Title: Cable terminal
Abstract: Cable terminal for end-face connection of the conductors of a preferably multicore cable. The cable terminal includes a plug part provided with contact elements, a core holding and guiding part, and a cable receiver. The core holding and guiding part includes core guidance channels, and the plug part and the and the cable receiver can be connected to one another. In the assembled state, the core holding and guiding part is located between the plug part and the cable receiver. Alignment of the individual cores to the contact elements of the plug part is accomplished by the core holding and guiding part which includes a first section of soft material, and a second section of hard material. In the first section, core guidance channels is provided while in the second section, a positioning aid is formed for exact alignment of the conductors to the contact elements.
Patent Number: 6,855,888 Issued on 02/15/2005 to Jacke
| Inventors:
|
Jacke; Joachim (Paderborn, DE)
|
| Assignee:
|
Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. (Blomberg, DE)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
924871 |
| Filed:
|
August 9, 2001 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Aug 09, 2000[DE] | 100 39 632 |
| Jan 26, 2001[DE] | 101 03 744 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
174/84R; 174/88R; 439/427; 439/462 |
| Intern'l Class: |
H01R 004//00; H01R 011//20; H01R 013//58 |
| Field of Search: |
174/74 R,75 R,75 D,77 R,79,82,84 R,88 R,93,94 R
439/701,427,274,275,279,587,588,462,88
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 2639312 | May., 1953 | Kerwin | 174/138.
|
| 3221292 | Nov., 1965 | Swanson et al.
| |
| 3951503 | Apr., 1976 | Caulkins | 439/427.
|
| 4241967 | Dec., 1980 | Collins | 439/589.
|
| 4339166 | Jul., 1982 | Dayton | 439/393.
|
| 4441781 | Apr., 1984 | Forney et al. | 439/502.
|
| 4464540 | Aug., 1984 | Reeder | 174/35.
|
| 4664461 | May., 1987 | Schubert et al. | 439/587.
|
| 4676577 | Jun., 1987 | Szegda | 439/584.
|
| 4758174 | Jul., 1988 | Michaels et al. | 439/281.
|
| 4832615 | May., 1989 | Thakrar et al. | 439/272.
|
| 4960389 | Oct., 1990 | Frantz et al. | 439/404.
|
| 4969839 | Nov., 1990 | Nilsson | 439/395.
|
| 5295866 | Mar., 1994 | Kroger et al. | 439/589.
|
| 5463187 | Oct., 1995 | Battle | 174/88.
|
| 5484300 | Jan., 1996 | Whitney et al. | 439/207.
|
| 5755589 | May., 1998 | Koch | 439/427.
|
| 5760332 | Jun., 1998 | Rocci et al. | 174/84.
|
| 5823811 | Oct., 1998 | Blanchfield et al. | 439/274.
|
| 5989056 | Nov., 1999 | Lange et al. | 439/412.
|
| 6069320 | May., 2000 | Rocci et al. | 174/84.
|
| 6107574 | Aug., 2000 | Chang et al. | 174/77.
|
| 6444914 | Sep., 2002 | Su | 174/84.
|
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 40 09 674 | Oct., 1991 | DE.
| |
| 44 18 259 | Aug., 1995 | DE.
| |
| 298 17 679 | Feb., 1999 | DE.
| |
| 198 30 707 | Mar., 2000 | DE.
| |
| 2 104 306 | Mar., 1983 | GB | .
|
Primary Examiner: Mayo, III; William H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Nixon Peabody LLP, Safran; David S.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Cable terminal for end-face connection of at least one multi-strand
conductor of a first cable to an electrical device or second cable,
comprising:
a plug part having at least one contact element, said at least one contact
element having a first end for connection to said electrical device or
second cable and a free second end shaped for penetration connection into
the strands of the at least one multi-strand conductor of the first cable;
a cable receiver adapted to be connected to the plug part in opposed
relationship to the free end of said at least one contact element; and
a core holding and guiding part having at least one core guidance channel,
the core holding and guiding part being mounted in the cable receiver and
being surrounded by the plug part and the cable receiver when the plug
part and the cable receiver are connected to one another;
wherein the core holding and guiding part includes a first section of soft
material, and a second section of hard material harder than the soft
material, the second section being arranged axially with respect to the
first section, the at least one core guidance channel being formed in the
first section and the second section forming a positioning aid, the at
least one core guidance channel and the positioning aid being shaped to
align the at least one multi-strand conductor of the cable relative to the
free end of the at least one contact element.
2. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cable is a multicore
cable having plurality of cores with a plurality of conductors, the at
least one contact element is a plurality of contact elements, and at least
one core guidance channel is a plurality of core guidance channels, the
plurality of core guidance channels and the positioning aid being shaped
to align the plurality of conductors of the multicore cable relative to
the free ends of the plurality of contact elements.
3. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plug part and the
cable receiver are connected to one another by screwing the plug part
relative to the cable receiver.
4. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first section is
formed from a soft thermoplastic elastomer.
5. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second section is
formed from at least one of a hard thermoplastic and a ceramic material.
6. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first section and the
second section of the core holding and guiding part are formed connected
to one another as one integrated piece.
7. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 2, wherein diameter of each of the
plurality of core guidance channels corresponds to a largest diameter of
the plurality of cores.
8. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 2, wherein the positioning aid has
plurality of holes assigned to the plurality of core guidance channels of
the core holding and guiding part, the plurality of holes having a
tapering cross section.
9. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plurality of holes of
the positioning aid have at least one of funnel shape and conical shape.
10. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plurality of holes of
the positioning aid include a stop for the plurality of cores pushed
through the plurality of core guidance channels of the core holding and
guiding part.
11. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of
holes of the positioning aid have a first tapering area which adjoins one
of the plurality of core guidance channels of the core holding and guiding
part, a second area of constant diameter, and a third widening area.
12. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 1, further including a polarization
element formed by a groove on at least one of the plug part and the cable
receiver and a corresponding engagement mechanism sized to engage the
groove on the other of the at least one of the plug part and the cable
receiver.
13. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cable receiver
includes a sleeve with an outside thread, and the plug part includes a
union nut with an inside thread corresponding to the outside thread of the
sleeve.
14. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 13, wherein the plug part includes
an inside sleeve located within the union nut, the inside sleeve
surrounding the core holding and guiding part when the cable receiver is
connected to the plug part, the inner sleeve having an inside diameter
which is at least partially smaller than an outside diameter of the core
holding and guiding part.
15. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 14, wherein the inside diameter of
the inside sleeve widens toward an opening that receives the core holding
and guiding part.
16. Cable terminal as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plug part includes a
contact carrier with plurality of holes for holding the plurality of
contact elements, each of the plurality of contact elements having contact
spikes on ends facing the core holding and guiding part.
17. Core holding and guiding part for use in a cable terminal for end-face
connection of a plurality of conductors of a multicore cable with an
electrical device or second cable via a plug part having plurality of
contact elements, the core holding and guiding part comprising:
a first section of soft material forming a plurality of core guidance
channels; and
a second section of hard material harder than the soft material forming a
positioning aid, the second section being arranged axially with respect to
the first section;
wherein the plurality of core guidance channels and the positioning aid are
shaped to align the plurality of conductors of the multicore cable
relative to the plurality of contact elements.
18. Core holding and guiding part as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first
section is formed from a soft thermoplastic elastomer.
19. Core holding and guiding part as claimed in claim 17, wherein the
second section is formed from at least one of a hard thermoplastic and a
ceramic material.
20. Core holding and guiding part as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first
section and the second section of the core holding and guiding part are
formed connected to one another as one integrated piece.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cable terminals for end-face connection of
the conductors of a multicore cable, the cable terminal having a plug part
and a cable receiver that can be connected to one another, especially
screwed to one another. In particular, the present invention relates to
such cable terminals where the plug part is provided with contact elements
and a core holding and guiding part with guidance channels where in the
assembled state, the core holding and guiding part is located between the
plug part and the cable receiver.
2. Description of Related Art
Initially, it will be explained below the meaning of the terms used herein
below both with respect to the prior art and the present invention as
well.
a) The term "cable" means an electrical line which has at least one core,
but generally several cores. If there are several cores, it is a multicore
cable. For cables with only one core, it is a single-core cable.
b) The cores of a cable includes a conductor and core insulation.
c) In one cable, the conductors are provided with core insulation which
insulate the conductors. If there are several cores, the several cores, in
their totality, are surrounded by other insulation such as the cable
insulation. For a single-core cable, there is no other insulation besides
the core insulation.
It was stated above, the invention relates to a cable terminal or joining
device for end-face connection of the conductors of a multicore cable.
