EP0753898B1 - Connecting arrangement, his process for making and electric apparatus having such a connecting arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

The assembly includes a metal component (11) which comprises two sheets (15A,15B) superimposed one on the other and held together by means of a rivet (16). The rivet may be formed by a stamping action on the sheets so that each is deformed, with one being pressed into a recess formed in the second sheet. The metal component is intended to be connected to the metallic core (12) of a conductor (13). The core of the conductor is flattened between the two sheets with some of the stranded of the conductor passing through the region of the rivet in order to be trapped by the riveting action. A further section of the metal component is shaped in order to define a number of sockets (19) which are able to receive conductive pegs (21).

Description

The present invention relates generally the electrical connections that an inevitable electrical device for its connection, whether its external connection or whether it is a connection internal intervening between two of its constituents.

It relates more particularly to the case where such a connexion implements a multi-strand electrical conductor connect to a metal part.

Most often, to date, and disregarding other solutions such as those calling for example to a welding, to confine, here, to those whose present invention is the closest, the end, beforehand stripped of the metallic core of the electrical conductor wound, transversely, around a clamping member, such as rivet or screw, attached to the metal part, then tightened axially against the latter by this clamping member.

The resulting connected set generally gives satisfaction.

There are drawbacks, however, which are: following.

First, the realization of such a set connected is relatively expensive, because it involves the implementation of a rivet or a screw in addition to the part metal to be connected, and because it cannot in practice only be done manually.

This is all the more so since, to avoid a dispersion of the strands of the electrical conductor likely to harm the insulation of the assembly if one or more of come to protrude laterally, it is necessary to prepare these strands, for example by twisting them together, to keep them grouped, before their winding on the organ of tightening implemented.

If, to facilitate automation, it is reported, on this metallic core, a terminal, the price of this terminal, and that of its installation, inevitably come also burden the cost of the whole.

Furthermore, and above all, despite the care taken in its realization, the electrical connection ensured by such connected assembly may be more or less faulty, if the electrical conductor is being pulled untimely and if other protective measures are not otherwise provided for in this regard.

It turns out, in fact, that the tensile strength of such a connected set is relatively poor, the soul metallic conductor then tending to escape, by simple unwinding, from the clamping member which it surrounded.

The present invention generally has for object a provision which while driving advantageously to a particularly economical realization of a set connected of the kind in question, avoids the disadvantages previous.

It is based on observation, not made at this time. day that when the metal part to be connected is formed of two sheets superimposed on each other and assembled one to the other by at least one rivet coming from the same thickness of these sheets, according to a technique, commonly known as "clinching", known for a long time, notably by the patent application European No 0 546 270, or when this metallic piece locally contains two such sheets, either of separate sheets, that is to say sheets coming from a in one piece with one blank, it is possible to shoot part of the corresponding rivet to ensure, at the same time, in excellent safety and reliability conditions, mechanical connection between the sheets and the electrical connection wanted.

The present invention thus firstly has more precisely for object a connected set of the kind comprising a metal part to which the core is connected metallic of a multi-strand electrical conductor, this assembly connected being generally characterized in that, the metal part comprising at least locally two sheets superimposed on each other and assembled to each other by at least one rivet from the thickness of these sheets, the core metal of the electrical conductor is pinched between the sheets to the right of this rivet, with at least some of its strands which bypass this rivet in a substantially axial plane for this one; it still has for objects the process of realization of this connected set and any device electric comprising a connected assembly of this type.

In short, it is made so, according to the invention, that, instead of bypassing the following rivet in the usual way a transverse plane, that is to say along a plane perpendicular to the axis of this rivet, at least some of the strands of the metallic core of the electrical conductor extend along an axial plane with respect to the rivet, that is to say along a plane passing through the axis of this rivet or parallel to such an axis, along a path which, by the very fact of the mode of formation of this rivet, is inevitably a zigzag path.

Indeed, the rivet then forms a baffle for these strands, which obviously any one could not do attached rivet or any screw.

Because of this chicane, the resistance of the whole connected with regard to a traction exerted on the conductor electric is greatly enhanced.

Additionally, and most importantly, the login process according to the invention intervenes advantageously even during the assembly process of the two sheets belonging to the part metallic to be connected or forming the same, simultaneously with this assembly process.

It thus advantageously does not involve any cost additional sensitive.

Admittedly, it was proposed in the patent application French published under No 2 023 172, a connected whole in which the metallic core of an electrical conductor is pinched between two plates duly assembled, one to the other.

But, apart from that, if the assembly of these sheets is done by elements coming from these, these elements are in the kind of claws, not rivets, nothing indicates that these claws can interest in anything the soul metal of the electrical conductor.

Everything suggests, on the contrary, that they intervene away from this metallic core.

Indeed, the latter is in practice engaged in a cylinder which came from one of the sheets and of which it is unlikely to be punctured by scratches on the other of these.

Unlike the following rivets the invention, these claws therefore do not intervene directly on the tensile strength of the connected assembly obtained.

la figure 1 est une vue en élévation d'un ensemble connecté suivant l'invention ;

la figure 2 en est une vue de dessus, suivant la flèche II de la figure 1 ;

la figure 3 en est, à échelle supérieure, une vue partielle en coupe longitudinale, suivant la ligne III-III de la figure 2 ;

la figure 4 en est, à l'échelle de la figure 3, une vue en coupe transversale, suivant la ligne IV-IV de la figure 1 ;

la figure 5 est une vue en perspective illustrant le procédé de réalisation de cet ensemble connecté.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows, by way of example, with reference to the appended schematic drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a connected assembly according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a top view, along arrow II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a larger scale, a partial view in longitudinal section along the line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is, on the scale of Figure 3, a cross-sectional view along the line IV-IV of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating the method of making this connected assembly.

