Wire positioning device

Abstract

Wire positioning devices (1) for positioning an electrical wire (2) in a processing device, include a wire guide (4) for receiving the electrical wire (2) and a lowering device (5), movable vertically in relation to a first longitudinal axis (45) of the wire (2) received in the wire guide (4). The lowering device (5) has a press piece (6), spring-loaded via at least one spring element (15), and is provided so as to be contacted against the wire guide (4), the spring element (15) being arranged in a tube (16). Also disclosed are methods for lowering thin wires (2) and for positioning them in an oscillation-damped manner, wherein a wire positioning device (1) or a processing device are employed.

Claims

1. A wire processing system comprising: a wire processing station including a housing and a wire processing tool mounted to said housing, and said wire processing tool being configured to receive and process an end of a wire; a movable wire guide spaced apart from said wire processing tool, and said movable wire guide being configured to receive a wire and to move an end of said wire protruding from said wire guide to said wire processing tool; a pressure piece, including a first contact surface, movably mounted to said housing, said pressure piece being initially positioned in a first position above said wire guide when said wire guide moves said protruding end of said wire to said wire processing tool; and a stop, including a second contact surface, fixedly mounted to said housing, and said stop being positioned below said wire guide when said wire guide moves said protruding end of said wire to said wire processing tool, said pressure piece being configured, when said wire guide moves said protruding end of said wire to said processing tool, to move downwardly from the first position to a second position, where said first contact surface initially contacts an upper surface of said wire guide, and to further move downwardly, while said first contact surface presses downwardly on said upper surface, from said second position to a third position, where said second contact surface contacts a lower surface of said wire guide, either directly or indirectly, thereby stopping the motion of said wire guide induced by said pressure piece and thereby clamping said wire guide between said pressure piece and said stop, whereby oscillations of said wire guide and of said protruding end of said wire are damped prior to said protruding end of said wire being received and processed by said wire processing tool.

2. The wire processing system claimed in claim 1, wherein said wire processing tool includes a crimping tool.

3. The wire processing system claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a tube movably mounted to said housing; and a spring, encased by said tube and operatively connected to said pressure piece, said spring being configured to bias said pressure piece downwardly toward said wire guide when said wire guide moves said protruding end of said wire to said wire processing tool.

4. The wire processing system claimed in claim 3, further comprising an L-shaped flange movably mounted to said housing, said L-shaped flange including a cylindrical sleeve having an inner threaded surface, and said tube including an outer surface at least a portion of which is threaded, said portion being configured to engage with the inner threaded surface of said cylindrical sleeve.

5. The wire processing system claimed in claim 4, further comprising a carriage movably mounted to said housing, said L-shaped flange is fixedly mounted to said carriage, said carriage is configured to move said pressure piece, via said L-shaped flange, said tube and said spring, from said first position, to said second position and to said third position.

6. The wire processing system claimed in claim 1, further comprising a pivotably mounted pivoting conveyor, said wire guide is mounted to said conveyor, said conveyor is configured so that lateral pivoting of said conveyor serves to move said wire guide, and therefore the end of the wire protruding from said wire guide, toward said wire processing tool.

7. The wire processing system claimed in claim 1, wherein said movable wire guide includes a sleeve configured to receive said wire.

8. A wire processing station comprising: a housing and a wire processing tool mounted to said housing, and said wire processing tool being configured to receive and process an end of a wire moved to said wire processing tool by a movable wire guide; a pressure piece, including a first contact surface, movably mounted to said housing, said pressure piece being initially positioned in a first position above the movable wire guide when the movable wire guide moves a protruding end of the wire to said wire processing tool; and a stop, including a second contact surface, fixedly mounted to said housing, said stop being positioned below the movable wire guide when the movable wire guide moves the protruding end of the wire to said processing tool, said pressure piece being configured, when the movable wire guide moves the protruding end of the wire to said processing tool, to move downwardly from said first position to a second position, where said first contact surface initially contacts an upper surface of the wire guide, and to move further downwardly, while said first contact surface presses downwardly on said upper surface, from said second position to a third position, where said second contact surface contacts a lower surface of the wire guide, either directly or indirectly, thereby stopping the motion of the wire guide induced by said pressure piece and thereby clamping the wire guide between said pressure piece and said stop, whereby oscillations of the wire guide and of the protruding end of the wire are damped prior to the protruding end of the wire being received and processed by said wire processing tool.

