GB2149977A - Electrical connectors - Google Patents

Abstract

To make an electrical connection, a resilient (for example rubber) sleeve 16 is slipped over a stud 14 and a conductor wire 18 is then inserted between the sleeve and the stud. The resilience of the sleeve presses the wire against the stud to make a connection. A number of conductor wires can be connected to one stud, and these to each other, in this way. Some studs can be inserted in holes 12 in the base board 10, and simple electrical circuits can be built up by connecting components between appropriate studs to obtain the desired circuit configuration. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Electrical connection Field of the invention This invention relates to electrical connection generally and in particular to a method of making an electrical connection and to an electrical connection once made. More specifically, the invention has application to the construction of electrical and electronic circuits in educational applications.

Summary of the invention According to the present invention, there is provided a method of making an electrical connection, the method comprising the steps of taking an electrically conductive stud, fitting a resilient sleeve around the stud, and then inserting between the sleeve and the stud electrical conductors to be connected.

The resilience of the sleeve should be sufficient to hold the conductors firmly against the stud, so that the electrical connection between the conductors will be made via the stud.

The invention also provides apparatus for use in making an electrical connection, the apparatus comprising an electrically conductive stud and a resilient sleeve adapted to fit over the stud and to allow conductors to be inserted between the sleeve and the stud.

A practical application of this type of electrical connection, which permits easy assembly and disassembly, is in circuit boards used as teaching aids for teaching electronic theory and practice. The invention therefore also provides apparatus for use in constructing an electrical circuit, the apparatus comprising a base board with holes in it, a plurality of electrically conductive studs adapted to fit in the base board holes, and a plurality of resilient sleeves each adapted to fit over a stud and to allow a wire to be inserted within the sleeve, in contact with the stud. The resilient sleeves are preferably of silicone rubber.This has been found to have the right degree of resilience to ensure that inserted conductors are held firmly against the stud, whilst permitting a number of conductors to be inserted against the one stud and being resistant to damage as the conductor ends are inserted.

The studs are preferably headed, with the shank of the stud being able to pass through the hole in the base board but the head being unable to pass through. The studs can then be inserted from the underside of the board and, when the resilient sleeves are in place, the studs are fixed. The studs can be of any convenient material, but aluminium is preferred. In a particularly simple and cheap embodiment the studs may be standard headed rivets.

The invention further provides a method of constructing an electrical circuit, the method comprising the steps of taking a base board which has holes in it, inserting electrically conductive studs in the holes at component connection points, fitting a resilient sleeve over each stud and introducing conductors between the respective sleeves and studs to make appropriate electrical connections.

Brief description of the drawings The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a section through a single electrical connection in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 is a perspective view of an electrical circuit board in accordance with the invention.

Description of the embodiments Fig. 1 shows a board 10 which has holes 1 2 through it. The holes are arranged in a two-dimensional array over the board surface.

It is possible to use conventional peg board as the board 10, but it is preferred to use a board which has holes 1 2 at closer spacings than conventional peg board, and it is also of advantage to have an increase hole density near the centre of the board.

An electrically conductive stud 14 which may for example be an aluminium or copper rivet, is inserted into a hole 1 2 from below the board. The head 1 5 of the stud stays below the board, but the rest of the stud stands up from the board. A resilient sleeve 16, preferably of silicone rubber, is fitted over the stud. The internal diameter of the sleeve 1 6 should be slightly smaller than the external diameter of the stud 1 4, so that the sleeve has to stretch slightly to fit over. In some applications, the sleeve 1 6 may have a slightly larger internal diameter than the external diameter of the stud. When thick conductors are to be used, the insertion of the conductor can stretch the sleeve to provide the necessary resilience.

To make an electrical connection to the stud, the free end of a conducting wire 1 8 is bent over at 20 and pushed into the upper end of the sleeve 1 6 so that the wire is held against the stud 14 by the resiliency of the sleeve 16. When a second wire 18a is inserted into the sleeve 1 6 an electrical connection is made between the wires 1 8 and 1 8a via the stud 14.

Fig. 2 shows the board 10 with holes 12 in it. In Fig. 2 some of the holes are occupied and some are not. In the figure, only the holes in the bottom right hand corner are shown, although it is to be understood that the holes extend in a regular array over the whole of the board.

