Terminal insertion apparatus and terminal insertion method

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of terminal processing, and particularly relates to a terminal insertion device and a terminal insertion method, the terminal insertion device comprising a terminal conveying track, a pushing mechanism for conveying the terminals forward is arranged below the terminal conveying track; a first insertion needle station is provided with a unwinding assembly and a ratchet wheel conveying mechanism; the first insertion needle station is further provided with an insertion mechanism for positioning the material belt and inserting the metal contacts into the terminals; a separating mechanism for cutting the material belt is arranged between the ratchet wheel conveying mechanism and a pressing material support seat; after the ratchet wheel conveying mechanism completes intermittent step-by-step conveying of the material belt to a position, the pressing material lower pressing seat is pressed down, the material belt is tightly positioned in cooperation with the pressing material support seat, meanwhile, the front end lower pressing block is pressed down, the metal contacts exposed outward can be tightly supported in cooperation with the front end support block. During the insertion, the metal contacts can be stably inserted into the terminal shell, the metal contacts are not prone to falling off and breaking from the material belt, and the success rate of insertion is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of terminal processing technology, and more particularly to terminal insertion equipment and terminal insertion methods. Background Technology

[0002] As a core component of precision electronic devices such as electrical connections and automotive connectors, the precision of the mating assembly of the metal contacts and the terminal housing directly determines the product's conductivity, connection stability, and service life. Currently, conventional automated terminal mating equipment in the industry generally adopts a processing technology of fixed conveyor tracks, step-by-step feeding, independent positioning, and separate cutting and mating. In the mass production of precision terminals, this technology suffers from many technical defects, such as poor adaptability, low alignment accuracy, slow production cycle, and insufficient equipment stability.

[0003] Most existing terminal insertion and positioning methods use top and bottom pressure seats to position and clamp the material strip, with the connection between the material strip and the metal contacts exposed outwards. The strip is then laterally inserted into the terminal housing for splicing. However, because the connection between the metal contacts and the material strip is unstable, direct insertion into the terminal housing can easily cause the metal contacts to detach or break from the material strip upon contact with the cavity wall, resulting in inaccurate insertion and reduced efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a terminal insertion device and a terminal insertion method to address the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0006] Terminal insertion equipment includes a terminal conveying track, the first end of which is connected to a housing feeding mechanism for feeding terminal housings onto the terminal conveying track.

[0007] The terminal conveying track includes a conveying pressure plate, and a first conveying base plate and a second conveying base plate arranged horizontally and parallel to each other are installed at the bottom of the conveying pressure plate, with a guide gap formed between the first conveying base plate and the second conveying base plate.

[0008] The first conveying base plate has a first conveying groove formed along its length on its inner side, and the second conveying base plate has a second conveying groove formed along its length on its inner side; the terminal conveying track is provided with multiple assembly stations for inserting metal conductive blocks into the terminals, and a pushing mechanism for conveying the terminals forward is provided below the terminal conveying track.

[0009] The pushing mechanism includes a pushing plate located below the guide gap. The pushing plate moves up and down. Multiple pushing blocks that can be inserted into the guide gap are installed on the top of the pushing plate. The distance between two adjacent pushing blocks is the same and is L1. The distance between two adjacent assembly stations is L2, and L2=L1.

[0010] One of the assembly stations is a first pin insertion station for inserting metal contacts into the conductive port of the terminal. The first pin insertion station is equipped with an unwinding assembly and a ratchet conveying mechanism that cooperates with the unwinding assembly. The first pin insertion station is also equipped with a material insertion mechanism for positioning the material strip and inserting the metal contacts into the terminal.

[0011] The inserting mechanism includes a pressing support seat located at the end of the ratchet conveying mechanism and a pressing lower pressing seat located above the pressing support seat; the front end of the pressing support seat is formed with multiple front support blocks that support the metal contacts, and two adjacent front support blocks are arranged at equal intervals; the front end of the pressing lower pressing seat is formed with multiple front pressing blocks that cooperate with the front support blocks, and two adjacent front pressing blocks are arranged at equal intervals.

[0012] The inserting mechanism also includes a pressing and lifting drive component that drives the pressing lower pressure seat to press and position the strip with metal contacts. The pressing and lifting drive component includes a pressing fixed seat, a first main lifting groove is formed longitudinally on the pressing fixed seat, a first lifting upright seat is slidably installed on the first main lifting groove, a pressing transmission connecting seat is installed along the first lifting upright seat, a pressing drive plate is installed at the front end of the pressing transmission connecting seat, and the pressing drive plate is connected to the pressing lower pressure seat.

[0013] The pressing and fixing seat is formed with a front movable through groove for the pressing and transmission connecting seat to move through. The pressing and transmission connecting seat moves up and down in the front movable through groove. The side wall of the pressing and fixing seat is formed with a side drive groove along its length. A side drive plate is slidably installed in the side drive groove. The side drive plate moves back and forth along the length of the side drive groove to drive the first lifting stand to move up and down.

[0014] A separation mechanism for cutting the material strip is provided between the pressure support and the ratchet conveyor mechanism. The separation mechanism includes a cutting guide seat located above the end of the ratchet conveyor plate. The cutting guide seat has a longitudinally formed cutting guide groove. A cutting drive seat is slidably installed in the cutting guide groove. A cutting blade for separating the material strip is installed at the bottom of the cutting drive seat. The cutting blade is arranged perpendicular to the conveying direction of the material strip. The cutting guide seat moves up and down. A cutting pressure roller is installed on the top of the cutting guide seat. A cutting pressure plate is installed on the top of the first lifting stand above the cutting pressure roller. The arrangement direction of the cutting pressure plate is parallel to the arrangement direction of the cutting blade. When the first lifting stand presses down and drives the pressure pressure seat to press down on the metal contacts and the material strip, the cutting pressure plate drives the cutting guide seat to press down and cut and separate the material strip.

[0015] The assembly method for terminal plug-in devices includes the following steps:

[0016] S1. The terminal housings are conveyed one by one into the guide gap of the terminal conveying track by the vibrating feeding platform. The two conveying base plates are used to limit the left and right movement of the terminal housings, and the conveying pressure plate is used to limit the vertical movement.

[0017] S2. The servo motor drives the screw transmission mechanism to move the pusher plate horizontally. Multiple lifting and telescopic cylinders synchronously drive the lifting connecting strip and pusher block to lift. The single translation stroke is L1, which pushes all terminal shells in the track to the corresponding assembly station, so as to achieve precise alignment between the terminal and the station. After the push is completed, the pusher block descends and resets.

[0018] S3. After the terminal is in place, the first positioning telescopic cylinder drives the positioning guide plate to pass through the transverse positioning groove and extend into the conveying channel. It surrounds and abuts the terminal housing from the back through the end terminal locking groove, completing the outer side coarse positioning. Then, the second positioning telescopic cylinder independently drives the secondary positioning seat to slide along the secondary positioning groove of the positioning guide plate, so that the positioning guide pin is axially inserted into the terminal contact hole to correct the coaxiality. At the same time, the guide pin stroke is limited by the cooperation of the limiting guide post and the limiting guide groove.

[0019] S4. The unwinding assembly unwinds the strip with encapsulated metal contacts. The guide roller guides, levels, and eliminates the curling stress of the strip. The conveying servo motor drives the ratchet to mesh with the strip holes to achieve step conveying of the strip.

[0020] S5. The pressure telescopic cylinder drives the side drive plate to move horizontally. Through the rolling cooperation of multiple sets of arc-shaped rolling grooves with positive and negative arcs on the plate body and the corresponding drive rollers, the horizontal displacement is converted into vertical lifting displacement. During the downward movement, the pressure lower seat and the pressure support seat are driven to cooperate to complete the overall pressing of the material strip and the individual clamping and positioning of the exposed metal contacts. At the same time, the cutting blade is linked to descend vertically to cut the material strip. A single downward movement completes the pressing and cutting processes simultaneously. The cutting stroke is limited by the upper and lower limit structure, and the buffering and automatic reset are achieved by the cutting limit compression spring.

