Method and Apparatus for Inserting Terminal

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for inserting a terminal connected to one end of an electric wire into a connector housing, and particularly, to a method and an apparatus that enables such a wire-connected terminal to be automatically inserted smoothly and securely into a terminal accommodating chamber within the connector housing from an opening in a notched rear end portion of the connector housing.

2. Description of the Related Art

Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-13194 discloses a method and an apparatus for automatically inserting a wire-connected terminal into a terminal accommodating chamber within a connector housing from an opening in one end portion of the connector housing (in the rear end portion thereof with regard to the direction of insertion). The connector housing has an interior divided by partition walls into a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers, and each terminal accommodating chamber has an outer end defining an opening capable of constituting an opening through which a wire-connected terminal is inserted. At the portion where the openings are formed, notched shoulder portions are formed in the partition walls at their joints with the top and bottom walls of the housing. The connector housing also has a terminal retaining cover capable of opening away from and closing onto the notched shoulder portions. A wire-connected terminal is inserted into a terminal accommodating chamber in the following manner: the connector housing is retained by a retainer, and front and rear portions of the wire-connected terminal, that is, the electrical contact portion at the leading end and the electric wire at the trailing end, are simultaneously held by a front terminal-holder and a rear terminal-holder, respectively; the wire-connected terminal is brought to the relevant opening at the rear end of the connector housing; and when the leading end of the terminal has entered the opening, the front terminal-holder is separated (usually by moving the holder upward), and only the rear terminal-holder is used to push the terminal into the terminal accommodating chamber. The terminal retaining cover, which is integrated with the housing by a hinge, is brought into contact and engaged with the trailing end portion of the inserted terminal to retain the same.

With the disclosed art, when the leading end of the terminal has entered into the interior of the housing, the leading end may collide with the top wall or the bottom wall at a notched shoulder portion of the connector housing. As a result, the terminal may not be inserted properly sometimes.

In view of the above-described problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for inserting a terminal that is capable of preventing a terminal which is being inserted from being caught at the notched portion at the rear end portion of the connector housing, and hence, preventing the insertability of the terminal from being impaired.

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for inserting a terminal into a connector housing having an interior divided by partition walls into a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers each having an outer end defining an opening capable of constituting an opening through which the terminal is inserted, a notched shoulder portion formed in each partition wall at at least one of joints between the partition wall and top and bottom walls of the connector housing, and a terminal retaining cover capable of opening away from and closing onto the notched shoulder portions. The method comprises the steps of: positioning a guide wall for engaging with the notched shoulder portions and for defining a frame-shaped terminal insertion opening when the terminal retaining cover is open; and inserting the terminal into the connector housing through the terminal insertion opening.

When inserting a terminal, a terminal insertion guide is disposed opposing an opened rear end portion of the connector housing. The terminal insertion guide has a guide wall capable of engaging with the notched shoulder portions at the opened rear-end portion; the guide wall defines, when engaged with the notched shoulder portions, a flame-shaped opening for inserting the terminal. By virtue of the guide wall, the terminal is prevented from being caught at the notched shoulder portions, and can be inserted smoothly and securely into one of the terminal accommodating chambers.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for inserting a terminal into a connector housing of the above-described type. The apparatus comprises: at least one terminal insertion guide for being disposed opposing an opened rear end portion of the connector housing, the terminal insertion guide having a guide wall capable of engaging with the notched shoulder portions, the guide wall defining, when engaged with the notched shoulder portions, a frame-shaped terminal insertion opening at the opened rear end of the connector housing; and means for holding the terminal and for causing the terminal to advance through the frame-shaped terminal insertion opening from behind the terminal insertion opening.

The above and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of embodiments of terminal insertion methods according to the present invention when the same is read with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of various members including terminal insertion guide members that are shown in an exploded perspective view, provided for illustrating an embodiment of a terminal insertion method according to the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the members shown in FIG. 1, depicting a manner in which a terminal is inserted according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a connector housing 3 into which a terminal may be inserted according to the present invention has a top wall 12a, a bottom wall 12b and side walls 20, and is opened at one end portion thereof which is located rearward with regard to the direction of insertion. The housing 3 has an interior divided into a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 10 by a central partition wall 14 extending horizontally at the center of the height of the side walls 20 and a plurality of vertical partition walls 11 each extending vertically between the top wall 12a and the bottom wall 12b. Each terminal accommodating chamber 10 has a rear end defining an opening 4 capable of constituting an opening through which a terminal is inserted. Notched shoulder portions 5 are formed in each vertical partition wall 11 at joints between the partition wall 11 and the top and bottom walls 12a and 12b. The housing 3 also has a terminal retaining cover 23 capable of opening away from and closing onto the notched shoulder portions 5. When a terminal 16 connected to one end of an electric wire is to be inserted into the connector housing 3, the connector housing 3 is retained by a retainer 2, and a terminal insertion opening 8 (see FIG. 2) is formed by using a terminal insertion guide comprising terminal insertion guide members 1. Each terminal insertion guide member 1 includes a plurality of comb-tooth-shaped guide wall elements 7 for corresponding to upper or lower notched shoulder portions 5, and can be driven vertically forward by an air cylinder 6 from above or below the opened rear end portion of the housing 3. The comb-tooth-shaped guide wall elements 7 of the terminal insertion guide members 1 are capable of engaging with the notched shoulder portions 5 to define a plurality of rectangular-frame-shaped terminal insertion openings 8 (see FIG. 2).

