EP0699352A1 - Serre-c ble comprenant un dispositif de fixation de longueur reduite - Google Patents

Serre-c ble comprenant un dispositif de fixation de longueur reduite

Info

Publication number
EP0699352A1
EP0699352A1 EP94909277A EP94909277A EP0699352A1 EP 0699352 A1 EP0699352 A1 EP 0699352A1 EP 94909277 A EP94909277 A EP 94909277A EP 94909277 A EP94909277 A EP 94909277A EP 0699352 A1 EP0699352 A1 EP 0699352A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
cable
tail
cylindrical
opening
jaw
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP94909277A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0699352B1 (fr
Inventor
Paul A Cornell
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP0699352A1 publication Critical patent/EP0699352A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0699352B1 publication Critical patent/EP0699352B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R4/00—Electrically-conductive connections between two or more conductive members in direct contact, i.e. touching one another; Means for effecting or maintaining such contact; Electrically-conductive connections having two or more spaced connecting locations for conductors and using contact members penetrating insulation
    • H01R4/28—Clamped connections, spring connections
    • H01R4/38—Clamped connections, spring connections utilising a clamping member acted on by screw or nut
    • H01R4/40—Pivotable clamping member
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R4/00—Electrically-conductive connections between two or more conductive members in direct contact, i.e. touching one another; Means for effecting or maintaining such contact; Electrically-conductive connections having two or more spaced connecting locations for conductors and using contact members penetrating insulation
    • H01R4/28—Clamped connections, spring connections
    • H01R4/50—Clamped connections, spring connections utilising a cam, wedge, cone or ball also combined with a screw

