GB1586190A

GB1586190A - Shrouded bus bar system

Info

Publication number: GB1586190A
Application number: GB2181477A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Deutsche ITT Industries GmbH; ITT Industries Inc
Current assignee: TDK Micronas GmbH; ITT Inc
Priority date: 1976-05-26
Filing date: 1977-05-24
Publication date: 1981-03-18
Also published as: FR2353152A1; NL7705666A; FR2353152B1; BE854943R; IT1062955B; DE2722880A1; CH617294A5

Abstract

The busbar (1) with the connector (2) has an insulated receiving member (5) for three bare phase conductors (7) for three different electrical circuits and a bare neutral conductor (7'), while the metallic busbar serves as earth conductor. The connector (2) is provided with a resilient terminal post (14) for the neutral conductor (7') and with a resilient, displaceable terminal posts (19) for one of the phase conductors (7), and with an earthing spring. By selecting the position of the displaceable terminal post (19), the phase conductor (7) to be connected can be specified before the connector (2) is snap mounted. <IMAGE>

Description

(54) SHROUDED BUS BAR SYSTEM (71) We, ITT INDUSTRIES INC., a Corporation organised and existing under the Laws of the State of Delaware, United States of America, of 320 Park Avenue, New York 22, State of New York, United States of America, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to a shrouded busbar system including a snap-acting connector which co-operates with a shrouded busbar assembly of the system.

According to the present invention there is provided a shrouded bus-bar system comprising a longitudinal shrouded bus-bar assembly and a connector for said assembly, in which assembly four bus-bars are located side-by-side, one being a neutral line while the remaining three are phase.lines of three distinct electric circuits, said connector having contacts, a suitably-shaped holding spring for snap-acting engagement with the bus-bar assembly after the connector is inserted into it in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the assembly, and biasing springs urging the contacts into engagement with respective bus-bars in the inserted position of the connector, the holding spring acting to keep the connector locked in said position, said contacts resiliently engaging with a predetermined pair of said lines when said connector is inserted into the assembly.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a shrouded bus-bar system comprising a longitudinal shrouded bus-bar assembly and a connector for said assembly: said assembly comprising four wires located side-by-side in said assembly, one of said wires acting as a neutral wire and the remaining of said wires acting as phases of three distinct electric circuits; said connector having a suitablyshaped holding spring for snap-acting engagement with the bus-bar assembly after the connector is inserted into it in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the assembly, contacts which will resiliently engage with two of said wires when said connector is inserted into said assembly, one of said contacts being disposed in a fixed position to establish contact with said neutral wire when said connector is inserted into said assembly, a second contact being movable so as to establish contact with one of said remaining of said wires according to a selected one of said three circuits, a body which provides a guide for said one of said contacts by which a connection is established with said neutral wire, two half caps encircling a portion of said body remote from a cover for the body, said caps being secured to one another by screws, said movable contact being supported by a pawl which is slidingly fitted in a seat formed in said cover, said seat being formed with suitable notches for retaining said pawl in a position corresponding to the selected phase.

According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a connector of the system as defined in either of the above two preceding paragraphs.

Preferably, fitted on the connector are two contacts, the first of which is resiliently biased but in a fixed position laterally in respect of connector, establishing the contact with the neutral wire, when said connector is inserted into the channel, while the second contact is connected with a movable pawl, for the selection of phase, according to particular circuit, which is to be utilized.

By suitably U-linking the phases, different solutions can be realized, e.g. a threshold lighting of an illumination plant, whereby to adjust the distribution of light according to requirements, or a twofold lighting, leaving the third conductor available as an emergency circuit, e.g. for night lighting or line radio.

An embodiment of the invention is described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure l is a perspective view, showing a shrouded bus-bar assembly and a snap-on connector; Figure 2 is a cross-section of the bus-bar assembly and connector of figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of the connector.

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line IV-IV of figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line V-V of figure 4.

In figure 1 fitted on the shrouded bus-bar assembly, indicated in its entirety by the numeral 1, is a snap-on connector, small in size, also indicated in its entirety by the numeral 2, for feeding electric current to any lighting plant, such as the variable-angle lamp 3, which is attached to connector 2 by the supporting bracket 4. The assembly 1 comprises a channel made of an aluminium section, and is shaped so as to bound in part two spaces 1' and 1", respectively (see figure 2). Slidingly fitted in the space 1 ' is a PVC-extruded insulating body 5, having seats 6, wherein the four leads 7, made of copper wires, are secured, while in the bay 1" cables for different purposes, and in particular cables for feeding the channel 1 may be laid.

The channel 1 may be hung by the drop hanger 8, or fitted to a ceiling or embedded in a chase. The provision of a single setscrew 9 allows the channel 1 to be inserted from below in position into the drop hanger 8, without the need of sliding the channel from one end slide into the hanger, whereupon the channel can be firmly fastened by tightening the setscrew 9.

The channel 1 may have any length, since it is formed by cut-down sizes connected by abutting joints, while the leads 7 may be either continuous, or connected by intermediate terminals. Such terminals (not shown in the drawings) may be differently shaped, angle-, cross- or Tee-shaped, to allow for the installation of a shrouded bus-bar system in any geometric layout.

