Tip member connection device, connector connection device, and tip member connection method

Abstract

To provide a device which enables connection of a tip member in a shorter tact time.SOLUTION: A tip member connection device 10 for connecting a tip member 52 attached to a tip of a linear body 51 to a mating member 60, includes: a robot 20; and a gripper 30 attached to the robot. The gripper includes a first finger, a second finger, and a tip member positioning mechanism which positions the tip member held by the first finger and the second finger.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for connecting a tip member, such as a connector, at the tip of a linear object to a mating member by using a robot. [Background technology]

[0002] Robots are being used to automate the task of gripping a connector attached to the tip of an electric wire or the like and connecting it to a mating connector. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe a tip member connecting method in which a stereo camera or the like is used to calculate the gripping position of a connector connected to the tip of an electric wire, the connector is gripped by a gripper attached to a robot, the rotation direction around the axis of the connector is calculated, and the connector is rotated in the required direction to connect it to a connector housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-112470 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-110881 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the methods disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a three-dimensional visual sensor is used to measure the position and orientation of a connector to perform a connection operation. By using a three-dimensional visual sensor to confirm the position of the connector to be gripped, measure the position and orientation of the connector gripped by the gripper, and connect the connector while confirming the positional relationship between the connector and the mating connector, the connection operation can be performed even if the properties of the workpieces and the working conditions are variously different. For example, the connection operation can be performed even if the workpiece is a flexible or weak linear object that is easily deformed, or even if the positions of the supplied workpiece and the mating connector are not constant. However, if the number of items to be measured using a three-dimensional visual sensor increases, the calculation time required for this becomes an obstacle to reducing the takt time of the connection operation.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an apparatus and method capable of connecting a tip member such as a connector in a shorter takt time. More specifically, it aims to provide an apparatus and method capable of connecting a tip member to a mating member without measuring the position and orientation of the tip member gripped by a gripper. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The tip member connecting device of the present invention is a device for connecting a tip member attached to the tip of a linear body to a mating member, and has a robot and a gripper attached to the robot, the gripper having a first finger, a second finger, and a tip member positioning mechanism for positioning the tip member gripped by the first finger and the second finger.

[0007] In a representative example of the tip member connecting device, the tip member is a connector, the mating member is a mating connector, and the tip member positioning mechanism is a connector positioning mechanism that positions the connector. In this case, the tip member connecting device is a device for connecting a connector attached to the tip of a linear object body to a mating connector, and is a connector connecting device having a robot and a gripper attached to the robot, the gripper including a first finger, a second finger, and a connector positioning mechanism that positions the connector gripped by the first finger and the second finger.

[0008] Here, a connector refers to a component for connecting to a mating connector, and includes plugs, jacks, contact pins, receptacles, housings, pin terminals, terminals, terminal terminals, crimp terminals, metal terminals, tabs, sockets, couplers, etc., regardless of whether they are male or female.

[0009] In the above connector connecting device, the connector positioning mechanism preferably positions the connector in the opening / closing direction of the first finger or the second finger and in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the connector. Here, the opening / closing direction of the first finger or the second finger refers to the direction in which the distance between both fingers is increased or decreased. The axial direction of the connector refers to the direction of the central axis of the connector, more precisely, the direction of the central axis of the connection portion of the connector with the mating connector.

[0010] In the above connector connecting device, preferably, the connector positioning mechanism includes a first guide portion on the first finger and a guide member arranged between the first finger and the second finger, and positions the connector in the opening / closing direction of the first finger or the second finger and in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the connector by shortening the distance between the first guide portion and the guide member and guiding the connector held by the first finger and the second finger to the first guide portion.

[0011] In the above connector connecting device, more preferably, the first guide portion is a portion protruding from the gripping surface of the first finger, the guide member is disposed between the first finger and the second finger, and the first finger or the guide member, or both, are movable in the opening / closing direction of the first finger or the second finger and in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the connector. With this structure, the first guide portion and the guide member can move relatively close to or away from each other, and the connector gripped by the first finger and the second finger can be positioned by sandwiching the connector between the first guide portion and the guide member.

