CN112310666B

CN112310666B - Connecting terminal

Info

Publication number: CN112310666B
Application number: CN202010722973.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 约尔格·阿尔达格
Original assignee: Wago Verwaltungs GmbH
Current assignee: Wago Verwaltungs GmbH
Priority date: 2019-07-26
Filing date: 2020-07-24
Publication date: 2024-03-26
Anticipated expiration: 2040-07-24
Also published as: DE102019120305A1; DE102019120305B4; CN112310666A

Abstract

The invention relates to a connection terminal having at least two spring force clamping connection ends for connecting an electrical line by means of spring force clamping, wherein the electrical line can be connected to the at least two spring force clamping connection ends from opposite sides of the connection terminal, wherein the connection terminal has at least two actuating elements, wherein a clamping point of each of the at least two spring force clamping connection ends can be opened by means of manual actuation by means of the actuating elements, wherein the at least two actuating elements are connected to one another via a connection section, and the connection section has a support element arranged between the actuating elements, by means of which the connection section is supported on at least one component of the connection terminal. In such a connection terminal, at least two actuating elements are guided positively by guide elements in their actuating direction for opening the clamping point.

Description

Connecting terminal

Technical Field

The invention relates to a connection terminal having at least two spring force clamping connection ends for connecting electrical conductors by means of spring force clamping.

Background

Terminals having at least two spring force clamping connection ends are known, for example from WO2012/083320 A1.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is based on the object of providing an improved connection terminal with two-sided wire terminals.

The object is achieved by a connection terminal having at least two spring force clamping connection ends for connecting an electrical line by means of spring force clamping, wherein the electrical line can be connected to the at least two spring force clamping connection ends from two mutually different sides of the connection terminal, namely opposite sides, wherein the connection terminal has at least two actuating sections, wherein the clamping points of each of the at least two spring force clamping connection ends can be opened by means of a manual actuation by means of one actuating section, wherein the at least two actuating sections are connected to one another by means of the connecting sections, and wherein the connecting sections have support elements arranged between the actuating sections, by means of which the connecting sections are supported to at least one component of the connection terminal. The advantage of the invention is that at least two operating sections can be operated independently of each other, which is not the case, for example, in the case of the see-saw devices known from the prior art. In particular, the respective operating section can be operated independently of the other operating sections of the connection terminal.

The connecting terminal according to the invention has at least two spring force clamping connection ends. The spring force clamping connection is characterized in that the spring force clamping connection has at least one clamping spring. The clamping spring can, for example, have clamping legs which are designed to fixedly clamp the electrical conductor at the clamping point. The manual actuation of the clamping point for opening the clamping point can be performed, for example, in such a way that the actuating section deflects the clamping leg of the clamping spring, which clamps the connecting end by the spring force, as a result of the manual actuation.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the at least one actuating section is guided in each case positively by a guide element in its actuating direction for opening the clamping points. It is also advantageous if at least two actuating sections are each guided positively by a guide element in their actuating direction for opening the clamping points. By means of such a positive guidance of the respective actuating section in the direction of its actuation, a constant, defined movement and loading of the clamping spring can be ensured by the actuating section independently of the manner in which the connecting section is supported centrally by means of the support element. If the support element is rotatably supported, for example, a rotational movement is thereby produced. Such a rotary movement is disadvantageous in different situations when the actuating section is guided towards the clamping spring. By means of the forced guidance according to the invention of the respective operating section, its movement in the operating direction can be decoupled from the rotary movement and converted, for example, into a translational movement.

The guide element can be configured for a different manner of positive guidance, for example for a linear or curved positive guidance or a combination thereof. In the case of an arcuate forced guidance, for example, a relatively large rotational proportion of the movement produced by the support element is converted into a significantly smaller rotational movement proportion. If linear guide means are provided, the guide elements can extend, for example, parallel or non-parallel, on opposite sides of the operating section. In the case of non-parallel extension, it is possible, for example, to form a funnel-shaped guide device by means of opposing guide elements, which also permits a small rotational movement portion when the actuating section is moved in the actuating direction.

The positive guide device can, for example, allow a certain larger proportion of a rotational movement when starting to operate the operating section in the operating direction and, when the movement continues in the operating direction, cause a guided, approximately translational reciprocating movement, so that a movement is caused which does not have or only has a small rotational proportion.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the at least one guide element extends substantially linearly in the operating direction of the respective operating section. The plurality of guide elements may also extend substantially linearly in the operating direction of the respective operating section. In this way, a linear forced guidance of the respective operating section can be achieved.

