EP1137125B1 - Crimping tool having a feeding device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dispensing and crimping pliers for crimping wiring accessories such as ferrules, as well as a feed device for such pliers.

To make electrical assemblies, wiring accessories are often used which, for the equipment of conductive core electrical conductors formed of a plurality of strands, are to report to the previously stripped end of such a conductive core. to make it easier and safer to connect to any terminal. It may be as well a lug comprising, for the connection to be established, an ear or a finger, as a simple tip, possibly provided with an insulating collar, ensuring directly by itself, with the end of the conductive soul that encloses, this connection.

In all cases, the wiring accessory in question comprises a metal drum which is plastically deformable to be crimped onto the end of the conductive core to be equipped.

For the execution of such a mounting of the wiring accessory on the conductive core end, it is first necessary to report on the conductive core end to equip the crimp wiring accessory on the -this. It is then necessary to ensure the corresponding crimping.

To carry out these operations, it is known to use a crimping and crimping pliers for wiring accessories to be crimped on a cable, comprising two branches hinged to one another about an axis to form on the one hand crimping jaws, and secondly gripping handles, one of these branches forming a magazine and having means for receiving a magazine containing a plurality of wiring accessories arranged side by side in a cartridge belt to slide perpendicular to themselves along said leg for reloading the clamp, such that the wiring accessory located at the end of the bandolier is located between the crimping jaws.

An example of a clamp of this type is described in detail in French Patent No. 88 013 55 published on December 6, 1991 under No. 2,626,803.

Such a clamp has a dual function of distribution and crimping. This results in many benefits. Firstly, by its distribution function, the clamp facilitates the installation of wiring accessories to crimp, saving time for the corresponding operation. The necessary handling does indeed relate more to the wiring accessory itself, but to the gripper which is easier to handle due in particular to its dimensions.

On the other hand, by the store that forms one of its handles, the clamp ensures a storage of wiring accessories on hold, which avoids any manipulation, and hence any risk of untimely loss of those -this. In particular, it is possible to prepare several loaders of wiring accessories in advance and thus have, on site, a storage space in standby wiring accessories that is higher than that which could be allowed by the distributor's only store. -even.

At each crimping, the wiring accessory, which is at the end of the cartridge belt, is crimped on the conductive core of the associated driver, then is released from its connection with the charger and / or the following wiring accessory, to be removed from the clamp with the driver he equips. It is then necessary, before making a new crimping, to advance the bandolier so as to bring the following wiring accessory in a suitable position between the crimping jaws of the clamp. This sliding movement of the bandolier can be performed automatically or manually.

Sophisticated systems of automatic advance under the effect of the actuation of the handles have thus been developed, as for example in the forceps respectively proposed in International Patent Application No. 91/14300 published on September 19, 1991, and in the U.S. Patent No. 5,400,941. However, such automatic drive mechanisms operating in near-synchronism with the crimping jaws are relatively complex and therefore expensive and unreliable. They drive in addition to clamps having a relatively large number of components, the manufacturing cost is enhanced accordingly.

The drive of the bandolier of wiring accessories can also be carried out manually, as is the case in the clamp proposed in the aforementioned French Patent No. 88 01355, in which the branch forming the magazine has an embrasure providing access direct to the bandolier of wiring accessories allowing its training by direct manual contact, for example by driving the bandolier with the thumb. This manual training mainly offers the advantage of its simplicity, which makes it possible to maintain the cost of manufacturing the clamp at a relatively low level. However, the training of the bandolier with the thumb is relatively inconvenient to the extent that the latter offers a relatively small catch most likely to slip under the thumb. It is therefore often necessary to use the nail to take a better grip under the bandolier, which can be difficult for some people with short cut nails or relatively fragile.

It has therefore appeared useful to design a dispensing and crimping pliers of the aforementioned type, in which the manual drive of the bandolier of wiring accessories is facilitated, without greatly increasing the complexity of the clamp and therefore its cost of manufacturing.

With a view to achieving this object, it is proposed, according to the invention, a distribution and crimping pliers for wiring accessories to be crimped on a cable, comprising two branches hinged to each other about an axis on the one hand to form crimping jaws, and on the other hand gripping handles, one of these branches forming a magazine and having means for receiving a charger containing a plurality of wiring accessories arranged side by side in a cartridge belt for sliding perpendicularly to themselves along said branch for reloading the clamp, so that the wiring accessory located at the end of the bandolier is located between the crimping jaws, with an advance device with direct manual actuation for driving the cartridge belt for reloading, this feed device comprising a drive gear which is pivotally mounted e on the branch forming store around an axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of sliding of the bandolier of wiring accessories, and which meshes the bandolier of wiring accessories so that the manual actuation of said gear causes the driving of the bandolier .

The drive gear thus facilitates the handling of the bandolier of wiring accessories, without the structure of the clamp being made much more complex. In addition, the teeth of the gear wheel come into positive engagement with the wiring accessories of the cartridge belt in the manner of a rack and thus achieve a particularly safe training of the latter.

According to a first advantageous characteristic of the invention, the driving gear wheel is mounted with clearance with respect to the magazine branch, so that the distance between its axis of rotation and the belt of wiring accessories can vary freely. between two extreme values. This prevents the flexibility of the charger from allowing a wiring accessory to escape its engagement with the gear. The drive gear automatically adjusts to different wiring accessory gauges, a pressing force to press the gear against the wiring accessories bandolier being automatically exerted by the user when operating the wheel. toothed.

According to a second advantageous characteristic of the invention, the driving gear wheel is carried by a removable support attached to the magazine branch. This provides a unitary feed device that can be installed or uninstalled at will on the clamp.

This removable support is for example an insert that is received in an embrasure of the store branch, open on the bandolier of wiring accessories. Thus, when it is installed, the advance device occupies the volume of the recess, in general continuity with the rest of the magazine branch, whereas when it is withdrawn, the advance device leaves a free access and direct to the bandolier of wiring accessories through the embrasure for a direct manual drive of the accessories.

Advantageously then, the insert is fixed in the embrasure of the magazine branch by means of removable fastening means of the elastic snap type.

The insert thus forms with its drive gear a detachable drive assembly that may or may not be installed on the clamp as needed, and possibly the proposed clamp model. In addition, the removal of the insert provides a direct access to the bandolier of wiring accessories through the embrasure.

In a first embodiment that is particularly simple and therefore reliable and inexpensive, the drive gear wheel is at least partially accessible externally for its direct manual actuation.

