CN112448345B

CN112448345B - Terminal box for accommodating connection terminal

Info

Publication number: CN112448345B
Application number: CN202010894874.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 延斯·奥森福特; 亚历山大·沃克曼
Original assignee: Wago Verwaltungs GmbH
Current assignee: Wago Verwaltungs GmbH
Priority date: 2019-09-05
Filing date: 2020-08-31
Publication date: 2024-06-21
Anticipated expiration: 2040-08-31
Also published as: DE202019104906U1; DE102020114330A1; CN112448345A

Abstract

A junction box has at least one receiving device for receiving one or more connecting terminals arranged next to one another, which are used for connecting electrical conductors, wherein the receiving device has a fastening element by means of which the respective connecting terminal can be fastened to the receiving device by means of a locking part, wherein the connecting terminal fastened to the receiving device by means of the fastening element is fastened in two of three mutually orthogonal spatial directions and is movable in a third of the three mutually orthogonal spatial directions.

Description

Terminal box for accommodating connection terminal

Technical Field

The invention relates to a junction box for receiving a connection terminal, in particular in the form of a connection terminal, which has a spring force clamping terminal for connecting an electrical line. Such connection terminals are used for establishing an electrical connection between conductors on a connection, for example for connecting two, three or more electrical conductors to each other. For example, junction boxes are known in which such connection terminals can be inserted loosely, i.e. without a fixed holding device.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention is based on the object of providing a terminal box for receiving a connection terminal, which can be used as universally as possible, to which the connection terminal can be fastened.

This object is achieved by a junction box having at least one receiving device for receiving one or more connection terminals which can be arranged next to one another for connecting electrical conductors, wherein the receiving device has a fastening element by means of which a respective connection terminal can be fastened to the receiving device by means of a locking part, wherein the connection terminal fastened to the receiving device by means of the fastening element is fastened in two of three mutually orthogonal spatial directions and is movable in a third of the three mutually orthogonal spatial directions. In this way, on the one hand, the connection terminals can be fixed and fastened to the receiving device in a good manner, i.e. in the two first-mentioned spatial directions, and additionally can be positioned as desired in a third spatial direction in that they are pushed into the desired position in the third spatial direction. Thus, the connection terminal can be pushed up to a desired position by the user on the second accommodation device. The connection terminals are thereby always fixed in the first and second spatial directions, so that, for example, a control lever of the connection terminals can be actuated without having to change or maintain the position of the connection terminals.

The fastening element can be, for example, a fastening element comprising at least two fastening elements (forming a fastening pair) which interact with one another. The fixing element can form, for example, a fixing pair for fixing the connection terminal.

In this case, although the connection terminals are freely movable in the third spatial direction, a certain holding effect can still be produced with respect to the force fit by the fastening element, by means of which the connection terminals can only be moved in the third spatial direction with a certain, albeit small, effort. The connection terminals fastened to the receiving device can in particular be moved steplessly in a third spatial direction.

The receiving means are thus advantageously adapted to receive connection terminals of different widths, for example for connection terminals having 2, 3 or 5 wire connectors. The receiving means in this case advantageously do not require a specific, uniform grid for the connection terminals.

The terminal box can also have a plurality of such receiving means, so that a plurality of connection terminals can be fastened to the terminal box. The junction box can be configured as a junction box used in an electric mounting technology, for example.

The invention is particularly suitable for connection terminals which have a plurality of wire insertion openings lying next to one another on the wire insertion side, so that a plurality of electrical wires can be connected parallel to one another on the wire insertion side to a spring force clamping terminal of the connection terminal.

