JP3538701B2 - Terminal crimping state inspection device and terminal crimping device equipped therewith - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a crimp terminal having a predetermined shape (in particular, a male terminal for connecting a distributor).
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a terminal crimping state inspection device for inspecting a crimping state between a cable and an electric wire, and a terminal crimping device including the terminal crimping state inspection device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the inspection of the crimping state between a male terminal for connecting a distributor and an electric wire is performed exclusively by visual inspection by an operator.

[0003]

However, in the visual inspection, the operator must visually inspect all the products one by one, and the inspection process takes time and effort, and is inefficient.

[0004] In view of the above problems, the present invention can automatically inspect the quality of a crimped state based on an image captured by an imaging camera, and can improve the inspection efficiency. An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal crimping device including a condition inspection device.

[0005]

The technical means for achieving the above object is that a crimp terminal to be inspected is a male terminal portion and an electric wire extending rearward from a rear end of the male terminal portion. A crimping portion, and an electric wire contact piece formed between the male terminal portion and the electric wire crimping portion, wherein the male terminal portion has a substantially C-shaped cross section that is open frontward and rearward. And a gap extending in the longitudinal direction is provided so as to open upward, and the wire crimping portion crimps and holds a predetermined wire in a C-shape from below in a crimped state. It has a pair of left and right crimp barrels, and the wire abutment piece abuts a part of the end face of the wire in a state where the inner core wire exposed in the crimped state is folded to the outer peripheral side of the wire. The electric wire is cut to a predetermined length and its shaft is It is conveyed intermittently by a predetermined conveyance means in a predetermined conveyance direction without being rotated around, and by a predetermined crimping machine on the conveyance path, the gap of the male terminal portion is directed upward. A terminal crimping state inspection device that inspects a crimping state of the crimp terminal and the electric wire, which are to be sequentially crimped with the crimp terminal, at a predetermined position on the transport path downstream of the crimping machine, An imaging camera arranged to face the opening on the front side of the male terminal portion of the crimp terminal crimped with the electric wire, and an imaging camera for imaging the crimp terminal from the front, based on an image captured by the imaging camera When the male terminal portion is crimped to the electric wire with the gap portion facing right above, the male terminal portion of the crimp terminal faces the male terminal portion across the gap portion on the substantially C-shaped front end surface. First and second detection areas are set in the captured image at positions enclosing the two peripheral ends, respectively, and the two peripheral ends are recognized from the captured image, and the two peripheral ends are respectively By determining whether the magnitude of the width between the two peripheral ends is within the predetermined allowable error range and located in the first and second detection areas, Determining means for determining the quality.

The technical means for achieving the above object is that a crimp terminal to be inspected includes a male terminal portion, a wire crimp portion extending rearward from a rear end of the male terminal portion, An electric wire contact piece formed between the male terminal part and the electric wire crimping part is provided, and the male terminal part has a substantially cylindrical shape having a substantially C-shaped cross section that is open frontward and rearward. The gap extending in the longitudinal direction is provided so as to open upward, and the wire crimping portion is located at a position where each front end thereof is separated from the wire contacting piece by a predetermined distance rearward. And a pair of left and right crimp barrels for holding a predetermined wire by crimping in a C-shape from below in a crimped state, and the wire contact piece is exposed in the crimped state. With the inner core wire folded into the outer periphery of the electric wire. A part of the end face of the wire is configured to be abutted, and the crimp terminal has an end face of the electric wire inside the male terminal part when the crimp terminal is viewed from the front of the male terminal part in a crimped state. A terminal crimping state inspection for inspecting a crimping state between the crimp terminal and the electric wire, wherein at least one of the two crimp barrels is visible behind the end surface of the electric wire so that at least an upper outer periphery of the crimp barrel is visible. An imaging camera, which is disposed opposite to an opening on the front side of the male terminal portion of the crimp terminal after completion of crimping set at a predetermined set position, and which images the crimp terminal from the front; and Third and fourth detections are performed based on the image captured by the camera so as to include both left and right sides of the top of the end face of the electric wire located forward near the front ends of both crimp barrels. A region is set in the captured image, and it is determined whether or not each of the crimp barrels is reflected in each of the third and fourth detection regions, and the third and / or the fourth is detected. When the respective crimp barrels are not reflected in the detection area, it is determined that the crimp state is good, while the respective crimp barrels are determined within the third and / or fourth detection areas. And determining means for determining that the crimped state is defective when the barrel is reflected.

Further, a technical means for achieving the above object is that a crimp terminal to be inspected is a male terminal portion, which is extended rearward from a rear end of the male terminal portion to crimp a predetermined electric wire. Wire crimping portion, and a wire contact piece formed between the male terminal portion and the wire crimping portion, wherein the male terminal portion has a substantially C-shaped cross section that is open front and rear. The wire is provided with a gap extending in the longitudinal direction thereof opening upward, and the core wire, which is peeled and exposed, is folded into the outer peripheral side of the wire. A terminal crimping state inspection device for inspecting a crimping state between the crimp terminal and the electric wire, the crimping terminal being in contact with the electric wire abutting piece in a state and being crimped to the electric wire crimping portion, wherein a predetermined set Of the male terminal portion of the crimp terminal after the completion of the crimp set in the position An imaging camera that is arranged to face the opening on the one side and captures the crimp terminal from the front, based on a captured image captured by the imaging camera, and surrounds the outer periphery of the wire contact piece in the captured image. A fifth inspection area is set, and it is determined whether or not the core wire of the electric wire is reflected in the fifth inspection area. If the core wire is not reflected, it is determined that the crimping state is good. On the other hand, when the core wire is reflected, a determination unit that determines that the crimped state is defective is provided.

Preferably, the electric wire comprises: the core wire; an insulating substantially black insulating layer provided on the outer periphery of the core wire; a substantially white glass braid provided on the outer periphery of the insulating layer; A substantially black outermost coating provided on the outer periphery of the glass braid, wherein the electric wire contact piece is in contact with the end surface of the electric wire so as to cover a part of the end surface of the electric wire in the crimped state, The means determines whether or not the glass braid of the electric wire is reflected in the fifth inspection area. If the glass braid is not reflected, the crimping state is determined to be good. When the glass braid is reflected, it is preferable to determine that the crimped state is defective.

Further, a technical means for achieving the above object is that a crimp terminal to be inspected is a male terminal portion, which is extended rearward from a rear end of the male terminal portion to crimp a predetermined electric wire. Wire crimping portion, and a wire contact piece formed between the male terminal portion and the wire crimping portion, wherein the male terminal portion has a substantially C-shaped cross section that is open front and rear. Has a shape, and a gap extending in the longitudinal direction thereof is provided so as to open upward, and the electric wire abutting piece is provided on the crimp terminal so as to intersect perpendicularly with the axial direction of the crimp terminal. The crimp terminal and the electric wire, which are erected from the bottom wall portion, and in which the exposed inner core wire is folded into the outer peripheral side of the electric wire so that the end faces of the electric wire come into contact with each other in a crimped state. A terminal crimping state inspection device for inspecting a crimping state with the terminal, Wherein said crimp terminal after crimping completion set in position is opposed to the opening of the front side of the male terminal portion, an imaging camera for imaging the crimp terminal from the front,
An illumination unit that irradiates predetermined illumination light from the front toward the crimp terminal captured by the imaging camera, and based on the captured image captured by the imaging camera, the crimped state is appropriate in the captured image. In the position where the wire abutment piece is located, a sixth inspection area is set so as not to protrude from the outer edge of the wire abutment piece, and an image of the image in the sixth inspection area on the captured image is set. Brightness is detected, and if the detected brightness is equal to or more than a predetermined reference value, it is determined that the pressure-bonded state is good, while if the detected brightness is less than the reference value, Determining means for determining that the crimping state is defective.

