EP0800192B1 - Electric device comprising a contactor with an accommodation device for a protection module and protection module - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical appliance comprising a contactor shaped so as to be able receive a protection module against overvoltages and a protection module.

In a manner known per se, such a protection module overvoltage is coupled to a contactor either for protect the contactor coil against overvoltages that can be generated between its terminals, i.e. for protect nearby electronic devices of the contactor against parasites generated by electromagnet operations.

These protection modules are usually mounted on the contactors after wiring and commissioning, when the need arises.

Their installation is then often difficult either because of the lack of space in the electrical assembly whose access is made difficult by the complexity of the wiring electric, either because the coil terminals are already occupied by two cables.

It is sometimes necessary to dismantle devices near the contactor and redo the wiring assembly which is very costly in terms of hand time of work.

That is why it was proposed in the document EP-A-0 198 099, which represents the closest state of the art, to provide in one of the side faces of the contactor a recess in which is totally introduces the protection module so that its face apparent either in the plane of the transverse wall of the   contactor. This provision makes it necessary to use a tool to extract the sound protection module housing. This solution has the advantage of including totally the module in the volume of the defined contactor upward from the feet of it but the fitting or dismantling said module after installing the contactor obliges to leave a sufficient interval between neighboring contactors of the same assembly.

This solution also has the disadvantage of occupying a significant part of the space available at the level of contacts.

Furthermore, such a solution is no longer feasible from that the geometry of the contactors has evolved and that the coil electrical connections are now usually placed both on the front of the contactor.

FR 2 631 738 offers a module made up of two parallelepiped portions connected by a flat portion thin. The two parallelepiped portions are intended to be placed in cavities formed at this effect on either side of the front face of the contactor near the terminals of this one while the portion plane is positioned against said front face of the contactor. The protection module positioned on the contactor then extends beyond this front face of the contactor. It can advantageously be put in place or removed without require the displacement of neighboring contactors. The main disadvantage of this arrangement is due to the fact that when the module is positioned on the contactor, its two parallelepipedic portions are arranged in the channels allowing access to the screws fixing said contactor which requires dismantling the protection module when the contactor has to be moved.  

The present invention therefore tends to provide an apparatus comprising a designed contactor and protection module in such a way that it is always easy to climb or dismantle the protection module, the presence of this module not disturbing the interventions to be performed on this contactor.

To this end, the invention provides an apparatus electric of the type comprising a contactor having a housing for the installation of a protection module and a protection module 3, said contactor comprising a base 10 on which are mounted the various electrical elements composing it and having feet 13 located at the four corners of its rear face for the installation of fixing screws, the space present above said feet 13 being left free to allow access to the fixing screws, said housing being provided on one of the walls of said contactor, and said module protection 3 being shaped so that the assembly formed by the contactor and the protection module that it carries does not exceed the volume defined upwards from feet 13 and leaves free breathing above said feet necessary for access to fixing screw, characterized in that said housing extends over the entire width of the wall of the base 10, and in that the protection module 3 comprises a housing 30 whose lateral faces 37 are arranged between the feet 13 of the contactor 1, so that said protection module is capable of being put in place, or extracted, by gripping on its lateral faces 37.

• le logement pour la mise en place du module de protection est limité vers le haut par une protubérance centrale disposée entre les connexions électriques de la bobine,
• une paroi est disposée entre les pieds de la paroi de l'embase comportant le logement pour la mise en place du module de protection,
• le logement pour la mise en place du module de protection est formé dans la face supérieure du contacteur,
• le module de protection comporte un boítier portant deux bras verticaux disposés au-dessus dudit boítier et de part et d'autre de celui-ci et portant des moyens destinés à établir le contact électrique entre ledit module de protection et le contacteur,
• les faces latérales du boítier du module de protection sont disposées entre les pieds et remontent jusqu'aux bras verticaux de manière à laisser libre l'espace situé au-dessus desdits pieds pour l'accès aux vis de fixation,
• les connexions électriques de la bobine comportent des broches qui s'étendent dans des fentes disposées de part et d'autre de la protubérance,
• chaque bras du module de protection porte une languette de contact connectée aux éléments électriques disposés dans le boítier et destinée à se positionner contre une broche du contacteur pour établir la connexion électrique du module de protection et de la bobine du contacteur,
• des moyens d'accrochage de la face supérieure du boítier du module de protection sont constitués par une encoche de la protubérance et une languette flexible disposée sur ladite face supérieure,
• des moyens d'accrochage de la face inférieure du boítier du module de protection sont constitués par deux ouvertures formées dans la paroi et de deux ergots formés sur ladite face inférieure.

