DE102019120306B4 - Conductor connection terminal for connecting at least one electrical conductor - Google Patents

Abstract

Conductor connection terminal (1) for connecting at least one electrical conductor by means of spring-loaded clamping, the conductor connection terminal (1) having a housing (2) and an electrical contact insert (3, 4) arranged at least predominantly within the housing (2), the electrical contact insert (3 , 4) a busbar component (3) which has a frame-like contact frame (30) with a recess (39), and at least one clamping spring (4) which is suspended in the recess (39) of the contact frame (30), whereby a clamping point for an electrical conductor to be clamped is formed between a clamping leg (43) of the clamping spring (4) and a conductor contact section (31) of the busbar component (3), the housing (2) having at least one conductor insertion opening (20) and one on the conductor insertion opening (20) has an adjoining conductor insertion channel (21), through which an electrical conductor can be inserted into the housing (2) in a conductor insertion direction (L) and guided to the clamping point, the conductor insertion channel (21) having at least one funnel-shaped section, which is arranged by funnel-shaped Side wall sections (28, 29) of the conductor insertion channel (21) are formed, which are arranged obliquely to the conductor insertion direction (L), characterized in that at least part of the funnel-shaped side wall sections (28, 29) are offset in the conductor insertion direction (L) to at least one other Part of the funnel-shaped side wall sections (28, 29) is arranged so that the funnel-shaped section is asymmetrical to a center axis of the conductor insertion channel (21) running in the conductor insertion direction (L).

Description

The invention relates to a conductor connection terminal according to the preamble of claim 1. The invention therefore relates to the field of spring-clamp technology for connecting electrical conductors. Conductor connection terminals using spring-clamp technology are known.

From the EP 3 324 490 A1 a spring clamp contact for contacting electrical conductors, a conductor connection terminal and a method for producing a spring clamp contact are known. From the DE 20 2010 008 595 U1 A clamping unit and a connection device with such a clamping unit are known. From the DE 10 2018 122 570 A1 an electrical terminal block is known. From the DE 20 2010 014 382 U1 is a known connection terminal for printed circuit boards. From the EP 3 038 213 B1 a conductor connection terminal for connecting at least one electrical conductor is known. From the DE 20 2017 106 966 U1 A spring-loaded terminal with an actuating element is known.

The invention is based on the object of specifying a further improved conductor connection terminal.

This object is achieved by a conductor connection terminal according to claim 1. The conductor connection terminal has a housing and an electrical contact insert arranged at least predominantly within the housing, the electrical contact insert having a busbar component which has a frame-like contact frame with a recess, and at least one clamping spring which is suspended in the recess of the contact frame, a clamping point for an electrical conductor to be clamped being formed between a clamping leg of the clamping spring and a conductor contact section of the busbar component, the housing having at least one conductor insertion opening and a conductor insertion channel adjoining the conductor insertion opening, through which a Electrical conductor can be inserted into the housing in a conductor insertion direction and guided to the clamping point. The conductor connection terminal thus has a basic construction that is particularly suitable for a compact design, e.g. for a particularly flat conductor connection terminal. The conductor connection terminal can also be used universally and can be designed differently for many applications. This is possible, for example, in that the conductor connection terminal can have a different number of electrical contact inserts depending on the embodiment, so that the conductor connection terminal can be designed as a single-pole or multi-pole conductor connection terminal. The individual electrical contact inserts can be electrically connected to one another or electrically separated from one another. When contact inserts are electrically connected to one another, they can each have their own busbar component or a common busbar component.

Using the conductor insertion channel, an electrical conductor can be guided specifically to the clamping point. This allows the user to easily handle the conductor connection terminal. The conductor entry channel can be limited by side walls. The side walls can be formed from the material of the housing of the conductor connection terminal, for example an insulating material.

The electrical contact insert can be designed as a direct plug-in contact, in which an electrical conductor with sufficient rigidity, e.g. a solid conductor, can be inserted into the clamping point without additional manual actuation of the clamping spring. To release the electrical conductor from the clamping point, manual actuation of the clamping spring is then generally required, for example by means of an external tool or an actuating element of the conductor connection clamp.

According to the invention it is provided that the lyre insertion channel has at least one funnel-shaped section, which is formed by funnel-shaped side wall sections of the conductor insertion channel, which are arranged obliquely to the conductor insertion direction. The side wall sections are advantageously formed integrally with the housing and are therefore part of the housing. The funnel-shaped section thus forms a conductor insertion funnel, through which the leading of the electrical conductor through the conductor insertion channel to the clamping point can be further optimized and made even easier for the user. The user can find the clamping point “blindly”, so to speak.

