Abstract:
A pre-wiring device creating a logic function such as an inverter function or a star-delta start function between at least two multi-pole contactors located side by side and used particularly in electrical control equipment of motors. A same pre-wiring device allows connections to be made in an identical way to several sizes of contactors which reduces accordingly the number of different terminal bars to be designed and manufactured. According to a characteristic of the invention, this pre-wiring device includes an upstream pre-wiring terminal bar  30  fitted with metal pins  31  to be inserted into the upstream wiring terminal blocks  11  of the contactors. The pre-wiring device also includes a downstream pre-wiring terminal bar.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a pre-wiring device allowing a logic function such as an inverter function or a star-delta start function to be created between at least two multi-pole contactors intended to be used particularly in electrical control equipment of motors. 
     2. Discussion of the Background 
     The use of a pre-wiring device to create a logic function between several multi-pole contactors is well known. For example in the case of an inverter function effected on two three-pole contactors, this pre-wiring device must connect two by two the input poles of the two contactors by direct connections and must connect two by two the output poles by connections by making a permutation of two contactors relative to the input order. Such a device thus simplifies the task of installers by offering them a pre-wired function, ready to be connected to the contactors and which may be created from terminal bars installed upstream and/or downstream of several contactors located one next to the other. 
     Nonetheless these pre-wiring devices are generally adapted to the size of the contactors for which they are intended so as to enable easy and safe mechanical and electrical connections. This therefore involves different mechanical components for each size of contactor. The purpose of the invention is to offer a pre-wiring device which will make it possible to connect in an identical way to several sizes of contactor which will reduce accordingly the number of different terminal bars to be designed and manufactured and which will also simplify component stock control by the manufacturer and by the installer. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to a characteristic of the invention, the pre-wiring device to create a logic function between at least two multi-pole contactors located side by side includes an upstream pre-wiring terminal bar coated in insulating material, installed above the contactors and fitted with metal pins able to be inserted in the housings of the upstream wiring terminal blocks of the contactors. This upstream terminal bar includes on its lower face stop means which come into support on the upper plane surface of the upstream terminal blocks of a first type of contactors and which are shielded on a second type of contactors the upper face of which has adapted notches. The pre-wiring device also includes a downstream pre-wiring terminal bar installed under the contactors, constituted by a comb coated in an insulating material and equipped with teeth from which emerge, along a direction approximately perpendicular to the plane of the downstream terminal bar, metal pins able to be inserted in the housings of the downstream wiring terminal blocks of the contactors. The teeth of this downstream terminal bar come into support against the lower plane face of the downstream terminal blocks of a first type of contactor and in notches provided on the lower face of the downstream terminal blocks of a second type of contactors. 
     Other characteristics and advantages will emerge in the following detailed description with reference to embodiments given as examples and shown in the appended drawings in which: 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows a composite connection example of electrical devices used to make the power circuit for controlling a three-pole bi-directional device, 
     FIGS. 2 and 3 show in detail in rear view the mode of assembly of an upstream pre-wiring terminal bar on two types of contactors of different size, 
     FIG. 4 shows the coupling of an upstream prewiring terminal bar on a contactor/circuit breaker interface component, 
     FIGS. 5 and 6 show in detail the mode of assembly of a downstream pre-wiring terminal bar on two types of contactors of different size. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 shows a composite connection example of different electrical devices used to make the power circuit for controlling a three-pole device  80 , such as a bi-directional motor. In this figure, the electrical power supply is provided by three conductors  59  which are connected to the upstream terminal block  52  of a protective device, such as a motor circuit breaker  50 . Downstream from this circuit breaker, there is an interface component  40  between circuit breaker and contactor intended to facilitate for the installer the mounting and the wiring of the contactor/circuit breaker unit. This interface component is fitted on one side with an upstream row of pins  42  connected to the downstream terminal block  51  of the breaker  50 , and on the other side with a downstream row of pins  41  connected to the upstream terminal block  11  of a first contactor  10 . A second identical contactor  20  is placed next to the first contactor  10 . These two contactors are used to control the motor  80 , along a first direction when the contactor  10  is closed and the contactor  20  is open and along a second direction when the contactor  20  is closed and the contactor  10  is open, the two contactors being controlled by means of a control circuit not shown in this figure. 
