US3484864A - Combined connector and rectifier - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 16. 1969 a. BERNSTEIN ET AL COMBINED CONNECTOR AND RECTIFIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 20. 1966 FIG.2

36 30 34 2a lllll w 25 24 as v FIGS BERNARD BERNSTEIN ROBERT V. SUCHMANN IWTORNEV$ Dec. l6, 1969 .B.BERNSTVEIN ETAL 3,484,864

COMBINED CONNECTOR AND'REGTIFIER" Filed Oct. 20, 1966 2 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTORS BERNARD BERNSTEIN ROBERT V. SUCHMANN ATTORNEYS United States Patent M 3,484,864 COMBINED CONNECTOR AND RECTIFIER Bernard Bernstein, Brooklyn, and Robert V. Suchmann,

Bellrose, N.Y., assignors to General Instrument Corporation, Newark, N.J., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 20, 1966, Ser. No. 588,143 Int. Cl. H01l 3/00, /00

US. Cl. 317-234 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A combined connector and rectifier assembly is designed for slip-on insertion between a pair of flexible AC supply leads having female terminals, and a pair of male terminals on an electrical device. The rectifier includes a plurality of rectifier cells which in one embodiment include four stacks of selenium cells connected to form an electrical bridge for full wave rectification. The connector includes a female terminal integrally formed with a flat plate disposed between two of the cells, and another female terminal formed integrally with a flat plate disposed between two other stacks of cells. The female terminals project from their plates in one direction and the male terminals project from their plates in an opposite direction.

This invention relates to rectifiers, and more particularly to compact full wave rectifiers.

There are electrical devices which are operated by AC, but which would operate bettter on DC. This is particularly true of a solenoid, which may tend to chatter or hum when operated by AC. A common example is the solenoid operated water valves used widely in automatic clothes washers and dishwashers. The general object of the present invention is to overcome this difficulty, and to assure quiet positive operation, which is done by using a locally rectified DC supply instead of an AC supply.

A further and more specific object is to provide a small, inexpensive rectifier which is easily applied to the solenoid by means of slip-on terminals. In accordance with a further feature and object, the terminals are N.E.M.A. quick-disconnect terminals which have been standardized, and are in wide use on such solenoid-operated water valves. Still another object is to provide the desired DC connection at no cost other than the cost of the rectifier itself, this being readily added without change in the design or manufacture of the main appliance. Indeed, tte rectifier may be added readily to appliances which are already in use.

To accomplish the foregoing general object, and other more specific objects which will hereinafter appear, our invention resides in the rectifier elements and their relation one to another, and to the solenoid and AC supply terminals, as are hereinafter more particularly described in the following specification. The specification is accompanied by drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing how the rectifier is designed for insertion between a pair of flexible AC supply leads, and a pair of terminals on the electrical device;

FIG. 2 is a schematic elevation of the parts shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the parts of the rectifier;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view drawn to larger scale and assembled, but not yet in the housing;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view drawn to smaller scale and showing the assembly of FIG. 4 potted in its hous- 3,484,864 Patented Dec. 16, 1969 FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the rectifier shown in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is an electrical diagram showing how the parts act as a full wave rectifier bridge.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2,rectangle 12 schematically represents a valve in awater line 14, typically in an automatic clothes washer or dishwasher. Thevalve 12 is operated by a solenoid schematically represented byrectangle 16. The solenoid terminals are twoflat metal blades 18, 20 which ordinarily receivefemale terminals 22, 24 at the ends of flexible wire leads 26, 28 in the appliance.

In general, the power supply is AC and thesolenoid 16 is supplied with AC throughleads 26, 28 andterminals 22, 24, the latter being female terminals which are slid over theblade terminals 18, 20 with a snap fit. The terminals shown are N.E.M.A. quick-disconnect terminals, and in the particular case shown, theblades 18, 20 are 0.25 inch wide and 0.032 inch thick. Thefemale terminals 22, 24 are essentially slip-on terminals, but in accordance with the N.E.M.A. standard, the parts engage with a snap fit.

