CN111480213B

CN111480213B - Overvoltage protection assembly

Info

Publication number: CN111480213B
Application number: CN201880082953.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: G.菲尼斯; R.朗格
Original assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2017-12-22
Filing date: 2018-12-12
Publication date: 2023-06-06
Anticipated expiration: 2038-12-12
Also published as: WO2019121202A1; DE102017131154A1; DE102017131154B4; CN111480213A

Abstract

An overvoltage protection arrangement is shown and described, comprising an overvoltage protection device (1) and an adapter (2) which can be connected to the overvoltage protection device (1), wherein the overvoltage protection device (1) has a housing (5, 6), at least one overvoltage protection element (7) and at least one sensor element (8) which detects the state of the overvoltage protection element. In the overvoltage protection component according to the invention, the signal of the sensor element (8) can be detected particularly simply by: the adapter (2) has at least one contact element (9) and at least one conductor coupling element (10), which is electrically connected to the contact element (9), wherein the end (11) of the contact element (9) facing away from the conductor coupling element (10) is configured in the manner of a needle or a knife, the overvoltage protection device (1) having a contact-conducting region (12), which is arranged in the vicinity of a surface (13) of a housing wall (14) of the housing (5, 6), against which surface the adapter (2) is adjacent when the adapter (2) is connected to the overvoltage protection device (1), such that the needle-shaped or knife-shaped end (11) of the contact element (9) passes through the housing wall (14) and penetrates into the contact-conducting region (12) when the adapter (2) is connected to the overvoltage protection device (1).

Description

Overvoltage protection assembly

Technical Field

The invention relates to an overvoltage protection arrangement having an overvoltage protection device and an adapter which can be connected to the overvoltage protection device, wherein the overvoltage protection device has a housing, at least one overvoltage protection element and at least one sensor element which detects the state of the overvoltage protection element.

Background

Overvoltage protectors are widely used in different embodiments for protecting electrical current circuits, devices, machines and instruments. The overvoltage protection device has different overvoltage protection elements and different designs, depending on the application and the protection class. In particular spark discharge devices, gas-filled surge arresters and varistors (or varistors) and combinations of these components are used as overvoltage protection elements.

Due to aging and sometimes occurring overvoltages (TOV) in the second range, an undesirable increase in the leakage current of the varistor occurs in particular in overvoltage protection elements with the varistor as a discharger in the case of operating voltages. The overvoltage protection element with the varistor as a discharger therefore generally has a hot breaking device, by means of which the varistor, which can no longer be operated without problems, is separated from the current path to be monitored. In the known overvoltage protection element, the state of the varistor is monitored in accordance with the principle of a temperature switch, wherein in the event of overheating of the varistor, for example due to an occurring leakage current, a soldered connection provided between the varistor and the conductive connecting element breaks, which leads to an electrical breaking of the varistor. The soldered connection has the function of a sensor element, since it detects an impermissible heating of the overvoltage protection element and then initiates the breaking of the overvoltage protection element.

An overvoltage protection device with such a hot breaking device is known, for example, from DE 20 2004 006 227 U1. The known overvoltage protection has a conductive connecting element, a thermally disconnected connecting portion and an insulating separating element which is arranged movably on the housing and can be brought from a first position into a second position by the force of a spring element. The first connection contact of the overvoltage protection device is permanently connected in an electrically conductive manner to the connection of the varistor. The second contact is likewise permanently connected to the first end of the conductive connecting element in a conductive manner, while the second end of the conductive connecting element is connected to the second connection of the varistor via a thermally disconnected connection in the normal state of the overvoltage protection element, i.e. when the varistor is not heated inadmissibly. Furthermore, the insulating separating element is held in its first position against the spring force of the spring element by a soldered connection which is realized between the second end of the conductive connecting element and the second coupling of the varistor.

If the surge arrester is heated so strongly as to exceed a predetermined limit temperature as a result of a permanent overload of the varistor, a disconnection of the soldered connection occurs. The insulating separating element is moved by the force of the spring element into its second position, in which the section of the separating element is arranged between the second end of the connecting element and the second coupling of the varistor, so that the surge arrester is electrically disconnected. Furthermore, by moving the separating element into its second position, an arc which may occur when the separating point opens is extinguished by the insulating separating element moving into the separating point.

