A guide rail buckle for an electric energy meter

Abstract

This utility model belongs to the field of electricity meter technology, specifically referring to a guide rail buckle for electricity meters. It includes an electricity meter housing, and further includes: a buckle body, slidably disposed along the back of the electricity meter housing; elastic cantilever arms, integrally formed on both sides of the buckle body, the elastic cantilever arms relying on their own material elastic deformation; a pop-out slot, formed along the sliding direction of the buckle body on the back of the electricity meter housing, and a retraction slot spaced apart from the pop-out slot on the back of the electricity meter housing; wherein, when the elastic cantilever arms are engaged in the pop-out slot, the buckle body remains in the pop-out state; when the elastic cantilever arms are engaged in the retraction slot, the buckle body remains in the retraction state. This utility model, through the above technical solution, provides an electricity meter guide rail buckle with a simple structure and self-positioning capability after unlocking.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of electricity meter technology, and specifically refers to a guide rail buckle used in electricity meters. Background Technology

[0002] Rail-mounted energy meters are indispensable metering devices in low-voltage power distribution systems and are widely used in residential and industrial power distribution scenarios. They are typically installed on standard DIN rails inside the distribution cabinet via back clips, enabling quick fixing and disassembly.

[0003] Currently, the traditional rail clips used in DIN rail meters are mostly monostable structures. Regardless of whether they use independent metal springs, they generally lack a self-positioning function for unlocking. Unlocking requires continuous external force to maintain the clip's retracted state, which is inconvenient for maintenance in the confined operating space of the distribution cabinet. Furthermore, some clips without spring structures still suffer from complex structures and are prone to elastic failure. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a simple, self-positioning DIN rail clip for electricity meters after unlocking. Utility Model Content

[0004] This invention solves the problems mentioned in the background art by setting a sliding buckle body on the back of the electricity meter housing and elastic cantilever arms integrally formed on both sides of the buckle body, which, together with the pop-out slot and the retraction slot on the housing, allow the elastic cantilever arms to be respectively engaged in the two slots by their own deformation, thereby achieving a bistable state of locking and unlocking.

[0005] The technical solution of this utility model is implemented as follows: a guide rail clip for an electricity meter, including an electricity meter housing, and further comprising: The buckle body is slidably disposed along the back of the energy meter housing; The elastic cantilever is integrally formed on both sides of the buckle body, and the elastic cantilever relies on the elastic deformation of its own material; A pop-out slot is provided on the back of the electricity meter housing along the sliding direction of the buckle body. A retraction slot is also provided on the back of the electricity meter housing at a distance from the pop-out slot. Specifically, when the elastic cantilever is engaged in the pop-out slot, the buckle body remains in the pop-out state; when the elastic cantilever is engaged in the retraction slot, the buckle body remains in the retraction state.

[0006] The present invention is further configured such that the buckle body is provided with a sliding guide rib, and the back of the energy meter housing is provided with a sliding groove that slides in cooperation with the sliding guide rib.

[0007] The present invention is further configured such that the top of the buckle body is provided with a guide slope, which is used to contact the guide rail and guide the buckle body to slide downward when the energy meter is installed on the guide rail.

[0008] The present invention is further configured such that the end of the elastic cantilever is provided with an outwardly inclined locking hook, the locking hook being adapted to the pop-out slot and the retraction slot.

[0009] The present invention is further configured such that the width of the pop-out slot along the sliding direction is greater than the thickness of the portion of the locking barb that is engaged in the slot, so that the locking barb has elastic deformation space within the pop-out slot.

[0010] The present invention is further configured such that the buckle body has an elliptical through hole located between the two elastic cantilever arms, and the major axis of the hole is consistent with the sliding direction of the buckle body.

[0011] The present invention is further provided that the root of the elastic cantilever is provided with a root fillet to reduce stress concentration.

[0012] The present invention is further configured such that the buckle body has a limiting groove at the position of each elastic cantilever to limit the maximum deformation of the elastic cantilever.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, the beneficial effects that this utility model can achieve are: 1. By cooperating with the elastic cantilever integrally formed on the buckle body and the pop-out and retraction slots on the housing, a bistable switching between locking and unlocking is achieved, eliminating the need for additional spring components and improving the ease of installation and maintenance.

[0014] 2. By cooperating with the stress-dispersing rounded corner at the root of the elastic cantilever and the limiting groove on the buckle body, the deformation of the elastic cantilever is controlled and the bending stress is dispersed, avoiding fracture failure and improving the long-term reliability of the buckle.

[0015] 3. By cooperating with the guide slope and sliding guide rib on the buckle body and the sliding groove of the shell, automatic guidance and smooth sliding are achieved during installation. At the same time, the central elliptical through hole optimizes the bending stiffness of the elastic cantilever by adjusting the local wall thickness, reducing stress concentration during deformation and improving the adaptability and structural stability of the buckle. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a utility model Figure 1 A magnified structural diagram of part A.

