EP4203197A1 - Housing for receiving one or more conductor connection terminals and set formed therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an enclosure for accommodating one or more conductor connection terminals, which are designed as through-connectors. The invention also relates to a set made up of such a housing and one or more conductor connection terminals, which are designed as through-connectors.

Description

The invention relates to an enclosure for accommodating one or more conductor connection terminals, which are designed as through-connectors. The invention also relates to a set made up of such a housing and one or more conductor connection terminals, which are designed as through-connectors.

Conductor connection terminals are available in a variety of designs in the electrical sector, e.g. as screw terminals, e.g. in the form of luster terminals, or as spring-loaded terminals, which have spring-loaded terminals for connecting electrical conductors. Conductor connection terminals, which are designed as feed-through connectors, are characterized in that they have at least two conductor clamping connections for connecting and electrically connecting at least two electrical conductors. The conductor insertion openings for these conductor connections are arranged on diametrically opposite sides of the housing of the conductor connection terminal.

Depending on the technical design, the conductor connection terminals are available with differently designed housings, in particular with different external cross-sectional shapes. Usually, the conductor connection terminals are not or only slightly protected against the ingress of dirt and moisture. In some applications, increased protection is required, especially against moisture. For example, there is a need for protection against moisture according to protection class IP68.

An enclosure for an electrical connector is, for example, from U.S. 3,680,036 known.

In contrast, the object of the present invention is to specify a housing for accommodating one or more conductor connection terminals, which are designed as through-connectors. Furthermore, a set formed with this is to be specified.

1. a) die Umhausung hat einen rohrförmigen zentralen Aufnahmekörper, der umfangseitig geschlossen ausgebildet ist und wenigstens eine durchgehende Öffnung aufweist, die sich von einer ersten Stirnseite des Aufnahmekörpers zur gegenüberliegenden zweiten Stirnseite des Aufnahmekörpers erstreckt,
2. b) die durchgehende Öffnung hat wenigstens in einem in axialer Richtung mittleren Bereich eine innere Querschnittskontur, die an die Außenkontur einer in der durchgehenden Öffnung aufzunehmenden vordefinierten Anzahl von Leiteranschlussklemme mit vordefinierter äußerer Querschnittsform angepasst ist,
3. c) der Aufnahmekörper hat an der ersten Stirnseite ein erstes Gewinde und an der zweiten Stirnseite ein zweites Gewinde,
4. d) die Umhausung hat eine erste Schraubkappe mit einem Gewinde, über das die erste Schraubkappe auf das erste Gewinde an der ersten Stirnseite des Aufnahmekörpers aufschraubbar ist,
5. e) die Umhausung hat eine zweite Schraubkappe mit einem Gewinde, über das die zweite Schraubkappe auf das zweite Gewinde an der zweiten Stirnseite des Aufnahmekörpers aufschraubbar ist.

This object is achieved by an enclosure for accommodating one or more conductor connection terminals, which are designed as through connectors, with the following features:

1. a) the housing has a tubular central receiving body which is closed on the peripheral side and has at least one through opening which extends from a first end face of the receiving body to the opposite second end face of the receiving body,
2. b) the through-opening has, at least in a central area in the axial direction, an inner cross-sectional contour which is adapted to the outer contour of a predefined number of conductor connection terminals with a predefined outer cross-sectional shape to be accommodated in the through-opening,
3. c) the receiving body has a first thread on the first face and a second thread on the second face,
4. d) the housing has a first screw cap with a thread, via which the first screw cap can be screwed onto the first thread on the first end face of the receiving body,
5. e) the housing has a second screw cap with a thread, via which the second screw cap can be screwed onto the second thread on the second end face of the receiving body.

The invention has the advantage that a housing that is easy to use and assemble by the user is specified for accommodating one or more conductor connection terminals in the form of through-connectors. The housing can be constructed with relatively few individual parts, which promotes simple construction and assembly. In addition, the housing is suitable for the implementation of a simple and reliable sealing concept that does not result in incorrect use by the user.

The housing advantageously has a tubular central receiving body which is closed on the peripheral side. This ensures a good shielding effect of the conductor connection terminals arranged in the housing or in the opening of the central receiving body against environmental influences. The continuous opening ensures that the conductor connection terminals can be easily received and/or attached in the receiving body. The receiving body can be completely or partially cylindrical on the outside, but it can also have other cross-sectional shapes on the outside.

In its internal opening, the receiving body advantageously has an inner cross-sectional contour which is adapted to the outer contour of conductor connection terminals to be received therein. This also promotes easy assembly by the user. In addition, the conductor connection terminals arranged in the continuous opening can be held reliably and are also protected from vibration loads.

The simple assembly of the parts of the housing is additionally promoted in that the first and the second screw cap can be connected to the central receiving body via a threaded connection. This allows the housing to be assembled easily and intuitively. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first screw cap and/or the second screw cap each has a through-opening for the passage of an electrical cable whose electrical conductors (wires) are connected to the conductor connection terminals arranged in the housing.

In this way, a novel, particularly advantageous encapsulation for through connectors is created.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the first thread and/or the second thread is designed as an external thread. This also promotes a simple and intuitive assembly of the parts of the housing. In addition, as a result, the threaded connections can be dimensioned relatively large and accordingly have a high strength. For example, the first screw cap and / or the second screw cap in the manner of a Union nut be formed. Advantageously, a strain relief for the electrical cable routed through the through-opening of the screw cap can also be formed or arranged in a screw cap, for example by means of a clamping element having clamping lugs.

The receiving body can be designed in one piece or in multiple pieces, e.g. in the form of a single injection-molded component or in the form of several injection-molded components.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the receiving body is designed in one piece with the inner cross-sectional contour. This has the advantage that the assembly of the parts of the housing is made particularly easy for the user, with the insertion of the conductor connection terminals being made particularly easy and ergonomic as a result of the predetermined inner cross-sectional contour.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the continuous opening has an inner cross-sectional contour that is constant in the axial direction. In this way, the conductor terminals to be inserted into the opening can be specifically guided through the inner cross-sectional contour right at the beginning of the insertion process.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the inner cross-sectional contour of the continuous opening has a star shape. This optimizes the use of space in the interior of the receiving body. Due to the star shape, longitudinal webs are also formed on the inside of the opening, which further increase the strength or rigidity of the receiving body.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the housing has a first seal which can be pressed against the receiving body by means of the first screw cap by tightening the threaded connection of the first screw cap on the first end face, and/or the housing has a second seal which can be pressed against the receiving body by means of the second screw cap by tightening the threaded connection of the second screw cap on the second end face. This allows the housing to be reliably sealed so that the Penetration of moisture into the interior of the housing is reliably avoided. By pressing the first seal or the second seal firmly, it can also be expanded somewhat in the radial direction, so that a reliable seal with respect to the cable that is routed through can also be implemented. The first seal and/or the second seal can be designed as an annular seal. The first seal and/or the second seal can be rotationally symmetrical with an inner opening aligned with the through-opening of the receiving body.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the first seal and/or the second seal has a profile in an axial sectional plane which has a radially extending branch and an axially extending branch projecting therefrom, the radially extending branch being predominantly radial Extends direction of the receiving body and the axially extending branch extends predominantly in the axial direction of the receiving body. In this way, the first seal or the second seal can provide a good seal both for the separating plane between the respective protective cap and the receiving body and for the cable that is passed through. The radially extending branch of the respective seal can be pressed onto the receiving body by means of the respective screw cap. The axially extending branch can bear sealingly against the outer surface of a cable routed through the seal. In other words, the seal thus has an L-shaped cross-section.

The first seal and/or the second seal can advantageously be made of an elastic material, for example an elastomer such as rubber or silicone.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the housing consists of the central receiving body, the first screw cap, the second screw cap, the first seal and the second seal. With such a five-part structure, the housing can be provided inexpensively and easily assembled by the user. In addition, high mechanical robustness can be achieved.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the receiving body has only one continuous opening. This allows a particularly simple and ergonomic insertion of the conductor connection terminals in the continuous opening.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the first screw cap and/or the second screw cap has a corrugation, a square contour and/or a hexagonal contour in at least one area of its outer surface. This has the advantage that the first screw cap or the second screw cap can be easily rotated around the longitudinal axis by the user and accordingly the threaded connection can be reliably tightened either manually without a tool or with the aid of a tool, e.g. a wrench. For this purpose, the receiving body can also advantageously have a contour on its outer peripheral surface for applying a tool, for example in the form of at least two flattened areas opposite one another, so that a counterhold can be ensured when tightening the screw caps.

The object mentioned at the outset is also achieved by a set consisting of a housing of the type explained above and one or more conductor connection terminals, which are designed as through-connectors, the one conductor connection terminal or the several conductor connection terminals being receivable in a form-fitting manner in the through-opening of the receiving body. The advantages explained above can also be realized in this way. The form-fitting accommodation of the conductor connection terminal or the several conductor connection terminals means that they are held at a defined point, and in particular they can be held with little play in the radial direction, so that they cannot excessively collide against the inner walls of the receiving body even under vibration loads.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that one or more conductor connection terminals each have spring clamp connections for connecting electrical conductors. In this way, the user can connect the electrical conductors to the conductor connection terminals particularly easily and in many cases without tools. Make the spring clamp connections also ensures a long-lasting reliable contact. Such a spring-loaded terminal connection can have a clamping spring, for example, with a busbar also being able to be present depending on the design. The conductor connection terminal can have an actuating element for actuating the clamping spring, for example a pivotable actuating lever.