The known overvoltage protection consists of a socket part provided with a connecting terminal and a plug part configured as a "protection plug", which can be plugged onto the socket part in a simple manner. In the case of a protective plug, the coupling contacts are embodied as plug pins, with which corresponding plug sockets in the socket part are arranged, which plug sockets are connected to the coupling lugs. In addition, the known overvoltage protection device has a visual status indicator and a switching contact as a signal transmitter for remotely signaling the status of the overvoltage protection element, wherein the visual status indicator in the socket part as well as in the plug part can be actuated via a common mechanical actuating system.

Known overvoltage protectors achieve reliable breaking of damaged overvoltage-limiting structural elements, in particular of variable resistors. Furthermore, the overvoltage protection device has in part a visual status indicator and additionally also enables remote notification of the status of the overvoltage protection element. However, it is disadvantageous here that the overvoltage protection device generally requires relatively many components for this purpose, as a result of which the assembly of the overvoltage protection device and thus the overvoltage protection device becomes expensive.

An adapter is known from DE 10 2012 021 341 A1, which can be connected to an overvoltage protection device in that the adapter is plugged onto a plug part of the overvoltage protection device by means of a connecting clip. In the adapter, a photosensor for recognizing the state of the indicator at the plug part of the overvoltage protection is arranged. Since the adapter furthermore has a bus connection for conveying the recognized indication, a remote notification function is achieved by the adapter, so that an overvoltage protection with a visual status indicator can also be provided with a remote notification after (or afterwards, i.e. nachtr ä glich). In addition, further sensors should be arranged in the adapter, by means of which further operating parameters of the overvoltage protection device, such as temperature or pressure, can be detected. However, it is disadvantageous here that the overvoltage protection must have a visual status indicator, which is however covered by the adapter, so that an in-situ (or in-situ, i.e. vor Ort) status indication is only possible if the adapter itself also has an own status indicator.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention is therefore based on the task of providing an overvoltage protection module with an overvoltage protection device and an adapter connectable thereto as described at the outset, which overvoltage protection module, with a simple design, achieves the greatest possible flexibility, so that the operating state of the overvoltage protection device can be monitored in a simple manner.

This object is achieved in the overvoltage protection component described at the outset with the features of claim 1. In the overvoltage protection arrangement according to the invention, the adapter has at least one contact element and at least one conductor coupling element, which is electrically connected to the contact element, wherein the free end of the contact element facing away from the conductor coupling element is embodied in the form of a pin or a knife. The free end of the at least one contact element, which is embodied as a needle or knife, is used here to penetrate the housing wall of the housing of the overvoltage protection device and into a contact-conducting region, which is arranged in the vicinity of a surface of such a housing wall, adjacent to which the adapter is connected to the overvoltage protection device.

The at least one contact element of the adapter can thereby contact a contact-conducting region formed in the housing of the overvoltage protection device in a simple manner, wherein the end of the contact element can be simply plugged through the housing wall by means of its pin-shaped or knife-shaped formation. For this purpose, the housing wall is preferably composed of a suitable plastic at least in the region adjacent to which the adapter is arranged. Since the pin-shaped or blade-shaped end of the contact element can simply pass through the housing wall, the construction and arrangement of the corresponding coupling element at the overvoltage protection device can be dispensed with. Furthermore, it is also unnecessary to electrically connect or wire the adapter to the overvoltage protection device in a time-consuming manner.

In the overvoltage protection component according to the invention, the following possibilities are provided by the design of the adapter: the signal provided by the sensor element is led out of the interior of the housing in a simple manner, so that a remote notification of the status of the overvoltage protection element is achieved when the corresponding conductor is coupled at the conductor coupling element of the adapter. The overvoltage protection can thus be connected into the monitoring system simply via the adapter. In this case, it is particularly advantageous if a corresponding connection of the overvoltage protection device to the adapter can also be made later. The user can thus also make available the already installed corresponding overvoltage protection device with the corresponding remote notification by using the adapter or access to the corresponding monitoring system.