[0012] Alternatively, preferably, the connector positioning mechanism includes a first guide portion protruding from a tip end side of the gripping surface of the first finger and a second guide portion protruding from a base end side of the gripping surface of the second finger, and the first finger or the second finger or both are movable in a direction perpendicular to the opening / closing direction of the first finger or the second finger and to the axial direction of the connector. With this structure, the first guide portion and the second guide portion can move relatively close to or away from each other, and the connector gripped by the first finger and the second finger can be positioned by sandwiching the connector between the first guide portion and the second guide portion.

[0013] In any of the above connector connecting devices, preferably, the robot further includes a second gripper, the second gripper being disposed so as to be able to grip the linear object body when the gripper grips the connector, and capable of gripping and releasing the linear object body independently of the gripper's gripping and releasing operations of the connector. With this structure, even in cases where it is difficult to push the connector into the mating connector while holding it with the first gripper, such as when inserting the entire male connector into the inside of a mating female connector, the second gripper can push the connector in.

[0014] In any of the above connector connecting devices, preferably, the first finger can be opened and closed independently of the second finger, so that even when the connectors are male and multiple connectors are to be sequentially connected to a mating connector having multiple insertion ports, the connecting operation can be performed without the gripper holding the connector interfering with other linear objects already connected.

[0015] The tip member connecting method of the present invention is a method for connecting a tip member attached to the tip of a linear object main body to a mating member, and includes a gripping step of gripping the tip member with a first finger and a second finger of a gripper attached to a robot, a positioning step of positioning the gripped tip member, and a connecting step of moving the gripper to connect the tip member to the mating member. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the tip component connecting device or tip component connecting method of the present invention, the position and orientation of the tip component gripped by the gripper can be determined by the first finger, the second finger, and the tip component positioning mechanism of the gripper. As a result, it is possible to connect the tip component to the counterpart component without performing measurements using a 3D visual sensor or the like, thereby shortening the tact time of the connection work. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a connector connecting device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the main parts of a first gripper and a second gripper. [Diagram 3] 4A to 4C are diagrams for explaining the configuration of a first gripper. [Figure 4] 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining the configuration of another first gripper. [Diagram 5] 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining the configuration of another first gripper. [Figure 6] 4A to 4C are diagrams for explaining the configuration of a second gripper. [Figure 7]FIG. 2 is a process flow diagram of a connector connecting method according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining the order in which connectors are inserted into the insertion ports of the mating connector. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining a connector connecting method according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 10] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining a connector connecting method according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 11] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a connector connecting method according to an embodiment of the present invention. A: connector inserting step, B, C, and D: connector releasing steps. [Figure 12] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining a connector connecting method according to an embodiment of the present invention; A and B: a connector pushing step; C: a linear object main body releasing step. [Figure 13] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining a connector connecting method according to an embodiment of the present invention. A: connector pushing step, B and C: linear object main body releasing step. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] 1, a connector connecting device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention has a robot 20, and a first gripper 30 and a second gripper 40 attached to the tip of one arm of the robot 20. The first gripper 30 has a pair of fingers and a connector positioning mechanism, which will be described later. The second gripper 40 has a pair of fingers. The connector connecting device 10 uses a linear object 50, which has a connector 52, a tip member, attached to the tip of a linear object main body 51, as a workpiece, and connects the connector 52 to a counterpart connector 60, which is a counterpart member.

[0019] The linear object 50 is composed of a linear object body 51 and a connector 52 attached to the tip thereof. The linear object body 51 may be flexible or soft and freely deformable. Examples of the linear object body include a wire, a cable, an electric wire, an optical fiber, and a resin tube. The connector 52 is a part for connecting with a mating connector 60, and includes those called plugs, jacks, contact pins, receptacles, housings, pin terminals, terminals, terminal terminals, crimp terminals, metal terminals, tabs, sockets, couplers, and the like, regardless of whether they are male or female.

[0020] When connecting a plurality of connectors 52 to one mating connector 60, the connectors 52 are repeatedly held and connected one by one by the connector connecting device 10. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a linear object 50 having a male contact pin 52 attached to the tip of an electric wire 51 is connected to a female housing 60 in which multiple insertion openings 62 for the contact pins 52 are arranged in a grid pattern.