According to the invention, it is provided that at least part of the funnel-shaped side wall sections is arranged offset in the conductor insertion direction from at least another part of the funnel-shaped side wall sections, so that the funnel-shaped section is asymmetrical to a center axis of the conductor insertion channel running in the conductor insertion direction. The center axis is an imaginary axis that runs centrally through the conductor entry channel. This further improves the possibilities for flat design of the conductor connection terminal. For example, an installation space under part of the funnel-shaped section can be used for the arrangement of further elements of the conductor connection terminal, for example for parts of the clamping spring and/or an external connection contact, can be used.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the conductor system section is designed as an angled tab made of the material of the busbar component. In this way, the busbar component can provide a good contact surface for the electrical conductor, so that even large electrical currents can be transmitted with little resistance. The tab is formed in one piece with the busbar component, which has the advantage that the production and assembly of the conductor connection terminal is simplified.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the tab extends obliquely to the conductor insertion direction and/or extends away from the contact frame in the conductor insertion direction. This allows the electrical conductor to be securely fixed at the clamping point. The tab can be aligned at an acute angle obliquely to the conductor insertion direction, for example at an angle between 10 degrees and 40 degrees. In principle, the tab can extend away from the contact frame in the conductor insertion direction, which means that it does not extend away from the contact frame in the opposite direction to the conductor insertion direction. This favors the design of the contact insert as a direct plug-in connection.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the conductor connection terminal extends in a height direction from an underside of the housing to an upper side of the housing, with at least one functional element of the conductor connection terminal being arranged on the underside and/or the upper side of the housing and/or is accessible from outside. The terms “bottom” and “top” used below in relation to the housing always refer to the previously explained bottom and top of the housing. Through such an arrangement of at least one functional element of the conductor connection terminal, these sides can be used to implement additional functions of the conductor connection terminal, apart from connecting the electrical conductor. The at least one functional element of the conductor connection terminal can be designed differently depending on the type of conductor connection terminal, for example as a test opening, actuating element and/or external connection. The external connection can, for example, be designed as a circuit board connection if the conductor connection terminal is designed as a circuit board terminal. The contact insert of the conductor connection terminal can be connected to an electrical component located outside the housing via the external connection.

The conductor insertion opening can in particular be located on a side of the housing other than the bottom and top of the housing, for example on a front side. The conductor insertion direction can then run essentially perpendicular to the height direction of the conductor connection terminal.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the clamping leg, which is oriented obliquely to the conductor insertion direction, has a section that overlaps with at least part of a funnel-shaped side wall section of the conductor insertion channel when viewed in the height direction and/or in the conductor insertion direction of the conductor connection terminal. In this way, the clamping spring can be accommodated nested or overlapping with at least part of the conductor insertion channel, which allows the conductor connection terminal to be designed to be particularly flat.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention it is provided that the overlapping section of the clamping leg is at least 10% of the total length of the clamping leg. Accordingly, a significant part of the clamping leg is arranged overlapping the conductor insertion channel to save space, for example below the funnel-shaped side wall section. The overlapping section of the clamping leg can, for example, be oriented at an angle of 30 degrees to 60 degrees, in particular at an angle of 40 degrees to 50 degrees, to the conductor insertion direction.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the overlapping section of the clamping leg runs essentially parallel to the part of the funnel-shaped side wall section of the conductor insertion channel, at least over the majority of its longitudinal extent, with which the overlapping section of the clamping leg overlaps. This is also beneficial for the space-saving accommodation of the clamping spring in the housing. The information on the position of the clamping leg or parts of the clamping leg in relation to other elements of the conductor connection terminal refers to the case where the clamping leg is not manually deflected and no electrical conductor is clamped to the clamping point. In this case, the clamping leg can rest, for example, with a clamping edge on the conductor contact area of the busbar component.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the clamping spring has a contact leg and a spring bow, the contact leg being connected to the clamping leg via the spring bow. This allows a simple and compact design of the clamping spring. Overall, the clamping spring can be approximately U-shaped or V-shaped in side view.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the contact leg is attached to the contact frame, the part of the contact leg with which the contact leg is attached to the contact frame being below or at most at the same height as a lowest side wall in the height direction of the conductor connection terminal of the conductor entry channel is arranged.

This is also beneficial for a compact, flat design of the conductor connection terminal. The contact leg can, for example, rest on a side of the recess in the contact frame that is opposite the conductor contact section. For fastening the contact leg to the contact frame, the contact leg can have a taper point at which the width of the contact leg is reduced. With this taper point, the contact leg can be suspended or hooked into the recess in the contact frame.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention it is provided that the contact leg is angled. The bend of the contact leg can in particular be designed in such a way that its outside is aligned towards the clamping leg. For example, the contact leg can initially extend from the spring arch towards the clamping leg and then extend away from the clamping leg after the bend. This allows the clamping spring to be conveniently attached to the contact frame while at the same time space-saving accommodation on the clamping spring in the housing. The outside of the bend pointing towards the clamping leg can also serve as a stop and therefore as overload protection for the clamping leg. Accordingly, the clamping leg cannot be deflected further than the bend at which the clamping leg abuts at maximum deflection.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that at least a first partial section of the contact leg runs essentially parallel to the clamping leg, in particular essentially parallel to the overlapping section of the clamping leg. This substantially parallel section of the contact leg can, for example, be a section that directly adjoins the spring arch of the clamping spring.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that at least a second section of the contact leg is arranged essentially parallel to the conductor insertion direction. This second section of the contact leg can in particular be a section which is arranged away from the spring arch, for example the part of the contact leg which includes its free end. The contact leg can transition from the first section via the bend into the second section. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the clamping spring is attached to the contact frame by means of the second section of the contact leg.

