EP2051332A2

EP2051332A2 - Improved quick wiring connecting terminal

Info

Publication number: EP2051332A2
Application number: EP08002814A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Domenico Bosatelli
Original assignee: Gewiss SpA
Current assignee: Gewiss SpA
Priority date: 2007-10-17
Filing date: 2008-02-15
Publication date: 2009-04-22
Anticipated expiration: 2028-02-15
Also published as: EP2051332B1; ITMI20072007A1; EP2051332A3; ES2452344T3

Abstract

An improved quick wiring connecting terminal has a casing suitable to contain a conducting bar, with which a spring is associated; a protective member closes the casing and locks a spring presser; the casing has a plurality of sockets suitable to accommodate the end of the conductors to be connected to the connecting terminal; the spring presser acts on the spring in order to release the end of a conductor connected to the connecting terminal. The spring presser is a single body constituted by a plurality of extractors which are associated with a base in a restrained manner and so as to allow an independent movement of each extractor with respect to the base.

Description

The present invention relates to an improved quick wiring connecting terminal.
Several quick wiring bus bars are known, i.e., bars provided with a plurality of receptacles, each of which is suitable to receive and automatically lock the end of a wire stripped of its insulating sheath.
Connecting terminals of such kind are generally constituted by a conducting metal bar which is inserted in a plastic case and is provided with a plurality of elastic clamps which lock the ends of the conductors on the bar.
EP-1519445 discloses an automatic connection terminal provided with an elastic blade, made in one piece and welded to the conducting bar.
EP-1585195 and EP-1217692 also disclose automatic bus bars in which the electrical and mechanical connection of the ends of the conductors to the conducting bar is ensured by elastic blades which are welded or crimped to the conducting bar itself.
Those bus bars also have devices which allow to release the ends of the conductors from the bus bar. The devices are constituted by members which are suitable to act directly or indirectly on the elastic blades to move them away from the ends of the conductors, allowing their extraction.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a quick wiring connecting terminal which is improved with respect to the automatic bus bars of the cited prior art.
Within the scope of this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a connecting terminal which is constituted by a reduced number of components and which can be assembled with a production system which is significantly faster and cheaper than the production systems used to manufacture bus bars of the traditional type.
Another object of the invention is to provide a connecting terminal which, by virtue of its particular constructive characteristics, is capable of giving the greatest assurances of reliability and safe use.
Another object to the present invention is to provide a connecting terminal which can be manufactured by using commonly commercially available elements and materials and is also competitive from an economic standpoint.
This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by an improved quick wiring connecting terminal, comprising a casing suitable to contain a conducting bar, a spring associated with the conducting bar; said casing having one or more sockets suitable to accommodate the end of a conductor to be connected to the connecting terminal, a spring presser suitable to act on said spring in order to release the end of a conductor connected to the connecting terminal, characterized in that said spring presser is a single body constituted by a plurality of extractors which are associated with a base in a restrained manner and so as to allow an independent movement of each extractor with respect to said base.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of preferred but not exclusive embodiments thereof, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a connecting terminal according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is an exploded side view of the connecting terminal;
Figure 3 is an exploded front view of the connecting terminal;
Figure 4 is a sectional perspective view, taken along a transverse plane, of the connecting terminal;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of an end portion of the conducting bar;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the spring presser body;
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the spring;
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the conducting bar;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the spring associated with the conducting bar.

