Crimping tool for wire end ferrules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9496671-B2
Application number	US-201314407059-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2013
Priority date	Jul 11, 2012
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

A scissors-type crimping tool for crimping a female contact onto an electrical conductor, comprising a planar base member having body and first lever portions; an annular crimping die member connected for rotation between die-open and die-crimping positions relative to the base member body portion; a toggle link arrangement connecting a second lever for pivotal movement relative to the base member body portion; and a cascade spring arrangement operable by the toggle arrangement from a non-stressed condition to a stressed caged condition during initial movement of the second lever in the closed direction, and to a stressed condition during further movement of the second lever, thereby to afford processing of different cross-sections of ferrules and conductors in the crimping die, and to apply the force of the stressed cascade spring arrangement to the crimping die member during the final stage of the crimping operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A scissors-type crimping tool for crimping a female electrical contact onto the bare end of an electrical conductor, comprising:
(a) a frame including at least one general planar base member ( 6 ) having a body portion containing an opening, and a first portion extending from said body portion to define a first lever ( 6 a ) having a free end;
(b) crimping die means for crimping a female metal ferrule ( 2 ) onto the bare end of a conductor ( 3 ), said crimping die means including an annular crimping die member ( 4 ) rotatably connected with said base member body portion in collinear alignment with said base member opening, said crimping die member being rotatable between angularly displaced open and crimping positions relative to said base member;
(c) operating means for angularly displacing said crimping die member between said open and said crimping position, said operating means including:
(1) a second lever ( 19 ) having first and second ends;
(2) a toggle link arrangement ( 14 ) connecting said second lever first end with said base member body portion to afford generally pivotal displacement of said second lever between open and closed crimping positions relative to said first lever;
(3) a first lever pivot pin ( 17 ) connecting said second lever with said die member such that said die member is angularly displaced between said open and closed crimping positions as said second lever is pivoted between said open and closed crimping positions, respectively, said toggle link arrangement having a first condition during the initial pivotal movement of said second lever from said open position toward an intermediate position between said open and closed crimping positions, and an over-center second condition during the subsequent travel of said second lever from said intermediate position toward said closed crimping position; and

(d) cascade spring means ( 29 ) operable by said toggle arrangement from a non-stressed condition to a stressed caged condition when said second lever is pivoted from said open position toward said intermediate position, and to a released condition when said second lever is pivoted from said intermediate position toward said closed crimping position, thereby to provide a force path compensating means for processing different cross-sections of wire end ferrules and conductors in the crimping die, and for applying the force of the released energy of the stressed cascade spring means to said crimping die member during the final stage of the crimping operation.

2. A crimping tool as defined in claim 1 , wherein said toggle arrangement includes a thrust link ( 18 ) having a first end pivotally connected with said base member body portion by a second pivot pin ( 15 ), and a second end pivotally connected with said second lever first end by a third pivot pin ( 16 ) arranged generally between said first and second pivot pins.

3. A crimping tool as defined in claim 2 , wherein said base member is formed from a resilient metal sheet; and further wherein said cascade spring means includes a first leaf spring ( 32 ) defined by a slot ( 37 ) contained in said member body portion such that said leaf spring has a free end, said second pivot pin extending into a pivot opening contained in said first leaf spring free end, whereby said first leaf spring is stressed by said thrust link during the initial movement of said second lever from said open position toward said intermediate position.

4. A crimping tool as defined in claim 3 , wherein said cascade spring means further includes a second leaf spring ( 31 ) having a first end rigidly connected with said first lever free end, said second leaf spring having a second end that terminates adjacent said first leaf spring free end for operation thereby to effect a stressed condition in said second leaf spring when said first spring is operated by said toggle link to said stressed condition.

5. A crimping tool as defined in claim 4 , and further including biasing spring means ( 25 ) biasing said second lever toward said open position; and ratchet and pawl means ( 23 , 24 ) preventing return pivotal displacement of said second lever during the movement thereof from said open position toward said closed position.

6. A crimping tool as defined in claim 4 , wherein said crimping die means further includes a plurality of crimping members ( 5 ) that are pivotally connected with said base member body portion in circumferentially spaced relation about the opening contained therein, said die elements having adjacent first ends provided with tips that define a die opening ( 7 , 7 ′), said die elements being simultaneously operable by said annular die member for displacement between open positions for receiving a bare conductor end with a ferrule supported thereon, and crimping positions in which the ferrule is crimped onto the bare conductor end.

7. A crimping tool as defined in claim 6 , and further including adjustment means ( 21 , 22 ) for adjusting the initial angular position of said die member relative to said base member body portion, thereby to adjust the size of the die opening ( 7 , 7 ′) when said die elements are in their initial open position.

8. A crimping tool as defined in claim 7 , wherein said crimping elements are pivotally connected intermediate their ends by crimping element pivot pins ( 9 ) with said base member body portion, said crimping elements having second ends that are guided in slots ( 11 ) contained in rotatable cylinders ( 10 ) mounted in the inner circumferential surface of said annular die member.

9. A crimping tool as defined in claim 7 , and further including pin and slot means ( 12 , 13 ) for limiting the extent of angular displacement of said die operating member relative to said base member body portion.

10. A crimping tool as defined in claim 4 , and further including stop means ( 33 , 34 ) limiting the extent of displacement of said first and second lever free ends in the stressed direction relative to said base member body portion.

11. A crimping tool as defined in claim 6 , wherein said crimping elements have corrugated guide surfaces ( 35 ) in interlocked sliding engagement.

12. A crimping tool as defined in claim 1 , wherein said frame includes a pair of said base members mounted together in parallel spaced relation on opposite sides of said annular die member.

Assignees

• Weidmueller Interface Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Dierks Christoph
• Hanning Guenther
• Hetland Detlev
• Keller David

Classifications

• Y10T29/53226

  Fastening by deformation · CPC title

• H01R43/0428 Primary

  Power-driven hand crimping tools · CPC title

• H01R43/0424 Primary

  with more than two radially actuated mandrels · CPC title

• B25B7/06

  Joints · CPC title

• B25B7/123

  with self-locking toggle levers · CPC title