Insulating cartridge for electrical contacts

Abstract

The invention relates to an insulating cartridge for electrically insulating contacts of medium- and high-voltage connectors. The cartridge is tubular and comprises a front portion and a rear portion that are separated by an internal partition comprising a passage designed to receive and retain an electrical terminal comprising an electrical contact. The cartridge also comprises an internal wall that projects frontwardly from the internal partition and an insulation sleeve designed to cover the inside of the insulating cartridge, the insulation sleeve comprising a front sleeve portion and a rear sleeve portion that are separated by a narrow portion.

Description

INSULATING CARTRIDGE FOR ELECTRICAL CONTACTS DESCRIPTIVE MEMORY TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention is aimed at the medium- or high-voltage electrical connector or plug industry, such as those used in installations and equipment in the electromechanical, mining, and manufacturing industries, among others. In particular, it provides a solution for improving the electrical insulation of such connectors or plugs. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] In the state of the art, medium- and high-voltage plugs are known to use insulating cartridges to electrically isolate the metal contacts housed inside. These insulating cartridges are generally made of silicone by pressing, molding, or injection.

[0003] An example of this type of cartridge is disclosed in Chilean Patent No. 50,380, which comprises a tubular body and a reinforcement zone at the interface between the cartridge and the insulating support. The cartridge also comprises a depression on its outer surface configured to receive a reinforcement ring or bushing made of nylon or another polymer or insulating material to increase the mechanical strength of the silicone insulating cartridge and thus prevent contact displacement and, consequently, possible plug failure.

[0004] While the solution described in the aforementioned patent effectively prevents the movement of electrical contacts inside the cartridge, minimizing plug failures, the demands of the electrical industry require constantly increasing the electrical insulation capacity of medium- and high-voltage plugs in order to improve the safety of facilities, people, and equipment.

[0005] It is therefore the objective of the present invention to provide an insulating cartridge for medium and high voltage plugs with an improved electrical insulation capacity. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention consists of an insulating cartridge for electrically isolating medium and high voltage plug contacts. The cartridge has a tubular shape and comprises a front portion and a rear portion separated by an inner partition comprising a passage configured to receive and retain an electrical terminal comprising an electrical contact. The cartridge also comprises an inner wall projecting frontally from the inner partition and an insulating sleeve configured to internally line the insulating cartridge, said insulating sleeve comprising a front sleeve portion and a rear sleeve portion separated by a narrow portion.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the anterior sleeve portion internally lines the interior wall of the cartridge, the posterior sleeve portion internally lines the rear wall of the cartridge, and the narrow portion internally lines the passageway of the interior septum of the cartridge.

[0008] The fact that the cartridge comprises an inner wall and is covered by an insulating sleeve significantly increases the insulation capacity of a connection between electrical contacts compared to state-of-the-art devices, since it incorporates a greater amount of insulating material around the contacts.

[0009] In this sense, in a tongue-and-groove plug connection, the electrical contacts inside insulating cartridges such as those of the prior art are insulated solely by the overlapping walls of said cartridges, i.e., by two layers of insulating material. In contrast, with the cartridge of the present invention, the connection of the electrical contacts is insulated by the overlapping of the cartridge's interior walls and by the overlapping of the cartridge's exterior walls, i.e., by four layers of insulating material, which doubles the insulation capacity of prior-art single-wall cartridges.

[0010] In addition to the above, the superposition of the anterior portions of the insulation sleeves adds two additional layers (six in total), which ultimately and advantageously triples the insulation capacity of the state-of-the-art single-wall cartridges.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the rear sheath portion comprises arc extinguishers at its rear end, which preferably consist of an arrangement of parallel, fin-shaped segmented rings. These elements advantageously allow for the extinguishing of any electric arc that may arise within the insulation.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the cartridge may comprise a reinforcing sleeve that lines the inside of the front wall of the cartridge, which preferably has a tubular shape and is preferably made of silicone. Advantageously, the reinforcing sleeve adds a seventh layer of insulation to an electrical contact connection.