As mentioned, the connection section is supported on at least one component of the connection terminal. The at least one component may be, for example, a busbar component or a housing component of a connection terminal. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the connecting section is rotatably mounted on at least one component of the connection terminal. In this way, the connection section can be arranged in the connection terminal in a rotationally movable manner, i.e. upon manual actuation of the actuating section, the connection section performs a rotational or pivoting movement.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that, when the actuating section is actuated, the actuating section performs a predominantly translational movement, while the region of the connecting section coupled to the actuating section performs a predominantly rotational movement.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the connection section is supported on at least two components of the connection terminal by means of a support element. In this way, the forces transmitted via the support element during operation of the operating section can be distributed over a plurality of components of the connection terminal, so that the individual components are protected. The at least two components bearing the bearing element can be components made of different materials, for example, plastic and metal. The at least two components may be, for example, a busbar component and a housing component of the connection terminal.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the connecting section has at least one hinge between the support element and the at least one actuating section or between the support element and the two actuating sections. At least one hinge is therefore present between the support element and the actuating section connected thereto via the connecting section (on one or both sides of the support element). Hereby it is achieved that the connection of the operating section to the support element or to the further operating section is not too rigid, so that sufficient flexibility is provided for converting a rotational movement into a translational movement as mentioned.

In an advantageous embodiment, the hinge can be embodied as a material-fitting hinge. Such a material-fitting hinge can be realized, for example, as a material weakening in the material of the connecting section, i.e. as a material region with a reduced cross section relative to the remaining, adjacent region of the connecting section. In this case, the connecting section can perform a certain rotational movement when the actuating section is actuated, which rotational movement is likewise performed by the support element or is not performed by the support element or is performed only to a lesser extent by the support element, depending on the configuration. For example, the support element can also be fixed between the components of the connection terminals, i.e. the sections of the busbar components, so that the support element does not perform or only performs a slight rotational movement.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the connecting section has a device between the support element and the at least one actuating section or between the support element and the two actuating sections, each device comprising two joints arranged at a distance from each other. Hereby, further flexibility is provided in converting rotational movement of the connection section into translational movement of the handling section. Thus, for example, each operating section can be provided with a double-bending hinge device.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the connection terminal has a housing, wherein at least two actuating sections are arranged completely within the housing and are accessible for manual actuation only via a relatively small actuating opening of the housing. The at least two operating sections are thereby protected as much as possible from environmental influences by the housing. The operating opening may be small, for example, so that at least two operating sections cannot be operated manually without auxiliary means, for example by means of a tool. In particular, the operating opening can be smaller in plan view than the operating section associated with the operating opening. For example, the cross section of the operating opening may be smaller than the loading surface of the operating section.

The element which is present for actuating the clamping points of the at least two spring forces clamping the connecting end can also be referred to as an actuating device as a whole. The actuating device accordingly has at least two actuating sections and a connecting section with a support element, and possibly (if present) the mentioned hinge. The operating device can be arranged completely within the housing, so that the entire operating device is protected by the material of the housing. The operating opening can be formed smaller than the outer dimensions of the operating device. The operating device does not form the outside of the housing of the terminal in this way. Thereby, the air gap and the creepage distance can be improved.

The operating device may be formed as a one-piece component, i.e. as a plastic component. This allows for simple and cost-effective provision of the handling device in terms of production in mass production. By constructing the operating device as a one-piece component, only one tool for manufacturing is required. By means of the one tool, different operating profiles of the at least two operating sections can be achieved. Furthermore, only one component as an operating device has to be actuated, which has advantages for the installation of the connection terminal. A particularly different maximum travel of the respective operating section in the operating direction can be achieved. The manufacture of such an operating device can be further optimized in the following cases: the plurality of handling devices are produced in one manufacturing process, for example as a mat. In this case, the individual operating devices are first connected by a material web and can then be divided in order to provide individual operating devices.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the support element or an extended end section of the support element extends into the space between the spring force clamping connection ends and forms a wire stop for the electrical wires that can be inserted from opposite directions. In this way, a wire stop for at least two spring-force clamping connections can be provided with little effort. By means of such a wire stop, the maximum insertion depth of the electrical wire into the connection terminal is limited.

According to one advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the at least two actuating sections are each formed as an actuating pressure piece, which can exert a pressure on the clamping leg of the clamping spring of the respective spring force clamping connection by means of a manual pressing operation in order to open the clamping point. This allows a simple and dynamic manipulation of the spring force gripping connection while being ergonomically and tactilely sensible manual manipulation.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the connection terminal has a busbar component to which a clamping spring is fastened, which clamps the connection end with a spring force, wherein the support element is supported on at least one recess of the busbar component. The busbar element can clamp between the connection ends with a spring force in order to provide a low-resistance and suitable high-current electrical connection between the electrical conductors connected thereto. Furthermore, the busbar component can simultaneously serve as an auxiliary mechanism for supporting the support element and thus the entire operating device, due to its stability.