Here, the cable can be connected to an electrical device or can be joined
in an electrically conductive manner to a second cable. If the cable is
connected to an electrical device, it is a cable terminal. If two cables
are to be connected to one another, it is a joining device. Regardless of
whether it is a terminal or a joining device, the cable or conductor is
always connected by a contact element and thus, the joining device which
joins two cables is also considered herein as a terminal. As such, the
embodiment of the present invention is shown where the terminal connects a
cable to an electrical device. However, the terminal as used herein is can
be used to connect two cables as well and hence, the term terminal also
refers to the joining device in the present application.
In a terminal for electrically conductive connection of a cable to an
electrical device, the electrical device should be understood generally.
In particular, the expression "electrical device" also includes electrical
and electronic components, means and devices.
It was stated initially that the cable terminal is intended for end-face
connection of the conductors of a multicore cable. First of all, it is
conventional in practice for multicore cables to be connected. However,
the cable terminal can also be used for those cables which have only one
core.
With the initially described cable terminal, cables are generally connected
in which the cable insulation, but not the core insulation of the
individual cores, has been removed before connection. The cable terminal
thus enables connection of unstripped conductors. Possibilities for
connecting unstripped conductors are already known from the prior art. For
this purpose, so-called insulation piercing connecting devices or
insulation displacement terminal devices are used in which the contact
elements, which are generally made as contact blades, cut into the core
insulation laterally from outside until contact is made with the
conductor. In addition, there is a second possibility for connecting
unstripped conductors in which the contact elements which are generally
made as contact spikes do not pierce the core insulation, but penetrate
into the conductor and/or the core insulation from the end face of the
cores roughly in the direction of the lengthwise axis of the cores, and
make contact with the conductor.
In the cable terminal to be formed with the present invention, the second
possibility is used, i.e. the core insulation is not cut from the side,
but the conductors are connected from the end face. In doing so, in this
connection, stranded conductors are generally used. Thus, the contact
element penetrates between the individual strands of the conductor. As a
result of the restoration force of the core insulation, there is a
clamping force sufficient for making electrical contact between the
individual strands of the conductor and the contact element which has
penetrated into the conductor.
German patent 44 18 259 discloses a cable terminal of the type under
consideration in which the core holding and guiding part consists of a
plug-side gland and a cable-side end part. In the installed state of the
cable terminal, the gland is pushed into a corresponding recess in the
plug part. The alignment of the individual conductors to the contact
elements takes place by there being four axially parallel channels for
holding the cores in the core holding and guiding part and they are flush
with the contact elements in the installed state. Here, the inside
diameter of the channels is slightly less than the outside diameter of the
cores, by which on the one hand, clamping of the cores takes place, and on
the other, via the corresponding alignment of the gland to the contact
elements, the cores are also aligned to the contact elements. In addition,
the cable-side end part of the core holding and guiding part is made
elastic by the lengthwise slots located in the end part, by which clamping
of the individual cores can be achieved for forces acting accordingly
radially on the end part.
In the above described known cable terminal, exact alignment of the
individual cores to the contact elements is dependent on the production
tolerances of the gland of the core holding and guiding part to the
corresponding recess of the plug part. In addition, for different cables
with different diameters of the cores, different core holding and guiding
parts are necessary. If a cable which is used has cores with smaller
diameters than the core guidance channels, the alignment of the cores to
the contact elements is inadequate.
German utility model 298 17 679 likewise discloses a cable terminal of the
type under consideration, but which enables connection of different cables
with different core cross sections. To do this, the core holding and
guiding part consists of a rubber elastic material with axially parallel
channels located in it. By squeezing the rubber elastic material together
in the radial direction, the channel cross section is matched to the
actual cross section of the inserted cores. But here, the disadvantage is
that by squeezing together the rubber elastic material of the core holding
and guiding part, not only is the channel cross section changed, but also
the alignment of the channel middle to the contact elements are changed.
Thus, insertion of cores with different diameters into the core guidance
channels of the core holding and guiding part is indeed possible, but the
accuracy of alignment of the inserted cores to the contact elements
likewise, depends on the core cross sections used so that exact alignment
cannot always be ensured. In addition, the alignment of the cores is
adversely affected by aging and settling phenomena of the rubber elastic
core holding and guiding part.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, one primary object of this present invention is to make available a
cable terminal for end-face connection of the conductors of a multicore
cable in which alignment of the individual cores to the contact elements
of the plug part is accomplished as precisely as possible. In addition,
within certain limits, different cables with different core cross sections
may be connected with the same cable terminal.
The aforementioned object is first of all achieved in that the core holding
and guiding part includes a first section of soft material and a second
section of hard material. The core guidance channels in the first section,
and a positioning aid in the second section are formed for exact alignment
of the conductors to the contact elements. The "soft material" means
material which is relatively elastic, whereas "hard material" means
material having little elasticity.
