Pulling head assembly workstation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9484722-B2
Application number	US-57907509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2009
Priority date	Mar 23, 2009
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

A workstation and method for the installation of a pulling head assembly onto one or more conductors of a cabling system are provided. The workstation incorporates one or more of: a conductor clamp that holds the conductors of the cabling system in place during the installation of the pulling head assembly; a cutting guide having indicia marks that indicate the lengths to which to cut the conductors in order to achieve a staggered pattern of pulling eyes attached to the conductors in the pulling head assembly; a stripping tool that is used to remove a portion of the insulation from the terminal end of each conductor so that the end of the conductor may be inserted into the pulling eye; and a crimping tool that is used to crimp the pulling eyes onto the terminal ends of each of the conductors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A workstation for installing a pulling head assembly onto at least one conductor, the workstation comprising:
a first edge, a second edge, and a length extending from the first edge to the second edge;
a third edge, a fourth edge, and a width extending from the third edge to the fourth edge, wherein the length of the workstation is longer than the width of the workstation;
a cutting guide extending from proximate the first edge to proximate the second edge, the cutting guide for supporting the at least one conductor;
a conductor clamp for engaging the at least one conductor, the conductor clamp attached to the workstation proximate the first edge of the workstation and comprising a clamp body comprising a first material, the clamp body extending from proximate the third edge to proximate the fourth edge of the workstation, wherein the clamp body is moveable, in a vertical direction while the conductor clamp comprising the clamp body remains attached to the workstation proximate the first edge of the workstation, from a raised position to a lowered position, wherein the clamp body comprises a top and a bottom, and wherein the bottom of the clamp body comprises a pad comprising a second material different from the first material; and
a crimping tool for crimping a pulling eye of the pulling head assembly onto a terminal end of the at least one conductor, wherein the crimping tool comprises a set of crimping dies, wherein the crimping tool is rotatably attached to the workstation to allow the crimping tool to rotate from a first position to a second position ninety degrees from the first position, and wherein a center point between the set of crimping dies remains substantially in a same position when the crimping tool is rotated from the first position to the second position.

2. The workstation of claim 1 , wherein the at least one conductor comprises a plurality of conductors and wherein the conductor clamp engages the plurality of conductors.

3. The workstation of claim 1 , wherein the conductor clamp further comprises a shaft and wherein the clamp body is attached to the shaft via a hinge pin such that the clamp body rotates about the hinge pin.

4. The workstation of claim 1 , wherein the cutting guide further comprises a plurality of channels into which the at least one conductor is laid.

5. The workstation of claim 1 , wherein the cutting guide slopes downward as the cutting guide extends from proximate the first edge to proximate the second edge such that the at least one conductor remains below a working area of the workstation.

6. The workstation of claim 1 , wherein the cutting guide further comprises indicia marks indicating lengths to which to cut the at least one conductor.

7. The workstation of claim 1 , further comprising a stripping tool for removing a portion of insulation from the terminal end of the at least one conductor.

8. The workstation of claim 7 , wherein the stripping tool comprises a plurality of drive motors, each of the plurality of drive motors having a stripping head removably attached, wherein the stripping head of each of the plurality of drive motors is sized to accommodate a different diameter of a conductor.

9. The workstation of claim 7 , wherein the stripping tool is moveably attached to the workstation to allow the stripping tool to move, in a direction of the length of the workstation, from a first position to a second position along at least a portion of the length of the workstation.

10. The workstation of claim 1 , wherein the crimping tool is moveably attached to the workstation to allow the crimping tool to move along at least a portion of the length of the workstation.

11. A workstation for installing a pulling head assembly onto at least one conductor, the workstation comprising:
a first end and a second end;
a conductor clamp attached to the first end of the workstation;
a cutting guide comprising a plurality of channels running a length of the workstation, wherein the cutting guide is attached proximate the first end of the workstation to a top surface of the workstation and slopes downward from the top surface as the cutting guide extends towards the second end of the workstation;
a stripping tool attached to the workstation such that the stripping tool is moveable horizontally along at least a portion of a length of the cutting guide; and
a crimping tool attached to the workstation such that the crimping tool is moveable horizontally along at least a portion of the length of the cutting guide.

12. The workstation of claim 11 , wherein a body of the conductor clamp is attached, by a hinge pin, to a shaft extending from the top surface of the workstation such that a bottom surface of the body of the conductor clamp tilts when pulled downward by the shaft to engage multiple conductors of differing diameters disposed on the top surface of the workstation.

13. The workstation of claim 11 , wherein the cutting guide further comprises indicia marks indicating lengths to which to cut the at least one conductor.

14. The workstation of claim 11 , wherein the crimping tool is attached to the workstation by a pivot arm, the pivot arm allowing the crimping tool to be rotated ninety degrees while keeping a center point of a set of crimping dies removably attached to the crimping tool at a substantially same position as compared to before the crimping tool is rotated the ninety degrees.

15. A workstation for installing a pulling head assembly onto a plurality of conductors, the workstation comprising:
a first end, a second end, and a length extending, in a first plane, from the first end to the second end;
a first side, a second side, and a width extending, in the first plane, from the first side to the second side, wherein the length of the workstation is longer than the width of the workstation;
a conductor clamp for engaging at least one of the plurality of conductors, the conductor clamp attached to the workstation proximate the first end of the workstation to allow at least a portion of the conductor clamp to move, in a direction that intersects with the first plane, from an open position for receiving the at least one of the plurality of conductors to a closed position for engaging the at least one of the plurality of conductors; and
a crimping tool attached to the workstation to allow the crimping tool to move in a direction along at least a portion of the length of the workstation, from the first end of the workstation to the second end of the workstation, the crimping tool for crimping a pulling eye of the pulling head assembly onto a terminal end of a conductor of the plurality of conductors.

16. The workstation of claim 15 , wherein the crimping tool is further rotatably attached to the workstation to allow the crimping tool to rotate from a first position to a second position.

17. The workstation of claim 16 , wherein the crimping tool comprises a set of crimping dies and wherein a center point between the set of crimping dies remains substantially in a same position when the crimping tool is rotated from the first position to the second position.

18. The workstation of claim 15 , further comprising a stripping tool for removing a portion of insulation from the terminal end of the at least one of the plurality of conductors.

19. The workstation of claim 18 , wherein the stripping tool comprises a plurality of drive motors, each of the plurality of drive motors having a separate stripping head removably attached, wherein the separate stripping head of each of the plura

Assignees

• Galindo Juan
• Harris Jeremy
• Calhoun Frank
• Southwire Co Llc

Inventors

• Galindo Juan
• Harris Jeremy
• Calhoun Frank

Classifications

• B25H1/0078

  Guiding devices for hand tools · CPC title

• Y10T29/5145

  to sever product to length · CPC title

• H01R43/0484

  for eyelet contact members · CPC title

• Y10T29/53265

  with work-holder for assembly · CPC title

• Y10T29/53235

  Means to fasten by deformation · CPC title