JP5679495B2 - Automatic wire processing apparatus, automatic wire processing method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for crimping a terminal to an end of an electric wire, and particularly to a technique for controlling the operation of an apparatus that performs a terminal crimping process.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a harness manufacturing apparatus that manufactures a terminal-attached electric wire (harness) by attaching a terminal to an end portion from which an electric wire covering portion has been peeled off is known. Such a harness manufacturing apparatus is configured to detect defects in various processes.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a pressure applied when a terminal is crimped to an electric wire is measured by a pressure sensor. Then, by comparing the reference normal pressure change with the detected pressure change, the occurrence of a terminal crimp failure is detected. Further, Patent Document 1 discloses that the generated crimp is based on the waveform of the pressure change. The point of concretely specifying the content of the defect (so-called core spill or covering biting) is also disclosed.

  Further, in other documents, it is proposed to stop the operation of the apparatus by detecting a terminal crimping error (for example, Patent Document 2). Specifically, in Patent Document 2, a terminal crimping error is detected by detecting the presence or absence of a terminal at the tip of an electric wire. When the absence of the terminal is continuously detected a plurality of times, the operation of the apparatus is stopped.

JP-A 63-281071 JP-A-2-44672

  However, in the case of Patent Document 1, even if a defective wire is discharged after the crimping failure is determined, the terminal may not be crimped to the wire and may remain in the crimped portion of the terminal crimping device. Further, in the case of the apparatus of Patent Document 2, the terminal crimping process is continued even after the absence of the terminal is detected. Also in this case, there is a possibility that the terminal that has failed to be crimped to the end of the electric wire remains in the terminal crimping apparatus. If the terminal crimping device continues the crimping process in such a state, the terminal crimping device may be damaged due to clogging of the remaining terminals or destruction of the mold.

  Therefore, the present invention suppresses damage to the device for performing terminal crimping due to a terminal crimping error, and suppresses the wire processing efficiency from being lowered by stopping the crimping process every time a crimping failure occurs. It aims at providing the technology to do.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a first aspect is an automatic wire processing apparatus for continuously crimping a terminal to a wire terminal, and detecting a crimping failure of the terminal and a terminal crimping processing unit that crimps the terminal to the wire terminal. A crimping failure sensor, a terminal detection sensor that detects the terminal crimped to the wire by the terminal crimping processing unit, and a control unit that controls the automatic wire processing device, wherein the control unit includes the crimping failure sensor When the crimping failure of the terminal is detected and the terminal is detected by the terminal detection sensor, the terminal crimping processing unit is continuously operated after discharging the wire in which the crimping failure is detected, and the terminal When the terminal is not detected by the detection sensor, the terminal crimping process by the terminal crimping process unit is stopped.

  According to a second aspect, in the automatic electric wire processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the control unit detects a crimping failure of the terminal by the crimping failure sensor and detects the terminal by the terminal detection sensor. When it is done, the terminal crimping process by the terminal crimping process unit is continued at least once.

  Moreover, a 3rd aspect is an automatic electric wire processing apparatus which concerns on a 1st or 2nd aspect, The said control part is based on the said terminal detection sensor, when the crimping defect of the said terminal is detected by the said crimping defect sensor. The presence or absence of the terminal is determined.

  In addition, according to a fourth aspect, in the automatic electric wire processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the control unit detects a crimp failure of the terminal a plurality of times by the crimp failure sensor. In this case, the terminal crimping process by the terminal crimping process unit is stopped.

  Moreover, a 5th aspect is an automatic electric wire processing apparatus which concerns on any one aspect from the 1st to the 4th aspect, The said crimping | compression-bonding sensor is when the said crimping | compression-bonding process part crimps | bonds the said terminal to the said electric wire. It is a pressure sensor that detects the pressure applied.

  According to a sixth aspect, in the automatic electric wire processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the terminal detection sensor is a non-contact sensor.

  Further, the seventh aspect is an automatic wire processing method for crimping a terminal to an electric wire terminal, (a) a step of crimping the terminal to the electric wire terminal by a crimping processing unit, and (b) the terminal in the step (a). Detecting a crimp failure, (c) detecting the terminal crimped to the wire terminal by the step (a), and (d) controlling the operation of the terminal crimping processing unit, In the step (d), when a crimp failure is detected in the step (b), and the terminal is detected in the step (c), the wire in which the crimp failure is detected is discharged, The terminal crimping process unit is continuously operated, and when the terminal is not detected in the step (c), the terminal crimping process by the terminal crimping process unit in the step (a) is stopped.

  Further, an eighth aspect is the automatic electric wire processing method according to the seventh aspect, wherein in the step (d), the crimping failure is detected in the step (b), and the step (c) When the terminal is detected, the step (a) is continuously performed at least once.

  Further, a ninth aspect is a computer-readable program, wherein the computer reads the program, and the computer CPU executes the program using a memory, whereby the computer is subjected to terminal crimping processing. Based on the detection results of a crimping failure sensor that detects a crimping failure when the terminal is crimped to the wire terminal by a portion, and a terminal detection sensor that detects a terminal crimped to the wire terminal by the terminal crimping processing unit. , Functioning as a control unit for controlling the operation of the terminal crimping processing unit, wherein the control unit detects a crimping failure of the terminal by the crimping failure sensor and detects the terminal by the terminal detection sensor The terminal detection sensor is continuously operated after discharging the electric wire in which a crimp failure is detected, If the more the terminal is not detected, stopping the terminal crimping process by the terminal crimping unit.

