CA1063691A - Electrical connector having a conductor alignment structure for facilitating conductor installation - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for terminating insulating conductors in respective insulation-piercing contacts of an electrical connector. Prior art terminating machines are rather complex and expensive, and manual insertion becomes an extremely slow and expensive process when it is necessary to terminate a large number of conductors, particularly as a continuously repetitive operation. The present invention overcomes these defects of the prior art by providing the technique of supporting the connector on a base with the conductor channels exposed to receive the respective conductors, and moving an insertion tool generally parallel to the connector sequentially insert the conductors within the respective channels and insulation-piercing contacts. The connector may comprise a notched ridge, with each notch in communication with a respec-tive channel for alignment before insertion. The entire terminating apparatus resembles a credit card impression mechanism with a wheeled carriage supported to traverse a base in opposite directions. In one embodiment, a wire cutter, supported by the carriage, advances in front of the insertion tool to cut the ends of the wires before insertion, thereby performing the insertion operation upon return of the carriage.
In a second embodiment, the insertion tool includes the wire cutter and operates to cut the wires contemporaneously with insertion. In another embodiment, a wire cutter is carried between a wire pulling and seating member and the insertion tool, whereby the individual wires are snugged in each channel, and then cut to a predetermined length before insertion.

Description

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This iDvention relates to a method and apparatus for terminating insulated conductors in respective insulation-pierc-ing contacts of an electrical connector, and electrical connector construction which advantageously facilitates conductor insertion.
More specifically, the invention relates to techniques -for se-quentially inserting insulated conductors in respective insulation-piercing contacts of an electrical connector.
Termination of the free ends of a plurality of conduc~
tors in respective insulation-piercing contacts o-f an 01ectrical connector is generally known in the art and ranges from machine insertion of a plurality of conductors simultaneously in respec-tive insulation-piercing contacts to individual manual insertion 6f conductors. Each of these techniques has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, a machine may be utilized to advan tage to quickly insert a large number o~ conductors. However, ; such machines are rather complex and expensive. On the other hand, manual insertion is relatively inexpensive in situations where a few conductors are to be terminated, yet becomes an ex-tremely slow and expensive process when it is necessary to ter-minate a large number o~ conductors, particularly as a continu-ously repetitive operation.
It is thereiore the primary object o~ the invention to provide a method and apparatus ~or terminating a plurality o~
. electrical conductors in respective insulation piercing contacts `1~ o~ an electrical connector by utilizing the advantages o~ both `1 machine and hand insertion techniques, while at the same time ~; overcoming the disadvantages normally attendant to machine and manual operationsO
Another object o~ the invention is to provide a new and ` 30 improved manually operated conductor terminating machineO
Another object o~ the invention is to provide an impro-ved electrical connector construction which ~acilitates the posi-,:

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tioning o~ conductors ~or machine insertion.
Another object o-~ the invention is to provide a new and improved manually operated conductor insertion machine which se-quentially terminates a plurality of conductors in respective in-sulation~piercing contacts disposed in respective parallel aligned channels o~ an electrical connector.
Still another object o~ the invention is to provide cut-ting apparatus op-erable to sequentially cut a plurality o~ con-ductors at a predetermined distance ~rom respective insulation-piercing contactsO
A manually operated conductor insertion machine compri-~ ses a base ~or supporting an electrical connector and a cable - whose individual conductors are to be terminated in the connector, ~ and a wheeled carriage mounted on the base for movement therealong ; in opposite directions. The base and carriage are generally cons- ..
tructed along the lines o~ the well~known credit card impression .~ machines, and it will be readily understood ~rom the ~ollowing :
.~ description that such machines may be adapted to great advantage to practice the present invention.
The carriage carries a rotatable member in the ~orm of a gear whose teeth are a plurality of conductor insertion tools which se~uentially press and ~orce the conductors into the insu-lation-piercing contacts within respective channels o~ the connec-tor as the carriage is moved along the base.
. In two o~ the embodiments o~ the invention speci~ically , .
- described herein, the gear is a circular gear mounted ~or rota-tion about a vertical axis as the carriage moves along the base.

