Assembly with a potential equalization bar and a contact system

Abstract

Assembly (10) comprising a potential equalization bar (12) for lightning protection and a contact system (14) for electrically contacting a conductor (16, 74) with the potential equalization bar (12), wherein the contact system (14) an electrically conductive contact body (22), and a fastening device (20) which can be fastened to the equipotential bonding bar (12) and is designed to fix the conductor (16, 74) to the contact body (22) in a force-fitting manner, wherein the contact body (22) has a first contact side (34) with a first planar contact area (36) and a second contact side (38) with a second planar contact area (40), wherein the two contact sides (34, 38) are opposite to each other, wherein the contact body (22) can be contacted with the conductor (16, 74) via the first flat contact area (36, 40) and with the potential equalization bar (12) via the second flat contact area (36, 40), wherein the contact body (22) further comprises an edge region (42) extending from the first contact region (36) to the second contact region (40), wherein the edge region (42) has a rounding (44), and wherein the contact body (22) is designed such that a current flows through the contact body (22) primarily via the center of the contact body (22).

Description

The invention relates to an assembly having a potential compensation rail for lightning protection and a contact system for electrically contacting a conductor with the potential compensation rail.Potential compensation rails are provided for protection and function potential compensation, for example in the area of lightning protection. The potential compensation rails are a component of the respective electrical installation, in particular a component of the inner and outer lightning protection of a building.In order to connect electrical conductors to a potential compensation rail, contact systems are usually used which fix the conductor to the potential compensation rail and at the same time establish the electrical contact between the conductor and the potential compensation rail.For specific applications, spark-free potential compensation rails are required. In these special potential compensation rails, the contact systems prevent sparks from arising. In this respect, the contact systems provide a so-called spark-free potential equalization.Sparks are produced by air gaps which are present between the conductor and the potential compensation rail. In order to avoid such gaps, contact systems are therefore known from the prior art which press the respective conductor against the potential compensation rail with a high compressive force. Although air gaps are avoided in this way, this can lead to the conductor bending.Particularly in explosion-risk regions (ex regions), there are particular requirements for the contact systems with regard to the spark-free potential compensation.It is therefore known, among other things, to seal the conductor and the potential compensation device in the contact region. In this way, sparks are produced only in a limited or defined space and cannot enter the environment outside the seal. In addition, the seal cannot mean that an explosive atmosphere can reach the contact point.However, the known systems require a high outlay in order to ensure the desired contacting.From De 10 2018 206 817 A1 a system for electrically connecting a first device device to a second device device is known, in which two electrical conductors are electrically connected to one another by means of a conductive rubber.DE 26 14 085 A1 discloses a contact system for contacting conductors.DE 21 41 550 B1 discloses a contact system in which two flat conductors are connected to one another via a screw connection, wherein a contact ring with an annular cutting edge is arranged between the two flat conductors, through which the screw extends.The object of the invention is therefore to improve the electrical contact with the potential compensation rail.The object is achieved according to the invention by an assembly comprising a potential compensation rail for lightning protection and a contact system for electrically contacting a conductor with a potential compensation rail, which has an electrically conductive contact body and a fastening device. The fastening device can be fastened to the potential compensation rail and is designed to fix the conductor to the contact body in a force-fit manner. The contact body has a first contact side with a first flat contact region and a second contact side with a second flat contact region. The two contact sides are opposite to each other. The contact body can be contacted with the conductor via the first flat contact region and with the potential compensation rail via the second flat contact region. The contact body also has an edge region which extends from the first contact region to the second contact region and has a rounded portion. The contact body is configured such that a current flows through the contact body above all via the center of the contact body.The basic idea of the invention is to electrically contact the conductor and the potential compensation rail with one another via an intermediate element, namely the contact body. Due to the flat contact regions, which are in particular planar, the contact body ensures good electrical contact between the conductor and the contact body and between the contact body and the potential compensation rail. In this case, the conductor is spaced apart from the potential compensation rail by the contact body, with the result that the distance between edges of the conductor and the potential compensation rail is increased. In addition, edges in the contact region of the components are avoided by the rounding of the edge region, as a result of which the electrical contacting can be produced without ignition spark, in particular in a seal-free state, that