JPH088033A - Assembly method of flat cable connector - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] The workability is excellent, and the process of inserting the terminal into the housing and the process of fixing the terminal to the conductor can be automated, and the terminal can be reliably inserted into the housing. Provided is a method for assembling a flat cable connector which is highly reliable and which can shorten the length of a wire separating portion at the tip of the flat cable. [Structure] The terminals 2 connected to a carrier are separated from each other in a state where a part of the carrier (carrier portion 1a) is connected, and these terminals 2 are fixed to a jig 5. In this case,
The arrangement pitch of the terminals 2 is made to match the arrangement pitch of the terminal housing holes of the connector housing. Thereafter, the conductor portions of the flat cable are collectively crimped to these terminals, and these terminals are collectively inserted into the connector housing. Then, the terminal 2 and the carrier portion 1a are bent at the connecting portion to separate the terminal 2 and the carrier portion 1a.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of assembling a flat cable connector used for a wire harness of an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, wire harnesses for automobiles have been
A bundle of a plurality of independent covered electric wires (electric wires for automobiles) is used. In recent years, there has been a demand for reducing the weight of automobiles, and the use of flat cables as wire harnesses has been considered. In order to use the flat cable as a wire harness, it is necessary to attach a connector to the end of the cable so that the cables can be detachably connected to each other or between the cable and various devices.

13 to 15 are schematic views showing a conventional method for assembling a flat cable connector. First, as shown in FIG. 13, the conductor portions 10b at the ends of the flat cable 10 are separated from each other, and the separated portions (hereinafter, referred to as the strand 1
0a) is stripped off the coating layer at the tip portion to expose the conductor portion 10b.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14, a crimp terminal 21 is crimped to the conductor portion 10b of each element wire 10a by a terminal crimping device. In this case, the crimp terminal 21 is formed into, for example, a rectangular tube shape and has a connecting portion 21c that engages with a mating terminal to make an electrical connection, and a U-shaped conductor portion 10b of the wire 10a.
And a pressure-bonding portion 21a, 21b for pressure-bonding the end portions of the coating layer, respectively, and the ends on the pressure-bonding portion 21a, 21b side are connected to a belt-shaped carrier 22 at a constant pitch in the longitudinal direction of the carrier 22. The so-called chain-shaped terminal materials arranged are sent to the terminal crimping device. On the other hand, the terminal crimping device
The crimp terminal 21 includes an anvil 27 that supports the crimp portions 21a and 21b of the crimp terminal 21 from below, and a crimper 26 that is disposed above the anvil 27 and is movable toward the anvil 27. The crimper 26 is provided with an m-shaped groove, and when the crimper 26 descends toward the anvil 27, the crimp portions 21a and 21b are deformed along the groove wall of the crimper 26, and further pressure is applied, Crimping part 21a, 21
b are crimped to the cable conductor portion and the coating layer end portion, respectively.

Then, as shown in FIG.
The terminal 21 crimped to is inserted into the connector housing 28. It should be noted that the housing 28 is provided with terminal accommodating holes 28 a for accommodating the crimp terminals 21 individually and arranged in one direction. In addition, these terminal storage holes 2
A fixing means (not shown) that engages with and fixes the terminal 21 is provided in the 8a. When the terminal 21 is inserted deeply into the connector housing 28, the terminal 21 is fixed in the connector housing 28 by the fixing means. In this way, the assembly of the flat cable connector is completed.

[0006]