With reference to the cited figures, a quick wiring connecting terminal according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a casing 2 which contains a conducting bar 3 and a spring 4 associated with the conducting bar 3.
The casing 2 is closed by a protective member or cover 5 which also acts as a receptacle for a spring presser 6.
The casing 2 forms an elongated receptacle which has a substantially rectangular cross-section and is open upward. The conducting bar 3 is accommodated in the elongated receptacle.
The casing 2 has a main portion 7 provided with holes 8. The holes 8 are provided with a protective collar 9 for the insertion of the end of a conductor such as a wire.
The conducting bar 3, shown in Figure 8, is constituted by a main portion 10 which has a substantially L-shaped cross-section, and by two end portions 11 and 12. Screw-down terminals 13, visible in Figure 1, may be applied to the end portions 11 and 12.
The main portion 10 of the conducting bar 3 has a first wing 14 and a second wing 15.
The first wing 14 has a plurality of slots 16, which act as accesses for the spring presser, as described in greater detail hereinafter.
The second wing 15 has a plurality of teeth 17 and a row of quadrangular holes 26.
The teeth 17 act as an engagement means for the spring 4, which is constituted by an elastic blade which is contoured and cut so as to form a longitudinal portion 18 from which U-shaped blades 19 protrude.
The longitudinal portion 18 has a plurality of holes 20 that engage the corresponding teeth 17 of the conducting bar.
Each blade 19 has its free end divided into two tabs, one of which is bent into an L-shape and designated by the reference numeral 21, and the other tab is deflected in the opposite direction and is designated by the reference numeral 22.
The deflected tab 22 abuts against the internal surface of the first wing 14 of the conducting bar 3 so as to constitute a locking member for locking the end of a conductor.
The deflection of the deflected tab 22 allows insertion of the end of the conductor in the insertion direction, to the right with reference to Figure 4, but does not allow extraction of the conductor unless the deflected tab 22 is moved away from the surface of the bar 3.
The deflected tab 22 is spaced by pressing on the L-shaped tab 21 by means of the spring presser 6, as described in greater detail hereinafter.
The spring 4 also includes, at both ends, a curl 23 which surrounds the lower part of the second wing 15 of the conducting bar 3 where the spring 4 is applied thereto.
The spring 4 is associated with the conducting bar 3 by inserting the second wall 15 of the bar in the spring 4 so that the longitudinal portion 18 of the spring 4 is laterally adjacent to the second wing 15 of the bar 3.
The spring 4 is locked on the bar 3 by the end curls 23 and by means of the teeth 17 which engage a rim of the respective holes 20 of the longitudinal portion 18 of the spring 4.
The teeth 17 are suitably inclined so as to facilitate the insertion of the spring 4, which is locked with a snap action on the bar 3.
The spring 4 is therefore fastened to the bar 3 without welds, adhesive, screws, et cetera.
The spring 4 is associated with the bar 3 so that the L-shaped tabs 21 of the blades 19 of the spring are located at the slots 16 formed in the first wing 14 of the bar 3.
In this manner it is possible to act on the L-shaped tabs 21 to move the deflected tabs 22 away from the surface of the bar in order to extract the end of the conductor.
For this purpose, the spring presser 6 is used. The presser is constituted by a plurality of extractors 24, one for each slot 16, associated with a common base 35.
The extractors 24 are monolithic with the base 25 and are connected thereto in a restrained manner and so as to allow an independent motion of each extractor with respect to the base, such as to allow to act on the L-shaped tab 21 of the blades 19 in the manner described above.
The spring presser 6 is fastened to the casing 2 of the connecting terminal by the cover 5 which is locked with a snap action onto the casing, thus retaining the base 25 within the casing.
As mentioned earlier, the operation of the quick wiring connecting terminal according to the present invention entails that a conductor, such as the end of a wire, stripped of its insulating sheath, is inserted in a hole 8 and locked automatically by the tab 22 of the blade 19 which presses the end against the internal surface of the first wing 14 of the conducting bar 3.
The angle of the diverted tab 22 allows easy insertion of the end of the conductor but prevents its extraction, jamming against it.
In order to extract the conductor from the connecting terminal it is sufficient to press the respective extractor 24, for example by means of a screwdriver or other tool, in order to act on the L-shaped tab 21, spacing the blade 19 and therefore moving away the deflected tab 22 from the internal surface of the bar 3.
It should be noted that the extractors, in their operation, are mutually independent and are connected to the base 25 in a restrained manner, meaning that the extractors cannot be separated or removed from the connecting terminal. However, they are all initially monolithic with the base, and therefore the spring presser 6 constitutes a single part when it is fitted within the connecting terminal.
Also the spring 4 is a single part, which is fitted and locked on the bar 3 with a simple snap movement without any further operation of welding, adhesive bonding, crimping, et cetera.
It has been found in practice that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, a quick wiring connecting terminal having been provided which is constituted by a limited number of components which can be manufactured with simple and cheap production methods.
The conducting bar 3 and the spring 4 are of course made of conducting material, typically metallic, while the casing 2, the spring presser 6 and the protective member 5 can be made of plastics.
The quick wiring connecting terminal according to the invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, within the scope of the appended claims.
The materials used, as well as the dimensions, may of course be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.
This application claims the priority of Italian Patent Application No. MI2007A002007, filed on October 17, 2007 , the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

An improved quick wiring connecting terminal, comprising a casing suitable to contain a conducting bar, a spring associated with said conducting bar; said casing having one or more sockets suitable to accommodate the end of a conductor to be connected to said connecting terminal, a spring presser suitable to act on said spring in order to release the end of a conductor connected to said connecting terminal,
characterized in that said spring presser is a single body constituted by a plurality of extractors which are associated with a base in a restrained manner and so as to allow an independent movement of each extractor with respect to said base.
The connecting terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that said spring is associated with said conducting bar with a snap-acting connection.
The connecting terminal according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a protective member suitable to close said casing and to lock said spring presser.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that said casing forms an elongated receptacle which has a substantially rectangular cross-section and is open upward and in which said conducting bar is accommodated.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that said casing has a main portion in which there are holes provided with a protective collar, each hole being suitable to receive the end of a conductor to be connected to said connecting terminal.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that said conducting bar is constituted by a main portion which has a substantially L-shaped cross-section.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that said conducting bar has two end portions to which screw terminals or the like can be applied.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that said main portion of said conducting bar has a first wing and a second wing; said first wing has a plurality of slots which act as accesses for said spring presser; said second wing has a plurality of teeth and a row of quadrangular holes.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that said teeth of said conducting bar act as an engagement means for said spring, which is constituted by an elastic blade which is contoured and cut so as to form a longitudinal portion from which U-shaped blades protrude.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that said longitudinal portion has a plurality of holes suitable to engage the corresponding teeth of said conducting bar.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that each of said blades has a free end which is divided into two tabs: a first tab which is bent into an L-shape and a second tab which is deflected in the opposite direction with respect to said first tab bent into an L-shape; said deflected tab being suitable to abut against an internal surface of said first wing of said conducting bar so as to constitute a locking member for locking the end of a conductor.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that the deflection of said deflected tab allows insertion of the end of the conductor in the direction of insertion but does not allow extraction of said conductor unless the deflected tab is moved away from the surface of said bar by means of an action on said L-shaped tab.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that said spring comprises, at both ends, a curl which wraps around the lower part of said second wing of said conducting bar when said spring is applied thereto.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that said spring is associated with said conducting bar by inserting said second wall of said bar in said spring so that the longitudinal portion of said spring is laterally adjacent to said second wing of said bar.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that said teeth of said conducting bar are angled so as to facilitate the insertion of said spring, which is locked with a snap action on the bar.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that said spring is fastened to said bar without welds, adhesive, screws, rivets, crimping, et cetera.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that said spring is fastened to said bar so that said L-shaped tabs of said blades of said spring are located at said slots formed in said first wing of said conducting bar.
The connecting terminal according to one or more of the preceding claims,
characterized in that said spring presser is fastened to said casing by means of said cover, which is locked with a snap action on said casing, thus retaining said base within said casing.