Terminal crimping unit and terminal crimping method

Abstract

A connector terminal (W11) is crimped to a harness wire (W12) while reducing various burdens on a worker. A terminal crimping unit (1) is characterized by comprising: a length measurement part (11); a conveying part (12); a peeling part (13); a crimping part (14); a crimping-checking part (21) that performs a crimping-checking process on the basis of a post-crimping image obtained by imaging an electric wire end portion (W121) to which the connector terminal (W11) has been crimped; and a selective discarding part (23) that performs a selective discarding process for sending a harness wire (W12) that satisfies a crimping standard to a post-process, and discarding a harness wire (W12) that does not satisfy the crimping standard.

Description

Terminal crimping unit and terminal crimping method

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal crimping unit and a terminal crimping method for crimping a connector terminal onto an electric wire for a harness.

[0002] Conventionally, a terminal crimping unit that crimps connector terminals onto electric wires for the harness has been used in the manufacture of wire harnesses having connectors at their ends (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the terminal crimping unit described in Patent Document 1, an operator sets electric wires for the harness cut out in a previous process and crimps the terminals.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-306257

[0004] With the above-described terminal crimping unit, the tasks of cutting out the harness wires before crimping and setting them into the terminal crimping unit tend to be burdensome for the worker, and the burden increases as the number of wires increases.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a terminal crimping unit and a terminal crimping method that can crimp connector terminals to harness wires while reducing the various burdens on the worker.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the terminal crimping unit includes a measuring section that sequentially cuts out a plurality of harness wires by repeating a measuring process of pulling out and cutting the wire to the required length; a conveying section that sequentially receives the harness wires from the measuring section and conveys them along a predetermined conveying route while gripping at least one of the wire ends; a stripping section that performs a stripping process on the harness wires conveyed along the conveying route by removing the tip coating from the wire end to expose the core wire; and a terminal crimping section that is arranged downstream of the stripping section on the conveying route and that crimps connector terminals onto the wire end from which the core wire is exposed for the harness wires conveyed through the stripping section. a crimping confirmation unit that is arranged downstream of the crimping unit on the conveying route and that performs a crimping confirmation process for photographing the end of the electric wire to which the connector terminal is crimped, and for determining whether or not a predetermined crimping standard is met based on the photographed post-crimping image, for the electric harness wires conveyed through the crimping unit; and a selective discard unit that is arranged downstream of the crimping confirmation unit on the conveying route and that performs a selective discard process for the electric harness wires conveyed through the crimping confirmation unit and that passes the electric harness wires that meet the crimping standard to a subsequent process and discards the electric harness wires that do not meet the crimping standard.

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the terminal crimping method includes a length measuring step of sequentially cutting out a plurality of harness wires by repeating a length measuring process of pulling out and cutting the wire by a required length; a conveying step of gripping at least one of the harness wires by an end portion and transferring the harness wire to a conveying unit that conveys the harness wire along a predetermined conveying route, and causing the conveying unit to convey the harness wire; a stripping step of removing the tip coating of the end portion of the harness wire conveyed along the conveying route to expose the core wire; and a terminal crimping step of removing the harness wire conveyed after the stripping step. a crimping confirmation process for photographing the end of the harness electric wire, to which the connector terminal is crimped, of the harness electric wire conveyed through the crimping process, and determining whether or not a predetermined crimping standard is met based on the photographed image after crimping; and a selective disposal process for transferring the harness electric wires that meet the crimping standard to a subsequent process, and discarding the harness electric wires that do not meet the crimping standard, from among the harness electric wires conveyed through the crimping confirmation process.

[0008] According to the above terminal crimping unit and terminal crimping method, it is possible to crimp a connector terminal to a harness wire while reducing various burdens on the worker.

[0009] 1 is a perspective view showing a terminal crimping unit according to one embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram showing the terminal crimping unit shown in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view showing the mechanical parts of the measurement unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is a diagram showing how the harness wire is pulled out in a U-shaped bent state in the measurement unit shown in FIG. 3. It is a schematic view showing the conveying unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is a perspective view showing each mechanical part from the trimming unit to the pre-crimping photographing unit inside the first unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is a schematic view showing how a series of processes are performed by the trimming unit to the pre-crimping photographing unit shown in FIG. 6. It is a perspective view showing the second unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is a perspective view showing the mechanical parts of the crimping unit inside the second unit shown in FIG. 8. It is a schematic view showing how a series of processes are performed by the crimping unit shown in FIG. 9. It is a perspective view showing the third unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with some covers removed so that the crimping confirmation unit to the selective disposal unit can be seen. It is a schematic view showing how a series of processes are performed by the crimping confirmation unit and the terminal rotation unit shown in FIG. 11. It is a schematic view showing how a series of processes are performed by the selective disposal unit shown in FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the wire setting unit shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. It is a perspective view showing the state of processing by the holder moving unit shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. It is a schematic flowchart showing the flow of processing of the terminal crimping method executed by the terminal crimping unit shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 15.

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a terminal crimping unit and a terminal crimping method will be described.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a terminal crimping unit according to one embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the terminal crimping unit shown in FIG.

[0012] The terminal crimping unit 1 of this embodiment is, for example, a work unit for manufacturing terminal-fitted electric wires W1 that constitute a wire harness to be installed and routed in a vehicle or the like. In this terminal crimping unit 1, a required length of harness electric wire W12 is cut out from a wire reel 111 stored in an electric wire storage section 11, and connector terminals W11 are crimped to both ends of the wire to manufacture the terminal-fitted electric wire W1. The number of terminal-fitted electric wires W1 required to manufacture one wire harness is manufactured, and the terminal-fitted electric wires W1 are set in a rod-shaped electric wire holder 241 so that both ends in a U-shaped bent state are held. Once the entire number of terminal-fitted electric wires W1 have been set, the electric wire holder 241 with the wires set therein is removed from the terminal crimping unit 1 by an operator Y1.

[0013] This terminal crimping unit 1 includes a wire storage section 11, a measuring section 12, a transport section 13, a trimming section 14, an oil application section 15, a rubber stopper insertion section 16, and a stripping section 17. The terminal crimping unit 1 also includes a pre-crimping photographing section 18, a crimping section 19, a crimping confirmation section 21, a terminal rotation section 22, a selective disposal section 23, a wire setting section 24, and a holder moving section 25. The trimming section 14, the oil application section 15, the rubber stopper insertion section 16, the stripping section 17, and the pre-crimping photographing section 18 are housed in a first unit 1a, and the crimping section 19 is housed in a second unit 1b. The crimping confirmation section 21, the terminal rotation section 22, and the selective disposal section 23 are housed in a third unit 1c. The conveying section 13 passes through the first unit 1a, the second unit 1b, and the third unit 1c to connect the length measuring section 12 and the wire setting section 24. Each section will be described below with reference to other drawings.

[0014] The wire storage section 11 is a storage shelf for wire reels 111, and stores a plurality of wire reels 111, including those with different thicknesses, etc. Among the plurality of wire reels 111, those to be used for the wire harness to be manufactured are selected, and the wire is pulled out from each selected wire reel 111 and pulled into the length measuring section 12 of the terminal crimping unit 1.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a mechanical part of the measuring unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 4 is a view showing how the harness wire is pulled out in a U-shaped bent state in the measuring unit shown in FIG.

[0016] The measuring unit 12 is a part that sequentially cuts out a plurality of harness electric wires W12 by repeating a measuring process of pulling out and cutting the required length of the electric wire 111a from the electric wire reel 111. The measuring unit 12 cuts out the harness electric wire W12 in a bent U-shape, and includes an electric wire pull-out mechanism 121 and a U-shape bending and turning mechanism 122. The electric wire pull-out mechanism 121 is a mechanical part that pulls out the electric wire 111a from the electric wire reel 111 while measuring the pull-out length. The U-shape bending and turning mechanism 122 is a mechanical part that bends the electric wire 111a into a U-shape by rotating a tip chuck 122a that grips the pull-out end portion 111a-1 of the pulled-out electric wire 111a by 180° in the turning direction D11 using a turn drive mechanism 122b. While bending the electric wire 111a in this manner by the U-shape bending and turning mechanism 122, the electric wire drawing mechanism 121 draws out the electric wire 111a until the drawing length reaches the required length. When the drawing length reaches the required length, the cutting chuck 121a in the electric wire drawing mechanism 121 cuts the electric wire 111a and grips the cut end, thereby cutting out the electric wire for a harness W12 in a U-shaped bent state. The cutting chuck 121a is installed at a position 180° away from the tip chuck 122a after rotation in the turning direction D11. The electric wires for a harness W12 cut out sequentially by the measuring unit 12 are delivered to the conveying unit 13 sequentially in the cutting order while still in a U-shaped bent state.

[0017] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the conveying section shown in FIGS.

[0018] The conveying unit 13 is a part that sequentially receives the harness electric wires W12 from the measuring unit 12, grips the wire end W121, and conveys the wires along a predetermined conveying route R11. As described above, the measuring unit 12 cuts out the harness electric wires W12 in a U-shaped bent state. The conveying unit 13 receives the harness electric wires W12 in the U-shaped bent state, grips the wire end W121 at both ends, and conveys the wires in the U-shaped bent state. The conveying unit 13 includes a wire conveying chuck 131 and a wire conveying mechanism 132.

[0019] The wire transport chuck 131 is a mechanism that grips and removes the wire end portions W121 at both ends of the harness wire W12 that are gripped by the tip chuck 122a and the cutting chuck 121a immediately after being cut by the measuring unit 12, and transports them to the wire transport mechanism 132. The wire transport chuck 131 includes a pair of chuck portions 131a that grip both ends of the harness wire W12, and a chuck drive mechanism 131b that drives the pair of chuck portions 131a and moves them back and forth between the measuring unit 12 and the wire transport mechanism 132.

[0020] The wire conveying mechanism 132 is a part that grips the ends of the harness wires W12 that are sequentially conveyed by the wire conveying chucks 131 and conveys them along the conveying route R11 to the wire setting unit 24. The wire conveying mechanism 132 receives the harness wires W12 in a U-shaped bent state from the wire conveying chucks 131. The wire conveying mechanism 132 then grips the wire end portions W121 at both ends of the U-shaped harness wires W12 so that they are aligned in a row along the conveying route R11, thereby conveying the harness wires W12 in a U-shaped bent state.

[0021] The conveying route R11 is a route that circulates in a rectangular loop with the long side direction from the measuring unit 12 to the wire setting unit 24. The wire conveying mechanism 132 has a conveying rail 132a that is arranged along the upper side of the rectangular loop-shaped conveying route R11 in the up-down direction D12 of the terminal crimping unit 1. The components from the measuring unit 12 to the wire setting unit 24 are arranged above this conveying rail 132a along the upper side of the conveying route R11.

[0022] The wire transport mechanism 132 includes a plurality of transport chucks 133 that move in a circular motion along the transport route R11. The plurality of transport chucks 133 are arranged in a row along the transport route R11 at regular intervals, and a pair of transport chucks 133 move while gripping the wire end W121 at both ends of one harness wire W12. When each transport chuck 133 moves to the wire setting unit 24, it releases the wire end W121 and disengages from the transport rail 132a, returns empty below the transport rail 132a to the vicinity of the length measuring unit 12, and then returns to the transport rail 132a again. If there are still harness wires W12 to be transported, the transport chuck 133 receives the wire end W121 from the wire transport chuck 131 at its returned destination and moves along the transport route R11.

[0023] The harness wire W12 conveyed by the conveying section 13 undergoes a series of processes from the trimming section 14 to the pre-crimping photographing section 18 while being conveyed inside the first unit 1a.

