IE53716B1

IE53716B1 - A phase selector clip connector for electric distribution ducting

Info

Publication number: IE53716B1
Application number: IE2399/82A
Authority: IE
Original assignee: Telemecanique Electrique
Priority date: 1981-10-13
Filing date: 1982-10-04
Publication date: 1989-01-18
Also published as: IT8223713A0; FI823491A0; GB2110007B; IT1153223B; SE8205629D0; DE3237788A1; FI823491L; FI72012B; NL8203938A; BE894572A; FR2514576A1; SE452927B; SE8205629L; FR2514576B1; IE822399L; FI72012C; DE3237788C2; GB2110007A

Abstract

A connector comprises an insulating box (1) provided with receptacles (104) in number equal to that of active conductors of a multiphase electric distribution duct. In the aperture (106) of each receptacle may be removably engaged any one of the connection members to which are permanently fixed flexible coupling conductors (C1) feeding user apparatus. Each connection member comprises a contact clip (21) arranged to engage a respective multiphase conductor and an integrally moulded insulating support (20) provided with a stud (201). This latter is coloured and visible from the outside through a transparent cover (107) of the box. The connection members can be located to correspond with the desired conductor to which the member is to be connected. The box is adapted to be fixed to the duct.

Description

The invention relates to connectors lor connecting flexible user conductor's (two or three in number), for connection to user apparatus, with phase conductors, and if required with a neutral line, housed in predetermined lateral positions in a multiphase electric distribution duct, said connector comprising connection members each receiving one of said user conductors and each provided with means for establishing contact with a phase or with a neutral line.

Electric ducting used more especially for lighting industrial premises or premises in the tertiary field comprise a metal channel whose body forms ground, in which phase conductors and, possibly, a neutral and a special protection conductor are held In place by a positioning unit made from an insulating material which defines the lateral position of each of them.

These phase or neutral conductors are stripped at the position where a connector will be coupled and this latter comprises obviously a number of connecting members each receiving one of the conductors for connecting to the user apparatus and each being provided with means for establishing contact with a phase or neutral conductor.

Known connectors of this type very often have contact means operating by penetration of a point into the phase conductor. Moreover, they do not fulfill the Λ function of phase selector, that is to say that they comprise a number of connecting members at a fixed location and that the phase selection is provided in the factory by welding the connecting conductors to the appropriate connection members. The result of this selection is not visible from the outside.

The invention proposes to provide a connector of the kind first referred to hereinabove which is characterised in-that said connection members, in number equal to that of that of the user conductors and coupled permanently thereto, are locatable in receptacles of an insulating box, in number equal to that of the phase conductors and any neutral line, the number of receptacles being equal to or greater than the number of user conductors, said box being adapted to be engaged on the ducting so that the receptacles are then respectively positioned opposite the respective phase conductors, and in that the connection members each comprise an insulating support adapted to be engaged in said receptacles, removably for those which correspond to the phase conductors, and permanently for a support which· corresponds to a neutral line.

It is then sufficient, to effect phase selection, to engage in the appropriate receptacles the respective supports of the connection members.

According to a preferred embodiment, each receptacle comprises a cavity provided in the external wall of the box and adapted bo that the presence of a connection member support engaged in the receptacle is visible from the outside. 7 I « Advantageously, the contact means are resilient clips, e.g. of the type described in Trench Patent Application filed on the 9th October 19S1 under Ho.8119012 by the applicant, for: Integrally moulded clip connector.

Other features as well as the advantages of the invention will be clear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 Is an underplan view of a connector in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the Invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation, partially in longitudinal section; Figure 5 is an end view; Figure 4 is a plan view of the said connector.

The connector shown in the drawing comprises a 15 box 1, made from an insulating material, whose inner face is shown in figure 1, the outer face being shown in figure 4.

This box can be removably engaged on an electric ducting by means of legs 101-102 forming claws (figure 3) •20 provided with hooking epurs 1010-1020 which engage in a profile, complementary to that of the claws, provided on the ducting (not shown). The box may be gripped manually by means of two upper flanges 1011-1012 (figures 1 and 4) to free it from the ducting.

The connector shownis intended for three-phase ducting, with or without a neutral, and has two removable connection members 2-3 and a connection member 4 connected to ground. This latter is a resilient bent metal blade β j , i 6 fixed in the box and to which is soldered the flexible conductor C3 of cable C coupled to tbe user apparatus.

The box is further provided with a spur 5 made from an insulating material and of the same length as blade 4 but of a different width, and offset therefrom in the longitudinal direction of the box. This spur, as well a9 blade 4, are intended to enter into slits provided in the ducting and, due to their offsetting, the connector can only be engaged with the ducting in one predetermined position.