is to say without additionally introduced seal. The conductor can therefore also be fastened with less effort and less assembly force, so that the fastening of the conductor to the potential compensation rail is simplified.In this case, the electrical contact between the potential rail and the contact body and between the contact body and the conductor is formed in each case by direct contact of the corresponding surfaces on the conductor, the potential compensation rail or the contact body. In other words, a surface contact is produced there.Due to the electrically conductive contact body, which ensures the corresponding contacting, the assembly can be used in explosion-risk regions (ex-regions).By rounding the edge region, the contact body can be an, in particular substantially, disk-shaped contact body. Accordingly, the contact body has a curvature perpendicular to the central axis. In other words, the contact body can be a circular cylinder.The rounded portion can extend (additionally or alternatively) along the central axis of the contact body, such that the edge region of the contact body along the central axis has the rounded portion or is rounded in a direction parallel to the central axis, in particular semicircular in cross section along the central axis.The contact body can be a barrel body, in particular a circular barrel body. Accordingly, the edge region has a curvature in two perpendicular directions, for example in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction. This results in the barrel shape of the contact body.One aspect of the invention provides that the edge region forms the lateral surface of the substantially cylindrical contact body. Alternatively or additionally, an outwardly facing surface of the edge region can be formed convexly. In this way, the current flows from one contact surface to the other contact surface primarily through the interior of the contact body, i.e. in particular not via the edge region which has the rounded portion. The geometry effectively prevents sparks from arising.Alternatively, the rounded portion can also extend radially inward with respect to the central axis of the contact body. In this case, the outwardly facing surface of the edge region is concave.In principle, the rounded portion or the rounded region resulting from the rounded portion can extend from a first point to a second point which lie on an axis which is parallel to the central axis of the contact body. The outwardly facing surface of the edge region can be convex or concave.The contact body can be designed to be rotationally symmetrical with respect to its central axis. In this respect, the central axis of the contact body represents an axis of symmetry. In this way, the relative orientation of the contact body on the potential compensation rail with respect to its axis of symmetry is unimportant. The contact body can therefore also be arranged on the potential compensation rail rotated by 180° with respect to its axis of symmetry. This simplifies the assembly, since no special orientation of the contact body on the potential compensation rail has to be ensured.In one configuration of the invention, the contact body has a base and the edge region which is of annular configuration and completely accommodates the base in the radial direction. In this case, the first contact region and the second contact region are provided on the base. By forming the base and the edge region, the current flow through the contact body can thus be influenced. In particular, the contact body has two opposite sides on which the base can be contacted, these two sides having the corresponding contact regions of the contact body. Accordingly, the electrical contacting takes place via the base of the contact body.In particular, the contact body is formed in two parts. Accordingly, the base and the annular edge portion are formed separately from each other, and are assembled to form the contact body.In order to conduct a current flow above all via the base of the contact body, that is to say via the interior of the contact body, the edge region can be made of a material which has a lower electrical conductivity than the base of the contact body.For example, the edge region is made of stainless steel and the base is made of copper.In general, it is also conceivable for the electrical conductivity of the edge region to change along the radius, in particular to decrease radially outwards, such that there is no jump in the electrical conductivity in the transition region between the base and the edge region.In principle, the contact body can be formed such that a groove or depression is formed between the contact regions and the edge region, as a result of which an at least superficial separation of these regions is provided.The contact body can also be formed in three parts. For example, the contact body has an annular region between the base and the edge region.In one embodiment, the fastening device has a bracket which has fastening openings via which the bracket can be fastened to the potential compensation rail. The conductor is thus fastened to the contact body and at the same time the contact body is fastened to the potential compensation rail in a force-fit manner. The bracket has in the middle a loading region, by means of which the conductor can be fixed to the first contact region.For example, the bracket is (substantially) plate-like, wherein the application region is formed by a bulge, so that the application region lies in a different plane than the fastening openings. In this way, a simple and cost-effective fastening device is provided, which ensures that the conductor is securely fixed. The bracket may be made of a metal.In one embodiment of the invention, the contact system is designed to make electrical contact with a flat conductor with the potential compensation rail, and has an adapter for round conductors. The adapter has a receptacle for the