Apparatus for connecting conductors to terminals in a pre-load electrical connector

Claim 2

Apparatus for simultaneously inserting each of a plurality of conductors into the conductor-receiving portions of each of a plurality of electrical contact terminals which are mounted in the housing of an electrical device such as a multi-contact electrical connector, said apparatus comprising: a frame, a conductor insertion slide in said frame, said slide being reciprocable along a predetermined rectilinear path, a conductor jig means for holding a plurality of conductors in parallel side-by-side relationship at locations, relative to each other, corresponding to the spacing between said terminals in said housing, said jig means being on said frame and extending normally of said path, a housing jig means which is adapted to hold said housing, said housing jig means being normally on said frame at one end of said path and adjacent to said conductor jig means, said housing jig means being effective to hold said housing with said conductor receiving portions of said terminals in alignment with conductors in said conductor jig means, said housing jig means being movable from said normal position and away from saiD path, conductor engaging means on said insertion slide, said engaging means being effective to engage conductors in said conductor jig means and move said conductors into said conductor receiving portions of said contact terminals during movement of said insertion slide along said path past said conductor jig means and to said connector jig means, and first and second conductor clamps adjacent to said conductor jig means and on opposite sides of said path whereby, upon positioning conductors in said conductor jig means, moving said housing jig means to said normal position, clamping said conductors in one of said conductor clamps, and moving said slide along said path to said housing jig means, said conductors are moved from said conductor jig means and into said conductor receiving portions of said terminals.

Claim 3

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said conductor jig means being removably mounted on said frame.

Claim 4

Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, said slide and said housing jig means having cooperable shearing edge means thereon for trimming said conductors.

Claim 5

Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, said housing jig means being pivotally mounted on said frame on one side of said path.

Claim 6

Apparatus for trimming the ends of pairs of wires in a cable and inserting the trimmed ends into the wire-receiving slots of electrical contact terminals in a multi-contact electrical connector, said connector comprising an insulating housing and said wire-receiving portions being arranged in parallel rows which extend across said housing, said apparatus comprising: a frame, a wire trimming and insertion slide in said frame, said slide being reciprocable along a predetermined path in said frame, wire positioning jig means comprising two wire positioning jigs, each of said wire positioning jigs having wire positioning means thereon for supporting a plurality of wires in side-by-side parallel relationship at locations, relative to each other, corresponding to the locations of said conductor-receiving slots in said connector, each of said wire-positioning jigs being removably mountable on said frame on said path intermediate the ends thereof and being effective to locate wires positioned therein on said path, a connector positioning jig pivotally secured to said frame on one side of said path and adjacent to one end of said path, said connector positioning jig being pivotally movable between open and closed positions, said connector positioning jig extending obliquely with respect to said path when in said open position and being beside one of said wire positioning jigs mounted on said frame when said connector positioning jigs are in said closed position, whereby a connector in said connector positioning jig is beside conductors in said one wire positioning jig when said connector positioning jig is in said closed position, first and second cable clamping means on said frame on each side of said path and adjacent to said one wire positioning jig, and fixed and movable wire shearing means, said fixed shearing means comprising an edge of said connector positioning jig and said movable shearing means comprising one edge of said slide whereby upon positioning one wire of each pair in said cable in one of said wire positioning jigs and the other wire in the other one of said jigs with the two wires of each pair in corresponding positions in said jigs, and upon mounting one of said jigs on said frame, moving said connector jigs to said closed position, mounting said connector in said connector jig and actuating said slide, said wires in said one jig will be trimmed and moved from said one wire positioning jig and into said slots of said terminals in one of said rows, and upon subsequently mounting the other one of said jigs on said frame, reversing said connector, and again actuating said slide, the wires in said other one of said jigs will be trimmed and moved into said slots of the second row of terminals in said connector, and the Two wires of each pair will be connected to corresponding terminals in said two rows.

Claim 7

Apparatus for trimming the ends of pairs of wires in a cable and inserting the trimmed ends into the wire-receiving slots of electrical contact terminals in a multi-contact electrical connector, said connector comprising an insulating housing and said wire-receiving portions being arranged in parallel rows which extend across said housing, said apparatus comprising: a frame, a wire trimming and insertion slide in said frame, said slide being reciprocable along a predetermined path in said frame, wire positioning jig means comprising two wire positioning jigs, each of said wire positioning jigs having wire positioning means thereon for supporting a plurality of wires in side-by-side parallel relationship at locations, relative to each other, corresponding to the locations of said conductor-receiving slots in said connector, each of said wire-positioning jigs being removably mountable on said frame on said path intermediate the ends thereof and being effective to locate wires positioned therein on said path, a connector positioning jig pivotally secured to said frame on one side of said path and adjacent to one end of said path, said connector positioning jig being pivotally movable between open and closed positions, said connector positioning jig extending obliquely with respect to said path when in said open position and being beside one of said wire positioning jigs mounted on said frame when said connector positioning jigs are in said closed position, whereby a connector in said connector positioning jig is beside conductors in said one wire positioning jig when said connector positioning jig is in said closed position, first and second cable clamping means on said frame on each side of said path and adjacent to said one wire positioning jig, and fixed and movable wire shearing means, said fixed shearing means comprising an edge of said connector positioning jig and said movable shearing means comprising one edge of said slide whereby upon positioning one wire of each pair in said cable in one of said wire positioning jigs and the other wire in the other one of said jigs with the two wires of each pair in corresponding positions in said jigs, and upon mounting one of said jigs on said frame, moving said connector jigs to said closed position, mounting said connector in said connector jig and actuating said slide, said wires in said one jig will be trimmed and moved from said one wire positioning jig and into said slots of said terminals in one of said rows, and upon subsequently mounting the other one of said jigs on said frame, reversing said connector, and again actuating said slide, the wires in said other one of said jigs will be trimmed and moved into said slots of the second row of terminals in said connector, and the Two wires of each pair will be connected to corresponding terminals in said two rows.

Claim 8

Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 including connector jig clamping means for clamping said connector positioning jig in said closed position.

Claim 9

Apparatus as set forth in claim 6, said connector jig clamping means comprising a clamping arm pivotally mounted on said frame adjacent to said connector jig, said clamping arm being pivotally movable between open and closed positions, said clamping arm extending obliquely with respect to said path when in said open position and extending parallel to, and in clamping relationship to, said connector positioning jig when in said closed position.