Junction box

Abstract

The invention relates to a terminal block having an insulating material housing and a receiving device for receiving a fuse, in particular an exchangeable fuse, comprising: a busbar section arranged in the insulating material housing, the busbar section having a receiving portion, the accommodating part is suitable for at least partially accommodating the safety device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a junction box, which comprises an insulating material housing and a receiving device for receiving a fuse device, in particular a replaceable fuse device.

[0002] a busbar section arranged in a housing made of insulating material,

[0003] The busbar section has a receptacle which is suitable for at least partially receiving the fuse. Background Art

[0004] Such a junction box can be protected from overload by an integrated fuse. Such a junction box is known, for example, from the series 0282-0122 of the applicant. Technical Field

[0006] Based on this, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved junction box having a receiving device for receiving a fuse.

[0007] In a first embodiment of the invention, the object is achieved by a junction box having an insulating material housing and a receiving device for receiving a fuse, in particular a replaceable fuse, the junction box having:

[0008] a busbar section arranged in a housing made of insulating material,

[0009] - the busbar section has a receptacle designed as a recess, which is suitable for at least partially accommodating the fuse,

[0010] wherein the recess comprises a bottom with a bottom surface, a receiving opening arranged in the surface of the busbar section and a peripheral edge side wall connecting the bottom surface to the receiving opening,

[0011] - wherein the bottom surface and the edge side walls enclose the receiving space,

[0012] wherein at least one contact projection is provided on the bottom surface and / or on the peripheral edge side wall, said contact projection protruding into the receiving space.

[0013] By means of at least one such contact projection, the electrical contacting of the fuse and also the mechanical positioning of the fuse in the receiving space can be optimized. By means of such a contact projection, a relatively small contact surface is provided for the fuse, so that an increased contact pressure is obtained, which leads to a reduction in the contact resistance. By means of the edge flanks, the fuse can be fixed in the radial direction, that is, the edge flanks form a delimitation during movement in the radial direction.

[0014] In particular, by generating an increased contact pressure by at least one contact projection, corrosion formation between the receiving space and the contact of the fuse can be counteracted. Furthermore, by correspondingly arranging one or more contact projections on the bottom surface and / or on the surrounding edge side walls, a precisely defined positioning of the fuse in the receiving space can be ensured. In this way, the electrical contact between the fuse and the receiving space is less sensitive to strong vibrations, shocks and / or temperature changes.

[0015] A receiving tray for receiving at least a part of the safety device is realized by the bottom surface and the edge side wall. The receiving tray can be designed in particular as a tray that is closed at the bottom surface and the edge side wall. For example, the electrical contact of the end side of the safety device can be arranged completely or partially in the receiving space. The surrounding edge side wall can be designed as a wall that completely or partially surrounds the receiving space. The surrounding edge side wall can completely or partially surround the receiving space without interruption. The surrounding edge side wall can also have one or more interruptions. For example, it is advantageous that the surrounding edge side wall surrounds the receiving space at more than 180 degrees or more than 270 degrees on the circumferential side.

[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least three contact projections are provided on the surrounding edge side wall, the contact projections being spaced apart from one another and extending into the receiving space. With such, for example, three contact projections, a three-point holding device for a defined mechanical positioning of the safety device can be provided. It is particularly advantageous for this purpose if the at least three contact projections are spaced apart from one another evenly on the circumference of the recess. In the case of exactly three contact projections, the contact projections can be arranged, for example, each offset by 120 degrees from one another.

[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the spacing of the at least three contact projections from one another decreases from the receiving opening toward the bottom surface. In this way, the at least three contact projections in the recess form a funnel shape. This provides a diameter compensation arrangement which ensures that the fuse always rests against the contact point in the center in the same position even in the event of temperature changes or vibrations. In addition, this makes it possible to compensate for dimensional tolerances of the fuse to a certain extent.

[0018] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, at least one contact projection arranged on the peripheral edge side wall extends at least from the bottom surface to the receiving opening. In this way, continuous guidance and positioning of the safety device in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface can be ensured.

