GB2142259A

GB2142259A - A cable laying machine

Info

Publication number: GB2142259A
Application number: GB08411165A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Siegfried Weckend
Original assignee: Zentrum Mikroelektronik Dresden GmbH
Current assignee: IDT Europe GmbH
Priority date: 1983-06-29
Filing date: 1984-05-01
Publication date: 1985-01-16
Also published as: DD216357A1; FR2549306A1; JPS6010578A; DE3344176A1; GB2142259B; GB8411165D0; FR2549306B3

Abstract

The machine has a laying mechanism movable horizontally over a laying plate having conductor guides 20 and a connector receiving body 12 with combs 21, 22 and a clamp 20 the laying mechanism cooperating with the guides and body to shape a conductor and connect a connector thereto. The laying mechanism includes a vertically movable conductor laying finger 1, a support member 3 which is rotatable about the axis of the laying finger, a plurality of rams 4 mounted in the support member and being symmetrically disposed circumferentially about the laying finger, each ram supporting a contacting tool 6 and being arranged to move its associated contacting tool toward the laying plate. Each contacting tool 6 includes in series, along the conductor length, a guide 7.1, a pressing punch 8.1 with a cutting edge 8.2, a holding-down device 9, another pressing and cutting punch 8 and a guide 7. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A cable laying machine This invention relates to a cable laying machine for the automatic contacting and cutting of electrical conductors of a shaped cable.

The device can be used in the field of the production of shaped cables for electrical engineering and electronics.

In known shaped-cable laying machines, a laying mechanism equipped with a wire store, wire feed devices, a wire cutter and a wire laying finger is located above a laying plate provided with pins and other laying aids. To lay the individual wires, the laying mechanism together with the associated laying head is moved relative to the laying plate through a series of coordinates according to a predetermined programme by means of appropriate drive devices.

At the same time, the wire ends are automatically fixed at points provided on the laying plate and are arranged individually into a shaped cable by means of the laying aids located at specific coordinates. When a single type of wire is used in several individual branches, the wire is laid in a loop round the laying aid at the particular end or connection points and is drawn further according to the connection characteristics. When different types of wire are used, the wire which has already been laid is severed automatically from the wire store at the appropriate end point, and the new type is laid according to the further programme. This operation is repeated until the shaped cable has reached its final size.To make the connections, the shaped cable is subsequently removed from the laying plate, and the connection points are cut by hand to their required length and provided with the connectors or connecting elements intended for them. This is carried out either by means of individual tools, for example pliers for flat plugs, or tools for contacting connections for plug-in connectors according to the cutting and clamping technique.

According to the present invention, there is provided a cable laying machine having a laying mechanism movable horizontally over a laying plate having shaping means and connector receiving means, the laying mechanism cooperating with said shaping means and connector receiving means to shape a conductor and connect a cOnnector thereto, the laying mechanism including a vertically movable conductor laying finger, a support member which is rotatable about the axis of the laying finger, a plurality of rams mounted in the support member and being symmetrically disposed circumferentially about the laying finger, each ram supporting a contacting tool and being arranged to move its associated contacting tool toward the laying plate.

Accordingly the technological process of contacting the shaped-cable ends with appropriate connecting elements and/or plug-in connectors is incorporated into the production cycle of shaped-cable production, thereby to increase the degree of automation and the profitability of shaped-cable laying mechanisms.

The connectors or contact elements may, for example comprise solderless plug-in connectors, having knife terminals which cut open the insulations and in which an appropriate electrical conductor is laid in the correct position, contacted and severed.

The present invention makes it possible to contact electrical conductors, such as individual wires, cords or cables, of a shaped-cable, which are laid by means of a shaped-cable laying mechanism, at a particular connection point for receiving the contacts of solderless connecting elements and/or plug-in connectors immediately after the shaping of the shaped cable, and furthermore to severe then from the wire or cable roll.

