Continuity testing device

Abstract

To provide a continuity inspection device capable of improving work efficiency.SOLUTION: A continuity inspection device 1 for inspecting continuity of a wire harness 10 including a harness body 11 comprised of a plurality of electric wires and a plurality of connectors 12A and 12B provided at ends of the harness body, comprises: a jig plate 21 on which the wire harness is placed; a plurality of inspection jigs 2A and 2B being installed on the jig plate 21 and respectively supporting the plurality of connectors; and a control unit 5 being electrically connected to the plurality of inspection jigs and controlling the plurality of inspection jigs, where the plurality of inspection jigs 2A and 2B include one specific inspection jig 2A to be connected to the control unit 5 and another inspection jig 2B, and where the other inspection jig 2B is electrically connected to the control unit 5 via the specific inspection jig 2A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conduction inspection device.

Background Art

[0002] Automobiles and the like are equipped with various electronic devices, and a wire harness is laid to transmit power from a power source such as a battery and a control signal from an inspection unit to the electronic devices.

[0003] In a harness production line having a belt conveyor device installed in a factory and a plurality of wiring boards conveyed by the belt conveyor device, the wire harness is assembled on the wiring board, and at the final stage of the harness production line, it is inspected whether all the wires constituting the wire harness are surely conductive between connectors.

[0004] As an example of a device for performing such a conduction inspection of a wire harness, a conduction inspection device 101 shown in FIG. 4 is supported at a predetermined position of a wiring board 102 and connected to a plurality of inspection connectors 103 connected to a connector W1 provided at the terminal portion of the wire harness W. The device further includes lead wires 104 drawn from each of the plurality of inspection connectors 103, and an inspection unit 105 connected to each inspection connector 103 via the lead wires 104 to inspect the conduction state of each wire W10 constituting the wire harness W (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] In this conventional conduction inspection device 101, in a state where the connector W1 provided at the terminal portion of the wire harness W and the inspection connectors 103 are connected, each inspection connector 103 is electrically connected to the inspection unit 105 via the lead wire 104, so that the inspection unit 105 inspects the conduction state of each wire W10 constituting the wire harness W.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-205340 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] However, when wire harnesses W are produced in a production line, and the connectors W1 of the wire harnesses W are supported by each inspection connector 103 and transported by a belt conveyor or the like, it is necessary to connect each inspection connector 103 to the lead wire 104 drawn from the inspection unit 105 within the time allocated on the line. Therefore, within the allocated time, the same number of connection operations between each inspection connector 103 and the lead wire 104 drawn from the inspection unit 105 must be performed as there are connectors W1, and in this respect, improvement in work efficiency was required.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a continuity testing device that improves work efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the aforementioned problems and achieve the objective, the invention described in claim 1 is a continuity testing device for performing a continuity test on a wire harness having a harness body composed of a plurality of electric wires and a plurality of connectors provided at the ends of the harness body, comprising: a jig plate on which the wire harness is placed; a plurality of test jigs installed on the jig plate and supporting each of the plurality of connectors; and a control unit electrically connected to the plurality of test jigs and controlling the plurality of test jigs, wherein the plurality of test jigs include one specific test jig electrically connected to the control unit and other test jigs, and the other test jigs are electrically connected to the control unit via the specific test jig. The control unit is equipped with a control-side inspection jig electrically connected to the control unit, the specific inspection jig having a connector support portion that supports one of a plurality of connectors, and a jig-side connection portion that is electrically connected to the other inspection jig, the control-side inspection jig having a mating connector that can be mated to the one connector, and a control-side connection portion that can be electrically connected to the jig-side connection portion, the one connector and the mating connector, and the jig-side connection portion and the control-side connection portion are configured to be electrically connected as they approach each other in a predetermined direction. It is characterized by being present. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the invention described in claim 1, work efficiency can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a conceptual diagram showing a portion of a wire harness production line to which a continuity testing device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] This is a conceptual diagram showing the aforementioned continuity testing device. [Figure 3] This is a conceptual perspective view showing how the specific test fixtures constituting the continuity test device and the control-side test fixtures connected to the control unit are connected. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing a conventional continuity test device.

[0012] One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a part of a wire harness production line to which the continuity testing device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied. Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the continuity testing device 1. Figure 3 is a conceptual perspective view showing how the specific testing jig 2A and the control-side testing jig 4 connected to the control unit 5, which constitute the continuity testing device 1, are connected.