However, in the above-described conventional method for assembling the flat cable connector, it is necessary to crimp the wires 10a to the crimp terminals 21 one by one in the step shown in FIG. In the step shown in FIG. 15, when the crimp terminals 21 are inserted into the connector housing 28, it is necessary to insert them one by one.
It is complicated. In particular, when the terminal is inserted, the cable crimped to the terminal 21 becomes an obstacle, and workability is significantly impaired. Therefore, in the conventional method for assembling the flat cable connector, there are problems that these operations take time and it is difficult to automate these operations. Further, conventionally, since it is difficult to automate the insertion work of the terminals, an operator inserts the terminals into the housing one by one. However, the insertion may be incomplete and the terminals may come off from the housing. Sometimes, forgetting to insert the terminal may occur. Furthermore, in the conventional crimp connector, it is necessary that the length of each strand 10a is relatively long in order to facilitate the work in the crimping step and the step of inserting the terminal into the housing. In the rear connector, as shown in FIG.
The length of the wire 10a derived from the wire 10a is long, and the wire 10a can be handled during handling of the connector after assembly and during transportation.
Another connector or the like is easily caught in the gap between them, and in an extreme case, there is a possibility that the wire 10a may be cut.

Conventionally, a plurality of chain-shaped terminal materials are stacked and fixed to a jig so that the crimp terminals connected to each carrier are arranged at a predetermined pitch, and the electric wires are collectively attached to these terminals. It is proposed to crimp (Patent Fair 4-
18678). However, in this case, although the crimping process is simplified, it is necessary to form the reference marks at different positions of the carrier of each chain terminal material, which is complicated. Further, in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 18678/1992, the carrier and the terminal are separated when the terminal is crimped to the electric wire, and then the electric wire crimped to the terminal is moved toward the connector housing to insert the terminal into the connector housing. However, in this method, there is a possibility that the electric wire may bend and the terminal may not be completely inserted into the housing.
It cannot be said that the reliability is sufficient.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, has excellent workability, and can automate the step of inserting the terminal into the housing and the step of fixing the terminal to the conductor portion. An object of the present invention is to provide a method of assembling a connector for a flat cable, which can be reliably inserted into the inside of the flat cable, has high reliability, and can shorten the length of the wire separating portion at the tip of the flat cable.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A flat cable connector assembling method according to the present invention includes a connector housing having a plurality of terminal accommodating holes arranged in one direction, and a connector portion fixed to a conductor portion of the flat cable. In a method for assembling a flat cable connector composed of a plurality of terminals individually accommodated in the plurality of terminal accommodating holes, a strip-shaped carrier and a plurality of carriers arranged at a constant pitch in the longitudinal direction of the carrier are provided. Using a chain-shaped terminal material composed of terminals, a step of cutting the carrier to separate the terminals from each other in a state where a part of the carrier is connected, and a strip-shaped treatment of each carrier part connected to these terminals. A plurality of terminals arranged on the connector housing at an arrangement pitch of the terminal housing holes of the connector housing; A step of collectively fixing the conductor portions of the cable, a step of collectively inserting the plurality of terminals into the terminal housing holes of the connector housing, the carrier portion fixed to the jig and the terminals. And a step of cutting the connecting portion with.

[0010]

In the present invention, a chain-shaped terminal material in which a plurality of terminals are connected to a carrier is used. First, the carrier of the chain-shaped terminal material is cut and each terminal is connected to a part of the carrier. Separate from each other in the state. Then, the carrier portion connected to each terminal is fixed to the jig, and the terminals are arranged at the arrangement pitch of the terminal housing holes of the connector housing. After that, the conductor portions of the flat cable are collectively fixed to these terminals, and then these terminals are collectively inserted into the connector housing. As described above, in the present invention, after the carrier is cut, the terminals are fixed to the jig to shorten the distance between the terminals, so that the length of the portion of the flat cable that is separated into the strands may be short. Also, it is possible to collectively fix the plurality of terminals and the plurality of conductor portions of the flat cable. Further, even when the terminals are inserted into the connector housing, since the terminals are fixed to the jig, the terminal inserting work can be completed once and the terminals can be surely inserted into the connector housing. As described above, in the present invention, the conductor portions of the flat cable are collectively fixed to the plurality of terminals, and the terminals after the fixation are collectively inserted into the connector housing, so that workability is improved and work is improved. It is possible to shorten the time and easily automate these operations. In addition, it is possible to prevent defective insertion and forgetting to insert the terminal.

As a method of fixing the conductor portion of the flat cable and the terminal, there are a method by pressure bonding, a method by resistance spot welding, a method by ultrasonic welding, a method by soldering and the like.