9. The wire processing station of claim 8, wherein said wire processing tool includes a crimping tool.

10. The wire processing station of claim 8, further comprising: a tube movably mounted to said housing; and a spring, encased by said tube and operatively connected to said pressure piece, said spring being configured to bias said pressure piece downwardly toward the wire guide when the wire guide moves the protruding end of the wire to said wire processing tool.

11. The wire processing station of claim 10, further comprising an L-shaped flange movably mounted to said housing, said L-shaped flange includes a cylindrical sleeve having an inner threaded surface, and said tube includes an outer surface at least a portion of which is threaded, and said portion is configured to engage with the inner threaded surface of said cylindrical sleeve.

12. The wire processing station of claim 11, further comprising a carriage movably mounted to said housing, said L-shaped flange is fixedly mounted to said carriage, said carriage is configured to move said pressure piece, via said L-shaped flange, said tube and said spring, from said first position, to said second position and to said third position.

Description

IN THE FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 shows a schematic, partial sectional illustration of a processing device having a wire positioning device in a first position,

(2) FIG. 2 shows a schematic, partial sectional illustration of the processing device having a wire positioning device in accordance with FIG. 1 in a second position,

(3) FIG. 3 shows a schematic detailed illustration of the wire positioning device shown in FIG. 2 in the second position, and

(4) FIG. 4 shows a schematic detailed illustration of the wire positioning device in a third position.

(5) FIGS. 1 and 2 show a processing device having a processing station 3 and a wire positioning device 1 for positioning an electrical wire 2 in the processing station 3. FIG. 3 shows a detailed illustration of the wire positioning device 1 according to FIG. 2 in a second position, and FIG. 4 shows a detailed illustration of the wire positioning device 1 in a further, third position.

(6) The processing station 3 shown in this case is formed as a crimping station, and therefore the processing device shown in this case is also a crimping device. The crimping station shown in this case has a crimping tool with an upper punch unit 39 and a lower punch unit 40. The invention is not limited to a crimping device having a crimping station, however. For example, it may also be used for soldering or welding devices.

(7) The wire positioning device 1 has a wire guide 4, in which the electrical wire 2 is received so as to be processed in the processing station 3. The wire guide 4 is embodied in this case in the form of a guide sleeve, through which the wire 2 is guided, wherein a free end 44 of the wire 2 protrudes from the wire guide 4.

(8) The wire positioning device 1 further has a lowering device 5, which is arranged movably vertically in relation to a first longitudinal axis 45 of the electrical wire 3 received in the wire guide 4.

(9) The lowering device 5 has a spring-mounted pressure piece 6 at one end, which, in a second position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, comes to rest against an upper face 7 of the wire guide 4. The pressure piece 6 shown in this case is basically T-shaped and has a plate 8 and a shaft 9 arranged on the plate 8, in particular as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The plate 8 is a hard rubber buffer with a flat or slightly crowned surface. An outer thread 10 is formed on the shaft 9, via which the pressure piece 6 can be fixed. The pressure piece 6 shown in this case is thus embodied basically in the form of a screw. The pressure piece 6 has a preferably circular contact surface 11 on the plate 8, with which the pressure piece 6 can be pressed in a planar manner against the wire guide 4, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. In the embodiment shown in this instance, the pressure piece 6 is screwed in at a first end portion 12 of a pin 13 via the outer thread 10 formed on the shaft 9 and is fixed to the pin 13.