[0013] The continuity testing device 1 of this embodiment is used for testing the continuity of a wire harness 10 mounted on a vehicle, and is used in the continuity testing process described later in the wire harness production line.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the wire harness 10 comprises a harness body 11 having a main section 11A formed by bundling multiple electric wires, and branch sections (not shown) branching off from the main section 11A; multiple (two in the illustrated example) connectors 12A and 12B provided at the terminals of each branch section; and exterior components (not shown) such as protectors and corrugated tubes attached to the main section 11A and branch sections. In Figure 1, the branch sections are omitted, and a pair of connectors 12A and 12B are shown instead of multiple connectors 12A and 12B. Hereafter, one of the pair of connectors 12A and 12B may be referred to as "one-side connector 12A" and the other as "the other-side connector 12B".

[0015] The continuity testing device 1 performs a continuity test to determine whether all the wires constituting the wire harness 10 are electrically connected between connectors 12A and 12B. As shown in Figure 1, the continuity testing device 1 comprises an inspection jig 20 on which the wire harness 10 is placed and which has a plurality (two in the illustrated example) of inspection jigs 2A and 2B connected to connectors 12A and 12B provided at the ends of the wire harness 10; a transport mechanism (not shown) that transports the inspection jig 20 along a predetermined path; and an inspection unit 3 that controls the inspection jigs 2A and 2B to perform a continuity test of the wire harness 10.

[0016] Furthermore, in the continuity testing device 1, the inspection unit 3 is installed at an intermediate position along a predetermined path, and when the inspection jig 20, which has been transported by the transport mechanism, approaches the inspection unit 3, the inspection unit 3 and the inspection jig 20 are electrically connected.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the inspection jig 20 comprises a jig plate 21 installed horizontally on which the wire harness 10 is placed, two (or more) inspection jigs 2A and 2B installed at predetermined positions on the jig plate 21 and each having a checker fixture (C / F), and a first connecting wire 2L for electrically connecting the two inspection jigs 2A and 2B to each other.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, the two inspection jigs 2A and 2B are positioned on the jig plate 21 in a configuration in which the wire harness 10 is mounted on a vehicle, corresponding to the two connectors 12A and 12B provided at the ends of the wire harness 10. When the wire harness 10 is placed on the jig plate 21, the connectors 12A and 12B provided at the ends of the wire harness 10 are brought closer to and supported by the inspection jigs 2A and 2B installed on the jig plate 21.

[0019] Of these inspection fixtures 2A and 2B, one inspection fixture 2A (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "specific inspection fixture 2A") is connected to an inspection unit 3 described later, and the remaining inspection fixture 2B (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "other inspection fixture 2B") is connected to the inspection unit 3 via the specific inspection fixture 2A.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the specific inspection fixture 2A includes a plate-shaped fixture-side support base 22 extending in the horizontal direction, a one-side connector support portion 23A (connector support portion) provided on the fixture-side support base 22 and supporting the one-side connector 12A in a predetermined orientation (direction), a fixture-side connector portion 24A provided on the fixture-side support base 22 and connected to a control-side connector portion 41 of the control-side inspection fixture 4 described later, and a one-side connection receiving portion 25A to which one end of the first connection line 2L is connected. One end of the first connection line 2L is configured to be electrically connected to a first terminal portion (not shown) provided on the fixture-side connector portion 24A via the one-side connection receiving portion 25A.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, the one-side connector support portion 23A is configured to support the one-side connector 12A in such a manner that the fitting surface 120A of the one-side connector 12A faces upward Z1 with the connector fitting direction being the vertical direction Z (vertical direction, predetermined direction). The one-side connector 12A and the fixture-side connector portion 24A described later are each provided in such a manner that the connector fitting direction is the vertical direction Z and faces upward Z1.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the fixture-side connector portion 24A is composed of a conductive first terminal portion (not shown) and a first connector housing 240A that houses the first terminal portion. The fixture-side connector portion 24A is configured such that the fitting surface (designated by reference numeral 240A) of the first connector housing 240A faces upward Z1 with the connector fitting direction with the control-side connector portion 41 of the control-side inspection fixture 4 described later being the vertical direction Z (predetermined direction).

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, the other inspection jig 2B is configured to include a rectangular plate-shaped jig-side support base 22 extending horizontally, a other-side connector support portion 23B provided on the jig-side support base 22 and supporting the other-side connector 12B in a predetermined shape (orientation), and a other-side connection receiving portion 25B to which the other end of the first connection wire 2L is connected.

[0024] In addition, the other inspection jig 2B is configured such that, with the other connector 12B supported by the other connector support portion 23B, the terminal portion (not shown) of the other connector 12B is electrically connected to the first connection line 2L via the other connection receiving portion 25B.