Advantageously then, a mask masks a part of the toothed wheel, including its gripping zone with the belt of wiring accessories, and has an opening through which a portion of the drive gear protrudes for its manual actuation. This cover may advantageously be constituted by the removable support carrying the drive gear.

Advantageously, in the case where the toothed wheel is mounted with clearance to tolerate different sizes of accessories, the axis of the driving gear wheel is embodied by two lateral journals which are received in oblong bearings formed on the removable support and having a bottom and an opening of introduction, the play of the journals in these bearings being limited firstly by the bottom of said bearings, and secondly by a hard point passage formed in the vicinity of the opening of introduction of the bearings. This hard point transition can for example be materialized by a constriction.

It may further be provided that, since the insert is hollow in the general shape of an angle and consists of at least two corner walls, with an upper wall substantially parallel to the cartridge belt of wiring accessories, this upper wall is internally provided. at least one branch for lateral maintenance of the toothed wheel.

Advantageously, the driving gear has a blunt fillet between its edge and at least one of its two sides. The contact surface between the toothed wheel and the finger of the user is thus increased. In addition, the toothed wheel offers a more pleasant tactile touch.

In a second more sophisticated embodiment, the drive gear is rotated, directly or indirectly, by an actuating wheel which is mounted on the magazine branch to rotate about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the drive gear.

According to a first advantageous characteristic of this second embodiment, the driving gear wheel is completely masked by a cover while the actuating wheel is at least partially accessible externally for its manipulation by a user. This cover may advantageously be constituted by the removable support carrying the drive gear.

Two variants are then possible. In a first variant, the mask obscures part of the actuating wheel and has an opening through which a portion of the actuating wheel protrudes for its manual actuation. This gives a compact advance device without brittle or unsightly projection.

In a second variant, the actuating wheel is entirely external to the cover. For example, it is possible to provide that the actuating wheel is offset laterally relative to the plane formed approximately by the two branches of the clamp, which makes it possible to obtain a simple and ergonomic advance device, and therefore pleasant to use. It may then be advantageous to provide that the axis of the actuating wheel coincides with the axis of the drive gear.

According to a second advantageous characteristic of this second embodiment, the actuating wheel is integral in rotation with the driving gear wheel. This simplifies the drive assembly as much as possible.

To reduce the bulk and simplify the manufacture to the maximum, it can be provided that the actuating wheel is contiguous to the drive gear.

According to a third advantageous characteristic of this second embodiment, the actuating wheel rotates the drive gear by means of a transmission mechanism.

• le mécanisme de transmission est tel qu'il réalise une inversion du sens de rotation de la roue dentée d'entraînement par rapport à celui de la molette d'actionnement ;
• le mécanisme de transmission est réducteur. -

We can then provide different advantageous provisions, such as those according to which:

• the transmission mechanism is such that it reverses the direction of rotation of the drive gear relative to that of the actuating wheel;
• the transmission mechanism is reductive. -

In a convenient and reliable mode of execution, the transmission mechanism is of the gear type.

For example, the actuating wheel is integral in rotation with a toothed plate which meshes directly with the drive wheel.

Advantageously then, the intermediate toothed plate is attached to the actuating wheel and has a tooth tip diameter smaller than the diameter of the wheel. This prevents the finger of the user, by actuating the actuating wheel, does not come into contact with the toothed plate.

The invention also relates to an actuating advance device of one of the aforementioned types, independently of the rest of the distribution and crimping pliers for which it is intended to be incorporated.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'une pince de distribution et de sertissage, équipée d'un dispositif d'avance selon un premier mode d'exécution de l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une vue analogue à la figure 1, le dispositif d'avance comprenant l'insert équipé de la roue dentée étant séparé du reste de la pince, dégageant ainsi l'embrasure de la branche formant magasin de cette pince ;
• la figure 3 est une vue isolée en perspective de la branche formant magasin ;
• la figure 4 est, à échelle supérieure, une vue en coupe transversale suivant le plan IV-IV de la figure 3 ;
• la figure 5 est une vue isolée en perspective de la branche formant outil ;
• la figure 6 est une vue de détail en perspective de la plaquette de sertissage équipant la mâchoire de la branche formant outil ;
• la figure 7 est une vue partielle en coupe de la branche formant magasin de la pince des figures 1 et 2, l'insert seul étant en place dans l'embrasure, sans sa roue dentée d'entraînement ;
• la figure 8 est une vue en perspective de l'insert seul, sans sa roue dentée d'entraînement ;
• la figure 9 est une vue partielle de côté de la branche formant magasin équipée du dispositif d'avance avec l'insert et sa roue dentée d'entraînement en place dans l'embrasure et avec un arraché partiel de la paroi de côté de l'insert autour de la roue dentée d'entraînement permettant de distinguer la coopération de cette roue dentée avec la cartouchière d'accessoires de câblage ;
• la figure 10 est une vue en perspective du dispositif d'avance seul comprenant l'insert équipé de la roue dentée d'entraînement selon une variante d'exécution de cette roue dentée.
• la figure 11 est une vue en perspective, vu de dessus, d'un chargeur associé à la pince ;
• la figure 12 est une vue en perspective, vu de dessous, de ce chargeur ;
• la figure 13 en est, à échelle supérieure, une vue partielle en coupe longitudinale, suivant la ligne XIII-XIII de la figure 11 ;
• la figure 14 en est une vue en coupe transversale, suivant la ligne XIV-XIV de la figure 11 ;
• la figure 15 est une vue en élévation de la pince illustrant la mise en place de ce chargeur ;
• la figure 16 est une vue en élévation illustrant, en position de rangement, la pince suivant l'invention ainsi munie d'un tel chargeur ;
• la figure 17 est une vue en perspective d'un conducteur électrique et d'un accessoire de câblage à poser et sertir sur ce conducteur électrique ;
• les figures 18, 19, 20 sont des vues en perspective qui illustrent la mise en oeuvre de la pince suivant l'invention pour poser et sertir l'accessoire de câblage sur le conducteur électrique ;
• la figure 21 est une vue en perspective qui, analogue à celle de la figure 17, illustre le sertissage obtenu à l'aide de la pince suivant l'invention ;
• la figure 22 est une vue en perspective d'une pince de distribution et de sertissage équipée d'un dispositif d'avance selon un second mode d'exécution de l'invention ;
• la figure 23 est une vue analogue à la figure 22 illustrant un troisième mode d'exécution du dispositif d'avance selon l'invention ;
• la figure 24 est une vue de côté de la branche formant magasin équipée d'un dispositif d'avance selon un quatrième mode d'exécution de l'invention.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following description of particular embodiments given as non-limiting examples. Reference will be made to the attached drawings, among which:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing and crimping pliers, equipped with a feed device according to a first embodiment of the invention;
• Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, the feed device comprising the insert equipped with the toothed wheel being separated from the rest of the clamp, thus clearing the embrasure of the store branch of the clamp;
• Figure 3 is an isolated perspective view of the store branch;
• Figure 4 is a larger scale, a cross-sectional view along the plane IV-IV of Figure 3;
• Figure 5 is an isolated perspective view of the tool leg;
• Figure 6 is a detail view in perspective of the crimping plate equipping the jaw of the tool leg;
• Figure 7 is a partial sectional view of the store arm of the clamp of Figures 1 and 2, the insert alone being in place in the recess, without its drive gear;
• Figure 8 is a perspective view of the insert alone, without its drive gear;
• FIG. 9 is a partial side view of the magazine branch equipped with the feed device with the insert and its driving gear in place in the recess and with a partial tear of the side wall of the insert around the driving gear wheel to distinguish the cooperation of this toothed wheel with the bandolier of wiring accessories;
• Figure 10 is a perspective view of the feed device alone comprising the insert equipped with the drive gear according to an alternative embodiment of the toothed wheel.
• Figure 11 is a perspective view, seen from above, of a charger associated with the clamp;
• Figure 12 is a perspective view, seen from below, of this charger;
• Figure 13 is a larger scale, a partial longitudinal sectional view along the line XIII-XIII of Figure 11;
• Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view along the line XIV-XIV of Figure 11;
• Figure 15 is an elevational view of the clamp illustrating the introduction of the charger;
• Figure 16 is an elevational view illustrating, in the storage position, the clamp according to the invention thus provided with such a charger;
• Figure 17 is a perspective view of an electrical conductor and a wiring accessory to be installed and crimped on this electrical conductor;
• Figures 18, 19, 20 are perspective views which illustrate the implementation of the clamp according to the invention for installing and crimping the wiring accessory on the electrical conductor;
• Figure 21 is a perspective view which, similar to that of Figure 17, illustrates the crimping obtained with the clamp according to the invention;
• Figure 22 is a perspective view of a dispensing and crimping pliers equipped with a feed device according to a second embodiment of the invention;
• Figure 23 is a view similar to Figure 22 illustrating a third embodiment of the feed device according to the invention;
• Figure 24 is a side view of the magazine branch equipped with a feed device according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, it is a question, generally, to relate, and to crimp, on the end 10 of the conductive core 11 of an electrical conductor 12 with an insulating sheath 13, a wiring accessory 14 comprising, for this purpose, a metal drum 15.

