EP1089399A1 - Serial manufacturing procedure for connection elements for female connector and connection element manufactured through that procedure - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves using folded wings to form socket, with additional plate to improve electrical and thermal conduction The connection element is formed using a piece of folded metal with a connection part (3) for attachment to a cable end, and a contact cage (2), connected together by a link piece (4). The contact cage (2) is formed from a base part (6) and two wings (7,8) orthogonal to the base. Between the wings there are two flexible contact lamellae (9,11). A supplementary lamella (12) is provided between the contact lamellae and the base plate, and is fixed rigidly to either the base part of the link piece (4). This supplementary lamella is intended to improve both the electrical and thermal conduction between the contact cage (2) and the link part (4).

Description

The present invention relates to a mass production method connection elements for female connector by cutting and bending of a conductive metal strip, as well as a connection element obtained by this process.

The present invention relates more particularly to an element of connection for female connector, of the type comprising at least one cage contact for establishing an electrical and mechanical connection detachable, by plugging in, with a contact strip of an element to connect to the female connector, at least one connection part intended for establishing a connection with an external circuit, and a connection part between the contact cage and the connection part, said part contact cage comprising a basic rectangular part connected by a integral with a first side to said connecting part, two flaps rectangular which are connected in one piece respectively to second and third mutually opposite sides of the base part and which extend perpendicular to said base portion to form therewith a U-section cage, and two flexible contact blades which are connected in one piece with one end each to one of the two flaps on a edge of the corresponding flap which is perpendicular to a fourth side of said base part, the two contact blades being folded in a pin hair so as to extend inside the contact cage in facing each other with a predefined spacing.

The invention applies generally to female connectors intended to cooperate with male connectors or other components electric having at least one contact strip pluggable in the cage contact of the connector of the female connector. Like others electrical components, for example, fuses or mini-fuses of the kind commonly used in the field of automobile industry. In this case, the connection elements to which the invention applies can for example be part of a box fuses.

We already know connection elements of the above-mentioned type, in which the connecting part is made in the form of a band on one side from which there are several regularly spaced contact cages along the strip, and on the other side of which is at least one connection part produced for example in the form of two pairs spaced apart by claws, one of which can be crimped onto the stripped part of a wire conductor and the other can be crimped onto the sheath of said conductive wire. In in this case, the connection element to several contact cages constitutes what is called a multiple connection element or distributor, and the band of connection forms a shunt connecting all the contact cages of the element multiple connection. In this known connection element, the two blades of contact of each cage take elastic support, by their end opposite to that which is connected in one piece to the flap contact cage, against the internal face of said flap corresponding.

Such a known multiple connection element offers the advantage of providing a significant contact pressure, surface against surface, between the two contact blades on the one hand and the male contact strip of a fuse inserted between the contact blades of the connection element, on the other hand. This provides a significant clamping force, ensuring the maintenance over time of the mechanical connection between the connection element and the fuse, even if these two elements are subjected in service to vibrations. In addition, thanks to the high contact pressure, it is possible to pass a relatively large current between the fuse and the element of connection.

We also know an individual connection element, which is usable together with the known multiple connection element described above and which is similar to the latter, except that it has only one contact cage, which is closed on four sides, and only one part of connection, which is connected in one piece to the first side of the part of base of the contact cage, the connection part being nonexistent here.

In the known connection elements, multiple or individual, described above, in the presence of a strong current, there is a heating of one or more contact cages due to losses by effect Joule. In the long term or in the event of repeated high overcurrents, this overheating may cause degradation of the characteristics of flexibility of the two contact blades of the contact cage, therefore a reduction of the pressure exerted by the two contact blades on the male contact strip inserted between them, thus a degradation of the quality of the electrical contact and of the maintenance of said contact strip male between the contact blades. In addition, the connection elements known aforementioned are relatively expensive to manufacture, both because they require a relatively large amount of conductive metal, with a relatively poor utilization rate of the base material (strip of conductive metal), and because the multiple connection elements and the individual connection elements require different tools for their cutting and folding, which increases the investment in material.

The object of the present invention is therefore to at least partially remedy to the disadvantages of the connection elements described above, in providing a mass production method of connection elements, which can be used to manufacture both multiple connection elements and individual connection elements, in which the cage or cages less likely to heat up in service due to losses by Joule effect.

The present invention also aims to provide a method of mass production of connection elements, which improves the rate use of the base material (conductive metal strip) and possibly also to use as base material a strip of conductive metal of smaller width, therefore more economical.

