Patents Assigned to Phoenix Contact GmbH
  • Patent number: 6521832
    Abstract: A cable terminal or joint connection for making electrically conductive connection of a multi-core cable to an electrical device or to another multi-core cable, including a cable terminal component having a union nut and a wire receiving and guide part and including a device terminal component having a clamping and terminal unit which is provided with insulation piercing connecting devices and with terminal elements, and having a sleeve-shaped terminal body which is provided with an outside thread corresponding to the inside thread of the union nut. When the wire receiving and guide part is assembled with the union nut, the wire receiving and guide part is axially fixed via at least one slotted elastic locking ring in the union nut and the wire receiving and guide part is able to turn while in the axially fixed position relative to the union nut. Additionally, loss of the locking ring prior to assembly is prevented by fabricating the locking ring in one piece with the wire receiving and guide part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Ralf Lange
  • Patent number: 6506071
    Abstract: An electrical modular terminal, especially for latching onto a mounting rail, with a base terminal (2) and with at least one plug (3, 4), the base terminal (2) having a terminal housing (7) which made of insulating material, at least one terminal element (8, 9) located in it and at least two sockets which are electrically connected to the terminal element (8, 9) or to terminal elements (8, 9), the plug (3, 4) having a plug housing (13, 14) which is made of insulating material, at least one terminal element (15) located therein and a plug-in contact which is electrically connected to the at least one terminal element (15), and the at least one plug (3, 4) being mechanically connected by means of a fastener to the terminal housing (7) of the base terminal (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Oliver Lange
  • Publication number: 20020167775
    Abstract: An over-voltage protection element for limiting transient over-voltages and for discharging transient currents which includes at least two electrodes defining a spark gap in which an arc is formed when the over-voltage protection element is initiated. Each of the electrodes is composed of a conductive ceramic material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2002
    Publication date: November 14, 2002
    Applicant: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Martin Wetter, Joachim Wosgien, Rainer Durth
  • Publication number: 20020155760
    Abstract: An electrical terminal, for example a terminal block which includes a terminal housing having at least one terminal element located within, such as a tension spring terminal, and with at least one current bar. The terminal housing also includes at least one lead insertion opening for inserting an electrical lead to be connected, at least one actuating opening for inserting an actuating tool for opening the tension spring terminal and at least one test plug opening for inserting a test plug which is laterally offset from the plane of the actuating opening. This electrical terminal enables a test tap while also having smaller size than conventional electrical terminals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2002
    Publication date: October 24, 2002
    Applicant: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Jurgen Brand, Oliver Lange
  • Patent number: 6403884
    Abstract: A cable terminal or joint for electrically conductive connection of a preferably multi-core cable to an electrical device, or for electrically conductive connection of two preferably multi-core cables, with one cable terminal component (2) and with a device terminal component (3), or with a first cable joint component and a second cable joint component, the cable terminal component (2) and the first cable joint component or the device terminal component (3) or the second cable joint component including a union nut (4), a wire receiving and guide part (5) which has a plurality of wire guide channels, a clamping and terminal unit (6) which is provided with insulation piercing connecting devices and with terminal elements, and a sleeve-like terminal body (9) or connecting body which is provided with an outside thread (8) which corresponds to the inside thread (7) of the union nut (4), the wire ends which are to be squeezed by the insulation piercing connecting devices or which are to make contact with the insula
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co.
    Inventor: Ralf Lange
  • Patent number: 6392862
    Abstract: An overvoltage protection element for diverting transient overvoltages, with two electrodes (3, 4), each of which has a current terminal (1, 2), an air-breakdown spark gap (5) between the electrodes (3, 4) and a housing (6) which holds the electrodes (3, 4). The overvoltage protection element with an air-breakdown spark gap (5), with reference to the operating voltage, the lightning surge current and network follow current carrying capacity behavior and the network follow current extinguishing behavior meets current requirements in a special way by the electrodes (3, 4) being located parallel to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Gerd Kracht, Eberhard Lehmann, Klaus Scheibe, Joachim Schimanski, Martin Wetter
  • Patent number: 6364690
    Abstract: A cable connector (1) with a connection device (2) which is connected to a first conductor cable with a linking device (4) in a housing (3) used for insertion of a connection area (6) which is free of cable insulation (5) of a second cable (7) and for electrically connecting the first cable with the second cable (7) wherein the connecting device (2) and the linking device (4) are aligned so that the first cable and the second cable (7) are connected, preferably approximately rectangular to one another. In order to easily connect the first cable with the second cable (7), to a bipartite housing is provided having a lower housing part (8) and an upper housing part. In the lower housing part (8), there are a plurality of grooves (10) for the uptake of the wires (11) of the second cable (7), at least a part of the grooves (10) being oblique to the longitudinal axis (L) of the housing (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co.