The four wires 7 are located side-by-side, the first wire 7' being (see figure 2) a neutral line, while the remaining three wires are designed to act as phase lines of three distinct electric circuits.

The connector 2 consists of two enclosing half-caps 10 and 10', secured to one another by self tapping screws 11 (see figures 4 and 5. The side walls are formed with notches, whereby to define two elastically resilient portions, by which the pawls 12 and 12' are carried.

Abuttingly fitted above the half-caps 10 and 10' is the body 13 which is encircled by the half caps, the body acting as a guide for the contact 14, by which the contact with the neutral wire is established, the cover 15 being secured to the half-caps by selftapping screws 16.

Formed in the cover 15 is a seat 17 wherein a pawl 18 is slidingly fitted, said pawl carrying a movable contact 19, by which connection with one of the three phases is established, and said seat being formed with suitable notches (18') for retaining said pawl 18 in a position corresponding to the selected phrase.

Fitted in the space 20 (see figure 5) as defined between the body 13 and the cover 15, is a leaf spring 21, for a connection between the contact 19 and the electric cables 22, by means of the screw 23 and the terminal 24.

Moreover, fitted in the body 13 are the earthing screw 25, connected with the grounding leaf spring 26, as well as the biasing spring 27 coaxial with the contact 14, by which the neutral connecting contact 14 is acted upon. Both the contact 14 and the earthing screw 25 are connected with the cables 22 by the connecting terminals 28 and 29, respectively.

A suitably shaped support spring 30 allows for the snap-insertion of connector 2 into the channel 1, with electrical connection effected by engagement of the two contact 14 and 19 with the leads 7, under the action of biassing spring 27 and of leaf spring 21, respectively, whilst the grounding spring 26 is connected with the channel 1.

By suitably selecting the position of contact 19 by means of pawl 18, before the connector 2 is inserted into the channel 1, it is possible to utilize any one of the three electric circuits independent from each other, for interesting applications, such as: differentiated lightings, emergency circuits, night lighting, and line radio.

Claims

ATWE CLAIM IS:

1. A shrouded bus-bar system comprising a longitudinal shrouded bus-bar assembly and a connector for said assembly, in which assembly four bus-bars are located side-by-side, one being a neutral line while the remaining three are phase lines of three distinct electric circuits, said connector having contacts, a suitably-shaped holding spring for snap-acting engagement with the bus-bar assembly after the connector is inserted into it in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the assembly, and biasing springs urging the contacts into engagement with respective bus-bars in the inserted position of the connector, the holding spring acting to keep the connector locked in said position, said contacts resiliently engaging with a predetermined pair of said lines when said connector is inserted into the assembly.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein two spaces are provided in the assembly, and comprising a bus-bar supporting insulating body slipped into one space, the other space being designed to accommodate electric cables for various purposes.

3. A system according to any preceding claim, comprising a drop hanger and wherein the assembly can be fitted in place upwardly as a ceiling appliance on the hanger and secured by a single tightening screw.

4. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the distance between said contacts in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the assembly, is adjustable so as to predetermine the pair of said lines which will be resiliently engaged by the contacts when the connector is inserted into the assembly.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein one of said contacts is carried by a pawl which fits in a seat in the connector, the seat being formed with notches for retaining said pawl in a position corresponding to the selected phase.

6. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the connector comprises a closing cap, a contact guiding body with related cover, whereon the contacts, urged by the biasing springs are slidingly fitted side by side: and an earthing screw, connected with an earth contact spring.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein two walls of the closing cap are slitted to thereby define elastically resilient portions whereon pawls are fitted, and whereby a pressure can be. exerted on the spring by which the connector is supported.

8. A system according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the contact guiding body is secured to the cap by two self-threading screws.

9. A system according to claim 6, claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the cable is led through the base of the cap and is retained therein by a cable fastening clip.

10. A shrouded bus-bar system comprising a longitudinal shrouded bus-bar assembly and a connector for said assembly: said assembly comprising four wires located side-by-side in said assembly, one of said wires acting as a neutral wire and the remaining of said wires acting as phases of three distinct electric circuits; said connector having a suitably-shaped holding spring for snap-acting engagement with the bus-bar assembly after the connector is inserted into it in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the assembly, contacts which will resiliently engage with two of said wires when said connector is inserted into said assembly, one of said contacts being disposed in a fixed position to establish contact with said neutral wire when said connector is inserted into said assembly, a second contact being movable so as to establish contact with one of said remaining of said wires according to a selected one of said three circuits, a body which provides a guide for said one of said contacts by which a connection is established with said neutral wire, two half caps encircling a portion of said body remote from a cover for the body, said caps being secured to one another by screws, said movable contact being supported by a pawl which is slidingly fitted in a seat formed in said cover, said seat being formed with suitable notches for retaining said pawl in a position corresponding to the selected phase.

11. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein a space is disposed within said connector cover, and a leaf spring is disposed in said space to provide a connection between said movable contact and electric cables by means of a screw and a terminal.

12. A system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

13. A snap-acting connector of a system, according to any preceding claim.