EP0597247B1 - Contact feeding device of a crimping press - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device for feeding electrical contact elements into the crimping tools of a crimping press, the contact elements being fed in the form of a strip material, in which they are lined up next to one another via scrap webs standardized at least in-house.

A feed device enables the step-by-step feeding of electrical contact elements, which are produced in the form of strip goods and are wound on spools, into the crimping tool of a crimping machine. In the crimping tools, a crimped contact element is separated from the tape after crimping or at the same time as crimping with a cutting knife.

A distinction is made between two types of spooled tape goods due to the manufacture and transport, namely between tape goods with contact elements arranged lengthwise or transversely in the tape. In the band with the contact elements arranged side by side (transversely), the individual contact elements are connected to one another via scrap webs of defined length and width. In this case, the contact elements are fed to the crimping tools in the so-called cross transport.

The contact elements are usually fed in using a transport finger. The transport finger is activated by a lever device when the upper punch moves down of the crimping tool. He takes z. B. behind an edge of a contact element and pushes the tape towards the crimping tool. In addition to the inertial, acceleration and frictional forces of the spool, the frictional forces of a transport brake acting on the tape must also be overcome. The transport brake serves to prevent the kinetic energy generated and stored by the high acceleration of the tape or the reel from being converted into an uncontrolled advancement.

In the known feed devices, the transport brake exerts a pressing force which, in the case of relatively small miniaturized contact elements which are made of a correspondingly thin material, must not cause any deformation. On the other hand, the braking force must not be reduced so much that the transport movements become uneven.

Such a transport device is known from DE-A-22 34 872, which shifts the contact parts with a spring-loaded finger, wherein when the finger is pushed back, a contact element lying behind it evades against the spring action of the spring due to an inclined surface formed on it and intervenes behind the contact element. The transport finger is arranged below the path of movement of the contact parts. A pressure plate is provided as the transport brake, which presses on the tape goods fed to the crimping tool from above and prevents the tape goods from being returned.

After crimping, when moving the transport finger backwards, the contact elements must not be brought along by friction, since otherwise the contact elements will be inaccurately positioned and the finger will not be able to reach behind the edge provided for this purpose. If in such a case there is a disturbed transport movement, the finger hits the edge, so that the transport is jerky and the contact elements are not conveyed under the crimping dies precisely enough. During the subsequent crimping process, this can lead to pressure peaks between the crimping tools and thus damage or even breakage of the crimping dies.

DE 39 37 029 C1 describes a tool for attaching contact parts to cables, which has two transport fingers arranged under the floor, which are inserted for transporting the contact parts with a pivoting movement from below between the contact parts and pulled out again downwards. The transport fingers are connected in a rotationally fixed manner to two gearwheels seated on a swivel shaft by means of a linkage, the gearwheels being actuated by a further toothed ring shaft which meshes with the gearwheels to perform the swivel movement. The gears are axially displaceable on the swivel shaft. Due to the axial displacement of the gear wheels, the transport fingers are transported back and forth along the transport direction of the strip goods.

In this swiveling device, the transport fingers engage with a swiveling movement in the spaces between the contact parts, the rigid linkage between the swiveling fingers and the gears also occupying a swiveling space.

The object of the invention is to provide a feed device in the transverse transport, which ensures a precise placement of adjacent contact elements in the crimping tools and which requires little space.

This object is solved by the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are characterized in the subclaims.

The feed device according to the invention has a transport finger which is pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis lying parallel to the transport direction, so that it maintains its vertical position during the pivoting movement along a circular arc path. As a result, despite the necessary arc path, he can engage very precisely and securely in a relatively small driving hole in a scrap strip, even if the circular arc path has a strong curvature due to the compact design of the pivoting device.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Darstellung der gesamten Zuführvorrichtung,

Fig. 2

eine perspektivische Darstellung der Transportfingerbetätigungseinrichtung der Zuführvorrichtung,

Fig. 3

eine perspektivische Darstellung der Transportfingerverschiebeeinrichtung der Zuführvorrichtung,

Fig. 4

eine perspektivische Darstellung der Transportfingerpositoniereinrichtung der Zuführvorrichtung,

Fig. 5

eine perspektivische Darstellung der Rückzugsperre der Zuführvorrichtung.

The invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of the examples shown in the drawing. Show it:

Fig. 1

a perspective view of the entire feed device,

Fig. 2

2 shows a perspective illustration of the transport finger actuation device of the feed device,

Fig. 3

2 shows a perspective illustration of the transport finger displacement device of the feed device,

Fig. 4

2 shows a perspective illustration of the transport finger positioning device of the feed device,

Fig. 5

a perspective view of the retraction lock of the feeder.

With the feed device according to the invention, a strip product 1 (see FIG. 5) is transported, in which contact elements 3 are connected to a scrap strip 2 via a short scrap web (not recognizable). The contact elements 3 are connected to the scrap strip 2 in such a way that the longitudinal axis 4 of their longitudinal extent lies perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 5 of the scrap strip 2 in the plane of the strip, the contact elements 3 being arranged next to one another at the same distance "a". In the scrap strip 2, rectangular driving windows or driving holes 6 are punched out in the tape direction at the same distance "a" from one another, as is known per se.

The essential components of the feed device according to the invention are mounted on a table top 7 which is detachably arranged on the press table of a crimping press (not shown) (see FIG. 1). Of the crimping press, only the tool head 9 moved vertically in the double arrow direction 8 from the plunger of the crimping press to crimping is shown. The plunger of the crimping press, not shown, is on the driving head screw 10 of the tool head 9 releasably fastened, the tool head 9 carrying the upper punches 15 of the crimping tools. The lower punches are arranged in the press table and cannot be seen in the drawing because they are covered by components of the feed device. Due to the detachable arrangement in each case, the table top 7 together with the feed device including the tool head 9 mounted thereon can be removed or replaced from the crimping press.

The feed device according to the invention has, as components, the transport finger actuation device 11 (FIG. 2), the transport finger displacement device 12 (FIG. 3), the transport finger positioning device 13 (FIG. 4) and the retraction lock 14 (FIG. 5). The feed device according to the invention has the task of pushing each contact element 3 in a positionally accurate manner under the upper punches 15 or between the punches of the crimping tool by means of a gradual advance in transverse transport in the transport direction 15 a.

The transport finger actuating device 11 (FIG. 2) serves to pull the transport finger 16 downward out of a driving hole 6 of the scrap strip 2 and to push it into the next driving hole 6 from below. The transport finger 16 is underfloor for this purpose, i.e. arranged below the scrap strip 2 in the feed device according to the invention. It is provided in one piece on a vertically aligned plate 17, which is fastened on a bearing block 21 which is pivotable about a horizontal axis 20 lying parallel to the transport direction 15 a along a curved path 22 in a recess 18 of a transport carriage 19. The transport finger 16 protrudes out of the recess 18 upwards.

The transport carriage 19 is horizontally displaceable back and forth in the double arrow direction 23 on two cylindrical slide rods 24, 25 arranged side by side and parallel to the transport direction 15a, the correspondingly adjacent holes (not shown) in the transport carriage 19 in a form-fitting manner reach out. The slide rod 24 is pivotally supported in the double arrow direction 33 at one end in a bearing block 26 arranged downstream of the crimping die 15 in the transport direction 15a, firmly seated on the table top 7, and pivotable at the other end in a bearing block which is also firmly seated on the table top 7 and which is upstream of the crimping die 15 in the transport direction 15a 27, the bearing block 27 being part of the transport finger positioning device 13.

The substantially horizontal transport slide 19 is - viewed in plan view - L-shaped, the L-base web 19 a being penetrated by the slide rod 24 and the L-leg 19 b approximately in the middle of its extension by the shorter slide rod 25. The slide rod 25 is carried by the slide rod 24 by a cross member arm 28 in the area of the bearing block 27 or the transport finger positioning device 13 and a cross member arm 29 in the area of the bearing block 26 and firmly seated on the slide bar 25 and the slide bar 24 with its respective end area in the respective cross member is stuck. Furthermore, two stop pieces 30, 31, adjustable for a precise transport length, are clamped adjustably clamped on the slide rod 25, of which one stop piece 31 in the transport direction 15 a in front of the L-leg 19 b and the other stop piece 30 in the transport direction 15 a behind the L- Leg 19 b are arranged. The stop pieces 30, 31 limit the movement stroke of the transport block 19 in the double arrow direction 23.

