Positioning element for a plurality of parallel single conductors

Abstract

The invention relates to a positioning element for a plurality of parallel single conductors, comprising a base element and a closure element, wherein the base element and the closure element each have a region having chamber portions which are designed such that, when assembled, they form a plurality of linear and mutually spaced receiving chambers for receiving a single conductor in each case. The positioning element is intended to hold and thus position the single conductors particularly securely at a distance and is also intended to be able to be used particularly flexibly along the single conductors. For this purpose, the receiving chambers are designed in cross-section such that the positioning element can be moved along the longitudinal extent of the individual conductors at least when used in a first way.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Positioning element for a number of parallel individual conductors

[0003] The invention relates to a positioning element for a number of parallel individual conductors comprising a base element and a closure element, wherein the base element and the closure element each have a region with chamber sections which are designed such that, in the assembled state, they form a number of linearly extending and spaced-apart receiving chambers for each receiving an individual conductor. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for constructing a linear conductor arrangement with a positioning element comprising a base element and a closure element and a number of individual conductors,

[0004] Linear power distribution assemblies are used particularly for energy systems in buildings to lay cables for supplying devices, such as lighting, with power and / or data signals in a cost-effective and visually appealing manner. Signals in this context include both the transmission of general signals, such as control signals, and the transmission of data, such as measurement or information data. The installation location of the devices can then be flexibly selected and easily varied along a housing body of the power distribution assembly. The devices can thus be easily electrically connected to the conductors at a variably definable installation location using a connecting element. Such power distribution assemblies have the advantage that the devices are both electrically connected at the desired location and mechanically supported on the housing body.

[0005] Until now, such linear power distribution assemblies have typically utilized current-carrying profiles mounted within a housing body. These current-carrying profiles consist of a longitudinally extending base body with a number of chambers in which individual conductors are arranged. These current-carrying profiles are generally rigid and, due to manufacturing constraints, have a limited length. For longer power distribution assemblies, such as those used in larger factories or warehouses, several current-carrying profiles are therefore usually required, which are then mechanically and electrically connected to one another via a connecting element.A disadvantage of such systems, however, is that the corresponding buildings in which linear power distribution arrangements are used do not have a standardized length. In order to create an arrangement tailored to the building, several power distribution profiles have to be connected to one another on site and sometimes even shortened at great expense in order to ultimately achieve the desired length. This leads to unwanted waste and additional material expenditure, particularly in the case of prefabricated standard lengths of power distribution profiles, and thus to increased costs. Furthermore, it is desirable to at least have the option of dispensing with the use of connecting elements if necessary, since every transition between a power distribution profile and a connecting element creates an additional contact zone for the conductors, in which external influences or material-related factors can lead to an interruption in the contact and thus to failure of the connected devices.In addition, the additional contact zones result in increased contact resistance, which can lead to increased thermal stress.

[0006] In an alternative design, the individual conductors are laid individually within a longitudinally stretched duct-shaped geometry, allowing the length to be determined flexibly and directly on site by cutting the individual conductors to length. The disadvantage of using individual conductors is that they have to be kept at a distance to avoid short circuits due to the potential reduction in air and creepage distances. For this purpose, spacers are usually integrated into the duct-shaped geometry, into which the individual conductors are inserted or clamped. The disadvantage of this, however, is that tapping or feeding can no longer take place at the location of the spacers, meaning that no end device can be connected at this point. This means that contact between the individual conductors and therefore positioning of the end devices is only possible in certain areas.

[0007] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a positioning element for individual conductors which, on the one hand, keeps the individual conductors at a distance and thus positions them particularly securely and, on the other hand, can be used particularly flexibly along the individual conductors.

[0008] The object is achieved according to the invention by the characterizing features of independent claims 1 and 9. The object is based on the consideration that the positioning element can be attached to the individual conductors particularly easily and flexibly if it is essentially designed in two parts. In particular, a base element and a closing element are provided which only together form the receiving chambers for one individual cable when assembled or plugged together. During installation, it is therefore possible to first arrange the base element in the area of ​​the channel-shaped geometry, lay the individual wires loosely in the chamber sections of the base element and then put on the closing element in order to close the receiving chambers. For particularly flexible use of the positioning element, this or the closing element are...The receiving chambers are specifically designed so that the positioning element can be moved along the individual conductors, i.e., in the longitudinal direction of the power distribution arrangement, in a first application. This makes it possible to initially pre-assemble the positioning element in an easily accessible location and then slide it to a suitable final position along the power distribution arrangement. The individual conductors are kept at a constant distance.