[0025] The first connecting wire 2L has one end electrically connected to a one-side connecting receiver 25A provided on the specific inspection jig 2A, and the other end electrically connected to a other-side connecting receiver 25B provided on another inspection jig 2B.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, the inspection unit 3 includes a control-side inspection jig 4 that can be connected to a specific inspection jig 2A, a control unit 5 that is connected to the specific inspection jig 2A via the control-side inspection jig 4 and controls the specific inspection jig 2A and other inspection jigs 2B, and a pair of connecting wires 6L and 7L for electrically connecting the control-side inspection jig 4 and the control unit 5. Hereinafter, one of the pair of connecting wires 6L and 7L may be referred to as the "second connecting wire 6L" and the other as the "third connecting wire 7L".

[0027] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the control-side inspection jig 4 comprises a rectangular plate-shaped control-side support base 40 extending horizontally, a control-side connector portion 41 provided on the control-side support base 40 and capable of being fitted into the jig-side connector portion 24A of the specific inspection jig 2A, an inspection connector portion 42 (mating connector) provided on the control-side support base 40 and capable of being fitted into one-side connector 12A of the specific inspection jig 2A, a second connection receiving portion 43 to which one end of the second connection wire 6L is connected, and a third connection receiving portion 44 (shown in Figure 2) to which one end of the third connection wire 7L is connected.

[0028] As shown in Figure 3, the control-side connector portion 41 is configured to have a conductive second terminal portion (not shown) and a second connector housing 410 that accommodates the second terminal portion. The mating surface (designated as reference numeral 410) of the second connector housing 410 of the control-side connector portion 41 is provided facing downward Z2.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, the inspection connector section 42 is provided such that the mating surface 420 of the inspection connector section 42 faces downward Z2 in the vertical direction Z, so that the connector mating direction with respect to the one-side connector 12A is in the vertical direction Z.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2, in this control-side inspection jig 4, the second terminal of the control-side connector 41 and the control unit 5 are electrically connected via a second connection line 6L, and the terminal (not shown) of the inspection connector 42 and the control unit 5 are electrically connected via a third connection line 7L.

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the control-side inspection jig 4 is held by the robot hand RA2 with the second terminal of the control-side connector 41 electrically connected to the control unit 5 via the second connection line 6L, and the terminal of the inspection connector 42 electrically connected to the control unit 5 via the third connection line 7L. When the inspection jig body 20, which has been transported by the transport mechanism, arrives at a predetermined position (third position S3, described later), the control-side inspection jig 4 held by the robot hand RA2 approaches the specific inspection jig 2A of the inspection jig body 20, and the control-side connector 41 of the control-side inspection jig 4 and the jig-side connector 24A of the specific inspection jig 2A are mated and connected, and the inspection connector 42 of the control-side inspection jig 4 and the one-side connector 12A supported by the specific inspection jig 2A are mated and connected.

[0032] Because the control-side inspection jig 4 is held by the robot hand RA2, even if the arrangement of specific inspection jigs 2A and other inspection jigs 2B on the jig plate 21 is changed to accommodate other part numbers, the control-side inspection jig 4 held by the robot hand RA2 can approach the specific inspection jig 2A installed on the jig plate 21 and connect the control-side inspection jig 4 and the specific inspection jig 2A. In other words, even if the arrangement of specific inspection jigs 2A and other inspection jigs 2B on the jig plate 21 is changed, the control unit 5 can be electrically connected to the other inspection jigs 2B via the specific inspection jig 2A.

[0033] The control unit 5 consists of a CPU and performs continuity testing between connectors 12A and 12B that constitute the wire harness 10, and reports the results. As shown in Figure 2, the control unit 5 is configured such that one end of the second connection wire 6L is electrically connected to the second terminal provided on the control-side connector 41 via the second connection receiving part 43. Also as shown in Figure 2, the control unit 5 is configured such that one end of the third connection wire 7L is electrically connected to the terminal of the test connector 42 via the third connection receiving part 44.

[0034] Next, an example of a continuity inspection process performed using the continuity inspection device 1 with the configuration described above will be explained. The continuity inspection process is performed at the third position S3, described later, on the wire harness production line, and is performed after the assembled wire harness 10 to be mounted on the vehicle has reached its final form through the set process and processing process described later.

