conductor connection terminal

Abstract

A conductor terminal (1) with an insulating housing (2) having at least one conductor entry opening (20) for receiving an electrical conductor (9) in a conductor entry direction (L), wherein at least one spring-loaded clamping connection for connecting the electrical conductor (9) by means of spring force is arranged in the insulating housing (2), wherein the spring-loaded clamping connection has at least one clamping spring (4) having at least one clamping leg (42, 43) with a clamping edge (46) for clamping the electrical conductor (9) at a clamping point, wherein the conductor terminal (1) has at least one manual actuating element (6) by which, when a handle section (60) of the actuating element is manually actuated on a first outer surface (23) of the insulating housing (2), the clamping leg (42, 43) can be moved into an open position in which the electrical conductor (9) can be guided to the clamping point without force, characterized in thatthat a first locking element (83) is arranged on the manual actuating element (6) and a second locking element (50) is arranged on the clamping spring (4), wherein the first and the second locking elements (50, 83) are configured to lock against each other in the open position and thereby hold the at least one clamping leg (42, 43) in the open position by means of the manual actuating element (6).

Description

The invention relates to a conductor terminal with an insulating housing having at least one conductor entry opening for receiving an electrical conductor in a conductor entry direction, wherein at least one spring-loaded clamping connection for connecting the electrical conductor by means of spring force is arranged in the insulating housing, wherein the spring-loaded clamping connection has at least one clamping spring having at least one clamping leg with a clamping edge for clamping the electrical conductor at a clamping point, wherein the conductor terminal has at least one manual actuating element by which, when a handle section of the actuating element is manually accessible on a first outer surface of the insulating housing, the clamping leg can be moved into an open position in which the electrical conductor can be guided to the clamping point without force. Such a conductor terminal is known from DE 10 2020 119 372 A1. It is a conductor terminal with automatic connection of the electrical conductor to be connected when the conductor is inserted into the terminal. Insertion of the electrical conductor automatically releases the clamping leg of the clamping spring, which is held in an open position, thereby clamping the electrical conductor securely. Based on this, the object of the present invention is to provide a further improved conductor terminal. This problem is solved in a conductor terminal of the type mentioned above by arranging a first locking element on the manual actuating element, e.g., integrally molded onto it, and a second locking element on the clamping spring, e.g., integrally molded onto it. The first and second locking elements are designed to engage against each other in the open position, thereby holding at least one clamping leg in the open position by means of the manual actuating element. In this way, existing and proven conductor terminal designs can be extended to include automatic conductor connection functionality. Furthermore, the conductor terminal can be very simple and comprised of few parts, in particular only the insulating housing, the clamping spring, and the manual actuating element. Very little installation space is required for the construction of the conductor terminal. The manual actuating element can be designed, for example, as a pivoting actuating lever, a sliding actuating push button, or an actuating slide. A typical characteristic of an actuating push button or actuating slide is its essentially linear movement during actuation. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the manual actuating element is designed as an actuating slide, which is configured to move the clamping arm into the open position by means of a sliding movement running essentially parallel to the first outer surface of the housing. This enables advantageous sliding actuation of the conductor terminal. As a result, the actuating element can be integrated into the conductor terminal in a very space-saving manner. Furthermore, existing and proven conductor terminal designs that were previously designed without an actuating element can be easily modified into a conductor terminal with an actuating element for the clamping arm, without requiring a complete redesign. As mentioned, the invention enables the clamping arm to be actuated by means of the actuating slide. Unlike a push-button actuation, with an actuating slide, the handle section, which is manually accessible on the first outer surface of the housing, can be manually actuated by the user at any time, particularly without additional tools. The handle section can be permanently accessible and / or visible on the first outer surface of the housing, i.e., in every actuating position of the actuating slide. In this way, the actuating slide, by means of its handle section, can also simultaneously serve as an indicator element for showing the actuating position of the clamping arm (clamping position or open position). The position of the handle section thus makes it easy for the user to see from the outside whether the clamping arm is in the open or clamping position. The actuating slide can, for example, be slidably mounted within the insulating housing. The manually accessible handle section can, for example, be slidably mounted on the first outer surface of the housing, such that the manual handle section slides along this surface when actuated. The actuating slide can have at least one spring-loaded actuator that allows the clamping arm to move into the open position when the actuating slide is manually actuated. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the manual handle section is arranged behind the clamping point in the conductor insertion direction. In this way, the manual actuating element, particularly in the embodiment as an actuating slider, can advantageously be designed as a pull-push element, by which a tensile force is transmitted from the manual handle section to a spring driver of the actuating element. As mentioned, the conductor terminal has at least one clamping leg. If only one clamping leg is present, the conductor terminal can have a busbar as a counter-bearing for clamping the electrical conductor, against which the electrical conductor can be pressed by means of the clamping leg. The clamping arm, together with a contact section of the busbar, can form a clamping point for connecting an electrical conductor between the clamping arm and the contact section. In the open position, at least the clamping edge of the clamping arm is pivoted away from the contact section of the busbar. The clamping arm can be pivoted, for example, between an open position in which the electrical conductor is freely movable between the clamping arm and the contact section, and a clamped position in which the clamping arm clamps the electrical conductor to the contact section. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the clamping spring has two opposing clamping legs, each with a clamping edge, between which the electrical conductor can be clamped. In this way, the electrical conductor can be clamped solely by the two clamping legs of the clamping spring, thus eliminating the need for a busbar as a separate component. The clamping point is then located between the clamping edges of the clamping legs. The clamping legs can be shaped as mirror images of each other. In the open position, the clamping edges are further apart than in the clamped position. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the two clamping legs are connected to each other via a connecting section of the clamping spring, with a detent section of the clamping spring branching off from the connecting section, on which the second detent element is arranged or formed. This allows the manual actuating element to be easily locked to the clamping spring with its first detent element. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the manual actuating element has a wedge-shaped spring driver, which, when the actuating element is manually actuated, allows at least one clamping leg to be moved into the open position. The wedge shape of the spring driver allows the clamping leg to be deflected gently towards the open position during actuation. During manual actuation, e.g., when moving the actuating slider, the wedge-shaped spring driver can slide along the clamping leg. If the clamping spring has two opposing clamping legs, the spring driver can be wedge-shaped on both sides and inserted into the space between the clamping legs to deflect them in opposite directions during manual actuation, thus spreading them apart. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the spring driver has a conductor feedthrough opening through which the electrical conductor to be clamped can be guided to the clamping point, wherein the conductor feedthrough opening is predominantly or completely surrounded on its circumference by the material of the spring driver. This allows for a particularly space-saving design of the conductor connection terminal as well as a favorable positioning of the wedge-shaped spring driver in the area of ​​the opposing clamping legs. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one clamping arm can be pressed into the open position by the spring-loaded actuator by means of a compressive force. This enables a simple and efficient transmission of the actuating force to the clamping arm or the two clamping arms. If two clamping arms are present, the spring-loaded actuator can be clamped between the two clamping arms so that it is supported by the opposing clamping arms. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the spring-loaded actuator is connected to the handle section via at least one tension arm, wherein, when the clamping leg is actuated by the at least one spring-loaded actuator, the at least one tension arm is subjected to a tensile force. Because the tension arm is only subjected to a tensile force, it can be designed to be relatively narrow and delicate, as it does not need to be particularly rigid. In this way, the actuating slider can be easily integrated into the conductor terminal and requires little space. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the conductor terminal is designed without a busbar. Accordingly, the conductor terminal can be of a particularly simple design because it requires only a few components. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the conductor terminal has a release element, the actuation of which releases the locking mechanism between the first and second locking elements when an electrical conductor to be connected exerts an actuating force on a release section of the release element. The release element can have a release section. The actuating element, held in the open position, can be released by the release element when an electrical conductor to be connected exerts an actuating force on the release section. The actuating element is then moved back by the clamping spring, and at least one clamping leg springs out. This allows the clamping leg to be automatically released by inserting the electrical conductor. The release section can be opened by a separate tool, a component of the conductor terminal, such as...an actuating element or directly via the inserted electrical conductor itself is subjected to pressure, thereby causing the locking mechanism to release. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the release element is arranged on the manual actuating element, and in particular is integrally formed with the manual actuating element. This further simplifies the design of the conductor connection terminal and the assembly of the components. The manual actuating element can, for example, be a plastic component to which the release element can be integrally molded. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the release element is designed in the form of a lever or a rocker, wherein the first locking element is arranged on a first arm of the lever or rocker and the release section is arranged on a second arm of the lever or rocker, the first arm extending in a direction away from the second arm, wherein, by applying a release force to the release section of the release element, the first locking element can be moved from the position locked to the second locking element. Such a release element designed in the form of a lever or a rocker typically performs a pivoting movement when the release section is acted upon with the actuating force. During this pivoting movement, the first arm and the second arm pivot in the same direction of rotation.This allows, in particular, a translational movement caused by the electrical conductor on the release section to be converted into a rotational movement, which allows the first locking element to be released from the second locking element. After the locking mechanism is released, at least one clamping leg springs out and clamps the electrical conductor firmly at the clamping point. 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°). The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows a conductor terminal in a perspective view; Fig. 2 shows a clamping spring of the conductor terminal according to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a manual actuating element of the conductor terminal according to Fig. 1; Fig. 4 shows the clamping spring with the actuating element in the assembled state; Fig. 5 shows the arrangement according to Fig. 4 in a side view; Fig. 6 shows the conductor terminal according to Fig. 1 in a lateral sectional view in the clamping position without an inserted electrical conductor; Fig. 7 shows the conductor terminal in a longitudinal sectional view orthogonal to Fig. 6; Fig. 8 shows the conductor terminal according to Fig. 6 in an intermediate position; Fig. 9 shows the conductor terminal according to Fig. 8 in a longitudinal sectional view orthogonal to Fig. 8; Fig. 10 shows the conductor terminal according to Fig. 6 in the latched open position; Fig. 11 shows the conductor terminal according to Fig. 6 in the open position.Fig. 10 in a longitudinal section view orthogonal to Fig. 10, Fig. 12 the conductor terminal according to Fig. 6 in the clamping position with clamped electrical conductor, Fig. 13 the conductor terminal according to Fig. 12 in a section plane parallel to Fig. 12, Fig. 14 the conductor terminal according to Fig. 12 in a longitudinal section view orthogonal to Fig. 12. Fig. 1 shows a conductor terminal 1 having an insulating housing 2. A spring-loaded clamping connection with a clamping spring 4 is arranged in the insulating housing 2. The conductor terminal 1 also has a manual actuating element 6 for actuating the clamping legs 42, 43 of the clamping spring 4. The construction of the clamping spring 4 is explained below with reference to Fig. 2, which shows the clamping spring 4 as a single component. The clamping spring 4 has two opposing clamping legs 42, 43, which are arranged symmetrically to each other and are shaped in a heart-like form. The clamping legs 42, 43 each terminate at their free end with a clamping edge 46. An electrical conductor can be clamped between the clamping edges 46. The clamping legs 42, 43 are connected to each other at their end furthest from the clamping edge 46 by a connecting section 41. A detent section 40 branches off from the connecting section 41. A second detent element 50 is formed on the detent section 40, e.g., in the form of a detent edge or detent opening. One or more external connections 44 are also arranged on the detent section 40, with which the spring-clamp connection on the outside of the insulating housing 2 can be connected to other components, e.g.,with an electrical circuit board. The construction of the manual actuating element 6 is explained with reference to Fig. 3, which shows the manual actuating element 6 as a single component. The actuating element 6 has a handle section 60, which is designed for the application of manual actuating force by the user. From the handle section 60, the actuating element 6 extends over two spaced-apart pull arms 65 to a wedge-shaped spring driver 62, which serves to actuate the clamping arms 42, 43, i.e., to move the clamping arms 42, 43 into an open