U.S. patent number 3,622,940 [Application Number 04/887,111] was granted by the patent office on 1971-11-23 for connector assembly for electrical apparatus.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Firma Neidecker & Co.. Invention is credited to Reinhold Illies.
United States Patent |
3,622,940 |
Illies |
November 23, 1971 |
CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR ELECTRICAL APPARATUS
Abstract
An angle connector for high-voltage rotary-field (three-phase)
transformers in which a cast synthetic resin jack body is received
in the transformer housing and forms at its end remote therefrom a
socket extending at right angles to a bolt, pin or rod to which the
socket is affixed, both socket and rod being imbedded in the
insulating composition. A plug is fitted into the socket and is
potted in a frustoconical sleeve which is flanged to a sleeve of
the jack body.
Inventors: |
Illies; Reinhold (Wurselen,
DT) |
Assignee: |
Firma Neidecker & Co.
(Basel, CH)
|
Family
ID: |
5717134 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/887,111 |
Filed: |
December 22, 1969 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
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Dec 21, 1968 [DT] |
|
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P 18 16 467.5 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
439/272;
174/73.1; 439/281; 439/276; 439/921; 174/18 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
13/53 (20130101); H01F 27/40 (20130101); Y10S
439/921 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01F
27/00 (20060101); H01F 27/40 (20060101); H01R
13/53 (20060101); H01r 013/52 () |
Field of
Search: |
;339/59-61,92,94,143,177 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: McGlynn; Joseph H.
Claims
I claim:
1. A plug-and-jack connector for electrical apparatus,
comprising:
a jack body of electrically insulating material having a shank
portion receivable in a wall of said apparatus and a head portion
lying externally thereof, said jack body being formed with a socket
member embedded in said head portion of said body and a rod
connected to said socket member and extending through said shank
portion while being embedded in said body; and
a plug body formed with a plug member removably receivable in said
socket member and connectable to said jack body, said plug body
being formed with an electrical cable connected with said plug
member, said head portion being formed with an elongated sleeve
portion extending at an angle to said shank portion and defining an
internal cavity terminating in the region of said socket member,
said plug body including an elongated extension receivable with
clearance in said socket member and carrying said plug member, and
a closure portion sealingly and removably attachable to said sleeve
portion remote from said head portion, said closure portion being
an annular housing receiving said cable with clearance, the
clearance between said housing and said cable being filled at least
partially with a sealing material.
2. The connector defined in claim 1 wherein said material is a
cellular electrically insulating elastic synthetic resin.
3. The connector defined in claim 1 wherein said sleeve portion and
said jack body have metallized surfaces.
4. The connector defined in claim 1 wherein said jack body and
sleeve portion are composed of a cast synthetic resin having high
breakdown voltage.
5. The connector defined in claim 1 wherein said head portion is
formed with an elongated sleeve portion extending at an angle to
said shank portion and defining an internal cavity terminating in
the region of said socket member, said plug body including an
elongated extension receivable with clearance in said socket member
and carrying said plug member.
6. The connector defined in claim 5 wherein said sleeve portion is
detachably mounted upon said head portion substantially level with
said socket member, said head portion and said sleeve portion being
provided with mating rotationally symmetrical formations coaxial
with said socket member.
7. The connector defined in claim 6 wherein said sleeve portion is
provided with a wall confronting said socket member, said plug
member extending through and being entered in said wall of said
sleeve portion, said cable entered in said wall of said sleeve
portion, said cable extending through said sleeve portion and being
anchored to said plug member in the region of said wall of said
sleeve member.
8. The connector defined in claim 7 wherein said formations are
frustoconical and converge axially in the direction of insertion of
said plug member in said socket member.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more
particularly, to plug-and-jack connectors for high-voltage
electrical equipment, especially high-voltage rotary-field 3 phase
transformers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
While a wide variety of plug-and-jack connectors is known for
electrical systems, the field of high-voltage connectors is more or
less limited to rather massive insulated structures capable of
withstanding the severe electrical and mechanical stress to which
such connectors are subjected. In fact, it is not common practice
to provide plug-and-jack connectors for high-voltage transformers
and the like because of the inability of prior art connectors of
this type to withstand the tendency toward breakdown at elevated
electrical potentials, attack by the insulating media (transformer
oils and chlorinated aromatic carbons), and thermal stresses
arising as a result of heat generated at the connection or within
the apparatus.
