Claims
- 1. An apparatus for closing clam-shell housings about articles such as electrical connectors, each of said clam-shell housings initially being interconnected to a plurality of other unassembled plastic clam-shell housings by integral hinge members, and each of said unassembled plastic clam-shell housings including first and second opposed housing sections, said plurality of clam-shell housings being joined together in such a manner that relative pivotal movement of the first and second housing parts of one of the unassembled housings towards and away from each other will cause corresponding relative pivotal movement of the integral hinge members which will in turn cause corresponding relative pivotal movement of the first and second housing parts of an adjacent housing; said apparatus including:
- means to position a first open clam-shell housing of said plurality of interconnected housings at an assembly station;
- means to place an electrical terminal within the first open clam-shell housing; and
- means operable to move the opposed housing parts of a second clam-shell housing of said plurality of interconnected housings towards each other to cause the first and second opposed housing parts of the first clam-shell housing to move towards each other over said terminal.
- 2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein the means to move the opposed housing parts include reciprocal plunger means located adjacent to said assembly station and movable towards and away from one of the opposed housing parts of said second clam-shell housing.
- 3. The apparatus set forth in claim 2 wherein said plunger is provided with extension means operable to contact a hinge member integral with said first housing and disposed adjacent one side of said first housing to that side opposite the second clam-shell housing.
- 4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 further comprising:
- means for impingeing a stream of air on one of the first and second housing parts of the first housing to facilitate the movement of the housing parts of the first housing towards each other.
- 5. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 in which the means for placing an electrical terminal within the first open clam-shell housing includes means operable to move said terminal laterally between opposed sides of the first and second housing parts of the first clam-shell housing.
- 6. An apparatus for successively positioning a leading unassembled open plastic clam-shell insulating housing of a plurality of interconnected clam-shell housings at an assembly station between assembly tools for subsequent closing of the open clam-shell housing about an electrical terminal, said assembly tools being movable relatively towards and away from each other along a predetermined path, each of the unassembled open clam-shell housings including a complementary pair of hinged first and second housing parts, said plurality of interconnected clam-shell housings being interconnected by integral plastic hinge members in such a manner that relative pivotal moving of said housing parts of one of said unassembled housings towards and away from each other will cause corresponding relative pivotal movement of the integral hinge members which will in turn cause corresponding relative pivotal movement of the housing of the adjacent housing said apparatus comprising:
- means to position a leading unassembled housing of said plurality of interconnected clam-shell housings at said assembly station with its first housing part disposed between said tools in a generally transverse relationship to the path of said tools and with its second housing disposed in an open relationship to said first housing part in order to provide sufficient clearance between said housing parts in said leading housing for the placement of an electrical terminal in said leading housing, said positioning of said leading housing at said station causing the adjacent unassembled housing to be positioned adjacent said assembly station with it's corresponding housing parts being disposed in substantially the same relationship to each other as the housing parts of the leading housing are to each other;
- means operable to place an electrical terminal in said leading housing; and
- means pivotally moving the second housing part of said adjacent housing towards its first housing part to a first predetermined angular displacement to thereby provide, via said interconnecting integral plastic hinge member, pivotal movement of said second housing part of said leading housing towards it's first housing part through a second predetermined angular displacement to a position where the second housing part of the leading housing is obliquely disposed across the predetermined path of the assembly tools between its first housing part and one of said assembly tools,
- whereby said second housing part of said leading housing is aligned for engagement by one of said tools without the aid of any physical means which would obstruct said relative movement of said tools towards each other during assembly of said housing parts of said leading housing to said article.
- 7. An apparatus for successively assembling the normally open clam-shell housings of a plurality of interconnected clam-shell housings about an electrical terminal, said normally open clam-shell housings initially being interconnected to a plurality of other clam shell housings by integral hinge members which interconnect the sides of adjacent clam-shell housings, and each of said clam-shell housings including first and second opposed housing parts; said apparatus comprising:
- an assembly station having a seat adapted to receive a second housing part;
- means operable to convey the leading normally open clam-shell housing of a plurality of interconnected housings to said assembly station;
- means operable to position said article within said open clam-shell housing at said assembly station;
- means operable to engage a first housing part of a normally open clam-shell housing adjacent said leading clam-shell housing and to move the first housing part towards the second housing part to cause corresponding movement of the first housing part at said assembly station;
- tool means mounted at said assemble station and operable to close and bond the first housing part of the leading housing to the second housing part after the first housing part has been initially moved towards the second housing part; and
- shearing means operable to shear the integral hinge members from said leading housing.
- 8. The apparatus set forth in claim 7 further characterized by the provision of centering means operable to substantially center said electrical terminal relative to said seat.
- 9. The apparatus set forth in claim 8 wherein said centering means includes a pair of spaced apart engaging surfaces disposed to either side of said seat, and wherein said shearing means are a pair of spaced apart shears disposed to either side of said seat.
