US-12627082-B2 - Actuation element, connecting assembly, connecting terminal, electronic device, and method for mounting a connecting terminal

US12627082B2US 12627082 B2US12627082 B2US 12627082B2US-12627082-B2

Abstract

An actuating element for actuating a clamping spring of a connection assembly includes: a first body element having a gripping surface for actuating the actuating element; and a second body element having at least one actuating surface for actuating the clamping spring. The first body element is transferrable to a pre-latched position with the second body element before being mounted in the connection assembly.

Inventors

Martin Gebhardt
Karsten Nolte
Olaf Schyrocki

Assignees

PHOENIX CONTACT GMBH & CO. KG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20220426
Priority Date: 20210429

Claims (20)

1 . An actuating element for actuating a clamping spring of a connection assembly, the actuating element comprising: a first body element comprising a gripping surface for actuating the actuating element; and a second body element comprising at least one actuating surface for actuating the clamping spring, wherein the first body element is transferrable to a pre-latched position with the second body element before being mounted in the connection assembly, wherein the first body element comprises a first material, and the second body element comprises a second material different from the first material, and wherein the second material has a greater strength than the first material.
2 . The actuating element of claim 1 , wherein the first material comprises a plastic material, and the second material comprises a metal material.
3 . The actuating element of claim 1 , wherein, to form the pre-latched position, the first body element has two, mutually-opposing openings into which two, mutually-opposing latching elements formed on the second body element are latchable.
4 . The actuating element of claim 1 , wherein the second body element has at least one actuating arm and a connecting web formed transversely to the actuating arm, and wherein the at least one actuating surface is formed on the at least one actuating arm, and the second body element is pre-latched on the first body element in the pre-latched position via the connecting web.
5 . The actuating element of claim 1 , wherein, the second body element comprises a holding contour for holding a latching leg of a clamping spring of the connection assembly in an open position of the clamping spring.
6 . The actuating element of claim 1 , wherein the first body element has a fastening dome which, in the pre-latched position, is immersed in an opening formed on the second body element.
7 . The actuating element of claim 1 , further comprising: a spring element which is arranged on a fastening dome of the first body element, wherein, in an assembled state of the fastening element, the spring element is supported against a stop surface of the connection assembly or against a stop surface of a connection terminal in which the connection assembly is arranged.
8 . The actuating element of claim 1 , wherein the first body element is connectable to the second body element by a force-fitting and/or integrally-bonded connection after being transferred into the pre-latched position.
9 . The actuating element of claim 1 , wherein the second body element has at least one path limitation element.
10 . A connection assembly for connecting an electrical conductor, the connection assembly comprising: a current bar; a clamping spring, which has a holding leg and a clamping leg, the clamping leg being configured to clamp the electrical conductor, in a clamped position of the clamping spring, against the current bar; and the actuating element of claim 1 , the actuating element being guidable along an actuation direction and by which the clamping spring is transferrable from the clamped position into the open position.
11 . The connection assembly of claim 10 , wherein the actuating element is supported by a spring element thereof on the current bar.
12 . The connection assembly of claim 10 , wherein the actuation direction is transverse to a conductor insertion direction of the electrical conductor to be connected into a conductor connection space formed between the current bar and the clamping spring.
13 . A connection terminal, comprising: a housing; and at least one connection assembly of claim 10 arranged in the housing.
14 . An electronic device, comprising: at least one connection assembly of claim 10 ; and/or at least one connection terminal, comprising: a housing; and at least one connection assembly of claim 10 arranged in the housing.
15 . The connection assembly of claim 10 , wherein the actuating element with its second body element is braced with the clamping spring in the open position of the clamping spring as a bracing, and is configured to hold the clamping spring in the open position.
16 . The connection assembly of claim 15 , wherein, to form the bracing, the clamping spring, in the open position, is configured to apply a first pressure force acting counter to the actuation direction and a second pressure force acting in the actuation direction to the second body element of the actuating element.
17 . The connection assembly of claim 16 , further comprising: a latching leg arranged on the holding leg, wherein, in the open position, the latching leg is configured to apply the second pressure force to the actuating element.
18 . The connection assembly of claim 17 , wherein the latching leg has a pressure surface, wherein, to transfer the clamping spring from the open position into the clamped position, the pressure surface is actuatable by the electrical conductor and is configured to come out of engagement with the actuating element by actuating the pressure surface of the latching leg.
