EP1251589B1 - Screwless terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a bus bar (3) in a terminal housing and electrically connected to a blade clamp contact (4). A conductor (11) fed in via a housing lead through can be contacted between the facing blade edges (7,8). Contacting of the fixed conductor is achieved by a translation motion of the blade clamp contact along the bus bar in its longitudinal direction (L). At least one rib (35) is formed in at least one blade-clamp contact leg (5).

Description

The invention relates to a screwless terminal, in particular Terminal block, with a busbar arranged in a terminal box and an insulation displacement contact connected to it in an electrically conductive manner, an electric one between the cutting edges facing each other The conductor can be contacted via a housing bushing in the terminal housing can be introduced.

Terminals for contacting and connecting electrical conductors are also known in various versions as so-called terminal blocks, which can be snapped onto mounting rails or top hat rails. A distinction can be made are between screw terminals, where the electrical conductors by means of Clamping screws can be fixed, and screwless terminals in Form of spring clips, in which the electrical conductors by means of a pressure or Tension spring be clamped. While with the screw terminals mentioned and the spring terminals previously stripped the conductor end to be contacted so-called insulation displacement contacts or insulation displacement contacts stripping-free conductor contact. For stripping-free conductor contact screwless terminals are usually used.

Such a connection terminal is known for example from the international Patent application with the publication number WO 00/70714 of the local Applicant with the designation "screwless connection terminal" dated May 9, 2000. This well-known terminal is essentially in its Structure and their function identical to the subject matter of the present invention, so that reference is made to the entire disclosure of WO 00/70714. In particular, all of the design variants shown there are mutatis mutandis also realizable with the presently claimed invention. With this yourself The terminal block that uses the insulation displacement technology is one with a Busbar connected insulation displacement contact provided. This essentially U-shaped insulation displacement contact has two curved, the U-legs forming clamping legs. To apply the necessary The clamping legs must have a spring force for the insulation displacement contact have relatively large wall thickness, so that the insulation displacement contact is right can be wide-ranging.

Starting from this prior art, the invention is based on the object an insulation displacement contact for a connection terminal if possible to save space.

To solve the problem is provided according to the invention, at least in one form one or more beads of the two clamping legs.

The advantage of this invention is the possibility of a relatively thin-walled insulation displacement contact to be able to use. Due to the exact placement of the bead can be ensured that the caused by the introduction of the bead Cross-sectional stiffening is arranged exactly at the point at which connected Conduct the spring force of the clamp legs into the connection clamp introduced conductor is actually needed. The insulation displacement contact is stiffened in this way precisely at the point at which connected conductor high spring forces are actually required. The other areas of the insulation displacement contact can be space-saving in this way be designed to save material and thus have a slim design. In addition, the Material use as such reduced.

It is particularly advantageous because of the symmetry of the U-shaped insulation displacement contact also an essentially U-shaped one, that is to say with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the connection terminal to choose symmetrical bead shape.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, three beads are along the central longitudinal axis of the insulation displacement contact arranged side by side.

To form the cutting edges, the insulation displacement contact is U-shaped, the free ends of the U-legs to create the cutting and Guide slot are bent towards each other. The at in the terminal box inserted conductor facing this front edge of the insulation displacement contact, d. H. of the cutting slot is obliquely downward and executed sharpened.

The advantageously rigid and thus immovably positioned in the terminal housing The conductor is after it has been inserted into the terminal housing and before the actual one Insulation displacement contact held in a sleeve-shaped guide, the above the cutting edges through the housing bushing and below the cutting edges by and molded onto the insulation displacement contact guide tabs extending in the longitudinal direction of the rail is formed. This are in contact with the conductor before the insulation displacement contact and take it thus between themselves.

