Background
In order to transfer electrical energy from the energy source to and/or from the electrical machine, in particular the electric motor, it is necessary to touch the stator of the electrical machine. This is usually achieved by screwing particularly flexible and correspondingly projecting wires from the stator to the conductor rails. In this case, the respective end of the electrical line facing the conductor rail is usually provided with a cable connection.
In the case of a threaded connection of a cable connection and a conductor rail, in addition to the actual torque of the screw-on, a torque is also present which is caused by so-called under-head friction, which is caused by the bolt pretensioning and the friction value between the screw head and the screw head bearing counter part, in particular the cable connection.
The torque occurring by subhead friction results in the cable lug rotating together and therefore its defined position does not exist, and this can even lead to damage to the connected stator.
For this reason, in particular, it is necessary to fix the cable connection acting as a screw against the counterpart during the screwing process and/or to support the torque which is produced by the occurring underhead friction.
Against this background, the connection of the stator winding wire of an electric motor to a supply wire is known from DE 102011108581 a1, wherein the pivoting movement of the wire provided with the cable lug is suppressed in the case of the use of a rotation-preventing component which is of box-shaped construction. For this purpose, the rotation prevention part has wall sections spaced apart from one another, into the intermediate space of which the wires are introduced and screwed into/onto a terminal block arranged in the inner region of the rotation prevention part. The wall section thus acts as a lateral stop during the rotation of the wire.
DE 102014221578 a1 furthermore describes a device for fixing cables provided with cable lugs in a rotationally fixed manner in a terminal block. For this purpose, the terminal block has a recess into which the cable lug is moved or fitted, in particular laterally. The recess of the cable lug and the terminal block has a mutually corresponding shape, wherein they have a contact surface pairing extending obliquely to the longitudinal direction of the terminal block. In various embodiments, a triangular or trapezoidal design of the recess and the cable connection is thereby produced in some regions. The terminal block and the cable connection are fixed to one another by means of screws, for which purpose internal threads are formed in the terminal block.
DE 102015011695 a1 also discloses an anti-rotation connection of a cable lug to a receiving body, wherein the receiving body itself and thus the cable lug can be fastened to a metal body by means of screws. For this purpose, the receiving body has, on the one hand, a recess for a form-fitting surrounding of the screw and, on the other hand, a receiving region for a standard cable connection. The receiving region corresponds here to the contour of the cable connection and is thus concavely shaped with a semicircular section and a subsequent linear section.
However, a disadvantage with all these designs is the relatively complex structure with a plurality of structural elements. The structural elements must be mounted with close tolerances with respect to one another, which makes mounting extremely complicated.
Disclosure of Invention
Against this background, the object of the invention is to provide a method and a connecting device of the type mentioned at the outset, which simplify the assembly.
According to the invention, a method is provided for producing an electrically conductive connecting element, in particular a cable joint, of an electrical connecting device by pressing (or so-called crimping) a portion of at least one electrical conductor, in particular consisting of twisted wires, which are twisted with respect to one another. In this case, during or during the method following the pressing, at least one contact surface for the respective anti-rotation element is formed, indirectly or directly, which is spaced apart from the side surface of the connecting element, in particular parallel thereto, and/or is angled (or angled) thereto, and can therefore be distinguished therefrom. The side faces of the connecting element are intended to be partially circumferential side faces of the connecting element and, in contrast to the top and bottom faces, do not form a connection with a connecting counterpart and/or a fastening device of the connecting element, in particular for fastening the connecting element and the connecting counterpart. The spacing and/or bending of the contact surface or contact surfaces relative to the side surfaces of the connecting element advantageously enables a connection partner of the connecting element, for example a conductor rail, to be introduced into the connecting device at a greater distance from the anti-rotation element, preferably two anti-rotation elements spaced apart from one another. In particular in the case of two anti-rotation elements, the connection partner can be inserted between the anti-rotation elements with high tolerances and thus in a simple manner, wherein in particular wedging or striking of the connection partner against the anti-rotation elements can advantageously be avoided and thus mounting can be simplified. In this case, the connecting element itself should have substantially the same width as the connecting counterpart, which accordingly does not take into account the possible spaced-apart contact surfaces. This is similarly designed in the case of a contact surface which is bent over with respect to one or more side surfaces. Since the contact surface or contact surfaces must usually be embodied parallel to the connection partner, so that the anti-rotation element does not collide with the connection partner, it is necessary to arrange the connection element at an angle to the connection partner, whereby a greater distance between the connection partner and the anti-rotation element can likewise be achieved.
