Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R4/00—Electrically-conductive connections between two or more conductive members in direct contact, i.e. touching one another; Means for effecting or maintaining such contact; Electrically-conductive connections having two or more spaced connecting locations for conductors and using contact members penetrating insulation
  • H01R4/24—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands
  • H01R4/2416—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands the contact members having insulation-cutting edges, e.g. of tuning fork type
  • H01R4/2445—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands the contact members having insulation-cutting edges, e.g. of tuning fork type the contact members having additional means acting on the insulation or the wire, e.g. additional insulation penetrating means, strain relief means or wire cutting knives
  • H01R4/2458—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands the contact members having insulation-cutting edges, e.g. of tuning fork type the contact members having additional means acting on the insulation or the wire, e.g. additional insulation penetrating means, strain relief means or wire cutting knives the contact members being in a slotted tubular configuration, e.g. slotted tube-end
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R4/00—Electrically-conductive connections between two or more conductive members in direct contact, i.e. touching one another; Means for effecting or maintaining such contact; Electrically-conductive connections having two or more spaced connecting locations for conductors and using contact members penetrating insulation
  • H01R4/24—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands
  • H01R4/2416—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands the contact members having insulation-cutting edges, e.g. of tuning fork type
  • H01R4/242—Connections using contact members penetrating or cutting insulation or cable strands the contact members having insulation-cutting edges, e.g. of tuning fork type the contact members being plates having a single slot
  • H01R4/2425—Flat plates, e.g. multi-layered flat plates
  • H01R4/2429—Flat plates, e.g. multi-layered flat plates mounted in an insulating base
  • H01R4/2433—Flat plates, e.g. multi-layered flat plates mounted in an insulating base one part of the base being movable to push the cable into the slot

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a branching device for at least one electrical line according to the preamble of claim 1.
• the present invention has for its object to provide branching devices for electrical lines, with which line branches are in particular easier to install or to install than conventional branching devices.
• a line branching can be installed quickly, inexpensively and safely.
• the outer insulation of the cable only has to be removed before the strands individually from above be pressed into the through-channel in their respective strand clamp.
• the contact lips cut through the insulation of the strands with their cutting edges and thus establish an electrical contact between the strand and the strand clamp.
• the strands therefore no longer have to be cut off in the region of the branch according to the invention and re-installed at their ends. It is no longer the case that the strands in the branching device become too short.
• only the insulation of the stranded wire is cut through, while its conductive core runs uninterruptedly through the through-channel. This maintains the tensile strength of the strand, which means an enormous gain in safety.
• the through-channel runs in a straight line through the wire clamp.
• the material stress for the strand is lowest since it does not have to be stretched or only very slightly.
• the wire clamps are advantageously detachably received in the holder in the housing. This means that they can be easily replaced, for example, to use a different type of wire terminal block with a wider or narrower through-channel.
• Such a branching device is preferred, in which a number of stranded terminals is provided which corresponds at least to the number of strands to be branched, so that each strand of the electrical line can be received in its own stranded terminal.
• At least one connecting lug on a stranded wire terminal can be of a type known per se and serve to represent the branch contact for fastening and for the electrical connection to the branched wire.
• the distance between two paired contact lips is preferably not greater than the diameter of a strand. This ensures that the cutting edges of the contact lips actually cut the insulation of the stranded wire down to its conductive core and makes contact with this conductive core.
• edges of paired contact lips facing the through-channel can for example run parallel to one another in sections.
• the conductive core of the strand is then held in this region without it slipping out to one side of the through-channel.
• two paired contact lips can form an insertion section for the strand, in which the distance between the contact lips widens to an insertion side of the through-channel.
• the contact lips thus form a funnel on their insertion side, into which the stranded wire can be inserted and positioned before being pushed into the through-channel.
• At least one of the contact lips is preferably flexible in a direction directed away from the through-channel, so that it allows the through-channel to be widened. This means that it can adapt to the diameter of the conductive core of the strand and clamp it in the through-channel due to its restoring force.
• a catch can be provided between the wire clamp and its holder.
• the wire clamp can be attached to the bracket before the branch is installed again. This is particularly advantageous if the junction box is to be installed upside down and the stranded wire terminals could otherwise fall out of its holder.
• the bracket for the stranded wire clamps in such a way that it is detachably attached to the housing. This means that the holder can be replaced, for example if wire clamps are required for another type of wire.