The electrically conductive connection between the insulation displacement contact and the busbar can be done in different ways. In one particularly preferred embodiment, the connection is made using a below a front edge of the insulation displacement contact molded onto this Sanding tab that extends in the longitudinal direction of the rail. The sanding tab is bent up against a bent-in conductor rail section in such a way that it rests on the underside of the busbar section. In a expedient development of this embodiment has the bent Busbar section set up in the direction of the housing bushing Freeers on. This serves as the back, d. H. on the insulation displacement contact opposite side of the conductor, for this as a landing stage.

According to an alternative embodiment, the electrically conductive connection is made between the insulation displacement contact and the busbar by means of a side sliding contact. The insulation displacement contact preferably has two on the opposite side edges of the busbar Sanding tabs on. In this embodiment, the busbar is expedient waisted in the sliding contact area, so that the preferred inward in the direction of the conductor rail curved tabs the conductor rail do not protrude from the side or only insignificantly.

In a further embodiment, the electrically conductive connection is made by means of a lower and / or upper sliding contact with respect to the busbar. There is a grinding tab molded onto the insulation displacement contact on the bottom of the busbar, on the top of the busbar or on both sides on the power rail. This is the molded on the insulation displacement contact Sanding flap bent across the longitudinal direction of the rail. For top and bottom The contact is made from the bottom of the grinding tab Conductor rail bent over on its upper side and the conductor rail lies there encompassing the free end on the top of the busbar.

Furthermore, the electrically conductive connection between the insulation displacement contact and the busbar by means of one in the middle area of the busbar provided sliding contact. This is due to one on the busbar molded contact tab against this angled tab, the is in turn molded onto the insulation displacement contact. Conveniently, are in this embodiment to the insulation displacement contact two the contact tab molded onto the busbar between the grinding tabs which are bent towards the middle of the conductor rail and at the contact tab on the power rail.

A widened busbar section can be used to form the contact tab slotted on both sides transversely to the longitudinal direction of the conductor rail and then be bent up. Alternatively, a through can be used to form the contact tab Multiple bending up of the busbar section by subsequent Twist or twist aligned parallel to the longitudinal direction of the busbar become.

With such terminals in insulation displacement technology, contacting the conductor's insulation is cut. To the force required for this is generally to be applied from the outside into the housing of the connection terminal insertable operating tool, for example a screwdriver, provided with the conductor and insulation displacement contact moved relative to each other become. Therefore, the insulation displacement contact expediently points in Direction of movement one insertion opening or one insertion slot for the conductor and an engagement recess for an operating tool. With this, for example, dovetail-shaped engagement recess aligns a funnel-shaped housing shaft in the terminal housing, over the one Actuating tool can be inserted into the terminal housing from the outside. The funnel-shaped housing shaft tapers in the insertion direction to in the insertion direction below the narrow point or constriction formed in the direction to expand conically on the engagement trough.

In order to enable the most gentle handling possible, in particular expedient embodiment for contacting the conductor, a contacting element via an actuating element interacting with the actuating tool actuated, which is designed such that an immediate Avoid contact between the actuating tool and the contacting element is. For secure insulation displacement contacting, that the contacting element the insulation displacement contact for contacting of the conductor held stationary in the terminal housing. The contacting element and the insulation displacement contact thus form a unitary component.

This version with the additional actuating element has the advantage that the contacting element, for example, as a result of improper insertion cannot be injured by the operating tool. This ensures a gentle actuation, so that the functionality of the insulation displacement contact is retained even with repeated conductor contact. Is preferred the actuating element for this purpose with an inserted actuating tool between this and the contacting element arranged.

The actuating element having a receiving space for the actuating tool is hollow on the inside and forms a multi-sided guide for the operating tool. As a result, both when contacting and when Releasing the contact, that is, with different directions of movement of the actuating tool, direct contact between the actuating tool and the contacting element avoided. The actuating element preferably engages in the contacting element loose. On the one hand, the loose intervention becomes one enables safe guidance of the actuating tool, and on the other hand is due to the game ensures easy handling. Here is the actuator preferably arranged captively in the terminal housing, so that loss of the actuator is avoided.

