Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
  • H01H9/00—Details of switching devices, not covered by groups H01H1/00 - H01H7/00
  • H01H9/16—Indicators for switching condition, e.g. "on" or "off"
  • H01H9/168—Indicators for switching condition, e.g. "on" or "off" making use of an electromagnetic wave communication

Definitions

• the present invention relates to modular electrical devices, and more particularly those which are assembled in the same enclosure and between which communication is necessary.
• the term “enclosure” here includes all kinds of cabinet boxes, and other enclosures capable of integrating several devices. modular electric
• Modular electrical devices can have many different functions in a domestic or industrial electrical installation. They can be, for example, control stations, circuit breakers, relays, meters, switches, etc. For some of these devices, it is necessary that at least one of them can communicate data to at least one other modular electrical appliance. This is the case, for example, when the enclosure includes a centralized management appliance used to operate different functions among the various modular electrical appliances of the envelope, depending on the time, of the energy distribution conditions, or any other parameter To this end, modular electrical devices must, for at least some, communicate data to each other. These data are generally digital signals coded according to a pre-established protocol
• FIG 1 schematically shows an envelope 1 designed to house a set of modular electrical devices.
• it is a cabinet made of metal sheets or plastic material having a bottom wall 2, two side walls 4a. and 4b, a base 6, a top 8 and a door 10, located opposite the bottom wall 2, which can completely close the cabinet 1
• the door 10 can be replaced by a series of doors each allowing partial opening, or by one or more removable front plate (s)
• a fixed structure forming a support for modular electrical devices.
• this is made up of uprights 12 situated against the side walls 4a and 4b, uprights 12 on which are fixed.
• several horizontal rails 14 The rails 14 are shaped to detachably detach the modular electrical appliances. The latter can then be arbitrarily mounted on the structure 12, 14.
• data communication between modular electrical devices takes place via cable links. It is then necessary to provide, for each transmission channel, a cable which connects a port of a module to that of another module. In certain applications, installing such wiring is complex
• modular electrical devices are already known which are placed on the same rail side by side.
• the devices have an infrared emitter on one side and a receiver on the other side.
• the transmitter of one is in direct view of the receiver of the other
• infrared information can be transmitted along a row of devices which are on the same rail
• the devices only serve as repeaters when information is not intended for them If the information is intended for them, they perform an action
• WO-A-9905761 describes an overvoltage protection device equipped with a self-diagnostic unit connected by means of an opto-isolator to a communication device.
• Optical data can thus be transmitted through the opto-isolator in the event of an incident and be relayed remotely in the form of electrical signals by means of a telecommunications line.
• optical or infrared link beams are used, these always follow a linear and confined path.
• the latter must on the one hand be equipped with signal relays and on the other hand be located on a specific optical path.
• the present invention provides an envelope comprising a set of modular electrical devices mounted on a support, including at least a first modular electrical device provided with data transmitting means and at least a second modular electrical device provided with data receiving means enabling wireless communication from the first device to the second device.
• This envelope is distinguished by the fact that, when the modular electrical devices are mounted in the service position, the data transmitting means of the first device are oriented opposite a surface of the walls of the envelope. It will thus be understood that in this way the path of the signals from the sending means to the receiving means passes through at least one reflection on at least one internal wall of the envelope.
• the Applicant has surprisingly discovered that the signal emitted does not have to be transported along a studied path to the receiving means of another module, because the internal walls of the envelope can serve as an adequate reflector for distributing the beams
• the data receiving means of the second device are also oriented opposite a surface of the walls of the envelope.
• the wireless link can be an infrared link. It can be ensured by one or more light emitting diode (s) (LED) and receiving photodiodes commonly used in the field of remote controls.
• LED light emitting diode
• the internal walls of the casing 1 - and in particular that of the bottom 2 - act as a sufficiently effective reflector to distribute a beam coming from a transmitting device towards the receiving means of the assembly.
• other devices in the enclosure whether these are on the same rail or on another rail
