Method of fabricating a lead termination device

• US 5,090,123 A
• Filed: 02/07/1991
• Issued: 02/25/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hurtgen, Jerome P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Carl E.
• Application Number:
  US07/652,164
• Time in Patent Office: 383 Days
• Field of Search: 29/596, 29/874, 29/876, 29/882, 439/814, 439/221, 310/71
• US Class Current: 29/882
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 29/00 Coupling parts for selective co-operation with a counterpart in different ways to establish different circuits, e.g. for voltage selection, for series-parallel selection, programmable connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/225 Terminal boxes or connection arrangements specially adapted for submersible motors H02K5/132
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49208 by assembling plural parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49218 with deforming

Abstract

A method of fabricating a lead terminal device having a body formed of an electrically conductive sheet material. One leg of a pair of legs on the body is deformed into a generally closed loop, and opposite end sections of the one leg are arranged in overlaying engagement with each other. A flange on one of the opposite end sections of the one leg is inserted into a slot in the one leg spaced adjacent the other of the opposite end sections thereof, and a pair of openings in the opposite end sections are aligned with each other, respectively, when the opposite end sections are arranged in overlaying engagement.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating from a generally thin electrical conductive sheet material a lead termination device for connection with a winding lead of a dynamoelectric machine and a power lead therefor, the lead termination device including a generally flat body having a first generally elongate rectangular leg with a pair of generally opposite side edges interposed between a pair of generally opposite end edges, a pair of openings through the first leg and spaced adjacent the opposite end edges, respectfully, a flange on one of the end edges extending therebeyond, a slot through the first leg interposed between the openings and spaced adjacent the other of the opposite end edges, a plurality of predeterminately spaced apart embossed lines in the first leg interposed between the openings and extending between the opposite side edges, respectively, and a second leg on the body integrally formed with one of the opposite said edges adjacent the other opposite end edge so as to extend generally perpendicularly with respect to the first leg, the second leg having a set of deformable tabs extending therefrom, the method comprising the steps of:

bending the first leg generally at each embossed line therein;

forming the first leg into a multi-sided closed loop in response to the bending step;

overlaying a pair of opposite end portions of the first leg located between the opposite end edges and respective ones of the embossed lines adjacent thereto during the forming step with the overlaid opposite end portions defining one of the sides of the multi-sided closed loop;

inserting the flange into the slot and abutting the one end edge with another of the sides of the multi-sided closed loop adjacent the one side thereof during the overlaying step;

aligning the openings with each other so as to extend through the one side of the multi-sided closed loop during the overlaying step; and

extending both a distal portion of the flange beyond the another side of the multi-sided closed loop and the other opposite end edge beyond a third side of the multi-sided closed loop adjacent the one side and opposite the another side thereof at least upon the occurrence of the abutting step.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the lead termination device further includes a screw, and wherein the method further comprises the additional step of threadedly engaging the screw with the aligned openings in the one side of the multi-sided closed loop thereby to retain the overlaid opposite end portions against displacement from each other.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2 further comprising the further additional steps of placing a part of the power lead within the multi-sided closed loop and further threadedly engaging the screw with the aligned openings into engagement with the power lead part thereby to urge the power lead part into electrical contacting engagement with at least some of the sides of the multi-sided closed loop and to releasably retain the power lead part against displacement from the multi-sided closed loop.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the additional steps of associating a part of the winding lead with the second leg of the lead termination device and deforming the at least one set of the deformable tabs into electrical contacting and displacement preventing engagement with the winding lead part.

5. A method of fabricating a lead termination device from an electrical conductive sheet material, the lead termination device including a generally flat body having a generally elongate leg with a pair of opposite end edges interposed between a pair of opposite side edges, respectively, a plurality of predeterminately spaced apart embossed lines in the leg and extending between the opposite side edges, respectively, means for defining a set of deformable tabs extending from one of the opposite side edges and spaced adjacent one of the opposite end edges, and a flange on the other of the opposite end edges extending therebeyond, and a slot in the leg spaced adjacent the one opposite edge the method comprising the steps of:

deforming the leg generally at each embossed line therein;

forming the leg into a multi-sided closed loop in response to the deforming step;

arranging sections of the leg adjacent the opposite end edges in overlaying engagement with each other during the forming step with the overlaid sections defining one of the sides of the multi-sided closed loop; and

inserting the flange into the slot and abutting the other end edge with another of the sides of the multi-sided closed loop adjacent the one side thereof during the arranging step.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5 wherein the arranging step further includes extending both a distal portion of the flange beyond the another side of the closed loop and the one opposite end edge beyond a third one of the sides of the closed loop with the third one side being adjacent the one side and spaced opposite the another side.

12. The method as set forth in claim 5 wherein the leg includes a pair of spaced apart openings and wherein the arranging step includes aligning the openings with each other so as to extend through the one side of the multi-sided closed loop.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12 wherein the lead termination device further includes a screw and the method further comprises the additional step of threadedly engaging the screw in the aligned openings thereby to retain the overlaid sections against displacement from each other.

7. A method of fabricating a lead termination device lanced from an electrical conductive sheet material, the lead termination device including a generally flat body having a pair of integral angularly arranged legs, a pair of opposite end sections on one of the legs, a flange extending beyond one of the opposite end sections, a pair of openings through the opposite end sections, respectively, and a slot through the one leg and spaced adjacent the other of the opposite end sections, the other of the legs having a set of deformable tabs extending therefrom, the method comprising the steps of:

deforming the one leg into a generally closed loop;

arranging the opposite end sections of the one leg in overlaying engagement with each other during the deforming step; and

inserting the flange on the one opposite end section into the slot in the one leg spaced adjacent the other opposite end section and aligning the openings in the opposite end sections with each other during the arranging step.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the lead termination device further includes a screw, and wherein the method further comprises the additional step of threadedly engaging the screw with the aligned openings in the overlaid opposite end sections thereby to retain the overlaid opposite end sections against displacement from each other.

9. The method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the lead termination device further includes a plurality of predeterminately spaced apart embossed lines disposed between the opposite end sections and extending across the one leg, and wherein the deforming step includes bending the one leg generally at each embossed line and forming a plurality of successive sidewalls arranged in angular relation with each other in the closed loop in response to the bending step with the overlaid opposite end sections defining one of the sidewalls.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein the arranging step further includes extending a distal portion of the flange beyond another of the sidewalls in the closed loop adjacent the one sidewall thereof upon the insertion of the flange into the slot and disposing an end edge on the other opposite end section beyond a third one of the sidewalls in the closed loop portion adjacent the one sidewall and spaced opposite the another sidewall thereof.

11. The method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the lead termination device further includes an end edge on the one opposite end section, the flange extending from the end edge, and wherein the inserting step includes abutting the end edge with a part of the one leg adjacent the slot therein.