Modular multi-pole rail mounting device

Abstract

The invention relates to a modular multi-pole rail mounting device (1), comprising a first device module (10) for connecting a first phase conductor, a second device module (20) for connecting a second phase conductor, and an insulating material housing (2) formed by connecting a first housing module (11) and a second housing module (12) by means of a first connecting piece (9), wherein the first housing module (11) is associated with the first device module (10) and the second housing module (21) is associated with the second device module (20). Furthermore, the multi-pole rail mounting device (1) has a first circuit board (12) accommodated and fixed in the first housing module (11) and a second circuit board (22) accommodated and fixed in the second housing module (21). The first printed circuit board (12) and the second printed circuit board (22) are electrically conductively connected by means of a mechanical plug connection (50) having at least one contact element (51) and at least one contact seat (52) associated therewith, the first printed circuit board (12) being arranged in the first housing module (11) in a floating manner in a first direction (x) and a second direction (y) orthogonal to the first direction (x). The floating arrangement of the first circuit board effectively avoids the mechanical overdetermination of the joining partners, i.e. The plug connection (50) and the connected circuit boards (10, 20).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device, which comprises a first device module for connecting a first phase conductor, a second device module for connecting a second phase conductor, and an insulating material housing composed of a first housing module and a second housing module, wherein the first housing module is associated with the first device module and the second housing module is associated with the second device module. Background Art

[0002] Electromechanical protective switchgear (e.g. circuit breakers, line protection switches, residual current circuit breakers and arc or fire protection switches) is used to monitor and protect electrical circuits, in particular as a switch and safety element in power supply and distribution networks. To monitor and protect electrical circuits, the protective switchgear is electrically conductively connected to the electrical wires of the circuit to be monitored via two or more connection terminals in order to interrupt the current in the respective monitored conductor when necessary. For this purpose, the protective switchgear has at least one switching contact which can be opened when a predefined state occurs (e.g. when a short circuit or fault current is detected), thereby disconnecting the monitored circuit from the power grid. Such protective switchgear is also referred to as rail-mounted devices in the field of low-voltage technology.

[0003] Here, the circuit breaker is specially designed for high currents. Line protection switches (so-called LS switches), which are also called "miniature circuit breakers" (MCB, Miniature Circuit Breaker), are so-called overcurrent protection devices in electrical installations, especially in the range of low-voltage power networks. Circuit breakers and line protection switches ensure safe disconnection in the event of a short circuit and protect electrical consumers and equipment from overloads, such as damage caused by overheating of wires due to excessive current. They are designed to automatically disconnect the monitored circuit in the event of a short circuit or an overload, thereby separating it from the rest of the power grid. Therefore, circuit breakers and line protection switches are used in particular as switches and safety elements for monitoring and protecting circuits in power supply networks. Line circuit breakers are already known in principle from the documents DE 10 2015 217 704 A1, EP 2 980 822 A1, DE 10 2015 213 375 A1, DE 10 2013 211 539 A1 or EP 2 685 482 B1.

[0004] To disconnect a single-phase conductor, a single-pole line circuit breaker is usually used, the width of which is usually one pitch unit (corresponding to approximately 18 mm). For a three-phase connection, a three-pole line circuit breaker is used (instead of three single-pole switchgear), the width of which is correspondingly three pitch units (corresponding to approximately 54 mm). In this case, each of the three phase conductors is associated with a pole, i.e. a switching point. If, in addition to the three phase conductors, the neutral conductor must also be disconnected, a four-pole device is used, which has four switching points: three for the three phase conductors and one for the common neutral conductor.

[0005] A residual current circuit breaker is a protective device for preventing dangerous residual currents in electrical equipment. This residual current (which is also called a differential current) occurs when electrical contact occurs between a voltage-carrying line part and the ground. This is the case, for example, when a person touches a voltage-carrying part of an electrical device, and the current flows to the ground as a residual current through the body of the person concerned. In order to prevent this human body current, the residual current circuit breaker must quickly and safely disconnect the electrical device from the grid at all poles when such a residual current occurs. In everyday language, alternative terms to "residual current circuit breaker" are also used, such as FI protection switch (FI switch for short), differential current protection switch (DI switch for short) or RCD (Residual Current Protective Device, "residual current protective device").

