US2263416A - Electrical contact and connection means - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 18, 1941. H. A. DOUGLAS 2,253,416

ELECTRICAL CONTACT AND CONNECTION MEANS Original Filed July 8, 1955 x0 j A 6/ /7 f 26 J 24 /a u'l'u il 1 Harry 17. 027/46 INVENTOR.

g M ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 18, 1941 ELECTRICAL CONTACT AND CONNECTION MEANS Harry A. Douglas, Bronson, Mich.

Original application July 8, 1935, Serial No. 30,282, now Patent No. 2,166,345, dated July 18,

1939. Divided and this 1938, Serial N0. 197,156

3 Claims.

My invention relates to electrical contact and connection means, such as may be used or embodied in electrical switches and the like, and more particularly to terminal receiving means for cooperation with so-called snap terminals and contact members associated with the terminal receiving means, and the principal object of my invention is to provide new and improved electrical contact means of these types.

The present application is a division of my copending application, Serial Number 30,282, filed July 8, 1935, now Patent Number 2,166,345, issued July 18, 1939.

In the drawing accompanying this specification, and forming a part of this application, I have shown, for purposes of illustration, one form which my invention may assume. In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view partly in longitudinal section and partly in elevation showing one embodiment of my invention, used in an electric switch,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of one of the combined contact means and terminal receiving means shown in Figure 1, the base of the switch being fragmentarily shown,

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, with a plug conductor terminal added,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a detail of the base shown in Figure 1, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the disassembled parts of the combined contact means and terminal receiving means.

Referring in detail to the drawing, Figure 1 shows a switch I0 mounted on a panel II. The switch I0 includes relatively movable elements comprising, in this instance, a rotatable insulating disc I2 carrying a contact plate I3 cooperable with a plurality of contacts I4, I5, I 6 forming part of a plurality of unitary contactterminal posts I1, I8, I9 supported by a base 20 in a manner to be further described. The base 20 is fastened to and supportedinany suitable manner by a cup-shaped'casing 2I, the end wall 22 of which is fastened to a tubular threaded member 23, which is disposed through an aperture 24 in the panel II and fastened to the panel II in any suitable manner, as by nuts 25. The insulating disc I2 is carried in any suitable manner and rotatable by an operating member 26 here shown in the form of a dished metallic disc fastened to an end of an actuatin shaft 21, rotatably disposed within the tubular member 23. The other end of the shaft 21 is provided with application March 21,

an operating handle 28 suitably fastened thereto.

The contact-terminal post I8 is mounted in axial alignment with the center of the insulating disc I2 and the contact I5 of the contactterminal post I8 is adapted to engage walls of a recess 29 formed in the contact plate I3. The contact I6 of the contact-terminal post I9 is shown in engagement with another recess, 30, in the plate I3 spaced radially from the central recess 29; and the contact I4 of the contact-terminal post I1 is shown in engagement with walls of a recess 3| formed in the insulating disc I2 itself, spaced radially the same distance from the central recess 29, so that, in the position of the parts shown, the contacts I5, I6 are electrically connected by the plate I3, whereas the contact I4 is unconnected to any portion of the contact plate I3. It will be understood that the number of contacts I4, I5, I6 and their relative location, and the configuration of the contact plate I3, or plates if desired, may be of various numbers and forms, depending on the number of circuits it is desired to control and the manner in which it is desired to control them.

Referring now more particularly to the unitary contact-terminal post I1 shown in detail in Figures 2, 3, and 5. The contact-terminal post I1 comprises a socket member 32 in which the contact I4 is reciprocably mounted. The socket member 32 is here shown as of generally square cross-section, having opposite walls 33, 34 forming integral extensions of the legs of a loop 35, the loop providing an aperture 36. The socket member has opposite walls 31, 38, at right angles to the walls 33, 34, each wall 31, 38 being formed in halves 39, 40, the wall halves 39 being integral with the wall 33 and the wall halves 40 being integral with the wall 34. The wall halves 39, 40 are each provided at the bottom thereof (as viewed in Figure 5) with a lateral extension or foot 4|. The walls 33, 34 are similarly each provided with a lateral extension or foot 42, these feet 42 being here shown as somewhat wider than the feet M on the wall halves 31, 38.

