Patent Application
20180254568
This nonprovisional application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/EP2016/076973, which was filed on Nov. 8, 2016, and which claims priority to German Patent Application No. DE10 2015 119 247.0, which was filed in Germany on Nov. 9, 2015, and which are both herein incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to a connecting terminal for connecting at least two electrical conductors to one another, having: the connecting terminal comprises an insulating housing with at least one first and one second conductor insertion opening; the first and the second conductor insertion openings are arranged on mutually opposite sides of the insulating housing; a first spring-force clamping connection for making electrical contact with a first electrical conductor, which is inserted through the first conductor insertion opening, and a second spring-force clamping connection for making electrical contact with a second electrical conductor, which is inserted through the second conductor insertion opening, are arranged in the insulating housing; the first spring-force clamping connection is electrically connected to the second spring-force clamping connection by means of a bus bar; the first spring-force clamping connection comprises at least one first clamping spring which has a clamping leg for clamping the first electrical conductor against a first clamping point of the bus bar, and a bearing leg for supporting the clamping spring; the second spring-force clamping connection comprises at least one second clamping spring which has a clamping leg for clamping the second electrical conductor against a second clamping point of the bus bar, and a bearing leg for supporting the second clamping spring; and/or the bus bar has at least one through-opening which is arranged between the first and second clamping points.
Connecting terminals with conductor insertion openings arranged on mutually opposite sides of the housing, which are also referred to as dual connecting terminals or double sided connecting terminals, for example, are known from DE 10 2013 101 830 A1, which is incorporated herein by reference.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a more compact connecting terminal.
In an exemplary embodiment, this object is achieved by a connecting terminal in that an extended end section of the bearing leg of the first and/or the second clamping spring is hooked into the through-opening of the bus bar. In this way, a particularly compact bus bar can be used for securing the first and/or second clamping spring. This way, at the same time, forces of the first and/or second clamping spring acting on the insulating housing can be reduced to an acceptable magnitude.
A further advantage of the invention is that the first and the second clamping springs can be arranged closer to one another and can also touch each other, which opens up the possibility of designing the bus bar shorter than in known connecting terminals. This can save in material on the bus bar. In addition, the connecting terminal can be constructed shorter in the longitudinal direction of the bus bar.
Overall, this allows for the connecting terminal to be constructed particularly flat.
A further advantage is that the bus bar can be constructed as a flat component, minimizing material and manufacturing costs of the bus bar and also benefitting a generally flat construction design of the connecting terminal. The through-opening of the bus bar may in particular have a non-circular shape in a plan view of the bus bar, for example, rectangular or, optionally, with rounded corner areas. This improves the hook-attachment of the first and/or second clamping spring on the bus bar.
Advantageously, the respective extended end sections of the bearing legs of the first and the second clamping springs may thus be hooked into one and the same through-opening of the bus bar. In this manner, the bus bar need not have a plurality of openings, so that mechanical weakening of the bus bar as well as deterioration of the electrical conductivity can be minimized.
The connecting terminal can be implemented as a single-pole connecting terminal, i.e., with only one bus bar, or as a multi-pole connecting terminal, for example, in that a plurality of individual connecting terminals are lined up next to each other so that their bus bars are arranged substantially parallel to each other. The multi-pole connecting terminal can, for example, be formed as a separable connecting terminal which the user can customize to the desired number of poles.
The connecting terminal can comprise a first operating lever for opening and closing the first spring-force clamping connection by acting on the clamping leg of the first clamping spring once the first operating lever has been actuated and/or a second operating lever for opening and closing the second spring-force clamping connection by acting on the clamping leg of the second clamping spring once the second operating lever has been actuated. This has the advantage that the first spring-force clamping connection or the second spring-force clamping connection can be operated without additional tools. The hereby proposed lever operation makes the connecting terminal more user-friendly and easier to operate.