  According to a tenth aspect, in the program according to the ninth aspect, the control unit detects a crimping failure of the terminal by the crimping failure sensor and the terminal is detected by the terminal detection sensor. In addition, the terminal crimping process by the terminal crimping process unit is continuously performed at least once.

  According to the first aspect, when the terminal is not detected at the end of the electric wire, by stopping the operation of the terminal crimping processing unit, the terminal crimping processing unit is damaged by the terminal that has failed to be crimped to the electric wire. This can be suppressed. Moreover, since it can suppress that a crimping | compression-bonding process stops at the time of a crimping | compression-bonding defect, electric wire process efficiency can be improved.

  Further, according to the second aspect, even if a terminal crimping failure occurs, if the terminal is detected, the terminal crimping process is continued at least once, so that productivity is reduced. Can be suppressed.

  Moreover, according to the 3rd aspect, when the crimping defect generate | occur | produces, it can be determined whether the terminal is attached to the electric wire. Therefore, the end process of an electric wire can be performed efficiently.

  Moreover, according to the 4th aspect, when the crimping | compression-bonding defect is detected in multiple times, a terminal crimping process part is stopped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the terminal crimping processing unit from being stopped each time a single crimping failure that does not hinder continuous operation occurs. Therefore, it can suppress that the productivity of an automatic electric wire processing apparatus falls.

  Moreover, according to the 5th aspect, a crimping | compression-bonding defect is detectable based on the pressure loaded on a terminal at the time of a crimping | compression-bonding process.

  Moreover, according to the 6th aspect, the presence or absence of a terminal can be detected non-contactingly.

It is a schematic perspective view which shows the electric wire with a terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic plan view which shows the automatic electric wire processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged explanatory view of the automatic electric wire processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2. It is a schematic side view of a F side terminal crimping unit. It is a block diagram which shows an automatic electric wire processing apparatus. It is a schematic side view of an optical sensor when the peeling state (stripping) is detected by the optical sensor. It is a schematic side view of an optical sensor when detecting the terminal attached to the F side edge part of an electric wire. It is a flowchart which shows the edge part process by an automatic electric wire processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the terminal crimped | bonded to the terminal of the electric wire. It is a figure which shows the pressure waveform detected at the time of terminal crimping. It is a flowchart which shows the edge part process by the automatic electric wire processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an automatic electric wire processing apparatus according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the configuration described in this embodiment is merely an example, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

<1. First Embodiment>
<Overall configuration>
First, the whole structure of an electric wire processing apparatus is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a terminal-attached electric wire 11 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged explanatory view of the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 shown in FIG.

  The automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 cuts the continuously supplied electric wire 10 with a required length, and peels the covering portions at both ends. And the core wire part 12 of required length is exposed to the terminal part of the peeled electric wire 10, and the electric wire 10 of the predetermined length in which the coating | coated part 14 was formed in the intermediate part is manufactured. Furthermore, the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 crimps the terminal 18 to the core wire portion 12 exposed at the end portion, and manufactures the terminal-attached electric wire 11 (see FIG. 1). In the following description, when the long electric wire 10 is supplied to the automatic electric wire processing device 20, the front side in the feeding direction is described as the F side of the electric wire 10, and the rear side in the feeding direction is described as the R side of the electric wire 10. There is.

  The automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 includes a length measuring unit 22, an F-side transport mechanism unit 30, an F-side terminal crimping unit 40 as an end processing unit, a cutting / peeling unit 50, an R-side transport mechanism unit 60, an end And an R-side terminal crimping unit 70 as a partial processing unit.

  The length measuring unit 22 feeds the long electric wire 10 while measuring the length. The electric wire 10 is sent to the F-side conveyance mechanism unit 30 and the R-side conveyance mechanism unit 60 while being measured by the length measurement unit 22 from the electric wire supply unit 21 in which the electric wire 10 is wound and accommodated on a reel or the like.

  The electric wire 10 fed to the F-side transport mechanism unit 30 is cut by the cutting / peeling unit 50 while being held by the F-side transport mechanism unit 30. The F-side end portion of the electric wire 10 is peeled by the cut-peeling unit 50 and then moved to the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 to be subjected to terminal crimping. That is, the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 is an example of a terminal crimping unit. After the terminal crimping process, the F-side end of the electric wire 10 returns to the position facing the cut-peeling unit 50 and is transferred to the R-side transport mechanism 60.

  The electric wire 10 having the terminal 18 crimped to the F-side end is further fed while being measured by the length measuring unit 22. When the electric wire 10 is fed by the required length, the cutting / peeling unit 50 cuts the R-side end of the electric wire while being held by the R-side transport mechanism. Thereby, the electric wire 10 is cut | disconnected by required length. The R-side end of the electric wire 10 cut to the required length is peeled off by the cut-peeling unit 50, then moved to the R-side terminal crimping unit 70, subjected to terminal crimping, and discharged as a product wire. Then, the R-side end portion of the electric wire 10 returns to a position facing the cut peeling unit 50. In this manner, the terminal-attached electric wire 11 is manufactured by crimping the terminal 18 to both the F-side end portion and the R-side end portion of the electric wire 10.

  More specifically, the F-side transport mechanism unit 30 includes an electric wire holding unit 32 that holds the vicinity of the end of the electric wire 10 and a moving mechanism unit 34 that moves the electric wire holding unit 32. As the moving mechanism 34, the advancing / retreating moving mechanism 36 that moves the electric wire holding portion 32 forward and backward along the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 10, and the electric wire holding portion 32 from the cutting / peeling unit 50 toward the F-side terminal crimping unit 40. And a swivel moving mechanism 38 to be moved.

