US2929433A - Art of attaching terminals to electric conductors - Google Patents

Description

March 22, 1960 K. H. ANDREN ART OF ATTACHING TERMINALS T0 ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS Filed Oct. 17, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR.

ATTOZ/VEYJ March "22, 1960 K. H. ANDREN ART OF ATTACHING TERMINALS TO ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS Filed Oct. 17, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 :6 v u N INVENTOh March 22, 1960 Filed Oct. 17, 1958 K. H. ANDREN ART OF ATTACHING TERMINALS TO ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS l A N 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 22, 1960 ANDREN 2,929,433

ART OF ATTACHING TERMINALS TO ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS Filed Oct. 1'7, 1958 5 sheetsfsheet 4 INVENTOR.

wwzmew ATTORNEYS March 22, 1960 K. H. ANDREN ART OF ATTACHING TERMINALS TO ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS Filed Oct. 17, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 v INVENTOR.

Mafia/dea A770 AEYS ART OF ATIACG TERMINALS ELECTRIC QONDUCTORS Karl H. Andrea, West Allis, Wis., assignor to Artos Engineering Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application October 17, 1958; Serial No. 767,899,

8 Claims. c1. 153-1 This invention relates generally to improvements in the art of producing electric current conductors each having a terminal attached to at least one end thereof, and it relates more specifically to an improved method of an apparatus for attaching individual socketed terminals to the ends of elongated conductors or wires.

The primary object of the present invention is to pro vide an improved method of rapidly and effectively attaching tubular terminals to the ends of elongated cur rent conductors such as metallic wires.

Many different methods and mechanisms for producing electrical conductors each having an attaching terminal secured to one or both of the extreme ends of a wire, have heretofore been proposed and used commercially. In most cases, the terminals have been formed of flat sheet metal strips with the successive flattened terminals laterally interconnected by reduced portions adapted to be severed or broken so as to separate each terminal from the supply strip while the terminal is being fastened to an end of a conductor. This procedure was quite satisfactory when applying such fiat terminals to the conductor ends, but for certain types of work, it is desirable to have the terminals formed of tubular stock with each terminal having an open end socket within which the end of the conductor must be inserted axially of the tube and subsequently clamped therein. This difference in terminal formation requires an entirely different method of feeding and attaching the tubular terminals to the conductors than was heretofore utilized when applying the flat laterally united terminals .to the wire ends.

It therefore an important object of this invention ttoprovide a simple but highly efficient method of applying and clamping tubular terminals having open end sockets to the ends of elongated conductors such as wires,

with utmost precision.

Another important object of the invention is to provide improved mechanism for effecting rapid and effec- ,proved method.

These and other more specific objects and advantages ltive terminal attachment in accordance with the imreference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views. g t

Fig. l is a side view of an electric motor driven relatively portable unit for carrying on the several steps of presentim roved method of terminal attachment;

wFig'JZ is a pa'rt sectional top 'elevation,.the section betaken along the line of Fig. '1, showing the normal starting and stopping position and with a terminal gripped in the tools ready to receive a wire end;

Fig. 2a is a section similar to that of Fig. 2, taken along the line 2a-2a of Fig. 4;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged section through the terminal applying and attaching zone of the unit, similar to the section shown in Fig. 2, but with a wire W inserted into the terminal M and the machine just starting a new cycle, and showing the crimping tools in action;

Fig 4 is a part sectional front view of the terminal attaching unit, the section having been taken along the line 44 of Fig. 1, and the detailed showing of the chain drive having been omitted;

Fig. 5 is a rear view of theupper portion of the unit in which the terminal applying zone and crimping mechanism are located; I

Fig. 6 is enlarged fragmentary and part sectional View taken vertically and centrally through the terminal supply'and positioningmechanism of the unit, and showing a tubular terminal in position preparatory to being injected into the attaching zone;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to that of Fig. 6 but showing the initially positioned terminal engaged by the injecting plunger;

Fig. 8 is a top view of the terminal injecting mechanism positioned as in Fig. 7; and I Fig. 9 is a greatly enlarged side elevation of a pair of complementary tubular male and female terminals separated but attached to fragments of the attached wires.

While the improved apparatus has been shown and described herein as having been embodied in an electric motor driven relatively portable bench type machine into which the successive wires are manually inserted, it is not intended to limit the invention to this specific type of unit; and it is also contemplated that specific descriptive terms employed herein be given the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the actual disclosure.