     A pre-wiring device intended to create a function inverting the power phases between the two contactors  10 ,  20  is constituted by an upstream pre-wiring terminal bar  30  and by a downstream pre-wiring terminal bar  60 . 
     The upstream pre-wiring terminal bar  30 , of a width approximately equal to the width of the two contactors, is pinned against the upper faces  12 ,  22  of the upstream terminal blocks  11 ,  21  of the contactors  10 ,  20 , so as to be located between the interface component  40  and the contactors  10 ,  20 . This terminal bar has metal pins  31  which come to insert themselves in the housings of the upstream terminal blocks  11 ,  21  of the contactors  10 ,  20 . Moreover, the upstream terminal bar  30  has cavities  35  allowing the downstream pins  41  of the interface component  40  to be able to pass through it so as to connect also to the upstream terminal block  11 . In the case of an inverter function, the role of the upstream terminal bar is to connect two by two the upstream terminals of the two contactors  10 ,  20 . 
     The downstream pre-wiring terminal bar  60 , of a width approximately equal to the width of the two contactors, is pinned against the lower faces  16 ,  26  of the downstream terminal blocks  15 ,  25  of the contactors  10 ,  20 . It has metal pins  61  which come to insert themselves in the housings of the downstream terminal blocks  15 ,  25  of the contactors  10 ,  20 . In the case of an inverter function, the role of the downstream terminal bar is to connect two by two the downstream terminals of the two contactors  10 ,  20 , by making an inversion between two poles. 
     To the downstream terminal block  15  of the contactor  10 , may be connected the pins  71  of an attachment  70 , such as a thermal relay intended to protect the motor  80 , in such a way that the downstream terminal bar  60  is located between this attachment  70  and the two contactors  10 ,  20 . To this end, the downstream terminal bar  60  has cavities  65  allowing the pins  71  of the attachment  70  to be able to pass through it to connect directly to the downstream terminal block  15  of the contactor  10 . Lastly, three conductors  79  connect the downstream terminal block  72  of the attachment  70  to the motor  80 . 
     It is of course possible to make other power circuits for controlling a motor. It is possible, for example, for there to be no need for a circuit breaker  50 , nor for the interface component  40 ; in this case the power supply conductors  59  pass through the cavities  35  of the upstream terminal bar  30  to connect directly to the upstream terminal block  11  of the contactor  10 . It is also possible to have no need for an attachment  70 , if thermal protection is incorporated into the circuit breaker  50 ; in this case, the conductors  79  pass through the cavities  65  of the downstream terminal bar  60  to connect directly to the downstream terminal block  12  of the contactor  10 . 
     Furthermore, it is important to note that the role of the contactors  10  and  20  is symmetrical, which means that it is conceivable in an equivalent way, in FIG. 1, to make the upstream connections of the contactors to the upstream terminal block  21  instead of the terminal block  11  or the downstream connections of the contactors to the downstream terminal block  25  instead of to the terminal block  15 . 
     FIG. 2 shows, in rear view, an upstream pre-wiring terminal bar  30  mounted on two contactors  10 ,  20  of a first type T 1 . FIG. 3 shows, in rear view, a same upstream terminal bar  30  mounted on two contactors  10 ′,  20 ′ of a second type T 2 . The upstream terminal bar  30  is coated in insulating material, has an approximately parallelepiped shape, has no great height and a width approximately equal to that of the two contactors placed side by side. It has an upper face  33  and a lower face  37  from which emerge the metal pins  31  intended to be inserted in the housings of the upstream terminal blocks of the contactors. The two types of contactors T 1  and T 2  are for example of different gauges which entails different dimensions; hence, if the widths of the two types of contactors are approximately the same, the type T 2  contactors are, on the other hand, greater in height than the type T 1  contactors. Consequently, the upstream terminal blocks  11 ′,  21 ′ of the type T 2  contactors  10 ′,  20 ′ are also greater in height than the upstream terminal blocks  11 ,  21  of the type T 1  contactors  10 ,  20 , which could necessitate different lengths of the pins  31  of the upstream terminal bar  30  in order to provide a tight fit in the two types of contactors. 