[0035] The setting process is performed when the inspection jig 20, which has been transported along a predetermined path by the transport mechanism, reaches the first position S1, as shown in Figure 1. In the setting process, the wire harness 10 held by the robot hand RA1 is brought close to the jig plate 21 and mounted on the jig plate 21 in its assembled form. As a result, one connector 12A on the wire harness 10 is supported by the one connector support portion 23A of the specific inspection jig 2A with its mating surface 120A facing upward Z1 (in a predetermined position), and the other connector 12B on the wire harness 10 is supported by the other connector support portion 23B of the other inspection jig 2B. At this time, the other connector 12B supported by the other connector support portion 23B of the other inspection jig 2B is provided so as to be connectable to the other end of the first connecting wire 2L via the other connection receiving portion 25B. In this way, the wire harness 10 is set on the jig plate 21 of the inspection jig 20. This completes the setup process.

[0036] Subsequently, as shown in Figure 1, the inspection jig 20, transported by the transport mechanism, moves from the first position S1 along a predetermined path, and when it reaches the second position S2, the processing step is performed. In the processing step, exterior components such as protectors and corrugated tubes are attached to the main sections 11A and branching points that constitute the harness body 11 on the jig plate 21. In this way, the wire harness 10 becomes the completed form. This completes the processing step.

[0037] Subsequently, as shown in Figure 1, the inspection jig 20, which has been transported by the transport mechanism, moves from the second position S2 along a predetermined path, and when it reaches the third position S3, a continuity test is performed. In the continuity test, the control-side inspection jig 4, held by the robot hand RA2, is moved downward Z2 toward the specific inspection jig 2A. As a result, as shown in Figure 3, the control-side support base 40 of the control-side inspection jig 4 is brought closer to the jig-side support base 22 of the specific inspection jig 2A, so that the control-side support base 40 faces the jig-side support base 22. As the movement progresses, the mating surface 410 of the control-side connector portion 41 approaches the mating surface 240A of the jig-side connector portion 24A, and the control-side connector portion 41 and the jig-side connector portion 24A are connected by a connector. At the same time, the mating surface 420 of the inspection connector portion 42 approaches the mating surface 120A of the one-side connector 12A, and the inspection connector portion 42 and the one-side connector 12A are connected by a connector.

[0038] In this state, the control unit 5 controls the other inspection jig 2B to electrically connect the other side connector 12B and the other end of the first connection wire 2L via the other side connection receiving part 25B. The control unit 5 then sends an inspection signal to the harness body 11 of the wire harness 10 to inspect the energization state of the harness body 11 and notifies the result of the inspection. This completes the continuity inspection process.

[0039] Subsequently, the control-side inspection jig 4, held by the robot hand RA2, is moved upward to Z1 so as to move away from the specific inspection jig 2A. This disconnects the connector between the control-side connector 41 and the jig-side connector 24A, and also disconnects the connector between the inspection connector 42 and the one-side connector 12A.

[0040] Subsequently, the inspection jig 20, which has been transported by the transport mechanism, moves from the third position S3 along a predetermined path, and when it reaches the fourth position S4, the robot hand RA3 approaches the wire harness 10 placed on the jig plate 21. Then, one connector 12A is detached from the one-side connector support part 23A of the specific inspection jig 2A, and the other-side connector 12B is detached from the other-side connector support part 23B of the other inspection jig 2B. In this way, the wire harness 10 is removed from the jig plate 21 by the robot hand RA3, and the wire harness 10 is transported to another location by the robot hand RA3.

[0041] According to the embodiment described above, the multiple inspection jigs 2A and 2B each consist of one specific inspection jig 2A connected to the control unit 5 and other inspection jigs 2B, with the other inspection jigs 2B being electrically connected to the control unit 5 via the specific inspection jig 2A. As a result, since the other inspection jigs 2B are electrically connected to the control unit 5 via the specific inspection jig 2A, it is possible to electrically connect the other inspection jigs 2B and the control unit 5 via the specific inspection jig 2A by only connecting the control unit 5 and the specific inspection jig 2A, without having to connect the control unit 5 and the other inspection jigs 2B. This improves work efficiency.

[0042] Furthermore, the system includes a control-side inspection jig 4 that can be connected to a specific inspection jig 2A. The specific inspection jig 2A has a one-side connector support portion 23A that supports one connector 12A and a jig-side connector portion 24A (jig-side connection portion). The control-side inspection jig 4 has an inspection connector portion 42 (mating connector) that can be mated with one connector 12A and a control-side connector portion 41 (control-side connection portion) that can be connected to the jig-side connector portion 24A. The connector 12A and the inspection connector portion 42, and the jig-side connector portion 24A and the control-side connector portion 41 are configured to be connected while approaching each other in the vertical direction Z (a predetermined direction). As a result, by bringing the specific inspection jig 2A and the control-side inspection jig 4 closer together in the vertical direction Z, the one-side connector 12A and the inspection connector portion 42, and the jig-side connector portion 24A and the control-side connector portion 41 are electrically and mechanically connected to each other, thereby reducing the amount of work and further improving work efficiency.