The technical means for achieving the above object is that a crimp terminal to be inspected includes a male terminal portion, an electric wire crimp portion extending rearward from a rear end of the male terminal portion, An electric wire contact piece formed between the male terminal part and the electric wire crimping part is provided, and the male terminal part has a substantially cylindrical shape having a substantially C-shaped cross section that is open frontward and rearward. The gap extending in the longitudinal direction is provided so as to open upward, and the wire crimping portion is located at a position where each front end thereof is separated from the wire contacting piece by a predetermined distance rearward. And a pair of left and right crimp barrels for holding a predetermined wire by crimping the wire in a C-shape from below in a crimped state, wherein the wire contact piece is a shaft of the crimp terminal. The crimp terminal is erected from the bottom wall so as to intersect perpendicularly with the center direction. In the crimped state, a part of the end face of the wire is brought into contact with the wire, and the wire is peeled off, and the exposed core wire is folded into the outer peripheral side of the wire. The wire is cut into a predetermined length by being brought into contact with a contact piece and crimped to the wire crimping portion, and is further cut in a predetermined conveying direction without being rotated around its axis. It is sequentially conveyed intermittently by the conveyance means, and on the conveyance path, by a predetermined crimping machine, the male terminal portion is sequentially crimped with the crimp terminal so that the gap portion faces upward, When the crimp terminal is crimped and the crimp terminal is viewed from the front of the male terminal portion, at least the outer periphery of the end surface of the electric wire can be visually recognized inside the male terminal portion, and at least one of the two crimp barrels One is A terminal crimping state inspection device for inspecting a crimping state between the crimp terminal and the electric wire, which is configured to be hidden behind the end face of the electric wire, wherein the predetermined crimping state downstream of the crimping machine on the transport path. In the position, the crimp terminal crimped with the electric wire is disposed so as to face an opening on the front side of the male terminal portion, and an imaging camera for imaging the crimp terminal from the front, and the imaging camera for imaging the crimp terminal from the front. An illumination unit for irradiating predetermined illumination light from the front toward the crimp terminal, and based on a captured image captured by the imaging camera, determine whether the crimped state of the crimp terminal and the electric wire captured by the imaging camera is good or bad. Determining means, based on the captured image, when the male terminal portion is crimped on the electric wire in a state where the gap portion of the male terminal portion is directed upward, the crimp terminal of the crimp terminal First and second detection areas are set in the captured image at positions substantially enclosing both peripheral ends facing each other across the gap on the substantially C-shaped front end surface of the male terminal,
The two peripheral edges are recognized from the captured image, and the two peripheral edges are respectively located within the first and second detection regions, and the width between the two peripheral edges is determined. A first determination unit that determines whether or not is within a predetermined allowable error range; and a top part of the end surface of the electric wire that is located in front of the two crimp barrels in the vicinity of the tip parts based on the captured images. The third and fourth detection areas are set in the captured image so as to include the left and right sides of the barrel, respectively, and the crimp barrels are reflected in the third and / or fourth detection areas. And a second determination unit that determines whether or not the fifth inspection area is set based on the captured image so as to surround the outer periphery of the wire contact piece in the captured image. It is determined whether or not the core wire of the electric wire is reflected in the inspection area. 3 based on the captured image captured by the image capturing camera, based on the captured image captured by the imaging camera, from the outer edge of the wire abutting piece to a position where the wire abutting piece is located when the crimping state is appropriate in the captured image. While setting the sixth inspection area so as not to protrude, the brightness of the image in the sixth inspection area on the captured image is detected,
A fourth determination unit that determines whether the detected brightness is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, and at least two of the determination units, and determination results of all the determination units included therein Is determined to be good only when is affirmative.

Further, preferably, the crimp terminal is a male terminal for connecting a distributor.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal crimping apparatus provided with the terminal crimping state inspection device according to claim 6, wherein the electric wire cut to a predetermined length is connected to the terminal crimping device. The transport device for intermittently transporting the wire in a predetermined transport direction without rotating the wire around the axis of the wire, and the transport device is provided on a transport path of the wire, and is coupled with a transport operation of the transport unit. A crimping machine for sequentially crimping the crimp terminal to an end of the terminal so that the gap of the male terminal faces upward, the terminal crimping state inspection device according to claim 6, and the terminal crimping state inspection device. Is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction, and the wire that has been subjected to terminal crimping, which is transported by the transporting unit, is sequentially determined based on the determination result of the determining unit of the terminal crimping state inspection device based on the quality of the crimping state. Sorting Characterized in that it comprises a sorting device for the.

<Explanation of Principle> First, the principle of the present invention will be described. The present invention relates to the crimping state of the wire crimping portion of the crimping terminal, the presence or absence of deformation of the crimping terminal itself, and the quality of the width of the gap between the male terminal portions of the crimping terminal (ie, the outer diameter size of the male terminal portion). This is for inspecting the quality of the pressure-bonded state with respect to.

First, regarding the quality of the crimping condition of the wire crimping portion and the deformation of the crimping terminal itself, in order for the crimping machine to correctly perform terminal crimping, the crimping terminal is pressed from the top and bottom during crimping. It is necessary to perform crimping with the crimping terminal attached to the wire so that the gap portion of the wire and the upper opening of the wire crimping portion face directly upward, and crimp the terminal with the crimping terminal tilted around the axis. If mounted and crimped, one or both crimp barrels of both crimp barrels of the wire crimp part of the crimp terminal will not crimp well, or crimp failure will occur, such as the crimp terminal itself will be deformed It will be. This means that the quality of the crimping state of the wire crimping portion of the crimping terminal and the presence or absence of deformation of the crimping terminal itself can be determined based on the presence or absence of inclination of the crimping terminal around the axis after crimping. Thus, the present invention has been made by focusing on this point.

That is, when the crimp terminal is crimped in a state inclined about its axis, at least one of the two peripheral ends of the male terminal portion of the crimp terminal on the captured image is the first or the second. It will be out of the inspection area of 2,
Thereby, by judging whether or not both peripheral end portions of the end surface of the male terminal portion are located in the first and second detection regions, whether the crimping state of the wire crimping portion of the crimp terminal is good or not, Also, the presence or absence of deformation of the crimp terminal itself can be inspected.

Next, regarding the quality of the outer diameter of the male terminal portion, the male terminal portion of the crimping terminal is connected by being pushed into, for example, a cylindrical female terminal. Although it is necessary to have an appropriate size corresponding to the inner diameter of the terminal, according to the present invention, the size of the width between both circumferential ends of the front end face of the male terminal portion is within a predetermined allowable error range. By judging whether or not there is, the inspection of the outer diameter size of the male terminal portion can be appropriately performed.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the male terminal portion is crimped to the electric wire in a state where the gap portion of the male terminal portion is directed upward, based on an image captured by the image capturing camera, The first and second detection regions are set in the captured image at positions enclosing both peripheral ends facing each other across the gap in the substantially C-shaped front end surface of the male terminal portion of the crimp terminal. , The two peripheral ends are recognized, the two peripheral ends are respectively located in the first and second detection areas, and the width between the two peripheral ends is within a predetermined allowable error range. By judging whether or not the crimping state of the wire crimping portion of the crimping terminal, the presence or absence of deformation of the crimping terminal itself, and the outer diameter size of the male terminal portion are automatically inspected. Efficiency is improved.

Next, the principle of the present invention will be described. The present invention is for inspecting the quality of a crimped state regarding the presence or absence of a gap between a wire contact portion of a crimp terminal and a wire. Both crimp barrels of the wire crimping portion of the crimp terminal are provided such that each front end thereof is located at a position separated by a predetermined distance rearward from the wire contact piece, so that the end face of the wire is When crimping is performed in an appropriate state in contact with the wire abutting piece, the two crimp barrels compress a portion (crimped portion) separated from the end face of the wire by a predetermined distance backward from the outer peripheral side. And hold by crimping.