[0021] The linear objects 50 may be supplied one by one, or as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of linear objects 50 may be supplied at a time and processed one by one by the connector connecting device 10. The supply position of the linear objects 50 is not particularly limited, but is preferably supplied to a fixed position. When the supply position is not fixed, it is necessary to use a visual sensor such as a camera to grasp the linear object, whereas when the supply position is fixed, the visual sensor can be omitted and the linear object can be grasped by teaching. Even if the linear object is flexible or weak and easily deformed, if the supply position is fixed to a certain degree, the linear object can be positioned at a fixed position of the gripper by a positioning mechanism described later after grasping the linear object by teaching. In FIG. 1, a plurality of linear objects 50 are placed on a supply table 53 and supplied to a fixed position.

[0022] The type of the robot 20 is not particularly limited, and a Cartesian robot, a parallel link robot, a vertical articulated robot, etc. can be used. The number of axes of the robot 20 is not particularly limited as long as the supplied linear objects can be connected to the counterpart connector. For example, when the linear objects 50 are supplied one by one in the connection direction to the counterpart connector 60, two slide axes in the height direction and the connection direction of FIG. 1 are sufficient. The number of axes of the robot 20 is preferably 3 or more, and more preferably 4 to 7. FIG. 1 shows a vertical articulated robot 20 having a plurality of links 21 and joints 22.

[0023] A first gripper 30 and a second gripper 40 are attached to the tip of the arm of the robot 20. When the first gripper and the second gripper are connected to be integral with each other, the workability in a small space is excellent, and a single-arm robot can connect the connector. However, the first gripper and the second gripper may be attached to different arms. FIG. 2 shows the main parts of both grippers. The first gripper 30 has a first finger 31 and a second finger 35, and grips a connector 52 at the tip of the linear object 50. The second gripper 40 has a third finger 41 and a fourth finger 45, and grips the linear object body 51 near the connector 52. The first gripper 30 and the second gripper 40 are arranged in a positional relationship such that when the first gripper grips the connector 52, the second gripper can grip the linear object body 51.

[0024] 2 and 3, the first gripper 30 includes a first finger 31, a second finger 35, and a guide member 37. The first finger 31 and the second finger 35 are arranged so that their gripping surfaces 32, 36 face each other in parallel, and can be opened and closed while keeping the gripping surfaces 32, 36 parallel. The opening and closing of the gripper or finger means that the finger moves in a direction that widens or narrows the gap between the gripping surfaces, and the direction in which the finger moves when opening and closing (Y direction in Figs. 2 and 3) is referred to as the opening and closing direction. Since the opening and closing direction of the first finger and the opening and closing direction of the second finger are the same, hereinafter, the opening and closing direction of the first finger or the second finger is simply referred to as the opening and closing direction of the finger. This allows the first finger and the second finger to hold the connector 52 between them in a direction perpendicular to its axial direction (X direction in Figs. 2 and 3). In addition, the direction perpendicular to the opening and closing direction of the fingers and the axial direction of the connector (Z direction in Figs. 2 and 3) is referred to as the longitudinal direction of the fingers in this embodiment. In addition, when simply referring to a gripper in this specification, it means the first gripper 30.

[0025] In the case where multiple connectors 52 are sequentially connected to a mating connector 60 having multiple insertion ports 62 as in this embodiment, and the insertion ports of the mating connector are densely arranged, it is preferable that the portion of the tip of the second finger 35 that grips the connector 52 is formed thin when viewed from the axial direction of the connector. Furthermore, it is preferable that the portion is formed wedge-shaped when viewed from the axial direction of the connector. This makes it possible to prevent the second finger from interfering with other linear objects that are already connected when the connectors 52 are sequentially connected to the insertion ports 62 of the mating connector 60.

[0026] The first gripper 30 can be a general parallel opening and closing type in which the first finger 31 and the second finger 35 perform opening and closing operations simultaneously symmetrically across the intermediate plane between the gripping surfaces 32, 36. General parallel opening and closing type grippers that can open and close both fingers with one actuator are commercially available.

[0027] Preferably, the first gripper 30 has a first finger 31 that can be opened and closed independently of the second finger 35. In this case, the second finger may be fixed and not opened or closed, and only the first finger may be opened and closed. If the second finger is fixed, the number of actuators may be one. This makes it possible to avoid interference with other linear objects that are already connected when the connectors 52 are sequentially connected to the insertion port 62 of the mating connector 60.

[0028] More preferably, the first gripper 30 is configured so that the first finger 31 can be opened and closed independently of the second finger 35, and the second finger can be opened and closed independently of the first finger. In this case, a total of two actuators are required to open and close the first finger and the second finger, respectively, and the structure of the gripper becomes complicated. However, this makes it possible to avoid interference with other linear objects already connected when sequentially connecting the connector 52 to the insertion port 62 of the mating connector 60, and makes it easier to grip the connector. The interference with other linear objects will be described in detail later.

