Pneumatic crimping tool

Abstract

A pneumatic crimping tool is disclosed having a crimping shaft along which contacts and cable ends can be introduced into the crimping opening, a plurality of punches can be introduced into the crimping opening radially relative to the crimping shaft, and an adjustment wheel is provided surrounding the crimping shaft, such that the radial crimp depth is adjustable by rotating the adjustment wheel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the pneumatic pressure crimping device or pneumatic pressure crimping tool according to the preamble of claim 1.

Background Art

[0002] A crimping device or crimper is used for attaching a contact element (hereinafter referred to as a contact) to an end of a stripped electrical cable in order to establish a mechanical and electrical connection. For this purpose, the stripped cable end or wire strand is inserted along a so-called crimping axis into an opening of a socket-shaped portion of the contact, after which the socket-shaped portion is pressed together radially to form the crimping axis and is thereby reshaped. This reduces the size of the opening and crimps the wire strand.

[0003] As used herein, the term "socket-shaped portion" also refers to a socket-shaped portion that is not completely closed in the circumferential direction, for example a portion that is grooved in the longitudinal direction. The portion may be reduced in size or completely closed during the crimping process.

[0004] Completely manually operated crimpers are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a manual crimping pliers provided with four punches that move radially inward toward the contact relative to the crimping axis. An adjustment wheel is disclosed which can be used to adjust the crimping depth, i.e., the radial travel of the punches. The rotation axis of the adjustment wheel is arranged tangentially with respect to the crimping axis.

[0005] Pneumatic crimping tools are conventionally known and are also configured as hand-held devices. That is, the pneumatic crimping tool is held in one hand, and with the other hand, the end of the cable to be crimped, to which the contact is loosely attached, is individually fed.

[0006] In this specification, the term “pneumatic crimping tool” refers to a semi-automatic crimping device in which the energy supply for forming the socket portion of a contact is provided through only one terminal for a pressurized fluid (usually inexpensive compressed air). Such pneumatic crimping tools do not have an electric drive.

[0007] Furthermore, there are pneumatic crimping tools that are more technically complex in terms of apparatus, equipped with feet or frames, which can be placed on a table or workbench so that the operator can use both hands freely during the crimping process. Such pneumatic crimping tools are shown, for example, in (Non-Patent Document 1), (Non-Patent Document 2), and (Non-Patent Document 3) on the Internet. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] German Patent Application Publication No. 10060165 [Non-patent literature]

[0009] [Non-Patent Document 1] https: / / www.dmctools.com / oscar / catalogue / wa23_3606 [Non-Patent Document 2] https: / / www.rennsteig.us / products / crimping-tools / multi-indent-pneumatic-crimping-tools [Non-Patent Document 3] https: / / www.buydeutsch.com / collections / crimpers / products / hdp-400 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0010] The drawback of the conventional pneumatic crimping tools described above is that it is difficult or impossible to adjust the crimping depth, i.e., the radial feed movement of the punch. With this in mind, the objective of the present invention is to develop a pneumatic crimping tool that allows for easy adjustment of the crimping depth.

[0011] This objective is achieved by a pneumatic crimping tool having the features of claim 1. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] Further advantageous embodiments of the present invention are described in the dependent claims. The pneumatic crimping tool described in the claim has a crimping opening through which a crimping shaft extends, and the contact and delaminated cable end is inserted into the crimping opening along the crimping shaft. Next, a crimping process is performed, in which at least two, preferably four, crimping punches are moved into the crimping opening with a crimping force applied radially to the crimping shaft. According to the present invention, an adjustment wheel is provided surrounding the crimping shaft, and the crimping depth can be adjusted by rotating the adjustment wheel.

[0013] The pneumatic crimping tool according to the present invention is both technically simple and visually appealing because, when the adjustment wheel concentrically surrounds the crimping shaft, the crimping depth can be adjusted by rotating the adjustment wheel around the crimping shaft.

[0014] It is especially easy to read if the adjustment wheel has a rotation scale on the front that indicates the crimping depth. The pneumatic crimping tool according to the present invention is both technically simple and visually preferable when it has a housing that is at least partially cylindrical with a central axis that is the crimping axis.

