APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING CONDUCTORS TO TERMINALS IN A PRELOADED ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR

• US 3,800,390 A
• Filed: 02/14/1973
• Issued: 04/02/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James Joseph Johnston
• Original Assignee: James Joseph Johnston
• Inventors: Johnston, James Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Eager, Thomas H.
• Application Number:
  US05/332,537
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 29/23H,23J,23P,23R
• US Class Current: 29/749
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/01 for connecting unstripped conductors to contact members having insulation cutting edges
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53217 Means to simultaneously assemble multiple, independent conductors to terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53243 Multiple, independent conductors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53974 having means to permit support movement while work is thereon

Abstract

Conductors are connected to terminals in a preloaded electrical connector by means of a fixture having a conductor jig removably mounted thereon. The conductors are located in slots in the jig and the jig is thereafter removed from the fixture and placed in a conductor insertion apparatus which transfers the conductors from the jig to the terminals in the connector and connects the individual conductors to the terminals.

Claims

1. A conductor positioning jig for use with an apparatus having means for simultaneously connecting each of a plurality of electrical conductors to each of a plurality of terminal positions in an electrical connecting device, said jig comprising:

a frame member having substantially parallel sides and substantially parallel ends, said frame having a central opening defined by said sides and said ends, said frame having oppositely directed faces, conductor positioning means on one of said faces, said conductor positioning means comprising surface portions of said sides for receiving a plurality of conductors and locating and holding said conductors in side-by-side parallel relationship in bridging relationship to said opening, and locating means on the other one of said faces for locating said jig on said apparatus.

2. A conductor-positioning jig intended for use with a conductor positioning fixture and a conductor insertion apparatus, said jig comprising:

a rectangular frame having parallel sides and parallel ends and having oppositely directed faces, said frame having a central opening defined by said sides and ends, conductor positioning means on one of said faces, said conductor positioning means comprising a plurality of spaced apart slots on each of said sides, said slots extending transversely of said sides and said opening, said slots being in alignment with each other on said sides, and locating means on the other one of said faces for locating said jig on said fixture and on said insertion apparatus whereby, upon positioning said jig on said fixture, each of a plurality of conductors can be positioned in said slots with the axes of said conductors extending transversely of, and across, said opening, and upon positioning said jig on said apparatus, said conductors can be inserted into the conductor receiving slots of electrical terminals in a connecting device mounted on said apparatus upon movement of insertion means through said opening, against said conductors and towards said terminals.

3. A jig as set forth in claim 2, one of said sides having a first plurality spaced apart integral barriers on one of said faces, said slots extending from one of said sides, said barriers defining said slots.

4. A jig as set forth in claim 3, the other one of said sides on said one face having a plurality of spaced-apart barriers extending laterally of said frame from said other side, said second plurality of barriers defining said slots in said other side.

5. A jig as set forth in claim 4, said locating means comprising locating flanges extending from said sides.

6. Fixture and jig means for use in selectively connecting each of a plurality of electrical conductors to each of a plurality of side-by-side terminals in a connecting device such as a multi-contact electrical connector, said jig means comprising:

a generally rectangular frame member comprising sides and ends, said frame member having a central opening therein, a plurality of aligned wire positioning means on each of said sides, said positioning means extending transversely with respect to said sIdes and said opening, said fixture means comprising;

fixture frame means, conductor clamping means for clamping said conductors on said fixture frame means, and a jig means support on said fixture frame means proximate to said clamping means, said jig means being removably mounted on said jig means support whereby, upon clamping said conductors in said clamping means and positioning said conductors in predetermined positioning means in said jig means, said jig means and said conductors thereafter can be removed from said fixture means and said jig means can be positioned on a conductor transferring and inserting apparatus for transferring said conductors from said jig means and attaching said conductors to said terminals of said connecting device.

7. Fixture and jig means as set forth in claim 6 and a second jig means, said second jig means being substantially similar to said jig means said second jig means being removably mounted on said jig means support beside said jig means.

8. Fixture and jig means and second jig means as set forth in claim 7, said jig means and said second jig means being adjacent to each other in end-to-end relationship on said jig means support, said clamping means being between said jig means and said second jig means.

9. Fixture and jig means as set forth in claim 6, said wire positioning means comprising slots on said sides.

10. A fixture and at least one pair of conductor positioning jigs, for locating each of a plurality of conductors in predetermined positions relative to each other preparatory to insertions of said conductors into contact terminals in an electrical connecting device, said jigs being removably mounted on said fixture, each of said jigs comprising:

a rectangular frame having parallel sides and parallel ends, said frame having oppositely directed faces and having a central opening defined by said sides, and said ends, conductor positioning means on one of said faces, said conductor positioning means comprising a plurality of spaced-apart slots on each of said sides, said slots extending transversely of said sides and said opening, corresponding slots on said sides being in alignment with each other, and locating means on the other one of said faces for locating said jig on said fixture, said fixture comprising;

a jig support, said support having spaced apart supporting surface portions for supporting said jigs in spaced apart end-to-end relationship to each other, and conductor clamping means on said fixture, said conductor clamping means being proximate to, and between said jigs whereby, upon clamping said conductors in said clamping means and positioning said conductors in said conductor receiving means of said jigs, said jigs can be removed from said fixture and positioned on a conductor insertion apparatus for transferring said conductors from said jigs to contact terminals in a connecting device mounted on said insertion apparatus.

11. A fixture and a plurality of jigs for the conductors of a multi-conductor cable, each of said jigs comprising:

a generally rectangular frame member comprising parallel sides and parallel ends, said frame member having a central opening therein, a plurality of aligned slots in each of said sides, said slots extending transversely with respect to said sides and said opening, said fixture comprising;

a plurality of jig supports, each of said supports having at least one of said jigs removably mounted thereon, said supports being spaced-apart and parallel to each other on a mounting base, said jigs being in alignment with each other on said supports, cable claiming means on said mounting means proximate to one end thereof, said cable mounting means being disposed proximate to an end one of said supports whereby, upon clamping a cable in said mounting means and positioning the individual conductors in said cable in corresponding aligned slots in each of said jigs, and upon removal of said jigs from said fixture And placement of said jigs in an assembly apparatus for connecting said conductors to terminal positions in an electrical device, said conductors are each connected to corresponding terminal positions in each of said electrical devices.

12. Apparatus for connecting each of a plurality of conductors to each of a plurality of electrical contact terminals contained in a multi-contact electrical connector or the like, each of said electrical contact terminals comprising a plate-like portion having a conductor-receiving slot extending into one side thereof, said plate-like portions of said terminals being arranged in side-by-side co-planar relationship, said apparatus comprising:

connector holding means for holding said electrical connector in a predetermined position, conductor jig means having means for releasably holding said conductors in parallel spaced-apart relationship with said conductors located relative to each other in positions corresponding to the spacing between said conductor receiving slots in said plate-like portions of said contact terminals, said conductors being movable laterally of their axes from one side of said conductor jig means. an inserting means, said inserting means being normally disposed remote from said connector holding means and being movable along a predetermined path towards and away from a connector held in said connector holding means, said inserting means having means for moving individual conductors laterally of their axes and into each of said conductor receiving slots, and conductor jig mounting means for removably mounting said conductor jig means on said path adjacent to said connector holding means with said one side of said conductor jig means proximate to, and spaced from, said plate-like portions whereby, upon loading said conductors in said conductor jig means, mounting said connector in said connector holding means, mounting said conductor jig means in said conductor jig mounting means, and upon movement of said inserting means along said path and towards said connector, said conductors are moved from said conductor jig means laterally of their axes and into said slots in said plate-like portions of said terminals.