US2131581A

US2131581A - Terminal assembly

Info

Publication number: US2131581A
Application number: US620A
Authority: US
Inventors: Catron Harold; Ralph L Dashner; Marion W Morris
Original assignee: R B M Manufacturing CO
Current assignee: R B M Manufacturing CO; R-B-M MANUFACTURING Co
Priority date: 1935-01-07
Filing date: 1935-01-07
Publication date: 1938-09-27
Anticipated expiration: 1955-09-27

Description

Sept. 27,1938. HCATRON A 2,131,581

' TERMINAL ASSEMBLYL Fi led Jan. 7,1 19 55 f V I W/hmmrw'. Y I

structure, to provide a terminal assembly. having 'Referringfnow in detail to Figure we disclose f 65 modified form of the invention; Y the surface thereof, and projecting into the o'p'en'f- I Patented Septi 27, 1 938 I I I I ,v v,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE a g ma 3' t 1 I TERMINAL ASSEMBLY Harold cafi'on, Ralph L. Dashner, "and Marion Morris, Logansport, Ind., assignors to R-B-M a Manufacturing ,Co., Logansport, 11111., a corporation of Indiana I c t- [Am e-stun January 7,1935, Serial No. 620

6 Claims; (01,178-328) This invention relates to terminal assemblies, 1 Figure 3 is an elevationalliviewof the strucand is more particularly directed to assemblies of ture shown in Figure 2 n I the type commonly known as terminal plug mm Figure 4 is a detailed perspective view of the nectors. 1 plug end of ,onez-form eflead wire used with the Such terminal assemblies are employed for conterminal assembly; andg a, necting electrical conductors or lead wires -to Figure 5 is a perspective view, partly in section, switch contacts, terminal plates, and similar elecof a terminalassembly corresponding to that "of trical contacting or. connectingstructures. We Figurepl', showing a leadwire in connected posihave found that it is essential, -in this'typeof tion, a i

means 'for receiving a wire lead and,capable of a. terminal plate or switch closure .member,wineflecting positive mechanical and electrical condicated generally at 5, which preferably is formed tact therewith. Further, we have found that the of insulation or the 1ike,althoughit.is to, be underterminal assemblyshould be of such construction stood thatthe'plate may be formed'of metal if dey 16 that it may receive, within reasonable limits, sired. Mounted-upon the plate orinsulatingsupvarious sizes and stylesof wire leads. porting member 5 is a. terminal assernbly com- The present invention provides "a terminal asprising aspring member 6 of generallyL-sha'pe, sembly havingthese distinctly advantageous charhaving the base portion I, thereof lying upon the acteristics. In addition, the present assembly is upper surface. of the plate 5, and provided with I 2 of relatively simple design, being-formed entirely an enlargedend-portion adapted to receive suit-v 20 from metal stampings' that are capable of able securing means for mounting it in flxedposieconomical production and assembly. I tion upon the base 5. v 1

As a further object of the present invention, we Mounted in superposed relationupon the base 1 provide a terminal assembly of small size, which of the'springportion 6 of the terminal assembly, can be readily mounted in position upon a terwhich is preferably formed of spring bronzeor 25 minal plate'or'the like. This permits themountthelike, is a frame member-8 having a base por ing of a plurality .of, separate or independent tion-g9 of the same general configuration as the terminals upon a terminal plate within a limited base I, of the springt, thev bases 1 and 9 being space, to provide a plurality of separate switch provided with spaced openings through which a 1 39 contacts or the like upon a single plate member. pair of rivet members Ill are adapted to extend to Another object of the present invention resides secure the

members

6 and 8 in fixednonrrotative in the provision of a structure wherein the-lead position upon the base 5 of the-assembly. wire is locked in fixed position within the .as- The frame member 8 is provided withs-asemi- I sembly, and yet may be readily withdrawn there cylindrical or rounded portion ll! formed 'interfrom when the wire is to be disconnected from mediate the ends of the vertical portion thereof,

the terminal. v i and which extends outwardly away from the plane A still further advantage secured by our inof the member 6. At itsupper end, theframe vention is that the lead is automatically secured member 8 is, provided with an extending tongue r in connected position merely by the insertion .of pQrflon 3 which projects normally, fr m the v 40 the terminal Plug and of lead Wire the surface of the member 8 in adirection oppositew u assembly thus facilitating the connection 9 the to the portion llthereof, and which is adaptedto" lead to the terminal 0 Switch project through'a longitudinallyektendingslot ll other and advantages of our m i formed in the vertical portion of thespring mem- I will appear more fully from the following dFtaued berG. Preferably, the tongue I3 is provided with description, which, taken in conjunction withhthe oppositely extending ear pdmons '5 for locking, 40 accompanying drawing Wm disclose to t 056 the end of the member 8 against lateral movement skilled in the art the particular construction and operation of a preferred form' of the present inaway from th frame b P m re vention being a limited amount of movement therebetween;

I to accommodate longitudinal sliding movement of n the drawing. a a

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of the member 6 with respect to the frame member B, terminal assembly provided by our invention; h3 m n}??? 6 81 0 p q df d, ntermediate Figure2 is an enlarged perspective view; with a the en o th vertically e t s pq t nther portion of the structure broken away, showing a 0f, w tha-r sed bOSS P l S uck out. from ing l1 formed between the

members

6 and 8 by the rounded portion l2 of the member 8.

