Wiring terminal

Abstract

The invention relates to a connection terminal for connecting an electrical conductor by means of a spring force, comprising at least one clamping spring having a clamping leg for fixedly clamping the electrical conductor at a clamping point, and comprising at least one manual actuating element for actuating the clamping leg.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a connecting terminal for connecting an electrical conductor by means of spring force, the connecting terminal having at least one clamping spring with clamping legs for fixedly clamping the electrical conductor at a clamping position, and the connecting terminal having at least one manual operating element for operating the clamping legs. Background Art

[0002] DE 20 2019 105 887 U1 discloses a terminal in which at least one stop for an insulating sheath of an electrical conductor is provided in front of the conductor clamping portion. By means of the stop, the insulating sheath can be displaced backward relative to the core wire when the electrical conductor is introduced into the terminal. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention is based on the object of providing a further improved connecting terminal in which electrical lines can be connected without prior insulation removal.

[0004] The object is achieved in a terminal of the type described at the outset, which terminal has at least one cutting blade movably arranged in the terminal, by which an electrical conductor having a conductive core and an insulating sheath surrounding the conductive core can be deinsulated at least in the region of a clamping position by means of a manually operated operating element and / or other operating elements of the terminal, so that the electrical conductor, i.e. the deinsulated section of the conductive core, can be fixedly clamped at the clamping position by means of a clamping leg and can be electrically contacted at the clamping position. In such a terminal, the electrical conductor can advantageously be connected to the clamping position simply and quickly without the need for manual deinsulation in advance. Here, the deinsulated part of the insulating sheath can advantageously remain at the electrical conductor, for example in the housing of the terminal.

[0005] According to the invention, the cutting knife is arranged movably in the connecting terminal, for example movably relative to the housing of the connecting terminal. This has the advantage that an active cutting process can be performed on the insulating sheath by the cutting knife, that is to say a cutting process performed by the movement of the cutting knife. For example, the cutting knife can be actuated by the user by means of an operating element of the connecting terminal specially provided for this purpose. In particular, the cutting knife can be actuated by means of a manual actuating element for actuating the clamping leg.

[0006] In this case, the deinsulation of the electrical line at least in the region of the clamping point can be automatically carried out during the introduction of the electrical line and / or the fixed clamping of the electrical line at the clamping point, for example by manual actuation of the actuating element.

[0007] As a result, the deinsulated section, i.e. the section of the conductive core that is exposed from the insulating sheath, can be fixedly clamped at the clamping point and electrically contacted at the clamping point. The fixed clamping is carried out here by means of the clamping legs. The clamping legs can also be in electrical contact with the electrical conductor, but this is not absolutely necessary. The electrical contact of the electrical conductor can also be carried out at another component of the terminal, for example at the busbar.

[0008] The connecting terminal according to the invention can be designed in particular without so-called cutting clamping contacts (IDC contacts). In the connecting terminal according to the invention, the insulation removal is carried out by a separate cutting blade, which can be present as a component separate from the clamping spring or the clamping leg. In contrast, in the case of cutting clamping contacts, the insulation sheath is cut and the clamping is carried out at the same component, namely at the insulation clamping contact.

[0009] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the connecting terminal has a busbar, on which the clamping point is formed, wherein the electrical conductor can be fixedly clamped with its deinsulated section at the clamping point of the busbar by means of clamping legs. This allows particularly good electrical contact and correspondingly also allows greater currents to be transmitted in the connecting terminal.

[0010] The terminal block may have a housing, for example an insulating material housing, in which at least a large portion of the clamping spring and the cutting blade are arranged. The housing may have a wire introduction opening, through which the electrical wire is introduced into the housing in order to guide the electrical wire to a clamping location where the electrical wire can be electrically contacted.

