JP5935712B2 - Connector continuity inspection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for conducting a continuity test of a connector.

  In order to check whether or not a plurality of terminals are normally inserted and arranged in the connector, a continuity testing device may be used. Patent Document 1 discloses a continuity tester.

  The continuity tester of Patent Document 1 is provided such that a connector holding portion capable of holding a connector and an inspection portion provided with a plurality of testers corresponding to a plurality of terminals provided on the connector are movable relative to and away from each other. ing. Then, in a state where the connector is held by the connector holding portion, the connector holding portion and the inspection portion are moved relatively close to each other, thereby conducting a connector continuity inspection.

JP 2006-308374 A

  By the way, a laminated connector in which a plurality of flat single-layer connectors are laminated may be incorporated in a wire harness routed in a vehicle. And even if it is a vehicle of the same vehicle type, the number of circuits differs depending on the specification, and the number of laminated single-layer connectors in the laminated connector may differ. That is, the multilayer connectors having different numbers of layers have different overall sizes. There is a demand for conducting a continuity test with a single type of connector continuity testing device for connectors of different sizes such as this laminated connector.

  However, in the continuity test, when connectors of different sizes are handled by the same connector continuity test apparatus, there is a possibility that the small size connector may not be disposed at a predetermined support position. If the continuity test is performed in a state where the connector is not disposed at the predetermined support position, an accurate continuity test cannot be performed.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to perform a continuity test corresponding to connectors of different sizes.

A first aspect is a connector continuity inspection device that performs continuity inspection of connectors in which a plurality of sizes having different dimensions in one direction orthogonal to the fitting direction are prepared by different numbers of laminated single-layer connectors , An insertion opening into which the connector can be inserted is provided, a holder formed with a support recess capable of supporting the connector in a posture in which the one direction is different along the width direction, and the connector is supported by the holder. An inspection unit provided with a plurality of testers provided at positions facing the plurality of terminals of the connector from the front in the connection direction and capable of detecting the presence or absence of the terminals, the holder and the inspection unit, A moving mechanism that can move relative to and away from the connector supported by the holder and the plurality of test elements in a facing direction; It is movable between an advance position and a retracted position that are provided on the side and advance to the other side in the width direction, and contact the connector from one side in the width direction of the support recess with respect to each of the connectors. A positioning portion that can be positioned at a position close to the other side in the width direction is provided.

In the first aspect , the positioning portion is configured to be maintained at the advanced position in a state where the connector is not supported by the support recess.

In the first aspect , the holder is provided with a positioning biasing portion that biases the positioning portion toward the advanced position. The distance between the advanced position and the retracted position is set to be equal to or greater than the thickness dimension of the single-layer connector.

A second aspect is the connector continuity inspection device according to the first aspect, wherein the holder is provided with a lock portion that is locked to the positioning portion and maintains the positioning portion in the advanced position. .

A third aspect is a connector continuity testing device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the connector disposed in the support recess is disposed close to the other side of the support recess. A position detecting unit capable of detection is further provided.

A fourth aspect is a connector continuity inspection device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the holder and the inspection are in a state where the connector is not inserted to the bottom side with respect to the support recess. A proximity restricting part for restricting proximity movement with the part.

A fifth aspect is a connector continuity inspection device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the positioning part includes the support recess as viewed from the insertion side opening side end toward the bottom side. An inclined surface that is inclined to the other side in the width direction of the support recess is formed.

A sixth aspect is a connector continuity testing device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein each of the connectors has a convex portion formed at one end in the one direction having different dimensions, The positioning portion is formed with a groove-shaped guide groove that opens on the other side in the width direction of the support recess and extends in the depth direction of the support recess so that the protrusion of the connector can be disposed inside. ing.

  According to the connector continuity inspection device according to the first aspect, the plurality of connectors supported by the holders by the plurality of testers are moved by relatively moving the holder and the inspection unit in a state where the connector is disposed in the support recess. The presence / absence of terminals can be detected to conduct a connector continuity test. In addition, the positioning portion is provided on one side in the width direction of the support recess and is movable between an advance position that advances to the other side and a retracted position, and contacts each connector from the one side in the width direction. Can be positioned at a position close to the other side in the width direction of the support recess. For this reason, connectors of different sizes can be positioned and supported in the support recesses, and continuity tests can be performed corresponding to connectors of different sizes.

Moreover, according to the connector continuity inspection apparatus according to the first aspect, the positioning portion is configured to be maintained at the advanced position in a state where the connector is not supported by the support recess, and therefore the positioning portion is at the retracted position. In a certain state, it can suppress that a small-sized connector is supported by a support recessed part.

Further , according to the connector continuity inspection device according to the first aspect, the positioning portion is biased toward the advanced position by the positioning biasing portion, so that the connector disposed in the support recess can be more reliably connected to the support recess. It can be positioned at a position close to the other side in the width direction.

According to the connector continuity inspection apparatus according to the second aspect, the positioning portion can be maintained at the advanced position by the lock portion, so that positioning can be performed more reliably even when a small-sized connector is supported.

According to the connector continuity testing apparatus according to the third aspect, the connector that is disposed in the support recess can be detected by the positioning detection unit and is disposed close to the other side of the support recess. The continuity test can be performed in the positioned state.

According to the connector continuity inspection apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the holder and the inspection part can be moved close to each other only when the connector is inserted to the bottom with respect to the support recess by the proximity restriction part. The continuity test can be performed more accurately in a state of being normally supported.

