Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The invention relates,to terminals for el~ctrical
connection to two conductors such as ~ires.
According to the invention, there is provided a terminal '
comprising first and second metal plates located adjacent
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~ in opposed parallel relation and~for li~mited relative lateral
movement in their planes and having, respectively, firs~
and second slots extending from mouths at least part
in registration with each other, the slots each comprising ,
first and second wire receiving sections longitudinally
spaced from the mouths, the walls of the first slot in the
first section being offset in a first lateral direction from
the walls of the second slot in the first section~ and the
walls of the first slot in the second section being offset
in a second lateral direction from the walls of the second
slot in the second section~, the second direction being
opposite to the fir'st direction, such that a conductor
inserted into the first sections will be gripped between a
first wall of the first slot and a second, opposite wall of
the second slot and a conductor inserted into the second slot
sections will be gripped between a second wall of the first
slot and a first, opposite wall of the second slot.
Specific examples of the invention will now be described
with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wire connecting
2~ portion of a first example of terminal according to the
invention;
Flgure 2 is a front view of the wire connecting portion~
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of the terminal of Figure l;
Figures 3 to 5 are schematic front views of the wire
connecting portion of the terminal of Figure 1 at various
stages of wire insertion;
Figures 6 and 7 are fragmentary perspective views
of a first and second connector including terminals having
wire connecting portions similar to the terminal of Figure l;
Figure 8 is a perspective view of a wire connecting
portion of a second example of terminal according to the
invention;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of a wire connecting
portion of a third example of terminal according to the inven-
tion;
Figure 10 is a perspective view showing a fourth
example of terminal according to the invention;
Figure 11 is a perspective view of a fifth example
of terminal according to the invention;
Figure 12 is a perspective view of a sixth example
of terminal according to the invention;
2Q Figures 13 and 14 are fragmentary views showing
modifications to terminal slot walls;
Figure 15 is a front view of the wire connecting
portion of a seventh example of terminal according to the
invention;
Figure 16 is a front view of the wire-connecting
portion shown in Figure 15 with a wire inserted into a
transition region;
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Figure 17 ls an enlarged front view of the wire-connecting
portion of Figure 16;
Figure 18 is a fragmentary perspective view of a wire-
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B connecting portion of-~-nrnt~ example of terminal; and
Figure 19 is a schematic view of a ~e~*~ example of
terminal according to the invention.
The first example o terminal 11 is stamped and formed
from a single piece of sheet metal and comprises first and
second metal plates 12 and 13 respectively joined together
at one end by a bight 14 to extend adjacent in opposed,
parallel relation. The plates have first and second
slots lS and 16, respectively, extending from the other end
and the second plate is joined at the other end by a pair
of straps 18 to a third plate 19 having a third slot 20
aligned with the first and second slots. The plate 19
extends from one end of a body portion 21 joined at its
other end to a contact portion (not shown) and provided with
a latching tongue 22 to latch the terminal in a housing.
The first and second slots extend in the same direction
in partial registratLon from adjacent mouths and comprise
first and second wire-receiving sections 23,24 and 25,26
successively longitudinally spaced from the mouths, first
and second walls 27 and 28 of the first slot 15 being
respectively offset in a first lateral direction from
first and second walls 29 and 30 of the second slot
16 in the first sections 23,24 and first and second
walls of the first slot being respectively offset
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Erom first and second walls of the second slot in a second
lateral direction, opposite to the f irst lateral direction
in the second sections 25,26. The first and second sectlons
are joined by transition regions disclosed in more detail
in Figures 15 to 17 below.
In use, a first insulated wire is inserted perpendicularly
of its axis through the mouths and the first slot sections
into the second slot sections. During its passage through the
first slot sections, (Figure 3), the wire is gripped between
the first wall 27 of the first slot and the second, opposite
wall 30 of the second slot with penetration of the insulation
and relative lateral pivotal movement of the first and
second plates in their planes in one direction. ~lovement
of the first wire through the transition region into the
, 1~ second slot sections (Figure 4), causes relative pivotal
movement of the plates in the opposite direction and the
wire is gripped between the second wall 28 of the first
r slot and the first, opposite wall 29 of the second slot.
Subsequent insertion of a second similar, wire into the
first slot sections, (Figure 5), causes relative pivotal
movement of the plates into alignment by engagement of
the second wlre and the irst wall 27 of the second slot
and the second wall 30 of the second slot, increasing the
gripping force on the first wire.
Thus, an increasing gripping force is applied to the
w~re core during progression from Figure 3 to Figure 5,
caused particularly by the insertion of the second wire into
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the first slot sections. l~he presence of the first ~ire
in the second slot sections also increases the gripping
force on the second wire core in the first slot sections.
Thus, the ~ripping force on a wire core is greater ~here
S two wires are present in the respective slot sections
than ~here only one wire is present. The bight 14 maintains
the gripping force.
