Box for modular electrical equipment
The box design with pivoting mounting rails addresses access and installation challenges in electrical equipment boxes by enabling easy access to connection terminals and facilitating cable addition through individual rail pivoting.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2023010337
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-09-28
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-10
- Estimated Expiration
- 2043-09-28
AI Technical Summary
Existing electrical equipment boxes with removable mounting rails face difficulties in accessing connection terminals, especially when the box is high up, and adding cables or wires is not facilitated by the removable nature of the rails.
A box design featuring mounting rails with intermediate hinges that allow pivoting, enabling easy access to connection terminals and facilitating the addition of new cables or wires without removing the entire rail assembly.
The design simplifies access to connection terminals and facilitates the addition of new cables or wires by allowing individual rails to pivot, improving ease of maintenance and installation in electrical equipment boxes.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: Box for modular electrical equipment
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a box for modular electrical equipment. Technical field
[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of electricity distribution in a building, an apartment, a mobile home used as a residence or in the tertiary sector. Here, the term "box" refers to any structure intended to receive and group electrical equipment aligned on one or more rails. This term also includes electrical cabinets and other equivalent devices. The term "electrical panel" is sometimes used to refer to an "electrical box" Prior art
[0003] It is known in a box for electrical equipment to mount various modular electrical equipment, for example circuit breakers, differential switches, etc., on mounting rails (most often metallic) whose shape is standardized to facilitate the mounting and replacement of the equipment.
[0004] Most often, a cabinet is fixed to a vertical wall and the mounting rails are oriented horizontally. There are generally several mounting rails in a cabinet rather than having one large rail of a length adapted to all the devices required for the equipment. The mounting rails are then arranged opposite each other.
[0005] It is conventional to fix the mounting rails to a bottom wall (generally vertical) of the electrical equipment box. When the equipment is mounted on the mounting rails, the electrical connections are provided on the side of the equipment facing another mounting rail (or towards the top or bottom of the box). A distance is provided between the mounting rails to allow the electrical connections of the various equipment to be made.
[0006] When the number of devices is large, access to the connection terminals of the devices is not very easy. If the box is high up, the terminals are difficult to see and often difficult to access.
[0007] To facilitate access to the connection terminals of the devices, it is known to make the mounting rails removable from the box in which they are mounted. To make the electrical connections of the devices, the mounting rails are then separated from their box and once the connections have been made, the mounting rails assembly are replaced in the box.
[0008] Removable mounting rails facilitate initial assembly and connection of electrical equipment. However, when it is necessary to add a cable or wires to an already equipped box, the operation to be carried out is not necessarily made easier by the removable nature of the mounting rails. Summary
[0009] The present disclosure improves the situation. Its aim is in particular to provide a mounting rail and / or enclosure structure making it possible to facilitate intervention in an enclosure for electrical equipment as described above.
[0010] A box for electrical equipment is proposed having: - at least one mounting rail having two ends and defining a longitudinal axis, - a base comprising at least two supports, each support being intended to carry one end of the mounting rail.
[0011] According to the present disclosure, this box further comprises for at least one mounting rail: an intermediate hinge disposed between each end of a mounting rail and the corresponding support intended to carry said end of the mounting rail, each intermediate hinge comprises a bearing part and a rotating part pivotally mounted in said bearing, the bearing part of each intermediate hinge is mounted on a corresponding support by a removable connection, and the mounting rail in question is fixed to the rotating part, the axis of rotation between the rotating part and its bearing being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the mounting rail.
[0012] In this way, it is possible to removably position a mounting rail (with or without equipment) on support means. If only one intermediate hinge is detached from the base, then the corresponding mounting rail can pivot around the other intermediate hinge, thus facilitating access to the connections of the equipment located on the pivoted mounting rail and also providing access to the rear of the casing to facilitate the addition of a new cable and / or new electrical wires.