At the rear end of the L-base web 19 a in the transport direction 15 a, a vertically upward connecting tab 32 is provided, the task of which will be described below.

In the area of the bearing 26 of the slide rod 24, an upwardly directed lever arm 29 a is integrally connected to the cross member arm 29, so that the cross member arm 29 and the lever arm 29 a are L-shaped, about the axis 24 a of the slide rod 24 in the double arrow direction 39 as a result of Bearings in the bearing blocks 26, 27 result in tiltable lever 34.

The rocker arm 34 is actuated by a roller 35 against which the lever arm 29 a is pressed with its front edge 34 a by a compression spring 36 which acts against the rear edge of the lever arm 29 a. The roller 35 is rotatably supported in a carrying fork 37 which is firmly seated on the outside on a wall 38 a of the tool head housing 38 and thus follows the movement of the tool head 9 in the double arrow direction 8. For the execution of a tilting movement, the front edge 34 a of the rocker arm 34 is equipped with a projection 34 b in the upper end region of the lever arm 29 a, so that the roller 35, when it rolls over the projection 34 b during the upward stroke of the tool head, the rocker arm 29 a moved against the spring 36. As a result, the free end region of the crossbeam arms 28, 29 carrying the slide rod 25 is moved upward, as a result of which the free end region of the L-leg 19b carrying the transport finger 16 is also moved upwards or the transport finger 16 moves upwards on a circular arc path 33 becomes.

During the downward stroke of the tool head 9, the reverse movement takes place, i.e. the transport finger 16 is pulled down. The transport finger 16, which indeed makes a movement along the circular arc path 33, remains vertically aligned due to the pivotable mounting about the axis 20.

The transport carriage 19 is most conveniently driven with the transport finger displacement device 12 according to FIG. 3. which protrudes upwards and is pivotably supported at another end about an axis 42 on a fixed part of the crimping press (not shown). Approximately in the longitudinal center of the rocker arm 41, the piston rod 43 is articulated to a piston cylinder arrangement 44 which is fixedly arranged in the crimping press. A reciprocating movement of the piston rod 43 parallel to the double arrow direction 23 displaces the transport carriage 19 from one Stop piece 30 to the other stop piece 31 or vice versa. The transport finger 16 is moved in the double arrow direction 23 by the same path.

The pushing movement of the transport finger 16 must be combined with its immersion or surfacing movement caused by the rocker arm 34 in such a way that the transport finger 16 submerses or appears shortly before the onset of the respective pushing movement. This is expediently done with a switching device 45 according to FIG. 3. The switching device 45 is provided at the upper free end of the lever arm 29 a, a switching pin 46 pointing in the direction of the piston cylinder arrangement 44 being arranged on the upper free end of the lever arm 29 from the side forth in a U-shaped recess 47 of a slide plate 48 slidable horizontally in a groove 49. The groove 49 is arranged frontally in a switch housing 50 mounted in the crimping press, in which a z. B. designed as a pilot valve switch 51 is seated. With this arrangement, the tilting movement of the lever arm 29 a is converted into a reciprocating movement of the slide plate 48 via the pin 46. The slide valve plate 48 gives z. B. the valve pilot air for the piston cylinder assembly 44 free, since the pilot valve 51 is connected via a connecting line 51 a with the switching valve 51 b of the piston cylinder assembly 44. The actuation of the piston-cylinder arrangement is initiated by the release of the valve pilot air.

In order to delay the switching of the piston-cylinder arrangement and thus the displacement movement of the transport finger 16 until the immersion or surface movement of the transport finger 16 is completed or the respective rocker arm movement is carried out, the width of the U-shaped recess 47 in the switching slide plate 48 is larger. than the diameter of the switching pin 46, so that the switching pin 46 actuates the slide plate 48 only after a certain idle stroke when the respective tilting movement of the rocker arm 34 begins.

