Relay socket

Abstract

A device (1) for accommodating an electrical or electronic component (400), in particular a relay socket for accommodating a relay, comprises a base body (100) with a receptacle (110) for the component (400). The device (1) also comprises at least one pair (300) of connecting terminals connected to the two electronic connections, wherein the pair (300) of connecting terminals comprises a first connecting terminal (310) for a first connecting wire and a second connecting terminal (320) for a second connecting wire. The first connecting terminal (310) is spaced apart from the receptacle (110) by a first distance in a first direction and the second connecting terminal (320) is spaced apart from the receptacle (110) by a second distance in the first direction, wherein the first distance and the second distance are different.

Claims

1. A relay socket for accommodating component relay comprising a base body with a receptacle for the relay, wherein the receptacle has at least two electronic connections for the relay, wherein the relay socket also comprises at least one pair of connecting terminals connected to the two electronic connections, wherein the pair of connecting terminals comprises a housing, the housing contains a first connecting terminal for a first connecting wire and a second connecting terminal for a second connecting wire, wherein, in operation the relay is capable to close or interrupt a circuit between the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal, wherein the first connecting terminal is spaced apart from the receptacle by a first distance in a first direction, characterized in that the second connecting terminal is spaced apart from the receptacle by a second distance in the first direction, wherein the first distance and the second distance are different.

2. The relay socket according to claim 1, characterized in that the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal are arranged one behind the other with respect to the first direction.

3. The relay socket according to claim 1, characterized in that said device has a mounting device for mounting on a mounting rail, wherein when the device is mounted on the mounting rail the first direction is oriented at a right angle to a longitudinal direction of the mounting rail.

4. Arrangement comprising at least two devices according to claim 1, and a mounting rail characterized in that the relay sockets are mounted parallel to one another on the mounting rail, wherein the second direction is oriented in a longitudinal direction of the mounting rail, and wherein two adjacent relay sockets are in contact with one another.

5. The relay socket according to claim 1, characterized in that the first connecting terminal of the pair of connecting terminals comprises a spring for clamping tight the connecting wire.

6. The relay socket according to claim 5, characterized in that the spring is embodied as a leg spring with a first and a second edge, wherein the first edge projects in a secured fashion into a receptacle space of the first connecting terminal for the connecting wire, and a second spring connects in a sprung fashion into said receptacle space, in order to clamp tight the connecting wire.

7. The relay socket according to claim 6, characterized in that when a connecting wire is clamped tight the second edge the second edge can be moved at least partially out of the receptacle space.

8. The relay socket according to claim 6, characterized in that said relay socket comprises a duct which is assigned to a first spring connecting terminal and via which the second edge can be moved at least partially out of the receptacle space by means of a rod-shaped element.

9. The relay socket according to claim 1, characterized in that the second connecting terminal is embodied in an analogous fashion to the first connecting terminal.

10. The relay socket according to claim 9, characterized in that the first connecting terminal is arranged point-symmetrically with respect to the second connecting terminal.

11. The relay socket according to claim 1, characterized in that the pair of connecting terminals with the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal is embodied as a separate unit from the base body.

12. The relay socket according to claim 1, characterized in that said relay socket comprises a holding means for holding the relay in the receptacle, wherein the receptacle has a receptacle width in a second direction at a right angle to the first direction, wherein the receptacle width corresponds to an overall width of the relay socket in the second direction.

13. The relay socket according to claim 12, characterized in that the holding means has a holding means width in the second direction, wherein the holding means width is less than or equal to the receptacle width.

14. The relay socket according to claim 12, characterized in that the holding means is embodied in a pivotable fashion, wherein in a first pivoted state of the holding means the receptacle is released, and in a second pivoted state, different from the first, of the holding means a relay can be held in the receptacle.

15. The relay socket according to claim 14, characterized in that the holding means is mounted on the base body so as to be pivotable in a plane at a right angle to the second direction.

16. The relay socket according to claim 11, characterized in that the pair of connecting terminals is embodied as a plug-in unit which can be plugged into the base body.

17. The relay socket according to claim 16, characterized in that the pair of connecting terminals can be latched into the base body.

18. The relay socket according to claim 11, characterized in that the housing comprises two half-shells.

19. The relay socket according to claim 18, characterized in that the two half-shells are produced by means of an injection molding method.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the drawings which are used to explain the exemplary embodiment:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic oblique view of a device which is embodied as a relay socket, wherein a relay is held in the receptacle by means of a pivoting lever;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional illustration through the relay socket according to FIG. 1 along a plane at a right angle to the second direction;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional illustration through the pivoting lever along the line A-A in FIG. 3;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a schematic oblique view of a relay socket with connecting terminals for connecting wires;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a schematic oblique view of a pair of connecting terminals;

(7) FIG. 6 shows an exploded illustration of the pair of connecting terminals according to FIG. 5;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a schematic side view of a half-shell of the pair of connecting terminals with an introduced connecting wire and an inserted pin;

(9) FIG. 8 shows a schematic oblique view of a pivoting lever according to FIG. 1.

