Connection module for connecting an electric conductor, and device with an external busbar piece and a connection module

Abstract

The invention relates to a connection module for connecting an electric conductor to an external busbar piece which is not part of the connection module by means of a spring-force clamping, having the following features: a) the connection module has at least one clamping spring and an insulating material housing which at least partly surrounds the clamping spring, b) the insulating material housing is equipped with a clamping point position at which a clamping point for securely clamping the electric conductor to the external busbar piece is formed by means of a clamping limb of the clamping spring when the external busbar piece is connected to the connection module, c) the insulating material housing has a conductor insertion opening that allows the electric conductor, which is to be securely clamped by means of the clamping limb, to be inserted into the clamping point position, and d) the insulating material housing has a busbar piece insertion opening that allows the external busbar piece, on which the electric conductor is to be securely clamped by means of the clamping limb, to be inserted into the clamping point position. The invention additionally relates to a device comprising an external busbar piece and such a connection module which is plugged onto the external busbar piece.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device with an external busbar section and such a connection module which is plugged onto the external busbar section.

[0002] For example, conductor terminals with spring clamping are known, which have a complete contact insert with a clamping spring and a busbar section, as described, for example, in DE 10 2013 101 406 A1. In such cases, the busbar section is part of the conductor terminal, i.e., permanently at least partially arranged within the conductor terminal, so that a clamping point is always available on the busbar section within the conductor terminal, to which an electrical conductor can be clamped by means of a clamping leg of the clamping spring.

[0003] A spring-clamp terminal for connecting multiple individual conductors is known from US 5,975,940. A low-voltage terminal with spring clamp is known from US 2009 / 0264027 A1. A spring-operated terminal is known from US 2007 / 0072481 A1. A conductor terminal with an actuating lever is known from EP 3 139 444 A1. A conductor connection device is known from DE 20 2015 105 022 U1. A terminal with a current bar and a conductor receiving area for receiving a conductor and with a clamping spring for clamping the conductor is known from DE 10 2010 025 930 A1. A terminal element and a terminal formed therewith are known from DE 102 53 858 A1. A terminal block for connecting an electrical conductor to a continuous busbar is known from JP 2004-165045 A. A connector with an insulating housing is known from DE 10 2009 035 716 A1.From DE 10 2007 018 443 A1 an electrical connector for connecting a contact pin to an electrical conductor is known.

[0004] The invention is based on the objective of enriching the technical field of conductor connection technology by means of spring force clamping with an advantageous new variant.

[0005] This task is solved by a device comprising an external busbar section and a connection module for connecting an electrical conductor to the external busbar section by means of a spring clamp according to claim 1.

[0006] Unlike conventional conductor terminals, this connection module does not have a complete contact insert, as the busbar section required to form the clamping point is not part of the module. The insulating housing contains only one clamping point position, a location or area where the desired clamping point for the electrical conductor can be formed, for example, acting as a placeholder when the external busbar section is connected to the connection module. For this purpose, the insulating housing has defined entry openings for the electrical conductor and the external busbar section, allowing these two elements to easily reach the clamping point position and be electrically connected there by the clamping arm clamping the electrical conductor to the external busbar section.The clamping point can therefore be formed between the clamping leg and the external busbar section if the external busbar section is connected to the connection module.

[0007] Such a connection module can be provided very simply and cost-effectively. In the simplest case, the connection module can consist of only the insulating housing and the clamping spring. The insulating housing is made of an insulating material, e.g., plastic. For example, the insulating housing can be provided as an injection-molded plastic component. Accordingly, the connection module can also be designed simply and cost-effectively with regard to the insulating housing. In particular, no heavy and complex metal frame is required.

[0008] Therefore, one could say that the connection module itself, unlike in the prior art, is not electrically conductive. Only when the connection module is attached to the external busbar can a conductive contact be established between an electrical conductor contained in the connection module and the external busbar.

[0009] Furthermore, depending on the conductor cross-section, the smallest possible pitch can be designed, since the outer diameter of the insulating sheath of the electrical conductor to be connected itself determines the pitch and can form part of the outer wall of the connection module. The recesses of the insulating housing and the entire connection module can be shaped in such a way that the insertion and / or insertion of printed circuit board fingers as electrical conductors is also possible.

[0010] Furthermore, the connection module can offer various mounting options, allowing for flexible assembly and configuration. The connection module can be used in a variety of applications, such as potential distributors, feed-through terminals, and industrial connectors.

[0011] Without contradicting the previous explanations, the connection module may also have its own busbar or busbar section which is part of the connection module, but not in such a way that it forms the clamping point for clamping the electrical conductor.

[0012] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the connection module is designed without a busbar. In this case, the connection module has no busbar or busbar section of its own. This also promotes a simple and cost-effective design of the connection module.

[0013] The external busbar connector is designed like a plug-in tongue that can be inserted into the busbar connector's insertion opening. This plug-in tongue can, for example, be designed similarly to a contact pin or a flat blade contact of a connector.

[0014] As mentioned, the clamping point position can be a single, precisely defined point in the insulating housing, or a specific defined area in the insulating housing, for example a tolerance range when inserting the external busbar section, with which the clamping point can be formed.

[0015] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the clamping point position is defined by the shape of the clamping spring, the shape of the insulating housing, and / or the arrangement of the clamping spring within the insulating housing. For example, the clamping point position is determined, at least within a certain range, by the position of the clamping leg and, in particular, the position of a clamping edge of the clamping leg, which may be located at its free end. Furthermore, the shape of the insulating housing, especially the position of inner walls and / or the first and second contact surfaces described below, defines such a clamping point position, as do the position and arrangement of the conductor entry opening and the busbar entry opening.

[0016] To open the clamping point, the clamping spring, e.g. the clamping leg, can be actuated by an external tool, e.g. a screwdriver.

[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the connection module comprises an actuating element, in particular an actuating lever or a push button, with which the clamping leg of the clamping spring can be deflected by manual actuation to open the clamping point. This has the advantage that the connection module already has its own actuating mechanism for opening the clamping point, namely the actuating element, which is thus part of the connection module. If a push button is used, it can, for example, be mounted so as to be linearly displaceable within the insulating housing. If an actuating lever is used, it can, for example, be mounted so as to be pivotable within the insulating housing.

[0018] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the insulating housing has a first contact surface against which the external busbar section can be placed. This limits the displacement of the insulating housing, and thus of the entire connection module, relative to the external busbar section. The external busbar section can be placed against the first contact surface, particularly with its side facing away from the terminal, i.e., the side where the electrical conductor does not rest against the external busbar section.

[0019] According to the invention, the insulating housing has a second contact surface against which a contact tongue connected to the external busbar can be placed. This limits the aforementioned displacement of the insulating housing relative to the external busbar in the opposite direction. To avoid mechanical over-constraint, the insulating housing can be designed such that only one of the first and second contact surfaces can come into contact with its respective counterpart, i.e., either the external busbar or the contact tongue, at any given time. The second contact surface can, for example, be configured as a contact surface opposite the first contact surface.

[0020] The external busbar section is designed like a contact tongue. The external busbar section also has the contact tongue, i.e., it is formed from a single piece including the contact tongue.

[0021] To insert the mounting tongue into the insulating housing, an additional insertion opening can be provided in the insulating housing. Alternatively, the busbar section insertion opening can be dimensioned sufficiently large so that it can also serve for inserting the mounting tongue.

[0022] According to the invention, the clamping spring has a contact leg that supports the clamping spring against the force of the clamping leg. The contact leg is supported against the contact tongue when the external busbar section, with its associated contact tongue, is connected to the terminal block. In this way, the clamping spring can be clamped between the contact tongue and the external busbar section, so that essentially no spring force is transmitted to the surrounding insulating housing. If an electrical conductor is clamped at the clamping point, the clamping spring is supported on the side of the clamping leg by the electrical conductor on the external busbar section. In both cases, the insulating housing, which can be made of plastic, for example, is thus protected from being subjected to the spring force.

[0023] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the connection module has an outer housing that surrounds at least part of the insulating housing. The outer housing can be offered as an optional extension to the connection module, allowing the user to choose whether to use the connection module with or without an outer housing, depending on the application. For example, the insulating housing can be designed to be very material-efficient, but this may result in insufficient insulation from the current-carrying elements in certain applications. By using the outer housing, the connection module can be upgraded to meet such requirements. The outer housing can be connected to the insulating housing, for example, via snap-fit ​​elements.

[0024] Furthermore, the minimal design of the insulating housing allows for a high packing density of adjacent connection modules, as the division can be reduced to adjacent insulating housings.