[0024] Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the respective mechanical parts from the trimming section to the pre-crimping photographing section inside the first unit shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a series of processes performed by the trimming section to the pre-crimping photographing section shown in Fig. 6.

[0025] The trimming unit 14 is located upstream of the oil application unit 15 to the pre-crimping photography unit 18 on the conveyance route R11, and performs the following trimming process on the harness electric wires W12 that are gripped by the conveyance chuck 133 and conveyed along the conveyance route R11. The trimming process is a process of trimming and aligning the tips of the electric wire ends W121 that are conveyed in a line along the conveyance route R11 so that they are aligned at a predetermined tip position P11. The trimming unit 14 includes a cutting mechanism 141 that trims and aligns the tips of the electric wire ends W121 and a cutting drive mechanism 142 that drives the cutting mechanism 141. The cutting drive mechanism 142 moves the cutting blade 141a of the cutting mechanism 141 in the cutting direction D13 at the predetermined tip position P11, thereby trimming and aligning the electric wire ends W121 at the tip position P11. The electric wire ends W121 that have undergone the trimming process are sent to the oil application unit 15.

[0026] The oil application section 15 is disposed upstream of the rubber plug insertion section 16 on the transport route R11, and applies oil to the harness electric wires W12 before the rubber plugs are inserted.

[0027] Here, the wire storage section 11 stores a plurality of types of wire reels 111 with different diameters, etc. The rubber plug insertion section 16 is capable of inserting a plurality of types of rubber plugs W13 with different hole diameters, etc., into the wire end W121 of the harness wire W12 for those wires W12 that require the insertion of a rubber plug W13. Depending on the combination of the wire reel 111, i.e., the type of harness wire W12 cut out from the reel, and the type of rubber plug W13 to be inserted, friction between the two may be so great that it may be difficult to insert the rubber plug W13. In the oil application section 15, those wires that are difficult to insert the rubber plug W13 into are designated as wires to be lubricated with lubricating oil.

[0028] The oil application unit 15 then performs an oil application process on the designated electric wire to be lubricated, applying lubricating oil to the electric wire end W121 before the rubber plug insertion process. The oil application unit 15 applies the lubricating oil by clamping the electric wire end W121 with a pair of gripping pieces 151 impregnated with lubricating oil. The oil application unit 15 includes the pair of gripping pieces 151 and an oil application drive mechanism 152 that drives one of the gripping pieces 151 in a clamping direction D14 relative to the electric wire end W121. The electric wire to be lubricated is sent to the rubber plug insertion unit 16 while undergoing this oil application process.

[0029] The rubber stopper insertion unit 16 is located upstream of the crimping unit 19 on the conveying route R11, specifically upstream of the stripping unit 17, and performs the rubber stopper insertion process. The rubber stopper insertion process is performed by designating harness electric wires W12 to be used in waterproof connectors, etc., as wires to be inserted with rubber stoppers W13, and inserting the rubber stoppers W13 into the wire ends W121 of the designated rubber stopper-target electric wires. For lubrication-target electric wires designated as wires to be lubricated with lubricating oil, the rubber stopper insertion process is performed after the oil application process described above. The rubber stopper insertion unit 16 that performs the rubber stopper insertion process includes multiple insertion mechanisms 161 and an insertion drive mechanism 162. The multiple insertion mechanisms 161 are multiple mechanical parts that hold various types of rubber stoppers W13 and insert them into the wire ends W121. The insertion drive mechanism 162 is a mechanical part that drives each insertion mechanism 161 in the vertical direction D12 to an insertion position for the wire end W121 to be inserted, and also drives it in the insertion direction D15 to insert the rubber plug W13 into the wire end W121. For wires to be rubber plugged and wires to be lubricated, the wire end W121 is sent to the stripping section 17 after processing in the rubber plug insertion section 16. For other harness wires W12, the wire end W121 is sent to the stripping section 17 without being subjected to the oil application process and the rubber plug insertion process.

[0030] The stripping unit 17 is disposed upstream of the crimping unit 19 on the conveying route R11 and downstream of the rubber plug insertion unit 16, and performs a stripping process on the conveyed harness wire W12 by removing the tip coating W121b of the wire end W121 to expose the core wire W121a. The stripping unit 17 includes a pair of stripping blades 171 that clamp and cut off the tip coating W121b to remove it, and a stripping drive mechanism 172 that drives the pair of stripping blades 171 in the stripping direction D16. The harness wire W12 that has been processed by the stripping unit 17 is subjected to a pre-crimping photographing process by the pre-crimping photographing unit 18 at the same position.

[0031] The pre-crimping photography unit 18 is a part that is disposed at the same position as the stripping unit 17 on the conveying route R11. The pre-crimping photography unit 18 performs pre-crimping photography on the harness electric wire W12 that has been gripped by the conveying chuck 133 and passed through the stripping unit 17, before the crimping process in the crimping unit 19. The pre-crimping photography is a process of photographing the wire end W121 in which the tip coating W121b has been removed to expose the core wire W121a and, in designated cases, a rubber stopper W13 has been inserted, to obtain a pre-crimping image G11. The pre-crimping photography unit 18 includes a pre-crimping camera 181 for photography and a pre-crimping image display unit 182 that displays the pre-crimping image G11. The pre-crimping image G11 photographed here is sent as image data to the crimping confirmation unit 21, where a determination unit 213 (described later) in the crimping confirmation unit 21 determines whether or not the stripping criteria are met. The harness wire W12 having the photographed wire end W121 exits the first unit 1a and is sent to the second unit 1b, where it is subjected to crimping processing by the crimping section 19 while being transported inside the second unit 1b.

[0032] Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the second unit shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the mechanism of the crimping unit inside the second unit shown in Fig. 8, and Fig. 10 is a schematic view showing a series of processes performed by the crimping unit shown in Fig. 9.

