Continuity testing device

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to provide a continuity testing device that improves work efficiency. A continuity testing device (1) for testing the continuity of a wire harness (10) that includes a harness main body (11) comprising a plurality of electric wires and a plurality of connectors (12A, 12B) provided at the terminals of the harness main body comprises a jig plate (21) on which the wire harness is placed, a plurality of testing jigs (2A, 2B) which are installed on the jig plate (21) and which supporting each of the plurality of connectors, and a control unit (5) which is electrically connected to the plurality of testing jigs and which controls the plurality of testing jigs, wherein: the plurality of testing jigs (2A, 2B) include one specific testing jig (2A) connected to the control unit (5) and another testing jig (2B); and the other testing jig (2B) is electrically connected to the control unit (5) via the specific testing jig (2A).

Description

Continuity test device

[0001] The present invention relates to a continuity test device.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Automobiles and the like are equipped with various electronic devices, and wire harnesses are arranged to transmit power from a power source such as a battery, control signals from an inspection unit, and the like to the electronic devices.

[0003] Wire harnesses are assembled on a wiring board in a harness production line which has a belt conveyor device installed in a factory and multiple wiring boards transported by the belt conveyor device, and at the final stage of the harness production line, all of the wires that make up the wire harness are inspected to ensure that they are electrically connected between the connectors.

[0004] As an example of an apparatus for conducting a continuity test on such a wire harness, the continuity test apparatus 101 shown in Figure 4 is supported at a predetermined position on a wiring board 102 and includes a plurality of test connectors 103 connected to connectors W1 provided at the terminal portions of the wire harness W, lead wires 104 drawn out from each of the plurality of test connectors 103, and an inspection unit 105 that inspects the continuity state of each electric wire W10 that constitutes the wire harness W and is connected to each test connector 103 via the lead wires 104 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] In this conventional continuity testing device 101, the connector W1 provided at the terminal of the wire harness W and the testing connector 103 are connected together, and each testing connector 103 is electrically connected to the testing unit 105 via a lead wire 104, so that the testing unit 105 can test the continuity of each electric wire W10 that makes up the wire harness W.

[0006] JP 2012-205340 A

[0007] However, when the wire harness W is produced on a production line, if the connectors W1 of the wire harness W are supported by the inspection connectors 103 and transported by a belt conveyor or the like, it is necessary to connect each inspection connector 103 to the lead wires 104 drawn out from the inspection unit 105 within the time allotted on the line. For this reason, the same number of inspection connectors 103 and lead wires 104 drawn out from the inspection unit 105 as the number of connectors W1 must be connected within the allotted time, and in this regard, there has been a demand for improvement in work efficiency.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a continuity test device that improves work efficiency.

[0009] In order to solve the above problem and achieve the object, the invention described in claim 1 is a continuity testing device for performing a continuity test on a wire harness having a harness main body composed of a plurality of electric wires and a plurality of connectors provided at the terminals of the harness main body, comprising: a jig plate on which the wire harness is placed; a plurality of inspection jigs installed on the jig plate and supporting each of the plurality of connectors; and a control unit electrically connected to the plurality of inspection jigs and controlling the plurality of inspection jigs, wherein the plurality of inspection jigs include one specific inspection jig electrically connected to the control unit and other inspection jigs, and the other inspection jigs are electrically connected to the control unit via the specific inspection jig.

[0010] According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to improve work efficiency.

[0011] It is a conceptual diagram showing a part of a wire harness production line to which a continuity inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a conceptual diagram showing the continuity inspection device. It is a perspective view showing conceptually how a specific inspection jig constituting the continuity inspection device and a control side inspection jig connected to a control unit are connected. It is a perspective view showing a conventional continuity inspection device.

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

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

[0014] 1 and 2, the wire harness 10 includes a harness main body 11 having a trunk 11A formed by bundling a plurality of electric wires, branch portions (not shown) branching from the trunk 11A, a plurality of connectors 12A, 12B (two in the illustrated example) provided at the terminals of the respective branch portions, and exterior components (not shown) such as protectors and corrugated tubes attached to the trunk 11A and the branch portions. In FIG. 1, the branch portions are omitted, and a pair of connectors 12A, 12B is shown as the plurality of connectors 12A, 12B. Hereinafter, one of the pair of connectors 12A, 12B may be referred to as the "first connector 12A" and the other as the "second connector 12B."

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

[0016] In addition, in the conductivity testing device 1, the testing unit 3 is installed at a position midway along a predetermined route, and when the testing jig 20 transported by the transport mechanism approaches the testing unit 3, the testing unit 3 and the testing jig 20 are electrically connected.

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

[0018] 1, the two inspection jigs 2A, 2B are installed on a jig plate 21 at positions corresponding to the two connectors 12A, 12B provided at the ends of the wire harness 10 in an assembled state in which the wire harness 10 is mounted on a vehicle. When the wire harness 10 is placed on the jig plate 21, the connectors 12A, 12B provided at the ends of the wire harness 10 are brought close to and supported by the inspection jigs 2A, 2B installed on the jig plate 21.