[0013] The features set out in the following paragraphs may, optionally, be implemented, independently of one another or in combination with one another:
[0014] - the base comprises two side members arranged parallel to each other and perpendicular to each mounting rail; the supports intended to carry one end of the rail are made on the two side members, each mounting rail being supported by the two side members; and / or
[0015] - an intermediate hinge comprises a stirrup having two branches connected by a base; the base, between the two branches, is arranged so as to form a bearing for the rotating part; each support has a well-shaped housing for receiving at least partially the branches of the stirrup.
[0016] In this last variant with a stirrup we can have:
[0017] - the two branches of the stirrup have different profiles, and in that the well-shaped housing of the supports has a shape adapted to provide keying; and / or
[0018] - the rotating part is in the form of a substantially cylindrical axis with from which extends radially a stud intended to cooperate with a mounting rail to allow the mounting rail to be fixed to the rotating part. In this variant, the stirrup may have a slot extending from one branch to the other, and the stud may slide in said slot which then serves as a rotation guide.
[0019] In the above embodiments, it may also be provided that the removable connection between a removable hinge and its corresponding support is a snap-fit connection. In this variant, for example, the removable hinge may comprise two flexible tabs, one at each end of the bearing-forming part, each flexible tab extending substantially in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the corresponding rotating part relative to its bearing, and each flexible tab may have a lug intended to cooperate with a fixed part of the corresponding support so that, on the one hand, when the hinge is placed on its support, the lug forces the tab into a bent position and, on the other hand, when the hinge is in place on its support, the tab returns to a rest position.
[0020] In a mounting box as shown above:
[0021] - the mounting rail can be screwed onto the rotating part of the hinge; and / or
[0022] - the bearing part and the rotating part of the hinge are each made of synthetic material by molding. Brief description of the drawings
[0023] Other characteristics, details and advantages will appear on reading the detailed description below, and on analyzing the appended figures, in which: Fig.l
[0024] [Fig.l] shows in perspective a box for modular electrical equipment according to an embodiment without electrical wiring. Fig. 2
[0025] [Fig.2] shows the electrical equipment box of [Fig.l] in a view exploded. Fig. 3
[0026] [Fig.3] shows a detail of [Fig.2]. Fig. 4
[0027] [Fig.4] shows in perspective a part forming a bearing for a hinge of a box for electrical equipment of the previous figures. Fig. 5
[0028] [Fig.5] shows the bearing part of [Fig.4] in front view. Fig. 6
[0029] [Fig.6] shows the bearing part of [Fig.4] in perspective at an angle of different view. Fig. 7
[0030] [Fig.7] shows in perspective a rotating part of a hinge of a box for ap electrical connections of figures 1 to 3. Fig. 8
[0031] [Fig.8] shows a detail of [Fig.l]. Description of the embodiments
[0032] Reference is now made to [Fig.l]. In this figure, the person skilled in the art recognizes modular electrical devices 2 each mounted on a mounting rail 4. In the exemplary embodiment there are two mounting rails 4 and these are mounted on two longitudinal members 6. These various elements are generally covered by a cover (not shown) or mounted in a box (not shown). Generally, they are protected in such a way that the potentially live electrical connections are not accessible.
[0033] Most often, a box for modular electrical equipment, also called an electrical box, is arranged on a vertical wall. This usual orientation is repeated in the following description to describe a relative positioning of the elements described.
[0034] In a known manner, a mounting rail 4 is a rail with a profiled shape over substantially its entire length with an omega section (Q). Such a mounting rail has a substantially flat bottom disposed between two edges folded at their end towards the outside of the mounting rail. The mounting rail has a longitudinal direction which is horizontal and the plane forming the bottom of the rail is assumed to be in a vertical plane, parallel to the wall intended to receive the electrical box.
[0035] The side members 6 have a complex shape (not profiled) but have an elongated shape. These side members are intended to be fixed to a vertical wall (wall or bottom of a box or cabinet) and extend vertically.
[0036] The present disclosure relates more particularly to the connection between the mounting rails 4 and the side members 6 which will be described in more detail here. This connection is made by an intermediate hinge which allows: - to secure a mounting rail 4 (or more precisely one end of such a rail) relative to a side member 6, - to pivot a mounting rail 4 relative to a side member 6, - to separate a mounting rail 4 (or more precisely one end of such a rail) from a side member 6.
