US2435562A - Ferrule crimping tool - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 3, 1948. R. c. swr-:NGEL

FERRULE CRIMPING TOOL vn R E 5% mw TT v5.m m. CM um e 40.

Patented Feb. 3, 1948 UNITED STATES PATEN'roFFlcl-z FERRULE CRIMPING TOL i Robert C. Swengel, Goldsboro, Pa., assigner to Aircraft-Marine Products Inc., Harrisburg, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 5, 1944, Serial No. 557,271

2 Claims. 1

V'I'his invention relates to crimping tools or the like and particularly to tools such as are employed for crimpingthe ferrules of terminal connectors upon the ends of electrical conductors. More particularly the invention relates tosimple means for quickly adapting a crimping tool or the like for use with various sizes of wire or with varying ferrule diameters so as to prevent either insuilicient engagement or weakening of the wire by over-compression in the operation of crimping the ferrule upon the end of the electrical conductor.r

As more fully set forth in the copending application of U. A. Whitaker, Serial No. 455,039, filed August 17, 1942, and now abandoned, for Electrical connectors, a tool which has been set to compress a ferrule to a certain cross-sectional area on a given wire would compress a larger size ferrule on the same wire to such an extent as to weaken the wire by unduly reducing its cross section; whereas, with an undersize wire or ferrule, the compression might not be such as to achieve perfect results. It is, therefor-e, desirable that provision be made for quickly and easily adjusting the tool to obtain the desired crimping result with any set of conditions within a predetermined range.

A general object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide simple means (preferably operable by the hand which holds and operates the tool) for varying the limit of approach of the crimping dies to each other in the crimping operation, whereby, as above suggested, the tool may be quickly adjusted for different wire gauges or to different ferrule sizes, or to both.r More particularly the invention aims to provide a stop which is movable into different positions between the jaws which carry theY crimping dies so as to vary the amount of closing movement of these jaws.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention the adjustable stop for varying the approach of the crimping die carrying jaws to each other is shown as incorporated in a crimping tool of the double lever type and an important feature of the illustrative embodiment of the invention is the mounting ofthe jaw stop on a slide guided on the link which ties together the crimping die jaws, this slide being so arranged that it may be engaged by the thumb of the tool opery Other objects and important features of the invention to which attention has not specifically been directed hereinabove will appear from the following description and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Although in the accompanying drawings I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and have described the same and suggested various modifications thereof in this specification, it is to be understood that these are not intended to be either exhaustive or limiting of the invention, but, on the contrary, are chosen for the purposes of illustrating the invention in order that others skilled in the art may so fully understand the invention, its principles and the application thereof, that they may embody it and adapt it in numerous forms, each as may be best suited to section; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view with a part of the stop slide broken away.

The crimping tool in which the stop means of the present invention is shown as embodied is of the generaltype more fully shown in the copending application of Uncas A. Whitaker, Serial Nor-155,039, and is of the double lever type.

In other words, the tool comprises handle levers V20 and 2| pivotally connected to each other at 40' and held with their hand-engaging long arms in separated relation by a spring 4l'. The jaw levers 24 and 25, which carry, or in which are formed, `the crimping dies 26 and 21, are fulvcrurned on a pivot 28 and pins 32 and 33, peened over at their upper and lower Vends upon links 4'2and 43 which serve to maintain Athe pivot pins 32 and 33 in a predetermined spaced relation to each other.

.The long arms of the jaw levers 24 and 25 are pivotally connected at 38 and 39 to the short arms of the handle levers 2l] and 2| respectively.

`From theforegoing description it will 4be seen that when the handles are grasped by the hand of the operator and moved toward each other the pivots 38 and 39 will move away from each other and rock 'the jaws levers 24 and 25 about the pivots `32 and 33 to move the crimping dies '26 and 21 toward each other. If no stop be interposed between the jaws, the dies 26 and '21 will be 'moved toward each other until their nat faces actually abut at their tips 30-3|. This will determine the crimping action for the smallest gauge of wire and the smallest ferrule to be crimped thereon forwhich the tool isvadapted. If, however, it be desired to use the tool with a larger gauger of wire and a ferrule of correspondingly larger diameter it is impor-tant, in order to prevent injury to the wire or to the ferrule, to stop the movement of the dies 26 and21 short of this actual abutment. To this end the invention contemplates the provision of a-Ystop that can be interposed between the jaws at a point or at different points on the jaw parts of the levers 24 and 25 between the crimpingdies' 26'an'df21'and the outer edge or end of the link 42.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention thisstop 44 is shown as a downturned lugupon a slide 45 stamped up 'out'ofsheet metal'and having a wider portion beyond the stop portion 44,this wider portion being, however, not'suilieiently wide to prevent its sliding between the pivot pins 32 and 33. Instamping out the stop slide 45, as shown more particularly in Figure 2 `of the drawings, the central'portion thereof is stamped up to form a thumb piece 46 and the end ofthe slide is turned up at 4'! to engage in parallel dents 48`formed in the'spring holder 50 which is snapped onto the link 42.