For precise adjustment of the transport position of the transport finger 16, the slide rod 24 with the parts attached to it can be adjusted with the transport finger positioning device 13 in its axial direction (double arrow direction 52) (FIG. 4). This fine adjustment provides that the bearing block 27 in the transport direction 15 a at a distance downstream of another bearing block 27 a is arranged on the table top 7, which is responsible for the actual rotatable mounting of the slide rod 24, with the space between the blocks 27, 27 a a clamping piece 27 b with a clamping screw 27 c sits on the free end of the slide rod 24.

The slide rod 24 is extended by an adjusting screw 24 a, which is in the free end region of the slide rod 24, the slide rod 24 ending immediately in front of the bearing block 27. The set screw 24 a has an external thread, which is guided in an internal thread in the end region of the slide rod 24 (not shown), the shaft 24 c of the set screw 24 a penetrating a bore 27 d in the bearing block 27 and the head 24 b of the screw 24 a protrudes outwards from the bearing block 27. The bore 27 d is larger in diameter than the diameter of the screw shaft 24 c, and also accommodates a compression spring 24 d which surrounds the shaft 24 c and which is at one end against a bore step 27 e provided in the bearing block 27 near the screw head and at another end against one at the end of the slide rod 24 provided 24 e supports.

To adjust the transport position, the clamping screw 27 c is loosened. By turning the adjusting screw 24 a, which rests on the bearing block 27 by the spring force, the position of the slide rod 24 together with the stops is adjusted. Then the clamping screw 27 c is tightened again.

If the transport finger 16 is not in engagement, withdrawal of the band goods 1 by the withdrawal lock 14 is prevented (FIG. 5). The retraction lock 14 is located in the band goods inlet area of the feed device. It shows one L-shaped angle block 53, the horizontal L-base web 53 a overlaps the scrap strip 2 and the vertical L-leg 53 b protrudes downwards. The L-leg 53 b laterally opposite a bearing plate 54 is provided under the contact elements 3, which supports an upright stopper arm 55 pivoted about an axis 56, which is arranged in the space between the bearing plate 54 and the L-leg 53 b below the scrap strip 2 is. The stopper arm 55 is inclined in the transport direction 15 a; its upper free end presses from below against the scrap strip 2 and thus the scrap strip 2 against the L-base web 53 a, which is caused by a compression spring 58 which is supported at one end against the stop arm 55 against its inclination and at the other end on the bearing plate 54.

The lower end of the stop arm 55 protrudes downward from the space between the L-leg 53 b and the bearing plate 54 and has an actuating pin 57 with which the stop arm 55 can be pivoted by hand. The stopper arm 55 thus acts in the manner of a holding wedge which is constantly in contact with the transport or scrap strip 2 and prevents the strip material from being retracted by means of the self-locking. By pulling the pin 54 against the direction of transport and against the spring force, the clamping can be released so that the tape can be removed and / or moved. For guiding the strip goods or the scrap strip, it can also be provided that the scrap strip is guided between two superimposed guide webs 59 and 60, as is known per se, the guide web 60 being arranged so that it can be folded away, so that the strip product is inserted into the feed device or can be removed from the feed device.

Claims (20)

