Terminal feeding mechanism

Abstract

The utility model discloses a terminal feeding mechanism. The ratchet wheel material stirring module is arranged on the second supporting frame and is used for pushing the terminal material belt to move towards the terminal crimping module step by step; the alignment detection device is arranged at the incoming end of the ratchet wheel material shifting module and used for detecting whether a terminal is in place or not, and the first inductor and the second inductor are arranged at the feeding end of the ratchet wheel material shifting module and used for cooperatively detecting whether the position of the terminal is correct or not. The tooth pitch of a ratchet wheel in the ratchet wheel material stirring module is equal to the hole pitch of a terminal material belt. The ratchet wheel material stirring module is adopted to push a terminal material belt to move for feeding, a ratchet wheel is matched and butted with a vacant site on a terminal, stable and continuous feeding of the terminal material belt is guaranteed, the vacant site is detected through the alignment detection device to judge whether the terminal is accurately in place or not, and the two ends of the terminal are detected through the first sensor and the second sensor at the same time. The position of the terminal is ensured to be accurate, so that the terminal is correctly positioned at a stamping position.

Description

Technical fields:

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automatic terminal crimping and counting, and specifically refers to a terminal feeding mechanism. Background technology:

[0002] FFC (Flexible Flat Cable) is a new type of data cable made of PET insulation and extremely thin tinned flat copper wire, pressed together using high-tech automated production lines. It boasts advantages such as flexibility, easy bending and folding, thinness, small size, simple connection, convenient disassembly, and easy electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. This type of cable is primarily suitable for connections between moving parts and the motherboard inside a computer host, between boards (PCB to PCB), and for miniaturization. Currently, many printer printhead and computer motherboard connections, audio transmission lines, LCD display cables, video driver cables, internal computer host cables, plotter cables, signal transmission technology products, and board-to-board connections largely utilize this type of FFC ribbon cable.

[0003] An FFC crimping machine is a highly efficient and automated device specifically designed for the termination of FFC (Flexible Flat Cable) cables. Through precision molds and a pressure control system, it accurately crimps metal terminals onto the conductors of FFC cables to form a stable electrical connection. For example, Chinese utility model patent CN 217182614 U discloses an FFC crimping machine, including a frame and an FFC wire feeding mechanism, an automatic wire straightening mechanism, an FFC wire automatic punching module, a first CCD detection device, a first automatic translation mechanism, an FFC conductor automatic crimping mechanism, a second CCD detection device, a second automatic translation mechanism, an automatic crimping mechanism, and an automatic material transfer mechanism, all mounted on the frame. The FFC wire automatic punching module has a horizontally extending wire separating blade and a vertically extending cutting blade. The wire separating blade is used to cut adjacent conductors of the FFC wire, and the cutting blade is used to cut the FFC wire to a set length. The first CCD detection device is set corresponding to the FFC wire automatic punching module to detect the position of the FFC wire relative to the FFC wire automatic punching module before punching. By setting the FFC wire automatic punching module, wire cutting, wire separating, and positioning can be achieved in one step, which reduces errors, improves efficiency, and simplifies the mechanism on the equipment compared to the traditional two-step positioning.

[0004] However, the aforementioned patents still have the following shortcomings:

[0005] 1. Using traditional methods for terminal feeding is inefficient and unstable, resulting in poor crimping accuracy;

[0006] 2. The FFC line uses automatic wire feeding and cutting, which not only results in poor versatility, but also uses a gripping method for translation, which has poor positioning accuracy and is prone to producing defective products.

[0007] 3. The lack of a detection mechanism during terminal crimping makes it impossible to guarantee accurate connection between the terminal and the FFC line.

[0008] In view of the above, the inventors propose the following technical solution. Utility Model Content:

[0009] The purpose of this utility model is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a terminal feeding mechanism.