[0011] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cutting knife can be moved by means of manual actuation of the actuating element in order to carry out the deinsulation process of the electrical conductor. This has the advantage that the movement of the cutting knife required for deinsulation can be automatically carried out simultaneously with the manual actuation of the actuating element present for actuating the clamping spring. Thus, the user does not have to actuate two different actuating elements of the connecting terminal. Rather, it is possible for the user to carry out the usual actuation of the actuating element of the connecting terminal in order to clamp the electrical conductor. In this case, the cutting knife automatically moves accordingly in order to carry out the deinsulation process.

[0012] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, the connecting terminal has a conductor stop, by which the maximum insertion depth of the electrical conductor into the connecting terminal is limited, wherein the section of the insulating sheath of the electrical conductor separated by the cutting knife can be moved and / or compressed against the stop. As a result, the separated section of the insulating sheath can be supported at a defined position, so that it can be ensured that the function of the connecting terminal is not disturbed by the separated section. In this case, the separated section of the insulating sheath can be moved and / or compressed toward the stop, for example, by the cutting knife, or by other components, such as an actuating element.

[0013] The connecting terminal can have a receiving space in the housing for receiving a separated section of an insulating sheath of an electrical conductor.

[0014] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, the entire clamping spring is movably arranged, for example movably arranged relative to the housing, and can be moved relative to the clamping position by operating the operating element. Here, the clamping spring can for example participate in the movement of the operating element, for example a displacement movement or a pivoting movement.

[0015] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, the clamping spring has a support leg, which is fixed to a component of the terminal, wherein the support leg is connected to the clamping leg via a spring bow, and the clamping leg can be deflected relative to the support leg by operating the actuating element. Thus, the clamping spring is supported and supported in the terminal by the support leg. The clamping force applied by the clamping leg can be directed to another component of the terminal, for example to a busbar and / or a housing, via the support leg. The clamping spring can in particular have a clamping leg that is prestressed in an open position and / or a closed position.

[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the clamping spring is held at at least one cutting blade and / or an operating element. In this way, both the cutting blade and the clamping leg can be operated very efficiently by an operating element. For example, the operating element, the clamping spring and the cutting blade can form a structural unit. It is also possible that the operating element and the cutting blade form a structural unit.

[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one cutting blade is designed as an insulation stripping claw with a substantially V-shaped groove. Accordingly, the insulating sheath can be accommodated in the V-shaped groove and separated from the rest of the insulating sheath. This makes a particularly efficient insulation stripping process possible. For example, a range of permissible conductor cross sections can be specified for the connecting terminal. The shape and in particular the size of the V-shaped groove of the insulation stripping claw can be adapted to a specific conductor cross section.

[0018] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, the operating element can be moved back and forth between an open position and a closed position, wherein in the closed position the electrical conductor can be fixedly clamped at the clamping position by means of the clamping legs, and in the open position the electrical conductor cannot be fixedly clamped at the clamping position. This allows the terminal to be operated easily by the user. In the open position, the clamping legs can be moved further away from the clamping position than in the closed position.

[0019] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one cutting blade is mechanically coupled to the actuating element, wherein the terminal is configured to guide the at least one cutting blade along the electrical conductor by actuating the actuating element, so that when the actuating element is moved into the closed position, the electrical conductor is deinsulated. This makes it possible to automatically deinsulate the electrical conductor in a simple and ergonomic manner when the actuating element is actuated.

[0020] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, the connecting terminal has a fixing mechanism, in particular a latching mechanism, by which the operating element is fixed at least in the closed position. This has the advantage that the operating element can be fixed in the closed position in a simple manner. In the case of a latching mechanism, the operating element can be transferred back to the open position by overcoming the latching force.

[0021] In the closed position, the electrical conductor is acted upon at the clamping point by the clamping force of the clamping legs. Depending on the design of the actuating mechanism and in particular the actuating element, the actuating element can be acted upon completely or partially in the closed position by a force transmitted by the clamping legs, which force is a reaction force to the clamping force. A design is also conceivable in which the actuating element is acted upon in the closed position by the clamping legs.

