Clamping device for connecting a terminal to a pole of a vehicle battery

Abstract

 A clamping device for connecting a terminal (7) to a pole (1) of a vehicle battery (3) comprises a terminal (7) provided with a clamping element (8) which may be engaged around the pole (1) of the battery (3). The device further comprises a base element (9) on which the terminal (7) is supported and which, when the terminal (7) is connected to the pole (1) of the battery, abuts a surface (2) of the battery from which the pole (1) projects. The device further comprises a lever element (10) supported in an articulated manner by said clamping element (8) and displaceable from a raised position to a lowered position above the clamping element (8), in which said lever element (10) locks said clamping element (8) onto the pole (1) of the battery. The device further comprises a safety device (12) for preventing the clamping element (8) from being mounted incorrectly on the pole (1). This safety device (12) is forced by resilient means (83; 13) into a position in which the engagement element (122b) projects from a lower surface of the base element (9). Only when the aforementioned base element (9) is correctly mounted, in contact with said base surface (2) of the battery (3), said engagement element (122b) is held in a retracted position, in which a stop surface (124) of the safety device does not interfere with the lever element (10), which thus can be displaced into its lowered end position.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to clamping devices for connecting a terminal to a pole of a vehicle battery, of the type comprising a terminal provided with a clamping element which may engage the pole of the battery.

[0002] In the appended drawings, Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a pole 1 having a truncated conical body projecting from a base surface 2 of a battery 3. The reference numeral 4 denotes a clamping element, shown schematically in the drawing, connected to a terminal 5 which is to be connected to a conductor. Fig. 1 shows the clamping element 4 mounted correctly so as to be in contact with the base surface 2 from which the pole 1 projects. Fig. 2 shows a clamping element 4 mounted incorrectly, with the lower surface of the clamping element 4 being at a distance from the base surface 2 from which the pole 1 projects.

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a clamping device of the type specified above which eradicates the likelihood of the clamping element being mounted incorrectly on the pole of the battery.

[0004] In order to achieve this object, the invention relates to a clamping device of the type mentioned above, characterised in that it further comprises:

• a base element, on which the terminal is supported and which, when the terminal is connected to the pole of the battery, abuts a surface of the battery from which the pole projects,
• a lever element, supported in an articulated manner by said clamping element and displaceable from a raised position to a lowered position above the clamping element, in which said lever element locks said clamping element onto the pole of the battery, and
• a safety device for preventing the clamping element from being mounted incorrectly on the pole of the battery, said safety device being provided with an engagement element and being forced by resilient means into a position in which said engagement element projects from a lower surface of the aforementioned base element, and in which the body of the safety device is able to interfere with said lever element, thus preventing said lever element from being displaced into the lowered position thereof,

in such a way that, only when the aforementioned base element is correctly mounted so as to be in contact with said base surface of the battery, said engagement element is held in a retracted position, against the action of said resilient means, in which the body of the safety device allows the lever element to be displaced into the lowered position thereof.

[0005] In the case of the clamping device according to the invention, once the clamping element has been engaged above the pole of the battery, the aforementioned lever element is brought into a lowered position in which it locks and blocks the clamping element onto the pole. However, if the clamping element has not been properly pushed into contact with the aforementioned base surface of the battery, the aforementioned movement of lowering the lever element cannot be carried out due to interference with the body of the safety device. However, the operator is able to notice early on if mounting has not been carried out correctly. If the lever element cannot be lowered into its final position for locking the clamp, the operator is immediately made aware of the incorrect mounting. In this case, he must simply finish the mounting procedure by pushing the clamping element so as to bring it into complete contact with the surface of the battery from which the pole projects, which causes the engagement element of the safety device to withdraw into the position in which the lever element may be displaced into the final lowered position thereof for locking the clamp.

[0006] According to a further preferred feature of the invention, the body of the safety device is mounted in an articulated manner to the aforementioned base element of the clamping device and said engagement element of the safety device is defined by at least one attachment of the body of the safety device, which attachment is able to project relative to the lower surface of the aforementioned base element.

[0007] Due to the aforementioned features, the aforementioned engagement element projecting from the lower surface of the base element of the clamping device is forcedly displaced into the retracted position by engaging with the base surface of the battery when the clamping element is correctly positioned thereabove in such a way that the body of the safety device is swung into a position in which it allows the lever element to be displaced into the final lowered position thereof.

[0008] The engagement element preferably projects through an opening formed in a lower wall of the aforementioned base element. Even more preferably, the body of the safety device is provided with a pair of said engagement elements, formed of attachments projecting through respective openings in the lower wall of the base element.