The statement “essentially parallel” includes, for example, exact parallelism and a maximum deviation of +/- 25 degrees from the exact parallelism.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the spring arch is arranged essentially below the conductor insertion channel, viewed in the height direction. This allows a part of the clamping spring to be accommodated in a space-saving manner, which is also beneficial for the design of a conductor connection terminal that is flat and short in the conductor insertion direction.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the housing has a test opening and a test channel adjoining the test opening, through which a test pin can be brought into contact with the contact insert of the conductor connection terminal for carrying out an electrical test. This allows electrical tests to be carried out easily on the conductor connection terminal using a test pin. The test opening can, for example, be arranged on the top of the housing and accordingly form one of the functional elements of the conductor connection terminal mentioned.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that a test section of the busbar component extends into the test channel. This simplifies the electrical contacting of the contact insert of the conductor connection terminal when carrying out an electrical test. In addition, the structure of the conductor connection terminal is simplified overall because no additional electrical component is required for the electrical contacting of the test pin. The busbar component can be used directly for this.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that at least part of the side wall of the test channel is arranged obliquely to the height direction of the conductor connection terminal. In this way, a guide is provided for the test pin, e.g. for guiding the test pin towards the test section of the busbar component. This simplifies the handling of the conductor connection terminal when carrying out an electrical test. The test section may provide a test surface to which a test pin is to be held to perform the electrical test. The test surface can be arranged at least essentially at right angles to the top of the housing. Through the sloping side wall of the test channel, a test pin can be guided ergonomically to this vertical test surface.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the conductor connection terminal is designed as a circuit board terminal which is designed for mounting with the underside of the housing on an electrical circuit board, the conductor connection terminal having at least one electrically contactable terminal on the underside of the housing that is electrically connected to the contact insert Has circuit board connection. In this way, electrical circuit boards can be easily equipped with the advantageous spring-loaded connection technology using the conductor connection terminal according to the invention. The electrically contactable circuit board connection forms an external connection of the conductor connection terminal. The circuit board connection can be designed, for example, as a contact pin protruding from the housing, a solder contact pin and/or as an SMD solder contact.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the circuit board connection is formed in one piece with the busbar component. This further simplifies the production and assembly of the conductor connection terminal. The contact insert can consist of only two parts, namely the busbar component and the clamping spring.

The clamping spring, in particular the clamping leg, can be actuated to open the clamping point using an external tool, for example a screwdriver. For this purpose, the housing of the conductor connection terminal can have an opening through which the tool can be inserted. Such an external tool is not considered part of the conductor connection terminal.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the conductor connection terminal has its own actuating element for actuating the clamping spring, wherein the clamping point can be opened by deflecting part of the clamping spring by actuating the actuating element. This has the advantage that no external tool is required to operate the clamping spring. Accordingly, the actuating element is always available because it is part of the conductor connection terminal. The actuating element can, for example, be operated directly manually or operated using a tool.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the actuating element is designed as a pusher that is accessible on the top of the housing of the conductor connection terminal. In this way, the actuating element can form a further functional element of the conductor connection terminal. Such a pusher can be easily operated by simply applying pressure to it manually or with a tool. The pusher can, for example, be mounted in the housing in a linearly movable and/or arcuately movable manner.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the clamping spring has at least one actuating tab arranged on the clamping leg, which can be acted upon by the actuating element during manual actuation and thus the clamping leg can be deflected. This allows a favorable transmission of force from the actuating element to the clamping leg. Due to its shape, the at least one actuation tab can be designed in such a way that the power transmission takes place with little wear and thus many actuation processes are possible. The actuating tab can be formed directly on the clamping leg, i.e. formed in one piece from the material of the clamping spring.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the clamping leg is shaped like a fork at its free end, with a central clamping area for clamping the electrical conductor, the clamping area being delimited on both sides by an actuating tab which protrudes beyond the clamping area. This has the advantage that the actuation tabs delimiting the clamping area on both sides can at the same time form an insertion aid for the electrical conductor, which is particularly advantageous in the case of a direct plug-in connection. The electrical conductor is then not only guided through parts of the conductor insertion channel, but is also guided laterally through the actuation tabs towards the end of the insertion movement, ie near the clamping point. The on both sides of the The actuating tabs arranged in the clamping area have the further advantage that a symmetrical mechanical loading of the clamping leg can be carried out via the actuating element, so that an unfavorable mechanical load and corresponding twisting of the clamping leg can be avoided. The clamping area can, for example, have a clamping edge with which an electrical conductor can be clamped. In this case, the actuating element can have its own actuating plunger for each of the two actuating tabs, which are preferably arranged laterally and are connected to one another in one piece via an application area. The actuating element is therefore essentially U-shaped, so that in the deflected state of the actuating area a receiving space for an inserted electrical conductor is provided between the side actuating plungers and the loading area.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the housing is formed at least in two parts with an upper housing part and a lower housing part. This allows the conductor connection terminal to be easily manufactured and installed. The housing can only be designed in two parts, i.e. have no more than two housing parts. The upper housing part can form the entire or at least a predominant part of the top side of the housing, and the lower housing part can form the entire or at least the predominant part of the underside of the housing.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the lower housing part has at least one spring arch support area for supporting the spring arch of the clamping spring, on which the spring arch rests at least in certain operating conditions of the conductor connection terminal. This has the advantage that the clamping spring can be additionally supported by parts of the housing, in particular the spring arch support area, and is accordingly relieved of the load.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the lower housing part has at least one support section for supporting the circuit board connection, in particular a support section that runs obliquely to the conductor insertion direction. This allows the electrical contact insert, in particular the busbar component, to be easily fixed in the housing. The lower housing part can in particular have two support sections which are arranged at an opposite angle to one another and which adjoin one another, so that a gable roof-shaped configuration of the support sections is formed in a side view. In this way, there are alternative support options for supporting the circuit board connection, particularly in the case of multi-pole conductor connection terminals with alternating angled circuit board connections.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the lower housing part has at least one stop by which a maximum actuating movement of the actuating element is limited. In this way, the lower housing part has an additional function, namely limiting the actuating movement of the actuating element. This also protects the clamping spring from overloading.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the lower housing part has at least one contact leg support area for supporting at least part of the contact leg, in particular for supporting support tabs projecting laterally on the contact leg. This allows the contact leg to be additionally fixed in the housing. In particular, by placing support tabs projecting laterally from the contact leg on these contact leg support areas, rotation of the contact leg can be prevented. The contact leg support areas are advantageously designed as intermediate wall sections of the lower housing part, with a receiving space being provided between the intermediate wall sections for a circuit board connection that is angled in the conductor insertion direction.