[0025] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the outer housing provides a conductor stop for the electrical conductor to be clamped and / or is designed to increase the mechanical strength of the connection module and / or to generate predetermined creepage and clearance distances. In this way, the connection module can be optimized for the desired application by the user with minimal effort.

[0026] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the insulating housing has one or two recesses arranged on opposite side walls and extending in the conductor insertion direction, in which an insulating sheath of an electrical conductor clamped at the terminal point can be placed. In this way, a very narrow terminal block can be realized, enabling the smallest possible spacing when several terminal blocks are connected side by side.

[0027] In the device according to the invention, the connection module is plugged onto the external busbar section by means of its busbar insertion opening, so that at the clamping point position the clamping point for clamping the electrical conductor to the external busbar section is formed by means of the clamping leg of the clamping spring, and the contact leg is supported on the contact tongue, so that the clamping spring is clamped between the contact tongue connected to the external busbar section and the external busbar section. The advantages described above can also be realized in this way.

[0028] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment and the accompanying drawings.

[0029] They show Figure 1 - a connection module in side view and Figure 2 - the connection module according to Figure 1 in the direction of view A and Figure 3 - the connecting module according to Figure 1in the direction of view B and Figure 4 - the connecting module according to Figure 1 in the direction of view C.

[0030] The figures show the connecting component from different viewing directions in a semi-transparent representation, meaning that partially obscured components are shown with dashed lines. The reference symbols used in the figures have the following meanings: Reference symbol list:

[0031] 1 Connection module 2 Insulating housing 3 Busbar 4 Clamping spring 5 Actuating element 20 Conductor entry opening 21 First contact surface 22 Second contact surface 23 Test pin opening 24 Conductor entry aid 25 Recesses 26 Clamping point position 27 Busbar section entry opening 30 Busbar section 31 Contact tongue 32 Clamping point 40 Contact leg 41 Fixing tongue 42 Spring bend 43 Clamping leg 44 Clamping edge 50 Manual actuation area 51 Side plates 52 Spring driver L Conductor entry direction

[0032] The connection module 1 shown in the figures has an insulating housing 2 and a clamping spring 4 arranged at least predominantly inside the insulating housing 2, as well as an actuating element 5 designed in this case as an actuating lever.

[0033] The insulating housing 2 has a conductor entry opening 20 through which an electrical conductor can be inserted into the insulating housing 2 in a conductor entry direction L and led to a terminal position 26, which will be explained in more detail below. On the side of the insulating housing 2 opposite the conductor entry opening 20, it has a busbar entry opening 27 through which an external busbar 30 can be inserted into the insulating housing 2 and also led to the terminal position 26.

[0034] The insulating housing 2 also has a first contact surface 21 against which the external busbar section can rest within the insulating housing 2. The insulating housing 2 also has a second contact surface 22 against which a contact tongue 31 connected to the external busbar section 30 can come into contact with the insulating housing 2.

[0035] On the side of the conductor entry opening 20, the insulating housing has a test pin opening 23, e.g. between the conductor entry opening 20 and a manual actuation area 50 of the actuating element 5. A test pin can be inserted through the test pin opening 23 and brought into contact with the clamping spring 4, e.g. at the spring arc 42.

[0036] The insulating housing 2 has recesses 25 on each side wall, which can be in the form of a longitudinal slot extending into the conductor entry opening L. The recesses 25 can, for example, begin at the conductor entry opening 20 and extend a distance along the side walls, e.g., over a range of 20% to 50% of the length of the insulating housing 2, measured in the conductor entry direction L. The recesses 25 allow even a large-diameter electrical conductor to be inserted, so that the conductor entry opening 20 is practically filled and the insulating sheath of the conductor extends into the recesses 25. In this way, a connection module with the smallest possible pitch is realized.

[0037] As the Figure 1As shown, the external busbar section 30 is part of a busbar 3 extending predominantly outside the insulating housing 2, in the form of a contact tongue bent out from the busbar 3. Likewise, the contact tongue 31 is part of this busbar 3, also in the form of a tongue bent out from the busbar 3. The busbar 3 with the external busbar section 30 and the contact tongue 31 is only in the Figure 1 Figures 2 to 4 do not show this external component for the sake of clarity.

[0038] The clamping spring 4 has a contact leg 40, which terminates at a free end of the clamping spring 4 with a locking tongue 41. On the other side, the contact leg 40 is connected to the spring arc 42, and the clamping leg 43 is connected to the spring arc 42, terminating at its free end with a clamping edge 44. The clamping of an electrical conductor to be connected takes place between the clamping edge 44 and a clamping point 32 of the external busbar section 30. Accordingly, the clamping leg 43 with the clamping edge 44 also extends to the clamping point position 26.

