US3825986A - Crimping tool - Google Patents

Abstract

A crimping tool for use in crimping connectors on wires such as telephone cable wires in which the connectors are fed into engagement with a fixed anvil and the wires are thereafter positioned in the anvil and the connector crimped around the wires by means of a punch member. The anvil and punch have cooperating members which sever the unwanted ends of the wires and trim any excess insulation on the connector.

Description

United States Patent Karl [111 3,825,986 [451 July 30, 1974 I 22 Filed:

[ CRIMPING TOOL [75] Inventor: Walter Karl, Lugarno, New South Wales, Australia [73] Assignee: Utilux Pty. Limited, New South Wales, Australia Dec. 27, 1972 I [21] Appl. No.: 318,731

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 3|, 1971 Australia 2577/7l 52 us. Cl. 29/203 DT [51] Int. Cl H01! 43/04 [58] Field of Search..... 29/203 HT, 203 HC, 203 H, -29/203 D, 203 DT [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1967 Reem et al. 29/203 HT 3,426,355 2/1969 Over 29/203 HT Primary ExaminerThomas H. Eager Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Brisebois & Kruger 57 ABSTRACT 4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures mamsumww 3.825.986

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CRIMPING TOOL crimp connectors to conductors. The connectors are fed into the operating components and engage around pre-positioned conductors and during or after the crimping operation the protruding ends of the conductors are severed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention includes a crimping tool comprising an anvil member, a moveable punch member, means for locating conductors in the punch member, said anvil member including a cut off slide for sequentially severing the surplus conductor material, crimping the connector and severing any surplus insulating material on the connector.

The invention also includes in the device defined in the preceding paragraph a feed mechanism for advancing connectors on a tape into the anvil assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a strip of connectors for use with the crimping tool of this invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the connectors of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an assembled view of the tool of this invention mounted on a stand and showing it in relation to a cable having conductors to be jointed,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the crimping tool of this invention,

FIG. 5 is a partially sectioned side elevation of a tool of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a more detailed side elevation of the punch and anvil end of the crimping tool, and t FIG. 7 is an end elevation of the crimping tool of FIG. 4 and partly in section and with some components removed.

I DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The connectors are formed from thin sheet metal and are bent up in the form of a channel with a covering of insulation on the outer face and having tangs and conductor gripping components which penetrate the insulating covering and grip the conductors respectively. Each connector is formed with a channel 10 and has an externally applied sheet of insulating material 11 which is preferably polyethylene terephthalate film. The terminals are formed into a continuous tape by means of the sheet of film and the portions which are applied to the sides of the channel form a cut-out and extending on each side of the cut-out are strips 12 which retain the terminals in a continuous tape form.

The terminals are fed into the crimping tool by means of a curved connector feed frame 13 and are positioned therein by means of a guide way formed by the feed frame and a pair of plates 14 mounted on each side thereof and having enlarged entry portion 15.

The crimping tool comprises a housing 16 which is bored out at one end to provide'a bore 17 for a piston '18 arranged for reciprocating movement therein. The piston has a stepped forward end 19 of smaller diameter forming a shoulder against which a return spring 20 locates at one end and at the other end it locates at the blind end 21 of the bore 17. This end is apertured so that the reduced diameter portion 19 of the piston passes therethrough with suitable sealing means between the components forming an operating part as described hereafter. Hydraulic fluid is admitted to the bore 17 through a side entry socket 22 and a bleed valve or screw 23 is provided at the end of the bore 17 as shown in FIG. 6 to bleed the line from a pump not shown. I

For convenience the crimping tool may be mounted on a shaft 24 by means of a traversing member 25 including a hand wheel 26 which has secured to it a pinion in mesh with a rack on the underside of shaft 24. A first split clamp 27 is secured to the traversing member 25 and it is provided with a locking cam 28 so that the end 29 around a second shaft 30 may be clamped thereto or adjusted and similarly there is a further or second split clamp 31 with a locking clamp 32 around a short mounting shaft 33 secured to a collar 34 positioned around the housing 16 of the crimping tool. This combination allows the tool to be set up for rapid crimping operations.