[0009] In a first embodiment, the body of the terminal has a front portion for electrically contacting the pole of the battery and the clamping element is formed of a clip element which is separate from the body of the terminal and able to press said front portion of the terminal against the pole of the battery.

[0010] In a first example of said first embodiment, said clip element also defines means for supporting the lever element in an articulated manner. Said lever element has two lateral tabs which cooperate with two respective portions of the clip element when the lever element is in the lowered position, in such a way that said front portion of the terminal is pressed against the pole of the battery. In this solution, the clip element is also preferably provided with two flexible tongues defining the aforementioned resilient means which push the body of the safety device into the position in which the aforementioned engagement element projects from the lower surface of the base element. In the case of this solution, the aforementioned clip element is preferably made of steel.

[0011] In an alternative example of said first embodiment, which also provides a clip element which is separate from the body of the terminal, the body of the terminal has a front portion for contacting the pole of the battery, which front portion is coupled to said clip element via a connection structure formed by a bent wire, for example a metal wire, said bent wire connection structure being engaged by said lever element in such a way that when the lever element is in the lowered position at the path end thereof, it tightens the wire connection structure so as to press said front portion of the terminal against the pole of the battery.

[0012] In an alternative embodiment, the clamping element is formed of two resilient plates formed in one piece with the body of the terminal and projecting from the front thereof. In the case of this solution, the lever element is mounted in an articulated manner to the ends of said plates and is provided with ears which cooperate with the ends of the plates in such a way that said ends are locked against the pole of the battery in the lowered position of the lever element.

[0013] Whatever the solution selected for forming the clamping element, the device according to the invention is mainly characterised in that it cannot be locked onto the pole of the battery by lowering the lever element if the base element of the device is not entirely correctly mounted, so as to be in contact with the surface of the battery from the which the pole projects, so as to hold the safety device in the retracted state thereof.

[0014] Other features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following description which is given with reference to the appended drawings with are provided purely by way of non-limiting example and in which:

• Figs. 1 and 2 are elevated schematic views showing a clamping element mounted correctly and incorrectly on the pole of a vehicle battery, as described above;
• Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a clamping device according to a first embodiment of the present invention,
• Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the device of Fig. 3,
• Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the base element of the device of Figs. 3 and 4,
• Fig. 6 is a sectional view along line VI-VI of Fig. 5,
• Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the body of the terminal forming part of the device of Figs. 3 and 4,
• Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the clip element forming part of the device of Figs. 3 and 4,
• Fig. 9 is a further enlarged perspective view showing the device of Figs. 3 and 4 with no base element and no cover,
• Fig, 10 is a further sectional view of the aforementioned device,
• Figs. 11 to 13 are perspective views of the device of Figs. 3 and 4 with no cover and respectively show three different operating conditions of the device,
• Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the body of the terminal with the associated lever element in a second embodiment of the invention,
• Figs. 15 and 16 are perspective views showing the base element and the safety device forming part of the device according to the aforementioned second embodiment of the invention, and

[0015] Figs. 17 to 20 are perspective views of some parts of the clamping device according to a further variant of the invention.

[0016] With reference to Figs. 3 and 4, the reference numeral 6 generally denotes a clamping device for connecting a terminal to a pole 1 (see Figs. 1 and 2) of a vehicle battery 3. The device 6 comprises a terminal 7 provided with a clamping element 8 which may be engaged above the pole 1. The body of the terminal 7 is made of an electrically conductive material and is arranged and supported inside a plastics material casing 9 constituting a base element having a lower wall 9a (see Figs. 5, 6 and 10) which abuts the base surface 2 of the battery when the clamping device is mounted correctly, as shown in Fig.1.

[0017] With particular reference to Figs. 4 and 9, the terminal 7 has a body formed of a folded copper sheet element with a rear portion from which a fitting 7a extends for connection to a conductor, said rear portion also being provided with a screw 7b for connection to a further conductor. However, it should be noted that the shape of the terminal 7 shown in this case is provided purely by way of example. In fact, the invention may also be applied to configurations of the terminal which are completely different to those shown.

[0018] Nevertheless, in the case of the embodiment described, the body of the terminal 7 has a front portion for contacting the pole of the battery, defined by two wings 70 projecting from the front end of the body of the terminal and bent in opposite directions. The two wings 70 have surfaces with depressed regions 70a so as to define regions of reduced contact of the terminal 7 with the body of the pole 1 of the battery.

