Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
103~143
This inYention relates to apparatus for the simultaneous insertion
of a plurality of electrical conductors into slots in individual terminals
of an electrical connector thereby electrically to connect the conductors
to the terminals.
Many forms of slotted electrical terminals and electrical connec-
tors utilising such terminals are well known; with such terminals an insul-
ated electrical conductor is forced into the slot in the terminal such that
the edges of the slot penetrate the insulation of the conductor and make
electrical connection to the conductive core of the conductor.
Further, many forms of apparatus for simultaneously producing a
plurality of such conductor to terminal connections are well known.
For example, in our Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 195,132
filed March 15, 1974 there is described an electrical connector utilising
such slotted terminals, and an apparatus for connecting the connector to a
plurality of conductors, the apparatus comprising a base having holding
means to hold the connector thereon, conductor locating means arranged to
locate the conductors relative to a connector mounted on the holding means
for insertion into the slots in the terminals of the connector, and an inser-
tion tool which is removably mountable on the base and which has an insertion
slide which, with the tool mounted on the base, is movable relative to the
base to urge the conductors located by the locating means, into the slots
in the terminals of the connector mounted on the holding means.
In this known apparatus a connector is clamped to the base by a
clamping screw while the conductors are urged
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into the terminals of the connector, and after connection of the conductors
to the terminals the clamping screw is released and the connector, with the
conductors connected thereto, removed from the apparatus.
With this known apparatus there is no facility for testing the
connections formed between the conductors and the terminals of the connector, ~ :
and such ~esting may be difficult if not impossible to carry out at a later
time, particularly if the conductors and connector are part of a large ~ :
harness as found in automobiles and domestic equipment.
According to this invention there is provided apparatus for the
simultaneous insertion of a plurality of electrical conductors into slots ~ :
in individual terminals of an electrical connector thereby electrically to
- connect the conductors to the terminals, the apparatus comprising a base ~-
having mounting means to mount the connector thereon, the mounting means
including conductors which, when the connector is mounted on the mounting
means, are electrically connected to the terminals of the connector; conduc- . ~
tor locating means arranged to receive and locate the electrical conductors ~ .
relative to a connector mounted on the mounting means for insertion into the
slots in the terminals of the connector; an insertion tool which is remov-
ably mountable on the base and which has an insertion slide which, with the
tool mounted on the base, is movable relative to the base to urge the elec-
trical conductors located by the locating means into the slots in the termin-
als of the connector mounted on the mounting means; and test means connected : .
to the conductors of the mounting means whereby the electrical connections
between the electrical conductors and the terminals, established by the -
apparatus, can be tested for electrical continuity immediately they are
established.
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1038143 5021
With such apparatus test means can be connected to
the conductors of the mounting means whereby the electrical
connections between the electrical conductors and the
terminals established by the apparatus can be tested
5 immediately they are established.
If the connector is a printed circuit board edge
connector the mounting means can comprise a printed circuit
board the conductors of which constitute the electrical
conductors of the mounting means.
The apparatus of this invention has the advantages
that a connector can be easily and accurately mounted on
the mounting means due to the mating relationship between
the connector and the mounting means, and that the connections
established by the apparatus can be fully tested before the
lS connector is removed from the apparatus.
Preferably the mounting means is readile removable
from the base whereby one mounting means can be removed and
replaced by a further mounting means adapted to mate with
a different connector, the advantages of such apparatus
belng readily apparent.
An embodiment of apparatus according to the
invention will now be described by way of example with
reference to the drawings, in which:-
Flgure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus
in an unloaded condition;
Figure 2 is a!view similar to that of Figure l
but with the apparatus in a loaded condition;
Figure 3 is a side elevation of part of the
apparatus of Figures 1 and 2 in the Figure l
- 30 condition.
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1038143
Flgure 4 is a sectional slde elevation of the
apparatus after use; and
Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of part
of the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2.
The apparatus to be described is for simultaneously
inserting an individual electrical conductor into a slot
ln an indlvidual one of a plurality of terminals of an
electrical connector of the type described in Patent
Applicatlon No. - 195132 (8300). As described in that -
application each connector comprises a housing of electrically
insulating material having a plurality of cavities extending -
therethrough, each cavity containing a terminal formed to
provide a conductor-receiving slot accessible from outside -
the housing. To connect an insulated conductor to a
terminal of the connector the conductor is urged into the
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terminal slot such that the walls of the slot penetrate the
lnsulation of the conductor and establish electrical connection
to the conductive core of the conductor, and the apparatus
of the invention serves this purpose for a plurality of
conductors simul~aneously.
The apparatus of the invention comprises a base 1
which ls secured by fasteners 2 over and ln a hole 3 in a
base board 4, and an insertion tool S which is removably
mountable on the base l as will be descrlbed.
The base 1 carries locating means comprising a -
; flrst, fixed, conducto~-ali~nin~ comb 6, and a second,
; movable conductor-ali~ning comb 7. The comb 7 is carrled
- by two arms 8 whlch are pivotally connected by plns 9 to
two arms 10 of the base 1, whereby the comb 7 is movable between
30 an open position (as shown in Figures 1 and 3) and a closed
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1038143
position (as sho~m in Figures 2 and ~). The comb 7 can be
latched in either of its positions by means of manually
operable spring - loaded latch arms 11 which are biassed
by means of compression springs 12 ~Figure 3) to engage
complementary surfaces of the base 1.
The pins 9 are received in bosses 13 on the arms 8
and the lnwardly facing ends of the pin-receiving holes 14 in
the bosses 13 receive lugs 15 on a printed circuit board 16
(as shown in Figure 6), the lugs 15 being introduced into the
10 holes 14 by way of slots 17 in the bosses 13 extending normally
to the arms 8. Thus, the printed circuit board 16 can be
mounted on the bosses 13 such that it can pivot relative to
the base 1 independently of the movement of the arms 8, and
thus the comb 7 .
An edge connector 18 is mounted on the bottom (as
shown in Figures 1 to 4) edge of the printed circuit board
16, and serves to connect conductors on the board 16 to
leads 19 which lead to test equipment (not shown).
Mounted on the base 1 beneath the comb 6 is a
rectangular cross-sectlon bar 20 on which the comb 6 ls
mounted. Also mounted on the bar 20 are a spacer bar 21 and
shear bar 22, the bars 21 and 22 being mounted on the bar 20
by means of set screws 23 (Flgure 4) which permit the bars
21 and 22 to be accurately posltioned relatlve to the bar
20 ln the directlon towards and away from the prlnted clrcuit
board 16 as seen in Figure 4.
~ he insertion tool 5 comprises a housing 24 having a
pair of depending legs 26 arranged to be received in channels
27 in side members 28 of the base 1. The free ends of the
legs 26 are formed with hooks 29 which engage under comple-
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mentary surfaces of the base 1, and with holes 30 ln which
are received s~ring biassed pins 31 thereby to secure the
insertion tool 5 to the base 1 in the position shown in
Figure 2 and 4. The housing 24 contains an insertion blade 32 ~ -
S which is slidable relative to the housing 24 by means of a
cam 33 mounted on the housing 24 and a cam follower 34 m-
mounted on the blade 32. The cam 33 has a manually operable
handle 35 connected thereto whereby the cam 33 can be rotated
relatlve to the housing 24 thereby to urge the blade 32
downwards (as seen in Figure 4) relative to the housing 24.
The blade 32 carries at its free end an insertion member 36
having a plurality of pairs of insertion fingers 37, each pair
being aligned with an individual slot in each of the combs ;
6 and 7 when the insertion tool 5 is-mounted on the base 1 -
as described. The slide 32 is normally biassed upwardly
( as seen in Figure 4) by a spring (not shown) and is
moved downwardly as described against the action of the
spring by the handle 35. The right-hand (as seen in Figure
4) lead$ng edge 38 of the blade 32 serves as a shearing edge
and co-operates with the shear bar 22 as will be described.
