EP0223330A2 - Connecting conductors to terminals of a cross-connect connector for communication lines - Google Patents
Connecting conductors to terminals of a cross-connect connector for communication lines Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0223330A2 EP0223330A2 EP86305858A EP86305858A EP0223330A2 EP 0223330 A2 EP0223330 A2 EP 0223330A2 EP 86305858 A EP86305858 A EP 86305858A EP 86305858 A EP86305858 A EP 86305858A EP 0223330 A2 EP0223330 A2 EP 0223330A2
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- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- conductors
- clamping means
- assembly station
- upstream
- connector
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R43/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors
- H01R43/01—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors for connecting unstripped conductors to contact members having insulation cutting edges
Definitions
- This invention relates to the connection of conductors to terminals of a cross-connect connector for communication lines.
- cables are used for different purposes.
- customers' premises are provided with an incoming cable from a central office and this cable is referred to as a feeder cable.
- the conductors of the feeder cable upon arrival at the customers' premises are connected either internally or externally of the premises to the conductors of a distribution cable which are connected in turn to the subscribers' apparatus.
- the cables are normally connected together with the use of cross-connect connectors each of which comprises a body of dielectric material and has a row of conductor terminals along each side of the connector.
- Each terminal has opposed electrical conductor portions which cut into insulation of a conductor forced between them thereby causing the conductor portions to electrically contact the conductor.
- the terminals in one row are interconnected through the dielectric material with terminals in the other row to enable the conductors of the two cables to be interconnected.
- the cross-connect connectors are mounted for convenience in a wall mounted unit which is a modular construction and is built to carry a plurality (e.g. ten) of the cross-connect connectors.
- the cross-connect connectors It is usual for the cross-connect connectors to have fifty terminals along each row.
- the forming of the connection between conductors and terminals of each row is a time consuming operation.
- This manual method which involves the drawing in sequence of conductors across the row of terminals and connecting them to the terminals, this requires operator attention to conductors individually.
- the present invention provides a method and apparatus for electrically connecting a group of conductors along a row of terminals which substantially increases the rate of assembly of the connectors and conductors.
- the invention also includes a method of electrically connecting a group of insulated conductors to a row of terminals of a cross-connect connector comprising locating the connector in an assembly station; feeding a group of insulated conductors together along passlines and through the assembly station to provide lengths of the conductors extending along the passlines downstream from the assembly station while guiding the conductors so that they are aligned with terminals of the row; inserting the conductors between opposed electrically conductive portions of the terminals to enable said portions of each terminal to cut into insulation on an associated conductor and electrically contact said conductor; and severing said lengths of conductors which are electrically connected to the terminals from remainders of the conductors upstream from the station.
- a cross-connect connector 10 comprises a substantially planar strip 12 of dielectric material having along each edge a row of terminals 14.
- each of the terminals comprises two opposed electrically conductive portions (not shown) arranged on either side of a molded groove 15 in an edge of the strip 12. These conductor portions act to cut into insulating material surrounding a conductor when the conductor is forced into the groove so that the conductor portions electrically contact the conductor.
- apparatus for electrically connecting a group of conductors along one of the rows of terminals 14 thereby eliminating the need for manual assembly of conductors to the connector.
- the apparatus for connecting the conductors to cross-connect connectors 10 comprises a supply for insulated conductors 16 (Figure 2) this supply comprising a plurality of storage reels (not shown) to deliver the conductors between two guide rollers 18 which form part of a guiding and feeding means of the apparatus. From the guide rollers, the conductors 16 move along passlines and through a clamping means 20 of the guiding and feeding means, before proceeding through an assembly station 22 for conductors and connectors and then downstream from the station 22. This downstream movement is performed by a clamping means 24 which is also part of the guiding and feeding means.
- the clamping means 24 is movable between upstream and downstream positions, as will be described, to move lengths of conductor downstream from the station 22 and to hold these lengths securely in position while they are electrically connected and assembled to connectors and are severed from the supplies of conductors extending upstream from the assembly station.
- the apparatus also comprises a connector loading device shown generally at 26 in Figures 2 and 7.
- clamping means 20 lies in a fixed position upstream from the assembly station 22.
- the clamping means 20 comprises a stationary support block 28 which is secured to a frame 29 of the apparatus.
- clamping means 20 comprises a movable clamping member 30 having side arms 31 each pivoted at an intermediate position 32 to the support block 28.
- a transverse clamping bar 34 extending between the arms 31, moves up and down upon pivoting action of the clamping member about its pivotal position.
- the clamping member 30 is controlled in its pivotal movement by a pneumatic operated piston and cylinder assembly 36 which is connected to an upstream end of the member 30 by an actuating rod 38.
- the guiding and feeding means also comprises a conductor guide 40 disposed between the clamping means 20 and a severing means 42 for conductors. The severing means will be described below.
- the guide 40 is mounted by a slide means comprising two laterally spaced-apart guide shafts 44 which are slidably received within the block 28 ( Figures 6 and 9).
- a compression spring 46 engaging the upstream end of each shaft 44 within the block 28, is held between its associated shaft 44 and an abutment member 48 which extends laterally across the passlines slightly upstream from the block 28.
- the springs 46 form a spring biasing means to urge the conductor guide into a normal or downstream position shown in full outline in Figure 6 in which it lies closely adjacent to, but slightly upstream from, the assembly station.
- the conductor guide is movable from its normal position and against the springs to a retracted or upstream position shown in chain-dotted outline also in Figure 6.
- Conductor guide 40 has upwardly extending projections 50 which act as guides for the passage of the conductors between the projections and hold the conductors in their spaced-apart relationship.
- the clamping means 24 ( Figure 2) has two mutually opposed clamping jaws 52 which are movable together in opening or closing directions. These jaws and their means of operation may be of any suitable construction.
- the jaws may be of an articulated structure operated from a single pneumatic operated cylinder (not shown) or each jaw, as shown in Figure 2, may be moved by means of its own piston and cylinder assembly 54.
- Clamping jaws 52 and their assemblies 54 are mounted upon a support structure 56 which is slidably mounted upon two guide shafts 58 extending in the direction of the feedpaths of the conductors.
- the support structure 56 is movable along the guide shafts 58 by any suitable means, for instance by a piston and cylinder assembly 60 which is secured to the frame of the apparatus.
- Movement of the support structure 56 carries the clamping means 24 between a downstream position as shown in Figure 2 and an upstream position as will be discussed.
- the downstream position is sufficiently far downstream from the assembly station to provide the required conductor lengths to be assembled to the connectors.
- the upstream position is upstream of the assembly station 22 and during movement into this position, the clamping jaws cooperate with the conductor guide 40 to urge it into its retracted position as will now be described.
- the various piston and cylinder assemblies which have been and are to be discussed operate in a certain rigid sequence, controlled electrically by microprocessor, to cause the apparatus to operate in the required fashion.
- the operation of the guiding and feeding means will now be discussed before describing the other operational parts of the apparatus.
- the clamping means 20 is in its clamping position as shown in Figures 2 and 22 with the clamping bar 34 gripping the conductors 16.
- the clamping means 24 is in the downstream position with the jaws 52 open as shown particularly by Figure 22 with the conductor guide 40 lying in its normal full outline position as in Figure 6.
- the normal position of guide 40 is also shown by Figure 22.
- the clamping means 24 is operated to move the jaws 52 towards the upstream position and as the jaws approach the upstream position they engage the opposing face of the guide 40 and move the guide to its retracted position as shown in chain-dotted outline in Figure 6.
- the piston and cylinder assemblies 54 are then operated to close the jaws 52.
- the connector loading device 26 which is shown in Figures 2 and 7 is more clearly shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5.