[0015] Preferably, the adjustment wheel is positionable along the crimping shaft via an external thread, and has a stop for limiting the crimping depth, which indirectly limits the radial path of the punch. The external thread engages with an internal thread of an at least partially cylindrical housing or an outer ring fixed to the housing.

[0016] In order to fix the adjustment wheel after positioning, it is particularly preferable that knurled screws (for example, three) are arranged on the circumference of the adjustment wheel. An additional fixed scale for indicating the crimping depth can be mounted on the outer circumference of the outer ring.

[0017] Preferably, for fixing the adjustment wheel, a locking seat is mounted on the outer ring or the housing. This can prevent the adjustment wheel from falling off due to the thread of the adjustment wheel being completely unscrewed.

[0018] In a particularly preferred further development, a ring-shaped crimping cone is provided, which is pneumatically movable along the crimping shaft to a stop formed on the adjustment wheel during the crimping process. The punch is moved radially relative to the crimping shaft into the crimping opening via the conical inner circumferential surface of the crimping cone, which preferably has a flat, acute-angled running surface for the roller of the crimping punch. The smaller the gradient of the inner circumferential surface of the crimping cone, the higher the crimping force of the punch for a given force applied to the crimping cone.

[0019] In one variant of the present invention, the crimping cone is abutted along the inner circumferential surface, and the rollers preferably formed on the punch are guided on a preferably flat running surface inclined according to the cone angle, so as to ensure optimized friction guidance and adjustment.

[0020] In terms of device technology, it is simple if the crimping cone is guided on the outer ring or an at least partially cylindrical housing. Preferably, the pneumatic crimping tool according to the present invention has a double-acting pneumatic cylinder. If this is a differential cylinder, its piston crown chamber can act in the closing direction of the punch and its annular chamber can act in the opening direction of the punch, preferably acting on the crimping cone.

[0021] Due to the axial and angular offset between the pneumatic cylinder and the crimping cone, the piston of the pneumatic cylinder is preferably connected to the crimping cone via a compensation element. When the adjusting wheel is screwed onto the outer ring, the outer ring is preferably directly or indirectly attached to the pneumatic cylinder via at least two, preferably three tension rods. The outer ring supports the adjusting wheel when the crimping cone reaches the stop of the adjusting wheel during the crimping process.

[0022] It is particularly preferred when the pneumatic crimping tool according to the present invention has a replaceable contact stop. This allows the crimping position to be adjusted. Preferably, the contact stop is biased in the insertion direction by a spring along the crimping axis to compensate for linear expansion of the contact during the crimping process.

[0023] If no contact stop is provided, access to the punch can be blocked by a spring-biased protective flap. It is particularly preferred that the punch is replaceable, or the punch guide is replaceable together with the punch. This allows the crimping shape to be adapted.

[0024] In any embodiment, two holding jaws are provided which are arranged at least partially inside the adjusting wheel and are crimped radially in the direction of the crimping axis, and thus inwardly towards each other, via at least one magnet. This allows the contact and the wire strand to be centered relative to each other.

[0025] Preferably, the retaining jaws have projections or shoulders, such as handle edges, that are oriented toward the insertion direction so that they can be opened again against the force of at least one magnet. Preferably, the retaining jaws are guided radially via their respective guide pivots. The guide pivots can be configured so that the retaining jaws are also guided radially, axially, and / or circumferentially via their outer contours. In optional configurations of the retaining jaws, the guide pivots are removably secured, for example, via their respective holders and screws.

[0026] In another optional embodiment, a contact magazine is provided, which is at least partially located inside the adjustment wheel and has passage recesses aligned parallel to the crimping axis for receiving each contact. This improves handling and increases the productivity of the pneumatic crimping tool according to the present invention.

[0027] Preferably, the passage recesses are arranged in a linear row extending perpendicular to the crimping axis, and the contact magazine is manually movable along the row. This can further improve handling and increase the productivity of the pneumatic crimping tool according to the present invention.