[0029] The first gripper 30 includes a connector positioning mechanism that positions the connector 52 gripped by the first finger 31 and the second finger 35 in the longitudinal direction of the fingers. In Figures 2 and 3, the connector positioning mechanism includes a first guide portion 33 and a guide member 37 provided on the first finger.

[0030] The first guide portion 33 is provided to protrude from the tip side of the gripping surface 32 of the first finger 31. The first guide portion has a first guide surface 34 on the gripping surface 32 side thereof that rises at a right angle from the gripping surface.

[0031] The guide member 37 is disposed between the first finger 31 and the second finger 35. The guide member 37 may be movable in the opening and closing direction following the opening and closing movement of the first finger or the second finger. The guide member is movable in the longitudinal direction of the fingers, and can guide the connector 52 held by the first finger and the second finger to the first guide section 33 by pushing the connector 52 held by the first finger and the second finger from the base end side to the tip side of the first finger and the second finger with the second guide surface 38 at the tip. The guide member can position the connector 52 in the longitudinal direction of the fingers by pressing the connector 52 held by the first finger and the second finger against the first guide surface 34 of the first guide section 33. The force with which the connector is held by the first finger and the second finger is a force that can push the held connector with the guide member. For example, when the force with which the guide member pushes the connector is about 45N, the gripping force is 10 to 40N. This force differs depending on the material and shape of the connector.

[0032] The connector positioning mechanism of the first gripper 30 may position the first finger 31 in the longitudinal direction by moving the first finger 31 toward its base end and pushing the connector 52 held by the first finger and the second finger toward the guide member 37 and against the second guide surface 38.

[0033] Another example of the connector positioning mechanism will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The first gripper 70 includes a first finger 31 and a second finger 75. The second finger 75 includes a second guide portion 77 that protrudes in the opening / closing direction from the base end side of a gripping surface 76, and the second guide portion includes a second guide surface 78 that rises at a right angle from the gripping surface 76 on the gripping surface 76 side. More specifically, the second finger 75 includes a step that protrudes in the opening / closing direction (Y direction) on the gripping surface 76, and this step surface that protrudes in the opening / closing direction serves as the second guide portion. Either or both of the first finger 31 and the second finger 75 are movable in the longitudinal direction of the fingers. As a result, with the first finger 31 and the second finger 75 holding the connector 52, the distance between the first guide surface 34 and the second guide surface 78 can be reduced and the connector can be sandwiched between the first guide surface 34 and the second guide surface 78, thereby positioning the connector 52 in the longitudinal direction of the fingers.

[0034] With reference to Fig. 5, a further example of the connector positioning mechanism will be described. The first gripper 80 includes a first finger 81, a second finger 35, and a guide member 37. The first finger 81 has a groove 83 formed to match the shape of the connector as a first guide portion at the lower end of a gripping surface 82. As in the case of Fig. 3, the connector 52 gripped by the first and second fingers can be guided to the first guide portion 83 by the guide member 37 pushing the connector 52 toward the tip side of the fingers. The connector 52 fits into the groove 83 and is positioned in the longitudinal direction of the fingers.

[0035] It should be noted that the second finger 75 shown in FIG. 4 may be used in place of the second finger 35 and the guide member 37 in FIG.

[0036] 2 and 6, the second gripper 40 includes a third finger 41 and a fourth finger 45. The third finger 41 and the fourth finger 45 are arranged with their respective gripping surfaces 42, 46 facing each other in parallel, and can be opened and closed while keeping the gripping surfaces 42, 46 parallel to each other.

[0037] The second gripper 40 may be of a general parallel opening and closing type in which the third finger 41 and the fourth finger 45 perform opening and closing operations simultaneously symmetrically across the intermediate plane between the gripping surfaces 42, 46. As with the first gripper, the second gripper may have a fixed fourth finger that can be opened and closed independently, or the third finger and the fourth finger may be opened and closed independently of each other.

