IL23057A - Apparatus and a method for crimping an electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

23057/2 ' ewn nana m'ya n¾»im ]pnn Apparatus and a method for orimping an electrical connector 7016Y Apparatus for crimping electrical connectors of the kind defining a channel are known, in which wires already trimmed to desired lengths are fed manually into the channels of the connectors to enable the apparatus to crimp the connectors to the wires.

Apparatus according to the invention for crimping an electrical connector defining a channel to a wire, comprises a crimping die, a crimping anvil, means for moving the die and the anvil relatively towards one another and a shear member movable relative both to the die and the anvil and cooperating with the die during relative movement between the die and the anvil to shear the wire when the wire is positioned between the die and the anvil, the die and the anvil being relatively movable subsequently to the shearing operation to move the severed end of the wire into the channel and to crimp the connector to the wire.

In the apparatus just defined, a crimped connection can readily be formed merely by passing an untrimmed wire between the anvil and the die and actuating the apparatus to trim the wire, place it in the channel and crimp the connector to. the wire.

A method of trimming a wire and crimping an electrical connector defining a channel to the wire comprising according to the invention, the steps of positioning the wire within a die cavity of a crimping die, the die cavity comprising a trough adapted to bend the sidewalls of the connector towards each other and into crimped relationship with the wire, moving the die laterally of the axis of the trough past a shearing member to trim the projecting end of the wire, and moving the die towards the connector and an anvil in supporting^ relationship 7016Y For a better understanding of the invention reference will now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a crimped electrical connection ; Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a connector for use in making the connection shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view of the connector of Figure 2; Figure is a perspective view of a tool for crimping electrical connectors; Figure 5 is a sectional view of the head of the tool showing the parts thereof at the beginning of a crimping cycle; Figure 6 is a similar view to Figure 5 but showing the parts in mid cycle; Figure 7 is a similar view to that of Figure 5, but showing the parts at the end of the crimping cycle; Figure 8 is a sectional view on the lines VIII-VIII of Figure 5; Figure 9 is a similar view to that of Figure 5 but illustrating another manner of operating the tool; and Figure 10 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a modification of the tool.

Figure 1 shows a crimped splice connection between a first pair of insulated wires lU and I · and a second pair of insulated wires 16 and 16', the connection being formed with the aid of an electrical connector 2. Before crimping the connector 2 is channel shaped, as shown in Figure 2, comprising a web k having sidewalls 6 extending from opposite edges of the web . A film 8 of insulating material, for example polyethylene terephthalate , on the outer surface of connector 2 extends be 12 . The crimped connection shown in Figure 1 , is made by positioning the ends of the wires Ik and Ik ' and 16 and 16 11 between the sidewalls 6 and bending these sidewalls towards one another and towards the web k to force the ends of the wire into the notches 12 so that the sides of these notches penetrate the insulation of the wires to establish connection with the electrically conductive cores of the wires. During the crimping operation, the insulating film 8 which extends beyond the upper (as seen in Figure 3 ) edges of the sidewalls 6 is carried downwardly towards the web with the sidewalls and is gripped between opposed surfaces of the side walls.

A tool for forming an electrical connection in the manner described above, will now be described with reference to Figures k to 8. The tool shown in Figure k comprises a fixed handle 20 and a movable handle 22 , the upper (as seen in Figure k ) end 23 of the handle 20 having a pair of lateral flanges Zk housing a tool linkage and between which the upper end of the handle 22 is pivoted at 26 . Intermediate the handle is a device 28, to ensure complete closure of the handle at the end of each crimping cycle of the tool, the device 28 being for example as we have described in the specification of o*ur patent The tool has an essentially C-shaped head 32 having an upper (as seen in Figure k ) arm and a lower (as seen in Figure k ) arm 3k contained between the flanges 2k and secured thereto by fasteners 33. A reciprocable ram 30 is slidably arranged in a bore 29 (Figures 5 to 8) in the arm 3k . The ram 30 is advanced (i.e. moved upwardly as seen in Figures k to 8) upon closure of the handles 20 and 22 by the linkage, which will not be described here, but which may be in accordance with the specification of eux patent >, ^L^j ¾ Q (-9±β^.