• Such a branching device is particularly easy to install, in which a common holder is provided for all stranded wire terminals. All stranded wire clamps can be removed or inserted in their common holder at once.
• At least one hold-down device is provided for the strands, which holds the strands in the through-channels of the strand clamps. After the branch has been installed, the hold-down device prevents the strands from unintentionally coming loose from the through-channels and thus interrupting the electrical contact.
• At least one common hold-down is provided for all strands. After inserting the strands into the through-channels of the strand clamps, all strands of the electrical cable can be attached at once. This simplifies the assembly of the branch.
• the hold-down device or hold-down devices could, for example, be designed such that they represent a closure of the openings formed between the contact lips. The insertion of the hold-down device thus closes in particular the through-channels, so that the strands can no longer detach from the through-channels.
• the hold-down device or hold-down devices can preferably be locked with the holder of the stranded wire clamps. Should the cable ever have to be replaced, the hold-down device and the holder of the wire clamps can be quickly replaced together. In addition, when the branch device is installed, the hold-down device is attached to the housing.
• the one or more hold-down devices can also be latched directly to the housing. It has proven to be expedient if the holding-down device has a transverse plate which closes off the through-channels and has openings through which the connecting lugs of the stranded wire terminals protrude. The cross plate thus creates a separation between the area of the through-channels and the area of the connection lugs and ensures that the branched cables are mounted at the intended locations on the stranded wire clamp.
• seals are provided on the housing at the outputs for the line. Particularly in dirty or damp environments, the seals prevent foreign particles from entering the branching device, which could have impaired their operation.
• the seals can be designed, for example, as sealing rings with a lateral incision for inserting the line. As one-piece elements, such sealing rings are particularly easy to install.
• the housing of the branching device can preferably be assembled from a lower housing part and an upper housing part.
• the strands can first be accommodated in the strand terminals provided in the lower housing part before the upper housing part is finally put on as a protective cap.
• strain reliefs can be provided on the housing of the branching device at the outputs for the line. This can be achieved, for example, by clamping the cables at the outputs. This prevents the transmission of the tensile force to the parts contained in the branching device, in particular the wire clamps.
• FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of a branching device according to the invention
• FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a second exemplary embodiment of a branching device according to the invention
• FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a wire clamp which can be used in the branching device according to the invention
• FIG. 4 shows a partially sectioned top view of the wire clamp with the wire inserted
• Figure 5 is a perspective view of a bracket of the wire clamps
• Figure 6 is a perspective view of a hold-down.
• FIG. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of a branching device 1 according to the invention. It has a housing 2 which can be assembled from a lower housing part 3 and an upper housing part 4.
• the two housing parts 3, 4 can be molded from a plastic, for example by injection molding.
• the two housing parts 3, 4 have an approximately rectangular cross section.
• the upper housing part 4 can be screwed to the lower housing part 3.
• through openings 6 are provided on lateral shoulders 5 at each of the four corners of the upper housing part 4.
• these openings 6 are aligned with holes 7 in the lower housing part 3. In these holes 7 there are internal threads into which a screw passed through the openings 6 can engage.
• semicircular recesses 8 are provided both on the lower housing part 3 and on the upper housing part 4.
• the cutouts 8 are arranged such that circular openings 9 result when the housing is assembled. These are the outputs 9, through which a line (not shown) is led out of the housing 2 or into this.
• each bracket 10 defines an octagonal receiving space 12, into which a wire clamp 11 can be inserted from above.
• the receiving space 12 is delimited by two side walls 13, each of which has an approximately U-shaped cross section.
• the walls 13 of the holder 10 are arranged in such a way that a straight-line through-channel is created between them, which is essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing 2.
• latching elements not shown in the holder, into which latches 14 can be snapped onto the stranded terminals 11. In this way, the wire clamp 11 can be detachably held in the holder 10.
• Each wire clamp 11 serves to receive an individual wire of an electrical line.
• the illustrated embodiment of a branching device 1 can therefore be used for branching electrical lines with up to three strands.
• the branching device 1 is shown in a state in which two wire clamps 11 are inserted into two of the holders 10. Terminal lugs 15 on the wire terminals 11 protrude beyond the top of the brackets 10.
• the shape of the connecting lugs 15 as such is known. They have a through hole 16 in the middle through which a strand to be branched can be passed.