- the loading device comprises a means for holding a connector in the assembly station and for moving it between the assembly station and a withdrawn position.
- the connector holding means comprises a substantially U-shaped support 62 which, as shown in the Figures, comprises a base 64 for supporting one edge of a connector.
- the support 62 also has two vertical sides 66 for slidably contacting the side surfaces of the connector with the general plane of the connector extending vertically to provide one of the rows of terminals facing upwardly from and beyond the support 62.
- the location of the support 62 in the assembly station is as shown for instance in Figures 2, 6 and 26 to 28.
- the withdrawn position is shown for instance in Figures 3, 4 and 22 to 25.
- the connector loading device includes a connector stacking means 68 (see Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7).
- This stacking means is a vertical column which enables a plurality of connectors to be stacked one above another with the connectors lying in substantially horizontal planes, i.e. at right angles to the position they assume when in the support 62.
- a delivery means for the connectors to move them in succession from the vertical stacking column into the support 62 is shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5.
- This delivery means comprises a push rod 70 operated by a piston and cylinder 72 to urge the lowest connector in the vertical stacking column outwards from the column and into a support 74 of similar structure to the support 62.
- the support 74 is mounted on an arm 76 with the support and arm pivoted about axis 78.
- the sequence of operation for delivery of connectors into the support 62 only commences when the support lies in the withdrawn position.
- the push rod 70 With the support 74 lying in the horizontal position indicated by Figure 3, the push rod 70 is moved towards the left to force the lowest connector from the stacking column 68 and into the support 74.
- This support is then pivoted into a vertical position (shown with the arm 76 in chain-dotted outline in Figure 3) by operation of the piston and cylinder assembly 82. In this position, the support 74 (shown in full outline in Figure 5) is aligned with an intermediate support 84 which lies between the support 74 and the support 62.
- a connector 10 held in the support 74 is moved by operation of a further push rod 86 into the support 84, and under control of a piston and cylinder assembly 88. This movement causes a preceding connector as will be described, to be moved from the support 84 into support 62.
- a tray 90 at the side of the apparatus is provided for collecting connector and conductor assemblies.
- the connector loading device also comprises means for moving the support 62 between the assembly station and its withdrawn position.
- This moving means comprises a piston and cylinder assembly 90 ( Figure 7) which is disposed beneath a horizontal carrier 92 for the support 62 and moves the carrier 92 along horizontally spaced and vertically disposed main guide shafts 94 of the apparatus.
- These main guide shafts are securely mounted into the frame of the apparatus and are held for instance by an upper horizontal frame member 96 which in turn is carried by vertical frame members 98 ( Figure 2).
- the severing means 42 is provided to sever lengths of the conductors extending downstream from the assembly station from supplies of conductors extending upstream from the assembly station.
- the insertion and severing means jointly comprise a main horizontal support 100 (see Figures 8 to 12 and 19). This support has two depending short sections 102 by which it is slidably carried upon the main guide shafts 94. Extending between and across the support sections 102 is an insertion tool carrier 104.
- the insertion tool carrier comprises two parts, namely a C-shaped upstream part 106 and a downstream part or cover plate 108 (see Figures 6, 18 and 19).
- a plurality of conductor insertion tools 110 are carried by the insertion tool carrier.
- Each insertion tool 110 has a shaft 112 of rectangular section and at its lower end, each insertion tool has the conventional structure 114 (see particularly Figure 19) for inserting conductors into the terminals of a cross-connect connector.
- the insertion tools are located in side-by-side relationship with the shafts 112 slidable upon each other and guided between the C-shaped part 106 and cover plate 108 of the carrier 104.
- the cover plate 108 is provided with a relieved section 116 along the part of its length corresponding to the positions of the tools 110 (see Figure 19).
- the carrier 104 is mounted by means of the C-shaped section 106 within two reverse C-shaped housings 117 ( Figure 6) which are screwed respectively, one to each of the support sections 102 as shown also by Figure 8 onwards.
- the C-shaped part 106 is slidable within the housings 117.
- the horizontal support 100 is vertically movable between the assembly station, for instance as shown in Figure 8, and a withdrawn position vertically above it, for instance as shown in Figures 22 to 25. This movement, which is along the main guide shafts 94, is effected by a control rod 118 operated by a piston and cylinder assembly 120 vertically mounted upon the horizontal frame member 96.
- An insertion tool operating means is provided for causing sliding movement of the tools towards and away from the connector holding means, i.e. support 62, the movement being in sequence along the tools from end-to-end of the tool assembly.
- This operating means comprises an operating shaft 122 which is slidably received within the C-shaped section 106 and is held in place by the cover plate 118 (see Figures 6, 18 and 19).
- the shaft 122 is movable by a horizontally disposed piston and cylinder assembly 124 secured to the main horizontal support 100.
- a piston rod 126 of the assembly 124 is connected to one end of the shaft 122 over which it extends, by a connecting block 128, for instance as shown in Figure 8.
- the operating shaft 122 and the tools 110 are operably connected together by a cam and cam follower means to effect the vertical sliding movement of the insertion tools.
- the cam and cam follower means comprises a cam slot 130 (see Figures 13, 18 and 19) which extends longitudinally of the operating shaft 122 except for a longitudinally short outward and return section 132 ( Figure 13) of the slot and which extends downwards and laterally of the slot 130 for a short distance.
- the cam and cam follower means also comprises a rotatable cam follower roller 134 ( Figure 19) which is rotatably mounted upon one side of each of the shafts 112 so as to lie within the slot 130 in engagement with both of its side surfaces during movement of the operating shaft in either direction.
- the insertion structures 114 of the insertion tools 110 are positioned a distance apart which is exactly double that of the distance apart of the terminals along a row of terminals of a connector.
- the reason for this is that the terminals are so close together that no practical way has yet been found of assembling and designing the structures 114 with their distances apart equaling that of the distances apart of the terminals while still being able to operate the insertion tools properly during the insertion procedure.
- each movement of the operating shaft 122 in operating the insertion tools 110 will only urge those tools into engagement with alternate conductors of a group extending across the terminals.
- the remainder of the conductors are not connected to the terminals during one direction of movement of the operating shaft 122.
- a tool position shift means 136 (see Figure 8) is provided to move the tool insertion carrier 104 within the housings 117 for a distance equal to the distance apart of the terminals in the row on a connector.
- one direction of movement of the operating shaft 122 will connect alternate conductors of the group along the row of terminals, as has just been indicated, while the return movement of the operating shaft will connect the remaining terminals as will now be described.
- the tool position shift means 136 comprises a thrust means in the form of an inclined rib 138 having parallel side surfaces 140 ( Figure 8), the rib extending outwardly from an elongate plate 142.
- the plate 142 extends downwardly of one of the support sections 102 and lies between that section and the C-shaped section 106 of the tool carrier 104.
- the section 106 is provided with a complementary groove 144 (see Figure 10) with the rib 138 extending completely along the groove from one end to the other.
- the rib is received with its side surfaces 140 in sliding and continuous engagement with the side surfaces of the groove as shown by Figure 10.
- the plate 142 is movable in the vertical direction by operating means which is a piston and cylinder assembly 146 which is secured in a vertical position to the upper side of the main horizontal support 100.
- operating means which is a piston and cylinder assembly 146 which is secured in a vertical position to the upper side of the main horizontal support 100.
- the cover plate 108 is flanked at each end with an abutment plate 148.
- Each abutment plate 148 has a vertical end abutment surface 150 for engagement with an adjacent housing 117 upon movement of the tool carrier in the appropriate direction.
- the degree of movement permitted is of course that required to move the tool carrier together with the insertion tools 110 for a distance corresponding to half the distance between corresponding locations on adjacent tools. In other words, the degree of movement in either direction is half the distance between adjacent structures 114 of the tools.
