EP1128471B1 - Conductor guiding device to be connected to an electrical modular apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The guides comprises flexible lamellae which direct inserted conductors towards terminal connections. The structure provides guidance for conductors which are to be connected to modular electrical equipment. This allows the guidance of the stripped end of each conductor from the face which carries the operating handle, to a connection terminal which is accessible from one of the small sides of the box. The terminal has a rapid connection for direct enclosure of at least one conductor. The guide includes a first part mounted outside the box to guide the extremity of the conductor, and a second part mounted inside the box providing direction to the rapid connection. The internal guide is provided by flexible lamellae which are inclined in order to direct the inserted conductor.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for guiding conductors to be connected to a modular electrical device, enabling the bare end of each conductor to be guided from the facade equipped with the control handle of the housing of said apparatus to at least one accessible connection terminal block. from one of the small lateral sides of the box of appearance perpendicular to said facade, with a view to its connection.

The invention has been specifically designed to cooperate with quick-connect terminal blocks by direct plugging conductors, integrated modular electrical devices to improve their comfort of use.

When these are fixed on their rail, for example in a traditional electrical cabinet, the existence of quick-connect terminal blocks is not enough to ensure optimal comfort, because these terminals are in most cases not very accessible. The face of the modular device in which they open is in fact not in front, and it is still necessary that the user can correctly orient the end of each conductor to connect so that the benefits of the fast connection can be appreciated .

The integration of a fast connection device with a conventional modular device therefore requires that the characteristics these devices are used at a suitable potential, the complement provided by the invention.

The terminals themselves, also well known, must adapt to the particular context born of this integration, and the necessary cooperation with the guide device.

Conventionally, the quick-connect devices comprise a conductive guide connected to the conductive terminal of the apparatus and provided with a flat bearing surface against which the stripped end of each conductor must be applied, with a spring blade of which at least one flexible portion is biased toward said bearing surface for jamming the conductor to effect electrical contact, and a control member for moving said blade away from said surface to release said conductor, said blade spring and the control member being for example disposed on either side of the portion of the conductive guide provided with said bearing surface.

This is the configuration which is disclosed in particular in patents EP 0 327 703 and EP 0 335 093.

According to another possibility, for example described in the German patent published under the number 3514097, the control member and the spring blade are disposed on the same side of the conductive guide, one of the terminal ends of said blade being provided with an orifice of reception of the driver that she comes to rest at rest against the guide conductor.

In order that connection devices offering the same advantages as the latter may be used in good conditions if they are integrated into the modular electric appliance, as is disclosed in the Japanese document published under the number 10074543A, it is proposed, according to the invention, to add to said devices guiding devices that significantly improve the ergonomics of the act of connecting conductors.

For this purpose, said guiding devices comprise first guide means guiding the outside of the housing in a first direction the end of each conductor from the front to second guiding means oriented in a second direction towards the interior of said housing for inserting said end into the quick connect terminal block.

The user, placed in front of a modular device attached to its rail, sees mainly the front, on which it must have a visual cue indicating how to select and simply make the connection.

However, the first guiding means consist of at least one chute per terminal block, oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the small lateral side, opening at one of its ends in the facade of the modular apparatus, and the other end is closed, partially bordering orifices marking the entrance of the second guide means.

The end of each chute that opens into the facade, constituting the equivalent of a notch disposed at the longitudinal end of said facade, serves as a marker in which the user, after selection, can introduce the stripped end of the driver.

According to a non-exclusive possibility, the number of guiding chutes corresponds exactly to the number of orifices marking the entrance of the second guiding means.

As will be explained in more detail in the following, the second guide means in fact to individualize the connection, a single conductor by way of connection being admitted. This individualization can therefore be resumed at the level of the first guide means, according to the possibility above.

According to one variant, each terminal block may be associated with first guiding means consisting of a single trough. In this configuration, a chute therefore gives access to several orifices of the second guide means.

One of the problems related to the guidance in the first direction is in carrying out the transfer of the first to the second guide means: in other words, the question of the passage from one direction to the other involves common means on the one hand to stop the progression of the ends of the drivers in the first direction and to prepare on the other hand the conditions of access to the second direction.

In this regard, the partition closing the end of the chute constituting the first guide means comprises at least one cylinder portion of axis coincident with the axis of at least one orifice marking the entrance of the second guide means to which chute leads.

