AU2012339166B2

AU2012339166B2 - Attachment assembly for electric board

Info

Publication number: AU2012339166B2
Application number: AU2012339166A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Emmanuel Bouet; Arthur Correia; Dominique Masse; Philippe Viron
Original assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS
Current assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS
Priority date: 2011-11-17
Filing date: 2012-04-27
Publication date: 2015-01-22
Anticipated expiration: 2032-04-27
Also published as: DK2780992T3; AU2012339166A1; IN2014CN04371A; FR2983002A1; ES2547439T3; EP2780992B1; EP2780992A1; CN103959582B; FR2983002B1; WO2013072077A1; CN103959582A

Abstract

The invention relates to an attachment assembly for an electric board, including a grating (G) and an attachment accessory (A) that engage so as to maintain a device (DEV) in position on the grating (G), the grating (G) including perforations (T) and the attachment accessory (A) being provided with engagement means (E) that can be snap-fitted into the perforations (T) and that are capable of attaching the accessory (A) to the grating (G). The attachment accessory (A) includes a base (B) extending orthogonally to the plane of the grating (G), and an attachment arm (X) comprising a head (H) to be positioned so as to be in contact with the device (DEV) on the grating (G) in order to exert a pressure on the device (DEV) against the grating (G), wherein the attachment arm (X) is capable of sliding along the base (B), and the attachment accessory (A) further includes a means (F) for supporting the attachment arm (X) in a stop position that is fixed relative to the base (B), and adjusted such that the head (H) of the attachment arm (X) is spaced apart from the grating (G) by a distance that is sufficient for exerting the pressure on the device (DEV) positioned at the desired location on the grating (D) in order to keep the device in the desired position.

Description

WO 2013/072077 PCT/EP2012/057835 1 Attachment assembly for electric board Technical field of the invention The present invention relates to an attachment assembly for electrical boards. 5 The attachment assembly in accordance with the invention comprises a grating and at least one attachment accessory adapted to cooperate in such a manner as to retain in position on said grating various devices, such as electrical devices, the shape and the dimensions of which are not known in advance. 10 Prior art A number of types of attachment assemblies comprising a perforated grating cooperating with one or more attachment members are known in the prior art. For example, there exists a first type of attachment assembly comprising a grating perforated by cylindrical holes with attachment accessories such as screws 15 adapted to be screwed into said cylindrical holes. A second type of known attachment assembly comprises pairs of attachment members attached to the grating and connected by a strap of adjustable length or by an elastic member so that said strap or said elastic member can be arranged so as to retain in place a device of unspecified size. 20 There also exists a third type of attachment accessory that can be clipped into the perforations of a grating and is adapted to retain a device in position on said grating; however, in the prior art, such accessories are dedicated to retaining in position devices of given height. These known clippable attachment accessories are not adaptable to devices of unspecified size. 25 The known attachment assemblies briefly described above have drawbacks, notably those described hereinafter. Those of the first type necessitate a tool, for example a screwdriver, for attaching the attachment members to the grating. The attachment assemblies of the second type may suffer from the same 30 problem; furthermore, they do not enable devices to be retained in position on the grating in a precise and secure manner.

WO 2013/072077 PCT/EP2012/057835 2 The attachment assemblies of the third type, as previously mentioned, are not adaptable to devices of unspecified size. Moreover, the document GB1237597 describes attachments enabling a product to be attached to a perforated grating, the attachment being adjustable in 5 height. However, the product is attached to the attachments by attachment screws. The document FR1 033411 describes a device for attaching devices to panels provided with distributed holes. The devices must however include quarter-turn screws that pass through the holes in the panel to attach the devices to the panel. The invention aims to alleviate these drawbacks and to propose an 10 attachment accessory and an attachment assembly enabling efficacious and rapid attachment to a perforated grating of various devices, such as electrical devices the shapes and the dimensions of which are not known in advance, without necessitating screws and tools such as a screwdriver. 15 Summary of the invention To this end, the invention consists in an attachment assembly for electric boards comprising a grating and an attachment accessory cooperating to retain a device in position on the grating, the grating including perforations and the attachment accessory having engagement means that can be snap-fitted into the perforations to 20 attach the attachment accessory to the grating, the attachment accessory comprising a base extending orthogonally to the plane of the grating and an attachment arm adapted to slide along the base, the attachment arm including a head designed to be positioned in contact with the device disposed on the grating in such a manner as to exert a pressure on the device against the grating. 25 In accordance with the invention, the attachment accessory comprises means for supporting the attachment arm in a stop position that is fixed relative to the base, and the attachment arm comprises elastic clamping means. The supporting means and the elastic clamping means are such that the head of the attachment arm is at an appropriate distance from the grating to exert an elastic pressure on the device so as to 30 retain the device in a required position on the grating. The attachment accessory advantageously comprises means for detaching the accessory from the grating by applying pressure with the fingers, so as to be able to remove the device easily.

