ELECTRIC SPRING CONTACT CLAMP FOR A METER TERMINAL

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical spring contact terminal for a meter plug-in terminal used to connect an electricity meter to the electrical power grid. The invention also relates to a meter plug-in terminal with such a spring contact terminal. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] Plug-in meter terminals are used to ensure electricity meter replacements can be carried out very quickly and without interrupting power or voltage. Unlike meter connection terminals, which are screwed on both the mains and meter sides, plug-in meter terminals typically only screw on the mains side during initial installation. The side that houses the electricity meter has a plug-in connection. Plug-in connections have proven advantageous for subsequent electricity meter replacements, both in terms of labor and safety.

[0003] The disadvantage of meter terminals is that they must be tightened under live voltage on the meter side, which, on the one hand, poses an increased risk for the installer and, on the other, is prone to errors, as tightening the screws can be forgotten. If box terminals or extruded blocks are accidentally forgotten, there is a risk of a very poor electrical connection and thus the risk of a so-called "hot spot" or arcing, which, in the worst case, can develop into a potential fire.

[0004] A typical meter terminal has terminal elements for the power cable on one side of the mains connection, and terminal elements for the electricity meter's contact pins on the other side of the meter connection, usually opposite the mains connection. While the power cable is usually connected to the meter terminal by means of a screw connection, the electricity meter's contact pins are inserted into spring contacts provided on the meter terminal. The spring contacts thus form the electrical connection to the electricity meter.

[0005] When replacing an electricity meter, a bridging device is plugged onto the meter terminal, allowing the meter to be replaced without interrupting the power supply. During the replacement, "unmetered" current flows through the bridging plug. Such a bridging device with electrical conductor bridges for bridging the electricity meter connected to the electrical grid during a meter replacement is known in particular from the standard DIN VDE 0603-3-3:2020-08, paragraph 9.101, Figure 101.

[0006] Meter connection terminals, which require screwing on both the mains and meter sides, are known, for example, from DE 102 16 913 A1 and CH 711 633 B1.

[0007] Plug-in meter terminals, into which the electricity meter can be easily plugged, are disclosed, for example, in DE 101 63 620 B4, DE 2 256 373 A1, and DE 41 13 328 A. In the latter two documents, the plug-in meter terminals each feature multi-part spring contact terminals. The clamping effect is created by a spiral spring arranged between the two legs of the terminal. Such plug-in meter terminals have the advantage over meter connection terminals that they do not require screwing under voltage, significantly reducing the potential for incorrect tampering.

[0008] Further relevant prior art is known, for example, from EP 1 586 908 A1, US 2017 / 0040715 A1, US 4,798,546, US 4,643,510, DE 203 15 898 U, DE 10 2015 013 011 A1, DE102010053136 A1, US7048591 B1 and EP 1 901 398 A1.

[0009] The disadvantage of many currently available meter plug-in terminals is that the spring contacts are dimensioned and designed in such a way that the current is limited, for example, to 63 amps. Common meter plug-in terminals often use tulip-shaped spring contact terminals to contact each of the meter's contact pins. While spring contacts in the form of such contact tulips can be manufactured relatively easily, the current connection from the contact tulip to the box terminal, which serves to connect the meter plug-in terminal to the power supply network, often represents the limiting component, making it impossible to use the meter plug-in terminal for higher currents. PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical spring contact terminal for a meter plug-in terminal for connecting an electricity meter to the electrical power supply network, which is not only cost-effective to produce and functionally reliable, but is also particularly well suited for high current intensities.

[0011] To achieve this object, an electrical spring contact terminal is proposed as defined in claim 1. Furthermore, claim 8 defines a meter plug-in terminal comprising such a spring contact terminal. Further embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.

[0012] The present invention therefore provides an electrical spring contact terminal for a meter plug-in terminal, which serves to connect an electricity meter to the electrical power supply network, the spring contact terminal comprising a contact tulip with a first clamping leg and a second clamping leg, which are connected to each other via a connecting section and serve to contact and clamp a contact pin of the electricity meter on both sides; as well as a contact tab integrally connected to the contact tulip for establishing contact with the electrical power supply network.

[0013] The spring contact terminal also has a first transfer section which electrically and mechanically connects the first clamping leg to the contact tab at a distance from the connecting section, and a second transfer section which electrically and mechanically connects the second clamping leg to the contact tab at a distance from the connecting section.

[0014] Thanks to the two transfer sections, the current can be conducted separately from each clamping leg to the contact lug. This separate, i.e., double, transfer allows the total material cross-section used to conduct current between the contact tulip and the contact lug to be significantly increased and, in particular, tailored to the design of the contact tulip and contact lug. The connection between the contact tulip and the contact lug is therefore not the limiting component element in terms of current conduction. Thanks to the two transfer sections, the spring contact terminal can be designed particularly well for high currents with relatively little material expenditure. The spring contact terminal is preferably designed for nominal currents up to 80 amps and peak loads up to 128 amps.

[0015] Preferably, the transfer sections serve not only to improve the current transfer from the contact tulip to the contact tab. They also advantageously serve to influence and, in particular, adjust the clamping force of the contact tulip. Since the transfer sections are each mounted at a distance from the connecting section on the clamping leg, the clamping force or spring action of the clamping legs is significantly influenced by the transfer sections. The transfer sections can be connected to one another, particularly and preferably in the area of ​​the contact tab, in order not only to combine the respective currents but also to define the clamping force of the contact tulip and to preload it.

[0016] The contact tulip is preferably used not only for contacting and clamping a contact pin of the electricity meter on both sides, but also for contacting and clamping a conductor element of a bridging device on both sides. The contact tulip is preferably designed such that a contact pin of the electricity meter is pushed into the contact tulip from a first direction and a conductor element of the bridging device is pushed into the contact tulip from a different second direction, wherein the first and second directions are advantageously at right angles to one another. In particular, the contact tulip can be designed such that, when used as intended, the contact pin of the electricity meter is pushed forward in the longitudinal direction, i.e. parallel along the connecting section, between the two clamping legs, and that the conductor element of the bridging device is pushed forward towards the connecting section essentially parallel to the two clamping legs.By pushing the conductor element of the bridging device into the area between the two clamping legs, they are pushed apart, thereby reducing the clamping force exerted on the contact pin of the electricity meter. The electricity meter can then be easily removed from the spring contact terminal after inserting the bridging device. The power line is seamlessly transferred from the electricity meter to the bridging device, thus ensuring uninterrupted power. The electricity meter, which can also be a smart meter, can thus be replaced easily and without interrupting the power supply.

[0017] The contact tulip, with its two clamping legs connected to each other via the connecting section, thus preferably has a U-shaped configuration. To achieve optimal clamping force, the two legs are preferably slightly inclined toward each other in the unloaded state. Recesses and / or grooves can be formed on the facing inner surfaces of the clamping legs to improve the clamping of the contact pin of the electricity meter and / or the conductor element of the bridging device.

[0018] Advantageously, the contact tulip has a constriction near the free ends of the two clamping legs, which then forms a V-shaped receptacle from this constriction toward the free ends. This constriction can improve the clamping effect and contacting of the conductor element of the bridging device, which is advantageously inserted from above. Local elevations and / or depressions provided in the area of ​​the constriction, for example, in the form of bulges, can further improve contacting of the conductor element. The V-shaped receptacle can facilitate insertion of the conductor element.

[0019] The contact tab advantageously has a rectangular shape. It is preferably designed so that a contact element of the power supply network is clamped between the contact tab and a clamping element, such as a clamping screw in particular. Alternatively, it can also be designed so that a clamping element, such as a clamping screw in particular, acts directly on the contact tab in order to clamp a contact element of the power supply network between the contact tab and another counter element.

[0020] The spring contact terminal is preferably designed for bridging with a standardized bridging device, whereby the standard corresponds to DIN VDE 0603-3-3:2020-08, paragraph 9.101, figure 101.

[0021] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the first clamping leg and the second clamping leg each extend along a main direction away from the connecting section, which is perpendicular to a contact surface formed by the contact tab. While the clamping legs extend, for example, essentially upward in the vertical direction from the connecting section, the contact tab preferably forms a contact surface that lies in a horizontal plane. This has the advantage that the contact pin of the electricity meter and the contact element of the power supply network can then be inserted into the spring contact terminal from opposite sides during assembly, which proves advantageous in practice, particularly with regard to space requirements.

[0022] Preferably, the spring contact terminal is constructed as a single piece. This not only makes the spring contact terminal particularly easy to manufacture, but also ensures optimal current conduction at all times.

[0023] The contact tab is preferably twice as thick as the first and second clamping legs. The material cross-section of the contact tab is thus adapted to the contact tulip with regard to current conduction. Since the contact tab is usually designed for arrangement and clamping in a box terminal, a contact tab that is twice as thick also results in an increased current-conducting cross-section towards the box terminal. If the spring contact terminal is manufactured as a whole from a single sheet (see below), such a double thickness of the contact tab can be achieved particularly easily by simply placing two sheet metal sections on top of each other during production of the spring contact terminal, which then together form the contact tab.

[0024] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the spring contact terminal is made entirely from a single sheet of metal. This makes the production of the spring contact terminals particularly simple and cost-effective. It is particularly advantageous if the essential shape of the spring contact terminal can also be produced by simply punching, cutting, folding, and / or bending an originally flat sheet of metal.

[0025] The contact tab is preferably double-walled, consisting of two superimposed sheet metal sections. It is particularly preferred if each of the sheet metal sections is connected to one of the transfer sections. In this case, the clamping characteristics of the contact tulip can be adjusted particularly well and precisely by fastening the two superimposed sheet metal sections to one another. A particularly advantageous embodiment for this purpose is one in which the two sheet metal sections are connected to one another at a clinching point. The clinching point is preferably oval.

[0026] The present invention also relates to a meter plug-in terminal for connecting an electricity meter to the electrical power grid, comprising at least one spring contact terminal configured according to the above specifications. Preferably, the meter plug-in terminal comprises not just one, but a plurality of such spring contact terminals. An embodiment with exactly seven such spring contact terminals is particularly preferred.

[0027] In addition to the spring contact terminals, the meter plug-in terminal preferably has an equal number, or preferably a number one greater, of box terminals, in particular steel frame terminals. While the spring contact terminals form the connections to the electricity meter, the box terminals then form the connections to the power supply network. The preferably additional steel frame terminal can be used in particular for connecting a second neutral conductor. The box terminals preferably serve to clamp and mutually contact the contact lug and a contact element of the power supply network.

[0028] The meter plug-in terminal generally comprises a housing in which one or more spring contact terminals are housed. The housing preferably comprises bridging openings, each of which serves to insert a conductor element of a bridging device. The conductor elements can preferably be inserted through the bridging openings into the contact tulips of the spring contact terminals. For safety reasons, it is particularly advantageous if the bridging openings are arranged within a recess provided on the housing, which prevents contact with the conductor elements of the bridging device from the outside as soon as the conductor elements contact the spring contact terminals. The person operating the bridging device is thus not exposed to the risk of touching a conductor bridge that is live and thus being injured.

[0029] Particularly simple production is possible if the housing is formed as a single piece. The housing can, in particular, be manufactured from a plastic using an injection molding process. The housing advantageously has a housing opening, which can be used, for example, during production to insert the spring contact terminals into the housing interior. The housing opening is preferably closable by means of a base plate. The base plate can be made of a plastic that is particularly thermally conductive compared to the housing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a perspective exploded view of an embodiment of a meter plug-in terminal according to the invention including the spring contact terminals accommodated therein with a matching bridging device; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the meter plug-in terminal of the Fig. 1 towards the meter connection side; Fig. 3 a perspective view of the meter plug-in terminal of the Fig. 1 towards the mains connection side; Fig. 4 a top view of the mains connection side of the meter plug-in terminal of the Fig. 1 ; Fig. 5 a top view of the meter connection side of the meter plug-in terminal of the Fig. 1 ; Fig. 6a top view of the underside of the meter plug-in terminal of the Fig. 1 ; Fig. 7 a top view of the top of the meter plug-in terminal of the Fig. 1 ; Fig. 8 a sectional view of the meter plug-in terminal of the Fig. 1 by the Figure 7 shown section plane VIII-VIII; Fig. 9 a sectional view of the meter plug-in terminal of the Fig. 1 by the Figure 7 shown section plane IX-IX; Fig. 10 a sectional view of the meter plug-in terminal of the Fig. 1 by the Figure 7 shown section plane XX; Fig. 11 a sectional view of the meter plug terminal and the bridging device of the Fig. 1 by the Figure 12 shown section plane XI-XI; Fig. 12 a plan view of the top of the meter plug-in terminal and the bridging device arranged above it of the Fig. 1 ; Fig. 13 a perspective view of a single spring contact terminal of the meter plug-in terminal of the Fig. 1 ; Fig. 14 a top view of the meter connection side of the spring contact terminal of the Fig. 13 ; Fig. 15 a top view of the mains connection side of the spring contact terminal of the Fig. 13 ; Fig. 16a side view of the spring contact terminal of the Fig. 13 ; Fig. 17 a top view of the top of the spring contact terminal of the Fig. 13 ; and Fig. 18 a plan view of the underside of the spring contact terminal of the Fig. 13 . DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] In the Figures 1 to 18 an embodiment of a meter plug-in terminal according to the invention is shown in various views, including the spring contact terminals 3 accommodated therein and a matching bridging device 5.

[0032] The Figure 1 shows the open meter plug-in terminal with the housing 1, the base plate 2 and the spring contact terminals 3 and steel frame terminals 4 arranged therein.

[0033] Inside the housing 1 there are 7 electrical spring contact terminals 3, each having a contact tulip 31, which serves on the one hand to accommodate a bridging device 5 and on the other hand to accommodate a contact pin of the electricity meter. The electricity meter is not shown in the figures. However, electricity meters and their design are well known to those skilled in the art. The spring contact terminals 3 are arranged in the housing 1 in such a way that their contact tulips 31 are each accessible to the electricity meter from a meter connection side 14 of the housing 1. For this purpose, the housing 1 has corresponding connection openings 141 on the meter side, through which a contact element of the electricity meter can be pushed into a contact tulip 31.

[0034] The meter-side connection openings 141 are each formed by a rectangular, chamfered opening and are thus designed to accommodate a meter contact pin with a square or round cross-section. The chamfers serve to offset, or rather, compensate for position errors, of the contact pins mounted on the electricity meter.

[0035] The steel frame terminals 4 are arranged inside the housing 1, facing a mains connection side 15 of the housing 1. Each steel frame terminal 4 has a clamping screw 41. A total of 8 steel frame terminals 4 are provided, with six of the steel frame terminals serving for the three phases, i.e. two each for supplying and discharging the current to the electricity meter. Two of the steel frame terminals 4 serve for the neutral conductor connection. On the side facing away from the power supply network, the steel frame terminals 4 each contact a contact tab 37 of a respective spring contact terminal 3, which contact tab is integrally connected to the contact tulip 31. The steel frame terminals 4 thus form an electrical connection between the steel frame terminals 4 and the power supply network.

[0036] The bridging device 5 has three electrical conductor bridges 51, each having two plug-in elements arranged parallel to one another, which can be inserted from above into a contact tulip 31 for bridging. The plug-in elements of the conductor bridges 51 thus form conductor elements with which the current phases can be bridged or short-circuited, i.e. each of the conductor bridges 51 serves to supply or discharge one phase. Furthermore, the bridging device 5 has a single protruding neutral conductor plug-in element 52 for the neutral conductor, which does not need to be bridged. However, there are two outgoing neutral conductors on the mains side. Furthermore, the protruding plug-in elements of the conductor bridges 51 have the function of opening the contact tulips 31 so that the electricity meter with its 7 contact pins (2 per phase and one neutral conductor) can be easily replaced.During the meter change, the current flows through the conductor bridges 51 and not through the electricity meter.

[0037] As in the Figure 1 , but also in the Figures 2 and 3As can be clearly seen, bridging openings 12 are provided on the top side of the housing 1, which serve to insert the bridging device 5 with its conductor bridges 51 and its neutral conductor plug-in element 52 into the contact tulips 31. The bridging openings 12 are arranged within a recess 11 provided on the top side of the housing. The recess 11, together with the bridging openings 12, forms the interface between the meter plug-in terminal and the bridging device 5. The recess 11 of the interface has the advantage that there is contact protection when the bridging device 5 is plugged into the meter plug-in terminal. For this purpose, the recess 11 is designed in such a way that the conductor bridges 51 are no longer accessible from any part of a person's body when plugged in from the outside as soon as they come into contact with the contact tulips 32 and are therefore potentially live.Preferably, the recess 11 is even designed such that the conductor bridges 51 are no longer accessible from the outside before they come into contact with the contact tulips 32. Contact between live parts and a part of the operator's body can thus be excluded and is therefore impossible.

[0038] As in the Figures 1-3 As can be seen, cams 111 can be provided in the area of ​​the recess 11 to allow only approved and correctly dimensioned bridging devices 5 and to exclude unsuitable ones. Handling of the bridging device 5 is facilitated by a handle 55.

[0039] To secure the bridging device 5 after insertion into the meter plug-in terminal, a snap-in lock is provided. The bridging device 5 has protruding snap-in hooks 53, which are designed to hook onto the housing 1 upon insertion. The snap-in lock can be released using push buttons 54 located on the side of the bridging device 5. Pressing the push buttons 54 pivots the snap-in hooks 53 outward from the housing 1.

[0040] As in the Figures 2 and 3 As can be seen, press-in nuts 17 are provided on the top of the housing. These are used to attach covers that protect the meter plug-in terminal itself as long as no electricity meter with a corresponding cover is installed. The covers also provide contact protection as long as no electricity meter with a meter cover is installed.

[0041] On the in the Figures 3 and 4On the clearly visible mains connection side 15, mains-side connection openings 151 are formed on the housing 1. These openings allow access to the steel frame terminals 4 for connecting the meter plug-in terminal to the power supply network. To provide contact protection, the mains-side connection openings 151 are recessed in the housing 1. To tighten or loosen the individual connections between the meter plug-in terminal and the power supply network, access to the clamping screws 41 is provided in the form of screw openings 16. The screw openings 16 are located on the top side of the housing 1.

[0042] The meter plug-in terminal can be attached to a house wall, for example, using screw connections. For this purpose, the housing 1 has two recesses 13.

[0043] As in the Figures 2 and 5As can be seen, there is a rib 142 in the area of ​​the meter connection side 14, which marks the middle position of the electricity meter and provides an assembly aid.

[0044] The Figure 6 shows the meter plug-in terminal from below, i.e., as a top view of the side closed by the base plate 2. Clearly visible here are the recesses 13 provided on the housing 1, which serve to mount the meter plug-in terminal.

[0045] The Figure 7 shows the top side of the meter plug-in terminal with the screw openings 16, the recess 11 and the bridging openings arranged within the recess 11.

[0046] In the sectional view of the Figure 8Among other things, it can be seen how the spring contact terminals 3 with their contact tulips 31 are arranged parallel to each other in separate inner chambers of the housing 1. Each inner chamber accommodates one spring contact terminal 3 and one steel frame terminal 4.