If the jig is made of resin or the like and has concave portions corresponding to the carrier portions connected to the terminals and provided at a predetermined pitch, then the jig is simply fitted into the concave portions. Each terminal can be easily fixed to the jig. Further, as the jig, a metal band-shaped member provided with a protrusion for crimping and fixing the carrier portion may be used. When these jigs are used, the work of fixing the terminals to the jig can be easily automated.

Further, if a notch is provided at the connecting portion between the terminal and the carrier portion, the carrier portion and the terminal can be separated by inserting the terminal into the housing and then bending at the notched portion. It can be easily separated. For this reason, it is preferable to provide a notch at the connecting portion between the terminal and the carrier portion.

[0014]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 9 are diagrams showing a method of assembling a flat cable connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention in the order of steps.

First, as shown in the top view of FIG. 1, a chain-shaped terminal material in which a plurality of crimp terminals 2 are connected to a belt-shaped carrier 1 is formed in the same manner as in the conventional case. Crimp terminal 2
Has, for example, a rectangular tube-shaped connecting portion 2a and a crimping portion 2b curved in a U shape. In this case, the arrangement pitch A of the terminals 2 is determined by the expanded length of the connecting portion 2a. Also,
For example, a transport hole 4 is provided in the connection portion of the carrier 1 with the crimp terminal 2.

Next, the carrier 1 is cut at a portion shown by a broken line in FIG. 1, and as shown in FIG.
The crimp terminals 2 are separated from each other in a state where the portions provided with (hereinafter referred to as the carrier portion 1a) are connected. Also,
At the connecting portion between the crimp terminal 2 and the carrier portion 1a,
As shown in (b), the notch 6 is formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, each crimp terminal 2 is attached to the jig 5. The jig 5 is, for example, a band-shaped member formed by injection molding a resin into a predetermined shape, and has a carrier portion 1 a connected to each crimp terminal 2.
The recesses 5a are arranged at a predetermined pitch in a shape corresponding to the above shape, and each recess 5a is provided with a protrusion 5b corresponding to the hole 4 of the carrier portion 1a. By fitting the carrier portion 1a of each crimping terminal 2 into the concave portion 5a of the jig 5, as shown in FIG. 4, the interval B between the terminals 2 is made to match the arrangement pitch of the terminal housing holes of the connector housing. To arrange.

Next, as shown in the top view of FIG. 5, the tip portion of the flat cable 10 is separated into a plurality of strands 10a, the coating layer at the tip of each strand 10a is stripped off, and the conductor portion 10b is formed. Expose. Then, the conductor portion 1 of each strand 10a
0b is aligned with the crimp portion 2b of each crimp terminal 2 and arranged.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the crimp portion 2b of each crimp terminal 2 is collectively crimped to each conductor portion 10b of the flat cable 10. FIG. 7 shows the anvil 7 of the terminal crimping device.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a crimper 8; Anvil 7
A plurality of terminal supporting portions 7a are provided on the upper part of the above with the arrangement pitch of the terminals 2 (that is, the arrangement pitch of the terminal housing holes of the connector housing). U-shaped recesses are provided at the upper ends of these terminal support portions 7a, and the recesses support the crimp portion 2b of the terminal 2 from below. Further, the crimper 8 is provided with an m-shaped concave portion 8a corresponding to each terminal supporting portion 7a. Anvil 7
By supporting the crimping portion 2b of the crimping terminal 2 from below and lowering the crimper 8, the crimping portion 2b is deformed so as to be wound from both sides along the wall surface of the concave portion 8a of the crimper 8 and is shown in FIG. So that the crimp portion 2 of each crimp terminal 2
b can be collectively crimped to each conductor portion 10b of the flat cable 10.

