GB2106331A - Electrical connectors - Google Patents

Abstract

An electric component or wire (13) has a pair of resilient electrically conductive arms (20) connected thereto so that contact can be made with a contact pin or pins on a printed circuit board by virtue of each arm engaging a side of a pin. The two arms may engage opposite sides of the same pin or each arm (24) may be at a respective end of a component (23) to engage a respective pin (10). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Connectors The invention relates to connectors and particularly to electrical connectors for use in making connections to electrical contacts in the form of pins. The term 'pin' is intended to include all forms of projecting member, including rivets, pillars, projecting socket members, and the like.

Electrical components and circuit boards are known, particularly those for educational use, which have contacts in the form of hollow pins. It is frequently necessary to make releasable connections between these pins, or to releasably connect components to these pins, to build circuits for demonstrations, and up to now this has been done using resilient plugs which are pushed into the hollow pin, or using crocodile clips to grip the outsides of the pins. These resilient plugs and crocodile clips are relatively expensive.

We have now developed a cheaper alternative and accordingly the invention provides an electric component or wire, and a pair of resilient electrically conductive arms connected to the component or wire so that contact can be made with the pin or pins by virtue of each arm resiliently engaging a side of a pin.

The arms may be arranged so that they engage opposite sides of the same pin, to grip the pin between the arms.

Alternatively the arms may be arranged so that one arm engages a side of a first pin and the other arm engages a side of a second pin spaced apart from the first pin so that the connector is gripped between the two pins. Such an arrangement is particularly convenient when it is desired to connect a component between two pins.

Each arm may comprise one or more strands of resilient wire.

For example a single strand of wire may be doubled back on itself to give the arm greater strength and/or resiliency and/or to make better contact.

Alternatively each arm may comprise a resilient strip of metal.

By way of example, specific embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating part of a conventinal demonstrational electric component or circuit board; Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are perspective views of four different embodiments of connector according to the invention, to a larger scale than Figure 1; and Figure 6 is a plan view illustrating a fifth embodiment of connector according to the invention.

The embodiments described below are for use in making electrical contact with pin contacts of a kind illustrated at 10 in Figure 1. Only two such contacts, projecting from base 11, are shown, by way of illustration, but it will be appreciated that in practice there may be a greater number of pin contacts and these may be directly attached to electrical components, or may project from a circuit board or box, certain connections or components being permanently connected between the pins.

For educational or other demonstrational purposes, it is desirable to be able to make reieasable connections between any desired pins for the purposes of building up various circuits. As can be seen from Figure 1 the pins 10 are hollow, so as to provide sockets 12 and in the past connections have been made by inserting resilient plugs into the sockets 12, or by attaching crocodile clips to the exterior of the pins 10.

Figures 2 to 6 illustrate alternative cheaper connectors.

The embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 comprise a flex 13 to which two resilient wire arms 14 and 1 5 are attached. The wires are initially twisted together at 1 6. They then diverge at 17, converge at 18, and diverge again at 19.

They thus define a recess which has a narrow mouth and a tapered lead into the mouth. The connector can thus rapidly be snapped around one of the pins 10 so that the resilient arms grip the pin 10 between them.

If it is desired to make a simple electrical connection between two pins, the wire 1 3 can be provided with a connector at both ends. If it is desired to connect an electrical component between two pins, each end of the component can be connected to a wire 13 having at its end a connector such as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment in which the wire 13 is again provided with a connector which defines a recess having a narrow mouth and a lead into the mouth, but in this case the two resilient arms 20 are provided by bending a strip of resilient metal to shape.

In the embodiments shown in Figure 4, the wire 1 3 is provided with a connector which has a substantially identical shape to that shown in Figure 3, but instead of using a metal strip, a single metal wire 21 is bent to shape, the two ends 22 of the wire being attached to the flex 13.

Figure 5 illustrates yet another embodiment somewhat similar to Figure 1 but the wire arms 14 and 15 are soldered together at 25, instead of being twisted together, and they also each have an additional bent region 26 which enables the connector to be clipped on to a smaller diameter pin and hence makes the connector more versatile.

Figure 6 is a plan view of an ingenious alternative embodiment which is particularly suitable when it is desired to connect an electrical component 23 between two of the pins 10. In this case a resilient arm 24 is attached to each end of the component 23. Each arm has a similar shape to the arms shown in Figures 2 to 4 but instead of the concave portions of the arms facing each other to define a recess, the concave portions face away from one another, so that the connector can be snapped between the two pins 10, the connector then being resiliently gripped between the two pins.

Each arm 24 may be constructed from a strip of resilient metal, such as the arms 20 shown in Figure 3 or from one or more strands of resilient wire, for example as shown in Figure 2 or Figure 4.

Although the connectors are specifically designed to grip pins, they can of course clip on to other items, e.g. the edge of a printed circuit board.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiments.

Claims (Filed on 17.8.82).

1. An electric component or wire, and a pair of resilient electrically conductive arms connected to the component or wire so that contact can be made with a contact pin or pins by virtue of each arm resiliently engaging a side of a pin.

2. An electric component or wire as claimed in Claim 1, in which the arms are arranged to engage opposite sides of the same pin, to grip the pin between the arms.

3. An electric component or wire as claimed in Claim 1, in which the arms are arranged so that in use one arm engages a side of a first pin and the other arm engages a side of a second pin spaced apart from the first pin so that the component or wire is gripped between the +wo pins.

4. An electric component or wire as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which each arm comprises one or more strands of resilient wire.

5. An electric component or wire as claimed in Claim 4, in which a single strand of wire is doubled back on itself to give the arm greater strength and/or resiliency and/or to make better contact.

6. An electric component or wire as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which each arm comprises a resilient strip of metal.

7. An electric component or wire, constructed and arranged substantially as described herein, with reference to any one of Figures 2 to 6.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (7)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. connector then being resiliently gripped between the two pins. Each arm 24 may be constructed from a strip of resilient metal, such as the arms 20 shown in Figure 3 or from one or more strands of resilient wire, for example as shown in Figure 2 or Figure 4. Although the connectors are specifically designed to grip pins, they can of course clip on to other items, e.g. the edge of a printed circuit board. The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiments. Claims (Filed on 17.8.82).

1. An electric component or wire, and a pair of resilient electrically conductive arms connected to the component or wire so that contact can be made with a contact pin or pins by virtue of each arm resiliently engaging a side of a pin.

2. An electric component or wire as claimed in Claim 1, in which the arms are arranged to engage opposite sides of the same pin, to grip the pin between the arms.

3. An electric component or wire as claimed in Claim 1, in which the arms are arranged so that in use one arm engages a side of a first pin and the other arm engages a side of a second pin spaced apart from the first pin so that the component or wire is gripped between the +wo pins.

4. An electric component or wire as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which each arm comprises one or more strands of resilient wire.

5. An electric component or wire as claimed in Claim 4, in which a single strand of wire is doubled back on itself to give the arm greater strength and/or resiliency and/or to make better contact.

6. An electric component or wire as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which each arm comprises a resilient strip of metal.

7. An electric component or wire, constructed and arranged substantially as described herein, with reference to any one of Figures 2 to 6.