In terms of production technology, the housing with the lower housing part and the upper housing part can be provided, for example, as an initially one-piece arrangement of plastic parts, for example in such a way that the lower housing part and the upper housing part are connected to one another via a film hinge. Using the film hinge, the lower housing part can be pivoted from below into a recess in the upper housing part provided for this purpose. The film hinge can then be separated from the finished conductor connection terminal.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the conductor connection terminal in the housing has a plurality of contact inserts arranged next to one another, which each have external connections which can be contacted from outside the housing and which are arranged in a defined grid dimension. In this way, a multi-pole conductor connection terminal, for example in the form of a circuit board terminal, can be pre-assembled Correct grid dimensions, as is common in electrical engineering, for example, can be provided.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the conductor connection terminal has a height that is at most twice as large as the grid dimension. This also allows the conductor connection terminal to be realized in a particularly flat design. For example, if the pitch is 3.5 mm, the conductor connection terminal has a maximum height of 7 mm.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that adjacent external connections are arranged offset from one another. This allows a particularly reliable attachment of the conductor connection terminal to an electrical component by electrically connecting the external connections to the electrical component, whereby the required clearance and creepage distances can advantageously be maintained in a simple manner at the same time.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the contact frame is arranged essentially perpendicular to the conductor insertion direction. This is also beneficial for designing the contact insert as a direct plug-in connection.

For the purposes of the present invention, the indefinite term “a” is not to be understood as a numeral. For example, if we are talking about a component, this should be interpreted in the sense of “at least one component”. If angle information is given in degrees, these refer to a circular measure of 360 degrees (360°).

• 1 - eine Leiteranschlussklemme in perspektivischer Darstellung und
• 2 - die Leiteranschlussklemme gemäß 1 in teilweise geschnittener Darstellung und
• 3 - einen elektrischen Kontakteinsatz der Leiteranschlussklemme gemäß der 1 und 2 und
• 4 - eine seitliche Querschnittsdarstellung der Leiteranschlussklemme und
• 5 - eine Querschnittsdarstellung der Leiteranschlussklemme in der Schnittebene S, wie sie in 4 eingezeichnet ist.

The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments using drawings. Show it:

• 1 - a conductor connection terminal in a perspective view and
• 2 - the conductor connection terminal according to 1 in a partially cut representation and
• 3 - an electrical contact insert of the conductor connection terminal according to 1 and 2 and
• 4 - a side cross-sectional view of the conductor connection terminal and
• 5 - a cross-sectional view of the conductor connection terminal in the section plane S, as shown in 4 is marked.

