Locking mechanism for electrical equipment and electrical equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the utility model provides a locking mechanism for electrical equipment and the electrical equipment. The electrical equipment comprises a wiring frame, a wiring terminal and a fastener, the wiring terminal is suitable for being inserted into the wiring frame along a first direction, and the wiring frame comprises a fixing hole into which the fastener can be screwed along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The locking mechanism comprises a base part which is suitable for being arranged in the wiring frame adjacent to the fixing hole; the paired bending parts are respectively bent from two opposite ends of the base part and abut against the wiring terminals; the paired extension parts are respectively connected to the end parts, far away from the base part, of the paired bent parts and extend towards the direction far away from the base part; the pair of clamping jaws are connected to the ends, away from the base part, of the pair of extending parts respectively, and the pair of clamping jaws are clamped to the top of the fastener under the condition that the fastener is screwed into the fixing hole and abuts against the base part.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of electrical equipment, and more particularly to a locking mechanism for an electrical equipment and the electrical equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] Currently, the wiring terminal and cable of the electrical equipment are usually fixed by fasteners to achieve various functions. However, in actual application, insufficient or decreased torque on the fastener is likely to cause abnormal heating of the wiring terminal. In addition, whether the fastener is tightened is not easy to be detected. If the fastener is not tightened, it will cause the wiring terminal to be ablated. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the design. SUMMARY

[0003] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a locking mechanism for an electrical equipment and the electrical equipment to at least partially solve the above problems.

[0004] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a locking mechanism for an electrical equipment is provided. The electrical equipment includes a wiring frame, a wiring terminal, and a fastener, the wiring terminal being adapted to be inserted into the wiring frame along a first direction, the wiring frame including a fixing hole into which the fastener is adapted to be screwed along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The locking mechanism includes a base portion adapted to be disposed inside the wiring frame adjacent to the fixing hole, a pair of bent portions bent from opposite ends of the base portion and abutting against the wiring terminal, a pair of extension portions connected to ends of the pair of bent portions away from the base portion and extending away from the base portion, and a pair of clamping jaws connected to ends of the pair of extension portions away from the base portion, the pair of clamping jaws being clamped to a top of the fastener in a case where the fastener is screwed into the fixing hole and abuts against the base portion.

[0005] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, by disposing the base portion adjacent to the fixing hole, the pressure applied by the fastener can be reliably transmitted to the wiring terminal, and by disposing the pair of bent portions at opposite ends of the base portion, the pair of bent portions can be deformed to drive the pair of extension portions and the pair of clamping jaws to reliably lock the fastener at a predetermined position in a case where the fastener abuts against the base portion and applies pressure.

[0006] In some embodiments, each bent portion of the pair of bent portions includes a first bent portion bent from one end of the base portion and abutting against the wiring terminal, a connecting portion connected to an end of the first bent portion away from the base portion and extending away from the first bent portion, and a second bent portion bent from an end of the connecting portion away from the first bent portion and connected to a corresponding extension portion of the pair of extension portions.

[0007] In some embodiments, a width of an end of each extension portion of the pair of extension portions adjacent to the respective bent portion is greater than a width of an end of each extension portion of the pair of extension portions distal from the respective bent portion.

[0008] In some embodiments, a projection of each extension portion of the pair of extension portions in the first direction is an isosceles trapezoid.

[0009] In some embodiments, each claw of the pair of claws comprises an abutting portion that abuts a side of the fastener during screwing of the fastener into the fixing hole and abuts a top of the fastener in a case where the fastener abuts the base portion.

[0010] In some embodiments, wherein the abutting portion is inclined toward the base portion along the second direction.

[0011] In some embodiments, wherein an end surface of the abutting portion that abuts the fastener is beveled.

[0012] In some embodiments, wherein an end surface of the fastener that is in contact with the abutting portion is beveled.

[0013] In some embodiments, the fastener is a bolt.

[0014] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, an electrical device is provided. The electrical device comprises the locking mechanism of the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0015] It should be understood that the contents described in this content part are not intended to limit key features or important features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor are they used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] The above and other features, advantages and aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing in detail preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0017] Figure 1 a structural schematic diagram of a locking mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 2 a structural schematic diagram of a locking mechanism and an electrical device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figures 3 to 5 a perspective view of the locking mechanism and the electrical device as Figure 2 shown in FIG. 4 is shown in different positions of the fastener; and

[0020] Figure 6 and Figure 7FIG. 10 shows a plan view of the locking mechanism and the electrical device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, with the fastener in different positions.

