U.S. patent number 3,885,287 [Application Number 05/459,155] was granted by the patent office on 1975-05-27 for harness manufacturing apparatus incorporating harness testing means.
This patent grant is currently assigned to AMP Incorporated. Invention is credited to Donald Sudson Doty, Robert Alvin Long, Joel William Lucas, William Roderick Over.
United States Patent |
3,885,287 |
Long , et al. |
May 27, 1975 |
Harness manufacturing apparatus incorporating harness testing
means
Abstract
Apparatus for inserting wires into the wire-receiving portions
of contact terminals which are contained in a multi-contact
electrical connector has a panel-like member upon which the
connector is mounted and which serves to locate the connector in
the apparatus during wire insertion. The panel-like member is
readily removable from the apparatus so that it can be replaced by
another panel-like member which is dimensioned to support a
different size connector in the apparatus. In one preferred
embodiment, the panel-like member is a printed circuit board which
has conductors which contact the terminals in the connector being
wired. These PC board conductors are connected to further
conductors which extend to an electrical testing apparatus so that
the connector can be electrically tested in situ.
Inventors: |
Long; Robert Alvin (Harrisburg,
PA), Lucas; Joel William (Dillsburg, PA), Over; William
Roderick (Harrisburg, PA), Doty; Donald Sudson
(Winston-Salem, NC) |
Assignee: |
AMP Incorporated (Harrisburg,
PA)
|
Family
ID: |
23823636 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/459,155 |
Filed: |
April 8, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
29/705; 29/760;
29/749 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
12/75 (20130101); H01B 13/012 (20130101); H01R
9/22 (20130101); H01R 12/91 (20130101); H01R
12/716 (20130101); H01R 43/01 (20130101); Y10T
29/53217 (20150115); Y10T 29/53265 (20150115); Y10T
29/53022 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
H01B
13/012 (20060101); H01R 9/22 (20060101); H01R
43/01 (20060101); H01B 13/00 (20060101); H01r
043/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;29/23MW,23P,23HT,628,33M,23H |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Eager; Thomas H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Raring; F. W. Seitchik; J. L.
Keating; W. J.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Apparatus for inserting conductors into the conductor-receiving
portions of electrical contact terminals which are contained in an
electrical connector, said connector being mateable with a
complementary connecting device, said apparatus comprising:
frame means,
connector holding means on said frame means for holding said
connector in a predetermined position, said connector holding means
comprising a complementary connecting device removably mounted on
said frame means,
conductor holding means for holding conductors adjacent to, and in
alignment with, said conductor receiving portions preparatory to
inserting of said conductors into said conductor-receiving
portions,
conductor insertion means for moving conductors in said conductor
holding means from said conductor holding means into said conductor
receiving portions of a connector mounted on said connector holding
means whereby,
upon mounting a connector on said connector holding means, locating
conductors in said conductor holding means, and actuating said
conductor insertion means, said conductors are inserted into said
conductor-receiving portions of said terminals in said connector,
said apparatus being adaptable to use with connectors of varying
sizes upon removal of said complementary connecting device
therefrom and replacement thereof with a different complementary
connecting device.
2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said complementary connecting
device comprising a panel-like member having the dimensions of a
printed circuit board, said apparatus being intended for use with a
printed circuit board connector which is mateable with said
panel-like member.
3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, said panel-like member
comprising a printed circuit board.
4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, said printed circuit board
having printed circuit conductors thereon which are engageable with
said contact terminals in said connector, said apparatus including
electrical testing means for testing connections between said wires
and said terminals, said printed circuit conductors extending to
said testing means.