• a third wire clamp 11 is shown outside of its holder 10. The exact shape and mode of operation of the wire clamps 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
• a hold-down device 17 can also be seen in FIG. 1. Its length corresponds approximately to the inner width of the lower housing part 3.
• the hold-down device 17 has a transverse plate 18 which, after the hold-down device 17 has been inserted, runs parallel to the bottom of the lower housing part 3 on the upper edges of the holders 10 rests. Elongated openings (not shown) are provided in the transverse plate 18, through which the connecting lugs 15 of the stranded wire clamps 11 can protrude.
• the strand guides 19 protrude from the underside of the transverse plate 18.
• the strand guides 19 are positioned such that they protrude into the interior of the strand clamps 11 when the hold-down device 17 is inserted.
• Each strand guide 19 has the shape of an inverted U, between the two legs of which a strand can be guided.
• the bottom of the U-shaped heald guide 19 provides for a distance of the heald from the transverse plate 18 of the hold-down device 17. In order to achieve this distance, the heald must be pressed into the heald clamp 11.
• the latching elements 20 each have a cross section that corresponds to the shape of two mutually facing “L”. When the hold-down device 17 is inserted into the housing 2, it can latch with corresponding latching elements between the brackets 10 on the lower housing part 3 3 held.
• sealing rings 21 are also attached, which are aligned with the recesses 8.
• the sealing rings 21, which are formed for example from rubber, serve to seal the assembled housing 2 from the housing exterior. This will prevent dirt or moisture from entering the inside of the housing.
• Each sealing ring 21 has a lateral incision 22. Due to the flexibility of the sealing rings 21, they can be opened at the incision 22 in order to allow a line to be inserted into the sealing ring 21.
• the flexibility of their material means that when the lower housing part 3 is assembled with the upper housing part 4, they closely nestle around the electrical line. The sealing rings 21 can even be partially compressed in order to increase their sealing effect.
• two recesses 23 are provided in the top of the upper housing part 4. They each serve to receive the end of a line to be branched, the strands of which can be guided through openings in the bottom of the recess 23 into the interior of the housing 2, in order to be connected there to the connection contacts designed as connection lugs 15.
• the depressions 23 have a hexagonal cross section.
• the branching device 25 could also be designed such that corresponding connector plugs for the branched line with a hexagonal outer shape can be inserted into the hexagonal recesses 23.
• FIG. 2 shows a second exemplary embodiment of a branching device 25 according to the invention. Parts which correspond to those of the branching device 1 have been given the same reference symbols.
• a common holder 26 is provided for all three wire terminals 11 in the branching device 25.
• This bracket 26 is shown separately with reference to Figure 5.
• the holder 26 consists of a one-piece part made of an insulating material, for example plastic. It has a base plate 27, from the upper side of which walls 28 protrude at right angles, each of which forms a receiving space 12 for a wire clamp 11 between them in pairs.
• the walls 28 are shaped and arranged in such a way that the receiving space 12 formed between them can receive an essentially octagonal strand clamp 11.
• the wire clamp holder 26 and a hold-down device 29 can be locked together directly before they are inserted together into a corresponding receptacle 30 in the lower housing part 3.
• the receptacle 30 is formed by two transverse walls 31 which the Take bracket 26 closely between them. On the upper edges of the transverse walls 31, slots 32 are incorporated, which are used to pass the strands through.
• FIG. 2 shows the branching device 25 in a situation in which the holder 26 and the hold-down device 29 are locked together.
• the two connecting lugs 15 of a wire clamp 11 can be seen, which protrude above a cross plate 33 of the hold-down device 29.
• the terminal lugs 15, which represent the branch contact here, are thus located in a terminal lug space 34 on the top of the hold-down 29.
• Each terminal lug space 34 is assigned to an individual wire terminal 11 and separated from the other terminal lug spaces 34 by insulating partition walls 35. This reduces the risk of an electrical short circuit between adjacent strands.
• strain relief is provided in the branching device 25 at each outlet 9 from the housing 2.
• This strain relief includes semi-circular clamping pieces 36 made of a hard plastic, which are inserted into each recess 8 on the lower housing part 3 or upper housing part 4. Wings 37 protrude laterally from the clamping pieces 36.
• An adjusting screw 38 is assigned to at least one of the paired clamping pieces 36. It is accessible from the outside of the housing 2, in the exemplary embodiment shown from the outside of the upper housing part 4.
