EP3044835B1

EP3044835B1 - A device for electrical wiring system

Info

Publication number: EP3044835B1
Application number: EP14790332.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Andrea MUTTIN; Antonio Cavalli
Original assignee: Vimar SpA
Current assignee: Vimar SpA
Priority date: 2013-09-10
Filing date: 2014-09-10
Publication date: 2017-10-18
Anticipated expiration: 2034-09-10
Also published as: TN2016000079A1; MA38900B1; HRP20180089T1; RU2016113277A3; ITPD20130245A1; EP3044835A1; ES2654773T3; MA38900A1; SI3044835T1; RU2016113277A; WO2015036933A1; PL3044835T3; PT3044835T; RU2663195C2

Description

The invention relates to a device for electrical wiring systems designed to control electrical apparatus in an electrical wiring system or to connect electrical apparatus external to the electrical wiring system, also known as modules, for instance a switch or a socket.
Typically, in electrical wiring systems, especially domestic or residential systems, sockets and switches, or more generally, all the terminal devices of the wiring system, are fastened once the electrical cables or wires have been installed.
In this way, the conductor ends of the previously installed electrical cables may be connected to appropriate terminal blocks contained in the above-mentioned devices which, once wired, are wall-mounted by means of appropriate supports.
In order to ensure that the wiring system functions optimally and is reliable over time, the installer has to pay particular attention to the fastening of the conductor end to the terminal block as there is a real risk that during the operation to fasten the device to the support, the correct contact between the conductor end and the terminal block is prevented as a result of the movement of the wire.
To that end, the terminals of these devices are typically provided with systems for locking the wire, taking the form, for instance, of a screw which, when tightened, locks the conductor end of the wire on a conductor wall of the terminal.
This locking system, although safe and reliable, requires fairly significant manual work as it is necessary to tighten at least a pair of screws for each device installed.
A degree of manual skill is also required as it is necessary at the same time to hold the device, keep the wire within the terminal access opening and tighten the screw.
In order to simplify wiring operations it is known to use electrical devices provided with terminals which may be opened by means of a lever which may be manually actuated.
An example of such a device is disclosed in European Patent Application EP 837 526 . This document discloses a device having an inlet opening designed to receive at least one electrical wire (12) of the wiring system, a conductor terminal on which the electrical wire (12) is secured, wherein the conductor terminal comprises a conductor surface (17, 18) aligned with a direction of insertion of the wire into said inlet opening (11), a resilient locking member (20) and an actuation device (34) for the resilient locking member,the locking member comprising a fastening portion formed by a planar surface (15) coupled to said conductor surface, an operating portion (52) resiliently connected to the conductor terminal and on which the actuation device may act, a resiliently deformable connecting portion extending as a bridge between the fastening portion and the operating portion. A further alternative to the use of screw locking systems is to use terminals provided with a resilient portion which is moved away from a respective conductor surface when an electrical wire is inserted in the appropriate opening provided in the electrical device, as disclosed, for instance, in EP 2 234 211 . This solution may be used, however, only in the case of electrical wires formed by a single solid conductor, as electrical cables, made from twisted wires, are not rigid enough to act on the resilient portion of the terminal.
The technical problem underlying the present invention is therefore one of providing a device for controlling electrical apparatus in an electrical wiring system and/or for the connection of electrical apparatus external to the electrical wiring system which is structurally and functionally designed to remedy all the drawbacks discussed above with respect to the cited prior art.
This problem is resolved by a device for controlling electrical apparatus in an electrical wiring system and/or for the connection of electrical apparatus external to the electrical wiring system according to claim 1.
Preferred characteristic features of the invention are set out in the dependent claims.
The invention makes it possible to connect electrical cables, formed by a single conductor or by twisted wires, in a rapid and reliable manner without requiring particular manual skills on the part of the operator.
The characteristic features and further advantages of the present invention are set out in the following detailed description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment shown by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective bottom view of a device for controlling electrical apparatus in an electrical wiring system of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective top view of the device for controlling electrical apparatus of Fig. 1 from which a lower cover has been removed;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a resilient locking member forming a detail of the device for controlling electrical apparatus of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the resilient locking member of Fig. 3, seen from a different aspect, and a relative actuation lever;
Figs. 5A, 5B and 5C are lateral views in cross-section showing the operation of the device of the present invention;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a device for an electrical wiring system, in which it is possible to connect electrical apparatus external to the electrical wiring system;
Figs. 7A and 7B are exploded views of a frame support, a respective cover and the device of the present invention embodied according to the first and second embodiment respectively.