The fastener 44 extends through the block 40 , through a plate 46 on the right-hand (as seen in Figures 5 to 7 ) side of the tool and is held in position by a nut. The plate 46 is secured to the arm 3 by screws (not shown) which extend through the plate 46 , through spacers 50 interposed between the arm 36 and the plate 46 and into openings 48 (Figure 4 ) in the arm 36.

An anvil 42 projects from beneath the block 40 , being of simple rectangular shape. The anvil 42 is arranged to co-operate with a crimping die assembly including a central crimping die 52 and a pair of outer dies 54 and 56 on each side of the die 52. The dies 52 , 5 and 56 have forming surfaces arranged to curl the sidewalls 6 of the connector 2 towards each other and to bend the side walls towards the web 4 of the connector.

The forming surfaces define a trough having a converging side 58 , the base of the trough having arcuate section grooves defining a cusp 60 , Figure 8. The dies 5 and 6 are formed intergrally with a die block 62 slidable along a bearing surface 74 of the head 32. The block 62 has a ledge 64 which overlaps the upper (as seen in Figures 5 to 8 ) end of the ram 30 , the block 62 is secured to the ram by a coupling member comprising a disc (not shown) which fits within a circular recess (not shown) on the underside of the ledge 64 and is secured to the ledge 64 by a pin (not shown). A shank (not shown) extends from the underside of this disc and into an axial bore (not shown)in the ram 7 and is secured thereto by a pin 72. Opposed sides 73 and 75 (Figure 5 ) of the dies 4 and 56 define a slot into which the die 2 is movable, the lower wall 77 of this slot acting as a stop for the die 52 as described below. An arm 7 " depending from the die 52 is slidably beyond the dies 54 and 56 by a spring 80 in a recess 79 in the arm 76 and which bears against the block 62. The die 2 is thus normally positioned between the dies 5 and 56 and the anvil 2. A pin 81 on the left-hand (as seen in Figure 8 ) side of the die 52 extends laterally beyond the frame 32 to provide for manual adjustment of the die 52 to position an uncrimped connector in the tool.

A stop plate 84 in a groove 82 of the block 40 is arranged to prevent upward (as seen in Figure 8 ) movement of the die 52 beyond the position in which that die is shown in Figure 8. The plate 84 projects downwardly (as seen in Figure 8 ) beyond the anvil 42 and bears against a surface 83 of the die 52 when the parts of the tool are positioned as shown in Figure 8. The plate 84 has an opening which is oversized relative to a pin 88 which extends therethrough and is fixed in the block 40. Fixed to the pin 88 is an arcuate spring 86 which urges the plate 84 against the base of the groove 82.

The lower (as seen in Figure 8 ) end of the plate 84 can be swung leftwardly (as seen in Figure 8 ) to permit the die 52 to move towards the block 40 for carrying out a crimping operation.

