insulation displacement connection and conductor connection terminal

Abstract

Insulation displacement connection for stripping-free clamping of a cable (9) formed with an insulating sheath (90), in which at least one electrical conductor (91) is arranged inside the insulating sheath (90), wherein the insulation displacement connection has at least one stationary first cutting blade (31) which is configured to cut the insulating sheath (90) of the cable (9) and to electrically contact the inner electrical conductor (91), characterized in that the insulation displacement connection has at least one second cutting blade (41) which is configured to cut the insulating sheath (90) of the cable (9) and to electrically contact the inner electrical conductor (91), wherein the second cutting blade (41) is movably mounted relative to the first cutting blade (31), wherein the electrical conductor (91) can be clamped in a receiving area between the first cutting blade (31) and the second cutting blade (41).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an insulation displacement connection (IDC) for the stripping-free clamping of a cable with an insulating sheath, in which at least one electrical conductor is arranged within the insulating sheath. The IDC has at least one stationary first cutting blade configured to cut the insulating sheath of the cable and electrically contact the inner electrical conductor. The first cutting blade can, for example, be stationary in an insulating housing of a conductor terminal, in which the spring-loaded clamping connection is housed. The invention also relates to a conductor terminal with such an IDC.

[0002] Insulation displacement contacts (IDCs) are known for stripping-free connection to cables with insulating sheaths. These are known, for example, as insulation displacement contacts or IDCs. With such a contact element, the electrical conductor located inside the insulating sheath can be directly electrically connected without the need for a separate stripping process in which a portion of the insulating sheath is removed from the conductor. Instead, such a contact element can be pressed directly onto the cable, automatically cutting through the insulating sheath and making contact with the conductor inside. Stripping-free connection refers to such a connection process where no separate stripping process is required beforehand.

[0003] From DE 198 35 459 C2 a terminal block for electrical conductors without stripping is known, which has a stationary conductive cutting element.

[0004] The invention is based on the objective of providing an improved insulation displacement connection and a conductor terminal formed therewith.

[0005] This problem is solved in an insulation displacement connection of the type mentioned above by providing the connection with at least a second cutting blade, which is configured to cut the insulation sheath of the cable and electrically contact the inner electrical conductor, wherein the second cutting blade is movably mounted relative to the first cutting blade, and wherein the electrical conductor can be clamped in a receiving area between the first and second cutting blades. The insulation displacement connection according to the invention thus has at least two counter-rotating cutting blades, each serving to cut the insulation sheath and to electrically contact the inner electrical conductor. In this way, the insulation sheath can be cut from two opposite sides, so that the inner electrical conductor can be made more easily.The internal electrical conductor can then be electrically contacted by both the first and second cutting blades and clamped between them. In this way, when connected, there are multiple contact points around the circumference of the electrical conductor, enabling improved electrical contact.

[0006] To connect the electrical conductor, the second cutting blade must be positioned relative to the first cutting blade such that there is sufficient space in the receiving area between the first and second cutting blades for inserting the cable to be connected, including its insulation. This is called the open position. Once the cable is positioned at the desired location in the receiving area, a relative movement of the second cutting blade towards the first blade moves it towards the first, automatically cutting the insulation with both blades and clamping the electrical conductor. This is called the clamping position. The movement of the second cutting blade towards the first blade can be initiated, for example, manually by the user.by providing that the insulation displacement connection or a conductor terminal having an insulation displacement connection has a manual actuating element with which the second cutting blade can perform the desired relative movement to the first cutting blade.

[0007] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the insulation displacement connection has at least one clamping spring by which at least the second cutting blade is biased towards the first cutting blade with a spring force. This has the advantage that the clamping spring provides a permanent spring preload between the first and second cutting blades, so that the electrical conductor clamped between the first and second cutting blades can be permanently biased with a spring force, thereby ensuring a reliable electrical contact over the long term. The electrical conductor can then be pressed against the respective cutting edges of the first and second cutting blades by means of the spring force.

[0008] The clamping spring also allows the second cutting blade to move automatically from the open position to the clamped position, where the electrical conductor between the first and second cutting blades is clamped. In this case, the user does not necessarily have to manually move the second cutting blade towards the first. Depending on the design of the insulation displacement connection, the user can, for example, actuate a release element that enables the second cutting blade to move towards the first by means of the clamping spring.

[0009] In this embodiment, the insulation displacement connection is also advantageously suited for an automatic conductor connection, in which the release for the spring-loaded movement of the second cutting blade towards the first cutting blade can be triggered by the inserted cable itself.

[0010] Depending on the design of the insulation displacement connection, the clamping spring can be configured as a compression spring or a tension spring. It is also possible for the clamping spring to be configured as an arrangement of several individual springs, comprising at least one compression spring and / or at least one tension spring.

[0011] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first cutting blade and / or the second cutting blade each have a V-shaped cutting edge pointing towards the receiving area. Such a V-shaped cutting edge centers the electrical conductor during the clamping process and allows for particularly good electrical contact. Furthermore, the insulation sheath can be cut evenly from both sides. If both the first and second cutting blades have a V-shaped cutting edge, these V-shaped cutting edges are aligned facing each other, so that the electrical conductor can be gripped and held from opposite sides by the V-shaped cutting edges of the first and second cutting blades, respectively.

[0012] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the second cutting blade has a wider or narrower cutting edge in a lateral direction than the first cutting blade. This further improves the centering of the electrical conductor between the first and second cutting blades. The lateral direction can be a spatial direction that is orthogonal to the direction of movement of the second cutting blade and orthogonal to the conductor insertion direction of the cable into the spring-loaded terminal.

[0013] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the second cutting blade is movable relative to the first cutting blade in a linear displacement direction. This allows for reliable and secure guidance of the second cutting blade during its relative movement. The second cutting blade can, for example, be guided in a linear guide, such as a guide rail. Alternatively, the second cutting blade can also be movable relative to the first cutting blade in another way, for example, by pivoting.

[0014] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first cutting blade is electrically connected to the second cutting blade. This allows for particularly good electrical contact of a connected electrical conductor via the first and second cutting blades. A corresponding external contact of the insulation displacement connector then only needs to be electrically connected to one of the first and second cutting blades.

[0015] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the insulation displacement connector (IDC) has a busbar for transmitting electrical current from or to an electrical conductor connected to the IDC, wherein the first or second cutting blade is coupled to or integrally formed with the busbar. Such a busbar enables efficient current transmission, particularly of higher currents. The busbar can be made of a highly conductive material, such as copper or a copper alloy. The fact that at least one of the cutting blades is coupled to the busbar further optimizes current transmission from the cutting blade to the busbar. In the case of integral forming of a cutting blade with the busbar, the number of components can be minimized and assembly effort reduced.

[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the busbar has a feed-through opening for the electrical conductor to be connected. Such a feed-through opening can be predominantly or completely surrounded by the busbar material. In this way, the electrical conductor is securely held within the receiving area and cannot move sideways unintentionally. The busbar can, for example, have a main body in which the feed-through opening is formed. The main body can be designed as an elongated, flat, essentially planar sheet metal part.

[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first cutting blade is arranged on the inside of the feedthrough opening. This allows for a particularly advantageous integral, i.e., one-piece, design of the first cutting blade with the busbar. In this process, only the corresponding cutting edges, e.g., the aforementioned V-shaped cutting edge, need to be formed on the inside of the feedthrough opening in a single manufacturing step.

[0018] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the insulation displacement connector (IDC) has a retaining element designed to hold the second cutting blade in an open position relative to the first cutting blade, allowing a cable to be inserted into a receiving area between the first and second cutting blades. This is particularly advantageous in an embodiment of the IDC connector with a pre-tensioned clamping spring, as it eliminates the need to manually hold the IDC connector or the second cutting blade in the open position. The automatic holding of the second cutting blade in the open position by the retaining element allows this state to be maintained for extended periods, particularly without continuous manual operation.

[0019] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the insulation displacement connection (IDC) has a release element, the actuation of which allows the retaining element to be deflected sufficiently to release the second cutting blade held by the retaining element. Such a release element enables the second cutting blade to be released from the retaining element as desired. The release element can be a manually actuated component of the IDC connection.

[0020] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the second cutting blade, which is held on the retaining element in the open position, can be released from the retaining element when an electrical conductor to be clamped exerts an actuating force on a release section of the release element. This has the advantage that simply by inserting the cable into the insulation displacement connector, the second cutting blade can be released from the retaining element, so that the electrical conductor is then automatically exposed by the cutting blades and can be clamped.

[0021] The aforementioned problem is also solved by a conductor terminal block with an insulating housing and at least one insulation displacement connection of the type described above, arranged at least predominantly within the insulating housing, wherein the insulating housing has at least one conductor entry opening for inserting a cable in one conductor entry direction. The advantages described above can also be realized in this way.