For this reason, when the crimp terminal is viewed from the front, if the crimping is performed properly, the length of the wire portion (non-crimped portion) on the end side of the crimped portion is secured by a predetermined distance, Because the non-crimped portion extends forward from the front end side of the crimped portion while greatly expanding its diameter, the vicinity of at least one end of both crimped barrels is hidden behind the end face of the electric wire. If the crimping is performed improperly while there is a gap between the wire and the wire abutment while the wire is not visible, the length of the non-crimped part will be small or zero For this reason, the vicinity of the tip of at least one of the two crimp barrels is visible on the outer periphery of the end face of the electric wire.

Therefore, according to the present invention, when each of the crimp barrels is not shown in the third and / or fourth detection area in the captured image, the gap between the wire contact piece and the wire is provided. While it is determined that there is no gap and the crimping state is good, if each of the crimp barrels is reflected in the third and / or fourth detection area, the contact between the wire contact piece and the wire It is determined that there is a gap between them and the crimping state is poor.

If each of the barrels is reflected in both the third and fourth inspection areas, it is determined that the crimping is defective, or if at least one of the third and fourth inspection areas is determined. When each crimp barrel is reflected in
Whether or not the crimping is determined to be determined is determined by the type of product and the required level of product quality.

Next, the principle of the present invention will be described. The present invention is for inspecting the quality of a crimped state regarding the presence or absence of excessive penetration of an electric wire in a crimped terminal in a crimped state. In order to perform crimping properly, crimping must be performed with the end face of the wire pressed against the wire contact piece of the crimp terminal with an appropriate pressing force, and if crimping is performed in such a state , The upright posture of the wire contact piece is maintained even after crimping. However, if the wire is too deep into the crimp terminal and crimping is performed with the wire pressed against the wire contacting piece with excessive pressing force, the wire ends will expand due to crimping, The wire contact piece is pushed forward and tilts.
Thus, the presence or absence of the electric wire excessively entering the crimp terminal can be determined by detecting the inclination of the electric wire contact piece.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the illumination means irradiates a predetermined illumination light toward the crimp terminal from the front, and at the same time, an image of the crimp terminal is taken from the front by an imaging camera. Based on the brightness of the image, the presence or absence of the wire contacting piece is detected by detecting whether or not the wire contact piece is tilted forward, thereby checking whether or not the wire has excessively entered the crimp terminal.

That is, since the illumination light from the illumination means is applied to the wire contact piece from the front, when the wire contact piece stands upright, much of the illumination light incident on the wire contact piece is reflected forward. And enters the imaging camera, and the portion of the wire contact piece appears bright in the captured image. On the other hand, as the forward inclination of the wire contact piece increases, the proportion of illumination light reflected forward by the wire contact piece decreases, and the proportion of illumination light reflected obliquely downward by the wire contact piece increases. As a result, the amount of reflected light from the wire contact piece incident on the imaging camera decreases, and the portion of the wire contact piece in the captured image becomes dark.
Thus, if the brightness of the wire contact piece portion in the captured image is less than a predetermined reference value, it is determined that the crimping state is defective.

[0025]

FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a configuration of a terminal crimping apparatus to which a terminal crimping state inspection apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as an "inspection apparatus") according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a side view showing a configuration of an inspection device provided in the terminal crimping device, FIGS. 3 and 4 are a front view and a plan view showing a partial configuration of the inspection device, and FIG. FIG.

First, referring to FIGS. 6 to 12, an electric wire 1 to be inspected by an inspection device used in the present embodiment and a male terminal (crimp terminal) 3 for connecting a distributor.
Will be described.

The electric wire 1 is a high-voltage electric wire, and as shown in FIG. 6, a core wire 5, an insulating insulating layer 7 provided on the outer periphery of the core wire 5, and a glass braid 9 provided on the outer periphery of the insulating layer 7.
And the outermost coating 11 provided on the outer periphery of the glass braid 9
It is comprised including. The core wire 5 has a winding type in which a conductor wire (such as a nichrome wire) for transmitting a high voltage is horizontally wound on an upper layer of a core in which a predetermined magnetic material is mixed;
There is a string type formed of a number of fibrous string members to which a conductive material is attached.

Here, the insulating layer 7 and the outermost coating 11 are
It has a matte black appearance color and has a glass braid 9
Has a substantially white appearance color. Further, since the conductor wire is densely horizontally wound around the outer periphery, the wound core wire 5 has an appearance color having a somewhat metallic luster close to the appearance color of the conductor wire (here, substantially silver). The core wire 5 has a slightly glossy, substantially black appearance color. Here, as the core wire 5, a winding type wire whose appearance color is greatly different from that of the insulating layer 7 and the outermost coating 11 and which can be easily identified by image recognition described later is used.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 12, the male terminal 3 is a straight crimping terminal having a metallic luster on the surface integrally formed by bending a predetermined metal piece. Male terminal 21 and male terminal 2
1 includes a wire crimping portion 23 extending rearward from the rear end, and a wire contact piece 25 provided between the male terminal portion 21 and the wire crimping portion 23.

The male terminal portion 21 has a cross section substantially C
It has a substantially cylindrical shape in the shape of a letter, and a gap portion 21a extending in the longitudinal direction is provided so as to open upward. The male terminal 21 is connected to the female terminal by being pushed into a cylindrical female terminal of a distributor (not shown).

The wire crimping portion 23 has a pair of left and right crimp barrels 23a and 23b. Each crimp barrel 23a, 2
3b is provided so that each end on the front side thereof is located at a position separated by a predetermined distance behind the wire contact piece 25, and is held in a C-shape from below in a crimped state. The electric wire 1 is pressed and held from above the outermost coating 11.

The wire contacting piece 25 is formed by being pulled out from the bottom wall of the male terminal 3 so as to intersect perpendicularly with the axial direction of the male terminal 3, and a part of the end face of the wire 1 is pressed in a crimped state. Is to be touched.

The crimping of the male terminal 3 and the electric wire 1 is as follows.
The crimping is performed by a crimping machine 39 (see FIG. 1) of a crimping device, which will be described later. First, the state in which crimping is performed is described.

As shown in FIG. 9, the electric wire 1 is cut into a predetermined length, and the outermost coating 11, the glass braid 9 and the insulating layer 7 at both ends are peeled off to expose the core wire 5, The male terminal 3 is attached to both ends of the exposed core wire 5 and is crimped to the male terminal 3 with the exposed core wire 5 folded into the outer peripheral side below the electric wire 1.

The electric wire contact piece 25 of the male terminal 3 extends from below so as to cover the center portion of the end face of the crimped electric wire 1 where the core wire 5 is located. The core wire 5 bent to the outer peripheral side and the portion of the end face of the electric wire 1 around the core wire 5 come into contact with each other.

The electric wire 1 is connected to the male terminal 21 of the male terminal 3.
When the male terminal 3 is viewed from the front of the male terminal portion 21 in the crimped state, at least the end face of the electric wire 1 is located inside the male terminal portion 21 as shown in FIG. The upper outer periphery is visible.

In order for the crimped state of the electric wire 1 and the male terminal 3 to be proper, as shown in FIGS.
The male terminal 3 is not deformed, and both crimp barrels 23a,
23b is appropriately crimped to the electric wire 1, the width W of the gap 21a of the male terminal portion 21 (see FIG. 11), that is, the outer diameter size of the male terminal portion 21a is an appropriate value, There is no gap between the piece 25 and the wire 1, the glass braid 9 does not protrude from the end face of the wire 1 due to poor cutting, and the core wire 5 protrudes from between the wire abutment piece 25 and the end face of the wire 1. It is necessary that the electric wire 1 does not enter the male terminal 3 too much.

