US2619553A

US2619553A - Plural electrical conductor strip and collector

Info

Publication number: US2619553A
Application number: US102675A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alfred J Kroeckel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-07-01
Filing date: 1949-07-01
Publication date: 1952-11-25
Anticipated expiration: 1969-11-25

Description

Nov. 25, 1952 A. J. KROECKEL 2,619,553

PLURAL ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR STRIP AND COLLECTOR Filed July 1, 1949 4 ALFRED J. KROEC/(EL INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 25, 1952 PLURAL ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR STRIP AND COLLECTOR Alfred J. Kroeckel, Burbank, Calif. Application July 1, 1949, Serial No. 102,675

6 Claims.

The invention relates to an electrical conductor and, more particularly to an improved insulation covering for a portion of a bare conductor. The novel features reside in insulation for supporting the conductor to expose a portion of its periphery throughout its length and to a novel form of such insulation whereby the conductor may be readily associated with and held by the insulation. A further feature resides in insulation of such a nature that it may be employed as a support for the conductor.

A preferred use of the conductor relates to employing it as a trolley wire for a toy or other items forming no part of the present invention, although the conductor may also be employed in a coordinate wire relay for telephone systems or in other types of electrical apparatus.

For further details of the invention reference may be made to the drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a trolley wire having a pair of electrical conductors according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of apparatus illustrating one process for manufacturing the electrical conductor.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional View through one conductor and its associated insulation, with part of the insulation broken away.

Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 of a modified form of electrical conductor.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the invention provides a core I in the form of an extrusion of insulating material such as thermoplastic material, rubber or rubber substitute material. The core I is in the form of a rod or strip and it may take various forms, its essential requirement being that it has a longitudinally extending outwardly facing peripheral groove 2 as shown in Fig. 4, this groove conforming to a lengthwise strip of the periphery of a straight electrical conductor 3, and as a round or cylindrical conductor is illustrated in Fig. 4, the groove 2 is likewise concave. The groove 2 is formed in the course of extruding the core I and it extends slightly more than 180, as seen in section, for example from 200 to 220, thereby providing overhangs r re-entrant portions 4 and to hold the conductor 3 in the groove 2. In other words, the entrance to the groove 2 has a dimension smaller than the maximum width of the groove.

If the extrusion I is of rubber or similar material which is flexible and resilient at atmospheric temperature, the conductor 3 may be forced into the groove 2 by flexing one or both of the overhanging rims 4 and 5 to spread them apart enough to admit the conductor. The rims 4 and 5 terminate at an intermediate portion of the conductor 3 whereby the outer portion of conductor 3 is exposed. Also the rims 4 and 5 are narrow at their tops or outer ends and increase in thickness inwardly along the body. The rims d and 5 are somewhat wedge-shaped opposite that part of the conductor 3 which they embrace. The rims 4 and 5 thus have greater flexibility at their outer ends to facilitate insertion or removal of conductor 3 or the supporting cylindrical ridge 49 shown in Fig. 5 and de scribed later.

If the extrusion I is of thermo-plastic material such as tenite, assuming the extrusion I has cooled to atmospheric temperature and, therefore, has become rigid, it may again be brought to a flexible state by passing the same through an oven 6 to raise its temperature enough so that it becomes flexible or plastic, whereupon the electrical conductor here indicated at It) may be forced into the overhanging groove I I by supporting the extrusion I2 on a roller I3 and by guiding and forcing the conductor I I] into the groove II by means of an opposite roller I 4 having a groove I5 to conform to the contour of the conductor It. As the conductor It is here illustrated as being cylindrical, the groove I5 in that case would be semi-cylindrical.

The extrusion I may be extruded to have a supporting base 20 as shown in Fig. 1 whereby this base may be supported on a suitable bracket 2| and held thereto by a bolt 22. This figure also illustrates a similar extrusion 23 having a base 24 which is also held by the bolt 22, the extrusions I and 23 being arranged back to back on the bracket 2| so as to provide an upper conductor 3 and a lower parallel conductor 25, each exposed throughout its full length for a portion of its periphery and the remainder of the periphery being embraced and held in the groove like 2. Each extrusion may also have a base which extends on opposite sides of the conductor as 11- lustrated in Fig. 1 wherein the bases 20 and 24 are also held on opposite sides of the bracket 2: by a bolt 26.

The bracket 2I is held on a suitable support indicated at 21. The trolley 36 has an upper roller 3| which rides on the conductor 3 and a lower roller 32 which rides on or bears against the conductor 25. The rollers 3| and 32 are metal or other electrically conducting material. Roller 3| may be grounded to the frame 33 of the trolley, while the roller 32 is carried by an axle 3-2 insulated from the frame 33 by a bushing 35. An electrical connection not shown is made to the frame 33 and another electrical connection not shown is made to the axle 34. The rollers 3! and 32 have flanges which embrace and conform to the shape of the

cores

1 and 23 re spectively, each core having flat sides which taper out from the conductor in angular relation. to each other.

In the form shown in Fig. 5, the extrusion iil is formed with grooves 4|, 42, i3, each like groove 2 in Fig. 4, for electrical wires or conductors as, iii and 46, respectively. This form of the invention illustrates the use of a plurality of parallel grooves on the same extrusion here indicated as ll]. Each such groove may have an electrical conductor'as above described and an additional similar groove 41 may be provided to receive a support 58 which may be of metal or other material. The support 58 has a cylindrical ridge 49 having a contour the same as its groove 3?, the groove all being substantially the same as the other grooves like t i whereby the groove dl has overhanging portions like and 52 which embrace and hold the ridge 1% of corresponding shape. If desired, the support l3 rnay alsohave a flange i2 3 atone side of the ridge 49, and a flange 55 at the opposite side thereof, these flanges conforming to and fitting the adjoining portions of the extrusion as shown in Fig. 5.

