Feed release mechanism for a terminal insertion machine
AssigneeThe Whitaker Corporation
InventorsChristopher John Karrasch, Michael Herbert Cairns
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Abstract
A terminal insertion machine (10) includes a feed unit (14) for feeding a strip (16) of terminals into a workstation (12) for inserting a terminal into a housing. The feed unit (14) includes a feed finger (56) for intermittently feeding the strip and an anti-backup finger (84) for preventing movement of the strip while the feed finger (56) is retracted preparatory to feeding the next terminal. A single release member (100) is arranged to pivot into first, second, and third positions (140, 142, 144) for moving the feed and anti-backup fingers into and out of engagement with the strip of terminals when loading the strip, when operating the insertion machine, and when removing the strip from the insertion machine, respectively.
Claims11
In a terminal insertion machine having tooling in a workstation for inserting terminals into a connector housing, a terminal strip feeding mechanism for feeding a strip of terminals in a first direction along a feed path into said workstation comprising:
- (1) a feed finger arranged to move into feeding position adjacent said feed path for feeding said strip of terminals in said first direction and to move out of said feeding position away from said feed path;
- (2) an anti-backup finger arranged to move into anti-backup position adjacent said feed path for preventing movement of said strip of terminals in a second direction opposite said first direction, and to move out of said anti-backup position away from said feed path;
- (3) a release member in operative engagement with both said feed finger and said anti-backup finger and being moveable to first, second, and third positions, said release member arranged so that:
- when moved into said first position said feed finger is moved into said feeding position and said anti-backup finger is moved out of said anti-backup position;
- when moved into said second position said feed finger is moved into said feeding position and said anti-backup finger is moved into said anti-backup position;
- and
- when moved into said third position said feed finger is moved out of said feeding position and said anti-backup finger is moved out of said anti-backup position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.