There are different possible designs for the contact-on region of the overvoltage protection. According to a first, particularly simple embodiment, at least one conductor line is arranged in the contact-making region, which conductor line is contacted by the end of the contact element when the adapter is connected to the overvoltage protection device. The conductor tracks can be attached, for example, fixed, in particular glued or sprayed, on the inner side of the housing wall. According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the at least one conductor track is arranged in the housing wall, in particular is sprayed into the housing wall made of plastic. This has the following advantages: the conductor line is insulated from the other components of the overvoltage protection device, wherein the insulation is interrupted only in a punctiform manner when the adapter is connected to the overvoltage protection device, in that a pin-shaped or blade-shaped end of the contact element of the adapter is inserted into the housing wall, wherein the end contacts the conductor line. If the adapter has two contact elements and the contact-conducting region has two conductor tracks, respectively, the conductor tracks are also insulated relative to one another when they are arranged in the housing wall.

If two conductor lines are arranged in the contact-and-conduction region, these conductor lines are preferably connected to the coupling of the sensor element or are formed directly from the coupling of the sensor element. As sensor elements, temperature measuring elements or pressure measuring elements can be used, which detect a temperature increase of the overvoltage protection element or a pressure increase in the housing surrounding the overvoltage protection element. The connecting pin of such a sensor element can be connected to the conductor track which leads into the contact-and-conduction region, or the connecting pin can be directly accessible into the contact-and-conduction region, so that the connection of the sensor element forms the conductor track directly.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, the sensor element is a coil which detects the current flow (or current, i.e. Stromfluss) through the overvoltage protection element and can thus detect the number of individual overvoltage events. The conductor tracks are then connected to the coil or form the free ends of the coil, which may be embodied in particular as a planar coil. This has the following advantages: the coils have only a very small space requirement and can be arranged in the housing with a small distance from the overvoltage protection element.

As already mentioned at the outset, known overvoltage protection devices generally have a hot breaking device, by means of which overvoltage protection elements, in particular varistors, which can no longer be operated without problems can be broken off from the current path to be monitored and can thus be protected from damage. In the overvoltage protection arrangement according to the invention, the overvoltage protection device preferably also has such a hot breaking device, in which the connection is connected to the electrically conductive connection element via the thermally disconnected connection in the normal state of the overvoltage protection element, and the connection element is no longer connected to the connection of the overvoltage protection element when the thermally disconnected connection has been disconnected as an indicator for overload of the overvoltage protection element when the limit temperature has been reached. In this case, for example, an elastic separating tongue can be used as the electrically conductive connecting element, the first end of which is connected to the coupling of the overvoltage protection element in the normal state of the overvoltage protection element via the soldering point as a thermally disconnected connection. If an impermissible heating of the overvoltage protection element occurs, this results in melting of the soldered connection, so that the free end of the separating tongue springs away from the coupling of the overvoltage protection element, thereby electrically disconnecting the overvoltage protection element.

In an overvoltage protection component with an overvoltage protection device having such a hot breaking device, according to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the sensor element is formed by a thermally disconnected connection. The connection element is configured and arranged in such a way that, when the thermally disconnected connection has been disconnected, at least one section of the electrically conductive connection element is arranged in the contact-making region, so that, when the adapter is connected to the overvoltage protection device, the pin-shaped or blade-shaped end of the at least one contact element contacts the section of the electrically conductive connection element. If the elastic separating tongue is provided as an electrically conductive connecting element, this means that the free end of the separating tongue is arranged in the contact-conducting region when the soldered connection melts. In the case of two contact elements, the two ends of the contact elements of the adapter are then electrically connected to one another via the separating tongues.

According to an alternative embodiment of the overvoltage protection arrangement, the sensor element is likewise formed by a thermally disconnected connection of the overvoltage protection device, and a signaling element is additionally arranged movably in the housing, which signaling element can be brought from the first position into the second position when the thermally disconnected connection is disconnected. In this case, in the second position of the signaling element, at least one conductive section of the signaling element is arranged in the contact-conducting region, so that, when the adapter is connected to the overvoltage protection device and the signaling element is in its second position, the pin-shaped or blade-shaped end of the contact element contacts the conductive section.

The signal indicating element can be brought from its first position into its second position by the force of the spring element. The signal indicator element is held or locked in its first position against the spring force of the spring element as long as the thermally disconnected connection has not been disconnected. The suppression of the signal indicator element in its first position can take place directly by the electrically conductive connecting element, as long as the electrically conductive connecting element is connected with its free end via the thermally disconnected connection to the coupling of the overvoltage protection element.

