Electrical connector by drilling conductors

Abstract

Electrical connector by conductor perforation. The connector comprises two insulating jaws (10) defining between them a first and a second longitudinal recess for receiving a first and a second conductor, respectively. At least two conductive blades (40) are mounted transversely in each of the two jaws, spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction. In the recesses, each blade has teeth (50) extending towards the opposite jaw and capable of piercing the conductors. A clamping device allows the jaws to be brought together in a so-called vertical direction (Z). On at least one of the two jaws, and in at least one of the recesses, at least one tooth (50, 54) of a first blade (41) is offset in the transverse direction (Y) relative to each of the teeth (50, 51, 52) of a second blade (42). Figure 4

Description

Title of the invention: Electrical connector by conductor perforation

[0001] The invention relates to a connector for electrically connecting a first conductor and a second conductor.

[0002] The invention relates more particularly to a connector comprising two jaws made of electrically insulating material, defining between them a first housing receiving the first conductor and a second housing receiving the second conductor. Each jaw is fitted with blades made of electrically conductive material, the blades having teeth adapted to pierce the conductors, the blades being arranged transversely to the conductors. A clamping device brings the jaws closer together, in order to electrically connect the conductors via the blades that have pierced these conductors, more specifically the insulating sheath of these conductors.

[0003] In order for the insulating sheath to be perforated by manually operating the clamping device without excessive effort, the blades are relatively thin, generally on the order of 2 to 3 mm. However, such a thin blade does not have a sufficient cross-section to allow the passage of the entire usual current without overheating or burning. It is therefore necessary to provide several blades in parallel to provide a sufficient total equivalent cross-section for the electrical current flow. Thus, typically, such a connector includes several identical and parallel blades in each jaw.

[0004] However, if the perforation zones are too close together along the conductor's axis, the penetration force of the teeth of one blade is greatly reduced by the teeth of the adjacent blade. Indeed, the conductor then tends to remain relatively straight, penetrating only slightly into the teeth. By spacing the teeth along the conductor's axis, the conductor has room to descend between the teeth of two adjacent blades and thus be perforated more deeply. This necessitates spacing the blades sufficiently apart, resulting in a significant size of the jaws.

[0005] Furthermore, in the very common case of a multi-strand conductor, the following phenomenon also occurs. On this type of conductor, each strand is wound helix around the others with a relatively small pitch. Consequently, and since it is not possible to spread the blades very far apart due to space constraints, there is a high probability that each tooth of each blade will always pierce the same strand. Each strand of the connector is indeed in contact with the neighboring strand, and so on, which While it allows current flow, these are surface contacts of potentially poor quality, typically in the case of aluminum whose outer layer oxidizes to alumina, a poor conductor of electricity. Therefore, in this multi-strand application, conventional connectors do not provide optimal electrical contact.

[0006] Connector designers are therefore faced with conflicting constraints, particularly regarding the number of blades and the spacing between two blades, in order to reconcile connector compactness and electrical contact quality.

[0007] The present invention aims to remedy the drawbacks mentioned above.

[0008] To this end, the invention relates to a connector for electrically connecting a first conductor and a second conductor, the connector comprising:

[0009] - two jaws made of electrically insulating material, defining between them a first housing and a second housing having respectively a first axis and a second axis extending parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction, said first and second housings being spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, the first and second housings being intended to receive the first and second conductors, respectively;

[0010] - at least two blades of electrically conductive material mounted in each of the two jaws, each blade extending orthogonally or obliquely with respect to the first and second housings and having teeth located in the first housing and teeth located in the second housing, the teeth extending towards the opposite jaw and being configured to permit the perforation of conductors, two adjacent blades mounted on the same jaw being spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction at least at the level of the housings;

[0011] - a clamping device configured to allow the jaws to be brought together along a so-called vertical direction orthogonal to the longitudinal and transverse directions, so that the conductors are electrically connected via the blades having pierced said conductors.

[0012] According to a general definition of the invention, on at least one of the two jaws, and in at least one of the housings, at least one tooth of a first blade is offset in the transverse direction with respect to each of the teeth of a second blade.

