Cable connector plug

Abstract

Cable connector (1) for the electrical connection of a multi-core cable to a connection device (3) of an electrical distributor (4) having several insulation displacement terminals (2), with a union nut (5) having an internal thread, with a conductor receiving and guiding part (6) having a plurality of conductor channels, with several contact elements (8) each provided with an insulation displacement terminal (7) and each with a connection element, and with a sleeve-shaped connection body (10) having an external thread (9) corresponding to the internal thread of the union nut (5). when the union nut (5) is screwed onto the terminal body (10), the insulation displacement connectors (7) cut the conductor insulation of the conductor ends inserted into the conductor guide channels and make contact with the conductors of the cable, wherein the connecting elements are designed as contact springs (11) which each have at least two substantially opposing spring legs (12) which, when connecting the cable connector (1) to a connection device (3) of the electrical distributor (4), contact the individual insulation displacement terminals (2) of the connection device (3) on the opposing flat sides (13, 13'), wherein a sleeve (16) having an internal thread (15) is rotatably and axially displaceably arranged on the connecting body (10), which can be screwed onto an external thread (17) formed on a connecting device (3) of the electrical distributor (4), wherein several ribs (18) are formed in the terminal body (10) which do not laterally cover the insulation displacement connectors (7), wherein the ribs (18) are arranged and designed such that the insulation displacement connectors (7) are touch-proof, and wherein several webs (19) surrounding the contact springs (11) on at least two sides are formed on the connecting body (10), wherein the webs (19) are arranged and designed in such a way that the contact springs (11) are touch-proof.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a cable connector for the electrical connection of a multi-core cable to a connection device of an electrical distribution board having several insulation displacement connectors. The invention also relates to an electrical distribution board for distributing electrical currents.

[0002] From DE 101 39 202 B4, an electrical distribution device for distributing electrical currents is known, comprising a housing with several connection devices, wherein each individual connection device has a cylindrical threaded extension with an external thread on the connection side and several connection elements designed as insulation displacement connectors are arranged in each connection device. The insulation displacement connectors of individual connection devices are electrically connected to one another by means of a connecting element. According to one embodiment, the connecting elements are designed as busbars, wherein the insulation displacement connectors assigned to a busbar are integrally connected to the busbar.

[0003] To connect a multi-core electrical cable to a connection device of the electrical distribution board, the cable is screwed onto the external thread of a threaded socket using a connecting element with a union nut. The connecting element is designed so that when the union nut is screwed onto the threaded socket, the insulation displacement contacts in the connection device cut the insulation of the conductor ends and make contact with the conductors of the cable.

[0004] A connecting element that facilitates the particularly simple connection of a multi-core cable to a connection device of the electrical distribution board is described in DE 198 36 622 A1 as a cable connection component. The known cable connection component, which is part of a cable connection device, has, in addition to the union nut, a conductor receiving and guiding element with a plurality of conductor channels. The cable connection device known from DE 198 36 622 A1 also includes, besides the cable connection component, a device connection component, which essentially consists of a connection body with an external thread and several connection units arranged and held in the connection body. The connection units are designed as insulation displacement connectors (IDCs) on the side facing the cable connection component. A similar cable connection component or a similar cable connection device is also known from WO 97 / 06580 A1 and DE 103 29 775 A1.

[0005] DE 298 06 645 U1 also discloses a corresponding cable connection device, comprising a union nut, a wire guide, and a connection body in which several contact elements are arranged. The contact elements are designed as insulation displacement connectors (IDCs) on the side facing the cable and as contact pins on the side facing a sensor box. A screw connection with an external thread is also arranged on the connection body on the side facing the sensor box.

[0006] From DE 100 34 503 A1, an electrical connector for sensor technology is known, which has a contact carrier made of insulating material, wherein the contact carrier is integrally bonded to a handle body. A wire holder is arranged in the handle body, in which several inclined guide channels for the conductors of a cable to be connected are formed. Channels for contacts are incorporated into the contact carrier, wherein the contacts have on one side a penetration tip that penetrates the insulation of a conductor arranged in the guide channel, and on the other side a fork or tube contact.

[0007] Connection devices for a plurality of electrically insulated conductors, in which the contact elements have insulation displacement or piercing contacts, are also known from EP 1 744 404 A1 and US 5,178,558 A. FR 1 374 648 A discloses a contact element consisting of a one-piece metal sheet, one end of which is designed as a fork contact with opposing spring arms for receiving a knife contact. The spring arms are punched out from a flat base section and bent.

[0008] The well-known cable connection device is a plug with quick-connect technology, which has already proven itself extremely well in practice and is marketed by the applicant under the trademark QUICKON. ®It is widely distributed. An electrical distribution box in the form of a sensor-actuator box with such quick-connect technology is, for example, known from the brochure "Industriestecker PLUSCON 2002", page 48 of Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG.

[0009] Because the sensor-actuator box integrates the device connection component with the insulation displacement connectors (IDCs), connecting a cable is particularly quick and easy, as the individual wires of the cable do not need to be stripped. The individual wires simply need to be inserted into the individual wire guide channels of the wire receiving and guide component (often also called the splice section). When the union nut is screwed onto the threaded recess on the sensor-actuator box housing, the wires are pressed into the individual IDCs, so that the IDCs cut the wire insulation and make contact with the conductors of the cable.

[0010] A disadvantage of conventional electrical distribution boards using insulation displacement connectors (IDCs) is that, after disconnecting a cable, it is usually necessary to cut off the ends of the individual conductors before the cable can be reconnected. This is particularly relevant when the electrical distribution board has high protection requirements due to exposure to high humidity or splashing water. If the ends of the individual conductors, which have already been severed by the IDCs, have to be cut off before reconnecting the cable, this shortens the cable, which can cause problems with existing wiring.

[0011] The invention is therefore based on the objective of avoiding the aforementioned disadvantages and providing a solution that makes it possible to disconnect and reconnect a multi-core cable to a connection device of an electrical distribution box with quick-connect technology without having to cut off the ends of the individual conductors before reconnecting the electrical cable.

[0012] This problem is solved by a cable connector with the features of claim 1. The cable connector comprises a cap nut, a conductor receiving and guiding element having a plurality of conductor channels, several contact elements each provided with an insulation displacement connector and a connection element, and a sleeve-shaped connection body with an external thread corresponding to the internal thread of the cap nut. When the cap nut is screwed onto the connection body, the insulation displacement connectors cut the conductor insulation of the conductor ends and make contact with the individual conductors of the cable.

[0013] To enable the cable connector to be connected to the insulation displacement connectors (IDCs) of an electrical distribution board, the contact elements are designed as contact springs, each having at least two substantially opposing spring legs. When connecting the cable connector to the electrical distribution board, the spring legs of the individual contact springs make contact with the individual IDCs on their opposing flat sides; that is, the spring legs are pushed onto the IDCs.

[0014] The cable connector according to the invention thus represents an intermediate connector to which a multi-core cable can be connected on one side using the known insulation displacement connection (IDC) technology; that is, the individual conductors of the cable do not need to be stripped to connect the cable to the connector. On the other side, because the connection elements are designed as contact springs, the cable connector can be easily connected to the IDC terminals of the connection device of an electrical distribution board, similar to an electrical plug connection.

[0015] If an already connected electrical cable needs to be disconnected from the electrical distribution box, the cable connector is simply detached from the connection device, pulling the contact springs off the insulation displacement connectors. The electrical connection between the individual wires of the cable and the cable connector remains intact, so the individual wires do not need to be removed from the insulation displacement connectors. To reconnect the cable to the electrical distribution box, the cable connector is simply reattached to the connection device without having to reconnect the individual wires of the cable to the connector. Consequently, it is also unnecessary to cut the ends of the individual wires before reconnecting the cable.

[0016] The individual contact elements are particularly easy and therefore cost-effective to manufacture if they are produced from a single piece of metal, especially by stamping and bending. For this reason, it is advantageous if the insulation displacement connector (IDC) and the contact spring are integrally joined. The contact spring can be manufactured particularly simply by having three interconnected spring legs bent so that the middle leg contacts an IDC on one flat side and the two outer legs contact the IDC on the opposite flat side. To simplify sliding the contact spring onto an IDC, the ends of the spring legs are bent outwards. This provides a kind of guidance for the contact spring as it is slid onto the IDC.

[0017] It has been previously explained that the cable connector is connected to the connection device of an electrical distribution box. To ensure a secure mechanical connection between the cable connector and the connection device, the invention provides for a sleeve with an internal thread, rotatably and axially displaceably arranged on the connector body. This sleeve can be screwed onto an external thread formed on the connection device of the electrical distribution box. In addition to providing a secure and, when appropriate sealing elements are used, leak-proof connection between the cable connector and the distribution box, the design of the sleeve with the internal thread on the connector body also offers the advantage that the cable connector can be connected to a known distribution box.

[0018] In the electrical distribution system known from DE 101 39 202 B4, the cable connector according to the invention can thus simply be screwed onto the threaded end of a connection device instead of the connecting element described therein. The user therefore has the option of connecting a multi-core cable either directly using the connecting element comprising a union nut and a splicing element, or indirectly via the cable connector to a connection device of the electrical distribution system.

[0019] In the cable connector according to the invention, several ribs are formed in the connector body which do not cover the insulation displacement contacts laterally. The ribs are arranged and designed such that the insulation displacement contacts are touch-proof. In addition, several webs are formed on the connector body which surround the contact springs on at least two sides and are arranged and designed such that the contact springs are touch-proof.

[0020] The problem with the well-known insulation displacement connection (IDC) technology is that the IDC terminals arranged in the terminal body must, by necessity, be freely accessible from the end face so that, when the union nut is screwed onto the terminal body, the IDC terminals can cut the insulation of the wire ends and make contact with the conductors. However, this creates the risk that a user might reach into the terminal body with a finger and touch the IDC terminals. Since the contact elements, and therefore also the IDC terminals, can be live parts, touch protection, a so-called finger guard, is absolutely essential, especially at voltages of 60 V and above.

[0021] The desired touch protection can be achieved in particular by ensuring that the axial extension of the ribs is greater than the axial extension of the insulation displacement connectors. The penetration of a finger into the upwardly open, sleeve-shaped terminal body is thus limited by the upper end of the ribs, without requiring lateral coverage of the insulation displacement connectors, which would make inserting the conductors into the connectors more difficult.

[0022] The design of the ridges surrounding the contact springs ensures that a user's finger cannot touch the contact springs, which extend in the opposite direction to the insulation displacement connectors. The design of the ribs and ridges thus prevents the potentially live contact elements from being touched by a user, while their intended function—i.e., the contacting of the conductors on the one hand and the insulation displacement connectors of an electrical distribution board on the other—remains unaffected.

[0023] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one ridge surrounding a contact spring is designed as a coding element, which interacts with a counter-coding element formed in the terminal body of the electrical distributor. This ensures a prescribed assignment of the individual contact elements of the cable connector and thus also of the individual conductors to the insulation displacement connectors of an electrical distributor. The coding can preferably be implemented by the individual ridges having different shapes or contours, in particular by having a projecting coding ridge on at least one ridge.

[0024] The aforementioned problem is solved in an electrical distributor for distributing electrical currents according to claim 8 by screwing a cable connector according to the invention onto each of the threaded ends of the individual connection devices. Regarding the advantages of such an electrical distributor, reference is made to the preceding explanations concerning the cable connector according to the invention.

[0025] According to a preferred embodiment of the electrical distribution board, the connecting elements are each formed by a busbar, and the insulation displacement connectors (IDCs) associated with a busbar are integrally formed with the busbar. This integral formation of the IDCs with the busbar makes both their manufacture as stamped and bent parts and their arrangement in the electrical distribution board particularly simple.

[0026] Preferably, the individual busbars are overmolded with a plastic coating, ensuring reliable insulation between them and secure, permanent positioning of the busbars and, consequently, the insulation displacement connectors (IDCs) mounted on them. The pre-assembled busbars can then either be inserted or secured in the housing, in which case the housing preferably consists of two parts, or the housing can be formed by overmolding the pre-assembled busbars again.

[0027] In detail, there are numerous possibilities for designing and further developing the cable connector or electrical distributor according to the invention. Reference is made to the claims subordinate to claims 1 and 8, as well as to the following description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawing. The drawing shows Fig. 1. A perspective view of a cable connector plug, Fig. 2 an exploded view of the cable connector according to Fig. 1, Fig. 3. Connect the cable connector according to Fig. 1, in longitudinal section, Fig. 4 an electrical distributor with a screw-on cable connector plug, Fig. 5. Disconnect the cable connector from the side facing the electrical distribution box. Fig. 6 a part of the electrical distribution according to Fig. 4, from the side facing the cable connector, Fig. 7 a contact element of a cable connector and a busbar with two insulation displacement connectors of the electrical distribution board and Fig. 8 the pre-assembled busbars of the electrical distribution board with the contact elements of a cable connector plug, in the plugged-in state.

[0028] The Fig. Figures 1 to 3 show a cable connector 1 for the electrical connection of a four-core cable (not shown here) to a connection device 3 having insulation displacement connectors 2. Fig. 4 shown electrical distribution box 4.

[0029] The cable connector 1 comprises a union nut 5, a wire receptacle and guide 6, four contact elements 8, each with an insulation displacement connector 7 on its side facing the cable to be connected, and a terminal body 10 with an external thread 9 corresponding to the internal thread of the union nut. To connect a cable to the cable connector 1, the union nut 5 is first slid over the stripped end of the cable. The individual wires are then inserted into the wire guide channels of the wire receptacle and guide 6. When the union nut 5 is screwed onto the terminal body 10, the wires are pressed into the insulation displacement connectors 7, which then cut the wire insulation and make contact with the conductors of the cable.

[0030] On the side facing away from the cable to be connected, the contact elements 8 are designed as contact springs 11, each having three spring legs 12 which, when the cable connector 1 is connected to a connection device 3 of the electrical distributor 4, contact the individual insulation displacement connectors 2 on their opposing flat sides 13, 13'. As can be seen in particular from Fig. As can be seen in Figure 7, the insulation displacement connector 7 and the contact spring 11 are integrally connected, i.e., the contact element 8 is stamped and bent from a single piece of metal. The three spring legs 12 are bent such that the middle spring leg contacts the insulation displacement connector 7 on one flat side 13 and the two outer spring legs contact the insulation displacement connector 7 on the opposite flat side 13'.

[0031] To facilitate sliding the contact spring 11 onto the insulation displacement connector 7, the ends of the spring legs 12 are bent outwards, so that the contact spring 11 is approximately tulip-shaped overall. In the connection area between the insulation displacement connector 7 and the contact spring 11, a tongue 14 is punched out and bent, which engages inside the terminal body 10, so that when a conductor is pressed into the insulation displacement connector 7, the contact element 8 with the tongue 14 is supported against the terminal body 10, thereby absorbing the axially acting connection forces.

[0032] For the mechanical fastening of the cable connector 1 to a connection device 3, a sleeve 16 with an internal thread 15 is rotatably but only axially displaceably arranged on the connection body 10. For this purpose, a circumferential contact shoulder is formed on the connection body 10, which is engaged by the end of the sleeve 16 facing away from the connection device 3. The sleeve 16, which functions as a union nut, can thus be screwed onto the external thread 17 of a connection device 3 for the secure mechanical fastening of the cable connector 1.

[0033] How to begin with Fig. As can be seen in Figure 2, four ribs 18 are formed in the terminal body 10 to ensure finger contact safety, with the ribs 18 having a greater axial extension than the insulation displacement connectors 7. This ensures that when a finger reaches into the sleeve-shaped terminal body 10 from the open end face, unintentional contact with the potentially live insulation displacement connectors 7 is prevented.

[0034] The same function as the ribs 18 is served by webs 19 formed on the opposite side of the connecting body 10, each of which has a substantially U-shaped base, so that the webs 19 enclose the contact springs 11 on three sides. As can be seen in particular from Fig. As can be seen in Figure 5, the individual webs 19 have different shapes, so that the webs 19 also function as coding elements that interact with counter-coding elements formed in the connection device 3 of the electrical distributor 4. For this purpose, a coding rib 20 is formed on at least one web 19, which, when the cable connector 1 is correctly oriented towards the connection device 3, engages in a coding groove 21 formed in the connection device 3.

[0035] The total in Fig. The electrical distribution box 4 shown in Figure 4 has an H-shaped housing 22 on which four connection devices 3 are formed. Each connection device 3 has a cylindrical threaded projection 23 with an external thread 17 on its connection side, onto which the sleeve 16 of the cable connector 1 can be screwed. Four insulation displacement connectors 2 are arranged in each connection device 3, the insulation displacement connectors 2 of different connection devices 3 being connected to each other via a busbar 24, as shown in Figure 4. Fig. 7 is shown in outline. This is in the Fig. Figure 7 shows only a part of a busbar 24, via which two insulation displacement connectors 2 from two different connection devices 3 are connected to each other. Since the electrical distribution box 4 shown in the figures has a total of four connection devices 3, one insulation displacement connector 2 from each of the four connection devices 3, i.e., a total of four insulation displacement connectors 2, are connected to each other via a busbar 24.

[0036] If a four-core cable connected to the cable connector 1 is to be connected to one of the four connection devices 3 of the electrical distributor 4, the end of the connection body 10, formed by the ridges 19, is first inserted into the threaded recesses 23, whereby the contact springs 11 surrounded by the ridges 19 are placed onto the insulation displacement connectors 2 arranged in the threaded recesses 23. This also electrically connects the individual cores of the cable to be connected to the individual insulation displacement connectors 2 of the connection device 3 via the contact elements 8. For a secure mechanical connection of the cable connector 1 to the connection device 3 or to the electrical distributor 4, the sleeve 16 is then screwed onto the external thread 17 formed on the threaded recess 23.

[0037] To disconnect the electrical cable from the electrical distributor 4, the screw connection between the sleeve 16 and the threaded end 23 must first be loosened. The cable connector 1 can then be easily pulled out of the threaded end 23, simultaneously detaching the contact springs 11 from the insulation displacement connectors 2. Since the electrical cable remains connected to the cable connector 1 via the insulation displacement connectors 7, it is not necessary to cut the ends of the individual wires to reconnect the cable to the electrical distributor 4; the cable connector 1 simply needs to be reinserted into the threaded end 23 and tightened using the sleeve 16.

[0038] To prevent accidental contact with the potentially live insulation displacement connectors 2 of the connection devices 3, several ribs 25 are formed in the threaded recesses 23, which do not cover the insulation displacement connectors 2 laterally. These ribs serve as contact protection for the insulation displacement connectors 2 of the connection device 3 in the same way as the ribs 18 in the connection body 10 do with respect to the insulation displacement connectors 7. The ribs 25 are arranged and designed in such a way that they do not impede the intended insertion of the webs 19 of the connection body 10 into the threaded recess 23 and thus the placement of the contact springs 11 onto the insulation displacement connectors 2, but prevent unintentional contact of the insulation displacement connectors 2 with a user's finger.

[0039] Finally, it is from Fig.Figure 8 shows that the busbars 24 connecting the individual insulation displacement connectors 2 are overmolded with plastic 26, thus ensuring reliable insulation between the individual busbars 24. The pre-assembled or overmolded busbars 24 can then be placed back into an injection mold to form the housing 22 of the electrical distribution box 4. Alternatively, the overmolded busbars 24 with the integrally formed insulation displacement connectors 2 can also be inserted into the housing and secured therein, the housing 2 then preferably consisting of two housing parts.

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