Plug-in summation current transformer module, rail-mounted device, and assembly method

Abstract

A plug-in summation current transformer module for insertion into a module-overlapping installation space of a multi-pole rail-mounted device that is formed of a plurality of housing modules has a summation current transformer and primary conductors routed through the tubular summation current transformer. The primary conductors have primary conductor ends. A primary conductor holder for fixing the primary conductor ends is fastened to the summation current transformer and adopts a fixing position for holding the primary conductor ends in an assembling position for insertion into a module-overlapping installation space and a releasing position where the primary conductor ends move transversely into a releasing position allowing the primary conductor ends to join into their contacts in the modules.

Claims

1. A plug-in summation current transformer module for insertion into a module-overlapping installation space of a multi-pole rail-mounted device formed from a plurality of housing modules, the current transformer module comprising: a tubular summation current transformer; at least one first primary conductor and at least one second primary conductor, each being routed through said tubular summation current transformer and each having a first primary conductor end and a second primary conductor end; a primary conductor holder for fixing said first and second primary conductor ends, said primary conductor holder being fastened to said summation current transformer and being configured to adopt a fixing position and a releasing position, said primary conductor holder being configured, in the fixing position, to hold said first and second primary conductor ends in a respective assembling position during an insertion into the module-overlapping installation space; and after insertion, by moving to the releasing position, to bring said first and second primary conductor ends into a respective joining position.

2. The plug-in summation current transformer module according to claim 1, wherein said first and second primary conductor ends in the assembling position project radially from said tubular summation current transformer.

3. The plug-in summation current transformer module according to claim 1, having a guide contour which is configured, during insertion into the module-overlapping installation space, to interact with a guide contour in the module-overlapping installation space, so as to enable a collision-free insertion into the module-overlapping installation space.

4. The plug-in summation current transformer module according to claim 1, wherein said first and second primary conductor ends, in the assembling positions thereof, are to be fixed relative to an inherent elasticity of said first and second primary conductors.

5. The plug-in summation current transformer module according to claim 1, wherein said primary conductor holder comprises a snap-fit connection which, when released, causes a transition from the fixing position to the releasing position.

6. The plug-in summation current transformer module according to claim 1, wherein at least one further primary conductor is routed through said summation current transformer.

7. A modular multi-pole rail-mounted device, comprising: at least two housing modules, each having a front side, a fastening side opposite said front side, first and second narrow sides, and first and second wide sides connecting said front and fastening sides; each of said housing modules being formed with an opening running between said first and second wide sides and wherein, when said at least two housing modules are connected to one another to form an insulating-material housing with a module-overlapping installation space, and wherein two terminal contacts protrude into the respective opening in each of said housing modules; a plug-in summation current transformer module according to claim 1 with the first and second primary conductor ends, in their respective joining positions, being disposed directly adjacent respectively assigned terminal contacts.

8. The modular multi-pole rail-mounted device according to claim 7, wherein said terminal contacts are fork-shaped terminal contacts.

9. A method of assembling a modular multi-pole rail-mounted device, the method comprising: providing a plug-in summation current transformer module according to claim 1; providing a multi-pole insulating material housing formed of at least two housing modules, each having a front side, a fastening side opposite the front side, first and second narrow sides, first and second wide sides connecting said front and fastening sides, and an opening in each of the housing modules which, when the at least two housing modules are connected to one another, form a module-overlapping installation space with two terminal contacts protruding into the respective opening in each of the housing modules; fixing the first and the second primary conductor ends in their respective assembling position with the aid of the primary conductor holder; inserting the plug-in summation current transformer module in a first direction into the module-overlapping installation space; and releasing the primary conductor holder to move the primary conductor ends in a second direction, running transversely to the first direction, into their respective joining position.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of the plug-in summation current transformer module according to the invention in a perspective view;

(2) FIG. 2 shows a schematic detailed illustration of the summation current transformer having the primary conductor holder fastened thereto;

(3) FIGS. 3 and 4 show schematic illustrations of the multi-pole rail-mounted device according to the invention formed from a plurality of housing modules, without the plug-in summation current transformer module;

(4) FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of the rail-mounted device according to the invention from FIGS. 3 and 4 during insertion of the plug-in summation current transformer module;

(5) FIGS. 6 to 9 show schematic detailed illustrations of the plug-in summation current transformer module inserted into the rail-mounted device, in various states of assembly; and

(6) FIG. 10 shows a schematic illustration of the assembly method according to the invention.