[0033] The crimping unit 19 is disposed downstream of the stripping unit 17 on the conveying route R11 and performs a crimping process on the harness electric wires W12 conveyed through the stripping unit 17. The crimping unit 19 includes a terminal holding unit 191 that holds multiple types of connector terminals W11 of different sizes in an expanded state before crimping, and multiple crimping mechanisms 192 provided corresponding to each type of connector terminal W11. The crimping unit 19 also includes a servo motor 193 as a common drive source for the multiple crimping mechanisms 192. The multiple crimping mechanisms 192 are arranged in a line along the conveying route R11. In the crimping process in the crimping unit 19, the crimping mechanism 192 at the position where the electric wire end W12 corresponding to the type of connector terminal W11 to be crimped arrives performs the crimping process. In this crimping process, the connector terminal W11 is crimped onto the electric wire end W121 with the core wire W121a exposed. At this time, the connector terminal W11 is crimped onto the rubber stopper target electric wire with the rubber stopper W13 inserted into the electric wire end W121 through the rubber stopper. Each crimping mechanism 192 includes an anvil 192a, a crimper 192b, and a clutch 192c as a drive transmission mechanism. The anvil 192a is a portion on which the connector terminal W13 in an unfolded state is placed with the electric wire end W121 placed on its upper surface. The crimper 192b is a portion that sandwiches the connector terminal W13 and the electric wire end W121 between itself and the anvil 192a to deform the connector terminal W13 and perform crimping. The clutch 192c is a portion that transmits driving force from the servo motor 193 to the crimper 192b. The crimper 192b, having received the driving force from the clutch 192c, descends toward the anvil 192a to perform crimping. The harness wire W12 that has been processed in this crimping section 19 leaves the second unit 1b and is sent to the third unit 1c, and while being transported inside this third unit 1c, it undergoes a series of processes from the crimping confirmation section 21 to the selection and disposal section 23.

[0034] Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the third unit shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 with some covers removed so that the crimping confirmation unit to the selective disposal unit can be seen. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a series of processes performed by the crimping confirmation unit and terminal rotation unit shown in Fig. 11, and Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the process performed by the selective disposal unit shown in Fig. 11.

[0035] The crimping confirmation unit 21 is disposed downstream of the crimping unit 19 on the conveying route R11 and performs a crimping confirmation process on the harness electric wire W12 conveyed through the crimping unit 19. In the crimping confirmation process, first, an image of the electric wire end W121 to which the connector terminal W11 is crimped is taken. Then, based on the captured post-crimping image G12, it is determined whether or not a predetermined crimping standard is met. The crimping confirmation unit 21 includes a post-crimping camera 211 for taking images, a post-crimping image display unit 212 for displaying the post-crimping image G12, and a determination unit 213 for performing a determination process. The post-crimping camera 211 takes an image of the crimped electric wire end W121 being held and conveyed by the conveying chuck 133 when it reaches directly below the camera. The captured post-crimping image G12 is displayed on the post-crimping image display unit 212 and sent as image data to the determination unit 213. The determination unit 213 determines whether or not the crimping criteria are met based on the post-crimping image G12 sent from the post-crimping camera 211. The determination result regarding the crimping criteria is sent to the selection and disposal unit 23 together with the determination result regarding the peeling criteria based on the pre-crimping image G11 from the pre-crimping photographing unit 18 described above.

[0036] The terminal rotation unit 22 is located at a position downstream of the crimping confirmation unit 21 on the conveying route R11, specifically between the crimping confirmation unit 21 and the selective disposal unit 23. The terminal rotation unit 22 performs a terminal rotation process on a rotation target electric wire among the harness electric wires W12 conveyed through the crimping confirmation unit 21. The rotation target electric wire is an electric wire that is used in a subsequent process, such as insertion into a cavity of a connector housing, in a position where the connector terminal W11 is rotated about the axis W11a of the connector terminal W11 from the position at the time of crimping in the crimping unit 19. In the terminal rotation process, the rotation target electric wire is specified, and the connector terminal W11 is rotated in a rotation direction D17 about the axis W11a. The terminal rotation unit 22 includes a rotation chuck 221 and a rotation drive mechanism 222. When the wire end W121 of the rotation target electric wire is gripped by the transport chuck 133 and transported, the rotary chuck 221 grips a portion of the wire end W121 in the vicinity of the connector terminal W11. The rotation drive mechanism 222 performs the terminal rotation process by rotating the rotary chuck 221 gripping the wire end W121 in a rotation direction D17. In this embodiment, the rotational posture of the rotation target electric wire is an inverted posture in which the connector terminal W11 is inverted 180° about the axis W11a from the posture at the time of crimping. The rotation drive mechanism 222 inverts the connector terminal W11 by rotating the rotary chuck 221 gripping the wire end W121 by 180° in the rotation direction D17.

[0037] The selective discard unit 23 is disposed downstream of the crimping confirmation unit 21 on the conveying route R11, specifically downstream of the terminal rotation unit 22, and performs selective discarding on the harness electric wires W12 conveyed through the crimping confirmation unit 21 and the terminal rotation unit 22. In the selective discarding, the harness electric wires W12 determined by the determination unit 123 to satisfy both the stripping standard and the crimping standard are delivered by the conveying unit 13 as acceptable terminal-attached electric wires W1 to the wire setting unit 24, which performs the wire setting process as a subsequent process. On the other hand, the harness electric wires W12 determined not to satisfy at least one of the stripping standard and the crimping standard are discarded as unacceptable terminal-attached electric wires W1. The selective discarding unit 23 includes a discarding mechanism 231 that removes and picks up the wire end portions W121 at both ends of the unacceptable terminal-attached electric wires W1 from the conveying chucks 133, carries them to a discarding position 231a, and discards them.