1

Leiteranschlussklemme

2

Gehäuse

3

Stromschienenbauteil

4

Klemmfeder

5

Betätigungselement

8

Oberseite

9

Unterseite

10

Teil der Seitenwand

11

Anschlag

12

Federlagerbereich

13

Anlageschenkel-Auflagebereich

14

Federbogen-Auflagebereich

15

Handhabungsoberfläche

20

Leitereinführungsöffnung

21

Leitereinführungskanal

23

Prüföffnung

24

Prüfkanal

25

Auflageabschnitt

26

Gehäuseoberteil

27

Gehäuseunterteil

28

Seitenwandabschnitt

29

Aussparung

30

Rahmenteil

31

Leiteranlageabschnitt

32

Prüfabschnitt

33, 34

Außenanschluß

39

Aussparung

40

zweiter Teilabschnitt des Anlageschenkels

41

erster Teilabschnitt des Anlageschenkels

42

Federbogen

43

Klemmschenkel

44

Klemmbereich

45

Betätigungslasche

46

Abstützlasche

47

Verjüngungsstelle

50

Beaufschlagungsbereich

51

Betätigungsstößel

55

Durchtrittsöffnung

L

Leitereinführrichtung

H

Höhenrichtung

B

Breitenrichtung

The reference symbols used in the drawings have the following assignment:

1

Conductor connection terminal

2

Housing

3

Busbar component

4

Clamping spring

5

Actuator

8th

Top

9

bottom

10

Part of the side wall

11

attack

12

Spring bearing area

13

Investment leg support area

14

Spring arch support area

15

Handling surface

20

Conductor entry opening

21

Conductor entry channel

23

Test opening

24

Test channel

25

Edition section

26

Upper housing part

27

Lower housing part

28

Sidewall section

29

recess

30

frame part

31

Ladder system section

32

Test section

33, 34

External connection

39

recess

40

second section of the investment leg

41

first section of the investment leg

42

Feather bow

43

clamping leg

44

Clamping area

45

Actuation tab

46

Support tab

47

Rejuvenation site

50

Impact area

51

Actuating plunger

55

Passage opening

L

Conductor insertion direction

H

Altitude direction

b

Width direction

In the 1 recognizable conductor connection terminal 1 is designed as a circuit board terminal. The conductor connection terminal 1 has a housing 2. The housing 2 made of an electrically insulating plastic has a bottom 9 and a top 8. The conductor connection terminal 1 is designed to be mounted with its bottom 9 on an electrical circuit board. The housing 2 extends from the bottom 9 in a height direction H to the top 8.

The housing 2 has a plurality of conductor insertion openings 20 on a front side, to which conductor insertion channels 21 are connected. The conductor insertion channels 21 are delimited on the circumference by side walls which are formed by the material of the housing 2. The conductor insertion openings 20 define respective conductor insertion directions L with the conductor insertion channels 21, in which a respective electrical conductor can be guided through the conductor insertion opening 20 and the conductor insertion channel 21 to a clamping point at which the electrical conductor can be clamped.

The 1 shows an example of a three-pole conductor connection terminal 1, that is, there are three contact inserts and accordingly also three conductor insertion openings 20 and conductor insertion channels 21. The housing 2 has 8 respective test openings 23 on the top, to which test channels 24 are connected. Seen in the conductor insertion direction L behind the test openings 23, the housing 8 has 8 recesses on the top, via which actuating elements 5 are accessible, which are designed to actuate the clamping springs 4 arranged in the housing 2. The conductor connection terminal 1 can also have more or fewer than the three contact inserts mentioned. Accordingly, the conductor connection terminal would then extend more or less far in the width direction B. The width direction B runs perpendicular to the conductor insertion direction L and the height direction H.

For the electrical contacting of contacts on the circuit board, the conductor connection terminal 1 has 9 external connections 34 on the underside, which in this case are designed, for example, as protruding contact pins.

It can also be seen that the housing 2 has a handling surface 15 which is arranged on the outside of the housing 2 and which is helpful for the practical handling of the conductor connection terminal 1, for example in automated assembly on circuit boards. For example, the handling surface 15 can be used to grip the conductor connection terminal using a suction cup. The handling surface can in particular be designed as a surface without through openings and/or without elevations and depressions, for example as a flat surface.

The handling surface 15 can be arranged in particular on the top 8 of the housing, for example by the handling surface 15 being part of the upper housing part 26. The handling surface 15 can be arranged slightly lowered (lying deeper) compared to the other surfaces of the housing side on which the handling surface 15 is arranged. For example, the handling surface 15 can extend in the area between the conductor insertion openings 20 and the test openings 23. The transition of the housing surface from the handling surface 15 to the higher areas can, for example, be designed in steps and/or with a continuous transition (without steps), for example with a transition running obliquely to the handling surface 15. The test openings 23 can extend at least partially into this transition area between the handling surface 15 and the adjacent, higher housing surfaces. This simplifies the insertion of a test pin, which can be inserted into the test channel 24 over a large area at a freely selectable insertion angle in cooperation with the also oblique part 10 of the side wall of the test channel 24.

The 2 shows the conductor connection terminal 1 in a comparable representation to that 1 , wherein the conductor connection terminal 1 is shown cut in the right part, so that the electrical contact insert having a busbar component 3 and a clamping spring 4 can be seen. In addition, further details, for example of the test openings 23 and the actuating elements 5, can be seen, which will be explained in more detail below using further illustrations.

