Automatic wiring apparatus with rotatable insertion tooling

Abstract

Machine for interconnecting wire-in-slot type terminals in connectors mounted on a panel board utilizes a wire feed roll, rotatable insertion tooling, and an X-Y table. Wire is fed vertically through a rotation housing past wire inserters mounted above an aperture in a rotary plate. Wires are positioned for termination by wire feeding and movement of the X-Y table on which the panel board is mounted. Independently pivotable idler wheels cooperate with the feed roll to engage one or two wires. Insertion is effected by downward movement of the rotation housing which drives the inserters through the aperture in the rotary plate. The rotation housing is moved by pivoting a yoke with a variable pivot point to change limits of travel and therefore insertion depth. The plate, inserters, and rotation housing may be rotated to four orthogonal orientations to insert wires in terminals having like orientations. Through-wire type inserters may be shifted laterally on the rotary plate by solenoids so that wire cut-off type inserters will be poised above the aperture in the rotary plate, making the apparatus capable of threading a wire through several connectors prior to cutting it.