GB2190547A

GB2190547A - A terminal board, particularly for household appliances

Info

Publication number: GB2190547A
Application number: GB08711155A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alberto Bassi
Original assignee: ITW Fastex Italia SpA
Current assignee: ITW Fastex Italia SpA
Priority date: 1986-05-13
Filing date: 1987-05-12
Publication date: 1987-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 2007-05-12
Also published as: GB8711155D0; IT8653395V0; GB2190547B

Abstract

The board 1 which has a casing 3 of electrically insulating material consists of a cable-clamping portion 10 designed to click inside an opening 5 in the carcass 4 of the appliance and a contact-carrying portion 11 having a main element 18, rigidly connected to the cable-clamping portion, and an appendix 19 connected to the main element by a flexible tongue 28 about which, in use, the appendix is pivoted to bring mating surfaces 22, 23 on the two elements into contact. The tongue facilitates manufacture of the board by allowing seats 25 for electrical connectors to be parallel during manufacture and provides, in use of the board, a compact arrangement in which the seat on the appendix is turned through 90 DEG relative to the seats on the main element. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improved terminal board, particularly for household appliances The present invention relates to an improved prewirabIe terminal board, particularly suited for fitmentto household appliances allowing of very limited space.

The electrical equipment on household appliances is known to be concentrated in one part ofthe appliance enabling troublefree access for servicing.

This is done using terminal boards which may be clicked and/or screwed on to the carcass ofthe appliance, and are provided with all regulation auxiliary devices such as cable clamps and the like.

Despite the enormous advantages this affords in terms of fast, easy assembly, however, such concentration is not always possible, in that the space available in any one part ofthe carcass is not always sufficient for housing terminal boards large enough to accommodate all the electrical connectors involved.

The aim of the present invention is to provide an improved terminal board enabling the installation of a large number of connectors in a very limited space, and which, at the same time, is designed to enable troublefree, low-cost manufacture by means of thermoplastic injection molding. With this aim in view, according to the present invention, there is provided a terminal board particularly suited for fitmentto household appliances, said terminal board comprising a casing formed from electrically insulating material and having a cable-clamping portion, designed to click into an opening in a carcassforsupporting the said casing, and a contact-carrying portion integral with the said cable-clamping portion and extending in laterally projecting mannerfrom the same for receiving a number of metal plug-in connectors to be fitted with the said contact-carrying portion inside respective seats on the same; characterised bythefactthatthe said contact-carrying portion comprises a main elementconnected rigidly and directly to the said cable-clamping portion, and a substantially rigid dppendixformed integral in one piece with, and in projecting mannerin relation to, the said main element; the said main elementandthesaid appendix having respective operating surfaces, each having at least one ofthe said seats for the said metal connectors, and respective mating surfaces designed to cooperate in mutually contacting manner: the said appendix being connected to the said main element by means of a flexibletongue formed in such a mannerasto enablethesaid appendix to turn over, in use, against the said main element and in such a direction as to enable mating ofthe said mating surfaces.

A non-limiting embodiment of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows atop plan viewof a terminal board in accordance with the present invention; Figure2shows a section along line ll-ll ofthe Figure 1 terminal board, omitting some parts four clarity; Figure 3 shows a bottom plan view of the Figure 1 terminal board ready for use; and Figure4shows a section along line lV-lV of the Figure 3 terminal board in actual use.