[0037] The intermediate hinge is arranged between a mounting rail 4 and a side member 6. It has a bearing part 8 and another part which is a rotating part 10 pivotally mounted in said bearing. The bearing part 8 is mounted on the side member 6 while the rotating part 10 is fixed to the mounting rail 4. An embodiment of such an intermediate hinge is described below in an illustrative and non-limiting manner.
[0038] Figures 4 to 6 illustrate in more detail an embodiment of a bearing-forming part 8. In this embodiment, the bearing-forming part has a stirrup shape having at its two lateral ends a flexible tongue 12. It is for example produced by pressure molding of an electrically insulating and preferably fire-resistant synthetic material.
[0039] The stirrup has a first stirrup branch 14, a second stirrup branch 16 and a base 18. Each stirrup branch extends generally in a vertical plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the wall on which the electrical box is mounted when the intermediate hinge is mounted on the side member 6.
[0040] The first stirrup branch 14 is for example substantially flat. It extends from the base 18 towards the wall on which the electrical box is mounted. It has a substantially vertical free edge.
[0041] The second stirrup branch 16 extends from the base 18 towards the wall on which the electrical box is mounted. In the illustrated embodiment, this second stirrup branch 16 has a molding 20 which extends horizontally, that is to say in the direction of mounting (as described later) of the bearing-forming part 8 in the corresponding side member 6. This molding 20 forms for example a protrusion towards the outside of the stirrup. It thus provides a keying during the mounting of the bearing-forming part 8 on the corresponding side member 6 and also makes it possible to achieve a (vertical) positioning of said part relative to the side member 6.
[0042] The base 18 connects the two stirrup branches. Between these two branches, inside the stirrup, it defines a circular cylindrical surface (half-cylinder) with a vertical axis intended to serve as a bearing for the rotating part 10.
[0043] It is noted that the stirrup has a slot 22 extending horizontally (it is delimited by two horizontal flat faces) over the entire base 18 and partially over the first stirrup branch 14 and the second stirrup branch 16.
[0044] A peripheral rim 24 is formed along the entire edge of the slot 22. It extends outwardly from the stirrup perpendicular to the first stirrup branch 14, to the base 18 and to the second stirrup branch 16. Also noted is the presence of an upper rim 26 and a lower rim 28. The stirrup has an upper front surface and a lower front surface (both horizontal here) which respectively contain an upper front edge of the stirrup and a lower front edge of the stirrup. The upper rim 26 and the lower rim 28 extend outwardly from the stirrup radially from the upper front edge and the lower front edge respectively. The peripheral rim 24, the upper rim 26 and the lower rim 28 have substantially the same cross-sectional shape.
[0045] The two flexible tabs 12 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the stirrup of the bearing part 8. Each flexible tab 12 extends (in the rest position) in a substantially horizontal plane opposite the upper front edge and the lower front edge of the stirrup. In the example illustrated, the shape of the edge of each flexible tab 12 takes on the shape of the outer edge of the upper rim 26 or the lower rim 28.
[0046] Each flexible tongue 12 is connected to the stirrup of the bearing part 8 from the free edge of the first stirrup branch 14 and the second stirrup branch 16. The entire flexible tongue 12 is cantilevered relative to its connection with the stirrup, thus allowing said tongue to be flexible. To limit (a little) the flexibility of each flexible tongue 12, a stiffening rib 30 is provided each time between the flexible tongue 12 and the corresponding front edge of the stirrup.
[0047] It is noted that in the illustrated embodiment, the flexible tabs 12 each have a slot in their center so that each flexible tab 12 in top view has a U shape which corresponds substantially to the shape in top view of the stirrup of the bearing part 8.
[0048] The face opposite the stirrup of each flexible tongue 12 has, in the illustrated embodiment, on the one hand, two lugs 32 and an actuation button 34.
[0049] The lugs 32 are snap-on lugs. They thus have a tooth shape with an inclined face on the side of the free edges of the branches of the stirrup and a front face on the opposite side.
