GB2047989A - An electrical connector - Google Patents

An electrical connector Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2047989A
GB2047989A GB8011738A GB8011738A GB2047989A GB 2047989 A GB2047989 A GB 2047989A GB 8011738 A GB8011738 A GB 8011738A GB 8011738 A GB8011738 A GB 8011738A GB 2047989 A GB2047989 A GB 2047989A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
wire
electrical connector
contact
connector according
gripping member
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB8011738A
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
Priority to GB8011738A priority Critical patent/GB2047989A/en
Publication of GB2047989A publication Critical patent/GB2047989A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01RELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R4/00Electrically-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
    • H01R4/28Clamped connections, spring connections
    • H01R4/38Clamped connections, spring connections utilising a clamping member acted on by screw or nut
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01RELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R13/00Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
    • H01R13/56Means for preventing chafing or fracture of flexible leads at outlet from coupling part
    • H01R13/567Traverse cable outlet or wire connection
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01RELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R2103/00Two poles
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01RELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R24/00Two-part coupling devices, or either of their cooperating parts, characterised by their overall structure
    • H01R24/28Coupling parts carrying pins, blades or analogous contacts and secured only to wire or cable

Landscapes

  • Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)

Abstract

An electrical connector comprising a mounting (1) of insulating material, and an electrical contact (4N) on the mounting. The contact is provided with a wire gripping member (15) which may be in the form of a toothed spring clip and which is resiliently biassed into a wire gripping position. The connector may take the form of a plug or socket and where a multi-pin or socket connector is required each pin or socket may be provided with a wire gripping member. The connector may have a cover which has an extension contacting the wire gripping member to prevent release of the wire. A spring loaded portion (8) in the cover may also grip the wire (7). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An electrical connector The invention relates to an electrical connector such as a plug or a socket.
Electrical connectors such as plugs or sockets normally have a screw fixing for securing wire to individual contacts in the connector. Whilst such an arrangement is generally satisfactory, it is disadvantageous in certain respects. Firstly, it is necessary to use a screw-driver to turn the screws. Secondly, the screws are usually small and it can be a tedious job replacing them if they fall out of their mounting. Thirdly, the screws can vibrate loose over a period of time resulting in loss of electrical contact, or arcing which will cause the connector to heat up rapidly. With conventional plugs, a large percentage of plug legs or pins are discarded during production due to ill fitting screws. As the pins are usually made of brass, such wastage is very expensive. An object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector which mitigates the foregoing disadvantages.
According to one apsect of the invention, there is provided an electrical connector comprising a mounting of insulating material, and an electrical contact on the mounting, said contact including a wire gripping member which is resiliently biassed into a wire gripping position.
The mounting may be a plug or socket body with a contact in the form of a pin or socket mounted on the body, the wire gripping member being provided within the body on the contact.
Preferably the body comprises a base for holding the contact and a cover attachable to the base, the cover being provided with a surface portion which engages the wire gripping member to prevent opening thereof when the cover is attached to the base. The surface portion may be a projection on the cover.
When the mounting is a plug or socket body, a plurality of said contacts in the form of rigid pins or sockets may be mounted on the body, one of said contacts being connected within the body to means for supporting one end of a cartridge fuse, the other end of which is to be connected to a further contact in the body, said further contact having thereon a wire gripping member. The further contact preferably comprises a metal plate having fuse gripping blades thereon arranged alongside the wire gripping member. This particular arrangement enables the invention to be applied readily to the conventional three-pin fused plug.
The wire gripping member may comprise a single piece of metal bent to form opposed wire gripping jaws which may be provided with wire gripping teeth.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an electrical connector having a body and an electrical contact on the body to which wire having an insulative covering is to be connected for conducting electricity to or from the contact, the body being provided with means for gripping the outer covering comprising a resiliently biassed wire-engaging element mounted inside the connector body adjacent an outlet for the wire.
