Terminal crimping apparatus

Abstract

A terminal crimping apparatus 8 is provided with: a grasping device 3F that grasps an electric wire 5; a crimping machine 4F that is provided with a press member 42F and an actuator 43F for driving the press member 42F, and crimps a terminal 7 to the electric wire 5 grasped by the grasping device 3F by the press member 42F; a movement device 6F that moves the grasping device 3F in a crossing direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 5; and a control device 9 that controls the grasping device 3F, the crimping machine 4F, and the movement device 6F. The control device 9 is provided with a first control unit 91 and a second control unit 92. The first control unit 91 controls the actuator 43F to crimp the terminal 7 to the electric wire 5. The second control unit 92 drives the movement device 6F to move the grasping device 3F in the crossing direction during a period from when the press member 42F comes into contact with the terminal 7 until the press member reaches a target position by control by the first control unit 91.

Description

Terminal crimping device

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal crimping device.

[0002] Electric wires with crimped terminals have been used as materials for wire harnesses and the like. When a terminal is crimped, the electric wire expands locally in the longitudinal direction. If the electric wire is held so as not to move, the movement in the longitudinal direction is restricted, and part of the electric wire may buckle.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a crimping device that moves a wire feeder along the axis of the wire during the crimping process to compensate for the elongation of the wire as a result of plastic deformation of the wire during crimping.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a crimping device that causes a gripping device to release the wire before crimping is complete, in order to allow the wire to protrude during crimping.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-211039 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-518619

[0006] The method described in Patent Document 1 cannot accommodate variations in the elongation of the electric wire for each crimping operation and can only roughly absorb the elongation of the electric wire. Alternatively, the electric wire is pulled too forcefully. The method described in Patent Document 2 releases the electric wire during crimping, which can cause the electric wire to become misaligned.

[0007] The present invention provides a terminal crimping device that can suppress the influence of stretching of an electric wire due to crimping of a terminal and can perform crimping of a terminal to an electric wire with higher quality.

[0008] The terminal crimping apparatus of the present invention includes a gripping device that grips an electric wire, a press member and an actuator that drives the press member, a crimping machine that crimps a terminal onto the electric wire gripped by the gripping device using the press member, a moving device that moves the gripping device in a transverse direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the electric wire, and a control device that controls the gripping device, the crimping machine, and the moving device. The control device includes a first control unit and a second control unit. The first control unit controls the actuator to crimp the terminal onto the electric wire. The second control unit drives the moving device to move the gripping device in the transverse direction under the control of the first control unit after the press member contacts the terminal and before it reaches a target position.

[0009] According to the above-described terminal crimping device, the wire gripping device is moved in a transverse direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the wire between the time when the press member contacts the terminal and the time when the press member reaches the target position. This movement of the gripping device in the transverse direction absorbs the elongation of the wire due to crimping. Since the wire is not released at this time, displacement of the wire is suppressed. Furthermore, absorbing the elongation of the wire by moving the gripping device in the transverse direction provides a higher degree of freedom for the wire than absorbing the elongation of the wire by moving the gripping device in the longitudinal direction of the wire. Therefore, the movement amount of the gripping device can be more closely matched to the amount of elongation of the wire due to crimping. As a result, the terminal can be crimped onto the wire with higher quality.

[0010] According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the intersecting direction is substantially parallel to a driving direction of the press member.

[0011] The wires are likely to be subjected to a bending force in a direction substantially parallel to the driving direction of the press member due to elongation caused by crimping, so the above-described embodiment can more reliably absorb the elongation of the wires due to crimping.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment of the terminal crimping device, the intersecting direction is upward or downward. In this case, the driving direction of the press member is the vertical direction. By driving the press member in the vertical direction, the installation area of ​​the terminal crimping device can be reduced.

[0013] According to a preferred aspect of the terminal crimping device, when the direction in which the press member approaches the electric wire and the terminal is defined as the approach direction, the moving device is configured to be able to move the gripping device to a first position and a second position set further in the approach direction than the first position. The control device includes a third control unit that moves the gripping device from the first position to the second position in accordance with the movement of the press member in the approach direction under the control of the first control unit. The second control unit drives the moving device to move the gripping device from the second position to the first position under the control of the first control unit, during the period from when the press member contacts the terminal to when it reaches the target position.

[0014] According to the above aspect, by moving the gripping device in the approaching direction from the first position to the second position in accordance with the movement of the press member in the approaching direction, it is possible to suppress overload on the electric wire due to crimping, and by moving the gripping device from the second position to the first position between the time the press member contacts the terminal and the time it reaches the target position, it is possible to absorb stretch of the electric wire due to crimping.

[0015] According to another preferred aspect of the terminal crimping device, the moving device is configured to be able to move the gripping device to a first position, an intermediate position set further in the approach direction than the first position, and a second position set further in the approach direction than the intermediate position. The control device includes a third control unit that moves the gripping device from the first position to the second position in accordance with the movement of the press member in the approach direction under the control of the first control unit. The second control unit drives the moving device to move the gripping device from the second position to the intermediate position under the control of the first control unit during the period from when the press member contacts the terminal to when the press member reaches the target position.