[0021] S6. After cutting and obtaining independent metal contacts, the insertion screw drive mechanism drives the entire module to move laterally along the insertion track, accurately inserting the metal contacts axially into the terminal conductive port; after the insertion is completed, each mechanism resets in sequence and enters the next round of insertion cycle operation.

[0022] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0023] The distance L1 between adjacent pusher blocks is exactly equal to the distance L2 between adjacent assembly stations. The pusher blocks move up and down and translate forward and backward synchronously with the pusher plate. A single push stroke can synchronously and accurately transport all terminal shells to the next assembly station. Each terminal shell corresponds one-to-one with the corresponding conductive block assembly station, eliminating problems of push misalignment, offset, or forward and backward misalignment. All pusher blocks are uniformly installed at equal intervals on the same pusher plate, sharing a set of translation and lifting drive components. The pusher plate can move a single stroke of L1. When the terminal shells located on the terminal conveying track move, they can push the terminals within the L1 stroke after assembly, ensuring that the terminals are aligned with the corresponding assembly station at each stop during the terminal's journey, without the need for additional alignment. This reduces the frequency of equipment downtime and effectively improves equipment uptime. Furthermore, relying on the equidistant matching relationship of L1=L2, precise feeding can be achieved simply by controlling the single translation stroke of the pusher plate to be equal to the station spacing, eliminating the need for complex multi-segment stroke segment control and multiple sets of positioning sensor signal linkage correction; only one lifting drive and one translation drive are needed to complete all feeding actions, making the PLC control program simple and reducing signal interaction delay and program logic errors.

[0024] After the ratchet conveyor completes the intermittent step-by-step conveying of the material strip to its designated position, the pressure seat presses down, working in conjunction with the pressure support seat to firmly press and position the material strip. Simultaneously, the front pressure block presses down, working in conjunction with the front support block to firmly press and support the exposed metal contacts. This design integrates the material strip and metal contacts into a single, unified positioning system. During insertion, this ensures the metal contacts can be stably inserted into the terminal housing, reducing the likelihood of the metal contacts detaching or breaking from the material strip, thus improving the success rate of insertion. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a terminal plug-in device.

[0026] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the terminal delivery track.

[0027] Figure 3 A partial structural diagram of the terminal delivery track.

[0028] Figure 4 A partial exploded structural diagram of the terminal delivery track.

[0029] Figure 5 A structural diagram of the product positioning component.

[0030] Figure 6 A partial structural diagram of the product positioning component.

[0031] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of the first pin insertion station.

[0032] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the ratchet conveyor mechanism.

[0033] Figure 9 This is a front view structural diagram of the inserting mechanism.

[0034] Figure 10 This is an exploded structural diagram of the pressing and lifting drive component.

[0035] The reference numerals in the figures include:

[0036] 1-Terminal conveying track, 11-Housing loading mechanism,

[0037] 111-Conveying pressure plate, 112-First conveying base plate, 113-Second conveying base plate

[0038] 114 - Guide clearance, 115 - First conveying trough, 116 - Second conveying trough, 117 - Conveying stand,

[0039] 12-Pushing mechanism,

[0040] 121-Pusher plate, 122-Pusher block, 123-Guide sliding block, 124-Pusher track,

[0041] 125-Screw drive mechanism, 126-Push drive seat, 127-Lifting connecting bar, 128-Longitudinal sliding seat

[0042] 129-Lifting and Telescopic Cylinder

[0043] 2-Product positioning component, 21-First positioning component, 211-Positioning guide seat, 212-Positioning sliding pressure seat, 213-Positioning sliding seat, 214-Positioning guide plate, 215-First positioning telescopic cylinder,

[0044] 216 - Lateral positioning groove, 217 - Terminal locking groove, 218 - Second positioning telescopic cylinder

[0045] 22-Second positioning component

[0046] 220 - Positioning compression spring, 221 - Secondary positioning groove, 222 - Secondary positioning seat, 223 - Positioning guide pin,

[0047] 224-Top sliding groove, 225-Top sliding block, 226-Back connecting plate, 227-Limiting guide post,

[0048] 228-Limit block, 229-Limit guide groove,

[0049] 3-First pin insertion station, 31-Ratchet conveyor mechanism, 310-Unwinding assembly, 311-Material reel,

[0050] 312-Unwinding track, 313-Ratchet conveyor plate, 314-Ratchet pressure plate, 315-Guide pressure block,

[0051] 316 - Guide roller, 317 - Ratchet drive seat, 318 - Ratchet drive shaft, 319 - Drive ratchet

[0052] 32-Insertion mechanism,

[0053] 321-Pressure support base, 322-Pressure lower pressure base, 323-Front end support block,

[0054] 324-Front-end pressure block, 325-Pressure guide post, 326-Pressure guide hole, 327-First lifting stand,

[0055] 328 - First main lifting groove, 329 - Pressing transmission connecting seat,

[0056] 33-Pressure pressing and lifting drive component, 330-Pressure pressing fixing seat, 331-Pressure pressing drive plate,

[0057] 332 - Front end moving through slot; 333 - Side drive slot; 334 - Side drive plate; 335 - Second lifting slot; 336 - Third lifting slot; 337 - Second lifting guide seat; 338 - Third lifting guide seat

[0058] 34-Roller guide structure,

[0059] 341 - First drive roller, 342 - Second drive roller, 343 - Third drive roller

[0060] 344 - First arc-shaped rolling groove, 345 - Second arc-shaped rolling groove, 346 - Third arc-shaped rolling groove

[0061] 35-Plug-in screw drive mechanism

[0062] 351-Bottom support plate for pressing material, 352-Power base for pressing material, 353-Expressing telescopic cylinder for pressing material,

[0063] 354 - Plug-in rail, 355 - Plug-in sliding block, 356 - Plug-in screw sleeve seat

[0064] 36-Separation mechanism

[0065] 361-Cutting guide seat, 362-Cutting guide groove, 363-Cutting drive seat, 364-Cutting blade,

[0066] 365-Cutting pressure roller, 366-Cutting pressure plate, 367-Bottom cutting limit seat

[0067] 368 - Cutting limit compression spring, 369 - Top cutting limit seat. Detailed Implementation

[0068] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0069] like Figure 1-10 As shown, the terminal insertion device includes a terminal conveying track 1, with a housing feeding mechanism 11 connected to the first end of the terminal conveying track 1 for feeding terminal housings to the terminal conveying track 1. The housing feeding mechanism 11 is a vibrating feeding platform, and the terminal housings can be vibrated and conveyed into the terminal conveying track 1 one by one.

[0070] The terminal conveying track 1 includes a conveying pressure plate 111. A first conveying base plate 112 and a second conveying base plate 113, arranged horizontally and parallel to each other, are mounted on the bottom of the conveying pressure plate 111. A guide gap 114 is formed between the first conveying base plate 112 and the second conveying base plate 113. A first conveying groove 115 is formed along the length direction on the inner side of the first conveying base plate 112, and a second conveying groove 116 is formed along the length direction on the inner side of the second conveying base plate 113. The first conveying groove 115 and the second conveying groove 116 form a conveying channel for the terminal housing to be limited and advanced.

[0071] The outer casing feeding mechanism 11 is connected to the first end of the connecting conveyor track, and the terminal outer casings enter the guide gap 114 of the terminal conveyor track 1 one by one. The guide gap 114 formed by the first conveyor groove 115 and the second conveyor groove 116 can limit the conveying of the terminal outer casings. The two side base plates limit the terminal outer casings in both left and right directions, and the conveyor pressure plate 111 achieves vertical limitation. The terminal outer casings do not sway left and right or tilt up and down throughout the process, and their posture is stable during the pushing process. The first conveyor groove 115 and the second conveyor groove 116 are symmetrically opened on the inner side of two independent conveyor base plates. The conveyor base plates are arranged in parallel and spaced to form an adjustable guide gap 114 structure. By finely adjusting the distance between the first and second conveyor base plates 113, terminal outer casings of different widths can be adapted. There is no need to replace the entire conveyor track. Only the position of the base plates needs to be finely adjusted to switch product models, making model change and debugging convenient.

