US3249991A

US3249991A - Assembling apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3249991A
Application number: US446278A
Authority: US
Inventors: Leonard George Hamlin
Original assignee: AMP Inc
Current assignee: TE Connectivity Corp
Priority date: 1965-04-07
Filing date: 1965-04-07
Publication date: 1966-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 1983-05-10
Also published as: DE1565983A1; NL6604358A; GB1072207A

Description

May 1o, 1966 Filed April 7, 1965 IIII IIIIHIIHIIIIU G. H, LEONARD 3,249,991

ASSEMBLING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet l May l0, 1966 G. H. LEoNARD ASSEMBLING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 7, 1965 May 10, 1966 G. H. LEONARD ASSEMBLING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 7, 1965 @E Qi @E May 10, 1966 G. H, LEONARD 3,249,991

AssEMBLING APPARATUS Filed April 7, 1965 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 May 10, 1966 G. H. LEONARD ASSEMBLING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed A pril 7, 1965 May lo 1966 G. H, LEONARD 3,249,991

ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed April 7, 1965 8 S`neets-Sheet 6 May 10, 1966 G. H. LEONARD 3,249,991

v ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed April 7, 1965 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 TIO M 228 L. A #22e- 2,46 212 v 221 ZLLLLf iff l- I n3 -108 aua-1 Y 2LH-l 21m 3M" 236 /L 250 2 20a 214e zuz u8 252 May l0, 1966 G. H. LEONARD ASSEMBLING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed April '7, 1965 United States Patent O 3,249,991 ASSEMBLING APPARATUS George Hamlin Leonard, Darien, Conn., assigner to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. Filed Apr. 7, 1965, Ser. No. 446,278

7 Claims. (Cl. 29-203) rlfhis invention relates to assembling devices and particularly to devices of the type intended for making cliptype electrical connections.

The copending application of Robert Franklin Cobaugh, Serial No. 171,074, discloses a method of connecting a conductor to a terminal post by means of a clip having an open seam extendingaxially along one side thereof. In accordance with the teachings of this Cobaugh application, the conductor is positioned with its axis extending transversely of the axis of the post and the clip is moved against the conductor and telescopically onto the post in a manner such that the clip drags the conductor over the surface of the post. In the finished connection, the conductor is clamped against a surface of the post by means of the clip and emerges from conlined relationship at the end of the clip which is proximate to the base of the post. v

One form of apparatus for making such clip-type connections is disclosed in the above-identied Cobaugh application while alternative devices for making connections of this type are disclosed and claimed in application Serial No. 299,377, filed August 1, 1963, now abandoned, application Serial No. 344,304, filed February 12, 19,64, now U.S. Patent No. 3,186,073 granted June 1, 1965, and in other copending applications. The present invention relates to an improved tool for making cliptype electrical connections in accordance with the principles of the above-identified Cobaugh application, Serial No. 171,074.

An object of the invention is 4to provide an improved assembling device of the type which is adapted to move one part telescopically onto another part. A further object is to provide a tool for making a clip-type electrical connection. A still further object is to provide a`tool having a reciprocable clip pushing device which is actuated by a compressed spring. A still further object is to provide an assembling tool having a reciprocable clip pushing device actuated by an electric motor Working through a compressible spring.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved 3,249,991 Patented May 1o, 1966 FIGURE 1A is a perspective view of a short section of strip comprising terminal clips connected together end-to-end;

FIGURE 1B is a sectional side view of a clip-type electrical connection between a terminal post and a conductor;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale showing the end portion of the clip pusher of the tool of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional side view of the frontal portion of the tool showing the mandrel, the clip pusher, and the support block on which the mandrel is mounted;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a detent device by means of which the movement of the strip of clips is controlled during movement of the clip pusher;

FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 are sectional plan views of different levels of the tool of FIGURE 1, these views being taken along the lines 5 5, 6-6, and 7-7 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 8, 9, and 10 are transverse sectional views taken along the lines 8 8, 9-9, and 10-10 of FIG- URE 7;

FIGURE 11 is a perspective exploded view showing most of the parts of the tool of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE l2 is a perspective exploded view showing the elements of the trigger mechanism by means of which the movement of the clip pusher is controlled, the parts being inverted from the normal positions in this view in the interest of clarity;

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary sectional View taken along the lines 13-13 of FIGURE 1 and showing positions of the trigger mechanism, this View showingrthe portions of the parts in the beginning of the operating cycle;

FIGURES 14 and 15 are views similar to FIGUREV 13 but showing the relative positions of the parts at two different stages of the operating cycle;

in a preferred embodiment thereof comprising a pistolf type hand tool having a reciprocable clip pusher by means of which an individual terminal clip can be pushed onto a terminal post in accordance with the teachings of the previously identified Cobaugh application', Serial No. 171,074. In the disclosed embodiment, the clip pusher is moved in the direction of its working stroke by means of a pair of coil springs. After the completion of the Working stroke (during which the clip is moved onto the terminal post), the springs are compressed and the clip pusher is retracted to its initial position by means of a relatively small electric motor which is lcoupled to the clip pusher through a gear train and closed circuit Vrack and pinion arrangement. A distinctive feature of the disclosed embodiment of the invention is that a relatively small motor can be used since the retraction of the clip pusher and the compression of the coil springs can be carried out relatively slowly. In other words, a small motor working through a gear train having a relai tively large reduction ratio compresses the springs after` each working stroke of the clip pusher and thereby stores portion 4 having sidewalls 6 on opposite sides. These sidewalls are curled inwardly and towards the underside of the web as shown at 8 and an outwardly cupped insulation support 10 is provided in the leading end of the web to support the conductor 14 at its point of emergence from confined relationship. In the finished connection, the stripped end16 of the conductor is held between the internal surface of the web 4 and the surface of the post.

The disclosed embodiment of the invention (FIGURE l) is a pistolagrip type electrically actuated hand tool having a handle 3, a supporting base 5 secured to the handle at its upper end, and aI cover plate 7. Tfhe sides of the cover plate overlap, and are secured to, upstanding lian-ges 9 on the sides of the base 5 as is best shown in FIGURE 9.

When a clip-type electrical connection is formed, an individual clip 2 is pushed by means of a clip pusher 18 (FIGURES 2 and 3) over a mandrel 36 and onto a terminal post disposed in alignment with the mandrel. The clip pusher 18 is of channel-shaped cross-section having top wall 22 from which sidewalls 20 depend (see FIGURE 8). The leading end of the clip pusher hasdownwardly and rearwardly sloping camiming surfaces 23 on each side Which function to control a detent device as described below. Clip pusher 18 is supported on, and movable over, a fixed guide rod 24 which extends from the front end of the tool to the rearward end thereof and which is supported at its right-hand end, as viewed in FIGURE 1, by a flange 25 extending from the supporting base 5.

Guide rod 24 has an upstanding rib 26 (FIGURES 8-10) on its upper surface which extends between the depending sidewalls 20 of the clip pusher. When the tool is loaded, a strip of clips is inserted between the sidewalls 2t) of the clip pusher astride the rib 26 until the strip of clips extends up to the leading end of the clip pusher as shown in FIGURE 3.

The strip of clips is fed leftwardly in FIGURE 1 during the working stroke of the tool by means of a pair of spring arms 28 disposed against cut-away portions 32 of the si-dewalls 20. The cut-away sidewall portions 32 do not exitend to the forward ends of the sidewalls so that a full sidewall thickness is provided as shown in FIGURE 2 at 27. These portions 27 of the sidewallscooperate with the camming surfaces 23 to control a detent plate 52 (FIGURE 4). The ends 30 of the arms 28 are inward- 1y directed towards each other and extend through openings 31 in the sidewalls 20, the arrangement being 'such that the inwardly directed ends 30 will lodge in the gap between the le-ading clip of the strip and the next adjacent clip thereof so that this leading clip will be pushed, and the trailing portion of the strip will be dragged, leftwardly in FIGURE 1 during movement of the clip pusher. 'Phe principles of this method of feeding terminal clips are more fully disclosed and claimed in application Serial No. 299,377, filed August 1, 1963 and in application Serial No. 451,104, filed April 23, 1965. The sprin-g arms 28 extend from, and are integral with, a U-shaped yoke member 34 mounted in a conforming recess on the clip pusher 18.

The mandrel 36 is of generally T-shaped crosssection and conforms to the internal dimensions of the clip so that the leading clip can be pushed over and beyond the end of the mandrel by the clip pusher. Mandrel 36 extends from a mandrel block 3S which, in turn, is nested in a recess in the forward end of a supporting block 40. An opening 42 extends downwardly through the head of the mandrel 36 as viewed in FIGURE 3 for reception of the end portion of the wire 114 and a groove 44 slopes leftwardly towards the end of the mandrel from one side of this opening. A transverse opening 46 is provided in the mandrel and intersects the opening 42. The purpose of the opening 46 is to permit removal of the section of insulation which remains when the wire is dragged over the mandrel by the clip. Mandrel 36 has a tapered extension 48 which projects rearwardly towards the `guide rod 44 and overhangs a recess 50 in the support block 4i), the width of the extension 48 being such that the strip of clips can be fed over it and onto the forward portion 36 of the mandrel. p

As explained more fully in application Serial No. 451,104, the leading clip of the s-trip is broken away from the strip during movement of the clip pusher by means of a detent device which engages the next adjacent or second clip of the strip. In the disclosed embodiment, this detent device takes the form of a plate member 512 contained in the recess 50 and biased upwardly and into engagement with the strip of terminal clips by means of a spring 51 and a ball bearing 53. rPhe underside of Ithe plate 52 is supported by the ball bearing 53 so that the plate is permitted to rock during movement of the clip pusher. On its upper surface, plate 52 is provided with a pair of opposed spaced-apart stops 54, 56, the stop 54 having a rearwardly sloping surface 54a and a forwardly facing sheer surface 54h. The stop 56 has a rearwardly facing sheer surface 56b and a forwardly sloping surface 56a. The surfaces 54b and 56b are spaced apart by a distance substantially equal to, and slightly greater than, the length of the curled portions 8 of the sidewalls of an individual terminal clip. Bosses 58, 6()

are provided on each side of, and spaced from, the

stops

54, 56 and have similar sloping and sheer surfaces.

At the beginning of the operating cycle of the tool, the clip pusher 18 will be in the position shown in FIG- URE 3 with the ends 30 of the arms 28 lodged between the leading clip and the next adjacent, or second, clip of the strip. The leading clip of the strip will have its curled sidewall portions 8 lodged between the opposed sheer surfaces 54h, 56b and the plate 52 will be held in a tilted condition by the sidewall portions 27 of the clip pusher. These sidewall portions 27 will, at the beginning of the cycle, be bearing against the bosses 60 on each side of the boss 56. By reason of the fact that the left-hand end of plate 52 is tilted downwardly, the leading clip is free to move leftwardly past the boss 56.

