GB2586833A

GB2586833A - A connector and method for making electrical connection between a terminal and a wire

Info

Publication number: GB2586833A
Application number: GB1912752.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thelwell Robert
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-09-05
Filing date: 2019-09-05
Publication date: 2021-03-10
Also published as: WO2021044156A1; GB201912752D0

Abstract

A connector comprises a first part 11 having at least one aperture 13a, 13b, 13c for wires, such as the cores 3a, 3b, 3c of a cable 1, and a second part 15 having at least one electrically conductive projection 17a, 17b, 17c. When the parts are rotated the wires are cut or pierced by the projections and make electrical contact with them. The allows household objects such as mains plugs 2 and sockets (25, Fig 5) and ceiling roses (29, Fig 6) to be wired without tools. A collar 21 or clamp (27, Fig 5) may hold the cable in place. The projections may be U-shaped or may be angled ramps (Fig 4). The connectors may be colour coded so the cores of the cable are correctly connected, see Fig 2.

Description

A CONNECTOR AND ME.TT TOD FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTION BE.TWEEN A IERMINAL AND A WIRE, The present invention relates generally to a connector for making electrical connection between a terminal and a wire and a corresponding method and finds particular, although not exclusive, utility in electrical wiring of domestic and/or commercial property.

Household electrical devices like plugs, sockets, switches and junction boxes often require the use of at least one tool to connect wires to terminals within the device.

Individual wires require their insulation to be stripped prior to connection, as the device terminal requires direct physical contact with the wire conducting core in order for electrical connection to be made. A person performing the connection will therefore need at least two tools: a wire stripper to strip the insulation from the wire ends and a screwdriver to secure and connect the wires to the terminals.

As a consequence of the requirement for special tools, this manipulation of the wire and terminal takes some time, which when multiplied over several devices can significantly increase the amount of time spent making the connections; for example, connecting all the electrical sockets in a household circuit.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector for making electrical connection between a terminal and a wire, the wire of a kind comprising a conducting core surrounded by insulation, the connector comprising: a first portion comprising an aperture; and a second portion pivotably connected to the first portion such that the first portion is movable from a first rotational position in which a wire is receivable within the aperture, to a second rotational position, the second portion comprising: at least one electrically conducting projection; and a terminal in electrical contact with the at least one electrically conducting projection; wherein the connector is configured such that when the first portion is moved from the first rotational position to the second rotational position, a wire within the aperture of the first portion is pushed onto the at least one electrically conducting projection of the second portion such that the at least one electrically conducting projection pierces insulation of the wire, thereby making electrical connection between a conducting core of the wire and the terminal.

In this way, the wire may be quickly and easily electrically connected to the terminal. 'the pivotable rotation and consequent piercing removes the requirement for the wire to be stripped of insulation prior to use, and avoids the use of tools for connecting and securing the wire.

The connector may comprise a component part of a plug, socket, lighting unit, junction box or any other suitable electrical device.

Electrical connection may comprise permitting electricity to flow, for example at a current exceeding 1.5 A, in particular at 3 A, more particularly at 13 A. The terminal may comprise a discrete connection to a further electrical circuit element, for example a plug pin, fuse and/or switch. Alternatively or additionally, the terminal may be another component part of a device that comprises an end of a wire.

The conducting core may comprise a single piece of electrically conducting material. Alternatively, the conducting core may comprise a plurality of such electrically conducting pieces.

An electrically conducting material may be a material with a resistivity of less than 1x1015 Lltmt in particular 1x10t8Q*na, for example copper.

The wire insulation may be a single layer of electrically insulating material.

Alternatively, the insulation may be a plurality of layers of electrically insulating material.

An electrically insulating material may be a material with a resistivity of at least 1x109 Q.m, in particular 1x101' L-2.m, for example PVC.

The aperture may be round, for example circular or elliptical, and/or polygonal in cross-section. The perimeter of the aperture may be closed, for example continuous.

Alternatively, the perimeter of the aperture may be open, for example intersected by at least one gap.

The first and second portion may be connected together such that they pivot relative to one another about at least one axis. The first portion being pivotable relative to the second portion is equivalent to the second portion being pivotable relative to the first portion. The pivotable connection may, for example, be a hinge mechanism or a flexible area of material.

The second portion may further comprise a groove. The at least one electrically conducting projection may be arranged in the groove. When the First portion is moved into the second rotational position, the wire may be pushed into the groove of the second portion.

The groove may be a longitudinal trough having length greater than its width, in particular greater than twice its width, more particularly greater than ten times its width.