[0017] The attached figures are labeled as follows: 1. Electricity meter housing; 2. Buckle body; 3. Elastic cantilever; 4. Pop-out slot; 5. Retraction slot; 6. Sliding guide rib; 7. Sliding groove; 8. Guide slope; 9. Locking barb; 10. Elliptical through hole; 11. Root fillet; 12. Limiting groove. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. See also: Figure 1-2 : Example 1:

[0019] This embodiment provides a guide rail clip for an electricity meter, including an electricity meter housing 1, and further comprising: The buckle body 2 is slidably disposed along the back of the energy meter housing 1; The elastic cantilever 3 is integrally formed on both sides of the buckle body 2, and the elastic cantilever 3 relies on the elastic deformation of its own material. A pop-out slot 4 is opened on the back of the electricity meter housing 1 along the sliding direction of the buckle body 2. A retraction slot 5 is also opened on the back of the electricity meter housing 1 at a distance from the pop-out slot 4. Specifically, when the elastic cantilever 3 is engaged in the pop-out slot 4, the buckle body 2 remains in the pop-out state; when the elastic cantilever 3 is engaged in the retraction slot 5, the buckle body 2 remains in the retraction state.

[0020] This embodiment is a guide rail buckle for an electricity meter, which is applied to the scenario of using a guide rail type electricity meter to adapt to the standard guide rail for installation. The entire structure is installed on the back of the electricity meter housing 1. Relying on the sliding cooperation and elastic deformation cooperation of each component, the installation limit and disassembly of the electricity meter on the guide rail are completed.

[0021] The electricity meter housing 1 is the external support and protection structure of the rail-mounted electricity meter. It is rectangular in shape and has a flat mounting surface on its back. The upper edge of the mounting surface has a groove for engaging with the upper edge of the rail. The lower part of the mounting surface has a sliding groove 7 extending vertically and two sets of slots spaced apart along the sliding groove 7. The buckle body 2 is installed on the mounting surface by cooperating with the sliding groove 7 and the slots, and can slide back and forth along the extension direction of the sliding groove 7.

[0022] The buckle body 2 is the main sliding component of the guide rail buckle. It is rectangular in shape and is installed on the mounting surface on the back of the energy meter housing 1. It can slide up and down along the sliding groove 7 on the housing. The buckle body 2 has elastic cantilever 3 integrally formed on both sides. The body is also provided with a guide structure for cooperating with the sliding groove 7 of the housing, as well as an operating structure for applying force with the operating tool. It can be engaged and disengaged from the guide rail by sliding up and down.

[0023] The elastic cantilever 3 is a sheet-like structure located on both sides of the buckle body 2. It is an integral injection-molded structure with the buckle body 2, and is shaped like a long strip cantilever. Its root is connected to the buckle body 2, and its end extends outward from the buckle body 2. It achieves inward bending deformation by relying on the elasticity of its own material. The end is provided with a locking barb 9 for cooperating with the housing slot. The engagement with the slot is achieved through deformation and rebound. The elastic cantilever 3 can be made of engineering plastic material, which can stably undergo elastic bending deformation and is not easy to crack or permanently deform after repeated deformation.

[0024] The pop-out slot 4 is a recessed groove structure opened in the sliding groove 7 on the back of the energy meter housing 1. It is set at the upper part of the sliding groove 7 along the sliding direction of the buckle body 2, with the slot opening facing the sliding path of the buckle body 2. It is used to cooperate with the locking hook 9 at the end of the elastic cantilever 3. When the elastic cantilever 3 is inserted into the slot, the buckle body 2 can be kept in the pop-out position to achieve the locking with the guide rail.

[0025] The width of the inner groove of the pop-out slot 4 along the sliding direction of the buckle body 2 is greater than the thickness of the part of the locking hook 9 that is inserted into the groove. This allows the locking hook 9 to still have vertical movement space after it is inserted into the pop-out slot 4. When the lower edge of the guide rail presses against the guide slope 8 during the installation of the electricity meter, causing the buckle body 2 to move slightly downward, the locking hook 9 can move downward within the pop-out slot 4, causing the elastic cantilever 3 to deform and store elastic potential energy. During this process, the buckle body 2 only moves within the pop-out slot 4 and will not slide down into the lower retraction slot 5. After the pressure of the guide rail on the buckle body 2 disappears, the elastic cantilever 3 releases its stored elastic potential energy, causing the locking hook 9 to return to its original position upward within the pop-out slot 4. Finally, the locking hook 9 is completely fitted and locked inside the pop-out slot 4, so that the buckle body 2 is firmly maintained in the standard pop-out state.