[0039] In a region of the insulating housing 2 opposite the clamping leg 43, e.g., in a base area, a conductor insertion aid 24, rising ramp-like in the conductor insertion direction L, can be arranged, which can, for example, be formed integrally with the insulating housing 2. The conductor insertion aid 24 guides an electrical conductor being inserted even more effectively towards the clamping point 32.

[0040] The actuating element 5 has a manual actuation area 50, e.g., in the form of a lever handle, from which the actuating element 5 extends over two side plates 51 across the insulating housing 2 and at least partially encompasses it. A spring driver 52 is arranged on the inside of each of the side plates 51, i.e., on the side facing the clamping spring 4, e.g., integrally molded onto it. If the actuating element 5 is pivoted counterclockwise from the position shown in Figure 1, the clamping arm 43 is deflected upwards by the spring drivers 52, so that the clamping edge 44 is lifted from the external busbar section 30 and moved forward. In this way, the clamping point can be opened so that a clamped electrical conductor can be removed or a new electrical conductor can be easily inserted.

[0041] The clamping spring 4 is supported on the side of the clamping leg 43 against the external busbar section 30, either directly if no electrical conductor is clamped, or indirectly via the electrical conductor if it is located at the clamping point 32. On the side of the contact leg 40, the clamping spring 4 is supported against the contact tongue 31, e.g., by the fixing tongue 41.

Claims

1. A device with an external busbar piece (30) and a connection module (1) for connecting an electrical conductor by means of spring-force clamping to the external busbar piece (30), which is not part of the connection module (1), with the following features: a) the connection module (1) comprises at least one clamping spring (4) and an insulating housing (2) at least partially surrounding the clamping spring (4), b) in the insulating housing (2), a clamping point position (26) is provided, at which a clamping point (32) for clamping the electrical conductor to the external busbar piece (30) is formed by means of a clamping leg (43) of the clamping spring (4) when the external busbar piece (30) is connected to the connection module (1), c) the insulating housing (2) has a conductor insertion opening (20) which allows the insertion of the electrical conductor to be clamped by means of the clamping leg (43) to the clamping point position (26), d) the insulating housing (2) has a busbar piece insertion opening (27) which allows the insertion of the external busbar piece (30), to which the electrical conductor is to be clamped by means of the clamping leg (43), to the clamping point position (26), wherein the insulating housing (2) has a second contact surface (22) on which a contact tongue (31) connected to the external busbar piece (30) can be placed, wherein the clamping spring (4) has a support leg (40) via which the clamping spring (4) can be supported against the force of the clamping leg (43), characterized in that the external busbar piece (30) is part of a busbar (3) extending predominantly outside the insulating housing (2) in the form of a contact tongue bent out of the busbar (3), and the contact tongue (31) is part of this busbar (3) in the form of a tongue bent out of the busbar (3), wherein the connection module (1) is plugged onto the external busbar piece (30) by means of its busbar piece insertion opening (27), so that at the clamping point position (26) the clamping point (32) for clamping the electrical conductor to the external busbar piece (30) is formed by means of the clamping leg (43) of the clamping spring (4), and that the support leg (40) is supported on the contact tongue (31).

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the connection module (1) is designed without a busbar.

3. The device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping point position (26) is defined by the shape of the clamping spring (4), by the shape of the insulating housing (2) and / or the arrangement of the clamping spring (4) in the insulating housing (2).

4. The device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connection module (1) comprises as a further component an actuating element (5), in particular an actuating lever or an actuating pusher, with which the clamping leg (43) of the clamping spring (4) can be deflected by manual actuation in order to open the clamping point (32).

5. The device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insulating housing (2) has a first contact surface (21) on which the external busbar piece (30) can be placed.

6. The device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connection module (1) has an outer housing which surrounds at least a part of the insulating housing (2).

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that the outer housing forms a conductor stop for the electrical conductor to be clamped and / or is arranged for increasing the mechanical strength of the connection module (1) and / or for generating predetermined creepage and clearance distances.

8. The device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insulating housing (2) has one or two recesses (25) arranged on opposite side walls and extending in the conductor insertion direction (L), in which an insulating sheath of an electrical conductor clamped at the clamping point (32) can be placed.

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