The connectors 10in tape form may be mounted in a magazine 35 secured to the first or second split clamp 27 or 31 and these are fed out of a slot 36 to the guide way of the connector feed frame 13 and are picked by a feed member having spaced fingers 39 which engage with adjacent connector 10 and pull the tape and connectors thereon upwards through the guide way along the guide track 38 formed in the anvil part 53 of the connector. In FIG. 5 successive positions of the fingers 39 are shown in dotted outline. The advancement of the connector is carried out by means of moving a knurled knob 40 mounted on one end ofa lever 41 pivotally mounted on a shaft 42 secured to the frame 43 extending forward on the cylinder 18. The other end of the lever 41 has mounted thereon a transverse shaft 42 on which the fingers 39 are positioned. This mechanism is returned to its initial position by means of a spring 45 secured to the frame by a nut 46 at one end and at the other end is secured to the lever 41 and is arranged to return the lever 41 to its starting position.

The anvil assembly is secured to the frame 43 by means of a bolt 47 which passes through the anvil assembly as described hereinafter and enters the frame 43. Extending across the frame is a stop member 48 to limit the advancement movement of the fingers 39.

The fixed anvil assembly and the moveable punch part are shaped so that the conductors 54 are correctly pre-positioned to be received in the incoming connector 10. One conductor is inserted from the left hand side and is located in the space between the springloaded pressure pad 49 and the guide pin 50. The right hand conductor is similarly positioned under the springloaded pressure pad 49A and its associated guide pin 50A. The pressure pads 49 and 49A may be operated manually by grips 51 and 51A. The connector 10 as it enters the anvil to be applied around the prepositioned conductors is severed from its supporting film strips by means of cut off slides 52 which also guide the connectors into the anvil, cut off the excess conductor, discharge the film waste, and retain the crimped connector in the anvil when the tool is opened.

In operation the punch assembly moves forward carrying the conductors 54 which are severed when they contact the cut off slides 52. At this stage the conductors have been displaced into the crimping position in the anvil 53 whence the crimping operation and removal of excess film is effected.

The tool is normally used to join two wires in which case the excess wire ends are cut off by the anvil cutters 55 (shown in FIG. 5) and 55A (shown in FIG. 6), which are positioned complementary to the pins 50A.

I claim:

1. A crimping tool for connecting conductors and in which the connector is of generally channel shape, said tool having a body, a frame extending from one end of the body, a guide way in the frame for guiding connectors to an anvil portion of the frame, a punch member having a piston mounted in a cylinder in the body and arranged to reciprocate to and fro in said body in response to fluid pressure between the piston and the cylinder, the punch having a working end which advances 4 towards said anvil whereby said connector is folded around said wires as the punch approaches said anvil.

2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the connectors are fed into the guideway in strip form.

3. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the guide way has a portion spaced from the underside of the body and a curved upswept portion generally normal to the direction of movement of the piston and extending into the anvil.

4. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the punch member includes spaced guide pins extending towards the anvil, spring mounted pressure pads on the punch associated with each of said guide pins, a wire being located between each guide pin and its associated pressure pad for crimping.

. UNITED STATES :PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 825 .986 Dated Julv 3D 107 Inventor(s) KARL WALTER It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

[30] I Foreign Application Priority Data December 31, 1971 Australia 7577/71 Signed a nd sealed this 29th day of October 1974.

(SEAL) Attest McCOY M. GIBSON JR. c. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents UlCOMM-DC 00876PP69 FORM PO-105O (10-59) 5 LL. GOVIINMINT PRINTING OFIICI! IN. O-NO-SM.

Claims (4)

1. A crimping tool for connecting conductors and in which the connector is of generally channel shape, said tool having a body, a frame extending from one end of the body, a guide way in the frame for guiding connectors to an anvil portion of the frame, a punch member having a piston mounted in a cylinder in the body and arranged to reciprocate to and fro in said body in response to fluid pressure between the piston and the cylinder, the punch having a working end which adVances towards said anvil whereby said connector is folded around said wires as the punch approaches said anvil.

2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the connectors are fed into the guideway in strip form.

3. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the guide way has a portion spaced from the underside of the body and a curved upswept portion generally normal to the direction of movement of the piston and extending into the anvil.

4. A tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the punch member includes spaced guide pins extending towards the anvil, spring mounted pressure pads on the punch associated with each of said guide pins, a wire being located between each guide pin and its associated pressure pad for crimping.

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