Plug-in-unit assembly with an off-center pivotal connection between a handle and an actuating member

A plug-in unit assembly is disclosed which includes a case and a plug-in unit arranged to be removably connected to the case. The plug-in unit includes a unit body, a handle and an actuating member. The handle is pivotally connected to the unit body and operationally connected to the actuating member, the actuating member being movably connected to the unit body. The case includes a locking counterpart element and a releasing counterpart element, each of which is adapted to co-operate with the actuating member for moving the plug-in unit. The locking counterpart element is adapted to move the plug-in unit to a plugged-in position, and the releasing counterpart element is adapted to move the plug-in unit to an outer releasing position.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to European Patent Application No. 10163244.6 filed in Europe on May 19, 2010, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a plug-in unit assembly including a case and a plug-in unit arranged to be removably connected to the case.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

An example of a known plug-in unit assembly is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,470, which discloses a plug-in unit assembly having a handle. By turning the handle a plug-in unit may be pushed slightly outwards from a case. Such an arrangement enables a reduction in the force used to detach the plug-in unit from the case. Examples of other known plug-in unit assemblies are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/080165 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,736 B1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,684.

In a plug-in unit assembly having a plurality of electrical connectors adapted to be coupled when the plug-in unit is connected to the case, it can be desirable to reduce the force involved in connecting the plug-in unit to the case. This is desirable when the plurality of electrical connectors includes electrical connectors having high rated currents. A connecting force of an electrical connector can correlate with a rated current of the electrical connector, for example, the higher the rated current, the greater the required connecting force. U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,470 does not discuss the matter of reducing the force to connect the plug-in unit to the case.

SUMMARY

A plug-in unit assembly is disclosed which has a case, and a plug-in unit arranged to be removably connected to the case, the plug-in unit having a plugged-in position and a detached position in relation to the case the plug-in unit. The unit body, a handle, and an actuating member, the handle being pivotally connected to the unit body for pivoting between a normal position and a mounting position in relation to the unit body, the actuating member being movably connected to the unit body for movement between a locking position and a releasing position in relation to the unit body, the handle being operationally connected to the actuating member such that a pivoting of the handle from the mounting position to the normal position will move the actuating member from the releasing position to the locking position and a pivoting of the handle from the normal position to the mounting position will move the actuating member from the locking position to the releasing position; the case comprising a locking counterpart element; and a releasing counterpart element, the locking counterpart element co-operating with the actuating member for moving the plug-in unit from an outer plugging position to the plugged-in position in response to a movement of the actuating member from the releasing position to the locking position, the outer plugging position being located at a predetermined plugging distance from the plugged-in position towards the detached position, and the releasing counterpart element being configured for co-operating with the actuating member for moving the plug-in unit from the plugged-in position to an outer releasing position in relation to the case in response to a movement of the actuating member from the locking position to the releasing position, the outer releasing position being located at a predetermined release distance from the plugged-in position towards the detached position, wherein the actuating member is pivotally connected to the handle through an off-center pivotal connection, the off-center pivotal connection being located at a distance from a pivoting axis of the handle and allowing the actuating member to pivot in relation to the handle, the actuating member is connected to the unit body through a guiding slot connection, the guiding slot connection including a guiding slot provided on one of the actuating member and the unit body, the guiding slot connection being configured for slidingly guiding the movement of the actuating member between the locking position and the releasing position, and the actuating member includes a locking surface for co-operating with the locking counterpart element and a releasing surface arranged to co-operate with the releasing counterpart element, both the locking surface and the releasing surface being located at a distance from the off-center pivotal connection.

A plug-in unit is disclosed for removable connection to a case, the plug-in unit having a plugged-in position and a detached position in relation to the case. The plug-in unit comprising a unit body, a handle, and an actuating member, the handle being pivotally connected to the unit body for pivoting between a normal position and a mounting position in relation to the unit body, the actuating member being movably connected to the unit body for movement between a locking position and a releasing position in relation to the unit body, the handle being operationally connected to the actuating member such that a pivoting of the handle from the mounting position to the normal position will move the actuating member from the releasing position to the locking position and a pivoting of the handle from the normal position to the mounting position will move the actuating member from the locking position to the releasing position, wherein the actuating member is pivotally connected to the handle through an off-center pivotal connection, the off-center pivotal connection being located at a distance from a pivoting axis of the handle and allowing the actuating member to pivot in relation to the handle, the actuating member is connected to the unit body through a guiding slot connection, the guiding slot connection including a guiding slot provided on one of the actuating member and the unit body, the guiding slot connection being configured for slidingly guiding the movement of the actuating member between the locking position and the releasing position, and the actuating member includes a locking surface for co-operating with a locking counterpart element of a case, and a releasing surface arranged to co-operate with a releasing counterpart element of a case, both the locking surface and the releasing surface being located at a distance from the off-center pivotal connection.

