ELECTRICAL WIRE CONNECTOR

Abstract: An electrical wire connector has a cylindrical housing (1) and a clamping member (7-10) rotatably mounted therein. The clamping member has rounded edges (10a-10d), which are capable of gripping an insulated wire introduced into the housing and pulling it circumferentially along the wall of the housing, whereby contact can be established between the locally exposed conductor and the wall of the housing and/or the clamping member without peeling off the insulation. The housing is subdivided along its axial direction into a number of elements (2), which in the process of clamping the wire can yield outwards resiliently independently of one another. Thereby the wall of the housing can adapt itself to conductors of varying thickness and of varying type within a wide range.

Description: Electrical Wire Connector. This invention relates to an electrical wire connector, com¬ prising a housing which has a substantially cylindrical , electrically conducting inner wall having a wire ingress opening , through which an insulated wire to be connected can be introduced circumferential ly along the inner wall and transversely of the axis thereof, and a clamping member, which is mounted in the housing for rotation relati¬ vely to the inner wall thereof, said clamping member having at least one rounded edge and being so dimensioned that each edge, after having gripped the wire, penetrates wedge-like into the insulation and upon further rotation of the clamping member remains in its psotion of wedge-like engagement in the insulation and thereby, in its further movement, pulls the wire in its entirety along in a sliding movement circumferential ly along the inner wall of the housing without peeling off the insulation . Wire connectors of this kind are known from US-PS 4 215 909 and ' US-PS 4 223 904. I n the wire connector known from US-PS 4 223. 904, the clamping member is in the form of a conducting contact member, which is so arranged and constructed that its rounded edge, upon gripping the wire, performs a blunt scraping movement along and into the body of the wire so as to first break through and displace the insulation, and then , upon engaging the exposed conductor, to deform the conductor plastically and without forming a notch . I n the wire connector known from US-PS 4 215 909, the wire is so clamped between the rounded edge of the clamping member and the inner wall of the housing that during the sliding movement circumferential ly along the wall of the housing the conductor of the wire will be pressed out through the insulation so as to make electical contact with the wall . In the former construction , the wire introduced into the wi¬ re connector is primarily connected to the clamping member, which must therefore be electrically conducting , while the cylindrical inner wall of the housing must not necessarily be so. In the latter construction the wire introduced into the housing is primarily connect¬ ed to the cylindrical inner wall of the housing , which must therefore be electrically conducting, while the clamping member must not neces¬ sarily be so . In both cases, the adaptation of the clamping slot formed be¬ tween the rounded edges of the clamping member and the cylindrical inner wall of the housing to the type and thickness of the wire, which is necessary in order to obtain a good and reliable establishment of contact, sets rather narrow limits for types of wire for which the wi¬ re connector can be used . It is the object of the invention to provide a wire connector of the kind referred to, which can be used for types of wires within a considerably wider range, and which makes it possible to introduce wires of widely different thickness side by side into the same clamping slot and still to obtain efficient establishment of contact. With this object in view, the invention is characterized in that the housing is split up along its axial direction into a number of elements, which are traversed by a common axially extending opening forming the wire ingress opening and, during the introduction and further movement of a wire, are capable of expanding independently of one another against a resilient force. Hereby the advantage is obtained that when a wire is intro¬ duced, the elements of the housing can yield independently of one an- other and will thereby be resiliently urged against the surface of the wire at a force which , within a wide range of wire thicknesses and types, will be sufficient for ensuring that during the sliding of the wire along the housing wall an efficient establishment of contact will take place. The invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a top view of one embodiment of an electrical wire connector according to the invention, Fig . 2 is a section along the line 11 -I I in Fig. 1 , Fig . 3 shows the wire connector of Fig . 1 , likewise in top view, but after a single wire has been intro¬ duced Into and clamped in the wire connector, Fig . 4 is a section along the line IV- IV in Fig . 3, Figs . 5, 6 and 7 are sections along the line V-V in Fig . 4 with the clamping member in three different posi¬ tions of rotation, Fig . 8 is a section corresponding to Figs . 2 and 4, but where two wires of different thickness have been introduced and clamped, Fig . 9 is a top view of a second embodiment of a wire connector according to the invention , Fig . 10 is a section along the line X-X in Fig . 9, Fig . 11 is a diametrical section through a housing element of a third embodiment of a wire connector accord¬ ing to the invention , Fig . 12 is a plan view of a housing element of a fourth embodiment of a wire connector according to the invention, as seen in its non-loaded state, Fig . 13 shows the housing element of Fig. 12 In the form, which it assumes when a wire has been introduced into contact with the element, Fig . 14 is a cross section along the line XI V-XI V in Fig . 5 through a fifth embodiment of a wire connector according to the invention, and Fig . 15 is a longitudinal section along the line XV-XV in Fig . 14. Figs . 