According to one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the actuating section is formed as a substantially U-shaped component, viewed in the wire insertion direction, with actuating legs projecting on both sides toward the spring force-clamping connection end, said actuating legs projecting from a central section of the U-shaped component, which connects the actuating legs. In this way, the effective actuation of the clamping spring by the actuating section can be combined with a compact design of the connection terminal. By means of the U-shaped design, it is furthermore possible to increase the air gap and the creepage distance. The actuating section engages, for example, a part of a clamping spring, for example a clamping leg, and is pressed by the actuating leg onto the laterally projecting actuating section of the clamping leg when the actuating section is actuated accordingly. In this way, a symmetrical handling of the clamping legs is furthermore possible. The central section may at the same time provide an operating surface for manual operation of the operating section.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the device formed by the at least two actuating sections and the connecting section with the support element is formed asymmetrically, in particular with respect to a plane extending through the support element, which plane runs perpendicular to the at least one line insertion direction of the connection terminal. The above-mentioned device may in particular be an operating device as already described. By means of an asymmetrical design, it is possible, for example, to provide terminals on both sides which are asymmetrical with respect to the arrangement of the spring force clamping connection. The connection terminal can, for example, have two spring force clamping connection ends on one side and only one spring force clamping connection end on the other opposite side.

In this way, for example, an asymmetrical design of the operating device can be achieved. Thus, for example, the distance of one actuating section of the actuating device from the support element can be greater than the distance of the other actuating section of the actuating device from the support element. Accordingly, the connecting section can be formed longer on the side of the operating section with greater distance from the support element than on the other side. The described embodiment opens up the possibility of further elements/functions for the installation of the connection terminals. For example, the connecting section can have an inspection recess on the longer side, by means of which an inspection pin can be guided through the operating device to the conductive member of the connection terminal in order to perform an electrical inspection there.

Drawings

The invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings according to embodiments.

The drawings show:

fig. 1 shows a lateral section through the connection terminal, with a section plane extending at least approximately centrally through the wire insertion opening, and

fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the operating device, and

fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the busbar member, and

fig. 4 shows an exploded perspective view of the busbar arrangement according to fig. 3 with the operating device according to fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 shows a lateral section of the connection terminal according to fig. 1 in a section plane through a side wall of the busbar arrangement, and

fig. 6 shows a lateral section of the connection terminal according to fig. 1 in a section plane through a side wall of the housing, and

fig. 7 shows a side sectional view of a further embodiment of the connection terminal with a sectional plane extending at least approximately centrally through the wire introduction opening, and

fig. 8 shows a perspective view of the operating device and the contacts of the terminal according to fig. 7, and

fig. 9-10 show partial side cross-sectional views of another embodiment of a terminal in a centered cross-sectional plane, and

fig. 11 to 12 show perspective partial views of the connection terminal according to fig. 7 in different viewing directions with an introduced electrical conductor.

The reference numerals used in the drawings have the following relationships:

1. connecting terminal

2. Shell body

2.1 Upper part of the housing

2.2 Lower part of the housing

3. Busbar component

4. Clamping spring

6. Operating device

20. Inspection opening

21. First wire introduction opening

22. Second wire introduction opening

23. Third wire introduction opening

24. Operation opening

25. Operation opening

26. Guide element

27. Fourth wire introduction opening

29. Support area

30. Connecting wall

31. Bottom region

32. Wire support section

33. Wire support section

34. Wire support section

35. Wire stop

36. Retaining pin

37. Bending pin

38. Holding device

39. Support accommodating part

40. Extension section

41. Supporting leg

42. Spring bow

43. Clamping leg

44. Clamping tongue

45. Clamping edge

46. Fixed hollow part

47. Fixing pin

49. Blank part

52. Free space

53. Intermediate section

54. Support area

56. Operating area

57. Bending region

60. Central section

61. Operating leg

62. Central section

63. Operating leg

64. Connection section

65. Support element

66. Wire stop

67. Hinge assembly

68. Hinge assembly

69. Hinge assembly

70. Hinge assembly

71. Through opening

72. Operation surface

73. Stop element

80. Wire support section

81. Bearing pin

82. Guide element

L1 wire insertion direction

L2 wire insertion direction

L3 wire insertion direction

Detailed Description

The connection terminal 1 shown in fig. 1 has a housing 2, which can be formed as an insulating housing. In the housing 2, electrical contacts are provided, which have a busbar arrangement 3 and a plurality of clamping springs 4. A plurality of spring force clamping connection ends, in this case three spring force clamping connection ends, are formed by the busbar means 3 and the clamping springs 4.

The contacts of the connection terminal 1 should first be explained further with reference to fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows a contact with three spring force gripping connection ends. Accordingly, there are a total of three clamping springs 4. The clamping springs 4 can be identically or differently embodied. An embodiment is shown in which all clamping springs 4 are identically constructed. Two of the clamping springs 4 are connected to form a device. The device is arranged in the left-hand region of the connection terminal 1. On the right there is a single clamping spring 4.