[0072] Furthermore, the terminal conveying track 1 also includes multiple conveying stands 117 for supporting the first conveying base plate 112 and the second conveying base plate 113. The first conveying base plate 112 and the second conveying base plate 113 are respectively installed by horizontally arranged bolts and formed adjustment holes. The bolts are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the terminals. By rotating the bolts, the distance between the first conveying base plate 112 and the second conveying base plate 113 can be adjusted, so that the size of the conveying channel formed by the first conveying groove 115 and the second conveying groove 116 for the terminal housing to advance is adjustable, which is convenient to adapt to the advance of terminal housings of different sizes. There is no need to replace the terminal conveying track 1, which greatly saves costs.

[0073] The terminal conveying track 1 is provided with multiple assembly stations for inserting metal conductive blocks into the terminals. Below the terminal conveying track 1, a pushing mechanism 12 is provided to advance the terminals. The pushing mechanism 12 includes a pushing plate 121 located below the guide gap 114. The pushing plate 121 moves up and down. Multiple pushing blocks 122 that can be inserted into the guide gap 114 are installed on the top of the pushing plate 121. The distance between two adjacent pushing blocks 122 is the same, and this distance is L1. The distance between two adjacent assembly stations is L2, and L2=L1. The pushing plate 121 moves back and forth along the length direction of the terminal conveying track 1. The terminals are advanced along the guide gap 114 by the lifting and lowering pushing blocks 122, passing through different assembly stations in sequence.

[0074] The distance L1 between adjacent pusher blocks 122 is exactly equal to the distance L2 between adjacent assembly stations. The pusher blocks 122 move up and down and translate forward and backward synchronously with the pusher plate 121. A single push stroke can synchronously and accurately transport all terminal shells to the next assembly station. Each terminal shell corresponds one-to-one with the corresponding conductive block assembly station, eliminating problems of push misalignment, offset, or forward and backward misalignment. All pusher blocks 122 are uniformly installed at equal intervals on the same pusher plate 121, sharing a set of translation and lifting drive components. The single movement stroke of the pusher plate 121 can be L1. When the terminal shells located on the terminal conveying track 1 move, they can push the terminals within the L1 stroke after assembly, ensuring that the terminals can be aligned with the corresponding assembly station each time they stop during the journey, without the need for additional alignment. This reduces the frequency of equipment failures and downtime, effectively improving equipment uptime. Furthermore, relying on the equidistant matching relationship of L1=L2, precise feeding can be achieved simply by controlling the pusher plate 121 to move a single stroke equal to the station spacing. This eliminates the need for complex multi-segment stroke control and multi-group positioning sensor signal linkage correction. Only one lifting drive and one translation drive are needed to complete all feeding actions. The PLC control program is simple, reducing signal interaction delays and program logic errors.

[0075] Furthermore, the conveying stand 117 is equipped with a guide sliding block 123, and the pusher plate 121 is equipped with a pusher track 124 along its length. The pusher track 124 is slidably engaged with the guide sliding block 123. A pusher power component that drives the pusher plate 121 to move back and forth is arranged beside the terminal conveying track 1. The pusher power component includes a screw transmission mechanism 125 parallel to the pusher plate 121. The drive end of the screw transmission mechanism 125 is equipped with a pusher transmission seat 126, and the pusher transmission seat 126 is equipped with a transmission connection seat connected to the pusher plate 121.

[0076] In this embodiment, the lead screw transmission mechanism 125 rotates under the drive of the servo motor. The screw sleeve seat is connected to the transmission seat. The transmission seat moves along the length direction of the lead screw transmission mechanism 125, driving the pusher track 124 to slide with the guide sliding block 123. The pusher plate 121 connected to the pusher track 124 moves forward. When the servo motor reverses, the pusher plate 121 retracts.

[0077] In addition, the pusher plate 121 is equipped with longitudinally arranged longitudinal guide rails, and longitudinal sliding seats 128 are slidably installed on the longitudinal guide rails. The pusher block 122 is installed on the longitudinal sliding seats 128. Lifting connecting bars 127 are connected between multiple longitudinal sliding seats 128. The pusher plate 121 is equipped with longitudinally arranged lifting telescopic cylinders 129. Multiple lifting telescopic cylinders 129 can be set to drive the corresponding lifting connecting bars 127 to move up and down. Multiple lifting telescopic cylinders 129 can move up and down simultaneously, so that multiple pusher blocks 122 can move up and down synchronously. When the servo motor reverses, when the pusher plate 121 retracts, the lifting telescopic cylinders 129 drive the lifting connecting bars 127 to descend, so that the pusher block 122 descends, preventing it from colliding with the terminal housing during the retraction process. When it is necessary to push the terminal housing forward, the lifting telescopic cylinders 129 drive the lifting connecting bars 127 to rise, so that the pusher block 122 stands up, making it easier to hold the tail of the terminal and drive the terminal forward.

[0078] A product positioning component 2 is provided on the opposite side of the assembly station. The product positioning component 2 includes a first positioning component 21 and a second positioning component 22. The first positioning component 21 includes a positioning guide seat 211 and a positioning sliding pressure seat 212 installed on the top of the positioning guide seat 211. A positioning sliding seat 213 is slidably installed on the positioning guide seat 211. A positioning guide piece 214 is installed on the positioning sliding seat 213 and slides through the bottom of the conveying pressure plate 111. A first positioning telescopic cylinder 215 is provided on the outside of the positioning guide seat 211. The driving end of the first positioning telescopic cylinder 215 is connected to the positioning sliding seat 213. The top of the first conveying base plate 112 and the second conveying base plate 113 are respectively formed with coaxially aligned transverse positioning grooves 216 along their width direction. The transverse positioning grooves 216 allow the guide positioning piece to slide into them.

[0079] The terminal conveying channel relies on the first conveying base plate 112 and the second conveying base plate 113 to form basic left and right limits. However, the base plates only provide rough limits on the outer side of the terminal housing. When the metal contact pins are pressed down for insertion, the shearing force and the downward impact force can easily cause the terminal housing to slightly shift or twist. This solution adds an independent product positioning component 2 on the opposite side of the assembly station. The first positioning telescopic cylinder 215 drives the positioning sliding seat 213 to move forward. The positioning guide plate 214 passes through the conveying pressure plate 111 and the transverse positioning groove 216 and extends into the conveying channel, forming a lateral clamping constraint from the back of the terminal housing. It forms a double-sided opposing clamping and positioning with the grooves on both sides of the conveying base plate, providing back positioning during insertion and further improving the stability of the insertion.

[0080] Specifically, the transverse positioning groove 216 is coaxially aligned on the top of the two conveying base plates. After the positioning guide plate 214 is inserted, the limiting reference is uniform, preventing left-right or high-low misalignment. The terminal housing is completely locked throughout the entire process of pin cutting and contact pressing and insertion, without left-right movement or housing deflection. The metal contacts and the terminal conductive port always remain coaxial, improving the terminal assembly yield. The end of the positioning guide plate 214 facing the terminal housing has a recessed terminal locking groove 217. When the positioning guide plate 214 forms a lateral clamping constraint from the back of the terminal housing, the terminal locking groove 217 can precisely surround the back of the terminal from both sides, achieving stable initial positioning.

