Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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HERMAPHRODITIC ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR
FOR TERMINATING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS
10001]
FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
100021 The present invention relates generally to an electrical connector
for terminating
an electrical conductor. More particularly, the present invention relates to a
hermaphroditic
electrical connector which can be connected to an identically formed connector
to place two
conductors in electrical connection.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
100031 Various techniques are used to electrically interconnect two
electrical
components.
[0004] Particularly in the field of motor connections, "pigtails" or short
lengths of wire or
conductor are employed. These pigtails are connected at one end to a motor.
The other end may
be electrically coupled to effect connection between pigtails. One technique
for effecting such
connection between pigtails is to strip the ends of the wires and twist the
stripped ends together
placing them in electrical connection and then subsequently placing the
twisted conductor ends
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in a gel-filled container. Such a technique is shown and described in commonly
assigned U.S.
Patent No. 2,792,444.
[0005] A more convenient technique for connecting such motor pigtails is to
terminate
the stripped ends with interconnectable electrical connectors which allow
disconnectable
connection. The coupled connectors can then also be placed in a gel-filled
container protecting
the connection. Disconnectable connectors of this type are shown in commonly
assigned U.S.
Patent Nos. 7,137,833 and 7,081,027.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
[0006J The present invention provides an electrical connector for
terminating an
electrical conductor comprising an elongate connector body. The connector body
includes an
elongate barrel portion for accommodating one end of the electrical conductor.
A transition
portion extends from the barrel portion. A connection portion extends from the
transition
portion. The connection portion has an elongate aperture therethrough and an
extending
projection adjacent the aperture. The projection of one connector body is
insertable into the
aperture of an another identically formed connector body so as to place the
one connector body
in electrical engagement with the other connector body.
[0007] In addition, the connector may include a tab extending in a first
direction from the
connector body and a hook extending from the connector body in a second
direction opposite the
first direction. The hook defines an open ended slot. The tab of the one
connector body is
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insertable into the slot of the other connector body upon mutual engagement.
The tab includes a
cam surface for providing spring biased insertion into said slot.
[0008] In one embodiment, the connector body is integrally formed.
100091 In another embodiment, an insert is provided which is attachable to
the
connection portion. The insert includes the tab and the hook. In such an
embodiment, the
connector body is formed from a first electrically conductive material and the
insert is formed
from a second electrically conductive material different from the first.
[0010] The present invention further provides a hermaphroditic electrical
connection
assembly for connecting a pair of electrical conductors. The assembly includes
a first elongate
connector body having a conductor terminating portion at one end and a
connection portion at
the other end. A second elongate connector body has a conductor termination
portion at one end
and a connection portion at the other end. The first and second connector
bodies are identically
formed. Each connector body includes an extending projection and an elongate
aperture. The
projection of each of said first and second connector bodies is insertable
into the aperture of the
other first and second connector bodies so as to electrically couple the first
and second connector
bodies.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
[0011] Figures 1 and 2 are front and rear perspective views, respectively,
of the electrical
connector of the present invention.
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[0012] Figure 3 is a side plan view of the electrical connector of Figures
1 and 2
including an electrical conductor for termination therewith.
[0013] Figure 4 is an end plan view of the connector of Figures 1 and 2.
[0014] Figures 5-7 show, in perspective, successive steps of
interconnecting two
identically formed electrical connectors of the present invention.
[0015] Figure 8 is a plan view of further embodiment of the electrical
connector of the
present invention.
[0016] Figures 9 and 10 show the interconnection of two identically formed
electrical
connectors of Figure 8.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:
[0017] The present invention provides a hermaphroditic electrical connector
which may
be used to terminate a stripped end of an electrical wire or conductor, more
particularly, a pigtail
conductor. The connector of the present invention allows connection of two
identically formed
connectors such that separately formed male and female connectors need not be
employed. By
employing an identical electrical connector to terminate and interconnect two
wires, efficiencies
in both manufacturing and inventory can be achieved.
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100181 Referring now to Figures 1-4, one embodiment of the hermaphroditic
electrical
connector of the present invention is shown. Connector 10 is designed to
terminate an electrical
conductor 16 (Figure 3).
100191 Connector 10 includes an elongate connector body 12 generally
extending along
axis A. Connector body 12 may preferably be stamped from sheet metal so that
the connector is
of integral configuration. As is well known in the connector art, connector
body 12 may be
formed from any suitable electrically conductive material, preferably copper.
The connector
body 12 includes at one end an elongate barrel portion 14 which is configured
to accommodate
therein, in crimped connection, the stripped end 16a of insulated conductor 16
(Figure 3). Barrel
14 includes a conductor insertion end 14a and an opposed end 14b.
[0020] The other end of connector body 12 includes a connection portion 18.
Intermediate connection portion 18 is a transition portion 20. As particularly
shown in Figure 3,
transition portion 20 provides for axially offsetting the connection portion
18 from barrel portion
14.
[0021] Connection portion 18 is generally in the configuration of a flat
blade having a
first surface 22 facing towards axis A and an opposed second surface 24 facing
opposite thereto.
[0022] As particularly shown in Figures 1 and 2, connection portion 18
includes an
aperture 26 extending therethrough between opposed surfaces 22 and 24.
Aperture 26 is an
elongate aperture which is generally arcuate in configuration.
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[0023] Adjacent to and extending from connection portion 18 is a projection
28.
Projection 28 is bent from the generally planar connection portion 18 in the
direction of surface
24 so that it extends therefrom. As will be described in further detail
hereinbelow, a dimension
of projection 28 permits the projection to be accommodated within aperture 26.