In one o~ khese two embodiments, the gear per-Porms the insertion ~ ~unction as the carriage moves in one direction, while in the other 30 embodiment,.insertion is per-~ormed as the carriage moves in the . opposite direction. In the ~irst o-~ these embodiments, a cutter carried by the carriage moves ahead o~ the insertion gear, while ' . ~

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3~1 in the other embodiment, the individual gear teeth include a cut-ting edge ~or cutting the conductors as they are being inserted.
In a third embodiment o~ the invention disclosed herein, a sled-like member is advanced by the carriage to snug the conduc-tors into the respective connector channels preparatory ~or inser-tionO The sled-like member carries a cutter for subsequently cut-ting the conductors to a desired length prior to insertion by a following insertion gearO The insertion gear in this embodiment is in the form of a pivotally mounted sector gear.
An electrical connector is advantageously provided with at least one ridge along the rear end thereof with a plurality of notches which communicate with respective ones of the connector channels which have the insulation-piercing contacts mounted there- `
in. The individual conductors may be easily positioned with the aid of these notches for subsequent insertion and trimming ope-rationsO
The invention is particularly directed toward an elec-trical connector having a contact support including a rear end element and means de~ining a plurality o~ parallel channels on at least one side o~ the end element. The channels open lateral- -ly outwardly o~ the end element along the length oi the channels.
A plurality o~ insula-tion-piercing contact portions are disposed ` in the channels and are supported by the contact support. A
; pair o~ parallel ridges, deiining a slot therebetween, extend - rearwardly ~rom the rear end element adjacent respective sides - thereof and transversely across the channels o~ the respective sides. Notch means de~ine a plurality of rearwardly open notches in the ridges contiguously opening into the slot and contiguously ~, opening into the channels and communicate ths slot and the chan-nels ~or receiving and holding respectlve conductors Other objects, ~eatures, and advantages o~ the i~en- `~
tion, its organization, construction, and operation will be best ' :-~ 3 '~;, j;,, : ........ , . : .
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understood -~rom the ~ollowing detailed desciription o~ pre~erred embodiments of the invention, ta~en in conjunction with the ac-companying drawings, on which:
Fig. 1 is a pictorial representation of a ~irst embo-diment o~ a manually operated conductor terminating machine, shown during a cutting operation and just prior to conductor in-sertion;
Figo 2 is a sectional, somewhat diagrammatic illustra-tion of the relationship of the cutting apparatus illustrated in Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a pictorial representation o~ a second em-bodiment o~ the invention, showing the utilization of a conductor aligning comb and cutting bar which is cooperable with an inser-; tion gear having cutting edges on the piece thereof;
Fig. 4 is a pictorial representation of a portion o~the cutting bar illustrated in Fig. 3, shown on a larger scale;
Fig. 5 is an e~plo~ed pictorial representation of a third terminating machine constructed according to the invention, specifically showing conductor snugging sled-like members which carry wire cutting ~lades in advance of a sector gear insertion ~ool;
Figo 6 is an elevation of a sled-like member utili~ed in the apparatus o~ Fig. 5; ~-Figo 7 is a bottom view o~ the sled-like member illus-trated in Fig. 6;

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Figo 8 is a partial sec-tional view taken along the line VIII-VIII o~ Fig. 6; and . .
Fig. 9 is a side view o~ an iDSertion tool which advan-tageously may be utilized as the gear teeth ~or the apparatus illustrated in Figso 1, 3 and 5, shown on a greatly enlarged scale.
Re~erring to Figs. 1 and 2, a conductor termina-ting ma-chine is generally re~erenced 10 and illustrated as comprising a - ; ' ~4-. ~ '' . , . , ,.. . . - . . . .: .. , . :: ., ,. .: . ..