3 The base of the attachment accessory advantageously comprises, on its face oriented toward the grating when the accessory is disposed in such a manner as to be fixed by snap-fitting onto said grating, a pre-positioning post adapted to engage in a perforation of said grating. 5 The attachment accessory advantageously comprises a safety device for safely retaining the attachment arm in a stop position that is fixed relative to the base. The base of the attachment assembly advantageously comprises means for causing the attachment arm to pivot about said base in such a manner as to facilitate disengagement of the device. 10 The attachment arm may advantageously be removable and thus withdrawn from the attachment accessory. The attachment assembly in accordance with the invention advantageously comprises a plurality of attachment accessories disposed to retain said device in the required position. 15 The perforations in the grating advantageously have a square section. The invention also consists in an attachment accessory adapted to be used in such an attachment assembly for electric boards. The attachment accessory has engagement means adapted to be snap-fitted into perforations of a grating to attach the attachment accessory to the grating. It comprises a base and an attachment arm 20 adapted to slide along the base, the attachment arm including a head designed to be positioned in contact with a device disposed on the grating in such a manner as to exert a pressure on the device against the grating. In accordance with the invention, the attachment accessory comprises means for supporting the attachment arm in a stop position that is fixed relative to the base, and the attachment arm comprises 25 elastic clamping means, the supporting means and the elastic clamping means being such that the head of the attachment arm is at an appropriate distance from the grating to be able to exert an elastic pressure on the device in such a manner as to retain the device in a required position on the grating. 30 Brief description of the figures WO 2013/072077 PCT/EP2012/057835 4 Other features and advantages will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description with reference to the appended drawings, which represent: - figure 1: a representation in three dimensions of one example of an 5 attachment assembly in accordance with the invention; - figures 2A and 2B: sectional views of the attachment assembly in accordance with the invention retaining a parallelepiped-shaped device in position on a grating; - figure 3: representations in three dimensions from different angles of an 10 attachment accessory in accordance with the invention. Detailed description of at least one embodiment The invention concerns an attachment accessory and an attachment assembly for electric boards. Figure 1 represents such an attachment assembly 15 comprising a grating G and an attachment accessory A. The grating G in figure 1 comprises perforations T forming holes of square section, but these could be of rectangular or circular section, for example. In order to be fixed into an electric board, the grating G may comprise screw holes or tapped holes V. The attachment accessory A comprises a base B and an attachment arm X 20 adapted to slide axially along the base B. The attachment arm X further comprises a head H designed to exert pressure on a device placed between said head H and the grating G and having to be retained in a required position. Located on the base B, snap-fitting engagement means E are adapted to engage in the perforations T of the grating G in such a manner as to attach said attachment accessory A to said grating G 25 by snap-fitting or clipping it. The attachment accessory A is further provided with means F for supporting the attachment arm X in a stop position that is fixed relative to the base B, adjusted so that the head H of the attachment arm X is at a distance from the grating G appropriate to exerting said pressure on said device disposed at the required location on the rating 30 G. The attachment accessory A represented in figure 1 also comprises an optional pre-positioning post P located on the face of the base B oriented toward the grating G. This pre-positioning post P has a shape adapted to engage in a perforation WO 2013/072077 PCT/EP2012/057835 5 T in such a manner as to assist with correct positioning of the attachment accessory A on the grating G before the snap-fitting engagement means E enable the attachment accessory A to be attached to the grating G. The attachment accessory A may also comprise flexible detachment means D 5 which are adapted, when depressed by the fingers, or even depressed by means of an appropriate tool, to disengage the snap-fitting engagement means E from the grating G in such a manner as to release the attachment accessory A and therefore to be able to remove the device DEV easily and rapidly. 10 Figures 2A and 2B represent a sectional view of the attachment assembly in accordance with the invention with a device DEV disposed on the grating G and retained in place by the attachment accessory A, itself attached to the grating G. In figure 2A, the head H of the attachment accessory A is represented in two positions: 15 - in an open position 1, the device DEV can be freely placed on the grating G and under the head H; it is not retained in position; - in a clamped position or stop position 2, the head H exerts pressure on the device DEV so that the latter is retained in position on the grating G at the required location. 20 Figure 3 shows an example of an attachment accessory A in accordance with the invention from different angles. The attachment accessory A represented in figure 3 conforms to that described with reference to figures 1, 2A and 2B. To cause the head H to go from the open position 1 to the stop position 2, the 25 attachment arm X slides on the base B to the stop position in which the attachment arm X is retained by the supporting means F. These means F for supporting the attachment arm X in the stop position may further comprise a safety device to lock the attachment arm X in translation (sliding) so that it is retained securely in the stop position that is fixed relative to the base B. As indicated in figures 1 and 2A, the means F for 30 supporting the attachment arm X comprise a tooth or projection in the attachment arm X and a plurality of slots in the base B. The tooth is adapted to cooperate with one of the slots in the base B to retain the attachment arm X relative to the base B. The fact of having a plurality of slots makes it possible to adjust the height of the head H relative to WO 2013/072077 PCT/EP2012/057835 6 the grating G when the arm X slides. The shape of the tooth may be such as to facilitate sliding of the arm X only in the direction of the grating G. To exert greater pressure and to improve the accuracy and the security of the retention in position of the device DEV at the required location on the grating G, the 5 head H of the attachment accessory A comprises elastic pressure clamping means comprising, in the example from figures 2A, 2B and 3, a bearing area S which can be pressed to increase the pressure on the device DEV placed on the grating G and under the head H, and as an elastic contact part S'. There may equally be provided means for retaining the head H in the appropriate clamping position and means for releasing the 10 head H. The contact part S' is designed to provide deformation for fine adaptation to the size of the device DEV and maintaining a retaining pressure on said device DEV. In a first embodiment, the head H may be made in one piece integrating the 15 bearing area S and the contact part S'. This contact part S' may have the shape of a wave, for example. This wave shape of the contact part S' may be deformed elastically by pressing on it and by the coming into abutting engagement of the attachment arm X and maintain sufficient pressure of the device DEV on the grating G for fine adjustment to suit the height of the device DEV. 20 Alternatively, and as indicated in figures 2A, 2B and 3, the contact part S' may be a part separate from the head H, placed between the head H and the device DEV and made of rubber so as to be able to exert an elastic pressure on the device DEV. In another embodiment, the contact part S' may comprise a spring placed between the attachment arm X and the base B, said spring exerting on the attachment 25 arm X a return force for maintaining the elastic pressure applied by the attachment arm X to the device DEV via the head H. The attachment arm X is furthermore preferably provided with an unlocking member consisting of a bearing area - or two bearing areas - to which pressure may 30 be applied and that enable(s) release of the locking in translation of the attachment arm X. To demount the device DEV, an action applied to the attachment arm X, perpendicular to the grating G and oriented away from the grating G, then enables 7 upward translation or sliding of the attachment arm X and therefore release of the device DEV. Finally, to facilitate disengagement of the device DEV when the user wishes to remove it from the electric board, the attachment accessory A may comprise, at the 5 level of the base B, means for causing the attachment arm X to pivot about said base B. Alternatively, to the same end, the attachment arm X may be removable and withdrawn from the attachment accessory A, the base B remaining attached to the grating G. 10 The various components of the grating G and the accessory A of the attachment assembly may advantageously be made from plastic material. To summarize, the invention has the advantage of proposing an attachment assembly for electric boards enabling retention in position very simply and very rapidly of any device of any size on a grating fixed into an electric board, the placement and the 15 release of the devices being possible without tools, such as a screwdriver. The attachment accessories A are in fact easily mountable on and demountable from the grating G manually, the head H of the accessories A is easily adjustable in height and the device is just retained by gripping it between the head H of the attachment accessories A and the grating G, without necessitating attachment screws or adjustment, for example. 20 Comprises/comprising and grammatical variations thereof when used in this specification are to be taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof. 25

