CABLE PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20200136331A1
• Filed: 06/30/2017
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komax Holding AG
• Original Assignee: Komax Holding AG
• Inventors: FURRER, Nils
• Granted Patent: US 11,139,627 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/048 Crimping apparatus or processes H01R43/042 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/055 with contact member feeding mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53235 Means to fasten by deformation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53261 Means to align and advance work part

Abstract

A cable processing apparatus has a crimping device loadable with an exchangeable crimping cassette, the cable processing apparatus including a crimping cassette exchanging device. The crimping cassette exchanging device includes carriages, each carriage having a crimping cassette holding device adapted to attach to and to detach from a crimping cassette; a horizontal carriage guide for providing a substantially horizontal guided movement of the carriages; a vertical carriage guide for providing a substantially vertical guided movement of a carriage from an initial vertical position to the crimping device or vice-versa, wherein the vertical carriage guide is arranged relative to the horizontal carriage guide such that one of the carriages is vertically movable at a time; a carriage shifting device adapted to controllably perform the horizontal guided movement; and a carriage lifting device adapted to controllably perform the vertical guided movement.

Claims

1. A cable processing apparatus (100) having a crimping device (110) loaded with an exchangeable crimping cassette (200, 200a, 200b), the cassette having a crimping tool attached thereto, the cable processing apparatus (100) comprising a crimping cassette exchanging device (120), wherein the crimping cassette exchanging device (120) comprises:

a plurality of carriages (130a, 130b), each carriage (130a, 130b) having a crimping cassette holding device (140a, 140b) adapted to attach to and to detach from a crimping cassette (200, 200a, 200b);

a horizontal carriage guide for providing a substantially horizontal guided movement of the carriages (130a, 130b);

a vertical carriage guide (165) for providing a substantially vertical guided movement of a carriage (130a, 130b) from an initial vertical position to the crimping device (110) or vice-versa, wherein the vertical carriage guide (165) is arranged relative to the horizontal carriage guide such that one of the plurality of carriages (130a, 130b) is vertically movable at a time;

a carriage shifting device (150) adapted to controllably perform the horizontal guided movement;

a carriage lifting device (160) adapted to controllably perform the vertical guided movement;

wherein the cable processing apparatus further comprises a control device adapted to control the horizontal guided movement and/or the vertical guided movement according to a carriage selection signal.

3. The cable processing apparatus (100) according to claim 1, the carriages (130a, 130b) each comprising a coupling mechanism (136a, 136b, 137b) having mutually matching counterparts to couple to neighboring ones when each of the respective neighboring carriages (130a, 130b) is in its respective initial vertical position, wherein the coupling mechanism (136a, 136b, 137b) is designed such that the counterparts are detached from one another when any one of the neighboring carriages (130a, 130b) is lifted from its respective initial vertical position.

4. The cable processing apparatus (100) according to claim 3, wherein the horizontal carriage guide comprises at least one first horizontal guiderail (156a, 156b) and at least one second horizontal guiderail (157a, 157b) arranged such that a horizontal gap (158) is provided in between the horizontal guiderails (156a, 157a, 156b, 157b) in the horizontal direction, the vertical carriage guide (165) being arranged such that it extends, at least partially, through the horizontal gap.

5. The cable processing apparatus (100) according to claim 4, wherein the gap width of the horizontal gap substantially corresponds to a total width of a carriage (130a, 130b) in the horizontal direction.

6. The cable processing apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the crimping cassette holding device (140a, 140b) comprises at least one clamping holder (141a, 141b, 142a, 142b) for attaching to the crimping cassette (200, 200a, 200b).

7. The cable processing apparatus (100) according to claim 6, wherein the clamping holder (141a, 141b, 142a, 142b) is adapted to lift the crimping cassette (200, 200a, 200b) for establishing the attachment.

8. The cable processing apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the carriage shifting device (150) and/or the carriage lifting device (160) is operated pneumatically.

9. The cable processing apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the carriage shifting device (150) and/or the carriage lifting device (160) is operated electrically.

10. The cable processing apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein each carriage (130a, 130b) comprises an arresting device (131a, 131b) for releaseably arresting at least one carriage (130a, 130b) with the carriage lifting device (160).

11. The cable processing apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the crimping device (110) comprises a locking device (111) for releaseably locking the loaded crimping cassette (200, 200a, 200b).

12. The cable processing apparatus (100) according to claim 11, wherein the locking device (111) comprises a centering unit for centering the loaded crimping cassette, typically a centering hole (112) for mating with a corresponding centering bolt (202) of the crimping cassette (200, 200a, 200b).

2. (canceled)