    Inventor: Detlef Nehm-Engelberts
  • Patent number: 6347252
    Abstract: A control and data transmission installation and a process for transmission of safety-related data in a control and data transmission installation. In accordance with the invention, safety procedures of existing field bus systems, particularly the interbus, are improved in such a way that there is no need either for additional lines for the transmission of control signals or redundant, safety-related units. In the inventive control and data installation, a master control device and a number of bus subscribers each include respective safety-related devices for carrying out predetermined safety functions. The safety-related devices can communicate with each other by way of a field bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2002
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Thorsten Behr, Karsten Meyer-Gräfe
  • Patent number: 6324658
    Abstract: An apparatus for self-diagnosis of substantially sporadic faults in a serial network which connects a number of subscribers together to a central diagnosis apparatus is characterised in that arranged decentrally at each subscriber (Tln1, . . . Tlnn; FIG.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Jürgen Jasperneite, Detlev Kuschke, Dietmar Schnönherr, Joachim Schmidt
  • Patent number: 6319046
    Abstract: An electrical connection unit including a housing with at least one terminal for receiving either an insulated lead or a stripped lead and at least one metal part having a cutting element and a spring element. The cutting element and the spring element are located along a longitudinal extension of the lead thereby minimizing the height of the electrical connection unit such that it may be used in confined spaces. In accordance with one embodiment, the cutting element and the spring element coincide in space such that they are substantially coplanar to further reduce the size of the electrical connection unit. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the metal part serves a dual function as a cutting element and also as a spring element and has an essentially box-shaped configuration. The housing may also include catch projections and/or attachment cross pieces to retain the metal part in the housing. Furthermore, a mountable thrustor and /or latchable cover may also be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignees: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co., Patent-Treuhand-Gesellschaft fur elektrische Gluhlampen mbh
    Inventors: Jürgen Feye-Hohmann, Gunther Löhmann, Klaus Schadhauser
  • Patent number: 6254422
    Abstract: A terminal has a box spring out of whose wall there is cut at least one elastic terminal leg which is bent into the inside of the box toward an opposing abutment and which has a free terminal end between which the abutment and an electric conductor can be clamped. An actuating part having a projecting pusher end is arranged in the box spring and can be displaced toward the terminal end of the terminal leg. When pushed in, the actuating part with its inside end is pushed as a wedge between the abutment and the terminal leg, thus releasing a clamped electric conductor. The actuating part has a through-channel for insertion of the electric conductor which extends from the conductor insertion orifice on the pusher end to a conductor outlet orifice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co.
    Inventor: Jurgen Feye-Hohmann
  • Patent number: 6181566
    Abstract: The invention relates to an electrical or electronic device (1) for placement on a support rail (2), with a housing (3), and with a circuit board (4) located in the housing (3). To ensure reliable placement of the circuit board (4) in the housing (3) it is provided as claimed in the invention that there is at least one fixing means (27) which is inserted from the outside of the housing (3) into the corresponding openings (26) in the circuit board (4) and in the housing (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co.
    Inventor: J{umlaut over (u)}rgen Feye-Hohmann
  • Patent number: 6172877
    Abstract: An electrical or electronic device (1) for placement on a support rail (2), with a housing (3), with at least one circuit board (4) located in the housing (3), and with contacts (6a, 6b) which point in the lengthwise direction (R) of the support rail for a data and/or power bus connection to adjacent electronic devices which have the corresponding contacts and which are placed on the support rail (2). In order to be able to easily replace the circuit board (4) without interrupting the data and/or power bus connection, the housing (3) is made in at least two parts and there is a top part (7) which holds the circuit board (4) and there is a base part (8) which has contacts (6a, 6b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: J{umlaut over (u)}rgen Feye-Hohmann, Hartmut Follmann, Heinz Reibke
  • Patent number: 6155723
    Abstract: An input/output module (1) with a terminal unit (2) for connection of sensors or actuators with an electronic unit (3) and with a bus connection element (4). The terminal unit (2) has at least one input/output (5) located in a surface thereof and the terminal unit is connected by the electronic unit (3) to the bus connection element (4). To replace the electronic unit (3), the terminal unit (2) can be removed from the electronic unit (3) without the need to remove lines (6) connected to the inputs/outputs (5). The terminal unit (2) is able to be mounted to the electronic unit (3) in each of two positions, the input/output (5) in the two positions lying in planes that are offset relative to each other by 90.degree..
