EP1253670B1 - Spring terminal and terminal block - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical terminal adapted for connection with a conductor, comprising a hollow electrically conductive terminal containing a chamber receiving a U-shaped spring, and an opening for receiving a conductor that is biased by one leg of the spring into engagement with a given wall of the terminal chamber, the spring one leg having an operating tab portion that extends through a slot contained in the given terminal wall. A plurality of the terminals may be provided in an outer housing that is formed of an electrically insulating synthetic plastic material.

Description

The invention relates to a spring terminal row according to the preamble of claim 1.

A first spring clip is known from DE 196 14 977. The approach leg - a kind of tab - serves as an overstretch protection of the spring and at the same time as an operating lever and is formed integrally with the spring. The operation of the spring clip is e.g. with a screwdriver with which the spring is opened, for example, from the direction of insertion of the conductor.

Another spring clamp is shown in DE 20 02 911 A. This spring clamp has the features of the feature group a) of the preamble of claim 1. However, it is not a series of several spring terminals according to the preamble of claim 1.

Against the background of this prior art, it is the object of the invention to realize a cost-manufacturable Federklemmenreihuing with a particularly simple structural design, which can also be switched on and off in a simpler manner than the generic spring terminal.

The invention solves this problem by the subject matter of claim 1.

The invention provides a spring terminal row of a plurality of spring clips according to the invention, wherein a rsolierstofigehäuse pushed over the spring terminal row and locked to the spring terminals. It is thus possible first to equip the printed circuit board with the spring terminals and then to push a protective application-specific insulating material in a simple manner over the arranged on the circuit board spring terminals and fasten there.

The spring clamp has by using only a few parts a simple and inexpensive construction, with the slot passing through the approach leg in an uncomplicated manner, the operation of the spring clip "from the outside" allowed. By pressing in the extension leg on the outside of the housing, it is possible to press the spring leg in the direction of the plant leg and so to tension the spring. Then the conductor can be inserted into or removed from the terminal. Rigid conductors can be introduced in the "push-in" process without activating the lug leg. A tool-less conductor connection is thus possible.

Preferably, the housing end of the housing is positively connected to the housing beginning to intercept the spring forces. Preferably, the housing is further provided with surfaces such that a machine assembly (pick and place) possible.

It is possible to isolate the spring clip by a simple, retrofitted plastic housing.

Furthermore, the rigid end of the conductor can be inserted without tools, without operating the plant leg, if the spring is designed accordingly.

According to a further advantageous variant, two or more springs are used in the one housing, which further reduces the cost of a corresponding multi-terminal spring terminal and ensures a particularly compact, narrow structure. Suitably, each spring has a separate lug leg, the respective separate slots in the housing enforce, so that a separate actuation of the individual springs can be realized.

Alternatively, it is also conceivable that the at least one spring has two or more contact limbs and two or more lug legs, each of which permits a separate connection and disconnection of a number of conductors corresponding to the number of contact limbs.

Advantageous developments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

Fig. 1a - c

verschiedene Ansichten erfindungsgemäßer Federklemmen auf einer Leiterplatte;

Fig. 2

einen Schnitt längs der Linie A-A in Fig. 1b mit einer zusätzlichen schematischen Darstellung der Schaltepositionen der Feder mit ihrem Ansatzschenkel;

Fig. 3

eine vergrößerter Darstellung nach Art der Fig. 1 c;

Fig. 4 - 6

verschiedene perspektivische Ansichten einer weiteren Variante erfindungsgemäßer Federklemmen im Steckverbinder;

Fig. 7

eine perspektivische Ansicht eines Teiles einer Reihenklemme, die mit Federklemmen nach Art der Fig. 4 - 6 versehbar ist;

Fig. 8

eine Stromschiene und eine einen Leiter kontaktierende Federklemme mit nur teilweise dargestelltem Gehäuse, die z. B. in der Reihenklemme der Fig. 7 einsetzbar wäre;

Fig. 9

eine weitere Federklemme mit nur teilweise dargestelltem Gehäuse; und

Fig. 10-12

Federklemmen mit einem Übergehäuse aus Isolierstoff.