(10) The pin 13 is connected to a spring element 15 at a second end portion 14 of the pin 13 opposite the first end portion 12, in such a way that the pressure piece 6 is spring-loaded via the pin 13. The spring element 15 is embodied in this case in the form of a plurality of compression springs arranged in succession. Alternatively, the spring element 15 may also be formed from a single mechanical compression spring. A small, pressurised pneumatic cylinder is also conceivable, as is a design with a press plunger guided in the tube and, for example, two outer tension springs mounted between the press plunger head and the assembly flange. The spring element 15 and the second end portion 14 of the pin 13 are arranged in a tube 16, wherein the longitudinal axis of the tube 16 extends vertically in relation to the longitudinal axis of the electrical wire 2.

(11) The tube 16 is closed via a first cap-shaped end piece 17 and via a second cap-shaped end piece 18, wherein a through-opening 19 is formed in the second cap-shaped end piece 18, the first end portion 12 of the pin 13 being guided through said through-opening.

(12) An outer thread 20 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tube 16. The tube 16 is fixed to a holding element 21 via the outer thread 20. The holding element 21 has an L-shaped, curved flange 22 and a cylindrical sleeve 23, for example for adjusting the height of introduction of the wire, wherein an inner thread 24 is formed on an inner wall of the sleeve 23 and the outer thread 20 of the tube 16 engages in said inner thread. The tube 16 is guided through a through-opening 25 formed in the flange 22. The sleeve 23, which can also be formed as a nut, is fitted on the flange 22 in the region of the through-opening 25 and is preferably fixed to the flange 22 so that the tube 16 is guided through the sleeve 23 and the through-opening 25 formed in the flange 22 and is screwed via its outer thread 20 into the inner thread 24 of the sleeve 23 so as to be fixed to the holding element 21.

(13) The flange 22 and/or the holding element 21 preferably have at least two adjacent through-openings 25 so that the tube 16 can be installed at different locations.

(14) The lowering device 5 is arranged via the flange 22 of the holding element 21 on a movable carriage 26 of the processing station 3 of the processing device and is fixed thereto via a screw 27. The movable carriage 26, which for example may be a press carriage, is movable in a direction 28 vertically in relation to the first longitudinal axis 45 of the wire 2 received in the wire guide 4. Since the lowering device 5 is fixed rigidly to the movable carriage 26, the lowering device 5 follows the movement of the movable carriage 26 so that the lowering device 5 is guided vertically by means of the movable carriage 26. It is therefore not necessary to provide separate drive means for the lowering device 5. The movable carriage 26 is moved via a crankshaft 29 arranged in the processing station 3 and via a crank pin 30 connecting the movable carriage 26 to the crankshaft 29.

(15) A stop element 31 is arranged opposite the pressure piece 6, wherein the pressure piece 6 and the stop element 31 are arranged opposite one another in such a way that a second longitudinal axis 46 of the pressure piece 6 is oriented so as to be slightly offset in relation to a third longitudinal axis 47 of the stop element 31. The stop element 31 has a plate 32, which can be formed as a hard rubber buffer with a flat or slightly crowned surface, a dowel 33 screwed into the plate 32, and a flange 34, to which the dowel 33 is fixed by means of a fixing element 37. The stop element 31 has a planar contact surface 35 on its plate 32, the lower face 36 of the wire guide 4 coming to rest directly or indirectly against said contact surface when the wire guide 4 is pressed downward in the direction of the stop element 31 by means of the pressure piece 6, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. The lower face 36 of the wire guide 4 can be supported by a first support element 48, which is arranged on the pivoting conveyor 41. In addition, a second support element 49 may be arranged on the pivoting conveyor 41 between the first support element 48 and the stop element 31 so as to further improve the stability of the pivoting conveyor 41. The stop element 31 is connected rigidly via the flange 34 to a carrier element 38 positioned rigidly on the processing station 3. The stop element 31 may alternatively also be mounted on the fixing surface of the machine, to which the press is also fixed.

