EP2650982B1 - Adapter for conductor track - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to an adapter for a cross-sectionally U-shaped multi-pole busbar with an insertable into the receiving slot of the busbar base part and to be arranged outside the busbar head part to which an electrical load is connectable, wherein a first switching shaft is provided by means of which contact fingers for Contacting of the electrical conductors provided in the busbar can be adjusted from a mounting position pivoted into the base part into a pivoted-out contact position, and a second switching device, by means of which a contacting of a phase connection with one of the contact fingers located on the phase and the contact finger resting on the neutral conductor is effected, wherein the second switching device is a second shift shaft, and that the first shift shaft is aligned coaxially with the second shift shaft.

Busbars of the type that are useful and common for such adapters are, for example, in DE-OS 22 50 738 ( FIG. 3 ) shown. Also, this document shows a corresponding adapter.

In the prior art, there are different configurations of such adapters. For example, adapters are known in which two switching shafts are provided, which are arranged coaxially with each other at a distance from one another. In this case, by means of a first switching shaft, a mechanical connection of the adapter to the busbar and a connection of the neutral conductor to the busbar, while the second switching shaft serves to perform the appropriate phase selection, so that the adapter, which is part of the consumer, either to one of three phases of the power rail is connected.

There are also other embodiments of such adapters known. Only one shift shaft is provided. By means of this one switching shaft, both the mechanical connection of the adapter to the busbar as well as the swinging out of all contacts. For phase selection, a slider is provided in this adapter, which is arranged spatially next to the shift shaft and allows the selection of phases by appropriate shift positions.

All these configurations have in common that they are relatively space-consuming, because either two mutually parallel switching shafts must be provided in the housing of the adapter or only a switching shaft and the space for a corresponding slide for phase selection.

An adapter specified in the preamble of claim 1 is known from the US 3,980,368 A known.

From the WO 94 / 24731A1 an adapter with two juxtaposed switching shafts is known, which are manually actuated by means of shift finger.

Based on this prior art, the present invention seeks to provide an adapter of the generic type, which allows a space-saving arrangement of the switching elements.

To solve this problem it is proposed that for a busbar except three phase conductors and a neutral conductor has two more electrical conductors, the adapter additional swung in mounting position and swung in contact position contact fingers, that the additional contact fingers are mounted in the housing of the adapter and by provided on the switching shaft switching cam by rotation of the first switching shaft and are pivotable that the first switching shaft is rotatably supported in the housing of the adapter and having a bottom, wherein contact strips for three phase conductors and a neutral at the bottom of the switching shaft exit and form first connection areas and on Coat emerge at different distances from the ground opposite sides and form the contact fingers, that below the bottom in the housing, a board is fixed in the housing, the upper side four first contacts for the first connection areas d it has contact strips, wherein three contacts are plated through the board and form on the underside of the board three second contact points and three third as phase connections for a Consumers serving contact points, which are spaced from the second and isolated, and rotatably supported below the board, the second arranged as a phase selector switch shaft is arranged, which has a contact bridge which contacts in alternative rotational positions in each case a third contact point with a second contact point and that the fourth, serving as a neutral terminal first contact forms a connection point for a neutral conductor of a consumer and that the two further electrical conductors are formed by resilient contact strips which are held in the housing and at an end portion located in the housing connection points for another electrical load or form an electrical control and a second end portion having the contact fingers, wherein the first switching shaft on the resilient contact strips acting webs or the like switching cam, by means of which the contact fingers in the Contact position are swung out.

By this arrangement and training a particularly space-saving design is achieved because, although still two switching shafts are required, but the two switching shafts are coaxially aligned with each other so that they connect to each other and are minimized in terms of lateral space requirements for installation of the switching shafts.

The function of this adapter is carried out in such a way that upon actuation of the first switching shaft all contact fingers are swung out and also the mechanical locking of the adapter takes place in the busbar. By rotation of the second switching shaft, the corresponding phase can be selected, to which the consumer connected to the adapter is to be connected.

Conventional busbars of the type, as indicated in the cited document, have in the legs of the busbar each two electrical conductors, namely in one leg two phase conductors which are insulated from each other and spaced and in the other leg a phase conductor and a neutral ,

In order to improve the field of application, a new rail is proposed which, in addition to the three phase conductors and the neutral conductor, has two further electrical conductors. Preferably, these two electrical conductors are also additionally arranged in insulating webs between the two phase conductors in one rail side and the phase conductor and the neutral conductor in the other rail side. All conductors are accessible from the receiving channel of the rails, so that so after insertion of the adapter, the corresponding contacts can be made. The fact that the adapter next to the the phase conductors and the neutral conductor connectable contact fingers still has two other conductors, which also have swing out and in contact fingers, an additional application is possible. The additional electrical conductors, for example, the feeding of another voltage source is possible. It may be a voltage source with normal voltage or low-voltage operation. The involvement of electronic circuits or similar elements is possible. With respect to these electrical conductors no corresponding selection of different positions is necessary, but these electrical conductors are in the contact position constantly in electrical contact with the corresponding contact fingers.

The additional contact fingers are pivoted by means of one and the same operating member, namely by means of the first shift shaft from the mounting position in the contact position or zurückverstellt due to material's own spring force from the contact position in the mounting position when the first shift shaft is rotated accordingly in the mounting position.

In addition, this arrangement makes it possible to arrange the corresponding components in a confined space and yet be able to perform all functions safely.

In order to facilitate the operation manually, it is provided that both switching shafts each have a radially projecting manually accessible Have shift finger by means of which they are rotatable.

Preferably, it is also provided that the first shift shaft additionally comprises mechanical locking means, which are retracted in the mounting position in the base part and swung out in contact position for locking on the busbar from the base part.

Although such mechanical locking means could be provided in other ways, but the combination of the locking means with the first shift shaft is preferred. This ensures that after the insertion of the adapter into the corresponding busbar and after rotation of the first switching shaft both the mechanical locking takes place as well as the pivoting of the contacts in the contact position. In addition, projections, or similar means may be provided on the adapter, as is known per se in the prior art, which allows a mistake-free insertion of the adapter into a busbar, so that the adapter can thus be used in one direction only in the busbar and not in a relation to this direction rotated by 180 ° position.

Figur 1

eine U-förmige Stromschiene im Querschnitt gesehen;

Figur 2

einen dazu passenden Adapter in einer Montagesolllage, in der die Kontaktfinger und Verriegelungsmittel eingeschwenkt sind;

Figur 3

desgleichen in Unteransicht;

Figur 4

den Adapter in einer Schrägansicht von unten gesehen mit in Kontaktlage verstellten Kontaktfingern;

Figur 5

den Adapter von oben gesehen;

Figur 6

den Adapter in einer Seitenansicht;

Figur 7

Einzelheiten des Adapters in einer Schnittebene A-A der Figur 6 gesehen;

Figur 8

eine weitere Einzelheit in der Schnittebene B-B der Figur 6 gesehen;

Figur 9

den Adapter in einer Explosionsdarstellung;

Figur 10

eine Einzelheit des Adapters in Explosionsdarstellung;

Figur 11

eine weitere Einzelheit des Adapters in Explosionsdarstellung.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawing and described in more detail below. It shows:

FIG. 1

a U-shaped busbar seen in cross section;

FIG. 2

a matching adapter in a mounting target position, in which the contact fingers and locking means are pivoted;

FIG. 3

likewise in bottom view;

FIG. 4

the adapter in an oblique view seen from below with contact fingers adjusted in contact position;

FIG. 5

seen the adapter from above;

FIG. 6

the adapter in a side view;

FIG. 7

Details of the adapter in a sectional plane AA the FIG. 6 seen;

FIG. 8

another detail in the section BB of the FIG. 6 seen;

FIG. 9

the adapter in an exploded view;

FIG. 10

a detail of the adapter in exploded view;

FIG. 11

another detail of the adapter in exploded view.

In FIG. 1 a bus bar 1 is shown made of metal, which has a substantially U-shaped cross-section. In the receiving channel 2 laterally bounding parallel side walls support rails 3 are arranged made of insulating material. These support rails 3 each take several, mutually insulated, in the rail longitudinal direction parallel to each other and oppositely arranged, accessible from the receiving channel ago uninsulated bare electrical conductor. The conductors 4, 5, 6 can be phase conductors of a three-phase system, while the conductor 7 can be a neutral conductor of this system. The further conductors 8, 9, which are each arranged insulated between a pair of conductors 4, 5 and 6, 7, can be used, for example, as control conductors for an electrical or electronic control or as additional supply conductors for further electrical consumers.

At the base of the busbar 1, a protective conductor 10 is additionally provided. Likewise, a protective conductor 11 may additionally or alternatively be provided on one leg of the busbar 1.

In the further drawing figures, an adapter 12 is shown, which is intended to be inserted into the busbar 1. For this purpose, the adapter 12 has a socket part 13 which can be inserted into the receiving slot of the busbar 1 and a head part 14 which can be arranged outside the busbar 1. The head part 14 forms the Einstecktiefenbegrenzung for the base part 13, wherein on the rail and the head part 14 corresponding elements may be provided which allow a correct position assignment of the parts. For example, projections on the head part and recesses may be provided asymmetrically on the busbar 1, which allow the use of the adapter 12 only in a unique position.

The head part 14 is suitable and intended to receive or carry an electrical load, which is electrically conductively connected to the corresponding contacts of the adapter.