The invention will be described in more detail by means of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawing. It shows:

Fig. 1a - c

various views of inventive spring terminals on a circuit board;

Fig. 2

a section along the line AA in Figure 1b with an additional schematic representation of the switching positions of the spring with its lug leg.

Fig. 3

an enlarged view of the type of Figure 1 c.

Fig. 4-6

various perspective views of another variant of inventive spring terminals in the connector;

Fig. 7

a perspective view of a portion of a terminal block, which is providable with spring clips on the type of Figures 4 - 6;

Fig. 8

a busbar and a conductor contacting spring terminal with only partially represented housing, the z. B. could be used in the terminal block of FIG. 7;

Fig. 9

another spring terminal with only partially represented housing; and

Fig. 10-12

Spring terminals with a housing made of insulating material.

Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 show a first variant of spring terminals 1. These are designed for connection of a respective conductor 3 and each have a separate housing 5, in each of which a spring 7 is arranged.

A particular advantage of this spring clip 1 is the fact that both the housing 3 and the spring 7 can be integrally formed, such. B. as stamped and bent parts of sheet metal strips with substantially rectangular sections and molded on the rectangular portion functional approaches.

Thus, the housing 5 of Fig. 1 is made of only a single sheet metal strip, which is bent into a piece of pipe with a rectangular cross-section and two opposite, open end faces 9, 11.

At the one open end face 11, soldering legs 13 can be formed or attached to the housing 5 (or the metal strip used for its production), with which the spring clip 1 can be soldered, for example in / to a printed circuit board 15. As can be seen in Fig. 1b, the spring terminals 1 are designed such that they can be arranged relatively close together on the circuit board 15.

At the opposite side of the solder legs 13 is formed on the sheet metal strip to form the housing 5 each have a first approach, which is bendable as a plant leg 17 for the spring 7 on the open end face 9. A second approach to the opposite side of the solder legs 13 of the housing can be bent after insertion of the spring 7 via the spring 7 and thus serves as an outer retaining leg 19 for holding the spring. 7

The spring 7 has a substantially U-shape, wherein the one longitudinal leg of the U is formed slightly longer than the other longitudinal leg. The longer leg serves as an abutment leg 7a and is located on an actuation on the inner wall 5a of the rectangular in cross-section here housing 5.

In the unactuated state, the contour of the leg is curved. He springs during insertion of the ladder (see the illustration of Figure 2, dashed lines indicated position). In the extension of the inner wall 5a, the holding leg 19 of the housing 5 is formed, which overlaps the region of the base leg 7c of the spring 7, so that the base leg 7c of the spring 7 is held between the abutment leg 17 and the holding leg 19.

Between the second longitudinal leg - the contact leg 7b - the spring 7 and the support leg 7a opposite inner wall 5b of the housing 5 is the insertion region 9 is formed for the conductor 3, which is fixed between the inner wall 5b and the contact leg 7b. The contact leg 7b - eg made of steel - presses the conductor and holds it. The inner wall 5b - eg copper - allows essentially the power line.

The loading and unloading of the spring clip 7 is facilitated by the following measure.

At the contact leg 7b a shoulder 7d is formed, which is formed during punching an otherwise substantially rectangular sheet metal strip to form the spring substantially perpendicular to this rectangle, and that substantially in the remote from the base leg 7c region of the contact leg 7b. Before inserting the spring 7 in the housing of this lug leg 7d is bent by 90 °, so that it shows when inserting the spring 7 in the housing perpendicular to the contact leg 7b in the direction of the conditioning of the conductor 3 serving inner wall 5b of the housing 5, the is provided in the region of the inner wall 5b - preferably in the side region of this inner wall or in the corner region of the housing 5 - with a slot 21, which passes through the projection leg 7d.

By pressing the extension leg 7 d in the direction of the housing 5, it is possible in a simple manner either by hand or with the aid of an operating tool to move the spring leg 7 b from the position "I" in the direction of the plant leg 7 a to the position "II" and so to tension the spring 7. In this case, the conductor 3 can be introduced in a simple manner without additional effort in the spring clip 1 or taken out of this. If the projection leg 7d is released after insertion of the conductor 3, the spring 7 relaxes, so that the contact leg 7b presses the conductor 3 against the inner wall 5b of the housing 5 and ensures good contact (clamping position of the spring).

