Contact inserts for conductor terminals and conductor terminals

Abstract

To provide a conductor terminal contact insert, and a conductor terminal.SOLUTION: A contact insert of a conductor terminal for connecting at least one electrical conductor includes at least one bus and at least one clamp spring, and the bus has at least one through opening, the contact insert has a perforated collar that is configured as a separate component from the bus, and the perforated collar partially or completely surrounds the through opening on at least one side of the bus in the circumferential direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a contact insert for a conductor terminal for connecting at least one electric conductor, the contact insert having at least one busbar and at least one clamping spring. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a conductor terminal equipped with such a contact insert. [Background technology]

[0002] The invention therefore relates to the field of conductor connection techniques using clamping springs. Such a conductor terminal is known, for example, from DE 10 2010 051 899 A1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] German Patent No. 10 2010 051 899 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem underlying the present invention is to still further optimize such contact inserts and conductor terminals, for example with regard to construction size, production and / or assembly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] This problem is solved by a contact insert of a conductor terminal for connecting at least one electric conductor, the contact insert having at least one busbar and at least one clamping spring, the busbar having at least one through opening, the contact insert having a perforated collar configured as a separate component from the busbar, the perforated collar surrounding the through opening at least partially or entirely (in other words completely) in the circumferential direction on at least one side of the busbar. In contrast to the prior art, where such a perforated collar is configured as a material passage for the busbar and is therefore necessarily formed in one piece with the busbar, the use of a separate component for forming the perforated collar is proposed. Even if this at first glance seems to increase the complexity of the contact insert and / or the conductor terminal, many advantages can still be achieved with such an arrangement.

[0006] Thus, for example, it is only possible to a limited extent to form several material passages in the busbar, in particular there must be a certain minimum distance between the through-openings of the busbar. In the solution according to the invention, in which the perforated collar is configured as a separate component from the busbar, the material of the busbar can remain unchanged. Instead, the separate component forming the perforated collar can be molded in any way, in particular a contact insert can be provided on the busbar with a number of closely adjacent through-openings each having one perforated collar. In this way, for example, a compact conductor terminal can be provided with many closely arranged clamping positions or through-openings.

[0007] In the manufacturing process, the step of producing a material passage for forming the perforated collar can be omitted, instead a separate component which is to form the perforated collar can be used, which can be very simply constructed, for example as a plastic component.

[0008] Here, the clamping spring together with the busbar can provide a clamping position for the electrical conductor to be clamped in the area of ​​the through-opening. This can be realized, for example, in such a way that the clamping legs of the clamping spring protrude into or through the through-opening. The electrical conductor to be clamped can then be clamped in a fixed manner between the clamping legs and the edge of the through-opening or a tab formed therein. The contact insert can be configured as a spring-force clamping connection.

[0009] In addition, a conductor chamber is provided which can at least partially receive and guide the electrical conductor to be connected by means of a perforated collar which surrounds the through opening.

[0010] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the perforated collar is made of a different material than the busbars, and may in particular be made of a non-metallic and / or electrically insulating material, for example plastic, which allows the perforated collar to be produced simply, cheaply and with a light weight.

[0011] The perforated collar can be secured to the busbar in a variety of ways, such as by the perforated collar being attached to a clamp spring or other portion of the conductor terminal, or by a portion of the housing of the conductor terminal.

[0012] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that a separate component forming the perforated collar is attached to the busbar. This has the advantage that the busbar can form a complete structural unit with the perforated collar, from which the perforated collar is not easily removed again. For example, the busbar with the perforated collar can be provided as a preassembled unit. In addition, no other mounting means for fixing the perforated collar, for example a mounting arrangement on the housing of the conductor terminal, is required.

[0013] According to one advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the separate component forming the pierced collar is attached to the busbar by clamping, latching, gluing or a combination thereof, which allows both a simple assembly of the elements of the contact insert and a secure permanent connection between the pierced collar and the busbar.

[0014] Thus, the busbar and / or the perforated collar can have respective fastening elements by means of which the perforated collar can be fixed to the busbar. If the perforated collar and the busbar have fastening elements, the fastening elements can be configured as mating pieces assigned to one another, for example as latch hooks / latch edges.