In the adapter housing, a first switching shaft 15 is provided, by means of which a pivoting of contact fingers 16,17,18,19 for contacting the provided in the busbar 1 electrical conductors 4,5,6,7 is made possible by these contact fingers 16 to 19 by rotation the first Shift shaft 15 are adjustable from a retracted or pivoted mounting position in a swung-out contact position.

For example, in FIG. 2 and 3 shown the mounting position in which the contact fingers 16 to 19 are pivoted. In particular in FIGS. 4 to 6 is shown a position in which they are swung out in the contact position. Furthermore, the adapter 12 has a second switching device, by means of which either a contacting of one of the phase terminals of the adapter with a lying on phase contact fingers 16 to 18 alternatively takes place, wherein in each case the contact finger 19 rests on the neutral conductor contact.

According to the invention, the second switching device is formed by a second switching shaft 20. This second shift shaft 20 is used only for phase selection and is aligned coaxially with the first shift shaft 15 and connected to this, so that both are independently rotatable about the same axis.

Both switching shafts 15, 20 each have a radially projecting, externally manually accessible shift finger 21, 22, so that the user can rotate the first shift shaft 15 by actuating the shift finger 21 and turn the second shift shaft 20 to select the phase by operating the second shift finger 22 can. Since at the in FIG. 1 shown busbar 1 except the three phase conductors 4,5,6 and the Neutral conductor 7 are still two more electrical conductors are provided 8.9, accordingly, the adapter 12 has additional pivoted in mounting position and swung out in contact position contact fingers 23,24. All shift fingers pass through in the contact position corresponding window cutouts of the adapter housing.
The first shift shaft 15 additionally has mechanical locking means 25, which are rotatably formed with the shift shaft 15 and are retracted in assembly target position in the base part 13, such as in FIG. 2 it can be seen, and swung in the contact position for locking on the busbar 1 from the base part 13, such as in FIGS. 4 and 5 is apparent.

Since the contact fingers 23, 24 which can be connected to the additional conductors 8, 9 of the busbar 1 are not applied to three-phase current, but are used as control line or as simple conductor systems, it is not necessary to actuate these via the phase selector, that is to say the second switching shaft 20 ,

These additional contact fingers 23, 24 are mounted in the housing of the adapter and spreadable by means provided on the first switching shaft 15 switching cam 26, as in FIG. 7 and 8th is shown clearly. If the switching shaft 15 is rotated from the mounting position into the contact position, the contact fingers 23,24 are swung out of the base part 13 of the adapter 12 by means of the switching cam 26. When turning back the first shift shaft 15, the contact fingers 23,24 spring back into the retracted position.

As already stated, the first shift shaft 15 is rotatably held in the housing of the adapter 12. It has a bottom 27, wherein contact strips for the three phase conductors and the neutral conductor, which have the contact fingers 16 to 19, radially emerge at the upper portion of the switching shaft, while they are down to below the bottom 27 and exit there and first terminal portions 28th to form 31. The contact fingers 16 to 19 occur on the jacket of the first switching shaft 15 at different distances from the bottom 27 and on opposite sides.

Below the bottom 27, a circuit board 32 is fixedly arranged in the housing. This board 32 has on top four first contacts 33 to 36, which are contacted at least in the contact position rotated position of the first switching shaft 15 with the first terminal portions 28 to 31 of the contact strip. The first contacts 33, 34, 35, which are intended for the phase connection, are through-contacted by the circuit board 32, so that they can therefore also be contacted on the underside of the circuit board 32. The first contact 36 is, for example, the neutral conductor contact, which does not have to be through-contacted, since it is in each case connected in a contacting manner to the corresponding contact finger 19 of the first switching shaft 15. The other first contacts 33, 34, 35 may alternatively be contacted become. Serves the second shift shaft 20. This contributes, as in particular FIG. 11 it can be seen, a contact bridge 37 which is resilient and parallel to the axis of rotation of the second switching shaft 20 adjustable. By means of this contact bridge 32 provided contacts can be connected to each other below the board. These are three second contact points which are directly connected to the first contacts 33,34 and 35, and three third as a phase terminals for the consumer serving contact points, which are spaced from the second contact points and isolated. By rotation of the phase selector, namely the second switching shaft 20, the associated contacts for a phase can be connected to each other by the contact bridge 37, so that then a phase is connected to the consumer.

Between the second shift shaft 20 and the underside of the board 32 may still be connected a locking element 38, which ensures that the contact bridge engages only in the three determined by the corresponding phases positions, so that an exact positioning of the second shift shaft 20 by the user allows is.

