BASE ELEMENT FOR AN AT LEAST TWO-PART OVERVOLTAGE PROTECTOR AND CORRESPONDING OVERVOLTAGE PROTECTOR

Abstract

A base element for an at least two-part overvoltage protective arrangement, has a support rail receptacle for receiving a support rail carrying an electrical potential, a first receptacle for receiving a first electrical conductor, a second receptacle for receiving a second electrical conductor, and a protective element receptacle for receiving an overvoltage protective element. An electrical connecting element for transmitting an electrical signal from the first receptacle to the second receptacle is produced between the first second receptacles. An electrical support rail contact element makes electrical contact with the support rail when the support rail is received by the support rail receptacle. The first and second receptacles receive electrical connector parts or adapter connector parts for electrical connector parts. An overvoltage protective arrangement with such a base element. The base element and overvoltage protective arrangement make possible simple installation in existing control and signaling systems with minimal intervention.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. A base element for an at least two-part overvoltage protective arrangement, comprising: a support rail receptacle for receiving a support rail carrying an electrical potential, a first receptacle for receiving a first electrical conductor, a second receptacle for receiving a second electrical conductor, a protective element receptacle for receiving an overvoltage protective element, an electrical connecting element located between the first receptacle and the second receptacle for transmitting an electrical signal from the first receptacle to the second receptacle, and an electrical support rail contact element in the support rail receptacle for making electrical contact with the support rail when the support rail is received by the support rail receptacle, wherein when the overvoltage protective element is received in the protective element receptacle, the electrical connecting element and the electrical support rail contact element make electrical contact at least indirectly by means of corresponding electrical contact elements of the overvoltage protective element, and a low-impedance electrical connection between the electrical contact elements is made in the overvoltage protective element when an overvoltage occurs between the electrical contact elements for the overvoltage, and wherein the first receptacle and the second receptacle are configured for receiving electrical connector parts or adapter connector parts for electrical connector parts.

13. The base element according to claim 12, wherein the first receptacle and the second receptacle are configured for receiving corresponding electrical connector parts with male/female electrical connector parts.

14. The base element according to claim 12, wherein the base element has a housing, wherein the first receptacle and the second receptacle are located on opposite sides of a front of the housing, and wherein the housing has open sides facing in a length direction of the support rail.

15. The base element according to claim 14, wherein the base element has closing elements for closing the open sides of the housing.

16. The base element according to claim 12, wherein the first receptacle and the second receptacle are multipolar.

17. The base element according to claim 12, wherein the protective element receptacle is multipolar.

18. The base element according to claim 12, wherein the first receptacle and the second receptacle have a first division unit, and wherein the protective element receptacle has a second division unit, wherein the second division unit is different from the first division unit.

19. An overvoltage protective arrangement, comprising: at least one base element having a support rail receptacle for receiving a support rail carrying an electrical potential, at least one overvoltage protective element, a first receptacle for receiving a first electrical conductor, a second receptacle for receiving a second electrical conductor, a protective element receptacle for receiving the overvoltage protective element, and an electrical connecting element for transmitting an electrical signal from the first receptacle to the second receptacle, wherein an electrical support rail contact element is provided in the support rail receptacle for making electrical contact with the support rail when the support rail is received by the support rail receptacle, wherein, the electrical connecting element and the electrical support rail contact element make electrical contact at least indirectly by means of corresponding electrical contact elements of the overvoltage protective element when the overvoltage protective element is received in the protective element receptacle, wherein a low-impedance electrical connection is produced between the electrical contact elements in the overvoltage protective element when an overvoltage occurs between the electrical contact elements for discharging the overvoltage, and wherein the first receptacle and the second receptacle are configured for receiving electrical connector parts or adapter connector parts for electrical connector parts.

20. The overvoltage protective arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the first receptacle and the second receptacle are configured for receiving corresponding electrical connector parts with male/female electrical connector parts.

21. The overvoltage protective arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the base element has a housing, wherein the first receptacle and the second receptacle are located on opposite sides of a front of the housing, and wherein the housing has open sides facing in a length direction of the support rail.

22. The overvoltage protective arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the first receptacle and the second receptacle are multipolar.

23. The overvoltage protective arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the protective element receptacle is multipolar.

24. The overvoltage protective arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the first receptacle and the second receptacle have a first division unit, wherein the protective element receptacle has a second division unit, and wherein the second division unit is different from the first division unit.

