Hand tool for joining objects

Abstract

A hand tool for assembling two or more articles along an extended plane. Arcuate motion of a movable handle is converted to axial movement of a presser plate to assemble the articles placed on an aligned platen. The movable handle controls a drive bar which is coupled to the tool frame by pivotally movable links which move the drive bar in two orthogonal directions and to the presser plate to move it in two orthogonal directions by means of pivotally movable links coupled to the drive bar. The movements along one orthogonal axis cancel one another and the movements along the other orthogonal axis are cumulative whereby the presser plate is moved only in the direction of the platen.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention applies to hand tools for assembling two or more articles along an extended plane and, more particularly, to a hand tool for assembling a multi-contact connector to a multi-conductor cable in one operation and applying a uniform compressive force.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Prior art tools for assembling a multi-contact connector (e.g., 50 to 60 contacts) to a multi-conductor cable (e.g., 50 to 60 conductors) fall into two categories; (1) cantilevered jaw hand tools, or (2) arbor type presses. The cantilevered jaw hand tools were scissor-like having a pair of extended parallel jaws extending from the handle pivot to the free ends of the jaws. The compressive force, which the jaws could apply to objects to be assembled, depended upon the location of any assembly point with respect to the pivot. If the center of the jaw length was to have the correct assembly force, then those points closer to the pivot received forces in excess of that desired while those points closer to the jaw free ends received insufficient forces. Also, because of the large forces required to make the assembly and the resistive forces of the connector and cable, the hand tool has to be able to withstand the resulting deflective forces. To do this, the tool parts had to be strong resulting in a large, heavy and bulky tool not readily usable.

The arbor type press also had to be strong enough to withstand the resistive forces and, accordingly, was large, heavy and bulky. Additionally, the press required a table, or other flat surface sufficiently strong to support the press and permit the desired assembly. All of these elements made field installation, or repairs, very difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the difficulties noted above by providing a hand tool which is light in weight, easily held and used and able to assemble items with uniform installation forces while requiring that the operator expend a small amount of handle force. The tool converts the arcuately applied handle forces to axially applied compression forces via pivoting links. The movable handle of the tool operates a drive bar which is connected by pivotable links to the tool frame to move the drive bar in two orthogonal directions. The movable handle also drives the presser plate, coupled also to the drive bar, to move the presser plate Now assuming that pivot pin 138 is fixed, the pivot pin 140 causes the presser plate 70 to move to the left in the direction of arrow 154 and downwardly in the direction of arrow 152. The net effect of the rightward movement (in direction of arrow 150) of drive bar 134 and the leftward movement (in direction of arrow 154) is to retain the presser plate 70 in its desired horizontal position. In the course of movement of drive bar 134, links 142 and 144 are caused to assume dispositions also shown in FIG. 5, presser plate 70 being constrained against movement in directions 150 and 154 by a guide comprised of pin 141 and presser plate slot 70a. Presser plate 70 is accordingly driven downwardly in the direction of arrow 152. Since the movement of drive bar 134 and presser plate 70 are both downward (in direction of arrow 152) they are cumulative and together provide the movement of presser plate 70 necessary to assemble the connector and cable. Although for the purposes of the description, the pivots 138 and 140 have been assumed alternately fixed, the actual pivot point is phantom point at a location different from both. It is merely the connection of links 130, 132 to the face plates 22, 28 by pins 40a and 40b that keeps the movable handle 68 in the tool 20.

To decrease the size of the tool 20 the links 142, 144 are coupled to presser plate 70 within recesses 147, 149. The initial position of the drive bar 134 is set by a compression spring 151 coupled to drive bar 134 at one end and to nose piece 46 on the other. The initial position of compression spring 151 is set by an adjustable stop 153 in the face of nose piece 46. As drive bar 134 moves to the left in the direction of arrow 154 (see FIG. 5), pivot pin 138 causes movable handle 36 to move to its open position as in FIG. 4 and pivot pin 140 causes presser plate 70 to move to the right in the direction of arrow 150. The pivoting of the links 130, 132, 142, 144 raises the presser plate 70 to its original position and the tool 20 is available for a further termination.