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base 12, and a carriage 14 rollingly suppor-ted by the base 12.
At one end, the base 12 is provided with a spacing and - fastening structure 16 for ~ecuring a pair of coplanar spaced plates, or spaced legs of the same plate, 18 and 20 in a verti-cally spaced relationship with respect to a similar plate struc-ture (only one being shown) in the form of the plate 32 to form a longitudinal channel 34 OII each side of the base 12. Inasmuch as each of the embodiments of the apparatus of the invention are symmetrical, therefore the same on each side of the apparatus, only one side will be discussed in detail herein.
The spaced plates 18 and 20 define a channel 22 for re-ceiving an electrical connector 24, The electrica~ connector 24 is provided with a groove 26 on each side thereof which receives a cutting bar 28 which is fixed to the base 12. Upon insertion into the slot 22, the electrical connector is moved against a lock stop 30 and is locked into position. Another stop may be affixed to the base 12 at the other end of the connector 24, if necessary.
The carriage 14 comprises a pair of downwardly extending side plates 40 and ~2 which carry a plurality of rollers 36 within the channel 34, The rollers 36 are suitably journalled to the side plates at 380 The carriage 14 also co~prises a handle 44 secured bet-ween the side plates 40 and 42 for moving the carriage back and forth along the base and carrying the cutting and insertion me-chanisms. A pair of forwardly and downwardly extending arms 46 and 48 rotatably carry a shaft 50 and a pair of cutting wheels 52 and 54 therebetweenO Each cutting wheel includes a grooved sur-face 56 for receiving the individual conductors therein and a flange 58 having a cutting edge 60 which cooperates with a cut-ting edge 62 of the cutting bar 28 to cut the individual conduc-tors at a predetermined distance from their respective insulation~

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piercing contacts, as the carriage is advanced to the left in ~igo 1.
The carriage 14 also rotatably supports a cylindrical gear 64 having a plurality of teeth 66 which may ad~antageously be in ths form of the insertion blade illustrated in Fig. 9.
The gear 64 is rotatably mounted at 68 and adapted for movement toward and away fram the connector by a mechanism il-lustrated at 70. This mechanism may take the form of an angular-ly disposed slot or a lever and stop arrangement wherein the gear 64 does not function to insert the conductors in their respective channels on movement of the carriage toward the left, but is mo-ved toward the connector for the insertion operation as $he car-riage is moved in the opposite direction. This feature permits an operator to clear wire trimmings out o~ the way before inser-tion, if necessary.

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The connector 24 is provided with a contact support 23 having a rear end element 25 with a longitudinally extending slot 72 which receives all of the conductors therein ~or guided direction into individual contact containing channels 74 by communication through respective notches 75 between the longi-tudinal groove 72 and the individual channels 74. The slot 72 is de~ined by a pair of ridges 72~, 72+ which have the notches 75 therein forming a comb structure, the notches 75 and the channels 74 defining L-shaped passageways for the conductors.
This feature aids in guiding and aligning the conductors 76 for proper cutting and insertion, and may also be advantageously utilized with the other embodiments o~ the invention. As will be readily apparent lrom the description below, each of the channels 74 has an insulation-piercing contact portion mounted therein, and, as is evident from the drawings, the contact por-tions are aligned, spaced apart, in rows on each side of the connector.
In operation, the connector 24 is slid into the slot 22 .~ ' ' . .
to lock stop 30 and the cable of 78 is pressed into a cavity 82 of a holder 80 through a narrower passage ~ormed between a pair of projections 84 and 86. The conductors are then dressed into the comb slots or notches 75 in accordance with a desired con-tact termination schedule. The carriage 14 is then moved toward the le~t to push down and snug the wires within the ~otches 75 and to cut the individual conductors to predetermined lengths.
During this movement, the gear 64 is laterally displaced away irom the connector. Finally, the carriage 14 is returned in the oppositè direction, during which time the gear 64 is moved toward the connectors so that the insertion teeth 6B promptly insert the cQnductors 76 into the respective insulation-piercing contacts mounted within the channels 74. The terminated cable and con-nector is then removed ~rom the ~ixture.