round conductor, into which receptacle the round conductor can be inserted and fastened. The adapter has a contacting region which is rectangular in cross section and which can be coupled to the contact body by means of the fastening device. The contact system can thus be used in principle for many different conductors, since flat conductors can be contacted directly and round conductors can be contacted accordingly by means of the adapter.The receptacle can be circular in cross section, so that the round conductor can be securely received.The receptacle can have an opening on an end side which is perpendicular to at least one fixing opening via which a fixing means for the round conductor is inserted. The fixing means protrudes into a receiving chamber, wherein the round conductor can be fixed in the receptacle via the fixing means. Thus, the fixing means acts on the round conductor perpendicular to the insertion direction of the round conductor. The fixing means ensures that the round conductor is securely accommodated in the adapter, in particular within the accommodation chamber.In principle, a plurality of fixing openings and correspondingly a plurality of fixing means can be provided. For example, the fixing means is a screw.In order to avoid a propagation of sparks out of the receptacle, an electrically non-conductive, porous insert can be arranged in the receptacle, which insert has a through-opening adapted to the cross section of the round conductor. The insert can be inserted into the receptacle, as a result of which a cross-sectional constriction takes place. This can also ensure that the round conductor is securely accommodated.For example, the insert is a porous plastic, such as an open-pored plastic.In one embodiment of the invention, the adapter has an end cap which is fastened to the receptacle of the adapter in a removable manner without tools. The end cap has an insertion opening adapted to the cross section of the round conductor. The end cap prevents dirt or dust from entering the receptacle.The end cap can have additional ventilation openings which improve the heat transport out of the receptacle.In order to enable a quick fastening of the end cap, the end cap can be fastened to the adapter by a latching connection, in particular in the region of the receptacle of the adapter, that is to say on the end side.For this purpose, latching hooks, for example, are formed on the end cap, and a corresponding undercut is formed on the receptacle, in which the latching hooks engage.A further aspect of the invention provides that the contact system has a housing in which the contact body is arranged, wherein the housing is open in the region of the contact regions, such that the contact regions are freely accessible. The contact body can be accommodated in the housing, so that the latter is partially surrounded by the housing. In this case, the contact body can be positioned on the potential compensation rail by means of the housing. In this respect, the housing is dimensioned in accordance with the potential compensation rail.The housing thus simplifies the mounting of the conductor on the potential compensation rail. The contact body is first positioned on the potential compensation rail via the housing, and the conductor is then placed on the housing, in the region of the contact surfaces, and fixed to the housing.A cavity can be formed within the housing, into which cavity the contact body is received or inserted, wherein the contact body is held in the housing in a captive and positionally accurate manner via its edge region.The contact body is thus arranged at a predetermined position relative to the potential compensation rail. Thus, good contact between the potential compensation rail and the contact body is ensured.For example, for this purpose, holding means are provided on the housing, which engage on the contact body in the edge region and fix the contact body in the housing.It is conceivable for an electrically non-conductive, porous insert to be additionally inserted into the cavity. For example, the insert is made of an open-pored plastic.The housing can be formed in multiple parts and have an upper housing part and a lower housing part. In this way, the insertion of the contact body into the housing is simplified, since the contact body is initially inserted into one of the two housing parts, in particular the lower housing part. Subsequently, the other housing part, in particular the upper housing part, is placed on in a cover-like manner, so that the contact body is accommodated in the housing.It is conceivable that the housing consists only of the upper and lower housing parts. Accordingly, the housing has a simple structure.Likewise, the housing can have a resilient receptacle in the region of the cavity, by means of which receptacle the contact body is received in the housing, in particular in a captive manner.In one embodiment of the invention, a positioning device is formed on the housing, in particular on the lower housing part, by means of which the housing can be positioned on the potential compensation rail. The housing can be arranged in two different orientations on the potential compensation rail. The different orientations serve for the electrical connection of conductors having different cross sections. In this way, the flexibility in the attachment of the conductor to the potential compensation rail is increased.The second orientation does not mean the orientation of the first orientation rotated by 180°, but rather a different orientation from it.For example, the two orientations are offset by 90° with respect to each other.In other words, in the first orientation, a conductor having a first cross section can be electrically contacted to the potential compensation rail and, in the second orientation, a conductor having a second cross section can be connected to the potential compensation rail. The contact system thus ensures