5. Apparatus for inserting conductors into the conductor-receiving
portions of electrical contact terminals which are contained in an
electrical connector, said contact terminals having contact
portions, said connector being mateable with a complementary
connecting device having complementary contact portions which are
engageable with said contact portions, said apparatus
comprising:
frame means,
connector holding means on said frame means for holding said
connector in a predetermined position, said connector holding means
comprising a complementary connecting device whereby, upon mounting
said connector on said holding means, said contact portions of said
connector are engaged with said complementary contact portions,
conductor holding means on said frame means for holding conductors
adjacent to, and in alignment with, said conductor receiving
portions of a connector mounted on said connector holding means
preparatory to inserting said conductors into said
conductor-receiving portions,
conductor insertion means for moving conductos in said conductor
holding means from said conductor holding means into said conductor
receiving portions of a connector mounted on said connector holding
means, and
test circuit means comprising test circuitry for testing electrical
connections, and conductors extending from said test circuitry to
said complementary contact portions on said complementary
connecting device whereby,
upon mounting a connector on said connector holding means, locating
conductors in said conductor holding means, actuating said
conductor insertion means to insert said conductors into said
conductor receiving portions of said terminals in said connector,
and energizing said test circuit means, the electrical connections
between said conductors and said conductor-receiving means are
tested in situ.
6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 said connector being of the
type adapted to be coupled to a panel-like member such as a printed
circuit board, said complementary connecting device comprising a
printed circuit board.
7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6, said printed circuit board
having printed circuit conductors thereon, said printed circuit
conductors having contact portions which constitute said
complementary contact portions.
8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7, said conductor holding means
comprising wire comb means on said frame means.
9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7, said frame means comprising a
static frame member and a carrier arm pivotally mounted on said
static frame member, said printed circuit board being supported on
said carrier arm.
10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7, said frame means comprising
a static frame member and a carrier arm pivotally mounted on said
static frame member, said conductor holding means comprising first
and second wire combs on said static frame member and said carrier
arm, said printed circuit board being pivotally mounted on said
frame means and extending between said carrier arm and said static
frame member, said carrier arm being pivotally movable between open
and closed positions relative to said static frame member to permit
placement of said connector on said printed circuit board when said
carrier arm is in said open position and location of said connector
in alignment with said insertion means when said carrier arm is in
said closed condition.
11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, said conductor insertion
means being removably mounted on said frame means.
12. Apparatus for inserting wires into the wire-receiving portions
of electrical contact terminals which are contained in an electrial
connector and for testing said connectors after said wires are
inserted, said wire-receiving portions being arranged in
side-by-side relationship in a row, said apparatus comprising:
frame means,
connector holding means on said frame means for holding said
connector in a predetermined position,
wire locating means on said frame means, said wire locating
comprising means for locating a plurality of wires in side-by-side
parallel relationship and in alignment with said wire-receiving
portions of contact terminals in a connector mounted on said
connector holding means,
insertion tooling means for inserting wires contained in said wire
locating means into said wire receiving slots in said
connectors,
contacting means on said frame means, said contacting means being
in electrical contact with said contact terminals in a connector
mounted in said holding means, and
test circuit means, said test circuit means being connected to said
contacting means whereby,
upon insertion of wires into said wire-receiving portions of
terminals in a connector mounted on said connector holding means,
the wired connector can be tested in situ.
13. Electrical harness manufacturing and testing apparatus for
manufacturing and testing an electrical harness of the type
comprising a plurality of electrical connectors having conductors
extending between and among terminals contained in said connectors
said apparatus comprising:
a plurality of connector jigs for holding connectors in positions,
relative to each other, which they will occupy in the finished
harness whereby harness conductors can be connected to the
terminals in said connectors in accordance with the wiring plan of
said harness,
test circuit means comprising connecting means for removably
connecting test circuit conductors to the individual terminals in
connectors in said connector jigs whereby,
after said harness conductors have been connected to said
terminals, said test circuit means can be energized to test said
harness for conformity to said wiring plan.