Each portion of the cylinder, seen as an element of the end wall of the first guide means, can also be viewed as part of the second guide means, and thus constitute an element common to both.

In one configuration, the depth of the troughs is maximum at the outlet on the facade of the modular device, and is gradually reduced towards the orifices marking the entrance of the second guide means.

The fact that the depth is the most marked at the level of the facade is explained by the particular functions of the notch thus constituted, mentioned before.

In principle, the stripped end of the conductor guided blindly in the first guide means is maintained in contact with the bottom of the chute, which involves the exercise of an axial stress directed against this bottom. The decrease in the depth, making "up" the bottom of the chute, maintains the pressure contact to the break formed by the inlet ports, in which the driver then plunges naturally.

When the troughs do not lead to a single orifice, if the blind path does not pass over an orifice, the end wall with its cylinder portions rectifies it so that the insertion in the second guide means is made also very naturally.

These second means consist more precisely, for each conductor, in a funnel-type conduit whose inlet orifice opens into the bottom of the first guide means, the section of said means gradually reducing to an outlet opening opening at near the place of the connection in the quick-connect terminal block.

The narrowing, in the second guiding direction, imposes on the end of the conductor a path that brings it to the precise level of the contact area between the conductive guide and the flexible blade of the quick-connect terminal block. It should be noted that the configuration of these latter elements actually participates in guiding in cooperation with the second means, as will be seen in more detail later.

To further facilitate the passage of the first to the second guide means, the intersection between each conduit of the second guide means and the chute of the first guide means in which it opens includes a peripheral chamfer.

• d'un guide conducteur relié à la borne conductrice de l'appareil et pourvu d'une surface d'appui plane contre laquelle s'applique l'extrémité dénudée du conducteur en sortie des seconds moyens de guidage ;
• d'une lame ressort dont au moins une portion élastique flexible inclinée par rapport à ladite surface est rappelé vers cette dernière ; et
• d'un organe de commande manipulable de la façade de l'appareil modulaire et visant à écarter ladite lame de la surface d'appui d'une distance compatible avec le calibre des conducteurs à connecter.

The structure of the guiding device of the invention being thus laid, it is recalled that the terminal block integrated in the insulating housing of the modular device responds precisely to the following characteristics. It consists :

• a conductive guide connected to the conductive terminal of the apparatus and provided with a flat bearing surface against which the stripped end of the conductor exits the second guide means;
• a spring blade of which at least one flexible elastic portion inclined relative to said surface is biased towards the latter; and
• a manipulable control member of the facade of the modular apparatus and for moving said blade away from the support surface by a distance compatible with the size of the conductors to be connected.

The shape of the jacket of the duct or ducts is then provided to fit into the space between the bearing surface of the conductive guide and the inclined portion of the flexible blade. All these elements, arranged in a compact structure at the outlet of the ducts, actually participate in guiding, and extend at least in its final phase until the actual connection.

To ensure that the individualization of the connection is complete, besides the fact that the number of conduits of the second guide means corresponds to the number of conductors to be connected to the terminal block, at least the flexible portion of the spring blade inclined towards the conductive guide is also divided into a corresponding number of parallel slats movable independently of one another.

The cuts between the lamellae are then placed in the extension of the walls separating the ducts.

In order not to impede the conductor connection operations, the ducts of the second guide means are separated by at least one partition whose truncated form at the outlet allows the displacement of at least one arm of the control member whose end rests, at the outlet of said partition, on the slats located on either side thereof, said arm being controlled by a handling head accessible from the front of the modular electrical device.

There is no interference possible when inserting the end of a conductor. According to one possibility, the control member is slidable in the housing of the modular device parallel to the first guide means, and the truncated shape allows the rectilinear movement of the arm or arms.

The return means of this member in the rest position, flexible spring blade in contact with the conductor guide, are other than said blade: the control member also obeys an extremely simple design, only two functional stops to be taken into account. consideration for its operation, as will be seen in more detail later.

A non-sliding variant, in which the control member is pivotable along an axis perpendicular simultaneously to the directions of the first and second guide means, and located in the vicinity of the front of the housing of the modular electrical apparatus, can also be implemented. artwork. In this case, the truncated shape of the partition walls must also allow the movement of the arm or arms of the control member.