The reason why the outer diameter size of the male terminal portion 21 was set as the inspection item is that the male terminal portion 21 is pushed into the cylindrical female terminal of the distributor and is connected thereto.
Is required to be set to an appropriate size corresponding to the inner diameter of the female terminal.

Next, the configuration of the terminal crimping device will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the terminal crimping device generally includes a drum 31 around which the electric wire 1 is wound, a supply device 33, a cutting device 35, a transport device 37, a crimping machine 39, an inspection device 41, a sorting device 43, The control unit 44 (see FIG. 5) is configured to automatically perform the steps of cutting, crimping, inspection, and sorting of the electric wire 1.

The supply device 33 draws out the electric wire 1 wound around the drum 31 and supplies it to the cutting device 35 via the turn roller 45. The cutting device 35 sequentially cuts the electric wire 1 supplied by the supply device 33 into a predetermined length, peels off both ends of the electric wire 1, and delivers it to the transport device 37. The transporting device 37 holds both ends of each of the received wires 1 of a predetermined length by a predetermined moving chuck (see FIG. 4) 47, and intermittently transports the wires 1 in a predetermined transport direction A at a predetermined transport pitch. ,
When the electric wire 1 is conveyed to the end of the conveying path, the held electric wire 1 is opened. Transfer device 3
7, the electric wire 3 is conveyed without being rotated around the axis of the electric wire 1 while being stretched in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction A.

A pair of crimping machines 39 is provided on the right and left sides of the electric wire 1 on the right and left sides thereof. The male terminals 3 are crimped on both ends of the electric wire 1 to be fed in conjunction with the conveying operation of the conveying device 37. It has become. More specifically,
Each crimping machine 39 inserts the exposed core wire 5 at the end of the fed electric wire 1 such that the gap 21 a of the male terminal portion 21 and the upper opening of the electric wire crimping portion 23 face directly upward. The crimping barrels 23a and 23b are pressed from above and below while the male terminal 3 is mounted so as to be folded to the outer peripheral side of the wire 1 and the end surface of the wire 1 is pressed against the wire contact piece 25 with an appropriate pressing force. Pressure bonding.

The inspection device 41 has two crimping machines 3 on both the left and right sides on the conveying path of the electric wire 1, although the detailed configuration will be described later.
9, a pair of right and left male terminals 3 crimped by each crimping machine and the crimping state of the electric wire 1 are sequentially inspected in conjunction with the transport operation of the transport device 37, and the inspection is performed. The result is output to the control unit 44.

The sorting device 43 is provided at the end of the conveying path of the electric wire 1 and, based on an instruction given from the control unit 44, removes the crimped electric wire 1 opened by the conveying device 37 at both ends. The crimping state is sorted into good and bad ones and discharged to a predetermined discharge location.

The control unit 44 includes the supply device 33 and the cutting device 3
5. Controls the transport device 37, the crimping machine 39, the inspection device 41, and the sorting device 43.

Next, each inspection apparatus 41 will be described. Here, the configuration of each inspection apparatus 41 will be described first, and then the principle of inspection of each inspection item performed by the inspection apparatus 41 will be described. explain.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, each of the inspection devices 41 includes first and second holding mechanisms (holding means) 51,
53, an illumination unit (illumination means) 55, an imaging camera 57, and an inspection control section (judgment means) 59.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first holding mechanism 51 is provided with a fixed member 61 fixed at a predetermined position and movably in the vertical direction. A movable member 63 for positioning and holding the male terminal 3 pressed and crimped from above and below, and a drive mechanism 65 including an air cylinder for driving the movable member 63 up and down under the control of the inspection control section 59 are provided. The fixing member 61 is
The electric wire 1 conveyed by the conveying device 37 is installed at a predetermined set position on the conveying path, and the male terminal 3 crimped on the electric wire 1 sequentially passes through the fixing member 61.

The second holding mechanism 53 is provided with a pair of left and right holding members 71, which are provided so as to open and close by rotating in a direction opposite to each other about a predetermined axis as shown by an arrow B in FIG. 73, and a drive mechanism 75 including an air cylinder for opening and closing the two holding members 71, 73 under the control of the inspection control unit 59. The male terminal of the electric wire 1 sent to the set position is provided. 3 for both holding members 7
1, 73 hold the positioning by holding it from both left and right sides.

As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging camera 57 is provided with the male terminal 21 of the male terminal 3 positioned and held at the set position.
The crimp terminal 3 is disposed to face the opening on the front side of the
Is imaged. Here, the imaging camera 57
Is set so as to form a predetermined angle θ (here, 0 to 15 °) above the center axis of the male terminal 3. The captured image 81 (see FIG. 13)
Is binarized based on a predetermined black-and-white standard and output to the inspection control unit 59. Here, the captured image 81 shown in FIG. 13 is a monochrome image that has been subjected to the binarization processing.
Here, the image processing unit that performs the binarization processing of the captured image is provided on the imaging camera 57 side, but may be provided on the inspection control unit 59 side.

The lighting unit 55 is, as shown in FIG.
It is installed on the front part of the imaging camera 57, and emits predetermined illumination light 55a toward the male terminal 3 from the front. Here, the illumination unit 55 uses a red LED as a light source.

The inspection control section 59 includes first to fourth determination sections 59a to 59d for making a quality determination for each determination item based on the captured image 81 captured by the imaging camera 57, and the first to fourth determination sections. The driving mechanisms 65 and 75 for the first and second holding mechanisms 51 and 53, the illumination unit 55, and the imaging camera 57
And a central control section 59e for controlling the driving of the motor.

The central control section 59e operates the first and second holding mechanisms 51, 52 at the timing specified by the control section 44.
53 is driven and the electric wire 1 sent to a predetermined set position
Of each male terminal 3 is positioned and held, and each of the judging portions 59a to 59
d, based on the captured image 81 captured by the capturing camera 57, the quality of each determination item is determined, and when the determination is completed, the inspection operation of opening the male terminal 3 of the wire 1 that has been positioned and held is performed. It is supposed to repeat.

The central control unit 59e includes all the judgment units 59
Only when a to 59d determine that the crimping state is good, the crimping state between the electric wire 1 and each male terminal 3 is determined to be good. Otherwise, the crimping state is poor. It is determined that there is.

Determination result (inspection result) of central control section 59e
Are sequentially given to the control unit 44, and the sorting process is performed in the sorting device 43 based on the determination result.

Here, the items to be determined by each of the determination units 59a to 59d and the principle of the determination will be described.

Each of the judging sections 59a to 59
Since the captured image 81 given to d is a black-and-white binary image, the male terminal 3 that reflects the illumination light 55a of the illumination unit 55 in the captured image 81 when the crimping is properly performed. Is a white area, and the lower part is the insulating layer 7 of the electric wire 1 having a substantially black appearance color.
In addition, all areas including the outermost coating 11 are black areas. In imaging, since the male terminal 3 is positioned and held at a predetermined set position, if the crimped state is appropriate, the male terminal 3 is imaged at the same position and angle. It is located in the image 81.

Then, each of the judging sections 59a to 59d sets the first to sixth inspection areas 81 at predetermined positions in the captured image 81.
a to 81f are set, and each determination item to be described later is determined based on the state of the image in each of the inspection areas 81a to 81f. Here, the positions of the inspection areas 81a to 81f on the captured image 81 are set based on the case where the crimping state is appropriate.

Here, the first and second inspection areas 81
a, 81b are determined by the first judging section 59a.
The male terminal portion 21 is provided at a position that includes both peripheral end portions 21c and 21d facing each other across the gap portion 21a in the substantially C-shaped front end surface 21b of the male terminal portion 21.

