Patent Application
20220285860
Aspects of the disclosure are directed to connector assemblies used to mechanically and electrically connect tap lines or cables to overhead electrical transmission or distribution lines.
Bare conductors have historically been popular for overhead distribution and sub-transmission applications because they are more economically feasible, are easier to work with, and are more practical. Various connectors, such as splice or dead-end connectors, are used for connecting such conductors to existing support structures, such as poles and guide wires in overhead distribution lines.
One type of connector includes a wedge and a body for receiving a pair of conductors and a wedge placed inside the body to hold the conductors in place.
The body 12 of the wedge connector 10 has a general “C” shape forming two conductor receiving channels 20, 22 at opposite top and bottom sides of the body 12. The body 12 is tapered from a rear end 24 to a front end 26 to form a general wedge shape profile. Additionally, the conductor receiving channels (or conductor receiving areas) extend from the front end 26 to the rear end 24.
According to certain aspects, an electrical connector includes a clamp body having a substantially C-shaped configuration defining an interior cavity. A wedge is configured to be inserted into the clamp body. The wedge has a wedge body defining a conductor channel and a plurality of fins extending from the wedge body into the conductor channel. The plurality of fins is oriented to pierce an insulation layer of a conductor when the wedge is inserted into a clamp body.
According to certain aspects, an electrical connector includes a clamp body defining an interior cavity for receiving a first conductor and a second conductor. A wedge is configured to be inserted into the clamp body. The wedge has a wedge body defining an upper conductor channel and a lower conductor channel. A first plurality of fins extend from the wedge body into the upper conductor channel. A second plurality of fins extend from the wedge body into the lower conductor channel. The first plurality of fins is oriented to pierce an insulation layer of the first conductor when the wedge is inserted into a clamp body and the second plurality of fins is oriented to pierce an insulation layer of the second conductor when the wedge is inserted into a clamp body.
Certain aspects are directed to a method of connecting a first conductor and a second conductor. A first conductor is positioned in a first section of a clamp. A second conductor is positioned in a second section of the clamp. A wedge is inserted into the clamp. The wedge has an upper channel for receiving the first conductor, a plurality of first fins extending into the upper channel, a lower channel for receiving the second conductor, and a plurality of second fins extending into the lower channel. The wedge is driven into the clamp so that the first fins pierce the first conductor and the second fins pierce the second conductor.
The aspects and features of various exemplary embodiments will be more apparent from the description of those exemplary embodiments taken with reference to the accompanying drawings.
With the increased frequency of natural disasters, damaged and downed utility lines are becoming increasingly problematic and can be the cause of severe wildfires. One way to prevent or mitigate such problems is the use of insulated cables as opposed to the traditional bare cables. The installation of electrical connectors on covered conductors, however, can be difficult. For example, the insulation layer of a conductor may need to be stripped in order to expose the bare electrical conductor for application of a connector, a tap, a splice, or termination. This can result in more work for the line mechanic and requires more time and tools. Time is extremely important, and the safety of the line mechanic is vital—more time up on a line increases the level of risk of injury. Various aspects of this disclosures are directed to devices that can be used by a utility line mechanic to install electrical connectors to an insulated cable without separately stripping the insulation and methods of using such devices.
The wedge no has a wedge body 112 with a front edge 114 and a rear edge 116. The wedge body 112 can taper from the rear edge 116 to the front edge 114. An upper conductor channel 118 is formed in the wedge body 112. The upper conductor channel 118 has a semi-circular configuration and is configured to receive an electrical conductor. The size and the shape of the upper conductor channel 118 can vary depending on the type of conductor to be received. The size and shape of the lower conductor channel (not shown) can also vary depending on the type of conductor to be received. In certain configurations, the upper conductor channel 118 can have a different size and shape from the lower conductor channel. This allows different sized tap conductors to be connected to a different sized main conductor.
One or more insulation piercing fins extend in the upper conductor channel 118. In the illustrated embodiment, three piercing fins are shown with a single front fin 120 and a pair of rear fins 122. The front fin 120 can be positioned in substantially the center of the upper channel 118 and the rear fins 122 can be positioned off-center on either side of the front fin 120. The front fin 120 includes a leading edge 124, an upper edge 126, and a trailing edge 128. The rear fins also includes a leading edge 130, an upper edge 132, and a trailing edge 134. The leading edges 124, 130 can be sloped, angled, or curved from the upper conductor channel 118 to the respective upper edges 126, 132. The trailing edges 128, 134 can be substantially vertically oriented and oriented substantially perpendicular to the upper edge 126. In certain configurations, the upper edge 126 of the front fin 120 is positioned lower than the upper edge 132 of the rear fins 122, as best shown in
Other configurations of fins can be used. Different sizes, shapes, angles, number of front and rear fins, and position of fins can be used. Some configurations can utilize fins that are separately formed from the wedge. These discrete fins can be removably connected to the wedge body 112 or integrally connected to the wedge body 112, for example through a joining process such as welding. In some configurations, the fins can be placed on the clamp body 102 instead of the wedge body 112.
As the wedge 110 is driven into the clamp 100, the fins 120, 122 will pierce the insulation layer 142, making contact with the conductive portion 144. The position and height of the fins 120, 122 allows for piercing of the insulation 142 and the conductive portion 144 at different times in the installation process and at different locations along the circumference and length of the conductor 140. This can help ensure adequate electrical contact is made with the conductor 140. The front and rear fins 120, 122 are shown adequately seated within the electrically conductive portion 144 of the conductor 140, and the radius of the wedge upper conductor channel 118 fully seated on the conductor 140. The orientation of the leading edges 124, 130 and sharpness of the fins can also help ensure more efficient piercing of the fins 120, 122 into the insulation 142 and conductor 140. The fins 120, 122 are designed such that their leading edge is sharp enough to slice into the conductor insulation 142 in a gradual way as the wedge 110 is driven into place. This helps to reduce the surface area being sliced and therefore provides a higher contact force to facilitate the slicing, or cutting, of the covering.
The foregoing detailed description of the certain exemplary embodiments is provided for the purpose of explaining the general principles and practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the disclosure for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. This description is not necessarily intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the exemplary embodiments disclosed. Any of the embodiments and/or elements disclosed herein may be combined with one another to form various additional embodiments not specifically disclosed. Accordingly, additional embodiments are possible and are intended to be encompassed within this specification and the scope of the appended claims. The specification describes specific examples to accomplish a more general goal that may be accomplished in another way.
As used in this application, the terms “front,” “rear,” “upper,” “lower,” “upwardly,” “downwardly,” and other orientational descriptors are intended to facilitate the description of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the structure of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure to any particular position or orientation. Terms of degree, such as “substantially” or “approximately” are understood by those of ordinary skill to refer to reasonable ranges outside of the given value, for example, general tolerances associated with manufacturing, assembly, and use of the described embodiments. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings.
This application is based on U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/155,431, filed Mar. 2, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and to which priority is claimed.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63155431 | Mar 2021 | US |
