Patent Application
20080083473
The invention will be more readily understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof given, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the accompanying drawings, there is shown a wire splicer indicated generally by reference numeral 10, which is formed of a splicer head indicated generally by reference numeral 12 and a shank 14.
The splicer head 12 is in the form of a disk 15 having a smooth cylindrical periphery 16, and six counterbored wire reception holes 18.
The shank 14 comprises a length of steel rod, which has an end portion press-fitted into a cylindrical opening in a central portion of the disk 15, the end portion of the shank 20 being formed with a wire guide and spreader boss in the form of a nose 22, which has a frusto-conical shape and a rounded tip 24, as shown on
The nose 22 protrudes from the central portion of the disk 15 at a first side or face 26 of the disk 15, and the shank 14 extends from the central portion of the disk 15 at an opposite, second side or face 28 of the disk 15.
The wire reception holes 18 are distributed in an annular array close to one another and to the nose 22, and taper convergently from the first side 26 of the disk 15 towards the second side 28.
More particularly, each wire reception hole 18 has a frusto-conical surface 30 extending from the first side to a cylindrical surface 32, which extends from the frusto-conical surface to the second side of the disk 15.
In use of the wire splicer 10, the end of the shank 14 remote from the splicer head 12 is inserted into and gripped by a chuck 40 of a drill (not shown), and wires 34 which are to be twisted together, and which are each provided with a covering of insulation sheathing 36, are firstly prepared by stripping the insulation sheathing 36 from end portions of the wires 34.
The end portions of the wires 34 are then arranged more or less parallel to one another, as shown in
Each cylindrical surface 32 has a cross-sectional area which is sufficient to receive therethrough the respective wire 34, which passes through the second side 28 of the disk 15.
However, the holes 18 each have a minimum cross-sectional area, which is determined by the diameter of the cross-sectional area of wire reception holes 18 at the cylindrical surfaces 32 and which are selected to be less than the cross-sectional area of the insulation sheathing 36, which therefore abuts against the sides of the holes 18 at these minimum cross-sectional areas, so that the passage of the insulation sheathing 36 into the holes 18 is restricted and the insulation sheathing 36 cannot pass through the cylindrical surface portions of the holes 18.
This ensures that only the bared end portions of the wires 34 pass through the wire reception holes 18, thus producing a uniform starting point for the twisting of the wires 34 around one another and also producing an increased friction in the holes 18 between the disk 15 and the wires 34 and thereby producing a tight splicing of the end portions of the wires 34.
The electric drill is then switched on to rotate the shank 14 and thereby the disk 15 of the wire splicer 10, and the ends of the wires 34 inserted in the above-described manner through the wire reception holes 18 are twisted together and thereby spliced. If required, an insulating cap (not shown) can then be fitted onto the splice thus formed.
The provision of the frusto-conical nose 22, with its rounded tip 242, and the counterbored wire reception holes 18, which are closely spaced relative to one another and to the nose 22, allow for easy and quick insertion of the ends of the wires 34 into the splicer head 12 because the wire ends are guided, as described above, by the nose 22 and the frusto-conical surfaces 30 of the counterbored wire reception holes 18, so that it is not necessary for the user to firstly ensure that the wire ends are manually aligned with and guided into the wire reception holes 18. The insulation sheathing 36 of the wires 34, however, is retained by the cylindrical surface portions of the wire reception holes 18, as shown in
Once the ends of the wires 34 have been inserted through the wire reception holes 18, as described above and prior to the formation of the splice, the wires 34 will stay in position in the wire reception holes 18 while the wire splicer 10 is operated and until the splice is formed.
The smoother peripheral surface 16 of the disk 15 permits the use of the wire splicer, 10 even at high speeds of rotation, with no sharp points on the disk periphery to cut or otherwise injure the hands of the user.
Also, the frusto-conically shaped nose 22 at the central portion of the disk 18, between the wire reception holes 18, and the counterbores shapes of the holes 18, cause the wires 34 to pass through the holes 18 at an angle to the axes of the holes, so that the wires 18 are frictionally engaged by the sides of the holes 18 adjacent the second surface 28 of the disk 15, which produces additional friction on the wires 34, thus creating a tight and reliable splice, at high speed. In addition, the wires 34 begin to be spliced together beyond the position at which the insulation sheathing 36 is stripped from the wires 34, which also promotes a strong and safe splice.
Instead of being rotated by an electric drill, the wire splicer 10 may for greater convenience be rotated manually, for which purpose the shank 14 may have added to it, or may be replaced by, a manually graspable handle, which may incorporate a ratchet similar to those commonly employed in screwdrivers.
Instead of being provided on the shank 14, the disk may be mounted on a different support, for example the disk may be replaceably mounted in a socket (not shown). Another possibility is to replace the disk 15 by a different tool head, for example a cylinder, provided with counterbored holes corresponding to the holes 18 and a wire guide and spreader boss or nose corresponding to the nose 22.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, various other modifications may be made in the above-described wire splicer and method within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.