(10) Basically, identical parts are provided with the same reference symbols in the figures.

WAYS OF IMPLEMENTING THE INVENTION

(11) FIG. 1 shows a schematic oblique view of a device which is embodied as a relay socket 1, wherein a relay 400 is held in the receptacle 110 of the base body 100 by means of a holding means which is embodied as a pivoting lever 200.

(12) The relay socket 1 has an essentially prismatic shape in the second direction. The second direction defines a width of the relay socket 113. On an underside, the relay socket 100 has a mounting device for a cap rail (not illustrated). It is preferably a mounting device 150 for commercially available cap rails according to the DIN standard, for example according to the standard EN 50022-35. The mounting device 150 is essentially embodied as a groove for receiving the cap rail, and has latching strips which can engage in a latching-in fashion behind a flange of the cap rail on the groove edge. The receptacle 110 of the base body 100 is embodied essentially in a U shape and is open in each case in the second direction. The U-shaped receptacle 110 is embodied in an asymmetrical fashion so that the two side walls 111 and 112 differ in height.

(13) The receptacle 110 is enclosed by two oblique faces 120 and 140 which rise toward the receptacle 110 and in which pairs 300 of connecting terminals for connecting the relay 400 are arranged. The two connecting terminals 310, 320 of a pair 300 of connecting terminals are arranged one behind the other with respect to the first direction. This is illustrated in an exemplary fashion with the two pairs 300 of connecting terminals of the oblique face 120. This permits a particularly narrow design of the base body 100 and therefore of the relay socket 1 in the second direction, as a result of which in turn more relay sockets per unit of length can be arranged, in particular on a cap rail. A shorter oblique face of the oblique faces 120 with two pairs 300 of connecting terminals ends at a height of the receptacle 110.

(14) As stated above, in these two pairs 300 of connecting terminals the two connecting terminals 310 and 320 are arranged one behind the other with respect to the first direction. However, it is clear to a person skilled in the art that under certain circumstances one of the two oblique faces determines the width of the base body in the second direction—here this is the oblique face 140—owing to the number of pairs of connecting terminals. In this way, the connecting terminals 310 and 320 of the two pairs 300 of connecting terminals of the oblique face 100 could, under certain circumstances, also be arranged one next to the other with respect to the first direction without the overall width of the base body being thereby made larger in the second direction.

(15) The oblique face 120 is adjoined by a cuboid base 130. An inner side of the base 130 is defined by the first side wall 111 of the U-shaped receptacle 110 for the relay 400. The receptacle 110 itself comprises a plurality of electrical connecting jacks for the relay 400, which are electrically connected to the pairs 300 of connecting terminals. The second side wall 112 which lies opposite the first side wall 111 is made higher than the first side wall 111. The second side wall 112 adjoins the second oblique face 140 in which 12 pairs 300 of connecting terminals are arranged.

(16) The base 130 bounds the receptacle 110 for the relay 400 at a right angle to the second direction. In this embodiment, a pivoting lever 200 is connected in a pivotable fashion to the base 130. For this purpose, the base has two openings in the cover, behind which two holding bolts 211 of the pivoting lever 200 engage.

(17) The pivoting lever 200 is therefore mounted in a pivotable fashion on the base 130. In order to attach a relay 400, the pivoting lever 200 is transferred from an open position into a closed position, wherein the latching strip 230 of the pivoting lever 200 latches into a notch in the relay 400 and therefore holds it in the receptacle 110.

(18) It is clear to a person skilled in the art that the relay 1 shown is intended to show the arrangement of the pairs 300 of connecting terminals merely by way of example. The shape and size of the relay 1 can be largely as desired here. In particular, instead of two oblique faces it is also possible for there to be one oblique face or more than two, in particular three or four oblique faces.

(19) Furthermore, instead of oblique faces it is also possible to provide horizontal faces (parallel to the first and second direction) or vertical faces (at a right angle to the first direction) for accommodating the pairs 300 of connecting terminals.

(20) FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional illustration through the relay socket 1 according to FIG. 1 along a plane at a right angle to the second direction. It is apparent here that the holding bolts 211 lie underneath the cover of the base 130. Furthermore, the plug-in connections of the relay 400 are apparent within the plug-in jacks of the receptacle 110. The electrical connections between the pairs 300 of connecting terminals and the plug-in jacks are not illustrated for the sake of better clarity.

(21) FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional illustration through the relay socket, in the plane of the pivoting unit 200 along the line A-A in FIG. 2. In this figure it is apparent that the two holding bolts 211 engage behind the cover of the base 130.