According to an essential characteristic, the guiding device of the invention is fixable to the modular electrical device by simply clipping which can no longer be unlocked by the user, once the device attached to the housing.

This possibility opens the field to very interesting practical applications, especially at the manufacturing stage, but also at the marketing stage.

Thus, during manufacture, the control of the product can be performed before clipping the guide, the control tips can then test the product through the terminals without hindrance.

In addition, this possibility makes it possible to calibrate the connection capacity of the product only as a last resort, by adapting a guiding device appropriate to the size that can be used with the apparatus that is equipped with it. Secondarily, this allows the standardization of the internal connection subassembly, since the differentiation is at the level of the guiding device.

This may also include means for identifying or identifying the product, for example by being coated with different colors, and / or by marking, etching, etc., depending on its function, the product range, etc. ..

In addition, in this case, its face intended to come into contact with the housing of the modular device comprises at least one longitudinal groove extending over at least a part of its length from its end having the outlet of the trunking or channels , intended to come into correspondence with at least one similar groove made in said casing to constitute the minus one opening giving access to the conductive guide of the quick connect terminal block.

The orifices thus formed allow the control of the product on site, in use by the front facade.

• la figure 1 représente une vue en perspective d'un appareil électrique modulaire comportant un dispositif de guidage selon la présente invention ;
• la figure 2 est similaire à la précédente, avec le dispositif de l'invention détaché du boîtier de l'appareil électrique modulaire ;
• les figures 3 et 4 montrent en perspective éclatée les éléments principaux de l'invention ;
• la figure 5 représente ces éléments assemblés fonctionnellement ;
• la figure 6 illustre une variante du dispositif de guidage selon l'invention ;
• la figure 7 montre en perspective les éléments principaux de cette variante assemblés ; et
• la figure 8 représente une autre variante dans laquelle l'organe de commande est pivotant.

The invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to the drawings, for which:

• Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a modular electrical apparatus comprising a guiding device according to the present invention;
• Figure 2 is similar to the previous one, with the device of the invention detached from the housing of the modular electrical apparatus;
• Figures 3 and 4 show in exploded perspective the main elements of the invention;
• Figure 5 shows these elements assembled functionally;
• FIG. 6 illustrates a variant of the guiding device according to the invention;
• Figure 7 shows in perspective the main elements of this variant assembled; and
• Figure 8 shows another variant in which the control member is pivotable.

Referring to Figure 1, the modular electrical apparatus (A) comprises a facade (1) with several levels, the longitudinal ends of which surmount the terminal blocks, in an extremely conventional configuration. The small lateral side (2) of shape perpendicular to the general orientation of the facade (1) which is in the foreground in the figure comprises a guiding device (G) according to the invention, cooperating with a quick connect terminal block which only the control member (5) is visible, since it exceeds the front (1).

In the configuration shown, three conductors can be connected, via the guide device (G) of the invention, to the terminal block which appears in FIG. 2. The latter conventionally comprises a conductive guide (3) electrically connected to the electrical terminal. of the apparatus (A), a spring blade (4), and said control member (5).

The conductors, guided by the device (G), are inserted between the conductive guide (3) and the spring blade (4), and are released by action on the button of the control member (5) which is available on the facade (1) of the modular electrical appliance (A).

The guiding device (G) of the invention is clearly illustrated in FIG. 3: it comprises first guiding means in the form of three chutes (6a, 6b, 6c) whose upper end is free, and whose lower end is closed by three walls (7a, 7b, 7c) in cylinder portions.

The chutes (6a, 6b, 6c) are delimited by side walls (8a, 8b) and intermediate (9a, 9b), and have a bottom (10a, 10b, 10c) which is inclined, the depth of the troughs decreasing at the approach of the orifices (11a, 11b, 11c) marking the entrance of the second guide means.

These take the form of guide ducts whose at least external shape imparted by the casing (12) is designed to adapt to the space between the leaf spring (4) and the conductive guide (3). The conductors are directed to the place of connection, that is to say the contact area between the leaf spring (4) and a flat portion (13) of the guide conductor (3).

They are directed so that the action of their end allows to bend the leaf spring (4) for insertion between an end edge of the latter and the flat portion (13) of the guide conductor (3).

To ensure consistency with the individualization of the conductors made by the second guide means, namely the ducts downstream of the orifices (11a, 11b, 11c), the inclined portion of the spring blade (4) is also cut off in strips (14a, 14b, 14c). The second portion (17) of parallel appearance to the portion (13) is fixed relative to the housing of the apparatus (A).