Fig. 4 shows a further variant of spring terminals 1 for connecting conductors 3, which in turn each have a separate housing 5, but in which directly adjacent to each other two (single) Fedem 7, 8 are arranged. Realizable - but not shown here - would be variants with three or more springs.

On the left in Fig. 4, the housing 5 and on the right in Fig. 4, the springs are shown individually. In the middle of Fig. 4, a composite of the housing 5 and the springs 7, 8 spring clip 1 is shown.

The housing 5 and the springs 7, 8 are here in each case integrally formed as stamped and bent parts made of sheet metal strips with substantially rectangular sections and formed on the rectangular portion functional approaches. Thus, the housing 5 is again made of a sheet metal strip, which is bent into a pipe section with a rectangular cross section and two opposite, open end faces 9, 11. On the one open end face 11, soldering legs or a contact tulip can in turn be molded or attached to the housing 5 (or the metal strip used for its production). But it is also possible to equip with the spring terminals 1, for example, terminal blocks (see Fig. 7). For this purpose, to the insertion opening opposite side of the housing 5 by way of example a receptacle 24 with upper contact leg, which forms a stop for the inserted conductor and with a lower contact leg, for inserting a busbar (or a knife or a pin contact) on the Housing is formed. Another type of contacting the busbar, Fig. 8, which will be described in more detail below.

On the side of the conductor insertion opening two lugs are formed on the metal strip to form the housing 5, which serve as a plant leg 17a, b for the two springs 7, 8.

The springs 7, 8 in turn have a substantially U-shape, wherein the one longitudinal leg of the U is formed slightly longer than the other longitudinal leg. The longer longitudinal limb in turn serves in each case as an abutment limb 7a, 8a and is located on an actuation on the inner wall 5a of the housing 5, which in turn is rectangular in cross section.

Between the second longitudinal limbs - the contact limbs 7b, 8b - of the springs 7, 8 and the inner wall 5b of the housing 5 opposite the contact limbs 7a, 8a, insertion regions 9a, 9b are formed for each of two conductors, which are separated fixed between each other between the inner wall 5b and the contact legs 7b, 8b and contacted substantially by the inner wall 5b.

Both at the contact leg 7b and at the contact leg 8b are in turn formed at right angles bent lug legs 7d, 8d, each enforce separate slots 21, 22 in the housing and thus allow actuation of the spring clip for insertion and removal of conductors.

In this way it is possible, with a spring clip 1 with only a single housing 5 and the two springs 7 and 8 to contact two conductors separated from each other, which the manufacturing costs for appropriate applications (two conductors at a potential) over a variant with only one Contacting possibility for a conductor further lowers.

Alternatively, it would also be possible to connect the springs 7, 8 in the region of the bearing limbs 7a, 8a directly in one piece, so that basically two springs could be contacted separately from each other with only one spring, which would nevertheless have two separately movable contact limbs.

FIG. 7 shows a terminal R which can be provided with the terminals of FIG. 4. This terminal R has a housing G for latching on a mounting rail T has two levels A and B for contacting conductors, the second floor B each with the multiple spring terminals 1 of Fig. 4 to 6 is provided. Two conductor insertion openings and two directly adjacent insertion openings for an actuation tool, which allow depression of the spring limbs 7a, 8d, which are angled away at 90 °, are clearly visible.

A bus bar S can be fixed between the respective spring 7, 8 and the housing on the side of the spring opposite the conductor insertion area (see FIG. 8).

A further embodiment is shown in FIG. 9. Here again, by means of only one spring 70, a spring clip is provided for connecting two conductors, with the special feature that between each of the two longitudinal legs 70a, 70b of the substantially U-shaped spring and the associated sections the housing internal warnings of the housing 5 in each case a conductor 3 is inserted and contacted there. For actuation, the spring 70 at each of its two legs 70a, 70b each have one of the lug legs 70d, 70d ', each in turn pass through a slot 21, wherein two of the slots 21 are formed in opposite side surfaces of the housing 5. This terminal allows when in the narrow direction of assembly and about greater width perpendicular to the direction of assembly contacting two conductors with only one spring clip.