The 3 shows an example of a contact insert of the conductor connection terminal 1 in a separate illustration. The busbar component 3 of the contact insert has a contact frame 30 which surrounds a recess 39 on the circumference in a frame-like manner. In an upper area of the contact frame 30 or the busbar component 3 there is a conductor system section 31, which is designed as an angled tab made from the material of the busbar component 3. The busbar component 3 also has a test section 32 above the conductor system section 31, which is used for contacting by means of a test pin. By Contact frame 30 is formed on the area opposite the conductor system section 31, a support surface for the clamping spring 4. This is followed by an external connection 33, 34, which can be formed in one piece with the busbar component 3. The external connection 33, 34 begins with a part 33 which is angled obliquely relative to the contact frame 30 and an adjoining part 34 which protrudes from the housing 2. The part 34 of the external connection 33, 34 is again angled relative to the part 33 and can, for example, run essentially parallel to the extension of the contact frame 30.

The clamping spring 4 has a clamping leg 43, a spring arch 42 adjoining the clamping leg 43 and a contact leg 40, 41 adjoining the spring arch 42. The clamping leg 43 is used to clamp an electrical conductor to the conductor system section 31. For this purpose, the clamping leg 43 has a clamping area 44 at the free end, which can have a clamping edge. The clamping area 44 is delimited on both sides by an actuating tab 45, which protrudes beyond the clamping area 44. In this way, the clamping leg 43 is shaped like a fork at its free end. The contact leg 40, 41 serves as a counter bearing for the clamping force applied by the clamping leg 43. The clamping spring 4 is supported on the contact frame 30 via the contact leg 40, 41. On the contact leg 40, 41, laterally projecting support tabs 46 are arranged near the free end, the function of which will be discussed in more detail later.

The 4 shows the conductor connection terminal 1 with the contact insert 3, 4 installed in the housing 2. It can be seen that the conductor insertion channel 21, starting from the conductor insertion opening 20, initially has at least essentially parallel side walls and then merges into a funnel-shaped section, which is formed by funnel-shaped side wall sections 28 , 29 is formed. The funnel-shaped side wall sections 28, 29 are accordingly arranged obliquely to the conductor insertion direction L. It can also be seen that at least part of the funnel-shaped side wall sections 28, 29 is arranged offset in the conductor insertion direction L to at least another part of the funnel-shaped side wall sections 28, 29. For example, the side wall section 29 can be arranged behind the side wall section 28 when viewed in the conductor insertion direction L. Due to the side wall section 28 being moved forward relative to the side wall section 29, additional installation space is created below this side wall section 28, which can be used to accommodate at least part of the clamping spring 4. For example, the spring arch 42 and part of the clamping leg 43 are arranged below the side wall section 28. It can also be seen that the clamping leg 43 has a section that overlaps with the side wall section 28 both in the height direction H and in the conductor insertion direction L, which in this exemplary embodiment is the section that directly adjoins the spring arch 42. This section of the clamping leg runs at least approximately parallel to the side wall section 28.

The housing 2, in particular the lower housing part 27, can have a spring arch support area 14, on which the spring arch 42 rests at least in certain operating conditions of the conductor connection terminal 1, for example when the clamp leg 43 is deflected to the maximum. On the side opposite the spring arch support area 14, the housing 2, for example the upper housing part 26, has a spring bearing area 12. A chamber for receiving at least part of the clamping spring 4 is thus formed between the spring bearing area 12 and the spring arch support area 14. The inner wall section of the housing 2 forming the spring bearing area 12 can, for example, run predominantly parallel to the side wall section 28 of the conductor insertion channel 21.

It can also be seen that the contact leg 40, 41 has a first section 41 which adjoins the spring arch 42. When the clamping spring 4 is in the assembled, undeflected state, the first section 41 runs at least approximately parallel to the previously mentioned section of the clamping leg 43, which overlaps with the side wall 28. The second section 40 adjoins the first section 41 of the contact leg. The contact leg is angled in the transition from the first section 41 to the second section 40. The second section 40 runs essentially parallel to the conductor insertion direction L.

It can also be seen that the test section 32 of the busbar component 3 extends into the test channel 24, or forms a section of an inner wall of the test channel 24, so that it can be easily contacted by a test pin starting from the test opening 23. The test pin can be ergonomically guided to the surface of the test section 32 by means of at least one inclined part 10 of the side wall of the test channel 24.

The actuating element 5, which is guided longitudinally in the housing 2, can also be seen. The actuating element 5 has a manual application area 50 on which the actuating element ment 5 is to be operated manually, for example by pressing. The actuation area 50 is adjoined by actuating plungers 51 of the actuating element 5 which are aligned with the actuating tabs 45. In this exemplary embodiment, the actuating element 5 has two lateral actuating plungers 51, so that the actuating element 5 has a U-shaped configuration in a cross-sectional view in the width direction B. Alternatively, the actuating element 5 could also simply have a lateral actuating plunger 51. When the actuating element 5 is manually actuated, it is deflected downwards and moves the clamping leg 43 downwards via the respective actuating plunger 51 by acting on the respective actuating tab 45, so that it is moved away from the ladder system section 31. The actuating element 5 can only be moved downward until the actuating plunger 51 abuts a stop 11. The stop 11 can be formed by a part of the housing 2.