[0022] Furthermore, the connecting terminal can have an open retaining mechanism, by which the actuating element is fixed in the open position.

[0023] The operating element can be designed, for example, as a button, a slide or a similar linearly movable operating element.

[0024] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, the operating element is configured as a pivotable operating lever, which can be pivoted about a fixed or variable rotation axis. This allows the clamping legs of the connecting terminal to be easily operated with moderate manual operating force.

[0025] If the at least one cutting knife is coupled to a pivotable actuating lever or is in particular fastened to the actuating lever, the at least one cutting knife also executes a pivoting movement when the actuating lever is pivoted.

[0026] In the terminal according to the invention, at least one cutting knife mechanically coupled to the actuating element removes insulation from the front part of the insulating sheath of the electrical conductor over a distance, similar to the insulation stripping pliers, when the actuating element is transferred into the closed position. In this case, the insulating sheath remains on the conductive core. Only a relatively small area of ​​the electrical conductor is exposed. The separated part of the insulating material sheath can remain in the housing of the terminal and be removed again later when the electrical conductor is removed from the terminal.

[0027] In the context of the present invention, the indefinite term "a" is not to be understood as a numeral. Thus, if, for example, one component is mentioned, this should be interpreted in the sense of "at least one component". Whenever an angle is specified in degrees, it relates to a circle size of 360 degrees (360°). The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment using the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The present invention will be explained in detail below based on exemplary embodiments using the accompanying drawings.

[0029] The accompanying drawings show:

[0030] Figure 1 The terminal block is shown in a side cross-sectional view,

[0031] Figure 2 The top view shows Figure 1 The terminal block cutting knife,

[0032] Figure 3 A further embodiment of a terminal block is shown in a side sectional view in an open position.

[0033] Figure 4 Shown in the closed position according to Figure 3 The wiring terminals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The design of the connecting terminal can be, for example, of a first type, in which the clamping spring for generating the clamping force for fixing the clamped electrical conductor must be loaded with a force transmitted from the actuating element to the clamping spring, that is, the clamping spring is first pressed or pulled to the clamping location by the actuating element. The design of the connecting terminal can be, for example, of a second type, in which the clamping spring is a prestressed clamping spring, in which the clamping leg is pressed against the clamping location due to the prestressing. In a connecting terminal of this type, the actuating element acts, so to speak, in the opposite manner to the first described embodiment, that is, the clamping leg is deflected by the actuating element against its clamping force in order to open the clamping location. In this case, the prestressing present in the clamping spring is further increased.

[0035] Figure 1 and Figure 2The embodiment of a first type of connecting terminal 1 is shown. The connecting terminal 1 has a housing 2, a busbar 3 at least mainly arranged in the housing 2, a clamping spring 4 with clamping legs 43, an actuating element 5 designed as a pivotable actuating lever, and a cutting blade 6. The housing 2 has a conductor insertion opening 20, through which an electrical conductor 9 is introduced into the housing 2 and can be fixedly clamped at a clamping point 32 of the busbar 3. The electrical conductor 9 has a conductive core 91 surrounded by an insulating sheath 90.

[0036] The operating element 5 is mounted pivotably about a rotation axis 50. The cutting blade 6 is fastened to the operating element 5. The cutting blade 6 can be, for example, Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the clamping spring 4 is designed as an insulation removal claw with two mutually opposite knife cutting edges 60, between which there is a V-shaped groove 61. In addition, the clamping spring 4 can be fastened on the actuating element 5 or, as shown, on the cutting blade 6.

[0037] If the actuating element 5 is moved from the open position into the closed position (where Figure 1 In the position between the open position and the closed position, close to the closed position), the insulating sheath 90 is cut open and the separated section 92 of the insulating sheath 90 is separated by the cutting knife 6. By further pivoting the actuating element 5, the separated section 92 is pressed against the wire stop 21, and the separated section is located in the receiving cavity 22 of the housing 2 for receiving the separated section 92, wherein the separated section 92 remains on the section of the conductive core 91. The electrical conductor 9 is now deinsulated in the region of the clamping point 32 of the busbar 3, i.e., a part of the conductive core 91 is exposed.

[0038] When the actuating element 5 is moved into the closed position, the exposed part of the conductive core 91 is then fixedly clamped at the clamping point 32 of the busbar 3 by the clamping legs 43. Here, the actuating element 5 can be fixed in the closed position by a locking device, such as a locking projection, at least until the actuating element 5 is manually actuated again for switching to the open position. In the open position, the electrical conductor 9 including the separated section 92 can be removed from the housing 2 again.

[0039] Figure 3 and Figure 4 An embodiment of a second type of connecting terminal is shown. Here too, an electrical conductor can be introduced into the housing 2 through the conductor insertion opening 20 along the conductor insertion direction L and moved as far as the clamping point 32 of the busbar 3 .

[0040] In this case, the clamping spring 4 has, in addition to the clamping leg 43, a spring bow 42 connected to the clamping leg 43 and a support leg 41 connected to the spring bow 42. The busbar 3 has an angled section 31 extending transversely to the conductor insertion direction L, at which the support leg 41 is hooked onto a holding section 30 which is thereby fixed to the busbar 3.

[0041] The actuating element 5 has a partially circular actuating section 51 arranged in the housing 2, which can be rotatably mounted, for example, on the busbar 3 and / or on a part 23 of the housing 2. As a result, the actuating element 5 can perform a desired pivoting movement. A pressure section 52 is provided on the actuating section 51, by which the clamping leg 43 can be moved into the open position (see Figure 3 ) so that the clamping leg is further away from the busbar 3 in this position. Figure 4 In the closed position shown in FIG, the clamping leg 43 is not loaded or only slightly loaded by the pressure section 52. If no electrical conductor is introduced, the clamping leg 43 rests on the busbar 3, or when an electrical conductor 9 is introduced, the clamping leg rests on the electrical conductor 9 in order to press the electrical conductor against the busbar 3.

[0042] As can be seen, the actuating element 5 has at least one blade element 6 on the actuating section 51 for carrying out the deinsulation process. The actuating element 5 can be designed in particular with two actuating sections 51 arranged next to each other, between which a free space is formed for receiving and guiding the electrical line 9. In this case, a cutting blade 6 can be arranged on each of the two actuating sections 51, more precisely on the surfaces of the actuating sections 51 that face toward each other. Figure 2 The cutting knife 6 can also be placed there.

[0043] In this embodiment, the separated section 92 can also be accommodated in the accommodating cavity 22 of the housing 2. By further pivoting the operating element 5, the separated section 92 can be pressed against the wire stop 21, wherein the separated section 92 remains on the section of the conductive core 91.

[0044] In an advantageous embodiment, for example Figure 3 It can be seen that the at least one cutting blade 6 is arranged in the open position approximately at the half height of the wire insertion opening 20 or slightly higher. The at least one cutting blade 6 can preferably be designed in a V-shape and / or in the open position can be fastened between the actuation sections 51 above the half height of the wire insertion opening 20, so that the cutting blade does not hinder the insertion of the wire 9 and the wire 9 can be inserted without any problems.

[0045] Alternatively or additionally, the clamping leg 43 can be designed to taper in places, thereby preventing the clamping leg 43 from colliding with the at least one cutting blade 6 during its pivoting movement.

[0046] 1 Terminal block

[0047] 2 Housing

[0048] 3 Bus

[0049] 4 Clamping spring

[0050] 5 Control elements

[0051] 6 Cutting knife

[0052] 9 Electrical wires

[0053] 20 Wire entry openings

[0054] 21 Wire stopper

[0055] 22 Accommodation cavity

[0056] 23 Part of the shell

[0057] 30 holding section

[0058] 31 Bent sections

[0059] 32 Clamping part

[0060] 41 Support legs

[0061] 42 Spring Bow

[0062] 43 Clamp your legs

[0063] 50 Rotation axis

[0064] 51 Control section

[0065] 52 pressure section

[0066] 60 cutting edge

[0067] 61V-shaped groove

[0068] 90 Insulation Sheath

[0069] 91 conductive core

[0070] 92Separated sections

[0071] L Wire introduction direction

Claims

1. A connecting terminal (1) for connecting an electrical conductor (9) by means of spring force, the connecting terminal having at least one clamping spring (4), the clamping spring having a clamping leg (43) for fixedly clamping the electrical conductor (9) at a clamping point (32), and the connecting terminal having at least one manual operating element (5) for operating the clamping leg (43), characterized in that The connecting terminal (1) has at least one cutting knife (6) movably arranged in the connecting terminal (1), by means of which an electrical conductor (9) having a conductive core (91) and an insulating sheath (90) surrounding the conductive core (91) can be deinsulated at least in the region of the clamping portion by manually operating the operating element (5) and / or other operating elements of the connecting terminal (1), so that the deinsulated section of the electrical conductor (9) can be fixedly clamped at the clamping portion (43) by means of the clamping legs (43) and electrically contacted at the clamping portion.

2. The connection terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting terminal (1) has a busbar (3), on which the clamping point (32) is formed, wherein an electrical conductor (9) can be fixedly clamped with its deinsulated section at the clamping point (32) of the busbar (3) by means of the clamping legs (43).

3. The connecting terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that When an electrical line (9) is introduced into the connecting terminal (1) toward the clamping point (32) or when positioned at the clamping point (32), it can be deinsulated at least in the region of the clamping point by manually actuating the actuating element (5).

4. The connecting terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The cutting blade (6) can be moved by means of manual actuation of the actuating element (5) in order to carry out a deinsulation process of an electrical line (9).

5. The connecting terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The connecting terminal (1) has a wire stop (21) which limits the maximum insertion depth of an electrical wire (9) into the connecting terminal (1), wherein a section (92) of an insulating sheath (90) of the electrical wire (9) separated by the cutting knife (6) can be moved and / or compressed against the stop (21).

6. The connecting terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The entire clamping spring (4) is movably arranged and can be moved relative to the clamping point (32) by actuating the actuating element (5).

7. The connecting terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The clamping spring (4) has a supporting leg (41) which is fixed to a component of the connecting terminal (1), wherein the supporting leg (41) is connected to the clamping leg (43) via a spring bow (42) and the clamping leg (43) can be pivoted relative to the supporting leg (41) by actuating the actuating element (5).

8. The connecting terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The clamping spring (4) is held on the at least one cutting blade (6) and / or the actuating element (5).

9. The connecting terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The at least one cutting blade (6) is designed as an insulation-removing claw having a substantially V-shaped groove (61).

10. The connecting terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The operating element (5) can be moved back and forth between an open position and a closed position, wherein in the closed position the electrical conductor (9) can be fixedly clamped at the clamping point (32) by means of the clamping legs (43), and in the open position the electrical conductor (9) cannot be fixedly clamped at the clamping point (32).

11. The connection terminal according to claim 10, characterized in that: The at least one cutting blade (6) is mechanically coupled to the operating element (5), wherein the terminal (1) is configured to guide the at least one cutting blade (6) along the electrical conductor (9) by operating the operating element (5), so that when the operating element (5) is moved into the closed position, the electrical conductor (9) is deinsulated.

12. The connecting terminal according to any one of claims 10 to 11, characterized in that: The connecting terminal (1) has a fixing mechanism, in particular a latching mechanism, by which the actuating element (5) is fixed at least in the closed position.

13. The connecting terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The operating element (5) is designed as a pivotable operating lever which can be pivoted about a fixed or variable rotation axis (50).

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