According to one advantageous embodiment, the signaling element has a marking section as a visual status indicator, for which purpose a window is formed in the housing of the overvoltage protection device, through which window the marking section can be seen from the outside when the signaling element is in its second position. The visual indication of the state of the overvoltage protection element can preferably be carried out by a corresponding color indication, for which purpose the marking section of the signaling element preferably has a corresponding color, for example red.

It has been explained at the outset that, when the adapter is connected to the overvoltage protection device, the pin-shaped or blade-shaped end of the at least one contact element passes through the housing wall and into the contact-conducting region. In order to facilitate penetration of the contact element into the housing, it is furthermore preferred that the housing wall of the housing of the overvoltage protection has a smaller wall thickness or weakened region in the contact-on region. In this way, the wall thickness of the housing wall is reduced in a targeted manner in the region, adjacent to which the adapter is connected to the overvoltage protection device, compared to the wall thicknesses of the other housing walls. For this purpose, funnel-shaped regions can be formed, for example, in the respective housing wall, which have a smaller wall thickness than the surrounding housing wall, wherein the weakened regions are then arranged such that the ends of the contact elements pass through the weakened regions of the housing.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the overvoltage protection arrangement according to the invention, the adapter has an adapter housing in which the contact element is arranged such that the pin-shaped or blade-shaped end of the contact element protrudes from the adapter housing on one side of the adapter. The contact elements are thereby securely accommodated in the adapter housing on the one hand, but on the other hand the ends of the contact elements are also so accessible that they can pass through the housing wall of the housing of the overvoltage protection device when the adapter is connected to the overvoltage protection device.

If the adapter has an adapter housing, in addition to the contact elements and the conductor coupling elements, a circuit board with conductor tracks can additionally also be arranged in the adapter housing, via which the conductor coupling elements can be connected to a plurality of contact elements, for example. The adapter may additionally have a communication interface via which the adapter can then be connected particularly simply to the monitoring system. Furthermore, the adapter may also have a visual indicator, so that remote notification of the status of one or more overvoltage protectors as an alternative or in addition may also be accomplished in situ when the one or more overvoltage protectors themselves do not have a visual status indicator.

As previously stated, known overvoltage protectors are generally constructed in two parts. According to a preferred embodiment, in the overvoltage protection arrangement according to the invention, the overvoltage protection is also constructed in two parts, whereby it comprises a socket part and at least one plug part which can be plugged into the socket part. In this case, an overvoltage protection element and, if appropriate, a thermally disconnected connection are arranged in the plug part, while a conductor connection element for the electrical connection of the overvoltage protection element is arranged in the socket part. The overvoltage protection assembly then comprises at least three components that can be connected to one another, namely a plug part, a socket part and an additional adapter. The adapter is preferably connected to the plug part, so that the contact-making region is arranged in the vicinity of the surface of the housing wall of the plug housing.

In a further embodiment variant of the invention, the overvoltage protection device is designed as a plug part which can be plugged into the socket part. In this variant, however, the socket part forms an adapter at the same time, so that the at least one contact element and the at least one conductor coupling element are arranged in the socket part. When the plug part is plugged onto the socket part, on the one hand the overvoltage protection element arranged in the plug part is electrically connected to the conductor coupling element in the socket part via the corresponding contacts, for example the plug pins and the corresponding plug sockets. On the other hand, the at least one contact element also penetrates with its pin-shaped end into a contact-conducting region in the plug part, whereby a signal can be led out of the interior of the plug part.

In addition to the sensor element arranged in the plug part (which may for example refer to a temperature measuring element, a pressure measuring element or a thermally disconnected connection), a further embodiment according to the above embodiment provides for a sensor element to be arranged in the socket part, which is electrically connected to the at least one contact element. The sensor element can then detect the operating state or a change in the operating state of the overvoltage protection element in the plug part. The derived current or leakage current through the overvoltage protection element can thus be measured, for example, by the sensor element.

