Apparatus for assembling terminated wires into connectors to form electrical harnesses

Abstract: Sticks of connectors (s) are moved along tracks (124) to pre-position shuttles (120) and transferred onto opposite shuttle table systems (100, 101) including coplanar tables (106) movable round rectilinear paths (F E H G) between loading stations (f) and termination stations (h) at which the ends of wires (w) are presented to the sticks of connectors for mass insertion in the connector sticks. Rotatable plates (112) are slidable to alternately load connector sticks (s) from the shuttles (120) onto the tables (106) and to unload harnesses from the tables (106) onto eject tracks (126). Instead of discrete wires (w) ribbon cable may be used, the ends being pre-notched and mass inserted in IDT connectors. The connector sticks (s) are separated after termination to form the individual harnesses.

Description: The present invention relates to apparatus for assembling terminated wires into electrical connectors to form harnesses. In order to conduct electrical signals between printed circuit board assemblies or components by means of electrical conductors in electrically operated equipment and products, it is common to employ a harness of terminated wires assembled into a single connector at at least one end, the wires being also terminated at their other ends. The object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for the semi-automatic or automatic manufacture of such harnesses. Such apparatus is already known, e.g. from EP-A-0041815 and EP-A-0111601 which describes apparatus in accordance with the preamble of the present claim 1. According to the present invention, there is provided apparatus for assembling terminated wires into connectors to form electrical harnesses having connectors one at each end including connector loading stations whereat connectors are initially positioned, spaced-apart termination stations remote from said loading stations, whereat connectors are terminated to wires, means for moving connectors from said loading stations to said termination stations, means for presenting the respective ends of a predetermined length of a predetermined number of wires to said termination stations so that the wires are aligned with terminals of said connectors, including means for feeding a predetermined length of a predetermined number of wires from a supply of wires, means for severing said predetermined length of wires from said supply, and means for presenting respective ends of said wires to each of said termination stations, said presenting means characterized by a pair of presenting wire guides movable from initial positions to extended positions between said termination stations, a carriage wire guide located at an initial position beside said pair of presenting wire guides, operative to engage a free end of wires from said wire supply and to travel from said initial position past said first presenting wire guide to a point between said presenting wire guides, to thereby feed said wire free ends through said second presenting wire guide for gripping engagement therewith, termination heads for mass inserting said wire ends in said terminals, wire cutting means Z disposed between said carriage wire guide and said first presenting wire guide, operative to sever said wires from said wire supply to define said predetermined length of wires, and actuating means for moving said presenting wire guides to said extended positions to simultaneously present free ends of said wires to said termination stations, whereby the ends of said wires are aligned with terminals of connectors, at points adjacent said termination heads. Specific embodiments of the present invention in all its apparatus aspects will now be described by way of example, and not by way of limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- FIG. 1 shows a harness assembling apparatus according to the present invention; FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams illustrating the operation of the apparatus; FIG. 4 is a further diagram; FIG. 5 is a plan view with part broken away showing one of the shuttle table systems of the apparatus; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional elevation on line 6-6 in Fig. 5; FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to Fig. 5 with certain parts removed; FIG. 8 is a front elevation of an elongated, slotted, track-like shuttle plate fixture for positioning a stick of connectors and showing a part of a stick of connectors positioned in the fixture; FIG. 9 is a cross-section on line 9-9 in Fig. 8 and showing the part of the connector stick; FIG. 10 is a plan view in Fig. 8, and showing the part of the connector stick; FIG. 11 is a front elevation of the web splitting conductor insertion blade unit of the apparatus; FIG. 12 is a cross-section on