The embodiment of the core holding and guiding part in accordance with the
present invention enables connection of different cables with different
core cross sections. By the arrangement of the core guidance channels in
the first section of the core holding and guiding part which consists of
soft material, especially of a soft plastic such as a thermoplastic
elastomer, the cross section of the core guidance channels can be reduced
to the smaller cross section of the cores by radial pressure on this first
section. In doing so, as a result of the elastic properties of the first
section, sufficient clamping of the individual cores into the core
guidance channels can be achieved so that the cores are prevented from
slipping back when the contact elements penetrate into the cores.
Moreover, the radial pressure on the first section provides the contact
force necessary for making electrical contact between the individual
strands of a conductor and the contact element which has been pushed into
the conductor from the end face. Thus, the force acting radially on the
core insulation additionally supports the restoration force of the core
insulation. Because the alignment of the cores or the conductors to the
contact elements is accomplished by a positioning aid formed in the second
section of the core holding and guiding part, exact alignment of the
conductors to the contact elements is not influenced by the core guidance
channels being pressed together. Because the second section consists of a
hard plastic such as a hard thermoplastic or a ceramic material or other
hard insulating material, the positioning aid is much less sensitive to
aging and settling phenomena.
The thermoplastic elastomers for the first section can be, for example, a
natural rubber or a silicone rubber, and the first section can be produced
by vulcanization.
According to one especially preferred embodiment of the invention, the
first section is made in one piece from thermoplastic elastomer and the
second section is made in one piece from thermoplastic. Here, the core
holding and guiding part can be produced in a two-component injection
molding process so that the two sections are connected to one another
materially. The advantage of this core holding and guiding part which is
made as a composite injected part is that in this way, it is easily
ensured that the first section and the second section cannot slide or turn
relative to one another.
According to one preferred embodiment, the positioning aid has holes
assigned to the individual core guidance channels, the holes, as viewed
from the core guidance channels, having a tapering cross section. The
holes can be made funnel-shaped or cone-shaped. By this configuration of
the positioning aid, solely by pushing the cores through the core guidance
channels into the tapering holes, "self-alignment" of the inserted cores
is accomplished. Substantially exact, permanent alignment of the center
lines of the cores, regardless of their diameter within a range, is
accomplished by the funnel-shaped or cone-shaped execution of the holes.
If the contact elements of the plug part are arranged such that they are
centered to the holes of the positioning aid, it is ensured that the
contact elements also meet the end face of the cores to be connected in
the center.
The arrangement and alignment of the contact elements centered to the holes
of the positioning aid can advantageously be accomplished especially
easily by the holes of the first tapering area which adjoins the core
guidance channels having a second area of constant diameter and a third,
widening area. The positioning aid is then used not only to align the
cores, but at the same time, also to align the contact elements so that
exact alignment of the cores to the contact elements is accomplished by
the hole overall and thus, all three areas having a coincident center
line.
It was stated above that the holes have a first tapering area, a second
area of constant diameter, and a third widening area. Here, the first and
the third area are made mirror-symmetrical to one another and even border
one another so that the middle second area is more or less omitted or only
has a negligible length. The minimum diameter of the first tapering area
must always be less than the smallest diameter of the core to be connected
so that the first area of the hole always forms a stop for a core which
has been pushed through a core guidance channel. Conversely, the smallest
diameter of the third area must always be greater than the diameter of the
contact elements so that the contact elements project through the holes
into the area of the core guidance channels. Ideally, the smallest
diameter of the third area corresponds exactly to the outside diameter of
the contact elements.
In the cable terminal in accordance with the present invention, the core
holding and guiding part described in particular above is essential to the
invention. The subject matter of this invention is thus not only the cable
terminal, but also the core holding and guiding part for use in a cable
terminal. For the specific embodiment of the cable terminal, especially of
the plug part and cable receiver, there are various possibilities. What is
functionally important is simply that the plug part and/or the cable
receiver are made such that on the one hand, the plug part and the cable
receiver can be connected to one another, and that on the other hand,
radial forces are applied especially to the first section of the core
holding and guiding part which consists of a soft, elastic material.
According to one advantageous embodiment of the cable terminal or joining
means as claimed in the invention, there is a polarization element which
acts between the plug part and the cable receiver. For this purpose for
example the second section has a groove and the plug part has an assigned
spring. Of course, the groove can also be assigned to the plug part and
the spring to the second section or the polarization element can be made
differently. This polarization element ensures polarized connection of a
cable to the contact elements of the plug part.