• this adjusting screw 38 If this adjusting screw 38 is tightened, it forcibly moves the two associated clamping pieces 36 towards one another. A cable lying between the two clamping pieces 36, i.e. the electrical line is clamped by the clamping pieces 36. If a pull now occurs from the outside on the cable, it is transmitted by means of the clamping pieces 36 to the housing 2 of the branching device 25, instead of leading, for example, to tearing the strands out of their strand terminals 11 inside the housing.
• the branching devices 1, 25 shown are each suitable for branching two new lines from an electrical line with up to three strands.
• FIG. 3 shows a strand clamp 11 which can be used in the branching devices 1, 25 according to the invention. It is made in one piece from a conductive material, for example a metal, and has a constant wall thickness. It can thus be produced from a flat metal blank, for example by bending.
• the layout of the wire clamp 11 is approximately octagonal with two opposite long side walls 40 and two short sides 41, 42 orthogonal thereto. Diagonal sides 43 extend between the short side 41 and the long sides 40. Analogously, the short side 42 and the long sides 40 diagonal sides 44.
• connection lug 15 with a central through hole 16 forms its upper end in each case.
• catches 14 formed laterally as latching lugs. They are used to lock the wire clamp 11 to the holder 10, 26.
• the short side 41 is divided into a lower section and an upper section, which are separated from one another by a horizontal cut 45.
• the cut 45 extends over the short side 41 and the diagonal sides 43 adjoining it.
• the lower section of the short side 41 forms the connection between the two sides of the wire clamp 11.
• the upper sections of the two diagonal sides 43 each form a contact lip 46. Because of the cut 45, the contact lips 46 have a certain flexibility and can in particular be moved relative to the lower section of the diagonal sides 43.
• the short side 41 is open between the two contact lips 46 and thus forms a through channel 47 which is open at the top.
• the opposite walls of the paired contact lips 46 run vertically and parallel to one another in this area.
• the narrowest point of the through-channel 47 is determined by the two parallel edges 48. Since these edges 48 protrude pointedly into the through channel 47, they provide cutting edges for a strand to be inserted into the through channel 47 In an upper section of the contact lips 46, the distance between them widens toward an insertion side of the through-channel 47. In this area, the paired contact lips 46 form an insertion section 49, which guides the stranded wire into the through-channel 47 when it is inserted.
• the wire clamp 11 On the short side 42, the wire clamp 11 is completely open, so that this side of its octagonal layout is free.
• the adjacent diagonal sides 44 of the wire clamp 11 likewise represent contact lips, between which the through channel 47 for the wire runs. Since the sides 41 and 42 lie exactly opposite one another, the through-channel 47 passes through the wire clamp 11 in a straight line as a whole. Apart from their greater height, the contact lips 44 are cut in exactly the same way as the contact lips 46. Therefore, they too have cutting edges 48 protruding into the through channel 47. Except for an upper insertion section 49, these run vertically and parallel to one another.
• FIG. 4 shows a strand clamp 11 with a strand 50 inserted into it.
• This has a conductive metal core 51 and insulation 52 made of a soft plastic.
• the strand 50 has been pressed into the through channel 47 from above via the insertion section 49.
• On the left-hand side it is shown in section that the contact lips 44, 46 with their cutting edges 48 both cut through the insulation 52 and also cut into the conductive core 51 of the strand 50, since the distance between the cutting edges 48 is smaller than that The diameter of the metal core 51 is. In this way, electrical contact was made between the metal core 51 and the wire clamp 11.
• the one-piece holder 26 shown in FIG. 5 has already been explained in connection with the description of FIG. Since the receiving spaces 12 for the heddle clamps 11 have a somewhat elongated shape which corresponds to that of the heddle clamps 11, they determine the orientation in which the heddle clamps 11 can be inserted into the holder 26. This is only possible in an orientation in which the through channels 47 of the wire clamps 11 run orthogonally to the holder 26, ie orthogonally to their base plate 27.
• Protrusions 53 are formed on each of the four corners of the holder 26. The distance between two adjacent projections 53 is just as large or a little larger than the width of a locking lip 54, which (as shown in FIG.
• the locking lip 54 is so long that it includes the holder 26. Alternatively, the locking lip 54 could also be snapped into a lateral groove or depression on the holder 26.
• the remaining elements of the hold-down device 29 shown in FIG. 6 have already been described in connection with FIGS. 1 or 2, in particular the U-shaped strand guides 19, the latching elements 20, the three connecting lug spaces 34 or the partition walls 35 located between them.