[0019] Furthermore, of these inspection jigs 2A and 2B, one inspection jig 2A (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "specific inspection jig 2A") is connected to the inspection unit 3 described below, and the remaining inspection jig 2B (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "other inspection jig 2B") is connected to the inspection unit 3 via the specific inspection jig 2A.

[0020] 2, the specific inspection jig 2A is configured to include a jig-side support base 22 in the shape of a plate extending horizontally, a one-side connector support portion 23A (connector support portion) provided on the jig-side support base 22 and supporting the one-side connector 12A in a predetermined posture (orientation), a jig-side connector portion 24A provided on the jig-side support base 22 and connected to a control-side connector portion 41 (described later) of the control-side inspection jig 4, and a one-side connection receptacle 25A to which one end of the first connection line 2L is connected. One end of the first connection line 2L is configured to be electrically connected to a first terminal portion (described later) provided on the jig-side connector portion 24A via the one-side connection receptacle 25A.

[0021] 3, the first connector support portion 23A is configured to support the first connector 12A with the mating surface 120A of the first connector 12A facing upward Z1 so that the connector mating direction is the up-down direction Z (vertical direction, predetermined direction). The first connector 12A and a jig-side connector portion 24A, which will be described later, are each provided facing upward Z1 so that the connector mating direction is the up-down direction Z.

[0022] 3, the jig-side connector portion 24A is configured to have a conductive first terminal portion (not shown) and a first connector housing 240A that accommodates the first terminal portion. The jig-side connector portion 24A is oriented such that a mating surface (given reference numeral 240A) of the first connector housing 240A faces upward Z1 so that the connector mating direction with the control-side connector portion 41 of the control-side inspection jig 4 (described later) is the up-down direction Z (a predetermined direction).

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

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

[0025] One end of the first connection line 2L is electrically connected to a one-side connection receiving portion 25A provided on a specific inspection jig 2A, and the other end is electrically connected to a other-side connection receiving portion 25B provided on another inspection jig 2B.

[0026] 2, the inspection unit 3 includes a control-side inspection jig 4 connectable to the specific inspection jig 2A, a control unit 5 connected to the specific inspection jig 2A via the control-side inspection jig 4 and controlling the specific inspection jig 2A and other inspection jigs 2B, and a pair of connection lines 6L, 7L for electrically connecting the control-side inspection jig 4 and the control unit 5. Hereinafter, one of the pair of connection lines 6L, 7L may be referred to as a "second connection line 6L" and the other as a "third connection line 7L."

[0027] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the control side inspection jig 4 is configured to include a control side support base 40 in the form of a rectangular plate extending horizontally, a control side connector portion 41 provided on the control side support base 40 and capable of engaging with the jig side connector portion 24A of the specific inspection jig 2A, an inspection connector portion 42 (mating connector) provided on the control side support base 40 and capable of engaging with one side connector 12A of the specific inspection jig 2A, a second connection receptacle 43 to which one end of the second connection line 6L is connected, and a third connection receptacle 44 (shown in Figure 2) to which one end of the third connection line 7L is connected.

[0028] 3, the control-side connector 41 includes a conductive second terminal (not shown) and a second connector housing 410 that houses the second terminal. The control-side connector 41 is disposed such that the mating surface (denoted by reference numeral 410) of the second connector housing 410 faces downward Z2.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, the inspection connector portion 42 is arranged so that the connector mating direction with the one side connector 12A is the up-down direction Z (vertical direction), and the mating surface 420 of the inspection connector portion 42 faces downward Z2 in the up-down direction Z.

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

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

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

[0033] The control unit 5 is configured with a CPU, and performs a continuity test between the connectors 12A, 12B that constitute the wire harness 10 and notifies the result of the test. As shown in Fig. 2, the control unit 5 is configured so that one end of the second connection line 6L is electrically connected to a second terminal portion provided on the control-side connector 41 via the second connection receptacle 43. Also, as shown in Fig. 2, the control unit 5 is configured so that one end of the third connection line 7L is electrically connected to a terminal portion of the inspection connector 42 via the third connection receptacle 44.

[0034] Next, we will explain an example of a continuity inspection process performed using the above-configured continuity inspection device 1. The continuity inspection process is performed at a third position S3 (described later) on the wire harness production line, after the assembled wire harness 10 to be mounted on a vehicle has been completed through a setting process and a processing process (described later).

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

[0036] 1, the inspection jig 20 transported by the transport mechanism is moved from a first position S1 on a predetermined path to a second position S2, at which point the processing step is carried out. In the processing step, exterior components such as protectors and corrugated tubes are attached to the trunk portion 11A and branch portions that constitute the harness main body 11 on the jig plate 21. In this way, the wire harness 10 is in a completed form. This completes the processing step.

