Connection device for connecting an electrical conductor

Abstract

A connecting device (1) for connecting at least one electrical conductor (2), comprising a housing (10), an electrical contact element (11) arranged on the housing (10) for contacting an electrical conductor (2), a spring element (12) arranged on the housing (10), and an adjusting element (13) which is movably guided on the housing (10) via a guide device (14), said adjusting element having a plug-in opening (131) for inserting an electrical conductor (2) and being movable on the housing (10) along a guide track (140) formed by the guide device (14) from an initial position into a contact position in which an electrical conductor inserted into the plug-in opening (131) is in contact with the contact element (11), and is held in the contact position by the spring force action of the spring element (12), characterized in thatthat the adjusting element (13) is tilted in the contact position compared to the initial position relative to the housing (10).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a connection device for connecting at least one electrical conductor according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Such a connection device comprises a housing, an electrical contact element arranged on the housing for contacting an electrical conductor, and a spring element arranged on the housing. Furthermore, the connection device comprises an adjusting element movably guided on the housing via a guide device, which has a plug-in opening for inserting an electrical conductor and is movable on the housing along a guide track formed by the guide device from an initial position into a contact position, in which an electrical conductor inserted into the plug-in opening makes contact with the contact element, and is held in the contact position by the spring force of the spring element.

[0003] Such a connection device serves to connect an electrical conductor to an electrical assembly, such as a printed circuit board. For this purpose, the contact element can, for example, have connecting legs, via which the connection device can be attached to the printed circuit board and electrically contacted with it.

[0004] Such a connection device should fundamentally enable an easy connection of an electrical conductor to an electrical assembly, if possible without the use of a tool.

[0005] Spring-loaded terminals are conventionally known, as described, for example, in DE 20 2014 103 797 U1 and EP 2 466 689 B1. With such spring-loaded terminals, an electrical conductor can be inserted into a plug-in opening of a housing in order to be brought into electrical contact with a contact element via a spring element in a contact position within the housing, and secondly, to be mechanically locked.

[0006] DE 10 2015 119 407 A1 discloses a connecting device comprising a contact element and a spring element. Furthermore, the connecting device comprises an adjusting element into which the conductor to be connected is inserted. The adjusting element is moved along a guide track from an initial position into a contact position. During this movement, the adjusting element is first moved downward in the conductor insertion direction. Subsequently, the adjusting element is moved transversely to the conductor insertion direction in order to contact the conductor with the contact element. For this purpose, the adjusting element is displaced laterally toward the contact element. Both during the movement in the conductor insertion direction and during the movement transversely to the conductor insertion direction, a purely linear or purely translational movement of the adjusting element occurs.In the contact position, i.e. when the conductor with the adjustment element is pushed against the contact element, in DE 10 2005 119 407 A1 the conductor is in the same position as in the initial position when the conductor is inserted into the adjustment element.

[0007] With such a connection device, it is desirable that the electrical conductor is connected reliably and that the user can immediately determine whether an electrical conductor is properly connected to the connection device. In particular, cases in which only a short section of a (stripped) conductor end is contacted and held in place by a clamp, or in which, especially in the case of conductors formed by fibers, only individual fibers are electrically contacted but not the entire conductor, should be avoided.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a connection device for connecting at least one electrical conductor, which enables a reliable connection of an electrical conductor and ensures that a user can recognize the correct connection of the electrical conductor without great effort.

[0009] This object is achieved by an article having the features of claim 1.

[0010] Accordingly, the invention is characterized in that the adjusting element is tilted relative to the housing in the contact position compared to the initial position.

[0011] To connect an electrical conductor to the connection device, an electrical conductor must be inserted into the plug-in opening of the adjustment element. To establish electrical contact with the contact element arranged on the housing, the adjustment element can then be guided from its initial position, in which the adjustment element protrudes from the housing, for example, into the contact position, in which electrical contact is established between the electrical conductor inserted into the plug-in opening and the contact element within the housing. The electrical conductor is thus not inserted directly into the housing, but into the plug-in opening of the adjustment element, which can be moved relative to the housing.

[0012] This can ensure that the electrical conductor can be easily, reliably, and fully inserted into the plug-in opening of the adjustment element, thus ensuring that the electrical conductor is (always) fully contacted and locked in the contact position of the adjustment element. This applies in particular to electrical conductors formed by fibers. Such conductors can also be easily inserted into the plug-in opening of the adjustment element with a stripped conductor end or even without prior stripping, in order to establish electrical contact with the contact element within the housing when the adjustment element is in the contact position.

[0013] In the contact position, the spring element acts on the adjustment element and preloads it in such a way that the adjustment element is held in the contact position due to the spring force of the spring element. The spring force thus locks the adjustment element in the contact position and cannot easily be moved out of the contact position, at least not without overcoming the spring force of the spring element. This has the effect of holding the adjustment element in the contact position and, in addition, pressing an electrical conductor inserted into the plug-in opening of the adjustment element into electrical contact with the contact element. So that the electrical contact is made under spring-mechanical preload by the spring element and the electrical conductor is also locked in the plug-in opening.

[0014] In one embodiment, the adjustment element can, when adjusted from the initial position, initially be displaceable longitudinally along the guide track in an insertion direction in which the electrical conductor is to be inserted into the plug-in opening. The adjustment element is thus displaceably guided on the housing via the guide device and can be adjusted along a defined movement path toward the housing in order to move the adjustment element, together with the electrical conductor inserted into the plug-in opening of the adjustment element, from the initial position toward the contact position.

[0015] While the adjusting element can initially be moved longitudinally in the insertion direction when adjusted from the starting position, the invention provides that the adjusting element is tilted in a guided manner immediately before reaching the contact position, so that in the contact position the adjusting element is tilted relative to the housing compared to the starting position. When adjusted from the starting position to the contact position, the adjusting element is therefore initially moved longitudinally relative to the housing and, for example, moved into the housing. Before reaching the contact position, the adjusting element is then tilted and thereby brought closer to the contact element in the housing, so that in the contact position an electrical conductor inserted into the plug-in opening of the adjusting element is in electrical contact with the contact element.

[0016] The guideway can be formed, for example, by a groove. For example, the adjusting element can be guided between two opposing housing walls, each of which has a groove formed to form the guideway, and thus can be adjusted in a guided manner between the housing walls.

[0017] The adjustment element has, for example, one or more guide elements, via which the adjustment element is guided on the guide track and which, for this purpose, engage, for example, with the groove-shaped guide track. For example, two guide elements can be provided which are arranged offset from one another on the adjustment element along the insertion direction and each engage in a groove forming the guide track. Such guide elements can protrude in the manner of pins transversely to the insertion direction from a guide part formed on the adjustment element, wherein two guide elements can be formed on opposite sides of the guide part, each engaging in an associated, groove-shaped guide track. The adjustment element is guided to the housing between the starting position and the contact position via the guide elements, such that the adjustment element can be moved (only) along a defined movement path towards the housing.

[0018] In one embodiment, the guide track has a longitudinally extending first section and a second section angled relative to the longitudinally extending first section. The adjustment element is initially moved along the longitudinally extending first section when it is moved from the initial position toward the contact position. The tilting movement of the adjustment element relative to the housing is then controlled by the second section, along which the adjustment element is guided immediately before reaching the contact position and which causes the adjustment element to tilt relative to the housing.

[0019] If the adjustment element has two guide elements offset from one another along the insertion direction, these guide elements can initially both be arranged in the first section of the guide track in the initial position and when moving from the initial position and guided along this first section. Due to the longitudinal extension of the first section, the adjustment element is thus initially displaced longitudinally relative to the housing when moving from the initial position.

[0020] However, before reaching the contact position, one of the guide elements enters the second section of the guideway, while the other guide element remains in the first section. This causes the adjustment element to tilt out of its linear movement and thus move toward the contact position. When a guide element enters the second section, the adjustment element performs a movement toward the housing that deviates from a linear movement and is thus transferred into the contact position.

[0021] The second section can advantageously form an undercut relative to the first section and, for this purpose, have an angle of less than 90° relative to the first section. The second section is thus angled relative to the first section such that the second section faces opposite the insertion direction with a directional vector component, which causes the adjustment element to latch in the contact position with the housing and thus be mechanically locked due to the spring force of the spring element.

[0022] In one embodiment, the spring element has a support leg and a spring leg. The spring element is secured to the housing, for example, via the support leg, while the spring leg can be elastically deflected relative to the support leg. The spring element acts on the adjustment element via the spring leg, pushing it toward its contact position, so that the adjustment element is secured in the contact position via the spring force of the spring leg.

[0023] For example, when the adjusting element is in the contact position, the spring leg presses the adjusting element into the second section of the guide track in such a way that the adjusting element can only be moved out of the second section of the guide track against the spring force of the spring leg and can thus be released from its contact position on the housing.

