AUTOMATED SYSTEM FOR THE REALISATION OF THE INDUSTRIAL WIRING OF IDC CONNECTORS

Abstract

The invention concerns a production line consisting of an automated system for the realization of the industrial wiring of IDC connectors.

Claims

1. A device for the automatic wiring of IDC connectors, comprising: a first station for the feeding of the conductors; a second station for crimping; a third station of sequence connectors; the first station being comprising a selection guide which can accommodate a series of IDC connectors neatly arranged and spaced apart, and a series of pushers for shifting said series of connectors from said selection guide to a paired guide for closing the connectors; the second station comprising a guide for closing the connectors and comprising a paired set of seats capable of accommodating said series of connectors from the selection guide, where said closure guide has a series of mobile spacer partitions interposed between each seat and capable of retaining the connectors present in the seats and to release the connectors by moving said partitions as soon as said connectors are crimped onto cable wires that a programmable connector infeed has provided to feed through the various connectors, said partitions movable after each crimping to free each connector crimped by a corresponding overlying punch pushed by a press; the third crimping station comprising a series of punches spaced apart from each other at a pre-set distance on a mobile support, which can move to pull each connector the pre-set distance until it brings an adjacent punch into position at an adjacent connector to be crimped.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said mobile spacer partitions leave free the space in alignment between various paths of through-holes of the connectors, which are joined by each corresponding electrical connection of each conductor.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the press has a mobile shaft positionable over each punch in succession after a pressing action of a crimping action of a previous punch, effecting electrical crimping and connection between the connector and the relative conductors.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said mobile support of the punches holds an ordered series of punches spaced apart at distances required for wiring the connectors.

5. The device of claim 1 further including a station for the creation of a sequence of connectors equipped with one or more feeder slides for containing a quantity of connectors from which a loader picks up the first connector from each slide for creating a sequence of connector heads and inserts them orderly within said selection guide in a side by side configuration, by means of an incremental shift of said selection guide at each insertion of each connector by a loader.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said adjustable pushers move said connectors from the selection guide to a connector closing guide by means of a single movement.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said shifting of the connectors from the selection guide to the connector closing guide by means of said adjustable pushers makes said connectors reach a precise position of reciprocal alignment with each path of a connector aligned with that of the adjacent connector, by means of the matching of the holes of the connectors for each conductor that all must pass through.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein said adjustable pushers are spaced apart at least by a distance equal to or greater than the separators of the selection guide.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein said spacer partitions of the closing guide are parallel to the spacers of the guide sorter.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein said partitions of the closing guide are able to hold each individual connector during the wiring.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein said partitions have at a top, and at least on one side, a projecting claw which precisely defines and limits the seat of each connector laterally and at least partially at the top.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein said partitions are mobile, operated by a control device, so they can be lowered to allow the connector to slide on flanking partitions.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein said station for feeding the conductors, which can be programmed, comprises three parts: a first part being structured to pick up the conductors from bobbins on which the conductors are wound and take them towards the wiring; a second part consists of a mobile press through which the conductors are pressed and moved, together with the movable press, at a programmed rate; and a third part that receives the conductors from the preceding mobile press, and which takes them to a first partition for containing the connectors.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein said third part can also move along the forward axis of the conductors, being retractable to allow an initial header and a final cutting of the conductors by knives of a cutting device, and subsequently shifting and thereby resting the part where the conductors come out near the first partition, retaining the connectors from the initial end of the wiring.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] FIG. 1 shows a top plan view of the device of the invention highlighting the station for making the sequence of connectors, the station feeding the conductors, the crimping station and the station for preparing the punches with the distances fixed by the wiring.

[0056] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of some sequences from the previous figure.

[0057] FIG. 3 shows what is set out in FIG. 2 from a different axonometric view.

[0058] FIG. 4 shows a plan view from above of the inserter in line with the connector closing guide.

[0059] FIG. 5 shows plan view from above of the inserter during the positioning of the connector within the connector closing guide.

[0060] FIG. 6 shows a side-view perspective of inserters carried out so as to allow the connectors, once inserted in the guide, to return to the starting position for a new sequence.

[0061] FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the alignment between the inserter, the sorter guide and connector closing guide after some of them (for reasons of clarity only a few are shown) have already been positioned within the sorter guide.

[0062] FIG. 8 shows in enlarged manner and in detail the connector closing guide on which two IDC connectors are shown by way of example.

[0063] FIG. 9 shows in enlarged manner and in detail the movable support of the punches that by way of example are joined to a wiring harness.

[0064] FIG. 10 shows the invention from a different perspective view.

