conductor terminal and electrical connector

Abstract

A conductor terminal (1) with a housing (2) and several spring-loaded clamping terminals (9), each of which has at least one clamping spring (4) with a clamping leg (43) pivotable about a pivot axis for clamping an electrical conductor at a clamping point (32) by means of spring force, wherein the spring-loaded clamping terminals (9) are arranged along an annular track around a center in the housing (2) of the conductor terminal (1), wherein the conductor terminal (11) has a rotary actuating element (5) rotatably mounted about a rotation axis (D) as a manual actuating element, which is configured to pivot several or all clamping legs (43) into an open position when rotated about the rotation axis (D), characterized in that the pivot axes of the clamping legs (43) are aligned in a radial direction to the annular track on which the spring-loaded clamping terminals (9) are arranged in the housing (2).

Description

The invention relates to a conductor terminal block with a housing and several spring-loaded clamping terminals, each of which has at least one clamping spring with a clamping arm pivotable about a pivot axis for clamping an electrical conductor at a clamping point by means of spring force. The spring-loaded clamping terminals are arranged along an annular path around a center point in the housing of the conductor terminal block. The conductor terminal block has a rotary actuating element rotatably mounted about a pivot axis as a manual actuating element, which is configured to pivot several or all clamping arms into an open position when rotated about the pivot axis. By pivoting the clamping arm into the open position, an electrical conductor can be guided to the clamping point without force and, after the clamping arm is moved into a clamping position, clamped there by the clamping arm.The invention also relates to an electrical connector with such a conductor terminal. A generic conductor terminal and a connector are known from DE 20 2021 101 354 U1. The invention is based on the objective of further improving a conductor terminal block and a connector designed with such a rotary actuation. This problem is solved in a conductor terminal of the type mentioned above by aligning the pivot axes of the clamping arms radially to the annular track on which the spring-clamp terminals are arranged in the housing. Such an alignment of the clamping springs or clamping arms enables particularly efficient actuation of multiple clamping springs with a single rotary actuator, while simultaneously allowing for a particularly compact design of the conductor terminal. Furthermore, the actuation forces can be kept low. Such a conductor terminal design can also be easily extended to include the functionality of spring-clamp terminals with automatic conductor connection. The manual actuating element, by which several or all clamping legs can be pivoted with one and the same manual actuation, thus has the function of a general actuating element. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the rotary actuating element has an actuation section for each clamping spring, associated with its clamping leg. This section applies an actuating force acting tangentially to the clamping leg when the rotary actuating element is rotated about its axis of rotation. This design minimizes the complexity of the rotary actuating element. The actuation section can, for example, have a slope that brings it into contact with the clamping leg during actuation. This ensures particularly uniform actuation of the clamping leg. The slope can, for example, be inclined relative to the tangential direction of movement of the rotary actuating element. The tangential direction, like the radial direction, refers to the annular path on which the spring-clamp connections are arranged in the housing. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the actuation sections are designed as projections extending radially inwards from the rotary actuating element. This enables reliable actuation of the clamping legs while maintaining a compact design of the conductor terminal. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the rotary actuating element has a ring shape that encloses the housing and / or the spring-loaded clamping connections in a ring-like manner. Accordingly, the rotary actuating element can be designed as an actuating ring that is rotatably mounted, e.g., on the housing. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the axis of rotation passes through the annular arrangement of the spring-clamp terminals. In this way, the rotary actuation mechanism for actuating the clamping springs can be designed to be structurally simple and therefore particularly cost-effective. The axis of rotation can, for example, pass through the center of the conductor terminal and / or coincide with the central axis, i.e., be identical to the central axis. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the axis of rotation is provided that it runs at least approximately parallel and / or aligned with the conductor insertion direction of some or all of the spring-clamp terminals to be actuated by the rotary actuator. Accordingly, the electrical conductors can be conveniently and unhindered connected to the spring-clamp terminals, advantageously being inserted through the central through-opening of the rotary actuator. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the rotary actuator is rotatably mounted on a housing part of the conductor terminal. The rotary actuator is thus rotatable relative to the housing part about the axis of rotation. This allows for reliable mounting of the rotary actuator with high mechanical stability. For example, the housing part can have a circumferential groove on its outer circumference in which the rotary actuator is arranged and mounted, e.g., in the manner of a sliding bearing. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the rotary actuator is fixed in the direction of its axis of rotation. This has the advantage that the length of the conductor terminal does not change when the rotary actuator is rotated. In a further embodiment, the invention relates to a conductor terminal with a housing and several spring-clamp terminals, each of which has at least one clamping spring with a clamping leg pivotable about a pivot axis for clamping an electrical conductor at a clamping point by means of spring force, wherein the spring-clamp terminals are arranged along an annular path around a center in the housing of the conductor terminal, wherein the conductor terminal has an actuating ring as a manual actuating element, which has an annular shape that annularly surrounds the housing and / or the spring-clamp terminals, wherein the actuating ring is configured to pivot several or all clamping legs into an open position when manually actuated, wherein the actuating ring is manually displaceable in a displacement direction relative to the housing.the direction of displacement is orthogonal to the annular track on which the spring-clamp terminals are arranged in the housing. Advantageously, this creates a sliding actuation of the clamping arms, which is realized by an annular actuating element, i.e., the actuating ring. Such an annular sliding actuating element can be implemented in a very space-saving manner. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the pivot axes of the clamping arms are aligned tangentially to the annular track on which the spring-clamp connections are arranged in the housing. By actuating the actuating ring, the clamping arms can be actuated, for example, in an inwardly directed radial direction. For example, the actuating ring or an intermediate element can have an actuation section for each clamping spring associated with its clamping arm, through which, when the actuating ring is displaced in the direction of movement, the clamping arm can be actuated with a radially acting force. The manual actuating element, by which several or all clamping legs can be pivoted with one and the same manual actuation, also has the function of a general actuating element here. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the conductor terminal for several or all spring-clamp connections has an individual actuating element assigned to each spring-clamp connection, by actuating which an individual clamping leg can be pivoted into the open position. The individual actuating elements are provided in addition to the rotary actuating element or actuating ring. In this case, each individual actuating element can have an actuation section of the type described above for actuating the clamping leg.This allows the user of such a terminal block to, depending on the need and situation, either actuate individual clamping springs or just one clamping spring into the open position by actuating the respective individual actuating element, or alternatively, to actuate the clamping springs of all spring-loaded terminals that can be actuated via the collective actuating element simultaneously into the open position. Actuating several or all spring-loaded terminals simultaneously via the collective actuating element is helpful, for example, when the terminal block is being wired for the first time. However, if partial rewiring is required on an already wired terminal block, it is often not desirable to actuate all clamping springs into the open position, but only those clamping springs that are to be rewired.This allows the user to selectively actuate individual operating elements. For example, the clamping springs can be directly actuated into the open position using the universal operating element. Advantageously, the individual actuating elements can be operated directly by the user manually without the need for an additional tool. It is also conceivable that the individual actuating elements are designed in such a way that actuation is possible with a tool in addition to the individual actuating element, or is possible only with a tool. The individual actuating elements can, in particular, be operated at a point on the outside of the terminal block housing at a respective manual actuating section. Advantageously, the standard actuating element can be operated directly by the user manually without an additional tool. The terminal block housing can be designed as an insulating housing. Furthermore, in the conductor terminal according to the invention, it is advantageously possible to actuate the several or all clamping springs together into the open position by means of the general actuating element and then, after connecting the electrical conductors to the spring-force clamping terminals, to move a respective individual clamping spring into the clamping position in which an electrical conductor is clamped to the spring-force clamping terminal by actuating the respective individual actuating element. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, one, several, or all of the individual actuating elements are designed as pivotable actuating levers, sliding actuating pushbuttons, or other sliding actuating elements. In this way, the conductor connection terminal can be optimally adapted to the respective application with respect to the individual actuating elements, depending on whether lever actuation, pushbutton actuation, or sliding actuation is more advantageous. A sliding actuating pushbutton can be characterized in that it is slidably arranged in an actuating shaft of the housing and can be actuated by applying a pressure force to an end face accessible on the outside of the housing.In contrast, a sliding actuating element, which can also perform a sliding movement like an actuating push button, can be actuated by means of a manual actuating section mounted on the outside of the housing and movable along the outside. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the rotary actuating element or the actuating ring is configured to pivot several or all clamping legs into an open position by actuating several or all individual actuating elements. The general actuating element, i.e., the rotary actuating element or the actuating ring, thus allows for indirect actuation of the clamping legs via the interposed individual actuating element. This enables a particularly wide variety of actuation methods for the individual spring-clamp connections, optionally in the form of general actuation of several or all spring-clamp connections or of individual spring-clamp connections via the respective individual actuating element. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the conductor terminal has a retaining element for one, several, or all of the clamping springs, which is designed to hold the clamping leg of the respective clamping spring in the open position. With the clamping springs fixed in the open position, the electrical conductors can be inserted and connected without force, and without any actuating element needing to be permanently actuated. Each clamping spring can, for example, be held in the open position by a respective retaining element. The retaining element can, for example, act directly on the clamping leg to hold it in the open position. Thus, for instance, a first locking element can be arranged on the clamping leg and a second locking element on the retaining element, with the first and second locking elements being able to interlock in the open position. The first locking element can be designed as a locking projection or locking hook. The second locking element can be designed as a locking edge or locking opening. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the conductor terminal for one, several, or all of the retaining elements has a release element associated with each retaining element, comprising a release section by which the clamping leg, held in the open position on the retaining element, can be released from the retaining element when an electrical conductor to be connected exerts an actuating force on the release section. This allows the clamping leg to be automatically released from the retaining element by inserting the electrical conductor. The release section can be actuated by a separate tool, a component of the conductor terminal such as an actuating element, or directly by the inserted electrical conductor itself, thereby causing the clamping leg to be released from the retaining element.The release element allows the clamping leg, which is held in the open position on the retaining element, to be released from the retaining element by applying pressure to the release section in the direction of conductor entry of the electrical conductor to be connected. Depending on the design of the spring-clamp connection, the release element can be formed as part of the clamping spring, e.g., as a release element integrally formed with the clamping spring, or as a separate component. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, each spring-clamp terminal has a busbar associated with the clamping spring of the spring-clamp terminal, forming a clamping point for connecting an electrical conductor to a contact section of the busbar. The clamping arm of the respective clamping spring thus allows the electrical conductor to be clamped to the contact section. An open clamping position is characterized by the fact that at least the clamping edge of the clamping leg is pivoted away from the contact section of the busbar, i.e., it has a greater distance to the contact section than in a clamped position. The clamping leg can, for example, be pivoted between the open position, in which the electrical conductor is freely movable between the clamping leg and the contact section, and the clamped position, in which the clamping leg clamps the electrical conductor to the contact section. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that in one, several or all clamping springs the retaining element associated with the clamping spring is formed integrally with the release element. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the retaining element associated with one, several, or all of the clamping springs is designed as a separate component. In this case, the retaining element can, for example, be attached to the busbar, in particular to a contact section of the busbar. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that one, several or all clamping springs each have at least one clamping leg, a spring arc adjoining the clamping leg and a support leg adjoining the spring arc. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the busbar forms a retaining frame in which the clamping spring is suspended or clamped, with one contact leg of the clamping spring being supported on a contact section of the busbar that runs essentially parallel to the contact section. In this way, a particularly robust spring-loaded clamping connection in a self-supporting design with small dimensions can be realized. Due to the self-supporting design, the housing is essentially not subjected to forces from the clamping spring. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, each spring-clamp terminal is provided with a conductor entry opening for inserting an electrical conductor to be clamped at the spring-clamp terminal. This enables the user to easily and reliably assign the electrical conductors to be connected to the respective spring-clamp terminals. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the conductor terminal has conductor entry openings on a conductor entry side through which electrical conductors can be guided to the clamping points, and the conductor terminal has plug-in openings on a plug-in face opposite the conductor entry side, which lead to electrical plug contacts arranged in the housing of the conductor terminal. In this way, the conductor terminal can advantageously be further developed into a connector. The aforementioned task can also be solved by an electrical connector, in particular a circular connector, with at least one conductor terminal of the type described above. The advantages described above can also be realized in this way. 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 perspective view, Fig. 2 the conductor terminal according to Fig. 1 with the housing partially open, Fig. 3 a rotary actuating element in perspective view, Fig. 4 a section of the conductor terminal according to Fig. 1 in axial top view without the housing, Fig. 5 a sectional view through the conductor terminal, Fig. 6 a spring-clamp terminal in perspective view, Fig. 7 a holding-release element in perspective view, Fig. 8 the spring-clamp terminal according to Fig. 6 in side view in the clamped position, Fig. 9 the spring-clamp terminal according to Fig. 8 in the open position, Fig. 10 another embodiment of a conductor terminal in perspective view, Fig. 11 a side sectional view of the conductor terminal according to Fig. 10, Fig.Fig. 12 shows an enlarged detail view in sectional view of part of the conductor terminal according to Fig. 10 in the clamped position, Fig. 13 shows the detail view according to Fig. 12 with the spring-loaded clamp connection in the open position, Fig. 14 shows a single spring-loaded clamp connection of the conductor terminal according to Fig. 10 in side view in the clamped position, Fig. 15 shows the spring-loaded clamp connection according to Fig. 14 in the open position, Fig. 16 shows the spring-loaded clamp connection according to Fig. 14 in perspective view, and Fig. 17 shows an individual actuating element in perspective view. Fig. 1 shows a conductor terminal 1 having a housing 2. The housing 2 can be round, e.g., with a circular cross-section. The conductor terminal 1 can be designed as an electrical connector, e.g., a circular connector, with 24 electrical contacts on one mating face. A mating connector can be plugged into the conductor terminal 1, e.g., in a mating direction S, on the mating face 24. The housing 2 has several conductor entry openings 20 on a conductor entry side 23, which is diametrically opposite to the plug-in side 24, through which an electrical conductor can be inserted and connected to a spring-loaded clamping terminal located in the housing 2. To actuate the spring-clamp terminals arranged in the housing 2, the conductor terminal 1 has a manual actuating element, which is designed as a rotary actuating element 5 rotatably mounted about a rotational axis D. The rotary actuating element 5 has a ring shape that encloses the housing 2 and the spring-clamp terminals arranged therein in a ring-like manner. For example, a bearing element 21, e.g., in the form of a circumferential groove or one or more projections, can be formed on a housing part 22 of the housing 2, on which the rotary actuating element 5 is rotatably mounted and is accordingly rotatable in a direction of rotation DR relative to the housing 2. Fig. 2 shows the conductor terminal 1 with the housing part 22 and rotary actuating element 5 removed, looking towards the plug-in face 24. It can be seen that several spring-clamp terminals 9 are arranged in the housing 2 along an annular path, in particular a circular path, around a center of the housing 2. Each spring-clamp terminal 9 is connected to an electrical plug contact 10, which can be electrically contacted by a mating connector on the plug-in face 24. Fig. 3 shows the rotary actuating element 5 as a single component. The rotary actuating element 5 has several manual actuating sections 50 on its outer circumference, which may have knurling or other texturing to improve grip. On the inside of the rotary actuating element 5, several actuation sections 51 are formed, projecting radially inwards. Each actuation section 51 has a chamfer 52, which can be used to actuate a respective clamping spring of a spring-loaded clamping connection. Fig. 4 shows the rotary actuating element 5 and, by way of example, only one spring-loaded clamping connection 9 in an axial top view. A section plane CC is shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 5 shows the arrangement according to Fig. 4 in the section plane CC. As illustrated in Fig. 5, each spring-clamp terminal 9 has a busbar 3 and a clamping spring 4. The busbar 3 is frame-shaped and has a contact section 30 and a contact section 31 spaced apart from it. The contact section 30 and the contact section 31 can, for example, run parallel to each other. The contact section 30 is connected to the contact section 31 via a connecting section 33 that runs transversely to the contact section 30 and the contact section 31. In this way, the busbar forms a retaining frame in which the clamping spring 4 can be clamped. The clamping spring 4 has a contact leg 41, a spring arc 42 adjoining the contact leg 41, and a clamping leg 43 adjoining the spring arc 42. The clamping leg 43 serves to clamp an electrical conductor to the contact section 31, where a clamping point 32 is formed, allowing the electrical conductor to be clamped. The contact leg 41 rests against the contact section 30 and supports the clamping spring 4 there against the spring force of the clamping leg 43. Furthermore, a retaining element for holding the clamping leg 43 in the open position shown in Fig. 5 and a release element are provided with which the clamping leg 43, held by the retaining element, can be released from the retaining element. In the illustrated embodiment, the retaining element and the release element are formed as a combined retaining-release element 8, i.e., as a single-piece unit, e.g., made of a sheet metal component. The retaining-release element 8 has a fastening section 82 with which the retaining-release element 8 is clamped and thus secured between the contact section 30 of the busbar 3 and the housing 2. Alternatively, the retaining-release element 8 can be fastened to the contact section 30 of the busbar 3 with its fastening section 82, e.g., via a connecting element such as a screw or a rivet, or via another material-fit and / or form-fit connection, e.g.,by soldering or welding, or by interlocking positive locking elements. The retaining-release element 8 extends from the fastening section 82 to a detent element 81, to which the clamping leg 43 can be engaged in the open position either directly or via a detent tab 44 formed on the clamping leg 43. The retaining-release element 8 extends further to a release section 80, which extends transversely to the conductor insertion direction L of an electrical conductor to be inserted. When an electrical conductor is inserted into the spring-loaded clamping terminal 9, an actuating force can be exerted on the release section 80 through its free end, thereby deflecting the release section 80 together with the detent element 81 in the conductor insertion direction L, thus releasing the detent between the detent element 81 and the clamping leg 43 or the detent tab 44.By inserting the electrical conductor, the locking mechanism can be automatically released, causing the clamping leg 43 to spring out and clamp the inserted electrical conductor to the contact section 31. In the illustration of Fig. 5, the clamping arm 43 has been moved into the latched open position by the rotary actuating element 5 and, in particular, by the inclined surface 52 of the actuating section 51. In this latched open position, the clamping arm 43 is thus held against the detent element 81, so that no further manual actuation of the rotary actuating element 5 is required. The actuating section 51, with its inclined surface, engages an actuating section 45 of the clamping arm 43 that projects laterally from the frame structure of the busbar 3. This actuating section 45 of the clamping spring 4, at whose free end the detent tab 44 is arranged, can be seen, for example, in Fig. 6. Fig. 6 shows the construction of the spring-loaded clamping connection 9, as described above, additionally in a perspective view, also as in Fig. 5 in the latched open position of the clamping leg 43. In Fig. 6 it can also be seen that the busbar 3 can have two connecting sections 33, so that a more or less closed frame or box construction is given, at least sectionally over the longitudinal extent of the busbar 3. Fig. 7 shows the holding-release element 8 as a single component. Fig. 8 shows the spring-loaded clamping connection 9 in the clamping position, i.e. the clamping leg 43 is spring-loaded and rests, for example, against the contact section 31 or is at least closer to the contact section 31 than in the latched open position, as shown again in side view in Fig. 9 for clarification. Fig. 10 shows another embodiment of a conductor terminal 1, which again has a circular housing 2 and can be designed as an electrical connector, e.g., a circular connector. Similar to the embodiment described above, the conductor terminal 1 again has a manual actuating element, which is designed as an annular actuating element and is therefore subsequently referred to as the actuating ring 6. In contrast to the rotary actuating element 5 of the embodiment described above, the actuating ring 6 is designed to be moved manually in a displacement direction V relative to the housing 2 in order to actuate the spring-clamp terminals 9. The displacement direction V is orthogonal to the annular arrangement of the spring-clamp terminals 9. In addition to the actuating ring 6, which allows the spring-clamp terminals 9 to be actuated collectively, the conductor terminal 1 has several individual actuating elements 7, each of which can actuate a clamping leg 43 of an individual clamping spring 4 of a spring-clamp terminal 9. In the illustrated embodiment, the individual actuating elements 7 are designed as actuating pushbuttons, which can also be manually actuated in the displacement direction V. The individual actuating elements 7 have a manual