A BATTERY TERMINAL CONNECTOR

Abstract: A battery terminal connector with a plastics housing (10) has a laterally extending threaded stub (15) for the application of an insulating nut (23), which serves to press a contact device (16, 17) with applied cable (25, 26) against a battery terminal post (13). To enable connection of a starter cable without removal of the battery terminal connector, the contact device is formed with a rearward extension (27) which protrudes through the nut and a distance over the cable sheath (25). The risk of battery short-circuit by loss of tools or other elongate metallic articles is minimized in that the nut has two or more rearwardly extending legs (28).

Description: A battery terminal connector The invention relates to a battery terminal connector having a housing of insulating material and with a terminal post hole to receive a battery terminal post as well as a cable hole which is preferably substan¬ tially perpendicular to the terminal post hole and serves to receive a contact device to establish con¬ nection between a battery cable and the terminal post and which extends through a threaded stub on the hous¬ ing, said contact device being slidable in the cable hole and capable of being pressed against a terminal post in the terminal post hole by means of a nut or a threaded bushing of insulating material, said nut or threaded bushing being screwed on to or into the threaded stub and having an inwardly extending flange which cooperates with a substantially radial face on the contact device. Such a battery terminal connector can be manufactured at a relatively low price because both the housing and the nut or the threaded bushing can consist of an in- expensive plastics material, e.g. acetal plastics. However, all the conducting parts of the applied ter¬ minal connector are enclosed by insulating material, which makes it impossible to connect a starter cable without first removing the terminal connector. In con- nection with battery terminal connectors of a similar type it has been proposed to overcome this drawback by providing the housing or a sleeve member corresponding to the threaded stub with an opening which is normally covered by a detachable or hinged cover, which may have the form of a clamp. Such a feature complicates the entire structure and adds to the cost. The object of the invention is to provide a battery terminal connector of the present type which, without any noticeable increase in the cost, allows a starter cable to be connected to the applied terminal con- nector. This object is achieved in that the contact device has a rearwardly extending conducting element which, in the applied position of the battery terminal connector, protrudes through the nut or the threaded bushing and over a portion of the cable insulation. In such a structure the projecting portion of the contact device is directly accessible for connection of a starter cable, and the additional cost involved is just the material of the extension. When the contact device exclusively consists of con¬ ducting elements, the conducting rearwardly extending extension can expediently be constructed as stated in claim 2. However, some cheapening of the battery terminal con- nector can be obtained when part of the contact device is made of insulating material, as stated in claim 3, in which case the conducting, rearwardly extending extension can be strip-shaped, likewise as stated in claim 3. Another expedient detail is stated in claim 4. Preferably, as stated in claim 5, the nut or the threaded bushing is formed with two or more preferably axial legs which extend rearwardly at least to the rear end of the preferably tubular extension of the contact device. This minimizes the risk of battery short-circuit because of lost or carelessly placed tools or other conducting parts since the rearwardly extending legs can easily be shaped and dimensioned so as to offer effective protection against such short- circuit. Moreover, the legs form a convenient finger grip for screwing on and off the nut, just as they permit the use of pliers or wrenches for tightening or loosening the nut, when said nut is not hexagonal, but cylindrical. The invention will be explained more fully below with reference to the drawing, in which fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through an embodiment of the battery terminal connector of the invention, fig. 2 is a perspective vi ~ ew of a sleeve-shaped nut incorporated in it, figs. 3, 4 and 5 show part of an amended embodiment of the contact device, seen from the top, from the end and in an elevated- longitudinal •section, respectively, and fig. 6 is a perspective view of a metal strip intended to be inserted in said part. In the drawing, the numeral 10 represents a substan¬ tially frustro-conical battery terminal connector housing which has a lateral extension 11 and consists of insulating material, e.g. a suitable, strong plas- tics material. The housing has a terminal post hole 12 to receive a battery terminal post 13 shown in broken lines and a cable hole 14 which is substantially perpendicular to said post and extends through the lateral extension 11 and through an exteriorly threaded pipe stub 15 which is integral with the extension. The cable hole 14 slidably receives a contact device consisting of two members, viz. a cylindrical contact element 16 and a sleeve 17, both made of lead or alloyed lead. The front end face 18 of the contact element 16 has a cone surface shape corresponding to the shape of the battery terminal post. On the rear end face 19 the contact element has a conical tip 20. The front end of the sleeve 17 is formed with an inner conical face 21, and the sleeve has an outer annular flange 22 somewhat spaced from both ends. A sleeve- shaped union nut 23, which consists of an insulating material such as plastics and is screwed on to the threaded stub 15, has an inwardly extending end flange 24 which "engages the flange 22 of the sleeve 17 during the screwing-in operation and thus presses the sleeve against the contact element 16, which is in turn pressed against the terminal post 13. As shown more clearly in fig. 2, the nut 23 has moreover two rear- wardly extending legs 28 which, in the applied position of the terminal connector as shown in fig. 1, extends axially a short distance beyond the rear end portion 27 of the sleeve 17 protruding from the tubular por¬ tion of the nut 23. A battery cable with an insulating sheath 25 whose end portion is stripped, is mounted in that the exposed threads 26 - after the nut 23 and the sleeve 17 have been pushed over the cable - are pressed over the conical tip 20 of the contact element 16 so that the threads will be spread and distributed over the surface of the tip. The sleeve 17 is now pushed forwardly over the threads, and the nut 23 is screwed on to the stub 15 and tightened so that the cable threads will be fixed between the conical face 21 of the sleeve 17 and the conical face of the contact element 16, and the contact element 16 will be clamped against the terminal post 13. The rear end portion 27 of the sleeve 17, which pro¬ trudes through the tubular portion of the nut 23, makes it possible to establish connection to the bat¬ tery terminal post, e.g. with a starter cable, without removing the terminal connector. The fact that the protruding sleeve portion has relatively modest dimensions and is in a retracted position with respect ot the rest of the battery terminal connector, reduces the risk of short-circuit caused by lost or carelessly placed tools or the like. This risk is additionally reduced by the rearwardly extending legs 28 of the nut which have such a width that they cover a con¬ siderable portion of the surface of the sleeve. This in combination with the thickness of the legs has the effect that only under very unfortunate circumstances can tools or other metallic articles long enough to cause short-circuits simultaneously touch the lead sleeves of both terminals. The conductive sleeve 17 can optionally be replaced by such a sleeve 29 of insulating material as is shown in figs. 3-5. This sleeve is constructed in the same • manner as the sleeve 17, except that its inner wall is formed with an axial through-going groove 30 to receive such a metal strip 31 as is shown in fig. 6, and that it has a cut-out 32 at its outer end adjacent the groove 30. The metal strip 31 is of such length as to extend through the cut-out 32 and a distance beyond the rear edge of the sleeve so that it is readily accessible for connection of a starter cable. The battery terminal connector of the invention may be designed in many other ways than those shown and described in the foregoing. For example, the contact device might be made in one piece and moulded around the exposed thread ends of the cable. And the pipe stub 15 might be internally threaded instead of ex¬ ternally, and in that case the nut 23 would be re¬ placed by a threaded bushing with external threads. Moreover, the rearwardly directed extension 27 of the sleeve 17 does not have to be tubular, but might optionally be slitted or just consist of one or more rod-shaped or strip-shaped parts. Also the rearwardly extending legs of the nut may be formed in a manner other than the one shown in the drawing, and more than two such legs may be provided.