[0010] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a terminal feeding mechanism, comprising: a second support frame, a ratchet feeding module disposed on the second support frame and used to push the terminal strip to move gradually toward the terminal crimping module, an alignment detection device disposed on the feeding end of the ratchet feeding module and used to detect whether the terminal is in place, and a first sensor and a second sensor disposed on the feeding end of the ratchet feeding module and used to cooperate in detecting whether the terminal position is correct, wherein the second support frame is provided with a guide groove for positioning the terminal strip, and the tooth pitch of the ratchet in the ratchet feeding module is equal to the hole pitch of the terminal strip.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above technical solution, the first sensor and the second sensor are normally open and normally closed sensors, respectively, and are installed in parallel to facilitate simultaneous detection of both ends of the terminal.

[0012] Furthermore, in the above technical solution, the guide groove is provided with a slot corresponding to the ratchet, and one side of the second support frame is provided with a slot corresponding to the ratchet.

[0013] Furthermore, in the above technical solution, the ratchet feeding module includes a first Z-axis slide rail slider vertically mounted on the second support frame, a first mounting plate mounted on the first Z-axis slide rail slider, a ratchet mounted below the guide groove for feeding the terminal strip, a first motor mounted on the first mounting plate for driving the ratchet to rotate, and a fourth cylinder mounted on the second support frame for pushing the first mounting plate to drive the ratchet to contact and disengage from the terminal strip.

[0014] Furthermore, in the above technical solution, the ratchet and the first motor are located on both sides of the second support frame. A support bushing for supporting the ratchet is sleeved on the output shaft of the first motor. The support bushing passes through the suspension plate at the bottom of the second support frame, and the suspension plate is provided with a stroke hole for the support bushing to move up and down.

[0015] Furthermore, in the above technical solution, the suspension plate is also provided with a photoelectric sensor for detecting the number of ratchet rotations, and a sensing plate that can pass through the photoelectric sensor is installed on the support bushing.

[0016] Furthermore, in the above technical solution, a limiting cover plate that covers the guide trough is installed on the second support frame, and a locking device for controlling the movement of the terminal strip is also provided at the front end of the alignment detection device.

[0017] Furthermore, in the above technical solution, the locking and releasing device includes a limiting block disposed on the side of the guide trough and a tensioning handle for moving the limiting block to tighten and loosen the terminal strip.

[0018] By adopting the above technical solution, this utility model has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0019] 1. In this utility model, a ratchet feeding module is used to push the terminal strip to move and feed. The ratchet is matched and docked with the empty space on the terminal to ensure stable and continuous feeding of the terminal strip. The alignment detection device detects the empty space to determine whether the terminal is in the correct position. The first and second sensors detect both ends of the terminal at the same time to ensure that the terminal is in the correct position so that the terminal is correctly in the stamping position.

[0020] 2. In this utility model, a ratchet is movably installed below the guide groove. The ratchet is driven up and down by the first mounting plate pushed by the fourth cylinder, which facilitates the control of the terminal strip feeding and ensures that the terminals can be fed stably. Attached image description:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a reference for the usage status of this utility model. Figure 1 ;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a reference for the usage status of this utility model. Figure 2 ;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the positioning and feeding module in this utility model;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the vacuum positioning device in this utility model;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the terminal crimping module in this utility model. Figure 1 ;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the terminal crimping module in this utility model. Figure 2 ;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model. Figure 1 ;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model. Figure 2 ;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the upper mold assembly in this utility model;

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the upper mold component in this utility model;

[0031] Figure 11 This is a structural schematic diagram of the lower mold assembly in this utility model;

[0032] Figure 12 This is an exploded view of the lower mold assembly in this utility model. Detailed implementation method:

[0033] The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0034] See Figures 1 to 12 As shown, an FFC wire crimping machine includes a positioning and feeding module 1 for positioning FFC wires, a first X-axis motion module 2 disposed beside the positioning and feeding module 1 and moving parallel to it, a first Y-axis motion module 3 disposed on the first X-axis motion module 2 and perpendicular to the positioning and feeding module 1, a terminal feeding mechanism 4 disposed on the first Y-axis motion module 3 for providing terminal A, and a terminal crimping module 5 disposed on the first Y-axis motion module 3 for crimping terminal A onto FFC wire B.