[0038] FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the electric wire setting portion shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

[0039] The wire setting unit 24 is located downstream of the selective disposal unit 23 on the conveying route R11, i.e., at the end of the conveying route R11, and is a portion that performs wire setting processing on harness wires W12 that meet the crimping standards and are conveyed along this conveying route R11. The harness wires W12 to be processed in this wire setting processing are approved terminal-attached wires W1 that have connector terminals W11 crimped to the wire end portions W121 at both ends and are conveyed in a U-shaped bent state. In the wire setting processing, the wire end portions W121 at both ends of this U-shaped terminal-attached wire W1 are removed from the conveying route R11 and conveyed to and held by a rod-shaped wire holder 241.

[0040] The electric wire setting unit 24 includes two pairs of setting mechanisms 242 that remove the electric wire end portions W121 at both ends of one electric wire W1 with terminals from the conveying chuck 133 in the conveying unit 13 and carry them to holding positions in the electric wire holder 241 to hold them. The rod-shaped electric wire holder 241 has a plurality of slits 241a formed in a row in the rod length direction D18, into which the harness electric wires W12 of the electric wire W1 with terminals can be inserted. The pair of setting mechanisms 242 inserts and holds the electric wire end portions W121 in a pair of slits 241a designated in advance for each electric wire W1 with terminals. If the distance between the pair of designated slits 241a is such that the pair of setting mechanisms 242 can be inserted when the pair of setting mechanisms 242 are lined up, the electric wire end portions W121 at both ends of the electric wire W1 with terminals are set simultaneously. In this embodiment, two pairs of setting mechanisms 242 are provided, so that simultaneous setting of both ends can be performed on up to two terminal-attached electric wires W1. On the other hand, if the distance between the specified pair of slits 241a is too wide or too narrow, each wire end W121 is set individually by the corresponding setting mechanism 242. The wire setting unit 24 includes a setting drive mechanism 243 that moves the two sets of setting mechanisms 242 back and forth between the conveying chuck 133 and the slits 241a of the wire holder 241 along the setting movement direction D19. This wire setting process by the wire setting unit 24 continues until all of the terminal-attached electric wires W1 to be manufactured are set in the wire holders 241. When all of the terminal-attached electric wires W1 have been set, the holder movement unit 25 processes the wire holders 241 that have held the electric wires.

[0041] FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the processing performed by the holder moving unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

[0042] The holder moving unit 25 is disposed adjacent to the wire setting unit 24. The holder moving unit 25 performs a holder moving process on the wire holder 241 that has held all of the harness wires W12 that have been subjected to the wire setting process in the wire setting unit 24 and meet the crimping criteria, i.e., the terminal-attached wires W1, for the production target. The holder moving process is a process of moving the wire holder 241 that has held all of the wires to the payout position 251 shown in FIG. 1 . Here, during the wire setting process in the wire setting unit 24, the wire holder 241 is disposed with the slit 241 a facing upward so that the setting mechanism 242 of the wire setting unit 24 can access the wire holder 241 from above and insert the wire end W121 into the slit 241 a. Therefore, after the wire setting, each terminal-attached wire W1 is held in a state where the wire end W121 is bent 90° and hanging down near the slit 241 a. In the holder moving process, the holder moving unit 25 tilts the wire holder 241 sideways by 90° in the tilting direction D20 so that the bend at the wire end W121 of each terminal-attached wire W1 is eliminated and the wire ends W121 hang straight down to form a U-shape. In the holder moving process, the wire holder 241 is then slid in a dispensing direction D21 that intersects with the wire holder 241 to a dispensing position 251, where the wires are temporarily stored.

[0043] This holder moving process is performed every time a wire setting process is performed in the wire setting section 24, and the wire holders 241 that have already held a plurality of wires are stored in parallel rows at the discharge position 251. The wire holders 241 are taken out of the discharge position 251 by an operator at an appropriate work timing and carried to a unit or the like that performs a post-process such as insertion into a cavity of a connector housing.

[0044] Next, the terminal crimping method executed by the terminal crimping unit 1 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 15 and FIG. 16 below, although some of the description will overlap with the description so far.

[0045] FIG. 16 is a schematic flowchart showing the flow of processing in the terminal crimping method executed by the terminal crimping unit shown in FIGS.

[0046] The process of the terminal crimping method shown in the flowchart of Fig. 16 starts when an operator inputs the product number of the target wire into an input device such as a personal computer (PC) and performs a predetermined start operation on the input device. When the process starts, a length measuring step S101 is executed in which the length measuring unit 12 repeatedly pulls out and cuts the wire 111a to the required length, thereby sequentially cutting out a plurality of harness wires W12. Next, a conveying step S102 is executed in which the harness wire W12 is gripped by the wire end portions W121 at both ends and handed over to the conveying unit 13, which conveys the harness wire W12 along a predetermined conveying route R11. The subsequent oil application step S103 and rubber plug insertion step S104 are executed for those harness wires W12 designated as rubber plug-requiring wires among the harness wires W12 conveyed along the conveying route R11. The oil application step S103 is also performed on those electric wires designated as those to be lubricated among the electric wires to be rubber plugged.

[0047] In the oil application step S103, lubricating oil is applied to the wire end W121 of the designated electric wire to be lubricated before the rubber plug insertion step S104. In the rubber plug insertion step S104, a rubber plug W13 is inserted into the wire end W121 of the designated electric wire to be lubricated.

[0048] Next, a stripping process S105 is performed in which the tip coating W121b of the wire end W121 of the harness wire W12 conveyed along the conveying route R11 is removed to expose the core wire W121a. A pre-crimping confirmation process S106 is performed in which the wire end W121 from which the tip coating W121b of the harness wire W121 has been removed after the stripping process S105 is photographed before the crimping process S107 to obtain a pre-crimping image G11 and determine whether or not a predetermined stripping standard is met. In the crimping process S107 following the pre-crimping confirmation process S106, a connector terminal W11 is crimped to the wire end W121 from which the core wire W121a of the harness wire W12 conveyed through the stripping process S105 and the pre-crimping confirmation process S106 is exposed.

