Housing for an electrical component

Abstract

To provide a housing for an electric component which is easily and safely maintained.SOLUTION: The invention relates to a housing (1) for an electrical component, having a service cover which closes a service opening (4) and beneath which is arranged a contact protection cover (3) which likewise closes the service opening (4) and which has to be removed in order to access the service opening (4) or the interior of the housing (1). As a result, work safety can be significantly increased.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a housing for an electrical component.

[0002] Housings for electrical components, such as converter housings, are well known and are already in wide use, whereby in order to be able to carry out service work on the electrical components arranged in the housing, such as converters, for example, to replace fuses, many of these housings are provided with so-called service covers which, after removal, open up access to the interior space of the housing in which the electrical components are arranged.

[0003] However, a drawback of the housings known so far from the prior art is that after removing the service cover, direct and unprotected access to the electrical components is possible if the electrical components are still under voltage, which can pose a risk to the body and life of the service personnel.

[0004] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The problem addressed by the present invention is therefore to provide a housing for electrical components which is designed to be easier and safer to maintain.

[0005] This problem is solved according to the invention by the subject matter of independent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0006] The present invention is based on the general idea that a known housing for electrical components with a service opening additionally includes, in addition to a removable service cover, a touch-protective cover arranged below the service cover, which prevents direct access to parts of the electrical component, possibly carrying voltage, after the service cover is removed. The housing for electrical components according to the present invention then has the above-described service cover that closes the service opening in the housing. In this case, a touch-protective cover that also closes the service opening is arranged below the service cover, and must be removed to access the interior space of the housing. Thus, when a service technician removes the service cover from the housing, for example to perform maintenance work, the service technician is directly confronted with the touch-protective cover that still closes the service opening. For example, this touch-protective cover can be printed with warning instructions regarding the voltage that may be present, so that the service technician must first remove the touch-protective cover that closes the service opening to reach the electrical component. This provides additional safety for the service technician, for example to protect the service technician from unwanted electric shock.

[0007] In an advantageous development of the housing according to the invention, the touch-protective cover is connected to the housing via a loss prevention device, in which case the service cover cannot be secured to the housing to close the service opening unless the touch-protective cover closes the service opening, in particular unless the loss prevention device is retracted accordingly. The loss prevention device can be configured, for example, as an anti-drop cable connected to the housing on the one hand and to the touch-protective cover on the other hand. Thus, if one attempts to secure the service cover to the housing to close the service opening without first positioning the touch-protective cover in the service opening and retracting the loss prevention device, the touch-protective cover will still hang down from the service opening via the loss prevention device, which would extend beyond the edge of the service opening and prevent the service cover from fitting tightly to the edge of the service opening. This forces the service technician to reliably close the service opening while installing the touch-protective cover, thereby preventing a subsequent service technician from having direct access to the electrical components after removing the service cover, thereby avoiding the risk of electric shock that could occur if the electrical components are still under voltage.

[0008] In an advantageous development of the housing according to the invention, the loss prevention means is configured as a fall prevention cable, in particular as a wire or plastic rope. Such a fall prevention cable, in particular made of wire, is not only inexpensive to implement but also reliably fulfills the intended purpose of the loss prevention means. Two tongues arranged on the end sides of the fall prevention cable allow the fall prevention cable to be connected, in particular screwed, to the housing on the one hand and to the touch protection cover on the other. The design of the fall prevention cable made of wire offers the significant advantage of providing an extremely wear-resistant loss prevention means that reliably fulfills its function, preferably over the entire service life of the housing. A loss prevention means configured as a plastic cable offers the advantage of not being electrically conductive.

[0009] In another advantageous embodiment of the housing according to the invention, two measuring openings for a voltage tester are arranged in the touch-protective cover. Thus, in addition to the warning indications arranged on the touch-protective cover, the touch-protective cover can additionally have two measuring openings for a voltage tester, through which the measuring tips of the voltage tester can penetrate the touch-protective cover and reach the current-carrying parts of the electrical components arranged in the housing. This makes it possible to reliably and quickly indicate to the service person whether the electrical components arranged in the housing are under voltage and therefore whether there is a danger to body and life, or whether the electrical components must first be switched off.

[0010] In a preferred development of the housing according to the invention, in particular for high-voltage components, the electrical component is configured as a current transformer, in particular a converter, which is located at the connection point between the various voltage levels of the direct current circuit.

[0011] The housing itself may be made of, for example, plastic, in particular as a plastic injection-molded part, which allows it to be produced not only cheaply but also with high quality.