[0035] The positioning and loading module 1 includes a first support frame 11, a second Y-axis motion module 12 mounted on the first support frame 11, at least one set of vacuum positioning devices 13 mounted on the second Y-axis motion module 12 for adsorbing and positioning the FFC line B, a positioning pressure plate 14 mounted above the vacuum positioning device 13 for pressing down and fixing the FFC line B, and a first cylinder 15 and a second cylinder 16 mounted on both sides of the second Y-axis motion module 12 for pushing the positioning pressure plate 14 up and down. By mounting the vacuum positioning device 13 on the second Y-axis motion module 21, the placed FFC line B is adsorbed and fixed by the vacuum positioning device 13. The first cylinder 15 and the second cylinder 16 push the positioning pressure plate 14 down to press and fix the FFC line B. Then, the second Y-axis motion module 12 pushes the FFC line B forward to extend it, so that the exposed end of the FFC line B can be pressed against the terminal A.

[0036] The vacuum positioning device 13 includes a cavity base 131 mounted on the second Y-axis motion module 12, an adsorption plate 132 mounted on the cavity base 131, a plurality of vacuum holes 133 disposed on the adsorption plate 132, a sealing ring 134 disposed between the cavity base 131 and the adsorption plate 132, a vacuum connector 135 disposed at the lower end of the cavity base 131, and a tongue plate 136 disposed at the front end of the cavity base 131 for clamping the FFC line B with the positioning pressure plate 14. The second Y-axis motion module 12 is provided with an installation space for connecting the vacuum connector 135 to the pipeline.

[0037] The positioning pressure plate 14 includes a supporting beam 141, at least one pressure block 142 suspended on the supporting beam 141, and a pad 143 disposed at the bottom of the pressure block 142. The two ends of the supporting beam 141 are provided with a first lifting block 144 and a second lifting block 145. At least one first support rod 146 is disposed between the first lifting block and the first cylinder 15, and at least one second support rod 147 is disposed between the second lifting block 145 and the second cylinder 16. The two sides of the first support frame 11 are respectively provided with a first guide block 111 and a second guide block 112 for positioning and guiding the first support rod 146 and the second support rod 147. A pad 143 is placed on the positioning pressure plate 14 to contact and press against the FFC line B. The softness of the pad 143 reduces damage to the FFC line B. The first guide block 111 and the second guide block 112 guide and position the first support rod 146 and the second support rod 147 to ensure that the pad 143 can accurately press against the FFC line B.

[0038] The second Y-axis motion module 12 includes a first Y-axis guide rail 121 and a second Y-axis guide rail 122 mounted on the first support frame 11, a first Y-axis motion seat 123 slidably mounted on the first Y-axis guide rail 121 and the second Y-axis guide rail 122 and used to support the positioning and feeding module 1, and a third cylinder 124 mounted on the first support frame 11 and used to push the first Y-axis motion seat 123 to move. The mounting space is located on the first Y-axis motion seat 123, and the two positioning and feeding modules 1 cover the mounting space.

[0039] The terminal feeding mechanism 4 includes a second support frame 41 mounted on the first Y-axis motion module 3 and connected to one side of the terminal crimping module 5; a ratchet feeding module 42 mounted on the second support frame 41 for pushing the terminal strip C to move gradually toward the terminal crimping module 5; an alignment detection device 43 mounted on the receiving end of the ratchet feeding module 42 for detecting whether the terminal A is in place; and a first sensor 44 and a second sensor 45 mounted on the feeding end of the ratchet feeding module 42 for detecting whether the position of the terminal A is correct. The second support frame 41 is provided with a guide groove 411 for positioning the terminal strip C, and the pitch of the ratchet 423 in the ratchet feeding module 42 is equal to the hole spacing of the terminal strip C. The ratchet feeding module 42 is used to push the terminal material strip C to move and feed. The ratchet 423 is matched and docked with the empty space on the terminal A to ensure stable and continuous feeding of the terminal material strip C. The alignment detection device 43 detects the empty space to determine whether the terminal A is in the correct position. The first sensor 44 and the second sensor 45 simultaneously detect both ends of the terminal A to ensure that the position of the terminal A is accurate so that the terminal A is correctly in the stamping position.

