WO1998009344A1

WO1998009344A1 - Electrical connector

Info

Publication number: WO1998009344A1
Application number: PCT/US1997/014677
Authority: WO
Inventors: Vagner Fuzetti; Elias Antonio Sfeir; Joao Augusto Freire VIERA
Original assignee: The Whitaker Corporation
Priority date: 1996-08-27
Filing date: 1997-08-21
Publication date: 1998-03-05
Also published as: BR9603572A; AU4154797A

Abstract

An electrical connector assembly (10) includes a body (20) and a wing member (30). Body (20) includes two hook sections (22, 23), and an aperture (24) for receiving a conductor (12) therethrough, and a spring section (26) for undergoing stress when the connector assembly is fully assembled. Wing member (30) includes a cup for engaging conductor (12), bearing surfaces (33) for engaging conductor (13), and U-shaped spring bends (34), and spring bends (36). When in the fully assembled state, wing member (30) will undergo positive deflection and will induce a negative deflection in body (20). However, because of its positive deflection, and the fact that body (20) will not undergo creep stress, wing member (30) will take up for the loss in stress thereby maintaining contact normal forces between the body (20), wing member (30) and conductors (12, 13).

Description

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR

The present invention relates to an electrical connector for connecting a pair of electrical conductors .

An electrical connector which connects two conductors disposed perpendicularly relative to each other is disclosed in PCT/BR94/00038 wherein a U-shaped body member receives a first conductor therein and a second conductor is disposed through apertures formed in the body member, the conductor is disposed perpendicular relative to the first conductor. Between the conductors is a spring member which is forced between the conductors and undergoes some degree of positive deflection. One of the conductors is forced against the U-shaped member and the other conductor is forced against the apertures, thereby securing the conductors to the U-shaped member and to each other. In PCT/BR94/00038, the body member itself does not undergo any positive deflection.

Because the U-shaped member does not undergo deflection, excess pressure on the conductor can cause the metal in the conductor to creep overtime. What is needed is a member which undergoes deflection to maintain constant normal force on the conductors to not only provide a good electrical and mechanical connection, but also to prevent creep.

The invention comprises an electrical connector assembly for connecting two conductors. The connector includes a body and a compressible wing member to provide compressive force between the conductors. The wing member has spring bends which are compliant. The wing member undergoes positive deflection to secure the two conductors together. The body is a generally C- shaped member having a compliant section to ensure contact normal forces are maintained between the conductors . Embodiments of the present invention will know be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows an exploded isometric view of the electrical connector assembly according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows the connector assembly of Fig. 1 in a partially assembled state.

Fig. 3 shows a cross sectional view of the assembly as shown in Fig. 2 taken along line 3-3. Fig. 4 shows a side view of the connector assembly of Fig. 1 when in a fully assembled state.

Fig. 5 shows the connector assembly of Fig. 4 taken along line 5-5.

Fig. 6 shows an exploded isometric view of an alternative embodiment of the connector assembly.

Fig. 7 shows the connector with the conductors assembled thereto.

Fig. 8 shows the connector of Fig. 6 in the partially assembled state. Referring to Fig. 1 the electrical connector assembly 10 of the present invention will now be described. The electrical connector assembly 10 is used to connect two conductors together, such as conductors used to carry power. One of the conductors may be a supply conductor or a through conductor and the other conductor may be a tap conductor to provide a tap to the power conductor.

Connector assembly 10 includes a body 20 and a wing member 30 which electrically interconnect conductors 12 and 13. Each of the body 20 and wing member 30 are formed of a suitable metallic material having preselected spring characteristics. For example, copper alloys including phosphorus bronze or beryllium copper. The body 20 includes hook 22 and hook 23. The hook 22 defines a conductor receiving passage 27 and hook 23 defines a conductor receiving passage 28. An aperture 24 extends through the body 20 for receiving conductor 12 therethrough. The aperture 24 has a notch 24a for engaging an outer surface of the conductor 12. The body has a notch 25 for engaging conductor 12.

In one use of the connector, the conductor 12 is received through aperture 24 and notch 25 so that conductor 12 is received perpendicular to the conductor receiving passage 27. The body 20 has a spring section 26 for undergoing positive deflection as described hereinbelow.

Wing member 30 includes a cup section 32 for receiving conductor 12 therein. The wing member 30 has bearing surfaces 33 for bearing against conductor 13 when the assembly 10 is in a fully assembled state. Along either end of the wing member 30 are generally U- shaped spring bends 34, for undergoing positive deflection as will be described below, and spring bend 36 which will undergo positive deflection as well.

As shown in Fig. 2 the connector assembly 10 is in an intermediate assembly state whereby conductor 12 has been inserted through aperture 24 and notch 25 and conductor 13 has been inserted through the conductor receiving passage 28 in the hook 23. Wing member 30 is located intermediate the conductors 13 which conductors are disposed generally perpendicular to each other. Conductor 12 is received in cup 32, and U-shaped spring bends 34 are disposed generally laterally of conductor 13. Thus, an intermediate assembly state is defined.

An alternative assembly configuration for the connector is that the conductors 12, 13 can be received parallel to each other within the connector. Instead of being received through aperture 24, conductor 12 can be received along conductor receiving passage 27. In this configuration, spring bends 26 would be received against the outer surface of conductor 12.

A cross section of the intermediate assembly state is depicted in Fig. 3. The center of conductor 12 is indicated at point C with a line X radiating outwardly from the point C to a tangent point at the arcuate surface of, for example, the spring bend 36 on the right hands side as shown in Fig. 3. To fully assemble connector assembly 10 an operator will use a tool, for example, pliers, to compress the wing member 30 generally applying the compression forces at force vectors F adjacent to U-shaped spring bends 34 thereby forcing cup 32 away from conductor 13 and U-shaped spring bends 34 towards each other so that conductor 12 will be pressed into engagement with aperture 24 and notch 24a thereof when cup 32 pressingly engages conductor 12. As this occurs, bearing surfaces 33 will be generally rotated about point C so that they will be moved into pressing engagement with the outer surface of conductor 13, thus the wing member 30 will undergo stress in the U-shaped spring bend 34 and in spring bend 36 which will bend as bearing surfaces 33 are rotated about point C.

When the wing member is fully compressed into the final assembled state as shown in Fig. 4, the wing member will be under a positive deflection as will the body 20. Body 20 includes compliancy in the spring section 26 which tends to undergo a stress which has a negative deflection component to it as it is being bent towards a direction which tends to open up the bend rather than assist the bend in being closed. The forces exerted by the wing member 30 tends to open up the C- shape of the body 20 within the field of elasticity of the body. This deflection creates normal force on the conductors. Because the deflection is within the limit of elasticity, the body 20 will keep the normal forces on the conductor over a long period of time and will prevent creep in the conductors .

However, as shown in Fig. 5 which is a cross section of Fig. 4, the wing member 30 will be bent at U- shaped bends 34 and spring bends 36. This creates a positive deflection in spring member 30 so that as body 20 undergoes creep, i.e. any change in its dimension or characteristic as the constant stress from wing member 30 is applied to the body 20 over a given period of time, the positive stress of wing member 30 will ensure that there is sufficient contact normal force between wing member 30, body 20, and conductors 12 and 13.

Additionally, because the cup 32 is disposed between U- shaped spring bends 34 and the spring bends 34 are aligned to engage the cup 32 if the bends 34 are displaced to the left or to the right due to any pulling forces acting on conductor 13.

Figure 5 illustrates that the wing member 30 undergoes deformation during the termination process. The U-shaped spring bends 34 are deformed so that the ends are compressed together. Further, spring bends 36 are deformed upwardly, as is illustrated at 36'. The deformed wing member 30 provides the forces necessary to keep the wing member 30 secured between the conductors 12, 13.

If the conductors are aligned in a parallel arrangement, the body 20 and the wing member 30 will exert similar forces between the conductors when the connector is in the terminated position. The spring bends 36 will be forced against the conductor 13, thereby pushing the conductor 13 away from conductor 12. Conductor 13 will then be pushed against hook 22 thereby causing deflection in spring bend 26. The deflection of body 20 will ensure contact normal forces between the conductors 12, 13 will be maintained over a long period of time.

Figures 6, 7 and 8 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention. Figure 6 shows a connector assembly 110 has a body 120 with hooks 122, 123 forming conductor receiving passages 126, 127, a notch 125, and spring section 126. The body 120 also has a slot 140 which extends through hook 123 forming arms 142, 144. The slot 140 extends all the way to the position where the aperture 24 is on body 20, the top portion of the slot forming a notch, not shown, for receiving conductor 12 therethrough. The slot 140 provides greater resiliency in the body to provide better normal forces on the conductors after termination. The slot 140 provides a way to apply the connector assembly when the conductors 12, 13 are already installed and the slot 140 makes the engagement of the connector to conductor 12 much easier. The connector assembly also has a wing member 130 with a cup 132, bearing surfaces 133, U-shaped spring bends 134, and spring bends 136. Spring bends 136 have concave shaped recesses 137. Bearing surfaces 133 have concave shaped recesses 138. The concave shaped recesses provide better contact with the conductors 12, 13 in that the outer surface of the conductors will be conformably received within concave shaped recesses 137, 138 upon termination. The lock member 150 is able to lock the wing member 130 on the body 120 upon assembling the connector and assures no outward relaxation of wing member 130 after application, thereby maintaining a stable mechanical and electrical connection.

Figure 7 shows the assembly of the conductors 12, 13 within the body 120. Alternatively, the conductors

12, 13 could also be assembled parallel to each other by having conductor 12 received along the conductor receiving passage 127 defined by hook 122. In Figure 7, conductor 12 is received within notch 125 and the notch created at the top portion of the slot 140, not shown, and conductor 13 is received along the conductor receiving passage 128.

Figure 8 shows the assembled connector in the preterminated position. The wing member 130 is received between the conductors 12, 13 in the same manner as was described earlier for the first embodiment. The connector is then terminated in the same manner. The only difference is that the wing member 130 has concave shaped recesses 137, 138 which will engage the outer surface of the conductors to provide a better surface contact and avoid strand damage on the conductor.

Thus, while a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be strictly limited to such embodiment but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

Accordingly, what is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector assembly (10) for connecting two conductors (12, 13) comprising a body (20, 120) and a compressible wing member (30, 130) to provide compressive force between the conductors

(12,13), the wing member (30, 130) having spring bends which are compliant, the wing member (30, 130) undergoes positive deflection to secure the two conductors (12,13) together, characterized in that the body (20,120) is a generally C- shaped member having a compliant section

(26, 126) to ensure contact normal forces are maintained between the conductors (12, 13).

2. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the body (20,120) has conductor receiving passage (28,128) for receiving conductors therealong (13) .

3. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein an aperture (24) extends through the body (20) to receive one of the conductors (12) therein to receive a conductor perpendicular to the conductor receiving passage (28) .

4. The electrical connector assembly of claim 3 , wherein the wing member (30) has a central cup (32) which is aligned with the aperture (24) to receive the one of the conductors (12) therein.

5. The electrical connector assembly of claim 4, wherein the aperture (24) has a notch (24a) and the body has a notch (25) , the notches (24a, 25) being aligned with each other to receive the one of the conductors (13) therein.

6. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the wing member (30,130) has U-shaped spring bends (34,134) with bearing surfaces (33,133) therealong, the U-shaped spring bends (34,134) undergo positive deflection during termination and the bearing surfaces (33,133) are forced against the conductor (13).

7. The electrical connector assembly of claim 2, wherein the body has a second conductor receiving passage (27,127) .

8. The electrical connector assembly of claim 2, wherein a slot (140) extends along the C-shaped member in a transverse direction to the conductor receiving passage (28) , thereby forming two arms (142) .

9. The electrical connector assembly of claim 6, wherein the bearing surfaces (133) and the U-shaped bends (134) have concave shaped recesses (137, 138) therealong to provide surface contact with the conductors.

10. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the body (120) has a lock member (150) to engage the wing member (130) upon assembling the connector, thereby maintaining a stable mechanical and electrical connection.