Spring Connection Terminal

• US 20120264339A1
• Filed: 02/12/2010
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Brand, Juergen, Camino, Manuel, Hoppmann, Ralph, Steinhage, Holger
• Granted Patent: US 8,858,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/733.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/48275 with an opening in the housing for insertion of a release tool
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/26 Clip-on terminal blocks for side-by-side rail- or strip-mounting

Abstract

The invention relates to a spring-cage terminal block, having a bus bar and a leg spring for connecting a stripped conductor end piece of an electrical conductor, wherein the conductor end piece is inserted into a material passage of the bus bar and is clamped by means of the leg spring. According to the invention, the contact surface on the metal collar inner wall surface of the material passage has contact ribs extending along the insertion direction in order to form a linear contact pattern which extends in the insertion direction.

Claims

1. A spring-cage terminal block (10) comprising:

a bus bar (22) and a leg spring (42) for connecting a stripped conductor end piece (16) of an electrical conductor (12),

wherein the bus bar (22) is made of a flat metal sheet and has at least one material passage (24) which forms an insertion opening for the stripped conductor end piece (16),

wherein the material passage (24) has an annular metal collar (26) which extends in the insertion direction, and which has inner wall surfaces (30a-30d) of the metal collar at its inner side facing the insertion opening,

wherein the leg spring (42) has a clamping leg (44) having a clamping site (46) which submerges in the material passage (24),

wherein the conductor end piece (16) which is inserted into the material passage (24), transverse to the bus bar (22), is clamped between the clamping site (46) of the clamping leg (44) and the oppositely situated inner wall surface (30a) of the metal collar by means of the elastic force of the leg spring (42),

wherein the inner wall surface (30a) of the metal collar opposite from the clamping site (46) of the clamping leg (44) forms a contact surface (52) for the conductor end piece (16) which extends along the longitudinal axis (A) of the clamped conductor end piece (16), and

wherein the contact surface (52) has contact ribs (62) which protrude in the direction of the clamping leg (44) and extend along the longitudinal axis (A) of the clamped conductor end piece (16), such that in the clamped position, the stripped conductor end piece (16) lies against the contact ribs (62) over an extended length along its longitudinal axis (A), and is in electrical contact with the contact ribs.

2. The spring-cage terminal block (10) according to claim 1, wherein the clamping site (46) of the clamping leg (44) in the direction of the longitudinal axis (A) of the conductor end piece (16) is positioned in the middle or in the vicinity of the middle of the contact surface (52) when the conductor end piece (16) is clamped in the clamped position.

3. The spring-cage terminal block (10) according to claim 1, wherein the contact ribs (62) have a triangular, trapezoidal, rectangular, or wave-like cross section.

4. The spring-cage terminal block (10) according to claim 3, wherein a groove (66) is provided between every two contact ribs (62), so that the contact surface transverse to the longitudinal axis (A) of the clamped conductor end piece (16) has a zigzag-shaped surface (64).

5. The spring-cage terminal block (10) according to claim 1, wherein the contact ribs (62) extend linearly along the longitudinal axis (A) of the clamped conductor end piece (16).

6. The spring-cage terminal block (10) according to claim 1, wherein the contact surface (52) along the longitudinal axis (A) of the clamped conductor end piece (16) has a convex curvature in the direction of the clamping leg (44).

7. The spring-cage terminal block (10) according to claim 6, wherein the radius of curvature is large enough, and the edges of the contact ribs (62) are sufficiently sharp, that the contact ribs (62) along the longitudinal axis of the clamped conductor end piece penetrate into the conductor end piece (16) over an extended length along its longitudinal axis (A).

8. The spring-cage terminal block (10) according to claim 1, wherein the grid spacing (R) between the contact ribs (62) is between one-third and one-twentieth of the diameter of the electrical conductor for which the spring-cage terminal block (10) is dimensioned.

9. The spring-cage terminal block (10) according to claim 1, wherein the spring-cage terminal block (10) includes a dielectric connection housing (5) in which the bus bar (22) and the leg spring (42) are fastened, the dielectric connection housing (5) having a conductor insertion funnel (57) which specifies the insertion direction (E) of the conductor (12) and supports the conductor (12) against roughly tilting in the clamped position.

10. The spring-cage terminal block (10) according to claim 9, wherein the dielectric connection housing (5) forms a closed pocket (58) on the side of the material passage (24) opposite from the insertion side, in which the end-face end (16a) of the conductor end piece (16) submerges in the clamped position.

11. The spring-cage terminal block (10) according to claim 1, wherein the inner wall surface (30a) of the metal collar opposite from the clamping leg (44) protrudes beyond the metal collar (26) in the insertion direction (E).