[0038] The second gripper 40 is disposed so that when the first gripper 30 grips the connector 52, it can grip the linear object body 51 near the connector. Specifically, the first gripper and the second gripper are disposed so that the opening and closing directions of the first gripper and the second gripper are parallel to each other, and the intermediate plane between the first finger 31 and the second finger 35 and the intermediate plane between the third finger 41 and the fourth finger 45 are substantially aligned. The first gripper 30 and the second gripper 40 can be opened and closed independently of each other, and can be moved independently of each other in the longitudinal direction of the fingers. Note that the description that the second gripper can grip the linear object body when the first gripper grips the connector does not specify the order of the step of gripping the connector by the first gripper and the step of gripping the linear object body by the second gripper in the connector connecting method described later. It is preferable that the step of the first gripper gripping the connector occurs first and the step of the second gripper gripping the linear object body occurs simultaneously or later, but the step of the second gripper gripping the linear object body may occur before the step of the first gripper gripping the connector.

[0039] The actuator group 49 that drives each part of the second gripper 40 is disposed behind the actuator group 39 that drives each part of the first gripper 30, that is, on the side farther from the gripped connector 52 in the X direction in Figs. 2 and 6. Therefore, in order for the second gripper to grip the linear object body 51 in the vicinity of the connector 52, the third finger 41 and the fourth finger 45 are supported via offset portions 43 and 47 that extend from the actuator group 49 toward the tip of the linear object 50, respectively. The length of the offset portion is usually about 10 to 90 mm. The reason why the second gripper grips the linear object body in the vicinity of the connector is to grip a flexible or weak linear object body and push the connector 52 into the insertion port 62 of the counterpart connector 60, as described later. Therefore, in this case, "near" means, depending on the properties of linear object body 51, close enough to be able to grip linear object body and push connector 52 into insertion port 62 of counterpart connector 60. Specifically, it is about 5 to 100 mm, and in the case of a flexible or weak linear object body, it is preferably about 5 to 50 mm.

[0040] If the first gripper 30 can complete the connection with the mating connector 60 while holding the connector 52, there is no need to push the connector in, and the second gripper can be omitted. The second gripper of this embodiment is particularly useful not only when the connector is completely inserted into the mating connector, but also when, for example, the connector is small and it is difficult to push it into the mating connector while holding it with the first gripper, when the portion of the connector protruding from the insertion port of the mating connector when the connector and the mating connector are mated is small, or when the distance between the insertion ports of the mating connector is narrow and pushing it in with the first gripper causes interference between the already mated linear object and the first gripper, making it impossible to push it in.

[0041] Next, the connector connecting method of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.

[0042] In this embodiment, the linear objects 50 are connected one by one to the multiple insertion openings 62 of the mating connector 60 by steps S1 to S7 in FIG. 7. At this time, when the insertion openings 62 are arranged closely, it is necessary to determine the order in which the linear objects are connected first. With reference to FIG. 8, among the multiple insertion openings, the row on the tip side of the fingers of the first gripper 30 that faced the mating connector at the time of connection (the row in the lower row in FIG. 8) is connected first, and the row on the base side (the row in the upper row in FIG. 8) is connected last. In the same row, among the fingers of the first gripper 30 that faced the mating connector at the time of connection, the insertion opening on the second finger side (left side in FIG. 8) with the tip formed thin is connected first. In the mating connector 60 shown in FIG. 8, the linear objects are connected in the order in which the insertion openings 62 are numbered.

[0043] (S1) The first gripper 30 grips the connector 52. Specifically, the first gripper 30 moves to a connector gripping pre-position, opens the first finger 31 and the second finger 35, and advances toward the connector. When the connector enters between the first finger and the second finger (FIG. 9A), the first finger and the second finger are closed to grip the connector (FIG. 9B). The connector gripping pre-position is at the side of the connector, and is a position where the first gripper starts to advance straight toward the connector. It is preferable that the first gripper 30 grips the connector with the longitudinal direction of the fingers perpendicular to the axial direction of the connector 52, because this increases the accuracy of the positioning of the connector, which will be described later. The first gripper 30 may be oriented so that the longitudinal direction of the fingers is perpendicular to the axial direction of the connector 52 before gripping, or when the connector enters between the first and second fingers (Figure 9A), the gripper orientation may be rotated so that the longitudinal direction of the fingers is perpendicular to the axial direction of the connector 52 before gripping.