In an expedient development, the housing has a projection as an abutment for the actuator, and the actuator is in this abutment snapped. This enables a particularly simple attachment of the Actuator in the terminal housing by the actuator via a pressure point determined by the projection into the terminal housing is pushed in. The projection can be an axis of rotation for the actuating element determine. Since the actuating element is also the actuating tool leads, this is also rotated about this axis of rotation. The one as an abutment trained projection thus forms a point of attack at which the operating tool is supported. The forces exerted by the operating tool are thereby advantageously taken up by the terminal housing.

Is the actuating element as a pivot lever with a particular wedge-like Bulge formed as a counter bearing to the abutment is a simple one Allows insertion of the actuator into the terminal housing. To a The actuating element is to ensure easy insertion over the projection preferably elastic. For a manufacturing technology simple design, the actuating element is preferably in one piece.

In order to achieve a high level of user-friendliness of the connection terminal, this shows Actuator expediently an indication of the direction of movement in the open position or in the clamped position. It is clearly visible from the outside in which direction the actuating tool for clamping contact or must be performed to release the contact. Also for a high level of user friendliness and to recognize whether the inserted conductor is contacted in a preferred embodiment, the actuating element is a marking for the position of the contacting element.

In a further preferred embodiment, the beads taper upwards in the direction of the cutting edges. The bead depth thus decreases from the U-bottom of the insulation displacement contact to the cutting edges. The bead is thus very pronounced in the vicinity of the U-base and nestles upwards in the direction of the cutting edges again against the outer wall of the clamping legs. This causes the clamping limbs to behave in the manner of a spring beam of uniform bending stress, such as that from Viewegs - technical books, author Alfred Bögel, formulas and tables on mechanics and strength theory , p. 29, chapter 4.15, "Beams with the same bending stress" and Dubbel, paperback for mechanical engineering, 13th edition, reprint 1974, p. 378, chapter "beam with the same bending stress" is known.

Fig. 1

in einer vereinfachten Darstellung ohne Sicke eine Seitenansicht einer schraubenlosen Anschlussklemme mit translatorisch entlang einer Stromschiene verschiebbarem Schneid-Klemm-Kontakt,

Fig. 2 und 3

die Anschlussklemme gemäß Fig. 1 in einer Schnittdarstellung bzw. in einer Draufsicht,

Fig. 4 und 5

in einer Seitenansicht die Funktionsteile einer Ausführungsform der Anschlussklemme mit einer Sicke am Kontaktelement mit einer seitlichen Schleifkontaktierung zwischen Schneid-Klemm-Kontakt und Stromschiene in unkontaktierter bzw. kontaktierter Funktionsstellung,

Fig. 6

die Funktionsteile derAnschlussklemme gemäß den Fig. 4 und 5 in einer Explosionsdarstellung,

Fig. 7 und 8

eine Ausführungsform des Schneid-Klemm-Kontakts mit drei Sikken in einer Seitenansicht bzw. Draufsicht,

Fig. 9

eine perspektivische Ansicht des Schneid-Klemm-Kontakts gemäß Fig. 7 und 8 und

Fig. 10

dieselbe Seitenansicht des Schneid-Klemm-Kontakts wie Fig. 7,

Fig. 11

eine Draufsicht auf die vordere Stirnseite des Schneid-Klemm-Kontakts gemäß Fig. 10,

Fig. 12

eine Schnittansicht entlang der Linie XII - XII in Fig. 10,

Fig. 13

eine Schnittansicht entlang der Linie XIII - XIII in Fig. 10,

Fig. 14

eine Draufsicht auf die hintere Stirnseite des Schneid-Klemm-Kontakts gemäß Fig. 10.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing. In it show:

Fig. 1

in a simplified representation without a bead, a side view of a screwless connecting terminal with a translationally displaceable insulation displacement contact along a conductor rail,