The groove may be arranged within the second portion. The groove may have a depth less than its width, alternatively the groove may have a depth substantially equal to its width or the groove may have a depth greater than its width.

The at least one electrically conducting projection may be constructed from a material with a resistivity of less than 1x10" Quin in particular 1x10' S.),./n, for example brass The wire may be pushed into the groove such that an entire width of the wire is situated within the groove. Alternatively, the wire may be pushed into the groove such that a partial width of the wire is situated within the groove, so that the wire protrudes from an open side of the groove.

The at least one electrically conducting projection may have a length less than half of the depth of the groove. Alternatively, the at least one electrically conducting projection may have a length greater than half the depth of the groove.

The at least one electrically conducting projection may have a length approximately equal to the width of the aperture, approximately equal to half a width of the aperture, and/or any length therebetween. The at least one electrically conducting projection may have a length approximately equal to the width of a wire to be used therein, approximately equal to half a width of a wire to be used therein, and/or any length therebetween.

The at least one electrically conducting projection may be configured to pierce the insulation and penetrate the wire to the minimum depth required in order to make electrical connection with the conducting core, for example less than half of the overall width of the wire. Alternatively, the at least one electrically conducting projection may be configured to pierce the insulation and penetrate the wire to a greater depth than the proximal side of the conducting core, for example greater than half of the overall width of the wire.

The at least one electrically conducting projection may pierce the wire at an angle of 70 to 1100 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the wire and/or groove, in particular at an angle of 85 to 95° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the wire and/or groove, more particularly at an angle of 90° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the wire and/or groove. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one electrically conducting projection may pierce the wire at an angle substantially less 700 or at an angle substantially greater than 90° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the wire and/or groove.

The second portion may be configured to unite with an electrical device, such that the terminal and device are electrically connected.

In this way, the connector may be quickly and easily connected to an electrical device without the use of tools.

The electrical device may be a plug, socket, switch, lighting unit, junction box or any other suinble electrical device.

The first portion may be configured to unite with an electrical device, such that the terminal and device are electrically connected.

Uniting of the first or second portion and the electrical device may comprise physical connection and electrical connection. The first or second portion and the electrical device may comprise corresponding components of a uniting mechanism, in particular a push-fit mechanism, more particularly a snap-fit mechanism.

The connector may further comprise a clamping clement, the clamping element configured to hold the wire within the aperture when the first portion is in the second rotational position.

In this way, the wire may be further secured within the connector when the first portion is in the second rotational position and electrical connection has been made. The clamping element may reduce any lateral and longitudinal forces on an end portion of the wire within the aperture and/or groove once the electrical connection has been made between the at least one electrically conducting projection and the conducting core.

The at least one electrically conducting projection may comprise at least two projections.

in this way, the physical and electrical connection between the at least one electrically conducting projection and the conducting core may be improved, due to the plurality of contact points between them.

The at least two projections may be configured to pierce the insulation either side of the conducting core, such that when the connector is in the second rotational position, the conducting core is clamped between the two projections.

In this way, the wire may be further secured between the two projections.

The at least one electrically conducting projection may be angled away from the aperture when the first portion is in the second rotational position.

Tn this way, the likelihood of the end of the wire being pulled from the groove and/or aperture is reduced.

Angling the at least one electrically conducting projection away from the aperture comprises arranging the at least one electrically conducting projection at an angle within a range of angles that lie between the longitudinal extension of the wire within the aperture in the direction away from the aperture and a tangent across the aperture that is substantially parallel to a normal of the wire when the first portion is in the second rotational position. Alternatively, the at least one electrically conducting projection may lie substantially parallel to the exterior surface normal of the groove.

The first portion may comprise a further aperture and the second portion may comprise: at least one electrically conducting further projection; and a further terminal in electrical contact with the at least one electrically conducting further projection; and the connector may be further configured such that when the first portion is moved from the first rotational position to the second rotational position, a further wire within the further aperture of the first portion is pushed onto the at least one electrically conducting further projection of the second portion such that the at least one electrically conducting further projection pierces insulation of the further wire, thereby making electrical connection between a conducting core of the further wire and the further terirlinal Tn this way, the connector may be configured to receive more than one wire, in particular two wires, more particularly three wires, for example more than three wires.

Electrical connection may be made between each of the wires 'and the corresponding terminals of the connector.

The first portion and the second portion may comprise coloured areas corresponding to the wire being electrically connected.

Tn this way, a user of the connector may intuitively discern the correct wire to be connected to the terminal, without the need to consult a diagram.

