Terminal inspection device and terminal inspection method

A terminal inspection device for inspecting a connection between a terminal and an electrical lead connected to the terminal, said inspection device comprising:

• a frame made of a conductive material;
• a body block supported by said frame and having a terminal inserting hole open to surface of said body block and a contact block accommodating hole in contact with the terminal inserting hole and opening to said frame;
• a conductive elastic member supported by said frame;
• a conductive contact block supported by said conductive elastic member so as to be movably disposed within the contact block accommodating hole;
• a terminal holding means for maintaining contact between the terminal and said conductive contact block when the terminal is inserted in the terminal inserting hole;
• a measuring device for measuring electrical conductance;
• and
• an electric wire connected between said frame and said measuring device, said measuring device being electrically connected with the electrical lead of the terminal to inspect the terminal when the terminal is inserted in the terminal inserting hole, whereby an electrical circuit is formed by the electrical lead of the terminal, the terminal, said contact block, said elastic member, said frame, said electric wire and said measuring device, and wherein, the connection between the terminal and the electrical lead of the terminal is inspected based on an output of said measuring device.

A terminal inspection method for inspecting a connecting state of a terminal and a connected electric wire, said method comprising:

• fixing a body block, the body block having a terminal inserting hole open to a surface of the body block and a contact block accommodating hole in contact with the terminal inserting hole, to a frame made of a conductive material;
• elastically fitting a conductive contact block to the frame by a conductive elastic member, said conductive contact block being movably disposed within the contact block accommodating hole;
• providing a means for holding a terminal in the terminal inserting hole,
• connecting an electric wire between a measuring means and the frame,
• inserting the terminal into the terminal inserting hole to contact the contact block against a biasing force of the elastic member,
• retaining the contact of the terminal with the contact block by inserting the terminal holding means in the terminal inserting hole, and
• connecting the connected electric wire of the terminal with the measuring means and observing an output of the measuring means to check the connecting state of the terminal and the connected electric wire.