For use of the above described apparatus the base -
1 is mounted on the board 4 by means of the fasteners 2 as
shown.
The lnsertion tool 5 is then mounted on the base 1
as described, the slide 32 being held in its upper position
as shown in Figure 4 b,y the spring (not shown).
The latch arms 11 are then released and the arms
8 and comb 7 swung to their open condition as shown in
Figures 1 and 3.
The printed circuit board 16 can now be pivoted
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1038143 5021
about its lugs 15 relative to the arms 8 to the position
shown in Figure 3.
A connector 100 as described above is then
mounted on the upper (as seen in the drawings) edge of the
printed circuit board 16 with the terminals of the connector
100 connected to the conductors on the board 16, and thus to
the test apparatus (not shown) by wav of the connector 18
and the leads 19.
The printed circuit board 16 is then pivoted to the
position shown in Figure 4 and the arms 8 then swung into
the position shown in this Figure and latched in that position
by the arms 11.
The connector 100 is now accurately positioned and
held between the comb 7 and the spacer bar 21, with the slots
in the terminals of the connector 100 each individually
aligned wlth a slot of the comb 6 and a slot of the comb 7.
Insulated conductors 101 are then positioned each
through aligned slots in the combs 6 and 7 as shown in
Flgure 2, each conductor L01 thus being positioned over the
slot in an individual terminal of the connector 100.
The handle 35 is then o~erated to urge the blade
32 downwards (as seen in Figure 4) whereby the fingers 37 of
the insertion member 36 urge the conductors 101 into the
slots in the terminals of the connector 100 and thus elect-
rically connect the conductors 101 to the terminals as
:~ described above. During this action the edge 38 of the ~.
slide 32 co-operates with the shear bar 22 to cut all of the
conductors 101 such that the newly formed free ends of the .
conductors are finally positioned in the connector 100.
The cut-off portions of the conductors 101, shown in
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Figure 4, can be discarded as scrap.
After the insertion operation is completed the
handle 35 is released, and moves together with the blade 32
to the position shown in Figure 4.
The test apparatus (not shown) can then be used to
test the electrical continuity of the circuits formed from
the conductors 101, through the connector 100, the printed
clrcuit board 16, the connector 18, and the leads 19.
After such testing the latch arms 11 are released
and the arms 8 and board 16 pivoted to the positions shown ''
in Figure 3. The connector 100 with the conductors 101 I;
can then be removed from the apparatus for further handling
in dependence upon the results of the testing, and a new
connector 100 mounted on the board 16 for a further cycle
of operation of the apparatus.
By releasing the latch arms 11 when in the position
shown in Figure 3 and pivoting the arms 8 anticlockwise (as
seen ln Figure 3) to the position shown in Figure 5, the
printed circuit board 16 can be removed from the apparatus
by moving the lugs 15 on the board 16 through the slots 17
in the bosses 13 on the arms 8. The printed circuit board
16 can thus be replaced bv a similar board.
Otherwise the board 16 can be replaced by a board
havlng a different arrangement of conductors whereby the
; 25 apparatu~ can be used with a different connector 100; such
use may require the re~lacement of the combs 6 and 7 and the
insertion member 36 of the insertion tool 5 by appropriate 1!
dlfferent members.
The above described apparatus can be used together
with a plurality of other similar apparatus for the manufacture
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of wiring harnesses as found in automobiles and domestic
equipment. For such use all the apparatus can be mounted on
a common board 4 in appropriate positions, and the conductors
101 then laced in the required configuration through connectors
100 mounted on the apparatus. The conauctors 101 can then be
connected to the connectors 100 as described above, and the
harness comprising the connectors 100 and the conductors 101
then removed from the board 4.
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