ASSEMBLY FOR A CONDENSATE EXTRACTOR FOR EXTRACTING A COMPRESSED GAS CONDENSATE

Abstract

An assembly for a condensate draining device for draining off a compressed-gas condensate includes a collecting chamber for receiving the compressed-gas condensate formed in a compressed-gas system, an electrically operated outlet valve for discharging the compressed-gas condensate from the collecting chamber, and an interface for attaching the assembly to an electronic module. The interface has a contact assembly for supplying the outlet valve with electricity from the electronic module. The interface is brought into one of several possible and different configuration states.

Claims

1. An assembly for a condensate draining device for draining off a compressed-gas condensate, the assembly comprising a collecting chamber for receiving the compressed-gas condensate formed in a compressed-gas system, an electrically operated outlet valve for discharging the compressed-gas condensate from the collecting chamber, and an interface for attaching the assembly to an electronic module, wherein the interface has a contact assembly for supplying the outlet valve with electricity from the electronic module, wherein the interface is brought into one of several possible and different configuration states.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the possible configuration states correspond to a respective mechanical configuration state, and the interface has a plurality of spaced-apart configuration positions, each of which is shaped into one of several mechanical configuration variants, and that each different configuration variant of a configuration position corresponds to a different configuration state.

3. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein a respective configuration member is optionally disposed, attached in a non-positive or a positive manner, at least some configuration positions, wherein the presence of a configuration member at the respective configuration position corresponds to a first configuration variant of the configuration position, and the absence of a configuration member from the respective configuration position corresponds to a second configuration variant of the configuration position.

4. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein each configuration state corresponds to a different surface profile of the interface in the attachment of the assembly to the electronic module.

5. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein a respective configuration member is disposed in several different arrangement variants at least some configuration positions, wherein each arrangement variant of the configuration member at the respective configuration position corresponds to a different configuration variant of the configuration position.

6. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein the respective configuration member is disposed, at the respective configuration position, in a first arrangement variant and a second arrangement variant, wherein the respective configuration member, in the first arrangement variant, is disposed offset relative to the second arrangement variant in the direction of the electronic module, in relation to the attachment of the assembly to the electronic module.

7. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the possible configuration states correspond to a respective electrical configuration state, and that the interface has a query contact for querying the electrical configuration state of the interface.

8. The assembly according to claim 7, wherein the interface has a plurality of contact positions for arranging electrical contact members, and that different arrangements of the electrical contact members on the contact positions correspond to different configuration states, that the query contact is configured for electric connection with the contact members, that the electrical contact members form the query contact.

9. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein the contact members are electrically conductive pins, that the contact positions have openings for optionally receiving the pins, and that the assembly has one pole for each contact position, which pole is disposed such that, when a pin is received by an opening of a contact position, the received pin is electrically connected to the pole of the contact position.

10. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the contact assembly has two pole contacts for supplying the outlet valve with electricity, that the outlet valve is configured for operation by an extra-low voltage and the pole contacts are configured for being connected to the extra-low voltage, wherein the extra-low voltage is at most 120 V.

11. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the assembly has a capacitive, sensor for detecting a filling level of the collecting chamber, and that the contact assembly has an electric sensor contact for operating the sensor, wherein the sensor is configured for operation with a ground potential and the sensor contact is configured for being connected to a ground potential.

12. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the interface has a receiving portion for an attachment means, so that at least a non-positive connection for attaching the assembly to the electronic module is established by means of the attachment means, and that the receiving portion, by means of an arrangement of a configuration member, is brought into one of several possible mechanical configuration states.

13. A condensate draining device for draining off a compressed-gas condensate, with an electronic module, which electronic module has a supply assembly for generating a supply voltage, a module interface for attaching an assembly to the electronic module and for providing the supply voltage at the assembly, and a supply terminal for connecting the supply assembly to an external voltage source, characterized in that the condensate draining device has an assembly according to claim 1 for attachment to the electronic module.