To hold the slide 45 in operative relation and at the same time to permit its adjustment lengthwise of the link, a spring'holder 50 isV provided which, as shown in the sectional view, Fig- .ure 3, is provided with an opening 5I in its` upper part to receive the thumb piece 46 and embraces the slide 45 by inturnedsnapilanges 52. and 53 on its sides which engage grooves 54 land 55 in the side of the link 42.

'in which it may 'then be located and to travel into the next adjacent depression. The slide 44 :is made of metal suiciently strong to withstand rthe stress of this snap'over with no permanent bending and only slight resilient bending. To improve this rigidityy I prefer to make the end v41 stamped out, as shown in Figurev 2, rather than merely bending up the end. e y

In this manner thel slide 45 may be moved to bring the stop 44 into different predetermined stop positions between the jaws'24'and 25. fIt

will be obvious, of course, that the thumb engaging surface of the thumb piece l46 may be Vmilled or knurled, etc., if desired, to insure proper -gripping of the thumb piece 46 by the thumb.

Washers`49 between the jaw levers 24 and 25 and the link 42 provide thenecessary spacing for the slide 45 under the link. It is also feasible to mount the slide above the'link, stamping a 'suitable guiding recess 56 in the'spring holder 50a, as shown in Figure 4. This arrangement, "however, puts the slide 45a and the upper part ofthe lug 44a in aposition' more vulnerable to injury by ordinary handling of the tool. In the tool shown in FigureA 4, a'projection 41a is formed 'at one or 'both sides of the slide 45a and grooves 48a are formed in the surface ofthe link 42a. These serve as a detent under pressure 'of the spring 50a. Or the groove and projection can .each-adjustment of the slide as shown in Figure 5, and these faces may be made at such angles respectively, that opposed faces are always parallel, or at the same angle to each other, when Ythey engage the stop 44.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that simple means have been provided by the present .invention for quickly and easily adapt'- ing 'a crimping tool'for use with wires `of different gauges and for use with ferrules of different cross-sectional dimensions.

`I claim:

1. In a tool of the class described, thev come bination with pivoted die-carrying jaws having suitable operating handles connected thereto' of a' slide mounted for movement along a line withf inthe angle determined by opposed faces ofv said jaws; said slide including a stop portionextending between said jaws and` upon which the jaws may be closed'to limit the extent of their approach toward one another, said jaws being pivoted respectively at spaced pivots on a relatively stationary mernber; said stationary member being provided lwith resilient means holding said slide against relative movement with respect thereto,'and said resilient means and said slide 4including cooperating detents Ifor holding said slide and stop portion in an adjusted position.

2. In a tool, of the class described, the combination with pivoted ydie--carrying jaws having suitableoperating handles connected thereto of a slide mounted for'movement along a linefewithin the angle determined by opposed faces of said jaws; saidslide being a sheet metal stamping an'd including a 'fiat slide -portionv having a tooth projecting lfrom one side"r thereof, a central thumb `piece`stamped up'from `said flat portion anda "stop portion vbent'down from said flat portion and projecting between the jaws of the tool, said 4jawsbeing pivoted respectively at spacedpivots "on a relatively stationary member, said station- 'ary member being provided Iwith resilient means holding Vsaid "slide against relative movement with respect thereto, and ay series of depressions in'said stationary member adaptedfto engage said tooth under pressure of the resilient means and suiciently shallow to allo'w said vtooth to move'from one depression to another -by resilient yielding of said resilient means. l P

- ROBERTO. SWENGEL.

REFERENCES 'CITED vThe following'referencesare of record in' the iile "of this' patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date l 732,501 Baker June 30, 1903 V1,693,755 Hotz Dec. 4, 1928 2,244,482 Baxter et al. June 3, 1941 341,136 Ellrich May4, 1836 110,789 Robertson Jan. 3, 1871 675,023 Smythe May28, 1901 '11107,243 Adams Aug. 11, 1914

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