GB1068224A - Electrical connector crimping apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1,068,224. Making electrical components; jointing by stamping; shearing. AMP INCORPORATED. March 3, 1966 [March 19, 1965], No. 9273/66. Headings B3A, B3Q and B3W. An apparatus for crimping connectors 150 having coaxial ferrules 154, 156 on to the ends of shielded cables comprises a crimping station to which the connectors are fed by a rotary transfer plate 4 having a notch (30, Fig. 5) at each comer and where the two ferrules are simultaneously crimped between die and anvil sets (110, 111, 112, 113, Fig. 10). A strip of connectors attached to a carrier strip (158, Fig. 1A) is carried on a plate 52 with the ferrules 154 under a flanged plate 64. The strip is guided by bars 58, 66 and (60, Fig. 3). The connectors are fed towards a shearing station where they are sheared from the carrier strip (158) by reciprocation of a feed slide 70, illustrated in (Fig. 5), which has a self-engaging gripper. This slide is first drawn rightwards by a motor 76 acting through a link (72) enabling a finger (78) on a spring-loaded lever (80) to engage one of the connectors. The slide is then moved leftwards again and the leading connector is fed into a notch (30) in the plate 4; any connectors which are not in correct alignment being straightened by the end (86) of an arm (84). As the connector is fed into the notch (30) a pin (90) engages a latch member (42) to release a spring-loaded clamping dog (32) which holds the connector in place in the notch. The connector is then sheared from the strip by a movable shear member (94, Fig. 4) which co-operates with a fixed shear block (19). The shear member (94) is moved by a lever 100 when a screw 104 in a frame 106 is pushed down into contact with a lever extension 101 by the ram 108 of a press. The frame 106 also carries an assembly (Fig. 10) comprising a pair of crimping dies (111, 113) which crimp the connector already in the crimping station and the ram 108 carries a switch which actuates the motor 76 to move the slide 70 rightwards preparatory to feeding forward another connector. After the connector has been sheared from the strip the frame 106 is raised and the slide (70) moved rightwards preparatory to feeding forward another connector. At the extreme rightward position of the slide a screw 69 contacts a valve 73 admitting air to a cylinder (24, Fig. 7), which actuates a ratchet wheel and pawl mechanism (Fig. 7) to rotate the plate 4 through 90 degrees bringing the severed connector 150 into position in the crimping station as shown in Fig. 1. The central conductor and braided shield of a cable (not shown) are then inserted into the ferrules 156, 154 and the frame 106 brought down to crimp the connector, this operation simultaneously severing from the strip (158) the following connector which has been fed into the shearing station by leftward movement of the slide 70. As the frame 106 is lowered a camming bar 140 contacts a roller 138 to pivot a shaft 132 and a spring-loaded lever 130. A screw 128 then depresses a projecting end (50, Fig. 5) of the dog (32) to unclamp the connector, and the latch member (42) springs inward to hold the dog in the unclamped position until after another connector has been fed into the notch (30) when this has been indexed round to the loading and shearing position.