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
  • H01R4/48—Clamped connections, spring connections utilising a spring, clip, or other resilient member
  • H01R4/4881—Clamped connections, spring connections utilising a spring, clip, or other resilient member using a louver type spring
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/02—Contact members
  • H01R13/15—Pins, blades or sockets having separate spring member for producing or increasing contact pressure
  • H01R13/17—Pins, blades or sockets having separate spring member for producing or increasing contact pressure with spring member on the pin
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/02—Contact members
  • H01R13/15—Pins, blades or sockets having separate spring member for producing or increasing contact pressure
  • H01R13/187—Pins, blades or sockets having separate spring member for producing or increasing contact pressure with spring member in the socket

Definitions

• This invention relates to electrical connections.
• the invention is concerned in particular with electrical connections of the kind in which two contact-parts of the connection are interconnected electrically via an intermediate, resilient contact-band carried by one of the contact-parts. Electrical connections of this kind are used especially where currents of high magnitude are to pass between the two contact- parts, and are known, for example, from US-A-5 , 261 , 840.
• the resilient contact-band used in electrical connections of the above-specified kind may be of a unitary strip-metal structure having a multiplicity of closely-spaced and mutually-parallel lamella-elements which extend between border-regions of the band that interconnect the lamella-elements along opposite sides of the strip-metal.
• Each lamella-element has a central head- portion with two shoulder-portions through which the head- portion is linked to the two border-regions respectively, and is twisted between the shoulder-portions and the border-regions to give resilience with the head-portion inclined upwardly and the shoulder-portions inclined downwardly from the border-regions.
• Each border-region has outwardly-extending projections that are used for retaining the band within a surface-groove of one of the contact-parts with the shoulder-portions of the lamella- elements abutting the floor of the groove of the band-carrying part.
• the contact-band may as an alternative comprise an elongate base-structure that carries a multiplicity of individual contact-elements which have head- and shoulder-portions corresponding to those of the lamella- elements referred to above, for establishing the multiplicity of parallel current paths between the two contact-parts.
• the base- structure carrying the contact-elements includes border-regions on either side of the contact-band for interconnecting the contact-elements and providing the outwardly-extending projections for retaining the band in its groove.
• the groove in which the contact- band is located has a dovetail cross-section in that opposite walls of the groove are inclined inwardly towards one another so that its width reduces upwardly of the groove.
• the contact-band is retained in the groove by engagement of outwardly-extending projections on both sides of the band under the inwardly- inclined walls, and although this is capable of ensuring secure retention of the band directly within the groove, it requires the band to be installed by feeding it lengthwise into the groove. This requirement adds to the cost and difficulty of manufacturing the electrical connection with its upwardly- narrowing groove of dovetail cross-section, not only in assembly of the connection initially, but also during replacement of the band for repair.
• a two-part electrical connection in which first and second contact-parts of the connection are interconnected electrically via an intermediate, resilient contact-band that extends lengthwise within a surface-groove of the first contact- part and has projections which extend outwardly from each of two opposite border-regions of the band, wherein the projections from each border-region extend into a respective one of two laterally-spaced slots in the floor of the groove that run lengthwise of the groove, the projections of each border-region extending into the respective slot to engage resiliently with the outermost wall of that slot in retention of the contact-band in the groove.
• the two-part electrical connection of this aspect of the invention has the advantage that retention of the contact-band in the groove does not require the walls of the groove to have a dovetail or other entry-limiting cross-section for engagement by the outwardly-extending projections, since it is engagement of the projections within the slots that is used for retention. Consequently, the cross-section of the groove may be chosen to admit the contact-band directly into the groove simply by pressing it down into the groove. Entry of the projections into the slots as the contact-band is pressed down into the groove, may be facilitated by the resilience of the projections themselves and to a lesser extent possibly by a degree of lateral resilience of the contact-band when out of the groove.
• the slots may extend into the floor of the groove with the outermost wall of each inclined to the floor of the groove (for example at substantially 60 degrees) such that the lateral spacing between the outermost walls of the two slots increases with increasing slot-depth.
• retention of the band in the groove may be by resilient engagement of the outwardly-extending projections under the outermost, inclined walls.
• the retention of the contact-band within the groove in this respect has some similarity to the teaching of US-A-5 , 261, 840 , it is significantly different insofar as the inclined walls in the two-part connection of the present invention are walls of slots in the floor of the groove rather than walls of the groove itself. This is advantageous for simplifying assembly during manufacture and repair of the two- part connection in that it can be carried out, as described above, by pressing the contact-band downwardly into the groove instead of feeding it lengthwise into the groove.
• each slot of the two-part connection of the invention may include an inwardly-projecting lip or rim such that retention of the contact-band in the groove is at least in part by resilient engagement of the outwardly-extending projections of each border-region under the lip or rim of the respective slot.
• the slots may readily be provided substantially at right angles into the floor of the groove, retention of the band in these circumstances resulting principally from resilient engagement of the projections under the lip or rim.
• foot-extremities of the projections may be configured to engage under the lip or rim, or more especially substantially conformally with the underside of the lip or rim, to enhance retention of the contact-band further.
• a method of assembly of a two-part electrical connection in which first and second contact-parts of the connection are interconnected electrically via an intermediate, resilient contact-band which has projections that extend outwardly from each of two opposite border-regions of the contact-band
