GB2070346A - Electrical connections - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical connection to an electrical device comprises at least one conductor wire 7 one end 8 of which is introduced directly into a plate 5 of said electrical device and secured therein, preferably being bent to extend parallel to the plane of said plate, while the other end 12 may constitute the pin of a connector part, or be attached to a pin or socket element of a connector part. The end 8 may serve as a contact and may be flattened to increase the effective contact area. An enlargement 10 may be provided on the wire 7 as a stop against longitudinal movement. The connection of the wire end 8 to the internal circuits of the device may be effected through a sliding contact (27,30, Figure 9, not shown), a rocking contact (35,36,37, Figure 10, not shown) OR a resilient contact (40, 44, Figures 11 and 12, not shown). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Electrical connections The present invention relates to electrical connections to an electrical device.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a known electrical connection in which a copper wire 1, covered with a sheath 2, has one bared end connected, for example by soldering, to a conducting lug 3 which may or may not carry a contact point 4 and which is rigidly connected to a plate 5 of an electrical device. The other bared end of the wire 1 is, for example, crimped to a male pin 6 which forms part of a multipin connector for example. This construction, although it affords, satisfaction from the technical point of view, proves expensive in certain cases, both because of the number and the nature of the components used and because of the different mounting operations which it necessitates and the more so the more numerous the connections to be connected for the same electrical device.

This is why, in certain applications, particularly in motor-car construction where the reduction of costs is a major problem, the search for a more simple and more economical electrical connection is advantageous, it being a question, for example, of the connections between a multiple-function control switching device and the various devices controlled (vehicle lighting, windscreen-wiper, windscreenwasher, direction indicators, etc.).

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an electrical connection to an electrical device, comprising at least one conductor wire, one end of which is rigidly connected to the electrical device by being introduced directly into a plate of said electrical device and held in said plate, the other end forming or being rigidly connected to a male pin for an electrical connector, or rigidly connected to a socket element of such a connector.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa view of a prior art electrical connection; Figure 2 is a view of an embodiment of electrical connection in accordance with the present invention; Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of a male connector portion for receiving an end of the wire shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a section on the line A-A of Figure 3; Figure 5 is an enlarged partial section on the line B-B of Figure 3; Figures 6 and 7 show modifications of said connector portion; Figure 8 is a view from above of the connector of Figure 3; and Figures 9 to 12 show examples of connections to the wire within the electrical device.

Referring to Figure 2, a conductor wire 7 has one end introduced into a plate 5 of an electrical device in such a manner that its end portion 8, bent over and held in a low wall 9 rigidly connected to the plate 5, is parallel to said plate. This end 8, which serves as a contact, may be flattened so as to offer a larger surface to effect said contact. An enlargement 10, formed by crushing for example, or by suitable shaping, is situated in physical contact with the lowerface of the plate 5 and serves as a stop against longitudinal movement of the wire. The second end 12 of the wire 7 is free and forms a male pin for and pin-and-socket connector. It may be introduced, for example (Figure 8), into one of a plurality of apertures 13 in a plate 14 of a case 15, in such a manner as to form, with other similar connections, the pins of a male multipin connector portion.

Adjacent the end 12 of the wire 7, a second enlargement 11 is provided which, when said wire is placed in position in the case 15, is beyond a socket 17 (Figures 4 and 5) formed in the case 15, which socket comprises an open-sided cylindrical conduit 18 carried on a web 19 to ensure the guiding and holding of the wire 7. When all the wires have thus been placed in position in the case 15, the plate 14 is positioned in such a manner that each end 12 is introduced into the cooperating aperture 13. Said plate 14 is then clipped in place, by means of lugs 16 (Figure 8), such that the flanges 11 are contained between its internal surface and the plane of the sockets 17.

A modification, illustrated in Figure 6, consists in holding the wire in place by means of two enlargements 20 and 21 situated at each end of an aperture 22 formed in the case 23; the enlargement 21 is formed by crushing the wire after this has been introduced into the aperture 22.

Figure 7 shows a modification consisting in introducing the end of the conductor wire 7 into a pin 24 itself housed in a case 25 of the male connector portion.

The connection of the wire end 8 to the internal electrical circuits of the electrical device may be produced in different manners, for example: ;By a sliding contact (Figure 9), wherein a conducting blade 26, movable in accordance with the arrow F. has one of its ends 27 resting, during this movement, in contact with the end of a wire 28 engaged in the plate 29, while its other end 30 selectively makes contact with the end either of a wire 31 or of a wire 32, both engaged in the plate 29.

- By a rocking contact (Figure 10), pawls 33 being restored by a spring 34 make or break an electrical circuit between conducting blades 35, 36 and 37 and the ends of wires 38 or 39.

- By a resilient contact (Figure 111 wherein a flexible conducting blade 40 (Figure 1 lay having one end fixed in a frame 41 of the electrical device, carries at its other end a contact point 42 which cooperates with the end of a wire 43. In this case, in order to ensure.a better contact surface, said end of the wire 43 may be folded (Figure 11 c). In the same manner, a double contact may be provided between a blade 44 (Figure 12) carrying a point 45 effective on the two faces of said blade and two wires 46 and 47 situated one above the other in the plane of displacement of said contact point 45.

Claims (7)

1. An electrical connection to an electrical device, comprising at least one conductor wi;e, one end of which is rigidly connected to the electrical device by being introduced directly into a plate of said electrical device and held in said plate, the other end forming or being rigidly connected to a male pin for an electrical connector, or rigidly connected to a socket element of such a connector.

2. An electrical connection as claimed in Claim 1, in which the conductor wire is provided with at least one enlargement forming a stop.

3. An electrical connection as claimed in Claim 2, in which the enlargement comprises a crushed portion of the conductor wire.

4. An electrical connection as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the end of the conductor wire introduced into said plate of the electrical device is flattened.

5. An electrical connection as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the end of the conductor wire introduced into said plate of the electrical device is folded in a plane parallel to said plate.

6. An electrical connection as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a male connector portion having at least one socket formed as an open-sided conduit receiving and gripping the conductor wire.

7. An electrical connection substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 1 or Figure 1 in conjunction with Figures 3-5 and 8 or with Figure 6 or with Figure 7 and or with any one of Figures 9-12.