Metal deforming – With means to handle work or product – Including means to permit maneuvering of work or product at...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-04
2001-10-09
Tolan, Ed (Department: 3725)
Metal deforming
With means to handle work or product
Including means to permit maneuvering of work or product at...
C072S421000, C072S441000, C072S712000, C029S753000, C029S863000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06298707
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a crimping tool for crimping crimp contacts, in particular crimp contacts in the form of a strip, with a base body comprising a pressing device and a table associated to the base body for guiding the crimp contacts, the crimp contacts being advanced to the pressing device via the table, and the position of the table being variable relative to the base body along a guideway.
Furthermore, the invention relates to a crimping tool for crimping crimp contacts, in particular crimp contacts or terminals in the form of a strip which are intended to be crimped onto wires or the like, with a base body comprising a pressing device and a table associated to the base body for guiding the crimp contacts, the crimp contacts being fed to the pressing device via the table.
Crimping tools of the described type have been known from practice for a long time, and they exist in a large variety of designs. The known crimping tools are designed and constructed for a streamlined processing of crimp contacts in the form of a strip, in a longitudinal or transverse movement, or for sortable individual contacts. Frequently, the known crimping tools are designed and constructed as quick-change tools, and they can be used in individual workstations or fully automatic machines and transfer lines. In this connection, it is possible to handle electric conductors with a cross sectional area from about 0.08 mm
2
to 50 mm
2
.
With respect to a stable and precise crimping, it is necessary that the crimp contacts be exactly fed to the pressing device in alignment with the position of the crimping stamp. To this end, it is known to provide a positioning of the table relative to the base body along a guideway. This permits influencing the feed direction of the crimp contacts.
In a known crimping tool, the table is guided in two grooves formed in the base body. The table is secured relative to the base body by means of clamping screws. To change the position, it is necessary to first loosen the clamping screws. Subsequently, the position of the table is adjusted, and finally the clamping screws are retightened.
On the one hand, such a positioning of the table is expensive because of the three last-mentioned steps, and on the other hand, it is often not possible to prevent the table from canting in the groove-type guideways. This increases the wear of the crimping tool considerably.
Furthermore, the known positioning operation often does not permit an adequate adjustment of the table relative to the base body. However, a precise adjustment is desirable for the reason that even slight adjustment errors can lead to the formation of frequently undesired flanges—so-called crimp trumpets—in the region of the pressed crimp contacts.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a crimping tool of the initially described type, wherein a precise and variable positioning of the crimp contacts is attained with simple means.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved by the provision of a crimping tool which comprises a base body which includes a crimp pressing device mounted for vertical reciprocation, and a table for guiding the crimp contacts in a feed direction to a crimping position which is aligned with the crimp pressing device. The table is interconnected to the base body by an adjusting mechanism which permits the position of the table to be infinitely variable relative to the base body along a guideway which extends in a direction perpendicular to the feed direction.
The adjusting mechanism preferably includes a threaded member extending in the direction of the guideway through an opening in the table and to a threaded bore in the base body.
In the development of the preset invention, the number of steps to change the position of the table is reduced. Only by actuating the adjusting mechanism is it possible to attain the desired position. A canting of the table in the guideway is prevented by the infinitely variable positioning capability. At the same, the variability of the positioning is increased. The disadvantages of the known positioning operation, which permitted in practice in most cases only a stepwise positioning of the table because of the impractical handling, are avoided with the infinitely variable positioning capability according to the crimping tool of the present invention.
Consequently, the crimping tool of the present invention realizes a crimping tool, wherein a precise and infinitely variable positioning of the crimp contacts is attained with simple means.
The adjusting mechanism preferably also comprises an elastic member that is operative between the table and the base body in direction of the guideway. With respect to a stable position of the table, it would further be possible that the elastic means pushes the table against a stop associated to the base body. The position of the stop could then again be variable relative to the base body in the direction of the guideway, so that a positioning of the table can be realized only by changing the position of the stop. This would result in a particularly simple positioning.
In a constructionally simple manner, the elastic member could be a helical spring. However, it would also be possible to use here leaf springs or the like.
As regards a particularly reliable arrangement of the elastic member, the elastic member could extend around the stop. When the elastic member is designed and constructed as a helical spring, it will be possible to arrange the stop within the threads of the spring.
A further, particularly simple construction could be realized wherein the stop is a screw, preferably a hollow screw, which extends through the table and is screwed into a screw thread in the base body. This would permit an adjustment of the position of the table relative to the base body by only engaging and disengaging the screw. The position of the table would then be secured relative to the base body by applying pressure through the elastic member. To this end, the elastic means could further be arranged in a recess in the table. This would permit a particularly reliable and precise application of pressure.
Furthermore, with respect to a particularly reliable positioning of the table, the screw could be self-locking. In this connection, it would be possible to insert a plastic material into the screw thread in the base body. As an alternative or in addition thereto, it would be possible to secure the screw against an unwanted disengagement by applying pressure. This pressure application could also occur by the elastic member.
A further possibility of securing the position of the screw in the screw thread could occur by a pin that is screwed through the base body toward the screw. The screw thread for the pin would quasi extend into the thread of the screw. In a particularly simple manner, the pin could be a set screw.
In an alternative development, the stop could also be associated to the table. In this instance, the screw would engage the table through the base body. The screw could then be secured against an unwanted disengagement in a manner analogous to the foregoing description.
As regards a particularly simple and yet reliable guidance, the guideway could comprise at least one pin and preferably two pins associated to the base body and/or the table. The pins could extend in recesses formed in the table or in the base body. Such recesses could be realized in a simple manner by bores.
In addition to designing the pins as round posts, it would also be possible to provide pins with a dovetail profile or a square profile. In particular in the case of the last-mentioned profile shapes, the design of a pin would be adequate for a reliable hold.
Finally, the table could also be guided in a conventional manner in a groove formed in the base body. In this instance, a safety would have to be provided, if need be, against a lifting of the table from the groove.
To ensure a particularly simple, automatic feed of the crimp contacts t
Fleps Paul
Hanke Frank
Hanke Wolfgang
Alston & Bird LLP
Tolan Ed
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