19 . A method for mounting a connection terminal, comprising: providing a first body element of an actuating element comprising a gripping surface for actuating the actuating element; providing a second body element of the actuating element comprising at least one actuating surface for actuating the clamping spring; and transferring the first body element and the second body element to a pre-latched position with each other prior to mounting the first body element and the second body element in a housing of the connection terminal, wherein the first body element comprises a first material, and the second body element comprises a second material different from the first material, and wherein the second material has a greater strength than the first material.
20 . An actuating element for actuating a clamping spring of a connection assembly, the actuating element comprising: a first body element comprising a gripping surface for actuating the actuating element; and a second body element comprising at least one actuating surface for actuating the clamping spring, wherein the first body element is transferrable to a pre-latched position with the second body element before being mounted in the connection assembly, and wherein, to form the pre-latched position, the first body element has two, mutually-opposing openings into which two, mutually-opposing latching elements formed on the second body element are latchable.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS This application is a U.S. National Phase application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2022/060975, filed on Apr. 26, 2022, and claims benefit to Luxembourg Patent Application No. LU 102794, filed on Apr. 29, 2021. The International Application was published in German on Nov. 3, 2022 as WO/2022/229139 under PCT Article 21(2). FIELD The invention relates to an actuating element for actuating a clamping spring of a connection assembly. The invention further relates to a connection assembly having such an actuating element and a connection terminal. The invention further relates to an electronic device and to a method for mounting a connection terminal. BACKGROUND An actuating element serves to transfer a clamping spring of a connection assembly into an open position and/or a clamping position by the actuating element interacting with a clamping leg of the clamping spring. In so doing, the actuating element has to fulfill several tasks. On the one hand, the actuating element has to have a high strength in order to apply sufficient force to the clamping spring. On the other hand, the actuating element has to have an insulating effect in order to enable the actuating element to be actuated safely by a user. In addition, the actuating element must be arranged in the correct position and with sufficiently high stability in the housing of a connection terminal. SUMMARY In an embodiment, the present invention provides an actuating element for actuating a clamping spring of a connection assembly, the actuating element comprising: a first body element comprising a gripping surface for actuating the actuating element; and a second body element comprising at least one actuating surface for actuating the clamping spring, wherein the first body element is transferrable to a pre-latched position with the second body element before being mounted in the connection assembly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be described in even greater detail below based on the exemplary figures. The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments. Other features and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention will become apparent by reading the following detailed description with reference to the attached drawings which illustrate the following: FIG. 1 shows a schematic exploded view of an actuating element according to the invention in a transverse side view, FIG. 2 shows a schematic exploded view of the actuating element shown in FIG. 1 in a longitudinal side view, FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of the actuating element in the pre-latched position in a transverse side view, FIG. 4 shows a schematic sectional view of the actuating element shown in FIG. 3 in the pre-engagement position in a longitudinal side view, FIG. 5 shows a schematic representation of a connection assembly with an actuating element as shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 in a connection terminal with the clamping spring in the clamping position, FIG. 6 shows a schematic sectional representation of the connection terminal shown in FIG. 5, with the clamping spring in the clamped position, FIG. 7 shows a schematic representation of a connection terminal according to the invention with the clamping spring in an open position, FIG. 8 shows a schematic sectional representation of the connection terminal shown in FIG. 7, with the clamping spring in an open position, FIG. 9 shows a schematic representation of the actuating element, FIG. 10 shows a schematic representation of the actuating element in a further embodiment, FIG. 11 shows a schematic sectional view of the connection terminal in the clamping position, FIG. 12 shows a schematic representation of a second body element according to a further embodiment, and FIG. 13 shows a schematic sectional view of a connection terminal with a second body element as shown in FIG. 12. DETAILED DESCRIPTION In an embodiment, the present invention provides an actuating element, a connection assembly, a connection terminal, an electronic device, and a method for mounting a connection terminal, which is characterized by improved functionality. The actuating element according to the invention has a first body element on which a gripping surface for actuating the actuating element is formed and a second body element on which at least one actuating surface is formed to actuate the clamping spring, wherein the first body element is transferred to a pre-latched position with the second body element before being mounted in the connection assembly. According to the invention, the actuating element is formed from at least two components which are designed separately from one another—the first body element and the second body element. These two body elements each have a different function. The actuating element is actuated by a user via the first body element, wherein the first body element has a grip surface for this purpose. The actua