  The electric wire holding portion 32 is configured to be able to hold or release the electric wire 10 by sandwiching the electric wire 10 by an F-side holding driving portion 32a (see FIG. 5) electromagnetically or driven by air pressure. Yes.

  The advancing / retreating movement mechanism portion 36 is formed as a long member, and supports the electric wire holding portion 32 at one end portion thereof via a bracket 36b so as to be movable and driven along a linear direction. The advance / retreat mechanism 36 has an F-side advance / retreat drive 36a (see FIG. 5) capable of linear position control and position signal output.

  The turning movement mechanism 38 is fixedly attached to the base 23. The turning movement mechanism unit 38 has an F-side turning drive unit 38a (see FIG. 5) such as a servomotor that can control the rotation angle and output the rotation angle signal.

  The other end of the advance / retreat mechanism 36 is connected to the drive shaft of the turning mechanism 38. The forward / backward movement mechanism 36 is driven to rotate around the rotation axis of the turning movement mechanism 38 by rotating the turning movement mechanism 38 in both forward and reverse directions. As a result, the electric wire holding portion 32 has a cutting position facing a cutting blade 52 of the cutting / peeling unit 50 described later, a peeling position facing the F-side strip blade 54, and a crimping facing the F-side terminal crimping unit 40. It pivots between positions (see FIG. 3).

  An optical sensor 101 is provided between the strip blade 54 and the F-side terminal crimping unit 40. The optical sensor 101 is used for non-contact detection of whether or not the covering portion 14 at the F-side end of the electric wire 10 has been normally stripped by the strip blade 54. Further, the optical sensor 101 is used by the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 to detect whether or not the terminal 18 is crimped to the F-side end of the electric wire 10 in a non-contact manner. Thus, in this embodiment, the optical sensor 101 is an example of a strip confirmation sensor and a terminal detection sensor. The same optical sensor 101 is used to detect the peeling state of the electric wire 10 and the presence / absence of the terminal 18. Thereby, the structure of the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 can be simplified, and apparatus cost can be suppressed. The configuration of the optical sensor 101 will be described in detail later.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the F-side terminal crimping unit 40. The F-side terminal crimping unit 40 includes a lower mold 42 and an upper mold 44 used for terminal crimping. The core wire portion 12 and the terminal 18 at the F-side end of the electric wire 10 are disposed between these dies 42 and 44, and the upper die 44 is placed on the lower side by the driving force of a motor, an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder or the like. Move closer to the mold 42. Then, the crimped portion of the terminal 18 is crimped to the core wire portion 12, whereby the terminal-attached electric wire 11 in which the terminal 18 is attached to the F-side end portion of the electric wire 10 is manufactured.

  The cutting blade 52, the strip blade 54, and the dies 42 and 44 of the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 are arranged along an arcuate line centering on the rotation axis of the turning movement mechanism unit 38. For this reason, the end portion of the electric wire 10 held by the electric wire holding portion 32 revolving and moving by the revolving movement mechanism portion 38 is cut by the cutting blade 52, and then passed between the strip blades 54 and the gold of the F-side terminal crimping unit 40. Move between molds.

  A pressure sensor 102 (for example, a piezo sensor) is attached to the F-side terminal crimping unit 40. The pressure sensor 102 is built in the base plate 46 on which the lower mold 42 is placed. In the terminal crimping process, the pressure sensor 102 receives pressure through the lower mold 42 or the base plate 46 and outputs a signal corresponding to the pressure value. The automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 digitally processes a temporal change in the pressure value output from the pressure sensor 102. Then, by comparing the normal reference waveform data stored in advance in the RAM 83 (or the external storage device 84) with the detected waveform data output at the time of inspection, it is determined whether or not a terminal crimping failure has occurred. Is done. In addition, as long as the pressure applied to the terminal 18 can be detected when the terminal is crimped, the pressure sensor can be attached at an arbitrary position.

  The R-side transport mechanism 60 and the R-side terminal crimping unit 70 have the same configuration as the F-side transport mechanism 30 and the F-side terminal crimping unit 40, and the F-side transport mechanism 30 and the F-side terminal. With respect to the crimping unit 40, it is provided at a 180-degree rotationally symmetric position with the cut peeling unit 50 as the center.

  The cutting blade 52, the R-side strip blade 56, and the terminal crimping die of the R-side terminal crimping unit 70 are also arranged along an arcuate line centering on the turning axis of the R-side transport mechanism 60. Has been. As a result, the stripping process and the terminal crimping process can be performed on the R-side end of the electric wire 10 as well as the F-side end. Moreover, the optical sensor 101 and the pressure sensor 102 are provided also in the part which processes the edge part of the R side of these electric wires 10 like the above. In the following, the peeling process and terminal crimping process performed on the F-side end of the electric wire 10 will be mainly described, but the same process is also performed on the R-side end of the electric wire 10. .

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20. The automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 is configured to be able to execute cutting, stripping and terminal crimping processing of the electric wire 10 under the control of the control unit 80. When performing this processing, the control unit 80 controls the operation of the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 or the F-side transport mechanism unit 30 based on the detection results of the optical sensor 101 and the pressure sensor 102, as will be described in detail later. To do.

