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 busbar (3) and a clamping spring (4) having a clamping leg (43) with a clamping edge (46) for clamping the electrical conductor (9) at a clamping point on a contact section (31) of the busbar (3), wherein the conductor terminal (1) has at least one actuating element designed as an actuating slide (6) by which, when a handle section (60) of the actuating slide (6) is manually actuated on a first outer surface (23) of the insulating housing (2), the clamping leg (43) can be moved into an open position.wherein the conductor terminal (1) has at least one retaining-release element (8) designed as a pivotable and / or displaceable lever, by which the actuating slide (6) can be locked in the open position, wherein the retaining-release element (8) is movable in a first direction of movement (B1) to release the locking, characterized in that the retaining-release element (8) is movable by the actuating slide (6) in a second direction of movement (B2) which is opposite to the first direction of movement (B1).

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 busbar and a clamping spring which has a clamping leg with a clamping edge for clamping the electrical conductor at a clamping point on a contact section of the busbar, wherein the conductor terminal has at least one actuating element designed as an actuating slide, by means of which, when a handle section of the actuating slide, which is manually accessible on a first outer side of the insulating housing, the clamping leg can be moved into an open position.wherein the conductor terminal has at least one retaining-release element designed as a pivotable and / or sliding lever, by which the actuating slide can be locked in the open position, wherein the retaining-release element is movable in a first direction of movement to release the locking. 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 task is accomplished in a conductor terminal of the type mentioned above by allowing the retaining / releasing element to be moved in a second direction by the actuating slide when it is moved into the open position. This second direction of movement is opposite to the first. Thus, when the clamping arm is moved into the open position by the actuating slide, the retaining / releasing element is automatically moved in the second direction and consequently into a position where the actuating slide engages with the retaining / releasing element or another component. This active actuation of the retaining / releasing element when moving into the open position eliminates the need for a spring return mechanism. However, it is also conceivable to additionally provide a spring return element to move the retaining / releasing element into the locking position in the second direction. A further advantage is the sliding actuation of the clamping arm by means of an actuating slide. Such an actuating slide can be integrated into the conductor terminal in a very space-saving manner. Unlike a push-button actuation, with an actuating slide, the handle section, which is manually accessible on the first outer side of the housing, can be operated manually by the user at any time, particularly without additional tools. The handle section can be permanently accessible and / or visible on the first outer side of the housing, i.e., in every actuation position of the slide. In this way, the actuating slide, by means of its handle section, can also simultaneously serve as an indicator element for showing the actuation 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 clamping arm, together with the 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 holding-release element is movable by the actuating slide, first in the first direction of movement and then in the second direction of movement, when moved into the open position. This ensures that the complete movement of the actuating slide to move the clamping leg into the open position is always possible and cannot be undesirably blocked by the holding-release element, for example, because the holding-release element is not fully positioned in a position corresponding to the unlocked state. The inclined surface on the second locking element, which will be explained below, can be used to move the holding-release element by the actuating slide in the first direction of movement. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the actuating slide is designed to move the clamping arm into the open position by means of a sliding movement that runs essentially parallel to the first outer surface of the housing. This enables simple and ergonomically favorable actuation of the actuating slide. The actuating slide can, for example, be displaceable in a purely linear movement. During the sliding movement, the actuating slide can be slidably mounted on the first outer surface of the housing or at another location within the insulating housing, for example, at a point inside the insulating housing. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the actuating slide has at least one cam which, when moving into the open position, comes into contact with a return projection of the holding-release element to move the holding-release element in the second direction of movement. Alternatively, the actuating slide can also have an actuating edge which, when moving into the open position, comes into contact with a return projection of the holding-release element to move the holding-release element in the second direction of movement. This allows for reliable actuation of the holding-release element with a simple and robust actuating mechanism. The at least one cam can project from a region of the actuating slide. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the actuating slide has at least one first detent element by which the actuating slide can be locked onto a second detent element in the open position. In this way, secure locking of the actuating slide in the open position and, consequently, secure retention of the clamping arm in the open position via the actuating slide are possible. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the second detent element has a ramp directed towards the cam, along which the cam slides during the actuating slide's movement towards the open position, in order to move the retaining-release element in the first direction of movement. In this way, if the second detent element should collide with the cam during the actuating slide's movement towards the open position, it can be displaced by the cam sufficiently to allow the actuating slide to complete its full movement until it engages in the open position. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cam simultaneously forms the first locking element. This enables a simple and space-saving design of the conductor terminal. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cam is arranged in the open position between the second detent element and the return projection of the retaining-release element. For example, the cam can be embedded with minimal play or with slight play in the displacement direction between the second detent element and the return projection. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the second locking element is arranged on the holding-release element. Accordingly, the second locking element also executes the movements of the holding-release element. In this way, reliable unlocking from the open position can be achieved by pivoting the holding-release element. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the holding-release element is rotatably mounted about a fixed axis of rotation. In this way, a holding-release mechanism with a defined axis of rotation is provided. The axis of rotation can, for example, be practically realized by a bearing journal that is received in a bearing receptacle. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the axis of rotation is aligned with the second detent element in the direction of movement of the actuating slide. This alignment of the axis of rotation with the second detent element prevents the detent from unintentionally releasing, i.e., without actuation of a release element. Due to the alignment, the second detent element does not exert any torque, or at least not a torque large enough to cause unintentional disengagement, on the retaining-release element. In the latched open position, a restoring force is exerted on the actuating slide via the clamping arm, so that the actuating slide is subjected to a force in the opposite direction to its original direction of movement. Due to the aligned arrangement of the axis of rotation, the axis of rotation lies in the force vector of the restoring force, so that essentially no torque is generated at the holding-release element. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the holding-release element has a release section, the actuation of which releases the latch of the actuating slide in the open position when an electrical conductor to be connected exerts an actuating force on the release section of the holding-release element in the conductor insertion direction. This enables a reliable automatic conductor connection function. The electrical conductor simply needs to be inserted into the conductor connection terminal in the conductor insertion direction and its free end pressed against the release section. This exerts an actuating force on the release section, causing the holding-release element to pivot and / or slide in the first direction of movement, i.e., to move towards the unlocked position. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first and / or the second locking element can be moved by means of the holding-release element by actuating the release section. This ensures reliable unlocking in the open position. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the actuating slide has at least one spring-loaded driver spaced apart from the handle section, by which the clamping arm can be pressed into the open position by means of a compressive force when the actuating slide is manually actuated. This allows reliable actuation of the clamping arm by the actuating slide. The spring-loaded driver can, for example, be designed similarly to the cam described above and project from a region of the actuating slide. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the clamping spring has a support section connected to the clamping leg via a spring arc, the support section being designed to support the clamping spring on the busbar, in particular on a frame part of the busbar. In this way, the clamping spring is supported at both its ends, i.e., the support section and the clamping leg, directly or indirectly via the connected electrical conductor on a region of the busbar, thus creating a self-supporting spring-loaded clamping connection in which the insulating housing is essentially not subjected to forces from the clamping spring. 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 drawings. Fig. 1 shows a conductor terminal in a side sectional view in the clamped position, Fig. 2 shows an enlarged detail of the conductor terminal according to Fig. 1 when the actuating slide is moved towards the open position, Fig. 3 shows the conductor terminal according to Fig. 1 in the open position, Fig. 4 shows an enlarged detail of the conductor terminal when the latch is released in the open position, and Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the conductor terminal in the open position. The conductor terminal 1 shown in Fig. 1 has an insulating housing 2 in which a spring-loaded clamping connection is arranged, which has at least one busbar 3 and a clamping spring 4. The busbar 3 has a contact section 31. From the contact section 31, the busbar 3 extends via a side wall 32, which is bent substantially orthogonally to the contact section 31, towards a spring retaining section 33 of the busbar 3. In this way, the busbar 3 forms a kind of retaining frame or retaining cage for the clamping spring 4. The clamping spring 4 has a clamping leg 43 which has a clamping edge 46 at its free end. The clamping spring 4 extends from the clamping leg 43 via a spring arc 42 to a support section 41, by which the clamping spring 4 is suspended from the spring retaining section 33. For example, the spring retaining section 33 can have an opening 34 into which a projection 40 at the end of the support section 41 engages and is accordingly arranged in a form-fitting manner. The clamping arm 43 serves to clamp an electrical conductor to the contact section 31 by means of its clamping edge 46. Fig. 1 shows the clamping arm 43 in a clamped position. The clamping arm 43 can be deflected into an open position in which the clamping edge 46 is further away from the contact section 31, so that a gap is formed between the clamping edge 46 and the contact section 31, allowing the electrical conductor to be inserted there without force. The insulating housing 2 has a conductor entry opening 20 for inserting the electrical conductor into the housing. An electrical conductor can be inserted through the conductor entry opening 20 in a conductor entry direction L. The conductor terminal 1 has a manual actuating element, designed as an actuating slide 6, for actuating the clamping arm 43, i.e., for moving the clamping arm 43 into the open position. The actuating slide 6 is movably mounted in the insulating housing 2 in a displacement direction V. The actuating slide 6 has a handle section 60 by which the actuating slide 6 is manually actuated. The handle section 60 is connected to a spring driver 63 via a connecting section 64 of the actuating slide 6. The spring driver 63 projects from the connecting section 64 like a cam and, when the actuating slide 6 is moved in the displacement direction V, deflects the clamping arm 43 into the open position. The actuating slide 6 also has a cam 62, which serves to actuate a holding-release element 8.The cam 62 additionally has a second detent element 61, which can be formed integrally with the cam 62 or be formed by the cam 62. Furthermore, a holding-release element 8 is provided, which is designed as a pivotable and / or displaceable lever. The holding-release element 8 is rotatably mounted about a fixed pivot axis 52. On one side of the pivot axis 52, a release section 80 is formed on the holding-release element 8, and on the opposite side of the pivot axis 52, a return projection 51 is formed. A second locking element 50, which may, for example, be in the form of a locking hook, also projects from a body of the holding-release element 8 that encompasses the return projection 51 and the release section 80. In the clamping position, the second locking element 50 has a chamfer 53 directed towards the cam 62. If the conductor terminal 1, visible in Fig. 1, is actuated by means of the actuating slide 6, i.e., the actuating slide 6 is moved in the direction of movement V, then, as mentioned, the clamping arm 43 is pivoted via the spring driver 63, thus moving the clamping edge 46 away from the contact section 31. Additionally, at the end of the movement in the direction of movement V, the cam 62 comes into contact with the return projection 51, as illustrated in the enlarged detail view of Fig. 2. If the actuating slide 6 is moved further to a stop, the force exerted on the return projection 51 by the cam 62 causes a pivoting movement of the entire holding-release element 8 in a second direction of movement B2. This results in the state shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows the conductor terminal 1 in the latched open position. Due to the pivoting movement of the retaining-release element 8 in the second direction of movement B2, the second latching element 50 now engages behind the first latching element 61. The clamping leg 43 is in the open position. A restoring force is exerted on the entire actuating slide 6 by the clamping leg 43 via the spring driver 63. Because the actuating slide 6 is latched to the second latching element 50 by means of its first latching element 61, it does not move back to its initial position. Accordingly, the clamping leg 43 is held in the open position by the actuating slide 6 being latched to the retaining-release element 8. This latched open position can now be released by inserting an electrical conductor 9 in the conductor insertion direction L, by inserting the electrical conductor 9 far enough that it exerts an actuating force in the conductor insertion direction L on the release section 80. This releases the latch, as will be further explained below with reference to the enlarged detail view of Fig. 4. Fig. 4 shows how, by applying force to the release section 80 via the electrical conductor 9, the entire retaining-releasing element 8 is pivoted in a first direction of movement B1, which is opposite to the second direction of movement B2. This releases the second locking element 50 from the first locking element 61, so that the restoring force of the clamping arm 43 acting on the actuating slide 6 leads to a restoring movement of the actuating slide 6. During this movement, the clamping arm 43 springs back and clamps the electrical conductor 9 to the contact section 31 with its clamping edge 46. During the pivoting movement of the retaining-releasing element 8 in the first direction of movement B1, the restoring projection 51 of the retaining-releasing element 8 can additionally press against the cam 62 in the opposite direction of movement V. Figure 5 shows the conductor terminal in a perspective view in the locked open position, thus further clarifying the entire structure. The busbar can, for example, have two adjacent, parallel side walls 32, between which the electrical conductor 9 can be accommodated. In the event that, in the initial state as shown in Fig. 1, the release element 8 is not in the slightly tilted position to the left, but, for example, in the upright position shown in Fig. 3, the second detent