With reference first to Fig. 1, a device for controlling electrical apparatus in an electrical wiring system is shown overall by reference numeral 100.
In the present embodiment, the device 100 is of the type designed to be mounted on a frame support 4, shown in Fig. 7A, secured to a wall and makes it possible in particular to turn an electrical apparatus connected to the wiring system on and off.
To that end, the device 100 comprises means 103 for connection to the frame support, formed for instance by a series of supports and a seat which may be housed in respective portions provided in the support in a manner known per se.
The frame support 4 is preferably designed to receive a cover 5, also shaped as a frame, in order to cover the support 4 and the connection means 103 thereby providing the product with improved aesthetic qualities.
The device 100 further comprises an operating portion 101 located so that it can be reached by a user's hand when the device is mounted on the wall which, in the present embodiment, makes it possible to open/close an electrical contact in order to turn the electrical apparatus on or off, as will be described in further detail below.
As shown in further detail in Figs. 5A to 5C, the operating portion 101 comprises an outwardly facing surface which can be caused to oscillate between two operating positions so as to bend a flexible electrical contact 105, shown in part in Fig. 2 and in further detail in Fig. 5A, thereby closing the electrical contact with a pair of terminals 2 and 2'. In other words, the device of the present embodiment has the function of a switch, although it will nevertheless be appreciated that the features described below could also be applied in the same way to other control devices, for instance inverters, diverters, dimmers or more complex systems, for instance thermostat timers.
As an alternative, the device of the present invention may also be formed by a socket or by a like device for the connection of electrical apparatus external to the electrical wiring system, in which the operating portion 101 is thus able to receive a plug or more generally a connector of the electrical apparatus external to the wiring system. In this case as well, the device 100 comprises at least a pair of inlet openings 10 associated with the respective conductor terminal 2 or 2'. The operating portion 101 has, however, at least a pair of seats 106, shown in the embodiments of Figs. 6 and 7B, formed in the outwardly facing surface of the operating portion 101 and designed to receive respective male members of an electrical plug and connect them to the corresponding conductor terminal.
In any case, according to the present embodiment, the device 100 comprises a housing on which the operating portion 101 is secured in an oscillating manner.
The housing is preferably formed by a main body 102 and a lower cover 104 associated with it by means, for instance, of a snap-locking mechanism.
The lower cover 104 has a plurality of openings 10 each of which is designed to enable the insertion of an electric wire or cable W within the device 100.
It will be appreciated that, in the context of the present invention, the term electric wire indicates a single wire-shaped electrical conductor, while the term electric cable indicates a wire-shaped electrical conductor formed by a plurality of twisted conductor wires.
Fig. 2 shows the device 100 of the present invention with the cover 104 removed in order better to illustrate its internal components, in particular the conductor terminals 2, 2'. It will be appreciated in this respect that, in the present embodiment, the terminals 2, 2' differ solely in terms of their positioning and the configuration of a respective contact zone 25, 25' with the flexible electrical contact 105, as can be seen in Fig. 5A in which, moreover, the device 100 is shown with the contact 105 in a position such as to close the circuit between the two terminals 2 and 2.
As a result, reference will be made below solely to the terminal 2 as it will be appreciated that the same description also applies directly to the terminal 2'.
With reference therefore to Fig. 2, the terminal 2 comprises a resilient locking member 1 and a lever actuation device 3 of the resilient locking member 1, also simply referred to as the actuation lever which, as will be described in detail below, makes it possible to resiliently deform the locking member 1, bringing it from a first to a second operating configuration. It will be appreciated that the present invention also includes the use of different actuation devices, not necessarily of the lever type, provided that they are able to resiliently deform the locking member 1.
The resilient locking member 1 is preferably associated with a conductor surface 21 of the terminal 2 and is formed as a separate body secured to the surface 21.
In this way, the conductor surface 21 may be made from a material differing from the locking member 1, for instance by using copper or an alloy thereof for the surface 21 and spring steel for the locking member 1, thus providing the terminal with a high degree of resilience and good conducting properties.
