Electrical conductor connecting means

US6796855B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Weidmüller Interface GmbH & Co. KG and PH · DE

Inventors

• Herbert Fricke · Detmold, DE
• Jörg Diekmann · Bielefeld, DE
• Manfred Wilmes · Detmold, DE
• Michael Lenschen · Detmold, DE
• Rainer Schulze · Detmold, DE
• Siegfried Storm · Schlangen, DE
• Thomas Tappe · Detmold, DE
• Thomas Wielsch · Heubach, DE
• Jochen Reese · Detmold, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 11, 2003
• Grant date: Sep 28, 2004
• Expiry date: Apr 11, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01R2201/20
• WIPO field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

An electrical connector includes a metal housing having at least one side wall, and first and second end walls cooperating with the side wall to define an open-topped chamber, an inverted generally U-shaped resilient contact having first and second leg portions introduced into the chamber adjacent the first and second end walls, respectively, and a bridging portion adjacent the open top of the metal housing, the housing side wall having a bent portion for supporting the resilient contact bridging portion, the resilient contact first leg portion being connected against coplanar movement relative to the housing first end wall. The resilient contact second leg portion is biased outwardly from the first leg portion, thereby to bias a conductor introduced within the housing chamber toward engagement with a bus bar defined adjacent the housing second end wall. The housing may be formed of an electrically conductive metal, such as copper. The free extremity of the second contact leg may be bifurcated to improve the biasing of one or more conductors against the bus bar.