Crimping tool

Abstract

A hand operated crimping tool comprising a crimping head 10 and a pair of operating handles 12 for actuating said crimping head. At least one of said handles includes a force sensing arrangement including detent mechanism for maintaining handle portions 80, 88 in an unloaded position until a predetermined crimping force is applied by the crimping head whereupon the detent mechanism releases to allow slight, relative pivotal motion between the handle portions. The detent arrangement includes a tapered extension post 90 defining a recess 100 and a grip 80 pivotally connected to the post. The grip slidably mounts a spring biased slider 98 which defines a recess, confrontingly aligned with the recess in the tapered post when the grip and extension are in an unloaded position. A detent ball 94 is captured between the confronting recesses. The force exerted by the slider on the detent ball resists pivotal movement between the grip and the extension. When the crimping force applied by the crimping head exceeds a predetermined level, the detent ball disengages the slider and allows the grip to pivot slightly with respect to the extension thus providing a tactile and audible indication to the operator that a predetermined crimping force has been reached.

We claim: 
     
       1. A plier type hand tool for squeezing, compressing, crimping or pressing, comprising: (a) a pair of jaw assemblies including associated jaws movable towards and away from each other;   (b) a pair of handles for actuating said jaw assemblies;   (c) linkage means coupling said handles to said jaws such that movement of said handles toward each other produces squeezing movement in said jaw;   (d) at least one of said handles including: (i) an extension forming part of one of said jaw assemblies;   (ii) a handle member pivotally connected to said extension;   (iii) said handle member including a spring biased slide element slidable within a portion of said handle member;   (iv) a detent means captured between said extension and said slide, said extension and slide defining confronting associated recesses when said extension and handle member are in a predetermined position;   (v) said detent means being releasably captured between said recesses and operative to maintain said predetermined extension and handle member in said position until sufficient force is applied by said jaws to overcome the spring biasing force exerted by said slide on said detent means whereupon said handle member pivots with respect to said extension to provide a sensory indication that a predetermined force has been exerted by said jaws.     
     
     
       2. A hand crimping tool, comprising: (a) a crimping head;   (b) a pair of handles operatively connected to said crimping head such that movement in said handle towards and away from each other, produces attendant reciprocating motion in said crimping head;   (c) at least one of said handles including a force sensing means, said sensing means comprising: (i) a handle portion pivotally connected to another handle portion;   (ii) a detent mechanism carried by said handle portions;     (d) said detent mechanism including: (i) an extension arm forming part of one of said portions, said extension arm defining a recess on an exposed end face;   (ii) a spring biased slider carried by another of said handle portions, said slider including a recess, said recesses being confrontingly aligned when said handle portions are in a predetermined position;   (iii) a detent ball yieldably captured between said recesses;   (iv) said detent ball and biasing force maintaining said handle portions in said predetermined position until a predetermined crimping force is applied to one of said handle portions whereupon said detent ball disengages one of said recesses to allow said handle portions to pivot slightly, relative to each other.     
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said crimping head comprises: (a) a jaw assembly operatively connected to said handles;   (b) an interchannel operatively connected to said handles such that reciprocating movement in said handles produces attendant reciprocating movement in said interchannel and said jaw assembly;   (c) another jaw assembly disposed in confronting relation with said one jaw assembly;   (d) linkage means interconnecting said other jaw assembly with said interchannel;   (e) adjustment means for adjusting the relative spacing between said interchannel and other jaw assembly.   
     
     
       4. A hand crimping tool, comprising: (a) a crimping head, said crimping head including: (i) a jaw assembly operatively connected to said handles;   (ii) an interchannel operatively connected to said handles such that reciprocating movement in said handles produces attendant reciprocating movement in said interchannel and said jaw assembly;   (iii) another jaw assembly disposed in confronting relation with said one jaw assembly;   (iv) linkage means interconnecting said other jaw assembly with said interchannel, said linkage means comprising two pairs of cross-linking arms, said arms arranged to maintain substantial parallelism between said .[.said.]. interchannel and other jaw assembly throughout a predetetermined adjustment range;   (v) adjustment means for adjusting the relative spacing between said interchannel and other jaw assembly;     (b) a pair of handles operatively connected to said crimping head such that movement in said handles towards and away from each other, produces attendant reciprocating motion in said crimping head;   (c) at least one of said handles including a force sensing means, said sensing means comprising: (i) a handle portion pivotally connected to another handle portion;   (ii) a detent mechanism carried by said handle portions;   (iii) said detent mechanism including a resilient biasing means for resisting relative pivotal motion in said handle portions until a predetermined crimping force is applied to one of said portions.     
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said operating handles include a common pivot point and are operatively connected to said one jaw assembly and interchannel by pin and slot engagements. .Iadd. 
     
