends of the wire W1 with terminals after tilt correction to transport it to the second inspection position 13a. Relative to each end terminal W11 at both ends of the wire W1 with terminals, the terminal insertion unit 13 corrects the positional offset using the cavity C11 in the corresponding connector housing C1 as the insertion target, and performs terminal insertion. According to this configuration, the end terminals W11 at both ends of the wire W1 with terminals are transported to the terminal insertion unit 13 while undergoing tilt correction together. Regarding the terminal insertion unit 13, each end terminal W11 at both ends is inserted into the cavity C11 of the corresponding connector housing C1 while undergoing positional offset correction. Due to this series of processes, smooth insertion into the cavity C11 can be effectively achieved for the end terminals W11 at both ends of the wire W1 with terminals.

[0178] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, in the housing tray 11, a temporary wire holder 113 for temporarily holding one or more non-inserted wires W2 with terminals is disposed adjacent to the housing holder 112. The terminal insertion part 13 transports the non-inserted wires W2 with terminals to the temporary wire holder 113 for holding without detecting and correcting positional offset. With this configuration, even non-inserted wires W2 with terminals can be processed together with wires W1 with terminals in which the end terminals W11 are inserted into the cavity C11.

[0179] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the temporary wire holder 113 is configured to have one or more wire clamping portions 113b, which are used to hold the wire portion W22 of a non-inserted wire W2 with terminals by a pair of U-shaped leaf spring members 113b-1. The terminal insertion portion 13 transports the non-inserted wire W2 with terminals so that the position of the wire portion W22 near the non-inserted terminal W21 is held by the wire clamping portion 113b. According to this configuration, by holding the wire portion W12 of the non-inserted wire W2 with terminals by the pair of U-shaped leaf spring members 113b-1 in the wire clamping portion 113b, the temporary wire holder 113 can hold the non-inserted wire W2 with terminals with high holding strength.

[0180] Furthermore, the above embodiments are used to illustrate representative embodiments of the terminal insertion unit and the terminal insertion method. The terminal insertion unit and the terminal insertion method are not limited thereto, and various modifications are possible.

[0181] For example, in the above embodiments, as examples of terminal insertion units and terminal insertion methods, a terminal insertion unit 1 and a terminal insertion method for manufacturing a wire harness 2 with a connector are shown, which constitutes at least a portion of a wire harness installed and laid in vehicles, etc. However, the terminal insertion unit and terminal insertion method are not limited thereto, and the specific application target is not particularly limited.

[0182] Furthermore, according to the above embodiments, as examples of terminal insertion units and terminal insertion methods, Figure 1 and Figure 2 The diagram shows the specific shape and structure of each component in the terminal insertion unit 1, as well as the terminal insertion method using the terminal insertion unit 1. However, the terminal insertion unit and the terminal insertion method are not limited thereto, and the specific shape and structure of the components in the terminal insertion unit are not particularly limited.

[0183] Furthermore, according to the above embodiments, as examples of terminal insertion units and terminal insertion methods, a terminal insertion unit 1 and a terminal insertion method are shown for picking up a wire W1 with terminals from a wire holding tool 191 transported by an operator Y1 to a holding tool mounting section 19 for terminal insertion. However, the terminal insertion unit and terminal insertion method are not limited to this. The terminal insertion unit and terminal insertion method may be a unit and method that directly receives a wire with terminals from a wire manufacturing apparatus and performs terminal insertion without requiring the operator Y1 or the like to transport the wire holding tool 191.

Claims

1. A terminal insertion unit, comprising: One or more housing trays, and one or more housing retainers mounted on the housing trays, the housing retainers being able to hold the connector housing, the connector housing having multiple cavities, the end terminals of wires having terminals being able to be inserted into the multiple cavities respectively; A first transport unit is configured to hold and transport the wire with terminals to a first inspection position; A tilt correction unit is configured to receive the wire with terminals from the first transport unit at the first inspection position, detect tilt of the insertion posture into the cavity with respect to the posture about the axis around the end terminals, and move the end terminals to correct the tilt. The second transport unit is configured to receive the tilt-corrected wire with terminals from the tilt correction unit and transport the wire to the second inspection position; as well as The terminal insertion part is configured to receive the wire with terminals from the second transport part at the second inspection position, detect the positional offset between the front end position of the end terminal and the position of the cavity in the connector housing held by the housing retainer as the insertion target, correct the positional offset by moving at least one of the connector housing or the wire with terminals, and insert the positionally offset corrected end terminal into the cavity as the insertion target.

2. The terminal insertion unit according to claim 1, in, The tilt correction unit includes: A first wire chuck holds the wire with terminals received from the first transport section; A first imaging unit images the end terminal of the wire with terminals held by the first wire chuck from the front end side of the end terminal; and A correction control unit detects the tilt based on an image of the front end of the end terminal imaged by the first imaging unit, and moves the end terminal to correct the tilt in response to the detection result by tilting the first wire clip about the axis.