2 and 3

1 in a sectional view or in a plan view,

4 and 5

in a side view the functional parts of an embodiment of the connection terminal with a bead on the contact element with a side sliding contact between insulation displacement contact and busbar in uncontacted or contacted functional position,

Fig. 6

the functional parts of the connecting terminal according to FIGS. 4 and 5 in an exploded view,

7 and 8

an embodiment of the insulation displacement contact with three sikken in a side view or plan view,

Fig. 9

a perspective view of the insulation displacement contact according to FIGS. 7 and 8 and

Fig. 10

the same side view of the insulation displacement contact as FIG. 7,

Fig. 11

10 shows a plan view of the front end face of the insulation displacement contact according to FIG. 10,

Fig. 12

10 shows a sectional view along the line XII-XII in FIG. 10,

Fig. 13

10 shows a sectional view along the line XIII-XIII in FIG. 10,

Fig. 14

10 shows a plan view of the rear end face of the insulation displacement contact according to FIG. 10.

Corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals in all figures Mistake.

1 to 3 show a simplified representation of the screwless terminal 1 in side view, front view and top view for explanation of the essential functional parts. The terminal shown in detail 1 is preferably designed and includes a so-called terminal block in addition a terminal housing 2, only one of which has internal contours so-called half-shell is shown. Terminal 1 includes furthermore a fixedly arranged within the terminal housing 2 Busbar 3 and a slidably arranged on or on this Insulation displacement contact 4. This is U-shaped (Fig. 2) and instructs whose clamping legs are bent towards one another on the free end side Cutting edges 7 and 8, between which a cutting and guiding slot 9 for insulation displacement contacting via a housing bushing 10 (Fig. 1) in the terminal housing 2 inserted conductor 11 is formed.

In the longitudinal direction of the busbar L, which is simultaneously the direction of displacement or movement the insulation displacement contact 4 along the busbar 3 is a further through opening 12 in the terminal housing in front of the through opening 10 2 provided, via which an actuating tool 13, for example a Screwdriver, can be inserted into the terminal housing 2. The passage opening 12 is designed as a funnel-shaped housing shaft that turns into a Constriction 14 of the funnel-shaped housing shaft 12 tapers conically thence in turn conically towards the insulation displacement contact 4 dilate. With this funnel-shaped housing shaft 12 one is aligned in the Insulation displacement contact 4 in the area of the cutting edges 7,8 dovetail engagement recess 15 into which the operating tool 13 to move the insulation displacement contact 4 relative to the stationary busbar 3 from the position shown to the position indicated by dash-dotted lines intervenes. The actuating tool 13 is supported in a lever-like manner on the constriction or narrow point 14.

In the position shown is the conductor inserted into the terminal housing 2 11 fixed in position and immovable. The wall serves this purpose on the one hand the housing bushing 11 and on the other hand a support of the conductor 11 in an area between the busbar 3 and the cutting edges 7, 8 of the Insulation displacement contact 4. For this purpose, these are in the direction of the housing opening 10 extending guide tabs 16 formed, of which only one is visible. These tabs 16 flank the conductor end of the conductor 11 and thus form the lateral support for this. An additional rear support inside the terminal housing 2 in the longitudinal direction L behind the housing bushing 10 forms a set up parallel to the insertion direction 17 of the conductor 11 Free end 18 of an inwardly bent conductor rail section 19.

Below the underside 20 of the busbar section 19 is a sliding contact space 21 formed. In this sliding contact space 21 one arrives at the Cutting edges 7 and 8 opposite bottom of the insulation displacement contact 4 molded onto this and in the direction of the through opening 10 erected flap 22. This lies - as by the dash-dotted lines shown - due to a translational displacement of the insulation displacement contact 4 from the uncontacted functional position shown in the dash-dotted contacting functional position on the underside of the bent busbar section 19. This makes it electrically conductive Connection between the insulation displacement contact 4 and the busbar 3 manufactured.