element 50 essentially prevents the complete movement of the actuating slide 6 to its stop, i.e., to the open position. Since the inclined surface 53 is formed on the second detent element 50, the retaining-release element 8 can, when the actuating slide 6 is moved in the direction of movement V, first be moved by the cam 62 in the first direction of movement B1 until the cam 62 can pass the second detent element 50, i.e., until the retaining-release element is pivoted, e.g., as shown in Fig. 2. The further movement of the actuating slide 6 can then take place, ultimately pivoting the retaining-release element 8 into the detent position in the second direction of movement B2. Reference symbol list 1 Conductor terminal 2 Insulating housing 3 Busbar 4 Clamping spring 6 Actuating slide 8 Retaining / releasing element 9 Electrical conductor 20 Conductor entry opening 23 First housing outer surface 31 Contact section 32 Side wall 33 Spring retaining section 34 Opening 40 Projection 41 Support section 42 Spring arc 43 Clamping leg 46 Clamping edge 50 Second locking element 51 Return projection 52 Axis of rotation 53 Inclined section 60 Grip section 61 First locking element 62 Cam 63 Spring driver 64 Connecting section 80 Release section B1 First direction of movement B2 Second direction of movement L Conductor entry direction V Displacement 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 busbar (3) and a clamping spring (4) having a clamping leg (43) with a clamping edge (46) for clamping the electrical conductor (9) at a clamping point on a contact section (31) of the busbar (3), wherein the conductor terminal (1) has at least one actuating element designed as an actuating slide (6) by which, when a handle section (60) of the actuating slide (6) is manually actuated on a first outer surface (23) of the insulating housing (2), the clamping leg (43) can be moved into an open position.wherein the conductor terminal (1) has at least one retaining-release element (8) designed as a pivotable and / or sliding lever, by which the actuating slide (6) can be locked in the open position, wherein the retaining-release element (8) is movable in a first direction of movement (B1) to release the locking, characterized in that the retaining-release element (8) is movable by the actuating slide (6) in a second direction of movement (B2) which is opposite to the first direction of movement (B1). Conductor terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding-release element (8) can be moved by the actuating slider (6) first in the first direction of movement (B1) and then in the second direction of movement (B2) when moving into the open position. Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuating slide (6) is arranged to move the clamping leg (43) into the open position by means of a displacement movement in a displacement direction (V) which is substantially parallel to the first outer surface of the housing (23). Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuating slide (6) has at least one cam (62) which, when moving into the open position, comes into contact with a return projection (51) of the holding-release element (8) in order to move the holding-release element (8) in the second direction of movement (B2). Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuating slide (6) has at least one first locking element (61) by means of which the actuating slide (6) can be locked in the open position on a second locking element (50). Conductor terminal according to claim 5, characterized in that the second locking element (50) has a ramp (53) directed towards the cam (62), on which the cam (62) slides during the displacement movement of the actuating slide (6) in the direction of the open position in order to move the holding-release element (8) in the first direction of movement (B1). Conductor terminal according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the cam (62) simultaneously forms the first locking element (61). Conductor terminal according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that in the open position the cam (62) is arranged between the second locking element (50) and the return projection (51) of the holding-release element (8). Conductor terminal according to one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the second locking element (50) is arranged on the holding-release element (8). Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the holding-release element (8) is rotatably mounted about a fixed axis of rotation (52). Conductor terminal according to claim 10, characterized in that the axis of rotation (52) in the displacement direction (V) of the actuating slide (6) is aligned with the second locking element (50). Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the holding-release element (8) has a release section (80) by actuation of which the locking of the actuating slide (6) in the open position can be released when an electrical conductor (9) to be clamped exerts an actuating force in the conductor insertion direction (L) on the release section (80) of the holding-release element (8). Conductor terminal according to claim 12, characterized in that the first and / or the second locking element (50, 61) can be moved by means of the holding-release element (8) by actuating the release section (80). Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuating slide (6) has at least one spring driver (63) spaced apart from the handle section (60), by which the clamping leg (43) can be pressed into the open position by means of a pressure force when the actuating slide (6) is actuated manually. Conductor terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping spring (4) has a support section (41) which is connected to the clamping leg (43) via a spring arc (42), wherein the support section (41) is designed to support the clamping spring (4) on the busbar (3), in particular on a frame part of the busbar (3).

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