[0016] According to the above aspect, the gripping device moves to the intermediate position before the press member reaches the target position, thereby reducing the time it takes for the gripping device to move to the next process.

[0017] According to another preferred aspect of the present invention, the moving device is configured to be able to move the gripping device in the intersecting direction. The control device includes a fourth control unit that drives the moving device to make the gripping device movable in the intersecting direction after the gripping device has been moved in the intersecting direction under the control of the second control unit and before the press member reaches the target position.

[0018] According to the above aspect, by making the gripping device movable in the transverse direction after the gripping device has been moved in the transverse direction and before the press member reaches the target position, the amount of movement of the gripping device can be precisely tracked to the amount of stretch of the wire due to crimping.

[0019] According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the first control unit is configured to temporarily stop the press member from contacting the terminal until the press member reaches the target position, and the second control unit moves the gripping device in the transverse direction while the press member is temporarily stopped.

[0020] According to the above aspect, since the gripping device is moved while the press member is temporarily stopped, it is easy to control the timing of the movement of the press member and the movement of the gripping member to match.

[0021] According to the present invention, the influence of stretching of the electric wire due to crimping of the terminal can be suppressed, and the terminal can be crimped to the electric wire with higher quality.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of an electric wire processing apparatus; FIG. 2 is a side view of an F-side clamp; FIG. 3 is a front view of a crimping machine showing a state before a press member starts terminal crimping; FIG. 4 is a front view of a crimping machine showing a state after a press member has finished terminal crimping; FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a terminal crimping device; FIG. 6 is a flowchart of terminal crimping; FIG. 7 is a side view of an electric wire showing the movement of the electric wire when the terminal is crimped; FIG. 8 is a flowchart of terminal crimping in a second embodiment; FIG. 9 is a side view of an electric wire when the terminal is crimped in the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a terminal crimping device according to a third embodiment; FIG. 11 is a flowchart of terminal crimping in the third embodiment; FIG. 12 is a side view of an electric wire when the terminal is crimped in the third embodiment.

[0023] [First Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described. Fig. 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating the configuration of an electric wire processing apparatus 1 equipped with a terminal crimping device 8 according to one embodiment. In the following description, the right and left sides of Fig. 1 will be referred to as the front and rear sides, respectively. The upper and lower sides of Fig. 1 will be referred to as the left and right sides, respectively. However, these directions are merely defined for the sake of convenience in the description and do not in any way limit the installation position of the terminal crimping device according to the present invention.

[0024] The electric wire processing apparatus 1 includes a feeding device 2 that feeds out an electric wire 5, a clamp 3F that clamps the front end of the electric wire 5 fed by the feeding device 2, an elevating device 6F that moves the clamp 3F in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 5, i.e., in the up-and-down direction here, a crimping machine 4F that crimps a terminal 7 to the front end of the electric wire 5 clamped by the clamp 3F, a cutter device 10, a clamp 3R that clamps the rear end of the electric wire 5 in front of the cutter device 10, an elevating device 6R that moves the clamp 3R in the up-and-down direction, and a crimping machine 4R that crimps a terminal 7 to the rear end of the electric wire 5 clamped by the clamp 3R. Note that the clamps 3F and 3R clamp the front and rear ends of the electric wire 5, respectively, and therefore will be referred to as the F-side (front side) and R-side (rear side) clamps below as appropriate. The clamps 3F and 3R are examples of gripping devices that grip the electric wire 5. The lifting devices 6F and 6R move the F-side clamp 3F and the R-side clamp 3R in the up and down direction, respectively, and will be referred to as the F-side (front side) and R-side (rear side) lifting devices, respectively, hereinafter. The crimping machines 4F and 4R crimp the terminals 7 to the front end and rear end of the electric wire 5, respectively, and will be referred to as the F-side (front side) and R-side (rear side) crimping machines, respectively.

[0025] The configuration of the feeding device 2 is not limited in any way, but here, the feeding device 2 includes a pair of pulleys 2A arranged front and rear, and conveyor belts 2B wound around both pulleys 2A, one on each side. Although not shown, a motor is connected to at least one of the pulleys 2A. When this motor is driven, the pulley 2A rotates, and the conveyor belt 2B circulates. As a result, the electric wire 5 sandwiched between the left and right conveyor belts 2B is fed forward.

