IE51164B1 - A power supply bus bar - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A bar (15) for the distribution of electrical energy in an equipment frame (14), comprising an insulating cover which is cut up into pieces and which is situated in a container, and comprising electrical conductor rods (6, 6A) which are disposed inside the cover in such a way that they are electrically insulated one from the others and that their connection strips (7, 7A) which are also insulated one from the others are allowed to project out of the container in only one plane which is parallel to the rods, said bar being characterized in that it comprises a container which is constituted by two metal bands (1, 2), these bands being welded together along one of their large sides and over a certain width and being distanced from one another over the remaining width in order to constitute a protection sheath, that the electrical conductor rods (6, 6A) are inserted into longitudinal slots (5, 5A) which are provided in opposite surfaces of two plastics sections (4, 4A) constituting the insulating cover and disposed between the metal bands in their distanced area, and that an insulating member (8 or 8A) which is provided with windows (9) opposite to the connection area between the rods (6 or 6A) and their respective connection strips (7 or 7A), is inserted between the connection strips (7 or 7A) of the rods (6 or 6A) situated in a plastics section (4 or 4A) and that section.

Description

The present invention relates to a power supply bus bar for frames of electrical equipment. More particularly, the invention applies to a bus bar for supplying power to a rack or frame of telecommunica5 tions equipment.

It aims to provide a compact and easily accessible power supply bus bar for distributing power via a large number of low impedance circuits towards a large number of destination circuits.

Known power supply bus bars do not allow rapid connection and disconnection of the destination circuits or frames nor a large number of operational combinations. The invention makes it possible to mitigate these disadvantages and aims essentially at providing a readily accessible and compact bus bar, at reducing cost and also the time needed for installation and for maintenance.

The present invention provides a power supply bus bar for frames of electrical equipment, said bus bar having the general external appearance of an elongate, flat, plank-like member with an elongate tongue projecting from one of its long edges and a fringe of separate power supply connection tongues projecting comb-like from its other long edge ; the bus bar comprising an assembly of transverselyextending, short, flat conductor blades lying in a central plane of the bar and having exposed tips which constitute said power supply connection tongues; the plane of transversely extending blades being sandwiched between first and second electrically insulating sheet members, themselves sandwiched between first and second sets of longitudinally-extending, long, flat conductor bars lying in first and second parallel planes and lodged in respective longitudinally-extending grooves formed in first and second extruded plastics members, such that each long flat conductor bar is electrically insulated on three of its sides by the plastics member in which it is housed and on its fourth side by the adjacent insulating sheet member; the sheet members being selectively pierced by windcws through which each short blade is electrically and mechanically connected to one of the long bars; and the entire assembly of long bars, short blades and electrically insulating members being housed in a flat electrically-conduotive outer shield constituted by two facing, parallel, metal strips welded together along one of their long edges over a portion of their width to constitute said elongate tongue, and being separated over the remaining portion of their width to house said assembly.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention the bus bar includes at least one insulating edge moulding for positioning and protecting the fringe of power supply connection tongues, said edge moulding being positioned along the long edge of the bus bar from which the said fringe projects.

Advantageously, the elongate tongue constituted by the welded portion of the width of the shield includes hook20 shaped notches for co-operation with fixing studs projecting from an electrical equipment frame.

The invention will be better understood from the description of an embodiment given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which : - Figure 1 is a partial cutaway perspective view of a bus bar in accordance with the invention; - Figure 2 is a simplified top view of the bus bar according to Figure 1; - Figure 3 shows the detail A of Figure 2; - Figure 4 shows the detail B of Figure 2; and - Figure 5 shows the position of the bus bar according to Figure 1 cn a frame and how it is fixed thereto.

With reference to Figure 1, a bus bar 15 for an electrical equipment frame includes an outer metal shield constituted by stainless steel strips 1 and 2, forming a protective shell.

The two strips are welded together at 3 along cne of their long edges which is off-set to form a kind of very flat plank-like shell as shown clearly in Figure 2.

Two extruded plastics bars 4 and 4A are placed inside the shell formed by the netal plates 1 and 2 and are held in place hy longitudinal folds of said metal plates 1 and 2. Longitudinal grooves 5, 5A are formed in the surfaces of the plastics bars 4 and 4A adjacent to each other. A langitu 5 dinally extending, long flat copper alloy conductor bar 6 or 6A is housed in each groove 5 or 5A. The cross-section of each conductor 6 or 6A is suitable for conveying power supply currents of low impedance.