14. Electrical harness manufacturing and testing apparatus for
manufacturing and testing an electrical harness of the type
comprising a plurality of electrical connectors and conductors
extending between and among said connectors, said connectors having
a plurality of electrical contact terminals therein, each of said
terminals having a conductor receiving portion and a contact
portion, said apparatus comprising;
supporting means,
a plurality jig members mounted on said supporting means at
locations corresponding to the locations of the connectors in the
harness being manufactured, each of said jig members having
connector holding means and conductor holding and locating means
for locating conductors in alignment with said conductor receiving
portions of contact terminals in a connector mounted on said
connector holding means,
said connector holding means comprising a complementary connecting
device which is mateable with one of said connectors, said
complementary connecting device having external conductors which
are engageable with said contact portions of said terminals in one
of said connectors, and
test circuit means for testing said harness, said external
conductors comprising part of said test circuit means whereby,
upon locating connectors on said connector holding means, locating
conductors in said conductor holding means, and moving said
conductors from said conductor holding means into said
conductor-receiving portions of said terminals, said harness is
assembled, and upon thereafter energizing said test circuit means,
said harness is electrically tested.
15. Apparatus as set forth in claim 14, said supporting means
comprising a harness board.
16. Apparatus as set forth in claim 15, said conductors in said
harness comprising wires.
17. Apparatus as set forth in claim 16, said conductor holding and
locating means comprising wire comb means for holding wires in
parallel side-by-side relationship.
18. Apparatus as set forth in claim 14 each of said jig members
having means for mounting an insertion tool thereon of the type
capable of moving conductors from said conductor holding means and
into the conductor-receiving portions of terminals contained in a
connector held in said connector holding means.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus of the general type
disclosed in application Ser. No. 347,965, now U.S. Pat. No.
3,845,535, for connecting wires to the terminals in an electrical
connector. The instant invention is also related to applications
Ser. No. 347,956 and 347,957 as will be more fully explained
below.
Application Ser. No. 347,965, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,535,
discloses and claims an apparatus for trimming the ends of wires
and inserting the trimmed ends into the electrical contact
terminals in a multi-contact electrical connector. One
distinguishing feature of some embodiments of the apparatus
disclosed in application Ser. No. 347,965, now U.S. Pat. No.
3,845,535, is that the portion of the apparatus which holds the
connector is separate from the portion which inserts the wires into
the terminals in the connector, the later part of the apparatus
hving means to permit its being mounted on the former. This feature
of my prior apparatus particularly adapts it for having in a
harness making method and apparatus is disclosed in application
Ser. No. 347,957 which teaches that a completed harness can be
manufactured by lacing wires over a harness board in accordance
with the wiring plan of the harness in a manner such that portions
of the wires extend adjacent to connectors contained in the
apparatus of application Ser. No. 347,965.When the wires are
inserted by the apparatus into the terminals in the connector the
harness is substantially completed and can be removed from the
harness board and, after testing, put to use.
The instant invention is directed to an improved apparatus having a
means, which may be in the form of a printed circuit board, for
holding the connector to which wires are to be connected. This
feature facilitates the use of the prior apparatus and permits it
to accommodate connectors of different sizes by merely changing the
printed circuit board thereby increasing its usefulness. In
accordance with a further aspect of the instant invention, the
printed circuit board upon which the connector is mounted has
conductors thereon that engage the contact terminals in the
connector being wired. These printed circuit board conductors are,
in turn, connected to wires which extend to, and form a part of, an
electrical testing means so that the connector can be electrically
tested and immediately after the wires have been connected thereto.
This capability of the instant invention in turn permits the
testing, at the time of manufacture, of a completed electrical
harness as will be described below.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved
apparatus for inserting conductors into terminals in a
multi-contact electrical connector. A further object is to provide
a conductor inserting apparatus having improved means for holding
the electrical connector to which the conductors are to be
connected. A still further object is to provide a conductor
inserting apparatus having means for electrically testing the
connector after the conductors have been inserted into the
terminals in the connector. A still further object is to provide a
harness making method and apparatus having means for testing the
entire harness immediately after the manufacture thereof and while
the harness is mounted on a harness board.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved in preferred
embodiments thereof which are briefly described in the foregoing
abstract, which are described in detail below, and which are shown
in accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of apparatus in
accordance with the invention showing the insertion or upper
tooling removed and exploded from the fixed lower tooling, showing
the fixed tooling in its open condition, and showing a connector
exploded from the fixed tooling.
