Terminal cassette assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10658808-B2
Application number	US-201715638483-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2017
Priority date	Jun 30, 2017
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

A terminal cassette assembly for a terminal crimping machine includes a cassette housing having a terminal reel chamber holding a terminal reel and a crimp tooling chamber holding crimp tooling with a terminal reel door and a crimp tooling cover, respectively. The crimp tooling includes lower tooling including an anvil and upper tooling including a wire crimper. At least one of the upper tooling and the lower tooling are held in position relative to the terminal crimping machine by the cassette housing when the cassette housing is coupled to the terminal crimping machine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A terminal cassette assembly for a terminal crimping machine, the terminal cassette assembly comprising:
a cassette housing having a terminal reel chamber and a crimp tooling chamber, the cassette housing enclosing the terminal reel chamber, the terminal reel chamber being configured to removably receive a terminal reel therein having a strip of terminals configured to be crimped to corresponding wires by the terminal crimping machine, the crimp tooling chamber configured to removably receive crimp tooling including lower tooling including an anvil for supporting at least one of the terminal and the wire during crimping and upper tooling including a wire crimper for forming the terminal around the wire during crimping, the cassette housing having a crimp tooling cover covering the crimp tooling chamber, the crimp tooling cover providing access to the crimp tooling, the cassette is configured to be removably coupled to the terminal crimping machine;
wherein the cassette housing is configured to be coupled to the terminal crimping machine such that the terminal reel supplies terminals to the terminal crimping machine; and
wherein at least one of the upper tooling and the lower tooling are held in position relative to the terminal crimping machine when the cassette housing is coupled to the terminal crimping machine.

2. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 1 , wherein the crimp tooling cover is movable between an open position and a closed position, the crimp tooling being configured to be enclosed by the crimp tooling cover when the crimp tooling cover is in the closed positions.

3. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 1 , wherein the crimp tooling is configured to be loaded into the terminal crimping machine with the cassette housing, the lower tooling remaining mounted to the cassette housing when the cassette housing is loaded into the terminal crimping machine.

4. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a terminal guide received in the crimp tooling chamber, the terminal guide locates the terminal reel relative to the crimp tooling so that the strip of terminals are guided by the terminal guide as the terminals are fed during crimping, the terminal guide remaining coupled to the crimp tooling when the cassette housing is coupled to the terminal crimping machine.

5. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cassette housing includes a mounting platform, the lower tooling being mounted to the mounting platform when the cassette housing is coupled to the terminal crimping machine.

6. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cassette housing includes wheels for transporting the cassette housing to the terminal crimping machine.

7. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cassette housing includes one or more handles for transporting the cassette housing to the terminal crimping machine.

8. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cassette housing includes a top, a bottom, a front, a rear, a first side and a second side, a terminal reel door being provided at the first side to open and close the terminal reel chamber, the crimp tooling and the crimp tooling cover being provided proximate to the top and the front for loading into the terminal crimping machine.

9. The terminal crimp tooling cassette assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cassette housing includes a paper take-up reel winding a paper strip from the strip of terminals.

10. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cassette housing includes a paper take-up reel winding a paper strip from the strip of terminals, a link being operably coupled between the terminal reel and the paper take-up reel.

11. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 1 , wherein the crimp tooling is adjustable relative to the cassette housing to locate the crimp tooling when the cassette housing is coupled to the terminal crimping machine.

12. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lower tooling includes a base supporting the anvil, the base being coupled to the cassette housing, the base being configured to be removably coupled to and securely fixed by the terminal crimping machine without decoupling the base from the cassette housing.

13. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cassette housing includes a mounting platform, the crimp tooling being removably coupled to the mounting platform.

14. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 1 , wherein the crimp tooling comprises an applicator having an applicator frame supporting the anvil and supporting an applicator ram, the upper tooling being coupled to and movable by the applicator ram, the applicator frame being mounted to the cassette housing, the applicator ram positioned to engage a terminator ram of the terminal crimping machine for driving the applicator ram during crimping.

15. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 1 , wherein the upper tooling is removably coupled to the lower tooling and transported by the lower tooling to the terminal crimping machine, the upper tooling being configured to be coupled to a terminator ram of the terminal crimping machine when the cassette housing is coupled to the terminal crimping machine.

16. A terminal cassette assembly for a terminal crimping machine, the terminal cassette assembly comprising:
a cassette housing having a terminal reel chamber configured to hold a terminal reel including a strip of terminals configured to be crimped to corresponding wires by the terminal crimping machine, the cassette housing having a mounting platform, the cassette housing being configured to be removably coupled to the terminal crimping machine;
crimp tooling supported on the mounting platform, the crimp tooling comprising lower tooling including an anvil for supporting at least one of the terminal and the wire during crimping and upper tooling including a wire crimper for forming the terminal around the wire during crimping;
a crimp tooling cover coupled to the cassette housing, the crimp tooling cover enclosing the crimp tooling when closed;
wherein the mounting platform holds at least one of the lower tooling and the upper tooling in position relative to the terminal crimping machine when the cassette housing is coupled to the terminal crimping machine; and
wherein the crimp tooling cover is opened to expose the crimp tooling when the cassette housing is coupled to the terminal crimping machine to allow the upper tooling to be operably coupled to the terminal crimping machine during crimping.

17. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 16 , wherein the crimp tooling is configured to be loaded into the terminal crimping machine with the cassette housing, the lower tooling remaining mounted to the cassette housing when the cassette housing is loaded into the terminal crimping machine.

18. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 16 , wherein the lower tooling includes a base supporting the anvil, the base being coupled to the cassette housing, the base being configured to be removably coupled to and securely fixed by the terminal crimping machine.

19. The terminal cassette assembly of claim 16 , wherein the crimp tooling comprises an applicator having an applicator frame supporting the anvil and supporting an applicator ram, the upper tooling being coupled to and movable by the applicator ram, the applicator frame being mounted to the cassette housing, the cassette housing being configured to be coupled to the terminal crimping machine such that the applicator ram is positioned to engag

Assignees

• Te Connectivity Corp

Inventors

• Karrasch Christopher John
• Morris Michael

Classifications

• H01R43/0482 Primary

  combined with contact member manufacturing mechanism · CPC title

• Y10T29/53235

  Means to fasten by deformation · CPC title

• H01R43/048 Primary

  Crimping apparatus or processes (H01R43/042 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01R43/20

  for assembling or disassembling contact members with insulating base, case or sleeve · CPC title

• H01R43/052

  with wire-feeding mechanism · CPC title