[0013] Thus, on the jaw and the housing concerned, said tooth of the first blade is not aligned, in the longitudinal direction, with the tooth or teeth of the second blade. This configuration offers numerous advantages compared to connectors of the earlier art where the teeth of the blades are aligned along the longitudinal direction, that is to say along the axis of the conductor placed in the housing.

[0014] Offsetting the teeth relative to each other along the transverse direction considerably limits the aforementioned phenomenon of the conductor tending to remain relatively straight, with little penetration into the teeth. Indeed, starting from the offset tooth of the first blade, following the longitudinal direction, one does not necessarily encounter a tooth on the adjacent blade, but potentially a gap, as the nearest aligned tooth may belong to a subsequent blade. Thus, the conductor has room to descend between successive aligned teeth. It follows that, thanks to the invention, it is possible to bring the blades closer together compared to the arrangement in known connectors, and therefore to design a more compact connector, without degrading the quality of the perforation and thus the electrical contact obtained.

[0015] Furthermore, due to their offset, the teeth of the blades can pierce distinct strands of each conductor, even if the blades are relatively close together. Consequently, the quality of the electrical contact is greatly improved, without negatively impacting the overall size.

[0016] Furthermore, with the connector of the invention, if one views the entire set of blades projected onto a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, one sees both the teeth of one blade and the offset tooth or teeth of another blade or blades. Conversely, with a prior art connector where all the blades are identical and their N teeth are axially aligned, only N teeth are visible in such a projection. The offset of the teeth thus makes it possible to provide an assembly of blades where the perforation points are more numerous in the transverse direction, while by design the number of teeth on a blade is limited. This is another factor that improves electrical contact.

[0017] It should be noted that the offset along the transverse direction does not necessarily concern the entire tooth, but at least its tip. Thus, it is possible that a part of a tooth of the first blade may be superimposed, in projection onto a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, on a part of a tooth of the second blade.

[0018] According to one possible embodiment, the connector comprises at least three blades made of electrically conductive material mounted in each of the two jaws, said first blade and said second blade being adjacent. In other words, the blades having axially misaligned teeth are adjacent blades, meaning that there is no other blade positioned between them. However, said first and second blades are not necessarily in contact with each other.

[0019] For example, in at least one of the housings, the second blade has N teeth, where N > 2, a space being provided between two adjacent teeth. Furthermore, the first blade has at least one tooth which, viewed along the longitudinal direction, is substantially entirely located within the space or one of the spaces, preferably being substantially centered along the transverse (Y) direction within said space. With this configuration, there is no overlap of the teeth at all, viewed along the longitudinal direction, that is to say, viewed in projection onto a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

[0020] It can be foreseen that, in at least one of the housings, the second blade has two extreme teeth and one to three central teeth. The second blade may have a tooth located in each of the spaces between two adjacent teeth of the second blade, viewed along the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, preferably, the tips of the teeth are closer to the opposite jaw the further one moves away from the axis of the housing along the transverse direction. For example, the tips of the teeth may be located substantially on a concave arc designed to conform to the cylindrical shape of the conductor received in the housing.

[0021] According to one embodiment, at least one blade mounted on one jaw is arranged opposite a blade mounted on the other jaw, along the vertical direction. The tooth arrangements of said blades, in at least one of the housings, may be symmetrical with respect to a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction.

[0022] The blades mounted on one jaw and the blades mounted on the other jaw can be arranged opposite each other in pairs along the vertical direction.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the connector comprises two sets of two blades mounted in each of the two jaws. On at least one of the two jaws, one of the sets may include said first and second blades. Moreover, the other set may be the image of the first set under a translation along the longitudinal direction. Such an arrangement may lead to an alternating positioning of the teeth. Alternatively, the other set may be the reflection of the first set with respect to a median plane of the connector orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

[0024] On a given jaw, an assembly can be arranged on either side of a central clamping device for the connector. Alternatively, the connector clamping device can comprise two separate and substantially parallel clamping members, each clamping member being disposed between the two blades of an assembly.