Below the contact leg 40, 41, in particular in the area of the free end, there is a contact leg support area 13 for supporting the laterally projecting support tabs 46. The contact leg support area 13 can be formed by a part of the housing 2. Furthermore, a support section 25 is present on the housing 2, or, as can be seen, two support sections 25, which are each arranged obliquely to the conductor insertion direction L. Seen in the conductor insertion direction L, the one support section 25 can initially be designed to rise and, after reaching a peak, one support section 25 can be designed to fall again. In the assembled state, the part 33 of the busbar component 3, which is angled obliquely from the contact frame 30, comes to rest or rest on the support section 25. The part 33 of the busbar component 3 which is angled obliquely from the contact frame 30 can be angled from the contact frame 30 in the conductor insertion direction or against the conductor insertion direction L. If the obliquely angled part 33 is angled from the contact frame 30 in the opposite direction to the conductor insertion direction L, the part 33 rests on the support section 25 which initially rises in the conductor insertion direction. If, on the other hand, the obliquely angled part 33 is angled obliquely in the conductor insertion direction L from the contact frame 30, the part 33 rests on the support section 25 sloping in the conductor insertion direction L.

It can also be seen that the housing 2 is designed in two parts with an upper housing part 26 and a lower housing part 27. The cover-like lower housing part 27 is inserted into the upper housing part 26 from the underside 9 and is attached to it, for example by latching. The stop 11, the contact leg support area 13 and the support section 25 can each be formed on the lower housing part 27. Seen in the conductor insertion direction L in front of and behind the support sections 25, the lower housing part 27 has openings or passage openings 55 through which the external connection 33, 34 can be led out of the interior of the housing 2.

In the 5 is a sectional view of the conductor connection terminal 1 according to the in 4 shown cutting plane S. Through the 5 In particular, the support of the support tabs 46 projecting laterally on the contact leg 40, 41 on the contact leg support area 13 is shown. Also visible is a taper point 47 of the contact leg 40, 41, which serves to fasten the contact leg 40, 41 to the frame part 30.

Claims (32)

