CN107810579B - Connection terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

Shown and explanation is a kind of joint Terminal (1) for making electrical wire be connected with busbar connector (2), with shell (3), with conducting wire coupling element (4) and have current bar (5), wherein, shell (3) has the busbar connector receiving portion (7) for introducing the conducting wire introduction hole (6) of electrical wire and for accommodating busbar connector (2), wherein, spring element (8) at least one side leg (9) is so be arranged in shell (3), i.e., so that when busbar connector (2) is not disposed in busbar connector receiving portion (7), the free end (10) of side leg (9) is extend into busbar connector receiving portion (7), and when busbar connector (2) is arranged in busbar connector receiving portion (7), spring element (8) is deflected against its spring force, wherein, the free end of side leg (9) (10) it is then sticked at busbar connector (2) with sharp angle α.

Description

Connection terminal

technical field

The invention relates to a connection terminal for connecting electrical conductors to busbars.

Background technique

Electrical connection terminals are known in various embodiments. The connection terminal can, for example, connect the conductors to the terminal block as a so-called printed terminal or, as in the scope of this patent application, can be designed for connecting electrical conductors to busbars. As an example of the use of such connection terminals, shield connection terminals have been known for many years, with which the cable shields of generally multi-core cables can be connected to busbars. Such shielding terminals are known from Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG in the category "Series Terminals (Reihenklemmen) CLIPLINE 1 2011", pages 546-548.

Known shielding terminals have an approximately U-shaped metal connecting body, wherein slots are formed in the two legs of the connecting body, by means of which the shielding connecting terminal can be plugged onto busbars with a defined thickness. For contacting the cable shields of the cables to be connected there are knurled screws via which the height of the large-area elastic extrusion can be adjusted so that the cables to be connected can be clamped between the extrusion and the between busbars. When the knurled nut is tightened, at the same time fastening of the shield terminal on the bus bar is achieved, so that the knurled nut must be unscrewed again in order to release the shield terminal from the bus bar. In addition to the assembly effort associated with this, the known shield connection terminal also has the disadvantage that, when the coupling body is released from the busbar, the cable to be connected must also be disconnected from the shield connection at the same time. The terminal is loose.

Furthermore, due to their design and their connection principle, the known connection terminals are only suitable for connecting the cable shielding of a cable to a busbar which is associated with a reference potential. For this purpose, the busbars are usually connected via support columns to the carrier rail, on which a plurality of series terminals are then also arranged, to which the individual cores of the multi-core cables are connected.

Contents of the invention

The invention is based on the object of specifying a terminal for connecting electrical conductors to a busbar, in which not only fastening of the terminal to the busbar but also release from the busbar is possible as easily as possible.

This object is achieved in the case of a connection terminal for connecting electrical conductors to busbars, which has a housing with a conductor connection element and a current bar, wherein the housing has a Conductor lead-in openings for the electrical lines and busbar receptacles for receiving the busbars, wherein a spring element with at least one leg is arranged in the housing such that when the busbars are not arranged in When the busbar receptacle is in the busbar receptacle, the free ends of the legs protrude into the busbar receptacle, and when the busbar is arranged in the busbar receptacle, the spring element deflection by spring force, wherein the free end of the leg then bears against the busbar at an acute angle α, so that the leg of the spring element must be lifted from the fixed busbar in order to be able to The busbar is pulled out of the busbar receptacle. The terminal has a housing, in which a conductor connection element and a current bar are arranged. In addition, conductor insertion openings for introducing electrical conductors to be connected and busbar receptacles for receiving busbars are formed in the housing. The conductors connected by means of the conductor connection element are then electrically conductively connected via the current bar to the busbars arranged in the busbar receptacle.