[0028] The contact magazine can be moved particularly quickly and accurately between individual crimping processes if it is provided with a stepped latching device corresponding to the distance from the passage recess. The stepped latching device can be formed by a ball pressure screw and a corresponding contour on the contact magazine.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the pneumatic crimping tool according to the present invention, the two aforementioned options, namely the retaining jaws and the contact magazine, can be mounted alternately to one another. It is particularly preferable, for both technical and visual reasons, that the graduated adjustment wheel, outer ring, and housing are concentric with the crimping opening and the crimping shaft. Furthermore, the punch guide, pneumatic cylinder, crimping cone, and compensation element may also be concentric with the crimping opening and the crimping shaft.

[0030] It is particularly preferable, from both a technical and aesthetic standpoint, that the knurled screws be evenly distributed around the circumference of the adjustment wheel. For technical reasons, it is particularly preferable that the tension rods are evenly distributed on the circumference of the adjustment wheel and the pneumatic cylinder.

[0031] The pneumatic crimping tool described in the claim is configured as a tabletop device and therefore preferably has a foot. The inclination of the crimping shaft relative to the foot is adjustable via an adjustment device. The adjustment device is preferably an adjustment screw, which allows the distance between the lower housing portion and the foot to be changed.

[0032] An example of the configuration of the pneumatic crimping tool according to the present invention is shown in the drawing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0033] [Figure 1] A partial front view shows an example of the configuration of a pneumatic crimping tool according to the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows a side view of the pneumatic crimping tool. [Figure 3] Figure 1 shows a side view of the pneumatic crimping tool without the housing. [Figure 4] Figure 1 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the pneumatic crimping tool. [Figure 5a] A front view of a pneumatic crimping tool with the first option is shown. [Figure 5b] A perspective view shows a portion of a pneumatic crimping tool equipped with the first option in Figure 5a. [Figure 6] A perspective view shows some pneumatic crimping tools that offer a second option. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0034] Figure 1 shows a front view of a partial configuration example of the pneumatic crimping tool according to the present invention. The pneumatic crimping tool applies loosely bent contacts (cross section 0.08 mm) to pre-stripped cable ends according to the crimping configurations "4 indent" and "4 / 8 indent". 2 ~2.5mm 2 Crimp the connectors. (Contacts and cable ends are not shown.) The contacts are individually supplied to the crimping opening 1 along a so-called crimping axis (for example, shown in Figure 2), which is oriented perpendicular to the drawing plane in Figure 1. The contacts are centrally positioned radially and longitudinally by a replaceable contact stop 2. More precisely, each contact is radially centered, and the contact stop 2 forms the stop for the contact in the direction of insertion into the drawing plane. The stripped cable end is pushed into the opening of the socket portion of the contact, and the crimping process is then initiated by a pneumatic switch (in this form, a foot switch, not shown). After the crimping process, the crimped cable end is removed.

[0035] The crimping depth (radially) can be manually adjusted to 0.001 mm using an adjustment wheel 3 concentric with the crimping opening 1. The adjustment wheel 3 is guided by an outer ring 14 fixed to the housing via a screw and is positioned or adjusted perpendicular to the drawing plane. After adjustment, the adjustment wheel is tightened with three knurled screws 18. To adjust the crimping depth, the adjustment wheel 3 is marked with a scale 24 from 0 to 100 (rotation angle) in the circumferential direction. (The corresponding reading marker 26 attached to the outer ring 14 is shown in Figure 5a).

[0036] The replaceable contact stop section 2 is provided for each contact shape, and its inner diameter and length position the contact in the center in the radial and axial directions. The spring-biased protective flap 8 prevents access to the radial punch, which is movable in the crimping opening, when the contact stop unit 2 is not installed.

[0037] Figure 2 shows a side view of the entire pneumatic crimping tool shown in Figure 1. The height of the pneumatic crimping tool and the inclination of its crimping shaft 28 are adjustable via an adjustment screw 7 through a hinge. The adjustment screw 7 connects a cylindrical housing 30, concentric with the crimping shaft 28, to the foot portion 32 of the pneumatic crimping tool.