1 and 2 show a wire connector having a housing 1 , which is composed of a number of flat horseshoe-shaped elements 2 (lamellae), which are clamped together by means of a rivet 3 which extends through outwardly projecting lugs 4 of the elements in a zone diametrically opposite the longitudinal opening 5 formed by the ope¬ nings of the horseshoe-shaped elements 2, the opening 5 extending through the whole of the housing and traversing all the elements in the longitudinal direction of the housing . I n the interior of the housing the elements form a cylindri¬ cal inner wall 6, which opens outwardly through the longitudinal ope¬ ning 5, which in the embodiment illustrated is so wide that the cylin¬ drical inner wall only extends along an angular range of well over 180°. I n the interior of the housing, a clamping member is mount¬ ed, consisting of four ribs 7 mutually displaced at 90° and being car¬ ried by a central stem 8, which at its ends is provided with journal portions 9 and 10 rotatably mounted in the outermost elements 2. The journal portion 10 is constructed in one piece with a head 11 resting against the upper side of the uppermost element 2 and being provided with a slot 12 for engagement by a screwdriver by means of which the clamping member can be rotated in the housing 1 . The elements 2 are made from a permanently elastic material which also has an electric conductivity sufficient for providing contact connection . The clamping member may consist of an electrically insula¬ ting material . It can be mounted in the housing 1 by being pressed 5 into this through the lateral opening 5, the uppermost and the lower¬ most housing element 2 yielding and upon insertion of the clamping member holding this in position by their resiliency. Each of the ribs 7 has a rounded edge 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d , respectively, which by turning the clamping member can grip 10. the insulated wire introduced through the opening 5 and penetrate wedge-like into the insulation, and upon continued rotation of the clamping member the rounded edge remains in engagement in the insu¬ lation and thereby pulls the wire in its entirety along in its further movement without peeling off the insulation , such as will be described 15 in further detail below. Figs . 3 and 4 illustrate the deformation of the various ele¬ ments 2 occurring when a wire is introduced and moved onwards . I n Fig . 3 the full line indicates the contour of the uppermost and the lowermost element, in which the clamping member is mounted, while 20 the dotted line indicates the contour of the elements, with which the wire is brought into contact, and the dash-dotted line indicates the contour of the elements, with which the wire Is not brought into contact. Figs . 5-7 illustrate the principle of the contact establish- 25 ment. In Fig. 5, a wire 13 has just been inserted through the lateral opening 5 in the direction of the arrow P1 . Now the clamping member is turned in the direction of the arrow P2. Shortly afterwards the edge 10a begins to penetrate wedge-like into the insulation of the wire and thereby it pulls the wire along circumferentially of the 30 cylindrical wall 1 of the element or elements, with which the wire is brought into contact. This element or each of these elements yields and is pressed against the wire by its resiliency. Under the influence of the clamping effect between the edge 10a and the resilient wall , in combination with the friction of the wire against the wall and the 5 stretching of the insulation taking place on the side of the wire facing the wall as a consequence of the fact that the wire is curved along the wall , the insulation is ruptured on the side facing the wall , and the naked conductor is pressed into contact with the wall , while at the same time being slid further along the wall . When the clamping member has been turned 90 as illustrat¬ ed in Fig. 6, a good contact has been established between the naked conductor and the wall , as a consequence of the occurrences described . As illustrated, the edge 10a may possibly also have penetrated through the whole of the insulation on the side of the wire facing away from the wall and may thereby have been brought into contact with the naked conductor. This is of no significance in the embodiment here considered, where the clamping member is insulating , but in embodi¬ ments where the clamping member is conducting , the contact thereby established may be used additionally or alternatively to the contact established between the conductor and the wall of the housing . When the clamping member is further rotated from the posi¬ tion shown in Fig . 6, the edge 10a pulls the wire further along , the naked conductor being still in contact with the wall . Shortly thereaf- ter the edge 10b cuts into the insulation and thereby establishes a new area of contact between the naked conductor and the wall in the same manner as described for the edge 10a, and the same procedure is later on repeated as far as the edge 10c is concerned . Thus, after a total rotation of 270 , see Fig. 7, three areas of contact have been formed . Of these, the contact area at the edges 10a and 10c are ide¬ al , because the resilient force is at its maximum. The contact area at the edge 10b is somewhat less ideal , because the resilient force is in that case produced by a certain displacement of the clamping member outwardly between the resilient arms of the elements in the direction towards the opening 5. However, two ideal areas of contact are fully satisfactory, and one might even still obtain a good contact by omit¬ ting the edge 10b . In fact, it would even be possible to omit 10c and 10d , because one ideal area of contact could still be obtained by the controlled rotation of the clamping member. If the clamping member were further rotated from the posi¬ tion illustrated in Fig . 7, the end of the wire would be passed out of the same opening 5, into which it was originally introduced . However, this would only be of possible interest for testing and demonstration purposes. In the practical use of the wire connector, an optimum establishment of contact has been obtained in the position shown in Fig . 7, i .e. after total rotation up to 270°, and the wire connector may therefore advantageously be provided with an end stop ensuring that the optimum rotation of 270° will be obtained by rotating the clamping member until it engages the stop . Fig . 