DEVICE FOR HOLDING AND FASTENING A BUS BAR TO A SUBSTRATE, IN PARTICULAR TO A METALLIC HOUSING

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for holding and fastening a bus bar (1) to a substrate (2), in particular to a metallic housing (10), having: a metallic supporting body (3) for supporting the bus bar (1) on the substrate (2), a thermally conductive and electrically insulating intermediate layer (4) for arrangement between the supporting body (3) and the substrate (2), a holding element (6) which can be fixed to the substrate (2) with the aid of a fastener (5), and a clamping and/or resilient element (7) for applying a preloading force to the supporting body (3) in the direction of the substrate (2) directly or indirectly via the holding element (6).
The invention also relates to a metallic housing (10) having a device according to the invention.

Claims

1. A device for holding and fastening a bus bar (1) to a substrate (2) the device comprising: a metallic supporting body (3) for supporting the bus bar (1) on the substrate (2), a thermally conductive and electrically insulating intermediate layer (4) for arrangement between the supporting body (3) and the substrate (2), a retaining element (6) which can be fixed to the substrate (2) with a fastener (5), and a tensioning and/or spring element (7) for applying a preloading force to the supporting body (3) in a direction of the substrate (2) directly or indirectly via the holding element (6).

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer (4) is an electrically insulating thermally conducting foil.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the retaining element (6) is made of an electrically insulating material.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting body (3) has a widened base which forms a flange (8) for supporting the retaining element (6) and/or the tensioning and/or spring element (7).

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the retaining element (6) is designed as a sleeve or as an angle profile.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the retaining element (6) has a recess (9) for receiving the fastener (5).

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the tensioning and/or spring element (7) is a helical or disc spring or a bar.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the supporting body (3) has a contact surface (13) facing away from the substrate (2) for contacting the bus bar (1) and, in a region of the contact surface (13), forms a threaded bore (14) for receiving a screw (15) or a threaded pin (16) for receiving a nut (17).

9. A metallic housing (10) with a device according to claim 1 for holding and fastening a bus bar (1).

10. The housing (10) according to claim 9, wherein the housing (10) has cooling.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate (2) is a metallic housing (10).

12. The device according to claim 2, wherein the electrically insulating thermally conducting foil is bonded to the supporting body (3) and/or to the substrate (2).

13. The device according to claim 3, wherein the electrically insulating material is plastic.

14. The device according to claim 5, wherein the sleeve is a collar sleeve.

15. The device according to claim 6, wherein a metallic sleeve (11) is inserted into the recess (9).

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the metallic sleeve (11) is pressed into the recess (9).

17. The device according to claim 7, wherein the bar is a spring-elastic bar.

18. The housing (10) according to claim 10, wherein the cooling is water or air cooling.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Preferred embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing. These show:

[0026] FIG. 1 a schematic cross-section through a device according to the invention for holding and fastening a bus bar according to a first preferred embodiment,

[0027] FIG. 2 a schematic cross-section through a device according to the invention for holding and fastening a bus bar according to a second preferred embodiment,

[0028] FIG. 3 a schematic cross-section through a device according to the invention for holding and fastening a bus bar according to a third preferred embodiment,

[0029] FIG. 4 a sectional view of the device of FIG. 3 and

[0030] FIG. 5 a top view of the tensioning and/or spring element of the device of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The device shown in FIG. 1 is used to hold and fasten a bus bar 1 to a substrate 2, which in this case is formed by a metallic housing 10. The device comprises a metallic supporting body 3, which is rotationally symmetrical and supports the bus bar 1 in certain areas or at certain points. Several such devices are therefore preferably arranged at regular intervals along the length of bus bar 1.

[0032] The metallic supporting body 3 is separated from the substrate by a thermally conductive and electrically insulating intermediate layer 4 in the form of a thermally conductive foil. This ensures good heat transfer from the supporting body 3 into the housing 10. At the same time, electrical insulation is achieved so that the housing 10 can be touched without danger. Due to the elastic properties of the thermally conducting foil, geometric deviations in the area of the contact surface of the supporting body 3 on the housing 10 can also be compensated, so that maximum surface contact between the supporting body 3 and the housing 10 is ensured.