Next, as shown in the top view and sectional view of FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b), respectively, a plurality of crimp terminals 2 are put together in the connector housing 11 in a state of being connected to the jig 5. To insert. The connector housing 11 is provided with a plurality of terminal housing holes 11c arranged in one direction.
Each crimp terminal 2 is individually housed in these terminal housing holes 11c. In addition, on the upper portion of the connector housing 11, a leaf spring-shaped engagement piece 11 a for engaging with a mating connector and fixing the connectors to each other is integrally formed with the connector housing 11.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the jig 5 is pressed downward to separate the carrier portion 1a fixed to the jig 5 and the crimp terminal 2 at the notch 6 portion. This allows
Assembly of the flat cable connector is completed.

In this embodiment, as described above, the jig 5 is used.
The plurality of cable conductors 10b are collectively crimped to the plurality of crimp terminals 2 in a state of being connected to each other, and the plurality of crimp terminals 2 are collectively inserted into the housing, and then the jig 5 is pressed. Since the notch 6 part separates the carrier part from the crimp terminal, the number of crimping times and the number of terminal insertions into the housing are both required once, and workability is remarkably improved and work time is shortened compared to the conventional method. it can. Moreover, since a plurality of crimp terminals are connected to the jig 5 and inserted into the connector housing at a time, the crimp terminals can be reliably inserted into the housing, and the crimp terminals may be inserted incorrectly or may not be inserted. Can be prevented. Furthermore, these series of operations can be easily automated. Furthermore, in this embodiment,
Since the length of the portion of the end of the flat cable that separates into the strands may be short, there is almost no gap between the strands drawn out from the housing, and it is possible to handle the connector after assembly and during transportation. It is possible to avoid the possibility that another connector or the like will be caught in the gap to cause a wire breakage, and the reliability is high.

10 to 12 are views showing a method of assembling the flat cable connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention in the order of steps.

First, the carrier of the chain-like terminal material is cut in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the crimp terminals 2 are separated in a state where the peripheral portion (carrier portion 1a) of the transport hole 4 is connected. Then, these crimp terminals 2 are fixed to the second carrier (strip-shaped member) 13 made of metal. This carrier 13
The carrier portion 1 has a plurality of protrusions 13a formed by erecting a portion surrounded by U-shaped notches.
It is provided in alignment with the end of a and the hole 4. As shown in FIG. 11, the carrier portions 1a of the terminals 2 are aligned with the protrusions 13a, and the protrusions 13a are bent to fix the carrier portions 1a of the terminals 2 to the carrier 13. In this way, as shown in FIG. 12, the arrangement pitch B between the crimp terminals 2 is arranged so as to match the arrangement pitch of the terminal housing holes of the connector housing.

Thereafter, similarly to the step shown in FIG. 6 of the first embodiment, the conductor portion of the flat cable is arranged in alignment with the crimp portion of the crimp terminal fixed to the carrier 13, and these crimp terminals are flattened. Crimp all conductors of the cable together.

Then, similarly to the step shown in FIG. 8 of the first embodiment, the terminals after crimping are collectively housed in the terminal housing holes of the connector housing. After that, the carrier 13 is pressed so as to be bent at the notch portion, and the terminal and the carrier are separated at the notch portion. Also in this embodiment, the first
It is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the embodiment.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the terminal and the cable conductor portion are fixed to each other by crimping has been described, but the method of fixing the terminal and the cable of the connector of the present invention is limited to crimping. As a method of fixing the terminal and the cable, a method such as resistance spot welding, ultrasonic fusion or soldering can be used.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, a predetermined portion of the carrier of the chain-like terminal material is cut to separate the terminals from each other in a state where a part of the carrier is connected, and these terminals are connected to each other. Fixed to a jig at the arrangement pitch of the terminal storing holes of, and the conductor parts of the flat cable are collectively fixed to the terminals while being fixed to this jig, and then the plurality of terminals are placed in the connector housing. Since they are inserted all at once, workability is improved, defective insertion and forgetting to insert terminals can be reliably prevented, and these operations can be easily automated. Also, since the length of the part of the flat cable that separates into the strands can be shortened, other connectors, etc. will be caught in the gaps between the strands during handling of the assembled connector or during transportation, causing wire breakage. It is highly reliable without the risk of damage.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view showing one step of an assembling method of a flat cable connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B are a top view and a perspective view showing a crimp terminal and a notch portion, which are separated from each other.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a step of fixing a crimp terminal to a jig.