Third and fourth inspection areas 81c and 81d
Are provided by the second judging part 59b at positions respectively including the left and right sides of the top of the end face of the electric wire 1 located forward near the front ends of both crimp barrels 23a and 23b of the male terminal 3. .

The fifth inspection area 81e is provided in the third determination unit 5
9c, the wire 1 is provided on the end face so as not to protrude from the outer edge of the end face and to surround the outer periphery of the wire contact piece 25 in an inverted U-shape. The sixth inspection area 81f is provided on the wire contact piece 25 by the fourth determination portion 59d so as not to protrude from the outer edge of the wire contact piece 25.

The first judging section 59a determines the crimped state of the electric wire crimping section 23 of the male terminal 3
This is for judging whether the crimping state is good or not in relation to the presence or absence of deformation of itself and the size of the width W of the gap portion 21a of the male terminal portion 21 of the male terminal 3 (ie, the outer diameter size of the male terminal portion 21). is there.

The principle of the determination will be described. First, regarding the quality of the crimping state of the wire crimping portion 23 and the deformation of the male terminal 3 itself, in order for each crimping machine 39 to correctly perform the terminal crimping, the male terminal 3 is required to be crimped at the time of crimping. Is pressed from above and below, so that crimping is performed in a state where the male terminal 3 is mounted on the electric wire 1 such that the gap 21a of the male terminal 21 and the upper opening of the wire crimping portion 23 face right above. Need
When the male terminal 3 is attached to the electric wire 1 and crimped in a state in which the male terminal 3 is inclined around the axis, one or both of the two crimp barrels 23 a and 23 b of the electric wire crimp portion 23 of the male terminal 3 are used. A crimping failure occurs in that the crimp 23b is not crimped properly or the male terminal 3 itself is deformed. This means that the crimping state of the wire crimping portion 23 of the male terminal 3 and whether the male terminal 3 itself is deformed are
This means that determination can be made based on the presence or absence of inclination of the male terminal 3 around the axis after crimping.

That is, when the male terminal 3 is crimped in a state inclined about its axis as shown in FIG. At least one of the parts 21c and 21d comes out of the first and second inspection areas 81a and 81b.

In response to this, the first judging section 59a
The two peripheral ends 21c and 21d of the front end surface 21b of the male terminal 21 are recognized on the captured image 81, and the both peripheral ends 21c and 21d are recognized.
c and 21d are the first and second detection areas 81, respectively.
a, 81b, it is determined that the crimping state of the electric wire crimping portion 23 of the male terminal 3 is good and the male terminal 3 itself is not deformed, while the both peripheral end portions 21c, 21d are determined.
Is not located in the first and second detection regions 81a and 81b, the crimping failure of the wire crimping portion 23 of the male terminal 3 or the deformation of the male terminal 3 itself occurs. Is determined to be present.

Next, regarding the quality of the outer diameter of the male terminal 21, the size of the width W between the two peripheral ends 21 c and 21 d of the end surface 21 b of the male terminal 21 on the picked-up image 81 is a predetermined tolerance. The determination can be made by determining whether or not the error is within the error range.

In response, the first determination unit 59a
When the width W between the two peripheral ends 21c and 21d of the end surface 21b of the male terminal portion 21 on the captured image 81 is within a predetermined allowable error range, the outer diameter size of the male terminal portion 21 is good. On the other hand, if the width W is not within the predetermined allowable error range, the outer diameter size of the male terminal portion 21 is determined to be defective.

The first judging section 59 determines whether or not the wire crimping section 23 of the male terminal 3 has a defective crimp, whether or not the male terminal 3 itself is deformed, and whether or not the outer diameter of the male terminal section 21 is good. Only when it is determined to be good, it is determined that the crimping state is good, and otherwise, it is determined that the crimping state is bad.

Next, the second judging section 59b will be described.
This is for determining whether or not there is a gap 83 between the wire 5 and the electric wire 1 (see FIG. 15).

The principle of the determination will be described. Both crimp barrels 23a and 23b of the wire crimp portion 23 of the male terminal 3
Since each end on the front side is provided at a position spaced apart from the wire contact piece 25 by a predetermined distance, the end face of the electric wire 1 is appropriately contacted with the wire contact piece 25. When crimping is performed in a state of
A and 23b are crimped and held so that a portion (crimped portion) 1a (see FIG. 12) separated rearward by a predetermined distance from the end face of the electric wire 1 is compressed from the outer peripheral side.

For this reason, when the male terminal 3 is viewed from the front, if the crimping is performed properly, the length of the portion of the electric wire 1 (the non-crimped portion) 1b (see FIG. 12) closer to the end than the crimped portion 1a. Since the length L is secured by a predetermined distance, and the non-crimped portion 1b extends forward from the front end side of the crimped portion 1a while greatly expanding its diameter, at least one of the two crimped barrels 23a, 23b. As shown in FIG. 11, the vicinity of one end is hidden behind the end face of the electric wire 1 so as to be invisible, and as shown in FIG. 15, between the electric wire 1 and the electric wire contact piece 25. When the crimping is performed in an inappropriate state where there is a gap 83 between the two crimp barrels 23a,
As shown in FIG. 16, the vicinity of at least one of the distal ends of the wires 23b is visible on the outer periphery of the end surface of the electric wire 1.

That is, the crimp barrels 23a, 23b
Since the image 81 appears white in the captured image 81, if there is a gap 83 between the electric wire 1 and the electric wire contact piece 25, the captured image 8
In each of the third and / or fourth detection areas 81c and 81d, a white area is formed in a black area.

Therefore, if there is no white area of a predetermined area or more in the third and / or one of the detection areas 81c and 81d in the captured image 81, the second determination section 59b determines Gap 8 between contact piece 25 and electric wire 1
3 and the crimping state is determined to be good, while the third and / or both detection regions 81c,
When there is a white area of a predetermined area or more in 81d, a gap 83 is provided between the wire contact piece 25 and the wire 1, and it is determined that the crimping state is poor.

Note that both the third and fourth inspection areas 8
If there is a white area with a predetermined area or more in 1c and 81d, it is determined that the crimping is defective, or the third and fourth crimps are determined.
When there is a white area having a predetermined area or more in at least one of the inspection areas 81c and 81d, whether or not to determine that the crimping is defective is determined by a required type for a product type and a quality of the product. Here, only when there is a white area having a predetermined area or more in both of the inspection areas 81c and 81d, it is determined that the pressure-bonding is defective.
If there is a white area larger than a predetermined area only in c and 81d, it is set so that it is not determined that the pressure bonding is defective.

Next, the third judging section 59c will be described. The third judging section 59c comprises an end face of the electric wire 1 and the male terminal 3c.
The purpose of this is to judge the quality of the crimped state regarding the presence or absence of the core wire 5 protruding from the wire contact piece 25 and the presence of the glass braid 9 protruding from the end surface of the electric wire 1.

The principle of the determination will be described. The winding type core wire 5 has an appearance color having a somewhat metallic luster and reflects the illumination light 55a from the illumination unit 55.
As shown in FIG. 7, in the case of jumping out from between the electric wire 1 and the electric wire contact piece 25, the captured image 81 appears white. Further, since the glass braid 9 also has a substantially white appearance color, as shown in FIG. 18, when the glass braid 9 protrudes from the end face of the electric wire 1, it appears white in the captured image 81. Accordingly, the presence or absence of the protrusion of the core wire 5 and the glass braid 9 can be determined by determining whether or not there is a white area having a predetermined area or more in the fifth inspection area 81e set in the captured image 81. It has become.

Therefore, when there is a white area having a predetermined area or more in the fifth inspection area 81e in the picked-up image 81, the third judging section 59c does not cause the core wire 5 and the glass braid 9 to protrude and the crimped state. Is determined to be good,
When there is a white area having a predetermined area or more in the fifth inspection area 81e, at least one of the core wire 5 and the glass braid 9 is protruded, and the crimping state is determined to be defective. .