(7) Identical and functionally equivalent parts and elements are provided with the same reference sign throughout the figures. The description applies to all of the figures of the drawing in which the corresponding part can likewise be seen.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(8) Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, in particular, to the schematic perspective view of FIG. 1, there is shown a plug-in summation current transformer module 100 according to the invention. The plug-in summation current transformer module 100 is provided for assembling in a four-pole modular rail-mounted device (see FIGS. 3 to 8) and has a tubular summation current transformer 101 which is composed of a magnetic core (not explicitly illustrated) which for protection against damage is received in a tubular housing that extends in a first direction R1. A guide contour 16 is configured on the housing of the summation current transformer 101. The summation current transformer 101 furthermore has a secondary winding 103 which at least in portions is wound about the magnetic core housing.

(9) The plug-in summation current transformer module 100 has four primary conductors, i.e., a first primary conductor 110 having a first primary conductor end 111 and a second primary conductor end 112, a second primary conductor 120 having a first primary conductor end 121 and a second primary conductor end 122, a third primary conductor 130 having a first primary conductor end 131 and a second primary conductor end 132, as well as a fourth primary conductor 140 having a first primary conductor end 141 and a second primary conductor end 142. The primary conductors are routed through the opening of the tubular housing of the summation current transformer 101.

(10) The plug-in summation current transformer module 100 has a primary conductor holder 102 which is mechanically connected to the housing of the summation current transformer 101. The primary conductor holder is movable between a fixing position and a releasing position and serves to fix the first and the second primary conductor ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141 and 142 in the fixing position such that this results in a compact arrangement of the first and of the second primary conductor ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141 and 142 below the summation current transformer, this being the so-called assembling position.

(11) FIG. 2 shows a detailed illustration of the summation current transformer 101 having the primary conductor holder 102 fastened thereto, in a frontal view in the direction of the first direction R1. To be readily seen in this illustration is inter alia the fastening of the primary conductor holder 102 to the housing of the summation current transformer 101. The fastening in the illustrated case is implemented in a form-fitting manner by means of a plug-in connection. The specific connection is not relevant to the invention; other connection types, including even the integral molding of the primary conductor holder 102 on the housing of the summation current transformer 101, are likewise conceivable here.

(12) FIG. 2 as well as FIG. 1 show in each case the primary conductor holder 102 in its fixing position in which the primary conductor ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141 and 142 are held and fixed in a compact manner below the summation current transformer 101 such that said primary conductor ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141 and 142 are held so as to be as compact as possible in a second direction R2, oriented transversely to the first direction R1, i.e., occupy as little space as possible.

(13) FIGS. 3 and 4 schematically show the multi-pole rail-mounted device 1 according to the invention, formed from a plurality of housing modules, without the plug-in summation current transformer module 100. The multi-pole rail-mounted device 1 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 is configured as a four-pole RCBO and has an insulating-material housing 10 which is formed from a first housing module 11, a second housing module 12, a third housing module 13, and a fourth housing module 14. The fourth housing module 14 here is configured as a RCD module (illustrated on the right in FIG. 3), i.e., it is populated with the components that are typical of a fault current circuit breaker and is provided for contacting the neutral conductor, while the first three housing modules 11, 12 and 13 are configured as MCB modules and are accordingly populated with the components typical of a line circuit breaker. Accordingly, the three MCB modules 11, 12 and 13 are in each case provided for contacting in each case a phase conductor of a three-phase power distribution system that is unequivocally assigned to this module.

(14) Each of the four housing modules 11, 12, 13 and 14 is embodied in a slimline construction mode and has a width B of one pitch unit (a pitch unit corresponds to approx. 18 mm), whereby the envelope areas that define the external dimensions are formed by a front side 3, a fastening side 4 opposite the front side, as well as narrow sides 5 and wide sides 6 which connect the front side 3 and the fastening side 4. Screw clamps 7 for contacting grid-proximal or load-proximal connecting conductors, i.e., phase conductors or neutral conductors (not illustrated), are in each case received and mounted in the region of the narrow sides 5 in the respective housing module 11, 12, 13, 14. For manual activation, each of the housing modules 11, 12, 13, 14 has an activating element which is disposed in the region of the front side 11 of said housing modules 11, 12, 13, 14, wherein the individual activating elements are connected for collective activation with the aid of a handle element 2 that connects the individual activating elements.

(15) Insulating-material housings in a slimline construction mode typically have two half-shells which in the final stage of assembling of the low-voltage circuit breaker device 1 are joined together by means of suitable connecting means, for example rivet connections or latching connections, while forming an encircling joint line. Each of the half-shells here includes one of the wide sides 6 as well as parts of the (full or complete) front, fastening and narrow sides 3, 4, 5. The housing modules 11, 12, 13 and 14 are also embodied in a slimline construction mode, which housing modules 11, 12, 13 and 14 during assembling are first completely populated and individually closed before the individual housing modules 11, 12, 13 and 14 are connected so as to form the mechanically structurally stable insulating-material housing 10 of the multi-pole rail-mounted device 1 in modular form.

(16) Configured in the wide sides 6 of each of the housing modules 11, 12, 13, 14 is an opening 19 which extends orthogonally to the wide sides 6, from one wide side 6 of the respective housing module 11, 12, 13, 14 to the other wide side 6. Two electrical terminal contacts 18 of the respective housing module 11, 12, 13, 14 protrude laterally into the respective opening of the respective housing module 11, 12, 13, 14, in order to be connected in an electrically conducting manner to a first or second end 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 of the respectively unequivocally assigned primary conductor 110, 120, 130, 140 that is unequivocally assigned to the respective terminal contact 18. By connecting the housing modules 11, 12, 13, 14 so as to form the mechanically structurally stable insulating-material housing 10 of a multi-pole rail-mounted device 1 in modular form, a module-overlapping installation space 9, in which the voluminous plug-in summation current transformer module 100 is disposed, i.e., received and mounted, is created from the plurality of openings 19 of the individual housing modules 11, 12, 13, 14. The module-overlapping installation space 9 here is accessible by way of each of the two wide sides 6 of the insulating-material housing 10 formed in such a manner, and is able to be closed by means of suitable closure elements, for example with the aid of a cover 8 (see, FIG. 3), for protection against environmental influences such as dust or moisture.

(17) FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of the modular rail-mounted device 1 according to the invention, which is known from FIGS. 3 and 4, during insertion of the plug-in summation current transformer module 100 in the first direction R1 into the module-overlapping installation space 9. The module-overlapping installation space 9 here is formed by the openings 19 which are configured in the individual housing modules 11, 12, 13 and 14, as described above. In order for the first and the second ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 not to collide with the terminal contacts 18 which protrude into the module-overlapping installation space 9 when the plug-in summation current transformer module 100 is being inserted in the first direction R1, said first and second ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 are fixed in a compact position below the summation current transformer 101 by the primary conductor holder 102 during insertion in the first direction R1. The spacing of the first and of the second ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 of each primary conductor 110, 120, 130, 140 here is slightly smaller than the spacing of the two terminal contacts 18 which are disposed so as to lie opposite one another within a housing module 11, 12, 13, 14.

(18) FIGS. 6 to 9 show schematic detailed illustrations of the plug-in summation current transformer module 100 inserted into the modular, multi-pole rail-mounted device 1 formed from a plurality of housing modules 11, 12, 13, 14. FIGS. 6 and 7 here show a lateral view of the front wide side 6 once the plug-in summation current transformer module 100 has been inserted completely into the insulating-material housing 10 of the modular, multi-pole rail-mounted device 1. FIG. 6 here shows a first state of assembly in which the primary conductor holder 102 is still situated in its fixing position, so that the first and the second ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 of the primary conductors 110, 120, 130, 140 still assume the compact position, i.e., the assembling position, centrically below the summation current transformer 101, which is required for the insertion into the module-overlapping installation space 9.

(19) A second state of assembly in which the primary conductor holder 102 has been moved into its releasing position is illustrated in FIG. 7. This transition from the fixing position to the releasing position in the case of a multiple-part primary conductor holder 102 can take place by a displacing movement of the two parts of the primary conductor holder 102 relative to one another, for example, by way of which the first and the second ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 are forced from their assembling position centrically below the summation current transformer 101 to their joining position. Alternatively, the transition from the fixing position to the releasing position can also be implemented by one or a plurality of snap-fit connections on the primary conductor holder 102. An integral design of the primary conductor holder 102 would also be possible here. Likewise, the first and the second ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 either can be forced from their assembling position into the joining position by the primary conductor holder 102, or the first and the second ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 have been mounted under tension in the fixing position, and are merely released while transitioning to the releasing position, so that said ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 move to their respective joining position by virtue of their inherent elasticity.