a) à découper dans la bande de métal conducteur une succession d'éléments de connexion de telle façon que la partie de contact et la partie de connexion de chaque élément de connexion soient disposées respectivement d'un premier côté longitudinal et d'un second côté longitudinal d'une bande de liaison reliant tous les éléments de connexion, et que chaque partie de contact comporte une partie rectangulaire de base reliée d'un seul tenant par un premier côté au premier côté de la bande de liaison, deux volets rectangulaires qui s'étendent parallèlement à la bande de liaison, qui sont reliés d'un seul tenant respectivement à des second et troisième côtés mutuellement opposés de la partie de base et qui ont un côté aligné avec un quatrième côté de la partie de base, et deux lames de contact s'étendant perpendiculairement aux volets et reliées d'un seul tenant respectivement auxdits côtés desdits volets qui sont alignés avec le quatrième côté de la partie de base ;

b) à replier les deux lames de contact de chaque partie de contact par dessus les volets correspondants par cintrage autour d'une ligne parallèle auxdits côtés alignés ;

c) à rabattre les deux volets de chaque partie de contact à angle droit par rapport à la partie de base, par pliage respectivement autour de lignes de pliage sensiblement confondues avec les second et troisième côtés de la partie de base, de manière à former une cage de contact à section en U à l'intérieur de laquelle les deux lames de contact se font mutuellement face avec un espacement prédéfini ;

caractérisé en ce que :

d) l'étape de découpage a) est effectuée de façon à former en outre, pour chaque partie de contact, une troisième lame qui est reliée d'un seul tenant au quatrième côté de la partie de base et qui s'étend parallèlement aux deux lames de contact entre celles-ci ;

e) avant l'étape de pliage c), la troisième lame est repliée par dessus ladite partie de base autour d'une ligne de pliage sensiblement confondue avec ledit quatrième côté de la partie de base et est mise en contact et fixée rigidement à l'un des deux éléments du groupe comprenant la partie de base et la bande de liaison.

To this end, the invention provides a method of mass production of connection elements for female connector, by cutting and bending a strip of conductive metal, each connection element comprising a contact part intended for establishing a '' a detachable electrical and mechanical connection with a contact strip of an element to be connected to the female connector, and a connection part intended for establishing a connection with an external circuit, said method comprising the steps consisting of:

a) cutting a succession of connection elements from the strip of conductive metal so that the contact part and the connection part of each connection element are arranged respectively on a first longitudinal side and on a second side longitudinal of a connecting strip connecting all the connection elements, and that each contact part comprises a basic rectangular part connected in one piece by a first side to the first side of the connecting strip, two rectangular flaps which s extend parallel to the connecting strip, which are connected in one piece respectively to mutually opposite second and third sides of the base part and which have one side aligned with a fourth side of the base part, and two blades contact extending perpendicularly to the flaps and connected in one piece respectively to said sides of said flaps which are aligned with the fourth side of the basic part;

b) folding the two contact blades of each contact part over the corresponding flaps by bending around a line parallel to said aligned sides;

c) folding the two flaps of each contact part at right angles to the base part, by folding respectively around fold lines substantially coincident with the second and third sides of the base part, so as to form a U-section contact cage inside which the two contact blades face each other with a predefined spacing;

characterized in that:

d) the cutting step a) is carried out so as to further form, for each contact part, a third blade which is connected in one piece to the fourth side of the base part and which extends parallel to the two contact blades therebetween;

e) before the folding step c), the third blade is folded over said base part around a fold line substantially coincident with said fourth side of the base part and is brought into contact and rigidly fixed to the one of the two elements of the group comprising the base part and the connecting strip.

• la troisième lame a une largeur sensiblement égale à la longueur du quatrième côté de ladite partie de base.
• la fixation de la troisième lame audit élément est effectuée par une des techniques comprenant le fluage à froid ou clinchage, le soudage et le rivetage.
• la troisième lame est découpée de façon à avoir une longueur plus grande que la longueur des second et troisième côtés de ladite partie de base, et telle que, après l'étape de pliage e), l'extrémité libre de la troisième lame recouvre environ la moitié de la largeur de la bande de liaison, la troisième lame étant alors fixée rigidement à ladite bande de liaison.
• la troisième lame est découpée de façon à avoir une longueur sensiblement égale à celle des second et troisième côtés de ladite partie de base, et, après l'étape de pliage e), la troisième lame est fixée rigidement à ladite partie de base.
• les deux lames de contact sont mises en forme de manière à présenter successivement, depuis leur extrémité reliée aux volets correspondants vers leur extrémité opposée, après l'étape de pliage c), des premières parties planes de contact qui s'étendent sensiblement parallèlement l'une à l'autre avec ledit espacement prédéfini, puis des secondes parties obliques qui divergent l'une par rapport à l'autre, et des troisièmes parties planes sensiblement parallèles l'une à l'autre.
• l'étape de découpage a) est effectuée de façon à former en outre, à l'extrémité libre de la troisième lame de chaque partie de contact, une partie en forme de T ayant une tige qui prolonge la troisième lame, et deux ailes latérales ; avant l'étape de pliage c), les deux ailes latérales de la partie en forme de T sont rabattues à angle droit par pliage respectivement autour de lignes de pliage sensiblement alignées avec les second et troisième côtés de la partie de base, et la tige est pliée autour d'une ligne de pliage parallèle au quatrième côté de ladite partie de base, le pliage des ailes et de la tige étant effectué dans un sens tel que, après l'étape de pliage e), la tige s'étend dans un plan incliné par rapport au plan de la bande de liaison et que les deux ailes s'étendent perpendiculairement audit plan incliné vers ladite partie de base ; après l'étape de pliage c), les deux lames de contact sont pressées élastiquement l'une vers l'autre, ladite tige est rabattue à angle droit par rapport à la troisième lame par un pliage supplémentaire autour de ladite ligne de pliage parallèle au quatrième côté de la partie de base, de manière à former avec les deux ailes latérales un étrier de retenue en forme de U, et la pression sur les deux lames de contact est relâchée pour que lesdites troisièmes parties planes viennent élastiquement en appui contre des faces internes mutuellement opposées des ailes latérales dudit étrier de retenue.
• après découpage et pliage de la bande de métal conducteur, la bande de liaison est segmentée de façon à obtenir des groupes d'éléments de connexion, chaque groupe comportant un nombre prédéfini d'éléments de connexion reliés entre eux par un segment de bande de liaison formant un shunt.
• après découpage et pliage de la bande de métal conducteur, la bande de liaison est segmentée de façon à obtenir des éléments de connexion individuels séparés, dans chacun desquels la partie de contact et la partie de connexion sont reliées par une partie restante de la bande de liaison.
• la segmentation est effectuée de façon que la partie restante de la bande de liaison dans chaque élément de connexion ait une forme sensiblement rectangulaire, biseautée aux angles et ayant une dimension, mesurée dans une direction parallèle au premier côté de la partie de base, plus grande que la dimension correspondante de la cage de contact de l'élément de connexion.

