FR2871298A1 - SELF-CONDUCTING ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR - Google Patents

Abstract

The connector has a movable part (120) taking an intermediate position between introduction and extraction positions. The intermediate position is a standby position for the insertion of an insulated electric conductor in a housing (121). The housing has support walls (121A, 121B) spaced from each other at a distance greater than the distance covered by the part (120) between the introduction and intermediate positions.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD TO WHICH THE INVENTION REFERS

  The present invention generally relates to insulation displacement connectors which are capable of acting on an insulated electrical conductor comprising, around a conductive core, an insulating sheath, without prior stripping of its conductive core, to electrically connect it to electrical equipment. any other isolated electrical conductors.

  The invention relates, more particularly, to a self-stripping connector comprising, on the one hand, a fixed part provided with a metal member having at least one connection slot and, on the other hand, a movable part capable of forcing a conductor. electrical isolated in this slot and provided for this purpose with a housing, extending opposite said slot, which is adapted to receive the insulated electrical conductor and which comprises a first and a second support walls adapted to push the driver electrical insulator introduced into the housing, the movable portion being mounted on the fixed portion to be moved between an insertion position of the insulated electrical conductor in the slot of the metal member and an extraction position of the isolated electrical conductor out of said slot.

BACKGROUND

  Already known from documents FR 2 622 362 and FR 2 623 024 self-stripping connectors of the aforementioned type in which the housing of the movable part, called barrel, adapted to receive the insulated electrical conductor, is a narrow passage whose diameter is slightly greater than that of the insulated electrical conductor to allow its easy introduction into said passage, but whose support walls adapted to push said insulated electrical conductor are permanently close to the latter.

  Therefore, in these connectors, the insulated electrical conductor remains permanently fixed to the displacement of the barrel which is adapted to take only two different positions, namely the connection position in which it introduces the isolated electrical conductor into the slot of the metal member and the disconnection position in which it extracts the isolated electrical conductor out of said slot.

  It is not possible then to sequentially connect several insulated electrical conductors to the metal connecting member because to connect an isolated electrical conductor after another one is obliged to move the barrel from its connection position to its disconnection position which causes the disconnection of the first isolated electrical conductor introduced into the connection slot of the metal member.

  Thus, in such connectors, all the electrical conductors must be connected and / or disconnected simultaneously, which is not necessarily easy for the installer.

  OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is therefore to propose a new self-stripping connector which has a small footprint and which makes it easy, on the one hand, to connect sequentially several insulated electrical conductors to one or more organs. connecting metal, and, secondly, simultaneously disconnect all of said connected insulated electrical conductors.

  More particularly, the invention proposes a self-stripping connector as defined in the introduction, wherein the movable portion is adapted to take an intermediate position between said insertion and extraction positions, this intermediate position being a waiting position. insertion of the insulated electrical conductor into said housing, and in that the first and second support walls of said housing are spaced from each other by a distance greater than the distance traveled by said movable portion between the position of introduction and the intermediate position.

  In other words, in the connector according to the invention, the first support wall of the housing of the movable part is only active during the passage of said movable part of said intermediate waiting position to said insertion position for forcing the electrical conductor into said slot, and the second supporting wall is only active during the passage of said movable portion of said standby intermediate position to said extraction position for urging said insulated electrical conductor out of said slot.

  When the movable part of the connector according to the invention moves from the insertion position to the waiting intermediate position, none of the support walls acts on the insulated electrical conductor which is forced into the corresponding connection slot of the metal member of the fixed part.

  Thus, thanks to the invention, the installer can, sequentially, after having introduced a first insulated electrical conductor in a connection slot of the metal member, move the movable part to position it in the intermediate position of waiting without touching the first conductor and insert a second insulated electrical conductor to force it into another slot connection of the metal member carried by the fixed part.