The control member (5) comprises two control arms (15a, 15b) acting simultaneously on the three strips (14a, 14b, 14c) via orifices (16) formed in the flat portion (13) of the conductive guide (3). ). -

Figure 4 shows the same elements from another angle. In this regard, it should be noted the existence of the groove (18) formed in the guide device G, which is placed in correspondence with a corresponding groove of the housing of the modular electrical apparatus (A) when the first city is attached to the second, to form a control port (C) appearing in Figures 1 and 2 in front of the button of the control member (S). This orifice (C) is used for on-site inspection, and makes it possible to test the operating state of the product via the conductive guide via its upper part (19).

FIG. 4 also shows a flexible tab (20) mounted on the button (5) of the control member, and which allows the latter to be fastened when the housing of the modular device (A) is closed at the end of the industrial chain by simple clipping. The hook (21) at the end of said tab allows the maintenance of the member (5) in the housing by pressing against a first stop of the housing of the device (A). A spacer (22) makes it possible to limit the travel of the control member (5) by pressing on the horizontal portion (13) of the conductive guide (3) acting as a second stop between the holes (16) for passage of the arm (15a, 15b).

The ends (23a, 23b) of the walls separating the ducts downstream of the orifices (11a, 11b, 11c) are truncated to allow the passage of said arms (15a, 15b). The remainder of the envelope (12) is configured to adapt to the space between the strips (14a, 14b, 14c) and the portion (13) of the guide (3): this is particularly apparent from FIG. 5.

The configuration of FIG. 6 comprises two guiding devices of the invention associated with two quick-connect terminal blocks. The references used, insofar as they concern the same elements as in the previous figures, have been retained. In this solution, there is no individualization of the chutes with respect to the orifices of the second guide means, but a simple ramp by device, therefore by terminal block.

The first guide means, with reference to Figure 7, consist of a single chute (6) whose bottom (10) is inclined ramp up to the orifices (11a, 11b). The section of said chute is not identical to that of the previous version, configured slightly curvilinear. The closure wall, comprising as many sections of cylindrical shape (7a, 7b) as orifices (11a, 11b) remains in turn identical to the number of possible connections. This solution provides only two connection possibilities, hence a leaf spring (4) divided into two strips (14a, 14b), and a control member (5) with a single arm (15), passing through a single orifice (16) of the flat portion (13) of the conductive guide (13).

It should be noted that the casing (12) of the ducts downstream of the orifices (11a, 11b) again fits perfectly into the residual space between the flexible portions (14a, 14b) of the spring blade (4). and the flat portion (13) of the conductive guide (3) guiding the ends of the conductors to the link of the connection.

With reference to FIG. 8, and by way of example, the button (5) of the control member is pivotally mounted about an axis (23) perpendicular to the plane of the figure, the arm (15) thus benefiting of a lever arm reducing the effort of disconnection. The other elements (conductive guide (3), leaf spring (4) of the quick-connect terminal block) also remain quite similar to those described with reference to other configurations.

In this figure, focused on this pivoting variant, the guide device of the invention is not shown, and replaced by a single conduit (24) for introducing the conductors. However, it is quite obvious that the addition of a guiding device can be done exactly under the same conditions as before.

The configurations described above are moreover to be considered only as illustrative examples of the invention, which are by no means exhaustive of the latter.

Claims (16)

1. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) of the type fixed to a rail with small lateral sides, enabling the stripped end of each conductor to be guided from the front face (1) incorporating the control lever of the housing of said apparatus (A) towards a connection terminal from one of the small lateral sides (2) of said housing oriented perpendicular to said front face, said terminal being of the rapid connection type for directly plugging in at least one conductor, characterised in that it has first guide means (6, 6a, 6b, 6c) providing a guiding action for the end of each conductor in a first direction on the exterior of the housing, from the front face as far as second guide means oriented in a second direction, towards the interior of said housing in order to insert said end in the rapid connection terminal strip.
2. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) as claimed in the preceding claim, characterised in that the first guide means comprise at least one duct (6, 6a, 6b, 6c) per terminal, oriented parallel with the longitudinal axis of the small lateral side (2), opening at one of its ends into the front face (1) of the modular apparatus (A), and the other end of which is closed, partially bordering orifices (11a, 11b, 11c) marking the inlet of second guide means.
3. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) as claimed in the preceding claim, characterised in that the number of guide ducts (6, 6a, 6b, 6c) corresponds to the number of orifices (11a, 11b, 11c) marking the inlet of the second guide means of the guide.
4. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular apparatus (A) as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that each terminal co-operates with first guide means (6, 6a, 6b, 6c) comprising a single duct.
5. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, characterised in that the partition closing the end of the duct (6, 6a, 6b, 6c) constituting the first guide means has at least one cylinder portion (7a, 7b, 7c) coaxial with the axis of at least one orifice (11a, 11b, 11c) marking the inlet of the second guide means towards which said duct (6, 6a, 6b, 6c) leads.
6. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5, characterised in that the depth of the ducts (6, 6a, 6b, 6c) is at its maximum at the level where it opens into the front face (1) of the modular apparatus (A), and progressively reduces in the direction towards the orifices (11a, 11b, 11c) marking the inlet of the second guide means.
7. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the second guide means comprise a funnel-shaped conduit for each conductor, the inlet orifice (11a, 11b, 11c) of which opens into the base of said first guide means (6, 6a, 6b, 6c), and the cross-section of said means progressively reduces, terminating in an outlet orifice opening in the vicinity of the connection point in the rapid connection terminal.
8. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) as claimed in the preceding claim, characterised in that the intersection between each conduit of the second guide means and the duct (6, 6a, 6b, 6c) of the first guide means into which it opens has a peripheral chamfer.
9. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) as claimed in one of claims 7 and 8, characterised in that the rapid connection terminal comprises:

   - a conductor guide (3) connected to the conductive terminal of the apparatus (A) and having a flat support surface (13) against which the stripped end of the conductor leaving the second guide means is applied;

   - a leaf spring (4), of which at least an elastically flexible portion inclined relative to said surface is biased towards the latter; and

   - a control element (5) which can be manipulated from the front face (1) of the modular apparatus (A) and is designed to space said leaf (4) from the support surface (13) by a distance compatible with the size of the conductors to be connected;

   and the shape of the envelope (12) of the conduit or conduits is designed so as to fit in the space formed between the support surface (13) of the conductor guide (3) and the inclined portion of the flexible leaf (4) so that said flat support surface (13) and the elastic portion of the leaf spring (4), disposed in a compact structure at the outlet of the conduit or conduits, extends the guiding action afforded by said conduits.
10. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) as claimed in the preceding claim, characterised in that the number of conduits of the second guide means corresponds to the number of conductors to be connected to the terminal, of which at least the flexible portion of the leaf spring (4) inclined towards the conductor guide (3) is divided into a corresponding number of parallel leaf parts (14a, 14b, 14c) which are able to move independently of one another.
11. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) as claimed in the preceding claim, characterised in that the conduits of the second guide means are separated by at least one partition, the truncated shape of which at the outlet enables the displacement of at least one arm (15, 15a, 15b) of the control element (5), the end of which, on a level with the outlet of said partition, rests on the leaf parts (14a, 14b, 14c) disposed on either side of it, said arm (15, 15a, 15b) being controlled by a manipulating head accessible from the front face (1) of the modular electrical apparatus (A).
12. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) as claimed in the preceding claim, characterised in that said truncated shape enables the arms (15, 15a, 15b) to be moved in a straight line.
13. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) as claimed in claim 11, characterised in that said truncated shape enables the displacement of an arm (15) connected to a manipulating head, pivoting about a perpendicular axis (23) and disposed in the vicinity of the front face (1) of the housing of the modular electrical apparatus (A), simultaneously in the directions of the first and second guide means.
14. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is secured to the modular electrical apparatus (A) by a clip-fit arrangement.
15. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it has means for locating or identifying said modular electrical apparatus, in particular based on colour, and/or marking and/or engraving.
16. Guide device (G) for conductors to be connected to a modular electrical apparatus (A) as claimed in one of claims 14 and 15, characterised in that its face designed to move into contact with the housing of the modular apparatus (A) has at least one longitudinal groove (18) extending across at least a part of its length, from its end incorporating the opening of the duct or ducts (6, 6a, 6b, 6c), designed to match at least one similar groove recessed into said housing to provide at least one orifice (C) affording access to the conductor guide of the rapid connection terminal.

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