8 illustrates how the wire connector, by virtue of the mutually independent yielding of the elements, can be used for the simultaneous connection of a plurality of wires I and I I having widely different diameters . Fig . 8 also illustrates that wires having a relati¬ vely large diameter as compared to the thickness of the lamellae will displace adjacent lamellae differently so that there will be formed one or more free lamella edges, against which the wire can be pressed by the rotation of the clamping member, whereby the contact establish- ment will be further improved . By means of the wire connector according to the invention it is thus possible to establish contact between wires irrespectively of whether these have the same diameter, or different diameters within a wide range of tolerance, and moreover the wire connector can be used for connecting one or more insulating conductors to an outer terminal connected with the conducting wall of the wire connector, e. g . a con¬ tact pin or a soldering lug . The embodiment shown in Fig. 9 differs from that shown in Figs . 1 -8 in that the housing, instead of consisting of separate lamel- lae that are clamped together, consists of a block 14 of horseshoe-sha¬ ped cross section, which Is subdivided into a number of lamellae 15, Fig . 10, by diametrical cuts from the side at which the wire ingress opening 5 is located. The cuts may be made by means of a saw blade or milling cutter and extend from the ingress opening to a line 16 which in the drawing has been illustrated as tangential to the cylindri¬ cal wall 6 directly opposite the wire Ingress opening 5. I n any case, this line, should be located adjacent the area of the inner wall of the housing diametrically opposite the wire ingress opening . Apart from this, the construction and the function are substantially the same as described for the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 -8. The difference is that the lamellae 15 in Fig . 9 are located entirely freely relative to one another and are separated by narrow slits 17. These slits do not detract from the establishment of contact between the naked conductor and the cylindrical inner wall 6, but may in certain cases even promo- te the establishment of contact, because there is a greater possibility of the formation of free lamella edges, against which the wire can be pressed by the rotation of the clamping member 7-12. The embodiment illustrated in Fig . 11 differs from that of Figs. 9 and 10 In that the block of a material , which is both perma¬ nently elastic and has an electrical conductivity sufficient for produc¬ ing contact connection , has been replaced by an outer structural por¬ tion 18 of an elastic material and an inner coating portion 19 having an electrical conductivity sufficient for producing contact connection so that each of the lamellae formed by the cuts are likewise composed of a resilient structural portion and an electrically conducting coating portion . Hereby a greater freedom is obtained in the selection of ma¬ terials in case it should be found difficult or expensive to use a sing- le material , which is satisfactory both in respect of resilient properti¬ es and electrical conductivity. Figs. 12 and 13 illustrate an embodiment which substantially corresponds to that shown in Figs. 1 -8, but differs from the latter in that each of the elements 2 of the housing are constructed , in the area opposrte the wire ingress opening 5, with an incision 20 transfor¬ ming the said area of the inner wall into a resilient tongue 21 . This tongue is illustrated in Fig . 12 in its non-loaded state, while it is illustrated in Fig . 13 in the state, which it assumes when one of the edges 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d of the clamping member 4 is in a position diametrically . opposite the wire ingress opening 5. By means of the resilient tongue 21 an improved establishment of contact can be obtain¬ ed in the area opposite the wire ingress opening so that in the rota¬ tion of the clamping member through an angle of 270° against an end stop, as mentioned with reference to Figs . 5-7, an ideal contact establishment can be obtained in three points instead of only two points, as in Figs . 5-7. It will be understood that in all the embodiments so far described the active parts shown in the drawing can be built into an insulating housing in such a manner that safety against accidental touch is obtained so that the wire connector can also be used for power wires . However, they cannot be used for contact making in circuits which are to be kept insulated from one another. An embodiment suitable for the last named use is shown in Figs . 14 and 15. In this embodiment, a number of groups of housing elements of the same construction as in Figs . 1 -8, viz. group 1 = F1 , F2, F3, F4, F5 group 2 = F6, F7, F8 group 3 = F9, F10 group 4 = F11 group 5 = F12 group 6 = F13 group 7 = F14, F15 are built into an insulating housing 22 having insulating partitions 23 between successive groups . The clamping member is insulating at least towards the surroundings and in the zones between the individu¬ al groups . Each group is provided with a terminal member 24 extend¬ ing out through the insulating housing and being shaped e.g . as a soldering spike for print connection . The elements F1 and F2 at the top and the elements F14 and F15 at the bottom serve for the mounting of the clamping member in the same manner as previously described . The elements F3, F4 and F5 can receive a wire up to a lar- ge thickness, and the same applies to group 2: F6, F7, F8. Group 3: F9, F10 can receive a wire up to a somewhat smal¬ ler thickness, while groups 4, 5 and 6 consisting of the single ele¬ ments F11 , F12, F13, respectively, can only receive thin wires. •The wire connector last described will be suitable for con-. necting a flat cable with conductors of varying thicknesses to respec¬ tive terminals, including the simultaneous connection of power conduc¬ tors and signal conductors embedded In the same flat cable to the re¬ spective circuits of an electric or electronic equipment.