- Operation of the piston and cylinder assemblies 124 and 146 is controllable to effect the following operation of the insertion tools 110.
- the plate 142 lies at its downward position ( Figure 8) so that the rib 138 has moved the insertion tool carrier 104 towards the right whereby the abutment 150 of plate 148 on the right-hand side abuts the housing 117 at that side.
- the operating shaft 122 lies towards its right-hand extreme limit shown by Figure 8 with the outward and return section 132 of slot 130 lying to the right-hand side of the group of insertion tools 110 (the section 132 of the slot is shown in Figure 8).
- the assembly 124 is then operated to move the operating shaft 122 towards the left.
- the assembly 146 Upon the shaft 122 reaching the extreme of movement on the left-hand side, the assembly 146 operates to raise the plate 142. The difference in the plate positions is seen by comparing Figure 8 with Figure 12. This movement takes place until the abutment surface 150 of the left-hand side abutment plate 148 contacts its associated housing 117. The positional difference of the abutment plates which indicates the sideways shift of the carrier 104 may also be seen by comparing Figure 8 with Figure 12. This lateral movement of the tool carrier 104 causes the tools 110 and thus the structures 114 to move by a spacing equivalent to the distance apart of the row of terminals in the connector.
- the severing means 42 is of such a construction as to enable it to be moved between a cutting position and a non-cutting position.
- the severing means comprises a cutting blade 152 which is secured to an arm 154 and the arm is pivoted at one end, i.e. the right-hand end in the Figures, to the lower end of a downwards projection 156 of the operating shaft 122.
- This pivotal connection is shown in detail in Figure 19.
- the operating shaft 122 moves horizontally, it carries the arm 154 and blade 152 with it.
- the position of the blade 152 is such that its cutting edge is always slightly to the left of the mid position of the return section 132 of the slot 130 (see Figures 8 and 13) to enable the insertion tools 110 to insert conductors before a cutting stroke takes place, as will be described.
- this moving means comprises a cam and cam follower means which is illustrated in Figures 14 to 17.
- a cam slot 158 is formed in the inwardly facing surface of the base of the C-shaped section 106 of the insertion tool carrier. This slot has two parallel horizontal sections 160 and 162 which extend along sufficient distance of the section 106 to accommodate the horizontal movement of the blade upon operation of the shaft 122 while also controlling the position of the blade.
- a cam follower roller 164 is received in the cam slot and is rotatably mounted upon a cam follower arm 166 the lower end of which is secured to the left-hand end of the arm 154 ( Figures 12 and 18).
- the arm 166 is vertically movable in a slot 167 formed in the shaft 122 ( Figure 18). It follows that when the roller 164 lies in the upper slot section 160, then the arm 154 is held in an upward pivoted position (for instance as shown in Figure 14) so that the cutting blade 152 lies in a non-cutting position which is disposed above the terminals in a connector. This relationship of the cutting blade to the terminals is illustrated in Figure 20.
- the cutting blade is in its cutting position with the arm 154 pivoted downwards (for instance as shown in Figure 16). In this position, as shown by Figure 21, the cutting blade extends across the line of the terminals so as to perform a cutting operation as the cutting blade is moved from left to right in the drawings.
- the two slot sections 160 and 162 are interconnected at their ends by inclined slot portions 168 and 170.
- Non-return devices are provided at the entrance of the slot 168 into the section 162 and also at the entrance of the slot portion 170 into the section 160.
- Each non-return device comprises a gate 172 which is pivoted at one end and normally lies in a position as shown by Figure 14 in which the gate does not obstruct either of the sections 160 or 162 but, in fact, acts as part of a surface of the slot section.
- Each gate is spring urged into this position in which it closes the slot portion 168 or 170, as the case may be.
- a gate By pressure exerted upon it by the roller 164 moving along a slot portion 168 or 170, a gate is pivoted into an open position in which it allows the roller to move from one slot section, along the associated slot portion and into the other slot section.
- the slot section 160 has a short end section 174 which extends to the right slightly beyond the gate 172 to accommodate the roller 164 and allow for return of the gate 172 into its closed position.
- the slot section 162 has an end section 176 at its left-hand end which is in corresponding relationship to the associated gate 172.
- the severing means is as follows. With the operating shaft 122 at its right-hand end of movement as shown in Figure 8, the arm 154 lies in its upward pivoted position with the blade in its non-cutting position. This corresponds to the position of the severing means in Figure 14 with the roller 164 at the right-hand end of the slot section 160 and lying in the end section 174. As the shaft 122 moves towards the left it causes the severing means to move along the slot section 160, because of the drive imparted to it by its connection to the projection 156 on the operating shaft. As the right-hand gate 172 is in its closed position, the roller 164 will roll over the gate and proceed along the slot section 160 without difficulty.
- roller 164 When the roller 164 reaches the left-hand end of slot section 160, it proceeds to move along the slot portion 168 and, upon contact with the gate 172 at that end, forces the gate open as shown in Figure 15. Further movement of the shaft 122 then carries the severing means to its left-hand limit with the roller 164 lying in the slot end section 176. As the roller is now disengaged from the adjacent gate 172, this gate is allowed to return to its closed position as shown in Figure 16. In this position of the roller 164, the arm 154 has been pivoted downwards so that the blade lies in its cutting position. The operating shaft 122 then proceeds towards the right-hand side on its return movement.
- conductor lengths 178 have been connected at their upstream ends into terminals of a connector 10 held by holder 62.
- the connector and conductor assembly lie in the withdrawn position with the support 62 withdrawn downwardly from the assembly station.
- the conductor guide 40 lies in its normal or downstream position adjacent the assembly station with ends of the conductors 16 from the conductor supplies extending between guide projections 50.
- the clamping means 20 is closed and the clamping means 24 is open to allow the gripped downstream ends of conductor lengths 178 to move out of the jaws 52 during movement of the holder into the withdrawn position.
- the horizontal support 100 carrying the insertion tools and severing means is in its withdrawn or upper position.
- the connector loading device 26 is then actuated.
- the push rod 70 moves towards the left ( Figure 3) to urge the lowermost connector in the stacking column 68 into the support 74 which lies in a horizontal position as shown in Figure 3.
- the assembly 82 is then operated to swing the support 74 into the vertical position, as has been described and this movement is followed by operation of the push rod 86 ( Figure 5) to urge the connector in the support 74 across and into the intermediate support 84.
- the guiding and feeding means then operate.
- the open jaws 52 are moved upstream, as has previously been described, to their upstream position and during this movement urge the guide 40 into its retracted position. This is as shown in Figure 24.
- This movement of the guide 40 causes the leading ends of the conductors 16 to extend further from the guide thereby enabling these leading ends to be gripped tightly by the jaws 52 when the jaws close as shown in Figure 24. Movement of the conductors up to this stage is prevented because the clamping means 20 is closed.
- the clamping means 20 is then opened thereby releasing the conductors following which the clamping means 24 is returned to its downstream position, as shown in Figure 25, thereby drawing the conductors downstream to provide new lengths 178 of conductor extending from the guide 40 to the clamping means 24.
- Downstream movement of clamping means 24 allows the guide to return to its normal position. Clamping means 20 is then closed so that the conductors are gripped by both clamping means.
- the horizontal support 100 is then lowered to bring the insertion tools 110 into the operating or lower position together with the severing means. Also, the support 62 is raised into the assembly station. This is the position of the apparatus shown in Figure 8 with the insertion tools disposed slightly above the upper terminals of the connector held in the assembly station. In this position, the insertion tool carrier lies towards its right-hand side with the abutment surface 150 of the right-hand abutment plate 148 abutting the adjacent housing 117. Hence the insertion tools are aligned with the odd numbered terminals commencing from the right-hand side in Figure 8.