[0081] Furthermore, the second positioning component 22 includes a secondary positioning groove 221 formed along the length of the positioning guide piece 214. A secondary positioning seat 222 is slidably mounted on the secondary positioning groove 221. A positioning guide pin 223 is mounted on the secondary positioning seat 222 and is axially inserted into the contact hole of the terminal. The positioning guide pin 223 is laterally located in the transverse positioning groove 216. A top sliding groove 224 is formed on the top of the two side walls of the secondary positioning groove 221 along its length. Top sliding blocks 225 that slide in cooperation with the top sliding groove 224 are formed on both sides of the secondary positioning seat 222. A back connecting plate 226 is elastically connected to the back of the secondary positioning seat 222. The back connecting plate 226 moves along the length of the secondary positioning groove 221.

[0082] In this embodiment, the positioning guide pin 223 is axially inserted into the terminal contact hole to directly lock the core insertion reference. The position of the contact hole is precisely corrected from inside the terminal, ensuring that the contact hole and the metal contact cut and inserted above are absolutely coaxial. Even if there are minor machining tolerances or slight transport offsets in the terminal shell, secondary correction by the internal guide pin can eliminate the mismatch between the external positioning and the actual insertion reference, significantly improving the assembly accuracy of the precision terminal pin and adapting to high-precision assembly scenarios such as automotive terminals and precision connectors. The matching structure of the secondary positioning groove 221 with the top sliding groove 224 and the top sliding block 225 allows the secondary positioning seat 222 to slide smoothly along the length of the positioning guide piece 214, achieving flexible telescopic alignment of the positioning guide pin 223. The secondary positioning seat 222 achieves elastic floating connection through the back connecting plate 226, possessing adaptive buffer compensation capability. The alignment position is automatically fine-tuned at the moment the guide pin is inserted into the contact hole, achieving flexible fitting insertion, which not only ensures positioning accuracy but also offsets the hard impact force caused by assembly tolerances and mechanical motion errors.

[0083] The secondary positioning structure is fully integrated into the original positioning guide plate 214. Embedded installation is achieved by creating a secondary positioning groove 221 within the positioning guide plate 214 body, eliminating the need for additional horizontal or vertical installation space and the addition of a separate positioning station and drive mechanism. This simplifies the overall mechanical structure, reduces assembly complexity and hardware costs, mitigates the risk of interference from multiple components, and improves operational stability.

[0084] Furthermore, the back connecting plate 226 is equipped with a limiting guide post 227, and a limiting block 228 is formed at the outer end of the limiting guide post 227. The secondary positioning seat 222 is formed with a limiting guide groove 229 for the limiting guide post 227 to be inserted. The limiting block 228 slides within the limiting guide groove 229. Multiple positioning compression springs 220 are installed between the back connecting plate 226 and the secondary positioning seat 222. A second positioning telescopic cylinder 218 is installed on the top of the first positioning telescopic cylinder 215. The driving end of the second positioning telescopic cylinder 218 extends toward the secondary positioning groove 221, and a positioning transmission seat is installed on its driving end. The bottom of the positioning transmission seat is connected to the back connecting plate 226.

[0085] In this embodiment, a second positioning telescopic cylinder 218 is superimposed on the first positioning telescopic cylinder 215 to form a dual-layer independent drive architecture: the first positioning telescopic cylinder 215 is responsible for driving the overall positioning guide plate 214 to feed, completing the overall coarse positioning of the outer side of the terminal housing; the second positioning telescopic cylinder 218 is connected to the back connecting plate 226 through the positioning transmission seat, independently driving the secondary positioning seat 222 and the positioning guide pin 223 to extend and retract, realizing high-precision fine positioning of the internal contact hole of the terminal.

[0086] Specifically, the product positioning component 2 uses a first positioning telescopic cylinder 215 to drive the positioning guide plate 214 through the conveying pressure plate 111 and the transverse positioning groove 216 into the conveying channel. After forming a lateral clamping constraint from the back of the terminal housing, initial positioning is achieved. Subsequently, the second positioning telescopic cylinder 218 drives the back connecting plate 226 to move along the secondary positioning groove 221, which drives the positioning guide pin 223 installed in the secondary positioning seat 222 to be axially inserted into the terminal contact hole, greatly improving the assembly accuracy of the precision terminal pin and adapting to high-precision assembly scenarios such as automotive terminals and precision connectors. Multiple sets of positioning compression springs 220 are arranged between the back connecting plate 226 and the secondary positioning seat 222. The synchronous extension and retraction of multiple springs can achieve smooth and flexible buffering, ensuring that the guide pin and the contact hole fit tightly and there is no gap in positioning, while also eliminating rigid impact. In addition, the limiting sliding cooperation between the limiting guide groove 229 and the limiting block 228 can prevent the secondary positioning seat 222 from moving away from the back connecting plate 226 beyond its stroke under the elastic action of the positioning compression spring 220, and prevent the positioning guide pin 223 installed on the secondary positioning seat 222 from prematurely abutting the terminal housing, resulting in inaccurate insertion.

[0087] One of the assembly stations is the first pin insertion station 3, where metal contacts are inserted into the terminal conductive ports. The first pin insertion station 3 is equipped with an unwinding assembly 310 and a ratchet conveying mechanism 31 that cooperates with the unwinding assembly 310. The metal contacts of the strip structure are encapsulated in the unwinding assembly 310. After the unwinding assembly 310 unwinds the strip, it enters the ratchet conveying mechanism 31, which then sequentially advances the strip to the insertion mechanism 32. The strip enters the insertion station and is pressed and positioned by the pressing support 321 and the lifting and lowering pressing seat 322.

[0088] Specifically, the unwinding assembly 310 includes a rotating reel 311. Driven by a servo motor, the unwinding reel rotates to unwind the material strip. The reel 311 rotates to unwind the material strip, which has metal contacts, to the ratchet conveyor mechanism 31. The ratchet conveyor mechanism 31 includes a transversely arranged ratchet conveyor plate 313. A ratchet pressure plate 314 is mounted above the ratchet conveyor plate 313. A gap is formed between the ratchet pressure plate 314 and the ratchet conveyor plate 313 to guide the material strip through. A guide roller 316 is provided on the outer side of the ratchet pressure plate 314 to guide the feed belt into the gap; a ratchet power seat 317 is connected to the back of the ratchet conveyor plate 313, the ratchet power seat 317 is equipped with a conveying servo motor and a ratchet drive shaft 318 installed on the drive end of the conveying servo motor, the ratchet drive shaft 318 is equipped with a drive ratchet 319, the drive ratchet 319 engages with the hole of the feed belt for transmission, and the drive ratchet 319 rotates to drive the feed belt forward along the ratchet conveyor plate 313.

[0089] Below the material reel 311 is an unwinding track 312. The metal strip advances through the unwinding track 312, and the guide roller 316 guides, smooths, and limits the strip, allowing it to be smoothly and accurately fed into the conveying gap between the ratchet pressure plate 314 and the ratchet conveyor plate 313. The ratchet drive shaft 318 and the ratchet 319 are driven to rotate by a conveying servo motor. Guide blocks 315 arranged horizontally are installed next to the guide roller 316. The guide blocks 315, in conjunction with the guide roller 316, can pre-level the strip before it enters the workstation, eliminating the strip's own curling stress and ensuring that each section of strip entering the conveying workstation is flat and has a uniform posture. This lays a good material foundation for the subsequent precise ratchet engagement, cutting, and splicing processes.

[0090] The first insertion station 3 is also equipped with an insertion mechanism 32 for positioning the material strip and inserting the metal contacts into the terminals. The insertion mechanism 32 includes a pressing support 321 located at the end of the ratchet conveying mechanism 31 and a pressing lower pressing seat 322 located above the pressing support 321. The material strip, which is conveyed forward by the ratchet conveying mechanism 31, enters the insertion mechanism 32 of the insertion mechanism. The front end of the pressing support 321 is formed with a plurality of front support blocks 323 for supporting the metal contacts. Two adjacent front support blocks 323 are arranged at equal intervals. The front end of the pressing lower pressing seat 322 is formed with a plurality of front lower pressing blocks 324 that cooperate with the front support blocks 323. Two adjacent front lower pressing blocks 324 are arranged at equal intervals.