14. The condensate draining device according to claim 13, wherein the module interface is brought into one of several possible mechanical configurations, and that an attachment of the assembly to the electronic module is mechanically blocked in at least some mechanical configurations of the module interface and some of the possible configuration states of the interface, in some arrangement variants of the configuration members.

15. The condensate draining device according to claim 13, wherein the electronic module has a logic device for detecting and checking a configuration state of the interface, which logic device is brought into one of several possible electrical configurations, and that the logic device, in the event of a lack of conformity between the configuration state of the interface and the electrical configuration of the logic device, carries out an error routine for shutting down the assembly, that the logic device has a non-volatile memory for storing the electrical configuration.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In the drawings:

[0034] FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of an inventive condensate draining device according to a first exemplary embodiment,

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a first sectional view of the condensate draining device according to the disclosure of FIG. 1,

[0036] FIG. 3 shows a second sectional view of the condensate draining device according to the disclosure of FIG. 1, and

[0037] FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of an inventive condensate draining device according to a second exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] The condensate draining device 1 shown in FIG. 1, which corresponds to a first exemplary embodiment of the condensate draining device 1 according to the disclosure, has an assembly 2 and an electronic module 3 as essential components. Accordingly, this assembly 2 constitutes a first exemplary embodiment of the assembly 2 according to the disclosure. The assembly 2 may also be referred to as a maintenance assembly. The condensate draining device 1 serves for use in a compressed-gas system not shown herein, and there particularly for draining off the compressed-gas condensate. In FIG. 1, the assembly 2 and the electronic module 3 are shown separate from each other. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the condensate draining device 1 of FIG. 1, with the assembly 2 being attached to the electronic module 3, in a respective sectional view. Generally, the condensate draining device 1 as a whole is mechanically attached to the electronic module 3 with the rest of the compressed-gas system.

[0039] The assembly 2 has a collecting chamber 4 for receiving the compressed-gas condensate formed in the compressed-gas system and an electrically operated outlet valve 5which is a solenoid valvefor discharging the compressed-gas condensate. The discharged compressed-gas condensate can escape through the outlet opening 6 of the assembly 2. The details relating to the mode of operation of the outlet valve 5, the collecting chamber 4 and the outlet opening 6which are not relevant in the present case and are known as such from the prior artare omitted from the illustration of FIG. 3.

[0040] The assembly 2 is attached to the electronic module 3, and especially to its module interface 8, by means of the interface 7. In the present case, the module interface 8 is simply formed by the counterpart to the module interface 7 on the electronic module 3. The interface 7 has a contact assembly 9 through which electricity can be received from the electronic module 3 for electrically supplying the outlet valve 5.

[0041] The interface 7 can be brought into different mechanical configuration states. For this purpose, it has several, and especially four, configuration positions 10a-d, which are in this particular case formed by four openings arranged side-by-side. One screw may now be optionally disposed in each of these openings. Thus, according to the illustrations of FIGS. 1 and 2, such screws are disposed in the openings of the two configuration positions 10a, b. In particular, the screws are arranged at and fastened to the configuration positions 10a, b by means of a screw connection, i.e. by means of a non-positive and positive connection. These screws form configuration members 11a, b, whose different options of being arranged or placed in the configuration positions 10a-di.e. the case of a screw present at the respective configuration position 10a-d versus the case of a screw absent from the respective configuration position 10a-dmake it possible to realize a total of sixteen different configuration variants and thus mechanical configuration states of the assembly 2. Each of the configuration states then recognizably yields a surface profile of the interface 7 that is different in each case.

[0042] It would also be conceivable that configuration members 11a, b, and in this case especially the screws, can be disposed in the respective configuration positions 10a-d in more than one waye.g. protruding to different extents. In such a case, the number of the different configuration states with a different surface profile in each case would be further increased.

[0043] FIG. 4 shows a second exemplary embodiment of a condensate draining device 1 according to the disclosure, which condensate draining device 1 in turn has a second exemplary embodiment of an assembly 2 according to the disclosure.