[0038] Furthermore, a pneumatic connection part 34 that acts in the closing direction and a pneumatic connection part 36 that acts in the opening direction are arranged in the recess of the housing 30. Figure 3 shows a side view of the pneumatic crimping tool of Figure 2, excluding the housing 30. It can be seen that two pneumatic connectors 34 and 36 are located on the pneumatic cylinder 12. The pneumatic cylinder 12 is coupled to the crimping cone 13 via compensation elements 21 for axial and angular offset of the pneumatic cylinder 12, and the crimping cone 13 can move along the crimping axis 28 relative to the outer ring 14 fixed to the housing.

[0039] To optimize crimping quality, the punch guide (shown in Figure 4) is positionable via threaded pins 16, one of which is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 5b below.

[0040] Figure 4 shows the pneumatic crimping tool of Figure 1 in a longitudinal cross-section, excluding the foot portion 32. The punch guide 11 guides four punches 10. When the crimping process is started by the activation of the pneumatic switch, the piston of the pneumatic cylinder 12 pushes the crimping cone 13 forward (to the left in Figure 2). The shape of the crimping cone 13 results in an increase in the crimping force of the pneumatic cylinder 12 and a 90-degree change of direction (from axial to radially inward). This occurs on the conical inner surface of the crimping cone 13. The punches 10 move together around the contacts within the crimping opening 1. The crimping cone 13 is guided within the outer ring 14. The tension rod 19 absorbs the crimping force of the pneumatic cylinder 12.

[0041] In the illustrated configuration example, rollers 38a and 38b, which roll along the running surfaces 40a and 40b respectively, are positioned at the upper and lower ends of the punch 10 in Figure 4. These running surfaces 40a and 40b are formed along the abutted inner circumferential surfaces 42 of the crimping cone 13 and are therefore angled according to the cone angle.

[0042] When the pneumatic switch is released, the pneumatic cylinder 12 acts in the reverse direction, and the punches 10 are opened by their respective radial springs. The crimping depth is set by the adjustment wheel 3 by limiting the feed of the crimping cone 13 at the stop section 3a of the adjustment wheel 3.

[0043] The crimping shape can be adjusted by changing the punch 10. The contact stop section 2 centers the contact in both the radial and longitudinal directions. The contact stop section 2 is pre-biased by a spring 2a to compensate for the linear expansion of the contact during the crimping process.

[0044] Figure 5a shows the previously described scale 24 of the rotatable adjustment wheel 3, along with the reading marker 26 on the fixed outer ring 14. It also shows the locking sheet 9, which prevents the screws of the adjustment wheel 3 from coming loose completely.

[0045] Figures 5a and 5b show optional retaining jaws 5 for improving crimping quality, which centrally position the contact and the wire strands of the cable end in relation to each other.

[0046] Figure 5b shows that the retaining jaws 5 are closed by the magnet 15 and opened manually by the handle edge 17. The retaining jaws 5 are guided by their respective fixed cylindrical pins 5a.

[0047] Referring to Figure 6, the outer circumference of the outer ring 14 is provided with a scale 4 axially oriented to indicate the total number of rotations of the adjustment wheel 3 in eight stages (letters A to H in the illustrated configuration). (Only the first three stages are shown in Figure 6).

[0048] Figure 6 shows an optional contact magazine 6 for improved handling. The contact magazine 6 holds multiple contacts in each passage recess and moves laterally in steps, once per crimping step. Each contact is pushed into the crimping opening 1 using its respective cable end. When the contact magazine 6 is empty, it is reloaded and moves in steps in the reverse direction. For this purpose, the contact magazine 6 is provided with a grooved guide 20 having two sides.

[0049] The contact magazine 6 can be moved in steps via a ball pressure screw 22 provided on one side of the guide 20 and a corresponding engagement contour provided on the contact magazine 6.