According to the connector continuity inspection apparatus according to the fifth aspect, when a large-sized connector is inserted into the support recess, the connector contacts the inclined surface of the positioning portion and moves to the retracted position side while sliding on the inclined surface. Therefore, the operation of inserting the connector into the support recess can be simplified.

According to the connector continuity inspection apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the guide groove portion of the positioning portion is formed in a groove shape that opens on the other side in the width direction of the support recess and extends in the depth direction, and the dimensions of the connector are different. Since the convex part formed in the one end part of a direction can be arrange | positioned inside, the connector of a different size can be supported by a holder more reliably, respectively.

It is a side view of a connector continuity inspection device in which an inspection part is in a separation position. It is a top view of the connector continuity inspection device in which an inspection part is in a separation position. It is a side view of a connector continuity inspection device with an inspection part in a proximity position. It is a top view of the connector continuity inspection device which has an inspection part in a proximity position. It is a perspective view of a single layer connector. It is a perspective view of a single layer connector. It is a figure which shows a 10-layer connector. It is a figure which shows a 9-layer connector. It is a disassembled perspective view of a test | inspection part and a holder. It is a top view of the holder which supported the 10 layer connector. It is a top view of the holder which supported 9 layer connector. It is the XII-XII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the XIII-XIII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the positioning part at the time of supporting a 10-layer connector. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the positioning part at the time of supporting a 10-layer connector.

  Hereinafter, the connector continuity inspection apparatus 10 according to the embodiment will be described (see FIGS. 1 to 4). The connector continuity inspection device 10 is a device that performs continuity inspection of a connector.

<Connector>
For convenience of explanation, first, a connector to be fitted will be described (see FIGS. 5 to 8). Here, an example in which the connector is a female connector will be described. And about a connector, the direction fitted with respect to connection objects, such as an other party connector, is called a fitting direction (left-right direction in FIG. 7, FIG. 8).

  Here, an example in which the connector is a laminated connector will be described. The laminated connector is formed by laminating single-layer connectors 15. The single-layer connector 15 has a plurality of cavities formed in a row in parallel with the penetrating direction being parallel, and female terminals are inserted into the cavities. Note that the cavity and the terminal are not shown. The single-layer connector 15 is formed in a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape along the direction in which a plurality of cavities are arranged and the insertion direction of the female terminals (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Here, in the single-layer connector 15, the direction in which the plurality of cavities are arranged is referred to as the width direction, and the direction in which the plurality of cavities are arranged and the direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the female terminals is referred to as the thickness direction.

  In addition, at the rear end portion in the fitting direction of the single-layer connector 15, an overhang portion 18 is formed to project to both sides in the width direction. In the following description, when the entire connector is described, the overhang portions 18 of the laminated single-layer connector 15 may be collectively referred to as the overhang portion 18.

  The single-layer connectors 15 are formed so as to be capable of being combined with each other in the thickness direction. More specifically, a convex portion 16 is formed on one side in the thickness direction of the single-layer connector 15 so as to protrude from the outer surface to the one side (see FIG. 5). A plurality of the convex portions 16 are provided, and here, the convex portions 16 are also provided so as to protrude from the overhanging portion 18. Further, on the other side in the thickness direction of the single-layer connector 15, a recess 17 is formed on the outer surface that opens to the other side (see FIG. 6). The concave portion 17 is formed in a concave shape that can be fitted to the plurality of convex portions 16 of the other single-layer connector 15. A plurality of single-layer connectors 15 are combined to form a laminated connector.

  This connector is prepared in a plurality of sizes having different dimensions in one direction orthogonal to the fitting direction (thickness direction of the single-layer connector 15). Here, connectors having different sizes due to different numbers of single-layer connectors 15 to be stacked are prepared. In other words, depending on the specification (grade) of the vehicle, the number of circuits incorporated in the wire harness may be different. For example, in a vehicle with one specification, a circuit corresponding to 10 layers of single-layer connectors 15 is adopted in a vehicle having one specification, and a circuit corresponding to 9 layers of single-layer connectors 15 is adopted in a vehicle having the other specification. There is also. Hereinafter, among the connectors, 10 layers of single-layer connectors 15 are referred to as 10-layer connector 15a (see FIG. 7), and 9 layers of single-layer connectors 15 are referred to as 9-layer connector 15b (see FIG. 8). explain.

  Moreover, the retainer 19 is provided in the form which covers the recessed part 17 in the end surface at the side of the recessed part 17 in the lamination direction among connectors. The retainer 19 is provided so as to rise from the end surface on the concave portion 17 side.

<Connector continuity inspection device>
The connector continuity inspection device 10 is used for conducting a continuity inspection of a connector (the 10-layer connector 15a or the 9-layer connector 15b described above) having a plurality of sizes having different dimensions in one direction (stacking direction) orthogonal to the fitting direction. Device. The connector continuity inspection device 10 includes an inspection unit 20, a holder 30, a positioning detection unit 60, a movement mechanism unit 70, and a proximity restriction unit 80 (see FIGS. 1 to 4). The holder 30 is provided with a positioning portion 40 and a proximity regulating portion 80.

  The connector continuity test apparatus 10 is configured to support the connector on the holder 30 and perform a continuity test of the connector by moving the test unit 20 and the holder 30 relative to each other when the moving mechanism unit 70 is operated. Has been.

<Inspection Department>
The inspection unit 20 is configured by providing a plurality of inspection elements 24 on a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body 22 (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 9). The main body portion 22 is formed by combining a molded body obtained by injection molding of a synthetic resin material. And the test | inspection part 20 inserts the some test | inspection element 24 in the cavity of the connector supported by the holder 30, and test | inspects whether each terminal is normally arrange | positioned in a cavity.

