AU609599B2

AU609599B2 - A unipolar junction box

Info

Publication number: AU609599B2
Application number: AU33255/89A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Jean-Pierre Giraud; Gilles Jurek
Original assignee: SIMEL
Current assignee: INDUSTRIELLE DE MATERIEL ELECTRIQUE SIMEL Ste
Priority date: 1988-04-21
Filing date: 1989-04-20
Publication date: 1991-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 2009-04-20
Also published as: CA1297961C; AU3325589A; EP0338952A1; FR2630591B1; FR2630591A1

Description

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA n 9 A; a a FORM 6 y 1 PU ENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int.Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority: Related Art: f$ This document contains the amendments made under Section 49 and is correct for printing.

Name of Applicant: SOCIETE INDUSTRIELLE DE MATERIEL ELECTRIQUE SIMEL S Address of Applicant: Route de Saulon, FR-21220, Gevrey-Chambertin, France Actual Inventor: Gilles Jurek and Jean-Pierre Giraud Address for Service: SHELSTON WATERS, 55 Clarence Street, Sydney Complete Specification for the Invention entitled: "A UNIPOLAR JUNCTION BOX" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us:- 1 -111

I

The present invention pertains to single pole cable connectors for branching off a main electric supply cable.

It is known that in order to simplify branching operations, connectors which do not require the previous baring of the two cables have been proposed. Such devices are generally equipped with two sets of blades suited to pierce through the insulation, under the effect of tightening two operative screws, to make contact with the metallic core of a corresponding cable. An alternative construction replaces the two operative screws with a single mobile head; the side of which is equipped with two r •recesses which receive the two cables to be connected, the 'o said mobile head being, then, operated by a single screw.

0 Experience has however shown that the projected simplification was not effective, in that engaging the two cables into the junction box, then tightening the screw, S° represented a manoeuver that remained difficult even for *0 0* S0 an operator having both hands free, and which turned out to be totally impossible with one hand only.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome, t or at least ameliorate, the disadvantages of the prior art.

*00Accordingly there is provided a single-pole cable r connector for joining electric cables, said connector 0 0 being of the insulation perforating type and including an insulating body having a pair of upstanding electrically interconnected blades, an insulating head member having recessed formations adapted to receive said electric o 0 cables, said head member mounted for limited lateral o movement with respect to said body substantially transverse to the axis of said cables and being resiliently biased by spring means so as to bring said formations into alignment with corresponding blades; and tightening means acting between said head member and said body to force said blades into piercing engagement with electric cables respectively placed between one of said formations and a corresponding blade and to permit one-handed operation of the junction box.

D RA4 5 Oe' 2 It can be conceived that under such conditions, mounting the connector onto the main cable and onto the branching cable is not a problem, and can be realised without difficulty even for a worker who has, practically, only one hand at his disposal, as is often the case in airline work.

The attached drawing, given by way of example, will permit a better understanding of the invention, of the characteristics it presents and of the advantages it is ,110 capable of providing: t C "r tFig. 1 is an axial cross-section of a cable connector e •according to the invention, represented prior to the Si manoeuver of tightening the screw.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view illustrating the various t$ parts which constitute the cable connector according ,to fig. i.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the fitting of the cable connector.

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-section illustrating the 20 perforation of the insulator once the screw has been completely tightened.

Referring now to fig. i, the cable connector includes an insulating body 1, more clearly shown in fig. 2, of rectangular shape, closed at the top by a plane wall integral with an axial hollow vertical support 11. The :0o wall 10 includes first and second sets of openings 12 and 13, the area of openings 12 being greater than that of openings 13.

The body 1 is designed to accommodate a gasket 2 of flexible synthetic material. Gasket 2 includes a central opening 20 and two sets of bosses 21 and 22 adapted to fit within openings 12 and 13 of the body i. The upper part of each boss 21 and 22 is open at its apex and presents a curved profile, the concavity of which faces upward.

Within the bosses are engaged blades 30 and 31, respectively, of a metallic perforator 3 including at its center an opening 32.

R .Z 3 Gasket 2 and perforator 3 are kept in place by a supporting plate 4 within the central part of which is a tubular boss 40, suited to fit tightly within openings 32 and 20 and inside the base of the vertical support 11.

Plate 4 is kept in place by a nut 5 with a threaded hole designed to receive the end of tightening screw 6 (fig.

inserted through conical spring 60 and supporting ring 61.