In order to assure that the proper connection between a connector and cable is made and to avoid the possibility that an operator may open the tool 20 before a proper connection is made a device known as a full stroke compelling mechanism is employed. This mechanism is engaged when more than a minimum travel of movable handle 68 towards fixed handle 36 has taken place. Once the mechanism is engaged, it is only possible to open the tool 20 after a specified travel of movable handle 68 has taken place. This assures a good connection each time. Turning to FIGS. 14 and 15, a full stroke compelling mechanism is shown. Coupled to fixed handle 36 is a plate 160 with a number of recesses 162 thereon. A pawl 164 is mounted to movable handle 68 by a pivot pin 166. The pawl 164 has a nose portion 168 arranged to engage the recesses 162. The pawl 164 is coupled by tension spring 170 to a fixed pin 172 mounted on movable handle 68. Once nose 168 of pawl 164 engages the first recess 162 pawl 164 cannot be disengaged from plate 160 until the rear clearance area 174 of plate 160 is reached at which time spring 170 will rotate pawl 164 counterclockwise about pivot pin 166 disengaging the nose 168 from the recesses 162 and allowing the pawl 164 to pass over the recesses without engagement as the movable handle 68 is moved to the open position.

If it is desired to use this tool as a cutting tool, presser plate 70 could take the form of a cutting blade and platen 72 be used as an anvil, or both presser plate 70 and platen 72 could both take the form of blades.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes of the form and details of the devices illustrated and in their operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A hand tool for joining two or more objects together comprising: a frame member having a first end portion, a second end portion and an intermediate portion therebetween; a movable support member having first and second ends, said first end pivotally coupled to said intermediate portion of said frame member to permit movement of said support member second end with respect to said frame member second end portion; a latch bar pivotally coupled to said second end of said support member and releasably coupled to said frame member second end portion to prevent relative movement of said support member with respect to said frame member; handle means having first and second ends, said second end of said handle means pivotally coupled to said intermediate portion of said frame member; presser plate means; first coupling means coupled to said presser plate means and said frame member between said intermediate portion and said second end portion; and second coupling means coupling said presser plate means to said second end of said handle means; the arcuate movement of said first end of said handle means towards said first end portion of said frame member driving said presser plate means axially towards said support member.

2. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said first coupling means comprises pivotally mounted links.

3. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said first coupling means comprises a plurality of pivotally mounted link pairs.

4. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said first coupling means comprises a drive bar and pivotally mounted links.

5. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said first coupling means comprising a drive bar and a plurality of pivotally mounted links.

6. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said first coupling means comprises a drive bar and first links each having a first end and a second end, said first ends of each of said first links pivotally mounted to said frame member and said second ends of each of said first links pivotally mounted to said drive bar.

7. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said first coupling means comprises a drive bar and a presser plate; first links each having a first end and a second end, said first ends of each of said first links pivotally mounted to said frame member and said second ends of each of said first links pivotally mounted to said drive bar; and second links each having a third end and a fourth end, said third ends of each of said second links pivotally mounted to said drive bar and each of said fourth ends of said second links pivotally mounted to said presser plate.

8. A tool as defined in claim 1 wherein said presser plate means comprises a presser plate;said second coupling means comprises a pivoted connection between said second end of said handle means and said presser plate.

9. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said first coupling means comprises a drive bar and a presser plate and first links each having a first and a second end, said first ends of each of said first links pivotally mounted to said frame member and said second ends of each first links pivotally mounted to said drive bar; and said second coupling means comprising a pivotal connection between said second end of said handle means and said presser plate.

10. A tool as defined in claim 1, wherein said first coupling means comprises a drive bar and a presser plate; first links having first and second ends, said first ends of each of said first links pivotally mounted to said frame member and said second ends of each of said first links pivotally mounted to said drive bar; second links each having a third and a fourth end, said third ends of each of said second links pivotally mounted to said drive bar and each of said fourth ends of said second links pivotally mounted to said presser plate; and said second coupling means comprising a pivotal connection between said second end of said handle means and said presser plate.

11. A tool as defined in claim 1, further comprising a platen selectively installable to said support member, said platen configured to accept and support the objects to be joined.

12. A tool as defined in claim 1, further comprising a resilient member urging said latch bar into a locking condition with said second end portion of said frame member.

