AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR

Abstract: The connector, for example, is in the form of a terminal portion (12) of a commutator segment and has two overlying parts (18 and 19 or 18 and 20). Each part is provided with a slot (21,22) open at one end and the two slots (21 and 22) are arranged so as to be only partly in register with one another so that the resulting slot (16) in the terminal portion is narrower than each of the slots (21 and 22) in the two overlying parts and is open at one end for receiving and gripping an armature winding portion. Non-aligned regions (31 and 32) bordering the slots (21 and 22) of the overlying parts (18 and 19 or 18 and 20) are offset, e.g. part sheared, out of the plane of the respective part towards the other part to locate the parts (18 and 19 or 18 and 20) relative to one another.

Description: This invention relates to an electrical connector and to a commutator segment for an electric motor, having such a connector. In our British Patent No. 2128818B, for example, we described a connection between an armature winding and a commutator segment which avoids the application of heat to effect the connection and which utilises the principle of insulation displacement in which a wire having an insulating cover is forced into a slot narrower than the wire diameter to form a clean metal to metal contact between the wire and a terminal portion of the commutator segment. EP A 0 034000 discloses an electrical connector having two overlying parts, each part being provided with a slot open at one end. Although the two slots are arranged only partially in register they are arranged about a common central slot line. One part is of greater width than the other so that the slots each grip a wire separately in use. The effective width of the overall slot is not governed by the degree of non-registration or overlap of the two parts. Often the wire has a diameter of less than 0.20mm with the result that the width of the slot has to be 0.15mm or less. Difficulties have been encountered in manufacturing commutator segments with such narrow slots on a consistent basis. The present invention seeks to mitigate this drawback not only in commutator segments, but also in other types of electrical connector. According to the invention there is provided an electric connector having two overlying parts, each part being provided with a slot open at one end and the two slots being arranged so as to be only partly in register with one another in which the resulting slot in the connector is narrower than each of the slots in the two overlying parts to receive and grip a wire at the open end, and the non-aligned regions bordering the slots of the two overlying parts are off-set, in a direction perpendicular to the plane of each over lying part, out of the plane of the respective part towards the other part. Preferably, the two overlying parts are integrally connected at a fold line extending transversely of the longitudinal extent of the said resulting slot. Advantageously, said non-aligned regions are half-sheared out of the plane of the respective part and the two overlying parts are in contact or closely adjacent to one another so that said regions lie in, or substantially in, a common plane. Other preferred and/or optional features of the invention are set forth in claims 5, 6 and 7. Conveniently, the connector forms a terminal portion of a commutator segment and serves to connect an armature winding portion to the commutator segment. However, the connector could take other forms. For example, it could slidably connect with a terminal to connect a wire thereto. The invention will now be more particularly described way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a commutator provided with commutator segments (only one shown) embodying the invention, Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of one embodiment of a commutator segment embodying the invention, in blank form, Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view of part of the commutator segment of Figure 2 shown partly formed, and Figure 4 is a section taken along line IV-IV of Figure 3 on an enlarged scale. Referring first to Figure 1 of the drawing, there is shown therein a commutator base 10 and a commutator segment 11. The segment 11 has an electrical connector in the form of an integral terminal portion 12 at one end and an integral lug 13 at its other end with a brush contacting portion 9 therebetween. The base 10 has at one end an integral rose-like arrangement of five housings 14 each provided internally with a central boss (not shown) upstanding from the base of the housing. In assembling this commutator, an armature winding portion is located in an aligned pair of slots 15 in each housing so as to be supported by the closed ends of the slots 15 and a respective boss. The commutator segments (only one shown) are then moved in a direction parallel to the axis of the base 10 so that the terminal portions 12 move into respective housings 14 and the lugs 13 move into respective recesses in the end of the base remote from the housings. Slots 16 in parallel arms 17 of the terminal portions 12 have cutting edges which strip insulation from the winding portions as the slots 16 move thereover and the slots then straddle and grip the core of the winding portions to establish and maintain electrical contact between the winding portions and respective terminal portions 12. Each arm 17 comprises two overlying parts as more particularly shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4. The terminal portion 12 of the commutator segment blank shown in Figure 2 is generally rectangular with its minor axis coincident with the longitudinal axis of the brush contacting portion 9 of the commutator segment. The terminal portion 12 comprises a central part 18 and two end parts 19 and 20. The central part 18 has a central cut out portion 8 which reduces from its largest width at the centre to two elongate slots 21 which terminate either end of the cut out. Each end part 19, 20 also has an elongate slot 22 which, when the end part 19, 20 is folded about fold line 23, 24, respectively, to overlie the central part 18 (as shown in Figure 3), comes only partly into register with the respective slot 21 in the central part 18. Thus, the resulting slot 16 (Figures 1 and 3) on each side of the terminal portion is narrower than each of the slots 21 and 22. Non-aligned regions (as considered in a direction perpendicular to the plane of each overlying part) 31 and 32 bordering the slots 21 and 22, respectively, of the two overlying parts 18 and 19 and the two overlying parts 18 and 20 are offset out of the plane of the respective part towards the other of the two overlying parts. This is most clearly seen in Figures 3 and 4. The regions 31 and 32 interlock with non offset regions, as best shown in Figure 4, to prevent movement of the end parts 19 and 20 with respect to the central part 18. The offset of the respective non-aligned regions is effected by a part-shearing operation and preferably the regions 31 and 32 are half sheared out of the plane of the respective part 18, 19, 20 so that when the overlying parts 18 and 19 and the overlying parts 18 and 20 are in contact or closely adjacent to one another as for example shown in Figure 4 the regions 31 and 32 of each arm 17 lie in a common plane to define the resulting slot 16. Two cutters 26 and 27 having sharp cutting edges project into each slot 16 , the cutter 26 being provided on the region 31 of the central part 18 and the cutter 27 being provided on the region 32 of the end part 19, 20. The cutting edges on the cutters 26 and 27 are for stripping insulation from the winding portions as previously described. The closed end of the slot 16 is enlarged to ensure that the edges of the slot 16 have a certain resilience to separation by the winding. A triangular barb 28 is provided on either side of the minor axis of the central part 18 along the edge furthest from the commutator segment. Barbs 29 on the end parts 19 and 20 register with barbs 28 when the end parts 19 and 20 are folded to overlie the central part 18 as shown in Figure 3 and these barbs 28 and 29 grip the housing 14 (Figure 1) and thereby retain the terminal portion 12 in the housing 14. The brush contacting portion 9 of the commutator segment is of arcuate form to conform to the external radius of the commutator base 10. The terminal portion 12 is bent upright from the commutator segment 11 and the central part 18 of the terminal portion is bent at 90° in areas 30 to form the arms 17 (Figure 1) which extend parallel to each other and to the longitudinal axis of the commutator segment 11, and forward along the length thereof. The above embodiment is given by way of example only and various modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims. For example, the terminal portion 12 may be designed with only one arm 17 or may have more than two arms 17. Instead of the barrel commutator shown, the commutator may be a face commutator with the commutator segments arranged in a single plane perpendicular to the axis of the armature. Furthermore, the winding portions may be pre-stripped of insulation thus avoiding the need to provide the cutters 26 and 27. Also the electrical connector could take a form other than an integral terminal of a commutator segment. For example, the connector could be in the form of a device for connecting a wire to a terminal, the device being adapted to slidably connect with the terminal and having a slot formed in the manner described herein which straddles and grips a wire as the device is connected to the terminal.