[0006] Arc or flameproof switches are used to detect arc faults, such as arcs that may occur at defective locations in electrical lines (e.g. loose cable terminals or due to cable breaks). If an arc fault occurs in electrical series with a consumer, the normal operating current is usually not exceeded because the current is limited by the consumer. For this reason, conventional overcurrent protection devices such as fuses or line protection switches cannot detect the arc fault. In order to determine whether an arc fault has occurred, the flameproof switch measures the current and voltage trends over time and analyzes and evaluates the trends that characterize the arc fault. In the (English) technical literature, such protection devices for detecting arc faults are referred to as "Arc Fault Detection Devices" (AFDD for short). In North America, the term "Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter" (AFCI for short) is more common.

[0007] There are also device types that combine the function of a residual current circuit breaker with that of a line circuit breaker: Such combined circuit breakers are called FI / LS in German or RCBO in English (Residual current operated Circuit Breaker with Overcurrent protection). The advantage of these combined devices over separate residual current circuit breakers and line circuit breakers is that each circuit has its own residual current circuit breaker: Usually, a single residual current circuit breaker is used for several circuits. If a fault current occurs, all protected circuits are disconnected. By using RCBOs, only the correspondingly relevant circuits are disconnected.

[0008] As the trend develops, more and more functions are integrated into the equipment, that is, combined protection switchgear covering the functional range of multiple single devices is developed: In addition to the FI / LS protection switchgear described above, which combines the functional range of the traditional fault current protection switch (FI) with the functional range of the line protection switch (LS), there are other forms, such as integrating the fire protection switch function into existing equipment (such as MCB, RCD or RCBO / FI / LS). This digital upgrade of electromechanical protection switchgear requires optimal space utilization under the condition of the generally poor installability of electronic components. Individual circuit boards and electronic components are usually distributed in widely dispersed spaces and need to be electrically connected to each other.

[0009] In order to limit or reduce the number of rail-mounted devices for the different application cases that arise here, and thus limit or reduce the manufacturing costs of the individual devices, attempts are made to build the devices modularly according to the modular principle: In modular construction, the system is composed of components along defined interfaces. In this case, the protective switchgear to be composed of structural blocks is divided into various components or parts, which are called modules, and the interfaces between the individual modules are precisely defined. For the appropriate form and function, different protective switchgear can then be composed of different modules, wherein the selected modules interact with each other via predefined interfaces. Summary of the invention

[0010] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a modular multi-pole rail mounting device, which is characterized by a simplified modular structure and good installability.

[0011] This object is achieved according to the invention by a modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device according to claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0012] The modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device according to the invention comprises a first device module for connecting a first phase conductor, a second device module for connecting a second phase conductor, and an insulating material housing formed by connecting a first housing module and a second housing module by means of a first connecting piece, wherein the first housing module is associated with the first device module and the second housing module is associated with the second device module. In addition, the multi-pole rail mounting device comprises a first circuit board accommodated and fixed in the first housing module, and a second circuit board accommodated and fixed in the second housing module. In this case, the first circuit board and the second circuit board are electrically conductively connected via a mechanical plug connection, which has at least one contact element and at least one contact seat associated therewith, wherein the first circuit board is arranged floating in the first housing module in a first direction (x) and in a second direction (y) orthogonal to the first direction (x).

[0013] The first and second housing modules (and thus the insulating material housing) as well as the first and second device modules (and thus the modularly constructed multi-pole rail-mounted device) each have a front side, a mounting surface opposite the front side, and first and second narrow sides and wide sides connecting the front side and the mounting surface. The term "housing module" refers to a modular part of the insulating material housing. If the relevant device module is equipped with the corresponding required components, the correspondingly equipped housing module is called a "device module", wherein each device module is associated with a pole. A plurality of device modules thus form a modular multi-pole rail-mounted device.

[0014] The first device module and the second device module are each designed as a single-pole circuit breaker and have their own housing module uniquely associated with the respective device module, in which a short-circuit trigger device for interrupting a current flowing through the respective phase conductor (i.e., the first and second phase conductor) in the event of a short circuit and an overload trigger device for interrupting a current flowing through the respective phase conductor (i.e., the first and second phase conductor) in the event of an electrical overload are respectively arranged, i.e., accommodated and fixed. By combining the first device module with the second device module (i.e., connecting the first housing module with the second housing module by means of a first connecting element (e.g., a rivet or a screw) to form an insulating material housing), a two-pole circuit breaker is formed to which a first phase conductor (at the first device module) and a second phase conductor (at the second device module) can be connected.

[0015] In each of the two housing modules (i.e. the first housing module and the second housing module), a circuit board (the first circuit board and the second circuit board) is arranged, which are electrically conductively connected by means of a mechanical plug connection. For this purpose, at least one contact seat is mounted on one of the circuit boards and at least one contact element is mounted on the other circuit board. The at least one contact element can be formed by one or more contact pins (referred to as PINs) which are inserted into a socket-like opening of the contact seat when the two housing modules are connected. If the two circuit boards are positioned in a defined manner in their respective housing modules, the use of a rigid mechanical plug connection can lead to an over-defined positioning (Überbestimmtheit), which results in mechanical loads on the circuit boards. In addition, unfavorable tolerance chains can also lead to assembly problems, especially in automated production.

[0016] In order to avoid such mechanical overdetermination of the mating parts (i.e. the contact element and the contact socket, and thus the first and second circuit boards) when establishing the mechanical plug connection, i.e. when inserting the contact pin into the contact socket, the first circuit board is arranged in the first housing module in a floating manner, i.e. in a transversely movable manner or in an indefinite manner in the first and second directions, i.e., the arrangement in the first and second directions has play. The second circuit board is arranged in the second housing module 12 in a defined manner, i.e. without play, in the first and second directions. In this way, manufacturing tolerances can be compensated and mechanical overdetermination when the two circuit boards are arranged can be effectively avoided, which could lead to bending and shearing forces on the assembly of the mechanical plug connection and the circuit boards, and thus damage them.

[0017] In an advantageous development of the modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device, the contact sockets of the plug connection are arranged on the first printed circuit board and the contact elements of the plug connection are arranged on the second printed circuit board.

[0018] By arranging the contact socket on the first circuit board, the contact socket is also arranged floatingly in the first housing module in the first and second directions. Accordingly, the contact element (which can include a plurality of contact pins) is arranged together with the second circuit board in the second housing module without any gaps. This significantly simplifies the production of the mechanical plug connection when the first and second housing modules are assembled to form an insulating material housing (and thus the first and second device modules to form a modularly constructed multi-pole rail-mounted device).

[0019] In a further advantageous development of the modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device, the plug connection has a centering aid for orienting the first printed circuit board relative to the first housing module.

[0020] By using a centering aid, the insertion of at least one contact element into a contact seat can be significantly simplified. Here, the centering aid is preferably arranged around the contact seat to effectively prevent the contact element from being incorrectly inserted next to the contact seat.

[0021] In another advantageous development of the modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device, the centering aid is mechanically connected to the first housing module via at least one elastic element. In this way, a floating arrangement of the first circuit board is ensured, so that manufacturing tolerances can be compensated and the insertion of the at least one contact element into the contact seat is facilitated.

[0022] In a further advantageous development of the modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device, the centering aid has an insertion bevel.

[0023] In this way, the process of inserting the at least one contact element into the contact seat can be further simplified, thereby effectively avoiding incorrect insertion and possible damage, such as bending or breaking of the at least one contact element.

[0024] In another advantageous development of the modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device, the first housing module has a fixing element which fixes the first printed circuit board in a third direction by attaching a first connecting element which acts in the third direction orthogonal to the first and second directions.

[0025] When assembling the first and second device modules in the third direction, a mechanical plug connection is first formed, which connects the first and second circuit boards in an electrically conductive manner. The floating arrangement of the first circuit board is essential for avoiding mechanical stresses caused by an overly determined arrangement of the two circuit boards. At the end of the joining process in the third direction, i.e. at the end of the stroke, after at least one contact element has been inserted into the associated contact seat, the first circuit board is pressed against the inner contour of the first housing module by the fixing element in the third direction, so that it is fixed in a form-fitting manner in the third direction. Depending on the amount of pressure, it is also possible to achieve a friction-fitting fixation of the first circuit board, which is now arranged largely without stress, in the first or second direction. In this way, the first circuit board is safely accommodated and fixed in the first housing module.

[0026] In a further advantageous development of the modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device, the first housing module has a wall opening for accommodating a contact socket arranged on the first printed circuit board.

[0027] The walls of the housing modules allow the components and parts arranged in the first device module to be safely protected from the external environment and from the influence of the second device module arranged adjacently. The wall opening formed in the wall is used only to realize the mechanical plug connection between the first circuit board arranged in the first housing module and the second circuit board arranged in the second housing module.

