US2329460A - Connector lug structure - Google Patents

Description

Sept 14:, 1943:,

F. C. EBERT CONNECTOR LUG STRUCTURE Filed Aug. '7, 1942 Patented Sept. 14, 1943 Frank'QEbert, Richmond .Niii i f to Allied Control ,Company, inc New York a CountyyN. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 7, 1942, p i esg ggg f 2 Claims. (01. 173- 3 4 The present invention is directed to electrical devicesand more particularly, to terminal elements or connector structures constituting a part of such electrical devices.

, Various devices of this type, such as switches and relays, have metallic terminal members to facilitate the making of the necessary electrical connections between the devices and the sources of :power or the ultimate operating apparatus. Such connector structures have been of various types, as for example, in one such device of the prior art, a screw-threaded member was inserted into a suitable base or block and held by various means. Such a structure required a considerable amount of assembly, so that it was not fully adapted to quantity production in a continuous line system. Also, such terminal members being based upon a threaded device, were subject to loosening and loss due to vibration to which the electrical device is often subjected.

Another type of connectorstructure which ha previously been used consisted in one or more flat metallic members which were punched from sheet material and, by dies, bent into various shapes.

Such a connector structure had a 'number of disadvantages, particularly in that a considerable number of operations were necessary and .the assembly was awkward, so as to make it difiicult Such connectors were then secured to a base, usually by threaded members or :by-rivets.-

molded o a rics/t d .i-nsul-atms, material and o m h r nis asuitable op i w c passes through time,se eo n n s bs antial y ect ngula in c oss-s tionn aspee flc em:

bodiment' of the invention in stead of providing t sin le re tan ular p n n two such. pe nes a i ht a es, t ach o h r a d term-ins a cross, are provided. 1 I

!h e g l ern ov dede. v re a ively in-c s -s etionwhi may .b punched or died from a sheet and which constiflutes a e lua This-lu has a r lat ve 8, ra p rtion the w dt erwhich is pproximately the lngth Di he ope jms insu at s emhen At, ne e d the eof a shou der is provided sothatzthe widthof the lug at sai end is central y reat r. th the; len th of a d p ing, o as t b capabl .o b ins firmly seated on the surface of the insulating member. e -bath endsf thelus a e p o d d with rec sses or -.notches ada t d t a c m da wire to :be sse d red o weld d thereto.

Theme-is .ma e o a metal ha suflic ent resiliency so that it retains a bend made therein. T e lusisbowed or be t on a e atively ions radius, so :that when viewed from-an edge, .isan

to conduct the operations in an assembly system.

Very often, it was necessary that: a connector be capable of having more than one wire secured theretoand this introduced additional complications in prior connector structures. Such complications stillfurther decreased thepossibility of using the old structures in a line assembly system.

The present invention is intended and, adapted to overcome the difiiculties and disadvantagesof prior connector structures and to provide a device which is extremely simple in construction, which 'may' be readily assembled with but very few operations, which will provide a'connector firmly in place and incapable .of loosening through vibration. p 7

vItisstill further among the objects of the present invention to provide a structure :which does not require any cuttingor machining or bending or dieing operations, and wherein the connectoralthoughvnrmly in place, may be readily removed when desired, without disturbing thevremainder of the electrical apparatus.

In practicing the present invention there is provided a base member which is usually of a i, a c rc e, 1 r

In order to provide a complete connector, two such lugs are atakenland they are placed so that the shouldenoi one is opposite to the shoulder for the other, and .the two lugs whenheld together have their meeting aces concaveto .eachother. While held in ;such.po sition,.one of the lugs is insertedthrough the Jmpersur i he insuins memhemnd. ee her isiiase tedthroueh thelewersu a e o said e ber-unt he shoule s touch ,the e n e e u fa es. Due to the springiness ofthe metal and the fact :thatthe w h o the .open s' sepnmx metew the width .orthe two lu s w en comp ete y v ace to iace.

there is pressure exerted against the wal'lsof the ope i h ch flr lvhold thelu s nplaoe.

n some {cases i 215 :not essential that the two connect elements; or loss be bowed so as. to be h l :b session. in the hisulatingamemher. For instance;;if;,theonen n o zslot in the insulatin member is sufiiciently narrow, theftwo connector lu s will be :heldby friction against the of said insulating .niember. ;Even if .the 1017.15 wider,

themes may :be positioned therein .withoutxfriction,zaiidrthenrsecured infixed relation .to each other. Inzsuchcases the lugs need not :be made of imetalzrwhicnhas resiliency; but .soitmetal. elugs are fully suitable.

