Electrical end device, manufacturing method and adjustment method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12596020-B2
Application number	US-202318506319-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2023
Priority date	Nov 25, 2022
Publication date	Apr 7, 2026
Grant date	Apr 7, 2026

Abstract

An electrical terminal has a multi-sided housing with a basic element and includes at least two rear sides and a head element. The head element is designed as a detection and/or functional element and includes a detection and/or functional side. A mounting element has a mounting body with at least two side surfaces, a base side and an inner wall, and two rear sides. The mounting element and/or the mounting body is connected to the basic element via a rotary bearing unit, which has an axis of rotation, wherein the basic element is pivotable about the axis of rotation, and the basic element has a single- or multi-part foot surface, and the mounting element and/or the mounting body has a single- or multi-part bearing surface. The foot surface and the bearing surface lie against each other at least with a partial area in an inoperative position of the basic element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An electrical terminal comprising:
a multi-sided housing with a basic element, the basic element having at least two rear sides, and a head element, the head element being configured as a detection and/or functional element and including a detection and/or functional side; and a mounting element having a mounting body with at least two side surfaces, a base side and an inner wall, and two rear sides, the mounting element and/or the mounting body being connected to the basic element via a rotary bearing unit, which has an axis of rotation, the basic element being pivotable about the axis of rotation in an adjustment position, and i) the basic element having a single- or multi-part foot surface, and ii) the mounting element and/or the mounting body having a single- or multi-part bearing surface, the foot surface of the basic element and the bearing surface lying against each other at least with a partial area in an inoperative position of the basic element, and the at least one partial area spanning a theoretical contact plane, which is inclined in relation to the detection and/or functional side and/or a rear side by an angle of inclination, and the axis of rotation being aligned perpendicularly to the theoretical contact plane, the bearing surface and/or the foot surface, wherein the basic element is liftable from the mounting element out of the inoperative position along the direction of the axis of rotation, thereby being brought into the adjustment position, wherein the foot surface of the basic element is spaced apart from the bearing surface of the mounting body in the adjustment position, and wherein the rotary bearing unit includes a spring element, the spring element being formed and mounted such that, in the adjustment position, a restoring spring force exerted by the spring element acts on the foot surface of the basic element in the direction of the bearing surface and/or the contact plane.

2 . The electrical terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electrical terminal is a sensor, an emitter, or a data acquisition device.

3 . The electrical terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the spring element is a spring, a monolithic elastomer, or a plurality of elastic fibers.

4 . The electrical terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotary bearing unit comprises at least one (lower) support unit for the spring element.

5 . The electrical terminal as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the rotary bearing unit comprises at least two opposite support units for the at least one spring element.

6 . The electrical terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotary bearing unit comprises a rotary bearing bolt on which or in which the at least one spring element is guided.

7 . The electrical terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mounting element has, on at least one side surface and/or inner wall, at least one blocking contour, which, in a form-fitting and/or force-fitting manner in the inoperative position with a blocking mating contour of the basic element, prevents the rotation of the basic element about the axis of rotation.

8 . The electrical terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mounting body has a first opening for the passage of a cable to the basic element and a further opening for receiving a plug connector and/or an adapter body for a plug connector, and wherein the first opening and the further opening merge one into the other.

9 . The electrical terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the basic element and the head element are connected or are connectable to each other, wherein the basic element includes at least one coupling element, on which a correlating coupling element of the head element is connectable in a form-fitting and/or force-fitting manner.

10 . The electrical terminal as claimed in claim 9 , wherein a sealing element is arranged at a transition to the head element.

11 . A production method for an electrical terminal, the electrical terminal including:
a multi-sided housing with a basic element, the basic element having at least two rear sides, and a head element, the head element being configured as a detection and/or functional element and including a detection and/or functional side; and a mounting element having a mounting body with at least two side surfaces, a base side and an inner wall, and two rear sides, the mounting element and/or the mounting body being connected to the basic element via a rotary bearing unit, which has an axis of rotation, the basic element being pivotable about the axis of rotation in an adjustment position, and i) the basic element having a single- or multi-part foot surface, and ii) the mounting element and/or the mounting body having a single- or multi-part bearing surface, the foot surface of the basic element and the bearing surface lying against each other at least with a partial area in an inoperative position of the basic element, and the at least one partial area spanning a theoretical contact plane, which is inclined in relation to the detection and/or functional side and/or a rear side by an angle of inclination, and the axis of rotation being aligned perpendicularly to the theoretical contact plane, the bearing surface and/or the foot surface, wherein the basic element is liftable from the mounting element out of the inoperative position along a direction of the axis of rotation thereby being brought into the adjustment position, wherein the foot surface of the basic element is spaced apart from the bearing surface of the mounting body in the adjustment position, and wherein the rotary bearing unit includes a spring element, the spring element being formed and mounted such that, in the adjustment position, a restoring spring force exerted by the spring element acts on the foot surface of the basic element in the direction of the bearing surface and/or the contact plane, the method comprising: connecting the mounting element to the basic element on the rotary bearing unit; and tensioning the spring unit in one step along the axis of rotation such that the basic element is pressed onto the mounting element.

12 . The production method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the head element is attached pressed onto the basic element.

13 . The production method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the electrical terminal is aligned such that the head element and/or the end face of the head element faces vertically downward and subsequently the head element is filled with potting material through openings in the basic element.

14 . A method for adjusting an electrical terminal, the electrical terminal containing a basic element and a mounting element, which are in mutual contact with each other in partial areas, and, in an adjustment step, the basic element being brought from an inoperative position in a linear alignment into a second inoperative position in a corner alignment, and vice versa, the method comprising the following steps:
lifting the basic element off the mounting element from the first inoperative position in a direction of an axis of rotation by a distance counter to an applied spring force; rotating the basic element by an angular degree about the axis of rotation corresponding to the alignment of the second inoperative position; and guiding the basic element back in the direction of the spring force and parallel to the axis of rotation and bringing the basic element back into contact with the mounting element.

15 . The electrical terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the angle of inclination is 45°.

Assignees

• Turck Holding Gmbh

Inventors

• Faber Michael
• Löwen Nikolaj

Classifications

• H05K5/0247

  Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring · CPC title

• H05K5/0226

  Hinges · CPC title

• H05K5/0221

  Locks; Latches · CPC title

• G01D11/30

  Supports specially adapted for an instrument; Supports specially adapted for a set of instruments · CPC title

• F16M11/06

  allowing pivoting · CPC title