[0050] The actuating buttons 34 are provided to allow (facilitate) a user to flex the flexible tabs 12 towards the stirrup to release the lugs 32 as described later.
[0051] The rotating part 10 is illustrated in more detail in [Fig.7]. It is in the form of an axis 36 to cooperate with the bearing of the bearing-forming part 8, that is to say with the base 18 of the stirrup, said axis 36 being further provided with means for securing it to a mounting rail 4. The connecting means are here in the form of a stud 38 which extends radially from the axis 36.
[0052] The stud 38 has a substantially flat face 40 intended to serve as a bearing face with the flat bottom (see description given above) of the mounting rail 4. For fixing the mounting rail 4 with the stud 38, there is also provided, in the center of the face 40, a bore 42 intended to receive a fixing screw 44. For better relative positioning between the intermediate hinge and the mounting rail 4, two positioning fingers 46 are also provided projecting from the face 40. It can be seen in the figures ([Fig. 2] for example) that the flat bottom of the mounting rail 4 has bores corresponding, on the one hand, to the fixing screw 44 and, on the other hand, to the positioning fingers 46.
[0053] The stud 38 and the slot 22 of the stirrup are adapted to each other in such a way that the slot 22 guides the stud 38 in the rotational movement of the rotating part 10. The stud 38 thus has an upper face 48 and a lower face 50 which are horizontal (in the assembled position of the assembly).
[0054] The side members 6 each have a bearing face 52 intended to come against a wall, for example a wall or the bottom of a box or cabinet. Means, of the bore type, are provided for fixing the side members to said wall and other means, of the chimney type 54, are provided for receiving a cover or lid (not shown).
[0055] The side members 6 also comprise support means 56 for receiving intermediate hinges. In the example illustrated, since there are two mounting rails 4 provided, there are also two support means 56 per side member 6.
[0056] In the embodiment chosen here, the support means 56 are frames which define profiled housings extending perpendicularly to the bearing face 52 to allow the bearing-forming part 8 to be inserted and snapped into place by a translational movement (horizontal movement corresponding to a movement perpendicular to the bearing face 52 of the side members 6).
[0057] In Figures 3 and 8 in particular, it can be seen that the support means 56 have an upper frame 58 intended to cooperate with the upper edge 26 of the bearing-forming part 8 and which receives the upper flexible tongue 12. Similarly, a lower frame 60 is provided to cooperate with the lower edge 28 of the bearing-forming part 8 and receive the lower flexible tongue 12.
[0058] The upper frame 58 and the lower frame 60 are such that when the upper or lower flexible tab 12 is inserted into the corresponding frame, the lugs 32 come to bear against an edge of the frame to force the corresponding flexible tab 12 towards the stirrup. A window is also provided in the wall of the housing defined by the upper frame in the wall of the housing defined by the lower frame to receive the lug 32. It is thus possible to carry out a snap-fastening in a conventional manner. When the lugs 32 return to their respective windows, the flexible tabs 12 can return to their rest position. The lugs 32 then form a stop preventing a withdrawal movement out of the frame, the lugs 32 coming against an edge of the corresponding window.
[0059] The free ends of the first stirrup branch 14 and of the second stirrup branch 16 are housed in a central frame 62.
[0060] Advantageously, the support means 56 integrate elements to also cooperate with the rotating part 10. There is thus in the upper frame 58 and in the lower frame 60 a bearing tab 64 ([Fig.3]) which passes between the corresponding flexible tab 12 and the stirrup to hold one end of the axis 36. Similarly, a counter bearing 66 is provided to hold the axis 36 on the side opposite the base 18 of the stirrup.
[0061] As is apparent from the preceding description, the rotating part 10 is placed in the bracket of the bearing-forming part 8 in such a way that the stud 38 of the rotating part 10 is placed in the slot 22 of the bracket. This assembly can then be mounted in the support means 56 on the side members 6 by snap-fastening. Finally, a mounting rail is positioned using the fingers 46 on the face 40 of the stud 38 of the rotating part 10. Industrial application
[0062] This technical solution can be applied in boxes and other devices used for the electrical supply of a building - possibly mobile -, in particular a home or a tertiary building (office, business, etc.).