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the parts in fully
assembled relationship immediately prior to insertion of the wires
into the terminals.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the fixed tooling portion of the apparatus
showing the parts in their opened condition.
FIG. 4 is sectional sideview showing the positions of the parts
after insertion of the conductors into the terminals in the
connector.
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a fixed tooling taken along lines 5--5
of FIG. 2.
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the pivoted carrier
frame in its open position with the wire positioning jigs removed
from the fixed tooling.
FIG. 7 is a view taken along the line 7--7 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of an alternative form of printed circuit
board which serves as a holding and locating means for the
connector to which wires are to be connected.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the lower or fixed tooling frame
and the fixed tooling carrier arm with the parts exploded from each
other.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the carrier arm with a printed
circuit board exploded therefrom, this view showing the orientation
of the carrier while the printed circuit board is being assembled
thereto.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the carrier arm having a printed
circuit board assembled thereto, this view showing the orientation
of the arm when it is in its closed position relative to the fixed
tooling frame.
FIG. 12 is a plan view of a harness board having a plurality of
conductor inserting apparatus mounted thereon, this view showing
the positions of the parts after wires have been laced over the
board and between and among the several wire inserting tools.
FIG. 13 is a plan view of the underside of the harness board
showing features of the harness testing means.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a multi-contact electrical
connector of a type for which the instant disclosed embodiment is
intended.
FIG. 15 is a view taken along the lines 15--15 of FIG. 14.
FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 15 but showing a wire connected
to the terminal.
FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a relatively simple electrical
harness.
By way of background information for the description of the instant
invention, FIGS. 14-17 show features of a connector 2 which is
adapted to be used in the disclosed embodiment of the invention and
an electrical harness I which can be manufactured and tested in
accordance with the principles of the invention. The harness I
comprises a plurality of electrical connectors 2 each of which
contains electrical contact terminals to which conductors 6 are
connected. The conductors extend between and among the connectors
in accordance with a predetermined wiring plan so that when the
harness connectors 2 are attached to complementary connectors in an
electrical apparatus, the motors, switches, control devices, etc.
of the apparatus will be interconnected. The harness shown in FIG.
17 has suitable wrapping material 8 wound over the conductors as is
common practice in the harness making art.
Each connector 2 (FIGS. 14-16) comprises an insulating housing 10
having a mating face 12 and a rearward face 14. The housing has an
upper surface 18 (as viewed in the drawing) and a lower surface 20
and end surfaces 22. A plurality of contact receiving cavities
extend through the housing and each cavity contains an electrical
contact terminal 4.
Each terminal 4 has an elongated web 24 from the forward end of
which reversely bent contact arms 26 extend for engagement with
conductors on a printed circuit board. At its rearward end, each
terminal has sidewalls 28 which are bent inwardly towards each
other to define an open seam 30 which serves as a wire receiving
slot. Advantageously, the sidewalls are partially transversely
sheared on each side of the seam 30, these shear lines extending to
punched holes 34 to prevent perpetration of cracks at the ends of
the shear lines. As shown in FIG. 16, after a wire has been
connected to the terminal, it will be received between the edges of
the slot 30 and the edges penetrate the insulation of the wire and
establish contact with the conducting core. The wire 6 extends
laterally from the connector through an opening in the upper
surface 18 which communicates with cavity in which the terminal is
contained. A back cover 35 is advantageously fitted over each
connector and serves as a strain relief for the wires as described
in detail in the above-identified application Ser. No. 347,956.
A preferred form of inserting apparatus in accordance with the
invention (FIGS. 1 and 2) comprises a fixed base section 38, which
is mounted on a harness board 42, and an actuator or insertor 40
which can be affixed to the base section 38 when the operation of
inserting the wires into the terminals 4 in the connector is being
carried out. Before proceeding with a detailed description of the
structural details of this apparatus, it should be explained that
when a harness is manufactured, a plurality of base sections 36 are
mounted on a harness board 42 (FIG. 12). Connectors 2 are mounted
in each base section 38 and wires are laced over the board and
between connectors. After the wire lacing operation has been
completed, the actuator 40 is assembled to each of the base
sections in turn and the wires are trimmed and inserted into the
terminals in the connectors.