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to cable clamps, in particular for use with electrical cables of the type generally used in electrical distribution networks.
  • cables used in power distribution networks typically have stranded or solid cores of copper or aluminum and are generally of relatively large diameter and relatively difficult to work with. It is also known to provide cable clamps which can be used to terminate a cable, for example to a bus bar, comprising a male jaw having a tail and an integral part-cylindrical head, and a female jaw having a tail and an integral yoke which defines a part- cylindrical socket. The head of the male jaw is received in the socket to permit relative pivotal movement between the jaws.
  • a cable receiving opening extends diametrically through the head, and a cable receiving opening extends radially through the yoke. These openings are aligned in an open pivotal position of the jaws to permit insertion of the cable therethrough and substantially misaligned in a closed pivotal position of the jaws to clamp the cable. The tails are clamped together to hold the jaws in the closed position.
  • This invention provides an improvement for a cable clamp of the type comprising a first jaw having a first cable clamping portion and a first tail, and a second jaw having a second cable clamping portion and a second tail, in which the first jaw is pivotably mounted to the second jaw to move between a cable receiving open position, in which a cable can be inserted between the cable clamping portions, and a cable clamping closed position, in which the cable is clamped between the cable clamping portions.
  • a first opening is provided in one of the tails
  • a raised boss is provided on the other of the tails, positioned to fit within the first opening when the jaws are in the closed position.
  • the raised boss comprises a threaded opening, and a threaded fastener is mounted in the threaded opening.
  • This threaded fastener is shaped to apply closing forces on said one of the tails as the threaded fastener is rotated into the threaded opening. These closing forces tend to move the jaws to the closed position.
  • two pairs of jaws are provided in a connector for connecting two cables together.
  • the two female jaws are formed back-to-back as an integral elongate unit, whereby the connector in use lies substantially along the longitudinal axis of two cables joined end to end.
  • This embodiment also includes two male jaws, one for engagement with each of the female jaws. Separate fastening means may be provided for each pair of jaws, or it may be arranged that a single fastening means acts to secure two or more of the pairs.
  • an in-line connector suitable for cables of the above types, which may be simply and easily installed without special tools and requiring little manipulation of the cable ends to be joined.
  • the cable clamps described below provide high cable pull-out resistance and low electric resistance. Because the raised boss extends up toward the opposed tail, a short threaded fastener or bolt can be used to close the cable clamp in many applications, without the need for special tools to pre-crimp the cable in the connector before the bolt is engaged. In this way, installation is made simpler, the need for special crimping or squeezing tools is reduced or eliminated, and the profile of the closed connector is reduced.
  • This low-profile feature can eliminate protruding bolt ends when the clamp is closed, and makes it possible to use the clamp in in-line insulation equipment and in other situations.
  • This low-profile advantage is also important in many other applications where space is limited, such as for switch gear equipment, panel boards, underground installations in insulated tubing, and the like.
  • the preferred embodiments of this invention provide the further advantage that the connector may be disconnected and re-connected as necessary.
  • Fig. 1 shows a partially sectional view of a cable clamp according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred gripping mechanism included in the cable clamp of Fig.
  • Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2;
  • Fig. 3a is a sectional view taken along line
  • Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line
  • Fig. 4a is a sectional view taken along line
  • Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the preferred gripping mechanism configured to clamp a relatively larger cable
  • Fig. 6 is a view corresponding to that of
  • Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of a second preferred embodiment of this invention.
  • Fig. 1 shows a partially sectional view of a first preferred embodiment 10 of this invention, which enables the ends of two cables 2, 2' to be electrically and mechanically connected to each other.
  • this cable clamp 10 is symmetrical, having identical gripping mechanisms at each end, although in some embodiments the ends may be configured differently, and this will be discussed in detail later.
  • Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the first end of the clamp 10 of Fig. 1 showing the gripping mechanism.
  • the gripping mechanisir. includes a male jaw or member 12 and a female jaw or member 14.
  • the male jaw 12 is shown in greater detail in Figs. 4 and 4a, and it includes a cylindrical head 16 which defines a cylindrical surface 18 centered on a cylinder axis 20 (Fig. 2) .
  • a first tail 22 extends radially away from the head 16, and the male jaw 12 is symmetrical about a plane of symmetry 24 (Fig. 4) which contains the cylinder axis 20.
  • the male jaw 12 includes a first cable receiving opening 26 that, as shown in Fig. 4, is oriented at a skew angle A with respect to the first tail 22 and the plane of symmetry 24.
  • the cable receiving opening 26 is adapted to receive the terminal portion of a cable, and the opening 26 opens out at both sides of the first tail 22 at a window 28 which passes completely through the tail 22.
  • the tail 22 defines a free end 30 and a pair of spaced, parallel, opposed first surfaces 32 adjacent the free end 30. Both of these first surfaces 32 are parallel to the plane of symmetry 24.
  • a fastener receiving opening 34 extends completely through the first tail 22 and receives a fastener as described below.
  • Figs. 2, 3 and 3a provide a detailed illustration of the female jaw 14, which includes a head receiving portion or yoke 36 which is generally C- shaped and defines a part-cylindrical socket 37 sized to receive the cylindrical head 16 for rotation about the cylinder axis 20.
  • the yoke 36 is integrally connected with a second tail 38 that includes a projection 40 positioned to extend into the window 28 when the first and second tails 22, 38 are clamped together.
  • a second cable receiving opening 42 extends through the yoke 36 and is positioned to align with the opening 26 when the jaws are in a cable receiving, open position, in which the first and second tails 22, 38 are separated from one another.
  • the second tail 38 defines an intermediate portion 44, an end portion 45 and two opposed parallel second surfaces 46.
  • a threaded boss or key 48 is fixed in an opening 51 passing through the intermediate portion 44 of the second tail 38 and is aligned with the opening 34 when the first and second tails 22, 38 are clamped together, such that the opening 34 fits over the upstanding part of the boss 48.
  • the boss 48 may be extruded as a ridge on the first tail 22 and subsequently machined to final shape. In practice, this approach is presently preferred.
  • Figs. 5 and 6 show the manner in which the gripping mechanism can be closed with a fastener 52 to clamp a cable.
  • the fastener 52 clamps the first and second tails 22, 38 together to hold the jaws 12, 14 in the cable clamping, closed position.
  • the fastener 52 is initially removed and the male jaw 12 is rotated to an open position (not shown) in which the first and second tails 22, 38 are spaced one from another. Then the terminal portion 54 of a cable 2 is inserted through the cable receiving openings 26, 42 until it abuts against the extreme end of the window 28. Then the male jaw 12 is rotated toward the closed position shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and the fastener 52 is used to clamp the first and second tails 22, 38 together. This causes the projection 40 to enter the window 28 and the cable 2 to be gripped at four points as shown by the arrows in Fig. 5. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the jaws 12, 14 can be assembled in two different orientations to grip cables of two different diameters. In Fig.
  • the male jaw 12 is in a first orientation in which the angle B separates the open and closed positions.
  • the male jaw 12 has been rotated by 180° about an axis of symmetry that is contained in the plane of symmetry 24 and is perpendicular to the cylinder axis 20. Because of the skew angle A shown in Fig. 4, in this alternate position the angular separation between the open and closed positions of the male jaw 12 is B + 2A, and thus the gripping mechanism when assembled as shown in Fig. 6 operates to grip a smaller cable.
  • the gripping mechanism functions in a similar manner to the cable clamp described in detail in the above- identified Cornell patents.
  • the fastener 52 is in the form of a bolt 52 which passes through the opening 34 in the tail 22 of the male jaw 12 to engage with the threaded hole of the boss 48.
  • a washer 53 may be included if necessary or desirable.
  • the bolt 52 should not protrude through the boss 48 in order to minimize the end-on profile of the assembled connector.
  • the tails must be closed, by some external force, sufficiently that the bolt 52 positioned through the opening 34 will reach and engage the thread of the opening of the boss 48. After such engagement the tails are closed further by tightening of the bolt.
  • the provision of the upstanding boss 48 means that, for a given length of the bolt 52, the tails do not have to be closed as much as they would be in the absence of the boss 48 before the bolt 52 engages the thread.
  • a shorter bolt 52 can be used to close the tails fully.
  • the bolt 52 can be dimensioned to prevent it from protruding through the closed tails.
  • the preferred arrangement is to provide a boss 48 which protrudes above the surface of tail 38 by an amount approximately equal to the thickness of the tail 22, and to use a bolt having a threaded shank length approximately equal to the combined thickness cf the two tails.
  • the clamp 10 according to this embodiment comprises two gripping mechanisms as described in detail with reference to Figs. 2 to 6. Each of the male members may then be used in a separate one of the two orientations discussed above, whereby the connector can connect two cables of different diameters.
  • the cable receiving openings in one or both of the two gripping mechanisms may be shaped appropriately specifically for receiving and gripping one core of 119° solid sectoral cable.
  • Such cable receiving openings are described in detail with respect to clamps in a recently filed UK patent application, Serial No. .
  • the cable clamp 10 provides a simple but highly effective way to connect cables. The ends of the cables simply need to be stripped of insulation, inserted into the cable receiving openings of the gripping mechanisms, and the pairs of jaws clamped together.
  • such a cable clamp should preferably be insulated in many applications. This may be done simply by winding self-amalgamating insulating tape around the assembled cable clamp. The application of such an insulating cover may be facilitated by rounding the corners of the female jaws of the connector as indicated at 62 in Figs. 2 and 3a. Such rounding of the corners also allows the clamp to fit in certain tubes and spaces limited in size by electrical codes, regulations, and usage.
  • the cable clamp of the present invention may include three or more gripping mechanisms as described above, a first jaw of each gripping mechanism being formed as an integral unit with a first jaw of the others. This enables the connection of more than two cables .
  • the jaws 12' , 14' form an attachment structure which attaches the jaw 14 to the cable 2' .
  • This attachment structure can take other forms, such as a further opening 70" in one of the tails of the jaws 12",14" ( Figure 7) . Such a further opening may receive a fastener that secures the jaw 12",14" to a bus bar or the like.
  • the components of the cable clamp 10 are preferably manufactured from an aluminum alloy having an electrical conductivity not less than 40% of the International Annealed Copper Standard.
  • the cable receiving openings should preferably be sized approximately 110% of the largest cable to be clamped.
  • all the major components of the connector have approximately constant cross-sectional shape, they are preferably machined from extruded stock.
  • Connectors according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention are capable of handling voltages up to 132 kV.