  Other nonlimiting and advantageous features of the self-stripping connector according to the invention are the following: the connection slot is elongate in a portion of a circle about an axis and said movable part is rotatably mounted on said fixed part around said axis, the first and second support walls of said housing being spaced apart from each other by an angular sector greater than the sector traversed by said movable portion between the insertion position and the intermediate position; - The movable portion is in the form of a cap covering said fixed portion, with a flat wall lined with a peripheral side wall; - said housing of the movable portion opens on the outer face of its flat wall; - said housing of the movable portion opens on the outer face of its peripheral side wall; the first support wall of said housing comprises a U-shaped whose bottom faces the mouth of a connecting slot and forms a cradle for receiving the isolated electrical conductor; - The second support wall of said housing is formed by the edge of the opening through which said housing opens out of said movable portion; said second support wall is a straight wall; - The second support wall of said housing comprises a U-shaped whose bottom forms a cradle for receiving the isolated electrical conductor; the metal member comprises two parallel connection slots for the connection of two different insulated electrical conductors; - The metal member has a U-shape with a back and two parallel wings facing each wing having at least one connecting slot; the metal member comprises, for the connection of an insulated electrical conductor, a pair of parallel connection slots respectively provided in the two parallel wings opposite said metal member so that the latter is able to establish in at least two places different along said electrical conductor the contact with its conductive core; said fixed part comprises a housing which accommodates said metal member and said first support wall of the housing of said movable part, the bottom of the housing of the fixed part forming the bottom of the housing of said movable part; - there is provided indexing means of the three positions of the movable part on the fixed part; said indexing means comprise, on one of the fixed and movable parts, a series of three notches and on the other of the fixed and mobile parts an elastic tab provided with a bead intended to cooperate with the notches; the fixed part comprises a plurality of metal members for connecting a plurality of insulated electrical conductors and the mobile part comprises in correspondence a plurality of housings adapted to receive a plurality of insulated electrical conductors, each housing comprising a first and a second support walls adapted to push each insulated electrical conductor introduced into each housing; and - the connector constitutes the bottom of a base of an electrical equipment and the template of the movable part corresponds to the template of said base, the peripheral side wall of said movable part being aligned with that of said base when the moving part is positioned in insertion position and being offset from that of said base when said movable portion is positioned in each of the extraction positions and intermediate waiting.

  DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

  The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, given as non-limiting examples, will make it clear what the invention consists of and how it can be achieved.

  In the accompanying drawings: FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of the self-stripping connector according to the invention; Figure 2A is a perspective view from below of the movable portion of a second embodiment of the insulation displacement connector according to the invention; Figure 2B is a perspective view of the fixed part of the connector according to the invention receiving the moving part of Figure 2A; FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of the second embodiment of the connector according to the invention with its mobile part in intermediate waiting position; Figure 4 is a detail view of Figure 3 with an insulated electrical conductor inserted into the corresponding housing of the movable portion; Figure 5 is a perspective view with a partial section of Figure 4; Figure 6 is an assembled perspective view of the second embodiment of the connector according to the invention with its moving part in the insertion position; Figure 7 is a detail view of Figure 6 taken at the insulated electrical conductor; Figure 8 is a perspective view with a partial section of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of Figure 8; Figure 10 is an assembled perspective view of the second embodiment of the connector according to the invention with its moving part in the intermediate position of insertion waiting for a second insulated electrical conductor; Figure 11 is a detail view of Figure 10 taken at the two insulated electrical conductors; Figure 12 is an assembled perspective view of the second embodiment of the connector according to the invention with its movable portion in the insertion position of the second insulated electrical conductor; Figure 13 is a detail view of Figure 12 taken at the two insulated electrical conductors; FIGS. 14A to 14C show a view from above of the connector of FIG. 2 during the disconnection steps of the insulated electrical conductors; Figure 15 is an exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of the self-stripping connector according to the invention; and Fig. 16 is an assembled perspective view of the connector of Fig. 15.

  In preliminary, it will be noted that, from one figure to another, the identical or similar elements of the various embodiments of the invention are referenced by the same reference signs and will not be described each time.

  FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B show two variants of a self-stripping connector 100 which comprises a fixed part 101 and a mobile part 120 displaceable with respect to the fixed part 101.

  The fixed portion 101 is provided with at least one metal member 110 having a connecting slot 111 and the movable portion 120 is adapted to force an insulated electrical conductor (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) in this slot 111. The portion Mobile 120 is provided for this purpose with a housing 121, extending opposite said slot 111, which is adapted to receive the insulated electrical conductor.

  Advantageously, the self-stripping connector 100 constitutes the bottom of a base 1 of an electrical equipment. It makes it possible to connect the electrical conductors coming from the power supply network to the electrical equipment.

  Thus, here, the fixed portion 101 comprises three identical metal members 110 for connection of three insulated electrical conductors, namely, a phase conductor, a neutral conductor and a grounding conductor. In correspondence, the mobile part 120 comprises three identical housings 121 adapted to receive the three phase, neutral and earth conductors to be connected to the three metal members 110.

  Here, each metal member 110 constitutes a connection terminal of the electrical equipment.

  Each housing 121 of the movable portion 120 comprises a first and a second support wall 121A, 121B, 121'B adapted to push each insulated electrical conductor introduced into the housing 121 concerned.