The support it may be'as long as the extrusion at or it may be shorter and arranged at spaced intervals. As the support :3 is not flexible like the copper wire or other conductor iii, it would not be forced into its groove by a roller as shown in Fig. 3 but instead can be forced into the groove by pressing down on one overhang such as 5! to increase the minimum width of the groove enough so that the ridge 53 can enter the groove. This can be readily done if the extrusion is of rubher or the like, whereas if of thermo-plastic material it may be necessary to warm the extrusion to make it flexible as above described.

The bare conductors such as at If and id to 46 may be cemented in their respective grooves if desired although this is not necessary. If no cement is used, the conductor is removable from its groove, by pulling it out or pealing it off from the groove.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, the trolley 58 has an upper contact roller 6! which rides on the upper bare portion of the conductor 44, a brush 6'2 which rides on the outer exposed portion of the conductor 35, and a lower roller 53 which rides on the exposed lower portion of the conductor it.

The roller 6| may be grounded to the frame 55 to which an electrical connection is made as indicated at 65. The brush 52 is insulated from the frame 65 by a bushing 68, it is urged into contact with the conductor d5 by a. spring 6? arranged in a housing $9, and electrical connection is made to the spring 57 by a conductor 18.

The roller 53 is insulated from frame 65 by a bushing 'ii and electrical connection is made to it by a conductor 72.

Suitable electrical apparatus forming no part of the present invention is carried by the trolley like 69 and electrical connection to its various parts may be made by the conductors above described.

It will be apparent, therefore, that each extrusion or insulating core like I, 23 and 40 is adapted to frictionally retain its. conductor or conductors in its groove or grooves,,With'-a length-- 4 wise peripheral portion of such conductor exposed, the extrusion forming a support for the conductor or conductors.

The insulating core like I, 23 and 40 may be made by extruding it from a die of corresponding shape, in known manner, to form a strip of any desired length. If the insulating core like I, 23 and ii is substantially as long as the electrical conductor laid in its groove, then such conductor may be smaller than in the case where the

core

1, 23 and so is arranged in short pieces placed at spaced intervals along the conductor. In the latter case, the conductor need be large enough to have sufllcient rigidity to support the weight of the trolley and its parts.

Various other modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit of the following claims. For example, the cores i, it may be arranged at spaced intervals on their conductors.

I claim:

' 1. An electrical conductor device comprising an elongated body of insulating material having aplurality of sets of longitudinally extending spaced flexible rims, each set defining an outwardly facing peripheral groove of the same size and shape, the rims of each set being narrow at their outer ends and of increasing thickness inwardly of said body, said body having sides tape ing from the rims of each set, a conductor fitting in one of said grooves with its said rims termi-- natin at an intermediate portion of the periphery of the conductor and overhanging opposite sides of the conductor and retaining the'conductor'in its said groove, said conductor having a bare longitudinal portion, a relatively movable contact for the bare portion of said conductor and a support having an arcuate ridge having the same shape as said conductor and fitting in the other of said grooves.

2. An electrical conductor according to claim 1,.

with said conductor in one of said grooves and a support having a ridge fitting in the opposite groove, a carrier having a spring contact for said last mentioned conductor, the third of said grooves having a conductor and a contact roller therefor having flanges conforming to the shape of said body adjacent said third conductor.

5. An electrical conductor device comprising an elongated body of insulating material having two sets of longitudinally extending spaced rims, each set defining an outwardly facing peripheral groove, said grooves being opposite each other, the

rims of each set being narrow at theirouter ends and of increasing thicknes inwardly of said body, said body having sides tapering from the rims ofeach set, a conductor fitting in each of said grooves with the rims of each groove terminating.

at an intermediate portion of the periphery of the conductor and overhanging opposite sides of the conductor and retaining the conductor in its said groove, each ofsaid conductors having a bare longitudinal portion, said body having arecess;

a support fitting in said recess of said body, and a carrier having a contact roller for each of said conductors.

6. An electrical conductor according to claim 1 wherein said body has two pairs of sets of rims defining four peripheral grooves of the same shape and size, the grooves of each pair being opposite each other, with said conductor in one of said grooves and a similar conductor in an opposite groove, the other pair of grooves having a conductor in one groove and a support having a ridge fitting in the opposite groove, a carrier having a contact roller for each of the conductors of said first pair, one of said rollers having flanges conforming to the shape of said body adjacent its associated conductor, said carrier having a spring contact for the conductor of one groove of said second pair of grooves, and a support having an arcuate ridge having the same radius as said conductors and fitting in the other groove of said second pair of grooves.

ALFRED J. KROECKEL.

6 REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 453,326 Ide June 2, 1891 1,625,744 Remy Apr. 19, 1927 2,234,745 Von Rarrel Mar. 11, 1941 2,279,383 Von Gehr Apr. 14, 1942 2,332,766 Von Gehr Oct. 26, 1943 2,453,778 Benbow Nov. 16, 1948 2,562,623 Levering July 31, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 483,714 England Apr. 25, 1938