According to one advantageous embodiment of the cable terminal in
accordance with the present invention, the cable receiver has a sleeve
with an outside thread and the plug part has a union nut with an inside
thread which corresponds to the outside thread of the sleeve. Thus, to
assemble the cable terminal in the invention, the cable receiver and the
plug part can be easily screwed together, the core holding and guiding
part being located between the cable receiver and the plug part.
The radial force on the core holding and guiding part can be easily
produced by the plug part's having a sleeve part which is located within
the union nut, the sleeve part in the installed state surrounding the core
holding and guiding part and the inside diameter of the sleeve part being
at least partially smaller than the outside diameter of the core holding
and guiding part. A radial force can thus, be applied to the first section
of the core holding and guiding part by the arrangement of this sleeve
part in the plug part in which the core guidance channels are squeezed
together and the cores which have been inserted into the core guidance
channels are secured. Especially advantageous clamping of the cores in the
core guidance channels in the vicinity of the positioning aid is achieved
by the inside diameter of the sleeve part widening in the direction to the
core holding and guiding part. In other words, the sleeve part has the
smallest diameter on the side facing away from the cable receiver.
In particular, there are a host of possibilities for embodying and
developing the above described cable terminal in accordance with the
present invention. These and other advantages and features of the present
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention when
viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a cable terminal
in accordance with the present invention in an opened, unassembled state;
FIG. 1a shows a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a cable
terminal in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention in
an opened, unassembled state;
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the cable terminal corresponding to FIG.
1 in the contact-making, partially assembled state;
FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the core holding and
guiding part of the cable terminal in accordance with the present
invention; and
FIG. 4 shows the core holding and guiding part of a cable terminal in
accordance with the present invention with the inserted cores having made
contact with the contact elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Initially, reference is made to the definitions provided previously. In
addition, as also noted above, the term "cable terminal" as used herein
refer to both terminals which connect a cable to an electrical device as
well as to joining devices that connect two cables together.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show one embodiment of a cable terminal 1 in accordance with
the present invention for end-face connection of the conductors of a
multicore cable 3 which are more clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the
multicore cable having a total of five cores 4. The cable terminal 1
enables connection of unstripped conductors 2 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 by
the contact elements 5 penetrating into the conductor 2 from the end face
of the conductor 2 roughly in the direction of the lengthwise axis of the
conductor 2 in the manner shown in FIG. 4. In doing so, generally stranded
conductors 2 are used so that the contact element 5 penetrates between the
individual strands of the conductor 2. As a result of the restoration
force of the core insulation 6 which surround the individual conductors 2,
there is a clamping force sufficient to make electrical contact between
the individual strands of the conductor 2 and the contact element 5 which
has penetrated the conductor 2.
As seen from the various figures, the cable terminal 1 of the illustrated
embodiment includes a plug part 7 in which the contact elements 5 are
located, a core holding and guiding part 8, and a cable receiver 9. To
connect a cable 3 to the cable terminal 1, the individual cores 4 are
pushed into the core guidance channels 10 which are provided in the core
holding and guiding part 8. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,
there are a total of five core guidance channels 10 in the core holding
and guiding part 8 which are parallel to one another so that for the cable
terminal 1 shown, there is provided with a maximum five cores 4 for
electrical connection of the cable 3. There are also five contact elements
5 in the plug part 7 corresponding to the five core guidance channels 10
which are present.
FIG. 1a shows a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the cable
terminal 1 shown in FIG. 1 but with an optional polarization element which
acts between the plug part 7 and the cable receiver 9 to ensure proper
orientation of these components relative to one another so that the proper
connection between the contact elements 5 and the conductors can be
established. In the illustrated embodiment, the polarization element
includes a groove 24 provided on the cable receiver 9 and a corresponding
engaging mechanism such as a key or a spring (not shown) in the plug part
7 that engages the groove 24 to properly orient the plug part 7 and the
cable receiver 9. Of course, in other embodiments, the groove may be
provided on the plug part 7 and the corresponding engaging mechanism may
be provided on the cable receiver 9 instead.
FIGS. 3 and 4 show a schematic of the core holding and guiding part 8 which
in accordance with the present invention includes a first section 11 of
soft material such as a thermoplastic elastomer, and a second section 12
of a hard material such as a hard thermoplastic or ceramic. In the first
section 11, there are core guidance channels 10, while the second section
12 of the core holding and guiding part 8 forms the positioning aid 13 for
exact alignment of the conductors 2 to the contact elements 5. The core
holding and guiding part 8 is preferably produced in a two-component
injection molding process so that the core holding and guiding part 8 is
in one piece, and the first section 11 is materially connected to the
second section 12.
