U.S. patent number 3,877,773 [Application Number 05/410,946] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-15 for double-ended conductor-in-slot connecting device.
This patent grant is currently assigned to AMP Incorporated. Invention is credited to Donald Judson Doty, Robert Philmore Reavis, Jr..
United States Patent |
3,877,773 |
Doty , et al. |
April 15, 1975 |
Double-ended conductor-in-slot connecting device
Abstract
Tubular conductor-in-slot connecting device comprises a formed
tubular member having an axially extending open seam which serves
as a conductor receiving slot. The member is partially transversely
severed intermediate its ends to form two or more separate spring
systems. A conductor can be inserted into the slot from each end of
the tubular member to electrically connect the conductors to each
other. One embodiment is adapted to be mounted on a panel member
and another embodiment is insulated and used as a dead end
connector for wires. An improved strain relief means for tubular
connecting devices is also disclosed.
Inventors: |
Doty; Donald Judson
(Winston-Salem, NC), Reavis, Jr.; Robert Philmore
(Statesville, NC) |
Assignee: |
AMP Incorporated (Harrisburg,
PA)
|
Family
ID: |
23626917 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/410,946 |
Filed: |
October 29, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/406;
439/413 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
11/20 (20130101); H01R 4/2441 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
11/11 (20060101); H01R 11/20 (20060101); H01R
4/24 (20060101); H01r 011/20 () |
Field of
Search: |
;339/95,97-99 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,006,621 |
|
Oct 1965 |
|
GB |
|
1,963,313 |
|
Jun 1971 |
|
DT |
|
Primary Examiner: McGlynn; Joseph H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Raring; R. W. Seitchik; J. L.
Pitts; R. W.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A conductor-in-slot electrical connecting device comprising:
a formed metallic tubular member of conductive sheet metal, said
member having an axially extending open seam extending from one end
thereof to the other end thereof, said seam serving as a
conductor-receiving slot and having edges which are adapted to
engage a conductor inserted into said slot,
said member being partially transversely severed intermediate the
ends thereof from said edges partially around the circumference of
said member whereby said member is divided into two separate spring
systems, for reception of at least two conductors,
conductor-receiving means at each end of said member, each of said
conductor receiving means comprising an opening in the wall of said
member adjacent to said ends, each of said openings intersecting
said edges of said conductor-receiving slot
a tubular insulating member in surrounding relationship to said
metallic member, said insulating member having an axially extending
open seam which is in alignment with said open seam of said
metallic member, and
insulating cover means each end of said tubular insulating member,
said cover means being movable relatively towards each other on
said tubular insulating member whereby,
upon locating a conductor in each of said openings with the axes of
said conductors extending laterally of the axis of said member, and
upon moving said cover means towards each other said conductors are
moved laterally of their axes and towards each other, and said
conductors will be moved into said conductor-receiving slot and
said edges will engage, and establish electrical contact with, said
conductors.
2. A connecting device as set forth in claim 1, said insulating
cover means having internal threads and said tubular insulating
member having external threads.
3. A connecting device as, set forth in claim 2, said tubular
insulating member and said cover means being of a stiffly flexible
material whereby, said cover means can be pushed inwardly on said
tubular member with accompanying flexing of said screw threads and
without destruction of said screw threads.
4. A conductor-in-slot electrical connecting device comprising:
a formed metallic tubular member of conductive sheet metal, said
member having an axially extending open seam extending from one end
thereof to the other end thereof,
said member being partially transversely severed intermediate the
ends thereof from the edges of said seam partially around the
circumference of said member by severance lines which are in
alignment on opposite sides of said seam, whereby said member is
divided into two separate spring systems for reception of at least
two conductors,
conductor-receiving means at each end of said member, each of said
conductor receiving means comprising an opening in the wall of said
member adjacent to said ends;
contact slot portions of said seam on both sides of said severance
lines and extending inwardly from each of said openings to said
severance lines for the reception of a conductor on each side of
said severance lines, said contact slot portions having opposed
edges spaced apart by a distance which is less than that of the
conductor for which said device is intended,
a tubular insulating member in surrounding relationship to said
metallic member, and
an insulating cover means at each end of said tubular insulating
member, said cover means being movable relatively towards each
other, whereby
upon locating a conductor in each of said openings with the axis of
said conductors extending laterally of the axis of said member, and
upon movement of said cover means towards each other, said
conductors are moved by said cover means laterally of their axes
towards said severance lines, and into said contact slot portions
whereby said edges engage, and establish electrical contact with
said conductors.
5. A device as set forth in claim 4, said cover means at each end
having internal ram means movable along the axis of said tubular
member and inside said tubular member, so that when said cover
means are moved relatively towards each other said ram means push
the portions of said conductors inside said tubular member towards
each other.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Application Ser. No. 347,956 now Pat. No. 3,860,318 discloses and
claims an improved conductor-in-slot connecting device comprising a
formed tubular member which is transversely sheared along a shear
line extending partially therearound intermediate its ends. The
transverse shear line divides the tubular member into two separate
spring systems so that a wire can be positioned on each side of
this shear line and will not be effected by an adjacent wire on the
other side of the shear line. The connecting device shown in
application Ser. No. 347,956 is provided on the end of an
electrical contact terminal contained in a multi-contact electrical
connector.