The fixed base section 38 comprises a frame 44 having a central
body 46 (FIG. 9) on which there is provided an upstanding
transversely extending integral rib 48 of rectangular
cross-section. Feet 50 extend rearwardly as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 9
from the central body and are secured to the upper surface 174 of
the harness board by suitable fasteners 52. The central and forward
portions of the base section overhand, and extend into, an opening
178 in the harness board for reasons which will be explained
below.
A rear wire jig or comb 54 is mounted on transverse rib 48 and
comprises an elongated bar 56 which is disposed against the
rightwardly facing side of rib 48 as shown best in FIG. 9. A
plurality of spaced apart barriers 58 are provided on the upper
surface of the bar 56 and extend leftwardly as viewed in FIG. 4
over and beyond the upper surface of the rib 48 of the frame.
The forwardly extending portions of these barriers (which are on
the left in FIG. 4) are relatively more thick than the end portions
62 as shown in FIG. 5 so that the space between the forward
portions of the barriers is somewhat more narrow than the space
between adjacent barriers at the rearward ends thereof.
Advantageously, the spacing between adjacent barriers 58 is such
that when two wires are located between two adjacent barriers, one
wire will be above the other so that the two wires will be guided
into the associated contact terminal as is also described below. It
will be noted that the barriers are notched as shown at 60 adjacent
to rearward ends 62 thereof. This notch facilitates removal of
scrap wire from the comb or jig after a wire inserting operation
has been carried out.
The wires are trimmed concomitantly with insertion into the
terminals by means of a fixed shear bar 66 which has a generally
rectangular cross-section and which has upwardly extending ears 68
at its ends, these ears being disposed against the end barriers 58
of the wire jig 54. Fixed shear 66 is secured against the
leftwardly facing side, as viewed in FIG. 4, of the rib 48 and the
leftwardly facing surface of the shear member is undercut as shown
in 70 to define a fixed shearing edge 72 which extends parallel to,
and is immediately beneath, the ends of the barriers 58. This fixed
shear member cooperates with a movable shearing means mounted on
the insertion tooling to cut the wires as will be later described.
It is preferred practice to locate the fixed shear such that the
wire enters the upper portion of the terminal before cutting of the
wire is completed to ensure accurate placement of the wire.
A spacer block 74 having a rectangular cross-section is mounted
against the leftwardly facing surface 49 of rib 48 immediately
beneath the fixed shear 66. As will be apparent from FIG. 4, when
the parts are in the positions that occupy during a wire inserting
operation, the surface 18 of the housing of the connector is
located against this spacer block 74. Since the connector must be
precisely located with reference to the wire insertion tooling, the
location of spacer 74 is important or even critical for best
results. The shear bar 66 must also be precisely located so that
the wires will be cut at the desired locations. Advantageously, the
spacer 74 and the shear bar 66 are both secured to the rib 48 by
means of set screws which permit these members to be moved
leftwardly under very precisely controlled conditions from the
positions shown in FIG. 4.
The frame 44 has a pair of depending arms 76 on its lefhand end
which extend into the opening 178 in the harness board and the
lower ends 78 of these arms extend rightwardly as viewed in FIG. 4
so that they are substantially beneath the insertion tooling. A
carrier frame 80 is pivoted on these arms in a manner described
below and comprises a transversely extending bar 82 having integral
latch housing blocks 84 on its ends. A pair of depending arms 86
extend downwardly from the bar 82 and are locating inwardly from
the latch housing blocks 84, the lower ends of the arms 88 being
outwardly offset and extending rightwardly as viewed in FIG. 4. The
lower end portions 88 of the arms 86 are provided with integral
bosses 89 which are disposed against the rightwardly portions 78 of
the depending arms 76 of the static . . . section of the frame. The
carrier frame 80 is pivotally connected to the end portion 78 of
the static portion of the frame by pivot pins 90 as shown so that
the carrier frame can be swung along a counterclockwise arc from
the position shown in FIG. 4.
