ELECTRICAL PROTECTION FOR SAFETY OF ENERGY DISTRIBUTION IN AN INDUSTRIAL PLANT

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an electrical fuse for protecting the power distribution in an industrial plant, such as an automation system or an intralogistics system. Such plants, like production or conveyor systems, have a large number of electrical consumers, such as actuators and / or sensors. The electrical energy required for operation is supplied to the various consumers distributed throughout the industrial plant via power distribution lines.

[0002] Increasingly complex industrial plants consist of distributed systems. Control cabinets in industrial plants are to be designed with minimized dimensions or eliminated entirely. This makes power distribution itself and the electrical protection of the connected electrical loads increasingly difficult. A control cabinet distributes current and voltage via large conductor cross-sections and fuses to progressively smaller conductor cross-sections. Without a control cabinet, protecting the individual electrical loads in the field becomes problematic.

[0003] From EP 1 179 827 A1 it is known to determine the state of a switching contact in a circuit via a contact of an auxiliary circuit and to evaluate it via a monitoring device.

[0004] From EP 0 119 187 A1, an electrical installation system for apartments and houses made of flat cables is known, which also mentions main fuses, such as circuit breakers or residual current devices for the power supply circuit.

[0005] The invention is based on the objective of proposing an electrical fuse that can be easily integrated into an existing wiring system and provides simple and variable reliable protection of the energy distribution in an automation system.

[0006] The problem is solved according to the features of claim 1.

[0007] The electrical fuse is located in the branch of the line connecting the load to the power distribution system. The electrical fuse is housed in a completely enclosed casing. The casing is designed as an intermediate connector, having at least one first connection for a power supply branch and at least one second connection for an electrically fused branch connected to the electrical load. At least one connection of the casing is designed as part of an electrical plug connector for a branch of the line to be connected.

[0008] The power distribution system is supplied by a power source, which can be an AC / DC converter, a DC / DC converter, a switched-mode power supply, a transformer, or even a battery pack. The power supply used can convert mains voltage into a low voltage, preferably a rectified low voltage. The main branch of the power distribution system is designed with a larger conductor cross-section of up to 16 mm², while the branch leading from the power distribution system to the consumer can have a smaller conductor cross-section. The fused branch to the consumer advantageously has a conductor cross-section between 0.5 mm² and 2.5 mm².

[0009] The housing with the integrated fuse forms a self-contained component or module that can be installed anywhere in an industrial plant as needed. Existing and / or retrofitted devices can be easily protected by simply inserting the component into the power supply line. If the housing includes an electronic, configurable fuse, it can be easily configured according to the operating data of the connected device.

[0010] The housing is fully enclosed and, in particular, provides protection of class IP20 or higher, preferably up to IP69k. In the field, housings with protection classes IP54 to IP68 are appropriately used. A high protection class allows the electrical fuse to be used even in critical environments with high levels of dirt or moisture.

[0011] To enable flexible use in the field, the invention provides for the housing with the electrical fuse to be designed as an intermediate connector. The intermediate connector forms an independent component or module that can be inserted at a suitable location in the field.

[0012] It can be advantageous to design the housing of the adapter plug with an additional connection, in particular to design the housing as a T-connector or H-connector. The power supply branch is expediently looped from the first connection to the additional connection. The connection to the load branches off from the power supply branch and is connected to the load via the fuse located in the housing.

[0013] Advantageously, all housing connections are designed as electrical plug-in connectors. The use of electrical plug-in connectors ensures easy removal of the component from the housing, including the electrical fuse and plug-in connections, from the power distribution wiring. Replacing blown fuses is simple, as is exchanging a housing with a single fuse for one with a second fuse and different operating parameters, such as different fuse ratings. Specifically, the first housing connection is designed as an electrical plug-in connector for the power supply wiring, and the second housing connection is designed as an electrical plug-in connector for the electrically fused wiring leading to the load.

[0014] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the plug connection is formed by a plug connector. Such a plug connector can consist of a socket and a plug. Advantageously, an M12 socket and an M12 plug form the plug connector. A plug connector consisting of an M8 plug and an M8 socket can also be used.

[0015] In another embodiment of the component consisting of the housing and fuse, at least one connection of the housing is designed as part of an electrical plug connector for connecting a suitably outgoing, power-supplying line branch or for connecting the electrically fused line branch. A cable permanently connected to the fuse within the housing is connected to the other connection of the housing. The connected cable is advantageously equipped at its free end with a plug or socket of a connector compatible with the plug connectors used in the field in the industrial plant.

[0016] The housing with the fuse is conveniently connected to the power distribution in the field via a plug connector, whereby the cable permanently wired to the other terminal of the housing can be assembled in length as a connecting line to the electrical consumer.

[0017] In a further embodiment of the invention, it may be advantageous to provide a cable permanently wired to the fuse in the housing at the first terminal of the housing as the power supply branch, and to provide a cable permanently wired to the fuse in the housing at the second terminal of the housing as the electrically fused branch. Advantageously, the cables permanently wired to the housing are provided at their free ends with a plug or socket of a connector compatible with the plug connectors used in the industrial plant in the field. The lengths of the permanently connected cables are advantageously configured to bridge the distance between the power distribution in the industrial plant and the load to be connected. The housing with the fuse is advantageously located midway between two cables of equal length; other arrangements may be advantageous.

[0018] In a further embodiment of the invention, the housing can be designed as a piercing housing, which is applied directly to a power-carrying flat ribbon cable using piercing technology and establishes the electrical connection to the fuse. The fused branch of the cable leads to the consumer via the fuse integrated in the housing.

[0019] The electrical fuse in the housing is a thermomechanical fuse, such as a bimetallic fuse, an electronic fuse, or a cartridge fuse. An electronic fuse is advantageously integrated into the housing. In a special design, the electronic fuse is self-resetting. This means, for example, that after the fuse trips, e.g., due to overcurrent, the fuse closes again after a predetermined time, restoring the power supply to the consumer. It can also be advantageous to design the electronic fuse as a current limiter, preventing the current from exceeding a predefined limit.

[0020] The electrical fuse housed within the enclosure protects a downstream circuit or section of cable from impermissible physical and / or electrical conditions. The permissible protective measures are often defined by standards. In particular, but not exclusively, parameters such as energy, voltage, current, frequency, and / or electrical pulses can be used. The electrical fuse housed within the enclosure is designed to protect downstream components or sections of the industrial plant and to respond with appropriate measures in the event of a fault.

[0021] It is advantageous to integrate an indicator device into the housing along with the fuse. The indicator device allows the status of the fuse inside the housing to be visually displayed.

[0022] In a further development of the invention, a communication unit is provided in the housing next to the electrical fuse. This unit is suitable for displaying the operating states of the fuse itself, such as the current flow, the accumulated operating hours of the fuse, the power distribution network quality, and the like. An optional communication unit can communicate with a bus system provided in the industrial plant. The communication unit allows not only the reading and central management of the fuse's operating parameters, but also the external modification of the electronic fuse's operating parameters, i.e., the parameterization of the electronic fuse according to the type and power consumption of the connected load.

[0023] The communication unit is advantageously a wireless communication unit that is designed to communicate via NFC, Bluetooth, IO-Link Wireless, WLAN and / or mobile communication standards such as LTE, 5G or the like.

[0024] Further features of the invention will become apparent from the further claims, the description, and the drawing, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated. The features mentioned in the claims, as well as the features specified in the following description and the features illustrated in the drawings, can be combined with one another, even if they are specified for different exemplary embodiments. The drawings show: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of an energy distribution in an automation system with electrical consumers, Fig. 2 a schematic representation of a housing with an electrical fuse for insertion into an energy supply line branch to a consumer, Fig. 3 an embodiment of a housing with an electronic fuse, Fig. 3 an embodiment of a housing with an indicator device for the state of the fuse installed in the housing.

[0025] In Fig. 1 An energy distribution system 1 for an industrial plant 30 is shown, which could be, for example, an automation system or an intralogistics system. Such industrial plants 30 can be, for example, production plants and / or conveyor systems. Electrical loads 5 are distributed throughout the industrial plant 30 and are centrally supplied with electrical energy by an energy distribution system 1. Loads 5 can be actuators and / or sensors.

[0026] The power distribution system 1 for the industrial plant 30 is supplied by a power supply unit 2, which, in the illustrated embodiment, transforms an alternating current (AC) into a rectified low voltage (DC). The AC is drawn from an AC mains supply of, for example, 230 V or 400 V. The DC low voltage can be in the range of 12 V to 60 V. Preferably, the low voltage is 24 V or 48 V. The power supply unit is shown only as an example. An AC / DC converter, a DC / DC converter, a switched-mode power supply, a transformer, a battery pack, or another energy source can be used.

[0027] The low voltage DC is supplied to a main supply line 3. A communication bus 4 can be integrated into the main supply line 3. A branch 6, which can be configured as a T-junction, is provided in the main supply line 3 to supply power to an electrical load 5. A line branch extends from the main supply line 3 via the branch 6, forming a line branch 7 that supplies electrical power to the load 5.

[0028] A closed housing 10 containing a fuse 20 is provided between the power supply branch 7 and the load 5. The housing 10 has a first connection 11 for the power supply branch 7. The housing 10 also has a second connection 12 for a line branch 8 that is electrically protected by the fuse 20. The line branch 7, which branches off via the junction 6 and supplies power to the load 5, is connected to the protected line branch 8 via the fuse 20. The connected electrical load 5 is electrically protected by the fuse 20 in the housing 10.

[0029] The housing 10 is advantageously completely enclosed. In particular, the housing 10 is a housing of protection class IP20 to IP69 or higher. Preferably, the housing 10 is a housing of protection class IP54 to IP68.

[0030] The housing 10 with the electrical fuse 20 can have different configurations at its terminals 11 and 12. Fig. 1 Various housings 10 with differently designed terminals 11 and 12 are shown. The modules or independent components, each consisting of the housing 10, the fuse 20 within the housing 10, and an advantageously integrated communication unit 40, are identical in their basic features. The modules are designated by the letters A, B, C, and D according to the variations of the terminals 11 and 12. The configurations of a module A, B, C, or D apply in principle equally to all other modules A, B, C, or D.

[0031] In the first embodiment of the housing 10, shown as module A, all terminals 11 and 12 are designed as part of an electrical plug connector. Fig. 2 Module A is shown before being inserted into the branch line 7 supplying energy to the consumer 5. The connection 11 of the housing 10 is designed as a plug connection 31. The plug connection 31 consists of a socket 41 and a plug 42, with the socket 41 being located on branch 6 and the plug 42 on the housing 10. Alternatively, a socket can be provided on the housing 10, which, together with a plug from branch 6, forms the plug connection 31.

[0032] Corresponding to the design of the plug connector 31, the plug connector 32 is formed at the terminal 12 of the housing 10. The housing 10 can be provided with a socket 41 into which a plug 42 of the protected cable branch 8 is inserted. Alternatively, a configuration can be provided in which the housing 10 has a plug that forms the plug connection 32 with a socket at the end of the cable branch 8.

[0033] In a particular embodiment of module A, the housing 10 is designed such that one connection 11 is configured as a plug 42 and the other connection 12 as a socket 41. This allows the housing 10 to be easily positioned during the installation of the system 30 between a main supply line 3 or a branch 6 of a main supply line 3 and a load 5. An existing plug connection between the power supply branch 7 to the load 5 and the main supply line 3 can be conveniently opened to insert the housing 10 with the fuse 20 into the power supply branch 7 and to electrically protect the electrical load 5 via the fuse 20 of the housing 10.

[0034] In its configuration as Module A, the housing 10 forms an intermediate connector that can be inserted as needed at any point within the field of an industrial plant 30. Existing and / or subsequently installed loads 5 of the industrial plant 30 can be electrically protected with minimal effort by inserting Module A. This simply requires disconnecting the branch cable 7 leading from the main supply line 3 to the load 5, or disconnecting the plug connection, and then inserting the open ends into the plug terminals 33, 34 of the housing 10.

[0035] The plug connectors 33 and 34 are designed as plug connections 31 and 32. It can be advantageous if the plug connections 31 and 32 are compatible with the plug connections 36 used in the field in the industrial plant 30. Preferably, the plug connection 31, 32 and 36 consists of a socket 41 ( Fig. 2 ) and a 42mm plug ( Fig. 2 ), in particular an M12 socket and an M12 plug. M8 sockets and M8 plugs or other sizes may also be advantageous.

[0036] The in Fig. 1 The module B shown corresponds in its basic structure to the housing 10, the fuse 20 integrated in the housing 10 and an optionally arranged communication unit 40 of module A. Identical parts are provided with the same reference numerals.

[0037] The housing 10 of module B has a plug connector 33 at a first terminal 11, which is designed as a plug connection 31. A cable 18, permanently wired to the fuse 20 in the housing 10, is provided at the other, second terminal 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the power supply branch 7, which branches off from the main supply line 3 via the branch 6, is connected to the plug connection 31 of the first terminal 11. The cable 18, permanently wired to the other, second terminal 12 of the housing 10, forms the electrically fused branch 8 leading to the consumer 5.

[0038] Module B can also be configured such that a permanently wired cable is connected to terminal 11, forming the power supply branch 7 to Module B. Accordingly, the other terminal 12 of the housing 10 of Module B is then configured as part of a plug connection, which can optionally be compatible with the plug connection 38 of the load 5. Module B can be plugged directly into the load 5. An open end of the cable may also be advantageous, allowing, for example, direct wiring to the load 5.

[0039] In a further embodiment of the housing 10, a cable 17 permanently wired to the fuse 20 in the housing 10 can be provided at the first terminal 11 of the housing 10 as a power supply branch 7. At the second terminal 12 of the housing 10, a cable 18 permanently wired to the fuse 20 in the housing 10 is connected, as shown in the illustration of module C, forming the electrically fused branch 8 to the consumer 5.

[0040] As shown in the example of module C, the housing 10 with the fuse 20 and the optionally provided communication unit 40 is located between the branch 6 and the consumer 5. By varying the length of the cables 17 and 18, the position of module C can be freely chosen in the field.

[0041] If permanently wired cables 17 and / or 18 are connected to the housing 10, the free ends of the cables 17 and / or 18 can be fitted with a plug or socket to form a plug connector 19. Optionally, such a plug connector 19 can be compatible with the connectors used in the field of the system 30. The free end of a cable 17 or 18 can be electrically connected simply by inserting it into the plug connector. The free ends of the cables 17 and / or 18 can also be used as conductor ends.

[0042] The housing 10 of module D corresponds in its basic structure to the housings 10 of modules A, B, or C. The housing 10 of module D has an additional connection 13, which in the exemplary embodiment of the housing 10 of module D is provided as a third connection 13. The housing 10 is specifically designed as a T-connector. Other connector types with two or more connections may be advantageous.

[0043] In the housing 10 of module D, the power-carrying branch 7 of the main supply line 3 is looped through from the first terminal 11 to the third terminal 13. The main supply line 3 thus passes through the housing 10 of module D. Within the housing 10 of module D, the line 7 supplying power to the load 5 branches off. This branch is connected to the fuse 20, so that an electrically fused branch 8 is available at the second terminal 12. As shown on module D, a cable 26 is connected between the second terminal 12 and the load 5, connecting the electrically fused branch 8 to the load 5.

[0044] All terminals 11, 12 and 13 of the housing 10 of module D can optionally be configured as plug-in terminals for connecting a cable branch. This corresponds to module A, where the housing 10 also has all terminals 11 configured as plug-in terminals.

[0045] Module D can be configured as a piercing housing, which is applied directly to a power-carrying ribbon cable using piercing technology. The ribbon cable runs from terminal 11 to terminal 13, with the electrical connection to the fuse being established via piercing elements embedded in the ribbon cable. The fused branch of the cable leads to the consumer via terminal 12, passing through the fuse integrated in the housing.

[0046] The fuse provided in housing 10 of modules A, B, C and D is designed as a thermomechanical fuse, such as a bimetallic fuse or a simple fuse, or the fuse 20 is designed as an electronic fuse, as exemplified in Fig. 2 is shown.

[0047] The schematically depicted housing 10 of module A, B, C or D has a first connection 11 for the power supply line branch 7 and a second connection 12 for the electrically protected line branch 8.

[0048] An electronic switching element 22, controlled by a controller 23, is arranged in the current path 21 between the power supply 2 and the load 5. The controller 23 uses a current sensor 24 to detect the current I flowing in the current path 21 and compares its value with a limit value stored in the controller 23. The controller 23 can be configured to activate the electronic switching element 22 when the stored limit value is reached and / or exceeded. In a first operating mode, the controller 23 can limit the flowing current I so that the stored limit value is not exceeded. In a second operating mode, the controller 23 can open the current path 21, thus switching off the load 5. The operating modes can also be combined, for example, so that...The current I is initially limited and only after a predetermined period of active current limiting does the controller 23 open the current path 21 and switch off the consumer 5.

[0049] Advantageously, the electronic fuse 20 is designed such that, after the switching element 22 has opened and a time specified in the controller 23 has elapsed, the switching element 22 is activated again and the current path 21 is closed again. If the current I detected by the current sensor 24 does not exceed the limit value again, the load 5 remains in operation.

