Covering device

Abstract

The invention relates to a device at least consisting of a cover (10) on the top side for receiving an electrical component, such as a connection terminal, for attaching at least one electrical conductor, and a base (14) on the bottom side which, provided with an opening (16) on the base side, serves to receive a further electrical component, such as an insulating bushing, which can be electrically conductively connected to the one electrical component, characterized in that the cover (10) and the base (14) are two components which can be separated from one another, which form a covering hood when assembled as a whole and, by means of a height adjustment (20), with an engaging device, they adopt different positions to one another in such a way that, in a predefinable mounting frame, differently designed electrical components can be covered with only one covering hood.

Description

[0001] COVERING DEVICE

[0002] The invention relates to a device comprising at least a top-side hood for receiving an electrical component, such as a terminal block, for attaching at least one electrical conductor, and a bottom-side base, which is provided with a bottom-side opening for receiving a further electrical component, such as an insulating candle, which can be electrically connected to the first electrical component.

[0003] EP 1 638 180 A1 discloses a cover for the head of an insulating candle, which is arranged between a low-voltage connection of a power supply unit and a connecting cable extending from the low-voltage connection either substantially laterally or parallel to the longitudinal axis of the insulating candle, wherein the cover is made in one piece from an elastomer and has a separating slot extending in the axial direction of the insulating candle, which is closable and extends continuously along one of the side walls of the cover on the side for connecting the laterally arranged connecting cable into the head of the cover and is perforated at the two points for connecting the connecting cable extending laterally or parallel to the longitudinal axis by openings for inserting a corresponding fitting insert.The openings extend transversely and longitudinally to the separation slot on both sides, and a fitted insert with pre-cut, breakable cable entry openings is inserted into each of the two openings. The connecting cable exits laterally from inside the hood, which is made in one piece from an elastomeric plastic and has a separation slot on the side where the connecting cable exits laterally. This slot opens the hood sufficiently to allow it to be placed over the entire head unit of the insulating candle. The fitted insert ensures that the opening not required for the exiting cable connections is touch-proof and sealed in such a way as to prevent contamination of the electrical connection located inside the hood.

[0004] DE 103 32 704 A1 discloses a weather protection device for electrical components that can be connected to electrical systems via cables laid in the ground, comprising a column body constructed longitudinally from at least one base module, which is freely accessible at the top, bottom and at least one longitudinal side and on which at least one weather protection hood and / or a mounting tray and / or a base plate and / or an upper cover plate and / or a mounting plate for arranging components in the column body and / or a cover plate for the open longitudinal side can be mounted.

[0005] Further flexibility of the weather protection device can be achieved by providing the column body with a grid of holes, allowing the individual components to be attached to the column body at a height optimally adapted to the respective application. The holes are preferably threaded, although it is also possible to press nuts into them. In both cases, the respective screw connection between the components and the column body is easy to create, although this still involves a certain amount of time and effort. Based on this prior art, the invention aims to further improve known solutions while retaining their advantages. A device with the features of claim 1 in its entirety achieves this objective.

[0006] According to the characterizing part of claim 1, the hood and the base are two separable components which, when assembled, form a cover as a whole and which can assume different positions relative to each other by means of a height adjustment with a locking device, such that differently designed electrical components in a predefined mounting frame can be covered with only one cover, it is possible in a simple and cost-effective way to adapt the device or the cover to predefined installation conditions without having to define screw connections for length adjustment of hood components in a time-consuming manner.

[0007] Customers ordering such devices often don't know the height of the transformer or insulation candles used. Therefore, it's a significant advantage to have a height-adjustable, or rather, length-adjustable, cover. This cover, with its integrated locking mechanism, allows for quick and easy adjustment to the height of the transformer or insulation candles on-site, without the need for additional components like screws. Using separate covers with different lengths for each type of transformer or insulation candle has the disadvantage of requiring them to be kept in stock for extended periods, which in turn increases availability costs.If, as further outlined in the prior art, so-called soft PVC covers are used, which can deform in a sealing manner, they have the disadvantage that they increasingly outgas over their service life, and a greasy film can form on the transformer cover. For a technician who regularly performs maintenance work on such transformers, it is often unclear whether the transformer cover is simply "sweating" or whether a leak has occurred between the transformer cover and the bushing, which regularly necessitates more extensive maintenance work.Furthermore, due to the sometimes limited space available, there is not always sufficient room between the cable penetrations for soft PVC hoods, which are regularly pressed outwards in the case of smaller transformer penetrations and thus, in the worst case, can impair the function of adjacent hoods, namely, in particular, to permanently guarantee reliable weather and contact protection.

