Electrical connector

Claim 1

An electrical connector for supplying electrical power to a machine at particular voltage and phase magnitudes selected, said connector having one part adapted to be mechanically and electrically connected to the machine and another part adapted to be electrically connected to a conductor providing the electrical power to be supplied, said connector comprising: (a) a plurality of pins on a first one of said connector parts and a corresponding plurality of mating slots on a second one of said connector parts adapted to receive said pins when said connector parts are connected together; (b) one of said pins and a corresponding one of said mating slots serving as means for completing an electrical ground circuit and having a fixed orientation independent of the selected voltage and phase magnitude for the particular connector; (c) the total number and respective orientations of the remaining ones of said pins and slots determined by the particular voltage and phase magnitude selected for the connector, said total number of orientations of said remaining pins and slots being fixed and non-changeable in the connector; (d) said total number and orientations of said remaining ones of said pins and slots also being predetermined to prevent connection between either of said connector parts and a part of another connector of the same type as said connector but operative with different selected voltage and phase magnitudes; (e) said first part having said pins comprising a first hollow body having a first end wall, said first end wall provided with openings through which pins extend, each of said pins having a portion extending inward into said body and a portion extending outward from said body, each of said opening in said first end wall being of a size and a shape to accommodate different selected orientations of said remaining pins, said outward extending portion of each of said remaining pins being flat and blade-like and each of said remaining pin openings in said first end wall having a first portion having a shape and size to receive said outward extending pin portion and a second portion disposed at an angle to said first portion and having a shape and size to receive said outward extending pin portion; (f) each of said pins is comprised of two separate parts, one pin part including said outwardly extending portion and the other pin part including said inwardly extending portion, one of said pin parts having on one end thereof a tab provided with an opening therein and the other of said pin parts having on one end an extension of a cross-sectional shape and size to be received in said tab opening, said pin parts being permanently secured together with said extension fitted into said tab opening, the cross sectional shape of said tab opening and said extension accommodating two different relative orientations of said pin parts; and (g) said second part having said slots comprising a second hollow body having a second end wall containing said slots, a plurality of contacts in said second body, one for each slot and extending inwardly from said second end wall and the associated slot, said contacts being arranged in spaced relation along a row, each of said contacts comprising a pair of spaced-apart conductive blades adapted to engage said pins when inserted in said slots and a central portion joining said blades and located in spaced relation to said end wall and means in said second body defining a corresponding plurality of guide housings of electrically insulative material for receiving corresponding pairs of said blades, said guide housings having inner surfaces shaped to accommodate said blades in two different relative orientations corresponding to said two different relative orientations of said pin parts.