line 12-12 in Fig. 11; FIG. 13 is an underneath plan view in Fig. 11; FIG. 14 is a front elevation with part broken away of the stick separation means of the apparatus; FIG. 15 is a cross-section on line 15-15 in Fig. 14; FIG. 16 is a top plan view in Fig. 14; FIGS. 17 and 18 are front and side views respectively of one of the stick separation punches; and FIGS. 19 and 20 are side and underneath plan views of part of the apparatus respectively. With reference now to the accompanying drawings and first to Figs. 1 to 4, the apparatus comprises left and right hand shuttle table towers, generally indicated at 100 and 101 respectively spaced apart and relatively movable towards and away from one another by means of a lead screw 102 to select the length of the harnesses to be assembled. Each tower is topped by a shuttle table system 104, 104 a made up of three, square, shuttle tables 106 which are movable in turn, and in a following sequence, one with respect to another, as indicated by the arrows G F E H in figs. 2 and 4, that is to say, into successive ones of four positions around a closed, rectilinear, square-form path. The respective shuttle table systems 104, 104 a operate in opposite directions of movement, the tables of the left hand system 104 as seen in Figs. 1 to 4 moving clockwise, and the tables of the right hand system as seen in Figs. 1 to 4 moving anti-clockwise. Each table makes a purely linear movement in its turn, the tables moving in the directions indicated by the arrows G F E H, and each table carries an elongated, slotted track-like fixture 110 having a track for positioning individual connectors or a stick or sticks of interconnected connectors s , the fixtures 110 being carried by the tables with their tracks all in parallel with one another, those fixtures 110 of the left hand shuttle table system 104 being positioned each along the right hand edge of its table and those fixtures 110 of the right hand shuttle table system 104 a being positioned each along the left hand edge of its table. The shuttle table systems 104, 104 a have their table fixtures 110 moved successively, in the directions indicated by arrows F into connector loading stations f , e.g. in which sticks of connectors are loaded into the fixture tracks, then in the directions indicated by arrows E into void positions e , then in the directions indicated by arrows H into termination stations h , in which wires w are terminated into sticks of connectors, then in the directions indicated by arrows G into test and eject stations g in which the assembled harnesses are tested and then unloaded from the fixture tracks onto an eject track. Associated with each shuttle table system 104, 104 a is a linearly movable feed/location member in the form of a plate 112 carried by a rotating actuator 114 mounted on a pneumatically operated slide 115 to slide to-and-fro in the directions of arrows E and G and as indicated by the double-headed arrow C in Figs. 2 and 4. The actuator 114 is actuable to position the plate 112 alternately over the loading station f and the eject station g , as indicated by the double-headed arrow B. The plate 112 has a row of location teeth 116 on each side to locate in the wire receiving recesses 161 (see Figs. 8 and 9) in connector sticks s held in the tracks of fixtures 110 positioned at the loading and eject stations f and g respectively. The rows of teeth 116 are predeterminedly spaced to engage one tooth in each of the connector stick recesses 161, there being a recess 161 formed at each circuit point of each connector stick. The teeth 116, therefore, engage with the connector sticks s to entrain the connector sticks for loading and, thereafter, unloading movements along the fixture tracks as the actuator 114 is slid to-and-fro in the directions C+ and C- respectively, the actuator having previously been actuated to rotate the plate 112 in the directions B+ and B- respectively. Also associated with each shuttle table system 104, 104 a is a pre-position shuttle and component load actuator 120 which carries a track block having a track 121 for guiding sticks of connectors s parallel with the tracks of the fixtures 110 mounted on the shuttle tables. Each actuator 120 is mounted on a pneumatically operated slide so as to be slidable to-and-fro in the directions of arrows H and F as indicated by the double headed arrow A in the direction A+ to align its connector stick track respectively with that of a fixture 110 in the loading station f and in the direction A- to align its connector stick track with a connector stick loading track 124 parallel to, but outwardly offset, with respect to the fixtures 110 positioned at the loading stations f . Eject tracks 126 are provided for the connectors s of the assembled harnesses, these aligning with the tracks of the fixtures 110 positioned at the test and eject