APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SEATING WIRE CLAMP TO TERMINAL OF VEHICLE BATTERY

• US 20150000122A1
• Filed: 02/20/2014
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: HENNESSY, John David, MAURE, Michael Joseph, TRACEY, David Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 9,755,392 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/825
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/26 for engaging or disengaging the two parts of a coupling device structural association with two-part coupling device H01R13/629
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53209 Terminal or connector

Abstract

An apparatus, which includes a fixture assembly configured to operatively convey, at least in part, a seating force to a wire clamp received by a battery terminal of a vehicle battery in such a way that the wire clamp becomes and remains operatively seated relative to the battery terminal during operative installation of the wire clamp relative to the battery terminal, as well as a method for doing the same.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a fixture assembly configured to;

operatively convey, at least in part, a seating force to a wire clamp being received by a battery terminal of a vehicle battery in such a way that the wire clamp becomes and remains operatively seated relative to the battery terminal during operative installation of the wire clamp relative to the battery terminal.

2. An apparatus for use with a vehicle battery having a battery terminal and a wire clamp configured to be operatively received by the battery terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a fixture assembly configured to;

operatively convey, at least in part, a seating force to the wire clamp being received by the battery terminal; and

operatively seat the wire clamp relative to the battery terminal while the seating force is conveyed to the wire clamp in such a way that the wire clamp becomes and remains operatively seated relative to the battery terminal during operative installation of the wire clamp relative to the battery terminal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the battery terminal is to be fixedly attached to a battery wire structure by the wire clamp; and

the fixture assembly is configured to;

operatively seat the wire clamp relative to the battery terminal in such a way that in response to continued conveyance of the seating force to the wire clamp while a clamping force is applied to the wire clamp, the wire clamp operatively clamps the battery wire structure to the battery terminal, and the wire clamp is operatively seated relative to the battery terminal.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the fixture assembly includes:

a seating assembly configured to couple to a force-conveyance assembly, and to operatively seat the wire clamp relative to the battery terminal once positioned to do just so in such a way that in response to continued conveyance of the seating force to the wire clamp while the clamping force is applied to the wire clamp, the wire clamp operatively clamps the battery wire structure to the battery terminal, and the wire clamp is operatively seated relative to the battery terminal.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fixture assembly includes a force-conveyance assembly configured to operatively convey, at least in part, the seating force to the wire clamp being received by the battery terminal.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the force-conveyance assembly includes a portion that spans across two instances of the battery terminal.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the force-conveyance assembly is configured to:

be positioned relative to the wire clamp being received by the battery terminal; and

operatively convey, at least in part, the seating force to the wire clamp, the seating force being configured to operatively seat the wire clamp relative to the battery terminal once positioned to do just so.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the force-conveyance assembly is further configured to receive the seating force.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the force-conveyance assembly is further configured to convey the seating force to the wire clamp in response to the force-conveyance assembly receiving the seating force.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the force-conveyance assembly is further configured to cease conveyance of the seating force to the wire clamp in response to removal of the seating force from the force-conveyance assembly.

11. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the force-conveyance assembly is configured to:

receive the seating force;

convey, at least in part, the seating force toward to the wire clamp in response to the force-conveyance assembly receiving the seating force; and

cease conveyance of the seating force to the wire clamp in response to removal of the seating force from the force-conveyance assembly.

12. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the force-conveyance assembly includes:

a first extension that extends toward a first battery terminal; and

a second extension that extends toward a second battery terminal, and the second extension is set apart from the first extension.

13. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the force-conveyance assembly is further configured to span at least two instances of the battery terminal.

14. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fixture assembly includes a seating assembly configured to couple to a force-conveyance assembly, and to operatively seat the wire clamp relative to the battery terminal once positioned to do just so.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the seating assembly being configured to:

couple to the force-conveyance assembly; and

maintain operative seating orientation of the wire clamp relative to the battery terminal in response to continued conveyance of the seating force toward the wire clamp.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the seating assembly includes a battery-seating surface configured to contact a portion of the vehicle battery.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the seating assembly includes a terminal-seating surface configured to contact a portion of the battery terminal.

18. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an annunciation assembly configured to annunciate at least any one of:

the wire clamp is operatively seated to the battery terminal while the fixture assembly receives the seating force to do just so; and

the wire clamp is not operatively seated to the battery terminal.

19. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a poka-yoke assembly configured to prevent application of a clamping force to the wire clamp until optimal seating of the wire clamp is achieved.

20. A method, comprising:

operatively conveying, at least in part, a seating force to a wire clamp being received by a battery terminal of a vehicle battery in such a way that the wire clamp becomes and remains operatively seated relative to the battery terminal during operative installation of the wire clamp relative to the battery terminal.