Number 1 in Figures 1 to 4 indicates a prewirable terminal board, particularly suited forfitmentto any type of household appliance. Terminal board 1 comprises a number of metal plug-in electrical connectors 2, e.g. "Faston" type, and a casing 3 formed from electrically insulating material, e.g.

plastic, and designed to fit integral with the carcass 4 of the appliance Figure 4. The said carcass 4 presents an opening 5for housing casing 3, and a hole 6 adjacent to opening Sand designed to receive a known type of grounding screw 7 (Figure 4)for securing to carcass 4, as described in more detail later on, a projecting tab 8on a ground connector2a forming part of connectors 2.Casing 3 comprises a known type of cable-clamping orcable-threading portion 10, designed to receive a known type of electrical supply cable (not shown) terminating with a series of known connectors (not shown) designed tofiton to connectors 2 for connecting the said cable to the same; and a contact-carrying portion 11 integral in one piece with, and extending in laterally projecting manner from, the said portion 10, and having the said connectors 2 and 2a which, being generally of known type, will not be described furtherforthe sake of simplicity.The said portion 10 is designed to click, in known manner, into opening 5, and comprises a peripheral shoulderflange 12 formed on the front end 13 of cable-clamping portion 10 and designed to cooperate with an outer surface 14 of carcass 4surrounding opening 5; aflexible lateral rib 15 designed to cooperate, in use, with the edge of opening 5 (Figure 4); and a rear end 16, opposite end 13, provided with projecting contact-carrying portion 11.

According to the present invention, contact-carrying portion 11 comprises a main element or side member 18 extending substantially longitudinaily along the side of portion 10, to which it is connected rigidly and directly, and formed projecting laterally from the rear end 16 of the same; and a substantially rigid appendix 19 formed integral in one piece with, and projecting in relation to, the said main element 18. Both appendix 19 and main element 18 present respective operating surfaces 20 and 21 facing the same way, in particular, towards rear end 16; and respective, in the example shown, flat mating surfaces 22 and 23 designed to cooperate in mutually contacting mannerduring actual use of terminal board 1.Operating surfaces 20 and 21 present respective known seats 25 for connectors 2, inside which seats 25 the said connectors 2 are secured integral with portion 11 for example, by means of respective screws 26. Surface 21 of element 18 is arranged substantiallyflush with the front surface of end 16, so that seats 25 of element 18 are arranged projecting axially in relation to rear end 16.According to the present invention, element 18 and appendix 19 areconnected by means of a flexibletongue28formed integral in one piecewith both, and of such a thickness as to flex and so form a hinge connection enabling appendix 19 to turn over, in use, against main element 18 in the direction ofthe arrow (Figure 2) and into the preferably snap-engaged position shown by the dotted line in Figure 2, thereby bringing together mating surfaces 22 and 23. In particular, appendix 19 comprises a rib 30, which constitutes the load-bearing element of appendix 19 and is formed, during manufacture of casing 3, projecting perpendicularly to and underneath element 18, so as to extend parallel with cable-clamping portion 10 from the surface 23 side.

The said rib 30 is hinge-connected element 18 by means of tongue 28 in a relief 31 formed on surface 23 and designed to facilitate flexing oftongue 28.

According to the embodiment shown, seats 25 of element 18 are formed longitudinally on element 18, parallel with operating surface 21 to which connectors 2 are fitted. Appendix 19, on the other hand, presents only one seat 25 turned 90" in relation to operating surface 20, which is formed on the face of rib 30 parallel with and opposite the face presenting surface 22 facing main element 18. Thus, during manufacture, seat 25 of appendix 19 is located parallel with seats 25 of element 18, thus eliminating any undercuts and enabling casing 3 to be produced easily and cheaply by means of injection molding.In actual use, on the other hand, with appendix 19 turned into the position shown by the dotted line, seat 25 of appendix 19 is turned 900 in relation to seats 25 of main element 18, thus occupying an otherwise empty space underneath element 18. According to the present invention, the overall size of appendix 19 is such that, in the turned position also shown in Figures 3 and 4, it fits, both plan- and elevation-wise, within the confines of main element 18, beside and substantially coplanar with cable-clamping portion 10. Furthermore, the size of appendix 19 and main element 18 is preferably such that, with appendix 19 turned against surface 23, the overall cross-wise dimension of portion 11 is equal to or less than the overall plan dimension of portion 10.This enables terminal board 1 to be fitted from the outside into carcass 4 of the appliance, byfirst fitting portion 11, with appendix 19 in the turned position, through opening 5, and then inserting portion 10 through opening 5 until flange 12 contacts surface 14.