stations g . Connectors or connector sticks s may be loaded into the loading tracks by means of a bowl feed, a tape reel feed, or by hand. Alternatively, tape feed and bowl feed mechanisms are indicated respectively at 130 and 131 in fig. 3. Wire feed may be from reels of discrete wires w , or ribbon cable may be used. Discrete wires w are fed in over a changeover drum 134 (see Fig. 3), for measuring the wires, the drum being selected according to the size of the wires w , and then through a wire straightener 135. The wires are fed in transversely of the loading and eject tracks 124, 126 behind the shuttle table towers 100, 101 and are mechanically handled by wire guides 201, 202, 203 and 204 indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 2. The carriage wire guide 201 is carried for transverse movements, between a fixed position 201A and a selectable position 201B, by a carriage 136 movable to-and-fro on track rods 137 (see Fig. 1), and this guide moves between the jaws of the wire cutting station guide 204 when the wire guide 204 is open. The position 201B of the carriage wire guide is selected depending upon the spacing of the right hand tower 101 from the left hand tower 100 and the positions 201A and 201B remain in the same position as shown in Fig. 2, relative to the towers 100, 101 respectively. The wire guide 204 is movable between two positions fixed relative to the tower 100, as shown in Fig. 2, and in position 204A it aligns with each fixture 110 positioned at the termination station h and with the wire cutting station z . The left and right hand wire guides 202 and 203 associated with the left and right hand towers 100, 101 respectively, are movable to-and-fro in the lengthwise direction of the loading and unloading tracks 124, 126. The guide 202 has a rearmost position 202A out of the path of movement of the carriage 136, a second wire gripping position 202B on which it aligns transversely with the wire guides 201 and 204 on the inboard side of the positions 201A, 204B and 204A and a third or forwardmost position 202C in which it aligns with the wire termination station h of the left hand shuttle table system 100 on the inboard side. The guide 203 has two positions 203A and 203B which it always maintains relative to the tower 101, corresponding to the positions 202B and 202C respectively, and the guides 202 and 203 move between their positions 202B, 203A and 202C, 203B in unison. In the initial setting of the apparatus, the wires w are fed through the wire guide 201 positioned at 201A and are overfed through wire guide 204 with the guide 204 in the position 204A, that is to say, in its position to grip the wires during the wire cutting by the wire cutter Z. The guide 204 is not closed at this stage. Also, the left and right hand guides 202 and 203 are open and positioned at 202A and 203A respectively. The guide 201A is closed to grip the wires and the wire cutter Z is operated to cut the wires w , thereby to align the ends of the wires at the wire cutting station z . In operation of the apparatus, the wire guides are automatically sequenced as follows:- Guide 201 moves from 201A to 201B to transport the cut wire ends to align with the right hand termination station h . The wires are overfed through the guide 203 which then closes to grip the wires. Guide 201 then opens and moves back to 201A and recloses. At this stage, the wire ends, gripped by the guide 203, may be operated upon by a single ended wire insulation stripper unit T. In the present example, however, it is assumed that an I.D.T. connector is being used at each end. Next, the wire guide 202 moves to 202B and closes, gripping the wires adjacent the left hand tower 100. Next, the wire guide 204A closes and required lengths of harness wires w are cut off from the feed wires at the station z . Next, the wire guide 201 opens and the wire guide 204 moves to 204B retracting the feed wire ends. Next, the wire guides 202 and 203 move in unison to 202C and 203B respectively to position the harness wire ends at the wire insertion stations h . Termination presses P carried one over each of the shuttle table towers are then operated to terminate the wires in connector sticks s positioned at the termination stations h . Next, the wire guides 202 and 203 open and move to positions 202A and 203A respectively. Next, the wire guide 204 moves to 204A. Next, the carriage wire guide 201 closes on the feed wires w at the input feed. At the same time the wire guide 204 opens to allow the passage of the carriage wire guide to the position 201B as the automatic wire feed cycle re-commences. In the event that ribbon cable is used to form the harnesses, the cable may be fed through a wire measure and notching tool M. It is proposed, however, that pre-notching of the cable be dispensed with by using the web splitting/conductor inserting