Terminal crimping device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10109972-B2
Application number	US-201514813825-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2015
Priority date	Jul 30, 2015
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

A terminal crimping device that crimps a terminal to a component includes a terminal feeder feeding one or more pre-formed terminals on a generally horizontal feed plane and a ram moving a drive crimper along a generally vertical crimp stroke. The drive crimper engages the pre-formed terminal at the feed plane and transfers the terminal to a crimp zone below the feed plane and remote from the terminal strip to crimp the terminal to the component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A terminal crimping device that crimps a terminal to a component held on a base crimper, the terminal crimping device comprising:
a terminal feeder feeding a pre-formed terminal on a horizontal feed plane; and
a ram moving a drive crimper along a vertical crimp stroke, wherein, after the terminal is removed from the terminal strip, the drive crimper transferring the terminal from a terminal strip to a crimp zone at the base crimper below the feed plane and remote from the terminal strip, and wherein, at the base crimper, the drive crimper crimps the separated terminal to the component remote from the terminal strip.

2. The terminal crimping device of claim 1 , wherein the drive crimper is moved from a top position to a bottom dead center position, the drive crimper shearing the terminal from the terminal strip near the top position, remote from the bottom dead center position.

3. The terminal crimping device of claim 1 , wherein the ram is moved upward along a return stroke segment of the crimp stroke to a top position, the ram being moved downward from the top position along a loading stroke segment, a transfer stroke segment and a drive stroke segment to a bottom dead center position, the transfer stroke segment being longer than the drive stroke segment.

4. The terminal crimping device of claim 3 , wherein the drive crimper moves the terminal from the feed plane to the base crimper at the crimp zone during the transfer stroke segment, and wherein the drive crimper deforms the terminal and crimps the terminal to the component during the drive stroke segment.

5. The terminal crimping device of claim 1 , wherein the pre-formed terminal is generally arch shaped having legs meeting at a top, the drive crimper engaging the top and driving the legs into crimp tooling to deform the legs into a general barrel shape around the component and crimp the terminal to the component.

6. The terminal crimping device of claim 1 , wherein the terminal feeder has a feed track holding the pre-formed terminals along the horizontal feed plane and feeding the terminals along a feed axis on the horizontal feed plane.

7. The terminal crimping device of claim 1 , further comprising a base crimper held in a fixed crimping position relative at the crimp zone remote from the feed plane, the base crimper having crimp tooling configured to crimp the terminal to the component, the ram moving the drive crimper along a crimp stroke towards and away from the base crimper.

8. The terminal crimping device of claim 7 , wherein the base crimper includes a top and a terminal channel open at the top and defining the crimp tooling, the ram engaging the top during the crimp stroke, the drive crimper driving the terminal into the terminal channel to deform the terminal using the crimp tooling.

9. The terminal crimping device of claim 1 , wherein the drive crimper engages the pre-formed terminal and shears the terminal from the terminal strip as the drive crimper transfers the terminal out of the feed plane to the crimp zone.

10. The terminal crimping device of claim 1 , wherein the drive crimper shears the pre-formed terminal from the terminal strip and transfers the terminal to the crimp zone prior to deforming the terminal and crimping the terminal to the component.

11. The terminal crimping device of claim 1 , further comprising a shear zone along the horizontal feed plane positioned directly vertically above the crimp zone, the terminal feeder feeding the terminal to the shear zone, the drive crimper engaging the terminal in the shear zone and shearing the terminal from the terminal strip in the shear zone prior to transferring the sheared terminal from the shear zone to the crimp zone, the drive crimper cooperating with crimp tooling of the base crimper to deform the terminal and crimp the terminal to the component in the crimp zone.

12. A terminal crimping device that crimps a terminal to a component, the terminal crimping device comprising:
a terminal feeder feeding a pre-formed terminal on a horizontal feed plane; and
a ram moving a drive crimper along a vertical crimp stroke, the drive crimper transferring the terminal to a crimp zone below the feed plane and remote from the terminal strip to crimp the terminal to the component, wherein the ram includes a terminal guide having guide fingers separated by a gap, the gap receiving the terminal and holding the terminal as the ram transfers the terminal from the terminal strip to the crimp zone.

13. The terminal crimping device of claim 12 , wherein the drive crimper is moveable relative to the terminal guide.

14. The terminal crimping device of claim 12 , wherein the drive crimper is received in the gap and is configured to move the terminal relative to the guide fingers.

15. The terminal crimping device of claim 12 , further comprising a base crimper positioned below the ram at the crimp zone, the terminal being crimped to the component by the base crimper and the drive crimper, wherein the terminal guide bottoms out on the base crimper as the ram is moved along the crimp stroke, the drive crimper causing the terminal to move into the base crimper after the terminal guide bottoms out.

16. The terminal crimping device of claim 12 , wherein the drive crimper is moved from a top position to a bottom dead center position, the drive crimper shearing the terminal from the terminal strip near the top position, remote from the bottom dead center position.

17. The terminal crimping device of claim 12 , wherein the ram is moved upward along a return stroke segment of the crimp stroke to a top position, the ram being moved downward from the top position along a loading stroke segment, a transfer stroke segment and a drive stroke segment to a bottom dead center position, the transfer stroke segment being longer than the drive stroke segment.

18. The terminal crimping device of claim 12 , further comprising a base crimper held in a fixed crimping position relative at the crimp zone remote from the feed plane, the base crimper having crimp tooling configured to crimp the terminal to the component, the ram moving the drive crimper along a crimp stroke towards and away from the base crimper.

19. The terminal crimping device of claim 12 , wherein the drive crimper shears the pre-formed terminal from the terminal strip and transfers the terminal to the crimp zone prior to deforming the terminal and crimping the terminal to the component.

20. The terminal crimping device of claim 12 , further comprising a shear zone along the horizontal feed plane positioned directly vertically above the crimp zone, the terminal feeder feeding the terminal to the shear zone, the drive crimper engaging the terminal in the shear zone and shearing the terminal from the terminal strip in the shear zone prior to transferring the sheared terminal from the shear zone to the crimp zone, the drive crimper cooperating with crimp tooling of the base crimper to deform the terminal and crimp the terminal to the component in the crimp zone.

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Corp
• Te Connectivity Corp

Inventors

• Backenstoes Thomas Emery
• Ondo Mark Andrew

Classifications

• H01R43/055 Primary

  with contact member feeding mechanism · CPC title

• Y10T29/53209

  Terminal or connector · CPC title