AUTOMATION OF THE MANUFACTURING OF ELECTRICAL PANELS THROUGH AN IDENTIFIED PROCESS

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of electrical installations, and in particular to the automation of the manufacturing of electrical panels adapted to their environment. The components of the electrical panels of the invention are organised in separated boxes depending on whether they are supplied with high power or low power. The components are selected and organised according to their function and the family of equipment that they manage or power, in an identifiable way. This simplifies the maintenance work of the panel, and can be safely carried out even by an unqualified operator.

Claims

1. Electrical panel (21) to connect at least one equipment (40) to an electrical grid comprising: a power box (22; 122) comprising at least one electrical component (26, 28, 29, 30) for transporting electricity to the equipment, if required, a management box (23; 123) comprising at least one electrical component (31, 32, 33) for transporting an information signal, and at least one junction box (24, 24′; 124, 124′) comprising ports (35, 35′) connecting the equipment to the components of the panel corresponding to it.

2. Electrical panel according to claim 1, wherein the power box is separated from the management box.

3. Electrical panel according to one of claims 1 and 2, comprising two junction boxes (24, 24′).

4. Electrical panel according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which the connection ports are placed on a lateral side of the junction box.

5. Electrical panel according to one of claims 1 to 4, in which the junction boxes (124, 124′) are less deep than the other boxes such that the panel can be installed on a cable-tray passing behind (143) the junction boxes.

6. Electrical panel according to one of claims 1 to 5, in which the electrical components (144) are set up on one or several levels on top of one another in the depth of their boxes.

7. Electrical panel according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each electrical component in the panel is identified and/or a colour code is assigned to the connection ports.

8. Electrical panel according to one of claims 1 to 7, in which the boxes are equipped with a hood set up in the protrusion (145) to protect the boxes from shocks and/or rain.

9. Use of the electrical panel according to one of claims 1 to 7 in an electrical installation.

10. Process of electrically connecting an equipment to an electrical panel according to one of claims 1 to 8 comprising the following steps: the power functions of the equipment are connected to their components for transporting electricity that are located in a first power zone of an electrical panel, the management functions of the equipment are connected to their components for transmitting an information or control signal that are located in a second management zone of the same electrical panel, the connections being made via at least one junction zone separated from the power and management zones.

11. Process of electrically joining an equipment according to claim 10, wherein the electrical panel is located near the equipment.

12. Process of electrically joining at least two equipment in a building, according to which the equipment are joined to multiple electrical panels according to the process of claim 10.

13. Method of manufacturing an electrical panel to connect the equipment of an installation, the electrical panel comprising at least one power box, one management box, and one junction box, comprising the following steps: (A) the technical information required for connecting the electrical panel to the installation is determined, (B) the equipment to be connected to the electrical panel are identified and categorised by family according to a nomenclature of families, determined on the basis of the installation type, to establish a list of families of equipment to be joined, (C) the management functions (or purposes) of the equipment associated with each family from the list of families are identified to establish a list of functions to be joined, (D) each management function is set up in an organised way in a management box of the electrical panel, (E) the components for transporting electricity to the equipment required for connecting the equipment are determined and installed in a power box of the electrical panel, (F) the adapted electrical connections between the management functions, the components for transporting electricity to the equipment and the junction ports included in the junction box(es) are established.

14. Method of manufacturing an electrical panel according to claim 13, according to which the management functions of the equipment associated with each family from the list of families are identified according to a nomenclature of functions determined for each family, to establish a list of functions to be joined.

15. Method of manufacturing an electrical panel according to one of claim 13 or 14, wherein each management function is set up in an organised way in a management box of the electrical panel such that it forms modules, each module corresponding to a function of a family.

Description

[0056] The invention will be better understood with the help of the following description of an embodiment of the invention, with reference to the appendix of figures, in which:

[0057] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an electrical panel of the prior art for controlling a water-heater,

[0058] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an electrical panel according to the invention for controlling a heating circuit,

[0059] FIG. 3 illustrates the right-side view of the electrical panel of FIG. 2,

[0060] FIG. 4 illustrates the manufacturing process of an electrical panel according to the invention,

[0061] The equipment can be classified by families, and by function according to a defined nomenclature. Each family can, for instance, be associated with a specific corporation or have a common technical objective, whereas the functions include the equipment or group of equipment having a specific functioning more precisely. For example, the table below illustrates the types and functions in a building.

