Terminal block assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9240650-B2
Application number	US-201414341963-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2014
Priority date	Aug 7, 2013
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

A terminal block assembly includes a terminal block and lever member and is less structurally complicated and less likely to deform as compared to the existing terminal block products. The terminal block has a main body and a chamber defined by the main body. The chamber is provided with a metal spring piece, which, in response to movements of the lever member, crimps a leading wire to form electrical connection or release the leading wire. The chamber is also provided with a buckle that performs reciprocating movements and is biased by a spring to normally engage with the lever member. When receiving an operating force, the buckle disengages with the lever member so that the lever member is allowed to move. The terminal block assembly advantageously provides easy and effort-saving operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A terminal block assembly, comprising:
a terminal block, including:
a main body,
a chamber defined in the main body, and
a wire inlet communicated with the chamber; and

a lever member, having:
a pivotal end, being pivotally connected to the main body; and
an operational end, being configured to perform reciprocating movements;

the terminal block assembly being characterized in:
the lever member having a pressing portion and a pushing portion both provided at the pivotal end;
a metal spring piece being deposited in the chamber and having a head and a tail, wherein the lever member drives the head of the metal spring piece to make the tail to tilt up and down; and
a buckle being installed in the chamber, configured to perform reciprocating movements, and being biased by a spring to normally engage with the lever member.

2. The terminal block assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a terminal that is located in the chamber to be installed on an external circuit board.

3. The terminal block assembly of claim 2 , wherein the wire inlet of the main body allows a leading wire to be inserted into the chamber therethrough and crimped by the tail of the metal spring piece, thereby forming electrical connection with the terminal pin.

4. The terminal block assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a recess that is formed on the pivotal end of the lever member and connecting the pressing portion and the pushing portion.

5. The terminal block assembly of claim 4 , wherein the head of the metal spring piece is received in the recess, thereby allowing the lever member to have the pressing portion pressing the head of the metal spring piece downward or have the pushing portion pushing the head of the metal spring.

6. The terminal block assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lever member has a socket in which a retaining portion is formed so that the retaining portion defines an inlet of the socket.

7. The terminal al block assembly of claim 4 , wherein the lever member has a socket in which a retaining portion is formed so that the retaining portion defines an inlet of the socket.

8. The terminal block assembly of claim 6 , wherein the socket and the retaining portion of the lever member are located between the pivotal end and the operational end.

9. The terminal block assembly of claim 6 , wherein the socket and the retaining portion of the lever member are located near the operational end.

10. The terminal block assembly of claim 1 , wherein the buckle has a pivotal end and a free end;
the pivotal end having a hole, and being assembled to a post provided in the chamber of the main body by the hole together with the spring, so that the free end of the buckle is allowed to perform the reciprocating movements.

11. The terminal block assembly of claim 6 , wherein the buckle has a pivotal end and a free end;
the pivotal end having a hole, and being assembled to a post provided in the chamber of the main body by the hole together with the spring, so that the free end of the buckle is allowed to enter the socket of the lever member to have engagement with the retaining portion while performing the reciprocating movements to; and
the retaining portion of the lever member being also configured to push the buckle free end away, thereby cancelling the engagement.

12. The terminal block assembly of claim 10 , wherein the spring comprises:
a first end, abutting against the main body; and
a second end, being a bent portion perpendicularly extending from the spring and abutting against a back of the buckle.

13. The terminal block assembly of claim 11 , wherein the spring comprises:
a first end, abutting against the main body; and
a second end, being a bent portion perpendicularly extending from the spring and abutting against a back of the buckle.

14. The terminal block assembly of claim 12 , wherein when the retaining portion of the lever member reaches the free end of the buckle, the retaining portion first pushes the free end of the buckle away, so that the back of the buckle pushes the second end of the spring, thereby forcing the spring to deform and accumulate energy; and
when the retaining portion passes the free end of the buckle, the spring releases the energy accumulated, and positions the free end at where the free end engages with the retaining portion of the lever member.

15. The terminal block assembly of claim 12 , wherein the lever member allows the retaining portion to push the free end of the buckle away, and in turn makes the pushing portion push the head of the metal spring piece upward, thereby cancelling the engagement.

16. The terminal block assembly of claim 6 , wherein when a distance between the operational end of the lever member and the pivotal end of the lever member is L1, a distance between the retaining portion and the pivotal end of the lever member is L2, and a distance between the pressing portion and the pivotal end of the lever member is L3, L1 is greater than L2 and L2 is greater than L3.

17. The terminal block assembly of claim 16 , wherein L1 is to 5 times as large as L3 is, and L2 is 3 to 4 times as large as L3 is.

18. The terminal block assembly of claim 10 , wherein when a distance between the operational end of the lever member and the pivotal end of the lever member is L1, a distance between the free end of the buckle and the pivotal end of the lever member is L2, and a distance between the pressing portion and the pivotal end of the lever member is L3, L1 is greater than L2 and L2 is greater than L3.

19. The terminal block assembly of claim 18 , wherein the L1 is 4 to 5 times as large as L3 is, and L2 is 3 to 4 times as large as L3 is.

20. The terminal block assembly of claim 17 , wherein when a force the pressing portion used to press the head of the metal spring piece down is F, an operating force applied to the operational end of the lever member is one fourth to one fifth as large as F is.

21. The terminal block assembly of claim 19 , wherein when a force the pressing portion used to press the head of the metal spring piece down is F, an operating force applied to the operational end of the lever member is one fourth to one fifth as large as F is.

22. The terminal block assembly of claim 17 , wherein a total acting force generated by the retaining portion working with the free end of the buckle is one third to one fourth as large as F is.

23. The terminal block assembly of claim 19 , wherein a total acting force generated by the retaining portion working with the free end of the buckle is one third to one fourth as large as F is.

24. The terminal block assembly of claim 22 , where the total acting force comprises a horizontal component and a vertical component, in which the horizontal component is a half as large as the total acting force is.

Assignees

• Switchlab Inc
• Switchlab Shanghai Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wu Chih-Yuan
• Chen Wei-Chi
• Liu Shih-Chung

Classifications

• H01R4/4836

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01R12/75

  connecting to cables except for flat or ribbon cables · CPC title

• H01R13/62933 Primary

  Comprising exclusively pivoting lever · CPC title

• H01R4/48

  utilising a spring, clip, or other resilient member (H01R4/52 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01R4/4835 Primary

  Mechanically bistable arrangements, e.g. locked by the housing when the spring is biased · CPC title