Terminal block for connecting an electrical conductor to an electrical device

Abstract

Terminal block (1) for connecting an electrical conductor to an electrical device, with an actuating lever (5) and a spring-loaded clamping connection which can be manually actuated by the actuating lever (5), which has a compression spring (4), a clamping bolt (6) passing through the compression spring (4) and a clamping body (3) for clamping the electrical conductor to be connected, wherein the clamping bolt (6) is connected to the actuating lever (5) and on the side (41) of the compression spring (6) facing away from the actuating lever (5) is connected to the clamping body (3).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a terminal for connecting an electrical conductor to an electrical device. The invention particularly relates to a terminal for connecting an earth conductor or ground conductor to a component carrying earth potential or ground potential, e.g., a metal plate. In this case, the terminal according to the invention can form a ground connection.

[0002] It is known, for example, in switchgear construction, to screw a ground conductor to a metal plate, e.g., the housing wall of a switch cabinet, using a screw connection. The invention is based on the object of simplifying the connection of an electrical conductor, in particular a ground conductor or grounding conductor, to an electrical device.

[0003] This object is achieved by a connection terminal for connecting an electrical conductor to an electrical device, comprising an actuating lever and a spring-loaded clamp connection that can be manually actuated by the actuating lever, which spring-loaded clamp connection comprises a compression spring, a clamping bolt that extends through the compression spring, and a clamping body for clampingly receiving the electrical conductor to be connected. The clamping bolt is connected to the actuating lever and, on the side of the compression spring facing away from the actuating lever, to the clamping body. The connection terminal according to the invention allows tool-free, or at least almost tool-free, connection of an electrical conductor to an electrical device by means of advantageous spring-loaded clamp connection technology. In this case, no screw connection needs to be tightened manually, as is the case with known grounding connections.

[0004] The terminal according to the invention allows for easy handling, thus saving effort and providing an efficient, time-saving connection process. The electrical connection between the electrical conductor and the electrical device established by the terminal requires particularly low maintenance because the preloaded compression spring permanently maintains the electrical contact, eliminating the need for occasional readjustment of the screw connection, as is the case with the prior art. The compression spring ensures constant pressure on the conductor connection. The operating lever allows for easy and ergonomic operation of the terminal.

[0005] By means of the force of the compression spring, both the connection terminal can be clamped to the electrical device and the electrical conductor can be clamped to the clamping body, for example in a conductor receiving space of the clamping body.

[0006] The invention allows the user to easily establish a quick connection between a grounding conductor and a grounded electrical device, e.g., connecting a grounding conductor (PE conductor) to a grounded mounting plate. The invention can be advantageously used in switchgear construction, especially for mounting plate grounding. The electrical device to which the terminal is connected can be, for example, the housing wall of a switchgear cabinet or an equipotential bonding bar.

[0007] Advantageously, the clamping bolt extends through the compression spring in its longitudinal direction, i.e., in the axial direction. The fact that the clamping bolt is arranged in the space surrounded by the compression spring results in a very compact design of the terminal. The compression spring can be designed, for example, as a spiral spring. The clamping bolt can be connected to the actuating lever on the side of the compression spring facing away from the clamping body. The actuating lever can, in particular, be designed as a pivoting actuating lever.

[0008] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the clamping bolt extends longitudinally through the clamping body. In this case, the clamping bolt can, in particular, extend completely through the clamping body and, if necessary, protrude slightly from the clamping body on the side facing away from the compression spring.

[0009] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the clamping body has at least a first clamping part and at least one second clamping part, wherein the first clamping part is arranged to be movable relative to the second clamping part, wherein the electrical conductor can be clamped between the first clamping part and the second clamping part by means of the spring force of the compression spring. This allows reliable clamping of the electrical conductor while at the same time making the connection terminal easy to handle. For example, the first clamping part and / or the second clamping part can be plate-shaped, e.g. in the manner of a clamping plate. The first and / or second clamping part can also have a U-shaped cross-sectional shape, wherein a part of the respective other clamping part can be accommodated within the U-shaped cross-section of one of the clamping parts.The clamping body, in particular the second clamping part, can advantageously be made of a material with good electrical conductivity, in particular a metal material.