[0021] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] 100 locking mechanism 1 wiring frame

[0023] 2 terminal 3 fastener

[0024] X first direction Y second direction

[0025] 12 fixing hole 110 base portion

[0026] 120 pair of bent portions 121 first bent portion

[0027] 122 connecting portion 123 second bent portion

[0028] 130 pair of extension portions 140 pair of claws

[0029] 141 abutting portion DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in greater detail below, with reference to the accompanying drawings. While preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it is understood that the present disclosure can be embodied in various forms without being limited by the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0031] The term "including" and its variants, as used in this document, mean "including, but not limited to." The term "or" as used in this document means "and / or" unless otherwise indicated. The term "based on" means "based, at least in part, on." The terms "one example embodiment" and "an example embodiment" mean "at least one example embodiment." The term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment." The terms "a first," "a second," etc. can refer to different or the same objects.

[0032] As described above, the terminal and cable of the electrical device are currently fixed by the fastener to achieve various functions. However, in actual application, the insufficient or decreased torque of the fastener can easily cause abnormal heating of the terminal. In addition, whether the fastener is tightened is not easy to be perceived. If the fastener is not tightened, it will cause the terminal to be ablated. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a locking mechanism. In the scheme, by setting the base portion adjacent to the fixing hole, the pressure applied by the fastener can be reliably transmitted to the terminal. By setting the pair of bending portions at opposite ends of the base portion, deformation can occur when the fastener abuts against the base portion and applies pressure, to drive the pair of extension portions and the pair of claws to reliably lock the fastener at a predetermined position. Hereinafter, the locking mechanism 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures 1 to 7 The principles of the present disclosure are described.

[0033] Figure 1 A structural schematic diagram of the locking mechanism 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 A structural schematic diagram of the locking mechanism 100 and the electrical device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The electrical device includes a terminal frame 1, a terminal 2, and a fastener 3. The terminal 2 is adapted to be inserted into the terminal frame 1 along a first direction X. The terminal frame 1 includes a fixing hole 12 into which the fastener 3 can be screwed along a second direction Y perpendicular to the first direction X. Part of the locking mechanism 100 is arranged inside the terminal frame 1, and part of the locking mechanism 100 extends out of the terminal frame 1.

[0034] In an embodiment, the electrical device can be a low-voltage switch. The terminal frame 1 can be adapted to allow a cable (not shown in the figure) to be inserted thereinto along the first direction X. In the case where the cable is inserted into the terminal frame 1, the cable and the terminal 2 located inside the terminal frame 1 are in contact with each other. It should be understood that the electrical device can be any type of device provided with a terminal, and embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0035] By screwing the fastener 3 into the fixing hole 12, the terminal 2 and the cable can be brought into sufficient contact by the pressure applied by the fastener 3. However, when the torque of the fastener 3 is insufficient or decreased, the terminal 2 and the cable can be loose, thereby causing a series of chain problems.

[0036] As Figure 1As shown, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the locking mechanism 100 described herein generally includes a base portion 110, a pair of bent portions 120, a pair of extension portions 130, and a pair of clamping jaws 140. The base portion 110 is adapted to be disposed inside the terminal block 1 adjacent to the fixing hole 12. The pair of bent portions 120 are respectively bent from opposite ends of the base portion 110 and abut against the terminal 2. The pair of extension portions 130 are respectively connected to ends of the pair of bent portions 120 distal to the base portion 110 and extend away from the base portion 110. The pair of clamping jaws 140 are respectively connected to ends of the pair of extension portions 130 distal to the base portion 110. The pair of clamping jaws 140 are clamped to the top of the fastener 3 in the case that the fastener 3 is screwed into the fixing hole 12 and abuts against the base portion 110.

[0037] In one embodiment, the locking mechanism 100 can be made of spring steel and can be processed by means of integrated molding, such as casting, sheet metal stamping, etc., and embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this. It should be understood that the material of the locking mechanism 100 can be determined according to actual needs, and these implementations all fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0038] With reference to the drawings, the locking mechanism 100 and the electrical equipment according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below. Figure 1 In one embodiment, each bent portion 120 of the pair of bent portions 120 includes a first bent portion 121, a connecting portion 122, and a second bent portion 123. The first bent portion 121 is bent from one end of the base portion 120 and abuts against the terminal 2. The connecting portion 122 is connected to an end of the first bent portion 121 distal to the base portion 110 and extends away from the first bent portion 121. The second bent portion 123 is bent from an end of the connecting portion 122 distal to the first bent portion 121 and connected to a corresponding extension portion 130 of the pair of extension portions 130.

