GB1586218A - Device for mounting electrical conductor means to a support - Google Patents

Description

(54) DEVICE FOR MOUNTING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR MEANS TO A SUPPORT (71) We, INVENTIO AKTIENGESELL SCHAFT, of 6052 Hergiswil NW, Switzerland, a joint stock company organised under the laws of Switzerland, 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 state ment:- The present invention relates to a device for fastening at least one electrical conductor to a support, especially for conductors of different cross-sections.

In electrical installations, especially of the industrial kind, it is known to lay electrical conduçtors, for example electrical cables, by fixing them to walls, ceilings, carrier rails or other support parts.

Although the conductors to be laid are in many cases mounted directly to the support, they are however often arranged on an intermediate element connected with the support and which may have one or more cable grooves. In both cases, the fastening of the conductors takes place by means of a clamping bridle, which clamps the conductors fast by fastening means, for example a screw, on the support or the intermediate element respectively.

These kinds of fastening both have the disadvantage that a relatively strong pressure must be exerted through the clamping bridle on to the conductors in order to prevent sliding of the conductors. Apart from the possibility of the breakage of a core of the conductor, there exists the danger of damage to the insulation, which particularly in the case of displacements of the clamping bridle can bring about short-circuits endangering the operation and the safety of the equipment.

The pressure on the conductors can become still greater when the fastening means at the same time hold the conductors fast on the intermediate element by means of the clamping bridle and the intermediate element on the support. Beyond that, this arrangement appears hardly expedient, since the intermediate element together with the clamping bridle must be loosened or even removed when further conductors are to be laid or the conductors are to be removed.

This manner of fastening, in itself already disadvantageous due to the limited number of the conductors to be laid fast under a single clamping bridle, additionally has the disadvantage that it is hardly suitable for the fast laying of conductors of different crosssections. Thus, it is very difficult in the case of round electrical cables, e.g. those of circular cross-section, which have slight differences in diameter among themselves, to generate an optimum pressure without increasing the aforementioned risks of damage. It is therefore necessary to associate the round cables, in accordance with their dimensions, with fitting clamping bridles or intermediate elements and to mount them in rows beside one another. This solution, which is expensive due to the use of several clamping bridles or intermediate elements at each conductor fastening location, also has the disadvantage of requiring a relatively large space. This disadvantage makes itself particularly noticeable when wider flat cables are to be laid, which can hardly be laid above one another without thereby bringing about a play between clamping bridle and cable.

In case the support consists of a carrier rail, to which the conductors are to be fastened running in desired directions, not only several clamping bridles or intermediate elements must be arranged, but it is often also necessary to provide different designs for the intermediate elements, which each permit a certain direction of the conductors relative to the carrier rail concerned. Furthermore, this arrangement requires numerous bores or threaded holes in the carrier rail, which weakens the carrier rail as a consequence and all the more so when the fastening location of the clamping bridles or intermediate elements is subsequently re-disposed.

According to the present invention there is provided a device for mounting at least one electrical conductor on a support and com prising at least one conductor carrier pro vided with means for mounting to the support, the or each carrier having at least two support surfaces lying in the same plane for supporting a flat conductor, the or each adjacent pair of surfaces being separated by a respective groove of curved or V-shaped cross-section for supporting a round conductor, and flexible tape means associated with the or each carrier for clamping the conductor or conductors to the carrier.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accopanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment, in crosssection, of a device for fastening flat cables, Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment, in plan view and in cross-section, of the device used for fastening round cables, Fig. 3 shows a section along the line A-A of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 shows a variant of the arrangement, in plan view, of the device shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Referring to the drawings, designated by 1 in the Fig. 1 is a support, for example a wall, on which electrical multiconductor flat cables 2 to 6 of different widths are laid fast and spaced from the wall by means of a conductor carrier 7. As also shown in the Figs. 2 to 4, the conductor carrier 7 comprises a bridle, which is nearly trapezoidal in crosssection and the small base of which represents a support surface 7.1, which rests on the support 1 and is connected with this by means of a fastening bolt 8, the head of which is mounted in a cylindrical recess 7.2.

of the conductor carrier 7.