[0010] As mentioned, the first clamping part is arranged to be movable relative to the second clamping part. Both the first clamping part and the second clamping part can be arranged to be movable relative to the clamping bolt. A clamping part arranged to be movable relative to the clamping bolt can be movable, in particular, in the longitudinal direction of the clamping bolt. A clamping part arranged to be movable relative to the clamping bolt can be movable, in particular, in such a way that it is arranged to be displaceable and / or pivotable relative to the clamping bolt. The second clamping part can be pressed against the first clamping part by means of the force of the compression spring.

[0011] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the compression spring is supported, with its end facing away from the actuating lever, directly or indirectly via at least one additional component on the second clamping part. The second clamping part or the additional component can thus form a type of bearing plate for the compression spring.

[0012] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the terminal has a mushroom-shaped holder with which the terminal can be attached to the electrical device. This allows for simple, quick attachment of the terminal to the electrical device. For example, the electrical device can have a keyhole-shaped recess through which the mushroom-shaped holder can be inserted and then moved into a narrower area of ​​the keyhole-shaped recess, where it can then be clamped.

[0013] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the mushroom-shaped holder protrudes on the side of the clamping body facing away from the compression spring. This allows for easy handling of the terminal when connecting, for example, a ground wire to a mounting plate.

[0014] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the mushroom-shaped holder is mounted so that it can move relative to the clamping body. In this way, the distance between the mushroom-shaped holder and the clamping body can be changed, whereby the connection terminal can be attached to the electrical device in a simple and ergonomic manner by means of the mushroom-shaped holder. For example, the electrical device, e.g. in the form of a mounting plate, can be clamped between the mushroom-shaped holder and the clamping body by means of the force of the compression spring. The mushroom-shaped holder can, for example, be mounted so that it can move relative to the clamping body in such a way that it can be displaced and / or pivoted relative to the clamping body.

[0015] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the mushroom-shaped holder is secured to the clamping bolt at least in the longitudinal direction. The mushroom-shaped holder can be arranged, in particular, at the end of the clamping bolt facing away from the actuating lever. In an advantageous embodiment, the mushroom-shaped holder can be formed integrally with the clamping bolt. For example, the mushroom-shaped holder can form an end of the clamping bolt facing away from the actuating lever.

[0016] The mushroom-shaped holder can, in particular, be mushroom-shaped in such a way that it protrudes axially beyond the clamping bolt on at least one side. The mushroom-shaped holder can also protrude axially beyond the clamping bolt all the way around. The clamping bolt can be designed as a cylindrical bolt or as a bolt with a different cross-sectional shape, for example, polygonal.

[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the actuating lever has a sliding contour with which it is slidably mounted directly on the compression spring or on a bearing body arranged between the sliding contour and the compression spring. This enables a particularly simple and robust construction of the connection terminal. In particular, no complex bearing elements are required. This also allows the connection terminal to be designed to be particularly user-friendly and maintenance-free. In an advantageous embodiment, a corresponding sliding surface of the compression spring or the bearing body, along which the sliding contour is intended to slide, can be designed to be particularly smooth, i.e., with a low level of roughness.

[0018] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the actuating lever is mounted so as to be rotatable about a rotational axis. The rotational axis can be designed, for example, as a fixed rotational axis, i.e., for example, as a corresponding rotating body such as a shaft. The rotational axis of the actuating lever can, for example, run orthogonally to the longitudinal direction of the clamping bolt.

[0019] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the actuating lever has a sliding contour that is eccentrically designed relative to its rotational axis. This enables a very efficient and ergonomic transmission of the actuating force of the actuating lever to the clamping bolt. Even with a compression spring designed for high forces, the design of the eccentric sliding contour ensures that the actuating lever can be manually actuated with moderate forces.

[0020] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the actuating lever is coupled to the clamping bolt via a shaft, which forms the axis of rotation of the actuating lever. Such a shaft can be connected to the actuating lever in a simple manner. The shaft can, for example, be designed as a short cylindrical component that extends transversely through the actuating lever. The actuating lever can, for example, be U-shaped in cross-section with two side walls, so that part of a connecting section of the clamping bolt extends into this U-shaped area between the side walls and is connected to the shaft there. For example, to connect the shaft and the connecting section of the clamping bolt, the shaft can pass through a through-bore, opening or recess in the connecting section of the clamping bolt. For this purpose, the clamping bolt can, for example,have a slot-shaped recess, in particular a slot-shaped recess with a curved or angled course.

[0021] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the actuating lever has a lever arm protruding from the area of ​​the actuating lever where the rotational axis is formed, for manual actuation of the actuating lever. This enables a very advantageous leverage effect, which leads to moderate actuation forces of the connecting terminal.

[0022] The operating lever can be pivoted between an unactuated and an actuated position. In the unactuated position, little or no operating force is transferred from the operating lever to the compression spring. In the actuated position, a significantly higher operating force is transferred from the operating lever to the compression spring than in the unactuated position. The operating lever can be designed to be self-locking in the unactuated and / or actuated position, i.e. the operating lever does not change its currently set unactuated / actuated position without manual actuation. This fixing of the operating lever can be achieved, for example, by an over-center position of the connecting mechanism between the operating lever and the clamping bolt and the bearing of the operating lever on the compression spring.

[0023] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the actuating lever is pivotable through a pivot angle of at least 90°, at least 135°, or at least 180°. This maximum pivot angle is traversed when the actuating lever is moved from the unactuated position to the actuated position and vice versa.

[0024] For the purposes of the present invention, the indefinite term "a" is not to be understood as a numerical term. Therefore, if, for example, a component is mentioned, this is to be interpreted as "at least one component." Angles expressed in degrees refer to a circle of 360 degrees (360°).

[0025] The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments and drawings.

[0026] It shows Fig. 1 a terminal in lateral sectional view, Fig. 2 the terminal according to Fig. 1 in perspective sectional view.

[0027] The connection terminal 1 shown in the figures has a manually operable actuating lever 5 and a spring-loaded terminal connection which can be manually actuated by the actuating lever 5 and which has a compression spring 4, a clamping bolt 6 passing through the compression spring 4 and a clamping body 3.

[0028] In this case, the clamping body 3 is constructed in several parts, e.g., in two parts, and has a first clamping part 31 and a second clamping part 32. The second clamping part 32 is constructed, e.g., as a clamping plate, and the first clamping part 31 is constructed as a clamping cage 31 surrounding a conductor receiving space 30. At least the first clamping part 31 is arranged to be movable relative to the second clamping part 32 and to be movable relative to the clamping bolt 6, in particular in the longitudinal direction L. The second clamping part 32 can also be movable in the longitudinal direction L relative to the clamping bolt 6.

[0029] For example, the second clamping part 32 can be dimensioned such that it can be inserted into the conductor receiving space 30 of the first clamping part 31. An electrical conductor to be connected can be clamped in the conductor receiving space 30 between the first clamping part 31 and the second clamping part 32 by means of the spring force of the compression spring 4.

[0030] As can be seen, the clamping bolt 6 extends completely through the clamping body 3 in its longitudinal direction L and protrudes slightly from the side of the clamping body 3 facing away from the compression spring 4. In this area, the clamping bolt 6 has a mushroom-shaped holder 7, which serves to fasten the connecting terminal 1 to an electrical device. It can be seen in the figures, which show the connecting terminal 1 with the actuating lever 5 in the unactuated position, that there is a free space 8 between the clamping body 3 and the upper side of the mushroom-shaped holder 7 facing the clamping body 3, into which space a part of the electrical device to which the connecting terminal 1 is to be fastened can be inserted and clamped.

[0031] As can be seen, the compression spring 4 is supported with its second (lower) end 41 on the clamping body 3, in particular the second clamping part 32. At the first end 40, the compression spring 4 is supported on a bearing body 2. The bearing body 2 is movable in the longitudinal direction L relative to the clamping bolt 6.

[0032] The actuating lever 5 is rotatably connected to the clamping bolt 6 via a shaft 51. The shaft 51 is attached to side walls 53 of a U-shaped section of the actuating lever 5. A sliding contour 52 is formed on the side walls 53, over which the actuating lever 5 can be guided slidably along the bearing body 2 during pivoting. It can be seen that the sliding contour 52 is arranged eccentrically to the axis of rotation of the actuating lever 5 defined by the shaft 51. The actuating lever 5 has a projecting lever arm 50 for manual actuation.