[0050] The shape of the recessed passages for the contacts is adapted to the shape of each contact, which is why the contact magazine 6 is replaceable. The disclosed pneumatic crimping tool does not contain any electrical components. The pneumatic crimping tool has a crimping shaft along which contacts and cable ends can be inserted into a crimping opening, and a plurality of punches can move radially into the crimping opening relative to the crimping shaft. It is equipped with an adjustment wheel preferably concentrically surrounding the crimping shaft, and the radial crimping depth can be adjusted by rotating the adjustment wheel. Preferably, a stopper is formed on the adjustment wheel for this purpose to indirectly restrict the backward movement of the punches. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 1...Crimping machine, 2...Contact stopper, 2a...Spring, 3...Adjustment wheel, 3a...Stopper, 4...Fixed scale, 5...Retaining jaw, 5a...Cylindrical pin, 6...Contact magazine, 7...Adjustment screw, 8...Protective flap, 9...Locking sheet, 10...Punch, 11...Punch guide, 12...Pneumatic cylinder, 13...Crimping cone, 14...Outer ring, 15...Magnet, 16...Threaded pin, 17...Handle edge, 18...Knurled screw, 19...Tension rod, 20...Guide, 21...Compensation element, 22...Ball pressure screw, 24...Rotation scale, 26...Reading marker, 28...Crimping shaft, 30...Housing, 32...Foot, 34...Pneumatic connection, 36...Pneumatic connection, 38...Roller, 40...Running surface, 42...Inner circumferential surface.

Claims

1. A pneumatic crimping tool, A pneumatic crimping tool having a crimping opening through which a crimping shaft passes, in which contacts and cable ends can be inserted into the crimping opening along the crimping shaft, and in which at least two punches for crimping are movable within the crimping opening by a crimping force applied radially with respect to the crimping shaft, A pneumatic crimping tool characterized by having an adjustment wheel surrounding the crimping shaft, which allows the crimping depth to be adjusted by rotating the adjustment wheel.

2. The pneumatic crimping tool according to claim 1, characterized in that the front surface of the adjustment wheel is provided with a scale indicating the crimping depth.

3. The pneumatic crimping tool according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjustment wheel is positionable along the crimping shaft via a male screw and has a stopper for limiting the crimping depth, and the male screw engages with a female screw of at least a partially cylindrical housing or an outer ring fixed to the housing.

4. The pneumatic crimping tool according to claim 3, characterized in that the outer circumference of the outer ring has an additional scale for indicating the crimping depth.

5. The pneumatic crimping tool according to claim 3, characterized in that it includes a ring-shaped crimping cone that is movable along the crimping shaft to the stop portion, and the punch is movable into the crimping opening via the conical inner surface of the crimping cone.

6. The pneumatic crimping tool according to claim 5, characterized in that the crimping cone has a running surface for the roller of the punch.

7. The pneumatic crimping tool according to claim 5, characterized in that the crimping cone is guided within the outer ring or the at least partially cylindrical housing.

8. A pneumatic crimping tool according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized by having a double-acting pneumatic cylinder.

9. The pneumatic crimping tool according to claim 8, characterized in that the outer ring is directly or indirectly attached to the pneumatic cylinder via at least two tension rods.

10. The pneumatic crimping tool according to claim 1, characterized by having a replaceable contact stopper.

11. The pneumatic crimping tool according to claim 10, characterized by having a spring-biased protective flap for covering the housing portion of the replaceable contact stop portion.

12. The pneumatic crimping tool according to claim 1, characterized in that the punch is replaceable, or the punch guide is replaceable with the punch.

13. The pneumatic crimping tool according to claim 1, characterized in that it has two retaining jaws which are at least partially arranged inside the adjustment wheel and which are fixed radially in the direction of the crimping axis by at least one magnet.

14. The pneumatic crimping tool according to claim 13, characterized in that the retaining jaws are guided via their respective guide pivots.

15. The pneumatic crimping tool according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a contact magazine which is at least partially located inside the adjustment wheel and includes passage recesses aligned parallel to the crimping shaft for receiving each contact.

16. The pneumatic crimping tool according to claim 15, characterized in that the passage recesses are aligned in a linear row extending perpendicular to the crimping shaft, and the contact magazine is manually movable along the row so as to be guided.

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