  The control unit 80 is configured by a general computer in which a CPU 81, a ROM 82, a RAM 83, an external storage device 84, and the like are interconnected via a bus line 85. The ROM 82 stores basic programs and the like, and the RAM 83 (memory) is used as a work area when the CPU 81 performs various processes described later. The external storage device 84 is configured by a nonvolatile storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk device. The external storage device 84 stores a processing program 84a for cutting, stripping and terminal crimping of the electric wire 10. The processing program 84a describes a procedure for executing a stop process for stopping the operation of the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 or the F-side transport mechanism 30. In accordance with the procedure described in the processing program 84a, the CPU 81 as the main control unit performs arithmetic processing, thereby executing the end processing of the electric wire 10 such as cutting, stripping, and terminal crimping processing of the electric wire 10, Various functions for appropriately performing stop processing during the execution are realized.

  The processing program 84a is normally stored and used in advance in a storage device such as the external storage device 84. However, the processing program 84a is portable and non-transient such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM or an external flash memory. Provided in a recorded form on a storage medium, or downloaded from an external server via a network, and additionally or exchanged and stored in a storage device such as the external storage device 84. May be. Note that some or all of the functions (including the stop process) performed by the control unit 80 may be realized by hardware using a dedicated logic circuit or the like.

  In the control unit 80, the sensor input / output circuit unit 86, the input / output circuit unit 87, and an input unit and a display unit (not shown) are connected to the bus line 85.

  The sensor input / output circuit unit 86 includes an amplifier circuit, an AD conversion circuit, and the like. The detection signal output from the optical sensor 101 is converted into a digital signal by the sensor input / output circuit unit 86, and is stored in the RAM 83 (or the external storage device 84) as time-series data having an amplitude corresponding to the presence or absence of an object, for example. Saved. Further, the detection signal output from the pressure sensor 102 is converted into a digital signal by the sensor input / output circuit unit 86, and is stored in the RAM 83 (or the external storage device 84) as time-series data having an amplitude corresponding to the pressure, for example. Is done. The sensor input / output circuit unit 86 is not limited to an analog processing circuit, and may be a digital processing circuit.

  The input / output circuit unit 87 is controlled by the CPU 81 under the control of the F-side transport mechanism unit 30 (the F-side turning drive unit 38a, the F-side advance / retreat drive unit 36a, and the F-side holding drive unit 32a), or each unit of the automatic electric wire processing device 20. Output an operation control signal. Further, the input / output circuit unit 87 is configured to receive an input of a monitor signal or the like from them as required. Through the input / output circuit unit 87, an operation control signal indicating a movement position can be output to the F-side turning drive unit 38 a and the F-side advance / retreat drive unit 36 a of the F-side transport mechanism unit 30, and their F-side turning drive is configured. The monitor signal indicating the position during each operation of the unit 38a and the F-side advance / retreat drive unit 36a can be input.

  Note that various switches, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like are used as an input unit (not shown). Through this input unit, a set value for performing a stop process or various instructions for performing a processing process are input. Further, the display unit (not shown) is configured by a liquid crystal display device or the like, and is configured to be able to display various information being processed (display of an abnormal state or the like) under the control of the CPU 81.

<Configuration of optical sensor>
FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of the optical sensor 101 when a stripping state (stripping) is detected by the optical sensor 101. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of the optical sensor 101 when the terminal 18 attached to the F-side end of the electric wire 10 is detected. As shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7, the optical sensor 101 includes a projector 101a and a light receiver 101b, and a light beam emitted from the projector 101a is configured to enter the light receiver 101b.

  When detecting the peeling state of the electric wire 10, as shown in FIG. 7, the exposed core wire portion 12 at the end of the electric wire 10 passes between the projector 101a and the light receiver 101b. This electric wire 10 is the one immediately after the F-side end is peeled off by the strip blade 54, and is the electric wire 10 in the middle of conveyance toward the F-side terminal crimping unit 40.

  Here, when the stripping process is appropriately performed by the strip blade 54, the light beam emitted from the projector 101a by the time corresponding to the thickness of the core wire portion 12 by passing the core wire portion 12 on the optical axis. Will be shielded from light.

  On the other hand, when the peeling process is not properly performed, the electric wire 10 covered with the covering portion 14 passes on the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the projector 101a. For this reason, compared with the case where the core wire part 12 passes, a difference will arise in light-shielding time. As described above, based on the light shielding duration detected by the optical sensor 101, it is determined whether or not the covering process 14 is appropriately performed (that is, whether or not the peeling process is good).

  Further, when the optical sensor 101 detects the presence or absence of the terminal 18 at the end of the electric wire 10, as shown in FIG. 7, the terminal 18 portion of the electric wire 11 with terminal is passed between the projector 101 a and the light receiver 101 b. . This terminal-attached electric wire 11 is the one immediately after the terminal is crimped by the F-side terminal crimping unit 40, and the terminal-side electric wire 11 is in the middle of returning to the position where the F-side end portion faces the cut-peeling unit 50. is there. When the terminal crimping process is appropriately performed, the light blocking time corresponding to the width of the terminal 18 is detected by the optical sensor 101. On the other hand, when the terminal crimping is not properly performed and the terminal 18 is not attached to the electric wire 10, in the optical sensor 101, a part of the electric wire 10 without the terminal 18 (in the example shown in FIG. 7, the core wire portion 12). Will be detected.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a portion 181 of the terminal 18 where the electric wire 10 (including the core wire portion 12) does not exist, specifically, for example, from the F-side end portion of the core wire portion 12. A light beam is projected to a position separated by 1 mm or more on the F side. By projecting a light beam at such a position, when there is no terminal 18 at the tip of the electric wire 10, light shielding does not occur. That is, the presence or absence of the terminal 18 can be directly determined from the presence or absence of light shielding in the optical sensor 101. Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy of determination regarding the presence or absence of the terminal 18 by the control unit 8.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when detecting the presence or absence of the terminal 18, the position of the electric wire 10 after the terminal crimping process is shifted to the R side by a required distance compared to when stripping is detected by the optical sensor 101. That's fine. At this time, the position of the light beam emitted from the projector 101a may be shifted by moving the optical sensor 101.