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

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

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

[0040] Thereafter, the inspection jig 20 transported by the transport mechanism is moved from the third position S3 on the predetermined path, and when it reaches the fourth position S4, the robot hand RA3 is brought close to the wire harness 10 placed on the jig plate 21. Then, the one-side connector 12A is removed from the one-side connector support portion 23A of the specific inspection jig 2A, and the other-side connector 12B is removed from the other-side connector support portion 23B of the other inspection jig 2B. In this way, the wire harness 10 is removed from the jig plate 21 by the robot hand RA3, and the wire harness 10 is transported to another location by the robot hand RA3.

[0041] According to the above-described embodiment, the multiple inspection jigs 2A, 2B include one specific inspection jig 2A connected to the control unit 5 and another inspection jig 2B, and the other inspection jig 2B is electrically connected to the control unit 5 via the specific inspection jig 2A. According to this, since the other inspection jig 2B is electrically connected to the control unit 5 via the specific inspection jig 2A, it is possible to electrically connect the other inspection jig 2B to the control unit 5 via the specific inspection jig 2A simply by connecting the control unit 5 to the specific inspection jig 2A, without connecting the control unit 5 to the other inspection jig 2B. This makes it possible to improve work efficiency.

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

[0043] The wire harness 10 also includes exterior parts attached to the harness main body 11, and the exterior parts are attached to the harness main body 11 on the jig plate 21. That is, the harness main body 11 is set in a predetermined position on the jig plate 21, and the exterior parts are attached to the harness main body 11 in the processing step, and a continuity test is performed in the continuity test step. According to this, the processing step is performed on the same jig plate 21 as the jig plate 21 on which the continuity test is performed, and the wire harness 10 can be produced on a production line while reducing the effort required to move the wire harness 10 and set it in a predetermined position. This further improves work efficiency.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes other configurations that can achieve the object of the present invention, and the following modified examples are also included in the present invention.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the jig-side connector portion 24A of the specific inspection jig 2A and the control-side connector portion 41 of the control-side inspection jig 4 are configured to be connector-fitted in the vertical direction Z, and the one-side connector 12A supported by the specific inspection jig 2A and the inspection connector portion 42 provided on the control-side inspection jig 4 are configured to be connector-fitted in the vertical direction Z, but the present invention is not limited to this. The connector-fitting direction between the jig-side connector portion 24A and the control-side connector portion 41 and the connector-fitting direction between the one-side connector 12A and the inspection connector portion 42 may be the same as long as they are in the same direction, and the connectors may be configured to be connector-fitted in, for example, a horizontal direction.

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

[0047] In the above embodiment, in the setting step, when the inspection jig 20 transported along a predetermined path by the transport mechanism reaches the first position S1, the wire harness 10 held by the robot hand RA1 is mounted on the jig plate 21. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The wire harness 10 may be assembled on the jig plate 21, transported while still placed on the jig plate 21, and passed through the first position S1, the second position S2, and then the third position S3, where a continuity test is performed. In this case, the setting step may be omitted.

[0048] Although the best configurations and methods for carrying out the present invention have been disclosed above, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, although the present invention has been particularly illustrated and described primarily with reference to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the above-described embodiments in terms of shape, material, quantity, and other detailed configurations without departing from the scope of the technical idea and purpose of the present invention. Therefore, the above-disclosed descriptions limiting the shapes, materials, etc. are provided as examples to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Therefore, descriptions using names of components that are free from some or all of the limitations on the shapes, materials, etc. are included in the present invention.

[0049] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Continuity inspection device 10 Wire harness 11 Harness body 12A One-side connector (multiple connectors, one connector) 12B Other-side connector (multiple connectors) 2A Specific inspection jig, multiple inspection jigs 2B Other inspection jig, multiple inspection jigs 21 Jig plate 23A One-side connector support portion (connector support portion) 24A Jig-side connector portion (jig-side connection portion) 4 Control-side inspection jig 41 Control-side connector portion (control-side connection portion) 42 Inspection connector portion (mating connector) 5 Control unit Z Up-down direction (predetermined direction)

Claims

1. A continuity inspection device for performing a continuity inspection of a wire harness having a harness body composed of a plurality of electric wires and a plurality of connectors provided at terminals of the harness body, comprising: a jig plate on which the wire harness is placed; a plurality of inspection jigs installed on the jig plate and supporting the plurality of connectors respectively; and a control unit electrically connected to the plurality of inspection jigs to control the plurality of inspection jigs, wherein the plurality of inspection jigs include one specific inspection jig electrically connected to the control unit and other inspection jigs, and the other inspection jigs are electrically connected to the control unit via the specific inspection jig.

2. The continuity inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising a control-side inspection jig electrically connected to the control unit, wherein the specific inspection jig includes a connector support portion that supports one of the plurality of connectors and a jig-side connection portion electrically connected to the other inspection jigs, and the control-side inspection jig includes a mating connector that can be fitted and connected to the one connector and a control-side connection portion electrically connected to the jig-side connection portion, and the one connector and the mating connector, and the jig-side connection portion and the control-side connection portion are configured to be electrically connected by approaching in a predetermined direction.

3. The continuity inspection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wire harness includes an exterior component attached to the harness body, and the exterior component is attached to the harness body on the jig plate.

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