Referring now to Figure 4, we provide a conductor 20 having the central conductor wire 22 therein, from which the insulation has been stripped back rearwardly from the end of the wire. Mounted over the bared portion of the conductor 20, we provide a plug terminal member indicated generally at 23, comprising 'a tapered end portion 24, a pair of cylindrical portions 25 of substantially the same diameter and spaced apart by an intermediate annular groove 26, and an enlarged cylindrical portion 21 forming, with the rear cylindrical portion 25, an annular shoulder 28 therebetween.

Upon the insertion of the end 24 of the conf ductor or leadwire 28 into the opening I! of the terminal assembly, the tapered surface serves to force the spring member 6 outwardly away from the rounded portion l2 of the member 8. This movement is further augmented by the engagement of the tapered surface'24 with the boss I6 of the member 6, whereby the member 6 is sprung away from the member 8 a distance sufficient to accommodate the passage of the sleeve" portion 25 of the plug 23 into the opening l1. Upon continuedinsertion of the conductor 20, the normally'extending shoulder 28 passes into'abutting engagement with the defining edges ofthe

members

8 and 6, limiting further inward movement of the lead wire. At this time the annular groove 26 is positioned .over and receives the boss portion l6,whereby the conductor is locked against accidental withdrawal or displacement from the terminal assembly. 1 r

It will thus be apparent that merely by inserting the conductor 2i) inwardly of the opening I! between the members 8i and 6, wiping contact is effected-between the internal surface of the rounded portion l2 of the member- 8 and the

surfaces

24 and 25 of the conductor. 'This serves to provide a clean, bright and, effective electrical contact of low resistance between the terminal assembly and the conductor, and astheshoulder 28 moves into abutting. engagement with the lateraledges of the terminal assembly, provides for positioning of the surfaces 25 in proper contacting engagement with the rounded portion l2 of the frame member 8, and positions the conmovement thereof with respect to the tongue I3,-

it being guided for movement thereon in orderto maintain the terminal assembly in proper alignment during insertion and withdrawal of the conductor.

Referringnow to Figure 2, in which is disclosed a modified type' of terminal, this terminal is adapted to be mounted upon. a base-correspending to the base 5 of Figure 1, and comprises a planar frame member 32 lying upon the upper surface of the base 38 and provided with an integral tongue 33 extending downwardly into a suitable recess 34 formed in the base to key the member 32fagainst rotation with respect to the base. A spring member 35, preferably formed of spring bronze or the like, is adapted to be mounted in superposed position over the member 32- by meansof a rivet 36 extending through the base portion 31 of the spring member 35 and through the base member 32, whereby the

members

32 and 35 are fixed in position upon the base 30. The spring member 35, at its opposite .end, is provided with alongitudinal slot 38, which is adapted to receive the normally extending tongue 39 formed at the outer end of the base member 32,'which tongue is provided with laterallyiofi'set extending ear portions 40 for keying the member 35 to the base 32 to prevent upward "displacement of the member 35 with respect thereto. r h r The member 35 has an outwardly rovnded portion 42, corresponding to the portion l2 of the member 8, which'is adapted to form, with the member32, an opening 43 into which the conductor may be inserted. The member 32 is providedwith a raised boss portion 44, corresponding to the raised portion l6 of themember 6,

which preferably comprises two enlarged hemispherical portions joined by an intermediate raised connecting'portion of smaller diameter, as-indicated at 45. l j

The mode of connecting the conductor 20 to the terminal assembly shown in Figure 2 is substantially; the same as described in connection with Figure 1, the'endportion 24 of the plug end 23 of the conductor 20 ,beinginserted into the opening 43, and forcing the-spring member 35 outwardly away from the base member 32 a sufficient distance so that the'portio'n 25 of the plug 23 may be-passed into the space between the

members

32 and 35. This disposes the annular groove 26 0f the plug" 23' directly over the reduced portion 4501 the raised boss 44, whereby thelconductor'is locked inposition against accidental withdrawal from the terminal assembly. The shoulder 28 limitsfurthertinward movement of the plug 23 in the samemanner as de scribed in connection with Figure '1. 'It should be noted, in this embodiment of the invention, that the rivet-member. 36, which se cures the

members

32 and 35 maxed. position upon the base 30, is provided, upon the lower surface of the-base, with a contact surface portion 46. which, if desired, mayform a switch contact terminal adapted to be engaged by the movable arm of suitable switch operating mechanism, or. whichmay comprise a fixed terminal to which is secured asuitable switch contact assembly, such as a spring finger or the like. If desired, the contactportion 46 of the rivet 36 may be disposed in a recessed portion of the lower surface of theibase 30, whereby it lies in the plane of this surface, so that no projection outwardly of the surface is provided, whereby the switcharm or similar contacting mechanis'mwillnot be moved into abutting engagement with the lateral edges of this contact surface, but will pass smoothly over the same to effect properwiping and contacting engagement therewith.

