Improved waterproof type electric energy meter test terminal box

Abstract

The application belongs to the field of electric power terminal box, and discloses an improved waterproof electric energy meter test terminal box, which has a test terminal box base, an upper cover, a connecting sheet, a fixing screw, a voltage terminal post and a current terminal post; the test terminal box base has a cross section in the shape of a trumpet mouth structure with a large upper part and a small lower part; the voltage terminal post and the current terminal post are installed in the containing holes which are inclined relative to the bottom surface of the test terminal box; the upper cover is transparent and has arc-shaped extensions on both sides for guiding the outflow of water drops; the two ends of the upper cover have fixing ears which are relatively low; the upper cover covers the test terminal box base and presses the wires to make the wires in the shape of S. The application has the following main beneficial technical effects: the base is designed to be closed, the opening surface is concentrated on the upper part of the base, and the application has the characteristics of simple structure, reliable insulation, good visibility, good waterproof and electricity stealing prevention effects, and reduced risk of electric shock when applying a seal, and the application has the characteristics of low cost, safety and reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of electrical junction boxes, and in particular relates to an improved waterproof test junction box for electricity meters. Background Technology

[0002] Electricity meter test junction boxes: Test junction boxes are widely used in the power industry. In electricity metering devices, a test junction box is typically installed between the secondary conductors connecting the current transformer and the electricity meter. Using this junction box, operators can easily perform operations such as short-circuiting current and disconnecting voltage secondary circuits, or connect instruments or equipment to operating secondary circuits without affecting the normal electricity consumption of customers. Electricity meter test junction boxes are mainly used for online measurement of metering device errors and wiring conditions, or for electricity usage inspections and on-load replacement of electricity meters.

[0003] With the rapid growth of the economy, people's demand for electricity is increasing, and the power grid has expanded rapidly. Throughout a customer's entire electricity consumption cycle, electricity metering remains a crucial element. The total number of installed and operating electricity meters and test junction boxes is enormous. However, existing junction box designs rarely consider waterproofing. Furthermore, the installation location of electricity meters is often constrained by the site environment, with outdoor installations being very common. Rainwater or condensation can flow along the conductors into the junction box openings, significantly impacting metering accuracy. Therefore, preventing water ingress and corrosion of the terminals is essential. Another problem is that existing junction box covers cannot effectively seal the wiring holes, creating obvious loopholes in preventing electricity theft. Under these circumstances, using waterproof electricity meter test junction boxes, which also provide anti-theft functionality, is of great significance.

[0004] Most existing electricity meter test junction boxes have their main frame made of high-molecular polycarbonate insulating material, while the terminals, shorting contacts, and fixing screws are made of copper. The wiring holes are located on both sides of the short side of the junction box. In addition to lacking waterproofing, the terminal openings are perpendicular to the operating surface and perpendicular to the operator's line of sight, making it inconvenient to observe when connecting wires and increasing the probability of incorrect wiring. The wiring holes are too close to the fixed metal base, which can easily cause short circuits and grounding faults during live work, and may also cause personal injury and equipment damage. In reality, there have been many cases of electricity theft by exploiting loopholes in the sealing of junction box holes and short-circuiting the current loop of the electricity meter.

[0005] See the existing test junction box for electricity meters. Figures 18 to 20 The main disadvantages of existing electricity meter test junction boxes include the following:

[0006] (1) Lack of waterproof function: The wiring holes are distributed on both sides of the short side of the junction box. Conventional installation methods will cause one side of the wiring hole to face upwards, and rainwater or moisture condensation will drip in naturally or flow into the junction box hole along the wire. The wiring post may be corroded and there is a risk of abnormal connection.

[0007] (2) Inconvenient to observe: The opening of the terminal is perpendicular to the operating surface and perpendicular to the operator's line of sight, making it inconvenient to observe when the wire is connected, and the probability of incorrect wiring is relatively high.

[0008] (3) Insufficient insulation distance: The distance between the wiring hole and the fixed metal base is too close. Short circuits and grounding faults are likely to occur during live work on site, which may also cause personal injury and equipment damage.

[0009] (4) The top cover design is unreasonable: the screw holes and lead seal holes of the top cover of the junction box are higher than the terminals, which may lead to rainwater or condensation entering. The lead seal holes are located above the voltage terminals of phase A and phase C (or phase N) and are directly connected. When metal lead seal wires are used to pass through the holes, there is a risk of electric shock.

[0010] (5) Poor anti-theft performance: The existing junction box cover cannot effectively seal the wiring hole, which has obvious loopholes in preventing electricity theft. Criminals can take advantage of the poor sealing of the junction box hole to short-circuit the current circuit of the electricity meter to steal electricity.

[0011] CN216774213U discloses a flame-retardant junction box, including a box body. Terminals are fixedly connected to both ends of the box body. Each terminal has a sleeve hole at its end face, which communicates with the interior of the box body. A terminal block is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the box body. A receiving groove is formed at the inner port of the sleeve hole. A rubber sheet is placed inside the receiving groove. A rotating shaft is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the receiving groove. A spring is fixedly connected to the inner side of the rubber sheet adjacent to the rotating shaft and to the inner wall of the receiving groove. The rubber sheet and the inner wall of the receiving groove are perpendicular to each other. The end of the rubber sheet passes through the receiving groove and is fixed inside the port of the sleeve hole. When the cable is pulled inwards and fixed to the terminal block, the rubber sheet rotates and tilts inwards towards the receiving groove. When the cable is pulled outwards, the rubber sheet adheres to the cable surface, generating significant frictional resistance, which fails to solve the aforementioned problem. Summary of the Invention

[0012] To address the aforementioned issues, the purpose of this invention is to: eliminate external wiring openings by designing a base similar to the bottom of a ship, thereby enhancing overall waterproofing; increase frontal visibility by slanting the wiring posts, reducing the likelihood of wiring errors; increase the distance between the wiring holes and the fixed metal base, reducing the risk of short circuits and grounding during live work; and add a transparent top cover with rounded edges to effectively seal the wiring holes, preventing criminals from exploiting gaps in the sealing of junction box holes and short-circuiting the current circuit of the electricity meter to steal electricity.

[0013] To solve the above problems, the present invention is implemented using the following technical solution.

[0014] An improved waterproof test junction box for an energy meter comprises a test junction box base, a top cover, connecting plates, fixing screws, voltage terminal terminals, and current terminal terminals. Its features include: the test junction box base has a flared cross-section that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom; the bottom of the test junction box base is flat; two side walls of the test junction box base are inclined relative to the bottom of the test junction box base; each side wall has multiple receiving holes inclined relative to the bottom of the test junction box base; adjacent receiving holes are not connected; the voltage terminal terminals and current terminal terminals are installed within the receiving holes; and the fixing screws... The cover passes through the inner surface of the side wall of the test junction box base and is fixed to the voltage terminal post or the current terminal post; the cover is made of transparent plastic and has a main frame and arc-shaped extensions extending outward from both sides of the main frame to guide the water droplets outward, with low-positioned fixing ears at both ends; in the assembled state, the cover covers the test junction box base, the fixing ears are snapped onto the outside of the top of the side wall of the test junction box base and hold the wires extending from the voltage terminal post or the current terminal post in place, and the arc-shaped extension of the cover makes the wires form an S-shape from the voltage terminal post or the current terminal post to the outside.

[0015] This application has the following main beneficial technical effects: The base adopts a boat-shaped closed base design, with the opening surface concentrated on the upper part of the test junction box. At the same time, it increases the insulation distance between the wiring hole and the metal mounting surface, and has the characteristics of simple structure, reliable insulation, good visibility, and excellent waterproof and anti-theft effect. It also reduces the risk of electric shock when applying the seal, and has the characteristics of low cost, greater safety and reliability. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a top view of a test junction box with 4 voltage terminals and 9 current terminals.

[0017] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the main structure.

[0018] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the right-side structure.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a top view of the top cover structure.

[0020] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the main structure.

[0021] Figure 6 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the right-side structure.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the top cover.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the right-hand structure of the voltage terminals.

[0024] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the right-hand structure of the current terminal.

[0025] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the left-side structure of the terminal block.

[0026] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the terminal block.