The clamping springs 4 each have a clamping leg 43, a spring bow 42 and a support leg 41. The clamping legs 43 serve to fixedly clamp the electrical conductor. The clamping leg 43 extends from the spring bracket 42 first in a wide section and then transitions into a narrower section in the direction of its free end, which can be designed as a clamping tongue 44. A lateral operating region 56 is provided at the transition from the wider section to the narrower section of the clamping leg 43 or of the clamping tongue 44. The clamping leg 43 or the clamping tongue 44 can have a clamping edge 45 at the free end for fixedly clamping the electrical line. The clamping tongue 44 may be angled relative to a (wider) section of the clamping leg 43 adjacent to the spring bow 42, for example at an angle in the range of 20 degrees to 60 degrees relative to the plane of the wider section of the clamping leg 43.

On the other side, a support leg 41 is connected to the spring bow 42. The support leg 41 merges into an extension 40, which can be seen as part of the support leg 41 or as a separate part of the clamping spring 4, depending on the view. In this embodiment, the support leg 41 is bent back away from the clamping leg 43 relative to the spring bow 42, so that the spring bow protrudes relative to the plane of the support leg 41 on the side facing away from the clamping leg 43.

The clamping spring 4 has a fastening recess 46 in the support leg 41 or in the extension 40. The fastening recess 46 can be formed in particular as a region completely surrounded on the circumferential side by the material of the clamping spring. The fastening recess 46 can have its largest dimension, for example, in the direction of the width dimension B of the clamping spring 4, i.e. the fastening recess 46 can extend transversely to the longitudinal extension of the support leg 41 or of the extension section 40. The fastening recess 46 can furthermore have a projection, by means of which the fastening recess 46 has a substantially T-shaped contour in plan view.

The respective clamping spring 4 furthermore has a fastening pin 47 on the support leg 41 or the extension section 40. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the fixing pin 47 simultaneously forms the free end of the support leg 41 or of the extension section 40. The securing pin 47 may however also be provided already before the free end, for example in the form of a material flange extending from the material of the clamping spring 4. The fastening pin 47 protrudes here at an angle relative to the plane of the support leg 41 or the extension section 40, for example in a direction away from the clamping leg 43. In the arc-shaped bending region 57 of the support leg 41 or the extension section 40, which transitions into the fastening pin 47, the material of the clamping spring can have a recess 49. This simplifies the bending process in the production of the angularly bent fixing pin 47.

Fig. 3 shows the device formed by two clamping springs 4 in the left-hand region. The clamping springs 4 are fixed in a form-fitting and/or force-fitting manner to one another in such a way that: the fixing pin 47 of one spring 4 is inserted into the fixing recess 46 of the other clamping spring 4. The clamping springs 4 are arranged in a back-to-back arrangement, wherein the respective support legs 41 of the clamping springs 4 face one another. Between the support legs 41 a free space 52 is formed, which can be used for mounting and calibration purposes of the device according to fig. 2. It can also be seen that the clamping springs 4 are in contact with one another in the region of their respective spring bows, whereby the clamping springs 4 additionally support one another. Thereby, the operability of the clamping legs 43 of the clamping spring independently of each other is not adversely affected.

It can also be seen that the securing pin 47 of one clamping spring 4 and the securing recess 46 of the other clamping spring 4 are not used in each case.

Furthermore, a busbar component 3 is visible, which has a corresponding wire support section 32, 33, 34 associated with the clamping spring 4 or its clamping leg 43. The respective conductor support sections 32, 33, 34 together with their associated clamping leg 43 or their clamping edge 45 each form a clamping point at which the electrical conductor can be clamped. For this purpose, the wire support sections 32, 33, 34 can each have at least one flange projecting relative to the clamping leg 43 of the clamping spring. When no electrical line is introduced at the clamping point, the clamping edge 45 rests against the respective line support section 32, 33, 34 as long as there is no manual deflection of the clamping leg 43. If the electrical conductor is clamped at the clamping point, it is clamped between the clamping edge 45 and the side of the conductor support sections 32, 33, 34 facing the clamping edge 45.

The busbar component 3 has a connecting wall 30, by means of which the conductor support sections 32, 33, 34 are connected to one another, so that the busbar component 3 can be formed essentially in a U-shape in cross section. In particular, the busbar component 3 with the connecting wall 30 and the wire support sections 32, 33, 34 is formed as a one-piece sheet metal component.

The busbar arrangement 3 has a base region 31 connected to the connecting wall 30, which is arranged at an angle, for example at right angles, to the connecting wall 30. The free end section of the bottom region 31 facing the individual clamping springs 4 (right clamping spring) is bent out in the direction of the wire support section 32, so that a holding device 38 for the clamping springs 4 suspended there by means of the free ends of the support legs 41 or the extension sections 40 is formed. The clamping spring 4 is thus clamped on the busbar component 3 via its support leg 41 or the extension section 40 and on the other side via its clamping leg 43 in such a way that: the support legs 41 or the extension sections 40 are supported on the holding device 38 and the clamping legs on the wire support section 32. The support leg 41 or the extension section 40 in this case surrounds the end of the holding device 38 by means of its projecting fastening pin 47 and the bending region 57.