[0025] An offset arrangement of the teeth of the blades can be provided on each jaw and / or in each housing.

[0026] According to one possible embodiment, the set of blades of the connector has a longitudinal median plane of symmetry orthogonal to the transverse direction and / or a plane a transverse median with symmetry orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and / or a horizontal median plane with symmetry orthogonal to the vertical direction.

[0027] Symmetry concerning the blades relates in particular to the arrangement of the teeth. The longitudinal median plane and the transverse median plane can also be planes of symmetry of the entire connector.

[0028] It can be foreseen that two adjacent blades mounted on the same jaw are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction, at least at the level of the housings (i.e. at the level of the teeth), by a distance d between 3 and 20 mm, preferably between 4 and 10 mm, for example about 5 mm.

[0029] It is possible to achieve an arrangement with such a distance value d, significantly lower than in the prior art, thanks to the offset of the teeth, as explained above. By being relatively close to each other, the blades create reinforcing beams in the jaws. Since these blades are numerous and well distributed, they significantly increase the mechanical strength of the jaws, which, consequently, can be smaller without compromising the overall strength of the connector.

[0030] This spacing d can be on the order of 2 to 3 times the thickness of a blade. The thickness of a blade can be on the order of 2 to 3 mm, or about half the thickness required for the electrical section, provided that at least two blades are provided in parallel in each jaw.

[0031] According to one possible embodiment, on at least one of the jaws, the first blade and the second blade are adjacent and not planar, the blades being joined in their central portions, while the portions of the blades located at the level of the recesses (i.e., at the level of the teeth) are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction and are, for example, substantially planar. Thanks to the electrical contact area between the blades at their central portions, the equipotentiality of the conductor strands is improved. Furthermore, the blades can have a thin profile, thus offering low resistance to penetration by perforation of the conductor, and their spacing in the longitudinal direction helps to limit the conductor's tendency to remain in a straight arrangement that would result in poor perforation.

[0032] Several possible embodiments of the invention are now described by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the attached figures:

[0033] [Fig. 1] is a perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment of the invention, receiving a first and a second conductor;

[0034] [Fig.2] is an exploded perspective view of the connector of [Fig.1];

[0035] [Fig.3] is a perspective view of a lower jaw of the connector of the [Fig.l], equipped with blades;

[0036] [Fig.4] is a partial front view of the lower jaw;

[0037] [Fig. 5] is a view similar to [Fig. 3], with a sealing piece being further mounted on the lower jaw;

[0038] [Fig.6] is a perspective view of an upper jaw of the connector of [Fig.1], equipped with blades;

[0039] [Fig.7] is a partial front view of the upper jaw;

[0040] [Fig.8] is a perspective view of a conductor between two blades of the connector of the [Fig.l];

[0041] [Fig.9] is a similar view to [Fig.8], in front view;

[0042] [Fig. 10] is a perspective view of a connector according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0043] [Fig. 11] is a partial perspective view of the connector of [Fig. 10];

[0044] [Fig. 12] is a view of the blades of [Fig. 11], schematically showing their gap.

[0045] Fig. 1 represents a connector 100 which allows a first conductor 1 and a second conductor 2 to be electrically connected, in order to make a branch or a connection.

[0046] In the embodiment shown, each conductor 1, 2 comprises several twisted strands 3 made of a conductive metal, surrounded by an insulating sheath 4. Each conductor 1, 2 may belong to a cable (not shown) containing other conductors, all the conductors of this cable being arranged in the same insulating sheath.

[0047] For example, the invention applies to a junction or branch connector for underground low voltage electrical cables, which allows each conductor of a main cable to be connected to one or two conductors derived from one or two derivative cables (generally of smaller cross-section).

[0048] The connector 100 comprises two jaws, namely a lower jaw 10 and an upper jaw 20, which are made of an electrically insulating material, for example, plastic. The jaws 10 and 20 define a first housing 31 and a second housing 32, having respectively a first axis A31 and a second axis A32. These axes A31 and A32 extend parallel to each other along a longitudinal direction X. The first and second housings 31 and 32 are spaced apart along a transverse direction Y orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X.