[0026] The electric wire 5 is a so-called coated electric wire, and includes a core wire 5a made of a conductor such as metal and an insulating material 5b such as resin surrounding the core wire 5a (see FIG. 6). The cutter device 10 has a cutting blade 11 for cutting the electric wire 5, a stripping blade 12F for stripping off the insulating material 5b from the front end of the electric wire 5 clamped by the F-side clamp 3F, and a stripping blade 12R for stripping off the insulating material 5b from the rear end of the electric wire 5 clamped by the R-side clamp 3R.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a side view of the F-side clamp 3F. As shown in FIG. 2, the F-side clamp 3F includes a front wall 13 having a hole 13a formed therein, a rear wall 14 having a hole 14a formed therein, a first block 16A disposed between the front wall 13 and the rear wall 14, a second block 16B disposed below the first block 16A, and a nozzle 15 extending forward from the front wall 13. The second block 16B is configured to be movable up and down, allowing it to move toward and away from the first block 16A. The rod 21 of an air cylinder 20F is connected to the second block 16B. The rod 21 of the air cylinder 20F extends and retracts by switching a solenoid valve 22F (see FIG. 4). By switching the solenoid valve 22F to extend and retract the rod 21, the second block 16B approaches or retracts from the first block 16A. When the second block 16B approaches the first block 16A, the first block 16A and the second block 16B clamp the electric wire 5. When the second block 16B moves away from the first block 16A, the first block 16A and the second block 16B release the clamping of the electric wire 5. The electric wire 5 is transported forward through the hole 14a in the rear wall 14, between the two blocks 16A and 16B, the hole 13a in the front wall 13, and the nozzle 15.

[0028] 2, the F-side clamp 3F is supported by a guide member 17, and a movement actuator 24F is connected to the guide member 17. The movement actuator 24F is configured to be able to move the F-side clamp 3F back and forth. There are no limitations on the configuration of the movement actuator 24F, and any known actuator such as a motor can be used.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the F-side lifting device 6F supports the F-side clamp 3F from below. The F-side lifting device 6F moves the F-side clamp 3F in the up-and-down direction. In this embodiment, the direction in which the press member 42F of the F-side crimping machine 4F moves is the up-and-down direction, and the direction in which the F-side lifting device 6F moves the F-side clamp 3F is approximately parallel to the drive direction of the press member 42F. If the press member 42F moves in another direction, the direction in which the F-side lifting device 6F moves the F-side clamp 3F may be approximately parallel to that direction.

[0030] The F-side lifting device 6F includes a guide rail 61F and an air cylinder 26F. The guide rail 61F extends vertically. The F-side clamp 3F is slidably engaged with the guide rail 61F. The air cylinder 26F includes a rod 27 that extends vertically. The rod 27 of the air cylinder 26F extends and contracts by switching a solenoid valve 28F (see FIG. 4). By switching the solenoid valve 28F to extend and contract the rod 27, the F-side clamp 3F moves vertically along the guide rail 61F. Here, the F-side lifting device 6F is configured to be able to move the F-side clamp 3F between an upper position P1 (see FIG. 6) and a lower position P2 (see FIG. 6) that is set lower than the upper position P1 (in the direction in which the press member 42F approaches the electric wire 5 and the terminal 7 during crimping).

[0031] The R-side clamp 3R and the R-side lifting device 6R may have the same configuration as the F-side clamp 3F and the F-side lifting device 6F, respectively. However, either or both of the R-side clamp 3R and the R-side lifting device 6R may have a configuration different from the F-side clamp 3F and the F-side lifting device 6F. The configurations of the F-side clamp 3F and the R-side clamp 3R are not limited as long as they grip the electric wire 5. The configurations of the F-side lifting device 6F and the R-side lifting device 6R are also not limited as long as they move the F-side clamp 3F and the R-side clamp 3R in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 5. Preferably, the F-side lifting device 6F and the R-side lifting device 6R move the F-side clamp 3F and the R-side clamp 3R in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 5.

[0032] The F-side crimping machine 4F and the R-side crimping machine 4R have the same configuration. Here, the F-side crimping machine 4F will be described, and a description of the R-side crimping machine 4R will be omitted. The F-side crimping machine 4F includes a press member 42F and an actuator 43F that drives the press member 42F. The press member 42F crimps a terminal 7 onto an electric wire 5 gripped by an F-side clamp 3F. FIG. 3A is a front view of the F-side crimping machine 4F, showing the press member 42F in its highest position, and FIG. 3B shows the press member 42F in its lowest position. FIG. 3A shows the state before the press member 42F starts terminal crimping, and FIG. 3B shows the state after the press member 42F has finished terminal crimping. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the crimping machine 4F includes an anvil 41F that supports the terminal 7 and a press member 42F that can move toward and away from the anvil 41F. Here, the press member 42F is configured to be able to move up and down. The press member 42F is a press body that presses the terminal 7 against the end of the electric wire 5 to bring the terminal 7 into close contact with the end of the electric wire 5. The actuator 43F raises and lowers the press member 42F. The configuration of the actuator 43F is not limited in any way, and any known actuator such as a hydraulic press can be used.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1 , the terminal crimping apparatus 8 includes a control device 9 that controls the clamps 3F, 3R, the crimping machines 4F, 4R, and the lifting devices 6F, 6R. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the terminal crimping apparatus 8. As shown in FIG. 4 , the terminal crimping apparatus 8 is connected to and controls the operation of the solenoid valve 22F of the F-side clamp 3F, the solenoid valve 22R of the R-side clamp 3R, the solenoid valve 28F of the F-side lifting device 6F, the solenoid valve 28R of the R-side lifting device 6R, the actuator 43F of the F-side crimping machine 4F, and the actuator 43R of the R-side crimping machine 4R. The control device 9 is a computer, including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like. The control device 9 may be a computer dedicated to the terminal crimping apparatus 8 or a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer. The control device 9 includes a press control unit 91, a lowering control unit 92, and an ascending control unit 93 as control units related to the crimping of the terminals 7. The control device 9 may further include other control units, but illustration and description thereof will be omitted here.