Upon leftward movement of the clip pusher from the position of FIGURE 3, the leading clip is moved over the mandrel until the next adjacent clip of the strip moves up to the plane of the surface 56h of the boss S6 at rwhich time the left-hand side of the plate will move upwardly under the iniiuence of the spring 511. The surface 56h will then be lodged in front of the next adjacent clip which wil-l thereby be prevented from moving beyond the boss 56. VThe leading clip will thereafter be broken away from the strip by the clip pusher and will be pushed over the mandrel and onto a terminal post disposed in alignment with the mandrel and against a guide extension `49 on the mandrel block. During the return stroke of the clip pusher, the strip of `clips is held against the rightward movement in FIGURE 3 by the stop 54 since the forwardly facing surface 54b of this stop will be disposed against the trailing end of the clip.

The parts of the subassembly comprising lthe mandrel block 38, the support block 40, and the guide rod 24 are secured together by means of suitable fasteners as indicated at 65. I-t is desirable to provide a generally U-shaped hood member 62 on the frontal end of the tool which enclose-s a portion of the mandrel and the forward end of the clip pusher 18. This hood member,

-in cooperation with the guide rod 24 and the mandrel 36, defines a confined passageway through which the clip pusher moves so that the path of the clip pusher is closely controlled during its stroke. A slot 63 is provided in the frontal portion of the hood member 62 to permit insertion of the wire into the opening 42. The support block 40 is mounted on a stationary platform member by means of a fastener 61 as shown in FIGURE 1.

The clip pusher 18 is moved leftwardly in FIGURES l and 3 by means o-f a pair of coil springs 126 which are in a compressed condition at the beginning of the operating cycle and which extend themselves to provide the necessary work for the movement of the clip pusher. Atfter completion of the working stroke of the clip pusher, i.e., the leftward stroke, the springs are compressed by means of a small motor 164 in the tool handle.

The manner of compressing the springs and the structure of the gear train for effecting compression of springs is described in detail below. However, at this juncture it is pointed out that the clip pusher is coupled to the springs 126 by means of two separate coupling arrangements, one of the coupling arrangements being an overload .release type coupling while the other coupling constitutes a disengageable rigid coupling. These couplings are arranged parallel with each other so that the movement of the springs can be transmitted by either route. The disengageable rigid coupling is effective during the first portion of the stroke of the clip pusher to transmit force or thrust from the springs 126 to the clip pusher 18 while the clip is being moved over the mandrel and is dragging the wire from the opening 42 in the mandrel. A coupling between the clip pusher and the springs the clip pusher takes place in two separate stages.

capable of transmitting a relatively high thrust is needed during this initial portion of the stroke since the-highest force developed during the entire cycle is reached while the clip isl dragging the 'wi-re from the opening 42 and the overload release coupling would be incapable of transmittingthese relatively high forces. The disengageable rigid coupling is automatically disengaged during the initial portion of the stroke of the clip pusher leaving only the overload release coupling for the transmission of forces from the springs to the clip pusher. This overload release coupling is disengageable in order to avoid the imposit-ion of unduly high stresses on the clip if it is moved against a previously applied clip on the terminal post before the forward stroke of the clip pusher has been completed. In other words, if the clip being applied is moved against a previously applied clip,

' the overload release coupling would be automatically disengaged. The broad idea of providing a disengageable rigid coupling and an overload release coupling on a tool for making clip-type 'connections is disclosed and discussed in detail in'application Serial No. 302,896, tiled August 19, 1963, by Robert Franklin Cobaugh, now U.S. Patent No. 3,186,072. It will be understood then that the present embodiment shows an alternative arrangement for achieving the objects of the invention explained fully in application Serial No. 302,896.

There is also described below a triggering device which is arranged such -that the leftward or working stroke of ing the first stage, the clip is pushed leftwardly in FIG- URE 3 until it overhangs the left-hand end of the mandrel 36. Thereafter, and during the second stage, .the clip is pushed beyond the mandrel and onto a post disposed in alignment with themandrel. The advantages of this interrupted stroke feature as described in application Serial No. 344,304, tiled February 12, 1964, now U.S. Patent No. 3,186,073 granted June 1, 1965, are that the tool can be positioned in alignment with the terminal p ost at the end-of the rst portion of the cycle and the overhanging clip on the mandrel can be utilized as a guide means for aligning the mandrel with the clip.

Turning now to FIGURES 8-1 l, it will be seen that the clip pusher 18 and the guide rod 24 are centrally contained in a channel-shaped carrier member 64 comprising an elongated web 66 having

sidewalls

68, 70 at its opposite ends. The clip pusher 18 is connected to the push rod carrier 64 by means of a pin ,72 which extends between the sidewalls 70 and through a transverse slot in the push rod as best shown in FIGURE 7. It will thus be apparent that any movement of the push rod carrierl member 64 will be transmitted to the push rod itself through this pin. As previously noted, the guide rod 24 is supported at its ends by the block 40 and by the flange 45 and does not move relative to the clip pusher during operation. The .carrier 64 has its sidewalls cut away intermediate its ends as shown yat 74 and a guide rod support tray 76 is mounted in this cut-away section. The length in the support tray 76 is somewhat less than the length of the cutaway sections 74 of the sidewalls so that relative movement of the support tray 76 is permitted with respect to the push rod car-rier 64. Support tray 76 extends laterally beyond the

sidewalls

68,70 as shown at 78 so that the extent of such relative movement of the support tray with respect t0 the'carrier 64 is limited. A tongue 80 integral with tray 76 extends rearwardly of the carrier 64 andbetween thersidewalls 70 Aand a similar tongue 82 extends forwardly trom the support tray and between the sidewalls 68. l

The tongue 82 has laterally extending ears 84 at its forward end (FIGURE 9) which are provided with semicircular notches within which there are disposed ball bearings 88. These ball bearings extend through slots 86 in sidewalls 68 and extend partially through slots 90 iDur-.

