Connector terminal inspection device and inspection method

• US 5,335,413 A
• Filed: 07/27/1993
• Issued: 08/09/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Hiroshi, Sakai, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Arbes, Carl J.
• Application Number:
  US08/096,989
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: 29/593, 29/857, 439/488, 324/158 F, 324/158 P
• US Class Current: 29/593
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/69 of terminals at the end of a cable or a wire harness; of plugs; of sockets, e.g. wall sockets or power sockets in appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/641 by indicating incorrect coupling; by indicating correct or full engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/22 Hand tools
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49004 including measuring or testing of device or component part

Abstract

A support for a connector to be inspected and an inspection device body are disposed to be freely movable with respect to a base, connector engaging pins which go into the connector to be inspected are fixed to the base side within the support, and a plurality of inspection pins are arranged in a row in the inspection device body with their respective leading ends projected. For inspection, the inspection pins are moved backward as contacted with the terminal fitting of the connector to be inspected to pass electricity through a circuit in the inspection device body and the connector engaging pins work to detect the terminal fitting in the incompletely inserted state and move the incompletely inserted terminal fitting into the completely inserted position as the connector is moved. By constructing as described above, the incompletely inserted terminal fitting is detected when inspecting conductivity of the connector terminal fitting, and the incompletely inserted terminal fitting is forced to move into the completely inserted state, thereby making it possible to prevent the terminal fitting from coming off.

Claims

1. A connector terminal inspection device comprising a support for a connector to be inspected and an inspection device body being disposed to be freely movable with respect to a base, said connector support being energized by means of a spring in the direction of said inspection device body, connector engaging pins being fixed to the base side within said connector support to go into the connector to be inspected, a plurality of inspection pins being disposed in a row within said inspection device body with their leading ends projected, said connector support and said connector to be inspected being moved by the movement of said inspection device body for the inspection, said inspection pins being moved back as contacted with the terminal fitting of said connector to flow electricity through a circuit within said inspection device body, and said connector engaging pins causing an incompletely inserted terminal fitting to move in a completely inserted position in said connector as the connector moves.

2. The connector terminal inspection device according to claim 1, wherein said connector engaging pins have tapered leading ends.

4. The connector terminal inspection device according to claim 2, wherein said connector engaging pins have tapered leading ends.

3. A connector terminal inspection device comprising a support for a connector to be inspected being fixed to a base, an inspection device body being disposed to be freely movable with respect to the base, connector engaging pins being disposed in said connector support to go into the connector to be inspected, a plurality of inspection pins being disposed in a row within said inspection device body with their leading ends projected, said connector engaging pins detecting an incompletely inserted terminal fitting when said connector to be inspected is fitted into said connector support, and said inspection pins being moved backward as contacted with a terminal fitting completely inserted into said connector by the movement of said inspection device body for the inspection to flow electricity through a circuit within said inspection device body.

5. A connector terminal inspection device comprising a support for a connector to be inspected being fixed to a base, an inspection device body being disposed to be freely movable with respect to the base, a plurality of inspection pins being disposed in a row within said inspection device body with their leading ends projected, connector engaging pins being disposed in said connector support to go into the connector to be inspected, said connector engaging pins having tapered leading ends, a terminal fitting in said connector having tapered engaging shoulders formed integrally with an electrical contact section at the rear end of the electrical contact section, said tapered leading ends of the connector engaging pins being contacted with the tapered engaging shoulders of the terminal fitting when the connector to be inspected is fitted into said connector support, said terminal fitting being advanced to a completely inserted position in the connector in the process that the connector engaging pins go into the connector, and said inspection pins being moved backward as contacted with the terminal fitting of said connector by the movement of said inspection device body for the inspection to flow electricity through a circuit within said inspection device body.

6. A connector terminal inspection method comprising disposing a support for a connector to be inspected and an inspection device body to be freely movable with respect to a base, energizing said connector support in the direction of said inspection device body by means of a spring, fixing connector engaging pins which go into the connector to be inspected to the base side within said connector support, disposing a plurality of inspection pins in a row within said inspection device body with their respective leading ends projected, fitting said connector into said connector support with said connector engaging pins moved into the connector, moving said inspection device body under that state so as to move said connector support which is energized in the direction of said inspection device body and the connector to be inspected and also contacting the inspection pins with the terminal fitting of said connector to move backward to pass electricity through a circuit within said inspection device body, and moving the terminal fitting in the incompletely inserted state into a completely inserted position in the connector by means of said connector engaging pins in the moving process of said connector.

9. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 6, wherein a connector housing for said connector has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers disposed in a row to receive said terminal fitting and connector engaging pin receiving holes formed along said terminal accommodating chambers adjacent to each other.

12. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 6, wherein a connector housing for said connector has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers which are arranged in N rows in the horizontal direction and in multiple steps in the vertical direction and has connector engaging pin receiving holes formed in the number of (N-1) ranging from the bottom of said connector housing to the terminal accommodating chambers in multiple steps in the vertical direction and over the terminal accommodating chambers adjacent in the horizontal direction.

15. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 6, wherein said connector engaging pins have tapered leading ends, and said terminal fitting to be fitted in said connector has tapered engaging shoulders formed integrally with an electrical contact section at the rear end of the electrical contact section to contact said tapered leading ends with said tapered engaging shoulders.