high flexibility in the connection of conductors.For example, the first orientation is configured for a flat conductor having a width of 40 mm and the second orientation is configured for a flat conductor having a width of 30 mm.It is conceivable for the positioning device to be latching hooks which extend away from one side of the housing, in particular from an underside of the lower housing part which is assigned to the potential compensation rail.In order to enable simple mounting of the conductor, the lower housing part can be movable along the potential compensation rail in the state positioned on the potential compensation rail. The housing is then also fixed in a force-fitting manner to the potential compensation rail by means of the fastening device. This is done in that the fastening device presses the conductor onto the contact body and optionally also partially the housing, as a result of which both are pressed in the direction of the potential compensation rail. The contact body in turn transmits the applied force partially to the housing, in particular the lower housing part, so that the housing is fixed in a force-fitting manner to the potential compensation rail by means of the fastening device.In one embodiment of the invention, at least two guide elements are provided on the housing, in particular on the upper housing part, which guide elements position the flat conductor or the adapter relative to the contact body. In this way, the conductor is also positioned exactly relative to the contact body.In this case, the guide elements can be spaced apart from one another in such a way that flat conductors or adapters with different widths can be accommodated. In this way, a contact system with high flexibility in the attachment of conductors is provided.For example, adjacent guide elements have different distances from one another. The different distances can be used to ensure the corresponding orientations which are provided for receiving conductors of different widths. In other words, two adjacent guide elements are spaced apart from one another in such a way that a flat conductor having a first width, for example a width of 40 mm, can be inserted in a guided manner, whereas two other adjacent guide elements are spaced apart from one another in such a way that a flat conductor having a first width, for example a width of 30 mm, can be inserted in a guided manner. Guided insertion is understood to mean that the flat conductor either abuts the guide elements or is at a distance of less than 5 mm from the guide elements, in particular less than 2 mm.In particular, a total of four guide elements are provided, which are assigned to the corners of the housing.Each guide element has a first contact surface and a second contact surface, which are arranged at right angles to one another. In this respect, the guide elements are substantially L-shaped in plan view.The guide elements are arranged on the housing in such a way that first contact surfaces of adjacent guide elements and second contact surfaces of adjacent guide elements are each opposite one another in order to form corresponding guides for the respective conductors. The first contact surfaces each have a first distance from one another which is different from a second distance which the second contact surfaces each have from one another.Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, to which reference is made in the following. In the drawings, there are shown:FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an assembly according to the invention with a contact system according to a first embodiment,FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the assembly according to FIG. 1 in the assembled state along the section line II-II in FIG. 1,FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view according to FIG. 2 of the assembly with a contact system according to a second embodiment,FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an assembly according to the invention with a contact system according to a third embodiment,FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 4,FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the assembly according to FIGS. 4 and 5 along the section line VI-VI in FIG. 4,FIGS. 7 and 8 show different orientations of the contact system of FIGS. 4 to 6 on a potential compensation rail,FIG. 9 shows a further embodiment of a housing of the contact system,FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of an assembly according to the invention with a contact system according to a fourth embodiment,FIG. 11 shows an adapter of the contact system of FIG. 10 in a perspective view,FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 11,FIG. 13 shows a further embodiment of a contact body of the contact system in a perspective partial sectional view, andFIG. 14 shows a detailed view of the detail A from FIG. 13.FIG. 1 shows an assembly 10 which has a potential compensation rail 12 and a contact system 14. A conductor, for example a flat conductor 16, can be electrically connected to the potential compensation rail 12 via the contact system 14 and mechanically fixed to the potential compensation rail 12.The contact system 14 thus serves for the electrical connection of the flat conductor 16 to the potential compensation rail 12 and for its mechanical fixing.In the potential compensation rail 12, a plurality of fastening openings 18 are formed, which have a defined distance from one another. In principle, different components to be electrically contacted can be fastened via the fastening openings 18, for example by means of the contact system 14.Accordingly, the potential compensation rail 12 is electrically conductive and is formed, for example, from a metal, such as copper or a stainless steel.The contact system 14 has a fastening device 20, which can be fastened in the fastening openings 18 of the potential compensation rail 12, and an