With an AC supply there is a tendency to hum and chatter, but quiet positive action is obtained when using a DC supply. We have devised a small full-wave selenium rectifier which is so designed as to easily fit between theterminals 18, 20 of thesolenoid 16, and theterminals 22, 24 of the flexible leads in the appliance. Therectifier housing 30 contains rectifier cells, and has a pair of fixed femaleDC output terminals 32, 34 which fit with the standard snap engagement on theblades 18, 20, and has a pair ofmale blades 36, 38 which receive the usualfemale terminals 22, 24 of the AC leads 26, 28 which were originally intended to fit on themale terminals 18, 20 of thesolenoid 16.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, therectifier 30 is shown with thefemale terminals 32, 34 at one end, and the male terminals orblades 36, 38 at the other end. Thehousing 30 is molded out of a suitable plastics material, in this case a plastic known commercially as Lexan, which is a polycarbonate plastic. The housing is open at one end, this being the upper end as viewed in FIG. 5, and it is closed at the other end except for windows or slots 40 (FIG. 6) through which theblades 36, 38 project. The housing is filled with a solid epoxy resin orpotting compound 42, which is visible at the top of FIG. 5, and which also appears in thewindows 40 of FIG. 6.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawing, the cells are flat selenium cells which most simply are square in outline. There are four stacks of cells marked 51, 52, 53, 54.Female terminals 32, 34 are each formed integrally with aflat plate 56, 58 and the latter are disposed between stacks of cells in a manner which will be evident from inspection of the drawing, theplate 56 being held directly between thestacks 51 and 54, and theplate 58 being held directly between thestacks 52 and 53.

Onemale terminal 38 is formed integrally with twoplates 61, 62 which are disposed at the outside of the adjacent twostacks 51, 52, and the othermale terminal 36 is formed integrally with twoplates 63, 64 which are disposed against the outside of its adjacent twostacks 53, 54. In the position shown, theterminals 32, 34 project upward, and theterminals 36, 38 project downward.Terminal 36 is offset to the right and is beneath plate 63, whileterminal 38 is offset to the left and is beneath plate 61.

The parts are held resiliently in face-to-face engagement by means ofspring clips 66 and 68, but in order not to short circuit the parts of the rectifier, bands ofinsulation 70, 72 are first slid around the assembly. More specifically, theband 70 is placed around the left subassembly of plate 61,stack 51,plate 56,stack 54 andplate 64, and the secondinsulating band 72 is placed around the right hand sub-assembly ofplate 62,stack 52,plate 58,stack 53 and plate 63. Thespring clip 66 then is sprung around the left sub-assembly with itssleeve 70, andspring 68 is sprung around the right sub-assembly with itssleeve 72.

The insulating band is preferably made of a vinyl plastic which shrinks when heated, and it is dimensioned so that it is readily applied, but then is subjected toheat to shrink the same tightly in position. This shrink sleeve helps hold the plates and stacks in face-to-face relation.

The internal assembly is shown in FIG. 4, thefemale terminals 32, 34 being disposed in a common center plane between the pairs of stacks; theterminal plate 38 being disposed toward the left rear, andterminal plate 36 being disposed toward the right front. The drawing also shows theinsulating sleeves 70 and 72 in position around the left and right hand sub-assemblies respectively, with thespring clips 66 and 68 sprung into position outside theinsulating sleeves 70 and 72.

The assembly of FIG. 4 is then potted in thehousing 30, as previously described.

. In FIG. 4 it will be seen that themale terminals 36, 38 are slightly indented at 80. There is a similar indention on the opposite side, so that the female terminal being slid thereon may be inverted without loss of the desired snap engagement. Each female terminal has a pair ofparallel slots 82, 84, leaving a strap ofmetal 86 therebetween. This strap is indented on the outside to provide asmallprojection 88 on the inside, the said projection mating with theindentation 80 on the male terminal. These details are parts of and are standardized for the N.E.M.A. design for quick-disconnect terminals, and form nopart of the present invention except to the extent that the rectifier is specifically designed to be applied directly to the male terminals 18, (FIGS. 1 and 2) of thesolenoids 16, and to receive thefemale terminals 22, 24 of the flexible leads 26, 28. Thus our device may be used by the manufacturer of the appliance without redesign of the appliance, and without cost other than the cost of the rectifier itself.

