Semi-automatic electrical harness fabricating apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A method of fabricating electrical harnesses, each harness including a connector electrically connected to a plurality of conductors comprising the steps of:
- a. providing at least one connector, each connector having a plurality of terminals preloaded partially into a housing with a conductor-receiving terminal portion outside of the housing;
b. positioning the connector with a first conductor-receiving terminal portion spaced apart and generally aligned with a conductor insertion blade;
c. receiving a conductor within a conductor guide channel and detecting said conductor at a predetermined position within said conductor-guide channel;
d terminating said conductor into said first conductor-receiving terminal portion outside of the housing;
e. moving the connector carrying slide one step to position a next adjacent conductor-receiving terminal portion generally aligned with the conductor insertion blade;
f. detecting a next conductor at a predetermined position within said conductor-guide channel; and
g. terminating said next conductor into said aligned conductor-receiving terminal portion outside of the housing and inserting said previously terminated conductor and terminal portion into the housing.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improved method and apparatus are provided for fabricating an electrical harness including a connector and a plurality of conductors. The connector has a plurality of terminals preloaded partially into a housing with a conductor-receiving terminal portion outside of the housing. One or more connectors are manually positioned within a frame of the electrical harness fabricating apparatus. An operational cycle of the electrical harness apparatus begins when a conductor is detected at a predetermined position within a conductor-guide channel. The conductors are sequentially terminated into the terminals outside of the housing and the previously terminated terminals are fully inserted into the housing.
11 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of fabricating electrical harnesses, each harness including a connector electrically connected to a plurality of conductors comprising the steps of:
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a. providing at least one connector, each connector having a plurality of terminals preloaded partially into a housing with a conductor-receiving terminal portion outside of the housing; b. positioning the connector with a first conductor-receiving terminal portion spaced apart and generally aligned with a conductor insertion blade; c. receiving a conductor within a conductor guide channel and detecting said conductor at a predetermined position within said conductor-guide channel; d terminating said conductor into said first conductor-receiving terminal portion outside of the housing; e. moving the connector carrying slide one step to position a next adjacent conductor-receiving terminal portion generally aligned with the conductor insertion blade; f. detecting a next conductor at a predetermined position within said conductor-guide channel; and g. terminating said next conductor into said aligned conductor-receiving terminal portion outside of the housing and inserting said previously terminated conductor and terminal portion into the housing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. Apparatus for fabricating electrical harnesses of the type including a connector electrically connected to a plurality of conductors, the connector having a plurality of terminals preloaded partially into an electrically insulative housing with a conductor-receiving terminal portion outside of the housing, the apparatus including
a connector nest including a frame and a movable slide for receiving and positioning the connector at a starting position with a first conductor-receiving terminal portion spaced apart and generally aligned with a conductor insertion blade of a termination assembly, the movable slide being adapted for stepwise movement in discrete steps corresponding to the centerline spacing between adjacent terminals for sequentially positioning a next adjacent conductor-receiving terminal portion at the termination position, the apparatus being characterized by: -
means for sequentially terminating said conductor into said adjacent conductor-receiving terminal portion; and means for sequentially inserting said terminated conductor and terminal portion into the connector housing. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A semi-automatic electrical harness fabricating tool, each harness including a connector electrically connected to a plurality of conductors, the connector having a plurality of terminals preloaded partially into an electrically insulative housing with a conductor-receiving terminal portion outside of the housing, said terminals being arranged in two opposed rows, the apparatus including
a connector nest including a frame and a movable slide for receiving and positioning the connector at a starting position with a first opposed conductor-receiving terminal portions spaced apart and generally aligned with a pair of conductor insertion blades of a termination assembly, the moVable slide being adapted for stepwise movement in discrete steps corresponding to the centerline spacing between adjacent terminals for sequentially positioning a next adjacent, opposed conductor-receiving terminal portions at the termination position, the apparatus being characterized by: -
means for supporting and aligning said opposed, conductor-receiving terminal portions; means for sequentially terminating a pair of said conductors into said adjacent conductor-receiving terminal portions; and means for sequentially inserting said terminated conductor and opposed terminal portions into the connector housing. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification