Electrical DIN rail mounting device

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical DIN rail mounting device for installation in a DIN rail device arrangement of a switchgear, wherein the DIN rail mounting device has a housing which has DIN rail mounting elements on a DIN rail mounting side of the housing, with which the DIN rail mounting device can be mounted on a DIN rail of the electrical installation technology, wherein the DIN rail mounting device has at least one first receiving position accessible from the outside of the housing for the detachable receiving of a first electrical component, which has several component connections for electrically contacting respective contacts of the first electrical component received at the at least one first receiving position.

Description

The invention relates to an electrical DIN rail mounting device for installation in a DIN rail device arrangement of a switchgear, wherein the DIN rail mounting device has a housing which has DIN rail mounting elements on a DIN rail mounting side of the housing, with which the DIN rail mounting device can be mounted on a DIN rail of the electrical installation technology, wherein the DIN rail mounting device has at least one first receiving position accessible from the outside of the housing for the detachable receiving of a first electrical component, which has several component connections for electrically contacting respective contacts of the first electrical component received at the at least one first receiving position. These modular devices are typically designed to be mounted side-by-side on a DIN rail, for example, to create a switchgear assembly. In electrical installation technology, modular devices are used for various applications, such as circuit breakers, electronic miniature circuit breakers (MCBs), programmable logic controllers (PLCs), possibly in conjunction with terminal blocks or as terminal blocks themselves. These devices are attached to a DIN rail, such as a top-hat rail, using their mounting hardware and are arranged side-by-side for space-saving and organized installation. Certain types of modular devices have one or more mounting positions for at least one electrical component, for example, to perform specific user-configurable switching functions.Such an electrical component can be, in principle, any electrical and / or electronic component, in particular a relay module or an electrical or electronic circuit. The invention is based on the objective of further improving such a modular installation device with at least one first mounting position for receiving a first electrical component. This task is solved by an electrical DIN rail device of the type mentioned above, wherein the DIN rail device has one, several or all of the features a), b), c) explained below. According to feature a), the first electrical component can be mounted on a different side of the housing at the at least one first mounting position than on a front side of the housing opposite the mounting rail side. The front side is thus the side of the housing facing away from the mounting rail side. In this way, the front side, which is preferably used for operating, display, and connection purposes in DIN rail devices, is freed from the space required for the at least one first mounting position. Accordingly, more space is available on the front side for other elements, e.g., for terminal blocks, display elements, and / or operating elements of the DIN rail device. Another advantage is that there is often space on a side of the housing other than the front for at least one mounting position and possibly a second mounting position for a second electronic component. This allows the functionality of the DIN rail device to be expanded without reducing the space available on the front. The first mounting position can, for example, be designed as a pluggable mount to which the first electronic component can be attached and electrically connected by plugging it in. For example, the component connections of the at least one first mounting position can be designed as plug connectors, e.g., as socket connectors. According to feature b), the DIN rail mounting device has several conductor terminals to which at least one electrical conductor can be connected at the user's discretion. The DIN rail mounting device has a user-configurable circuit arrangement with which each conductor terminal can be connected, at the user's discretion, directly or via at least one other component to at least one of several component terminals of the at least one first mounting position. This allows for great flexibility in the user-specific configuration of the DIN rail mounting device. One and the same DIN rail mounting device can thus be used or configured for different functions. This reduces the variety of parts required for manufacturing and storage.In this case, each conductor terminal can be connected directly to at least one of several component terminals of the at least one first mounting position, i.e. without any further components connected in between, or indirectly via at least one other component, e.g. a reverse polarity protection diode or at least one other electrical or electronic circuit. Another advantage is that, unlike with conventional devices, a separate terminal block for each component connection in the first mounting position and potentially subsequent mounting positions is not necessarily required. A relatively large number of terminal blocks, which typically need to be accessible from the front of the housing, can lead to space constraints. Because the connections between the terminal blocks and the component connections are configurable, the DIN rail device can be implemented with fewer terminal blocks. For example, with an electrical component such as a relay with a changeover contact, often only two of the three available terminals need to be used to create either a normally open or a normally closed contact. This also saves space on the front panel. The conductor terminals can be designed, for example, as spring-loaded terminals or screw terminals. Each conductor terminal can have a conductor entry opening on the front of the housing, through which an electrical conductor can be inserted into the housing and connected to the terminal. The user-configurable circuit arrangement allows, for example, the user to specify that in the case of multiple mounting positions and multiple electrical components arranged therein, these components are controlled by the same control signal, e.g., to control a relay. In this case, only one terminal block is required for supplying the control signal. Furthermore, the configurable circuit arrangement allows the user to specify whether, in the case of a changeover contact of the electrical component, only the normally closed contact or only the normally open contact is connected to a single terminal block. The configurable circuit arrangement can be designed as a purely electromechanical circuit arrangement, e.g., by user-operated switches such as DIP switches, DIL switches, or other switches, or by a matrix of plug-in contacts onto which jumpers, e.g., in various configurations, can be plugged in according to the user's choice. The configurable circuit arrangement can also be an electronically configurable circuit arrangement, in which the desired configuration can be stored by the user in a memory element of the DIN rail-mounted device.The assignment of the desired electrical connections between the conductor terminal and the component terminal can then be achieved by an electronic control circuit of the DIN rail device. This circuit, based on the data stored in the memory element, controls electromechanical relays or other switching elements, in particular electronic switching elements such as SSRs (Solid State Relays) and / or switching transistors. It is also possible for the configurable circuit arrangement to be a combination of the previously described implementation options, for example, by using electromechanical switches to control electromechanical relays and / or SSRs of the DIN rail device. According to feature c), the DIN rail mounting device has at least one second mounting position accessible from the outside of the housing for the detachable mounting of a second electrical component. The DIN rail mounting device has a parallel circuit arrangement by which the second electrical component is connected, or can be connected, in parallel to the first electrical component as redundancy. This allows for the simple implementation of redundancy with respect to the switching function of the first electrical component by connecting the second electrical component as a redundancy. If one of the two electrical components fails, the other can continue its function. If both electrical components are functioning, the currents to be transmitted can be distributed between them, thereby protecting the electrical components.This saves space and costs in the series device arrangement, eliminating the need for additional DIN rail-mounted devices. Furthermore, it simplifies the wiring. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the housing has a front face opposite the mounting rail side, wherein the housing has a first side surface and a second side surface opposite the first side surface, the first side surface and the second side surface each connecting the front face to the mounting rail side, and the housing has a bottom surface and a top surface opposite the bottom surface, the top surface and the bottom surface each connecting the front face to the mounting rail side and the first side surface connecting the second side surface, respectively. The housing can, for example, be designed at least substantially cuboidally. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first electrical component can be received at the at least one first mounting position on the top and / or bottom surface. This is a particularly advantageous placement for the first and, if applicable, the second electrical component, especially for DIN rail mounting devices. The top and bottom surfaces are not typically used for placing terminal blocks. Furthermore, the other DIN rail mounting devices are not arranged on the top and bottom surfaces, but rather on the side surfaces. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the configurable circuit arrangement can be configured by the user as desired using operating elements accessible on the first and / or second side surface. This eliminates the need for space on the front panel for operating the controls of the configurable circuit arrangement. The placement on the first and / or second side surface allows for convenient operation of the controls before the DIN rail device is installed in the control cabinet. Once the DIN rail device is mounted on the mounting rail and other DIN rail devices are arranged to the left and right, the first and / or second side surface is no longer readily accessible. However, this is not problematic, as the operating elements will not need to be adjusted, or only very rarely, during subsequent operation of the DIN rail device. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the configurable circuit arrangement comprises DIP switches, DIL switches, other switches, jumpers, and / or other pluggable bridges as operating elements. This allows for a cost-effective and technically reliable implementation of the configurable circuit arrangement. If the DIP switches, DIL switches, or other elements used are not adequately dimensioned for the currents to be transmitted, relays or other switching elements can be connected downstream of the corresponding switches to control the currents to be transmitted. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, not all component connections of the at least one first mounting location are connected or connectable to a conductor clamp connection. In this way, the number of conductor clamp connections can be minimized. Particularly when several electrical components are arranged in multiple mounting locations, this can significantly reduce the space required for the conductor clamp connections on the front side. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the DIN rail mounting device has at least one second mounting position accessible from the outside of the housing for the detachable mounting of a second electrical component. This second mounting position has several component connections for electrically contacting the respective contacts of the second electrical component mounted in the at least one second mounting position. This further improves the functionality of the DIN rail mounting device. Because the DIN rail mounting device can accommodate at least two electrical components, space can be saved in the control cabinet by eliminating the need for separate DIN rail mounting devices that would be required if the DIN rail mounting device only had one mounting position for an electrical component. Furthermore, the previously described redundancy can be advantageously implemented by accommodating two electrical components. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the second electrical component can be mounted on a different side of the housing at the at least one second mounting location than on the front of the housing opposite the mounting rail side. The second electrical component can, for example, be mounted on the top and / or bottom of the housing at the at least one second mounting location. Accordingly, no space is required on the front for the second electrical component, thus saving space. The second electrical component can be mounted on a different side of the housing at the second mounting location than the first electrical component. It is also possible for both electrical components, i.e., the first and the second electrical component, to be mounted at their respective mounting locations on the same side of the housing. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the configurable circuit arrangement allows each conductor terminal to be connected, at the user's discretion, to at least one of several component terminals of the at least one second mounting position. In the case of two electrical components, a particularly large number of individual conductor terminals would be required without the configurable circuit arrangement. By combining the first and second electrical components with the user-adjustable circuit arrangement, however, a significant number of conductor terminals can be saved, since not all contacts of the electrical components need to be brought to the outside. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that not all component connections of the at least one second mounting location are connected or connectable to a conductor clamp connection. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, an electrical circuit board (PCB) is arranged in the housing, on which electrical and / or electronic components are arranged. The PCB can be arranged, for example, centrally between the first and second side surfaces of the housing. The PCB can also be arranged, for example, off-center. The central arrangement has the advantage that the same contact elements can be used symmetrically on both sides of the PCB (top and bottom) for contacting the first and / or second electrical component and for the terminal connections; that is, identical components can be used multiple times. With an off-center arrangement of the PCB, differently manufactured contact elements would have to be used, which increases the manufacturing effort and assembly. The printed circuit board (PCB) can be arranged, for example, parallel to the first and second side faces of the housing. This has the advantage that the electrical connection of the terminals of the first and / or second electronic component to the PCB can be symmetrical with respect to their position between the first and second side faces. Accordingly, uniform contact elements can be used to implement the component connections. This simplifies and reduces the cost of manufacturing the DIN rail-mounted device. In particular, additional stamping tools for manufacturing and separate assembly of these contact elements using separate mounting fixtures can be avoided. Furthermore, the same contact elements can be used on both the top and bottom surfaces of the PCB, which also reduces costs. For the purposes of the present invention, the indefinite term "a" is not to be understood as a numeral. Therefore, when, for example, a component is mentioned, this is to be interpreted as "at least one component". Where angles are specified in degrees, these refer to a circle of 360 degrees (360°). The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments and drawings. Fig. 1 shows a modular installation device in perspective view, Fig. 2 shows a parallel connection of a first electrical component with a second electrical component. The electrical DIN rail mounting device shown in Fig. 1 can, for example, be designed as a relay module. The DIN rail mounting device 1 has a housing 2, which can be essentially cuboid in shape. The housing 2 has DIN rail mounting elements 3 on a mounting rail 20, with which the DIN rail mounting device 1 can be mounted on a DIN rail of the electrical installation system, for example by snapping it onto it. The housing 2 has a front face 21 on the side diametrically opposite the mounting rail 20. The housing 2 has a first side surface 22 and a second side surface 23 opposite the first side surface 22. The first side surface 22 connects the front face 23 to the mounting rail 20. The second side surface 23 connects the front face 23 to the mounting rail 20. The housing 2 has a bottom surface 25 and a top surface 24 opposite the bottom surface 25.The top surface 24 connects the front surface 23 with the mounting rail side 20 and the first side surface 22 with the second side surface 23. The bottom surface 25 connects the front surface 23 with the mounting rail side 20 and the first side surface 22 with the second side surface 23. The DIN rail mounting device 1 has several conductor terminals 7 accessible on the front 21, e.g., in the form of spring-loaded terminals, which are arranged in the housing 2 and can each be fitted with an electrical conductor via a conductor entry opening located on the front 21. Operating elements and / or display elements 8 of the DIN rail mounting device, e.g., indicator lights, can also be arranged on the front 21. The DIN rail mounting device 1 has a first mounting position 41 accessible on the top 24 for the detachable mounting of a first electrical component 51. The first mounting position 41 has several component connections 43, which are designed for electrical contacting respective contacts 53 of the first electrical component 51. The DIN rail mounting device 1 has a second mounting position 42 accessible from the top 24 for the detachable mounting of a second electrical component 52. The second mounting position 42 has several component terminals 43, which are designed for electrical contacting the respective contacts 53 of the second electrical component 52. The DIN rail mounting device 1 can further have an ejection mechanism by which the first electrical component 51 and / or the second electrical component 52 can be removed from their respective mounting positions 41, 42. The ejection device can be operated by the user, e.g., by means of a control element accessible on the front 21. The DIN rail mounting device 1 also has a user-configurable circuit arrangement 6, with which each conductor terminal 7 can be electrically connected, at the user's discretion, to at least one of several component terminals 43 of the first mounting position 41 and / or the second mounting position 42. As mentioned above, the configurable circuit arrangement can be implemented in various ways, with Fig. 1 showing an implementation using DIP switches. The DIP switches have operating elements 60, which are accessible to the user on the first side surface 22 and can be set to a desired setting by manual adjustment. The DIN rail-mounted device 1 also has a parallel circuit arrangement, not visible in Fig. 1, by which the second electrical component 52 can be connected in parallel to the first electrical component 51 as redundancy or is permanently connected. This is shown schematically in Fig. 2. In the illustrated embodiment, it is assumed that the first electrical component 51 and the second electrical component 52 are each designed as a relay with a changeover switch. The relay can be designed as an electromechanical relay, as shown, or as an SSR. In all variants, each relay has an excitation circuit with two terminals, A and B, connected to contacts 53. The relay can be actuated by energizing terminals A and B. The changeover switch includes a changeover contact connected to terminal C. The changeover switch also includes a normally open contact connected to terminal D and a normally closed contact connected to terminal C. To provide redundancy for the electrical components 51 and 52, a parallel circuit arrangement 9 is provided, connecting terminal A of the first electrical component 51 to terminal A of the second electrical component 52.Furthermore, terminal B of the first electrical component 51 is connected to terminal B of the second electrical component 52, terminal C of the first electrical component 51 is connected to terminal C of the second electrical component 52, terminal D of the first electrical component 51 is connected to terminal D of the second electrical component 52 and terminal E of the first electrical component 51 is connected to terminal E of the second electrical component 52. Reference symbol list: 1 DIN rail mounting device 2 Housing 3 Mounting rail mounting element 6 Circuit arrangement 7 Conductor terminal connection 8 Display element 9 Parallel circuit arrangement 20 Mounting rail side 21 Front side 22 First side surface 23 Second side surface 24 Top side 25 Bottom side 41 First mounting position 42 Second mounting position 43 Component connection 51 First electrical component 52 Second electrical component 53 Contact A Connection B Connection C Connection D Connection E Connection

Claims

Electrical DIN rail mounting device (1) for installation in a DIN rail device arrangement of a switchgear, wherein the DIN rail mounting device (1) has a housing (2) which has DIN rail mounting elements (3) on a DIN rail mounting side (20) of the housing (2) with which the DIN rail mounting device (1) can be mounted on a DIN rail of the electrical installation technology, wherein an electrical circuit board is arranged in the housing (2) on which electrical and / or electronic components are arranged, wherein the DIN rail mounting device (1) has at least one first mounting position (41) accessible from the outside of the housing (2) for releasably receiving a first electrical component (51), wherein the at least one first mounting position (41) has several component connections for electrically contacting respective contacts (53) of the first electrical component (51) received at the at least one first mounting position (41), characterized by aseveral or all of the following features a), b), c): a) the first electrical component (51) is mountable on a different side of the housing (2) at the at least one first mounting position (41) than on a front side (21) of the housing (2) opposite the mounting rail mounting side (20), b) the DIN rail mounting device (1) has several terminal blocks to which at least one electrical conductor can be connected at the user's discretion, wherein the DIN rail mounting device (1) has a user-configurable circuit arrangement (6) with which each terminal block (7) can be connected, at the user's discretion, directly or via at least one other component to at least one of several component terminals of the at least one first mounting position (41), c) the DIN rail mounting device (1) has at least one second mounting position (42) accessible from the outside of the housing (2) for the detachable mounting of a second electrical component (52),wherein the DIN rail mounting device (1) has a parallel circuit arrangement (9) by which the second electrical component (52) is connected or can be connected as redundancy in parallel to the first electrical component (51). DIN rail mounting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (2) has a front side (21) opposite the mounting rail side (20), wherein the housing (2) has a first side surface (22) and a second side surface (23) opposite the first side surface (22), wherein the first side surface (22) and the second side surface (23) each connect the front side (21) to the mounting rail side (20), and the housing (2) has a bottom surface (25) and a top surface (24) opposite the bottom surface (25), wherein the top surface (24) and the bottom surface (25) each connect the front side (21) to the mounting rail side (20) and connect the first side surface (22) to the second side surface (23). DIN rail mounting device according to claim 2, characterized in that the first electrical component (51) can be received on the top (24) and / or on the bottom (25) at the at least one first receiving position (41). DIN rail mounting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the configurable circuit arrangement (6) can be configured by the user as desired by means of operating elements accessible on the first side surface (22) and / or the second side surface (23). DIN rail mounting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the configurable circuit arrangement (6) comprises DIP switches, DIL switches, other switches, jumpers and / or other pluggable bridges as operating elements. DIN rail mounting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that not all component connections of the at least one first mounting position (41) are connected or connectable to a conductor clamp connection (7). DIN rail mounting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the DIN rail mounting device (1) has at least one second mounting position (42) accessible from the outside of the housing (2) for releasably receiving a second electrical component (52), which has several component connections for electrically contacting respective contacts (53) of the second electrical component (52) received at the at least one second mounting position (42). DIN rail mounting device according to claim 7, characterized in that the second electrical component (52) is receptacleable on a different housing side of the housing (2) at the at least one second receiving position (42) than on a front side (21) of the housing (2) opposite the mounting rail mounting side (20). DIN rail mounting device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that with the configurable circuit arrangement (6) a respective conductor terminal connection (7) can be connected to at least one of several component connections of the at least one second mounting position (42) at the user's choice. DIN rail mounting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the circuit board is arranged centrally between the first and the second side surface (22, 23) of the housing (2).

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