[0027] Figure 12 for Figure 11 A top-view structural diagram.

[0028] Figure 13 for Figure 8 A top view of the shorting piece used in the diagram.

[0029] Figure 14 for Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the left-side structure of the jumper used.

[0030] Figure 15 for Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the main structure of the jumper used.

[0031] Figure 16 A schematic diagram showing the assembly of the top cover plate and the base of the test junction box on a vertical plane, along with a waterproofing diagram.

[0032] Figure 17 A schematic diagram showing the assembly of the top cover plate and the base of the test junction box on a horizontal plane, along with a waterproofing diagram.

[0033] Figure 18 The image is a photograph of a junction box from the prior art, processed into black and white. Rainwater and condensation enter the terminals, causing corrosion.

[0034] Figure 19 The image of a junction box in existing technology has been processed into black and white. The wiring holes are too close to the fixed metal, which can easily cause short circuits and grounding faults.

[0035] Figure 20 The image is of a junction box from the prior art, processed into black and white. The lead-sealed hole is located above the voltage terminals and is directly through them, making it not waterproof and prone to electric shock hazards. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement this patent, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] Please see Figures 1 to 17 and refer to the comparison Figure 18-20 An improved waterproof test junction box for electricity meters is proposed, primarily for use in the installation and testing wiring of electricity meters in power systems. The junction box base features a flared design, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, allowing operators to easily observe the wiring holes on both sides from the front, effectively preventing wiring errors. The increased insulation distance between the terminal holes and the metal mounting surface reduces the risk of short circuits and grounding faults during live operation. The junction box's overall shape resembles a boat bottom, with no wiring holes at the ends, top, bottom, or any other direction except for the top opening. This effectively prevents water ingress during both horizontal and vertical installations. Combined with a transparent top cover featuring rounded edges, the waterproofing effect is further enhanced. After the electricity meter installation and wiring are completed, the junction box cover can be sealed, effectively blocking all wiring holes and preventing electricity theft by short-circuiting the meter's current circuit. Simultaneously, closing the cover causes the connecting wires to bend inwards, further preventing rainwater from flowing into the terminal holes and improving the long-term reliability of the electricity meter.

[0038] An improved waterproof test junction box for an energy meter comprises a test junction box base, a top cover, a connecting piece, fixing screws, voltage terminal terminals, and current terminal terminals. Its features include: the test junction box base has a flared cross-section that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom; the bottom of the test junction box base is flat; two side walls of the test junction box base are inclined relative to the bottom of the test junction box base; each side wall has multiple receiving holes inclined relative to the bottom of the test junction box base; adjacent receiving holes are not connected; the voltage terminal terminals and current terminal terminals are installed within the receiving holes. The set screw passes through the inner surface of the side wall of the test junction box base and is fixed to the voltage terminal post or the current terminal post; the cover is made of transparent plastic and has a main frame and arc-shaped extensions extending outward from both sides of the main frame to guide the outward flow of water droplets, with low-positioned fixing ears at both ends; in the assembled state, the cover covers the test junction box base, is snapped onto the outside of the top of the side wall of the test junction box base, and holds the wires extending from the voltage terminal post or the current terminal post, so that the wires form an S-shape from the voltage terminal post or the current terminal post to the outside of the fixing ears.

[0039] In this application, the connecting piece can also be called a shorting piece. The shorting piece is used to perform conduction and switching operations on the voltage terminals of each phase, and to perform short-circuiting and restoration operations on the current terminals of each phase.

[0040] In this application, the bottom structure of the test junction box base is the same as that in the prior art.

[0041] In this application, the portions of the top cover extending beyond the base on both sides are arc-shaped. The top cover covers the highest point of the terminal block and has no openings, which ensures the waterproof effect of the top cover and reduces the risk of electric shock when applying the seal.

[0042] In this application, top through-hole fixing screws are added to both ends of the top cover, and small protruding ridges with through holes are provided next to the screws to facilitate installation and sealing of the junction box after testing.

[0043] In this application, the test junction box base is made of high-molecular polycarbonate insulating material. The overall shape of the test junction box base is similar to that of a boat bottom. The two protruding parts are provided with screw holes for fixing the top cover and four through holes for fixing the test junction box. The height of the protruding parts is less than the height of the side wall of the test junction box base.