It can be seen in figure 1 that cable C enters box 1 and is held in place by a cover 103 and that the two phase conductors C1-C2 extend respectively as far as the connection members 2 and 3.

These latter comprise an insulating support, euoh as 20, shown in figure 2, integrally moulded with a contact clip 21, advantageously formed in the way described in the above-mentioned French patent application, and conductor Cl is soldered to the base of this contact clip.

Support 20 engages in a receptacle, such as 104 in figure 2, formed inside box 1. The shape of this receptacle and that of the principal body of support 20 are adapted so that the blades of clip 21 are positioned in planes perpendicular to box 1 and the position of the receptacles is such that, once the supports are engaged, the blades of the clips will be positioned opposite the phase conductors of the ducting. It is sufficient, for example, to achieve this for the receptacles and the princ5 3 7 LG ipal bodies of the supports 20 to be parallelepipedic, with faces perpendicular to the box.

In figure 2, it can be seen that the part of the body 20 not engaged in the receptacle 104 has a larger section than that of the engaged part and hears on the edges of the receptacle through a shoulder and that the conductors C1-C2 are guided hy channels 105 formed in the box 1.

The principal body of each support is extended by a stud 201 (figure 2) which engages in a corresponding aperture 106 provided in a principal external wall of box 1. This wall is recessed with respect to the main outer face of the box and is closed by means oi a transparent cover 107 through which can be Been, from the outside, the studs of the connection members positioned in the receptacles; these studs are advantageously coloured and their profile is similar to that of a champagne cork so as to facilitate their resilient retention in the apertures 106.

In figures 1 and 4 it can he seen that there are provided four receptacles having apertures 106 to 109.One oi them receives a connection member of the type which has just been described, but fixed definitely by crushing or by ultrasonically soldering its stud to the corresponding aperture, this connection member being intended for the neutral line; the other three are intended to receive a removable connection member. When the ducting contains a three-phase network without neutral, only two removable connection members are used. t ίϊ 3 7 i ϋ It can be seen that the phases can be selected simply by engaging connection members in their appropriate receptacles. The result of this selection can be seen from the outside by the positions of the engaged studs.

By way of variation,allowing more rapid modification of selected phases, it would be possible, by modifying the shape of the supports of the connection members, to permit these latter to locate in receptacles joined together by guide grooves provided in the wall of the box and forming a broken line. The receptacles then comprise, not apertures passing completely through said wall, but blind holes receiving the heads of the respective supports and locking the position thereof along appropriate points in the guide groove.

Claims

1. 3 7 ‘θ CLAIMS

1. A connector for connecting flexible user conductors, for connection to user apparatus, with phase conductors and if required with a neutral line housed in predetermined lateral positions in a multiphase electric 5 distribution duct, said connector comprising connection members each receiving one of said user conductors and each being provided with means for establishing contact with a phase or with a neutral line, characterised in that said connection members, in number equal to that of the 10 user conductors and coupled permanently thereto, are locatable in receptacles of an insulating box, in number equal to that of the phase conductors and any neutral line, the number of receptaclesbeing equal to or greater than the number of user conductors, said box being adapted to 15 be engaged on the ducting so that the receptacles are then respectively positioned opposite the respective phase conductors, and in that the connection members each comprise an insulating support adapted to be engaged in the receptacles, removably for those which correspond to the phase 20 conductors, and permanently for a support which corresponds to a neutral line.

2. The connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein each receptacle comprises a cavity provided in the external wall of the box and adapted so that the presence of a 25 connection member support engaged in the receptacle is visible from the outside.

3. The connector as claimed in claim 1 or 2, 7 1 6 wherein said means for establishing contact are resilient clips.

4. The connector as claimed in claim 2, or claim 3 when appendant to claim 2, wherein said cavity comprises 5. A circular aperture which passes through said wall, and said support comprises a stud shaped so as to be engageable resiliently in said aperture.

5. The connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein said studs are coloured and covered with a transparent 10 cover fixed to the outer face oi said wall.

6. The connector as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, where the box is provided with legs forming claws provided with means for hooking onto the ducting and means to facilitate manual grasping of the box to free it from 15 the duct.

7. Ihe connector as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, having a metal earthing blade fixed in the box. B. The connector as claimed in claim 7 having an insulating spur intended to enter a slit provided in 20 the ducting, said spur having a different width from that of said blade and being offset therefrom in the longitud-. inal direction of the box.

8. 9. The connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said receptacles are joined together by means of grooves, 25 guiding the insulating supports and forming a broken line, provided in the wall of the box and comprising blind holes for locking the positions of the heads of said supports.

9.

10. A connector, as claimed in claim 1, substantially as described herein with reference to the figures of ίθ the accompanying drawing.