US2606264A

US2606264A - Terminal and contact construction for electric switches

Info

Publication number: US2606264A
Application number: US126468A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward N Jacobi
Original assignee: Briggs and Stratton Corp
Current assignee: Briggs and Stratton Corp
Priority date: 1949-11-10
Filing date: 1949-11-10
Publication date: 1952-08-05
Anticipated expiration: 1969-08-05

Description

Aug? 5, i1952 E. N. JACOBI 2,606,264

TERMINAL AND CONTACT CONSTRUCTION FOR ELECTRIC SWITCHES Filed Nov. 10, 1949 l 7 II! I MGM Patented Aug. 5, 1952 TERMINAL AND CONTACT CONSTRUCTION FOR ELECTRIC SWITCHES Edward N. Jacobi, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Briggs & Stratton Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application November 10, 1949, Serial No. 126,468

This invention relates to electric switches and refers more particularly to a terminal and contact construction for switches of the type forming the subject matter of the copending application of .Edward N. Jacobi, Serial No. 123,709, filed October 26, 1949.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive contact and terminal construction for such switches by which a conductor can be directlyconnected to the terminal portion in a manner facilitating the use of armored protection for the conductors Another object of this invention'is to provide an improved contact and terminal member wherein the terminal portion has a part arranged to be clamped and clinched to the bared end portion of a conductor and another part similarly engageable with the insulated portion of the conductor to firmly anchor and electrically connect the contact and terminal member to the conductor in a manner which permits the entire connection to be receivedin a hole or pocket in the terminal head leaving the back of the terminal head free for theattachment of an armor sheath for the conductor.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a contact and terminal member of the character described which is so designed that upon its assembly with the terminal head it retains its position frictionally and thus facilitates assembly of the parts.

With the above and other objects in view, which willappear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a switch of the type to which this invention pertains having a part thereof broken away to illustrate the details of the combined contact and terminal member per se;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view through Figure l on the plane of the line 2-2 which is directly ahead of the disc in which the stationary contacts of the switch are mounted, part of said disc being broken away;

5 Claims. (01. 200-166) Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken through Figure 1 on the plane of the line 33; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the combined contact and terminal member per se.

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawing the numeral 4 designates the case or housing of the switch which, as more fully described in the aforesaid copending application, houses a rotary contactor 5, part of which is shown in Figure 1, a lock (not shown) and a coupling (also not shown)v through which rotation of the lock cylinder is transmitted to the rotary contactor 5.

The contactor 5 has a plurality of contacts arranged to slide across the stationary contact face provided by a fiat disc 5 of insulating material which overlies the fiat front face of a terminal head i. The terminal head 1 is molded from suitable insulating material while the disc 6 is stamped from sheet stock having better wearing qualities than the molded terminal head.

In the assembled condition of the switch shown in Figure 1 the disc 6 is clamped between the fiat front face of the terminal head and a shoulder 8 formed in the case or housing 4, the termi nal head being held in place by clinching over the marginal edge of the case or housing.

Though the terminal head mounts a number of stationary contacts the present invention concerns only one of these, and when the switch is used as an ignition switch for automobiles this contact is the ignition contact and is connected with the ignition coil through an armored conductor 9. The armored conductor, of course, includes a conductor wire In covered with insulation H and a metal sheath l2.

It is, of course, important that the overall size of the switch be held to a minimum and that the connection between the conductor 9 and its contact be protected as well as the conductor. The present invention achieves this objective in a simple and expeditious manner and to this end provides a combined contact and terminal member I3 stamped and formed from suitable sheet metal and designed to be mounted entirely within the terminal head. To accommodate the combined contact and terminal member the terminal head has a cavity l4 opening to its flat front face and a hole l5 leading from the bottom of the cavity and extending through the terminal head to the back thereof; and the disc 6 has a hole [6 in line with but smaller than the mouth of the cavity. Portions of the cavity are thus covered by the disc.

The contact portion I! of the member I3 is flat and fits within the hole 16 in the disc. At one side edge thereof the contact portion [1 has two locating lugs or ears l8 projecting therefrom. These lugs are offset rearwardly an amount such that their flat front faces are spaced from the plane of the outer front face of the contact portion [Ta distance equal to the thickness of the disc 6.

