Conductor connection terminal, use thereof, and method for mounting a conductor connection terminal

Abstract

A conductor connection terminal with a contact insert that has a bus bar and a clamping spring, and with a housing that has a first housing part and a second housing part and that at least partially encloses the contact insert, wherein the first housing part has a first housing wall with a receiving structure for receiving the contact insert, and the second housing part has multiple additional housing walls for covering the contact insert received by the first housing part. A conductor connection terminal is also provided with a contact insert that has a bus bar and a clamping spring, and with a housing that has a first housing part and a second housing part and that at least partially encloses the contact insert. The first housing part has a first conductor insertion channel section and the second housing part has a second conductor insertion channel section.

Claims

1. A conductor connection terminal comprising: a contact insert that has a bus bar and a clamping spring; and a housing that has a first housing part and a second housing part and that at least partially encloses the contact insert, wherein the first housing part has a first housing wall with a receiving structure for receiving the contact insert and the second housing part has multiple additional housing walls for covering the contact insert received by the first housing part, wherein the receiving structure of the first housing part has frame walls that project essentially at right angles from the first housing wall and wherein, together with the first housing wall delimits a receiving space for the contact insert, wherein the first housing part and the second housing part each have a U-shaped cross section, wherein, in an assembled state of the housing, arms of the U-shaped cross section of the second housing part receive arms of the U-shaped cross section of the first housing part therebetween, such that the arms of the second housing part overlap with the arms of the first housing part, and wherein the arms of the first housing part receive the contact insert therebetween, wherein the arms of the first housing part are formed by the frame walls and the arms of the second housing part are formed by two of the additional housing walls, and wherein the frame walls overlap with the two of the additional housing walls, respectively, by a degree of overlap of more than 50%, such that regions of the housing have a double wall structure.

2. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the frame walls extend along longitudinal sides of the contact insert.

3. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the frame walls include a frame wall that extends along a bottom of the contact insert facing the bus bar of the contact insert and/or a frame wall that extends along a top of the contact insert facing away from the bus bar of the contact insert.

4. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the additional housing walls of the second housing part include at least three housing walls for covering the contact insert and/or the first housing part.

5. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the additional housing walls of the second housing part completely overlaps at least one of the frame walls of the first housing part in an assembled state of the housing.

6. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the second housing part has a housing end wall for covering the housing on an end face.

7. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the conductor connection terminal is a double terminal for two electrical conductors that are each adapted to be inserted into the conductor connection terminal in a respective insertion direction.

8. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein a partition projects at a right angle from the at least one of the frame walls and/or from the first housing wall of the first housing part.

9. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 8, wherein the second housing part has a partition receptacle, wherein the partition of the first housing part is inserted into the partition receptacle of the second housing part in an assembled state of the housing.

10. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the frame walls have a support block projecting at right angles therefrom.

11. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 10, wherein the support block has a conductor insertion channel area.

12. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the contact insert and/or the housing have a symmetrical construction.

13. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first housing part and the second housing part are snapped, staked, and/or welded together in an assembled state of the housing.

14. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first housing part has a first conductor insertion channel section and the second housing part has a second conductor insertion channel section, and wherein, in an assembled state of the housing, the first conductor insertion channel section and the second conductor insertion channel section together form a conductor insertion channel for insertion of an electrical conductor.

15. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 14, wherein the first conductor insertion channel section and/or the second conductor insertion channel section is designed to be predominantly closed on a perimeter.

16. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 14, wherein the first conductor insertion channel section is arranged after the second conductor insertion channel section in an insertion direction of the electrical conductor.

17. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 14, wherein the housing has a conductor insertion opening for insertion of the electrical conductor, the conductor insertion opening being formed in the second conductor insertion channel section.

18. The conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the conductor connection terminal is a repair terminal for connecting line sections of a severed electrical conductor or two free conductor ends.

19. A method for assembling a conductor connection terminal according to claim 1, the method comprising: placing the contact insert in the first housing part; and arranging, subsequently, the second housing part having multiple housing walls on the first housing part and connecting thereto.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein a placement direction of the contact insert in the first housing part is at right angles to a direction of longitudinal extent of the contact insert.