It is also evident that the material region from the base region 31 can be extended and bent in the direction of the wire support section 33 in order to form a wire stop 35 for the electrical wire clamped at the clamping point of the wire support section 34.

The two terminals are formed by two clamping springs 4 in the left region. The device consisting of two clamping springs 4 can be fixed to a retaining pin 36 which extends out of the material of the busbar arrangement 3 and is bent in such a way that: the device formed by the two clamping springs 4 is plugged onto the holding pin 36 by means of the free space 52. The installation of the device of two clamping springs 4 is very simple in this case, since the device with two clamping springs 4 can be gripped as a pre-installed unit, can then be clamped and can then be installed on the busbar component 3 in the manner proposed.

Fig. 3 shows an additional pin 37 which extends out of the connecting wall 30 and is bent, and which can serve as a stop for limiting the deflection of the clamping leg of the corresponding clamping spring 4 associated therewith. The pin 37 has a surface which is oriented obliquely to the wire insertion direction L1 or L3 and which additionally serves as a crash ramp for the introduced electrical wire. The electrical conductors are guided during insertion or insertion in the direction of the conductor support sections 32 and 33.

Fig. 1 shows a connection terminal 1 with a device of the type described above with reference to fig. 3, which is formed by a busbar component 3 and a clamping spring 4. The device is inserted into the housing 2 in the connection terminal 1 of fig. 1. The housing 2 has a first wire introduction opening 21, a second wire introduction opening 22, and a third wire introduction opening 23. Through the wire insertion openings 21, 22, 23 and the wire insertion channels connected thereto, which extend into the interior of the insulating-material housing 2, the respective electrical wires can be inserted into the connection terminal 1 and guided toward the respective clamping points of the respective clamping spring 4 and the wire support sections 32, 33, 34. The spring force clamping connection ends associated with the first and second wire introduction openings 21, 22 each have a parallel wire insertion direction L1, L2, which extends in the same direction (left to right in the view of fig. 1). The spring force clamping connection associated with the third wire introduction opening 23 has a wire insertion direction L3 which is opposite to the wire insertion directions L1, L2.

Fig. 1 also shows an actuating device 6, by means of which, on the one hand, the upper clamping spring 4 of the device formed by the two clamping springs (left-hand region) and, on the other hand, the individual clamping springs 4 (right-hand region) can each be actuated manually independently of one another, so that the associated clamping leg 43 can be deflected so that the clamping point is opened.

The operating device 6 is shown separately in fig. 2. As can be seen in fig. 2, the actuating device 6 has actuating sections 60, 61 for one spring force clamping connection and actuating sections 62, 63 for the other opposite spring force clamping connection of the connection terminal 1. The actuating sections 60, 61, 62, 63 can be formed, for example, as U-shaped components with actuating legs 61, 63 projecting on both sides toward the spring force clamping connection. The operating legs 61, 63 are connected to each other via central sections 60, 62, respectively. The central sections 60, 62 furthermore have an actuating surface on their upper side for manual actuation of the actuating sections 60, 61, 62, 63. The actuating legs 61 and 63 are spaced apart from one another in each case and form a guide for both sides of the electrical line to be introduced.

The operating sections 60, 61, 62, 63 are connected to one another via a connecting section 64 which is arranged approximately centrally between the operating sections 60, 61, 62, 63. Between the actuating sections 60, 61, 62, 63, for example, between these actuating sections, there is a T-shaped projecting material section on the connecting section 64, for example, centrally or slightly eccentrically, on which at least a support element 65 is provided, by means of which the connecting section 64 and thus the entire actuating device 6 can be supported on the components of the connecting terminal 1. The T-shaped protruding material section extends beyond the support element 65 to a free end, by means of which an extended end section is formed, which in the installed state of the operating device 6 forms a wire stop 66 for the electrical wire, as is also illustrated in fig. 1.

The connecting section 64 has a double hinge arrangement on each side of the support element 65, which has two hinges 67, 68, 69, 70. The hinges 67, 68, 69, 70 are embodied as material-fitting hinges, more precisely by material weaknesses of the material of the connecting section 64 in the respective regions of the hinges. In the illustrated embodiment, the material weaknesses are configured as constrictions or depressions starting from the surface of the connecting section 64. The respective constriction of the double hinge 67, 68 or 69, 70 is formed here in each case starting from two mutually opposite surfaces of the connecting region 64. Starting from the region of the support element 65 in the direction of the operating section 60, 61, 62, 63, the respective first hinge 68, 69 has a recess starting from the upper side facing away from the support element 65, while the respective second hinge 67, 70, which is closer to the respective operating section 60, 61, 62, 63, has a recess starting from the lower side facing toward the support element 65. The embodiment described above can also be configured in other ways. In another embodiment, the material weaknesses constituting the hinge can also be formed as two-sided constrictions.