  As shown in Figures 6 and 14C, the movable portion 120 is mounted on the fixed portion 101 to be moved between an insertion position of the insulated electrical conductor C in the slot 111 of the corresponding metal member 110 (see Figure 6) and an extraction position of the insulated electrical conductor C out of said slot (see Fig. 14C).

  In addition, advantageously, according to the invention, as shown in Figures 3 and 10, the movable portion 120 is adapted to take an intermediate position between said insertion and extraction positions. This intermediate position is a standby position insertion of the insulated electrical conductor C in said corresponding housing 121, and the first and second support walls 121A, 121B, 121'B of each housing 121 are spaced apart from each other. other than a distance greater than the distance traveled by said movable portion 120 between the insertion position (see Figure 6) and the intermediate position (see Figure 3).

  According to the embodiments shown in the figures, each connection slot 111 of each metal member 110 is elongate along a portion of a circle about an axis X and said movable portion 120 is rotatably mounted on said fixed portion 101 about said axis X In addition, the first and second bearing walls 121A, 121B, 121'B of each housing 121 are spaced apart from one another by an angular sector greater than the angular sector traversed by said movable part 120 between the position introduction (see Figure 6) and the intermediate waiting position (see Figure 3).

  Here, the movable portion 120 is in the form of a cover covering said fixed portion 101, with a plane wall 120A bordered by a peripheral side wall 120B, 120C.

  The fixed portion 101 has a generally cylindrical shape of revolution about the axis X. According to the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2A and 2B, the outer face 120B of the peripheral side wall of the movable part 120 follows the contour. polygonal of the outer face 2 of the base 1 of the electrical equipment and the inner face 120C of this peripheral side wall has a cylindrical shape of revolution about the axis X so as to fit tightly around the cylindrical outer face 101A of the fixed part 101.

  According to the variant embodiment shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the peripheral side wall 120 'B of the movable part 120' is a cylindrical wall of revolution which fits around the fixed part 101 'so that it is placed recessed from the polygonal outer face 2 of the base 1 of the electrical equipment.

  The mobile part 120 is snapped onto the fixed part 101 and, for the rotational mounting of the mobile part 120 on the fixed part 101, on the one hand, the fixed part 101 comprises for example in its center a stud 103 pierced with a mounting duct 103A, and, on the other hand, the plane wall 120A of the movable part 120 carries on its inner face, at its center, a cylindrical shaft 122 intended to be engaged in free rotation in the mounting duct 103A of the fixed part 101.

  In addition, as shown more particularly in FIGS. 2A and 2B, there are provided means for indexing the three positions (insertion position, intermediate position, extraction position) of the mobile part 120 on the fixed part 101. These indexing means here comprise, at two diametrically opposite locations of the cylindrical outer face 101A of said fixed portion 101, two series of three notches 1A, 1B, 1C, and, in correspondence on the movable portion 120, two elastic tabs 123 each provided with a bead 123A intended to cooperate with the notches 1A, 1B, 1C. Each resilient tab 123 is integrated into the cylindrical inner face 120C of the peripheral side wall of said movable portion 120 so that the bead 123A it carries projects from said inner face 120C.

  Furthermore, according to the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2A and 2B, each housing 121 of the movable portion 120 opens on the outer face 20 of its flat wall 120A.

  According to the embodiment of the connector 100 shown in Figures 15 and 16, each housing 121 'of the movable portion 120 opens on the outer face of its peripheral side wall 120'B.

  As shown in particular in Figure 1, each metal member 110 of the fixed portion 101 has a U-shape with a back 110A and two flanges 110B parallel opposite, each flange 110B having at least one slot 111 connection for the connection of an isolated electrical conductor. Here, each wing 1108 has two slots 111 for parallel connection of two different insulated electrical conductors.

  Thus, according to the example shown, each metal member 110 comprises, for the connection of an insulated electrical conductor C, a pair of parallel connection slots 111 respectively provided in the two parallel flanges 1108 facing said metal member 110 so that the latter is able to establish at at least two different locations along said electrical conductor C contact with its conductive core Cl (see Figure 9).

  As shown in Figures 1, 2B and 15, the fixed portion 101; 101 'comprises housing 102 which accommodate the metal members 110. The said housing 102 are separated from each other by walls 102A or ribs against which the back 110A of the metal members 110 (see Figure 5).

  The bottom of each housing of the fixed part 101, 101 'forms the bottom of each housing 121 of said movable part 120.

  Thus, according to the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2B, the housings 102 of the fixed part 101 are axial housings which are distributed around the X axis and which open out onto the flat face of said fixed part 101 opposite to the base 1 and facing the plane wall 120A of said movable portion 120. According to the embodiment of Figures 15 and 16, the housings of the fixed portion 101 are provided in the cylindrical side wall thereof.