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Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, it is readily apparent that the base 12 and the carriage 14 are basically the same as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a detailed description o~
that apparatus will not be given here. In FIG. 3, however, a manually operated terminating machina is generally indicated at 88 as comprising, on each side o~ the machine, a comb 90 having a portion 92 with an elongate adjustment aperture 94 therein which receives a screw 96 ~or permitting movement of the comb 90 toward and away ~rom the connector 24. The comb 90 includes another portion 98 which e~tends into the groove 26 in a manner similar to the cut$ing member 28 o~ FIGS. 1 and 2 The psrtion 98 includes a plurality o~ not~hes 100 between the fingers 102 of the comb, and a back edge 104 o~ each notch which ~orms a cutting edge ~or the respective conductor 76 In this embodiment o~ the invention, the cutting and insertion operations are per~ormed in a sequential, staggered sequence during a s~ngle traverse of the carriage 14 along the connector. More sp~cifically, the carriage 14 carries a cylin-drical gear 106 hav~ng gear teeth 108 with a sharp lower edge (edge 182 in FIG. 9) which cooperates with the edge 104 within ;; each notch 100 to cut the conductor immediately prior to inser-tion into the respective channel. As the gear 106 traverses the connector 24, each conductor is first cut and then inserted be~ore the next conductor is ¢ut and inserted.
In operation, the connector 24 i~ slid into the slot 22 in much the same manner as in FIG. 1 to rest against a lock ~top (not shown). The comb 90 may be moved laterally to permit ease o~ entry o~ the connector 249 or to permit di~erent widths o~ connectors to be terminated on the sama machine. The cable 78 is pressed into the holder 80 and the individual conductors are pressed into the notches 75 and the notches 100. The car-- riage 14 is then moved to carry the gear 106 along the conne¢~or :~ Jl ~ B ~ 7 . . . .
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24 to sequentially cut and insert ~he conductors into the channels 74. The carriage 14 is then returned to the left and the terminated cable and conductor are removed from the fixture.
Referring now to FIGS. 5-8, a third embodiment of the invention, the most preferred embodiment, is illustrated as comprising a pair of cooperable sections 112 by which the base may be shaped, or which may be carried on the base of the pre-viously described apparatus. The cooperable members 111 and 113 of the apparatus 112 define a slot 122 for receiving the connector 24 ~s previously described.

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The member 113 (and likewise the m~mber 111) comprises a hori~ontal surface 114 and an integral cutting bar portion 116 having a cutting edge 118 disposed parallel to the connector 24 and partially received within the groove 26 thereof.
The member 113 (and the member 111) includes a down-wardly and outwardly sloping surface 12Q for draping o~ the con-ductors 76.
Inasmuch as the apparatus 112 may replace or be mounted upon the upper sur~ace 18 o~ the base 12 illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, a channel ~or receiving the rollers o~ the carriage is dia-grammatically illustrated at reference 34 as in the previous fi-gures.
In this particular embodiment, the carriage 130 is also provided with a plurality o~ rollers or wheels 36 journalled at 38 to a pair of downwardly and ~orwardly extending side walls 132 and 134.
The side walls 132 and 134 are spaced apart and inter-; connected by a member 136 which carries a handle 138 connected ~, between a pair o~ spaced extending arms 140 and 142.
The member 136 includes a iorwardly ~acing surface 144 ` which carries a p~ir of sled-like members or boots 146 and 148, ;`c each o~ which includes a ~orwardly and upwardly extending rounded ~` edged sur~ace 150 and a cutting blade 152 mounted within a recess ~; 166.
Each boot 146, 148 includes a downwardly projecting wedge-like portion 154 ~or moving the trimmed conductors outwar-.~i , .... .dly o~ the connector 24 a~ter the same have been cut -~rom the ends o~ the conductors 760 - Each boot 146, 148 is designed to move along the cutting ; 30 edge 118 to snug the conductors into their respective notches (75 in Figs. 1 and 3) in such a manner that the cutting blade 152 cooperates with the cutting edge 118 to cut the conductors. The .~: .