[0049] Next, a crimping confirmation step S108 is executed for the wire end W121 to which the connector terminal W11 is crimped of the harness wire W12 conveyed through the crimping step S107. In the crimping confirmation step S108, a post-crimping image G12 of the crimped wire end W121 is captured, and it is determined whether or not the crimping meets predetermined crimping standards.

[0050] The terminal rotation step S109 following the crimping confirmation step S108 is performed on those designated as rotation target electric wires among the harness electric wires W12 conveyed through the crimping step S107. The rotation target electric wire is an electric wire whose connector terminal W11 is rotated about the axis W11a from the crimping position to be used in a subsequent step, and in the terminal rotation step S109, the connector terminal W11 of this rotation target electric wire is rotated about the axis W11a. As described above, in this embodiment, the connector terminal W11 is rotated 180° about the axis W11a from the crimping position.

[0051] In the next selective discarding step S110, the harness electric wires W12 that are determined to satisfy the stripping standard in the pre-crimping confirmation step S106 and that are determined to satisfy the crimping standard in the crimping confirmation step S108 are delivered to the subsequent step as acceptable terminal-attached electric wires W1. On the other hand, the harness electric wires W12 that do not satisfy at least one of the stripping standard and the crimping standard are discarded as unacceptable terminal-attached electric wires W1. Then, for the terminal-attached electric wires W1 that are accepted in the selective discarding step S110, an electric wire setting step S111 is executed in which the electric wire end W121 to which the connector terminal W11 is crimped is removed from the conveying route R11 and carried to and held by the rod-shaped electric wire holder 241.

[0052] After the electric wire setting step S111, a primary determination step S112 is executed to determine whether or not all of the one set of terminal-fitted electric wires W1 to be manufactured have been set in the wire holder 241. If the setting of one set has not been completed (determined as NO), the primary determination step S112 is repeated each time a terminal-fitted electric wire W1 is subsequently set in the electric wire setting step S111. Then, if the setting of one set has been completed (determined as YES), a holder moving step S113 is executed to move the wire holder 241 that has held the electric wires to the dispensing position 251.

[0053] After the holder moving step S113, a secondary determination step S114 is executed to determine whether or not to continue setting the terminal-attached electric wire W1 on the new wire holder 241. If setting on the wire holder 241 is to continue (YES determination), the process returns to the length inspection step S101 and the subsequent steps are repeated. On the other hand, if setting on the wire holder 241 is not to be performed (NO determination), the process of this terminal crimping method is terminated.

[0054] The terminal crimping unit 1 and terminal crimping method of the embodiment described above can achieve the following effects. That is, according to this embodiment, harness electric wires W12 are sequentially cut out and transported along a predetermined transport route R11. Then, a series of processes, including stripping the wire ends W121, crimping the connector terminals W11, checking the crimping, and selecting and discarding rejected products, are smoothly performed along the transport route R11. As such, according to this embodiment, the connector terminals W11 can be crimped to the harness electric wires W12 while minimizing the burden on the worker Y1.

[0055] In this embodiment, the measuring unit 12 cuts out the harness electric wire W12 in a U-shaped bent state, and the conveying unit 13 receives the harness electric wire W12 from the measuring unit 12 while it is bent into a U-shape. The conveying unit 13 grasps the wire end portions W121 at both ends of the harness electric wire W12 so that they are aligned in a row along the conveying route R11, thereby conveying the harness electric wire W12 while it is bent into a U-shape. With this configuration, terminals can be crimped sequentially to the wire end portions W121 at both ends without changing the orientation of the harness electric wire W12, thereby further reducing the burden on the worker Y1.

[0056] In this embodiment, a trimming unit 14 that trims and aligns the tips of the wire ends W121 is provided on the conveying route R11 upstream of the stripping unit 17. With this configuration, the tips of the wire ends W121 of the harness wires W12 conveyed along the conveying route R11 are trimmed and align, thereby improving the accuracy of terminal crimping.

[0057] In this embodiment, the crimping confirmation unit 21 has a post-crimping image display unit 212 that displays the post-crimping image G12. This configuration is preferable because it allows the operator Y1 to visually check the post-crimping image G12 via the post-crimping image display unit 212.

[0058] In this embodiment, a pre-crimping image capturing unit 18 is provided at the same position as the stripping unit 17 on the conveying route R11. The pre-crimping image capturing unit 18 captures an image of the wire end W121 from which the tip coating W121b has been removed before the crimping process to obtain a pre-crimping image G11. Whether the stripping standard is met is determined based on the pre-crimping image G11. This configuration improves the accuracy of the confirmation process by performing the crimping confirmation process based on the stripping status of the wire end W121 captured in the pre-crimping image G11. In this embodiment, the determination regarding the stripping standard is performed by the determination unit 213 of the crimping confirmation unit 21, which receives the pre-crimping image G11 from the pre-crimping image capturing unit 18. However, the location where the determination regarding the stripping standard is performed is not limited to this. A dedicated determination unit may be provided separately from the determination unit 213 of the crimping confirmation unit 21 to perform the determination regarding the stripping standard.

[0059] In this embodiment, the pre-crimping photographing section 18 has a pre-crimping image display section 182 that displays the pre-crimping image G11. This configuration is preferable because it allows the operator Y1 to visually grasp the pre-crimping image G11 via the pre-crimping image display section 182.

[0060] In this embodiment, a rubber stopper insertion unit 16 is provided upstream of the crimping unit 19 on the conveying route R11 to insert a rubber stopper W13 into the wire end W121 of a designated rubber stopper-required wire. The crimping unit 19 performs a process of crimping a connector terminal W11 over the rubber stopper for the rubber stopper-required wire. With this configuration, the rubber stopper insertion process for the rubber stopper-required wire and the subsequent crimping process over the rubber stopper are incorporated into a series of processes after length inspection, further reducing the burden on the worker Y1.