21. A conductor connection terminal, comprising: a contact insert that has a busbar and a clamping spring; and a housing that has a first housing part and a second housing part, and that at least partially encloses the contact insert, wherein the first housing part has a first housing wall with a receiving structure for receiving the contact insert and the second housing part has multiple additional housing walls for covering the contact insert received by the first housing part, wherein the receiving structure has frame walls projecting essentially transversely from the first housing wall, wherein, the frame walls, together with the first housing wall, delimit a receiving space for the contact insert, and wherein at least one of the frame walls of the first housing part has a frame recess which, in an assembled state of the housing, is parallel to a housing wall recess of the second housing part, the frame recess and the housing wall recess together forming a grip recess for gripping the conductor connection terminal.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of a first housing part;

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective rear view of the first housing part;

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective front view of a second housing part;

(5) FIG. 4 is another front view of the second housing part;

(6) FIG. 5 is a perspective bottom view of the second housing part;

(7) FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a conductor connection terminal with placed contact insert and assembled housing;

(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective sectional view of the conductor connection terminal with placed contact insert and assembled housing;

(9) FIG. 8 is a perspective rear view of the conductor connection terminal with assembled housing;

(10) FIG. 9 is a sectional side view of the conductor connection terminal with placed contact insert and assembled housing;

(11) FIG. 10 is a perspective sectional side view of the conductor connection terminal with placed contact insert and assembled housing;

(12) FIG. 11 is a contact insert for a conductor connection terminal; and

(13) FIGS. 12A-12C illustrate a method for assembling a conductor connection terminal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(14) FIG. 1 shows a front view of a first housing part 5A for a conductor connection terminal 1 designed as a double terminal and shown in FIGS. 6 to 10 by way of example. The first housing part 5A can be fitted together with a second housing part 5B shown by way of example in FIGS. 3 to 5 to form a housing 5 of the conductor connection terminal 1. The housing 5 of the conductor connection terminal 1 is constructed in two parts from the first housing part 5A and the second housing part 5B in the exemplary embodiments shown. It is fundamentally also possible to fit together the housing 5 of the conductor connection terminal 1 from more than two housing parts. The housing 5 of the conductor connection terminal 1 is equipped to at least partially enclose a contact insert 2, shown by way of example in FIGS. 6, 7, and 11, having a bus bar 3 and one or more clamping springs 4, in order to protect the contact insert 2 from environmental conditions and to achieve an electrical insulation of the contact insert 2 from the environment.

(15) The first housing part 5A has a first housing wall GW.sub.1 with a receiving structure 6 for receiving the contact insert 2. In the exemplary embodiments shown, the receiving structure 6 is formed by multiple structural elements such as frame walls 7 (explained further below), a partition 10, spring supports, and support blocks 12. It is also possible, however, to provide more or fewer structural elements to form the receiving structure 6.

(16) Two frame walls 7 project essentially perpendicularly from the first housing wall GW.sub.1 and, with the first housing wall GW.sub.1, delimit a receiving space 8 for the contact insert 2. The frame walls 7 extend along longitudinal sides of the contact insert 2 to be placed. In the exemplary embodiment shown, a frame wall 7 extends in each case along a bottom K.sub.U (shown in FIG. 11) of the contact insert 2 facing the bus bar 3 of the contact insert 2, and along a top K.sub.O (shown in FIG. 11) of the contact insert 2 facing away from the bus bar of the contact insert 2. One of the two frame walls 7 shown has a frame recess 16A, which can, for example, run parallel to a housing wall recess 16B (FIG. 3) of the second housing part 5B and forms a grip recess together therewith. The grip recess can facilitate gripping of the conductor connection terminal 1 and, in the exemplary embodiments shown, visually indicate a top of the conductor connection terminal 1 facing away from the bus bar 3 of the contact insert 2.

(17) A partition 10, which among other things provides for spatial separation and electrical insulation of two adjacent connection spaces for electrical conductors, projects essentially perpendicularly from the first housing wall GW.sub.1 and from one of the frame walls 7. In the exemplary embodiment, the partition 10 defines a central area of the first housing part; starting from this area, a spring-loaded terminal connection for an electrical conductor can be provided on each of the left and right sides. For this purpose, an electrical conductor can be inserted into the conductor connection terminal 1 in each direction of insertion R.sub.EF.

(18) Support blocks 12, which further delimit the receiving space 8 for the contact insert 2 and reduce or prevent a translational movability of the contact insert 2 in the same or opposite direction to the insertion direction R.sub.EF, project from the frame walls 7.