Claims: P a t e n t C l a i s 1. A battery terminal connector having a housing of insulating material and with a terminal post hole to receive a battery terminal post as well as a cable hole which is preferably substantially perpendicular to the terminal post hole and serves to receive a contact device to establish connection between a battery cable and the terminal post and which extends through a threaded stub on the housing, said contact device being slidable in the cable hole and capable of being pressed against a terminal post in the terminal post hole by means of a nut or a threaded bushing of insulating material, said nut or threaded bushing being screwed on to or into the threaded stub and having an inwardly extending flange which coope- rates with a substantially radial face on the contact device, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the contact device has a rearwardly extending conducting element which, in the applied position of the battery terminal connector, protrudes through the nut or the threaded bushing and over a portion of the cable insulation. 2. A battery terminal connector according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the rearwardly extending, conducting element is formed by a tubular extension of the contact device. 3. A battery terminal connector according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the contact device consists of a conducting contact means intended to engage the battery terminal post and an insulating sleeve formed with said substantially radial face to receive the stripped wire ends of the battery cable and to press said wire ends together around a rear- wardly extending, substantially conical part of the contact means upon tightening of the nut or the threaded sleeve, and that the rearwardly extending conducting element is strip-shaped and embedded along the inner wall ' of the insulating sleeve. 4. A battery terminal connector according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the inner wall of the insulating sleeve is formed with an axial through-going groove to receive the strip-shaped element. 5. . A battery terminal connector according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the nut or the threaded bushing is formed with two or more preferably axial legs which extend rearwardly at least to the rear end of the preferably tubular extension of the contact device.

Inventors: PALSSON JOHANNES SAEMUNDUR, PALSSON, JOHANNES, SAEMUNDUR
Applicants: PALSSON JOHANNES SAEMUNDUR, PALSSON, JOHANNES, SAEMUNDUR
Application year: 1985
Main classification: H01R11
IPC codes: H01R11