The first portion may have a coloured area substantially adjacent to the aperture. The second portion may have a coloured area substantially within the groove. The colours may be selected to be similar to the colour of the wire intended for electrical connection. Alternatively, the colours may be selected in another manner that indicates the kind of wire intended for electrical connection.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of making electrical connection between a terminal and a wire, the wire of a kind comprising a conducting core surrounded by insulation, the method comprising the steps of: providing the connector of the first aspect; inserting the wire into the aperture; and moving the first portion from the first rotational position to the second rotational position, such that the wire within the aperture of the first portion is pushed onto the at least one electrically conducting further projection of the second portion such that the at least one electrically conducting projection pierces insulation of the wire and makes electrical connection between a conducting core of the wire and the terminal.

The above and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. This description is given for the sake of example only, without limiting the scope of the nvention. The reference figures quoted below refer to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a connector located thin an electrical plug ready for wires to be connected thereto.

Figure 2 is a perspective vie\ f the plug of figure 1 with the es connected to the connector.

Figure 3 shows detail of the connector of figure 1 part-way through the installation procedure.

Figure 4 shows an alternative connector to that shown in figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a connector located within an electrical socket part-way through the installation procedure.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a connector located with -1 a ceil ig light unit part-way through the installation procedure.

The present invention will be described with respect to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. Each drawing may not include all of the features of the invention and therefore should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in ally other manner. Tt is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other sequences than described or illustrated herein. Likewise, method steps described or claimed in a particular sequence may be understood to operate in a different sequence.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

It is to be noticed that the term "comprising", used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression "a device comprising means A and B" should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B. Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term "connected", used in the description, should not be interpreted as being restricted to direct connections only. 'thus, the scope of the expression "a device A connected to a device B" should not be limited to devices or systems wherein an output of device A is directly connected to an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between an output of A and an input of B which may be a path including other devices or means. "Connected" may mean that two or more elements are either in direct physical or electrical contact, or that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. For instance, wireless connectivity is contemplated.

Reference throughout this specification to "an embodiment" or "an aspect" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included in at least one embodiment or aspect of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment", "in an embodiment", or "in an aspect" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or aspect, but may refer to different embodiments or aspects. Furthermore, the particular Features, structures or characteristics of any one embodiment or aspect of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner with any other particular feature, structure or characteristic of another embodiment or aspect of the invention, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments or aspects.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Moreover, the description of any individual drawing or aspect should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in fewer than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention. Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments arc meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form yet further embodiments, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practised without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this

description.

In the discussion of the invention, unless stated to the contrary, the disclosure of alternative values for the upper or lower limit of the permitted range of a parameter, coupled with an indication that one of said values is more highly preferred than the other, is to be construed as an implied statement that each intermediate value of said parameter, lying between the more preferred and the less preferred of said alternatives, is itself preferred to said less preferred value and also to each value lying between said less preferred value and said intermediate value.

The use of the term "at least one" may mean only one in certain circumstances.

The use of the term "any" may mean "all" and/or "each" in certain circumstances.

The principles of the invention will now be described by a detailed description of at least one drawing relating to exemplary features. It is clear that other arrangements can be configured according to the knowledge of persons skilled in the art without departing from the underlying concept or technical teaching, the invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

Figure 1 shows an electrical cable 1 and part of an electrical plug 2. The cable t comprises three coloured electrical wires: neutral 3a, live 3b, and ground 3c, each having a conducting core surrounded by electrical insulation.

The plug 2 comprises a housing 5 (only one half of which is shown in the figures) from which project three electrical pins: neutral 7a, live (not shown) and ground 7c. Each pin is in electrical communication with a respective terminal of a connector 9.

The connector 9 comprises a first pivoting part 11 in which three respective holes 13a, 13b, 13c are provided for the respective wires 3a, 3b, 3c. The connector 9 also comprises a second stationary part 15 in which three respective pairs of electrically conductive projections 17a, 17b, 17c are provided, for engagement with the wires 3a, 3b, 3c inserted into the holes 13a, 13b, 13c.

For completeness, the neutral terminal of the connector 9 permits electrical communication between the neutral wire 3a and the neutral pin 7a, the live terminal of the connector 9 permits electrical communication between the live wire 3b and the live pin via a conventional fuse 19, and the ground terminal of the connector 9 permits electrical communication between the ground wire 3c and the ground pin 7c.

The connector may be colour coded in a conventional colour combination (e.g. neutral = brown, live = blue and ground = yellow and green), to aid correct attachment of the wires.