Portion 10 obviously presents a known type of cable-clamping device comprising a through seat 40 and a wedge-shaped cable-clamping element 41 connected to casing 3 buy a flexibletongue42.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, tab 8 of connector 2a projects rearwards, parallel with operating surface 20, so that, with appendix 19 turned against element 18 and terminal board 1 housed inside carcass 4, it is located parallel with surface 21 and carcass 4, over hole 6. The said tab 8 aiso presents a threaded hole 44 designed to receive screw 7, thus enabling carcass 4 to be grounded and fitted with terminal board 1 simuitaneously and in compact manner, by exploiting the otherwise unused space between carcass 4 and portion 11 provided by virtue ofthe size of portion 10.

Claims

1. Aterminal board particularly suited forfitment to household appliances, said terminal board comprising a casing formed from electrically insulating material and having a cable-clamping portion, designed to click into an opening in a carcass for supporting the said casing, and a contact-carrying portion integral with the said cable-clamping portion and extending in laterally projecting manner from the same for receiving a number of metal plug-in connectors to be fitted with the said contact-carrying portion inside respective seats on the same; characterised by the fact that the said contact-carrying portion comprises a main element connected rigidly and directly to the said cable-clamping portion, and a substantially rigid appendix formed integral in one piece with, and in projecting manner in relation to, the said main element; the said main element and the said appendix having respective operating surfaces, each having at least one ofthe said seats for the said metal connectors, and respective mating surfaces designed to cooperate in mutually contacting manner; the said appendix being connected to the said main element by means ofaflexibletongue formed in such a manner as to enable the said appendix to turn over, in use, against the said main element and in such a direction asto enable mating of the said mating surfaces.

2. Aterminal board as claimed in Claim 1, characterised by the fact that the said main element of the said contact-carrying portion is formed on the rear end of the said cable-clamping portion, with its respective operating surface located substantially flush with the front surface of the said rear end, so that the respective said seats for the said metal connectors, formed on the said main element, project axially in relation to the said rear end; the size of the said appendix being such that, when turned with its mating surface against that of the said main element, it fits within the overall confines of the said main element, and is located beside and substantially coplanarwith the said cable-clamping portion.

3. Aterminal board as claimed in Claim 2, characterised by the fact that the said cable-clamping portion presents, on its front end opposite the said rear end opposite the said main element ofthe said contact-carrying portion, a peripheral shoulder flange designed to cooperate with an outer surface of the said carcass, surrounding the said opening, and having meansfor clicking on to the same.

4. Aterminal board as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, characterised by the fact thatthe said appendix comprises a rib projecting perpendicularly in relation to the said main element and extending parallel with the said cable-clamping portion, from the said main element mating surface side; the said rib being connected to the said main element, by means of the said flexible tongue, in a relief formed on the said mating surface of the said main element; the said rib presenting its said mating surface on the face facing the said main element, and its said operating surface on the opposite face; the said operating surface presenting only one said seat formed perpendicular to the said operating surface, so as to be turned 90" in relation to the seats on the said main elementwhen the said rib isturnedwith its operating surface parallel with that of the said main element and its mating surface contacting that of the said main element.

5. Aterminal board as claimed in Claim 4, characterised by the fact that the said seat on the said appendix presents a connector having a projecting tab, in turn, having a threaded hole and being designed to cooperate with the said carcass; the said tab being shaped in such a mannerthat, with the terminal board housed inside the said opening in the carcass and the said appendixturned againstthe said main element, it is located parallel with the said operating surfaces and with the said carcass, over a hole formed in the said carcass and adjacent to the said opening in the same.

6. Aterminal board, particularly for household appliances, as described and illustrated herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.