The illustrated spring terminals may be used as conductor terminals e.g. be used on the circuit board as so-called print terminals and / or as terminals for connectors (Fig. 4,5,6,8) or terminal blocks (Fig. 7).

The housing 5 of FIG. 1 - 12 are made of a conductive material and take over directly electrically conductive function. In this case, the conductive housing is conductively connected to a peripheral device, in particular the printed circuit board 15, preferably with the help of soldered legs 13 molded onto the conductive housing and soldered to the printed circuit board.

As can also be seen in FIGS. 10 to 12, one or more juxtaposed spring clips or their conductive, in particular one-piece housings 5 can each be used to set a stable insulating housing 27 which, for example, in a compact design, first chambers 29 for receiving the individual conductive housing 5 of the spring clips 1 and second chambers 31 for receiving the lug 7d for actuating the spring terminals 1, wherein between the chambers 29 and 31 respectively advantageous slots 33 for the penetration of the lug 7d provided by the respective first chamber 29 in the second chamber 31 are. The housing 5 can be provided with further functional contours (not shown here).

The Isolierstoffübergehäuse 27 can be pushed onto the spring terminals 1, for example, after mounting the spring terminals 1 on a circuit board. It has above the chambers 29 conductor insertion openings 35 for the conductors and above the chambers 31 insertion openings 37 for operating tools such as screwdrivers,

On the side facing away from the Leitereinführöffnungen ends of the insulating housing 27 latching hooks 39 are formed, which after placement on the spring terminals 1 on the spring terminals, for. the lower, facing the circuit board ends of the conductive housing 5 engage below, so that the insulating material 27 is locked in a simple manner to the spring terminals 1. In this way, on the one hand a manual but particularly advantageous and automated assembly on the circuit board is necessary.

In this way, the conductive housing 5 is provided with fastening means (the lower edges 41 of the housings for use of the conductive housings 5 in application-specific insulating housings 27. The outsides of the conductive housings 5 are advantageously usable as functional surfaces for automatic assembly of printed circuit boards.

Due to the free positioning of the spring terminals Isolierstoffübergehäuse be designed application specific.

reference numeral

spring clip 1 ladder 3 casing 5 inner walls 5a, b feather 7.8 contact leg 7a, 8a contact legs 7b, 8b base leg 7c, 8c shoulder leg 7d, 8d open ends 9, 11 soldering legs 13 circuit board 15 contact leg 17 holding leg 19 slots 21.22 admission 24 Isolierstoffübergehäuse 27 first chambers 29 second chambers 31 slots 33 Conductor insertion openings 35 insertion 37 latch hook 39 edge 41 feather 70 leg 70a, b, c, d spring position I, II levels A, B terminal R casing G rail T conductor rail S

Claims (23)

1. Spring terminal block incorporating spring terminals (1) for connecting a conductor (3),

   a) which spring terminals comprise the following:

   i. a housing (5) with an open end face (9) for inserting the conductor and a spring (7) disposed in the housing (5) for establishing a contact with the conductor (3) and for clamping the conductor (3) in the housing (5), which has at least one shoulder leg (7d),

   ii. the housing (5) also having a slot (21) through which the at least one shoulder leg (7d) extends, which at least one shoulder leg (7d) is designed so that when the at least one shoulder leg (7d) is operated, the spring (7) can be released from its clamping position,

   iii. both the housing (5) and the spring (7) being of an integral design and/or provided in the form of punched-bent parts made from metal strips with essentially rectangular portions and with functional shoulders formed on the rectangular portion and

   iv. the surrounding housing (5) is made from a conductive material and assumes current-conducting functions, and the housing (5) is conductively connected to a peripheral unit such as a circuit board,

   characterised in that

   b) an insulating material housing (27) is pushed over the spring terminal block and locked on the spring terminals (1) and has first compartments (29) for accommodating the individual conducting housings (5) of the spring terminals (1) and second compartments (31) for accommodating the shoulder legs (7d) for operating the spring terminals (1),