The opposite walls 33, 34 are provided with aligned apertures 43, 44, here shown as of square shape, in which apertures 43, 44 are slidably disposed projections 45, 46, of rectangular crosssection, on a detent means 41. The detent means 41 is here shown as formed of sheet metal of generally square dished form to fit slidably within the socket member 32. The detent means 41 is here shown as provided with a hemispherical protuberance 48 pressed upwardly (as viewed 52 are generally rectangular in cross-section and have their upper margins, as viewed in Figure 5, in the same plane as the upper margins of the apertures 43, 44. r V apertures 52 are below the lower margins-of the smaller apertures 43, 44.

The contact I4 is here shown as made of sheet metal and having a contact portion proper 53, with an outwardly curved surface, provided with two pairs of oppositely disposed legs54, 5-5 -and 56, 51 tapering toward their ends and extending at right angles to the contact portion proper 53. The legs 54, 5'5, 56, 51 serve, among other things, to guide the contact I4 for reciprocating movement in the socket member 32. The legs 56, 51 are each provided with a laterally outwardly bent extension 58, of reduced width, .slidably disposed in the apertures 5I, '52. Disposed within the socket member 32, between the detent means 41 and the contact I4 is a helical spring '59, one end of which engages the inside of the dish shaped portion of the detent means 41 and the other end of which engages the inside surface of the curved contact portion proper of the con-' tact I4. The detent means 41 .is thus biased toward the right (as viewed in Figures 1, 2, and 3) toward the aperture 36 formed by the loop 35; so that the'projections 45, 46, 49, 50 on'the detent means 41 engage and are stopped by the'right hand margins of the apertures 43,44, 5I,52 in the walls 33, 34, 31, 38 of the socket member 32. In that position, the outside surface of the dished portion of the detent means 41 extends somewhat beyond the right hand margins of the walls 31, 38, in the illustrated embodiment. At the same time, the spring 59 biases the contact I4 in the opposite direction so that the lateralprojections 58 engage and are stopped by the left hand margins of the apertures 5I, 52.

It will be evident from the hereinbef'ore described construction that the socket member 32, the loop 35, and the feet M, 42 may all be made of a single piece of sheet metal. Before the loop 35 is fully bent tothe form shown in the drawing, the detent means 41 is inserted within the walls 33, 34, 31, 38 including also the spring 59 and the contact I4. The halves of the socket member 32 may then be moved toward each other, the detent 41, spring 59, and contact I4 having the positions shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, when the free margins of the wall halves 39, 40 of the walls 31, 38 meet in lines or planes of contact 60. The assembly then constitutes a self contained unitary contact-terminal post I1.

All that is necessary in order to mount the unitary contact-terminal post H on theinsulating base 28 is to insert it through an aperture GI in the base, the aperture 61 being generally square in cross-section and f tting the exterior of the ,socket member 32. The aperture 6| may be countersunk by a generally cylindrical recess 62', so that the bottoms of the feet 4|, 42, will be flush with the front face of the insulating base 213. The tops of the feet 41., 42 bear against the The lower margins of the I the outer faces of thewalls 31, 38.

The unitary contact-terminal posts I8, I9 are shown as identical with the unitary contact-terminal post I1, and are insertable through apertures in the base 20, identical with the apertures H for the contact-terminal post I1, and require y no further description.