As indicated hereinabove, the gist of the present invention involves an improved method of attaching a tubular or socketed terminal to an end of an elongated current conductor such as a strandedwire, by initially injecting the terminal axially of'its socket and with the open socket foremost in onedirection into an attaching zone to locate and hold the terminal end in precise position centrally and longitudinally relative to the clamping dies, by subsequently gathering the strands and inserting'an end of the wire axially of the terminal socket but in the opposite direction intothe prepositioned open socket end, and by finally permanently fastening the terminal socket to the inserted wire endwithin the attaching zone while the terminal is free from anyinfiuence which might distort'the terminal or cause imperfect attachment of the terminal. In order to expedite the exploitation of the improved method with utmost precision,

the initially injected tubular terminal should be yieldingly held against its locating means while the crimpers function to radially clamp same, after which the injecting device will be withdrawn, and the holding force should also be utilized but augmented to effect the final attachment of the terminal, While provision should also be made to promptly deliver the completed conductors from the zone.

for locating each terminal "in proper position with ur- Patented Mar. 22, 1%50 most precision, means within this zone for frictionally holding the injected terminals while the injection means is being withdrawn, means for gathering and guiding successive stranded wires while being axially inserted in the opposite direction into the sockets of the frictionally-held terminals within the attaching zone, means for actuating the terminal holding means to clamp the terminals to the inserted wire ends, and power means for driving the various terminal feeding and attaching mechanisms.- The tubular terminals may be either of the type M or of the complementary type F shown in detail in Fig. 9, and each of these terminal types is provided with an open end socket S within which the stripped end of an insu lated multi-strand wire W is insertable and adapted to be clamped or crimped.

The improved terminal attaching unit may be driven by an electric motor through a chain drive which is adapted to rotate a horizontal power shaft 11 haying a worm 12 keyed thereto, see Figs. 1, 2 and 4.. .The worm 12 drives a Worm wheel 13 which is bolted to a clutch driving plate 14 and a bushing 15 is pressed firmly within the plate 14 and worm wheel 13 so that when the main clutch is disengaged, the clutch drive assemblage is freely rotatable about an upright shaft 16. The clutch body 17 is firmly secured by a key to the shaft 16 directly above the drive plate 14 and a spring loaded clutch pin 18 is disposed within an upright groove in the body 17. The spring coacting with the clutch pin 18 slightly away from the rack bar.27 when this bar is in its extreme position toward the right as viewed in Fig. 5, for reasons to be later explained. The rack bar 27 coacts with and simultaneously transmits rotary motion to two parallel pinion shafts 32 as shown in Figs. 1 2, 4 and 5 which also serve to reciprocate a pair of racks 34 shown in Fig. 4 back and forth in opposite directions relative to the terminal attaching zone of the unit. The terminal holding and crimping head, which is located within this fixed zone, is symmetrical relative to its vertical central plane, except for the presence of a wire knockout 33, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

Four tool holders 35 each carrying an identical crimping tool 36 are slidable radially in milled grooves in the tends to force this pin against the adjacent surface of the clutch plate 14; and this plate is provided with a slot of somewhat greater width than that of the pin 18 so that whenever the plate 14 is rotating, the clutch pin will drop into this slot unless the pin is otherwise restrained, and will thus engage the clutch to rotate the upright shaft 16. 1

The main clutch is adapted to be disengaged by a jackknife lever 19, the swinging end of which is constantly urged toward a horizontal annular groove in the body 17 by a tension spring 20 as depicted in Figs. 2 and 4; but an electricsolenoid 21, when energized, is operable to pull the knife lever 19 out of this groove. The swinging end of the knife lever 19 is chamfered to correspond with the inclined surface at mid-portion of the clutch pin 18, and when the lever 19 is riding in the clutch body groove and the clutch is engaged, the clutch pin 18 will be retracted and lifted out of the slot in the clutch plate 14 whenever it engages the chamfered end of the lever 19. The drive plate 14 will then continue to rotate, but since the clutch is disengaged, the clutch body 17 and the shaft 16 to which it is keyed will stop. However, by momentarily energizing the solenoid 21, the main clutch may again be engaged to rotate the shaft 16.

Located above the upright shaft 16 is a horizontal cam shaft 22, which is journalled for rotation in a gear box 23 secured to and supported by the main clutch housing. The cam shaft 22 is drivingly connected at its midportion to the upper end of the upright shaft 16 by intermeshing bevel gears as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, while both ends of this shaft project outwardly beyond the box 23 as in Fig. 1. One of the projecting shaft ends carries a small plate cam 24 which functions to operate a knockout for the final conductors produced by the unit, while the opposite protruding shaft end carries a pair of conjugate disk cams 25 for operating the terminal crimping mechanism and also carries a barrel cam 26 for operating the terminal transfer mechanism. A rack and pinion assembly is also mounted upon the gear box 23 as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 and positive movement in both directions is imparted to the rack bar 27 from the conjugate earns 25 by a cam lever 28.

