Contact holding bush for electrical contacts

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a contact holding bush for electrical contacts in general, characterized in that it comprises a conductive bush body, made of a sheet metal element, bent on itself, so as to define an inner hollow, for housing electric­al cables to be interconnected, through the bush body there being moreover formed throughgoing holes for engaging therein electrical cable locking screws.
At least a portion of the bush body is shear­ed and bent toward the hollow, so as to operate as a parting element between the electrical cable receiving regions and has an interconnecting element for inter­connecting an electrical cable protecting blade.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a contact holding bush for holding electrical contacts in general.

[0002] As is known, contact holding bush members are usually made starting from extruted section bars, which are then mechanically machined in order to pro­vide an axial hollow adapted to receive the electric­al cables to be interconnected, and through holes for applying the electrical cable set screws.

[0003] Conventional bushes, moreover, must be surface processed, depending on the bush applications; in particular,these surface processing operations must be performed on the bush after its formation and making process.

[0004] It should be apparent that such a bush making method involves very high production costs, since the mechanical machining of the extruded bar is very expensive and, moreover, subsequent surface pro­cessing operations also remarkably add to the end cost of the finished bush product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Accordingly, the aim of the present inven­tion is to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks by providing a contact holding bush, for electrical con­tacts in general, which can be made starting from a simple metal sheet element, which has been already subjected to the required surface processing opera­tions, so as to greatly simplify all of the subsequent bush making operations.

[0006] Within the scope of the above aim, a main object of the present invention is to provide such a contact holding bush which is adapted to properly separate the electrical cable engaging regions,so as to make easier and quicker the engaging of the elec­trical cables therein.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide such a contact holding bush which is further provided with an electrical cable protecting blade member, arranged at the electrical cable set screws, which electrical cable protecting blade member can be easily assembled by a snap or fixed type of coup­ling, without the need of performing rigid attaching operations.

[0008] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a contact holding bush which is very reliable and safe in operation, can be easily made starting from easily available element and mate­rials and, moreover, is very competitive from a mere economic standpoint.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present in­ vention, the above mentioned aim and objects, as well as yet other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a contact holding bush, for holding electrical contacts in general, character­ized in that said bush comprises a conductive bush body, made of a metal sheet element bent on itself, so as to define an inner hollow for engaging therein electrical cables to be interconnected, through said bush body there being provided throughgoing holes for engaging therein electrical cable locking screws, at least a portion of said bush body being sheared and bent in said hollow so as to operate as a parting element between electrical cable housing regions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent here­inafter from the following detailed description of some preferred, though not exclusive, embodiments of a contact holding bush, for holding electrical contacts in general, which is illustrated, by way of an indicative but not limitative example, in the ac­companying drawings where:

Figure 1 schematically shows the contact holding bush body and there are specifically shown therein the drawn holes for engaging with electrical cable locking screws;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the bush body and the sheared portion thereof defining two separated regions for engaging electrical cables therein;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line III-II of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a further cross-sectional view showing a contact holding bush provided with sheared side wings;

Figure 5 is a partially cross-sectioned view of an end portion of the contact holding bush;

Figure 6 is a top plan view, partially cross-­sectioned, of the bush, taken at the side wings there­of;

Figure 7 is a further cross-sectional view taken along the section line VII-VII of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a detail view showing a detail of a bent side wing;

Figure 9 is a further detail view showing a detail of the fixed coupling between a bent wing and a contact protecting blade member;
and

Figure 10 is a further cross-sectional view showing a different embodiment of a side wing, with a different electrical cable protecting blade member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] With reference to the figures of the accompa­nying drawings, the contact holding bush, for holding electrical contacts in general, according to the in­vention, comprises a conductive bush body, indicated overally at the reference number 1, which is made starting from a metal sheet element, bent on itself, so as to define an axial hollow, indicated at the re­ference number 2.

[0012] As shown in the drawings, the bush body has a square or rectangular shape; however it should be apparent that said bush body can have any suitable cross-section shapes.

[0013] According to one aspect of the invention, the sheet metal element is surface processed, before bending it, so as to be in a ready for application condition.

[0014] The sheet metal element is so bent that its end portions are superimposed onto one another and coupled to one another; at these regions, there are formed, at the longitudinal end portions thereof, and preferably by drawing, throughgoing holes 4 for re­ceiving electrical cable locking screws.

[0015] As shown in figures 2 and 3, at the bottom region, indicated at 5, that is the region which is opposite to that region therethrough there are pro­vided said throughgoing holes 4, there is formed, pre­ferably by shearing, a wing 10 which is bent about a transversal axis so as to provide, in the hollow 2, two regions separated from one another.