The connecting section furthermore has a through opening 71 between the hinges 69, 70, through which an inspection pin can be guided.

The actuating legs 61, 63 have, on their free ends oriented toward the respective clamping leg 43, an actuating surface 72 for actuating the clamping leg 43 and a stop element 73 which serves as a stop for maximum deflection of the actuating section in the actuating direction. The actuating surface 72 can be formed, for example, as a recess at the free ends of the actuating legs 61, 63 and in this exemplary embodiment interacts with the lateral actuating region 56 on the clamping leg 43. In contrast to the actuating surface 72, the stop elements 73 project in the actuating direction and are each arranged on the side of the clamping tongue 44 in the region of the clamping spring 4 facing the clamping edge 45. In the installed state of the connection terminal 1, the stop element 73 is thus arranged in the free region between the clamping tongue 44 and the side wall of the housing 2, so as to be aligned with the connecting wall 30 of the busbar arrangement 3. The stop element 73 thereby forms, together with the actuating legs 61, 63, a lateral guide for the electrical lines, so that, in particular, jamming and displacement of the individual strands of the multi-strand electrical lines is prevented.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the actuating device 6 is almost completely covered by the housing 2, wherein actuating openings 24, 25 are present in the housing 2, through which the respective actuating surfaces of the central sections 60, 62 can be accessed. By means of a tool, the central sections 60, 62 can be pressurized through the respective operating openings 24, 25. As a result, the central sections 60, 62 and the actuating legs 61, 63 connected thereto are deflected downward, which causes a corresponding deflection of the clamping legs 43 connected thereto.

By the operating device 6 being almost completely covered by the upper wall of the housing 2, the air gap and the creepage distance can also be advantageously increased, so that a flat design of the terminal can be achieved.

The housing 2 may furthermore have an inspection opening 20. An inspection pin for performing an electrical inspection of the connection terminal 1 can be introduced through the inspection opening 20. The inspection pin passes through the inspection opening 20 of the housing 2 and the inspection opening 71 of the operating device 6, which is arranged in alignment with the inspection opening 20 of the housing 2. In the region of the inspection opening 20 or 71, the wire support section 32 is arranged offset from the wire support section 33, viewed in the operating direction of the operating sections 6, 61, 62, 63, to be precise at a greater distance from the connecting section 64 of the operating device 6 than in the region of the operating device 6 without the inspection opening 71. By means of the increased distance, it is ensured that the necessary air gap and creepage distance are maintained.

Fig. 1 furthermore shows the forced guidance of each operating section 60, 61, 62, 63 by the guide element 26, 82. The respective operating section is guided on one side by a guide element 26 and on the other opposite side by a guide element 82, said guide element 26 being part of the housing 2 and said guide element 82 being part of the busbar arrangement 3. The guide element 26 may be, for example, an inner wall of the housing 2, and the guide element 82 may be an edge of the side wall 30 of the busbar arrangement 3 oriented toward the operating section. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, at least as linear as possible forced guidance of the respective operating section 60, 61, 62, 63 is achieved by the guide element 26, 82. The as linear as possible forced guidance is supported or achieved by the provision of double hinges 67, 68, 69, 70, wherein the two hinges 67, 68 and 69, 70 of the double hinges perform opposite pivoting movements during operation.

For mounting the connection terminals, the housing 2 is advantageously formed in two parts, with a lower part (2.2) having the support region and an upper part (2.1).

Fig. 4 shows a device which, in the assembly, is formed by the contact according to fig. 3 and the operating section in fig. 2. The actuating device 6 can be introduced forward into the free space between the wire support sections 32, 33 by means of the wire stop 66 until a support element 65 is supported on the support receptacle 39 of the busbar arrangement 3. The further support element 65 is in this case simultaneously in contact with the support region of the housing 2, as explained below with reference to fig. 6.

First, fig. 5 shows the support of the support element 65 on the support receptacle 39 of the side wall 30, according to a selected sectional plane extending through the side wall 30.

Fig. 6 shows the support of the further support element 65 on the support region 29 of the housing 2 according to the selected sectional plane.

Fig. 7 shows a further embodiment of a connection terminal 1, which corresponds at least substantially to the embodiment of fig. 1, except for the differences set forth below.

The connection terminal according to fig. 7 has a double terminal on both sides, i.e. it has a total of four spring force clamping connection ends. Accordingly, four wire introduction openings 21, 22, 23, 27 are present in the housing 2. The busbar component 3 then has its own wire support section 32, 33, 34, 80 for each of the four spring force clamping connection ends.