The method according to the invention can also have one or more of the following characteristics:

• the third blade has a width substantially equal to the length of the fourth side of said base part.
• the third blade is fixed to said element by one of the techniques comprising cold creep or clinching, welding and riveting.
• the third blade is cut so as to have a length greater than the length of the second and third sides of said base portion, and such that, after the folding step e), the free end of the third blade covers approximately half the width of the connecting strip, the third strip then being rigidly fixed to said connecting strip.
• the third blade is cut so as to have a length substantially equal to that of the second and third sides of said base part, and, after the folding step e), the third blade is rigidly fixed to said base part.
• the two contact blades are shaped so as to present successively, from their end connected to the corresponding flaps to their opposite end, after the folding step c), first flat contact parts which extend substantially parallel to the one to the other with said predefined spacing, then second oblique parts which diverge from one another, and third planar parts substantially parallel to each other.
• the cutting step a) is carried out so as to further form, at the free end of the third blade of each contact part, a T-shaped part having a rod which extends the third blade, and two lateral wings ; before the folding step c), the two lateral wings of the T-shaped part are folded at right angles by folding respectively around fold lines substantially aligned with the second and third sides of the base part, and the rod is folded around a fold line parallel to the fourth side of said base part, the folding of the wings and of the rod being carried out in a direction such that, after the folding step e), the rod extends in a plane inclined relative to the plane of the connecting strip and that the two wings extend perpendicular to said inclined plane towards said base part; after the folding step c), the two contact blades are pressed elastically towards one another, said rod is folded at right angles to the third blade by additional folding around said fold line parallel to the fourth side of the base part, so as to form with the two lateral wings a U-shaped retaining stirrup, and the pressure on the two contact blades is released so that said third planar parts bear elastically against faces mutually opposite internal sides of said retaining clip.
• after cutting and bending the strip of conductive metal, the connecting strip is segmented so as to obtain groups of connection elements, each group comprising a predefined number of connection elements connected together by a segment of connection strip forming a shunt.
• after cutting and folding of the conductive metal strip, the connecting strip is segmented so as to obtain separate individual connection elements, in each of which the contact part and the connection part are connected by a remaining part of the strip of liaison.
• the segmentation is carried out so that the remaining part of the connecting strip in each connection element has a substantially rectangular shape, bevelled at the angles and having a dimension, measured in a direction parallel to the first side of the base part, larger than the corresponding dimension of the contact cage of the connection element.

The invention also provides a single or multiple connection element obtained by a process having one or more of the characteristics mentioned above.

In particular, the present invention provides a connection element for female connector, produced by cutting and bending a metal strip conductor and comprising at least one contact cage intended for the establishment of a detachable electrical and mechanical connection, by insertion, with a contact strip of an element to be connected to the female connector, at least one connection part intended for establishing a connection with an external circuit, and part of connection between the contact cage and the connection part, said cage contact comprising a basic rectangular part connected in one piece by a first side to said connecting part, two rectangular flaps which are connected in one piece to second and third sides respectively mutually opposite of the base part and which extend perpendicular to said base portion to form a cage therewith U-shaped section, and two flexible contact blades which are connected in one holding one end each to one of the two flaps on one edge of the corresponding flap which is perpendicular to a fourth side of said basic part, the two contact blades being folded in a pin hair so as to extend inside the contact cage in facing each other with a predefined spacing, characterized in that said contact cage comprises a third blade which is connected by a standing alone on the fourth side of the base part and which is folded over the inside of the contact cage so as to press against said part of base, face to face, and in that the third blade is rigidly fixed to one of the two elements of the group comprising the basic part and the part link.

• les deux lames de contact et la troisième lame ont une longueur telle qu'elles dépassent de la cage de contact vers ladite partie de connexion; les deux lames de contact sont conformées de manière à présenter successivement, depuis leur extrémité reliée au volet correspondant vers leur extrémité opposée, des premières parties planes de contact qui s'étendent sensiblement parallèlement l'une à l'autre avec ledit espacement prédéfini, puis des secondes parties obliques qui divergent l'une par rapport à l'autre, et des troisièmes parties planes sensiblement parallèles l'une à l'autre ; ladite troisième lame porte, d'un seul tenant avec elle, à son extrémité opposée à celle qui est reliée au quatrième côté de la partie de base, un étrier de retenue qui comporte deux ailes parallèles ayant des faces internes mutuellement opposées ; les troisièmes parties planes des lames de contact s'appuient élastiquement respectivement sur lesdites faces internes des ailes de l'étrier de retenue.

