Amp LLC

The Whitaker Corporation

Kenneth F Folk

Milton Dean Ross

Walter C Shatto, Jr

Daniel T Adlon

William Herbert Bair

Marlin R Schollenberger

Andrew G Boutcher, Jr

Gregory F Deuel

John Mark Myer

John Raymond Shuey

Craig Warren Hornung

Michael Anthony Yeomans

David Alan College

Dean A Puerner

John K Daly

James L Dale

Michael F Laub

Randolph L Buchter

Darrell Lynn Wertz

John G Hatfield

Robert Gyorgy Egri

Phillip E Loomis

Mark F Jackson

Joseph E Brandewie

Joseph M Bowling

Richard A Buckley

Charles Edwin Fitz, Jr

William C Arbogast, Jr

William J Woolley, Jr

Donald James Good

Stephen D Richart

Francis E Polliard

Frank Mario Mastrog

An apparatus and a method of mounting a standard size power generating unit (,) to any one of several different sized railroad cars utilizes different sized interface blocks (,) to mate the unit to the bearing adapter blocks (,) of the cars. The axle (,) of the car includes a projection (,) extending from an end (,) thereof and the power generating unit (,) includes a frame (,) and a rotor arranged for rotation in the frame for generating the power. A drive shaft (,) is attached to the rotor and includes a follower (,) for engaging the projection (,) so that when the axle is rotated about the axis (,), the projection engages the follower and thereby rotates the rotor. The interface block (,) is disposed between the frame (,) and the bearing adapter block (,), a first surface (,) of the interface block being attached to the bearing adapter block (,) and the frame (,) being attached to a second surface (,) of the interface block opposite the first surface.

Apparatus and method for mounting a generator to the axle of a railroad car

A system for powering at least one of electronic devices or a battery includes a pneumatic supply source and an accumulator for storing a collected amount of the pneumatic supply. A pneumatically powered generator is connected to the accumulator for generating power upon receipt of the pneumatic supply. The generator is further connected to at least one electronic device and a battery. A microprocessor controls a storage amount of pneumatic supply within the accumulator, determines an output of the pneumatic supply to the generator, and applies an electrical output of the generator to at least one electronic device, a battery, or both an electronic device and a battery. The pneumatically powered generator is an electromagnetic generator having a rotor cavity separated by a wall of the generator housing from a stator and related magnetic disc. An inlet of the generator housing directs air at the rotor, thereby turning a common shaft of the rotor and the magnetic disc until a current is produced in windings of the stator. The current output from the stator windings is used to power peripheral devices including a chargeable battery and at least one electronic device if needed.

Auxiliary generator and system for actuating the same

An electrical power device (30) for mounting on a vehicle includes a drive coupling (44, 100, 120) for rotationally coupling the rotor (46) of the power device to the axle and wheel assembly (12) of the vehicle. The drive coupling includes a drive shaft (60, 122) having a portion extending outwardly into proximity with a projection (48) on the vehicle axle. A crank arm (74, 128) extends from the drive shaft for engaging the projection so that when the axle is rotated, the projection engages the crank arm and thereby rotates the drive shaft of the power device.

Axle-mounted electrical power device having an improved drive coupling

A terminal applicator (10) is disclosed having a shut height adjustment mechanisms (68, 120) for controlling the shut height (102, 220) of both the terminal barrel crimping bar (26) and the insulation crimping bar (28). The mechanism includes upper and lower ramp members (126, 128) having opposed ramp surfaces (140), the lower ramp member being attached to the tooling ram (40) and the upper ramp member being rotationally coupled to the ram. By incrementally rotating the upper ramp member (128), the relative spacing between a press ram (222) and the tooling ram (40) can be adjusted, thereby changing the shut height (220) of the barrel crimping bar (26). A cam (72) is rotationally coupled to the tooling ram (40) at right angles to the axis (24) of the upper and lower ramp members (126, 128). The cam has a series of flat surfaces (98), each of which is a different distance from its center of rotation (79). Each flat surface is positionable in abutting engagement with the top surface (70) of the insulation tab crimping bar (28) for adjusting its shut height (102).