The opposite side edge of the contact portion H has an offset part 19 extended therefrom, the extent of its offset, however, being less than that of the lugs l8 so that the part [9 lies between the faces of the disc =6 in a bay 2G in one side of the hole [6. The part i9 is bent perpendicularly as at 2| and then again at right angles to'form a portion 22 parallel to and overlying the part l9 7 and the contact portion H. The portions 19, 2 iand 22 thus together define substantially a U- shaped or channel-like structure with theportion 2 I serving as the web thereof.

The opposite ends of this web portion 2| are extended to provide locating lugs 23 which are bent inwardly, as best shown in Figure 2, to lie in planes defining an obtuse angle between them. The purpose of this angular disposition of the lugs 23 will be brought out hereinafter. At this point it is desired to direct attention to the fact that the front edges 24 of the lugs 23 are parallel to and spaced from the front face of the contact portion ll the same distance as are the outer faces of the lugs 18. Hence, when these edges 24 and the front faces of the lugs l8 lie flat against the underside or rear face of the disc 5, the front face of the contact portion l? is flush with the front face of the disc.

The cavity l4 and hole i5 in the terminal head accommodate the portions of the combined contact and terminal member 53 lying beneath or rearwardly of the disc 8. One side portion of the cavity receives the lugs l8. The opposite side portion of the cavity, which is deeper, receives the channel-shaped part of the member l3, and the angularly bent lugs or ears 23 are received in pockets or lateral extensions 25 at this side of the cavity.

The pockets 25, of course, open to the fiat front face of the terminal head and have opposite parallel side walls 26 perpendicular to the front face of the terminal head. The space between these side walls 26 is slightly less than the distance between the plane of the outer face of the web portion 2! and the edges of the lugs farthest removed from said plane. Hence, it will be readily apparent that with the combined contact and terminal member in place the outer face of the web portion 2! lies flat against the adjacent side of the cavity and the lugs 23 are confined between the walls 25 of the pockets 25. This necessitates slight flexing of the lugs 23 and this slight flexing or tension. frictionally holds the combined contact and terminal member assembled with the terminal head during assembly of the parts.

It is to be understood that the relative sizes of the mouth of the cavity M including its lateral extensions or pockets 25 and the hole [6 with its bay 2B are such that the pockets 25 and those portions of the cavity in which the lugs I8 are disposed are covered by the disc, thereby enabling the lugs l8 and 23 to engage the underside of the disc and hold its contact portion l'l against outward displacement beyond a position at which its front face is flush with the front face of the disc.

Two bosses or pads 2'? formed integrally with the terminal head and rising from its flat front face engage the back or underside of the contact portion l1 near its opposite ends to coact with the lugs I8 and 23 in holding the contact portion l1 firmly in proper position.

The terminal portion 28 of the member 13 extends perpendicularly from its part 22 and is substantially channel-shaped in cross section with the sidesof the channelshaped to provide two sets of clinching

arms

29 and 30, the latter being shortest and nearest to the terminal portion I1. These clinching

arms

29 and 30 are adapted to be folded over the insulation and bared end portion of the conductor to thus firmly anchor the member [3 to .the conductor and establish a good electrical connection between it and the contact member.

With

thearms

29 and 30 folded and clinched over the conductor as described, the actual connection between the terminal and the conductor is hardly larger in diameter than the conductor itself. Hence, it may beconveniently received within the hole l5 in the'terminal head leaving the back of the terminal head unobstructed for anchorage of the armored sheath l2, and while the specific manner'in which the sheath is anchored forms no part of this invention it is to be noted that its reception in a ferrule 3| which in turn is securedto a stamped cap 32 allows the sheath to be secured to the back of the terminal head in a way which affords complete protection for the conductor'and its connection to the contact and terminal member I3.