[0016] More specifically the bent central wing is provided, at its free end portion, with a lug 11 adapted to hold in place an electrical cable protect­ing blade member 15, which blade member can be simply snap assembled and arranged under the throughgoing holes 4.

[0017] As shown in figures 4 to 9, on the bush body 1 there are performed side shearing operations, so as to provide two opposite wings, indicated at the reference number 20, which are bent about axes parallel to the axes of the throughgoing holes 4 so as to practically define a diaphragm at the central portion of the hollow 2.

[0018] Advantageously, the bent side wings 20 are provided with a cut-off, at the central portion 21 of the hollow, and with a ridge 22, at the attaching region to the side walls of the bush body 1.

[0019] The ridge 22 can be engaged in a notch 25, which is formed on the opposite side edges of an elec­ trical cable protecting blade indicated at 15.

[0020] As shown in figure 10, it is possible to also provide side wings, indicated at 20a, including, at the free end portions thereof, a respective pro­jection 26 adapted to be arranged at the central region of the cavity; in this case, the electrical cable protecting blade member 15 will be provided at its central portion with an opening for firmly hold­ing in place said blade member

[0021] The above disclosed construction affords the possibility of providing a bush the contact hold­ing body of which is simply made of a bent sheet metal element which, consequently, is much more ad­vantageous, from a mere economic standpoint, than known solutions, and, moreover, being much more mecha­nical stronger than said known solutions.

[0022] To the foregoing the fact is to be added that, by providing a bent sheet metal bush body, it will be possible to form the parting wings between the electrical cable engaging regions and, moreover, being further possible to form anchoring lugs for ground contacts or phase interconnecting contacts.

[0023] Moreover, such a bent sheet metal bush body can be constructed with any desired shape, without the need of performing complex machining operations.

[0024] Moreover, the sheet metal element can be further surface processed in a very simple and efficient way.

[0025] Finally, the provision of the bent wings affords the possibility of easily coupling the elec­trical cable protecting blade either by a snap engage­ment or by a simple coupling engagement, without any needs of adopting rigid affixing arrangements.

[0026] While the invention has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to some preferred embodi­ments thereof, it should be apparent that the disclosed embodiments are susceptible to many modifications and variations all of which will come within the scope and spirit of the invention.

[0027] Moreover, all of the details can be replaced by other tecnically equivalent elements.

[0028] In practicing the invention, the used mate­rials, as well as the contingent shapes and size can be any according to requirements.

Claims

1. A contact holding bush, for holding elec­trical contacts in general, characterized in that said bush comprises a conductive bush body, made of a metal sheet element bent on itself so as to define an inner hollow for housing therein electrical cables to be in­terconnected, through said bush body there being pro­vided throughgoing holes for engaging therein electric­al cable locking screws, at least a portion of said bush body being sheared and bent in said hollow so as to operate as a parting element between said electric­al cable engaging regions.

2. A contact holding bush, according to Claim 1, characterized in that said throughgoing holes are made at mutually superimposing end portions of said sheet metal element.

3. A contact holding bush, according to the preceding Claims, characterized in that said through­going holes are made by means of drawing operations.

4. A contact holding bush, according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the sheared and bent portion of said bush consists of a central wing bent transversely of the bush body from the face opposite to the face having said throughgoing holes.

5. A contact holding bush, according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that said central wing is provided with a projection, at the central region of its free end portion, for snap engaging thereof in a corresponding opening of an electrical cable protecting blade member adapted to be engaged in said hollow.

6. A contact holding bush, according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that said sheared and bent portion consists of a pair of opposite side wings which are bent about an axis parallel to the axis of said throughgoing holes.

7. A contact holding bush, according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that said opposite side wings are provided, at a middle portion thereof, with a cut-off and, at an attachement region thereof, with a ridge which can be engaged in corresponding notches formed on the opposite side edges of said electrical cable protecting blade.

8. A contact holding bush, according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that said side wings are provided at their free end por­tions, with a lug which can be arranged at the central region of said hollow, said lug being adapted to be engaged in a corresponding opening of said electric­ al cable protecting blade member.

9. A contact holding bush, according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that said sheet metal element is surface pre-pro­cessed before bending it.

10. A contact holding bush, according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that said cable protecting blade member is held by a fixed type of coupling.

11. A contact holding bush, according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that said electrical cable protecting blade member can be snap assembled.

12. A contact holding bush, according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that said electrical cable protecting blade member is assembled by a not rigid type of coupling.

Drawing