[0047] The contact tulips 31 are each formed by two clamping legs 32 and a connecting section 34. The two clamping legs 32 are each integrally connected at one end to the connecting section 35 and extend upwards from there essentially parallel to one another along a main extension direction. The contact tulips 31 therefore have a U-shaped configuration. In the upper region of their free ends, the contact tulips 21 each have a constriction which serves to contact the conductor elements of the bridging device that are inserted from above. From the constriction, the contact tulips 31 each form a V-shaped receptacle 35 upwards towards the free ends of the clamping legs 32, which simplifies the insertion of the conductor elements of the bridging device. Each receptacle 35 is arranged directly below one of the bridging openings 12.

[0048] In the sectional views of the Figures 9 and 10 It is particularly evident that the contact tabs 37 of the spring contact terminals 3 are each double-constructed by means of two superimposed sheet metal sections. Figure 9 also shows clinching points 38, which serve for the mechanical and electrical connection of the two sheet sections. Figure 10It can also be seen that the steel frame terminals 4 each form a clamping cage in which a contact element of the power supply network can be clamped by means of the clamping screw 41 in such a way that it is contacted by both the contact tab 37 and a part of the steel frame terminal 4. In the area of ​​each clamping screw 41, a round collar is molded onto the housing 1, which holds the clamping screw 41 in position at the screw head. A cylindrical pin is formed at each screw end, which holds the clamping screw 41 in position at its lower end. Even if the clamping screws 41 are completely unscrewed from the clamping cage, the collar and the cylindrical pin at the screw end prevent the screw from leaving the required position, or rather the central axis. The screws therefore remain in position and screw themselves back into the clamping cage when rotated in the opposite direction.

[0049] The Figure 11shows a section in the Figure 12 The plane XI-XI shown is through the contact tulips 31 and through a bridging device 5. Visible are the three U-shaped conductor bridges 51 for the three phases, as well as the protruding neutral conductor plug element 52. The neutral conductor plug element 52 is non-conductive, as it has no current-carrying function, but only fulfills the function of opening the contact tulip 31, thereby facilitating the replacement of the electricity meter. The conductor bridges 51 are each screwed by means of a fastening screw 56 to the part of the bridging device 5, which is preferably made of a non-conductive plastic material and which also forms the handle 55.

[0050] The Figures 13 - 18Each of the figures shows a spring contact terminal 3 in a standalone position in different views. These figures show that the spring contact terminal 3 as a whole is made from a continuous, i.e., one-piece, sheet metal. The spring contact terminal 3 can be manufactured, in particular, by bending a preformed, but flat sheet metal. Since two sheet metal sections are placed one above the other in the area of ​​the contact tab 37, their thickness is twice that of the clamping legs 32. The contact tab therefore has a material cross-section that is optimal for current conduction.

[0051] The mechanical and electrical connection of the contact tulip 13 to the contact tab 37 is made via two transfer sections 36. Each clamping leg 32 is integrally connected to a transfer section 36. The current is thus conducted separately from the two clamping legs 32 to the contact tab or in the reverse direction. While one of the transfer sections 36 transitions into the lower sheet metal section of the contact tab 37, the other transfer section 36 transitions into the upper sheet metal section of the contact tab 37. The contact tab 37 extends in a plane that is parallel to that of the connecting section 34, but perpendicular to the plane along which the clamping legs 32 extend upwards in the main direction from the connecting section 34.

[0052] As in the Figures 13 and 16As can be seen, the contact tulip 31 has locally embossed bulges 33 on both sides in the area of ​​its upper constriction, which serve to improve the electrical contact with the conductor bridges 51 of the bridging device. To improve the clamping of the contact element of the power supply network, the underside of the contact tab 37 is grooved, as shown in the Figure 18 is clearly visible.

[0053] The contact tulip 31 thus forms a spring, which can be opened by inserting the conductor bridges 51 or the neutral conductor plug-in element 52 from above. Opening the contact tulip 31 facilitates the removal or insertion of a meter pin of the electricity meter from the front, i.e. in a direction parallel to the connecting section 34. On the input side, at the front of the contact tulip 51, two 45° phases are formed at approximately half the height of the contact tulip 51 to improve the reception of the contact pins (see Figures 13 and 14 ).

