Patent Grant
9876292
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates to electrical contacts, more particularly, to electrical quick disconnect terminals.
Quick-connect terminal connectors are female terminals that mate with male tab terminals, tab adapters, and tab terminal blocks. They are used where quick attachment and removability are desired. Most existing female quick disconnect terminals are designed to be pushed onto the male terminal. When assembling white goods/appliances, one issue is that of loose and/or failed electrical connections related to the quick disconnect terminals. Those connections are on components such as heating elements and power sources, where there is a repeated burden of pushing a female terminal onto a male tab. It is also possible that, when being pushed on, the attached wire can snag on other assembly stations, possibly pulling the attachment apart.
The present invention is a female quick disconnect electrical terminal that can be installed in either direction, by either pushing or pulling it onto the male tab terminal. The terminal has an electrically-conductive body with a longitudinal plane. The plane as two sides, an attachment side and a contact side. There is an electrical attachment at one end of the body and a contact at the other end.
The electrical attachment will typically be a crimp attachment for attaching the terminal to a wire. However, any type of electrical attachment for the particular application of the terminal may be employed.
The contact has a floor that extends in the plane. A spur extends away from the plane on the contact side of the plane. The spur can be a dimple or bent nib. Optionally, the floor has a raised land from which the spur extends.
A pair of longitudinal, parallel retention rails are attached to the contact floor on the contact side of the plane. The rails are formed by bending wings approximately 90° away from the contact side and then curling the wings toward each other approximately 180°. The retention rails are spaced from the land, forming a slot into which the blade of a male tab terminal is inserted. A combination of the spring action of the retention rails pushing the male tab terminal blade against the land and the spur fitting into a corresponding dimple or hole in the male tab terminal blade produces a secure electrical connection with the male tab terminal.
Objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the following drawings and detailed description of the invention.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and object of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The present application hereby incorporates by reference in its entirety U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/307,921, on which this application is based.
The present invention is a female quick disconnect electrical terminal that can be installed in either direction, by either pushing or pulling it onto the male tab terminal 2. The terminal 10 of the present invention can be a flag terminal, as shown in
The terminal 10 has a body 16 with a longitudinal plane 18. The plane 18 as two sides, an attachment side 22 and a contact side 24, as in
The electrical attachment 14 shown in the figures is a crimp attachment 26 of a style commonly used in the industry for attaching a terminal to the end of a wire. The base 30 of the crimp attachment 26 extends along the plane 18. Two pairs of ears 30, 32 extend generally away from the crimp base 28 on the attachment side 22 of the plane 18, bending away from the base 28 toward each other to form a U. The inner pair of ears 30 crimp around the bare conductor of a wire to provide a secure electrical connection in a manner well-known in the art. The outer pair of ears 32 crimp around the insulation of the wire to provide a secure mechanical connection, a strain relief, in a manner well-known in the art.
The illustrated crimp attachment 26 is merely one form of electrical attachment 14. The present invention contemplates that any type of electrical attachment 14 that is adequate for the particular application of the terminal 10 may be employed provided that the electrical attachment 14 is substantially on the attachment side 22 of the plane 18. Small elements of the electrical attachment 14 may be on the contact side 24 as long as they do not interfere with the contact 12, as described below. For example, crimp ear ribs 34 may extend into the contact side 24 of the plane 18, as in
Other examples of an electrical attachment 14 include solder attachments and detachable attachments.
The contact 12 has a floor 36 that extends in the plane 18. A spur 40 extends away from the plane 18 on the contact side 24 of the plane 18.
In the dimple configuration of
In the nib configuration of
Optionally, the floor 36 has a raised land 38 extending out of the plane 18 on the contact side 24 of the plane 18. When there is such a land 38, the spur 40 is formed in the land 38. The remainder of the present specification presumes that there is a raised land 38.
A pair of parallel retention rails 50 are attached to the contact floor 36 on the contact side 24 of the plane 18 and extend longitudinally. The rails 50 are formed by bending wings 49 approximately 90° away from the contact side 24 of the plane 18, as at 52, and then curling the wings 49 toward each other approximately 180°, as at 54. The rails 50 are separated by a gap 58.
The inner most line 56 of each retention rail 50 is spaced from the land 38, as at 60, forming a slot 62 into which the blade 4 of a male tab terminal 2 is inserted. The location of the line 56 on the rail 50 depends on the amount of curvature of the rail 50. If the rail 50 curves through 180°, the line 56 will be at the edge surface of the rail 50, as in
The floor 36 and land 38 form one side of the slot 62 and the retention rail lines 56 form the other side of the slot 62. A combination of the spring action of the retention rails 50 pushing the male tab terminal blade 4 against the land 38 and the spur 40 fitting into a corresponding dimple or hole 6 in the male tab terminal blade 4 produces a secure electrical connection with the male tab terminal 2.
Optionally, the ends 64, 66 of the rails 50 are tapered or rounded at the corner, as at 68, 70, in order to facilitate sliding the male terminal blade 6 into the slot. The rounded corners 68, 70 guide the blade 6 into the slot 62.
Optionally, the terminal 10 has a strengthening rib 80 that strengthens the terminal 10. As shown in
The terminal 10 is composed of an electrically-conductive, metallic material, such as aluminum, aluminum alloys, stainless steel, nickel-plated steel, zinc-plated steel, copper, and copper alloys, the most common being brass.
What makes the terminal 10 of the present invention unique is that the rails 50 and the electrical attachment 14 are on opposite sides 22, 24 of the plane 18. As seen in the side and cross-sectional views,
Further, the side profile of the terminal 10 is relatively low, providing the ability for appliance heating elements to slide through small sheet metal openings for servicing.
In addition, the design allows multiple or stacking of female terminals on an extended male terminal blade, something not possible with most designs of the current art.
Thus it has been shown and described a female quick disconnect electrical terminal with bidirectional connection. Since certain changes may be made in the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present invention, it is intended that all matter described in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6086433 | Hils | Jul 2000 | A |
| 6183309 | Chiang | Feb 2001 | B1 |
| 6293831 | Yamatani | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 6293832 | Yamamoto | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 6811450 | Data | Nov 2004 | B1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62307921 | Mar 2016 | US |