[0019] Also, in the case of the embodiment described, the clamping element 8 is rigidly connected to the front portion of the body of the terminal 7 and has a clip element 80 with two adjacent end portions 80a which overlap on the outside of the front wings 70 of the terminal 7 and are connected to the body of the terminal 7 via bent tabs 80b.

[0020] The clip element 80 has a central portion diametrically opposite the end portions 80a and in which, by way of being cut and bent, two substantially parallel tabs 80c are formed which project outwardly from the clip element 80 and have recesses 81 for supporting a lever element 10 in an articulated manner, as is illustrated in greater detail in Fig. 9.

[0021] With regard to the embodiment illustrated, the clip element 80 is preferably made of steel, as is the body of the lever element 10, which is also produced by way of being cut and bent from a sheet element. As is clearly shown in Fig. 9, the body of the lever element 10 has a planar upper surface 10a having an end provided with two lateral tabs 10b bent back below the wall 10a with their free ends turned towards one another and engaging in the recesses 81 of the tabs 80c of the clip element 80 so as to define a kind of articulation pivot for the lever element 10, mounted rotatably in the seat formed by the two recesses 81. As a result of mounting in this manner, the lever element 10 is displaceable between a raised position (shown in Fig. 9) and a lowered position above the terminal 7 and the clamping element 8, shown in Fig. 13.

[0022] The lever element 10 has an intermediate portion provided with two lateral wings 10c bent downwards. When the lever element 10 is brought into its final lowered position above the terminal 7, the two wings 10c cooperate with two projections 82 (Fig. 8) formed in the wall of the clip element 80 adjacent to the ends 80a thereof in such a way that the clip element 80 is locked and able to press the wings 70 of the front portion of the terminal against the pole 1 of the battery once the clamping element 8 has been positioned around said pole.

[0023] Again, with reference to Fig. 9, the lateral wings 10c of the lever element 10 have end portions 101 for cooperating with the safety device provided in the present invention, as described hereinafter.

[0024] Lastly, again referring to Fig. 8, two resilient tongues 83 are formed, by way of being cut and bent, in the clip element 80, said resilient tongues projecting downwards from the two ends 80a of the body 80 which also cooperate with the safety device of the invention, as will be described in more detail hereinafter.

[0025] With reference to Figs. 3 and 4, a cover 11 made of plastics material is fixed above the lever element 10 and, when the lever element 10 is in the lowered state shown in Fig. 3, overlaps the base casing 9, this position being held due to lateral pins 9b of the casing (only one of which pins is shown in the drawings) engaging with openings formed in two lateral tongues 11a of the cover 11.

[0026] With particular reference to Figs. 4 to 6, inside the base casing 9 a safety device 12 is mounted in an articulated manner which is able to prevent the clamping element from being incorrectly mounted on the pole of the battery. The safety device 12 comprises a body made of plastics material including a crossbar 121 which connects two end portions 122. As can be clearly seen in Fig. 6, inside the base casing 9 each end portion 122 has a groove 122a for mounting said casing in an articulated manner above a pin 9c projecting from a respective wall. Due to this mounting, the body of the safety device 12 is supported in an articulated manner by the base casing 9 about an axis parallel with the base wall 9a. Each of the end portions 122 also has an attachment 122b constituting an engagement element able to project below the lower wall 9a of the base casing 9, through an opening 9d formed in the wall 9a. The crossbar 121 is also provided with two projecting portions 123 which each engage a respective resilient tongue 83 of the clamping element 8 (see, in particular, Fig. 10 which only shows, for reasons of clarity, the base casing 9 and the clamping element 8) in such a way that the resilient tongues 83 push the body of the safety device 12 into a path end position thereof, in which the end portions 122 are in contact with the base wall 9a and the two engagement elements 122b project below said walls. Lastly, again with reference to Figs. 4 and 5, the end portions 122 of the body of the safety device 12 have stop surfaces 124 for cooperating with the end portions 101 of the tabs 10c of the lever element 10, in the manner described hereinafter.

[0027] As already mentioned, the safety device 12 is usually held by the resilient tongues 83 in a position in which the two engagement elements 122b project below the lower wall 9a of the base casing 9, as shown in Fig. 10.

[0028] When the operator mounts the clamping device above the pole 1 of the battery, the lever element 10, with the cover 11 connected thereto, is in the raised position shown in Fig. 9. In this state, the clamping element 8 may be fitted around the pole 1 of the battery, the lever element 10 subsequently being displaced into the lowered position thereof above the body of the terminal 7 in such a way that the lateral wings 10c of said lever element lock against the clip element 80 which presses the front wings 70 of the terminal 7 into contact with the pole 1.