• the method comprises the steps of locating the contact-band aligned lengthwise with, but spaced above, a surface-groove of the first contact-part, and pressing the contact-band down into the groove for entry of the projections of each border-region into a respective one of two laterally-spaced slots in the floor of the groove that run lengthwise of the groove, for retention of the contact-band in the groove by resilient engagement of the outwardly-extending projections of each border-region with the outermost wall of the respective slot, and bringing the first and second contact-parts together into electrical interconnection via the contact-band squeezed resiliently between them.
• the method of assembly may be applied during manufacture or repair of the two-part connection.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a part of the length of a contact-band used in the two-part electrical connection according to the present invention
• Figure 2 is a section through part of the two-part electrical connection of the present invention showing the contact-band of Figure 1 interconnecting the two contact-parts of the connection;
• Figure 3 is illustrative of the configuration in cross-section of the groove of the contact-part that carries the contact-band in the two-part electrical connection of Figure 2;
• Figure 4 is an enlarged portion of Figure 3 illustrating details of the cross-section of one of two slots in the floor of the groove shown in Figure 3;
• Figures 5 (a) and (b) are illustrative respectively of an initial stage of assembly of the contact-band in the two-part electrical connection of Figure 2, and of the resilient deflection of the contact-band in the next stage of assembly;
• Figures 6 (a) and (b) are illustrative of a first modification in accordance with the invention, of the two-part electrical connection of Figure 2;
• Figures 7 (a) and (b) are illustrative of a second modification in accordance with the invention, of the two-part electrical connection of Figure 2.
• the resilient contact-band 1 used in the example of electrical connection to be described is of a unitary strip-metal structure having a multiplicity of closely-spaced and mutually-parallel lamella-elements 2 which extend between border-regions 3 of the band 1 that interconnect the elements 2 along opposite sides of the strip-metal.
• Each lamella-element 2 has a central head-portion 4 with two shoulder-portions 5 that link the head-portion 4 to the two border-regions 3 respectively, and is twisted between each shoulder-portion 5 and its adjoining border-region 3 to give resilience to the element 2 with the head-portion 4 inclined upwardly and the shoulder- portions 5 inclined downwardly from the border-regions 3.
• Each border-region 3 has outwardly-extending projections in the form of resilient legs 6 spaced apart from one another along the length of the band 1.
• the contact-band 1 is used for electrical interconnection of two contact-parts 10 and 11 of a two-part electrical connection.
• the band 1 is located within a surface-groove 12 (more clearly shown in Figure 3) of the contact-part 10 with areas of the shoulder-portions 5 of each lamella-element 2 abutting the floor 13 of the groove 12, and the head-portion 4 abutting a surface 14 of the other contact-part 11 of the connection.
• the contact- parts 10 and 11 may be cooperating contact-plates or -blades of a bus-bar form of connection; examples of such a form are illustrated in, and are described with reference to, Figure 1 of US-A-5,261, 840 and Figure 1 of US-A-5 , 360 , 355.
• connection may be of a plug-and-socket form in which the contact-part 10 is a cylindrical plug and the contact-part 11 provides the plug-receiving socket (the section of Figure 2 in this case being taken axially of the plug and socket) , or vice versa, and the groove 12 is circumferential externally or internally of the plug and socket respectively, with the band 1 having the form of a ring occupying the full circumference (the cross-section of the cylindrical plug and socket will normally be circular but may be otherwise) .
• plug-and-socket forms of two-part connections where one of the contact-parts is a cylindrical plug and the other has a plug-receiving socket are illustrated in, and are described with reference to, Figure 7 of US-A-5,261, 840 and Figures 6 and 7 of US-A-6 , 547 , 607 ; Figure 10 of US-A-5 , 261, 840 illustrates an example of an alternative form of plug-and-socket connection.
• the band 1 is retained in the groove 12 of the contact-part 10 by means of the legs 6. More particularly, the legs 6 of each border-region 3 of the band 1 are engaged in a respective one of two laterally-spaced slots 15 in the floor 13 of the groove 12.
• the legs 6 of each border-region 3 extend into the respective slot 15 to engage resiliently against the outermost wall 16 of that slot 15.
• each slot 15 Owing to the outward inclination with depth, of each slot 15, the engagement of the legs 6 of the respective border-region 3 with the slot 15 is 'under' its outermost wall 16 to the extent that any tendency for withdrawal of any of the legs 6 from that slot 15 is opposed resiliently by the remainder of the band 1.
• the contact-band 1 can be engaged in the groove 12 during assembly of the electrical connection by initially entering the legs 6 of both border-regions 3 into the mouths of the respective slots 15 with the band 1 aligned lengthwise with, but straddling, the groove 12, as illustrated in Figure 5 (a).
• Figures 6 (a) and (b) illustrate a modification that may be used to enhance retention. This involves the provision, as shown in Figure 6 (a) , of an inwardly-projecting lip or rim 20 to the outermost wall 16 of each slot 15, and, as shown in Figure 6 (b) , an upwardly-slanted or turned-up foot-extremity 21 to each leg 6 of the contact-band 1.
• each slot 25 may have an inwardly-projecting lip or rim 26 on its outermost wall 27, and for each leg 6 to include, as illustrated in Figure 7 (b) , an upwardly-slanted foot-extremity 28 for hooking resiliently in engagement under it in the relevant slot 25.
• contact-band 1 is of a unitary form this is not essential to the invention.

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• Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
• Multi-Conductor Connections (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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ID=38050787

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

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Family Cites Families (4)

• 2007
  • 2007-04-04 GB GB0706517A patent/GB0706517D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2008
  • 2008-04-04 GB GB0806204A patent/GB2449153B/en active Active
  • 2008-04-04 EP EP08762958.0A patent/EP2147481B1/de active Active
  • 2008-04-04 WO PCT/IB2008/001649 patent/WO2008122895A2/en active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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