Although the case where the core wire 5 of the electric wire 1 is of the wound type has been described here, the determination accuracy of the cord type core wire 5 is not as high as that of the wound type core wire 5, Can be detected. this is,
The cord-shaped core wire 5 also has a slight luster, and reflects the illumination light 55a better than the insulating layer 7 and the outermost coating 11 of the electric wire 1. Therefore, if there is a protrusion, it appears white in the captured image 81. is there.

Next, the fourth judging section 59d will be described. The fourth judging section 59d is for judging the quality of the crimping condition regarding the presence or absence of the electric wire 1 excessively entering the male terminal 3. .

The principle of the determination will be described. In order to perform appropriate crimping, it is necessary to perform crimping with the end face of the electric wire 1 pressed against the electric wire contact piece 25 of the male terminal 3 with an appropriate pressing force. When the crimping is performed in such a state, the upright posture of the wire contacting piece 25 is maintained even after the crimping. However, if the wire 1 is too deeply inserted into the male terminal 3 and crimped in a state where the wire 1 is pressed against the wire contact piece 25 with excessive pressing force, the expansion of the end of the wire 1 caused by the crimping As a result, the wire abutment piece 25 is pushed forward by the wire 1 and tilts. Thus, whether the electric wire 1 has excessively entered the male terminal 3 can be determined by detecting whether the electric wire contact piece 25 is inclined.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the lighting unit 5
5 illuminates the male terminal 3 with the predetermined illumination light 55a from the front at the same time as the male terminal 3 is imaged from the front by the imaging camera 57, and the wire contact piece 25 in the captured image 81 is taken.
Based on the brightness of the image in the sixth inspection area 81f provided above (here, the image in the inspection area 81f is white or black), it is determined whether or not the wire contact piece 25 is tilted forward. By detecting, it is inspected whether the electric wire 1 has entered the male terminal 3 excessively.

More specifically, since the illumination light 55a from the illumination unit 55 is applied to the wire contact piece 25 from the front, when the wire contact piece 25 stands upright as shown in FIG. Most of the illumination light 55a incident on the contact piece 25 is reflected forward and incident on the imaging camera 57, and the entire area within the sixth inspection area 81f in the captured image 81 becomes white. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 19, as the electric wire 1 enters too much, as the inclination of the electric wire contact piece 25 toward the front increases, the ratio of the illumination light 55a reflected forward by the electric wire contact piece 25 decreases, and The proportion of the illumination light 55a reflected obliquely downward by the wire contact piece 25 increases, and the proportion of the illumination light 55a incident on the imaging camera 57 decreases.
When the brightness of the portion falls below a predetermined black-and-white reference, the entire area of the sixth inspection area 81f in the captured image 81 becomes black. Here, the black-and-white standard in the binarization processing of the imaging camera 57 is the electric wire contact piece 25 serving as a criterion for quality determination.
Is determined in accordance with the magnitude of the inclination angle of.

Therefore, when the sixth inspection area 81f in the picked-up image 81 is a white image, the fourth determination unit 59d determines that the wire 1 is not excessively inserted and the crimping state is good. If the inside of the sixth inspection area 81f is a black image, it is determined that the electric wire 1 has entered too much and the crimping state is defective.

With such a configuration, in the terminal crimping device according to the present embodiment, the electric wire 1 cut to a predetermined length by the cutting device 35 is conveyed by the conveying device 37 during the process of being conveyed by the conveying device 37. After the male terminals 3 are crimped to both ends, the inspection devices 41 on the left and right sides inspect the crimped state of the male terminals 3 at both ends.

In each of the inspection devices 41, as described above, the quality of the crimped state of the wire crimping portion 23, the presence or absence of deformation of the male terminal 3 itself, the quality of the outer diameter of the male terminal portion 21, the quality of the wire contact piece 2
Whether the crimping condition is good or not is determined based on the presence or absence of the gap 83 between the wire 5 and the electric wire 1, the presence or absence of the core wire 5 and the glass braid 9 jumping out, and the presence or absence of the electric wire 1 excessively entering.

Then, when a positive determination result is obtained in all of these determination items, the inspection result that the crimping state is good is given to the control unit 44 from each of the inspection devices 41. If any of the judgment items is negative, an inspection result indicating that the crimping state is defective is given.

The electric wire 1 for which the crimping condition of both ends was inspected
Is transported by the transport device 37 to the terminal end of the transport path, and is sorted and discharged by the sorting device 43 based on the quality of the pressure-bonded state.

In the sorting device 43, under the control of the control unit 44, the sorting is performed based on whether or not the determination results of the left and right inspection devices 41 are both positive. However, when the crimping state is poor, the crimping state is classified as poor.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the crimping state of the electric wire 1 and the male terminal 3 is automatically inspected, and the efficiency of the inspection process is improved.

Further, since the presence or absence of the crimping state is inspected based on the picked-up image 81 taken from the front of the male terminal 3, the quality of the crimping state of the wire crimping portion 23 and the deformation of the male terminal 3 itself are checked. The presence / absence, the quality of the outer diameter of the male terminal portion 21, the presence / absence of the gap 83 between the wire abutment piece 25 and the wire 1, the presence / absence of the core wire 5 and the glass braid 9 jumping out, and the presence / absence of the wire 1 excessively entering. Can be determined based on the captured image 81 captured by the single imaging camera 57, and the simplification and cost reduction of the equipment of the inspection apparatus 41 can be achieved without the need of a plurality of imaging cameras. I can do it.

As a method that can be relatively easily considered as a method for determining whether or not there is a gap 83 between the electric wire contact piece 25 and the electric wire 1 and whether or not the electric wire 1 is excessively inserted based on the captured image, A method is conceivable in which the male terminal 3 is imaged from the side of the male terminal 3 and the gap 83 and the presence or absence of excessive entry are determined. However, when this method is adopted, it is attempted to simultaneously determine other determination items such as the quality of the width W of the gap portion 21a of the male terminal portion 21 (the outer diameter size of the male terminal portion 21). In this case, it is necessary to image the male terminal 3 from a plurality of directions, and it is necessary to install a plurality of imaging cameras.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, based on the state of the images in the third, fourth and sixth inspection areas 81c, 81d and 81f in the image 81 taken from the front.
Since the gap 83 and the presence / absence of excessive penetration are determined, a captured image 8 of the male terminal 3 taken from the front is obtained.
The determination of the plurality of determination items described above can be performed based on only one.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the male terminal 3 to be inspected is sandwiched from above, below, right and left by the first and second holding mechanisms 51 and 53, the male terminal 3 is positioned and held. The positioning of the male terminal 3 in the image 81 can be reliably performed, and the quality of the crimped state can be accurately determined based on the captured image 81.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the transfer device 3
By providing the cutting device 35, the crimping machine 39, the inspection device 41, and the sorting device 43 on the transport path of No. 7, cutting, crimping of the terminal, inspection of the crimping state, and sorting can be automatically performed by a series of processes. In addition, the efficiency of the manufacturing process can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the first to fourth determination units 59a to 59d of the inspection control unit 59 of the inspection device 41 are used.
The inspection is performed for all of the determination items performed by the first determination unit. However, the inspection may be performed only for each determination item performed by some of the first to fourth determination units 59a to 59d. Good.

