Method and apparatus for connecting pairs of conductors

Claim 2

Apparatus for connecting the corresponding wires of first and second pairs of wires to each other comprising: frame means, first and second wire-joining means disposed in side-by-side spaced apart relationship on said frame means, pair separator means between said first and second wire-joining means, said pair separator means having continuous divergent guide surface portions extending towards said wire joining means which are effective to separate the two wires of a pair upon movement of the pair laterally of its axis past said pair separator means and into said first and second wire joining means whereby each wire of said first pair is located in one of said wire-joining means and upon lateral movement of said first pair towards and over said pair separator means and each wire of said second pair is located in one of said wire-joining means upon lateral movement of said second pair towards and over said pair separator means.

Claim 3

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pair separator means is generally pyramidal, said guide surface portions comprises sides of said separator sloping away from the apex thereof.

Claim 4

AppaRatus as set forth in claim 1 including displacing means for displacing said first and second wire-joining means relatively laterally with respect to said pair separator means by an amount substantially equal to the desired spacing between wires located in said wire-joining means, said pair separator means being operable during the interval between movement of said first pair into said wire-joinining means and movement of said second pair into said wire-joining means whereby said corresponding wires of said two pair are located in side-by-side relationship in said wire-joining means.

Claim 5

Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 including an indexible wheel, said first and second wire-joining means being on said index wheel, said displacing means comprising means for displacing said index wheel with respect to said separator means.

Claim 6

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said wire-joining means comprises first and second open U-type crimpable connecting devices.

Claim 7

Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 including conveyor means for supporting said connecting devices, a crimping station disposed along the path of movement of said conveyor means, and means at said crimping station for crimping said connecting devices onto said wires.

Claim 8

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first and second wire-joining means comprises first and second crimpable connectors, said apparatus including a conveyor and a crimping station, said conveyor being movable past said crimping station whereby said connecting devices are crimped onto said wires.

Claim 13

Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said conveyor comprises an indexible wheel.

Claim 14

Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said wire-holding means comprises gripping means on each side of said conveyor, said gripping means being adapted to hold said wires on each side of, and in alignment with, said associated connector.

Claim 15

Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said connectors have insulation-piercing means therein for piercing the insulation of said wires, said inserting means functioning to move said wires into engagement with said insulation-piercing means thereby to establish electrical contact between said wires and said connectors.

Claim 16

Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said conveyor is adapted to carry said connecting devices in associated pairs and including, means at said loading station, for separating the two wires of a wire pair and guiding one wire into each connector of the associated pair of connectors at said loading station.

Claim 17

Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said inserting means comprises means engageable with said wires and movable between the sidewalls of said connectors, thereby to push said wires into said connectors, said inserting mans having wirecutting means mounted thereon, said wirecutting means being movable against the web portion of said connector to trim the ends of said wires.

Claim 20

Apparatus for splicing a first cable to a second cable, each of said cables containing a plurality of associated pairs of conductors, said cables being disposed in substantial axial alignment with their ends adjacent to each other, said apparatus comprising first and second conductor supports, said supports being spaced apart and each being adapted to support a bundle of conductors from said first and second cables respectively with the axes of said conductors extending in a common direction which is transverse with respect to the common axis of said cables, first and second connector supports, said connector supports being disposed adjacent to said first and second conductor supports respectively and between said conductor supports, said connector supports being adapted to support open-sided connectors with the axes of said connectors extending parallel to, and beside, the axes of conductors supported in said conductor supports, conductor separator means between said connector supports, said separator means being effective, upon extraction of a pair from one of said supports and transfer of said pair laterally onto said separator means, to separate the conductors of an associated pair of conductors and position each of said conductors in a connector supported on each of said connector supports, means for severing the end portions of conductors positioned in said connectors which extend beyond said connectors, and means for crimping said connectors onto conductors positioned therein whereby, upon selecting an associated pair of conductors from said first conductor support and transferring said pair to said separator means, repeating said selecting and transferring operations for a pair of conductors in said second conductor support, and actuating said trimming means and said crimping means, the corresponding conductors of the two selected pairs are electrically connected to each other by said connectors.

Claim 21

Apparatus for splicing a first cable to a second cable, each of said cables containing a plurality of associated pairs of conductors, said cables being disposed in substantial axial alignment with their ends adjacent to each other, said apparatus comprising first and second conductor supports, said supports being spaced apart and each being adapted to support a bundle of conductors from said first and second cables respectively with the axes of said conductors extending in a common direction which is transverse with respect to the common axis of said cables, first and second connector supports, said connector supports being disposed adjacent to said first and second conductor supports respectively and between said conductor supports, said connector supports being adapted to support open-sided connectors with the axes of said connectors extending parallel to, and beside, the axes of conductors supported in said conductor supports, conductor separator means between said connector supports, said separator means being effective, upon extraction of a pair from one of said supports and transfer of said pair laterally onto said separator means, to separate the conductors of an associated pair of conductors and position each of said conductors in a connector supported on each of said connector supports, means for severing the end portions of conductors positioned in said connectors which extend beyond said connectors, and means for crimping said connectors onto conductors positioned therein whereby, upon selecting an associated pair of conductors from said first conductor support and transferring said pair to said separator means, repeating said selecting and transferring operations for a pair of conductors in said second conductor support, and actuating said trimming means and said crimping means, the corresponding conductors of the two selected pairs are electrically connected to each other by said connectors.