blade unit which is yet to be described. Referring to Figs. 5, 6 and 7, movements of the shuttle tables 106 of each of the shuttle table systems 104, 104 a , are accomplished using four stepper motors 140 each of which drives a shaft 141. A gear train 143, 144, 145, 146, one for each shaft 141, drives a dual track cam 148, one for each shaft. The cams 148 are positioned correspondingly, one beneath each of the shuttle table stations and each cam is operated, in turn, to shift a shuttle table to the next following station, the axes of adjacent cams 148 being disposed in the same horizontal plane at right angles to one another as seen in Fig. 5. In a modified arrangement (not illustrated) each stepper motor 140 is repositioned and has a rubber timing belt to transmit the drive from the stepper motor shaft 141 to its associated cam 148. In Figs. 5 to 7, the cams are shaped and positioned to shift the tables of the left hand shuttle table tower clockwise. A reflection of the cam form and cam positions is adopted in an arrangement as shown in Figs. 5 to 7 to shift the tables 106 of the right hand shuttle table tower anti-clockwise and will not be further described. The shuttle tables 106 each comprise a lower keeper plate 149 fixed thereto, the tables being confined to slide in their rectilinear, square-form path on inner and outer guides 150 and 151. Each table 106 carries centrally, a concentric pair of roller followers 152, 153, the smaller one 152 of which engages in helical cam grooves 154 and the larger one 153 of which engages with helical cam faces 155 on formations 156 of the cams 148. The cam faces 155 of each cam engage the follower 153 as the follower 152 leaves the cam groove 154 of the cam, to shift the follower 152 into the cam groove 154 of the next following cam 148. To accommodate this shifting, each cam groove 154 has an initial, circumferential lead-in portion 154' best seen in Fig. 5. The diameter of the followers 153 is chosen sufficient to shift the follower 152 through the full extent of this lead-in portion of the next following cam 148 so that the shuttle plate is set in its next following station for immediate onward movement when the next following cam 148 is driven in rotation by its shaft 142 and gear train 143 to 146. In order to operate an optional six position shuttle table system as diagrammatically illustrated for the right hand shuttle tower in Fig. 2 employing four shuttle tables 106' and two void stations e 1 , and e 2 , the cams would be arranged in two oppositely facing, parallel pairs disposed at right angles, the pair of cams disposed along the short sides H and F of the rectilinear path of movement taking the form of the cams 148 alreading described and the pair of cams (not shown) disposed along the long sides G1G2 and E1E2 of the rectilinear paths of movement being of double length and having helical cam grooves 154 of double lengthwise extent, compared with the cams 148, and with intermediate, circumferential dwell portions corresponding with their lead-in portions 154'. This arrangement provides an additional operating station g2 (see Fig. 2) at which, for example, an overhead separation press might be provided to separate a multiple connector s in two or more connector parts and from which the separated parts would be unloaded in the manner already described. Alternatively, such a separator press might be positioned above an "off-shuttle-table station" into which connectors are unloaded, and positioned, by the actuator 114. It will be noted that the six position shuttle table system still has its loading and eject stations f and g2 disposed alongside one another on opposite sides of the closed rectilinear path of movement of the tables indicated by the arrows E1, E2, H, G1G2, F so that the actuator 114 can still operate alternately at these stations, as described above. The station G1 becomes simply a testing station in this case. Referring now to Figs. 8, 9 and 10, each shuttle plate fixture 110 comprises a base plate 156, a track block 157 which, together with a location plate 158, defines a track in which sticks of connectors s may be positively located by teeth 159 on the location plate. The teeth 159 are spaced apart to interfit with grooves 160 moulded in the inboard face of the connector sticks s , one such groove 160 aligning with each wire receiving recess 161 previously described. The teeth 159 are predeterminedly spaced to engage one tooth in each of the connector stick grooves 160. The track block 157 is located with respect to, and fixed to,the base plate 156 by dowels and screws and defines a central recess 162 in its lower face which houses a slide 163 which slides on the base plate and which carries the location plate 158 at one of its longitudinal edges, the slide having an abutment flange 164 at its opposite longitudinal edge