  Here, the plurality of inspectors 24 are contact probes. That is, the inspector 24, which is a contact probe, conducts by contacting a terminal disposed on the connector, and can detect the presence or absence of the terminal. The plurality of inspectors 24 are provided in the main body portion 22 in a posture that is parallel to one direction and in which the distal end portion protrudes from one main surface of the main body portion 22. The plurality of checkers 24 are provided corresponding to the plurality of terminals provided on the connector having the largest size. Here, the same number and the same arrangement as the plurality of terminals arranged in the 10-layer connector 15a (a connector having a large number of terminals) are provided. That is, the plurality of testers 24 are all inserted into the cavity when conducting the continuity test of the 10-layer connector 15a (see FIG. 10), and one row is required when conducting the continuity test of the 9-layer connector 15b. It is not inserted into the cavity (see FIG. 11).

  The plurality of checkers 24 may be connected to the notification unit 90 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). And the alerting | reporting part 90 is good to be comprised so that it may alert | report whether the terminal is normally inserted in each cavity of a connector to an operator etc. by the detection of each terminal by the some test | inspection element 24. FIG. For example, if a terminal is detected in all of the plurality of cavities into which the terminal of the connector is to be inserted, it is informed that the terminal is normal, and if the terminal cannot be detected in any of the plurality of cavities, it is informed that it is abnormal. For example, as the notification unit 90, a lamp, a buzzer, a liquid crystal display device, or the like can be employed.

  Further, the main body portion 22 is formed with an insertion hole portion 23 that opens at one main surface and into which the other end portion of a proximity regulating portion 80 described later can be inserted. Here, the insertion hole portion 23 is formed in a hole shape opening in a substantially rectangular shape.

  In addition, the inspection unit 20 is provided with a frame-shaped hood portion that surrounds the tip side portions of the plurality of inspection elements 24 protruding from one main surface of the main body portion 22. The inspection unit 20 is formed with a traveling unit 26 that is movably fitted to a rail 74 of a base 72 in a moving mechanism unit 70 described later. The detailed shape of the traveling unit 26 will be described later together with the description of the moving mechanism unit 70.

<Holder>
The holder 30 is formed with a support recess 32 capable of supporting the 10-layer connector 15a or the 9-layer connector 15b in a posture in which one direction (stacking direction) having different dimensions is along the width direction (see FIGS. 9 to 13). ). The holder 30 is formed in a substantially U shape (here, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape) that opens to one side. That is, the support recess 32 is a substantially U-shaped inner portion and has an insertion opening into which a connector can be inserted. Here, the holder 30 is configured by combining a molded body formed by injection molding or the like of a synthetic resin material.

  More specifically, the support recess 32 is formed with a positioning portion accommodating portion 34 in which a positioning portion 40 described later can be disposed on the wall portion on one side in the width direction (see FIGS. 10 and 11). Furthermore, a convex portion accommodating portion 35 in which the convex portion 16 provided on the overhanging portion 18 can be arranged alongside the positioning portion accommodating portion 34 is formed on the wall portion on one side in the width direction of the support concave portion 32. . Further, the support recess 32 is formed with a retainer accommodating portion 36 in which the retainer 19 of the connector can be disposed on the wall portion on the other side in the width direction. The positioning portion accommodating portion 34, the convex portion accommodating portion 35, and the retainer accommodating portion 36 are formed in a groove shape that opens on the inner side and the opening side of the support recessed portion 32 and extends along the depth direction. Further, the support recess 32 is formed with an overhang portion accommodating portion 37 in which one overhang portion 18 of the connector can be disposed at the bottom. The overhang accommodating portion 37 is formed in a groove shape that opens toward the opening side of the support recess 32 and extends along the width direction.

  In addition, the holder 30 is formed with a detection portion accommodating portion 38 capable of accommodating a positioning detection portion 60 described later at a portion on the other side in the width direction of the support concave portion 32. The detection portion accommodating portion 38 is formed in a concave shape communicating with the internal space of the retainer accommodating portion 36 at the bottom. Further, the holder 30 is formed with a restricting portion accommodating portion 39 in which a proximity restricting portion 80 described later can be disposed at the bottom of the support recess 32. The shape of the restricting portion accommodating portion 39 will be described later together with the description of the proximity restricting portion 80.

  In the connector, the overhanging portion 18 is disposed in the overhanging portion accommodating portion 37 with the stacking direction along the width direction and the retainer 19 positioned on the other side in the width direction with respect to the support recess 32. As shown, it is inserted through the insertion opening (see FIGS. 10 to 13).

<Movement mechanism part>
The moving mechanism unit 70 is formed so that the inspection unit 20 and the holder 30 can move relative to and away from each other (see FIGS. 1 and 3). The moving mechanism unit 70 includes a base 72, an operation lever 76, and a link 78.

  The base 72 is a part that supports the inspection unit 20 and the holder 30 so as to be capable of moving relative to each other. The inspection unit 20 and the holder 30 match the direction in which the plurality of inspection elements 24 of the inspection unit 20 protrude and the fitting direction of the connector supported by the holder 30, and the tips of the plurality of inspection elements 24 of the inspection unit 20. The base 72 is supported in such a posture that the front end of the connector supported by the holder 30 and the holder 30 face each other.