Tubular connecting devices of the type shown in the
above-identified application have been found to be highly
satisfactory for a number of reasons as set forth and described in
that application. An improved tubular connecting device is
disclosed in application Ser. No. 405,970 now U.S. Pat. No.
3,845,455 which incorporates a strain relief for tensile forces
applied to an inserted wire.
The instant invention is directed to the achievement of a tubular
connecting device of the general type disclosed in application Ser.
No. 347,956 and which is double ended in that it is adapted to
receive a wire from either end thereof. Such double ended tubular
connecting devices can be used for example, on a panel-like member
for connecting wires which are on opposite sides of the panel to
each other and can be used with a suitable insulating means as a
dead end connector.
The invention is also directed to the achievement of an improved
strain relief for tubular conductor-in-slot connecting devices
which retains an inserted conductor against movement laterally
(rather than axially) out of the slot of the connecting device.
This strain relief can be used in conventional single ended tubular
connecting devices of the type under consideration as well as
double ended devices.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved
conductor-in-slot connecting device. A further object is to provide
a double ended conductor-in-slot connecting device. A still further
object is to provide an improved strain relief for a
conductor-in-slot connecting device. A further object is to provide
a suitable tubular conductor-in-slot connecting device which can be
mounted in a panel-like member and to which wires or other
conductors on either side of the panel can be connected. A further
object is to provide an improved splice connector for connecting
the ends of wires or other conductors.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved in preferred
embodiments which are briefly described in the foregoing abstract,
which are described in detail below, and which are shown in the
accompanying drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connecting device for connecting
the ends of wires in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the component parts of
the connecting device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the connecting device of FIG. 1
showing the positions of the parts prior to insertion of the wires
into the slots of the device.
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the positions of the
parts after insertion of the wires.
FIG. 5 is a view taken along the lines 5--5 of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a view taken along the lines 6--6 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
invention which is adapted to be mounted on a panel-like
member.
FIG. 8 is a view showing a plurality of the connecting devices of
the type shown in FIG. 7 mounted on a panel.
FIG. 9 is a view illustrating the principle of the strain relief
means which is provided on the connecting device of FIG. 7.
FIG. 1 shows a connecting means 2 for connecting the ends of wires
4 to each other, this connecting means incorporating a double ended
tubular conductor-in-slot connecting device in accordance with the
invention. The connecting means 2 comprises a double ended formed
tubular member 6 of suitable insulating conductive sheet metal, a
tubular insulating sleeve 20, and two end caps 29 which are
threaded onto the insulating member 20.
The conductive tubular member 6 is cylindrical throughout the major
portion of its length and has an axially extending open seam 8
which serves as a conductor receiving slot. The tubular body is
transversely sheared as shown at 10 midway between its ends and
partially around its circumference. The shear lines 10 extend to
punched holes 12 which serve to prevent propagation of the cracks
from the ends of the shear lines. Openings 14 are provided at each
end of the tubular member 6 for the reception of the wires as will
be described below and the edges of these openings extend
convergently to the ends 16 of the slots 8. A pair of radially
extending ears 18 are formed on each side of the openings 14 to
retain the metallic tubular member 6 in the insulating tubular
member 20 as shown in FIG. 6.
The insulating member 20 has an open seam or gap 22 which is
somewhat wider than the seam 8 and has external threads 24 on its
surface which extend partially inwardly from each end to outwardly
facing stop shoulders 27. The edges of the seam or gap 22 are
notched at each end of the insulating member as shown at 26, these
notches being adapted to receive the previously described ears
18.
The end caps or end covers 29 are in the form of cup-like
cylindrical members having internal threads 28 which engage with
the threads 24 and have axially extending centrally located
cylindrical ram or wire stuffer 30 members integral therewith.
The conductive tubular member 6 may be formed of any suitable
conductive metal such as phosphor-bronze, beryllium copper etc.
Good results are obtained with a No. 4 hard cartridge brass having
a thickness of about 0.012 inches and the plastic parts 20, 29 may
be molded of any suitable plastic material which is relatively firm
and rigid in thick sections but which should have some flexibility.
The conductive tubular member 6 is assembled to the insulating
sleeve member 20 by merely moving these two members laterally
towards each other from the positions shown in FIG. 2. The
conductive member can be forced through the gap 22 of the
insulating member if the insulating member is capable of flexing to
a slight degree and after assembly, the ears 18 will be seated in
the recesses 26 as shown in FIG. 6 to prevent rotation of either
member with respect to the other.
In use, the cap members are assembled to the insulating sleeve 20
and the wires are inserted into the openings 14 as shown in FIG. 3.
The cap members are then merely moved inwardly and towards each
other until the faces 32 of the cap members are against the
shoulders 27. Such movement of the cap members 29 force the wires
into the slot 8 so that the edges of the slot penetrate the
insulation of the wires and establish electrical contact with the
conducting core thereof.