[0015] According to one advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the perforated collar is configured in the circumferential direction to define a through hole, whereby the material of the perforated collar at least partially or completely surrounds the through hole in the circumferential direction.

[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the through-holes of the perforated collar are aligned with the through-openings of the busbars, in such a way that the electrical conductors can be guided unhindered through the through-openings of the busbars and through the through-holes of the perforated collar, whereby the perforated collar can form a guide for the electrical conductors.

[0017] Therefore, according to one advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the perforated collar is configured as a conductor guiding element, which is intended to form, at least partially or entirely (in other words, completely) in the circumferential direction, a conductor guide for an electrical conductor to be connected to the contact insert.

[0018] The perforated collar does not need to be aligned with the through openings of the busbar on all sides, thus, for example, one longitudinal side could be omitted and formed by an edge / shoulder of the housing of the conductor terminal.

[0019] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that a separate component forming the perforated collar has a conductor stop for the electrical conductor to be clamped and / or an overload stop for limiting the maximum deflection of the clamping spring. In this way, the component forming the perforated collar can assume a further function in the conductor chamber, namely the provision of a conductor stop and / or an overload stop. By means of such a conductor stop, the maximum insertion depth of the electrical conductor into the conductor terminal can be mechanically limited. The overload stop forms a mechanical limit for the maximum deflection of the clamping spring. Therefore, no additional features or components are required in the contact insert to form such a function.

[0020] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that at least one region of the perforated collar projects (in other words extends) into the region of the through opening. This projecting region is well suited to forming the above-mentioned overload stop. For example, the inner periphery of the through hole of the perforated collar, which lies under the spring arch of the clamping spring, can be moved into the region of the through opening and serve as an (overload) stop for the clamping leg.

[0021] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the busbar has a number of through-openings one behind the other and / or adjacent to one another in the longitudinal direction, several or all of which have respective perforated collars and, together with respective clamping springs, provide respective clamping positions for the electric conductors to be clamped, and the perforated collars are constructed as a common separate component or as several components separate from the busbar. The longitudinal direction of the busbar is understood here to mean the direction in which the busbar has its greatest longitudinal dimension. In this way, a particularly compact contact insert can be provided with a large number of clamping positions, at which several electric conductors can be clamped respectively. Here, each of the individual perforated collars can be constructed as an individual separate part. Several or all of the perforated collars can also be integrated to form a common component, for example a plastic component. Such a component with several perforated collars can be constructed in such a way that the through-holes are arranged in a matrix, for example in a grid-like manner.

[0022] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the busbar has, in the region of the through-opening, a clamping tab which is made from the material of the busbar and is angled relative to the surface of the busbar, at which a clamping point is formed together with a clamping spring, which makes it possible to clamp the electric conductor particularly reliably with a low contact resistance. The clamping spring can have, for example, a clamping edge at the free end of its clamping leg, which ensures a particularly reliably clamped electric conductor in the clamping point.

[0023] The contact tab can be configured as a flat, convex or concave surface on the surface facing the clamping leg of the clamping spring. A concave configuration has the advantage that a recess is formed in which the clamping leg with the clamping edge in its rest position can be supported, i.e. a defined support position for the clamping edge is provided.

[0024] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the clamping tab extends at least partially into the space surrounded by the perforated collar, whereby the clamping tab can project into or through the space surrounded by the perforated collar, i.e. can emerge again on the opposite side of the perforated collar, which allows a further improvement of the electrical contact of the electrical conductor in the clamped position.

[0025] Furthermore, the problem mentioned at the beginning is solved by a conductor terminal for connecting at least one electric conductor, the conductor terminal having a housing and a contact insert as described above. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the at least one busbar and the at least one clamping spring are arranged at least mainly in the housing. The housing can be configured, for example, as an insulating material housing.

[0026] In the sense of the present invention, the indefinite term "one" should not be understood as a numeral. Thus, for example, when referring to "one component", this should be interpreted as meaning "at least one component". Insofar as angles are indicated in degrees, these relate to 360 degrees (360°) of a circle.

[0027] The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments using drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a contact insert of the conductor terminal according to FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing components forming a perforated collar in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a fixing element for fixing the bridge connection clamp spring; [Diagram 5]FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing components forming a perforated collar in a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 13 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a further embodiment of a contact insert. [Figure 7] 13 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a further embodiment of a contact insert. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] The conductor terminal 1, which can be seen in Fig. 1, has a housing 2. The housing 2 is formed with a conductor insertion channel 20 through which an electrical conductor can be inserted into the housing 2. In addition, the housing 2 is formed with a bridge chamber 21 through which an electrical bridge can be connected to an electrical element within the housing 2.

[0030] In the housing 2 a contact insert of the conductor terminal 1 with a busbar 3, a clamping spring 4, a perforated collar 6, a bridge spring 7 and a bridge spring fixing element 8 is arranged. The busbar 3 is configured as an elongated flat metal part in which there are one or more through openings 30. A clamping spring 4 is assigned to each through opening 30, which, together with the busbar 3, provides a clamping position for the electric conductor to be clamped in the region of the respective through opening 30. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the busbar 3 has, in the region of the respective through opening 30, a clamping tab 31 which is shaped from the material of the busbar 3 and angled in the direction of the conductor insertion direction E relative to the surface of the busbar 3. When an electric conductor is not clamped there, the clamping spring 4 abuts against the respective clamping tab 31 with the respective clamping leg 43. When an electric conductor is clamped there, the electric conductor is pressed into a clamping position in the region of the clamping tab 31 by the clamping leg 43. The respective clamping spring 4 is supported against an abutment leg 40, i.e. against the clamping force of the clamping leg 43. The abutment leg 40 can, for example, be engaged in the through opening 30 of the busbar 3.

[0031] To open the respective clamping position, each clamping spring 4 is assigned an actuating element 5, for example in the form of a trigger or actuating lever. By actuating the actuating element 5, the clamping leg 43 can be deflected and moved away from the clamping tab 31 so that an electrical conductor can simply be inserted therein or removed again.

[0032] Here, each through opening 30 is surrounded by a perforated collar 6. The perforated collar 6 is formed as a separate component from the busbar 3. The bridge spring 7 is held in a desired position relative to the busbar 3 via a bridge spring fixing element 8. The bridge spring fixing element 8 may have a fixing extension 9 that is inserted through an opening in the busbar 3 to attach the bridge spring fixing element 8 to the busbar 3.

[0033] As viewed in the conductor insertion direction E, at the rear side of the busbar 3 there are conductor receiving pockets 22 which each serve to receive an electrical conductor clamped in a contact insert. The conductor receiving pockets 22 can be formed, for example, as part of the housing 2.

[0034] 2 shows in more detail the contact insert of the conductor terminal 1. In particular it can be seen that each clamping spring 4 starts from an abutment leg 40 and connects via a spring arch 42 to a respective clamping leg 43.

[0035] 2, a number of through-openings 30 with their respective clamping springs 4 can be arranged one behind the other and / or adjacent to one another in the longitudinal direction L of the busbar 3. In this way, a large number of spring force clamp connections for connecting electrical conductors can be realized while requiring little space.

[0036] It can further be appreciated that the individual perforated collars 6 surrounding the through openings 30 can be integrated into a common component in one piece, e.g. a plastic component, as shown for example in FIG. 5 and described in even more detail below.

[0037] However, the perforated collars surrounding the respective through openings 30 can also be configured as respective individual components or as a composite component providing perforated collars for a number of adjacent through openings 30. In this regard, FIG. 3 shows an example in which a component provides a perforated collar 6 for two through openings 30 arranged side by side. This component thus has two through holes 60 which can be assigned to the two through openings 30 of the busbar 3. In this way, the component so formed can constitute the corresponding perforated collars of two adjacent side by side arranged through openings of the busbar. Here, the through openings 30 of the busbar 3 and the through holes 60 of the perforated collar 6 can be arranged in register. In the present exemplary embodiment, the dimensions of the through holes 60 are greater than the dimensions of the through openings 30 at least in the longitudinal direction L. Thereby, it is ensured that the free ends of the abutment legs 40 and also the clamping tabs 31 can penetrate into the through holes 60. In the example of FIG. 2, for example, two components shown in FIG. 3 could be arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction L of the busbar 3.

