US2593081A - Apparatus for assembling connector plugs - Google Patents

Description

April 15, 95 c. H. wu -|o1- 2,593,081

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING CONNECTOR PLUGS Filed Aug. 25, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 INVENTOR. Ua/"ZeJ T/Vizmac fJTTORA/EYJ' Patented Apr. 15, 1952 1 UNITED S ATE APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING CONNECTOR PLUGS Charles H; Wilmot, Gales Ferry, Conn., assignor to The Plastic Wire & Cable Corporation, Jewett City, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application August 25, 1948, Serial No. 46,016

' 4 Claims. (01. 29.s)

This invention relates to machines for. assembling electrical connector plugs and more particularly to a machine for assembling the contacts, which have been attached to conductors, with a body of resilient material having preformed passageways for receiving and positioning the contacts and'attached conductors.

Heretofore in assembling contacts and conductors with the plugs, the neck of the plug adjacent the base of the plug would be engaged by the needles for drawing in the contacts as the same: were inserted through the passages of the plug. Engagement of the needles with the walls of the base aperture, however, many times caused damage'to-the walls. This type of assembly also had the disadvantage that the insulation on the connector cord would engage the end of the plug and would strip back as the contacts are pulled in position.

An effort was made to avoid these difliculties by providing pivoted fingers which were moved into the base aperture and separated to stretch the neck and hold it out of contact with the needles during their passage through the body to pull the contacts and connector cord in place and to hold the neck open until the cord had passed into the apertures to avoid the stripping of the insulation. This, however, was unsatisfactory in that the fingers which were automatically inserted in the base aperture to spread the neck had a tendency, due to forceful operation on the neck, torip the body and tear the base adjacent the aperture.

The present invention overcomes these dimculties by providing a guide means which protects the plug body during the insertion of the contacts and cord therein and which has guide it passes into the base aperture and thereby preventing it from being stripped during this operation. The guide means can be used in connection with the manual insertion of the contacts or with machine insertion where the needles are actuated by a power operator.

In the preferred form of the invention the guide means is a funnel-shaped guide which is split longitudinally and has a neck portion'which is inserted in the base opening of the plug and is provided with an innersurface which will receivethe ends of the needle within the neck portion so that the two portions of the guide can be spread thereby. The guide also has a large mouth portion into which the cord moves and is guided thereby through the narrow portion and into the body of the plug.

In order to insure that the needles will at all times enter the guide means, it is at present preferred to provide means for temporarily spreading the guide means slightly to insure that the opening in the guide means will be wide enough to receive the needles as they pass through the plug body. As soon as the needleslare in the body, the means becomes inoperative to spread the guide means which are thereafter spread by the action of the needles. This temporary spreading means also will support the guide means and prevent the guide means from returning to normal position after the needles have left the same and while the contacts and connector cord connected thereto move into the body.

A feature of the invention is the novel apparatus whereby the contacts are assembled with the body without damage thereto in which the body is spread by the needles while at the same time being protected by the guide of the present invention.

Other features and advantages of the invention vwill be apparent from the specification and claims when considered in connection with the drawings in which: 3

Figure 1 shows a view of the machine embodying the present invention'with the guide means inserted in the base and the needles in starting position. a

Fig. 2 shows a view similar to Fig. 1 with the guide means slightly spread and the needles passing into the opening oftheguide." The amount of spread given to the body is exaggerated inthis view so that the position of the needles may be better seen.

Fig. 3 shows a view similar to Fig. 1 with the needles completely extended through the body and the guide means spread thereby.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the needles on the return stroke.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the contacts and connector cord in final position. i

i Fig. 6 is a side view of the machine.

As shown in Fig. 1 the machine comprisesn base In having a base plate H mounted thereon and provided with ways 12 for supporting the needle-operating slide [3. This slide may be driven by the usual hydraulic or manually operated power means. In the herein illustrated form of the invention, it is operated by a manually operated-gear l4mounted on a shaft l5 and rotated by a handle I6. The gear meshes with'a rack I1 formed on the top of the slide 13 so that by rotating the gear the slide 13 is caused to re-'- ciprocate in the ways l2. The slide 13 has projecting from its forward end a'p'air of contact or blade-inserting members or needles l8 having plug spreading portions 18a intermediate their ends and at their forward end hooks l8]; to which the contacts are connected to be withdrawn into the body. i

A support i9 is mounted on the base I l and has a cavity 20 therein for receiving the plug body. The support i9 is provided with slots Na and is secured tothe base by screws 21 so that it may be adjusted on the base to accommodate plug bodies" of different lengths.