[0063] When the rotating part 10 is placed in the bearing part 8, there is then an intermediate hinge which can be positioned between a longitudinal member of a box base (or similar) and a mounting rail 4 for electrical equipment. For example, a mounting rail can be equipped with two intermediate hinges, one at each end of the mounting rail 4. Said rail, thus equipped, can snap onto two longitudinal members. The electrical equipment can be mounted on the rail and connected before being placed on the longitudinal members. The first assembly is then made easier.If subsequently a modification (addition or removal of modular electrical equipment) must be made to the box or if equipment must be changed, or more generally as soon as it is necessary to have access to the rear of a rail, then it is possible to unclip an intermediate hinge from its support means (from the side member) and the corresponding mounting rail can then pivot around the other intermediate hinge, thus facilitating subsequent intervention because it is not . no need to remove modular electrical equipment mounted on the rail.
[0064] The present disclosure is not limited to the preferred embodiment described above and illustrated in the drawing and to the variants mentioned above, solely by way of example, but it encompasses all the variants that may be envisaged by those skilled in the art within the framework of the protection sought.
Claims
Claims
1. Box for electrical equipment having: - at least one mounting rail (4) having two ends and defining a longitudinal axis, - a base comprising at least two supports (6), each support being intended to carry one end of the mounting rail, characterized in that it further comprises for at least one mounting rail: an intermediate hinge (8, 10) arranged between each end of a mounting rail (4) and the corresponding support (6) intended to carry said end of the mounting rail, in that each intermediate hinge (8, 10) comprises a bearing part (8) and a rotating part (10) pivotally mounted in said bearing, in that the bearing part (8) of each intermediate hinge is mounted on a corresponding support (6) by a removable connection, and in that the mounting rail (4) in question is fixed to the rotating part (10),the axis of rotation between the rotating part and its bearing being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the mounting rail.,
2. Box for electrical equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the base comprises two longitudinal members (6) arranged parallel to each other and perpendicular to each mounting rail (4), in that the supports (56) intended to carry one end of the rail are made on the two longitudinal members (6), each mounting rail (4) being supported by the two longitudinal members (6).
3. Box for electrical equipment according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that an intermediate hinge (8, 10) comprises a stirrup having two branches (14, 16) connected by a base (18), in that the base (18), between the two branches (14, 16), is arranged so as to form a bearing for the rotating part (10), in that each support (56) has a housing (62) in the form of a well to receive at least partially the branches (14, 16) of the stirrup.
4. Box for electrical equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that the two branches (14, 16) of the stirrup have different profiles, and in that the well-shaped housing (62) of the supports have a suitable shape to achieve a keying.
5. Box for electrical equipment according to one of claims 3 or 4, characterized in that the rotating part (10) is in the form of a substantially cylindrical axis (36) from which extends radially a stud (38) intended to cooperate with a mounting rail (4) to allow the fixing of the mounting rail (4) with the rotating part (10).
6. Box for electrical equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that the bracket has a slot (22) extending from one branch (14, 16) to the other (16, 14), and in that the stud (38) slides in said slot (22) which serves as a rotation guide.
7. Box for electrical equipment according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the removable connection between a removable hinge (8, 10) and its corresponding support (56) is a snap-on connection.
8. Box for electrical equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that the removable hinge (8, 10) comprises two flexible tabs (12), one at each end of the bearing-forming part (8), each flexible tab (12) extending substantially in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the corresponding rotating part (10) relative to its bearing, and in that each flexible tab (12) has a lug (32) intended to cooperate with a fixed part of the corresponding support so that, on the one hand, when the hinge (8, 10) is placed on its support (56), the lug forces the tab into a bent position and, on the other hand, when the hinge is in place on its support, the tab returns to a rest position.
9. Electrical equipment box according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the mounting rail (4) is screwed onto the rotating part (10) of the hinge.
10. Box for electrical equipment according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the bearing part (8) and the rotating part (10) of the hinge are each made of synthetic material by molding.