Automatic terminal fitting device for a four-pin electrical connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11146009-B2
Application number	US-201916399645-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2019
Priority date	May 5, 2018
Publication date	Oct 12, 2021
Grant date	Oct 12, 2021

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic terminal fitting device for four-pin electrical connector which may comprise a rack, power control box and conveying device provided on the rack. A rubber shell vibration disc, a terminal fitting mechanism, and a back cover vibration disc are provided on the rack along the transporting direction. The rubber shell vibration disc is connected to the front end of the conveying device by a rubber shell transportation rail. The terminal fitting mechanism is provided on the back side of the conveying device and engages with the terminal feeding device provided on the rack. The back cover vibration disc is provided on the back side of the conveying device, to the right side of the terminal fitting mechanism. And the terminal fitting mechanism may include four sets of terminal fitting devices sequentially provided on the back side of the conveying device. On the right side of the terminal fitting devices, a terminal strip bending device engaging with the conveying device is provided. The present invention effectively addresses the problems existing when fitting terminals manually during assembly, such as low production efficiency, high manpower consumption, intensive labor investment, relatively high potential safety hazard occurrence, and unsatisfactory connector defect rate.

First claim

What is claimed and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. An automatic terminal fitting device for fitting a terminal into a four-pin electrical connector comprising:
a rack;
a power control box;
a conveying device disposed upon said rack, movable in a transport direction, and having a first end and a second end;
a rubber shell vibration disc disposed adjacent to said first end of said conveying device;
a plurality of terminal fitting mechanisms mounted upon said conveying device;
a back cover vibration disc disposed adjacent to said second end of said conveying device;
wherein said rubber shell vibration disc is connected to said first end of said conveying device by a rubber shell transport rail;
a plurality of terminal feeding devices mounted upon said rack;
a first motor for rotating said plurality of terminal feeding devices;
said terminal fitting mechanisms are mounted upon said conveying device so as to engage said plurality of terminal feeding devices mounted upon said rack;
said back cover vibration disc is disposed adjacent to a last one of said plurality of terminal fitting mechanisms as considered in said transport direction of said conveying device;
said terminal fitting mechanisms comprise four terminal fitting mechanisms sequentially disposed along said conveying device as considered in said transport direction of said conveying device;
a terminal strip bending device is disposed downstream of said conveying device as considered in said transport direction of said conveying device;
a riveting device is disposed downstream of said terminal strip bending device as considered in said transport direction of said conveying device;
a back cover assembly device is disposed downstream of said riveting device as considered in said transport direction of said conveying device; and
a terminal assembly mechanism for forming a terminal strip into a terminal and which comprises:
a lower seat;
a first rotating shaft mounted within said lower seat;
a terminal fitting base mounted upon said rack and upon which said lower seat is mounted;
a first pushing plate;
a first cylinder operatively connected to said first pushing plate;
a terminal compacting block mounted upon said terminal fitting base;
a supporting plate upon which said first pushing plate is mounted;
an upper seat connected to said terminal compacting block;
a second rotating shaft mounted within said upper seat;
a connection joint defined between first pushing plate and said first cylinder;
a rail support mounted upon said rack;
a rubber shell conveying track is mounted atop said rail support;
a terminal fitting base, upon which said lower seat is mounted, is mounted upon said rack;
a pin is mounted upon said supporting plate and is adapted to be disposed within a supporting hole defined within said first pushing plate;
said second rotating shaft, mounted upon said upper seat, is adapted to be disposed within an upper gripping slot defined within said first pushing plate ]] second rotating;
said first rotating shaft, mounted upon said lower seat, is adapted to be disposed within a lower gripping slot which is also defined within said first pushing plate at a position beneath said upper gripping slot;
an upper gripper and a lower gripper are respectively mounted upon said upper seat and said lower seat;
a material cutting blade is mounted upon one side of said upper gripper and a lower terminal mold is mounted upon one side of said lower gripper ( 36 ) so as to be disposed beneath said material cutting blade;
a terminal transportation rail having a discharging portion disposed beneath said terminal compacting block such that said terminal compacting block can fit a terminal, formed from said terminal strip, into a four-pin electrical connector; and
wherein said first cylinder is electrically connected to said power control box.

2. The automatic terminal fitting device for a four-pin electrical connector as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:
a screw shaft is provided upon said rail support along said transportation direction;
a photoelectric support is mounted upon said rail support above said screw shaft;
a plurality of equally spaced photoelectric sensors are mounted upon said photoelectric support;
a second motor is operatively connected to one end of said screw shaft and is mounted upon said rail support;
a positioning block is mounted upon said screw shaft such that said positioning block threadedly cooperates with screw threads defined upon said screw shaft;
a shading sheet is disposed atop said positioning block and is adapted to operatively cooperate with said plurality of photoelectric sensors
a material feeding guide bar slidably cooperates, with said rail support and a stirring pole seat;
a plurality of material stirring poles are equidistantly mounted upon said stirring pole seat;
a plurality of rubber shells are disposed upon said rubber shell conveying track by said plurality of material stirring poles;
a plurality of material holding switches are mounted upon said rubber shell conveying track and cooperate with said plurality of material stirring poles so as to retain said rubber shells at predetermined positions upon said rubber shell conveying track; and
both said plurality of photoelectric sensors and said second motor are electrically connected to said power control box.

3. The automatic terminal fitting device fora four-pin electrical connector as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:
each one of said plurality of terminal feeding devices comprises a terminal feeding rack, a terminal strip disc, a terminal transportation rail, said first motor, and a guide pulley;
wherein said terminal strip disc is mounted upon an output drive shaft of said first motor which is engaged with a central portion of terminal strip disc;
said terminal transportation rail is disposed beneath said terminal strip disc;
terminal transportation rail is provided a guide pulley; and
said first motor is electrically connected to said power control box.

4. The automatic terminal fitting device fora four-pin electrical connector as set forth in claim 1 , wherein a terminal strip bending device comprises:
a terminal strip bending seat;
a reject bin located adjacent to one end of said terminal strip bending seat;
a material bending fixing block mounted upon said terminal strip bending seat;
a material bending head having one end thereof mounted upon said material bending fixing block while an opposite end thereof is disposed above an upper end of said reject bin;
a second pushing plate operatively connected to said material bending fixing block;
a second cylinder operatively connected to said second pushing plate;
a lifting seat defined within said material bending fixing block;
a third rotating shaft disposed within said lifting seat;
a wave shaped bending slot is defined within said second pushing plate and within which said third rotating shaft is disposed, said lifting seat being vertically oriented within said material bending fixing block so as to slidably cooperate with said material bending fixing block and wherein said one end of said material bending head is mounted upon said lifting seat;
a material gripping tooth is mounted upon said opposite end of said material bending head which is disposed above said reject bin;
a discharging hole is defined within said opposite ends of said material bending head adjacent to said material gripping tooth such that said discharging hole is disposed above said reject bin so as to discharge rejected terminals into said reject bin; and
said second cylinder is electrically connected to said power control box.

5. The automatic terminal fitting device for a four-pin electrical connector as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
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Assignees

• Univ Dongguan Technology

Inventors

• Li Chuan
• Bai Yun

Classifications

• H01R13/405 Primary

  Securing in non-demountable manner, e.g. moulding, riveting · CPC title

• H01R43/20 Primary

  for assembling or disassembling contact members with insulating base, case or sleeve · CPC title