TABLE-US-00001 1. Heat production 1. Boiler(s) 2. Heat Pump (HP) 3. Co-generation 4. Geothermal 5. Solar panels 6. Urban production 7. Heat collector with pump 8. Heat collector with pressure breaker cylinder 2. Heating 1. Heating circuits circuits 3. Domestic hot 1. Single-energy water 2. Bi-energy 3. Multi-energy 4. Cold production 1. Monoblock cooling system 2. Cooling system with dry cooler 3. Cooling system with open cooling tower 4. Cooling system with closed cooling tower 5. Cooling system with hybrid tower 6. Cold collector with pump 5. Cooling 1. Cooling circuits circuits 6. Air handling 1. Complete recycling 2. Partial recycling 3. Supply System (SS) partial recycling 4. Extraction System (ES) partial recycling 5. Fresh air 6. Miscellaneous 7. Automation of 1. Fan coil unit the room 2. Radiators 3. Cooling ceiling 4. Air handling 4.1 Constant-variable air volume (CAV-VAV) 4.2 Convector 5. Air duct heater 8. Miscellaneous 1. Variable recovery (single line) 2. Meter readings (electricity, energy)-Electric pulse 3. Variable recovery (with communication protocol) 3.1 Modbus interface 3.3 Bacnet/MSTP integration 3.4 Bacnet/IP integration 3.5 OPC interface 3.6 Other interface 9. Centralised 1. Online Technical 2. Centralised Technical Management (CTM) Management (CTM) 3. Nil 4. Miscellaneous Panel 1

[0062] In reference to FIG. 1, an electrical panel 1 of the prior art for controlling a water heater 15 comprises a 2-amp circuit breaker 2 for protecting a programmer 3, a 20-amp power circuit breaker 4, a 20-amp power contactor 5, as well as a bridge 6 enabling all of the above electrical components 2, 3, 4, and 5 to be fixed in the panel 1. All the electrical components 2, 3, 4, 5 are joined by a set of cables 7. The power supply (not shown) of the panel components is also enabled through cables 7, made up of a phase cable, or line (L) and a neutral cable (N), and the water heater is earthed by a cable E. The components are joined such that: [0063] the 2-amp protection circuit breaker 2 protects the programmer 3 from an electrical overload, while ensuring that it is directly powered from the external power supply; [0064] the power circuit breaker 4 protects the power contactor 5 from an electrical overload, while ensuring that it is directly powered from the external power supply; [0065] the programmer 3 controls the switching of the power contactor 5 in order to allow, or not allow, the current to flow from the power circuit breaker 4 to the water heater 15.

[0066] The electrical panel 1 of the prior art has several drawbacks; on the one hand, all the electrical components are arranged one after the other without any particular logic, and without differentiation between the management and power components, making technical maintenance work complicated and risky. On the other hand, the management components are not grouped by function, and therefore cannot be easily identified by the different trades. Finally, the panel is not generally displayed in an intuitive way, that is to say that it is difficult to identify each component, input-output terminal, cable, etc. which makes its assembly and any possible future maintenance work complicated, and requires a high qualification level.

[0067] In reference to FIG. 2, an electrical panel 21 according to the invention for controlling a hydraulic pump 40 in a heating circuit 35 comprises a power box 22 located at the top of the panel, a management box 23 located at the bottom of the panel, two junction boxes 24 and 24′ located to the right and left of the panel respectively, between the control box 22 and the management box 23.

[0068] The power box 22 comprises a voltage disconnector 26 powered from the top of the box via an external power supply 27 (in this case, domestic 220V AC). The external power supply may be of any type known to the persons skilled in the art, including, for example, the three-phase 3×400V, the single-phase 230V, the single-phase 110V, etc. and can enter the box from any side. The power box 22 further comprises a power contactor 28 enabling it to channel, or not channel, the power to the pump 40 (controlled by a CMMU 31, principle explained below), a thermal relay 29 in order to cut off the power supply of the contactor 28 in case of heating, and a set of earth leakage switches/circuit breakers 30 protecting the installation and people from the risk of overvoltage and electrocution.

[0069] The management box comprises a micro-controlled management unit (CMMU) 31, which here receives its power supply (“POWER” interface) at 24 VAC from a transformer 32, here from 220 VAC to 24 VAC. The supply for the CMMU first passes through a circuit breaker 33 protecting the CMMU from overvoltage. The transformer 32 itself is powered by the power box 22. The transformer 32 and the circuit breaker 33 could also be placed in the power box 22, but in this case they are in the management box near the CMMU for accurate reading. The CMMU 31 comprises a set of input-output interfaces. Here, three analog inputs and one digital output are shown. Each CMMU (and adjacent components) or module required in the panel corresponds to a function (here, a single function: the heating circuit). Function refers to the term previously described in the middle of page 10, and exemplified by table no. 1.

[0070] The CMMUs used are of brands and models well known to the persons skilled in the art, and are standardised for each function. That is to say that depending on the equipment to be joined, some inputs-outputs may not be joined. This enables the persons skilled in the art to always work with the same modules, and contributes to making the electrical panel more intuitive.