[0054] The contact tab 37 has an oval clinching point 38, which holds the two sheet metal sections together in an optimal spring position and, in particular, ensures good performance of the spring contact terminal 3 with regard to electrical and mechanical properties. Due to the spaced connection of the transfer sections 36 to the clamping legs 32, in combination with the fastening of the two sheet metal sections at the clinching point 38, a precisely adjusted and uniform spring force of the contact tulip 31 can be achieved when the meter contact pin is inserted therein. This ensures optimal contact of the contact tulip 31 against the meter pin, enabling an efficient and low-loss electrical connection to the electricity meter. The oval clinching point 38 is preferably manufactured using the process known as OVAL-LOC® from BTM (Europe) Blechverbindungstechnik GmbH.The clinching point 38 serves primarily to ensure the ideal position of the contact tulip 31 during use, i.e., when connected to the power grid and, via contact pins, to the electricity meter. The oval clinching point 38 also ensures the correct position of the contact tab 37, which ensures the connection to the steel frame terminal 4. The clinching point 38 thus ensures maximum efficiency and clamping force in the electrical connection. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0055] 1 Housing 32 clamping leg 11 Deepening 33 bulge 111 cam 34 connecting section 12 Bridging openings 35 Recording 13 recess 36 Overpass section 14 Meter connection side 37 Contact tab 141 Meter-side connection openings 38 clinching point 142 rib 4 Steel frame clamps 15 Mains connection side 41 clamping screw 151 Mains-side connection openings 5 Bridging device 16 screw openings 51 Ladder bridges 17 Press-in nut 52 Neutral conductor plug element 53 locking hook 2 base plate 54 push button 55 handle 3 spring contact terminal 56 Fixing screw 31 Contact tulip

Claims

1. An electrical spring contact clamp (3) for a meter plug-in clamp which is used to connect an electricity meter to the electrical power supply network, the spring contact clamp (3) comprising a contact tulip (31) with a first clamping leg (32) and a second clamping leg (32), which are connected to one another via a connecting section (34) and are used for contacting and clamping a contact pin of the electricity meter on both sides; and a contact tab (37) integrally connected to the contact tulip (31) for making contact with the electrical power supply network; wherein the spring contact clamp (3) also comprises a first transfer section (36), which electrically and mechanically connects the first clamping leg (32) to the contact tab (37) at a distance from the connecting section (34), characterized in that spring contact clamp (3) comprises a second transfer section (36), which electrically and mechanically connects the second clamping leg (32) to the contact tab (37) at a distance from the connecting section (34).

2. The spring contact clamp (3) according to claim 1, wherein the first clamping leg (32) and the second clamping leg (32) each extend along a main direction away from the connecting section (34), which is perpendicular to a contacting surface formed by the contact tab (37).

3. The spring contact clamp (3) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spring contact clamp (3) is formed as a whole in one piece.

4. The spring contact clamp (3) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the contact tab (37) has a thickness twice as large as that of the first and second clamping legs (32).

5. The spring contact clamp (3) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the spring contact clamp (3) as a whole is made of a sheet metal.

6. The spring contact clamp (3) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the contact tab (37) is doubled by means of two superimposed sheet metal sections.

7. The spring contact clamp (3) according to claim 6, wherein the two sheet metal sections are connected to one another in a particularly oval clinching point (38).

8. A meter plug-in clamp for connecting an electricity meter to the electrical power supply network, comprising at least one spring contact clamp (3) according to any one of the preceding claims.

9. The meter plug-in clamp according to claim 8, comprising a housing (1) with bridging openings (12), which each serve to insert a conductor element (51) of a bypass device (5), the bridging openings (12) being arranged inside a recess (11) provided on the housing (1), which prevents contact with the conductor elements (51) of the bypass device (5) from the outside at the latest when the conductor elements (51) contact the spring contact clamps (3), preferably even before.