EP0358218B1

EP0358218B1 - A crimp terminal

Info

Publication number: EP0358218B1
Application number: EP89116571A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Nori Inoue
Original assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd
Current assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd
Priority date: 1988-09-08
Filing date: 1989-09-07
Publication date: 1996-01-31
Anticipated expiration: 2009-09-07
Also published as: KR930000502Y1; EP0358218A2; DE68925550T2; DE68925550D1; CN2054213U; EP0358218A3; MY104198A; JPH088554Y2; JPH0239489U

Description

An apparatus and a method for crimping terminals are shown in US-A-3,969,806.
According to this reference, there are provided a movable head, a pair of a matable anvil and a crimping anvil, and a feed blade which can be moved rewardly along a terminal strip carrier portion.
In the upstroke of the head, a carriage block moves into engagement with a stop screw, and the feed blade is engaged with an aperture in the teminal strip carrier portion in order to move terminal to a crimping position.
An operator initially sets the stop which determes the position of the feed blade at the extreme of its forward movement toward the crimping means and then the blade is at the standardized distance from the anvil of the crimping means.
The feed blade travels to a distance greater than the spacing between the terminals of any strip to be applied and less than twice the spacing ( 2×Sm ) between the terminals of that strip which comprises the smallest spacing (Sm) of all terminals to be used; thus, the stop screw and the guide element become readily adjustable to obtain an accurate feed of the terminal strip.
From US-A-3 420 087 there are known an electrical connector means and a manufacturing method. The preferred mode of manufacturing includes an automatic operation wherein a series of die stations are arranged to be driven in a step-by-step fashion in order to perform shearing-punching, coining, extruding and shearing operations of a continuously fed strip or joined connector members. The stations are fixed and a sheet and the progression thereof are moved by carrier driven by pin members adapted to engage pilot holes punched therein prior to the first station.
US-A-3 969 806 discloses an apparatus and a method for crimping electrical terminals. The crimping terminals are arranged on a strip and are fed to a crimping position by means of a feed blade engaging one of a plurality of feed apertures formed in the strip. Different terminal strips with different spacing between the terminals which, however, have a standardized distance from an aperture to a terminal, can be processed by providing an adjustment in the apparatus, namely the stop which determines the position of the feed blade at the extreme of its forward movement towards the crimping means. In order to stop the forward movement of the strip at a predetermined distance from the crimping means, an adjustment of the stop is provided which determines the position of the feed blade at the extreme of its forward movement towards the crimping means.
Structural features of crimp terminals in a strip form (10),(10′) are illustrated in Fig.5 and Fig.6. As shown in the figures, there are various kinds of crimp terminals with different spacings on the same side of terminal carriers (11).
Round holes (2) are called "pilot holes" and they are located on crossing points of the longitudinal axis of each terminal and the (longitudinal) center line of a corresponding terminal carrier. There are further provided square "carrying apertures" (12) along the center line which are usually located in the middle of two adjacent pilot holes.
The spacing of the pilot holes (2) and that of the square "carrying holes" (12) are respectively standardized.
A crimping apparatus for making an electrical contact between an insulated conductor and electrical terminal by crimping, as it is used by applicants, is illustrated in Fig.7.
In a conventional crimping method, a strip of terminals is fed automatically on the surface of an anvil (4b) by means of a feed blade (5) from left to right, wherin the conductor holding portion (14) of the crimp teriminal (13) faces a crimp die (4a).
The free end portion of the feed blade (5) is engaged with the square carrying aperture (12) in the terminal carrier (11). Another end portion of the feed blade is linked to a movable arm (6) and is pulled rearwardly, thereby preventing forward movement by a spring (7) during the engagement of the free end portion of the feed blade (5) with the pilot hole (2) or the carrying aperture (12).
As mentioned before, the spacing between adjacent pilot holes or adjacent carrying apertures is variable, depending on the respective type of the crimp terminals and it becomes, therefore, necessary for an operator to set carefully the moving distance of the free end portion of the feed blade (5) by adjusting both the blade length adjuster (9) and a drive cam pitch controller (8) which determines the stroke D and the frequency of the moving arm (6).
It is the object of the present invention to improve a feeding method according to the preamble of claim 1 in such a way that an adjustment of the feeding stroke is not necessary.
This object is solved by the advantageous measures indicated in the characterizing part of claim 1.
The invention now will be described in more detail with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.1 is a schematic front view of crimp terminals in a strip form with a spacing A;
Fig.2 is a plan view of the crimp terminals with the spacing A;
Fig.3 is a schematic front view of crimp terminals with a spacing B;
Fig.4 is a plan view of the crimp terminals with the spacing B;
Fig.5 and Fig.6 are plan views of conventional crimp terminals with different spacings; and
Fig.7 illustrates the terminal carrier portion of a conventional crimping apparatus.