[0019] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, it is proposed that the recess is formed with a closed bottom surface and / or a closed edge side wall, thereby making it possible to ensure electrical contact of the fuse device particularly reliably.

[0020] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, the recess is formed with a funnel-shaped edge side wall. Correspondingly, the recess tapers from the receiving opening toward the bottom surface. In other words, this means that the diameter of the bottom surface is smaller than the diameter of the recess at the area above the bottom surface, in particular, smaller than the diameter of the recess in the plane of the surface of the busbar section. The inclination of the edge side wall extends from the bottom surface to the plane of the surface of the busbar section relative to the vertical line of the bottom surface at an angle of less than 90°, for example, at an angle of less than 30°. With the aid of the embodiment, it can be advantageously combined that the contact projection at the edge side wall has a linearly inclined funnel-shaped orientation. By the funnel-shaped formation of the edge side wall and / or the contact projection, it is ensured that the safety device is guided when inserted into the receiving portion, so that the safety device is always placed centrally on the contact bead and contacts the contact bead. It is also conceivable that only the contact projection has an inclined funnel-shaped orientation protruding into the receiving portion.

[0021] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the busbar section is formed as a flat sheet metal part at least in the area directly surrounding the recess, into which the recess is formed, for example pressed. The busbar section can be formed in particular from a material with good electrical conductivity, for example copper or a copper alloy.

[0022] In a second embodiment of the invention, the object mentioned at the outset is achieved by a junction box having an insulating material housing and a receiving device for receiving a fuse, in particular a replaceable fuse, the junction box having:

[0023] a busbar section arranged in a housing made of insulating material,

[0024] wherein the busbar section has a receptacle which is suitable for at least partially receiving the fuse in a receptacle space formed by the receptacle and fixing it in a radial direction,

[0025] The receptacle has at least three contact projections which protrude from the surface of the busbar section facing the fuse and which surround the receptacle space in an annular manner.

[0026] The advantages previously described with respect to the first embodiment can also be achieved in this way. By means of such three contact projections, for example, a three-point holding device for a defined mechanical positioning of the safety device can be provided. In this implementation, the recess with the edge side wall described in the first embodiment can be omitted. However, it is also feasible to combine the first and second embodiments of the present invention with each other. In an advantageous design, at least three contact projections can be evenly spaced from each other on the circumference of the receiving space. In the case of exactly three contact projections, the contact projections can be arranged, for example, offset from each other by 120 degrees. The at least three contact projections can, for example, surround the bottom surface of the receiving portion in an annular manner. The at least three contact projections can, for example, be configured as spherical cap-shaped contact points to be described below.

[0027] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the spacing of the at least three contact projections from one another increases in a direction orthogonally facing away from the surface of the busbar section. In this way, the at least three contact projections in the recess form a funnel shape. This provides a diameter compensation arrangement which ensures that the fuse always rests centrally in the same position on the contact point even in the event of temperature changes or vibrations. In addition, this makes it possible to compensate for dimensional tolerances of the fuse to a certain extent.

[0028] According to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, at least one further contact projection is provided on the bottom surface, the further contact projection protruding into the receiving space, thereby further reducing the contact resistance.

[0029] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, the diameter of the bottom surface is smaller than the outer diameter of the contact cap of the safety device configured to be inserted into the receiving space. In this way, it can be ensured that the contact cap does not contact the bottom surface in a planar manner, but always abuts against at least three protrusions and / or the edge side wall in a substantially point-like manner. In particular, in a second embodiment of the present invention, the diameter of a circle that is tangential to, but does not intersect, the contact protrusions surrounding the bottom surface on the plane of the bottom surface is regarded as the diameter of the bottom surface.

[0030] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the busbar section, at least in the region directly surrounding the bottom surface, is designed as a flat sheet metal part into which at least three contact projections are integrally formed.