It is furthermore generally to be noted that the part of the electrical conductor which is pressed to form the connection element or the cable stub is one or even both of the ends of the electrical conductor, in particular consisting of litz wire. The compression of the electrical conductor is understood here to mean, in particular, a solidification caused by, for example, sintering or welding of the strands of the electrical conductor (with the intervention of pressure and in particular by the heat generated by the current).
In a very advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention, at least one protective stop projecting beyond the side edges of the connecting element is formed in the connecting element, in particular in at least one edge region of the connecting element. In this case, the protective stop or the protective stops should have an abutment surface for the respective anti-rotation element. The formation of the protective stop provides an effective and simple possibility of spacing the contact surface from the side of the connecting element. Furthermore, the connection partner, which is optionally formed as a connection device together with the connection element, and the connection element itself do not have to be changed, in particular reduced, in its width and/or thickness, which can only be achieved with difficulty or even not in view of the restrictions caused by the compression of the electrical conductors, in particular consisting of litz wires, and in view of the maximum transmissible current strength between the connection element and the connection partner.
It is furthermore advantageous if, prior to the pressing, at least one second electrical conductor is arranged, which projects beyond the side faces of the electrical conductors, transversely to the longitudinal direction of the electrical conductors to be pressed to form the connecting element, wherein the second electrical conductor is embedded in the connecting element or in a part of the connecting element during the pressing. In this way, a protective stop or a plurality of protective stops, preferably two protective stops here, can be formed directly on the connecting element, wherein the protective stops can have in particular an abutment surface or a plurality of abutment surfaces for one or more anti-rotation elements. For this purpose, the two second electrical conductors can be arranged, for example, transversely to the first electrical conductor, and the pressing can then be carried out.
It is also considered to be particularly advantageous if the at least one protective stop is introduced into the connecting element directly after the pressing by means of stamping (or pressing, punching) and/or separation. In particular, in the case of embossing the protective stop in the edge region or in the opposite edge region of the connecting element, the protective stop or the protective stops can be formed from the connecting element in such a way that, as a result of the material pressing during embossing, they partially project beyond the side edges of the connecting element. In principle, any cross-sectional shape of the protective stop is conceivable here on account of the embossing, but a circular cross-section should preferably be provided. In particular, if, for example, a second electrical conductor or a plurality of second electrical conductors are arranged transversely to the first electrical conductor before the pressing, and therefore there is a portion which projects beyond the side edges of the electrical conductors or the connecting element, it is possible to design the protective stop by means of a separation, from which portion by separation one protective stop or a plurality of, preferably two protective stops can be formed.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the part of the respective protective stop facing away from the connecting element, in particular by means of the stamped-out protective stop, is separated, in particular by means of a cutting tool, so that a respective contact surface is formed in the respective protective stop. In this case, the separation of a part of the protective stop can advantageously be carried out by means of stamping. The production of the contact surface by separating a part of the protective stop advantageously offers the possibility of ensuring a contact surface with better surface quality than, for example, a direct shaping of the contact surface when pressing the electrical conductor, and thus of enabling smaller tolerances between the contact surface and the anti-rotation element.