25. The overvoltage protective arrangement according to claim 19, wherein multiple base elements are arranged aligned beside one another in the length direction of the support rail and wherein for at least one of first receptacles arranged beside one another or second receptacles arranged beside one another, a one-piece connector is provided which can be inserted as a whole into the at least one of the first receptacles arranged beside one another or the second receptacles arranged beside one another.

26. The overvoltage protective arrangement according to claim 25, wherein the one-piece connector part is an adapter connector part that is configured as a plug-in connector on a side facing away from the first receptacle or on a side facing away from the second receptacle, and wherein the plug-in connector on the side facing away from the first receptacle or on the side facing away from the second receptacle is a different type of plug-in connector than on the side of the adapter connector part facing the first receptacle or on the side of the adapter connector part facing the second receptacle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a base element for an at least two-part overvoltage protective arrangement and a corresponding overvoltage protective arrangement in diagrammatic form,

[0024] FIG. 2 shows an overvoltage protective arrangement with adapter connector parts according to the invention,

[0025] FIG. 3 is perspective view of an overvoltage protective arrangement with plugged-in adapter connector parts according to the invention,

[0026] FIG. 4 is a side view of an overvoltage protective arrangement according to the invention,

[0027] FIGS. 5a, 5b are perspective views of a base element looking toward the support rail receptacle,

[0028] FIGS. 6a, 6b are perspective views of a base element looking toward the protective element receptacle,

[0029] FIG. 7 shows an open side view of a base element, and

[0030] FIG. 8 shows the electrical connecting elements and the electric support rail contact element inside a base element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] In all of FIGS. 1 to 8, base elements 1 or parts of base elements 1 for a two-part overvoltage protective arrangement 2 are depicted. The base element 1 has a support rail receptacle 3 for receiving a support rail 4 carrying an electrical potential. Each base element 1 comprises a first receptacle 5 for receiving a first electrical conductor 6 and a second receptacle 7 for receiving a second electrical conductor 8.

[0032] None of the figures show a base element, as is known from the state of the art. In the state of the art, the first electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor are usually ends—stripped or else not stripped—of a metal wire, wherein the first receptacle and the second receptacle in most cases have spring clamps or insulation displacement terminations. In the case of the depicted base elements 1, as is further explained below, this is achieved in a completely different way.

[0033] All base elements 1 have a protective element receptacle 9 for receiving an overvoltage protective element 10.

[0034] FIGS. 1, 7, and 8 show that an electrical connecting element 11, 11a, 11b for transmitting an electrical signal from the first receptacle 5 to the second receptacle 7 is produced between the first receptacle 5 and the second receptacle 7.

[0035] In FIGS. 1, 5, 7, and 8, it is evident that in the support rail receptacle 3, an electrical support rail contact element 12 is designed for making electrical contact with the support rail 4 when the support rail 4 is received by the support rail receptacle 3. With the support rail contact element 12, the electrical potential of the support rail 4 can thus be tapped off. In the overvoltage protective element 10, provision is made for discharging a detected overvoltage. To this end, when the overvoltage protective element 10 is received in the protective element receptacle 9, the electrical connecting element 11, 11a, 11b and the electrical support rail contact element 12 make contact by means of corresponding electrical contact elements 13, 14 of the overvoltage protective element 10, which is depicted diagrammatically in FIG. 1. In the overvoltage protective element 10, when an overvoltage occurs between the electrical contact elements 13, 14, a low-impedance electrical connection 15 is made between the electrical contact elements 13, 14, here by a gas discharge valve, and the overvoltage is discharged.

[0036] The distinctive feature in the case of the depicted base element 1, and also in the case of the overvoltage protective arrangement 2, is that the first receptacle 5 and the second receptacle 7 are designed for receiving electrical connector parts 16a, 16b or adapter connector parts 17a, 17b for electrical connector parts 16a, 16b. FIG. 1 diagrammatically depicts the application in which the first electrical conductor 6 and the second electrical conductor 8 are present in the form of connector parts 16a, 16b. The connector parts 16a, 16b are in this case corresponding electrical connector parts 16a, 16b with plug-in contacts that interlock in a positive manner. These are thus corresponding male, female electrical connector parts 16a, 16b. The first receptacle 5 is configured in such a way that it can easily receive the electrical connector part 16a, and the second receptacle 7 is configured in such a way that it can easily receive the electrical connector part 16b. It is thus no longer necessary and even no longer desired to bring an electrical conductor 6, 8 in the form of a pure wire into the first receptacle 5 and into the second receptacle 7; rather, the first receptacle 5 and the second receptacle 7 are suitable for receiving connector parts 16a, 16b, as they are present in, for example, plug-in connector systems of electrical installations of, in particular, control and signaling systems.

