Abstract:
A no-crimp electrical connector for electrically connecting first and second electrical wires. A non-conductive housing member having first and second connection chambers separated by an insulated wall. A conductive metal insert member securely mounted in the insulated wall. The insert member has first and second ends, each of the first and second ends being in the first and second connection chambers, respectively. A ball-type clamping arrangement secures a first wire in one chamber. The second end of the insert member has a wire-engaging clamp means for pressing the second wire against a surface on the second end of the insert member.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present invention is the subject of provisional application Ser. No. 60/408,351 filed Sep. 6, 2002 and entitled NO-CRIMP ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Electrical connectors in which a hollow electrical member has a crossbore in which is seated a ball that is urged transversely through the crossbore to engage and clamp a conductor wire is known in the art. Such prior art manner of clamping the conductor wire to a conductor member usually require a crimping operation to crimp the hollow conductive member to the wire. 
     The present invention provides a no-crimp connector that installs with no tools, is reusable, gauge-specific in some instances, reusable on stranded or solid wires. 
     The object of the invention is to provide improvements over prior art electrical connectors of the ball clamp type. Another object of the invention is to provide a crimpless electrical connector which has one end adapted for solid wire and the other end adapted for stranded wires. 
     The invention provides a no-crimp electrical connector for electrically connecting first and second electrical wires to each other and includes a non-conductive housing member having at least first and second connection chambers separated by an insulated wall, each connection chamber having a threaded interior wall. A conductive metal insert member is securely mounted in the insulated wall. The insert member has first and second ends, each said first and second ends being in said first and second connection chambers, respectively. The first end has a wire passage having a diameter D 1  for receiving the first wire. A crossbore in the first end has a ball seated therein. The ball has a diameter D 2  which is larger than diameter D 1 , and a first threaded male member adapted to be threadedly engaged with the threads in the first connection chamber us adapted to engage the ball and cam the ball inwardly in the crossbore to engage and clamp the first wire received in the first wire passage. The second end of the insert member has a wire-engaging clamp means for pressing the second wire end against a surface on the second end of said insert member and a second hollow threaded male member adapted to engage the threads in the second connection chamber and clamp the second wire to the insert member. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become more apparent when considered with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1A is an isometric view of a prior art connector of the crimped type, FIG. 1B is a sectional view of the metal insert showing the crimping of the wire end, FIG. 1C is a sectional view of the prior art connector, 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of a connector incorporating the invention, 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of a crimpless connector incorporating the invention, 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view of another embodiment of the invention, 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a further embodiment of the invention, 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view of still another embodiment of the invention, 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional view of still a further embodiment of the invention, 
     FIGS. 8A,  8 B and  8 C illustrate a fuse embodiment of the invention, 
     FIGS. 9A,  9 B and  9 C illustrate a plug-type embodiment of the invention, 
     FIGS. 10A,  10 B and  10 C illustrate a further embodiment of the invention, 
     FIGS. 11A,  11 B,  11 C and  11 D illustrate a flat fuseholder embodiment of the invention, 
     FIGS. 12A,  12 B and  12 C illustrate yet another embodiment of the invention, 
     FIG. 13 illustrates another embodiment of the invention, 
     FIG. 14 illustrates still yet another embodiment of the invention incorporating the test light assembly, and 
     FIG. 15 collectively illustrates a group of end connectors adapted for use with the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now FIGS. 1A,  1 B and  1 C, a prior art electrical connector is illustrated in which a female housing member  10  made of insulating material incorporates a crimped wire connector insert  11  therein (see FIG.  1 B). A threaded male connector  13  having a throughbore  14  (FIG. 1C) has a threaded surface  15  for threaded engagement with the inner bore  16  of the female member  10 . The conductive metal insert  11  has a throughbore  19  into which is threaded one end of a wire W 1 , and the base end of wire W 1  is crimped as at  20  by a crimping tool (not shown). The opposite end  18  of the insert element  11  has a counterbore CB for receiving and guiding the bare end of a second wire W 2 . The throughbore  19  is intersected by a crossbore CB which is adapted to receive a ball clamp member BM. The throughbore  19  has a diameter D 1  which is less than the diameter D 2  of the crossbore CB. The end  25  of the male member is adapted to engage the clamp ball member BM in threaded engagement with the internal through threads  16  of the female housing member  10  and cam or urge the ball BM transversely in its bore CB so as to engage and clamp the end of the second wire W 2 . 
     THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a no-crimp connector that is installed with no tools, is reusable, is gauge-specific, can be used to connect stranded and/or solid wires. The connector shown in FIG. 2 includes a pair of male members  31 ,  32  and a female member  33  which has a threaded connection chamber at each end thereof. The male and female members are non-conductive moldings and can have knurled, round or hexheaded or triangular profiles for easy gripping. A knurled round profile is shown in FIG.  2 . The female body member is threaded into each end in the connection chambers CC 1  and CC 2  so as to receive the respective male member  31 ,  32 . 
