Hand Crimp Tool Wire Inserter for Consistent Terminal Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hand crimp tools lack the ability to consistently and reliably position wires in the crimp zone, leading to variations in manufactured assemblies and potential improper crimping if insufficient force is applied, resulting in waste.
Innovation Solution
A hand crimp tool design featuring a handle with upper and lower grips, a head with an upper jaw and lower jaw, and a wire inserter that moves between advanced and retracted positions to accurately position and hold the wire in the crimp zone, ensuring consistent crimping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the wire is held in one hand and the tool is hand-squeezed by the other hand, then the tool can be operated manually, but the wire positioning becomes inconsistent leading to variations in manufactured assemblies
Solution Approach 1:
The wire inserter is self-actuating through the crimping action itself. When the operator squeezes the handles to crimp the terminal, the relative movement between the jaws automatically actuates the wire inserter to advance the wire into the terminal, eliminating the need for separate manual wire positioning while ensuring consistent positioning through the mechanical linkage of the crimping action
Solution Approach 2:
The wire is pre-loaded into the wire inserter carriage before the crimping operation begins. The wire inserter is pre-positioned in the retracted state with the wire ready for insertion, so that when the crimping action occurs, the wire is automatically advanced to the correct position without requiring manual intervention during the actual crimping process
2Ease of operation
If the wire is inserted with too little force, then the insertion process is easier, but the terminal may be improperly crimped to the wire and may be inoperable leading to waste
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides mechanical feedback through the crimping action itself. The force required to advance the wire through the terminal and the resistance encountered during crimping provide natural feedback to the operator, ensuring that sufficient force is applied to achieve proper insertion and crimping without requiring separate force measurement or control mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The wire inserter carriage is pre-loaded with the wire and pre-positioned in the retracted state. The wire is fed into the terminal through a controlled path that ensures proper alignment and force application before the actual crimping occurs, preventing improper insertion while maintaining ease of operation
3Manufacturing precision
If a wire inserter with carriage movement is added, then wire positioning precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wire inserter carriage is merged with the existing jaw structure of the hand crimp tool. The carriage is positioned within the head assembly and utilizes the same structural framework and movement paths as the jaws, combining multiple functions (crimping and wire insertion) into a single integrated tool without requiring separate complex mechanisms for each function
Solution Approach 2:
The wire inserter carriage transitions from a static pre-loaded position to a dynamic advanced position through the crimping action. The carriage moves along a guided path defined by the tool's existing mechanical structure, utilizing the dynamic movement already inherent in the hand-squeezed crimping operation to achieve precise wire positioning without adding complex active control systems
Data Source
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AI summary
A hand crimp tool (100) includes a handle (110) having upper and lower handles (150, 152) having upper and lower handgrips (154, 156) hand squeezed to close the hand crimp tool. The hand crimp tool includes a head (112) having upper and lower jaws (120, 122) defining a crimp zone (114) therebetween. The lower jaw includes an anvil (124) holding a terminal (102) and the upper jaw includes a crimper (126) crimping the terminal. The hand crimp tool includes a wire inserter (200) coupled to the head having a carriage (206) movable between an advanced position and a retracted position. The wire inserter has a wire clamp (208) holding a wire (104) in the carriage and the wire inserter moves the wire relative to the head to position and hold the wire in the terminal during crimping of the terminal between the anvil and the crimper.