[0034] The press control unit 91 controls the actuators 43F of the crimping machines 4F, 4R to crimp the terminals 7 onto the wires 5. The press control unit 91 drives the press member 42F downward when crimping the terminals 7. The lowering control unit 92 moves the F-side clamp 3F from the upper position P1 to the lower position P2 in accordance with the downward movement of the press member 42F controlled by the press control unit 91. The ascent control unit 93 drives the F-side lifting device 6F to move the F-side clamp 3F upward during the period from when the press member 42F contacts the terminal 7 until it reaches the target position under the control of the press control unit 91. More specifically, the ascent control unit 93 drives the F-side lifting device 6F to move the F-side clamp 3F from the lower position P2 to the upper position P1 during the period from when the press member 42F contacts the terminal 7 until it reaches the target position under the control of the press control unit 91. The press control unit 91, lowering control unit 92, and raising control unit 93 are configured to perform similar control on the R-side clamp 3R, crimping machine 4R, and lifting device 6R. The target position here refers to the lowest point reached by the press member 42F when crimping the terminal 7, and will hereinafter also be referred to as the lowest point. When the direction of movement of the press member 42F when crimping the terminal 7 is a direction other than downward, the target position is the forward-most position in the direction of movement of the press member 42F. Moving the press member 42F to the target position will hereinafter also be referred to as "pressing the press member 42F all the way through."

[0035] Next, we will explain the operation of the electric wire processing device 1. First, the electric wire 5 is fed forward (to the right in FIG. 1 ) by the feeder 2. Next, the electric wire 5 is clamped by the F-side clamp 3F and the R-side clamp 3R and cut by the cutting blade 11 of the cutter device 10.

[0036] Next, the F-side clamp 3F pivots to the left (upper side in FIG. 1 ) while clamping the cut electric wire 5, and guides the front end of the electric wire 5 to the stripping blade 12F. Meanwhile, the R-side clamp 3R pivots to the right (lower side in FIG. 1 ) while clamping the electric wire 5, and guides the rear end of the electric wire 5 to the stripping blade 12R. Then, the insulation material at the ends of both electric wires 5 is stripped by the stripping blades 12F and 12R.

[0037] Thereafter, the F-side clamp 3F further pivots to the left while still clamping the electric wire 5, and leads the front end of the electric wire 5 in front of the F-side crimping machine 4F, as shown by the phantom lines in Fig. 1. The R-side clamp 3R further pivots to the right while still clamping the electric wire 5, and leads the rear end of the electric wire 5 in front of the R-side crimping machine 4R, as shown by the phantom lines in Fig. 1. Then, the crimping machines 4F, 4R crimp terminals 7 to the ends of the electric wires 5, respectively. The terminal crimping operation will be described in detail later.

[0038] Next, the F-side clamp 3F, while still clamping the electric wire 5 with the terminals 7 crimped thereon, returns to its initial position (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 ) facing the cutting blade 11, and releases the clamping of the electric wire 5. In other words, it releases the electric wire 5. The R-side clamp 3R, after releasing the electric wire 5 with the terminals 7 crimped thereon, returns to its initial position (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 ) facing the cutting blade 11. The electric wire 5 released by the R-side clamp 3R (the electric wire with terminals 7 crimped at both ends) falls and is collected in a tray (not shown). Thereafter, the above-mentioned operation is repeated. In this way, electric wires 5 with terminals 7 crimped at both ends are successively produced.

[0039] Next, the terminal crimping method will be described in detail. Here, the F-side terminal crimping will be described as an example, but the R-side terminal crimping is performed in a similar manner. However, this does not mean that the F-side terminal crimping and the R-side terminal crimping cannot be performed in different ways. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the terminal crimping process. As shown in FIG. 5 , in the F-side terminal crimping process, the F-side clamp 3F moves to a position just before the crimping machine 4F (not shown) and then advances while clamping the electric wire 5 until the end of the electric wire 5 overlaps the terminal 7 (step S01). In step S01, the F-side clamp 3F advances until the end of the electric wire 5 is inserted into the insertion portion 7a of the terminal 7 (see FIG. 6 ). At this time, the F-side clamp 3F is located at the upper position P1. However, the electric wire 5 may be moved from the side to above the terminal 7, for example, by moving laterally or rotating. Here, the terminal 7 is a so-called open barrel terminal, and the electric wire 5 can be inserted from the open side (here, from above).