     Furthermore, the upper face  12 ,  22  of an upstream terminal block  11 ,  21  of a type T 1  contactor is plane whereas the upper face of an upstream terminal block  11 ′,  21 ′ of a type T 2  contactor has rounded notches  13 ′,  23 ′. In the example shown in FIG. 3, each contactor  10 ′,  20 ′ comprises one rounded notch  13 ′,  23 ′ per contact pole, and raised flats  14 ′,  24 ′ between each notch. The purpose of the invention is to be able irrespectively for the two types of contactors to: 
     tighten appropriately the pins  31  of an upstream terminal bar  30  in each terminal of the upstream terminal block of the contactors while, 
     pinning the upstream terminal bar  30  against the upper face of the upstream terminal block of each contactor, so as to provide a solid and reliable connection. 
     To this end, the upstream terminal bar  30  includes stop means which come into support against the upper face  12 ,  22  of the upstream terminal block of the type T 1  contactors, and which are shielded for the type T 2  contactors. These stop means may be to advantage at least two transverse ribs  36  approximately perpendicular to an axis X passing through the housings of the upstream terminal blocks of the contactors, and distributed along the lower plane face  37  of the upstream terminal bar  30 . When it is desired to pin an upstream terminal bar on type T 1  contactors  10 ,  20 , the ribs  36  of the upstream terminal bar  30  therefore come into support against the upper face  12 ,  22  of the upstream terminal blocks. When it is desired to pin an upstream terminal bar on type T 2  contactors  10 ′,  20 ′, these ribs  36  come to be positioned in the notches  13 ′,  23 ′ and it is directly the lower plane face  37  of the upstream terminal bar  30  which comes into support on the flats  14 ′,  24 ′ located between each notch  13 ′,  23 ′. 
     Apart from the fact that it provides a support for the upstream terminal bar which is equivalent for the two types of contactors, this arrangement has the advantage of modulating the length of the pins  31  inserted in the housings of the upstream terminal blocks of the contactors. Indeed, for type T 1  contactors, the lower face  37  of the upstream terminal bar is raised relative to the upstream terminal blocks  11 ,  21  by a height equal to the height of the ribs  36 , which, seeing that they are not as high as the terminal blocks  11 ′,  21 ′, allows the pins  31  not to stop in the bottom of the housings of the upstream terminal blocks  11 ,  21  of the type T 1  contactors. 
     Moreover, the upstream terminal bar  30  has cavities  35  which pass through it on either side in an upwards direction, these cavities being able to be for each contact pole a hole which is cylindrical, rectangular or the like in shape, in such a way that rigid or flexible conductors may freely pass through the upstream terminal bar and be connected directly to the upstream terminal blocks of the contactors. 
     In the event of the power circuit comprising, upstream from the contactors, a circuit breaker  50  combined with an interface component  40  between circuit breaker and contactor, the upstream terminal bar may, prior to its connection to the contactors, be coupled by appropriate means to this interface component. As shown in FIG. 4, the interface component  40  has a lower face  46  fitted with a recess  45  of a size adapted to house an upstream terminal bar  30 . From this recess  45  emerge the downstream pins  41  which are to be connected to the upstream terminal blocks of the contactors, and the appropriate upstream terminal bar coupling means, these means being, for example, a clip-on mounting  44  coming to engage with a corresponding slot  34  in the upstream terminal bar  30 . However, to provide an effective fixing of the upstream terminal bar  30  on the upper face of the upstream terminal blocks  11 ,  21  of the contactors, the interface component  40  also comprises, in the recess  45  of its lower face  46 , resilient means acting as a spring, these means being able to be at least two plastic tabs  43  one end of which is fixed to the interface component  40  and the other end of which is free. When the upstream terminal bar  30  is coupled to the interface component  40 , the free ends of the tabs  43  come into contact and exert pressure on the upper face  33  of the upstream terminal bar  30 , thus facilitating its pinning on the upstream terminal blocks of the contactors. In the event of the power circuit not comprising a circuit breaker  50  or an interface component  40 , the pinning of the upstream terminal bar  30  on the upstream terminal blocks of the contactors may easily be effected by manual pressure on the upper face  33  of the upstream terminal bar before tightening the terminals of the contactors. 