  In addition, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of the terminal 18 without moving the electric wire 10 relatively to the R side. In this case, the light beam emitted from the projector 101 a is projected onto a portion of the terminal 18 that overlaps the core wire portion 12. On the other hand, when the terminal 18 is not attached to the terminal of the electric wire 10, light shielding occurs due to the passage of the core wire portion 12 itself. Therefore, the length of the light shielding time varies depending on the presence or absence of the terminal 18. Therefore, the presence / absence of the terminal 18 can be detected based on the light shielding time.

  In the present embodiment, stripping detection and presence / absence of the terminal 18 are detected by the same optical sensor 101. However, each detection may be performed by different sensors.

  In this embodiment, the light projector 101a and the light receiver 101b are arranged at positions facing each other. However, a reflection type optical sensor provided on the light projector 101a side may be used as the light receiver 101b. The optical sensor 101 is an example of a non-contact sensor, and other proximity sensors (using electromagnetic coils, capacitors, ultrasonic waves, laser light, etc.), scanning sensors, image sensors (using a CCD camera). Non-contact sensors). In the present embodiment, the detection of the peeling state or the detection of the terminal 18 is performed while the electric wire 10 is moving. However, the electric wire 10 may be temporarily stopped.

<Flow of end processing of F side end of electric wire 10 (1)>
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing end processing by the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20. Here, although operation | movement of the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 when carrying out an edge process with respect to the F side edge part of the electric wire 10 is demonstrated, the same process shall be performed also about the process of the edge part by the side of R. Moreover, the operation | movement of the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 demonstrated below shall be performed under control of the control unit 80 unless there is particular notice.

  First, in the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20, the value of the counter Cp is set (step S11). The automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment performs the F-side conveyance when the crimping failure of the terminal 18 determined based on the detection result of the pressure sensor 102 has occurred a number of times corresponding to a preset counter Cp. The operations of the mechanism unit 30 and the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 are stopped. The value of the counter Cp is set as appropriate based on the operator's input operation.

  Next, a terminal crimping process is performed (step S12). Specifically, as described above, after the electric wire 10 continuously fed is cut by the cutting / peeling unit 50, the F-side end of the electric wire 10 is held by driving the F-side turning drive unit 38a. The wire holding part 32 thus moved moves to the peeling position (see FIG. 4). Then, the covering portion 14 at the end of the electric wire 10 is peeled off by the advance / retreat driving operation of the electric wire holding portion 32 and the approaching / moving operation of the strip blade 54 by the F side advance / retreat driving portion 36a. Furthermore, the electric wire holding part 32 moves to the crimping position by driving the turning movement mechanism part 38. Thereby, the edge part of the electric wire 10 is moved toward the F side terminal crimping unit 40. In the F-side terminal crimping unit 40, a terminal crimping process is performed.

  In step S <b> 11, the electric wire 10 after the skinning process is determined based on the detection result by the optical sensor 101 whether or not the skinning process has been appropriately performed. When it is determined that the skinning process is inappropriate, the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 may perform the discharge process similar to step S14 to discharge the electric wire 10 to the outside. The specific content of the discharge process is the same as the discharge process in step S15 described later, and a description thereof is omitted. Note that the electric wire 10 that is inappropriately peeled may be subjected to a terminal crimping process in the same manner as the electric wire 10 that is appropriate for the peeling process, and then the discharge process may be performed.

  When the terminal crimping process in step S12 is completed, it is determined whether or not a crimping failure of the terminal 18 has occurred (step S13). Specifically, as described above, the pressure sensor 102 detects a temporal change in the pressure applied to the terminal 18 during the terminal crimping process in step S12. Then, by comparing the reference waveform data at the normal time and the actually output detection waveform data, it is determined whether or not a crimping failure has occurred. Specifically, the presence / absence of a crimping failure is determined based on the difference in waveform area indicated by the reference waveform data and the detected waveform data, or the correlation coefficient between the reference waveform data and the detected waveform data. It should be noted that whether or not there is a crimp failure is determined based on a comparison of instantaneous pressure values at a certain point in time (for example, at a peak) or at several points in time, instead of waveform data that is continuous in time. It may be.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the terminal 18 crimped to the end of the electric wire 10. FIG. 9A shows the terminal 18 on which terminal crimping has been normally performed. When the terminal is normally crimped, the pair of barrel pieces 18a and 18b of the terminal 18 are folded inward and crimped to the covering portion 14 and the core wire portion 12 of the electric wire 10, respectively. On the other hand, when the terminal crimping is not properly performed, various crimping defects (specifically, core wire spillage (see FIG. 9B), core wire drop (FIG. 9C)) or covering bite ( 9 (d) etc. occurs.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, the core wire spillage refers to a state in which a part of the core wire portion 12 is not crimped to the barrel piece 18a. Further, the core wire lowering refers to a state in which the barrel piece 18b that should grip the covering portion 14 has gripped the core wire portion 12 as shown in FIG. Further, the covering biting means a state in which the barrel piece 18a that should hold the core wire portion 12 is holding the covering portion 14 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a pressure waveform detected during terminal crimping. In FIG. 10, the pressure waveform 91 when the crimping is normally performed, the pressure waveform 92 when the core wire spills, the pressure waveform 93 when the core wire falls, and the time when the covering bite occurs Each pressure waveform 94 is illustrated.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10, the pressure waveform 91 when the pressure bonding is normally performed changes so as to take two levels of peak values. In contrast, in the pressure waveform 92, the peak value at the second stage is slightly lower than the pressure waveform 91. This is because a part of the core wire portion 12 has leaked to the outside, so that the force required for crimping is reduced. Further, in the pressure waveform 93, the peak value at the second stage is significantly lower than the pressure waveforms 91 and 92. On the other hand, the pressure waveform 94 shows a pressure change different from the pressure waveform 91 in the vicinity of the peak value at the first stage.