In the embodiment shown, this wiring accessory 14 is a wiring cap, and it therefore comprises, in addition to the metal casing 15 intended to be engaged on the conductive core end 10 of the electrical conductor 12 to be fitted. , a collar of insulating material 16, intended to engage the sheath 13 thereof and having a frustoconical chamfered portion 16.1.

With reference to the figures, and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, a crimping and crimping pliers for wiring accessories to be crimped on a cable comprises two branches 20, 22 hinged to one another at X around a axis 19 to form respectively, on one side of this axis, crimping jaws 27, 28 and, on the other side of this axis, handles 33, 48.

The branch 20 forms a magazine and has for this purpose means for receiving a charger 21 containing a plurality of wiring accessories 14 to be distributed, arranged parallel to one another and arranged side by side in band or cartridge 14 'to slide perpendicularly to themselves along the branch 20, so that the wiring accessory located at the end of the bandolier 14 'is located between the crimping jaws 27, 28 for reloading the clamp. This charger 21 will be described in more detail later.

The other branch 22 more particularly forms a tool whose jaw 28 is equipped, in line with a crosspiece 23 of the jaw 27 of the branch 20 In the form of a magazine, a crimping plate 25 capable of imprinting on the wiring accessory 14 present between the jaws 27, 28 a crimping deformation, as will be better explained later.

The crossbar 23 of the jaw 27 is bordered by a rim on three sides, namely a flange 30 on each of its longitudinal sides and a flange 31 on that of its transverse sides which forms the end, with, affecting one at less than these longitudinal flanges 30, in the vicinity of the transverse rim 31 above, a notch 32. In the embodiment shown, this notch 32 is hemicylindrical. But, alternatively, it can just as well be globally frustoconical by flaring outwards.

Furthermore, in the embodiment shown, there is also provided a notch 32 'on the other of the longitudinal flanges 30 to the right of the notch 32 above, to absorb, as will be understood later, the possible variations of length of the conductive core end 10 to be equipped.

The handle 33 of the magazine branch 20 has, in cross-section, a concave U-shaped profile facing the handle 48 of the tool branch 22, with a bottom 34 and two longitudinal flanges 35.

The crosspiece 23 of the jaw 27 is offset in height relative to the bottom 34 of the handle 33, facing towards it.

Similarly, the longitudinal flanges 30 of the cross member 23 are offset in height relative to the longitudinal flanges 35 of the handle 33, while being, longitudinally, in the same alignment. These longitudinal edges 30, 35 form, in pairs, jointly, at their connection, cheeks 36.

With its crosspiece 23 and its longitudinal flanges 30, the jaw 27 also has, in cross section, like the handle 33, a U-shaped profile; but its concavity is opposite to that of the handle 33, so that it forms, for the loader 21, a kind of pocket adapted to counter the end when, as will appear later, this charger 21 is engaged between the longitudinal edges 35 of the handle 33.

The handle 33 comprises interlocking means adapted to allow to engage the charger 21, this charger being jointly provided for this purpose with complementary interlocking means. In the embodiment shown, the interlocking means which is thus provided with the handle 33 are housings. It is more precisely recesses 38 which affect at their base its longitudinal edges 35, biting slightly on its bottom 34, as can be seen in particular in Figures 3 and 4.

The handle 33 further has at its free end, between its longitudinal flanges 35, a transverse flange 39 which at least partially closes the profile.

In the embodiment shown, the recesses 38 are set flush with this transverse flange 39.

Furthermore, the magazine branch 20 has, longitudinally elongated, in its handle 33, in the vicinity of its jaw 27, a light or embrasure 40, which transversely extends both on its bottom 34 and one of its longitudinal edges 35.

