WO2010057736A1

WO2010057736A1 - Terminal block arrangement with cross connectors and test plugs

Info

Publication number: WO2010057736A1
Application number: PCT/EP2009/063868
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sergej Hartwig-Biglau; Tobias Bensiek; Tobias Kaukstern; Bernhard Gorny; Bastian Hoffmann; Tobias Klaas; Sven Wittenstein; Christoph Peitz
Original assignee: Weidmüller Interface GmbH & Co. KG
Priority date: 2008-11-19
Filing date: 2009-10-22
Publication date: 2010-05-27
Also published as: EP2351154A1; DE202008015306U1; EP2351154B1

Abstract

Terminal block arrangement comprising a plurality of terminal blocks which are arranged next to each other and each have a housing (2) comprising one or more connections (5) for connecting electrical conductors and comprising at least one bus bar (6) arranged in the housing (2) and further comprising at least one cross connector that can be attached to the housings (2) to establish a conductive cross connection between two or more of the terminal blocks, comprising a test plug (28) designed to directly contact the bus bar (6) from one of the terminal blocks or to contact conductive elements of the cross connector (15).

Description

Terminal block arrangement with cross connectors and test plugs

The invention relates to a terminal block assembly of a plurality of juxtaposed terminal blocks, each having a housing with one or more terminals for connecting electrical conductors and at least one arranged in the housing conductor rail and at least one attachable to the housings cross connector for producing a conductive cross-connection between two or more have the terminal blocks.

Such terminal block arrangements are known per se in various designs. There is still room for improvement with regard to the functionality and structure of the test plugs and the cross connectors.

Against this background, it is the object of the invention to provide a terminal block assembly, which is further improved in terms of their Querverbinder- and / or Prüfsteckerfunktionalität.

The invention solves this problem by the subject matter of claim 1. It also provides the subject matter of claim 16.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

According to the characterizing part of claim 1, the invention is characterized by a designed for direct contacting of the busbar of one of the terminal blocks or for contacting conductive elements of the cross connector test plug. Since the test plug can be placed either directly on the housing of the terminal block or on the cross connector, the functionalities of the examiners and the cross-linking are advantageously linked together in a small space. For this purpose, it is advantageous if the cross-connector housing preferably have on its side facing away from the actual cross connector plug side two juxtaposed insertion openings, one of the insertion for insertion of the actual test plug is used and the other insertion for inserting a plug-in approach for conductive connection with the cross connector plug. If no cross connector plug is provided, the test plug is instead used directly for insertion into a recess of the terminal block housing and for contacting the busbar.

In addition, the test plug - if no cross connector is inserted into the recess - plugged directly into the recess of the terminal block housing, in which case the actual test plug dips into the at least one opening of the busbar and contacted them.

According to an advantageous development -. Which can also be regarded as an independent invention, the test plug is further provided with a transmitting device for the wireless transmission of data to a monitoring and / or control computer, which significantly simplifies the use of the test plug. The data transmission can take place in particular by radio - but also in other wavelength ranges.

Advantageous embodiments can be found in the further subclaims.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing with reference to exemplary embodiments. Show it:

Fig. Ia, b different views of rows of terminal blocks with

Bow ties;

Fig. Lc, d, e individual representations of cross connectors; Fig. If a side view of a terminal block with a cross connector.

Fig. Ig is a partial enlargement of Fig. If; Fig. 2a-f terminal blocks and terminal block assemblies with cross connectors and / or designed according to a first embodiment test plugs;

3a-c show various representations of terminal blocks with cross connectors and test plugs designed according to a second embodiment; and

4a-c further representations of terminal blocks with cross connectors and test plugs designed according to the second embodiment;

Each of the terminal blocks 1 has a housing 2 made of an insulating plastic with locking feet 3 for latching onto a mounting rail 4. In addition, they are provided here with two terminals 5 for connecting external conductors, which are exemplified here as so-called direct plug-type terminal connections (also called push-in), but alternatively also in other connection technology (tension spring, screw connection, insulation penetrating). can be trained.

The terminals 5 are connected to each other via a bus bar 6, which is designed here as a U-shaped trough. The connections 5 are here further aligned in such a way that conductors to be connected can be inserted into them from a direction perpendicular to the mounting rail.

At the side facing away from the mounting rail sides of the housing 2, these each have a recess 7. Between the recess 7 and the terminals 5 each locking contours 9 are formed for latching provided with markers Markers 10.

The recess 7 has a step 11 for supporting the cross-connector plug housing 14 and extends to the busbar. 6 The busbar 6 is provided with at least one or preferably two arranged below the recess 7 or aligned with this opening (s) 12.

The recesses 7 form over a plurality of juxtaposed housing 2 away a continuous, extending parallel to the support rail channel 13.

The channel 13 is used to accommodate cross-connector plug housings 14 and / or test plug housings 17 with each in the openings 12 of the bus bar 6 insertable transverse connector 16 (Fig. 1 to 4) and / or test plugs 28 (FIGS. 2, 3, 4 ).

The recesses 7 and the transverse connector plug housings 14 can be connected to corresponding latching means 8a, 8b e.g. be provided in the manner of corresponding recesses and projections which each secure a tight fit in the recess 7 (Fig. Ig).

The cross-connector plug housing 14 each form a part of a parent cross connector 15. For the sake of simplicity, this is not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 for a series of several terminal blocks, but only as a single housing for only a single terminal block (whereby no cross-connection is then realized).

Each cross connector 15 has in practice a cross connector base housing 18 extending over a plurality (two or more) of juxtaposed cross connector plug housings, through which extends a bus bar 19 (Figure 2d) or other conductor.

The cross-connector base housing 16 is adjoined by the cross-connector plug housings 14, whose cross-connector plugs 16 are releasably connected to the busbar 19 and which are themselves each detachably connected to the cross-connector main housing 18. Preferably, the cross-connector plug housing 14 can be separated at predetermined breaking points 20 from the cross-connector base housing 18. It is thus possible to selectively connect only a specific selection of the busbars 6 of the juxtaposed housing 2 to one another in a conductive manner. Alternatively, a separation by means of a tool such as pliers is conceivable.

The cross-connector plug housing 14 and the cross-connector base housing 18 can also be releasably connected to each other on locking means. Analogously, the busbar 19 in the cross-connector base housing 18 and the conductive sections of the test plug 6 via Sollbrachstellen or via a plug connection releasably connected to each other (not shown here).

Preferably, the cross-connector grand-housing 14 is provided with locking means 21 which correspond to the latching contours 9, so that the housing can be snapped onto the latching contours 9 instead of the markers 10.

In order to be able to make a mark, it is provided to provide the cross-connector Grandgehäuse 14 itself with further locking contours 22, whose embodiments in turn preferably corresponds to the configuration of the locking contours 9, so that the marker 10 can be latched onto the Querverbinder- Grandgehäuse 18, so that the terminal remains markable, even if their locking means are covered by the cross connector 15.

The detachable cross-connector plug housing 14 are laterally detachably formed on the cross-connector Grandgehäuse 18, so that these two housings 14, 18 in the side view form a kind of L-shape, wherein in the mounted state of the grandchild of the L on the locking contours 9 for the marker rests.

The cross-connector Grandgehäuse 18 can be mounted relative to the support rail in two rotated relative to each other by 180 ° positions on the housing 2 of the terminal, so that the cross-connector Grandgehäuse 18 in a frontal 2d once on one side and once on the other side of the recess 7 extends (see also Fig. Ia and Ib).

The detachable cross connector plug housing 14 have on their side remote from the actual cross connector plug 16 side two juxtaposed insertion openings 23, 24 (Fig. Ie, 2 d).

One of the insertion openings - 23 - is used for insertion of the actual test plug 28, which is not conductively connected in the cross-connector plug housing 14 with the conductive sections of the cross connector plug 16 and the other insertion opening 24 is used in an advantageous manner for inserting a plug-in projection 25 for conductive connection with the cross connector plug 16.

Alternatively, the test plug can also directly - if no cross connector 15 is provided hen - are inserted into the recess 7, in which case the actual test plug 28 dips into the opening 12 of the bus bar 6 and contacted them.

The test plug housings 17 are provided with the test plugs 28 for insertion into the openings of the bus bar 6 as well as with the smaller parallel plug-in projections 25.

Is in the recess 7 no cross connector 15 is inserted, the test plug 28 can be inserted directly into one of the two side by side formed in the bus bar 6 openings 12.

If, however, a cross connector 15 is inserted into the recess 7, the test plug 28 is attached to the cross connector plug housing 14, in which case the plug approach 25, which in turn is conductively connected to the test plug 28, for conductive connection to the cross connection 16 and Tap of the test signal / potential is used. The test plug 28 may in turn be provided with a plug contour 26 for plugging in a further plug 27 in order to couple it to a measuring device or the like (FIGS. 2e, 2f).