[0033] If the operating lever 5 is pivoted to the right in the illustrations in the figures, e.g. by approximately 180°, a force is transmitted to the compression spring 4 by means of the bearing body 2 via the eccentric sliding contour 52. The compression spring 4 is tensioned in this way and correspondingly transmits a compressive force to the second clamping part 32. If an electrical conductor is accommodated in the conductor receiving space 30, the compressive force is transmitted via this to the first clamping part 31 and from the first clamping part 31 to an electrical device arranged in the free space 8. The mushroom-head-shaped holder 7 serves as a counterbearing for absorbing these compressive forces. In this way, the force of the compression spring 4 clamps the electrical conductor in the conductor receiving space 30 and the electrical device in the free space 8.

[0034] For example, an electrical conductor with a wire end sleeve or fork cable lug can be arranged in the conductor receiving space 30.

[0035] The mushroom-shaped holder 7 can be conical or otherwise tapered on its side facing away from the clamping body 3, which simplifies the insertion of the mushroom-shaped holder 7 into an opening of a mounting plate. List of reference symbols 1 connection terminal 2 bearing bodies 3 clamping bodies 4 compression spring 5 operating levers 6 clamping bolts 7 mushroom-shaped holder 8 Free space 30 ladder storage room 31 first clamping part 32 second clamping part 40 first end of the compression spring 41 second end of the compression spring 50 lever arm 51 Wave 52 eccentric sliding contour 53 Side wall L longitudinal direction

Claims

[1] Connection terminal (1) for connecting an electrical conductor to an electrical device, with an actuating lever (5) and a spring-loaded clamping connection which can be manually actuated by the actuating lever (5), which has a compression spring (4), a clamping bolt (6) which passes through the compression spring (4) and a clamping body (3) for clampingly receiving the electrical conductor to be connected, wherein the clamping bolt (6) is connected to the actuating lever (5) and, on the side (41) of the compression spring (6) facing away from the actuating lever (5), to the clamping body (3). [2] Terminal according to claim 1, characterized by that the clamping bolt (6) projects through the clamping body (3) in its longitudinal direction (L). [3] Terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the clamping body (3) has at least a first clamping part (31) and at least a second clamping part (32), wherein the first clamping part (31) is arranged to be movable relative to the second clamping part (32), wherein the electrical conductor can be clamped between the first clamping part (31) and the second clamping part (32) by means of the spring force of the compression spring (4). [4] Terminal according to claim 3, characterized by that the compression spring (4) is supported with its end (41) facing away from the actuating lever (5) directly or indirectly via at least one further component on the second clamping part (32). [5] Terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the connecting terminal (1) has a mushroom-shaped holder (7) with which the connecting terminal (1) can be fastened to the electrical device. [6] Terminal according to claim 5, characterized bythat the mushroom-shaped holder (7) protrudes on the side of the clamping body (3) facing away from the compression spring (4). [7] Terminal according to one of claims 5 to 6, characterized by that the mushroom-shaped holder (7) is movably mounted relative to the clamping body (3). [8] Terminal according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized by that the mushroom-shaped holder (7) is fixed to the clamping bolt (6) at least in the longitudinal direction (L). [9] Terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the actuating lever (5) has a sliding contour (52) with which it is slidably mounted directly on the compression spring (4) or on a bearing body (2) arranged between the sliding contour (52) and the compression spring (4). [10] Connection terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuating lever (5) is mounted so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation. [11] Terminal according to claim 10, characterized bythat the actuating lever (5) has a sliding contour (52) which is eccentric relative to its axis of rotation. [12] Terminal according to one of claims 10 to 11, characterized by that the operating lever (5) is coupled to the clamping bolt (6) via a shaft (51) which forms the axis of rotation of the operating lever (5). [13] Terminal according to one of claims 10 to 12, characterized by that the actuating lever (5) has a lever arm (50) projecting from the region of the actuating lever (5) on which the axis of rotation is formed, for manual actuation of the actuating lever (5). [14] Terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the actuating lever (5) can be pivoted over a pivoting angle of at least 90°, at least 135° or at least 180°.

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