GB2144929A - Multi-pin electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

A multi-pin electrical connector comprising a unitary body (12) for receiving a plug connector within a housing portion (18) of the body, and a plurality of electrical terminal pins extending in mutually parallel relation within the housing, each terminal pin being secured in a passage extending through said body (12), each said passage (24,25,26) including integral resilient stop means (34,37) to engage a shoulder portion (43) of a said pin, to retain said pin within said housing portion (18). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Multi-pin electrical connector This invention is directed to a multi-pin electrical connector, and, although it is not so restricted, it relates in particular to a plug-in connector for connecting a plug-in cord to an appliance such as a kettle.

The connection of power cords to appliances has involved a number of solutions, ranging from direct connection wherein a power cord is permanently connected to the appliance, to connectors forming a part of the appliance, into which the cord plug may be inserted.

In the case of electric kettles, there has evolved a trend, for purposes of safety and electric cord replaceability, to provide electric connectors having a plurality of recessed pins, into which a cord plug may be inserted in energy connecting relation therewith.

Many such connectors have comprised elaborate housings containing complex pins formed from sheet metal by means of which electric multi-filament stranded leads may be mechanically crimped by way of claws stuck out from the pins.

Such prior art connectors are unsuited to the use of single strand conductors that require to be welded to the connector pins, and are usually characterized by both a high unit cost, and by complexities in connecting stranded electrical leads thereto which result in slow assembly times. Furthermore, disassembly of the connecting pins from the connector is not readily effected without the use of specialized tools.

According, therefore, to the present invention there is provided a multi-pin electrical connector comprising a unitary body for receiving a plug connector within a housing portion of the body, and a plurality of electrical terminal pins extending in mutually parallel relation within the housing, each terminal pin being secured in a passage extending through said body, each said passage including integral resilient stop means to engage a shoulder portion of a said pin, to retain said pin within said housing portion.

The present invention enables the connector to utilize a low cost injection moulded unitary body and simple, low cost pins permitting attachment of connections by welding, or using push-on terminals if so desired with standard leads.

In the preferred embodiment the connector pins are of substantially planar form having a plurality of shoulder projections extending therefrom in laterally symmetrical arrangement, so that assembly of the connector requires only longitudinal orientation of the pins relative to the connector body.

The resilient stop means may comprise a cantilever spring portion having an abutment portion thereon to engage the respective ter minal pin.

The cantilever spring portions for the respective terminal pins may each be integrally moulded as part of the connector body by way of injection moulding.

The connector of the present invention may be provided with securing means for detachably securing the body thereof to an electrical device.

The terminal pins of the preferred embodiment are substantially planar, having a plurality of inclined edge surfaces thereon for engaging respective portions of the connector body.

In making the said terminal pins by way of stamping them from a plate of suitable thickness it has been found that handling of the pins for purposes of assembly with the connector body is facilitated by making the pins symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of the pins,so that they require to be oriented only in a longitudinal sense, and may be laterally oriented from one edge or the other.

In providing inclined edge surfaces to a said pin, a laterally extending portion of the pin adjacent that end of the pin which is inserted first within the passage of the connector housing may be inclined with a lead angle, to act as a divergent cam surface against the cantilevered spring portion of the connector body, to wedge the spring portion towards an open condition, and permit the entry of the pin along the passage. An inclined cam surface may be provided on the first contacted surface of the cantilevered spring portion, complementary to the pin cam surface, and serving, if desired, as a substitute therefor.Upon axial displacement of the pin cam portion past the spring portion, the spring contact portion is then free to snap to a closed position whereby a buttress portion of the spring is engaged behind the laterally extending pin portion of which the cam surfaces form a part, by means of which the pin is thus secured against inadvertant withdrawal. Provision may be made in the moulding of the connector body for recesses in the moulded body permitting individual deformation of each of the cantilevered spring portions by way of a tool inserted in the respective recess, whereby the respective connector pins may be withdrawn from the connector body.

The connector pins of the preferred embodiment are of a standard length, having an inner end portion extending beyond the confines of the passage through the connector body sufficiently to give access for a push-on connection terminal to be attached to the respective pin, primarily for the connection thereto of stranded leads.

In the case of solid conductors, the mass of the pin end portion is sufficient for the conductor to be spot welded thereteo. In the case of a centrally located grounding pin passage, entry of the pin therein may be axially limited to provide greater pin protrusion into the housing recess.

The invention is illustrated, merely by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a general view of a multi-pin electrical connector in accordance with the present invention, Figure 2 is a general view of a connector pin forming part of the connector of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a general view of a modified connector pin, similar to that of Figure 2, in association with a push-on connection lug, Figure 4 is a general view from beneath of the inner end of the connector of Figure 1, showing a connector pin in phantom assembly therein, Figure 5 is a side elevation view of the connector of Figure 1 sectioned to show the connector pin when partially inserted, and Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the pin in fully inserted relation.

Referring to the drawings, in Figure 1 a connector 10 has a unitary moulded body 1 2 containing three electrical connection pins 14, 1 5, 1 6 extending forwardly in mutually paral lel relation into a housing recess 48 Within which the plug portion of an electric lead (not shown) may be inserted. Each of the pins 14, 1 5, 1 6 is substantially planar and has a plurality of inclined edge surfaces thereon.