An electrical connector in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a part sectional end view of a three pin plug having a two-part housing comprising a base and a cover, Figure 2 is a plan view of a base of the plug shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is an underplan view of a cover of the plug shown in Figure 1, Figure 4 is a cross section to a larger scale through part of the plug shown in Figures 1 and 2 on the line IV - IV in Figure 2 illustrating a plug pin, Figure 5 is a view of the plug pin shown in Figure 4 looking in the direction of arrow V in Figure 4, Figure 6 is a view of the plug pin of Figure 4 with its wire gripping jaws in an open position, Figure 7 is a cross section through part of the plug shown in Figures 1 and 2 in the line VII -VII in Figure 2, and Figure 8 shows a variation of the wire gripping jaws.
A plug has a body 1 comprising a base 2 and a cover 3. The base and cover are normally joined together by a screw S in known manner. The base 2 carries three pins 4L, 4N and 4E which form the live, neutral and earth contacts respectively in the usual way. The body has an outlet aperture 10 for wire connected to the plug, and the cover 3 carries a spring mounted bar 8 for gripping the covering 7 of the wire connected to the plug. The bar 8 may be formed from plastics material and the spring (indicated at 9) made from spring steel strip.
When the base and cover are connected together by the screw S, the spring 9 compresses the wire between the bar 8 and an opposite surface portion 11 of the base 2.
The pins 4N and 4E of the plug have similar upper sections 12 (see Figs 4 and 5) comprising two flanges 13 defining a channel 14 therebetween. A spring clip 1 5 is mounted on the top of the pin in the channel and comprises respective upper and lower jaws 16,17. The spring clip is made from a single strip of metal which is bent to form the jaws. The jaws are normally resiliently biassed into the closed position as shown in Figure 4 but can be opened as shown in Figure 6 by urging the jaw 16 upwards manually against the bias. The jaws are preferably provided with inclined teeth 1 8 which extend across the inside surfaces of the jaws.
To connect wire to the pins 4N and 4E the bared ends B of wires N, E to be joined to the pins are inserted between the open jaws 16, 1 7. The jaws are then allowed to close on the bared ends to hold the wires in place. The teeth 18 resist any attempt to withdraw the wire from the jaws in the direction of Arrow X (Figure 4). The flanges 13 extend alongside the jaws 16, 17 and prevent any wire between the jaws from protruding beyond the sides of the pin so that there is no danger of electrical shorting. The wires connected to pins 4N, 4E pass through respecitve channels 20,21 formed in the plug body.
The live pin 4L supports one end of a cartridge fuse 22 in known manner and the other end of the fuse is held resiliently between two upstanding metal blades 23 integral with a metal base 24.
The metal base 24 forms a further electrical contact and has a spring clip 25 secured thereto similar to the clip 1 5 so that wire held in the clip 25 will conduct electric current passing through the fuse 22. The base 24 is bent up as indicated at 24a and fits within a recess 26 in the plug base 2 at the end of a channel 27 for the live wire L. The arrangement of the clip 25 in that way enables wire L to be inserted in the clip 25 without having to remove the fuse from its holding blades 23. The bent up portion 24a and the adjacent blade 23 prevent wire in the clip 25 protruding from the sides of the clip.
The cover 3 has a projecting surface portion 28L (see Figure 3) which presses on the clip 25 when the cover and base are joined together and has further projecting surface portions 28N, 28E which press on the clips 1 5 of pins 4N, 4E respectively. In this manner the clips cannot open when the cover is in position on the base thereby ensuring that the wire cannot be withdrawn from the clips. The lower surface of each projecting portion is preferably inclined as shown in Figure 4 so as to lie along the flat upper surface of the associated clip. In this way the lower surface of each projecting portion 28 engages substantially the whole top surface of its associated clip. The projecting portions 28N, 28E and a fuse engaging projection 28F also serve to prevent inward axial movement of the pins 4N, 4E and 4L respectively when the plug is assembled.
Figure 8 illustrates an alternative type of spring clip 15' in which the top jaw 16' is curved to that toothed sections 29, 30 lie close together throughout their length. The cover 3 may be formed with complementary shaped projections for abutting the top surface of jaw 16'.
Instead of using a spring clip 1 5 of 15' attached to a pin, the clip could be made as an integral part of the pin.
Although specific reference in the description has been made to plugs, the invention can be applied to other connectors such as electrical sockets and electric light fittings as well as those on electrical appliances.
As will be appreicated, no screws are necessary on the pins for holding the wire in place and, therefore, the wire connecting procedure is greatly simplified. Aiso, the use of clips 1 5 will assist in reducing considerably the wastage of pins during plug manufacture due to ill-fitting screws.