[0091] After the ratchet conveyor mechanism 31 completes the intermittent step-by-step conveying of the material strip to its position, the pressing seat 322 presses down, working with the pressing support seat 321 to firmly press and position the material strip. Simultaneously, the front pressing block 324 presses down, working with the front support block 323 to firmly press and support the exposed metal contacts. Because the connection between the metal contacts and the material strip is unstable, if not properly positioned, direct insertion into the terminal housing can easily cause the metal contacts to detach or break from the material strip upon contact with the cavity wall, resulting in inaccurate insertion and affecting efficiency. This design simultaneously positions the material strip and metal contacts as a single unit, ensuring that the metal contacts can be stably inserted into the terminal housing during insertion, reducing the likelihood of detachment or breakage and improving the success rate of insertion.

[0092] Preferably, the bottom of the pressing seat 322 is equipped with multiple pressing guide posts 325 that mate with the holes in the material strip. The bottom of the pressing guide posts 325 has a conical structure, and the pressing support seat 321 is formed with multiple pressing guide holes 326 that coaxially mate with the pressing guide posts 325. In this embodiment, when the pressing seat 322 presses down and works with the pressing support seat 321 to press and position the material strip, the pressing guide posts 325 will first mate with the holes in the material strip. After the pressing guide posts 325 are inserted into the pressing guide holes 326, they can finely guide and straighten the material strip, preventing it from shifting forward, backward, left, or right. The overall position of the material strip is located at the precise position of the insertion station, ensuring that the material strip is in a precise position for positioning and pressing when pressed down by the pressing seat 322, thus providing a guiding reference for subsequent insertion.

[0093] The inserting mechanism 32 includes a pressing and lifting drive 33 that drives the pressing lower pressure seat 322 to press and position the strip with metal contacts. The pressing and lifting drive 33 includes a pressing fixed seat 330. The pressing fixed seat 330 has a first main lifting groove 328 formed longitudinally. A first lifting stand 327 is slidably installed on the first main lifting groove 328. A pressing transmission connecting seat 329 is installed along the first lifting stand 327. A pressing drive plate 331 is installed at the front end of the pressing transmission connecting seat 329. The pressing drive plate 331 is connected to the pressing lower pressure seat 322.

[0094] The pressing and fixing base 330 is formed with a front movable through groove 332 through which the pressing and transmission connecting base 329 moves. The pressing and transmission connecting base 329 moves up and down guided by the front movable through groove 332. The side wall of the pressing and fixing base 330 is formed with a side drive groove 333 along its length. A side drive plate 334 is slidably installed in the side drive groove 333. After the ratchet conveying mechanism 31 completes the intermittent step-by-step conveying of the material belt to the position, the side drive plate 334 moves back and forth along the length of the side drive groove 333 to drive the first lifting stand 327 to move up and down. The pressing and fixing base 330 is provided with a longitudinal first main lifting groove 328 to constrain the vertical movement of the first lifting stand 327. At the same time, the front movable through groove 332 limits the lateral movement of the pressing and transmission connecting base 329. The side drive groove 333 on the side wall, together with the side drive plate 334, realizes the conversion of horizontal drive into vertical lifting and lowering movement. The pressing lower pressure seat 322, supported by the pressing support seat 321 and with lifting and lowering movement, rigidly clamps and positions the material strip from top to bottom, enabling full-plane support for ultra-thin, narrow-width contact material strips.

[0095] In addition, the traditional structure requires feeding, pressing, cutting and plugging separately, with at least three independent driving actions. This solution completes the pressing and cutting auxiliary processes in one downward movement, retaining only one plugging and pressing action, shortening the processing cycle time of a single contact, improving the overall production cycle of the terminal conveying track 1, and adapting to large-scale high-speed automated production.

[0096] This solution involves a material strip cutting separation mechanism 36 located between the material support 321 and the ratchet conveyor mechanism 31. The separation mechanism 36 includes a cutting guide seat 361 positioned above the end of the ratchet conveyor plate 313. The cutting guide seat 361 has a longitudinally formed cutting guide groove 362. A cutting drive seat 363 is slidably mounted on the cutting guide groove 362. A cutting blade 364 for separating the material strip is mounted at the bottom of the cutting drive seat 363. The cutting blade 364 is arranged perpendicular to the conveying direction of the material strip for cutting. The guide seat 361 moves up and down; a cutting pressure roller 365 is installed on the top of the cutting guide seat 361, and a cutting pressure plate 366 is installed on the top of the first lifting stand 327 above the cutting pressure roller 365. The arrangement direction of the cutting pressure plate 366 is parallel to the arrangement direction of the cutting blade 364. When the first lifting stand 327 presses down and drives the pressing seat 322 to press down on the metal contacts and the strip, the cutting guide seat 361 is driven down by the cutting pressure plate 366 to cut and separate the strip.

[0097] When the first lifting stand 327 descends, it simultaneously presses down the pressing seat 322 to clamp the material strip to the terminal housing for positioning and clamping. Simultaneously, the top cutting pressing plate 366 presses down the cutting pressing roller 365, which in turn moves the cutting guide seat 361 and the cutting blade 364 downwards to cut the material strip. The material strip at the insertion station automatically separates from the material strip at the ratchet conveyor mechanism 31. Only one lifting drive is needed to simultaneously achieve both the material strip clamping and positioning and the contact cutting and separation processes, eliminating the need for separate cutting cylinders, linear motors, or other independent drive components for the cutting mechanism.

[0098] The cutting guide seat 361 is equipped with a cutting guide groove 362 to constrain the cutting drive seat 363 and the cutting blade 364 to move vertically up and down. The cutting blade 364 is always perpendicular to the material conveying direction, and there is no lateral force during cutting, resulting in a smooth cut on the material without burrs.

[0099] Furthermore, the pressing and fixing base 330 is also provided with a roller guide structure 34 for limiting the lifting and lowering movement of the first lifting stand 327. The roller guide structure 34 includes a second lifting groove 335 and a third lifting groove 336 that are parallel and spaced apart. The second lifting groove 335 and the third lifting groove 336 are respectively longitudinally located in the pressing and fixing base 330. The first main lifting groove 328, the second lifting groove 335 and the third lifting groove 336 are all connected to the side drive groove 333. The second lifting groove 335 is slidably installed with a second lifting guide seat 337, and the third lifting groove 336 is slidably installed with a third lifting guide seat 338. The first lifting stand 327, the second lifting guide seat 337 and the third lifting guide seat 338 are respectively limited in their lifting and lowering movements.

[0100] The first lifting stand 327 is equipped with a first drive roller 341, the second lifting guide seat 337 is equipped with a second drive roller 342, and the third lifting guide seat 338 is equipped with a third drive roller 343; the first drive roller 341, the second drive roller 342, and the third drive roller 343 are all located in the side drive groove 333. The side drive plate 334 is formed with a first arc-shaped rolling groove 344 that rolls with the first drive roller 341, a second arc-shaped rolling groove 345 that rolls with the second drive roller 342, and a third arc-shaped rolling groove 346 that rolls with the third drive roller 343. The side drive plate 334 moves back and forth along the side drive length direction. The first arc-shaped rolling groove 344 rolls with the first drive roller 341, the second arc-shaped rolling groove 345 rolls with the second drive roller 342, and the third arc-shaped rolling groove 346 rolls with the third drive roller 343. The first lifting stand 327, the second lifting guide seat 337, and the third lifting guide seat 338 move up and down respectively.

[0101] In this embodiment, a second lifting groove 335 and a third lifting groove 336 are longitudinally parallel and spaced apart on the pressing and fixing base 330, forming three sets of parallel independent guide slides in conjunction with the original first main lifting groove 328. These guide slides respectively constrain the lifting trajectories of the first lifting stand 327, the second lifting guide seat 337, and the third lifting guide seat 338. This significantly improves the straightness of the lifting motion and the structural rigidity. During the pressing and positioning, and strip cutting linkage pressing operations, the entire machine experiences uniform and stable force.