- the odd numbered conductor lengths 178 are moved into the terminal while the even numbered conductors are not affected by the right to left movement of the shaft 122.
- the roller 164 then moves downwardly into the slot end section 176 to drop the cutting blade into its cutting position. This is the position of the apparatus shown by Figure 11.
- the shaft 122 has moved to the limit in the left direction of movement.
- the plate 142 is then raised from the position shown in Figure 11 to that of Figure 12 which immediately causes the tool carrier 104 to move towards the left until the abutment surface 150 of the left side abutment plate 148 contacts the associated housing 117.
- the piston and cylinder assembly 90 then operates to return the support 62 to its withdrawn position so as to complete the cycle. The whole cycle is then repeated to assemble conductors into a succeeding connector and the just completed assembly is ejected into the tray 91.
- the steps discussed above may in some cases not be followed rigidly in the order which has been discussed as some change in parts of the procedure may be effected without changing the eventual product.
- the support 62 may be located in the assembly station either at the same time as or in sequence with the movement of the main horizontal support 100 to perform the insertion operation. Obviously, to perform the whole operation in the quickest time, it is preferable to move both of the supports 62 and 100 towards the assembly station simultaneously. Further to this, after the conductors have been inserted into the terminals and severed, the return movement of the insertion tool carrier 104 towards the right may take place either as described or at some other time while ensuring that the insertion tool carrier is in the correct position when required for the next succeeding insertion operation.
- the use of the apparatus and method according to the invention substantially increases the quantities of assembled conductors and connectors for a given time. For instance, when performed manually it has been shown that about one hundred connectors may be connected to fifty conductor lengths in a two workday period by one operator. With the machine according to the invention it is possible to connect conductors to at least 1500 connectors during the same period.
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Abstract
Description
- This invention relates to the connection of conductors to terminals of a cross-connect connector for communication lines.
- In a telecommunications system, different cables are used for different purposes. For instance, customers' premises are provided with an incoming cable from a central office and this cable is referred to as a feeder cable. The conductors of the feeder cable upon arrival at the customers' premises are connected either internally or externally of the premises to the conductors of a distribution cable which are connected in turn to the subscribers' apparatus. The cables are normally connected together with the use of cross-connect connectors each of which comprises a body of dielectric material and has a row of conductor terminals along each side of the connector. Each terminal has opposed electrical conductor portions which cut into insulation of a conductor forced between them thereby causing the conductor portions to electrically contact the conductor. The terminals in one row are interconnected through the dielectric material with terminals in the other row to enable the conductors of the two cables to be interconnected. The cross-connect connectors are mounted for convenience in a wall mounted unit which is a modular construction and is built to carry a plurality (e.g. ten) of the cross-connect connectors.
- It is usual for the cross-connect connectors to have fifty terminals along each row. The forming of the connection between conductors and terminals of each row is a time consuming operation. It is conventional practice to connect lengths of conductors to the terminals along one row before insertion of the connector into the wall mounted unit. These lengths of conductors are inserted into the terminals by a manual operation which is tedious as well as time consuming. This manual method which involves the drawing in sequence of conductors across the row of terminals and connecting them to the terminals, this requires operator attention to conductors individually.
- The present invention provides a method and apparatus for electrically connecting a group of conductors along a row of terminals which substantially increases the rate of assembly of the connectors and conductors.
- According to one aspect of the present invention, apparatus is provided for electrically connecting a group of insulated conductors to a row of terminals of a cross-connect connector comprising means for holding the connector in an assembly station, guiding and feeding means for feeding the group of conductors through the station and across the connector with the conductors aligned with associated terminals and with lengths of the conductors extending downstream along passlines from the assembly station, means in the assembly station for inserting the conductors between opposed electrically conductive portions of the terminals to enable said portions of each terminal to cut into insulation on an associated conductor and electrically contact said conductor, and severing means operable on the upstream side of the assembly station to sever said lengths of conductors which are electrically connected to the terminals from supplies of the conductors upstream from the station.
- The invention also includes a method of electrically connecting a group of insulated conductors to a row of terminals of a cross-connect connector comprising locating the connector in an assembly station; feeding a group of insulated conductors together along passlines and through the assembly station to provide lengths of the conductors extending along the passlines downstream from the assembly station while guiding the conductors so that they are aligned with terminals of the row; inserting the conductors between opposed electrically conductive portions of the terminals to enable said portions of each terminal to cut into insulation on an associated conductor and electrically contact said conductor; and severing said lengths of conductors which are electrically connected to the terminals from remainders of the conductors upstream from the station.
- One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
- Figure 1 is a plan view of a cross-connect connector;
- Figure 2 is a side elevational view of apparatus for electrically connecting a group of conductors to the cross-connect connector with frame parts of the apparatus cut away to show, in general manner, operational parts of the apparatus;
- Figure 3, on a larger scale than Figure 2, is a side view in the same direction as Figure 2 and showing a connector loading device;
- Figure 4 is a view of part of the loading device in the direction of arrow IV in Figure 3;
- Figure 5 is a view of part of the loading device taken in the direction of arrow V in Figure 2;
- Figure 6, on the same scale as Figure 3, is a view in the same direction as Figure 2, and shows means for inserting conductors into connectors in an assembly station;
- Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in Figure 2;
- Figure 8 is a view in the same direction as Figure 7 and on a larger scale to show in greater detail an insertion tool operating means of the apparatus;
- Figures 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views through the apparatus taken along lines IX-IX and X-X in Figure 8;
- Figures 11 and 12 are views similar to Figure 8 and showing stages in a conductor insertion cycle;
- Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 8 and partly in cross-section to show detail of part of the insertion means;
- Figures 14 to 17 are views similar to Figure 8 and partly in cross-section to show movement of a wire cutter during the insertion cycle;
- Figures 18 and 19 are cross-sectional views taken along lines XVIII-XVIII and XIX-XIX in Figure 13 and on a larger scale;
- Figures 20 and 21 are views in the same direction as Figure 8, on the same scale as Figure 18 and show operation of the insertion and cutting means in detail; and
- Figures 22 to 28 are diagrammatic side elevational views of main functional parts of the apparatus and showing the stages in its operation.