Alternatively, it is also conceivable to design the test plug 28 in the manner of FIG. 4 ff as a test plug for the wireless transmission of information, for which purpose it has a transmitting and / or receiving unit for transmitting and / or receiving signals. Such signals can be e.g. be transmitted wirelessly to a higher-level monitoring or control computer or the like.

In this case, it is advantageous if the test plug 28 designed for wireless data transmission has both a conductive connection 29 - e.g. a web extending to the support rail - to the support rail as well as a conductive connection 30 (e.g., via the plug boss 25 and the cross connector plug 16) to the bus bar 6 to provide power to the transmit and receive unit at this potential.

Otherwise, the construction of the test plug designed for wireless transmission can correspond to the basic structure of the test plug of FIGS. 1 to 3.

reference numeral

Terminal blocks 1

Housing 2

Resting feet 3

Support rail 4

Connections 5

Busbar 6

Recess 8

Locking contours 9

Markers 10

Gradation 11

Opening 12

Channel 13

Plug housing 14

Cross connector 15

Cross connector S tecker 16

Test plug housing 17

Basic housing 18

Busbar 19

Predetermined breaking points 20

Latching means 21

Locking contours 22

Insertion openings 23, 24

Plug-in extension 25

Plug contour 26

Plug 27

Test plug 28

Connection 29

Connection 30

Test plug 31

Claims

claims

1. Terminal block assembly of a plurality of juxtaposed terminal blocks, each having a housing (2) with one or more connections (5) for connecting electrical conductors and at least one in the housing (2) arranged busbar (6) and at least one of the Housings (2) attachable cross-connector for establishing a conductive cross-connection between two or more of the terminal blocks, characterized by one for directly contacting the busbar (6) of one of the terminal blocks or to

Contacting conductive elements of the cross connector (15) designed test plug (28).

Second terminal block assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the cross connector (15) each have a cross-connector base housing

(18) and two or more each releasably on the cross-connector base housing (18) arranged transverse connector plug housing (14).

3. Terminal block assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the terminal blocks each have a recess (7) for inserting the cross-connector plug housing (14) or Prüfstecker- housings (17) of the test plug (28).

4. Terminal block assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that between the recess (7) and the terminals (5) each locking contours (9) for latching provided with markers Markers (10) are formed.

5. Terminal block assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the recess (7) has a to the busbar extending length (11).

6. Terminal block assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the busbar (6) with at least one or preferably two below the recess (7) arranged or aligned with this opening (s) (12) is provided.

7. Terminal block assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transverse connector (5) and the test plug can be inserted in two different positions by 180 ° in the recess (11).

8. Terminal block assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cross-connector base housing (18) and the cross-connector plug housing (14) together form an L-shape.

9. Terminal block assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the busbar (6) with at least one or preferably two below the recess (7) arranged or aligned with this opening (s) (12) is provided.

10. Terminal block assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cross-connector base housing (18) is provided with latching means (21) corresponding to the latching contours (9), so that the housing instead of the marker (10) on the latching contours (9) is latched.

11. Terminal block arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cross-connector base housing (14) itself with further latching contours (22) is provided, whose embodiments again preferably the configuration of the latching contours (9) of the housing ses (2) of the terminal blocks for markers, so that the markers (10) on the cross-connector base housing (18) can be latched.

12. Terminal block assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the detachable cross connector plug housing (14) preferably on its side facing away from the actual cross connector plug (16) side two juxtaposed insertion openings (23, 24), wherein one of the insertion openings (23 ) for inserting the actual test plug (28) and that the other insertion opening (24) for inserting a plug-in projection (25) for conductive connection with the cross connector plug (16) is used.

13. Terminal block assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the test plug - if no cross connector (15) is inserted into the recess (7) - directly into the recess (7) can be plugged, in which case the actual test plug (28) in the at least one opening (12) of the busbar (6) is immersed and contacted.

14. Terminal block assembly according to one of the preceding claims, character- ized in that the test plug housing (17) both with the

Test plugs (28) for insertion into the openings of the bus bar (6) and with the plug lugs (25) are provided.

15. Terminal block assembly according to one of the preceding claims, character- ized in that the test plug housing (17) with a plug contour (26) for attaching a further plug (27) is provided.

16. test plug for an array of bayed enclosures, in particular for a terminal block assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a transmitting and / or receiving device for wireless data transmission to / with a receiving station.

17. Test plug according to claim 16, characterized by a conductive connection (29) preferably to the support rail and a direct or indirect conductive connection (30) to the power rail (6) for tapping a supply s voltage for the transmitting and / or receiving station.