[0038] FIG. 4 shows, by way of example, a bridge spring fixing element 8 with a fixing extension 9 as a separate component. As FIG. 5 shows, the bridge spring fixing element 8 is connected to the component forming the perforated collar 6 via a material bridge 10, so that the component forming the perforated collar 6 can also be constructed in one piece as one component with the bridge spring fixing element 8.

[0039] In addition, Figure 5 shows an embodiment in which the perforated collars 6 of all (four) through openings 30 of the busbar are realised as one component. This component therefore has four through holes 60.

[0040] In addition, Fig. 5 shows a perforated collar fastening element 61 with which the component 6 forming the perforated collar can be attached to the busbar 3. The perforated collar fastening element 61 can be configured, for example, as a latching projection that can be latched into a latching opening of the busbar.

[0041] Figure 6 shows the electrical conductor 10 introduced into the clamped position. The embodiment of the contact insert shown in Figure 6 has a perforated collar 6 which, as mentioned above, not only runs as a flat planar part along the busbar 3, but additionally also has at least one vertical wall 62 which runs essentially perpendicularly out from the busbar 3. This allows the advantageous effects of the perforated collar 6, in particular the conductor guiding properties for the electrical conductor 10, to be further improved.

[0042] 6 shows as a further additional feature of the perforated collar 6 a spring overload protection function, for example in the form of an overload stop 63, which has the effect that the clamping legs 43 of the clamping spring 4 are not over-deflected and therefore cannot be damaged. Thereby, the clamping spring 4 is not overloaded. The overload stop 63 can be configured, for example, as a lateral abutment surface of the perforated collar 6, against which the clamping legs 43 abut when the maximum permissible deflection is reached.

[0043] The above-mentioned overload stop 63 can be implemented, for example, in the vertical wall 62 or can be implemented independently of the vertical wall, if a vertical wall is desired to be present. FIG. 7 again shows the overload stop 63 as part of the perforated collar 6, as explained above. Unlike the embodiment of FIG. 6, the vertical wall 62 is extended even further to the horizontal wall 64, which extends until it reaches the vertical wall 62 on the opposite side of the perforated collar 6. In this way, the perforated collar 6 can also form a kind of conductor receiving pocket for the electrical conductor 10. The conductor receiving pocket can be configured as a completely closed cup-shaped structure or with interruptions or openings. In addition, the horizontal wall 64 forms a conductor stop for the electrical conductor 10, which limits the insertion depth of the electrical conductor 10.

[0044] The reference numbers used in the drawings are assigned as follows: [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Conductor terminal 2. Housing 3 busbar 4 Clamp spring 5. Actuation elements 6 Hole Collar 7 Bridge spring 8 Bridge spring fixing element 9 Fixed extension 10 Electrical Conductors 20 conductor insertion channels 21 Bridge Room 22 Conductor receiving pocket 30 Through opening 31 Clamp tab 40 Contact leg 42 Spring Arch 43 Clamp leg 60 through holes 61 Perforated collar fixing element 62 vertical wall 63 Overload stopper 64 horizontal wall E Conductor insertion direction L Longitudinal

Claims

1. A conductor terminal (1) for connecting at least one electric conductor, said conductor terminal (1) having a housing (2) and a contact insert for connecting said at least one electric conductor, said contact insert having at least one busbar (3) and at least one clamping spring (4), said busbar (3) having at least one through opening (30), said clamping spring (4) forming together with said busbar (3) a clamping position for the electric conductor to be clamped in the area of ​​said through opening (30). the contact insert has a perforated collar (6) configured as a separate component from the busbar (3), the perforated collar (6) at least partially or completely surrounding the through opening (30) in the circumferential direction on at least one side of the busbar (3), the perforated collar (6) being a separate component from the busbar (3) and the housing (2) and being provided in addition to the housing (2), the perforated collar (6) abutting the busbar (3) on the side opposite the clamping spring (4), The separate component forming the perforated collar (6) is attached to the busbar (3), A conductor terminal in which the separate components forming the perforated collar (6) are attached to the busbar (3) by clamping, latching, gluing, or a combination thereof.