- As shown in Figure 1, a
cross-connect connector 10 comprises a substantiallyplanar strip 12 of dielectric material having along each edge a row ofterminals 14. In this known connector structure, each of the terminals comprises two opposed electrically conductive portions (not shown) arranged on either side of a moldedgroove 15 in an edge of thestrip 12. These conductor portions act to cut into insulating material surrounding a conductor when the conductor is forced into the groove so that the conductor portions electrically contact the conductor. - As is exemplified by the embodiment of the invention to be described, apparatus is provided for electrically connecting a group of conductors along one of the rows of
terminals 14 thereby eliminating the need for manual assembly of conductors to the connector. - The apparatus for connecting the conductors to
cross-connect connectors 10 comprises a supply for insulated conductors 16 (Figure 2) this supply comprising a plurality of storage reels (not shown) to deliver the conductors between twoguide rollers 18 which form part of a guiding and feeding means of the apparatus. From the guide rollers, theconductors 16 move along passlines and through a clamping means 20 of the guiding and feeding means, before proceeding through anassembly station 22 for conductors and connectors and then downstream from thestation 22. This downstream movement is performed by a clamping means 24 which is also part of the guiding and feeding means. The clamping means 24 is movable between upstream and downstream positions, as will be described, to move lengths of conductor downstream from thestation 22 and to hold these lengths securely in position while they are electrically connected and assembled to connectors and are severed from the supplies of conductors extending upstream from the assembly station. The apparatus also comprises a connector loading device shown generally at 26 in Figures 2 and 7. - The apparatus will now be described in greater detail. As shown by Figure 2 and in greater detail by Figure 6, the clamping means 20 lies in a fixed position upstream from the
assembly station 22. The clamping means 20 comprises astationary support block 28 which is secured to aframe 29 of the apparatus. As is clear from Figure 6 and Figure 9, clamping means 20 comprises amovable clamping member 30 havingside arms 31 each pivoted at anintermediate position 32 to thesupport block 28. Atransverse clamping bar 34 extending between thearms 31, moves up and down upon pivoting action of the clamping member about its pivotal position. Theclamping member 30 is controlled in its pivotal movement by a pneumatic operated piston andcylinder assembly 36 which is connected to an upstream end of themember 30 by an actuatingrod 38. The guiding and feeding means also comprises aconductor guide 40 disposed between the clamping means 20 and asevering means 42 for conductors. The severing means will be described below. - The
guide 40 is mounted by a slide means comprising two laterally spaced-apart guide shafts 44 which are slidably received within the block 28 (Figures 6 and 9). Acompression spring 46, engaging the upstream end of eachshaft 44 within theblock 28, is held between its associatedshaft 44 and anabutment member 48 which extends laterally across the passlines slightly upstream from theblock 28. Thesprings 46 form a spring biasing means to urge the conductor guide into a normal or downstream position shown in full outline in Figure 6 in which it lies closely adjacent to, but slightly upstream from, the assembly station. The conductor guide is movable from its normal position and against the springs to a retracted or upstream position shown in chain-dotted outline also in Figure 6.Conductor guide 40 has upwardly extendingprojections 50 which act as guides for the passage of the conductors between the projections and hold the conductors in their spaced-apart relationship. - The clamping means 24 (Figure 2) has two mutually
opposed clamping jaws 52 which are movable together in opening or closing directions. These jaws and their means of operation may be of any suitable construction. For instance, the jaws may be of an articulated structure operated from a single pneumatic operated cylinder (not shown) or each jaw, as shown in Figure 2, may be moved by means of its own piston andcylinder assembly 54. Clampingjaws 52 and theirassemblies 54 are mounted upon asupport structure 56 which is slidably mounted upon twoguide shafts 58 extending in the direction of the feedpaths of the conductors. Thesupport structure 56 is movable along theguide shafts 58 by any suitable means, for instance by a piston andcylinder assembly 60 which is secured to the frame of the apparatus. Movement of thesupport structure 56 carries the clamping means 24 between a downstream position as shown in Figure 2 and an upstream position as will be discussed. The downstream position is sufficiently far downstream from the assembly station to provide the required conductor lengths to be assembled to the connectors. The upstream position is upstream of theassembly station 22 and during movement into this position, the clamping jaws cooperate with theconductor guide 40 to urge it into its retracted position as will now be described. The various piston and cylinder assemblies which have been and are to be discussed operate in a certain rigid sequence, controlled electrically by microprocessor, to cause the apparatus to operate in the required fashion. The operation of the guiding and feeding means will now be discussed before describing the other operational parts of the apparatus. - At commencement of operation of the guiding and feeding means for connecting the conductors to a connector, the clamping means 20 is in its clamping position as shown in Figures 2 and 22 with the
clamping bar 34 gripping theconductors 16. Also, the clamping means 24 is in the downstream position with thejaws 52 open as shown particularly by Figure 22 with theconductor guide 40 lying in its normal full outline position as in Figure 6. The normal position ofguide 40 is also shown by Figure 22. The clamping means 24 is operated to move thejaws 52 towards the upstream position and as the jaws approach the upstream position they engage the opposing face of theguide 40 and move the guide to its retracted position as shown in chain-dotted outline in Figure 6. The piston andcylinder assemblies 54 are then operated to close thejaws 52. This position of the guiding and feeding means is shown in Figure 24. The piston andcylinder assembly 36 is then operated to raise theclamp bar 34 after which theclosed jaws 52 are returned downstream to their downstream position (Figure 25). This also allows theconductor guide 40 to return to its normal position. Before return of the clampingjaws 52 to their upstream positions, the clamping means 20 is returned to its closed condition and thejaws 52 are again opened thus giving the position shown in Figure 22. - The
connector loading device 26 which is shown in Figures 2 and 7 is more clearly shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. The loading device comprises a means for holding a connector in the assembly station and for moving it between the assembly station and a withdrawn position. The connector holding means comprises a substantiallyU-shaped support 62 which, as shown in the Figures, comprises abase 64 for supporting one edge of a connector. Thesupport 62 also has twovertical sides 66 for slidably contacting the side surfaces of the connector with the general plane of the connector extending vertically to provide one of the rows of terminals facing upwardly from and beyond thesupport 62. The location of thesupport 62 in the assembly station is as shown for instance in Figures 2, 6 and 26 to 28. The withdrawn position is shown for instance in Figures 3, 4 and 22 to 25. - The connector loading device includes a connector stacking means 68 (see Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7). This stacking means is a vertical column which enables a plurality of connectors to be stacked one above another with the connectors lying in substantially horizontal planes, i.e. at right angles to the position they assume when in the
support 62. A delivery means for the connectors to move them in succession from the vertical stacking column into thesupport 62 is shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. This delivery means comprises apush rod 70 operated by a piston andcylinder 72 to urge the lowest connector in the vertical stacking column outwards from the column and into asupport 74 of similar structure to thesupport 62. Thesupport 74 is mounted on anarm 76 with the support and arm pivoted aboutaxis 78. A piston andcylinder assembly 82 attached to the arm, controls pivotal movement of the support and arm aboutaxis 78. The sequence of operation for delivery of connectors into thesupport 62 only commences when the support lies in the withdrawn position. With thesupport 74 lying in the horizontal position indicated by Figure 3, thepush rod 70 is moved towards the left to force the lowest connector from the stackingcolumn 68 and into thesupport 74. This support is then pivoted into a vertical position (shown with thearm 76 in chain-dotted outline in Figure 3) by operation of the piston andcylinder assembly 82. In this position, the support 74 (shown in full outline in Figure 5) is aligned with anintermediate support 84 which lies between thesupport 74 and thesupport 62. Aconnector 10 held in thesupport 74 is moved by operation of afurther push rod 86 into thesupport 84, and under control of a piston andcylinder assembly 88. This movement causes a preceding connector as will be described, to be moved from thesupport 84 intosupport 62. As shown by Figure 4, atray 90 at the side of the apparatus is provided for collecting connector and conductor assemblies. - The connector loading device also comprises means for moving the
support 62 between the assembly station and its withdrawn position. This moving means comprises a piston and cylinder assembly 90 (Figure 7) which is disposed beneath ahorizontal carrier 92 for thesupport 62 and moves thecarrier 92 along horizontally spaced and vertically disposedmain guide shafts 94 of the apparatus. These main guide shafts are securely mounted into the frame of the apparatus and are held for instance by an upperhorizontal frame member 96 which in turn is carried by vertical frame members 98 (Figure 2). - In the assembly station is disposed a means for inserting the conductors between opposed electrically conductive portions of the terminals thereby permitting electrical contact with the conductors. In this station the severing means 42 is provided to sever lengths of the conductors extending downstream from the assembly station from supplies of conductors extending upstream from the assembly station. The insertion and severing means jointly comprise a main horizontal support 100 (see Figures 8 to 12 and 19). This support has two depending
short sections 102 by which it is slidably carried upon themain guide shafts 94. Extending between and across thesupport sections 102 is aninsertion tool carrier 104. The insertion tool carrier comprises two parts, namely a C-shapedupstream part 106 and a downstream part or cover plate 108 (see Figures 6, 18 and 19). A plurality ofconductor insertion tools 110 are carried by the insertion tool carrier. Eachinsertion tool 110 has ashaft 112 of rectangular section and at its lower end, each insertion tool has the conventional structure 114 (see particularly Figure 19) for inserting conductors into the terminals of a cross-connect connector. As shown by the Figures (see also Figures 8, 11, 12, 19, 20 and 21) the insertion tools are located in side-by-side relationship with theshafts 112 slidable upon each other and guided between the C-shapedpart 106 andcover plate 108 of thecarrier 104. To allow for the insertion of thetools 110, thecover plate 108 is provided with arelieved section 116 along the part of its length corresponding to the positions of the tools 110 (see Figure 19). Thecarrier 104 is mounted by means of the C-shapedsection 106 within two reverse C-shaped housings 117 (Figure 6) which are screwed respectively, one to each of thesupport sections 102 as shown also by Figure 8 onwards. For reasons to be discussed below, the C-shapedpart 106 is slidable within thehousings 117. Thehorizontal support 100 is vertically movable between the assembly station, for instance as shown in Figure 8, and a withdrawn position vertically above it, for instance as shown in Figures 22 to 25. This movement, which is along themain guide shafts 94, is effected by acontrol rod 118 operated by a piston andcylinder assembly 120 vertically mounted upon thehorizontal frame member 96. - An insertion tool operating means is provided for causing sliding movement of the tools towards and away from the connector holding means, i.e.