The two further electrical conductors which form or have the contact fingers 23, 24 are formed by resilient contact strips 39, 40, which are in particular in FIG FIG. 9 can be seen. These are in the housing of the adapter 12th held and have at an end portion located in the housing connecting points 41, 42 for an electrical load or an electrical control. A component 43 which supplements the housing of the adapter has webs 44 to 48, which secure the insertion gap or the insertion region for connecting conductors in the area of the connection points 41, 42 but also the further connection points 49 on the circuit board and 50 on the protective conductor in the desired mounting position.

The protective conductor contact 51 is also held within the adapter housing and exits at the top of the adapter 12 in a resilient contact region 52.

The embodiment of the invention, an adapter 12 is provided which is easy and safe to use, which requires a small space in terms of switching elements and is designed extremely functional, especially if not only a three-phase busbar 1 is used, but a busbar 1, which in addition to three phases and the neutral conductor includes two more conductor connections.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment, but in the context of the disclosure as claimed widely variable.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1.

conductor rail

Second

receiving channel

Third

mounting rails

4th

ladder

5th

"

6th

"

7th

neutral

8th.

ladder

9th

"

10th

protective conductor

11th

"

12th

adapter

13th

base part

14th

headboard

15th

first shift shaft

16th

contact fingers

17th

"

18th

"

19th

"

20th

second shift shaft

21st

Shift finger on 15.

22nd

Shift finger on 20.

23rd

contact fingers

24th

"

25th

locking

26th

switching cams

27th

Soil v. 15th

28th

first connection areas

29th

"

30th

"

31st

"

32nd

circuit board

33rd

first contacts

34th

"

35th

"

36th

"

37th

Contact bridge

38th

locking element

39th

Contact strips

40th

"

41st

interchanges

42nd

"

43rd

complementary part

44th

Stege

45th

"

46th

"

47th

"

48th

"

49th

interchanges

50th

"

51st

Protective earth contacts

52nd

Protective earth contacts

Claims (3)

1. An adapter (12) for a multi-pole busbar (1) having a U-shaped cross-section, comprising a base part (13) to be inserted in the receiving slot (2) of the busbar (1) and a head part (14) to be arranged outside of the busbar, to said head part an electrical consumer being connectable, a first shift axle (15) being provided, by means of which contact fingers (16-19) for contacting the electrical conductors (4-7) provided in the busbar (1) can be adjusted from a mounting position pivoted-in into the base part (13) into a pivoted-out contact position, and a second shift device, by means of which selectively a contact of a phase terminal with one of the contact fingers (16, 17, 18) connected to phase and with the contact finger (19) connected to the neutral conductor (7) is established, the second shift device being a second shift axle (20), and the first shift axle (15) being oriented coaxially with the second shift axle (20), characterized by that for a busbar (1) that includes in addition to three phase conductors (4, 5, 6) and one neutral conductor (7), two more electrical conductors (8, 9), the adapter (12) includes additional contact fingers (23, 24) being pivoted-in in the mounting position and being pivoted-out in the contact position, that the additional contact fingers (23, 24) are attached in the housing of the adapter (12) and can be pivoted in and out by means of shift cams (26) provided at the shift axle (15) by rotating the first shift axle (15), that the first shift axle (15) is rotatably held in the housing of the adapter (12) and includes a bottom (27), contact strips for three phase conductors and one neutral conductor exiting at the bottom the shift axle (15) and forming first connection zones (28-31) and exiting at the envelope in different distances from the bottom on opposite sides and forming the contact fingers (16-19), that underneath the bottom (27) in the housing a circuit board (32) is fixed in the housing, said circuit board having on its upper side four first contacts (33-36) for the first connection zones (28-31) of the contact strips, three contacts (33-35) being contacted through the circuit board (32) and forming on the lower side of the circuit board (32) three second contact pads and three third contact pads spaced to and isolated from the second ones and serving as phase terminals for a consumer, and that underneath the circuit board (32), rotatably held thereat, the second shift axle (20) serving as a phase selector switch is arranged, comprising a contact bridge (37) contacting in alternative rotational positions one third contact pad each with a second contact pad, and that the fourth first contact (36) serving as a neutral conductor terminal forms a connection position for a neutral conductor of a consumer, and that the two additional electrical conductors are formed by resilient contact strips (39, 40) held in the housing and forming connection positions for another electrical consumer or an electrical controller at an end portion (41, 42) located in the housing and comprising a second end portion that includes the contact fingers (23, 24), the first shift axle (15) including webs or the like shift cams (26) acting on the resilient contact strips (39, 40), by means of which the contact fingers (23, 24) are pivoted-out in the contact position.
2. The adapter of claim 1, characterized by that both shift axles (15, 20) respectively include a radially protruding manually accessible shift finger (21, 22), by means of the actuation of which they are rotatable.
3. The adapter of claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the first shift axle (15) in addition includes mechanical locking means (25) that in mounting position are drawn into the base part (13) and in the contact position are pivoted out from the base part (13) for locking at the busbar (1).

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