The inwardly or opposed surfaces 92 of the bosses 89 are
counterbored at 94 and slots 96 extend from these counterbores
radially to the ends of the arms. These counter bores receive
laterally extending ears 100 on the side edges of a printed circuit
board 98 as shown in FIG. 7. The printed circuit board thus is
located between the depending arms 86 of the carrier frame 80 and
lies in a plane which is between the transverse bar 82 of the
carrier frame and the central body portion of the fixed frame 44.
The widths of the ears 100 are slightly less than the diameter of
the counterbores so that the printed circuit can be swung about an
axis extending between the centers of the counterbores. The slots
96 are provided to permit removal of the printed circuit board as
will be described at a more appropriate time. It will also be noted
that the printed circuit board has parallel conductors 102 on its
surface and these conductors are used during testing as is also
described below. The connector 2, to which wires are to be
connected is simply mounted on the upper end of the printed circuit
board 102 so that the board serves as a mounting means for the
connector during operation.
A front wire jig or comb 104 is mounted on the transverse bar 82 of
the carrier frame 80. This front wire jig comprises a generally
channel-shaped member having a central web 106, and depending
flanges 108, 110. On its upper surface, there are provided a
plurality of spaced apart barriers 112 which have the appearance of
trunkcated triangles but which may be rectangular if desired. These
barriers are spaced apart by distances corresponding to the spacing
between the barriers on the rear wire jig 54 so that wires placed
between aligned barriers in the two-wire jigs will be located above
the terminals contained in the connector in FIG. 4. The wire jig
104 is secured to the rib or bar 82 by suitable fasteners with the
web against the upper surface of the bar and depending flanges 108,
110 straddling the bar 82.
Latching means are provided for latching the carrier frame 80 in
its closed position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, this latching means
comprising latch levers 114 which are pivotally mounted in slots
116 on the downwardly facing sides of the latch housings 84 on the
ends of the transverse bar 82 of the carrier frame 80. The forward
ends of the levers are hooked as shown at 119 and are adapted to
engage latch dogs 120 mounted in recesses on the upwardly facing
surfaces of the frame member 44. The levers 114 are resiliently
biased in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 4 by
springs 122 which are contained in recesses in the housing blocks
84 and which bear against the latch arms adjacent to the hooked
ends thereof.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an additional latch dog 124 is provided
which extends horizontally from one of the depending arms 76 of the
fixed frame 44. This horizontally extending latch dog comprises a
stamped plate-like member and prevents the carrier frame 80 from
swinging in a counterclockwise direction beyond the position shown
in FIG. 3. The latch arm 114 which engages the fixed latch dog 124
can be disengaged from the dog when it is desired to swing the
carrier frame through a further counterclockwise arc to change the
printed circuit board 78.
It should be explained at this point that the fixed or lower
tooling is loaded with a connector 2 by opening the carrier frame
80 to the position of FIG. 3. The printed circuit board 98 is swung
through a slight counterclockwise arc so that it is directed
obliquely upwardly between the carrier frame 80 and the central
portion of the fixed frame 54. A connector 2 is then mounted on the
upper end of the printed circuit board 102 and the carrier frame is
then swung through a clockwise arc to its closed position and the
latch arms 114 engage the latch dogs 120. The printed circuit board
is precisely centered when the parts are in their closed positions
by positioning blocks 126 which are mounted against the opposed
surfaces of the frame 44 adjacent to the central portion thereof.
The edges of the printed circuit board move over these positioning
blocks 126 and the board is thereby precisely centered and the
connector will also be precisely centered with its contact
terminals in alignment with the spaces between barriers in the wire
jigs and in alignment with the insertion punches 160 in the
insertion tooling described below.