[0029] If the base element 9 of the device is incorrectly positioned with its lower wall 9a in contact with the base surface 2 of the battery 3 from which the pole 1 projects, the lever element 10 cannot be displaced into the lowered position thereof. In fact, in this case, the engagement elements 122b are held in a position in which they project, at least in part, below the base casing 9 (Fig. 10) so the safety device 12 is held in a position in which the two stop surfaces 124 interfere with the end portions 101 of the tabs 10c of the lever element 10 in such a way that said lever element cannot be lowered. This state is also shown in Fig. 11.

[0030] If, instead, the clamping device is correctly mounted with the lower wall 9a of the base casing 9 in contact with the surface 2 of the battery 3, said surface holds the engagement elements 122b in a retracted state inside the base casing 9, against the action of the resilient tongues 83. In this position, shown in Fig. 12, the stop surfaces 124 of the safety device 12 are not able to interfere with the ends 101 of the tabs 10c of the lever element 10 so as to bring the lever element 10 into the final lowered position thereof (shown in Fig. 13).

[0031] As is clear from the above description, the device according to the invention ensures that the operator is made aware promptly and clearly if the clamping device has not been mounted correctly, it not being possible to bring the lever element 10 with the cover 11 connected thereto into the lowered position if the base casing of the clamping device is not positioned correctly so as to be in contact with the surface of the battery from which the pole 1 projects. If the operator does not succeed in bringing the element 10 into the lowered position thereof, he must therefore simply move the clamping element downwards until he can check that the lever element 10 can be brought into the final lowered position thereof, in which position it locks the clamping element on the pole of the battery, pressing the front portion of the terminal 7 in contact with the pole.

[0032] Fig. 14 shows a perspective view of the main parts of a second embodiment of the present invention, which differs from that described above in the shape of the clamping element 8 of the lever element 10. In this case, the clip element 8 is formed of two plates 84 formed in one piece with the body of the terminal 7 and having two end portions 85 which are close together and support a pin 86 for mounting the lever element 10 in an articulated manner. The lever element 10 has, at the end thereof connected to the pin 86, two ears 87, each of which cooperates with a portion 85a formed in the end 85 in such a way as to project outwardly, so in the position in which the lever element 10 is completely lowered, the ears 87 press the ends 85 against one another in such a way that the two plates 84 tighten around the pole of the battery. Similarly to the embodiment described, the lever element 10 has lateral wings 10c with end portions 101 able to cooperate with the safety device. Another difference from the embodiment described above lies in the fact that the clamping element is devoid of the resilient tongues 83 for pushing the body of the safety device into the position in which its engagement elements 122b project below the base casing 9. In this case (see Figs. 15 and 16 which show an embodiment in which the configuration of the casing 9 and the device 12 is different but conceptually identical to that shown in Fig. 4) two helicoidal springs 13 are provided which are arranged between the body of the safety device 12 and the body of the base casing 9 and hold the safety device 12 in the path end position thereof with the engagement elements 122b projecting below the base casing 9.

[0033] Figs. 17 to 20 show a further embodiment which is similar to the first embodiment described above in that the clamping element 8 is formed of a clip element 80 which is separate from the body of the terminal 7. With regard to the embodiment of Figs. 17 to 20, the clip element 80 is made of plastics material and has ends 80a which are adjacent but do not overlap the two front wings 70 of the body of the terminal 7 (which, in this case, is identical to the body shown in Fig. 7 with reference to the first embodiment). As is shown in Fig. 17, each wing 70 is arranged in a cavity 88 formed in the respective end of the clip element 80.

[0034] With regard to this embodiment, the clip element 80 is connected to the body of the terminal 7 by means of a connection structure 14 formed by a bent wire, preferably a metal wire, which is arranged in a transverse passage defined by two grooves 71 (Fig. 17) formed in the two lateral walls of the terminal 7 adjacent to the front end thereof as well as a further transverse passage formed in the bottom of the body of the terminal 7 and defined by two corresponding grooves 72. The metal wire forming the connection structure 14 has an intermediate portion 14a arranged in the grooves 71 and which extends to its ends in two upper lateral portions 14b which are arranged in channels 89 (only one of which is shown in the drawings) formed in the outer surface of the clip element 8 made of plastics material. The two branches 14b are bent back at the front so as to form a V-shape and continue in two lower branches 14c which are arranged in passages 891 which are also formed in the inner surface of the clip element 80. The ends of the lower branches 14c are subsequently returned in the grooves 72 in the body of the terminal 7. The two portions of the metal wire bent back in a V-shape, which connect the upper branches 14b and the lower branches 14c, define two seats for engaging two attachments 10e (Fig. 18) which project inwardly from two front lateral wings 10f extending downwardly from the front end of the body of the lever element 10. This front end also has a central transverse portion 10g which is arranged in an articulated manner in a front seat 892 formed in the outer surface of the body of the clip element 80 (Fig. 17).