[0012] In another advantageous embodiment of the housing according to the invention, the service cover is screwed to the housing. Screwing the service cover to the housing allows, on the one hand, a secure fixation of the service cover to the housing, and, on the other hand, easy removal of the service cover from the housing in terms of assembly technology by unscrewing the individual screws. In this case, if screws with special screw heads or threaded openings are used, these screws can simultaneously form a kind of lock, so that the service technician needs a corresponding tool bit as a key to be able to unscrew the service cover. This makes it particularly difficult for unauthorized persons to access the service cover.

[0013] Additionally or alternatively, according to a particularly preferred embodiment, the touch-protective cover can also be screwed to the housing. When the service technician removes the service cover, he or she is confronted with a touch-protective cover that is provided with, for example, a warning indication. To remove the touch-protective cover, for example, additional screws can have to be removed, thereby at least making direct and particularly inappropriate access to the electrical components arranged in the housing more difficult. In this case, the screws connecting the touch-protective cover to the housing can likewise have special screw heads, so that the touch-protective cover can only be removed with an associated, complementary tool bit, thereby reliably preventing access by unauthorized persons.

[0014] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the housing according to the invention, a seal is arranged between the service cover and the housing. To ensure the functionality of the electrical components in the housing, it is necessary to reliably prevent water from entering the housing. This can be achieved relatively easily by a seal arranged between the housing and the service cover, and this type of seal can be configured, for example, as a sealing cord with a circular cross section.

[0015] Further important features and advantages of the invention are set out in the dependent claims, the drawings and the corresponding description of the drawings based on the drawings.

[0016] It is to be understood that the features mentioned above and those further described below can be used not only in the respective combinations described, but also in different combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the invention. The components mentioned above and further described below of a higher-level unit, such as a device, apparatus or assembly shown separately, may form separate components or elements of this unit, or may be integrated regions or divisions of this unit, even if they are shown in different formats in the drawings.

[0017] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the drawings and explained in detail in the following description, where like reference numerals refer to identical or similar or functionally identical elements.

[0018] In this case, the figures are each diagrammatic. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 shows a housing according to the invention with a service cover closing the service opening; [Figure 2] 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with the service cover removed and the touch protection cover placed underneath closing the service opening.

[0020] 1 and 2, a housing 1 according to the invention for an electrical component (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, which may be configured as a converter, for example) has a service cover 2 that closes a service opening 4 located thereunder (see FIG. 1). A touch-protective cover 3 (see FIG. 2), which also closes the service opening 4, and an additional interlock switch 9 are arranged below the service cover 2; in this case, the touch-protective cover 3 must also be removed to access the service opening 4 or the interior space of the housing 1. When the service cover 2 is removed, it operates the interlock switch 9, interrupting the interlock current circuit, i.e., interrupting the high voltage. For this purpose, the touch-protective cover 3 is provided with a corresponding recess or notch 10, through which the interlock switch 9 can interact with the service cover 2. Because a certain time is required for the high voltage to drop, the removal of the touch-protective cover 3 is configured by various screws in such a way that a certain time is required to remove the cover, during which the high voltage must be dropped.

[0021] In this case, the touch protection cover 3 provided according to the invention offers the great advantage that direct, possibly dangerous, access to the electrical components arranged in the housing 1 is not possible simply by removing the service cover 2. Since the electrical components arranged in the housing 1 may be under voltage in some circumstances, direct and immediate access by simply removing the service cover 2 may in some circumstances lead to a high risk for service personnel who overlook the warning indications 5 attached to the service cover 2.

[0022] However, with the housing 1 according to the invention, service personnel do not have direct access to the electrical components arranged within the housing 1 after removing the service cover 2, because such direct access after removing the service cover 2 is prevented by the touch-protection cover 3.

[0023] In this case, two measuring openings 6 for a voltage tester can be arranged in the touch-protective cover 3, so that a service person can check whether an electrical component arranged in the housing 1 is under voltage using a voltage tester inserted through the two measuring openings 6 before removing the touch-protective cover 3. In this case, the measuring openings 6 are arranged and oriented toward the voltage-carrying parts of the electrical component so that the service person can simply insert the measuring tip of the measuring instrument to contact the voltage-carrying parts of the electrical component and measure the voltage. Furthermore, warning indications 5 are arranged on the touch-protective cover 3 as well, for example, as on the housing 1, to multiplexly warn the service person of the dangers that may arise from the situation.