Claims

1. An attachment assembly for electric boards, comprising a grating and an attachment accessory cooperating to retain a device in position on the grating, the grating including perforations and the attachment accessory having engagement means that can be snap-fitted into the perforations to attach the attachment accessory to the grating, the attachment accessory comprising a base extending orthogonally to the plane of the grating and an attachment arm adapted to slide along the base, the attachment arm including a head designed to be positioned in contact with the device disposed on the grating in such a manner as to exert a pressure on the device against the grating, wherein the attachment accessory comprises means for supporting the attachment arm in a stop position that is fixed relative to the base, and in that the attachment arm comprises elastic clamping means, the supporting means and the elastic clamping means being such that the head of the attachment arm is at an appropriate distance from the grating to exert an elastic pressure on the device so as to retain the device in a required position on the grating.

2. The attachment assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attachment accessory comprises means for detaching the attachment accessory from the grating by applying pressure with the fingers.

3. The attachment assembly as claimed in either one of the preceding claims, wherein the base comprises, on its face oriented toward the grating when the attachment accessory is disposed in such a manner as to be fixed by snap-fitting onto the grating, a pre-positioning post adapted to engage in a perforation of the grating.

4. The attachment assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment accessory comprises a safety device for safely retaining the attachment arm in a stop position that is fixed relative to the base.

5. The attachment assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base comprises means for causing the attachment arm to pivot about said base in such a manner as to facilitate disengagement of the device.

6. The attachment assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment arm is removable and may be withdrawn from the attachment accessory. 9

7. The attachment assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein it comprises a plurality of attachment accessories disposed to retain the device in the required position.

8. The attachment assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the perforations in the grating have a square section.

9. An attachment accessory for electric boards, having engagement means adapted to be snap-fitted into perforations of a grating to attach the attachment accessory to the grating, the attachment accessory comprising a base and an attachment arm adapted to slide along the base, the attachment arm including a head designed to be positioned in contact with a device disposed on the grating in such a manner as to exert a pressure on the device against the grating, wherein the attachment accessory comprises means for supporting the attachment arm in a stop position that is fixed relative to the base, and in that the attachment arm comprises elastic clamping means, the supporting means and the elastic clamping means being such that the head of the attachment arm is at an appropriate distance from the grating to be able to exert an elastic pressure on the device in such a manner as to retain the device in a required position on the grating. SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES SAS WATERMARK PATENT AND TRADE MARKS ATTORNEYS P38707AU00