The clamping spring arrangement of the connection terminal 1 according to fig. 7 is not formed here by a respective clamping spring, but rather by a one-piece molded metal part on which a total of four clamping legs 43 are molded. The clamping legs 43 can furthermore but respectively be constructed similarly to the clamping legs of the previously described embodiments. The clamping leg 43 may have a clamping edge 45, in particular, at the free end. Furthermore, the respective upper clamping leg 43 can be operated manually by the operating section 60, 61, 62, 63 of the operating device 6 in a similar manner as described above.

The individual clamping legs 43 of the clamping spring device are connected to one another via an intermediate section 53. The middle section 53 extends longitudinally through the connection terminal 1 from a spring force clamping connection provided on the left to a spring force clamping connection provided on the right. The intermediate region 53 is supported on a support pin 81, which may be formed as a material region of the busbar arrangement 3. The bearing pins 81 may extend, for example, from the material of the side wall 30.

The actuating device 6 of the connection terminal according to fig. 7 is shown in detail in fig. 8. Fig. 8 furthermore shows a contact of the connection terminal according to fig. 7 with a busbar component 3 and a clamping spring device.

As regards the operating device 6, it is possible to recognize that a material region protrudes from the connecting portion 64 in the direction of the intermediate portion 53, said material region forming a wire stop 66, which has the functions already described. At the free end of the material region behind the wire stop 66, a support element 65 of the connecting section 64 is formed. The support element 65 is supported in a support region 54 of the intermediate section 53, which may be embodied, for example, in the form of a groove.

Furthermore, the connection terminal 1 is designed in a similar manner, in particular with respect to its actuating device 6 and the positive guidance of the actuating section by the guide elements 26, 82, as described above in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment. As mentioned, in this embodiment, the guide elements 26, 83 are formed linearly and are arranged at least substantially parallel to one another, so that a substantially completely linear positive guide results.

Fig. 9 and 10 show a variant embodiment of the forced guidance of the actuating section, which is shown here only partially by way of example of the actuating sections 62, 63. It can be seen that the guide element 26 of the housing 2 is formed as described above, i.e. linearly and essentially perpendicularly to the wire insertion direction L3. The guide elements 82 are likewise formed linearly or arcuately, but do not extend parallel to the opposing guide elements 26. In particular, the distance between the guide elements 82, 26 increases in the operating direction of the operating section, i.e. downwards. The positive guide formed by the guide elements 26, 82 is thus formed essentially funnel-shaped and widens downwards.

Fig. 9 shows the operating device 6 in the non-operating condition. Fig. 10 shows the operating device 6 in the operating situation, i.e. the operating sections 62, 63 are deflected in the operating direction so that the associated clamping leg 43 is deflected simultaneously. It can be seen that the actuating sections 62, 63 perform a slight tilting movement relative to the undeflected position in fig. 9, i.e. the actuating sections perform a movement which is as linear as possible in addition, but which is superimposed in this case by a small rotational movement fraction. The amount of the rotational movement can be optimized in the respective case depending on the requirements and the design of the connection terminals. In this way, it is possible to minimize wear and correspondingly achieve a large load cycle, in particular in the case of high loads on the operating section. It is thus furthermore possible for the actuating device 6, or at least the actuating sections 60, 61, 62, 63, to be made of a simple and low-cost plastic material, wherein brittle and/or inelastic materials can also be used. By means of the described design possibility of the forced guiding means, the entire reciprocating movement of the operating section 60, 61, 62, 63 can be divided into a plurality of movement courses, for example with a movement course of a rotary movement at the beginning and a subsequent at least approximately translational reciprocating movement of the operating section 60, 61, 62, 63 guided along the guiding element 26, 82 supported by the articulation 67, 68, 69, 70.

Fig. 11 and 12 illustrate, as an example, the connection terminal according to fig. 7, the travel limits of the actuating sections 60, 61, 62, 63 by means of the stop element 73 at the free end of the actuating leg 61, in this case the actuating sections 60, 61 being taken as an example. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the stop element 73 is mounted on one side on the middle section 53 of the clamping spring device (fig. 11) with maximum actuating travel. On the other side, the stop element 73 of the other actuating leg 61 is supported on an edge region of the busbar arrangement 3, for example on an edge region of the connecting wall 30 (fig. 12). It is furthermore clearly visible that the stop element 73 is furthermore a lateral guide for the electrical line to be introduced. The stop element 73 fills the free space between the respective clamping tongue 44 and the side wall of the housing 2.

