JPH1167303A - Panel-attaching type terminal block - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a panel-attaching type terminal block which minimizes the number of part items and simplifying assembling, attaching, and service. SOLUTION: An insulating housing 12 of a terminal block 10 is attached in the inside of an opening 152 of a panel 150. The housing 12 is arranged on a terminating position provided with a first terminal 86. The first terminal 86 is seated on the terminating position, then a second terminal 188 is connected electrically to the first terminal 86, and a first conductor 186 connected to the first terminal 86 is interconnected to a second conductor 190 which is connected to the second terminal 188.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of electrical connectors, and more particularly to a panel-mounted terminal block.

[0002]

2. Description of the Prior Art Terminal blocks are known in which conductors for power transmission are electrically interconnected and each conductor is terminated by individual terminals. Separate interconnect locations are formed with insulated barriers to ensure isolation by the insulated blocks. In order to press and fix the conductor connection terminals together, conductor fasteners (fixtures) are used at each location and screwed into blocks. Another fastener is used to attach the block to a surface, such as an application frame or a frame attachment bracket.

One of the terminal block products sold by Amp Incorporated of Harrisburg, PA, USA, as part number 520942-2, has one of the conductor connection terminals seated on an insulating block. Thus, only one conductor fastener is required to be used with the nut held under the interconnect terminal. The seated terminals are held in place during fastener installation and removal to facilitate assembly.

In applications such as clothes dryers, a terminal block mounted on a bracket is used to interconnect an external power cable conductor to an internal power conductor wire, which is then opened using a housing for grounding the chassis. Alternatively, it is known to be fixed to the housing by a notch passing through the housing. Openings or cutouts are relatively large to allow access to the block so that tools can be used to connect and disconnect and reconnect cables for installation or service and repair. I have. The block is placed inward from the opening, all of which can be inserted to secure the first safety cover to the first portion of the notch. The second cover for the remainder includes a clamp for cable strain relief and is offset from the first portion of the notch, while the cable conductor terminals are interconnected by the terminal block. The clamp holds the cable. It is known that relatively large openings, even fasteners and tools, can be very difficult to remove if accidentally dropped into the housing of the application.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Minimizing the number of parts required to mount interconnects and blocks and providing cutouts to cover application housings, simplifies assembly, installation and service, and increases safety. It would be desirable to provide a terminal block for causing such a block.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A panel-mounted terminal block of the present invention has an insulative housing securable to a notch in the panel, the housing having at least one termination position including a first terminal. In the mounting type terminal block, the terminating position is such that the first terminal terminated to a first conductor extending from one surface of the panel can be seated and a second conductor extending from the other surface of the panel. The terminated second terminal may be electrically interconnected to the first terminal, whereby the first conductor is interconnected to the second conductor.

The conductor of the power cable and the corresponding wire in the appliance at each connection location are interconnected by interconnecting the first terminal of the internal wire and the second terminal of the cable conductor. The insulation can be fixed in the notch of the panel, it is fixed directly to the panel itself, eliminating the need for mounting tools,
Installation becomes very simple. The cable clamp can be fixed to the insulator around the cable jacket, and a notched safety cover can be mounted on the housing of the instrument over the terminal block and is reliably grounded to the housing. The terminal block can be easily attached to the housing with a minimum of effort and the length of the internal wiring forming the cable harness unit.

[0008] Preferably, the insulator has a skirt that closes the interior of the device with a notch. At each connection position, the first terminal is seated and the associated second terminal is then electrically interconnected thereto by a fastener extending through both aligned openings and screwed into a nut located below the first terminal. It is possible to do. A ground terminal connected to the ground cable conductor is attached to the terminal block, grounded to the housing of the instrument, and grounded to the chassis.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a terminal block will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. inside that,

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a terminal block attached to a panel opening in a vertical direction.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the terminal block shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the cover separated from the terminal block and the panel opening, together with the cable clamp, the ground strap, and the first terminal and their fasteners separated from the terminal block.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are enlarged perspective views of the connection position. In FIG. 4, the first terminal separated from the connection position is shown in FIG.
In the figure, the first terminal is seated to be connected to the second terminal.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a terminal block having clamped cables and cable conductors interconnected to individual wires in the connection positions of FIGS.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show other shapes for ground connection. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the ground terminal, and FIG. 8 is a plan view of the ground terminal mounted on the terminal block mounted on the panel. FIG.

FIG. 1 shows a terminal block 10 mounted in a cutout 152 in a panel 150 that is conductive, for example, in the housing of the instrument. The terminal block 10 includes an insulator (insulating housing) 12, the insulator 12 having a row of a cable clamp portion 14, a panel mounting peripheral portion 16, a ground contact 18 located on the peripheral portion 16, and a termination position 20. , A skirt 22 extending between the termination position 20 and the cable clamp portion 14. Grounding hole 154
(FIG. 3), the screws 116 allow the ground strap 18 to be interconnected to the panel for chassis grounding. Termination locations 20 are located adjacent end walls 26 and wire outlets 4 through insulator 12 are located adjacent each termination location 20. The termination position 20 is located rearward from the peripheral edge portion 16 and forms a gap portion 28 bounded by the side wall 30 and the skirt 22. The three termination locations are shown to accommodate a power cable having three conductors. As can best be seen from FIG.
A substantially continuous insulating wall extending into 6 is formed.

FIG. 3 shows an opening 152 having opposing upper and lower perimeters 156 and 158, including a pair of notches 160 and 162, and side perimeters 164 and 166. Upper end 156 and lower end 158 of panel mounting peripheral portion 16
The opposite pairs of tabs 32, 34 are associated with notches 160, 162 and are dimensioned to pass through when terminal block 10 is mounted in opening 152.
Shelf 40, 42 at upper end 36 and lower end 38 of housing
Are displaced rearward of the tabs 32, 34 and extend further rearwardly than the tabs 32, 34 to form a transversal panel receiving gap therebetween, and the upper and lower peripheries 156, 158 of the panel during the initial stages of installation. Is accepted on the shelf. As the terminal block 10 is subsequently moved laterally in the opening 152, the tabs 32, 34 move laterally in the notches 160, 162 and the notches 16 in the upper and lower perimeters 156, 158.
The portion adjacent to 0,162 projects forward. The aforementioned locking portion along the third side cooperates with the side edge 164 to lock the housing in the fully mounted position when the housing is moved toward the fourth side edge. As shown, the lock includes a pair of spaced integral springs 44 along the third housing side 46 of the perimeter 16 and the springs 44
The embossing 48 protrudes into the opening 152 adjacent the second side edge 164 and passes through the opening 152 on each side of the mounting flange 182 to secure the terminal block 10 in the moved, or fully mounted, position. The ledge 50 along the fourth housing side 52 of the perimeter 16 is located forward of the side edge of the opening 152, and the shelf 54 offset from the other ear 50 and forming a panel receiving gap therebetween has a side edge 166. It is located behind.

The terminal block 10 is provided with shelves 40, 42, 54 on the rear side of the opening 152 of the panel 150, tabs 32, 34 and ears 50 on the front side of the panel 150, and an embossing 44 projecting through the opening 152. Opening 152 of
And the position of the moved terminal block 10 is maintained. In addition, the spring arm 56 biases against the inward surfaces of the upper edge 156 and the lower edge 158 of the opening 152,
It is desirable to eliminate noise due to vibration. Opening 152
It is also desirable that the terminal block 10 and the terminal block 10 be polarized in only one predetermined direction to ensure attachment to the panel 150, which is facilitated by the asymmetric location of the notches 160, 162 and tabs 32, 34 as shown. Can be achieved.
At this time, the extending cable extends vertically downward.

The strain relief clamp 58 is securable to the cable outlet 14 of the insulator 12 and is received in a pocket 62 straddling the cable outlet 64. When installed, the outer jacket of the cable (FIG. 6) is pressed by the cable clamping surface 66 as the sheathed end of the cable extends out of the cable outlet 64. Cover 168 is mountable on terminal block 10 to close gap 28. Cover 168 has a pair of tabs 170 with legs along edge 172 as shown. Legs are panel 15
When the cover 168 is secured to the terminal block 10 by fasteners 176, it extends through the side edge 166 of the
Lateral legs 174 engage below shelf 54. The inwardly biased tabs 178 have mounting holes 180 for fasteners 176 that are aligned with holes 184 through mounting flanges 182 extending from side edges 164 of panel 150. The mounting flange 182 sits in the seat 70 along the side 46 of the insulator 12 and the tab 178 of the cover 168 also
The fastener 176 is threaded into the hole 184 in the panel with the hole 72 in the terminal block 10 defining a gap for the end of the fastener, received within the zero. After attaching the cover 168, the fastener 176 acts as a secondary stop by abutting the side edges 164 of the panel to prevent the terminal block 10 from accidentally moving sideways and coming off the panel 150.
The cover 168 is thus directly attached to the panel 150.

Optionally, cover 168 can be mounted from the opposite direction as shown, obviating the need for panel mounting flange 182 and removing side 4 of terminal block 10.
6 along with a tab receiving slot formed along
6, is fixed directly to panel 150, but a single spring similar to spring 44 may be used if desired.

As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5,
Each termination location 20 is located between side walls 74 and has a recess 76 for receiving a nut 78 having a threaded hole 80, and a seat 82 for receiving a plate-like contact 84 of a first or wire terminal 86; A wire terminal 86 is terminated at each connection portion 86 to each internal wire 86. The contact portion 84 includes an opening 90 through which a conductor fastener such as a screw 92 passes, and a terminal 86 is connected to the seating portion 82.
The opening 90 is aligned with the threaded hole 80 in the nut 78. The rear wall 94 and the side wall 74 of the recess 76 form a support surface 96 facing forward. Side wall 74 of seat 82
The first and second boss pairs form a rearward facing surface 104 that is biased forward from the support surface 96. The stop 106 is located near the wire outlet 24. After assembly, the side edge 108 of the contact portion 84 of the first terminal 86 is disposed between the support surface 96 and the first and second bosses 98 and 100. The terminals 86 are first inserted from the wire outlet 24 and assembled at the termination location 20 by pulling forward of the termination location 20. Next, terminal 8
6 is located in the gap between the support surface 96 and the bosses 98, 100 and is pulled rearward into the seat 82 until the downward lance 112 latches over the rear wall 94 and into the rear.
The initial assembly of the terminal 86 and the seat 82 is also possible with the screw 92 and the nut 78 attached thereto.
Removal of the terminal 86 for service or repair is facilitated by flexing the lance 112 with a tool and pulling the terminal 86 forward. The second terminal terminated to the cable conductor 190 of the cable 192, that is, the cable conductor terminal 1
When the screw 92 is removed while connecting 88, the recess 76
Front stop 114 holding nut 78 in recess 96
including.

In FIG. 5, it can be seen that the cable conductor terminal, ie, the second terminal 188, has a ring terminal 194 having a hole 196, the hole 196 being a hole 90 in the first terminal 86 crimped to the internal wire 186. The screw 92 is inserted together with the hole 80 of the nut 78 when aligned. Screw 92
Is screwed into the nut 78, the flange of the screw 92 presses the terminal 188, and a compression force is generated between the terminal 188 and the flange. The second terminal 188 may be a ring terminal with part number 4850515-1, or a spade terminal with part number 63352-1, sold by AmpIncorporated.

FIG. 6 shows the conductor 190 of the power cable 192 fully interconnected to the internal wires 186, with the terminal block 10 attached to the panel 150. Cable 192 passes through cable outlet 64 and is gripped therein by cable clamp 58. The ground strap or ground contact 18 is grounded to the panel 150 by a screw 116 at the center of the termination position. The ground contact 18 preferably has undulating, sharp teeth (not shown) formed on the surface adjacent the panel to penetrate the painted and corroded layers of the panel to provide a secure ground connection. The cable clamp 58 is a rib 1 extending outward.
18 and by reversing the cable clamp 58, the clamp 58 can be easily used for gripping on flat power cables.