It has also been proposed to provide plug-and-jack connectors for
rotary-field high-voltage transformer and in which the jack body
has a right-angle or L-shaped configuration affording an inner
chamber and/or passage through which air can flow. The plug member
of this type forms a junction with the end of the electrical
conductor or cable and the space around the cable plug and the
inserted cable end is filled with a liquid insulating material,
e.g., transformer oil or the chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons
commonly used to insulate electrical apparatus subject to
high-voltage breakdown.
It has, however, been found that considerable difficulty is
encountered in such systems because of the problem of sealing the
liquid insulating material in the connector. As a result, it has
often been necessary to introduce the cable from above and this
effort to prevent leakage of the insulating liquid has often proved
ineffective and certainly has limited the ability to use the prior
art plug-and-jack connector.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to
provide an improved plug-and-jack connector for electrical
apparatus wherein the aforedescribed disadvantages can be
obviated.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved angle
connector for electrical apparatus which is capable of withstanding
electrical, mechanical and thermal stress and which may be used
with liquid insulation systems, operating with transformer oil or
the like, without unwanted leakage.
Still another object of the invention is the provision of an
improved but simplified and relatively inexpensive electrical
connector for right-angle junctions between an electrical cable and
a high-voltage rotary-field transformer
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These objects, and others which will become apparent hereinafter,
are attained in a plug-and-jack connector for high-voltage
rotary-field transformers, which comprises a jack or socket member
fitted into a wall of the transformer and cast of a low mass
(massless or low density) electrically insulating synthetic resin,
the jack member preferably extending through the wall of the rotary
field transformer in accordance with the practice customary
heretofore with such connectors; a longitudinally extending bolt,
pin or rod of metal extends through and is imbedded in the body of
synthetic resin material and anchors at the free end of the rod
remote from the interior of the transformer, a socket member which
is also imbedded in the synthetic resin material and is open away
from its junction with the rod. This socket may be of the
multicontact type described in the commonly owned U.S. Pats. No.
3,453,587, No. 3,296,575 or No. 3,214,721 and lies at an angle,
preferably a right angle, to this socket.
Removably connectable with the insulating body thereof or integral
with this body, there is provided, in accordance with this
invention, a sleeve or duct member into which the forwardly
projecting end of a plug assembly may be seated with clearance, the
tip of the plug assembly being formed with a plug member,
complementary to and receivable in the socket member to establish
electrical connection. The plug assembly also comprises, in
accordance with the invention, a frustoconical sleeve having at its
forward end an annular transverse flange which is sealingly bolted
to the annular transverse flange at the free end of the
aforementioned sleeve, whereby the interior of the latter and the
space therein surrounding the cable, is closed. There is also
provided an annular compartment converging away from the socket
member, between the inner wall of the frustoconical sleeve and the
outer wall of the cable, which is filled with an electrically
insulating composition which, upon setting, forms a seal for the
interior of the connector, thereby permitting the latter to receive
transformer oil or some other insulating liquid.
The plug-and-jack connector for electrical apparatus of the present
invention thus comprises a jack body which is cast or molded of a
synthetic resin having high-voltage breakdown characteristics,
suited to the particular installation, and serving to fix a socket
member which is imbedded in a head portion of the jack body.
Unitarily and monolithically formed with the head of the jack body,
is a solid shank portion which is received in and traverses a wall
of the electrical apparatus with which the connector is used. A rod
passes centrally through this cylindrical shank portion and serves
as a terminal for the connector.
In addition, the jack body is provided with a sleeve member which s
hollow and likewise is formed of a synthetic resin with
high-voltage breakdown characteristics, the sleeve portion being
closed at its end proximal to the head portion of the jack body but
open at its free end remote therefrom.
The sleeve portion, moreover, is of cylindrical configuration and
has its axis extending perpendicularly to the axis of the shank
portion, and may be monolithically unitarily with the head portion
and removably affixed thereto. In the former case, the socket
member which is embedded in the jack body, may open axially along
the sleeve portion through which the elongated extension of the
plug is designed to lie when the plug member, at the end of the
extension, is inserted into the socket member. An open airspace is
provided between the extension of the plug, which may be a potted
portion of the cable to increase its rigidity.