electrically conductive contact body 22.In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the fastening device 20 comprises fastening means in the form of screws 24 and a bracket 26, in particular a metallic, electrically conductive bracket 26. As an alternative to the screws 24, the fastening means can also be formed by bolts or the like.The bracket 26 is substantially plate-shaped, i.e. it has a smaller thickness than the length and width dimensions, and has a fastening opening 28 at each of two opposite ends, which fastening opening is adapted to the fastening means or the screws 24.More specifically, the attachment openings 28 of the bracket 26 have the same diameter as the attachment openings 18 of the potential compensation rail 12, such that the bracket 26 can be attached to the potential compensation rail 12 by means of the screws 24 (see FIG. 2 ).For example, the screws 24 are M10 screws, wherein the fastening openings 18 of the potential compensation rail 12 are correspondingly formed with an M10 internal thread.Between the fastening openings 28, a loading region 30 is formed centrally on the bracket 26.More specifically, the application region 30 is a bulge 32 of the substantially plate-shaped bracket 26, which bulges in the direction of the potential compensation rail 12 in the fastened state of the bracket 26 (FIG. 2 ). In this respect, a loading surface provided on the loading region 30 lies in a different plane than the fastening openings 28 of the bracket 26 due to the bulge 32.By means of the application region 30 configured in this way, a correspondingly good electrical contacting and at the same time mechanical fixing of the conductor can be ensured.In the embodiment shown, the contact body 22 is designed as a barrel body, in particular as a circular barrel body, wherein the height is less than the diameter of the base surface.More precisely, the contact body 22 has a first contact side 34, on which a first planar contact region 36 is formed, for example in the form of a planar or planar surface, and a second contact side 38 with a second planar contact region 40, for example in the form of a planar or planar surface.The contact sides 34, 38 are provided on the contact body 22 opposite to one another. In addition, a rounded edge region 42 extends between the contact sides 34, 38.In other words, the edge region 42 has a rounded portion 44 which, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, extends from the first contact side 34 to the second contact side 38 and additionally in the circumferential direction. This results in the shape of the circular sun body of the contact body 22.Accordingly, the entire outward facing surface of the edge portion 42 is formed convex.The edge region 42 completely encloses both the first contact region 36 and the second contact region 40 in the radial direction.Alternatively, the contact body 22 can also be configured only as a circular cylinder, wherein the edge region forms the lateral surface of the cylindrical contact body 22. Here too, the edge region 42 completely encloses both the first contact region 36 and the second contact region 40 in the radial direction.FIG. 2 shows the contact system 14 fastened to the potential compensation rail 12.In this case, the contact body 22 lies with the second contact region 40 directly on the potential compensation rail 12 and thus establishes an electrical contact between the contact body 22 and the potential compensation rail 12.The flat conductor 16 is arranged between the bracket 26 and the contact body 22 and lies directly on the first contact side 34 of the contact body 22.Accordingly, the contact body 22 is electrically contacted with the flat conductor 16 via the first contact region 36, and an electrical contact is also established between the flat conductor 16 and the potential compensation rail 12 via the contact body 22.In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the fastening device 20 fixes the flat conductor 16 and the contact body 22 to the potential compensation rail 12 in a force-fit manner.More precisely, the bracket 26 is mechanically fixed to the potential compensation rail 12 via the screws 24, and the application region 32 lies directly on the flat conductor 16, such that the flat conductor 16 is pressed against the contact body 22 and thus the contact body 22 is pressed against the potential compensation rail 12. The contact body 22 is thus fixed in a force-fitting manner to the potential compensation rail 12 and the conductor 16 is fixed in a force-fitting manner to the contact body 22.Due to the curvature 44 of the edge region 42, the current flows through the contact body 22 above all over the center of the contact body 22, i.e. directly from the first contact region 36 to the second contact region 38.Therefore, the flat conductor 16 can be fixed to the contact body 22 with a lower mounting force. In this way, the assembly effort is simplified compared to the contact systems known from the prior art.With reference to FIGS. 3 to 12, further embodiments of the assembly 10 or of the contact system 14 are explained below, which substantially correspond to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. Identical and functionally identical components are provided with the same reference numerals and only the differences will be discussed below.FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the contact system 14.The contact body 22 correspondingly has the edge region 42 and a base 46, which is completely accommodated by the annular edge region 42 in the radial direction.In this case, the contact regions 36, 40 are formed on opposite sides of the base 46, and the edge region 42 correspondingly surrounds the base 46 in such a way that only the contact regions 36, 40 are still accessible from the outside, as can be seen from FIG. 3.The base 46 has a better electrical conductivity than the edge region 42, which ensures