Metal working – Means to assemble or disassemble – Means to assemble electrical device
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-28
2003-09-02
Vo, Peter (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Means to assemble or disassemble
Means to assemble electrical device
C029S712000, C029S857000, C324S522000, C324S538000, C324S713000, C324S758010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06612021
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wire mount control apparatus for controlling the mount positions of wires relative to insertion holes in a connector. The invention also relates to electrical connections between the ends of the wires. Furthermore, the invention relates to a wire mount control method, a probe and a wire insertion detection jig.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 18
shows a first prior art wire mount instructing/testing apparatus. This apparatus is used for mounting the leading ends of wires in one connector during the manufacture of a wiring harness or during the manufacture of a subassembly of a wiring harness. The prior art apparatus of
FIG. 18
substantially simultaneously instructs, guides and tests proper insertion of the respective wires into the connector.
Wires are mounted with the prior art apparatus of
FIG. 18
by first placing the connector (not shown) with which wires are to be connected in a connector receptacle
6
. Terminals for external connection are mounted in advance at ends of the wires that are to be connected with this connector, and the respective wires are accommodated in wire accommodating portions
3
that correspond to different kinds of the wires.
Next, a selected one of several instructing LEDs
2
is blinked pursuant to a command from a control unit
1
and in accordance with a program of the control unit
1
. The operator then takes a wire from a wire-accommodating portion
3
that corresponds to the blinking instructing LED
2
.
A selected one of a plurality of illuminating LEDs (not shown) in the control unit
1
then is turned on, and light emitted from the LED is guided to an end
4
of an optical fiber
5
to illuminate one of the insertion holes of the connector (not shown) in the connector receptacle
6
. The operator inserts the leading end of the wire that was taken from the wire-accommodating portion
3
into the illuminated insertion hole of the connector for connection.
The leading end of the wire reflects light from the optical fiber
5
as the end of the wire is inserted into the insertion hole of the connector. This reflected light then is guided back through the optical fiber
5
to a light detector (not shown) in the control unit
1
. The light detector determines whether the terminal has been inserted properly based on the signal of the light detector. If the terminal has been inserted properly, a success buzzer (not shown) in the control unit
1
rings, and the blinking instructing LED
2
is turned off.
After the first wire has been mounted in the connector and the test has been completed, a next wire to be taken out is identified by blinking the corresponding instructing LED
2
. The insertion hole of the connector into which this next wire is to be inserted is illuminated by the optical fiber
5
, and whether the wire has been properly inserted is detected based on the presence or absence of the reflected light guided through the optical fiber
5
. Hereafter, the mounting of the wires in the connector and the tests are performed successively in a similar manner.
The prior art apparatus of
FIG. 18
enables more than one step to be performed simultaneously. For example, the wire to be taken is identified by blinking the corresponding instructing LED
2
. Simultaneously, the insertion hole of the connector into which the taken wire is to be inserted is illuminated by the optical fiber
5
. At almost the same time, a determination of whether the wire has been properly inserted can be detected based on the presence or absence of the reflected light guided through the optical fiber
5
. Thus, the insertion of the terminal and the test on the inserted state can be performed simultaneously.
FIG. 19
shows a second prior art wire mount instructing/testing apparatus. This apparatus is used when a first end of each of a plurality of wires
11
already has been mounted in a first connector
12
. The second ends of the respective wires
11
then must be mounted in proper positions of a second connector
13
. The prior art apparatus of
FIG. 19
substantially simultaneously instructs, guides and tests proper insertion of the respective wires
11
into the second connector
13
.
Wires are mounted in the second connector
13
using the apparatus of
FIG. 19
by first applying a specific voltage from a circuit in a control unit
14
to all terminals of the first connector
12
in which the wires
11
are mounted. The voltage is applied via a flexible printed-wiring strip
15
and specified electrodes (not shown) in a first connector receptacle
16
.
An operator then selects a desired wire
11
A from the plurality of wires
11
mounted in the first connector
12
, and brings a terminal
17
A at the second end of that wire
11
A into contact with a ground plate
18
. The ground plate
18
is grounded via the flexible printed-wiring strip
15
and a circuit in the control unit
14
. Accordingly, a voltage level of the terminal in the first connector receptacle
16
that is connected with the first end of the wire
11
A changes to LOW when the terminal
17
A contacts the ground plate
18
. This change enables a circuit in the control unit
14
to identify the wire
11
A selected by the operator. A circuit in the control unit
14
then selects one of a plurality of illuminating LEDs
19
and applies a drive current to the illuminating LED
19
via the flexible printed-wiring strip
15
to turn on the illuminating LED
19
.
A second connector receptacle
20
in which the second connector
13
is mounted is provided near the illuminating LEDs
19
. Thus the insertion positions of the respective wires
11
in the second connector
13
and the corresponding illuminating LEDs
19
are located adjacent to each other when the second connector
13
is mounted in the second connector receptacle
20
. Accordingly, the operator mounts the terminal
17
A into the corresponding insertion position of the second connector
13
adjacent to the illuminated LED
19
. At this time, the terminal
17
A is connected with a specified connector terminal (not shown) in the second connector
13
, which has been connected with the second connector receptacle
20
.
The respective unillustrated electrodes of the second connector receptacle
20
are connected with the terminal
17
A at the second end of the wire
11
A via the specified connector terminals in the second connector
13
. Voltage is applied to the respective electrodes of the second connector receptacle
20
, and the applied voltage is outputted to the specified circuit in the control unit
14
via the flexible printed-wiring strip
15
. Accordingly, the voltage is applied from the control unit
14
to the first end of the wire
11
A via the flexible printed-wiring strip
15
and the electrodes in the first connector receptacle
16
. Electrical connections between the respective electrodes in the first connector receptacle
16
and those in the second connector receptacle
20
can be tested by inputting the voltage from the terminal
17
A at the second end of the wire
11
A to the control unit
14
via the connector terminals in the second connector
13
, the electrodes of the second connector receptacle
20
and the flexible printed-wiring strip
15
. As a result, whether or not the wire
11
A is mounted in the proper mount position of the connector can be detected.
Other wires
11
mounted in the first connector
12
can have the second ends properly mounted in the second connector in a similar manner.
Pedal switches
7
and
23
in
FIGS. 18 and 19
, respectively, are provided to switch to a manual operation so that the operator can manually input an actual operation relating to the wire insertion and guide and register a product number of the wires.
In the
FIG. 18
prior art, the wire mount position is identified and the mounting of the wire is tested for the first end (hereinafter, “A-end”) of the wire to be connected with the connector. On the contrary, in the
FIG. 19
prior art, the proper wire mount position is identified a
Chiyoda Kenji
Kato Hajime
Taniguchi Satoru
Taniguchi Yoshikazu
Casella Anthony J.
Hespos Gerald E.
Nguyen Donghai
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
Vo Peter
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