When the unitary contact-terminal posts I1,

1 I8, 49 havebeen assembled with the base 28, in

the manner already described in connection with the contact-terminal post I1, the base 20 may then be assembled with and fastened to the casing 2 I, and the springs 59 of the contact-terminal posts I1, I8 I9 are thereby compressed to a predetermined extent by engagement of the .contacts I-4, I5, I 5 either with the contact plate 43 or with the insulating disc I22. Thus the springs 53 serve to bias the respective contacts I4, :I5, I8 against the insulating disc I2 and the contact plate I3 and also serveto bias in the opposite direction the detent means 41 respectively asso ciated therewith.

Electrical connection may then be made to the contact-terminal posts I1, I8, I8 by inserting plug conductor terminals in the apertures formed by the respective loops 35. One form of conductor terminal, 65, suitable for use with the terminal receiving means is shown in Figure 3, this conductor terminal 65 comprising a generally cylindrical portion 66 having a frustro-conical 'end 61 and an annular furrow 68 in the cylindrical portion 86. The conductor terminal 65 may be fastened to a conductor 69 disposed therein, by swaging, as .indicated by swage indentations 18. When the conductor terminal 55 is inserted in the aperture 36, the frustro-conical portion '61 moves the detent means 41 toward the left, as viewed in Figure 3, by cam action, against the bias of the spring 59, further inserting movement causing the hemispherical portion 48 of the :detent means 41 to snap into the annularfurrow 68. Moreover, it will be evident that :each of the contact-terminal posts is assembled to the base 20 of insulating material in such a manner whereby the socket or body portion 32 is held substantially in a fixed position, and this is very important for the reason that any accidental pull on a conductor wire secured to the socket will not disturb or otherwise break the electrical circuit between the. contact plate or bridge member I3 and the contact associated with each socket. In other words, the contacts carried by the socket members may laterally adjust themselves or float with respect to the contact plate and the sockets. i i I I It will .be evident that the apertures 5|, of which there is one for each unitary contactterminal post, I1,, I 8, I9 and-so on, being 0f noncircular outline, conforming generally to the cross-sectional-outline of the socket member 32, will prevent turning of the contact-terminal post about their axes. 'A-lso, the apertures 6| have From the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the illustrated embodiment of my invention provides a new and improved electrical contact and connection means, readily and conveniently constructed and assembled, and accordingly, accomplishes at least the principal object of my invention. On the other hand, it also will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the illustrated embodiment of my invention may be variously changed and modified, or features thereof, singly or collectively, embodied in other combinations than those illustrated, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or sacrificing all of the advantages thereoit, and that accordingly, the disclosure herein is illustrative only, and my invention is not limited thereto.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Electrical connection means, comprising: a one piece tubular body, having a recess for receiving a conductor terminal, said body being provided with slot means in its side walls; a detent member reciprocably mounted in said body, and being constructed and arranged to cooperate with said body recess and a conductor terminal disposed in said body recess, said detent member having projection means projecting through said side walls in said slot means for guidance; and a contact member, reciprocably mounted in said body, and having projection means also projecting through said side walls in said slot means for guidance.

2. An electric switch including in combination, a casing, a switch back provided with a seat including electrical connection means loosely mounted in said seat, switching mechanism including a bridge member movable within said casing for cooperation with said electrical connection means, said electrical connection means comprising a body projecting through said switch back and provided with a terminal receiving aperture at its outer extremity, guideways provided in said body, detent means and a contact member carried by said body and having means slidable in said guideways, and means for urging detent means and said contact member in opposite directions in a manner whereby said detent will retain a terminal pressed in said aperture, said contact member will be directed to be engaged by said bridge member, and said connection means will be held in said seat.

3. An electrical apparatus including in combination, a bridge member, an insulator provided with a seat including electrical connection means loosely mounted in said seat, said electrical connection means comprising a body member projected through said insulator and provided with a terminal receiving aperture at its outer extremity, guideways provided in said body, detent means and a contact member carried by said body and having means slidable in said guideways, and means for urging said detent means and said contact member in opposite directions whereby said detent will retain a terminal pressed in said aperture, said contact member will be directed to be engaged by said bridge member, and said connection means will be held in said seat.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS.

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