[0035] As is shown in Fig. 20, the body of the lever element 10 is mounted in an articulated manner on the clip element 80 by means of the transverse portion 10g engaging in the front seat 892 of the body of the clip element. When the lever element 10 is displaced into the lowered path end position thereof, the two attachments 10e tighten the metal wire structure 14 in such a way as to press the front portion of the terminal 7 against the pole of the battery due to the metal wire engaging in the seats 71, 72 of the body of the terminal. The arrangement is such that, in the lowered position of the lever element 10, the metal wire structure 14 preferably passes through a dead centre position so the lever element 10 is held by the resilience of the metal wire in its lowered position. Also, with regard to this embodiment, the lever element 10 is provided with lateral wings 10c with ends 101 for cooperating with the safety device. Also in this case, similarly to the second embodiment described above, the clip element does not have resilient means which cooperate with the safety device so said safety device is pushed into the path end position thereof in which the engagement elements 122b project below the base casing 9 by dedicated resilient means, such as the helicoidal springs 13 shown in Figs. 15 and 16.

[0036] This last embodiment also has the advantages described above with reference to other embodiments and, in particular, the advantage that it is not possible to complete the mounting of the clamping element by displacing the lever element 10 into the final lowered position thereof if the base casing is not correctly positioned so as to be in contact with the base surface of the battery from which the pole 1 projects.
Naturally, the principles of the invention remaining the same, the forms of embodiment and details of construction may be varied widely with respect to those described and illustrated, which have been given purely by way of example, without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Clamping device for connecting a terminal (7) to a pole (1) of a vehicle battery (3), comprising a terminal (7) provided with a clamping element (8) which may be engaged around the pole (1) of the battery (3), characterised in that said clamping device further comprises:

- a base element (9) on which the terminal (7) is supported and which, when the terminal (7) is connected to the pole (1) of the battery, abuts a surface (2) of the battery (3) from which the pole (1) projects,

- a lever element (10) supported in an articulated manner by said clamping element (8) and displaceable from a raised position to a lowered position above the clamping element (8), in which said lever element (10) locks said clamping element (8) onto the pole (1) of the battery, and

- a safety device (12) for preventing the clamping element (8) from being mounted incorrectly on the pole (1) of the battery (2), said safety device (12) being provided with an engagement element (122b) and being forced by resilient means (83; 13) into a position in which the engagement element (122b) projects from a lower surface of the base element (9) and in which the body of the safety device (12) is able to interfere with said lever element (10), thus preventing said lever element from being displaced into the lowered position thereof,

in such a way that, only when the aforementioned base element (9) is correctly mounted so as to be in contact with said base surface (2) of the battery (3), said engagement element (122b) is held in a retracted position, against the action of said resilient means (83; 13), in which the body of the safety device (12) allows the lever element (10) to be displaced into the lowered position thereof.

2. Clamping device according to claim 1,
characterised in that the body of the safety device (12) is mounted in an articulated manner to the aforementioned base element (9), said engagement element (122b) being defined by an attachment of the body of the safety device (12), which attachment is able to project relative to the lower surface of the base element (9).

3. Clamping device according to claim 2,
characterised in that the engagement element (122b) projects through an opening (9d) formed in a lower wall (9a) of said base element (9).

4. Clamping device according to claim 3,
characterised in that the aforementioned safety device (12) comprises a pair of engagement elements (122b) formed of two attachments of the body of the safety device projecting through respective openings (9d) in said lower wall (9a) of the base element (9).

5. Clamping device according to claim 1,
characterised in that the body of the terminal (7) has a front portion (70) for electrically contacting the pole (1) of the battery (3) and in that the clamping element (8) is formed of a clip element (80) which is separate from the body of the terminal (7) and able to press said front portion (70) of the terminal (7) against the pole (1) of the battery.

6. Clamping device according to claim 5,
characterised in that the front portion of the body of the terminal (7) is defined by two front tabs (70) bent back in opposite directions.

