Tip member connection method and connector connection method

Abstract

To provide a method which can connect a tip member, such as a connector, even when an obstacle exists near an insertion port of a mating member.SOLUTION: A method for connecting a tip member 52 attached to a tip of a linear body 51 to a mating member 60 having an insertion port 62 around which an object exists, includes: a holding step in which the tip member is held by a first finger and a second finger which are included in a gripper 30 attached to a robot 20 and may open or close independently; an insertion step in which the gripper is moved to insert a tip of the tip member into the insertion hole around which the obstacle exists with the second finger located at the obstacle side; and a release step in which the first finger is opened to release the tip member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] The task of gripping a connector attached to the tip of an electric wire or the like and connecting it to a mating connector is being automated using a robot. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe a tip member connecting method in which a connector connected to the tip of an electric wire is gripped by a gripper attached to a robot and connected 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 Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is no mention of anything that may be an obstacle to connection around the connector housing to which the connector is connected. However, if there is an obstacle near the insertion port of the mating connector, the gripper holding the connector may interfere with the obstacle, causing failure to insert the connector. In Patent Documents 1 and 2, a single connector having multiple pins is connected to a connector housing. However, when multiple connectors are sequentially connected to a mating connector having multiple insertion ports, if the multiple insertion ports are densely arranged for the purpose of miniaturizing the connection part, other linear objects already connected to the mating connector may become obstacles, and the gripper holding the connector may interfere with the other linear objects already connected, causing deformation or damage to the connector of the other linear objects or the connector to be newly connected.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a method that enables a tip member such as a connector to be connected even when an obstacle is present near the insertion port of the mating member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] 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 having an insertion port nearby with an obstacle, and includes the following steps: a gripping step of gripping the tip member with a first finger and a second finger which can be opened and closed independently of each other and which are possessed by a gripper attached to a robot; an insertion step of moving the gripper to insert the tip of the tip member into the insertion port nearby with the second finger facing the obstacle; and a release step of opening the first finger to release the tip member.

[0007] In a representative example of the tip member connecting method, the tip member is a connector and the counterpart member is a counterpart connector. In this case, the tip member connecting method is a method for connecting a connector attached to the tip of a linear object body to a counterpart connector having an insertion port nearby an obstacle, and includes a gripping step of gripping the connector with a first finger and a second finger that can be opened and closed independently of each other and are provided in a gripper attached to a robot, an insertion step of moving the gripper to insert the tip of the connector into the insertion port nearby an obstacle with the second finger facing the obstacle, and a release step of opening the first finger to release the connector.

[0008] Here, a connector is a male part for connecting to a mating connector, and includes those called by names such as plug, jack, contact pin, pin terminal, terminal, terminal terminal, crimp terminal, metal terminal, tab, etc. A mating connector is a female part equipped with multiple insertion ports for the mating connector, and includes those called by names such as receptacle, housing, tab, socket, coupler, etc.

[0009] Another connector connection method of the present invention is a method for connecting a connector attached to the end of a linear body to a mating connector having multiple insertion ports, and includes a gripping step of gripping the connector with first and second fingers of a gripper attached to a robot, each of which can be opened and closed independently; an insertion step of moving the gripper to insert the end of the connector into a second insertion port of the mating connector that is located next to a first insertion port into which another connector has already been inserted, with the second finger facing the first insertion port side; and a release step of opening the first finger to release the connector.

[0010] In any of the above connector connection methods, the gripping step is preferably a step of advancing the gripper toward the connector with both the first finger and the second finger open, introducing the connector between the first finger and the second finger, and closing both the first finger and the second finger to grip the connector.

[0011] In any of the above connector connecting methods, the second finger is preferably a finger having a thin tip.

[0012] In any of the above connector connecting methods, the second finger is preferably a finger having a tip portion formed in a wedge shape when viewed in the axial direction of the connector. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the tip member connecting method of the present invention, even if an obstacle is present near the insertion opening of the mating member, the tip member can be connected. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an apparatus used in a connector connecting method 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 a 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 openings 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

[0015] 1, a connector connecting device 10 used in a connector connecting method 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 as a workpiece, which has a connector 52, which is a tip member, attached to the tip of a linear object main body 51, and connects the connector 52 to a counterpart connector 60, which is a counterpart member.