The first and/or the second clamping spring can be formed in a loop shape, wherein in an extended end section of the respective clamping spring, the respective bearing leg is bent in the direction of the bus bar. This has the advantage that with an integrally formed clamping spring, which for example may be formed as a stamped and bent part, the functionality of the spring-force clamping connection described above, as well as the mounting of the clamping spring, can be realized within the connecting terminal.
The first clamping spring can touch the second clamping spring in the region of their respective bearing leg. This has the advantage that the first and second clamping springs can support each other, i.e., the one clamping spring can absorb the pressure forces of the other clamping spring. Also, this allows for material savings and compact design of the connecting terminal. In addition, the stress of the insulating housing is minimized by spring forces, so that the insulating housing can be simplified.
The bearing leg of the first clamping spring can form a conductor stop during insertion of the first conductor into the insulating housing and/or the bearing leg of the second clamping spring forms a conductor stop for the second conductor during insertion into the insulating housing. This has the advantage that no additional measures for creating a conductor stop in the respective conductor insertion region of the connecting terminal are required, such as an insulating wall. Also, hereby the insulating housing can be optimized in terms of the necessary materials and construction. The conductor stop can, in particular, avoid over insertion of the conductor into the connecting terminal. A user can easily haptically recognize when a conductor is sufficiently deeply inserted into the connecting terminal. For example, the aforementioned region of the respective clamping spring bent towards the bus bar can serve as a conductor stop.
The through-opening in the bus bar can be formed as a bushing (material passage). The bushing may comprise, for example, a wall made of the material of the bus bar, which surrounds the through-opening and protrudes from the surface of the bus bar surrounding the through-opening. This has the advantage that the through-opening can be produced in a simple and reliable way. This also creates mechanical reinforcement of the bus bar in the area inherently weakened by the through-opening. The electrical characteristics of the bus bar are also improved.
A portion of the bearing leg of the first clamping spring, which is hooked into the through-opening, can engage behind the through-opening of the bus bar on the side of the bus bar facing away from the first clamping point and/or the portion of the bearing leg of the second clamping spring, which is hooked into the through-opening, engages behind the through-opening of the bus bar on the side of the bus bar facing away from the second clamping point. In this way, the first clamping spring and/or the second clamping spring located below the bus bar, i.e., on the side facing away from the respective clamping point, can be hooked therein and is securely held on the bus bar without any additional fixing mechanics. The portion of the bearing leg of each clamping spring hooked into the through-opening can, for example, engage behind the aforementioned wall of the bushing.
The bearing leg of the first clamping spring can be supported on the bus bar on the side facing the first clamping point and/or the bearing leg of the second clamping spring is supported on the bus bar on the side facing the second clamping point. In this way, the clamping spring can be fixed to the bus bar on the side of the bus bar on which it does not engage behind the through-opening, and be supported there safely. This can be realized for example in that the bearing leg of each clamping spring located in the region in which the support is provided on the bus bar has a greater width than the through-opening.
The first and/or the second clamping spring may for example comprise a resilient arc via which the bearing leg is connected to the clamping leg. The clamping spring may, for example, be generally V-shaped, for example, in a sort of loop shape.
The first clamping spring and/or the second clamping spring can be supported on the insulating housing. In this way, the clamping spring can also be fixed in the insulating housing, for example, in the bearing leg area, which adjoins a resilient arc of the clamping spring via which the bearing leg is connected to the clamping leg.
