GB2312568A

GB2312568A - Means to connect conductors in end-to-end relationship

Info

Publication number: GB2312568A
Application number: GB9707283A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kenneth Gee; David Michael Lees
Original assignee: Sicame Electrical Developments Ltd
Current assignee: Sicame Electrical Developments Ltd
Priority date: 1996-04-27
Filing date: 1997-04-10
Publication date: 1997-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 2017-04-10
Also published as: GB2312568B; GB9608768D0; GB9707283D0; HK1000644A1

Abstract

The invention of this application relates to the formation of an electrical connector and an electrical connector of particular form wherein the connector is formed of at least two parts 32, 34, each of said parts having a reception means 36 for the reception of the end of an electrical conductor therein so that when the parts are joined electrical connection between the conductor ends is achieved. The parts are joined together by the engagement of matching engagement means comprising in a first part an open channel 38 having engagement means 40 formed on the walls thereof and the second part including a protrusion 42 having engagement 48, 50 means formed on the walls thereof so that when open and channel and protrusion are brought together relative movement between the first and second parts causes engagement of the engagement means and hence the connector is formed. In one embodiment the engagement means and form of threaded portions on the open channel and protrusion such that relative rotation of the parts cause engagement of the same and formation of the connector to achieve electrical connection between the conductor ends. An advantage of this connector is that the same can be brought together and formed without the need for additional removal of insulating material from the conductor ends and can be used in confined space.

Description

Connector for Electrical Conductors The subject of this patent application is a connector for use in connecting an electrical conductor to at least one other conductor so that the ends of the said conductors are provided in an end to end relationship.

There are several different types of connector currently available on the market.

A first type is tubular in form and has a through port so that conductors to be connected can be inserted, one from each end, and clamped in position by damping screws or the tube can be deformed to clamp the conductors therein.

In each case, the connection between the conductors is via the connector body.

On some occasions and to meet requirements, the connector can include, intermediate the ends of the same, a block of material which prevents contaminating material moving between the two conductors and hence each of the conductor ends is placed into a port, the openings of which are provided at opposing ends of the connector. The principal disadvantage of this standard type of connector is that when the same are used with relatively large and inflexible connectors such as those used to carry larger values of electrical power, it is necessary to spring or flex the conductor end to allow the same to be placed into the port if the size of the connector is to be limited to a length equivalent to the length of the conductor ends placed therein plus the length of the contamination block if provided.

One known solution is to provide a connector formed of two parts which have complimentary overlapping portions which can be held together by a clamping bolt or bolts to form the connector of the invention. In use, a conductor core is placed into a bore in each of the connector parts and the parts are then brought together and clamped by the clamping bolts. However, this connector has the disadvantage in that the parts, when joined, form a connector which is of substantially greater length than the standard connectors. Furthermore, an additional clamping screw is required to join the two parts together and, when it is bome in mind that the connectors are typically used in relatively cramped conditions and underground, it will be readily appreciated that the minimum amount of clamping screws and the like is a distinct requirement.

A yet further known form of connector is to provide a two part connector, one part of which has a male threaded portion at an end thereof and the other part of which has a female threaded portion formed therein so that when the two connector parts are brought together, relative rotation of the same causes the male threaded formation to be screwed into the female threaded portion in the other part. While this connector does not require the additional clamping bolt of the two part connector discussed above, and therefore has the advantage that the connector is not of a significantly greater length than the standard connector, it is still necessary to spring or flex one conductor to an extent to put the same into one of the ports, each of which is provided with an opening at the opposing end to the female and male threaded formations in each part accordingly. Furthermore, one part of the connector must be rotated through several revolutions to achieve the full engagement of the threaded portions and hence form the connector whilst attempting to contain a conductor core in the ports therein. This is an undesirable complication to the forming of connectors in situ.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a connector which minimises the fixing and forming actions required to be undertaken in situ and also to provide a connector whereby the length of the same is minimized and the fixing of at least two parts together can be guaranteed to securely form the connector.

In a first aspect of the invention there is provided a connector for connecting at least two electrical conductors, said connector including at least two parts, a first part formed with, at one end thereof, an open channel with engaging means formed therein and a second part, with at one end thereof a protrusion with engagement means and, said engagement means on the open channel and protrusion match so that when the same are brought together the engagement means are engaged to form the connector.

Typically one or both of the parts also include a reception means for an end of a conductor and have an opening into the same at the opposing end to the end with engaging means.

In an alternative embodiment the parts so described are integral parts of the conductors joined.

In one embodiment, the conductor reception means in the form of an open channel and/or port for the reception of a conductor end therein are separated from the engaging portions by a block of material in one or both of the parts which acts as a contamination bloc.