A significant embodiment of the method according to the invention is further characterized in that the shaping of the electrical conductor is carried out before and/or during the pressing, so that the pressed connecting element has two mutually bent sections. In this way, it is advantageously possible to achieve that, in the case of a configuration of the connecting device which comprises a further connecting partner in addition to the connecting element, the distance or tolerance between the connecting partner and the anti-rotation element can be advantageously increased, while the contact area between the connecting element and the connecting partner and its width can furthermore be designed to be equally large. This advantageously results in that no restrictions need to be made with regard to the maximum transmissible current strength.
The embodiment of the invention is also considered to be advantageous, wherein the second electrical conductor is a stranded conductor, for example a braid, and/or a sheet. The use of a second stranded conductor or sheet as the second electrical conductor introduced prior to compaction provides just the following advantages: the process parameters required for the pressing do not have to be adjusted or are adjusted only to a small extent. Furthermore, the use of sheet metal or a stranded conductor, in particular made of copper, makes it possible to easily process the sheet metal or the stranded conductor by separation, in particular by stamping.
In accordance with the invention, a connecting device is therefore also provided, which has a connecting element, in particular a cable lug, produced by means of the method according to the invention and an electrically conductive connecting partner, in particular an electrically conductive rail. In this case, an anti-rotation element of the connecting device bears against each bearing surface. It is also advantageous if the connecting element has two contact surfaces, so that the fixing of the connecting element and/or the connecting partner against rotation can be ensured by the fixing device both when fixing and also when releasing the particularly non-positive connection between the connecting element and the connecting partner. The fastening means can be a screw which is guided through corresponding openings in the connecting element and the connecting counterpart and engages in corresponding mating threads.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the connecting device, protective stops which project beyond the respective side edges of the connecting element are formed on two opposite edge regions of the connecting element, wherein the protective stops are arranged offset from one another in the longitudinal direction of the connecting element. The protective stop should in each case be spaced apart opposite the pivot point determined in particular by the fastening device, so that the fastening against pivoting is ensured both when fastening and also when releasing the fastening element. The formation of the protective stop provides an effective and simple possibility of achieving a spacing of the contact surface from the side of the connecting element, wherein the connecting partner can be inserted between the anti-rotation elements with high tolerances and thus in a simple manner, and in particular a wedging or a striking of the connecting partner against the anti-rotation elements can advantageously be avoided. The contact surfaces are to be designed parallel to one another.
In this context, it has also proved to be advantageous if the anti-rotation element bears against the bearing surface in the longitudinal direction of the connecting element or transversely thereto. It is necessary here to differentiate the width of the protective stop extending relative to the side edge of the connecting element as a function of the abutment. If the anti-rotation element is arranged to bear against the contact surface of the protective stop transversely to the longitudinal direction of the connecting element, the protective stop is only of such a width that a small tolerance exists between the anti-rotation element and the contact surface. The width of the protective stop is therefore selected in the case of abutment in the longitudinal direction of the connecting element, so that the protective stop extends at least as far as the abutment face and the corresponding contact region of the anti-rotation element.