that the current flows from the flat conductor 16 to the potential compensation rail 12 primarily or mainly via the base 46. This is ultimately due to how large the differences in electrical conductivity are. The edge region 42 therefore has only a low charge density, so that no sparks can arise at the contact body 22.For example, the base 46 is made of copper or silver and the peripheral portion 42 is made of stainless steel or a non-conductive plastic.FIGS. 4 to 8 show a third embodiment of the assembly 10 or of the contact system 14, respectively. the contact body 22 is again embodied in one piece, i.e. corresponding to the first embodiment.In contrast to the first two embodiments, the contact body 22 is arranged in a housing 48 which is formed in multiple parts.More specifically, the housing 48 is two-part and consists of an upper housing part 50 and a lower housing part 52, wherein a cavity 54 is formed within the housing 48 (FIG. 6 ).The housing parts 50, 52 are detachably connected to one another via a latching connection 53. Latching hooks 55 are formed on the lower housing part 52, which engage corresponding latching sections 57 (FIG. 5 ) on the upper housing part 50, as a result of which the latching connection 54 of the two housing parts 50, 52 can be produced.Each housing part 50, 52 has a contacting opening 56 and, in the region of the contacting openings 56, also has holding means 58, by means of which the contact body 22 is held within the housing 48.More specifically, the contact body 22 is disposed within the cavity 54 and the retaining means 58 engages the edge portion 42 of the contact body 22.In this case, the contact body 22 is arranged within the housing 48 in such a way that the contact regions 36, 40 are accessible via the contact-making openings 56 in the housing parts 50, 52. In this respect, electrical contacting can take place even if the contact body 22 is accommodated in the housing 48.An electrical contact is already formed between contact body 22 and potential compensation rail 12 or flat conductor 16 when housing 48 is positioned on potential compensation rail 12 or flat conductor 16 is fixed to housing 48.A positioning device 60 is also formed on the lower housing part 52.In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 9, the positioning device 60 is formed by latching hooks 62, each of which has two projections 64. In this case, the projections 64 on each latching hook 62 are offset by 90° with respect to one another.By means of the positioning device 60, the housing 48 with the received contact body 22 can be positioned on the potential compensation rail 12 (FIG. 4 ). In the position positioned on the potential compensation rail 12, the projections 64 engage on the edge of the potential compensation rail 12, so that the housing 48 with the accommodated contact body 22 can still be moved along the potential compensation rail 12 but cannot be removed from the potential compensation rail 12 without releasing the positioning device 60.Because two projections 64 are formed on each latching hook 62, which projections are offset by 90° with respect to one another, the housing 48 can also be positioned in two different orientations on the potential compensation rail 12 by means of the positioning device 60.The two different orientations are offset relative to one another by 90°. In this respect, in the first orientation, the first protrusion 64 of a latching hook 62 interacts with the potential compensation rail 12, whereas in the second orientation, the second protrusion 64 of the latching hook 62 interacts with the potential compensation rail 12.As shown in FIG. 5, the upper case 50 has a plurality of guide members 66 protruding from an upper surface of the case 48, particularly from an upper surface of the upper case 50, and the flat conductor 16 is disposed at a predetermined position above the contact body 22 and simultaneously guided via the guide members 66.More specifically, the flat conductor 16 is positioned centrally above the contact body 22.On each guide element 66, a first contact surface 68 and a second contact surface 69 are formed, on which the flat conductor 16 in the fastened state abuts on the contact system 14. This ensures that the flat conductor 16 is accommodated in a guided manner.The opposing first contact surfaces 68 of adjacent guide elements 66 have a first distance d 1 to one another and the opposing second contact surfaces 69 of adjacent guide elements 66 have a second distance d 2.In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 9, the first distance d is 140 mm and the second distance d is 230 mm. The distances d 1, d 2 are indicated by corresponding markings 70 on the upper side of the upper housing part 50.Since the housing 48 can be fastened to the potential compensation rail 12 in two orientations due to the positioning device 60 and the distance d 1, d 2 of the contact surfaces 68, 69 is different, flat conductors 16 with different widths can be securely accommodated in the different orientations. This is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.In FIG. 7, the housing 48 is fastened to the potential compensation rail 12 in the first orientation and a flat conductor 16 having a width of 40 mm is accommodated between the guide elements 66. The flat conductor 16 abuts the first contact surfaces 68 of the guide elements 66.In FIG. 8, the positioning device 60 is then fastened in the second orientation to the potential compensation rail 12 and accordingly a flat conductor 16 bears laterally against the second contact surfaces 69.FIG. 9 shows a further embodiment of the housing 48. in this embodiment, a porous, electrically non-conductive insert 72 is additionally accommodated in the cavity 54 of the housing 48, which insert surrounds the contact body 22 in the edge region.For example, the porous insert 72 is made of an open-pore plastic.The insert 72 can additionally prevent the