[0024] The spring element is preferably additionally designed such that the spring element initially counteracts the movement of the adjusting element when it is adjusted from its starting position. At the beginning of the adjusting movement of the adjusting element, a spring force of the spring element thus acts against the insertion direction, so that the adjusting element must be moved from its starting position towards the contact position into the housing against the spring force of the spring element. This has the advantage that if an electrical conductor is not fully connected and the adjusting element is not fully actuated, the adjusting element is automatically moved back to its starting position due to the spring action, and a user can therefore immediately recognize that the connection of the electrical conductor was not successful.Before reaching the contact position, in particular when the associated guide element enters the second section of the guideway and consequently the adjusting element is tilted out of its linear movement, the effect of the spring force changes, which now presses the adjusting element into the second section of the guideway in the direction of the contact position and thus holds the adjusting element in the contact position when the contact position is reached.

[0025] In one embodiment, the adjustment element has a contact opening via which the contact element, in the contact position of the adjustment element, is contacted with an electrical conductor inserted into the plug-in opening. While the electrical conductor is to be inserted into the plug-in opening of the adjustment element at a first end of the adjustment element, which is located outside the housing, the contact opening can be formed, for example, at a second end of the adjustment element remote from the first end of the adjustment element, which second end is located inside the housing, in particular in the contact position. The contact element can engage through the contact opening, for example with a contacting section, into the plug-in opening of the adjustment element and thereby bring about electrical contact with the conductor.

[0026] The electrical conductor can, for example, be inserted into the plug-in opening of the adjusting element with a stripped conductor end and, in the contact position, is pressed into electrical contact with the contacting section of the contact element due to the effect of spring force, so that electrical contact is established between the electrical conductor and the contact element. However, it is also conceivable and possible for the electrical conductor to be inserted into the plug-in opening without prior stripping. In this case, one or more cutting edges can be formed on the contacting section, for example, which can cut through an insulating cable sheath of the conductor and thus establish electrical contact with the conductor in the contact position.

[0027] The concept underlying the invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures. They show: Fig. 1A is a view of an embodiment of a connection device for connecting an electrical conductor, in an initial position of an adjustment element; Fig. 1B a view of the connection device according to Fig. 1A, but with the adjusting element in a contact position; Fig. 2A another view of the connecting device, with the adjusting element in the initial position; Fig. 2B a view of the connection device when adjusting the adjusting element from the initial position towards the contact position; Fig. 2C a view of the connection device with the adjustment element in the contact position; Fig. 3A a side view of the arrangement according to Fig. 2A; Fig. 3B a side view of the arrangement according to Fig. 2B; Fig. 3C a side view of the arrangement according to Fig. 2C; Fig. 4A a front view of the connection device in the position according to Fig. 1B; and Fig. 4B is a sectional view along the line AA according to Fig. 4A.

[0028] Fig. 1A, 1B to 4A, 4B show an embodiment of a connection device 1 which has a housing 10 and a contact element 11 arranged on the housing 10.

[0029] As this is Fig. 1A, Fig. 1B, several (identical) housings 10 can be placed next to one another and firmly connected to one another via fastening elements in the form of pins 102 in order to create a terminal device 1 to which several electrical conductors 2 can be connected in parallel and independently of one another.

[0030] The contact element 11 is arranged with a contacting section 110 within an interior space 101 of an associated housing 10 and has connecting legs 111 via which the connecting device 1 can be electrically connected to an associated assembly, for example a printed circuit board.

[0031] The connecting device 1 has a spring element 12, which is fixed by a support leg 121 within the associated housing 10 and projects into the interior 101 of the housing 10 with a spring leg 120 that is elastically deformable to the support leg 121. An adjusting element 13 in the form of a sleeve forming a plug-in opening 131 passes through an opening 100 of the housing 10 with a body 130 and is movably guided on the housing 10 via a guide device 14 such that the adjusting element 13 can be moved from an initial position ( Fig. 1A) in a guided manner into a contact position ( Fig. 1B) can be moved to the housing 10.

[0032] An electrical conductor 2 can be inserted in a plug-in direction E into the plug-in opening 131, which is formed in the body 130 of the adjusting element 13 in the form of a longitudinal bore, when the adjusting element 13 is in the initial position ( Fig. 1A). By moving the adjusting element 13 from the initial position to the contact position ( Fig. 1B), the electrical conductor 2 is inserted into the housing 10 together with the adjusting element 13 and comes into electrical contact with the contacting section 110, so that in the contact position ( Fig. 1B) the electrical conductor 2 is electrically connected and also mechanically locked in the housing 10.