The embrasure 40 removably receives a direct manual actuating device 99 carrying the cartridge belt 14 'of wiring accessories for reloading.

This direct manual actuation, which will be described in the following, differs from an automatic actuation provided by some known clamps, according to which the movement of the branches indirectly causes the advance of the bandolier.

In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 21, this advance device 99 comprises a support insert 100 which is removably received in the recess 40 to cover it in the manner of a hood and which carries a driving gear 101. This toothed wheel 101 is pivotally mounted on the insert 100 to rotate about an axis 102 which, when the insert is installed in the recess 40, is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the branch 20, which merges with the sliding direction of the bandolier 14 'of wiring accessories 14, as will be better explained later. More specifically, and as is best seen in Figure 9, the drive gear 101 permanently has a portion which is engaged with the cartridge belt 14 'of wiring accessories 14 in the manner of a rack gear and a portion which is accessible externally by projecting from the insert 100 in favor of a opening 103 of this insert. The toothed wheel 101 thus meshes with the bandolier 14 'and thus makes it possible to carry out a manual drive of the bandolier 14' of wiring accessories 14 in the manner of a gear and rack drive system, the toothed wheel 101 forming the 14 'gear and bandolier of wiring accessories forming the rack.

It is easily understood that the manual actuation of the toothed wheel 101 causes it to pivot about its axis 102 and, by its gearing with the bandolier 14 ', the drive, that is to say the feed, of the latter .

In the embodiment shown, the insert 100 is made in the form of a one-piece piece of hollow molded plastic, in the general shape of an angle having two corner walls, with an upper wall 104 which is extends parallel to the bottom 34 of the handle 33 forming a slight recess on the bottom and a side wall 105 which extends in the flush extension of the corresponding longitudinal flange 35 of the handle 33.

The insert 100 thus forms a cover masking the major part of the toothed wheel 101, including its area of grip with the bandolier 14 'of wiring accessories 14, and allowing to overflow, through its opening 103, only the part necessary to its manual actuation, for example by the thumb, by the user.

For the reception of the toothed wheel 101, the insert 100 comprises two bearings 106 integrally molded with the upper wall 104, projecting inside this wall. As best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, each of these bearings 106 is of oblong shape, elongated perpendicular to the top wall 104, that is, in situ, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the branch 20 and of the bandolier 14 'of wiring accessories 14.

For its mounting on the bearings 106, the drive gear 101 has, projecting from its flanks, two pins 112, visible in FIGS. 2 and 9, which are received in the bearings 106 of the insert 100 with, in fact, of the oblong shape of the bearings 106, a certain clearance in the direction perpendicular to the bandolier 14 'of wiring accessories 14. The distance between the axis of rotation 102, materialized by the trunnions 112, and the bandolier 14' d ' Wiring accessories 14 can thus vary freely between two extreme values. In this case, the bearings are in the form of U-shaped cradles, so that the clearance clearance "in height" of the axis 102 of the toothed wheel 101 is limited at its lower point by the bottom 107 of the U-shaped bearings 106. A its upper point, this clearance is limited by a constriction 109 which is adjacent to the introduction opening 108 of each of the bearings 106 and which forms a hard point passage during the introduction of the trunnions 112 of the toothed wheel 101 in the bearings 106 and, therefore, opposes their subsequent extraction. This constriction 109 is here realized in the form of two lugs which clash in lateral lateral projection of the U bearing 106 concerned. To facilitate the introduction of the journals 112 of the driving gear 101 in the bearings 106, the introduction opening 108 of the U-shaped bearings 106 is bevelled and bordered by two inclined faces 113 which also cover the lugs 109 so that that they facilitate the crossing of the hard point formed by the lugs 109.

In addition, in the example illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the upper wall 104 of the insert 100 is internally provided, integrally molded with this wall, with four branches 110, 111 which serve to hold the toothed wheel 101 sideways. .

As mentioned above, the attachment of the insert 100 in the recess 40 is made removably. More specifically, in the example shown, the removable fixing means of the insert 100 in the recess 40 are of elastic snap type. The upper wall 104 of the insert 100 is thus provided, at one of its ends, with a hinge tooth 114 which engages with a notch 115 formed in the corresponding edge of the baffle 14 of the branch 20 and, at its other end, an elastic locking tab 116 having lateral notches 117 adapted to cooperate with corresponding notches 118 formed in the corresponding edge of the embrasure 14 of the branch 20. The establishment and the removal of the insert 100 are thus particularly fast and convenient.

The driving gear 101 is made in the form of a piece of plastic material molded in one piece with its trunnions 112.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 9, this toothed wheel 101 has, at the intersection between its two flanks and its edge, sharp edges. However, to increase the contact surface between the toothed wheel and the user's finger and to make the tactile contact with this gear wheel more pleasant, it will be possible, as in the embodiment illustrated by FIG. an advance device 119 comprising, in addition to the insert 100, a driving gear 120 having a blunt filleted fillet 121, that is to say in this case with a rounded section, between its edge and the one of his flanks.

Alternatively, it can be envisaged a blunt fillet on both sides to further reduce the aggressiveness of the gear 101 on the thumb of the user.

Bordering the embrasure 40, at its end farthest from the jaw 27, the handle 33 has, externally, projecting, a guard 42 to which is leaned a rib 43 running, it over the entire remaining length of the doorway 40.

On the back, on the other hand, of its cross-member 23, is attached, on the handle 33, a spring blade 44 intended to bear on the handle 48 of the tool-forming branch 22. But it goes without saying that this leaf spring 44 can be replaced by any other elastic means to solicit spacing these handles 33, 48.

Finally, in the embodiment shown, and for reasons which will appear later, the branch 20 is equipped with a loop 45 which, extending transversely, is articulated to its handle 33, in the central zone thereof. .

For the support of the crimping plate 25, the tool branch 22 itself has a cross member 47 which, belonging to its jaw 28, is also offset in height relative to its handle 48, this crosspiece 47 being connected laterally by two cheeks 49 to it.

In the embodiment shown, the handle 48 has, in cross-section, as that of the tray handle 20, a U-shaped profile, bottom 50 and longitudinal flanges 51 and its concavity is turned towards that of the latter.

It is against the bottom 50 of this handle 48 that the spring blade 44 carried by the storage handle 20 is carried.

In the embodiment shown, the tool leg 22 has at the end of this bottom 50 opposite its jaw 28, a transverse flange 52 which, to serve as a stop for the magazine branch 20, extends in height to the longitudinal edges 51 bordering this bottom 50.

