U.S. patent number 3,644,872 [Application Number 05/082,894] was granted by the patent office on 1972-02-22 for hermaphroditic terminal.
This patent grant is currently assigned to General Motors Corporation. Invention is credited to Andrew Russo, Jr..
United States Patent |
3,644,872 |
Russo, Jr. |
February 22, 1972 |
HERMAPHRODITIC TERMINAL
Abstract
In a preferred form, this disclosure relates to a hermaphroditic
electrical connector comprising a one-piece member made from thin
gauge sheet stock having a female terminal at one end portion, a
male terminal at its other end portion and an intermediate portion
which is adapted to be connected to an electrical lead. The female
terminal has a base, a pair of upwardly extending wings at the
sides of the base and with the wings having sections which are bent
over toward each other to define a slot therebetween and a
deflectable tongue integral with the base and which is self-biased
into engagement with the bent over sections of the wings. The male
terminal comprises a flat blade having upstanding ribs for
strengthening same and an upstanding tang. The male terminal is
adapted to be connected to a mating female terminal of another
connector by inserting the same between the deflectable tongue and
the wings and with the tang being received within the slot. The
tang insures that the male terminal is inserted right side up so
that the ribs are on the side opposite the tongue and so that a nib
on the tongue will be received within an opening in the male
terminal to lock the two terminals together.
Inventors: |
Russo, Jr.; Andrew (Fowler,
OH) |
Assignee: |
General Motors Corporation
(Detroit, MI)
|
Family
ID: |
22174134 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/082,894 |
Filed: |
October 22, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/849; 439/884;
439/907 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
13/115 (20130101); H01R 13/20 (20130101); Y10S
439/907 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/115 (20060101); H01R 13/20 (20060101); H01R
13/02 (20060101); H01r 013/28 () |
Field of
Search: |
;339/47,48,49,258S,256SP,205,217S,176R,176M,223,213T,95R,95D,32R,276F |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Champion; Marvin A.
Assistant Examiner: Lewis; Terrell P.
Claims
I claim:
1. A hermaphroditic electrical connector comprising a one piece
member made from thin gauge sheet stock, said connector having a
female terminal at one end portion, a male terminal at its other
end portion and an intermediate portion which is adapted to be
connected to an electrical lead, said female terminal having a
base, a pair of wings integral with the base at its sides and with
the wings having sections which are bent toward each other to
define a slot therebetween which extends longitudinally of the
female terminal and a deflectable tongue integral with the base at
its forward end and which extends rearwardly of the base and is
self-biased toward engagement with the bent over sections of the
wings, said male terminal comprising a flat blade having upstanding
rib means extending longitudinally thereof for strengthening the
blade against bending movement and a tang extending upwardly from
the side containing the rib means, one of said blade and tongue
having a nib intermediate its ends and the other of said blade and
tongue having an aperture intermediate its ends, said male and
female terminals being adapted to be connected to a mating
terminal, said male terminal being connectable with a mating female
terminal by inserting the same between the deflectable tongue and
the wing sections and with the tang being received within said
slot, said tang insuring that the male terminal is inserted into
the female terminal right side up so that the rib means is on the
side opposite the tongue whereby the nib will be received in the
opening to lock the terminals together.
2. A hermaphroditic electrical connector comprising a one piece
member made of thin gauge sheet stock, said electrical connector
having a female terminal at one end portion, a male terminal at its
other end portion and an intermediate portion which is adapted to
be connected to an electrical lead, said female terminal having a
base, a pair of wings having upstanding sections integral with the
opposite sides of the base and bent over sections which are bent
toward each other to define a slot therebetween which extends
longitudinally of the female terminal, and a reversely bent
deflectable tongue integral with the base at its forward end and
which extends rearwardly of the base and is self-biased toward
engagement with the bent over sections of the wings, said tongue
being deflectable about its bight portion at the forward end of the
base and having an upstruck nib intermediate its ends, said male
terminal comprising a flat blade having a pair of indented
upstanding spaced ribs extending longitudinally thereof for
strengthening the blade against bending movements, an aperture
intermediate its ends, laterally extending flanges at its rearward
end and a tang adjacent its forward end and extending upwardly from
the side of the blade having said ribs, said male and female
terminals being adapted to be connected to a mating terminal, said
male terminal being connectable with a mating female terminal by
inserting the same between the deflectable tongue and the bent over
sections of the wing and with the tang being received within said
slot, said bent over sections of said wings at their forward ends
being upwardly bent to facilitate insertion of the male blade
terminal, said tang insuring that the male terminal is inserted
right side up so that the ribs are on the side opposite the tongue
and whereby the nib on the tongue will be received within the
opening to lock the terminals together.