Shut height adjustment mechanism for a terminal applicator

An electrical connector (20) includes a dielectric housing (22) having a mating face (24) and a pair of contacts (44,54) disposed therein. Each contact (44,54) has a contact section (46,56) exposed at the mating face (24). The first contact section (46) is associated with a forwardly extending shroud (26) spaced from and circumscribing the first contact section (46). The second contact section (56) is associated with a forwardly extending silo (28) closely surrounding the second contact section (56). The second contact section (56) is complementary to the first contact section (46) and the silo (28) is complementary to the shroud (26), whereby the connector mating face (24) is hermaphroditic.

Electrical connector

A terminal applicator (10) is provided for attaching terminals to electrical conductors. The applicator (10) includes a frame (12) having a base plate (28) and two upright plates (34,38) extending upwardly from the base plate. The two upright plates (34,38) are rigidly attached to each other along a surface (42,44) adjacent an edge of each so that they form a right angle. One end of each of the upright plates (34,38) is rigidly attached to the base plate (28) at right angles thereto. A ramway (50) is rigidly attached to one of the upright plates (34) and is in sliding engagement with an opening (94) in a ram (14). The ram (14) is arranged for reciprocating motion toward and away from the base plate (28) and includes outer surfaces (112,114,116,118) for mounting crimping tooling and cams (120) or other power takeoff devices.

Applicator for terminating electrical wires

Invention relates to an on-board electrical generator system that may be retrofitted to existing railroad vehicles, such as freight cars, box cars, and the like, where rotation of the vehicle's axle powers the system. A preferred use thereof is to charge the battery for the electrically controlled brakes on the vehicle. Such vehicles typically include a chassis, having plural axles mounted thereon, and a journal box or adaptor block having a projection generally aligned parallel with the axles. Each axle contains a pair of wheels, which are inwardly mounted from the respective axle ends and rotatable with the axle. The generator includes a rotor fixed for rotative movement relative to a stationary stator, whereby such relative movement causes electric currents to be generated in the stator containing the generator in a non-rotatable housing. The improved feature hereof is the provision of a hollow shaft for mounting of the rotor, where the shaft is slidably received on a respective axle end and keyed to the axle end. To secure the housing against rotation is an axially extending arm keyed to the projection. Another securing mechanism is an anti-rotation bar which cooperates with the journal box or adaptor block.

On-board generator system

An electrical connector assembly (100) which includes electrical contacts (10) of the insulation displacement type, an inner housing (20), an outer housing (40), and a strain relief meter (50). The assembly (100) is assembled by first securely placing the electrical contacts (10) within the inner housing (20) and then inserting the inner housing (20) into the outer housing (40) so that the electrical contacts (10) can be terminated to wires by using the insulation displacement method of wire recitation. The inner housing (20) is fully inserted into outer housing (40), and is then in a fully latched position within the outer housing (40). Strain relief member (50) is then mounted to outer housing (40) and includes an abutment flange (55) for ensuring that the inner housing (20) has been fully inserted within outer housing (40). The wires which are terminated to the contacts (10) will extend around an inner wall (53) of the strain relief (50) and will be laced between retainer walls (58) so that strain relief will be provided to the assembly (100).

Electrical connector with electrical contact and strain relief

A safety guard system provided for a machine having a ram which is movable toward and away from a work zone and an actuator which is operable for driving the ram through a ram stroke toward the work zone. The safety guard system includes a safety guard mounted for movement along a guard path between open and closed positions with respect to the work zone. The safety guard is releasably coupled to the ram for movement during the ram stroke from the open to the closed position before completion of the ram stroke, and the safety guard is arranged to decouple from the ram upon either one of reaching the closed position or earlier encountering an obstruction in the guard path. A guard sensor effects a first signal upon the safety guard reaching the closed position, and an object sensor effects a second signal upon decoupling of the safety guard from the ram. A controller is responsive to the first and second signals such that the controller enables completion of the ram stroke upon receiving the first signal, and the controller terminates the ram stroke upon receiving the second signal prior to receiving the first signal.