[0009] To ensure particularly easy movement of the positioning element along the individual conductors or the conductor arrangement, the diameters of the receiving chambers are, in a preferred embodiment, slightly larger than those of the individual conductors. Care should be taken to ensure that the receiving chambers are not made too large, allowing the individual conductors to shift noticeably laterally within the receiving chambers. In the worst case, this could lead to contact problems because the contacting elements do not contact the cores of the individual conductors. Therefore, it is optimal if the diameter of the receiving chambers is just so much larger than the diameter of the individual conductors that the friction between the walls of the receiving chambers and the individual conductors is sufficiently low to allow movement of the positioning element.

[0010] In an advantageous embodiment, the base element comprises a fastening area for releasably fastening the positioning element to a longitudinal support of a linear power distribution arrangement. This fastening area can be formed integrally with the base element; however, it is also possible to design the fastening area as a separate fastening element, which is attached to the base element, for example, by locking, gluing, or screwing. Designing the fastening area as a separate fastening element enables the positioning element to be adapted on-site to the structural conditions, in particular the shape and design of the linear support element.

[0011] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the fastening area is designed to be elastic so that it can be clamped into the support element. This allows the positioning element to be subsequently moved within the support element by compressing the fastening area. The elasticity of the fastening area can be achieved, in particular, through material recesses or spring elements.

[0012] To enable the positioning element to be moved particularly easily and without jamming, the base element preferably comprises guide elements, for example in the form of rollers, which can engage in guide rails or channels within the support element, allowing the positioning element to be guided along these guide rails. These guide elements can be arranged either directly on the base element or in the fastening area or on the fastening element.

[0013] For quick and easy attachment of the closure element to the base element, locking elements are advantageously provided. This enables, in particular, precise locking of the two elements so that the receiving chambers lie optimally on top of each other and can form the receiving channel for the individual conductors. Coding elements can also be used, so that the closure element can only be mounted in a fixed, predetermined position on the base element. Alternatively or in an additional configuration, other fastening methods, such as screwing the two elements together, can also be used.

[0014] The base element is advantageously divided into several areas on the side facing the individual conductors. On the one hand, a receiving area in which the receiving chambers are arranged and on which the closure element for forming the receiving chambers is fastened, and on the other hand, a free area or free surface in which the individual conductors are arranged freely, but parallel and spaced from one another. This free surface is designed to receive a contacting element in order to contact the individual conductors. To ensure that the individual conductors are also fixed in position in the free surface, the base element is preferably constructed such that the free surface is arranged between two receiving areas in the linear direction of extension of the individual conductors. This means that the individual conductors are fixed at both ends of the free surface by the receiving chambers.

[0015] The advantages achieved with the invention are, in particular, that the use of modular positioning elements enables flexible factory pre-installation as well as particularly easy retrofitting on-site. Typically, the individual conductors are already provided with a number of positioning elements at the factory. Depending on the intended use, the number of individual conductors, or even at the customer's request, a number of positioning elements can be used. The theoretically endlessly installable system of individual conductors and positioning elements can then be rolled up and transported to the site in a space-saving manner, where it is laid in the designated cable duct or linear power distribution arrangement. The positioning elements can be moved on-site and thus optimally and particularly easily adapted to the structural and electrical conditions prevailing there.The positioning elements are secured by attaching a contacting element or by using specially designed fixing elements without a tap only once the positioning element has been moved to the desired final position. During delivery of the system, a blocking and / or protective element may be provided in the area of ​​the open spaces to prevent accidental contact during delivery or damage to the individual conductors. This blocking and / or protective element can then be removed on-site and replaced with a contacting element once the positioning element has reached its final position.

[0016] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing. In the drawings:

[0017] Fig. 1 a number of individual conductors with a base element,

[0018] Fig. 2 a positioning element with a number of individual conductors,

[0019] Fig. 3 a positioning element with a contacting element,

[0020] Fig. 4 a positioning element with an additional

[0021] fastening element,

[0022] Fig. 5a - Fig 5c various positioning elements with different fastening and contacting elements,

[0023] Fig. 6a - Fig. 6c show a representation of the various positioning elements from a second perspective. Identical features are designated by the same reference numerals in all figures.

[0024] A base element 2 of a positioning element 1 is shown in Figure 1. The base element 2 comprises an insulating body with a number of chamber sections 4, which are elongated on the upper side 6 of the insulating body and arranged parallel to one another. These chamber sections 4 are essentially semicircular in cross-section and dimensioned such that they can each accommodate an individual conductor 8, but these are floating, i.e., movable, within the chamber sections 4, at least in the longitudinal direction of the chamber sections 4. The radius of the chamber sections 4 must therefore be slightly larger than the radius of the individual conductors 8.