     In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the conductive insert member  35  has a wire-splaying end  36  in the left connection chamber CC 1  and a hollow tubular connection end  38  in the right-hand side connection chamber CC 2 . The hollow tubular connection end  38  has a bore  39  which is adapted to funnel or feed a wire into a reduced diameter bore section  40 . The reduced diameter bore section includes a crossbore CB 2  into which is received a clamp ball member BM 2 . The wire clamping operation or function is the same as in the prior art shown in FIG.  1 . This will be referred to as a “ball-type clamping arrangement”. The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is particularly adapted for connecting the stranded wire SW to a solid wire SW 2 ; and, in this case, a solid wire is stripped and fitted into the right side of the connector and connected to the stranded wire is made in the left connection chamber section. The stranded wire is splayed on splaying end  36  and clamped thereon by rotation of male member  31  which has complementary clamping surface C 3 . 
     The insert per se is molded in the female housing member and has a reduced section  45  for retaining the insert against movement in either direction by forces acting from either end of the metal insert. 
     In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, both connection chambers house a ball-type clamping arrangement, but the metal insert MI is retained by an annular groove AG in the insert into which is flowed the insulating material during the molding of the female housing member. 
     In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the insert MI is retained in position in the female housing by an annular shoulder  45 . In FIG. 6, the insert is maintained in position by a threaded exterior TE for roughening. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the insert system is similar to that discussed earlier with a slot in the end of the male side for additional resistance. The conductive insert  70  in this embodiment is made in two pieces  71 ,  72 , with male  73  and female  74  mating ends. The opposite ends are drilled with counterbores  75 ,  76  and crossholes  77 ,  78 , and the male and female inserts  70 ,  71  can be loaded with clamp balls  80 ,  81  and punch-pressed in after the plastic threaded pieces are molded. In this embodiment, the combined inserts should be of the same length approximately as the female plastic body. 
     The embodiment disclosed in FIGS. 8A,  8 B and  8 C is a round fuseholder. In this case, the conductive inserts  83 ,  84  shown in section in FIG. 8A have an annular groove  85  molded with a fuse cap-engaging end or head  86  and a reduced diameter portion  85  which locks the insert in the female end of the fuseholder portion. The fuseholder is formed with a two-part housing  87 ,  88 , each housing part  87 ,  88  having complementary threaded ends  89 ,  90  for securing the two-part housing together in the manner illustrated in FIG. 8C. A spring  91  may be included to assure good, firm electrical contact. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,589, incorporated hereby by reference. 
     FIGS. 9A,  9 B and  9 C illustrate an embodiment of the invention in the form of a flat multi-plug body  91 . In this case, the electrical conductive metal insert for each connection is formed in the manner illustrated in FIG.  9 B. The left portion  92  is the male portion of the metal insert, and the right portion  93  is the female portion. The right and left ends of the metal inserts are formed as a male element  94  and as a female element  95  so that when they are molded in their respective plug bodies MPM, MPF, the alignment of the male element with the female conductive element is assured (FIG.  9 C). 
     FIGS. 10A,  10 B and  10 C illustrate a two-wire, side-by-side connector in which two or more stranded wires are twisted together and the electrical conductive metal insert  100  is as illustrated in FIG.  10 B and molded in a threaded female housing member  102 . Hollow, externally threaded male member  103  is threadably engaged with the threads of female member  102  and clamp ball element  104  to clamp the twisted wires in bore  105 . 
     In FIGS. 11A,  11 B,  11 C and  11 D, the conductive metal insert  111  is illustrated in FIG. 11A in a molded non-conductive body  118 . The contact element for contacting the flat fuse FF blade legs BL 1 , BL 2  is a conductive spring insert  112 , U-shaped as illustrated in FIG.  11 B and mounted in slot  113  in the end of insert  111 . Threaded male members  115 ,  116  secure the wires to the connector. 
     FIGS. 12A,  12 B and  12 C illustrate the embodiment of the invention with a crimpless quick disconnect. The left housing member  123  carries a rotatable internally threaded connector hub  124  which threadably engages external threads on right housing member  125 . Male connector members  126 ,  127  operate as previously described. 
     FIG. 13 is an embodiment of the invention in which O-rings  131 ,  132 ,  133 ,  134  and  135  are used to provide water-tight seal. 
     FIG. 14 is an illustration of an embodiment of the invention which is used as a terminal end and continuity tester. In this embodiment an alligator clip  140  has an end  141  which is adapted to fit in the wire passage  142  and be clamped therein by ball  144  as previously described. Wire  145  extends to lamp holder  146  which has a test prod  147  mounted therein. 
     FIG. 15 illustrates various types of internals that may be used with the embodiment shown in FIG. 14 in place of the alligator clip. 
     While the invention has been described in relation to preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be appreciated that other embodiments, adaptations and modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.