Drawings

In detail, there are a number of possible solutions for designing and improving the overvoltage protection assembly according to the invention. For this purpose, reference is made not only to the claims which are subordinate to claim 1 but also to the description of preferred embodiments which follows in connection with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings:

figure 1 shows in perspective view and from the front a first embodiment of an overvoltage protection assembly with an overvoltage protector and an adapter according to the invention,

figure 2 shows in perspective view and from the front a second embodiment of an overvoltage protection assembly with an overvoltage protector and an adapter according to the invention,

figure 3 shows in a cross-section the plug part of the adapter and overvoltage protection according to figure 1 in a normal state and with an electrically disconnected overvoltage protection element,

figure 4 shows an enlarged view of a part of the adapter and plug part according to figure 3,

figure 5 shows another embodiment of an overvoltage protection assembly with an overvoltage protector and an adapter in perspective view and with a housing partially omitted,

figure 6 shows a variant of a detail of the overvoltage protection assembly according to figure 5,

figure 7 shows another embodiment of an overvoltage protection assembly with an overvoltage protector and an adapter in perspective view and with a housing partially omitted,

figure 8 shows in perspective view the plug part and the adapter according to figure 3,

fig. 9 shows from the front another embodiment of an overvoltage protection assembly with an overvoltage protector as plug part and an adapter as socket part, and

fig. 10 shows an adapter of the overvoltage protection component according to fig. 9 in a perspective view with and without a housing.

Detailed Description

In the figures, different embodiments of an overvoltage protection assembly according to the invention are shown, wherein the overvoltage protection assembly is in principle composed of an overvoltage protector 1 and an adapter 2, which can be connected to the overvoltage protector 1. Thus, the following possibilities exist: the overvoltage protector 1 is also connected to the adapter 2, thereby providing the following possibilities: the overvoltage protection device 1 is connected to a monitoring system.

In the exemplary embodiments shown in fig. 1 to 8, the overvoltage protection device 1 is constructed in two parts, so that it is composed of a socket part 3 and a plug part 4. The plug part 4 can be plugged into the U-shaped socket part 3 in a simple manner and can again be removed from the socket part 3, for example, in order to replace a damaged plug part 4, without the line section connected to the socket part 3 having to be disconnected for this purpose. The socket part 3 has a socket housing 5 and the plug part 4 has a plug housing 6, which can be snapped into each other when the plug part 4 is plugged onto the socket part 3. In this two-part embodiment of the overvoltage protection device 1, the housing is thus composed of a socket housing 5 and a plug housing 6. The overvoltage protection 1 has at least one overvoltage protection element 7, which in the exemplary embodiments shown in fig. 1 to 8 is part of the plug part 4 together with the sensor element 8, i.e. is arranged in the plug housing 6.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 1 and 2, the overvoltage protection device 1 comprises a socket part 3 (or each consists of a socket part 3) on which three plug parts 4 are plugged. In principle, however, the overvoltage protection device 1 can also consist of a socket part 3 and a plug part 4 or, according to fig. 9, can also be constructed only as one piece.

The adapter 2 has at least one contact element 9 and at least one conductor coupling element 10, which is electrically connected to the contact element 9. In the embodiment shown, the adapter 2 has at least two contact elements 9 and correspondingly also at least two conductor coupling elements 10. Different coupling techniques known from the prior art can be used for the conductor coupling element 10. The conductor coupling element 10 can thus be embodied, for example, as a threaded connection, as is shown in the figures, in particular in fig. 3 and 4, and in fig. 10. However, equally well, the conductor connecting element can also be embodied as a tension spring terminal (or tension spring terminal, i.e. Zugfederklemmen) or as a torsion spring terminal (or edge spring terminal, i.e. schenkel federklemmen). The ends 11 of the contact elements 9 facing away from the conductor coupling element 10 are each embodied in the form of a needle or a knife, so that the contact elements 9 can pass through the plug housing 6 when the adapter 2 is connected to the overvoltage protection device 1.

