Electrical connectors – Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient... – Screw-thread operated securing part
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-23
2002-11-05
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient...
Screw-thread operated securing part
Reexamination Certificate
active
06475038
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a connecting terminal having a housing in which a lift cage is arranged, with the housing and the lift cage each having a first opening which can be aligned such that it is flush, for inserting a cable end into the lift cage.
Such connecting terminals are generally known, and are illustrated in the form of a specific embodiment in FIGS.
1
A,
1
B ,
2
A ,
2
B.
Against the background of other connecting terminals which are known from the prior art and are mounted by means of at least one solder pin per pole on the board of an electronic circuit, these connecting terminals form an improvement with regard to mechanical and electrical reliability. In
FIG. 1A
, the reference number
10
denotes a circuit board having one or more layers, or a busbar. Openings
12
a
,
12
b
are provided in the circuit board
10
. Two screws
16
a
,
16
b
are recessed in the housing
14
.
FIG. 1B
shows a section along the line A—A in FIG.
1
A. This shows the opening
12
b
in the circuit board
10
and the screw
16
b
, which is recessed in the housing
14
and presses against a solder pin
18
which is formed in a meandering shape. The housing
14
has an opening
20
for inserting a cable end
24
(see FIG.
2
B). Arranged in the housing
14
is a lift cage
22
, which can be moved relative to the housing
14
by rotating the screw
16
b
. Located in the lift cage
22
is an opening
21
, which can be aligned with the opening
20
of the housing
14
such that they are flush.
FIGS. 2A and 2B
correlate with the illustrations in FIG.
1
A and
FIG. 1B
, although a cable end
24
has now been inserted into the opening
20
in the housing
14
and into the opening
21
in the lift cage
22
, the solder pin
18
has been inserted into the opening
12
b
, and has been fixed in this position by means of solder
26
. The cable end
24
is now—once the lift cage
22
has been moved upwards by rotation of the screw
16
b
—conductively connected to the solder pin
18
. The solder pin
18
is in turn conductively connected via the solder
26
to a conductor track
28
on the circuit board
10
. The meandering shape of the solder pin
18
increases the torsional elasticity and thus avoids stressing the solder point.
Against the background of this prior art, the present invention is based on the object of developing a connecting terminal of this generic type in such a way that the electrical resistance caused by the solder point is reduced.
This object is achieved by a connecting terminal having the features of Patent Claim 1. Since the housing and the lift cage have a second opening which can be aligned such that it is flush, and through which at least one part of a circuit board can be inserted into the lift cage, this makes it possible for a conductor track on the circuit board to be pressed conductively against a cable end by means of a different point on the lift cage. Since there is no need whatsoever for any solder pin, the production costs are reduced. Since there is no longer any need to carry out any soldering, the electrical resistance of the solder point disappears completely.
In order that a part of a circuit board can be inserted into the connecting terminal, it is particularly advantageous for the circuit board edge to be shaped in the form of a finger. This configuration and the fact that the terminal housing projects at right angles between a number of such fingers of the circuit board result in the air gap and creepage distances, and hence the withstand voltage between the individual poles of the terminal, being increased in an advantageous manner, where a number of individual terminals according to the invention are combined in a common housing. The connecting terminal is in this case advantageously made of insulating material.
In one particularly advantageous embodiment, the first and the second opening in the lift cage are designed, and connected to one another, and these two openings merge into one another, in such a way that a conductive connection can be produced between the cable end and a conductor track on that part of the circuit board. The lift cage can be moveable with respect to the first and the second opening in the housing, in particular by rotation of a screw, in such a way that the conductive connection between the cable end and the conductor track can be fixed. Alternatively, the mobility of the lift cage can be provided by a spring, which is located in a first position for inserting the circuit board and the cable end, and is located in a second position for fixing the cable end and the circuit board. To make operation easy, it has been found to be advantageous to arrange the first and the second opening on diametrically opposite sides of the housing and of the lift cage. However, a particularly robust embodiment results if the first and the second opening are arranged on the same side of the housing and of the lift cage, in particular being formed by a common opening.
To improve the fixing of the connection between the circuit board and the housing, the housing may have latching means which interact with the circuit board. In particular for relatively weak circuit board material, it is possible to provide, in order to produce a conductive connection between at least one part of the circuit board and a connecting terminal according to the invention, that a U-shaped crushing protection device can be pushed over that part of the circuit board which can be inserted into the connecting terminal in order to produce a conductive connection to the cable end.
The crushing protection device may in this case have a tilting protection apparatus which prevents tilting of at least that part of the circuit board which is inserted into the connecting terminal. A projection in the housing of the connecting terminal can interact with a cut-out in the crushing protection device for this purpose. A projection on the crushing protection device and a cut-out in the connecting terminal which interacts with it have the same effect, of course.
The crushing protection device can be produced from an electrically conductive and/or resilient material and may have latching means which interact with the housing in order to fix the crushing protection device in the housing.
The invention also comprises a circuit board for use with a connecting terminal according to the invention or for use in a system comprising a connecting terminal according to the invention and a crushing protection device, in which case the circuit board has at least one projection which is in the form of a finger and can be inserted into the connecting terminal in order to produce a conductive connection to a cable end. The projection which is in the form of a finger may have latching means which interact with the latching means on the housing of the connecting terminal. It may also have a tilting protection apparatus, which prevents tilting of the projection, which is in the form of a finger, in the connecting terminal.
Further advantageous developments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4929198 (1990-05-01), Strate et al.
patent: 5206789 (1993-04-01), Barbry
patent: 5249989 (1993-10-01), Alsch
patent: 5314360 (1994-05-01), Jaag
patent: 5553787 (1996-09-01), Guginsky
patent: 5664971 (1997-09-01), Coy
patent: 6061230 (2000-05-01), Mazella et al.
patent: 6231405 (2001-05-01), Diconne et al.
patent: 1 238 534 (1967-04-01), None
patent: 32 08 065 (1983-09-01), None
patent: 39 01 307 (1990-07-01), None
patent: 44 39 379 (1996-05-01), None
patent: 197 53 078 (1999-06-01), None
patent: 197 53 076 (1999-08-01), None
patent: 0 157 123 (1985-10-01), None
Bessone Carlo S.
Le Thanh-Tam
Patent-Treuhand-Gesellschaft fuer elektrische Gluehlampen mbH
Sircus Brian
LandOfFree
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