[0049] The first and second housings 31, 32 are intended to receive the first and second conductors 1, 2, respectively. Each conductor 1, 2 is placed in the corresponding housing 31, 32 so that the axis of this conductor 1, 2 is substantially confused with the A31, A32 axis of housing 31, 32, at least in connector 100.

[0050] The jaws 10, 20 can be moved relative to each other between a spread position, as illustrated in [Fig. 10], and a closed position, as illustrated in [Fig. 1]. For this purpose, the connector 100 includes a clamping device 101 allowing the jaws 10, 20 to be brought together in a so-called vertical direction Z orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X and the transverse direction Y.

[0051] It is specified that the Z direction is described as "vertical" for the sake of simplicity, but that the connector 100 can be oriented in space in which the Z direction is not vertical. Similarly, the terms "lower," "upper," and analogous do not imply anything about the spatial arrangement of the connector 100 or its components.

[0052] As can be seen in [Fig.2], the clamping device 101 may include a screw 102 inserted from below into an orifice 11 provided in the lower jaw 10 and engaging with a nut 103 inserted from above into an orifice 21 provided in the upper jaw 20. The clamping device 101 may also include in the upper part of the connector 100 a head 104 calibrated to break beyond a certain tightening torque.

[0053] The lower jaw 10, illustrated in particular in Figures 3 and 4, comprises a base 12 in which the orifice 11 is formed, for example substantially centered in the X and Y directions. The base 12 may have two generally hemispherical grooves 13, with a longitudinal axis and open upwards, i.e. towards the upper jaw 20 in the mounted position. Each groove 13 forms substantially a lower half of the first or second housing 31, 32. The ends of each groove 13 may form curved surfaces 14 that can conform to the shape of the corresponding conductor 1, 2.

[0054] Similarly, the upper jaw 20, illustrated in particular in Figures 6 and 7, comprises a body 22 in which the orifice 21 is formed, for example substantially centered in the X and Y directions. The body 22 may have two generally hemispherical grooves 23, with a longitudinal axis and open downwards, i.e. towards the lower jaw 10 in the mounted position. Each groove 23 forms substantially one upper half of the first or second housing 31, 32. The ends of each groove 23 may form curved surfaces 24 that can conform to the shape of the corresponding conductor 1, 2.

[0055] The connector 100 may include means for guiding the movement of the jaws 10, 20 towards each other or away from each other. For example, the lower jaw 10 may include two vertical arms 15 projecting from the base 12 and each engaging in a channel 25 formed on the body 22 of the upper jaw 20. The Cooperation between arms 15 and channels 25 can prevent rotation of one jaw relative to the other when tightening clamping device 101.

[0056] The connector 100 also includes blades 40 made of electrically conductive material which allow the electrical connection to be established between the conductors 31, 32.

[0057] More specifically, the connector 100 comprises at least two blades mounted in each of the two jaws 10, 20. Each blade 40 extends orthogonally or obliquely with respect to the first and second housings 31, 32. In other words, each blade 40 extends globally along the transverse direction Y or makes an angle with the transverse direction Y of less than 30°, preferably less than 20° or even 10°.

[0058] Furthermore, each blade 40 has teeth 50 located in the first housing 31 and teeth 50 located in the second housing 32. The teeth 50 of a blade 40 mounted in a given jaw extend towards the opposite jaw. The teeth 50 are configured to allow the perforation of the conductors 31, 32, more precisely of their sheath 4, in order to electrically connect these conductors 31, 32 once the jaws 10, 20 are brought together by the clamping device 101.

[0059] In addition, two adjacent blades 40 mounted on the same jaw 10, 20 are spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction X by a distance d, at least at the level of the housings 31, 32, that is to say at least at the level of the teeth 50. The distance d is for example between 3 and 20 mm, preferably between 4 and 10 mm.

