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EP-4742455-A1 - ELECTRICAL TERMINAL

EP4742455A1EP 4742455 A1EP4742455 A1EP 4742455A1EP-4742455-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical terminal (100), in particular an IDC-terminal (100), with a housing (101), a contacting base (103) positioned inside the housing (101) and at least one contacting unit (105) for contacting a conductor (201), wherein the contacting unit (105) comprises a contacting body (107) with a blade-structure (109) comprising at least one blade (111) with at least one cutting edge (113), wherein the contacting unit (105) is movable inside the housing (101) along a contacting direction (D) between an neutral position (NP) and a contacting position (CP), wherein the housing (101) defines an accommodation space (115) between the blade-structure (109) and the conducting base (103), and wherein by moving the contacting unit (105) from the neutral position (NP) to the contacting position (CP) a distance between the blade-structure (109) and the contacting unit (103) is reducible, and wherein in the contacting position (CP) the blade-structure (109) is arranged to contact the contacting base (103).

Inventors

  • Villard, Romain
  • MOINE, GEOFFREY

Assignees

  • TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241111

Claims (15)

  1. Electrical terminal (100), in particular an IDC-terminal (100), with a housing (101), a contacting base (103) positioned inside the housing (101) and at least one contacting unit (105), wherein the contacting unit (105) comprises a contacting body (107) with a blade-structure (109) comprising at least one blade (111) with at least one cutting edge (113), wherein the contacting unit (105) is movable inside the housing (101) along a contacting direction (D) between an neutral position (NP) and a contacting position (CP), wherein the housing (101) defines an accommodation space (115) between the blade-structure (109) and the conducting base (103), and wherein by moving the contacting unit (105) from the neutral position (NP) to the contacting position (CP) a distance (A1) between the blade-structure (109) and the contacting unit (103) is reducible, and wherein in the contacting position (CP) the blade-structure (109) is arranged to contact the contacting base (103).
  2. Terminal (100) according to claim 1, wherein the blade-structure (109) comprises a forklike structure with two blades (111) and an opening (145) facing the contacting unit (103), wherein each of the blades (111) has a cutting edge (113), and wherein the cutting edges (113) of the two blades (111) are facing each other and/or are facing the contacting unit (103).
  3. Terminal (100) according to claim 2, wherein the two blades (111) of the blade-structure (109) are arranged to provide a clamping force.
  4. Terminal (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a tip portion (117) of the blade (111) has a chamfered face (119).
  5. Terminal (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the contacting base (103) has a platelike shape with at least one contacting recess (121), and wherein in the contacting position (CP) the blade-structure (109) protrudes through the recess (121) and contacts the contacting base (103).
  6. Terminal (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the contacting body (107) comprises an actuating member (123) protruding from the housing (101), and wherein by means of the actuating member (123) the contacting unit (105) can be pushed from the neutral position (NP) to the contacting position (CP).
  7. Terminal (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the contacting body (107) is made of a plastic material, and/or wherein the blade-structure (109) and the contact base are made of a metal material by means of a punching process.
  8. Terminal (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the contacting unit (105) is lockable in the neutral position (NP) and/or the contacting position (CP) by means of a snap connection (127) between the contacting unit (105) and the housing (101).
  9. Terminal (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the terminal (100) comprises two contacting units (105), wherein each of the two contacting units (105) comprises a blade-structure (109), and wherein in the contacting position (CP) each blade-structure (109) of the two contacting units (105) is arranged to contact the same contacting base (103).
  10. Terminal (100) according to claim 10, wherein the two contacting units (105) are positioned opposite to each other.
  11. Terminal (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the housing (101) comprises at least one insertion opening (129) with a guiding element (131).
  12. Terminal (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the housing (101) and/or the contacting base (103) comprises an insertion stop defining an insertion distance between the insertion opening (129) and the insertion stop.
  13. Terminal system (200) with an electrical terminal (100) according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 12 and at least one conductor (201), wherein the at least one conductor (201) is inserted into the housing (101) and positioned in the insertion position (IP), wherein the contacting unit (105) is positioned in the contacting position (CP), wherein the conductor insulation (205) of the conductor (201) is cut and the conductor body (203) of the conductor (201) is contacted by the at least one cutting edge (113) of the at least one edge of the blade-structure (109), wherein the contacting base (103) is contacted by the blade-structure (109) of the contacting unit (105), and wherein an electrical contact between the conductor body (203) of the conductor (201) and the contacting base (103) is provided by means of the at least one blade (111) of the blade-structure (109).
  14. Terminal system (200) according to claim 13, wherein a further conductor (201) is inserted into the housing (101) of the terminal (100) and positioned adjacent to the contacting base (103) of the terminal (100), wherein the further contacting unit (105) is positioned in the contacting position (CP), wherein the insulation of the further conductor (201) is cut and the conductor body (203) of the further conductor (201) is contacted by the at least one cutting edge (113) of the at least one blade (111) of the blade-structure (109) of the further contacting unit (105), wherein the contacting base (103) is contacted by the at least one blade (111) of the further contacting unit (105), wherein an electrical contact between the conductor body (203) of the further conductor (201) and the contacting base (103) is provided by means of the at least one blade (111) of the blade-structure (109) of the further contacting unit (105), and wherein an electrical contact between the conductor (201) and the further conductor (201) is provided by means of the contacting base (103).
  15. Method of assembling a terminal system (200), comprising: Providing an electrical terminal (100) according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 12 and at least one conductor (201); Positioning the at least one contacting unit (105) of the terminal (100) in the neutral position (NP); Inserting the at least one conductor (201) into the housing (101) of the electrical terminal (100) and positioning an end portion of the conductor (201) in the insertion position (IP); and Pushing the at least one contacting unit (105) from the neutral position (NP) to the contacting position (CP), wherein in the contacting position (CP) the insulation of the conductor (201) is cut by the at least one cutting edge (113) of the at least one blade (111) of the blade-structure (109) of the contacting unit (105) and the conductor body (203) of the at least one conductor (201) is contacted by the cutting edge (113) of the blade (111) of the blade-structure (109) and the contacting base (103) is contacted by the at least one blade (111) of the blade-structure (109) of the contacting unit (105).