The actuator or movable tooling member 40 is mounted on the frame
44 by means of channels 128 which have inwardly directed
cylindrical housings 134 and laterally extending arms 133 on their
sidewalls. These mounting channels are secured in notches 130 in
the oppositely facing sides of the central portion of the frame by
fasteners 132 which extend through the mounting arms 133 in the
channels and into the frame. The mounting means for the upper
tooling comprises, in each channel, a pin 136 is contained in the
housing 134 and which extends through an opening in the web of the
channel, pin 136 has a reduced diameter end portion which extends
through a central opening in the end wall of the cylindrical
housing 134 on the channel. A spring 140 is interposed between the
end wall of housing 134 and a shoulder on the pin. This spring
normally biases the pins outwardly through the web but these pins
can be moved inwardly against the compression of the springs 140 by
suitable handles 142 provided on the ends of the pins 136.
The upper portion 40 of the tooling is mounted on the lower tooling
assembly 38 by merely locating the upper tooling above the lower
tooling as shown in FIG. 1 and moving the lowering the upper
tooling in the position of FIG. 2 so that the legs 144 move into
the channels 128 and cam pins 136 inwardly. The pins then move
through the webs of the channels and into openings 146 on the lower
ends of the mounting arms 144. The upper tooling is removed by
retracing the pins by means of the handles 142.
The upper tooling comprises a housing 146 having a cover plate 148
in which a slide member 150 is contained and guided. Slide 150 has
an insertion tool holder 152 secured to and extending across, its
lower end and a channel 154 is provided in this tool holder in
which the inserter 158 is mounted. The rightwardly facing flange as
viewed in FIG. 4 on the lower end of tool holder 152 provides a
shearing edge 156 which, during descent of the slide, moves past
the fixed shearing edge 72 to shear the wires which have previously
been positioned in the wire jigs 54. The inserter 158 has a series
of pairs of depending inserting punches 160 and 162 which are so
dimensioned that they will push the trimmed wire into the terminal
with which they are associated as shown in FIG. 4. The left hand
flange 157 of the tool holder 152 cooperates in this wire inserting
step so that after the slide 150 has reached the lower most limit
of its travel, the wire will be located in the slot 30 of the
associated terminal.
The slide 150 is resiliently biased upwardly by suitable spring
means (not specifically shown) and is moved downwardly on by a cam
166 which is mounted on a pin 164 which is supported in extending
bearing portions 162 of the housing 146. A handle 168 is supported
on the pin 164 and is secured to the cam 166 by a pin 167 so that
if the handle 168 is swung through a counterclockwise arc from the
position of FIG. 4, the contoured surface of the cam will engage a
cam follower 170. This cam follower is mounted in the upper end of
the slide 150 so that the slide and the inserter, which is carried
thereon, will be moved to its lowered position. It is desirable to
provide auxiliary means for lifting the slide from its lowered
position and to this end, I provide crescent shaped lifts 172 on
each side of the cam 166. These lifts are so contoured that they
will engage pins on the cam 166 and lift the slide when the handle
168 is returned to the position shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 9 shows the upper surface 174 of a harness board on which four
lower tooling assembles 38 have been mounted adjacent to openings
178 in the harness board. A harness board so arranged might be used
to produce extremely simple harness as shown in FIG. 14. To produce
such harness, each of the lower tooling assemblies are loaded with
a connector 2 and the tooling assemblies are closed as described
above, that is the carrier 80 is swung to its closed position (FIG.
4) and latched. Wire or wires are then laced over the harness board
between suitable guide and retaining pegs 175 between and among the
several tooling assemblies in accordance with the desired wiring
plan. The wire is not cut at the fixed tooling assemblies 38 but is
laced "in and out" through each assembly. In other words, the wire
enters an assembly adjacent to the board openg 178, is laced
between aligned barriers 112, 58 in the wire jigs 104, 54 and then
is reversed and laid between another pair of aligned barriers in
the same assembly. Thereafter, it is laid on the board along a path
extending to another pre-determined lower tooling assembly 38 and
the process is repeated. Ocassionally, it may be necessary to cut a
wire at a tooling assembly and start anew as explained in the above
identified application Ser. No. 347,957. The wire for the lacing
operation may be drawn from an endless source such as a reel.