[0040] In step S02, the actuator 43F of the crimping machine 4F is driven, and the press member 42F begins to descend toward the anvil 41F. Step S03 is initiated simultaneously with, immediately after, or immediately before step S02, and the F-side clamp 3F moves from the upper position P1 to the lower position P2 in accordance with the downward movement of the press member 42F. As a result, the wire 5 and the terminal 7 attached to the end of the wire 5 also move downward. When the F-side clamp 3F moves to the lower position P2, the terminal 7 comes into contact with the anvil 41F. When the press member 42F descends to a predetermined position, it comes into contact with the terminal 7 on the anvil 41F and begins to compress the terminal 7.

[0041] In step S04, the F-side lifting device 6F is driven to return the F-side clamp 3F to the upper position P1 while the terminal 7 is immovably held down by the press member 42F and the press member 42F has not yet fully compressed the terminal 7. As a result, the end of the terminal 7 and the electric wire 5 does not move, and the portion of the electric wire 5 behind the insertion portion into the terminal 7 moves upward.

[0042] FIG. 6 is a side view of the wire 5 showing the movement of the wire 5 in step S04. For clarity, the F-side crimping machine 4F is omitted in FIG. 6 , and the F-side clamp 3F is illustrated schematically. As shown in FIG. 6 , as the F-side clamp 3F rises, the distance between the F-side clamp 3F (the portion of the wire 5 held by the F-side clamp 3F) and the terminal 7 (the end of the wire 5) increases. If the wire 5 were not stretched by the terminal crimping, this movement would pull the wire 5 backward. In reality, the wire 5 gradually stretches as it is compressed by the press member 42F during the crimping of the terminal 7. By raising the F-side clamp 3F during the crimping of the terminal 7 and gradually increasing the distance between the F-side clamp 3F and the terminal 7 (the end of the wire 5), the stretch of the wire 5 is absorbed, and the impact of the stretch of the wire 5 is mitigated. If the stretch of the wire 5 is not absorbed, the wire 5 may buckle due to the stretch.

[0043] In step S05, the press member 42F is pressed down to its lowest position, causing the terminal 7 to deform until a portion of the terminal 7 pinches the end of the electric wire 5, and the terminal 7 comes into close contact with the electric wire 5. In step S06, the press member 42F is raised and separated from the terminal 7. In step S07, the electric wire 5 is retracted, completing the crimping process of the terminal 7.

[0044] The following describes the effects that can be achieved by the terminal crimping device 8 according to this embodiment. The terminal crimping device 8 according to this embodiment includes a clamp 3F that holds an electric wire 5, a crimping machine 4F that crimps a terminal 7 onto the electric wire 5 held by the clamp 3F, an elevator device 6F as a moving device that moves the clamp 3F in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 5, and a control device 9 that controls the clamp 3F, the crimping machine 4F, and the elevator device 6F. The crimping machine 4F includes a press member 42F and an actuator 43F that drives the press member 42F, and uses the press member 42F to crimp the terminal 7 onto the electric wire 5 held by the clamp 3F. The control device 9 includes a press control unit 91 that controls the actuator 43F to crimp the terminal 7 onto the electric wire 5, and an elevation control unit 93 that drives the elevation device 6F to move the clamp 3F in the intersecting direction from the time the press member 42F contacts the terminal 7 until it reaches the target position (here, the lowest point) under the control of the press control unit 91.

[0045] According to the terminal crimping device 8, the clamp 3F is moved in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 5 after the press member 42F comes into contact with the terminal 7 and before it reaches the target position. This movement of the clamp 3F in the intersecting direction absorbs the elongation of the electric wire 5 due to crimping. This makes it possible to suppress buckling of the electric wire 5 due to elongation during crimping.

[0046] In the method described in Patent Document 2, the wire 5 is released during crimping of the terminal, which can cause the wire to shift in position. However, in this embodiment, the wire 5 is not released, so the wire 5 is prevented from shifting in position. Furthermore, moving the clamp 3F in the cross direction to absorb the elongation of the wire 5 provides a higher degree of freedom for the wire 5 than moving the clamp 3F in the longitudinal direction of the wire 5 to absorb the elongation. Therefore, the movement amount of the clamp 3F can better follow the elongation of the wire 5 due to crimping. In the method described in Patent Document 1, the influence of wire elongation is reduced by moving the wire gripping device in the longitudinal direction of the wire. Therefore, the terminal crimping device 8 according to this embodiment can crimp the terminal 7 to the wire 5 with higher quality than conventional methods.