Description

The invention relates to an electrical terminal, in particular to an IDC-terminal. Electrical terminals and in particular IDC-terminals are known from state of the art. An objective of the current invention is to provide an improved electrical terminal, an improved electrical terminal system and an improved method for assembling an electrical terminal system. The objective is solved by the electrical terminal, the system and the method of the independent claims. Embodiments are subject of the dependent claims. According to an embodiment, an electrical terminal, in particular an IDC-terminal, with a housing, a contacting base positioned inside the housing and at least one contacting unit is provided, wherein the contacting unit comprises a contacting body with a blade-structure comprising at least one blade with at least one cutting edge, wherein the contacting unit is movable inside the housing along a contacting direction between a neutral position and a contacting position, wherein the housing defines an accommodation space between the blade-structure and the conducting base, and wherein by moving the contacting unit from the neutral position to the contacting position a distance between the blade-structure and the contacting unit is reducible, and wherein in the contacting position the blade-structure is arranged to contact the contacting base. This can achieve the technical advantage that an improved electrical terminal, in particular an improved IDC-terminal, can be provided. By means of the contacting unit, which is movable with respect to the housing between a neutral position, in which a conductor can be inserted into the terminal, and a contacting position, in which the conductor can be contacted to a contacting base, an easy contacting of the conductor can be achieved by pushing the contacting unit from the neutral position into the contacting position. The contacting unit comprises a blade-structure with at least one blade having a cutting edge. By moving the contacting unit from the neutral position to the contacting position a distance between the blade-structure and the conducting base is reduced. This reduction in space between the blade-structure and the conducting base allows the blade of the blade-structure to cut a conductor insulation of a conductor positioned in the accommodation space between the blade-structure and the contacting base. By cutting the conductor insulation, the blade of the blade-structure contacts the conductor body of the conductor. Further, in the contacting position, the blade-structure of the contacting unit, which cut the conductor insulation and contacted the conductor body, further contacts the contacting base, when the contacting unit is positioned in the contacting position. Thus, via the blade-structure of the contacting unit, an electrical contact can be realised between the conductor body of the conductor placed in the accommodation space and the contacting base of the terminal. Thus, via the contacting base, the conductor inserted into the terminal and contacted via the contacting unit can be contacted to a further component, for example, a further conductor. The electrical terminal therefore provides an easy way to contact conductors by means of IDC contacting, as for contacting the conductor, the conductor only has to be inserted into the housing of the terminal and positioned in the accommodation space and the contacting unit has to be pushed from the neutral position into the contacting position. Further, the electrical terminal provides a robust and efficient electrical contacting of the to be contacted conductor. In addition, the electrical terminal comprises a small number of parts and therefore is easy to be manufactured. The electrical terminal can be connected to a DIN rail. In the application IDC stands for Insulation-Displacement-Contact. According to an embodiment, the blade-structure comprises a forklike structure with two blades and an opening facing the contacting unit, wherein each of the blades has a cutting edge, and wherein the cutting edges of the two blades are facing each other and/or are facing the contacting base. This can achieve the technical advantage that due to the forklike structure with two blades having cutting edges facing each other, the blade-structure of the contacting unit can provide a robust and efficient electrical contacting of the inserted conductor. By means of the two blades, the conductor inserted into the terminal is cut by each of the two blades when the contacting unit is positioned in the contacting position. Thus, the conductor insulation is cut on two separate positions and the contacting body is contacted via each of the two blades of the blade-structure. This provides a robust and efficient electrical contacting. According to an embodiment, the two blades of the blade-structure are arranged to provide a clamping force. This can achieve the technical advantage that by means of the clamping force of the b