Patents by Inventor John Dunaway Charlton

John Dunaway Charlton has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10088455
    Abstract: A terminal crimping device includes crimp tooling comprising an anvil and a ram. A crimp zone is defined between the anvil and the ram. The crimp zone is configured to receive a wire and a terminal. The crimp tooling crimps the terminal to the wire during a crimp stroke. The terminal crimping device also includes an ultrasonic transducer module having at least one ultrasonic transducer held by at least one of the anvil or the ram. The ultrasonic transducer generates a plurality of ultrasonic pulses during the crimp stroke and directs the ultrasonic pluses through the terminal. The ultrasonic transducer receives the ultrasonic pulses and generates ultrasonic data based on the received ultrasonic pulses. The terminal crimp tooling also includes a crimp quality module communicatively coupled to the ultrasonic transducer module. The crimp quality module performs coherent processing of the ultrasonic data to determine a crimp quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Khalil John Maalouf, John Dunaway Charlton, David Michael Stull, Charles David Fry
  • Patent number: 9391418
    Abstract: A terminal crimping device includes crimp tooling including an anvil and a ram movable toward the anvil with a crimp zone being defined between the anvil and the ram configured to receive a wire and a terminal configured to be crimped to the wire by the crimp tooling. An ultrasonic transducer is coupled to at least one of the anvil and the ram that receives acoustic signals sent through the wire and terminal. A crimp quality module receives signals from the ultrasonic transducer. The crimp quality module determines a crimp height of the terminal based on the acoustic signal received by the ultrasonic transducer. Optionally, the crimp height may be determined based upon a transmission time of the acoustic signal from a transmitting transducer to a receiving transducer. The crimp height may be determined based upon a speed of sound transmission coefficient of the terminal and the wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: TYCO ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Michael Stull, John Dunaway Charlton
  • Patent number: 9362700
    Abstract: A terminal crimping device includes crimp tooling defining a crimp zone configured to receive a wire and a terminal. The terminal is configured to be crimped to the wire by the tooling during a crimp stroke of the crimp tooling to form a crimped terminal. The crimp tooling includes an ultrasound module ultrasonically coupled to the crimp tooling and the wire and the crimped terminal when present. The ultrasound module transmits acoustic signals through the crimped terminal and the wire. The ultrasound module also receives echo acoustic signals being reflected back to the ultrasound module. The ultrasound module generates echo signals based on the echo acoustic signals. The terminal crimping device also includes a crimp quality module that receives the echo signals from the ultrasound module and determines a crimp height of the crimped terminal based on the reflected echo acoustic signals received by the ultrasound module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: TYCO ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: John Dunaway Charlton, Khalil John Maalouf, David Michael Stull, Charles David Fry, Keith Lynn Nicholas
  • Publication number: 20150357781
    Abstract: A terminal crimping device includes crimp tooling comprising an anvil and a ram. A crimp zone is defined between the anvil and the ram. The crimp zone is configured to receive a wire and a terminal. The crimp tooling crimps the terminal to the wire during a crimp stroke. The terminal crimping device also includes an ultrasonic transducer module having at least one ultrasonic transducer held by at least one of the anvil or the ram. The ultrasonic transducer generates a plurality of ultrasonic pulses during the crimp stroke and directs the ultrasonic pluses through the terminal. The ultrasonic transducer receives the ultrasonic pulses and generates ultrasonic data based on the received ultrasonic pulses. The terminal crimp tooling also includes a crimp quality module communicatively coupled to the ultrasonic transducer module. The crimp quality module performs coherent processing of the ultrasonic data to determine a crimp quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2014
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Applicant: Tyco Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Khalil John Maalouf, John Dunaway Charlton, David Michael Stull, Charles David Fry
  • Publication number: 20150082889
    Abstract: A post-crimp inspection device includes first and second arms with an inspection zone being defined between the first and second arms and configured to receive a crimped terminal. At least one of the first and second arms is movable toward the crimped terminal during a testing phase. An ultrasonic transducer is coupled to the first arm. The ultrasonic transducer transmits acoustic signals toward the crimped terminal. A compliant member is positioned between the ultrasonic transducer and the crimped terminal. The ultrasonic transducer is ultrasonically coupled to the crimped terminal via the compliant member. The compliant member may conform to a contour of the terminal. The compliant member may receive, and be ultrasonically coupled to, crimped terminals that are crimped using different crimp tooling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2013
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Applicant: Tyco Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Keith Lynn Nicholas, John Dunaway Charlton
  • Publication number: 20150047182
    Abstract: A terminal crimping device includes crimp tooling defining a crimp zone configured to receive a wire and a terminal. The terminal is configured to be crimped to the wire by the tooling during a crimp stroke of the crimp tooling to from a crimped terminal. The crimp tooling includes an ultrasound module ultrasonically coupled to the crimp tooling and the wire and the crimped terminal when present. The ultrasound module transmits acoustic signals through the crimped terminal and the wire. The ultrasound module also receives echo acoustic signals being reflected back to the ultrasound module. The ultrasound module generates echo signals based on the echo acoustic signals. The terminal crimping device also includes a crimp quality module that receives the echo signals from the ultrasound module and determines a crimp height of the crimped terminal based on the reflected echo acoustic signals received by the ultrasound module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2014
    Publication date: February 19, 2015
    Inventors: John Dunaway Charlton, Khalil John Maalouf, David Michael Stull, Charles David Fry
  • Publication number: 20150047189
    Abstract: A terminal crimping device includes crimp tooling including an anvil and a ram movable toward the anvil with a crimp zone being defined between the anvil and the ram configured to receive a wire and a terminal configured to be crimped to the wire by the crimp tooling. An ultrasonic transducer is coupled to at least one of the anvil and the ram that receives acoustic signals sent through the wire and terminal. A crimp quality module receives signals from the ultrasonic transducer. The crimp quality module determines a crimp height of the terminal based on the acoustic signal received by the ultrasonic transducer. Optionally, the crimp height may be determined based upon a transmission time of the acoustic signal from a transmitting transducer to a receiving transducer. The crimp height may be determined based upon a speed of sound transmission coefficient of the terminal and the wire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2013
    Publication date: February 19, 2015
    Applicant: Tyco Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: David Michael Stull, John Dunaway Charlton