2. The conductor terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that the perforated collar (6) comprises a different material than the busbar (3).

3. A conductor terminal (1) for connecting at least one electric conductor, the conductor terminal (1) having a housing (2) and a contact insert for connecting the at least one electric conductor, the contact insert having at least one busbar (3) and at least one clamping spring (4), the busbar (3) having at least one through opening (30), the clamping spring (4) together with the busbar (3) defining a clamping position for the electric conductor to be clamped within the area of ​​the through opening (30). the contact insert has a perforated collar (6) configured as a separate component from the busbar (3), the perforated collar (6) at least partially or completely surrounding the through opening (30) in the circumferential direction on at least one side of the busbar (3), the perforated collar (6) being a separate component from the busbar (3) and the housing (2) and being provided in addition to the housing (2), the perforated collar (6) abutting the busbar (3) on the side opposite the clamping spring (4), The conductor terminal is formed such that the perforated collar (40) is circumferentially formed to define a through hole (60).

4. 4. The conductor terminal according to claim 3, characterized in that the through hole (60) of the perforated collar (6) is aligned with the through opening (30) of the busbar (3).

5. 5. The conductor terminal according to claim 1, wherein the perforated collar (40) is formed as a conductor guiding element, which at its periphery at least partially or entirely forms a conductor guide for an electrical conductor to be connected to the contact insert.

6. 6. A conductor terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that the separate component forming the perforated collar (6) has a conductor stop (64) for the electrical conductor to be clamped and / or an overload stop (63) for limiting the maximum deflection of the clamping spring (4).

7. 7. Conductor terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one region of the perforated collar (6) projects into the region of the through opening (30).

8. 8. The conductor terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that the busbar (3) has a plurality of through openings (30) one behind the other and / or adjacent to one another in the longitudinal direction (L), several or all of the through openings (30) having respective perforated collars (6), the perforated collars (6) being constructed as a common separate component or as multiple components separate from the busbar (3).

9. A conductor terminal (1) for connecting at least one electric conductor, the conductor terminal (1) having a housing (2) and a contact insert for connecting the at least one electric conductor, the contact insert having at least one busbar (3) and at least one clamping spring (4), the busbar (3) having at least one through opening (30), the clamping spring (4) together with the busbar (3) defining a clamping position for the electric conductor to be clamped within the area of ​​the through opening (30). the contact insert has a perforated collar (6) configured as a separate component from the busbar (3), the perforated collar (6) at least partially or completely surrounding the through opening (30) in the circumferential direction on at least one side of the busbar (3), the perforated collar (6) being a separate component from the busbar (3) and the housing (2) and being provided in addition to the housing (2), the perforated collar (6) abutting the busbar (3) on the side opposite the clamping spring (4), the busbar (3) has in the region of the through opening (30) a clamping tab (31) which is made from the material of the busbar (3) and is angled with respect to the surface of the busbar (3), at which, together with the clamping spring (4), a clamping position for the electrical conductor to be clamped is formed, A conductor terminal, the clamp tab (31) extending at least partially into a space surrounded by the perforated collar (6).

10. A conductor terminal (1) for connecting at least one electric conductor, said conductor terminal (1) having a housing (2) and a contact insert for connecting said at least one electric conductor, said contact insert having at least one busbar (3) and at least one clamping spring (4), said busbar (3) having at least one through opening (30), said clamping spring (4) together with said busbar (3) defining a clamping position for the electric conductor to be clamped within the area of ​​said through opening (30). the contact insert has a perforated collar (6) configured as a separate component from the busbar (3), the perforated collar (6) at least partially or completely surrounding the through opening (30) in the circumferential direction on at least one side of the busbar (3), the perforated collar (6) being a separate component from the busbar (3) and the housing (2) and being provided in addition to the housing (2), the perforated collar (6) abutting the busbar (3) on the side opposite the clamping spring (4), The housing has a conductor receiving pocket (22) and the perforated collar (6) is disposed between the busbar (3) and the conductor receiving pocket (22).

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