Cable preparation machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11056852-B2
Application number	US-201816122138-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2018
Priority date	Sep 5, 2018
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A cable preparation machine includes a frame forming a cable cutting zone and having a cable opening along a cable axis at the cable cutting zone receiving an end of a cable. The cable preparation machine includes a pulley assembly rotatably coupled to the frame about the cable axis, a drive assembly operably coupled to the pulley assembly to rotate the pulley assembly about the cable axis, and a blade assembly operably coupled to the pulley assembly and rotated with the pulley assembly about the cable axis. The blade assembly is configured for cutting an insulator from the end of the cable in a first cutting configuration when the cable is positioned in the cable opening and the blade assembly is configured for cutting a cable braid from the end of the cable in a second cutting configuration when the cable is positioned in the cable opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cable preparation machine comprising:
a frame forming a cable cutting zone, the frame having a cable opening along a cable axis at the cable cutting zone receiving an end of a cable;
a pulley assembly rotatably coupled to the frame about the cable axis;
a drive assembly operably coupled to the pulley assembly to rotate the pulley assembly about the cable axis; and
a blade assembly operably coupled to the pulley assembly and rotated with the pulley assembly about the cable axis, the blade assembly is configured for cutting an insulator from the end of the cable in a first cutting configuration when the cable is positioned in the cable opening and the blade assembly is configured for cutting a cable braid from the end of the cable in a second cutting configuration when the cable is positioned in the cable opening;
wherein the pulley assembly rotates the blade assembly about the cable opening such that the blade assembly is configured to cut the insulator and cut the cable braid using different cutting blades of the blade assembly without removing the cable from the cable opening.

2. The cable preparation machine of claim 1 , wherein the blade assembly includes an insulation blade actuated relative to the pulley assembly in the first cutting configuration to cut the insulator and the blade assembly includes a braid blade actuated relative to the pulley assembly in the second cutting configuration to cut the cable braid.

3. The cable preparation machine of claim 2 , wherein the insulation blade and the braid blade are rotatable with the pulley assembly around the same cable axis.

4. The cable preparation machine of claim 1 , wherein the blade assembly is movable relative to the pulley assembly to change a cutting depth of the blade assembly.

5. The cable preparation machine of claim 1 , wherein the pulley assembly includes a front pulley and a rear pulley movable relative to each other by the drive assembly to actuate the blade assembly in the first cutting configuration and to actuate the blade assembly in the second cutting configuration.

6. The cable preparation machine of claim 5 , wherein the front pulley is rotated faster than the rear pulley to actuate the blade assembly in the first cutting configuration and the front pulley is rotated slower than the rear pulley to actuate the blade assembly in the second cutting configuration.

7. The cable preparation machine of claim 5 , wherein the blade assembly includes an arm holding at least one cutting blade, the front pulley includes a slot, the rear pulley including an arm actuation pin extending from the rear pulley through the slot of the front pulley to engage the arm of the blade assembly, the arm actuation pin causing the arm to pivot when the front pulley is rotated at a different rate than the rear pulley.

8. The cable preparation machine of claim 5 , wherein the drive assembly includes a first drive unit operably coupled to the front pulley to rotate the front pulley and the drive assembly includes a second drive unit operably coupled to the rear pulley to rotate the rear pulley, the first drive unit being operated independent of the second drive unit to cause relative movement between the front pulley and the rear pulley.

9. The cable preparation machine of claim 8 , wherein the drive assembly is operable in a first drive configuration such that the first drive unit rotates the front pulley at a faster rate than the second drive unit rotates the rear pulley to actuate an insulation blade of the blade assembly for cutting the insulator, and wherein the drive assembly is operable in a second drive configuration such that the second drive unit rotates the rear pulley at a faster rate than the first drive unit rotates the front pulley to actuate a braid blade of the blade assembly for cutting the cable braid, and wherein the drive assembly is operable in a third drive configuration such that the first drive unit and the second drive unit rotate the front pulley and the rear pulley at a same rate.

10. The cable preparation machine of claim 9 , wherein the pulley assembly is configured to advance the insulation blade from a normal position in the first drive configuration and is configured to retract the braid blade to a normal position in the first drive configuration, the pulley assembly being configured to advance the braid blade from the normal position in the second drive configuration and is configured to retract the insulation blade to the normal position in the second drive configuration.

11. The cable preparation machine of claim 1 , wherein the blade assembly includes a first arm pivotably coupled to the pulley assembly and a second arm pivotably coupled to the pulley assembly, the first arm holding an insulation blade for cutting the insulator, the second arm holding a braid blade for cutting the cable braid, the first arm being pivoted in the first cutting configuration to cut the insulator, the second arm being pivoted in the second cutting configuration to cut the cable braid.

12. The cable preparation machine of claim 11 , wherein the blade assembly includes more than two first arms and corresponding insulation blades disposed about the cable axis and the blade assembly includes more than two second arms and corresponding braid blades disposed about the cable axis.

13. The cable preparation machine of claim 11 , wherein the first arm is coupled to the second arm by an arm return spring biasing the first arm and the second arm toward each other.

14. The cable preparation machine of claim 11 , wherein the insulation blade is a fixed blade fixed relative to the first arm for cutting the insulator, the braid blade being a roller blade spinning relative to the second arm for cutting the cable braid.

15. The cable preparation machine of claim 1 , wherein the blade assembly includes an arm pivotably coupled to the pulley assembly, the arm holding an insulation blade at a first side of the arm for cutting the insulator, the arm holding a braid blade at a second side of the arm for cutting the cable braid, the blade assembly being pivoted in a first direction in the first cutting configuration to cut the insulator, the arm being pivoted and a second direction in the second cutting configuration to cut the cable braid.

16. The cable preparation machine of claim 1 , wherein the blade assembly includes an insulation blade configured for cutting the insulator of the cable and a braid blade configured for cutting the cable braid of the cable, and wherein the drive assembly rotating the pulley assembly in a first drive configuration to actuate the insulation blade for cutting the insulator of the cable, the drive assembly rotating the pulley assembly in a second drive configuration to actuate the braid blade for cutting the cable braid of the cable.

17. The cable preparation machine of claim 16 , wherein the pulley assembly rotates the blade assembly about the cable opening such that the insulator blade and the braid blade are configured to cut the insulator and the cable braid of the cable during the first drive configuration and the second drive configuration, respectively, without removing the cable from the cable opening.

18. The cable preparation machine of claim 1 , wherein the drive assembly includes a first drive unit and a second drive unit, the pulley assembly including a front pulley operably coupled to the first drive unit and a rear pulley operably coupled to the second drive unit, the front pulley being rotatable in a forward direction and a reverse direction by the first drive unit,

Assignees

• Te Connectivity Corp
• TE Connectivity Services Gmbh

Inventors

• Houser Matthew Steven
• Morris Michael
• Gavlak Christopher John
• Deck Gary Lee

Classifications

• H01R43/28 Primary

  for wire processing before connecting to contact members, not provided for in groups H01R43/02 - H01R43/26 · CPC title

• H02G1/127

  Features relating to cutting elements · CPC title

• H02G1/1297

  Removing armouring from cables · CPC title

• H02G1/1265 Primary

  the cutting element rotating about the wire or cable (making longitudinal and transverse or helical cut H02G1/1268) · CPC title

• Y10T29/532

  Conductor · CPC title