[0033] The metallic supporting body 3 is fastened indirectly to the housing 10 by means of a sleeve-shaped retaining element 6 and fastener 5 in the form of screws. The retaining element 6 interacts with a tensioning and/or spring element 7, which is designed as a helical spring and preloads the supporting body 3 against the housing 10. For this purpose, the tensioning and/or spring element 7 is supported on one side on an annular collar 18 of the sleeve-shaped retaining element 6 and on the other side on a ring-shaped flange 8 of the supporting body 3. The sleeve-shaped retaining element 6 is supported on the housing 10 via a further annular collar 19. Since the retaining element 6 is made of an electrically insulating material, for example plastic, electrical insulation between the holding element 6, the tensioning and/or spring element 7 and the supporting body 3 can be omitted. Metallic sleeves 11 for receiving screws are inserted in recesses 9 of the annular collar 19, which serve as fasteners 5 and are screwed to the housing 10. A threaded bore 12 is provided in the housing 10 for this purpose.

[0034] At the other end, the bus bar 1 rests on a contact surface 13 of the supporting body 3 and is screwed to the supporting body 3. A threaded bore 14 is provided in the supporting body 3 for this purpose, and the bus bar 1 has a recess 20 so that a screw 15 can be inserted or screwed into the threaded bore 14 through the recess 20.

[0035] A further embodiment of a device according to the invention for holding and fastening a bus bar 1 to a substrate 2 is shown in FIG. 2. In this case, the supporting body 3 is designed as an elongated body that has two parallel flanges 8. A thermally conducting foil is again inserted between the supporting body 3 and the substrate 2 as a thermally conducting and electrically insulating intermediate layer 4. At the other end, the bus bar 1 rests on a contact surface 13 of the supporting body 3 and is screwed to the supporting body 3. However, the screw connection is implemented here with the aid of a threaded pin 16 of the supporting body 3 and a nut 17 attached or screwed on from the outside.

[0036] Corresponding to the elongated design of the supporting body 3, the retaining element 6 also has an elongated shape. A total of two elongated retaining elements 6 are provided, each of which is designed as an angle profile and is supported on a flange 8 of the supporting body 3. Furthermore, two tensioning and/or spring elements 7 are provided, which are designed as spring-elastic rails. The clamping and/or spring elements 7 rest on the retaining elements 6 and press them against the respective flange 8 of the supporting body 3. The supporting body 3 is thus indirectly preloaded against the housing 10 via the holding elements 6. The preloading force required for this is affected with the aid of the fastener 5, which are guided for this purpose by the tensioning and/or spring elements 7 and by the retaining elements 6 and are screwed into the housing 10.

[0037] For electrical insulation, the holding elements 6 are made of an electrically insulating material, for example plastic. Metallic sleeves 11 are again inserted in the retaining elements 6 to accommodate the fasteners 5.

[0038] The device of FIG. 2 also allows a bus bar 1 to be supported in areas on a substrate 2, wherein the support can extend over a greater length or over the entire length of the bus bar 1.

[0039] Another preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. The supporting body 3 is again rotationally symmetrical and has a ring-shaped flange 8. An electrically insulating intermediate layer 4 in the form of a thermally conducting foil is arranged below the supporting body 3. To accommodate a bus bar (not shown), the supporting body 3 has an abutment surface 13 with a threaded bore 14 formed therein. A sleeve-shaped retaining element 6 rests on the flange 8 of the supporting body 3 for fastening the supporting body 3 to a substrate (not shown). This is made of plastic, which means electrically non-conductive. It also has an annular collar 19 for securing the retaining element 6 to the substrate. For this purpose, two recesses 9 for receiving fasteners (not shown) are formed in the annular collar 19 at the same angular distance from each other. To prevent the fasteners from loosening, metallic sleeves 11 are inserted in the recesses 9. In the area of the recesses 9, the annular collar 19 widens radially outward in each case (see FIG. 4).

[0040] A tensioning and/or spring element 7 rests on the sleeve-shaped retaining element 6, which has essentially the same shape as the retaining element 6 in plan view (see FIG. 5). In particular, it has two recesses 21 which can be brought into overlap with the recesses 9 of the holding element 6 so that the fastener can be inserted therein. Furthermore, the tensioning and/or spring element 7 has two segment-shaped contact areas 22 (see FIG. 5), which can be brought into contact with the retaining element 6 so that the latter is pressed against the flange 8 of the supporting body 3. The supporting body 3 is thus prestressed against the substrate, so that heat transfer from the supporting body 3 to the substrate is improved.