1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to battery cable connectors and more particularly to an improved battery cable connector for demountably attaching a battery cable to the terminal post of an electric storage battery.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most electric storage batteries of the type used in association with generators or alternators driven by internal combustion engines for supplying electric current to starters, and other accessories of the engine and to, for example, the various electrical components of an automotive vehicle are provided with tapered positive and negative terminal posts to which the required cables are clampingly attached. For many years, the clamping attachment of the battery cables has been accomplished by a split clamp formed of lead due to the inherent resistance of lead to acid induced deterioration. Briefly, this well known split clamp includes the lead body having a tapered hole formed therethrough to axially receive the battery terminal post, and the lead body is split radially of the tapered hole to provide a pair of spaced ears. A cross-bore is formed transversely through the spaced ears for receiving an adjusting bolt which, in conjunction with a suitable nut, applies a squeezing pressure on the ears to reduce the internal diameter of the tapered hole for clamping engagement with the battery terminal post. The cable is attached to the lead body so that conductive contact between the conductors of the cable and the terminal post of the battery is made through the lead body of the split clamp.
The above described split lead clamp has been one of the most troublesome devices on an automotive vehicle both from mechanical and electrical standpoints. Since lead is a relatively soft metal, it is easily stretched or otherwise deformed and is easily fatigued, and as a result, these prior art clamps cannot tolerate much in the way of abuse which normally occurs when installing, removing and reinstalling the clamps.
When these split battery clamps become stretched, to the extend where the ears are touching each other, the clamp loses its clamping ability and loose connections result. Oftentimes the ears of the clamp will become deformed making it very difficult to tighten or loosen the adjusting bolt which can result in several problems. When the bolt cannot be properly tightened, loose connections result, and when the bolt cannot be loosened it can become extremely difficult to remove the clamp and batteries have been ruined by loosening or breaking of the terminal post resulting from attempts to remove a tight clamp. Deformed ears have all too often resulted in rounding of the nut and the head of the bolt and stripping of the threads.
Since the adjusting bolt and its associated nut cannot be made of lead, and must be formed of a harder metal, they are subject to acid induced deterioration and become heavily corroded which weakens them and also results in loosening and tightening problems.
In addition to the above mentioned and other mechanical problems of the prior art split battery clamps, they are also subject to electrical problems. A loose connection, of course, results in an increase in the resistance of the electrical circuit and a consequent loss of power to the starter and other accessories. Even a clamp which appears to be tight can produce problems in that a corrosion build-up can occur between the terminal post and the internal surfaces of the clamp, and such corrosion will increase the resistance to current flow and in severe cases has been known to result in complete interruption of current flow in the circuit.
The above described problems and shortcomings with the traditional lead battery clamps have long been known, and the art is replete with various types of clamping arrangements which attempted to solve, or a least reduce some of these problems.
One prior art patent in particular, U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,636, issued on Feb. 8, 1983, to Raymond A. Dufresne, disclosed a cap-shaped connector body of inert dielectric material, such as plastic, and a blind bore is formed axially therein. The exposed strands at the end of a battery cable, which were bent at a right angle and flared outwardly, are introduced into the open end of the blind bore of the connector body then forced axially onto a battery terminal post. Then, a ring, or cap structure was, in turn, forced axially onto the body to clampingly hold the connector body on the terminal post. In this manner, the connector structure of the Dufresne patent forms a direct pressure connection between the battery terminal post and the exposed strands of the battery cable, and the connection is made with inert dielectric materials which made a substantially improved connection with regard to the access of corrosion producing acid fumes and air.
The structure of the Dufresne patent was not without some shortcomings. First, the exposed and flared strands of the battery cable can become bent, entangled, or otherwise deformed, particularly as a result of repeated removals and installations, and if this occurs, reinstallation can become difficult if not impossible. Secondly, the exposed strands of the battery cable can become corroded as a result of acid attack, and it is difficult to properly clean away the corrosion from the multiple strands. Thirdly, when the Dufresne clamping structure is attached to the terminal post of a battery, the conductive strands are completely covered by the connector body and the retainer cap. Therefore, connecting an auxiliary clamp thereto for the purpose of jump-starting, battery charging, and the like, cannot be accomplished. And lastly, no manner of attaching the battery cable to the Dufresne connector structure for ease of handling is disclosed.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved battery cable and connector assembly for attaching battery cables to the terminal posts of electric storage batteries, with this connector overcoming some of the problems and drawbacks of the prior art.