[0028] In a further advantageous development, the modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device has a third device module for connecting a third phase conductor, wherein the third device module has a third housing module which is arranged between the first housing module and the second housing module.

[0029] The third device module arranged between the first and second device modules is also designed as a single-pole circuit breaker and has its own housing module, which is uniquely associated with it, in which a short-circuit tripping device and an overload tripping device for disconnecting the current flowing through the third phase conductor in the event of an electrical short circuit or overload are arranged, i.e., accommodated and fixed. The third housing module can be connected by means of a first connecting element, such as a rivet or a screw, so that a three-pole insulating material housing is formed for a modularly constructed three-pole rail-mounted device. In order to form a four-pole FI / LS or RCBO circuit breaker, an additional RCD module can be mounted on the outer broadside of the second device module, which RCD module is equipped with components of a residual current circuit breaker, so that three phase conductors and a neutral conductor can be connected to the four-pole circuit breaker and monitored with respect to short circuits, electrical overloads and ground fault currents.

[0030] In another advantageous extension of the modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device, the third device module has a third circuit board arranged in a third housing module, which is floatingly mounted in a first direction and a second direction, and has an additional contact seat, which is associated with the position of the contact seat arranged on the first circuit board in the first and second directions, so that at least one contact element arranged on the second circuit board can be guided through the additional contact seat so as to be electrically conductively connected to the contact seat arranged on the first circuit board.

[0031] In this way, an overly defined placement of the third printed circuit board can also be effectively avoided. When the at least one contact element is guided through the further contact seat, electrical contacting of the third printed circuit board can also be achieved, for example to provide it with the required electrical energy.

[0032] In another advantageous development of the modular multi-pole rail mounting device, the width of each housing module is one pitch unit. In this way, it is ensured that the width dimension of the modular multi-pole rail mounting device corresponds to the standard snap-in dimension of the width of such a rail mounting device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Different embodiments of the multi-pole rail installation device with modular structure are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings:

[0034] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a multi-pole rail-mounted device consisting of a plurality of device modules according to the present invention is shown in a perspective view;

[0035] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing a disconnected first device module in perspective view;

[0036] Figure 3A schematic diagram showing a preassembled first and second equipment module in perspective view;

[0037] Figure 4 a schematic diagram showing a further assembly step of the preassembled first and second equipment modules in a perspective view;

[0038] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a further embodiment of a multi-pole rail mounting device formed from a plurality of housing modules is shown in a perspective view.

[0039] In the different figures, identical parts are always denoted by the same reference symbols. The description applies to all figures in which corresponding parts appear equally. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Figure 1 The schematic diagram shows the basic structure of a modularly constructed multi-pole rail-mounted device 1 according to the invention. The multi-pole rail-mounted device 1 has a front side 3, a mounting surface 4 opposite the front side, and a narrow side 5 and a wide side 6 connecting the front side 3 and the mounting surface 4, and is designed as a four-pole FI / LS or RCBO, but this is only an example of a possible device structure: two-pole and three-pole (modularly constructed) rail-mounted devices, regardless of their functional scope, can also be the subject of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 1 The rail-mounted device 1 shown in the drawing consists of a first device module 10 for connecting a first phase conductor, a second device module 20 for connecting a second phase conductor, a third device module 30 for connecting a third phase conductor, and a fourth device module 40 for connecting a neutral conductor, which are arranged side by side with wide sides.

[0042] Each device module 10, 20, 30, 40 has its own housing module: the first device module 10 is associated with the first housing module 11, the second device module 20 is associated with the second housing module 21, the third device module 30 is associated with the third housing module 31, and the fourth device module 40 is associated with the fourth housing module 41, wherein all device modules 10, 20, 30, 40 and all housing modules 11, 21, 31, 41 also have a front side 3, a mounting surface 4 arranged opposite the front side, and a narrow side 5 and a wide side 6 connecting the front side 3 and the mounting surface 4. Furthermore, the width B of all housing modules 11, 21, 31, 41 (and thus all device modules 10, 20, 30, 40) is only one pitch unit (TE), which corresponds to approximately 18 millimeters or 0.75 inches. The insulating material housing 2 of the modularly constructed four-pole rail-mounted device 1 is formed by four housing modules 11 , 21 , 31 , 41 which are arranged side by side broadside and fastened together by means of first connecting elements, which are shown here by way of example as rivets 9 .