[0095]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the male terminal portion is crimped to the electric wire in a state where the gap portion of the male terminal portion is directed directly upward, based on an image picked up by an image pickup camera. First and second detection areas are set in the captured image at positions enclosing both peripheral ends facing each other across the gap in the substantially C-shaped front end surface of the male terminal portion of the crimp terminal. Both peripheral edges are recognized from the image, both peripheral edges are respectively located within the first and second detection areas, and the width between both peripheral edges is within a predetermined allowable error range. The crimping condition of the wire crimping portion of the crimping terminal, the presence or absence of deformation of the crimping terminal itself, and the quality of the outer diameter size of the male terminal portion are automatically inspected. The process can be made more efficient.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the left and right of the top of the end face of the electric wire where the vicinity of the tip of both crimp barrels in the wire crimping portion of the crimp terminal abuts on the basis of the image taken by the imaging camera. Third to include both sides respectively
And the fourth detection region is set in the captured image, and it is determined whether or not each of the crimp barrels is reflected in each of the third and fourth detection regions. The quality of the crimping condition regarding the presence or absence of a gap between the inspection and the inspection is automatically inspected, and the efficiency of the inspection process is improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the fifth inspection area is set on the basis of the image picked up by the image pickup camera so as to surround the outer periphery of the wire contact piece of the crimp terminal in the picked-up image. By judging whether or not the core of the electric wire is reflected in the fifth inspection area, the quality of the crimped state regarding the presence or absence of the core of the electric wire is automatically inspected, and the efficiency of the inspection process is improved. Is achieved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the quality of the crimping condition regarding the protrusion of the glass braid from the end face of the electric wire is automatically inspected, and the efficiency of the inspection process is improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, based on the image captured by the imaging camera, when the crimping state is appropriate in the captured image, the wire abutment piece is located at the position where the wire abutment piece is located. 6th not to protrude from the outer edge of the piece
Is set, and the brightness of the image in the sixth inspection area on the captured image is detected. Based on the detected brightness, it is determined whether or not the wire contact piece is inclined forward. By doing so, the quality of the crimped state regarding the presence or absence of the wire having excessively entered the crimp terminal is automatically inspected, and the efficiency of the inspection process is improved.

According to the invention set forth in claim 6, according to claim 1,
In addition, at least two or more inspection items out of a plurality of inspection items performed by the invention described in claims 3 and 5 can be automatically performed.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the crimping machine, the terminal crimping state inspecting device and the sorting device are provided on the conveying path of the electric wire conveyed by the conveying device, so that the terminal crimping and crimping state can be inspected. In addition, the sorting can be automatically performed by a series of steps, and the efficiency of the manufacturing process can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a terminal crimping device to which a terminal crimping state inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a configuration of an inspection device provided in the terminal crimping device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a partial configuration of the inspection device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a partial configuration of the inspection apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the inspection device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a partially broken side view of an electric wire to be inspected.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a male terminal for connection to a distributor to be inspected before crimping.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the male terminal of FIG. 7 before crimping.

9 is a sectional view of the male terminal of FIG. 7 before crimping.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the male terminal of FIG. 7 after crimping.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the male terminal of FIG. 7 after crimping.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the male terminal of FIG. 7 after crimping.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a captured image of an imaging camera provided in the inspection device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 14 is a front view of a terminal crimping portion in which a male terminal is inclined around an axis and crimped to an electric wire.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the terminal crimping portion in which a gap is formed between the wire contact piece and the wire.

FIG. 16 is a front view of the terminal crimping section of FIG.

FIG. 17 is a front view of a terminal crimping portion in which a core wire protrudes.

FIG. 18 is a front view of the terminal crimping portion where the glass braid has popped out.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal crimping portion where the electric wire has excessively entered the male terminal.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Electric wire 3 Male terminal 5 core wire 7 Insulation layer 9 Glass braid 11 Outer coating 21 Male terminal 21 gap 23 Wire crimping part 23a, 23b Crimp barrel 25 Wire contact piece 31 drums 33 Supply device 35 Cutting device 37 Transport device 39 crimping machine 41 Inspection device 43 Sorting device 51, 53 First and second holding mechanisms 55 Lighting unit 57 Camera 59 Inspection control unit 59a to 59d First to fourth determination units 59e Central control unit 81 Captured image 81a to 81f First to sixth inspection areas

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 43/048 G01B 11/08 G01B 11/14