Preferably, the rams are operatively connected to hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical actuating means, and are provided with means for force limitation and position monitoring.

Suitably, each contacting tool is resiliently mounted on a respective ram.

The contacting tools are movable horizontally by amounts determined by the elastic intermediate pieces.

In the preferred embodiment, the contacting tool comprises on a surface facing the laying plate a series of tools including a slotted holding-down device, pressing and cutting punches and at least two guides which cooperate with the connector receiving devices and the shaping means located on the laying plate.

Suitably, the guides are U-shaped each having a groove extending in the laying direction of the electrical conductor. The guides may be arranged to match free of play the means for shaping the electrical conductors. Preferably, the contact or connecting elements are releasably fastened to the receiving device by means of resiliently biased clamping pieces.

In one embodiment of the invention, the bearing housing for the contacting tool is adjustable an angular amount a, angles a from 0" to 180 being adjustable.

When the electrical conductor has been laid by means of the laying mechanism up to the corresponding shaped-cable end or connection point according to the set programme, so that it is located above the guide for the particular contact blades, for example at the end of a shaped-cable branch, the contacting tool is moved downwards upon activation of the hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical actuating means, and the electrical conductor located in position is laid exactly into the connection position by the slots of the holding-down device and the pressing and cutting punch and by the guides located on both sides of the tool system. The further movement of the contacting tool ensures that the pressing and cutting punch located above the contact element presses the electrical conductor into the cutters of the contacts, so that the insulation is cut open and the conductor itself is contacted.By means of the cutting edge located on the pressing and cutting punch, the conductor is severed from the shaped cable or the wire store and is thus connected firmly to the contact element. The device makes it possible to carry out the contacting of the conductor both at the end and at the start of a shapedcable branch, when the laying mechanism is displaced in the directions x and y and with contact elements located in polar coordinates.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of an embodiment according to the invention; and Figure 2 is a sectional plan view along the planes indicated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 shows a support member 3 which is mounted for vertical movement and rotation on a bearing housing 2 of a laying mechanism of a shaped-cable laying machine. The support member 3 has a laying finger 1 for guiding an electrical conductor 16, which laying finger is located co-axially with the axis of symmetry of the mounting 3. As shown in the drawings the bearing housing 2 has on opposite sides of the laying finger 1, rams 4 which are guided within the support member 3 and are movable vertically by hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical actuating means (not shown).

On the underside of each ram 4, a contacting tool 6 is provided which is resiliently connected to a ram plate 11 via intermediate pieces (see contacting tool on right-hand side of Fig. 1), the ram plate 11 being connected firmly to the ram 4. The contacting tool 6 comprises an arrangement of separate tools arranged in a series, which tools comprise guides 7 and 7.1 located respectively on the right-hand side and on the left-hand side of the arrangement of tools as viewed in the drawings. The guides are U-shaped having a centrally located groove 7.2 and having legs which project outwardly of the tool 6.

The arrangement of tools further comprises, cutting and pressing punches 8 and 8.1, punch 8.1 having a cutting edge 8.2 and, mounted centrally of the contacting tool 6, a holding-down device 9 with a slot 9.1, the tools being spaced apart from one another.

The cutting and pressing punches 8 and 8.1 are designed so that their lower surfaces, which faces towards the electrical conductor 1 6 and which provide pressure surfaces, correspond to the diameter of the electrical conductor 16. The guides 7 and 7.1 and the cutting and pressing tools 8 and 8.1 have the same overall length, whilst the holding-down device 9 has a greater overall length so that its lower end is lower than the lower edges of the tools 7, 7.1,8 and 8.1 A receiving device 12 and conductor guides 20 are mounted on a holder 5 which is mounted on a laying plate 19, so as to cooperate with the arrangement of individual tools of the contacting tool 6.The receiving device 12 consists of a body with squared-off combs 21 and 22 which are arranged in a similar manner to the conductor guide 20 and are intended for guiding the conductor 16. A contact element 1 3 which is to be connected to conductor 1 6 is retained on the body by means of a clamping piece 18 biased by a spring element 1 7. Element 1 3 has contacts 14, 1 5 of the type which cut into the insulation of the conductor 1 6.