Claims: An electrical connector having two overlying parts (18 and 19; 18 and 20), each part (18 and 19; 18 and 20) being provided with a slot (21, 22) open at one end and the two slots (21, 22) being arranged so as to be only partly in register with one another characterised in that the resulting slot (16) in the connector is narrower than each of the slots (21, 22) in the two overlying parts (18 and 19; 18 and 20) to receive and grip a wire at the open end, and in that non-aligned regions (31, 32) bordering the slots (21, 22) of the two overlying parts (18, 19; 18, 20) are off-set, in a direction perpendicular to the plane of each overlying part (18, 19, 20), out of the plane of the respective part (18, 19, 20) towards the other part (18, 19, 20). A connector as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said non-aligned regions (31, 32) are half sheared out of the plane of the respective part (18, 19, 20) and the two over lying parts (18, 19; 18, 20) are in contact or closely adjacent to one another so that said regions (31, 32) lie in or substantially in a common plane. A connector as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the two over lying parts (18, 19; 18, 20) are integrally connected at a fold line (23, 24) extending transversely of the longitudinal extent of the said resulting slot (16). A connector as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it includes a barb (28, 29) for retaining the connector in a housing (14). A connector as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the resulting slot (16) in the terminal portion 12 has two cutting edges (26, 27) for cutting through insulation of an insulated wire as the wire is drawn into the slot (16) in the connector to establish electrical contact between the wire and the connector, one cutting edge (26, 27) being provided by an edge of the slot (21, 22) in one of the two overlying parts (18, 19; 18, 20) and the other cutting edge (26, 27) being provided by an edge of the slot (21, 22) in the other of the two overlying parts (18, 19; 18, 20). A connector having at least two spaced parallel arms (17) each having the structure of a connector as claimed in any one of the preceding claims. A commutator segment for an armature of an electric motor, comprising a brush-contacting portion (9) and a connector (12) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, integral with the brush-contacting portion (9). A commutator for an armature of an electric motor, comprising a commutator base (10), a plurality of commutator segments (11) each as claimed in claim 7, and means (14) securing the segments (11) on the base (10). An electric motor equipped with a commutator as claimed in claims 8.

Inventors: CHU, RAYMOND WAI HANG, STROBL, GEORG, WANG, PATRICK SHUI-CHUNG
Applicants: JOHNSON ELECTRIC S.A.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: H01R4
IPC codes: H01R39, H01R4