Device and a method for the reversible mechanical fixing and electrical contacting of electric conductors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9337552-B2
Application number	US-201314392020-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2013
Priority date	Aug 17, 2012
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

A device for the reversible mechanical fixing and electrical contacting of one or more electrical conductors ( 11 ) of a cable ( 10 ) it is proposed to fix the cable ( 10 ) mechanically by means of a cable receptacle ( 2 ) and to position exposed conductor ends ( 12 ) of the electrical conductor ( 11 ) on a contact plate ( 3 ). A fixing element ( 4 ) is provided for pressing the exposed conductor ends ( 12 ) onto the contact plate ( 3 ). Such a device and such a method are needed for the temporary electronic contacting of one or more electrical conductors carried in a cable. Such contacting is above all necessary for carrying out electrical measurements on such cables.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for the reversible mechanical fixing and electrical contacting of one or more electrical conductors ( 11 ) of a cable ( 10 ),
comprising a cable receptacle ( 2 ), a contact plate ( 3 ) and a fixing element ( 4 ),
wherein in the cable receptacle ( 2 ), the cable ( 10 ) with at least one electrical conductor ( 11 ) extending therein can be mechanically fixed in a reversible manner,
wherein the contact plate ( 3 ) has at least one electrical conductor path ( 31 ), on which an exposed conductor end ( 12 ) of the at least one electrical conductor ( 11 ) can be contacted, and
the contact plate ( 3 ) has a contact area ( 32 ) that is formed by one end of the at least one electrical conductor path ( 31 ),
wherein the fixing element ( 4 ) has a mechanism ( 40 ) that allows the fixing element ( 4 ) to be moved towards the contact plate ( 3 ) and away therefrom,

characterised in that
the cable receptacle ( 2 ) is located on an end side ( 34 ) of the contact plate ( 3 ), so that a cable ( 10 ), that can be fixed in the cable receptacle ( 2 ), can be moved away from the contact plate ( 3 ), and in that
the cable receptacle ( 2 ) has a mechanism ( 20 ) that allows the cable receptacle ( 2 ) to be moved towards the end side ( 34 ) of the contact plate ( 3 ) and away therefrom.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that the at least one electrical conductor path ( 31 ) is connected with the end that does not form the contact area ( 32 ) to an electrical plug-in connector.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that the contact plate ( 3 ) has at least one further electrical conductor path ( 31 ′) that forms a further contact area ( 32 ′).

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that the cable receptacle ( 2 ) is aligned in such a way that a cable ( 10 ) that can be fixed in the cable receptacle ( 2 ) extends, at least in sections, approximately parallel to the surface of the contact plate ( 3 ) and the exposed conductor end ( 12 ) of the at least one electrical conductor ( 11 ) rests on the contact area ( 32 ) of the contact plate ( 3 ).

5. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that the contact plate ( 3 ) has the further contact area ( 32 ′) on the end side ( 34 ) that faces the cable receptacle ( 2 ).

6. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that
an electrically conductive spring element ( 35 ) is provided on the further contact area ( 32 ′) of the contact plate ( 3 ),
wherein the spring element ( 35 ) is provided between the contact area ( 32 ′) and the cable receptacle ( 2 ).

7. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that the fixing element ( 4 ) consists of an elastically deformable, electrically non-conductive material.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that the fixing element ( 4 ) can be pressed onto the at least one electrical conductor path ( 31 ) of the contact plate ( 3 ) by means of the mechanism ( 40 ).

9. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that the mechanism ( 40 ) for moving the fixing element ( 4 ) is a knee lever.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that the mechanism ( 20 ) is suitable for moving the cable receptacle ( 2 ) linearly towards the contact plate ( 3 ) and away therefrom.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10 , characterised in that the mechanism ( 20 ) is formed by a cable slide ( 26 ) that is positioned in a linearly displaceable manner on at least one slide guide ( 25 ) and can be fixed in its position on the at least one slide guide ( 21 ) by means of a tensioning screw ( 21 ).

12. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that a number of the devices are positioned next to each other for contacting cables ( 10 ) having a plurality of electrical conductors ( 11 ).

13. The device as claimed in claim 12 , characterised in that the number of devices are arranged in a circular manner.

Assignees

• HARTING Electronics GmbH

Inventors

• Witte Markus
• Fennen Lars

Classifications

• G01R31/58

  Testing of lines, cables or conductors (testing of electric windings G01R31/72) · CPC title

• H01R12/75

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

• G01R1/0408

  Test fixtures or contact fields; Connectors or connecting adaptors; Test clips; Test sockets (G01R1/067 takes precedence; mass production testing systems G01R31/59; testing of connections G01R31/66; for testing printed circuit boards G01R31/2808) · CPC title

• H01R12/721

  cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits · CPC title

• H01R4/28 Primary

  Clamped connections, spring connections (made by means of terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits H01R12/00) · CPC title