The invention is particularly suitable for connection terminals in the form of terminals, in particular terminals in the form of terminals with spring force clamping terminals.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the receiving device is designed to fasten a plurality of connection terminals, which can be arranged next to one another in a third spatial direction on the receiving device and which can be fixed by means of a fixing element. The storage device can be configured, for example, in a rail-like manner.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the receiving device has one or more end stops, by means of which the mobility of the connection terminals in the third spatial direction is limited on one or both sides. In this way, it is avoided that the connection terminals can be released from the receiving device laterally, which is undesirable, for example, because the connection terminals are moved too far.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the fastening element comprises a front fastening element by means of which the connection terminal can be fastened to the receiving device on its wire insertion side. The front fixing element can be engaged, for example, into the connection terminal at the edge of the wire insertion opening in order to fix it. Thereby not impeding the use of the connection terminal for connecting electrical conductors.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the fastening element comprises a rear fastening element by means of which the connection terminal can be fastened to the receiving device on its rear side facing away from the lead-in side. Accordingly, the connection terminal can be firmly fixed in the rear region. The rear fastening element can, for example, surround or overlap the housing of the connection terminal on the rear side.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the first spatial direction runs parallel to a wire insertion direction in which the electrical wires can be clamped to the connection terminals on the wire insertion side. Since the connecting terminal can be fixed to the receiving device in the first spatial direction by means of the fixing element, the connecting terminal is thereby held in the desired position when the electrical lines are connected even if a force is applied to the connecting terminal as a result of the introduction of the electrical lines. This simplifies the connection of the electrical conductors for the user.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the receiving device has a receiving surface on which the connection terminals fastened to the receiving device are placed, wherein the second spatial direction extends perpendicularly to the receiving surface. As mentioned above, the connection terminals are also fixed in the second spatial direction. Accordingly, the connection terminals are likewise not displaced in this second spatial direction relative to the receiving device and relative to the terminal block, i.e. they remain seated on the receiving surface in a defined manner when the electrical conductors are connected or removed. This also allows for simple handling of the connection terminals fastened to the junction box.

The connection terminal can have a front side, which is typically the wire introduction side, i.e. the side where the wire introduction opening is present. The side of the connection terminal facing away from the lead-in side is the rear side. If the connection terminal has an actuating element, for example in the form of an actuating lever, this side of the connection terminal can be referred to as the upper side. Then, the side of the connection terminal opposite to the upper side is the lower side.

The connection terminals fastened to the receiving device can be placed, for example, with their undersides on the receiving surfaces.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the terminal box has at least one manually operable release element, by means of which the fastening of the connection terminals fastened to the receiving device by means of the fastening element can be released. The manually operable release element allows the connection terminal to be removed from the receiving device simply by manual operation by a user. By means of the release element, for example, one of the fastening elements, which secures the connection terminal to the receiving device, can be moved away from the connection terminal, so that the fastening is released. The front fastening element can be coupled, for example, with the release element in such a way that the front fastening element is released from the connection terminal when the release element is manually actuated in order to deflect the release element.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the terminal box has a tab which is arranged spaced apart from the release element and forms a support and/or a stop for the electrical line clamped to the connection terminal. The electrical conductor or the plurality of electrical conductors clamped to the connection terminals can thus be held in a specific position by the webs. In particular, the tab ensures that the electrical conductor does not strike the release element, for example, due to a pulling load, so that the electrical conductor does not inadvertently actuate the release element to release the fastening of the connection terminal. In this way, the tab has a protective function against the release element.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the webs extend obliquely to the first and/or second spatial direction. The tabs can be arranged, for example, orthogonally to the base plate of the terminal box.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the release element extends from the receiving device toward the tab and ends in front of the tab. Thus, the release element does not extend up to the tab, nor to the area enclosed by the tab if the tab has a void. In this way, the release element can be moved over a wide range, and the freedom of movement can be limited by the stop.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that at least one receiving device has a plurality of sections, each having a release element. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the connection terminals can be wider than one of the sections each having a release element.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the terminal box has a base plate, on which a plurality of receiving devices for receiving the connection terminals are arranged. This allows a large number of connection terminals to be fastened to the junction box.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the base plate is arranged obliquely to the first and/or second spatial direction and/or parallel to the third spatial direction. In other words, the first and/or the second spatial direction can be arranged obliquely to the base plate, so that the connection terminals fastened to the receiving device are likewise arranged obliquely to the base plate. This can be applied to one or more receiving means of the junction box. The junction box can also have one or more receiving means, wherein the first and/or second spatial direction is not arranged obliquely to the base plate. The first spatial direction can then, for example, run parallel to the floor.

Drawings

The invention is described in detail below with reference to the drawings according to an embodiment. The drawings show:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a junction box, and

Fig. 2 shows the terminal box according to fig. 1 with the cover removed, and

Fig. 3 shows a top view of the junction box according to fig. 2, and

FIG. 4 shows a partial enlargement of the area C in FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the junction box according to the section plane A-A drawn in FIG. 3, and

Fig. 6 shows a partial enlarged view of the region B in fig. 5.