The'plu'g'body 22 as shown insection has a centralaperture' 23 'anda pair of contact or bladereceiving s1ots24 therein. The support is also provided'with a spreader cam 25 to engage the ends of the blade-inserting members, as they move toward engagement with the plug, and spread the same and guide them intothe slots.

The guide means of the present invention is illustrated as comprising a body 26 which is dividedor split longitudinally at 2'! to provide two parts-28, 29. The body has a reduced neck "26'awhich is adapted to be inserted in the central aperture or the base opening ofthe plug body "and is provided with a funnel bore therethrough having alarge mouth at its outer end and terminating in a small mouth' in the reduced portion 26a. The two parts are carried'by supporting the-guide which extendsinto the body of the plug is flared outwardly so as to facilitate the reception'of the ends, of the blade-inserting members l8. In order to insure that the blade-inserting 'members will at all times enter the mouth, the present invention provides means for temporarily spreading the guide parts in timed relation to the movement of the blade-inserting members. One such means is herein illustrated as comprising 'a cam "42 carried on extension- 43 mounted on slide I3 to be moved with the blade-inserting members. The cam 42 engages the ends 32a, 33a of the slides and moves them apart slightly as the carriage moves forward. In'the present preferred form of the invention, the width of the cam 42 is sufficient to open the; neck without substantial spreading of the plug.

As soon as the needles are between the slides, the bowed portion I'Ba thereof engages the walls of the guides and acts to spread them.

The functioning of the structure will probably be better understood by carrying through the operation of assembling a pair of contacts, herein illustratedas blade contacts such-as used to form a male connector plug, and aconnector cord with a plug body. As shown in Fig-1, the first 'step in the assembly comprises inserting. the plug body into the cavity 20 on the support with the portion 26a of the guide in position in the central aperture of the plug body. The handle 16 is rotated to the rear causing the slide l3 to be moved forwardly. As the slide moves forwardly cam 42 engages the blocks 32, 33 and moves the guide parts 28, 29 apart slightly, as shown in Fig. 2, to insure the entrance of the'needles between the guide parts. As noted previously, the spread has been exaggerated in this view in order to clearly show the position of the ends of the bladeinserting members or needles l8 between the guide parts. Continued movement of the handle causes the needles to pass through the guide I parts and the portions l8a thereof will spread the guide parts, as shown in Fig. 3, and at the same time spread the neck of the plug to enable the contacts and connector cord to be moved therein. At the end of the forward stroke, the ends of the needles project beyond the guide as shown in Fig. 3 and the contacts 44 and connector cord 45 are readily attached to the hooks I812. The handle is then operated in the reverse direction withdrawing the needles and pulling the contacts and attached connector cord through the guide and into the body as shown in Fig. 4. It will be noted in Fig. 4 that the member 42 is'about to engage the ends of the'blocks and temporarily support the guide parts as the needles move out of engagement therewith to hold said guide parts against movement into engagement with one another. This forms a passage therethrough and into the plug body for the connectors and connector cord attached thereto, protecting the same against contact with the end-of the body and thus eliminating the stripping of the insulation from the cord.

After the contacts have been pulled into final position, as shown in Fig. 5, the needles return to the position of Fig. 1 and are released from the blades. The contact plug is then withdrawn from the support and pulled from the end of the guide means and removed from the machine. Since the guide means are pressed together by very light springs the grip on the connector cord is not sufiicient to strip the insulation from the conductors during this removal.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a novel and improved method of assembling the connector plug is provided by the present invention, which method insures less damage to the plug and cord and greatly facilitates the assembling operation. It is also apparent that the guide member of the present invention protects the walls against damage by the needles as the walls are spread by the movement of the needles and guides and leads the connector cords into position in the body without danger of stripping the insulation therefrom.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this-invention and. portions of the improvements may be used'without others.

