A method of, and apparatus for, producing wired electrical connectors

Claim 3

A method according to Claim 1, characterised in that the wire insertion stations (18, 20 and 22) are at least three in number and are arranged in a row in a common wire insertion zone (16), and in which method, the connectors (10) are advanced step by step through the stations (18, 20 and 22) from a first station (18) at one end of the row to a second station (22) at the other end of the row, the method comprising the following steps:- (a) providing for each connector applying station (18, 20 and 22), a group of wires of a number X, where M = the number of terminals in each connector (10) and X = the number of the connector applying stations (18, 20 and 22); (b) aligning each wire,of each group of wires (14) with the wire receiving portion (11') of a terminal (11) of an individual one of the connectors (10), adjacent ones of these terminals (11) being spaced from one another by X-1 intervening terminals; (c) moving each wire (14) of each group into the wire receiving portion (11') with which it is aligned; (d) removing a fully wired connector (10) from the second station (22), advancing the connectors (10) along the row of connector applying stations (18, 20 and 22) to position a connector (10) in each station excepting the first station (18) and placing an unwired connector in the first station (18); and (e) continuously repeating steps (a) to (d).

Claim 4

Apparatus for producing wired electrical connectors (10), such connectors (10) each comprising an insulating housing (12) containing a row of electrical terminals (11) each having a wire receiving portion (11') into which a wire (14) can be inserted laterally of its longitudinal axis to make electrical connection with the terminal (11), the apparatus comprising a first wire insertion station (18) in a wire insertion zone (16); means (30) for feeding the wires (14) along a first path to present the wires in a common plane in the wire insertion zone (16), the wire insertion station (18) having first connector locating means (66) for removably locating a first connector (10) on one side of the common plane with the row of terminals (11) of the first connector extending transversely of the first path; and first insertion means (44) in the wire insertion zone (16) and on the other side of the common plane, for inserting wires into the wire receiving portions (11') of the terminals (11) of the first connector (10), the insertion means (44) being movable along a second path, towards and away from the connector; characterised by a second wire insertion station (22) having second connector locating means (66) for removably locating a second connector (10) on the one side of the common plane in juxtaposed relationship with the first connector (10) and with the row of terminals (11) of the second connector (10) in longitudinal alignment with the row of terminals (10) of the first connector (10), second insertion means (44) in the insertion zone (16) and on the said other side of the common plane, the second insertion means (44) being movable along a third path towards and away from a connector (10) in the second connector locating means (66); and in that the first insertion means (44) is arranged to insert wires (14) into the wire receiving portions (11') of a first group of terminals (11) of a first connector (10) in the first locating means (66) and the second insertion means (44) is arranged to insert wires (14) into the wire receiving portions (11') a second group of terminals (11) of a second connector (10) in the second locating means (66), adjacent terminals in the first group being separated from each other by at least one terminal (11) of the second group and adjacent terminals (11) of the second group being separated from one another by at least one terminal (11) of the first group.

Claim 5

Apparatus for producing wired electrical connectors (10), such connectors (10) each comprising an insulating housing (12) containing a row of electrical terminals (11) each having a wire receiving portion (11') into which a wire (14) can be inserted laterally of its longitudinal axis to make electrical connection with the terminal (11), the apparatus comprising a first wire insertion station (18) in a wire insertion zone (16); means (30) for feeding the wires (14) along a first path to present the wires in a common plane in the wire insertion zone (16), the wire insertion station (18) having first connector locating means (66) for removably locating a first connector (10) on one side of the common plane with the row of terminals (11) of the first connector extending transversely of the first path; and first insertion means (44) in the wire insertion zone (16) and on the other side of the common plane, for inserting wires into the wire receiving portions (11') of the terminals (11) of the first connector (10), the insertion means (44) being movable along a second path, towards and away from the connector; characterised by a second wire insertion station (22) having second connector locating means (66) for removably locating a second connector (10) on the one side of the common plane in juxtaposed relationship with the first connector (10) and with the row of terminals (11) of the second connector (10) in longitudinal alignment with the row of terminals (10) of the first connector (10), second insertion means (44) in the insertion zone (16) and on the said other side of the common plane, the second insertion means (44) being movable along a third path towards and away from a connector (10) in the second connector locating means (66); and in that the first insertion means (44) is arranged to insert wires (14) into the wire receiving portions (11') of a first group of terminals (11) of a first connector (10) in the first locating means (66) and the second insertion means (44) is arranged to insert wires (14) into the wire receiving portions (11') a second group of terminals (11) of a second connector (10) in the second locating means (66), adjacent terminals in the first group being separated from each other by at least one terminal (11) of the second group and adjacent terminals (11) of the second group being separated from one another by at least one terminal (11) of the first group.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to Claim 2, characterised by a third wire insertion station (20) having third connector locating means (66) for removably locating a third connector (10) on the one side of the common plane in juxtaposed relationship with the first and second connectors (10) and with the row of terminals (11) of the third connector (10) in longitudinal alignment with the rows of terminals of the first and second connectors (10), and third insertion means in the insertion zone (16) and on the said other side of the common plane, the third insertion means (44) being movable along a fourth path towards and away from a connector (10) in the third connector locating means (66), and being arranged to insert wires into the wire receiving portions (11') of a third group of terminals (11) in the connector (10) in the third locating means (66), the terminals of each group being spaced by X-1 intervening terminals and being of a number m , where X is the number of the wire insertion stations (18, 20 and 22), and M is the number of terminals (11) in each row.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to Claim 3 or 4, characterised by a mechanism (114, 116) for transferring each connector locating means (66) from one wire insertion station (18 or 20) to the next (20 or 22).

Claim 8

Apparatus according to Claim 5, characterised in that each connector locating means is in the form of a shuttle (66), the shuttles being arranged to be driven in juxtaposed relationship along first (24) and second (24') juxtaposed spaced tracks, the second track (24') extending through the wire insertion stations (18, 20 and 22), and means (128 and 128') being provided for transferring the shuttles (66) from the first track (24) to the second track (24').

Claim 9

Apparatus according to Claim 5 or 6, characterised by means for sequentially actuating the wire feeding means (30), the wire insertion means (44) and the transfer mechanism (114, 116), to cause the connectors (10) to be shifted stepwise through the wire insertion stations (18, 20 and 22) and the groups of terminals in the connectors (10) in the connector locating means (66) to be simultaneously wired.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to any one of Claims 3 to 7, characterised in that the wire feeding means comprises a single shuttle assembly (30) arranged simultaneously to feed a plurality of groups of wires (14), so that the wires (14) of each group are in each in alignment with one of the wire receiving portions (11') of the terminals (11) of one of the connectors (10) in the connector locating means (66) at the wire insertion stations (18, 20 and 22).

Claim 11

Apparatus according to Claim 8, characterised in that wire lengthening bars (54) are provided upstream, in the wire feeding direction, of the wire insertion means (44), each such bar (54) being movable to cause a roller (56) on the free end of the bar (54) to engage one of the wires (14) immediately following its insertion into the corresponding wire receiving portion (11'), to draw a length of the wire from a wire supply source (26).

Claim 12

Apparatus according to Claim 9, characterised in that wire severing means (48) and wire insulation stripping means (50) are provided upstream of the wire lengthening bars (54), which are arranged to be further moved in the same direction after the lengths of wire have been drawn from the wire supply sources (26), to drag the wires (14) from the insulation stripping means (50) to strip the trailing ends of the wires (14), the wires (14) engaging a wire friction reduction roll (51) interposed between wire lengthening bars (54) and the insulation stripping means (50).