Electrical connector, electrical terminal and a method of making an electrical connection
First Claim
1. An electrical connector comprising a housing and a terminal, the terminal having a slot into which an insulated electrical wire can be forced by inserting the terminal along an insertion path into the housing, to cause the insulation of the wire to be severed by the walls of the slot so that the walls engage either side of the core of the wire, a pair of resiliently flexible pressure members being provided against the resilient action of which the wire can be forced into the slot, said pressure members extending inwardly of the housing from opposite walls of the housing to which said pressure members are connected, said pressure members having free ends positioned adjacent to and lying on either side of the insertion path of the terminal, said pressure members having arcuate surfaces facing an arcuated cross-section guide channel for the wire, the channel and the arcuate surfaces having a common axis of curvature extending transversely of the insertion path, and retaining means serving to retain the terminal in its inserted position in the housing to ensure that the pressure member resiliently maintains the wire in the slot subsequently to the insertion of the terminal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrical connector comprises a housing and a terminal having a slot into which an insulated electrical wire can be forced by inserting the terminal into the housing, after the wire has been inserted into a guide channel in the housing. The insulation of the wire is severed by the walls of the slot to make electrically conductive between the metal core of the wire and the terminal. As the terminal is inserted into the housing, the wire is forced against a resilient pressure member extending from a wall of the housing, the pressure member serving, after the insertion of the terminal into the housing to bear resiliently against the wire to hold it in position in the slot of the terminal. Retaining means serve to hold the terminal in its inserted position so that the pressure of the resilient member against the wire is maintained.
29 Citations
10 Claims
- 1. An electrical connector comprising a housing and a terminal, the terminal having a slot into which an insulated electrical wire can be forced by inserting the terminal along an insertion path into the housing, to cause the insulation of the wire to be severed by the walls of the slot so that the walls engage either side of the core of the wire, a pair of resiliently flexible pressure members being provided against the resilient action of which the wire can be forced into the slot, said pressure members extending inwardly of the housing from opposite walls of the housing to which said pressure members are connected, said pressure members having free ends positioned adjacent to and lying on either side of the insertion path of the terminal, said pressure members having arcuate surfaces facing an arcuated cross-section guide channel for the wire, the channel and the arcuate surfaces having a common axis of curvature extending transversely of the insertion path, and retaining means serving to retain the terminal in its inserted position in the housing to ensure that the pressure member resiliently maintains the wire in the slot subsequently to the insertion of the terminal.
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5. A method of making electrical connection to an insulated wire having a stranded, electrically conductive metal core, in which method the wire is forced into a slot in a substantially uniplanar plate portion of a terminal by inserting the terminal into a housing through which the wire has been passed, so that the insulation of the wire is severed by the walls of the slot in the plate portion whereby the walls of the slot engage the metal core of the wire on either side, the wire being forced into the slot against the resilient action of a resiliently flexible pressure member in the form of a cantilever beam projecting from the housing and supported by a tool member positioned on the opposite side of the pressure member to the wire and being separate from the housing and the terminal being subsequently retained in its inserted position in the housing in such a way that the pressure member cooperates with a closed end of the slot to restrain relative movement between the core of the wire and the slot walls.
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6. An electrical connector comprising a housing and a terminal, the terminal having a slot into which an insulated electrical wire can be forced by inserting the terminal along an insertion path into the housing, to cause the insulation of the wire to be severed by the walls of the slot to make electrically conductive contact between the core of the wire and the slot walls, a resilient pressure member being provided against the resilient action of which the wire can be forced into the slot and retaining means serving to retain the terminal in its inserted position in the housing to ensure that the pressure member resiliently maintains the wire in the slot subsequently to the insertion of the terminal, the slot in the terminal communicating with a part circular aperture therein through which the wire can be inserted axially of its length, the radius of the aperture being substantially greater than the width of the slot, the slot being directed oppositely to the insertion direction of the terminal and the slot walls being connected to the walls of the aperture by concave walls.
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7. An electrical connector comprising a combination, a housing, a terminal comprising a substantially uniplanar plate portion having a slot defined by a pair of smooth, opposed side walls and a base wall into which slot an insulated, multistranded electrical wire can be forced to cause the insulation of the wire to be severed by the side walls of the slot and the core of the wire to be engaged on each side by a side wall of the slot, first wall portions of the housing defining an elongate terminal insertion path, a resiliently deflectable pressure member connected to the housing and extending transversely of the insertion path adjacent one end thereof, the pressure member having a free end facing the plane of the plate portion, second wall portions of the housing defining a wire guide channel for axially guiding the wire, extending transversely of the terminal insertion path and intersecting it in the vicinity of the pressure member, which member lies between the one end of the path and the wire guide channel, the slot in the terminal plate portion extending longitudinally of the terminal insertion path whereby a wire inserted axially through the wire guide channel and thus across the terminal insertion path can be forced into the slot of the terminal plate portion by contact with one face of the pressure member, by advancing the terminal towards the one end of the insertion path and detent means on the terminal cooperating with the housing for retaining the terminal against withdrawal from its inserted position axially of the terminal insertion path, the pressure member being positioned resiliently to engage the wire with said one face to maintain the wire in the slot subsequently to the insertion of the terminal.
- 8. An electrical connector comprising in combination, a housing, a terminal in the form of a metal plate having a slot into which an insulated electrical wire can be forced to cause the insulation of the wire to be severed by the walls of the slot and the core of the wire to be engaged on each side by a wall of the slot, first wall portions of the housing defining an elongate terminal insertion path, a resiliently deflectable pressure member connected to the housing and extending transversely of the insertion path adjacent one end thereof, second wall portions of the housing defining a wire guide channel extending transversely of the path and communicating therewith in the vicinity of the pressure member, which member lies nearer to the one end of the path than the wire channel, the slot in the terminal extending longitudinally of the path whereby a wire inserted through the wire guide channel and across the terminal insertion path can be forced into the slot of the terminal by advancing the terminal towards the one end of the insertion path and means for retaining the terminal in its inserted position, the pressure member serving resiliently to maintain the wire in the slot subsequently to the insertion of the terminal, the resiliently deflectable pressure member having an arcuate surface facing the wire guide channel which is of arcuate cross-section, the wire guide channel and the arcuate surfaces having a common axis of curvature extending transversely of the insertion path.
Specification