Conductor terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9825402-B2
Application number	US-201615335646-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2016
Priority date	Feb 13, 2013
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

A conductor terminal having an insulating material housing and having at least one spring-loaded clamping connection in the insulating material housing and also having at least one actuation element, which is pivotably accommodated in the insulating material housing and is designed to open in each case at least one associated spring-loaded clamping connection, is described. The actuation element has two side wall portions which are spaced from one another and at least partially enter the insulating material housing with a pivot bearing region and, opposite said pivot bearing region, are connected to each other by a transverse web to form a lever arm. The pivot bearing regions of the mutually distanced side wall portions of an actuation element form an axis of rotation, about which the actuation element is pivotably mounted in the insulating material housing. An associated spring-loaded clamping connection is at least partially accommodated in the space between the pivot bearing regions of an actuation element. The pivot bearing regions have actuation portions, which in each case are designed in order to act on an associated clamping spring of a spring-loaded clamping connection as the actuation element is pivoted from a closed position into an open position. The adjacent side wall portions of two actuation elements arranged adjacently in the insulating material housing border one another directly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A conductor terminal comprising:
an insulating material housing comprising a conductor insertion opening;
at least one spring-loaded clamping connection in the insulating material housing; and
at least one actuation element pivotably accommodated in the insulating material housing and configured to open at least one spring-loaded clamping connection associated with the at least one actuation element,
wherein said conductor insertion opening is configured to guide an electrical conductor to the spring-loaded clamping connection,
wherein the at least one actuation element comprises i) two side wall portions spaced from one another and at least partially entering the insulating material housing ii) a pivot bearing region, wherein opposite said pivot bearing region the at least two sidewall portions are connected to each other by a transverse web to form a lever arm, wherein the at least one actuation element is pivotably mounted in the insulating material housing with the pivot bearing regions of the mutually distanced side wall portions of an actuation element, and
wherein the spring-loaded clamping connection associated with the at least one actuation element is at least partially accommodated in a space between the pivot bearing region of the at least one actuation element, the pivot bearing region having actuation portions configured to act on an associated clamping spring of a spring-loaded clamping connection as the actuation element pivots from a closed position, in which the at least one actuation element is pivoted in a position such that the associated transverse web is adjacent the insulating material housing and a clamping point formed by the spring-loaded clamping connection for clamping an electrical conductor is closed, into an open position, in which the at least one actuation element is pivoted in a position such that the associated transverse web is away from the insulating material housing and a clamping point formed by the spring-loaded clamping connection for clamping an electrical conductor is open, and
wherein the adjacent side wall portions of two actuation elements arranged adjacently in the insulating material housing directly border one another,
wherein the pivot bearing region is configured to guide the electrical conductor to the clamping point,
wherein a wall of the conductor insertion opening extends in insertion direction of the electrical conductor towards the clamping point for guiding the electrical conductor through a clamping limb of the clamping spring which adjoins the wall, so that the guidance of the electrical conductor is provided by the walls of the conductor insertion opening, by the clamping limb of the clamping spring and by the pivot bearing region.

2. The conductor terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuation element is coordinated with the insulating material housing and the associated spring-loaded clamping connection such that
i) the lever pivot force acting on the transverse web for pivoting the actuation element from the closed position into the open position and
ii) a spring actuation force acting on the clamping spring by the actuation portions when pivoting the actuation element from the closed position into the open position act on the same side relative to the axis of rotation.

3. The conductor terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the actuation portions are arranged on the pivot bearing regions of the side wall portions at a distance from one another that is shorter than the distance between the side wall portions, wherein the actuation portions extend parallel to the side wall portions and are formed integrally with the side wall portions, such that in each case a guide slot is provided between an actuation portion and the associated, directly adjacent side wall portion, and in that a guide web of the insulating material housing in each case enters an associated guide slot for guiding the actuation element in the event of a pivot motion about an axis of rotation in the pivot bearing region.

4. The conductor terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the insulating material housing comprises a terminal housing part and a separate cover part, wherein the terminal housing part and the cover part are connected to one another in the assembled state via the at least one spring-loaded clamping connection, inserted into the terminal housing part, and associated actuation element, and wherein the pivot bearing region is accommodated in a space formed between the terminal housing part and cover part.

5. The conductor terminal as claimed in claim 4 , wherein at least one of the terminal housing part or the cover part comprises part-circle bearing cavities for pivotably mounting the actuation element in the insulating material housing, wherein a partial-circle outer periphery of the pivot-bearing region is matched with the partial-circle bearing cavity entering an associated bearing cavity.

6. The conductor terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the actuation portions comprise a partial-circle outer periphery with a cutout for forming a step protruding in the direction of the center of the actuation portion, wherein the at least one spring-loaded clamping connection comprises a bus bar and a clamping spring with an actuation tab, and the actuation tab of the clamping spring rests on the step as the actuation element is pivoted in order to open a clamping point formed between a clamping edge of the clamping spring and the bus bar for clamping an electrical conductor.

7. The conductor terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the side wall portions of an actuation element are connected to one another by means of a transverse web, which, in the state in which the actuation element is pivoted up and the clamping point is open, extends from a free end of the side wall portions to the insulating material housing.

8. The conductor terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transverse web protrudes beyond the free end of the side wall portions opposite the pivot bearing region.

9. The conductor terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein two or more spring-loaded clamping connections are accommodated adjacently in the insulating material housing, the spring-loaded clamping connections comprising a common bus bar.

10. The conductor terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pivot bearing regions are mounted on a portion of a bus bar of the associated spring-loaded clamping connection.

11. The conductor terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein outer contours of the actuation portions lie in a space between a plane spanned by a bus bar of the associated spring-loaded clamping connection and a plane spanned by a contact limb of the associated spring-loaded clamping connection.

Assignees

• Wago Verwaltungs Gmbh

Inventors

• Köllmann Hans-Josef
• Gerberding Wolfgang

Classifications

• H01R13/639

  Additional means for holding or locking coupling parts together, after engagement, {e.g. separate keylock, retainer strap} · CPC title

• H01R13/62905 Primary

  comprising a camming member (H01R13/62933 and H01R13/641 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01R13/6275 Primary

  Latching arms not integral with the housing (H01R13/6276, H01R13/6277, H01R13/6278 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01R4/4836

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01R4/4845

  Electricity · mapped topic