Ultrasonic welding wire termination apparatus

Abstract

Apparatus for ultrasonically welding a wire to a wire terminal. A stationary anvil forms the lower horizontal wall of a work chamber into which a wire workpiece is inserted. The vertical walls of the work channel are formed by the walls of a slot in a relatively movable horizontal support plate cantilevered from a base. The slot in the support plate fits about the anvil. The horizontal support plate is oscillatable to swing vertically thereby adjusting the size of the work channel. A terminal is seated on the support plate and covers the chamber. An ultrasonic welding tip contacts the terminal and forces down the support plate so as to maintain very tight spot contact between the wire on the anvil and the terminal, against the flexure of the cantilevered arm. Welding of the wire to the terminal is effected by the ultrasonic vibration of the welding tip against the terminal. As the wire is tightly confined in the work channel, no spreading or splaying will occur while the wire is in a plastic-like state, and the spot weld precisely locates the wire end on the terminal.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.