SThe assembly comprising the body thus described is associated with a mobile head or jaw 7 equipped with lateral wings 70 and an aperture 71. Fig. 1 shows that this aperture 71 in vertical section displays a splayed c E profile of trapezoidal shape, the small base of which is slightly longer than the width of the vertical support S, 11. The lower surface of the head 7 includes two recesses C 72 of arcuate profile. The purpose of these recesses will be described hereafter.

The body 1 is completed with a lower casing 8 the central part of which contains a well 80 to receive the lower end of screw 6 and the opened upper part of which is adapted to clip elastically within the recess provided on o: the lower face of nut 5. Lower casing 8 includes two depressions 81 oriented parallel to the lateral wings o of the mobile head 7, to form an ergonomic support for the 6° •user's fingers.

C. ,4 L The use of the cable connector, that is the attachment to electrical cables, is described hereafter with reference to figs. 3, 4 and In Fig. 3, the lower end of screw 6 is just engaged into the threaded hole 50 of nut 5, in such a way that the spring 60 is not substantially compressed. Nevertheless, this spring 60 exerts a non negligible elastic pressure on the head 7, which can thus be kept against the bosses 21 and 22 of gasket 2. The operator can thus exert on one of the wings 70 (arrow Fl) a pressure directed towards the I body 1; so that by virtue of aperture 71, the head 7 Ii swings, allowing main cable A to be introduced laterally,

C'

(r0 4 0* 10 C#i 0O a *sr C

CQ@

I

C

r

C.IC

L.

CI

C

CO

@9 Cr C *.aL with one hand, between the recess 72 of the said head and boss 21. As soon as the pressure exerted on wing 70 is released, head 7 returns to its initial position under the influence of spring 60, and so the device is from now on supported by the main cable A, without any need for the operator to intervene manually.

The branching cable a may be fitted to the device in a similar manner, i.e. (cf. fig. 4) by exertini'g pressure (arrow F2) onto the opposite wing 70. The displacement of the head 7 does not affect the retention of main cable A if it has already been inserted. It will be appreciated also that the cables may be inserted in the opposite order.

In either case, the device finally takes the appearance illustrated in fig. 5; the head 7 rests on the two cables A and a, which are themselves resting against bosses 21 and 22. Upon tightening of the screw 6, bosses 21 and 22 of gasket 2 are crushed, uncovering the two sets of blades 30 and 31, the sharp edges of which pierce through the insulation and anchor into the metallic core of the cables, thus establishing the connection (see fig.

The screw is advantageously equipped with an operating head 62 of the rupture limiting torque type.

Rupture occurs at the end of tightening, i.e. when the spring 60 is completely compressed and when the base of operating head 62 is in contact with the upper surface of head 7.

*1 0 a The fitting of the cable connector is completed by fastening onto the extremity of the branching cable a a blind cap (see fig. 2 and 6) joined to a lateral button 16 on body 1 by a flexible arm 15, the cap having been retained against the cover 8 by means of a fastening clip 82.

Thus the connector is completely insulated. Indeed, cable connection can take place without any danger even when main cable A is conducting.

i"

Claims

1. A single-pole cable connector for joining electric cables, said connector being of the insulation perforating type and including an insulating body having a pair of ups-anding electrically interconnected blades, an insulating head member having recessed formations adapted to receive said electric cables, said head member mounted for limited lateral movement with respect to said body substantially transverse to the axis of said cables and being resiliently biased by spring means so as to bring said formations into alignment with corresponding blades; and tightening means acting between said head member and said body to force said blades into piercing engagement r with electric cables respectively placed between one of said formations and a corresponding blade and to permit one-handed operation of the cable connector.

2. A cable connector as claimed in Claim i, wherein the tr S spring means are comprised of a conical spring and the tightening means comprises a screw, said spring being interpositioned between the head of said screw and the head member.

3. A cable connector as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the head member includes opposite lateral wings suited to support the operator's fingers during movement of the head member, said insulating body including corresponding ergonomic depressions.

4. A cable connector as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein the insulating body a lower casing which is adapted to receive an extremity of the screw.

5. A cable connector substantially as herein described with reference to figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings. DATED this 31st day of January, 1991 SOCIETE INDUSTRIELLE DE MATERIEL ELECTRIQUE SIMEL Attorney: LEON K. ALLEN Fellow Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia T .of SHELSTON WATERS U"lSi 1VT 0 r