[0050] The housing 10 of the electrical fuse 20 optionally integrates a communication unit 40, as exemplified in modules A, B, C and D, as well as in Fig. 2 The communication unit 40 can be connected to a communication bus 4, which runs parallel to the power-carrying lines in the main supply line 3 and at least to the power-supplying line branches 7 to the housing 10. The communication unit 40 can report operating parameters of the fuse 20 to a higher-level monitoring unit via the communication bus 4. Thus, the operating states of the fuses, the magnitude of the current I, accumulated operating hours of the fuse, the network quality of the protected voltage, and the like can be displayed in the higher-level monitoring unit. In a particular embodiment of the invention, an electronic fuse 20, as shown in [reference to relevant figure], can be controlled via the communication unit 40. Fig. 2 The parameters shown are configurable. For example, the communication unit 40 in the controller 23 can be used to change the limit value of the current I, the rate of increase of the current I, the permissible duration of an overcurrent, or similar parameters. The electronic fuse 20 is configurable.

[0051] Instead of a hardwired communication bus 4, it may be advantageous to design the communication unit 40 as a wireless communication unit. The wireless communication unit can communicate with a higher-level unit via NFC, Bluetooth, IO-Link Wireless, WLAN and / or mobile communication standards such as 5G, LTE or the like.

[0052] In a further embodiment of the housing 10, a display device 28 can be integrated into the housing 10. This shows Fig. 3An optical indicator device monitors a fuse 29. If the fuse blows, the optical indicator device 28 activates the current path 21 and signals the destruction of the fuse 29.

Claims

1. Electrical fuse for safeguarding energy distribution in an industrial installation (30), in particular an automation installation or an intralogistics installation, (a) having electrical consumers (5), such as actuators and / or sensors, arranged in a distributed manner in the installation (30), (b) wherein electrical energy is supplied to an electrical consumer (5) via an energy-supplying line branch (7) of the energy distribution system (1), (c) and the electrical fuse (20) can be arranged in the energy-supplying line branch (7), (d) wherein the electrical fuse (20) is accommodated in a closed housing (10), (e) wherein the housing (10) is closed on all sides, characterized in that (f) the electrical fuse (20) in the housing is a thermomechanical fuse or a bimetallic fuse or an electronic fuse or a fusible link, (g) wherein the housing (10) is designed as an intermediate plug, (h) and the housing (10) has at least one first connection (11) for an energy-supplying line branch (7) (i) and at least one second connection (12) for an electrically protected line branch (8), (j) and the second connection (12) can be connected to an electrical consumer (5), (k) and at least one connection (11, 12) of the housing (10) is designed as part of an electrical plug-in connection (33, 34) for a line branch (7, 8) to be connected.

2. Electrical fuse according to Claim 1, characterized in that the housing (10) is a housing of protection class IP20 to IP69k.

3. Electrical fuse according to Claim 2, characterized in that the housing (10) is a housing of protection class IP54 to IP68.

4. Electrical fuse according to Claim 1, characterized in that the housing (10) of the intermediate plug is designed with a further connection (13), in particular the housing (10) is embodied as a T-plug, and the energy-supplying line branch (7) is looped through from the first connection (11) to the further connection (13).

5. Electrical fuse according to any of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that all connections (11, 12, 13) of the housing (10) are designed as part of an electrical plug-in connection (33, 34).

6. Electrical fuse according to Claim 1 or 5, characterized in that the first connection (11) of the housing is designed as part of an electrical plug-in connection (33) for connection to the energy-supplying line branch (7) and the second connection (12) of the housing (10) is designed as part of an electrical plug-in connection (34) for connection to the electrically protected line branch (8) to the consumer (5).

7. Electrical fuse according to any of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the plug-in connection (33, 34) is formed by a plug-in connection (31, 32) composed of a plug socket (41) and a plug (42).

8. Electrical fuse according to any of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the fuse (20) accommodated in the housing (10) is an electronic fuse.

9. Electrical fuse according to any of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the fuse (20) accommodated in the housing (10) is self-resetting.

10. Electrical fuse according to any of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that an indicator device (28) is integrated in the housing (10) and is suitable for indicating the operating state of the fuse (20) present in the housing (10).

11. Electrical fuse according to any of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that an, in particular wireless, communication unit, (40) is accommodated in the housing (10) and is suitable for indicating operating states of the fuse (20), such as, for example, magnitude of the flowing current (I), accumulated operating hours of the fuse (20), network quality of the power supply, detecting and transmitting these and / or changing operating parameters of the fuse (20).

12. Electrical fuse according to Claim 11, characterized in that the communication unit (40) is designed to communicate wirelessly, in particular via NFC, Bluetooth, IO-Link Wireless, WLAN and / or mobile radio standards such as 5G, LTE.