actuating surface 73, on which the user can apply a pressure force to each individual actuating element 7 for actuation. The individual actuating elements 7 also each have a receiving groove 74 through which a section of the actuating ring 6 extends; that is, a section of the actuating ring 6 is received in a trough-shaped receiving groove 74. As a further optional feature, the individual actuating elements 7 can each have a conductor entry channel 70 through which the respective electrical conductor can be inserted into the housing 2 to a spring-clamp terminal 9. The conductor entry channels 70 can be implemented as an alternative to the conductor entry openings 20 as previously described. Fig. 11 shows the conductor terminal 1 according to Fig. 10 in a sectional view, in which further details of the spring-clamp terminal 9 can be seen. The spring-clamp terminal 9 again has a busbar 3 and a clamping spring 4. A retaining / releasing element 8 is also present. It can also be seen in Fig. 11 that the receiving groove 74 has a larger dimension in the direction of movement V than the actuating ring 6, so that the actuating ring 6 has some play within the receiving groove 74 in the direction of movement V. This play of the actuating ring 6 within the groove 74 allows the individual actuating element 7 to be actuated without the actuating ring 6 moving along with it. As can be seen, the deflection of the clamping arms 43 by means of the actuating ring 6 is achieved by an indirect actuation of the clamping arms 43 via the individual actuating elements 7. The actuating ring 6 acts within the groove 74 on the individual actuating elements 7, which in turn act on the clamping arm 43. Fig. 12 shows an enlarged detail view of a section of the conductor terminal 1 according to Fig. 11, which includes the area of ​​a spring-clamp terminal 9 and an individual actuating element 7. It can be seen that the clamping spring 4 and the busbar 3 are shaped similarly to the previously described embodiment. The same applies to the retaining-release element 8. In contrast to the previously described embodiment, in the embodiment described here the retaining-release element 8 can be formed integrally with the clamping spring 4, e.g., as an extension of the contact leg 41. Fig. 12 shows the spring-loaded clamping connection 9 in the clamping position, i.e., with the clamping arm 43 not actuated. In Fig. 13, the clamping arm 43 has been moved to the open position by means of an individual actuating element 7, in which the clamping arm 43 is latched to the holding-release element 8. It can be seen that the individual actuating element 7 has an actuation section 71 which has a slope 72 with which the clamping arm 43 is actuated during actuation. Fig. 14 shows the spring-loaded clamping connection in the clamping position, as in Fig. 12, but as a single component. It can be seen that the clamping spring 4 is secured to the contact section 30 of the busbar 3 by a positive-locking connection via a fixing section 40, which is connected to the contact leg 41. Fig. 15 shows the spring-loaded clamping connection 9 according to Fig. 14 with the clamping arm 43 moved into the latched open position. It can be seen that the clamping arm 43 is latched either directly or via the latching tab 44 on the latching element 81. The latching can in turn be released by applying an electrical conductor to the release section 80. Fig. 16 shows the spring clamp connection in the clamping position, as shown in Fig. 14, in a perspective view. Fig. 17 shows an individual actuating element 7 as a single component. Reference symbol list 1 Conductor terminal block 2 Housing 3 Busbar 4 Clamping spring 5 Rotary actuator 6 Ring actuator 7 Individual actuator 8 Retaining / releasing element 9 Spring-loaded clamping connection 10 Electrical plug contact 20 Conductor entry opening 21 Bearing element 22 Housing part 23 Conductor entry side 24 Plug-in side 30 Mounting section 31 Contact section 32 Clamping point 40 Fixing section 41 Mounting leg 42 Spring arc 43 Clamping leg 44 Detent tab 45 Actuating section 50 Actuating section 51 Actuation section 52 Inclined section 70 Conductor entry channel 72 Inclined section 73 Manual actuation surface 74 Receiving groove 80 Release section 81 Detent element 82 Mounting section D Axis of rotation DR Direction of rotation L Conductor entry direction S Plug-in direction V Direction of movement 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 20 2021 101 354 U1

[0002]

Claims

A conductor terminal (1) with a housing (2) and several spring-loaded clamping terminals (9), each of which has at least one clamping spring (4) with a clamping leg (43) pivotable about a pivot axis for clamping an electrical conductor at a clamping point (32) by means of spring force, wherein the spring-loaded clamping terminals (9) are arranged along an annular track around a center in the housing (2) of the conductor terminal (1), wherein the conductor terminal (11) has a rotary actuating element (5) rotatably mounted about a rotation axis (D) as a manual actuating element, which is configured to pivot several or all clamping legs (43) into an open position when rotated about the rotation axis (D), characterized in that the pivot axes of the clamping legs (43) are aligned in a radial direction to the annular track on which the spring-loaded clamping terminals (9) are arranged in the housing (2). Conductor terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotary actuating element (5) has for each clamping spring (4) an actuating section (51) associated with its clamping leg (43), through which, when the rotary actuating element (5) is rotated about the axis of rotation (D), the clamping leg (43) can be actuated with an actuating force acting in a tangential direction. Conductor terminal according to claim 2, characterized in that the actuation sections (51) are designed as projections extending radially inwards from the rotary actuating element (5). Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotary actuating element (5) has a ring shape which encloses the housing (2) and / or the spring force clamp connections (9) in a ring shape. Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the axis of rotation (D) runs at least approximately parallel and / or aligned with the conductor insertion direction (L) of some or all of the spring force clamp terminals (9) to be actuated by the rotary actuating element (5). conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotary actuating element (5) is rotatably mounted on a housing part (22) of the conductor terminal (11). Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotary actuating element (5) is fixed in the direction of its axis of rotation (D). A conductor terminal (1) with a housing (2) and several spring-loaded clamping terminals, each of which has at least one clamping spring (4) with a clamping leg (43) pivotable about a pivot axis for clamping an electrical conductor at a clamping point (32) by means of spring force, wherein the spring-loaded clamping terminals are arranged along an annular path around a center in the housing (2) of the conductor terminal (1), wherein the conductor terminal (1) has an actuating ring (6) as a manual actuating element, which has an annular shape that annularly surrounds the housing (2) and / or the spring-loaded clamping terminals (9), wherein the actuating ring (6) is configured to pivot several or all clamping legs (43) into an open position when manually actuated, characterized in that the actuating ring (6) is manually displaceable in a displacement direction (V) relative to the housing (2).wherein the displacement direction (V) runs in an orthogonal direction to the annular path on which the spring force clamp connections (9) are arranged in the housing (2). Conductor terminal according to claim 8, characterized in that the pivot axes of the clamping legs (43) are aligned in a tangential direction to the annular track on which the spring-loaded clamping terminals (9) are arranged in the housing (2). Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conductor terminal (1) has for several or all spring force clamp connections (9) an individual actuating element (7) assigned to the spring force clamp connection (9), by actuating which a single clamping leg (43) can be pivoted into the open position. Conductor terminal according to claim 10, characterized in that one, several or all individual actuating elements (7) are designed as a pivotable actuating lever or as a sliding actuating push button or other sliding actuating element. Conductor terminal according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the rotary actuating element (5) or the actuating ring (6) is configured to pivot several or all clamping legs (43) into an open position by actuating several or all individual actuating elements (7). Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conductor terminal (1) has a retaining element (8) for one, several or all clamping springs (4) which is designed to hold the clamping leg (43) of the respective clamping spring (4) in the open position. Conductor terminal according to claim 13, characterized in that the conductor terminal (11) has for one, several or all of the retaining elements (8) a release element associated with the retaining element (8) with a release section (80) by which the clamping leg (43) held on the retaining element (8) in the open position can be released from the retaining element (8) when an electrical conductor to be clamped exerts an actuating force on the release section (80). Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spring-clamp terminals (9) each have a busbar (3) which is associated with the clamping spring (4) of the spring-clamp terminal (9), wherein a clamping point (32) for clamping an electrical conductor to a contact section (31) of the busbar (3) is formed. Conductor terminal according to claim 15, characterized in that the busbar (3) forms a retaining frame in which the clamping spring (4) is hooked or clamped, wherein a contact leg (41) of the clamping spring (4) is supported on a contact section (30) of the busbar (3) which runs substantially parallel to the contact section (31). Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each spring clamp connection (9) is assigned a conductor entry opening (20, 70) for inserting an electrical conductor to be clamped at the spring clamp connection (9). Conductor terminal according to claim 17, characterized in that the conductor terminal (1) has conductor entry openings (20, 70) on a conductor entry side (23) through which electrical conductors can be led to the clamping points (32), wherein the conductor terminal (1) has plug-in openings on a plug-in face side (24) facing away from the conductor entry side (23), which lead to electrical plug-in contacts (10) arranged in the housing (2) of the conductor terminal (11). Electrical connector, in particular circular connector (1), with at least one conductor terminal (1) according to one of the preceding claims.

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