The cam lever 28 is connected to the: rack bar 27 by an ad usting stud 29 and plunger 30 which is spring-loaded by a stilf compression spring 31 as depicted in Fig. 5. The initial portion of the rack movement is transmitted through the spring 31 since the plunger 3i! is spaced box 23 disposed 90 degrees apart, and are retained in the grooves by gibs, andthese tool holders 35 are simul taneo-usly movable in opposite direction by links and levers connected to the racks 34 as depicted in Fig. 4 which also provide a toggle action for effecting final crimping of the terminal sockets S to the inserted ends of the stranded wires W. A pair of funnel-shaped guides 37 for properly gathering the strands and for inserting the ends of the wires W into the sockets S of the successive terminals M injected into the attaching zone, are also provided, and these guides 37 are slidable in alined grooves formed in the rack cover 38 and inthe guide cover 39-secured thereon within which helical compres sion springs 40 reacting against pins 41 are confined, thus spring-loading these guides 37 and urging them toward each other. H

A pin 42 secured to'each wire guide 37 is adapted to engage an end surface of the rack cover 39 to limit the travel of the guides toward each other and to insure proper axial alinement of the wire guiding surfaces with the terminal sockets. These pins'42 project inwardly somewhat beyond the inner surfaces of the guides 37 so that when the racks 34 are retracted, the ends of these racks will engage the pins and force the wire guides apart against the springs 40. The wire kn0ckout 33 is swing able about a pivot shaft 43 and derives its swinging motion from the disk cam 24 carried by the shaft 22 through linkage and a lever which is urged against the cam surface by a tension spring as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4.

The terminal supply and feed mechanism is best illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, and is operable by the barrel cam 26 and a lever 44 coacting at one end with the cam groove as in Figs. 1 and 2. The medial portion of the lever 44 is pivoted on the box 23, and the opposite swinging end thereof is connected by a link 45 to a reciprocable crosshead 46. The crosshead 46 is fastened to a square longitudinally movable slide 47 which serves to produce rectilinear motion of the crosshead and the latter also reciprocates an elongated spring-loaded terminal transfer rod 48. In Fig. 6, the transfer rod 48 is shown in fully retracted position with a terminal M do posited in front of the road end ready to be picked up and injected into the terminal attaching zone between the tools 36. When the transfer rod 48 is advanced by the cam 26, lever 44 and crosshead 46, the end of the terminal M remote from its socket S, will enter. a counterbore in the leading rod end and while the terminal is being i inserted into same as in Fig. 7, and is backed up against a stop lever, 50, and further forward movement of the crosshead 46 is compensated for by a spring 49 interposed between the crosshead and a collar attached to the rod 48 and which embraces the latter. The complete insertion of the end of each terminal M within the end counterbore of the rod 48 is thus assured without subjecting the terminals to excessive end pressure. p