Claims: C L A I M S: 1. Electrical wire connector, comprising a housing (1) which has a substantially cylindrical, electrically conducting inner wall (6) having a wire ingress opening through which an insulated wire (13) to be connected can be introduced circumferential ly along the inner wall and transversely of the axis thereof, and a clamping member (7-10), which is mounted in the housing (1) for rotation relatively to the inner wall thereof, said clamping member having at least one rounded edge (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) and being so dimensioned that each edge, after having gripped the wire, penetrates wedge-iike into the insulation and upon further rotation of the clamping member remains in its position of wedge-like engagement in the insulation and thereby, in its further movement, pulls the wire in its entirety along in a sliding movement circumferentially along the inner wall of the housing without peeling off the insulation, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the housing (1) is split up along its axial direction into a number of elements (2, 15), which are traversed by a common axially extending opening (5) forming the wire ingress opening and, during the Introduction and further movement of . a wire (13), are capable of expanding independently of one another against a resilient force. 2. Electrical wire connector as in claim 1, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the elements (2, 15) of the housing consist of a material which is both permanently elastic and has an electric conducti¬ vity sufficient for providing electrical contact connection. 3. Electrical wire connector as in claim ^ c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that each of the elements of the housing consists of an outer structural portion (18) consisting of a permanently elastic material and an Inner coating portion (19) having a conductivity sufficient for providing electrical contact connection. 4. Electrical wire connector as in claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the elements of the housing consist of separate lamellae (2) which are clamped together in the axial direction in a zone substantially diametrically opposite the wire ingress opening (5). 5. Electrical wire connector as in claim 1, c h a r a c t e - r i z e d in that the housing consists of a block (14) which by means of diametrical cuts from the side, at which the wire ingress opening (5) is located, to the vicinity of the diametrically opposite zone of the inner wall (6) of the housing, is subdivided into a num- ber of lamellae which form the elements of the housing. 6. Electrical wire connector as in claim 1, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the clamping member (7-10) is constructed at its ends with journal portions which are rotatably mounted in the outer- most ones of the elements (2) of the housing. 7. Electrical wire connector as in claim 1, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the clamping member (7-10) has at least two diame¬ trically opposite rounded edges (10a, 10c) and is provided with an end stop in a position such that one (10a) of these edges after having penetrated into the insulation of a wire introduced into the housing and having been further turned relatively to the housing is stopped in an angular position which is substantially perpendicular to a diameter extending through the middle of the ingress opening (5). of the housing. 8. Electrical wire connector as in claim 1, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the elements (2) of the housing are subdivided into a plurality of mutually insulated groups (F1, F2-F3, F4, F5-F6, F7, F8-F9, F10-F11-F12-F13-F14, F15), each having an outer connection terminal, the clamping member being insulating at least in the zones between successive groups of housing elements. 9. An electrical wire connector as in claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that each of the elements (2) of the housing is con¬ structed, in the area opposite the wire Ingress opening (5), with an Incision (20) of a configuration such as to transform said area into a resilient tongue (21).

Inventors: OLSEN AXEL, OLSEN, AXEL
Applicants: OLSEN AXEL, OLSEN, AXEL
Application year: 1986
Main classification: H01R4
IPC codes: H01R4