On the back of the bottom 50 of its handle 48, the tool leg 22 has, transversely, in the embodiment shown, notches 53.

In practice, in the embodiment shown, and without it being imperative, the handle 48 of the tool branch 22 has the same width, transversely, as the handle 33 of the magazine branch 20.

Together, its cheeks 49, which protrude from the longitudinal edges 51 of its handle 48, on the outer surface of these longitudinal flanges 51, frame the cheeks 36 of the store branch 20.

The magazine branch 20 thus traverses in a way the tool-forming branch 22 thanks to the bridge formed by it by its cross-member 47 and its cheeks 49. The axis 19 is here represented by two pins or rivets established, each respectively , thanks to these cheeks 36 and 49.

Preferably, the branches 20, 22 thus formed are made of synthetic material filled with glass fibers, which gives them both great lightness and elasticity.

The crimping plate 25, which itself is made of metal, is inserted by one of its slices into a groove (not visible in the figures) of the jaw 28 of the tool branch 22, being properly locked therein. for example by a clamping screw 55, as shown, any other mode of assembly being of course conceivable. In practice, the groove (not visible) affects the lower surface of the crossbar 47 of the jaw 28, and for the clamping screw 55, the crosspiece 47 has, in its thickness, a threaded hole 56 intersecting this groove.

To obtain a crimping deformation 26 affecting only locally the crimping accessory 14 to crimp, the crimping plate 25 has at least one tooth 57, as is best seen in Figure 6. In the form shown embodiment, this crimping plate 25 comprises, in fact, side by side, on its edge opposite to that by which it is inserted in the groove (not visible) of the jaw 28, three teeth 57, for obtaining, on the wiring accessory 14, at a distance from one another, three local crimping deformations 26.

The crimp wiring accessories 14 being cable ends capable of being implemented in strand or cartridge 14 'by being connected two by two by their flange 16 of insulating material, the crimping plate 25 is extended, a only holding, by a cutting blade 58, which is slightly offset, transversely, relative to it, by the set of two bends in opposite directions, and whose edge 59 extends generally to a level slightly lower than that of its teeth 57. As shown, this cutting edge 59 may have a slope, to reduce the corresponding cutting forces.

In the embodiment shown, and as is best seen in Figures 11 to 14, the loader 21 is in the general form of an elongated wafer whose outer volume, generally parallelepipedal, is substantially complementary to the internal volume of the branch 20, this interior volume being defined as being that extending between, on the one hand, the longitudinal flanges 30 and the transverse flange 31 of the jaw 27 of this branch 20, and, on the other hand, the longitudinal flanges 35 and the transverse flange 39 of its handle 33.

This loader 21 comprises, projecting on a sole 62, on the one hand, a bar 63, which extends, transversely, only over a width L1 less than that L2 of the sole 62, and which, parallel to said sole 62, has, longitudinally, running along its entire length, a groove 64, and, secondly, facing the longitudinal edge of said bar 63 on which opens its groove 64, parallel to said longitudinal edge and at a distance from that Here is a slider 65.

In the embodiment shown, the strip 65 which extends along one of the longitudinal sides of the flange 62, has, with respect to the lower surface thereof, a height H2 less than that H1 of the strip 63, itself established at the edge of the longitudinal side of the sole 62 opposite the previous one.

The magazine 21 thus formed has, transversely, at one end of the bar 63, on an extension 66 of the sole 62, a cradle 67, suitable for receiving a wiring accessory 14, with extending longitudinally cantilevered from the bar 63, above this cradle 67, and at a distance therefrom, a finger 68 specific to the retention of a wiring accessory 14 when such cabling accessory is present in this cradle 67. This finger 68 extends from that 70 of the lips of the bar 63 which is farthest from the sole 62. In practice, also, it extends only slightly to beyond the axis of the cradle 67.

The wiring accessories 14 to be dispensed being end pieces, the cradle 67 is staggered, with a portion of lesser cross-section 67 ', which, to the dimensions of the shank 15 of such a mouthpiece, is established in line with the bar 63, and a portion of larger cross-section 67 ", which, to the dimensions of the collar of insulating material 16, is established at the right of the free portion 72 of the sole 62, that is to say to the right of the portion of this sole 62 which extends between the bar 63 and the strip 65. Preferably, and as shown, the cradle 67 is preceded by an inclined pan or ramp 73.

To the right of the cradle 67, the strip 65, which extends over the entire length of the sole 62, has a notch 74. In the embodiment shown, the notch 74 is generally semicylindrical.

The extension 66 of the sole 62 is provided at its free end edge with a hook 69 which engages with the flange 31 of the jaw 27 to participate in the anchoring of the loader 21 on the branch 20.

The finger 68 which extends the lip 70 above the cradle 67 has its free edge bevelled by a chamfer 76, adapted to cooperate with the chamfered portion 16.1 of the insulating flange 16.

The free portion 72 of the sole 62 has, longitudinally, projecting on its surface from which also extend the bar 63 and the strip 65, an elastically deformable tongue 80. In the embodiment shown, it Thus, duly spaced at a distance from each other, two tongues elastically deformable 80.

To facilitate, as will appear hereinafter, the handling of the loader 21, its sole 62 also has, at its end opposite the cradle 67, an extension 81, which, in practice, forms a simple tongue. Unlike the extension 66, the strip 65 does not extend over this extension 81.

Finally, at their end opposite the cradle 67, the bar 63 and the sole plate 62 comprise, respectively, in the embodiment shown, interlocking means, such as projections or housings, adapted to cooperate in snap-fastening with means of engagement. interlocking, housing or projections, complementary.

In the present case, these interlocking means are constituted, in the embodiment shown, by projections 82, which, arranged one on the bar 63, the other on the strip 65, are intended to cooperate in snap with the recesses 38 of the store branch of the dispenser 18.

For the bar 63, the projection 82 comes directly from one piece of its longitudinal edge opposite the strip 65, this projection 82 being disposed in the immediate vicinity of the edge formed by this longitudinal branch with the sole opposite to the sole 62 .

For the strip 65, the projection 82 extends at the end of a finger 83, to be level with the projection 82 above.

At its back, the sole 62 has, finally, in the embodiment shown, at a distance from the elastically deformable tongues 80, but projecting on the surface of this sole 62 opposite to that on which these resiliently deformable tongues 80 project, 80 elastically deformable strips 84 defining, jointly, between them, a housing 85 which, extending transversely, is adapted to receive the middle part of the loop 45 carried by the magazine branch 20.