[0037] In FIGS. 2 to 7, in each case base elements 1 are depicted, whose first receptacle 5 and second receptacle 7 are designed for receiving adapter connector parts 17a, 17b for electrical connector parts 16a, 16b. The adapter connector parts 17a, 17b are depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3. The adapter connector parts 17a, 17b are, of course, configured on the side facing the first receptacle 5 or on the side facing the second receptacle 7, corresponding to the appropriate first receptacle 5 or the appropriate second receptacle 7. On the side facing away from the first receptacle 5 or on the side facing away from the second receptacle 7, the adapter connector parts17a, 17b are configured otherwise, however, namely for a type of plug-in connector that had been installed in the plant, into which the overvoltage protective arrangement 2 or the related base element 1 is to be inserted. It is thus very simple to use the same overvoltage protective arrangements 2 or the corresponding base elements 1 for completely different connection situations and types of plug-in connectors without the first receptacle 5 or the second receptacle 7 having to adapt each time to the conditions of the corresponding electrical unit. The adapter connector parts 17a, 17b that are used must only be matched on their side facing the base element 1 to the—manufacturer-specific—first receptacle 5 or second receptacle 7

[0038] It can be seen in the figures that the base element 1 has a housing 18. The housing 18 is in this case a housing made of insulation material. The first receptacle 5 and the second receptacle 7 are made on opposite sides of the front of the housing 18. It can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 7 that the housing 18 is designed open on the sides facing in the extending direction of the support rails 4. When dealing with cases where certain sides point in an extending direction, then the surface normal on these corresponding sides is meant. As a result of the housing 18 being open on the corresponding sides, the necessary electrical elements can be brought very easily into the inside space of the housing 18. It can be seen in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6 that the open sides of the housing 18 of the base element 1 have been closed by closing elements 19. It is thus no longer readily possible to touch the electrically conductive parts inside the inside space of the housing 18.

[0039] In the case of all embodiments in FIGS. 2 to 7, the first receptacle 5 and the second receptacle 7 are designed to be multipolar, namely bipolar. As a result, it is possible to monitor two signal lines for overvoltage in a base element 1 or in an overvoltage protective arrangement 2 with a base element 1 and an overvoltage protective element 10. Further, it can be seen that the protective element receptacle 9 of the overvoltage protective element 10 in the base element 1 is designed to be multipolar, in this case tripolar. Two poles of the protective element receptacle 9 serve to feed the signals transported via the bipolar first receptacle 5 and the second receptacle 7 to the overvoltage protective element 10, which another pole serves to transfer the electrical potential carried by the support rail 4 into the overvoltage protective element 10. In the depicted embodiments, the first receptacle 5 and the second receptacle 7 have a first division unit, which is 7 mm (about 0.28 in) here in the depicted special configuration. The protective element receptacle 9 of the base element 1 has a second division unit that deviates from the first division unit. In this case, the division unit of the protective element receptacle 9 is 5.15 mm (about 0.2 in).

[0040] The distinguishing characteristic of the overvoltage protective arrangements 2 depicted in FIGS. 2 to 4 is that multiple base elements 1 are arranged aligned beside one another in the extending direction of the support rail 4. The multiple base elements 1 are thus arranged in parallel beside one another on the support rail 4. Accordingly, the first receptacles 5 of the multiple base elements 1 as well as the multiple second receptacles 7 of the multiple base elements 1 are also arranged beside one another. For these first receptacles 5 arranged beside one another and second receptacles 7 arranged beside one another, a one-piece adapter connector part 17a, 17b is provided, which can be inserted, as a whole, into the first receptacles 5 arranged beside one another and/or into the second receptacles 7 arranged beside one another. The one-piece adapter connector part 17a, 17b can thus be handled as a whole and does not consist of multiple loose parts that are not connected to one another, although it of course has multiple parts, namely, for example, electrical contact elements, which are held in a housing of the adapter connector part 17a, 17b. Because of this modular integration of multiple elementary and individual base elements 1 with the overvoltage protective element 10 that is assigned in each case, it is thus very readily possible to connect very multi-polar connector parts 16a, 16b—by means of corresponding adapter connector parts 17a, 17b.