Inserted in some of the holes 1 2 are studs 14 with sleeves 16. Some of the conductors 18 which extend between two studs are simply connecting wires. Others of the conduc tors are terminal wires of components such as resistors 22-, transistors 24 or capacitors 26.

Qther types of components such as a bulb holder 28 can easily be included in a circuit of this nature. External leads 30 can be provided to connect up a source of power.

For educational purposes, it is possible to produce an overlay for the board 10. The overlay can be of paper and have holes through it corresponding to some or all of the holes 1 2 in the board but can also have printed on it the positions of the various components and their values so that the overlay gives all the instructions necessary for completion of the circuit. It may however also be possible to use a piece of thick card instead of the board 10, and the overlay information can then be printed directly on the card.

In order to facilitate the connection of micro-chips in a circuit arrangement as described, it may be convenient to space some of the holes more closely than other holes or indeed simply to space all of the holes closely.

As an example, the board 10 may be of shoe box lid shape with 140 holes 3mm in diameter and 15mum apart. These holes will be arranged in 10 rows of 14 holes. The edge of the board will have 2 or 3 holes in each side of its edge and will be designed to join via the holes to another board either with bolts or by means of a stud and sleeve as described.

Claims (12)

1. A method of making an electrical connection, the method comprising the steps of taking an electrically conductive stud, fitting a resilient sleeve around the stud, and then inserting between the sleeve and the stud electrical conductors to be connected.

2. A method of constructing an electrical circuit, the method comprising the steps of taking a base board which has holes in it, inserting electrically conductive studs in the holes at component connection points, fitting a resilient sleeve over each stud and introducing conductors between the respective sleeves and studs to make appropriate electrical connections.

3. Apparatus for use in making an electrical connection, the apparatus comprising an electrically conductive stud and a resilient sleeve adapted to fit over the stud and to allow conductors to be inserted between the sleeve and the stud.

4. Apparatus for use in constructing an electrical circuit, the apparatus comprising a base board with holes in it, a plurality of electrically conductive studs adapted to fit in the base board holes, and a plurality of resilient sleeves each adapted to fit over a stud and to allow a wire to be inserted within the sleeve, in contact with the stud.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the or each resilient sleeve is of silicone rubber.

CLAIMS Amendments to the claims have been filed, and have the following effect: Claims 1 to 4 10 and 1 2 above have been deleted or textually amended.

New or textually amended claims have been filed as follows: Claims 5 6 7 8 9 11 above have been renumbered as 4 5 6 7 8 9 and their appendencies corrected.

1. A method of constructing an electrical or electronic circuit, the method comprising the step of taking a base board which has holes in it, inserting electrically conductive cylindrical studs in the holes at component connection points, fitting a resilient sleeve over each stud and introducing wire conductors between the respective sleeves and studs to make appropriate electrical conditions.

2. Apparatus for use in making an electrical connection the apparatus comprising an electrically conductive cylindrical stud and an annular resilient sleeve fitted over the stud and adapted to allow a plurality of wire conductors to be inserted between the sleeve and the stud, without removal of the sleeve from the stud, so as to be held in electrical contact with the stud by the resilience of the sleeve.

3. Apparatus for use in constructing an electrical or electronic circuit, the apparatus comprising a base board with holes in it, a plurality of electrically conductive cylindrical studs adapted to fit in the base board holes, and a plurality of resilient sleeves each adapted to fit over a stud and to allow a wire to be inserted within the sleeve, without removal of the sleeve from the stud, so that the wires are held in electrical contact with the stud by the resilience of the sleeve.

10. Apparatus for use in constructing an electrical or electronic circuit, substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawing.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the studs are headed, with the shank of the stud being able to pass through the hole in the base board but the head being unable to pass through.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the studs are of aluminium.

8. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the studs are standard headed rivets.

9. A method of making an electrical connection, substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawing.

10. A method of constructing an electrical circuit, substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawing.

11. Apparatus for use in making an elec trical connection, substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawing.

12. Apparatus for use in constructing an electrical circuit, substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawing.