Spring-force terminal connection and plug connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9847587-B2
Application number	US-201715435984-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2017
Priority date	Oct 21, 2013
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

The invention describes a spring-three terminal connection for the terminal connection of electrical conductors, having an insulating-material housing which has at least one conductor insertion opening for the insertion of an electrical conductor, at least one clamping spring which has a contact limb, a clamping limb and a spring how which connects the contact limb and the clamping limb to one another, and having at least one operating which is accommodated in the insulating-material housing such that it can be displaced and which has an operating area for making contact with the clamping limb and moving the clamping limb in the direction of the contact limb for opening the clamping point when the operating button is displaced in the direction of the interior of the insulating material housing. The insulating-material housing contains at least one button opening for accommodating an associated operating button, said button opening being open in the direction of an associated conductor insertion opening. The operating button, which is mounted in this button opening such that it can be displaced, forms part of the wall arrangement of the conductor insertion opening. Starting from the mouth section which adjoins the conductor insertion opening, the button opening is widened in the direction of the hack of the button opening, said back being situated opposite the conductor insertion opening. The cross section of the operating button is matched to the widening contour of the button opening.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A spring-force terminal connection for clamping electrical conductors comprising:
an insulating-material housing having at least one conductor inserting opening for inserting an electrical conductor;
at least one clamping spring having a contact limb, a clamping limb and a spring bow that connects the contact limb and the clamping limb to one another; and
at least one actuating lever that is received in a displaceable manner in the insulating-material housing and having an actuating surface for contacting the clamping limb and for displacing the clamping limb in the direction towards the contact limb so as to open the clamping site as the actuating lever is displaced in a direction towards the inner space of the insulating-material housing;
wherein the actuating lever has a depression on the actuating surface for receiving a section of the clamping limb, said depression being delimited sideward by means of two opposite edge connecting pieces, wherein said section of the clamping limb is inserted into said depression to engage said depression.

2. The spring-force terminal connection of claim 1 , wherein the actuation surface of the actuation lever lies opposite a surface that forms a part of the wall of the conductor insertion opening of the insulating-material housing.

3. The spring-force terminal connection of claim 1 , wherein the actuating lever tapers from its head end, which is accessible from the outer side so as to displace the actuating lever, as far as the actuating surface that lies against the clamping limb in the inner space of the insulating-material housing.

4. The spring-force terminal connection of claim 1 , wherein the depression on the actuation surface of the actuation lever has a width at least slightly larger than a width of the clamping limb.

5. The spring-force terminal connection of claim 1 , wherein the depression on the actuation surface of the actuation lever extends over the length of the actuation lever to accommodate a section of the clamping spring also in the fully depressed state of the actuation lever.

6. The spring-force terminal connection of claim 1 , wherein the free end of the actuating lever, which is arranged in the inner space of the insulating-material housing adjacent to the clamping site, comprises a protruding lug that forms in part the conductor inserting opening and guides an electrical conductor to the clamping site.

7. The spring-force terminal connection of claim 1 , wherein the head end of the actuating lever that is accessible from the outer side of the insulating-material housing comprises an actuating depression.

8. The spring-force terminal connection of claim 1 , wherein the at least one lever opening in the insulating-material housing for receiving an allocated actuating lever is open towards an allocated conductor inserting opening and that the actuating lever that is mounted in a displaceable manner in this lever opening forms part of the wall of the conductor inserting opening, wherein the lever opening becomes wider starting from an outlet section, which is adjacent to the conductor inserting opening, and leading to the back of the lever opening that is opposite the conductor inserting opening and wherein the cross section of the actuating lever is tailored to suit the widening contour of the lever opening.

9. The spring-force terminal connection of claim 1 , wherein the spring-force terminal connection comprises at least one current rail piece having a clamping section that provides together with a clamping edge of the clamping limb a clamping site for clamping an electrical conductor between the clamping edge and the clamping section.

10. The spring-force terminal connection of claim 9 , wherein the current rail piece is unitary and comprises a clamping surface having a curved section for forming the clamping section, a planar conductor guiding surface that bends away from the clamping surface, and a contact surface that bends away from the conductor guiding surface, wherein the contact limb of the U-shaped bent clamping spring lies at least in part against the contact surface, and the free end of the clamping limb faces towards the curved section.

11. The spring-force terminal connection of claim 10 , wherein two resilient arms that extend adjacent to one another and comprise mutually facing curved sections for forming a plug contact protrude from the clamping surface and the conductor guiding surface.

12. The spring-force terminal connection of claim 10 , wherein the current rail piece is connected in an electrically conductive manner to at least one connection contact, wherein the connection contact is embodied as a soldering pin, soldering lug or as a plug contact.

13. A plug connector comprising an insulating-material housing and at least one spring-force- terminal connection as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the clamping spring is received in a plug connector lower part, and the actuating lever and the at least one conductor inserting opening are received in a plug connector upper part, wherein the plug connector upper part and the plug connector lower part have latching elements for mutually latching with one another.

14. The plug connector of claim 13 , wherein the insulating-material housing comprises a contact pin receiving opening that is oriented relative to the conductor inserting opening and the clamping spring in such a manner that an electrical conductor that is inserted into the conductor inserting opening and is acted upon by means of the clamping spring with a clamping force is contacted in an electrically conductive manner by a contact pin that is inserted into the contact pin receiving orifice.

Assignees

• Wago Verwaltungs Gmbh

Inventors

• Ludewig Carsten
• Mickmann Viktor

Classifications

• H01R9/2408

  Modular blocks (H01R9/26 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01R2201/20

  for testing or measuring purposes · CPC title

• H01R9/223 Primary

  Insulating enclosures for terminals (for switches H01H9/0264) · CPC title

• H01R12/721

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

• H01R4/4827

  Electricity · mapped topic