For the sake of convenience of molding, the bar 63 and the sole 62 belong, each respectively, to separate flaps 87, 88, suitably secured to one another.

In addition to the sole 62, the flap 88 includes the strip 65.

In practice, the flap 87 bears on a portion 89 of the sole plate 62 whose surface here is slightly recessed with respect to that of its free portion 72, being separated therefrom by a shoulder 90.

In practice also, the flaps 87 and 88 are hinged to each other by a hinge line 92 which is constituted by six hinge zones distributed along the edge of the flange 62 opposite that along which extends the ruler 65.

Thus, the magazine 21 may be molded with a mold without a drawer, while being in a configuration for which its shutter 87 is erected substantially perpendicularly to its shutter 88. After such molding, it is sufficient to fold the shutter 87 against the shutter 88 and to secure it to this one. In the embodiment shown, the corresponding connection is made by simple bonding. It can also be made by welding, and, for example, by high-frequency welding, ultrasonic welding, hot-tip welding, or the like.

As a variant, it can still result from a snap-in, the shutter 87 having, for example, from place to place, hooks through which it can snap into the thickness of the flange 62 of the flap 88 on notches provided for this purpose, by means of recesses, on this sole 62.

Anyway, when the shutters 87, 88 thus constituting the charger 21 are applied to each other, it is sufficient, for its use, to engage at one of its ends, in the groove 64 the bar 63 constituting its flap 87, and as shown schematically in broken lines in Figure 11, the wiring accessories 14 to distribute, the groove 64 opening longitudinally at one and the other of its ends.

Of course, the arrangements are such that the width of this groove 64 corresponds to the diameter of the metal drum 15 of these wiring accessories 14, and that the distance between the bar 63 and the strip 65 corresponds to the height of its collar made of insulating material 16.

In this respect, the loader 21 may advantageously serve as an adapter between the wiring accessories 14 and the magazine branch 20. In fact, while having, externally, the same dimensions, the latter being adapted, as indicated below. above, to the internal dimensions of the magazine branch 20, its internal dimensions may correspond, at least in a certain range, to various different calibres possible for the wiring accessories 14 to be distributed.

Thus, the same clamp 18 may advantageously suit several different gauges of wiring accessories 14, only being chosen accordingly the charger 21 to set up in its branch store 20. To distinguish one from the other chargers 21 different as well These chargers 21 may, for example, be of different colors.

Of course, the wiring accessories 14 can be placed individually, one after the other, in such a charger 21.

But, preferentially, and as also indicated above, they intervene in string or cartridge belt 14 ', which facilitates and makes it faster setting up and driving by the gear wheel 101.

Anyway, for the establishment in the magazine branch 20 of a charger 21 and loaded wiring accessories 14, it can be advantageously taken advantage of, as shown in Figure 15 of the loop 45 For this purpose, this loop 45 is deployed substantially at 90 ° with respect to the current handle 33 of this magazine branch 20 and, by its end, directed towards the side of the magazine branch 20 , the cradle 67, this loader 21 is engaged, which facilitates the guide towards the jaw 27 of the store branch 20.

When, by its corresponding transverse section, the magazine 21 abuts against the transverse rim 31 of the jaw 27, it finds its exact place in the magazine branch 20, and can therefore be fitted into it, with snap-in by simple elastic deformation, its protrusions 82 in the complementary recesses 38 which comprises for this purpose this store branch 20. The anchoring of the loader 21 on the branch 20 is further completed by the engagement of the hook 69 on the rim 31 of the jaw 27.

Only, therefore, protrudes from the latter, the tab constituting the extension 81 of the sole 62, this tongue being provided to facilitate subsequent removal, after exhaustion of the wiring accessories 14 it contains, or for a change of caliber for these.

In the period of non-use, FIG. 16, the tool branch 22 is brought closer, against the leaf spring 44, to the magazine branch 20, and, by engagement with it, of the buckle 45 carried by the latter to come into engagement with this loop 45 with one of the notches 53 that it carries on its back, it is thus kept so close to the latter, with, thus, for all, a storage configuration advantageously minimal.

For the use of the clamp, as illustrated in FIGS. 18 to 20, the buckle 45 carried by its magazine branch 20 is, by pivoting, disengaged from its tool-forming branch 22, until it comes to engage, by its middle portion, in the housing 85 defined by the elastically deformable strips 84 of the loader 21 present in the magazine branch 20, which strengthens the position of this loader 21 therein.

The jaws 27, 28 are therefore spaced apart, it is possible for the operator to advance, one notch to the thumb, through the driving gear 101 associated with the handle 33, the wiring accessories. 14 present in the charger 21 in place therein.

By crossing the inclined section 73, the first of these wiring accessories 14 is put into place in the cradle 67, right of the crimping plate 25 carried by the tool handle 22, while in the loader 21, the tongues elastically deformable 80 oppose any retrograde movement of the bandolier 14 'that constitute the remaining wiring accessories 14 under the effect of inadvertent actuation in the backward direction of the drive gear 101.

It suffices, therefore, for the operator to engage in the wiring accessory 14 thus present in the cradle 67, in favor, successively, of the notch 32 of the jaw 27 and the notch 74 of the charger 21 preceding this cradle 67, the electrical conductor 12 to be equipped, as shown in FIG. 18.

The handles 33 and 48 being brought closer to each other, as represented in FIG. 19, the crimping plate 25 of the jaw 28, the force of which is then counterbalanced by the crossmember 23 of the jaw 27, is anchored, by its teeth 57, on the metal drum 15 of the wiring accessory 14 concerned, thereby forming the local crimping deformations 26 sought for its crimping on the end 10 of the conductive core 11 of the electrical conductor 12, while, together, the cutting blade 58 slices the strap linkage 14 'existing between this wiring accessory 14 and the following.

As will be noted, the corresponding section advantageously intervenes, in masked time, at the same time as the crimping.

In practice, at the end of the relative approximation of the handles 33, 48, and although the desired crimping is obtained before, the handle 33 bears against the transverse flange 52 forming a stop, provided for this purpose on the handle 48, at the cost possibly a slight elastic flexion on its part, which guarantees the execution of a correct crimping whatever the caliber of the wiring accessory 14 concerned.

It suffices, finally, the handles 33, 48 being released, as shown in Figure 20, to remove the electrical conductor 12, it then driving with him the wiring accessory 14 which was duly reported by crimping .