[0024] Distal end of connection portion 18 further includes a transversely
extending tab
30. Tab 30 extends transversely to the direction of axis A and to the
direction of the extending
projection 28. Connection portion 18 further includes at its upper end a
transversely extending
hook 32 which extends in a direction opposite that of tab 30. Hook 32 is
formed by bending an
extending segment of the connection portion 18 into a generally U-shaped
configuration so as to
define a open ended slot 34 therein. The tab 30 is constructed so that it
interfits into the slot 34
of hook 32 as will be described hereinbelow.
[0025] The connector of the present invention is constructed so that one
connector body
12 can be hermaphroditically connected to an identically formed connector body
thereby placing
the two conductors terminated thereto in electrical connection. Moreover, as
will be described in
further detail hereinbelow, the connection between the hermaphroditic
connectors is a
disconnectable connection.
100261 Referring now to Figures 5-6, the disconnectable connection of two
hermaphroditic connectors of the present invention may be described. Figure 5
shows a pair of
identically formed electrical connectors 10 and 10' of the present invention.
Similar reference
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numerals will be used to denote identical components on each of the
connectors. For clarity, the
connectors 10 and 10' are shown without termination of conductor 16 (Figure 3)
thereto.
[0027] Connectors 10 and 10' are identically formed electrical connectors
as described
above. In order to effect connection of connector 10 to connector 10', the
connectors are
positioned adjacent one another as shown in Figure 5 with axes A and A' being
rotationally
offset. Connector 10' is coupled to connector 10 by placing surfaces 24 and
24' against one
another. The axial offsetting of the connection portion from the barrel
portion by the transition
portion helps provide such face-to-face contact. The respective connectors 10
and 10' are
positioned such that projection 28' of connector 10' is inserted into aperture
26 of connector 10.
Similarly, projection 28 of connector 10 will be simultaneously inserted into
aperture 26' of
connector 10'.
[0028] With the surfaces 24 and 24' in planar engagement, as shown in
Figure 6, the
connectors 10 and 10' may be mutually rotated to place the axes A and A' in
parallel alignment,
as shown in Figure 7. The curved or arcuate configuration of apertures 26 and
26' of each of
connectors 10 and 10' allow the connectors to be mutually rotatable with the
projections 28, 28'
of each in the apertures 26, 26'. The rotational alignment of the connectors
10 and 10' is assisted
by the arcuate configuration of apertures 26, 26'. Upon such relative rotation
or twisting of the
connectors 10 and 10', tab 30 is inserted into the slot 34' of hook 32' of
connector 10'. Similarly
and simultaneously, the tab 30' of connector 10' is inserted into the slot 34
of hook 32 of
connector 10.
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[0029] As particularly shown in Figure 2, tab 30 (as well as tab 30') may
include an
extending cam 30a. The extending cam 30a bears against the inner wall 32b
(Figure 4) of hook
32 and helps frictionally secure the tab within the slot 34 formed by hook 32
when the
connectors 10 and 10' are mutually connected. The cam 30a also serves as a
spring cam surface
bearing against inner wall 32b. Upon continued rotation of the two connectors,
the cam surface
provides a spring bias such that the cam surfaces will urge surfaces 24 and
24' into engagement
with each other establishing electrical contact therebetween.
[0030] The connection of connector 10 to connector 10' is in the nature of
a "twist- lock"
connection and electrical connection between connectors 10 and 10' is
established by face-to-
face engagement of surfaces 24 and 24' as well as the interfitting engagement
between the tab
and the wall of the mating slot of the hook.
[0031] As may be appreciated, disconnection of the connectors 10 and 10'
may be
accomplished by relatively rotating the connectors in the opposite rotational
direction. Each tab
is moved out of the mating slot and the connectors may be separated from one
another.
[0032] Referring to Figures 8-10, a further embodiment of the
hermaphroditic connector
of the present invention is shown. Like reference numerals will be used to
describe like
components.
[0033] Connector 110 includes an elongate connector body 112 having a
barrel portion
114, a connection portion 118 and a transition portion 120 therebetween.
Connection portion
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118 includes aperture 126. Connector body 112 is substantially similar to
connector body 12
described above with the following exceptions. Projection 128, as well as tab
130 and hook 132
are formed, not integrally with connector body 112, but are provided on a
separate insert 150.
100341 Insert 150, which is preferably formed of stainless steel, is
secured at the upper
end of connection portion 118 by a rivet 151 or other connection technique
such as, for example,
welding. In the present illustrative embodiment, the insert is formed of a
material different from
the material forming the connector body 112.
[0035] Use of stainless steel, for example, provides an insert which is
stronger than
copper. This helps assure that the facing engagement surfaces 124 and 124' are
urged together as
described above where cam 130a acts as a spring cam surface. The stronger
steel material acts as
a more effective spring. This helps provide good electrical connection between
the surfaces 124
and 124' of the connectors.
10036] In the present embodiment, the connection portion 118 includes an
opening 135
which allows passage of projection 128 therethrough. Thus, the projection
extends through the
planar surfaces of the connection portion so that it may be inserted into an
aperture 126' of a
similarly formed connector body 112' (Figure 9). In all other respects, the
connector of the
embodiment shown in Figures 8-10 operates in a manner similar to that
described above in
providing disconnectable twist lock connection between connector body 112 and
connector body
112'.
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100371 Various changes to the foregoing described and shown structures
would now be
evident to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the particularly disclosed
scope of the invention
is set forth in the following claims.
