TERMINAL CRIMPING APPARATUS

• US 20120124826A1
• Filed: 06/22/2010
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Onuma, Masanori, Takemura, Kosuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,819,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/753
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/185 combined with a U-shaped insulation-receiving portion
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/0486 with force measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53235 Means to fasten by deformation

Abstract

There is provided a terminal crimping apparatus which can detect a crimping failure mode which produces a transversely asymmetrical crimped shape in a crimped product. The terminal crimping apparatus includes an anvil (102A) which is a lower die on which a conductor crimping portion (11) of a terminal (10) is place and a crimper (101A) which is an upper die which bends inwards a pair of left and right crimping pieces (11L, 11R) of the conductor crimping portion (11), and the terminal crimping apparatus further includes a detection device which detects a transversely unbalanced load in the upper and lower dies (101A, 101B) in a crimping process in which the upper die (101A) is pressed down towards the lower die (102A) so as to crimp the pair of left and right crimping pieces (11L, 11R) on to a conductor (Wa) of an electric wire so as to crimp the conductor (Wa).

Claims

1. A terminal crimping apparatus comprising:

a lower die on which a bottom plate of a conductor crimping portion of a terminal is placed, the conductor crimping portion being made up of the bottom plate and a pair of left and right crimping pieces which rise from side edges of the bottom plate which face each other in a transverse direction; and

an upper die which is disposed above the lower die so as to press the crimping pieces of the conductor crimping portion between the lower die and itself and which has two arch-shaped crimping portions each made up of an arc-like surface and formed at a portion thereof which faces the lower die so as to bend inwards the pair of left and right crimping pieces, wherein

the bottom plate of the conductor crimping portion of the terminal is placed on the lower die, a distal end portion of a conductor of an electric wire is placed on the bottom plate, and in this state, the upper die is relatively pressed towards the lower die so as to round inwards the pair of left and right crimping pieces so that the crimping pieces are pressure connected to the conductor of the electric wire, the terminal crimping apparatus further comprising;

a detection device configured to detect a transversely unbalanced load applied to the upper and lower dies in a crimping process in which the upper die is relatively pressed towards the lower die so that the pair of left and right crimping pieces are crimped for pressure connection to the conductor of the electric wire.

2. The terminal crimping apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein

as the detection device, pressure sensors are disposed in two transversely symmetrical locations on the upper die so as to detect pressures in the two locations, so that the transversely unbalanced load is detected based on a difference in detection data from the individual pressure sensors.

3. The terminal crimping apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein contact surface pressure sensors are disposed as the pressure sensors in two positions which are situated between facing close attaching surfaces of the upper die and a support member which supports the upper die and which are transversely symmetrical.

4. A terminal crimping apparatus comprising:

a lower die on which a bottom plate of a conductor crimping portion of a terminal is placed, the conductor crimping portion being made up of the bottom plate and a pair of left and right crimping pieces which rise from side edges of the bottom plate which face each other in a transverse direction; and

an upper die which is disposed above the lower die so as to press the crimping pieces of the conductor crimping portion between the lower die and itself and which has two arch-shaped crimping portions each made up of an arc-like surface and formed at a portion thereof which faces the lower die so as to bend inwards the pair of left and right crimping pieces, wherein the bottom plate of the conductor crimping portion of the terminal is placed on the lower die, a distal end portion of a conductor of an electric wire is placed on the bottom plate, and in this state, the upper die is relatively pressed towards the lower die so as to round inwards the pair of left and right crimping pieces so that the crimping pieces are pressure connected to the conductor of the electric wire, the terminal crimping apparatus further comprising;

a detection device configured to detect a vertically unbalanced distortion in at least two locations on the lower die which are spaced apart in a transverse direction in a crimping process in which the upper die is relatively pressed towards the lower die so that the pair of left and right crimping pieces are crimped for pressure connection to the conductor of the electric wire.

5. The terminal crimping apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein distortion gauges are disposed in two locations on a pair of transversely symmetrical lateral surfaces of the lower die, so that the vertical unbalance is detected based on a difference in detection data from the individual distortion gauges.

6. The terminal crimping apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein vertical surfaces are provided at upper portions of a pair of transversely symmetrical lateral surfaces of the lower die so as to maintain a transverse width of the lower die constant, inclined surfaces are provided below the vertical surfaces so as to expand the transverse width of the lower die as it extends downwards, the inclined surfaces are formed of concave arc surfaces which are continuous smoothly with the vertical surfaces, and the distortion gauges are affixed on to the vertical surfaces or boundaries between the vertical surfaces and the arc surfaces.