In the case according to the invention it is especially meaningful to provide a spring element for fastening the busbar, wherein the spring element has at least one leg and is arranged in the housing in such a way that when the busbar is not arranged on the busbar When in the receptacle, the free ends of the legs protrude into the busbar receptacle, and when the busbar is arranged in the busbar receptacle, the spring element is deflected against its spring force. The free ends of the legs of the spring element then bear against the busbar at an acute angle α. By means of a corresponding arrangement of the legs of the spring element, the angle α can be determined in such a simple manner that a sufficiently large self-locking is achieved and thus reliably prevents the connection terminal from being undesirably removed from the current flow counter to the plugging direction. Pull out the row.

The use of a spring element for fastening the busbar has the advantage that, on the one hand, the spring element does not significantly impede the insertion of the busbar into the busbar receptacle and, on the other hand, the fastening is effective after the busbar has been introduced. , and it does not need to be manipulated by the user.

According to a preferred refinement, the spring element is designed as a helical torsion spring with two legs, wherein the second leg that does not protrude into the busbar receptacle or is not in contact with the busbar serves as the contact leg Supported at standoffs in the housing. This makes it possible to hold the spring element in the housing in a simple manner, wherein the helical torsion spring can additionally be fixed in its position by corresponding ribs or holding domes in the housing.

Since a separate spring element, which is not in interaction with the conductor connection element, is used for fixing the connection terminal at the busbar, the release of the connection terminal from the busbar does not simultaneously result in the loosening of the conductors connected to the connection terminal open. Instead, the conductors can remain connected to the conductor connection element, whereby reconnection of the conductors can be dispensed with after the connection terminal has been detached from the busbar.

Basically almost any known coupling element, such as a screw connection or a tension spring, can be used as the line coupling element. In the case of the connection terminal according to the invention, however, a U-shaped or V-shaped helical torsion spring is preferably used as the conductor connection element, which has an abutment leg and a clamping leg, wherein the clamping leg together with the current bar A spring force clamping point is formed for the bare wires to be joined. With such a helical torsion spring, solid conductors or conductors provided with core sleeves can be inserted into the clamping point directly, that is to say without prior opening of the clamping point with a tool. The helical torsion spring acts here as a compression spring, which presses the conductor to be connected against the current bar with the clamping legs. This makes it possible not only to fasten the terminal on the busbar but also to connect the conductors to the terminal very simply, without using tools for this.

In order to release the connected conductor from the clamping point, the clamping leg of the helical torsion spring must be deflected, for which purpose an actuating opening for inserting the tip of a tool, for example a screwdriver, can be formed in the housing in addition to the conductor insertion opening. According to a preferred embodiment of the terminal according to the invention, an actuation button is displaceably arranged in the housing instead of the actuation opening for the tool. In this case, the actuating button can be displaced from a first position, in which the clamping leg of the helical torsion spring is not deflected, into a second position, in which the clamping leg is deflected by the tip of the actuating button, so that the clamping point and As a result, the connected electrical conductor can also be pulled out of the conductor lead-in opening.

In order to be able to detach the connection terminal according to the invention from the busbar despite the presence of the spring element for securing the busbar, or to pull the busbar out of the busbar receptacle, it is necessary to move the legs of the spring element in the following way It is removed from the fastened busbar, ie the leg is deflected against the spring force of the spring element. This can be achieved by means of a suitable tool, for example the tip of a screwdriver, which is inserted into a corresponding hole in the housing and then deflects the leg of the spring element.

According to an advantageous refinement of the invention, however, the terminal has an unlocking element which is movably arranged on or in the housing so that it can be brought from the base position into the unlocking position. In the unlocking position, the leg of the spring element facing the bus bar and securing the bus bar in its position is deflected by the unlocking element in such a way that its free end no longer bears against the bus bar. The connection terminal can then be removed from the bus bar counter to the direction of insertion or the bus bar can be pulled out of the bus bar receptacle counter to the direction of insertion. Unlocking can be made easier by using a corresponding unlocking element, since the unlocking element can be arranged in such a way that it can be handled easily by a fitter. Furthermore, it is then also not necessary to use a separate tool for unlocking the connection terminal from the busbar.

The unlocking element is essentially displaceably arranged in the housing similar to an actuating button. However, the unlocking element is preferably designed as a lever, which is pivotally fastened on the housing via a hinge, wherein the unlocking element has a grip surface for actuation with fingers. As a result, the assembler can perform actuation of the unlocking element very simply by simply pressing with his finger on the gripping surface of the lever when the connection terminal is removed from the busbar, thereby enabling the The lever pivots so that the legs of the spring element are deflected and thus the fastening of the connection terminal on the busbar is released.

In order to hold and position the busbar in the busbar receptacle, the connection terminal according to the invention preferably has a clamping lever, which is mounted rotatably in the housing on the side of the busbar receptacle opposite the current bar. on the side. The clamping rod has at least one clamping lug protruding into the busbar receptacle, where it bears against the side of the busbar facing away from the current bar when the busbar is arranged in the busbar receptacle. In this case, the busbars arranged in the busbar receptacle are pressed against the current bar by the clamping rod and clamped between the current bar and the clamping nose of the clamping rod, so that the busbar is also held in the busbar receptacle at the same time. .

In addition to at least one clamping nose, the clamping lever preferably also has an actuating projection, the free end of which has a greater distance from the pivot point of the clamping lever than the clamping nose, so that the actuating projection has a greater distance from the pivot point of the clamping lever when it is not inserted. In the case of a busbar, it protrudes further into the busbar receptacle than the clamping nose. When the connection terminal is plugged onto the bus bar with the bus bar receptacle or when the bus bar is inserted into the bus bar receptacle, the clamping lever then pivots automatically until the bus bar is completely arranged in the bus bar receptacle , and the busbar is sandwiched between the clip nose and the current bar.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the connection terminal according to the invention, the current bar is displaceably mounted in the housing, and the other spring element is arranged in the housing in such a way that the spring element exerts force on the busbar receptacle. direction to load the current bar. This further spring element ensures that there is always sufficient and at most the same contact force between the current bar and the busbar inserted into the busbar receptacle, so that a good electrical contact between the current bar and the busbar is ensured , even if the thickness of the busbar used has a certain tolerance.

Preferably, the further spring element is also configured as an approximately U-shaped or V-shaped helical torsion spring with two legs. In this case, the first leg is supported as a kind of bearing leg on a seat in the housing, while the second leg is in contact with the current bar. Contact between the second leg of the torsion helical spring and the current bar can be achieved in that the second leg of the torsion helical spring engages with its free end into a corresponding recess in the current bar. As a result, the second leg is positively connected to the current bar, so that the position of the free end of the second leg relative to the current bar is not changed.

According to a preferred refinement, which is particularly simple to realize in terms of design, the second leg of the torsion spring simply rests on the end of the current bar facing away from the busbar receptacle or the end of the current bar. Press directly against the second leg of the helical torsion spring. In this case, the formation of the recesses in the current bars can be dispensed with. In this refinement, the helical torsion spring is clamped with its two legs between the support and the current bar in the housing, wherein the helical torsion spring can additionally pass through corresponding ribs or retaining domes in the housing Fixed all in its place.

When the busbar is inserted into the busbar receptacle, the current bar is pushed out of its base position slightly in the direction of the torsion helical spring, whereby the torsion helical spring is pressed together against its spring force. The spring force of the helical torsion spring then results in a force with which the current bar is pressed against the bus bar so that a good electrical contact between the current bar and the bus bar is ensured.

Description of drawings

In detail, there are now numerous possibilities for designing and improving the connection terminal according to the invention. To this end, reference is made to the ensuing description of a preferred exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawings. in:

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a connection terminal without a busbar once in a perspective view and once in a side view,

FIG. 2 shows the connecting terminal according to FIG. 1 placed on the busbar with the unlocking element in its base in a perspective view and in a side view, and

FIG. 3 again shows the terminal according to FIG. 2 in perspective and in side view with the unlocking element in its unlocking position.

Detailed ways

The drawing shows a preferred exemplary embodiment of a connection terminal 1 according to the invention for connecting electrical conductors (not shown here) to a busbar 2 . FIG. 1 shows a terminal 1 without a busbar 2 , while FIGS. 2 and 3 show a terminal 1 with a busbar 2 . In FIG. 3, although the connection terminal 1 is still connected to the bus bar 2, however, unlike the illustration according to FIG. Direction A removes the connection terminal 1 from the busbar 2.

The terminal 1 according to the invention has a housing 3 in which a conductor connection element 4 in the form of a helical torsion spring and an L-shaped current bar 5 are arranged. In order to introduce the wires to be connected into the clamping point, wire insertion openings 6 are formed in the housing 3 . Furthermore, the housing 3 , usually made of plastic, has a busbar receptacle 7 which is open on one side, so that the connection terminal 1 can be plugged or placed in the plug-in direction A by means of the busbar receptacle 7 into the optionally mounted on bus 2. Once the connecting terminal 1 is mounted, the busbar 2 can be inserted into the busbar receptacle 7 in the opposite direction to the plug-in direction A. FIG.

In order to fix the busbar 2 in the busbar receptacle 7, a spring element 8 is arranged in the housing 3 of the connection terminal 1, which spring element has a first leg 9, when the busbar 2 is not arranged in the busbar receptacle 7, the free end 10 of the first leg protrudes into the busbar receptacle 7, as shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b. The spring element 8 is designed as a helical torsion spring, so that, in addition to the first leg 9 , it also has a second leg 11 which acts as an abutment leg and is supported on a seat 12 in the housing 3 .

If the housing 3 of the connection terminal 1 is plugged onto the busbar 2 in the plug-in direction A, the first leg 9 is deflected by the busbar 2 against the spring force of the spring element 8 so that the busbar 2 can slide Through the free end 10 of the first leg 9 . If the connection terminal 1 or the housing 3 is completely plugged onto the busbar 2, as shown in FIG. 2, the free end 10 of the first leg 9 rests there at an acute angle α On the side of the busbar 2 facing the spring element 8 . This secures the busbar 2 in the busbar receptacle 7 and thus prevents the housing 3 from being pulled out of the busbar 2 or the busbar 2 from being pulled out of the busbar receptacle 7 .

If it is desired to pull the connecting terminal 1 out of the busbar 2 arranged in the busbar receptacle 7, the fastening produced by the spring element 8 must be released in such a way that the first leg 9 is connected to the spring element The spring force of 8 deflects oppositely. For this purpose, for example, the tip of a screwdriver can be used, which must then be inserted on the side of the busbar 2 facing the spring element 8 into a corresponding hole in the housing 3 .

In the case of the preferred embodiment of the connection terminal 1 according to the invention shown in the figures, for releasing the fastening caused by the spring element 8, an unlocking element 13 is provided, which has a projection into the interior of the housing 3. The steering nose 14 is arranged movably on the housing 3 via a hinge 15 . The roughly L-shaped unlocking element 13 configured as a lever has a grip surface 16 onto which the assembler only has to press with his finger in order to actuate the unlocking element 13 , so that the actuating nose 14 is pressed against the first end of the spring element 8 . One leg 9 is removed from the busbar 2 . The unlocking location in which the unlocking element 13 is actuated is shown in FIG. 3 , while FIGS. 1 and 2 show the unlocking element 13 in a base location in which the unlocking element is not actuated. If the unlocking element 13 is in the unlocking position, the connection terminal 1 can be removed from the bus bar 2 easily and without the need for additional handles or the use of tools. If the connecting terminal 1 is not to be removed from the fastened busbar 2 but the busbar 2 is to be pulled out of the busbar receptacle 7 of the connecting terminal 1 , this can likewise be achieved simply by actuating the unlocking element 13 .

In the case of the exemplary embodiment of the connection terminal 1 according to the invention shown in the drawings, the conductor connection element 4 is designed as a helical torsion spring having an abutment leg 17 and a clamping leg 18 . In this case, the bare electrical conductor introduced into the housing 3 via the conductor insertion opening 6 is pressed against the leg 19 of the current bar 5 by clamping the leg 8 , which rests with its opposite side on the arrangement. On the busbar 2 in the busbar receptacle 7 . The clamping leg 18 thus forms, together with the leg of the current bar 5 , a spring-loaded clamping for the conductors to be connected.

In order to be able to pull the connected conductor out of the connection terminal 1 again, the clamping point must be opened, for which purpose the clamping leg 18 is deflected in the direction of the abutment leg 17 and thus the connected and clamped conductor must be pulled out. take out. For this purpose, the connection terminal 1 has an actuating button 20 arranged displaceably in the housing 3 , which can be displaced from a first position shown in the drawing into a second position within the housing 3 . In this case, the clamping leg 18 is not deflected in the first position of the actuating button 20 , whereas in the second position of the actuating button 20 the clamping leg 18 is deflected to such an extent that the connected conductor is no longer clamped in the In the clamping position between the clamping leg 18 and the leg 19 of the current bar. The wires can then simply be pulled out of the housing 3 of the connection terminal 1 through the wire insertion opening 6 .

In order to position and hold the busbar 2 in the busbar receptacle 7 , a clamping lever 21 is mounted rotatably in the housing 3 on the side of the busbar receptacle 7 opposite the current bar 5 . The clamping rod 21 has two clamping lugs 22 , 23 with which busbars 2 with different thicknesses can be held in the busbar receptacle 7 and pressed against the current bar 5 .

As is evident in particular from FIGS. 1 a and 1 b , the clamping lever 21 also has an actuating projection 24 , the free end of which has a greater distance from the pivot point of the clamping lever 21 than the first clamping nose 22 , It again has a greater distance from the pivot point than the second clamping nose 23 . The actuating lug 24 thus protrudes as far as possible into the busbar receptacle 7 in the case of an empty busbar receptacle 7 . When plugging the housing 3 onto the busbar 2, it first hits the actuating projection 24, whereby the clamping lever 21 pivots counterclockwise until the housing 3 is completely placed on the busbar 2 . As can be seen from FIG. 2 , the clamping nose 22 then bears against the busbar 2 , so that it is pressed against the current bar 5 and held in the busbar receptacle 7 .

In the case of the preferred embodiment of the connection terminal 1 according to the invention shown in the drawing, in addition to the spring element 8 of the fastening busbar 2 a further spring element, likewise configured as a helical torsion spring, is arranged in the housing 3 . A spring element 25 . The spring element 25 is located here on the side of the current bar 5 facing away from the busbar receptacle 7 , wherein the first leg 26 of the spring element 25 is supported on a seat 27 in the housing 3 , and the second leg 26 of the spring element 25 The two legs 28 are in contact with the current bar 5 . In this case, the second leg 28 of the spring element 25 rests directly on the end 29 of the current bar 5 facing away from the busbar receptacle 7 , so that the spring element 25 acts with force in the direction of the busbar receptacle 7 to act on the current. The strip 5 is pressed against the introduced busbar 2 with force.

As can be seen from a comparison of FIG. 1 with FIG. 2 , the current bar 5 is mounted displaceably perpendicular to the plug-in direction A in the housing 3 , in the illustration according to FIG. 1 , in which the busbar 2 is not arranged. In the busbar receptacle 7 the L-shaped current bar 5 is displaced in the direction of the busbar receptacle 7 (to the left in the illustration) by the force of the spring element 25 up to a stop formed in the housing 3 30 places. In contrast, in the illustration according to FIG. 2 , in which the busbar 2 is arranged in the busbar receptacle 7 , the current bar 5 is slightly lifted from the stop 30 by the busbar 2 against the spring force of the spring element 5 ( To the right in the illustration) is pressed away, wherein a defined contact force between the busbar 2 and the current bar 5 is produced due to the spring force of the spring element 25 .

Claims (13)

1. A connection terminal (1) for connecting electrical conductors to a busbar (2), with a housing (3), with a conductor connection element (4) and with a current bar (5), wherein , the housing (3) has a wire lead-in hole (6) for introducing the electrical wire and a bus bar accommodating portion (7) for accommodating the bus bar (2), wherein there is at least one side leg The spring element (8) of (9) is arranged in the housing (3) such that the leg ( The free end (10) of 9) protrudes into the busbar accommodation (7), and when the busbar (2) is arranged in the busbar accommodation (7), the spring element (8 ) is deflected against its spring force, wherein the free end (10) of the leg (9) then bears against the busbar (2) at an acute angle α, so that the edge of the spring element (8) The legs (9) must be removed from the fastened busbar (2) in order to be able to pull the busbar (2) out of the busbar receptacle (7). 2. Connecting terminal (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring element (8) is designed as a helical torsion spring and has a second leg (11), which is supported on the housing (3 ) at the support (12). 3. The coupling terminal (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the unlocking element (13) is movably arranged at or in the housing (3), the The unlocking element can be brought from the base into the unlocking position, wherein the leg (9) of the spring element (8) is deflected in the unlocking position by the unlocking element (13) in such a way that the leg ( The free end (10) of 9) no longer bears against the side of the busbar (2), so that the connection terminal (1) can be removed from the busbar (2) counter to the plug-in direction A . 4. The connection terminal (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the unlocking element (13) has an actuating nose (14) and is configured as a lever, which is fixed to the housing (15) via a hinge (15). 3) Office. 5. The connection terminal (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the conductor connection element (4) is configured as a helical torsion spring with abutment leg (17) and clamping leg (18) ), wherein the clamping leg (18) together with the current bar (5) forms a spring force clamping location for the wire to be connected. 6. The connection terminal (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the current bar (5) is configured in an L-shape, wherein the connected wires abut against the sides of the current bar (5). At the side of the first leg (19), and the busbar (2) arranged in the busbar receiving part (7) abuts against the opposite side of the first leg (19) of the current bar (5). And placed on the side. 7. The connecting terminal (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that, a manipulation button (20) is displaceably arranged in the housing (3), which can be controlled by the clamping leg (18) Shifting of the undeflected first position into a second position in which the clamping leg (18) is deflected, so that the coupled electrical conductor can be pulled out of the conductor introduction hole (4) . 8. The connecting terminal according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the clamping lever (21) is rotatably supported in the housing (3) on the busbar receptacle (7) in connection with the current On the opposite side of the strip (5), wherein the clamping rod (21) has at least one clamping nose (22, 23) protruding into the busbar receptacle (7), which in the When the busbar (2) is arranged in the busbar receptacle (7), it bears against the side of the busbar (2) facing away from the current bar (5). 9. Connecting terminal according to claim 8, characterized in that the clamping lever (21) has an actuating projection (24), the free end of which has an The swivel point of the clamping lever (21) has a greater distance, wherein the actuating projection (24) extends when the busbar (2) is not arranged in the busbar receptacle (7). into the busbar housing (7). 10. Connecting terminal according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the current bar (5) is displaceably mounted in the housing (3), and the further spring element (25) is arranged in this way In the housing (3), the spring element (25) acts to act upon the current bar (5) with a force in the direction of the busbar receptacle (7). 11. Connecting terminal according to claim 10, characterized in that the further spring element (25) is likewise designed as a helical torsion spring with two legs (26, 28), wherein the further The first leg (26) of the spring element (25) is supported at the seat (27) in the housing (3), while the second leg (28) of the other spring element (25) is connected to the The current bars (5) are in contact. 12. The connecting terminal according to claim 11, characterized in that the second leg (28) of the further spring element (25) bears against the side of the current bar (5) facing away from the busbar. at the end (30) of the housing (7). 13. Connecting terminal (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the unlocking element (13) has a grip surface (16) for manipulation with fingers.