AN ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION BOARD HAVING A DISTRIBUTION TERMINAL BLOCK, AND A DISTRIBUTION TERMINAL BLOCK FOR USE IN THE ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION BOARD

Abstract: An electricity distribution board having a distribution terminal block which supplies a place of consumption. The distribution terminal block has 3 terminals of which the first terminal receives voltage from a main supply. By means of a contact part, which may short-circuit the first and second terminals, the supply voltage may be fed to the electricity meter, which is integrated in the electricity distribution board, and from there to the place of consumption. The third terminal of the distribution terminal block may provide a short-circuit between the first and third terminals when disconnection between the first and second terminals is established. Power may hereby be fed to the place of consumption when the electricity meter is rendered inoperative, just as the power supplier has the possibility of disconnecting or connecting the voltage supply in a simple manner. The distribution terminal block is constructed as a housing with a sealable cover. The housing and the cover are made of plastics. The housing may be fixed to the electricity distribution board, which can contain the electricity meter in its interior.

Description: An electricity distribution board having a distribution terminal block, and a distribution terminal block for use in the electricity distribution board The invention relates to an electricity distribution board having a distribution terminal block whicn has first and second terminals for the connection of leads from a mains supply to an electricity meter for supplying a place of consumption with power, said first terminal being connected to the mains supply, said second terminal being connected to the electricity meter, a contact part being provided between the two terminals for connecting the supply voltage to and disconnecting it from the electricity meter. Group/electricity distribution boards are well-known and are present in almost any household. The term electricity distribution boards is exclusively used below. With the ever greater use of electrical and electronic appliances in the households it is desirable to maintain the electricity mains supply ready for use, also even if e.g. the electricity meter, which records tne consumption of power in the household, is to be exchanged or re- paired. Most people know the situation that e.g. clocks present in connection with video, kitchen equipment, etc., are simply reset if the voltage supply to the household is cut off. Another problem is that the power supply is illegally caused to bypass the electricity meter by consumers so that the consumption of electricity is not recorded or lust recorded to a limited extent. In the known installations for the distribution of electricity from the mains supply to the place of consumption and for the metering of the consumption of electricity, the electricity distribution board and the electricity meter are separate units. The drawback of this is that with these solutions it is more difficult to make changes/improvements such as e.g. features for exchange of the electricity meter or the like without disconnection. It is moreover more simple to make unauthorized m- terventions to bypass the electricity meter. Further, it involves the drawbacks that the installation is difficult to integrate in a non-technical environment m an elegant manner and is uneconomical m production. Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide an electricity distribution board of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph, where repairs of e.g. an electricity meter may be carried out without the voltage supply to the household having to be cut off, and where the electricity supplier can also connect and disconnect the voltage supply m an easy manner. Another object of the invention is to provide an electricity supply board m which the electricity meter is integrated. This gives a very compact structure relative to the present mstalla- tions where the electricity meter is typically arranged separately from the electricity distribution board, e.g. in a meter cabinet externally on a residential building. The objects of the invention are achieved in that the distribution terminal block is coupled to an electricity meter which is positioned inside the electricity distribution board, and that the distribution terminal block has an additional terminal which, in a first state, is connected to the place of consumption via the electricity meter, and that a break facility is proviαed between the first and second terminals, while a short-circuit facil- ty is provided between the first and third terminals, capable of supplying the place of consumption with voltage when the first and second terminals are disconnected. It is noted that the distribution terminal block may of course be adapted to transfer power from one-phased as well as multi-phased systems. In an advantageous embodiment the electricity meter is multipoled, as stated in claim 2. To prevent the situation that an unauthorized person can make the said short-circuit, it is an advantage, as stated m claim 3, that the distribution terminal block is arranged separately in a housing with a cover which is sealable . To ensure that a household does not get a power supply to its installations with e.g. a fuse of the order of 63 am- peres, it is an advantage, as stated m claim 4, that the terminals are short-circuited by a contact maker (e.g. a hanger) which may be provided with a fuse. As mentioned, the invention also relates to a distribu- tion terminal block for use m an electricity distribution board. This distribution terminal block is characterized in that it is constructed as a housing with a sealable cover, as stated in claim 5. Hereby, the connections to the distribution terminal block may be separated completely from all other equipment present m the electricity board, so that ust authorized persons can gain access to tne distribution terminal block and make changes in it. Expedient emnodiments of the distribution terminal block are defined in claims 6-9. The invention will now be explained more fully with reference to an embodiment shown m the drawing, in which fig. 1 schematically shows a known set-up with several users receiving voltage via an electricity meter, fig. 2 schematically shows a set-up using the principles of the invention, fig. 3 shows an electricity distribution board with the distribution terminal block according to the invention, fig. 4 shows the electricity distribution board according to fig. 3 seen from the end, fig. 5 shows a distribution terminal block according to the invention m perspective without electrical parts, while fig. 6 shows the same distribution terminal block according to fig. 5, but now seen from another angle. As will be seen m fig. 1, the reference numerals 1, 2 and 3 designate distribution terminals to consumers, there being provided terminals 4, 5, 6 which receive power from e.g. the public mains supply. 7, 8 and 9 designate contact parts which can break and make, respectively, connections between the terminals 4,10, 5,11 and 6,12. Under normal conditions, the terminals are short- circuited so that voltage is fed to the electricity meter, which carries the voltage via a terminal 15, 16 and 21 to a place of consumption 22, 23, 24. Also fig. 2 shows three distribution terminal blocks wnich receive voltage on the terminals 4, 5, 6. These terminals may be connected to terminals 10, 11, 12 via contact parts 7, 8, 9 m the same manner as shown in fig. 1 and thus feed voltage to an electricity meter 14, 17, 20 and from there to a consumer. Terminals 30, 31, 32 are additionally shown in fig. 2. These terminals are normally connected via the terminals 15, 18, 21 and from there to the consumers represented by the blocks 22, 23, 24. If now one of the electricity meters is to be exchanged for some reason, it will be possible, via the pairs of terminals 25, 26, to short-circuit the terminals 4 and 30 and disconnect the terminal 7 so that the voltage supply directly bypasses the electricity meter, which may then be repaired or exchanged, if necessary. Of course, the same applies to the two other places of con- sumption represented by the blocks 23 and 24. Fig. 3 shows a typical electricity distribution board which contains the distribution terminal block according to the invention. The terminals 4, 7 and 10 are shown at the top of fig. 3, corresponding to the embodiment fig. 1, but the figure also shows the terminal 30 corresponding to the terminal 30 fig. 2 and the short-circuit points 25, 26. Of other details shown in fig. 3, 35 designates some weakened areas from which material from the base of the electricity board may be removed so that the wires may be passed into the electricity board itself. 34 designates a mounting rail on which the electricity meter 50 is placed. Fig. 4 shows the electricity distribution board of fig. 3 from the end and this time with the distribution terminal block shown schematically. This terminal block is shown in more detail in figs. 5 and 6, wnere fig. 5 shows that it consists of several sections, a first section of which being designated 37, in which the terminals, shown schematically in figs. 2 and 4, may be arranged. Furthermore, figs. 3 and 5 show an attachment 36 so that the entire part may be mounted an electricity distribution board. Fig. 6 shows the distribution terminal block from below, and it will be seen that p s 39 are provided, capable of engaging holes (not shown) in the electricity board shown in fig. 3. Also shown are ribs 40 for supporting the distribution terminal block against the bottom of the electricity distribution board. These may also be made as towers with e.g. a through hole.