[0025] It is possible for the chamber sections 4 to extend over the entire length of the base element 2 on the upper side 6 or, as shown in Figure 1, only over one or more receiving areas 10 arranged at a distance from one another. In the exemplary embodiment, an open space 12 is arranged next to the receiving area 10, in which the individual conductors are exposed and can, for example, be contacted. If several receiving areas 10 are provided in the base element 2, these can be arranged alternately with a corresponding number of open spaces 12. In this case, it is particularly conceivable for a receiving area 10 to be provided in each of the edge areas of the base element, while an open space 12 for contacting the conductors 8 is located in the middle.

[0026] Figure 2 shows the positioning element 1, which in its simplest basic variant comprises a base element 2 and a closure element 14. The closure element 14 also comprises an insulating body, which in the present exemplary embodiment is essentially U-shaped in cross-section. The closure element 14 according to Figure 2 also comprises chamber sections 16 on the inside of the U-shaped base. The number, positioning, and dimensions of these chamber sections 16 are adapted to the chamber sections 4 of the base element 2, so that when the base element 2 and the closure element 14 are brought together, the respective associated chamber sections 4, 16 each form a receiving chamber for receiving an individual conductor 8.

[0027] In the practical application of the positioning element 1, the individual conductors 8 are first placed in the chamber sections 4 of the base element 2 and then, in a second step, the closure element 14 is placed in the receiving area 10 on the base element 2 in order to form the complete receiving chambers for the individual conductors 8. In the embodiment shown here, the legs of the U-shaped closure element 14 encompass the base element 2 and are fastened to the base element with fastening elements not shown, for example in the form of locking elements.

[0028] Since the chamber sections 16 of the closure element 14 are adapted to the chamber sections 4 of the base element 2, the resulting receiving chambers are also dimensioned such that the individual conductors 8 are arranged so as to be displaceable in the longitudinal direction within the receiving chambers. The positioning element is thus designed in this first application to position the individual conductors parallel to one another and to keep them spaced apart. When several such positioning elements 1 are used along the linearly extending individual conductors 8, the individual conductors 8 are held in position parallel to one another and spaced apart from one another over a larger distance, thereby enabling a linear supply unit to be constructed using the simplest means.

[0029] Even though in the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the closure element 14 is U-shaped and engages around the base element 2 for fastening, it is also possible in principle for the base element 2 to be U-shaped and accordingly engage around the closure element 14 during assembly. Alternatively, other fastening methods, such as locking elements or screw connections, are also conceivable.

[0030] A positioning element 1 with an additional function and therefore also in a second type of use is shown in Figure 3. In this embodiment, a contacting element 18 is introduced into the free surface 12 of the base element 2. The contacting element 18 has corresponding contacts, such as insulation displacement connectors, which contact the individual conductors 8 when the contacting element 18 is plugged onto the base element 2. Since the individual conductors 8 are generally completely sheathed for safety reasons, the insulation displacement connectors penetrate the insulation of the individual conductors 8 to establish electrical contact with the copper wires of the individual conductor 8. The contacting element 18 also has corresponding connections to tap into and transmit current or signals from the individual conductors 8 or to introduce them into the individual conductors 8. This enables both feeding in and tapping via the positioning element 1.Due to the contacting of the individual conductors 8 via insulation displacement terminals and thus the penetration of these into the insulation, the positioning element 1 can no longer be moved longitudinally along the individual conductors 8 after the contacting element 18 has been plugged in. The positioning element 1 is therefore only fixed to the individual conductors 8 when the individual conductors 8 are contacted. If it is necessary to fix the positioning element 1 even without contacting the individual conductors 8, for example because no tapping or feeding is required over a longer section of the linear supply unit, but fixing is still desired to stabilize the system, it is possible to use a contacting element 18 without connections or with unused connections to fix the positioning element 1 and the individual conductors 8.

[0031] The dimensioning of the receiving chambers 16 thus makes it possible to freely move the positioning element along the individual conductors 8 in this first application and, in particular, to move the positioning elements 1 at the installation site, even during and after initial installation, to the locations along the linear supply unit where spacing and a feed or tapping are necessary. The two-part design as a base and closure element thus makes it particularly easy to subsequently insert positioning elements 1, move them to the desired position, and then, if desired, fix them in place using a contacting element 18.

[0032] In the embodiment according to Figure 4, a fastening element 24 is arranged on the underside 22. As shown, this can be designed as a separate element that is selected depending on the application and attached to the base element. However, it is also possible for it to be designed as a single piece with the base element 2 or to be attached to the closure element 14 or to be designed as a single piece with the closure element 14.