propagation of a spark within the cavity 54. This creates redundancy.With reference to FIGS. 10 to 12, a fourth embodiment of the assembly 10 or of the contact system 14 is explained below. In contrast to the previous embodiments, the contact system 14 can additionally also fasten a round conductor 74 to the potential compensation rail 12.For this purpose, the contact system 14 has an adapter 76, which is shown in detail in FIGS. 11 and 12.The adapter 76 has a contacting region 78 and a receptacle 80 via which the round conductor 74 is fastened to the adapter 76.In the contacting region 78, the adapter 76 corresponds to a flat conductor 16 and, accordingly, the adapter 76 is rectangular in cross section in the contacting region 78.The adapter 76 is fastened to the housing 48 via the contacting region 78, wherein the adapter 76 is electrically conductively connected to the potential compensation rail 12 via the contacting region 78 and the contact body 22.The receptacle 80 includes a receiving chamber 82, an electrically non-conductive porous insert 84, and a cap 86.The receiving chamber 82 has an opening 88 on an end face of the adapter 76, wherein the round conductor 74 is guided into the receiving chamber 82 via the opening 88 and is fixed in the receiving chamber 82 by means of fixing means 90.In the embodiment of FIGS. 10 to 12, the fixing means 90 are screws 92 which are inserted into fixing openings 94 of the adapter 76, for example grub screws.The fixing means 90 project into the receiving chamber 82 and press on the round conductor 74 perpendicularly to the insertion direction of the round conductor 74, and in this way the round conductor 74 is fixed within the adapter 76. In this case, the round conductor 74 contacts the inner wall of the receiving chamber 82, so that the round conductor 74 is electrically conductively connected to the contacting region 78.The insert 84 is arranged within the receiving chamber 82 and comprises a through-opening 96 which is adapted to the cross section of the round conductor 74.The diameter of the through-opening 96 thus corresponds substantially to the diameter of the round conductor 74.The round conductor 74 is guided through the insert 84 via the passage opening 96 and in this way is positioned with one end within the receiving chamber 82.The end cap 86 closes off the receiving chamber 82 at the end and is detachably fastened to the opening 88, for example via a corresponding latching connection or plugged on.The end cap 86 has an insertion opening 98, through which the round conductor 74 is guided, and ventilation openings 100.The insertion opening 98 is adapted to the cross section of the round conductor 74, so that the round conductor 74 can be guided through the insertion opening 98 into the receiving chamber 82 (FIG. 10 ).The ventilation openings 100 are arranged circumferentially around the insertion opening 98 and heated air can escape to the outside via the ventilation openings 100.Accordingly, the ventilation openings 100 improve the heat transport out of the receiving chamber 82.Thus, both round conductors 74 and flat conductors 16 can be electrically connected to the potential compensation rail 12 by the contact system 14 of FIG. 10.With reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, a further embodiment of the contact body 22 is explained below. In the illustration of FIG. 13, a segment of the contact body 22 is cut out. This segment is indicated in FIG. 13 by dashed lines, which makes the overall configuration of the contact body 22 clear.In this respect, the contact body 22 of FIGS. 13 and 14 is also designed rotationally symmetrically to the central axis M of the contact body 22, starting from which different radii r and r are drawn in in 0 and which will be discussed in more detail below.In contrast to the previous embodiments, the contact body 22 is designed in three parts and has between the base 46 and the edge region 42 an annular intermediate part 102 which contacts the base 46 via its inner side, which faces the central axis M, and contacts the edge region 42 with its outer side. Accordingly, the annular intermediate part 102 is completely accommodated in the radial direction between the base 46 and the edge region 42 and is arranged in the outer half of the contact body 22. More specifically, the intermediate part 102 is arranged between 60% and 75% of the radius r of the contact body 22.Here, the intermediate part 102 has a thickness d 2 in the radial direction that is smaller than the thickness d 1 of the edge region 42 in the radial direction. In addition, the thickness d 2 of the intermediate part 102 is smaller than the radius r 0 of the base 46.In addition, the intermediate part 102 has a third electrical conductivity which is smaller than the electrical conductivity of the base 46 and greater than the electrical conductivity of the edge region 42.A further difference of the contact body 22 of FIGS. 13 and 14 from the previous embodiments lies in the fact that the rounded portion 44 extends radially inward with respect to the central axis M of the contact body 22. In this respect, the curvature 44 in the cross section of FIG. 14 has the shape of a hyperbolic curve. The radially outward-facing surface of the edge region 42 is therefore concave. This is clearly evident from FIG. 14.The different embodiments thus show that the rounded portion 44 can extend along the central axis M of the contact body 22, such that a convex (FIGS. 1 to 3 ) or concave (FIGS. 13 and 14 ) surface of the edge region 42 is formed which points outwards. Accordingly, the edge region of the contact body 22 along the central axis M has the rounded portion 44 or the contact body 22 is rounded in a direction parallel to the central axis M.In addition to the curvature 44 along the central axis M, the contact body 22 can also be rounded in a direction perpendicular to the central axis M, as shown in all embodiments.

