APPARATUS FOR FORMING TWISTED PAIRS OF CONDUCTOR WIRE

• US 3,827,465 A
• Filed: 03/20/1972
• Issued: 08/06/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: EPE Corp.
• Original Assignee: Charles W. Wojahn, Frederick Karasinski, Fred W. Loy, William J. Harms
• Inventors: Loy, Fred W., Harms, William J., Wojahn, Charles W., Karasinski, Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Huckert, John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gorenstein, Charles
• Application Number:
  US05/236,413
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 57/1R,34R,156 140/149,1 81/9.51
• US Class Current: 140/149
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/0207 Details; Auxiliary devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 1/1248 Machines

Abstract

Apparatus for forming twisted pairs of electrical conductor wire cut to predetermined lengths and having one wire end of a pair longitudinally offset from the adjacent end of the other wire of the pair. The apparatus includes plural wire preparation units which operate to cut predetermined lengths of wire and strip insulation from one or both ends of each wire. The wire preparation units are operable to feed prepared wires to a rotary wire carrier which includes a plurality of pairs of side by side elongated wire receiving tubes. The wire carrier is rotatably indexable from a wire receiving position to a position where a wire offsetting device comprising a fluid operated clamp and linear actuator operates to longitudinally offset one wire of a pair of wires prior to a twisting operation. The wire carrier is further indexable to a position wherein a pair of wires becomes engaged with a wire tensioning device and the adjacent ends of a pair of wires are gripped by a twisting and pulling apparatus. The twisting and pulling apparatus includes a linearly movable carriage having a pair of rotatable gripping jaws which grip adjacent ends of a pair of wires and withdraw the wires from the wire carrier tubes through the tensioning device while rotating. The combined linear and rotary movement of the gripping jaws is controlled to impart a predetermined number of twists to a wire pair.

Claims

1. Apparatus for forming twisted pairs of conductor wire comprising:

wire carrier means movably mounted on said apparatus and including wire receiving means for receiving and supporting at least two conductor wires to form a pair of wires;

wire twisting means including wire gripping means for gripping the end portions of a pair of wires disposed in said wire carrier means and twisting said pair of wires together, and being disposed on said apparatus for relative longitudinal movement with respect to said wire carrier means for withdrawing said pair of wires from said wire receiving means while twisting said pair of wires together;

indexing means for moving said wire carrier means from a wire receiving position to a position in which said pair of wires is gripped by said wire twisting means; and

, wire tensioning means engageable with said pair of wires disposed in said wire carrier means for tensioning said pair of wires while said pair of wires is being withdrawn from said wire receiving means.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said wire tensioning means comprises a housing disposed adjacent said wire carrier means and including a slot for receiving a portion of a pair of wires when said wire carrier means is moved by said indexing means.

3. The invention set forth in claim 2 wherein:

said wire tensioning means includes a cylindrical pin disposed in said housing for movement to a position between said wires of a pair of wires and said wire tensioning means includes guide means having a slot formed therein for guiding said wires to be bent at least partially around said pin while said pair of wires is being withdrawn from said wire receiving means.

4. Apparatus for forming twisted pairs of conductor wire comprising:

wire carrier means movably mounted on said apparatus and including a shaft, wire receiving means comprising elongated tube means for receiving and supporting at least two conductor wires to form a pair of wires, and support means for said elongated tube means mounted for rotation about the longitudinal axis of said shaft;

wire twisting means including wire gripping means for gripping the end portions of a pair of wires disposed in said wire carrier means and twisting said pair of wires together, and being disposed on said apparatus for relative longitudinal movement with respect to said wire carrier means for withdrawing said pair of wires from said elongated tube means while twisting said pair of wires together; and

, indexing means for moving said wire carrier means from a wire receivinG position to a position in which said pair of wires is gripped by said wire twisting means.

5. The invention set forth in claim 4 wherein:

said elongated tube means comprises plural pairs of elongated tubes each tube of a pair mounted adjacent and substantially parallel to the other tube of said pair and said plural pairs of tubes are mounted spaced apart on said support means about said axis of said shaft.

6. The invention set forth in claim 5 wherein:

said elongated tubes each include releasable wire retaining means for retaining said wires in said tubes while said wire carrier means is being moved by said indexing means.

7. Apparatus for forming twisted pairs of conductor wire comprising:

wire carrier means movably mounted on said apparatus and including wire receiving means for receiving and supporting at least two conductor wires to form a pair of wires;

wire twisting means including wire gripping means for gripping the end portions of a pair of wires disposed in said wire carrier means and twisting said pair of wires together, and being disposed on said apparatus for relative longitudinal movement with respect to said wire carrier means for withdrawing said pair of wires from said wire receiving means while twisting said pair of wires together;

indexing means for moving said wire carrier means from a wire receiving position to a position in which said pair of wires is gripped by said wire twisting means; and

, wire offsetting means including means for gripping the end portion of one wire of a pair of wires for longitudinally displacing said one wire with respect to the other wire of said pair of wires while said pair of wires is disposed in said wire carrier means.