(19) Moreover, a first conductor insertion channel section 13A is formed on the first housing part 5A for each side of the double terminal, and said first conductor insertion channel section, together with a second conductor insertion channel section 13B (shown by way of example in FIG. 3) of the second housing part 5B, forms a conductor insertion channel 13 in the assembled state of the housing 5.

(20) In FIG. 2, the first housing part 5A is shown in a rear view. It can be seen, for example, how one of the frame walls 7 projects essentially perpendicularly from the first housing wall GW.sub.1. In this case, the frame wall 7 is offset slightly inward, which is to say it has no surface running flush with a terminating edge of the first housing wall GM. The offset 17 formed between the frame wall 7 and the terminating edge of the first housing wall GW.sub.1 forms a receiving area for a housing wall of the second housing part 5B, for example the fourth housing wall GW.sub.4.

(21) FIG. 3 shows a front view of a second housing part 5B for the conductor connection terminal 1. The second housing part 5B has multiple housing walls; to be precise, in the exemplary embodiment shown it has a second housing wall GW.sub.2, a third housing wall GW.sub.3, a fourth housing wall GW.sub.4, as well as two housing end walls GWs. The housing walls GW.sub.2, GW.sub.3, GW.sub.4, and GWs serve to at least partially cover the contact insert 2 of the conductor connection terminal 1 and, when completed by the first housing wall GW.sub.1 of the first housing part 5A, form the housing 5 of the conductor connection terminal 1 in the assembled state of the first and second housing parts 5A and 5B. The second housing part 5B acts here as a cover housing and is equipped to be attached to the first housing part 5A after an assembly of a contact insert 2 in the first housing part 5A. The housing walls GM, GW.sub.2, GW.sub.3, GW.sub.4 can be associated with the longitudinal sides of the conductor connection terminal 1 or of the housing 5 or of the contact insert 2, while the housing end walls GWs can be associated with the end faces of the conductor connection terminal 1 or of the housing 5 or of the contact insert 2. The housing end walls GWs of the second housing part 5B each have an aperture that forms both a conductor insertion opening 14 and a second conductor insertion channel section 13B. An electrical conductorin the exemplary embodiment shown, an electrical conductor from each of the opposite end faces of the second housing part 5Bcan be inserted into the conductor insertion opening 14 and the adjoining second conductor insertion channel section 13B in the housing 5 in a conductor insertion direction R.sub.EF.

(22) The second housing part 5B has a partition receptacle 11 in the form of two wall-like material projections spaced apart from one another, between which the partition 10 of the first housing part 5A can slip. The second housing part 5B has a housing wall recess 16B that, in the assembled state of the housing 5, overlaps a frame recess 16A of the first housing part 5A and forms a grip recess together therewith.

(23) FIGS. 4 and 5 show the second housing part 5B in another front view and in a bottom view for more detailed illustration.

(24) FIG. 6 shows the conductor connection terminal 1 in an assembled state, which is to say with a placed contact insert 2 and with housing 5, composed of the first housing part 5A and the second housing part 5B, enclosing the contact insert 2. Visible are the contact insert 2 with a bus bar 3 and two clamping springs 4 for two spring-loaded terminal connections of two electrical conductors that are not shown and that can be inserted into the conductor connection terminal 1 in insertion direction R.sub.EF. It can be seen that the third housing wall GW.sub.3 and the fourth housing wall GW.sub.4 of the second housing part 5B overlap the frame walls 7 of the first housing part 5A so that double walls are present in each case that increase the insulation and the stability of the conductor connection terminal 1. It can likewise be seen that the first conductor insertion channel section 13A of the first housing part 5A and the second conductor insertion channel section 13B of the second housing part 5B together form a conductor insertion channel 13 for insertion of an electrical conductor starting at the conductor insertion opening 14 of the second housing part 5B. In this case, the support blocks 12 additionally have a conductor insertion channel area 18 for continuing the conductor insertion channel 13. It furthermore becomes clear how the receiving structure 6 of the conductor connection terminal 1 with multiple structural elements such as spring supports, the partition receptacle 11, the frame walls 7, and the support blocks 12 define a delimited receiving space for the contact insert 2 so that the latter is held securely in the housing 5 and assembly is made easier. In addition, it can be seen that the partition 10 slips between the material projections of the partition receptacle 11, thus also promoting a positioning and securing of the first housing part 5A and of the second housing part 5B to one another. A symmetrical construction of the conductor connection terminal 1 with an axis of symmetry (not shown) that runs through the partition 10 and is perpendicular to the insertion direction R.sub.EF also becomes clear.