position. The spring driver 62 is box-shaped and has a conductor feed-through opening 61 through which the electrical conductor to be clamped can be passed. A release element 8 is integrally formed on the actuating element 6.The release element 8 is designed as a pivotable lever or rocker and has a first arm 81 on which a first locking element 83 is arranged, and a second arm 82 on which a release section 80 is arranged. The second arm 82 extends at an angle, e.g., a substantially right angle, to the first arm 81. As further illustrated in Fig. 1, the conductor terminal 1 in the insulating housing 2 has a conductor entry opening 20. The spring driver 62 is arranged in the area of ​​the conductor entry opening 20. An electrical conductor can be inserted through the conductor entry opening 20 and, in particular, through the conductor feedthrough opening 61 in a conductor entry direction L in order to be clamped between the clamping edges 46. The actuating element 6 can be moved in a sliding direction V by actuating the handle section 60. The handle section 60 is supported on a first outer surface 23 of the insulating housing 2 and slides along it during the sliding movement. As the sliding movement is performed, the spring driver 62 spreads the clamping arms 42, 43 apart, i.e., pivots them in opposite directions until they reach an open position. In this open position, the first locking element 83 engages with the second locking element 50. This engagement holds the actuating element 6 in this position and prevents it from being moved back by the spring force acting on the clamping arms 42, 43. This keeps the clamping arms 42, 43 in the open position even without further manual actuation of the actuating element 6. The actuating element 6 and the clamping legs 42, 43 are held in the open position by the locking of the first locking element 83 on the second locking element 50. This can be released by the release element 8 by inserting an electrical conductor in the conductor insertion direction L and pressing its end against the release section 80, thereby exerting an actuating force on the release section 80. This releases the locking between the first locking element 83 and the second locking element 50, as will be explained below. To further illustrate the construction of the clamping spring 4 and the actuating element 6, these elements are shown in different views without the insulating housing 2 in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. Figures 6 and 7 show the conductor terminal 1 in different sectional views in the clamping position, i.e., with the actuating element 6 unactuated and without an inserted electrical conductor. The clamping legs 42, 43 and their clamping edges 46 are arranged relatively close to each other. The first locking element 83 on the first arm 81 of the release element 8 is not yet in the area of ​​the recess of the second locking element 50, so that locking is not yet possible. When the actuating element 6 is actuated in the direction of movement V, the state shown in Figures 8 and 9 is established. It can be seen that the wedge-shaped spring driver 62 causes the clamping edges 46 of the clamping arms 42, 43 to be spaced further apart than in Figure 6. The clamping point is thus widened by the spring driver 62, and the clamping arms 42, 43 are spread slightly apart. Figures 8 and 9 depict an intermediate state during the movement of the clamping spring 4 into the latched open position, in which the actuating element 6 is deflected beyond the latched / open position into an end stop position. As can be seen particularly in Fig. 9, the release element 8 with the first locking element 83 is now pivoted slightly counterclockwise compared to the state shown in Fig. 7 and shifted rearward in the conductor insertion direction L. The first locking element 83 now engages in the recess of the second locking element 50. When the actuating element 6 is released, i.e., no longer manually actuated, the state shown in Figures 10 and 11 is established. It can be seen that the actuating element 6 is moved back slightly against the direction of displacement V by the force of the clamping spring 4. Because the first detent element 83 engages in the recess of the second detent element 50, the first detent element 83 now rests against the second detent element 50 and is thus locked to it. This means that at least one clamping leg 42, 43 is held in the open position by means of the manual actuating element 6. If an electrical conductor 9 is now inserted through the conductor feedthrough opening 61, as indicated in Figs. 12, 13 to 14, an actuating force can be exerted on the release section 80 by this electrical conductor 9. If the end of the electrical conductor 9 now presses against the release section 80, the release element can be pivoted again in the opposite direction, thereby moving the first locking element 83 out of the recess of the second locking element 50 and thus releasing the locking mechanism. Here, the release element 8 is pivoted back into the position shown in Fig. 7, which moves the first locking element 83 away from the recess of the second locking element 50, thus releasing the locking mechanism. This state is shown in Figs. 12, 13 to 14. With the locking mechanism released, the clamping arms 42, 43 spring back due to their spring preload, causing the actuating element 6 to move back slightly against the direction of movement V via the spring driver 62. The electrical conductor is then clamped between the clamping edges 46 of the clamping arms 42, 43, as illustrated by the sectional view in Fig. 13. Reference symbol list 1 Conductor terminal 2 Insulating housing 4 Clamping spring 6 Manual actuating element 8 Release element 9 Electrical conductor 20 Conductor entry opening 23 First housing outer side 40 Locking section 41 Connecting section 42 Clamping leg 43 Clamping leg 44 External connection 46 Clamping edge 50 Second locking element 60 Handle section 61 Conductor entry opening 62 Spring driver 65 Pull arm 80 Release section 81 First arm 82 Second arm 83 First locking element L Conductor entry direction V Sliding direction QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION 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 DE 10 2020 119 372 A1