• the data sending means and the data receiving means when in the service position, are oriented facing surfaces walls outside this part giving access to the interior. In this way, it is possible to ensure the normal course of connections between modular electrical devices even when the enclosure is in the "open" position.
• a part giving access to the interior may be a door, a faceplate, a trap door. , or any other equivalent device
• the data sending means and the data receiving means are oriented facing the same internal face of the casing.
• the data transmitting means and the data receiving means are oriented so as to establish an internal reflection on the surface opposite the part giving access to the interior
• the envelope can be equipped with support means, for example rails 14 as described with reference to FIG. 1 allowing the removable fixing of the first and second modular electrical devices on a plane and arbitrarily a first modular electrical device capable of transmitting by reflection towards at least a second modular electrical appliance at any place in which they are situated on the plan
• the invention also relates to a modular electrical device intended specifically for the aforementioned envelope, comprising on a same face means for mounting in said envelope and means for transmitting and / or receiving wireless data.
• the invention finally relates to a modular electrical device intended specifically for the aforementioned envelope, comprising on the upper or lower face means for transmitting and / or receiving wireless data.
• - Figure 1 is a schematic view of an enclosure intended for mounting modular electrical devices
• - Figure 2 is a schematic representation in side view of two modular electrical devices according to the present invention, mounted on their support,
• FIG. 3 is a schematic and partial side view of another set of modular electrical devices mounted in the envelope of FIG. 1, a view in which the path of certain infrared rays has been shown,
• FIG. 4 is a front view of this set of modular electrical devices.
• FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a variant of the envelope
• front the parts and faces facing towards the door 10
• rear the parts and faces facing towards the bottom 2 of the envelope
• FIG. 2 is a simplified view of two modular electrical devices hereinafter called “module”, 30-1 and 30-2 for wireless data transmission according to the present invention
• each module 30-1 and 30 -2 has on its rear part 30a a cavity 32 allowing its mounting in the casing 1, on a rail 14
• the front face 30b of the module has a part 30c forming the nose
• the nose 30c comprises means forming interface 34 accessible when the door 10 is open
• These means forming an interface 34 may consist of control buttons, indicators or display devices, etc.
• the module 30-1 has on its rear face 30a, facing the rear wall 2, a light-emitting diode 36 intended to emit infrared signals to other modules
• the signals come from a central unit
• a data transmission unit 40 which transforms the data to be transmitted from the central unit 38 into control signals, in the form of electrical pulses according to a predetermined coding These pulses are transmitted to the diode 36 so that the latter emits infrared signals corresponding to the data
• the technique of transmitting commands by a light-emitting diode is in itself well established, and will not be described for the sake of brevity.
• the diode 36 is located on the rear face 30a of the module a short distance from the rear wall 2 of the envelope, of the order of 10 to 50 mm, so that the emitted infrared beam is scattered over a surface portion of the rear wall 2 It is noted here that a light emitting diode 36 generally emits omnidirectionally, so that some spokes can, if necessary, also reach other walls 4 to 8 of the envelope, and in particular the side walls 4a and 4b
• Each light-emitting diode 36 can be associated with an optic (not shown) allowing them to diffuse over a range of very narrow angles. open, in order to improve the distribution of the signals sent to the walls 2 to 8 of the envelope 1
• the module 30-2 has meanwhile on its rear face 30a a receiving means which is in the form of a photodiode (or more) 42
• the photodiode 42 is attached to the light-emitting diode 36 of the module 30-1 in order to be able detect its signals
• the photodiode 42 is connected to a data reception unit 37 itself connected to the central unit 36 in order to transmit to the latter the various signals received
• the photodiodes 42 are mounted on a well exposed part of the rear face 30a of the module to receive signals emanating from various angles of the walls 2 to 8 of the casing 1
• care will be taken to mount the photodiodes 42 outside shadow zones that can be created by the mounting brackets for modules 30-1 and 30-2
• Photodiodes 42 can be associated with optics (not shown) allowing them to pick up radiation over a very wide range of angles
• FIG. 3 is a schematic and partial view of another set of modules comprising, in addition to modules 30-1 and 30-2, a module 30-3 both transmitter and receiver, its central unit being connected to both a data transmission unit connected to the diode 36 and connected to a data reception unit connected to the diode 42