The plate 8 is swung as aforesaid with the aid of a camming pin 90 having an inclined cam surface 92 which upon upward (as seen in Figure 8 ) movement of the die 54 engages the plate 84. As best seen in Figure 5 t tne right-hand side 98 of the die 2 lies substantially in the same plane as the adjacent side 73 of the die 5 . The left-hand (as seen in Figure 5 ) side 100 of the die 52 lies essentially in the same plane as the adjacent side 75 of the die 56. By virtue of this, edges 94 and 96 of sides 73 and 75 of the dies 5 and 56 respectively cooperate with the lower bracket (as seen in Figure 5 ) edges 101 of the With the dies positioned as shown in Figure , the die 52 is retracted by pushing on the pin 81 and an uncrimped connector 2 is positioned between the dies and the anvil h2 , with the web k towards the anvil k2. The die 52 is then permitted to return to its original position under the action of the spring 80 to retain the connector in the tool, between the die 52 and anvil kz as shown in' Figure 8. The wires 16 and 16', (only the wire 16 is shown) are then passed through the trough of the die ^ beneath the surface 101 of the die 52 and past the surface 104. The wires ih and Ik 1 (only the wire Ik is shown) are similarly passed from the left (as seen in Figure 5 ) through the trough of the die 56 , beneath the surface 101 of the die and past the surface 102 of the die $k . The handles are then closed to advance the ram 3° from the position in which the ram is shown in Figure 5 to the position in which it is shown in Figure 7. During the initial movement of the ram 30 » the spring 80 is compressed so that the die 52 does not move with the ram, by virtue of the stop plate Qk . The dies ^ and 5 accordingly move upwardly (as seen in Figure 6 ) relatively to the die 52 until the underside of the die 52 is seated on the surface 77 of fche block 62. During the portion of the cycle of the tool, just described, the wires 16 and 16' are trimmed between one of the edges 101 and the edge ?k , the wires Ik and I » being simultaneously trimmed between the other of the edges 101 and the edge 96 , so that the severed ends 15 and 17 (only two of which are shown) of the wires fall from the tool. As the dies 5^ and 56 move from the position of Figure 6 to that of Figure i the plate 8¾ is moved out of engagement with the surface 83 by the camming pin 90 so that all three dies are brought into alignment, the underside of the die 52 being then seated against ends of the wires Ik and Ik ' and 16 and 16' into the channel formed by the connector and to crimp, in cooperation with the anvil 42, the connectors to the wires to form a connection as shown in Figure 1. The handles 20 and 22, having been released by the device 28, are now opened to return the ram 3° to its initial position and the crimped connection is removed from between the anvil block kZ and the dies by depressing the pin 81.

Reference will now be made to Figure 9 whicb. illustrates how the tool just described can be employed to make a tap connection. It will be assumed that a tap wire 116 is to be connected to a through wire 118 by the connector described above. The wire 118 is placed between the sidewalls 6 of the connector and between the forming surfaces of the die 52, the wire 116 being placed between the forming surfaces of the die 5^ to extend downwardly (as seen in Figure ) past the surface 104 of the die 56. Upon closure of the handles, the wire 116 is trimmed between one of the edges 101 and the edge 9 and is moved into the channel defined by the connector as the dies 5 and 56 are advanced into alignment with the die 52. The crimping operation is then completed by cooperation between the dies and the anvil 42 in the manner described above with reference to Figures 1 to 8.

Figure 10 illustrates a modification of the tool, in which only two dies 106 and 108 are provided, these being normally disposed in offset relationship. Means (not shown) are provided for moving the die 108 leftwardly (as seen in Figure IO) into alignment with the die 106, there also being means for moving the dies 106 and 108 as a unit towards an anvil 110 after these dies have been brought into alignment. A wire 112 is positioned in the die 108 and a wire 114 in the die 106. Upon 7016Y aforesaid movement of these dies as a unit, the trimmed ends of the wires are moved into the channel defined by the connector which is then crimped to the wires between the dies 106 and 108 and the anvil 110.

A tool such as has been described in the foregoing part of the specification, may be applied not only for splice connections of the kind described, but for other connections, for example for crimping a ring-tongue connector having a conventional U-shaped crimping ferrule on to a wire end. In this case the tool could be as described with reference to Figures 1 to 9, but with the die 56 omitted, the dies 52 and 5^ crimping the ferrule to the wire in cooperation with the anvil hz and the ring-tongue extending leftwardly (as seen in Figure 5 ) beyond the side 100 of the die 52.

In some cases a connector to be crimped may have no ferrule portion to be crimped by the die 52, for example in the case of some kinds of ring-tongue connector. In this case it is unnecessary to provide the die 5 with forming surfaces and then it operates solely as a shear block for trimming the wires.

