Abstract:
A method and a device for sealing off one or more channels formed in an electric connector places a plug in a channel using a plug support receiving the plug from a plug feeder, and a guide and thruster for transferring the plug from the plug support through the guide and into the channel. The guide and the connector can have conforming adjacent faces. The plug support can have multiple orifices for transferring a first set of plugs to a connector while being loaded with a second set of plugs for transfer to another connector.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a method and a device for sealing off one or more channels formed in an electric connector.  
           [0002]    A large number of applications require the use of electric connectors impervious to water, oil or dust, this in particular being the case of connectors used in the construction of motor vehicles or aircraft.  
           [0003]    The U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,669 describes a sealed connector that has a body traversed by several parallel channels of various diameters. Each of these channels is designed to receive a bracket equipping the extremity of a wire section, this extremity being equipped with an elastomer joint to ensure imperviousness between the wire and the channel receiving the wire.  
           [0004]    The U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,865 describes a joint for a sealed connector including: i) a tubular portion able to be rendered integral with a metal bracket; ii) a sealing portion ensuring a sealed contact with a housing receiving the joint; iii) a reinforcement for the sealing portion; and iv) a sliding contact member facilitating the movement of the joint inside a joint feeder device. The joint is adapted for feeding an automatic machine for producing electric beams incorporating sealed connectors.  
           [0005]    The U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,058 and the European patent application EP 1 102 366 describe joint transport and sorting devices for feeding a machine for automatically producing these electric beams. The device described in the &#39;058 patent includes a vibrating support having a profile groove adapted to the shape of the joints and which feeds a joint insertion unit on wire section extremities. The device further includes a sorting unit for feeding with joints the vibrating support which has an upper chamber for storing the joints in bulk, an orifice permitting the falling of joints from the upper chamber to one extremity of the vibrating support, a lower chamber for recovering the joints and a pneumatic pipe for transporting the joints from the lower chamber to the upper chamber. The European document describes a device for ejecting the joints incorrectly placed in a row of joints transported by a joint feeding device of an insertion station.  
           [0006]    For reasons of economy and production management, it is often the case to use only one portion of the channels of a sealed connector to receive wire section extremities. In this case, so as to ensure imperviousness of the connector, as shown in FIG. 1, the connector channels not receiving a wire section are sealed by a plug, such as the one shown in FIG. 2.  
           [0007]    These plugs resemble the joints inserted at the extremity of a wire section. However, they differ from these by the fact that they are not traversed by a wire duct so as to ensure sealing off of the unused channel of the sealed connector. This plug generally appears in the form of a silicon molded element having a symmetry of revolution. FIG. 2 shows a cylindrical plug provided with three annular projections.  
           [0008]    When being handled, these plugs are delicate owing to their small size (dimensions of about several millimeters), their light weight, their extensive warping capacity under low stresses, the presence of projections and the low coefficient of friction of the material constituting said plugs.  
           [0009]    To the knowledge of the inventor, there currently exists no device for automatically placing these plugs in the unused channels of the electric connector. These plugs are inserted one by one by a human operator without the insertion depth and/or quality of the plug in the channel of the connector being inspected and controlled.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    An object of the method and device according to the present invention is to resolve this lack of any available device and offer a method and device for automatically inserting these plugs in channels of an electric connector.  
           [0011]    According to a first characteristic, the present invention concerns a device for placing one or more plugs in a channel or several channels of a sealed connector and which includes: at least one connector support, at least one plug support able to receive one or several plugs adapted to said channel or channels, means for feeding with plugs the first plug support, and means for transferring one or several plugs from the first plug support to said channel or channels of the connector.  
           [0012]    According to another characteristic, the present invention concerns a machine for inserting one or more sealing plugs in one or more housings of a connector, said connector having at least one face on which said housing(s) open(s), said face having at least a particular shape, the machine including thrust means so as to push the plug(s) in order to introduce it/them into the housing(s), as well as guide means for guiding the plug(s) when it/they move under the action of thrust means, said guide means having a face having a shape conforming, at least in part, to the shape of the face of the connector.  
           [0013]    According to another characteristic, the present invention concerns a unit for inserting seals in the alveoli of an electric connector, said unit including: a unit for feeding seals in rows from a bulk seals container; a first seal insertion unit for inserting the seals delivered by the feed unit in the alveoli of a mobile seal transfer support; seal transfer means for moving the seal transfer mobile support between a seal loading position on the mobile transfer support and a seal unloading position; a second seal insertion unit able to unload the seals from the mobile seal transfer support and to push the seals through seal guide means and as far as into the alveoli of the connector; and an electronic control unit able to control the functioning of the seal feed unit, first and second seal insertion units, as well as seal transfer means according in particular to the data recorded in a data memory cooperating with or incorporated with the electronic control unit.  