8. The invention set forth in claim 7 wherein:

said wire offsetting means is disposed on said apparatus adjacent one end of said wire carrier means and said indexing means is operable to move said wire carrier means to an intermediate position between said wire receiving position and said position in which said pair of wires is gripped by said wire twisting means whereby the end portion of said one wire is in position to be gripped by said wire offsetting means.

9. The invention set forth in claim 8 wherein:

said wire offsetting means comprises a pressure fluid operated linear actuator including a movable piston rod, and said means for gripping said end portion of said one wire comprises a fluid actuated clamp mounted on said piston rod.

10. The invention set forth in claim 9 wherein:

said wire offsetting means includes adjustable means for limiting the movement of said piston rod.

11. The invention set forth in claim 9 together with:

means movable in response to said wire carrier means being indexed to said intermediate position to be interposed between the end portions of a pair of wires for separating said wires one from the other.

12. Apparatus for forming twisted pairs of conductor wire comprising:

wire carrier means including wire receiving means for receiving and supporting at least two conductor wires to form a pair of wires, wire twisting means including wire gripping means for gripping the end portions of a pair of wires disposed in said wire carrier means and twisting said pair of wires together; and

wire cutting means for cutting said wires to a predetermined length and feeding said wires to said wire receiving means, said wire cutting means including means for cutting and stripping insulation from the ends of said wires of predetermined length.

13. Apparatus for forming twisted pairs of conductor wire comprising:

wire carrier means including wire receiving means for receiving and supporting at least two conductor wires to form a pair of wires; and

, wire twisting means including wire gripping means for gripping the end portions of a pair of wires disposed in said wire carrier means and twisting said pair of wires together;

said wire twisting means including carriage means dispoSed on said apparatus and including drive means for moving said carriage means linearly toward and away from said wire carrier means, said wire gripping means being rotatably mounted on said carriage means for gripping and twisting a pair of wires together and withdrawing said pair of wires from said wire carrier means; and

, said wire twisting means including motor means mounted on said carriage means and operable to be drivably connected to said drive means and to said wire gripping means for simultaneously operating said drive means to move said carriage means away from said wire carrier means and rotating said wire gripping means.

14. The invention set forth in claim 13 wherein:

said drive means comprises a ball nut rotatably mounted on said carriage and engaged with an elongated screw disposed on said apparatus and said carriage is responsive to rotation of said nut to be moved with respect to said wire carrier means.

15. The invention set forth in claim 13 wherein:

said wire twisting means includes clutch means interconnecting said motor means and said drive means and operable to be in an engaged condition to provide for driving said carriage linearly with respect to said wire carrier means and a disengaged condition whereby said wire gripping means may be rotated by said motor means without movement of said carriage with respect to said wire carrier means.

16. The invention set forth in claim 13 wherein:

said wire twisting means includes clutch means interconnecting said motor means and said wire gripping means and operable to be in an engaged condition to provide for rotating said wire gripping means and a disengaged condition whereby said drive means may be operated by said motor means to move said carriage without rotating said wire gripping means.

17. Apparatus for forming twisted pairs of conductor wire comprising:

wire carrier means movably mounted on said apparatus and including wire receiving means for receiving and supporting at least two conductor wires to form a pair of wires;

wire twisting means including wire gripping means for gripping the end portions of a pair of wires disposed in said wire carrier means and twisting said pair of wires together, and being disposed on said apparatus for relative longitudinal movement with respect to said wire carrier means for withdrawing said pair of wires from said wire receiving means while twisting said pair of wires together; and

, indexing means for moving said wire carrier means from a wire receiving position to a position in which said pair of wires is gripped by said wire twisting means.

18. Apparatus for forming twisted pairs of conductor wire comprising:

wire carrier means including wire receiving means comprising a plurality of pairs of elongated tubes for supporting a plurality of conductor wires of predetermined length in plural paired arrangement; and

, wire twisting means including wire gripping means for gripping the end portions of a pair of wires disposed in said wire carrier means and twisting said pair of wires together.

19. The invention set forth in claim 18 wherein:

said wire twisting means is disposed on said apparatus for relative longitudinal movement with respect to said wire carrier means for withdrawing said pair of wires from said wire receiving means while twisting said pair of wires together.

20. The invention set forth in claim 18 together with:

wire cutting means for cutting said wires to a predetermined length and feeding said wires to said wire receiving means.