[0026] The retraction slot 5 is also a concave groove structure opened in the sliding groove 7 on the back of the energy meter housing 1. It is set below the pop-out slot 4 along the sliding direction of the buckle body 2 and is distributed vertically at intervals with the pop-out slot 4. The slot opening faces the sliding path of the buckle body 2 and is used to cooperate with the end of the elastic cantilever 3. When the locking barb 9 at the end of the elastic cantilever 3 is engaged in the slot, it can restrict the upward sliding of the buckle body 2, keep the buckle body 2 in the retraction position, and realize the disengagement and unlocking from the guide rail.

[0027] The sliding guide rib 6 is a raised structure located on both sides of the buckle body 2, extending along the sliding direction of the buckle body 2. It is elongated and integrally formed with the buckle body 2. During installation, it is embedded into the sliding groove 7 on the back of the electricity meter housing 1, fitting snugly against the inner wall of the sliding groove 7. This restricts the sliding path of the buckle body 2, ensuring that it can only slide vertically. This fit prevents the buckle body 2 from shifting left or right, tilting, or jamming during sliding, ensuring stable sliding action.

[0028] The sliding groove 7 is a groove structure opened on the mounting surface on the back of the electricity meter housing 1. It extends vertically and is long and narrow. The width of the groove is adapted to the sliding guide rib 6 on the buckle body 2. It is used to accommodate the sliding guide rib 6 and fits against the side wall of the guide rib, providing guidance for the sliding of the buckle body 2, and providing space for the deformation and sliding of the elastic cantilever 3.

[0029] The guide ramp 8 is an inclined surface structure set on the top of the buckle body 2. It is formed by extending obliquely downward from the top edge of the buckle body 2 and is generally sloping. It is located on the side of the buckle body 2 facing the guide rail installation direction. It is used to contact the lower edge of the guide rail when the energy meter is pressed and installed on the guide rail, and convert the downward pressure of the guide rail into a component force that drives the buckle body 2 to slide downward, thus guiding the buckle body 2 to retract.

[0030] The locking hook 9 is a one-piece molded protrusion structure located at the outer end of the elastic cantilever 3. The overall shape of the hook is an outwardly inclined hook. The overall size of the hook is adapted to the internal space of the pop-out slot 4 and the retraction slot 5. The hook can only slide synchronously with the elastic cantilever 3 and be inserted into the two slots, which plays the role of locking and positioning the pop-out position and the retraction position of the buckle body 2. The overall structure does not have any contact or cooperation with the guide rail throughout the process, so as to achieve stable maintenance of the buckle body 2 in both working states.

[0031] The elliptical through hole 10 is a hollow hole structure that is opened through the middle of the buckle body 2. The opening position is located in the middle area of ​​the two sets of elastic cantilever arms 3. The longest extension direction of the hole is consistent with the vertical sliding direction of the buckle body 2. The operator can use a tool to insert into the hole to apply up and down pushing and pulling force to the buckle body 2, thereby driving the buckle body 2 to switch sliding positions. At the same time, the hollow hole can adjust the local thickness of the buckle body 2, indirectly adjusting the deformation and stress state of the elastic cantilever arm 3.

[0032] The root rounded corner 11 is a rounded transition structure. The forming and placement position is at the connection position where the root of the elastic cantilever 3 connects with the buckle body 2. The corner position at the connection between the two is made into a smooth rounded transition. This can evenly disperse the concentrated force generated at the connection position during the repeated bending deformation of the elastic cantilever 3, and reduce the possibility of structural damage at the connection position.

[0033] The limiting groove 12 is an inner groove structure opened on the buckle body 2, which is respectively arranged on the inner periphery of the elastic cantilever 3 on both sides. The opening of the groove faces the elastic cantilever 3. When the elastic cantilever 3 is squeezed and bends inward, the inner part of the elastic cantilever 3 can enter the limiting groove 12, thereby limiting the maximum range of motion of the elastic cantilever 3 bending inward and avoiding excessive deformation of the elastic cantilever 3 that could cause structural damage.

[0034] During the actual assembly of the electricity meter, the upper part of the back of the electricity meter housing 1 is first stably placed on the upper end of the standard guide rail, allowing the electricity meter to be slightly rotated and adjusted using the upper placement position as a fulcrum. Then, the entire electricity meter is pressed towards the guide rail, and the lower edge of the guide rail directly contacts the guide slope 8 at the top of the buckle body 2. With the guidance of the slope, the buckle body 2 is pushed down along the sliding groove 7 inside the housing. During the sliding process, the inner wall of the housing groove will laterally compress the elastic cantilever 3, causing the elastic cantilever 3 to drive the locking barb 9 at the end to retract and deform inward. The deformation space reserved in the pop-out slot 4 can prevent the buckle body 2 from sliding directly into the retraction slot 5 when it moves down slightly, ensuring that the energy storage action is completed only within the pop-out slot 4 area. When the buckle body 2 slides to the position where its locking hook 9 is aligned with the groove of the pop-out slot 4, the elastic cantilever 3 is released from the lateral squeezing force and springs back outward on its own, so that the locking hook 9 at the end is smoothly inserted into the pop-out slot 4, thus completing the locking and fixing of the buckle body 2 in the pop-out position. At this time, the upper part of the buckle body 2 in the pop-out state directly abuts against the lower edge of the guide rail, and the abutment limit action completes the stable assembly limit between the energy meter and the guide rail.