As illustrated in these figures, and in a known manner per se, a connected assembly 10 according to the invention comprises, overall, a metal part 11 on which is located connected the metallic core 12 of an electrical conductor 13 multi-strand.

By electrical conductor 13 multi-strand, we mean, usual way, an electrical conductor 13 whose core metal 12 is formed by a bundle of strands 14, which, in principle, are, at least initially, generally rectilinear and parallel.

According to the invention, the metal part 11 comprising, at least locally, two sheets 15A, 15B superimposed on each other and assembled to each other by at least one rivet 16 coming from the same thickness of these sheets 15A, 15B, the metallic core 12 of the electrical conductor 13 is located pinched between these sheets 15A, 15B in line with this rivet 16, with some, at least, of its strands 14, if not all of these, which bypass this rivet 16 according to a plan substantially axial for the latter.

In a manner known per se, the rivet 16 is formed of two hollow bosses 17A, 17B, of cross section through circular example, which each came from the sheets respectively 15A, 15B, result from a joint stamping of these sheets 15A, 15B, according to the technique known as "clinching", and which, from complementary shape, and of the same axis A, are sufficiently intimately nested one inside the other to ensure by connection mechanical assembly sought for sheets 15A, 15B.

The technique of "clinching" being well known by itself, and not specifically falling under this invention, it will not be described in detail here.

It will suffice to indicate that, as shown schematically in the FIG. 5, the sheets 15A, 15B are brought together, following the arrows F in this figure 5, until being superimposed on each other, and that they are then jointly stamped in conditions leading to the creation, on the hollow bosses 17A, 17B, and as it is visible in Figures 4 and 5, from an undercut strengthening the resistance of the assembly along axis A of rivet 16 formed.

According to the invention, between the sheets 15A, 15B, the stripped end of the metallic core 12 of the conductor electric 13, to the right of the location chosen for the formation of the rivet 16, as shown diagrammatically by a simple outline 16 'in Figure 5.

It turns out, in fact, that at least some of the strands 14 of this metallic core 12, if not all of them, bypass zigzag the rivet 16 formed, along a plane passing through the axis A of it or parallel to this axis A, as is clear from Figures 3 and 4, and that the presence of these strands 14 remains compatible with sufficient assembly quality.

Thus, according to the process for producing the invention, the two are assembled simultaneously sheets 15A, 15B and the electrical connection of the conductor 13 to the metal part 11 that they form.

In the figures, the connected assembly 10 is formed, in its entirety, of two sheets 15A, 15B, which, in practice, both are simple metal bands superimposed.

In addition to the rivet 16 ensuring the connection of the electrical conductor 13, these two sheets 15A, 15B are located assembled by at least one other rivet 16, at a distance from the first.

Furthermore, in the embodiment shown, the connected assembly 10 according to the invention forms, jointly, in one piece, at a distance from one and the other of the rivets 16, and, more precisely, between them, a other constituent 18.

In the embodiment shown, this other component 18 comprises at least one cell 19, and, in practical, in alignment with each other, three cells 19, for the constitution of the active part of a socket current.

Each of the cells 19 results from a deformation local 20A, 20B, in an arc, of one of the other of the sheets 15A, 15B.

As shown in broken lines for at least the two extremes in FIG. 2, these cells 19 are clean to the engagement of pins 21 of a socket outlet duly matched to the socket outlet that the constituent 18.

As will be noted, the engagement of these pins 21 in the cells 19 requests the assembly of the two sheets 15A, 15B in a direction tending to separate these two from one another sheets 15A, 15B along the axis A of the rivets 16, which requires a good resistance of this assembly along this axis A.

The connected assembly 10 according to the invention belongs in this case for example to a power strip.

But it may as well belong to any another electrical device, without necessarily forming another constituent of it.

The present invention is moreover not limited to the embodiment described and shown, but encompasses any variant, in particular with regard to the section transverse of the rivet (s) intervening between the sheets concerned, this cross section not being necessarily circular.

Furthermore, and as already indicated above, these sheets are not necessarily separate.

On the contrary, it may for example be sheets, which, coming in one piece from one and the same blank, are duly folded against each other.

Claims (5)

1. A connected assembly of the kind comprising a metal piece (11) to which the metal core (12) of a multi-strand electrical conductor (13) is connected, characterised in that, said metal piece (11) comprising at least locally two plates (15A, 15B) which are disposed in mutually superposed relationship and which are assembled to each other by at least one rivet (16) produced from the actual thickness of said plates (15A, 15B), the metal core (12) of the electrical conductor (13) is gripped between said plates (15A, 15B) in line with said rivet (16), with some at least of its strands (15) which pass around said rivet (16) following a plane which is substantially axial for the latter.
2. A connected assembly according to claim 1 characterised in that, at a spacing from the rivet (16) which assembles them, the plates (15A, 15B) of the metal piece (11) jointly form in one piece another constituent (18).
3. A connected assembly according to claim 2 characterised in that said other constituent (18) comprises at least one opening (19).
4. A process for the production of a connected assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterised in that the bared end of the metal core (12) of the electrical conductor (13) to be connected is inserted between the plates (15A, 15B) to be assembled, in line with the location (16') selected for the formation of a rivet (16), so as to provide simultaneously for assembly of the plates (15A, 15B) and the electrical connection of the electrical conductor (13) to the metal piece (11) that they form.
5. An electrical apparatus of the kind comprising at least one connected assembly (10) formed by a metal piece (11) to which the metal core (12) of a multi-strand electrical conductor (13) is connected, characterised in that said connected assembly (10) is in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 3.

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