The insulator 12 is preferably formed of a thermoplastic resin such as polybutylene terephthalate (PBTP) for robustness and heat resistance, such as VALOX420 SEO sold by General Electric. The terminals are tin-plated Nos. Capable of passing a current of 30 amps at a maximum of 250 VAC. 2 brass, or a power ring terminal sold by Amp Incorporated as part number 520944-1 as shown. The terminal block 10 may be arbitrarily modified to allow a second cover that can be attached to a panel. The cover includes a conventional cable clamp, and the cable exit wall adjacent to the second cover location can provide individual cable exit openings for individual conductors of the cable.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show another grounding configuration for the terminal block. The terminal block 200 has an insulator 202 and a ground contact 204. Ground contact 20
4 is connectable with a screw 206 to a ground conductor terminal 208 of a four-wire cable (not shown) at a termination location 210 using the nuts of the interconnects of FIGS.
The ground contact 204 includes a plate-shaped contact portion 212 having a screw receiving hole 214, a vertical body portion 216 extending forward to a peripheral portion 218 of the insulator 202, and a socket contact portion that engages with a panel. The vertical main body part 216 is disposed adjacent to the side wall 222 of the terminal block 200 and the side wall 22.
2 includes a locking lance seated in a recess along 2 and locked under the shelf (not shown) to secure the ground contact from moving after being inserted into the termination position.

The contact 220 of the panel engaging socket extends across a recess 228 in the side wall 222 of the block 200 at a location below the ear 230 to form a panel receiving port 232 between the spring arms 234 and to the spring arms 234. Is formed along its inner surface with hard, firm, sharp teeth or tines 236. The ear 2 penetrates the side wall 222 (opening not shown).
Arbitrarily formed at the rear of 30, the socket contacts that contact the edges of the panel extend and are protected by the ears 230 from damaging the socket contacts 220 during handling, installation, and service. . When block 200 is moved sideways during panel mounting, edge 2 of panel 240
38 is received in the panel receiving port 232 while pushing and expanding the spring arm 234. The sharp teeth scratch the opposite surface of the panel and pass through any painted or corroded layers to provide a secure ground connection between the ground contact 202 and the panel 240.
The ground contact 204 includes a blade contact 242 extending forward from the termination location 210, the blade contact 242 being connected to a jumper (not shown) sharing a neutral conductor (not shown) of the cable, but with the jumper being tested. The connection can be released from the neutral line.

As described above, the present invention is easy to assemble, install, and service, enhances safety, and requires a minimum number of parts. The skirt also has the effect of closing the part in the notch, and the first terminal can be easily attached to the housing. It will be understood that modifications and variations of the specific embodiments described herein will be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0028]

The panel mounting type terminal block according to the present invention comprises:
An insulating housing securable to the notch of the panel, wherein the termination of the housing allows the first terminal to be seated and the second terminal to be electrically interconnected to the first terminal;
Thereby, the first conductor terminated to the first terminal is configured to be interconnected to the second conductor terminated to the second terminal, thereby covering the interconnection and mounting of the block and the housing of the application. This has the effect of minimizing the number of parts required to provide the notch, simplifying assembly, installation and service, and increasing safety.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a terminal block attached to a panel opening in a vertical direction.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the terminal block of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the terminal block and the cover separated from the panel opening, together with the cable clamp, the grounding strap, and the first terminal and their fasteners separated from the terminal block.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a connection position having a first terminal separated from the connection position and seated for connection to a second terminal.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a connection position similar to FIG. 4, with a second terminal seated to connect to the first terminal.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a terminal block having a clamped cable, cable conductors interconnected to individual wires in the connection positions of FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a ground terminal.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a ground terminal attached to a terminal block attached to a panel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Panel mounting type terminal block 20 Termination position 86 1st terminal 150 Panel 188 2nd terminal

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Landis, John M. United States 17011, Pennsylvania, Camp Hill, Fineview Road 109 (72) Inventor Snyder, Clare W. Jr., United States 17406, Pennsylvania, York, Kreuz Creek Road 324

Claims (1)

[Claims] An insulative housing lockable in a notch in the panel, the housing including at least one terminal including a first terminal.
In the panel mounting type terminal block having two termination positions, the termination position allows the first terminal terminated to a first conductor extending from one surface side of the panel to be seated, and the other surface side of the panel A second conductor terminated to a second conductor extending from
A panel-mounted terminal block, wherein a terminal is electrically interconnectable with said first terminal, whereby said first conductor is interconnected with said second conductor.