[0043] Furthermore, the wire harness 10 includes an outer casing that is attached to the harness body 11, and the outer casing is attached to the harness body 11 on the jig plate 21. That is, the harness body 11 is set in a predetermined position on the jig plate 21, the outer casing is attached during the processing process, and a continuity test is performed during the continuity test process. As a result, since the processing process for the wire harness 10 is performed on the same jig plate 21 on which the continuity test is performed, the effort required to move the wire harness 10 and set it in a predetermined position is reduced, and the wire harness 10 can be produced in a line. This further improves work efficiency.

[0044] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes other configurations that can achieve the objectives of the present invention, and the following modifications are also included in the present invention.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the jig-side connector portion 24A of the specific inspection jig 2A and the control-side connector portion 41 of the control-side inspection jig 4 are connected in the vertical direction Z, and the one-side connector 12A supported by the specific inspection jig 2A and the inspection connector portion 42 provided on the control-side inspection jig 4 are connected in the vertical direction Z. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The connector connection direction between the jig-side connector portion 24A and the control-side connector portion 41, and the connector connection direction between the one-side connector 12A and the inspection connector portion 42, may be the same, and for example, they may be configured to be connected horizontally.

[0046] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the continuity testing device 1 has a transport mechanism, and the testing jig 20 is configured to be transported along a predetermined path by the transport mechanism, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The testing jig 20 in the continuity testing device 1 may be installed at a predetermined position. In this case, the transport mechanism may be omitted.

[0047] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, during the setting process, when the inspection jig 20, which had been transported along a predetermined path by the transport mechanism, reached the first position S1, the wire harness 10 held by the robot hand RA1 was mounted on the jig plate 21. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The wire harness 10 may be assembled on the jig plate 21 and transported while remaining on the jig plate 21, passing through the first position S1 and the second position S2, and then a continuity test may be performed at the third position S3. In this case, the setting process may be omitted.

[0048] Furthermore, while the best configurations and methods for carrying out the present invention are disclosed in the above description, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, although the present invention is particularly illustrated and described with respect to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the embodiments described above in terms of shape, material, quantity, and other detailed configurations without departing from the scope of the technical idea and objectives of the present invention. Therefore, the descriptions of shapes, materials, etc. disclosed above are illustrative to facilitate understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. Accordingly, descriptions of components with some or all of these limitations removed are included in the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1. Continuity testing device 10 Wire Harnesses 11. Harness body 12A One-sided connector (multiple connectors, one connector) 12B Other side connector (multiple connectors) 2A Specific inspection fixture, multiple inspection fixtures 2B Other inspection fixtures, multiple inspection fixtures 21 Jig plate 23A One-sided connector support section (connector support section) 24A Jig-side connector section (jig-side connection section) 4. Control side inspection jig 41 Control side connector section (control side connection section) 42. Inspection connector section (mating connector) 5. Control Unit Z Vertical direction (specified direction)

Claims

1. A continuity testing device for performing a continuity test on a wire harness having a harness body composed of multiple electric wires and multiple connectors provided at the ends of the harness body, A jig plate on which the wire harness is placed, Multiple inspection jigs are installed on the jig plate and support each of the multiple connectors, The system comprises a control unit that is electrically connected to the plurality of inspection jigs and controls the plurality of inspection jigs, The plurality of inspection jigs comprises one specific inspection jig electrically connected to the control unit and other inspection jigs. The aforementioned other inspection fixtures are electrically connected to the control unit via the aforementioned specific inspection fixtures. The control unit is equipped with a control-side inspection jig that is electrically connected to the control unit, The aforementioned specific inspection jig has a connector support portion that supports one of a plurality of connectors, and a jig-side connection portion that is electrically connected to the other inspection jigs. The control-side inspection jig has a mating connector that can be mated and connected to the one connector, and a control-side connection part that can be electrically connected to the jig-side connection part. A continuity testing device characterized in that the one connector and the mating connector, and the jig-side connection portion and the control-side connection portion are configured to be electrically connected as they approach each other in a predetermined direction.

2. The wire harness comprises an outer casing that is attached to the harness body, The continuity testing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the exterior component is attached to the harness body on the jig plate.

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