As'shown in Figure 5 'in'which the conductor 28 is shown as insertedinto position within a modified form of the. terminal assembly structure shown in Figure 1, it will be noted that the. tae;

pered portion 24 of the plug end 23 of the conductor projects outwardly from one side of the terminal assembly, while the shoulder 28 is moved into abutting engagementwiththe opposite side of the terminal assembly. In this particular embodiment of the invention, thebase portion 1 of thespring member 6 is provided with a downwardly'extending tongue member 50, correspondin: to the tongue member 33 of Figure 2, which keys the base 1 against rotation with respect to the insulating supporting plate 5. At the same time, instead of a pair of rivets Ill being employed, only a single rivet 52 is provided, which rivet, at its opposite end, is disposed within a suitably recessed portion 53 of the insulating plate member 54, and is adapted to be provided with a smooth contacting surface 55 forming .a switch contact surface lying in the plane of the lower surface of the base member 54.

It is obvious that various modifications of the particular manner of mounting the terminal assembly in position, and of interlocking the base member and spring member together, may be employed within the scope of the present invention, and that the lead-in end of the conductor may be formed in any manner capable of providing the desired spring action and contacting engage-.

ment. We therefore do not intend to be limited to the exact structure shown and described, but

only as defined by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In combination, a terminal assembly forreceiving a, plug end of a conductor comprising a rigid frame member having a raised boss intermediate its ends, a spring member secured at its ends to said frame member and having an inter, mediate arcuately rounded portion extending about said raised boss, and means for preventing movement of one end of said spring member away from the adjacent end of said frame member but providing for sliding movement longitudinally thereof, whereby the plug end of said conductor may be inserted into the rounded'portion of said spring member with said boss'enga'ging in,-the lateral surface of said conductor to hold said conductor in engaged position.

2. In combination, in a terminal assembly of the class described, a base, a rigid frame member, a spring member, means for securing oneend of said frame member and one end of said spring member to said base, a terminal receiving arcu- 'ately curved recess formed in one of said members intermediate the ends of the latter, and interlocking means connecting the opposite ends of said members and accommodating longitudinal movement of ,the spring member relative to the rigid frame member so as to provide for relative arching movement of the intermediate portions of said members.

3. A terminal assembly of the class described comprising a rigid frame rrlember, a spring member disposed in alinement therewith, means at one end of said members for clamping said members together, there being a longitudinal slot at the other end of one of the members and a part on the other end of the other member received in said slot for preventing the ends thereof from separating, the engagement of one end of the slot with said part serving as means for limiting the arching movement of the intermediate portion of said spring member away from said rigid frame member, and means formed'in the intermediate portions of said members between said clamping means at one end and said slotmeans' at the opposite end defining a conductor-receiving opening.

4. Aterminal assembly comprising an insulat ing base, a rigid frame member and a resilient spring member mounted at one end on saidbase. one of said members having an arcuate rounded portion intermediate its ends forming between said members a conductor-receiving opening, one of said members having a-longitudinal slot adjacent its free end and the otherof said members having a normally projecting tongue adjacent its; 1 free end engaging in said slot and providing for relative longitudinal movement of said free ends of said members to accommodate arching of the intermediate portion of said spring member away from said frame member, and means on said tongue comprising oppositelyextending shoulders projecting over the outer surface ofsaid slotted member and spaced close to the face of said other member to prevent any substantial amount of movement of the free end of the spring member relative to the rigid frame member except to accommodate longitudinal movement ofthe spring member reiatiue to the free end of the frame member when receiving a conductor.

5. A terminal assembly comprising a, base, 'a' I, rigid terminal frame member and a resilient spring member disposed alongside said rigid frame.

. member, said members being apertured adjacent one end' of each, fastening means disposed through said apertures for securing both ofs'aid members to said base,- one of said members having at its opposite end a normally projecting tongue having a laterally extending head section, there. being a longitudinal 'slot'formed in the adjacent end of the other member, said slot-being long enough to provide for insertion of the-head section of said tongue throughsa id slot before said fastening means has been inserted insaid apertures to fasten said members to the base," and said head section lying against the outer face of, the slotted end so as to hold the slotted member closely adiacent the'face of the other member, the length of saidslot also being suflicient to ac- 1 commodate longitudinal movement/of the spring member relative to the rigid member "while the contact between the head 'section of said tongue serves to hold the spring member closely adjacent to the face of said rigid frame member, and

means on at least one of said members serving asconductor-receiving means intermediate the ends of said member and arranged so that the spring member resiliently holds the conductor in position.

boss having a pair of protuberances'on the other member facing inwardly towardsaid recess to engage and yieldingly hold a conductor in said curved section.

' HAROLD CATRON.

RALPH L. DASHNER. MARION W. 1403315.,

6. A terminal assembly comprising a pair of I members one of which is resilient,'means rigidly