The connection element according to the invention can also have the following characteristics:

• the two contact blades and the third blade have a length such that they protrude from the contact cage towards said connection part; the two contact blades are shaped so as to present successively, from their end connected to the corresponding flap towards their opposite end, first flat contact parts which extend substantially parallel to each other with said predefined spacing, then second oblique parts which diverge from each other, and third planar parts substantially parallel to each other; said third blade carries, in one piece with it, at its end opposite to that which is connected to the fourth side of the base part, a retaining stirrup which comprises two parallel wings having mutually opposite internal faces; the third planar parts of the contact blades are resiliently supported respectively on said internal faces of the wings of the retaining clip.

Thanks to the invention, in particular thanks to the fact that each contact cage further comprises a third blade which is folded over the part of base of the contact cage and which is rigidly fixed to this base part or to the connecting part between the base part and the connecting part, the third blade and the base part together form two paths parallel conductors which have substantially equivalent resistance equal to half the resistance of the base part alone. In consequence, the losses by Joule effect due to the passage of the current in parallel in the base part and in the third blade are substantially halved compared to the known connection element including the cage has no third blade. It follows that the heating of the cage contact is reduced. In addition, the third blade and the base part of the contact cage together have a greater thermal conductivity than the basic part alone. Consequently, in the case of an element of multiple connection whose contact cages are connected to each other others by a connecting strip or shunt having a width relatively large, the calories generated by the Joule effect in each contact cage can be more easily and quickly evacuated by conduction to said connecting strip acting as a radiator.

In addition, it should be noted that, as will be seen below, the third blade of each contact cage is taken from parts of the metal strip conductor which constitute scrap metal not used in the process for manufacturing the known multiple connection elements described upper. Consequently, the method according to the invention makes it possible to improve the utilization rate of the conductive metal strip from which the connection elements according to the invention are formed.

In addition, in the case where the third blade of each contact cage has a longer than each of the second and third sides of the part base of the contact cage, is rigidly fixed to said connecting strip and carries a retaining clip on the inner faces of the wings from which the contact blades are resiliently supported, not only electrical and thermal conductivities of the conductive path between each connection part and the two contact blades of the contact cage corresponding are further improved, but still it becomes possible to reduce the length of the second and third sides of the base part and the corresponding dimension of the two flaps of the contact cage, which, at in turn, significantly reduces the width of the metal strip conductor from which the connection elements are made.

La figure 1 est une vue en plan montrant une partie d'une bande de métal conducteur, qui a été découpée en vue de fabriquer des éléments de connexion conformes à la présente invention ;

Les figures 2 à 5 sont des vues partielles en perspective illustrant des étapes successives de pliage pour la formation d'un élément de connexion à partir de la bande de métal conducteur découpée comme montré dans la figure 1 ;

La figure 6 est une vue partielle en perspective de la bande en métal conducteur de la figure 1 après les opérations de pliage des figures 2 à 5 ;

La figure 7 est une vue en perspective montrant un élément de connexion multiple obtenu après segmentation de la bande de la figure 6 ;

La figure 8 est une vue en perspective montrant un élément de connexion individuel ou simple obtenu par segmentation de la bande de la figure 6 ;

La figure 9 est une vue semblable à la figure 6 montrant un autre mode de réalisation de l'invention ;

La figure 10 est une vue semblable à la figure 6 montrant encore un autre mode de réalisation de l'invention.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of various embodiments of the invention given by way of examples with reference to the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a part of a strip of conductive metal, which has been cut in order to manufacture connection elements according to the present invention;

Figures 2 to 5 are partial perspective views illustrating successive bending steps for the formation of a connection element from the strip of conductive metal cut as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a partial perspective view of the conductive metal strip of Figure 1 after the folding operations of Figures 2 to 5;

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing a multiple connection element obtained after segmentation of the strip of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing an individual or simple connection element obtained by segmenting the strip of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing another embodiment of the invention;

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing yet another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to Figure 1, we can see a strip 1 of conductive metal, which has been cut for the mass production of connection elements each comprising a contact part 2 and a connection part 3 (see also figure 6). The strip 1, for example made of copper or a alloy with copper base, and possibly having undergone a surface treatment against oxidation, is passed through a cutting station so as to form a succession of contact parts 2, which are regularly spaced along a first longitudinal side 4a of a connecting strip 4, and a succession of connection parts 3, which are regularly correspondingly spaced along a second longitudinal side 4b of the connecting strip 4. Each contact part 2 is aligned with a corresponding connection part 3. The connecting strip 4 connects all connecting elements formed from the strip 1. The connecting strip 4 has a series of holes 5, which are punched at regular intervals in band 1, preferably each time halfway between two connection elements, which can be used for step-by-step training strip 1 in the cutting station and in the successive post (s) of folding located after the cutting station.