At the free end of the sleeve portion, moreover, there is provided
a closure portion in the form of a frustoconical sleeve which
converges away from the open end of the sleeve portion but is
connected thereto at a pair of confronting flanges formed
respectively on the frustoconical sleeve and upon the free end of
the sleeve portion of the jack body. A sealant of the castable
type, e.g., a foamed elastomeric cellular polyurethane composition,
may be cast in the space between the inner wall of the
frustoconical member and the portion of the cable and/or plug
assembly received in this frustoconical sleeve.
The external surfaces of the jack the and the sleeve portion are
advantageously metallized and, when the sleeve portion is removably
received in the heat portion of the jack body, there are provided
mating coaxial formations, preferably surrounding the socket member
and converging in the direction of insertion of the plug, to center
the assembly. In this case the plug member may be formed in the
wall of the sleeve portion which is to be fixed to the head of the
jack body.
The aforedescribed system, according to the invention, makes use of
a lightweight, low-mass solid body of cast synthetic resin and a
relatively dense but small socket member and connecting rod. It has
the important advantage that the connector may be used at
practically any angle (i.e., with the plug extending in
substantially any direction from the axis of the shank) since the
shank is anchored in the wall of the transformer and the
orientation is not material. Moreover, the connector may be
disposed substantially anywhere on the transformer housing and may
be made without expensive apparatus to the desired shank lengths
depending upon the wall thickness. Moreover, it has been found to
the advantageous to constitute the plug assembly as standardized or
fixed-configuration members, regardless of the configuration of the
jack body with which the plug assembly is to be used. It is only
significant that the socket member embedded in the jack body be
standardized to correspond to the plug members. Furthermore, with
relatively simple mold arrangements, the jack body may be cast in
place on the wall of the transformer.
The jack body, according to this invention, may be provided with an
opening in the direction of the axis of its shank portion to
accommodate a preformed or standard plug inserted in the axial
direction or plug members specially designed or adapted to fit the
socket member at the open end of the head of the jack body. In this
case, the socket member has its mouth open along the axis of the
shank portion, perpendicular to the wall in which the jack body is
mounted.
Preferably, however, the jack portion is used with a sleeve portion
of the aforedescribed type wherein, at its closed end, the sleeve
portion carrying a plug which is received in the socket member and
interfits with the head of the jack body so as to constitute a
right-angle extension thereof. The first type of connection is most
common when the cable is a synthetic resin-covered cable and is
relatively flexible, whereas the second type may be used when the
cable is less flexible and is a paper-composition impregnated
insulation cable. Such cables are sensitive to dislocation by
bending and are anchored to the fixedly positioned plug at the end
of the sleeve portion and may be anchored to the open end of the
latter as well by the closure member previously described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become more readily apparent from the following
description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in
which:
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section, partly in elevation, of
an electrical connector embodying the invention;
FIG. 1A is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a detail, showing the plug
assembly partly removed;
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a portion of another
embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 2A is an end view of the jack body after removal of the sleeve
portion thereof.
SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION
In FIG. 1, there is shown the wall 1 of a transformer of the
rotary-field or three-phase type which is filled with transformer
or insulating oil and is provided with the connecting assembly of
the present invention. It will be understood that three connectors
of the type illustrated in FIG. 1 are commonly used.
The connector comprises a jack body 2 monolithically cast from an
epoxy resin having high-voltage breakdown characteristics and
comprising a cylindrical shank portion 3 in which the connecting
rod 4 is embedded axially. The rod terminates at the head 3a of the
jack body in an internally threaded sleeve 4a into which the
threaded projection 5a of a socket member 5 is screwed. The socket
member 5 is likewise embedded in the synthetic resin material of
the jack body. The inner cavity 5b of the socket member, whose
outwardly flared mouth 5c opens along the plug axis perpendicular
to the axis of the rod 4, is formed with spring layers or elements
of the multicontact type described and claimed in the
above-identified patents.
The head 3a of the jack body is located externally of the
transformer and the socket member 5 is spaced outwardly of the wall
thereof. The body 2, 3, 3a may, of course, be cast in place of
preformed to correspond to the requirements of the particular
transformer and thus may vary from transformer to transformer
according to the physical and electrical requirements. However, the
multicontact socket member 5 may be a standardized unit as
illustrated also in FIG, 2, and will accommodate standardized plugs
or adapters provided with standard fittings cooperating with the
socket member.