The contacting tool 6 shown on the righthand side in Fig. 1, carries out the connection of an electrical conductor 1 6 at the end of a shaped-cable branch or a connection point. To make this connection, the laying mechanism is automatically positioned in front of the conductor guide 20 on the holder 5 located at co-ordinates fixed according to a predetermined laying programme, and is displaced in the x direction (as indicated in Fig. 2) over the conductor guide 20 to a location behind the comb 22, so that the electrical conductor 1 6 is located above contacts 14, 1 5 of contact element 1 3 (position a of conductor 1 6 as shown in full lines on the right-hand side in Fig. 1).

When the electrical conductor 16 is in the wiring position, downward movement of the contacting tool 6 is initiated by actuating the appropriate means as a result of signalling via limit switches, initiators or other suitable switching means. The electrical conductor 16 is pressed into the contacts 14, 1 5, by means of the left-hand pressing and cutting punch 8.1, so that the contacts 14, 1 5 penetrate the insulation until electrical contact is made, and the cutting edge 8.2 severs the electrical conductor from the supply reel or from the shaoped-cable part laid until then (position b of conductor 1 6 as shown in broken lines on the right-hand side in Fig. 1). By altering the holder 5 or by changing it, it is possible to use and connect contact elements 1 3 of any size and with any connection possibilities as regards the number of connection points.

The advantages of the invention arise particularly from the fact that the connection and contacting of contact elements of solderless connecting or plug-in connectors, previously carried out by hand and/or by means of other devices outside the laying process, can be effected directly on the laying plate of the shaped-cable laying machine and can be incorporated in the laying process. As a result of this, wiring errors caused by wiring the plug-in connectors manually are substantially avoided or, if the laying and connecting process is programmed exactly, are prevented completely. Furthermore, the tool arrangement on the laying mechanism and its angular adjustability (through an angle a which can be between 0" and 180 ), together with the design and arrangement of the holders 5 on laying plate 1 9 and the appropriate control programme, makes it possible, in contrast to previous solutions, to lay electrical conductors 1 6 not only in a conventional x-y wiring arrangement, but also in a polar coordinates arrangement, and to contact the conductors on corresponding contact elements 1 3 arranged at various polar coordinates.

Claims

1. A cable laying machine having a laying mechanism movable horizontally over a laying plate having shaping means and connector receiving means, the laying mechanism cooperating with said shaping means and connector receiving means to shape a conductor and connect a connector thereto, the laying mechanism including a vertically movable conductor laying finger, a support member which is rotatable about the axis of the laying finger, a plurality of rams mounted in the support member and being symmetrically disposed circumferentially about the laying finger, each ram supporting a contacting tool and being arranged to move its associated contacting tool toward the laying plate.

2. A machine according to Claim 1, wherein the rams are operatively connected to hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical actuating means and are provided with means for force limitation and position monitoring.

3. A machine according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein each contacting tool is resiliently mounted on a respective ram.

4. A machine according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the contacting tool comprises, on a surface facing the laying plate, a series of tools including a slotted holding-down device, pressing and cutting punches and at least two guides which cooperate with the connector receiving devices and the shaping means located on the laying plate.

5. A machine according to Claim 4, wherein the guides are U-shaped each having a groove extending in the laying direction of the electrical conductor.

6. A machine according to Claim 5, wherein the guides match free of play the shaping means.

7. A machine according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the connectors are releasably fastened to a receiving device by means of a resiliently biased clamping piece.

8. A machine according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the support member is rotatably adjustable to vary its angular position.

9. A device according to Claim 8, whereon the support member is adjustable continuously from 0" to 180 .

10. A device substantially as herein described, with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.