[0047] In this embodiment, the direction in which the clamp 3F is moved is approximately parallel to the driving direction of the press member 42F. Due to elongation caused by crimping, the electric wire 5 is likely to be subjected to a bending force in a direction approximately parallel to the driving direction of the press member 42F. Therefore, the terminal crimping device 8 according to this embodiment can more reliably absorb the elongation of the electric wire 5 caused by crimping. The "approximately parallel" direction to the driving direction of the press member 42F is, for example, a direction that deviates from the driving direction of the press member 42F by 10 degrees or less. However, the direction in which the clamp 3F is moved is not particularly limited as long as it is a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 5. The direction in which the clamp 3F is moved may be a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 5, for example, a left-right direction, or a direction oblique to the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 5.

[0048] In this embodiment, the direction in which the clamp 3F is moved is upward. The driving direction of the press member 42F is vertical. By driving the press member 42F vertically, the installation area of ​​the terminal crimping device 8 can be reduced. The direction in which the clamp 3F is moved may also be downward. The direction in which the clamp 3F is moved may be the same as the direction in which the press member 42F moves during crimping, or may be the opposite direction to the direction in which the press member 42F moves during crimping. When the driving direction of the press member 42F is vertical, the direction in which the clamp 3F is moved is preferably upward or downward.

[0049] In this embodiment, the lifting device 6F is configured to be able to move the clamp 3F between an upper position P1 and a lower position P2 set below the upper position P1. The control device 9 includes a lowering control unit 92 that moves the clamp 3F from the upper position P1 to the lower position P2 in accordance with the downward movement of the press member 42F controlled by the press control unit 91. The ascent control unit 93 drives the lifting device 6F to move the clamp 3F from the lower position P2 to the upper position P1 under the control of the press control unit 91, during the period from when the press member 42F contacts the terminal 7 until it reaches the target position. With this configuration, moving the clamp 3F from the upper position P1 to the lower position P2 in accordance with the downward movement of the press member 42F can suppress overload on the electric wire 5 due to crimping. Furthermore, moving the clamp 3F from the lower position P2 to the upper position P1 during the period from when the press member 42F contacts the terminal 7 until it reaches the target position can absorb stretch of the electric wire 5 due to crimping. In this embodiment, the electric wire 5 after being moved to the upper position P1 and crimped with the terminal is moved backward while being held at the upper position P1, thereby improving the efficiency of the process.

[0050] In this way, the terminal crimping device 8 according to this embodiment can suppress the influence of stretching of the electric wire 5 due to crimping of the terminal 7, and can crimp the terminal 7 to the electric wire 5 with higher quality.

[0051] [Second Embodiment] The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the way the clamp is moved during terminal crimping. In the following description of the second embodiment, components that perform the same functions as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted or simplified as appropriate. The same applies to the other embodiments.

[0052] Fig. 7 is a flowchart of the terminal crimping process in the second embodiment. Fig. 8 is a side view showing the movement of the wire 5 during terminal crimping in the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, in this embodiment, the lifting device 6F is configured to be able to move the clamp 3F to an upper position P1, an intermediate position P3 set below the upper position P1, and a lower position P2 set further below the intermediate position P3. To this end, the lifting device 6F may be equipped with, for example, two air cylinders.

[0053] 7, in the F-side terminal crimping of this embodiment, the F-side clamp 3F moves to a position just before the crimping machine 4F (not shown), and then advances while clamping the electric wire 5 until the end of the electric wire 5 overlaps the terminal 7 (step S11). As in the first embodiment, the electric wire 5 may be moved from the side to above the terminal 7. At this time, the F-side clamp 3F is located at the upper position P1. In step S12, the actuator 43F of the crimping machine 4F is driven, and the press member 42F begins to descend toward the anvil 41F. Steps S11 and S12 may be the same as steps S01 and S02 of the first embodiment, respectively.

[0054] Step S13 is started simultaneously with, immediately after, or immediately before step S02, and the F-side clamp 3F moves from the upper position P1 to the lower position P2 in accordance with the downward movement of the press member 42F. As a result, the wire 5 and the terminal 7 attached to the end of the wire 5 also move downward. When the F-side clamp 3F moves to the lower position P2, the terminal 7 comes into contact with the anvil 41F. When the press member 42F descends to a predetermined position, it comes into contact with the terminal 7 on the anvil 41F and begins to compress the terminal 7.

[0055] In step S14, the F-side lifting device 6F is driven to move the F-side clamp 3F to the intermediate position P3 while the terminal 7 is immovably held by the press member 42F and the press member 42F has not yet fully compressed the terminal 7. As a result, the end of the terminal 7 and the electric wire 5 does not move, and the portion of the electric wire 5 behind the insertion portion into the terminal 7 moves upward.

[0056] 8, by moving the F-side clamp 3F to the intermediate position P3, the distance between the F-side clamp 3F (the portion of the electric wire 5 gripped by the F-side clamp 3F) and the terminal 7 (the end of the electric wire 5) becomes longer, as in the first embodiment. This absorbs the elongation of the electric wire 5 during crimping of the terminal 7, and reduces the influence of the elongation of the electric wire 5.