As shown in Figure 1, the strip 1 is cut in such a way so that each contact part 2 has a rectangular part of base 6, two rectangular flaps 7 and 8, two contact blades 9 and 11 and a third blade 12.

The base part 6 is connected in one piece by a first side 6a to the first side 4a of the connecting strip 4.

The two flaps 7 and 8 extend parallel to the connecting strip 4 and they are connected in one piece respectively to a second side 6b and to a third side 6c of the base part 6. Each of the two flaps 7 and 8 has a side 7a or 8a which is aligned with a fourth side 6d of the base part 6.

The two contact blades 9 and 11 extend perpendicular to the flaps 7 and 8 and are connected in one piece respectively to the sides 7a and 8a of said components.

The third blade 12 is connected in one piece to the fourth side 6d of the base part 6 and it extends parallel to the two contact blades 9 and 11, between them.

Preferably, the cutting of the strip 1 is carried out so as to form in in addition, at the free end of the blade 12 of each contact part 2, a part 13 in the shape of a T. This part 13 comprises a rod 13a which extends the blade 12, and two lateral wings 13b and 13c which extend respectively towards the contact blades 9 and 11. The span of the wings 13b and 13c is greater than the distance between the two contact blades 9 and 11. This is made possible by the fact that the two blades 9 and 11 and the two wings 13b and 13c are bevelled where they are closest to each other on the other, as is clearly visible in Figure 1. This allows also to reduce the width of strip 1 which should be used if the wings 13b and 13c had to pass beyond the free ends of the blades 9 and 11. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the width of the metal strip 1 is defined by the distance between the two lines 1a and 1b in dashed lines.

In this respect, it will be noted that the width of the strip of conductive metal which would be required for the fabrication of the connection elements previously known described above, should be at least equal to the distance between the two lines 1b and 1c in dashed lines. Indeed, in this case, the dimension of flaps 7 and 8, measured in a parallel direction at the sides 6b and 6c of the base part 6, should be substantially equal to the length of the blades 9 and 11 so that they can come into contact with the internal faces of said flaps 7 and 8 after having been folded back by above said flaps as will be described later. The invention allows therefore a saving of material corresponding to the width of the strip between the two lines 1a and 1c.

In addition, for the manufacture of known connection elements, the blades 12 and the T-shaped parts 13 are not provided, and the material of the strip 1 which is between each pair of contact blades 9 and 11 constitutes a fall which is lost. On the contrary, in the process according to the invention, the blades 12 and the parts 13 are taken from parts of band 1 which would otherwise have been lost. The invention therefore allows to obtain a better utilization rate of the material of the strip 1.

In the case where the connection parts 3 are intended to establish connections with conductive wires, the strip 1 is cut in such a way that each connection part 3 comprises a part of base 14, of substantially rectangular shape, which is connected in a single holding by its short side to the second longitudinal side 4b of the strip of link 4, as well as two pairs of crimping claws 15, 16 and 17, 18.

After strip 1 has been cut as shown in figure 1, it is possibly undergoes anti-oxidation treatment if she had not already undergone such treatment, and it is passed through at least one post work in which the following folding operations are carried out, shape and / or bending. The end portions 7b and 8b of the flaps 7 and 8 are folded up at right angles, i.e. above the plane of the strip 1, by folding around fold lines parallel to the sides 6b and 6c of the base part 6. At the same time, the two wings 13b and 13c of the T-shaped part 13 are folded down at right angles, i.e. below the plane of strip 1, by folding around fold lines parallel and aligned respectively with the longitudinal sides of the blade 12 and with the sides 6b and 6c of the base part 6 (the blade 12 has substantially the same width as the base part 6). At the same time, the rod 13a of the T-shaped part 13 is folded obliquely downwards, for example at 45 °, around a fold line parallel to the 6d side of the basic part.

At the same time, the base part 14 of the connection part 3 is put in the form of a chute whose longitudinal axis is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the connecting strip 4, the crimping claws 15, 16, 17 and 18 standing on the edges of the trough thus formed.

Then the two contact blades 9 and 11 are shaped so to be presented successively, from their end connected to flaps 7 and 8 towards their opposite end, first flat contact parts 9a, 11a, then second parts 9b, 11b which extend obliquely by with respect to the parts 9a, 11a, and finally of the third flat parts 9c, 11c, which are in a plane parallel to that of the first plane parts 9a, 11a.

Then, the two contact blades 9 and 11 are folded respectively by above shutters 7 and 8 by bending around a parallel fold line 7a and 8a sides 7 and 8, as shown in Figure 2. In at the same time, the blade 12 is folded over the base part 6 around a fold line substantially coincident with the side 6d of the part of base 6, as can also be seen in figure 2. During this folding operation, the blade 12 comes into contact, face against face, with the base part 6 and, as it has a length greater than that of sides 6b and 6c of the base part 6, it also comes into contact, face against face, with the connecting strip 4. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the length of the blade 12 of each contact part 2 is chosen so that after folding the blade 12 as indicated above, it covers the connecting strip 4 over about half of the width thereof. At the end of this folding operation, the blade 12 is fixed rigidly to the connecting strip 4 for example by clinching, for example at the place indicated in 19. Of course, the fixing of the blade 12 to the strip 4 could also be done by other means, such as example by welding or riveting.