           [0014]    According to another characteristic, the present invention concerns a method for introducing a plug in the channels of a connector placed on a connector support, the plugs being contained in bulk in a container, said method including the following operations in succession: extracting the plugs from the container and placing them in a row; transferring at least one plug from the row of plugs to a mobile plug transfer support; moving the mobile plug transfer support so as to place at least one plug in the alignment of at least one channel to be sealed from the connector; inserting an insertion guide between the mobile plug transfer support and the connector; and extracting at least said first plug from the mobile plug transfer support and inserting this plug in the channel of the connector by guiding it by means of the insertion guide.  
           [0015]    The device and method according to the present invention make it possible to insert sealing plugs in the channels—housings or alveoli—of an electric connector by simple, precise, reliable and repetitive means.  
           [0016]    The devices of the present invention are compact, simple to use and it is also easy to program in their functioning.  
           [0017]    By adapting the shape of the plug transfer and guide means to those of the plugs and of the connector, it is possible to use the device of the present invention for different types of connectors and plugs without incurring additional expense.  
           [0018]    The device according to the present invention is able to embody an insertion of plugs at a production rate reaching and exceeding 1,000 to 10,000 plugs an hour.  
           [0019]    The device according to the present invention is fully adapted to the automatic insertion of plugs in alveoli extremely close to one another and distributed diversely on one or several faces of a connector immediately close to projections likely to impede this insertion. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]    The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a connector having four insertion channels, three of which are sealed off by plugs, and partially shows a rotary plug transfer disk and an insertion guide inserted between the disk and the connector and coupled to the latter according to the present invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a ribbed plug;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the main components of a device according to the present invention and its use in a method according to the present invention;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic front elevation views illustrating two row plug feeding units, a double plug rotary support for transferring them to an insertion and guide station (not shown), as well as mobile means for inserting plugs delivered by the feed means in an intermediate plug transfer support (On FIG. 4A, these mobile insertion means are placed opposite the extremities of the respective feed channels of the feed units so as to allow the transfer of plugs from these channels to a mobile small plate used as an intermediate plug support, whereas on FIG. 4B, the insertion unit and this small plate are situated opposite the rotary plug transfer support so as to enable the plugs supported by the small plate to be loaded onto this rotary support.);  
         [0025]    [0025]FIGS. 5A through 5G are schematic side elevation views of a first embodiment of a device according to the present invention and which incorporates the components shown in FIGS. 3, 4A and  4 B and showing successive positions of these components corresponding to stages of a method according to the present invention;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 6 is a schematic side elevation view illustrating an alternate embodiment of a device according to the present invention; and  
         [0027]    [0027]FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic elevation views, respectively front and side, of a second alternate embodiment of a device according to the present invention wherein FIG. 7 is a view in a direction of an arrow VII in FIG. 8. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0028]    With reference to FIG. 2, a plug  1  has a cylindrical core  2  with a longitudinal axis  3  and three ductile annular ribs  5  projecting from an external surface  4  of the core.  
         [0029]    With reference to FIG. 1, a connector  6  has a body  7  pierced with four cylindrical channels  8  through  11  whose respective axes  12  through  15  are parallel to one another. The channels  8  and  9  are wider and open onto a first face  16  of the body  7 , whereas the channels  10  and  11  are narrower and open onto a second face  17  of the body  7 . The faces  16  and  17  are situated at an upper portion of the connector  6 , are orthogonal to the axes  12  through  15  and are spaced vertically apart by a distance  18 .  
         [0030]    The connector  6  rests on a support  19  mounted mobile in translation along a generally vertical axis Z (shown in all figures except FIG. 2) under the action of a thruster or actuator  20  along a fixed guide structure  21  as shown in FIG. 5A.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIGS. 1 and 5F show in particular the faces  16  and  17  of the connector  6  that conform to respectively lower external faces  22  and  23  of a guide element  24  mounted fixed under a lower face  25  of a plug transfer disk  26  mounted rotating about a vertical axis  27 .  