[0040] The first sensor 44 and the second sensor 45 are normally open and normally closed sensors, respectively, and are installed in parallel to facilitate simultaneous detection of both ends of terminal A.

[0041] The ratchet feeding module 42 includes a first Z-axis slide rail slider 421 vertically mounted on the second support frame 41, a first mounting plate 422 mounted on the first Z-axis slide rail slider 421, a ratchet 423 mounted below the guide groove 411 for feeding the terminal strip C, a first motor 424 mounted on the first mounting plate 422 for driving the ratchet 423 to rotate, and a fourth cylinder 425 mounted on the second support frame 41 for pushing the first mounting plate 422 to drive the ratchet 423 to contact and disengage from the terminal strip C. By movably mounting the ratchet 423 below the guide groove 411, and using the fourth cylinder 425 to push the first mounting plate 422 to drive the ratchet 423 to move up and down, the feeding of the terminal strip C can be easily controlled, ensuring stable feeding of the terminal A.

[0042] The guide groove 411 is provided with a slot 416 corresponding to the ratchet 423, and the second support frame 41 is provided with a slot 412 corresponding to the ratchet 423 on one side.

[0043] The ratchet 423 and the first motor 424 are located on opposite sides of the second support frame 41. A support sleeve 426 for supporting the ratchet 423 is fitted onto the output shaft of the first motor 424. The support sleeve 426 passes through the suspension plate 413 at the lower part of the second support frame 41, and the suspension plate 413 is provided with a stroke hole 414 for the support sleeve 426 to move up and down. The suspension plate 413 is also provided with a photoelectric sensor 427 for detecting the number of rotations of the ratchet 423, and a sensing plate 428 that can pass through the photoelectric sensor 427 is installed on the support sleeve 426.

[0044] The second support frame 41 is equipped with a limiting cover plate 415 that covers the guide groove 411. The front end of the alignment detection device 43 is also provided with a locking and releasing device 46 for controlling the movement of the terminal strip C. The locking and releasing device 46 includes a limiting block 461 disposed on the side of the guide groove 411 and a tensioning handle 462 for pressing and releasing the terminal strip C by moving the limiting block 461.

[0045] The terminal crimping module 5 includes an upper die assembly 51 and a lower die assembly 52 disposed on the first Y-axis motion module 3 for cooperating in crimping the terminal A, a crimping drive device 53 disposed on the first Y-axis motion module 3 for driving the lower die assembly 52 to push the terminal A upward, a supplementary light module 54 slidably disposed on the side of the first Y-axis motion module 3, and a visual inspection device 55 disposed above the supplementary light module 54 for detecting the FFC line B. The visual inspection device 55, moving with the first X-axis motion module 2 and the first Y-axis motion module 3, firstly takes pictures of the FFC line B for inspection, and uses the supplementary light module 54 to illuminate the FFC line B, thereby obtaining the accurate position of the FFC line B. Then, the first X-axis motion module 2 and the second Y-axis motion module 3 work together to move the upper mold assembly 51 and the lower mold assembly 52 to the upper and lower sides of the FFC line B. The stamping drive device 53 pushes the lower mold assembly 52 upward to stamp and fix the terminal A onto the FFC line B, thus achieving the stamping and fixing of the terminal A and the FFC line B together. Secondly, by driving the upper mold assembly 51 and the lower mold assembly 52 to move in cooperation with the first X-axis motion module 2 and the first Y-axis motion module 3, and after the visual inspection device 55 obtains the position data of the FFC line B, it is possible to crimp the terminal A onto FCC lines B of different lengths, which is more adaptable and greatly improves versatility.