[0008] Due to the adjustable height of the covers according to the invention, the user can reliably place the cover onto a transformer cover, regardless of the transformer feedthrough length, depending on the specified grid dimension, thus reliably covering all possible sizes of transformer and / or insulation candles. The geometric design of the cover, including the height adjustment with the locking mechanism, is such that within a predefined range, both the smallest and largest candle sizes, including intermediate sizes, can be covered.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, the locking mechanism has at least one detent, preferably located on the hood, which can be locked to a series of locking ribs arranged one behind the other, preferably located on the base. It is further preferred that the locking ribs on the base form part of a tab formed from a wall section of the base, in particular a section partially cut out of this section, projecting beyond its edge towards the attachable hood with a predefinable length. Due to the tongue-like nature of the tab with the locking ribs, secure locking with the respective detent of the hood is ensured, and the spacing between the individual locking ribs can be predetermined such that the desired height adjustment is finely graduated.Only minimal force is required to both engage and disengage the locking mechanism. Furthermore, any accidentally incorrect height setting can be easily corrected by hand.

[0010] A particularly space-saving feature is the placement of the height adjustment mechanism in the rear section of the cover, which, in contrast, has access areas at the front and top that can be at least partially closed by a door or cover. Alternatively, the height adjustment mechanism can also be located in a side section of the cover. In this way, the device, or rather the cover, is divided into different functional areas: one for height adjustment and the other for the installation of a cable or wiring system using at least one electrical conductor or cable. This separation into front and back sections ensures that the functions of these sections do not interfere with each other.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, when the door of the cover is closed, the cover, depending on the mounting direction, provides access to one electrical component, in particular in the form of the terminal block, either at the front or top. This access is used to connect the respective electrical conductor to the electrical component from the front or from above. Both the door and the cover provide reliable protection against contact and weathering, corresponding to protection classes IP2X and IPX4, respectively, through the connection between the respective transformer or insulation candle and the electrical conductor.In a further particularly preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, the cover is designed at right angles and has a closed and an open side such that, depending on the position of the cover on the hood, the open side faces forward or upward, and the closed side faces upward or forward. The aforementioned cover guide, along with the option of mounting it on the upper hood, allows the respective electrical conductor to be fed into the cover from the free end face or the top face during assembly. Furthermore, an area can be left free on the top of the cover to accommodate a so-called ball-type fixed point, thus enabling the attachment of grounding and short-circuiting devices if necessary. To ensure the safety of the installer, this ball-type fixed point must not be freely accessible.However, the cover for the ball-bearing fixed point must be able to be opened with an approximately 2-meter-long grounding rod.

[0012] In the interest of achieving the desired modularity, it is further preferably provided that the door and the lid form releasable clip connections with wall parts of the preferably U-shaped hood, which allow individual components of the cover to be replaced with other components if necessary or in case of damage.

[0013] For simplified assembly, the cover is further designed with tongue-shaped contact surfaces inside, in the form of clips, for securing it to a single electrical component, specifically the block-shaped terminal block. This terminal block is connected to the transformer or insulation candle from below and to the respective connecting cable (the electrical conductor) from another side or the top. These tongue-shaped contact surfaces also increase modularity, meaning that a single type of cover can accommodate a variety of different terminal blocks.

[0014] In a further preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, the base can be mounted on a third component, such as a transformer, by means of individual feet, and a passage for fluid, such as transformer fluid, is at least partially left open between the feet. Furthermore, the feet serve to ventilate the cover. In this way, it can be reliably detected if, in the event of damage, an oil leak occurs in the area of ​​the transformer cover, since the escaping transformer fluid is then clearly visible outside the cover. Provided that the cover is made of hard plastic materials, any detected greasy film cannot be attributed to a cover made of soft PVC. Accordingly, all components of the cover preferably consist of solid plastic materials that can be clipped or otherwise locked together, such as hard plastic or PP materials.In addition to injection molding or other common plastic manufacturing processes, the cover can also be obtained using 3D printing.

[0015] The device according to the invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing. The drawing shows, in a general and not to scale, the following:

[0016] Fig. 1 shows the cover as a whole in the form of an exploded view, consisting of base, hood, door and lid;

[0017] Figs. 2 to 4 show the cover according to Fig. 1 in various views and sections in the assembled state; and Figs. 5 to 7 again show, partly in exploded view, the rear area of ​​the cover according to Fig. 1, but without door and lid.