(22) FIG. 4 shows a schematic oblique view of a relay socket with pairs 300 of connecting terminals for connecting wires. The pairs 300 of connecting terminals are embodied here as elements which can be plugged in and which are latched into receptacles of the base body 100. This is illustrated by way of example by two connecting terminals 300 which are illustrated outside the base body 100, in particular directly before the plugging into the base body 100. The latching arrangement can either be releasable here, which permits defective pairs 300 of connecting terminals to be replaced, or non-releasable, which, where appropriate, permits higher safety standards to be complied with.

(23) FIG. 5 shows an enlarged schematic oblique view of a pair 300 of connecting terminals with a first connecting terminal 310 and a second connecting terminal 320. The pair 300 of connecting terminals is embodied here as an essentially cuboid plug-in unit. The pair 300 of connecting terminals has a two-part housing 330. The housing 330 comprises a first duct 311 which is assigned to the first connecting terminal 310, and a second duct 321 which is assigned to the second connecting terminal 320. When the connecting wire 500 is plugged into the first connecting terminal 310 or second connecting terminal 320, the connecting wire 500 can be released from the terminal by introducing a pin 600 into the assigned duct 311 or 321 (see FIG. 7 below). Opposite the openings of the connecting terminals 310, 320, the housing 330 comprises latching projections 331, 332 which can be latched into the base body 100 of the relay 1.

(24) FIG. 6 shows an exploded illustration of the pair 300 of connecting terminals according to FIG. 5, wherein the inner design of the pair 300 of connecting terminals is apparent. The two connecting terminals 310, 320 each comprise a receptacle for the connecting wire. The receptacles are oriented parallel to one another here, but in another embodiment they can also enclose an angle with respect to one another. In the interior of the half-shell 333 there is a spigot 334. The spigot 334 receives a neck of a leg spring 340. A first limb of the leg spring 340 is attached to a stop of the housing 330, and the second limb projects into the interior of the receptacle of the connecting terminal 310. In the present embodiment, when the connecting wire 500 is not introduced this limb is oriented essentially at a right angle to the receiving direction (direction of an introduced connecting wire 500). It is also apparent that the duct 311 is directed at an acute angle toward the second limb so that when a pin introduced the second limb of the leg spring 340 can be guided out of the receptacle space of the connecting terminal 310 in order to release the connecting wire.

(25) The second half-shell 335 is of identical design and correspondingly receives a second leg spring 341. Finally, the pair 300 of connecting terminals comprises a U-shaped bracket 342, wherein in the mounted state the distal ends each project into one of the receptacles of the connecting terminals 310 or 320.

(26) FIG. 7 finally shows a schematic side view of the half-shell 333 of the pair 300 of connecting terminals with the connecting wire 500 inserted and the pin 600 introduced. The introduction of the connecting wire 500 into the connecting terminal 310 pulls back the second limb of the leg spring 340 counter to the spring force. In this way, the second limb of the leg spring 340 encloses an acute angle with the connecting wire 500 and clamps it tightly. Through the introduction of the pin 600 into the duct 311 the second limb of the leg spring 340 is bent out of the receptacle space of the connecting terminal 310 counter to the spring force, so that the connecting wire 500 is released.

(27) It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the present exemplary embodiment of the connecting terminals is merely an exemplary embodiment. Instead of the leg spring it is also possible to use other springs which are known to a person skilled in the art. Furthermore, screw terminals or the like can also be provided.

(28) FIG. 8 shows a schematic oblique view of a pivoting lever 200 according to FIG. 1. The pivoting lever 200 comprises essentially three regions. In the proximal area the pivoting lever comprises a fork region 210 with two prongs which end in one holding bolt 211 each. The holding bolts 211 are directed inward with respect to the prongs of the fork region 210 and are spaced apart from one another. The holding bolts 211 serve to pivotably mount the pivoting lever 200 on the base body 100. At the ends of the fork region 210 lying opposite the holding bolt 211 there is an adjoining spring region 220 or an elastic region 220. In the present first embodiment the spring region 220 is formed by a U shape in the pivoting lever whose opening is oriented at a right angle to a longitudinal direction of the pivoting lever. A gripping region 230, which ends in a gripping part for gripping the pivoting lever, adjoins the spring region 220. The latching region 230 comprises a latching strip 231 which is oriented at a right angle to the longitudinal direction of the pivoting lever. In the closed state, the latching strip 231 engages in a notch in the relay and holds it in the receptacle 110 (see FIG. 1).

(29) In the present first embodiment, the latching lever 200 is embodied in one piece. Basically, the pivoting lever can be composed of any desired material, but preferably a plastic, in particular a polyamide or a polycarbonate is used. The pivoting lever 200 can therefore be manufactured with an injection molding method. In summary it is to be noted that according to the invention a device for receiving an electrical or electronic component, in particular a relay socket, is provided which is particularly space-saving.