7. Clamping device according to claim 6,
characterised in that the clip element (80) of the clamping element (8) has two adjacent end portions (80a) which cover the aforementioned front wings (70) of the terminal (7).

8. Clamping device according to claim 7,
characterised in that the clip element (80) of the clamping element (8) has a central portion which is diametrically opposite the two aforementioned end portions (80a) and defines means (80c, 81) for supporting said lever element (10) in an articulated manner.

9. Clamping device according to claim 5,
characterised in that said lever element (10) has two lateral wings (10c) which cooperate with the two end portions of the clip element (80) when the lever element (10) is in the lowered position, in such a way that said front wings (70) press against the pole of the battery.

10. Clamping device according to claim 9,
characterised in that the end portions (80a) of the clip element (80) have projecting surfaces (82) which cooperate with said lateral wings (10c) of the lever element (10).

11. Clamping device according to claim 5,
characterised in that the end portions (80a) of the clip element (80) define two flexible tongues (83) constituting the aforementioned resilient means which force the safety device (12) into the position in which the engagement element (122b) projects from the lower surface of the base element (9).

12. Clamping device according to claim 9,
characterised in that the body of the safety device (12) comprises two end portions (122) connected by a crossbar (121), each end portion (122) being mounted in an articulated manner to the base element (9) and having a stop surface (124) able to interfere with a respective lateral tab (10c) of the lever element when the safety device (12) is in a position in which the engagement element (122b) projects from the lower surface of the base element (9).

13. Clamping device according to claim 12,
characterised in that the aforementioned crossbar (121) of the safety device (12) has two projecting portions (123) cooperating with said resilient means which force said crossbar into a position in which the engagement element (122b) projects from the lower surface of the base element (9).

14. Clamping device according to claim 1,
characterised in that the clamping element (8) is formed of two resilient plates (84) formed in one piece with the body of the terminal and projecting from the front thereof.

15. Clamping device according to claim 14,
characterised in that the lever element (10) is mounted in an articulated manner to the ends (85) of said resilient plates (84) and is provided with lateral ears (87) which cooperate with said ends (85) of the plates (84) in such a way that they lock said ends against the pole of the battery when the lever element (10) is in the lowered position.

16. Clamping device according to claim 15,
characterised in that the resilient means, which force the safety device (12) into the position in which it is at the path end thereof, in which the engagement element (122b) projects from the lower surface of the base element (9), are formed of at least one spring (13) arranged between the body of the safety device (12) and the base element (9).

17. Clamping device according to claim 1,
characterised in that the clamping element (8) is formed of a clip element (80) which is separate from the body of the terminal (7), and in that the body of the terminal (7) has a front portion (70) for contacting the pole of the battery, which front portion is coupled to said clip element (80) by a connection structure (14) formed of a bent wire, said wire connection structure being engaged by said lever element (10) in such a way that when the lever element (10) is in the lowered position at the path end thereof, it tightens said wire connection structure so as to press said front portion (70) of the terminal (7) against the pole of the battery.

18. Clamping device according to claim 17,
characterised in that said front portion of the body of the terminal (7) is formed of two tabs (70) bent back in opposite directions.

19. Clamping device according to claim 17,
characterised in that the aforementioned clip element (80) is made of plastics material and, on its outer surface, has seats for the wire constituting the aforementioned connection structure (14) and a seat for supporting the lever element (10) in an articulated manner.

20. Clamping device according to claim 19,
characterised in that the aforementioned wire connection structure (14) has a transverse intermediate portion (14a) which is arranged in a seat (71) formed in the top of the body of the terminal (7), two lateral portions (14b) extending from the ends of said intermediate transverse portion (14a) and arranged in corresponding seats (89) formed in the clip element (80), said lateral portions (14b) having front ends bent back in a V-shape in such a way that they continue with two further lower portions (14c) which are in turn arranged in seats (891) formed in the clip element (80) and having ends bent back in seats (72) formed in the bottom of the body of the terminal (7), said lever element (10) having a central front portion (10g) arranged in an articulated manner in a seat (892) formed on the outside of the clip element (80) and also having two attachments (10e) which engage the aforementioned portions of the wire (14) bent back in a V-shape, in such a way that said attachments (10e) tighten the wire structure (14) when the lever element (10) is in the lowered position at the path end thereof.

21. Clamping device according to claim 20,
characterised in that the aforementioned wire connection structure (14) is arranged in such a way that the aforementioned lever element (10) reaches its lowered position at the path end thereof after having passed through a dead centre position.

Drawing