[0031] The bottom surface can be designed as a flat bottom surface. The bottom surface can be arranged in particular parallel to the surface of the busbar section surrounding the receiving opening. The receiving opening can be circular, polygonal, in particular triangular or quadrilateral, or curved in another way. The edge side wall surrounds the receiving opening in an annular manner and follows the contour of the receiving opening. In the case of a circular receiving opening, the edge side wall has a circular contour in a top view of the recess.

[0032] One or more contact projections can be formed into the material of the busbar segment, for example, by embossing and / or deep drawing. In an advantageous manner, recesses can also be formed into the busbar segment by embossing and / or deep drawing. In this case, in an advantageous embodiment, the production of the recesses can be carried out in combination with the production of at least one contact projection and / or simultaneously, that is, in one production step.

[0033] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, at least one contact projection is configured as an elongated contact bead, thereby providing an elongated linear contact portion for contacting the safety device. The elongated contact bead can be configured as a straight-line extended contact bead or as an arc-shaped extended contact bead.

[0034] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, at least one contact projection arranged on the bottom surface is designed as a contact bead that completely or partially spans the bottom surface. A relatively small linear contact surface for the fuse is provided by this contact bead that protrudes from the bottom surface, so that an increased contact pressure is obtained for improved electrical conductivity.

[0035] Such an elongated, in particular linear and straight contact bead can extend, for example, transversely to the longitudinal extension direction of the busbar section, in particular at an angle of 90 degrees to the longitudinal extension direction of the busbar section. Such a contact bead makes it possible to place the fuse on the contact bead at an angle with respect to a perpendicular to the plane of the busbar section within certain tolerance limits. This also makes it possible to compensate for production-related tolerances or position changes of the terminal box system, for example caused by temperature, without impairing the contact safety and thus the electrical transition from the busbar section to the fuse.

[0036] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one contact projection is designed as a spherical cap-shaped contact point. The spherical cap-shaped contact point can in particular have the shape of a spherical segment or a dome. By means of such a contact projection, a largely point-shaped contact surface for the fuse is provided, which ensures an improved electrical transition.

[0037] For example, a spherical cap-shaped contact point can be arranged on the bottom surface, for example centrally on the bottom surface. The spherical cap-shaped contact point can have, for example, a protruding and curved or rounded contour. Such an embodiment of the contact projection ensures that the fuse can be tilted in a plurality of spatial directions in the installed state in order to compensate for production-related tolerances or operational position changes, for example due to temperature changes. In addition, the contact surface between the busbar section and the fuse is further reduced in an advantageous manner.

[0038] At least one contact projection can be designed in such a way that it projects into the receiving space but does not project out of the receiving space.

[0039] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, at least one contact projection protrudes beyond the surface of the busbar section. Correspondingly, at least one contact projection can protrude from the receiving space, that is, through the receiving opening. This can be realized in particular in one or more contact projections, which are arranged at the surrounding edge side walls. For example, one or more contact projections extending from the bottom surface to the receiving opening and arranged at the surrounding edge side walls can extend beyond the receiving opening. One or more contact projections are thus extended beyond the surface of the busbar section, so that the guide portion or guide path of the fuse can be advantageously extended.

[0040] According to an advantageous design of the present invention, the fuse is configured as a cylindrical fuse. The fuse may, for example, have a metallic cylindrical contact cap at each of its end sections, the contact cap serving as a connecting contact of the fuse. One of the contact caps may be at least partially inserted into a recess of the busbar section.

[0041] The terminal box is characterized in that it is a terminal block for connecting electrical conductors, which terminal block is configured to be connected in series with a plurality of other terminal boxes. The terminal box typically has a support rail fastening element, by means of which the terminal box can be locked to a support rail of electrical installation technology, such as a mounting rail. In an advantageous embodiment, the terminal box has one or more spring force clamping terminals for connecting electrical conductors by means of spring force. Here, at least one spring force clamping terminal can be connected to a busbar section or directly arranged at the busbar section, where a recess for accommodating a fuse is formed.

[0042] The receiving device for receiving the fuse can have, for example, a lead-through opening on the outer wall of the insulating material housing, through which the fuse can be inserted into the insulating material housing and placed at or in a recess of the busbar section. Furthermore, the receiving device can have a screw cap which can be screwed onto the insulating material housing in order to close the lead-through opening and to fix and / or electrically contact the fuse at the end facing away from the recess.