The following reference numerals are used in the drawings:

1 junction box

2 Accommodating device

3 Connecting terminal

4 Electrical leads

10 Bottom piece

11 Bottom plate

20 Accommodating surface

21 Front fixing element

22 Rear fixing element

23 End stops

24 Release element

25 Tab

26 Free end of release element

27 Projection, stop

30 Lead-in side

31 Backside of

Q transverse direction

X first spatial direction

Y second spatial direction

Z third spatial direction

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows the junction box 1 when the housing is closed. Fig. 2 shows the junction box 1 when the housing is open, i.e. the cover is removed. It can be seen that the junction box 1 has a base part 10, said base part 10 having a bottom plate 11. A plurality of receiving devices 2, to which the connection terminals 3 can be fastened in each case, are arranged on the base plate 11.

The respective receiving device 2 has a receiving surface 20, a fastening element in the form of a front fastening element 21 and a rear fastening element 22, an end stop 23, a release element 24 and a tab 25. The fixing elements 21, 22 serve to fix the respective connection terminals 3 to the receiving device 2 by means of locking portions. The connection terminals 3 are then placed with their underside on the receiving surface 20. The connection terminal 3 is movable on the receiving device 2 in a transverse direction Q, wherein the transverse direction Q is oriented transversely to a wire insertion direction of the electrical wires inserted into the connection terminal 3. The end stop 23 serves to limit the maximum path of lateral mobility. The fixing of the respective connection terminal 3 to the receiving device 2 can be released by means of the release element 24. The webs 25 form a support and/or stop for the electrical lines 4 clamped to the connection terminals 3, so that no forces can be applied unintentionally to the release element 24 by the electrical lines 4.

The exact co-action of these elements is described in more detail below with reference to the enlarged detail views of fig. 4 and 6.

Fig. 3 shows the junction box 1 according to fig. 2 in a top view. The area C marked here with a dashed line is depicted in an enlarged manner in fig. 4. Fig. 5 furthermore shows a section through the junction box 1 according to the section plane A-A.

Fig. 4 again shows the arrangement of a plurality of connection terminals 3 on the receiving surface 20 of the receiving device 2. The respective connection terminals 3 are fixed by the rear fixing element 22 in the region of their rear side 31 and by the front fixing element 21 in the region of their wire insertion side 30. The connection terminal 3 can be displaced in the transverse direction (z-direction) on the receiving device 2, being limited only by the end stop 23.

In fig. 5, the receiving device 2 is shown on the left by way of example, on which the connection terminals 3 are not arranged. In particular, the rear fastening element 22 can be seen, which can fasten the connection terminal 3 on its rear side in such a way that the connection terminal 3 is bridged on this side by the rear fastening element 22. The front fastening element 21 has a locking ridge which can be locked into a lower region of the wire insertion opening located on the connection terminal and in this way fasten the connection terminal to the receiving device 2 in the front region on the wire insertion side 30. Because of the relatively small design of the locking ridge, the introduction of the electrical line on the line introduction side 30 is not hindered. The front fastening element 21 is mounted on a release element 24, which can be designed as a resiliently deflectable web. The release element 24 can be manually actuated at the free end 26 in order to release the fixation of the connection terminal 3 by means of the front fixation element 21.

Fig. 6 shows the region B marked in fig. 5 in an enlarged view. It can be seen in particular that at least some of the receiving means 2 are arranged obliquely to the plane of the base plate 11, i.e. the receiving surface 20 extends obliquely to the base plate 11, for example at an angle in the range of 30 degrees to 60 degrees. Accordingly, with respect to such a receiving device 2, the coordinate system to be used, which has a first spatial axis x, a second spatial axis y and a third spatial axis z, is likewise arranged obliquely to the base plate 11 with respect to the first and second spatial axes x, y.

The oblique arrangement of the receiving surface 20 relative to the plane of the base plate 11 advantageously ensures improved accessibility of the lead-in side 30 for direct insertion of the electrical leads. Furthermore, the connection terminals 30 can also be inserted into the receiving device 2 in a simplified manner. Furthermore, the inclined arrangement of the accommodation face 20 ensures that: the further receptacle 2 can be arranged in a further plane adjacent to the inclined first receptacle 2, wherein the inclined first receptacle 2 can be arranged here, for example, along the edge of the base plate 11, which is arranged relatively closely to the first receptacle 2 in a space-saving manner. In this case, a further receiving device 2 is provided, for example, in the approximate center of the base plate 11, corresponding to the embodiment according to fig. 2,3 and 5, wherein the receiving surface 20 is oriented parallel to the base plate 11.

