Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-25
2003-09-02
Arbes, Carl J. (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
C029S747000, C029S748000, C029S749000, C029S753000, C029S755000, C029S759000, C029S760000, C029S857000, C029S863000, C029S872000, C029S876000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06612026
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns improvements in or relating to mounting terminals with electric wires into connector housings. The invention has particular, but not exclusive application, for connecting terminals with electric wires and then inserting the terminals with electric wires into connector housings from the back.
2. Description of Background Information
Press-connecting and press-clamping are mainly adopted for connecting electric wires with connector terminals in a wire harness and the like.
A press-connecting connection (hereinafter, merely referred to as press-connecting) is shown in FIG.
27
. The press-connecting terminals t are loaded in the cavities s of a connector housing C. Press-connecting blade guides
1
are matched with the connector housing C (FIG.
27
(
a
)), and electric wires a are supplied (FIG.
27
(
b
)), and pressed and connected in the terminals t by press-connecting blades
2
(FIG.
27
(
c
)). Namely, the press-connecting presses and loads the electric wires a into a connector housing C from above.
A press-clamping connection (hereinafter, merely referred to as press-clamping) successively press-clamps the connecting pieces of the terminals on the bare conductors after removing the covering of the electric wires. Accordingly, in general, the press-clamping press-clamps the terminals to every electric wire, chucks pick up the terminals one by one with a hand
3
and insert them into the cavities s of the connector housing C from the back (terminal-inserting inlet) as shown in
FIG. 29
(refer to Japanese Patent Publication (unexamined) Hei No.9-115642 and the like).
In the above-mentioned press-connecting, for example, in the case of the connector housing C having the cavities s of two stages in a wire harness, the connector housing C is conventionally divided into an upper housing C
1
and a lower housing C
2
in order to press the electric-wires in from the upper face of each housing C
1
, C
2
as shown in FIG.
28
. After the terminals t and the electric wires a are respectively loaded on the upper housing C
1
and the lower housing C
2
(from FIG.
28
(
a
) to FIG.
28
(
b
)), cover b is closed and both C
1
and C
2
are integrally connected together (FIG.
28
(
c
)) (refer to Japanese Patent Publication (unexamined) Hei No.10-335037 and the like).
The conventional press-connecting requiring two housings C
1
and C
2
has further many working steps and it causes an increase in cost. Further, the walls e between the cavities may be bent outwards and the housings swollen by pressing power during press-connecting. As a result, it can happen that the cover b is not successfully closed and the upper housing C
2
and the lower housing C
1
are not successfully united. Further, from the viewpoint of reducing the bending problems of the cavity walls e, this type of connector C for press-connecting has terminals t in all of the cavities. However, it was found that mounting terminals t in the cavities s to which electric wires a are not press-connected did not avoid the problems. Further, dismantling of both housings C
1
and C
2
is required for newly press-connecting electric wires a in empty cavities s. As a result the press-connecting is virtually impossible.
In the press clamping on the other hand, the terminals t with the electric wires a are mounted in the cavities s one by one from the back. As a result, only one connector housing C (not divided) is required in place of the two stage type connector C as described above. However it is necessary to connect the electric wires a on the terminals t one by one, and it has a problem in workability. In addition, the connection of the terminals t one by one is apt to cause a chucking miss. Further, since the electric wires a are inserted while being held, the electric wires a are apt to buckle as shown by the chain line of
FIG. 29
, and such buckling causes a mounting miss.
Further, in the case of the connector housing C having the cavities s of two stages or more, there is a connector housing which mounts the terminals t in the cavities s of the upper and lower stages so that their backs face each other. In this case, after the electric wires a are chucked with the hand
3
as shown in FIG.
30
(
a
), the terminals t are inserted in the rotational jig D as shown in FIG.
30
(
b
), rolled in the direction of the arrow mark under a condition in which the chucking is released, and chucked again to be inserted in the cavities s as shown in FIG.
30
(
c
). The rolling action occasionally results in causing a twisting force on the electric wires a, and there is a risk that the terminals t cannot be straightforwardly re-chucked and a smooth insertion cannot be obtained.
The present invention aims to provide a solution to the problems and disadvantages of the known press-connecting and press-clamping connections described above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a process for mounting press-connecting terminals with electric wires into a connector housing characterized by loading the terminals into a terminal-connecting jig, connecting the electric wires with the terminals, removing terminals with electric wires from the terminal-connecting jig, and inserting the terminals with electric wires from the back into cavities of the connector housing.
By the present invention, a process of connecting the electric wires to the terminals can be achieved which enables the terminals to be inserted and loaded with electric wires in the cavities of the connector housing from the back. As a result, a cost saving can be obtained.
In order to do so, if press-connecting terminals are firstly loaded in the jigs, the electric wires can be loaded from the upper surface of the jig for press-connecting in a manner similar to the conventional process. In this way, the press connecting terminals with electric wires can be obtained by press-connecting without any trouble.
Then, if the press-connecting terminals with electric wires are removed from the press-connecting jigs and loaded in the connector housing, the press-connecting terminals can be inserted in the cavities of the connector housing from the back in like manner to the press-clamping terminals of
FIG. 29
, and workability is greatly improved.
If press-clamping is carried out in place of press-connecting, for example, if press-clamping terminals are loaded in the jigs and the electric wires, after peeling, are press-clamped on the terminals, the press-clamping terminals can be inserted in the connector housing according to a similar action, and workability is again greatly improved.
Preferably, the steps of loading the terminals into the terminal connecting jig, connecting the electric wires with the terminals, removing the terminals with the wires from the terminal-connecting jig, and inserting the terminals with electric wires from the back into cavities of the connector housing are sequentially carried out automatically.
In the case where the housing has two stages, an upper stage and a lower stage, the housing is preferably rolled (inverted) for inserting the terminals with electric wires from the back into cavities of the upper and lower stages.
Advantageously, the terminals with electric wires are transferred to a terminal-inserting jig from the terminal-connecting jig, and the terminals with electric wires are inserted into the cavities of the connector housing from the terminal-inserting jig.
The terminals with electric wires may be conveniently loaded into cavities in the connecting jig and are preferably prevented from falling out by protrusions on spring plates below the cavities.
Preferably, the terminals with electric wires are transferred from the connecting jig to the inserting jig by pins of a pushing-out jig pushed up through holes below the terminals in the connecting jig.
Advantageously, each terminal with electric wire is transferred by two pins which contact the terminal in a longitudinal direction before and behind the electric wire
Fujita Koji
Hashimoto Kenji
Ota Yoshinobu
Shirakawa Junichi
Arbes Carl J.
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Kim Paul
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
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