[0061] In this embodiment, an oil application unit 15 is provided upstream of the rubber plug insertion unit 16 on the transport route R11 to apply lubricating oil to the wire end W121 of a designated wire to be lubricated before the rubber plug insertion process. With this configuration, even if it is difficult to insert the rubber plug W13 due to the thickness of the harness wire W12 or the like, the oil application process at the oil application unit 15 allows the rubber plug insertion process to be carried out smoothly.

[0062] In this embodiment, an electric wire setting unit 24 is provided downstream of the selective disposal unit 23 on the conveying route R11. The electric wire setting unit 24 removes the electric wire ends W121 of the harness electric wires W12 that meet the crimping criteria from the conveying route R11 and carries them to the electric wire holder 241 to hold them. According to this configuration, the harness electric wires W12 after terminal crimping are sequentially set in the electric wire holder 241. The worker Y1 only needs to carry the electric wire holder 241 to the next work location, which further reduces the burden on the worker Y1 compared to, for example, removing the harness electric wires W12 after terminal crimping from the conveying route R11 one by one and carrying them individually.

[0063] In the present embodiment, the wire setting unit 24 simultaneously or sequentially removes the wire end portions W121 at both ends of the harness wire W12 bent into a U shape from the transport route R11 and carries and holds them to the wire holder 241. As a result, the wire setting unit 24 holds the harness wire W12 in the U-shaped bent state in the wire holder 241. According to this configuration, the wire end portions W121 at both ends of the harness wire W12 are set in the wire holder 241, which improves the workability in the subsequent process of removing the harness wire W12 from the wire holder 241 and handling the wire end portions W121.

[0064] In addition, in this embodiment, there is provided a holder moving unit 25 that moves the wire holder 241 that has held the wire to a predetermined dispensing position 251. This configuration improves the workability of the worker Y1 in removing the wire holder 241 for transfer to a subsequent process.

[0065] In this embodiment, a terminal rotation unit 22 that rotates the connector terminal W11 of a designated rotation target electric wire about an axis W11a is provided downstream of the crimping confirmation unit 21 on the conveying route R11. With this configuration, the terminal rotation process can be performed in accordance with the handling situation of the electric wire end W121 in the subsequent process, thereby improving workability in the subsequent process.

[0066] The above-described embodiments merely show typical examples of the terminal crimping unit and the terminal crimping method, but the terminal crimping unit and the terminal crimping method are not limited to these and can be implemented in various modifications.

[0067] For example, in the above-described embodiment, as an example of the terminal crimping unit and the terminal crimping method, the terminal crimping unit 1 and the terminal crimping method are exemplified, which manufacture terminal-fitted electric wires W1 that constitute a wire harness that is installed and routed in a vehicle, etc. However, the terminal crimping unit and the terminal crimping method are not limited to this, and there are no restrictions on the specific application of the terminal crimping unit and the terminal crimping method.

[0068] 1 and 2 illustrate the terminal crimping unit 1, the specific shapes and arrangement of each component, and the terminal crimping method using the terminal crimping unit 1. However, the terminal crimping unit and the terminal crimping method are not limited to this, and the specific shapes and arrangement of the components in the terminal crimping unit are not important.

[0069] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, as an example of a terminal crimping unit and a terminal crimping method, a terminal crimping unit 1 and a terminal crimping method are exemplified in which the operator Y1 removes the wire holder 241 that has held the electric wire and carries it to a unit or the like that performs a post-processing step. In this embodiment, an approved terminal-attached electric wire W1 is delivered to the electric wire setting unit 24 and set in the rod-shaped electric wire holder 241. However, the terminal crimping unit and the terminal crimping method are not limited to this. The terminal crimping unit and the terminal crimping method may be a unit or a method that does not involve delivery to the electric wire setting unit 24, setting in the electric wire holder 241, or transportation of the wire holder 241 by the operator Y1. In these units or methods, the terminal-attached electric wire is delivered directly to a unit or the like that performs a post-processing step, such as a terminal insertion unit, where the terminal is inserted and the like.

[0070] In the above-described embodiment, the terminal rotation unit 22 and the terminal rotation step S109 are exemplified as an example of the terminal rotation unit and the terminal rotation step, which rotate the connector terminal W11 by 180° around the axis W11a from the crimping posture. However, the terminal rotation unit and the terminal rotation step are not limited to this, and the connector terminal may be rotated by any rotation angle around the axis from the crimping posture.

[0071] 1 Terminal crimping unit 1a First unit 1b Second unit 1c Third unit 11 Wire storage section 12 Measuring section 13 Conveying section 14 Trimming section 15 Oil application section 16 Rubber plug insertion section 17 Peeling section 18 Pre-crimping photographing section 19 Crimping section 21 Crimping confirmation section 22 Terminal rotation section 23 Selective disposal section 24 Wire setting section 25 Holder moving section 111 Wire reel 111a Wire 111a-1 Pull-out end 121 Wire pull-out mechanism 121a Cutting chuck 122 U-shaped bending turn mechanism 122a Tip chuck 122b Turn drive mechanism 131 Wire transport chuck 131a Chuck portion 131b Chuck drive mechanism 132 Wire transport mechanism 132a Conveyor rail 133 Conveyor chuck 141 Cutting mechanism 141a Cutting blade 142 Cutting drive mechanism 151 Grip piece 152 Oil application drive mechanism 161 Insertion mechanism 162 Insertion drive mechanism 171 Peeling blade 172 Peeling drive mechanism 181 Pre-crimping camera 182 Pre-crimping image display unit 191 Terminal holding unit 192 Crimping mechanism 192a Anvil 192b Crimper 192c Clutch 193 Servo motor 211 Post-crimping camera 212 Post-crimping image display unit 213 Determination unit 221 Rotating chuck 222 Rotation drive mechanism 231 Disposal mechanism 231a Disposal position 241 Electric wire holder 241a Slit 242 Setting mechanism 243 Setting drive mechanism 251 Discharge position D11 Turn direction D12 Up / down direction D13 Cutting direction D14 Clamping direction D15 Insertion direction D16 Peeling direction D17 Rotation direction D18 Rod length direction D19 Set movement direction D20 Tilt direction D21 Discharge direction G11 Image before crimping G12 Image after crimping P11 Tip positionR11 Conveying route S101 Measurement inspection process S102 Conveying process S103 Oil application process S104 Rubber plug insertion process S105 Stripping process S106 Pre-crimping inspection process S107 Crimping process S108 Crimping inspection process S109 Terminal judgment process S110 Selective disposal process S111 Wire setting process S112 Primary judgment process S113 Holder movement process S114 Secondary judgment process W1 Wire with terminal W11 Connector terminal W11a Shaft W12 Wire for harness W13 Rubber plug W121 Wire end W121a Core wire W121b Tip coating Y1 Worker

