TERMINAL FOR CONNECTING AT LEAST TWO ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a connecting terminal for connecting at least two electrical conductors to each other, wherein the connecting terminal has a housing in which at least one first conductor guidance channel for guiding a first electrical conductor and at least one second conductor guidance channel for guiding a second electrical conductor is formed.

[0002] Terminal blocks are known in various designs, e.g., as screw-type screw terminal blocks. An improved terminal block with a clamping spring for clamping the electrical conductors together is known from DE 35 14 097 C2.

[0003] The invention is based on the objective of providing a further improved connecting clamp.

[0004] This problem is solved in a terminal block of the type mentioned above by having the first and second conductor guide channels cross each other obliquely at an angle at a conductor clamping point where the first electrical conductor can be clamped together with the second electrical conductor. Such a conductor terminal block can be provided with extremely little effort, as it can be implemented with very few components. In particular, such a terminal block can be implemented without the busbar known from other conductor terminal blocks. This is made possible by the fact that the first and second electrical conductors are not each connected to a busbar section, as in the prior art, but can be clamped directly together at the conductor clamping point in the terminal block according to the invention, i.e., brought into direct mechanical and electrical contact.The first and second conductor guide channels are therefore designed to be open enough, at least in the area of ​​the conductor clamping point, to allow the electrical conductors to come into direct contact with each other.

[0005] The first conductor guide channel and / or the second conductor guide channel can advantageously be formed from the same material as the housing, for example, integrally formed with one or more housing parts. The housing can advantageously be designed as an insulating housing, i.e., made of an insulating material, e.g., a plastic.

[0006] The first and / or second conductor guide channel can be configured as a continuous channel or as a channel with one or more interruptions. The terminal block can also be designed to connect more than two electrical conductors. In this case, the terminal block, in an advantageous embodiment, has one or more additional conductor guide channels. The conductor clamping points can then, in an advantageous embodiment, be configured such that at each clamping point, two electrical conductors inserted into the conductor guide channels cross over each other and can be directly clamped together. If, for example, a third conductor guide channel is present, it can cross over the second conductor guide channel at an angle to each other at a clamping point where the third electrical conductor can be clamped together with the second electrical conductor.

[0007] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the terminal block has at least one metal clamping spring by which the first and second electrical conductors can be clamped together at the terminal. This allows for a reliable, durable, and quick electrical connection between the first and second electrical conductors. The clamping spring automatically closes the terminal by spring force. The clamping spring then presses the first and second electrical conductors together. The clamping spring can be made of a suitable spring steel, e.g., chromium-nickel steel. To increase electrical conductivity, the clamping spring can additionally be coated with a highly conductive material, e.g., copper.

[0008] The terminal block may have an actuating element, such as a push button or lever, for manually opening the conductor clamping point, i.e., for deflecting the clamping spring. Alternatively, the terminal block may be designed without its own actuating element. In this case, the conductor clamping point can be opened, for example, with a suitable tool such as a screwdriver.

[0009] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the clamping spring has a first and a second leg end that are bent towards each other. The conductor clamping point can then be arranged, for example, between the first and second leg ends. The clamping spring can, for instance, be shaped like a clamp or pliers. To increase the clamping force of the clamping spring, an additional spring can be attached.

[0010] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the second leg end extends through a recess in the first leg end. This allows the clamping spring to be designed very compactly while simultaneously exerting a high clamping force. The recess can, for example, be designed as a window-like recess. The clamping spring can, for example, be designed as a cage spring.

[0011] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the conductor clamping point is arranged in the area of ​​the recess in the first leg end. Advantageously, the electrical conductors thus cross in the area of ​​the recess. At this point, a high clamping force can be exerted on the electrical conductors by the clamping spring without causing excessive deformation.

[0012] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the clamping spring is arranged completely or at least predominantly within the housing. In this way, the electrically conductive elements of the terminal block can be well insulated and protected from accidental contact. Advantageously, the housing can therefore form a contact guard with clearances and creepage distances around the conductor clamping point.

[0013] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the angle between the first and second cable guide channels at the conductor clamping point is between 3° and 90°, in particular between 3° and 80°. This allows for a particularly reliable clamping of the electrical conductors to one another, especially without the risk of a conductor slipping laterally.

[0014] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first conductor guide channel opens into a housing wall of the housing at a first conductor entry opening, and the second conductor guide channel opens into a housing wall of the housing at a second conductor entry opening. The conductor entry openings are thus formed on such housing walls. The housing wall can, in particular, be an outer wall of the housing.

[0015] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first and second conductor entry openings are arranged in the same housing wall or in different housing walls that are arranged at an angle to each other. This allows for a wide variety of design options for the terminal block for diverse applications.

[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the longitudinal axis of the first conductor guide channel runs obliquely to the housing wall, at least in the area of ​​the first conductor entry opening, and / or the longitudinal axis of the second conductor guide channel runs obliquely to the housing wall, at least in the area of ​​the second conductor entry opening. The longitudinal axis runs obliquely to areas of the housing wall in which the conductor entry opening is located, in particular to areas immediately adjacent to the respective conductor entry opening. The longitudinal axis of the respective conductor guide channel is the central axis, i.e., an imaginary line running centrally within the conductor guide channel.

[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the longitudinal axis of the first conductor guide channel is curved, at least in sections, and / or the longitudinal axis of the second conductor guide channel is curved, at least in sections. In this way, the desired intersection of the conductor guide channels can be achieved with minimal effort, even when the first and second conductor entry openings are located in the same housing wall. Furthermore, it is possible for the longitudinal axes of the conductor guide channels to run perpendicular to the housing wall, at least in the area of ​​the associated conductor entry openings. This facilitates intuitively convenient, vertical insertion of the electrical conductors into the terminal block.

[0018] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the terminal block is designed without busbars. This allows the terminal block to be manufactured with a minimum of individual parts. This also results in a relatively low weight for the terminal block.

[0019] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the connecting clamp is designed for a direct connection between the first and the second electrical conductors. In the clamped state, the first conductor is thus in direct contact with the second electrical conductor. The first and second electrical conductors must, of course, be positioned in a stripped state, at least in the area of ​​the conductor clamping point.

[0020] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the housing is provided with a first conductor stop to limit the insertion depth of the first electrical conductor and / or a second conductor stop to limit the insertion depth of the second electrical conductor. This allows for simple tactile verification that the respective electrical conductor is correctly inserted. Furthermore, the desired clearances and creepage distances can be ensured.

[0021] The clamping spring can be mounted in the housing either fixed or floating, i.e., in the case of floating mounting, it can be freely movable within a certain range.

[0022] The terminal block according to the invention has the advantage that electrical conductors of any type can be connected to it, including solid, stranded, and fine-stranded conductors, i.e., stranded conductors. Electrical conductors made of virtually any material can be connected, e.g., copper or aluminum. It is also possible to connect electrical conductors with an attached ferrule to the terminal block. The conductor connection can be designed as a self-supporting system. The terminal block can be designed for different conductor cross-sections.

[0023] For the purposes of the present invention, the indefinite term "a" is not to be understood as a numeral. Therefore, when, for example, reference is made to a component, 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°).

[0024] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments and drawings.

[0025] It shows Figure 1 shows a terminal block in a side sectional view, Figure 2 shows the terminal block according to Figure 1 with attached electrical conductors, Figure 3 a clamping spring in perspective view, Figure 4 a first variant of intersecting conductor guide channels, Figure 5 a second variant of intersecting conductor guide channels, Figure 6 a third variant of intersecting conductor guide channels, Figure 7 a second variant of a clamping spring.

[0026] The in the Figures 1 and 2The illustrated terminal block 21 has a housing 3, e.g., an insulating housing, which may be constructed from two housing parts. A clamping spring 7 is located in the housing 3. A first conductor guide channel 15 and a second conductor guide channel 16 are formed in the housing material of the housing 3. The first conductor guide channel 15 opens into a housing wall 6 of the housing 3, where a first conductor entry opening 1 is located. The second conductor guide channel 16 opens into another housing wall 20 of the housing 3, where a second conductor entry opening 2 is located. The conductor guide channels 15 and 16 cross each other at an oblique angle at a conductor clamping point 4. Due to the illustrated section plane, the angle of intersection is shown in the Figures 1 and 2 not immediately apparent, but will be explained below using other figures.