FIG. 3 shows that the diameter of the core guidance channels 10 is greater
than the diameter of the cores 4 to be connected. Here, the diameter of
the core guidance channels 10 is chosen such that it corresponds to the
largest diameter of the cores 4 intended for connection to the cable
terminal 1. Because the core guidance channels 10 in the first section 11
of the core holding and guiding part 8 are made of a soft material, the
core guidance channels 10 can be pressed together by applying a radial
force to the first section 11 of the core holding and guiding part 8 to
such an extent that sufficient axial fixing of the individual cores 4 in
the core guidance channels 10 is achieved.
The positioning aid 13 of the core holding and guiding part 8 has holes 14
assigned to the core guidance channels 10, the holes 14 having a first
tapering area 15 which adjoins the core guidance channels 10, a second
area 16 of constant cross section, and a third widening area 17. The first
tapering funnel-shaped area 15 of the hole 14 is used for exact
positioning of a core 4 which has been pushed through the core guidance
channel 10. Because the first area 15 of the hole 16 tapers in a funnel
shape, "self alignment" of the inserted cores 4 and thus, also the
conductors 2 with which contact is to be made always takes place so that
the center line of an inserted conductor 2 always aligns with the center
line of the hole 14.
While FIG. 3 shows the core holding and guiding part 8 with the cores 4
inserted but without the contact elements 5, FIG. 4 also shows the contact
elements 5 inserted from the opposite direction. In the same way as the
areas 15 of the holes 14 cause exact alignment of the cores 4, the conical
areas 17 of the holes 14 cause exact alignment of the contact elements 5.
If the outside diameter of the contact elements 5 corresponds to the
smallest diameter of the hole 14, i.e. the diameter of the middle area 16,
a contact element 5 which has been pushed through the hole 14 of the
positioning aid 13 always meets the core 4 which has been inserted into
the core guidance channel 10 exactly in the center and thus, meets the
conductor 2 which is surrounded by the insulation 6 exactly in the center.
The embodiment of the positioning aid 13 described in detail above, and
the material connection of the first section 11 which has the core
guidance channels 10 and the second section 12 of the core holding and
guiding part 8 which has the positioning aid 13, ensures that the contact
elements 5 always meet the end face of the conductors 2 in the center. In
this way then, optimum electrical contact between the conductors 2 and the
contact elements 5 is ensured.
One embodiment for assembly of the cable terminal 1 in accordance with the
present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the embodiment shown, the
cable receiver 9 and the plug part 7 can be screwed to one another via the
cable receiver 9 having a sleeve 18 with an outside thread 19, and the
plug part 7 having a union nut 20 with an inside thread 21 which
corresponds to the outside thread 19 of the sleeve 18. In the assembled
state of the cable terminal 1 then, the core holding and guiding part 8 is
surrounded by the sleeve 18 and the union nut 20.
The plug part 7 of the illustrated embodiment has an inside sleeve 22 and a
contact carrier 23 which holds the contact elements 5. The inside sleeve
22 which form-fittingly surrounds the core holding and guiding part 8 when
in the contact-making state, has an inside diameter which is at least
partially smaller than the outside diameter of the core holding and
guiding part 8. The inside contour of the inner sleeve 22 is preferably
chosen such that in the installed state of the cable terminal 1, the first
section 11 of the core holding and guiding part 8 is pressed together by
the inside sleeve 22 so that the cores 4 which have been pushed into the
core guidance channels 10 are clamped tight. In the embodiment of the
cable terminal 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cable receiver 9 has a clamp
cage 24 which acts as strain relief for the inserted cable 3.
In addition to the embodied implementation of the plug part 7 and the cable
receiver 9 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in which the sleeve 18 is assigned to
the cable receiver 9 and the union nut 20 to the plug part 7, an
embodiment is also possible in which the union nut is assigned to the
cable receiver and the plug part has a sleeve with an outside thread.
Likewise, in other embodiments, there can be a sleeve part in the cable
receiver which applies a radial force to the core holding and guiding part
instead of in the plug part.
While various embodiments in accordance with the present invention have
been shown and described, it is understood that the invention is not
limited thereto. The present invention may be changed, modified and
further applied by those skilled in the art. Therefore, this invention is
not limited to the detail shown and described previously, but also
includes all such changes and modifications.
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