Wiring head

In Wiring apparatus having means for operatively aligning a wiring head above predetermined cavities in an electrical connector housing to be wired, a wiring head comprising:

• an electrical terminal inserter mounted thereto for reciprocating movement through a downward terminal insertion stroke and an upward return stroke;
• means on the head for consecutively feeding electrical terminals each having a wire receiving portion, horizontally, and into alignment with the terminal inserter at the end of each return stroke thereof, for the insertion of the terminal into one of said cavities by the terminal inserter during its insertion stroke;
• a wire inserter mounted to said head for horizontal reciprocating movement through a wire insertion stroke and a return stroke;
• means on said head for feeding wire from a wire source, in a wire feed horizontal direction towards the wire inserter and into alignment therewith, transversely of the direction of the wire insertion and return strokes thereof and at the end of each return stroke thereof;
• means moveable in said head, parallel to said wire feed direction, prior to the working strokes of the terminal inserter and the wire inserter, for forming the wire fed by said wire feed means, into a loop aligned with the wire receiving portion of a terminal fed to the terminal inserters for insertion of the wire into said wire receiving portion by the wire inserter during its wire insertion stroke;
• means horizontally moveable in said head for selectively severing either side of the loop at a position back from the terminal, in accordance with a connector housing wiring program;
• and
• wire pulling means on the head arranged downstream, in said wire direction, of the terminal inserter, for engaging the wire between the terminal and the wire feeding means, following the working stroke of the terminal inserter, to draw further wire from the wire source.