The electrical device according to the invention is also remarkable in that:

• the housing for the installation of the protection module is limited upwards by a central protuberance disposed between the electrical connections of the coil,
• a wall is disposed between the feet of the wall of the base including the housing for the installation of the protection module,
• the housing for the installation of the protection module is formed in the upper face of the contactor,
• the protection module comprises a housing carrying two vertical arms arranged above said housing and on either side of it and carrying means intended to establish electrical contact between said protection module and the contactor,
• the lateral faces of the housing of the protection module are arranged between the feet and go up to the vertical arms so as to leave free the space situated above said feet for access to the fixing screws,
• the electrical connections of the coil comprise pins which extend into slots arranged on either side of the protuberance,
• each arm of the protection module carries a contact tab connected to the electrical elements arranged in the housing and intended to be positioned against a contactor pin to establish the electrical connection of the protection module and of the contactor coil,
• means for hooking the upper face of the housing of the protection module consist of a notch in the protuberance and a flexible tongue disposed on said upper face,
• means for hooking the underside of the housing of the protection module consist of two openings formed in the wall and two lugs formed on said underside.

• la figure 1 est une vue de 3/4 avant en perspective du contacteur suivant l'invention et du module de protection avant montage,
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective de l'embase du contacteur équipée du module de protection,
• la figure 3 est une vue de côté en perspective du module de protection.

The invention will be better understood thanks to the description which follows given by way of nonlimiting example with reference to the appended drawings in which:

• FIG. 1 is a front 3/4 view in perspective of the contactor according to the invention and of the protection module before mounting,
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the base of the contactor fitted with the protection module,
• Figure 3 is a side perspective view of the protection module.

In known manner and as shown in FIG. 1, the contactor has a base 10 in which are mounted the different electrical elements that make it up, mainly a coil and an electromagnet and a upper part 1 carrying the contacts.

By this base, the contactor can be set up in an electrical mounting either by being positioned on a rail through opening 11, either by being fixed by screws passing through the holes 12 provided in the feet 13 located at the four corners of the rear face of the base 10. At this indeed, the space present above the feet 13 is left free to allow a tool access to said screws fixation.

Areas 14 allowing the making of connections are arranged on the front side of two arms side 15 disposed on either side of a protuberance 17 central to the upper face of the base 10.

The different notions concerning the position or the orientation of the elements contained in this description must be understood in relation to the contactor hung in the service position on a support vertical.

Two slots 16 separate the arms 15 from the protuberance 17.   The protrusion 17 extends forward relative to the upper wall 18 of the base while remaining in the volume defined upwards from feet 13, in considering these as the four corners of a base support.

A thin wall 19 connects the feet 13.

The upper face of the protrusion 17 and the free edge of the wall 19 are in the same horizontal plane at most arranged along the support base.

Two electrical contacts formed by pins 20 connected to the electrical connections 14 of the coil extend in the slots 16. These pins are visible in FIG. 1, in which we practiced a partial removal to better see the pin located on the right on this figure.

These pins are arranged at a distance from the openings of the slots 16 facing up and forward so to avoid any risk of untimely contact during of interventions on the electrical assembly.

The protrusion 17 has a notch 21 directed towards the wall 19.

The wall 19 has two openings 22 arranged near the front wall 18. For reasons of ease of molding, these openings 22 are through in the example shown in the drawing.

The conformation of the contactor which has just been described allows to reserve in the volume of the contactor, a space free between the protuberance 17 and the wall 19. This space free constitutes a housing for the installation of the module protection 3, said housing extending over the entire width of the wall of the base, here the upper face.  

The protection module 3 intended to be mounted on the contactor described above has a housing 30 of width equal to the free space in the transverse direction of the contactor between feet 13, slightly lower in height to the space separating the protrusion 17 from the wall 19 and of thickness equal to the distance between the front wall 18 the base of the front of the protrusion 17.

This housing 30 is surmounted by two vertical arms 31 arranged above said housing and on either side of this one.

The housing 30 is thus intended to be positioned between the protrusion 17 and the wall 19 without exceeding the volume defined upward by the feet. The lateral faces 37 of the housing 30 are arranged between the feet 13 of the contactor and go back to the vertical arms 31 which allows the box not to encroach on the space left free above said feet on the one hand leave access to the fixing screws, and on the other hand allow grasp the protection module by its side faces.

