Apparatus and methods for filament crimping and manufacturing
First Claim
1. A crimped filament assembly, comprising:
- at least one crimp element assembly, said at least one crimp element assembly comprising;
a plurality of crimp heads, each of said crimp heads comprising a metal alloy with a plurality of crimping cavities therein, said plurality of crimping cavities adapted to retain a filament wire therein; and
a filament wire, said filament wire crimped to at least two of said crimp heads; and
a carrier comprising a plurality of locating features running in a direction substantially parallel with said filament wire, said carrier facilitating the automated processing of said at least one crimp element assembly.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and methods for filament crimping. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a body and a filament crimp element. The filament crimp element comprises a first set of cavities disposed at a spacing which creates a first set of features and a second set of cavities disposed at a spacing which creates a second set of features. The first and second set cavities are substantially opposite one another. The first set of features are adapted to be placed at least partially within the second set of cavities and the second set of features are adapted to be placed at least partially within the first set of cavities. Methods and apparatus for the manufacture of the device are also disclosed. In addition, methods for automated placement and manufacture of assemblies using the crimp elements are also disclosed.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A crimped filament assembly, comprising:
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at least one crimp element assembly, said at least one crimp element assembly comprising; a plurality of crimp heads, each of said crimp heads comprising a metal alloy with a plurality of crimping cavities therein, said plurality of crimping cavities adapted to retain a filament wire therein; and a filament wire, said filament wire crimped to at least two of said crimp heads; and a carrier comprising a plurality of locating features running in a direction substantially parallel with said filament wire, said carrier facilitating the automated processing of said at least one crimp element assembly. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for manufacturing a crimped filament assembly comprising a plurality of crimp elements, the method comprising:
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disposing a filament wire proximate at least one of said plurality of crimp elements; placing said filament wire under tension; crimping said filament wire under tension to said at least one crimp elements to form a crimped assembly; and placing said crimped assembly onto a carrier, said crimped assembly on said carrier comprising said crimped filament assembly; wherein said act of placing said crimped assembly onto said carrier comprises placing said crimped assembly such that said crimped assembly can be removed while disposed in a fixed location relative to said carrier. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A crimped filament assembly, comprising:
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at least one crimp element assembly, the at least one crimp element assembly comprising; a plurality of crimp elements, each of said crimp elements comprising a metal alloy and a plurality of crimp features to retain a filament wire therein; and a filament wire, said filament wire crimped to at least two of said crimp heads; wherein said plurality of crimp features retain said filament wire securely without substantially degrading said filament wire so as to preserve the tensile strength of said filament wire; and a carrier formed of said metal alloy and further comprising a plurality of locating features that facilitate automated processing for said at least one crimp element assembly; and a carrier tape, said plurality of crimp elements being detachably secured to said carrier tape. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A method for manufacturing a crimped filament assembly, comprising:
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providing a plurality of crimp elements; disposing a filament wire proximate at least one of said plurality of crimp elements; placing said filament wire under tension; crimping said filament wire under tension to said at least one crimp elements to form a crimped assembly; and placing said crimped assembly onto a carrier, said crimped assembly on said carrier comprising said crimped filament assembly; wherein said carrier comprises a tape, and said crimped assembly is held to said tape in a fixed location via an adhesive, said fixed location being selected to facilitate subsequent processing. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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20. A crimped filament assembly, comprising:
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at least one crimp element assembly, said at least one crimp element assembly comprising; a plurality of crimp means, each of said crimp means comprising a metal alloy with a plurality of crimping cavities therein, said plurality of crimping cavities adapted to retain a filament therein; and a filament, said filament crimped to at least two of said crimp means; and carrier means comprising a plurality of locating means running in a direction substantially parallel with said filament, said carrier means facilitating the automated processing of said at least one crimp element assembly. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method for manufacturing a crimped filament assembly comprising a plurality of crimp elements, the method comprising:
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a step for disposing a filament wire proximate at least one of said plurality of crimp elements; a step for tensioning said filament wire; a step for crimping said filament wire under tension to said at least one crimp elements to form a crimped assembly; and a step for placing said crimped assembly onto a carrier to form said crimped filament assembly; wherein said step for placing said crimped assembly onto said carrier comprises a step for placing said crimped assembly such that said crimped assembly can be removed while disposed in a fixed location relative to said carrier. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification