Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
  • H01R13/53—Bases or cases for heavy duty; Bases or cases for high voltage with means for preventing corona or arcing
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/648—Protective earth or shield arrangements on coupling devices, e.g. anti-static shielding  
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/648—Protective earth or shield arrangements on coupling devices, e.g. anti-static shielding  
  • H01R13/6485—Electrostatic discharge protection
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/02—Contact members
  • H01R13/03—Contact members characterised by the material, e.g. plating, or coating materials
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/02—Contact members
  • H01R13/193—Means for increasing contact pressure at the end of engagement of coupling part, e.g. zero insertion force or no friction

Definitions

• the invention relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly, to an electrical connector that suppresses arcing if connected or disconnected while current is flowing.
• Electrical connectors generally should not be connected or disconnected while the electrical load is turned on. Electrical arcing between the separated contacts of a live electrical connector present a hazard of fire and of burns to the user, and any such arcing tends to reduce the useful life of the connector.
• One approach is to provide a separate, shorter set of contacts within the connector, and configure the connector so that the shorter contacts are engaged after and disengaged before the primary electrical connections. The lack of current across the shorter connection is then used to trigger a separate switching device placed in the primary electrical circuit that shuts off the current in the circuit before the separation of the primary electrical connections.
• adding an additional contact and switching device increases both the bulk and the cost of the system.
• Another approach is to include an insulating barrier that covers the leading end of one of the electrical contacts and blocks the direct through-air path between the contacts as the connectors are mated and un-mated.
• arcing can still occur through an indirect path that by-passes the insulating barrier.
• a novel connector pair suppresses electrical arcing between separated contacts during mating and un-mating of the connectors, without including an additional connection or switching device.
• One general aspect of the invention includes an insulating barrier that suppresses arcing between separated contacts during connection and disconnection of the electrical contacts.
• the insulation barrier of the present invention thereby protects users from electrical burns and extends the useful life of the connector.
• the insulating barrier includes both a male and a female barrier, at least one of which is configured so that it extends beyond at least one of the contacts and covers the leading edge of the contact.
• the male and female barriers engage with each other when the contacts are separated, thereby closing off all through- air paths between the contacts and suppressing arcing.
• arcing between separated contacts is further suppressed by constructing the leading edge of at least one of the electrical contacts from a metal having low electrical conductivity, so that the electrical resistance of the connection is significantly increased immediately before the contacts are separated, thereby lowering the electrical current and the energy available for electrical arcing, without adding an additional connection or any special switching circuitry.
• At least one of the electrical contacts in at least one of the connectors is a bi-metal contact having a metallic composition that is configured to create within the contact an operating segment that has low resistance and a transitional segment that has high
• transitional segment makes exclusive initial and final contact during mating and un-mating of the connectors, and the operating segment conducts current when the connectors are fully mated.
• the transitional segment is located at the leading end of the electrical contact.
• Figure 1 A is a partial cross-sectional diagram of a prior art male and female connector pair in a connected configuration
• Figure I B is a partial cross-sectional diagram of the prior art connector pair of Figure 1A showing arcing during disconnection;
• Figure 2A is a partial cross-sectional diagram of a male and female connector pair in a connected configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention
• Figure 2B is a partial cross-sectional diagram of the connector pair of Figure 2A, showing suppression of arcing by the insulating barrier during disconnection;
• Figure 3A is a top view of a male and female connector pair shown in a connected configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 3B is a cross-sectional side view of the connector pair of Figure 3A;
• Figure 4A is a top view of the male and female connector pair of Figure 3A shown in a partially disconnected configuration.
• Figure 4B is a cross-sectional side view of the connector pair of Figure 4A;