Short, flat transversely-extending conductor blades 7 and 7A are evenly spaced out along the long flat conductor bars perpendicularly thereto, each transverse blade is welded to one of the conductor bars 6 or 6A. In Figure 1, blades 7 are shown only on the third and the fifth conductor bars 6 from the left. Likewise, blades 7A are shown only on the 15 third and fourth conductor bars 6A from the left. However, all the conductor bars are equipped with blades. The distance between two blades 7 or 7A from the same flat conductor corresponds to the distance which is necessary for interleaving one blade from each of the other long conductor bars between 20 said two blades. The blades 7A are interleaved with the blades 7. An insulator sheet 8 or 8A is disposed between each plastics bar 4 or 4A and its blades 7 or 7A. Said insulator sheet is provided with windows 9 for the blades to pass through.

Figures 3 and 4 show how the blades 7 and 7A are bent so that they all emerge in the same plane. In Figure 3, a blade 7 is welded at 10 to a bar 6. The free ends of all the blades 7 and 7A are located on the same line. As shown in Figure 1, these ends are shaped to form tongues 70 and 70A so that connector clips can be fixed thereon.

Of course, the blades may be grouped into sets and each set can be contained in a molded part such as 11 (Figure 1). Each molded part II protects and positions the tongues 70 and 70A of the blades such as 7 and 7A. Said molded part can be provided with means for referencing the holes, i.e. the 35 blades 7 and 7A, and keying means may be provided between the molded parts to avoid mis-connection.

A tab 12 (Figure 2) is welded to the shield for connection to earth or to the metal chassis of an electrical equipment frame powered by the bus bar.

As shown in Figure 1 the welded portion 3 of the 5 metal shield includes notches such as 13 for fixing the bus bar 15 onto protruding studs such as 17 provided on a frame 14 as shown in Figure 5.

The bus bar in accordance with the invention is compact and it allows rapid connection and disconnection of power supply circuits, of the bus bar and of the destination circuits. Said bus bar makes it possible to arrange independent emergency supply circuits. It enables several operational combinations. It can be assembled rapidly and its design is economical. It constitutes an electrostatic screen between the cabling of two contiguous frames.

The fact that the blades 7 and 7A are identical means they can be used as inputs or as outputs for power supply voltages. Hence the lead-in points of the various voltages to the power supply bus bar can be located at any point therealong.

Each non-connected end of a blade 7 and 7A is protected by a detachable molded part. An identical part 16 is used to close the upper and lower ends of the supply bus bar. 5116 4

Claims (4)

1/ A power supply bus bar for frames of electrical equipment, said bus bar having the general external appearance of an elongate, flat, plank-like member with an elongate tongue projecting from one of its long edges and a fringe of separate 5 power supply connection tongues projecting comb-like from its other long edge: the bus bar comprising an assembly of transversely-extending, short, flat conductor blades lying in a central plane of the bar and having exposed tips which constitute said power supply connection tongues; the plane of 10 transversely extending blades being sandwiched between first and second electrically insulating sheet members, themselves sandwiched between first and second sets of longitudinallyextending, long, flat conductor bars lying in first and second parallel planes and lodged in respective longitudinally15 extending grooves formed in first and second extruded plastics members, such that each long flat conductor bar is electrically insulated on three of its sides by the plastics member in which it is housed and on its fourth side by the adjacent insulating sheet member; the sheet members being selectively pierced by 20 windows through which each short blade is electrically and mechanically connected to one of the long bars; and the entire assembly of long bars, short blades and electrically insulating members being housed in a flat electrically-conductive outer shield constituted by two facing, parallel, metal strips welded 25 together along one of their long edges over a portion of their width to constitute said elongate tongue, and being separated over the remaining portion of their width to house said assembly.

2. / A power supply bus bar according to claim 1, including 30 at least one insulating edge moulding for positioning and protecting the fringe of power supply connection tongues, said edge moulding being positioned along the long edge of the bus bar from which the said fringe projects.

3. / A power supply bus bar according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the elongate tongue constituted by the welded portion of the width of the shield includes hook-shaped notches for co-operation with fixing studs projecting from an electrical 5 equipment frame.

4. / A power supply bus bar for frames of electrical equipment, the bus bar being substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Dated this the 18th day of September, 1980. F. R. KELLY & CO. BY: ___EXECUTIVE. 27 Clyde Ro^ds Ballsbridge, AGENTS FOR THE APPLICANTS. Dublin 4. COMPAGNIE INDUSTRIELLE DES TELECOMMUNICATIONS CIT-ALCATEL sheet 1