Contact element with crimp section

• US 6,056,605 A
• Filed: 06/24/1998
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Meyer, Gunter, Bauch, Helmut, Nguyen, Ngoc-Thach
• Primary Examiner(s): Paumen, Gary F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davis, Katrina
• Application Number:
  US09/066,303
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 439/878, 439/882, 439/877, 439/880, 439/881
• US Class Current: 439/882
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/115 U-shaped sockets having inwardly bent legs, e.g. spade type
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/188 having an uneven wire-receiving surface to improve the contact

Abstract

To reduce the risk of breakage and yet ensure good electric and thermal conductivity, pull-off strength and long service life of the connection, when connecting a contact element to a conductor (1) by crimping, the inner surface of the crimp section (6), in contact with the conductor (1), is provided with deformations that are grooves (2) and ribs running crosswise and obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the conductor (1).

Claims

1. A contact element comprising:

a crimp section having an inner surface; and

deformations at the inner surface of the crimp section for contacting a conductor, the deformations including two groups of grooves and ribs, each of the two groups of grooves and ribs extending across the inner surface obliquely to a longitudinal axis of the conductor,

wherein a first group of the two groups of grooves and ribs extends across the inner surface in a first direction, a second group of the two groups of grooves and ribs extending across the inner surface in a second direction and intersecting on the inner surface with the first group, the first direction being oblique to the second direction.

2. The contact element according to claim 1, wherein the grooves of one of the two groups extend parallel to the ribs of the one of the two groups.

3. The contact element according to claim 1, wherein the grooves are indented in the inner surface.

4. The contact element according to claim 1, wherein the grooves and the ribs of the two groups form diamond-shaped elevations and depressions.

5. The contact element according to claim 4, wherein the diamond-shaped elevations are capped by vertices.

6. The contact element according to claim 5, wherein the vertices have a shape of a pyramid.