Switching device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10622177-B2
Application number	US-201815926472-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2018
Priority date	Sep 21, 2015
Publication date	Apr 14, 2020
Grant date	Apr 14, 2020

Abstract

A switching device having a housing, with a cover that can pivot about a rotational axis, and a securing device for carrier rail mounting. The cover has at least one coupling contact for an electrical and/or signal-type contact connection with at least one engageable switching device. A closing or releasing of the contact connection occurs with a pivoting of the cover. A locking or unlocking of the securing device occurs with a pivoting of the cover. The securing device has a spring-elastic clipping element shaped on the housing, for force-locking securing to a carrier rail end face, and has a sliding element, which is mounted such that it can slide in a linear manner within the housing and is coupled to the cover, for interlocking securing to the carrier rail end face opposite the clipping element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A switching device comprising:
a housing with a cover that is pivotable about a rotational axis, the cover having at least one coupling contact on a side facing an inner side of the housing for electrical and/or signal-type contact connection;
a securing device for direct mounting on a carrier rail, the securing device comprising a spring-elastic clipping element integrally formed on the housing for force-locking securing to a carrier rail end face, and a slide element coupled to the cover and mounted linearly slidable inside the housing for interlocking securing to the carrier rail end face that sits opposite the clipping element;
at least one adjacent switching device that is adapted to be arranged in series at an end face of the housing; and
a spring-elastic deflection element configured to convert a pivoting movement of the cover into a linear movement of the slide element to lock or unlock the securing device,
wherein, upon pivoting the cover, the contact connection is opened or closed.

2. The switching device according to claim 1 , wherein the clipping element is coupled with an actuatable housing recess, and wherein the force-locking securing to the carrier rail end face is releasable via the housing recess.

3. The switching device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one coupling contact comprises two-legged spring contacts.

4. The switching device according to claim 3 , further comprising at least one internal counter contact arranged at the inner side of the housing,
wherein one leg of the two-legged spring contacts is configured to contact the at least one internal counter contact.

5. The switching device according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one internal counter contact is substantially U-shaped.

6. A switching device comprising:
a housing with a cover that is pivotable about a rotational axis, the cover having at least one coupling contact on a side facing an inner side of the housing for electrical and/or signal-type contact connection;
a securing device for direct mounting on a carrier rail, the securing device comprising a spring-elastic clipping element integrally formed on the housing for force-locking securing to a carrier rail end face, and a slide element coupled to the cover and mounted linearly slidable inside the housing for interlocking securing to the carrier rail end face that sits opposite the clipping element; and
at least one adjacent switching device that is adapted to be arranged in series at an end face of the housing,
wherein, upon pivoting the cover, the contact connection is opened or closed,
wherein, upon pivoting the cover, the securing device is locked or unlocked, and
wherein the cover is coupled with a spring-elastic deflection element at a top portion of the housing to convert a pivoting movement of the cover into a linear movement of the slide element that is transversely directed toward a pivoting direction and a carrier rail longitudinal direction.

7. The switching device according to claim 6 , wherein the spring-elastic deflection element has a substantially arc-like leaf spring element, and wherein the slide element is coupled tangentially flush with the substantially arc-like leaf spring element.

8. The switching device according to claim 7 , wherein, in a corner region of the housing that is assigned to the rotational axis, two arc-like and radially spaced-apart inner walls are arranged, in which the substantially arc-like leaf spring element rests slidably moveable in the region of its arc-like bulge.

9. The switching device according to claim 6 , wherein the cover has a guide pin on one end of the cover which is disposed within a groove-like profile chamber of the spring-elastic deflection element.

10. The switching device according to claim 9 , wherein the rotational axis of the cover is arranged between the guide pin and the at least one coupling contact.

11. The switching device according to claim 9 , wherein the slide element and the profile chamber each comprise a substantially U-shaped guide extension on the substantially arc-like leaf spring element, wherein vertical U-legs of the U-shaped guide extensions are each oriented tangentially to the substantially arc-like leaf spring element, and wherein the substantially arc-like leaf spring element is connected in an inner region of horizontal U-legs.

12. The switching device according to claim 11 , wherein the vertical U-legs are mounted in a linearly slidable manner between the housing and a housing-side inner wall.

13. The switching device according to claim 11 , wherein the horizontal U-legs of a slide element guide extension comprises a knob-like stopper element that limits a linear movement of the slide element in a direction of the carrier rail end face by abutment on a housing wall.

14. A switching device comprising:
a housing;
a cover pivotably coupled to the housing; and
a securing device for mounting the switching device on a carrier rail, the securing device comprising:
a spring-elastic clipping element formed on the housing for force-locking to an end face of the carrier rail;
a slide element coupled to the cover, the slide element being slidably mounted inside the housing for force-locking to an opposite end face of the carrier rail; and
a spring-elastic deflection element configured to convert a pivoting movement of the cover into a linear movement of the slide element to lock or unlock the securing device.

15. A system comprising:
a plurality of switching devices, each of the plurality of switching devices comprising:
a housing;
a cover, the cover being pivotably coupled to the housing and having at least one coupling contact configured to electrically connect two adjacent switching devices; and
a securing device for mounting said each of the plurality of switching devices on a carrier rail, the securing device comprising:
a spring-elastic clipping element formed on the housing for force-locking to an end face of the carrier rail;
a slide element coupled to the cover, the slide element being slidably mounted inside the housing for force-locking to an opposite end face of the carrier rail; and
a spring-elastic deflection element configured to convert a pivoting movement of the cover into a linear movement of the slide element to lock or unlock the securing device.

Assignees

• Ellenberger & Poensgen

Inventors

• Roth Herbert

Classifications

• H01H71/082 Primary

  Connections between juxtaposed circuit breakers · CPC title

• H01R9/2675

  Electrical interconnections between two blocks, e.g. by means of busbars · CPC title

• H01R9/2608

  Fastening means for mounting on support rail or strip (H01R9/2691 takes precedence; for switch or other electrical device H02B1/042) · CPC title

• H02B1/0526

  locking or releasing devices actuated from the front face of the apparatus · CPC title

• H02B1/205

  for connecting electrical apparatus mounted side by side on a rail · CPC title