As can also be seen from Fig. 5A, the surface 21 extends tangentially with respect to the inlet opening 10 and is aligned with a direction of insertion of the wire W into the opening. In this way, a simple contact between the conductor end of the wire W and the terminal 2 can be ensured.
In order to improve the contact between the electric wire W and the terminal 2, the latter comprises a housing 23, secured to the surface 21, whose inlet opening faces the inlet opening 10.
The housing 23 preferably contracts in the insertion direction I so as to keep the end of the wire W properly positioned.
In addition, and again in accordance with a preferred embodiment, the terminal 2 preferably comprises a guide flange 24 which extends perpendicular to the conductor surface 21. The flange 24 is interposed between the inlet opening 10 and the housing 23 and advantageously makes it possible more readily to direct the wire towards the latter.
The wire W is locked on the conductor surface 21 by means of the locking member 1 which will now be described in detail with reference to Figs. 3, 4 and 5A.
According to a preferred embodiment, the locking member 1 is formed by a bent metal sheet and comprises a fastening portion 11 formed substantially by a planar surface which may be coupled to the conductor surface 21.
The fastening portion 11 is connected in a resilient manner to an operating portion 13, preferably by means of a connecting portion 12, preferably of curved shape, which may be resiliently deformed.
According to a preferred embodiment, the connecting portion 12 extends, in the rest position, over an angle at least equal to 180° and the operating portion 13 is disposed to face the fastening portion 11 and spaced from it.
Even more preferably, the connecting portion extends over an angle of more than 180°. The operating portion 13 may also be inclined with respect to the fastening portion 11 and therefore the surface 21 so that the end of the operating portion 13 connected to the connecting portion 12 is disposed at a smaller distance with respect to the portion 11 than the opposite end.
A locking portion 14, in which a passage opening 15 is formed, extends from the operating portion 13 at the end opposite the end connected to the connecting portion 12. In other words, the connecting portion 12 extends as a bridge between the operating portion 13 and the fastening portion 11 so that when the locking member is in the rest condition, there continues to be a volume 10' between the operating portion 13 and the fastening portion 11 or, more generally, the terminal 2. In this way, when the actuation lever 3 acts on the resilient locking member 1, the operating portion 13 may be urged so as to move closer to the fastening portion 11 and therefore the terminal 2.
In further detail, the locking portion 14 extends towards the fastening portion 11 and, in a preferred embodiment, the portion 11 passes through the passage opening 15.
In other words, the locking member 1 is shaped overall as a curl.
The locking portion 14 further comprises a guide end 16 which extends from an opposite part of the fastening portion 11 with respect to the operating portion 13.
An edge 17a, corresponding to the edge of the passage opening 15 and facing towards the fastening potion 11, is further formed on the guide end 16. The edge 17a is preferably provided at the location of a locking portion 17 of the guide end, whose features will be described in detail below.
The locking member 1 is thus shaped such that the edge 17a tends to abut on the fastening portion 11 as a result of the resilience of the material.
In this way, by positioning the conductor surface 21 within the passage opening 15 and between the edge 17a and the fastening portion 11, in particular in contact therewith, as shown in Figs. 5A and 5B, the wire W may be kept in contact with the conductor surface 21 and locked thereon by means of the resilient recall of the material from which the locking member 1 is made.
In order to improve the locking action, the edge 17a preferably has a curved surface which extends in such a way as partially to wrap around the wire W.
Moreover, again according to a preferred embodiment, a single locking member 1 comprises a pair of operating portions 13 and locking portions 14 connected to a common fastening portion 11 which can be associated with two separate wires W, obviously having the same phase.
This makes it possible considerably to reduce the assembly stages of the device and to facilitate contact between the terminal locking member, while keeping the locking portions 14 operative in an independent manner from one another, as will be described in detail below.
According to a preferred embodiment, as can be seen from Fig. 3, the operating portions 13 extend from the common fastening portion 11 defining an opening 18 with which a hooking body 22 of the conductor terminal 2, shown in Fig. 5A, may engage.
In this way, the fastening portion 11 and the conductor surface 21 may be caused to bear on one another in a simple and stable manner.
It will nevertheless be appreciated that alternative methods of connection of the conductor surface 21 and the locking member 1 may also be provided.