[0044] When second finger 35 is fixed and does not open or close, only first finger 31 is opened and closed to grip connector 52. However, when a connector that has fallen between the first and second fingers is gripped by closing only the first finger, the connector is pushed up to the second finger by the first finger, which means that the connector travels a greater distance than if both fingers were closed, making it more likely that the connector will fall out from between the first and second fingers during the gripping operation. Therefore, it is easier to grip a connector if both the first and second fingers can be opened and closed.

[0045] By sandwiching the connector 52 between the first finger 31 and the second finger 35, the connector 52 is positioned in the opening and closing direction. Also, any deflection of the connector's axis in the opening and closing direction (Y direction in FIG. 9) is corrected. If the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the connector is isotropic, the direction of rotation of the connector around the axis does not matter. Even if the cross section of the connector is not isotropic, for example, if there is a part in the axial direction of the connector whose cross section has a rectangular outer shape, the direction of rotation of the connector around the axis can be corrected by sandwiching that part between the first finger and the second finger.

[0046] When the supply position and orientation of the linear object 50 are not constant, the position and orientation of the linear object can be confirmed by a two-dimensional or three-dimensional visual sensor, and the required gripping position of the connector 52 can be gripped. Preferably, by supplying the linear object to a fixed position, the connector can be gripped by teaching without using a visual sensor or the like. The requirement for positional accuracy when supplying the connector to a fixed position is not so strict. If the variation in the range in which the connector is supplied is smaller than the distance between the first finger 31 and the second finger 35 when the first gripper 30 is opened in the opening / closing direction, smaller than the length of the gripping surfaces 32, 36 in the longitudinal direction of the fingers, and smaller than the length of the connector in the axial direction of the connector, the connector can be gripped by teaching. In particular, when a flexible or pliable linear object is supplied, even if the linear object is supplied on the supply table 53 as shown in FIG. 1, the position in which the connector is supplied is likely to vary, but the connector can be positioned in the opening / closing direction by clamping the connector between the first finger and the second finger.

[0047] (S2) Position the connector 52. More precisely, position the connector in the longitudinal direction of the fingers. Specifically, in the case of the first gripper 30 shown in FIG. 3, while the first finger 31 and the second finger 35 grip the connector 52, the guide member 37 is moved relatively from the base end side to the tip end side of the fingers, and the connector 52 is pushed toward the first guide portion 33 and pressed against the first guide surface 34 (FIG. 9C). To move the first finger 31 and the guide member 37 relatively in the longitudinal direction of the fingers, either one or both of the first finger 31 and the guide member 37 are moved in the longitudinal direction of the fingers. 4, with the first finger 31 and the second finger 75 gripping the connector 52, the first finger 31 and the second finger 75 are moved relatively in their longitudinal directions to reduce the distance between the first guide surface 34 and the second guide surface 78, and the connector is sandwiched between the first guide surface 34 and the second guide surface 78. To move the first finger 31 and the second finger 75 relatively in their longitudinal directions, either or both of the first finger 31 and the second finger 75 are moved in the longitudinal direction of the fingers.

[0048] As described above, when the first gripper grips the connector 52, the connector is positioned in the opening and closing direction of the fingers, and the direction of rotation around the axis is determined. Therefore, by positioning the connector in the longitudinal direction of the fingers in this step (S2), the position and orientation of the connector are determined three-dimensionally. In addition, the deflection of the connector axis in the longitudinal direction of the fingers (Z direction in FIG. 9) is corrected. However, depending on the shape of the connector and the supply state, the direction of rotation around the axis of the positioned connector may not be correct. For example, the connector may be gripped in a state rotated 45 degrees or 90 degrees from the desired orientation. Therefore, a connector orientation confirmation step may be added to check whether the connector is gripped at an incorrect angle or whether an incorrect connector is gripped. The sensor used may be any sensor that can confirm whether the connector is gripped in the correct orientation, and examples of such sensors include a positioning switch, a tactile sensor, an image sensor, and a distance sensor. Specifically, after the positioning step, a positioning switch (touch sensor) provided at the base end of the fingers detects whether the fingers are closed to a specified distance, thereby making it possible to confirm whether the connector is gripped in the correct rotational orientation around the axis. If the rotational orientation of the connector around the axis is not correct, the connector can be released once and the process can be started again from the connector gripping step (S1). Note that if the connector orientation is not directional or depending on the method of supplying the linear object, the step of checking the rotational orientation around the connector axis can be omitted.

