PCB Connecting Terminal with Segmented Contact Insert
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connection terminals face challenges in quickly and easily connecting electrical conductors to circuit boards while maintaining high quality and adaptability to smaller installation spaces, with insulating material housings that can soften and change shape at high temperatures, affecting the spring force element's stability.
Innovation Solution
A connection terminal with a one-piece contact insert made from high-quality copper alloy, featuring U-shaped spring cages for secure fastening of the spring force element, allowing for reduced insulating material housing height and improved thermal stability, using a stamped and formed torsion spring with adjustable clamping force and a thermoplastic insulating housing optimized through injection molding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the insulating material housing is reduced in height to adapt to smaller installation spaces, then the compactness and adaptability to installation space improve, but the stability and support for the spring force element deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The connection terminal is divided into functionally independent segments: the insulating material housing and the contact insert with spring force element. The contact insert is further segmented into electrical rail, contact element, and fastening means. This segmentation allows the spring force element to be mechanically supported by the stable contact insert structure rather than relying on the housing, enabling housing height reduction while maintaining spring stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring force element's support function is extracted from the insulating material housing and transferred to the contact insert. The contact insert's rigid structure with integrated fastening means provides the necessary mechanical support, freeing the housing from structural support requirements and allowing it to be optimized for compactness without compromising reliability.
2Productivity
If the connection terminal is designed for quick and easy assembly, then the productivity and ease of operation improve, but the manufacturing precision and quality control become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into the contact insert: electrical conduction, mechanical support, spring force element attachment, and positioning. The one-piece construction integrates the electrical rail, contact element, and fastening means into a single stamped component, reducing assembly steps while maintaining precise geometric relationships through controlled stamping and forming processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact insert serves multiple functions simultaneously: it conducts electricity, provides mechanical support for the spring force element, attaches the spring through integrated fastening means, and positions components during assembly. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate parts and assembly operations while maintaining manufacturing precision through standardized production processes.
3Reliability
If the contact insert is made from high-quality copper alloy with stress cracking resistance, then the reliability and durability improve, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The material parameters of the contact insert are optimized by selecting copper alloys with specific properties (high conductivity, stress cracking resistance, corrosion resistance). The stamping and forming processes are parameter-optimized to work efficiently with this material, achieving reliable stress cracking resistance through controlled material selection and process parameters rather than expensive alternative materials or post-processing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables quick and reliable electrical connections independent of the insulating material housing, maintaining stability across varying temperatures and conductor types, with adjustable clamping force and reduced overall height for compact designs.
Implementation Method 1
a spring force element, in particular a stamped and formed torsion spring (13), for clamping an electrical conductor (6)
Implementation Method 2
a thermoplastic insulating housing (3) optimized through injection molding
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates in general to the field of fundamental electrically conductive physical connections. Physical connections of a multiplicity of mutually isolated connection elements, designed in particular for printed circuits, with the physical connections representing a component of an electrical connection between two or more conductive elements with direct contact, using a spring. The electrical connecting terminal represents a connection such as this, in particular from the field of terminals. The connecting terminal is used as a linking element in printed circuit board connection technology for providing a reliable supply to industrial electronics and economic individual wiring on printed circuits. The refinement according to the invention of the contact insert of a connecting terminal with the spring force element being mounted symmetrically, with the spring force element designed according to the invention with a simple section geometry and its simple mounting together with the advantageous connection to the contact insert, results in a closed terminal cage which makes it possible to reduce the physical height of the dielectric housing to a major extent.