[0057] In step S15, the press member 42F is pressed all the way down, and the terminal 7 is brought into close contact with the wire 5. In step S16, the press member 42F is raised and separated from the terminal 7. In step S17, the clamp 3F is raised and moved to the upper position P1. In step S18, the wire 5 is retracted, and the crimping process of the terminal 7 is completed.

[0058] In this embodiment, the lowering control unit 92 moves the clamp 3F from the upper position P1 to the lower position P2 in accordance with the downward movement of the press member 42F under the control of the press control unit 91. The ascent control unit 93 drives the lifting device 6F to move the clamp 3F from the lower position P2 to the intermediate position P3 under the control of the press control unit 91, during the period from when the press member 42F contacts the terminal 7 until it reaches the target position. With this configuration, the clamp 3F moves to the intermediate position P3 before the press member 42F reaches the target position. This reduces the movement time of the clamp 3F to proceed to the next process. Terminal crimping on the R side may be performed in the same manner as on the F side.

[0059] [Third Embodiment] In the third embodiment, while the terminal 7 is immobilized by the press member 42F, the clamp 3F is lifted a short distance and then made vertically movable. In this embodiment, the lifting device 6F is configured to make the clamp 3F vertically movable. To achieve this, the air cylinder 26F of the lifting device 6F may be, for example, an air cylinder that freely expands and contracts when air is not supplied. In this case, when making the clamp 3F vertically movable, the solenoid valve 28F is controlled to stop the supply of air to the air cylinder 26F and to exhaust the air.

[0060] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a terminal crimping device 8 according to the third embodiment. As shown in Fig. 9, the control device 9 of the terminal crimping device 8 according to the third embodiment includes a release control unit 94. After the clamp 3F has been moved upward under the control of the rise control unit 93 and before the press member 42F reaches the target position, the release control unit 94 drives the lifting device 6F to make the clamp 3F movable in the vertical direction.

[0061] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of terminal crimping in the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side view showing the movement of the electric wire 5 during terminal crimping in the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10 , in F-side terminal crimping in this embodiment, the F-side clamp 3F moves to a position just before the crimping machine 4F (not shown) and then advances while clamping the electric wire 5 until the end of the electric wire 5 overlaps the terminal 7 (step S21). As in the first and second embodiments, the electric wire 5 may be moved from the side above the terminal 7. At this time, the F-side clamp 3F is located at the upper position P1. In step S22, the actuator 43F of the crimping machine 4F is driven, and the press member 42F begins to descend toward the anvil 41F. Steps S21 and S22 may be the same as steps S01 and S02 in the first embodiment, respectively.

[0062] Step S23 is started simultaneously with, immediately after, or immediately before step S02, and the F-side clamp 3F moves from the upper position P1 to the lower position P2 in accordance with the downward movement of the press member 42F. As a result, the wire 5 and the terminal 7 attached to the end of the wire 5 also move downward. When the F-side clamp 3F moves to the lower position P2, the terminal 7 comes into contact with the anvil 41F. When the press member 42F descends to a predetermined position, it comes into contact with the terminal 7 on the anvil 41F and begins to compress the terminal 7.

[0063] In step S24, while the terminal 7 is immovably held by the press member 42F and the press member 42F has not yet fully compressed the terminal 7, the F-side lifting device 6F is driven to move the F-side clamp 3F slightly upward. In the following step S25, the clamp 3F is set to a state in which it is free to move in the vertical direction (see the double-headed arrow in FIG. 11 ). Hereinafter, the state in which the clamp 3F is free to move in the vertical direction is also referred to as the free state. By setting the clamp 3F to the free state, the amount of movement of the clamp 3F can be precisely tracked to the amount of elongation of the wire 5 due to terminal crimping. For example, when the amount of elongation of the wire 5 due to terminal crimping is large, the clamp 3F moves upward a greater distance. As a result, the effect of the amount of elongation of the wire 5 due to terminal crimping can be further reduced.

[0064] In step S26, the press member 42F is pressed all the way down, and the terminal 7 is brought into close contact with the wire 5. In step S27, the press member 42F is raised and separated from the terminal 7. In step S28, the clamp 3F is moved to the upper position P1. In step S29, the wire 5 is retracted, and the process of crimping the terminal 7 is completed.

[0065] [Other Embodiments] Several embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and various other embodiments are possible. Examples of other embodiments will be briefly described below.

[0066] The pressing member 42F may continue to descend toward the anvil 41F from the time it starts descending until it stops at its lowest point, or it may stop midway. For example, the pressing member 42F may stop its descent once it has compressed the terminal 7 to a certain extent and then descend to its lowest point. The clamp 3F may be raised while the pressing member 42F is temporarily stopped. That is, the press control unit 91 may be configured to temporarily stop the pressing member 42F from the time the pressing member 42F contacts the terminal 7 until it reaches the target position, and the raising control unit 93 may move the clamp 3F in the transverse direction (a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the wire 5) while the pressing member 42F is temporarily stopped. With this configuration, the clamp 3F is moved while the pressing member 42F is temporarily stopped, making it easy to control the timing of the movement of the pressing member 42F and the movement of the clamp 3F. For example, it is possible to prevent the timing of raising the clamp 3F from matching the movement of the press member 42F, causing the clamp 3F to start rising after the press member 42F has been pressed down or before the press member 42F comes into contact with the terminal 7.