Detailed Description
Fig. 1a to 1c each show a development of a connecting device 1, wherein each of the developments has an electrically conductive connecting element 2 (in the form of a cable connector) and a likewise electrically conductive connecting counterpart 12. The connection partner 12 is embodied here as a conductor rail. The connection element 2 is in turn manufactured by pressing a part of the electrical conductor 3. In order to prevent the connecting element 2 from rotating relative to the connecting counterpart 12 by fixing and/or loosening the fixing means 13, which are embodied as bolts, a protective stop 8 (projecting beyond the respective side edge 7) is formed in each case on the side faces 4 of the connecting element 2 lying opposite one another transversely to the longitudinal direction L, wherein the protective stops 8 each have an abutment face 5. The contact surface 5 is thus formed at a distance from the side surface 4, which results in the connection partner 12 being at a greater distance from the anti-rotation element 6, against which the connecting element 2 bears via the contact surface 5 when the fastening device 13 is fastened and/or released. In the case of the embodiment shown in fig. 1a, this can be achieved both when fixing and when releasing, since the upper and/or lower region of the protective stop 8 respectively bears against the anti-rotation element 6. This is based on the fact that the anti-rotation element 6 and the protective stop 8 shown in fig. 1a are designed such that the anti-rotation element 6 bears against the contact surface 5 transversely to the longitudinal direction L of the connecting element 2. In the case of fig. 1b and 1c, this can only be achieved if the fastening device 13 is fastened, since in these embodiments the rotation prevention element 6 rests against the contact surface 5 of the protective stop 8 in the longitudinal direction L of the connecting element 2. In addition, the embodiment of fig. 1b shows that only one protective stop 8 with an abutment surface 5 and only one anti-rotation element 6 are implemented. Furthermore, in the embodiment of the connecting device 1 shown in fig. 1a and 1c, the protective stops 8 are arranged offset from one another in the longitudinal direction L of the connecting element 2 and are arranged offset on both sides of the pivot point defined by the fastening device 13.
Fig. 2a to 2c and 3a to 3c show the production of a connecting element 2 in sections, wherein the connecting element as has already been described is produced by first pressing a part of the electrical conductor 3. After the pressing of the electrical conductor 3, in/on the edge regions of the connecting element 2 lying opposite the longitudinal direction L, which likewise comprise the side edges 7 lying opposite the longitudinal direction L, a protective stop 8 projecting beyond the respective side edges 7 of the connecting element 2 is formed by embossing. The projection of the protective stop 8 is formed here by pressing the material of the connecting element 2 outwards. After stamping the protective stops 8, the parts of the respective protective stops 8 facing away from the connecting element 2 are separated, so that during the method, after pressing, the respective contact surfaces 5 are formed indirectly in the respective protective stops 8, which contact surfaces 5 are spaced apart from the side surfaces 4 and can therefore be distinguished from the side surfaces 4. As shown in fig. 2c, the anti-rotation element 6 is placed against the contact surface 5 for the purpose of preventing rotation.
Fig. 4a to 4c and 5a to 5c also show the production of a corresponding embodiment of a connecting element 2, wherein a second electrical conductor 10 is first arranged before the electrical conductor 3 is pressed to form the connecting element 2, which second electrical conductor 10 projects beyond the side face 9 of the electrical conductor 3 transversely to the longitudinal direction L of the connecting element 2. The first electrical conductor 3 and the second electrical conductor 10 are subsequently pressed to form the connection element 2, as shown in fig. 4b and 5 b. By separating a part of the connecting element 2 after the pressing, a protective stop 8 is formed in the connecting element 2 on the side faces 4 opposite transversely to the longitudinal direction L, each projecting beyond the side edges 7 of the connecting element 2. The protective stops 8 are offset from one another in the longitudinal direction L and, by separation, again have contact surfaces 5 spaced apart from the side surfaces 4. The connecting element 2 shown in fig. 4a to 4c and 5a to 5c differs here only in that the second electrical conductor 10 of the embodiment of fig. 4a to 4c is a sheet metal material and in the embodiment of fig. 5a to 5c is a litz conductor.
Fig. 6a and 6b also show a development of the connecting element 2, in which, after the compression of the connecting element 2 shown in fig. 2a, an abutment surface 5, which is bent over relative to the side surface 4 and is therefore distinguishable from the side surface, is formed by separation on the side surface 4 of the connecting element 2 opposite the longitudinal direction L. In this case, the electrical conductor 3 is shaped before and during the pressing, so that the pressed connecting element 2 itself has two mutually bent sections 11.
List of reference numerals
1 connecting device
2 connecting element
3 electric conductor
4 side surface
5 contact surface
6 anti-rotation element
7 side edge
8 protective stop
9 side surface
10 two electrical conductors
11 section(s)
12 connection counterpart
13 fixing device
L longitudinal direction