[0071] The input interfaces of the CMMU 31 are connected respectively to the terminals 35′ in the junction box 24′ attached to the management part of the panel. The terminals 35′ are connected to a water inlet temperature probe 36, and a water outlet temperature probe 37, for which the CMMU 31 receives information feedback S as an analog signal. The terminals 35′ can be labelled (here XAI1, XAI2, and XAI3 for terminal block X, analog input 1, 2, and 3) and have colours corresponding to their function to make their connection more intuitive. The probe power connections are not shown for the sake of clarity, but are evident to persons skilled in the art.

[0072] Depending on the information feedback S, the CMMU 31 sends a digital signal, via a digital output, to a relay 34, so that it allows, or does not allow, the 24 VAC signal to pass from the transformer 32 to the contactor 28 located in the power box, so that the latter in turn powers (220 VAC), or does not power, the pump 40 via a terminal 35 located in the junction box 24. Here, all the components of all the panel boxes are mounted on bridges 38. For the sake of clarity, the installation has not been shown with all of the information feedback signals to the CMMU or the control and power supply signals of the equipment devices. It is, for example, possible for the valves 42 at the input and output of the heating circuit 35 to be controlled by the CMMU. Similarly, it is also possible for the information signals about the status of the contactor 28 and thermal relay 29 to return to the CMMU.

[0073] In operation, the water outlet and inlet temperature probes 36 and 37 indicate to the CMMU 31 the temperature of hot water 39 at the input and of cold water 41 at the output of the heating circuit 35. On the basis of this information, the CMMU 31 determines according to its internal programming whether the pump 40 should be activated or deactivated, and if necessary, sends a signal to the power contactor 28 so that the latter switches and respectively transmits or cuts off the power inflow to the pump 40. Internal programming refers to the operation requirements of the heating circuit 35 retransmitted in the form of a computer program uploaded to the CMMU, for example, from a centralised control station. Thus, the inflow of heat in the heating circuit 35 via the pump 40 is managed by the panel according to the invention.

[0074] The shown electrical components are not exhaustive and may not be present, may be present in an implementation, or in a different number, depending on the necessary functions. Here, only the “heating circuit” function was shown, but other functions could also be found in the panel. On this basis, there are different panel models that can be grouped into single-function or multi-function panels. In a multi-function panel, for example, we could find the control of a second heating circuit for which a second CMMU might be added in the management box 23, attached to other “high power” and “low power” components, and which would help to control this second heating circuit.

[0075] Furthermore, it is possible that some specific electrical components, assumed to be managing the power, may be located in the management box, or vice versa, as long as the high power system is in the power box and the low power system in the management box.

[0076] Additionally, the placement of the boxes and electrical components inside them may vary depending on the installation. For example, it is possible that the junction boxes 24 and 24′ are placed at the top and bottom of the panel, while the power 22 and management 23 boxes are placed to the left and to the right of the panel. Similarly, the terminals 35 and 35′ can be independently placed on the inside of the panel (i.e. in the empty central zone located between the 4 boxes of the panel), or on the outside of the latter depending on the connection most convenient for the person skilled in the art.

[0077] Here, the connections between the terminals 35, 35′ and the CMMU 31 are each shown by a cable directly linking them. However, it is possible that the terminals 35 and 35′ are connected to an intermediate terminal block positioned (not shown here for the sake of clarity) on a bridge located in the corresponding junction chamber (24 and 24′ respectively) to make the panel manufacturing or installation easier and more intuitive.

[0078] In reference to FIG. 3, an electrical panel 121 according to the invention can be designed such that the junction boxes 124 and 124′ are less deep than the power 122 and management 123 boxes, so that the connection cables leaving the panel can pass through a space 143 created between the junction boxes 124, 124′ and a support 142 on which the panel 121 is placed (for example a wall). Similarly, the power box 122 of the panel can be designed to be even deeper than the management box to form a protrusion 145 and protect the junction boxes 124, 124′ and the management box 123 from bad weather. As illustrated in the power box 122, the electrical components 144 can also be assembled in the panel's depth, for example on different bridges 138 located at different depths, in addition to being able to be assembled next to each other on the same bridge. This allows the space to be optimised as much as possible and makes the installation more practical and meticulous.

[0079] In reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the manufacturing method of the panel in FIG. 2 will now be explained.

[0080] First and foremost, in step A, we ask the client for general information concerning the electrical installation. For example, we ask for the installation's location (outdoors, cellar, electrical room, etc.), the available power supply (3×400V+N, single phase 220V, etc.), the installation's breaking capacity (6 KA, 25 KA, 36 kA, etc.), the desired panel material (metal, polycarbonate, etc.), the quality of the desired project (LEED or BREEAM certification, building classification, etc.), among other things.

[0081] In step B, the installation is virtually isolated for the first time while identifying and categorising the equipment in the installation into families of equipment to be joined. In the electrical installation of FIG. 2, only a “heating circuit” equipment 35 from the “heating circuits” family in the left column of the type-functions table no. 1 (nomenclature of families specific to the installation type) can be found.

