Device and method for joining multi-core cables

Abstract

Method for joining a multi-core cable (2) with at least two individual cores (3), comprising the steps: a. Gripping the multi-core cable (2) with the individual cores (3) arranged in a starting position by a handling device (4), b. Predetermined actuation of the individual wires (3) by means of the handling device (4) from their starting position into an assembly position, c. Positioning a single wire (3a) of the at least two single wires (3) in front of a joining tool, d. Joining the single wire (3a) to a contact (7) using the joining tool, e. Carrying out steps c and d with further or all individual wires (3a) of the at least two individual wires (3), f. Returning the individual wires (3) from the assembly position to the starting position or a pre-assembly position by means of the handling device (4), characterized in that the handling device (4) is a multi-axis robot, wherein the joining tool is a crimping tool (6) when positioning the individual wires (3a) of the at least two individual wires (3) and the contact (7) is a crimping contact when joining the individual wires (3a) by means of the joining tool, wherein the crimping tool (6) is a crimping press with two press halves (61, 62) which close simultaneously when crimping the individual wire (3a) in such a way that the individual wire (3a) is crimped centrally to a gripping axis of the multi-axis robot.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device and a method for joining a multi-core cable with at least two individual cores.

[0002] When manually, but especially when automatically, inserting contacts on a multi-core cable into a connector housing, the precise orientation, in particular alignment and rotation, of the contacts is crucial to ensure the lowest possible joining forces and thus a process-capable joining process.

[0003] Depending on how the contacts on the multi-core cables need to be aligned for insertion into the contact chambers, the correct alignment of the cable is currently achieved by manual or automatic twisting after the crimp contacts are crimped onto the cables. However, the stranding of the individual wires in the cables results in significant deviations in the rotational alignment of the contacts. If the stranding is further twisted, torsion damage to the individual wires can even occur.

[0004] Due to the inherent stress of the stranded individual wires, which have aligned contacts that do not quite match the alignment of the chambers, the joining forces of the contacts in the contact chambers increase significantly due to canting.

[0005] In the case of small, stamped contacts, burrs can cause scraping of the insulation material during joining, which can impair electrical signal transmission.

[0006] Furthermore, due to the greatly increased joining forces, especially with miniaturized contacts, the permissible load forces of the contact can be exceeded, which means that the joining process has to be aborted.

[0007] If the orientation of the contacts to the contact chambers deviates too much, a joining process may be impossible despite the use of optical measuring technology, since cables that have already been plugged in may be damaged when the rotating gripper moves in front of the chambers during the orientation of the cables or contacts in the gripper.

[0008] In addition, with very short stripping or untwisting lengths of multi-core cables, parallel crimping of the contacts is often not possible because the distances to the next contact are too small.

[0009] Printed prior art in the present technical field is disclosed in the documents DE 10 2019 130 308 A1, CH 712 088 B1, DE 21 2019 000 144 U1, US 2020 / 0 248 842 A1, DE 20 2021 000 135 U1 and JP H08-17 269 A.

[0010] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and a device for joining a multi-core cable with at least two individual cores, in which a mechanical load on the contacts is reduced during automated joining.

[0011] This object is achieved by the combination of features according to patent claim 1.

[0012] According to the invention, a method for joining a multi-core cable with at least two individual cores is proposed, which method first comprises gripping the multi-core cable with the individual cores arranged in a starting position by a handling device and then predetermined actuation of the individual cores by means of the handling device from their starting position into an assembly position. Subsequently, an individual core of the at least two individual cores is positioned in front of a joining tool and joined to a contact by means of the joining tool. Thereafter, the positioning and joining steps are carried out with further or all individual cores of the at least two individual cores. Next, the individual cores are returned from the assembly position to the starting position or a pre-assembly position by means of the handling device.

[0013] The advantage of this is that when the individual wires are moved from their initial position to the assembly position by the handling device, the individual wires are spread apart to achieve spatial separation, which allows multiple wires to be processed automatically by a single joining tool. Another advantage of the automated process is that the wires do not need to be oriented by rotation after joining. Furthermore, the wires with the contacts are not twisted after joining, but are simply bent back and held in place by the handling device. The handling device is then opened and grips the wires again, but in the axial direction of the wire, in front of the former bending point, towards the contact. This ensures that the wires are all arranged almost in their original state, but with the contacts attached and appropriately oriented for further processing.

[0014] Furthermore, the use of a handling device for feeding the wires to the joining tool is generally enabled, thus automating a previously manual process. This allows for a high degree of process flexibility compared to conventional joining systems and allows for rapid conversion to a different number of contacts or contact orientation. Any contact suitable for the respective application can be used, such as crimp contacts or cable lugs. The corresponding joining process, for example, is crimping or ultrasonic welding and is carried out using a device appropriate for the process.

[0015] In one embodiment of the invention, the handling device is a multi-axis robot. It is further advantageous if the multi-axis robot has six or seven axes.

