CONTACT SYSTEM

Abstract

Contact system for producing an electrically conductive contact between an aluminum conductor (3) and a contact component (2). A housing (1) is provided, as well as a contact component (2) having a shearing section (13) and a tapered compression segment (14), where the housing (1) has an insertion volume (4) for the aluminum conductor (3) and an insertion volume (5) for the contact component (2) and the two insertion volumes (4, 5) overlap within the housing (1) and form a common overlapping volume (8) so as to enable, when the aluminum conductor (3) has been pushed into the insertion volume (4), for the aluminum conductor (3), the severing/shearing and cold welding of the aluminum conductor (3) with the contact component (2) by means of the contact component (2).

Claims

1. A contact system for forming an electrically conductive contact between an aluminum conductor and a contact component, where the contact system comprises a housing and a contact component having a shearing segment and the housing has an insertion volume for the aluminum conductor and an insertion volume for the contact component and the two insertion volumes overlap within the housing and in this way form a common overlapping volume, so as to enable, when the aluminum conductor is pushed into the insertion volume for the aluminum conductor, the severing/shearing bymeans of the shearing segment wherein the contact component has a tapered compression segment and in that the overlapping volume is formed so as to enable, when the aluminum conductor is pushed into the insertion volume for the aluminum conductor, a cold welding of the aluminum conductor to the contact component by means of the compression segment.

2. The contact system as in claim 1, wherein the two insertion volumes are made in the form of channels.

3. The contact system as in claim 2, characterized in that the channel-shaped insertion volume for the aluminum conductor has a cross section that corresponds in shape to the cross section of the aluminum conductor that is to be accommodated.

4. The contact system of claim 2, wherein the channel-shaped insertion volume for the contact component has a cross section that corresponds in shape to the cross section of the contact component that is to be accommodated.

5. The contact system as in claim 1, wherein the overlapping volume ends in an exit opening that leads from the housing.

6. The contact system as in claim 1, wherein the lengthwise axis of the channel-shaped insertion volume for the aluminum conductor the lengthwise axis of the channel-shaped insertion volume for the contact component enclose an acute insertion angle.

7. The contact system as in claim 6, wherein the insertion angle is between 1° and 70°, preferably between 1° and 45°.

8. The contact system as in claim 2, wherein the channel-shaped insertion volume for the aluminum conductor has a round or rectangular cross section.

9. The contact system as in claim 2, wherein the channel-shaped insertion volume for the contact component has a rectangular cross section.

10. The contact system as in claim 1, wherein the contact component has a first segment which is made rectangular in lengthwise section, and a second segment, which is made tapered in lengthwise section, and which preferably immediately adjoins the first segment.

11. The contact system as in claim 1, wherein the contact component has means for contacting by a terminal element.

12. The contact system as in claim 11, wherein the means for contacting are disposed at the first segment of the contact component.

13. The contact system as in claim 12, wherein, in a cold-welded state of aluminum conductor and contact component, the contacting means projects from the housing.

14. The contact system as in claim 1, wherein the contact component is made of copper or a copper alloy with a nickel surface.

15. The contact system as in claim 1, wherein the housing is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy or a copper alloy with a nickel surface.

16. The contact system as in claim 1, wherein the aluminum conductor is a stranded aluminum conductor.

17. A method for producing a cold weld between an aluminum conductor and a contact component with a contact system comprising the following steps: insertion of an aluminum conductor, which has been stripped in its end region or is not stripped, into an insertion volume for the conductor of the housing pushing the aluminum conductor in the insertion volume for the aluminum conductor until a cross section of the aluminum conductor is situated completely in the overlapping volume insertion of a contact component into the insertion volume for the contact component of the housing pushing the contact component in the insertion volume for the contact component until the contact component contacts the aluminum conductor pushing the contact component further and severing/shearing the segment of the aluminum conductor that is situated in front of the contact component in the overlapping volume pushing the contact component further and pressing the aluminum conductor against a boundary wall bounding the insertion volume for the aluminum conductor to produce the cold weld between aluminum conductor and contact component.

18. The method as in claim 17, wherein the pushing of the contact component further and pressing the aluminum conductor against a boundary wall bounding the insertion volume for the aluminum conductor takes place by using a force on the contact component between 5 N and 500 kN in the pushing direction.

19. The method as in claim 18, wherein the severed/sheared segment of the aluminum conductor is pushed out of the housing through the exit opening.

