Patent Publication Number: US-4256360-A

Title: Rapid-connection terminal

Description:
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 938,272, filed Aug. 30, 1978 now abandoned. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a terminal of the type referred to as a rapid-connection terminal, i.e. a terminal which has a resilient-clip contact which strips the insulation off a conductor when it is inserted and then forms electrical contact with its conductive core. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Numerous rapid-connection terminals are known, but it would be an advantage if they were to provide simultaneously locking support of the electrical contact of the conductor core and locking support of the conductor itself on the insulating support of the terminal and optionally a protection device for the visible live metal parts of the terminal. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention aims to produce a terminal which has a number of improvements with respect to the above comments. 
     The present invention provides a rapid-connection terminal for a conductor formed by a conductive core and an insulating covering, the terminal comprising an insulating housing, enclosing a contact blade which has a slot through which said conductor is inserted and stripped, wherein the slot includes a lock notch near to its opening in which the core of the conductor is locked when inserted therein, after the arms have been resiliently moved apart from the blade, and wherein the insulating housing has first notches which converge on either side of the contact blades towards the inlet of a socket disposed facing the lock notch and in which the insulating covering of the conductor is pinched. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the insulating housing has a partition on either side of the contact blade against which the insulating covering of the conductor rests. 
     The cover has tabs with resilient fixing means on two opposite sides on the insulating housing. The ends of the tabs have widened parts with jaws which constitute resilient clips and inside which the insulating covering of the conductor may be inserted. Such a cover which has stops for bearing against the conductor may be used as a tool for positioning the conductor. 
     An embodiment of the invention is described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of terminals in accordance with the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view from above of the terminals in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a front view and partial cross-section of the terminals along line III--III of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the terminals along line IV--IV of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the terminals along V--V of FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view which shows a tool for inserting the conductor in the terminals in accordance with the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1 is a partial view of an insulating housing 1 which contains a set of terminals 2 in accordance with the invention. The left-hand terminal is shown connected to a conductor 4 and fitted with an insulating cover 3. The right-hand terminal is shown open prior to insertion of the conductor 4 and the insulating cover 3 into the terminal. 
     FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the terminals 2 of FIG. 1 but with the conductor 4 inserted in opposed circular lock notches 50 disposed on arms 51 near the opening of the parallel sided slot 53 formed between the arms 51 of a through contact blade 5, as shown in FIG. 4. The opposed circular notches define a &#34;lock notch&#34; for the conductor core. The contact blade 5, which is of known type, has, at its lower part, a contact lug 52 for various types of connection such as cable clip, wire-winding, soldering, printed circuit connections, etc. 
     In FIGS. 1 to 5, the reference 10 designates recesses in the insulating housing 1; contact blades are fixed in the recesses in gaps 11 formed between the parallel flanges 12 of T-shaped partitions 13 whose webs 14 are disposed in line with each other. 
     Two notches--an inner notch 6 and an outer notch 7--are formed in the upper parts of the side walls of the housing 1. FIG. 3 shows the parallel surfaces of the outer notch 7 which lead from its inlet to a widened portion constituted by a recess 71 having a grooved semi-circular base 70. In FIG. 5, the inlet of the inner notch 6 converges towards a throat 62 leading to a circular socket 61 whose base is grooved and in line with the base 70 of the recess 71. 
     The axis of the socket 61 and of the base 70 coincides with the axis of a lock notch 50 provided between the two arms 51 of the resilient blade 5. The lower points of the bases 60 and 70 coincide with the upper part of the partition 13. 
     The lower parts of the side surfaces of the insulating cover 3 bear tabs 31 whose ends widen at 32, where a jaw 30 forms a resilient clip with grooved walls similar to those of the base 70. On either side of the cover, there is a tongue 34 extending from the top of the jaw 30 to a central cut-out 33. The upper part of the cover has two parallel grooves 35 inside which an identification label may be inserted. 
     The terminal operates as follows. The cover 3 may be used to insert the conductor 4 in the terminal. To do this, the conductor 4 is disposed in the jaws 30 of the cover by applying it along the tongues 34. Then, due to the resilience of the clips, the widened ends 32 of the cover are inserted in the outer notches 7 until they are forced into the recesses 71 where they are locked. The conductor 4 is then locked at each end between the base 70 of the recess 71 and the jaw 30, while the grooves bite into the periphery of the insulating covering 41 of the conductor 4. Similarly, due to the tongues 34, the conductor 4 enters the sockets 61 of the notches 6 inside which it is locked, while the grooves of the end 60 bite into the covering 41. Simultaneously, the conductor 4 enters a slot 53 between the arms 51 of the contact blade 5 whose arms 51 strip the covering 41 in a known manner so that the conductive core 40 of the stripped conductor enters the lock notch 50 in which it is locked in the slot 53 due to the resilience of the arms 51 below the notch 50. 
     Thus, the conductor 4 is electrically and mechanically locked in the lock notch 50, mechanically locked in the sockets 61 and between the recess 71 and the jaw 30. 
     Further, in this position, the conductor 4 is applied along the partition 13. 
     After the conductor has been inserted in the terminal, the cover 3 may be removed while still maintaining the first two locking effects. 
     It is also possible to use a tool 8 such as shown in FIG. 6 to insert a conductor 4. The tool has a handle 80 and two tongues 81 instead of the tongues 34 of the cover 3. The tongues 81 are disposed on either side of a cut-out 82, analogous to the cut-out 33 of the cover 3. 
     The upper ends of the arms 51 of the contact blade 5 may also freely enter the cup-out 82 of the tool. Only the first two locking effects are used with this tool. 
     It is evident that the invention is in no way limited to the embodiments which have just been described and illustrated and which have been given only by way of example; in particular, without going beyond the scope of the invention, some dispositions may be modified or some means may be replaced by equivalent means or even some components may be replaced by others which are capable of fulfilling the same technical function or an equivalent technical function.