[0013] According to a first embodiment, the inner wall of the cartridge has a cylindrical shape and is loosely separated from the electrical contact.

[0014] According to a second embodiment, the inner wall of the cartridge is cylindrical in shape and is closely separated from the electrical contact.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the insulating cartridge is manufactured from selected materials: thermoplastic polymers, silicones and composite materials.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment, the insulating cartridge is made of thermoplastic polymers, which guarantees a more rigid and secure coupling of the electrical contacts compared to state-of-the-art silicone cartridges, without requiring additional reinforcement rings or bushings.

[0017] In one embodiment, the insulation sleeve is made of silicone, which provides excellent electrical insulation and adequate flexibility to be inserted into the insulating cartridge. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0018] As part of the application, the following representative figures of the invention are presented, which show preferred configurations thereof and, therefore, should not be considered as limiting the definition of the claimed subject matter. Figure 1 illustrates state-of-the-art insulating cartridges for male and female plugs. Figures 2a and 2b illustrate an insulating sleeve configured within an insulating cartridge for male-type plugs. Figures 3a and 3b illustrate an insulating sleeve configured within an insulating cartridge for female type plugs. Figure 4a illustrates an example of application of the cartridge of the invention in a male-type plug. Figure 4b illustrates an example of application of the cartridge of the invention in a female type plug. Figure 5 illustrates the joining of male and female insulating cartridge assemblies into plugs as shown in Figures 4a and 4b. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Figure 1 shows sectional views of insulating cartridges for electrical plugs of the state of the art, in particular a male insulating cartridge 10 and a female insulating cartridge 20, which have a tubular shape and can be manufactured in a single piece and from some type of polymer such as thermoplastics, composite materials or silicones.

[0020] The male insulating cartridge 10 comprises a front portion 11 and a rear portion 12 separated by an inner partition 13 which in turn has a passage 14 configured to receive and retain a male electrical terminal 1, thus being housed inside the male insulating cartridge 10. The male electrical terminal 1 comprises a male electrical contact 2 at its end which is housed inside the front portion 11 of the cartridge. The latter also comprises an inner cylindrical wall 15 which projects frontally from the inner partition 13 and which is loosely separated from the male electrical contact 2.

[0021] For its part, the female insulating cartridge 20 comprises a front portion 21 and a rear portion 22 separated by an inner partition 23 having a passage 24 configured to receive and retain a female electrical terminal 3, thus being housed inside the female insulating cartridge 20. The female electrical terminal 3 comprises a female electrical contact 4 at its end which is housed inside the front portion 21 of the cartridge. The latter also comprises an inner cylindrical wall 25 which projects frontally from the inner partition 23 and which is closely separated from the female electrical contact 4.

[0022] According to Figure 2a, the male insulating cartridge 10 is configured to receive inside it a male insulating sleeve 30 with a tubular shape and preferably made of silicone.

[0023] As can be seen in more detail in Figure 2b, the male insulation sleeve 30 comprises a front sleeve portion 31 with a cylindrical shape and a rear sleeve portion 32 with a tapered end, both portions being separated by a narrow portion 33 with a cylindrical shape and reduced diameter. In this way, the front sleeve portion 31 internally lines the inner wall of the cartridge, the rear sleeve portion 32 internally lines the rear wall of the cartridge and the narrow portion 33 internally lines the passage of the inner septum of the cartridge.

[0024] In addition, the rear sheath portion 32 comprises at its rear end electric arc extinguishers 34, which consist of an arrangement of parallel segmented rings in the form of fins.

[0025] Continuing with Figure 3a, the female insulating cartridge 20 is configured to receive inside it a female insulating sleeve 40 and a reinforcing sleeve 50 with a tubular shape and preferably made of silicone.