3. An electrical connector comprising a male terminal which is a
one piece member made of thin gauge sheet stock and which is
adapted to be connected to a female terminal having a base, a pair
of wings having upstanding sections integral with the opposite
sides of the base and bent over sections which are bent toward each
other to define a slot therebetween which extends longitudinally of
the female terminal and a reversely bent deflectable tongue
integral with the base at its forward end and self-biased toward
engagement with the bent over sections of the wings and which has
an upstruck nib intermediate its ends, said male terminal
comprising a flat blade having a pair of indented upstanding spaced
ribs extending longitudinally thereof for strengthening the blade
against bending movements, an aperture intermediate its ends,
laterally extending flanges at its rearward end and a tang adjacent
its forward end and extending upwardly from the side of the blade
having said ribs, said male terminal being adapted to be connected
with a mating female terminal by inserting the same between the
deflectable tongue and the bent over sections of the wing and with
the tang being received within said slot, said tang insuring that
the male terminal will be inserted right side up so that the ribs
are on the side opposite the tongue whereby the nib on the tongue
of the mating female terminal will be received within the opening
of the male terminal to lock the terminals together when the male
terminal is connected to the female terminal.
Description
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and in
particular to a hermaphroditic electrical connector.
Hermaphroditic electrical connectors are connectors which have both
a male and female terminal. This enables the connector to be used
either way and eliminates the need for two separate terminals.
A commonly used type of electrical connection is a male spade
terminal which is readily connectable to the separate female
terminal having a base, a pair of upwardly extending bent over
wings integral with the sides of the base and a rearwardly
extending deflectable tongue integral with the base and which is
self-biased into engagement with the undersides of the bent over
wings. The male terminal has an opening for receiving a nib on the
tongue of the female terminal and is connected to the female
terminal by inserting the same between the tongue and the wings in
opposition to the biasing force of the tongue until the nib is
received within the opening, at which time the terminals are locked
together.
The making of a hermaphroditic electrical connector having both a
female and male terminal of the type noted above has presented
difficulties. Due to both economical considerations and the bending
operations needed to be performed to make the female terminal it
has been necessary to make the female terminal of relatively thin
gauge sheet stock, usually stock which is 0.018 of an inch in
thickness or less. A plain flat male spade terminal of this
thickness, however, is readily bendable and is not of a sufficient
structural rigidity to enable it to be readily connected to this
type of female terminal. As far as is known, this has necessitated
that the terminals either be separately made and then butt welded
together or has necessitated the use of sheet stock of varying
thickness. Both of these latter methods are rather
uneconomical.
In accordance with the provisions of the present invention the
above-noted difficulties have been overcome. The connector of the
present invention is made completely from thin gauge sheet stock
and the male terminal provided with strengthening ribs to give it
the requisite strength and resistance bending movement and is
provided with an orientation tang so that it can be connected to
the female terminal only by having its nonribbed side in engagement
with the tongue to insure that the nib on the tongue of the female
terminal will be received within the opening of the male terminal
to lock the two terminals in place.
Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to
provide a new and improved hemaphroditic electrical connector of
the type noted above which can be made from thin gauge sheet stock,
preferably 0.018 of an inch or less, and in which the male terminal
is provided with strengthening ribs to strengthen same against
bending movement and an orientation means so that it can only be
connected to the female terminal by having its nonribbed side in
engagement with the tongue of the female terminal so that the
opening therein will receive the nib on the tongue of the female
terminal.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and
improved hermaphroditic electrical connector of the type noted
above which can be made from thin gauge sheet stock and in which
the male terminal is provided with a plurality of indented
upstanding strengthening ribs extending longitudinally thereof and
is provided with an upstanding tang which is received within the
slot between the wings of the female terminal so that the male
terminal can only be connected to the female terminal with its
nonribbed side in engagement with the tongue of the female terminal
to insure that the nib on the tongue will be received within the
opening in the male terminal to securely lock the two terminals in
place.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a new
and improved electrical connector having a male spade terminal made
of thin gauge sheet stock, preferably 0.018 of an inch or less, and
which is adapted to be connected to a female terminal of the type
noted above, and wherein the male blade terminal is provided with a
plurality of indented upstanding strengthening ribs extending
longitudinally thereof to strengthen the same against bending
movement upon engaging the female terminal and is provided with an
upstanding tang which is received within the slot between the wings
of the female terminal to insure that the nonribbed side of the
male terminal engages the tongue of the female terminal so that the
nib of the female terminal will be received within the opening
within the male terminal to securely retain the two terminals in
place.
The present invention further resides in various novel
constructions and arrangement of parts, and further objects, novel
characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be
apparent to those skilled in the art to which it relates and from
the following detailed description of the illustrated embodiment
thereof made with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a
part of this specification and in which similar reference numerals
or characters are employed to designate corresponding parts
throughout the several views, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the novel hermaphroditic electrical
connector of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken approximately along line
2--2 of FIG. 1 and showing a male terminal of a connector connected
to a mating female terminal of another connector;
FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the electrical connector shown
in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken approximately
along line 4--4 of FIG. 1.
As representing a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
the drawing shows a hermaphroditic electrical connector 10. The
electrical connector 10 is a one piece member which is made from
thin gauge sheet stock, preferably 0.018 of an inch or less. The
connector 10 is stamped from sheet stock and bent to the
configuration shown in FIG. 1 by a suitable punch and die
apparatus, and in a manner well known to those skilled in the
art.
Electrical connector 10 broadly comprises the female terminal 12 at
one end portion, a male terminal 14 at its other end portion and an
intermediate portion 16 which is adapted to be connected to an
electrical lead L.