Also it is not necessary that both lugs be bowed flat meta m mbe ot-vibration loosening the same.

as the bowing or one of the lugs will often be suflicient to hold the parts in place. The bowed portions may have other shapes to give the necessary eifect. One or both of the lugs may be corrugated or crimped to give the desired effect.

of two connector lugs each having a shoulder and so placed that each shoulder engages an abut-i ment, with the result that when they are secured T together, they are firmly held in place. may be joined by various means as byfriveting, soldering, brazing and the like, or by the use of clips or other devices of such character; or the assembled lugs may be punched together or dis-' torted locally to join them, or wire ties may be used. The lead-in wires maybe inserted into the notches and said wires soldered without-disturbing the alinement. As the result or the solderi'ngthelugs are permanently fixed in place onthe insulating member without any possibility In the accompanying drawing" constituting a part hereof and in whichlike reference characters indicate like parts:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation'al view of a relay embodying the connectorstructure" of thepresent ing into the connector structure; l g I Fig. 4 is an edge view showing two of the lugs in proper position for assembly'jand V Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view taken along theline 55 of Fig. 2 i The relay consists essentially of a magnetic circuit 1, a coil 2 therein held by screw 3. A molded insulating'member 4jsecured' to the top 5 of the magnetic circuit has ears 6 benttherefrom, forming a hinge. 'An Lshaped armature is hinged-at 6 and has an insulating member 8 secured to the top thereof. Contact arms 9 are held on member 8 and wires l are weldedfthereto. On insulating member 4 are terniinal II and l2.f I

' Terminal lugs l3 are set in'insulatingmember d andhave wires and I solderedf thereto. Wires H may be connected to wires I0 andwires may be connected to will. x Q In insulating member 4 "are formed 'a 'nu'mber of openings I6 passing therethro'ug'h."As-shown in Fig. 2, such openings-are relatively narrow and long and two such openings cross centrally of each other'so that theo'pnings are cruciform.

Theterminal members each consists of a fiat end. At said opposite enclis anotch-or opening 20. The lug i bowed, as shown at 'il in Fig. 4'. A similar lug has at the narrow portion-22 thereof an opening 23 corresponding to opening IB of Fig. 3 and a shoulder 24 corresponding 'to'shoulder IQ of Fig. '3, and-a notch 25 corresponding tonotch 20 ofFi8L3. 1 i

- In assembling the terminal structure, lug I] of Fig. 3is introduced into slot I'6 of Fig. 2 and pressed downwardly untilshoulder l9 contacts with the upper surfaceof. insulating member-'4. Then the other lug is pushed upwardly in said opening until shoulder 24 abuts against'the under-surface of insulating member 4 Thereby;

notches 20 and 23 become alined and notches l8 and 25 become similarly alined. A wire I4 is introduced into notches Ill-25 and is soldered in place. This permanently unites the two lugs and holds them firmly in place. Another wire may be introduced into notches 2023 and similarly soldered.

As will be seenfrom the above description, the labor necessary in making and assembling the connector structure is extremely small. The openings in the insulating plate are made auto- -matically during the molding operation and reforms and that the exact form shown in Fig. 3

of the lug is only illustrative of the manyforms which may be used. Various metals are adaptable for .the purpose, it being desirable, however, that the metal have sufiicient springiness so as to be held inplace temporarily by friction, prior to the soldering operation. Although as shown, the terminal structure is applied toa relay, it is, of course, obvious that it may be used in all types of electrical structures requiring such terminals. Also,. it is not necessary that the terminal be adapted for the attachment of wires at more than one point, as is apparent. i These and other changes in the details of co struction of the invention may be made within the spirit thereof. The invention is to be broadly construed and not to be limited, except by-th character of the claims appended hereto; i

I I claim: 7 1. In combination, an insulating member havingv an" opening therethrough of substantially rectangular cross-section, a pair of metal strips passing through said opening, a shoulder on each strip, the shoulder of one strip'contacting the surface of said member at one end of said opening and the shoulder of the other strip contacting said member at the remaining endfof said opening, at least one of said strips being resilient and biased to exert pressure against the wall of said opening to'retain said strips in said opening by friction, corresponding notches in said strips at both ends thereof, and a terminal wire held in at least oneset of corresponding notches. 1 .2. In combination, an insulating member having an a opening therethrough of substantially rectangular cross-section, a' pair-of identicaiop positeiy' arranged metal strips passing through.

friction, andmeans securing togethersaid two strips against relative movement.

I FRANKC .-EBERT.

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