[0043] In principle, a housing in a narrow design (i.e. with a width of only one pitch unit) has two half-shells which are joined together at the end of the assembly process by means of suitable connections (e.g. rivet connections, screw connections or snap connections) to form a circumferential joint line. Each half-shell here comprises a wide side 6 as well as the front side, the mounting surface and parts (complete or entire) of the narrow sides 3, 4, 5. Figure 1 The housing modules 11 , 21 , 31 and 41 shown in the figure are also implemented in a narrow structural form, which are first assembled during assembly and then the individual housing modules 11 , 12 , 13 and 14 are assembled to form a structurally mechanically stable insulating material housing 2 of a modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device 1 .

[0044] In the region of each narrow side 5, each device module 10, 20, 30, 40 has a screw terminal 7 for contacting a connecting conductor (phase conductor or neutral conductor, not shown) on the grid side or on the load side, which is received and fixed in a housing module 11, 21, 31, 41 associated with the respective device module 10, 20, 30, 40. For manual operation, each device module 10, 20, 30, 40 has an operating element arranged in the region of the front side 3, wherein the individual operating elements are associated with a common operation by means of a handle element 8 connecting the individual operating elements.

[0045] because Figure 1 The modular rail-mounted device 1 shown in the figure is a four-pole FI / LS or RCBO, the first three device modules 10, 20 and 30 are designed as MCB modules, i.e. line protection switches, and are accordingly equipped with typical components of line protection switches (such as switching mechanisms, overload triggering devices and short-circuit triggering devices, arc extinguishing chambers, connection terminals, etc.), and are arranged for contacting respectively associated phase conductors (not shown) of a three-phase power distribution system. In contrast, the fourth device module 40 is designed as an RCD module ( Figure 1 ), which is a typical component equipped with a residual current protection switch and is configured to contact a neutral conductor (not shown).

[0046] Figure 2 The interior of a first device module 10 (MCB module) designed as a line protection switch is schematically shown in a perspective view. The first housing module 11 has a first housing half shell 11-1 and a second housing half shell 11-2, which are assembled together to form a circumferential joint line. In the area of ​​the front side 3, the first device module 10 has an operating element 14 for manually operating a switch contact (not shown) arranged in the first housing half shell 11-1.

[0047] Typical components and parts of a line protection switch are installed in the area of ​​the first housing half shell 11-1, while in the second housing half shell 11-2 (separated from the first housing half shell 11-1 by a partition), a first circuit board 12 is arranged in the first housing module 11. Here, the first circuit board 12 is arranged in the first housing module 11 in a floating manner, that is, indefinitely or laterally movable, in a first direction x and a second direction y orthogonal thereto, so that its arrangement in the first and second directions x, y has a certain clearance. In a third direction z orthogonal to the first and second directions x, y, the first circuit board 12 passes through the second device module 20 (see FIG. 2 ) that is adjacent in this direction z. Figure 3 ) is fixed by means of a fixing element (not shown) arranged at the second housing module 21. The fixing element can be, for example, a housing contour molded on the second housing module 21, which, after successful assembly of the two housing modules 11 and 21, presses the first circuit board against the mounting contour formed on the first housing module 11 in the third direction z.

[0048] A contact socket 52 is arranged on the first printed circuit board 12 below the operating element 14, ie in the direction of the mounting surface 4. The contact socket 52 is part of the mechanical plug connection 50 and is formed by a block with a plurality of socket-like openings, contact pins 51 (see Figure 4 ) can be inserted therein so that the contact pin is electrically conductively connected to the first printed circuit board 12 .

[0049] Figure 3 A perspective view of the preassembled first and second device modules 10, 20 is schematically shown. In order to be able to see the interior of the housing, a part of the front narrow side 5 is omitted. The second housing module 21 is also formed in the form of a shell structure (Schalenbauweise) from a first housing half shell 21-1 and a second housing half shell 21-2. In the area of ​​the front side 3, the second device module 20 has an operating element 24 for its manual operation.