  The base portion 72 is partially formed in a groove shape, and a part of the inspection portion 20 and the holder 30 are disposed inside thereof. Here, the bottom end of the support recess 32 in the holder 30 is formed so as to be disposed inside the groove-shaped portion of the base 72. The holder 30 is fixed to the base portion 72 by screwing or the like in a state where the bottom end portion of the support concave portion 32 is disposed inside the groove-shaped portion of the base portion 72. The inspection unit 20 is supported to be movable toward and away from the holder 30 with respect to the base 72 in the protruding direction of the plurality of inspection elements 24. More specifically, the base 72 is provided with a rail 74 that is fitted to the traveling unit 26 of the inspection unit 20 and guides the inspection unit 20. The rail 74 is formed in a shape that protrudes inward from a portion of the groove portion of the base portion 72 that is spaced from the bottom portion of the opposing inner wall surface, and extends along the extending direction of the groove portion. Yes. Here, the rail 74 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in sectional view. On the other hand, the traveling portion 26 is provided on the bottom side of the main body portion 22 and is formed so as to be disposed inside the groove-shaped portion of the base portion 72. The running portion 26 is formed with fitting groove portions along the protruding direction of the plurality of test pieces 24 on both side portions. The fitting groove portion is formed in a shape in which the rail 74 can be disposed on the inner side so as to be relatively movable (here, it has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped space slightly larger than the outer shape of the rail 74).

  The inspection unit 20 supported so as to be movable with respect to the base 72 is located between the proximity position and the separation position along the protruding direction of the inspection element 24 with respect to the holder 30 fixed to the base 72. It becomes possible to move. Here, the proximity position is a position where the inspection unit 20 and the holder 30 are close to each other until the plurality of inspection elements 24 come into contact with terminals provided on the connector supported by the holder 30 (FIGS. 2 and 2). 4). Here, the main body 22 of the inspection unit 20 contacts the holder 30 at the proximity position. In addition, the separated position is a position where the inspection unit 20 and the holder 30 are separated so that the distal end portions of the plurality of test pieces 24 and the front end portions of the connectors are spaced apart from each other (see FIGS. 1 and 3). Here, the inspection unit 20 contacts the lever support unit 75 or the operation lever 76 at the separated position.

  The base portion 72 is provided with a lever support portion 75 that supports the operation lever 76 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis at a position rearward in the fitting direction of the inspection portion 20. The operation lever 76 is connected to the inspection unit 20 via a link 78 and is a part for performing an operation of moving the inspection unit 20 with respect to the holder 30. The operation lever 76 is supported by the lever support portion 75 so that the posture of the operation lever 76 can be changed around the rotation axis along the direction connecting the opposing wall portions of the groove-like portion of the base portion 72. Here, the operation lever 76 is formed in a flat shape along a plane orthogonal to the rotation axis. More specifically, the operating lever 76 is formed in a long shape having a bent portion that forms an obtuse angle between the proximal end portion on the rotating shaft side and the distal end portion on the opposite side in a side view.

  One end of the link 78 is connected to the side of the inspection unit 20 so that the posture can be changed around the rotation axis, and the other end is connected to the side of the operation lever 76 so that the posture can be changed around the rotation axis. ing. More specifically, the other end of the link 78 is supported so that the posture can be changed around the rotation axis spaced from the rotation axis of the operation lever 76. The links 78 are provided on both sides of the inspection unit 20 and the operation lever 76, respectively. The pair of links 78 are formed in a flat shape and are provided in a posture parallel to the operation lever 76.

  And the operation lever 76 connected with the test | inspection part 20 via the link 78 can change an attitude | position between a fitting attitude | position and a releasing attitude | position. A fitting attitude | position is an attitude | position which moved the test | inspection part 20 to the proximity position. The release posture is a posture in which the inspection unit 20 is moved to the separated position.

<Positioning part>
The holder 30 is provided with a positioning portion 40 (see FIGS. 10 to 11). The positioning portion 40 positions each connector (10-layer connector 15a, 9-layer connector 15b) disposed in the support recess 32 at a position close to the other side in the width direction of the support recess 32.

  The positioning portion 40 is provided on one side in the width direction of the support recess 32 and moves between an advance position (see FIGS. 11 and 13) that advances to the other side and a retracted position (see FIGS. 10 and 12). It is provided as possible. Further, the positioning portion 40 contacts one end of each connector disposed close to the other side in the support recess 32 in the width direction of the support recess 32. More specifically, the positioning part 40 is pushed into the positioning part accommodating part 34 at the retracted position in the width direction of the support recessed part 32, and advances from the retracted position to the inside of the support recessed part at the advanced position.

  The positioning part 40 is formed in a square-bottom shape with a thick bottom. The positioning portion 40 is disposed in the positioning portion accommodating portion 34 in a posture in which the longitudinal direction is along the depth direction of the support recessed portion 32. More specifically, the positioning portion 40 opens to the inside of the support recess 32, and extends along the depth direction of the support recess 32 to form the protrusion 16 (in the overhang portion 18) formed in the connector. A guide groove portion 44 that can be disposed on the inner side (excluding the formed convex portion 16) is formed. The guide groove 44 is set to have a width dimension that is the same as or larger than the dimension of the protrusion 16 in the connector fitting direction (slightly larger here). That is, the guide groove portion 44 is provided with the convex portion 16 of the connector disposed in the support concave portion 32 on the inner side, and restricts the position of the connector in the moving direction of the inspection portion 20.

  The positioning portion 40 is formed with a long hole portion 42 that penetrates in the moving direction of the inspection portion 20 and is long in the width direction of the support recess portion 32 (see FIGS. 12 and 13). A pair of the long hole portions 42 are provided at an interval in the depth direction of the support recessed portion 32. Further, the positioning portion accommodating portion 34 is provided with a pair of support shaft portions 34 s that are spanned along the moving direction of the inspection portion 20. The pair of support shaft portions 34 s are provided at an interval in the depth direction of the support recess 32. The positioning portion 40 moves between the advance position and the retracted position by the relative movement of the support shaft portion 34s in the long hole portion 42 with the pair of support shaft portions 34s inserted through the pair of long hole portions 42, respectively. Move between.

