Electrical connectors – With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision – Grounding to conductive sheath of cable
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-12
2001-12-11
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With circuit conductors and safety grounding provision
Grounding to conductive sheath of cable
C439S817000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328580
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
A conductive connecting element is disclosed for electrically connecting the shield of a shielded cable with an electronic module, terminal block or the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the German patent No. DE 195 37 585 C1, a cable shield connection element is disclosed that includes a plug that is designed for insertion in the conductor connection of a polyethylene binding post. Upon the current conduction piece, there is furthermore retained and guided a clamp strap, and it is resiliently supported by means of a spring opposite an angled bridge of the current conduction piece. The clamp strap has a seat located below the down-angled bridge for the shielded cable, which is clamped firmly in the seat and under the bridge by the spring. The potential of the connected cable shield can thus be transmitted directly to the polyethylene connection of a terminal block.
While the known cable shield connection element has proved to be effective, it was found that for modules or terminal blocks with connections that are placed closely directly adjacent each other, it is desirable that the typical connection element be so further improved that uncomplicated connection and operation from two or more screening cables in a tight space will also be possible. The present invention was developed to solve this problem.
The present invention relates to a connection element for the connection of the shields of shielded cables to conductor connections of at least one module, including a plug connection for insertion in the conductor connection of the module, and a spring-actuated clamping device conductively connected with the plug connection for the purpose of mounting the shielded cable on the connection element, wherein the plug connection is made as a multiple plug connection that can be inserted in two or more conductor connections, arranged directly next to each other, of at least one module or at an interval from each other and where the clamping means serves to fasten a plurality of shielded cables upon the connection element.
In contrast to the typical state of the art, a separate connection element is not required for each shielded cable according to the invention; therefore, several shielded cables can be connected to the connection element in a tight space without having to accept the disadvantages of a separate bus bar that takes a relatively large space. Instead, several connections can be contacted directly with a preferably plug-like connection element. The invention therefore is particularly suitable for modules that are made as terminal-block-like, disc-shaped elements for latching upon a mounting rail and that by themselves or lined up have at least two directly adjacent conductor connections. Moreover, the invention is also suitable for module blocks or combination lineups of module-like elements, such as module discs or terminal blocks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a connector element for electrically connecting the exposed braided concentrically-wound shield layer of at least one of a plurality of shielded cables with at least one conductive fitting on a module or terminal block, characterized in that the connector body contains an opening for receiving the exposed shield portions of a plurality of cables, together with a plurality of clamping means for biasing the respective cables toward a conductive portion of the connector body, thereby to achieve an electrical connection between the shield of each cable and the connector. Plug terminals are provided on the connector body for insertion within corresponding female contacts carried by the terminal block, thereby to connect the cable shield with circuitry contained in the terminal block.
According to a more specific object of the invention, the cable clamping means includes a pair of clamping straps that are movably connected with the connector body for biasing a pair of cables to effect engagement of the exposed braided shield layers with a conductive portion of the opening that receives the cables. The connecting element preferably has a U-shaped cross-sectional configuration, the clamping straps being guided externally in longitudinal guide slots contained in the wing portions of the connector body, or side-by-side on the transverse wall of the connector body.
According to a another embodiment of the invention, the connector body is provided in the area of the slots with downward embossings or inward moldings that receive and guide projections on the clamping straps. The projections and the longitudinal sides of the contiguous straps as well as the longitudinal sides of the slots preferably have corresponding guide sliding surfaces. This means that the clamping straps do not at all protrude over the outside edges of the connector or do so only to a particularly small extent, something that reduces the width and thus the space requirement of the arrangement.
According to a further object of the invention, the insertion of the conductors is made in a simple manner. The clamping straps can be latched upon the frame for the purpose of inserting the screen cable. This is suitably accomplished, for example, by a projection behind widenings provided in the slot for the insertion of the clamping straps. In addition to the disc-like modules, the invention is also suitable for other kinds of modules, such as module blocks or for support-rail-mounted modules or terminal-block-like modules (for example, terminal blocks) and can also be designed for more than two directly adjacent conductor connections. The following might be conceivable, for instance: A kind of comb-like design, for example, for the purpose of connecting a cable shield to very specific, predesignated (for example, the first, the third, etc.) conductor connections of a module block resembling the function of a bus bar. The connection elements are particularly advantageous with a double plug connection, and two clamping straps are also suitable for module blocks with many conductor connections lying next to each other.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5735700 (1998-04-01), Hohorst
patent: 94 10 214 (1994-09-01), None
patent: 195 37 585 C1 (1997-02-01), None
patent: 195 39 552 A1 (1997-04-01), None
patent: 297 15 884 U1 (1997-12-01), None
patent: 197 14 634 A1 (1998-10-01), None
patent: 298 13 707 U1 (1999-11-01), None
Hanning Walter
Schnatwinkel Michael
Wilmes Manfred
Laubscher & Laubscher
Prasad Chandrika
Sircus Brian
Weidmuller Interface GmbH & Co.
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