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trimmed ends o~ the conductors 76 are ploughed outwardly by the wedge-like portions 154 to displace the same in a noninter~ering relationship with the subsequently received conductor end inser-tion apparatus.
In this embodiment, a sector gear 156 is pivotally moun-ted to the member 136 ~or rota~ion about an a~is, here the pin 158.
The sector gear includes a plurality of teeth 160, constructed as illustrated in Fig, 9, for inserting the trimmed conductors 76 into the respective channels and insulation-piercing contacts o-f lU the connector 2~.
As the carriage 130 is moved to the le~t in Fig. 5, the individual conductors are se~uentially snugged, then cut, and then, inserted by the teeth 160 of the sector gear 156. In order to initiate the insertion operation, the sector gear 156 is providèd with a hook or other means 162 ~or engaging a pin 164, or the like, to initiate pivotal action about the pin 158.
Re~erring to Figso 6-8, one o~ the boots 146 is illus-trated, particularly from an inside view thereo~, wherein a cut-ting blade 152 is secured within a recess 166 by a screw 164.
20 The cutting blade 152 includes a sharpened cutting edge 162 which is disposed at an angle to create a cutting depth below horizontal that is, below the cutting edge 118 o~, for example, 0.30-0~0 inchesO This dimension is illustrated by the arrows re~erenced - 186. The angle o-~ attack o~ the rounded edge sur~ace 150 has been iound to be 15, the plough 30, in a particular application, with the rounded edge being at 1/8 inch radiusO The particular blade angle ~ound advantageous in cooperation with the other angular structure was 8, with respect to horizontal.
As can be seen ~rom Fig, 6, and particularly ~rom Fig. 7, ~, 30 a waste conductor plough 154 is provided to eætend downwardly ~rom an angle to urge the trimmed conductors out oP the way o~ the ad-vancing sector gear 156.

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~36~1 It will be noted ~rom the drawings that the surf'ace 168 is adapted to slide over the conductors and snug the same as they are advanced between the sur~ace 150 and the cutting bar 116, severing of the conductors occurring a~ter snugging of the same.
Re~erring to Figo 9, an elevational view of an insertion .
tool 170 is illustrated as comprising a conductor engaging and pressing edge 172 having a pair o~ spaced projections 174, 176 spaced to span a set of insulation-piercing contacts and insure bottoming of' the conductor within the contacts. The insertion 10 blade 170 may also include a narrow edge 178 ~ormed by milling one or more f'aces of the blade, as indicated at 180, to press the - ~-conductor into a strain release mechanism formed at the outermost ends of the connector, in the area of the notched ridge having the notches 75 therein, or simply to insure pressing of the con-ductor within the channels and notches 74 and 75. Although this particular insertion tool blade constructio~ is illustrated here-in, any other suitable tool structure may be employed ~or the ~ :
gear teeth o-~ the gears 64, 106, and 156 of' Figs. 1, 3 and 5. .
Although I have described my invention by ref'erence to .~ , .
specific illustrative embodiments thereo~, these illustrations ` have been provided as non-limiting examples o~ the invention, and ::~
:- many changes and modi~ications of the inve~tion may become appa-rent to those skilled in the art without departing ~rom the spi-rit and scope of' the inventio~; I there~ore intend to include .,; .
~ within the patent warranted hereon all such changes and modi~i-.; .
.' cations as may reasonably and properly be included within the .~' scope o~ my contribution to the artO
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Claims (3)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1, An electrical connector comprising: a contact sup-port including a rear end element; means defining a plurality of parallel channels on at least one side of said end element, said channels opening laterally outwardly of said end element along the length of the channels; a plurality of insulation-piercing contact portions disposed in said channels and supported by said contact support; a pair of parallel ridges defining a slot therebetween and extending rearwardly from said rear end element adjacent res-pective sides thereof and transversely across said channels of the respective sides; and notch means defining a plurality of rear-wardly open notches in said ridges contiguously opening into the slot and contiguously opening into said channels and communicating the slot and said channels for receiving and holding respective conductors.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of parallel channels are on each side of said end element.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the parallel channels are L-shaped passageways disposed in a side-by-side relationship on each side of said end element, each of said passageways opening laterally outwardly of said end element and rearwardly of said end element, the slot in said rear end element directly communicating with each of said L-shaped pas-sageways, wherein the plurality of insulation-piercing contact portions are supported in the laterally outwardly opening portions of said passageways, and whereby a plurality of conductors are provided with a common path through said slot and respective paths through said L-shaped passageways for termination in respective ones of said insulation-piercing contact portions.