  The support shaft portion 34s is formed in a cylindrical bar shape. The long hole portion 42 is set to a width dimension larger than the diameter of the support shaft portion 34s. That is, the support shaft portion 34 s is relatively movable in the width direction of the long hole portion 42. The positioning portion 40 is supported by the pair of support shaft portions 34 s and can change its posture from a posture along the depth direction of the support recess 32 to a tilted posture. The long hole portion 42 is set to have a longitudinal dimension that allows the support shaft portion 34s to move by a distance between the advance position and the retracted position. Here, the distance between the advanced position and the retracted position is the same as or slightly smaller than the thickness dimension of the main body portion of the single-layer connector 15 (dimensional difference in the stacking direction between the 10-layer connector 15a and the 9-layer connector 15b). Is set to a large value.

  The positioning portion 40 is configured to be maintained at the advanced position in a state where the connector 12 is not supported by the support recess 32. Here, the holder 30 is provided with a positioning urging portion 43 that urges the positioning portion 40 toward the advanced position. Here, the positioning biasing portion 43 is disposed so as to bias a portion of the positioning portion 40 closer to the distal end side (the insertion side opening side of the support recess 32) than half in the longitudinal direction.

  Further, the positioning portion 40 is formed with a curved portion 45 in which the outer edge portion of the support recess 32 in the base end portion is rounded. When the distal end portion of the positioning portion 40 is pushed to the retracted position side, the support shaft portion 34 s moves relative to the long hole portion 42 in the longitudinal direction and the width direction, and the curving portion 45 is rounded. The position of the positioning portion accommodating portion 34 is suppressed, and the posture is changed to a posture in which the distal end side portion is inclined to the retracted position side (see FIG. 15). Further, when the proximal end portion is also pushed to the retracted position side, the positioning portion 40 is moved to the retracted position as a whole and changes its posture to the posture along the depth direction of the support recess 32 (FIG. 12). reference).

  The positioning portion 40 is formed with an inclined surface 46 that is inclined inward of the support recess 32 from the insertion-side opening-side end of the support recess 32 toward the bottom (see FIG. 14). That is, in the guide groove portion 44, the protruding dimension of the opposing wall portion gradually increases at the distal end side portion (insertion opening side portion of the support recess 32) as it approaches the proximal end side. Further, the positioning portion 40 is formed with a curved surface 47 continuous from the inclined surface 46 to the tip surface. Then, when the connector is inserted into the support recess 32 while being in sliding contact with the curved surface 47 and the inclined surface 46, the positioning unit 40 moves the curved surface 47 and the inclined surface 46 to the retracted position side along the connector.

<Lock part>
Further, the holder 30 is provided with a lock portion 50 that is locked to the positioning portion 40 and maintains the positioning portion 40 in the advanced position (see FIGS. 12 and 13). On the other hand, the positioning portion 40 is formed with a locking recess 48 in which the lock portion 50 can be locked. The locking recess 48 opens at the distal end surface of the positioning portion 40. The lock portion 50 is provided so that its posture can be changed between a locking posture (see FIG. 13) for locking with the locking recess 48 and a releasing posture (see FIG. 12) for releasing the locking. Here, the lock part 50 has a locking protrusion 52 that protrudes one side from the distal end of the long rod-like main body part, and an operation protrusion 54 that protrudes from the base end part of the main body part to the other side. ing. The lock portion 50 is pivotally supported with respect to the holder 30 so that the posture can be changed. More specifically, the lock portion 50 supports a shaft support portion projecting to one side from the longitudinal intermediate portion of the main body portion so as to be able to change the posture around the shaft portion provided in the holder 30. Further, the lock portion 50 is biased toward the locking posture by a lock biasing portion 56. Here, the lock urging portion 56 is a coil spring, and is arranged in a compressed state so as to urge the base end portion of the main body portion of the lock portion 50 in the direction in which the operation protrusion 54 protrudes.

  Then, the locking part 50 enters the locking recess 48 with the locking projection 52 entering the locking recess 48 in a state where the positioning part 40 is in the advanced position. At this time, the lock portion 50 is maintained in the locked posture by the lock urging portion 56. Further, when the operation projection 54 is pushed against the urging force of the lock urging portion 56, the locking projection 52 comes out of the locking recess 48. As a result, the positioning unit 40 can move from the advanced position to the retracted position. In the state where the positioning portion 40 is in the retracted position, the lock portion 50 is maintained in a state where it is pulled out of the locking recess 48. When the positioning unit 40 is moved from the retracted position to the advanced position, the curved surface 47 of the positioning unit 40 comes into contact with the locking projection 52, and the locking projection 52 is moved as the positioning unit 40 is moved to the advanced position. The lock unit 50 is pushed up along the curved surface 47 and the posture of the lock unit 50 is changed to the release posture. When the positioning portion 40 is moved to a position where the locking concave portion 48 faces the locking protrusion 52, the posture of the lock portion 50 is changed to the locking posture by the biasing force of the lock biasing portion 56.

<Positioning detection unit>
The positioning detector 60 detects that the connector disposed in the support recess 32 is disposed near the other side in the width direction of the support recess 32. Here, the positioning detection unit 60 is a micro switch that is switched from OFF to ON when the switch unit 62 is pressed. The positioning detection unit 60 is disposed in the detection unit storage unit 38 so that the switch unit 62 protrudes into the retainer storage unit 36 (see FIGS. 12 and 13).