[0044] In contrast to the first exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3, the configuration states of the interface 7 of the assembly 2 of the second exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3 also have electrical difference in addition to the mechanical differences. In particular, the interface 7 of the assembly 2 of the second exemplary embodiment has four contact positions 12a-d, which comprises openings which may accommodate electrical contact members 13in this case, in particular, electrically conductive pins. A pole of the assembly, which is not shown here, is in each case disposed underneath the contact position 12a-d, so that a pin is electrically connected at a contact position 12a-d to the pole underneath it.

[0045] In this manner, the contact members 13 as a whole, which are in the present case disposed at the contact positions 12c, d, form a query contact 14 of the interface 7 themselves, via which the configuration state of the interface 7 can be determined electrically. Alternatively, the contact members 13 could also have been disposed in the contact positions 12a, c or the contact positions 12 a, b, for example. A total of four contact members 13 could also have been disposed in the contact positions 12a-d. The contact members 13, or the electrical connections established by them, can be detected by corresponding contacts of the module interface 8, which are not shown here, and the respective configuration state can thus be determined. With regard to its other properties and features, the second exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4 corresponds to the first exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0046] In both exemplary embodiments shown, the contact assembly 9 of the interface 7 has pole contacts 16a, b for supplying the outlet valve 5 with electricity. These pole contacts 16a, b receive an extra-low voltage of 100 volts, which is provided by the electronic module 3, for the operation of the outlet valve 5.

[0047] In addition, the contact assembly 9 of the interface 7 has a sensor contact 17 which is electrically connected to a ground potential by means of the electronic module 3 and which serves for operating a capacitive sensor 15 of the assembly for detecting a filling level of the collecting chamber 4. In this case, further, and in particular electronic, components for the function of the sensor 15 may be disposed in the electronic module 3.

[0048] The interface 7 has a receiving portion 18 with a female thread for an attachment means 19, which is a screw. According to a variant not shown here in much detail, fitting configuration members could also be disposed in different orientations on the receiving portion 18 with a corresponding link mechanism, so that, again, different mechanical configuration states could be provided on a structure which are required anyway for attaching the assembly 2 to the electronic module 3.

[0049] In addition to the module interface 8 already mentioned, the electronic module 3 of the condensate draining device 1 has a supply assembly 20 for generating a supply voltage. In the present case, this supply assembly 20 is a converter. Here, this supply voltage is applied to the pole contacts 16 a, b via the module interface 8 in order to supply the outlet valve 5 with electricity. The supply assembly 20 itself is in turn connected to an external voltage sourcewhich is not shown herevia a supply terminal 21. This external voltage source preferably provides a customary alternating voltage of 230 V. An external ground contact for the sensor contact 17 may also be provided through the supply terminal.

[0050] As can be seen in FIG. 2, the module interface 8 may also be mechanically configured in different ways. In particular, the module interface 8 has four receiving portions, which form counter-configuration positions 23a-d to the configuration positions 10a-d and in which respective counter-configuration members 22a, b may be received, which in this case are also screws. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the counter-configuration positions 23a-d are immediately adjacent to the configuration positions 10a-d if the assembly 2 is attached to the electronic module 3. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, the counter-configuration members 22a, b are disposed in the configuration positions 23c, d. The corresponding screws, which are also disposed in the counter-configuration positions 23c, d by a non-positive and positive screw connection, also protrude into the adjacent configuration positions 10c, d. Conversely, the screws disposed in the configuration positions 10a, b also protrude into the counter-configuration positions 23a, b.

[0051] Thus, it is apparent that no two screws can be disposed both in one of the configuration positions 10a-d and in the respectively adjacent counter-configuration position 23a-d without mechanically blocking an attachment of the assembly 2 to the electronic module 3. A suitably complementary arrangement of the screws is thus a precondition for this attachment, so that an encoding by the placement of the screws can be mechanically checked in this manner. In this case, it is conceivable that the screws also provide an electrical connection, as described for the contact members 13, in addition to these mechanical properties.