FR2703193A1 - Electrical device, in particular terminal block, with connection terminal using a quick-tightening nut. - Google Patents

Abstract

This is an electrical device of the type equipped with at least one connection terminal (14) comprising, in a housing (13), a fixed contact member (16) and a screw (18) which, engaged in a nut (19), extends opposite the contact member (16), for clamping against it the end (12) of an electrical conductor (11). According to the invention, the nut (19) is a quick-tightening nut, that is to say a nut whose threaded bore (42) is cut at an angle by a smooth bore (44), this nut ( 19) is mounted to tilt on a fixed pivot (45), and there is associated with it elastic biasing means (47) which urge it permanently in the direction of a position for which it is in engagement with the barrel (32) of the screw (18) by its threaded bore (42). Application, in particular, to terminal blocks.

Description

"Electrical device, in particular terminal block, with terminal

  connection using a quick-tightening nut "The present invention relates generally to all electrical devices which, for their connection to an electrical conductor, are equipped with at least one connection terminal comprising, in a material housing insulator having a conductor input for the introduction of the end of an electrical conductor, on the one hand, a fixed contact member, and, on the other hand, a screw, which, engaged in a nut, s' extends next to the contact member, to

  tightening of the end of the electrical conductor against it.

  These are, for example, but not necessarily exclusively, terminal blocks, that is to say electrical devices which, equipped with two connection terminals arranged for example back to back in the same plane, are simply intended to allow two to be connected to each other

electrical conductors.

  Most often, to date, the nut of the connection terminals is fixed, and the tightening of the end of an electrical conductor requires acting in rotation, turn by turn, on their screw, over the entire height of the axial displacement thereof. The time required for such tightening is therefore

  inevitably relatively large.

  It has also been known for a long time, notably by French patent No 910 678 of May 8, 1945, nuts

  commonly known as quick release.

  As is known, such a quick-tightening nut is a nut whose tapped bore is cut obliquely by a smooth bore, which allows, by tilting, to bring its tapped bore only in due course. taken with the barrel

  of the screw on which it is engaged.

  The present invention generally relates to the implementation of such a quick-tightening nut in

a connection terminal.

  More specifically, it relates to any electrical appliance, and in particular a terminal block, of the type fitted with at least one connection terminal comprising, in a housing made of insulating material having a conductor input for introduction from the end of an electrical conductor, on the one hand, a fixed contact member, and, on the other hand, a screw, which, engaged in a nut, extends opposite the contact member, for tightening against it the end of the electrical conductor, this electrical appliance being generally characterized in that the nut is a quick-tightening nut, that is to say a nut whose tapped bore is cross-cut by a smooth bore, in that this nut is pivotally mounted on a pivot, which is fixed and orthogonal to the barrel of the screw, and in that, with this nut, are associated elastic polarization means which urge it continuously towards a position p where it is engaged with the barrel of the screw by its tapped bore. At rest, the nut is engaged by its threaded bore

  with the barrel of the screw, and it locks it axially in position.

  For the connection of this electrical conductor, it suffices, firstly, to drive the screw axially, following a rapid approach movement not involving its rotation, then, secondly, when the screw has arrived in limit switch, proceed in the usual way to tighten it. However, this tightening only involves a rotation on

  at most a few turns of this screw.

  This results in an advantageous saving of time.

  The characteristics and advantages of the invention

  will emerge from the description which follows,

  by way of example, with reference to the appended schematic drawings in which: FIG. 1 is, with a local cutaway, a perspective view of an electrical device according to the invention; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view; Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the bracket that includes this electrical device, along line III-III of Figure 2; Figure 4 is another partial view in longitudinal section of this stirrup, along the line IV-IV of Figure 2; Figures 5 A, 5 B, 5 C are, on a larger scale, and with a local cutaway, partial elevation views of the electrical device according to the invention for various successive phases of its connection to an electrical conductor; Figure 6 is, for an alternative embodiment, a longitudinal sectional view of the active part of this electrical device; FIG. 7 is a partial plan-section view of

  this active part, along line VII-VII of FIG. 6.