As can be seen, the fixing of the connection terminals 3 by means of the fixing elements 21, 22 results in: the connection terminal 3 is neither movable in the direction of the first spatial axis x nor in the direction of the second spatial axis y. The connection terminal is movable on the holding device 2 only in the transverse direction, i.e. in the direction of the third spatial axis z.

It can also be seen how the front fixing element 21 engages by means of a locking ridge into the lower region of the wire introduction opening of the connection terminal 3 and in this way fixes the connection terminal 3 on the wire introduction side 30 to the receiving device 2 by locking. On a rear side 31 facing away from the lead-in side 30, the connection terminals 3 are fixed by means of the rear fixing element 22.

It can also be seen that the electrical conductors 4 extend from the connection terminals 3 and are guided through the tabs 25. The electrical conductors 4 can be placed on the tabs 25. Tab 25 causes: the electrical conductor 4 does not come into mechanical contact with the release element 24 and the release element is operated unintentionally.

It can also be seen in fig. 6 that a projection 27 oriented toward the release element 24 is provided on the tab 25. The projection 27 constitutes a stop for the release element 24 or the free end 26 of the release element 24. The free movement of the release element 24 is effectively limited by the stop, so that overload of the release element 24 and thus damage thereof can be prevented.

Claims

1. A junction box (1) having at least one receiving device (2) for receiving one or more connection terminals which can be arranged side by side, for connecting electrical conductors, wherein the receiving device (2) has a fastening element (21, 22) by means of which a respective connection terminal can be fastened to the receiving device (2) by means of a locking part, such that the connection terminal fastened to the receiving device (2) is fastened in two of three mutually orthogonal spatial directions (x, y, z) and movable in a third spatial direction (z) of the three mutually orthogonal spatial directions (x, y, z), wherein the connection terminal can be freely moved by a user in the third spatial direction (z) to any desired position.

2. Terminal box according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving means (2) have one or more end stops (23) by means of which the movability of the connection terminals in the third spatial direction (z) is limited on one or both sides.

3. Junction box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fixing elements (21, 22) comprise front fixing elements (21) which enable the connection terminals to be fixed on the receiving device (2) on their wire introduction side (30).

4. A junction box according to claim 3, characterized in that the fixing element (21, 22) comprises a rear fixing element (22), which rear fixing element (22) enables the connection terminal to be fixed on the receiving device (2) on its rear side (31) facing away from the wire introduction side (30).

5. A junction box according to claim 3, characterized in that the first spatial direction (x) runs parallel to a wire introduction direction in which electrical wires can be clamped to the connection terminals on the wire introduction side (30).

6. Junction box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the receiving means (2) has a receiving surface (20) for placing a connection terminal fixed to the receiving means (2) on the receiving surface, wherein a second spatial direction (y) extends perpendicularly to the receiving surface (20).

7. Junction box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the junction box (1) has at least one manually operable release element (24), by means of which release element (24) the fixation of the connection terminals fixed to the receiving means by means of the fixation elements (21, 22) can be released.

8. Junction box according to claim 7, characterized in that the junction box (1) has a tab (25) which is arranged spaced apart from the release element (24) and constitutes a support and/or stop for an electrical conductor clamped on a connection terminal.

9. Junction box according to claim 8, characterized in that the tab (25) extends obliquely to the first and/or second spatial direction (x, y).

10. Junction box according to claim 8, characterized in that the release element (24) extends from the receiving means (2) towards the tab (25) and ends in front of the tab (25).

11. Junction box according to claim 9, characterized in that the release element (24) extends from the receiving means (2) towards the tab (25) and ends in front of the tab (25).

12. Junction box according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one of the receiving devices (2) has a plurality of sections, each having a release element (24).

13. Junction box according to claim 12, characterized in that the connection terminals can be wider than one of the sections each having a release element (24).

14. Junction box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the junction box (1) has a base plate (11) on which a plurality of receiving means (2) for receiving connection terminals are provided.

15. Junction box according to claim 14, characterized in that the bottom plate (11) is arranged obliquely to the first and/or second spatial direction (x, y) and/or parallel to the third spatial direction (Z).

16. Junction box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of said receiving means (2) is configured for receiving and securing a connection terminal without a support rail fastening element.

17. Junction box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of the receiving means (2) for receiving a connection terminal is mostly or completely constructed free of metal.

18. Junction box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of the receiving means (2) surrounds the connection terminal received on the receiving means (2) at least two housing sides of the connection terminal.

19. Device with a junction box (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 18 and at least one connection terminal (3) which is fixed to at least one receiving device (2) of the junction box (1) by means of a locking portion.