Each terminal insertion guide member 1 further includes a guide plate 9 made of a material such as a metal or a hard synthetic resin, and a horizontally-extending guide wall element 13 which, together with the comb-tooth-shaped vertically-extending quid wall elements 7 of the guide member 1, constitute a U-shaped terminal guide portion 15 at the forward end of the guide plate 9. When the forward end faces of the guide wall elements 7 of both guide members 1 are contacted by cylinder driving with notch faces 11a of the vertical partition walls 11, as shown in FIG. 2, the central partition wall 14 and the vertical partition walls 11 of the housing 3 cooperate with the U-shaped guide portions 15 of the terminal guide members 1 to define rectangular-frame-shaped terminal insertion openings 8 (in each guide portion 15, the guide wall elements 7 corresponding to the partition walls 11 while the guide wall element 13 corresponding to the top or bottom wall 12a or 12b). In this condition, the terminal 16 can be inserted smoothly through one of the terminal insertion openings 8 into the corresponding terminal accommodating chamber 10.

Each guide plate 9 include, on its side which is to confront the terminal a guide surface 17 located at a forward end portion of the guide plate 9 and inclined toward the guide wall element 13 of the guide member 1. This arrangement makes it possible to cope with a vertical shift of the wire-connected terminal 16 held by the terminal holders 18 and 19 which may be the same as conventional terminal holders. Each guide plate 9 also includes engagement grooves 21 and contact walls 22 provided on either side of the guide plate 9 and combined with each other for corresponding to the side walls 20 of the connector housing 3. This arrangement makes it possible to properly position the terminal insertion guide members 1 with respect to the connector housing 3. On the side of each guide member 1 which is to confront the housing 3, the contact walls 22 and the comb-tooth-shaped guide wall elements 7 include faces defining an inclined surface 24 for pushing open the terminal retaining cover 23 hinged to the housing 3, so as to prevent the guide member 1 from interfering with the terminal retaining cover 23 shown in FIG. 2, the cover 23 is kept open by an adequately large extent.

When the wire-connected terminal 16, being advanced by the holders 18 and 19, has entered into a desired one of the rectangular-frame-shaped openings 8 at the rear end of the connector housing 3, the front terminal-holder 18 starts ascending. The terminal 16 is thereafter inserted into the relevant terminal accommodating chamber 10 by the rear holder 19 while the front holder 18 is ascending. Smooth and secure insertion into the terminal accommodating chamber 10 is assured when the leading end of the terminal 16 has entered into the relevant rectangular-flame-shaped opening 8.

The terminal insertion guide members 1 may not necessarily be a vertically driven type, as in the above embodiment, and may alternatively be a type (not shown) hinged for rotation. Further, a rectangular-frame-shaped terminal insertion opening 8 may alternatively be formed by joining together a U-shaped guide portion 15 for corresponding to the notched shoulder portions 5 of the connector housing 3 and an inversely-U-shaped guide portion (not shown)for corresponding to both rear end faces 11b of the partition wall 11 and the rear end face of the central partition wall 14. Upper and lower terminal insertion guide members 1 may not necessarily be used as paired, and it is of course possible to use only one member of the pair (in the latter case, the connector housing 3 is turned upside down). Upper and lower terminal insertion guide members may not necessarily be a type comprising separate upper and lower guide members, and alternatively be a type comprising integral upper and lower guide members.

As has been described above, according to the present invention, a guide wall is used to form a frame-shaped terminal insertion opening, thereby eliminating the risk that a terminal may be caught at a notched shoulder portion of the connector housing. Therefore, it is possible to insert a terminal smoothly and securely into a connector housing, this in tern enabling the prevention of troubles such as unwanted machine stoppage during an automatic terminal insertion process.