US2677813A - Cable connector - Google Patents

Description

R. A. SHARP CABLE CONNECTOR May 4, 1954 Filed June 27. 1951 Patented May 4, 1954 NITEID TATES PATENT 1 Claim.

This invention relatesto couplers or connectors for-electrical conductorssuch as cables, andhas particular reference toa coupling for 'connecting the leads of welding" equipment.

*It is customary to secure the coupling members for such leads to the conductor wires or cables *by soldering theends of the cablesintosockets "in the coupling members. This practice, of

- course, requires that the connection between the complementary coupling members themselves be of'low: electricalresistance so as to avoid heating "of the coupling members.

I-Ieretofore, howevenfthe means employed to effecta-iseparable .connection between the complementary fcoupling members was incapable of -achieving thenecessaryadegree of low electrical resistance, and .as a; result, the solder securing the conductors "to .the coupling members often meltedorrsoftenedto the extent that a failure I :would occur.

-With a View toward correcting this specific ":problem it is :thepurpose of the present invenitionto-provide a new and improved couplerfor EEIECtI'iC conductors wherein the connection betweenthe coupling-members extends over, a substantial area and is so tight and secure as to prevent substantiallyall.heating:due to electrical resistance at the junction.

Another object of this invention is to provide .a coupler for the purpose described wherein the coupling'or connection between the coupling ele- .ments isquickly and-easily effectedby merely sliding complementary interengaging portions :thereof axially onto one another and then rotating the-couplingmembers with respect to each other.

A further object of this invention is to provide an electrical coupler of the character described wherein one of the coupling members has an annular wall which is wedged between and clamped by a pair of cooperating elements on the other coupling member, to thereby afford a secure mechanical connection between the me bers and a good electrical contact between their clamped parts.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claim.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one ing to its end opposite its-socket 'mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in whichz Figure 1 is a perspective view of the-two-com- 'plementary couplingmembersof this invention shown separated and attached toithe ends-oi the conductors which are'to be=electrically= connected;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the coupler-with the complementary members thereof in engagement with 'oneanother;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional -view taken along the line 3-3- of Figure-2 and i-llustrating the two complementary coupling-members in their positions of -relative-rotationat which assembly and disassembly is effected; and

Figure 3A is a view s-imilar to Figure -3 but showing the coupling members' rotated with respect to each-other to-establish a secure==low resistance connection therebetween.

Referring nowparticularly totheaccom-panying drawing; the numerals 5 and 6 designate generally the two -complementary couplingmembers of this invention each of 'which has -aesocleet 1 "opening to'one end thereof to-receive andihave formed in any desiredmanner, in the present instance they are illustrated as-being turned-from hexagonal bar stock. "The-memberi has -a coaxial smooth surfacedcylindricalbore 9 therein -open- Land a-smooth surfaced cylindrical pin l0 smaller in diameter than the bore 9 is disposed therein to be encircled by the skirt ll defined by the bore 9.

Where the member is formed of hexagonal bar stock, as in the present case, the pin I0 is a separate part driven into a central bore I2 opening to the bottom of the bore 9. The bore I2 is so disposed as to locate the pin ill with its axis parallel to but spaced a slight distance from the axis of the bore 9, as indicated by the dimension S in Figure 3. Consequently the bore 9 and the pin ID are slightly eccentric to one another.

The other coupling member 6 has a smooth surfaced tubular stem l3 projecting from the end thereof opposite its socket l, and the inner and outer diameters of this tubular stem are eccentric to the same extent as the bore 9 and pin l0. Also, the outer diameter of the stem I3, while coaxial with the member 6, is slightly less than the diameter of the bore 9; and its inner diameter is slightly greater than the diameter of the pin 10. Consequently, when the two coupling members are axially aligned with one another and. in such positions of rotation that the eccentricities of their parts coincide, they may be freely slid axially into interengagement with the skirt H surrounding the tubular stem I3 and with the tubular stem surrounding the pin l0. Upon being so interengaged, rotation of one of the elements with respect to the other roduces a double wedging effect which takes place between the inner and outer surfaces of the tubular stem l3 and the skirt l l and pin 10, and by this double wedge action the telescoped parts are securely locked together.

While the radially adjacent cylindrical surfaces of the connected coupling members have a theoretical line contact with one another when rotated into locking engagement, as a practical matter the inevitable resiliency and elasticity of the interengaged parts brings about a substantial surface-to-surface engagement between the two members to thereby effect a good electrical connection therebetween.

Since the interengaged parts must have a rather snug fit, the inner end of the tubular stem l3 has a small diameter bleed hole 14 through the wall thereof to thus preclude entrapment of air in its interior when the members are slid together; and a similar bleed hole i5 is provided in the wall of the member 5 just ahead of the inner end of the bore 9 for the same purpose.

The exposed end of each coupling member is enclosed in a sheath l6 of suitable insulating material, and these insulating sheaths are brought substantially into endwise abutting relationship when the members are interconnected.

Attention is directed to the fact that the relative positions of rotation of the two coupling members is effectively indicated by screws ll, one threaded into each of the members, and visible through holes l8 in the sheaths. The screws are so located circumferentially of the two members that when assembling and disassembling positions at which their eccentricities match, as shown in Figure 3, the screws are exactly aligned with one another, lengthwise of the coupler. Hence, the screws ll facilitate quick connection." If desired, the screw H in the member 5 may extend far enough inwardly as to engage in a hole [9 in the side of the pin it] to hold the same against endwise displacement. The engagement of the heads of the screws il in the holes l8 of the sheaths also the same are in their 4 serves to preclude axial displacement of the sheaths from their respective members.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention provides a very low resistance coupler for cables and other electrical conductors.

What I claim as my invention is:

A coupler for electric conductors, comprising: a pair of complementary elongated coupling members each of which has a socket opening to one end to receive and have an end portion of a conductor soldered therein, one of said coupling members having a complete smooth-surfaced substantially uniform cylindrical bore extending axially thereof and opening to its end opposite its socket to define a skirt, and also having a smooth-surfaced substantially uniform cylindrical pin wholly within the skirt bore with its outer end substantially in line with the edge of the skirt but the pin being slightly eccentric to the skirt; and a smooth-surfaced substantially uniform cylindrical tubular stem extending axially of the other member and projecting from its end opposite its conductor socket, the inside and outside surfaces of said tubular stem having the same eccentricity as the pin and skirt bore, and the relative diameters of said parts being such that the tubular stem may be freely slidably telescoped into the skirt bore and over the pin of the first designated coupling memher when said coupling members are in predetermined positions of relative rotation at which their eccentricities substantially coincide, and whereby relative rotation of said coupling members in either direction, with their parts thus telescoped and mating, locks them together by the double wedging action which takes place between the surfaces of the tubular stem and those of the pin and skirt, to form a low resistance electrical connection between the coupling members which extends along the entire axial length of the contacting surfaces and increases the intimacy and area as the coupling is tightened by relative rotation of its mating members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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