3. The terminal insertion unit according to claim 1, in, The terminal insertion portion includes: The second wire chuck holds the wire with terminals received from the second transport section; The second imaging unit images the end terminal of the wire with terminals held by the second wire chuck from the front end side of the end terminal; A third imaging unit images the terminal insertion port in the cavity, which is the insertion target; and An insertion control unit detects the position offset based on an image of the front end of the end terminal imaged by the second imaging unit and an image of the terminal insertion port imaged by the third imaging unit. In response to the detection result, the end terminal is moved to correct the position offset by moving the second wire chuck toward the terminal insertion port in all directions. At the same time, the end terminal is inserted into the cavity as the insertion target by moving the second wire chuck toward the terminal insertion port.

4. The terminal insertion unit according to claim 3, wherein, The insertion control unit detects a terminal-side position offset from the front end image of the end terminal imaged by the second imaging unit, as the difference between the pre-registered registered terminal position and the front end position of the end terminal in the image. It further detects a cavity-side position offset from the image of the terminal insertion port imaged by the third imaging unit, as the difference between the pre-registered registered insertion position and the insertion port position of the terminal insertion port in the image. The unit then detects the sum of the terminal-side position offset and the cavity-side position offset as the position offset.

5. The terminal insertion unit according to claim 3, in, The second wire chuck includes a front chuck and a rear chuck. The front chuck holds the end terminal of the wire portion having terminals, and the rear chuck holds the rear side of the front chuck in the insertion direction of the end terminal. After the second wire chuck moves until the front end of the end terminal, after position offset correction, is inserted into the terminal insertion port, the insertion control unit temporarily releases the grip of the front chuck, moves the front chuck back a predetermined distance to the rear chuck side and then grips it again, and inserts the end terminal into the cavity that is the insertion target by moving the second wire chuck back towards the terminal insertion port.

6. The terminal insertion unit according to claim 5, wherein, When the insertion control unit moves the second wire chuck toward the terminal insertion port again, it aligns the wire portion of the wire with the terminal with the terminal insertion port while moving the second wire chuck toward the terminal insertion port.

7. The terminal insertion unit according to claim 1, in, The wire with terminals has a structure in which the end terminals are provided at both ends of the wire. Two or more housing retainers are mounted to the housing tray. The first transport unit holds both ends of the wire with terminals to transport the wire to the first inspection position. The tilt correction unit corrects the tilt at each of the end terminals at both ends of the wire with terminals. The second transport unit holds both ends of the terminald wire after tilt correction to transport the wire to the second inspection position, and For each end terminal at both ends of the wire with terminals, the terminal insertion part corrects for positional offset from the cavity in the connector housing corresponding to the respective end terminal as the insertion target while inserting the terminal.

8. The terminal insertion unit according to claim 1, in, In the housing tray, adjacent to the housing retainer, a temporary wire retainer is provided. This temporary wire retainer is configured to temporarily hold one or more non-inserted wires with terminals that are not inserted into the cavity of the connector housing. When the terminal insertion section receives the non-inserted wire with a terminal, the detection and correction of the positional offset relative to the non-inserted terminal are omitted, and the non-inserted wire with a terminal is transported to the wire temporary holder for holding.

9. The terminal insertion unit according to claim 8, in, The temporary wire holder is provided with one or more wire clamping parts, which clamp the wire portion of the non-inserted wire with terminals by a pair of leaf spring members arranged adjacent to each other. The terminal insertion portion transports the non-inserted wire with terminals so that the wire clamping portion clamps the portion near the non-inserted terminal in the wire portion of the non-inserted wire with terminals.

10. A terminal insertion method, comprising: In the housing supply step, a connector housing is supplied to a housing tray to be held by a housing retainer, wherein one or more housing retainers are attached to the housing tray and the housing retainers are capable of holding the connector housing, the connector housing having a plurality of cavities into which the end terminals of a wire having terminals are respectively inserted; In the first transport step, the first transport unit grasps the wire with terminals and transports the wire to the first inspection position; The tilt correction step involves receiving and holding the wire with terminals from the first transport unit at the first inspection position with the first wire chuck in the orientation about the axis around the end terminals, detecting the tilt of the insertion orientation into the cavity, and in response to the detection result, tilting the first wire chuck about the axis to move the end terminals to correct the tilt. The second transport step involves the second transport unit receiving the tilt-corrected wire with terminals from the tilt correction unit and transporting the wire to the second inspection position; and In the terminal insertion step, the second wire chuck receives the wire with terminals from the second transport section at the second inspection position, detects the positional offset between the front end position of the end terminal and the position of the cavity in the connector housing held by the housing retainer as the insertion target, and corrects the positional offset by moving at least one of the connector housing or the wire with terminals, while moving the second wire chuck toward the terminal insertion port to insert the end terminal into the cavity as the insertion target.

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