[0026] As can be seen in more detail in Figure 3b, the female insulation sleeve 40 comprises a front sleeve portion 41 with a cylindrical shape and a rear sleeve portion 42 with a tapered end, both portions being separated by a narrow portion 43 with a cylindrical shape and reduced diameter. Thus, the front sleeve portion 41 internally lines the inner wall of the cartridge, the rear sleeve portion 42 internally lines the rear wall of the cartridge and the narrow portion 43 internally lines the passage of the inner septum of the cartridge. In turn, the reinforcing sleeve 50 internally lines the front wall of the cartridge.

[0027] In addition, the rear sheath portion 42 comprises at its rear end electric arc extinguishers 44, which consist of an arrangement of parallel segmented rings in the form of fins.

[0028] Figure 4a illustrates a three-phase male plug connector 100 for voltages between 5 and 35 kV of the state of the art, where each of its terminals has an insulating cartridge with a male insulation sleeve 30 as described above.

[0029] For its part, Figure 4b illustrates a three-phase socket board 200 for voltages between 5 and 35 kV of the state of the art, where each of its terminals has an insulating cartridge with a female insulation sleeve 40 and a reinforcement sleeve 50 as described above.

[0030] Finally, Figure 5 shows a sectional view of the three-phase male plug connector 100 connected to the three-phase female plug board 200 (with its terminals not shown) as shown in Figures 4a and 4b, showing the insulation mechanism obtained by the insulating cartridges of the present invention. In this sense, it can be seen how the female front sheath portion 41 is inserted into the male front sheath portion 31 and how the reinforcing sheath 50 surrounds said connection, resulting in an electrical insulation of three layers in addition to the four layers provided by the superposition of the walls of the insulating cartridges themselves.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An insulating cartridge for electrically isolating medium and high voltage plug contacts, which has a tubular shape and comprises: a front portion (11, 21) and a rear portion (12, 22) separated by an inner partition (13, 23) comprising a passage (14, 24) configured to receive and retain an electrical terminal comprising an electrical contact; CHARACTERIZED in that it comprises an inner wall (15, 25) projecting frontally from the inner partition (13, 23); and in that it comprises an insulating sleeve configured to internally line the insulating cartridge, said insulating sleeve comprising a front sleeve portion (31, 41) and a rear sleeve portion (32, 42) separated by a narrow portion (33, 43).

2. The insulating cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the front sleeve portion (31, 41) internally lines the inner wall (15, 25) of the cartridge; the rear sleeve portion (32, 42) internally lines the rear wall (12, 22) of the cartridge; and the narrow portion (33, 43) internally lines the passage (14, 24) of the inner partition (13, 23) of the cartridge.

3. The insulating cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, CHARACTERIZED in that the rear sleeve portion (32, 42) comprises electric arc extinguishers (34, 44) at its rear end.

4. The insulating cartridge according to claim 3, CHARACTERIZED in that the electric arc extinguishers (34, 44) consist of an arrangement of parallel segmented rings in the form of fins.

5. The insulating cartridge according to any of the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that it comprises a reinforcing sleeve (50) that internally covers the front wall (21) of the cartridge.

6. The insulating cartridge according to claim 5, CHARACTERIZED in that the reinforcing sleeve (50) has a tubular shape.

7. The insulating cartridge according to claim 5 or 6, CHARACTERIZED in that the reinforcing sleeve (50) is made of silicone.

8. The insulating cartridge according to any of the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that the inner wall (15, 25) has a cylindrical shape.

9. The insulating cartridge according to claim 8, CHARACTERIZED in that the inner wall (15) is loosely separated from the electrical contact.

10. The insulating cartridge according to claim 8, CHARACTERIZED in that the inner wall (25) is closely separated from the electrical contact.

11. The insulating cartridge according to any of the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that it is manufactured from materials selected from: thermoplastic polymers, silicones and composite materials.

12. The insulating cartridge according to any of the preceding claims, CHARACTERIZED in that the insulating sleeve is made of silicone.

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