A case for connection with a moveable plug-in unit is disclosed. The case comprising a locking counterpart element, and a releasing counterpart element, the locking counterpart element being configured for co-operating with an actuating member of a plug-in unit for moving the plug-in unit from an outer plugging position to a plugged-in position in response to a movement of the actuating member from a releasing position to a locking position, the outer plugging position being located at a predetermined plugging distance from the plugged-in position towards a detached position of a plug-in unit, and the releasing counterpart element for co-operating with the actuating member for moving a plug-in unit from the plugged-in position to an outer releasing position in relation to the case in response to a movement of the actuating member from the locking position to the releasing position, the outer releasing position being located at a predetermined release distance from the plugged-in position towards the detached position, wherein the actuating member of the plug-in unit pivotally connect to the handle through an off-center pivotal connection, the off-center pivotal connection being located at a distance from a pivoting axis of the handle and allowing the actuating member to pivot in relation to the handle, and the actuating member includes a locking surface for co-operating with the locking counterpart element, and a releasing surface arranged to co-operate with the releasing counterpart element, both the locking surface and the releasing surface being located at a distance from the off-center pivotal connection.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure relates to a plug-in unit assembly which can reduce the force involved to connect a plug-in unit to a case.

A plug-in unit is disclosed with an actuating member which can be moved between a locking position and a releasing position by turning a handle of the plug-in unit. The actuating member is arranged to co-operate with the case for moving the plug-in unit to a plugged-in position in response to movement of the actuating member from the releasing position to the locking position.

An exemplary plug-in unit assembly according to the disclosure can enable a reduction in the force required to connect a plug-in unit to a case.

FIG. 1shows an exemplary embodiment of a plug-in unit assembly including a case13and a plug-in unit12arranged to be removably connected to the case13. The plug-in unit12has a plugged-in position and a detached position in relation to the case13. InFIG. 1, the plug-in unit12is in the detached position, wherein the plug-in unit12is completely detached from the case13. The plugged-in position is shown inFIG. 2.

The plug-in unit12includes a unit body121, a unit housing128, a handle2and an actuating member9. The unit housing128can be immovably connected to the unit body121and is adapted to be received inside the case13when the plug-in unit12is in the plugged-in position. The handle2is pivotally connected to the unit body121for pivoting between a normal position and a mounting position in relation to the unit body121. The actuating member9is movably connected to the unit body121for movement between a locking position and a releasing position in relation to the unit body121. InFIG. 1, the handle2is in the mounting position and the actuating member9is in the releasing position. The normal position of the handle is shown inFIG. 2.

The handle2is operationally connected to the actuating member9such that pivoting the handle2from the mounting position to the normal position moves the actuating member9from the releasing position to the locking position. Correspondingly, pivoting the handle2from the normal position to the mounting position moves the actuating member9from the locking position to the releasing position.

The case13includes a locking counterpart element15and a releasing counterpart element16. The locking counterpart element15and the releasing counterpart element16are spaced apart and located on a vertical line. The vertical line can be substantially parallel with a vertical direction Dvert which can be substantially perpendicular in relation to both the pivoting axis of the handle2and a mounting direction Dmnt. The mounting direction Dmnt can be a direction in which the plug-in unit12is adapted to be pushed when connecting the plug-in unit12to the case13. Both the locking counterpart element15and the releasing counterpart element16can be formed by heads of corresponding hexagonal socket-head screws screwed from inside the unit body121. A peripheral surface of the head of each of the hexagonal socket-head screws is a symmetrical and cylindrical surface having a symmetry axis parallel with the pivoting axis of the handle2.