For the purposes of the present invention, the indefinite term "a" is not to be understood as a numeral. If, for example, a component is mentioned, this is to be interpreted in the sense of "at least one component". If angles are specified in degrees, these refer to a circular measurement of 360 degrees (360°).

The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments using drawings.

Figur 1

eine Umhausung in perspektivischer Ansicht,

Figur 2

die Umhausung gemäß Figur 1 in Seitenansicht,

Figur 3

die Umhausung gemäß Figur 2 im Längsschnitt,

Figur 4

die Umhausung gemäß Figur 2 in der Schnittebene A-A,

Figur 5

die Umhausung mit Leiteranschlussklemmen in seitlicher Ansicht in Explosionsdarstellung.

Show it

figure 1

an enclosure in a perspective view,

figure 2

the housing according to figure 1 in side view,

figure 3

the housing according to figure 2 in longitudinal section,

figure 4

the housing according to figure 2 in the cutting plane AA,

figure 5

the housing with conductor connection terminals in a side view in an exploded view.

The Figures 1 and 2 illustrate that the housing 1 has a tubular central receiving body 2, on the first end face of which a first screw cap 3 is arranged and on the second end face of which a second screw cap 4 is arranged. The first screw cap 3 has an external hexagon contour 31 in a region facing away from the receiving body 2. The first screw cap 3 has an axially continuous opening through which a first cable 5, for example an NYM cable, is passed. The second screw cap 4 has an external hexagon contour 41 in a region facing away from the receiving body 2. The second screw cap 4 has an axially continuous opening through which a second cable 6, for example an NYM cable, is passed.

How to in the figure 3 can see, the receiving body 2 has a first thread 21 in the form of an external thread on the first end face. The first screw cap 3 has an internal thread 30 which is associated with the first thread 21 and which is screwed onto the first thread 21 . The receiving body 2 has a second thread 22 in the form of an external thread on the second end face. The second screw cap 4 has an internal thread 40 which is associated with the second thread 22 and which is screwed onto the second thread 22 .

A continuous opening 20 is located in the interior of the receiving body 2. A plurality of conductor connection terminals 9 are arranged in this opening 20, to which the respective individual conductors of the cables 5, 6 are connected.

A first seal 7 is located between the receiving body 2 and the first screw cap 3 . The first seal 7 has a radially extending branch 71 which is pressed against the end face of the receiving body 2 by the tightened threaded connection of the first screw cap 3 . The first seal 7 also has an axially extending branch 70 which over a certain longitudinal section bears sealingly against the first cable 5 arranged therein. The same applies to the second seal 8.

A second seal 8 is located between the receiving body 2 and the second screw cap 4 . The second seal 8 has a radially extending branch 81 which is pressed against the end face of the receiving body 2 by the tightened threaded connection of the second screw cap 4 . The second seal 8 also has an axially extending branch 80 which over a certain longitudinal section bears sealingly against the second cable 6 arranged therein.

The figure 4 shows the explained elements in cross section.

1. 1. Die erste Schraubkappe 3 und die erste Dichtung 7 auf das Kabelende des ersten Kabels 5 aufstecken, ebenso zweite Schraubkappe 4 und zweite Dichtung 8 auf das Kabelende des zweiten Kabels 6 aufstecken.
2. 2. Das erste Kabel 5 oder das zweite Kabel 6 mit dem Kabelende durch den Aufnahmekörper 2 soweit hindurchstecken, dass das Kabelende auf der gegenüberliegenden Stirnseite ausreichend weit heraustritt, um die Leiteranschlussklemmen 9 mit den elektrischen Leitern des Kabels zu verbinden.
3. 3. Verbinden der Leiteranschlussklemmen 9 mit dem in Schritt 2 hindurchgesteckten Kabel bzw. mit dessen elektrischen Leitern.
4. 4. Die gegenüberliegende Seite der Leiteranschlussklemmen 9 mit den elektrischen Leitern des noch nicht angeschlossenen Kabels verbinden.
5. 5. Mit dem zuerst durch den Aufnahmekörper 2 hindurchgesteckten Kabel die Leiteranschlussklemmen 9 in die durchgehende Öffnung 20 des Aufnahmekörpers 2 soweit hineinziehen, dass sie darin ungefähr mittig angeordnet sind.
6. 6. Die erste Schraubkappe 3 und die zweite Schraubkappe 4 mit dem Aufnahmekörper 2 verschrauben.