[0039] In one embodiment, the plurality of bent portions can be deformed sufficiently under the pressure applied by the fastener 3 to the base portion 120 to drive the pair of extension portions 130 and the pair of clamping jaws 140 to reliably lock the fastener 3 at the predetermined position. In one embodiment, the pair of bent portions 120 begins to deform when the base portion 120 is subjected to the pressure applied by the fastener 3 to a predetermined threshold. The specific locking process of the fastener 3 will be described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 3 to 5 .

[0040] Figures 3 to 5 The locking mechanism 100 and the electrical equipment as shown in Figure 2 are shown in perspective views in different positions of the fastener 3. As shown in Figure 3As shown, when the fastener 3 is not screwed into the fixing hole 12, the locking mechanism 100 is in an initial state. At this time, the fastener 3 does not contact the locking mechanism 100 and the pair of bent portions 120 does not deform. In such a case, the terminal 2 is not subjected to pressure from the fastener 3, and is suitable for a cable insertion or the like.

[0041] In one embodiment, each jaw 140 of the pair of jaws 140 includes an abutting portion 141. After the cable insertion is completed, with reference to Figure 4 , the fastener 3 is started to be screwed into the fixing hole 12 and is moved in the second direction Y. During the movement of the fastener 3, the abutting portion 141 of the pair of jaws 140 starts to contact the side portion of the fastener 3.

[0042] In one embodiment, the fastener 3 can be a bolt. Correspondingly, the fixing hole 12 can be a screw hole. When the bolt is screwed into the screw hole, the head portion of the bolt can extrude the pair of jaws 140 outward, so that the pair of jaws 140 move outward and deform. It should be understood that based on the teachings given in the present disclosure, other types of fasteners that can achieve the above functions can be conceived by those skilled in the art, and these implementations all fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0043] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 5 , when the fastener 3 abuts against the base portion 110, the abutting portion 141 of the pair of jaws 140 disengages from the side portion of the fastener 3 and returns to a state before deformation, so as to abut against the top portion of the fastener 3, thereby locking the fastener 3 at a predetermined position and preventing the fastener 3 from loosening or coming out.

[0044] In one embodiment, the abutting portion 141 of the pair of jaws 140 is inclined toward the base portion 110 along the second direction Y. With such an arrangement, when the fastener 3 applies pressure to the base portion 110 so that the pair of bent portions 120 deform, the pair of jaws 140 can reliably apply pressure to the top portion of the fastener 3 under the driving of the pair of extending portions 130.

[0045] In one embodiment, in order to facilitate the extraction of the fastener 3, the end surface of the side portion of the fastener 3 that contacts the abutting portion 141 can be provided as an inclined surface along the length direction of the fastener 3. Correspondingly, the end surface of the abutting portion 141 that contacts the fastener 3 can also be provided as an inclined surface, so that the fastener 3 is subjected to smaller resistance when being extracted. It should be understood that the end surfaces of the fastener 3 and the abutting portion 141 that contact each other can also be other types of end surfaces, such as end surfaces provided with rounded corners, and the like, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited in this regard.

[0046] In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 to 5As shown, the width of each of the pair of extension portions 130 adjacent to one end of the corresponding bending portion 120 is greater than the width of each of the pair of extension portions 130 away from one end of the corresponding bending portion 120. For example, in one embodiment, the projection of each of the pair of extension portions 130 in the first direction X can be an isosceles trapezoid. It should be understood that other shapes of the extension portions can be conceived by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings given in the present disclosure, and all such implementations fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0047] Figure 6 and Figure 7 Fig. 6 shows a top view of the locking mechanism 100 and the electrical equipment according to one embodiment of the present disclosure when the fastener 3 is in different positions. In one embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6(a), when the fastener 3 is not abutting against the base portion 110, the abutting portion 141 of the pair of clamping jaws 140 is not detached from the side of the fastener 3. Therefore, from the perspective of the top view, the abutting portion 141 of the pair of clamping jaws 140 will be blocked by the head of the fastener 3. Figure 6

[0048] In one embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6(b), when the fastener 3 abuts against the base portion 110, the abutting portion 141 of the pair of clamping jaws 140 is detached from the side of the fastener 3. At this time, from the perspective of the top view, the abutting portion 141 of the pair of clamping jaws 140 will appear above the head of the fastener 3 to indicate that the fastener 3 has been locked. Figure 7

[0049] In one embodiment, the locking mechanism 100 is arranged as a whole in axial symmetry. With such an arrangement, the locking mechanism 100 can provide uniform pressure to the fastener 3 to reliably lock the fastener 3 and facilitate observation of the locking state of the fastener 3.