[0102] Each lifting guide seat is equipped with an independent drive roller, and the rollers are matched one-to-one with the first, second, and third arc-shaped rolling grooves 346 on the side drive plate 334. This significantly reduces mechanical wear between the guide grooves and the guide seats, and prevents gaps from forming due to component wear during long-term operation, ensuring stable pressing and cutting accuracy during long-term mass production. A single side drive plate 334 drives the three lifting components uniformly. Through the precise cooperation of the three independent arc-shaped rolling grooves and rollers, the first lifting stand 327, the second lifting guide seat 337, and the third lifting guide seat 338 achieve synchronous, same stroke, and same posture lifting movements.

[0103] When the side drive plate 334 moves forward, the first drive roller 341 rolls with the first arc-shaped rolling groove 344, and the second drive roller 342 rolls with the second arc-shaped rolling groove 345. The first drive roller 341 and the second drive roller 342 move from the high point to the low point respectively. Correspondingly, the first lifting stand 327 connected to the first drive roller 341 descends, and the second lifting guide seat 337 descends. Simultaneously, the pressing lower seat 322 connected to the first lifting stand 327 presses down. The pressing lower seat 322, supported by the pressing support seat 321 and moving up and down, rigidly clamps and positions the material strip. The side drive plate 334 moves horizontally back and forth. Through the trajectory constraint of the arc-shaped rolling groove, the horizontal linear displacement is accurately and efficiently converted into the vertical lifting displacement of each set of rollers and lifting guide seats. The trajectory parameters of each set of arc-shaped grooves are accurately matched, the linearity of displacement conversion is high, the lifting stroke is controllable, and the repeatability of positioning is extremely high.

[0104] Furthermore, the first arc-shaped rolling groove 344 and the second arc-shaped rolling groove 345 have the same arc direction, while the arc direction of the third arc-shaped rolling groove 346 is opposite to that of the second arc-shaped rolling groove 345; wherein the arc direction of the first arc-shaped rolling groove 344 and the second arc-shaped rolling groove 345 is clockwise, and the arc direction of the third arc-shaped rolling groove 346 is counterclockwise.

[0105] When the side drive plate 334 moves forward, the first drive roller 341 and the second drive roller 342 slide from the high point to the low point of the arc groove, realizing the downward pressing operation of the main lifting mechanism; at the same time, the third drive roller 343 slides synchronously to the highest point of the corresponding arc groove, forming a reverse clamping limit constraint. Utilizing the difference in the reverse motion of the forward and reverse arcs to form a mechanical self-locking balancing effect, bidirectional rigid limiting can be achieved at the pressing and cutting workstations, solving problems such as overshooting during pressing, return stroke, and workstation suspension gaps that are prone to occur in single-arc structures. During the pressure holding stage of the equipment's pressing operation, the three sets of rollers are in a reverse balancing state at high and low points, and the degree of freedom of the mechanism is completely mechanically locked. Precise workstation positioning can be achieved without the need for additional limit blocks, limit sensors, and locking cylinders, eliminating mechanism vibration, micro-rebound, and displacement drift during operation, greatly improving the flatness of the pressing material, the consistency of the cutting surface, and the stability of the insertion pins, adapting to the requirements of precision terminal assembly without deviation.

[0106] Furthermore, the instantaneous reverse shear impact load and equipment vibration are generated during the pressing and cutting process. Traditional unidirectional linkage lifting structures suffer from a single force, which can easily lead to mechanism rebound and slight lifting, resulting in blade edge deviation at the end of the cut and poor material strip slippage. This structure utilizes the reverse linkage motion characteristics of the two side rollers moving downwards and the middle roller moving upwards, so that the working impact load and the reverse limit support force cancel each other out, achieving dynamic mechanical balance and making the overall machine force system more balanced and stable. The differentiated reverse composite motion of two sets of components moving downwards and one set of components moving upwards can be achieved simultaneously through the unidirectional linear movement of a single side drive plate 334, without the need for multi-axis drive, electronic timing differential control, or complex linkage reversing mechanisms. Relying on the differential design of the arc groove curvature direction, pure mechanical automatic reversing linkage is achieved. All reverse actions are synchronous and have no time difference or action lag, eliminating the problems of electronic control calibration error and signal delay.

[0107] Furthermore, the bottom of the pressing and fixing seat 330 is connected to a pressing bottom support plate 351, and the pressing bottom support plate 351 is equipped with an upright pressing power seat 352. The pressing power seat 352 is equipped with a pressing telescopic cylinder 353 that drives the side drive plate 334 to slide along the side drive groove 333. The vertically arranged pressing power seat 352 is equipped with a pressing telescopic cylinder 353, which allows the side drive plate 334 to slide back and forth along the side drive groove 333, so as to realize the lifting and lowering movement of the guide rollers in the pressing and fixing seat 330, thereby driving the pressing lower pressing seat 322 to achieve rigid clamping and positioning of the material strip.

[0108] Furthermore, a plug-in rail 354 and a bottom guide support plate supporting the plug-in rail 354 are arranged below the bottom support plate 351. A plug-in sliding block 355 is slidably installed on the plug-in rail 354. The plug-in sliding block 355 is connected to the bottom support plate 351. A plug-in screw transmission mechanism 35 is provided between the two plug-in rails 354. A plug-in screw sleeve seat 356 is installed on the driving end of the plug-in screw transmission mechanism 35. The plug-in screw sleeve seat 356 is connected to the bottom support plate 351. The plug-in screw transmission mechanism 35 drives the bottom support plate 351 to move along the length of the plug-in rail 354 so as to axially insert the pressed and positioned metal contact into the terminal. After the pressing support 321 and the lifting pressing lower pressing seat 322 rigidly clamp and position the material strip, the pressing bottom support plate 351 is driven to slide along the insertion track 354 in the lateral direction by the screw transmission mechanism 125, so as to complete the overall module translation and feeding, and realize the axial precision insertion of the metal contacts after cutting.

[0109] Furthermore, a bottom cutting limit seat 367 is provided below the cutting guide seat 361. The bottom cutting limit seat 367 is equipped with a plurality of cutting limit compression springs 368 that elastically lift the cutting drive seat 363. A top cutting limit seat 369 is provided above the cutting guide seat 361 to cooperate with the stop of the cutting drive seat 363.

[0110] In this embodiment, the bottom cutting limit seat 367 limits the lowest cutting point, and the top cutting limit seat 369 stops the highest cutting point, thus restricting the up-and-down movement of the cutting drive seat 363 and the cutting blade 364. This prevents the cutting limit compression spring 368 from lifting the cutting drive seat 363 beyond its travel range. Furthermore, the bottom cutting limit seat 367 is equipped with multiple sets of cutting limit compression springs 368, providing continuous elastic support for the cutting drive seat 363. Compared to a rigid hard limit structure, this achieves the dual functions of buffering the downward cutting movement and automatically resetting the cutting position upon completion.

[0111] The terminal connection method for terminal connection equipment includes the following steps:

[0112] S1. The terminal housings are conveyed one by one to the guide gap 114 of the terminal conveying track 1 by the vibrating feeding platform. The two conveying base plates realize the left and right limit of the terminal housings, and the conveying pressure plate 111 realizes the vertical limit.

[0113] S2. The servo motor drives the screw transmission mechanism 125 to move the pusher plate 121 horizontally. Multiple lifting and telescopic cylinders 129 synchronously drive the lifting connecting bar 127 and the pusher block 122 to lift. The single translation stroke is L1, which pushes all the terminal shells in the track to the corresponding assembly station, so as to achieve precise alignment between the terminals and the station. After the push is completed, the pusher block 122 descends and resets.