     FIG. 5 shows, in front view, a downstream pre-wiring terminal bar  60  installed under two contactors  10 ,  20  of a first type T 1 . FIG. 6 shows, in front view, a same downstream terminal bar  60  installed under two contactors  10 ′,  20 ′ of a second type T 2 . The downstream terminal bar  60  is in the shape of a comb coated in insulating material, comprising a body  62  of a width approximately equal to that of the two contactors placed side by side, and teeth  63 . From these teeth  63  emerge metal pins  61  along an axis Y approximately perpendicular to the plane of the downstream terminal bar  60 . These metal pins  61  are intended to be inserted in the housings of the downstream terminal blocks of the contactors. 
     As in the case of the upstream terminal blocks, the downstream terminal blocks  15 ′,  25 ′ of the type T 2  contactors  10 ′,  20 ′ are greater in height than the downstream terminal blocks  15 ,  25  of the type T 1  contactors  10 ,  20 . Furthermore, the lower face  16 ,  26  of a downstream terminal block  15 ,  25  is plane whereas the lower face  16 ′,  26 ′ of a downstream terminal block  15 ′,  25 ′ has rounded notches  18 ′,  28 ′. In the example shown in FIG. 6, each contactor  10 ′,  20 ′ comprises one rounded notch  18 ′,  28 ′ per contact pole, and flats  17 ′,  27 ′ raised between each notch. The purpose of the invention is to be able irrespectively for the two types of contactors to: 
     tighten appropriately the pins  61  of a downstream terminal bar  60  in each terminal of the downstream terminal block of the contactors while, 
     pinning the downstream terminal bar  60  against the lower face of the downstream terminal block of each contactor, so as to provide a solid and reliable connection. 
     To this end, the dimensions of the teeth  63  of the downstream terminal bar  30  are adapted so that they can just as well come into support against the lower plane face  16 ,  26  of the downstream terminal blocks of the type T 1  contactors  10 ,  20  and so that they can come into support in the notches  18 ′,  28 ′ provided on the lower face  16 ′,  26 ′ of the downstream terminal blocks of type T 2  contactors  10 ′,  20 ′. 
     Apart from the fact that it provides a support for the downstream terminal bar which is equivalent for the two types of contactors, this arrangement has the advantage of modulating the length of the pins  61  inserted in the housings of the downstream terminal blocks of the contactors. Indeed, for type T 2  contactors, since the teeth  63  are pinned in the notches  18 ′,  28 ′ and not against the lower face  16 ′,  26 ′ of the downstream terminal blocks  15 ′,  25 ′, the pins  61  are inserted more deeply than in type T 1  contactors, the difference being about equal to the height of the notches  18 ′,  28 ′ relative to the lower face  16 ′,  26 ′. This allows there to be in both cases a sufficient insertion of the pins  61  of the downstream terminal bar  60  to provide a reliable connection. 
     Between each tooth  63 , the downstream terminal bar  60  has cavities  65  of sufficient width to allow rigid or flexible conductors to pass freely through the downstream terminal bar and thus to connect directly to the downstream terminal blocks of the contactors. 
     In the event of the power circuit comprising, downstream from the contactors, an attachment  70 , the downstream terminal bar  60  comprises resilient means which facilitate its pinning against the lower face of the downstream terminal blocks of the contactors. In the example shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, these resilient means are constituted by at least one plastic tab  68  acting as a spring, one end of which is fixed on the body  62  of the downstream terminal bar  60  and the other end of which is free and is supported on the attachment  70  thus exerting pressure on the downstream terminal bar  60 . In the event of the power circuit not comprising an attachment  70 , the pinning of the downstream terminal bar  60  against the downstream terminal blocks of the contactors may easily be effected by manual pressure on the downstream terminal bar before tightening the terminals of the contactors.