  These figures illustrate, by way of example,

  the application of the invention to a terminal block 10.

  As is known, such a terminal block 10 is an electrical device which, for the connection, to one another, of two electrical conductors il whose end 12 has been suitably stripped beforehand if these are insulated electrical conductors, comprising, in the same housing 13 made of

  insulating, two connection terminals 14.

  In practice, these two connection terminals 14 extend back to back in the same plane, and they are identical to each other. In a manner known per se, each of the connection terminals 14 comprises, in a housing, which is in practice the housing 13 common to the assembly, and which has for each of them a conductor input 15 for the introduction of the end 12 of an electrical conductor 11, on the one hand, a fixed contact member 16, and, on the other hand, a screw 18, which, engaged in a nut 19, extends opposite the member contact 16, for clamping against it the end 12 of such a

electrical conductor 11.

  In practice, in the embodiments shown, the housing 13 is in the form of a plate, the central part of which has a recess 20

  for the reception of the associated active part.

  Driver 15 inputs intervene

  laterally, opening into the recess 20.

  In the embodiment shown, these conductor inputs 15 are flared, with a roof 21 and a floor 24 which, oblique to one another, converge at

direction of the recess 20.

  In the vicinity of this recess 20, the floor 24 is

  connects substantially level with the contact members 16.

  The roof 21 stops, on the contrary, at a distance from them.

  In the embodiments shown, the contact members 16 belong jointly to the same bracket 25, which, common to the two connection terminals 14, establishes

  an electrical connection between them.

  In a manner known per se, this stirrup 25 comprises a middle portion 26, which forms the contact members 16, and which, in the embodiment shown, has, transversely, between them, a slot 27, for engagement on a tongue 28 that the housing 13 has projecting on the corresponding edge of its recess 20, and two wings

side 29.

  In the embodiment shown, the stirrup 25 is closed in a ring transversely following a contour

generally rectangular.

  To do this, it comprises a connecting part 30, which extends along the edge of its lateral wings 29 opposite its median part 26, and which, in practice, is formed by angled returns 29 ', superimposed l to each other, and duly

  stapled to each other, these lateral wings 29.

  The nuts 19 are located between the lateral wings 29 of the stirrup 25, being locked in rotation by these, and, so that the barrel 32 of the screws 18 has access to them, the connecting part 30 of the stirrup 25 presents, in correspondence, two

holes 33.

  Together, the housing 13 has, frontally, to give access to the head 34 of the screws 18, two chimneys 35, which, parallel to each other, and substantially perpendicular to the contact members 16, each open into the recess 20. Finally, in the embodiment shown, it is associated with the contact member 16 of each of the connection terminals 14, a support plate 36, which, parallel to this contact member 16, is interposed between it and the screw 18 and

  is linked in translation to the latter.

  For example, this support plate 36 is integral with a leg 38 which, outside the stirrup 25, extends between the latter and the corresponding edge of the recess 20 of the housing 13, and which, at its other end, presents a return in

  bracket 39 by which it is axially coupled to the screw 18.

  For example, and as shown in Figures 1 to 5, the head 34 of the screw 18 has at its base a flange, and the square return 39 of the leg 38 has a notch 41 in a semicircle by which it is engaged on this head 34 resting on its flange 40 according to a

half circumference thereof.

  The foregoing provisions are well known in themselves, and are not themselves the subject of this

  invention, they will not be described in more detail here.

  It is the same with regard to the feet which is optionally provided with the housing 13 for its snap-fastening on a

  any rail or support bar.

  According to the invention, the nut 19 of each of the connection terminals 14 is a quick-tightening nut, that is to say a nut whose threaded bore 42 is cut obliquely by a smooth bore 44, forming with this one outlets

common.

  Jointly, according to the invention, the nut 19 of each connection terminal 14 is pivotally mounted on a pivot, which is fixed, and which is orthogonal to the barrel 32 of the associated screw 18, and, according to methods described in more detail subsequently, it is associated with elastic polarization means 47 which permanently urge it towards a position for which it is engaged with the barrel 32 of

  this screw 18 by its tapped bore 42.

  In the embodiments shown, the pivot

  comes in one piece from the caliper 25.

  It is formed in practice of two pins 48 each coming respectively from the two lateral wings 29 of this stirrup 25. In the embodiment shown, the pins 48 are formed by puncturing and joggling these wings

side 29.

  Alternatively, they may result for example from a

  simple local insertion of these.

  For its engagement on these two journals 48, the nut 19 of a connection terminal 14 has on each of its two longitudinal faces a groove 49 with rounded blind end 50

in a semicircle.

  The elastic polarization means 47 associated with the nut 19 of the connection terminals 14 bear on the lower face 51 of this nut 19, that is to say on the face of this

  nut 19 opposite the head 34 of the associated screw 18.

  In practice, they relate to the nut 19 on the side of this nut 19 opposite the barrel 32 of the screw 18 relative to the pivot 45, and, jointly, the lateral face 52 of the nut 19 located on the side opposite to the point d action of the elastic polarization means 47 relative to the pivot 45 is generally

convex.

  This convex lateral face 52 therefore extends on the same side of the barrel 32 of the screw 18 as the blind bottom 50 of the grooves 49. In other words, these grooves 49 open at their end on the lateral face of the nut 19 located at the same side of pivot 45 as the point of action of elastic means

polarization 47.

  In the embodiments shown, this face

  side of nut 19 is straight.

  In the embodiments shown, the elastic polarization means 47 also come from a single

holding the caliper 25.

  In practice, they comprise an elastically deformable tongue 54, which, coming in one piece from one of the lateral wings 29 of the stirrup 25, thanks to a puncture 55 thereof, extends substantially parallel to the contact member 16, and the free end 56 of which is offset transversely towards the other of the lateral wings 29, to

  be able to bear on nut 19 present therebetween.

  Finally, in the embodiments shown, the support plate 36 associated with the contact member 16 of the connection terminals 14 has, projecting, on the side opposite to this contact member 16, at least one shoulder 57 specific to laterally butt the barrel 32 of the screw 18 on the side of this

was 32 opposite pivot 45.

  In practice, this shoulder 57 is formed by the edge

  a tongue 58 which is punctured by the support plate 36.

  In the embodiments shown, two shoulders 57 are thus provided on either side of

  the end of the barrel 32 with a screw 18.

  During assembly, the nuts 19 of the connection terminals 14 are engaged laterally in the stirrup 25, parallel to the contact members 16, according to the arrows Fl in FIG. 2, with the outlet of their grooves 49 turned towards the side of this stirrup 25 and engagement of these grooves 49 on the trunnions

48 correspondents.

  The support plates 36 are themselves then laterally engaged in the stirrup 25, parallel to the

  contact members 16, according to the arrows Fl in FIG. 2.

  At the end of this engagement, their legs 38 bear on the lateral edge of the stirrup 25, and the square returns 39 of these legs 38 overhang the connecting part.

of it.

  The screws 18 are then themselves placed perpendicular to the contact members 16, according to the arrows F 2 in FIG. 2, each passing successively through the corresponding bore 33 of the connecting part 30 of the stirrup 25 , and, thanks to its smooth bore

  44, the nut 19 underlying it.

  At the end of this engagement, the screws 18 engage, by the end of their barrel 32, with the shoulders 57 of the support plates 36, and, by appropriate manipulation, it is made so that, by the collar 40 of their head 34, they engage under the square return 39 of the legs 38

of these support plates 36.

  The active part of the junction block 10 therefore constitutes a subassembly 60 which is put in place in the recess

  of the housing 13, along arrow F 3 of FIG. 2.

  The legs 38 of the support plates 36 then extend between the stirrup 25 and the corresponding sides of this recess 20, and a form of cooperation between the slot 27 of the stirrup 25 and the tongue 28 of the housing 13 present in this recess 20 is sufficient to retain the sub-assembly 60 in

this one.

  Optionally, a slight loosening of the screws 18 then leads the head 34 of the latter to slightly engage in the chimneys 35 of the housing 13, as shown in FIG. 5 A. In any event, the connection terminals 14 are then open , their support plate 36 extending at a distance

of their contact body 16.

  Jointly, under the stress of the elastic polarization means 47, the nut 19 of these connection terminals 14 is engaged by their tapped bore 42 with the barrel 32 of the screws 18, which, by the axial retention which results for these, effectively ensures the maintenance in

  open position of connection terminals 14.

  Due to the torque exerted by the nuts 19 on their barrel 32 under the bias of the elastic polarization means 47, the screws 18 are in abutment, on the one hand, against the shoulder 57 of the support plates 36 opposite the pivot 45 of these nuts 19, and, on the other hand, against the portion of the edge of the holes 33 of the connecting portion 30 of the stirrup

  located on the side of such a pivot 45.

  By construction, it is made so that, for this position of rest, or waiting, that is to say when the nut 19 of the connection terminals 14 is engaged with the barrel 32 of the screw 18 by its tapped bore 42, there remains a clearance J between this nut 19 and the connecting part 30 of the stirrup 25 on the side at least of this nut 19 opposite the pivot 45 relative to

in barrel 32 of screw 18.

  Thus, it is with complete certainty that the nut 19 can come into engagement with the barrel 32 of the screw 18 by its tapped bore 42, without interference with the connecting part 30 of

stirrup 25.

  After introduction, into a connection terminal 14, via the corresponding conductor input 15, of the end 12 of an electrical conductor 11, the screw 18 is axially driven in, along arrow F 4 of FIG. 5B, using for example the blade 61 of a screwdriver engaged in this

  effect in the corresponding chimney 35 of the housing 13.

  This axial driving in of the screw 18 causes the nut 19 to tilt around its pivot 45 against its elastic biasing means 47, due to the torque effect of which this nut 19 of the makes the offset existing between the two portions of its bore

  tapped 42 engaged with the barrel 32 of the screw 18.

  It follows that the axial driving in of this screw 18 is done in practice thanks to the smooth bore 44 of

  the nut 19, and therefore very quickly, if not instantly.

  In other words, the axial insertion of the screw 18 corresponds to a rapid approach of the support plate 36 relative to the contact member 16, with a first tightening, by simple crushing, of the end 12 of the electrical conductor 11. As is easy to understand, the corresponding tilting of the nut 19 is authorized by the convexity of its lateral face 52 on the side of the leg 38 of the plate.

support 36.

  When, at the end of its axial insertion, the screw 18 is at the end of its travel, the elastic polarization means 47 bring the nut 19 back to the position for which it is engaged by its tapped bore 42 with the barrel 32 of this screw 18, FIG. 5 C. It suffices, therefore, to screw this screw 18 in the usual manner to perfect the tightening of the end 12 of the conductor

electric 11.

  For the disconnection of the electrical conductor, the screw 18 is unscrewed. In the variant embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the head 34 of the screws 18 of the connection terminals 14 is devoid of any flange, and the return to square 39 of the leg 38 of the support plates 36 being sufficiently extended to present a bore 41 ′ instead of the previous simple notch 41, this return to angle 39 extends under this head 34, between the latter and the underlying bole 32. A constriction action exerted laterally on the longitudinal edges 63 of the bore 41 ′, according to the arrows F 5 of FIG. 7, leads to a deformation of these longitudinal edges 63 which results in, as previously, the bearing plates 36 being linked in translation to the screws 18, in

  moreover making them captive.

  Furthermore, in this alternative embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7, the elastically deformable tongue 54 constituting the elastic polarization means 47 associated with a nut 19 has, at its free end 56, on the side opposite to the corresponding contact member 16 , a return 64, slightly rounded, and, jointly, the nut 19 has, on its lower face 51, a groove 65 for its picking on

this return 64.