support 62, the movement being in sequence along the tools from end-to-end of the tool assembly. This operating means comprises an operatingshaft 122 which is slidably received within the C-shapedsection 106 and is held in place by the cover plate 118 (see Figures 6, 18 and 19). Theshaft 122 is movable by a horizontally disposed piston andcylinder assembly 124 secured to the mainhorizontal support 100. Apiston rod 126 of theassembly 124 is connected to one end of theshaft 122 over which it extends, by a connectingblock 128, for instance as shown in Figure 8. The operatingshaft 122 and thetools 110 are operably connected together by a cam and cam follower means to effect the vertical sliding movement of the insertion tools. The cam and cam follower means comprises a cam slot 130 (see Figures 13, 18 and 19) which extends longitudinally of the operatingshaft 122 except for a longitudinally short outward and return section 132 (Figure 13) of the slot and which extends downwards and laterally of theslot 130 for a short distance. In respect of each of theinsertion tools 110, the cam and cam follower means also comprises a rotatable cam follower roller 134 (Figure 19) which is rotatably mounted upon one side of each of theshafts 112 so as to lie within theslot 130 in engagement with both of its side surfaces during movement of the operating shaft in either direction. As can be seen, movement of the operatingshaft 122 in either horizontal direction by means of the piston andcylinder assembly 124 causes therollers 134, in turn, to move along the outward and returnsection 132 of theslot 130. Such movement as is indicated by Figures 13, 20 and 21, effect the downward movement of the insertion tools towards thesupport 62, followed by the return or upward movement. - As may be seen from inspection of the various Figures, the
insertion structures 114 of theinsertion tools 110 are positioned a distance apart which is exactly double that of the distance apart of the terminals along a row of terminals of a connector. The reason for this is that the terminals are so close together that no practical way has yet been found of assembling and designing thestructures 114 with their distances apart equaling that of the distances apart of the terminals while still being able to operate the insertion tools properly during the insertion procedure. Hence, each movement of the operatingshaft 122 in operating theinsertion tools 110 will only urge those tools into engagement with alternate conductors of a group extending across the terminals. Thus the remainder of the conductors are not connected to the terminals during one direction of movement of the operatingshaft 122. To overcome this problem, a tool position shift means 136 (see Figure 8) is provided to move thetool insertion carrier 104 within thehousings 117 for a distance equal to the distance apart of the terminals in the row on a connector. Hence one direction of movement of the operatingshaft 122 will connect alternate conductors of the group along the row of terminals, as has just been indicated, while the return movement of the operating shaft will connect the remaining terminals as will now be described. - The tool position shift means 136 comprises a thrust means in the form of an
inclined rib 138 having parallel side surfaces 140 (Figure 8), the rib extending outwardly from anelongate plate 142. Theplate 142 extends downwardly of one of thesupport sections 102 and lies between that section and the C-shapedsection 106 of thetool carrier 104. To allow for this positioning of the plate, thesection 106 is provided with a complementary groove 144 (see Figure 10) with therib 138 extending completely along the groove from one end to the other. The rib is received with itsside surfaces 140 in sliding and continuous engagement with the side surfaces of the groove as shown by Figure 10. Vertical movement of theplate 142 will cause therib 138 to translate that movement into a horizontal movement of the C-shapedsection 106 and thecover plate 108 in the appropriate direction while theshaft 122 will remain stationary. Theplate 142 is movable in the vertical direction by operating means which is a piston andcylinder assembly 146 which is secured in a vertical position to the upper side of the mainhorizontal support 100. To control the horizontal movement in either direction of thetool carrier 40, thecover plate 108 is flanked at each end with anabutment plate 148. Eachabutment plate 148 has a verticalend abutment surface 150 for engagement with anadjacent housing 117 upon movement of the tool carrier in the appropriate direction. The degree of movement permitted is of course that required to move the tool carrier together with theinsertion tools 110 for a distance corresponding to half the distance between corresponding locations on adjacent tools. In other words, the degree of movement in either direction is half the distance betweenadjacent structures 114 of the tools. - Operation of the piston and
cylinder assemblies insertion tools 110. At commencement of an insertion operation, theplate 142 lies at its downward position (Figure 8) so that therib 138 has moved theinsertion tool carrier 104 towards the right whereby theabutment 150 ofplate 148 on the right-hand side abuts thehousing 117 at that side. In this position, the operatingshaft 122 lies towards its right-hand extreme limit shown by Figure 8 with the outward and returnsection 132 ofslot 130 lying to the right-hand side of the group of insertion tools 110 (thesection 132 of the slot is shown in Figure 8). Theassembly 124 is then operated to move the operatingshaft 122 towards the left. This movement causes the first of theinsertion structures 114 to insert aconductor 16 into the first terminal at the right-hand end of the row of terminals on aconnector 10 in the assembly station. This is shown by Figure 8. Continued movement of theshaft 122 in the same direction then connects the alternate conductors to the appropriate terminals whereby conductors are connected to the odd numbered terminals counted from the right-hand side. Thus as can be seen by viewing the right-hand end of Figure 8, and also Figure 20, the extreme left-hand structure 114 is aligned with the conductor for the forty-ninth terminal and will proceed to insert the conductor in that terminal when theinsertion tool 110 is moved downwards by itsfollower roller 134 proceeding along thesection 132 of theslot 130. - Upon the
shaft 122 reaching the extreme of movement on the left-hand side, theassembly 146 operates to raise theplate 142. The difference in the plate positions is seen by comparing Figure 8 with Figure 12. This movement takes place until theabutment surface 150 of the left-handside abutment plate 148 contacts its associatedhousing 117. The positional difference of the abutment plates which indicates the sideways shift of thecarrier 104 may also be seen by comparing Figure 8 with Figure 12. This lateral movement of thetool carrier 104 causes thetools 110 and thus thestructures 114 to move by a spacing equivalent to the distance apart of the row of terminals in the connector. Hence instead of the left-hand structure being aligned with terminal forty-nine as shown in Figure 8 (as measured from the right-hand side of the connector 10), thisstructure 114 is now aligned with the fiftieth or left-hand end terminal as shown by Figure 12. This is also clear from a comparison of Figures 20 and 21. Of course theother structures 114 have also moved by one terminal spacing towards the left in conjunction with the movement of the left-hand structure 114. It follows that upon return movement of the operatingshaft 122 towards the right by operation of theassembly 124, then thestructures 114 move downwardly to insert the conductors into the even numbered terminals as measured from the right-hand side of the connector and commences with the fiftieth terminal which is on the left-hand end. The conductors which were not inserted into the terminals during the movement to the left of the operating shaft, are now being connected into the terminals. - The severing means 42 is of such a construction as to enable it to be moved between a cutting position and a non-cutting position. As shown for instance by Figures 8, 12, 18 and 19, the severing means comprises a