[0018] The device shown in Fig. 1, in the form of an exploded view, has a top-end cover 10 for receiving an electrical component 12 (Fig. 2), such as a terminal block 12, for attaching at least one electrical conductor 13 (Fig. 4). Furthermore, the device has a base 14 with a bottom-end opening 16 for receiving another electrical component 17, such as a transformer or insulating candle 17 (Fig. 4), which can be directly electrically connected to the first electrical component in the form of the terminal block 12 or a connector 19. Such connection solutions are shown by way of example in German utility model G 83 13 944.3 of the patent holder, so they will not be discussed in further detail here.

[0019] As can be further seen from Fig. 1, the cover 10 and the base 14 are two separable components which, when assembled, form a complete cover 18, as shown in Figs. 2 to 4. The cover 10 and the base 14 can be adjusted to different heights relative to each other by means of a height adjustment 20 with an associated locking device 22, such that differently designed electrical components of the aforementioned type can be covered with only one cover 18 within a predefined retaining or mounting frame. While the terminal block 12 is not shown in Fig. 1 for the sake of simplicity, it has, according to the illustration in Fig. 3, four circular openings 24 on its front free end face for receiving conductors of individual cables (not shown). Furthermore, according to the side view in Fig. 3, the terminal block 12 has4 seen from at least one side, for example the underside, a connection option 26 for connecting the upper free end face of the transformer or insulation candle 17, which, as already explained, is state of the art, so that it will not be discussed in more detail here.

[0020] As further shown in detail in Fig. 5, the locking device 22 has a locking element 28 formed by a U-shaped cutout in the rear wall 30 of the hood 10. Due to this cutout, the locking element 28 projects with a predefinable overhang 32 along an inner wall 34 of the hood 10, which is located adjacent to and opposite the rear wall 30. The locking element 28 is located in the lower third of the hood 10 and interacts with a series of locking ribs 36 arranged one behind the other, which are arranged on the base 14 as a further part of the locking device 22.

[0021] The locking ribs 36, which extend transversely to the longitudinal direction of the cover 18, are oriented parallel to the projection 32 or protrusion of the catch 28 and form part of a tongue-like tab 38. This tab is rectangularly formed from a wall section 40 of the base 10, with the wall section 40 being adjacent to the inner wall 34 of the cover 10 when the cover 18 is assembled. The tongue-like tab 38 can be partially cut out of or formed from the base 14 and projects beyond its upper free edge 42 towards the cover 10 to be fitted, with a predefinable length. In this respect, the locking ribs 36, like the catch 28, are components of elastically compliant tongue bodies, the step size or fineness of the locking ribs 36 being selected such that length or height adjustments between the cover 10 and the base 14 are easily possible within a predefinable range.The height adjustment 20 is, as described above, located in a rear area of ​​the cover 18, which, in contrast, has a frontally open access area 44 in the cover 10. This access area can be at least partially covered or closed by a door 46 and a lid 48. The maximum height or length is achieved when the detent 28 engages with a transverse or locking rib 36 located at the top, and the lowest position, or the shortest height or length, is achieved when the detent 28 engages with a transverse or locking rib 36 located at the bottom of the rib assembly, as shown in the figures.

[0022] As can be further seen from the individual figures, the plate-like door 46 can be latched onto a receptacle 50 on the front free end face of the hood 10, thereby closing off the access area 44 behind it. The cover 48 shown in the figures is closed at the top and has a window opening 52 on its front, which is bounded below by the door 46 and above by a U-shaped rim 54 of the cover 48. The remaining access area 44 is designed such that the individual cables or conductors (not shown) can be inserted into the annular receiving openings 24 of the terminal block 12 for connection from the front, i.e., from the free end face of the cover 18.

[0023] The cover 48 is designed as a right angle, and the respective closed 56 and open wall sides 58 are configured such that, depending on the position of the cover 48 on the hood 10, the open wall side 58 faces forward, as shown in the figures, and the closed wall side 56 faces upward. However, it is also possible to attach the cover 48 to the hood 10 using individual clip connections 60 in such a way that the window opening 52, i.e., the open wall side 58, faces upward and the closed wall side 56 faces forward, so that the terminal block 12 can also be connected to conductors from above in the usual manner (not shown). In this way, with the individual components 10, 14, 46, and 48, and taking into account the lockable height adjustment 20, a multitude of possible installation positions on a transformer (not shown) are achieved, which is not shown in the prior art.The removable, clip-on cover 48, viewed from the side shown in Fig. 1, may also have a recess (not shown) on its upper side, which serves as a passage for a so-called grounding point (often spherical) for connecting grounding equipment as needed. These grounding or connection points are then preferably closed with another cover (not shown). Furthermore, when the hood 10 is in place, the cover 48, with its edge trim 54, partially overlaps the longitudinal sides of the door 46 (Fig. 2).