• the housing 2 of the branch device 1 or 25 is first opened.
• the insulation of the electrical line is removed along the length of the housing 2 before it is inserted through the incisions 22 into the sealing rings 21.
• Each strand 50 of the electrical line is individually inserted into a strand clamp 11 held in a holder 10, 26, so that the strand 50 lies on the two upwardly open insertion sections 49 of the through-channel 47.
• the hold-down device 17, 29 is placed from above. Depressing the hold-down device 17, 29 causes the strand 50 to be gripped by the U-shaped strand guide 19 and to be forced into the through-channel 47. The cutting edges 48 first cut through the insulation 52 of the strand 50. As soon as the strand 50 has been pushed deep enough into the through channel 47, the cutting edges 48 cut into the conductive core 51 of the strand 50 and thus establish the electrical contact between the strand 50 and the wire clamp 11. Finally, the hold-down device 17, 29 sits on the holder 10, 26 and closes the through channels 47 upwards.
• the connecting tabs 15 of the wire clamp 11 protrude far enough beyond the upper side of the transverse plate 18, 33 of the hold-down device 17, 26.
• the connecting lugs protrude 15 so far beyond the cross plate 18, 33 that the through holes 16 in the connecting lugs 15 are exposed. They thus form the connection contacts to which the strands of the lines to be branched, which are introduced through the depressions 23, can be connected.
• the housing 2 can be closed.
• the upper housing part 4 is placed on the lower housing part 3 and screwed to the lower housing part 3 through the aligned openings 6, 7.
• the adjusting screws 38 are also tightened until the clamping pieces 36 clamp the electrical line together with a sufficiently high force.
• the branching device 1, 25 can be fastened in the building.
• the branching devices according to the invention can differ in many respects from the described exemplary embodiments of the branching devices 1 and 25.
• more or fewer strand terminals 11 can be provided accordingly.
• these can be arranged side by side; however, they could also be staggered to save space. All variants of fixed brackets 10 or detachable brackets 26 are conceivable.
• the number of branched lines does not have to be two either.
• a single branched line could equally well be created, or the possibility for three or more branched lines could also be provided.
• branching devices are conceivable in which branching from more than one electrical line takes place parallel to one another.
• the combination nmk with n incoming electrical lines, each with m strands, and k branched electrical lines is almost arbitrary.
• Separate housing outputs 9, sealing rings 21 and strain reliefs with terminals 36 would then preferably be provided for each of the n electrical lines.
• more or fewer connecting lugs 15 can also be provided per wire terminal 11.
• the hold-down device 17, 29 does not necessarily have to be designed as a common hold-down device for all stranded wire clamps 11. Individual hold-down devices would also be conceivable, each of which only serves to hold down a single wire 50 in its wire clamp 11.
• paired cutting edges 48 could also have a concave shape, so that the distance between them widens in the middle of the concavity.
• the contact lips 46 When inserting a strand 50, the contact lips 46 would expand a little due to their flexibility. As soon as the strand lies in the concavity, the contact lips 46 close around the strand, which is then held securely in the concavity.
• the housing 2 could also be formed in one piece, the housing parts being connected by a hinge, e.g. a film hinge that could be movable.

Landscapes

• Connections By Means Of Piercing Elements, Nuts, Or Screws (AREA)
• Multi-Conductor Connections (AREA)
• Removal Of Insulation Or Armoring From Wires Or Cables (AREA)
• Electrical Discharge Machining, Electrochemical Machining, And Combined Machining (AREA)
• Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
• Cable Accessories (AREA)
• Insulated Conductors (AREA)
• Window Of Vehicle (AREA)
• Installation Of Indoor Wiring (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

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ID=29432777

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (7)

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• 2002
  • 2002-06-25 DE DE20209835U patent/DE20209835U1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2003
  • 2003-03-03 DE DE50311005T patent/DE50311005D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-03-03 CA CA002490640A patent/CA2490640C/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-03-03 AT AT03760580T patent/ATE419659T1/de active
  • 2003-03-03 WO PCT/EP2003/002158 patent/WO2004001905A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2003-03-03 EP EP03760580A patent/EP1518298B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-03-03 US US10/518,907 patent/US7871287B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-03-03 AU AU2003210403A patent/AU2003210403A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2004
  • 2004-12-29 NO NO20045688A patent/NO327691B1/no not_active IP Right Cessation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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