After the wires have been laced over the board, the upper tooling
assembly 40 is assembled to each of the four lower tooling
assemblies 38 in turn and the handle 168 is swung to cut the wires
and insert the cut ends into the terminals in the connectors 2. The
cutting operation will result in the production of loops of scrap
wire adjacent to the rearward wire jigs 54 and these can be removed
by passing a thin awl-like tool through the notches between the
barriers 62, 58. After the upper tooling assembly has been
assembled to all of the lower tooling assemblies and the wires have
been cut and inserted into the terminals in the connectors 2, the
harness will have been completed and testing of the harness can be
carried out as described immediately below.
Referring now to FIG. 10, the underside 176 of the wiring board has
a testing harness 182 supported or suspended thereon comprising
wires 186 which extend from suitable testing circuits which may
include indicator lights in a housing 190 which may be located
remote from the underside of the board for maximum operator
convenience. The wires 186 extend to connectors 184 which may be
identical to the previously identified connectors 2. The contact
terminals in the connectors 184, engage the conductors 102 on the
printed circuit boards and, since these conductors extend to and
contact the terminals in the connectors 2 on the upper surface of
the board which are now part of the completed harness, the harness
can be tested by merely energizing the testing circuits in the
housing 190. Any "opens" or misplaced wires in the harness can be
readily detected during this very brief testing procedure and the
harness can be repaired or "reworked" in a very brief time. The
practice of the invention thus eliminates the need for a
time-consuming and costly final electrical test which is usually
made by plugging the connectors of the harness with connectors or
printed circuit boards of the testing apparatus.
It is desirable to have the capability in the apparatus to
accommodate varying sizes of connectors, that is connectors having
different numbers of contact terminals therein. If, for example, it
is desired to connect wires to a relatively smaller connector 2A
(FIG. 8) then the connectors previously described, it is merely
necessary to remove the printed circuit board 102 from the
apparatus and substitute a printed circuit board 102 which has a
tongue 180 extending from its upper edge as viewed in FIG. 8. This
tongue is dimensioned to fit into the mating face of the connector
2A and to center and support it in the tool or apparatus in the
manner previously described. It will thus be apparent that the
apparatus can be modified to accept varying sizes of connectors by
simply changing the printed circuit board.
The board is changed by simply opening the carrier frame 80 until
its accurate movement is stopped by the latch dog 124. The lever
114 which engages this latch dog is then depressed so that
disengagement from latch dog 124 takes place and the carrier is
swung through a further counterclockwise arc until the slots 96
extend vertically upwardly. The printed circuit board 98 is then
swung normally of its own plane until the ears 100 are in alignment
with the slots 96. The board can then be moved upwardly with the
ears biasing through the slots and the printed circuit board 98a
can be similarly assembled to the carrier.
The invention presents several salient features and advantages
which may be employed with beneficial results individually or in
combination with each other in the harness making art and in
processes where wires are simply being connected to the terminals
in a single connector. For example, the printed circuit board 98
serves as a support for the connector to which wires are being
connected and can be replaced to accommodate different sizes of
connectors as noted above. Under some circumstances, it may not be
required that the electrical connections be tested at the time the
wires are inserted into the terminals and under such circumstances,
the panel-like member can be in the form of a simple board which
has supporting means for the connector. This feature of the
invention may be used in a wire inserting apparatus which is not
specifically intended for use in the harness making art but it is
used only to connect wires in a cable to the terminals in a
connector.
Under other circumstances, it may be desirable to test the
connector electrically even though the apparatus is not being used
for harness making as described above. It will be apparent that
such electrical tests can be conducted by the practice of the
invention where individual wires are being connected to terminals
in a connector and the wires are not part of an electrical harness
as disclosed herein.
Finally, the testing procedure disclosed herein may be used with
other types of connectors such as connectors of the type disclosed
in U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,335. To carry out such electrical tests, the
connector to which wires are being connected would be mated with a
complementary connector would have wires extending from its
terminals to a test apparatus as explained above. Such in situ
electrical testing can be carried out with wire inserting apparatus
of types other than that shown in the instant application, for
example, wire inserting apparatus of the type shown in U.S. Pat.
No. 3,758,935 and 3,766,622.
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