In this contacting functional position, in which the cutting edges 7 and 8 penetrate the conductor insulation of the conductor 11 and contact its conductor core, the insulation displacement contact 4 is locked. To do this is on the or everyone Clamping tab 16 a locking groove 23 is provided, in which a resilient to the inner contour of the terminal housing 2 snap-on hooks 24 formed. One in of the open position shown, there is also a further snap connection on the back of the insulation displacement contact opposite the guide tabs 16 4 provided. This is in turn in the top area a locking groove 25 is formed in this, in turn a resilient locking hook 26th snaps.

A first embodiment of the screwless terminal 1 according to the 4 and 5 show the invention in an uncontacted or contacted functional position. Only that from the busbar 3 and that is shown Insulation displacement contact 4 formed functional element of terminal 1 for insulation displacement contacting of the conductor 11. Also in this embodiment Terminal 1 becomes the insulation displacement contact in an analogous manner 4 in the longitudinal direction of the busbar L and thus in the direction of the inside of the terminal housing 2 immovable and stationary conductor 11 translationally shifted, again the insulation displacement contact as a result of cutting the conductor insulation 11 a by means of the cutting edges 7 and 8 of the insulation displacement contact 4 until they make contact with the conductor wire 11b takes place.

4 and 5 clearly show that which is molded into the clamping leg 5 Bead 35. The bead 35 stiffens the clamping leg 5, which is particularly the case 5 is clearly visible, exactly in the area that is congruent with the electrical conductor 11 in its contacting end position shown in FIG. 5 is.

In contrast to the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 3, this is done electrically conductive connection between the insulation displacement contact 4 and the busbar 3 by means of a side sliding contact. This is through to the Insulation displacement contact 4 realized molded tabs 27, the opposite Lying side edges 28 of the busbar 3. This is comparative clearly from the exploded view of this functional element shown in FIG. 6 seen. The inwardly curved grinding tabs 27 of the busbar 4 for this purpose enclose a tailored busbar region 29 between one, which is formed by recesses 30 on both sides of the busbar 3 is. The recesses 30 thus simultaneously form stop edges 31 and 32 in the contacting or non-contacting functional position of the on the Busbar 3 translationally movable insulation displacement contact 4.

7, like FIGS. 8 and 9, shows a preferred embodiment of the Insulation displacement contact 4 with three in the direction of the central longitudinal axis 37 side by side arranged beads 35. These beads 35 are in the clamping legs 5.6 molded all the way round to form U-shaped stiffening beads. By the attachment of the three beads 35 in a row is the entire area of Insulation displacement contact 4 stiffened, which with the electrical conductor 11 of the Insulation displacement contact comes into contact. Also recognizable in the figures is the possibility in other areas of the insulation displacement contact 4 additional beads 36 to be provided for stiffening other areas the insulation displacement contact 4.

The beads 35 cause an increase in the spring force of the U-shaped insulation displacement contact 4 with the consequence that the clamping legs 5,6 or the cutting edges 7,8 not spread so far apart by the electrical conductor 11 as in an embodiment of the same wall thickness without beads 35 the case is.

Fig. 10 shows the same side view of the insulation displacement contact 4 as Fig. 7, but with two cuts XII - XII, XIII - XIII. The beads 35 tapering in the direction of the cutting edges 7, 8 and the associated decreasing effective wall thickness W _s of the insulation displacement contact 4 are described below.

11 shows a plan view of the front end face of the insulation displacement contact 4. The clamping limbs 5, 6 are shown in a partially transparent manner. The effective wall thickness W _{s of} the insulation displacement contact 4 can thus be imaged. The effective wall thickness W _s in the bead 35 in the area of the U-base 38 of the insulation displacement contact 4 is shown here. The effective wall thickness in the upper region of the clamping limbs 5, 6, on the other hand, is significantly smaller since the bead depth T _s decreases towards the top.