92 are biased towards each other.

l 85 and will be forced relatively outwardly to cause limited levers 92. The sides of the slots 86 are slightly convergent at their forward ends and have arcuate recesses which are located adjacent to the rearward ends of the slots. These recesses are of a radius smaller than the radius of the ball bearings 88 and the ball bearings are seated in these recesses when the overload releasej coupling is engaged. The levers 92 are of generally channelshaped cross-section and are pivotally mounted intermediate their ends on pins 94 on each side of the sidewalls 68 of the carrier 64. AThe rearward ends 96 of the levers 92 are engaged by spring fingers 98 which extend from a U-shaped yoke section 100. These spring fingers 98 normally bias the rearward ends 96 of the levers away from each .other whereby the forward ends of levers The ball bearings 98, in cooperation with the recesses 85 in the slot-s 86, lfunction to releasably couple the carrier 64 to the levers 92 so that leftward movement of the pins 94, as viewed in FIGURE l, will result in movement of the clip pusher in the same direction.

The connection between the clip pusher and the pins 94, however, is of the overload release type in that if the clip pusher encounters a high resistance (as when the leading clip is pushed against a previously applied clip), the ball bearings 88 will be unseated from the recesses pivotal motion of the levers 92 against the biasing force of the spring fingers 98. When this happens, the push rod carrier 64, and the push rod itself, cease to move and the levers 92 Iand the pins 94 are permitted to continue t0 move toward the forward end of the tool. The ball bearings 88 will roll in the slots 86 after they have moved out of the recesses 85 during such relative movement of the levers 92 with respect to the push rod carrier 64.

The push rod carrier 64 also has a ball bearing type i suspension lat its rearward end between a pair of upstanding sidewalls 135 of a plate 134 described in detail below. As best shown in FIGURE 11, the tongue 80 of the tray 76 is enlarged at its ends and is provided with semi-circular notches within which ball bearings 71 are seated. These ball bearings extend through slots 69 in the sidewalls 70, and extend into aligned slots 133 in the sidewalls `13S. The ball bearings 71 do not function as an overload release connection between the push rod carrier and the side walls 135 but serve to center the carrier 64 at its rearward end and to support it in `a manner such that it can move with respect to the sidewall 135.

The yoke member 100 from which the spring arms 48 extend has a rearwardly extending tongue 101 which is disposed between a pair of upstanding sidewalls 135 of a plate 134. The tongue 101, the plate 134, and a plate 104 which is beneath plate 134 are all -secured to a reciprocable slide 107 by means of a fastening means 105, 158. Slide member 107 comprises an elongated, relatively narrow plate 108 having depending

sidewalls

110, 112 at its forward end. The plate 104 is disposed against the plate 108 and secured thereto by means of an additional fastener 106 (FIGURE 10) described be low. The

sidewalls

110, 112 of plate 108 have extensions at their forward ends which are bent outwardly to form laterally extending flanges 114. These flanges are provided with semi-circular notches 115 which are received in circumferential grooves 117 of a pair of collars or bushings 116 (see FIGURE 5). The bushings 116 are slidably mounted on parallel spaced-apart guide rods 118 whichare secured to

flanges

122, 124 of a fixed support platform-120. The platform 120 is secured by any suitable means to the upstanding flanges 9 on the sides of the frame member 5, as, for example, by depending ange's of the platform 120. The springs 126 are interposed between the flanges 124 and the bushings 116 so that when these springs are in a compressed condition, as is the case in FIGURE l, they will urge the bushings and,`

therefore, the slide member 107 leftwardly or towards the front end of the tool.

A trigger mechanism, which is described in detail below, normally holds the slide member 107 in the retracted position shown in FIGURE 1. If it is assumed that this trigger mechanism is released so that the springs are free to push the bushings 116 and the slide 107 leftwardly in FIGURE 1, it will be apparent that the clip pusher 1S will also be moved leftwardly by virtue of the fact that the thrust of the springs will be transmitted through the slide 107 to the plate 104 thence through the pins 94 which are secured to plate 104 (see FIGURE 10) to the levers 92. Since the levers 92 are moved leftwardly during movement of the slide 107, they carry with them the push rod carrier 64 by virtue of the

ball detent connection

86, 88, 90 between the fingers and the carrier 64. The push rod itself is moved leftwardly by virtue of the pin 72 which connects the sidewalls 70 of the carrier 64 to the push rod.

The force transmissionpath described immediately above constitutes the overload release force transmitting means in that the carrier 64 will become disengaged from the levers 92 if a resistance of a predetermined magnitude is encountered by the clip. There will now be described the disengageablc rigid connection between the clip pusher 18 and the springs which constitutes an alternative path of force transmission from the springs to the clip pusher.

The ldisengageable rigid coupling between the push rod 1S and the slide 107 is achieved by means of a rockable angled plate member 127 disposed in the central section of the tool and extending through a central opening 132 in a plate 134, see FIGURES 11 and 18. Plate 127 has a tongue 128 on its leading end which normally extends obliquely of the surface of the plate 134 when the parts are in position of FIGURE 4, and is lodged in a cutaway section 130 of the web 66 of the carrier 64. The tongue 128 has an opening 133 therein through which an upstanding flange 136 on the leading end of the plate 134 extends. The plate 134 is secured to, and movable with, the slide member 107 by the fastener 105 and by the fastener 106. Fastener 106 extends downwardly through bushings 140, 141 in a plate 150 (described below) and is threaded into the slide member 107. It will thus be apparent that the leftward movement of the slide 107 results in the leftward movement of the plate 104, the plate 134 and the member 127 by virtue of the relationship of the flange 136 and the openinglSS in the tongue 12S. The tongue 123 pushes the carrier `64v leftwardly by virtue of its engagement with the web 66 of this carrier. Since this force transmission path is dependent upon the position of the tongue 128 in the cutaway section 130 of the carrier 64, force will be transmitted from the springs to the clip pusher only so long as the member 127 is in the orientation shown in FIGURE 18. This disengageable rigid connection is disengaged during the working stroke of the clip pusher by swinging the tongue downwardly in a manner which will now be described.

