Electrical connectors – With magnet – To urge mating connectors together
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-04
2001-05-15
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With magnet
To urge mating connectors together
C439S001000, C439S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231349
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to an electromechanical connecting device according to the type defined more closely in the preamble of claim
1
.
A connecting device of this type is described in EP 0 573 471 B1. A connecting device which has a very shallow overall depth and which conforms, moreover, to high safety requirements is created by the previously known connecting device, which comprises a switching device which takes over the function of a socket-outlet of conventional type, and a triggering device which takes over the function of a plug connector.
Both the mechanical and the electrical contacts are made via magnets in the electromechanical connecting device according to EP 0 573 471 B1. For this purpose, both a working carriage, which can be connected to power supply contacts, and the switching magnets are electrically conducting. The current connection is routed directly via contact hats to triggering magnets in the triggering device, which magnets are likewise electrically conducting. However, it is disadvantageous with this current conduction that electrical conductivity leads in the case of a short circuit to a loss of the heat-sensitive magnetic components. Moreover, the previously known device is still of relatively wide design, because of the conduction of voltage and current via the contact hats and the magnets.
What is meant by coded magnets is that a plurality of small magnet parts of different polarities are connected to form an overall magnet. A magnetic attractive force can be achieved only by magnet parts which are appropriately oppositely polarized and coded in the same way. This is realized correspondingly by the cooperation of the magnets in the switching device and in the triggering device. By contrast with known magnets, no magnetic attractive force is produced.
It is ensured in this way that only in the case when the triggering device approaches or is mounted on the switching device is the working carriage raised from its rest position and brought into the electric switching position in which current is brought on to the two poles of the pair of contacts of the switching device. This current is then conducted to the consumer via the poles of the pair of contacts of the triggering device. After the triggering device has been raised, and thus after the magnetic force has been removed, the working carriage drops out again into the rest position, as a result of which the feeding of current to the two poles of the pair of contacts is interrupted.
The previously known electromechanical connecting device operates very reliably, particularly when the pair of electric contacts, and thus their poles, are arranged separately from the coded magnets. However, given the occurrence of very high and unexpected overvoltages, for example a short circuit, sticking or welding of parts in the triggering device could occur in extreme situations. In such a case, it could happen that the working carriage no longer drops out after removal of the triggering device, as a result of which current is present on the exposed, live pole. The risk of electrical accidents therefore exists.
Even if such a situation were scarcely likely to occur in practice given proper handling, it is, nevertheless, the object of the present invention to improve the electromechanical connecting device mentioned at the beginning so as to avoid electrical accidents even in an extreme situation in which the working carriage could become stuck in the live position, in particular to achieve an interruption in the current to the poles, nevertheless.
This object is achieved according to the invention by means of the features named in the characterizing part of claim
1
.
In cooperation with the corresponding matching part in the triggering device, the safety part according to the invention in the switching device reliably prevents the live pole of the switching device from becoming live again should the working carriage become stuck in the live position of the live pole of the switching device. The inventors proceeded from the realization that when cooperating with a ferromagnetic material or another magnet, an appropriately “normal” magnet has its own magnetic field and —if necessary— a further reaching one, particularly if magnets of appropriate high quality are used, by comparison with the coded switching magnets. This means that the safety part in the switching device is always initially attracted by its matching piece in the triggering device, and then remains longer in the position than the coded switching magnets on the working carriage. Since, however, the safety part is independent of the working carriage, and thus also of the switching magnets and also of the conduction of current, it drops back into its rest position in any case upon disconnection of the triggering device. If the working carriage now remains in its live position and does not drop back into its rest position, the safety part, which has returned on its own to the rest position, can ensure a desired short circuit and thus the interruption of current to the exposed contact elements. All that is required for this is to provide suitable current-conducting paths. Thus, for example, in the event of a missing consumer, the current can be conducted through the welded carriage from the top side to the bottom side of the contact points. However, since the safety part has moved back into its rest position and is therefore situated below the working carriage, in this position it can bridge the two poles of the pair of contacts of the switching device. This produces a short circuit which interrupts the entire supply of current at a corresponding point.
This can be performed in a simple way by virtue of the fact that a glow protection device which burns through in the event of a short circuit is arranged in the switching device or a part connected to the switching device. Such glow protection devices situated appropriately in live lines are generally known.
A structurally simple and space-saving arrangement and design of the safety part can consist in that the safety part is situated in a cutout in the working carriage, preferably in a central region.
For the purpose of simple and acceptable functioning of the safety part, provision is made below or behind the safety part on the side averted from the triggering device of a magnet or a part made from a ferromagnetic material, by means of which the safety part is brought back reliably into the rest position. All that may be ensured is that the magnetic attractive force between the safety part and the magnet or the ferromagnetic material arranged there behind or there below is less than the magnetic attractive force exerted by the matching piece in the triggering device. This can be achieved in a simple way by the strength of the magnet and/or the respective spacings.
A very advantageous development of the invention can consist in that the safety part is provided on the circumference with projecting knobs or pins, the safety part executing a rotary movement about its longitudinal axis when moving from the rest position into the electrically switched position, and the working carriage having cutouts which are matched to the size and shape of the knobs or pins and hold the knobs or pins in the live position of the working carriage.
An additional degree of safety is achieved by rotating the safety part as it moves. This merely requires the rotation to be controlled such that in the live state the knobs or pins are located in such a position that they are situated in the corresponding cutouts in the working carriage. In the normal case, the coded switching magnets firstly return to their rest position when the triggering device is disconnected, in particular when they are supported by restoring springs. The safety part follows correspondingly later with a rotation. The result of this rotation is that in the rest position the knobs or pins are no longer aligned with the cutouts. However, in this position the knobs or pins press on to the working carriage and hold the latter in its rest position. This means tha
Bullinger Achim
Fritsch Klaus-Dieter
Neidlein Hermann
Bullinger Achim
Hyeon Hae Moon
Sircus Brian
Welsh & Katz Ltd.
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