Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Limited

Kenichi Taniguchi

Yoshinobu Ohta

Michio Fukuda

Yosinobu Ohta

Tsuyoshi Koike

Hideo Onishi

Tokuji Nakamura

Hideo Ohnishi

Teizi Sakuma

Katuyuki Sasaki

Hiroki Shuto

A terminal feeding unit reducing preparation time and adapted for multi-item and small-lot production of wire harnesses and a multi-crimping apparatus employing the same are disclosed. Plural terminal feeding units (210) are incorporated into the multi-crimping apparatus (20). Each terminal feeding unit (210) has a carrier cutting section for severing a terminal portion (BS) from a terminal belt (B), a crimping section (214) located at a pressing position (A), and a feeding section (215) for feeding a terminal (T) to the crimping section (214).

Terminal feeding unit and multi-crimping apparatus employing the same

A rotation regulating mechanism (43) is disposed on a terminal chuck (41) for holding a wired terminal (T). The rotation regulating mechanism (43) is arranged to regulate the rotation of the wired terminal (T), allowing an operation of inserting the wired terminal (T). Even if the terminal chuck (41) has to receive a wired terminal (T) from a terminal positioning device (30) having an inverting function, the rotation or positional shift of the wired terminal (T) can be regulated.

Terminal inserting apparatus

A plurality of wires W are caused to hang downward substantially in U-shape, such that the ends of wires W to be bound together are closely fixed. The end portions of a plurality of fixed wires W are positioned in the vertical direction by straightener 16 and holder 17 and automatically bound with tape by tape winder 18. The binding position can be determined in the vertical direction, thereby obviating the need to lay wires W over their entire lengths in the conveying direction of the production line. As a result, the distance to lay wires W can be shortened by the hanging amount of wires W, thereby considerably reducing the space required for the installation of the wire binding apparatus.

Apparatus for winding tape

A pallet 71 is provided to array connector housings C side by side in correspondence with the side by side alignment of an aligning unit A in a plurality of rows. A conveying unit 74 includes a plurality of actuators 74a for holding a row of connector housings C arrayed side by side on the pallet 71. Conveyors 74b, 74c and 74d are further provided to carry actuators 74 a integrally to the aligning unit A. In changing the combination of the connector housings to be handled, only the pallet needs to be replaced without necessitating a change in a conveying unit. Accordingly, the conveying unit 74 can be widely used for a variety of connector housings, and labor and time required for replacement can be reduced. Further, installation can be of smaller size compared to the prior art guide member for guiding the connector housings C in sliding contact therewith, leading to a considerable reduction in installation cost.

Connector housing supplying device

The invention provides a terminal inserting drive apparatus for inserting both terminals of a wire into a corresponding terminal cavities in cooperation with a housing carrying apparatus (150). The terminal inserting drive apparatus has a pair of hand sections (1615 and 1616) for, respectively, gripping both ends of the wire (W) with terminals; a conveying section (1611 and 1612) for, individually, conveying the hand sections (1615 and 1616); and a conveying control device (100) for operating the conveying section (1611 and 1612) so as to convey simultaneously both hand sections (1615 and 1616) normally and operating the conveying section (1611 and 1612) so as to convey both hand sections (1615 and 1616) sequentially when both hand sections (1615 and 1616) would interfere with each other.

Terminal inserting drive apparatus for inserting terminals on wire

The present invention relates to a connector housing feeding mechanism capable of rotating a plurality of connector housings around an axis along the direction in which the connector housings are juxtaposed and displacing a group of the connector housings to a predetermined terminal inserting position and housing replacing position.

Connector housing feeding mechanism

A connector housing positioning unit includes a holding member for holding connector housings, a locking member for locking corresponding connector housings to the holding member, a shifting member for shifting the locking member between a clamping position for clamping the connector housing and a releasing position for releasing the connector housing, and a mounting member detachably fixed to a connector housing feeding apparatus that feeds the connector housings to a terminal inserting mechanism, for integrally carrying the holding member, locking member and shifting member.

Connector housing positioning unit

A method of and an apparatus for inserting into a terminal cavity of a connector housing, a terminal of a wired terminal in which the terminal is connected with an electric wire, comprising: a terminal grip member for gripping the terminal, which includes a pair of guide arms openable and closable in a horizontal plane and a terminal press arm pivotable in a vertical plane; a wire grip member for gripping the electric wire, which includes a chuck retractably advanced along the guide arms between the guide arms, a first drive member for retractably advancing the chuck and a second drive member for opening and closing the chuck such that a state of grip of the terminal by the terminal grip member is cancelled and established by the chuck at a forward end and a rearward end of a stroke of the chuck, respectively; and a robot flange for supporting the terminal grip member and the wire grip member.

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Yokkaichi, Japan

Kenichi Taniguchi