As mentioned above and as best seen in FIG. 21, both of the corresponding local crimping deformations 26 advantageously only locally affect the barrel 15 of this wiring accessory 14, so that, taken as a whole, the cross section of this shaft 15 is not substantially modified.

For the equipment of a new electrical conductor 12, the previous operations are repeated, the wiring accessories 14 advancing each time a notch through the driving of the bandolier 14 'of wiring accessories 14 operated manually by via the gear wheel 101.

As it is easy to understand, the finger 68 that the charger 21 presents above its cradle 67 advantageously provides a suitable hold therein of the last of these wiring accessories 14.

FIGS. 22 and 23 show dispensing and crimping pliers similar to the one previously described, but comprising advance devices according to second and third embodiments of the invention. We thus find the two branches 20 and 22 previously described, articulated to one another at X about the axis 19 to form respectively, on one side of this axis, the crimping jaws 27, 28 and, the other side of this axis, the handles 33, 48, with, between these two handles, the return blade 44.

The advance devices are here designated by the general references 122 and 150 and differ from those previously described and designated under the references 99 and 119 essentially by the fact that the manual actuation in rotation of the drive gear is no longer obtained by a direct action on the drive gear, but involves a separate actuating wheel.

In the second embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 22, the advance device 122 is composed, as before, of an insert 123 in the general shape of an angle, similar to its counterpart 100 previously described, removably received in the embrasure 40 of the magazine branch 20 to completely cover this embrasure, in the manner of a cover, in the general continuity of the handle 33 of the branch 20. The removable mounting means of the insert 123 in the doorway 40 are for example, as before, of the snap type, similar to those previously described.

A driving gear 124, similar to the gear wheel 101 described above, is rotatably mounted on the insert 123 by partially projecting from this insert by a corresponding opening 125 thereof. Unlike the embodiment previously described, the toothed wheel 124 is not actuated directly by the user, but is associated with an actuating wheel 126 which is coaxial and integral with it in rotation. The user's finger contact with this wheel 126 is thus more pleasant and more accurate than with the gear wheel 124 itself. In this case, the wheel 126 is contiguous to the toothed wheel 124 and is also made in one piece of plastic molded therewith.

As before, the toothed wheel 124 meshes directly with the bandolier 14 'of wiring accessories 14.

In the third embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 23, the feed device 150 is composed, as previously, of an insert 151 in the general shape of an angle, removably received in the embrasure 40 of the branch forming store 20 to completely cover this embrasure, in the manner of a hood, in the general continuity of the handle 33 of the branch 20. The removable mounting means of the insert 151 in the recess 40 are for example, as previously , snap type similar to those previously described.

A drive gear 152, similar to the gear wheel 101 described above, is mounted on the insert 151, on the inner side thereof, to rotate about an axis 153 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the branch forming magazine 20, that is to say perpendicular to the direction of sliding of the cartridge belt 14 'of wiring accessories 14. This drive gear 152 is completely masked by the insert 151 which thus forms a closed hood. For its actuation, the drive gear 152 is rotatably connected to a manual actuating wheel 154, of the same axis 153, which is offset laterally with respect to the plane formed approximately by the two branches 20 and 22 of the gripper. , being integrally connected to the driving gear 152 by a cylindrical connecting section 155 passing through a corresponding opening 156 forming a bearing of the insert 151.

It will be understood that this embodiment with a remote actuating wheel remains simple in its execution while offering the advantage of more efficient ergonomics. In addition, the contact of the user's thumb with the ridged surface wheel 154 as in the illustrated example, or alternatively coated with a layer of smooth or rough non-slip material, is more pleasant for the user than direct contact with the sharp edges of the toothed wheel 152.

FIG. 24 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the feed device with manual actuation of the bandolier 14 'of wiring accessories 14. As before, the same general pincer structure is found, with its two articulated branches in X-shape , only the magazine branch 20, and more precisely the portion thereof forming the handle 33, being visible, in the region of its notch 40, in FIG. 23.

The feed device, here designated by the general reference 200, comprises, as in the embodiments described above, an insert 201 in the general shape of angle which is received in the manner of a cap, removably, in the notch 40. As previously, the removable assembly of this insert 201 in the notch 40 involves latching means similar to those previously described for the insert 100.

A drive gear 202 is mounted on the insert 201, on the inner side thereof, to rotate about an axis 203 substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the magazine branch 20 which merges with the sliding direction of the bandolier 14 'of wiring accessories 14. This gear wheel 202 is fully housed inside the cover that forms the insert 200 and therefore completely masked by the latter, without being accessible from the outside.

The drive gear 202 is actuated by means of a manual actuating wheel 204 which is mounted on the insert 201 to rotate about an axis 205 substantially parallel to the axis 203 of the gear wheel. However, in this embodiment, the axis 205 of the wheel 204 is shifted relative to the axis 203 of the drive gear 202 and the rotational drive of the toothed wheel. drive 202 by the actuating wheel 204 involves an intermediate toothed plate 206 of the same axis 205 as the wheel 204. This intermediate toothed plate 206 is rotationally integral with this wheel 204 and meshes with the drive gear 202 for forming a gear transmission mechanism.

In this case, the pitch diameter of the gear wheel 202 is substantially smaller than that of the gear tray 206, so that the gear transmission mechanism thus formed is reducing. It will further be appreciated that this gear transmission mechanism reverses the direction of rotation of the drive gear 202 relative to that of the actuating wheel 204, thereby providing a better convenience of use.

In the illustrated example, the intermediate toothed plate 206 is attached to the actuating wheel 204 and may advantageously be made in one piece, for example molded plastic, with this wheel. In order to be manually operated, for example by the thumb, by the user, the wheel 204 projects beyond the cover formed by the insert 201 by means of an opening 207 formed in the upper wall of the insert 201 which extends in the extension of the bottom of the handle 33 of the magazine branch 20. To avoid any unpleasant contact of the thumb of the user with the intermediate gear tray 206, the latter has a tooth tip diameter smaller than the diameter of the wheel 204 .

With this embodiment more sophisticated than the previous ones, the approval and the convenience of use of the advance device are further improved. manual, on the one hand by performing a reversal of the direction of rotation of the actuating wheel 204 to advance the bandolier 14 'of wiring accessories 14 for reloading, and secondly by reducing the torque that must be printed manually with the wheel 204 to drive, with the same effort, the bandolier 14 'of wiring accessories 14.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown, but encompasses any variant embodiment.