With reference to Figs. 4 and 5C, the operating portion 13 and the actuation lever 3 are positioned such that the edge 17a is distanced from the fastening portion and therefore also from the conductor surface 21 when the actuation lever 3 acts on the locking member 1.
In further detail, the lever 3 is connected in a rotary manner to the main body 102 and/or the lower cover 104 such that, following rotation about the axis of rotation X, an extension 30 of the lever 3 comes into contact with the operating portion 13, urging it towards the fastening portion 11. Consequently, as a result of the geometry of the locking member 1 described above, the edge 17a is distanced from the conductor surface 21.
In this operating position, also described below as open position, shown in Fig, 5C, the inlet opening 10 preferably entirely faces the passage opening 15 enabling the wire W to be freely inserted and thus to reach the housing 23.
By returning the lever 3 to its initial position, the locking member 1 is returned to the rest position in which the edge 17a contacts the wire W and locks it on the conductor surface 21 as a result of the resilience of the material from which the locking member 1 is made.
It will also be appreciated that, as shown in Fig. 2, each locking member 1, comprising a pair of operating portions 13 and fastening portions 11 as described above, is associated with a pair of actuation devices 3, formed by respective levers in the present embodiment, which may be actuated independently from one another. This configuration advantageously makes it possible to distance each of the edges 17a in the locking member 1 from the respective fastening portion 11 independently from one another and thus to carry out the separate wiring of two wires W in a single terminal.
It will also be appreciated that it is possible to fasten single conductor wires and cables formed by a plurality of wires to the terminal 2 by actuating the lever described above and the consequent opening of the terminal.
In the case of a single conductor wire, however, the end may also be advantageously locked on the terminal 2 without acting on the lever 3 as a result of the particular configuration of the guide end 16.
As can be seen from Fig. 5A, when the locking member is in the rest position, the guide end 16 faces the inlet opening 10 and is inclined towards it. In this way, when a wire W is inserted in the inlet opening 10 it comes into contact with the guide end 16 and, if the wire has sufficient bending strength, as a result of the inclination of the guide end 16, a thrust force is generated on the locking portion 14 so as to distance the edge 17a from the conductor surface 21 and thus to enable the insertion of the wire W.
It will be appreciated that, since the electric wires for wiring systems typically have standard properties, laid down by the reference standards, a person skilled in the art will be able to dimension the locking member 1 so as to provide it at the same time with sufficient strength to lock the wire and a deformability such that the action of a single conductor wire of standard diameter is able to distance the edge 17a.
In order to make the action of the wire particularly effective, the guide end 16 preferably has an angle of inclination a of between 15° and 75° with respect to the direction of insertion I of the wire W in the rest condition.
In addition, in order to improve the locking action of the locking member 1, the locking portion 17 advantageously has a different inclination with respect to a main surface 16' of the guide end 16. More precisely, the locking portion 17 has a smaller angle of inclination than the angle of inclination α of the guide end 16 as defined above.
The invention thus resolves the stated problem and at the same time achieves a range of advantages. In particular, the device of the present invention can be effectively used in electrical wiring systems using both electric wires formed by a single conductor and cables formed by twisted wires.
The lever system also simplifies and speeds up the wiring operation, without requiring particular manual skills. The particular configuration of the lever and the locking member also make the open position stable such that, when the lever is actuated, the installer may have both hands free to insert the wire and to hold the device itself. The successive actuation of the lever may also take place in a simple manner without necessarily leaving the wire inserted and not as yet locked, as the lever is located in a position that can also be readily reached by the hand holding the device.
A further advantage lies in the fact that the locking of the wire or cable takes place by contact with the locking edge, thus providing better security of locking than in the case of systems in which the wire is pressed between two surfaces.
The use of different inclinations between the main surface of the guide member and the locking portion also makes it possible to obtain an optimum compromise between ease of insertion of the wire without actuating the lever and the locking capacity of the terminal.
It will also be appreciated that, advantageously, it is not necessary for the lever to act on the locking member when the latter is the rest position, thus avoiding continuing stresses on the lever and on the parts of the device with which it is connected, thereby improving the overall service life of the device.
Lastly, the solution provided by the device of the present invention makes it possible to adhere to an overall limited size that is fully comparable with devices using screw-locking and is easy and economical to embody.

Claims

A device (100; 100') for electric wiring systems, designed to control electrical apparatus in an electrical wiring system or to connect electrical apparatus external to the electrical wiring system, comprising an operating portion (101) designed to open/close an electrical contact or to receive a connector of the electrical apparatus external to the wiring system, an inlet opening (10) designed to receive at least one electrical wire (W) of the wiring system, a conductor terminal (2, 2') on which the electrical wire (W) is secured, wherein the conductor terminal (2, 2') comprises a conductor surface (21) aligned with a direction of insertion of the wire W into said inlet opening (10), a resilient locking member (1) and an actuation device (3) for the resilient locking member (1),
the locking member (1) comprising a fastening portion (11) formed by a planar surface coupled to said conductor surface (21), an operating portion (13) resiliently connected to the conductor terminal (2, 2') and on which the actuation device (3) may act, a resiliently deformable connecting portion (12) extending as a bridge between the fastening portion (11) and the operating portion (13) over an angle of at least 180°, and a locking portion (14) connected to the operating portion (13) at the opposite end of the connecting portion (12) and in which a passage opening (15) is formed, through which the conductor surface (21) extends, said fastening portion (11) passing through the passage opening (15) whereby the passage opening (15) comprises an edge (17a) designed to abut against the conductor surface (21) when the resilient locking member (1) is in a rest position, and wherein said edge (17a) is moved away from the conductor surface (21) when the actuation device (3) acts on the resilient locking member (1), and in that the locking portion (14) comprises a guide end (16) which faces the inlet opening (10), said guide end (16) being inclined towards the inlet opening (10) when the resilient locking member (1) is in the rest position.
A device (100; 100') according to claim 1, wherein the guide end (16) has an angle of inclination (α) of between 15° and 75° with respect to a direction of insertion (I) of the wire (W) in said rest position.
A device (100; 100') according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the guide end (16) comprises a locking portion (17) with a different inclination with respect to a main surface (16') defined in the guide end (16) and with respect to which the wire (W) inserted in said opening (10) abuts when the resilient locking member (1) is in the rest position.
A device (100; 100') according to claims 2 and 3, wherein said locking portion (17) has a smaller angle of inclination than the angle of inclination (α) of said guide end (16) with respect to the direction of insertion (I) of the wire (W).
A device (100; 100') according to claims 3 or 4, wherein the edge (17a) is formed in the locking portion (17).
A device (100; 100') according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the edge (17a) has a curved surface designed to enable the insertion of rigid cables without actuation of the actuation device (3).
A device (100; 100') according to one of the preceding claims, where the locking member (1) comprises a pair of operating portions (13) and locking portions (14) connected to a common fastening portion (11) disposed to bear on the conductor surface (21) of the conductor terminal (2, 2').
A device (100; 100') according to claim 7, wherein the operating portions (13) extend from the common fastening portion (11) defining an opening (18) in which a hooking body (22) of the conductor terminal (2, 2') may be engaged.
A device (100; 100') according to claims 7 or 8, comprising at least a pair of actuation devices (3), which may be independently actuated, and each of which is associated with a respective operating portion (13) of said pair.
A device (100; 100') according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the operating portion (13) has a substantially planar shape and is connected to the conductor terminal (2, 2') by a connecting portion (12) of curved shaped which may be resiliently deformed following the action of the actuation device (3).
A device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein, when said resilient locking member (1) is in the rest condition, a volume (10') is defined between the operating portion (13) and the terminal (2, 2') such that when the actuation device (3) acts on the resilient locking member (1), the operating portion (13) is urged closer to the terminal (2, 2').
A device (100') according one of the preceding claims, comprising at least a pair of inlet openings (10) associated with respective conductor terminals (2, 2') and at least one electrical contact (105) associated with the operating portion (101) in such a way as to selectively open/close the electrical contact with the conductor terminals (2, 2').
A device (100') according to one of claims 1 to 10, comprising at least a pair of inlet openings (10) associated with respective conductor terminals (2, 2'), the operating portion (101) being provided with at least a pair of seats (106) formed on a outwardly facing surface of the operating portion (101) and designed to receive respective male members of an electrical plug.
A device (100; 100') according to one of the preceding claim, wherein the actuation device (3) is of the lever type.