Claims (14)

1. An electrical connector comprising a mounting of insulating material, and an electrical contact on the mounting, said contact including a wire gripping member which is resiliently biassed into a wire gripping position.
2. An electrical connector according to Cliam 1, in which the mounting is a plug or socket body and a contact in the form of a pin or socket is mounted on the body, the wire gripping member being provided within the body on the contact.
3. An electrical connector according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the body comprises a base for holding the contact and a cover attachable to the base, the cover being provided with a surface portion which engages the wire gripping member to prevent opening thereof when the cover is attached to the base.
4. An electrical connector according to Claim 3, in which the surface portion comprises a projection on the cover.
5. An electrical connector according to Claim 4, in which the projection has an abutment surface of complementary shape to the portion of the wire gripping member engaged by the abutment surface.
6. An electrical connector according to any preceding Claim, in which the mounting is a plug or socket body and a pluraiity of said contacts in the form of rigid pins or sockets is mounted on the body, one of said contacts being connected within the body to means for supporting one end of a cartridge fuse, the other end of which is to be connected to a further contact in the body, said further contact having thereon a wire gripping member.
7. An electrical connector according to Claim 6, in which the further contact comprises a metal plate having fuse gripping blades thereon arranged alongside the wire gripping member.
8. An electrical connector according to any preceding claim, in which the or each wire gripping member is formed from a single piece of metal carried by the contact.
9. An electrical connector according to Claim 8, in which the piece of metal is bent to form a pair of opposed jaws normally biassed towards each other.
10. An electrical connector according to any preceding Claim, in which the or each wire gripping member includes wire gripping teeth which are inclined in the direction opposite to the wire withdrawal direction.
11. An electrical connector according to any preceding Claim, in which the or each wire gripping member is formed integrally with its contact.
1 2. An electrical connector according to any preceding Claim, in which the or each wire gripping member is located between spaced walls on the contact so that the walls extend alongside the wire gripping member.
13. An electrical connector according to Claim 3, in which a resiliently mounted securing member is provided on the cover or base of the body for gripping the wire adjacent an outlet for the wire defined by the body.
14. An electrical connector constructed and arranged substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 7 or Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings.
1 5. An electrical connector having a body and electrical contact on the body to which wire having an insulative covering is to be connected for conducting electricity to or from the contact, the body being provided with means for gripping the outer covering comprising a resiliently biassed wire-engaging element mounted inside the connector body adjacent an outlet for the wire.
1 6. An electrical connector according to Claim 1 5 in which the element is a spring-mounted bar carried by one-part of a two-part plug or socket body, said bar being arranged to urge the outer covering of the wire against a surface on the other part of the body.
GB8011738A 1979-04-10 1980-04-09 An electrical connector Withdrawn GB2047989A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8011738A GB2047989A (en) 1979-04-10 1980-04-09 An electrical connector

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB7912577 1979-04-10
GB8011738A GB2047989A (en) 1979-04-10 1980-04-09 An electrical connector

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB2047989A true GB2047989A (en) 1980-12-03

Family

ID=26271203

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB8011738A Withdrawn GB2047989A (en) 1979-04-10 1980-04-09 An electrical connector

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2047989A (en)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2140223A (en) * 1983-05-18 1984-11-21 Joseph Michael Paul Criscuolo Electrical connection devices, for example mains plugs
GB2282494A (en) * 1993-09-22 1995-04-05 Nifco Inc Plug for electric wire
GB2292641A (en) * 1994-07-27 1996-02-28 David Edward Paul Criscuolo Electric Coupler

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2140223A (en) * 1983-05-18 1984-11-21 Joseph Michael Paul Criscuolo Electrical connection devices, for example mains plugs
GB2282494A (en) * 1993-09-22 1995-04-05 Nifco Inc Plug for electric wire
GB2292641A (en) * 1994-07-27 1996-02-28 David Edward Paul Criscuolo Electric Coupler
GB2292641B (en) * 1994-07-27 1999-02-10 David Edward Paul Criscuolo Electric coupler

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)