cutting blade 152 which is secured to anarm 154 and the arm is pivoted at one end, i.e. the right-hand end in the Figures, to the lower end of a downwardsprojection 156 of the operatingshaft 122. This pivotal connection is shown in detail in Figure 19. Thus as the operatingshaft 122 moves horizontally, it carries thearm 154 andblade 152 with it. The position of theblade 152 is such that its cutting edge is always slightly to the left of the mid position of thereturn section 132 of the slot 130 (see Figures 8 and 13) to enable theinsertion tools 110 to insert conductors before a cutting stroke takes place, as will be described. - Means is provided to move the cutting blade into and out of its cutting position and to hold it both in the cutting position and in the non-cutting position, this moving means comprises a cam and cam follower means which is illustrated in Figures 14 to 17. As shown in those Figures, a
cam slot 158 is formed in the inwardly facing surface of the base of the C-shapedsection 106 of the insertion tool carrier. This slot has two parallelhorizontal sections section 106 to accommodate the horizontal movement of the blade upon operation of theshaft 122 while also controlling the position of the blade. Acam follower roller 164 is received in the cam slot and is rotatably mounted upon acam follower arm 166 the lower end of which is secured to the left-hand end of the arm 154 (Figures 12 and 18). Thearm 166 is vertically movable in aslot 167 formed in the shaft 122 (Figure 18). It follows that when theroller 164 lies in theupper slot section 160, then thearm 154 is held in an upward pivoted position (for instance as shown in Figure 14) so that thecutting blade 152 lies in a non-cutting position which is disposed above the terminals in a connector. This relationship of the cutting blade to the terminals is illustrated in Figure 20. On the other hand with theroller 164 lying in thelower section 162, the cutting blade is in its cutting position with thearm 154 pivoted downwards (for instance as shown in Figure 16). In this position, as shown by Figure 21, the cutting blade extends across the line of the terminals so as to perform a cutting operation as the cutting blade is moved from left to right in the drawings. - The two
slot sections inclined slot portions slot 168 into thesection 162 and also at the entrance of theslot portion 170 into thesection 160. Each non-return device comprises agate 172 which is pivoted at one end and normally lies in a position as shown by Figure 14 in which the gate does not obstruct either of thesections slot portion roller 164 moving along aslot portion slot section 160 has ashort end section 174 which extends to the right slightly beyond thegate 172 to accommodate theroller 164 and allow for return of thegate 172 into its closed position. Similarly theslot section 162 has anend section 176 at its left-hand end which is in corresponding relationship to the associatedgate 172. - The complete operation of the severing means is as follows. With the operating
shaft 122 at its right-hand end of movement as shown in Figure 8, thearm 154 lies in its upward pivoted position with the blade in its non-cutting position. This corresponds to the position of the severing means in Figure 14 with theroller 164 at the right-hand end of theslot section 160 and lying in theend section 174. As theshaft 122 moves towards the left it causes the severing means to move along theslot section 160, because of the drive imparted to it by its connection to theprojection 156 on the operating shaft. As the right-hand gate 172 is in its closed position, theroller 164 will roll over the gate and proceed along theslot section 160 without difficulty. When theroller 164 reaches the left-hand end ofslot section 160, it proceeds to move along theslot portion 168 and, upon contact with thegate 172 at that end, forces the gate open as shown in Figure 15. Further movement of theshaft 122 then carries the severing means to its left-hand limit with theroller 164 lying in theslot end section 176. As the roller is now disengaged from theadjacent gate 172, this gate is allowed to return to its closed position as shown in Figure 16. In this position of theroller 164, thearm 154 has been pivoted downwards so that the blade lies in its cutting position. The operatingshaft 122 then proceeds towards the right-hand side on its return movement. This is accompanied by movement of theroller 164 along slot section 162 (see chain-dotted outline in Figure 16) to cause a cutting movement of the cutting blade across the terminals of the connector. Upon reaching the right-hand end of thesection 162, the roller moves up theinclined slot portion 170 and forces open the adjacent gate 172 (Figure 17) thereby returning to its position as shown in Figure 14. In this position, thegate 172 is allowed to close and the cutter has completed one cycle. - The complete operation of the machine is as follows.
- At the end of one operation,
conductor lengths 178 have been connected at their upstream ends into terminals of aconnector 10 held byholder 62. At this stage as shown in Figure 22, the connector and conductor assembly lie in the withdrawn position with thesupport 62 withdrawn downwardly from the assembly station. Also in this position, theconductor guide 40 lies in its normal or downstream position adjacent the assembly station with ends of theconductors 16 from the conductor supplies extending betweenguide projections 50. The clamping means 20 is closed and the clamping means 24 is open to allow the gripped downstream ends ofconductor lengths 178 to move out of thejaws 52 during movement of the holder into the withdrawn position. Thehorizontal support 100 carrying the insertion tools and severing means is in its withdrawn or upper position. - To commence a new cycle for inserting a succeeding connector into the assembly station for inserting conductors into it, the
connector loading device 26 is then actuated. Thepush rod 70 moves towards the left (Figure 3) to urge the lowermost connector in the stackingcolumn 68 into thesupport 74 which lies in a horizontal position as shown in Figure 3. Theassembly 82 is then operated to swing thesupport 74 into the vertical position, as has been described and this movement is followed by operation of the push rod 86 (Figure 5) to urge the connector in thesupport 74 across and into theintermediate support 84. This movement causes the connector moving into thesupport 84 to push a precedingconnector 10 lying on that support into thesupport 62 thereby pushing the previous connector with theconductors 178 attached out from thesupport 62 and into the collection tray 91. The connector and conductor assembly being removed is shown with the connector in chain-dotted outline in Figure 4. Thesupport 74 is then returned into its horizontal position shown in Figure 3. After removal of the finished connector and conductor assembly and insertion of theconnector 10 fromsupport 84 intosupport 62, the situation is as shown in Figure 23. - The guiding and feeding means then operate. The
open jaws 52 are moved upstream, as has previously been described, to their upstream position and during this movement urge theguide 40 into its retracted position. This is as shown in Figure 24. This movement of theguide 40 causes the leading ends of theconductors 16 to extend further from the guide thereby enabling these leading ends to be gripped tightly by thejaws 52 when the jaws close as shown in Figure 24. Movement of the conductors up to this stage is prevented because the clamping means 20 is closed. The clamping means 20 is then opened thereby releasing the conductors following which the clamping means 24 is returned to its downstream position, as shown in Figure 25, thereby drawing the conductors downstream to providenew lengths 178 of conductor extending from theguide 40 to the clamping means 24. Downstream movement of clamping means 24 allows the guide to return to its normal position. Clamping means 20 is then closed so that the conductors are gripped by both clamping means. - The
horizontal support 100 is then lowered to bring theinsertion tools 110 into the operating or lower position together with the severing means. Also, thesupport 62 is raised into the assembly station. This is the position of the apparatus shown in Figure 8 with the insertion tools disposed slightly above the upper terminals of the connector held in the assembly station. In this position, the insertion tool carrier lies towards its right-hand side with theabutment surface 150 of the right-hand abutment plate 148 abutting theadjacent housing 117. Hence the insertion tools are aligned with the odd numbered terminals commencing from the right-hand side in Figure 8. - With the clamping means 20 in the closed position and with the parts of the apparatus in the position shown in Figure 27, the insertion of the upstream ends of the