[0027] The clamping spring 7 is formed from a resilient flat material and has two leg ends 9, 10, which are bent towards each other such that one leg end 10 extends through a recess 11 in the other leg end 9. This makes the clamping spring 7 self-supporting. The clamping spring 7 can be arranged to float in the housing or, as shown, be fixed in position by a retaining pin 13, a head stop 14 and / or a locking lever 12 engaging in the recess 11.

[0028] The connecting terminal 21 also has a manual actuating element 8 with which the clamping spring 7 can be mechanically actuated and thereby deflected in order to manually open the conductor clamping point 4.

[0029] The Figure 1 The connection terminal 21 is shown without connected electrical conductors and with the actuating element 8 unactuated. Figure 2Figure 21 shows the terminal block with a first electrical conductor 17 arranged in the first conductor guide channel 15 and a second electrical conductor 18 arranged in the second conductor guide channel 16. The first and second electrical conductors 17, 18 cross each other, at least with their stripped sections, in the area of ​​the conductor clamping point 4. The angle at which the electrical conductors cross at the conductor clamping point 4 corresponds, at least approximately, to the angle between the first and second conductor guide channels 15, 16 in the area of ​​the conductor clamping point 4. The design of the conductor guide channels 15, 16 thus allows the crossing angle of the electrical conductors to be determined, at least approximately.

[0030] The Figure 3The clamping spring 7 is shown as a single component. For example, the clamping spring 7 can be designed as a cage spring. The second leg end 10, which can function as a contact leg for holding the clamping spring in the housing 3, can extend over one or more arc-shaped areas 19 towards the first leg end 9. The first leg end 9 forms a clamping leg. The electrical conductors are then clamped between the lower edge of the recess 11 and the underside of the second leg end 10 facing this lower edge.

[0031] Based on the Figure 4A first embodiment of the terminal block with respect to the intersecting conductor guide channels 15, 16 is schematically illustrated. In this embodiment, both conductor insertion openings 1, 2 are arranged on the same housing wall 6 of the housing 3. The conductor guide channels 15, 16 extend straight (linearly) through the housing 3 and intersect at an angle α in the area of ​​the conductor clamping point 4. In the area of ​​the conductor clamping point 4, the conductor guide channels 15, 16 are arranged at least at slightly different heights, so that the inserted electrical conductors do not directly collide at the conductor clamping point 4, i.e., at the intersection, but are guided past each other. A conductor stop 5 can be provided for each of the inserted electrical conductors 17, 18, which limits the insertion depth of the respective electrical conductor 17, 18. The conductor stop 5 can, for example, be...be designed as the end wall of the respective conductor guide channel 17, 18.

[0032] The Figure 5 shows another embodiment of the connecting clamp, in which, as in the embodiment of the Figure 4 The conductor entry openings 1, 2 are arranged on the same housing wall 6. In contrast to the embodiment of the Figure 4 , in which the electrical conductors 17, 18 must be inserted obliquely to the housing wall 6 into the respective conductor guide channel 15, 16, the embodiment of the Figure 5The electrical conductors 17, 18 are inserted at a right angle into their respective conductor guide channels 15, 16. The desired crossing of the conductor guide channels 15, 16 at angle α at the conductor clamping point 4 is achieved by the fact that the conductor guide channels 15, 16 are curved, at least in sections. The electrical conductors 17, 18 inserted into the conductor guide channels 15, 16 are deformed accordingly by these curved sections and thus also follow a curved path. This, in turn, allows the desired crossing of the electrical conductors 17, 18 at the conductor clamping point 4 to be achieved.

[0033] The Figure 6 shows an embodiment of the connecting terminal 1 in which the conductor guide channels 15, 16 again run in a straight line, as in Figure 4 , wherein the conductor entry openings 1, 2 are arranged on different housing walls 6, 20.

[0034] As the expert recognizes, any combination of the elements can also be used based on the Figures 4 to 6 The illustrated embodiments can be implemented, e.g. variants with a straight and a conductor guide channel that is at least partially curved.