• these are three modules mounted one above the other in the enclosure 1
• Other similar modules visible in FIG. 4 are also mounted below and alongside those shown.
• the rays emitted (shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3) against the walls 2 to 8 by the light-emitting diodes 36 are reflected in all of the direction, especially by the rear wall 2, but also by the side walls 4a and 4b as well as in part by the top 8 and the base 6 if these are also reflective
• module 30-1 is a transmitter module, that is to say a "master” module while module 30-3 is simply a receiver module, that is to say a "slave” module, module 30 -3 being mixed
• one of the master transmitter modules 30-1 or 30-3 When one of the master transmitter modules 30-1 or 30-3 must establish a transmission, its light-emitting diode 36 is activated under control of the circuits 38 and 40 according to a determined protocol.
• the infrared signals emitted undergo multiple reflections against the walls 2 a 8 of the envelope, so that all the rear faces 30a - and therefore the photodiodes 42 - of all the modules of the envelope 1 receive the signal emitted with an adequate intensity.
• the photodiodes 42 of all the modules of the envelope 1 can detect and make it possible to decode a message sent by a light-emitting diode 36 coming from another module.
• the door 10 (or other equivalent means of access) can remain open without interfering with the transmission of signals Indeed, the door 10 is placed with its back to the light-emitting diodes 36 and to the photodiodes 42 and therefore hardly contributes to the retransmission of signals
• the internal surfaces of the walls are sufficiently reflective to ensure a good distribution of the signals (in this case infrared) over the entire space occupied by the modules.
• a reflective coating on the internal face of at least one of the walls, in particular the rear wall. 2
• a coating can for example take the form of a reflective panel against the wall (s), or a reflective layer applied to it (s) -c ⁇
• a transmitter module 30-1 or 30-3 can transmit a message to all the modules, or to one or a group of them.
• the transmission protocols allowing such selective transmission are well known and will therefore not be detailed.
• each module can have its own address, and the sender module initially transmits one or a series of addresses followed by a message intended for them.
• the latter can be a command to activate various devices internal to the modules, such as switches or indicator lights or a signal carrying information necessary for the operation of the module (s) concerned
• each module can determine whether the message transmitted concerns it or not
• modules of this type are simple devices
• the module 30- 1 which cannot receive an acknowledgment message
• the invention does not require that each module must also play a repeater role, as in the case of certain systems of the prior art
• These simple devices can therefore be of low cost.
• nm 950 nanometers (nm), at a power of 40 milliwatts per steradian (mW / sr) at an emission angle between 90 ° and 150 °, for example 120 ° as illustrated in FIG. 3, the emission being made by pulsed mode to maximize the range with acceptable power, and - the receiving means, a diode with integrated amplification with high immunity to ambient light, tuned to the same frequency (950 nm), and having a sensitivity included between 0.2 and 0.4 milliwat per square meter (mW / m 2 ), here 0.3 mW / m 2
• the envelope is made with a box 20 comprising a frame 21 fixed to a wall 22 and a cover 23 coming to be fixed on the frame 21, the latter comprising two rails 24 similar to the rails 14 of the envelope 1
• the reflections are made directly on the wall 22, but in case the wall is not sufficiently reflective, it is possible to have on the wall an appropriate plate, which can for example be a perforated plate

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Electromagnetism (AREA)
• Optical Communication System (AREA)
• Selective Calling Equipment (AREA)
• Casings For Electric Apparatus (AREA)
• Switches With Compound Operations (AREA)
• Data Exchanges In Wide-Area Networks (AREA)
• Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
• Insulating Bodies (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=8846491

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Families Citing this family (28)

Family Cites Families (12)

• 2000
  • 2000-01-31 FR FR0001198A patent/FR2804546B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2001
  • 2001-01-30 PL PL349971A patent/PL199107B1/pl not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2001-01-30 AT AT01904000T patent/ATE450048T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2001-01-30 DE DE60140589T patent/DE60140589D1/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2001-01-30 WO PCT/FR2001/000282 patent/WO2001057897A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2001-01-30 US US09/937,818 patent/US6664468B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2001-01-30 BR BR0105374-4A patent/BR0105374A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2001-01-30 AU AU31938/01A patent/AU3193801A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-01-30 EP EP01904000A patent/EP1166303B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events