Module carrier

Details Module carrier Module carrier

1998-07-22

2001-01-23

Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)

Electricity: conductors and insulators

Boxes and housings

C220S003800, C312S265600, C248S316300, C361S813000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06177631

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a module carrier with a straight and an angled sheet metal cover which form an angle connection for a housing dimensioned in accordance with the standards of the International Electronic Commission (“IEC”), i.e. IEC standards 297 and 917, with hooks being bent out from the straight sheet metal lamina in order therein to receive a limb of the angled sheet metal lamina.
Published European patent application EP-A-O 727 853 shows module carriers with housings assembled from straight and angled sheet metal lamina. In the overlapping region of the sheet metal lamina unlatchings are made which leave insertable tongues standing, and on the opposite piece eyes into which the tongues can be inserted are bent outwards transverse to the tongues in the same pattern. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that a similar pattern for the tongues and the receiving eyes must be provided in the partition plane between the two sheet metal lamina and that this pattern in the two sheet metal lamina must also lie in the correct position relative to the limitations of the latter housing. This represents a restriction with respect to the flexibility of manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a releasable connection which eliminates these disadvantages in the framework of the ranges allowed for the housing structure by IEC standards 297 and 917. This object is satisfied in that the hooks are formed out on the inner side of the housing at a distance 1<16 mm from an edge of the straight sheet metal lamina and in that an elastic contact spring is formed at the hook which produces a predetermined contact force on the inserted limb with a knob.
An arrangement of this kind has the advantage that only one tool is needed for the production of an angle for the bent sheet metal lamina. Since apart from the thickness of the sheet metal lamina of the angled limb all other dimensions which determine the scatter in the contact forces are given by the measurements in the tool which determines the position of the knobs in the straight sheet metal lamina, the predetermined contact forces can be achieved quite precisely. In addition, an overstressing of the contact springs, which rapidly leads to a plastic deformation, particularly in aluminum, is prevented.
The bent out hook part can be provided with a seam to make this part even stiffer relative to the adjoining contact spring. It turns out that the angled limb can lie directly on the hook part since it produces a sufficiently small bending torque with its lever arm, which corresponds to the thickness of the sheet metal -Lamina, when lying on the hook part so that the contact spring which is formed is only slightly influenced. In the event that really unusually large forces are provided in the insertion direction, the final position of the angled limb can be caught up by separate abutments prior to reaching the hook part.
A further possibility of manufacturing a yielding contact spring consists in contracting or tapering it or otherwise weakening it in a direction from the hook part to the knob. For this, wall thicknesses of 0.5 mm≦d≦2 mm for the sheet metal lamina out of which the hooks and contact springs are bent out have proved advantageous. The sheet metal lamina can be of aluminum or steel, with it being possible to define a working range below the threshold of plastic deformation of the contact springs due to the restriction of space conditions for the hooks and contact springs by IEC standards 297 and 917 if their deformation distance S corresponds at least to a value 0.05 mm≦S on insertion of the limb and the contact force P corresponds to a value P≧3 Newton (“N”) in a sheet aluminum lamina and P≧5 N in a sheet steel lamina. Thus, the proposed solution permits the generation of reasonable contact forces without producing plastic deformations and a reduction of the contact force worthy of mention on repeated insertions.


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