Captive Wire Insertion Tool for Connector Strip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical wire connectors face issues with tool misplacement and incompatibility, leading to inefficiencies in wire installation, as separate tools are easily lost or not designed to fit various connector strips.
Innovation Solution
A captive wire insertion tool is integrated into the connector strip, allowing for sliding movement along the row of apertures to align with any aperture for wire connection, ensuring the correct tool is always present and reducing the need for additional tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate installation tools are provided for each connector strip, then the correct tool is available for each specific connector type, but the tools are easily lost or removed instead of being replaced after use
Solution Approach 1:
The installation tool is merged with the connector strip by providing it in a captive configuration where the tool is retained on the connector strip after use. The tool includes a retention feature that engages with the connector strip structure, ensuring the tool remains attached and is replaced along with the connector strip rather than being lost or removed separately.
2Manufacturing precision
If a hand-held insertion tool with shaft and handle is used, then precise wire insertion is achieved, but the tool becomes cumbersome and requires special storage and handling
Solution Approach 1:
The complex shaft and handle structure is extracted and replaced with a simplified pusher head configuration. The tool is reduced to just the essential wire-inserting portion that fits directly into the connector strip apertures, eliminating the need for lengthy shafts and handles while maintaining the precision wire insertion function.
Solution Approach 2:
The simplified pusher head tool is designed to be universally compatible with multiple connector strip types through standard aperture dimensions. The tool serves multiple functions: guiding the wire, applying insertion force, and trimming excess wire, all through a single integrated component rather than requiring separate specialized tools for each operation.
3Reliability
If disposable plastics tools are attached to connector strips, then tool loss is reduced, but the tools are still easily taken away or misplaced during installation
Solution Approach 1:
The tool is pre-positioned in a captive configuration on the connector strip before installation begins. The retention feature is designed to automatically engage when the tool is placed on the connector strip, ensuring the tool is both retained and easily accessible throughout the installation process without requiring additional steps to secure or locate it.
Data Source
AI summary
Electrical connectors, particularly for connecting telephone wire pairs, are disclosed in which connector strips having at least one row of apertures containing wire connection terminals is provided with at least one captive wire insertion tool which can push or otherwise force wires into terminals of the connector strip to establish electrical connection. The or each tool is mounted for captive sliding movement relative to the strip to position the tool with a selected one of the apertures in which a wire connection is to be made. In one form of the invention, a tool is adapted to slide along the strip so that it can be positioned at each aperture. In a further embodiment, the strip is provided with a plurality of tools, one for each aperture.