The side of the conductor carrier 7 lying opposite to the support surface 7.1 constitutes a conductor supporting surface 7.3 and for this purpose has three supporting surfaces 7.4, 7.5 and 7.6, which run parallel in the longitudinal direction of the conductors and which lie in a plane 7.7 schematically indicated by a dot-dashed line (Fig. 4) and are separated from one another on both sides of the cylindrical recess 7.2 by means of two cable grooves 7.8 and 7.9 (Fig. 4) of circularly arcuate shape serving to support round cables.

On both sides of the bore for the fastening bolt 8, the conductor carrier 7 has one rectangular recess 7.10 running transversely to the cable grooves 7.8 and 7.9 on its support surface 7.1 (Figs. 2 and 4). Guided in each of these recesses 7.10 is an adjustable, flexible clamping tape 9 which is provided with a fastening 10 and which preferably is a commercially used toothed cable clip of synthetic material and by means of which the flat cables arranged on the supporting surfaces 7.4, 7.5 and 7.6 are fastenable.

Due to the flexibility and adjustability of the clamping tapes 9, it is possible to pull the tapes on the carrier 7 by moderate pressure exerted on the flat cables 2 to 6 without danger of sliding and damage. The adjustability of the clamping tapes 9 furthermore, permits an easy addition or removal of one or more cables without the conductor carrier 7 having to be loosened.

The cable grooves 7.8 and 7.9 of circularly arcuate shape likewise permit the fast positioning of several round cables of different diameter. Figs. 2 and 3 show two ways of arranging such round cables. In the first arrangement, three round cables 11, 12 and 13 of different diameters are pulled fast on a conductor carrier 7 by means of two flexible clamping tapes 9, whereby the round cable 13 having the smallest diameter is pressed against the two other round cables 11 and 12 which in their turn are pressed into the cable groove 7.8 and 7.9, respectively.

In Fig. 2, two round cables 14 and 15 of different diameter are individually pulled fast on a conductor carrier 7 by means of respective clamping tapes 16 and 17 guided in the recess 7.10 and in respective slotshaped openings 7.11 and 7.12 traversing the conductor carrier.

In the case of the second embodiment of the device, illustrated in the Figs. 2 to 4, the support comprises a carrier rail 18 of rectangular profile. The device is provided with a U-shaped clamping bracket 19, having limbs 19.1 and 19.2, each of which has an open slot 19.4 making it possible to push the clamping bracket 19 onto the carrier rail 18. Introduced between the web 19.3 of the clamping bracket 19 and the carrier rail 18 is a long limb 20.1 of a U-shaped carrier bracket 20, the limbs of which are of unequal length. The bracket 20 has a web 20.3 and a small limb 20.2 which each have a threaded hole for the fastening of a conductor carrier 7 by means of a screw indicated diagrammatically by the line 21 (only the screw extending through limb 20.2 is indicated in the drawing). The web 19.3 of the clamping bracket 19 is provided with a bore 19.5 for a screw 22, while a threaded hole 20.4, into which the screw 22 is screwable, is provided in the large limb 20.1 of the clamping bracket 20. It is possible with the aid of the screw 22 to clamp fast the clamping bracket 19 to the carrier rail 18 and the large limb 20.1 of the carrier bracket 20 to the web 19.3 of the carrier bracket 19.

As Fig. 2 shows, the carrier bracket 20 is so arranged that two conductor carriers 7 can be fastened so as to lie nearly opposite two contiguous sides of the carrier rail 18.

By rotating the carrier bracket 20 through 1800, the two conductor carriers 7 can both be fastened on one side of the carrier rail 18.

This variant is illustrated in Fig. 4, wherein both conductor carriers 7 are fastened to the carrier bracket 20 with cable grooves 7.8 and 7.9 running parallel to the carrier rail 18. However, in the Figs. 2 and 3, one of the two conductor carriers 7 is fastened to the carrier bracket 20 so that cable grooves 7.8 and 7.9 run perpendicularly to the carrier rail 18.