I claim: I

1. "A machine 'for assembling a double terminal cohn'ectorcord having a contact'blade secured to each terminal within a connector-plug of resilient material formed with a central aperture extend- 'ing from the rear of said plug within said body and merging with spaced blade-receiving slots extending from within said base 'to' the front of said plug comprising a plug holder; spaced blade- 1 inserting member's mounted in front of said plug;

means on "each of said members for securing a blade thereto; means for reciprocating said members to move the same simultaneously through said slots and aperture to the rear of said plug and withdrawing them for pulling a contact blade into each of the spaced slots; a guide comprising two parts, each having a portion extending into the central aperture to overlie the side wall thereof, means mounting said parts for lateral movement with respect to said aperture; means operated in advance of the blade-inserting members to spread said guide parts to receive the members between them with said portions of the guide extending into the central aperture lying between the wall and member, said lastnamed means being thereafter inoperative; and divergent portions on said members to engage said portions of the guide and spread said parts to a greater extent when the members are moved through the said portions to receive the blades, said portions of the guide also protecting the walls of the aperture from damage by the members during movement of the members therethrough and during passage or" the blades into the plug by the blade pulling movement of said members.

2. A machine for assembling a double terminal connector cord having a contact blade secured to each terminal within a connector plug of resilient material formed with a central aperture extending from the rear of said plug within said body and merging with spaced blade-receiving slots extending from within said base to the front of said plug comprising a plug holder; spaced blade-inserting members mounted in front of said plug; means on each of said members for securing a blade thereto; means for reciprocating said members to move the same simultaneously through said slots to the rear of said plug and withdrawing them for pulling a contact blade into each of the spaced slots; a guide comprising two parts, each having a portion extending into the central aperture; spring means urging said parts together; opening means operated in timed relation with the movement of the blade-inserting members and .operative only during part of the movement of said members to temporarily spread said guide parts to receive the members between them; and bowed portions on said members engaging said portions on said guide parts to spread said parts to a greater extent to open the aperture sufficiently to receive the blades, said opening means temporarily separating said guide parts after the members move out of contact therewith during the pulling of the blades into the plug by said members.

3. A machine for assembling a double terminal connector cord having a contact blade secured i to each terminal within a connector plug of resilient material formed with a central aperture extending from the rear of said plug within said body and merging with spaced blade-receiving slots extending from within said base to the front of said plug comprising a plug holder; spaced blade-inserting members mounted in front of said plug; means on each of said members for securing a blade thereto; means for reciprocating said members to move the same simultaneously through said slots and aperture to the rear of said plug and withdrawing them for pulling a contact blade into each of the spaced slots; a guide comprising a body having a tubular neck portion at one end to extend into the central aperture of the plug and a wide funnel-shaped mouth at the other end to receive and guide the blades and attached connector cord into the plug, said guide body being divided along a vertical plane into two parts, means mounting said parts for lateral movement with respect to said aperture; means operated in advance of the bladeinserting members to spread said guide parts to receive the members between them with said neck portions lying between the wall and member, said last-named means being thereafter inoperative; and divergent portions on said members to engage said neck portions and spread said parts to a greater extent when the members are moved through the said neck portions to receive the blades, said neck portions protecting the walls of the aperture from damage by the members during movement of the members therethrough and during passage of the blades into the plug by the blade pulling movement of said members and said funnel-shaped mouth guiding the blades to the plug during the pulling movement of said members.

4. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein common manually actuatable means actuates the means operated in advance of the blade insertingmembers for spreading the guide parts and the means for reciprocating the blade inserting members.

CHARLES H. WILMOT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 463,473 Beam Nov. 1'7, 1891 979,438 Courtney Dec. 27, 1910 2,169,777 Wertzheiser Aug. 15, 1939 2,198,966 Herman Apr. 30, 1940 2,231,348 Reutter Feb. 11, 1941 2,278,176 Herman Mar. 31, 1942 2,281,479 Chirelstein Apr. 28, 1942

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