Crimping tool for automotive ignition terminals and the like

• US 4,225,990 A
• Filed: 10/16/1978
• Issued: 10/07/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Company
• Original Assignee: 3M Company
• Inventors: Theiler, Werner C. Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, James G.
• Application Number:
  US05/951,491
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 7/107, 81/9.5 B, 30/90.1, 30/142, 30/176, 30/197, 30/226, 140/106
• US Class Current: 7/107
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 7/22 Pliers provided with auxiliary tool elements, e.g. cutting edges, nail extractors for removing insulation or armouring from electric cables H02G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/0421 combined with other functions, e.g. cutting

Abstract

A plier type crimping tool including a cut-off edge and complementary anvil, insulation stripping knife edges, terminal leg partial inturning formations, terminal leg full crimping formations, and high tower terminal crimping formations.

Claims

1. A crimping tool for automotive ignition terminals and the like, said tool comprising:

a pair of pivotally connected levers, a cut-off edge on one lever adjacent to the other lever, an anvil on the other lever facing toward said cut-off edge for abutting engagement therewith to sever a wire, a pair of insulation stripping knife edges on said levers for cutting engagement with insulation of an interposed wire, one of said knife edges extending beyond the adjacent portion of its lever and the other of said knife edges being recessed into its lever for receiving one knife edge when said knife edges are in said limiting position, said knife edges extending toward and terminating short of each other in a limiting position with said anvil and cut-off edge abutting to leave an unsevered insulation tag, and said knife edges having facing notches for receiving a wire core without severance.

2. A crimping tool according to claim 1, said one knife edge being on said one lever, said other knife edge being on said other lever, and said cut-off edge having one face flush with one face of said one knife edge.

3. A crimping tool according to claim 1, in combination with a generally radial arm on one of said levers for carrying a high tower terminal, the remaining lever having a recess facing said arm with a bottom wall configured to crimp a high tower terminal carried by said arm upon movement thereof into said recess.

4. A crimping tool according to claim 3, said recess bottom wall having a pair of adjacent troughs for receiving and crimping a pair of end tabs of a high tower terminal.

5. A crimping tool according to claim 3, said arm having a bearing surface facing toward said recess for bearing engagement with a transverse edge of a high tower terminal, said arm bearing surface being oriented with respect to said recess to move into general parallelism with said recess bottom wall in a full crimping position of said levers.

6. A crimping tool according to claim 5, said recess having an inwardly convergent mouth for frictional guiding engagement with a pair of end tabs of a high tower terminal.

7. A crimping tool according to claim 6, said pivotally connected levers being self-retaining in a selected position of pivotal movement, for holding a high tower terminal in position between said arm bearing surface and recess mouth for insertion of a wire through said recess.

8. A crimping tool according to claim 3, said certain lever having one end portion offset from the next adjacent portion, said one end portion of said lever including said arm for locating the latter offset from said recess.

9. A crimping tool according to claim 1, said knife edges being located adjacent to said cut-off edge and anvil, toward the lever pivotal axis said one knife edge providing a stop for wire positioning between said cut-off edge and anvil.

10. In a crimping tool for automotive ignition terminals and the like, the combination comprising:

a pair of pivotally connected levers, a pair of facing portions on said levers and movable toward and away from each other, a first bight recess in a facing portion for receiving the bight of a generally U-shaped wire terminal, an initial forming recess in a facing portion opposite to and larger than said first bight recess for receiving and partially inturning the legs of a wire terminal, said initial forming recess being relatively large for operation with terminals of different sizes and various shapes, a second bight recess in a facing portion for receiving the bight of a wire terminal having partially inturned legs, a third bight recess in a facing portion for receiving the bight of a wire terminal having partially inturned legs, a final forming recess in a facing portion opposite to said second bight recess and having a pair of troughs for final forming of terminal legs crimped about a wire and an additional final forming recess in a facing portion opposite to said third bight recess and having an additional pair of troughs for final forming of terminal legs crimped about a wire, said second bight recess and final forming recess being specifically configured to fully crimp a terminal about a certain size wire and said third bight recess and additional final forming recess being specifically configured to fully crimp a terminal about a different wire size.

11. A crimping tool according to claim 10, said first, second and third bight recesses being located on one facing portion in side by side adjacent spaced relation with each other;

and said initial, final and additional final forming recesses being located on the other facing portion opposite to said one facing portion.

12. A crimping tool according to claim 10, said first bight and initial forming recesses being spaced from the lever pivotal axis further than the remaining of said recesses.

13. A crimping tool according to claim 10, said third and additional final forming recesses being specifically configured to fully crimp a terminal about a smaller wire than said second bight and final forming recesses and being located closer to the lever pivotal axis than said second bight and final forming recesses.

14. A crimping tool for automotive ignition terminals and the like, said tool comprising:

a pair of pivotally connected levers, a cut-off edge on one lever adjacent to the other lever, an anvil on the other lever facing toward said cut-off edge for abutting engagement therewith to sever a wire, a pair of insulation stripping knife edges on said levers for cutting engagement with insulation of an interposed wire, said knife edges extending toward and terminatng short of each other in a limiting position with said anvil and cut-off edge abutting to leave an unsevered insulation tag and having facing notches for receiving a wire core without severance, a generally radial arm on a certain of said levers for carrying a high tower terminal, the remaining lever having a recess facing said arm with a bottom wall configured to crimp a high tower terminal carried by said arm upon movement thereof into said recess and an inwardly convergent mouth defined by corner bevels on opposite sides of said recess for frictional guiding engagement with a pair of end tabs of a high tower terminal, said radial arm having a bearing surface facing toward said recess for bearing engagement with a transverse edge of a high tower terminal, said arm bearing surface being oriented with respect to said recess to move into general parallelism with said recess bottom wall in a full crimping position of said levers.

15. A crimping tool according to claim 14, said recess having its opposite side walls extending respectively from said bevels in general parallelism with each other to said recess bottom wall.

16. A crimping tool according to claim 15, said recess bottom wall having a pair of adjacent troughs for receiving and crimping a pair of end tabs of a high tower terminal, said recess side walls merging smoothly with the distal sides of respective troughs.