The connecting terminal can comprise a plurality of adjacently arranged conductor insertion openings on a respective housing side of the insulating housing, which each have spring-force clamping connections with a clamping spring that is associated with a conductor insertion opening, wherein extended end sections of clamping springs, which are arranged side by side, are hooked in the same through-opening of the bus bar. Such a connecting terminal having a plurality of conductor insertion openings arranged adjacent to one another on a housing side of the insulating housing can also be termed a dual connecting terminal (two adjacently arranged conductor insertion openings) or a multiclamp terminal (more than two adjacently arranged conductor insertion openings). The described further development of the invention can minimize the number of through-openings in the bus bar necessary for attaching the clamping springs so that weakening and deterioration of the electrical properties of the bus bar can also be minimized.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes, combinations, and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:
The connecting terminal 9 shown in
The first spring-force clamping connection 1 has a loop shaped first clamping spring 11 with multiple bends. The first clamping spring 11 has a clamping leg 12 at one end, which serves to clamp an electrical conductor, which is inserted through a first conductor insertion opening 10, against a first clamping point 31 of a bus bar 3. In the region of the clamping leg 12, a loading region 13 of the first clamping spring 11 is provided, in which the clamping leg 12 can be operated via an operating lever 19 for opening and closing the first spring-force clamping connection 1.
A resilient arc 14 connects to the clamping leg 12 of the first clamping spring 11, to which a bearing leg 15 of the first clamping spring 11 is then connected. The bearing leg 15 rests on an inner wall portion 41 of the insulating housing 4, 5 and is supported thereon at least partially against the forces captured by the clamping leg 12. The first clamping spring 11 continues to extend in the region of the bearing leg 15 into an extended end section 16, in which the material of the first clamping spring 11 is ultimately bent in a vertical portion 17 in the direction of the bus bar 3. The end section 16 of the bearing leg 15 extends further down beyond the vertical section 17 through a through-opening 30 of the bus bar 3 and is then hooked into the through-opening 30 of the bus bar 3, for example, by further bending an end piece 18 of the end portion 16, which thus engages behind the bus bar 3, in particular in a region of the bus bar 3 formed as a bushing 33, which surrounds the through-opening 30 in the shape of a socket.
The second clamping spring 21, for example, may also be shaped like the first clamping spring 11. For this purpose, it is provided that the second spring-force clamping connection 2 has a loop-shaped multi-angled second clamping spring 21. The second clamping spring 21 has a clamping leg 22 at one end which serves to clamp an electrical conductor, which is inserted through a second conductor insertion opening 20, against a second clamping point 32 of the bus bar 3. In the region of the clamping leg 22, a loading region 23 of the second clamping spring 21 is provided, on which the clamping leg 22 can be operated via an operating lever 29 for opening and closing the second spring-force clamping connection 2.
A resilient arc 24 connects to the clamping leg 22 of the second clamping spring 21, to which a bearing leg 25 of the second clamping spring 21 is connected. The bearing leg 25 rests on an inner wall portion 42 of the insulating housing 4, 5 and is at least partially supported thereon against the forces captured by the clamping leg 22. The second clamping spring 21 further extends in the area of the bearing leg 25 into an extended end section 26 in which the material of the second clamping spring 21 is subsequently bent in a vertical portion 27 in the direction of the bus bar 3.
The end section 26 of the bearing leg 25 extends beyond the vertical portion 27, down further through the through-opening 30 of the bus bar 3, and is eventually hooked into the through-opening 30 of the bus bar 3, for example, with an end piece 28 of the end section 26 being further bent, thus engaging behind the bus bar 3, in particular in the area of the bus bar 3 formed as a bushing 33.
It can also be seen that the bus bar 3 has indentations in the region of its first and second clamping points 31, 32, through which the material of the bus bar 3 slightly projects towards the top, i.e., in the direction of the respective clamping leg 12, 22. In this way, the clamping of a connected electrical conductor is improved.
The bus bar 3 is integrally formed as a flat, short bus bar piece. By configuring the through-opening 30 with the bushing 33, the bus bar 3 is mechanically stabilized in this area and also optimized in terms of electrical conduction.
The assembly of the connecting terminal 9 can be carried out, for example, as follows: the clamping springs 11, 21 are mounted on the bus bar 3; the clamping springs 11, 21 can be deflected with mandrels; the operating levers 19, 29 can be moved via the bearing legs 15, 25 to the bus bar 3 in a position corresponding to the closed position; the clamping springs 11, 21 are moved to a (fully) open position by pivoting the operating levers 19, 29; any mandrels used are retracted; the now pre-assembled unit with bus bar 3, clamping springs 11, 21 and operating levers 19, 29 (in the open position) is placed on the bottom part 5; the upper housing part 4 is slipped on; and the operating levers 19, 29 are pivoted to the closed position.