which engages compression springs 165 partially housed in bores in the track block. The springs 165 urge the location plate 158 into its locating relation and the slide 163 is movable against the action of the springs 165 to displace the location plate and thereby release connector sticks s located in the fixture track, for unloading lengthwise from the track by the actuator 114 as already described, and to open the track to receive connector sticks loaded lengthwise into the track by the actuator 114, as already described. The slide fixedly mounts a transverse tenon 166 which is guided for sliding movement in a transverse groove 167 in the track block 157. The tenon carries a roller follower 167' for operating the slide in proper sequence as described below. The web splitting/conductor inserting blade unit 168 shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 13 is intended for splitting the ends of ribbon cable and inserting the separated insulation covered ends of the wires in IDT connectors. To this end, the unit comprises alternate splitting and insertion blades 169' and 170' formed on respective blade parts 169 and 170. The slitting blades 169', which are sharp edged, are received each between an adjacent pair of insertion blades 170' and the slitting blade part 169 is slidable relative to the insertion blade part 170, the slitting blade part 169 being guided for sliding movement between a back plate 171 and the insertion blade part which is located with respect to, and fixed to, the back plate, there being a spacer 172 located and fixed therebetween having bores housing compression springs 173 urging the slitting blade part to project its blades' cutting edges 169'' beyond the insertion edges 170'' of the insertion blades 170'. A flange 169 a on the slitting blade part engages a stop (not shown) when the termination press P carrying the unit 168 is operated to limit the downward movement of the slitting blade part 169 whereby slitting of the ribbon cable webs is accomplished against the underlying connector stick housings without damage to the housing at the termination station being operated. The configuration of the insertion edges 170'', which are radiused in cross-section to receive the insulation covered wires, is chosen to suit the form of the connector housings and insulation displacement terminals of the connector sticks as will be well understood, in all so as to insert the wires fully into the insulation displacement terminals and between strain relieving gripping formations of the housings. The stick separation means 172 shown in Figs. 14, 15 and 16 is intended for use at a component separation station U (see Fig. 4) of the apparatus for severing stick connectors into separate connector components at circuit points left void in the connector sticks. It may, however, alternatively be employed as an insertion blade unit for inserting discrete wires at an insertion station of the apparatus, e.g. to apply wires into I.D.T. connectors in multiples or, again, for pre-loading series of connectors with voids between certain groups of connectors into the apparatus and, in conjunction with the actuator 114, for unloading such series from the unloading station of the apparatus. The unit 172 is made up of twenty two punches 173 rotatably mounted on a hinge pin 174 fixed in a base member 176 to enable selected ones of the punches to be swung between an operative position shown in full line in figs. 14 and 15 and an inoperative or retracted position shown in dotted line in Fig. 15. To allow for such selection of the punches, the unit has a removable cover 177 which, when in position, engages with one or other (see Fig. 18) of the edges 173' or 173'' of the punches to retain the punches in their selected operative or inoperative positions. Set screws 178 are employed to retain the hinge pin 174 in position and to fix the pin against rotation in the base 176 . The punches are positively positioned at their edges 173' and 173'' between the cover 177 and the base. Conveniently, the punches are numbered, as at 178, both on the cover and again on the base behind the cover to enable the unit to be programmed for setting up the apparatus with selected punches as required. The punches are formed with V-form cutting edges and may be used to crop and separate connectors or connector sticks joined into chains by pin and hole coupling formations as described in our Application No. 8330617. Figs. 19 and 20 show a further linearly movable component unload release slide 180 of which one is associated with each shuttle table system 104, 104 a . The slide 180 like the slide 112 is operated by a pneumatic cylinder 181 and is mounted to slide in the direction of arrows E and G as indicated by the double-headed arrow D in Fig. 4, and in the direction D+ to engage its finger 180' with the roller follower 