US3049951A

US3049951A - Portable crimping tool

Info

Publication number: US3049951A
Application number: US64847A
Authority: US
Inventors: John M Rensink
Original assignee: Amphenol Borg Electronics Corp
Current assignee: Amphenol Borg Electronics Corp
Priority date: 1960-10-25
Filing date: 1960-10-25
Publication date: 1962-08-21
Anticipated expiration: 1979-08-21

Description

Aug. 21, 1962 J. M. RENSINK PORTABLE CRIMPING TOOL V w MM 0A m;

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 &

INVENTOR.

Filed Oct. 25, 1960 Aug. 21, 1962 J. M. RENSINK PORTABLE CRIMPING TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 25, 1960 m Q m R 7 a w fi 5 r M w x Mfi M Q m d Q m wb W gig. I g M w H Y X .1 n w B y 73% Q 7 g & My 0 w A w 5 Q g f a Z r rim 2 a 1||I|1||H\H, w g /Yv w H a n y "Kw w B United States Patent "ice 3,il49,951 PQRTABLE CING T001.

John M. Rensink, Tinley Park, 111., assignor to Amphenol- Borg Electronics Corporation, Broadview, ill, a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 64,847 2 Claims. (Cl. 81-15) The present invention relates to a power-actuated apparatus for crimping the contacts of electrical connectors or the like to their conductors.

Traditionally, devices for crimping electrical contacts onto the ends of wires have been hand-operated devices having the general appearance of a pair of pliers. When a worker uses such a device for securing numerous contacts to wires throughout the day, his hand becomes exceedingly tired because of the pressure that necessarily must be applied to the tool to perform the crimping operation. Still, inadequate or non-uniform force on the tool results in faulty crimps which, while not easy to detect, may result in disastrous circuit failures. To overcome this, various power-actuated cnimping devices have been proposed, but those presently available have a number of disadvantages. In the first place, they tend to be bulky and awkward to use. Where the manual devices were tiresome to use because of the physical exertion in applying a crimping pressure, the power-operated devices heretofore proposed to supplant them are tiresome to use because of the weight and bulkiness that must be supported. Furthermore, in operations such as applying contacts to the wires of a preassembled harness, the bulkiness of these devices becomes an obvious disadvantage.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a power-actuated hand crimping tool which is compact,'easily operated and produces a secure and uniform attachment of the wire to the electrical contact. As will be readily apparent, embodiments of the present invention may be held and operated by one hand, leaving the other hand free to position the wire in the sleeve of the contact to which the wire is to be secured. The compactness of the device, particularly in that region in which the wire and the contact are positioned for attachment, enables the use of the device under almost any circumstances. The embodiments are light in weight and the power. supply connections are positioned so as not to interfere with the operation of the device. The devices are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and yet are exceedingly sturdy with along operating life requiring little servicing.

The present invention permits the embodiments thereof to be securely gripped by the four fingers and palm of one hand, which permits the most effective and natural gripping of such a device. It further provides a structure in which the actuating member is operated by the thumb when the device is so gripped. This is in contrast to prior art devices having an actuating lever which must be operated by one or more of the four fingers (other than the thumb), which results in a relaxing of the grip on the device each time an actuating cycle is performed.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the contactof an electrical connector having a wire secured to it by means of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 2. is a front elevational view of a present preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 3 is a central sectional view taken substantially on the line 3--3 of FIGURE 2 and the line 3--3 of FIGURE 4. i

Patented Aug. 21, 1962 FIGURE 4 is a central sectional view along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmental sectional view similar to FIGURE 4 but illustrating an alternative position of the parts; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmental sectional View similar to FIGURE 3 but illustrating an electrical contact and the conductor thereof in position for crimping.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention includes a body or frame of generally cylindrical shape having a tubular operating cylinder ltl which may include corrugations 11 on its outer surface to facilitate manually grasping the implement. The lower end of the cylinder 16, as viewed in the drawings, is enclosed by a hollow cap 12 disposed over a cylinder head 13 threaded into the lower end of the cylinder iii. The upper end of the cylinder is closed by a threaded ring 14 having a flange 15 and including an integral head portion 16, best shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, consisting of uprights l7 spaced apart from each other and having 'concavely curved interior slideways 18 as indicated.

The cylinder It! and these slideways of the head 16 serve to house and to provide a mounting for the power piston and related operating parts of the tool hereinafter described, it being understood that the tool is arranged for pneumatic operation and is, accordingly, provided with an valve 19* inside of the cap 12 and interconnected with the interior of the cylinder It) by the screw threaded elbow fitting Zil which, as illustrated in FIGURE 3, includes an internal air duct or passage 2 1.

The air valve 19 is controlled by its operating plunger 22, the upper end of which is arranged to be engaged by the inwardly turned end portion 23 of an upright slide rod 25 housed within the slender cylindrical tube 24 which extends between the bracket 26 on the forward face of the cap 12 at the lower end of the housing and a similar bracket 32 at the upper end of the cylinder. The bracket 3-2 includes an interior recess 36 in which a push rod 34 is journalled, it being observed that the push rod 34 includes an operating cam surface 35 adapted to bear against the uppermost end 27 of the operating rod 25 in a manner such that application of inward force on the thumb button 36 by the operator of the device will move the slide 34- inwardly against the action of the return spring 38 in the recess 39, simultaneously pushing the rod 25 downwardly to actuate the plunger 22 and open the air valve 19. Upon release of the thumb button 36, the spring 38 will return it to its normal position, as limited by the internal stop member 37 striking the abutment 31 and the air valve 19 will accordingly close the air passage to the cylinder from the supply hose 28 and threaded fitting 29 and allow discharge of air from the lower end of the cylinder. Thus, whenever the thumb button 36 is actuated, air enters the lower end of the cylinder 10 through the control valve 19 to movethe piston 40 longitudinally of the cylinder (upwardly as shown in the drawings) against the action of the return spring 30. The piston may be provided with any conventional sealing means, such as the O-ring 41 and also includes. a neck portion 42 (FIGURE 4) extending upwardly to an integral operating cam 43 having semicylindrical surfaces on its opposite sides in slidable, engagement within the conoavely curved slideways l8 heretofore described. 7