[0065] FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of the wire feed unit and the wire butting cutting unit.

[0066] FIG. 12 shows a front perspective view of the wire and wire butting unit.

[0067] FIG. 13 shows the previous figure from a front plan view

[0068] FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 show a perspective view, a front plan view and a side sectional view showing the tampers that lock and release the conductors, the connector closing guide with some connectors traversed by the relative conductors.

[0069] FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 show a perspective view, and a side plan view of an example of IDC connectors joined in a chain or interlocking.

[0070] FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 show a perspective view, and a side plan view of an example of IDC connectors joined by means of tails.

[0071] FIG. 21 and FIG. 22 show a perspective view, and a side plan view of an example of a loose or free IDC connector.

[0072] FIG. 23 shows an example of an IDC connector shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 inserted into a blister.

[0073] FIG. 24 shows an example of finished wiring harness achieved through the object of the invention.

[0074] FIGS. 25 and 26 show an example of the finished wiring harness from a side view and a perspective view particularly suitable for use in the white sector, which requires a sizable length of conductor between the connectors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0075] The connectors 4 are supplied in a column or loose by the manufacturers; each connector 4 of a generic column of connectors is joined in a close range by means of connections consisting of a series of bridges 9 joined to the adjacent connector 4, in the case of those supplied in columns.

[0076] The various columns of connectors 4 necessary for the formation of the wiring harness are inserted neatly into a loader composed of one or more feeder slides 10 according to the progression that the final wiring harness will have, the various piles going down into a slide 10 in a paired manner, or else each pile going down its own slide 10.

[0077] A separation device 11 then proceeds to pick up from the feeder slide 10 (or from the slides) the first connectors 4 of each pile creating a row of the desired sequence in accordance with the arrangement of the wiring harness.

[0078] Said row of only connectors 4 necessary for a single cabling harness rests on a lower guide 12 and are all supported at the head aligned with each other.

[0079] Each of these connectors 4 is moved within a guide 12 by a feed cylinder 14.

[0080] Subsequently said cylinder 14 retracts allowing the loading of a successive and additional sequence of connectors 4 for a successive wiring harness.

[0081] Said first sequence of connectors 4, which is arranged in succession and in a row, is transferred by means of an electronic board 15 in order into the selection guide 16 in an ordered columned sequence, preferably with the connector 4 with the lower number of pathways in the front position, and the connector with a higher number of pathways in the rear position.

[0082] This selection guide 16 is moved by means of the electronic board 13 toward a connector closing guide 19 and the entire columned sequence of the conductors 4 which create the wiring sequence are transferred by means of the inserter 17 onto said closing guide 19.

[0083] Preferably said connector closing guide 19 fits between two adjacent connectors 4 of the retention devices of each connector 4, against the movements due to the stresses of the successive operations, said retention devices may take the form of spacing partitions 20 and/or upper protruding teeth or claws 21.

[0084] Said spacer partition 20, at least for the partitions 20 between the central connectors 4 of the wiring harness, is in juxtaposition on each of its two opposite side walls with a side wall 8 of a connector 4 and at least one side may be configured at the top with an element (tooth or claw) 21 protruding at the top of a connector 4, maintaining the same connectors 4 stably and in order resting on the closing guide 19.

[0085] Said partition 20 does not interrupt the linear continuity of the opening holes 7 that the various connectors 4 have on their side walls 8, and through which the electrical conductors 27 are fed.

[0086] Said sequence of connectors 4 and partitions 20 are then ready and arranged in an orderly manner to be fed by the conductors 27 in the supply station of the conductors 2, which from the rear end of each sequence, and preferably from the side where the connector 4 is present with a greater number of connecting holes 7, are fed to reach the free front outer ends of the front connectors 4.

[0087] Said supply station for the conductors 2 is composed basically of three parts: the first part (not shown) deals with and is structured to pick up the conductors 27 from spools on which the conductors 27 are wound and to take them to a second mobile unit 26, consisting of a series of tampers 32, by means of which the conductors 27 are locked and moved using the electronic board 34 in a programmed manner toward a third unit 29, the third unit 29 which receives the conductors 27 from the previous mobile unit 26 and puts them at the first partition 20 containing the connectors.

[0088] Said third feeder unit can also move along the axis of movement of the conductors 27, being able to retract to allow the initial heading and the final cut of the conductors by the knives 31 of the cutting device 28, and subsequently move putting its conductor outlet part in the vicinity of the first partition 20 keeping the connectors 4 from the initial end of the wiring harness.

[0089] Both said second mobile unit 26 and said third unit 29 have a series of lock and release tampers 32 for each single conductor 27 of the wiring harness, so that each conductor move forward according to the requirements of the wiring.