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Thorsten Behr, Roland Berg, Jurgen Brand, Achim Furhoff, Harald Grewe, Frank Hannibal, Andreas Metzger, Werner Neugebauer, Andreas Nordhoff, Viktor Oster, Andreas Pape, Dirk Quardt
  • Patent number: 6111740
    Abstract: An overvoltage protection system with an overvoltage protection element (1) and an ignition aid which triggers the overvoltage protection element (1), the overvoltage protection element (1) having two main electrodes (2, 3) and an air-breakdown spark gap (4) which acts between the main electrodes (2, 3). An overvoltage protection system having a relatively small and also largely constant operating voltage is implemented by there being an ignition circuit (5) with an ignition voltage output (6) as the ignition aid, the overvoltage protection element (1) having an ignition spark gap (7) which acts between the main electrodes (2, 3) with at least one ignition electrode (8) and the ignition electrode (8) being connected to the ignition voltage output (6) of the ignition circuit (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Volker Danowsky, Eberhard Lehmann, Klaus Scheibe, Joachim Schimanski, Joachim Wosgien
  • Patent number: 6099169
    Abstract: A terminal for at least one fiberoptic cable comprising a housing with a front face having at least one slot therein for receiving an end of a fiberoptic cable, at least one optical transmitter and/or receiver, a fitting element which is movable within the housing by sliding and which has at least one insertion opening for a fiberoptic cable to be joined to the at least one transmitter and/or receiver, and with a cutter which has at least one blade. The at least one insertion opening of the fitting element and an actuating arrangement for sliding of the fitting element between a mounting position for receiving the at least one fiberoptic cable and an operating position in which the at least one fiberoptic cable is joined to the at least one transmitter and/or receiver are at the same side of the housing. The housing is provided with at least one cable duct for discharging cut-off pieces of the at least one fiber optic cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH
    Inventors: Thorsten Behr, Roland Berg, Jurgen Brand, Heinz Reibke
  • Patent number: 6033264
    Abstract: The invention relates to electrical or electronic device (1) for seating on a mounting rail (2), with a housing (3), at least one circuit board (4) located in the housing (3), and with at least one contact arrangement (6) having a contact (8) for making contact with the circuit board (4), and front and rear bus contacts for a data and/or power bus connection to adjacent devices (1) which have corresponding contact arrangements (6) and which are seated on the mounting rail (2). To be able to the produce contact arrangement (6) of the device (1) easily and quickly, the circuit board contact (8), the front bus contact (9) and the rear bus contact (10) are produced from the same continuous piece of electrically conductive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co.
    Inventor: Jorgen Feye-Hohmann
  • Patent number: 6004163
    Abstract: An electrical connector includes a frame which supports contact modules which are equipped with connections for a corresponding number of conductors of a multi-wire cable. The contact modules and corresponding female modules can be freely combined in their selection and arrangement and can be latched together to form compact module blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Bernd Behling, Ralf Beckman, Klaus Eisert
  • Patent number: 5993270
    Abstract: Such a clamp has a clamping spring (5) and a busbar (4) on which the pretensioned clamping spring (5) can be placed. One end leg (8) of the clamping spring (5) has a window (9) penetrated by the tongue of the busbar (4), and a spring-tensioned electrical conductor can be fixed between a front edge (12) and the busbar (4). The other end section (14) of the clamping spring (5) abuts a brace of the busbar (4), and the spring forms a flexible joint (6) between its end leg (8) and the end section (14). To make the design and installation simpler, the clamping spring (5) is bent essentially in the form of a circular arc section at its flexible joint (6). Its end leg (8) and end section (14) are bent away from the open side (7) of the arc-shaped flexible joint (6), and the tongue (10) and brace (15) are in a respectively adapted position on the busbar (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignees: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co., Schneider Electric S.A.
    Inventors: Ralf Geske, Herve Grillot, Jean-Luc Bouchard, Christian Pichard
  • Patent number: 5989056
    Abstract: A cable connector includes a housing which supports terminal contacts which have insulation piercing devices. An insulating part can be inserted coaxially into the housing and the housing includes recesses which receive the insulation piercing devices of the terminal contacts. A union nut which can be threaded onto the housing drives the insulating part and serves to fasten and seal the entire cable connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG, (German Corporation)
    Inventors: Ralf Lange, Detlef Nehm-Engelberts