[0022] For the purposes of the present invention, the indefinite term "a" is not to be understood as a numeral. Therefore, when, for example, a component is mentioned, this is to be interpreted as "at least one component". Where angles are specified in degrees, these refer to a circle of 360 degrees (360°).

[0023] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings. These show... Fig. 1 a conductor terminal block in side view, Fig. 2 the conductor connection terminal according to Fig. 1 in top view, Fig. 3 the conductor connection terminal according to Fig. 1 in side sectional view, Fig. 4 Another embodiment of a conductor terminal block in side view, Fig. 5 the conductor connection terminal according to Fig. 4 in side sectional view, Fig. 6 Two busbars in a side section view.

[0024] The Fig. 1, Fig. 2 to Fig. Figure 3 shows a conductor terminal 1 with an insulating housing 2 in which an insulation displacement connection is arranged. Fig. Figure 3 shows the conductor connection terminal 1 in a section plane AA, which is in Fig. 2 is marked.

[0025] The insulation displacement connection (IDC) has a first cutting blade 31 and a second cutting blade 41 arranged opposite the first cutting blade 31. Both the first cutting blade 31 and the second cutting blade 41 have a V-shaped cutting edge. A receiving area for a cable 9 is formed between the first cutting blade 31 and the second cutting blade 41, or rather between their V-shaped cutting edges. The IDC connection serves for the stripping-free clamping of a cable 9, which has an insulating sheath 90 and an electrical conductor 91 arranged within the insulating sheath 90, e.g., a wire or stranded wire. The cable 9 can be inserted into the IDC connection or into the insulating housing 2 in a conductor entry direction L. The insulating housing 2 can, for example, have a conductor entry opening 20 through which the cable 9 can be inserted.

[0026] The first cutting blade 31 is fixed in position, so that it is, for example, essentially immovable relative to the insulating housing 2. The first cutting blade 31 can be part of a busbar 3 of the insulation displacement connection. The busbar 3 can have a main body 30 in which a through-opening 32 is formed. The first cutting blade 31 can be integrally formed with the main body 30 and its V-shaped cutting edge can be positioned, for example, on an inner side of the through-opening 32.

[0027] The second cutting blade 41 can be connected to a pressure element 4 or formed integrally with it. For example, the pressure element 4 can have a pressure body 40, which, similar to the main body 30 of the busbar 3, is designed as an elongated flat body and can, for example, be slidably supported on the main body 30. The pressure element 4 can have a support section 42, which is connected to the pressure body 40. Via the support section 42, the pressure element 4 is applied to a clamping spring 7 with a spring preload. The clamping spring 7, which, according to the illustrations in the figures, can be designed as a helical compression spring, is supported at its other end against a wall 21 of the insulating housing 2. By means of the clamping spring 7, the pressure element 4 with the second cutting blade 41 is mounted under a certain spring preload, with the spring force acting in the direction towards the first cutting blade 31.

[0028] The spiral compression spring can be guided in a metal frame for better support, e.g., also in other dimensions. The second cutting blade 41 can, for example, be arranged at the end of the pressure body 40 facing away from the support section 42.

[0029] Instead of the compression spring shown, which is supported on the wall 21 of the insulating housing 2, the insulation displacement connection can also have a tension spring as a clamping spring 7, e.g., such that the pressure element 4 and the busbar 3 are each connected to one end of the tension spring at opposite ends. In this way, a self-supporting insulation displacement connection can be provided in which the insulating housing 2 is essentially not subjected to forces from the clamping spring 7.

[0030] The clamping spring 7 thus exerts a spring force on the second cutting blade 41 in the direction of the first cutting blade 31. This spring force causes the second cutting blade 41 to move towards the first cutting blade 31, thereby cutting the insulating covering 90 on opposite sides by the first and second cutting blades 31, 41, and electrically contacting the inner electrical conductor 91 by both the first and second cutting blades 31, 41, and clamping it between them.

[0031] Based on the Fig. 4 and Fig. Section 5 describes a further embodiment of a conductor terminal 1, which is presented in somewhat more detail with regard to its design features, particularly concerning the insulating housing 2. The remaining structure and function of the conductor terminal 1 correspond to that described previously in the Fig. 1, Fig. 2 to Fig. 3 explained the structure and function, in particular again with the busbar 3 and the pressure element 4, as well as the first cutting blade 31 and the opposite cutting blade 41.