  Furthermore, as shown in the figures, the first support wall 121A of each housing 121 of the movable portion 120 has a U-shaped whose bottom faces the mouth of a pair of slots 111 connecting the corresponding metal member 110 and forms a cradle for receiving the isolated electrical conductor. Here, for each housing 121 of the movable portion 120, the first support wall 121A comprises two U facing the mouths of the two pairs of slots 111 of the corresponding metal member 110.

  The housings 102 of the fixed part 101 house said first bearing walls 121A of the housings 121 of the mobile part 120.

  The second support wall 121B, 121'B of each housing 121 of the mobile part 120 is formed by the edge of the opening through which said housing 121 opens out of said movable part 120.

  According to the embodiment of the connector shown in Figure 1, said second support wall 121B is a straight wall.

  According to the other two embodiments of the connector shown in the other figures, the second support wall 121'B of each housing 121 of the movable part 120 has a U-shape whose bottom forms a cradle for receiving the isolated electrical conductor C. In particular, for each housing 121 of the movable portion 120, the second support wall 121A comprises two U facing the backs of the two pairs of slots 111 of the corresponding metal member 110.

  Advantageously, the movable portion 120 is made in one piece by molding a rigid plastic material and the fixed portion 101 is formed with the base 1 to form a one-piece assembly. The fixed part 101 and the base 1 of the electrical equipment are also, preferably, made by molding a rigid plastic material.

  With reference to FIGS. 3 to 13 and FIGS. 14A to 14C, we will describe the operation in connection and disconnection of the connector according to the invention.

  In Figure 3 there is shown the self-stripping connector 100 with its movable portion 120 in its intermediate position waiting. In this position, the side wall 120B of the movable portion 120 is offset from that of said base 1. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, in this position of the movable portion 120, the installer can insert an insulated electrical conductor C in one of the housings 121 of the movable portion 120 so that it is placed opposite a pair of slots 111 for connecting a metal member 110 of the fixed portion 101, oriented perpendicularly to said slots. The first corresponding support wall 121A of the housing 121 of the movable part 120 which forms a receiving cradle of said electrical conductor C applies around the insulating sheath thereof.

  Then, as shown in Figures 6 to 9, the installer rotates the movable portion 120 on the fixed portion 101 in the direction of clockwise to position the movable portion 120 in the insertion position. During this displacement of the mobile part 120, the first support wall 121A of the corresponding housing 121 pushes the insulated electrical conductor C into the connection slots 111 which attacks the insulating sheath C2 of the electrical conductor C at two different locations so as to establishing the electrical contact with the conductive core C1 of said electrical conductor C. In this insertion position, the side wall 120B of the mobile part 120 is aligned with that of the base 1.

  As shown in Figures 10 to 12, to connect another insulated electrical conductor C 'to a metal member 110 of the fixed portion 101 of said connector 100, the installer rotates the movable portion 120 on the fixed portion 101 in the opposite direction clockwise to move said movable portion 120 from its introduction position to its intermediate waiting position (see Figure 10). During this movement the second support wall 121'B (intended to push the driver C out of the slot pair 111 of the metal member) of the corresponding housing 121 does not act on the conductor C already introduced in the pair of slots 111 of a metal member 110 because the distance between the second support wall 121'B of the first support wall 121A is greater than the distance traveled by the movable portion 120 between the insertion position and the intermediate position wait. Therefore, advantageously, the installer places the mobile part 120 intermediate waiting position without it causes the disconnection of the already connected electrical conductor C.

  It can then insert the second insulated electrical conductor C 'in the housing 121 of the movable part 120 placed in intermediate waiting position (see FIGS. 10 and 11) and then pivot this mobile part 120 towards the insertion position to force this second conductor C 'in the pair of corresponding slots 111 without touching the first conductor C already connected (see Figures 12 and 13).

  FIGS. 14A to 14C show the steps of disconnection of the insulated electrical conductors C, C '. From the insertion position (see Figure 14A) in which the two electrical conductors are forced into the corresponding pairs of slots 111, the installer rotates the movable portion 120 on the fixed portion 101 to make it all pass. first intermediate standby position (see Figure 14B), and then beyond this position, in the extraction position (see Figure 14C). The second support wall 121'B dedicated to the disconnection does not act on the conductors C, C 'during the passage of the movable portion 120 from its introduction position to its intermediate position. Only when the movable portion 120 passes from the waiting intermediate position to the extraction position that second support wall 121'B is supported on the insulating sheath of these conductors C, C 'to push them or extracting them out of the slots 111 of the metal member (see FIG. 14C). In this extraction position, the side wall 120B of the movable part 120 is even more displaced compared to that of the base 1.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown, but the skilled person will be able to make any variant within his mind.

