Power meter configured for rear and side expansion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9632112-B2
Application number	US-201214431447-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2012
Priority date	Sep 28, 2012
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

An intelligent electronic device ( 100 ) for metering a characteristic of electricity that has a rear opening ( 214 ) and a side opening ( 216 ) in a housing of the device for accepting a connector of an expansion module through one or the other opening. The device can be configured with an integrated display module ( 120 ) that protrudes through a panel of an enclosure, and in this configuration, the expansion module connects to the device through the rear opening of the housing. The device can also be configured to be mounted on a DIN rail, and in this configuration, the expansion module connects through the side opening of the housing. The same module can be used in either configuration, without requiring that different versions of the module be made for the different configurations and without having to mount the device in an awkward orientation that makes it difficult to access external connections around the housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An intelligent electronic device for measuring a characteristic of electricity, comprising:
a housing of a base unit having a front, a rear, a top opposite a bottom, and a first side opposite a second side connected to the front and to the rear, the housing defining an interior volume and including therein a sensor configured to sense a characteristic of electricity,
the rear of the housing including a rear opening through which a first connector is accessed when present in the housing, the first connector for connecting to a corresponding connector of an expansion module of a type when mounted to the base unit, and
the first side of the housing including a side opening through which a second connector is accessed when present in the housing, the second connector for connecting to the corresponding connector of the expansion module of the same type when mounted to the base unit,
wherein the rear opening is located a first distance from the first side and a second distance from the top, and
wherein the side opening is located the first distance from the rear and the second distance from the top, such that the corresponding connector of the expansion module, when connected to the base unit, connects to the second connector through the side opening in a side configuration or to the first connection through the rear opening in a rear configuration.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the front includes a DIN slot configured to engage a DIN rail.

3. The device of claim 2 , further comprising a cover positioned on the rear to completely cover the rear opening.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the front includes a display connector configured to receive a corresponding connector of a display module that has a display module housing and a video display device, the front further including at least one display mount configured to secure the display module to the base unit, causing the display connector to mechanically and electrically couple to the corresponding connector of the display module.

5. The device of claim 4 , further comprising a label affixed to the first side to completely cover the side opening.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the expansion module is rotated in two directions about two different axes to switch between being connected to the first side and to the rear of the base unit.

7. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a backplane in the housing proximate the rear of the base unit.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the backplane includes the first connector having a female receptacle that is positioned to coincide with the rear opening.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the backplane includes the second connector having a female receptacle that is positioned to coincide with the side opening.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein an overall height and an overall width dimension of the expansion module does not exceed a corresponding overall height and overall width dimension of the base unit or an overall depth and overall height dimension of the base unit.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes at least two pieces, wherein each of the side opening and the rear opening spans across the at least two pieces of the housing.

12. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of connectors accessible from the top and the bottom of the housing, the connectors including one or more of a current input connector for receiving one or more current inputs carrying a current sensed by the sensor, a voltage input connector for receiving one or more voltage inputs providing a voltage sensed by the sensor, a data connector for receiving input and output signals between the device and an external system external to the device, a power supply connector supplying power signals for powering electronic components of the device including, or a communications connector configured to carry communication signals to a remote monitoring and control system or to another device, and wherein the TED is a meter device.

13. An intelligent electronic device for measuring a characteristic of electricity, comprising:
a housing of a base unit having a front, a rear, and a first side opposite a second side connected to the front and to the rear, the housing defining an interior volume and including therein a sensor configured to sense a characteristic of electricity;
the rear of the housing including a rear opening through which a first connector is accessed when present in the housing, the first connector for connecting to a corresponding connector of an expansion module of a type when mounted to the base unit; and
the first side of the housing including a side opening through which a second connector is accessed when present in the housing, the second connector for connecting to the corresponding connector of the expansion module of the same type when mounted to the base unit, wherein the first and second connectors are of the same type and have the same or different mating arrangement, and wherein the side opening and the rear opening have the same dimensions.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the corresponding connector of the expansion module, when the expansion module is mounted to the base unit, is configured to be connected to either the first connector through the side opening or to the second connector through the rear opening.

15. A method of assembling an intelligent electronic device (IED) for measuring a characteristic of electricity, comprising the steps of:
providing a first housing having a back opening in a back of the first housing and a second housing having a side opening in a side of the second housing;
selecting the first housing or the second housing based on an installation configuration of the IED, the installation configuration being selected from the group consisting of (a) an integrated configuration in which the IED is mounted through a panel and (b) a DIN-mounted configuration in which the IED is mounted on a DIN rail along a second side opposite the side through which the side opening is provided;
responsive to the selecting, installing a sensor module into the selected housing to form the IED, the sensor module including a sensor configured to sense a characteristic of electricity; and
in either order, rotating an expansion module about a first axis extending between a top and a bottom of the IED and rotating the expansion module about a second axis extending between opposite sides of the IED, so as to permit the expansion module to be connected to the sensor module through the back opening or through the side opening.

Assignees

• Schneider Electric Usa Inc

Inventors

• Harding Stewart John
• Marr Darrin Graham
• Slade Colin Murray
• Ricci Marc Alan
• Hanke David Andrew

Classifications

• G01R1/04

  Housings; Supporting members; Arrangements of terminals · CPC title

• G01R22/065 Primary

  related to mechanical aspects · CPC title

• G01R21/00

  Arrangements for measuring electric power or power factor (G01R7/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01R11/04 Primary

  Housings; Supporting racks; Arrangements of terminals · CPC title