In particular, the constituent branches of the clamp according to the invention can also form levers of a different kind from that of the levers they form in the embodiment more particularly described and shown; for example, instead of being articulated to one another in X, they could be articulated in V like a nutcracker.

Claims (27)

1. A tool for dispensing and crimping wiring accessories (14) to be crimped to a cable (12), said tool including two branches (20, 22) articulated to each other about an axis (19) to form on the one hand crimping jaws (27, 28) and on the other hand holding handles (33, 48), one branch (20) forming a magazine and having means for receiving a loader (21) containing a plurality of wiring accessories (14) arranged side-by-side in a cartridge (14') to slide perpendicularly to themselves along said branch in order to reload the tool, so that the wiring accessory (14) at the end of the cartridge (14') is located between the crimping jaws (27, 28), characterized in that it includes an advance device (99 ; 119 ; 122 ; 150 ; 200) for direct manual actuation which drives the cartridge (14') of wiring accessories (14) for reloading, said advance device including a drive sprocket (101 ; 120 ; 124 ; 152 ; 202) which is pivotally mounted on the branch forming the magazine (20), to pivot about an axis (102 ; 153 ; 203) substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction in which the cartridge (14') of wiring accessories (14) slides and which meshes with the cartridge (14') of wiring accessories (14) so that manual actuation of said sprocket drives (101 ; 120 ; 124 ; 152 ; 202) the cartridge (14').
2. A tool according to claim 1, in which the drive sprocket (101 ; 124) is mounted with clearance relative to the branch forming the magazine (20), so that the distance between its rotation axis (102) and the cartridge (14') of wiring accessories can (14) vary freely between two extreme values.
3. A tool according to any preceding claim, in which the drive sprocket (101 ; 120 ; 124 ; 152 ; 202) is carried by a removable support (100 ; 151 ; 201) attached to the branch forming the magazine (20).
4. A tool according to claim 3, in which the removable support is an insert (100 ; 123 ; 151 ; 201) which is received in an embrasure (40) of the branch forming the magazine (20), opening onto the cartridge (14') of wiring accessories (14).
5. A tool according to claim 4, in which the insert (100 ; 123 ; 151 ; 201) is fixed in the embrasure (40) of the branch forming the magazine (20) by removable fixing means (114 ; 116) of the elastic clip type.
6. A tool according to any preceding claim, in which the drive sprocket (101 ; 120) is at least partly accessibly externally for direct manual actuation.
7. A tool according to claim 6, in which a cover (100) masks a portion of the sprocket (101 ; 120), including its area interengaged with the cartridge (14') of wiring accessories (14), and has an opening (103) through which a portion of the drive sprocket (101 ; 120) projects for manual actuation.
8. A tool according to claim 7 when dependent on any of claims 3 to 5, in which the cover is the removable support (100).
9. A tool according to claim 8 when dependent on claim 2, in which the axis (102) of the drive sprocket (101 ; 120) is defined by two lateral journals (112) which are received in oblong bearings (106) formed on the removable support (100) and having a back (107) and an insertion opening (108), the play of the journals in the bearings being limited on the one hand by the back (107) of said bearings and on the other hand by a hard spot (109) near the insertion opening (108) of the bearings (106).
10. A tool according to any of claims 6 to 9 when dependent on claim 4, in which, the insert (100) being hollow and in the general form of an angle-iron made up of at least two corner walls (104, 105), with a top wall (104) substantially parallel to the cartridge (14') of wiring accessories (14), said top wall has on its inside at least one ramification (110, 111) for laterally retaining the drive sprocket (101 ; 120).
11. A tool according to any of claims 6 to 10, in which the drive sprocket (120) has a blunted connecting fillet (121) between its edge and at least one of its two flanks.
12. A tool according to any of claims 1 to 5, in which the drive sprocket (124 ; 152 ; 202) is driven in rotation, directly or indirectly, by an actuator thumbwheel (126 ; 154 ; 204) which is mounted on the branch forming the magazine (20) to turn about an axis (153 ; 205) substantially parallel to the rotation axis (153 ; 203) of the drive sprocket (124 ; 152 ; 202).
13. A tool according to claim 12, in which the drive sprocket (152, 202) is entirely masked by a cover (151, 201) and the actuator thumbwheel (154, 204) is at least partly accessible from the outside for manipulation by a user.
14. A tool according to claim 13 when dependent on any of claims 3 to 5, in which the cover is the removable support (151 ; 201).
15. A tool according to either claim 13 or claim 14, in which the cover (201) masks a portion of the actuator thumbwheel (204) and has an opening in it (207) through which a portion of the actuator thumbwheel (204) projects for manual actuation.
16. A tool according to either claim 13 or claim 14, in which the actuator thumbwheel (154) is entirely external to the cover (151).
17. A tool according to claim 16, in which the actuator thumbwheel (154) is offset laterally relative to the plane approximately formed by the two branches (20 ; 22) of the tool.
18. A tool according to any of claims 12 to 17, in which the axis of the actuator thumbwheel (126 ; 154) coincides with the axis (153) of the drive sprocket (124 ; 152).
19. A tool according to claim 18, in which the actuator thumbwheel (154) is constrained to rotate with the drive sprocket (152).
20. A tool according to claim 19, in which the actuator thumbwheel (126) is constrained to rotate with the drive sprocket (124).
21. A tool according to any of claims 12 to 18, in which the actuator thumbwheel (204) drives rotation of the drive sprocket (202) via a transmission mechanism (206 ; 202).
22. A tool according to claim 21, in which the transmission mechanism (206 ; 202) reverses the direction of rotation of the drive sprocket (202) relative to that of the actuator thumbwheel (204).
23. A tool according to either claim 21 or claim 22, in which the transmission mechanism (206 ; 202) is a reducer.
24. A tool according to any of claims 21 to 23, in which the transmission mechanism (206 ; 202) is a gear mechanism.
25. A tool according to claim 24, in which the actuator thumbwheel (204) is constrained to rotate with a toothed plate (206) which meshes directly with the drive sprocket (202).
26. A tool according to claim 25 when dependent on claim 13, in which the intermediate toothed plate (206) adjoins the actuator thumbwheel (204) and the diameter of the tips of its teeth is less than the diameter of the actuator thumbwheel (204).
27. A manually-actuated advance device (99 ; 119 ; 150 ; 200) for a dispensing and crimping tool according to any preceding claim.

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