     
       6.  A hand crimping tool comprising: a) a pair of interconnected, relatively reciprocal, crimping jaws;   b) a pair of handles respectively and operatively connected to said pair of crimping jaws such that pivotal motion in said handles produces crimping movement in said jaws; and,   c) one of said handles including a force sensing means, said sensing means comprising: i) a handle portion pivotally connected to a grip portion;   ii) a detent means carried by one of the portions and extending into the other portion and yieldably maintaining the grip in an unloaded position until a predetermined crimping force is attained, whereupon the grip portion pivots with respect to the handle portion and the detent means provides a sensory indication that the predetermined force has been attained. .Iaddend. .Iadd.     
     
     
       7.  For a handle crimping tool of the type including a pair of crimping jaws movable towards and away from each other, apparatus for indicating the attainment of a predetermined crimping force, comprising: a) handle structures operatively connected to said crimping jaws to produce relative crimping movement in said jaws;   b) at least one of said handle structures including a signalling means for indicating the application of a predetermined compressive crimping force by said jaws, said signalling means including: i) an extension arm portion,   ii) a grip portion releasably and pivotally connected to the extension arm portion,   iii) elements yieldably maintaining the portions in an unloaded position until such predetermined compressive crimping force is reached, whereupon the portions move relatively, signalling that the predetermined crimping force has been attained. .Iaddend. .Iadd.     
     
     
       8.  A force responsive crimping tool comprising: a) a crimping head;   b) a first handle portion coupled to the crimping head such that force applied to said first handle portion produces a crimping action in said crimping head resulting in application of a compressive crimping force on a workpiece;   c) a second handle portion pivotally connected to the first handle portion;   d) one of the handle portions including a detent mechanism for resisting relative pivotal motion between the first handle portion and the second handle portion;   e) the other portion including structure for engaging at least a portion of the detent mechanism, such that the second handle portion is yieldably maintained in a predetermined, normal position, and when a predetermined compressive crimping force is attained, the detent mechanism yields and the second handle portion pivots with respect to the first handle portion, thereby providing a sensory indication that the predetermined crimping force has been achieved. .Iaddend. .Iadd.   
     
     
       9.  The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the detent mechanism includes a resiliently biased detent element. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 
     
     
       10.  A crimping tool comprising: a) a pair of jaws including parallel surfaces adapted to engage and compress objects;   b) guiding means connected to the jaws for guiding the surfaces in relative rectilinear motion toward one another in object crimping action and away from one another in object release action, said guiding means maintaining the surfaces in parallel relationship throughout the crimping action;   c) a pair of handles connected to the jaws for causing such surface relative motion toward and away from one another in object crimping and object release action;   d) at least one of the handles including a pre-settable force responsive structure; and,   e) the pre-settable structure including force responsive means responsive to the force applied to an object to detect achievement of the preset force through movement of the surfaces and issue an operator discernable signal whereby a responsive crimping tool operator is apprised that the preset force has been achieved and object release action should be commenced. .Iaddend. .Iadd.   
     
     
       11.  A force responsive crimping tool comprising: a) a pair of opposing crimping heads for engaging and compressing objects;   b) a handle means operatively connected to the crimping heads for effecting spatial adjustment movement of the crimping heads towards and away from each other;   c) a force sensing grip means responsively connected to the handle means;   d) said force sensing grip means including a detent element responsive to a predetermined sensed force; and,   e) said detent element yieldably resisting pivotal motion of the grip means with respect to the handle means until a predetermined force is applied to the crimping heads, whereby the grip means responds to the force applied to the crimping heads and pivots with respect to the handle means and thereby provides an indication to the operator that the predetermined crimping force has been attained. .Iaddend.