[0044] In this application, the terminals, connecting pieces, and fixing screws are made of copper metal. The connecting pieces between each phase terminal are made of copper metal sheets with a thickness of not less than 3mm. Screw holes are opened at corresponding positions on the inner surface of the side wall of the junction box base. The diameter of the pure copper screws is not less than 4mm. All metal components are kept insulated from the outside except at the openings.

[0045] In this application, a barrier is provided between the voltage terminals and the current terminals to ensure mutual insulation and effectively prevent misoperation.

[0046] In the schematic diagram of this application, taking a three-phase four-wire energy meter junction box as an example, the test junction box is equipped with four sets of voltage and three sets of three-current terminals. For a three-phase three-wire junction box, the B-phase current terminal and the N-phase voltage terminal can be reduced. Single-phase energy meters can be used directly.

[0047] In this application, the top cover is made of transparent plastic, which can effectively guide water droplets outward. The top cover covers the terminal block the highest part and has no openings, which can ensure the waterproof effect of the top of the junction box and reduce the risk of electric shock when applying the seal.

[0048] The technical solution of this application adopts a closed base design with all openings concentrated at the top, which has high waterproof performance and convenient observation. The top cover has an arc-shaped extension covering the terminal block, providing a large protective coverage area. It can effectively prevent electricity theft by short-circuiting the current loop and can adapt to on-site wiring work of single-phase, three-phase three-wire and three-phase four-wire power meters, making it suitable for a wide range of applications.

[0049] The above-described specific embodiments and accompanying drawings are merely illustrative examples of the test junction box for a three-phase four-wire energy meter and should not be considered as limitations or restrictions on the present invention.

[0050] In this application, the voltage terminal and the current terminal are installed in the receiving hole, which means that only one voltage terminal or one current terminal is installed in one receiving hole.

[0051] In this application, the fixing screw passing through the inner surface of the side wall of the test junction box base and being fixed to the voltage terminal post or the current terminal post means that the fixing screw passes through the inner surface of the side wall of the test junction box base and is fixed to the voltage terminal post; or the fixing screw passes through the inner surface of the side wall of the test junction box base and is fixed to the current terminal post, and when the receiving hole is a voltage terminal post, it is fixed to the voltage terminal post; when the receiving hole is a current terminal post, it is fixed to the current terminal post.

[0052] In this application, the arc-shaped extension of the top cover is locked outside the top of the side wall of the test junction box base and locks the wires extending from the voltage terminal post or the current terminal post. This means that if the wire is led out from the voltage terminal post, the wire led out from the voltage terminal post is locked; if the wire is led out from the current terminal post, the wire led out from the current terminal post is locked.

[0053] Please see Figure 16 , 17 The top cover makes the wires bend, preferably in an S-shape, which effectively prevents water backflow and ensures the electrical safety of the junction box.

[0054] The innovation of this invention lies in the following five aspects:

[0055] (1) The boat-shaped enclosed base design proposed in this invention has the characteristics of simple structure, reliable insulation and good waterproof effect.

[0056] (2) The test junction box proposed in this invention adopts an inclined arrangement of the terminals, which makes it convenient to operate and observe from the front and can effectively prevent misoperation during wiring.

[0057] (3) The test junction box proposed in this invention increases the insulation distance between each hole of the terminal block and the fixed metal base plate, thereby reducing the risk of short circuit and grounding fault during live operation.

[0058] (4) The test junction box proposed in this invention has an asymmetrical arc-shaped extension on both sides of the top cover. When installed in a vertical plane, the longer end protrudes upwards, which makes it convenient to fasten the top cover and increases the waterproof coverage area at the top. At the same time, it can reduce the possibility of rainwater or condensation directly entering or flowing into the junction box hole along the wires, and can reduce the risk of corrosion of the terminals and abnormal connection.

[0059] (5) The test junction box proposed in this invention has the highest overall height of the top cover covering the terminal post and no openings. The fixing and lead seal screws are set on the outside and the position is moved down, which can ensure the waterproof and anti-theft effect of the junction box, and eliminate the risk of electric shock when applying the seal. It has the characteristics of low cost, greater safety and greater reliability.