The third slot may grip the wires to provide strain
relief. If desired, the separation of the first wall 22
of the first slot and the second wall 30 of the second
slot may be greater than the separation of the second
wall 28 of the first slot and the first opposite wall of
the second slot in the second slot section.
The connector of Figure 6 comprises an insulating
housing 40 mounted in an aperture in a panel 41 and in
which are mounted two rows of opposed terminals 11. Each
terminal has a bowed spring contact portion 42 extending
from the body 21 and provided within ears 43 at its free
end which latch behind shoulders 44 of the housing to
reta~n the terminals in the housing with the contact
portions 42 bowed towards each other in preloaded condition
to grip between them a printed circuit board or terminal
~ posts.
: In the connector of Figure 7, the terminals'11 are
modified principally in that the body portions 46 extend
perpendicularly to the slotted plates so that the wires
can be inserted into the slots in a direction parallel to
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to the panel 41 rather than from a direction perpendicularly
to the panel.
In the second example of terminal 50 shown in Figure
8 the slot mouths 51 open into a bight 52 integrally joining
first and second plates 53 and 54. As a result of the split,
bight, the wire connection portion of terminal can be made
by a single stamping step whereas the first example of terminal
requires two stamping steps as the first and second slots are
separated by the material forming the bight 14.
The wire connecting portion of the third example `!
of terminal 60 shown in Figure 9 differs from the first ex-
ample in that three slot sections 61, 62 and 63 respectively
are provided. The first and third slot sections are aligned
with each other but laterally offset from the second slot
section 62 in a similar fashion to the first example. The
separation of the co-operating walls of the sections may be
diferent from section to section if desired.
The wire connecting portions of the fourth ex-
ample 67 shown in Figure 10 are provided with a post 69
which is anchored in a plastics substrate 70.
In the fifth example 71 shown in Figure 11, first
and second slotted plates 72 and 73 are integrally joined
along one edge by bight 74 parallel to the slots which
are similarly shaped and arranged to the slots of the first
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exam~lc. Terminal posts 75 and 76 extend from adjacent
sides o~ the second plates. Altexnatively crimping fcrrules
or other connecting portions may be provided instead of
the po~t.
sixt~
5 ~ In the ~v~m~ e~ample 77 sho~m ln Figure 12, two wire
connecting portions 78 and 79 each similar to the first
example are located in side-by-side relation in a sinyle
metal piece enabling a single terminal to accommodate
four wires.
As shown in Figure 13, edges of co-operating slot walls
81 and 82 may be bevelled on opposite sides to contact a
wire with the wire aligned more nearly in a plane normal
to the wire length than in the absence of such bevels.
This reduces the torque exerted locally on the wires by
such edges. As shown in Figure 14, the edges 83 and 84
may also be bent towards each other to bring the planes
of contact with the wire inserted between them more normal
to the wire axis. Edges 85 and 86 of non-gripping slot
walls may be bent away from the edges 83 and 84 to permit
lateral movement of such edges away from each other during
wire i~sertion.
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In the eight~ example 87 shown in Figures 15 to 17,
first and second slot sections are longitudinally spaced
by a transition region 88 of length x providing a passage-
way permitting a conductor to pass between the slot
sections without being pinched between transition edges 89
and 90 of slot walls 91 and 92. The amount of lateral
1083Z38 8917
ofset o tllc wa]ls of the first and sccond slots to-~ether
with the inclination of the transition edges and the
length x may be choscn so that a passa~e~ay oE rnaximum
and constant width is provided for A conductor throughout
its travel along and between the two slo~ sections.
As shown in more detail in Figure 17, the angle
between transition edges 93 and 94 and the longitudinal
slot edges 95 and 96 is preferably 30 degrees to provide
a passageway of rear minimum resistance for a conductor
passing through the transition region while angle B, between
a line joining upper ends of opposite transition edges
93 and 89 of the same plate should lie between 12 and 20
degrees, to provide a passageway of equal width to either
of the fixst or second slot sections.
1S B In the ninth example of terminal 98 shown in Figure 18,
the above mentioned transition region is incorporated and a
wire-stop 99 is pushed out of third plate 101 to limit the
depth of insertion of a wire into the second slot section.
As shown in Figure 19, in a t~ffl~example 102, the
shaded non-co-operating opposite wall portions 103, 104 of
cc-~ b,~ orn~tf~d
the first slot sectlon~as only one slot wall of each plate
is required to provide the first wire gripping slot section.
The widths of slots in first sections may be greater than
- in second sections and the lateral offset distances between
510t walls of the first and second plates can be chosen
to provide a second resultant wire gripping section 110 of
less width than the upper section 111 to grip a smaller
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di.ameter conductor.
The lead in edges 112 and 113 of the first and second
plates 105,106 respectively may be of differing length
and angles so that a wire engages corners 114 and 115 at
different times lowering resistance to the wire being
lnserted.
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