conductor lengths 178 into the row of terminals and the severing operation then commences. Movement of the operatingshaft 122 causes theinsertion tools 110 to move downwardly in sequence as described by virtue of the reception of thecam follower rollers 134 in thecam slot 130. Simultaneously with this, the operatingshaft 122 moves thesevering blade 152 across and above the row of terminals, i.e. in its non-cutting position, by the reception of theroller 164 in theslot section 160. As shown by Figure 20, the odd numberedconductor lengths 178 are moved into the terminal while the even numbered conductors are not affected by the right to left movement of theshaft 122. As described above theroller 164 then moves downwardly into theslot end section 176 to drop the cutting blade into its cutting position. This is the position of the apparatus shown by Figure 11. At this stage, theshaft 122 has moved to the limit in the left direction of movement. Theplate 142 is then raised from the position shown in Figure 11 to that of Figure 12 which immediately causes thetool carrier 104 to move towards the left until theabutment surface 150 of the leftside abutment plate 148 contacts the associatedhousing 117. This position is shown by Figure 12 in which the insertion tools have also been moved towards the left so that they are then aligned vertically above the even numbered terminals as counted from the right-hand end. A comparison of Figures 11 and 12 and Figures 20 and 21 will show these differences. Theshaft 122 then moves towards the right so that the conductors which have not been connected to the terminals on the previous shaft movement are now forced into their associated terminals. As shown by Figure 21, the position of thecam slot 130 is such that atool 110 is shown at its lowest position inserting two conductors into evenly numbered terminals whereas an immediately adjacent right-hand tool 110 is just commencing its insertion stroke and can be seen commencing to force two conductors into the terminals. As theshaft 122 proceeds to the right thecutting blade 152 trails slightly behind the vertical movement of theinsertion tools 110 on the return stroke of the shaft. Thus, upon the cutting blade reaching each particular conductor, that conductor is already lying firmly held within its particular terminal and the cutter severs each length ofconductor 178 from thesupply conductors 16. The connector held in theholder 62 then has all its conductor lengths assembled to it. Upon theshaft 122 reaching its right-hand position illustrated by Figure 8, i.e. after its return stroke, then theassembly 146 is operated to move theplate 142 downwards to return thecarrier 104 to the initial position towards the right as shown in Figure 8. This is preparatory to insertion of conductors into the next succeeding connector which is to be inserted into thesupport 62. - The piston and
cylinder assembly 90 then operates to return thesupport 62 to its withdrawn position so as to complete the cycle. The whole cycle is then repeated to assemble conductors into a succeeding connector and the just completed assembly is ejected into the tray 91. - It should be realized that the steps discussed above may in some cases not be followed rigidly in the order which has been discussed as some change in parts of the procedure may be effected without changing the eventual product. For instance, the
support 62 may be located in the assembly station either at the same time as or in sequence with the movement of the mainhorizontal support 100 to perform the insertion operation. Obviously, to perform the whole operation in the quickest time, it is preferable to move both of thesupports insertion tool carrier 104 towards the right may take place either as described or at some other time while ensuring that the insertion tool carrier is in the correct position when required for the next succeeding insertion operation. - The use of the apparatus and method according to the invention substantially increases the quantities of assembled conductors and connectors for a given time. For instance, when performed manually it has been shown that about one hundred connectors may be connected to fifty conductor lengths in a two workday period by one operator. With the machine according to the invention it is possible to connect conductors to at least 1500 connectors during the same period.
Claims (15)
locating the connector in an assembly station;
feeding the group of insulated conductors (19) together along passlines and through the assembly station to provide lengths (178) of the conductors extending along the passlines downstream from the assembly station while guiding the conductors so that they align with terminals of the row;
inserting the conductors between opposed electrically conductive portions of the terminals to enable said portions of each terminal to cut into insulation on an associated conductor and electrically contact said conductor; and
severing said lengths of conductors which are electrically connected to the terminals from conductor supplies upstream from the station.
gripping the group of conductors on the upstream side of the assembly station while holding a guide (40) upstream from and adjacent the assembly station to guide leading ends of the conductors of the group along their passlines;
gripping the leading ends of the conductors and drawing them along their passlines to provide said conductor lengths (178); and
after location of the connector in the assembly station, continuing to grip the leading ends of the conductors and the supply of conductors on the upstream side of the assembly station during conductor insertion into the terminals and also during the severing operation.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CA494978 | 1985-11-08 | ||
CA494978 | 1985-11-08 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0223330A2 true EP0223330A2 (en) | 1987-05-27 |
EP0223330A3 EP0223330A3 (en) | 1989-02-08 |
Family
ID=4131845
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP86305858A Withdrawn EP0223330A3 (en) | 1985-11-08 | 1986-07-30 | Connecting conductors to terminals of a cross-connect connector for communication lines |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0223330A3 (en) |
JP (1) | JPS62113375A (en) |
AU (1) | AU6074586A (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0785599A1 (en) * | 1995-07-10 | 1997-07-23 | Kodera Electronics Co., Ltd. | Device for inserting wire to be worked |
US6170152B1 (en) * | 1996-09-27 | 2001-01-09 | Harness System Technologies Research, Ltd. | Apparatus for making a wire harness |
CN113948941A (en) * | 2021-10-25 | 2022-01-18 | 温州圣彼得电子科技有限公司 | Earphone socket assembling equipment |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CA1252613A (en) * | 1985-11-08 | 1989-04-18 | Alex G. Cristescu | Connecting conductors to terminals of a cross-connect connector for communication lines |
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US3872584A (en) * | 1974-02-27 | 1975-03-25 | Amp Inc | Method and apparatus for processing a plurality of wire leads |
US4370806A (en) * | 1979-02-16 | 1983-02-01 | Molex Incorporated | Electrical harness fabrication apparatus |
-
1986
- 1986-07-30 EP EP86305858A patent/EP0223330A3/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1986-07-31 AU AU60745/86A patent/AU6074586A/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1986-10-30 JP JP25713286A patent/JPS62113375A/en active Pending
Patent Citations (2)
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US3872584A (en) * | 1974-02-27 | 1975-03-25 | Amp Inc | Method and apparatus for processing a plurality of wire leads |
US4370806A (en) * | 1979-02-16 | 1983-02-01 | Molex Incorporated | Electrical harness fabrication apparatus |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0785599A1 (en) * | 1995-07-10 | 1997-07-23 | Kodera Electronics Co., Ltd. | Device for inserting wire to be worked |
EP0785599A4 (en) * | 1995-07-10 | 1998-03-04 | Kodera Electronics Co Ltd | Device for inserting wire to be worked |
US6038763A (en) * | 1995-07-10 | 2000-03-21 | Kodera Electronics Co.,. Ltd. | Processed wire connecting apparatus |
US6170152B1 (en) * | 1996-09-27 | 2001-01-09 | Harness System Technologies Research, Ltd. | Apparatus for making a wire harness |
CN113948941A (en) * | 2021-10-25 | 2022-01-18 | 温州圣彼得电子科技有限公司 | Earphone socket assembling equipment |
CN113948941B (en) * | 2021-10-25 | 2022-05-10 | 温州圣彼得电子科技有限公司 | Earphone socket assembling equipment |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
AU6074586A (en) | 1987-05-14 |
JPS62113375A (en) | 1987-05-25 |
EP0223330A3 (en) | 1989-02-08 |
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