Claims (9)

HAVING NOW particularly described and 7016Y ascertained the nature of our said invention and what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is:

1. , Apparatus for crimping an electrical connector defining a channel to a wire, the apparatus comprising, a .crimping die, a crimping anvil, and means for moving the die and the anvil relatively towards one another, characterised by "a. shear member (52; or 106) movable relative both to the die (54 or 56 or 108) and the anvil (42; or 110 ) and cooperating with the die (54 or 56; or 108) during relative movement between the die (54 or 56} or 108) and the anvil (42; or 110) to shear the wire (l4 or 16; or 112 ) when this wire is positioned between the die ( 4 or 56; or 108) and the anvil (42; or HO), the die (54 or 56; or 108) and the anvil (42; or 110 ) being relatively movable subsequently to the shearing operation to move the severed end of the wire ( l4 or 16; or 112) into the channel of the connector (2) and to crimp the connector (2) to the wire (l4 or 16; or 112).

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that the shear member (52; or 106) has one side (98 or 100 ) essentially coplanar with a side ( or 96) of the die (5 or 56 or 108) opposite the one side (98 or 100 ) , the die ( 4 or 56; or 108) having a recess for receiving the wire ( 14 or 16; or 112) extending transversely of the sides (98 and 94 or 100 and 96) which have edges cooperating to shear the wire between them.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , characterised in that the shear member (52; or 106) is formed as a crimping die and is moved with the crimping die (54 or 56; or 108 ) subsequently to the shearing operation to crimp the connector (2) in cooperation with the anvil (42 or 110 ).

4. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterised in that the shear member (52; or 106) has a recess (58, 60) for receiving the wire (l4 or 16; or 112) and extending transversely of the 7016Y the crimping die (5^ or 56; or 108) subsequently to the shearing operation to crimp the connector (2) to the wire (l4 or 16; or II2) in cooperation with the die (5^ or 56; or 108) and the anvil (42; or 110 )„

5. · Apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised by a further and similar crimping die (56), the crimping dies (54 and 56) being mounted on opposite sides of the shear member (52) and being similarly movable, the further crimping die (56) being arranged to shear a further wire ( 1 ) in co-operation with the shear member (52) simultaneously with the shearing of the first mentioned wire (l4) and subsequently to the shearing operation to move the further wire (l6) into the channel of the connector (2) and to crimp the connector (2) to the further wire ( 16 ) in cooperation with the anvil (¾2).

6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to k , characterised in that the die (lOs) and the shear member (l06) are relatively moved in a first direction to shear the wire (ll2) the die (l08) being moved in a second direction transversely of the first direction to move the wire (ll2) into the channel of the connector (2) and to crimp the connector to the wire.

7. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised by means (8* for retaining the shear member (52) and anvil ( 2) relatively positioned to grip the connector (2) between them to position the connector (2) to receive the wire (l or 16), the retaining means (8* being automatically releasable to permit the crimping operation to take place when the wire (l or 16) has been moved into the channel of the connector (2).

8. Apparatus according to claim 7» characterised in that the retaining means comprises a tiltable member (80 normally 7016Y surface (92) against the action of a spring (86) to permit relative movement of the shear member (52) and anvil (42) enable the crimping operation to take place.

9. A method of trimming a wire and crimping an electrical connector defining a channel to the wire, in which the wire is initially positioned within a die cavity of a crimping die, the die cavity comprising a trough adapted to bend the sidewalls of the connector towards each other and intt crimped relationship with the wire, characterised by moving the die (5^ or 56; or 108) transversely of the axis of the trough past a shear member (52; or 106) to trim the projecting end of the wire (l or 16; or 112) and moving the die ( 5 k or 56; or 108) towards the connector (2) and an anvil ( h2 ; or 110] in supporting relationship to the connector (2) to position the trimmed end of the wire ( Ik or 16; or 112 ) in the channel of the connector (2) and to crimp the connector (2) to the wire(l or 16; or 112). Dated this 24th day of February,1965 Por the Applicants DR. REINHOLD COHN & CO.