[0035] When the electricity meter needs to be removed from the guide rail, the operator inserts the operating tool into the elliptical through hole 10 in the middle of the buckle body 2 and applies downward pulling force to drive the buckle body 2 to continue sliding vertically. During the sliding, the shell groove wall squeezes the elastic cantilever 3 again to make it retract inward, so that the locking hook 9 disengages from the pop-out slot 4 and moves down with the cantilever until the buckle body 2 slides to the designated position below. Then, the elastic cantilever 3 springs back to reset, so that the locking hook 9 is locked into the lower recess slot 5, thus stably locking the buckle body 2 in the recessed and retracted state. At this time, the upper part of the buckle body 2 is disengaged from the lower edge of the guide rail, and the original resistance and limiting constraint is completely released. The operator can then directly and smoothly remove the electricity meter from the guide rail.

[0036] When reassembling and using the device later, simply push the buckle body 2, which is in the retracted state, upward. The locking hook 9 will be squeezed inward by the groove of the retracted groove 5 and will disengage from the retracted groove 5. The buckle body 2 will slide upward under the action of the pushing force. When the locking hook 9 slides to the position of the pop-out groove 4, the elastic cantilever 3 will rebound and make the locking hook 9 snap into the pop-out groove 4. The buckle body 2 will return to the pop-out working state, and the guide rail assembly and fixing operation of the energy meter can be completed again.

[0037] This embodiment achieves a springless bistable elastic snap-fit ​​structure through integrated injection molding. The elastic cantilever 3 relies on its own material elasticity to deform and return to its original position, avoiding the problems of easy corrosion and fatigue failure of independent spring components. The elastic deformation space reserved in the pop-out slot 4 realizes automatic energy storage and rebound reset during the installation process, making operation convenient and labor-saving. The retraction slot 5 ensures stable retraction and retention during disassembly, facilitating batch maintenance. Compared with guide rail snap-fits on the market, the guide rail snap-fit ​​structure designed in this way has fewer parts, a simpler assembly process, and higher reliability.

[0038] The above embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present utility model. Therefore, all equivalent changes made to the structure, shape, and principle of the present utility model should be covered within the scope of protection of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A guide rail clip for an electricity meter, comprising an electricity meter housing (1), characterized in that, Also includes: The buckle body (2) is slidably disposed along the back of the energy meter housing (1); The elastic cantilever (3) is integrally formed on both sides of the buckle body (2), and the elastic cantilever (3) relies on the elastic deformation of its own material; A pop-out slot (4) is opened on the back of the energy meter housing (1) along the sliding direction of the buckle body (2). A retraction slot (5) is also opened on the back of the energy meter housing (1) at a distance from the pop-out slot (4). When the elastic cantilever (3) is inserted into the pop-out slot (4), the buckle body (2) remains in the pop-out state; when the elastic cantilever (3) is inserted into the retraction slot (5), the buckle body (2) remains in the retraction state.

2. A guide rail clip for an electricity meter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The buckle body (2) is provided with a sliding guide rib (6), and the back of the energy meter housing (1) is provided with a sliding groove (7) that slides with the sliding guide rib (6).

3. A guide rail clip for an electricity meter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the buckle body (2) is provided with a guide slope (8) for contacting the guide rail and guiding the buckle body (2) to slide downward when the energy meter is installed on the guide rail.

4. A guide rail clip for an electricity meter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The end of the elastic cantilever (3) is provided with an outwardly inclined locking hook (9), which is adapted to the pop-out slot (4) and the retraction slot (5).

5. A guide rail clip for an electricity meter according to claim 4, characterized in that, The width of the pop-out slot (4) along the sliding direction is greater than the thickness of the portion of the locking barb (9) that is inserted into the slot, so that the locking barb (9) has elastic deformation space in the pop-out slot (4).

6. A guide rail clip for an electricity meter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The buckle body (2) has an elliptical through hole (10) located between the two elastic cantilever arms (3), and its long axis direction is consistent with the sliding direction of the buckle body (2).

7. A guide rail clip for an electricity meter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The root of the elastic cantilever (3) is provided with a root fillet (11) to reduce stress concentration.

8. A guide rail clip for an electricity meter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The buckle body (2) has a limiting groove (12) corresponding to the position of each elastic cantilever (3) to limit the maximum deformation of the elastic cantilever (3).

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