13. A hand tool for joining two or more objects together comprising: a frame member having a first end portion, a second end portion and an intermediate portion therebetween; a support member having first and second ends, said first end coupled to said intermediate portion and said second end coupled to said second end portion; handle means having first and second ends said second end of said handle means pivotally coupled to said intermediate portion of said frame member; a presser plate means; first coupling means coupled to said presser plate means and said frame member between said intermediate portion and said second end portion; said first coupling means comprising a drive bar; first links having first and second ends, said first ends of each of said first links pivotally mounted to said frame member and said second ends of each of said first links pivotally mounted to said drive bar; second links each having a third and a fourth end, said third ends of each of said second links pivotally mounted to said drive bar and each of said fourth ends of said second links pivotally mounted to said presser plate; and second coupling means coupling said presser plate to said second end of said handle means; said second coupling means comprising a pivotal connection between said second end of said handle means and said presser plate and a pivotal connection between said second end of said handle means and said drive bar; the arcuate movement of said first end of said handle means towards said first end portion of said frame member driving said presser plate axially towards said support member.

14. A tool as defined in claim 13, wherein the arcuate movement of said first end of said handle means towards said first end portion of said frame member tending to drive said presser plate in a first direction and said drive bar in an opposite direction.

15. A tool as defined in claim 13, wherein the arcuate movement of said first end of said handle means towards said first end portion of said frame member tending to drive said presser plate in a first direction and said drive bar in an opposite direction, the movements of said presser plate and said drive bar being substantially equal in magnitude and cancelling any movement of said presser plate in a plane perpendicular to the axis of movement of the presser plate towards the support member.

16. A tool as defined in claim 13, wherein the arcuate movement of said first end of said handle means towards said first end portion of said frame member tending to drive said presser plate in a first direction along the axis of movement of the presser plate towards the support member and along an axis perpendicular to said axis of movement and said drive bar in said first direction and along an axis perpendicular to said axis of movement and opposite in direction to the movement of said presser plate; the movements of said presser plate and said drive bar being substantially equal in magnitude cancelling any movement of said presser plate in a plane perpendicular to the axis of movement of the presser plate towards the support member; and the movements of said presser plate and said drive bar being in the same direction along said axis, said presser plate is moved a distance equal to the total movement along said axis of said presser plate and said drive bar. 17. A tool for joining objects together, comprising:

(a) a frame member having a first end portion, a second end portion and an intermediate portion therebetween;

(b) drive bar means for receiving actuating force applied to said tool at said frame member first end portion;

(c) first coupling means for interconnecting said drive bar means to said frame member intermediate portion and for displacing said drive bar means along first and second mutually orthogonal axes upon such application of actuating force to said drive bar means;

(d) compression means in said frame member for controlling the position of said drive bar means;

(e) presser plate means for engaging said objects;

(f) guide means for constraining movement of said presser plate means to movement along said first axis; and

(g) second coupling means for interconnecting said presser plate means to said drive bar means for imparting such first axis movement to said presser plate means in the course of such displacement of said drive bar means along said first and second axes. 18. The tool as defined in claim 17 including means for adjusting said compression means to provide for variation in such positioning of said drive bar means.

19. The tool as defined in claim 17 wherein said drive bar means comprises drive bar having first and second ends, said drive bar defining at said first end a pivotal connection for such actuating force receipt, said compression means comprising a spring member disposed between said drive bar second end and said frame member second end portion. 20. The tool as defined in claim 19 wherein said first coupling means comprises links pivotally connected to said frame member intermediate portion and to said drive bar and wherein said second coupling means comprises links pivotally connected to said drive bar and said presser plate means. 21. The tool as defined in claim 20 wherein said links of said first coupling means and said links of said second coupling means have respective different attitudes with respect to said first axis in the absence of application of actuating force to said drive bar means. 22. The tool as defined in claim 17 further including a support member having first and second ends, said first end pivotally coupled to said intermediate portion of said frame member and said second end releasably coupled to said second end portion of said frame member, and platen means supported by said support member for engaging said objects. 23. The tool as defined in claim 22 wherein said platen means is releasably secured to said support member.