Claims: P a t e n t C l a i m s 1. An electricity distribution board having a distπbu- tion terminal block which has first and second terminals for the connection of leads from a mams supply to an electricity meter for supplying a place of consumption with power, said first terminal being connected to the mams supply, said second terminal being connected to the electricity meter, a contact part being provided between the two terminals for connecting the supply voltage to and disconnecting it from the electricity meter, c h a r a c t e r i z e d that the distribution terminal block is coupled to an electricity meter which is positioned inside the electricity distribution board, and that the distribution terminal block has an additional terminal which, in a first state, is connected to the place of consumption via the electricity meter, and that a break facility is provided between the first and second terminals, while a short-circuit facility is provided between the first and third terminals, capable of supplying the place of consumption with voltage when the first and second terminals are disconnected. 2. An electricity distribution board according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d that the electricity meter is multipoled. 3. An electricity distribution board according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d m that the distribution terminal block is arranged separately in a housing with a cover which is sealable. 4. An electricity distribution board according to claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d that two terminals may be short-circuited by a contact maker which may be provided with a fuse. 5. A distribution terminal block for use m an electnc- lty distribution board according to claims 1-4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it is constructed as a housing with a sealable cover. 6. A distribution terminal block according to claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d m that the housing has attachment means for attachment in the electricity distribution board. 7. A distribution terminal block according to claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the distance between the attachment means is greater than the width of the distribution terminal block itself. 8. A distribution terminal block according to claims 5- 7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the housing is provided with stiffening/supporting ribs on the underside. 9. A distribution terminal block according to claims 5- 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the housing is made of an insulating material, such as plastics.

Inventors: NIELSEN JENS FOGH, NIELSEN, JENS, FOGH
Applicants: LK AS, NIELSEN JENS FOGH, LK A/S, NIELSEN, JENS, FOGH
Application year: 1999
Main classification: H02B1
IPC codes: G01R11, H02B1