After the folding and fixing operation of the blade 12, the rod 13a of the part 13 extends in a plane inclined at about 45 ° relative to the plane of the connecting strip 4, and the two wings 13b and 13c of the part 13 extend perpendicular to this inclined plane towards the side of the connecting strip 4 where the base part 6 and the blade 12 are located.

Then, each of the two flaps 7 and 8 of the contact part 2 is folded down at right angles to base 6, by folding respectively around fold lines substantially coincident with the sides 6b and 6c of the base part 6, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

At the end of these folding operations, a section contact cage is obtained. U-shaped, inside which the flat parts 9a and 11a of the two blades of contact 9 and 11 extend substantially parallel to each other. The remaining parts of blades 9 and 11 protrude outside the cage contact thus formed, the parts 9b and 11b of the blades diverging one by relative to each other and the parts 9c and 11c of said blades being substantially parallel to each other as can be seen in Figure 4.

Then the two contact blades 9 and 11 are pressed elastically towards each other, for example using pliers not shown, then the rod 13a of the part 13 is folded at right angles to the blade 12, by an additional fold around the fold line 21 which is parallel to the sides 6a and 6d of the base part 6. After this last operation of folding, the pressure on the two contact blades 9 and 11 is released to that their flat ends 9c and 11c ends resiliently in support respectively against the mutually opposite internal faces of the lateral wings 13b and 13c of the part 13, which thus forms a stirrup of retainer for contact blades 9 and 11 as shown in figure 5. In this position of the blades 9 and 11, their parts 9a and 11a have a preset spacing. The value of this spacing is determined so to be a little bit smaller than the thickness of a contact strip of a electrical component intended to be connected by plugging into the cage contact 2.

Figure 6 shows the appearance of the conductive metal strip 1 of Figure 1 after it has been subjected to the folding operations described above. The connecting strip 4 can then be segmented so as to obtain groups of connection elements or multiple connection elements, as for example the multiple connection element 20 of FIG. 7, each multiple connection element 20 has a predefined number individual connection elements 22 each having a contact cage 2 and a connection part 3 and connected together by a strip segment of link 23 forming a shunt between the individual connection elements. In FIG. 7, the multiple connection element 20 has three individual connection elements 22, but it goes without saying that the segmentation of the connecting strip 4 could be made so that each element multiple connection 20 has less than three or more than three elements individual connection 22.

In Figure 7, there is also shown a sheathed conductive wire 24 which is electrically connected to the connection part 3 located in the middle of the segment 23. More specifically, the stripped portion 25 of the conductive wire 24 is fixed by crimping to the connection part 3 by means of the two claws 15 and 16 thereof, while the sheath 26 of the conductive wire 24 is fixed by crimping to the connection part 3 by means of the two claws 17 and 18.

In service, when electrical components are plugged in, by their contact strips, in the contact cages 2 located at the ends of the segment 23, the electric currents flowing between these two cages of contact 2 and the conductive wire 24 each cover part of the segment 23. The holes 5 present in segment 23 cause a decrease in the current flow section in segment 23, therefore a increased electrical resistance there. This could cause excessive heating of segment 23 at this point, by effect Joule, in case of strong current. To remedy this, band 1 of conductive metal is preferably cut so that the strip of connection 4 has on its side 4b, in correspondence with the holes 5, protrusions 27 (Figures 1 and 7) which compensate for the absence of metal conductor in the holes 5.

The segmentation of the connecting strip 4 can also be carried out so to obtain individual connection elements 22 separate one of others, in each of which the contact part or contact cage 2 and the connection part 3 are connected by a part 28 of the connection strip 4 as shown in Figure 8. In the latter case, the segmentation is preferably done so that the remaining part 28 of the connecting strip in each connection element 22 has a shape substantially rectangular having a width a greater than the width b of the cage contact 2 as shown in figure 8. So if the connection element individual 22 must be inserted with appropriate orientation in a housing of an insulating box (not shown) and if the contact cage 2 has a square section, as is usually the case with the elements of connection like this, the remaining part 28 of the connecting strip forms then a kind of polarization with which the connecting element can be inserted with the correct orientation in the corresponding housing of the insulating housing mentioned above.

In the embodiments which have been described above, it will be noted that the multiple connection element 20 of FIG. 7 and the connection element individual 22 of Figure 8 have a reduced footprint in length, i.e. in the direction of insertion of the female connector formed by the contact cage 2, with respect to the connection elements known female described in the preamble. This is because in the connection elements according to the invention described above, the cages of contact 2 with contact blades 9 and 11 are offset towards the middle of the connecting strip 4, while in the female connection elements known, contact cages and contact blades are found entirely outside the connecting strip. This reduction of dimension of the connection elements according to the invention makes it possible to reduce correspondingly the insulating housing intended to receive the elements of connection.

FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the invention which differs from the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 to 8 only in that that the sides 6b and 6c of the basic rectangular part 6 of each cage of contact 2 have a length substantially equal to that of the blades 12, the flaps 7 and 8 of each contact cage 2 having unchanged dimensions compared to the embodiment of Figures 1 to 8. In this case, the blades 12 are rigidly fixed by clinching, welding, riveting or other means suitable not for connection strip 4, but for base part 6 corresponding. For the rest, the embodiment of FIG. 9 is identical to that of FIGS. 1 to 8 and will therefore not be described again in detail. It will simply be noted that, again, each blade 12 forms with the corresponding base part 6 of each contact cage 2 a path conductor which has a conductance whose value is substantially equal to the double that of the base part 6 alone, thus allowing, in service, reduce the heating of the contact cage 2 due to losses by the Joule effect, and to more easily evacuate the calories generated by said losses towards the connecting strip 4.

a) l'étrier de retenue 13 qui maintient les lames de contact 9 et 11 de chaque cage de contact 2 dans le mode de réalisation des figures 1 à 8 et dans le mode de réalisation de la figure 9, est absent dans le mode de réalisation de la figure 10 ;

b) les deux volets 7 et 8 de chaque cage 2 ont une dimension, mesurée dans une direction parallèle aux côtés 6b et 6c de la partie de base 6, qui est sensiblement égale à la longueur desdits côtés 6b et 6c et au moins égale à la longueur des lames de contact 9 et 11, de telle façon que, à part la région où elles se raccordent aux volets 7 et 8, lesdites lames 9 et 11 se trouvent entièrement à l'intérieur de la cage de contact 2. Dans ce cas, les deux lames de contact 9 et 11 prennent respectivement appui contre les faces internes mutuellement opposées des volets 7 et 8. Pour le reste, le mode de réalisation de la figure 10 est identique à celui de la figure 9 et ne sera donc pas décrit à nouveau en détail.

FIG. 10 shows yet another embodiment of the invention which differs from the embodiment of FIG. 9 in that:

a) the retaining clip 13 which holds the contact blades 9 and 11 of each contact cage 2 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 8 and in the embodiment of FIG. 9, is absent in the mode of embodiment of Figure 10;

b) the two flaps 7 and 8 of each cage 2 have a dimension, measured in a direction parallel to the sides 6b and 6c of the base part 6, which is substantially equal to the length of said sides 6b and 6c and at least equal to the length of the contact blades 9 and 11, so that, apart from the region where they are connected to the flaps 7 and 8, said blades 9 and 11 are entirely inside the contact cage 2. In this case, the two contact blades 9 and 11 respectively bear against the mutually opposite internal faces of the flaps 7 and 8. For the rest, the embodiment of FIG. 10 is identical to that of FIG. 9 and will therefore not be described again in detail.

It is understood that the embodiments of the invention which have been described above have been given by way of purely indicative example and in no way limitative, and that many modifications can be easily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

Thus, in particular, the connection parts 3 can have a different form from that described above. For example, the parties connection could be made in the form of solder lugs, or still in the form of connection tabs intended to be stitched and soldered in metallized holes in a printed circuit, or under the form of connection lugs intended to be applied and welded to conductive pads of a printed circuit, like a component CMS.

Claims (14)

