Bracket, functional module, mounting method of electrical device and the electrical device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11201020-B2
Application number	US-201916266820-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2019
Priority date	Dec 29, 2018
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a bracket, a functional module and a mounting method of an electrical device. The bracket described herein includes a body comprising a supporting portion adapted to support a functional component of the electrical device, a first coupling portion and a second coupling portion symmetrically arranged on the body with respect to a longitudinal axis of the supporting portion, and the second coupling portion is adapted to be coupled with the first coupling portion of a further bracket of the same specification to form a bracket set. The bracket described herein can be interlocked together, and the mounting component and the bracket are integrally formed. As a result, the appearance of the electrical device is improved, more mounting screws are saved, the mounting steps of the electrical device are reduced, and the mounting efficiency of the electrical device is improved.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A functional module for an electrical device, comprising:
a bracket, comprising:
a body comprising a supporting portion adapted to support a functional component of the electrical device; and
a first coupling portion and a second coupling portion symmetrically arranged on the body with respect to a longitudinal central axis of the supporting portion,
wherein the second coupling portion is adapted to be coupled with the first coupling portion of a further bracket of the same specification to form a bracket set; and

a functional component coupled to and supported by the bracket,
wherein the bracket comprises a grounding member electrically connected to the functional component to provide grounding for the functional component.

2. The functional module according to claim 1 , wherein one of the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion comprises a convex and the other comprises a concave coupled to the convex.

3. The functional module according to claim 1 , wherein the grounding member is integrally formed with the body of the bracket.

4. The functional module according to claim 1 , wherein the bracket comprises a buckle, and the functional component comprises a buckle groove coupled with the buckle.

5. An electrical device, comprising:
a functional module according to claim 1 , adapted to be mounted in a mounting recess; and
an operational assembly coupled to the functional module for the operation of the functional module.

6. The electrical device according to claim 5 , wherein the operational assembly is detachably snap-coupled with the functional module.

7. The electrical device according to claim 5 , wherein the functional module comprises a snap slot, and the operational assembly comprises an operable button coupled with the snap slot, which operable button is adapted to be pressed to decouple the operational assembly from the functional module.

8. The electrical device according to claim 5 , wherein the operational assembly comprises:
a mounting component arranged on and coupled to the functional module; and
an operating component arranged on and rotatably coupled to the mounting component such that the operating component is capable of operating the functional module.

9. The electrical device according to claim 8 , wherein the mounting component is arranged on and coupled with the bracket of the functional module.

10. The electrical device according to claim 8 , wherein the mounting component comprises a mounting frame and the operating component comprises an operable panel.

11. The electrical device according to claim 8 , wherein one of the mounting component and the operating component comprises a rotating shaft, and the other of the mounting component and the operating component comprises a shaft hole coupled with the rotating shaft.

12. The electrical device according to claim 8 , wherein the functional module comprises a switching component for switching the state of the electrical device, and the operating component comprises a driving portion coupled with the switching component for driving the switching component to switch the state of the electrical device.

13. The electrical device according to claim 12 , wherein the switching component comprises a swing lever for switching the state of the electrical device by rotation; and
the driving portion comprises a pressing block for pressing a surface of the swing lever by the rotation of the operating component to drive the swing lever to rotate.

14. The electrical device according to claim 5 , comprising a plurality of the functional modules which form a functional module set by means of the coupling adjacent brackets.

15. The electrical device according to claim 14 , wherein the operational assembly comprises:
a multi-mounting component arranged on and coupled to the functional module set; and
a plurality of operating components arranged on and rotatably coupled to the multi-mounting component such that each of the operating components is capable of operating one of the functional modules of the functional module set respectively.

16. The electrical device according to claim 5 , wherein the electrical device is a switch device or a socket device.

17. A method for mounting an electrical device, wherein the electrical device comprises a functional module, a mounting component and an operating component, the functional module comprising a bracket comprising:
a body comprising a supporting portion adapted to support a functional component of the electrical device;
a first coupling portion and a second coupling portion symmetrically arranged on the body with respect to a longitudinal central axis of the supporting portion; and
a grounding member electrically connected to the functional component to provide grounding for the functional component,
and the method comprising:
mounting the functional module into a mounting recess;
combining the mounting component and the operating component to constitute an operational assembly; and
snapping the operational assembly onto the functional module,
wherein the functional module is coupled with further functional modules of the same specification to form a functional module set by coupling the second coupling portion to a first coupling portion of a bracket of one of the further functional modules before the functional module is mounted into the mounting recess.

Assignees

• Schneider Electric Australia Pty Ltd

Inventors

• Zhang Dahai
• Ma Zhen
• Shang Pei

Classifications

• H01R13/6335

  comprising a handle · CPC title

• H01H23/145

  the actuating surface having two slightly inclined areas extending from the middle outward · CPC title

• H01R13/70

  with built-in switch · CPC title

• H01H9/02 Primary

  Bases, casings, or covers (accommodating more than one switch or a switch and another electrical component H02B1/26) · CPC title

• H01R13/46

  Bases; Cases · CPC title