Claims

1. A connection terminal (1) having at least two spring force clamping connection ends for connecting an electrical conductor (10) by means of spring force clamping, wherein the electrical conductor can be connected to the at least two spring force clamping connection ends from two mutually different sides of the connection terminal (1), wherein the connection terminal (1) has at least two actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63), wherein by means of manual actuation the clamping points of the at least two spring force clamping connection ends can be opened by means of actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63), wherein at least two actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63) are connected to each other via a connection section (64), and the connection section (64) has a support element (65) arranged between the actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63), by means of which the connection section (64) is supported on at least one component of the connection terminal (1), wherein at least one actuating section (60, 61, 62, 63) is provided for opening each of the at least two spring force clamping connection ends by means of manual actuation, wherein the connection section (60, 61, 62, 63) is provided for securing the connection element (2) on the connection terminal (1) in the direction of a busbar (4) by means of a guide element (2), and a further guide element (82) is formed on the busbar component (3).

2. A connection terminal according to claim 1,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the at least one guide element (26, 82) extends substantially linearly in the operating direction of the respective operating section (60, 61, 62, 63).

3. A connection terminal according to claim 1 or 2,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the connecting section (64) is rotatably mounted on at least one component of the connecting terminal (1).

4. A connection terminal according to claim 1 or 2,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the connecting section (64) is supported by means of the supporting element (65) on at least two components of the connecting terminal (1).

5. A connection terminal according to claim 1 or 2,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the connecting section (64) has at least one hinge (67, 68, 69, 70) between the support element (65) and at least one actuating section (60, 61, 62, 63) or between the support element (65) and two actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63).

6. A connection terminal according to claim 5,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the connecting section (64) has a device between the support element (65) and at least one actuating section (60, 61, 62, 63) or between the support element (65) and the two actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63) each consisting of two joints (67, 68, 69, 70) arranged at a distance from one another.

7. A connection terminal according to claim 1 or 2,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the connection terminal (1) has a housing (2), wherein at least two of the actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63) are arranged completely within the housing (2).

8. A connection terminal according to claim 7,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

at least two of the actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63) are accessible only via the actuating opening (24, 25) of the housing (2) for manual actuation, wherein the actuating opening (24, 25) has a smaller cross section than the application surface of the actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63).

9. A connection terminal according to claim 1 or 2,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the support element (65) or an extended end section of the support element (65) extends into the space between the spring force clamping connection ends and forms a wire stop (66) for an electrical wire that can be inserted from the opposite direction.

10. A connection terminal according to claim 1 or 2,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

at least two of the actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63) are each designed as actuating levers, which can be operated by manual pressing to apply pressure to the clamping legs (43) of the clamping springs (4) of the respective spring force clamping connection in order to open the clamping points.

11. A connection terminal according to claim 1 or 2,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the support element (65) is supported on at least one recess (39) of the busbar component (3).

12. A connection terminal according to claim 1 or 2,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

when the operating section (60, 61, 62, 63) is operated, the operating section (60, 61, 62, 63) performs mainly a translational movement, while the region of the connecting section (64) coupled to the operating section (60, 61, 62, 63) performs mainly a rotational movement.

13. A connection terminal according to claim 1 or 2,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the actuating section (60, 61, 62, 63) is formed as a substantially U-shaped component, viewed in the wire insertion direction, with actuating legs which protrude on both sides toward the spring force clamping connection end and which protrude from a central section of the U-shaped component, which connects the actuating legs.

14. A connection terminal according to claim 13,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the central section has an operating face for manually operating the operating section (60, 61, 62, 63).

15. A connection terminal according to claim 1 or 2,

It is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the device formed by at least two operating sections (60, 61, 62, 63) and the connecting section (64) with the support element (65) is asymmetrically formed.

16. A connection terminal according to claim 1 or 2,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the distance of one operating section (60, 61, 62, 63) of the at least two operating sections (60, 61, 62, 63) from the support element (65) is greater than the distance of the other operating section (60, 61, 62, 63) of the at least two operating sections (60, 61, 62, 63) from the support element (65).

17. A connection terminal according to claim 15,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the device is configured asymmetrically with respect to a plane extending through the support element (65) and perpendicular to at least one wire insertion direction of the connection terminal (1).

18. A connection terminal (1) having at least two spring force-clamped connection ends for connecting an electrical line (10) by means of spring force clamping, wherein an electrical line can be connected to the at least two spring force-clamped connection ends from two mutually different sides of the connection terminal (1), wherein the connection terminal (1) has at least two actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63), wherein by means of a manual actuation the clamping points of the connection ends can be opened by means of the actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63) of the at least two spring force-clamped connection ends, wherein at least two actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63) are connected to each other via a connection section (64), and the connection section (64) has a bearing element (65) arranged between the actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63), by means of which the connection section (64) bears on at least one component of the connection terminal (1), wherein the connection terminal (1) has a housing (2), wherein at least two actuating sections (60, 61, 62, 63) can be completely contacted by means of the manual actuation of the housing (25), wherein the housing (24) is arranged in the cross-section (25) of the opening of the housing (24) is completely smaller than the opening (25), 61 62, 63).