As previously noted, the plate 127 extends downwardly and obliquely through the opening 132 and through an opening 152 in the plate 150. The plate 127 has a zigzag contour at its lower end as shown at 146 (FIGURE 11) and is provided with a pair of spaced-apart trailing feet 148 on its lower end. These feet extend downwardly through a pair of spaced-apart slots 154 in the plate 104 so that one foot is disposed on each lside of the plate 108. The slots 154 are formed by a U-shaped opening in the plate 104 to define a central tongue member 156- that functions as a spring for the member 127 as described below.

The fixed platform 1207is provided with inwardly directed ears 149 intermediate its ends which are located such that the feet v148 will be disposed behind or to the right of these ears when the parts are in the position of FIGURE 1. It should also be noted that the section 147 of the plate 127 is normally supported on the upper surface of the plate 108 with the spring tongue 156 bearing against the upper surface of the section 147 so .that this plate will be retained in the position of FIGURE 18.

When the slide member 107 moves leftwardly from the position of FIGURE 18 under the influence of the springs 126, the feet 148 will, after a limited amount of movement, move against the ears 149 whereby these feet will be `raised slightly. The entire plate 127 is thereby pivoted about its center in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 18, so that the tongue 128 moves downwardly and out of engagement with the push rod carrier 64. It will be apparent from the drawings that only a limited amount of movement of the slide member 107 takes place before disengagement of this rigid force transmission means. An inspection of FIGURE 3 will reveal that, in fact, this rigid force transmission means is needed only until the leading clip is moved beyond the opening 42 in the mandrel block 38 since it is during this portion of the stroke of the clip pusher that relatively high loads must be transmitted to the clip.

As previously noted, the slide member 107 is retracted and the springs are compressed at the end of the working stroke of the clip pusher by means of a relatively small high-speed electric motor 164 contained in the tool handle 3. Retraction of the slide member 107 also effects retraction of the clip pusher 18 since slide 107 is secured to plate 104 and the pins 94 extend through the plate 104 extend through the levers 92. The carrier 64 is thus pulled backwardly during the rearward movement of the channel member 108 by the levers 92.

The retraction of the slide 107 and the clip pusher is brought about by means of the plate 150 which is connected to the slide 107 by means of the fastener 106. As best shown in FIGURE 10, this fastener has an enlarged head which extends through the plate 134, through the bushings 140, 141, in plate 150, through plate 104, and is threaded into the upper surface of the slide 107. This fastener thus couples the plate 150 through the slide member 107 by virtue of the bushings 140, 141. It will be noted from FIGURE 10 that the pins 94 have enlarged `collars adjacent to their lower ends which extend through oversized openings 151 in `the forward end of plate 150. These oversized openings permit limited lateral movement or wiggle of the plate 150 during operation.

The power from the motor 164 for retracting the plate 150 1s transmitted through a pinion 168 on the output shaft of the motor 164 to a gear 170. The gear 170 is coupled through an over-running clutch (not specifically shown) to a pinion 172 which is coaxially disposed with respect to the gear 170. Pinion 172, in turn, meshes with a relatively large gear 174 (FIGURE 16) on a splined shaft 176 having its lower end rotatably mounted in bearing means in the support base 5. The shaft 176 extends upwardly through a bearing 181 which is rotatably mount- K ed in the extension 162 of the platform 120. Shaft 176 has secured thereto a plate 177 contained in a stepped cylindrical housing 180 which is secured to the extension 162 by a pin 163. It will-thus be apparent that the housing 180 will remain stationary while the circular plate 1.77 will rotate with the shaft.

A pair of ily weights 179 having a semi-cylindrical configuration are provided beneath the plate 177 and in surrounding relationship to the shaft 176. Each of these Weights is pivotally mounted on a pin 133 which extends between the plate 177 and the gear 174 as shown in FIG- URE 16. Each weight is provided with a notch in its periphery in which there is mounted a felt insert 185. The arrangement-is such that when the shaft 176 rotates in the direction of the arrow of FIGURE 17, the weights 179 are also rotated and ten-d to pivot in a counterclockwise direction about their pivotal axes 183. The felt inserts V are thereby urged against the surface of the vthe control of the operator.

housing 180 by the centrifugal force developed. The frictional forces developed tend to reduce the speed of rotationof the shaft and retard the forward movement of the clip pusher while it is moving a terminal clip only a terminal post.

The splines on the -upper portion of the shaft 176 function as a pair of spaced-apart pinions 182 which lare separated by a collar,184. The pinions 182 mesh with a pair of spaced-apart generally oval-shaped rack gears 186 Which function as a closed circuit rack. rI`he collar 184 of the shaft 176 is received in a track 188 between the gears 186 and provides bearing surface for the parts during operation. The rack gears' 186 and track 188 are formed on a single block which is secured -to a cap member 190. The cap member 190 in turn is secured to the plate 150 at the rearward end thereof, this plate being provided with an oval-shaped opening 4192 (FIGURE 11) through which the gears 186 extend.

From the foregoing, it will be-apparent that when the channel member 108 and all of the parts secured thereto move leftwardly in FIGURE 6 under the influence of the springs 126 (as takes place during the Working stroke of the tool), the lrack gears 186 will move with respect to the fixed pinions 182 until the rack gears 186 are in front of the pinions 182. Since the racks 186 move relatively around t-he fixed pinions 182, the plate 150 will move laterally to a limited extent during the working stroke of the tool.

