DUAL COMPRESSIVE CONNECTOR

• US 20100297860A1
• Filed: 05/24/2010
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solaredge Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Solaredge Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Gershman, Israel, Shmukler, Vadim
• Granted Patent: US 8,303,349 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/110
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02002 Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the device in operations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0201 comprising specially adapted module bus-bar structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/2414 conductive elastomers
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/2435 with opposite contact points, e.g. C beam
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/34 comprising specially adapted electrical connection means to be structurally associated with the PV module, e.g. junction boxes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49204 Contact or terminal manufacturing

Abstract

An electrical connector for electrically connecting multiple photovoltaic bus bars. A casing includes first and second opposing walls. An elastic strip is bent into a bent elastic strip with a first leg and a second leg. The bent elastic strip is disposed between the first and second walls of the casing with the first leg pressing against the first wall and the second leg pressing against the second wall. The bent elastic strip is configured to hold at least one of the photovoltaic bus bars between the first leg and the first wall and another of the photovoltaic bus bars between the second leg and the second wall. The bent elastic strip may be formed of resilient spring metal with a thickness and an elastic modulus. The thickness and/or the elastic modulus of the elastic strip is/are configured so that the bus bars are inserted without requiring a tool to open a space and so that the bus bars are removed from the connector without requiring a tool to break the electrical connection.

Claims

1. An electrical connector for electrically connecting a plurality of photovoltaic bus bars, the electrical connector comprising:

a casing including first and second opposing walls; and

a bent elastic strip with a first leg and a second leg, wherein said bent elastic strip is disposed between said first and second walls of said casing with said first leg pressing against said first wall and said second leg pressing against said second wall,

wherein said bent elastic strip is configured to hold at least one of the photovoltaic bus bars between said first leg and said first wall and another of the photovoltaic bus bars between said second leg and said second wall.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein said bent elastic strip is formed of resilient spring metal with a thickness and an elastic modulus, wherein at least one of said thickness and elastic modulus of said elastic strip is configured so that the bus bars are inserted without requiring a tool to open a space between said first leg and said first opposing wall or between said second leg and said second opposing wall.

3. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein said bent elastic strip is formed of resilient spring metal with a thickness and an elastic modulus, wherein at least one of said thickness and elastic modulus of said elastic strip is configured so that the bus bars are removed from the connector without requiring a tool to break the electrical connection.

4. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein a protrusion in at least one of said first and second legs is configured to be inserted into a corresponding hole in said casing.

5. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein at least one of said legs of said bent elastic strip is slotted longitudinally over a portion thereof to form a third leg, wherein said third leg is configured to hold yet another bus bar to one of said opposing walls.

6. The electrical connector of claim 5, wherein said first, second and third legs are individually connectible to said casing by individually inserting said bus bars without releasing any connected bus bars.

7. An electrical connector for electrically connecting a plurality of photovoltaic bus bars, the electrical connector comprising:

a casing including first and second opposing walls; and

a plurality of bent elastic strips each having a first leg and a second leg wherein said bent elastic strips are disposed between said first and second opposing walls, of said casing with said first leg of a first of said bent elastic strips pressing against said first opposing wall and said second leg of a last bent elastic strip pressing against said second opposing wall and intermediary first and second legs of adjacent bent elastic strips pressing on each other,

wherein said bent elastic strips are adapted for holding at least one of the photovoltaic bus bars between said intermediary first said second legs and for holding another at least one of the photovoltaic bus bars between said first leg of the first of said elastic strips and said first opposing wall or between said second leg of the last bent elastic strip and said second opposing wall.

8. The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein said bent elastic strips are formed of resilient spring metal with a thickness and an elastic modulus,

wherein at least one of said thickness and said elastic modulus of said bent elastic strips are configured in order that said bus bars are inserted by poking without requiring a tool to open a space between said intermediary legs, between said first leg of the first of said elastic strips and said first opposing wall or between said second leg of the last bent elastic strip and said second opposing wall.

9. The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein said bent elastic strips are formed of resilient spring metal with a thickness and an elastic modulus, wherein at least one of said thickness and said elastic modulus of said bent elastic strips are configured so that a tool is not required to break the electrical connection which is performed by solely pulling on the bus bar from said casing and from said bent elastic strip.

10. A method of producing a connection of a plurality of photovoltaic bus bars, the method comprising:

inserting a bent elastic strip between first and second opposing walls of a casing with said first leg pressing against said first opposing wall and said second leg pressing against said second opposing wall; and

electrically connecting said bus bars by individually poking a plurality of bus bars between said legs and walls, thereby producing electrically connected photovoltaic bus bars

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said electrically connecting is performed by said poking without requiring a tool to open a space between said legs and said walls.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising electrically disconnecting one of the photovoltaic bus bars only by pulling on said one photovoltaic bus bar and not releasing thereby any of the electrically connected photovoltaic bus bars.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising, prior to said inserting:

folding sheet metal to form said casing having said first and second opposing walls; and

bending a strip of resilient spring metal with a thickness and an elastic modulus to form said bent elastic strip having said first leg and said second leg.