Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
  • H01R13/629—Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances
  • H01R13/631—Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances for engagement only
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/66—Structural association with built-in electrical component
  • H01R13/70—Structural association with built-in electrical component with built-in switch
  • H01R13/703—Structural association with built-in electrical component with built-in switch operated by engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. dual-continuity coupling part
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
  • H01R13/629—Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an electrical connection device with automatic positioning.
• the invention relates to an electrical connection device in which it is possible to automatically compensate without manual intervention a possible misalignment between the male connection element and the female connection element.
• the attached figures 1 and 2 illustrate such an installation.
• the installation comprises a certain number of fixed tables 10, 12 which are aligned and on which a stack or mattress of sheets of textile material is produced which must be cut.
• the cutting of these sheet mattresses is carried out by a cutting assembly 14 which essentially comprises a cutting head 16 which is mounted movable in X and Y, for example by means of a movable gantry 18.
• the cutting machine 14 In order to reduce the cost of the entire installation and optimize its use, it is advantageous to provide a single cutting machine 14 working with several tables 10, 12, etc. Indeed, it is clear that the cutting machine is of a cost much higher than that a quilting table. Optimization is achieved by using one or more independent quilting tables to prepare series of mattresses to continuously feed the cutting machine while the quilting table that has been used is temporarily associated with the cutting machine and remains immobilized during cutting. For this, the cutting machine 14 is mounted on rails 20, 22 which make it possible to automatically move the latter to bring it successively opposite each of the quilting tables 10, 12, etc.
• An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical positioning device with automatic positioning which makes it possible to compensate without manual intervention a possible defect in relative positioning of the male and female connection elements in order to ensure in optimal conditions the snap-fastening of the two connection elements.
• Another object is to allow the automatic and synchronized operation of the cutting machine and the depositing table.
• the electrical positioning device with automatic positioning comprising a first and a second electrical connection element, the connection being obtained by the engagement of one of the elements in the other by relative displacement according to a connection direction
• it further comprises: a first movable support movable in the connection direction; a second support mounted on the first support and movable relative thereto in an adjustment direction which is orthogonal to the connection direction; an indexing element integral with said second support extending in the direction of connection and having an indexing end, said first connection element being integral with said second support; a fixed cam assembly capable of cooperating with the indexing end of said indexing element, said second connection element being integral with said cam assembly, whereby, during the movement of the first mobile support, the cooperation of the indexing element and of the cam assembly causes displacement of said second support relative to the first support until the
• the second support is mounted mobile on the first support by means of elastic return means tending to maintain said second support in a predetermined position, when said indexing element and said cam element are not in contact.
• - Figure 2 already described, is a side elevational view of the installation of Figure 1; - Figure 3 is a bottom view of the connection device; and
• FIG. 4 is a side view in elevation of the connection device of Figure 3.
• connection device consists of a first assembly which will be said to be mobile later and referenced 30 and a second so-called fixed assembly, referenced 32.
• the first assembly 30 comprises the female connector 34, as shown in FIG. 4, while the fixed part 32 includes the male connector 36. It goes without saying, however, that the connection elements could have been reversed.
• the mobile assembly 30 includes a base 38 which is, for example, integral with the cutting machine
• the direction in which the element will be called will be the direction of connection identified by the arrow C.
• female connection 34 must be moved to snap with the male connection element 36.
• the direction of adjustment marked by the arrow A in FIG. 3 will be called the direction orthogonal to the connection direction C, parallel to the direction movement of the machine 14 and according to which the female connection element 34 must be moved to allow alignment and therefore the effective snap-fastening of the two connection elements.
• On the base 38 are mounted two slides 40 and 42 which are parallel to the connection direction C.
• On the slides 42 is slidably mounted a first carriage 44 which is therefore movable relative to the base in the direction C.
• the carriage 44 can be moved in direction C under the effect of a drive member such as a jack, preferably double acting, 46.
• the body 46a of the jack is integral with the base 38 while the end of its rod 46b is linked to the first carriage 44.
• On the first carriage 44 is mounted movable in translation a second carriage 48 which is movable relative to the first carriage in the adjustment direction A.
• the second carriage 48 is provided with two holes 54 and 56 d in which the guide rods 50 and 52 are engaged.
• balanced return springs 60 and 62 are engaged on at least the guide rod 50 on either side of the carriage 48.
• the carriage 48 is maintained, in the absence of external forces, in a central reference position.
• an indexing finger 64 which extends in the direction of connection C towards the fixed part 32.
• the indexing finger ends in a beveled end 66.
• the female connection element 34 which is itself connected to a suitable electrical conductor 70.
• the fixed assembly 32 of the connection device comprises on the one hand a centering and position adjustment cam 72 and the male connection element 36.
• the cam assembly 72 is preferably constituted by a vertical plate 74 on which is fixed the male connector 36.
• a centering system constituted by a plate 78 whose faces active 82 and 84 form two vertical inclined surface portions symmetrical with respect to a vertical plane PP 'parallel to the connection direction C. These two inclined guide faces converge towards an orifice 88.
• a switch 90 is mounted behind the plate 74 which can be activated by the end of the indexing finger. This is particularly the case when the depositing table is not equipped with a conveyor but with a system for lifting the mattress by air blower. The movement of the mattress is then ensured manually up to the entrance of the cutting conveyor. The blower is automatically activated by the end of the indexing finger when the cutting machine is waiting for the mattress.
• connection device If it is useful to establish an electrical connection, the operation of the connection device is as follows: when the cutting machine on which the movable part 30 of the connection device is fixed, arrives in the desired position, marked by example by a sensor, this detection controls the activation of the jack 46. The jack 46 pushes the first carriage 44 in the direction of connection C. When the end 66 of the indexing finger 64 comes into contact with the part 78 forming a cam , the second carriage 48, in the case where there is a misalignment, is moved by the cooperation of the finger 66 with one of the inclined surfaces 82 or 84. The movement continues until, under the effect of this centering, the end of the finger enters the orifice 88 extending the inclined guide faces. In this situation, the female connector 34 is perfectly aligned with the male connector 36 secured to the plate 74. The locking of the two connection elements can then be carried out under very good conditions since these two elements are perfectly aligned.
• the male connection element comprises at least two elastic members 92 and 94, these elastic members being conductors.
• these elastic members such as spring blades
• the centering cam was in fact constituted by two inclined faces forming a dihedral extended by a final centering orifice.
• a cam constituted by a portion of frustoconical surface.
• the end 66 of the indexing finger 64 should of course itself be a portion of a truncated cone.
• a switch 90 is disposed behind the centering orifice 88.
• the blower or the conveyor is started so as to ensure the transfer of the mattress to the cutting machine.
• connection device could be provided in several connectors.
• the male connection elements would all be integral with the second carriage 48 while all the female connection elements would be integral with the plate 74.
• connection device according to the invention has been described, applied to an installation for cutting sheet materials. It goes without saying that the device could be used in many other installations requiring automatic and precise positioning of the two elements of an electrical connector.

Landscapes

• Manufacturing Of Electrical Connectors (AREA)
• Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9433126

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (15)

Family Cites Families (8)

• 1992
  • 1992-09-01 FR FR9210452A patent/FR2695260B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1993
  • 1993-08-04 US US08/392,825 patent/US5554041A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1993-08-04 WO PCT/FR1993/000790 patent/WO1994006176A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1993-08-04 EP EP93917851A patent/EP0658284A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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