[0046] The supplementary lighting module 54 includes a third Y-axis motion module 541 disposed on the side of the first Y-axis motion module 3 and located below the visual inspection device 55; an upper supplementary light group 542 and a lower supplementary light group 543 disposed on the third Y-axis motion module 541 and capable of moving to the upper and lower sides of the FFC line B; and a transparent support plate 544 disposed between the upper supplementary light group 542 and the lower supplementary light group 543 for supporting the FFC line B. The visual inspection device 55 is a CCD camera.

[0047] The upper mold assembly 51 includes a first mounting slot 511 vertically mounted on the first Y-axis motion module 3, an upper mold base 512 mounted within the first mounting slot 511, an upper mold 513 mounted at the lower end of the upper mold base 512 and used to press the terminal A, a positioning block 514 slidably mounted within the upper mold 513 and used to press against the positioning terminal A, a fifth cylinder 515 mounted on the upper mold base 512 and used to push the positioning block 514 up and down, a pressure sensor 516 mounted on the top of the upper mold base 512, and a height measuring instrument 517 mounted beside the positioning block 514. The pressure sensor 516, mounted above the upper mold base 512, detects the force of the lower mold assembly 52 pressing against the terminal A, preventing excessive pressure from damaging the terminal A and the FFC line B. The height measuring instrument 517 measures the distance between the lower mold assembly 52 and the upper mold assembly 51, preventing excessive pressure between the positioning block 514 and the terminal A from causing impact damage.

[0048] The lower mold assembly 52 includes a second mounting slot 521 vertically mounted on the first Y-axis motion module 3, a lower mold base 522 slidably mounted in the second mounting slot 521 and capable of moving up and down, a positioning slot 523 mounted on the lower mold base 522 and used for positioning terminal A, and a lower mold 524 mounted beside the positioning slot 523. The positioning slot 523 and the lower mold 524 are both detachably mounted on the lower mold base 522.

[0049] The stamping drive device 53 includes an eccentric block 531 disposed in the lower die base 522, a drive shaft 532 that rotatably passes through the second mounting slot 521 and is connected to the eccentric block 531, a second motor 533 mounted on the first Y-axis motion module 3 and used to drive the eccentric block 531 to rotate, and a coupling 534 disposed between the second motor 533 and the drive shaft 532. The lower die base 522 has a receiving groove 522A on one side that docks with the eccentric block 531.

[0050] The positioning block 514 and the positioning slot seat 523 cooperate to clamp and fix the terminal A, so that the upper mold 513 and the lower mold 524 can cooperate to complete the bending of the terminal A. The eccentric block 531 includes symmetrical planes and symmetrical arc surfaces. The distance between the two symmetrical arc surfaces and the drive shaft 532 is greater than the distance between the two planes and the drive shaft 532. When the second motor 533 drives the two plane parts of the eccentric block 531 to contact the upper and lower sides of the receiving groove 522A, the lower mold 524 separates from the upper mold 513. When the second motor 533 drives the two arc surfaces of the eccentric block 531 to contact the upper and lower sides of the receiving groove 522A, the upper mold 513 pushes upward to complete the stamping of the terminal A.