[0060] According to one embodiment, each blade 40 is mounted and fixed in a cavity formed in the base 12 of the lower jaw 10 or in the body 22 of the upper jaw 20, such that the teeth 50 extend beyond, in the vertical direction Z, the corresponding arched surface 14, 24, as seen on the right-hand side of [Fig. 4] and [Fig. 7]. In practice, each blade 40 may comprise a main plate-shaped portion 44 which is partially mounted in said cavity and which has a mean plane substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X. The teeth 50 project from the plate 44 and extend substantially in the same mean plane as the latter.

[0061] As can be seen in figures 1 and 2, the connector 100 may also include sealing pieces which are made of a flexible insulating material, such as an elastomer, and which are each mounted on a jaw 10, 20. The role of these sealing pieces is to make a tight contact with the outer face of the sheath 4 of the conductors 31, 32 to ensure the seal between them and the jaws 10, 20.

[0062] More specifically, the connector 100 may include at least one lower sealing piece 110 mounted on the lower jaw 10, typically in the base 12 and at least one upper sealing piece 120 mounted on the upper jaw 20, typically in the body 22, on the side of the housings 31, 32. In the operating position, the blades 40 mounted on a jaw are housed between said jaw and the corresponding sealing piece.

[0063] Each of the sealing pieces 110, 120 has a face 130 facing the opposite jaw, at the level of each housing 31, 32, which is concave and, for example, substantially hemispherical, to conform to the external shape of the corresponding conductor 1, 2. In each of the sealing pieces 110, 120, and in each housing 31, 32, are provided openings 131 which open in said face 130 and allow the passage of the extreme parts of the teeth 50, as can be seen in [Fig. 5].

[0064] The face 130 of the sealing pieces 110, 120 is shown in dashed lines on the left side of Figures 4 and 7. In the absence of conductors 1, 2, the teeth 50 can be located below said face 130 or barely protruding beyond it, in the direction of the corresponding housing 31, 32, along the vertical direction Z. But, after tightening the connector 100, the conductors 31, 32 compress the sealing pieces 110, 120, the teeth 50 then protruding sufficiently beyond the face 130 to be able to effectively pierce the conductors 31, 32.

[0065] The upper sealing piece 120 may also include a central chimney 121 into which the screw 102 and / or the nut 103 are inserted, in order to ensure the sealing of these components.

[0066] As illustrated in [Fig. 2], the connector 100 may also include a cover 105 made of an insulating material. The cover 105 is mounted on the lower jaw 10, on the underside, to protect the screw 102 and to protect users against electric currents.

[0067] The connector 100 has an axis A100 substantially parallel to the vertical direction Z. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 9, the axis A100 of the connector 100 is also the axis of the clamping device 101. Furthermore, and as illustrated in [Fig. 1], the connector 100 has a longitudinal median plane PI parallel to (X,Z) and including the axis A100, a transverse median plane P2 parallel to (Y,Z) and including the axis A100, and a horizontal median plane P3 parallel to (X,Y). The longitudinal median plane PI can be a plane of symmetry for the blades 40 and their teeth 50, or even for the entire connector 100.

[0068] According to one possible embodiment, as seen in Figures 3 and 11, the connector 100 comprises two sets 45a, 45b of two blades 40 mounted in the lower jaw 10. Furthermore, the arrangement of the blades 40 and their teeth 50 on the upper jaw 20 is symmetrical with respect to the horizontal median plane P3. Thus, the connector 100 comprises two sets 46a, 46b of two blades 40 mounted in the upper jaw 20, and each blade 40 of the upper jaw 20 is arranged opposite a blade 40 of the lower jaw 10, along the vertical direction Z. In addition, each tooth 50 of a blade 40 mounted on the upper jaw 20 is arranged opposite a tooth 50 of a blade 40 mounted on the lower jaw 10, along the vertical direction Z.

[0069] According to the invention, on at least one of the two jaws and in at least one of the housings, and preferably both on the lower jaw 10 and on the upper jaw 20 and in each of the two housings 31, 32, the teeth 50 of the blades are not all aligned two by two along the longitudinal direction X.