[0032] Compared to the one based on the Fig. 1, Fig. 2 to Fig. The embodiment described in section 3 shows the Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 Additionally, a manual actuating element 6 is included as part of the conductor terminal 1. The manual actuating element 6 has a manual actuating section 60 accessible outside the insulating housing 2, at which the actuating element 6 can be manually actuated. For example, the actuating element 6 can be designed as a pivotable lever or, as shown, as a sliding push button. When the manual actuating element 6 is actuated at the actuating section 60, i.e., subjected to a compressive force, this compressive force is transmitted via the actuating element 6 to the support section 42, which allows the support section 42, and thus the entire pressure element 4, to be moved to the left into an open position, compressing the clamping spring 4. Fig. 4 and Fig. Figure 5 shows the unactuated state of the actuating element 6, i.e. the clamping position in which the electrical conductor 91 is clamped to the cutting blades 31, 32.

[0033] The first cutting blade 31 and the second cutting blade 41 can have different cutting edge cross-sectional geometries, as shown by the Fig. Figure 6 illustrates this. In the embodiment shown on the left, the first cutting blade 31 can have a cutting edge that is beveled symmetrically or asymmetrically on both sides. In the embodiment shown on the right, the first cutting blade 31 can have a cutting edge beveled on only one side. The second cutting blade 41 can optionally be designed with a cutting edge beveled on both sides or on one side. Reference symbol list 1 conductor connection terminal 2 insulating housings 3 Power rail 4 Pressure element 6 Actuating element 7 clamping spring 9 cables 20 conductor entry openings 21 Wall of the insulating housing 30 main bodies 31 first cutting knife 32 Passage opening 40 pressure bodies 41 second cutting blade 42 Support section 60 manual actuation section 90 Insulation wrapping 91 electrical conductor L conductor entry direction QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 198 35 459 C2

[0003]

Claims

Insulation displacement connection for stripping-free clamping of a cable (9) formed with an insulating sheath (90), in which at least one electrical conductor (91) is arranged inside the insulating sheath (90), wherein the insulation displacement connection has at least one stationary first cutting blade (31) which is configured to cut the insulating sheath (90) of the cable (9) and to electrically contact the inner electrical conductor (91), characterized in that the insulation displacement connection has at least one second cutting blade (41) which is configured to cut the insulating sheath (90) of the cable (9) and to electrically contact the inner electrical conductor (91), wherein the second cutting blade (41) is movably mounted relative to the first cutting blade (31), wherein the electrical conductor (91) can be clamped in a receiving area between the first cutting blade (31) and the second cutting blade (41). Insulation displacement connection according to claim 1, characterized in that the insulation displacement connection has at least one clamping spring (7) by which at least the second cutting blade (41) is subjected to a spring force in the direction of the first cutting blade (31). Insulation clamp connection according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first cutting blade (31) has a V-shaped cutting edge pointing towards the receiving area and / or the second cutting blade (41) has a V-shaped cutting edge pointing towards the receiving area. Insulation clamp connection according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second cutting blade (41) has a wider or a narrower cutting edge in a lateral direction (B) than the first cutting blade (31). Insulation clamp connection according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second cutting blade (41) is relatively movable in a linear displacement direction relative to the first cutting blade (31). Insulation displacement connection according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first cutting blade (31) is electrically connected to the second cutting blade (41). Insulation displacement connection according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insulation displacement connection has a busbar (3) for transmitting electric current from or to an electrical conductor (91) clamped to the insulation displacement connection, wherein the first cutting blade (31) or the second cutting blade (41) is coupled to or integrally formed with the busbar (3). Insulation displacement connection according to claim 7, characterized in that the busbar (3) has a feedthrough opening (32) for passing through the electrical conductor (91) to be connected. Insulation clamp connection according to claim 8, characterized in that the first cutting blade (31) is arranged on an inside of the feedthrough opening (32). Insulation displacement connection according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insulation displacement connection (1) has a retaining element which is configured to hold the second cutting blade (41) in an open position relative to the first cutting blade (31) in which a cable (9) to be connected can be inserted into a receiving area between the first and the second cutting blade (31, 41). Insulation clamp connection according to claim 10, characterized in that the insulation clamp connection has a release element by the actuation of which the retaining element can be deflected to such an extent that the second cutting blade (41) held on the retaining element is released from the retaining element. Insulation clamp connection according to claim 11, characterized in that the second cutting blade (41) held on the retaining element in the open position can be released from the retaining element when an electrical conductor (91) to be clamped exerts an actuating force on a release section of the release element. Conductor terminal (1) with an insulating housing (2) and at least one insulation displacement connection arranged at least predominantly in the insulating housing (2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the insulating housing (2) has at least one conductor entry opening (20) for inserting a cable (9) in a conductor entry direction (L).

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