In one embodiment, the protrusion, in cross-section, has in at least one orientation side walls which are spaced apart by less than the width of the opening into the open channel. In one particular embodiment two of the side walls are so spaced and the other walls of the protrusion have threaded engaging means formed thereon.

In one embodiment, the engagement means are threaded portions. In a typical embodiment of the invention, the walls and base of the open channel have a threaded portion formed thereon and, the protrusion has a threaded portion formed on at least one side thereof.

In a preferred embodiment at least one but preferably both of the parts of the connector are provided with flats formed thereon to allow the said part or parts to be gripped by a spanner or similar tool to allow relative rotation of the two parts to be achieved Typically the engagement means are engaged by relative rotation of the two parts, preferably requiring no more than relative rotation of 900.

In a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method for connecting two electrical conductors, said method comprising using a connector formed of two parts, a first part with a reception means for a conductor end therein and having at the opposing end an open channel with engagement means formed therein and the second part having a reception means for a second conductor end and at the opposing end a protrusion having engagement means formed thereon which match with the engagement means on the open channel on the first part; comprising the steps of placing a first conductor end in the reception means in the first part, placing a second conductor end in the reception means in the second part, placing the male protrusion of the second part into the open channel and moving the first and second parts relative to one another to move the engagement means on the open channel and protrusion into engagement and thereby lock the two parts in position to form the connector Typically the first and second conductor ends are held in position in the respective reception means by clamping screws of a conventional type which are tightened when the conductor ends are in the required position and the connector is formed.

Typically the engagement means are threaded portions and the relative movement is rotational.

In an alternative embodiment, rather than rotating the two parts relative to one another to engage the engagement means, a pushing and/or rotating action allows the parts to be engaged and locked in position. It will be appreciated that the manual actuation and location of the engagement means and direction and orientation of the same is dependent on the particular engagement formations provided. Said engagement formations could be any of threaded portions, bayonet fitting, a push connection or overcentred device, or the like.

In one particular embodiment of the invention an additional part is provided which, in use, covers and encloses the opening into the open channel when the engagement means of the protrusion and the channel are engaged and the connector is formed. The provision of this additional part prevents contamination and/or damage occuring to the engagement means and, in one embodiment, can be provided with the protrusion to be movable therewith into a position to enclose the open channel. Preferably the additional part is provided to be movable between two defined positions such that only in one position can the protrusion be moved into the open channel thuse ensuring that the parts are correctly orientated prior to engagement and hence ensuring that the correct and proper engagement is achieved and preventing wastage of time in properly connecting the parts to form the connector Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described wherein: Figure 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a standard conventional connector; Figure 2 illustrates a cross-section through the connector of Figure 1 with a contamination block; Figure 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view through the parts of a further embodiment of a conventional connector; Figure 4 illustrates a cross-section through the parts of a yet further embodiment of a conventional connector; Figure 5A illustrates cross-sectional elevations of the parts of the connector according to the invention in a first embodiment; Figures 5B illustrate end views of the parts of the invention; Figure 6 indicates the arrangement for fitting the parts of the connector together in one embodiment; Figure 7A and 7B illustrate a second embodiment of the connector according to the invention; Figure 8 illustrates a further embodiment of a connector according to the invention; Figure 9 illustrates a yet further embodiment of a connector according to the invention; and Figures 10A to 10F illustrate the method of fitting conductors to a connector according to one embodiment of the invention.

Referring first to Figure 1 there is illustrated a connector 2 of a standard conventional type. The connector comprises a through port 4 for the reception of conductor ends from each end thereof and, when the conductor ends are placed in the said port, clamping screws are applied through the threaded aperture 6 to pass into the port and hence clamp the conductor in position in the port.

Figure 2 illustrates a connector according to the embodiment of Figure 1 but, m this case, two ports 4 are provided and each of the ports 4 have an opening at respective ends of the connector for the reception of a conductor end therein. The ports 4 are separated by means of contamination block 8 and each of the ports is provided with at least one threaded aperture 6 to allow a clamping screw to be introduced to maintain the conductor in a clamped position in the port and hence achieve electrical connection of the two conductors.

Figure 3 illustrates a further embodiment of a conventional connector and in this embodiment the connector comprises first part 10 which has a port 20 for the reception of a conductor end therein and the second part 12 which also has a port 20 for the reception of another conductor end therein. The two parts 10 and 12 are provided with overlapping portions 14 which are brought into engagement such that an aperture 16 in the second part 12 matches with the aperture 16 in the first part 10 and at least part of this aperture when formed is threaded for the reception of screw 18 which, when applied through the aperture 16 serves to bolt the two parts of the connector together thereby forming the connector. Thus, in this embodiment, the requirements to flex the conductor ends to place them into the ports is eliminated but the connector length is substantially greater than the connector shown in Figure 1 and 2.