[0050] In one embodiment, the abutting portion 141 of the pair of clamping jaws 140 can be colored to more clearly indicate whether the fastener 3 has been locked. In this way, it can be determined whether the fastener 3 is tightened without opening the terminal block 1. It should be understood that the locking mechanism 100 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be selected in size according to the type of the fastener 3, and the present disclosure does not limit the size and parameters of the locking mechanism 100.

[0051] The locking mechanism provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can reliably lock the fastener in contact therewith to a predetermined position relative to the terminal block, and has a simple structure and is easy to operate, and can be adapted to various electrical equipment. In addition, the locking mechanism provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can clearly indicate the locking state of the fastener, facilitating timely maintenance by maintenance personnel, and greatly improving the safety performance of the electrical equipment.

[0052] ​​Having described above several embodiments of the disclosure, any modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the described embodiments are also contemplated. It is also contemplated that the application covered by the claims extends to any alternative embodiment, adaptations, or variations of the various embodiments described above, and to any and all equivalents. The terms "comprises", "comprising", "comprised of" and "comprising" when used in this specification are taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

Claims

1. A locking mechanism (100) for an electrical device, said electrical device comprising a terminal block (1), a terminal (2) and a fastener (3), said terminal (2) being adapted to be inserted into said terminal block (1) in a first direction (X), said terminal block (1) comprising a fixing hole (12) into which said fastener (3) can be screwed in a second direction (Y) perpendicular to said first direction (X), characterized in that, The locking mechanism (100) comprises: a base portion (110) adapted to be disposed inside the terminal block (1) adjacent to the fixing hole (12); a pair of bent portions (120) respectively bent from opposite ends of the base portion (110) and abutting against the terminal (2); a pair of extension portions (130) respectively connected to ends of the pair of bent portions (120) away from the base portion (110) and extending away from the base portion (110); and a pair of clamping jaws (140) respectively connected to ends of the pair of extension portions (130) away from the base portion (110), the pair of clamping jaws (140) being clamped to a top of the fastener (3) in a case where the fastener (3) is screwed into the fixing hole (12) and abuts against the base portion (110).

2. The lockup mechanism (100) according to claim 1, characterized by Each bent portion (120) of the pair of bent portions (120) comprises: a first bent portion (121) bent from one end of the base portion (110) and abutting against the terminal (2); a connecting portion (122) connected to an end of the first bent portion (121) away from the base portion (110) and extending away from the first bent portion (121); and a second bent portion (123) bent from an end of the connecting portion (122) away from the first bent portion (121) and connected to a corresponding extension portion (130) of the pair of extension portions (130).

3. The lockup mechanism (100) according to claim 1, characterized by A width of each extension portion (130) of the pair of extension portions (130) adjacent to one end of the corresponding bent portion (120) is greater than a width of each extension portion (130) of the pair of extension portions (130) away from one end of the corresponding bent portion (120).

4. The lockup mechanism (100) according to claim 3, characterized by A projection of each extension portion (130) of the pair of extension portions (130) in the first direction (X) is isosceles trapezoidal.

5. The lockup mechanism (100) according to claim 1, characterized by Each clamping jaw (140) of the pair of clamping jaws (140) comprises an abutting portion (141) abutting against a side of the fastener (3) during a process of screwing the fastener (3) into the fixing hole (12), the abutting portion (141) abutting against a top of the fastener (3) in a case where the fastener (3) abuts against the base portion (110).

6. The locking mechanism (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that The abutting portion (141) is inclined toward the base portion (110) along the second direction (Y).

7. The lockup mechanism (100) according to claim 5, characterized by An end surface of the abutting portion (141) abutting against the fastener (3) is beveled.

8. The lockup mechanism (100) according to claim 5, characterized by An end surface of the fastener (3) in contact with the abutting portion (141) is beveled.

9. The lockup mechanism (100) according to claim 1, characterized by The fastener (3) is a bolt.

10. An electrical device, characterized by A terminal block (1) comprising the locking mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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