[0033] The adjusting element 13 is guided on the housing 10 via the guide device 14. For this purpose, a guide track 140 in the form of a groove is formed on a housing wall 103, into which guide elements 134, 135 of a guide part 133 of the adjusting element 13, offset from one another along the insertion direction E, engage and thereby guide the adjusting element 13 slidingly on the housing 10.

[0034] Each housing 10 has a first guideway 140 in the form of a groove on the housing wall 103 within the interior space 101 and also a congruent second guideway arranged on the rear side of the housing wall 103 outside the interior space 101. If several housings 10 are assembled, as shown in Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B, the adjusting element 13 of a housing 10 is guided between the guide track 140 of the housing 10 formed within the interior space 101 and the guide track of an adjacent housing 10 formed on the rear side of the wall 103. For this purpose, guide elements 134, 135 in the form of pins protrude from both sides of the guide part 133, so that two guide elements 134, 135 offset from one another along the insertion direction E engage in each guide track 140 and the adjusting element 13 is guided in a defined manner within the interior space 101 of the associated housing 10.

[0035] Each guide track 140 has two sections 141, 142, of which a first section 141 extends longitudinally along the insertion direction E and a second section 142 is angled to the first section 141 by an (acute) angle α, as can be seen, for example, from Fig. 1A and Fig. 4B. The second section 142 forms an undercut to the first section 141, in which the angle α has an amount less than 90° and thus the second section 142 is directed with a directional vector component opposite to the insertion direction E.

[0036] The shape of the guide track 140 causes the adjusting element 13 to be guided linearly in the insertion direction E on the housing 10 when moving from the initial position, as shown in Fig. 3A. During this initial movement, both guide elements 134, 135 associated with the guide track 140 lie in the first section 141 of the guide track 140, so that the adjusting element 13 is guided longitudinally.

[0037] Before reaching the contact position, the front guide element 135, seen in the insertion direction E, runs into the second section 142 of the guide track 140, as shown in Fig. 3B. As a result, the adjusting element 13 is tilted in a tilting direction K towards the housing 10 and is brought closer to a head 112 of the contacting section 110 of the contact element 11 with a contact opening 132 at an end of the adjusting element 13 arranged within the housing 10, as is the case in the transition from Fig. 3B towards Fig. 3C is shown.

[0038] In the contact position according to Fig. 3C, the adjustment element 13 is tilted compared to the initial position in the housing 10. The rear guide element 134 is (still) located in the first section 141 of the associated guide track 140, while the other, front guide element 135 has entered the second section 142. The head 112 of the contacting section 110 of the contact element 11 engages through the contact opening 132 into the plug-in opening 131 of the adjustment element 13 and thus makes contact, as shown in Fig. 4B, within the plug-in opening 131 with a conductor end 20 of the electrical conductor 2.

[0039] The spring element 12 serves to act on the adjusting element 13 with its spring leg 120. When adjusting from the initial position, the adjusting element 13 is initially moved against the spring force of the spring leg 120, as can be seen from the transition from Fig. 3A towards Fig. 3B. This ensures that if the insertion of an electrical conductor 2 and the movement of the adjusting element 13 into the housing 10 are only partially completed, the adjusting element 13 is automatically returned to its original position due to the spring force, thus allowing a user to immediately recognize that the electrical conductor 2 has not been connected correctly.

[0040] If the front guide element 135 runs as shown in Fig. 3B, into the second section 142 of the associated guide track 140, the spring force of the spring leg 120 acts predominantly in the direction of the second section 142 of the guide track 140 and thus presses the adjusting element 13 in the direction of the contact position according to Fig. 3C. In the contact position, the adjusting element 13 is then held in the contact position due to the spring force effect of the spring leg 120, so that the adjusting element 13 cannot be easily released from the contact position, at least not without overcoming the spring force.

[0041] In the contact position, the adjustment element 13 is thus locked within the housing 10. The electrical conductor 2 is electrically contacted with the head 112 of the contacting section 110 of the contact element 11 and is also secured in its position within the plug-in opening 131 due to the pressing contact caused by the spring force of the spring leg 120.