[0049] (S3) The second gripper 40 grips the linear object body 51 near the connector 52. When the first gripper 30 grips the connector 52, the tips of the third finger 41 and the fourth finger 45 of the second gripper face the linear object body. Then, the third finger 41 and the fourth finger 45 are opened and advanced toward the linear object body, and when the linear object body enters between the third finger and the fourth finger, the third finger and the fourth finger are closed to grip the linear object body. When the fourth finger is fixed and does not open or close, the linear object body is gripped by opening and closing only the third finger, as in the case of the first gripper. This linear object body gripping step (S3) can be performed before the connector positioning step (S2). It is also not impossible to perform it before the connector gripping step (S1). By gripping a linear object at two points, the first gripper and the second gripper, the linear object can be held stably and transported accurately to the specified position. For example, when multiple long linear objects are supplied, the linear objects may become tangled, but by gripping the linear object at two points, it is possible to stably pull out one desired linear object without affecting the position and posture of the positioned connector.

[0050] (S4) The connector 52 is inserted into the insertion opening 62 of the mating connector 60. Specifically, the first gripper 30 gripping the connector 52 and the second gripper 40 gripping the linear object main body 51 are moved toward the second insertion opening 62b located next to the first insertion opening 62a to which another connector 52a has already been connected (FIG. 10A), the second finger 35 is brought to the first insertion opening 62a side, the axial direction of the connector 52 is aligned with the insertion direction of the insertion opening, and the connector 52 is advanced from a position just before insertion into the second insertion opening 62b, and the tip of the connector 52 is inserted into the second insertion opening 62b (FIGS. 10B and 11A).

[0051] When the insertion openings 62 of the mating connector 60 are arranged closely together, the distance between the other connector 52a or other linear object main body 51a already inserted in the first insertion opening 62a and the newly inserted connector 52 is short, so it is important that the tip of the second finger 35 that is inserted between them is formed thin. Specifically, the thickness of the tip may be formed thin, about 0.3 to 5.0 mm, and more generally about 0.3 to 2.5 mm.

[0052] The position and orientation of connector 52 are positioned relative to first gripper 30, and the position and orientation of the first gripper are known to the control unit of robot 20, so if the mating connector 60 is placed in a predetermined position and orientation, the insertion operation can be performed by teaching it in advance without measuring it with a 3D visual sensor or the like. Since the gap between the commercially available contact pin and the insertion port of the housing during insertion is about 0.1 to 0.5 mm (one side), it is sufficient if the combined positioning error of connector 52 and the arrangement error of mating connector 60 is less than this.

[0053] (S5) The first gripper 30 releases the connector 52. Specifically, the guide member 37 is retracted toward the base end side of the fingers (FIG. 11B), the first finger 31 on the side farther from the other connector 52a inserted into the first insertion opening 62a is opened (FIG. 11C), and the first gripper 30 is retracted away from the connector 52 (FIGS. 10C, 11D). This allows the second finger 35 of the first gripper 30 to release the connector 52 without interfering with the other connector 52a or the other linear object main body 51a, so that the other connector 52a or the connector 52 to be connected is not deformed or damaged. In addition, in the connector release operation, if the first gripper does not hinder the pushing operation of the second gripper described later, the first gripper retracting operation (FIG. 11D) is not essential, and it is sufficient to only release the gripping pressure of the connector to an extent that the pushing operation is possible. Furthermore, if the first finger and the second finger can be opened and closed independently, it is also possible to open the second finger slightly at the same time as opening the first finger, to the extent that it does not interfere with other linear object bodies.

[0054] (S6) The connector 52 is pushed into the second insertion opening 62b. Specifically, the second gripper 40 holding the linear object main body 51 is advanced toward the mating connector 60 to push the connector 52 into the second insertion opening 62b (FIG. 12A), thereby completing the connection (FIGS. 12B and 13A).

[0055] (S7) The second gripper 40 releases the linear object body 51. Specifically, the third finger 41 and the fourth finger 45 are opened (FIG. 13B), and the second gripper 40 is retracted away from the linear object body 51 (FIGS. 12C, 13C). If the third finger can be opened and closed independently, only the third finger 41 located farther from the other linear object body 51a connected to the first insertion opening 62a may be opened to release the linear object body 51, as in the connector releasing step (S5). However, if the linear object body is flexible or soft, there is a low possibility of damage being caused even if the fourth finger interferes with another adjacent linear object body 51a.