[0090] In the event that all the connectors 4 have the same number of pathways, or holes 7, all 27 of the wires cross all the holes 7 of each connector 4 until reaching the front end of the outermost connector 4.

[0091] In the event, however, that one or more connectors 4 have a different number of pathways, the various cabling wires 27 will be fed to connect to the various connectors 4 without unconnected protruding parts.

[0092] In fact, said connectors 4 in the connector closing guide 19 are all supported on a continuous and common closing profile, so that the through-holes 7 of the connectors 4 are aligned with the various conductors.

[0093] The supply of the conductors is carried out using a feeder 26 that can insert one or more cabling wires 27 within the connectors 4.

[0094] Depending on the wiring requirements, the feeder 26 gets the conductors (cabling wires 27) to arrive at the first and front connector 4, going through the opening holes 7 of the connectors 4 of the wiring harness located between the front connector 4 front and the feeder 26 of the wires 27.

[0095] After all the wires 27 of the wiring harness have been inserted in the first connector 4 to be crimped, the overlying punch 22 is pressed by a press 24 to close and crimp the connector 4 on the wires 27 concerned.

[0096] Then the first partition 20 which kept the first connector 4 in its predetermined position on the closing guide 19 moves, leaving it free, at least on the side where there was said first partition 20, to move away from the closing guide 19.

[0097] Said first punch 22, kept in the lowered crimping position, and affecting the relative connector 4, then moves from the sequence of the connectors, bringing the crimped connector 4 from the initial position, possibly along the support guide that extends from the closure guide 19, or simply retained on said first crimping punch 22, to a second position that is exactly the distance away provided by the wiring harness between the first and second connector 4.

[0098] During the above-mentioned shifting the conductors 27 joined to the first connector 4, and inserted into the corresponding pathways of the previous connectors, slide within the relative opening holes 7, going through various connectors 4 kept fixed in their position by the various adjacent partitions 20 on the sides of each of them.

[0099] The next connector of just the conductors 27 is then supplied by the feeder 26 of the conductors 27 through the only pathways still free of the connector 4 according to the required wiring.

[0100] The second connector 4, which is still in its initial columned position between a second and third partition 20 in the closing guide 19, is then surmounted by a second punch 22 ready for crimping.

[0101] The press 24, on an electronic board 25, from the first crimping position moves to the second punch 22 to lower and carry out the second and subsequent crimping.

[0102] The sequence then starts again with the shifting and lowering of the second partition 20 to leave the second crimped connector 4, and joined with the relative punch 22, the possibility to move and slide along the support guide or remain solidly retained on the relative crimping punch 22.

[0103] The second punch 22 then, together with the second crimped connector 4, moves, pulling said second crimped connector 4, moving away from the following connector according to the distance provided by the wiring harness. In said movement the wires 27 crimped to the second connector 4 come out through the holes 7 of the previous pathways of the previous connectors.

[0104] The previous connectors 4, however, those still on the closing guide 19, although they are affected by the passage of the conductors, do not move but are retained by the retention devices, and as exemplified by the adjacent spacing and retention partitions 20.

[0105] After the complete sequence of all the punches 22 is closed on the relative connectors 4, each of which will have been moved with respect to the previous one, and therefore with it also the relative connector, by the length corresponding to the wiring requirement, a wiring harness is obtained with the number of expected conductors 27, crimped on a series of connectors 4, at the required distance automatically.

[0106] Once the final crimping is finished, the mobile support 23 of the punches 22 moves the desired length (for the terminal wires 33 that will be processed in resumption for crimping any terminal connectors 30) at this point a cutting device 28 enters into operation that cuts the conductors 27 with its knives 31 to the desired length.

[0107] The wiring harness, retained by the crimping punches 22 is moved out of the sliding guide for any additional and different processes.

[0108] The punches 22 are then brought back to the raised position disconnected from the connectors, freeing the wiring harness.

[0109] The mobile support 23 of the punches 22 then brings back the first punch 22 to a position at the first connector 4 to be crimped to resume the operating sequence.

[0110] Moving several punches can be effectively carried out in two different ways: [0111] the first provides that each punch 22 is mobile, equipped or otherwise with autonomous shifting devices that allow its movement to be independent of that of the adjacent punches 22; [0112] the second mode provides that each punch 22 is arranged on a common and mobile support 23 at a predetermined distance with respect to the adjacent punches 22 and corresponding to the pre-set distance of the connectors 4, being then subsequently all mutually forced to move with a rectilinear motion for the movement of said common support.