[0050] The first housing module 11 and the second housing module 21 are separated by a partition 19 arranged between the two housing modules 11, 21 to protect the first circuit board 12 arranged in the interior of the second housing half shell 11-2 of the first housing module 11 from the influence of the second device module 20 components arranged in the interior of the first housing half shell 21-1 of the second housing module 21. In the area of ​​the contact seat 52, the partition 19 has a wall opening 13, through which the contact seat 52 fixed to the first circuit board 12 is partially guided to enable the insertion of the contact pin 51 (see Figure 4), thereby achieving contact with the first circuit board 12 from the second housing module 21. Since the first circuit board 12 is floatingly arranged in the first housing module 11, that is, arranged with clearance in the first and second directions x, y, the contact seat 52 also has a corresponding clearance in the wall opening 13 to avoid mechanical over-determination of the arrangement, thereby avoiding possible damage to the first circuit board 12.

[0051] Figure 4 The perspective view schematically shows further assembly steps of the preassembled first and second device modules 10, 20. Here, a second circuit board 22 is arranged in the second housing half shell 21-2 of the second housing module 21, on which a further contact seat 52 is fixed in the third direction z, so that the further third circuit board is electrically conductively connected to the second circuit board 22 via the further contact seat.

[0052] In the direction opposite to the third direction z, the second circuit board 22 has a plurality of contact elements 51. Figure 4 The contact element 51 is configured as a contact pin and is inserted into a socket-shaped opening of a contact seat 52 arranged on the first circuit board 12, so as to realize an electrically conductive connection between the first circuit board 12 and the second circuit board 22 in this way. Thus, the contact element 51 and the contact seat 52 together form an electromechanical plug connection 50.

[0053] If the arrangement is extended by a third housing module and a further third circuit board is arranged in the third housing module, the third circuit board can be electrically conductively connected to the first and / or second circuit boards 12, 22. This can be achieved in that the third circuit board has one or more contact elements 51, which are arranged on the third circuit board in a direction opposite to the third direction z and are inserted into the socket-shaped opening of the further contact seat 52 when the third device module is assembled to the second device module. Alternatively, the longer contact element 51 arranged on the third circuit board can be guided through the socket-shaped opening of the further contact seat 52 and inserted into the contact seat 52 arranged on the first circuit board 12, wherein the third circuit board can thereby be contacted with the first circuit board 12 and with the second circuit board 22.

[0054] The last circuit board that comes into contact with the preceding circuit boards in this way should be free of play, i.e., fixedly arranged, in its associated housing module 21, 31, 41, since it determines the arrangement of the entire circuit board arrangement, i.e., the arrangement of all circuit boards 12, 22, etc. that are connected to one another in this way and that are accommodated in the various housing modules 11, 21, 31, 41. In the case of a two-pole rail-mounted device, this would be the second circuit board 22 arranged in the second housing module 21. In this way, a mechanically over-defined arrangement of one or more circuit boards 12, 22 can be avoided, which could lead to mechanical stresses and thus very likely to damage of the individual circuit boards or the mechanical plug connection 50 and thus to a failure of a specific function of the rail-mounted device 1.

[0055] Figure 5 A further embodiment of a multi-pole rail-mounted device 1 consisting of a plurality of device modules is schematically shown. Figure 2 similar, Figure 5 The interior of a first device module 10 (MCB module) designed as a line protection switch is also shown in a perspective view. Figure 2 The difference between the diagram is that Figure 5 The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 has a centering aid 53 which is arranged around a contact seat 52 arranged on a first circuit board 12. The centering aid 53 has a substantially cuboid body with a through hole in which the contact seat 52 is accommodated without play.

[0056] The centering aid 53 is used to facilitate the insertion of the contact element 51 into the contact seat 52. For this purpose, the centering aid 53 has an introduction bevel 55 which is inclined toward the through hole on the side of the cuboid body facing the contact element 51 and in this way facilitates the insertion of the contact element 51 into the socket-like opening of the contact seat 52 by sliding onto the introduction bevel 55 during the insertion process and entering the socket-like opening respectively associated therewith.

[0057] The first circuit board 12 is oriented relative to the first housing module 11 by means of the centering aid 53. For this purpose, the centering aid 53 has two elongated elastic elements 54 molded on a cuboid body, which are fixed at their distal ends to the first housing module 11. Due to the flexibility of the two elastic elements 54, stresses acting on the first circuit board 12 or the mechanical plug connection 50 can be compensated, and the two elastic elements 54 thus act as flexible spring arms. In addition, by using the centering aid 53, it is effectively avoided that one or more contact elements 51 are incorrectly inserted into the gap formed by the wall opening and the contact seat 52.