(20) In the joining position, each of the first and of the second primary conductor ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 is situated in direct proximity of the terminal contact 18 unequivocally assigned thereto, so that the primary conductor ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 can be easily connected to the terminal contact 18 respectively assigned thereto in an electrically conducting manner by a suitable joining method. Furthermore, the guide contours 16, which are configured on the plug-in summation current transformer module 100 and for insertion with an exact fit into the module-overlapping installation space 9 interact with guide contours 17 configured thereon, can be readily seen in FIGS. 6 and 7.

(21) A view of the fastening side 6 of the modular, multi-pole rail-mounted device 1 formed from a plurality of housing modules 11, 12, 13, 14, having the plug-in summation current transformer module 100 inserted into the module-overlapping installation space 9, is schematically illustrated in FIG. 8.

(22) Each of the housing modules 11, 12, 13, 14 has a further opening 20 which is configured in the fastening side 4 and is disposed below the opening 19 arranged to the respective housing module 11, 12, 13, 14 and reaches into said opening 19. The further openings 20 may be closed with individual covers or a common cover (not illustrated). Since the primary conductor holder 102 is still situated in its fixing position, the first and the second ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 of the primary conductors 110, 120, 130 and 140 are still situated in their respective assembling position. By moving the primary conductor holder 102 into its releasing position, the first and the second ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 are brought to their respective joining position so as to be connected in an electrically conducting manner to the respective terminal contact 18 unequivocally assigned thereto.

(23) For this purpose, FIG. 9 shows a detailed illustration in which the two ends 141, 142 of the fourth primary conductor 140 are situated in their respective joining position. The terminal contacts 18 are configured to be fork-shaped, as a result of which the joining is significantly facilitated. The joining method employed for establishing the electrically conducting connection, for example soldering/brazing, welding or crimping, can be carried out in a simple manner here, by way of the openings 20 configured in the fastening side 4.

(24) The method according to the invention for assembling the plug-in summation current transformer module 100 according to the invention in the module-overlapping installation space 9 of the multi-pole insulating-material housing 10 in modular form of the multi-pole rail-mounted device 1 according to the invention in modular form is schematically illustrated in FIG. 10.

(25) In a first step 31 in the method, the first and the second ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 of the primary conductors 110, 120, 130, 140 are fixed in their respective assembling positions with the aid of the primary conductor holder 102. This step thus represents the pre-assembling of the plug-in summation current transformer module 100.

(26) In a second step 32, the plug-in summation current transformer module 100 is inserted in the first direction R1 into the module-overlapping installation space 9 of the multi-pole rail-mounted device 1 of modular form. In the process, the first and the second ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 are held in a compact manner below the summation current transformer 101, as a result of which any collision with the terminal contacts 18 protruding into the module-overlapping installation space 9 is avoided.

(27) In a third step 33, the fixing of the first and of the second ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 by the primary conductor holder 102 is released in that the latter is moved from its fixing position into its releasing position, as a result of which the first and the second ends 111, 112, 121, 122, 131, 132, 141, 142 are moved in a second direction R2, running transversely to the first direction R1, from their respective assembling position into their respective joining position.

(28) The assembling procedure is significantly simplified with the aid of the assembly method according to the invention. The assembly can be carried out manually as well as in a (partially) automated manner.

(29) The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: 1 Rail-mounted device 2 Handle element 3 Front side 4 Fastening side 5 Narrow side 6 Wide side 7 Screw clamp 8 Cover 9 Module-overlapping installation space 10 Insulating-material housing 11 First housing module 12 Second housing module 13 Third housing module 14 Fourth housing module 16 Guide contour 17 Guide contour 18 Terminal contact 19 Opening 20 Further opening 31 First method step 32 Second method step 33 Third method step 100 Plug-in summation current transformer module 101 Summation current transformer 102 Primary conductor holder 103 Secondary winding 110 First primary conductor 111 First primary conductor end 112 Second primary conductor end 120 Second primary conductor 121 First primary conductor end 122 Second primary conductor end 130 First primary conductor 131 First primary conductor end 132 Second primary conductor end 140 First primary conductor 141 First primary conductor end 142 Second primary conductor end B Width R1 First direction R2 Second direction