The way the parts form an electrical bridge is shown in FIG. 7, thefemale terminal 32 being connected between thestacks 51 and 54; thefemale terminal 34 being connected between thestacks 52 and 53; themale terminal 38 being connected between thestacks 51 and 52; and themale terminal 36 being connected between thestacks 53 and 54. As here used, themale terminals 36, 38 act as AC input trminals, and thefemale terminals 32, 34

act as DC output terminals. Thefemale terminals 32, 34

are connected to two opposite corners of the bridge, and themale terminals 36, 38 are connected to the other two opposite corners of the bridge.

It should be noted that the female terminals are in a common plane. This is important because the blade terminals 18, 20 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of thesolenoid 16 are in a common plane. Themale terminals 36, 38 of our rectifier are not in a common plane, as will be seen in FIG. 6, but this is fully acceptable because what these terminals receive are the female tips or terminals 22, 24 (FIG. 1) at the ends of the twoflexible leads 26, 28.

In the particular rectifier here shown, each stack has five selenium cells, but it will be understood that a different number may be employed, and that they may be of different dimension and configuration than here shown, while retaining the unique assembly or relationship of parts here described. The separation of plate 61 from plate 62 (FIG. 3) and the separation of plate 63 fromplate 64, is important in order to receive the insulatingsleeves 70 and 72 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The epoxy potted construction here illustrated is capable of withstanding continuous exposure to high humidity conditions, as in a clothes Washer or dishwasher cabinet.

It is believed that the construction, method of assembly, and method of use of our improved rectifier package, as

well as the advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. It wil also be apparent that while we have shown and described the invention in a preferred form, changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as sought to be defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. A rectifier assembly designed for slip-on insertion between a pair of flexible AC supply leads having female terminals, a pair of male terminals on an electrical device adapted to receive the AC terminals but which it is desired to operate on DC, said rectifier comprising a case containing rectifier cells, a pair of fixed female DC output terminals dimensioned and spaced to fit directly on the male terminals of the aforesaid device, and a pair of male AC input terminals dimensioned like those on the aforesaid device and thereby adapted to receive the females terminals of the AC leads which were designed to fit on the male terminals of the device, in which there are four stacks of selenium cells connected to form an electrical bridge for full wave rectification, and the female terminals of the rectifier being connected to two opposite corners of the bridge, and the male terminals of the rectifier being connected to the other two opposite corners of the bridge.

2. A rectifier assembly as defined in claim 1, in which one female terminal of the rectifier assembly is formed integrally with a flat plate which is disposed directly between two of the stacks of cells, and the other female terminal is formed integrally with a flat plate which is disposed directly between the remaining two stacks of cells, one male terminal formed integrally with two plates which are disposed at the outside of the other two stacks.

3. A rectifier assembly as defined in caim 2, in which the female terminals project from their integral plates in one direction, and the male terminals project from their integral plates in opposite direction, one male terminal being offset to project from one of its two plates, and the other male terminal being oppositely offset to project from the other of its two plates.

4. A rectifier assemb'y as defined in claim 3, in which an insulating member is disposed on each sub-assembly of male plate, stack, female plate, stack, and male plate, arranged in the recited order, and in which a spring clip is disposed around each insulating member and is so dimensioned as to hold said plates and stacks in snug-faceto-face engagement.