Figure 4 illustrates a yet further embodiment of a conventional connector wherein the connector comprises two parts 22 and 24 each of which has a port 26 for the reception of a conductor end therein. One of the parts is provided with a male threaded portion 28 at the end opposing the opening to the port 26 and the other, at the end opposing the opening into the port 26 in that part is provided with a female threaded formation. Thus, to form the connector, a relative rotation of more than one revolution is required to thread the male member 28 into the female threaded portion 30 and hence form the connector.

However, it is found that it is still required to flex the conductor cores to a sufficient extent to place them into the ports 26 and the requirement to rotate the parts through more than one revolution can cause problems when it is considered that conductors are used in relatively small confined areas. It should also be noted that in Figures 3 and 4 each of the ports 20, 26 will be provided with at least one aperture connected thereto for the reception of a clamping bolt to secure the conductor ends therein.

Figures 5A and 5B illustrate the parts of a connector according to a first embodiment of the invention. The connector is formed from two parts, 32, 34 and each of the parts has a port 36 for the reception of a conductor end therein. The openings into the ports 36 are provided at one end of each of the parts 32, 34. At the opposing end of the opening into the port 36 in part 34 there is provided an open channel 38 and the open channel has at least part of the side walls and preferably also the base provided with engagement means in the form of a threaded portion 40. At the opposing end of the opening into the port 36 in part 32 there is provided a male protrusion 42. The male protrusion is shown as having two side walls 44, 46 which typically are straight but in other embodiments only one may be straight and in whichever embodiment the said walls are spaced apart by a width which is less than the opening into the open channel 38 in part 34. The other two opposing walls 48 and 50 are provided with engagement means in the form of threaded formations therealong. It is also preferred that both the parts 32, 34 are provided with spanner flats 39 thereby allowing the same to be gripped by spanners to aid the fitting of the two parts together.

Figure 6 illustrates schematically the bringing together of the parts 32, 34 to form the connector according to the invention. The first stage is to orientate the male protrusion 42 on part 32 such that the side walls 44, 46 lie parallel with the opening into the open channel 38 in part 34. With the correct orientation, the part 32 is moved as shown by arrow 52 into the open channel such that the walls 44, 46 slide between the opening walls into the open channel 38. With the part 32 and male protrusion 42 located in the open channel, the same is rotated as shown by arrow 54 through typically 90O and this rotation causes the engagement means, which in this case are threaded formations, to engage and hence with these engagement means in engagement, the two parts 32, 34 are locked together and the connector is formed.

It is particularly advantageous to arrange that the engagement means in the two connector parts are oriented such that when the male protrusion 42 is brought into the open channel 38, the relative orientation of the engagement means is predictable. This is particularly important when one takes into account that the connector parts may be provided with apertures for damping screws and, that, when the connector is formed, it is necessary for access to be provided to the said damping screws, if necessary additional guide means or location means can be provided to ensure that the protrusion can only be inserted into the channel in a correct orientation.

Referring now to Figure 7 there is illustrated a further embodiment of the invention which, it is envisaged, will have particular uses when the connector is used to connect conductor cores which have a medium or high voltage carrying potential as it is desirable for the connector body to have a smooth outer profile so as to avoid the generation of electrical stresses. In this case, the connector includes an additional part 56 which is a closure component which is fitted, typically, to the male protrusion 42 such that when the engagement means of the male protrusion and open channel 38 are engaged and the connector is formed, the additional part 56 will serve to close the opening into the channel 38. In one embodiment the the additional part is provided for limited rotation between a first position where it aligns with side walls 44 and 46 and a second position in quadrature to the first as shown. In one embodiment the additional part may be biased by a spring or other means towards the first position so as to aid assembly of the two connector parts and automatically render the parts in proper position for connection thereby easing the fitting operation for the operator.

Referring now to Figures 8 and 9 two further embodiments of connector arrangements are shown which are possible using the principals of the invention. In Figure 8, there is provided a first part 32 with a male protrusion 42 with engagement means in this case in the form of a thread formed thereon and a port 36 for the reception of a first conductor end therein. There is provided a second part 58 which has two ports 60, 62 for the reception of two conductor ends therein and, at the opposite end from the opening into the said ports, there is provided an open channel 38 with engagement means in the form of threaded portion 40. The principle of connecting the two parts together is the same as described previously. In Figure 9 there is illustrated a first part 32 as before and the second part 63 which has clamping screws 64, 66 to allow the same to be clamped to a conductor termination such as onto bus bars and the like. Again the operation of the same is as before.