(25) The conductor connection terminal 1 has a simplified construction and allows easier assembly of the conductor connection terminal 1. The receiving structure 6 of the first housing wall GW.sub.1 of the first housing part 5A is easily accessible and allows fast and reliable assembly of the contact insert 2 on the first housing part 5A. The second housing part 5B can be arranged on the first housing part 5A and connected thereto reliably and quickly. Adherence to required clearances and creepage distances for the operational safety of the conductor connection terminal 1 is ensured by the covering of the contact insert 2 by means of multiple housing walls GW.sub.2, GW.sub.3, GW.sub.4, GWs of the second housing part 5B.

(26) FIG. 7 shows the representation of the conductor connection terminal 1 from FIG. 6 in a perspective view for further illustration. In addition, the direction of longitudinal extent R.sub.LE of the contact insert 2 is indicated by a double-headed arrow. During an assembly of the conductor connection terminal 1, the contact insert 2 is placed in the first housing part 5A in a placement direction RES at right angles to this direction of longitudinal extent R.sub.LE.

(27) FIG. 8 shows a perspective rear view of the conductor connection terminal 1 with assembled housing 5. It can be seen that the housing parts 5A, 5B are fitted together along a connection line 15. The first housing wall GW.sub.1 of the first housing part 5A and the fourth housing wall GW.sub.4 of the second housing part 5B have a flush transition to one another at the connection line 15. The situation is similar on the opposite side at the transition from the first housing wall GW.sub.1 to the third housing wall GW.sub.3. The first housing part 5A and the second housing part 5B can also, for example, be snapped, staked, and/or welded together in the assembled state of the housing 5.

(28) FIG. 9 shows a sectional side view of the conductor connection terminal 1 with placed contact insert 2 and housing 5 assembled from the housing parts 5A, 5B. It can be seen in this view that the first housing part 5A and the second housing part 5B each have a U-shaped cross section in the embodiment shown, wherein, in the assembled state of the housing 5, the arms 9B of the U of the second housing part 5B receive the arms 9A of the U of the first housing part 5A between them, and the arms 9A of the U of the first housing part 5A receive the contact insert 2 between them.

(29) FIG. 10 shows the sectional view of the conductor connection terminal 1 from FIG. 9 in a perspective representation for additional illustration.

(30) FIG. 11 shows a preassembled contact insert 2 for the conductor connection terminal 1 in a perspective view. The contact insert 2 has a bus bar 3, to each of whose ends is attached a clamping spring 4 for forming a spring-loaded terminal connection with an electrical conductor. The contact insert 2 has two end faces K.sub.S, through which the respective electrical conductor is brought closer to and inserted into the contact insert 2. The contact insert 2 additionally has a bottom K.sub.U facing the bus bar 3 as well as a top K.sub.O opposite the bottom K.sub.U. In addition, the contact insert 2 has a cover side K.sub.O facing the cover housing 5B as well as a housing side KG facing the basic housing 5A, which can also be interchanged in the case of a symmetrical design of the contact insert 2. The bottom K.sub.U, the top K.sub.O, the cover side K.sub.O, and the housing side KG of the contact insert 2 can be regarded as longitudinal sides of the contact insert 2. The contact insert 2 has a longitudinal extent in a direction R.sub.LE of longitudinal extent that is parallel to a direction of insertion of the electrical conductor.

(31) FIGS. 12A-12C show a method for assembling a conductor connection terminal 1 from a contact insert 2 that has a bus bar 3 and a clamping spring 4 (or in this case two clamping springs), a first housing part 5A, and a second housing part 5B. In a method step A), a contact insert 2 is placed in a first housing part 5A at right angles to the insert's direction of longitudinal extent. The contact insert 2 can be available preassembled or be fitted together from the bus bar 3 and the clamping spring 4 or clamping springs 4 in an upstream preparatory step. In a method step B) following the method step A), the housing part 5B having multiple housing walls is arranged on, for example attached to, the first housing part 5A. In this case, the attachment direction of the second housing part 5B on the first housing part 5A corresponds to the placement direction of the contact insert 2 in the first housing part 5A, in particular. In a method step C) following the method step B), the first housing part 5A is connected, for example snapped, staked, or welded, to the second housing part 5B.

(32) The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.