[0070] In other words, on a jaw 10, 20, there are at least two blades, designated as first blade 41 and second blade 42, whose arrangement of teeth 50 differs at the level of one and preferably of each of the two housings 31, 32. More specifically, at least one tooth of the first blade 41 is offset along the transverse direction Y with respect to each of the teeth of the second blade 42.

[0071] These first and second blades 41, 42 are preferably adjacent blades. For example, these first and second blades 41, 42 belong to the same set 45a, 45b, 46a, 46b of two blades.

[0072] The offset along the transverse direction Y can be more or less significant. A small offset results in a misalignment of the vertices 55 of the teeth 50 concerned, while these teeth partially overlap, in a projection view onto a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X. With a larger offset, there may be no overlap of the teeth 50 concerned, in a projection view onto a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X.

[0073] Reference is made to figures 1 to 9 relating to a first embodiment of the invention.

[0074] In this embodiment, the longitudinal median plane PI and the transverse median plane P2 are planes of symmetry for the blades 40 and their teeth 50, as well as, preferably, for the entire connector 100. In addition, the assemblies 45a, 45b of blades 40 of the lower jaw 10 are located on either side of the orifice 11, i.e., of the axis A100 of the connector 100. Due to the symmetry with respect to the horizontal median plane P3, the same is therefore true for the assemblies 46a, 46b of two blades 40 of the upper jaw 20.

[0075] Furthermore, the plates 44 of the blades 40 are not planar. More specifically, a central portion 44a of the plate 44 forms a step relative to the extreme portions 44b of the plate 44, these extreme portions 44b being substantially planar and coplanar. In the same assembly 45a, 45b, the blades 40 are arranged so that the central portions 44a are contiguous, and therefore in electrical contact, while the extreme parts 44b, which carry the teeth 50 and which are located at the level of the housings 31, 32, are spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction X.

[0076] In each of the housings 31, 32, the second blade 42 has two outer teeth 51 and a central tooth 52. A space 53 is provided between two adjacent teeth. In addition, the first blade 41 has a tooth 54 located in each of the spaces 53, in projection onto a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X, i.e., here two teeth 54. Thus, in this projection, in each of the housings 31, 32, each set 45a, 45b of blades 40 has five teeth 50, all offset from one another along the transverse direction Y. Preferably, each tooth 54 is centered with respect to the corresponding space 53, along the transverse direction Y. The five teeth 50 can be substantially regularly spaced along the transverse direction Y.

[0077] Furthermore, it can be foreseen that, in each housing 31, 32, all the vertices 55 of the teeth 50, 51, 52, 54 are located substantially on the same arc of a circle 60 whose concavity is directed towards the housing 31, 32, so as to follow the external shape of the conductor 1, 2 ([Fig.4]). In other words, the tip 55 of the teeth 50 is closer to the opposite jaw the further one moves away from the axis A31, A32 of the housing 31, 32 in the transverse direction Y. This helps to keep the conductor 1, 2 in the transverse direction Y, by means of the higher extreme teeth 51, as seen in Figures 8 and 9. This also makes it easier to drill because the central tooth 52 and the teeth 54, being closer to the conductor 1, 2 in the vertical direction Z than the extreme teeth 51, do not have to penetrate too deeply into the strands 3 due to their reduced height.

[0078] Figures 8 and 9 show that the offset of the teeth 50 allows the teeth 51, 52, 54 of adjacent blades 41, 42, which are close together, to pierce distinct strands 3 of each conductor 1, 2, thus improving the quality of the electrical contact.

[0079] Reference is now made to Figures 10 to 12 relating to a second embodiment of the invention. It should be noted that, in [Fig. 10], the upper sealing piece 120 located at the front of the drawing is not shown in order to better reveal the teeth 50.

[0080] In this embodiment, the clamping device 101 comprises two parallel sub-assemblies of screws 102, nuts 103, and heads 104. The axes of the screws 102 are located in the longitudinal median plane PI and are spaced apart along the longitudinal direction X. The first blade 41 and the second blade 42 of each set 45a, 45b of blades 40 of the lower jaw 10 are located on either side of one of the screws 102. Due to symmetry with respect to the horizontal median plane P3, the same is therefore true for the sets 46a, 46b of two blades 40 of the upper jaw 20.