This embodiment of the device, by which a weakening of the carrier rail 18 brought about through bores and threaded holes is avoided, has the advantage that several conductor groups can be laid fast to the carrier rail 18 running in desired directions by means of the same components.

In place of the cable grooves of circularly arcuate shape for the supporting of round cables, grooves of V-shaped can be provided.

It is likewise possible to arrange the recesses 7.10 for the reception of the clamping tapes at another location of the conductor carrier.

In case the carrier rail is not rectangular in cross-section, slots matched to the profile of the carrier rail can be provided in the limbs of the carrier bracket.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS 1. A device for mounting at least one electrical conductor on a support and comprising at least one conductor carrier provided with means for mounting to the support, the or each carrier having at least two support surfaces lying in the same plane for supporting a flat conductor, the or each adjacent pair of surfaces being separated by a respective groove of curved or V-shaped crosssection for supporting a round conductor, and flexible tape means associated with the or each carrier for clamping the conductor or conductors to the carrier.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the or each carrier is provided with at least one opening extending transversely of the direction of its groove or grooves to receive the tape means.

3. A device as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the support comprises a carrier rail and the device further comprises a U-shaped carrier bracket and a U-shaped clamping bracket for mounting the or each carrier to the rail, a respective carrier being fastened to at least one of the web and one of the two limbs of the carrier bracket, the carrier bracket being clampable by the other one of the two limbs to the web of the clamping bracket and the clamping bracket being clampable to the rail by screw means screwed through a threaded hole in the other limb of the carrier bracket.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein both limbs of the clamping bracket are slotted for engagement therein of the rail.

5. A device for mounting at least one electrical conductor on a support and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

6. A device for mounting at least one electrical conductor on a support and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

7. A device for mounting at least one electrical conductor on a support and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (7)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. 18. However, in the Figs. 2 and 3, one of the two conductor carriers 7 is fastened to the carrier bracket 20 so that cable grooves 7.8 and 7.9 run perpendicularly to the carrier rail 18. This embodiment of the device, by which a weakening of the carrier rail 18 brought about through bores and threaded holes is avoided, has the advantage that several conductor groups can be laid fast to the carrier rail 18 running in desired directions by means of the same components. In place of the cable grooves of circularly arcuate shape for the supporting of round cables, grooves of V-shaped can be provided. It is likewise possible to arrange the recesses 7.10 for the reception of the clamping tapes at another location of the conductor carrier. In case the carrier rail is not rectangular in cross-section, slots matched to the profile of the carrier rail can be provided in the limbs of the carrier bracket. WHAT WE CLAIM IS

1. A device for mounting at least one electrical conductor on a support and comprising at least one conductor carrier provided with means for mounting to the support, the or each carrier having at least two support surfaces lying in the same plane for supporting a flat conductor, the or each adjacent pair of surfaces being separated by a respective groove of curved or V-shaped crosssection for supporting a round conductor, and flexible tape means associated with the or each carrier for clamping the conductor or conductors to the carrier.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the or each carrier is provided with at least one opening extending transversely of the direction of its groove or grooves to receive the tape means.

3. A device as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the support comprises a carrier rail and the device further comprises a U-shaped carrier bracket and a U-shaped clamping bracket for mounting the or each carrier to the rail, a respective carrier being fastened to at least one of the web and one of the two limbs of the carrier bracket, the carrier bracket being clampable by the other one of the two limbs to the web of the clamping bracket and the clamping bracket being clampable to the rail by screw means screwed through a threaded hole in the other limb of the carrier bracket.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein both limbs of the clamping bracket are slotted for engagement therein of the rail.

5. A device for mounting at least one electrical conductor on a support and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

6. A device for mounting at least one electrical conductor on a support and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

7. A device for mounting at least one electrical conductor on a support and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.