[0082] In step C, the electrical installation is virtually isolated for the second time by identifying and categorising the equipment of each family by functions of the equipment to be joined. Once again, in the installation in FIG. 2, only a single “heating circuit” equipment 35 belonging to the “heating circuits” function in the right column of family-functions table no. 1 is shown (nomenclature of functions).

[0083] In step D, the components to be set up for each management function are selected and arranged as modules in an organised way in the management box of the electrical panel. Thus, in the panel of FIG. 2, the “heating circuits” function is set up as the CMMU 31 and its adjacent components (the circuit breaker 33, the transformer 32, and the relay 34) corresponding to a module/function.

[0084] In step E, the components transporting power (or electricity) to the equipment required for joining the equipment (particularly while respecting the safety standards in force) are determined, and then they are installed in the power box. In the panel in FIG. 2, the following were first determined and then installed: the circuit breaker 30, the thermal relay 29, the contactor 28, and the disconnector 26.

[0085] Finally, in the last step F, the adapted electrical connections (as previously explained in FIG. 2) between the management functions, the components transporting electricity to the equipment, and the connection terminals of the junction boxes are established.

[0086] All the steps for implementing the components and pre-wiring can be carried out in the workshop before bringing the electrical panel thus prepared on its connection site. This work can be highly automated on the basis of simple diagrams, and thus be entrusted to unqualified personnel. Therefore, the only task left on site is to carry out the final joining of the connection terminals, without having to intervene inside the panel.

[0087] Advantageously, steps A to E can be carried out with the help of software or a special application prior to the installation of the components. The software can be set up to propose components depending on the information provided by a user. For example, the software or the application can be combined with an interface asking questions to the user in a specific sequence, about the content of the electrical installation, the equipment to be connected, the distance between them, the metric data related to the installation plan, etc. The user can be offered a choice of components, for example a choice of brands or rates. The software or the application can be programmed to determine the diameter of the cables depending on the power to be managed, the best-suited type of driving force (DRDF and/or DBDF), the colours to be used for cables depending on the placement of the functions in the panel, the dimensions of the panel, and its arrangement, i.e. the distribution of the components in the boxes. The process can thus automatically lead to an outline of the electrical plan of the installation and/or an estimate for making the panel(s).

[0088] At the end of the computerised process, an operator can have the composition of the panel to be assembled, made to measure. The said operator does not need to have any specific electrical skills, and the assembly can be done industrially. In the same way that a driver can configure their vehicle by choosing from a multitude of options, a manufacturer can configure the electrical panel(s) of their installation and have them manufactured “in factory” or “in workshop” by an operator.

[0089] The invention was explained for an electrical panel exclusively managing a heating circuit in a building. However, the invention is not limited to managing one single equipment, function, or family, and can manage a far more complete installation on the same principle. Similarly, the panel isolating the electrical installation into families and functions of page 10 and 11 is given as an example and does not represent an absolute and exhaustive version of the possible isolation of a building's electrical installation. It is entirely possible to group families/functions differently, and add other families/functions. Finally, the invention is not limited to an electrical installation of a building, and it is possible to apply the same principle and electrical panel described here to all types of electrical installations.

[0090] The invention has been illustrated in a direct driving force (DRDF) diagram, that is to say that each panel comprises the safety components that allow it to trip (one protection per panel). This configuration is specifically for when the functions are located in a confined space, such as a technical room, an air handling unit, etc. The driving force of the functions is distributed directly to the field components. The safety signal and communication network are distributed within the electrical panel. This configuration allows to save up to 40% of cable length.

[0091] However, depending on the location of the panel(s), it is also possible to work with distributed driving force (DBDF), that is to say that a circuit breaker located upstream of several panels joined in series. This location is particularly suitable when the project allows the functions (power and management) near the field components to be decentralised. In this case, several decentralised single-function panels are protected by a main circuit breaker located in the master function of the network of functions. Each network of functions must comprise at least one decision-making CMMU in which the safety management elements and the schedule are installed, enabling communication between other networks of functions. The driving force, the safety signal, and the communication network are distributed serially. This configuration allows to further limit the cable length with respect to a traditional connection, the cable length being reduced generally to 3 m or less, which allows to save up to 60% of the cable.

[0092] The invention is thus not only related to the multi-function panels such as the ones described above, but also to single-function panels Such a panel generally only comprises three boxes: one power box, one management or control box, and one junction box.

[0093] This so-called single-function panel is placed as close as possible to the part to be managed. Generally, its composition is simple because it only manages one function, and can advantageously be supplied pre-equipped with all its components, properly electrically connected to each other and to the terminals of the junction box. The installer can thus place a series of pre-equipped panels as close as possible to the equipment or the circuit corresponding to the function to be managed.