[0016] In an advantageous embodiment, the multi-core cable is gripped by means of a cable gripper of the handling device.

[0017] A further advantageous design is one in which the cable gripper includes a force-torque sensor that measures the force and / or torque acting on the cable and / or the individual wires when gripping the multi-core cable. Automation significantly reduces the torsional load on the cable, eliminating the twisting or overtightening that is common in manual processes.

[0018] According to the invention, the joining tool is a crimping tool when positioning the individual wire of the at least two individual wires and the contact is a crimping contact when joining the individual wire by means of the joining tool.

[0019] Furthermore, in an advantageous variant of the method according to the invention, after the individual wires have been returned from the assembly position to a pre-assembly position in front of a connector housing by means of the handling device, the multi-core cable is gripped by the handling device and the contacts of the multi-core cable are then inserted into the connector housing by means of the handling device. This advantageously reduces the risk of abrasion of the plastic housing of the connector housing, since the contacts are not inserted under tension.

[0020] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the invention, the crimping press is provided with a crimp force monitor and monitors the crimp force during crimping using the crimp force monitor. This prevents or reduces damage to the individual wires or the corresponding crimp contacts.

[0021] Data and / or limit values ​​for the crimping force monitoring and the force-torque sensor of the cable gripper are stored in a data memory and / or control unit and if a predetermined value is exceeded, a warning is issued or the process is stopped.

[0022] According to the invention, the crimping tool is a crimping press with two press halves that close simultaneously during crimping of the individual wire, such that the individual wire is crimped centrally to a gripping axis of the multi-axis robot. This way, no tensile stress is exerted on the gripped wire.

[0023] Furthermore, a design is advantageous in which the respective crimp contact has a coding lug and, when the corresponding individual wire is crimped onto the crimp contact, the corresponding coding lug has a predetermined orientation. This enables an orientation of the crimp contacts or coding lugs that was previously not possible to produce automatically. For example, the coding lugs can be oriented inwards towards one another in an axial plane of the cable. However, other combinations with regard to the arrangement of the coding lugs are also possible, such as upwards, downwards, or outwards. Furthermore, these orientations of the coding lugs of the individual wires of a cable can be combined and varied as desired.

[0024] In a further advantageous variant, the invention provides that, upon predetermined actuation, the individual wires are positioned such that adjacent individual wires are each arranged at an angle of up to 90° to one another. This occurs automatically by the handling device. Since the individual wires protrude from one another by up to 90°, the contact can be aligned at the top, bottom, or laterally, outwards or inwards, since the second (and all other subsequent) individual wires are each parallel to the front of the joining tool. For example, on a four-wire cable, the strands would then be spread out in space like the edges of a pyramid. By spreading them apart, further individual wires are thus arranged in front of the joining tool during joining. It is advantageous that processing with short stripping or untwisting lengths is possible for multi-wire cables.

[0025] In an advantageous embodiment, the individual wires are aligned during return to their original position such that the respective coding lugs are aligned with a contact chamber formed in the connector housing. This optimizes the joining of the crimp contacts of the multi-wire cable into the connector housing, and the joining forces in the contact chamber are significantly reduced due to the orientation.

[0026] In one embodiment of the invention, after the individual wires have been returned to their respective starting positions or after the multi-core cable has been gripped, the precise position of each individual wire is determined using an optical detection device. This is advantageous because the orientation or alignment of the crimp contacts or coding tabs is checked before joining.

[0027] According to the invention, a device for joining a multi-core cable with at least two individual cores according to a method according to the above disclosure is further proposed, comprising a handling device for gripping, positioning, and joining the multi-core cable, and a joining tool for joining a contact to at least one individual core. The joining tool is a crimping tool, and the contact is a crimp contact. Furthermore, the crimping tool is a crimping press with two press halves, which can be closed simultaneously during crimping of the individual core, such that the individual core can be crimped centrally to a gripping axis of the multi-axis robot. The individual cores can be returned from the assembly position to the starting position or a pre-assembly position by means of the handling device.

[0028] The features disclosed above can be combined as desired, as long as this is technically possible and they do not contradict each other.

[0029] Other advantageous developments of the invention are characterized in the subclaims or are presented in more detail below, together with the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the figures. It shows: Fig. 1 a device for joining a multi-core cable with at least two individual cores.

[0030] The figures are schematic examples. Like reference numerals in the figures indicate like functional and / or structural features.

[0031] In Fig.1 shows a device 1 for joining a multi-core cable 2 with four individual cores 3, comprising a handling device 4 for gripping, positioning, and joining the multi-core cable 2 and a crimping tool 6 for crimping a crimp contact 7 onto at least one individual core 3. Each crimp contact 7 has a coding lug 71. The handling device 4 is a multi-axis robot having seven axes. Furthermore, the handling device 4 comprises a cable gripper 41 for gripping the multi-core cable 2.

[0032] The cable gripper 41 has a force-torque sensor for determining the force and / or torque acting on the cable 2 and / or the individual wires 3 when gripping the multi-core cable 2.