[0042] If the electrical conductor 2 is to be released from the housing 10, the adjusting element 13 can be tilted manually or using a tool by accessing the end of the adjusting element 13 protruding from the housing 10 through the opening 100 in an opening direction O opposite to the tilting direction K and thus released from the contact position. The adjusting element 13 thus reaches the intermediate position according to Fig. 3B and then, also supported by the spring force of the spring leg 120, into the starting position according to Fig. 3A, in which the electrical conductor 2 can be easily pulled out of the plug-in opening 131 of the adjusting element 13.

[0043] An electrical conductor 2 can be inserted with a stripped conductor end into the insertion opening 131 in order to contact the head 112 of the contacting section 110 of the contact element 11 in the contact position, as shown in Fig. 4B. A toothing can be formed on the head 112, as is shown for example in Fig. 4B, which on the one hand establishes a reliable contact and on the other hand also mechanically locks the electrical conductor 2 in the plug-in opening 131.

[0044] It is also conceivable and possible that one or more cutting edges are arranged on the head 112 of the contacting section 110, which can cut through an insulating sheath of the conductor 2, so that stripping before inserting the electrical conductor 2 is not necessary.

[0045] The idea underlying the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but can also be implemented in a completely different way.

[0046] A connection device of the type described can be used to connect very different conductors to an associated electrical assembly. Several connection devices can be arranged in series to enable the connection of several conductors in parallel but independently of each other. List of reference symbols 1 connection device 10 housings 100 opening 101 Interior 102 fasteners 103 Housing wall 11 Contact element 110 Contact section 111 connecting legs 112 head 12 spring element 120 spring legs 121 support legs 13 Adjustment element 130 bodies 131 Plug-in opening 132 Contact opening 133 Guide part 134, 135 guide element 14 Guide device 140 Guideway (groove) 141, 142 Section 2 conductors α angle E Direction of movement K Tilt direction O Opening direction

Claims

[1] Connection device (1) for connecting at least one electrical conductor (2), comprising a housing (10), an electrical contact element (11) arranged on the housing (10) for contacting an electrical conductor (2), a spring element (12) arranged on the housing (10), and an adjusting element (13) which is guided on the housing (10) so as to be movable via a guide device (14), which has a plug-in opening (131) for inserting an electrical conductor (2) and is movable on the housing (10) along a guide track (140) formed by the guide device (14) from an initial position into a contact position in which an electrical conductor inserted into the plug-in opening (131) is in contact with the contact element (11), and is held in the contact position by the spring force effect of the spring element (12), characterized bythat the adjusting element (13) is tilted in the contact position compared to the initial position relative to the housing (10). [2] Connection device (1) according to claim 1, characterized by that the adjusting element (13) is initially displaceable longitudinally along the guide track (140) when adjusted from the starting position in an insertion direction (E) in which an electrical conductor (2) is to be inserted into the plug-in opening (131). [3] Connection device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the guide track (140) is formed by a groove. [4] Connection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the adjusting element (13) has at least one guide element (134, 135) which engages with the guide track (140). [5] Connection device (1) according to claim 4, characterized bythat the adjusting element has two guide elements (134, 135) which engage with the guide track (140). [6] Connection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the guide track (140) has an elongated first section (141) and a second section (142) angled to the elongated first section (141). [7] Connection device (1) according to claim 6, characterized by that in the starting position a first guide element (134) and a second guide element (135) of the adjusting element (13) are arranged in the first section (141). [8] Connection device (1) according to claim 7, characterized by that in the contact position the first guide element (134) is arranged in the first section (141) and the second guide element (135) is arranged in the second section (142). [9] Connection device (1) according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized bythat the second section (142) has an angle (α) of less than 90° to the first section (141). [10] Connection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the spring element (12) has a support leg (121), via which the spring element (12) is supported on the housing (10), and a spring leg (120) which can be deflected elastically relative to the support leg (121). [11] Connection device (1) according to claim 10, characterized by that the spring element (12) is designed to act on the adjusting element (13) via the spring leg (120) in order to exert a spring force on the adjusting element (13) in the direction of the contact position. [12] Connection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the spring element (12) is designed to elastically counteract a movement of the adjusting element in the direction of the contact position on an adjustment path of the adjusting element (13) between the initial position and the contact position. [13] Connection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the adjusting element (13) has a contact opening (132) via which the contact element (11) in the contact position of the adjusting element (13) is contacted with an electrical conductor (2) inserted into the plug-in opening (131). [14] Connection device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the contact element (11) has a contacting section (110) pointing into an interior of the housing (10) for contacting the electrical conductor (2).

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