  In other words, the positioning detection unit 60 is turned on when the switch 62 is pushed by the connector retainer 19 in a state where the connector inserted into the support recess 32 is disposed close to the other side in the width direction of the support recess 32. (See FIG. 10).

  The positioning detection unit 60 may be connected to the notification unit 95 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). And the alerting | reporting part 95 alert | reports whether the connector has been positioned in the position close | similar to the width direction other end side of the support recessed part 32 by the detection of the connector (retainer 19) by the positioning detection part 60. It is good to be configured. For example, as the notification unit 95, a lamp, a buzzer, a liquid crystal display device, or the like can be employed. Note that the notification unit 95 may also be used as the notification unit 90.

<Proximity Restriction Department>
The proximity regulating unit 80 regulates the proximity movement between the holder 30 and the inspection unit 20 in a state where the connector is not inserted to the bottom side with respect to the support recess 32 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). The proximity restriction unit 80 is provided so that the posture can be changed between a restriction posture and a restriction release posture. Here, the proximity restricting portion 80 is formed in a substantially L shape and is pivotally supported in the restricting portion accommodating portion 39 so that the posture can be changed. More specifically, the restricting portion accommodating portion 39 is formed in a substantially L-shaped through-hole shape that opens at the bottom surface of the support recessed portion 32 of the holder 30 and the side surface of the inspection portion 20. The opening that opens on the side of the inspection unit 20 of the holder 30 is formed at a position facing the insertion hole 23 of the inspection unit 20 in the moving direction of the inspection unit 20. The proximity restricting portion 80 is arranged in such a manner that one end portion protrudes through an opening portion opened at the bottom surface of the support recess 32 and the other end portion protrudes through an opening portion opened on the side surface of the inspection portion 20 of the holder 30. ing.

  When one end portion is pushed into the restricting portion accommodating portion 39, the proximity restricting portion 80 changes its posture to a release posture along the moving direction of the inspection portion 20 (see FIG. 3). Further, the proximity regulating portion 80 is formed such that the other end side portion is longer than the one end side portion, and when the one end portion is not pushed in, the other end portion is lowered by gravity and inclined with respect to the moving direction of the inspection unit 20. The posture is changed to the regulated posture (see FIG. 1). Then, when the inspection unit 20 is moved close to the holder 30 with the proximity regulating unit 80 in the release posture, the other end of the proximity regulating unit 80 is inserted into the insertion hole 23. That is, the inspection unit 20 can be moved to the proximity position. On the other hand, when the inspection unit 20 is moved close to the holder 30 with the proximity regulating unit 80 in the regulated posture, the other end of the proximity regulating unit 80 is around the insertion hole 23 in one main surface of the inspection unit 20. It touches the part. That is, the inspection unit 20 cannot be moved to the close position.

<Operation>
Next, the operation of the connector continuity inspection apparatus 10 in the connector continuity inspection work will be described. As an initial state, the connector continuity inspection device 10 assumes that the inspection unit 20 is located at the separated position by maintaining the operation lever 76 in the release posture (see FIGS. 1 and 2). In the initial state, no connector is provided for the support recess 32.

  First, the connector is inserted into the support recess 32. First, the operation of the positioning portion 40 when inserting the 10-layer connector 15a as the connector into the support recess 32 will be described. First, in order to enable the positioning unit 40 to move to the retracted position, the locked state of the positioning unit 40 by the lock unit 50 is released (see FIG. 14). That is, the lock portion 50 is changed in posture from the locked posture to the released posture by pressing the operation protrusion 54.

  When the 10-layer connector 15 a is inserted into the support recess 32, the 10-layer connector 15 a comes into contact with at least one of the curved surface 47 and the inclined surface 46 of the positioning portion 40. With the insertion, the positioning unit 40 is moved from the advanced position to the retracted position against the urging force of the positioning urging unit 43 while the 10-layer connector 15a is in sliding contact with the inclined surface 46 (see FIG. 15). More specifically, the positioning portion 40 is inclined when the distal end side portion first moves to the retracted position side before the proximal end portion and the 10-layer connector 15a is inserted to the bottom side of the support recess 32. The side portion moves to the retracted position side and is moved to the retracted position as a whole (see FIG. 12). That is, the 10-layer connector 15a is disposed in the support recess 32 with the positioning portion 40 in the retracted position. Further, the convex portion 16 provided on the overhang portion 18 of the 10-layer connector 15 a is disposed in the convex portion accommodating portion 35 when the connector is inserted into the support concave portion 32.

  On the other hand, the 9-layer connector 15b is inserted into the support recess 32 while the positioning portion 40 is in the retracted position. Note that the insertion work of the nine-layer connector 15b into the support recess 32 is performed while the positioning portion 40 is in the advanced position. That is, in the insertion work of the 9-layer connector 15b, the lock portion 50 is preferably left in the locked posture. Thereby, the positioning part 40 is maintained in the advance position. Further, in the case of the 9-layer connector 15 b, the convex portion 16 provided in the overhang portion 18 is not disposed in the convex portion accommodating portion 35.

  The connector retainer 19 is disposed in the retainer accommodating portion 36. When the connector is inserted into the support recess 32, the switch portion 62 protruding into the retainer accommodating portion 36 is pushed and the positioning detection portion 60 is turned on. Thereby, the notification unit 95 connected to the positioning detection unit 60 notifies the worker, and the worker can confirm that the connector is positioned at a position close to the other end in the width direction of the support recess 32. .

