Wire preparation device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11296486-B2
Application number	US-201715722281-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2017
Priority date	Oct 2, 2017
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

A wire preparation device includes a motor, a device housing coupled to the motor, and a wire spinner held by the device housing. The wire spinner is mechanically connected to the motor via power coupling components. The wire spinner extends to a wire end that protrudes from the device housing. The wire spinner includes a collet sleeve defining a channel configured to receive an end of one or more wires of a cable therein through an opening at the wire end. The wire spinner further includes an outer collar surrounding the collet sleeve and selectively movable relative to the collet sleeve to force the collet sleeve to contract radially inward for releasably securing the one or more wires within the channel. The wire spinner is rotated by the motor relative to the device housing to untwist or straighten the one or more wires secured within the collet sleeve.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wire preparation device comprising:
a motor;
a device housing having a front end, the device housing coupled to the motor rearward of the front end;
a wire spinner held by the device housing and mechanically connected to the motor via power coupling components, the wire spinner extending to a wire end that protrudes from the front end of the device housing, the wire spinner including a collet sleeve defining a channel configured to receive an end of one or more wires of a cable therein through an opening at the wire end, the wire spinner further including an outer collar surrounding the collet sleeve and movable relative to the collet sleeve along a spinning axis of the wire spinner between a retracted position and an actuated position, the outer collar in the actuated position forcing the collet sleeve to contract radially inward to releasably secure the one or more wires within the channel,
wherein the wire spinner is configured to be rotated about the spinning axis by the motor relative to the device housing to one or more of untwist or straighten the one or more wires of the cable that are releasably secured within the collet sleeve; and
a jacket stripper coupled to the motor, the jacket stripper including a housing protruding beyond the front end of the device housing at a spaced apart location from the wire spinner, the housing defining a socket configured to receive an end of a cable therein, the jacket stripper further including a blade, wherein the jacket stripper is rotated by the motor relative to the cable for the blade to cut the cable jacket along an entire perimeter of the cable jacket.

2. The wire preparation device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more wires of the cable that are releasably secured within the collet sleeve include a twisted pair of wires and rotation of the wire spinner untwists the twisted pair of wires.

3. The wire preparation device of claim 1 , wherein the wire spinner is a first wire spinner in a pair of straightening wire spinners, the wire preparation device further including a second wire spinner in the pair of straightening wire spinners that is identical to the first wire spinner and adjacent to the first wire spinner along the front end of the device housing, wherein the first and second wire spinners are rotated at the same time by the motor to individually straighten different wires.

4. The wire preparation device of claim 1 , wherein the power coupling components include a motor coupler, a driver gear, and a follower gear, the motor coupler mechanically connected between the motor and the driver gear, the follower gear intermeshed with the driver gear and mechanically connected to the wire spinner, wherein rotation of the motor coupler by the motor rotates the wire spinner via the driver gear and the follower gear.

5. The wire preparation device of claim 1 , wherein the collet sleeve is segmented by multiple kerf cuts spaced apart along a circumference of the collet sleeve, the collet sleeve having a conical outer perimeter that engages an interior wall of the outer collar, wherein axial movement of the outer collar relative to the collet sleeve forces the collet sleeve to contract radially inward.

6. The wire preparation device of claim 1 , wherein the blade of the jacket stripper is held by a spring-loaded plunger that is biased to force the blade into engagement with the cable jacket of the cable within the socket.

7. The wire preparation device of claim 1 , wherein the power coupling components include a motor coupler, a driver gear, and first and second follower gears intermeshed with the driver gear, the motor coupler mechanically connected between the motor and the driver gear, the first follower gear mechanically connected to the wire spinner, the second follower gear mechanically connected to the jacket stripper, wherein rotation of the motor coupler by the motor rotates the wire spinner and the jacket stripper at the same time via the driver gear and the first and second follower gears.

8. The wire preparation device of claim 1 , wherein the outer collar is mechanically connected to a coil spring within the device housing via a release shaft, the coil spring biasing the outer collar towards the actuated position.

9. The wire preparation device of claim 1 , wherein the wire spinner is an untwisting wire spinner configured to untwist two wires in a twisted pair of wires at the same time, and
the wire preparation device further includes at least one straightening wire spinner held by the device housing and mechanically connected to the motor, each straightening wire spinner protruding beyond the front end of the device housing at a spaced apart location from the untwisting wire spinner, the straightening wire spinner including a collet sleeve that defines a channel having a smaller dimension than the channel of the untwisting wire spinner, wherein rotation of the straightening wire spinner is configured to straighten an individual wire that is received into the channel thereof.

10. A wire preparation device comprising:
a device housing having a front end, the device housing configured to couple to a motor rearward of the front end;
power coupling components configured to mechanically connect to the motor; and
multiple wire spinners held by the device housing and configured to be rotated relative to the device housing by the motor via the power coupling components, the wire spinners having respective wire ends that protrude from the front end of the device housing at spaced apart locations along the front end, the wire spinners each including a collet sleeve defining a channel that is open at the wire end and configured to receive an end of one or more wires of a cable therein, each wire spinner further including an outer collar surrounding the respective collet sleeve and movable relative to the collet sleeve between a retracted position and an actuated position,
wherein the outer collar moving towards the actuated position forces the collet sleeve to contract radially inward, reducing the size of the respective channel, to releasably secure the one or more wires within the respective channel, and
wherein the wire spinners include an untwisting wire spinner and at least one straightening wire spinner, the channel of the untwisting wire spinner having a larger dimension than the respective channel of each straightening wire spinner.

11. The wire preparation device of claim 10 , wherein the power coupling components rotate all of the wire spinners at the same time during operation of the motor.

12. The wire preparation device of claim 10 , wherein rotation of the untwisting wire spinner is configured to untwist a pair of two wires within the channel of the untwisting wire spinner, and rotation of each straightening wire spinner is configured to individually straighten a single wire within the channel of the straightening wire spinner.

13. The wire preparation device of claim 12 , wherein the wire preparation device includes two straightening wire spinners that are disposed side-by-side along the front end of the device housing, wherein the two straightening wire spinners are rotated at the same time and are each configured to individually straighten a single wire within the respective channel thereof.

14. The wire preparation device of claim 10 , wherein the power coupling components include a gear set having a driver gear and multiple follower gears individually intermeshed with the driver gear, the driver gear configured to be connected to the motor via a motor coupler, each of the follower gears mechanically connected to a different one of the wire spinners such th

Assignees

• Te Connectivity Corp
• TE Connectivity Services Gmbh

Inventors

• Weaver Brian Keith

Classifications

• H02G1/1248 Primary

  Machines · CPC title

• H01R43/0335

  for unwraping · CPC title

• H01R43/20

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

• H01R43/28

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

• H02G1/1292 Primary

  Devices for dismantling twisted filaments · CPC title