From the head 3a, a sleeve portion 3b extends at right angles to
the rod 4 and terminates in an annular transverse flange 10 at the
open end of this sleeve portion. It has been found to be desirable
to design the sleeve portion 3b so as to provide a cylindrical
annular space 14 around the plug 6 close to the socket member 5,
the chamber widening outwardly at 14a away from this cylindrical
portion. The plug assembly is shown to comprise a cable 6a which is
clamped at 6b in the plug member 6, the tip 7 of which is
receivable in the Multicontact socket member 5. A centering member
is provided at 8 to guide the plug, while a cone 9(e.g. of sintered
iron) surrounds the plug 6 to control the electrical field in the
usual manner. A ground lead 15 is shown to emerge from the
assembly.
A sealing ring 11 is clamped between the flange 10 and the
confronting flange 10a of a frustoconical closure 12 which
converges away from the socket and has the space between the jack
and the inner wall of this closure filled with a cast synthetic
resin material which, upon the setting, seals the closure member 12
to the plug and enables the closure member and plug to be removed
together. Screws 10b secure the closure member to the sleeve
portion 3b. The sealing mass is preferably an elastomeric cellular
synthetic resin such as a foamed polyurethane. It will be
understood that the connector illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 1A is
independent of orientation of structure so that it may be
positioned in any direction upon the outer wall of the apparatus.
Consequently, the dimensions of the connector can be selected in
accordance with optimum positioning and orientation
requirements.
Whereas the system illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 1A is designed
primarily for so-called plastic insulated cables, the system of
FIGS. 2 and 2A is primarily designed for use with
impregnated-insulation cables which are much more sensitive to
bending and distortion.
In this embodiment the shank portion 18 the jack body is cast of an
epoxy resin having a high-voltage breakdown characteristic and
embed the connector rod 17 and the internally threaded sleeve 17a
which is affixed thereto.
The standardized Multicontact socket 16 has its shank 16a threaded
into the sleeve 15a and is also embedded in the lightweight mass 18
of insulating, hardenable casting material. The flange of the head
of the jack body is formed by an annular flange 20a at the base of
an externally cylindrical, but inwardly frustoconical formation 20
which converges in the direction of the axis of the jack body in
the direction in which the plug member 23 is inserted. The mating
formations of the sleeve portion 19 are illustrated at 21 and 21a
and consist, respectively of a frustoconical boss 21 rising from
the wall 21b of the sleeve portion 19, and a frustoconical recess
21a complementary to the formation 20. A bayonet coupling or screw
arrangement may be provided to connect the sleeve portion to the
cast body 18 as shown at 20b.
In the recess 21c enclosing the projecting end of the socket member
16, there is provided a plug 23 whose flange 23a is seated against
the right-hand side of the wall 21b and is threaded at 23b into a
lug 23c having a flange 23d resting against the inner surface of
the wall 21b. The conductor 6a' of the cable is received in 18 lug
23c and may be cast or soldered in place. An characteristic is
provided at the upper end of the sleeve 19 and is closed by a plug
25 to enable the space 24 surrounding the electrical plug 22 to be
filled with an elastomeric synthetic resin such as the polyurethane
used to bond the closure sleeve to the lower portion of the plug as
previously described in connection with FIG. 1. The lower end of
the sleeve 19 is provided with a flange and a seal arrangement as
illustrated at 10 and 11 in FIG. 1 while the closure configuration
may be that shown at 12 in this Figure.
The interfitting formations 20, 21 form a labyrinth seal at the
junction of the plug 23 with the socket member 16, thereby
increasing any conductive path between the exterior and the exposed
conductive members and limiting accidental short-circuiting or
leakage from the junction. In place of a synthetic resin mass, the
filler for the space 24 can be a breakdown-resistant fluid such as
chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons or transformer oil as used in the
transformer. The plug is here represented at 22. In broken lines at
26, there is represented a so-called compensating or adapter dome
for use when a horizontal plug is to be inserted directly in the
socket member 16.
The system illustrated in FIG. 2 and 2A has the significant
advantage that a relatively short plugging distance is provided,
this not being achievable with conventional connectors. After
assembly, of course, the members 18 and 19 may be fixed by the
screws 20b.
* * * * *