Patent Application
20250167468
The disclosure relates to a terminal block, particularly to a terminal block having a pressing feature.
Regarding the terminal block, it includes a shell, a handle, a spring piece and terminals, and the handle, the spring piece and the terminals are all arranged in the shell. The shell has a jack, and the spring piece is disposed corresponding to the position of the jack for blocking.
Therefore, the spring piece is elastically pressed against the wire when a wire is inserted into the shell through the jack, so that the wire is clamped between the spring piece and the terminal, and the wire and the terminal are connected to each other.
However, it is a long-standing issue that an insufficient elastic pressing force of the spring piece for clamping the wire will lead to a poor contact or even a loosening between the wire and the terminal.
In view of this, the inventors have devoted themselves to the above-mentioned prior art, researched intensively and cooperated with the application of science to try to solve the above-mentioned problems. Finally, the invention which is reasonable and effective to overcome the above drawbacks is provided.
An object of this disclosure is to provide a terminal block having a pressing feature, which can elastically press the pressed segment of the spring piece.
To accomplish the above object, this disclosure provides a terminal block having a pressing feature, which includes a housing structure, a handle, a spring piece, and an elastic element. The housing structure includes a shell and a terminal fixed in the shell. The handle is movably disposed in the shell. The spring piece is disposed in the shell and has a first fixed segment and a pressed segment. The first fixed segment is fixed in the housing structure. The pressed segment is capable of elastically swinging relative to the first fixed segment along a swing path. The elastic element is disposed in the shell and has a second fixed segment and a pressing segment. The second fixed segment is fixed in the housing structure. The pressing segment is disposed in the swing path and capable of elastically moving relative to the second fixed segment.
In comparison with the prior art, this disclosure has the following functions: even if the clamping force from the spring piece is insufficient, a stable electric connection between the pressed segment and the wire is still guaranteed by pressing the pressed segment of the spring piece via the elastic member. This can prevent the wire to the terminal from having poor contact or even loosening.
The technical contents of this disclosure will become apparent with the detailed description of embodiments accompanied with the illustration of related drawings as follows. It is intended that the embodiments and drawings disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.
The disclosure provides a terminal block having a pressing feature, as shown in
As shown in
The housing structure 1 includes a shell (may be a two-piece structure including a first shell 11 and a second shell 12) and a terminal 4 which is fixed in the shell and partially exposed from the shell. Of course, the shell of the housing structure 1 may also be a one-piece structure (not shown in the figures). this disclosure is not limited to this. When the shell is of a two-piece structure, the first shell 11 and second shell 12 are combined with each other and jointly form a shaft 13 (as shown in
The terminal 4 has a platform 41, a foot portion 42 and a connecting plate 43 connected between the platform 41 and the foot portion 42. When the terminal 4 is fixed in the shell, only a portion of the foot portion 42 is exposed from the shell to allow this portion which is exposed to be soldered with a circuit board (not shown in the figures). In detail, the platform 41 is disposed with a fixing portion 411. The fixing portion 411 may be an engaging notch as shown in the figures, but this disclosure is not limited to this, any others which can fix a part of the elastic element 5 are available. The connecting plate 43 has a disposing portion 431. The disposing portion 431 may be a column as shown in the figures, but this disclosure is not limited to this, any others allowing the elastic element 5 to be disposed thereon are available.
The handle 2 is movably disposed in the shell and partially exposed from the shell to be able to move like a seesaw with a place of the shell as a fulcrum. In detail, the handle 2 has a pushed portion 21, a driving portion 22 and a neck portion 23. The neck portion 23 is connected between the pushed portion 21 and the driving portion 22. The neck portion 23 has a thickness less than that of the pushed portion 21 or the driving portion 22. When a user presses the pushed portion 21, the handle 2 may perform a motion mentioned above as a seesaw so that the driving portion 22 may be upward shifted while the pushed portion 21 is pressed down.
The spring piece 3 disposed in the shell has a first fixed segment 31, a pressed segment 32 and a connecting portion 33. The connecting portion 33 is connected between the first fixed segment 31 and the pressed segment 32. The connecting portion 33 of a curved shape (such as a U-shaped curve) is disposed to correspondingly surround the shaft 13. The first fixed segment 31 is fixed in the housing structure 1.
In detail, the first fixed segment 31 may be fixed in the shell of the housing structure 1 or fixed to the terminal 4 in the housing structure 1. In the embodiment, as an example, the first fixed segment 31 is fixed on the platform 41 of the terminal 4. When the first fixed segment 31 is fixed, the pressed segment 32 is capable of elastically swinging relative to the first fixed segment 31 along a swing path R.
In detail, a part of the pressed segment 32 is disposed corresponding to (including abutment at intervals and immediate abutment) the driving portion 22, and another part of the pressed segment 32 is disposed corresponding to the jack 14 for blocking.
In addition, a dodge opening 331 in which the neck portion 23 of the handle 2 is located may be defined on the connecting portion 33, so as to allow the driving portion 22 to abut against the pressed segment 32.
The elastic element 5 disposed in the shell and has a second fixed segment 52 and a pressing segment 53. The second fixed segment 52 is fixed in the housing structure 1. The pressing segment 53 is disposed in the swing path R and capable of elastically swinging relative to the second fixed segment 52.
In detail, the second fixed segment 52 may be fixed to the shell of the housing structure 1 or the terminal 4 in the housing structure 1. In the embodiment, as an example, the second fixed segment 52 is fixed on the fixing portion 411, so that the pressing segment 53 is allowed to perform an elastically movement relative to the second fixed segment 52 (including an elastic stretch or compression, and an elastic swing).
The elastic member 5 may be a straight cylinder spring (not shown in the figures) so as to be fixed only by the second fixed segment 52, and the pressing segment 53 can be elastically stretched or compressed relative to the second fixed segment 52. The elastic member 5 may also be a torsion spring as shown in the figures, so that the elastic member 5 further includes a sleeving portion 51 connected between the second fixed segment 52 and the pressing segment 53. The sleeving portion 51 sleeves the disposing portion 431, so that the pressing segment 53 is allowed to elastically swing relative to the second fixed segment 52 about an axis defined by the sleeving portion 51 of the elastic member 5. In detail, the pressing segment 53 may be further extended and bent to form an extended segment 54. The pressing segment 53 is connected with the sleeving portion 51 through the extended segment 54, so that this bend allows the pressing segment 53 to be disposed in the swing path R.
Accordingly, as shown in
Therefore, even if the elastic pressing and connecting force from the pressed segment 32 of the spring piece 3 for clamping the wire 900 is insufficient, a stable electric connection between the pressed segment 32 and the wire 900 is still guaranteed by press the pressed segment 32 of the spring piece 3 via the elastic member 5. This can prevent the wire 900 to the terminal 4 from having poor contact or even loosening.
In addition, as shown in
In sum, the terminal block having a pressing feature of this disclosure can accomplish the expected object definitely and solve the drawbacks of the prior art.
While this disclosure has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure set forth in the claims.