[0024] The touch-protective cover 3 may be connected to the housing 1 via a loss prevention device 7, which is arranged in the housing 1, i.e., below the touch-protective cover 3, as shown in FIG. 2 and is therefore only shown with dashed lines. In this case, the service cover 2 cannot be fixed over the service opening 4 unless the touch-protective cover 3 is installed and thus the service opening 4 is closed. If the touch-protective cover 3 is not installed, the loss prevention device 7 hangs down from the service opening 4, in particular beyond the edge 8 of the service opening 4, so that a sealed assembly of the service cover 2 is not possible there. This ensures that the touch-protective cover 3 is not left uninserted. This also provides increased safety for subsequent service personnel, who do not run the risk of the previous service personnel having installed the touch-protective cover 3 incorrectly again.

[0025] The loss prevention means 7 may in this case be formed in particular as a wire or fall prevention cable made of a non-conductive plastic material, which makes it possible to provide a reliable, wear-resistant and durable loss prevention means 7.

[0026] The electrical components arranged in the housing 1 may, for example, be configured as a converter. Purely theoretically, further electrical components are also conceivable. However, what all electrical components have in common is that they are under voltage during operation, which could pose a danger to service personnel. Therefore, if a service technician removes the service cover 2, for example, to replace a fuse in the housing 1, the service technician must always check beforehand whether the electrical components arranged in the housing 1 are still under voltage. If the touch-protection cover 3 were not present, the service technician would have direct access to the electrical components arranged in the housing 1 after removing the service cover 2, which would pose a considerable risk to the service technician. This is because repairs and, above all, maintenance work often have to be carried out under certain time pressure these days.

[0027] However, the touch-protective cover 3 provided according to the invention reminds the service person that the electrical components arranged in the housing 1 may be under voltage under certain circumstances, which is dangerous. Furthermore, the two measuring openings 6 arranged in the touch-protective cover 3 offer the service person in charge the possibility of a risk-free voltage check.

[0028] In order to ensure a secure connection of the touch protection cover 3 to the housing 1, the touch protection cover 3 can be screwed onto the housing 1. Similarly, it is also conceivable to screw the service cover 2 onto the housing 1. In this case, if a screw with a locking screw opening is used, the service person will need a tool bit that is complementary to the locking screw opening and forms a key for the locking screw in order to be able to remove both the service cover 2 and the touch protection cover 3.

[0029] This key-lock principle, consisting of a screw and the associated tool bit, also prevents unauthorized persons from directly accessing the electrical components, in particular by removing the screw fastenings of the service cover 2 or the touch-protection cover 3.

[0030] In order to simultaneously effectively protect the electrical components arranged in the housing 1 from the ingress of water, a seal can be arranged between the service cover 2 and the housing 1. Such a seal can be configured, for example, as a sealing cord with a circular cross section and can enable a watertight closure of the service opening 4 by the service cover 2.

[0031] In particular, the housing 1 according to the invention and the touch-protective cover 3 provided thereon can significantly increase work safety for service personnel, since not only are service personnel warned of the risk of electric shock by means of warning indications 5 arranged, for example, on the service cover 2 and the touch-protective cover 3, but at the same time the touch-protective cover 3 prevents direct access to the electrical components arranged in the housing 1, even after the service cover 2 has been easily removed.

[0032] The loss prevention means 7 further ensures that, on the one hand, the touch protection cover 3 is not lost, and, on the other hand, that the service opening 4 cannot be closed by the service cover 2 unless the touch protection cover 3 has been correctly installed beforehand. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1. Housing 2 Service Cover 3 Contact protection cover 4 Service opening 5 Warning instructions 6 Measurement aperture 7. Loss prevention measures 8 Edge 9 Interlock Switch 10 Notch

Claims

1. A housing (1) for an electrical component, A service cover (2) is provided to close the service opening (4), A touch protection cover (3) is arranged under the service cover (2), which also closes the service opening (4), and which must be removed to gain access to the service opening (4) or the interior space of the housing (1). Housing (1).

2. 2. The housing (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the touch protection cover (3) is connected to the housing (1) via a loss prevention means (7), and the service cover (2) cannot be fixed unless the touch protection cover (3) closes the service opening (4).

3. 3. The housing (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the loss prevention means (7) is formed as an anti-fall cable.

4. 4. The housing (1) according to claim 1, wherein the contact protection cover (3) is provided with two measuring openings (6) for a voltage tester.

5. 5. The housing (1) according to claim 1, wherein the housing (1) is made from plastic, in particular as a plastic injection molding.

6. 6. The housing (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the service cover (2) is screwed to the housing (1).

7. 7. The housing (1) according to claim 1, wherein the touch protection cover (3) is screwed to the housing (1).

8. 8. The housing (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a seal is arranged between the service cover (2) and the housing (1).

9. 9. The housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the service cover (2) closes the current circuit of an interlock switch.

10. 10. The housing (1) according to claim 1, wherein the touch protection cover (3) has a recess (10) for guiding an interlock switch through the service cover (2).

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