   c) and slots (33) are respectively provided between the first and second compartments (29) and (31) so that the shoulder legs (7d) can extend through from the respective first compartment (29) into the second compartment (31).
2. Spring terminal block as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the metal strip for the housing is bent to form a tubular piece with a rectangular cross-section and two oppositely lying open end faces (9, 11).
3. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that solder legs (13) are formed on or attached to the housing (5) at one open end face (11).
4. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that an abutment leg (17) for the spring (7) is formed on the housing (5) at the end lying opposite the solder legs (13), and a shoulder at the side of the housing lying opposite the solder legs (13) is provided as a retaining leg (19) for retaining the spring (7) and can be bent over the spring (7) so that the spring (7) is retained at the end face (9) between the abutment leg (17) and the retaining leg (19).
5. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the spring (7) is of an essentially U-shaped design, in which case one longitudinal leg of the U serves as an abutment leg (7a) and the second longitudinal leg of the U serves as a contact leg (7b).
6. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the shoulder leg (7d) is formed on the contact leg (7b) and bent at an angle of 90° relative to the contact leg (7b) so that when the spring (7) is inserted in the housing, it is oriented perpendicular to the contact leg (7b) in the direction towards the internal wall (5b) of the housing serving as the abutment surface of the conductor (3).
7. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that, in the region of the internal wall (5b) - in the side region of this internal wall and/or in the corner region of the housing (5) - the housing (5) is provided with the slot (21) through which the shoulder leg (7d) extends.
8. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that each of the spring terminals has a respective separate housing (5).
9. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the housing end of the housing (5) is positively connected to the housing start in order to absorb the spring forces.
10. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the rigid conductor can be inserted without tools and without having to operate the abutment leg.
11. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that two or more springs (7, 8) are inserted in one housing (5).
12. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that each of the springs (7, 8) is U-shaped, in which case one of the longitudinal legs is provided as an abutment leg (7a, 8a) and lies in abutment with the internal wall (5a) of the housing (5).
13. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that on the internal wall (5b) of the housing (5) lying opposite the abutments legs (7a, 8a), respective insertion regions (9a, 9b) are provided for conductors, which can be secured separately from one another between the internal wall (5b) and the contact legs (7b, 8b) and can be contacted by the contact legs (7b, 8b).
14. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that each of the springs (7, 8) has a shoulder leg (7d, 8d) which respectively extend through separate slots (21, 22) in the housing (5).
15. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the shoulder legs (7d, 8d) are of an angled design.
16. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the at least one spring (7) has two or more contact legs and two or more shoulder legs, which enable a number of conductors corresponding to the number of contact legs to be separately connected and disconnected.
17. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a respective conductor (3) can be inserted between each of the two longitudinal legs of the essentially U-shaped spring (70) and the co-operating portions of the housing internal walls of the housing (5), and the U-shaped spring (70) respectively incorporates one of the shoulder legs (70d, 70d=) on each of its two longitudinal legs (70a, b), each of which extends through one of the slots (21) provided in mutually opposing side faces of the housing.
18. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a current bar (S) can be inserted between springs (7, 8) and the housing on the side of the springs lying opposite the conductor insertion region and a contact established.
19. Spring terminal block as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the surrounding housing (5) is made from a conducting material and assumes current conducting functions, and the housing (5) is conductively connected to a peripheral unit, in particular a circuit board, preferably with the aid of solder legs (13) formed on the conducting housing.
20. Spring terminal block (1) as claimed in one of claims 1 - 19, characterised in that the conducting housing (5) has fixing means (41) for mounting or inserting in insulating material outer housings.
21. Spring terminal block incorporating several spring terminals as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the spring terminal block is disposed on a circuit board (15).
22. Spring terminal block incorporating spring terminals as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the insulating material outer housing (27) has conductor insertion orifices (35) above the first compartments (29) for the conductors and insertion orifices (37) above the second compartments (31) for operating tools.
23. Spring terminal block incorporating spring terminals as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterised in that catch hooks (39) are formed on the ends of the insulating housing (27) remote from the conductor insertion orifices, which locate underneath the bottom edges (41) of the conducting housing (5) directed towards the circuit board once the spring terminals (1) have been mounted so that the insulating housing (27) is latched to the spring terminals (1).

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