Abstract:
The present invention relates to a cover cap for a connection of two electrically conductive interconnected ends of two winding bars of a stator of an electric machine. The cover cap includes an electrically insulating housing that surrounds and seals a circumference of the connection when mounted. The cover cap has a spring device disposed in an interior of the housing and configured to be clipped onto the connection so as to mount the housing and is supported on the connection on said housing when the housing is mounted so as to provide a force for fixing the housing to the connection.

Description:
This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2005/055952, filed on Nov. 14, 2005, which claims priority to Swiss Patent Application No. CH 01931/04, filed on Nov. 24, 2004. The entire disclosure of both applications is incorporated by reference herein. 

   The present invention relates to a cover cap for an assembly comprising two ends, of two winding bars of a stator of an electrical machine, the ends being electrically conductively connected to one another. The invention also relates to a stator which is equipped with covers such as these. 
   BACKGROUND 
   In a stator of an electrical machine, particularly in the case of a generator or in the case of an electric motor, for example in a power station, a stator winding is formed from individual winding bars, so-called transposed conductors, which are passed out of the stator at its axial ends and are connected to one another in some suitable form, for example in order to form poles of the winding. For this purpose, two winding bars are in each case electrically conductively connected to one another at their ends, for example by being soldered to one another. The ends that are connected to one another in this case form an assembly, which must be externally protected and, in particular, electrically insulated. Cover caps of the type mentioned initially are used for this purpose, and are plugged onto the respective assembly for this purpose. A cover cap such as this comprises an electrically insulating housing which, in the installed state, sheaths the respective assembly such that its circumference is closed. Cover caps such as these may have a housing which is closed at one end, or a housing which is open at both ends. A cover cap with a housing which is closed at one end may, for example, be plugged onto the respective assembly and may then be encapsulated with an adhesive, in particular synthetic resin. In the case of a cover cap with a housing which is open at both ends, the assembly may have twine impregnated with an adhesive, in particular synthetic resin, wound around it before the cover cap is fitted. Both variants are extremely time-consuming and require careful handling in order to avoid contamination of the surrounding area, in particular of the stator, with the adhesive. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to the problem of specifying an improved embodiment for a cover or for a stator equipped with such a cover including a simple fitting of the cover. 
   According to the present invention the cover cap is fixable to the assembly by spring loading. For this purpose, the present invention provides a housing equipped with a spring device which makes it possible to plug the housing onto the assembly and which, when in the plugged-on state, produces a holding force which fixes the housing sufficiently firmly on the assembly. This design allows the cover cap according to the invention to be fitted to the respective assembly particularly easily and cleanly. The fitting of the stator and of the ends of the winding bars that are connected to one another can thus be carried out particularly quickly. This considerably simplifies the amount of effort required for fitting of the cover caps and thus of the stator. 
   According to one preferred embodiment, the spring device may have at least one spring which is provided with a semi-conducting coating in order to reduce the corona effect. This makes it possible to reduce or avoid the corona effect, which can occur at the normally uninsulated ends of the winding bars in the assembly, within the cover cap. 
   Further important features and advantages of the present invention can be found in the dependent claims, in the drawings and in the associated description of the figures, with reference to the drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail in the following description and are illustrated in the drawings, in which the same reference symbols relate to identical, similar or functionally identical components. In the figures, in each case schematically: 
       FIG. 1  shows an axial view of a stator, 
       FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of two winding bars, 
       FIG. 3  shows a longitudinal section through an assembly with a cover cap, 
       FIG. 4  shows a longitudinal section as in  FIG. 3 , but of a different embodiment, 
       FIG. 5  shows a longitudinal section as in  FIG. 3 , but of a further embodiment, and 
       FIG. 6  shows a longitudinal section as in  FIG. 3 , but on a section plane rotated through 90°. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , a stator  1  of an electrical machine, which is otherwise not illustrated, for example a generator or an electric motor, preferably in a power station, has a stator winding  2  which is formed from a multiplicity of individual winding bars  3 , which are passed axially out of the stator  1 . In this case, two winding bars  3  are in each case electrically conductively connected to one another at their ends  4 , with those ends  4  which are connected to one another forming an assembly  5 . An assembly  5  such as this is covered by a cover cap  6  in the stator  1  according to the invention. 