The female terminal 12 has a flat base 20 and a pair of upstanding
wings or rails 22 integral with the base at its opposite side
edges. The wings 22 each includes an upstanding section 22a
perpendicular to the base 20 and a bent over section 20b which is
perpendicular to the upstanding section 22a at the upper end of the
latter. The bent over sections 22b extend toward each other and
define a longitudinally extending slot 24 therebetween. The base 20
and the wings 22 define a generally rectangularly shaped opening
25. The female terminal 12 further includes a tongue 26 which is
integral with the base 20 at the forward end of the latter and
which is reversely bent to extend rearwardly of the base 20. The
tongue is bent so as to define a bight portion 26a at the forward
end of the base and is deflectable about the bight portion 26a
toward and from the base 20. The tongue 26 extends rearwardly of
the base 20 beneath the bent over sections 22a of the wings 22 and
is self-biased into engagement with the underside of the wing
sections 22b. The tongue intermediate its ends also have a pressed
up nib 30.
The male terminal 14 is in the form of a spade or flat blade 35
having a central opening 36 intermediate its ends. The male
terminal 14 is adapted to be connected to the mating female
terminal by inserting the same in the opening 25 between the tongue
26 and bent over wing section 22b of the female terminal 12. As the
male terminal 14 is inserted therein it will engage the tongue 26
to cause the latter to be deflected downwardly in opposition to its
self-biasing forces, until the opening 36 in the male terminal 14
receives the nib 30 on the tongue 26. The self-biasing forces of
the tongue 26 will urge the male blade terminal 14 into frictional
engagement with the underside of the wing sections 22b and the nib
30 will prevent the male terminal 14 from being removed from the
female terminal. To prevent over-insertion of the male terminal 14,
the latter is provided with a pair of flat, laterally extending
flanges or portions 38 which will abuttingly engage the forward
edges 22c of the wings 22 upon being inserted all the way into the
female terminal 12.
To facilitate insertion of the male terminal 14 within the female
terminal 12, the male terminal at its forward end is tapered, as
shown at 40, and the upper or bent over sections 22b of the wings
22 at their forward ends are bent upwardly in the curved fashion,
as shown at 42. The engagement between the tapered end 40 of the
male terminal and the curved ends 42 of the upper sections 22b
guide the male blade terminals 14 downwardly into the opening 25
and in engagement with the tongue 26.
In accordance with the provisions of the present invention, the
male terminal 14 is provided with a pair of spaced longitudinally
extending strengthening ribs 44 to increase the bending strength
thereof and is provided with an orientation tang 46 to prevent the
same from being improperly connected to a female terminal 10. Since
the male terminal is made from thin gauge sheet stock, preferably
0.018 of an inch or less, it could be easily bent out of shape
during storage or when attempting to insert it into the female
terminal 12 if it were a plain flat blade. By providing the ribs
44, however, the bending or buckling strength of the male blade
terminal 14 is significantly increased so that it is of a
sufficient strength to enable it to be readily connected to the
female terminal 10 without bending or buckling. The ribs 44 are
indented or pressed up from the underside of the male blade
terminal 14 and they extend over a substantial portion of the
length of the male blade terminal. The height of the ribs 44 can be
varied to suit the particular application. For example, if the
female terminal design would normally receive a nonribbed male
blade 0.020 of an inch thick and if the sheet thickness of the male
blade were only 0.016 of an inch, the height of the ribs would be
0.004 of an inch. Likewise, if the female terminal were designed to
normally accept a nonribbed male blade of 0.032 of an inch
thickness and if the sheet thickness of the male blade was only
0.018 of an inch, the height of the ribs would be 0.014 of an
inch.
To prevent the ribbed side of the male blade terminal 14 from
engaging the tongue 26 on connecting the male terminal 14 to the
female terminal 12, the orientation lug 46 is provided. If the
ribbed side were in engagement with the tongue 26 the nib 30 on the
tongue 26 may not be of a sufficient height to be received within
the opening 36 whereby the terminals could readily disconnect. That
is, the forward edge 36a defining the opening 36 of the male
terminal 14 may or would not engage the nib 30 to prevent reverse
movement. The orientation tang 46 is lanced from the forward end of
the male terminal 14 and bent so as to be upstanding on the ribbed
side of the terminal 14. When the male terminal 14 is connected to
the female terminal 12 the orientation lug 46 is received within
the slot 24. This provision of the tang 46 prevents the male
terminal 14 from being inserted upside down, since it would not fit
within the space between the wing section 22b and the tongue
26.
The intermediate portion 16 of the connector includes spaced pairs
of crimping flanges 50 and 52 which are adapted to be crimped onto
the bare end and adjacent insulated portion of an electrical lead
L. The lead would be bent at right angles to the connector and
extend outwardly through the space between the flanges 38 of the
male terminal and the crimping flange 52.
Although the preferred embodiment hereof has been described in
great detail, it should be apparent that certain modifications,
changes, and adaptions may be made in the preferred embodiment, and
that it is hereby intended to cover all such modifications,
changes, and adaptions which come within the spirit of the present
invention.
* * * * *