(16) The wire guide 4 is also fixed to a horizontally pivotably mounted pivoting conveyor 41, via which the wire guide 4 is pivoted in the direction of the processing station 3, together with the wire 2 introduced into the wire guide 4, before the wire 2 is processed. The pivoting conveyor 41 has a pitch axis 42, about which the oscillation-damped pivoting conveyor 41 according to FIG. 3 introduces the wire 2 gently and in an oscillation-damped manner into an opened crimping claw of a contact element according to FIG. 4 mounted in a lower punch unit 40 of the processing station 3. Due to the reduced speed of the pivoting motion about the pitch axis 42 compared to the upper punch unit 39 as a result of the spring elements 15 and due to the spring assembly 43 arranged in the pivoting conveyor 41, an oscillation of the wire guide 4 and of the free end 44 of the wire 2 protruding from the wire guide 4 is damped much quicker both in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction compared to wire positioning devices of the prior art not having a lowering device.

(17) Once the wire guide 4 has been pivoted in the direction of the processing station 3 together with the wire 2, the wire positioning device 1 is located in a first position, as shown in FIG. 1. In this first position, the pressure piece 6 and the stop element 31 are spaced from the wire guide 4. The free end 44 of the wire 2 protruding from the wire guide 4 oscillates freely in all directions as a result of the vibrations. So as to minimise the oscillatory movements of the wire guide 4 and of the free end 44 of the wire 2 protruding from the wire guide 4, the lowering device 5 is then moved downward in the direction of the wire guide 4 by the carriage 25 of the processing station 3 until the stop surface 11 of the pressure piece 6 rests against the upper face 7 of the wire guide 4 in accordance with FIGS. 2 and 3 and has reached a second position. In this second position, a first damping of the oscillation of the wire guide 4 and of the wire 2 occurs. Whilst the carriage 25 and the lowering device 5 connected to the carriage 25 is lowered further vertically, the pressure piece 6 resting against the wire guide 4 is also accelerated smoothly in the direction of the stop element 31 and is moved downward into a third position by means of a pitch movement. Due to the developing spring effect of the spring elements 15 arranged in the lowering device 5, the lowering speed of the pressure piece 6 is reduced considerably, however, compared to the lowering speed of the carriage 25. At the same time, the oscillatory movements are damped further, until the lower face 36 of the wire guide 4 or, indirectly as illustrated in FIG. 4, a lower face of the second support element 49, lies against the contact surface 35 of the stop element 31 once the height of introduction of the wire set for the crimping process has been reached and once the third position has thus been reached, so that the wire guide 4 is clamped between the pressure piece 6 and the stop element 31 in the third position. The oscillations of the wire guide 4 and of the free end 44 of the wire 2 protruding from the wire guide 4 are now stopped. Subsequent oscillation of the pivoting conveyor 41 is therefore no longer possible. Once the pitch movement of the pivoting conveyor 41 is concluded, the free end 44 of the wire 2 is located, in accordance with FIG. 4, in a positionally precise and oscillation-damped manner in the opened crimping claw of a contact element provided in the lower punch unit 40 for crimping by means of the upper punch unit 39, in a manner known per se. The free end 44 of the wire 2 can be processed in a particularly precise and repetition-accurate manner due to the high level of positioning accuracy of the end 44 of the wire 2 in the processing station 3, said end of the wire now being substantially free from oscillation.

(18) TABLE-US-00001 List of reference labels 1 wire positioning device 26 movable carriage 2 wire 27 screw 3 processing station 28 direction 4 wire guide 29 crankshaft 5 lowering device 30 crank pin 6 pressure piece 31 stop element 7 upper face 32 plate 8 plate 33 dowel 9 shaft 34 flange 10 outer thread 35 contact surface 11 contact surface 36 lower face 12 first end portion 37 fixing element 13 pin 38 carrier element 14 second end portion 39 upper punch unit 15 spring element 40 lower punch unit 16 tube 41 pivoting conveyor 17 first cap-shaped end piece 42 pitch axis 18 second cap-shaped end piece 43 spring assembly 19 through-opening 44 free end of the wire 20 outer thread 45 first longitudinal axis 21 holding element 46 second longitudinal axis 22 flange 47 third longitudinal axis 23 sleeve 48 first support element 24 inner thread 49 second support element 25 through-opening