Electric Wall Feedthrough For Solar Installations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015047898-A1
Application number	US-201314382786-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 12, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2012
Publication date	Feb 19, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

A wall feedthrough is provided, which is pluggable on one side, for connecting a voltage-carrying conductor of a solar generator to a combiner box housing. A two-part connector housing having a front housing part and an insert part which can be moved together with an electric terminal element as one unit relative to the front housing part, wherein the terminal element is pluggable on one side and has a spring-force clamp on the other side, and wherein in the closed state, the spring-force clamp is surrounded by a body sleeve of the front housing part, and in the open state the clamping device is pulled out of the body sleeve so as to be openable and closable, and wherein, for this purpose, the insert part has an exposed handle portion for the user.

First claim

1 . A wall feedthrough pluggable on one side, for connecting a voltage-carrying conductor of a solar generator to a connection box housing comprising:
an insulating connector housing with a stop and a mounting portion; an electric terminal element extending axially within the connector housing; and a mounting element; wherein the connector housing is formed at least in two parts comprising i) a front housing part having a front plug-in portion in the form of a housing plug pin or a housing plug socket, a body sleeve for being inserted into an opening of a wall of the connection box housing, and the stop, wherein the connector housing can be fixed in the opening, with the stop on the one side and the mounting element on the other side; and ii) an insert part inserted into the front housing part at a rear axial end thereof opposite to the plug-in portion; wherein the electric terminal element comprises a front plug-in terminal and a rear clamping device for a conductor end for electrically connecting the conductor end with the plug-in terminal when the conductor end is clamped in the clamping device; wherein the electric terminal element is fixed within the insert part and the insert part is guided slideably along its longitudinal extension within the body sleeve, so that the insert part together with the electric terminal element fixed therein can be reversibly inserted and retracted between a closed state of the connector housing when inserted into the body sleeve and a retracted open state of the connector housing, so that in the closed state, the clamping device is surrounded by the body sleeve and the plug-in terminal is arranged in the plug-in portion, so as to be able to be mated with a complementary plug-in terminal of a mating connector, and so that in the open state, the plug-in terminal is at least partially pulled out of the plug-in portion and the clamping device is pulled out of the body sleeve so as to be openable and closable.

2 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the body sleeve comprises a sleeve portion at its end axially opposite to the plug-in portion of the front housing part, so that the mounting portion is arranged between the sleeve portion and the stop, and so that in the closed state the sleeve portion at least partially encloses the rear clamping device.

3 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in the region of the clamping device the insert part has an intermediate portion of a substantially U-shaped cross section, wherein the clamping device is formed as a spring-force clamp which is actuatable radially with respect to the connector housing and includes a support frame and a clamping spring pivotally mounted in the support frame, wherein the support frame is fixed in the intermediate portion and the clamping spring is radially exposed through the radially opening side of the U-shaped cross section and the spring-force clamp can be opened and closed reversibly when the connector housing is in its open state.

4 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the clamping spring and the support frame of the spring-force clamp comprise mutually complementary latching means by means of which the clamping spring is latched with the support frame in the closed state of the spring-force clamp.

5 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 4 , wherein in the closed state of the spring-force clamp and the connector housing, in addition to being latched with the support frame, the clamping spring is enclosed by the body sleeve so tightly that the body sleeve prevents the clamping spring from springing open.

6 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the clamping spring comprises an actuating arm for being actuated by a finger of a user, a clamping arm for clamping the stripped conductor end to a power rail of the support frame, and an elbow portion which connects the actuating arm with the clamping arm, wherein in the region of the elbow portion the clamping spring is pivotally mounted in the support frame, wherein in the closed state the actuating arm is latched with the support frame, the actuating arm and the clamping arm extending from the pivot axis towards the plug-in portion, and the actuating arm is secured from springing open by the body sleeve in the closed state.

7 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the insert part has a handle portion at its rear end axially opposite to the plug-in portion of the connector housing, on which the user can hold the insert part for inserting into the body sleeve and retracting from the body sleeve.

8 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the handle portion has an at least partially circumferential outer corrugation.

9 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 7 , wherein in the closed state of the connector housing, the handle portion is axially adjacent to the sleeve portion of the body sleeve and the outer diameter of the handle portion is less than or equal to the diameter of the mounting portion of the body sleeve.

10 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 7 , wherein in the closed state of the connector housing, the handle portion is axially adjacent to the sleeve portion of the body sleeve and the outer diameter of the handle portion is greater than the inner diameter of the sleeve portion.

11 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 7 , wherein in the closed state of the connector housing, the outer surface of the handle portion flushes with the sleeve portion of the body sleeve.

12 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the handle portion has an inner insertion funnel for the conductor end at its end axially opposite to the plug-in portion of the front housing part, which tapers towards the clamping device.

13 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one retaining tab extends axially rearwards from the rear end of the body sleeve and slides along a sliding surface of the insert part when displacing the insert part within the body sleeve.

14 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the corrugation of the handle portion is interrupted on the sliding surface, and in the closed state the retaining tab axially protrudes into the corrugation.

15 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the at least one retaining tab has an opening which in the closed state of the connector housing is latched on a rear latching protrusion in the sliding surface.

16 . The wall feedthrough as claimed in claim 15 , wherein in the open state of the connector housing at least one opening in the retaining tabs is latched on at least one front latching protrusion arranged in the sliding surface.

17 . The wall feedthrough as claimed claim 1 , wherein at least two radially opposed retaining tabs extend axially rearwards from the rear end of the body sleeve and slide along two radially opposed sliding surfaces of the insert part when displacing the insert part within the body sleeve, wherein a rear latching protrusion is only provided on one of the sliding surfaces.

Assignees

• Phoenix Contact Gmbh & Co

Inventors

• Sagdic Mehmet

Classifications

• H10W90/00 Primary

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H01R13/506 Primary

  assembled by snap action of the parts · CPC title

• H01R11/11

  End pieces or tapping pieces for wires, supported by the wire and for facilitating electrical connection to some other wire, terminal or conductive member (H01R11/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01B17/583

  Grommets; Bushings · CPC title

• H01R2101/00

  One pole · CPC title