Claims

Assembly (10) comprising a potential compensation rail (12) for lightning protection and a contact system (14) for electrically contacting a conductor (16, 74) with the potential compensation rail (12), wherein the contact system (14) has an electrically conductive contact body (22), and a fastening device (20) which can be fastened to the potential compensation rail (12) and is designed to fix the conductor (16, 74) to the contact body (22) in a force-fitting manner, wherein the contact body (22) has a first contact side (34) with a first flat contact region (36) and a second contact side (38) with a second flat contact region (40), wherein the two contact sides (34, 38) are opposite to one another, wherein the contact body (22) can be contacted with the conductor (16, 74) via the first flat contact region (36, 40) and with the potential compensation rail (12) via the second flat contact region (36, 40), wherein the contact body (22) also has an edge region (42) which extends from the first contact region (36) to the second contact region (40), wherein the edge region (42) has a rounded portion (44), and wherein the contact body (22) is designed in such a way that a current flows through the contact body (22) above all over the center of the contact body (22).Assembly (10) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the edge region (42) forms the lateral surface of the substantially cylindrical contact body (22), and / or in that an outwardly facing surface of the edge region (42) is formed convexly, and / or in that an outwardly facing surface of the edge region (42) is formed concavely.Assembly (10) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the contact body (22) has a base (46) and the edge region (42), which is of annular design and completely accommodates the base (46) in the radial direction, wherein the first contact region (36) and the second contact region (40) are provided on the base (46).Assembly (10) according to Claim 3, characterized in that the edge region (42) is made of a material which has a lower electrical conductivity than the base (46) of the contact body (22).Assembly (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fastening device (20) has a bracket (26) which has fastening openings (28) via which the bracket (26) can be fastened to the potential compensation rail (12), wherein the bracket (26) has, in the centre, an application region (30) via which the conductor (16, 74) can be fixed to the first contact region (36).Assembly (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact system (14) is designed to make electrical contact with a flat conductor (16) with the potential compensation rail (12), and has an adapter (76) for round conductors (74), wherein the adapter (76) has a receptacle (80) for the round conductor (74), into which receptacle the round conductor (74) can be inserted and fastened, and wherein the adapter (76) has a contact region (78), which is rectangular in cross section and can be coupled to the contact body (22) by means of the fastening device (20).Assembly (10) according to Claim 6, characterized in that the receptacle (80) has an opening (88) on an end side which is perpendicular to at least one fixing opening (94), via which a fixing means (90) for the round conductor (74) is inserted, wherein the fixing means (90) projects into a receiving chamber (82) and via which the round conductor (74) can be fixed.Assembly (10) according to Claim 7, characterized in that an electrically non-conductive, porous insert (84) is arranged in the receptacle (80), which insert has a through-opening (96) adapted to the cross section of the round conductor (74).Assembly (10) according to claim 7 or 8, characterised in that the adapter (76) has an end cap (86), which is detachably fastened to the receptacle (80) of the adapter (76) without tools, wherein the end cap (86) has an insertion opening (98) adapted to the cross-section of the round conductor (74), in particular wherein the end cap (86) has additional ventilation openings (100).Assembly (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact system (14) has a housing (48) in which the contact body (22) is arranged, wherein the housing (48) is open in the region of the contact regions (36, 40), such that the contact regions (36, 40) are freely accessible, wherein the contact body (22) can be positioned on the potential compensation rail (12) by means of the housing (48).Assembly (10) according to Claim 10, characterized in that a cavity (54) is formed within the housing (48), into which cavity the contact body (22) is inserted, wherein the contact body (22) is held in the housing (48) in a captive and positionally accurate manner via its edge region (42).Assembly (10) according to claim 10 or 11, characterised in that the housing (48) is formed in multiple parts and has an upper housing part (50) and a lower housing part (52).Assembly (10) according to one of Claims 10 to 12, characterized in that a positioning device (60) is formed on the housing (48), by means of which positioning device the housing (48) can be positioned on the potential compensation rail (12), wherein the housing (48) can be arranged on the potential compensation rail (12) in two different orientations, wherein the different orientations serve for the electrical connection of conductors (16) having a different cross section.Assembly (10) according to one of Claims 10 to 13, characterized in that at least two guide elements (66) are provided on the housing (48), said guide elements positioning the flat conductor (16) or the adapter (76) relative to the contact body (22), in particular wherein the guide elements (66) are spaced apart from one another in such a way that flat conductors (16) or adapters (76) can be received with different widths.Assembly (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact regions (36, 40) are planar and / or in that the contact body (22) is configured in such a way that the current flows through the contact body (22) directly from the first contact region (36) to the second contact region (38) or is kept away from the edge region (42) of the contact body (22), such that no sparks are produced at the edge region (42).

Images