The stop lever 50 is swingably suspended from a pivot pin 51,.and a coil spring 52 coacts with the lever and constantly tends to make it inactive as a terminal stop but is prevented from doing so by a plate 53 attached to the square slide 47. Any forward movement of the slide j beyond the position shown in Fig. 7, enables the pring 52 to raise th adjacentend ofwthe' levers taneo'usly lower the oppos'itqiever end sufi'ic fly to permit the rod 48 to' continue its movement and to inject'the engaged terminal M in one direction into the attaching zone and with its socket portion S properly positioned relative to the four holding and crimping tools 36. when a terminal M has been thus properly positioned; and' is pressed by spring 49 against the inside face of the wire guides 37, the terminal M will be frictionally grasped by the tools 36 as will be laterexplained, and thetr'ansfer rod 48 must then be retracted immediately int the p' o'sijtion shown in Fig. 2, and the socketed end of the properly positioned and temporarily held terminal will be located against the closed wire guides 37 so that the end of a wire W may be inserted in the opposite direction into the terminal socket, and a new cycle started. r r 7 A The successive tubular terminals M are stacked endwise upon each other within an upright feed tube 54 carried by the box 23 and the lower end of which is corr'n nunicatbie with a curved guideway for transferring the terminals from vertical to horizontal disposition in front of the rod as, see Figs. 6 and 7. The lowermost terminal M oftlie stack normally rests on the shelf or shuttle blade 56 as in Figs. 2, 7 and 8. The shuttle blade 56 is actuated by a spring 57 tending to urge it forwardly and is activated in reverse direction by a set screw 58 carried by the plate 53, and is also located beneath a latch 55 which has a siot 55' through which the terminals M pass as in Fig. 7. When the slide 47 begins its forward movement, the plate 53 and set screw 58" will advance forwardly thus erms ting the spring 57 to move the shuttle blade 56 forwardly so as to close the terminal feed opening beneath the tube 54, and as this forward movement continues, the pin 59 carried by theblade 56 engages the rear ofthe springpressed latch blade 55 and urges it forward so as to release the now lowermost terminal M of the stack to drop upon the lower blade 56. This latch 55 is normally spring pressed against a pin59 extending upwards from the shuttle blade 56 and is so located that when the latch 55 is actuated, the inside edge of the slot'55' will clamp the terminal M resting upon the lowermost terminal M against the inside of the tube 54, thus freeing the lowermost terminal M whenever shuttle blade 56 is withdrawn. During the return stroke of the slide 47, the latch blade 55 will again clamp the terminal M in the feed tube 54 in position, and immediately thereafter, the shuttle blade 56 wiil be withdrawn to allow the terminal M resting thereon to drop freely by gravity along the arcuate guide into proper position to be picked up by the transfer rod 48. With the motor 10 operating but while the main clutch has been disengaged by the lever 19, the unit has stopped with the elements in the position shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5 with the wire guides 37 closed and the crimping tools 36 frictionally holdin a terminal M under pressure from the spring 31 acting upon the rack 27. The terminal trans fer rod 48 has started its return stroke after releasing the terminal to the tools 36, and the stripped end of a wire W may then be inserted through the closed wire guides 37 into the socket S of the frictionally held terminal M. The solenoid 21 may then be energized with the aid of a foot-actuated switch or the like, to cause the knife lever 19 to be pulled out of the groove in the'clutch body 17, thereby permitting the clutch pin 18 to drivingly engage the clutch plate 14 and to thereby rotate the upright shaft 16 and the upper horizontal shaft 22 through the interconnecting bevel gears.

Asthe shaft 22 is thus rotated, the cams 25 pass the dwell section as shown in Fig. 5, and the spring 31 is further compressed until the plunger 30 contacts the rack bar 27 and this bar continues to move until the tools 36 are fully closed by toggle action, after which the crimping tools 36 separate and the wire guides 37 also begin to separate or open. All of these movements are effected by the conjugate disk cams 25 mounted upon the shaft e 22' nia'caanifig'wita the s n prank 1e e2" a n the, t ools,36 andthe wire'guides" 37 have been separated su'rficiehitly, the camdisk 24 becomes effective to swing the knockout 33'downwardly so as to positively eject the completed conductor and to subsequently eturn the knack. out to mac e position. While the final advancement and subsetiu 1r separation of the tools 36 and guides 37 andrernoval of a finished conductor by the kneckout 33 is being effected, the drum cam 26 c'oa'cting with theteve 44, link 45, and crosshead 46 returns the rod ,48 thereby causing the shelf 56 to drop another terminal M at the end of the return stroke of rod 48, as showr f in Fig. ,6. Then while the crimping tools 36 and the wire guide 37 havest'arte'd to closeagain, the now advancing rod 48 picks up and injects the new terminal M into the attachnone, holding said terminal with spring pressure by springer? against the insides of guides 37, and'th'e tobls 36 continue to move inwardly so as to frictionally engage theinjected and properly positioned terminal M, while the rod 48 retracts and the machine stops. During this stop page of the machine, the momentary frictional holding of the terminal M within the attaching zoneis eifected by the spring 31 coacting with the plunger 30 of the rack assemblage 27 shown in Fig. 5, and after' thetools136 have engaged the terminal socket S, thecam-actuated lever 28 dwells. A w 7 After another wire W has been inserted within the socket S, the clutch is again tripped by'the solenoid 21 and the lever 28 starts to move in order to cause the tools 36 to firmly crimp the terminal to the wire end. The rod 48 of the transfer mechanism thereafter continues its return stroke to pick up another terminal M as showrr in Fig. 6, and to deliver it to the tools 36 and the operating cycle willbe repeated againf r 1 c From the foregoing detaileddescription of the con; struction and functioning of the terminalattaching' unit, it will be apparent that this unit provides simple b'u't eifective mechanism for quickly carrying on the succes; sive steps of the present improved method with t precision. The relatively delicate tubular terminals which are shown greatly enlarged in Fig. 9.rnay be either of the type M at the left or of the type F at the right, since the abovede scribed mechanism will function equally well when handling either'of'th'ese types, and the w e stock is composed of numerous strands which arega i ered by the guides for proper insertion with'iri the terminal sockets. When the machine is operating, the stop lever 50 functions to properly position the terminals M within the end of the rod 48, and the guides 37 properly locate the terminals within the attaching Zone, as well as locate and guide the wire strands into the terminals, while the knockout 33 positively removes the final conductor without bending or marring the same. The various parts of the improved machine are also conveniently adjustable so as to insure accurate performance, and the invention has gone into highly satisfactory and successful operation for the production of diverse types of conductors having tubular terminals M or F secured to wires W as in Fig. 9.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact steps of the method or to the precise details of the apparatus shown, for various modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. The method of attaching a socketed terminal to an end of an elongated multi-strand current conductor, which method comprises, projecting each terminal axially in one direction into and holding the terminal within an attaching zone, gathering the end strands and threading the gathered end of the wire axially in the opposite direc tion within the socket of the held terminal within said zone, thereafter augmenting the holding force to clamp the terminal socket to the inserted wire end, and finally releasing and knocking the completed conductor laterally from-within the attaching zone. v