At the end of the working stroke, the front end 201 of the plate 150 engages an arm -200 of a miniature switch 198 and closes a starting circuit for the motor 164. When this motor is energized, the gears of the

gear trains

168, 170, 172, 174, and 182 are driven to cause the spaced-apart rack gears 186 to be moved relatively rearwardly over the gears 182 thus pulling the plate 150 rearwardly. During this rearward movement of the plate 150, the switch arm 200 is maintained in a depressed condition by an

arm

194, 196 which extends -from the front end of the plate 150. After the completion of this portion of the operating cycle, that is after the plate 150 hasl been returned to the position of FIG- URE 1 and the springs have been retracted and compressed, the arm 194 moves out of engagement with switc'h arm 200, the normally open switch 198 is opened,` and the power supply to the motor 164 is cut olf.

It will be noted that the

arm

194, 196 extends somewhat obliquely of the longitudinal axis of the tool. The farm has this configuration in order that it will remain in contact with the switch arm 200 during rearward mot-ion of the plate 150 and will not engage the switch arm 200 during the forward motion of the plate 150. The lateral movement of the plate 150 accounts -for the fact that the switch arm 200 is maintained in a closed position during the return stroke but permitted to remain open during the forward stroke of the tool.

When the parts are in the position of FIGURE l and the gun is cocked, the channel member 108 is prevented from leftward movement by la trigger mechanism under This trigger mechanism achieves the split cycle or interrupted stroke feature described in U.S. Patent No. 3,186,073. Referring to FIG- URES 12-15, it will be noted that the sidewall 110 of the plate 108 is cut away at 202 while the other sidewall 112 is contoured to provide a forwardly sloping edge 204, a `straight edge portion 206, a forwardly yfacing shoulder 208, an additional straight edge portion 210, and a shoulder 21-2 formed immediately forwardly of the section 210. The latch mechanism comprises a plate 214 which is normally disposed against the edges of the side- 10 opening in the flange 216. The opening in flange 216 is somewhat wider than the section 218 of plate 214 so that the front end of plate 214 is free to move laterally in its own plane to a limited extent. An opening 219 in the end portion of the plate 214 is provided for the accommodation of a coil spring 220 which bears against the plate 214 at one end and against the rearwardly facing surface of the iiange 216 at its opposite end. This spring thus biases the plate 214 rearwardly of the tool axis and iholds the plate in the position shown in FIGURES 13-15. The left-hand side of the plate 214, as viewed in FIG- URES 13-15, has an inwardly sloping edge 222 and astraight section 224. A notch 226 is provided adjacent the frontal end of the plate and an ear extends laterally in front of the notch 226. The plate 214 is normally disposed, as shown in FIGURE 13, against the edges of the sidewalls 1110, 112 land the ear or arm 228 is positioned in front of the shoulder 212 at the start of the operating cycle.

Control of the latch plate 214 is achieved -by means of a spring plate 230 comprising a pair of -

arims

234, 236, the opposed sides of which converge as shown at 238, 240 to define an opening for a wedge member 248. The arm 236 of the spring member has a lateral extension 242 which is folded as shown at 243 so that this extension overlies the ends of the two

arms

234, 236.

The arm 234 has a relatively short offset tongue 244 on its leading end which is displaced inwardly from its side so that the spring member 230 can be positioned, -as shown in FIGURE 13, in overlying relationship with respect to the plate 214 With tongue 244 in notch 226. The spring plate 230 is secured to and held against the plate 214 by means of a short ange 246 on the end of the arm 236 which is hooked in an opening 227 in the plate 21,4.

The spring member 238 is held in position at its rearward end by means of a tongue 232, which extends into the spring 218, and a pair of relatively short extensions on each side of the tong-ue 232.

The wedge member 248 is d-imensioned to conform to the opening deiined 'by the opposed edges of the

larms

236, 234 which resiliently bear against .the sides of the wedge. A iiange 252 is provided on the rearward end of

walls

110, 112. This plate 214 extends rearwardly the Wed-ge member and extends through the spring plate 230 and through the opening 219 of the plate 214. Flange 252 has lateral extensions 254 which function to maintain it in assembled relationship as shown in FIG- URE 13. Therforward end of the wed-ge member 248 is tape-red as shown at 250 so that this wedge member can move forwardly (i.e., upward-ly in FIGURES 13-15) to wedge the

arms

234, 236 apart. The wedge member 248 is controlledI bymeans of a trigger 256 which is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a pin extending between a pair of upstanding ilanges or ears in the base member 5. The upper end 260 of this trigger extends through the opening 219 of the plate 214 and between ithe arms 234, 2136 .of -the spring member 230. The resilient tendency of the

arms

234, 236 to move towards each other in'their own -plane biases the wedge member 248 to the position shown in FIGURE 13.