[0016] 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 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 male part for connecting to a mating connector 60, and includes those called by names such as a plug, a jack, a contact pin, a pin terminal, a terminal, a terminal terminal, a crimp terminal, a metal terminal, and a tab. The mating connector 60 is a female part having a plurality of insertion ports 62 for the mating connector, and includes those called by names such as a receptacle, a housing, a tab, a socket, and a coupler.

[0017] To connect multiple connectors 52 to one counterpart 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 lattice pattern.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] When the insertion openings 62 of the mating connector 60 are arranged closely together, it is preferable that the portion of the second finger 35 that grips the connector 52 is formed thin when viewed from the axial direction of the connector. It is also 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 openings 62 of the mating connector 60.

[0023] In the first gripper 30, the first finger 31 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.

[0024] Preferably, the first gripper 30 is configured such 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.

[0025] Preferably, the first gripper 30 includes a connector positioning mechanism for positioning the connector 52 gripped by the first finger 31 and the second finger 35 in the longitudinal direction of the fingers. In Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the connector positioning mechanism includes a first guide portion 33 and a guide member 37 provided on the first finger.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] Next, the connector connecting method of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.

[0038] 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.

[0039] (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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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.

[0043] (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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] If the first gripper 30 does not have a positioning mechanism, the position and orientation of the connector gripped by the first gripper can be obtained by measurement using a three-dimensional visual sensor or the like.

[0046] (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.

[0047] (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).

[0048] 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.

[0049] The mating connector 60 is preferably arranged in a predetermined position and orientation. The position and orientation of the connector 52 are positioned relative to the first gripper 30, or are acquired by three-dimensional measurement after gripping, and the position and orientation of the first gripper are known to the control unit of the robot 20. Therefore, if the mating connector 60 is arranged in a predetermined position and orientation, the insertion operation can be performed by teaching in advance without measuring with a three-dimensional visual sensor or the like. In commercially available contact pins and insertion ports of housings, the gap between them (one side) during insertion is about 0.1 to 0.5 mm, so it is sufficient if the combined positioning error of the connector 52 and the arrangement error of the mating connector 60 is less than this.

[0050] If the arrangement of the mating connector 60 is not constant, the position and orientation of the mating connector can be measured using a three-dimensional visual sensor or the like, so that the connector 52 can be inserted into the insertion port 62 to which it is to be connected.

[0051] (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.

[0052] (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).

[0053] (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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] Furthermore, regardless of the number of insertion ports or the density of their arrangement in the mating connector 60, if there is an obstacle near an insertion port, the tip of connector 52 can be inserted with second finger 35 facing the obstacle, and first finger 31 can be opened to release the connector, thereby avoiding interference of the obstacle with the first gripper.

[0056] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical concept thereof.

[0057] For example, the connector pushing step (S3) is unnecessary if the connection can be completed while the connector 52 is being gripped. 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.

[0058] Furthermore, if the first gripper does not include a connector positioning mechanism, instead of positioning the connector 52 gripped by the first gripper, the position and orientation of the connector 52 gripped by the first gripper may be measured in three dimensions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 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 method for connecting a tip member attached to a tip of a linear object body to a mating member having an insertion port with an obstacle nearby, 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, the first finger and the second finger being capable of being opened and closed independently; an insertion step of moving the gripper to insert the tip of the tip member into the insertion opening adjacent to which an obstacle exists, with the second finger facing the obstacle; a releasing step of opening the first finger to release the tip member; A tip member connecting method comprising the steps of:

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

3. A method for connecting a connector attached to a tip of a linear object body to a mating connector having a plurality of insertion ports, comprising the steps of: a gripping step of gripping the connector with a first finger and a second finger of a gripper attached to a robot, the first finger and the second finger being capable of being opened and closed independently; an insertion process of moving the gripper to insert a tip end of the connector into a second insertion opening, which is located adjacent to a first insertion opening into which another connector has already been inserted, among the plurality of insertion openings of the mating connector, with the second finger facing the first insertion opening; a releasing step of opening the first fingers to release the connector; A connector connecting method comprising:

4. the gripping step is a step of advancing the gripper toward the connector with both the first finger and the second finger open, introducing the connector between the first finger and the second finger, and closing both the first finger and the second finger to grip the connector.

4. The connector connecting method according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The second finger is a finger having a thin tip portion.

4. The connector connecting method according to claim 2 or 3.

6. The second finger is a finger having a tip portion formed in a wedge shape when viewed in the axial direction of the connector. The connector connecting method according to claim 5.

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