20. The contact system as in claim 7, wherein the insertion angle is between 1° and 45°.

21. The method as in claim 19, wherein the applied force is between 0.5 kN and 500 kN.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0031] The invention will now be explained in more detail by means of embodiment examples. The drawings are exemplary and are intended to represent the idea of the invention but not to limit it in any way or to reproduce it in a final form.

[0032] Here:

[0033] FIG. 1 shows an axonometric view of a contact system according to the invention before the insertion of the aluminum conductor and the contact component into the housing.

[0034] FIG. 2 shows an axonometric view of a contact system according to the invention with cold-welded aluminum conductor and contact component.

[0035] FIG. 3 to FIG. 7 show a representation of the method for making the cold weld between the aluminum conductor with a round cross section and the contact component.

[0036] FIG. 8 to FIG. 12 shows a representation of the method for making the cold weld between the aluminum conductor with rectangular cross section and the contact component.

WAYS TO IMPLEMENT THE INVENTION

[0037] FIG. 1 shows an axonometric view of a contact system according to the invention consisting of a housing 1, for example, consisting of aluminum or an aluminum alloy or of a copper alloy with nickel surface, and a contact component 2, which preferably consists of copper or a copper alloy with nickel surface. Moreover, in FIG. 1 one can see a, not necessarily stripped, aluminum conductor 3 with round cross section which is preferably made as a stranded aluminum conductor and is intended to be cold-welded to the contact component 2.

[0038] FIG. 2 shows the same contact system, but with the aluminum conductor 3 and contact component 2 already cold-welded.

[0039] FIGS. 3 to 7 show details concerning the formation of the cold weld between aluminum conductor 3 and contact component 2.

[0040] For this purpose, as can be seen in FIG. 3, the housing 1 is made with a channel-shaped insertion volume 4 for the aluminum conductor 3 and a channel-shaped insertion volume 5 for the contact component 2. The channel-shaped design of the insertion volumes 4 and 5 enables the guiding of the aluminum conductor 3 and contact component 2 in housing 1. The channel-shaped insertion volume 4 for the aluminum conductor 3 has a lengthwise axis 6, while the channel-shaped insertion volume 5 for the contact component 2 has a lengthwise axis 7. The two lengthwise axes enclose an acute insertion angle 18, which is preferably between 1° and 70°, especially preferably between 1° and 45°, and in any case is dependent on the cross section and material of the aluminum conductor 3 and the design of the shearing segment 3 (see below) of the contact component 2.

[0041] The two insertion volumes 4 and 5 overlap in housing 1, so that an overlapping volume 8 is formed, which in this embodiment example ends in an exit opening 9 that leads out of the housing 1. Preferably, the surface of the housing 1 in the region of an insertion opening 10 of the insertion volume 4 is made normal to the lengthwise axis 6 in order to facilitate the insertion of the aluminum conductor 3.

[0042] FIG. 4 shows the contact system according to the invention with the aluminum conductor 3 pushed into the insertion volume 4. The aluminum conductor 3 has been pushed into the insertion volume 4 so far that it projects from the housing 1 through the exit opening 9.

[0043] The described implementation of the surface of the housing 1 in the region of insertion opening 10 normal to the lengthwise axis 6 and the matching of the cross section of the insertion volume 4 to the cross section of the stripped segment of the aluminum conductor results, for a stripped aluminum conductor 3, in the ability to set the aluminum conductor 3 against the said surface with the insulation 11 and through this the depth to which the aluminum conductor 3 is pushed into the housing 1 can be specified exactly, so that in any case the conductor reliably projects into the overlapping volume 8 and in addition as shown, projects or does not project, as desired, from the housing 1.

[0044] For the sake of better understanding it should not be left unmentioned at this point that the cross section of the insertion volume 4 or 5 is understood to be the surface normal to the relevant lengthwise axis 6, 7 and “lengthwise section’ is understood to mean the cut surface through or parallel to said lengthwise axis or axes 6, 7.

[0045] FIG. 5 corresponds to FIG. 4, but in this view the contact component 2 is also visible along with its feed direction, indicated by arrow 20, in which the contact component 2 is pushed into the insertion volume 5.

[0046] In this embodiment example the contact component 2 has a first segment 12, which in a lengthwise section is made rectangular with respect to the lengthwise axis 7 and forms a shearing segment 13 on its front face, which is turned toward the insertion volume 5 or the aluminum conductor 3. This shearing segment can be made as a shearing edge, which simplifies the process of severing/shearing of the aluminum conductor 3 and/or reduces the force needed for that. Moreover, in many cases it can also be advantageous if the shearing segment 13 is made rounded off or chamfered in order to achieve a less precise but larger cut surface 16 at the aluminum conductor 3.