[0043] In the sense of the present invention, the indefinite article "a" is not to be understood as a numeral. Thus, when, for example, a component is mentioned, this is to be interpreted in the sense of "at least one component". Whenever an angle is specified in degrees, this relates to a circle size of 360 degrees (360°). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] The present invention will be explained in detail below based on embodiments using the accompanying drawings.

[0045] The accompanying drawings show

[0046] Figure 1 A junction box is shown in a perspective view,

[0047] Figure 2 Show according to Figure 1 The different individual components of the terminal box,

[0048] Figure 3 Show according to Figure 1 The busbar section of the junction box,

[0049] Figure 4 Show according to Figure 3 A portion of a busbar section,

[0050] Figure 5 The cross-sectional view shows Figure 4 A portion of the busbar section together with the fuse,

[0051] Figure 6 A further embodiment of a part of a busbar segment is shown.

[0052] Figure 7 The cross-sectional view shows Figure 6 A portion of the busbar section together with the fuse,

[0053] Figure 8 A further embodiment of a part of a busbar segment is shown.

[0054] Fig. 9 Show according to Figure 8 A portion of the busbar section together with the fuse,

[0055] Fig.10 The cross-sectional view shows Fig. 9 Settings,

[0056] Fig.11 A further embodiment of a busbar segment is shown.

[0057] Fig.12 Show according to Fig.11 A portion of a busbar section,

[0058] Fig.13 Show according to Fig.12 A portion of the busbar section together with the fuse,

[0059] Fig.14 The cross-sectional view shows Fig.13 settings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] Figure 1 A terminal box 1 is shown, which has an insulating material housing 2. On the insulating material housing 2, a wire insertion opening 3 for inserting an electrical wire into the insulating material housing 2 is provided on the wire insertion side. In the interior of the insulating material housing 2, behind the wire insertion opening 3, there is a corresponding spring force clamping terminal 9, which is designed for clamping an electrical wire by means of spring force. The insulating material housing 2 has a support rail fastening element 4 on a side different from the wire insertion side, for example, on a housing side diametrically facing away from the wire insertion side, by means of which the terminal box 1 can be fastened to a support rail, for example by latching.

[0061] Busbar sections 8, 10 are present in the insulating material housing 2. The busbar sections 8, 10 are each electrically connected to at least one spring-force clamping terminal 9. The terminal box 1 also has a receiving device 11 for receiving the fuse 7. The receiving device 11 can, for example, include a threaded cap 6, which can be at least partially guided through the through-opening 5 in the insulating material housing 2 in order to insert the fuse 7 into the insulating material housing 2 and make electrical contact there.

[0062] Figure 2 The arrangement and electrical contacting of the fuse 7 are shown according to individually selected components of the terminal box 1. The fuse 7 has a central fuse body 71, which is provided with a metallic contact cap 70 at each of the two end faces. A receptacle 12 designed as a recess 80 is provided on the busbar section 8, which is suitable for at least partially accommodating the fuse 7, that is, in this case, a part of the contact cap 70.

[0063] At the other end, the fuse 7 is located in a screw cap 6 which ensures electrical contact with a further contact cap 70 of the fuse 7 . The fuse 7 is electrically connected to a further busbar section 10 via the screw cap 6 .

[0064] Figure 3 The busbar section 8 is shown with a spring force clamping terminal 9 and a recess 80 provided at the other end for receiving 12 a part of the fuse 7. Figure 4 The right part of the busbar section 8 shown in the figure with the recess 80 is shown enlarged in FIG. Figures 5 to 10 In the example, only the part of the busbar section 8 is described in an enlarged manner for the sake of explanation, and the rest of the busbar section 8 corresponds to Figure 3 of the view.