1. Feeding device for the positioning feeding of electrical contact elements in a horizontal plane or, if necessary, slightly inclined plane, on a straight transporting path, into the crimping tools of a crimping press, the contact elements being fed in the form of a tape product and the feeding being effected by means of an upwardly projecting transporting finger (16) which is pivotable into the transporting path, is mounted in a transporting slide (19) of a transporting finger actuating device, is arranged in underfloor fashion beneath the tape product guiding elements of the feeding device and is withdrawn downwardly from a driving opening, on a circular-arc path (33) oriented transversely to the transporting direction (15a) of the transporting path, by the transporting finger actuating device (11), and subsequently pushed into another driving opening from below, the transporting finger (16) being mounted so as to be displaceable to and fro in the transporting direction by means of a transporting finger displacing device (12), the transporting finger (16) retaining its vertical position during the pivoting movement, as a result of a mounting, provided in the transporting slide (19), about a horizontal axis (20) lying parallel to the transporting direction (15a).
2. Feeding device according to Claim 1, characterised in that it is mounted on a table slab (7) detachably arranged on the press table of the crimping press.
3. Feeding device according to Claim 1 and/or 2, characterised in that it is coupled to the interchangeably arranged tool head (9) actuated by the ram of the crimping press.
4. Feeding device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the transporting finger (16) is integrally formed on a vertically oriented small plate (17) which is fastened to a bearing block (21) seated in a recess (18) of the transporting slide (19) so as to be pivotable about the horizontal axis (20) lying parallel to the transporting direction (15 a), the transporting finger (16) projecting upwardly out of the recess (18).
5. Feeding device according to Claim 4, characterised in that the transporting slide (19) is mounted, so as to be displaceable horizontally to and fro, on two cylindrical sliding bars (24, 25) which are arranged one beside the other and parallel to the transporting direction (15 a) and positively reach through the bores, lying correspondingly one beside the other, in the transporting slide (19), the sliding bar (24) being pivotably mounted at one end in a bearing block (26) which follows the crimping upper die (15) in the transporting direction (15 a) and is fixedly seated on the table slab (7), and pivotably mounted at the other end in a bearing block (27) which is likewise fixedly seated on the table slab (7) and distantly precedes the crimping upper die (15) in the transporting direction (15 a), and the bearing block (27) being a component of a transporting finger positioning device (13).
6. Feeding device according to Claim 5, characterised in that the transporting slide (19) - seen in plan view - is of L-shaped configuration, the L base web (19 a) being penetrated by the sliding bar (24) and the L leg (19 b) being penetrated, approximately at the centre of its extent, by the shorter-constructed sliding bar (25), and the sliding bar (25) being carried by the sliding bar (24) in that a transverse carrier arm (28) is fixedly seated on the sliding bar (25) in the region of the bearing block (27) or of the transporting finger positioning device (13) and a transverse carrier arm (29) is fixedly seated on the sliding bar (25) in the region of the bearing block (26) and the sliding bar (24) is inserted by its respective end regions in a securely clamped manner in the respective transverse carriers.
7. Feeding device according to Claim 6, characterised in that two stop pieces (30, 31), adjustable for a precise transporting length, are seated in an adjustably securely clamped manner on the sliding bar (25), of which one stop piece (31) is arranged before the L leg (19 b) in the transporting direction (15 a) and the other stop piece (30) is arranged after the L leg (19 b) in the transporting direction (15 a).
8. Feeding device according to one or more of Claims 5 to 7, characterised in that a vertically upwardly directed connecting lug (32) is arranged on the L base web (19 a).
9. Feeding device according to one or more of Claims 5 to 8, characterised in that an upwardly directed lever arm (29 a) is integrally attached to the transverse carrier arm (29) in the region of the bearing (26) of the sliding bar (24), an L-shaped tilting lever (34), tiltable about the axis (24 a) of the sliding bar (24) in the direction of the double-headed arrow (39) owing to the mounting in the bearing blocks (26, 27), resulting from the transverse carrier arm (29) and the lever arm (29 a).
10. Feeding device according to Claim 9, characterised in that the tilting lever (34) is actuated by a roller (35), against which the front edge (34 a) of the lever arm (29 a) is pressed by a compression spring (36) which acts against the rear edge of the lever arm (29 a), the roller being rotatably mounted in a carrying fork (37) which is fixedly seated on the outside of a wall (38 a) of the tool-head housing (38) and thus follows the movement of the tool head (9) in the direction of the double-headed arrow (8).