[0047] Immediately next to the first segment 12 is a second segment 14, which is made tapered in a lengthwise section. In this embodiment example, in the first segment there are also means 15 for contacting the contact component 2 through a terminal element (not shown), where in this case the means is a connection boring.

[0048] FIGS. 6 and 7 show the actual process of cold welding. First the contact component 2 with the shearing segment 13 is pushed forward into the insertion volume 5 provided for this. When the shearing segment 13 passes into the overlapping volume 8, shearing and thus severing of the aluminum conductor 3 begins, so that an oil- and oxide-free slanted cut surface 16 is created on aluminum conductor 3. The contact component 2 is then advanced into the insertion volume 5 until the aluminum conductor 3 is completely severed/sheared and the sheared segment 19 is pushed out of the housing 1 by the contact component 2 itself via the exit opening 9. In the course of pushing the contact component 2 in the insertion volume 5, the first segment 12 of the contact component comes out of engagement with the cut surface 16 of the aluminum conductor 3 and the second, tapered segment 14 becomes engaged with the cut surface 16 of the aluminum conductor 3, so that it presses against a boundary wall 17 that bounds the insertion volume 4 from above in FIGS. 6 and 7 and in this way makes the cold weld between the aluminum conductor 3 and the contact component 2. If the aluminum conductor 3 is made as a stranded conductor, the pressing also leads to a cold welding of the individual strands to each other.

[0049] In order to enable the advance of the contact component 2 in the insertion volume 5, a hydraulic device is necessary in most applications; depending on the conductor cross section and the insertion angle 18 of the aluminum conductor 3, the hydraulic device must be capable of applying up to 500 kN, preferably between 0.5 kN and 500 kN, possibly even more, in the feed direction 20. Only in the case of especially small conductor cross sections can the advance of the conductor component 2 take place merely by manual operation and still have a cold weld be formed between the contact component 2 and the aluminum conductor 3, so that in these cases the contact component 2 can also be forced in the feed direction 20 even with lower forces, starting with 5 N.

[0050] The advance of the contact component 2 in the channel-shaped insertion volume 5 is determined by the geometry of the insertion volume 5 and the geometry of the contact component 2 itself, in particular by the transition between the first segment 12 of the contact component 2 and the second, tapered segment 14.

[0051] In the position of the contact component 2 shown in FIG. 7, the aluminum conductor 3 is already completely sheared and the sheared-off segment 19 of the aluminum conductor 3 has been completely removed from the housing 1. Contact component 2 and aluminum conductor 3 are pressed against each other and correspondingly cold-welded, so that the contact component 2 can no longer be removed from the insertion volume 5.

[0052] Moreover, the means 15 for contacting project from the housing 5 so that a terminal element (not shown) can be affixed to it.

[0053] It goes without saying that one can conceive of embodiments in which the contact component 2 is disposed in a state welded to the aluminum conductor 3 completely within the housing 1 and that the housing 1 itself can be provided with means for contacting with various terminal elements.

[0054] In this case it must be ensured that the housing 1 is likewise designed to be appropriately electrically conductive for the intended purpose.

[0055] FIGS. 8 to 12 essentially correspond to FIGS. 3 to 7, but with the difference that an aluminum conductor 3 with rectangular cross section is used instead of an aluminum conductor 3 with round cross section.

[0056] Correspondingly, the insertion volume 4 in FIGS. 8 to 12 also has a rectangular cross section instead of a round one.

REFERENCE LIST

[0057] 1 Housing [0058] 2 Contact component [0059] 3 Aluminum conductor [0060] 4 Insertion volume for aluminum conductor [0061] 5 Insertion volume for contact component [0062] 6 Lengthwise axis [0063] 7 Lengthwise axis [0064] 8 Overlapping volume [0065] 9 Exit opening [0066] 10 Insertion opening [0067] 11 Insulation [0068] 12 First segment of contact component [0069] 13 Shearing segment [0070] 14 Second segment of contact component [0071] 15 Means for contacting [0072] 16 Cut surface [0073] 17 Boundary wall [0074] 18 Angle between the two lengthwise axes [0075] 19 Sheared-off segment of aluminum conductor [0076] 20 Direction of advance of contact component