[0033] The crimping tool 6 is a crimping press with two press halves 61, 62, which can be closed simultaneously during crimping of the individual wire 3a, such that the individual wire 3a can be crimped centrally to a gripping axis of the multi-axis robot. Furthermore, the crimping press has a crimp force monitor for monitoring the crimping force.

[0034] The device 1 is designed to carry out the following method. a. Gripping the multi-core cable 2 with individual cores 3 arranged in a starting position by a handling device 4, b. Predetermined actuation of the individual wires 3 by means of the handling device 4 from their starting position into an assembly position, during the predetermined actuation the individual wires 3 are positioned such that adjacent individual wires 3 are each arranged at an angle of up to 90° to one another. c. Positioning a single wire 3a of the at least two single wires 3 in front of a crimping tool 6, d. Crimping the single wire 3a to a crimp contact 7 using the crimping tool 6, e. Carrying out steps c and d with further or all individual wires 3a of the at least two individual wires 3, f. Returning the individual wires 3 from the assembly position to the starting position or a pre-assembly position spatially in front of a connector housing by means of the handling device 4, wherein the individual wires 3 are aligned during the return to the starting position such that the respective coding lug 7 is aligned with a contact chamber formed in the connector housing. After returning the individual wires 3 to the respective starting position or after gripping the multi-core cable 2, the precise position of the respective individual wires is determined by means of an optical detection device 8. g. Gripping the multi-core cable 2 by the handling device 4 and h. Inserting the crimp contacts 7 of the multi-core cable 2 into the connector housing by means of the handling device 4.

[0035] The invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. Rather, a number of variants are conceivable that utilize the solution presented even in fundamentally different embodiments.

Claims

[1] Method for joining a multi-core cable (2) with at least two individual cores (3), comprising the steps: a. Gripping the multi-core cable (2) with the individual cores (3) arranged in a starting position by a handling device (4), b. Predetermined actuation of the individual wires (3) by means of the handling device (4) from their starting position into an assembly position, c. Positioning a single wire (3a) of the at least two single wires (3) in front of a joining tool, d. Joining the single wire (3a) to a contact (7) using the joining tool, e. Carrying out steps c and d with further or all individual wires (3a) of the at least two individual wires (3), f. Returning the individual wires (3) from the assembly position to the starting position or a pre-assembly position by means of the handling device (4), characterized bythat the handling device (4) is a multi-axis robot, wherein the joining tool is a crimping tool (6) when positioning the individual wire (3a) of the at least two individual wires (3), and the contact (7) is a crimping contact when joining the individual wire (3a) by means of the joining tool, wherein the crimping tool (6) is a crimping press with two press halves (61, 62) which close simultaneously when crimping the individual wire (3a), such that the individual wire (3a) is crimped centrally to a gripping axis of the multi-axis robot. [2] The method according to claim 1, wherein the multi-axis robot has six or seven axes. [3] Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, wherein during the predetermined actuation the individual wires (3) are positioned such that adjacent individual wires (3) are each arranged at an angle of up to 90° to one another, in particular such that adjacent individual wires (3) can each be arranged parallel to a front of the joining tool. [4] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the gripping of the multi-core cable (2) is carried out by means of a cable gripper (41) of the handling device (4). [5] Method according to claim 4, wherein the cable gripper (41) comprises a force-moment sensor and, when gripping the multi-core cable (2), determines the force and / or moment acting on the cable (2) and / or the individual wires (3). [6] Method according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising the steps of: g. Gripping the multi-core cable (2) by the handling device (4) and h. Inserting the contacts (7) of the multi-core cable (2) into a connector housing by means of the handling device (4). [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the crimping press has a crimping force monitoring system and monitors a crimping force during crimping by means of the crimping force monitoring system. [8] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the respective crimp contact (7) has a coding lug (71) and when crimping the corresponding single wire (3a) to the crimp contact (7), the corresponding coding lug (71) has a predetermined orientation. [9] Method according to the preceding claim, wherein the individual wires (3) are aligned during the return to the starting position in such a way that the respective coding lug (71) is aligned with a respective contact chamber formed in the plug housing. [10] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein after returning the individual wires (3) to the respective starting position or after gripping the multi-wire cable (2), an exact position of the respective individual wires is determined by means of an optical detection device (8). [11] Device (1) for joining a multi-core cable (2) with at least two individual wires (3) according to a method according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a handling device (4) for gripping, positioning and joining the multi-core cable (2), and a joining tool for joining a contact (7) to at least one individual wire (3), wherein the joining tool is a crimping tool (6) and the contact (7) is a crimp contact, wherein the crimping tool (6) is a crimping press with two press halves (61, 62) which can be closed simultaneously when crimping the individual wire (3a), such that the individual wire (3a) can be crimped centrally to a gripping axis of the multi-axis robot, wherein the individual wires (3) can be returned from the assembly position to the starting position or a pre-assembly position by means of the handling device (4).

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