FIG. 4 is a top view showing a crimp terminal fixed to a jig.

FIG. 5 is a top view showing a step of crimping the flat cable to the crimp terminal.

FIG. 6 is a top view showing a flat cable crimped to a crimp terminal.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an anvil and a crimper of the terminal crimping device.

8A and 8B are respectively a top view and a cross-sectional view showing a step of inserting a terminal into a connector housing.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of separating the terminal and the carrier portion.

FIG. 10 is a top view showing one step of the method for assembling the flat cable connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which a carrier portion is fixed to a second carrier.

FIG. 12 is a top view showing a crimp terminal fixed to a jig.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing one step in a conventional crimp connector assembling method.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing another step in the method of assembling the crimp connector.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing still another step in the method of assembling the crimp connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 22; Carrier 1a; Carrier part 2, 21; Crimping terminals 2a, 21c; Connecting parts 2b, 21a, 21b; Crimping part 4; Transport hole 5; Jig 5a; Recess 6; Notch 10; Flat cable 10a; Elementary wire 10b; conductor parts 11, 28; connector housing 13; second carrier 13a; protrusion

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] November 2, 1994

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Brief description of the drawing

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view showing one step of an assembling method of a flat cable connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B are a top view and a perspective view showing a crimp terminal and a notch portion, which are separated from each other.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a step of fixing a crimp terminal to a jig.

FIG. 4 is a top view showing a crimp terminal fixed to a jig.

FIG. 5 is a top view showing a step of crimping the flat cable to the crimp terminal.

FIG. 6 is a top view showing a flat cable crimped to a crimp terminal.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an anvil and a crimper of the terminal crimping device.

8A and 8B are respectively a top view and a cross-sectional view showing a step of inserting a terminal into a connector housing.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of separating the terminal and the carrier portion.

FIG. 10 is a top view showing one step of the method for assembling the flat cable connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which a carrier portion is fixed to a second carrier.

FIG. 12 is a top view showing a crimp terminal fixed to a jig.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing one step in a conventional crimp connector assembling method.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing another step in the method of assembling the crimp connector.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing still another step in the method of assembling the crimp connector.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a conventional crimped connector after assembly.
is there.

[Explanation of Codes] 1, 22; Carrier 1a; Carrier part 2, 21; Crimping terminal 2a, 21c; Connection part 2b, 21a, 21b; Crimping part 4; Transport hole 5; Jig 5a; Recess 6; Notch 10 Flat cable 10a; strands 10b; conductor parts 11, 28; connector housing 13; second carrier 13a; protrusions

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A connector housing having a plurality of terminal accommodating holes arranged in one direction, and a plurality of terminals fixed to a conductor portion of a flat cable and individually accommodated in the plurality of terminal accommodating holes. In a method for assembling a flat cable connector constituted by, a chain-shaped terminal material composed of a belt-shaped carrier and a plurality of terminals arranged at a constant pitch in the longitudinal direction of the carrier is used, and the carrier is A step of cutting and separating the terminals from each other in a state where a part of the carrier is connected, and fixing each carrier part connected to these terminals to a belt-shaped jig to connect a plurality of terminals to the terminal housing holes of the connector housing. Arranging the conductors of the flat cable to the plurality of terminals at a time, and connecting the plurality of terminals to the plurality of terminals. Connector for a flat cable, including a step of inserting the terminal housing holes into the terminal housing at one time and a step of cutting a connecting portion between the carrier portion fixed to the jig and the terminal. Assembly method. 2. The flat cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the jig is a strip-shaped member provided with concave portions into which the carrier portion can be fitted and arranged in a longitudinal direction. Assembly method. 3. The jig is a metal band-shaped member having a protrusion provided at a predetermined position, and the protrusion is bent to caulk and fix the carrier portion. 1. A method for assembling the flat cable connector according to 1.