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US 4,288,918 AGranted
Method and apparatus for making a crimped, insulation-pierce electrical connection
AssigneeBunker Ramo Corporation
InventorJohn P. Nijman
Life of this patent
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AssigneeBunker Ramo Corporation
InventorJohn P. Nijman
Estimating the term…
An insulated conductor is terminated in an insulation-opening portion of an electrical contact and the contact jaws are crimped over the conductor to secure the conductor therein. A tool includes a pair of cutting edges and crimping surfaces for cutting and folding over sections of the contact jaws as the tool presses an insulated conductor into an insulation-opening notch formed by the contact jaws. The tool includes a forward end having a surface for engaging and pressing the conductor into the notch, the surface acting against the conductor as a stop to limit the depth of cut of the cutting edges. The tool may also be used after conductor insertion by other techniques to perform the crimping operation. The side surfaces of the tool slidingly engage the cut edges of the contact jaws and prevent an inward movement of the jaws during cutting and crimping. The resulting electrical connection is mechanically secure in that a normally open conductor-receiving channel is closed by the peeled over sections of the contact jaws there by preventing outward movement of the conductor. The contact structure is of particular advantage where stranded wire is used in that the clamping action of the peeled over sections prevents relaxation distortions of the conductor which has become distorted during insertion and thus prevents pressure drop at the contact jaws which can result from relaxation distortion.
In a method of terminating an insulated conductor in an insulation-piercing contact portion in which a conductor is engaged by an insertion blade and pressed into an insulation-piercing notch formed by at least one insulation-piercing contact jaw which extends at an angle to a supporting member, the improvement therein comprising the steps of:
In a method of terminating an insulated conductor in an insulation-piercing contact portion in which a conductor is engaged by an insertion blade having a cutting edge and pressed into an insulation-piercing notch formed by at least one insulation-piercing contact jaw which extends at an angle to a supporting member, the improvement therein comprising the steps of:
In a method of terminating an insulated conductor in an insulation-piercing contact portion in which a conductor is engaged by an insertion blade and pressed into an insulation-piercing notch formed by at least one insulation-piercing contact jaw which extends at an angle to a supporting member, the improvement therein comprising the steps of:
In a method of terminating and electrically contacting the core of an insulated conductor in an insulation-opening contact in which an insulated conductor is pressed into an insulation-opening notch formed by at least one insulation-opening contact jaw which contacts the core of the conductor over a given area, the improvement therein comprising the steps of:
A tool for inserting and securing an insulated conductor in an insulation-piercing portion of an electrical contact, which portion has an outwardly open notch for receiving a conductor transversely of the axis of the conductor and a pair of spaced apart contact jaws defining at least a portion of the notch, said tool comprising:
A tool for securing a conductor in an insulation-piercing portion of an electrical contact, the insulation-piercing portion having an outwardly open notch defined by at least one contact wall portion and receiving an insulated conductor supported and seated therein, the tool comprising:
A tool for securing an insulated connector in an electrical contact which includes a first pair of spaced apart contact jaws and a second pair of spaced apart contact jaws aligned with and spaced apart from the first contact jaws, the contact jaws open outwardly to receive, electrically contact and support an insulated conductor, said tool comprising:
A tool for inserting and securing an insulated conductor in an insulation-opening portion of an electrical contact, which portion has an outwardly open notch for receiving a conductor transversely of the axis of the conductor and a pair of spaced apart transversely stabilized contact elements defining at least a portion of the notch, said tool comprising:
A tool for inserting and securing an insulated conductor in an insulation-piercing portion of an electrical contact, which portion has an outwardly open notch for receiving a conductor transversely of the axis of the conductor and a pair of spaced apart contact jaws defining at least a portion of the notch, said tool comprising:
A tool for inserting insulated conductors into respective insulation-piercing portions of electrical contacts, which portions each have an outwardly open notch formed from a pair of contact sidewalls, comprising:
A tool for inserting an insulated conductor into an insulation piercing portion of an electrical contact, which portion has an outwardly open notch for receiving a conductor transversely of the axis of the conductor and a wall portion adjacent the notch, said tool comprising:
A tool for inserting and securing an insulated conductor in an electrical contact which includes a pair of spaced apart first insulation-piercing jaws and a pair of spaced apart second insulation-piercing jaws spaced from the pair of first jaws, each of the pairs of jaws defining an outwardly open notch for receiving a conductor transversely of the axis of the conductor, the tool comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
For connecting unstripped conductors to contact members having insulation cutting edges: handtools
Conductor or circuit manufacturing: assembling elongated conductors, e.g., splicing, etc.
Means comprising hand-manipulatable implement: fastening by deformation
Assembled to wire-type conductor: means to fasten by deformation
Term ended 15 Sep 1998 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to solderless electrical connections, and is particularly concerned with insulation-opening electrical connections and a method and apparatus for making a crimped, insulation-opening electrical connection.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention, its organization, construction and operation will be best understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, on which:
FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of a portion of an electrical contact supported by a dielectric insert with an insertion tool, constructed in accordance with the invention, poised as the same would be to accomplish an insertion and termination operation;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a plurality of insertion blades carried on a common support, as would be employed in a machine for performing simultaneous insertions of a plurality of insulated conductors;
Referring to FIG. 1, a portion of an electrical connector is generally illustrated at 10 as comprising a dielectric insert 12 having a plurality of parallel barriers 14 extending therefrom, the barriers 14 generally defining slots therebetween. The dielectric insert 12 includes a surface 16 between the barriers 14 which at least partially supports an electrical contact 18.
The electrical conductor 18 includes an active portion 20 which is not illustrated in detail but which may be in the form of a male contact, female contact any similar type of mating, or lug contact. The electrical contact 18 also includes a U-shaped terminating portion 22 having a pair of side walls 24 and 26 which extend from a bottom wall 25. Detents in the side walls 24 and 26 define a pair of insulation piercing notches 28 and 30. Each of the notches are defined, at least in part, but a wall portion 32 and a wall portion 34. Although a specific type of insulation-piercing notch is disclosed herein, any of the insulation-piercing structures set forth in the above-identified patents or structures similar to may be utilized in practicing the invention, as will become evident from the following description.
At what is generally termed the "rear" of an electrical connector, the barriers 14 develop into different shapes and dimensions so as to form between a pair of wider portions 36 a constricted strain relief 38.