Electrical connectors – Contact comprising cutter – Insulation cutter
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-22
2004-09-28
Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Contact comprising cutter
Insulation cutter
C439S395000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06796830
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a screwless connecting terminal, in particular a modular terminal. The terminal has a conductor rail situated in a terminal housing, and an insulation-piercing connection that is connected in an electrically conductive fashion with the conductor rail. Between cutting edges, facing one another, an electrical conductor can be contacted when it is introduced into the terminal housing through a lead-through in the housing.
Connecting terminals for the contacting and connection of electrical conductors are also known in many embodiments as what are called modular terminals, which can be snapped onto supporting rails or top-hat rails. Here a distinction can be made between screw terminals, in which the electrical conductors are fastened by clamping screws, and screwless connecting terminals in the form of spring clips, in which the electrical conductors are clamp-contacted using a pressure spring or a tension spring. While in the case of the cited screw terminals and spring clips the conductor end to be contacted is stripped of insulation beforehand. What are commonly known as insulation-piercing connections enable a conductor contacting without the stripping of the insulation. Here, screwless connecting terminals are generally used for conductor contacting without the stripping of the insulation.
A connecting terminal of this sort is known for example from International Patent Disclosure WO 00/70714 of the instant applicant, having the title “Screwless Connecting Terminal”, dated May 9th, 2000. The known connecting terminal has similarities with the subject matter of the instant invention in its configuration and function, and reference is made to the disclosure of WO 00/70714. In the connecting terminal, which uses insulation-piercing technology, an insulation-piercing connection is provided that is connected with a conductor rail. The essentially U-shaped insulation-piercing connection has two clamp limbs that are bent towards one another, forming the limbs of the U. For the application of the required spring force for the insulation-piercing connection, the clamp limbs must have a relatively large wall thickness, so that the insulation-piercing connection can turn out to be of fairly broad construction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a screwless connecting terminal that overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art devices of this general type, which has an insulation-piercing connection built in as space-saving a manner as possible.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a screwless connecting terminal. The screwless connecting terminal containing a terminal housing having a housing lead-through formed therein, a conductor rail disposed in the terminal housing, and an insulation-piercing connection connected in an electrically conductive fashion with the conductor rail. The insulation-piercing connection has clamp limbs with cutting edges facing one another for receiving and contacting an electrical conductor introduced into the terminal housing through the housing lead-through. An insulation-piercing contacting of the electrical conductor immovably positioned in the terminal housing takes place through a translational movement of the insulation-piercing connection along the conductor rail in a longitudinal direction of the conductor rail. At least one bead is formed in at least one of said clamp limbs.
In order to achieve the object, it is inventively provided to form one or more beads into at least one of the two clamp limbs.
An advantage of the invention is that it is possible to use a relatively thin-walled insulation-piercing connection. Through the exact placement of the bead, it can be ensured that the cross-sectional reinforcement effected by the installation of the bead is located exactly at the point at which, when the conductor is connected, a spring force of the clamp limbs is also actually required, when the conductor is introduced into the connecting terminal. In this way, the insulation-piercing connection is purposively strengthened exactly at the point at which, when the conductor is connected, high spring forces are also actually required. The remaining regions of the insulation-piercing connection can in this way be realized so as to save space and material, and thus with a narrow construction. Moreover, the use of material as such is reduced.
Due to the symmetry of the U-shaped insulation-piercing connection, it is particularly advantageous also to select an essentially U-shaped bead shape, i.e., one that is symmetrical with respect to the center longitudinal axis of the connecting terminal.
In a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, three beads are situated next to one another along the center longitudinal axis of the insulation-piercing connection.
In order to form the cutting edges, the insulation-piercing connection is realized with a U-shape, the free ends of the U-limbs being bent towards one another in order to create the cutting and guide slot. A front edge of the insulation-piercing connection, i.e., the cutting slot, which faces the conductor when the conductor is introduced into the terminal housing, is here realized so that it has a beveling that runs downward, with a scarfing.
The conductor, which is advantageously rigid, and is thus positioned in an immovable fashion in the terminal housing, is held in a sleeve-type guide element after being introduced into the terminal housing and before the actual insulation-piercing contacting. The guide element being formed above the cutting edges by the housing lead-through and under the cutting edges by guide clips that are integrally formed onto the insulation-piercing connection and that extend in the longitudinal direction of the rail. The clips are adjacent to the conductor before the insulation-piercing contacting, and thus hold the conductor between them.
The electrically conductive connection between the insulation-piercing connection and the conductor rail can take place in various ways. In a particularly preferred specific embodiment, the connection takes place by a sliding clip that is integrally formed onto a front edge of the insulation-piercing connection, underneath the front edge, and that extends in the longitudinal direction of the rail. The sliding clip is bent against a bent-in conductor rail segment in such a way that it is adjacent to the underside of the conductor rail segment. In a useful development of the specific embodiment, the bent-in conductor rail segment has a free end that is placed in the direction of the housing lead-through. The free end acts as a bearing web at the back side of the conductor, i.e., at the side facing away from the insulation-piercing connection.
According to an alternative specific embodiment, the electrically conductive connection between the insulation-piercing connection and the conductor rail takes place by a lateral sliding contact. Here, the insulation-piercing connection preferably has two sliding clips that are adjacent to the opposed side edges of the conductor rail. In this specific embodiment, the conductor rail is usefully fashioned so as to be waisted in the sliding contact region, so that the sliding clips, which are preferably curved inward in the direction towards the conductor rail, do not protrude past the conductor rail laterally, or do so only insignificantly.
In a further specific embodiment, the electrically conductive connection takes place by a sliding contact that is lower and/or upper in relation to the conductor rail. Here, a sliding clip that is integrally formed on the insulation-piercing connection is adjacent to the underside of the conductor rail, to the upper side of the conductor rail, or to both sides of the conductor rail. For this purpose, the sliding clip integrally formed on the insulation-piercing connection is bent transverse to the longitudinal direction of the rail. For the contacting at the upper and u
Süss Christian
Ungermann Heinz
Greenberg Laurence A.
Leon Edwin A.
Locher Ralph E.
Paumen Gary
Stemer Werner H.
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