[0051] In summary, during operation, the terminal material strip C is installed into the terminal feeding mechanism 4, so that the empty space on terminal A aligns with the teeth of ratchet 423, and the FFC wire B is placed on the vacuum positioning device 13 of the positioning feeding module 1. Further, the second Y-axis motion module 12 in the positioning feeding module 1 pushes the vacuum positioning device 13 forward, extending the FFC wire B towards the terminal crimping module 5. Then, the first X-axis motion module 2 and the first Y-axis motion module 3 work together to drive the vision inspection device 55 of the terminal crimping module 5 to move above the FFC wire B. Further, the supplementary lighting module 54 moves to the upper and lower sides of the FFC wire B to illuminate it, and then the vision inspection device 55 takes a picture of the FFC wire B to determine its accurate position. Further, the first X-axis motion module 2 and the first Y-axis motion module 3, according to... The data from the visual inspection device 55, combined with the upper mold assembly 51 and lower mold assembly 52 of the drive terminal crimping module 5, are positioned on the upper and lower sides of the FFC line B, respectively. First, the fifth cylinder 515 pushes the positioning block 514 down to press against the terminal A for positioning. Then, the stamping drive device 53 pushes the lower mold 524 in the lower mold assembly 52 upward, and with the cooperation of the upper mold 513, the terminal A is bent and fastened onto the FFC line B, completing the crimping of the terminal A with the FFC line B. Further, with the coordinated movement of the first X-axis motion module 2 and the first Y-axis motion module 3, the lower mold 524 and the upper mold 513 are positioned sequentially on the upper and lower sides of different FFC lines B. With the cooperation of the terminal feeding mechanism 4, the terminals A are moved one by one between the lower mold 524 and the upper mold 513 to connect with the FFC line B, thereby gradually completing the continuous crimping of the terminal A with the FFC line B.

[0052] Of course, the above description is only a specific embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the scope of the present utility model. All equivalent changes or modifications made to the structure, features and principles described in the claims of the present utility model should be included in the scope of the claims of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A terminal feeding mechanism, characterized in that, include: The second support frame (41), the ratchet feeding module (42) set on the second support frame (41) and used to push the terminal strip (C) to move gradually towards the terminal crimping module (5), the alignment detection device (43) set on the feeding end of the ratchet feeding module (42) and used to detect whether the terminal (A) is in place, and the first sensor (44) and the second sensor (45) set on the feeding end of the ratchet feeding module (42) and used to detect whether the position of the terminal (A) is correct, wherein the second support frame (41) is provided with a guide groove (411) for positioning the terminal strip (C), and the pitch of the ratchet (423) in the ratchet feeding module (42) is equal to the hole spacing of the terminal strip (C).

2. The terminal feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first sensor (44) and the second sensor (45) are normally open and normally closed sensors, respectively, and are installed in parallel to detect both ends of the terminal (A) simultaneously.

3. The terminal feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide groove (411) is provided with a slot (416) corresponding to the ratchet (423), and the second support frame (41) is provided with a slot (412) corresponding to the ratchet (423) on one side.

4. The terminal feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ratchet feeding module (42) includes a first Z-axis slide rail slider (421) vertically mounted on the second support frame (41), a first mounting plate (422) mounted on the first Z-axis slide rail slider (421), a ratchet (423) mounted below the guide groove (411) for feeding the terminal strip (C), a first motor (424) mounted on the first mounting plate (422) for driving the ratchet (423) to rotate, and a fourth cylinder (425) mounted on the second support frame (41) for pushing the first mounting plate (422) to drive the ratchet (423) to contact and disengage from the terminal strip (C).

5. A terminal feeding mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The ratchet (423) and the first motor (424) are located on both sides of the second support frame (41). A support bushing (426) for supporting the ratchet (423) is sleeved on the output shaft of the first motor (424). The support bushing (426) passes through the suspension plate (413) at the bottom of the second support frame (41), and the suspension plate (413) is provided with a stroke hole (414) for the support bushing (426) to move up and down.

6. The terminal feeding mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The suspension plate (413) is also provided with a photoelectric sensor (427) for detecting the number of rotations of the ratchet (423), and a sensing plate (428) that can pass through the photoelectric sensor (427) is installed on the support bushing (426).

7. A terminal feeding mechanism according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that: The second support frame (41) is equipped with a limiting cover plate (415) that covers the guide groove (411), and the front end of the alignment detection device (43) is also provided with a locking device (46) for controlling the movement of the terminal strip (C).

8. A terminal feeding mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that: The locking and releasing device (46) includes a limiting block (461) disposed on the side of the guide groove (411) and a tensioning handle (462) for moving the limiting block (461) to press and release the terminal strip (C).

Images