As noted above, the cap or cover members 29 and the insulating
sleeve 20 are advantageously formed of a material which has some
flexibility and depending upon the degree of flexibility on this
material, the cap members may be simply passed inwardly from the
position of FIG. 3 to the positions of FIG. 4 and the teeth will
flex while they move over each other. The cap members can be
removed by unthreading and the device can be reused if desired.
Suitable materials for the plastic parts are poly carbonate and
nylon, the latter material being glass-filled to the extent
necessary to achieve the desired combination of hardness or
firmness and flexibility
FIGS. 7-9 show an alternative form of double ending connecting
device 34 which is adapted to be mounted in a panel-like member 34
for connecting wires 38 on the upper side of the panel to wires 40
on the lower side. The connecting device 36 comprises a formed
tubular member 42 having an axially extending seam 44 which serves
as a conductor receiving slot. Mid-way between its ends, the
tubular member is partially transversely sheared as shown at 46,
the shear lines extending to punched holes 48 for reasons
previously discussed. Opposed spaced apart tangs 50 are struck from
the tubular member on each side of the shear line 46 for retaining
the member in the panel-like member. The connecting device is
mounted in the panel by merely inserting it into a circular hole in
the panel and the tangs 50 will bear against the opposite sides of
the panel as shown.
The embodiment of FIGS. 7-9 has an improved strain relief at each
end to impede or prevent movement of the wires laterally of their
axes from the slot. This strain relief means is provided adjacent
to the conductor receiving openings 52 at the ends of the
connecting device and is formed by shearing the tubular member
adjacent to the openings 52 transversely as shown at 56, the shear
lines extending partially around the circumference to punched holes
58. The portions 60 of the tubular member which lie between the
shear lines 56 and the edges 59 of the openings are formed inwardly
towards the axis of the tubular member so that the retaining
portion 62 of the slot 44 is relatively more narrow than the
central conductor receiving portion of the slot. The axial seam
thus has a retaining portion of restricted width which extends from
a first location (the intersection of the edges 59 and the axially
extending edges of the portion 62 of the seam) to a second location
defined by the intersection of the shear lines 56 with the seam.
The first and second locations define an entrance portion, a
contact slot portion, and a retaining portion of the seam. The
entrance portion is bounded by the end of the tubular member and
the first location and is coincident with the opening edges 59. The
retaining portion 62 is between the first and second locations. The
second location defines the outermost extent of the contact or
conductor receiving slot portion, 44. The slot may, in fact, be
completely closed although there will usually be a narrow gap at 62
because of "spring back" effects in the metal. By virtue of the
fact that the tubular member is sheared at 56, proportions 60 can
be flexed towards or away from the axis of the tubular member and
the slot portion 62 will be opened to the extent necessary to admit
the wire.
FIG. 9 illustrates the principle of this strain relief feature and
shows a wire located against the edges 59 of the opening 52, the
position it would occupy immediately prior to being moved into the
central portion 44 of the slot. If a downward force F (which
represents the insertion forces) is applied to the wire in FIG. 9,
it will be transmitted to the tubular member as two components each
of which has a magnitude of F/2 and which is directed substantially
normally of the portion of the edges 59 against which the wire
bears. Each force F/2 is a resultant of a vertical component and a
horizontal component as indicated and the horizonal component force
will tend to flex the associated portion 60 in one direction or
another (outwardly or inwardly) so that the slot section 62 will be
opened. While the wire is being moved through the section 62 of the
slot, there will ordinarily be some penetration of the insulation
and this section of the slot will not be opened to a width which is
equal to the diameter of the insulation of the wire.
After the wire moves past the shear lines 56, the portions 60 of
the tubular member return to their normal positions and the wire
will be prevented from moving upwardly by the constricted slot
portion 62. It will be apparent that an upward force applied to the
shoulders 64 between the restricted slot portion 62 and the portion
44 of the slot will not tend to open the constricted portion of the
slot since there is no horizonal force component developed. This
upward force would be applied if one of the upwardly extending
wires in FIG. 8 were pulled or tensioned.
A strain relief means as described above can be used in single
ended connecting devices of the type shown in application Ser. No.
347,956 and the principle is equally applicable and can be used
with connecting devices of the type shown in application Ser. No.
405,970 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,455. In the latter case, the strain
relief can be provided on the strain relief slot rather than the
electrical contact slot of the connecting device.
While the disclosed embodiment has a single shear line on each side
of the open seam to provide two separate spring systems, it will be
apparent that an additional number of shears can be provided to
form an additional number of spring systems, for example, two
separate spring systems can be provided on each side of the middle
of the connecting device so that a total of four wires can be
electrically connected to each other.
Double-ended metallic connecting devices in accordance with the
invention can be used under circumstances other than those
disclosed above where it is expedient to insert the wires from
opposite ends of the connecting device rather than from only one
end. For example, in multi-contact electrical connectors having a
plurality of contact terminals therein. In a multi-contact
connector of this type, the individual tubular connecting device
would ordinarily have a contact means for disengageably contacting
a complementary contact terminal in a complementary multi-contact
electrical connector.
Change in construction will occur to those skilled in the art and
various apparently different modifications and embodiments may be
made without departing from the scope of the invention. The matter
set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is
offered by way of illustration only.
* * * * *