[0058] However, the two spring elements 54 of the centering aid 53 are not necessary in the sense of the present invention. The two spring elements 54 can also be omitted. This will result in a freer placement of the first circuit board 12 in the first housing module 11, whereby an overly defined placement of the first circuit board 12 can be effectively avoided, especially in the case of large manufacturing tolerances.

[0059] Reference numerals list

[0060] 1. Rail mounted equipment

[0061] 2 Insulating material housing

[0062] 3. Front

[0063] 4 Mounting surface

[0064] 5 Narrow side

[0065] 6 Broad side

[0066] 7 Screw terminals

[0067] 8 Handle element

[0068] 9 Rivets

[0069] 10 First equipment module

[0070] 11 First housing module

[0071] 11-1 First shell half shell

[0072] 11-2 Second shell half shell

[0073] 12 First Circuit Board

[0074] 13 Wall opening

[0075] 14 Operating elements

[0076] 19 Bulkhead

[0077] 20 Second equipment module

[0078] 21 Second housing module

[0079] 21-1 First shell half

[0080] 21-2 Second shell half

[0081] 22 Second circuit board

[0082] 30 Third equipment module

[0083] 31 Third housing module

[0084] 40 Fourth equipment module

[0085] 41 Fourth housing module

[0086] 50 Plug connection

[0087] 51 Contact element

[0088] 52 Contact seat

[0089] 53 Centering aid

[0090] 54 Elastic element

[0091] 55 Lead-in bevel

[0092] x first direction

[0093] y Second direction

[0094] z The third direction

[0095] B Width

[0096] TE pitch unit

Claims

1. A modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device (1), comprising: a first device module (10) and a second device module (20), the first device module being used for connecting a first phase conductor and the second device module being used for connecting a second phase conductor, - an insulating material housing (2), which is formed by a first housing module (11) and a second housing module (21) connected by means of a first connecting element (9), wherein the first housing module (11) is associated with the first device module (10) and the second housing module (21) is associated with the second device module (20), - a first circuit board (12) and a second circuit board (22), the first circuit board being accommodated and fixed in the first housing module (11), and the second circuit board being accommodated and fixed in the second housing module (21), wherein the first circuit board (12) and the second circuit board (13) are electrically conductively connected via a mechanical plug connection (50), the plug connection having at least one contact element (51) and at least one contact seat (52) associated with the contact element, The first circuit board (12) is floated in the first housing module (11) in a first direction (x) and in a second direction (y) orthogonal to the first direction (x).

2. A modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device (1) according to claim 1, The contact socket (52) of the plug connection (50) is arranged on the first circuit board (12), and the contact element (51) of the plug connection (50) is arranged on the second circuit board (22).

3. A modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device (1) according to claim 2, The plug connection (50) has a centering aid (53) which orients the first printed circuit board (12) relative to the first housing module (11).

4. A modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device (1) according to claim 3, The centering aid (53) is mechanically connected to the first housing module (11) via at least one elastic element (54).

5. A modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device (1) according to claim 3 or 4, The centering aid (53) has an introduction bevel (55).

6. A modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, The first housing module (11) has a fixing element, which fixes the first circuit board (12) in a third direction (z) by installing a first connecting member (9), and the first connecting member acts in the third direction (z) orthogonal to the first direction (x) and the second direction (y).

7. A modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, The first housing module (11) has a wall opening (13), which is used to accommodate a contact socket (52) arranged on the first circuit board (12).

8. A modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising: A third device module for connecting a third phase conductor, wherein the third device module has a third housing module which is arranged between the first housing module (11) and the second housing module (21).

9. A modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device (1) according to claim 8 in combination with claim 2, The third device module has a third circuit board arranged in the third housing module, the third circuit board is floatingly arranged in a first direction (x) and a second direction (y), and has an additional contact seat, the additional contact seat is associated with the position of the contact seat (52) arranged on the first circuit board (12) in terms of its position in the first and second directions (x, y), so that at least one contact element (51) arranged on the second circuit board (22) can be guided through the additional contact seat to be electrically conductively connected to the contact seat (52) arranged on the first circuit board (12).

10. A modularly constructed multi-pole rail mounting device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, The width (B) of each housing module (11, 12) is one pitch unit (TE).

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