• Figure 5A is a partial cross-sectional side view of a connector pair similar to Figure 2A, but including a contact having a leading segment made from a high resistance metal;
• Figure 5B is a cross-sectional side view of the connector pair of Figure 5A, shown in a partially disconnected configuration.
• a typical male and female connector pair of the prior art includes a male contact 100 and a female contact 102.
• One of the contacts (here the female contact 102) is flexible and is placed under tension by a spring 1 12 so that a shaped region of the contact 102 will ride over the leading end of the male contact 100 and press against a connecting surface of the male contact 100 when the connectors are mated.
• Insulated housings 104, 106 surround the male and female contacts, and shield the contacts from environmental hazards, as well as providing some protection to a user in case arcing occurs when the user is handling the connector pair.
• additional insulating structures 108, 1 10 are provided proximal to the outer faces of the contacts 100, 102 to support the contacts 100, 102, and to provide receiving channels for the two insulating housings 104, 106 to mate.
• a spring 1 12 is also included to provide a pressing tension between the flexible female contact 102 and the fixed male electrical contact 100.
• Figure IB shows the connector pair of Figure 1A having been partially disconnected while a voltage is still being applied.
• the leading ends of the two contacts 100, 102 are separated by a short gap, and through-air electrical arcing 1 14 is taking place between them.
• Figure 2A is a partial cross-sectional illustration of an embodiment of the present invention, shown in a connected configuration.
• the embodiment is similar to the prior art design of Figure 1A, except that the insulating support structures 108, 1 10 have been replaced by insulating barrier structures 200, 202.
• the male insulating barrier structure 200 extends beyond the male contact 100, and covers the leading end of the male contact 100.
• the female insulating barrier 202 extends beyond the female contact 102.
• the female barrier 202 is in front of the leading end of the female contact. In similar embodiments it covers or nearly covers the end of the female contact.
• Figure 2B is a partial cross-sectional illustration of the embodiment of Figure 2A shown in a partially disconnected configuration.
• the male insulating barrier 200 is very near to or physically in contact with the femail insulating barrier 202, thereby blocking substantially all through-air arcing paths between the contacts 100, 102.
• Some embodiments include a spring or other tensioning mechanism that presses the male and female insulating barriers against each other when the connectors are partially disconnected.
• Figure 3A is a top view of the complete connector pair of which Figures 2A and 2B are partial cross sections, shown in a connected configuration.
• Figure 3B is a cross-sectional side view of the complete connector of Figure 3 A.
• Figure 4A is a top view of the complete connector pair of which Figures 2A and 2B are partial cross sections, shown in a partially disconnected configuration.
• Figure 4B is a cross-sectional side view of the complete connector of Figure 4A.
• FIG. 5A is a partial cross-sectional side view of an embodiment similar to Figure 2A, except that the leading end 500 of the male contact 100 is made from high resistance metal.
• the figure shows the connector in a connected configuration, where the female contact 102 physically engages with a part of the male contact 100 that is low resistance, for example copper.
• Figure 5B is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of Figure 5 A shown in a partially disconnected configuration, where the female contact 102 is engaged with the high resistance end 500 of the male contact 100. It can be seen from the figure that during disengagement, the end of the female contact 102 slides from the low resistance portion of the male contact 100 onto the high resistance portion 500 of the male contact 100, and then onto the male insulating barrier 202 which blocks any tendency of the current to arc from the female contact 102 to the end 500 of the male contact 100. The resistance of the circuit is thereby increased during disconnection in two steps, rather than transitioning suddenly from low resistance to near-infinite resistance.
• the insulating barriers 200, 202 are omitted, and arcing is suppressed primarily by manufacturing the leading end of at least one of the contacts 100 from a metal such as nickel-chrome or stainless steel that has a high electrical resistance 500.

Landscapes

• Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
• Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (3)

Families Citing this family (6)

Citations (8)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2013
  • 2013-01-04 EP EP13870163.6A patent/EP2941799B1/en active Active
  • 2013-01-04 CN CN201380069100.3A patent/CN104904073B/zh active Active
  • 2013-01-04 JP JP2015551660A patent/JP6282286B2/ja active Active
  • 2013-01-04 WO PCT/US2013/020208 patent/WO2014107156A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (8)

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