167' of the fixture 110 located at the unloading station g or g2 of the shuttle table system to displace its slide 163 by camming action against the action of the springs 165 and thereby release a component held in the fixture for unloading from the fixture. When the slide 180 is moved in the direction D- the finger 180' disengages the roller follower 167' and the fixture track is returned to its closed condition by its springs 165. The pre-position shuttle component load actuator 120 likewise has a finger 185 to engage and force back the slide of the fixture 110 at the loading station f to open the track of the fixture to allow a component or components to be loaded into the track by the actuator 114. In the initial setting of the apparatus the pre-position shuttle and component load actuator 120 is displaced to its A- position (see Fig. 4), the actuator 114 is in its C- position with its flap 112 in the B- position and the component unload release slide is in its D- position. The apparatus is operated to load and unload the apparatus and to shift the shuttle tables 106 on both sides of the apparatus in the following tabulated, automatically controlled, sequence of steps:- In the above table the letters in the "Shuttle" column indicate the shuttle table movement,as indicated by the arrows E to G, which occurs at the same time as the load/unload movement, indicated by the arrows A to D, on the same line of the table. Such movements are sequenced by a common command signal. The apparatus includes an electronic control system of any known or convenient construction prgrammed to sequence the operation of the apparatus. The stepper motors 140 are sequenced by the system to achieve simultaneous movements of the shuttle tables of the systems 104, 104 a . As will be well understood the various fixtures described may readily be changed to suit the style of the connectors being processed.

Claims: An apparatus for assembling terminated wires into connectors to form electrical harnesses having connectors one at each end including connector loading stations (f) whereat connectors are initially positioned, spaced-apart termination stations (h) remote from said loading stations, whereat connectors are terminated to wires, means (100,101) for moving connectors from said loading stations to said termination stations, means (201 to 204) for presenting the respective ends of a predetermined length of a predetermined number of wires to said termination stations so that the wires are aligned with terminals of said connectors, including means for feeding a predetermined length of a predetermined number of wires from a supply of wires, means (Z) for severing said predetermined length of wires from said supply, and means for presenting respective ends of said wires to each of said termination stations, said presenting means (201-204) characterized by a pair of presenting wire guides (202,203) movable from initial positions to extended positions between said termination stations, a carriage wire guide (201) located at an initial position beside said pair of presenting wire guides, operative to engage a free end of wires from said wire supply and to travel from said initial position past said first presenting wire guide to a point between said presenting wire guides, to thereby feed said wire free ends through said second presenting wire guide (203) for gripping engagement therewith, termination heads (P) for mass inserting said wire ends in said terminals, wire cutting means (Z) disposed between said carriage wire guide and said first presenting wire guide, operative to sever said wires from said wire supply to define said predetermined length of wires, and actuating means for moving said presenting wire guides (202,203) to said extended positions to simultaneously present free ends of said wires to said termination stations, whereby the ends of said wires are aligned with terminals of connectors, at points adjacent said termination heads. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a retracting wire guide (204) located between said carriage wire guide (201) and first presenting wire guide (202), movable from an initial position (204A) toward a retracted position (204B) adjacent said carriage wire guide (201), said retracting wire guide being positioned adjacent said wire cutting means (Z) and operative to support said wires during said severing and to support the free ends of the wires from said supply formed during said severing, and retractable actuating means for moving said retracting wire guide to said retracted position (204B) as said presenting wire guides are moved to said extended positions (202C,203B).

Inventors: GASKELL CLIVE, HAMMOND MICHAEL BARRY, GASKELL, CLIVE, HAMMOND, MICHAEL BARRY
Applicants: MOLEX INC, MOLEX INCORPORATED
Application year: 1985
Main classification: H01R43
IPC codes: H01R43