         [0032]    The element  24  is used to guide plugs  28  through  30  during the time they are transferred from the disk  26  into the channels  8 ,  10  and  11  respectively of the connector  6 . To this effect, the element  24  is pierced with three parallel cylindrical channels  31  through  33  whose spacing (and position inside a plane X-Y) is identical to that of the channels  8 ,  10  and  11  respectively and which traverse right through the element  24  and firstly open on an upper face  34  thereof and secondly on one of the lower faces  22  and  23 . As a result, when, as shown in FIG. 1, the element  24  is nested on the upper face of the connector  6 , the channels  31  through  33  are aligned with and extend the channels  8 ,  10  and  11  respectively.  
         [0033]    Similarly, the disk  26  is pierced with three cylindrical channels or orifices  35  through  37  which open onto each of the lower face  25  and an upper face  38  of the disk  26  and whose position inside the plane X-Y is identical to that of the channels  31  through  33  respectively (and to that of the channels  8 ,  10  and  11  respectively). The diameter (and/or the transversal dimensions) of the channels  31  through  33  and  35  through  37  is selected to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the plug to be received in the channel in question so that the plug can be easily housed there by virtue of the deformation of its ribs  5  (FIG. 2), be kept there by friction forces exerted between these ribs and the internal face of the wall delimiting the channel whilst being able to slide along the longitudinal axis of the channel under the action of a thruster or actuator. To this effect, the device according to the present invention includes a thruster or actuator  39  (FIG. 3) mounted mobile in vertical translation  40  (FIG. 3) equipped with three cylindrical fingers  41  through  43  extending downwardly parallel to the vertical axis Z. The configuration (position inside the plane X-Y) of the fingers  41  through  43  is identical to that of the channels  8 ,  10  and  11  respectively, the channels  31  through  33  respectively, and the channels  35  through  37  respectively. The diameter (or transversal dimension) of the fingers  41  through  43  is selected so as to enable them to slide friction-free in the channels of the disk  26  and of the guide element  24 , and also in the channels of the connector  6 .  
         [0034]    The functioning of this plug insertion device inside the channels of the connector  6  is as follows: three plugs  28   a ,  29   a  and  30   a  required to seal off the three channels  8 ,  10  and  11  are respectively placed inside the orifices  35  through  37  of the disk  26  by means described hereafter. The disk  26  bearing the plugs is orientated—via rotation about the axis  27 —so that the plugs  28   a  through  30   a  and the channels of the disk receiving them are respectively aligned with the fingers  41  through  43  which themselves are aligned with the channels  31  through  33  of the guide  24 . These guide channels are aligned with the channels  8 ,  10  and  11  of the connector  6  along their respective axes  12 ,  14  and  15  via the mutual nesting of the guide  24  and the connector  6 .  
         [0035]    The guide  24  is preferably mounted fixed on a frame of the device according to the present invention, whereas the connector support  19  and the thrust member  39  (FIG. 3) are mounted mobile in translation along a vertical axis, after the connector  6  is moved by its mobile support  19  so as to be nested under the guide  24 . The disk  26  is kept orientated as indicated previously, and the insertion of the plugs is obtained via a descending vertical movement of the device  39  with the fingers  41  through  43 . The lower extremities of the fingers come to rest on the upper extremities of the plugs and an additional movement downwards of these fingers provokes the passage of the plugs from the orifices  35  through  37  of the disk to the channels  31  through  33  of the guide and then from the latter to the channels  8 ,  10  and  11  of the connector  6 . So that the driving-in depth of the plugs into the channels  8 ,  10  and  11  is identical, a distance  44  separating the lower extremity of the finger  41  from the lower extremities of the fingers  42  and  43  merely needs to be identical to the distance  18  (these distances being measured along the axis Z).  
         [0036]    The principles of feeding of the disk  26  with the plugs for transferring by the thruster  39  through the guide element  24  described previously are shown in FIG. 3 and in more detail in FIGS. 4A through 5C.  
         [0037]    So as to improve the clarity of FIG. 3, only two unused channels of the connector  6  have been shown. As a result, the guide  24  is shown with the corresponding two channels  31  and  33  and the thruster  39  is shown with the corresponding two fingers  41  and  43 .  
         [0038]    The transfer disk  26  has the first pair of orifices  35  and  37 , as well as a second pair of orifices  45  and  46  which are diametrically opposite the orifices  35  and  37  and have the same shape. Accordingly, they are placed inside the plane X-Y according to a (relative) configuration identical to that of the orifices  35  and  37  and to that of the channels of the guide and the connector.  
         [0039]    In an alternate embodiment shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the transfer disk  26  is replaced by an approximately rectangular plate  260  which fulfils the same function and is mounted rotating along the axis  27  parallel to the axis Z.  