As can be seen in particular from fig. 3 and 4, the overvoltage protection device 1 has a contact-conducting region 12 which is arranged in the vicinity of a surface 13 of a housing wall 14, adjacent to which the adapter 2 is adjacent when the adapter 2 is connected to the overvoltage protection device 1. In the embodiment according to fig. 1 to 4, this is the end side of the plug housing 6, whereas in the embodiment according to fig. 5 and 7 it is the upper side of the plug housing 6, and in the embodiment according to fig. 9 and 10 it is the lower side of the plug housing 6, at which the adapter 2 is connected with the overvoltage protection device 1. Since the free end 11 of the contact element 9 is embodied in the form of a pin or a blade, the contact element 9 is a so-called piercing contact or blade contact, so that the end 11 of the contact element 9 can pass through the housing wall 14 and reach into the contact-conducting region 12 when the adapter 2 is connected to the overvoltage protection device 1.

According to fig. 5b and 7b, two conductor tracks 15, which can be brought into contact with the end 11 of the contact element 9, can be arranged in the contact-and-conduction region 12. Since the conductor line 15 is connected to the sensor element 8 arranged in the plug housing 6, the signal of the sensor element 8 can be led out of the overvoltage protection device 1 in a simple manner via the contact element 9 of the adapter 2, without special coupling elements being required for this purpose for the overvoltage protection device 1 or the plug part 4.

In the exemplary embodiment of the overvoltage protection device 1 according to fig. 5 and 6, the sensor element 8 is a temperature-measuring element, whose connection 16 is connected to the conductor track 15 (fig. 5 b) or whose connection 16 directly forms the conductor track 15 (fig. 6). By means of the temperature measuring element as sensor element 8, an impermissible heating of overvoltage protection element 7 can be detected, so that when a defined limit temperature is reached, a corresponding warning signal can be output from the temperature measuring element via contact element 9 of adapter 2 to the monitoring unit or to the control center. For this purpose, only the corresponding signal line has to be connected to the conductor connection element 10 of the adapter 2.

In the exemplary embodiment of the overvoltage protection arrangement or overvoltage protection device 1 according to fig. 7, a planar coil 17 is arranged in the plug housing 6 as the sensor element 8, by means of which, for example, a current flow through the overvoltage protection element 7 can be detected. The two conductor tracks 15 which are in contact with one another by the end 11 of the contact element 9 are connected to the planar coil 17 or form the free end of the planar coil 17.

Fig. 3 and 4 show a preferred embodiment of the overvoltage protection device 1, in which embodiment the overvoltage protection device 1 has a hot breaking device. Such a thermal breaking device, which in particular has a soldered connection as a thermally disconnected connection and an electrically conductive connection element, is known from the prior art, for example from DE 20 2004 006 227 U1, so that it is not shown in more detail in the figures. The sensor element 8 that detects the state of the overvoltage protection element 7 is formed here by a thermally disconnected connection which is broken when the overvoltage protection element 7 reaches a limit temperature.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 3, a signaling element 18 is arranged movably in the plug housing 6 of the plug part 4, which signaling element can be brought from the first position into the second position when the thermally disconnected connection is broken. The movement of the signalling element 18 can be effected here, for example, by means of a spring element. In the first position of the signalling element 18 shown in fig. 3a, in which the overvoltage protection element 7 or the overvoltage protector 1 is in a normal state, the signalling element 18 is arranged outside the contact-on region 12. Whereas if the signaling element 18 is in its second position according to fig. 3b, the conductive sections 19 of the signaling element 18 are arranged in the contact-and-conduction region 12, so that the pin-shaped ends 11 of the contact elements 9 contact the conductive sections 19 and are thereby electrically connected to one another via the conductive sections 19 of the signaling element 18.

In this way, a remote notification of the status of the overvoltage protection device 1 can be achieved, without the overvoltage protection device 1 itself having to have corresponding remote notification contacts in the form of micro switches or the like for this purpose. In addition, the overvoltage protection device 1 in the preferred embodiment shown in fig. 3 also has a visual status indicator, for which purpose a marking section 20 is formed on the signaling element 18. The marking section 20 (which may for example have a red color) is located directly below a window 21 formed in the plug housing 6 only when the signaling element 18 is in its second position (fig. 3 b). It can then also be easily detected by the user in situ whether the overvoltage protection element 7 is or is not electrically disconnected.