  Further, the one overhanging portion 18 of the connector is disposed in the overhanging portion accommodating portion 37 when the connector is inserted all the way into the support recess 32. Further, when the connector is inserted all the way into the support recess 32, one end of the proximity restricting portion 80 is pushed into the restricting portion accommodating portion 39 by the connector. As a result, the proximity restriction unit 80 is changed from the restricted posture to the released posture.

  In this state, the operation lever 76 is changed from the release position to the restricted position (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Then, the inspection unit 20 is moved from the separated position to the close position. At this time, the other end portion of the proximity regulating portion 80 whose posture has been changed to the release posture is inserted into the insertion hole portion 23 of the inspection portion 20.

  A plurality of test pieces 24 are inserted into the cavity of the connector supported by the support recess 32. More specifically, when the 10-layer connector 15a is disposed in the support recess 32, all of the plurality of inspectors 24 are inserted into the cavity of the 10-layer connector 15a (see FIG. 10). On the other hand, when the 9-layer connector 15b is disposed in the support recess 32, one row of the support recesses 32 in the width direction of the support recesses 32 among the plurality of testers 24 is not inserted into the cavity, and the other plurality of testers. 24 is inserted into the cavity (see FIG. 11).

  When the terminal is normally inserted in each cavity into which the plurality of inspection elements 24 are inserted, the plurality of inspection elements 24 are electrically connected to the terminals. Thereby, the alerting | reporting part 90 connected to the some test | inspector 24 alert | reports to an operator, and the operator can confirm that each terminal is normally inserted in the connector. On the other hand, when the terminal is not normally inserted into any of the plurality of cavities in which the plurality of inspection elements 24 are inserted, the inspection elements 24 inserted into the cavities do not conduct.

  When the connector continuity test is completed, the operation lever 76 is changed from the restricted posture to the released posture (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Thereby, the inspection unit 20 is moved from the proximity position to the separation position. After the inspection unit 20 is returned to the separated position, the connector is taken out from the support recess 32. When the 10-layer connector 15a is removed from the support recess 32, the positioning unit 40 is moved from the retracted position to the advanced position by the urging force of the positioning urging unit 43. In addition, when the positioning unit 40 is moved to the advanced position, the lock unit 50 is changed in posture from the release posture to the locked posture by the urging force of the lock urging unit 56, and maintains the positioning unit 40 in the advanced position.

  In the above operation, when the connector is not completely inserted into the support recess 32, the proximity restricting portion 80 is not changed in posture to the release posture. In this state, when the inspection unit 20 is moved from the separation position toward the proximity position, the other end portion of the proximity regulation unit 80 is not inserted into the insertion hole 23 and abuts on one main surface of the inspection unit 20 around the other end portion. . Thereby, the connector continuity test apparatus 10 cannot perform an operation related to the continuity test of the connector in a state where the connector is not normally disposed with respect to the support recess 32.

<Effect>
According to the connector continuity inspection apparatus 10 according to the above embodiment, the holder 30 and the inspection unit 20 are moved relative to each other in a state where the connector is disposed in the support recess 32, so that the holder 30 and the inspection unit 24 support the holder 30. It is possible to perform a connector continuity test by detecting the presence or absence of a plurality of terminals of the connector. Further, the positioning portion 40 is provided on one side in the width direction of the support recess 32 and is movable between an advance position that advances to the other side in the width direction and a retracted position, and the width of the support recess 32 with respect to each connector. It is possible to position the connector at a position close to the other side in the width direction of the support recess 32 by contacting from one side in the direction. For this reason, connectors of different sizes can be positioned and supported in the support recess 32, and continuity tests can be performed corresponding to the connectors of different sizes. That is, in the assembly process of the wire harness, one connector continuity inspection device 10 can be used which shares the continuity inspection jig installed on the assembly drawing board with connectors of different sizes. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of continuity inspection jigs and to reduce the space required for continuity inspection.

  Further, since the positioning portion 40 is configured to be maintained at the advanced position in a state where the connector 12 is not supported by the support recess 32, the small-sized connector 12 is in a state where the positioning portion 40 is in the retracted position. Can be suppressed from being supported by the support recess 32. In addition, the small-sized connector 12 can suppress inspection failures that are a concern when the positioning portion 40 is supported by the support recess 32 in the retracted position.

  Further, since the positioning portion 40 is urged toward the advanced position by the positioning urging portion 46, the connector disposed in the support recess 32 is more reliably moved to the other side in the width direction of the support recess 32. Can be positioned.

  Further, since the positioning portion 40 can be maintained at the advanced position by the lock portion 50, positioning can be performed more reliably even when a small-sized connector is supported.

  In addition, since the positioning detector 60 can detect that the connector disposed in the support recess 32 is disposed close to the other side of the support recess 32, the continuity test is performed with the connector positioned more reliably. be able to.

  In addition, since the holder 30 and the inspection unit 20 can be moved close to each other only when the connector is inserted to the bottom with respect to the support recess 32 by the proximity regulating unit 80, the connector is normally supported by the holder 30. Thus, the continuity test can be performed more accurately.

  Further, when a large-sized connector (here, the 10-layer connector 15a) is inserted into the support recess 32, it abuts on the inclined surface of the positioning portion 40, and moves the positioning portion 40 to the retracted position side while sliding on the inclined surface. Therefore, the operation of inserting the connector into the support recess 32 can be simplified.

  Further, the guide groove portion 44 of the positioning portion 40 is formed in a groove shape that opens on the other side in the width direction of the support recessed portion 32 and extends in the depth direction, and is formed at one end portion in one direction with different connector dimensions. Since the convex part 16 can be arrange | positioned inside, the connector of a different size can be supported by the holder 30 more reliably, respectively.