Method for the serial production of connection elements (22) for a female connector, by cutting and bending a strip (1) of conductive metal, each connection element (22) comprising a contact part (2) intended for the 'establishing a detachable electrical and mechanical connection with a contact strip of an element to be connected to the female connector, and a connection part (3) intended for establishing a connection with an external circuit (24), said method comprising the steps consisting: a) cutting from the strip (1) of conductive metal a succession of connection elements (22) so that the contact part (2) and the connection part (3) of each connection element are arranged respectively a first longitudinal side (4a) and a second longitudinal side (4b) of a connecting strip (4) connecting all the connection elements (22), and that each contact part (2) has a part basic rectangular (6) connected in one piece by a first side (6a) to the first side (4a) of the connecting strip (4), two rectangular flaps (7, 8) which extend parallel to the strip connecting, which are connected in one piece respectively to mutually opposite second and third sides (6b, 6c) of the base part (6) and which have one side (7a, 8a) aligned with a fourth side (6d ) of the base part (6), and two contact blades (9, 11) extending perpendicular to the flaps (7, 8) and connected d 'in one piece respectively to said sides (7a, 8a) of said flaps which are aligned with the fourth side (6d) of the base part; b) folding the two contact blades (9, 11) of each contact part (2) over the corresponding flaps (7, 8) by bending around a line parallel to said aligned sides (7a, 8a); c) folding the two flaps (7, 8) of each contact part (2) at right angles to the base part (6), by folding respectively around fold lines substantially coincident with the second and third sides (6b, 6c) of the base part, so as to form a U-section contact cage inside which the two contact blades (9, 11) face each other with a predefined spacing; characterized in that: d) the cutting step a) is carried out so as to further form, for each contact part (2), a third blade (12) which is connected in one piece to the fourth side (6d) of the part base (6) and which extends parallel to the two contact blades (9, 11) therebetween; e) before the folding step c), the third blade (12) is folded over said base part (6) around a fold line substantially coincident with said fourth side (6d) of the base part and is brought into contact and rigidly fixed to one of the two elements of the group comprising the base part (6) and the connecting strip (4). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the third blade (12) has a width substantially equal to the length of the fourth side (6d) of said base part (6). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing of the third blade (12) to said element (6 or 4) is carried out by one of the techniques including cold creep or clinching, welding and riveting. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the third blade (12) is cut so as to have a length greater than the length of the second and third sides (6b, 6c) of said base part (6), and such that, after the folding step e), the free end of the third blade (12) covers about half the width of the connecting strip (4), the third blade then being rigidly fixed to said connecting strip. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the third blade (12) is cut so as to have a length substantially equal to that second and third sides (6b, 6c) of said base part (6), and in that that, after the folding step e), the third blade (12) is rigidly fixed to said base part (6). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the two blades contacts (9, 11) are shaped so as to present successively, from their end connected to the flaps (7, 8) corresponding to their opposite end, after the folding step c), first flat contact parts (9a, 11a) which extend substantially parallel to each other with said predefined spacing, and then second oblique parts (9b, 11c) which diverge from one another, and third planar parts (9c, 11c) substantially parallel to one another the other. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that the step of cutting a) is carried out so as to further form, at the free end of the third blade (12) of each contact part (2), a part (13) in T shape having a rod (13a) which extends the third blade (12), and two lateral wings (13b, 13c), in that, before the folding step c), the two wings side (13b, 13c) of the T-shaped part (13) are folded at an angle straight by folding respectively around substantially fold lines aligned with the second and third sides (6b, 6c) of the base part (6), and the rod (13a) is bent around a fold line parallel to the fourth side (6d) of said base part, the folding of the wings and of the rod being carried out in a direction such that, after the folding step e), the rod (13a) extends in a plane inclined with respect to the plane of the connecting strip (4) and that the two wings (13b, 13c) extend perpendicular to said inclined plane towards said base part (6), and in that, after the folding step c), the two contact blades (9, 11) are pressed elastically towards one another, said rod (13a) is folded back at right angles to the third blade (12) by additional folding around said parallel fold line on the fourth side (6d) of the base part (6), so as to form with the two side wings (13b, 13c) a U-shaped retainer, and the pressure on the two contact blades (9, 11) is released so that said third flat parts (9c, 11c) resiliently bear against mutually opposite internal faces of the lateral wings (13b, 13c) of said retaining clip. Method according to claim 1 or 7, characterized in that, after cutting and bending the strip (1) of conductive metal, the connecting strip (4) is segmented so as to obtain groups (20) of elements of connection (22), each group (20) comprising a predefined number connecting elements connected to each other by a strip segment of link (23) forming a shunt. Method according to claim 1 or 7, characterized in that, after cutting and bending the strip (1) of conductive metal, the connecting strip (4) is segmented so as to obtain individual connection elements (22) separate, in each of which the contact part (2) and the part of connection (3) are connected by a remaining part (28) of the connecting strip (4). Method according to claim 9, characterized in that, the segmentation is carried out so that the remaining part (28) of the strip of connection (4) in each connection element (22) has a shape substantially rectangular, bevelled at the corners and having a dimension (a), measured in a direction parallel to the first side (6a) of the part of base (6), larger than the corresponding dimension (b) of the cage contact (2) of the connection element (22). Group of connection elements, characterized in that it is obtained by the method according to claim 8. Connection element, characterized in that it is obtained by the process according to claim 9 or 10. Connection element for female connector, produced by cutting and folding a strip (1) of conductive metal and comprising at least one contact cage (2) intended for establishing an electrical connection and mechanical detachable, by plugging in, with a contact strip of a element to be connected to the female connector, at least part of connection (3) intended for establishing a connection with a circuit outside (24), and a connecting part (4, 23, 28) between the contact cage (2) and the connection part (3), said contact cage (2) comprising a basic rectangular part (6) connected in one piece by a first side (6a) to said connecting part (4, 23, 28), two rectangular flaps (7, 8) which are connected in one piece to second and third sides respectively (6b, 6c) mutually opposite of the base part (6) and which extend perpendicular to said base part (6) to form with it a U-section cage, and two flexible contact blades (9, 11) which are connected in one piece by one end each to one of the two flaps (7, 8) on an edge of the corresponding flap which is perpendicular to a fourth side (6d) of said base part (6), the two contact blades (9, 11) being folded in a hairpin so as to extend inside the contact cage (2) facing each other with a predefined spacing, characterized in that said contact cage (2) has a third blade (12) which is integrally connected to the fourth (6d) side of the base part (6) and which is folded inside the contact cage (2) so as to be applied against said base part (6), face to face, and in that the third blade (12) is rigidly fixed to one of the two elements of the group comprising the basic part (6) and the connecting part (4, 23, 28). Connection element according to claim 13, characterized in that the two contact blades (9, 11) and the third blade (12) have a length as they protrude from the contact cage (2) towards said part of connection (3), in that the two contact blades (9, 11) are shaped so as to present successively, from their end connected to the flap (7 or 8) corresponding towards their opposite end, first parts contact planes (9a, 11a) which extend substantially parallel to one to the other with said predefined spacing, then second oblique parts (9b, 11b) which diverge from each other, and from the third parts planes (9c, 11c) substantially parallel to each other, in that said third blade (12) carries, in one piece with it, at its end opposite to that which is connected to the fourth side (6d) of the base part (6), a retaining clip (13) which has two parallel wings (13b, 13c) having mutually opposite internal faces, and in that the third flat parts (9c, 11c) of the contact blades (9, 11) are supported elastically respectively on said inner faces of the wings (13b, 13c) of the retaining clip (13).

Images