A collar 21 for gripping the cable 1 is provided to prevent accidental removal of the wires 3a, 31i, 3c from the connector 9 due to tension in the cable 1. The collar 21 may be a push fit. Specifically, the collar 21 may push onto barbed pegs 23 that are configured to flex in as the collar 21 is moved thereon, by pushing down on ramped surfaces; however, retnoval of the collar 21 is inhibited by the barbs.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the plug 2 of figure 1 with the wires 3a, 3b, 3c connected to the connector 9, and the cable 1 held by the collar 21.

Figure 3 shows detail of the connector 9, and in particular the pairs of electrically conductive projections 17a, 17b, 17c. Each one is substantially U-shape in form, with ramped surfaces at an extremity thereof, such that a wire placed on the ramped surfaces is guided toward the centre of the U-shape. In particular, the centre of the U-shape is of smaller diameter than that of the wires, so that as a length of wire is pushed therein, insulation on the outside is either pushed (where the projections are blunt) or cut (where the projections are sharp) out of the way, allowing the projections to come into contact with the conducting core of the wire.

Figure 4 shows an alternative for of projection composed of a stack (e.g. three, although other numbers such as one, two, four or five are contemplated) of angled ramps.

Again, these may be sharp or blunt, but in any event push/cut through insulation on the respective wires 3a, 3b, 3c to reach the conducting core. The angled ramps may have the same amount of projection, or may project by varying amounts to permit engagement with wires of different thicknesses Tri general there may be a single, or multiple projections per wire. Alternative arrangements of projections are also considered but not shown, such as a single, or an array of, sharp needle-like elements that pierce the insulation. The array could be aligned so that each passes through an axis of a wire, but to allow fitting tolerance, the elements in the array could be staggered with respect to one another, such that at least one may engage with the conducting core, or potentially that never all of them will engage with the conducting core.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of two connectors 9 located within an electrical socket 23 part-way through the installation procedure. Instead of a collar, clamps 27 are provided to hold the cables 1 in place, to the same effect.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of four connectors 9 located within a ceiling light unit 29, where the cover 31 of the ceiling light unit 29 acts to hold the cables 1 in place.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A connector for making electrical connection between a terminal and a wire, the wire of a kind comprising a conducting core surrounded by insulation, the connector 5 comprising: a first portion comprising an aperture; and a second portion pivotably connected to the first portion such that the first portion is movable from a first rotational position in which a wire is receivable within the aperture, to a second rotational position, the second portion comprising: at least one electrically conducting projection; and a terminal in electrical contact with the at least one electrically conducting projection; wherein the connector is configured such that when the first portion is moved from the first rotational position to the second rotational position, a wire within the aperture of the first portion is pushed onto the at least one electrically conducting projection of the second portion such that the at least one electrically conducting projection pierces insulation of the wire, thereby making electrical connection between a conducting core of the wire and the terminal.
2 The connector of claim 1, wherein the second portion is configured to unite with an electrical device, such that the terminal and device are electrically connected.
3. The connector of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first portion is configured to unite with an electrical device, such that the terminal and device are electrically connected.
4. The connector of any preceding claim, further comprising a clamping element, the clamping element configured to hold the wire within the aperture when the first portion is in the second rotational position.
5. The connector of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one electrically conducting projection comprises at least two projections.
6 The connector of any preceding chum, wherein the at least two projections arc configured to pierce the insulation either side of the conducting core, such that when the connector is in the second rotational position, the conducting core is damped between the two projections.S
7. The connector of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one electrically conducting projection is angled away from the aperture when the first portion is in the second rotational position.
8. The connector of any preceding claim, wherein the first portion comprises a further aperture; and the second portion comprises: at least one electrically conducting further projection; and a further terminal in electrical contact with the at least one electrically conducting further projection; and the connector is further configured such that when the first portion is moved from the first rotational position to the second rotational position, a further wire within the further aperture of the first portion is pushed onto the at least one electrically conducting further projection of the second portion such that the at least one electrically conducting further projection pierces insulation of the further wire, thereby making electrical connection between a conducting core of the further wire and the further terminal.
9. The connector of any preceding claim, wherein the first portion and the second portion comprise coloured areas corresponding to the wire being electrically connected.
10. A method of making electrical connection between a terminal and a wire, the wire of a kind comprising a conducting core surrounded by insulation, the method comprising the steps of: providing the connector of any preceding claim; inserting the wire into the aperture; and moving the first portion from the first rotational position to the second rotational position, such that the wire within the aperture of the first portion is pushed onto the at least one electrically conducting further projection of the second portion such that the at least one electrically conducting projection pierces insulation of the wire and makes electrical connection between a conducting core of the wire and the terminal