<Modification>
So far, the example in which the connector is a laminated connector has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the connector may be prepared in a plurality of sizes having different dimensions in one direction perpendicular to the fitting direction with respect to the connection target such as the mating connector.

  So far, the configuration in which the inspection unit 20 is moved toward and away from the holder 30 by the moving mechanism unit 70 has been described, but the configuration is not limited thereto. That is, the inspection unit 20 may be fixed to the base 72, and the holder 30 may be disposed so as to be movable toward and away from the inspection unit 20 and may be moved by the moving mechanism unit. Further, both the inspection unit 20 and the holder 30 may be arranged so as to be able to move toward and away from each other, and may be moved by the moving mechanism unit.

  Up to now, the 10-layer connector 15a and the 9-layer connector 15b have been subject to continuity inspection as connectors, but more connectors with different sizes can also be subject to fitting. For example, in addition to the 10-layer connector 15a and the 9-layer connector 15b, an 8-layer connector in which 8 layers of the single-layer connector 15 are stacked may be a continuity test target.

  In this case, the positioning portion may be provided so as to be movable to a two-stage advance position, that is, a position for regulating the position of the 9-layer connector 15b and a position for regulating the position of the 8-layer connector. Further, the lock portion may be formed so that the positioning portion can be maintained at the two-stage advance position.

  Further, although the example in which the inspector 24 is a contact probe has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, as long as the inspector can detect the presence or absence of each of the plurality of terminals of the connector supported by the holder 30, for example, a probe with a switch whose tip is a switch may be used. A contact sensor may be used.

  Further, the example in which the positioning detection unit 60 detects that the connector is disposed at the position closer to the other side in the width direction of the support recess 32 by contacting the retainer 19 of the connector has been described. It is not something that can be done. That is, the positioning detection unit 60 may be provided so as to come into contact with a portion other than the retainer 19 in the other end portion in one direction where the dimensions of the connector are different.

  Further, although the example in which the positioning detection unit 60 is a micro switch has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the positioning detection unit only needs to be able to detect that the connector inserted into the support recess 32 is disposed at a position close to the other side in the width direction of the support recess 32. A non-contact sensor such as a contact sensor or an optical sensor may be used.

  Further, the proximity restricting portion 80 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be configured by two members of an advance / retreat pin and a posture change bar, or a switch is provided at the bottom of the support recess 32 and the switch is turned on. You may employ | adopt the structure which cancels | releases the movement control of the test | inspection part 20 by an air cylinder etc. FIG.

  As described above, the connector continuity test apparatus 10 has been described in detail. However, the above description is an example in all aspects, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The various modifications described above can be applied in combination as long as they do not contradict each other. And it is understood that the countless modification which is not illustrated can be assumed without deviating from the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Connector continuity inspection apparatus 15a 10 layer connector 15b 9 layer connector 16 Convex part 20 Inspection part 24 Inspector 30 Holder 32 Support recessed part 40 Positioning part 43 Positioning biasing part 44 Guide groove part 46 Inclined surface 50 Lock part 60 Positioning detection part 70 Movement Mechanism part 80 Proximity restriction part

Claims (6)

A connector continuity testing device for conducting a continuity test of a connector in which a plurality of sizes having different dimensions in one direction orthogonal to the fitting direction by different numbers of single-layer connectors to be laminated ,
A holder in which an insertion opening into which the connector can be inserted is provided, and a support recess that can support the connector in a posture in which the one direction is different along the width direction;
An inspection section provided with a plurality of testers provided at positions facing the plurality of terminals of the connector supported by the holder from the front in the connection direction, respectively, and capable of detecting the presence or absence of the terminals;
A movement mechanism that is capable of moving relative to and away from the holder and the inspection unit in a direction in which the connector supported by the holder and the plurality of inspection elements face each other;
With
The holder is provided on one side in the width direction of the support recess and is movable between an advance position and a retreat position that advance to the other side in the width direction, and one width direction of the support recess with respect to each of the connectors. positioning unit positionable in a position brought near the connector in the other widthwise side of the support recess is provided et al is in contact from the side,
The positioning portion is configured to be maintained at the advanced position in a state where the connector is not supported by the support recess,
The holder is provided with a positioning urging portion that urges the positioning portion toward the advance position,
The connector continuity inspection apparatus , wherein a distance between the advanced position and the retracted position is set to be equal to or greater than a thickness dimension of the single-layer connector . The connector continuity testing device according to claim 1,
The connector continuity inspection device , wherein the holder is provided with a lock portion that is locked to the positioning portion and maintains the positioning portion at the advanced position . The connector continuity testing device according to claim 1 or 2,
A connector continuity inspection device further comprising a positioning detection unit capable of detecting that the connector disposed in the support recess is disposed close to the other side of the support recess . It is a connector continuity inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A connector continuity inspection device further comprising a proximity restricting portion for restricting proximity movement between the holder and the inspection portion in a state where the connector is not inserted to the bottom side with respect to the support recess . It is a connector continuity inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The connector continuity inspection device , wherein the positioning portion is formed with an inclined surface inclined toward the other side in the width direction of the support recess from the insertion-side opening-side end of the support recess toward the bottom . It is a connector continuity inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Each of the connectors has a convex portion at one end in the one direction having different dimensions,
The positioning portion is formed with a groove-shaped guide groove that opens on the other side in the width direction of the support recess and extends in the depth direction of the support recess so that the protrusion of the connector can be disposed inside. It is, the connector conductivity test apparatus.

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