         [0040]    The plate  260  is formed of two identical plate elements  261  and  262  that are fixed movably to the plate. Each element  261  and  262  has seven perforations  263  that traverse the element and form temporary housings for the plugs carrying out the same function as the channels  35  through  37  of the disk  26  (FIGS. 1 and 3). The dimensions of each of the perforations  263  and their position are respectively adapted to the dimensions and position of the channels to be sealed off of a specific connector. The adaptation of the device to a specific connector is obtained by placing an insertion guide ( 24  in FIGS. 1 and 3) and the two plate elements  261  and  262  each having configuration channels adapted to this specific connector.  
         [0041]    The use of this support  26  or  260  for transferring the plugs makes it possible to simultaneously insert a first set of plugs in a first connector and load onto this support a second set of plugs intended for a second connector identical to the first connector. This makes it possible to reduce the period of a cycle for inserting plugs in a connector.  
         [0042]    The device for loading the (disk  26  or plate  260 ) mobile plug transfer support with plugs includes the following elements: the plugs  1  are stored in bulk in two containers  47  and  48  and are respectively delivered to two linear conveyors  49  and  50  extending along two merged horizontal axes  51  and  52  parallel to the axis X. The plugs  1  are delivered in a row to one extremity  53  and  54  of the feed units  49  and  50 , respectively as shown in FIG. 3. This unit including the containers  47  and  48  and the conveyors  49  and  50  is preferably similar to those described in the above-mentioned documents: U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,058 and European patent document EP 1 102 366.  
         [0043]    A horizontal small plate  55  pierced with two orifices  61  and  62  adapted to each receive a plug respectively delivered to the extremities  53  and  54  of the conveyors  49  and  50 , extends under the extremities  53  and  54 . The transfer of a plug from the conveyor to the small plate is obtained via a thrust directed downwards exerted on the plug by a corresponding one of fingers  56  and  57  moved in a direction of arrows  59  by a respective one of activating elements  58  and  60  until the plug is introduced in the corresponding orifice of the small plate  55 .  
         [0044]    As shown on FIGS. 5A to  5 F, the small transfer plate  55  is fixed to the extremity of an arm  63  integral with a structure  64 . The structure  64  is mounted mobile in translation along a horizontal axis  65  with respect to a fixed frame  66  of the device. A movement (indicated by an arrow  67 ) of the structure  64  along this axis is effected by an activating element  68 . This movement  67  provokes an identical movement of the small plate  55  and the members  56 ,  57 ,  58  and  60  for loading plugs on the small plate, said members being mounted mobile along a vertical axis  69  on the structure  64  under the action of a translator  70 .  
         [0045]    The arm  63  supports the insert  55  at an intermediate height between that of the extremities  53  and  54  of the conveyors  49  and  50  and that of the disk  26 . The movement of the structure  64  along the axis  65  enables the small plate  55  to move from a first position shown in FIG. 4A, in which the orifices  61  and  62  of the small plate opposite the extremities  53  and  54  of the conveyors  49  and  50  to allow the insertion of plugs in the housings of the small plate by means of the thrust members  56  and  57 , up to a second position, shown in FIG. 4B in which at least one of the orifices  61  and  62  of the small plate is aligned with one of the orifices ( 45  and  46  in the plate  26  and  263  pierced in the plate  260 ) to permit the transfer of the plugs borne by the small plate  55  to the support  26  or  260  via the action of the fingers  56  and  57  of the mobile insertion unit.  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 5A shows the components of a device according to the present invention in a position prior to loading of the plugs on the small plate  55 . This loading is shown in FIG. 5B where the finger  57  moved by the activating device  58  pushes the plug downwards into the pierced orifice in this small plate. After the finger  57  moves back up, the activating device  68  moves the structure  64  supporting the activating elements  58  and  70  and the small plate  55  to the position shown in FIG. 5C where at least one channel of the small plate  55  is aligned vertically (superimposed) with at least one channel of the disk  26 . In this position, the lowering of the finger  57  and of the activating element  58  (moved by the activating element  70 ) causes the loading of plug on the disk, as shown in FIG. 5D.  
         [0047]    In parallel with these operations, it is possible to insert other plugs in the disk  26  into the connector  6 . The connector  6  moves from its initial lower position shown in FIG. 5E to an approach position under the guide  24  as shown on FIG. 5F. In this position, the fingers  41  through  43 , moved by the activating element  39 , push the plugs from the disk  26  to the connector  6  by passing through the guide  24 .  