2. The method of attaching successive socketed termi- :nals to ends of elongated current conductors, which method comprises, projecting each individual terminal axially in one direction into and holding the terminal within an attaching zone, threading an end of the wire axially in the opposite direction within the socket of the held terminal within said zone, thereafter augmenting the initial holding force to clamp the terminal socket to the inserted wire end, and finally releasing and knocking the completed conductor laterally from within the attaching zone.

3. Apparatus for attaching a tubular terminal to an end of a stranded Wire, a reciprocable rod having an end for injecting the terminal axially in one direction into an attaching zone, a set of tools operable to frictionally hold the injected terminal in a fixed position within said zone, guides operable to gather the end strands of a wire inserted therebetween in the opposite direction and to thread the gathered strands into the terminal within said zone, and means for actuating said tools to clamp the terminal to the inserted wire end.

4. Apparatus for attaching a tubular terminal to an end of a wire, means for injecting the terminal axially in one direction into an attaching zone, means for frictionally holding the injected terminal in definite position withintsaid zone, means for guiding the end of awire in the opposite direction into the tubular end of'the held terminal within said zone, means for actuating said terminal'holding means to finally clamp the terminal to the inserted wire end, and a knockout device for positively removing the completedterminal and wire assem blage laterally from withinsa attaching zone.

5. Apparatus for attaching a tubular terminal to an end of a wire, a reciprocable rod having an end for injecting successive terminals axially in one direction into an attaching zone, a set of tools operable to frictionally hold each injected terminal in fixed position within said zone, guides operable to conduct the end of a wire inserted therebetween in the opposite direction into the tubular end of the terminal within said zone, means for actuating said tools to finally clamp the terminal to the inserted wire end, and a devicev for posilively removing the wire and terminal assemblage laterally from within said attaching zone.

all

6. Apparatus for-attaching a tubular terminal to an end of a wire, a reciprocable rod having a counter-bored end formedto receive and inject the terminal axially in one direction into anflattaching zone, a stop cooperable with the terminalto insure proper insertion of the terminal within said counter-bored rod end, means for releasing said stop to permit said rod to advance the terminal into said zone, wire guides cooperable with the injected terminal to definitely position the latter within said zone, and a set of tools cooperable with the terminal within said. zone to frictionally hold the terminal while said rod is being retracted and to thereafter clamp said terminal to the end of a wire inserted through said guides.

7. Apparatus for attaching a tubular terminal to an end 'of a wire, a reciprocable rod having an end formed to inject the terminal axially in one direction into an attaching zone, a stop cooperable with the terminal to insure proper cooperation of the terminal with the rod, means for releasing said stop to cause said rod to advance the terminal into said zone, wire guides cooperable with the injected terminal to definitely position the latter within said zone, a set of tools cooperable With the terminal within said zone to frictionally hold the terminal while said rod is being retracted and to thereafter clamp said terminals to the end of a wire inserted through said guides, and a knockout for positively removing the wire and terminal assemblage laterally from within said zone.

8. Apparatus for attaching successive individual tubular terminals to ends of stranded wires, a reciprocable rod formed to inject each terminal in one direction into an attaching zone, a stop cooperable with each terminal to insure proper coaction with said rod, means for releasing said stop to cause said rod to advance the terminal into said zone, a wire strand gathering guide for conducting the gathered wire end into the terminal within said zone, tools cooperable with the terminal within said zone to frictionally hold said terminal in fixed position 1 while said rod is being retracted and While the stranded wire end is being threaded into the held terminal in said zone, and means for actuating said tools to clamp the terminal to said wire end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,340,360 Alden Feb. 1, 1944

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