Conductor connection terminal (1) for connecting at least one electrical conductor by means of spring-loaded clamping, the conductor connection terminal (1) having a housing (2) and an electrical contact insert (3, 4) arranged at least predominantly within the housing (2), the electrical contact insert (3 , 4) a busbar component (3) which has a frame-like contact frame (30) with a recess (39), and at least one clamping spring (4) which is suspended in the recess (39) of the contact frame (30), whereby a clamping point for an electrical conductor to be clamped is formed between a clamping leg (43) of the clamping spring (4) and a conductor contact section (31) of the busbar component (3), the housing (2) having at least one conductor insertion opening (20) and one on the conductor insertion opening (20) has an adjoining conductor insertion channel (21), through which an electrical conductor can be inserted into the housing (2) in a conductor insertion direction (L) and guided to the clamping point, the conductor insertion channel (21) having at least one funnel-shaped section, which is arranged by funnel-shaped Side wall sections (28, 29) of the conductor insertion channel (21) are formed, which are arranged obliquely to the conductor insertion direction (L), characterized in that at least part of the funnel-shaped side wall sections (28, 29) are offset in the conductor insertion direction (L) to at least one other Part of the funnel-shaped side wall sections (28, 29) is arranged so that the funnel-shaped section is asymmetrical to a center axis of the conductor insertion channel (21) running in the conductor insertion direction (L). Conductor connection terminal Claim 1 , characterized in that the conductor system section (31) is designed as an angled tab made of the material of the busbar component (3). Conductor connection terminal Claim 2 , characterized in that the tab extends obliquely to the conductor insertion direction (L) and/or extends away from the contact frame (30) in the conductor insertion direction (L). Conductor connection terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conductor connection terminal (1) extends in a height direction (H) from a bottom (9) of the housing (2) to a top (8) of the housing (2), whereby At least one functional element of the conductor connection terminal (1) is arranged on the underside (9) and/or the top side (8) of the housing (2) and/or is accessible from the outside. Conductor connection terminal Claim 4 , characterized in that the clamping leg (43), viewed in the height direction (H) and/or in the conductor insertion direction (L) of the conductor connection terminal (1), has a section that overlaps with at least part of a funnel-shaped side wall section (28, 29) of the conductor insertion channel (21). having. Conductor connection terminal Claim 5 , characterized in that the overlapping section of the clamping leg (43) is at least 10% of the total length of the clamping leg (43). Conductor connection terminal according to one of the Claims 5 until 6 , characterized in that the overlapping section of the clamping leg (43) runs at least over the majority of its longitudinal extent essentially parallel to the part of the funnel-shaped side wall section (28, 29) of the conductor insertion channel (21) with which the overlapping section of the clamping leg ( 43) overlaps. Conductor connection terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping spring (4) has a contact leg (40, 41) and a spring bow (42), the contact leg (40, 41) being connected to the clamping leg (43) via the spring bow (42). ) connected is. Conductor connection terminal Claim 8 , characterized in that the contact leg (40, 41) is attached to the contact frame (30), the part of the contact leg (40) with which the contact leg (40, 41) is attached to the contact frame (30) in the height direction (H) of the conductor connection terminal (1) is arranged below or at most at the same height as a lowest side wall of the conductor entry channel (21) in the height direction (H). Conductor connection terminal Claim 8 or 9 , characterized in that the contact leg (40, 41) is angled. Conductor connection terminal according to one of the Claims 8 until 10 , characterized in that at least a first partial section (41) of the contact leg runs essentially parallel to the clamping leg (43), in particular essentially parallel to the overlapping section of the clamping leg (43). Conductor connection terminal according to one of the Claims 8 until 11 , characterized in that at least a second section (40) of the contact leg (40, 41) is arranged essentially parallel to the conductor insertion direction (L). Conductor connection terminal Claim 12 , characterized in that the clamping spring (4) is attached to the contact frame (30) by means of the second section (40) of the contact leg (40, 41). Conductor connection terminal according to one of the Claims 8 until 13 , characterized in that the spring arch (42), viewed in the height direction (H), is arranged essentially below the conductor insertion channel (21). Conductor connection terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing (2) has a test opening (23) and a test channel (24) adjoining the test opening (23), through which a test pin for carrying out an electrical test with the contact insert ( 3, 4) of the conductor connection terminal (1) can be brought into contact. Conductor connection terminal Claim 15 , characterized in that a test section (32) of the busbar component (3) extends into the test channel (24). Conductor connection terminal according to one of the Claims 15 until 16 , characterized in that at least part of the side wall (10) of the test channel (24) is arranged obliquely to the height direction (H) of the conductor connection terminal (1). Conductor connection terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conductor connection terminal (1) is designed as a circuit board terminal which is used for assembly the underside (9) of the housing (2) is formed on an electrical circuit board, the conductor connection terminal (1) having at least one circuit board connection which is electrically connected to the contact insert (3, 4) and can be electrically contacted on the underside (9) of the housing (2). (33, 34). Conductor connection terminal Claim 18 , characterized in that the circuit board connection (33, 34) is formed in one piece with the busbar component (3). Conductor connection terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conductor connection terminal (1) has its own actuating element (5) for actuating the clamping spring (4), wherein by actuating the actuating element (5) the clamping point is deformed by deflecting part of the clamping spring (4). can be opened. Conductor connection terminal Claim 20 , characterized in that the actuating element (5) is designed as a push button accessible on the top (8) of the housing (2) of the conductor connection terminal (1). Conductor connection terminal Claim 20 or 21 , characterized in that the clamping spring (4) has at least one actuating tab (45) arranged on the clamping leg (43), which can be acted upon by the actuating element (5) during manual actuation and thus the clamping leg (43) can be deflected. Conductor connection terminal Claim 22 , characterized in that the clamping leg (43) is shaped like a fork at its free end, with a central clamping area (44) for clamping the electrical conductor, the clamping area (44) being delimited on both sides by an actuating tab (45), which protrudes beyond the clamping area (44). Conductor connection terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing (2) is designed at least in two parts with an upper housing part (26) and a lower housing part (27). Conductor connection terminal Claim 24 , characterized in that the lower housing part (27) has at least one spring arch support area (14) for supporting the spring arch (42) of the clamping spring (4), on which the spring arch (42) rests at least in certain operating conditions of the conductor connection terminal (1). Conductor connection terminal Claim 24 or 25 , characterized in that the lower housing part (27) has at least one support section (25) for supporting the circuit board connection (33, 34), in particular a support section (25) which runs obliquely to the conductor insertion direction (L). Conductor connection terminal according to one of the Claims 24 until 26 , characterized in that the lower housing part (27) has at least one stop (11) by which a maximum actuating movement of the actuating element (5) is limited. Conductor connection terminal according to one of the Claims 24 until 27 , characterized in that the lower housing part (27) has at least one contact leg support area (13) for supporting at least part of the contact leg (40, 41), in particular for supporting support tabs (46) projecting laterally on the contact leg (40, 41). Conductor connection terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conductor connection terminal (1) in the housing (2) has a plurality of contact inserts (3, 4) arranged next to one another, each of which has external connections which can be contacted from outside the housing (2) and which are in a defined Grid dimensions are arranged. Conductor connection terminal Claim 29 , characterized in that the conductor connection terminal (1) has a height that is a maximum of twice as large as the grid dimension. Conductor connection terminal according to one of the Claims 29 until 30 , characterized in that adjacent external connections are arranged offset from one another. Conductor connection terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact frame (30) is arranged essentially perpendicular to the conductor insertion direction (L).

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