The clamping springs 11, 21 may initially, that is, before they are fixed to the bus bar 3, be not yet bent outwardly with their respective end sections 18, 28, as can be seen in
The first clamping spring 11 is thereby supported in the vertical portion 17 on the vertical portion 27 of the second clamping spring 21, that is, the clamping springs 11, 21 are mutually supported in the area of their vertical portions 17, 27. The vertical portion 17 also forms a conductor stop during insertion of the first conductor into the insulating housing. The vertical portion 27 also forms a conductor stop during insertion of the second conductor into the insulating housing.
The connecting terminal 9 may be formed as a simple connecting terminal on which in each case one conductor insertion opening 10, 20 is present on each side. It can also be configured as a dual connecting terminal or a multiclamp terminal. In this case, two or more first conductor insertion openings 10 and two or more second conductor insertion openings 20 are arranged adjacent to each other on each side. For such embodiments, a different configuration of the respective operating lever 19, 29 can be advantageous.
In its lower area,
In its upper region,
At the top of the bus bar 3, i.e., of the side of the bus bar 3 facing the respective clamping point 31, 32, the clamping spring rests with bearing surfaces 270 on the bus bar 3.
The dual connecting terminal 9 according to
As shown in
The bus bar 3 of the afore-described dual connecting terminal 9 also can have a through-opening 30, which, however, here can be formed without the bushing 33. Also in this embodiment, the vertical portions 17, 27 of the end sections 16, 26 of the clamping springs 11, 21 protrude through the through-opening 30. However, the vertical portions 17, 27 do not end in further angled end pieces 18, 28 in this example. Instead, they continue to run in straight end sections 71, 72 in the vertical direction. In order to fix the clamping springs 11, 21 in the opening 30 of the bus bar 3, the end pieces 71, 72 have respective material regions 73, 74 that project in the form of a latching tab or a barb. The material regions 73, 74 are resiliently deflected so that the clamping springs 11, 21 can be inserted with the end pieces 71, 72 through the openings 30 of the bus bar 3 in the illustrated back-to-back configuration. During the insertion, the material regions 73, 74 initially deflect. Once this plug-in operation has been performed, the material regions 73, 74 rebound and engage behind the bus bar 3, thus fixing the clamping springs 11, 21 on the bus bar 3.
As can be seen in
Basically, it is possible that each clamping spring 11 has a separate end piece 71, 72 with a projecting material region 73, 74. With a single-pole connecting terminal, this is also required. In the presently described dual connecting terminal 9, this can also be realized in such a way that the clamping springs are formed independently from each other by means of their own end pieces 71, 72 with projecting material regions 73, 74 disposed thereon.
Alternatively, adjacent clamping springs situated side by side can also be designed via a common end piece 71 or 72, each having a projecting material region 73 or 74. In this case, the vertical portions 17, 27 may each be formed wider so that they continuously extend from one clamping spring to the other, adjacently arranged clamping spring.
The juxtaposed clamping springs 11 or 21 are operable independent of each other, i.e., they are not connected to each other in the other areas, beyond the common vertical portions 17 or 27, respectively.
The connecting terminal or dual connecting terminal 9 according to the invention may also be formed as a multiclamp terminal in which more than two juxtaposed clamping points are present on each conductor insertion side, e.g., 3, 4, 5 or more. In this case, a common through-opening may be provided in the bus bar in each case for groups of clamping springs or all clamping springs for their attachment to the bus bar.
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2015 119 247.0 | Nov 2015 | DE | national |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/EP2016/076973 | Nov 2016 | US |
| Child | 15974119 | US |
