Electrical connector

Details Electrical connector Electrical connector

2000-06-05

2001-06-05

Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient...

Hinged jaw type having alignable conductor receiving bores

Reexamination Certificate

active

06241563

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND
This invention relates to an improved electrical connector of the type having inner and outer connector parts formed from respective conductive straps, wherein the inner connector part fits within the outer connector part and rotates between a clamped and an unclamped position.
Electrical connectors of this general type are described for example in Lawlor U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,351,889 and 3,138,422. In the connectors described in the Lawlor patents, the inner and outer connector parts include cable receiving bores that are aligned when the parts are in an unclamped position, and are misaligned when the parts are in a clamped position. This misalignment deforms the clamped cable to establish electrical and mechanical contact between the cable and the connector.
In use it is important that there be a low-resistance connection between the connector and the cable over an extended time period, in spite of thermal fluctuations and associated changes in physical dimensions. The present invention is directed to improvements to electrical connectors that are intended to provide an improved spring action to maintain a force against the cable and therefore electrical contact over an extended time period.
SUMMARY
The present invention is defined by the following claims, and nothing in this section should be taken as a limitation on those claims. By way of introduction, it can be said that the electrical connector described below includes inner and outer connector parts having connector receiving portions that are wrapped around the rotational axis of the connector in opposite directions. This arrangement insures that the clamping forces generated when the connector is closed tend to move both the inner and the outer conductor receiving portions in either a diameter-increasing or diameter-decreasing direction, depending upon the direction of closing. Because both the inner and the outer connector parts change diameter in the same sense, there is a reduced tendency for the inner connector part to bind or stick in the outer connector part. This allows clamping forces to be transmitted efficiently to the clamped conductor. Spring forces developed in the connector parts are thus available to maintain an excellent electrical connection between the connector parts and the clamped conductor.
Another aspect of the connector described below allows the connector to clamp two separate conductors of varying diameters effectively. The conductor receiving openings for the smaller conductor are generally circular while the conductor receiving openings for the larger conductor are oval in shape, elongated along the closing direction. This arrangement provides a greater amount of play between the conductor receiving portions and the larger conductor than between the conductor receiving portions and the smaller conductor. For this reason, as the inner connector part is rotated to the clamped position, the smaller conductor is distorted or bent to a greater extent than is the larger conductor. By properly selecting the degree of elongation of the oval openings for the larger conductor, the clamping force on the larger conductor can be adjusted as appropriate, while maintaining the desired clamping force on the smaller conductor.
The invention itself, together with further objects and associated advantages, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


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