[0067] The materials of the core wire 5a and the insulating material 5b of the electric wire 5 are not particularly limited. The core wire 5a may be made of, for example, copper or aluminum. An aluminum core wire tends to stretch more during terminal crimping than a copper core wire. Therefore, the terminal crimping device 8 according to the embodiment is particularly effective for electric wires 5 having aluminum core wires 5a.

[0068] In the above-described embodiment, the terminal 7 is an open barrel terminal into which the electric wire 5 can be inserted from above. However, there is no limitation on the type of the terminal 7. The terminal 7 may be a so-called closed barrel terminal.

[0069] In the above-described embodiment, the F-side and R-side clamps 3F, 3R are configured to move to positions in front of the F-side and R-side crimping machines 4F, 4R by pivoting, respectively. However, the manner in which the clamps 3F, 3R move is not limited in any way. For example, the F-side clamp 3F may be configured to move to a position in front of the F-side crimping machine 4F by sliding left and right without changing its orientation. Similarly, the R-side clamp 3R may be configured to move to a position in front of the R-side crimping machine 4R by sliding left and right without changing its orientation.

[0070] The gripping device that grips the electric wire 5 is not limited to the clamps 3F and 3R. The gripping device may be any device that can grip the electric wire 5, and is not limited to a device that clamps the electric wire 5. For example, the gripping device may be a device configured to grip the electric wire 5. The gripping device and the moving device that moves the electric wire 5 in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction are not limited to those driven by air cylinders. The gripping device and the moving device may use, for example, a hydraulic cylinder instead of an air cylinder. Furthermore, they may use a motor, an electric actuator, or the like.

[0071] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric wire processing device 3F, 3R Clamp (gripping device) 4F, 4R Crimping machine 5 Electric wire 6F, 6R Lifting device (moving device) 7 Terminal 8 Terminal crimping device 9 Control device 42F Press member 43F Actuator 91 Press control section (first control section) 92 Lowering control section (third control section) 93 Ascending control section (second control section) 94 Release control section (fourth control section) P1 Upper position (first position) P2 Lower position (second position) P3 Intermediate position

Claims

1. A gripping device for gripping an electric wire, a crimping machine including a pressing member and an actuator for driving the pressing member, and crimping a terminal to the electric wire gripped by the gripping device with the pressing member, a moving device for moving the gripping device in a crossing direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the electric wire, and a control device for controlling the gripping device, the crimping machine, and the moving device, wherein the control device includes a first control unit that controls the actuator to crimp the terminal to the electric wire, and a second control unit that drives the moving device to move the gripping device in the crossing direction between when the pressing member contacts the terminal and reaches a target position under the control of the first control unit. A terminal crimping device.

2. The crossing direction is substantially parallel to the driving direction of the pressing member. The terminal crimping device according to Claim 1.

3. The crossing direction is upward or downward. The terminal crimping device according to Claim 2.

4. When the direction in which the pressing member approaches the electric wire and the terminal is defined as the approaching direction, the moving device is configured to be able to move the gripping device to a first position and a second position set in the approaching direction from the first position, the control device includes a third control unit that moves the gripping device from the first position to the second position in accordance with the movement of the pressing member in the approaching direction under the control of the first control unit, and the second control unit drives the moving device to move the gripping device from the second position to the first position between when the pressing member contacts the terminal and reaches the target position under the control of the first control unit. The terminal crimping device according to Claim 2 or 3.

5. When the direction in which the pressing member approaches the electric wire and the terminal is defined as the approaching direction, the moving device is configured to be able to move the gripping device to a first position, an intermediate position set in the approaching direction from the first position, and a second position set further in the approaching direction from the intermediate position, and the control device includes a third control unit that moves the gripping device from the first position to the second position in accordance with the movement of the pressing member in the approaching direction under the control of the first control unit. After the press member contacts the terminal under the control of the first control unit and before reaching the target position, the second control unit drives the moving device to move the gripping device from the second position to the intermediate position. The terminal crimping device according to claim 2 or 3.

6. The moving device is configured to be able to move the gripping device in the intersecting direction. After the gripping device is moved in the intersecting direction under the control of the second control unit and before the press member reaches the target position, the control device includes a fourth control unit that drives the moving device to make the gripping device movable in the intersecting direction. The terminal crimping device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. The first control unit is configured to temporarily stop the press member after the press member contacts the terminal and before reaching the target position. The second control unit moves the gripping device in the intersecting direction when the press member is temporarily stopped. The terminal crimping device according to claim 1.