From the foregoing description taken with the accompanyin drawing it will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art that the novel combined contact and terminal memberof this invention, and the manner in which it is mounted on the terminal head and connected to its wire lead achieves remarkable simplicity and compactness in addition to many other advantages including low cost.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an electric switch: a terminal head having a flat front face and .a cavity opening to said flat front face, said cavity having opposed pockets opening to the front face of the terminal head and each having side walls substantially perpendicular to said front face, said terminal head also having a hole therethrough leading from the bottom of the cavity; a disc of insulating material overlying the flat front face of the terminal head, said disc having a hole therethrough substantially in line with the cavity but smaller than the mouth of the. cavity so that portions of the cavity including said opposed pockets are covered by the disc; a combination contact and terminal memberhaving a fiat contact portion received in the hole in the disc; lugs extended from one side edge of the contact portion and engaging the underside of the disc, said lugs being received in that portion of the cavity covered by the portion of the disc which the lugs underlie; other lugs extended from a part connected to the contact portion, said other lugs lying in planes perpendicular to the fiat contact portion and being bent to define an obtuse angle therebetween, said other lugs being received in the pockets of the cavity and frictionally engaging the opposite side walls thereof; and a terminal portion extending from said part from which said other lugs project, received in the hole in the terminal head and to which a conductor may be connected.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 further characterized by the fact that said other lugs engage the underside of the disc portions covering the pockets in which they are disposed, and by the fact that all of said lugs have their portions which engage the underside of the disc spaced from the plane of the flat front face of the contact portion a distance equal to the thickness of the disc; and a boss on the terminal head engaging the underside of the contact portion and of a height to hold the lugs snugly against the underside of the disc when said disc lies flat against the front face of the terminal head.

3. As an article of manufacture, a combined contact and terminal member for electric switches, comprising: a sheet metal stamping having a flat contact portion; spaced locating lugs extending from one side edge of the contact portion and having flat surfaces offset rearwardly from and lying in a plane parallel to the front face of the contact portion; a lateral projection extending from the other side edge of the contact portion also oifset rearwardly from the contact portion, said projection being shaped to have a rearwardly directed portion substantially perpendicular to the plane of the contact portion, and a part extending from the rear edge of the rearwardly directed portion and overlying but spaced from the contact portion so that said projection is substantially channel-shaped, and said part, which provides the rear flange of the channel, having a terminal portion extending rearwardly therefrom; the opposite ends of the web or bottom of the channel being extended and bent inwardly at an obtuse angle to the web or bottom of the channel to provide another set of locating lugs, lying in planes perpendicular to that of the contact portion and the front edges of which lie in the same plane occupied by the fiat surfaces of the first-mentioned locating lugs; and means on the terminal portion for securing a conductor thereto in good electrical contact therewith.

4. As an article of manufacture, a combined contact and terminal member for electric switches, comprising: a sheet metal stamping having a, flat contact portion; a fiat mounting portion extending rearwardly from one side edge of the contact portion, substantially perpendicular to the plane of the contact portion; lugs extending from said mounting portion, bent out of the plane thereof, at an obtuse angle thereto, and lying in planes perpendicular to the plane of the contact portion, said lugs having their front edges disposed'in a common plane parallel to that of the contact portion and spaced rearwardly thereof; a terminal portion extending rearwardly from said mounting portion; and means on said terminal portion for securing a conductor thereto in good electrical contact therewith.

5. In an electric switch: a terminal head having a, fiat front surface and having a cavity opening to said fiat surface, said cavity including an elongated pocket opening to the front surface of the terminal head, which pocket has opposed side walls perpendicular to said front surface, said terminal head also having a hole leading from the bottom of the cavity and extending through the terminal head; a disc of insulating material overlying and in flat surface-to-surface engagement with the front surface of the terminal head, said disc having a hole therethrough smaller than the mouth of the cavity and in line with the cavity so that portions of the mouth of the cavity are covered by the disc; a stamped and formed sheet metal contact and terminal member having a flat contact portion received in the hole in the disc; a mounting member extending from one side edge of the contact portion and having a fiat portion perpendicular to the contact portion overlying one side Wall of said pocket in the terminal head; lugs extending from said flat portion of the mounting member at obtuse angles thereto and lying in planes perpendicular to the contact portion, with a free edge of each lug frictionally engaging a side wall of said pocket opposite to that engaged by said flat portion of the mounting member to thereby hold the contact and terminal member assembled with the terminal head; and a terminal portion received in said hole through the terminal head and to which a conductor may be secured.

EDWARD N. J ACOBI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 7 2,142,818 Jacobson Jan. 3, 1939 2,186,638 Hall Jan. 9, 1940 2,427,277 flasselbaum net-P Sept. 9, 1947