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] A crimp terminal to be inspected includes a male terminal portion, a wire crimp portion extending rearward from a rear end of the male terminal portion, and a wire crimp portion between the male terminal portion and the wire crimp portion. The male terminal portion has a substantially cylindrical shape having a substantially C-shaped cross section that opens forward and backward, and a gap extending in the longitudinal direction opens upward. The wire crimping portion is provided with a pair of left and right crimp barrels for crimping and holding a predetermined wire so as to be held in a C-shape from below in a crimped state. Is configured such that a part of an end surface of the electric wire is brought into contact with the inner core wire exposed in the crimped state folded into the outer peripheral side of the electric wire, and the electric wire has a predetermined length. A predetermined transport hand in a predetermined transport direction without being cut and rotated around its axis. The crimp terminal that is intermittently conveyed intermittently by a step and is sequentially crimped with the crimp terminal by a predetermined crimping machine on the conveyance path such that the gap of the male terminal portion faces upward. And a terminal crimping state inspection device for inspecting a crimping state of the crimping terminal and the electric wire, wherein the male terminal portion of the crimping terminal crimped with the electric wire is provided at a predetermined position on a downstream side of the crimping machine on the transport path. An imaging camera arranged to face the opening on the front side and imaging the crimp terminal from the front, based on the image captured by the imaging camera, the gap of the male terminal portion is directed upward. When crimped to the electric wire in a state, the male terminal portion of the crimp terminal is substantially C
A first and a second detection area are set in the captured image at positions on the front end surface of the character that respectively include both peripheral ends opposed to each other across the gap, and the two peripheral end portions are set from the captured image. And that the two peripheral ends are respectively located within the first and second detection areas, and the width between the two peripheral ends is within a predetermined allowable error range. A terminal crimping state inspecting device, comprising: a judging means for judging whether the crimping state is good or not. 2. A crimp terminal to be inspected includes a male terminal portion, a wire crimp portion extending rearward from a rear end of the male terminal portion, and a wire crimp portion between the male terminal portion and the wire crimp portion. The male terminal portion has a substantially cylindrical shape having a substantially C-shaped cross section that opens forward and backward, and a gap extending in the longitudinal direction opens upward. The wire crimping portion is provided such that each front end thereof is located at a position separated from the wire contacting piece by a predetermined distance rearward, and from a lower side in a crimped state. It has a pair of left and right crimp barrels for holding a predetermined electric wire by holding it in a C-shape, and the inner core wire exposed in the crimped state is folded into the outer peripheral side of the electric wire. Part of the end face of the electric wire is brought into contact with When the crimp terminal is crimped and the crimp terminal is viewed from the front of the male terminal portion, at least the outer periphery of the end surface of the electric wire can be visually recognized inside the male terminal portion, and at least one of the two crimp barrels A terminal crimping state inspection device for inspecting a crimping state between the crimp terminal and the electric wire, one of which is hidden behind the end face of the electric wire, wherein after the crimping set at a predetermined set position is completed The crimp terminal of the male terminal portion of the crimp terminal is disposed to face the opening on the front side,
An imaging camera that images the crimp terminal from the front, and based on the image captured by the imaging camera, the left and right sides of the top of the end surface of the electric wire that is located in front of the vicinity of the tip of both crimp barrels, respectively. The third and fourth detection regions are set in the captured image so as to include them, and it is determined whether or not each of the crimp barrels is reflected in each of the third and fourth detection regions. When the crimp barrels are not reflected in the third and / or fourth detection areas, it is determined that the crimp state is good, while the third and fourth both or A terminal crimping state inspection device, comprising: a judging means for judging that the crimping state is defective when each of the crimping barrels is reflected in any one of the detection areas. 3. A crimp terminal to be inspected includes a male terminal portion, an electric wire crimp portion extending rearward from a rear end of the male terminal portion and crimping a predetermined electric wire, and a male terminal portion. An electric wire contacting piece formed between the electric wire crimping portion and the male terminal portion, which has a substantially cylindrical shape having a substantially C-shaped cross section that opens front and rear, and extends in the longitudinal direction thereof. The gap portion is provided so as to open upward, and the electric wire is peeled and exposed, and the exposed core wire is brought into contact with the electric wire abutting piece in a state of being folded into the outer peripheral side of the electric wire. A terminal crimping state inspection device for inspecting a crimping state between the crimp terminal and the wire, the crimp terminal being adapted to be crimped to the wire crimping portion, wherein the crimp terminal after completion of crimping set at a predetermined set position. Is disposed opposite to the opening on the front side of the male terminal portion,
An imaging camera for imaging the crimp terminal from the front, and a fifth camera that surrounds the outer periphery of the wire contact piece in the captured image based on the captured image captured by the imaging camera.
Is set, and it is determined whether or not the core wire of the electric wire is reflected in the fifth inspection region. If the core wire is not reflected, it is determined that the crimping state is good. Determining means for judging that the crimping state is defective when the core wire is reflected, the terminal crimping state inspection device. 4. The electric wire, the core wire, an insulating substantially black insulating layer provided on the outer periphery of the core wire, a substantially white glass braid provided on the outer periphery of the insulating layer, and the glass braid. And a substantially black outermost coating provided on the outer periphery, wherein the wire contact piece abuts on the end surface of the wire in a crimped state so as to cover a part of the end surface of the wire. It is determined whether or not the glass braid of the electric wire is reflected in the fifth inspection area, and when the glass braid is not reflected, it is determined that the crimping state is good, while the glass braid is determined. The terminal crimping state inspection device according to claim 3, wherein the crimping state is determined to be defective when the crimped state is displayed. 5. A crimp terminal to be inspected includes a male terminal portion, a wire crimp portion extending rearward from a rear end of the male terminal portion and crimping with a predetermined wire, and the male terminal portion. An electric wire contacting piece formed between the electric wire crimping portion and the male terminal portion, which has a substantially cylindrical shape having a substantially C-shaped cross section that opens front and rear, and extends in the longitudinal direction thereof. The gap is provided so as to open upward, the wire contact piece,
The crimp terminal is erected from the bottom wall of the crimp terminal so as to intersect perpendicularly with the axial direction of the crimp terminal. In the crimped state, the exposed inner core wire is folded into the outer peripheral side of the electric wire. A terminal crimping state inspection device for inspecting a crimping state between the crimp terminal and the electric wire, the end faces of which are in contact with each other, wherein the male terminal of the crimp terminal after completion of crimping set at the set position. An imaging camera arranged to face the opening on the front side of the terminal portion and imaging the crimp terminal from the front, and an illumination unit irradiating predetermined illumination light from the front toward the crimp terminal imaged by the imaging camera. Based on the captured image captured by the imaging camera, in a position where the wire contact piece is located when the crimping state is appropriate in the captured image, so as not to protrude from the outer edge of the wire contact piece. A sixth inspection area is set, and the brightness of the image in the sixth inspection area on the captured image is detected. If the detected brightness is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, A terminal crimping state, comprising: judging that the state is good, and when the detected brightness is less than the reference value, judging that the crimping state is defective. Inspection equipment. 6. A crimp terminal to be inspected includes a male terminal portion, a wire crimp portion extending rearward from a rear end of the male terminal portion, and a wire crimp portion between the male terminal portion and the wire crimp portion. The male terminal portion has a substantially cylindrical shape having a substantially C-shaped cross section that opens forward and backward, and a gap extending in the longitudinal direction opens upward. The wire crimping portion is provided such that each front end thereof is located at a position separated from the wire contacting piece by a predetermined distance rearward, and from a lower side in a crimped state. It has a pair of left and right crimp barrels that hold a predetermined wire by crimping it in a C-shape, and the wire contact piece is provided with the crimp terminal so as to intersect perpendicularly with the axial direction of the crimp terminal. It stands upright from the bottom wall, and a part of the end The electric wire is peeled and exposed, and the exposed core wire is abutted against the electric wire abutting piece in a state of being folded into the outer peripheral side of the electric wire and crimped to the electric wire crimping portion. Further, the electric wire is cut into a predetermined length, and is intermittently conveyed by a predetermined conveyance means in a predetermined conveyance direction without being rotated around its axis, and the conveyance path The predetermined crimping machine is configured to be sequentially crimped with the crimp terminal so that the gap portion of the male terminal portion faces upward, and the crimp terminal is in front of the male terminal portion in a crimped state. Looking at the crimp terminal from above, the outer periphery of at least the upper side of the end face of the electric wire can be visually recognized inside the male terminal portion,
A terminal crimping state inspection device for inspecting a crimping state between the crimp terminal and the electric wire, wherein at least one of the two crimp barrels is hidden behind the end surface of the electric wire, In the predetermined position on the downstream side of the crimping machine, an image is arranged to face the opening on the front side of the male terminal portion of the crimp terminal crimped with the electric wire, and image the crimp terminal from the front. A camera, an illuminating unit that emits predetermined illumination light from the front toward the crimp terminal captured by the imaging camera, and the crimp terminal captured by the imaging camera based on a captured image captured by the imaging camera. Determining means for determining whether the crimped state with the electric wire is good or not, wherein the determining means is based on the captured image in a state in which the gap portion of the male terminal portion faces directly upward. When crimped to the electric wire, the first and second positions are respectively included in the substantially C-shaped front end surface of the male terminal portion of the crimp terminal, at positions enclosing both peripheral end portions opposed to each other across the gap. A detection area is set in the captured image, the two peripheral ends are recognized from the captured image, and both peripheral ends are respectively located in the first and second detection areas, and A first determination unit that determines whether the width between the two peripheral end portions is within a predetermined allowable error range; and, based on the captured image, a front portion near the front end portions of the two crimp barrels. Third and fourth detection areas are set in the captured image so as to include both left and right sides of the top of the end surface of the positioned electric wire, respectively, and the third and fourth detection areas are set.
A second determination unit that determines whether or not each of the crimp barrels is reflected in both or any one of the detection regions; based on the captured image, an outer periphery of the wire contact piece in the captured image Set a fifth inspection area to surround
A third determination unit that determines whether or not the core wire of the electric wire is reflected in the fifth inspection area; and the crimping state is appropriate in the captured image based on the captured image captured by the imaging camera. In a case where the sixth inspection area is set at a position where the electric wire contact piece is located so as not to protrude from the outer edge of the electric wire contact piece, the sixth inspection area on the captured image is And a fourth determination unit that determines whether the detected brightness is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, and at least two of the determination units. A terminal crimping state inspection apparatus, wherein the crimping state is determined to be good only when the determination results of all the determination units to be performed are positive. 7. The crimp terminal according to claim 1, wherein said crimp terminal is a male terminal for connecting a distributor.
The terminal crimping state inspection apparatus according to any one of the above. 8. A terminal crimping device provided with the terminal crimping state inspection device according to claim 6, wherein the wire cut to a predetermined length is rotated without rotating around the axis of the wire. The transfer device for intermittently and sequentially conveying in the conveying direction, provided on the conveying path of the electric wire, and interlocking with the conveying operation of the conveying means, the crimp terminal at the end of the electric wire, the male terminal A crimping machine for sequentially crimping the portions so that the gaps face upward, the terminal crimping state inspection device according to claim 6, and the terminal crimping state inspection device provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the terminal crimping state inspection device, and A sorting device that sequentially sorts the electric wires, for which the terminal crimping carried by the means has been completed, based on the judgment result of the judging means of the terminal crimping state inspection device, according to the quality of the crimping condition. Terminal crimping apparatus having a neat crimping state inspection apparatus that.