[0114] S3. After the terminal is in place, the first positioning telescopic cylinder 215 drives the positioning guide plate 214 to pass through the transverse positioning groove 216 and extend into the conveying channel. It surrounds and abuts the terminal housing from the back through the end terminal locking groove 217, completing the outer side coarse positioning. Then, the second positioning telescopic cylinder 218 independently drives the secondary positioning seat 222 to slide along the secondary positioning groove 221 of the positioning guide plate 214, so that the positioning guide pin 223 is axially inserted into the terminal contact hole to correct the coaxiality. At the same time, the guide pin stroke is limited by the cooperation of the limiting guide post 227 and the limiting guide groove 229.

[0115] S4, the unwinding assembly 310 unwinds the strip with encapsulated metal contacts, the guide roller 316 guides, levels, and eliminates the curling stress of the strip, and the conveying servo motor drives the ratchet 319 to mesh with the strip hole to achieve the step conveying of the strip.

[0116] S5. The pressure telescopic cylinder 353 drives the side drive plate 334 to move horizontally. Through the rolling cooperation of multiple sets of arc-shaped rolling grooves with positive and negative arcs on the plate body and the corresponding drive rollers, the horizontal displacement is converted into vertical lifting displacement. During the downward movement, the pressure lower pressure seat 322 and the pressure support seat 321 are driven to cooperate to complete the overall pressing of the material strip and the individual clamping and positioning of the exposed metal contacts. At the same time, the cutting blade 364 is linked to descend vertically to cut the material strip. The pressing and cutting processes are completed simultaneously in a single downward movement. The cutting stroke is limited by the upper and lower limit structure and the buffering and automatic reset are achieved by the cutting limit compression spring 368.

[0117] S6. After cutting and obtaining independent metal contacts, the insertion screw transmission mechanism 35 drives the overall module to move laterally along the insertion track 354, and accurately inserts the metal contacts into the terminal conductive port axially. After the insertion is completed, each mechanism is reset in sequence and enters the next round of insertion cycle operation.

[0118] The terminal insertion method of the terminal insertion equipment of this invention adopts an adjustable-spacing conveyor track structure. It can quickly adapt to terminal shells of different widths by finely adjusting the spacing between the two sets of conveyor base plates, eliminating the need for a complete track replacement. This significantly shortens changeover and debugging time and reduces production costs. Combined with the pressure plate and double-sided grooves, it forms omnidirectional limiting, ensuring stable terminal conveying without shaking and avoiding conveying deviation defects from the source. Secondly, this invention employs an equidistant feeding architecture where the station spacing and the pusher block 122 spacing are strictly equal. This enables synchronous and precise step-feeding of terminals at multiple stations, eliminating the need for multi-segment stroke control and multiple sensor calibrations. This simplifies the control program, reduces signal delay and the probability of failure, effectively improving equipment uptime and production cycle time, and is suitable for high-volume, high-speed automated production.

[0119] Meanwhile, this invention employs a dual-layer positioning scheme combining coarse positioning on the outer side with fine correction on the inner guide pin. This offsets machining tolerances and slight conveying offsets, precisely locking the contact hole insertion reference. Combined with an elastic floating structure, it achieves flexible alignment and insertion, avoiding damage from hard impacts. This significantly improves the coaxiality and assembly yield of precision terminals, especially automotive terminals and precision connectors. Furthermore, this invention utilizes a positive and negative arc groove mechanical linkage structure to synchronously achieve material strip clamping and contact cutting processes with a single drive, simplifying equipment drive components and mechanical structures, and shortening the processing cycle. Relying on reverse balancing to create a purely mechanical self-locking effect, it effectively suppresses cutting vibration, springback, and station movement, ensuring a smooth cutting surface and stable insertion position. Finally, this invention incorporates multiple elastic buffers and mechanical limit structures, which can adaptively compensate for assembly errors, prevent excessive hard impacts on components, reduce wear on parts, extend equipment lifespan, and lower mass production maintenance costs.

[0120] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, there will be changes in the specific implementation and application scope based on the ideas of the present invention. The content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

Claims

1. A terminal insertion device, comprising a terminal conveying track, wherein the first end of the terminal conveying track is connected to a housing feeding mechanism for feeding terminal housings onto the terminal conveying track, characterized in that: The terminal conveying track includes a conveying pressure plate, and a first conveying base plate and a second conveying base plate arranged horizontally and parallel to each other are installed at the bottom of the conveying pressure plate, with a guide gap formed between the first conveying base plate and the second conveying base plate. The first conveying base plate has a first conveying groove formed along its length on its inner side, and the second conveying base plate has a second conveying groove formed along its length on its inner side; the terminal conveying track is provided with multiple assembly stations for inserting metal conductive blocks into the terminals, and a pushing mechanism for conveying the terminals forward is provided below the terminal conveying track. The pushing mechanism includes a pushing plate located below the guide gap. The pushing plate moves up and down. Multiple pushing blocks that can be inserted into the guide gap are installed on the top of the pushing plate. The distance between two adjacent pushing blocks is the same and is L1. The distance between two adjacent assembly stations is L2, and L2=L1. One of the assembly stations is a first pin insertion station for inserting metal contacts into the conductive port of the terminal. The first pin insertion station is equipped with an unwinding assembly and a ratchet conveying mechanism that cooperates with the unwinding assembly. The first pin insertion station is also equipped with a material insertion mechanism for positioning the material strip and inserting the metal contacts into the terminal. The inserting mechanism includes a pressing support seat located at the end of the ratchet conveying mechanism and a pressing lower pressing seat located above the pressing support seat; the front end of the pressing support seat is formed with multiple front support blocks that support the metal contacts, and two adjacent front support blocks are arranged at equal intervals; the front end of the pressing lower pressing seat is formed with multiple front pressing blocks that cooperate with the front support blocks, and two adjacent front pressing blocks are arranged at equal intervals. The inserting mechanism also includes a pressing and lifting drive component that drives the pressing lower pressure seat to press and position the strip with metal contacts. The pressing and lifting drive component includes a pressing fixed seat, a first main lifting groove is formed longitudinally on the pressing fixed seat, a first lifting upright seat is slidably installed on the first main lifting groove, a pressing transmission connecting seat is installed along the first lifting upright seat, a pressing drive plate is installed at the front end of the pressing transmission connecting seat, and the pressing drive plate is connected to the pressing lower pressure seat. The pressing and fixing seat is formed with a front movable through groove for the pressing and transmission connecting seat to move through. The pressing and transmission connecting seat moves up and down in the front movable through groove. The side wall of the pressing and fixing seat is formed with a side drive groove along its length. A side drive plate is slidably installed in the side drive groove. The side drive plate moves back and forth along the length of the side drive groove to drive the first lifting stand to move up and down. A separation mechanism for cutting the material strip is provided between the pressure support and the ratchet conveyor mechanism. The separation mechanism includes a cutting guide seat located above the end of the ratchet conveyor plate. The cutting guide seat has a longitudinally formed cutting guide groove. A cutting drive seat is slidably installed in the cutting guide groove. A cutting blade for separating the material strip is installed at the bottom of the cutting drive seat. The cutting blade is arranged perpendicular to the conveying direction of the material strip. The cutting guide seat moves up and down. A cutting pressure roller is installed on the top of the cutting guide seat. A cutting pressure plate is installed on the top of the first lifting stand above the cutting pressure roller. The arrangement direction of the cutting pressure plate is parallel to the arrangement direction of the cutting blade. When the first lifting stand presses down and drives the pressure pressure seat to press down on the metal contacts and the material strip, the cutting pressure plate drives the cutting guide seat to press down and cut and separate the material strip.

2. The terminal plugging device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The terminal conveying track also includes multiple conveying stands for supporting the first conveying base plate and the second conveying base plate. The conveying stands are equipped with guide sliding blocks. The pusher plate is equipped with a pusher track along its length, and the pusher track is slidably engaged with the guide sliding blocks. A pusher power component that drives the pusher plate to move back and forth is arranged beside the terminal conveying track. The pusher power component includes a screw transmission mechanism parallel to the pusher plate. The drive end of the screw transmission mechanism is equipped with a pusher transmission seat, and the pusher transmission seat is equipped with a transmission connection seat connected to the pusher plate.

