Electrical connectors – Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient... – Spring actuated or resilient securing part
Patent
1990-08-29
1991-08-20
McGlynn, Joseph H.
Electrical connectors
Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient...
Spring actuated or resilient securing part
H01R 1300
Patent
active
050410288
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a hand tool which is intended for lockingly applying a squeezing or a separating force to a workpiece and which comprises two legs which can be pivoted relative to one another and the free ends of which form respective jaws intended for co-action with the workpiece, said jaws being mutually connected by means of a spring element at a distance from said ends. Such a hand tool may be intended for use as a contact clip or clamp for conducting an electric current and may find particular use as an earthing clamp in electric welding processes.
There are many instances when such clamps or clips are required, e.g. for the purpose of clamping or pressing workpieces together, or of fixating workpieces in desired positions. This applies, for instance, when gluing or welding workpieces together. In the case of electric welding, the clamp or clip will preferably also serve as an earthing clip for currents of high strengths.
Clamps or clips for this purpose, hereinafter referred to solely as clamps, should be easy to manipulate, preferably with one hand, should have a relatively wide working range, normally from 0 to 50 mm, and should be capable of exerting high clamping forces. Clamps intended for electric welding purposes must also be good electrical conductors.
Many types of clamps are available on the market.
One example of such clamps is the so-called crocodile clamp or simple tong constructions which have two mutually pivotable jaws and a spring located therebetween. These clamps are cheap to produce and are easy to use, but in use exert only small clamping forces, particularly when clamping thin objects.
Another form of clamping tool is found in tongs equipped with force amplifying mechanisms. These tools can be used relatively easily and generate high clamping forces, but are expensive to produce.
Another type of clamp is the screw clamp, in its various forms.
While generating high clamping forces, these clamps are relatively expensive and are relatively difficult to use.
The majority of the clamps mentioned above can be complemented with appropriate connecting devices which enable the clamps to be fitted to electrical cables. When used with electric welding processes, however, special measures must be taken at times, in view of the heavy currents to be conducted, for instance, the jaws must be made of an electrically conductive material and separate electrical connections must be arranged between the jaws, so as to achieve desired distribution of the currents. Furthermore, the springs must be insulated electrically, so as not to be damaged by resistive heating.
The U.S. Pat. No. 1,543,524, describes a battery clamp, or clip, which can be readily manufactured, simply by bending a one-piece leaf spring. In this case, the spring functions as a pivot and also as a tensioning spring clamp, and will also conduct current between the two legs. Since the clamp is made in one piece, there are no transition losses in the current path.
One disadvantage with this known clamp, however, is that if the cross-sectional area of the spring is increased, as will be necessary if the spring is to conduct heavy currents, the spring mass becomes unreasonably large to achieve the combination of an acceptable clamping effect and a reasonable gape size. The clamping effect also varies with the distance between the jaws and is greatest at maximum distance and reaches its lowest value at the smallest jaw gape.
The U.S. Pat. No. 1,474,434 describes another kind of battery clamp. This clamp can be locked around a battery terminal with the aid of a locking arm disposed between the legs of the clamp. The clamp is made of a springy material which enables the legs to be swung towards one another and which automatically restores the legs to their original position, when the locking arm is released. The clamping force is dependent on the force applied when fitting or applying the clamp, wherewith the clamping force can be reduced due to the fact that the legs are sprung along the whole of their lengths.
One object
REFERENCES:
patent: 1301347 (1919-04-01), Williams
patent: 1422765 (1922-07-01), Johnson
patent: 1980228 (1934-11-01), Rodgers
patent: 2714198 (1955-07-01), Schloetzer
Fast Industriprodukter HB
McGlynn Joseph H.
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