'Ihe crimpingmechanisms of the tool are housed within a generally cylindrical transverse bore 4-4 extending through the head portion 16 on an axis normal to the axis of the cylinder 10. Thus, as seen in FIGURES-,3 and 4, the bore 44 serves as a chamber in which a crimping rotor generally designated by the numeral 45 is rotatably mounted. The rotor 45 has a central axial bore 46 and the entire rotor mechanism is secured to an opi r 3 V crating arm 47 by'machine screws 48 extending through the arm into the several segments of the rotor, as best shownin'FIGURES 3 and 5. The lower end of the operating arm 47 includes a cam follower roller 49 ex- .tending into and arranged for actuation by the diagonal cam slot 60' in the head portion of the piston heretofore descnibed. A The crimping mechanism as illustrated includes a set of four crimping dies 51, each'slidably' mounted in a radial slot 50 in the rotor 45 and having a generally pointed tip portion 52 adapted to be driven inwardly by the engagement of the cam' follower heads on the outside ends of the dies, with the cam surfaces 57 surrounding the bore 44. It follows that upon operation of the aforesaid piston in a manner to move the cam block 43 from the position of FIGURE.4 to the position of FIGURE 5 the swinging movement imposed 'on the arm 47 by the operation of the diagonal cam slot 60 and cam follower roller 49 will move the rotor in a clockwise direction, as viewed in the figures, and will thus drive the several crimping dies inwardly to crimp the sleeve of the contact upon the strands of the flexible conductor contained therein.

V by a workers hand, said frame having an extension at one of said ends; power means in said handle, said power means'including a fluid cylinder disposed about a first axis intersecting said ends, said cylinder having a cylinder head at the end thereof adjacent the other end of able generally transversely of said handle to actuate said Uponreturnmovement of the piston by theireturn spring 30, the crimping dies 51 are also returned to'their original positions by tiny compression springs 55 housed in recesses 54 behind the individual crimping dies, it being noted that the arrangement is such that the springs are held in compression between'the innermost ends of valve; a slide within said frame and movable with respect to the frame in a direction parallel to said axis, said slide having a cam slot therein, said slot being positioned angularly with respect to said axis, said slide being con nected to said piston for movement therewith; crimping means in the aforesaid extension of the frameand rotatable in said frame about a second axis normal to said first axis,.said crimping means having an opening along said second to receive'a' contact to be c'rimped; a cam follower in said cam slot; and a lever connecting said follower and said crimping means to rotate the crimping means as said slide is moved by said power'means.

2.. A tool for facilitating a workers crimping of electnical contacts or the like, said apparatus comprising a frame having a portion defining a handle with a pair of ends, said handle being of a'size to be conveniently received in and gripped by a workers hand, said frame having an extension at one of said ends; power means in said handle, said power means including a fluid cylinder disposed about an axis intersecting said ends, said cylinder having a cylinder head at the end thereof adjacent the other end of the handle, a piston within said cylinder, and

V a'spring in said cylinder and bearing against said piston by the'set screw 59' (FIGURE 3 'withthe jig 58 in- 7 contact sleeve 76. With the contact seated in the cenand said frame to urge said piston towards said cylinder head; a fluid valve in said handle adjacent said otherend thereof communicating with said cylinder: a fluid supply connection at said other end communicating said valve; an operatingrimember operatively connected j to said valve and positionedat said one end, said member tral bore of the jig 58, the thumb button 36 is actuated,

causing the push rod 25 to open the air valve 19 and move the piston 40. The inclined cam slot 60 moves'the follower 49 and rotates the crimping rotor assembly v' forcing the dies 51 inwardly in a manner to crimp the contact sleeve firmly about the flexible conductor 77. The action is almost instantaneous and the piston and crimping rotor are immediately thereafter returned to their original positions by the compression spring 30. The

'crimped contact and conductorassembly may thenbe withdrawn from the crimping head.

, From the foregoing it should be apparent that the 7 present invention provides a simple, compact, portable crimping tool so arranged that it is easy,.quick and convenient to use. and capable or rapidly performing uniform crimping operations under'any conditions of service;v The unit is simple in its mechanical design and easily handled.

is: e

L. 1. A tool for facilitating a 'workerfs crimping of electrical contacts'orthe like-comprising a frame having a portion defining a handle with apair of ends, saidhandle being of a size to be conveniently received in and gripped being movable generally transversely of saidhandle to actuate said valve; a'slide within said frame and movable with respect to the frame in a direction parallel to said axis, said slide having a cam slot thereimsaid slot being positioned angularly with respect to said axis, said slide being connected to said piston for movement therewith; crimping means including a generally cylindrical crimping rotor mounted in the aforesaid extension of the frame for rotation about its cylindrical axis, said cylindrical axis being positioned generally normal to the axis of the fluid cylinder, said'rotor having opening along its axis to receive, said contact and a' plurality of radial openings intersecting its axial opening, a crimping die in each radial opening, and means to reciprocate each die toward and away from the axial opening as said rotor is rotated;

a contact positioning jig releasably aflixed in the'axial opening of ,the crimping rotor; a cam follower in said cam slot; and a lever connecting said follower and said crimpingmeansito, rotate the crimping means as said slide is moved by said power means.

Rfe'rences Cited in the file of this patent 1 Great Britain Feb. "is, 1932