Conductor Connection Terminal With Guided Sliding Clamp Actuation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing conductor connection terminals lack efficient and accessible actuation mechanisms, with push-button operations being difficult to access when open and requiring additional tools, and sliding operations being limited in design and stability.

Innovation Solution

The conductor connection terminal incorporates a guide pin mounted in a guide contour of the insulating housing, allowing for a sliding actuation mechanism with a tilting movement, providing easy access and stability, and combining sliding and push-button operations for versatile actuation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a push-button actuation mechanism is used inside the insulating housing, then the actuating element can be guided stably, but the actuating element becomes difficult to access when the terminal point is open and may require additional actuating tools

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguiding stabilityVSAvoidaccessibility of actuating element
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The actuating element is extended from the interior of the insulating housing to the exterior surface, changing its spatial dimension from internal-only to externally accessible. The sliding section protrudes from the housing, allowing users to operate it from outside while the guide pin inside maintains stable guidance through the guide contour.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If the actuating element is guided inside the insulating housing, then guiding stability is achieved, but the actuating element is difficult to access from the outside when the terminal point is open

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguiding stabilityVSAvoidaccessibility of actuating element
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The actuating element is extended from the interior of the insulating housing to the exterior surface, changing its spatial dimension from internal-only to externally accessible. The sliding section protrudes from the housing, allowing users to operate it from outside while the guide pin inside maintains stable guidance through the guide contour.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Ease of operation

If a sliding section is mounted on the outside of the insulating housing, then ease of access and operation is improved, but the actuating element may lack stability without internal guidance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccessibility of actuating elementVSAvoidguiding stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The actuating element is divided into two functional parts: a guide pin for internal stable guidance within the housing, and a sliding section for external user operation. This segmentation allows each part to optimize its function - the guide pin provides reliability while the sliding section provides ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The guide pin acts as an intermediary between the internal clamping mechanism and the external sliding section. It translates the external sliding motion into precise internal actuation movements, ensuring stable operation while maintaining ease of access.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP4189781B1Conductor connection terminal
Publication Date: 2025.10.08 WAGO VERW GMBH
  • EP4189781B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4189781B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4189781B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a conductor connection terminal (1) comprising: an insulating material housing (2), the insulating material housing (2) having a conductor insertion opening (3) for inserting an electrical conductor in a conductor insertion direction (L); a bus bar (4); a clamping spring (5), the clamping spring (5) having a clamping limb (5c) which, together with the bus bar (4), forms a clamping point (6) for the electrical conductor; and an actuating element (7), the actuating element (7) being mounted so as to be displaceable in the insulating material housing (2) and having an actuating portion (7a) and a sliding portion (7b), the actuating portion (7a) being designed to open and/or close the clamping point (6), the actuating element (7) having a guide pin (8), and the guide pin (8) being mounted so as to be displaceable in a guide contour (9) of the insulating material housing (2) in the conductor insertion direction (L).