In an exemplary embodiment, both the locking counterpart element and the releasing counterpart element can be formed by portions of shanks of screws. The portions of shanks may or may not include threading. In this exemplary embodiment, the screws can be screwed from outside the unit body.

The locking counterpart element15can be adapted (i.e., configured) to co-operate with the actuating member9for moving the plug-in unit12from an outer plugging position to the plugged-in position in response to movement of the actuating member9from the releasing position to the locking position. The outer plugging position can be located at a predetermined plugging distance from the plugged-in position towards the detached position. The outer plugging position of the plug-in unit12is shown inFIG. 3. Further, the locking counterpart element15is adapted (i.e., configured) to co-operate with the actuating member9, while the actuating member9is in the locking position, in order to prevent movement of the plug-in unit12from the plugged-in position towards the detached position.

In an exemplary embodiment, the plug-in unit can include at least one electrical component having an electrical connector arranged to be coupled to a corresponding mating connector installed in the case when the plug-in unit is being attached to its case. In this embodiment, the outer plugging position can be located such that substantially the entire coupling event (e.g., the coupling of the electrical connector to the mating connector) takes place between the outer plugging position and the plugged-in position. This can reduce the force required to connect the plug-in unit to the case.

The releasing counterpart element16is adapted to co-operate with the actuating member9for moving the plug-in unit12from the plugged-in position to an outer releasing position in relation to the case13in response to movement of the actuating member9from the locking position to the releasing position. The outer releasing position can be located at a predetermined release distance from the plugged-in position towards the detached position. In the exemplary embodiment, the outer releasing position is equal to the outer plugging position shown inFIG. 3. In an exemplary embodiment, there can be a distance between the outer plugging position and the outer releasing position.

The locking counterpart element15can be located in the upper half of the case13. The releasing counterpart element16can be located in the lower half of the case13. The distance between the locking counterpart element15and the upper surface of the case13can be identical to the distance between the releasing counterpart element16and the lower surface of the case13.

FIG. 4shows a side view of the actuating member9. A circular connecting aperture919can be provided on the upper end of the actuating member9. A linearly extending guiding slot921can be provided on the lower end of the actuating member9. The actuating member9can also include a locking surface915arranged to co-operate with the locking counterpart element15, and a releasing surface916arranged to co-operate with the releasing counterpart element16. Both the locking surface915and the releasing surface916can extend substantially perpendicularly in relation to the image plane ofFIG. 4and can be narrow, planar surfaces. In exemplary embodiments the locking surface and/or the releasing surface may be a curved surface.

The locking surface915forms an angle α in relation to an actuating member center line901which extends between a center point of the connecting aperture919and a center point of the guiding slot921. The releasing surface916forms an angle β in relation to the actuating member center line901. In the exemplary embodiment ofFIG. 4, both the angle α and the angle β are approximately (e.g., ±10%) 50°. In exemplary embodiments, the angles α and β may be in a range of, for example, 30° to 70°.

In exemplary embodiments where the locking surface and/or the releasing surface is a curved surface, a tangent of each curved surface can vary in some subrange of above mentioned range of 30° to 70°. For example, if a releasing surface is a curved surface, the tangent of the curved releasing surface may in one point extend in a substantially (e.g., ±10%) 35° angle in relation to the actuating member center line while the tangent in another point extends in a substantially 65° angle in relation to the actuating member center line. Curvature of a locking surface can be selected such that a torque required (e.g., specified) for turning the handle from the mounting position to the normal position can be substantially constant during the turning of the handle. Similarly, the curvature of the releasing surface can be selected such that a torque required for turning the handle from the normal position to the mounting position is substantially constant during the turning of the handle.

FIG. 5shows an upper corner of the interior of the unit body121. A pivotal shaft912can be formed on the handle2. The pivotal shaft912has a free end adapted to be received in the connecting aperture919of the actuating member9. The pivotal shaft912can be located at a distance from a pivoting axis of the handle2and can allow the actuating member9to pivot in relation to the handle2. A point through which the pivoting axis of the handle2passes is denoted with reference numeral201. The pivotal shaft912can be formed by a head of a hexagonal socket-head screw. The screw is screwed into the handle2. Under the head of the screw a washer955can be provided which can prevent release of the handle2from the unit body121.