The operation of the trigger mechanism is as follows. When the reciprocable parts, including the several plates and kthe slide 107 are'in the position of FIGURE 1, the

parts of the trigger mechanism will be as shown in' FIGURE 13. The slide member 107 is retained against forward movement by the laterally extendin-g ear 228 of the plate y214 which projects beyond the shoulder 212 of the sidewall I1112 and functions as a stop for thev slide member t107. l

When it is desired to initiate rthe operating cycle, -the operato-r merely squeezes the -trigger 256 causing leftward movement in FIGURE 1 of the upper end 260 of this trigger to push the wedge member 248 from the position of FIGURE 13 Ito ythe position of FIGURE 14. The wedge member 248 moves relative to the spring plate member 230 and causes the arm 236 there-of to pivot in a clockwise direction about its lower end, as viewed in FIGURE 14, movemen-t of the -other a-rm 234 being prevented lby the bearing of the extension 244 of arm 234 on the sidewall portion 210. Since the arm 236 is secured to the plate 214 by iiange 246, this movement of the arm 246 causes the plate 214 to swing rightwarddy at its forward end until it reaches `the position of iFIGURE 14. The ear 228 is thus moved from its position in front of the shoulder 212 (see FIGURE ,14) and the slide-member 107 is projected leftwardly in FIGURE 1 under the influence of springs 126. When the portion 210 of the sidewall 112 moves beyond the extension 244 of the arm 234, Ithe forward end of plate 230 swings leftwardly until its reaches the position of FIGURE 15. This movement of the plate 230 is brought about by the spring 220 which maintains the plate in axial alignment with the channel member 108 (ie. in the positions of FIGURES 13 and 15). The ear 228 then lodges against the shoulder 208 thereby arresting the forward movement of the channel member 208. When the for- -ward mot-ion of the slide member is arrested, the clip pusher is also restrained since the clip pusher is conhected to the slide as noted above. It should be added that the spring 220 functions as a buffer or shock absorber when the ear 228 is stopped by the shoulde-r 208 and prevents the imposition of high shock stresses on the parts.

The parts are thus shown in FIGURE 15 in the positions they occupy after the operator has squeezed the trigger 256 for the first time and before he has released the trigger. Thus, in FIGURE 15 the upper portions 260 of the trigger is disposed against the flange 252 of the wedge member 248 and the wedge member is being retained in the position shown in FIGURE 15 by .the pressure exerted on the iiange by the trigger. When the operator releases the trigger after pulling it f-or the iirst time, the arm 234 springs inwardly lfrom its position shown in FIGURE 15 and pushes the lwedge member 248 downwardly, as viewed in this figure, or towards the rearward end of the tool. When the arm 234 moves ri-ghtwardly in FIGURES 15 in this manner, the eX- rtension 244 of this arm moves past the sidewall and lodges against the inner surface of the sidewall `1-12 of the channel 107. From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the plate y230 and the wedge member 248 move not 4only in their own plane but also must move late-rally of their plane during the actions shown in FIGURES 13-15.

The operator then squeezes the trigger a second time to drive the wedge 248 Ibetween the

surfaces

238, 240 of plate 230 thereby again swinging the arm 236 rightwardly in a manner similar to that described above and shown in FIGURE 14. Again, the extension 228 of this arm is moved from its position against shoulder 208 and the channel member 108 is again freed. The forward stroke of the clip pusher is then completed under the influence of the springs 126.

The ope-ration of the disclosed embodiment can be briefly described as follows. The parts will normally be in the position shown in FIGUREl 1 with the springs 126 being in a compressed condition and with the reciprocable parts (the slide 107, the plates i104, y115, 134, and the push rod support 64) and the push rod restrained against forward motion by the trigger mechanism as described immediately above. The operator yfirst inserts .the end por-tion of a wire through the slot 63 in the hood 62 and into the opening 42 of the mandrel 36. The operator thereafter squeezes the trigge-r 256 to release the slide 107 as described immediately above for the iirst portion of the forward stroke. At this time, the push rod moves leftwardly in FIGURE 3 until it passes the opening 42 in the mandrel and -pushes lthe leading clip up to, and slightly beyond, the end of the mandrel 36. During this portion ofthe cycle, the wire will be engaged by the clip and dragged vfrom the opening 42 and over the upper surface of the mandrel. It should also be noted that during -this portion of the cycle, the force is transmitted from the slide 107 to the push rod through the force transmitting member 127 until this member is disengaged from the underside of the, push rod carrier 64 as previously explained. Du-ring subsequent portions of the cycle, force transmission from the slide 107 to the push r-od is by way of the plate 104, the pins 94, the yarms 92 and the overload release coupling between these arms and the reciprocable carrier 64.

After the completion of the first portion of the stroke, the operator positions the tool in alignment with the terminal post with the end of the mandrel against the upper end of the post and with the side of the post and against the extension 49 of the mandrel block. Accurate alignment of the tool with the terminal post is facilitated by the terminal clip which overhangs the end of the mandrel and assists in guidingv the end of the post against the mandrel head. The operator then squeezes the trigger 56 a second time to release the slide 107 whereby the movable parts including the push rod are moved leftwardly in FIGURE l until the clip is moved onto the post. During this portion of the cycle, if the clip should be moved against a rigid stop, such as a previously applied clip before the forward motion of the parts have been completed, the overload release coupling between the push rod carrier and the fingers 92 would be disengaged and the fingers 92 and the remaining parts connected to the slide 10-7 would continue to move while the push rod carrier would remain stationary. As explained in U.S.

' Patent No. 3,186,072, this arrangement prevents the imposition -of unduly high stresses on the clips when they are pushed against each other.

As noted previously, the governor weights 179' on the plate 177 function to retard the forward motion of the reciprocable parts. It will be apparent that when the channel member 108 moves leftwardly in FIGURE l, it will carry with it the plate so that the racks 186 will be moved relative to the pinion 182 causing the shaft 176 to be turned. The drag of the inserts 185 on the wall of the housing 180 retards the forward motion of the parts so that the pushing action of the springs is subdued and abrupt stops, which might damage the parts, are avoided. It should also be noted that during this portion of the operating cycle, the over-running clutch, which is effective between the pinion 172 and the gear 170, disengages the motor from the reciprocating parts in order to avoid the magnetic drag of the motor. At the end of the forward stroke, the switch 198 is closed by the forward end portion 201 of the plate 150 and the motor 164 is thereby energized to rotate or turn the pinion 168. This pinion acting through the

gear train

172, 174, and 182 causes the rack 186 to move relatively rightwardly in FIGURE 1 thereby retracting reciprocable parts and compressing the springs 126. Depending upon the ratios of the gears in the gear train 164, this retraction portion of the cycle may take a comparably long time interval, up to a second or two. This is not a disadvantage for the reason that there is always a time interval of at least several seconds between successive operating cycles during which lthe operator positions the wire in the mandrel opening and removes the tool from its working position.