[0065] As from Figure 4 It can be seen that the recess 80 is formed in a pot-shaped manner into the otherwise flat part of the busbar section 8. The recess 80 has a bottom with a bottom surface 82, a receiving opening 84 arranged in the surface 81 of the busbar section 8 and a peripheral edge side wall 83 connecting the bottom surface 82 to the receiving opening 84.

[0066] In the illustrated embodiment, a contact projection 85 is provided on the bottom surface 82, which extends into the receiving space 13 enclosed by the bottom surface 82 and the edge side wall 83. The contact projection 85 is designed as an elongated contact bead, which extends through the entire bottom surface 82 in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal extension of the busbar section 8, that is, from one side of the edge side wall 83 to the other opposite side of the edge side wall 83. Figure 5 It is explained how the contact cap 70 of the safety device 7 can be contacted in the center by the contact bead 85. By accommodating a part of the safety device 7 in the accommodating space 13, the part of the safety device 7 is fixed in the radial direction L, that is, the part can only move laterally in the area defined by the edge side wall 83.

[0067] according to Figure 6 and Figure 7 An embodiment is described in which the recess 80 has a contact projection 85 which is a spherical cap-shaped contact point in this embodiment. The spherical cap-shaped contact point is arranged on the bottom surface 82, in particular centrally on the bottom surface 82. Accordingly, the contact cap 70 of the safety device 7 is also contacted centrally, essentially in a point-like manner, by the contact projection 85.

[0068] according to Figures 8 to 10An embodiment is described in which the recess 80 has a plurality of contact projections 85 arranged on the circumferential edge side wall 83. The contact projections 85 are evenly spaced apart from one another on the circumference of the recess 80, i.e., are arranged at 120 degrees offset on the edge side wall 83. The contact projections 85 extend elongatedly from the bottom surface 82 to the receiving opening 84 in a manner similar to a bead, and extend slightly beyond the receiving opening 84, so that they protrude beyond the surface 81 of the busbar segment 8.

[0069] As in Fig. 9 and Fig.10 It can be seen in FIG. 8 that the fuse 7 is mechanically centered and centrally adjusted in the recess 80 by means of such a contact projection 85. Furthermore, the fuse 7 is electrically contacted essentially at three points.

[0070] Different variants of the first embodiment of the present invention are explained according to the drawings so far, and according to Figures 11 to 14 A second embodiment of the present invention is described. In said embodiment, the rest of the junction box is Figures 11 to 14 Elements not shown in the figure may correspond to Figure 1 and Figure 2 constitute.

[0071] exist Figures 11 to 14 In the embodiment of the embodiment, the receiving portion 12 for the safety device 7 does not have a recess 80. In this case, the receiving portion 12 is formed by a plurality of contact projections 85 extending from the surface of the busbar section 8 pointing to the safety device 7, which are arranged in an annular manner and surround the receiving space 13. Therefore, the receiving space 13 is not completely closed laterally by the edge side walls. In the embodiment shown, three contact projections 85 are proposed, so that the three-point support of the safety device 7 described above can be realized. However, it is also feasible to provide a larger number of contact projections 85.

[0072] Especially in Fig.14 It can be seen in FIG. 8 that the contact projection 85 can be designed as a projection pressed in from the underside of the busbar section 8 , wherein the bulge forming the contact projection 85 is produced by the pressing-in process on the side facing the fuse 7 .

[0073] The contact projections 85 annularly surround the bottom surface 82 of the receptacle 12. The contact projections 85 are spaced apart from one another so that the resulting diameter at the bottom surface 82 is smaller than the outer diameter of the contact cap 70 of the fuse 7, so that the contact cap 70 does not come into direct contact with the bottom surface 82.