[0002]

Claims

A conductor terminal (1) with an insulating housing (2) having at least one conductor entry opening (20) for receiving an electrical conductor (9) in a conductor entry direction (L), wherein at least one spring-loaded clamping connection for connecting the electrical conductor (9) by means of spring force is arranged in the insulating housing (2), wherein the spring-loaded clamping connection has at least one clamping spring (4) having at least one clamping leg (42, 43) with a clamping edge (46) for clamping the electrical conductor (9) at a clamping point, wherein the conductor terminal (1) has at least one manual actuating element (6) by which, when a handle section (60) of the actuating element, which is manually accessible on a first outer surface (23) of the insulating housing (2), the clamping leg (42, 43) can be moved into an open position in which the electrical conductor (9) can be guided to the clamping point without force, characterized in thatthat a first locking element (83) is arranged on the manual actuating element (6) and a second locking element (50) is arranged on the clamping spring (4), wherein the first and the second locking elements (50, 83) are configured to lock against each other in the open position and thereby hold the at least one clamping leg (42, 43) in the open position by means of the manual actuating element (6). Conductor terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that the manual actuating element (6) is designed as an actuating slide which is arranged to move the clamping leg (42, 43) into the open position by means of a sliding movement running substantially parallel to the first outer surface of the housing (23). Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the manual handle section (60) is arranged behind the clamping point in the conductor insertion direction (L). Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping spring (4) has two opposing clamping legs (42, 43) each with a clamping edge (46) between which the electrical conductor (9) can be clamped. Conductor terminal according to claim 4, characterized in that the two clamping legs (42, 43) are connected to each other via a connecting section (41) of the clamping spring (4), wherein a locking section (40) of the clamping spring (4) branches off from the connecting section (41), on which the second locking element (50) is arranged. Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the manual actuating element (6) has a wedge-shaped spring driver (62) by which, when the actuating element (6) is manually actuated, the at least one clamping leg (42, 43) can be moved into the open position. Conductor terminal according to claim 6, characterized in that the spring driver (62) has a conductor feedthrough opening (61) through which the electrical conductor (9) to be clamped can be guided to the clamping point, wherein the conductor feedthrough opening (61) is predominantly or completely surrounded on its circumference by the material of the spring driver (62). Conductor terminal according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the at least one clamping leg (42, 43) can be pressed into the open position by means of a pressure force by the spring driver (62). Conductor terminal according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the spring driver (62) is connected to the handle section (60) via at least one pull arm (65), wherein when the clamping leg (42, 43) is actuated by the at least one spring driver (62) the at least one pull arm (65) is subjected to a tensile force. Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conductor terminal (1) is designed without a busbar. Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conductor terminal (1) has a release element (8) by actuation of which the locking between the first and the second locking element (50, 83) can be released when an electrical conductor (9) to be clamped exerts an actuating force on a release section (80) of the release element (8). Conductor terminal according to claim 11, characterized in that the release element (8) is arranged on the manual actuating element (6), in particular is formed integrally with the manual actuating element (6). Conductor terminal according to one of claims 11 to 12, characterized in that the release element (8) is designed in the form of a lever or a rocker, wherein the first locking element (83) is arranged on a first arm (81) of the lever or rocker and the release section (80) is arranged on a second arm (82) of the lever or rocker, wherein the first arm (81) extends in a direction away from the second arm (82), wherein by exerting a release force on the release section (80) of the release element (8) the first locking element (83) can be moved from the position locked on the second locking element (50).

Images