In order to facilitate penetration of the end 11 of the contact element 9 into the contact opening 12 in the plug housing 6, the housing wall 14 can have a smaller wall thickness in the contact opening 12. Alternatively, a weakened region 22 can also be formed in the housing wall 14, as can be seen from fig. 4 and 8. In this case, in fig. 8, the components of the overvoltage protection assembly according to fig. 1, namely the plug component 4 of the overvoltage protection device 1 and the adapter 2 are shown, wherein however the adapter housing 23 is omitted. It can thus be seen that a circuit board 24 can be arranged in the adapter housing 23, which circuit board on the one hand serves as a carrier for the conductor coupling element 10 and on the other hand has conductor tracks 25 via which the conductor coupling element 10 can be connected to the plurality of contact elements 9.

As can be seen from a comparison of fig. 1 and 2, when the adapter 2 has more than two contact elements 9, more than two conductor coupling elements 10 can also be provided in the adapter 2. Furthermore, as can be seen from fig. 1 and 2, the socket part 3 has a plurality of coupling elements 26 via which the plug part 4 inserted into the socket part 3 is connected to the current path to be monitored. Furthermore, the socket part 3 or the socket housing 5 has a fastening foot 27 via which the socket part 3 and thus the overvoltage protection device 1 can be fastened to the carrier rail. For a secure mechanical fixing of the adapter 2 to the overvoltage protection device 1, the adapter housing 23 and the socket housing 5 can have latching elements, for example a plurality of latching projections and corresponding latching recesses, which correspond to one another.

Fig. 9 and 10 show an embodiment variant in which the overvoltage protection device 1 is designed as a plug part 4 and the adapter 2 as a socket part 3. The overvoltage protection 1 is thereby plugged onto the adapter 2 or the socket part 3. Since the socket part 3 forms the adapter 2 at the same time, the contact element 9 and the conductor coupling element 10 are also arranged in the socket part 3. When the overvoltage protection device 1 is plugged onto the adapter 2, the overvoltage protection element arranged in the overvoltage protection device 1 on the one hand is electrically connected to the coupling element 26 in the socket part 3 via the corresponding plug pin and the corresponding plug socket 28 arranged in the socket part 3. On the other hand, the contact element 9 with its pin-shaped end 11 also penetrates into the contact-conducting region in the plug part 4, as a result of which signals can be led out of the interior of the plug part 4.

In addition to the sensor element (which may be referred to for example as a temperature measuring element or a thermally disconnected connection) arranged in the overvoltage protection device 1, a sensor element 29 is also arranged in the adapter 2, which is electrically connected to the at least one contact element 9, according to the embodiment shown in fig. 9.

The sensor element 29 then detects the operating state or a change in the operating state of the overvoltage protection element in the overvoltage protection device 1. The derived current or leakage current through the overvoltage protection element can thus be measured, for example, by the sensor element 29.

As can be seen from fig. 10, the adapter 2 embodied as a socket part 5 is embodied in U-shape, so that the overvoltage protection device 1 embodied as a plug part 4 can be simply plugged or plugged into the socket part 5. Furthermore, it can be seen from fig. 10a that the pin-shaped end 11 of the contact element 9 protrudes upwards from the socket housing 5, which is also the adapter housing 23. Thus, when the overvoltage protection device 1 is plugged onto the socket part 5, the pin-shaped end 11 of the contact element 9 penetrates into a contact-conducting region 12 of the overvoltage protection device 1, which is arranged near the surface of the lower housing wall 14. While the plug socket 28 for the electrical coupling of the overvoltage protection element is arranged below a slot 30 formed in the socket housing 5. When the overvoltage protection device 1 is plugged onto the socket part 5, the plug pins electrically connected to the overvoltage protection element then sink into the plug sockets 28 arranged therebelow via the slots 30.

Claims

1. An overvoltage protection assembly with an overvoltage protection device (1) and an adapter (2) connectable to the overvoltage protection device (1),

wherein the overvoltage protection device (1) has a housing (5, 6), at least one overvoltage protection element (7) and at least one sensor element (8) which detects the state of the overvoltage protection element,

wherein the adapter (2) has at least one contact element (9) and at least one conductor coupling element (10) which is electrically connected to the contact element (9), wherein the end (11) of the contact element (9) facing away from the conductor coupling element (10) is embodied in the form of a needle or knife,

wherein the overvoltage protection device (1) has a contact-on region (12) which is arranged in the vicinity of a surface (13) of the housing wall (14) of the housing (5, 6) adjacent to which the adapter (2) is adjacent when the adapter (2) is connected to the overvoltage protection device (1),

wherein, when the adapter (2) is connected to the overvoltage protection device (1), the needle-shaped or blade-shaped end (11) of the at least one contact element (9) passes through the housing wall (14) and into the contact-on region (12), and wherein a signal provided by the sensor element (8) can be led out of the housing (5, 6) by means of the adapter (2), so that a remote notification of the state of the overvoltage protection element (7) can be achieved.