Claims

a measuring section for sequentially cutting out a plurality of harness electric wires by repeating a measuring process in which an electric wire is pulled out to a required length and then cut; a conveying section for sequentially receiving the harness electric wires from the measuring section and conveying the harness electric wires along a predetermined conveying route while holding at least one of the electric wire ends; a stripping section for performing a stripping process on the harness electric wires conveyed along the conveying route to remove the tip coating of the electric wire end to expose the core wire; a crimping section for performing a crimping process on the harness electric wires conveyed through the stripping section by crimping a connector terminal onto the electric wire end from which the core wire is exposed; and a crimping confirmation section for performing a crimping confirmation process on the harness electric wires conveyed through the crimping section by photographing the electric wire end to which the connector terminal is crimped, and determining whether or not a predetermined crimping standard is satisfied based on the photographed post-crimping image. a selective discard unit that is disposed downstream of the crimping confirmation unit on the conveying route and that performs a selective discard process for discarding the harness electric wires that do not satisfy the crimping standard, for the harness electric wires conveyed through the crimping confirmation unit.

2. The terminal crimping unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the measuring section cuts out the harness electric wire in a bent U-shape, and the transport section receives the harness electric wire from the measuring section while it is bent into the U-shape and grips the wire end portions at both ends of the harness electric wire so as to align them in a row along the transport route, thereby transporting the harness electric wire in the bent U-shape.

3. The terminal crimping unit according to claim 1, wherein the measuring section is capable of cutting out a plurality of types of wires for the harness.

4. A terminal crimping unit as described in claim 1, further comprising a trimming section that is positioned upstream of the stripping section on the transport route and performs a trimming process on the harness wires transported along the transport route, cutting and aligning the tips of the wire ends so that they are aligned at a predetermined tip position.

5. The terminal crimping unit according to claim 1, wherein the crimping confirmation section has a post-crimping image display section for displaying the post-crimping image.

6. The terminal crimping unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a pre-crimping photography section that is arranged at the same position as the stripping section on the transport route and that performs a pre-crimping photography process on the harness wires that have passed through the stripping section to photograph the wire ends from which the tip coating has been removed prior to the crimping process to obtain pre-crimp images; and a determination section that determines whether or not predetermined stripping standards are met based on the pre-crimping images.

7. The terminal crimping unit according to claim 6, wherein the pre-crimping photographing section has a pre-crimping image display section for displaying the pre-crimping image.

8. The terminal crimping unit as described in claim 1, further comprising a rubber plug insertion section that is positioned upstream of the crimping section on the transport route and performs a rubber plug insertion process of inserting the rubber plug into the end of a rubber plug target wire designated as a target for inserting a rubber plug among the harness wires, wherein the crimping section performs a process of crimping the connector terminal onto the end of the wire over the rubber plug as the crimping process for the rubber plug target wire.

9. A terminal crimping unit as described in claim 8, characterized in that the rubber plug insertion section is capable of inserting a plurality of types of rubber plugs, and further comprises an oil application section which is positioned upstream of the rubber plug insertion section on the transport route and which performs an oil application process to apply the lubricating oil to the end of the wire prior to the rubber plug insertion process for wires to be lubricated that are designated as wires to be lubricated with lubricating oil among the rubber plugged wires.

10. The terminal crimping unit according to claim 1, further comprising an electric wire setting section which is disposed downstream of the selective disposal section on the transport route and which performs an electric wire setting process for removing, from the transport route, the electric wire end portion to which the connector terminal is crimped, for the harness electric wires which meet the crimping criteria and are transported along the transport route, and transporting the electric wire end portion to a predetermined electric wire holder for holding said wire.

11. A terminal crimping unit as described in claim 1, further comprising a terminal rotation section which is arranged at a position downstream of the crimp confirmation section on the transport route, and which performs a terminal rotation process for rotating the connector terminal about the axis of a rotation target wire designated as a wire to be used in a subsequent process among the harness electric wires transported through the crimp confirmation section, in which the connector terminal is in a rotated position rotated about the axis of the connector terminal from the position at the time of crimping in the crimping section.

12. A length inspection process for sequentially cutting out a plurality of harness electric wires by repeating a length inspection process in which the electric wire is pulled out to the required length and cut; a transport process for gripping at least one end of the harness electric wire and transferring it to a transport section which transports the harness electric wire along a predetermined transport route and causes the transport section to transport the harness electric wire; a stripping process for removing the tip coating of the end of the harness electric wire transported along the transport route to expose the core wire; a crimping process for crimping a connector terminal to the end of the harness electric wire from which the core wire is exposed, the end of the harness electric wire transported after the stripping process; and a crimping confirmation process for photographing the end of the harness electric wire to which the connector terminal is crimped, the end of the harness electric wire transported after the crimping process, and determining whether or not a predetermined crimping standard is met based on the photographed post-crimping image. a selective discarding step of discarding the harness electric wires that do not satisfy the crimping standard from among the harness electric wires transported through the crimping confirmation step.

Images