The arms 31 are for their part intended to be positioned in the slots 16.

Each arm 31 carries a contact tab 32 connected electrical elements arranged in the housing 30 and intended to be positioned against a pin 20 to establish the electrical connection between protection module 3 and the contactor coil.

Means for attaching the protection module 3 to the contactor are provided between the upper faces 35 and lower 36 of the module and respectively the protuberance 17 and the wall 19.

A flexible tongue 33 intended to cooperate with the notch 21 of the protuberance 17 is provided on the face   upper 35 of the housing 30 disposed between the arms 31. This tab can be deleted by pressing in the direction of arrow A (figure 1).

Two pins 34 intended to cooperate with the openings 22 of the wall 19 are formed on the underside 36 of the housing 30.

For the installation of the protection module on the contactor, the arms 31 are inserted into the slots 16 and the tongue 33 in the notch 21.

The module is pulled up so as to erase the tongue 33 while being tilted so as to bring the face 36 of the housing above the wall 19.

We then let the module descend again until it is resting on the wall 19 while the pins 34 penetrate in the openings 22.

The protection module is thus applied against the wall side 18 of the contactor while being able to be grasped by its lateral faces 37.

We understand that a small volume left the along the upper side presenting the housing for the protection module is sufficient to allow the setting in place and removal of said module.

Alternative embodiments can of course be implemented without departing from the scope of this invention.

These variants could, for example, constitute changes in the dimensions of the volume left free for the installation of the protection module according to electrical circuits to be used.  

For this purpose, the wall 19 can be located at another level that in the drawings and the protrusion 17 can be of greater or lesser thickness.

The protection module can be manufactured in such a way simple and economical by forming the housing 30 and the legs 31 in a hollow plastic part obtained by molding. In this hollow room, we have the circuit electric which must compose it provided with the tabs of contact 32, then we drown this circuit in a resin hardening which maintains the components and their resistance to shock and vibration.

The front face of the hollow part is thus closed by the resin.

This front face is arranged against the contactor and not visible from the outside which dispenses with a finish particular.

Claims (10)

1. Electric device of the type comprising a contactor with a protection module accommodation device and a protection module (3), said contactor comprising a base (10) on which the different electric elements constituting the same are mounted, wherein the contactor is provided with feet (13) situated at the four corners of its back side for applying fastening screws, the space above said feet (13) being left free so as to permit access to the fastening screws, said accommodation device being provided on one of the walls of said contactor, and said protection module (3) being formed so that the assemble constituted by the contactor and the protection module carried by the contactor does not protrude from the upwards defined volume starting from the feet (13) and leaves a free space above said feet permitting a free access to the fastening screws, characterised in that said accommodation device extends over the whole width of the wall of the base (10), and in that the protection module (3) comprises a casing (30) of which the lateral sides (37) are placed between the feet (13) of the contactor (1), so that said protection module may be mounted, or taken out, by seizing its lateral sides (37).
2. Electric device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the security module accommodation device is limited upwards by a central protuberance (17) placed between the electric connections (20) of the coil.
3. Electric device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that a wall (19) is placed between the feet (13) of the base wall comprising the protection module accommodation device.
4. Electric device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the protection module accommodation device is formed in the upper side of the contactor.
5. Electric device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the casing (30) of the protection module is provided with two vertical arms (31) placed above said casing on both sides of the same and carrying means able to establish the electric contact between said protection module and the coil of the contactor.
6. Electric device as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that the lateral sides (37) of the casing (30) of the protection module (3), which are placed between the feet (13), are extending upwards up to the vertical arms (31) so as to leave the space free above said feet for the access to the fastening screws.
7. Electric device as claimed in any one of claims 2-6, characterised in that the electric connections (20) of the coil comprise pins extending into slots (16) placed on both sides of the protuberance (17).
8. Electric device as claimed in any one of claims 5-7, characterised in that each arm (31) of the protection module carries a blade terminal (32) connected to the electric elements in the casing (30) and apt to be positioned against a pin (20) of the contactor so as to establish the electric connection of the protection module and of the contactor.
9. Electric device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that it comprises means for catching the upper side (35) of the protection module casing (30), which are constituted by a notch (21) on the protuberance (17) and by a flexible tongue (33) disposed on said upper side.
10. Electric device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that it comprises means for catching the lower side (36) of the protection module casing (30), which are constituted by two openings (22) formed in the wall (19) and by two toes (34) formed on said lower side (36).