     FIG. 2  shows two winding bars  3 , which are electrically conductively connected to one another at their ends  4  on the right in  FIG. 2 , in particular by being soldered or welded to one another, and form the said assembly  5 . The cover cap  6  is not shown in  FIG. 2 . At their ends  4 ′ remote from the assembly  5 , the winding bars  3  can be connected in fundamentally the same manner to the ends of other winding bars. These winding bars  3  are generally so-called “transposed conductors”. 
   In a corresponding manner to that shown in  FIGS. 3 to 6 , a cover cap  6  such as this has a housing  7  and a spring device  8 . In the installed state, the cover cap  6  is fitted to the respective assembly  5 , and covers it on the outside. 
   The housing  7  is expediently composed of an electrically insulating material, for example a plastic. The housing  7  can be closed at one end with the aid of a base  9 , as in the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  6 , or may be open at both ends, as in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 . In any case, in the installed state, the housing  7  sheaths the assembly  5  such that its circumference is closed. 
   The spring device  8  is arranged in the interior of the housing  7 . The spring device  8  is designed such that an open face  10  of the housing  7  can be plugged onto the assembly  5  for installation. This means that the spring device  8  is designed such that it does not impede the process of plugging the cover cap  6  onto the assembly  5 . Furthermore, the spring device  8  is designed such that, in the installed state, it is supported on the one hand on the assembly  5  and on the other hand on the housing  7 . In addition, the spring device  8  is designed such that, in the installed state, it produces a holding force which fixes the housing  7  on the assembly  5 . The holding force is symbolized by arrows, and annotated with  11 , in  FIGS. 3 to 5 . 
   In the embodiments shown here, the spring device  8  has at least one spring  12 . In the examples shown here, the spring device  8  is in each case equipped with two springs  12 . In this case, the two springs  12  are arranged in the housing  7  such that they are diametrically opposite, and therefore, in the installed state, are positioned on both sides of the assembly  5 . It is clear that, from a different embodiment, the spring device  8  requires only a single spring  12 , and further embodiments may also have more than two springs  12 . 
   The springs  12  are attached to the housing  7 . For example, the springs  12  are adhesively bonded into the housing  7 . It is likewise possible for the springs  12  to be integrated in the housing  7 , even during its production. By way of example, the housing  7  is cast from plastic, in particular using an injection-molding process, with the springs  12  being embedded in the plastic, that is to say being encapsulated or extrusion-coated. This simplifies the production of these cover caps  6 . 
   The springs  12  may be produced from a conventional spring material, for example spring steel. However, in one preferred embodiment, the springs  12  are composed of a plastic that is suitable for this purpose and which, in particular, may be fiber-reinforced, in particular with carbon fibers and/or glass fibers being suitable for fiber reinforcement. Furthermore, the plastic may optionally be provided with an electrically conductive additive. This makes the springs  12  semi-conducting, which is advantageous in order to reduce the corona effect which can occur at the ends  4  in the region of the assembly  5 . Additionally or alternatively, the springs  12  can also be provided with a semi-conducting coating, which likewise contributes to reducing the corona effect. 
   In the embodiments described here, the springs  12  are in the form of wave spring washers. Wave spring washers  12  such as these may be shaped with relatively little effort, such that they can produce the desired plugging-on behavior and the desired holding force. 
   The springs  12  project into the interior of the housing  7  in such a manner that, in the installed state, they are supported on the outside of the assembly  5  and are thus loaded. This results in the spring loading producing the desired holding force. 
   As can be seen from  FIGS. 2 and 6 , a lateral web  13  is formed in the assembly  5 , via which the two ends  4  are connected to one another. The two ends  4  are at a distance from one another as far as this lateral web  13 . A corresponding gap between the ends  4  is annotated  14  in  FIGS. 2 and 6 . The two ends  4  are also electrically connected in the area of this lateral web  13 . As can also be seen from  FIGS. 2 and 6 , the web  13  may at least partially be formed at least one of the ends  4 . 