[0074] Reference numerals list

[0075] 1 Junction Box

[0076] 2 Insulating material housing

[0077] 3 Wire entry opening

[0078] 4 Support rail fastening elements

[0079] 5 Through opening

[0080] 6 Screw cap

[0081] 7 Safety device

[0082] 8 Busbar section

[0083] 9 Spring force clamp terminals

[0084] 10 Bus section

[0085] 11Accommodation device

[0086] 12 Accommodation

[0087] 13Accommodation space

[0088] 70 Metal Contact Cap

[0089] 71 Central safety device body

[0090] 80 concavity

[0091] 81 Surface

[0092] 82 bottom

[0093] 83 Edge side wall

[0094] 84 Accommodate opening

[0095] 85 contact protrusion

[0096] L Radial direction

Claims

1. A junction box (1), comprising a housing (2) of insulating material and a receiving device (11) for receiving a fuse (7), in particular a replaceable fuse, the junction box comprising: a busbar section (8) arranged in the insulating material housing (2), - the busbar section (8) has a receptacle (12) designed as a recess (80) which is suitable for at least partially accommodating the safety device (7), - wherein the recess (80) comprises a bottom with a bottom surface (82), a receiving opening (84) arranged in the surface (81) of the busbar section (8) and a surrounding edge side wall (83) connecting the bottom surface (82) to the receiving opening (84), - wherein the bottom surface (82) and the edge side wall (83) enclose the receiving space (13), It is characterized in that At least one contact projection (85) is provided on the bottom surface (82) and / or on the circumferential edge side wall (83), the contact projection protruding into the receiving space (13).

2. The junction box according to claim 1, It is characterized in that At least three contact projections (85) are arranged on the circumferential edge side wall (83), the contact projections being spaced apart from one another and projecting into the receiving space (13).

3. The junction box according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The at least three contact protrusions (85) are evenly spaced apart from each other around the circumference of the recess (80).

4. The junction box according to claim 2 or 3, It is characterized in that The distances between the at least three contact projections (85) decrease from the receiving opening (84) toward the bottom surface (82).

5. A junction box according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The at least one contact projection (85) arranged on the peripheral edge side wall (83) extends at least from the bottom surface (82) to the receiving opening (84).

6. A junction box according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The recess (80) is formed with a closed bottom surface (82) and / or a closed edge side wall (83).

7. A junction box according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The recess (80) is formed with a funnel-shaped edge wall (83).

8. A junction box according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The busbar section (8) is designed as a flat sheet metal part at least in a region directly surrounding the recess (80), into which the recess (80) is integrally formed.

9. A junction box (1), comprising a housing (2) of insulating material and a receiving device (11) for receiving a fuse (7), in particular a replaceable fuse, the junction box comprising: a busbar section (8) arranged in the insulating material housing (2), - the busbar section (8) has a receptacle (12) which is suitable for at least partially receiving the safety device (7) in a receptacle space (13) formed by the receptacle (12) and fixing it in a radial direction (L), It is characterized in that The receptacle (12) has at least three contact projections (85) which protrude from a surface of the busbar section (8) facing the fuse (7) and which surround the receptacle space (13) in an annular manner.

10. The junction box according to claim 9, It is characterized in that The at least three contact protrusions (85) are evenly spaced apart from each other around the circumference of the receiving space (13).

11. The junction box according to claim 9 or 10, It is characterized in that The spacing of the at least three contact projections (85) from one another increases in a direction facing away orthogonally from the surface of the busbar section (8).

12. The junction box according to any one of claims 9 to 11, It is characterized in that The at least three contact projections (85) surround the bottom surface (82) of the receptacle (12) in an annular manner.

13. The junction box according to claim 12, It is characterized in that At least one further contact projection (85) is arranged on the bottom surface (82), the further contact projection protruding into the receiving space (13).

14. The junction box according to any one of claims 12 to 13, It is characterized in that The diameter of the bottom surface (82) is smaller than the outer diameter of a contact cap (70) of a safety device (7) configured to be inserted into the receiving space.

15. A junction box according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The at least one contact projection (85) is designed as an elongated contact bead.

16. A junction box according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The at least one contact projection (85) arranged on the bottom surface (82) is designed as an elongated contact bead which completely or partially spans the bottom surface (82).

17. A junction box according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The at least one contact projection (85) is designed as a spherical cap-shaped contact point.

18. A junction box according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The at least one contact projection (85) projects beyond a surface (81) of the busbar section (8).

19. A junction box according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The fuse (7) is designed as a cylindrical fuse.

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