3. The terminal plugging device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A product positioning component is provided on the opposite side of the assembly station. The product positioning component includes a positioning guide seat and a positioning sliding pressure seat installed on the top of the positioning guide seat. The positioning guide seat is slidably mounted with a positioning sliding seat. The positioning sliding seat is mounted with a positioning guide piece that slides through the bottom of the conveying pressure plate. A first positioning telescopic cylinder is provided on the outside of the positioning guide seat. The driving end of the first positioning telescopic cylinder is connected to the positioning sliding seat. The top of the first conveying base plate and the second conveying base plate are respectively formed with coaxially aligned transverse positioning grooves along their width direction. The transverse positioning grooves allow the guide positioning piece to slide into them.

4. The terminal plugging device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The positioning guide plate has a secondary positioning groove formed along its length. A secondary positioning seat is slidably installed in the secondary positioning groove. The secondary positioning seat is equipped with a positioning guide pin that is axially inserted into the contact hole of the terminal. A top sliding groove is formed on the top of the two side walls of the secondary positioning groove along its length. Top sliding blocks that slide with the top sliding groove are formed on both sides of the secondary positioning seat. A back connecting plate is elastically connected to the back of the secondary positioning seat. The back connecting plate moves along the length of the secondary positioning groove.

5. The terminal plugging device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The back connecting plate is equipped with a limiting guide post, and a limiting block is formed at the outer end of the limiting guide post. The secondary positioning seat is formed with a limiting guide groove for the limiting guide post to be inserted. The limiting block slides within the limiting guide groove. Multiple positioning compression springs are installed between the back connecting plate and the secondary positioning seat. A second positioning telescopic cylinder is installed on the top of the first positioning telescopic cylinder. The driving end of the second positioning telescopic cylinder extends into the secondary positioning groove. A positioning transmission seat is installed on the driving end of the second positioning telescopic cylinder 2. The bottom of the positioning transmission seat is connected to the back connecting plate.

6. The terminal plugging device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unwinding assembly includes a rotating reel that rotates and unwinds the strip with metal contacts to a ratchet conveyor mechanism. The ratchet conveyor mechanism includes a transversely arranged ratchet conveyor plate and a ratchet pressure plate mounted above it. A gap is formed between the ratchet pressure plate and the ratchet conveyor plate to guide the feed strip through. A guide roller is provided on the outside of the ratchet pressure plate to guide the feed strip into the gap. A ratchet power seat is connected to the back of the ratchet conveyor plate. The ratchet power seat is equipped with a conveying servo motor and a ratchet drive shaft mounted on the drive end of the conveying servo motor. A drive ratchet is mounted on the ratchet drive shaft. The drive ratchet engages with the holes in the strip for transmission, and the drive ratchet rotates to drive the strip forward along the ratchet conveyor plate.

7. The terminal plugging device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The pressing and fixing seat is longitudinally formed with a parallel spaced second lifting groove and a third lifting groove. The first main lifting groove, the second lifting groove and the third lifting groove are all connected to the side drive groove. The second lifting groove is slidably installed with a second lifting guide seat, and the third lifting groove is slidably installed with a third lifting guide seat. The first lifting stand, the second lifting guide seat and the third lifting guide seat are respectively limited to lifting and lowering. The first lifting stand is equipped with a first drive roller, the second lifting guide seat is equipped with a second drive roller, and the third lifting guide seat is equipped with a third drive roller; the first drive roller, the second drive roller, and the third drive roller are all located in the side drive groove. The side drive plate is formed with a first arc-shaped rolling groove that rolls with the first drive roller, a second arc-shaped rolling groove that rolls with the second drive roller, and a third arc-shaped rolling groove that rolls with the third drive roller. The side drive plate moves back and forth along the side drive length direction. The first arc-shaped rolling groove rolls in conjunction with the first drive roller, the second arc-shaped rolling groove rolls in conjunction with the second drive roller, and the third arc-shaped rolling groove rolls in conjunction with the third drive roller. The first lifting stand, the second lifting guide seat, and the third lifting guide seat move up and down respectively.

8. The terminal plugging device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first and second arc-shaped rolling grooves have the same arc direction, while the third arc-shaped rolling groove has the opposite arc direction. A pressing base is connected to a pressing bottom support plate, which is equipped with an upright pressing power base. The pressing power base is equipped with a pressing telescopic cylinder that drives the side drive plate to slide along the side drive groove. An insertion track is arranged below the pressing bottom support plate, and an insertion sliding block is slidably installed on the insertion track. The insertion sliding block is connected to the pressing bottom support plate. An insertion screw transmission mechanism is provided between the two insertion tracks. An insertion screw sleeve seat is installed at the drive end of the insertion screw transmission mechanism. The insertion screw sleeve seat is connected to the pressing bottom support plate. The insertion screw transmission mechanism drives the pressing bottom support plate to move along the length of the insertion track to axially insert the pressed and positioned metal contact into the terminal.

9. The terminal plugging device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A bottom cutting limit seat is provided below the cutting guide seat. The bottom cutting limit seat is equipped with a plurality of cutting limit compression springs that elastically lift the cutting drive seat. A top cutting limit seat is provided above the cutting guide seat that cooperates with the stop of the cutting drive seat. The bottom of the pressing base is equipped with multiple pressing guide columns that mate with the holes in the material strip. The bottom of the pressing guide columns has a conical structure, and the pressing support base is formed with multiple pressing guide holes that mate coaxially with the pressing guide columns.

10. A method for assembling a terminal plug-in device, the terminal plug-in device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: S1. The terminal housings are conveyed one by one into the guide gap of the terminal conveying track by the vibrating feeding platform. The two conveying base plates are used to limit the left and right movement of the terminal housings, and the conveying pressure plate is used to limit the vertical movement. S2. The servo motor drives the screw transmission mechanism to move the pusher plate horizontally. Multiple lifting and telescopic cylinders synchronously drive the lifting connecting strip and pusher block to lift. The single translation stroke is L1, which pushes all terminal shells in the track to the corresponding assembly station, so as to achieve precise alignment between the terminal and the station. After the push is completed, the pusher block descends and resets. S3. After the terminal is in place, the first positioning telescopic cylinder drives the positioning guide plate to pass through the transverse positioning groove and extend into the conveying channel. It surrounds and abuts the terminal housing from the back through the end terminal locking groove, completing the outer side coarse positioning. Then, the second positioning telescopic cylinder independently drives the secondary positioning seat to slide along the secondary positioning groove of the positioning guide plate, so that the positioning guide pin is axially inserted into the terminal contact hole to correct the coaxiality. At the same time, the guide pin stroke is limited by the cooperation of the limiting guide post and the limiting guide groove. S4. The unwinding assembly unwinds the strip with encapsulated metal contacts. The guide roller guides, levels, and eliminates the curling stress of the strip. The conveying servo motor drives the ratchet to mesh with the strip holes to achieve step conveying of the strip. S5. The pressure telescopic cylinder drives the side drive plate to move horizontally. Through the rolling cooperation of multiple sets of arc-shaped rolling grooves with positive and negative arcs on the plate body and the corresponding drive rollers, the horizontal displacement is converted into vertical lifting displacement. During the downward movement, the pressure lower seat and the pressure support seat are driven to cooperate to complete the overall pressing of the material strip and the individual clamping and positioning of the exposed metal contacts. At the same time, the cutting blade is linked to descend vertically to cut the material strip. A single downward movement completes the pressing and cutting processes simultaneously. The cutting stroke is limited by the upper and lower limit structure, and the buffering and automatic reset are achieved by the cutting limit compression spring. S6. After cutting and obtaining independent metal contacts, the insertion screw drive mechanism drives the entire module to move laterally along the insertion track, accurately inserting the metal contacts axially into the terminal conductive port; after the insertion is completed, each mechanism resets in sequence and enters the next round of insertion cycle operation.

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