The body 1 2 has an upstanding recessed flange 20 and a pair of ears 22 (only one shown) for positioning within a recess in a kettle wall to hold the connector 10 in deta chabiy secured relation with the kettle.

The centre pin 15, being an earth or ground pin, protrudes into the recess 1 8 to a greater extent than the other pins 14, 1 6.

The pins 14, 1 5, 1 6, which are illustrated more completely in Figures 2 and 3, are secured within and extend by way of passages 24, 25, 26 (Figure 4) through the body 1 2 and to the rear of the connector 10 where the inner ends 21 are accessible for making an electrical connection therewith. In the case of a solid conductor, such connection may be a brazed or spot welded connection. In the case of a stranded lead, a push-on lug or terminal 27 (Figure 3) may be used. Thus the pin 14 shown in Figure 3 has an end portion which extends beyond the body 1 2 to receive the push-on terminal 27 for attachment thereto.

Retention of the pins 14, 15, 1 6 within their respective passages 24, 25, 26 is effected by way of head or stop portions 37 (Figure 5) of resilient cantilever spring portions 34, 35, 36 integrally moulded as part of the housing 1 2. The head portions 37 engage in abutting and securing relation within recesses 41 (Figure 2) of the pins 14,15,16, the recesses 41 being bounded by end walls or shoulder portions 43 which are inclined at substantially 90 to the main axis of respective pins.

It will be seen that the main or polar axis of each pin 14, 15, 1 6 is coincident with the axis of symmetry of the pin, which extends longitudinally. Thus each pin 14, 15, 1 6 has the recesses 41, shoulder portions or laterally extending abutments 47 and cam portions 49 located symmetrically on both sides thereof.

This permits axial insertion of each pin in either of two edge related orientations. It will, however, be understood that the necessary functions of the pins 1 4 may be provided by an asymmetric arrangement thereof.

An enlarged entry portion 53 (Figure 5), having a recess wall or shoulder 55, of each of the respective passages 24, 25, 26 receives the shoulder portions 47 of the respective pin to limit the penetration of the respective pin into its passage to a predetermined extent. In the case of the centre pin 15, being the ground pin, the entry portion 53 is of lesser axial extent, whereby the pin 1 5 is precluded from penetrating as far beyond the housing 18 as do the pins 14, 16.

As shown in Figure 5, the cam portions 49 of the pins 14, 1 5, 1 6 are engageable with cooperating surfaces 50 of the spring portions 34, 35, 36 for displacing the latter to permit entry of the shoulder portions 43 past the head portions 37.

The cantilever spring portions 34, 35, 36 of the unitary moulded body 1 2 are provided with recesses 38 (Figure 4) to permit the insertion therein of the blade of a screwdriver or the like in flexing relation to the respective spring portion 34, 35, 36 so as to displace the respective head portion 37 laterally away from the pin 14, 1 5, 1 6 and thereby release the pin for withdrawal out of the body 1 2 of the connector 10.

It will be understood that while the preferred embodiment is disclosed with reference to a kettle, that certain characteristics thereof may be readily utilized with other installations or appliances.

Claims (11)

1. A multi-pin electrical connector comprising a unitary body for receiving a plug connector within a housing portion of the body, and a plurality of electrical terminal pins extending in mutually parallel relation within the housing, each terminal pin being secured in a passage extending through said body, each said passage including integral resilient stop means to engage a shoulder portion of a said pin, to retain said pin within said housing portion.

2. A connector as claimed in claim 1 in which said resilient stop means include a spring portion having an abutment portion thereon to engage a said terminal pin.

3. A connector as claimed in claim 1 or 2 including securing means for detachably securing said body to an electrical device.

4. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim in which said terminal pins are substantially planar, having a plurality of inclined edge surfaces thereon.

5. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim in which each said terminal pin has an axis of symmetry coincidental with the longitudinal axis thereof, in relation to variations in the width of the pin, to permit axial insertion of the pin in either of two edge related orientations.

6. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim in which each said pin and said resilient stop means have cooperating surfaces for displacing said resilient stop means, to permit entry of said shoulder portion of each said pin therepast.

7. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim in which each terminal pin has a laterally extending abutment to engage a recess wall in a said passage, to thereby limit entry of said pin within said passage to a predetermined extent.

8. A connector as claimed in claim 7 in which each said passage has an enlarged entry thereto terminating at the said recess wall.

9. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim in which there are three said pins, said resilient stop means being displaceable away from a respective said pin, to release said shoulder portion and permit withdrawal of said pin from said passage.

10. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim in which at least one of said terminal pins has an end portion thereof extending beyond said connector body, said end portion receiving a push-on terminal in attached relation thereto.

11. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim in which at least one of said terminal pins has an end portion thereof which projects beyond said passage and which is attached to a solid conductor by a welded connection.

1 2. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim in which there is a central earthing pin passage having means for limiting entry of a said pin therein so that the latter does not extend as far into the said body as do the other pins.

1 3. Any novel integer or step, or combination of integers or steps, hereinbefore described and/or shown in the accompanying drawings, irrespective of whether the present claim is within the scope of, or relates to the same or a different invention from that of, the preceding claims.