5. A rectifier assembly as defined in claim 3, in which there is a space between two integral plates of each male terminal, and in which an insulating sleeve is disposed around each sub-assembly of male plate, stack, female plate, stack, and male plate, arranged in the recited order, and in which said sleeve fits tightly around the subassembly and helps to hold the said plates and stacks in snug face-to-face engagement 6. A rectifier assembly designed for slip-on insertion etween a pair of flexible AC supply leads having female terminals, and a pair of male terminals on an electrical device adapted to receive the AC terminals but which it is desired to operate on DC, said rectifier comprising a case containing rectifier cells, a pair of fixed female DC output terminals dimensioned and spaced to fit directly on the male terminals of the aforesaid device, and a pair of male AC input terminals dimensioned like those on the aforesaid device and thereby adapted to receive the female terminals of the AC leads which were designed to fit on the male terminals of the device, in which the electrical device is the solenoid of a solenoid operated water valve, and in which there are four stacks of selenium cells connected to form an electrical bridge for full wave rectifications, the female terminals of the rectifier being connected to two opposite corners of the bridge, and male terminals of the rectifier being connected to the other two of said corners of the bridge, and in which one female terminal of the rectifier assembly is formed integrally with a fiat plate which is disposed directly between two of the stacks of cells, and the other female terminal is formed integrally with a fiat plate which is disposed directly between the remaining two stacks of cells, one male terminal being'formed'integral- 1y with two plates which are disposed at the outside of two of the,stacks, and the other male terminal being formed integrally with two plates which are disposed at the outside of the other two stacks.

7. A rectifier assembly as defined in claim 6, in which the female terminals project from their integral plates in one direction, and the male terminals project from their integral plate in opposite direction, one male terminal being offset to project from one of its two plates, and the other male terminal being oppositely offset to project from the other of its two plates. 4

8. A rectifier assembly as defined inclaim 6, in which an insulating member is disposed on each sub-assembly of male plate, stack, female plate, stack, and male plate, arranged in the recited order, and in which a spring clip is disposed around each insulating member and is so dimensioned; as to hold said plates and stacks in snug face-to-faceengagement.

9. A rectifier assembly as defined in claim 6, in which there is a space between the two integral plates of each male terminal, and in which an insulating sle'eve is disposed around each sub-assembly of male plate, stack, female plate; stack and male plate, arranged in the'recited order, and in which said sleeve fits tightly around the sub-assembly and helps to hold the said plates and stacks in snug face-to-face engagement.

10. A rectifier assembly designed for slip-on insertion between a pair of flexible AC supply leads having female terminals, and a pair of male terminals on an electrical device adapted to receive the AC terminals but which it is desired to operate on DC, said rectifier comprising a case containing rectifier cells, a pair of fixed female DC output terminals dimensioned and spaced to fit directly on the maleterminals of the aforesaid device, andv a pair of male AC input terminals dimensioned like those on the aforesaid device and thereby adapted to receive the female terminals of the AC leads which were designed to fit on the male terminals of the device, in which one female terminal of the rectifier assembly is formed integrally with a flat plate which is disposed directly between two stacks of cells, and the other female terminal is formed integrally with a fiat plate which is disposed directly between two other stacks of cells, one male terminal being formed integrally with two plates which are disposed at the outside of two stacks, and the other male terminal being formed integrally with two plates which are disposed at the outside of the other two stacks.

11. A rectifier assembly as defined in claim 10, in which the female terminals project from their integral plates in one direction, and the male terminals project from their integral plates in opposite direction, one male terminal being offset to project from one of its two plates, and the other male terminal being oppositely offset to project from the other of its two plates.

12. A rectifier assembly as defined in claim 10, in which an insulating member is disposed on each subassembly of male plate, stack, female plate, stack, and male plate, arranged in the recited order, and in which a spring clip is disposed around each insulating member and is so dimensioned as to hold said plates and stacks in snug face-to-face engagement.

13. A rectifier assembly as defined in claim 10, in which there is a space between the two integral plates of each male terminal, and in which an insulating sleeve is disposed around each sub-assembly of male plate, stack, female plate, stack and male plate, arranged in the recited order, and in which said sleeve fits tightly around the sub-assembly and helps to hold the said plates and stacks in snug face-to-face engagement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,491,031 12/ 1949 Burgess 317--234 X 3,034,000 5/1962 Todd 339154 X 3,047,773 7/1962 Morton 339166 X 3,165,678 1/ 1965 Bernstein 3 1 7234 3,201,617 8/1965 Pacoroni et a1. 307-146 3,360,708 12/1967 Persen 339154 X JOHN W. HUCKERT, Primary Examiner R. F. POLISSACK, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

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