  As shown in FIG. 10, each pressure waveform shows an inherent change depending on the content of the crimping failure. Therefore, by comparing the normal pressure waveform (reference waveform data) with the detected pressure waveform (detected waveform data), it is possible to identify not only the occurrence of crimp failure but also the content of the crimp failure. it can.

  Returning to FIG. 8, if it is determined in step S <b> 13 that there is no crimping failure, it is generally unnecessary to stop the operation of the terminal crimping unit 40 and the like. For this reason, the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 returns to step S11, continuously drives the terminal crimping unit 40, and continuously performs the terminal crimping process (continuous operation). About the electric wire 10 (electric wire 11 with a terminal) after a terminal crimping process, the F side edge part is returned to the position which opposes the cutting / peeling unit 50. FIG. Then, after being delivered to the R-side transport mechanism 60, it is sent out for the required length and cut by the cutting blade 52. And the edge part process of the R side edge part is performed. The R-side end processing can be performed in substantially the same manner as the F-side end processing, and thus description thereof is omitted here.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S13 that there is a crimping failure, the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 determines the presence or absence of the terminal 18 (step S14). Specifically, the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 conveys the electric wire 10 after the terminal crimping process to the position of the optical sensor 18 by driving the F-side turning drive unit 38a. At this time, the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 causes the portion of the terminal 18 of the electric wire 10 to intersect the optical axis of the optical sensor 101. And the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 determines the presence or absence of the terminal 18 based on the length of the light-shielding time.

  If it is determined in step S14 that the terminal 18 is not present, a discharge process for discharging the electric wire 10 to the outside is performed (step S15). Specifically, the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 returns the F-side end portion of the electric wire 10 determined not to have the terminal 18 to a position facing the cutting / peeling unit 50. And it delivers to the R side conveyance mechanism part 60, sends out the electric wire 10 for predetermined length, cuts the electric wire 10 with the cutting blade 52, and discharges outside. In addition, when it determines with there being no terminal 18, you may make it stop an immediate electric wire process in the state holding the defective electric wire.

  During the discharging process, the discharged electric wire 10 may be cut with a shorter (or longer) length than usual. As a result, it becomes easy to distinguish between an appropriately processed electric wire 10 (that is, a good electric wire 10) and an electric wire 10 that has not been appropriately processed (defective electric wire 10). In addition, it is desirable that the defective wire 10 is discharged to a place different from the non-defective wire 10 during the discharge process. In order to discharge to different places in this manner, for example, the moving direction of the defective electric wire 10 and the moving direction of the non-defective electric wire 10 may be appropriately switched by a guide member (not shown).

  When the discharge process in step S14 is completed, the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 stops the operations of the F-side transport mechanism unit 30 and the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 (step S16). Thereby, the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 complete | finishes the edge part process of F side edge part.

  In the terminal crimping process, a certain amount of force is required to crimp the terminal 18 to the electric wire 10. For this reason, the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 is configured to apply a relatively large force to the molds 42 and 44. Therefore, in step S12, when the terminal 18 that has failed to be attached to the electric wire 10 remains in the F-side terminal crimping unit 40, the next new terminal 18 is supplied by continuous operation, and the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 is crimped as it is. The operation will continue. In such a case, there is a possibility that the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 may be fatally damaged such that the terminal 18 is clogged inside or the molds 42 and 44 are destroyed. On the other hand, in this embodiment, when there is no terminal 18 in the terminal of the electric wire 10 after a terminal crimping process, the operation | movement of the F side terminal crimping unit 40 is stopped (instantaneous stop). For this reason, it can suppress that F side terminal crimping unit 40 is damaged. Therefore, the maintenance cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

  In step S14, when it is determined that the terminal 18 is attached to the electric wire 10, the electric wire 10 is discharged (step S17). Thereby, although the terminal 18 is attached, the electric wire 10 determined to have a poor crimping in step S13 is discharged to a place different from the non-defective electric wire. Since the discharge process in step S17 is substantially the same as the discharge process in step S15, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Further, the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 subtracts one value indicated by the counter Cp (step S18), and determines whether or not the value indicated by the counter Cp has become 0 (zero) (step S19). Through these steps, it is determined whether or not the number of crimping failures indicated by the value of the counter Cp set in step S11 has occurred.

