SWITCHING DEVICE ARRANGEMENT

Abstract

The present invention relates to a switching device arrangement, comprising a plurality of switching devices, which are mounted in common on a mounting profiled rail, in particular a top hat rail, wherein the switching devices are connected to a bus system comprising at least one data bus and/or energy bus for transferring control signals and/or for supplying energy, wherein the bus system is integrated at least partially into the mounting profiled rail and the switching devices have bus connections for connecting to the bus system in the mounting profiled rail.

Claims

1. A switching device arrangement comprising: a plurality of switching devices mounted together on a mounting profile rail comprising a top hat rail, wherein the switching devices are connected to a bus system comprising at least one databus and/or energy bus for transmitting control signals and/or for an energy supply, wherein the bus system is at least partially integrated in the mounting profile rail and the switching devices have bus connectors configured to connect to the bus system in the mounting profile rail.

2. The device arrangement of claim 1, wherein the switching devices each have a mounting profile at least sectionally complementary to and/or compatible with the mounting profile rail for shape matched connection, pushing and/or latching onto the mounting profile rail, with the bus connectors of the switching devices for connection to the bus system in the mounting profile rail being in the region of the mounting profile.

3. The device arrangement of claim 1, wherein the mounting profile rail comprises rail sections that are electrically insulated from one another and in which different bus system components are accommodated.

4. The device arrangement of claim 1, wherein at least the energy bus is integrated in the mounting profile rail.

5. The device arrangement of claim 1, wherein a voltage supply line and a ground potential line are accommodated in different rail sections of the mounting profile rail electrically insulated from one another and the switching devices have voltage connectors and ground potential connectors that are spaced apart from one another and that are adapted to the spacing of the voltage supply lines and ground potential lines.

6. The device arrangement of claim 5, wherein the voltage supply lines and ground potential lines are arranged in oppositely disposed marginal sections of the mounting profile rail.

7. The device arrangement of claim 1, wherein the data bus is integrated in the mounting profile rail separate from the energy bus.

8. The device arrangement of claim 1, wherein the databus comprises a wirelessly communicating signal bus and the switching devices have wirelessly operating bus connectors each comprising a transmission and/or reception device.

9. The device arrangement of claim 8, wherein the signal bus is a radio bus and the wireless bus connectors each comprise a radio transmission and/or reception device.

10. The device arrangement of claim 1, wherein the switching devices each have a programmable address module in which an address for the respective switching device is storable via the bus system.

11. The device arrangement of claim 1, wherein the switching devices each have a reception device for a device tag module for transmitting a device tag.

12. The device arrangement of claim 1, wherein at least one of the switching devices has a connector for a main circuit and at least one actuator element for switching the main circuit which actuator element can be controlled and/or parameterized via the databus.

13. A switchgear cabinet in which the switching device arrangement of claim 1 is received.

14. The switchgear cabinet of claim 13, wherein a control device for controlling the switching device arrangement and/or a system connectable to the switchgear cabinet is received in the switchgear cabinet in addition to the switching device arrangement.

15. The switchgear cabinet of claim 14, wherein power electronics for controlling a system connectable to the switchgear cabinet such as a crane or a wind turbine is received in the switchgear cabinet in addition to the switching device arrangement.

16. The switchgear cabinet of claim 13, wherein power electronics for controlling a system connectable to the switchgear cabinet such as a crane or a wind turbine is received in the switchgear cabinet in addition to the switching device arrangement.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The invention will be explained in more detail in the following with reference to a preferred embodiment and to associated drawings. There are shown in the drawings:

[0028] FIG. 1: two switching devices that are pushed onto a top hat rail that on the one hand have bus connectors for connecting to a bus integrated in the top hat rail and wireless bus connectors for connecting to a radio bus system; and

[0029] FIG. 2: a partially sectioned representation of the connectors of a switching device to the wired bus system that is integrated in the mounting profile rail; and

[0030] FIG. 3: a schematic overall view of a switchgear cabinet having a switching device arrangement in accordance with the preceding Figures and a control device that communicates therewith and that is likewise arranged in the switchgear cabinet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] As FIG. 3 shows, a switchgear cabinet 1 can comprise a main circuit 15 that can comprise power electronic components 16 such as frequency converters, power controllers, rectifiers, and the like. Said main circuit 15 can supply a drive of a large technical system such as a crane, a transfer crane, or a harbor crane, or another hoisting gear, or can also be connected to another large technical system such as a wind turbine.

[0032] As FIG. 3 further shows, a switching device arrangement 2 is furthermore accommodated in the switchgear cabinet 1 and comprises a plurality of switching devices 3 that are mounted on one or more mounting profile rails 4 in the form of a top hat rail. Said switching devices 3 can in particular be provided to switch and/or protect the circuits of the main circuit 15 so that said switching devices 3 can each comprise an actuator system for switching the connected circuit or protection elements or other functional modules that are required for the control of the circuit. In addition, said switching devices 3 can have control modules for controlling said actuator system and/or for collecting data from sensor elements, wherein said control modules can, for example, be hardwired logic modules or can also comprise process controlled and/or programmable logic controlled functional modules.

[0033] Alternatively or additionally, further switching devices 3 can also be provided on one of said mounting profile rails 4 that form the logic of the control circuit and comprise corresponding functional modules.

[0034] As FIG. 3 further shows, a control device 17 can furthermore be accommodated in the switchgear cabinet 1 and transmits control commands to said switching devices 3 and receives the initially named collected data and/or signals from the switching devices.

[0035] As FIGS. 1 and 2 show, the switching devices 3 pushed or latched onto the mounting profile rail 4 are connected for this purpose to a bus system 5 via which the switching devices 3 receive control commands from the control device 17 and conversely transmit operating parameters such as the number of cycles, voltage and/or current and/or frequency values, degree of wear, and/or residual service life to the control device 17.

[0036] As FIGS. 1 and 2 show, said bus system 5 can comprise a databus 6 that can be integrated in the mounting profile rail 4. The corresponding bus line can, for example, be embedded in a middle section 4m of the mounting profile rail 4, for example. To be able to contact said databus line, a respective switching device 3 can comprise a bus connector 8, for example in the form of a contact spring or bush collector, at its lower side that is suitably arranged with respect to the mounting profile 9 that the wired bus connector 8 comes to lie on the databus 6 in the position on the mounting profile rail 4 held by shape matching.

[0037] Alternatively or additionally to such a databus 6 embedded in the mounting profile rail 4, a connection between the switching devices 3 and the control device 17 can, however, also comprise a wireless databus 6, in particular in the form of a radio bus. For this purpose, the switching devices 3 can comprise wirelessly operating bus connectors 14 that can in particular be configured as radio transmission and/or reception modules, cf. FIG. 1. Said control device 17 can likewise comprise a wirelessly operating bus connector 18 that can have a corresponding radio transmission and/or reception device to be able to communicate with the switching devices 3 via a radio link.

[0038] The control device 17 can furthermore also have a wired bus connector 19 that is connected to the databus 6 that is provided in the mounting profile rail 4.

[0039] As FIGS. 1 and 2 further show, an energy bus 7 can also be integrated in the mounting profile rail 4. A voltage supply line 10 and a ground potential line 11 can in particular be embedded or integrated in further sections of the mounting profile rail 4 or can be attached thereto, wherein said voltage supply lines and ground potential lines 10 and 11 are integrated in sections of the profile rail 4 electrically insulated from one another, for example in oppositely disposed marginal sections 41 and 4r or fold webs of the rail 4, cf. FIG. 1. Said sections for the voltage supply lines and the ground potential lines 10 and 11 of the profile rail 4 are advantageously also electrically insulated from the section 4m of the mounting profile rail 4 in which the previously named databus 6 is integrated. Said databus 6 can, for example, be integrated in a base section or middle section of the profile rail 4 to be separated from the two supply lines and ground lines provided at the marginal side.

[0040] As FIG. 2 shows, the respective switching device 3 comprises in the region of its mounting profile 9, that can be placed onto the mounting profile rail 4 with shape matching, voltage connectors and ground connectors 12 and 13 at suitable points that can, for example, be configured as contact pins or contact springs to be able to contact the supply lines and ground lines 12 and 13 provided at the profile rail 4, cf. FIG. 2.

[0041] As initially explained, the respective switching devices 3 can receive their addresses, for example, by programming on commissioning, with the programming being able to take place via said databus connection. Alternatively or additionally, at least one of the switching devices 3 can also comprise a reception device 20 in which a device tag DT or a device tag module can be received. By equipping the switching devices 3 with such device tags DT, the device tag can be communicated to the switching device in a wired manner or over radio, with a display of the device tag also being able to be provided.