In a crimping apparatus (1) shown in Fig.7, a strip terminal (10) is supplied by an automatic feeding mechanism consisting of a moving arm (6) and a feed blade (5).
A piece of insulation wire is crimped at the holding portion (14) of the crimp terminal (13) when a crimp die (4a) descends until it does contact the upper surface of an anvil (4b). The moving arm (6) waves in a clockwise direction, as indicated by a line J. A spring (7) pulls the feed blade rearwardly and the top free end of the feed blade (5) will become engaged with adjacent perforations placed in the terminal carrier (11).
The crimp die (4a) moves upwardly and the moving arm (6) moves the strip terminal in such a way that another terminal is accurately fed to the new crimping position. It has been a usual practice for the operator to make a precise adjustment of the terminal position by using a cam-pitch controller (8) and a blade length adjuster (9).
According to the teaching of the present invention, the strocke D of the feed blade (5) is kept unchanged even if the respective size, number and spacing of the carrying apertures (22)(32) varies from a terminal strip (20) to another strip (30).
Therefore, a single one crimping apparatus is able to crimp electrical terminals having different spacings without making an adjustment of the stroke of the feed blade.
Specific means and design concepts to accomplish the object of the present invention will now be disclosed in detail.

(1) Spacing between adjacent terminals:

When Spacing A and Spacing B represents the distance between adjacent terminals, in the two strip terminals (20) and (30) their relationship is expressed as follows: $A < B$
$A < B < 2A$
The carrying apertures (22), (32) shall be located, on their terminal carrier portions (21)and (31) respectively, at point F which is commonly apart a distance C from a position E where the crimping operation is carried out.
The carrying apertures (22), (32) shall be positioned on their carrier portions (21), (31) respectively, at the same distance C measured from the crimping position, (refer to Fig.1 and Fig.2)

(2) Moving stroke D of the feed blade:

The moving stroke D of the feed blade is determined within the range defined by the following equation: $B ≦ D < 2A$
When once determined, the same moving stroke D is maintained regardless of a difference between the terminal spacings. (refer to Fig.1 and Fig.3)
The crimping method according to the present invention will now be described in detail by referring to the drawings.
The strip terminal (20) has a plurality of crimp terminals (23) [(23a),(23b) and others] aligned side by side with a spacing A and arranged on a terminal carrier (21) having carring apertures (22) [(22a),(22b) and others] which are positioned in a ritual distance A which is taken from the longitudinal axis (25) of the crimp terminals (23) (Fig.2). The longitudinal axis (25) of the crimp terminal (23a) is in a matching position E with that of the crimp die (1) (Fig.7).
The front edges (right side edges) of the carrying aperture (22a) and (22b) are located in positions which are shown in Fig.1 and Fig.2, where the distance from the crimping position E to the front edge F (right side edge) of the carrying aperture (22a) is C and wherein that carrying aperture (22b), at which the feed blade is to be mated in order to carry the terminal (23b) to the crimp position E, is located in a position which is also apart a distance C from the longitudinal axis (25) of the terminal (23a).
Now the movement of the strip terminal (20) during the crimping operation is described by referring to Fig.1 and Fig.3. The feed blade (5a) remains in the stationary position F until the crimping of an insulated conductor to a holding position (24a) of the crimp terminal (23a) is completed at position E.
After the crimping has been completed, the feed blade (5) is pulled back by the spring (7) along the terminal carrier (21) towards the position G which is apart a distance D from the stationary position F.
The feed blade (5) is then moved in the direction I until it mates with another carrying aperture (22b) and continues to move until the feed blade (5) comes again to the stationary position F. In the above described example, as shown in Fig.1 and Fig.2, the strocke D of the feed blade (5) is larger than the spacing A between the adjacent carrying apertures (22a), (22b).
Another strip terminal (31) having a similar configuration, but with a different locational relationship, is illustrated in Fig.3 and Fig.4, where the spacing between adjacent crimp terminals (33) is B which is larger than A in the preceeding example, and is less than 2A. In this example, the distance between the front edge (right side edge) of the carrying aperture (32) and the longitudinal axis of the adjacent preceeding crimp terminal (33) is B', the carrying aperture (32a) is apart a distance C from the crimp position E, and the stroke D of the feed blade (5) is equal to the spacing between adjacent carrying apertures (32a), (32b).
As shown in Fig.3, the feed blade has mated with the next aperture when it returns to position G by means of spring (7); then the movement towards the direction I is started at once.
In the first example the strip terminal (20) shown in Fig.2 has a standardized spacing A between adjacent crimp terminals such as (23a) (23b) and the carrying aperture (22) is located on the terminal carrier (21) in a position which is apart a distance A' from the longitudinal axis of the crimp terminal (23).
The second example comprises the strip terminal (30) shown in Fig.4 where the spacing between (33a)(33b) is B and the carrying aperture (32) is in a position having a distance B' from the longitudinal axis of the crimp terminal (33).
Even when the respective structure of the two strip terminals is different in terms of (a) the spacing of the crimp terminals and (b) the position of the carrying apertures, they are both applicable to the common crimping appratus (1) without any need to adjust the stroke D of the feed blade (5) if both the distance between the longitudinal axes (25), (35) of the terminals (20), (30) and the carrying apertures (22), (23) on corresponding terminal carriers (21), (31) are equal to C, where C is the distance between the crimping position E and the stationary position F of the feed blade (5) of the crimping apparatus (1) to be used.

NUMERALS

1.: crimping apparatus
2.: pilot hole
4a.: crimp die
4b.: anvil
5.: feed blade
6.: moving arm
7.: spring
8.: cam-pitch controller
9.: blade length adjuster
10,20,30:: strip terminal
11,21,31:: terminal carrier
12,22,32:: carrying aperture
13,23,33:: crimp terminal
14,24,34:: holding portion
15,25,35:: longitudinal axis of crimp terminal

NOTATIONS

A,B:: terminal spacing
C:: distance between E and F
D:: stroke of the feed blade
E:: crimping position
F:: stationary point of feed blade
G:: start point of feed blade
H:: mating position
I:: moving direction of strip terminal
J:: swing direction of arm

Claims

A method for subsequently feeding a plurality of crimp terminals (23; 33) to a crimping position (E) within a crimping apparatus (1) in a stepwise manner, said crimp terminals (23; 33) being arranged side by side at equal distances (A) from each other on a common carrier (21; 31) having a strip form, said common carrier (21; 31) comprising carrying apertures (22; 32) which are spaced at a distance (A) corresponding to said distance (A) between adjacent crimp terminals (23; 33), wherein said common carrier (21; 31) is moved by means of a feed blade (5) which has a predetermined stroke length (D) in a feeding and in a backward stroke direction;
characterized in that

[a] said feed blade (5) - in the course of a feeding stroke thereof - is moved without feeding said common carrier (21; 31) until it mates with the next upstream carrying aperture (22; 32), thereby feeding said common carrier (21; 31) until a stationary position (F) of said feed blade (5) is reached;

[b] said stroke length (D) is larger than said distance (A) between said carrying apertures (22; 32) but not larger than twice said distance (A); and in that

[c] the carrying aperture (22; 32) located in said stationary position (F) is spaced at a predetermined distance (C) from said crimping position (E), said distance (C) corresponding to the distance between said crimping position (E) and said stationary position (F).
Method according to claim 1, characterized in that each carrying aperture (22; 32) is located on said common carrier (21; 31) in a position which is spaced at a predetermined distance (A') in the longitudinal axis from a preceding crimp terminal (23; 33), wherein said predetermined distance (C) from said crimping position (E) fulfills the relation: C ≥ 2A + A'.