  If it is determined in step S19 that the number of occurrences of crimping failure exceeds the initial value of the counter Cp, the automatic electric wire processing device 20 proceeds to step S16, and the F-side transport mechanism 30 and the F-side terminal crimping unit. 40 is stopped. Then, the operator identifies the cause of the subsequent occurrence of the defective wire, and after the cause is eliminated, the continuous operation is resumed. In addition, the content of the crimping failure specified from the waveform data of the pressure acquired in step S12 is specified in step S13, and the specified content is displayed on the display unit as a warning screen in step S16. Also good. Such a warning screen can be an effective information source for identifying the cause of the occurrence of the crimping failure.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S19 that the number of occurrences of crimping failure is within the initial value of the counter Cp, the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 returns to step S12 and continues the terminal crimping process. That is, even if it is determined in step S13 that there is a crimping failure, if it is determined in step S14 that the terminal 18 is attached, at least one terminal crimping process (that is, one wire 10) The process of crimping the terminal 18 to the F-side end is continuously performed.

  Thus, in this embodiment, even when a crimping failure occurs, the operation of the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 is not immediately stopped. Therefore, when manufacturing a product electric wire continuously, it can suppress that operation | movement of the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 is stopped every time by the crimping | compression-bonding defect which does not have much trouble in continuous operation. Therefore, it can suppress that the productivity (electric wire processing efficiency) of the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 falls remarkably.

  Note that step S18 (a process of reducing the counter Cp by 1) may be performed every time a crimping failure occurs, but may be performed only when a crimping failure occurs continuously. In step S1, the frequency of occurrence of crimping failure is set, and the terminal crimping process is stopped when the condition of the occurrence frequency is satisfied based on the count of occurrences of crimping failure. You may do it. For example, the condition of frequency of occurrence is set as a stop condition, such as “When the crimping failure occurs in two of the ten electric wires 10 subjected to the terminal crimping process, the terminal crimping process is stopped.” May be.

  It is also possible to set a terminal crimping process stop condition according to the content of the crimping failure. For example, in step S1, the counter Cp is set for each content of the crimp failure as shown in FIGS. 9B to 9C. And the control part 8 specifies the content of the crimping failure which generate | occur | produced in step S13, and subtracts the value of the counter Cp corresponding to the identified crimping failure in step S18. Then, the control unit 8 determines whether or not the crimping failure has occurred for the initial value of the counter Cp set for each content of the crimping failure in step S19. In this way, the terminal crimping process stop condition can be set according to the content of the crimping failure.

  It is also possible to set a stop condition for the crimping process by weighting each crimp failure content. For example, the value to be subtracted from the counter Cp in step S18 is set to a value corresponding to the content of the crimping failure (for example, “1” for the core wire breakage and “2” for the core wire lowering). And the control part 8 specifies the content of the crimping | compression-bonding defect in step S13, and subtracts the value according to the content from the counter Cp. In this way, the terminal crimping process stop condition can be set according to the content of the crimping failure.

  Further, when a specific crimping failure occurs, the terminal crimping process may be stopped regardless of the value of the counter Cp. For example, when the control unit 8 determines in step S13 that a crimping failure that should immediately stop the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 has occurred, the process may proceed to step S16 to stop the crimping process. The occurrence of a specific pressure failure can be determined by the control unit 8 by setting detection conditions (for example, detection of an unexpected pressure waveform) in advance.

  Further, even if a specific crimping failure occurs, it may not be counted. For example, although there is a crimping failure, there is a case where the terminal crimping process does not have to be stopped for a crimping failure that occurs accidentally. In such a case, it is only necessary not to subtract the value of the counter Cp in step S18.

<2. Second Embodiment>
<End processing flow (2) of F side end of electric wire 10>
In the end processing flow shown in FIG. 8, the operation of the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 or the like is stopped when a crimping failure occurs for a preset number of times. However, the end process flow is not limited to this.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing end processing by the automatic electric wire processing apparatus 20 according to the second embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected suitably about the process which is common in each process shown in FIG. 11, and each process shown in FIG. 8 of 1st Embodiment. In the end process flow shown in FIG. 11, among the processes shown in FIG. 8, the initial value of the counter Cp is set number processing (step S11), and the counter Cp value is subtracted by one (step S18). ) And the process of determining whether the value indicated by the counter Cp has become 0 (zero) (step S19) is omitted.

  Specifically, in the end processing flow according to the present embodiment, when it is determined in step S14 that the terminal 18 is not attached, the operation of the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 or the like is stopped (step S14). S16). This point is common to the end processing flow shown in FIG. However, in this embodiment, even if a crimping failure is detected in step S13, if it is determined in step S14 that the terminal 18 is attached, the terminal crimping process is continuously performed. ing. That is, even if a crimping failure occurs, as long as it is determined that the terminal 18 is present, the operation is continued without stopping the operation of the F-side terminal crimping unit 40.

  Also in this embodiment, when the terminal 18 is not attached to the electric wire 10 after the crimping process, the operation of the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 is stopped. it can. Moreover, even if the crimping failure occurs, the operation of the F-side terminal crimping unit 40 is continued. For this reason, it can suppress that productivity by stopping F side terminal crimping unit 40 by generation | occurrence | production of the crimping | compression-bonding defect falls.

  Also in the present embodiment, the content of the crimping failure may be specified in step S13. If the control unit 8 determines in step S13 that a specific crimping failure has occurred, the control unit 8 may directly proceed to step S16 to stop the terminal crimping process.