  It is thus ensured that the nuts 19 are retained by

  compared to the bracket 25 during assembly, which facilitates this assembly.

  For the rest, the provisions are of the same type as

those previously described.

  Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown, but encompasses any variant and / or combination of

their various elements.

  In addition, the field of application of the invention is not limited to that of only terminal blocks, but on the contrary extends as well to that of any electrical appliance.

  equipped with at least one connection terminal.

Claims (10)

  1 Electrical appliance, in particular a junction block, of the type fitted with at least one connection terminal (14) comprising, in a housing (13) made of insulating material having a conductor inlet (15) for the introduction of the end (12) of an electrical conductor (11), on the one hand, a fixed contact member (16), and, on the other hand, a screw (18), which, engaged in a nut (19), extends opposite the contact member (16), for tightening against it the end (12) of the electrical conductor (11), characterized in that the nut (19) is a quick-tightening nut, that is to say a nut whose threaded bore (42) is cut obliquely by a smooth bore (44), in that said nut (19) is pivotally mounted on a pivot (45), which is fixed and orthogonal to the barrel (32) of the screw (18), and in that, to said nut (19), are associated elastic polarization means (47) which urge it permanently in the direction of a position for r which it is engaged with the barrel (32) of the screw (18) by its threaded bore (42).   2 electrical appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic polarization means (47) bear on the nut (19) on the side of said opposite nut (19)   to the barrel (32) of the screw (18) relative to the pivot (45).   3 Electrical appliance according to any one of   claims 1, 2, characterized in that the means   polarization elastics (47) bear on the face (51) of   the nut (19) opposite the head (34) of the screw (18).   4 Electrical appliance according to any one of   Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, the   contact (16) belonging to a stirrup (25) with central part (26) forming said contact member (16) and lateral wings (29), the elastic polarization means (47) come from a single holding said bracket (25).   Electric device according to claim 4, characterized in that the elastic polarization means (47) comprise an elastically deformable tongue (54) which, coming in one piece from one of the lateral wings (29) of the stirrup (25 ) thanks to a punctured (55) thereof, extends substantially parallel to the contact member (16), and whose free end (56) is offset transversely towards   the other of said side wings (29).   6 electrical appliance according to claim 5, characterized in that, at its free end (56), the elastically deformable tongue (54) has a return (64) on the side opposite to the contact member (16), and the nut (19) has a   groove (65) for picking it on said return (64).   7 Electrical appliance according to any one of   Claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the stirrup (25)   being closed in a ring by a connecting part (30) along the edge of its lateral wings (29) opposite to its middle part (26), there remains a clearance (J) between the nut (19) and said part of connection (30), at least on the side of the nut (19) opposite the pivot (45) relative to the barrel (32) of the screw (18), when said nut (19) is engaged with said barrel (32 ) by its threaded bore (42).   8 Electrical appliance according to any one of   Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, the   contact (16) belonging to a stirrup (25) with central part (26) forming said contact member (16) and lateral wings (29),   the pivot (45) comes in one piece from said stirrup (25).   9 electrical appliance according to claim 8, characterized in that the pivot (45) is formed by two pins (48) each coming from the two wings respectively   lateral (29) of the stirrup (25).   Electrical device according to claim 9, characterized in that, for its engagement on the two pins (48), the nut (19) present on each of its two   longitudinal faces a groove (49) with a blind bottom (50).   11 Electrical appliance according to any one of   Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, at the   contact (16) is associated with a support plate (36) which, parallel to this contact member (16), is interposed between the latter and the screw (18) and is linked in translation to the latter. 12 Electrical device according to claim 11, characterized in that, on the side opposite to the contact member (16), said support plate (36) has projecting at least one shoulder (57) adapted to buttress the barrel laterally. (32) of the screw (18) on the side of this barrel (32) opposite the pivot (45).   13 Electrical appliance according to any one of   Claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it is a block   junction comprising back to back in the same plane two terminals identical connection (14).