2. Overvoltage protection assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one conductor line (15) is arranged in the contact-and-conduction region (12).

3. Overvoltage protection assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that the at least one conductor line (15) is arranged within the housing wall (14).

4. An overvoltage protection assembly according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the sensor element (8) is a temperature measuring element or a pressure measuring element.

5. Overvoltage protection assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that the coupling (16) of the sensor element (8) is connected with the conductor line (15) or forms the conductor line (15).

6. Overvoltage protection assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that the sensor element (8) is a coil (17) which detects the current through the overvoltage protection element and that the conductor line (15) is connected to the coil (17).

7. An overvoltage protection assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that in a normal state of the overvoltage protection element (7), the coupling part of the overvoltage protection element is connected with an electrically conductive connection element via a thermally disconnected connection, wherein the thermally disconnected connection is disconnected in case of overload of the overvoltage protection element, and the electrically conductive connection element is then no longer connected with the coupling part of the overvoltage protection element.

8. Overvoltage protection assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that the sensor element (8) is formed by the thermally disconnected connection and that at least one section of the electrically conductive connection element is arranged in the contact-on region (12) when the thermally disconnected connection is broken, so that in the case of two contact elements, the two needle-shaped or knife-shaped ends (11) of the contact element (9) contact the section of the electrically conductive connection element when the adapter (2) is connected with the overvoltage protector (1).

9. Overvoltage protection assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that the sensor element (8) is formed by the thermally disconnected connection, a signal indicating element (18) being movably arranged in the housing (6), which signal indicating element can be brought from a first position into a second position when the thermally disconnected connection is broken, and in the second position of the signal indicating element (18) at least one conductive section (19) of the signal indicating element (18) is arranged in the contact conduction area (12), so that in the case of two contact elements, the two needle-shaped or knife-shaped ends (11) of the contact element (9) contact the conductive section (19) of the signal indicating element (18) when the adapter (2) is connected with the overvoltage protector (1).

10. Overvoltage protection assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that the signaling element (18) has a marking section (20) as visual status indicator and that a window (21) is formed in the housing (6) of the overvoltage protection device (1), through which window the marking section (20) can be seen from the outside when the signaling element (18) is in its second position.

11. An overvoltage protection assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the housing wall (14) of the housing (6) of the overvoltage protector (1) has a smaller wall thickness or weakened region (22) in the contact-on region (12).

12. An overvoltage protection assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the adapter (2) has an adapter housing (23) and that the needle-shaped or blade-shaped end (11) of the at least one contact element (9) protrudes from the adapter housing (23) on the adapter (2) side.

13. Overvoltage protection assembly according to claim 12, characterized in that a circuit board (24) with conductor tracks (25) is arranged in the adapter housing (23).

14. An overvoltage protection assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the adapter (2) has a communication interface and/or a visual indicator.

15. An overvoltage protection assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the overvoltage protector (1) consists of a socket part (3) and at least one plug part (4) which can be plugged onto the socket part (3), wherein the at least one overvoltage protection element (7) is arranged in the plug part (4) and a coupling element (26) for the electrical coupling of the overvoltage protection element (7) is arranged in the socket part (3).

16. An overvoltage protection assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the overvoltage protector (1) is configured as a plug part (4) and the adapter (2) is configured as a socket part (3) to which the plug part (4) can be plugged, wherein the at least one contact element (9) and a further conductor coupling element for the electrical coupling of the overvoltage protection element (7) are arranged in the socket part (3).

17. Overvoltage protection assembly according to claim 16, characterized in that a further sensor element (29) is arranged in the socket part (5), wherein the further sensor element (29) is electrically conductively connected to the at least one contact element (9) and detects an operating state or a change in an operating state of an overvoltage protection element (7) in the plug part (4).