<3. Modification>
Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and various modifications are possible.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the pressure applied to the terminal 18 is detected by the pressure sensor 102, and the control unit 8 determines whether or not a pressure failure has occurred based on the detection result. Then, based on the detection result of the light shielding time in the optical sensor 101, the control unit 8 determines whether or not there is a terminal. Here, either the determination of the presence / absence of the crimping failure or the determination of the presence / absence of the terminal by the control unit 8 may be performed first. That is, after the presence or absence of the terminal 18 is determined by the control unit 8, the presence or absence of the crimping failure may be subsequently determined. That is, step S13 may be performed after step S14 is performed.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the presence or absence of the terminal 18 in the electric wire 10 after a terminal crimping process is detected by the optical sensor 101 by a non-contact method. However, it may be detected by a contact method. For example, two metal pieces may be prepared at a position where the terminal 18 of the electric wire 10 passes, and it may be detected whether or not the terminal 18 and the two metal pieces are brought into conduction. Of course, it is needless to say that other methods for detecting the terminal 18 may be employed.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the optical sensor 48 is used in order to detect peeling of the coating | coated part 14, you may make it detect in another aspect. For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-188669, the quality of the skinning process may be detected using a resonance AE sensor.

  Furthermore, each structure demonstrated in the said embodiment and modification can be suitably combined or abbreviate | omitted unless a contradiction arises mutually.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electric wire 11 Electric wire with terminal 12 Core wire part 14 Covering part 18 Terminal 181 Part 20 Automatic electric wire processing apparatus 21 Electric wire supply part 22 Measuring unit 30 F side conveyance mechanism part 32 Electric wire holding part 32a F side holding drive part 34 Movement mechanism part 36 Advance / Retreat Mechanism Unit 36a F-side Advance / Retreat Drive Unit 40 F-side Terminal Crimp Unit 42, 44 Die 45 Strip Blade 50 Cutting Peeling Unit 60 R-side Transport Mechanism Unit 70 R-side Terminal Crimp Unit 80 Control Unit 101 Optical Sensor 101a Emitter 101b Light Receiving 102 Pressure sensor

Claims (10)

In automatic wire processing equipment that continuously crimps terminals to the wire ends,
A terminal crimping section for crimping the terminal to the wire end;
A crimping failure sensor for detecting a crimping failure of the terminal;
A terminal detection sensor for detecting the terminal crimped to the electric wire by the terminal crimping processing unit;
A control unit for controlling the automatic electric wire processing apparatus;
With
The controller is
If the crimping failure of the terminal is detected by the crimping failure sensor and the terminal is detected by the terminal detection sensor, the terminal crimping processing unit is continuously operated after discharging the wire in which the crimping failure is detected. And
The automatic electric wire processing apparatus which stops the terminal crimping | compression-bonding process by the said terminal crimping process part, when the said terminal is not detected by the said terminal detection sensor. In the automatic electric wire processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The control unit continues the terminal crimping processing by the terminal crimping processing unit at least once when the crimping failure of the terminal is detected by the crimping failure sensor and the terminal is detected by the terminal detection sensor. Automatic electric wire processing equipment to be performed. In the automatic electric wire processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The said control part is an automatic electric wire processing apparatus which determines the presence or absence of the said terminal by the said terminal detection sensor, when the crimping | compression-bonding defect of the said terminal is detected by the said crimping | compression-bonding sensor. In the automatic electric wire processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The said control part is an automatic electric wire processing apparatus which stops the terminal crimping process by the said terminal crimping process part, when the crimping defect of the said terminal is detected in multiple times by the said crimping | compression-bonding sensor. In the automatic electric wire processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The said crimping | compression-bonding sensor is an automatic electric wire processing apparatus which is a pressure sensor which detects the pressure loaded when the said crimping | compression-bonding process part crimps | bonds the said terminal to the said electric wire. In the automatic electric wire processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The automatic electric wire processing apparatus whose said terminal detection sensor is a non-contact sensor. In the automatic wire processing method of crimping the terminal to the wire end,
(a) a step of crimping a terminal to an electric wire end by a crimping treatment unit;
(b) detecting a crimp failure of the terminal in the step (a);
(c) detecting the terminal crimped to the wire terminal by the step (a);
(d) controlling the operation of the terminal crimping processing unit;
Including
The step (d) includes
When the crimping failure is detected in the step (b) and the terminal is detected in the step (c), the terminal crimping processing unit is continued after discharging the wire in which the crimping failure is detected. Drive,
An automatic electric wire processing method for stopping a terminal crimping process by the terminal crimping processing unit in the step (a) when the terminal is not detected in the step (c). In the automatic electric wire processing method according to claim 7,
The step (d) includes
An automatic electric wire processing method for performing the step (a) at least once when a crimping failure is detected in the step (b) and the terminal is detected in the step (c). A computer readable program,
The computer reads the program, and the CPU of the computer executes the program using a memory, thereby causing the computer to
Detection results of a crimping failure sensor that detects a crimping failure when the terminal is crimped to the wire terminal by the terminal crimping processing unit, and a terminal detection sensor that detects the terminal crimped to the wire terminal by the terminal crimping processing unit Based on the function of the terminal crimping processing unit to control the operation,
The controller is
If the crimping failure of the terminal is detected by the crimping failure sensor and the terminal is detected by the terminal detection sensor, the terminal crimping processing unit is continuously operated after discharging the wire in which the crimping failure is detected. And
A program for stopping the terminal crimping process by the terminal crimping processing unit when the terminal detection sensor does not detect the terminal. The program according to claim 9,
The controller is
A program for continuously performing terminal crimping processing by the terminal crimping processing section at least once when a crimping failure of the terminal is detected by the crimping failure sensor and the terminal is detected by the terminal detection sensor.

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