In the figure 5 you can see the explained elements of the housing 1 and the conductor terminals 9 and the cables 5, 6 before assembly. The elements shown can be assembled using the following assembly steps, for example:

1. 1. Push the first screw cap 3 and the first seal 7 onto the cable end of the first cable 5, and also push the second screw cap 4 and second seal 8 onto the cable end of the second cable 6.
2. 2. Insert the end of the first cable 5 or the second cable 6 through the receiving body 2 until the end of the cable protrudes far enough on the opposite end to connect the conductor connection terminals 9 to the electrical conductors of the cable.
3. 3. Connect the conductor connection terminals 9 to the cable inserted through in step 2 or to its electrical conductors.
4. 4. Connect the opposite side of the conductor connection clamps 9 to the electrical conductors of the cable that is not yet connected.
5. 5. With the cable first inserted through the receiving body 2, pull the conductor connection terminals 9 into the through-opening 20 of the receiving body 2 until they are arranged approximately in the middle.
6. 6. Screw the first screw cap 3 and the second screw cap 4 to the receiving body 2.

Steps 3 and 4 can also be reversed in this process.

Reference List

1

enclosure

2

recording body

3

first screw cap

4

second screw cap

5

first cable

6

second cable

7

first seal

8th

second seal

9

conductor terminals

20

opening

21

first thread

22

second thread

30

Internal thread of the first screw cap

31

External hexagon contour of the first screw cap

40

Internal thread of the second screw cap

41

External hexagon contour of the second screw cap

70

axial branch of the first seal

71

radial branch of the first seal

80

axial branch of the second seal

81

radial branch of the second seal

Claims (12)

Enclosure (1) for accommodating one or more conductor connection terminals (9), which are designed as through connectors, with the following features: a) the housing (1) has a tubular central receiving body (2) which is closed on the peripheral side and has at least one through opening (20) which extends from a first end face of the receiving body (2) to the opposite second end face of the receiving body (2 ) extends, b) the through-opening (20) has an inner cross-sectional contour, at least in a central area in the axial direction, which is adapted to the outer contour of a predefined number of conductor connection terminals (9) with a predefined outer cross-sectional shape to be received in the through-opening (20), c) the receiving body (2) has a first thread (21) on the first end face and a second thread (22) on the second end face, d) the housing (1) has a first screw cap (3) with a thread (30) via which the first screw cap (3) can be screwed onto the first thread (21) on the first end face of the receiving body (2), e) the housing (1) has a second screw cap (4) with a thread (40) via which the second screw cap (4) can be screwed onto the second thread (22) on the second end face of the receiving body (2). Housing according to Claim 1, characterized in that the first thread (21) and/or the second thread (22) is designed as an external thread. Housing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the receiving body (2) is formed in one piece with the inner cross-sectional contour. Housing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the through opening (20) has an inner cross-sectional contour which is constant in the axial direction. Housing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inner cross-sectional contour of the through opening (20) has a star shape. Housing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing (1) has a first seal (7) which, by means of the first screw cap (3) by tightening the threaded connection of the first screw cap (3) on the first end face against the receiving body ( 2) can be pressed, and/or the housing (1) has a second seal (8) which can be pressed against the receiving body (2) on the second end face by means of the second screw cap (4) by tightening the threaded connection of the second screw cap (4). is. Housing according to Claim 6, characterized in that the first seal (7) and/or the second seal (8) has, in an axial sectional plane, a profile which has a radially running branch (71, 81) and an axially running branch ( 70, 80), the radial branch (71, 81) extending predominantly in the radial direction of the receiving body (2) and the axial branch (70, 80) extending predominantly in the axial direction of the receiving body (2). Housing according to Claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the housing (1) consists of the central receiving body (2), the first screw cap (3), the second screw cap (4), the first seal (7) and the second seal (8). Housing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the receiving body (2) has only one continuous opening (20). Housing according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first screw cap (3) and/or the second screw cap (4) has a corrugation, a square contour and/or a hexagonal contour in at least one area of its outer surface. Set consisting of an enclosure according to one of the preceding claims and one or more conductor connection terminals (9), which are designed as through-connectors, the one conductor connection terminal (9) or the several conductor connection terminals (9) having a positive fit in the through-opening (20) of the receiving body (2 ) are recordable. Set according to Claim 11, characterized in that one or more conductor connection terminals (9) each have spring-loaded terminal connections for connecting electrical conductors.

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