[0081] The lower jaw 10 may have a one-piece base 12 while the upper jaw 20 may comprise two separate bodies 22, each associated with one of said sub-assemblies of the clamping device 101. Each of the upper jaws 20 is provided with its own sealing piece 120.

[0082] The longitudinal median plane PI is a plane of symmetry for the blades 40 and their teeth 50, as well as, preferably, for the entire connector 100.

[0083] It can be foreseen that the plates 44 of the blades 40 are flat and spaced apart from each other, along the longitudinal direction X, the plates 40 therefore not being in contact.

[0084] In the assembly 45a, and in each of the housings 31, 32, the first blade 41 has a lateral tooth 56 and a tooth 57 located closer to the longitudinal median plane PL. Between these teeth 56, 57 is a space 53. In addition, the second blade 42 has an inner tooth 58 and a tooth 59 further from the longitudinal median plane PL. Between these teeth 58, 59 is a space 53'.

[0085] In a projection view in a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X, the lateral tooth 56 and the inner tooth 58 form the outermost teeth of the group of teeth 50 of the assembly 45a. Furthermore, the tooth 57 of the first blade 41 is located in the space 53' of the second blade 42, and the tooth 59 of the second blade 42 is located in the space 53 of the first blade 41. Thus, in this projection view, in each of the recesses 31, 32, each assembly 45a, 45b of blades 40 has four teeth 50, all offset from one another along the transverse direction Y. Preferably, each of the teeth 57, 59 is centered with respect to the corresponding space 53, 53', along the transverse direction Y. The four teeth 50 can be substantially evenly spaced along the transverse direction Y.

[0086] Furthermore, it can be foreseen that, in each housing 31, 32, all the vertices 55 of the teeth 50, 56-59 are located substantially on the same arc of a circle whose concavity is directed towards the housing 31, 32, so as to follow the external shape of the conductor 1, 2. For example, the lateral teeth 56 and the inner teeth 58 have substantially the same height, while the teeth 57 and 59 have lesser heights, which may be identical.

[0087] In the embodiment shown, the other set 45b of blades 40 mounted on the lower jaw 10 is the image of the set 45a described above under a translation along the longitudinal direction X. Thus, along the longitudinal direction X, there is an alternation of first blades 41 and second blades 42. Alternatively, the other set 45b could be the symmetrical image of the set 45a described above with respect to the transverse median plane P2.

[0088] Figure 12 schematically shows, on the left, the alignment of the vertices 55 of the teeth on longitudinal lines, namely:

[0089] - for the lateral teeth 56 of the first blades 41 of assemblies 45a, 45b, alignment on line L56,

[0090] - for teeth 57 of the first blades 41 of assemblies 45a, 45b, alignment on line L57,

[0091] - for the inner teeth 58 of the second blades 42 of the assemblies 45a, 45b, alignment on line L58,

[0092] - for teeth 59 of the second blades 42 of assemblies 45a, 45b, alignment on line L59,

[0093] lines L56, L57, L58 and L59 being distinct, that is to say spaced along the transverse direction Y.

[0094] The transverse offset of the teeth relative to each other, from one blade to the blade adjacent to it along the longitudinal direction X, is schematically illustrated by the broken lines L and L' on the [Fig. 12], in the right part, these lines joining the successive 55 vertices of the blades.

[0095] Thus, the invention provides a decisive improvement over the prior art, by providing a connector that improves the quality of the electrical contact without increasing the size of the connector or the difficulty of tightening.

[0096] It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above by way of example but includes all technical equivalents and variants of the means described as well as their combinations.