18. The connected terminal inspection method according to claim 9, wherein said connector engaging pins have tapered leading ends, and said terminal fitting to be fitted in said connector has tapered engaging shoulders formed integrally with an electrical contact section at the rear end of the electrical contact section to contact said tapered leading ends with said tapered engaging shoulders.

21. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 12, wherein said connector engaging pins have tapered leading ends, and said terminal fitting to be fitted in said connector has tapered engaging shoulders formed integrally with an electrical contact section at the rear end of the electrical contact section to contact said tapered leading ends with said tapered engaging shoulders.

24. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 6 further comprising forming receiving holes in a connector housing for said connector to receive said connector engaging pins, positioning said connector engaging pins at the rear sections of said receiving holes when fitting said connector into said connector support, moving said inspection device body under that state so as to move said connector support which is energized in the direction of said inspection device body and the connector to be inspected and also contacting the inspection pins with the terminal fitting of said connector to move backward to pass electricity through a circuit within said inspection device body, relatively moving said connector engaging pins to the front sections of said receiving holes in the moving process of said connector, and moving an incompletely inserted terminal fitting into a completely inserted position in the connector by the relative movement of said connector engaging pins from the rear section to the front sections of said receiving holes.

7. A connector terminal inspection method comprising fixing a support for a connector to be inspected to a base, disposing an inspection device body to be freely movable with respect to the base, disposing connector engaging pins in said connector support to go into the connector to be inspected, disposing a plurality of inspection pins in a row within said inspection device body with their leading ends projected, judging whether said connector engaging pins can move into said connector to be inspected when said connector is fitted into said connector support, if said connector engaging pins can be moved into said connector, moving said inspection device body to contact said inspection pins with the terminal fitting of said connector and to move said inspection pins backward under that state so as to pass electricity through a circuit within said inspection device body, and if said connector engaging pins cannot move into said connector, thereby detecting the presence of a terminal fitting which is not completely inserted in the connector.

10. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 7, wherein a connector housing for said connector has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers disposed in a row to receive said terminal fitting and connector engaging pin receiving holes formed along said terminal accommodating chambers adjacent to each other.

13. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 7, wherein a connector housing for said connector has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers which are arranged in N rows in the horizontal direction and in multiple steps in the vertical direction and has connector engaging pin receiving holes formed in the number of (N-1) ranging from the bottom of said connector housing to the terminal accommodating chambers in multiple steps in the vertical direction and over the terminal accommodating chambers adjacent in the horizontal direction.

16. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 7, wherein said connector engaging pins have tapered leading ends, and said terminal fitting to be fitted in said connector has tapered engaging shoulders formed integrally with an electrical contact section at the rear end of the electrical contact section to contact said tapered leading ends with said tapered engaging shoulders.

19. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 10, wherein said connector engaging pins have tapered leading ends, and said terminal fitting to be fitted in said connector has tapered engaging shoulders formed integrally with an electrical contact section at the rear end of the electrical contact section to contact said tapered leading ends with said tapered engaging shoulders.

22. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 13, wherein said connector engaging pins have tapered leading ends, and said terminal fitting to be fitted in said connector has tapered engaging shoulders formed integrally with an electrical contact section at the rear end of the electrical contact section to contact said tapered leading ends with said tapered engaging shoulders.

8. A connector terminal inspection method comprising fixing a support for a connector to be inspected to a base, disposing an inspection device body to be freely movable with respect to the base, disposing connector engaging pins within said connector support to move into said connector to be inspected, disposing a plurality of inspection pins in a row within said inspection device body with their leading ends projected, fitting said connector into said connector support and also moving said connector engaging pins into the connector, advancing a terminal fitting fitted in said connector to the completely inserted position by means of said connector engaging pins in the above moving process, moving said inspection device body to contact said inspection pins with said connector terminal fitting and to move said inspection pins backward, thereby passing electricity through a circuit within said inspection device body.

11. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 8, wherein a connector housing for said connector has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers disposed in a row to receive said terminal fitting and connector engaging pin receiving holes formed along said terminal accommodating chambers adjacent to each other.

14. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 8, wherein a connector housing for said connector has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers which are arranged in N rows in the horizontal direction and in multiple steps in the vertical direction and has connector engaging pin receiving holes formed in the number of (N-1) ranging from the bottom of said connector housing to the terminal accommodating chambers in multiple steps in the vertical direction and over the terminal accommodating chambers adjacent in the horizontal direction.

17. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 8, wherein said connector engaging pins have tapered leading ends, and said terminal fitting to be fitted in said connector has tapered engaging shoulders formed integrally with an electrical contact section at the rear end of the electrical contact section to contact said tapered leading ends with said tapering engaging shoulders.

20. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 11, wherein said connector engaging pins have tapered leading ends, and said terminal fitting to be fitted in said connector has tapered engaging shoulders formed integrally with an electrical contact section at the rear end of the electrical contact section to contact said tapered leading ends with said tapered engaging shoulders.

23. The connector terminal inspection method according to claim 14, wherein said connector engaging pins have tapered leading ends, and said terminal fitting to be fitted in said connector has tapered engaging shoulders formed integrally with an electrical contact section at the rear end of the electrical contact section to contact said tapered leading ends with said tapered engaging shoulders.