         [0048]    At least one portion of the operations shown in FIGS. 5A through 5D for loading plugs on the support  26  or  260  by the insertion and transfer unit  55  through  60  can be carried out simultaneously with the insertion shown in FIGS. 5E through 5G of plugs borne by the support  26  or  260  in the unused channels of the connector  6 . Another portion of the loading operations of the support  26  or  260  and/or the rotation of this support along the axis  27  (under the action of an activating element  71  shown in FIGS. 5A through 5F) can be carried out during removal of the connector previously equipped with plugs by this device, during placing on the mobile support  19  of another connector to be equipped with plugs and during the movements of the connector support  19  so as to have the latter approach under the guide  24 .  
         [0049]    In the embodiment variants shown in FIGS. 6 through 8, a single plug feed unit  47  is provided. In these variants, the use of a second mobile transfer support, such as the small plate  55 , is generally not effective. In this case, a lower portion  54   a  of the extremity  54  of the feed conveyor  49  is used to guide the plugs at the time they are loaded onto the disk  26  by the finger  57  of the insertion unit  58 . In the configuration shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the feed unit  47  and  49  is fixed to the structure  64  and moves with the latter under the action of the motor  68 .  
         [0050]    As shown in these figures, the position of the activating elements  68  and  71  can vary with respect to the positions shown in FIGS. 3 and 5A through  5 C. The translation displacement axis of the connector support  19  can be horizontal, as shown in FIG. 6. In this case, the guide  24  is preferably mounted mobile along the axis Z so as to accompany the plugs during their transfer into the channels of the connector under the action of the fingers  41  through  43  of the insertion unit  39 .  
         [0051]    As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the machine can include an electronic control unit  72  connected to a terminal  73  for having data introduced by the machine operator, and a display terminal  74 .  
         [0052]    The electronic control unit  72  is connected to the activating elements previously described so as to control their functioning under the control of a software program according in particular to the data introduced by the operator and signals delivered by sensors integrated with the machine according to the normal rules concerning the displacement control of machine elements.  
         [0053]    The functioning of the device is as follows with reference in particular to FIG. 6:  
         [0054]    An operator places the connector  6  on the support  19  positioned at the right end of the guide  21  and pushes the support  19  towards the left along the guide. A contact (not shown) detects the presence of the support  19  in alignment under the guide  24  and initiates the plug insertion operation. The thruster  39  lowers the fingers  41  through  43  which push the plugs from the disk  26  towards the guide element  24 . The guide  24  and the thruster  39  continue their downward movement together until the guide  24  touches the connector  6 . The thruster  39  pushes the plugs from the guide  24  into the connector  6 . The thruster  39  and the guide  24  then move back upwards. The operator pulls the support  19  to the right and removes the connector  6  equipped with the plugs. During movement of the thruster  39 , the disk  26  is unable to rotate, but placement of new plugs on the disk can be made in a row of orifices situated along a straight line aligned with the finger  57  moving parallel to its guide axis  65  (FIG. 4A). The feed device  47 ,  49  and  57  through  60  for placing plugs on the disk moves along this axis  65 . This displacement by the activating element  68 , combined with rotation of the disk  26 , makes it possible for the fingers  56  and  57  of the activating element  58  to reach a major portion of the surface of the disk. As previously described, the disk  26  has formed in two diametrically opposite zones two holes which constitute an image of those of the connector. The thruster  56  through  60  places the plugs in these holes according to a programmed configuration. The device of the invention can be equipped with two feed modules (as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B) so as to respond to cases where two different plugs are used on the same connector.  
         [0055]    In the case where the connectors are small and require few plugs, it is possible to place several connectors on a single support  19  and at the same time insert plugs in these connectors.  
         [0056]    The launching of a new production (new configuration of connectors) is extremely simple. The configuration of the product to be produced is selected and then, if appropriate, the specific tools are placed on the machine: the feed unit(s), the disk, the thrusters, the connector support, and the guide element.  
         [0057]    For programming the insertion of plugs in a new product (connector  6 ), the configuration of the new product is entered in a “product” data base of the control unit  72 , as well as for each channel ( 8 ,  10  and  11 ) to be plugged the coordinates “X” and “Y” of the position of the axis ( 12 ,  14  and  15 ) of the channel and the identification of the plug ( 1 ,  28 ,  29  and  30 ) to be housed in the channel in question.  
         [0058]    In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.