[0060] This application mainly solves the following technical problems existing in the prior art: (1) There are many horizontal openings in the test junction box of the electricity meter, and the outdoor installation terminal is prone to water ingress and corrosion, which affects the reliability of the metering circuit connection; (2) The wiring hole is perpendicular to the line of sight of the construction personnel, which is not conducive to observation, and the wiring is easy to be inserted into the wrong hole; (3) The wiring hole is too close to the metal installation surface, and short circuits, grounding and other misoperations are easy to occur when working with electricity; (4) The top cover of the junction box cannot effectively seal the wiring hole, which has obvious loopholes in preventing electricity theft; (5) The sealing opening of the top cover of the junction box is directly connected to the voltage terminals of phase A, phase C (or phase N), and when using lead wire with metal material to seal the wire, there is a risk of electric shock.

[0061] Therefore, the present invention adopts a boat-shaped enclosed base design, with the opening surface concentrated on the upper part of the test junction box. It has the characteristics of simple structure, reliable insulation, good visibility, and excellent waterproof and anti-theft effects. At the same time, it reduces the risk of electric shock when applying the seal, and has the characteristics of low cost, greater safety and reliability.

[0062] The above embodiments are merely preferred technical solutions of the present invention and should not be considered as limitations on the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be limited to the technical solutions described in the claims, including equivalent substitutions of the technical features described in the claims. That is, equivalent substitutions and improvements within this scope are also within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An improved waterproof type electric energy meter test terminal box, having a test terminal box base, an upper cover, a connecting piece, a fixing screw, a voltage terminal post, and a current terminal post; characterized in that: The cross section of the test terminal box base is a horn structure with the upper part larger than the lower part, the bottom of the test terminal box base is a flat structure, the two side walls of the test terminal box base are inclined relative to the bottom of the test terminal box base, each side wall has a plurality of accommodating holes inclined relative to the bottom of the test terminal box base, the adjacent accommodating holes are not connected, the voltage terminal stud and the current terminal stud are installed in the accommodating holes, the fixing screw passes through the inner surface of the side wall of the test terminal box base and is fixed with the voltage terminal stud or the current terminal stud; the material of the upper cover is transparent plastic, the upper cover has a main frame and a circular arc-shaped extension extending outward from both sides of the main frame for guiding the outflow of water droplets, the two ends have a fixed ear with a low position and a sealing function; in the assembled state, the upper cover covers the test terminal box base, the upper cover is clamped outside the top end of the side wall of the test terminal box base and clamps the wires of the voltage terminal stud and the current terminal stud, so that the wires from the voltage terminal stud and the current terminal stud to the outside of the upper cover form an S shape, the upper cover is tightly clamped by rotating the fixing screw hole in the ear, and the sealing is implemented. The upper cover has an arc-shaped extension structure beyond the range of the terminal box base, and the part of the upper cover covering the terminal covers has the highest position and no hole.

2. The improved waterproof type electric energy meter test terminal box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side wall of the main frame has no hole, which increases the insulation distance of the terminal hole and the metal mounting surface.

3. The improved waterproof type electric energy meter test terminal box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The test terminal box base is made of high molecular polycarbonate insulating material.

4. The improved waterproof type electric energy meter test terminal box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The test terminal box base has upper cover fixing screw holes at both ends of the protruding part, four test terminal box fixing through holes, and the height of the protruding part is less than the height of the side wall of the test terminal box base.

5. The improved watertight electric energy meter test terminal box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The materials of the terminal stud, the connecting piece and the fixing screw are copper.

6. The improved watertight electric energy meter test terminal box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting piece between each phase terminal stud is a copper sheet with a thickness not less than 3mm, the inner surface of the side wall of the terminal box base has a screw hole at the corresponding position, the pure copper screw has a diameter not less than 4mm, and the metal device maintains external insulation except the hole part.

7. The improved watertight meter test terminal box of claim 1, wherein: The voltage terminal and the current terminal are provided with an insulation separation to ensure mutual insulation.

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