FIG. 12 shows a sectional view along the line XII-XII in FIG. 10. Again, the effective wall thickness W _s , here in the region of the bead 36, is shown. Since the bead 36 also tapers towards the top, the effective wall thickness W _s in turn decreases accordingly.

FIG. 13 shows a sectional view along the line XIII-XIII in FIG. 10. It can be seen from this that in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 10 each of the beads 35 runs upwards in the direction of the cutting edges 7, 8, that is to say the bead depth T _s decreases from the U-bottom 38 of the insulation displacement contact 4 to the cutting edges 7, 8. The bead 35 is consequently strongly pronounced in the vicinity of the U-base 38 and nestles upwards in the direction of the cutting edges 7, 8 again against the outer wall of the clamping legs 5, 6. In this way, the effective wall thickness W _s of the insulation displacement contact 4 decreases from the U base 38 upwards in the direction of the cutting edges 7, 8. The effective wall thickness W _s thus tapers from the U-base 38 of the insulation displacement contact 4 in the direction of the cutting edges 7, 8.

FIG. 14 finally shows a top view of the rear face of the insulation displacement contact 4. Here too it is clear that the bead depth T _{s of} the bead 36, and thus also the effective wall thickness (see FIG. 12), decreases towards the top.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

terminal

2

terminal housing

3

conductor rail

3a, b

leg

4

Insulation displacement contact

4a, b

contact element

5.6

clamping leg

7.8

cutting edge

9

Guide / cutting slot

10

Through opening

10a, b

conductor channel

11

electrical conductor

11a

conductor insulation

11 b

conductor Core

12

housing shaft

12a, b

opening

13

operating tool

14

bottleneck

15

engagement trough

16

guide tab

17

insertion

18

free end

19

Busbar section

20

bottom

21

Wiper room

22

Schlei bottle

23

locking groove

24

latch hook

25

locking groove

26

latch hook

27

Schlei bottle

28

side edge

29

Busbar range

30

recess

31.32

stop edge

33

insertion

34

guide

35

Beading

36

additional bead

37

central longitudinal axis

38

U-Grund

L

Longitudinal / displacement direction

Ws

Effective wall thickness

ts

Sick depth

Claims (8)

1. Screwless connecting terminal (1), in particular a terminal strip, having a busbar (3) which is arranged in the terminal housing (2), and having an insulation-displacement contact (4) which is electrically conductively connected to this busbar (3), between whose mutually facing cutting edges (7, 8) contact can be made with an electrical conductor (11) which can be inserted into the terminal housing (2) via a housing aperture (10), and with insulation-displacement contact being made with a conductor (11), which is positioned such that it cannot move, by means of a translational movement of the insulation-displacement contact (4) along the busbar (3) in the longitudinal direction (L),
   characterized in that at least one bead (35) is integrally formed in at least one clamping limb (5, 6) of the insulation-displacement contact (4).
2. Connecting terminal according to Claim 1,
   characterized in that the insulation-displacement contact (4) has a U-shaped cross-sectional shape, such that the two U-limbs form the clamping limbs (5, 6), and such that at least one bead (35) is integrally formed in each of the clamping limbs (5, 6).
3. Connecting terminal according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that the beads (35) which are integrally formed in the clamping limbs (5, 6) are opposite one another.
4. Connecting terminal according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that the bead (35) runs all the way round, such that it likewise has a cross-sectional shape in the form of a U.
5. Connecting terminal according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that two or more beads (35) are arranged alongside one another with respect to the central longitudinal axis (37) of the insulation-displacement contact (4).
6. Connecting terminal according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that the depth (Ts) of the beads (35, 36) in the direction of the cutting edges (7, 8) of the clamping limbs (5, 6) preferably decreases continuously, such that the effective wall thickness (Ws) of the insulation-displacement contact (4) tapers in the direction of the cutting edges (7, 8).
7. Connecting terminal according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that the bead (35) is curved outwards in a convex shape.
8. Connecting terminal according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that the bead (35) is curved inwards in a concave shape.

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