[0035] The connecting terminal 21 can, in principle, be implemented with different types of clamping springs. The previous examples assumed the embodiment of a cage clamp spring. Figure 7Figure 1 shows an alternative design of a clamping spring 7 in the form of a clamping spring with an arc-shaped section 19 from which two leg ends, for example symmetrically designed, project, namely a first leg end 9 and a second leg end 10. The conductor clamping point 4 is located between the free ends of the leg ends 9 and 10. In this case, the clamping spring 7 is designed without a recess 11. To increase the clamping force, an additional spring 22 can optionally be attached to the clamping spring 7. Reference symbol list

[0036] 1 Conductor entry opening 2 Conductor entry opening 3 Housing 4 Conductor clamping point 5 Conductor stop 6 Housing wall 7 Clamping spring 8 Actuating element 9 First leg end 10 Second leg end 11 Recess 12 Locking lever 13 Retaining pin 14 Head stop 15 First conductor entry channel 16 Second conductor entry channel 17 First electrical conductor 18 Second electrical conductor 19 Arc-shaped area 20 Other housing wall 21 Connection terminal 22 Overspring α Angle

Claims

1. Connecting terminal (21) for connecting at least two electrical conductors (17, 18) to one another, the connecting terminal (21) having a housing (3) in which at least one first conductor guide channel (15) for guiding a first electrical conductor (17) and at least one second conductor guide channel (16) for guiding a second electrical conductor (18) are formed, characterized in that the first and the second conductor guide channel (15, 16) cross each other in a slanting manner at an angle (α) at a conductor clamping point (4) at which the first electrical conductor (17) can be clamped together with the second electrical conductor (18).

2. Connecting terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that the connecting terminal (21) has at least one clamping spring (7) made of metal, by means of which the first electrical conductor (17) and the second electrical conductor (18) can be clamped together at the conductor clamping point (4).

3. Connecting terminal according to claim 2, characterized in that the clamping spring (7) has a first and a second leg end (9, 10) which are bent towards each other.

4. Connecting terminal according to claim 3, characterized in that the second leg end (10) extends through a recess (11) in the first leg end (9).

5. Connecting terminal according to claim 4, characterized in that the conductor clamping point (4) is arranged in the region of the recess (11) in the first leg end (9).

6. Connection terminal according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the clamping spring (7) is arranged completely or at least predominantly inside the housing (3).

7. Connecting terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing (3) forms a contact protection with air and creepage distances around the conductor clamping point (4).

8. Connecting terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the angle (α) between the first conductor guide channel (15) and the second conductor guide channel (16) at the conductor clamping point (4) is between 3° and 90°, in particular between 3° and 80°.

9. Connecting terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first conductor guide channel (15) opens into a housing wall (6, 20) of the housing (3) at a first conductor insertion opening (21) and the second conductor guide channel (16) opens into a housing wall (6, 20) of the housing (3) at a second conductor insertion opening (2).

10. Connecting terminal according to claim 9, characterized in that the first and second conductor insertion openings (1, 2) are arranged in the same housing wall (6, 20) or in different housing walls (6, 20) which are arranged at an angle to one another.

11. Connecting terminal according to claim 8 or 10, characterized in that the longitudinal axis of the first conductor guide channel (15) runs at an angle to the housing wall (6, 20) at least in the region of the first conductor insertion opening (21) and / or the longitudinal axis of the second conductor guide channel (16) runs at an angle to the housing wall (6, 20) at least in the region of the second conductor insertion opening (2).

12. Connecting terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the longitudinal axis of the first conductor guide channel (15) runs curved at least in sections and / or the longitudinal axis of the second conductor guide channel (16) runs curved at least in sections.

13. Connecting terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connecting terminal (21) is designed without current rail.

14. Connecting terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connecting terminal (21) is designed for direct connection between the first and the second electrical conductor (17, 18).

15. Connecting terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a first conductor stop (5) for limiting the insertion depth of the first electrical conductor (17) and / or a second conductor stop (5) for limiting the insertion depth of the second electrical conductor (18) is provided in the housing (3).