The principles of the invention thus permit the achievement of a hand tool for assembling or similar operations having -a reciprocable member which can be lactuated by a relatively small electric motor. This feature of the invention is dependent upon the use of the springs 126 as a power source for driving the clip pusher of the disclosed embodiment in combination with the mechanism shown for compressing the springs at the end of the operating cycle. The invention is not necessarily limited to tools for making clip-type electrical connections but can be practiced in other instances where a reciprocable member is involved and where it is desired to use a small electric motor as a power source. The particular embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is especially useful for making clip-type electrical connections in that it contains features which have been found to be particularly advantageous in tools for making such connections.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus including a reciprocable slide member, the improvement comprising resilient means biasing said slide member in the direction -of its working stroke, rack means movable with said slide member, a pinion in engagement with said rack means, a motor for rotating said pinion, switch means for energizing said motor at the end of said working stroke whereby said slide member is retracted against the force of said spring means at the end of said working stroke, and releasable latch means for holding said slide member in its retracted position.

2. An assembling device comprising, a push rod reciprocable along a predetermined path, a work-engaging means mounted on said push rod, spring means biasing said push rod in one direction along said predetermined path, said one direction constituting the direction of the working stroke of said push rod, power means for retracting said push rod against the force of said spring means, means for automatically actuating said power means at the completion of said Working stroke, and means for releasably holding said push rod in its retracted condition.

3. An assembling device comprising, a push rod reciprocable along a predetermined path, work-engaging means mounted on said push rod, spring means biasing said push rod in one direction along said predetermined path, said one direction constituting the direction of the working stroke of said push rod, power means for retracting said push r-od against the force of said spring means, control means for said power means, said control means being operative to actuate said power means at the end of said working stroke and to de-actuate said 'power means at the end of the return stroke of said push rod, and means for releasably holding said push rod in its retracted condition.

4. A device as set forth in claim 3` wherein said power means comprises a rack and pinion, said rack being connected to said push rod, and a motor for rotating said pinion, said control means comprising a switch for starting and stopping said motor.

5. Apparatus for applying a terminal clip to a terminal post to form an electrical connection between a conductor and said post, said apparatus comprising, recip rocable clip pushing means, resilient means biasing said clip pushing means in the direction of its working stroke, power means for retracting said clip pushing means against the force of said resilient means, control means for said power means, said control means being operative to actuate said power means at the end of said working stroke and to de-actuate said power means at the end of the return stroke of said clip pushing means, and detent means for releasably holding said clip pushing means in its retracted position whereby, said spring means is normally compressed and upon release of said detent means, said clip pushing means is moved in the direction of its working stroke by said spring means, and after said clip is pushed onto said post, said clip pushing means is retracted against the force of said spring means by said power means.

6. An assembling tool comprising, a slider member reciprocable along a predetermined path, work-engaging means on said slide member, spring means biasing said slide member in one direction, said one direction constituting the direction of the working stroke of said workengaging means, a continuous closed circuit rack and a pinion in engagement with the teeth of said rack, means for rotating said pinion including a motor and a gear train, said gear train including at least one weigh-ted gear capable of functioning' as a governor, switch means for energizing said motor when said slide member reaches the limit of its working stroke and for de-energizing said motor when said slide member is fully. retracted, and means for relea-sably holding said slide member in said retracted position whereby, upon initially releasing said slide member, said spring means pushes said slide member in the direction of said working stroke with said weighted gear functioning to retard and control said slide member, said switch means being effective to actuate said pinion at the end of said working stroke thereby to retract said slide member preparatory to the next operating cycle of said tool.

7. An assembling tool comprising, a slide member reciprocable along a predetermined path, work-engaging means on said slide member, resilient means biasing said slide member in one direction constituting the working stroke of said work-engaging means, a continuous rack and a pinion, said pinion being rotatable on a xed axis and said rack being movable with respect to said pinion, said rack being connected to said slide member, means for rotating said pinion when said slide member reaches the end of said working stroke, means for stopping rotation of said pinion when said slide member is fully retracted, and means for releasably holding said slide member in its retracted condition.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 899,872 9/1908 Keys 74-30 1,513,627 10/1924 Reschke 74-30 3,151,389 10/1964 Stine 29-203 3,152,390 10/ 1964 Floyd 29-203 3,186,073 6/ 1965 Cobaugh et al 29-203 WHITMORE A. WILTZ, Primary Examiner.

THOMAS H. EAGER, Examiner.

Claims

1. IN AN APPARATUS INCLUDING A RECIPROCABLE SLIDE MEMBER, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING RESILIENT MEANS BIASING SAID SLIDE MEMBER IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS WORKING STROKE, RACK MEANS MOVABLE WITH SAID SLIDE MEMBER, A PINION IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID RACK MEANS, A MOTOR FOR ROTATING SAID PINION, SWITCH MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID MOTOR AT THE END OF SAID WORKING STROKE WHEREBY SAID SLIDE MEMBER IS RETRACTED AGAINST THE FORCE OF SAID SPRING MEANS AT THE END OF SAID WORKING STROKE, AND RELEASABLE LATCH MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID SLIDE MEMBER IN ITS RETRACTED POSITION.