In an exemplary embodiment, the pivotal shaft can be formed by a portion of a shank of a screw. The screw can be screwed into the handle from outside the unit body. In an exemplary embodiment, a screw can be screwed into the actuating member and a portion of the screw forms the pivotal shaft. In an exemplary embodiment, the connecting aperture can be provided on the handle.

FIGS. 6 and 7illustrate exemplary mounting of the actuating member9into the plug-in unit12. InFIGS. 6 and 7, no unit housing128is shown. InFIG. 6, the pivotal shaft912has been fitted in the connecting aperture919of the actuating member9in order to provide an off-center pivotal connection91. The off-center pivotal connection91can be located at a distance from the pivoting axis of the handle2and can allow the actuating member9to pivot in relation to the handle2. InFIG. 6, the actuating member9is in a position where the actuating member center line901extends at an angle which is, for example, greater than 45° in relation to the vertical direction Dvert. This position of the actuating member9enables the pivotal shaft912to be fitted into the connecting aperture919.

After the pivotal shaft912has been fitted in the connecting aperture919, the actuating member9can be pivoted around the pivotal shaft912into a position where the actuating member center line901extends substantially parallel with the vertical direction Dvert as depicted inFIG. 7. A support screw126can be screwed into the guiding slot921in order to provide a guiding slot connection92. The support screw126has a free end which forms a slot pin922adapted to co-operate with the guiding slot921by sliding in the guiding slot921. The support screw126can be screwed from outside the unit body121.

FIG. 7shows that a lateral movement of the actuating member9can be prevented when the actuating member center line901extends substantially parallel with the vertical direction Dvert. Herein, the lateral movement of the actuating member9is substantially parallel with the pivoting axis of the handle2. On one side, the lateral movement of the actuating member9can be prevented by an inner side surface of the unit body121, and on the other side the lateral movement of the actuating member9can be prevented by guide pins95.

In an exemplary embodiment the guiding slot connection can include a guiding slot provided on the unit body. The guiding slot can be adapted (e.g., configured) to receive a portion of the actuating member and to slidingly guide movement of the actuating member between the locking position and the releasing position. It can be interpreted that in above mentioned embodiment the portion of the actuating member can act as a slot pin.

FIGS. 8 to 10show a sectional view of the plug-in unit assembly, illustrating the operation of the actuating member9. As discussed above, the upper part of the actuating member9can be pivotally connected to the handle2through the off-center pivotal connection91which can allow the actuating member9to pivot in relation to the handle2. The lower part of the actuating member9can be connected to the unit body121through the guiding slot connection92as explained above.

InFIG. 8, the handle2is in the mounting position, the actuating member9is in the releasing position, and the plug-in unit12is in the outer plugging position. The releasing surface916of the actuating member9is in contact with the releasing counterpart element16. The locking surface915is at a distance from the locking counterpart element15.

InFIG. 10, the handle2is in the normal position, the actuating member9is in the locking position, and the plug-in unit12is in the plugged-in position. The locking surface915of the actuating member9is in contact with the locking counterpart element15. The releasing surface916is at a distance from the releasing counterpart element16.

The movement of the plug-in unit12from the outer plugging position ofFIG. 8to the plugged-in position ofFIG. 10can be achieved by turning the handle2from the mounting position to the normal position. The turning of the handle2moves the actuating member9from the releasing position to the locking position owing to the off-center pivotal connection91which moves the pivotal shaft912upwards and in a detaching direction Ddtc in relation to the unit body121. Herein, the upwards direction can be a direction parallel to the vertical direction Dvert and directed away from the slot pin922. The detaching direction Ddtc can be a direction opposite to the mounting direction Dmnt.

FIG. 9illustrates an exemplary intermediate state between the states illustrated inFIGS. 8 and 10. In the intermediate state, the locking surface915co-operates with the locking counterpart element15transferring forces that move the plug-in unit12towards the plugged-in position.

FIGS. 8 to 10show that the handle2provides a long lever arm, almost as long as the height of the front surface of the unit body121. This can be made possible, by, for example, locating the pivoting axis of the handle2near the upper surface of the unit body121. The long lever arm of the handle2can reduce the force used to operate the handle2.