11. Feeding device according to Claim 10, characterised in that, for the execution of the tilting movement, the front edge (34 a) of the tilting lever (34) is equipped with a projection (34 b) in the upper region of the lever arm (29 a), so that the roller (35), when it rolls over the projection (34 b) during the upward stroke of the tool head, moves the tilting-lever arm (29 a) counter to the spring (36).
12. Feeding device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 11, characterised in that the driving of the transporting slide (19) is effected by means of the transporting finger displacing device (12), having a connecting rod which is articulated at one end on the connecting lug (32) of the transporting slide (19) and points in the direction of the tilting lever (34) and is articulated at the other end on the lower end of an oscillating lever (41) which projects upwardly and at the other end is mounted on a fixed part of the crimping press so as to be pivotable about a shaft (42), the piston rod (43) of a piston/cylinder arrangement (44) fixedly arranged in the crimping press being articulated approximately at the longitudinal centre of the oscillating lever (41).
13. Feeding device according to Claim 12, characterised in that the piston/cylinder arrangement (44) is operated by means of an operating device (45) provided at the upper free end of the lever arm (29 a), an operating pin (46) pointing in the direction of the piston/cylinder arrangement (44) being arranged at the upper free end of the lever arm (29 a) and reaching from the side into a U-shaped recess (47) of an operating slide plate (48) slidable horizontally in a groove (49), the groove (49) being arranged frontally in an operating housing (50) which is fixedly mounted in the crimping press and in which an operating element (51) is seated.
14. Feeding device according to Claim 13, characterised in that the operating element (51) is connected to an operating valve (51 b) of the piston/cylinder arrangement (44) via a connecting line (51 a).
15. Feeding device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 14, characterised in that, for the precise adjustment of the transporting position of the transporting finger (16), the sliding bar (24), together with the parts seated thereon, is arranged so as to be adjustable in its axial direction by means of a transporting finger positioning device (13).
16. Feeding device according to Claim 15, characterised in that, at a distance from and following the bearing block (27) in the transporting direction (15 a), there is arranged a further bearing block (27 a) on the table slab (7), a clamping piece (27 b) with a clamping screw (27 c) being seated on the free end of the sliding bar (24) in the interspace between the blocks (27, 27 a) and the sliding bar (24) being constructed in such a way that it is extended by an adjusting screw (24 a) inserted in the free end region of the sliding bar (24), the sliding bar (24) ending directly before the bearing block (27) and the adjusting screw (24 a) having an external thread which is guided in an internal thread in the end region of the sliding bar (24), the shank (24 c) of the adjusting screw (24 a) reaching through a bore (27 d) in the bearing block (27) and the head (24 b) of the screw (24 a) projecting outwardly out of the bearing block (27), and the bore (27 d) being of larger diameter than the diameter of the screw shank (24 c) and, in addition, receiving a compression spring (24 d) surrounding the shank (24 c), which compression spring is supported at one end against a bore step (27 e), provided in the vicinity of the screw head, in the bearing block (27) and at the other end against a collar (24 e) provided at the end of the sliding bar (24).
17. Feeding device according to one or more of Claims 1 to 16, characterised by a withdrawal locking mechanism which is situated in the region in which the tape product enters the feeding device.
18. Feeding device according to one or more of claims 1 to 17, characterised in that the contact elements are attached at a distance one beside the other to a scrap strip having driving holes (6) at a given distance from one another.
19. Feeding device according to Claim 17 or 18, characterised in that the withdrawal locking mechanism (14) has an L-shaped angled block (53), the horizontal L base web (53 a) of which reaches over the scrap strip (2) and the vertical L leg (53 b) of which projects downwardly, there is provided, laterally opposite the L leg (53 b) and below the contact elements (3), a bearing plate (54) which carries so as to be pivotable about an axis (56) an upright-mounted stopper arm (55) arranged beneath the scrap strip (2) in the interspace between the bearing plate (54) and the L leg (53 b), the stopper arm (55) is inclined in the transporting direction (15 a), its upper free end presses against the scrap strip (2) from below, this being brought about by a compression spring (58) which is supported at one end against the stopper arm (55) counter to its inclination and at the other end on the bearing plate (54).
20. Feeding device according to Claim 19, characterised in that the lower end of the stopper arm (55) projects downwardly out of the interspace between the L leg (53 b) and the bearing plate (54) and has an actuating pin (57).

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