Claims

Demands

1. Connector (100) for electrically connecting a first conductor (1) and a second conductor (2), the connector (100) comprising: - two jaws (10, 20) of electrically insulating material, defining between them a first housing (31) and a second housing (32) having respectively a first axis (A31) and a second axis (A32) extending parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction (X), said first and second housings (31, 32) being spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction (Y) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (X), the first and second housings (31, 32) being intended to receive the first and second conductors (1,2), respectively;- at least two blades (40) of electrically conductive material mounted in each of the two jaws (10, 20), each blade (40) extending orthogonally or obliquely with respect to the first and second housings (31, 32) and having teeth (50) located in the first housing (31) and teeth (50) located in the second housing (32), the teeth (50) extending towards the opposite jaw (20, 10) and being configured to allow the perforation of the conductors (1, 2), two adjacent blades (40) mounted on the same jaw (10, 20) being spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction (X) at least at the housings (31, 32); - a clamping device (101) configured to allow the jaws (10, 20) to be brought together in a direction called vertical (Z) orthogonal to the longitudinal (X) and transverse (Y) directions, so that the conductors (1,2) are electrically connected via the blades (40) having pierced said conductors (1,2));characterized in that, on at least one of the two jaws (10, 20), and in at least one of the housings (31, 32), at least one tooth (50, 54, 56, 57) of a first blade (41) is offset along the transverse direction (Y) with respect to each of the teeth (50, 51, 52, 58, 59) of a second blade (42).;

2. A connector according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least three blades (40) made of electrically conductive material mounted in each of the two jaws, and in that said first blade (41) and said second blade (42) are adjacent.

3. Connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, in at least one of the housings (31, 32), the second blade (42) has N teeth, where N > 2, a space (53, 53') being provided between two adjacent teeth (50), and in that the first blade (41) has at least one tooth (50, 54, 57) which, viewed along the longitudinal direction (X), is substantially entirely located in the or one of the spaces (53, 53'), preferably being substantially centered along the transverse direction (Y) in said space.

4. Connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, in at least one of the housings (31, 32), the second blade (42) has two extreme teeth (50, 51) and one to three central teeth (50, 52), the first blade (41) having a tooth (54) located in each of the spaces (53) between two adjacent teeth of the second blade (42), viewed along the longitudinal direction (X), and in that, preferably, the apex (55) of the teeth (50) is closer to the opposite jaw (10, 20) the further one moves away from the axis (A31, A32) of the housing (31, 32) along the transverse direction (Y).

5. Connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one blade (40) mounted on one jaw (10, 20) is arranged opposite a blade (40) mounted on the other jaw (20, 10), along the vertical direction (Z), and in that the arrangements of the teeth (50) of said blades (40), in at least one of the housings (31, 32), are symmetrical with respect to a plane (P3) orthogonal to the vertical direction (Z).

6. Connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the blades (40) mounted on one jaw (10, 20) and the blades (40) mounted on the other jaw (20, 10) are arranged opposite each other in pairs along the vertical direction (Z).

7. Connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises two sets (45a, 45b, 46a, 46b) of two blades (40) mounted in each of the two jaws (10, 20), and in that, on at least one of the two jaws (10, 20), one (45a, 45b) of the sets comprises said first and second blades (41, 42), and the other (46a, 46b) of the sets: - is the image of the first set (45a, 45b) under a translation along the longitudinal direction (X), or - is the symmetric of the first set (45a, 45b) with respect to a median plane (P2) of the connector (100) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (X).

8. Connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the set of blades (40) of the connector (100) has a longitudinal median plane (PI) of symmetry parallel to (X,Z) and / or a transverse median plane (P2) of symmetry parallel to (Y,Z) and / or a horizontal median plane (P3) of symmetry parallel to (X,Y).

9. Connector according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that two adjacent blades (40) mounted on the same jaw (10, 20) are spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction (X) at least at the level of the housings (31, 32), by a distance d of between 3 and 20 mm, preferably between 4 and 10 mm.

10. Connector according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, on at least one of the jaws (10, 20), said first blade (41) and said second blade (42) are adjacent and not planar, said blades being joined in their central parts (44a), while the parts (44b) of said blades located at the level of the housings (31, 32) are spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction (X) and are, for example, substantially planar.

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