- 10. An apparatus for closing and bonding insulating housings about articles such as electrical terminals or the like, the insulating housing which is to be secured about an article being the leading housing of a plurality of clam-shell housings which are interconnected to each other in strip form by integral hinge members, each of said clam-shell housings including opposed first and second housing parts; said apparatus comprising:
- an assembly station;
- means operable to convey the leading clam-shell housing of said plurality of interconnected clam-shell housings to said assembly station along a generally linear path, said leading clam-shell housing being open when conveyed to said assembly station;
- article conveying means operable to convey an article to said assembly station along a generally linear path in a direction opposite to the movement of the leading housing as it is conveyed to said assembly station;
- means operable to engage one or more first housing parts of the open clam-shell housings immediately adjacent the leading clam-shell housing after it has been conveyed to the assembly station and to move said one or more first housing parts towards one or more corresponding opposed second housing parts to cause the first clam-shell housing part at said assembly station to have corresponding movement towards its opposed second housing part to partially close the leading clam-shell housing;
- bonding tool means operable to engage the first housing part of the partially closed clam-shell housing at the assembly station and to move it into a closed position and to bond it to the second housing part in assembled relationship about said article; and
- means operable to shear said assembled clam-shell housing parts at said assembly station from interconnected hinge members.
- 11. The apparatus set forth in claim 10 wherein said article conveying means includes a plurality of spaced apart conveying members, and said apparatus further being characterized by the provision of ramp means extending away from said assembly station and underlying an article which is to be assembled at said assembly station when said article is supported by a spaced apart conveying member as another article is being assembled within the leading clam-shell housing at said assembly station.
- 12. In an apparatus adapted to place articles, such as electrical connectors or the like, within an open leading clam-shell housing having opposed housing parts, and to subsequently close the opposed housing parts of the leading clam-shell housing and to bond the opposed housing parts of the clam-shell housing to each other to assemble said article within said housing at an assembly station which has a seat that receives one of the housing parts of the leading clam-shell housing, said leading clam-shell housing initially being interconnected to a plurality of other open clam-shell housings by integral hinge members which extend outwardly from the sides of said opposed housing parts,
- the combination therewith of
- centering means operable to center said one housing part of the leading clam-shell housing relative to said seat at said assembly station prior to the closing and bonding of the other housing part to said one housing part about said article; and
- shearing means operable to shear the integral hinge members from said leading housing after said leading clam-shell housing has been closed about said article.
- 13. The combination set forth in claim 12 wherein said centering and shearing means are a pair of spaced apart structures disposed to either side of said seat, each of said structures including an upper centering portion and a lower shearing portion.
- 14. The apparatus set forth in claim 13 wherein the opposed facing surfaces of the upper centering portions are more widely spaced apart than the opposed lower shearing surfaces whereby the article will not be moved out of said seat as it is being centered and also to provide for shearing of the hinge members immediately adjacent the sides of said leading clam-shell housing.
- 15. The apparatus set forth in claim 13 wherein said pair of centering and shearing structures are interconnected to a common actuating mechanism, said actuating mechanism initially moving said pair of structures upwardly a first amount to center the clam-shell housing relative to said seat, and then upwardly a second amount to shear the integral hinge members from said leading clam-shell housing.
- 16. In an apparatus for assembling insulation housings over electrical terminals by conveying a strip of interconnected insulation housings in turn to a work station, and at the work station supporting each housing and closing together opposed portions of each housing over a corresponding electrical terminal, the improvement comprising:
- positioning means at said work station for inserting an electrical terminal and positioning the same on a first housing of said strip,
- deflecting means engageable on said strip at a location separated from said first housing for deflecting said strip and thereby closing together at least partially the opposed portions of said first housing, and
- securing means reciprocable toward and away from the at least partially closed opposed portions of said first housing and retaining said opposed portions of said first housing in fully closed relationship while said deflecting means remains separated from said first housing for securing together the opposed portions of said first housing over said terminal.
- 17. The structure as recited in claim 16 and further including:
- separating means for separating said first housing from the remainder of said strip subsequent to securing together the opposed portions of said first housing over said terminal.
- 18. The structure as recited in claim 16 wherein said housings are separably interconnected by integral hinge portions projecting outwardly of corresponding housings, and said deflecting means engages and deflects an integral hinge portion adjacent said first housing for closing together at least partially the opposed portions of said first housing prior to reciprocation of said securing means.
- 19. The structure as recited in claim 18, and further including:
- severing means for severing said first housing from said adjacent integral hinge portion subsequent to securing together the opposed portions of said first housing over said terminal.
- 20. The structure as recited in claim 16, wherein, said deflecting means is engageable on another housing adjacent said first housing to deflect said strip and thereby close together at least partially the opposed portions of said first housing.
- 21. The structure as recited in claim 16, and further including:
- air impinging means for impinging a stream of air on said first housing at said work station, said air impinging means acting simultaneously with said deflecting means to close together at least partially said opposed portions of said first housing prior to reciprocation of said securing means.
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 368,159 filed June 8, 1973, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
3245135 |
Netta et al. |
Apr 1966 |
|
3380140 |
Champ |
Apr 1968 |
|
3416212 |
Bustler et al. |
Dec 1968 |
|
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
368159 |
Jun 1973 |
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