Terminal block

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9806440-B2
Application number	US-201415103915-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2014
Priority date	Dec 18, 2013
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A terminal block has an insulator housing, at least two busbars and at least four connection elements, there being at least two connection levels in the insulator housing arranged one over the other. Each connection level has a busbar receptacle chamber for receiving a busbar and two mutually opposite conductor connection chambers on ends of chamber for receiving a respective connection element, the chambers being open on an insulator housing first side for busbar assembly in the chambers and wherein the conductor connection chambers are open on a second side of the insulator housing for assembly of the connection elements in the conductor connection chambers. The insulator housing first side is designed at a right angle to the insulator housing second side to give an busbar assembly insertion direction into a chamber at a right angle to a connection element assembly insertion direction into a conductor connection chamber.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A terminal block, comprising:
an insulator housing;
at least two busbars; and
at least four connection elements arranged one above the other so as to form at least two connection levels in the insulator housing, wherein each connection level includes:
a busbar receiving chamber, configured to receive one of the busbars, and
a first conductor connection chamber and a second conductor connection chamber, the conductor connection chambers being mutually opposite each other and formed on ends of the busbar receiving chamber, each conductor connection chamber being configured to receive a respective one of the connection elements,

wherein the busbar receiving chambers are formed open on a first side of the insulator housing for installation of the busbars in the busbar receiving chambers, wherein the conductor connection chambers are formed open on a second side of the insulator housing for installation of the connection elements in the conductor connection chambers,
wherein the first side of the insulator housing is formed perpendicular to the second side of the insulator housing, in such a way that a busbar installation insertion direction for inserting one of the busbars into the respective busbar receiving chamber is formed perpendicular to a connection element installation insertion direction for inserting one of the connection elements into the respective conductor connection chambers,
wherein at least one of the connection elements includes a busbar contact element configured to contact the connection element using at least one busbar,
wherein the busbar contact element is in the form of a fork contact, an insulation displacement contact, or a pierce contact,
wherein at least one of the busbar receiving chambers includes a busbar positioning element, and
wherein the busbar positioning element includes a guide configured to cooperate with at least one busbar contact element of at least one connection element.

2. The block of claim 1 , wherein the busbars are in the form of a flat strip, a round wire, or a flexible conductor.

3. The block of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the connection elements includes a spring clamp connection including a clamping spring and a contact wall.

4. The block of claim 1 , wherein the busbar contact element is formed integrally with a contact wall of a spring clamp connection.

5. The block of claim 1 , wherein the bulbar contact element is formed bent out from a contact wall of a spring clamp connection.

6. The block of claim 1 , wherein the busbar contact element projects out from a spring clamp connection.

7. The block of claim 1 ,
wherein the busbar positioning element is arranged at an inclination to at least one busbar inserted into a busbar receiving chamber.

8. The block of claim 1 ,
wherein the busbar positioning element includes a first web element and a second web element arranged mutually parallel.

9. The block of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the busbars includes an end portion which projects into one of the connection elements when installed.

10. The block of claim 9 , wherein, when installed, the end portion of the busbar is positioned against a contact wall of a spring clamp connection inside the connection element.

11. The block of claim 10 , wherein the spring clamp connection includes a fixing element which presses an end portion of the busbar against the contact wall when installed.

12. The block of claim 11 , wherein the fixing element is formed as a lug bent out from the contact wall.

13. The block of claim 11 , wherein the end portion of the busbar is formed fork-shaped and forms at least two contact points.

14. The block of claim 1 , wherein a rear wall of the insulator housing includes an opening configured to insert a latch element into the insulator housing.

15. A terminal block, comprising:
an insulator housing;
at least two busbars; and
at least four connection elements arranged one above the other so as to form at least two connection levels in the insulator housing, wherein each connection level includes:
a busbar receiving chamber, configured to receive one of the busbars, and
a first conductor connection chamber and a second conductor connection chamber, the conductor connection chambers being mutually opposite each other and formed on ends of the busbar receiving chamber, each conductor connection chamber being configured to receive a respective one of the connection elements,

wherein the busbar receiving chambers are formed open on a first side of the insulator housing for installation of the busbars in the busbar receiving chambers, wherein the conductor connection chambers are formed open on a second side of the insulator housing for installation of the connection elements in the conductor connection chambers,
wherein the first side of the insulator housing is formed perpendicular to the second side of the insulator housing, in such a way that a busbar installation insertion direction for inserting one of the busbars into the respective busbar receiving chamber is formed perpendicular to a connection element installation insertion direction for inserting one of the connection elements into the respective conductor connection chambers,
wherein at least one of the connection elements includes a busbar contact element configured to contact the connection element using at least one busbar,
wherein the busbar contact element is in the form of a fork contact, an insulation displacement contact, or a pierce contact,
wherein at least one of the busbar receiving chambers includes a busbar positioning element, and
wherein the busbar positioning element is arranged at an inclination to at least one busbar inserted into a busbar receiving chamber.

16. A terminal block, comprising:
an insulator housing;
at least two busbars; and
at least four connection elements arranged one above the other so as to form at least two connection levels in the insulator housing, wherein each connection level includes:
a busbar receiving chamber, configured to receive one of the busbars, and
a first conductor connection chamber and a second conductor connection chamber, the conductor connection chambers being mutually opposite each other and formed on ends of the busbar receiving chamber, each conductor connection chamber being configured to receive a respective one of the connection elements,

wherein the busbar receiving chambers are formed open on a first side of the insulator housing for installation of the busbars in the busbar receiving chambers, wherein the conductor connection chambers are formed open on a second side of the insulator housing for installation of the connection elements in the conductor connection chambers,
wherein the first side of the insulator housing is formed perpendicular to the second side of the insulator housing, in such a way that a busbar installation insertion direction for inserting one of the busbars into the respective busbar receiving chamber is formed perpendicular to a connection element installation insertion direction for inserting one of the connection elements into the respective conductor connection chambers,
wherein at least one of the connection elements includes a busbar contact element configured to contact the connection element using at least one busbar,
wherein the busbar contact element is in the form of a fork contact, an insulation displacement contact, or a pierce contact,
wherein at least one of the busbar receiving chambers includes a busbar positioning element, and
wherein the busbar positioning element includes a first web el

Assignees

• Phoenix Contact Gmbh & Co

Inventors

• Hoppmann Ralph
• Goetze Andrea
• Janzen Wjatscheslaw

Classifications

• H01R9/2491

  Terminal blocks structurally associated with plugs or sockets · CPC title

• H01R4/242

  the contact members being plates having a single slot · CPC title

• H01R9/26 Primary

  Clip-on terminal blocks for side-by-side rail- or strip-mounting · CPC title

• H01R31/085

  Short circuiting bus-strips · CPC title

• H01R13/6272

  comprising a single latching arm · CPC title