Referring now to Figures 10A to 10F there is illustrated one method of utilising the connector according to one embodiment and in this case the embodiment shown in Figure 7. The first stage is to bare the conductor ends 70, 72 of two conductor cables 68, one of the conductor ends 72 is moved out of alignment of the other conductor end 70 as shown by arrow 74 in Figure 10B. As shown in Figure 10C the conductor ends are then placed in respective ports 36 in connector parts 32, 34 which are slid onto the conductor ends as illustrated by arrows 76, 78. With the connector parts mounted as shown, the same can then be brought into alignment and, as they do so, as shown by arrow 80 the male protrusion 42 which is aligned with the walls 44, 46 in a vertical plane passes into the open channel 38 of the connector parts 34 to a position shown in Figure 10D. With the male part 42 now located in the open channel 38, one of the parts, in this case part 32, is rotated through typically a 90O angle as shown by arrow 82 to engage the engagement means which are threaded portions thereby locking the two connector parts 32, 34 together to form the connector.

Finally, as shown in Figure 10F, clamping screws 84 are then inserted into the apertures on the connector parts to damp the conductor ends in position.

It will be understood that the two connector parts may be made of the same or dissimilar metals such as, for instance, aluminium and brass which can be advantageous where conductors of dissimilar metals, such as aluminium and copper are to be connected together or an aluminium conductor is to be terminated onto a copper bus bar, and that the engagement means can be provided in a form to suit specific connection requirements.

It will readily be seen that the connector according to this invention provides distinct advantages over the prior art. Firstly, by providing a connector of two parts, the requirement to significantly flex either of the conductor core ends is removed and furthermore, and importantly, by providing the male protrusion and open channel in respective parts, flexing of the conductor end is minimised and, the overall length of the conductor is siguficantly shorter than the only known two part connector which does not require the flexing of conductor ends.

Claims

1. A connector for connecting at least two electrical conductors in an end-to-end relationship, said connector including at least two parts, a first part formed with at one end thereof, an open channel with engaging means formed therein and a second part, with at one end thereof a protrusion with engagement means thereon and, said engagement means in the open channel and protrusion match so that when the same are brought together the engagement means engage to form a connector from the two parts.

2. A conductor according to claim 1 wherein the parts so described are integral parts of the conductors which are joined.

3. A connector according to claim 1, wherein one or both of the parts also includes a reception means for an end of a conductor and have an opening into the same at the opposing end to the end formed with engaging means.

4. A conductor according to claim 3 wherein the reception means in the form of an open channel and/or port for the reception of a conductor end therein are separated from the engaging portion by a block of material in one or both of the parts which acts as a contamination block when the parts are joined to form a connector.

5. A connector according to claim 1 wherein the protrusion in cross section has, in at least one orientation, side walls which are spaced apart by less than the width of the opening to the open channel of the other part of the connector.

6. A connector according to claim 5 wherein the remaining walls have engaging means in the form of a threaded portion formed thereon.

7. A connector according to claim 1 wherein the walls and base of the open channel of one part have a threaded portion formed thereon which form an engaging means and the protrusion has a matching threaded portion formed on at least one side wall thereof.

8. A connector according to claim 1 wherein at least one but preferably both of the parts are provided with flat surfaces formed to allow the said part or parts to be gripped by a spanner or similar tool to allow relative rotation of the two parts.

9. A connector according to any of the preceding claims wherein the engagement means are engaged by relative rotation of the two parts.

10. A connector according to claim 9 wherein the relative rotation is no more than 90 degrees.

11. A method for connecting two electrical conductors in an endto-end relationship, said method comprising using a connector formed of two parts, a first part with a reception means for a conductor end therein and having at the opposing end an open channel with engagement means formed thereon and the second part having a reception means for a second conductor end and at the opposing end a protrusion having engagement means formed thereon which match with the engagement means in the open channel on the first part; comprising the steps of placing a first conductor end in the reception means in the first part, placing a second conductor end in the reception means in the second part, placing the male protrusion of the second part into the open channel of the first part and moving the first and second parts relative to one another to move respective the engaging means into engagement and thereby lock the two parts into position to form the connector.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the first and second conductor ends are held in position in the respective reception means by clamping screws of a conventional type which are tightened when the conductor ends are in the required position.

13. A method according to claim 11 wherein the engagement means are threaded portions and the relative movement is rotational.

14. A method according to claim 11 wherein the relative movement of the two parts to form the connector is a pushing and/or rotating action.

15. A connector according to any of the preceding claims wherein a connector is provided with a third part which, in use, covers and encloses the opening into the open channel when the engagement means of the protrusion and the channel are engaged and the connector is formed.

16. A connector according to claim 17 wherein the third part is provided in conjunction with the protrusion to be movable therewith into a position to enclose the open channel.

17. A connector according to claim 16 wherein the third part is provided to be movable between two defined positions such that only in one position can the protrusion be moved into the open channel thus ensuring that the parts are correctly orientated prior to engagement and hence ensuring that the correct and proper engagement is achieved.