[0056] This completes the connection of one linear object 50, and this process is repeated a required number of times to sequentially connect connectors to the insertion openings.

[0057] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical concept thereof.

[0058] For example, when connector 52 and mating connector 60 are connected one-to-one, there is no need to consider interference with other connected connectors, etc., and therefore it is not necessary to form the tip of second finger 35 thin or to make first finger 31 independently openable and closable. The same is true when connector 52 and mating connector 60 are connected many-to-one as long as the spacing between the insertion openings of the mating connectors is wide.

[0059] Furthermore, if the connection can be completed while the connector 52 is being gripped, for example, if the connector 52 is a female type, or if the connector 52 is a male type but the connection is completed without being fully inserted into the mating connector, the connector pushing step (S3) is unnecessary. Therefore, the second gripper 40 can be omitted, and the linear object main body gripping step (S3) and the linear object main body releasing step (S7) can also be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 10 Connector connection device 20. Robot 21 Link 22 Joints 30 First gripper 31 First Finger 32 Gripping surface 33 First guide section 34 First guide surface 35 Second Finger 36 Gripping surface 37 Guiding elements 38 Second guide surface 39 Actuators 40 Second gripper 41 Third Finger 42 Gripping surface 43 Offset section 45 4th Finger 46 Gripping surface 47 Offset section 49 Actuators 50 Linear objects 51 Linear object body (electric wire) 51a Other linear objects 52 Connector (contact pin) 52a Other Connectors 53 Supply stand 60 Mating connector (housing) 62 Insertion port 62a First insertion slot 62b Second insertion slot 70 First gripper 75 Second Finger 76 Gripping surface 77 Second guide section 78 Second guide surface 80 First gripper 81 First Finger 82 Gripping surface 83 First guide part (groove) X Connector axial direction Y finger opening and closing direction Z Finger Longitudinal Direction

Claims

1. A device for connecting a tip member attached to a tip of a linear object body to a counterpart member, comprising: A robot and a gripper attached to the robot, the gripper includes a first finger, a second finger, and a tip member positioning mechanism for positioning the tip member gripped by the first finger and the second finger; Tip component connection device.

2. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tip member is a connector, the mating member is a mating connector, and the tip member positioning mechanism is a connector positioning mechanism for positioning the connector. Connector connection device.

3. the connector positioning mechanism positions the connector in a direction perpendicular to an opening / closing direction of the first finger or the second finger and an axial direction of the connector.

3. The connector connecting device according to claim 2.

4. The connector positioning mechanism includes: a first guide portion provided on the first finger; and a guide member disposed between the first finger and the second finger, a distance between the first guide portion and the guide member is shortened, and the connector gripped by the first finger and the second finger is guided to the first guide portion, thereby positioning the connector in a direction perpendicular to an opening / closing direction of the first finger or the second finger and an axial direction of the connector.

4. The connector connecting device according to claim 3.

5. The first guide portion is a portion that protrudes from a gripping surface of the first finger, the guide member is disposed between the first finger and the second finger; The first finger or the guide member, or both, are movable in a direction perpendicular to the opening and closing direction of the first finger or the second finger and the axial direction of the connector.

5. The connector connecting device according to claim 4.

6. The connector positioning mechanism includes: a first guide portion protruding from a tip side of the gripping surface of the first finger; a second guide portion protruding from a base end side of the gripping surface of the second finger, the first finger or the second finger, or both of the first finger and the second finger, are movable in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the connector and in a direction perpendicular to an opening / closing direction of the first finger or the second finger; 4. The connector connecting device according to claim 3.

7. a second gripper mounted to the robot; The second gripper is The gripper is disposed so as to be able to grip the linear object body when the gripper grips the connector, The gripper is capable of gripping and releasing the linear object body independently of the gripping and releasing operation of the connector. The connector connecting device according to any one of claims 2 to 6.

8. The first finger is operable to open and close independently of the second finger. The connector connecting device according to any one of claims 2 to 6.

9. A method for connecting a tip member attached to a tip of a linear object body to a counterpart member, comprising the steps of: a gripping step of gripping the tip member with a first finger and a second finger of a gripper attached to a robot; a positioning step of positioning the gripped tip member; a connecting step of moving the gripper to connect the tip member to the mating member; A tip member connecting method comprising the steps of:

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