Safety guard system for machine having a ram

A ram drive mechanism for an automated terminal crimping machine of the type having a rotating crank shaft with an offset crank pin (2) protruding therefrom and orbiting about the rotation axis of the crank shaft. The mechanism includes a ram (20) mounted for reciprocating motion in a first direction toward a crimping zone and in a second direction away from a crimping zone. The ram (20) carries tooling for performing a terminal crimping operation. The invention also includes a ram drive linkage comprising a drive link (40) having a pivotal connection with the crank pin (2) at one end. An other end of the drive link (40) has a pivotal connection with a link pin (50). The drive linkage reciprocates the ram (20) in accordance with orbiting of the crank pin (2). The ram (20) is arranged such that the one end of the drive link is disposed relatively further in the first direction than the other end of the drive link, whereby the drive link is in tension during the reciprocation of the ram toward the crimping zone.

Ram drive mechanism having a pivoted drive link

A method and apparatus is disclosed for automatically positioning and forming a drain wire of a cable and then positioning the formed drain wire for automatic termination to a connector. Each cable is in turn rotated until a sensing whisker senses that the drain wire is in a known position. The drain wire is then formed by forming tooling and the cable is again rotated to position the formed drain wire in a desired angular position. A clamping mechanism maintains pressure on all of the cables thereby inhibiting rotation thereof except for the cable that is being processed.

Apparatus and method for positioning and forming a drain wire of a cable

A machine for cutting pin headers of a desired length from a standard length of pin header stock is disclosed. A vertically disposed track is provided for receiving the standard lengths of pin header stock. The stock is allowed to fall by gravity to a cutting station where a single cutting blade cuts individual pin headers from the end of the stock. The cut pin headers are deposited into a bin for convenient unloading. Leftover, or residual pieces of stock are directed into another bin for discarding or salvage.

Apparatus and method for cutting a pin header

An initially integral terminal useful for terminating to flat conductor cable includes upper and lower plate sections coextending from a hinge to define a cable-receiving region therebetween, with first and second portions of both plate sections defining opposed cooperative arrays of termination means for terminating to said flat cable upon said upper and lower plate sections being pressed toward each other and into the flat cable. Upstanding opposed side wall sections join the first and second portions which are otherwise separated by an aperture proximate the center of the flat cable, enabling easy severing of the side walls at the aperture to define separate electrical terminations after application of the assembly to the flat cable. One or two contact sections can extend from a free edge of one of the upper and lower plate sections for connection to another article, defining a mid-cable tap for either single- or dual-connector cable respectively.

Mid-cable electrical termination

Conductor feeding apparatus for selectively feeding conductors selected from a group or from feeding all of the conductors in the group comprises first and second clamping assemblies which are moveable towards and away from each other between remote and proximate positions. Each clamping assembly has a clamp for each one of the conductors. When it is desired to feed selected conductors, the selected conductors are clamped in the first clamping assembly and the non-selected conductors are clamped in the second clamping assembly. The second clamping assembly is moved towards the first clamping assembly so that the ends of the selected conductors project beyond the second clamping assembly. The projecting ends are gripped in a conductor puller and pulled along the feed paths.

Cable maker having conductor puller for wire feeding

The present invention is a hand operated tool for flattening a portion of a ribbon cable preparatory to installing a cable tap. The tool includes a set of rollers which are closeable upon the cable. The rollers are then rotated, first in one direction and then the other while varying the pressure on the rollers to effect removal of kinks and to generally flatten a portion of the cable.

Growing community of inventors

Harrisburg, PA, United States of America

Kenneth F Folk