Landscapes

  • Installation Of Indoor Wiring (AREA)
  • Clamps And Clips (AREA)

Abstract

Serre-câble comprenant des première et deuxième mâchoires présentant chacune une partie de serrage de câble et une section arrière respectives. La première mâchoire est montée pivotante sur la deuxième mâchoire pour se déplacer entre une position ouverte de réception du câble dans laquelle on peut insérer un câble entre les parties de serrage de câble, et une position fermée de serrage du câble dans laquelle le câble est serré entre les parties de serrage du câble. Une première ouverture est formée dans une des sections arrière et une bosse surélevée est formée sur l'autre section arrière. Cette bosse surélevée est positionnée de manière à se loger dans la première ouverture lorsque les mâchoires sont en position fermée, cette bosse surélevée comprenant une ouverture filetée. Un élément de fixation fileté est monté dans l'ouverture filetée, cet élément de fixation fileté appliquant des forces de fermeture sur les sections arrière lorsqu'on le fait tourner dans ladite ouverture filetée, ceci ayant pour effet de déplacer les mâchoires vers leur position fermée.
EP94909277A 1994-03-16 1994-03-16 Serre-cable comprenant un dispositif de fixation de longueur reduite Expired - Lifetime EP0699352B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/IB1994/000050 WO1995025361A1 (fr) 1994-03-16 1994-03-16 Serre-câble comprenant un dispositif de fixation de longueur reduite

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0699352A1 true EP0699352A1 (fr) 1996-03-06
EP0699352B1 EP0699352B1 (fr) 1997-07-23

Family

ID=11004290

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP94909277A Expired - Lifetime EP0699352B1 (fr) 1994-03-16 1994-03-16 Serre-cable comprenant un dispositif de fixation de longueur reduite

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0699352B1 (fr)
JP (1) JPH08510595A (fr)
DE (1) DE69404462T2 (fr)
DK (1) DK0699352T3 (fr)
WO (1) WO1995025361A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6772868B2 (en) 2001-09-13 2004-08-10 Pan Electric Corporation Railroad rail-connector assembly

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1034490A (fr) * 1951-03-28 1953-07-24 Dispositif de branchement pour connexions électriques
US4357068A (en) * 1980-04-02 1982-11-02 Pan Electric Corporation Cable clamping device
US4898551A (en) * 1989-04-11 1990-02-06 Pan Electric Corporation Cable clamp

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO9525361A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO1995025361A1 (fr) 1995-09-21
DE69404462D1 (de) 1997-09-04
JPH08510595A (ja) 1996-11-05
EP0699352B1 (fr) 1997-07-23
DK0699352T3 (da) 1998-03-16
DE69404462T2 (de) 1998-02-26

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