[0033] The fastening element 24 serves to fasten the positioning element 1 and thus also the individual conductors 8 or the entire linear supply system in corresponding channel-shaped devices, such as a support rail or a cable duct. The design of the fastening element 24 is adapted to the contour of the channel-shaped device. In one embodiment, the fastening element is clamped force-fittingly in the channel-shaped device via flexible or elastic edge regions 26. These flexible or elastic edge regions can be reached via material recesses 28 or spring-loaded pressure elements 30. In a second embodiment, a positive connection between the fastening element 28 and the channel-shaped device is possible, either alternatively or additionally.

[0034] Furthermore, the fastening element 28 can have guide elements, for example in the form of wheels, rollers or balls, which engage in corresponding guide rails of the channel-shaped device and can be moved along the guide rails.

[0035] Examples of such designs of the fastening element 24 are shown in Figures 5a - 5c and 6a - 6c, once from above and once from below. Figures 5a and 6a show a fastening plate 24 in its simplest form, which can, for example, be inserted into guide channels of a channel-shaped device and fixed there with external fastening elements. In Figures 5b and 6b, the positioning element 1 with the fastening element 24 from Figure 4 is shown again. The contacting element 18 is wide, which means that the connections are provided at the top, resulting in a T-shaped tap or a T-shaped feed. Figures 5c and 6c show both an alternative fastening element 24 and an alternative contacting element 18. The fastening element 24 comprises two spring elements 32, which are arranged in the transverse direction and each comprise two pressure elements 30, here in the form of balls.The spring force of the spring elements 32 pushes the pressure elements 30 toward the walls of the channel-shaped device, thereby securing the positioning element 1 in the channel-shaped device. The contacting element 18 is raised compared to the embodiment shown in Figs. 5b and 6b, allowing the connections to point in the longitudinal direction.

[0036] This allows for an H-shaped tap or an H-shaped feed.

[0037] List of reference symbols

[0038] 1 positioning element

[0039] 2 Basic element

[0040] 4 chamber section

[0041] 6 Top

[0042] 8 individual conductors

[0043] 10 Recording area

[0044] 12 open space

[0045] 14 locking element

[0046] 16 Chamber section

[0047] 18 Contacting element

[0048] 22 Bottom

[0049] 24 Fastening element

[0050] 26 Marginal area

[0051] 28 Material recess

[0052] 30 pressure element

[0053] 32 spring element

Claims

Claims: Positioning element (1) for a number of parallel individual conductors (8) comprising a base element (2) and a closure element (14), wherein the base element (2) and the closure element (14) each have at least one receiving area (10) with chamber sections (4, 16) configured such that, in the assembled state, they form a number of linearly extending and spaced-apart receiving chambers for receiving one individual conductor (8) each, characterized in that the receiving chambers are configured in cross-section such that the positioning element (1) is displaceable along the longitudinal extent of the individual conductors (8) at least in a first use. Positioning element (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving chambers have a diameter larger than the diameter of the individual conductors (8).Positioning element (1) according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the base element (2) has a fastening element (24), wherein the fastening element (24) is elastically designed at least section by transverse dimension to the direction of extension of the receiving chambers. Positioning element (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the elasticity of the fastening element (24) is achieved via material recesses (28) in the fastening element (24). Positioning element (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the elasticity of the fastening element (24) is achieved via spring elements (32). Positioning element (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the base element (2) has guide elements for the linear displacement of the positioning element (1) in at least the first use. Positioning element (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the locking element (14) and / or the base element (2) have detent elements for locking the locking element (14) to the base element (2). Positioning element (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the base element (2) has a clearance surface (12) for receiving one or more contacting elements (18).Positioning element (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the free area (12) is arranged between two receiving areas (10) with chamber sections (4). Method for constructing a linear conductor arrangement with a positioning element (1) comprising a base element (2) and a closure element (14) and a number of individual conductors (8), wherein the base element (2) comprises at least one receiving area (10) with a number of chamber sections (4), wherein a number of individual conductors (8) are placed in each chamber section (4) of the base element (2) and finally a closure element (14) with chamber sections (16) is attached to the base area (2) such that the chamber sections (16, 4) of the closure element (14) and of the base element (2) form a number of receiving chambers for the individual conductors (8). A method for constructing a linear conductor arrangement according to claim 10, characterized in that the positioning element (1) can be moved linearly along the individual conductors (8) at least in a first embodiment. A method for constructing a linear conductor arrangement according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the individual conductors (8) are contacted by means of a contacting element (18), which simultaneously fixes the positioning element (1) to the individual conductors (8).

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