Claims (1)

12 CLAIMS   1. A self-stripping connector (100) having, on the one hand, a fixed part (101) provided with a metal member (110) having at least one connection slot (111) and, on the other hand, a moving part (120) adapted to force an isolated electrical conductor in this slot and provided for this purpose with a housing (121), extending opposite said slot, which is adapted to receive the isolated electrical conductor and which comprises a first and a second supporting wall (121A, 121B) adapted to urge the insulated electrical conductor introduced into the housing, the movable portion (120) being mounted on the fixed portion (101) to be moved between an insertion position of the electrical conductor isolated in the slot of the metal member and an extraction position of the electrical conductor isolated from said slot, characterized in that the movable portion (120) is adapted to take an intermediate position between said insertion positions and extraction this intermediate position being an insertion waiting position of the insulated electrical conductor in said housing (121), and in that the first and second bearing walls (121A, 121B) of said housing (121) are spaced apart on the other a distance greater than the distance traveled by said movable portion (120) between the insertion position and the intermediate position.   2. Connector (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the slot (111) connection is elongate in a portion of a circle about an axis (X) and said movable portion (120) is rotatably mounted on said portion fixed (101) about said axis (X), the first and second bearing walls (121A, 121B) of said housing (121) being spaced apart from each other by an angular sector greater than the sector traversed by said portion mobile (120) between the insertion position and the intermediate position.   3. Connector (100) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the movable portion (120) is in the form of a cap covering said fixed portion (101), with a flat wall (120A) bordered by a peripheral side wall (120B, 120C).   4. Connector (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that said housing (121) of the movable part (120) opens on the outer face of its plane wall (120A).   5. Connector (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that said housing (121 ') of the movable part (120') opens on the outer face of its peripheral side wall (120'B).   6. Connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first bearing wall (121A) of said housing (121) comprises a U-shaped whose bottom faces the mouth of a slot (111) connection and forms a cradle for receiving the isolated electrical conductor.   7. Connector (100) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the second bearing wall (121B; 121'B) of said housing (121) is formed by the edge of the opening by which said housing opens out of said mobile part.   8. Connector (100) according to claim 7, characterized in that said second wall (121B) support is a straight wall.   9. The connector (100) according to claim 7, characterized in that the second support wall (121'B) of said housing (121) comprises a U-shaped whose bottom forms a cradle for receiving the isolated electrical conductor.   10. Connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the metal member (110) has two slots (111) of parallel connection for the connection of two different insulated electrical conductors (C, C ').   11. Connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the metal member (110) has a U-shape with a back (110A) and two wings (1108) parallel to each other, each wing (110B). ) having at least one connection slot (111).   12. Connector (100) according to claim 11, characterized in that the metal member (110) comprises, for the connection of an insulated electrical conductor, a pair of slots (111) of parallel connection provided respectively in the two wings (110A) parallel to said metal member so that the latter is adapted to establish at at least two different locations along said electrical conductor the contact with its conductive core.   13. Connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said fixed portion (101) comprises a housing (102) which accommodates said metal member (110) and said first bearing wall (121A) housing (121) of said movable portion (120), the bottom of the housing (102) of the fixed portion forming the bottom of the housing (121) of said movable portion (120).   14. Connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that there is provided means for indexing the three positions of the movable part on the fixed part.   15. Connector (100) according to claim 14, characterized in that said indexing means comprise on one of the fixed and mobile parts, a series of three notches (IA, 1B, 1C) and on the other parts fixed and movable elastic tab (123) provided with a bead (123A) intended to cooperate with the notches (IA, 1B, IC).   16. Connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fixed part (101) comprises a plurality of metal members (110) for connecting a plurality of insulated electrical conductors and the movable part ( 120) comprises in correspondence a plurality of housings (121) adapted to receive a plurality of insulated electrical conductors, each housing comprising a first and a second support wall (121A, 121B) adapted to push each isolated electrical conductor introduced into each housing .   17. Connector according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it constitutes the bottom of a base (1) of an electrical equipment and the jig of the movable part (120) corresponds to the template of said base (1) the peripheral side wall (120B) of said movable portion (120) being aligned with that of said base when the movable portion (120) is positioned in the insertion position and offset from that of said base (1) when said portion mobile (120) is positioned in each of the extraction positions and intermediate waiting.