[0024] As can be further seen from Fig. 1, the cover 10 has tongue-like, extended contact surfaces 62 inside, all of which terminate in a horizontal plane and form a common connection for the electrical component 12, in particular in the form of the block-shaped terminal block 12. Thus, the cover 10 can simply be slid onto the electrical component 12 from above and positioned for conductor connection. Furthermore, the base 14 has individual feet 64 on its underside, which encompass the individual longitudinal sides of the base 14 and leave passages 66 between them to allow fluid, such as transformer fluid, to pass through. In this way, any leaks in the area between the transformer 67 and the passage can be detected.

[0025] All components of the cover 18 consist of solid plastic materials, such as PP material, that can be clipped or otherwise locked together. Both the cover 10 and the base 14, in cross-section, form rectangular engagement spaces resembling hollow chambers. Along guides 68, which are at least partially designed as longitudinal ribs, the base 14, with its smaller opening, is positioned from below into the larger opening of the cover 10 until the height or length adjustment 20 engages in a detent, which is directly related to the installation length of a transformer or insulation candle 17 to be received and covered by the cover 18 thus completed.

[0026] If additional sealing against the environment is necessary, foams and silicone can be used. In this way, it appears possible to carry out maintenance work on the transformer without additional protective equipment. The aforementioned overlaps between the cover 10, base 14, door 46, and lid 48 contribute to achieving a high degree of protection against moisture inside the cover 18.

[0027] The aforementioned standard for implementation only specifies the maximum height of a transformer or insulation candle 17, which allows manufacturers of these products to produce them in a lower and therefore more cost-effective manner. Customers, such as municipal utilities, transformer manufacturers, substation builders, etc., therefore regularly do not know the exact height of the transformer or insulation candle 17 when ordering a transformer. This is disadvantageous because a large number of different covers must be kept in stock to meet short-term delivery requirements. The presented height-adjustable cover 18 effectively addresses these disadvantages, and within a wide range of mounting options, a single type of cover 18 can essentially solve a variety of transformer equipment problems.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Device comprising at least a top-side hood (10) for receiving an electrical component (12), such as a terminal block (12), for attaching at least one electrical conductor (13), and a bottom-side base (14), which is provided with a bottom-side opening (16) for receiving a further electrical component (17), such as an insulating candle (17), which can be electrically connected to the first electrical component (12), characterized in that the hood (10) and the base (14) are two separable components which, when assembled, form a cover (18) as a whole and which, by means of a height adjustment (20) with a locking device (22), assume such different positions relative to each other that differently designed electrical components can be covered with only one cover (18) in a predefinable mounting frame.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking device (22) has at least one detent (28) which is preferably arranged on the hood (10) and which can be locked with a series of locking ribs (36) arranged one behind the other, which are preferably arranged on the base (14).

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the locking ribs (36) on the base (14) are part of at least one tab (38) which is formed from a wall part (40) of the base (10), in particular partially cut out of it and extending beyond its edge (42) in the direction of the attachable hood (10) with a predefinable length.

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the height adjustment (20) is arranged in a rear area of ​​the cover (18), which in contrast has frontal area in the cover (10) access areas (44) which are kept free at the front and head end and which can be at least partially closed by a door (46) or by a cover (48).

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, when the door (46) is closed, the cover (48) on the cover (18) leaves an access area (44) to the one electrical component (12), in particular in the form of the terminal block (12), which serves to lead out the respective electrical conductor from the front or from above on the one electrical component (42), depending on the mounting direction.

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cover (48) is designed at right angles and forms a closed (56) and an open wall side (58) such that, depending on the position of the cover (48) on the hood (10), the open wall side (58) faces forward or upward and the closed wall side (56) faces upward or forward.

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the door (46) and the lid (48) form releasable clip connections (60) with wall parts of the preferably U-shaped hood (10).

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hood (10) has clip-like contact surfaces (62) inside for fixing with one electrical component (12), in particular in the form of the block-shaped terminal block (12).

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base (14) can be mounted on a third component (67), such as a transformer (67), on the bottom side by means of individual feet (64) and that a passage (66) for fluid, such as transformer fluid, is left at least partially open between the feet (64).

10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that all components of the cover (18) consist of solid plastic materials that can be clipped or otherwise locked together.

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