US2296631A - Headlight connector - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 22, 1942. H. c. DOANE HEADLIGHT CONNECTOR Filed Sept. 28, 1940 YPatented Sept 22, A1942.v

i UNITE-o 4STM Es. v.PATENT OFFICE HEADLIGl-IT CONNECTOR Harry .0.`Donne, Flint, Mich., assigner to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application September 28, 1948, Serial No. 358,777

. v 3 Claims.

Thisinvention has to. do with an improvement in 'connectors for electrical'wiring, particularly connectors designed for attachment to the terminals of bulbs such as are used on automobile headlampsor to the terminals of complete light projecting unite er the type known es .seeied Beam headlamps. It may also be used to connect the ends of wires together wherever desired.,

One type of connector heretofore developed consists of a suitablehousing of insulating msterial containing one or more passages in each of which is secured a clip 'adapted to be fastened preferably apertured es indicated et u in 'Figure 2.

-I8 indicates the connector consisting of an insulator i8 having one or more passages 28 therethrough each having an abutment22 extending into the passage toward one end. Passages 28 are provided with shoulders 24 at opposite sides thereof as indicated in Figure 2. 26 indicates' a conductor for leading current to the connector.

to the end of a conductor and comprising a pair of parallel sheet metal members or blades adapted to receive a terminal between them. In order to yieldinglv. press the blades against the terminal the ends of the blades through which the bulb terminal enters were doubled back upon them- Aselves, the doubled-back portions bearing against thewalls of the passage and tending to yieldingly The conductor is provided with the usual covering of insulation'indicated at 28. To the conductor is secured a clip 38 consisting of a sleeve portion 82 clamped about the insulation 28 and having reduced end portion 84 soldered to the end of conductox; 28. This soldering may be easily accomplished by dipping the conductor with clip attached in molten solder. 88 indicates blades extending laterally from the cylindrical portion 82 prees the blades toward each other to gripl the ter,-

minal vbetween them'.

After considerable testing of connec'tors of the type described it was -found that good contact could not be obtained for the blades 'tended to diverge instead of remaining parallel and gripping -the bulb terminal. Also since they were necessarily made of material havinggood electrical conductivity such as copper, which is relatively soft, the-blades became permanently deformed and provided with return bent yielding portions 88 serving as detents as hereinafter pointed out.

In assembling the parts so far described, conductor 28 28 with the attached clip 82 is in- '.serted in passage. 20 from the right hand end as shown in Figures l and 2 until the ends of the return bent portions 88 snap behind the shoulders 24 and the clip engages abutment 22. In this position of the parts the clip is prevented from gowhen .the connector was pushed into position over the bulb termin'aL The result was poor contact with accompanying drop in voltage and possible I have found thatthis diiliculty may be avoided by employing separate spring means for urging the blades toward each other. This spring means may take the form of coil springs made of steel wire or other resilient material, interposed between the blades and the walls of the passage. It

has been found that with this construction good contact-is obtained under all conditions encountercd in service. The added cost is slight.

Intho drawing:

Figure 1 is a side view of the connector applied to a lamp4 bulb.

mure 2 is a composite sectional view showing the clipl in two diiferent positions in an insulator housing.

Figure 3 is an exploded ,view of the springs used with lt.

In the drawing, il indicates a conventional incandescent lamp provided'with spaced termilclip and the nils indicated at I2. Each of the terminals is ing thro'ugh the passage 28 by engagement with abutment 22 and is prevented from being pulled out in the other direction Vby engagement of return bent portions 38 with shoulders 24.v

' With the construction described, dltllculty has been experienced in obtaining good .contact between the terminal l2 and the blades 88. I have found that this difllculty can be overcome by applying additional spring pressure to the blades 88 and have done this conveniently and cheaply by inserting coil springs 48 between the blades 88 and the walls of passage 28. These springs may be made of metal such as steel which is resilient and does not take a set." A further advantage oi' this'arrangement is the fact that the springs permit blades 88 to float to some extent in thev passage 28. This is desirable inasmuch as the terminals I2 at the base of the bulb are not positioned with absolute accuracy in manufacture and the iloating' mounting of the clips insures that the connector will lit the terminals despite these variations.

150 If desired, provision may be made for anchoring the springs in place as -by provision of depressions or locating lugs in the passage 28 to 4receive them. It will usually be found desirable to provide pressed-out portion 44 on one of the blades '88 to snap into passage or depression AI4 in the tersage, and having a socket alongsidethe passager and parallel therewith, the end oisaid socket adjacent said .end of the passage being closed, the opposite end of :the lsocketvbeingopen and'coma passage therethrough'lprovided with opposed shoulders intermediate its ends facing one endo! the passage, and having a socket alongside the municating laterally with ysaid passage,` a clip made of sheetmetal vand comprising an intermediate looped portion seated in the socket and aligned therewith and secured to a conductor extending girom the open end of the socket, parallel blade members extendingY laterally from the looped portion into saidV passage and adapted to receive a terminal between them, one of said blade members being -provided with `a returnbent portion having its end engaged behind said Yshoulder to prevent withdrawal oi' the clip from the passage in the direction o! the open end ofthe socket, a wall of the socket engaging said clip to prevent withdrawal of the clip in the opposite direction, and spring means engaging said blades and yieldingly urging them into engagement with Y Veach other.

2. A connector comprising an insulator having passage and parallel-therewith, the endfof said socket adjacent said end of the passage being closed, the opposite end of the socket being open and communicating laterally with said passage, a clip made of sheet metal and. comprising an intermediate looped portion seated in the socket and aligned therewith and secured to a conductor extending from the open end oi the socket, parallel blade members extending laterally from the looped portion into said passage and adapted to receive a terminal between them, said blade members being provided with return-bent portions having their ends 'engaged behind said shoulders to prevent withdrawal of the clip trom the passage in the direction of the open end of the socket, a wall of the socket engaging said clip to prevent withdrawal oi.' the clip in the opposite direction, and spring means engaging said blades and 'yieldingly urging them into engagement with each other.

3. In the combination as'dened in yclaim 2, said spring means engaging said vblades at the ends opposite said looped portions.

' HARRY o.l DoANs.

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