   The lateral web  13  and the arrangement of the ends  4 , which are otherwise at a distance from one another, result in the formation of an undercut  15  in the assembly  5 , and this is used, in the case of the cover cap  6  according to the invention, by the spring device  8  in order to fix the cover cap  6  to the assembly  5 . In one variant, an undercut  15  such as this may also be formed in a different manner, for example by means of a step at least one of the ends  4 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  6 , the springs  12  can be designed such that, in the installed state, they engage behind the said undercut  15 . Furthermore, the springs  12  are designed such that, in the installed state, they produce a holding force  11 , which has a component  16  (represented by arrows) which is oriented such that it drives the housing  7  with its base  9  against one end  17  of the assembly  5 . This end  17  is that end of the assembly  5  which enters the housing  7  when the cover cap  6  is being plugged on. In the embodiments in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the base  9  in this case comes to rest directly on said end  17  and is supported on it by a corresponding resultant force  18 , symbolized by arrows. This results in the cover cap  6  being secured particularly effectively against being pulled off the assembly  5 . 
   In another embodiment, the bracing of the base  9  against the end  15  can in general be replaced by bracing of an inward-projecting contour of the housing  7  against a corresponding matching contour on the assembly  5 . This bracing principle can accordingly be implemented without any problem for a housing  7  that is open at both ends, as in  FIG. 5 , as well. 
   Furthermore, the springs  12  are in this case designed such that, in the installed state, they generate a holding force  11  which has a component  19  (symbolized by an arrow) which acts orthogonally on the housing  7  and/or on the assembly  5 . The orthogonal component  19  leads to bracing between the assembly  5  and the housing  7 , transversely with respect to the pulling-off direction. Resultant friction forces must then be overcome in order to pull the cover cap  6  off, and these forces may be made sufficiently great by using appropriate material combinations. Furthermore, the orthogonal component  19  leads, with the aid of the two springs  12 , to the springs  12  clamping the assembly in between them, in the installed state. At the same time, this results in the cover cap  6  being centered on the assembly  5 , assuming that the two springs  12  are designed appropriately symmetrically. 
   The embodiment shown in  FIG. 4  differs from that shown in  FIG. 3  in that its springs  12  each have an additional contact zone, for introduction of the orthogonal component  19 , in the area of the lateral web  13 . This makes it possible to increase the total pulling-off force, that is to say the force which is required to remove the cover cap  6  from the assembly  5  again. 
   Additional security for the cover cap  6  on the assembly  5  can be provided by adhesive bonding  20 . Adhesive bonding  20  such as this, for example composed of synthetic resin, allows the housing  7  to additionally be fixed on the assembly  5 . By way of example, the spring device  8  is then used for quick fitting, and provides adequate resistance to pulling off for installation purposes. The respective adhesive is in this case expediently applied at a suitable point while the cover cap  6  is actually being plugged onto the housing  7 , and can then cure at a later time in order to provide the respectively desired increased resistance to pulling off. The adhesive-bonded joint  20  is expediently arranged in the area of the base  9 , thus making it possible to provide a contact pressure, which assists the strength of the adhesive-bonded joint  20 , with the aid of the force component  18 , which presses the base  9  against the end  17  of the assembly  5 , until the adhesive-bonded joint  20  has cured. It is obvious that other areas can additionally or alternatively be provided with adhesive as well, in contrast to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 5 , in the case of an open embodiment of the cover cap  6 , that is to say a cover cap  6  with a housing that is open at both ends, it may be expedient to design the springs  12  such that, in the installed state, they produce exclusively the orthogonal components  19 . By way of example, each spring  12  is supported in a first contact zone in the area of the lateral web  13  orthogonally on the assembly  5 , and is supported via a corresponding second contact zone in an area of the ends  4  adjacent to the lateral web  13 . This likewise makes it possible to produce sufficiently high pulling-off forces in order to achieve the desired plug-on security for the cover cap  6 . 
   The cover cap  6  according to the invention can be fitted particularly easily, since it just has to be plugged onto the assembly  5 . The suitable configuration of the spring device  8  results in the cover cap  6  in this case automatically being secured on the assembly  5 . At the same time, the spring device  8  can achieve desired positioning, in particular centering, of the cover cap  6  relative to the assembly  5 . This considerably reduces the amount of production effort for the stator  1 .